Pa and Ma Ingalls didn't have trash service

Here is my completely random and non-useful observation for the day:

We used to live in a regular-cookie-cutter-housed suburban neighborhood. During that time we had a 96 gallon trashcan. It was always full to overflowing each week. Always. We went through at least one kitchen trash bag per day in that room of the house alone. Not counting bathrooms, garage, etc.

We now live on some land with animals and a garden. We have a family of six, but sometimes, we only have one (1!!) kitchen bag sized of trash for the week. Sometimes we have a whole 32 gallon trash can full. (That's only a 1/3 of what we used to have for you math challenged folks)

Why is this?? I was thinking about it as I took the trash out today. (We actually have three cans full this week - rare. A whole 96gls.)

Well, one reason is, we have a fireplace. And we can burn most of the paper trash we have around here. Except for the dumb shiny junk mail and ads on color paper I get. Those are still trashed. Stupid junk mail. Well... and my In Style mag. heehee...

We have animals that eat our kitchen scraps. And let me tell you, as much as I don't want to waste food, even with a "empty your plate" style of eating and using left-overs, it's amazing how much food is thrown out. The third world would be ashamed of us.

Other food: carrot peels, squash rinds, banana peels and the like... they go to the compost bin.

There you have it. Those three reasons are the main reasons we don't have a lot of trash. That and I don't buy a lot of processed food (that come with all the boxes and pouches to throw out).

I'll probably never be able to NOT have to pay for trash service, but seeing how close I am some weeks to not using them, I wish I could eliminate that bill!

Ladies Footed Pajamas - my review

I own footed pajamas now. I bought them last night, because, well... they just looked delicious.

Hanging there in the store they felt SOoooooo soft, and cozy. And frankly they just looked cute.

My house is usually chilly. That's the perfect excuse to get them right? Into the cart they went.

I put them on immediately as I got home. oooooooh. They lived up to the soft and comfy and cozy. I lounged on the couch watching a movie. It was at that moment I had second thoughts about sleeping in them. I scrunched down on the couch and my toes ran against the inside of the slippered toe. Hmmm. I readjusted. Though I was beginning to have doubts about a full night I decided I couldn't be sure unless I slept in them.

I was right. The night was a bit uncomfortable. My toes kept running up against the inside seam of the slipper. And since they are not skin tight, I felt a little bit like I was in my very own personal twisted up sleeping bag.... inside my bed.

So, for sleeping in: I give them a 4. Maybe a 3.5 actually.
For lounging in the house, or getting comfy after work and watching a movie? 10
Shoot. They are cute but not entirely frumpy. You could hang out with your friends in these bad boys and not be embarrassed. You just might be the hit of the pajama party!

I may have low fashion standards, but I think I could wear these in public.

A sweet moment for this mama

My 5 year old, Avalon, was sitting at the kitchen table yesterday and laid her head onto her folded arms on the table.

"Mama", she whimpered in a soft cry.

I came over to her and bent over next to her head. "Yeah baby?"
"Do you ever have a rough day? Is life ever hard?" she asked.
I tried to keep a laugh from bursting out. "Yes baby, I have rough days."

Her voice quivers as she tells me this, as if she is broken-hearted and it is all she can do to keep it together. "I just need Jesus. Right now. I need to be in heaven with Him. I need to be with Him. I want to go there right now. I want to die so that I can be in heaven with Jesus. I just love Him soooo much."

Okay, sweet. But I have to admit when your five year old says she wants to die - no matter HOW sweet the reason, it is pretty creepy.

But for the most part, my heart was breaking for her, and with her. And in that moment, I, or my spirit, caught a glimpse of what must have been going on in heaven at that very instant. MY heart was breaking??? Jesus saw His sweet baby girl desperately wanting to be with Him. Yet he can't have her there with him yet. HIS heart must have melted, surged, and broke all at the same time, but immeasurably more than her human mama's.

I assured her that Jesus can't wait to have us there too. Very soon. I assured her He is coming soon - to come and get us and take us home. (And we will all go together) But in the meantime, we have a job to do. He left us with instructions, a 'chore list' if you will. "There are some things we need to get done first", I explained to my sweetheart.

She didn't seem too comforted, or relieved, but we were able to move on with what we were doing. But her heart for the Lord still has me amazed, and thankful. HE must be sooo proud of His little girl! She's quite the keeper!!

A good (hard) days work

So today after school, me and the kids helped a friend clear out her garden before our city gets a freeze tonight.

Boy Howdy. I haven't worked harder in months!! I am soooo sore! But we got a lot of work done.

She has a large garden and we picked about 70 tomatoes still on the vine - though most of them green. We tore up the tomato plants and piled them on the melon patch. Then we covered all of that with plastic.

We put tarps on her summer squash that are still going to town. I hope it works and that her plants survive the freeze tonight.

I am now sitting here in my warm little house listening to ... hail? snow pellets??...something... occasionally hit the roof. And it's cold outside!!

80 degrees today. We were sweating working that garden, but now everyone is tucked into bed with their 'warm' pj's.

