Homeschooling right now is ..uhhh...interesting. We have four adults in the house. The kids that are doing school are used to coming to me with their questions..and I am used to answering them.
However, as much as I am blogging, and with 2 adults not working, one adult working part time, and then me...noone is sure what I do.

So anyway...Nick is in second grade. He does not read yet. I know, horrifying. But most of my kids learn to read late and then end up reading through Dickens, Shakespeare, and Voltaire by the end of fourth grade.

Anyway again. He had finished up his math and asked me to read him the last two story problems so he could work them. I asked him to take them to Marc. I forgot that my kids hate getting school instructions from Marc. Why? Well...

My husband is a man of few words. He is the strong silent type. I am not sure how he asked me to marry him, but I suspect he just gave me a look that I interpreted. Hopefully I interpreted it correctly. It would be bad if he was asking for a cup of coffee, right? So he hardly ever talks, and when he does...he is very conservative with the number of syllables he uses.

Not me. I can talk. I can talk, write, in a couple of languages even, and I can also sign a little. Words are my friends.

BUT....

When it comes to math...here is how I read the problem to the kids:
There are five swans and seventeen ducks. How many all together?

Here is how Marc does it:
O.k...there are five trumpeter swans. They probably were migrating..but if there were only five then I am guessing that one got killed, maybe by a hunter. There should have been six originally. Trumpeter swans mate for life. Yeah. It says that they were flying with seventeen ducks. That is probably why one got killed, the guy was duck hunting. I wonder if they were mallards? They probably were. Those are the ones with the green heads.
So what is the answer?

By this time I am using bounding across the room to grab the book and comfort the child who has a horrified, dazed expression on his face.

Finances are bad. I think I am going to have to sell the horses. I don't want to, and if you have read for awhile, you know I have tried before without much luck. Between the economy and the drought not many people want them. I am wondering if I can even find someone just to pasture them for me for free, haha, until we can get on the other side of this?

Did ya ever just wish you could turn the clock back and have a giant do over. I know now the mistakes I made.

20 eggs again yesterday. Go chickens. I need to see if I can sell some of them. Fertile, organic, jumbo brown eggs from free range chickens are pricey. The problem is that we are eating most of them. We give a dozen a week to elderly neighbors, and a couple of dozen to friends, and then with 12 people in the house the eggs go pretty fast.

I am probably going to check out Craigslist for my area to see what is being sold, what is wanted, and if there is anything that I could do in addition to what I am doing.

I always thought homesteading would be cool, and I preached for years about ow you really don;t need a 9-5 for income..now I am having to walk that out and it feels way different than it did when I was talking about it.
LOL!

I woke up feeling ...hmm..cranky? Depressed? I don;t know, one of those dark moods that hits you for no reason and you just can't seem to shake.
The network server has been down for several days on B5 which hosts my Baking Delights, and Kettle and Cup blogs. It is frustrating because I get paid a percentage of the page hits, and of course readers get as frustrated as writers when things don't work as they should. I have several other articles to research and write so I will check in, and then if things are still not working, I will be done for the day and go on to other things...in theory.

Right now money is beyond tight. 12 people in a household, and only partial income...not a good combo....it is frustrating on many levels for me. Having always been the homemaker, it feels odd to be *working* and making money while sitting at the computer is an odd feeling. I often feel, and I think my family does too, that I am not pulling my weight in the homemaking department..even though I am making half the income. It is hard to shift your thought pattern after so many years.
We have an office in the house but it is between the downstairs main hall and the den, so that everyone has to walk throught he roomt o get where they are going. If the kids were in school there would be no problem but homeschooling, well it is like Grand Central in here! Then you have the plethora of questions that come, because, after all, I am MOM.



