Welcome to Bugs and Brooms!

Well, I would love to be writing about the wonderful celebration that we had with family and friends this holiday but it wouldn’t be the truth so I better stick to the facts.  After weeks of preparing for my in-laws to visit (mother-in-law, father-in-law, brother and sister-in-law and nephew) which included cleaning the carpets and all the bedding, the family cancelled at the last minute.  It turned out to be a good decision for them since my little one became ill but it was very frustrating for us!  I guess they just didn’t want to make the 9 hour drive and I really can’t blame them.  They were supposed to arrive Thursday evening and we were planning Thanksgiving dinner for Friday. 

On Thursday, we were also supposed to go to some friends to celebrate the actual holiday with them and their entire family and we were very excited about the visit - DD absolutely loves their twin girls who are the same age!  But that didn’t work out either…  DD had a cold that didn’t seem too severe but she woke up Thursday morning very clingy and whiny.  She didn’t eat much breakfast which was extremely odd for her.  I knew something was up but really wanted to believe that she was just tired.  A few minutes later my fears were confirmed - vomit all over me, DD, and our poor couch that has only recently recovered from a bout of vomit last year (it is really hard to get the vomit smell out of leather)!  DD finally told me that her right ear was hurting so we called our pediatricians office just to see if ANYONE was in the urgent care clinic on the holiday!  Thank goodness the clinic was open but only for a few hours in the afternoon - we made an appointment for 2:15 - first available.  The visit wasn’t very pleasant since DD had a flu shot the previous week in the same office - not fun for her.  Sure enough, ear infection.  So antibiotics were prescribed but it was Thanksgiving and we had a hard time finding a pharmacy that was open - but after driving around and calling all the local pharmacies we finally found one on the other side of town that was eager to accept our prescription and our money.  So, DD got her medicine and we ended up at Crackle Barrel at 4:00 for Thanksgiving dinner. 

DD fell asleep while we were eating and the service wasn’t the best.  But, with all of the drama surrounding this holiday, we still have so much to be thankful for:  friends, family, freedom that comes with living here in the US, our health, our abundance and prosperity, our unborn son, and so, so much more!  We did have our own family Thansgiving dinner Saturday and it was wonderful!  We got our turkey from a local farm and most of our sides were from local and/or organic ingredients.  We all three ate too much but enjoyed the time that we had together to be thankful for all of our blessings - and we have plenty of leftovers that will last a few days!  DD is already feeling better but not 100% just yet. 

I hope that everyone else had a wonderful holiday and created memories that will last a lifetime.  I know that we won’t forget this Thanksgiving any time soon!

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To all of those who have served this country both at home and abroad, THANK YOU!  We can never offer enough recognition, support, and thanks for your devotion to protecting this country and our freedoms.  You are all heroes!  And a ‘thank you’ to your families and friends who often wait anxiously for word of your safety! 

The citizens of this nation are indebted to you for putting the well-being of our families in front of your own aspirations!  Nothing can be said or done to express how grateful the people of this country are to you for your sacrifice.  To all who have served and continue to serve in every branch and for those who have fought in battles past and current, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!  And my family thanks you too!  We sleep better at night knowing that you are guarding our safety and freedom!  God Bless You!

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As the wind blows and the few remaining leaves cling to the trees, I am looking forward to the holiday season.  This is probably our last day of nice weather - we have been so fortunate lately with unbelievable warm and beautiful days!  Although spring is my favorite time of year, I love the cool, crisp, clear blue sky days of autumn.  Hearing the leaves crunch under our feet and feeling the cool air does something to clear my head of the clutter and craziness of summer.  It is easy to lose sight of the important things in life when you are running from here to there making the most of long, hot days.  The fall and winter months force us all of slow down and appreciate the things that we have - and we are extremely blessed compared to many people in this world. 

So what are my plans for the coming holidays?  Well, before I completely skip over the Halloween adventures of the year, DD and I spent several days making fun Halloween crafts including a ghost from her footprint and a bat using her hand-prints (I love these simple and fun crafts that I put the date on and store to reflect on in future years).  We hung our creations from the light in our dining room and enjoyed them everyday though DD got into some trouble for constantly climbing into a chair in an effort to reach her artwork and swing it!  We also carved pumpkins and put up some old Halloween decorations (courtesy of my mom).  It was a wonderful experience!  And then on Halloween night, we went to a friends house for a cookout and trick-or-treating in her neighborhood.  DD REALLY likes her son - they are the same age.  We had a great time and then had to confiscate the bucket of goodies to prevent total sugar overload.  Left to her own will, DD would have eaten all of the candy in one sitting!  But we only gave her 1 or 2 pieces a day for a few days and then it was ‘all-gone’!  Of course, DH and I had a few treats as well!  We took some great pictures of our little Cat and then, after putting up an enormous fight in an effort to ‘play’ with her loot, she passed out from exhaustion!

