Calling my brain, where are you???

I do not know why this happens, maybe it is the lack of sleep over the years that have finally build up, or I have finally gone over the key number of disappearing brain cells from pregnancies, or that I am always multi tasking to the point where I don't know quite what I am doing. Let's recount my idiocracies of the evening, shall we?

I stared at the Tractor supply fence calculator for 20 minutes trying everything I could think of to get the freakin' thing to work, clicking here and there, typing, ctrl + clicking - everything I could think of, and when I finally gave up Aba came over and pushed the power button and it was raring to go (now, how come I didn't see that button in the 20 minutes I clicked on everything else possible on the screen)???

Or the conversation Aba and I were having about the pigs he wants to get, (Walter I think we are going to try and get them from you, and yeah now it is more than 1, Thanks, for that, really, thanks) and how we will keep our animals from running away. Aba said we should just fence in the whole perimeter of the property instead of little pastures, and let the chickens, cow an pigs wander where ever they want - well except for the market garden, that wouldn't be good. I countered with how I thought he wanted wildlife on the land to hunt, so we shouldn't fence in all the land, but then again, we don't really want deers though because they would kill all the animals. Yeah, that's right I said because we don't want the deers to kill all of the animals!!!, that makes tons of sense, right? I meant Bears, not deers, and yes I know they are different. Aba just gave me a weird look and started laughing " Yep, you gotta watch out for those killer deers!

And you don't even want to know how I attempted to put out the salmon tonite that I accidentally flambeed. Note to self: Blowing on the burner will not put out flames, you must turn off the gas, and move the skillet away.

I think I should just go to bed now before I mess something else up.

Hat buttons are available!!!

It looks like we should be having a giveaway a day next week! Please feel free to post the above button on your site to let everyone know about this great opportunity. I have some really cute hats by some awesome people lined up. The first giveaway will be on Monday!!!

Button code:
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A chill is in the air

and hat season is officially here!!!

I am working on something fun for all of you, well rather your kids. With winter weather abounding I have been hat shopping. I have been scanning the Internet and visiting the big box stores for fun head coverings for the kids. And the cutest of all seem to be those that are handmade by talented people, which I definitely am not. I can't knit or crochet a stitch, my sewing gear has all been packed away for the move, and really I can't hold a matchstick to most peoples creative abilities.

I am trying to get some very talented individuals to donate their creations for all of you to win. I am unsure at this point if we will end up with 1 or 5 hats, but it should definitely be fun! So over the next few days while I am sorting all of this out, anyone have any great ideas on a name? I am thinking something like "kids in hats" or "caps for free", but again like I said I suck at the creativity thing.

But I will keep you posted (and if any of you have a hat making talent that I am unaware of, please send me a note so you can participate too!)

watch out for personal views...

Now, that I have warned you, I am going to talk about something I try to stay away from, politics. While this blog is my own personal piece of cyberspace, I was taught that politics are not something to be discussed in polite company. But I am going to break that rule. We all should have a say in how our country is run, and who runs it. And frankly I am not impressed with the "top" candidates so far. However, I feel there is a candidate that is just right for the job, but being overshadowed by the more well known choices.

Hillary, may be a Clinton, but she is not Bill. This is something we should all remember. She and Bill have different views on many aspects, and a vote for her will not bring Bill back to office. Plus Hillary voted for the war in Iraq, and to classify Iran’s 125,000-member Revolutionary Guard Corps a foreign terrorist organization. (Oh and McCain and Obama? They didn't vote at all - I don't want a president that won't commit one way or the other on issues to improve their political status)

Ron Paul, wants to overturn abortion rights, which is not the government's decision (really, why does it matter if a woman wants an abortion, each individual knows their circumstances best and why would anyone want to bring an unwanted child into the world???)

My vote is for Bill Richardson he actually seems to have his head on strait, is grounded in reality, and has a proven track record. But all that is really just talk. When I watch the debates on TV, I saw a real person, one who truly wants to help restore America to it's glory, and help all of us, the little guys who seem to get looked over. Bill is not a political Robot as many of the others seem to be. Go and take a look at his website, take a look around, you may be surprised that you haven't heard of him sooner.

This is not a sponsored post, I was reading another blog and remembered that none of us are to little to make a difference, and it is our responsibility to fight for what we feel is right. Let our voices (and opinions) be heard!!!

My oldest princess

has been feeling a bit left out, with Baby B's birthday, and J's birthday and upshirin, so I want to devote today to her.

