The hardest thing about being a stay-at-home mom in a state with no family close by? Being lonely and feeling isolated. And the flat, barren landscape does nothing to improve this feeling. It's not horrible, but there are times I really wish my family was closer, if for nothing else, than to go over and have coffee or lunch with them so the boys can play and get to know their family better. I do pretty good with occupying myself, especially with two crazy little boys that are bundles of energy the minute they get up to the minute they go to bed. That definitely helps a lot. The few friends that we do have down here are in a neighboring town about 90 miles away, so that makes it hard to just go over for a quick visit; it becomes a day trip which wears everyone out. Not that that is a bad thing!
However, the upside to living so far from everyone familiar is that we have learned to be more self-sufficient. Due to this, I have gotten pretty good at making things from scratch and grocery shopping for our family has become a goal to keep the total as close to $300 as possible, which I do most months. What has helped me in this regard is making bread at home with my bread machine, crockpot vanilla yogurt (the boys LOVE that stuff), and contributing to bountiful basket at least once a month for our fresh fruit and veggies at a fraction of the cost! I also use several different rebate/shopping apps that help along with coupons.
All of this helps so much in keeping our budget (and my sanity) low and manageable. I am no Betty Crocker or Dave Ramsey by any means, but I try very hard to keep this family going budget and food-wise and I learn more everyday on how to accomplish my goals reasonably. Making items from scratch and bountiful basket have probably been the best investments I have made so far, and not just for the health benefits, but money-wise as well.
Doing all of this has helped to keep me occupied when I do start to get lonely. Not only that, but most of my family is just a phone call or text message away when I need them. Expecting our third child has also given me more to look forward to with doctors visits and all of the tests that come with it. (Still don't know what the gender is by the way if you were wondering.) Writing this little blog has also helped me to not feel as lonely and I appreciate everyone that reads it, I'm sure I'm not the most interesting person to read about, but I feel more connected to those I miss through it.
I will post how I make my yogurt next time. Trust me, it's worth doing and SOOOO easy! That's what I love the most about my crockpots: just toss it in and wait for the most part!
Until next time....
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Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
2015...See Ya!
So I'm actually very happy to see the year 2015 go bye-bye. It wasn't a horrible year, but it certainly was not one of my favorites. A lot happened during the year; some good, some bad.
I had my 10 year high school reunion in July and it was so nice getting to go home for a couple of weeks and to catch up with everyone. Our family also acquired a Vizsla puppy this summer as well and he is now a member of our family and can be just as obnoxious and stubborn as my two sons! We love him very much though, and are happy we have him in out lives.
In August, my father's cancer took an aggressive turn for the worst and finally over powered him. He passed away after fighting hard for a year. It was a rough month for everyone and at times it is still hard to believe that he gone. Thankfully, my husband has been my rock during this most difficult time and I appreciate him so much for just letting me cry all over him when I needed to release.
With September came one of our busiest months so far this year. It seemed as though we were constantly going somewhere and doing something every weekend. Not only was my dad's memorial service in September, but so was my youngest sons 1st birthday along with my 29th birthday. Traveling on a plane with children by yourself is no picnic, so I was extremely grateful that my husband was able to go with me to the memorial and to help with the kids. At the memorial, I was shocked by the turn-out. The church was standing-room only. Lots of tears and laughter and stories about my dad. It was bittersweet to say goodbye to dad and to see friends and relatives I hadn't seen in years.
After our return from the memorial and our lives slowing down a little, we found out that we are expecting our 3rd, and final, child this coming spring. The entire family is rooting for a girl except my poor husband haha! He's terrified of a little girl because he knows he would spoil her worse than our boys. As of right now, the baby plays shy with the ultrasound, so we might not find out until delivery day the gender. That's ok, as long as he or she is healthy and the pregnancy has no complications.
In December, my Nevada family surprised me with them coming down for the holidays! It was nice to be together for Christmas and also an unplanned New Year's after a freak blizzard shut down everything. The holidays would have been much harder had they not been here with us. The company was nice to have while hubby was out making sure the electricity stayed on for people during the storm. Made worrying a little easier with others chewing their nails right along with me.
