Down on the homestead - May 22 - 28th

**homesteadmamma** · 05-22-2005, 10:53 AM

Good morning everyone. We had some wicked storms yesterday and last night. A number of trees are down and we were w/o electricity for much of the evening. The winds howled all night. I woke up to sunshine this morning although its still very windy.

Not much on the agenda today. I woke up to a very sore throat along with a headache. I'm going to relax and possibily go back to bed later too.

Have a great Sunday everyone.

**Heather** · 05-22-2005, 12:24 PM

Hi CJ and all to follow

CJ, hope your throat is better soon....lots of sleep and drink lots of liquids...it's going around this house too.

Rhonda....elders....finally....lol!

We have 6 elders in our church which makes up the session. There are maybe 4-5 session meetings a year (usually around the time we have communion). At those meetings church business is discussed, anything from the church building itself, to members (each elder has a district where they go and deliver church newsletters etc. to a certain # of families), events we are having, basically the life of the church. In our church it's fairly "light" and not too serious/stuffy....major decisions must be brought to the session to be handled but overall the elders AND congregation decide what is best.

We are getting more sunshine today but they are calling for rain later. I slept in this morning as I didn't sleep well and my throat and neck are sore from the treatments. Just feeling blah but it shall pass.

Delaney is at a birthday party today and I'm going to run into the pharmacy to pick up some medicine for Dylan, he's got a terrible cough.

Supper is in the crockpot (ham) and I've made up the potatoes to be put in the oven later and cut up carrots and they are sitting on the stove in water for later as well.

We had a town wide yard sale yesterday and the church did wonderful, making $615.00 for our Anniversary celebration (150 years) next year. I was real good and didn't shop too much. I was given two wooden chairs (small ones) for a garden to set a pot of flowers on them....I'm going to paint them white and "distress" them to make them look weathered. I bought some aloe vera plants and and old mirror that will go great in our upstairs hallway.

Delaney found a wonderful deal!!

A free little kitten, she named her Nibbles. She will stay in the house for a bit and then go to the barn to keep Pooh Bear company. Delaney just laughs and laughs at her with all her cute antics! We couldn't find her last night and there she was beside the rocking chair in the kitchen on my stand, sitting on the bottom shelf on some magazines, couldn't see her unless we got down on the floor, she had curled up and went to sleep.

Have a beautiful day ladies, I'm thinking of you all on your homesteads. Have a blessed Sunday!

**DaisyLady** · 05-22-2005, 12:32 PM

Good Sunday afternoon Homesteaders!

I haven't been around much but it has been for all good things! I finally have my new computer up and running, high speed connection going and now I am in the process of learning how it all works as well as transfering stuff from the old computer to this one.

DH took the kids to the cottage this morning so I arrived home to a very quiet house after church

. Looking forward to some "me" time. I have a lot of knitting to do as I just got another project from the store. I also plan to work on the computer.

Well, we are on pins and needles here until Wednesday morning. All of the support staff at our local school board are planning to go on strike. There will be no buses, no custodians, no office or tech staff and no educational assistants. The plan is to try and keep the schools open but that will only last a day or two. The logistics of trying to get hundreds of kids into the schools safely is just mind boggling. Josh will be unable to go as he has special needs at school and there is no staff there to help him. It is only two weeks until final exams for the high school students and this strike could jeopardize their post secondary applications.

We are still having very cool weather here and so I still have not got my vegetable garden in. Dh wants to leave it for this year and just rely on local farmers for our veggies and fruit as we are planning on doing for our meat. I still hope to convince him we need at least a small salad garden.

Hoping that everyone is having a safe and joyous weekend!

It's good to be back

**QuilterMom** · 05-23-2005, 08:47 AM

Just checking in quickly this morning. I have a major sinus infection and feel horrible. Dh is just getting over one and it unfortunately has hit ds as well, but at least he can take medication (I can't - ugh!). I have to go to our church today at some point to turn in ds's VBS registration and then over to the post office. I'm hoping to seize a moment of feeling somewhat good to take care of that. Other than that we need to do ds's homeschool lesson and I need to attempt to start getting us ready to go to the convention. My poor garden is very neglected and the house looks like it exploded.

**Heather** · 05-23-2005, 09:03 AM

Good morning! We are having a holiday Monday here today (Victoria Day)

Chriss, enjoy your high speed connection

The teachers are in talks here as well, hasn't gone as far as your area though. I pray it all works out.

Kim, (((HUGS))) and I hope you are feeling better real soon.

Woke up this morning to rain....must have come from Manitoba

Doug is leaving later this morning. He doesn't get the Canadian holidays as he hauls to the States and he is "enroute" today and delivers in TN tomorrow.

Today is going to be a tidy up day in the house.......had to laugh at your "house exploding" Kim...happened here too. Everyone comes in and just drops whatever they have in hand.....ugh! I won't feel so bad though as it's not too nice outside and cool, so I'm off to have a hot shower and then clean away.