A beauty, who is comfortable in her own skin, always ready to help, and be a mommy to her baby dolls and little sis. And so smart, writes letters and asks how to spell words, and the world's best color-er. My Princess, Miss B!!!



Don't you love the Colorado winter static? The electricity is in the air, with shocking
kisses

look who visited the barber!!!

last week:


this week:

I should be...

I should be washing the dishes
I should be folding the pile of laundry
I should be searching the Internet for boxes
I should be packing the basement
I should be polishing the stair rails
I should be baking a batch of cookies
I should be mixing some bread
I should be taking out the trash
I should be shoveling the deck
I should be paying the bills
I should be organizing the bookcase
I should be tidying the dishes
I should be waxing the floor
I should be vacuuming the carpets
I should be scrubbing the walls
I should be touching up paint
I should be doing countless things,

But I am not. I am sitting in front of the fire enjoying the peace while the kids are outside and the baby is asleep. Curled up with my dog, heaving a sigh. Sometimes life gives us pause from our stresses and worries, a chance to revive. I am an impatient waiter, and waiting is what I am now doing, the to do list is all in place because of the waiting; waiting for the house to sell, waiting to move, waiting to go on to the next stage of life.

Cardboard Cake

Okay, it is not really made of cardboard. It just tastes like it is. Cardboard and sugar, no flavor whatsoever. I am really glad I had to go to a special bakery 45 minutes away to buy it too, since it is the only place to get a completely kosher cake anywhere near Stepford. My home made ( Okay, okay, Betty Crocker boxed) cakes are much better!!

Oh well at least it was cute, and I did get to design it. Oh, and J was happy.

A little boy

Today was J's upshirin. A celebration of his transition from baby to boy, that is marked by his first haircut! Yep, he is now 3 years old, and by custom get's his first ever haircut. He no longer looks like a little girl, but rather the boy that he is. Everyone that attended cut a lock of his hair.
He tasted how sweet torah study is by licking honey off of the Aleph.



He received his first tzitzit and kippah.

When we got home we finished cleaning up his new do.

and curled his new payot.

A baby no longer,

now he is a little boy!!!

His locks of infancy will be donated.

Happy Birthday J!!!

Today on J's 3rd birthday, lets take a moment to review him over the past year...

Is that a Hillbilly in Stepford???

Okay, so the grandparents are either going to kill me, or shake their heads and laugh. I am after all known as "the best mom in the family who never wears shoes or puts jackets on her kids". I will readily admit it. And we do seem to do things kinda backwards, like the time Aba and I bought 2 baby pygmy goats, and kept them in the middle of Manhattan Beach. Or tried to raise chickens in a pink bathtub in the bathroom, or... well you get the picture.

Anyways, I love this picture probably because it just kinda sums us up, and I didn't do it.

Please notice the lack of Jacket, gloves, or shirt for that matter (Oh yeah and there were no socks under the snow boots). Notice the several different varieties of Camo all being worn at once on the snow boots, coveralls (at least they are winter weight) and fur lined hat. Yes, a fur lined camo hat with ear flaps hanging down. And don't forget the rasta colored beaded necklace with the huge gold star of David around his neck

Then picture where this took place. No, N was not out on a hunting adventure, in the woods, or on a "man weekend" he was here, at home, in our cul-de-sac of model homes in Stepford, where everyone is perfect at all times. Yeah.



I love my little man, he fits in our family perfectly. A little bit of class, a little bit of a Jew, a little bit down-home, and a whole Lotta himself just being him.

Children's Book of Interest

I Just found this great new children's book called I Love you More. Actually, I was contacted by the publisher to review it, imagine that! Well, it finally arrived a few days ago, and it has fast become one of J's top 5.

It is a simple story, one of my favorite types with less than 20 words per page (when each child brings you a book or 3, trust me you want them to be short). It reminds me of the old 50's song My Love, or more recently Deeper Than The Holler .

Anyways, it is a great book, and your kids will love it.

Oh, yeah, and I was not paid to write this post, but I was given a copy of the book to review.

Blog Roll!!!

You will notice my blog roll has changed a little (okay, a lot) recently. A lot of it is because I am researching and gathering information, but part of it is also because many of my old blogs stopped posting. I am now also using Google reader so that it takes much less time each day to find all the new posts, and I don't miss any, I have no idea how that affects their reader stats though. Please visit these blogs, maybe you will find one you enjoy as well!



