mom-from-missouri's Journal

Even though we are in the midst of a major snow and ice storm, I have begun my 201 garden. So far, I have started my garlic and onions, inside my mini-greenhouse in a south window. Next I will start my asparagus. I've wanted an asparagus bed for some time, and since it takes 3 years to establish one, I figured I better get going now...

I still have over 1000 cans and jars in the basement pantry from last years garden. All I will need this year is some more canning flats.

This year, I am going to try and list at least one item a week on ebay. Money earned from my sales will go into our Ireland fund. DD#1 is getting married in Ireland either this year or next, the wedding date has not been set yet as she is hoping to get a job transfer there.

Also, all money from our change jar is going into the Ireland fund, along with half my sometimes babysitting money.

I took the change jar in yesterday (was past time, usually fills up 3-4 times a year and the lid would not fit on it) and it came out to $148.97. Then, in the bank parking lot I found another quarter to add to the new jar starting.

Not sure how to "store" the money, so for now I guess it will just go into a money market account that I rarely use.

So, my first item is on ebay now. For some reason, it only let me list it as a 3 day auction, but didn't charge me any fees. So, if it doesn't sell, I will relist it as 10 day one.

Even though we watered this summer, the drought still took its toll on the garden. Our area was under a burn ban until close to October.

Now that ts cooler, we have already had several freezes. The garden should be done.

But, tonight I thought I'd go out and nose around the garden beds...Much to my surprise, it seems to think it is spring. I picked peppers, tomatoes, 10 lbs of onions, about 15 lbs of carrots (only got half of them) and a bucket full of brussel sprouts. I didn't check the potatoes yet, as it was getting dark.

So, tomorrow night and Sunday I guess I will be either canning or blanching and freezing food, and by then I can probably also pick another bunch of brussel sprouts.

Tonights picking probably came to around $75 worth of produce, if I were to buy it in the store. My herbs are also coming back-dill, ciliantro, mint and catnip.

We now have 3 women missing within just a few miles (I am talking under 15) from my home. Another disappeared last winter and her body was later found.

I can't seem to get pictures to load on here, BUT, if you could follow the link and check out the posters, it could help. (sorry you will have to copy and paste the link)

We are near I 35, I 29 and 2 truck stops, These women could be anywhere. The 2 cases may or may not be connected.

This is close to my home--women in MY area, that I go to the same stores as, know the same people....

Somewhere, someone has seen or knows something, but they may not even realize how it connects.

THANK YOU!!!

http://countrysidechristianacademy.blogspot.com/2012/07/three-missing-area-women-in-less-than.html

OK, so April 13 was my first day of little or no grocery shopping, to force myself to get the two pantries, and all 4 freezers cleaned out. Tonight will be day 5, and tonights supper will be salmon patties and either shrip or crab. So far all I have had to buy was 3 green peppers, so we could use up the leftover over chicken for quasadias. I had some green peppers already diced up in the freezer, but not enough.

So far, the top laywer has revealed the makings for meatloaf, chicken alfrado (then turneed into last nights qusadias), BBQ steaks.

Sunday we ate out with our minister and his family. So, we are one day behind on the menu I had made up. Our local chinese place has a buffet special on Sundays and they had a coupons we could use on top of that. So, anytime we can feed 3 teens all you can eat for $6, eating out, its a good deal.

Tonight, from the freezer I came up with some steaks, which I BBQ'd. Daughter #5 made some home made tapioca to go with it, and we used up some left over veggies from the fridge.

No groceries needed and none bought.

I need to use up my stockpiles so I can refill them. Once a year I do this as I buy items by the case and in bulk.

Usually I do this right before winter, so that I have a large stockpile in date incase of bad weather. But we had so many funerals and deaths in the family the past few months, I never did it.

So, will try to limit shopping to milk for as long as possible. I think it will take 3-4 weeks at least for the pantries, or possibly as long as 6 or more weeks for the deepfreeze.

