Day#30 I made it!!!!!

yup, it's finally hot in maine!!!!!!  depending on where you are, of course!  yesterday and today were in the upper 80's at my house and inland, but lower along the coast.

i bought this pool at marden's for the awesome price of $15.  it's supposed to be for the boys, but i told jeff to fill it up on friday and we enjoyed lazing in it yesterday and today when the afternoon got too hot.  we are surrounded by lakes, but i just want peace and quiet and privacy.

well, i think after blogging every day for 30 days, writing a blog a couple times a week should be easy? i'm hoping that this summer is not a busy one.  i want to take time to rest and relax and breathe.

Day #29 my sunday

my day started at 6 am.  coffee and out to my garden to sit and drink my coffee.  it's finally warm enough in the mornings to do that, but i did wear a sweater.
a 2.5 mile walk
church
pastor talked about paying attention to how we speak this week.  no boasting. no talking about ourselves. no facebook selfies.  he dislikes facebook.
home for lunch
up to bangor to pick up my new futon for my guest/craft room.  i love it!  its a queen size, oak, with an 8" innerspring mattress.
home to sit in my little pool i bought for the boys (and me)  as we have finally gotten some pretty warm temperatures. the pool is just the right size for jeff and i to lounge in with a drink in our hand.
then putting the futon together
doing a few houseworky things
a nice fresh salad for dinner with peanuts and cheese
now a cup of chai latte
not a bad day at all.

Day #28 farmers market

this year i am trying to go to the farmers market each week.  i did not plant a garden this summer so it is really important to get me some fresh, fresh, fresh veggies!

the season has been really slow in starting this year, but i think its going to be a good one.

here is my bounty from todays market

i purchased 2 really large heads of leaf lettuce, a large bunch of swiss chard, a large bunch of spinach, 4 medium heads of brocolli, 2 large bunches of radishes, 2 pints of strawberries, and 2 containers of goat cheese spread--all organic.  

eating healthy does not come cheap.  these purchases cost me $43.  however salad greens are the basis for all of my lunches and dinners and these will last me all week.  

i'm looking forward to visiting the market each saturday morning & i'm considering joining a CSA next summer.

Day #27 Alessandro Fabbri

what????!!!!!

yeah, i'm grasping at straws at this point.

but there is a point

for work today we took our program on a ride to acadia national park to picnic.

the name of the picnic area is the Fabbri picnic area.

evidently there was a guy during world war one who manned a naval something or other on mount desert island and the town of otter creek erected a memorial to him because of the awesome importance of his work there from 1917-1919.  when the land was donated to the feds for the park they were told they needed to honor this memorial.

it is a pretty little spot

it was a nice afternoon out & we are lucky to have this park nearby.

Day #26 i got nothing

hahaha, i made it to day 26 out of 30 before i absolutely came up with nothing.

today was a rainy cool day in downeast maine.  temperatures around 60 and overnight tonight it may dip into the high 40's.  however, we are expecting some warmer temps this weekend.

Day #25 thirty one years

thirty one years we've been married and we are still trying to learn how to do this thing!!!!  but i will say that we will die trying thats for sure!

so this is how we did this anniversary thing

slept in a bit later
went for a walk
spent the afternoon with calvin & ethan   (their parents are running vbs at their church this week)
went to a local take out place called crosbys and got a fried scallop meal & a fried shrimp meal with fries, onion rings, roll, and cole slaw, then drove down to the waterfront and ate in the truck (it was raining)

well thats how it went.  not too exciting, except for the dancing around the living room with the boys part.

***yesterday i discovered a really pretty honeysuckle plant that i had chucked into the woods after we dismantled a garden bed against the house when we moved in ten years ago.  evidently it had just languished unnoticed all this time until we cut some trees down in that area.  now its everywhere!

really pretty orange/red flowers

as long as i'm sharing pics i think i'll share these two i took this morning

we just re-did the front porch & lawn area.  flowers are doing awesome.  grass?  we are definitely not grass growing kinda people.as long as its somewhat green we are good.

our back deck is gone!!!!! i am so happy!!  jeff  put up those crazy steps so he can go in and out.  we need to do some work on the slab and skirting and grading the ground and then he is going to build a much, much smaller deck.  and oversized porch. 