Like I said, the year wasn't the best, but it certainly wasn't the worst. I am just glad that the New Year is here and can't wait to see what happens this year.
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I had my 10 year high school reunion in July and it was so nice getting to go home for a couple of weeks and to catch up with everyone. Our family also acquired a Vizsla puppy this summer as well and he is now a member of our family and can be just as obnoxious and stubborn as my two sons! We love him very much though, and are happy we have him in out lives.
In August, my father's cancer took an aggressive turn for the worst and finally over powered him. He passed away after fighting hard for a year. It was a rough month for everyone and at times it is still hard to believe that he gone. Thankfully, my husband has been my rock during this most difficult time and I appreciate him so much for just letting me cry all over him when I needed to release.
With September came one of our busiest months so far this year. It seemed as though we were constantly going somewhere and doing something every weekend. Not only was my dad's memorial service in September, but so was my youngest sons 1st birthday along with my 29th birthday. Traveling on a plane with children by yourself is no picnic, so I was extremely grateful that my husband was able to go with me to the memorial and to help with the kids. At the memorial, I was shocked by the turn-out. The church was standing-room only. Lots of tears and laughter and stories about my dad. It was bittersweet to say goodbye to dad and to see friends and relatives I hadn't seen in years.
After our return from the memorial and our lives slowing down a little, we found out that we are expecting our 3rd, and final, child this coming spring. The entire family is rooting for a girl except my poor husband haha! He's terrified of a little girl because he knows he would spoil her worse than our boys. As of right now, the baby plays shy with the ultrasound, so we might not find out until delivery day the gender. That's ok, as long as he or she is healthy and the pregnancy has no complications.
In December, my Nevada family surprised me with them coming down for the holidays! It was nice to be together for Christmas and also an unplanned New Year's after a freak blizzard shut down everything. The holidays would have been much harder had they not been here with us. The company was nice to have while hubby was out making sure the electricity stayed on for people during the storm. Made worrying a little easier with others chewing their nails right along with me.
Like I said, the year wasn't the best, but it certainly wasn't the worst. I am just glad that the New Year is here and can't wait to see what happens this year.
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Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Daddy's Hats
“I have tried to live my life so that my family would love me and my friends respect me. The others can do whatever the hell they please.” -John Wayne
This is the tree from my dad's memorial in September. There is a lot of special meaning to each of those hats that hang on it. Some are more significant in memory to me than others, but they all represent who my dad was in the end. I can only tell what these hats meant to me, they might have different meaning or feeling attached to them for everyone else. Let's start at the top...
The white baseball cap was a hat that meant dad had become a "born-again" Christian. I know that a lot of people throw that term around, but in my dad's case it was true. Growing up he wasn't the nicest person to deal with. He was a very angry man after my parent's divorce and drank and smoked and chewed tobacco a lot. All of his jeans that he owned always had a Copenhagen ring in the back pocket. When my dad told me that he was going back to church; the same church he had turned his back to so many years before; I was in shock and honestly didn't think he would stick with it. Oh ye of little faith in my case. He was baptized, along with my brother and step-mom. I was so proud of him and the changes that had happened in him. He no longer drank, smoked, or chewed. In fact, he had even cooled his notorious temper and road rage. Dad had become the man I had always longed he would become as a little girl growing up.
The cheese-head is pretty self-explanatory. My dad was a rabid Green Bay Packers fan, and I have been a fan since I was little as well, just don't watch the games. On game days he would put on his cheese head and his Packer jersey and fill his Packer cup up with either coffee or water and root for his favorite team. The cheese head is now mine and I will always think of dad when I see it or watch a game.
