City Girl Bought the Farm

The Obligatory Giant Egg Post

2012-02-17T21:23:00.000-08:00

Check out this enormous egg! My first thought was "Ow" and then "oh, that poor hen!" Everybody is doing quite well though. We haven't cracked it open yet but I imagine it will be a double yolker.

I don't have small hands and it pretty much covers my palm.

Funniest Found Poster Ever? I Vote Yes!

2012-02-05T07:51:00.000-08:00

Source: plus.google.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

My Week was a Lot Like This Picture!

2012-02-04T19:33:00.000-08:00

I've been having a pretty rotten time at work lately. I can identify with Ambrose here!

Grandma's Necklace

2012-02-03T19:25:00.000-08:00

I want to show you the pretty necklace that Sima Gilady made for my mother. I was excited to find this necklace because Sima was able to fit my mom's 3 daughters and 5 grandchildren's names on one delicate silver circle. I can't wait to give it to my mom as a present from all of us!

Disclosure: This was not a sample or sent for review. I just wanted to share it.

Looking for the Cutest Labels?

2012-01-21T19:24:00.000-08:00

I believe that I've found them! They're at Sticky Monkey Labels. The first thing that I noticed when I went to look at the website were all of the cute style choices that are available. There's adorable, sophisticated, sporty and more. I've looked at other label sites and was completely unimpressed with the styles offered so I was excited to get the chance to review these labels.

My son is in 3rd grade has a tendency to forget where he left things so these are great for him. My older daughter is in 6th grade and while she's not as forgetful it's nice for her to be able to personalize her belongings. Also, she has an unusual first name and so it's impossible to find items with her name on them.

I'm very happy with the product! According to the website the labels are waterproof, dishwasher and microwave safe, laundry safe, and weather resistant.

When I mentioned to Dodie that I thought her labels were the cutest I'd seen, this was her response. "I started this business so I could be more active in my children’s daily lives and I knew I could provide a quality product. Having 2 boys I quickly learned that you don’t get the cute clothing, shoe and other product selections as you do with girls. So, I wanted to provide exactly that! Something fun, different, and super-cute for boys and girls alike." You can find out more about Dodie and her sister Chrissy at the Sticky Monkey Labels website.

You can also connect with Sticky Monkey Labels on FaceBook and Twitter!

Disclosure: I received 2 sample packs of labels to aid in my review, however all opinions are my own.

2012-01-17T16:02:00.000-08:00

Hostessed by Mama to 4 Blessings and Home Grown Families with the help of several other fantastic group of bloggers we bring you Social Media Sportlight "Facebook"! This giveaway runs from 12:01 AM on Monday 1/16 and will run until Monday, 1/22 at 11:59 PM (all Eastern times). One winner will receive $125.00 Cash into their paypal!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cook'n Recipe Organizer

2012-01-03T20:22:00.001-08:00

Do you love finding new recipes online? I do too! How do you keep track of them though? Sometimes I print them but then they get lost. Other times I save them to my favorites but then it's difficult to find a specific one because there are so many and they're in no order at all. Some websites let you sign in and save favorite recipes but then you have to find the correct website again.

I have had the pleasure of using Cook'n Recipe Organizer for the last couple of weeks and it provides a solution to the problem of organizing recipes, as well as the ability to enter and save your own recipes, and purchase cookbooks online. I'm very pleased with Cook'n recipe software.

The Pros:

There is an easy to follow video that explains how to use the program. This made it simple to use and more helpful. Honestly there have been times that I downloaded programs and since I couldn't figure out how to make them work for me, I just didn't use them. That is not a problem here.

You can create multiple cookbooks with custom chapters. Want one for family recipes and another for diet recipes? No problem! I just started a low-carb diet and for the first time I'm able to organize and hang onto all the recipes that I've found online.

Cook'n will capture recipes from websites, format them, keep a picture, tell you which website it came from and much more. Very cool!

There are many more cool features but those are the ones that stood out to me.

The Cons:

The capture doesn't always work perfectly. For example one recipe I captured listed each ingredient twice. Fortunately it was simple to remove the duplicates so not a major issue.

The program calculates nutrition info (a nice feature) but it looked to me like it was giving the per recipe info rather then the per portion info. This made no difference to my enjoyment of it though.

The company is offering a giveaway on their website here! Check it out for a chance to win a copy.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Cashin' in the New Year! $190 Cash Giveaway!!

2011-12-29T21:03:00.000-08:00

Hosted by Home Grown Families and Mama to 4 Blessings with the help of several other fantastic groups of bloggers we bring you Cashin' in the New Year! This giveaway runs from 12:01 AM on Friday 12/30 until Monday, 1/2 at 11:59 PM (all Eastern times). One winner will receive $190 Cash into their Paypal account!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Lovely Original Song by my Daughter

2011-12-27T17:52:00.000-08:00

She really amazes me with her talent. : ) I don't think that's just her mom talking either.

We'd love to hear what you think!

Decorative Ceiling Tiles Have Many Uses

2011-12-27T17:39:00.000-08:00

Decorative Ceiling Tiles has drop ceiling tiles, tin ceiling tiles, faux tin ceiling tiles, styrofoam ceiling tiles and much more available on their website. I received two ceiling tiles for review.

The first is styrofoam ceiling tile. These are a very economical way to cover a ceiling (perhaps an old popcorn ceiling). They can be painted to match any decor using water based paints and they add insulation to the room. I'm painting mine in light pinks and purples to hang on my daughter's wall as an accent piece.

The second tile is a faux tin tile. It totally fooled me and my husband when we opened the package. We both thought it was a real tin tile. It so pretty and it's big! 2 feet square! We're going to use it as a frame for light fixture by punching a small hole in the center and mounting the light fixture through it.

One of the coolest uses for the tiles (other than on a ceiling) shown on the website, is using them as a photo backdrop. They make lovely textured backgrounds for photo shoots.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

I Made Caramel and Banana Quesadillas

2011-12-15T19:19:00.000-08:00

I'm a caramel maker! : D I've always been afraid to make caramel because I know it can be a bit tricky. A few nights ago I decided to go ahead and give it a try. My first attempt crytallized into a hard lacy lump at the bottom of the pan. The second time, I searched the internet for ways to avoid having that happen. The 3 tricks I found were to:

Add lemon juice (I added about a teaspoon)
Add corn syrup (I found an old bottle in my cupboard and added about 2 tablespoons)
Stir until it boils and then don't stir again until it's dark enough to add the cream

The second time it worked like a charm and I created a fabulous caramel sauce to serve over my banana quesadillas. They were decadent and delicious! Kind of like crepes without the bother of making crepes. Other then the time it took to make 2 (1 successful) batches of caramel it was an easy recipe to make. You can find it here at Food Network. I used the caramel recipe in the link and it worked after I made the above mentioned adjustments.

Are there any foods that you're afraid to make? I've still never cooked a artichoke even though I want to. That'll be my next project.

Pic from Food Network

$100 Rafflecopter Giveaway!!!

2011-12-14T17:23:00.000-08:00

$100 Giveaway sponsored by Amee from Madame Deals and Jen from Kobiso, Makobi Scribe, Sason and Pobi, etc

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wordless Wednesday - Memes

2011-12-14T06:44:00.000-08:00

Just a few pics from the internet that made me laugh. Hope they make you smile too.

I'm joining a Twitter Blast

2011-12-11T19:07:00.000-08:00

Amee from Madame Deals and Jen from all her blogs (Kobiso, Makobi Scribe, Sason and Pobi, etc) are sponsoring a Twitter Blast with a $100 prize. For details go here.

My readers should come back on December 15th for a chance to win $100!