Our new little kitty is quite the entertainment, we laugh so much at her antics and fun! Nibbles sure loves to explore. We caught her curled up with Sandy (our dog) last night and as soon as Sandy saw us looking at her she got up as if to say "I was NOT cuddling with that cat!" lol~!!

Have a beautiful day ladies!

**slowtypinwoman** · 05-23-2005, 09:06 AM

GM Homesteaders,
!CJ and QM I hope you are better soon!

We here have the alergy thing going on. I shouldn't complain, this is the first time it has been bad for me in a while and we have tose little pollen strings ALL over the place.
I did want to try and get in the garden today but the rain we got Sat night is still making mud in my garden so I'll try tomorrow. I still need to get in and plant a few things and I'm wondering if it's too late?

We had a wicked storm here Sat night and a tree I had been calling the co-op about finally did what I feared it would. It took down power lines, and the power was out for this whole grid.
They got it back up in a couple hours. I don't know how long it had been out before we got up. When they were driving across my yard their BIG truck got stuck and has left a huge trench in my yard.

They said they would come back and fix it in a couple weeks when the yard dries out. I just keep thinking they said they would come and cut that tree down for two years.

I want to get some laundry washed and hung today. I am really trying to pay attention to all the trips in one fell swoop. So tomorrow we will be going to town and hitting the library,gas store, and a few others. I am determined we will hvae enough saved for our trip!
Dinner tonight will be cheesey potatoes,chicken, and salad. Have a wonderful day everyone!

**DaisyLady** · 05-23-2005, 10:05 AM

Good Monday morning all,

It is a holiday here today. Victoria day! It's been raining steady for the past four days and I'm getting a little frustrated. I can't work outside, can't hang out laundry and I've actually had to put the furnace on a bit b/c it's so cold and damp in the house!

I've got laundry on the go, some of it has to go in the dryer though. I also have some more knitting to do today before the gang gets home from the cottage. It's a lot of counting stitches and it's much easier to do if there is no one else around.

Heather ~ your kitten sounds adorable!

Kim and CJ, praying that you both feel better soon!

Marcia, what are pollen strings? We have really bad allergies here too (although with all the rain it is dampening things down quite a bit).

Hi to all those that post later!
Have a blessed day!

**Michele Annette** · 05-23-2005, 03:41 PM

Hello Everyone!

CJ- I hope you are feeling better very soon!

Heather- I am praying that your treatments are working. I'm sorry you aren't feeling well from them!

Kim- I hope your sinus infection clears up quickly!

Marcia- allergies are no fun! I have them too! Feel better soon!

Chriss- I hope everything works out for your school and for the children that attend.

DH leaves for Colorado on Thursday morning. I can't believe it's here already! We still have been discussing other options...such as moving to Colorado, but moving to the mountains and not living in Denver, if he finds something better in the mountains. DH asked me what he was thinking when he decided to accepted a trial period in Denver.

We don't want to live in a big city, but the money was looking very tempting, plus other things hadn't presented themselves at the time, which are now apparent. He may not work the whole trial period and decide to find something in the mountains while he is there. He may decide to come back early and start his business here. So, as you can see, it's pretty hairy, but we will figure out something. I'm just glad we have these options! I will miss him greatly though. I am missing him already.

I have plenty to keep me busy that is for sure and I have lots of support here as well. I just want to be able to get through the first week. DH isn't nervous, but I know he doesn't want to waste time or money. I will keep you updated, of course.

It's rainy and very chilly. The heat kicked on three times last night and it's on the lowest setting at 60 degrees! Brrrrr! We still have a bit of heating oil left so I don't feel bad for using it if we need it.

I hope you all have a good day!

**forestdale** · 05-23-2005, 04:16 PM

Good morning ladies.

I'm still sewing here.

It's keeping me off the streets and out of trouble. I'll be busy today as I'll be working at the store for three days from tomorrow. DH has a few things to do regarding the sale of the store and he's also going to an afternoon/evening footy match with his son and his son's father-in-law. DH has never been to a rugby match before and doesn't really like the game but he's looking forward to the atmosphere and a night out with the "boys". Not much else happening here.

CJ, I hope you're feeling better now.

Heather, thanks for the explanation about elders. It looks like it will be an interesting way to contribute to your church.

Marcia, I hope you stay safe during your storm season.

Chriss, how's that new computer going? I bet it's flying.

Kim, sinus! Yuck. Don't worry about the house and garden, just get yourself better.

Michele, how exciting for you and your DH! You have so many options and that's a wonderful thing. Keep us posted about what's happening and I hope your husband has a safe and rewarding trip.

to Michelle

I hope everyone is smiling.

**dmvezina** · 05-23-2005, 06:40 PM

Good evening!! It has been pouring most of the day. And I just heard on the news that we have a Nor'Easter coming in tonight and will last at least through Wednesday, possibly Thursday!
Geez, will it ever go away?? lol Our temps have been hovering right around 50 during the day. This is not normal!! lol

I did 2 loads of laundry today and some housecleaning.