For Thanksgiving, we will be doing more fun crafts and DD will get to watch Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving.  She likes Charlie Brown and Snoopy and this is a pretty educational movie - something lacking from most of the holiday movies that are available.  We have also ordered a turkey from Mandy at Schacht Farm and are planning on spending Thanksgiving at home.  We are planning to head to NC for Christmas if my doctor doesn’t give me any travel restrictions for the pregnancy - not sure how favorably she will feel about a 9 hour (one way) car ride so close to 8 months pregnant!  We will see.  We will have to order a Christmas tree from my family (we usually just go pick it out at Thanksgiving but since we won’t be there…) and have it mailed to us (to support my family in their business).  As these precious holidays draw closer, I will try to provide more details including our plans for presents without spending a lot of money (we will see), menu and recipes for the big meals, and extra activities that we will participate in with friends and community (Bloomington has live reindeer at the Holiday Market - that should be a hoot)!

One thing that I wish I had done more of - preserving local foods - but I was just so miserable with morning sickness during harvest time that my plans went in the toilet (seriously)!  Hopefully I will be able to do a better job next season!  It would be so nice to have Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner from my own garden or from preserved local produce!  Something to look forward to next year!

Tags: 'Farm life', Eat Local, Family and Friends, Simple and Green by
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Well, we had a wonderful time and returned home Sunday afternoon.  Needless to say, we have a lot to do to get back to normal although we jumped back into our routines first thing Monday morning.  We have decided that we should make an effort to take a vacation every year and decided to go ahead and start saving for the next vacation right away - we really have to plan ahead.  Anyway, I still have a post to get up on the economy and I hope to write that up today (between playing with DD, laundry, etc.) and get it posted tomorrow.  On another note, we had an ultrasound yesterday and found out that we are having a BOY!  I was so shocked but thrilled!  More details in a later post.

Tags: Family and Friends, Money Matters by
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I was hoping to post this before we left but it was more than a little hectic trying to pack for the 3 of us and deal with boarding our dogs and make arrangements for our cats while we are gone.  So I didn’t get it posted and now I have very limited access to the Internet…  Anyway, we are taking a long planned for and much needed vacation at the beach!  DD and I have been on business trips with DH and have been able to enjoy so wonderful places while he worked and often took a couple of extra days to enjoy the areas as a family.  But we have never been on an official vacation as a family - DH and I didn’t even take a honeymoon so this is a great event for us!  We have been very excited about the trip for months and have put back money for a long time to make it happen.  And, so far, it has been so worth it!  DD is having a blast and DH and I are more relaxed than we have been in a very long time.  With the financial situation we are stretching our dollars to the max and eating in A LOT but the price of gas is much better than we anticipated.  So, I will try to check in while we are away but if I don’t, I will get back on track when we get back.  I still have plenty of posts I need to cover on the economy, etc., so lots to do!  But enjoying the weather and the family time is all that I have on my mind right now!  Hope you are all having a great week!

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Have you heard about this?  It is insane what is happening in many parts of the south.  People are lining up for gas for 30 - 45 minutes and even longer!  Pumps are closed in many areas or only open sporadically.  The shortage has caused many problems for residents including class cancellations at community colleges and missed work/lateness for folks who can’t get gas.

My sister does physical therapy for home-bound patients and must drive herself to people’s homes to administer treatment - she is not a happy camper right now!  I have been on the phone with her several times while she drives around trying to find a station that is open and has gas for customers.  Then she may wait in line for long periods of time hoping that the tanks will not run dry before she gets her turn.  People are more than a little concerned about the situation which is, reportedly, the result of damaged gas lines from hurricane Ike.  Many of the people impacted by this shortage live in very rural locations where public transportation is not available but carpooling is very popular - still the impact has been hard for most hard-working families.