Parenthood and Aspergers

2011-12-03T16:41:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the television show Parenthood really knocks me out. Part of it is that they cover Asperger's Syndrome in such a real way. So many times when I'm watching it feels like the show is about my family's and my feelings. I really like the characters.

I just watched the most recent episode called Missing. The son with Aspergers left his home to go to the museum by himself because his family couldn't take him. One reason this really hit home is that one time my son left home because he was tired of waiting for his father to come home and do something with him. My husband was dropping off our daughter about 2 miles down the road and my son decided to walk there because he knew where it was and he felt that my husband had taken too long. A couple stopped and tried to help him but he would not say a word to them. Fortunately my husband saw him as he drove home. Not good!

Another reason that the episode really touched me is that it showed how hard it can be on older siblings. I have a teenager that struggles with this as well. A child with Aspergers can cause huge disruptions in the family and we as parents don't react in the same way we would if he was neuro-typical. It feels unfair.

Have you seen the show? Have you ever seen a reflection of your life?

Prefense Hand Sanitizer - Review and Giveaway!

2011-12-02T20:25:00.000-08:00

I use so much alcohol based sanitizer everyday! I use it at least 10 times a day. It's stinky and it burns all of the little cracks in my hands. I'm pretty sure all of that alcohol adds to the dryness of my hands. Not the best system but what else is there? I certainly can't walk around with germs all over my hands!

Before I received my Prefense hand sanitizer the only thing I knew about it was that the protection would last 24 hours. So I was interested to see how that was possible. What I discovered is that the protection is silica based and basically works by destroying the germ's cell wall. As Marissa Amoni of Beacon-News put it, "essentially acting like a glove with tiny spikes — penetrating the bacteria wall and killing what might be lurking on a public surface."
That makes a lot of sense to me because I like to use diatomaceous earth around the farm because it's an all natural way to kill bugs in the same manner. There's no chemical or poison involved.

So I'm liking how it works, but how will it feel on my hands? I was concerned that there might be a gritty feel but that was definitely not the case! I used one pump of foam and rubbed it into my hands until it dried. There was no residue, no greasy or oily sensation. My hands felt clean dry and comfortable. It has a very very light citrus smell. And you'll be happy to know that it doesn't have any aftertaste (yes, I tried it). : )

So I can have germ free hands from one squirt a day with no residue, drying alcohol, or smell? Sign me up!!!

You can buy this on the Prefense website or from Amazon.

GIVEAWAY!

The great news is that I get to give an 8oz bottle of Prefense to one of my readers! This is an $18 value and could last one person up to 2 years.

Sponsored by Tomoson.com

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Uncreative-Mommy's Digital Creations

2011-12-02T19:05:00.000-08:00

Lena from Uncreative-Mommy's Digital Creations gave me the opportunity to review the Dots printables from her Etsy shop. She has a lot of great forms, lists and planners available for only $1 each. The Dots pattern is cute and fun. Once you make your purchase, Lena will email you the form and you can print as many copies as you need, whenever you need them.

I found so many helpful items. Two of my favorites are the Grocery List and the Emergency Info list. I also liked the meal planner, What's to Eat, a lot. The Grocery List is especially helpful because it breaks the list up into categories and that makes it easier and faster when you're at the store.

Something that I think will be very helpful is to use a hole punch and a three ring binder to make a planning book. You could include forms such as the anniversary list, monthly calendars, budget planner and contacts pages.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Slice™ Safety Cutter - Great for couponers

2011-11-23T20:47:00.000-08:00

I had the chance to try the Slice Safety Cutter from Slice Products. It's a handy little tool for cutting coupons, scrapbooking, opening plastic packaging and many other uses. It has a very small ceramic blade that you draw across whatever you are cutting. It's very sharp when used on paper but is also very safe. I poked myself with it (as shown in the product pictures on the website) and I was not injured at all! So this would be safe for my kids to use as well. Also since the blade is ceramic it stays sharp and won't rust.

The Slice can fit easily in my purse (where I carry it), has a hole to add it to a keychain, and also has an internal magnet so that it can hang on the fridge. I like that I can easily cut out a coupon while I'm at the store! I really like how attractive the Slice is as well.

As I've mentioned before, my son has Aspergers Syndrome. So I was excited to learn that they company funds Autism research. Here's some information from their website: "Slice was founded in 2008 by TJ Scimone as a way to help fund long-term care for his son, Alex, who is autistic. A minimum of 1% of all Slice product sales is donated to help fund autism research. By purchasing our products, you’re helping to find a cure for the millions of children and their families who live with autism every day."

Slice™ Safety Cutter - Great for couponers

Using it to cut school pictures

Used the magnet to hang it on the fridge

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Were You Surprised by Any of the New Shows this Fall?

2011-11-19T07:44:00.000-08:00

There was one show that really surprised me. Pan Am. I was fully prepared to hate this show. It seemed like a silly concept. I was thinking it would basically be "Playboy Bunnies on a Plane". I kept hearing about it though and so I gave it a shot.

I'm hooked! It's smart, funny, interesting and occasionally heart-wrenching. I'll admit that I've cried during a few of the episodes.

Some other new shows I really like are New Girl, Revenge, and Terra Nova. My favorite series though are not new. The Office and Parenthood are at the top of my list!

What shows do you consider "must see tv"?

Meyer Hatchery Catalog Came Today!

2011-11-14T14:13:00.000-08:00

I'm excited to have received my 2012 Meyer catalog today! I pore over it for hours putting little stars next to types of chickens, ducks, turkeys and more that I would like to have strutting around my farm yard. I'm not yet sure what I'll be getting but I'll have fun dreaming.

They have some exotic birds that I know that I won't be getting. A sebastopol goose is a white bird with long curly feathers. They're lovely but fairly expensive. They aren't cold hardy though so they wouldn't enjoy our freezing winters. I also won't be getting a pair of White Mute Swans. At $780 for the pair plus $320 shipping and handling they're outside of my price range! They also have pheasants, partridges, and peacocks.

There are also dozens of chickens, ducks, turkeys and geese to peruse. The price for chicks varies but in general it's in the neighborhood of $2 to $4 each plus shipping.

Well, I'm off to dream of my colorful flock additions. In the meantime I'll leave you with a few pictures of my current chickens. Here you'll see them in their favorite hangout. There's about 4 feet of weeds growing between our garden and our yard. The chickens LOVE to hang out in this little jungle.

UGLee Pen Review and Giveaway

2011-11-13T14:59:00.000-08:00

The UGLee Pen is an ergonomic pen created by Dr. James Lee. The name UGLee comes from Ultimate Grip combined with Dr. Lee's name.

I was fortunate to be chosen as one of the bloggers to review this pen. This is definitely my favorite pen! The grip is extremely comfortable and reduces hand fatigue. There's been so many times that my hand has cramped and ached as I took notes at school or work. The UGLee Pen makes an amazing difference.

This is also a great pen for my son who has Asperger's. The grip helps him to hold the pen correctly which is something that he has an issue with. The grip is also soft so his hand is much more comfortable. He usually hates writing. I'm going to ask his teacher to let him try writing with this pen instead of a pencil. I think it will make a difference in his resistance to writing sentences.

My son using the UGLee Pen to draw a robot crab. He holds this pen much better than a standard pen or pencil.

Another feature that I like is the ink. It's a very smooth flowing ink which makes it easy to write with and makes writing more fun. Am I the only one who loves to write with ink that flows beautifully? I always feel like my writing is more attractive when I have just the right pen and ink combination.

You can purchase the pen from their website.