I am so thrilled with the number of eggs we are getting. We are averaging 20 a day, at this point, from 25 hens. The rooster seems to keep them in line rather well, and these Barred Rocks do not wander away so much as the Golden Laced Wyandottes did, although I liked the way the Goldens looked better. Anyway, as a result we are not having the raccoon problems. Maybe it is the nature of the chickens, maybe we have fewer raccoons, maybe the rooster is making a difference? I don't know. If your are thinking about chickens, you might be interested int he article I wrote on choosing heritage breeds, Heritage Breed Chickens.
I do know that I have been procrastinating more than I thought about being prepared and now, finding ourselves in this situation, are not as prepared as I would have liked to have been. One more life lesson..Do it now.

I am going to check out Heirloom Seeds today and make my order. I should have done this a month ago...I guess I can chalk it up to that procrastination thing. :)

There IS light at the end of the tunnel!!!

Wow..It has been such a long time.
So many things have happened over the past few months that I have sort of lost my vision for Frozen Music and what I meant it to be. It was hard to come and write when I felt that I had nothing to write about and I was writing prolifically elsewhere.
I haven't felt much like a homesteader lately, or a home restorer. Mostly I have felt like a puddle on the floor. Irritating, and not much substance. :)
I think I have a vision again. I think I have a voice. SO..I am taking a deep breath and starting again. Rather than just being about my home restoration, though, this will be more of a diary of daily life. I will bring my homeschooling, my homesteading, my home-working, all together here, and try to assemble the thoughts daily into something readable and worthwhile. One of the changes is that I will no longer do pay for post posts. It was good money when I needed it but I am doing well with other things now. :)

Catching you up; Our oldest daughter and her family moved in in December. Marc lost his job shortly afterward. He then had knee surgery in January. He is working part-time for Home Depot, and meanwhile, the Lord has blessed my writing to the extent that I am making the major income. My daughter and son in law are not working.
Mentally and emotionally it has been a struggle but I have peace because I know that I am resting in Him, and that all things are under His feet.

If you are curious about where I am writing:
Baking Delights
Kettle & Cup- tea and coffee.
Home School Central- Homeschooling, free mini-unit studies that I create, and homeschooling helps.
Hub Pages- I write a lot of "green living" articles, and information on homesteading, skills, websites, etc.
Love To Know- I write for several channels there: gardening, herbs, antiques, home decorating, home improvement, green living.

Today, Marc is off. It it bright, sunny and cool. I don't have many plans at all.

• Marc and I are going for coffee (yay!).
• I need to plan the garden
• I need to lay out the subjects for the next week or so of blog posts on my other blogs
• I need to schedule my article assignments
• I need to do laundry
• I need to pray, again, about selling the horses because of finances.

Since church is tonight, even though there is s
o much more to do, I will be stopping there. If you are at the point of planning your garden you might like to read What too Plant: Planning Your Early Spring Garden

I think planning is the most fun, really. :)

I have been writing alot of articles about toys and toy recalls lately. Eventually I want my family to simplify to the point that we do very simple,homemade gifts...and we do some of that...but int he mean time not only do I want to buy safe toys for my kids, I want to buy American made as much as possible just to make a statement. I don;t know...I stopped shopping at walmart years ago because of the cheap stuff they sell, the fact that I absolutely hate their foreign policies and by shopping there I feel like I am contributing to child labor, the slave trade and the poor working conditions..Maybe I can't fix all of it but I can stand up for what I feel is right.
My kids have strong opinions and ethics...I wonder why?
Anyway...Here are the articles...if you are interested..

Best American Made Toys For Christmas

Homemade Toys, Perfect For Christmas

Chinese Toy Recalls

Simple Christmas Gifts

I 'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas
remember being green is also frugal!

Seriously. If we, as Americans DON"T buy quality American made items and support these manufacturers we will lose the freedom to do so. When you buy cheap stuff you are supporting the way those things are manufactured, you are saving money at the price of human dignity.
Money is tight here. I understand! But it is so much better to teach your children to appreciate the quality in one good toy that give them 10 junky ones. Like junk food, junk toys are merely a habit

Hot baths....
Ahhh. Nice. We have a water heater! Someone or someones heard of our plight via the internet and a sum of money was deposited into my pay pal through a third party. I am praising God...taking hot baths...and..well absolutely blessed.

