Author: veronica

I am a small town gal who loves her family and her farm!
Life

TBT or The Years Flew By

veronica

I cringed a little when my daughter pulled out this picture. Apparently, daughter 2 had been packing it around and showing it to all her friends. I’m not sure how many have been afflicted thus far…

I remember my mom taking these photos.  As I look at them now I’m thinking why did she let me paste all that gunk on my face? Oh boy! :/

Anyhow, I loved sports and cheer leading was my favorite. It was physically demanding but super fun. And very girly. Plus, you very rarely got hurt. Squad members each had a specific job. Some were strong bases and some were light flyers. Others would spot behind so there would be a set of hands ready to catch you if you fell.

I usually drifted back and forth from spotting to base and occasionally would “fly”. I remember one home game I was standing on top of my friend’s shoulders for a cheer.  I heard somebody give the “down” command (we had a verbal command for everything) and so I began to bend down to reach for her hand so I could step off her shoulders.  It sounded like somebody from the crowd had called it and since I was pretty much a whole person taller than my friend the range of sound was different for both of us.  She didn’t hear it. So as I was bending down she was forcefully pulling me upright again.  It must have been a sight as we struggled against each other :0

When the cheer finally ended she was a tad bit upset… but I stayed upright the whole time and nobody got hurt.  If I could just locate the joker who called that out it might have ended differently!

DIY

I Craft Because…Life

veronica

Today’s crafts-because when you get out the spray paint you might as well go all out!

Yellow monogram for my fall wreath. This was a nice, easy one and done! Yay!

Aqua plaques!

Here the profile photos are being added. I inked the edges of the matching scrapbook paper in blue. I inked the Aqua plaques in green. I love the result! Simple, coordinated and super sentimntal-sweet!
 

Family, Life

Silver Linings

veronica

IMG_0333So yesterday I had prepared a post with some fun little crafts in it and today it seems to have disappeared. That has been happening a lot lately.  I think I’ve got maybe 3/4 of my life kinda going in the right direction and then….whoops! I’m not talking about forgetting appointments or misplacing important items. (although I do that pretty much on a daily basis too)  I mean the way we actually LIVE.  Like the condition of our spirit and how we respond to life’s ups and downs and…how we deal with changes we need to make within ourselves.  Ok, so I mean me. But while you are here reading this I am sure you can relate.

Normally I am a pretty content person.  I really don’t need much. We live on a small income and we do a lot for ourselves rather than hire it out.  We typically have too much month at the end of the money but we always have the things we need.  Miraculously, we have never NEVER been without.

My husband was out of work for the better part of the year when my third child was born. He traveled to any training that the National Guard had going on.  They pay for training and they used to pay food and lodging as well.  He spent time working all over the states and even got to travel to Korea.  That one was actually pretty cool.  Even though I really hate being a single parent for weeks and months at a time we were taken care of.

We had a mystery gasser…no, not the kind you are thinking of.  We had been in the middle of the coldest part of winter.  Our propane was running low and we had no money to fill it.  It was nearing Christmas and I was huge with my February baby. Out of nowhere the propane delivery guy has pulled up and is filling our tank. My husband tried to direct him to the neighbor’s thinking they had the wrong house number.  But, to our surprise it was 100% paid for by a mysterious benefactor.  Thank you, whoever you are.

To say that we are well off is untrue but to say that we have not been well taken care of is also untrue.  We have had a series of bad events it seems but in the midst I am trying to remind myself of the good and the blessings we have already received.

The hubs and I are going to NC next week.  It will be nice to hang out in warmer temps and have time without the kids.  The reason we are going isn’t all that fun though.  My father in law is dying.  He is a very sick man.  This may be our last visit with him.  We had tried to help out with his care as much as we could but the distance across the country was just too great.  My heart breaks but I know my husband needs me now.

Sometimes nothing really can help or fix a situation.  I find myself weeping at odd moments and wondering what people must think of me.  Truth is, I don’t care anymore.  I will do what I need to do to stay strong.  Sometimes our strength only comes when we are broken.

I leave you with this song.  Why Not Trust God Again by Kurt Carr.  It has never failed to speak to the situation at hand and fill me with hope to keep moving forward trusting in the knowledge that God is already handling my tomorrows.

p.s. I’m still figuring our links so don’t shoot me if it doesn’t work, thanks 😉

DIY

Laundry Soap DIY

veronica

You will need:

Bar soap of your choice- 2bars

Cheese grater or food processor

Wooden spoon

Large stock pot

Borax

Washing soda

2 5gal buckets with lids


Shred that soap!


Add shredded soap to hot water in large stock pot. Heat and dissolve soap shreds. No need to boil, the point is to get all the bits evenly distributed and fully dissolved.

When it is fully dissolved you will divide soapy mixture evenly between your 5 gallon buckets.  You can add essential oils at this time if you wish.

I meant to post this tomorrow as the soap has not already set up and I wanted to do a “final product” photo.  Somehow I managed to post it early…oops!