The giveaway is open to US residents only. Sorry to all my other readers. : (

GIVEAWAY

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Sponsored by Tomoson.com

Nalgene Water Bottle from Reuseit.com

2011-11-03T22:02:00.000-07:00

I was given the opportunity to review a water bottle by the kind people at reuseit.com. Their motto is "reusables for every part of your life" and they do indeed have a huge variety of green products that can be help to keep us green and reduce waste.

One way that we try to reduce our waste is by using reusable water bottles but they are not created equal! The water bottle that I chose is made by Nalgene. The full product name is the Nalgene 32 oz Wide Mouth Reusable Bottle, Tritan. Their were several reasons that I choose this bottle. One is that it's BPA free. It's also dishwasher safe so I know that it will be clean and germ free. I like that it comes in a large 32 ounce size and the wide mouth allows me to add ice as well as being able to thoroughly clean the inside. I don't have to worry about losing the lid (or dropping it somewhere gross) because it's attached to the bottle. It's made in the USA and I think the price is very reasonable. Not to mention the beautiful green color!

In addition to a selection of water bottles that are both functional and attractive they have a lot of other exciting products. I was especially happy to see the bento box selection.

I'm very happy with my water bottle and I'm looking forward to using it to keep hydrated while reducing the amount of waste I create.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

I won a makeup giveaway and got some yummy extras

2011-11-03T21:24:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share the giveaway that I won from Jessica Allison. Look at all the cute extras she sent along with the makeup that I won!

I love all the things she sent me but I have to especially mention the Kasugai gummies. Oh yum! I never had them before. They are so good. : )

Thank you Jessica!

Wordless Wednesday - Kittens!

2011-11-02T09:07:00.000-07:00

Olive (calico) and Oliver were rescued together. Olive is ours and Oliver is with my sister waiting to find his furever home.

Apple Harvest From Our Own Trees!

2011-10-21T20:09:00.000-07:00

Well, it may not be a bumper crop but it's their first year after being planted. I took a couple pictures as we picked our last few apples from our trees. I'm very impressed with how well they did this year. Bagging the apples seemed to work at keeping worms out of the apples.

Seen These Flowers Before?

2011-10-20T19:58:00.000-07:00

We have these lovely yellow flowers grow around our grape vines each year. They're about 7 or 8 feet tall, perennial, and they bloom in early Fall. I haven't seen them anywhere else. I'm curious about what they are.

And some gratuitous chicken cuteness provided by Teeny the bantam hen

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-18T20:55:00.000-07:00

Butterfly Bush

A couple of weeks ago we found about 15 monarch butterflies on some flowers in our backyard. Lovely and magical!

T-Shirt Review from tshirtprinting.net

2011-10-18T20:15:00.000-07:00

I received a t-shirt from T Shirt Printing.net to review. I wasn't sure what to expect since I've seen many promotional shirts that are super thin fabric that falls apart after being washed a few times. This t-shirt was nothing like my preconceived notion of a promotional shirt. The fabric is soft and comfortable. The design is vibrant and attractive.

The shirt: I'm very impressed with the thickness of the material. It's not your typical flimsy promotional t-shirt. It is a nice thick shirt and it's cottony soft. The tag says it's 90% cotton and 10% polyester. It's been worn and washed multiple times and there hasn't been stretching, shrinkage, or pilling. The sizing does not run small either. This shirt was a medium and fit my daughter well.

The design: After being washed and dried (in the dryer on normal) three times there has been no peeling, cracking, splitting or fading of the design. It looks great and is thick enough to last but is still very flexible and moves with the fabric.

Need a t-shirt for your business or event? I'd suggest contacting tshirtprinting.net!

My adorable daughter in her Funky Monkey t shirt from tshirtprinting.net

I recieved the shirt for review purposes only. No other compensation was received and the opinions expressed are my daughter's and my honest opinions.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Top Ten Books I Wish I Could Read Again for the First Time

2011-10-12T15:50:00.000-07:00

This is a meme from The Broke and the Bookish called Top Ten Tuesday. I'm late to the party but this week's theme really caught my attention because it's something I was talking to my daughter about a few days ago.

Most of these books I've read many times, but I miss the first read when I didn't know what was going to happen. When I was exploring this new world and I was so caught up in it that I couldn't stop reading and if I had to stop it was all I could think about.

So here is my list, in no particular order.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card:

I think that one of his great strengths in writing is making such interesting characters. The world of Battle School is fascinating as is the psychological manipulation.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen:

Aside from the romance which IS lovely, one of the things that I love about Jane Austen is that she understands people so well and she's able to make us laugh about it.

Midnighters by Scott Westerfeld:

This was a fun YA adventure that opened up an extra hour in the day that only some people get to experience. I really like books that draw me into a new world that I haven't experienced before.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte:

Another great romance and I love Jane's quiet strength.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness:

Wow! This book was stunning and the language is often poetic. Not lyrically poetic, more rythmic and touching.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins:

Another book that drew me into a new world

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing:

I didn't think I would like this book at all. I was desperate for something to read and so I went through my husband's library books. I started reading this and I could not put it down. An amazing true story.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore:

I read this because my oldest daughter couldn't stop talking about how much she loved it. I soon found out why. : )

Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton Porter:

I've read this book so many times from when I was a child to now. I actually just reread it last month. A story about a teen-aged girl growing up through tragedy to become a strong confident woman. I highly recommend it.

I considered adding Little Women to my list but I get something different out of it each time I read it based on my age and experience. I loved it as a child but as I get older each reading brings me more understanding of the characters and a different perspective. I wouldn't want to give that up.

I'd love to hear your opinions on these books or the books that you would like to reread for the first time.

"Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers."

Rescued Kitten

2011-10-09T20:04:00.000-07:00

About 2 months ago I got an email from my sister telling me that she and her husband found two kittens abandoned in the woods. They weren't feral because they both came over to them when they were called. Poor babies were covered in so many fleas and were soooo hungry. She also had worms. : (

My husband knows that I've wanted a cat for a while but he didn't want one so we've been catless for about 10 years. I KNEW he couldn't be so heartless to refuse to rescue a kitten though!

So he was laying down upstairs and I went and started telling him the very, very, very, very sad story of the lost, abandoned and starving kittens and he started laughing (or crying?) and put his pillow over his head. And then I pulled the pillow away from him so he wouldn't miss any details. And then he tried to conclude the story for me by saying that the kittens were put in a gas chamber crying mew mew mew. And I beat him with his pillow. I concluded the story with a much happier ending in which I had advised my sister that I would take both kittens. And he said (and I quote) "BOTH kittens?!?!" And that my dear readers was most definitely permission to get one! HA HA HA! Then he asked if everyone would take care of it or if it would get dumped on him. I said... dumped on him. : ) Just to set the correct expectations.

And here is our lovely Olive. Oliver is still living with my sister while she finds him a home.

p.s. He actually hasn't had to do much for the cat at all because our children have been doing a fabulous job of taking care of her.

Tiger Daughter

2011-10-08T16:36:00.000-07:00

A couple of pics of my daughter after she got home from the circus yesterday. : ) She was so sleepy!

Uni Sushi

2011-10-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

I love sushi!

It may be a bit of an acquired taste. It's not something that I used to think I would enjoy but I started out slowly with cooked items like Ebi Nigeri (cooked shrimp on rice) and California Rolls and worked my way up from there. Now I'll eat just about any kind of sushi. One kind of sushi that I always wanted to try is Uni Sushi. Uni is the edible part of the sea urchin. I wasn't sure if I'd like it but I'm fairly adventurous and often like new things when I try them.

I had Uni Sushi last week and it was delicious! The Uni did not taste like fish to me, more of a meaty taste but I can't think of anything to compare it to. I'll definitely have it again.