The problem is affecting folks in TN, VA, NC, and SC.  All of our families live in NC and we have tons of friends in TN.  People are stunned and confused by the impact this is having on their lives.  And businesses are also suffering.  They can’t deliver goods, get to work sites, or operate efficiently since their employees are having problems getting to work.  And many of us are starting to see prices at the pump decline - that is definitely the case in the southeast.

You can get more details on this from area newspapers including the Asheville Citizen Times which has several articles on the problem including this one: http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080923/NEWS01/80922102.  I encourage everyone to learn about the situation - it may be a sign of things to come in the future if we don’t get more gas in the supply chain or quickly develop much needed alternatives.

Tags: Family and Friends, Money Matters by
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So sorry that I am just getting a chance to update this blog!  I am a little off on my days and times right now but early last week, DH’s grandmother had to be hospitalized.  She has been in a nursing home for a couple of years but her health quickly deteriorated last week.  The doctors did numerous tests but could not determine the problem.  She turned 84 on Tuesday.  The hospital released her back to the nursing home on Friday and called in Hospice.  Her conditioned continued to deteriorate and she passed away Sunday morning.  Needless to say, we have been very preoccupied with arrangements, etc.  We returned to NC for services and have just arrived back in IN.  It was a nice visit with family during such a difficult time but we all know that her suffering has ended and that she is now at peace. 

I will be spending the next few days trying to recover from our trip and get things back to normal for DD.  I am very behind on reading my favorite blogs and completely missed the APLS Carnival.  I don’t know that topic for this round yet but I hope to be able to get involved this time!  I hope Arduous hasn’t left for London yet and that I haven’t missed any drama or controversial topics over at Crunchy Chicken.  And I am looking forward to reading what is happening at Rural Aspirations  and getting some comfort from the peaceful posts of Tall Grass Worship and the eloquent words of Green Bean.  Please bear with me while we get it back together. 

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Short post - We are (hopefully) going camping this weekend (or at least tonight)!  Will give you the details when we get back!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

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As most of you know, we live ‘out’.  I don’t really consider us very rural since we do have neighbors around (though none that we can see) and a great park just down the road for Lake Monroe.  But my critter stories have revealed that we are not living in a downtown or suburban location.

Several evenings over the past week or so have given us a touch of nature.  We have been spending time in the garden each afternoon weeding and watering (I know, lots of rain until recently and now we are having the drag the water hose to the garden to make sure our veggies survive the heat) and just checking on the progress of our plantings (good news to report later on).  When the mosquitoes overtake us, I bring DD indoors and start getting her ready for bed.  DH has interrupted our routine several nights!  He comes tiptoeing into the house, whispering urgently for us to follow him back outside.  These adventures have given us some great scenes of deer crossing our fields as they leave one area of dense woods for another.  We have had to put up some ‘protection’ for our garden in the form of garden stakes and caution tape, in an effort to keep our lovely deer from munching on our tender vegetables.  We have already had a couple of corn and bean plants meet an early demise thanks to our foragers. 

But the other night was something extra special.  I had just gotten DD out of the tub and was rocking her and telling her stories while she cuddled for warmth under the oversized towel.  DH came in the house in his usual navy seal approach.  I resisted his pleas to go outside again because DD was naked and the mosquitoes truly love her (I mean LOVE).  But he was practically pleading and I caved.  I wrapped DD tightly in the towel hoping that no skin was exposed.  When we got outside we were treated to an incredible display of youth!  Two fawn (twins) were chasing each other in circles while their ever watchful mother observed and snacked on the newly mowed hay!  The two deer were jumping high into the air and running at top speed while throwing their heels high into the air!  It was beautiful to watch these young, spotted animals play so happily!  And they, and their mother, didn’t seem to care that we were watching.  And this play lasted a good 10 minutes!  What a wonderful priviledge to see something so wild and free and right out our front door.

DH and I have seen plenty of wildlife in our travels (especially when we lived in Colorado - mule deer were everywhere and you didn’t have to drive very far to see Elk and Big Horn Sheep).  But DD is young and her nature observations have been limited to zoos and nature preserves.  At least until we moved here. 

I am so thankful that she can experience this environment and learn to appreciate it at such a young age.  What a wonderful way to teach her to appreciate her world and to care for it - she sees it thriving and she wants to jump in and enjoy the fun.  She would have just ran over and joined in the game of chase that these little fawn were playing.  I hope that she always has the opportunity to see nature at its best and purest.  I hope she has a lifetime of watching nature and the world around her in all of its beauty.  I hope that she will always want to jump from my arms and run to play with the deer….

