I'm Baaack!

No I didn't forget I had have a blog.  I've been overwhelmed with life for the last many months!  Last week I noticed that I had been in a reasonably good mood for several days.  That hadn't happened since ever.  I actually felt like my old self again (I'm usually pretty jovial).  I realized that I'd been taking my Estroven for over a week and concluded it was the cause of the return of the old me.  Thank you Estroven! 
Contrary to what my gyno says, I'm sure I've been going through "the change" for the last two years.  When my periods returned after taking Delaney off the breast, they were no longer perfectly regular like they'd been all my life.  Then came insomnia, and a very slow onset of moodiness and low libido.  Two hormone tests revealed that I was not pre-menopausal (yeah, OK).   Although I feel physically and mentally better than I have in months, I think I am starting to experience the dreaded hot flashes.  My husband has left the bedroom a couple of times because he couldn't take the ceiling fan on high.  I usually can't either.  My periods continue to be irregular, with the last one being late and lasting 10 days. 
Me being anxious, worried, sad & mad has caused some strife in my marriage.  I'm just realizing the problem was me exacerbated by him.  I did apologize and urged him (for about the 20th time) that if I'm ever "not myself" to point it out lovingly instead of launching an attack.  Start by asking me if I've taken my Estroven that day...

Inspired Reading

I'm loving this book!  When I read it, I feel like I'm sitting on the front porch talking with my favorite uncle about gardening and cooking.  It also has great info on building raised beds, soil amendments and info on growing various vegetables.    I also just finished listening to the audio book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver.  Very entertaining, informative and inspirational.  I highly recommend both of these books (I'm not getting paid to say this).

30 Day Vegan

Welcome 30 Day Vegan visitors!  Isn't it great over there?  I gave up meat two months ago, with no intention of ever going total vegan, but this little workshop makes it sound so doable, doesn't it?  I think I can, I think I can! 
As you can see by earlier posts, we're in the process of starting a garden (again).  Maybe I'll post later about my many reasons why.  For now, I'll tell you the number one reason: to save money!  That also happens to be one of the reasons I gave up meat.   You will notice a hefty drop in your grocery bill when you stop buying meat.  I'm not forcing the family into it, however.  Ava loves pork chops.  She can still have them, jut not as often and organic ones now.  Hubs is mostly on board. 
I wish the workshop would have taken place when my garden was in full production!  Oh, well, by then, I'll know a whole lot more about healthy eating and can plan subsequent crops accordingly.

Waiting For Spring

 Bed 1 of 7 planted.  Rainbow swiss chard and seven top turnip greens. 

I'd like to thank my lovely assistants.

Playin' in the dirt.

Getting the Garden Started

We found this great deal at Home Depot.  The budget only allowed for six.

 Here I am putting the beds together.  I'd just learned to use a drill the week before.  I told the Hubs that now that I know how to use one, I don't need him anymore :-) .

 My beautiful beds.

 My laundry room/green house...oops!  Ignore the bra...

 Wakey wakey seeds!

 The marigolds sprouted but the basil is being stubborn.

Update 2011

The main purpose of this blog is to chronicle my family's life for posterity.  If it helps or amuses others in the process, cool.  Ironically, the more we have going on, the less time I have to write about or photograph it!  So I'll just give a brief update:

Hubs is now working as a truck driver.  I am not happy about being left alone with three kids for three to four days a week, but I am happy about the steady paycheck.  Our finances appear to be on the verge of getting better.  Some uncomfortable decisions had to be made, but I think it'll be worth it in the end.

After years of whining about wanting to be a stay at home mom, I had the following epiphany:  I CAN DO IT!  I think we can pay the house off in 3-5 years if we seriously commit.  I don't think it'll require unreasonable sacrifices either.  We can live on Hubs' paycheck and use mine to kill the mortgage.  I really think it can be done and he appears to be on board.  First, we have a few pesky debts to clear, though.  Once we no longer have a house payment, I'll just work every other weekend just to fund my IRA. 

Of course, we'll have to cut expenses in order to achieve the above goal.  My plan for that:  grow our own food!  I'm talking urban homesteading, baby!  If that family in California can live off of 1/10 of an acre, surely we can do something similar with our 0.6 acre!  Although I think pygmy goats are adorable, I'm going to pass on having animals at this time.  I'm not even sure I'm allowed to have them.  But we can grow all kinds of veggies and fruits.  We can freeze a lot of things and I plan to learn to can, so we can eat off of our garden most of the year.  I hope to be able to post about it.  Our last gardening venture didn't turn out that well.  We did not pick the best spot in the yard for it, but it didn't do so bad, either.

Money Troubles

I thought I was stressed when I wrote the last post!  The hubs had been unemployed since June.  We were OK for the first few months, but now I'm really feeling the pressure of the vice grip that is debt.  We have no credit card debt, thank God, but a car loan and two other "small" loans, in addition to my very old student loan.  Courtney finally found a truck driving job (I never got around to posting about how he went to truck driving school and how unhappy I was with that decision).  They're working him to death for a pittance, but it's better than no income.   So now, on top of homeschooling, working, parenting, cooking, laundry, etc, we're having to dig ourselves out of this hole.  To say that it's been a strain on our marriage would be an understatemnet.  That subject requires a post of its own, but it's not within the scope of this blog to tell ALL my business. 
I think I'm coming out of the depression I was in for a number of weeks.  I do have many blessings to count, after all.
As for homeschool, I've concluded that I'm going to have to go with a boxed curriculum.  I don't really want to (nor can I afford it right now), but I just don't have the time & energy to put lesson plans together!  We are doing pretty well overall. We make adequate daily progress and the girls do get a lot out of what we do.  I just wish we could do MORE.  Money is not everything, but it sure does make life a little easier all around, doesn't it?