How do you feel about sushi? Is there any unusual food that you want to try?

Ebi Nigiri

Uni Sushi

Pictures are from aboutsushi.net. They also have a guide to trying sushi.

2011-07-11T16:11:00.000-07:00

Have you seen this video yet? I never got into Justin Timberlake as a singer (probably because of the Britney connection) but I like him as an actor. He's very funny!

Apple Bags - Avoiding Moths when Growing Apples

2011-07-11T15:55:00.000-07:00

I'm trying a technique that I've read about online. To avoid apple worms (codling moth larvae) we've cut holes in the bottom of paper bags and placed them over the apples when they reached about an inch across. We then stapled the opening of the bags closed after folding a few times.

So far we've lost a few bags to storms but most have stayed on. I really hope that this technique will work because I would really like to eat our own home-grown chemical-free apples!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-21T18:51:00.000-07:00

My apple trees. They were planted last year.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-15T18:49:00.000-07:00

National Aquarium in Washington DC

Photos taken by my daughter on her Senior Trip

I thought Aspies were supposed to be good at math

2011-06-03T15:08:00.000-07:00

Well, my dreams of the boy's future career as an engineer are drying up. His second grade teacher sent home a math paper that needed to be redone. Out of 20 questions only 3 were correct. Admittedly, it's subtraction with regrouping but it wasn't the regrouping he had the issue with. It was the subtraction.

Here's an example problem and our conversation about it.

20-16= 16.

Me: What's 10 minus 6?
Boy: Can't you just tell me the answer?
Me: Of course not, you won't learn anything that way.
Boy: Dad tells me the answers.

Me: Hmmph, what's 10 minus 6?

Boy: *Thinks for a bit* Isn't it something like 8 or 9?

Me: No, it's nothing like 8 or 9. You do realize that there's only one correct answer to a math problem, right? It's not a matter of opinion.

Boy: Mooooooooooom.

The conversation continued in this vein until I finally dragged the correct answer out of him. I will admit to telling him the answer to the last two.

So now that we've ruled out careers that involve people skills and math, I'm keeping my eyes open for ads like this.

Help Wanted

Gamers needed. Excellent pay and benefits.

Ability to play video games for hours without

moving or blinking is a must. Enjoyment of

watching hours of youtube videos of people

playing the same game you just played is a

plus. If you can then spend the remaining hours

of the day talking about said games... you're our man!

I LOVE (love love) Daylight Savings Time

2011-03-17T18:05:00.000-07:00

I went out at 7pm and the sun was still shining. Amazing! And who needs sunshine at 5am? Not me that's for sure. I say we go to daylight savings time all year long. Keep all of the sunshine for when I'm awake.

My only complaint is that as I'm getting older I notice a bit of "jet-lag" each time the time changes. Anyone else have that issue?

What do you think?

I bought myself a present!

2011-03-15T15:29:00.000-07:00

I rarely spend money on myself. It's a mom thing I guess. But I decided that I wanted to get a dragonfly necklace and so I started hunting on Etsy for something like a friend has. The end result is nothing like what I was looking for... I think it's better.

I joke that I designed it myself. What really happened is that I saw elements that I loved in two different necklaces and I asked the owner of Kateemarie if she could make a custom necklace for me and she was happy to do it. She even took some lovely pictures of it that she posted on the listing.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-09T09:13:00.000-08:00

Pics from our trip to Boston Aquarium

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-02T05:59:00.000-08:00

I Have a Blog Button (or two)!

2011-02-12T14:38:00.000-08:00

My new friend, Libbi, from the blog The Funner Life made me two lovely blog buttons. They're over there on the right hand side of my blog. Aren't they sweet?

Libbi has generously offered to make blog buttons for her readers. She's also having a fantabulous series of giveaways on her blog.

Thank you Libbi! They're beautiful!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-02-08T21:15:00.000-08:00

Our school district has the second graders do a Flat Stanley project. This year I was heading to NYC for a short business trip so I took Flat Son along with me. Real Son was a bit jealous.

Train Station

On the train

Times Square

Chick Pics - Just for Fun

2011-02-07T17:59:00.000-08:00

Ducky the Light Brown Leghorn

Patty (who turned out to be Patrick)

Mr. McFloofyhead (hen) a silver laced Polish

Rhode Island Red

Good News and Bad News

2011-02-06T20:04:00.000-08:00

My son, who is 8 and in 2nd grade, has a bedtime of 9:30. About 10:30 pm he walks down the stairs and in his best announcer voice says...
I have good new and bad news!
The good news is that I only have a LITTLE homework! The bad news is that I LOST it!

He apparently needs to work on learning the definition of "good news." Fortunately, we were able to find the HW and get it done in just a couple of minutes. A meltdown was averted.

I've Ordered Hand Stamped Necklaces... Runner Necklaces!

2011-01-28T18:47:00.000-08:00

I've ordered two necklaces from the Etsy store Gracie and Me Design. I'm so excited!

One is a mommy necklace for my daughter's best friend's mom. She's done so many nice things for my daughter that I wanted to give her a nice present. I choose a family necklace with spacer beads. It's so pretty on the site so I can't wait to see mine in person.

The other is a runner's necklace for a work friend who needs some cheering up. She completed her first half marathon in 2010 so I've ordered a necklace to commemorate that amazing feat. I hadn't seen necklaces like this before and I think they are a great way to show someone how proud you are of them.

The artist, Barbara, has been a joy to work with. She responded quickly when I contacted her and is such a sweetie! I also think her prices are quite reasonable. I've seen so many places that have beautiful jewelry but it's far too expensive for me to afford.

I've included some pics from her site but I'll be sure to share the final results with you as well.

Oy! What a Month!

2011-01-27T19:49:00.000-08:00

I've been out of the blogging game for several weeks. It was a combination of several things... all of them stressful (naturally)!

Number 1 is that hubby developed a severe case of cellulitis in his leg. He's on his second round of antibiotics and is getting better but it's still not completely clear of infection after nearly a month. I could post pictures but I'll spare you that (except you Beck... ask and you shall receive!)

Another issue is that rather then working in the office one day a week and telecommuting the rest of the week, I've been required to be in the office nearly every day this month. That's nearly 2 hours round trip each day. After getting home and making dinner I've had little energy for anything.

But I'm going to keep plugging along and hopefully things will be getting better soon. I've missed blogging and having time to read all of your blogs too!

Ok, I love you, bye bye!

I miss you Summer, come back soon!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-29T06:18:00.000-08:00

My babies

Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-14T21:18:00.000-08:00

A few pictures from my trip to CA nearly three years ago when my niece was born. The handsome guy is my nephew. I can't believe it been so long! They're getting so grown up!

Dystopian and Anti-Hero Book Reviews

2010-12-12T11:23:00.000-08:00

I won the book Matched, by Ally Condie, from Karissa's blog (Thanks!) and I loved reading it!

First of all the cover is awesome. This is a case where it's okay to judge a book by it's cover. The picture is pretty and it has a very cool rainbow like holographic effect.

The book is about a dystopian future and a girl that is beginning to see the problems with the society she lives in. There are similarities to the society in The Giver, but this book focuses more on the main character then on the society. I really enjoyed this book! See Karissa's review here since she describes it far better then I can.

The second book I want to tell you about is Something Missing: A Novel by Matthew Dicks. The main character is a thief who thinks of his victims as "clients." This was a fun fast read and it's a departure from the standard story line. There are some great comic moments in the book and I highly recommend it.