Day #24 firefly vs lightening bug

in new jersey we called them lightening bugs

you know, i'm not sure what mainers call them.

anyways.......

in new jersey there were TONS!!!!!  they put on quite a show.  and they always light up a bit as they were rising up out of the grass.

here in maine they light up for quite a while as they fly sideways.

in new jersey the kids would catch a bunch and put them in a peanut butter jar (plastic)  then they would throw it up high and let it hit the ground.  all of the bugs would light at once and stay lit.

when i was a kid we only had glass jars so we would put grass and twigs in it and catch a bunch and poke holes in the lid and keep it in our rooms overnight.

i have not yet taught my grandsons to catch them yet.  i have to wait until they are old enough to be awake when it gets dark out.

there you have it!  my observations on fireflies/lightening bugs

Day #23 television is sinful

OUCH!!!!

that title hurts!!!!

i really thought about that one before i wrote it, however i could not come up with any good enough reason why that statement was not true.

don't get me wrong.  tv can be a useful thing in very limited and restricted amounts.  for instance: an occasional documentary or educational program or an educational cartoon popped in when you need a little down time.  both of these things can be accomplished with dvd or online.

i'm talking about cable/satellite television here.  50,000 channels of mind numbing garbage.  if you can even find a decent program the commercials will be trash.

basically i believe that it is a stumbling block to collective and individual walks with God.

we can strive for the highest possible moral ground when it comes to modesty, but when we turn on the television all of that goes right out the window.  there is not a program or a news show or a commercial anymore that doesn't somehow bombard you with  innuendo or images that are offensive or inappropriate.

even a show as seeminly innocent as survivorman or some such nonsense has a man dressed in a loin cloth  for the entire episode.  this is inappropriate to view.  whether it is a man barely dressed or a woman barely dressed.  both are wrong to view.

the more we believe that viewing these types of things is okay, because, after all, it's on television, the further i believe our hearts get from God and each other.

television is a time stealer and nothing is gained from sitting in front of it for 3-5 hours or more each day.  conversation, if it happens at all, only revolves around what is happening on tv.  i have had one sided conversations a plenty in the last 30 years.  sometimes the sound may even be muted so you can speak, but the attention is not fully there.

all the news all the time is quite possibly a significant source of a ton of my anxiety.  there is no possible way that i can listen to this crap without worrying about it.  again, the need to hear every word that comes out of the talking head's mouth without having any desire to go out into the world and try to change/impact it far outweighs my peace of mind.

i have longed for the peace of mind, heart, & conscience that being unplugged from the filth and troubles and nonsense of the world would bring.  my home is supposed to be my refuge, but it's not.  that black box steals from me far more than it gives to me.

this is not written on a whim.  when my family was young i came to realize that being plugged into the world was not the proper thing to do.  but, as with all major decisions, both parties have to agree.  that has never happened.

i saw this quote yesterday
"if something in your life is not right, then change it"

easier said than done.

Day #22 little irritation

most cars now a days have a key fob thingy that locks and unlocks the doors.  i have one also.

my little irritation involves the beep that a car makes when someone hits the lock button on their fob.

that bothers me!!!!

especially if i am walking by or right next to the car.

first thing i did when i bought my car was to disable the beep.

it can be done.  look in the manual.

some people have said they know its locked if they hear the beep.

really?

i hit the button when i'm standing right next to it and i hear that comforting "thunk" sound that lets me know its locked and doesn't bother anyone.


thanks for listening!

Day 21 summer solstice

This morning in ellsworth maine the sun rose at 4:48 a.m.  and it will set this evening at 8:22 p.m.
this makes the longest day of the year 15 hours and 34 minutes long.

it is a sunny day with a bit of a breeze.  mosquitos and black flies are not bad at all, but the deer flies are pestering.

we did some errands this morning.

finally made it to the farmers market and bought lettuce, swiss chard, and spinach.  in this part of the country that is what is currently available locally grown (he had some bok choy & rhubarb also)

got new phones!  hubby is not only figuring out the texting keyboard, but also touch screen.

picked up some groceries.  with these prices i may just finally lose some weight!!!

crafting stuff for the summer--mostly some decorations (banners & such) for baby charlies dedication/ethans 2nd birthday.  we will be having a combo celebration.....

