***Microwave Free Zone***

Our Maytag over the range microwave broke down this month. I thought for sure I could fix it. I methodically took it apart to see the inside and started reading about the things that could have gone wrong with it.

I did NOT want to call a repair man. When our washing machine (Maytag) broke down this spring (or was it last?), I called in the repair man and it cost $100.00 for him to come out and let me know that he isn't sure what to repair and it could be a multitude of things. We could try this and that and replace this and that. Well, it was going to be the cost of a small washer to repair it. I opted out of that. I ran out to Lowes, replaced it with a GE top loader that I totally love! The saying "it's so easy even a caveman can do it" completely applies to this washer.

Well, there was no way I was calling a repairman to take care of my microwave, so I called our electrician cousin Phil to borrow a tool so I could test some things in the microwave. That opened an entirely new can of worms. I mistakenly involved men in the process. They took over, took out more screws and pieces and parts. Over the course of a day or two (or three), they tested everything testable inside the microwave down to the door latches. Apparently there isn't anything wrong with it except it doesn't actually heat food.

Really? Because I knew that.

After a few more days, I put the cover back on the microwave and stuffed all of the loose pieces inside and shut the door. There it all sits. To order a knew one is only $300.00. OR I can get just a cheapie counter top one and stuff it away somewhere.

OR, I can be microwave free!

It is a little hard to remember to defrost dinner in the mornings. It is also a bit tough to keep food warm enough for everyone without it drying out. Reheating left overs now takes planning as well. We are doing it though. I admit I miss my microwaved steamed veggies. We all choked down cooked broccoli the other day though and no one complained.

So, we have been microwave free for almost a month now. I think it is really helping our electric bill too. We will see for sure after the next one arrives. I am hoping to find a cheap little microwave that I can hide in the garage and only plug it in when we need it. It will be nice for baseball and hockey players to be able to reheat dinner without using an entire oven and without me having to do it for them. It will also be nice to have when our house guests arrive and we are feeding 4 men and two kids instead of 2 men and 2 kids.

Next on my list it to replace the florescent bulb in my living room with soft white light. I know they are more expensive, but the buzz of a florescent and the unnatural light floating around my children after being exposed to it at school all day bothers me. I think their little brains need a break. I'm willing to pay a little extra for electricity just to know that the stress of florescence is gone. I have LED's in my kitchen ($1 each sent over from China thanks to eBay). The light is wierd and they are falling apart, but the price is right. I know buying them from China is all anti-American to some people, but for my kids, I'll buy my light bulbs where ever I want.

I added a new laundry soap to our lifestyle as well. Sam's Club had a "healthier" version of laundry soap for such a great price, I jumped all over it. I am also going to try and NOT buy dryer sheets after this box is used up. Back to my dryer balls.

As it is, I collect the extra lint from my dryer though to make fire starters. I'm afraid I'll be low on lint once I switch back. On the plus side, I'll be extending the life of the eBay clothes I get the kids. Yep, I totally eBay shop for school clothes. It's such a great feeling to know that we are not adding to waste and not wasting our money. I can get Carly such great pants from eBay that I can't get here in our small town. She can have brand name clothes for a fraction of the price. Jason is warming up to the idea. He is sort of a prima donna prep and its tough for him not to look the part, but I've been able to get him some really great Hollister and Aeropostale t-shirts for next to nothing and he loves them!

My Motto: It's only knew once. Why waste the resources?

Which brings me to a HUGE thank you to my friend Christi who handed down $100's of dollars worth of brand name jeans to my two oldest kiddos! There were enough girls jeans in various shapes and sizes, Carly gave a pair to a friend and we get to mail 3 to my niece Mackenzie! Jason is slowly coming around to wearing his hand-me-overs and wore a great pair of like-new Hollister jeans today.

Caden is also a clothes re-user. He school shopped in his brother's closet before we called the neighbor over to do the same. He was able to score a bunch of polo's and T-shirts. The jeans are another story. Caden and Jason do not, in any way, have the same body type. Caden will never be able to use Jason's old jeans in the same time scale that Jason did. Caden's got a bit of a booty on him, despite that he is slimming up and losing weight. I don't believe he will ever be rid of the GB (ghetto butt), but that will work to his advantage when he is older. He did get rid of his pudgy baby belly though. He is able to wear the same size jeans as last year (which would be awesome if they didn't all have huge holes in the knees).

