Living-Deliberately.com

i let the kids make suggestions for one breakfast, one lunch, and one dinner each.  And, until we get through the move and I can manage to make my own english muffins again, we’re taking a break from Eggs Benedict on Sundays. They are just nasty made with the store kind I’ve been able to find.

Friday:

BK: Grits

LN: Sandwiches and Chips and fruit

DN: at a friend’s home

Saturday:

BK: Pancakes and Sausage with Blackberries

LN: Black-eyed peas, fried green tomatoes, and cornbread

DN: Chicken Salad sandwiches

Sunday:

BK: Crossaints, fruit, scrambled eggs, and sausage

LN: Pork Chops, Mashed potatoes, and green beans

DN: Left overs

Monday:

BK: Bagels and Strawberry Cream Cheese

LN: Subs and chips

DN: Taco Salad

Tuesday:

BK: Biscuits and sausage with jam

LN; Easy Fajitas

DN: Ravioli with Chicken and Veggies

Wednesday:

BK: Kentucy Brown Strata

LN: Leftovers

DN: Red Beans and Rice

Thursday:

BK: Grits and Sausage and Cheese casserole

LN: Leftovers

DN: Fettucini and Meatballs, Salad

That’s what I built today. This Little Red Hen took her biddies to Home Depot armed with a sketch I made from a picture of an A-framed chicken tractor and whole lotta determination. We got the hinges, the door handles, and the 2 x 4’s. Where we got stuck was looking for “A-frame brackets”. They look like a lopped off triangle and no one in home depot knew why they didn’t have any! So Mr. Hardware talked me into sharp angled cuts and truss plates.

Wow. HARD work. I had to hand cut 8 2×4s, then hammer the truss plates on. Andrew whistled with vibrato while I worked, constructing a tree house against my reminders that, “We ARE moving in two weeks!!” I got them all cut and plated and matched up and smiled, feeling very proud of myself.

And then I had to attatch the side rails. I started missing my dad’s c-clamps. And a level. I never have a level. My screws started stripping out and I didn’t know why. It wasn’t for lack of physical force! We managed and between a woman and two kid helpers and very uneven ground, I realized no way was the thing “square”.

I heard my dad-angel on my shoulder say, “don’t skip a step” and just as quick heard the impatient 12-year old learning to sew say, “just keep going…it’ll all work out in the end and no one sees the inside anyway”. So, I put the middle braces on the a-frames.

The kids were begging non-stop to get to the painting. We got exterior paint for a buck in the “didn’t want it” pile in sage green and a tanish almond color. They painted the lower supports while I used salvaged bead-board panelling given to us by the neighbors for the back wall. If you are trying to envision this thing, imagine four giant “A’s”. The top half of the A is closed in nesting boxes and the bottom half is chicken wire for a sort of yard. The side rails form handles so two people can move the thing.

I got up to the top of the back wall and….saw that the top was so out of square that I couldn’t use panelling to finish. At this point I didn’t just miss my dad’s clamps, I missed him. I gave him a call and took a water break. “Take it down and redesign” was his advice, and to stay away from A-frame construction because it’s very hard.

I was disappointed (and out of afternoon by now) but that’s what I decided to do. Problem: the screws are so stripped that I can’t get it apart, not even with a nail puller. So, out of square or not, the show must go on. My arms wouldn’t work anymore so I walked over to my neighbor who blessedly used his circular saw to cut the side doors for the nesting boxes. Poor guy…he worked so hard to make sure they were square! I didn’t have the heart to tell him that no matter how straight they were, no way would they look that way once they made it onto my monster. By now, Andrew wasn’t whistling. He was offering commentary:

“You know it’s all crooked right?”

“I’m tellin’ ya Mom…just do it this way. You’re doin’ it wrong.”

“No I can’t come help. I’ve got my project too you know!”

I got it all painted. Tomorrow I’ll have to take paper patterns to Home Depot and see if they’ll cut the side panels and bottoms of the nesting boxes for me. Pretty please??I’ll get the “Chicken-bot” (mom and dad will get that referrence!) tomorrow.

