Month: January 2012

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Mom and Me

Guest post of the week by Brittany Booker

Mom and I haven’t always had the easiest relationship but things are getting better. After dad died I think we both realized we didn’t want things to end that way between us and I think we were both just pretty tired of butting heads. Now that she finally moved into a new house I’m trying to become a bigger part of her life and be the supported daughter if she wants me to be. I helped her find a good moving company in town and I went to www.satellitestarinternet.com/ before she even moved in to make sure she would have Internet access at the new house. She even called me last week to go furniture shopping with her which I thought was a huge improvement for us! I’m really excited about how things are going with mom and I hope in just a couple more months we will have the kind of relationship that a lot of my friends have their mothers. I’ve always been jealous of that and now I can have it myself.

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Ordering my seeds

I’ve been pouring over the seed catalogs that are now coming in the mail, trying to find exactly the seeds I want to plant in the front herb and flower gardens. Such a hard decision for me. I want the all, it seems. I found though, if I buy bulk from a few of the catalogs, I’ll save a lot of money.

In the back yard is where my son and I have decided to get serious about bale gardening and also a plot for veggies that I can take to farmers market and sell, plus have enough for the family to eat.

I’m a vegetable freak. I love just about any kind. I do plan on having some different kinds of squash that a lot of people haven’t even heard of. My mom is making me a list of the ones she has tried and loved. Right now, I just can’t remember the names of them. I’m really looking forward to spring. Plus, I didn’t know it, but my gardens are considered home improvement projects. (The insurance guy told us this). Guess you learn something new every day!

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The dreaded grocery store

Having to make another trip to the grocery store is something I have to do today that I really dread. Everything has gotten so expensive, that I find myself looking in all my cookbooks for ideas of meals to make that are great, nutritious but the ingredients are inexpensive.

My mom did give me a big envelope of coupons that I’m going to go through. They may help. The problem with using the coupons, is that most of them are for things I don’t normally use. Or, I forget the ones I can, which is a major flaw of mine. I also tend to forget my lists unless someone in the family reminds me.

Today I’ve decided to go in armed though. I think when I went to the market on Sunday, I got flustered because the store was super crowded, a lot of the items that were on sale had not been restocked and I didn’t want to try and find a person to help me go in to where ever they go and get what I wanted. That is, IF I could have found someone to help. In that store it’s nearly impossible. I just wanted to get the heck out of there.

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A great Spring gardening magazines

I’m so excited. My son brought in the mail today and handed me not one, but two new Spring 2012  Native Gardener’s Companion magazines! This is like a catalog, but with tips on growing various flowers, potted plants, shrubs and trees, plus a whole lot more.

In the What’s New section, I see that they now offer a Pollinator Kit that I would like to try. It consists of a tray of 38 potted plants for moist soil situations, and from the sound of it, there are a variety of really pretty colors, and forms of plants that attract bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies, all of which I love. Some people are afraid of bees and try to get rid of them. I’m not one of those people. I love bumbles and honey bees. The only kind I don’t like, are the ones that are long and yellow and up here, people call them yellow jackets. They like to attack and build nests under the eves, and actually anywhere they can. Those are scary and so very mean. Plus they do nothing for my gardens. I’m glad that I rarely see them anywhere near my plants.

I’ve noticed also that the Gardner’s companion has include a color coded diagrams for planting gardens in various way, including plants in pots and various flowers and grasses. This is a great idea. I like to get new ideas and ways of making my gardens look different each year. I’m so excited for Spring to get here. And getting this magazine in the mail today boosted my spirits.

 

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Looking at Mailboxes

While looking for just the right new mailbox for my house, I came across Auth Florence mailboxes, online. A friend of mine recommended that I take a look and see if there were any on the site that I might be interested in.

From what I have seen so far, there are a lot of mailboxes and other items that would be more suitable for businesses and apartment complexes, but I haven’t found anything I can put up by the road yet. I’m far from finished looking though. Another friend of mine who owns her own business, just bought a small building that she will be renting out office space and there are three small apartments on the bottom floor as well. They will all be receiving mail and needing something installed.

The friend who recommended looking at this site is buying an apartment complex and will be needing cluster mailboxes to install in his building. I honestly didn’t know there were so many to choose from. It’s pretty awesome, actually. There are also peep holes with a buzzer included, and slot mailboxes…just lots of great stuff.