,,,,,,,,,,and we are having a home dedication!!!!

the theme is patriotic--lots of ideas on pinterest

here is one project

frames from the dollar tree--spray painted & the rest i found on pinterest and printed off.  i made two of the one in the middle because i really love it!

happy first day of summer!!!!

oh, and the high temperature for today is 72* after a low around 50*

Day #20 rosa rugoso

wikipedia calls it an invasive weed.  it is not a native plant, but it smells heavenly and looks beautiful

Day #19 detours

i've made a lot of mistakes in my life.

well, maybe not a lot,

but plenty enough.

however, becoming pregnant before i was legally married was not one of them.

call it a detour, change in plans, bump in the road, anything

just never call it a mistake.  never call it an accident.

i had sex on purpose!  because i was crazy in love with someone and it didn't matter to me that we didn't have a piece of paper issued by the government.

technicality.

I knew as soon as i was pregnant, but i delayed getting married because i didn't want to cover up something that i was so happy about.

i wasn't ashamed or scared.  i was happy!!!!   And i never once felt that it was something to hide or to confess, or to atone for.

i guess that's all i want to say.

i was going to go on about people judging (gee that comes up a lot)
and how the judgers better keep that closet full of skeletons locked up tight.
all those good christian woman who ran around wild in their younger days will stand around and gossip

instead of showing love and encouragement.
all worried about what others will think.  tsk, tsk.

***i wrote this as an encouragement.  and as a testimony.
btw we've been married almost 31 years & our son will be 31 in november!

Day #18 wild flower finds

about a week ago i was driving down the road and i noticed some different leaves occasionally along the side of the road.  so i went for a walk and this is what i found

wild irises?!!

yeah.....i went back with a shovel and a bag and scored me quite a few of these.
i'm assuming that when the road was paved a couple of years ago they seeded the shoulders with wildflower mix and its taken that long for these to appear?

so while i was at it i also went to another spot where every year i spy these beauties

wild columbine

there are purple and pink and a bluish color.  i've seen them there in the ditch for quite a while but i always forget about them.

add these to the lupines i snitched off the side of the road a few years ago, plus the chives, and the day lilies and i've got quite the wildflower garden going along the side of the driveway.  

here are a couple more photos taken on a walk on the wink

there are blueberry fields on the top of the road with a lonely little camp in the middle of them.

these are bee hives brought all the way here from Florida to pollinate the blueberry crop.  

Day #17 Church Etiquette

I was going to write a post about church etiquette, and then thought better of it.

it would just lead me into a judge-fest  (see post #8)

and i don't want to go there.

suffice it to say that it is what it is.

and it always will be.

amen 

have a nice day, maybe i'll have a better topic tomorrow.

Day #16 Hippos

Random topic, huh?

Our family has a history with hippo addiction that i don't want to go into in detail.

I will just say that this post is dedicated to my daughter Julie and her husband Ben.

I've been working my way through the book of Job for my bible study time.  I've almost gotten to the end and this morning I came across this:

Job 40:15-24

God speaking to Job

Take a look at the mighty hippopotamus (behemoth). I made it, just as I made you.  It eats grass like an ox.  See its powerful loins and the muscles of its belly.  Its tail is as straight as a cedar.  The sinews of its thighs are tightly knit together.  Its bones are tubes of bronze.  Its limbs are bars of iron.  It is a prime example of God's amazing handiwork.  Only its Creator can threaten it..  The mountains offer it their best food, where all the wild animals play.  It lies down under the lotus plants, hidden by the reeds.  The lotus plants give it shade among the willows beside the stream.  It is not disturbed by raging rivers, not even when the swelling Jordan rushes down upon it.  No one can catch it off guard or put a ring in its nose and lead it away.

There you have it!  The hippo was special to God!

Day #15 Honoring God's name

Well, here is another topic that has given me some stress lately.

Using the Lord's name in vain.