The last two hats hold the most significance for me memory-wise. The bright orange tin hat brought on the most emotion for me when I finally saw it in person. Memories of dad coming home from logging in the woods to my grandma's house. He smelled like pine, chainsaw oil, and coffee. When he would come in the door my older brother and I would basically maul him and drag him over to the chair to help take his boots off while our grandma got him some dinner. If you have ever seen a logging boot, than you know it is not an easy task to take one off. They are extremely tall, almost to the knee, and HEAVY. Each boot can weigh upwards of 8 pounds! It would take me and my brother at least 10 minutes to "help" dad get his boots off, but while we undid the laces he would tell us about his time up in the woods. That old hat also reminds me of all the times dad was gone helping with fighting fires all over the Western United States and Alaska. Those were anxious times for my brother and myself. Fires are dangerous and we were always worried about dad's safety and prayed he would come home to us.
The final hat is dad's cowboy hat. He loved horses and the ranch life, but was never able to actually own his own ranch. He may not have been able to live the cowboy life that he always dreamed of, but he never stopped being a cowboy in his own heart and soul. This might explain both our obsessions with John Wayne and all things western.
In the end, dad was a great person and an excellent dad to all of us kids. He tried to live his life the best that he could in the best manner and way possible, so as to be an example to the rest of the world. I believe he accomplished just that, and I will miss him terribly.
I will always be my daddy's little Peanut.
Rest in Peace, until we meet again.
Monday, December 7, 2015
Holiday Season
The holiday season is here! Yay! Love Christmastime (if you couldn't tell already) and I was so excited to start decorating my house and tree. We have, for the first time ever since being married, a full-size, 7.5 foot tall tree! My oldest helped me decorate and we had so much fun :) After we decorated the tree R helped me with the fireplace mantle. We put up our Charlie Brown nativity scene, it looks pretty cute! When the boys were taking a nap the next day, I worked on the front window, putting up window stickers and ornaments and lights. It looks fabulous and we have gotten several compliments from out neighbors about it.
Yes, that's a fence around the tree. Helps keep the kids and the dog out of it.
The weather down here has been downright cold! Not like it was in Oregon, but a different kind of cold. It's a damp cold that soaks into your bones, even if it is only 40 degrees out. Makes for being outside for any length of time miserable. I feel sorry for the hubby, he is out in it all day.
Our Thanksgiving was great. The four of us and one of hubby's co-workers who is also from out of state. Good food and good conversation; that's what the holidays are supposed to be about. We still miss the Northwest, but it is nice to have friends down here.
Everyone has been in good health, despite the nasty weather and I am thankful for that. Nobody likes it when their loved ones are sick, especially when they are male!
Slowly been wrapping presents and making Christmas treats that I plan on giving out as gifts. The only problem is that I have to make everything twice because the hubby and the boys are my "official taste-testers"...or so they say! HAHA! Mailed out a ton of Christmas cards this past week that I'm sure the mailman hates me for, but oh well, such is life.
Until next time! Be on the lookout for another post later on this week, it's for a special day.
The weather down here has been downright cold! Not like it was in Oregon, but a different kind of cold. It's a damp cold that soaks into your bones, even if it is only 40 degrees out. Makes for being outside for any length of time miserable. I feel sorry for the hubby, he is out in it all day.
Our Thanksgiving was great. The four of us and one of hubby's co-workers who is also from out of state. Good food and good conversation; that's what the holidays are supposed to be about. We still miss the Northwest, but it is nice to have friends down here.
Everyone has been in good health, despite the nasty weather and I am thankful for that. Nobody likes it when their loved ones are sick, especially when they are male!
Slowly been wrapping presents and making Christmas treats that I plan on giving out as gifts. The only problem is that I have to make everything twice because the hubby and the boys are my "official taste-testers"...or so they say! HAHA! Mailed out a ton of Christmas cards this past week that I'm sure the mailman hates me for, but oh well, such is life.
Until next time! Be on the lookout for another post later on this week, it's for a special day.
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Halloween and Holidays are Coming
I know, it's been a super long time since the last post. What can I say other than I am blonde and spacey (I call it busy, but whatever). I did promise pictures of my super cute Halloween babies, so here ya go!