Breakfast was oatmeal & chocolate chip bread
Dinner was beef stew & homemade white bread

Ryan was doing well until yesterday. He had an "outburst" while there to the point that he had to go into "lock down" for 1/2 an hour. And then again this morning. In a way, this is a good thing because now they can see what we & the school go through with him. So, hopefully, they can assess his situation a little better. Before yesterday, they were just going on "reports" from us & the school. DH, ds-12 & dd-13 are down visiting him now. dd-16 is in bed sick. So, I actually have some time to catch up on posts.

I hope you are all doing well on your homesteads!
Have a great evening!

**forestdale** · 05-23-2005, 07:22 PM

Hang in there, Dawn. We are all supporting you.

**Strawberry** · 05-23-2005, 10:02 PM

Dawn - Praying things work out for the best with Ryan.

Rhonda - Enjoy your sewing! I'm thinking of Casey and hoping for a full recovery.

Michele - I'm so glad you have lots of support. Thinking of you and your dh as you faces some big decisions.

Chriss - Hope things work out quickly for the schools.

Marcia - I have allergies too

No fun! Hope you feel better.

Heather - I hope Nibbles brings lots of smiles to your family. Praying you feel better too.

Kim - Hope your sinus infection clears up quickly.

CJ - Get lots of rest! Praying you feel better soon.

Everything has been very busy around here and thankfully I have awhile to catch up on some threads.

Today I gave dh and ds#2 a hair cut. They were getting pretty shaggy looking. I vacuumed the house, cleaned both bathrooms, made a few batches of iced coffee to freeze, baked muffins, and did some yard work. It feels good to get the things done around the house. I can't relax when there's too much that needs to be done.

Friday the hospital finally called with an appointment for dh's CT scan. It's on Friday. Hope to have some answers.

Yesterday was our 23rd anniversary. We went out to a very nice restaurant for dinner; I had not been to this restaurant before. Boy was I surprised when I saw the prices. There was nothing for main courses that was under $26. At Christmas we were given a $50 gift certificate and since we have no money right now it worked out perfect to use it now. We only had to use $14 of our own money so for us it was a frugal night out and the food was amazing!

I'm off to read some more threads.

**dmvezina** · 05-24-2005, 07:53 AM

Good morning. This weather is so depressing!! It's still rainy & very windy! I'm beginning to think we're never going to see the sun or summer again!! lol

Today I need to do:
2 loads of laundry
match the odd socks
vacuum
mop
get a package ready to mail
go to the post office
bring dd-16 to her counseling appt
make a carrot cake
clean up computer room

Breakfast was chocolate chip pancakes, banana & hot caramel milk

Dinner will be ham steaks, cornbread, corn and carrot cake

There isn't much to tell since I posted last night.
Ryan was very ill last night so they didn't stay long last night. They're not sure if it's the meds or what he ate, so they're keeping a close eye on him. He hasn't been sleeping well the past couple of nights either. I'm glad they call and give us updates! It is somewhat of a relief.

Today is one of those days that I wish I could just climb in bed & not come out!!! lol But I have places to go & things to do!!! Maybe one of these rainy days I will!! lol Or at least curl up on the couch with a blanket!

Well, I must get my day started!!

I hope you all have a great day!

**forestdale** · 05-24-2005, 03:18 PM

Dawn, do they assess what Ryan is eating? I know with many kids here stopping all highly processed foods plus anything that contains dyes and artificial flavourings helps a lot. Just a thought, I'm sure Ryans problems aren't that simplistic but it may help.

**DaisyLady** · 05-24-2005, 07:24 PM

Good evening all,

Busy day here today. We had an announcement from our school board this morning that as of tomorrow (Wed.) morning the schools will all be closed until the labour dispute is over. We are hoping they will come to an agreement tonight and then the schools could reopen on Thursday. But, all the "rumours" are that this is going to be a long process. So I spent the morning debating on whether I would offer my fulltime services to the family that I provide child care to for the mornings. I finally decided that I could not take them on full time indefinitely, so Andrea and William are going to share the day with them tomorrow and the parents are going to each take a couple of days off if needed. It means that I won't get my usual pay but I just have too much on the go to fit everything. I think I'm finally learning how to say no and not feel guilty.

I taught a class this afternoon and tonight I will be knitting the project for the store. I also have orders for moisturizer and toner for two of my regular customers. I will make them tomorrow for delivery on Saturday. (it takes 4 days to steep the herbs for the toner)

The weather is supposed to be nice and warm and sunny for the rest of the week so I am anticipating some time to work on my herb garden and possibly get the structures in for my salad garden.

Dawn ~ hope Ryan is doing better today. I am praying for him.

Tina~ Happy Anniversary!! glad you got to have a nice dinner out.

Kim and CJ ~ praying you are both feeling better today!

Have a great evening all