That is how I was taught to recite this commandment.

Do not use the name of the Lord in vain.

The bible I'm currently using says:

Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God.  The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.


vain:  having no real value, worthless, without effect, futile, fruitless, profane

Now, I'm not absolutely innocent in the use of the name of God.

However, there is a difference between  a slip and remorse & constant use.

And when you say "Oh my goodness, Oh gee, jiminy cricket, jeesum crow (never heard that one until I moved to Maine), etc.  you get the idea........these are all substitutes........and I was taught that they were wrong also.

A popular one among devout Christians is "Oh my word!".................again..................just the same as you saying "Oh my ***"  (even doing that was wrong, i repent....)
"Word" is another name for Jesus.


Sooooo, I've been trying to use "holy moly" as my most favorite exclamation. If someone can let me know if that somehow is not a good substitute I would be extremely grateful.

You see, I'm trying to keep my little grandsons from growing up having a disrespectful attitude toward the name of God.  (or names of God)

In today's world that is a HUGE undertaking

Day #14 Flag Day

It's flag day!

Not a day we have a big party or cookout or anything.

But it is a day to stop and think about where your heart is in regards to this great country we are blessed to live in.

Sure, there is a lot of not-so-great stuff that happens here--just watch the news, but i believe the news is only reporting the bad stuff; and there is a whole lot more good stuff going on than bad.

Back to the flag.  And patriotism.  I'm a little disturbed, for instance, when I'm at an event and the national anthem is sung and only a few people place their hand over their heart or remove their hat.  I was taught in school to do this as a sign of respect for our country.  Maybe I was only taught that in Catholic School?  I'm not going to jump all over Public School here, but do they still teach kids to respect their country?

This worries me.......do kids still recite the Pledge of Allegiance in schools?

Now my anxiety is kicking in!  Did i teach my own kids enough about patriotism and the TRUE history of our country?

I hereby pledge to teach my grandchildren to recite the pledge, to respect the flag, to remove their hat, and to show respect and love for their great country by placing their hand over their heart whenever they pledge or sing about the USA!  Will you join me?

Day #13 my craft room

ever since the kids married and moved out of the house i have had dreams of a craft room.  so when a room became available i moved every craft related item into that room.  some of it had been tucked in other closets, under the bed, everywhere!

mostly i keep it somewhat organized, but when i get into a crafting frenzy it can get quite messy!  this is what my craft supplies looks like right now

these are the storage units i've chosen from ikea to get this room in order

2 of these, one on either side of the one below

there will also be a smaller version of the above shelving unit on another wall to hold toys that i don't want the boys to have free access to all of the time.

also, this room will be used as a guest room.  we are going this weekend to buy a futon with a comfy mattress to put in this room.

but it will probably be fall before i get to ikea as its down south of boston and we currently have no travel plans.

Day #11 cell phone addiction

(typo in that one, what, no spell check?)

i am not addicted to my cell phone.  i think i have a healthy relationship with it.  it is my only phone.  no land line, so i try to keep it charged and in a location where i can find it.  i take it with me to work and i keep it on silent in my pocket.  at home its on the kitchen counter.  i have tons of minutes and unlimited texting.  i have no data. i don't use it to take pictures.  it is a means of communication when necessary.  

i feel bad for children growing up with parents whose attention is shared with the world and not just given to them.

i feel bad for the people who are impacted when people text while driving.  even just looking at a text is a distraction and a deadly one at that.  i get scared because i can't be sure that my own family members don't do this.  i know that my husband and i don't.

i feel angry because people look down at their phones screen rather than look around them and notice what is going on right there.  

the more people are connected to each other through technology, the less they really know each other or even care.  