Sully Monster and a Skeleton Pirate.
I just love them. They are so cute. TT was not terribly excited about having the head piece on, but he dealt with it. R had such a blast! I'm sure that next year will be even more fun!
Although I was slightly disappointed in the lack of Halloween decorations from people. Not too mention that there was hardly any neighborhoods that were passing out candy. The "rich" neighborhoods did, but that was about all that we saw when we headed back home after trick-or-treating. We didn't have a ton of decorations out, but we at least tried to make our house look inviting to any trick-or-treaters. Next year, I hope we can do a lot more to our yard and house to make it fun to visit!
Now that Halloween is over, we are preparing for Thanksgiving and Christmas! I'm looking forward to the holiday season and can't wait to start decorating the house. I promised the hubs that I would at least TRY to wait until Thanksgiving, but no guarantee at this point. There is a Christmas tree and decorations that are calling my name to be put out! I think that the boys will really enjoy Christmas this year, or I hope that they will. I want to at least try to mail out cards and give baked goodies to all of my neighbors and the few friends that we have living close by. I especially want to make lefsa this year. If you do not know what that is and have never tried it, than you are missing out on one of the best Scandinavian foods ever!! Just ask me ;) The only downside to it, is it takes FOREVER to make a small batch (which I usually end up eating most of it as test subjects).
Can't wait for the holidays!
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Friday, October 23, 2015
Change of Seasons
There is something about fall that makes me so happy and content. Probably the cooler weather. Which is a nice change from it being blazing hot all day down here. Also, the fact that I am able to wear cozy sweatshirts and slippers and snuggle on the couch to watch movies with my boys. Fall is also when my birthday is, and this birthday was bittersweet. Since my dad passed away in August it has been hard to not think about him missing out on what is going on in my life, my brothers, and my step-mom. I know its been hard for us all.
Every time I have a happy memory or think, "Oh! Dad would love this!" The realization hits that he can't share in that joy with us anymore. This past weekend, I was starting to buy some Christmas decorations that were on sale and it turned into a semi-sad time. Christmas was dad's favorite holiday! He was one of those people that started decorating as soon as possible and was the most colorful, bright, obnoxious house in the neighborhood! And I LOVED it! Dad loved everything about Christmas, but the thing he loved the most was having family around him enjoying the holiday and all of its goodies.
My goal this year is to try and decorate our house for Christmas in memory of dad, and because I love Christmas also! We will even, for the first time since being married, have a full-size Christmas Tree! So excited! Along with the decorating, I hope to make Christmas goodies: cookies, brownies, fudge, and my family's traditional Lefse. If you don't know what that is, find someone that makes it homemade, or come on down to New Mexico, and try it, it is the best stuff ever!
This holiday season should be fun, especially now that our oldest boy is really excited about Halloween and dressing up! He has picked out his costume, but I won't tell what it is until Halloween when I post a picture. T, our youngest, will probably be Sully from Monsters, Inc. Just have to dig out the costume.
Even though it's been a rough year with losing my dad, we have still been blessed with a roof over our heads and food in our bellies and good friends that are only a phone call away when I need someone to talk to. I really hope to post more blog posts this coming season, with pictures, and hopefully everyone can keep me in check! Until next time!
Every time I have a happy memory or think, "Oh! Dad would love this!" The realization hits that he can't share in that joy with us anymore. This past weekend, I was starting to buy some Christmas decorations that were on sale and it turned into a semi-sad time. Christmas was dad's favorite holiday! He was one of those people that started decorating as soon as possible and was the most colorful, bright, obnoxious house in the neighborhood! And I LOVED it! Dad loved everything about Christmas, but the thing he loved the most was having family around him enjoying the holiday and all of its goodies.
My goal this year is to try and decorate our house for Christmas in memory of dad, and because I love Christmas also! We will even, for the first time since being married, have a full-size Christmas Tree! So excited! Along with the decorating, I hope to make Christmas goodies: cookies, brownies, fudge, and my family's traditional Lefse. If you don't know what that is, find someone that makes it homemade, or come on down to New Mexico, and try it, it is the best stuff ever!