Tags: 'Farm life', Family and Friends, Gardening, Parenting, Simple Living, nature by
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It has been a few days since my last post.  I have been struggling with time management for the past week: trying to entertain DD, keep my house going, work in time for homeschool, chores, fun.  Blogging is a great way for me to stop for a few minutes and get my thoughts down on paper.  I have started a list of topics that I want to write about but the list gets longer instead of shorter.  I work to try to balance my responsibilities to family and still have a few moments in the day to come here and write about things that are happening in my life and/or things that are important to me.  I have not found the balance, yet.

So why can others seem to manage this so well and still maintain their homes, families, etc.?  And some do so under enormous stress and family crisis.  How can I squeeze in 20 minutes (or less) to blog, read my blogroll, clean house, do laundry, cook, play with DD, instruct DD, spend time with DH, take care of pets, etc., etc., etc.?  This morning, I spent 2 hours (that’s right, 2 hours!) of my day reading blog posts and making a few simple comments.  Yes, it has been a few days since I checked-in with my favorite writers but still - 2 hours?  Good grief!  And that was before DD woke up - there is no way I could have spent 2 hours on the computer while she was awake.  Of course, I didn’t get anything else accomplished and, trust me, there is plenty to do around here.

But what do I really want to accomplish each day?  I want to spend time with my daughter, maintain my home so that it is comfortable (no, not spotless or ready for the next cover-shoot of Martha Stewart Living - have you seen my house?).  But I also want to learn about how I can improve our lives, improve the world around us, and take steps to do that - and that, takes time.  I want to spend time in my garden, preserving food, learning to knit and sew, and I want to have time to read!  I love to read but I seem to only be able to read a paragragh at a time (usually when I sneak away to the potty)!

What about the computer?  Well, there is email to check, blogs to read, posts to write.  Maybe the weather, the news, etc. (though I rarely look at either of these).  Then there is the phone.  I am not a big talker - at least not over the phone, but there are days when I haven’t spoken with friends in ages that I spend too much time on the phone.  My daughter is quick to remind me that it is time to ‘get off’ when she tries to take the phone away from me, covers my mouth with her small hand, or, as a last resort, starts whining (that eventually leads to crying if I don’t respond quickly enough).

The technology age was supposed to make life more simple for all - give us more time to do the things  that we really wanted like spend time with family.  But I don’t think it has worked that way.  Yes, we can stay in ‘touch’ with friends and family that are far away much easier than the previous generation but do we spend so much time staying in touch and updated that we lose sight of the real purpose?  I know, at least for me, my computer and telephone are not much better than the television for many others.  I spend too much time on it reading the latest on peak oil and climate change when that time (at least for me) should be spent reading to my daughter or playing hide and seek.  Yes - I do do all of those things now (I spend countless hours reading books with DD as well as many other wonderful things).  Probably more than most since I stay home.  But does that fact make it ok that I take advantage of the few spare moments that I can grab to ‘play’ on the computer or catch up on the happenings of friends in family?  Well, probably.  I mean simplifying your life also means building new relationships and nurturing old.  But I am struggling with this - a lot.  Should I spend my spare time posting to my own blog about things that are important to me or reading other’s blogs?  Not to mention all of the other things that consume my day.

I know that many of you have found that balance that I am seeking and I am sure it will come to me in time.  I look at Green Bean and her eloquent posts about simple things like benches and I am reminded that time doesn’t stand still for anyone.  I can spend hours writing words on my computer that may or may not be read by anyone but that time does give me some sense of pleasure.  I marvel at Crunchy’s ability to balance her life and find time for posting very serious, inspiring, educational, and entertaining information in the midst of her hectic life.  And I hope to find that balance for myself - soon. 

This was actually a post about 2 topics: blogging being very time consuming, and the not too time saving technology that has transformed our lives.  Any suggestions that you have for how I can find balance my own desires to be the best wife and mother that I can be and still post meaningful information on my own blog would be greatly appreciated.  Time is precious.  We only have so much.  I want to spend each moment living my life to the fullest.  When I am gone from this earth, I don’t think people will remember me for my blogs or anything really.  But I hope my friends and family will know that I loved them and that I tried to use my time wisely to be the best person I could be - my computer certainly won’t know that I am gone. 

Tags: Community, Family and Friends, Gardening, Homeschooling, Parenting, Simple Living, Simple and Green by
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