Saturday, October 12, 2013

Pardon my rant...

You've been warned.
I must rant.

I really do not like that word. Rant. It denotes negative feelings and scenes of shouting in my mind. However, rant I must.
It probably doesn't help that I am an emotional roller coaster (for a few days anyway!).

Rant #1
I do not know why I torment myself by shopping at WalMart.
Is the supposed saving of money? I never leave without spending at least $200.00.
Is it the ease of access? Really, if they would keep the shelves properly stocked I would not have to keep looking for things at other stores!
Is it the friendly atmosphere?? HA! You know I jest!
Is it the one stop for shopping I am seeking? Ummm...no.
Is it the high quality customer service? HA! You know I jest, again!

Today I found my self there and getting more stressed by the minute. It's bad enough that I am spending my Saturday grocery shopping (it feels like work), but also to have spend the large part of it waiting in line to check out because the lady in front has to do two transactions.
.......because of the rules of her "benefit" card.
Even that wouldn't normally bother me so much. I have been on WIC. I know there are lots of weird little rules for these types of programs. But this particular lady did not know the rules stating the transactions (for certain foods I guess) could not go over $20.00.  Her soda, large bags of chips, and huge birthday cake would be more than $20.00. So the cashier very patiently explained (several times) how to be able to pay for her stuff by doing two separate transactions.  REALLY??? I thought those "benefit" cards were supposed to be used by families in need to buy healthy foods that you would normally not be able to buy....fruits, veggies, rice, and such.
Real food not JUNK!!!!
GGRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Rant #2
Parking the buggy.
How hard is it to push your buggy into the other buggies in the parking thingy??? 
So many people don't do this simple courtesy. As a result only 5 or so buggies are in the thingy and it is "full". SO annoying!!! 
If everyone will just take two seconds and push in their own buggy (and the other ones....because you know there will be others!!) all the way into the lane many, many more will fit and we probably wouldn't have stray buggies roaming around the parking lot avoiding cars and trucks while just looking for their parking thingy!!!!  

Today, I actually got to witness someone else who finds this annoying push his buggy and essentially all the other ones into a tight little line!!! It made me ~almost~ leap for joy!! I know his wife thought I was crazy, but really, I thought I was the only one who did this!!! I thanked him. What else could I do? Break out into a spontaneous happy dance?? I don't think so. Then my husband would think I was crazy (more so than he already does!)!  But then, my husband did the same thing!! Woot woot!!! I LOVE THAT MAN!!! =) 
One day, there will be three more people (my kids) pushing all the buggies in and maybe we'll start a revolution back to common courtesy!!!!  

Rant #3
Google + Community guideline/rule violators.
Really??? You are going to fuss about being called out when you are not following the community rules? When you decide that what you "feel" needs to be considered more than the owners or moderators of these communities it is time for you to move on or moved out. Go start your own community!! It bothers me that people break the rules, get caught, then fuss about the rules. Grrrr.  Every community has their own set of guidelines/rules. You know that going in. Some are pretty specific (for a reason), some are general, some are downright liberal. 
If you join a community, please try to at least put forth an effort to follow the rules.  

There. I feel better!! =)

I have forgotten the other things (sigh) so this will have to do for now.....I will try to not rant again.....for a while anyway!!HA!!  ;)


Blessings!!!

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Dr. visit....

For many years we did not have health insurance! (Gasp)

We could not afford it. (Sound familiar?)

This was way before the Affordable Health Care Act (AKA ObamaCare). Not that it is going to help anyone. In the end none of us will be able to afford anything!!!! =/

When your insurance premium per month is equal to or more than your rent/mortgage I just think that's a bit much. Especially on our (at the time) social service income!! We did have to eat/feed three kids, put gas in the car and pay our power bill. So instead, we paid for chiropractic care out of pocket and prayed for health. I must tell you that for those years we never had any major or minor health issues.  God answered our prayers!!
My kids did not have ear infections. Head colds only lasted for a few days. Overall we had extraordinary good health!!!

Then my husband re-enlisted into the Army National Guard. Now we have healthcare through the military.
While I enjoy having the insurance for healthcare (and vision, and dental--thankfully including orthodontics!!), now we cannot afford chiropractic care and our insurance does not cover it at all. Grrrrr... I believe because of this lack of chiropractic care my children have gotten more colds and ear infections than they have had their entire lives!!!! Grrrrr...... We can't win for losing!!!  I have insurance that will pay for them to see the doctor, but we see him way more than we used to!!

BUT.......
We have the best pediatric doctor!! He is so funny (in a reserved kind of way), he always listens to my kids, looks at the bionicles/Legos/drawings/books they take in to show him AND he always remembers that we home school so I don't need a "Doctor's Excuse" for school!! He also looks a bit like Dan Aykroyd!! Bonus!!!
Yes, I am a Aykryod fan! I know he is a bit bizarre, I don't care!! =)

Today we had to go back for an ear infection check. I knew she was feeling better, but he wanted to recheck (maybe because she has had so many ear infections in the last few years...since we stopped chiropractic care!!).

