Scrapbooks, Kids, and More

This post is a little different from most that I post here, but it is a way to share the many things that I try to keep up with here on the farm. I have two children, a stepson that I feel is more like me than my girls. and a grandchild. I have many photos of each of them, and I have started scrapbooks for them, but it seems that the scrapbooks never get worked on due to so many other things going on here. I would love to have a marathon scrapbooking event, but I just seem to never have the time.

My oldest two., as there is only three months difference in age between my oldest and my stepson, are 25 years old this year and I still do not have theirs finished. Each summer I think that I will get them done for Christmas, but it never happens. Part of the reason is that I do not have a space that I can put a table and my scrapbooking supplies and leave them in order to work when it is convenient. Our kitchen table is an important part of our lives and we actually eat there, so I can't leave the items there to be worked on. I do not have a spare room, so that makes it next to impossible to keep the items out.

Another problem is little fingers. I care for my granddaughter while her mom works and they live with us and so the fingers are here continually. I don't mind, but it is another reason that I can't leave things out and work on as time allows. I am attempting to find a place where it might be feasible, but so far nothing comes to mind.

Sorting photos would help and I am attempting to make some time to do that. However, even time for that can be minimal due to other activities that occur on a daily basis here. Right now, all free time is being spent attempting to rid our home of the clutter that twenty one years of marriage has brought us. I have accumulated items that I really do not have any idea where they came from or what they were for. Craft supplies went many years ago other than a few we kept or gained from 4 H or school projects. However, all scrapbook supplies and card making supplies were kept for future use.

Do you all scrapbook? If so, where and how do you find the time? Maybe some suggestions are just what I need!

Major Snowstorm

While I am sitting writing this, I am thinking of those affected by the major snowstorm that is hitting some of the southern states and most of the eastern United States. I am seeing blizzard warnings in and around the Washington D.C. area and hearing reports that are saying that it could be the storm of the century and the worst in history. The reports are saying to be prepared with food and water to last several days and up to a week in some areas. Ice and snow will be making the areas affected almost impossible for travel.

I am thankful that we are not being hit by this storm but I am also praying for those that are. I am thankful that the weather here is actually improving some this weekend with temperatures around 30. I am glad to see some warming and glad we still have snow on the ground, but not getting more. I am thankful to not have the ice as well. I am thankful that we have a generator that we could use if the power was out for an extended period of time. I am also thankful that we have wood heat as it never makes us vulnerable to not having to worry about keeping our family warm.

For those affected by the storm, please stay safe! Know the limits of what you can and can't do and prepare for the time you may be without heat or power or both. Make sure to have meals that you can prepare if you are stranded in for a bit and meals that do not require electric.  Make sure to have bottled water, but remember that snow can be made into water if needed. Remember that food or milk can be kept cold outside in a cooler as well with in these types of weather conditions. Keep your families safe! Know that many of us in areas that are not experiencing this storm are praying for you as well!

Soup Kind of Day

15 bean soup is on the menu tonight as well as cornbread and it is the perfect type of day for it. The high was at about 8 a.m. today and it was 29 degrees Fahrenheit. An Artic cold front has since moved in and the wind is a bitter cold that almost tears you in two when it is blowing. I am thankful that I am inside and do not have to be out much today. The lows tonight are to be around zero and wind chills are to be around 15-20 below zero. That is cold! Frigid is the word that I would use to describe the weather when the wind chills and temps are like that.

A light layer of snow has fallen and only makes the air seem colder. I was able to go out earlier and tend to the animals some. Our outside dog, Bandit now has plenty of hay in his house to keep him warm and the ducks and rabbits are able to get in out of the cold as well. We use hay in the buildings just to be sure that they have something to protect them from the weather. We have hay, usually in abundance, so we use it for the animals housing as well.

It is just the type of day to stay in, drink something warm, and stay warm. Soup may be the menu for the first part of the week. I am thinking a good potato soup would be a pleasant experience tomorrow. Stay warm!.

Anniversary Plans

On this cold,snowy day,my husband and I will celebrate our 21st anniversary. We are not going to dinner as it seems that our daughter is cooking dinner for us. It's nice that she has plans although no one asked us if we had plans.
The weather was awful when I decided to get married but it was a last minute decision. The weather is almost always bad on our anniversary as well. I guess it's my sign from God that our love can weather any storm.
The years have brought many ups and downs. Many arguments have never been settled and many times I have thought about leaving. Many times considered that marriage was too hard and that we were not for each other,but I have learned that he loves me unconditionally and I love him the same.
Last year we became first time grandparents and life has changed for us as we look to the future with a new plan. I pray that our next 20 are just as much fun!