Saving the Earth... One Tissue at a Time

2010-12-10T20:40:00.000-08:00

It's nice when little boys care about saving the Earth. As evidenced by the below conversations my sister and I have recently had with our little boys, they take being green to a whole new level.

sniffle snort sniffle snort
"The tissues are right there on the shelf if you need them, Aiden."
"No thanks, mommy, I have my hand."

"I think that may be the worst thing you've ever said to me in your whole life."

Boy: Ahchooooo!

Me: Do you need a tissue?

Boy: *SNIIIIIIIIIIIFF!* Not anymore.

I Know What Boys Like

2010-12-09T05:56:00.000-08:00

Boy: Mom. do woman understand everything about boys?

Me: Well, we do understand SOME things about boys, but not everything. Like we don't understand why you like The Three Stooges so much.

Boy: Oh. Well, I think the thing women really don't understand is that we just LIKE guns and fighting.

Me: Yes, you're right, I don't understand.

I thought that was very insightful for an 8 year old with Aspergers. I expect it was brought on by several years of his mother sighing and saying things like "you wouldn't want to kill a REAL person with that light saber right?" to which I would receive an eye roll and a disgusted "Mommmm, light sabers aren't real you know!"

Which really isn't all that reassuring when you think about it.

The boy with some "knights in shiny armor"

Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-07T20:40:00.000-08:00

Don't know what kind of caterpillar it is, but it's pretty cool. I saw it on the first day of school this year.

Gratuitous Chicken Cuteness

2010-12-04T11:10:00.000-08:00

The first three pictures are of the same little bantam rooster. The 2nd and 3rd pic show him with his feathers all poofed up to stay warm. Funny little guy!

I posted an article at Community Cluckers about where we got the plan for our nest box.

View from the top

Temple Grandin - The Movie

2010-11-28T12:14:00.000-08:00

The movie, Temple Grandin was finally delivered by NetFlix and my oldest (17) and I sat down to watch it. I've been looking forward to watching this movie because it's supposed to be a very good movie but also because it's about an autistic woman and my son (8) has Asperger's which is on the autism spectrum.

It was an excellent movie. It was very uplifting and interesting and left me feeling very moved. Clare Danes did a wonderful job. I highly recommend it!

My son decided that I needed to turn it off because it broke our two swear word rule (if there are two swear words then it gets turned off). Well the words were crap and d*mn, which I don't allow him to use. But really crap doesn't count as a swear word. So I tried explaining this to him and then I turned it off and waited till he left and turned it back on (he was not tricked) and then I tried explaining to him again. One thing that is very common with kids with Aspergers is that they are very attached to rules. He was so furious with me that he yelled "You are BANNED from my room for a WEEK!" and then he had a minor meltdown.

Sigh. So I had to deal with a meltdown while (and because) I watched a movie involving a woman having meltdowns. Ironic, huh? : )

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-24T06:04:00.000-08:00

I'll title this one:

Longing for Summer

I know it's a bit too early to start complaining. : )

This pic is protected by copyright

Rainbow Dinner Theatre in Lancaster PA

2010-11-21T19:51:00.000-08:00

For our 20th wedding anniversary my husband and I took a trip to Lancaster. Since there are so many theaters in the area we thought it would be nice to catch a show. It turned out that the Rainbow Dinner Theatre was the only place that had a show that worked for our timeline so our choice was quickly made.

They do comedies and the play we saw was called The Busybody. The acting was very good and the show was so funny! I'd love to go back and see another one.

My husband called ahead and surprised me with a bottle of wine and a mug with chocolates, a bear, and a balloon. What a sweetie he is!

I hate to say it but the food just wasn't good. The roast beef was okay but the rice stuffed chicken breast and fried fish were really pretty bad. On the plus side the desserts were great and they had locally made ice cream too. Also everyone that worked there were soooo friendly and helpful! Especially our server; he was great.

So overall it was a great experience and I hope to go back (maybe they have a desert only package) and see another show.

this pic is from their website

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-16T21:31:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling random today, so here are some disparate pics. Trevor and Brian from the (AWESOME!) band Enter the Haggis... and a rainbow (double)

Lancaster PA and Steinman Park

2010-11-16T07:47:00.000-08:00

When we were in Lancaster PA in October we went to the Central Market which is the oldest continuously operating farmer's market in the US. I got some amazing handmade Long's horseradish, delicious cinnamon swirl bread from Ric's (I highly recommend it), and many other treats. It was a lot of fun!

As we were walking back to our car we came across Steinman Park (pictures below) which was a completely charming surprise.

We really liked Lancaster and my husband shocked me by saying that he wouldn't mind living there (hypothetically speaking). This was a shock because my husband generally hates everything about cities. : )

This park is "dedicated to the memory of Lancaster Newspapers' late co-publishers, James Hale Steinman and John Frederick Steinman." (Pressroom)

Education Reform and Me Rambling

2010-11-10T20:05:00.000-08:00

Just a ramble today. I was going to tell you about an adorable park in Lancaster Pa but none of my pictures would load, so I gave up. : ) That'll have to wait for another day.

I think the end of daylight savings time has given me jet lag. That must mean I'm old.

I had to research Education Reform for an English paper that I wrote. I think one of the scariest things about it is that for every opinion there is an equal and opposite opinion. No one can agree on anything (this may be a slight exageration)!! It's really awful. Personally, I think one of the biggest opportunities is to reduce class sizes, especially in the lower grades. Even wonderful teachers can struggle with providing help to a class of 30. What do you think would help the most?

Going to read some more of "I am Number Four" and then to sleep.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-02T21:31:00.000-07:00

Here is the quilt that my sister and I made for our niece. My mother cross-stiched a pretty heart of flowers with her name in it (at the top of the quilt.) Then there is our mom holding our little love just a few days after she was born.

Linking up at Miller Racing Family

Happy Sean Bean Awareness Day!

2010-11-02T08:03:00.000-07:00

What do you mean you've never heard of Sean Bean Awareness Day!? The SBAD in a longstanding international and traditional day of appreciation for Sean Bean (that I just made up).

I realized the need for this day when I found out that none of the girls in my office knew who he was. This underappreciated actor has been in many movies and tv shows. He often plays the bad guy in movies (The Island, National Treasure) and even in the Richard Sharpe series he is a hero with a reckless streak. I believe I first became of aware of Sean in the movie Patriot Games where he played an awful (ruggedly handsome) villain. Then I was fortunate enough to have a husband who loves the Sharpe series so I often get to catch glimpses of him as I walk through the living room. ; )

I might feel a bit bad about this except that my husband has had a crush on Helen Hunt for many years. : )

In honor of this day I created a desktop background to share:
If you right click on it and choose Set as Background the whole thing will be visible.

Blogging for Autism - Asperger's and my family

2010-11-01T17:47:00.000-07:00

My son who is 8 years old has a form of Autism called Asperger's Syndrome. There is a saying that if you've met one child with Autism, well, you've only met one child with Autism. Meaning that there is a huge amount of variation in symptoms and severity and each child with this disorder is different.

Generally speaking, Asperger's effects motor skills, speech skills, social skills, ability to deal with disruptions in routine or with frustrations, preoccupation with a favorite subject, sensitivity to noise, lights, etc.
For more see: http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/tc/aspergers-syndrome-symptoms

In my son's case some of his symptoms are quite mild. For example his speech; until he was diagnosed at the age of 7 I didn't realize that his odd way of speaking had anything to do with the other issues we dealt with all of his life. Other symptoms are more severe such as his noise sensitivity, impulse control, and ability to deal with frustrations. Major meltdowns where he hurts himself, others and destroys property are not uncommon. On the other hand he can be a delightful funny and friendly guy to be around.