Florence Mailboxes are indeed sturdy, and since my one friend will need extra sets of keys for all the apartments in the complex, he plans on getting a box to lock them up in after they have been labeled. I’m still looking for my perfect mailbox, but it’s great to look at all the various choices.

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Extreme body workout

I used to be able to do some extreme body workouts before I developed degenerative disk disease. I really liked the fact that I had a small gym in my spare room, that my oldest daughter and I could work out in. We also had a television and a lot of CD’s to learn new kinds of exercises and even dance moves that worked out nearly every muscle in our bodies. Now I can no longer do any lifting over two lbs, and have to be very careful about how I move, because of the disks in my neck and lower back are shot.

Both of my daughters told me that they want a Beach Body this summer. Since I have a few upcoming surgeries on my disks in a month, and have been told that I will no longer be able to work out the way I used to, I’ve decided to keep my treadmill and give all of my other equipment to my oldest daughter, so she and her sister will have more space to do their work outs and get into the shape that they want to be in.

I’ve heard of a program that I would like to get for my girls also. And so if they wish to try it, I’ll be willing to give it to them as a early birthday gift. The great thing about this, is there a 90 Day Review, to see if it is what they would like to get into. It’s good to have that choice!

This is a guest post provided by Fitness Alliance.

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A very hectic tomorrow

Tomorrow, indeed will be very hectic. My son got a new battery last month and it was defective. Now it won’t hold a charge. We have to try and charge it anyway, to have him drive to the shop and get a new one, and of course my husband and I will follow him. I have to once again go to the grocery store for some things I forgot yesterday. Then I have a doctor’s appointment and lab work to be done.

We have to get me to the doctor and lab and in the mean time, my husband has to take two of the kids to the dentist and also in the mean time, make sure our oldest son’s car is fixed.

My husband works third shift and I have no idea when he is going to get some sleep. I worry about him, since he works so hard all the time, and has to drive out of State to get to his job, which takes a good hour and a half. I might have to switch around some appointments.

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Fish sticks of all things

When my daughter and I went to the grocery store today, she asked if we could have fish sticks for supper tonight. I must have looked at her in horror or something similar, since I am a fresh seafood person,  and the kids are nearly all grown and haven’t had fish sticks since they were young. My main diet is seafood, veggies and rice, but my daughter really wanted the little fish sticks I used to give the kids when they were young, so I bought a big box (UGH) of frozen fish sticks. I did however pick an expensive brand and made sure the sticks were made out of filets, not minced fish.

My kids and even my husband loved the dinner. I did make a side dish of veggies and rice that they like. It sometimes amazes me that the family can be totally happy with simple things.

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A new Garden Trellis

Since I’ve been already planning my front yard gardening and also getting seeds, I decided I need new trellises. I’m really looking forward to getting them because I have been growing various climbing vines and they seem to be taking over the whole yard. I am going to get four, since I have four porch posts that actually look like they are holding up the roof of the porch, but are really for decoration.

I have tried a vinyl trellis in the front garden before, that my husband had gotten me for my birthday, but it didn’t last like the ad said it would. Within the season, it cracked and fell apart. I don’t think that he got it from a reputable place. I do though, give him an A for effort at getting me something that he thought I would like. I did too, but it just didn’t hold up in our weather here

I like a trellis that is strong enough to hold my runner beans, morning glories and my other types of plants that like to have something to climb on, other wise I end up with really pretty flowers laying in the lawn and they don’t look happy, plus they are really bothersome to mow around, if they aren’t picked up, then laid back down after the mowing is over. My husband used to try, but it was a loosing battle, since most of them were voluntary plants, and I had just let grow wild. I just didn’t have the heart to pull them up. This year, I’m going to do a lot of yard work and am looking forward to this new look also!

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Kids and X-boxes

My son’s X-box did something they call, red ring. Now, I’m not exactly sure what that means, but I know it’s not good. In fact, my youngest son is very bummed out about it. Oldest son fixed it today, and it was working fine, the it did the red ring thing again.

Youngest son has asked me about ten times now, when his brother will be home. Shoot…I don’t know. I just know that youngest son is bored, and I also know that he spent entirely too much time on that game box.

I will indeed admit he is very good at the games he plays, and has been written about in games magazines. But when that is just about all he does when he gets home from school, I have to admit that he needs another hobby. He loves to garden if he can plant in an unusual way. It wouldn’t surprise me though, if he didn’t find a way to incorporate it into the games he plays on the X-box and computer, as well as his other game boxes the two boys have.