This holiday season should be fun, especially now that our oldest boy is really excited about Halloween and dressing up! He has picked out his costume, but I won't tell what it is until Halloween when I post a picture. T, our youngest, will probably be Sully from Monsters, Inc. Just have to dig out the costume.
Even though it's been a rough year with losing my dad, we have still been blessed with a roof over our heads and food in our bellies and good friends that are only a phone call away when I need someone to talk to. I really hope to post more blog posts this coming season, with pictures, and hopefully everyone can keep me in check! Until next time!
Friday, September 4, 2015
Busy Bee Summer
Well it has been one super busy summer! My 10 year high school reunion was in July in Baker and I had a blast catching up with a lot of my fellow classmates. Can't believe that it is September; which means Toby will be turning 1! And my birthday is also fast approaching. Along with the happy will be some sad and solemn with my Dad's memorial service.
For those that do not know, my Dad passed away in August from his battle with cancer. It is still something of a shock to me and I probably won't be able to continue my grieving process until the memorial. Being so far from family and what is going on has been nothing short of frustrating and I have no way of explaining what I am feeling to anyone. It's just too hard. What I do know is that my husband and babies are coming with me for support and to say goodbye to Grampy also. They are so little and it is so very hard for me to even try to begin to explain to R what is going on and why I've been so sad and moody lately.
To keep myself occupied, I have been working on cleaning and organizing our house. All I can say is that it amazes me how much crap a family gathers over the years! I have 5 boxes and 2 totes full of stuff to donate to the local thrift store. That will be nice when I can get all of that space freed up....so I can fill it with more crap I'm sure!
The summer down here has been pretty "mild" apparently. It's still too dang hot for me with the average temp being about 95 degrees. That's low as this has been a wet year. The usual average is about 100+. Thank goodness for small favors!
August also meant the arrival of our new member to our family! Drago the Vizsla puppy! The kids love him and he has become my third baby in the house. He is such a very good puppy and it was totally worth driving he 8 hours over by Dallas to pick him up.
All-in-all, I have tried to stay busy and pre-occupied as much as possible during this summer. It has kept me somewhat grounded and has helped me to deal with some of my emotions from everything going on that has been out of my control. After September 13th, that might change, but I will try to write about my Dad more next time and to try and tell you what kind of man/Dad he was. For now, the memories are too raw and painful to think about too much.
Until next time from the Southwest!
For those that do not know, my Dad passed away in August from his battle with cancer. It is still something of a shock to me and I probably won't be able to continue my grieving process until the memorial. Being so far from family and what is going on has been nothing short of frustrating and I have no way of explaining what I am feeling to anyone. It's just too hard. What I do know is that my husband and babies are coming with me for support and to say goodbye to Grampy also. They are so little and it is so very hard for me to even try to begin to explain to R what is going on and why I've been so sad and moody lately.
To keep myself occupied, I have been working on cleaning and organizing our house. All I can say is that it amazes me how much crap a family gathers over the years! I have 5 boxes and 2 totes full of stuff to donate to the local thrift store. That will be nice when I can get all of that space freed up....so I can fill it with more crap I'm sure!
The summer down here has been pretty "mild" apparently. It's still too dang hot for me with the average temp being about 95 degrees. That's low as this has been a wet year. The usual average is about 100+. Thank goodness for small favors!
August also meant the arrival of our new member to our family! Drago the Vizsla puppy! The kids love him and he has become my third baby in the house. He is such a very good puppy and it was totally worth driving he 8 hours over by Dallas to pick him up.
All-in-all, I have tried to stay busy and pre-occupied as much as possible during this summer. It has kept me somewhat grounded and has helped me to deal with some of my emotions from everything going on that has been out of my control. After September 13th, that might change, but I will try to write about my Dad more next time and to try and tell you what kind of man/Dad he was. For now, the memories are too raw and painful to think about too much.
Until next time from the Southwest!
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