Snow

Snow!! It finally snowed on the farm. It seemed as though winter might never bring cold and snow to us but it had all came at once.  We reached our high temp at 5 a.m. of a whooping 25 degree Fahrenheit.

If I can figure how to add photos to this post, I will.  I can't get on my home computer today as the power was out last night and now the video card is acting crazy!  I am attempting to post from my phone so I don't get behind.

I will be going out later to check for a new monitor and if it comes home, I will post from there. I am thinking about a warm, comforting meal for dinner.

Whenever you are and whatever you are doing, I pray that you make the most of the day!  Praise God that you woke up today.!

Domestic Violence

Today I will be helping a dear friend of my daughter finish moving her items from a home she shared with her ex. I am not aware of all the details, but I do believe that she was a victim of domestic violence. The words send chills up my spine as I lived it in my childhood.

My parents were married 18 years and I can't count the number of times that my mother was hospitalized with injuries at the hands of a man that supposedly loved her. I can't imagine what it must feel like when they first hit you and why anyone would stay. I know the lines of I love him, he said he won't do it again, etc. but it always happens again and how can you love someone that beats you?

I realize that years ago there was not as much attention brought to it as there is now and I realize that there must be a shame that goes along with admitting that you have been mistreated, but could that possibly be worse than the beatings? I don't imagine that it could be. I know low self esteem has a lot to do with those that stay, but I can only imagine that you feel worthless after that type of beating.

Black eyes and bruises covered with makeup are not love! Being threatened with harm for doing things that are normal is not love! Being kept from friends and family is not love! Being kept financially separated is not love! These are the things that an abuser does. They isolate, they threaten, and they mistreat you to keep you and that is not the way a real relationship works.

For anyone out there that is in that type of relationship, please know that there are resources available to help you. There is a domestic violence hotline that can aid you in finding help. That number is
1-800-799-7233. It is available for anyone that wants to call and talk to someone or to any one ready for help. There are many other sites out there but that is one of the best.

Timeless Tuesday

I don't know why I felt the need to write this post, but I do. I have actually started a social media and work calendar to set aside time to be sure that all my posts , tweets, sales, etc. go out on a timely basis as I have one blog that I am thrilled to be doing that I never truly worked on last year at all and yet it is the one that I feel is closest to what is in my heart. However, this post is truly a unique idea that I just feel the need to do today.




                                                                                                                                                                    
I think that in the day and age we are living in now, we truly forget some of the wonderful things that have been a part of the past and we seem to find that our reality is one that consists of daily computer time, checking Facebook to see what our friends are saying and other technology based moments. Even work these days seems to revolve around the computer age and internet.. There is nothing wrong with that but I think it is worth sharing some thoughts of yesteryear and what a better title than Timeless Tuesday as these are timeless items.
                                                                                                                                                                 

Milk Cans were a part of daily life several years ago. Today these are generally used as decorations. My grandfather was a milkman for many years and began delivering milk in a horse and wagon. Each day he would fill his wagon with his deliveries for the day and go door to door leaving milk for the customers. What an amazing way to have milk today. Milk that is in a glass bottle that has been stored in a cold aluminum can would be the perfect treat at the end of the day.

 

Weaving looms are rarely seen used these days either. I know a few people still use them but mostly they are on display at homesteads and other museums. Looms were used to make many items such as rugs, clothing and blankets and other household necessities.

Morse code and telegraphs as well as operators that used to be on the line live to answer questions about numbers and connect you to the number you were calling are all no longer a part of our normal society. Many women were phone operators even during early years. Telegraphs were the processor of telephones, text messages, and cell phones if we really think about it.

                       

Do you know what this is? I do , as we had one in our home during my childhood. This is truly the predecessor to the computer. This is an early typewriter. Many women and men have used one of these in their time. I am sure that they were a staple in offices many years ago as the computer is to the world today. Punching each key and moving the paper along was an easier way to get a letter out, I suppose. However, they were extremely heavy to move and now seem as only a past reminder of just how life has changed.