I have recently joined in the cheaper shopping for myself. I scored a free NEW pair of jeans last week in a size that fits. I had a coupon for 30% off kids clothes and a $19.00 reward card to Fred Meyer. I found a great pair of juniors jeans that were on sale for $19.99. Essentially, when it was all said and done, its like they paid ME to take the jeans. Woo Hoo!

Now, I've got to find Jay some jeans that fit. He has lost a ton of weight and has been working out like a mad man and I think he must be down two pant sizes. I as well, have been losing a lot of weight. I've gone through almost two sizes that I've had sitting in my closet. I have two more pair that I want to fit into before I really go shopping for new clothes. I think I'll have to get my dress pants tailored soon too. I've been going on interviews and each time I put on dress pants, they are bigger than before. Once I get a job and get through the last size in my closet ---It's shopping time! I'll have to give some of the second hand boutiques in our town a chance.

SCHOOL 2011-2012

Class of 2020!

Caden began the 4th grade this year. I gave him one extra day of summer, and he stayed home the first day of school due to stomach cramps. I don't know what was wrong, it lasted two days, but by Friday, he was up bright and early and ready to go to school. His teacher is very nice and he was excited that he was so smart. He truly loves being smart. Its so funny to listen to him have conversations, even when they are with himself, because he uses words that most people do not use in everyday language. He is also very excited to be in student council again. Here's to my little member of the Class of 2020! May he have an incredible year of school and start his journey towards becoming the President of the United States! (He says it all of the time)

Class of 2018!

Okay, this is NOT a picture from the first day of school. She looked cute that day, of course, but she was very excited on the second day. She had on adorable jeans we grabbed from eBay and a sweatshirt Jason and I bargain shopped for at an outlet mall in MN. I gave her a choice of school shoes and when it came down to it, besides the green chucks Jason and I also picked out for her (at the AWESOME Converse outlet), she chose some Adidas sandals. I loved her casual look for the 6th grade and her first week of middle school. She is happy with her team, the kids her locker is near, the friends she eats lunch with and has gym with, the new friends in her home-ec. We organized her folders, labeled everything to help her out, and bought her a student planner. One teacher sent home a questionnaire where the student had to write about her weaknesses and struggles. Carly liked this because she could tell the teacher about her struggles with reading and remembering. So proud of my 11 year old!

Class of 2015!

My high school freshman. He wouldn't even sit for a decent picture. Geesh. He didn't want to take a backpack, but had to because he needed to take gym clothes, notebooks, and a binder with him. When he got home, he had a little to complain about. Mostly about the English teacher. He wanted our cousin as a teacher, but it didn't happen. I will head in on Monday and try and switch his schedule around. I packed the kiddos lunches, but Jason decided to take the extra 5$ I had given him for more food and he headed out to Taco Bell with a new driver. I am VERY upset about it and I know he knows this inside, but I also know he will try to get away with something like this again. I have decided NOT to give him lunch money again and then there will be no need for him to leave campus. As a freshman, he does not need to leave until 2nd semester. He certainly doesn't need to leave without me knowing ahead of time. This year will be full of struggles and pain. He will have a lot of decisions to make this year that will come out of know where. He will make mistakes without knowing they were mistakes and he will make them knowingly. I will be there and love him through it all.

My Quote of the Year: I've never had a 14 year old son before.

A New Tradition - The Hot Chocolate Bar!

Carly with her treat as she tries to finish her mounds of homework.

Bring on the holidays and 40 below! We've got a new fantastic tradition that includes some tasty treats and welcomed heat!

The Hot Chocolate Bar! Equipped with a beautiful tray, homemade butter cookies, 3 different types of hot chocolate, marshmallows, half-n-half, and whipped cream! Delicious addition to our holiday cup of cheer!

Boy Oh Boy

Gosh have I missed a lot of blogging. Let's see if I can sum it up.

1. I have a new niece, Killian Patricia Harvey. Born almost 2 weeks late to my brother and sister-in-law. She has red hair and is completely adorable. She was taken c-section because mom and baby were getting exhausted.

2. Thanksgiving was delicious and calm. We went Phil and Haanah's, snacked on veggies and cheese/meat trays until dinner was served. Food was all fabulous as were deserts. I made my first pumpkin pie. That was great too. WooHoo

3. Kids are getting OK grades - Carly's are great but it is a struggle for her to maintain it. She is determined to do so though.

4. Jason went to a hockey tournament over Thanksgiving. We missed him, but he did well. He played hard and strong and scored some goals. Jay went down to hang out with him after he'd been there semi-on his own for 2 days.

