Tuesday, December 25, 2012

MERRY CHRISTMAS

 From the S family to yours have a Very Merry Christmas this year!

      For me Christmas tastes like my grandma's Christmas Date Nut Roll! When I was growing up we all looked forward to grandma's care package of Christmas candy. 10 years ago she quit making it as it was quite a chore for all she made from scratch.  I am overjoyed that this year with my help she passed on her knowledge of Date Nut Roll. It has made our Christmas holiday so special. Now I can continue to make it yearly!
      Christmas means good food with family, games together, and decorating cookies with my children.We have never been big on Christmas shopping.  We do a little but truly we are a service oriented family.  We cook extra special meals and help loved one's tackle honey do lists that are never ending. (We miss you Grandpa & Dad!)
       Our traditions were a little different this year but we did what we could and have loved time with family. First in Tulsa and then back home.  It's like two Christmases!
     So mom's get out of the kitchen, dad's put down the work, kids turn off the TV and enjoy each other today, you never know when tomorrow may be taken away. Give someone a hug today!
   May you cherish your time with family and friends. May you be thankful for gifts from God and blessings you have received. I lift those hurting up in prayer today. May you know you are not alone.

What's Christmas to you?


Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Our Winter Wonderland

I miss snow.  If it is going to be below freezing it should be snowing. In my opinion :) So since we can't make it snow outside we settled for snow inside.
Sugar Bug cut out snowflakes to decorate and we put up twinkly lights for Christmas.  We have no room for a tree so this is our next best.  Plus I could only access two of the Christmas decoration boxes. 
Doesn't this look cozy?  Super D is warming is feet as it was a super cold morning! I just loved sitting at the table looking in at my family two sweethearts and doggies buried in covers sleeping and the sound of a crackling fire.  How much more country can you get? :)
Hope where ever you are you are enjoying your family and friends this Christmas Season!
I'll add our annual Christmas Pictures soon! (after I take them) 

Monday, December 17, 2012

Life

So please do not feel neglected.  I haven't even touched the computer in a week!  I've been busy living life.  I have been reflecting how much my life has changed in our move.  So to give you an idea in Colorado my typical day would have gone like this:
  ~ Get up between 5:30-6:30
  ~ Make my tea and get on computer, to check e-mail, plan school, fill in work info, ect.
  ~  Greet my first child by 7:00 at the latest..I did childcare from home for years and my charges started arriving between 6-7.
  ~ Finish my computer work while charges play quietly and others arrive. 
  ~ 9:00  make breakfast and by now my children are waking up
  ~ feed everyone and clean kitchen
  ~ get my kids school going
  ~ Clean something, start laundry, teach someone
 ~ 12:00 make and clean up lunch
~ 1:00 Naps!  My favorite time of day.. I eat now and help my kids with school
~ See children off by 6:00
~ somewhere in there I've made dinner and we eat about 6:00
~ Clean kitchen again
So if you have kids you know that in this mess of a schedule you are changing diapers, feeding, teaching, preventing disasters, cleaning spit up and worse, rocking, and loving children all day. Dishes didn't get done everyday, but usually by Friday I managed to vacuum, clean 2 bathrooms, and keep us all from killing ourselves on stray toys.
I had conveniences of a dishwasher, washer and dryer, microwave, refrigerator, freezer, and a grocery store 5 blocks away.
I had 10 years of diapers, feeding, and love from 20 plus children (not all at the same time:) I usually had 6 kids daily. My days were pretty much the same day to day and yet always new.  Kids make life interesting!

Now fast forward to now and I haven't figured out what a typical day is but here's what has to get done daily.
~ Bring in firewood (sometimes requiring splitting first)
~ Get water jugs filled
~ Dump grey water
~ Feed and water Chickens
~ Get the fire started or keep it going
~ Cook meals and Dishes.
~ Sweep trailer
~ Kids School
Of course dishes are a constant.   Cooking requires more planning as I have no microwave to quickly thaw meat and no oven for baking (yet). 
I am in the best shape of my life.  Ever wonder why when you read books like Little house on the Prairie they never mention exercise as a to do? They didn't need it.  While I could lift a 40 lb kid they hang on when you get them up. Lifting 40+ lbs of dead weight is very different! I can lift a feed sack although I prefer Super D to do it.  I have to carry wood and move a 5 gallon bucket of grey water daily.  That 5 gallon bucket of water has gotten easier.  At the beginning of summer I had to use a cup to scoop almost half the water out into my water can before I could lift the bucket.  Now I can move the bucket but I still have to stop half way to my destination  for  rest.  But eventually I'm sure it will be no problem. 
I walk at least a mile daily just going to the outhouse, carrying wood, or water.
Now I'm not doing this all on my own, everyone has their jobs to do. 
Super D has been working pretty consistently away from home the last several weeks which left me to get firewood.  We had used all the smaller stuff from our stock so we were having to split the logs.  Well for fun Sassafras got some pictures of my attempts!
 Opps That's not right!

Ok that's better! Hitting these logs just right is trickier that it looks and no I didn't split this log but for the record I have succeed some.  Thankfully we don't have to rely on my log splitting skills or we might be a little cold! Super D bought a rick of wood (a rick I learned is 4ft long and 8ft wide area of wood) so we have enough on hand now.  
That box in the background is where our chickens are living right now.  I'll post more about that soon! 

For now I am enjoying what I call the simple life.  It's not easy just simple as I don't have the stress of worrying about getting paid, what bill I need to pay first, and what kid is screaming bloody murder and why.  I love not having to look at the clock everyday as I have no schedule to keep.  We sleep until were rested and work until the necessities are done. Everyone does their part to keep things running.  I have my family close and everyone is content as long as the fire is stocked and dinner makes it to the table.  I can look out side at any moment and enjoy what God created, not just the side of the house next door blocking any view of nature.
This is my life now and I am thrilled to have it. Not that I didn't have a great life before but just feel like we've finally made it home.