Day #11 busy bags

since i am firmly entrenched in baby/toddler/preschool land for quite a while, i decided it was time to start getting my resources together

busy bags?  never heard of such a thing.  back in the day i just had a cabinet full of stuff to pull out to keep them busy.  organizing it into bags that you can just grab quickly---awesome!  why didn't i think of that?

so i made a trip to dollar tree and walmart and between that and stuff i had laying around the house i came up with nine bags this week.  five are pictured above

from top left:  pool noodles cut into 1" chunks and a shoestring
                     painted clothespins and foam sheets
                     big buttons to sort and put into the slot in the cups
                     egg carton sorter color sorter with poms
                     pipe cleaners with a cool whip container (holes drilled in top)

i also made:  melissa and doug "colorforms"  i found at tjmaxx
                    a bag with 4 four wheeler vehicles
                    a bag with 4 dinosaurs
                    color, numbers, shapes flash cards disney & pooh

i used zip lock bags of varying sizes (dollar tree even has the 2 gallon ones!) and for now i put them all in a box and they are going to ethan's house.

you see, ethan is not quite two years old and he has a little brother who is four months old.  ethan needs occupying while momma feeds calvin because he is acting out for attention.

i love this idea and the idea of making them educational.  i'm planning on making lots more and keeping them available for all of my children to borrow.
                   

Day #10 modesty follow up

i've actually had a lot of anxiety over yesterdays post. mostly because i don't want anyone to think i'm judging anyone else by having the opinion that i do.

that really bothers me.

someone commented that churches won't touch that subject. that is true.  and then there are others who stress it tooo much.

someone else asked how do we teach the young girls modesty?  that is a tough one.  not a tough one to answer, but a tough one to implement.

because, like all good things, it takes effort and commitment.

little girls are influenced through peer pressure and the media.  every effort has to be made to lessen this exposure.  it seems that a popular opinion is that children need to have tons of friends with no worries about all of that negative influence that comes from that.  a few carefully chosen friends are a much better influence on your childs life.  

and i'm just gonna say it:  tv is the devil.  no one can rightly argue that statement.

as mothers we need to be godly examples for our children.  it's not easy, but its only going to be through consistency and faithful adherence to the word of God as the ultimate authority that our children will respect us enough to trust that our guidelines for their lives are fair and good for them.

you have to make sure that your children respect you more than they respect their peers.  THAT is hard work, but the payoff is awesome!

i have a daughter.  she is 25.  i have never had a problem with her trusting my judgement on how she should dress.  i do have to say that she was homeschooled & we do have television.  but i must have been doing something else right because she did not rebel against my teaching.  i know it was the constant prayer and the fact that i was never afraid to go against what the rest of the world was doing.

as far as clothing went i had a few rules.  pretty simple. shorts had to at least come to your fingertips, shirts could show no belly when your hands were held above your head.  no cleavage should show, and the waist of your pants should not be too low. two piece bathing suits were fine as long as they still covered your belly. bikinis are less material than underwear-definitely not appropriate for a young woman who respects herself.

our daughters and granddaughters need to be constantly taught that they are priceless and therefore should not walk around in the world advertising that they are cheap.

these are tough words.  i know.  but if we (meaning my audience here, which is "older" women of the church of God) are going to take our responsibility to teach the younger women seriously, then tough words are required.

most of this has been geared toward girls.  but boys have responsibilities also to dress appropriately.
i also have two sons and i like to think i did a good job of sheltering them from the worldly "norms" of society, to respect woman and not fall for their "false advertising".

Day #9 is modesty dead?

i sure hope not.  but i don't see tons of signs that it isn't.

this post is prompted by seeing short shorts in church yesterday.  i was not a happy camper. but seeing as i wrote a post about judging others yesterday, i'm trying real hard to just pray that those who dress immodestly are doing it out of ignorance and not pride.

i don't want to see cleavage, thighs, bellies, backs, etc. male or female.  i only want to see arms and legs (knee down)  anything else, to me, is immodest dress.  ESPECIALLY IN CHURCH!!!!!

now don't get me wrong, i am not a legalistic, dress code for church kind of person.  skirt, dress, slacks, shorts (appropriate length) are all ok with me.  jeans are awesome as long as they are not skin tight.

and this doesn't just apply to church time for me.  it is my opinion that it is a prideful heart that provokes a woman to wear revealing clothing.  and short shorts are revealing.  two piece bathing suits are revealing.  what are they advertising?  not a good thing.

i expected modest dress from my daughter and she was fine with that and she still is.  i think that dressing modestly shows that you respect yourself and those around you.

i'm just going to go ahead and say it:   sexual sin and immodest dress go hand in hand.
i could say much more and quote scripture, but i'm just going to leave it at that.