Old bessie was a 90 gallon tank and this is a 50 but so far it is holding up to our massive ht water needs.
The plumber had tot ake the doorframe off..it seems the pO had put the heater in and then created to space for it. But...all's well that ends well..and there is is. Now I just need to get a blanket for it.
We turned the heat on for hte first time today. It has been 45 and 50 in the house but we were trying ot hold out iwth judt the fireplace as long as possible..we have company coming today so the heat went on..sigh. I know it had to happen but I was wanting to hold out a bit..AH well...this is texas..it will be 78 degrees by friday.
We are getting 6 eggs a day now, so things are picking up..they are still the small eggs but look like the hens are getting the idea.
:)

I absolutely cannot believe it has been more than a week since I posted. I think I am starting to run out of words.
Our chickens finally started laying eggs. I think it was the fact that every time I would walk by them I would snarl things like "pot pie", and "dumplings". Not sure...First it was one every other day then two every other day and now it is picking up although they are still small. SOrry for the raw image..I dont have time to edit it and make it look cool.
I am taking Marc to the VA today...have several things I hope we get to talk aout and pray about and some decsions to make...Other than that life seems pretty quiet...We need to clean the upstairs ebcause the upstairs Christmas decorations will go up this week...the downstairs enxt week and the outside the week after.
Wish we would have a snowy year this year.

What's mainly wrong with society today is that too many Dirt Roads have been paved.
There's not a problem in America today, crime, drugs, education, divorce, delinquency that wouldn't be remedied, if we just had more Dirt Roads, because Dirt Roads give character.

People that live at the end of Dirt Roads learn early on that life is a bumpy ride.
That it can jar you right down to your teeth sometimes, but it's worth it, if at the end is home...a loving spouse, happy kids and a dog.

We wouldn't have near the trouble with our educational system if our kids got their exercise walking a Dirt Road with other kids, from whom they learn how to get along.
There was less crime in our streets before they were paved.

Criminals didn't walk two dusty miles to rob or rape, if they knew they'd be welcomed by 5 barking dogs and a double barrel shotgun.
And there were no drive by shootings.
Our values were better when our roads were worse!

People did not worship their cars more than their kids, and motorists were more courteous, they didn't tailgate by riding the bumper of the guy in front would choke you with dust & bust your windshield with rocks.
Dirt Roads taught patience.

Dirt Roads were environmentally friendly, you didn't hop in your car for a quart of milk you walked to the barn for your milk.
For your mail, you walked to the mail box.

What if it rained and the Dirt Road got washed out? That was the best part, then you stayed home and had some family time, roasted marshmallows and popped popcorn and pony rode on Daddy's shoulders and learned how to make prettier quilts than anybody.
At the end of Dirt Roads, you soon learned that bad words tasted like soap.

Most paved roads lead to trouble, Dirt Roads more likely lead to a fishing creek or a swimming hole.
At the end of a Dirt Road, the only time we even locked our car was in August, because if we didn't some neighbor would fill it with too much zucchini.

At the end of a Dirt Road, there was always extra springtime income, from when city dudes would get stuck, you'd have to hitch up a team and pull them out.
Usually you got a dollar...always you got a new friend...at the end of a Dirt Road!
~by Paul Harvey~

The North American Union

The North American Union is a plan to unify Canada, Mexico and the United States. First, through super-highways like The Trans-Texas Corridor followed by the NAFTA super highway which will reach into the very heart of the United States. The NAU is the natural next step from The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America. As much as we would like to believe it is an urban legend, as much as we want to think it would not could not happen..it would, it could and it is. Meet your orwellian future, welcome to 1984 a few years late. Amazing what the government will do while we are busy trying to make a living, isn't it? Now I am starting to think that taxes are only a way to keep us preoccupied so we don;t research the truth. Last time I checked we still could vote people in and out of office...