When I am about 60% down, I will start buying 2 case items a week.

Somehow a mystery bag of wheat flour appeared. Weird. Its a 50 lb bag, like I normally buy, but it wasn't there, now it is there. No one in the family admits to having moved it anywhere or back to where it belongs....but oh well! better than finding a full bag empty I guess!

I don't normally work full time. I don't need to and I don't want to. I have in the past, but right now my number one priority is my children. My husband supports us very well. If he didn't, I'd be out there working daily.

That being said, I don't just sit around and eat bon bons (although some of my inlaws seem to have that idea, as they don't understand why I can't do things at the drop of a hat.) I hate it when someone asks what I do, and I tell them I am a sahm. I had a career and it paid very well. I gave it up by choice, and I didn't give up my IQ--only my job.

I do volunteer work, mentor with families who have issues with finances or parenting, (on the volunteer level and also on the state DFS level). We homeschool our children, I teach one day a week, have daycare kids 18 hours a week, sub teach and run my own business of which I control the hours and clients. If we have family issues, such as sickness, field trips, company, or worse-we just had a family member pass from cancer, I can lesson my business. If I decide to increase it, I can quickly increase it by opening up days I had blocked for family.

Sometimes I go out for my business (I teach cpr, health and safety classes) sometimes they come to me (we use our homeschool class room).

I have rental property--it adds to our family income as well. This month I have been teaching much more than usual--I picked up some classes due to the flu going around as other instructors were sick and I wasn't. Between my rental and class income I have either brought in or invoiced over $4000 this month. By Friday n Saturday night I will have taught 9 classes just this week alone... and, I will be out of town with the kids for 8 days doing volunteer work from tornado damage.

Yet, some of the inlaws....and a few others, constantly badger me asking when I intend to get a "real job". So far I evidently haven't found the correct response, as I keep getting asked again and again.

Do other small business owners or sahm get asked this?? what defines a real job--a paycheck from someone you are dependent on to schedule your life for you and pay your only what they think you are worth?? (I'd rather have my families kisses and hugs for payment any day of the week).

Next Sunday after church I am taking another group of homeschoolers down to Joplin to work for a week. I am excited to see how much Joplin has rebuilt or cleaned up since our last trip down.

This time I have going 5 other adults (besides myself, which is interesting because last trip one of those now adults was not an adult but a kid helper--she had a birthday). We have 13 kids going as well.

We will be doing painting, yardwork if the weather is nice, sheetrocking, sanding, siding, helping people move in if the current home is done, roofing--a little of everything.

Orginally this trip was a pay as you go trip, with each kicking in around $40-$50 for food and gas for the week. But this morning at church we were told of a $300 donation, and groceries also being donated for our trip, so that will be a huge help. Some of the kids going actually have 2 or 3 in their family plus a parent going, so they will really feel the impact of the donations.

Our lodging is free, as there is a church that sponsors the program we work thru, that lets us sleep in the building. There have been shower houses and laundry buildings built behind the church for us to use all at no charge.

A friend of mine lost everything in the tornado and his house was started last week. He had been laid off and had his home paid for, so he let his homeowners insurance go, like many others. And, lost it all. But, when it comes to eating, electric, buying fuel or paying insurance, insurance kind of ranks last.

Went to mail a package at Office Depot, and got some other things as well. The total seemed a little high, so I questioned it. They charged me $16.51 to overnight a envelope......Not what I asked for. I only wanted it mailed regular mail. Took her 10 minutes to rering it, and then it only cost $1.67 to mail. (I bought the envelope from them as well to mail the documents)...What I was mailing was documents back that I received in todays mail--the company sent me the wrong ones. Glad I checked that out before I signed and passed it on.