Day #8 not being judgemental

not be judgemental?

is it even possible?

even when we think we are not.

we are.

i do it all the time.

i judge people by the car they drive:  crappy old clunker must be a welfare mom on her way to walmart.     brand new lexus must be a snooty rich lady on her way to get her nails done.

i judge people by what they are wearing (i'd hate to think what my attire speaks to others, ugh)

i judge people by what they do and what they don't do

i judge people by all sorts of standards.

i think its human nature to draw conclusions about people when you don't know much about them.

doesn't make it right and it's totally unproductive.

i personally have been working on it.

my being judgemental, that is.

when you stop to realize that everyone else is just like me. with a story.  good or bad or somewhere in between.

everybody comes from somewhere and everybody is going somewhere.

why are we here?

i've found that answer for myself.  isn't it my obligation to help someone else discover that answer?

and how can i do that if i don't get past the facades of life?

my first step on this journey?

prayer.

instead of my first reaction to someone being to judge them.  i pray for them.  i lift them up to God and ask for a blessing for them.

whether it's a coworker, or someone you pass in walmart regularly (that happens a lot here in maine!), or a stranger walking down the road.

pray for them.

it's like giving them a gift

and receiving one yourself

Day #7 What I do

I work for Downeast Horizons.  www.dehi.org   it is an agency that supports adults and children with developmental disabilities. i work in the adult program.  ten hours a week i work with a young man who has autism and lives on his own.  i help him with meal planning/shopping, keeping his apartment under control, transporting to appointments and recreation.  basically my job is to make sure that he has what he needs to live safely in the community. it can be stressful at times and then other times its just like hanging out with someone for the day.  it is satisfying and you never feel like you wasted time or were doing something useless.  i used to feel like that when i worked in the supermarket.

15 hours a week i work in an evening program.  the group varies in size from 8-16 adults with 3 staff.  their ages vary from 25 to 60.  we work with the program participants on meal planning/prep, healthy habits, exercise, safety, in addition to community inclusion activities and recreational activities.  we also do arts and crafts, bingo, karaoke (my absolute favorite) and movies.  this is a fun group and i enjoy it a lot.

The company i work for is always hiring.  we are continually growing and it is hard to find good, dedicated employees.  it's not just a job.  you have to really want to do this type of work or you won't last long.  the majority of the adults have downs syndrome.  in the younger generations it is autism.  there are very few young people with downs due to abortion.  so sad.  the children's programs are growing quickly because autism has become so prevalent.  its a bit scary when you think about it.  we need to find out what it is in our environment that is causing this!

There is a huge wave of young people growing out of the children's program and needing services as adults. these young people need support staff in order to live in and be safe in the community.  this field is set to grow tremendously.  the agency i work for provides the training you need and has very flexible schedules.  No matter what part of the country you live in it must be a similar situation.  I would highly recommend this field of employment to anyone who is looking to not only earn a living but do it in a rewarding and fulfilling way.

Day #6 Chives

i love chives.

i love to eat them.

i love to smell them.

i love to look at them.

you buy one small chive plant and in no time at all they are everywhere!

i just dug up and transplanted my chives along the driveway where i'm trying to get some "natural" color.  i planted them all along a 200 ft. section and i think they will look beautiful each spring when they bloom and will fill in a nice thick green the rest of the summer.

and whenever i make potato salad i can just walk up the driveway and snip to my hearts content!

Day #5 Homemade

I have been slowly replacing the chemicals in my life with safer, healthier, homemade versions of products i use a lot.  here are a few examples and results:

deodorant

i have been using my homemade deodorant for quite a while now and i love it!  so far no BO!!!!!