And as I sit here writing to you, I am glad that my kids got a chance to work hard. I'm listening to the Presidential debate happening in my own backyard of Denver. They talk about hard work, fair shares, etc, etc. But once upon a time, long, long ago people had to hunt or raise animals and work, work, work large gardens because there weren't super mega marts down the street. It was good for my kids to do work that pays off - eventually, and to realize that not all rewards are immediate.

More of the grown-ups in this country could stand a long days work in the garden too.

A day for the books

I'm writing this on the brink of insanity.
Motherhood is highly overrated. HIGHLY. Least it feels that way today....

I'm sure it's good and glorious and charming and powerful, amazing, inspiring and spiritual.

But.... not today. I can't see those sweet moments through the dense fog of crazy that invaded the house some time the the middle of last night while I was sleeping peacefully.  It's like all of my kids were kidnapped by aliens last night and horrible facsimiles of them were put in their place.

I woke with a headache. Oh, if only I knew that was going to be the highlight of my day....

I don't even want to see the youngest two little people until tomorrow. I think for their protection and my own, I should just say goodnight to them and start fresh tomorrow. I don't even think THEY need to be the ones to go to bed. Maybe it should be me.

I'll tuck myself into bed with a hot chocolate and a good novel I'm reading and snuggle under the feather comforter and call it a night. I'll light a candle and shut my door. Maybe I'll play some soft music after I read the book.

Yeah, right. I can dream though. Well, I better go. I have 33 minutes until I tuck them in and wish them the best until tomorrow.

I just hope the aliens take these freaks and bring my REAL kids back.

Bummed with an answer

Have you ever prayed for something and was then disappointed it was answered???

That is how I feel today. I had sorta been praying about something. ... I say sorta, because my prayer was slightly *different* than my husbands, but he asked me to be in prayer about something, and I was.

Yesterday it got answered. But not the answer I hoped for. Sure, my 'answer' was a bit of a pipe dream, but nothing is impossible with God, so I figured.... go for it. Ask for the crazy thing in prayer.

Apparently, God thought it was crazy too, and answered Patrick's version of the prayer instead.
That's life I guess. Some times you just gotta know when to hold em and when to fold em.

But although my feelings are mixed and a TINY bit ....disappointed..... I can say I trust God. It took me 30 years to actually trust Him and not just 'say' that I trust Him. Maybe this is a test. Sure, my feelings are let down, but my trust is not. We don't base life on our feelings. Feelings betray. But I can trust in God through anything.

Even this minor thing I'm having a private small pity party about. :)
I kid, I kid. No pity parties here. I'm gonna be a big girl.

Well. ....THAT was fun!

We had a very interesting night around here last night.

Vivianne is sick with a cough. Unfortunately, despite my best efforts to 'rub her up' with mentholatum before bed, I could hear her coughing while I was working on the computer. I was hoping a deeper sleep would come for her and we'd have a peaceful night.

I was trying to cheat the system - in regards to our 23 baby chicks - and put them in the barn last night, in a race against the setting sun. (there is no electric in the barn) And I was doing all that - setting up a brooding area, closing off the area with straw to keep out drafts, running electrical cords for the heat lamp, laying down pine chips for bedding, etc - because I don't want 23 chicks in my HOUSE anymore!! Oh - did I mention they are starting to fly?!?!? Yes. Yes they are. Another one flew to the top of the Rubbermaid I had them in yesterday, perched and ready to wreck havoc on my house. Thankfully I was in the room, dove and grabbed it in time, but it was a close call - and the last straw.

They are "too young" to go to the barn as they don't have their feathers yet. But as I see it, they left me no choice. It's their own doing. So... up they went.  The barn was ready, the chicks tucked in for the night. All was well. The only thing bothering me was the unprotected back of the barn. It is a wooden barn that sits on the dirt earth. There is no foundation or flooring - which is nice for the animal poop aspect - but a fox or other vermin could just dig under the back of the barn and feast on 26 birds. (the three ducks are up there too)

We go to bed.

At 1am, I can't take it anymore. Surely it is not 1:00, but 5:00, because I'm certain I have been  listening to my daughter cough all night.
I get up and give her a spoonful of honey and her inhaler.
I get back in bed, and hope for the best.

At 3:20am - after not getting alot of sleep because my girl is STILL coughing - I "wake" - and I mean violently jerk out of bed - at the sound of screaming.

Animal screaming.

I'm pretty sure I am listening to the ducks being torn apart and ravaged. DANG IT!!

I run out to the kitchen, throw on my barn boots and race out side. At 3 in the morning. (it was suprisingly warm by the way)

The coyotes were aross the way screaming and howling their heads off. Patrick, comes out too and hears this. A dog is also barking. Patrick is relieved it's not on our land. I just pray they aren't bragging about the delicious meal of birds they just enjoyed. I reeeeaaaaallly didn't want to trek all the way up there to confirm either suspicion. We went back to bed and listened to my daughter cough for the rest of the night.

Can anybody say.... coffee????

Anyway, I don't usually get out to the barn by 7:30, but did today. I am happy to report that all my baby winged-things are alive and well. Poor little chicks are huddled together as the heat lamp is higher than they are used to... but they are alive.