My longtime readers will remember the birth of our only son (after four girls), back in 2004, right before things started to get a little hectic and lead us down a rather new and different path. Well, hard as it is to believe, two and a half years have passed since his birth, and I'm finding myself with a daughter a scant year and a half from being officially a teenager, and a son quickly transitioning from toddler to preschooler. Quinn is, as have been most of our children, quite a precociou...
As the discussion on JU revolves increasingly around food, I thought it interesting to add my little piece. We have a couple vegetarians around here who have discussed their food choices. While I respect everyone's different preferences, I've come to realize a fair amount about diets over the years. I am a "semi-vegetarian"; which pretty much makes me the Rodney Dangerfield of eating habits. Traditional meat and potatoes folks can't comprehend why I eschew all but the occasional offering of r...
OK, since a few of you have chosen to put recipes on your blogs, I'm going to toss out a contribution of mine (since I'm making it tonight). This is a very easy recipe that can be made without a lot of trouble, but it's a little costly to many of us due to the ingredients (although I personally always have curry powder and extra virgin olive oil on hand so it's made by ingredients we usually have readily available): Ingredients I don't use precise measures; I cook to taste): Extra Virgin O...
Well, the "official" ruling is in from CPS, and our case has been closed. The investigator found no evidence of neglect on our behalf regarding the children. While I took what many perceived to be a "hardline stance" with CPS, they made it clear that they felt we were very cooperative with the investigation. I returned all phone calls within 24 hours, and followed up with written communication. At no time, however, did I allow them to enter our home (although I did allow them to intervie...
Since this will likely be my last time online before Thanksgiving, I'm posting early. A little over a year ago, after personal circumstances had pushed us to the brink of homelessness, we arrived via Greyhound in the Texas Panhandle. With about $1200 to our name and my weekly unemployment check to tide us over, we purchased a car, paid our deposits and set up house in the first home we could truly call our own. Our first Thanksgiving here really wasn't OURS. We spent it with new friends, a...
Well, yesterday we finally set about the task that falls next on our self reliance checklist. We woke up and organized the materials we had compiled to install the woodstove that has set in our living room as a cat perch for about three months (we bought early in the season, figuring there would be a demand this fall). The initial plan was to go up and out at a 45 degree angle, so we bought elbows that could be adjusted for that purpose. Our local handyman was initially unavailable, so it loo...
Another blogger's article on not celebrating Halloween got me to thinking about a subject that has been enar and dear to us for years. We're holiday cheapskates. Sure, we celebrate, but in a very simple way. Our presents are not lavish tributes to our indebtedness, and we focus far more on togetherness than anything material. BUT...the fun begins in the days AFTER the "big holidays". See, as I have detailed regularly, I have a VERY staunch rule of never paying retail. The idea of paying fu...