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you have enjoyed

the Timeless Tuesday post and I may consider doing this again soon.

 

Approaching New Styles

2016 is bringing about some changes in my life and I am determined that I am also bringing about some changes of my own. I am determined that I am going to make sure that my grandchild has the absolute best life that she can and we are going to learn together. I worked when my youngest was little and I am going to make sure that I can make sure the grandbaby never knows some of the harsh words that I used with my daughter from being tired and stressed with work. I have since apologized, but I see that they did harm her self esteem.

I want to avoid as many temper tantrums as possible as well. Yes, I know she can't be spoiled to the point of getting anything she wants, but I also know it is possible to raise children that do not yell and scream inside the store if they are told no or not this time. I believe that a calm and loving home is the perfect environment for the beginning of the child's time learning what they can and can't do.

I have been reading about using the methods that Montessori schools use and I am beginning to think that I will incorporate some of these methods into our home as well. I am well aware that she needs to have the space and opportunity to explore as many things as she can and I am attempting to make that happen. I am thinking of rearranging our small home again to incorporate some more shelves and organizational tools into the rooms that we spend the most time in. I would like to have it as open to exploration as it possibly can be. Yet, I need it to be orderly and easy to clean as well.

I will also be looking at some ways that I can make money from home other than my Pink Zebra business. I don't mind the few hours I am away from home, but I also know that the more income that I can bring in the more that we can do this spring and summer to explore the world around us. I firmly believe that children should be in museums as early as possible.

I am thinking of a reward program already that might work for us. Being that we are a farm family, there will be times that I will need her to understand that she must follow rules not just because they are the ways we would like her to do things but because if not she could easily be hurt. She will have boundaries that she must abide by.

Have any of you used this way of teaching your toddlers and did it seem to work? I would appreciate any advice?

New Year, New Goals

2015 was a year that brought many changes to the farm, some good and some not so good. The best part was becoming first time grandparents and how that has changed our lives. The family dynamic has changed forever as my baby is now a mommy herself. My baby also turned 19 this year so she truly is a grown young lady now. Her and the grandbaby live with us and that is fine as I do not feel that she is ready to be a wife, mom, etc. and I know for sure that her boyfriend is not ready for the responsibility that it takes to provide for a family and take care of them like he should. It has certainly changed the way that I feel about life as well.

Another thing that has changed is that we will not be a 4H family this year and half of our spring and summer will not be fixated on getting ready for the county fair. I will certainly miss those days and I will be looking for ways to help with the fair and the horse shows since we won't be as involved this year. That makes me sad, but I know that it thrills my husband as he was not as thrilled as I was to be a part of such a wonderful organization. If your children have never been involved, I highly suggest that you check into it as it is a fabulous learning experience for children.

2015 also brought heartache as we buried many that were too young. I lost two friends in a little over a week apart from cancer and struggled with how God could take such beautiful ladies at such a young age. I am thankful that my dear friend, Shirley was able to attend our class reunion just a few short weeks before her death. My friend, Angie, was such an inspiration as I watch her battle the disease with such grace and strength that only God could provide. I had not seen her in years due to a distance that life had taken us apart, but it was as if I were there with her daily struggles, as I followed her journey on Facebook.

2016 is going to bring many changes to our lives as well as years always do. However, I will face the changes with grace and a willingness to accept for God's will to be done. I look forward to my granddaughter turning one and I look forward to the many learning experiences she will have the next year.  I look forward to another year of marriage with my amazing husband and I look forward to seeing what my girls will be doing in a year. I plan to take many more photos and I hope to provide each family member with a scrapbook of our year for Christmas. It will be an exciting and fun time for all, I hope.

 

Our Pig says Happy New Years!

 

I look forward to spring when it seems that everything renews and life once again is pleasant to be outside. The grandbaby should truly enjoy the animals this spring and playing in the dirt will be an experience. We will see the birth of new chicks as we do each year and I hope to have some baby ducks as well.  We might replace the goose that we lost this year and I am sure there will be a new horse or cow headed our way as well.

I look forward to many new blog posts and I look forward to meeting new friends here as well. I hope that if you know of a farm blog that is worthy reading or one of a moms daily life at home with her children or a home school blog that is worthy reading, Please share with me in the comments so that I may help someone else get some page views this year.

May God keep each of you safe and well in the new year! God Bless!!