I rarely remember to take my kids go back for a recheck!! (Bad parenting??? Maybe. But I know when my kids are feeling better....)

At the end of our visit our doctor had a big grin on his face and said this would be the highlight of his day because he got to see someone who had gotten better!!!   =)  I was happy for him.
On the way out I realized the he really does not get to see well kids that much. Even if they go in for a well check-up they end up crying because of shots and such. =(  

So next time take your kids (and I will take mine!) back for the recheck and give your pediatrician something to smile about!!!

Blessings!!!


Monday, October 7, 2013

Boiled Peanuts!!!!!

Around our neck of the woods it is very clear (or dusty) what time of year it is!!!!  To most of the people in our side of the hemisphere it is fall. Well to some it may seem like "early" winter. I  mean really? 48 inches of snow!!! Yikes!!!
 But here it is peanut pickin' time!!!!!

We live in the peanut capital!!  There are peanut fields everywhere. Miles and miles of peanut fields. They are ALL harvested about the same time. We also happen to live within a mile or so of two peanut factories (very noisy 24 hours a day)!! Which means for us regular folks lots of dust, sneezing, watery eyes, drippy nose and ........................................BOILED PEANUTS!!!!!

Who boils peanuts you ask????

WE DO!!!!

For those of you in foreign lands my best regards to your delicacies....to some monkey brains are a delicacy, to others it may be types of bugs, to others baby snakes cut out of the ..... (maybe I watch too much Indiana Jones!!)

*Side note....Army Man and I can have whole conversations in Indiana Jones (and The Princess Bride AND 13th Warrior) dialogue!!!! Fun times!!*

Back on topic......around here boiled peanuts are a delicacy of the nth degree!!!  Not an expensive delicacy, especially if you know some local farmers that will let you "glean" after harvest, but a delicacy none the less!!!! =)

It is a process that takes a goodly portion of the day if done properly.

Peanuts grow in the ground like potatoes (not every one knows that!!)(so if someone {my Army Man} tells you they grow on trees they are lying).

Since they grow in the ground they are very dirty when they are harvested (not like corn or tomatoes). After you glean them (or buy them raw in the shell) you take them home and wash them.
Wash them again and again and again.
Really, you wash them until the water runs clear. Now, if you had a really great friend (you know who you are!!) who gifted you with some of her gleaned peanuts they may already be slightly less dirty, but you still wash them again and again!!!

I cannot stress this enough!!

Then you cover them with water add salt to taste and boil for a long time (hours and hours it seems!!). Until the shells are slightly not hard and the peanuts on the inside of the shell are soft. Add water as needed and maybe a bit more salt. Some say you can't salt them enough. I disagree. They can be salted too much. There is a fine balance and it is hard to achieve perfect saltiness, but it is key to a happy boiled peanut experience or to having to start all  over with dirty peanuts!

I have only achieved this perfect balance a few times in my life.

There is a man at Sadie's Flea Market that has it down to perfection and I will gladly pay his price to get some of his boiled peanuts!!!!!

So, as I am typing this out at 1:40 pm CST my big pot is full (well, half full) of peanuts boiling (hopefully) to salty perfection that my family will enjoy tonight!!!!
Yay!!!


Blessings!!!

P.S.  If you have never tried boiled peanuts, I highly recommend you come south to get your first taste. There is something inherently wrong about eating boiled peanuts from a can in the grocery store. You need to find a shack on the side of the road to get the taste of REAL boiled peanuts!!! It is well worth the trip!! =)


Saturday, October 5, 2013

Farm girl???

The title "Farm Girl" brings to (my) mind images of the movie, The Princess Bride. LOVE that movie!!!! I'm not sure why, but every time I think it (farm girl), I hear Buttercup in my head saying, "Farm boy, fetch me that pitcher." Or "Farm boy, polish my horse's saddle. I want to see my face shining in it by morning."  Classic.
 I do realize that she says farm boy, but my brain can easily translate that into farm girl...not that she would be in love with a farm girl.....    Well.....whatever.
My point is.....I hear that phrase in my head every time I say farm girl, which bring me to the reason for this blog.

I have discovered that I am not a farm girl...=/

I do live an 6.5 acres purchased for the making of a hobby type farm. My kids love the creeks and yard and I love my house and the view from our porch. Especially when my Army Man has just cut the grass!!!  God has been good to us.

I think, though, I may have been a bit hasty in my description of "future small farm wife" in my Google profile...I enjoy planting flowers and I enjoy vegetable gardening (in the spring) before it gets too hot to be outside (when you reeeeally need to be outside weeding and such!!) and buggy.I don't think that qualifies me to be a farm girl.
I like my air conditioned inside when it is hot outside.
You cannot farm inside.


These are our heirloom pumpkins. We have been shaking off the grasshoppers while the chickens roam around nearby....hopefully they will have some leaves left on them!!!