One of the many things that I've learned from my experience is the truthfulness of the Bible verse at Matthew 6:34 - "So, never be anxious about the next day, for the next day will have its own anxieties. Sufficient for each day is its own badness." I've found that it is easier to survive each day if I take it on it's own. Constant worrying about the future makes life almost unbearable.

I'm very sorry that this post is so late. I'm also a bit sad that I don't think it's well written and it doesn't say what I want it to. It was both harder and more painful to write then I anticipated.

Thank you for reading.

Karla

Don't Let Me Color My Hair at 9pm!

2010-10-31T16:48:00.000-07:00

I've been busy and stressed lately. I've had papers to write for English and Pschology classes. I'm working full time and I've had to add on almost 2 hours of commuting per day 4 times a week that I didn't before. Add on to that meetings, children, cooking, animals, etc, etc, I just haven't had a chance to get to the hairdresser to have my hair colored and my gray was REALLY showing!

I had to be at a function for my daughter's high school on Saturday and Friday night I decided there was no way I could step foot out of the house with my hair looking the way it did. So at 8 o'clock on Friday after a loooooong stressful week I went to the drug store and picked up some color. So in that frame of mind I decided that my standard medium warm brown was boring and that I needed something more exciting. Soooo now I'm a red head!

I don't hate it but I also don't feel like it's *me*. I think the actual color is more of a darker burgundy then it appears in the pictures. I'll enjoy it for a bit and then go back to my normal color I guess.

I've re-realized that I shouldn't be allowed to make permanent changes to my appearance when tired and stressed though. : )

Cursive Decision

2010-10-26T12:53:00.000-07:00

Son: Mom, do you like cursive?
Me: Yes, I think it looks pretty
Son: Well, I don't think it's for me. I think I'll just stick with regular English.

Working on HW with Dad. We don't time his homework, the timer was left out from a game. : )

Guest Post on a Chicken Blog - Yeah!

2010-10-23T10:56:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to have been asked to share my experiences at Community Chickens a community from the publishers of Mother Earth News and Grit (two of my favorite magazines).

If you're interested in chickens you might like to stop by and check it out. Follow the blog to get updates when new posts come out.

Thanks for reading!

Karla

http://communitychickens.blogspot.com/
http://communitychickens.blogspot.com/search/label/Karla%20T

A completely unrelated photo of Henry. Just for the fun of it!

Strawberry Popcorn Harvest

2010-10-21T19:12:00.000-07:00

My husband LOVES popcorn and he decided to grow his own in the garden this Summer. Not one to go with boring normal corn kernels he decided to plant strawberry popcorn seeds.

They grew quite well and he harvested them and we've been letting them dry. Isn't it pretty? Maybe we can decorate with them and then pop them. : )

More Chicken Pics (for Busy Working Mama)

2010-10-18T19:05:00.000-07:00

Aleksandra, since you asked so sweetly : ) here you go. I love having a lot of different colors and types of chickens. They're a lot of fun to watch!

Chicky Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-13T06:19:00.000-07:00

Linking up at Miller Racing

There's not many thing cuter then chicks in a box. Well, maybe puppies in a box. : ) This is how baby chicks are sent from the hatchery. They arrive within one to two days. This takes advantage of the fact that they can live without food and water for several days after hatching because of their yolk sac.

These are my first chickens. They arrived in the Spring of 2008.

Beware of Little Boys Asking for Tape

2010-10-12T21:20:00.000-07:00

Today I was sitting in the computer room chatting with my daughter and my son (8) pops his head in the doorway and asks if I know where the tape is. I advised that I didn't and he then asked if he could use his sister's duct tape. She immediately said no. I was thinking that it was odd that it didn't matter what kind of tape he needed but I thought if he only needed a little duct tape, I would talk her into sharing.

So I asked him what he needed it for. A sheepish smile flitted across his face before he quickly straightened his face and shrugged (he rarely lies but isn't above hiding info). Oh NO! Alright buddy you might as well tell me now.

It turns out that he was trying to get into some cupboards and pulled on one of the antique cast iron hooks we had in our wall. The screw snapped in half and it broke off part of the board that it was attached to. Not a huge deal and he didn't get in trouble.

What I find hilarious is:
1. The innocent question: "Mom, do you know where the tape is?" Sounds harmless right?
2. What would his "fix" have looked like? These hooks are pretty heavy! I almost wish he'd found the tape and given it a try! : D

Here are some pics of the damage.

My Musing: Isn't it counterpoductive to Twitter a giveaway you are entering?

2010-10-10T12:28:00.000-07:00

I wonder about this each time I see an option to Twitter a giveaway for an extra entry or two. If even one other person sees your tweet and enters the giveaway haven't you negated the benefit of your additional entry? And if two or more people see it, haven't you lowered your own chance of winning?

I can see twittering to promote the product that is being offered. That's basically free advertising for the sponsor and it seems like a good way to earn more entries.

I can see twittering a giveaway to promote a friend's blog. But I just don't see how it makes sense for the person entering a giveaway.

I love entering giveaways and I actually enjoy going to the sponsors site or shop to check out their items. I like supporting the host and sponsor by following and liking them.

I'm interested in your opinion. Is there something that I'm missing? Does it make sense and I just don't see it? Do you Twitter giveaways?

Horsey Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-05T21:08:00.000-07:00

My daughter (10) has been riding a little less then a year. I'm so impressed with how hard she works and how she doesn't give up.

How to Make a Dog Barf and Why I Needed to Know

2010-10-05T17:48:00.000-07:00

While the title is light-hearted, I did need this information today and it may have saved my dog's life.

What I learned:

Call your vet first. There are some things that dogs should NOT regurgitate. They'll be able to help with the dosage as well.
Keep Hydrogen Peroxide and a medicine syringe on hand
Preferably a syringe that will hold a tablespoon of medicine. Giving tablespoons of medicine one teaspoon at a time is not fun!
Administer the dosage every 1/2 hour until the dog vomits. The secretary didn't tell us that the first time we called and that could have been a huge problem if I hadn't called back. (Check w/ your vet)
Share this with your friends who own dogs. I've read many books and articles about dogs and had never heard this.

Here's a couple of sites that helped me w/ info too.
http://www.twodogpress.com/healthy.html

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/how-to-induce-vomiting-emesis-in-dogs/page1.aspx

The stupid beginning:
I toasted myself a slice of Ezekiel 4:9 raisin bread for breakfast this morning. It was a new loaf so the crust (which I don't like) was on the end and so I left it out to thaw thinking I could give it to the chickens or the dog later. It's healthy stuff and I wouldn't want to waste it.

So an hour or so later my husband noticed it near the toaster and asked me about it and I explained. So he leaned down to our Jack Russell Terrier, Emily, and offered it to her. She took it and went to find a comfy place to enjoy it. About 15 min later DH asked if she finished it, I said yes, and then he suddenly had a horrified look as he realized that it was RAISIN bread. (Raisins and grapes can kill dogs) We knew that but we just didn't think about the raisins in the bread. We both felt awful. We are very careful to not give her harmful foods even in small amounts and we normally only give her healthy things (fruits and vegetables).

The horrble middle:
We called the vet and they said if (IF?) we were worried about it we could give her Hydrogen Peroxide to induce vomiting or we could wait and see how she felt. (Hmm, we can wait and see if she dies OR make her barf? Let me think.) I was SURE that my husband had heard wrong because I had never heard of using HP to induce vomiting. Well, I was wrong.

My husband ran out to the store (thankfully it wasn't the middle of the night.) I'll spare you the details. Suffice it to say that the dog was extremely unhappy with the whole process and it broke my heart. I'm still sick to my stomach and exhausted hours later.