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Trans Texas Corridor

Trans Texas Corridor is touted by TxDot as an economic boost, a way to increase trade, and a cure for hemorrhoids. Is it, really? How does it affect Texans, and ultimately, the United States as a whole? I am concerned because, for one thing, the stupid road is going in not that far from me. We moved here to be close enough to the city that Marc could make money..but far enough in the country that we could live as we wanted to some extent. WHat a joke! I cannot understand how a governor can completely ignore the people and choose to, over and over again veto legislation that protects them. You can bet that I will be writing more about this later.

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We sold the last buckling from this year! YAY!
It is harder than you think because these goats are small, and they don't make much of a bbq. I really struggled with whether or not to *fix* this little guy because he was not going anywhere but I decided not to because he has blue eyes. Anyway, someone saw him on the website and wants him..YAY!
That leaves me with 3 goats, 2 does and the herdsire. I don;t know where all of htis is going, if we will sell out this year or not...but it is certainly changing.
Big happy moment, our gas bill was only 14 dollars this month. And I htinkw ehave almost enough for a hot water heater! YAY.
Plan on writing osmethign a bit meatier later, but wanted to get the happy news in...

I am really interested in environmental issues. They are a big part of my life and have been for most if it. My parents both were adults in the depression, and I grew up in the 60's. Recycling, environmental issues were all just a given.
I grew up eating fresh garden tomatoes in the summer and pickled beets in the winter and I love that cycle of living with the seasons. That is what I am trying ot do here...fix the place up and then run it as a farm, or as close as I can get.
Anyway...I had to stop painting several years ago. I HATE watercolors but I love the color and intensity of oil paints. I developed an allergy to turpentine however and had to lay it aside..I hope to try again soon but we'll see.
ANyway there are graffiti artists that are creating graffiti with MOSS!
Check this out...Living Graffiti
I just thought it was cool.

Our chickens are not layin eggs yet. I am not sure if they are waiting for something special, more money? Better working conditions? Sigh.
We seem to have sold the last buckling from this year! YAY! Not a moment too soon. It looks like, because of some sales, the rising prices of gold (it is way up ofver 100.00 an oz, and marrc just took some to the pawn shop..we'll see what we end up with), some wonderful angel on the internet, and a few blessings from the hand of God we will be getting a water heater, and possible (dare I say it?) meet our bills this month.

But can they make a John Deere?
Check out this cake I wrote about on Baking Delights
It solves so many problems...global warming, PMS cravings...WHat to get a 16 year old for his birthday.....

MAybe you have noticed I changed the header..yeah..I like that one.it is so much more honest. So much more real. SO much more gritty. So much more....
Lets just stop pretending shall we. The truth is that this house is a money laundering operation. I am not sure what we are laundering, it certainly isn't the clothes in the back room, but hey, just don't expect to read about all the wonderful remodeling i have done either.
I have been tossed off the old house blog roll for illegally amking money wiht my blog. HA! I have NOTHING to lose now.
Seriously. Don't expect to read proper grammar, or perfect spelling that is for my homeschool blogs.....no..this is homesteading on the edge, the gritty truth. Don;t expect Donna Reed, that is my Baking Delights, and Apronstrings Blogs..DOn;t even expect spirituality..that is butterfly warriors...
No, when you come here..expect dirt. grime. gritty reality. extreme homesteading. Because...I...am....coming...out...of...the ...homesteading ...closet.
ANd I will write what ever the heck I please.
so , for my first post, let me just say......

I know that I have been doing alot of sponsored posts lately..but I really need that water heater!
Anyway. This is NOT a sponsored post. But it IS a cool website.
SO you know that I am so in to sustainable living, homesteading and stuff like that, or you should if you have read for more than, like, oh, two minutes. Well the other day I was doing some research for a hubpages article I was doing and came across this site:
Homesteader Exchange Network. Very nicely done, and a great chat board, altho being new it is somewhat slow. A wealth of information though, i have learned alot since i have been checking it regularly.

I have decided to finish up the master bedroom. It doesn't need much; woodwork, curtains, that type of thing..but I think I need to make it into something romantic...for me if for no other reason. I so seldom really do things for me that the idea is a little weird and selfish feeling. You know, Marc would love it if it was done in red and gold with a bulldog theme... ;)
Anyway..so I am going to try to do an estimate this week and work toward it.