Anyhow, the soap will gel up and feel a lot like Jello jigglers.  You will mush it up to remove clumps and then add hot water to fill the bucket.  Then stir, stir, stir!

This recipe works for HE washers and top loaders.  I have  used it for both. I calculated the total cost once and it was something like $10 for 10 gallons… pretty cheap!  It is great if you are sensitive to fragrances.  The soap you use can have a bit of fragrance and it will not leave a scent on your clothes.

Hope you give it a try!

 

Life

Study Time

veronica

I bought this bible not long ago. It is a “beautiful word” Bible. Honestly, I got it because the artwork is fabulous and it is cloth covered in a lovely floral fabric. I also held a secret hope that it would make me a better “studier”.

I have often been drawn to the combination of scripture and art. The words somehow become more tangible to me. One thing that helps me (that I haven’t done in a while…) is to print a few verses out in fancy font and either frame them or mount them on pretty scrapbook paper. I’ll put them up around the house so that I have reminders at every turn. I am not a still person and I need to be actively engaged so bumping into the Bible as I go through the house works for me.  If there is a particular area I am working on I’ll occasionally write it on the mirror so that it is visible everytime I fix my hair or brush my teeth. I really wish I could study like a normal person but if I’m not in a “class” of some sort it’s difficult. Y’all can pray for me!

I also like to memorize along with my students. They get 1 scripture a week and so I can count on committing roughly 30 ish scriptures to memory every year. This is helpful because I can’t lose them and I will never have to look them up! Its a win-win.

Another thing that is sometimes helpful is amazon music. They have bunches of music and even some scripture set to song. It isn’t my favorite way to “ingest” the Bible but it’s sometimes fun for my kids and students.

Well, I have to get back to my reading now, have a great Monday 🙂

Health

Staying Healthy

veronica

Any guesses as to what is in the bowl? It’s edible. It “grows”. It eats sugar and it can help your tummy. These, my friends,  are water kefir grains. Similar to the kombucha and the milk kefir that is for sale everywhere these days except these are for use with water.

Quite simply, these grains allow you to make a liquid probiotic. You “steep” the grains in sugar water and then strain them out after 12 hours. The remaining liquid is your end product.

I chose water grains as we have issues with milk. You could make a milk kefir but as milk isn’t our friend I do water. I must admit, I really have no idea how this all transpires. I do know that it works much like the yeast in a bread recipe will.

So why do I bother with the daily sugar water routine? Umm…have you priced a decent probiotic lately? This I a wonderfully low cost way to help heal your tummy. We have had our fair share of issues. I cannot speak for all members of my family but I see a vast improvement! (I’ll spare you the details)

We are super sensitive to any kind of fast food. Even quality foods that are new to us can set stomachs turning. Most of the time we eat at home for both health and cost. I can always tell if I’ve been straying too far from my regular diet. Anyway, if we have been “off our feed” this stuff really helps us get back to normal.

I remember running errands one day and we sped through the drive through so I wouldn’t have to go home and feed the kids in the middle of my “doing”. When I finally made it home, hours after I had expected, my stomach was in knots. I had rushed all day and the fast food did not sit well. I remember thinking,  I need a glass of kefir water as soon as I get home! I felt better almost instantly after one glass. So, pretty unscientific experiment-I make no medical claims- but it worked for me.

Stay healthy!

Farm, Random

First Fall

veronica

This is our first fall in our current location. I haven’t seen the turn of the season here yet. This tree is in our backyard and it seemingly turned color overnight!

It was a lovely surprise when I got up this morning as its right outside my bedroom window.

So pretty!

I’m looking forward to seeing what other surprises fall has for us 🙂

Alterations, DIY

DIY d’jour 

veronica

The beginning of my current sewing project: I started with a chambray jumper and took the skirt off the bib.

Now I am completing the jersey underskirt that will give me coverage and comfort without the weight.

After that I will gather my lovely floral and attach to my underskirt. I will attach both skirts to the bib for the finished project. I found the idea in pintrest…. (of course) but no tutorial. Hopefully this turns out as cute as the one is pinned!

Happy Friday!

Kids, Life

Making a Difference 

veronica

I am a teacher. I have a small first grade class. They are few in number but have plenty of personality. I find myself thinking of all the kids that have come through my classroom.  My son was in my very first preschool class when he was 4. He’s 15 now so I’ve seen plenty of kids come and go during that time.

For most of my students I am the rule keeper, to motivator and cheerleader. I am the one who presents the task and guides them through the process. To some I am a constant and a routine that they take comfort in. To others I am the smile they crave and the only “good job” they will hear that day. I don’t take it lightly- although I have relaxed significantly as time wears on and I lose the spunk I once had.

It is an important job. We teachers shape the future. The kindness we give and the effort we put forth can make their day and influence their lives.

I’m not tooting my own horn- so often I feel as if I should be doing something more productive with my time. I just get a bit contemplative when I consider the fact that to one child I might be the difference maker. That is what keeps me going.