How do you choose which blogs to read? Personally I will read a month or so of posts before deciding if I like a blog or not, and will give them a month of "bad" posts before deleting them (if they just stop posting I keep them in my reader, hoping they will come back, but take them off of the blog roll). How do I choose the ones I like? Some of them are funny, some are informative, some have great pictures. And some are just interesting in an odd sort of way. If there are any blogs you think are great, feel free to leave a comment and I will check them out, and for fellow bloggers, don't forget you comment, I follow.



A homesteading Neophyte
Absolutely Bananas
Adventures in the 100 acre woods
Cauldron Ridge farm
Children in the Corn
Pioneer Woman
Dad Gone Mad
Fast grow the Weeds
Free Range Living
Get in the Car
Home Ec 101
House, Poor. Homesteading Happy
Inner Musings and Misadventures
Irish Sally Garden
Kentucky Hollers
Notes from the Trenches
Oh, the Joys
Pile of O'Melays
Post Secret
Small Meadow Farm
Stuck in Customs
Sugar Creek Farm
Sugar mountain farm
The Bee Buzz
The Mountain Dweller
The Queen of Shake-Shake
The Unusually Unusual Farmchick
Touch the Earth Farm

The real estate chronicles...

As most of you know we are trying to sell our home in suburbia in order to finally move to the country, something we tried to do 3 years ago but failed because we had 3 days to find a house, and it was Easter weekend, and there was a record blizzard raging, which prevented our agent from taking us to see the homes on acreage we had picked out, so we ended up in a "planned community" ie tract house in suburbia. Anyways...

The inside of our house is now boring beige and white (goodbye custom harvest colors), half of our belongings are packed (the china, 98% of the kids toys, all family pictures taken down, half our clothes - to make the closets bigger you know?, etc.) Aba dug up all the bulbs we have planted thru the years and stuck them in the fridge (yep, a whole shelf is now full of flower bulbs!!!), the toy room is no more, our dining table is in the dining room, so we now eat standing around the counter, or picnic style on the floor (the dining room is carpeted, not a good idea with kids, especially since it to is beige as well). I scrub all day, and tell the kids not to touch anything, it is tons of fun here!!!

So we have done essentially all we can do. And now we continue to wait. Wait for someone who sees this house as a home for there family. Yes, I know the market is slow, but where we live it is still a sellers market (just barely, but it is). The hardest part though is that our neighbor decided to place their house for sale as well. We both have the same perks, cul-de-sac, walk out basement, 4 beds, 3 baths, etc. etc. etc. But she works, has 2 kids that are in school all day and at her ex's on the weekends, and doesn't cook like I do. So she is not being run ragged by the process like I am. That doesn't really bother me, I know this is all only temporary, but what I don't get is why she had 17 showings last weekend, and we had 0. Yep, zero, she has a showing or 2 everyday, and we have had 1 all week.

Why would some one not look at both? Especially since our asking price is less!!! Okay, sorry with the ranting there... (It has been a long few months).

Anyways we are ready to move on, we know where we want to go, we are hoping no one puts an offer on it before we do, or before our house sells and pushes us out. Aba is ready to go - planning in his head, figuring what he needs to do once there, researching and reading about things he needs to know more of (like bees); the kids are ready to go - dreaming of fishing at our own creek, collecting eggs in the mornings and begging for horses (yeah, we are not getting horses); I am ready to go with seed lists to order; and even Master Hunter is ready to go and have room to roam.

We are living in Limbo, neither here nor there, waiting for the next step, waiting for an offer, waiting for an acceptance, waiting for the next ball to drop. Waiting for our lives to continue. Just waiting...

Homemade, from scratch

So we have been doing some extra cooking, actually I have been trying to teach the kids where things come from, like bread and cheese. So this morning, Miss B and I made some homemade from scratch Cottage Cheese





And yesterday N made Children in the Corn's wheat rolls, They are just as good as she says they are, but I must confess we cheated a bit. N threw all the ingredients into the bread machine on the dough setting, and then we just cut into pieces and baked them!!! No refrigerating or anything!!! Aba and I were discussing that they should make great hamburger buns!!!

So there...

thanks Queen of Shake-Shake we all need a little bit o'bling!

Piles of halloween candy sitting around?

We have tons, and have decided to repurpose it into....

Cookies!!!

Simply take your favorite chocolate chip recipe and substitute in whatever candy you have instead of the chocolate chips. We used a cup of Reeses peanut butter cups chopped up and a cup of assorted Peanut m&m's, regular m&m's, reeses pieces, mini m&m's, and candy covered kisses.

it was a super halloween!!!!