The reasonably happy ending:
After several hours she finally regurgitated and it included bread fragments and raisin goo so I'm reasonably sure she's fine. She's also behaving normally and actually seems to have forgiven us.

Here's my little sweety!

My daughter says Emily is cowering in this picture. To me it looks like she's saying
"I love you, may I lie by the fire now?"

A Few Things I Love

2010-10-01T18:41:00.000-07:00

I was planning on writing a whiney post about how hard it is to go to school, work and parent. But I've decided to write about a few things that I love instead.

I love my children! Here they are heading off to their first day of school this year.

I love Summer and fresh picked berries that are still warm from the sun.

I love making cards, stamping, and crafting.

I love to read, I love my animals, and last but definitely not least... I love my husband.

I feel better after reminding myself of the good things in my life!

Thanks for listening!

One of my favorite homemade cards

Mmmmm!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-29T07:16:00.000-07:00

Linked up at Miller Racing

My daughter's colored pencil drawing of Po's castle from the book Graceling by Kristin Cashore. She titled it Castle on the Cliff but I knew which castle it was as soon as I saw it. We love to read and it's fun to discuss books with her.

It's an excellent book and we highly recommend it!

I wish the pictures captured how pretty the original is.

Things worked out great with my Sis, and my 20th anniversary is in 15 minutes!

2010-09-28T20:46:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all who provided suggestions for telling my sister about the wrong date on the plate. I just didn't want her to be sad! She is going to have it fixed.

If she was sad, she hid it very well. We both laughed about it. : ) She is such a wonderful sister. Both of my sisters are the greatest!

It looks lovely on my woodstove.

Happy 20th anniversary to my hubby (and me too)!!

How to Hurt my Sisters Feelings... Kindly?!?

2010-09-24T20:46:00.000-07:00

So my sweet dear loving (sincerely... no sarcasm) sister sent me a lovely 20th anniversary gift. It's a big beautiful personalized ceramic serving platter with a nice display stand. I love it!

There's just one problem... it has the wrong date on it. Permanently kiln-baked on. Now if it were up to me I would be glad to tell her thank you and never correct her because the last thing I want to do is make her sad. But I KNOW there is no way that I can keep this a secret from her for the rest of our lives. I figure the longer I let it set the worse it will be. I just don't know how to tell her. Sigh.
I'm also pretty positive that it was her mistake because she sent me an ecard on the same day that she had printed on the plate, so it's not like she can get her money back.

It's been a crud day! I also received a letter from the college I'm attending telling me that I've been permanently removed from my classes because I didn't provide proof of immunization. However, I DID send it in! No answer on the phone line provided either. I'm sure it will get worked out but it's just another thing that I have to deal with. I'm declaring a homework strike!

Any suggestions on how to break this to my sister? Oh and to add another layer of difficulty we're on opposite sides of the continent.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend and I will try to as well. Thanks for listening. : )

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-21T21:14:00.000-07:00

I'm linking up at Miller Racing

Two Paintings my daughter made when she was fifteen.

Concrete + broken glass + metal = Jewelry? Pretty Jewelry?

2010-09-17T17:59:00.000-07:00

I came across the Etsy shop DrCraze yesterday and I was blown away by this original jewelry! It's so pretty and interesting. And there must be something metaphorical about a concrete cloud. : ) Or is it an oxymoron?

The pink earrings below are my favorite. I love that they're made from such industrial materials and yet they're lovely and delicate.

I was so excited about this discovery I just had to blog about it.

Have a great night!

Karla

Here's the description for the cloud (I like the nod to Bob Ross):

"This happy little cloud features white concrete accented with clear crushed glass bound with recycled stainless steel. Pendants include a 16" sterling silver chain.(If you would like an 18" chain simply specify in checkout.)

The finish is ground to expose the colored matrix of the glass/cement mix and diamond polished to a lustrous sheen.

The dimensions are 1" by 5/8"

Contains 75% post consumer recycled glass. We collect almost all our glass from our local beaches"

Disclosure: I have received no products or compensation. I don't know DrCraze, but did get his permission to use his images.

My New Bracelets

2010-09-16T20:27:00.000-07:00

About a month ago I won a blog giveaway for some jewelry. I LOVE to win jewelry because I don't normally buy it for myself. I buy it for my daughters and as presents for others but I just don't buy for myself (it's a mom thing.)

So I was super excited to win this giveaway and I was able to pick out two pieces of jewelry from the Etsy shop Rainbow's End Jewelry.

The first thing I chose was the green and silver "hand flower" shown in the first picture. I've never had one before but I've always thought they were cool. I love it! I wear it around the house just for

fun! : )

The second piece I chose is the red and gold bracelet in the second picture. The pic doesn't do this justice, it really sparkles and catches the light. My favorite part of this bracelet is the two oval beads. They are red glass outlined with gold. Very pretty!

What have you won that really excited you?

Disclosure: I won these in a random drawing giveaway. There was no request or expectation to provide a review.

Confession Time

2010-09-14T21:03:00.000-07:00

One of the Moms that coordinates things for the school approached me on Friday at one of the kids soccer games and asked me to bake 3 dozen cookies for the school Open House (tomorrow). I agreed because I like to help out. I had every intention of baking delicious home made cookies of various kinds.

Well, guess what? I just pulled the last cookie sheet out of the oven and everyone of those cookies was made from store bought dough. Between working full time, being a mom, and taking college classes time got away from me. I do feel a bit bad about it but the cookies are pretty tasty! : ) At least it's done and it's one less thing I have to worry about.

Now I need to look at the 6 different fundraiser pamphlets from 3 kids and the 3 book order pamphlets. It's only midnight, I've got plenty of time!

Have you had to cut corners on a project? I'd love to hear about it!

Karla

p.s. I got an 84 on my first Pschology test today. Not as good as I was hoping but it could have been worse. I've been out of high school for 20 years so I guess I'm rusty!

Follow me Back Tuesday

2010-09-14T14:01:00.000-07:00

Thanks for following! I look forward to reading your blogs!

(Easy) Homemade Hand and Body Scrub

2010-09-13T20:42:00.000-07:00

I love getting hand and body scrubs but I hate spending $12 or more for them. I like them for my hands and my 9 year old has very dry skin and rough elbows and knees so scrubs are great for her. I've been on the lookout for a recipe for quite a while but the ones I found all required specialty ingredients that required a trip to a special store or mail order.

That's why I was so excited when I found Pam's recipe on her blog. It called for things I had around the house! I made up a jar the same night and it works great and smells delicious. My husband said it smelled like cookie dough. : )

The next day I made another batch for a friend's wedding shower. I used 1 tsp orange extract at first and it had a strong sharp orange/alcohol smell so I added 1/2 tsp vanilla to it. That did the trick and it mellowed out to a very pretty orange vanilla scent. I'm excited to have an easy inexpensive way to make a pampering treat for myself and my friends.

The talented and helpful Pam over at The Thrifty Things blog posted this recipe for

Homemade Vanilla Hand Scrub

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup kosher salt

Mix all ingredients together and store in a glass container. If you don't like vanilla use another extract or essential oil that you prefer. The choices are endless, lavender, lemon, orange, peppermint, your choice!

Kindle Giveaway

2010-09-10T18:19:00.000-07:00

My daughter REALLY wants me to win a kindle for her. There's a giveaway at this website http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=30336 that I'm entering. We're a book loving family. : )

Soul Food?

2010-09-09T19:52:00.000-07:00

I was having a discussion with my son last night about how his 2nd day of school went. He's 7 and in 2nd grade.