My poor birds. I couldn’t leave them in their current pen another night. They’ve been so nervous all day. I outfitted my old rabbit cage for them and put them on the porch but later, when I checked on them, they were all in one pile crammed as far into the corner behind their waterer as they could get. I brought them inside. My kitchen will smell like chicken in the morning but so what. Those poor babies were terrified of the darkness. If I ever see what beast was eating them I’ll probably get David to shoot it. Grrr.

I would like to have no more pressing concern today than why my little cookbook ad (recommendation of the month, er, last month) has turned into an obnoxious Amazon ad. But the chickens are dead and I am sick to my stomach.

Not all of them; just four. Half of my little flock is gone. Night before last we moved their  tractor a little too far in the open and the top was off. In the morning, Richard was out in the front under David’s car, skittery but alive. Two hens were missing without a stray feather even to hint at what happened. My best guess was an owl.

Last night we made sure the top was on well but we didn’t move them. Chipolte is gone and another hen, her bloody head next to the coop being eaten by bees. The remaining birds were hysterical. Richard and three hens are all that’s left.

Cut off heads is pretty classic racoon carnage. Cats usually leave more mess. There is a host of other rodents that live in the woods that probably are licking their chops at our offering of fresh chicken dinners for their nocturnal pleasure. The kids are upset; these were pet birds.  Today’s project is to tighten the wire sides, pull them as close to the house as we can get, and put stones on top of the cover so it can’t be lifted.

W came to me today and said he didn’t feel good.

“What kind of not feel good?” I asked.

“I dunno…my head and tummy hurt. I just don’t feel good.”

“Oh. Well maybe you should go lie down.”

“No…it’s the kind of sick where you feel bad about what you did wrong.”

“You mean the kind where you want to tell someone and ask forgiveness?”

“Yup.” and he went on to say he was sorry for sprinkling the steps with hot sauce, for hitting his brother, for jamming the DVD player. He’s had a busy morning! That kind of conversation though cuts through all the aggravation.

Sorry folks, there is just no straight-faced way to describe a mammogram. There I was, staring at the possibity of breast cancer at 32, and there is nothing to do but chuckle and hold your breath when the lady says so. So they flatten the thing out (not unlike how a toddler can stretch to see the car going around the corner and nurse at the same time actually) and tell you not to move. Then you go sit in waiting room number 5 while the nice doctor reads your results immediately and there ya go….no cancer. No cysts either. Just beautiful normalacy. It’s fine by me to be plain and average!

In truth, it was a very nice way to spend a few hours. The Breast Center here is new and gorgeous…gold leaf wallpaper, women in art everywhere, ample magazines, nice robes…a bit like a spa actually. Well, except for that pancake part. But that was surprisingly painless and it was nice to sit and watch home decorating TV and magazines on winter entertaining and not once see a cardboard box or hear bickering and fighting.

Now the day is done, the cicadas (they even have them here but so far, not nearly as loud as the FL variety) are out there scratching, and the kids are watching some special on Physics on PBS. We were suposed to have lentils for supper tonight but when I said as much, they all moaned and groaned and sounded otherwise ungrateful. NO WAY am I raising little unthankful monsters and so I went on a dinner strike.

Not a popular choice. One child, completely derailed by change in routine, fumed that it was “my job to make his dinner”. Well, yes…but I”m no short order cook at his demand. Another said, “fine, I’m never eating again anyway”. The other just sat and tried to talk me out of the choices I laid out. They could have: leftover potatoes and hamburger gravy, a sandwich, or a bowl of cereal. So no one was starving. But the drama… my word.

When Dad got home I took my tired self for a walk to the store and then made him a fried egg sandwich. Never will I make one of these as good as my dad does, but my version is at least pretty decent. Or at least David says so ;-). He’s never had one of my dad’s. Everyone’s attitude is adjusted and they are all cozy on bean bags and blankets. it’s a beautiful thing; just beautiful normalacy and I”m thankful for it.

Maybe it’s a bit like those times when you don’t want nuts in your chocolate…just plain, pure chocolate please. Plain is good

If you’re the variety of homeschooler that really gets “in” to planning each year but sometimes wonder where to start, check out my friend Misty’s planner! Day by day, it’ll get you where you want to go!

TN has a tax-free holiday coming up, presumably to help parents afford start up school costs. A friend sent me the link to the alphabetized list of what was allowed and what is not…..diapers and clothing and pencil cases are all on the “yes” list. But NOT ART SUPPLIES.

