Menu funk!

Yes, I said it! I am in a menu funk! Nothing sounds good lately! I feel as if I fix the same things over and over!

The weird part....it has now gotten colder, so I can make soups and stews.....but am I motivated? NO!

I really need to get my cookbooks out. I also have a TON of crockpot recipes to go through. (Thanks Kayla!)

What do you do when you get in a "menu funk"? Or is it just something that I go through? LOL

**Other than having no voice, nothing exciting is going on here currently.**

Arrr!!!

My pirate name is:

Iron Mary Kidd

A pirate's life isn't easy; it takes a tough person. That's okay with you, though, since you a tough person. Even though you're not always the traditional swaggering gallant, your steadiness and planning make you a fine, reliable pirate. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

Guess who is going to college???

Well, if you guessed me...you are correct! LOL

I took my placement testing on Tuesday, but will not learn my results until I go to new student orientation on November 27th. (Have I ever mentioned how I am not the moost patient of people!)

The reading portion seemed easy, but the math...well, hopefully I did not completely bottom out on that one! LOL

I am going to study to be a teacher! Who would have thunk it!!

Besides making some rather major life decisions... not alot has been happening. This past weekend was the Maryland Renaissance Festival. I will post pictures once I get them onto the computer.

Oh... some friends of our kids were in two different car accidents this weekend! The first was on Friday... DS's girlfriend flipped her truck. She walked away with only some bruises, but her truck was totaled. (Yes, she was VERY fortunate!)

Then Sunday on our way back from the festival, we get a call that DD's good friend had been in a very serious accident and was thrown through the windshield of her car. She was not as fortunate as the other friend, but she is alive. She broke her neck and had to have surgery. So far, things are looking good, but it will be a long recovery for her. We are hoping and praying that she will continue to improve. So far, she is not showing any signs of paralysis....we hope that also continues.

Oh....I had a slight fender bender on Monday, but it was all cosmetic and no injuries, but boy, did it shake me up!

Wow...my "value" has increased recently.....

My blog is worth $28,227.00.
How much is your blog worth?

The last time I did this....about 6 months ago, it was only about $6,000.00.

Are having pets truly for "frugal" people????

I have had people tell me that if I was truly frugal, I would not have pets! The first few times I heard this....I was at a loss for words. (Yes, it does happen on occasions! hehehe)

But since then, I have thought about this often. Usually after a vet visit OR buying a big bag of food.

Yes, pets cost money to own (or at least they SHOULD). There is the cost of vet visits to keep them healthy, the cost of food and other items that keep them healthy and happy.

But there are other things to consider about owning a pet, besides the cost involved.

Are you an animal lover? Is the idea of NOT having a pet of some sort abhorrent to you?

Is the cost of owning that pet offset by the love and companionship they give you?

These are things that I look at when I am re-considering pet ownership. I beleive that kids benefit greatly from owning a pet. The experience of caring for another living creature and also the real issue of dealing with death are for their good, in the long run.

Currently at my house we have several pets. We currently have 3 hamsters, 1 cat (which my 17 year old pays for...since it is his) and one puppy.

The biggest expense comes from the puppy. She is 4 1/2 months old, so we are dealing with all the vet bills that come with a "baby" animal. Soon, we will be dealing with the expense of having her fixed, but balance that with the cost we would incur if she had a litter of puppies! Believe me, having her fixed is cheaper in the long run! LOL

After all the initial vet bills, we will only need to take her once a year for a checkup and boosters. Her food bill is still uncertain. LOL I have never had a dog that will be as large as she will be, so I might have to make allowances for her food costs. (She is a black lab/golden retriever mix)

There is one thing that can not be calculated with dollar signs, and that is companionship! I have this giant puppy that wants to be a lap dog! She is already becoming protective of the kids, which out in a semi-rural area is PRICELESS! I send her out back with the kids and feel safe that I will hear if anything unusual happens.

So, after all that rambling... let me just say that YES, this frugal mom can have a pet and they do NOT have to be a "money pit" or an "extravagance"! At least, not in this One Frugal Mom's opinion!

I used my pressure canner today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can you believe it?! Does this thing look like it belongs in a sceince lab???



close up of the lid:



I beleive I will dub it "the beast"... (I know, naming it! LOLOLOL)

Here is the chicken broth I canned today:


Here are some pictures of other items I have canned since I started this adventure (pickles, peppers, garlic and habenero jam):

I have a webring! LOLOLOL

I started a webring for either blogs OR websites!

If you are interested, go to the bottom of this page and click on the "join" button. Only this blog and my website are on it at the moment, but I hope that will change soon!

Excessive bumper stickers!

Have you ever been driving down the road and come up behind a vehicle that has multiple bumper stickers?