Me: What did you have for breakfast?
Wylie: Oh, you know, the usual.
Me: Cereal and milk?
Wylie: Yeah and a Pop-Tart
Me: Oh Bud, you shouldn't eat those. They aren't good for you.
Wylie: Why not?
Me: They're full of sugar
Wylie: No, they're full of delicious filling!
Me: They may TASTE good, but they aren't good FOR you.
Wylie: Well, they're good for my soul!

Huh, how do I argue with that one? : )

A Spicy Innovation

2010-09-08T21:13:00.000-07:00

I came across the neatest shop on Etsy. It's called Cook Outside the Box and they sell spice kits for different styles of cooking as well as tea kits. I'm in love with this idea!

I always want to try making new recipes but when it comes to Indian, Thai or other exotic dishes I never end up doing it. What happens is I come across a recipe that sounds fabulous, then when I look at the 6 or 7 exotic spices it calls for, I realize 1) I don't know where to find them 2) Even if I do find them, there's no way I'll be able to afford to buy them all at 7 or more dollars per jar. So I give up!

I haven't decided what my first purchase is going to be but I can't wait to try one.

This is a picture from the shop of the small Thai spice kit. They also have Chai kits (I love chai tea!), Indian, Chinese, herbal tea kits and others. This kit is only $14!

I was in no way compensated for this post. It's just my opinion.

(My First) Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-08T07:08:00.000-07:00

I'm linking this at Miller Racing Family, head over and link yours up!

Pics from our trip to New England Aquarium in Boston

Chicken stories and picture testing

2010-09-06T21:15:00.000-07:00

Several of these adorable chicks are the naughty roosters in my last post.

I'm sure it's apparent that I'm new to blogging. I'm trying out adding pictures now. This is a picture of one of our hens that went broody this Spring. We tried to let her hatch some eggs but nothing ever happened (well except for some very stinky broken eggs) so I stopped at TSC and picked some chicks up for her. In the middle of the night we moved her to a cardboard box and I stuffed the babies under her. She was such a good mom! She took right over and it was adorable seeing how she cared for them.

She's unfortunately named Fatty because as a Buff Orpington she's very "fluffy" and because she's always the first to come running (at a swift waddle) for treats.

The green thing on her face is a Pinless Peeper which we put on the chickens to stop them from plucking each others feathers. Thankfully it worked because 1) Naked chickens are Ug-Ly! and 2) They never would have made it through the Winter w/o their feathers.

This handsome boy was the aptly named Katie's Rooster. He was a Partidge Cochin that I gave to my oldest daughter in a failed attempt to make her more fond of the chickens. She put off naming him for quite a long time and then she decided that she would make his nickname official. He was absolutely gorgeous and was a very good boy. Definitely our favorite. Unfortunately he was killed by a predator. Stupid predator!

On that happy note, I'll say goodnight. : )

Schoolwork and bad roosters

2010-09-06T14:30:00.000-07:00

I started college on 8/23 (only 20 years after high school). I'm taking English 101 and Psychology 101. My first grade has finally been posted. It was in Psych and I got a 50 out of 50. Woohoo! I was very nervous when I turned it in. I feel much better about my ability to pass these classes now.

We currently have 4 newbie roosters and 1 older bantam rooster. My poor hens! We need to get rid of some of these guys. They're rough with the girls since they don't really know what they're doing. That's the last time I buy straight run chicks. I don't want to kill and eat them... well I wouldn't mind eating them I guess, but I don't want to get them ready to be eaten. I'd be happy to give them away but how do you find someone that wants a couple of dumb roosters? I just like to have plenty of eggs.

Kids go back to school tomorrow! I'm going to print out some lunch labels from Mariah Demarco Designs. They're so cute! 3 notes for 3 kids. I'm thrilled they're going back since I'm mighty tired of the bickering but I'll miss them too. I love the little monsters. Hmmm one just said "fore!" and the other yelled "you coulda broke your window!" Time to go...

I want it!

2010-08-24T21:16:00.000-07:00

There is a contest that I've entered that I would REALLY like to win. It's for a Black and White Polka-Dotted Quilted Laptop Case from Miss Lucy's Monograms. It's incredibly cute and is personalized for free!

Here's a link to the giveaway at the blog, Mommy Living the Life of Riley.
http://www.mommylivingthelifeofriley.com/2010/08/giveaway-lucys-monograms-polka-dotted-quilted-laptop-case-arv-42/comment-page-10/#comment-30328

City Girl Bought the Farm

The Obligatory Giant Egg Post

Funniest Found Poster Ever? I Vote Yes!

My Week was a Lot Like This Picture!

Grandma's Necklace

Looking for the Cutest Labels?

Cook'n Recipe Organizer

Cashin' in the New Year! $190 Cash Giveaway!!

A Lovely Original Song by my Daughter

Decorative Ceiling Tiles Have Many Uses

I Made Caramel and Banana Quesadillas

$100 Rafflecopter Giveaway!!!

Wordless Wednesday - Memes

I'm joining a Twitter Blast

Parenthood and Aspergers

Prefense Hand Sanitizer - Review and Giveaway!

Uncreative-Mommy's Digital Creations

Slice™ Safety Cutter - Great for couponers

Were You Surprised by Any of the New Shows this Fall?

Meyer Hatchery Catalog Came Today!

UGLee Pen Review and Giveaway

Nalgene Water Bottle from Reuseit.com

I won a makeup giveaway and got some yummy extras

Wordless Wednesday - Kittens!

Apple Harvest From Our Own Trees!

Seen These Flowers Before?

Wordless Wednesday

T-Shirt Review from tshirtprinting.net

Top Ten Books I Wish I Could Read Again for the First Time

Rescued Kitten

Tiger Daughter

Uni Sushi

Apple Bags - Avoiding Moths when Growing Apples

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

I thought Aspies were supposed to be good at math

I LOVE (love love) Daylight Savings Time

I bought myself a present!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

I Have a Blog Button (or two)!

Wordless Wednesday

Chick Pics - Just for Fun

Good News and Bad News

I've Ordered Hand Stamped Necklaces... Runner Necklaces!

Oy! What a Month!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Dystopian and Anti-Hero Book Reviews

Saving the Earth... One Tissue at a Time

It's nice when little boys care about saving the Earth. As evidenced by the below conversations my sister and I have recently had with our little boys, they take being green to a whole new level.

*sniffle snort sniffle snort*"The tissues are right there on the shelf if you need them, Aiden.""No thanks, mommy, I have my hand."

I Know What Boys Like

Wordless Wednesday

Gratuitous Chicken Cuteness

Temple Grandin - The Movie

Wordless Wednesday

Rainbow Dinner Theatre in Lancaster PA

Wordless Wednesday

Lancaster PA and Steinman Park

Education Reform and Me Rambling

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Sean Bean Awareness Day!

Blogging for Autism - Asperger's and my family

Don't Let Me Color My Hair at 9pm!

Cursive Decision

Guest Post on a Chicken Blog - Yeah!

Strawberry Popcorn Harvest

More Chicken Pics (for Busy Working Mama)

Chicky Wordless Wednesday

Beware of Little Boys Asking for Tape

My Musing: Isn't it counterpoductive to Twitter a giveaway you are entering?

Horsey Wordless Wednesday

How to Make a Dog Barf and Why I Needed to Know

A Few Things I Love

Wordless Wednesday

Things worked out great with my Sis, and my 20th anniversary is in 15 minutes!

How to Hurt my Sisters Feelings... Kindly?!?

Wordless Wednesday

Concrete + broken glass + metal = Jewelry? Pretty Jewelry?

sniffle snort sniffle snort
"The tissues are right there on the shelf if you need them, Aiden."
"No thanks, mommy, I have my hand."