So I can get a tax-free corset and laces but I can’t get tax-free tempera paint or big paper.

I wonder what they think we TEACH?!?! Or maybe they assume that since the public schools no longer have big art programs that no one else finds it educational either. I’m sure jogging bras, camping equipment, and bridal veils are  much more important than BIKE HELMETS or sketch pads.

Sheesh. I need the name of the senator or rep or whoever came up with this wacked idea and his ADDRESS so I can BROADCAST it.  Freaks.

• Yes, I’m going crazy through all of this….but I hear it’s a round trip
• I added the first new post in awhile on my school blog (see sidebar link); having some conflicting thoughts on planning for the coming year. I’m sure I’ll blab ad nauseum about this one…..
• cold fronts in July are AWESOME!
• I think my oldest has been body snatched but this new guy ain’t all bad…

I’ve had several requests for the English muffin recipe; I currently have it packed! But if you want it, the cookbook it’s in is in my sidebar, called A Real American Breakfast.

Lentils…..I’ve been experimenting with something my friend Sharon described (shout out girl! Are you reading? I’d love some feedback on how I’ve been making these). She sprouts hers and serves them on sprouted grain tortillas. I soak mine, almost to the point of sprouting but not quite. Then I saute them in olive oil with onion, douse generously with the juice of one lemon, s and p and garlic powder (or use garlic with the onion). Add chopped tomatoes and feta cheese and serve on a tortilla. Or, use it as a sort of salsa for flavored tortilla chips.

White Bean Crostini

I make this a little different each time but here’s the gist: take one can of Great Northern Beans and rinse and drain them well. Douse with olive oil, s and p, garlic, chopped tomatoes and torn fresh basil. Serve on toated baguette slices. Make sure to use kosher salt and freshly ground pepper for the best result and it’s good with a little lemon juice or red wine vinegar sprinkled on too. Taste as you go.

About 15 years ago it occurred to me there were no Black-People Bandaids. I think I must have been supposed to be listening to a sermon because for some reason I can feel my orchestra robe on my legs in this memory…..but I digress. Anyway, I was thinking at the time that if you had skin any darker than Crayola “flesh”, there wasn’t a bandaid to match you. I’m actually paler than Crayola “flesh” but that isn’t really the point. When the fabric kinds came out there was a tone a bit more tan but it was still decidedly caucasian. And the clear kind didn’t work because the “white” square in the middle was white, but not in a blanco kind of way dahling. When I had kids I figured they could use Barney or Looney Toons if they didn’t want a peachy strip on their wound. But lo and behold…someone at Johnson and Johnson got smart. Here they are!

That’s how W says it. We went there today.

After a short war over the TV, a plate of fluffy pancakes and sausage, and cold-by-the-time-we-drank it coffee, we loaded up and headed to FINALLY show our kids the house and town we were supposed to move to two weeks ago, and Lord Willing, will still do so in another two weeks.

We are having a little spurt of flawless weather and it was a perfect day for a little car trip. The kids are still pretty sick; too sick to actually go and hike but tired enough of our boxed in four walls to really need a change of scenery. We had the windows down and David and I sang little fragments of songs we used to know, laughed, shared ideas, and listened to our kids. Kids who, for some marvelous reason, were all in great moods and were getting along.

The house and yard still look wonderful. The people maintaining the yard had just been there and it was all freshly cut. One of David’s work friends lives down the street and also worked on the house years ago. He saw us drive up and came on over to say hey. It was neat to hear his description of how it used to look and what projects he was a part of. The kids ran all over the place; the nuns who we thought lived across the street actually don’t. They run a tutoring school in the house but actually live somewhere else. So it’s all very quiet around there. The kids will be able to ride their bikes around the corner to the post office to get our mail and sled down the hill in the backyard in the winter. We are very anxious to actually get out there!

From there we headed to the Obed Scenic River to scope out a camping site to visit with friends. The website described it as “primitive”, and it um….is. Beautiful.  Great swimming with a large and rocky beach area for adventures, lush trees and big cliffs surround and while the bugs were bad, it was a nice place for a picnic. I’d bought David a special italian sausage and we put it with cheddar, apples, bread, and dark chocolate. The kids skipped stones and waded up to their knees; I’d forgotten swim suits.