I don't mean the simple "my child is a honor student" kind of thing....but all those political/protect issue type ones. Do I really care who you voted for in 1996? (or whatever was an election year)

I really don't care if you are wiccan/pro-choice/anti-choice/democrat/republican...etc. etc.! All I want you to do is to safely drive your vehicle to where ever your destination is!

I wonder how many accidents are caused by people paying too much attention to the bumper stickers on vehicle instead of paying attention to their own driving?

I will never understand the need to advertise all your personal agendas on the back of a car!

So, what did you do today? Well, funny you should ask.....

I spent the first half of the day watching basketballs filled with water shot from a pressure cannon! LOL

Then...I got to ride on a four-wheeler for the first time in my life to head out in the field to watch said basketballs land almost a mile away from where they started!

Huh? You are thinking.. here is the background...

My sweetie plays poker with some people he met here in town, and one of the guys participates in something called "Punkinchunkin". This is usually done WITH pumpkins, but since he is just practicing and getting his cannon geared up for the competition in November, he uses basketballs filled with water.

He also shot a bowling ball, but we could never find where that landed.

I also got to ride on a 4-wheeler for the first time. Now that was an experience! Okay, thankfully, I wore pants that day or I would have never done it. hehehe The man driving the machine was not my husband, so first it felt weird to get on behind him. LOL (sweetie was riding behind another guy on another one)... Then I tried to only hold on by the bars on the back of the 4-wheeler... let's just say, that I got over my qualms about holding onto a man other than my husband REALLY quick! Otherwise, I would have fallen off! That is not what you want to happen on one of those things at 40 MPH!

So... we all had fun, I kidded with sweetie that we are "officially country" now! (and that is not in a bad way....so do not take it that way!) The kids had fun in the corn fields and are a dirty, dirty mess. Ian was alittle bummed because he did NOT get to ride on the 4-wheeler, but he will get over that disappointment.

We hope to be able to go up to Delaware when the competition happens...it is not very far and sweetie seems to want to go... :-)

It has been rather hectic and stressful lately....

Wow, it has been twelve days since I last posted! And that was a vent that I decided was better left untold. LOL

Since the beginning of this month, we have buried 2 hamsters, my cat has gone missing...oh and my 19 year old step-daughter decided to move out AGAIN. (oh and did not go about it in a very nice fashion either)

Yeah, just a little stressful. hehehe

On a brighter note, I have made several batches of wonderful Habanero Jam and Pickled Garlic! I hope to at some point make some apple jelly I have been planning everyday for over a week to do. One day, it WILL get done!

On an even brighter note.... I am now the proud owner of an All American Pressure Canner! My wonderful DH told me to buy one! Gave me a budget and said "either get the one you want, or I will buy one and then you just get what you get!" Goodness, I LOVE that man!

I hope to use my canner soon, but will be starting with simple items first. That giant looks like it should be in a labrotory instead of my kitchen.

So, please forgive me for being away.... I will try to do better.

In a funk!

Decided I did not need to leave this up.

Updates

Thing have been so busy around here!

School is now in full swing, I have been looking for a job (part-time during school hours) and my poor little girl had to deal with her first pet death.

Having a pet taken to the vet and not returning is something she HAS experienced, but that is somewhat "unreal" to a child her age. This time it was different. Her little hamster (Nibble) passed away while she was at school last Friday (8-31). I sat her down and talked with her after she got home from school. We cried together...she wanted to see him, and then we had a small graveside service on Saturday under a favorite tree. Daddy dug the grave and I wrote a little note on a stone for the grave.

Although it is still a sad thing for her...she is handling it rather well.

Once some time has gone by... we will consider getting her a new one, but for now, she wants to just "remember" Nibble.

Allergic reactions to vaccines

in my puppy!

My poor little puppy had an allergic reaction to her shots on Saturday. Her little face swelled up and she broke out in hives! Her poor little fur looked like there were pebbles under her skin!

Of course, the vets' office was already closed and the answering service referred me to an emergency vets office in Fredricksburg (almost an hour away!). I called them and they said bring her in!

Okay....not that I was not concerned for her (beleive me, I was!)....but I was not going to drive that far without checking to see if there was another ER vet closer to home. I looked in the yellow pages and found one that was only about 25 minutes away and CALLED!

I was able to speak to a vet over the phone (was not given that option with the other place)... he asked me several questions and then told me to give her Benedryl. He told me the dosage to use and how often. He said that if she did not improve (or got worse) to bring her in, but that the first thing he would do would be to give her a shot of benedryl....so instead of driving her in, I could get her started on the medicine!