We have chickens. And while I love looking at them and watching them (and photographing them!), I don't really care to be near them. They are funny to watch, but they freak me out a little.  Unpredictable.   Now, my daughter picks them up and snuggles with them, but all I can think is...they poo everywhere!!!! =/
At least Bella (our dog) seems to have a designated area for necessities and we NeVeR see her business in the yard!!!! =)






I do like the idea of having cows, but as I learned from the chickens the idea and the reality are very different. Not sure how I will do when we actually have cows roaming around in what is now our yard.  Cows get very big.  Their poo is very big (although good for gardening!!)
Not even sure I will be able to eat the meat we get from our own cows because I will have watched them "grow up"!

Shocking! My poor Army Man!!! He has his work cut out for him!!!



I like to sit our our porch and take in the sights....it's a lovely little piece of land that we have and we do enjoy it!!


Blessings!!!!

Friday, October 4, 2013

Kid Camping!!!!

Today is a beautiful day here in South Alabama.......Lower 80's. No humidity. Perfect fall day!!

I know our country is in a mess and there is a tropical storm out in the gulf, but here at our house we are getting ready for yard camping!!!!

It's the simple things that keep my kids happy.  They don't care (right now) who is to blame for the mess we are in. They don't care (right now) that our country is broken and things will drastically have to change in order to repair the damage. They don't care (right now) that Republicans and Democrats are so opposed and have such opposite views of where our country should go that their future of freedoms (and the future of all children)  is in jeopardy.

Today, the only thing they care about is that they get to use the "big tent" tonight while they are camping in our yard.

I love that. I love that they hear the news, they know the Government is "shut down", they asked if their daddy (active military) still had a job..... If we would keep our house....Why the commissary in our area is closed.
They are not uninformed, they are innocent. They have faith in our God and in our government to be able to "fix" things.
~~~~~~~~~

My kids have always loved the outdoors. They are camping enthusiast. So why not let them camp in the yard any Friday they want!!The whole point of getting 6.5 acres was to enjoy and use it!!

We home school so I can also make this a lesson in working together, fire building, cooking, nature, weather...the list is endless...
I chose to do homeschooling year around this year so that we could take seemingly random (but planned) days off!!! There is so much more to learning than textbooks. I like to call one of our classes "Life-skills class".
My children will be adults one day. Everything we do now molds them in to the adults they will be!!! I do not want them to only be able to do "book work", I want them to be able to live. I want them to be able to budget, clean, organize , participate, engage, help, learn, volunteer, donate, grow spiritually, repair things....again, the list is endless, but if I don't give them opportunities to do these things as children how will they learn and expect to do them as adults?!?!!!

So today we camp!!! Well, the kids do! I will be inside, snuggling in my comfy bed and staying up late watching a movie with my hubby!!!!!  It may be a "13th Warrior" (one of our favorite movies!!) kind of night!!!! =)


Blessings!!!


Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Getting Fit ??

My fitness goals are simple...
1. Play with my kids without getting out of breath.
2. Hike with my family again.
3. Have more energy.
4. Play volley ball again.
5. Not look 6 months pregnant!!
6. Overall better health.
7. Run. Possibly.... Maybe.... I'm not sure about this one.....

*************************
Let me preface my story with a bit info....I go to an Army Physical Fitness Center (gym) on Post.
Most of the people I see are enlisted men and women! Their job depends on physical fitness.
Mine does not!!
Ha!
*************************

My goal is to get to the gym 3 times a week for now.
My husband is my cheerleader!! He is always willing for me to do what is necessary to obtain my goals. Much to my chagrin, he always insist that I drive those 10 miles (one way!) to the gym when I can because he knows I will feel better when I do!!! However, when he gets home (to watch the kids) around 7 pm I loose interest in leaving the house for the gym!! I just want to stay home with him!! In his defense, he usually gets home around 5:30-ish and this gives me plenty of time to go and get back before the kids are in bed.
Last night was one of those late nights.
I was disappointed. He was disappointed.  (He knows I like to go.)
The kids had no clue.

This morning he suggested that I go before he goes to work!  Bahahahahahahha!!! You're kidding right???  He usually leaves around 7:30 am and I am no morning person!!!    
However, this particular morning he was going in late....

I did go to the gym.

It was fantastic!!!!

I never regret going to the gym. I always feel better afterward.

I really enjoyed going in the morning because the people that are there are more like me..... Older. Less in shape. Struggling on the elliptical. Sweating profusely and hating it, but knowing it is necessary.  

The people I see in the evenings are very fit (Army folks), super athletic, and some are grossly muscular!!  I feel very out of place, but I endure because I need to do this for myself!!!  At 5' 3.5" (don't judge! My 1/2 inch is important to me!!) and curvaceous in all the right (and/or wrong) places, I am shorter and curvier than most of the evening people.
This is how God made me. I like my curves. I am just working towards having a bit less of them!!! ;)
I think I will evaluate my non-morning person-ness and consider going to the gym in the morning every time!!!! =)
Of course, it all depends on my hubby's schedule!


Blessings!!!