The way home consisted of antique stores along the way to drool over roll top desks and secretaries, metal bedsteads, trunks, and stained glass. Makes me want to pitch a good 60% of our furniture and just do without until we can afford to get the pieces that we really enjoy.

We got those kiddos to bed and now we’re soothing out to Carly Simon, the Alan Parsons Project, Simply Red, and Sade. This Is No Ordinary Love, it’s Coming Around Again, If You Don’t Know Me By Now, and Time….is he a merman or what? “Good Bye my love, the tide calls, it’s time for me to go, some day we’ll meet again….” Anyway, it’s a good Saturday vibe. I hope yours was smooth too.

Sorta ;-). Today is the 7th; we still have fevers and headaches here and organization is like getting a slow and rusty train to get chuggin’. Can’t remember when putting together a meal plan took as long as it did this morning! Outside is too perfect to not be wallowin’ in it; tomorrow we must go hike somewhere! I hope the kids are well enough to push it.

Today we’re cleaning up leftovers and dinner is chicken salad sandwiches on rolls with chips and fruit.

Saturday:

BK: Pancakes and sausage

LN: picnic out: cheese and bread, fruit, cookies

DN: dare I say it? Hot dogs. But it seems we must have these at least once in awhile in the summer!

Sunday:

BK: Eggs Benedict

LN: church luncheon; I’m bringing fruit salad and drinks

DN: White Bean Crostini and Blackberry Shortcake

Monday:

BK: Granola and yogurt

LN: smoothies or PBJ

DN: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans

Tuesday:

BK: Sausage Cheese Grits Casserole

LN: smoothies

DN: Lentils in Tortillas (with feta, lemon, and tomatoes these are fanatastic oh-so-mediteranean!)

Wednesday:

BK: Granola and yogurt

LN: Bean Tacos

DN: Fried Green Tomatoes, Black-eyed Peas, Cornbread

Thursday:

BK: Scrambled Eggs and Toast

LN: leftovers

DN: Spagetti with Bolganese Sauce and salad

Bam!!!! That’s what this is!!! It’s an INCREDIBLE couple of days we’re having here! Breezy, mid-eighties, and dry. Absolutely impossible to fathom that we’re in the midst of July! An actual COLD FRONT came through….okay, okay if you don’t get the magnitude of this….in Florida I was a weather-watching junkie who spent too much time watching these systems come down over the country and stop, oh, around North GA or so, never reaching Florida. I”m afraid the Florida forecast won’t change for a long time: sunny and hot with a chance of afternoon thunderstorms. And what really knocks you back is the HUMIDITY. Like a sauna…a sweaty, wet sauna that makes you beg and pray and ache for relief.  So anyway, I’d watch these systems come across and in a rather masochistic way would get my hopes up that they would somehow break records and come all the way down. Then that stupid jet stream would do it’s snake-like thing and cut it off. Well temperatures like this around here aren’t the norm but it’s the beautiful POTENTIAL that it can really come that is so refreshing. The fronts do make it through sometimes and we get this glorious respite in the middle of things, a chance to roll around in the grass and look up at the shapes in the clouds, and all at once spring isn’t so long ago and fall not so far in the future. Makes savoring summer all the more possible….freeing really, because it’s evident that it won’t last forever.

• C thinks Lentils look like ticks when they’re cooked. Boy that will affect an appetite!
• W wants “that ice cream that tastes Green”.
• Is there any way to have the blackberry intact in syrup and still not have the seeds?
• At lunch, C held a very formal “execution” of our first garden tomato with a knife. Harsh way to go really.
• A learned how to make french toast, proclaimed it his specialty, and then wouldn’t eat any of it. When I asked him why, he said, “don’t know you how much I hate to eat French Toast?!”
• It’s a good man who will go out and get milk in between morning jobs, at 6 am, so I wouldn’t be struggling for breakfast while sick. Better than a dozen roses some days!

There’s a little gap in breast cancer education. I’ve only discovered it this week as I go through yet another bout with mastitis. I’m concerned enough about it to get an appointment asap with my doctor to rule this out and I’m worried for my friend Cathy whose story is similar to some of the testimonials I’ve read. Lactating women get this! Young women get this! The article is too long to post here but follow the link and google for more info. Women should know about this!