It worked! Within 30 minutes of the first dose...some of the hives had dissappeared. By the time I get her the third dose, her face was almost back to normal and there were only a few hives left. By the next morning, there was no trace of her reaction!

I am so thankful for a vet that was more interested in getting this puppy better fast, than having me come in and pay for a vet er visit (over $100).

I plan to write a letter of thanks to the animal hospital! I do not remember the name of the vet, but I can give the date and time....so that would at least narrow it down abit in case there was more than one there that day!

Thanks so much for the special people that are out there taking care of our pets!

**Here is a website that talks about animal allergic reactions. I did not even know this happened to animals!

Urticaria (Hives) & Angioedema (Swelling of the Face)

Shiva had the "moderate" reaction.

School days....school days...

Start again in just a week!

Have you started back yet? Or are you in an area that waits until after Labor day?

We are almost ready here. We bought new tennis shoes today...and back packs. Last years did stand up to the usage I had hoped they would. (sigh)

I made my little girls school year...I let her pick out a "High school musical" back pack! LOL I swear, she is 6 going on 13!

I also agreed to let my son get a back pack "on wheels" this year. But with the agreement that it has to last at least two years. hehehe

How are you "back to school" plans coming along?

I am being over run with cherry tomatos!

I plan to surf the net and find something to do with them besides in a salad or pasta dish! LOL

If you have any recipes...I would greatly appreciate them!

How do you get ready for "Back to School"?

I start by keeping an eye out for the sales that always happen this time of year for school supplies. So far, I have gotten some really good deals.

I also start looking for close out sales on clothes. Involved in this is also going through their clothes and giving away what is out grown (and still usable) and getting an idea of what is needed.

What are some of your "getting ready" strategies?

Things on my mind lately.....

There have been a few things that I have been debating on blogging about. From not sure how I would word it....all the way to not knowing how "others" would react to what I wrote. (LOL, like I have such a large influence out in cyber-world!)

First off.... Modesty "for men"!

Okay...I am not saying that I think the male of our species should go around naked.....but is there all that much to be concerned about???

There is a thread on a message board about this topic, that has opened my eyes to what some people believe concerning this issue. I have always been an advocate for modesty...nothing flashy or "sexy". I also do not endorse having little girls look like miniature adults. I make sure that my daughter does not wear anything too short or too tight.

But you know what? I have never put THAT much thought into what my son wears. I mean, I make sure his shorts are not too short or too tight, but not ALLOWING shorts or even sleeveless T's???? I would never imagine putting those kind of restrictions on him! Also, my husband would request I see a doctor if I did!

I also believe that there are certain situations that allow for being without a shirt (if you are a male)! Swimming is a good example. I do not require my son to wear a shirt while swimming, or when running through the sprinkler in the back yard! I do not see anything wrong with a male wearing a tank top type shirt or even going shirtless when working out in the hot sun or in a hot house. Would I allow that type of dress while visiting friends or going to the store? No, of course not. That would be inappropriate.

Does that mean my son is immodest? Not as far as I am concerned.....nor is there anywhere in the Bible that states exactly HOW we are to dress. There are guidelines, nothing else.

Another thing on my mind: Predestination.

I know...what a weighty subject! LOL Now, this is the subject that I believe might cause a reaction some that read my blog. Although I apologize if I hurt any ones feelings....this is what I believe and feel on this matter, I am not sorry for that.

To me...there is nowhere in the Bible that tells us that Jehovah has already "chosen" all that He will save. If that was the case, there would be no free will (Galatians 6:7) and what use would Jesus' sacrifice had been if we were all predestined! (Deuteronomy 30:19, 20) That would also have meant that God set Adam and Eve up! He would have "planned" for them to disobey Him and bring sin and death into the world! Not a very loving thing for Him to have done! (1 John 4:8)

Also, it seems rather arrogant to believe that "I was chosen and YOU were not!" We are to be humble (James 4:6)....and to me, that is NOT a humble attitude!

Well, I think that will be all for now.

My next canning adventure....

Jams...Jellies....and Preserves!

I have some pickles spears "curing" in the cabinet and some relish that I have put up also.... Since I have only have water bath canner at this point (yes, I plan to get a pressure canner, but I need to save up for that purchase) I have a limit of "types" of things I can put up at this time. Not complaining....

The first couple of things on my list to do are:

Garlic Jelly and Blueberry preserves.

I will post how they turn out after I am able to do them....

More puppy pictures

Here are a couple more "active" pictures of Shiva:






I will post some more later.....

Introducing a new member of our family......

Please let me introduce to you SHIVA:




She is an 8 week old lab mix. She has just curled up right into my heart. I will post more alert pictures later. They were took by my oldest and she has her camera with her! LOL So, I can not load them onto my computer!