O.k..seriously ..I want this guy to come spend a month at my house. I am so ready to have all of the stuff finished on this house, you can't believe it.
How cool would it be to see Extreme Home Makover's Bus pull up outside the house and have them yell at us that we are going for a week in the Bahamas while they finish up this historical (hyterical?) restoration. I am thinking it would be pretty darn cool.
Lets see, in my fantasy I would come home to a kitchen with a commercial 6 burner stove, yet it would look vintage...soapstone counters please, and arts and crafts style maple cabinetry. Floors are pretty good as is...just a few new boards...new paint, and a windowseat in hte dining area would be nice....
Really, is that too much to ask for?

I love when it starts getting cold.. We have had a fire going in the fireplace for a week now. Yes a WEEK, so what?
Remember all those pesky trees that have come down over the past few months? Yeah! Firewood.
We are still without a water heater but I know that that is coming. Someday..sometime..somewhere....
Anyway.
I have been doing some baking..if you have checked out baking delights and apron strings you know that I have. I am also getting ready to launch a new blog for B5 so be watching for that ..I think it is going to be cool!
I am writing more for Hubpages..currently writing and article on learning manadarin chinese, which is looking neat, and also have published the one on buying organic, as well as really cool gifts... I will get back and post the links to those later.
Why all the writing? You guessed it. I really want a water heater. LOL! It is way too cold for these cold showers.

Faucets are a fashion statement. Well, a DECOR statement anyway. They didn't used to be, they used to just be handles that you turned so water would come out. But since we have had this house and redone bathrooms, and looking at redoing the kitchen faucets are pretty common conversation here.
I really like the oil rubbed bronze faucets with deco lines to them. To me it fits well with the house, the decor, and they are easy to clean. I used to just hate those faucets that we had when I was growing up in the 70's, the plastic ones that had all of the fragments jutting out, so the dirt got right down in the handle. Eww.
ANyway, Marc likes deco too, but the price tends to be one of the things that holds us back. If you shop around the internet you can usually come up with something that you like and that is affordable.
Grohe faucet is one company I hadn't heard of but when I went to their site I was impressed with the selection. The have the oil rubbed brass that I like so well and deco designs as well as more contemporary.
Have you seen those faucets that look like old fashioned pump handles? I LOVE those and i keep thinking that putting one of those by the kitchen sink would be the coolest.
I am pretty sure that when I redesign my kitchen I want to have one of those faucets that comes out of the wall over the stove to fill pans..but I always wonder...after the pan is full, and you have cooked your food...you still have to move the pan OFF the stove right? So it only saves your back one way? I will have to look in to that.
Anyway. I will be so glad when we get all of the bathrooms done..and the kitchen. The rest of the house just wont seem that daunting, maybe. MAYBE.
This post was sponsored. But I still want new faucets. :)

Buy Organic Online: The Top Websites

Eating organic foods is admittedly the best way to go. The problem is that it can not only be expensive, but it can be hard to find the items that you want in an organic form, especially if you live in a small town! Once again the Internet comes to the rescue with a dizzying array of organic websites willing to deliver your selections directly to your door. Even so, it can be hard to sort through the various online stores, what foods they carry, and, if you are new to organics, you may have questions about what you need or want. I have put together a list of what I consider to be the best sites to buy organic. Check it out and see if you agree.

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FEMA: The Rise and Fall of a Great Idea

IS FEMA just too big of an agency to do a good job? Deception and outright stupidity seem to be haunting this government agency this year. AS some of you know we dealt with FEMA a few years ago when we went through a flood locally that took out several of our neighbors homes and messed up our property. I was walking out horses out of our gate and up on to the street in water up to my arm pits at 3 a.m. Not fun! I learned a valuable lesson that night. Survival is about depending on yourself, your own resources, and God. A government agency can't do it. FEMA however seems to take ineptitude to a new level with their latest faux pas.

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