5. We finally got snow and really cold temperatures. We also had freezing rain. That was NOT fun, but school was cancelled the week of Thanksgiving so the kids had a LONG vacation. I however had one week less on my paycheck though.

6. Super behind on Christmas shopping. We have dubbed this a "Charlie Brown" Christmas. Our tree is small and artificial. The ornaments are bright and colorful as always though. That part I Love. Carly says it is like an I Spy tree. So, we play I Spy. For example, I Spy 12 Santa Clause's on my tree. I have barely bought Caden's Birthday gifts either - and we didn't get what we've been promising him for an entire year, an iPod touch. We just don't have the extra cash and we aren't using credit cards. He will be horribly disappointed, but we do have an extra iphone laying around that we will let him have for his applications. I hope it suffices until we can get him what he wants. I will also remind him that he has enough money on his own to buy it himself if he can't wait. Knowing Caden though, he won't want to spend all of that money on just one thing. I have made coupons on the computer for many gifts. It is easier than sending something someone may not want. I will do the same for the kids. Instead of itunes gift cards, I will make my own coupons that say "This coupon is good for 1 song download" or "This coupon is good for 1 $2.99 application". The money comes out of my bank account anyway and this makes it more personal. And I am hoping that this ends the kids constant pleading to download or buy something. Now I can say, "do you have a coupon for it?"

Other things we did for little cost are making gifts. I have made many heating pads and trivets from fabric that my mom had "hoarded" when she was alive. I use feed corn that is like 50lbs for $25.00. I also have flack seed ones. Those do not and should not get as hot though. They are more for trivets and sinus/headache pads. You can stuff a lot of heating pads in a one-rate shipping box. Its awesome! And, we created a cookbook for everyone for Christmas. Haanah and I gathered recipes and I designed a book, printed, and semi-bound it. It has some great treats in there along with some practical recipes.

I don't have really any idea of what to get my older children this year. I want it to be special, but can't afford to go all out and expensive. It is torture on my soul.

12*

Fall came and went. The trees were incredible hues for two weeks and then the wind came. Now the leaves are brown and crusty all over the grass. That doesn't bother me though. I absolutely love seeing the leaves on the green grass. It is just another one of those things I have waited for since we began building out house.

I know I should be out there raking them up, piling them high, and bagging them up. I even bought the cute jack-o-lantern bags. However, I hate being cold . . . and it is cold outside. I know it isn't -30 yet. It is only getting to about 12* in the evenings now though and that means it certainly isn't 40* during the day. 40* I can handle.

Proudly though, I did have Jay start the chain saw and I began sawing into the pile of logs outside the garage. We really need the wood heat right now and the wood is in the way of filling up our fuel tank. I had a great time cutting the wood. I cut enough to fill 1/2 of the indoor wood rack. I know, that isn't much at all. But then I seized up the chain.

There is always tomorrow . . . NO SCHOOL! So hopefully, I'll have several little bodies available to stack up the massive pile I cut. :)

(yeah, right)

Greetings Autumn . . . so happy to see you. It's been too long.

Hooray for fall weather and beautiful trees, leaves and bright sun shining through the branches! I took the opportunity to bring the kids outside for some pictures. So, it was torture.

First, I suggested to a ten 1/2 yr old girl what to wear. Oh My Goodness! How do you spell the sound a girl makes when she bawls? I then suggested she just wear what ever she wanted *waaaaaa*. So I then told her to just go get herself cleaned up and comb her hair so we can take pictures - MELTDOWN!

Finally, it was all set and I started to take pictures. My camera didn't work. I went in search of another camera and Carly thought I quit because of her . . . breakdown!

Finally I found an old camera, put in a card, and we were on our way to dorky fall photos.

This was torturous as well. I tried hard to get all of my "Bart Simpsons" to settle down and get serious. It just wasn't happening. In every single picture someone was messing around.

The extra gentleman is an Ice Dog hockey player we are housing for the season. He was kind enough to hop into one of our memories - but was as much a pain in ass as the others to get him to stop laughing.

Just goofing around.

One of my favorites!

It was much easier to get pictures of Jason while he had his hockey stick . . . it gave him something to think about other than me snapping pictures. In most of the pictures, he was in a foul mood and grumpy. He didn't want to smile. Didn't want to be with his siblings. I finally got him to smile for a couple by saying some things I am definitely not repeating here on blogger. I think he looked better in the pictures with the maroon t-shirt on also, instead of the green polo - though I do love the polo.

LOVE the blue sky!