Then we went to radio shack to replace 3 phones that were due to regrade. AT&T actually moved our regrade date up, as they moved the tower out of our area, and left those of us with older phones out of service. So we now have 3G phones and they waived the activation fee as well. I first tried to do all this at the AT&T store, but even though it was noted on the account the regrade activation fee was supposed to be waived, the AT&T store kept trying to charge me $268. So, I left. Radio Shack read the notes and said ok-here are your choices, and I walked out only paying for some batteries I bought there and a new car charger as my old one bit the dust after 11 years.

Last stop was to Lowe's to get some conduit. I priced it there yesterday at $1.69 per 10 ft length. Home Depot was by the Radio Shack store, so I checked their price and they wanted $3.69 for the same item. So, we headed back to Lowes about a mile down the highway. Not only was Lowe's cheaper, but I also used some gift cards I had earned from MyPoints, so only paid around $6 out of pocket. Bill started out at $42.

And, Lowes now has a rewards program as well. It stores all your paint recipes and items bought. Since I have a rental house, this is ideal for me as they can print it out at any time for your records.

Yesterday, it was in the low 70's, and I worked inside all day, teaching cpr..... Today, we now have sleet and snow and its cold, and of course, was planning on working outside today. I had arranged for a couple of teen boys from our 4h and homeschool gang to come help me finish the fencing of the chicken pen this afternoon. It is to the point where I can't do it anymore on my own. The bottom layer of fence is done, now we have to put the top layer of fence up (about 5 foot of the ground), then we will fence the top.

This chicken pen has been a 3 year project. I had an estimate for someone else to do it and they wanted around $4,000. So far I have around $700 into it.

My husband and bro in law put in the croncrete pad, I bought one hen house (display model from Lowes) for $300 at the end of the season, and the other one was free from craigslist. It is taking about $200-$300 of fencing. I found on ebay a poultry net that will cover the entire top of the pen for around $125.

Adding it up, it is far cheaper than the %$4000 estimate I had. My hens have been free ranging during the day, but we have had a hawk carry a couple off and a coyote come help himself in broad daylight, so on days we are not outside, they will have a pen to stay in. It is a pretty large pen, 25 by 75, so they will have lots of room, and I can subfence the inside for babychicks and their momma's if I want and house them in one coop by themselves.

Nice weather, no heat on again today!! Our premie calf is doing well, thought we were going to loose it for awhile, but its up running around, and doing great!! And, yesterday I got a $100 check for adsense from my homeschooling blog that I was not expecting for at least another month. I am putting that into the Christmas 2012 envelope.

Sold more on ebay, but again, they have not paid. Whats with people that don't pay after an auction Never had an issue with it until about a month ago, and now this is the third one. And, ebay won't let you give them negative feedback anymore for it. That really stinks.

Tried to give away a free sofa and loveseat in fairly good condition. Got stood up 4 times, then number 5 came to see it and wanted me to deliver it, for free...nope....no more takers. So, now I have it listed for $25 and a string of people want it. I can't figure people out at all.

wow, It was in the upper 60's today, so we turned the heat off and opened the windows. Was wonderful!!

Also spent some time outdoors planting flower bulbs, adding compost and fertlizer to the raised garden beds, removed 2 dead trees from the orchard, staked a cherry tree that started to lean and played with a new baby calf (it likes to play chase and tag).

I hope a lot of people got out today, to help put an end to the flu that is going around here,as it is bad. Several school districts have closed their doors on either a Fri or Mon hoping students would have a longer weekend to all get well.

I am a stay at home, homeschooling mom, by choice. I do like to help contribute to our income. I have a rental property, but that mostly stays in the rental account.

So, I do some as needed childcare for a couple of nurses, and also teach American Heart CPR, First Aid and a few more classes.

Some months its nothing, but THIS month, which is not yet over, has been good. So far, $210 in childcare and $530 for CPR and first aid classes......

i'm not complaining!

If we can make it a few more days, we will have gone 8+ weeks without having to use the AC or heat!!! Yeah! I think this will be the first year since we have been married we made it through April and May without either. That should make for a nice electric bill.