6 tblsp. melted coconut oil
1 tblsp. almond oil
1/4 c. cornstarch
1/4 c. baking soda
about 25 drops essential oil ---so far i have only used peppermint because it makes me peppy---heehee

melt the coconut oil in the micro, whisk in the almond oil and then the dry ingredients & essential oil
pour into a container and let sit.  it will harden.

all ingredients are found in the grocery store except the essential oil i bought in the health food store.
i apply this with my fingers, it rubs right in and dries.  so far it has worked really well for me

shampoo

1/3 c. castille soap (liquid)  purchased at the health food store
1/3 to 2/3 cup water  (depending on how runny you want it)
2 tblsp. baking soda
1 tblsp. melted coconut oil
25 drops essential oil

there are a few different pre-scented castille soap or you can buy unscented and create your own scent with the essential oils.
so far i also love the peppermint, again because it makes me peppy!
i mix it all up and put it in a little squeeze bottle.  you can make larger amounts too!

air freshener spray

5 oz. water
1 oz. alcohol
essential oil--25+ drops

put ingredients into a small spray bottle--found mine at walmart.  a couple spritzes into the air does the trick.  so far my favorite scent is spearmint.  we only use this in the bathroom and i swear the house smells sooo much better.

bug spray

ok, this is AWESOME.  and i should know because we live in black fly and mosquito heaven!

again, i use a small spray bottle from walmart

4 oz. witch hazel
1 oz. sweet almond oil
essential oils:  citronella, lemon, lavender, peppermint

you can also use eucalyptus but i've heard you shouldn't use that oil on babies?  use at least 3 of the essential oils--about 15 drops each.
i spray this on my skin and rub in.  i spray it on my hair.  i spray it into my palms and rub it all over my face and ears.

no bites!!!!!! i so far have only been bitten in spots that i didn't spray (like one got down my shirt)
i am very impressed and so far have made and used a couple of batches.  the bugs hover, but do not bite.

i researched for these products and looked for simple recipes and then tweeked them. and i must say i am very happy with the results--especially the bug spray!

some essential oils are $$$$$  but i don't think i spent more than $10 a bottle. some were $4-$5.  but they last a long, long time and they are natural & pure.

Day #4 household pet peeves

These are currently my top 5 pet peeves around the house.  that would be my house or any house

1.  dishes piled up so high in the sink that you can't possible wash them without taking them all out.  if you can't wash them right away, then neatly stack them off to the side.  however, i have learned in my life that life is much easier if you just take the couple of minutes to wash a few things at a time now and then throughout the day.  btw  i've never used a dishwasher.

2.  laundry (clean or dirty) taking over the living area.  laundry is something that should be done every day. put a load in in the morning then move it to the dryer in the evening, or the reverse.  fold it and put it away or fold it and put it back in the basket and put the basket in the bedroom until you do put it away.  i tend to do laundry all week and then put it away one time.  but when we had five of us here i put it away daily.

3.  not being able to walk around barefoot in the house.  there is nothing worse than crumbs and dirt sticking to your feet!!!! yuck!!!  not to mention crawling babies and playing toddlers picking up all kinds of stuff off of the floor.  it takes 2 minutes to do a quick sweep once a day on the kitchen and run the vacuum over the carpet once a day.

4.  dirty kitchen counters.  now, i have white ones so i can see every crumb and spill.  but if you have dark ones you can't.  but just because you can't see anything does not mean its not there.  kitchen counters should be wiped down a lot!!!!!

5.  overly full trash can in the kitchen.  again, it takes 2 minutes to tie up the bag, put it out and replace it.  i'd say you should be doing that at least every other day if you have a family.


Now i will admit that i have a touch of OCD.  some would disagree with the word "touch"

it really does only take a few minutes here and there to keep your house "presentable"  i'm not talking about having a perfect, spotless home. just presentable.

i personally cannot function unless there is some semblance of order.

As a former stay at home mom i always tried to shoot for the house to look like i did accomplish something during my day. i know, i know, taking care of children is something.  but i'm old fashioned and always believed that a man should come home to an orderly home and a meal on the table. at the very least.

Day #3 Beaver Pond

There is a creek that flows through the woods across the road and then crosses under our road a little ways past our driveway.

we don't go in the woods across the road as much as we go in the woods out behind us.  it had been a few years at least since we hiked around there.  the logging roads are pretty overgrown and its not easy hiking.

recently a neighbor asked if we had been over there to see the beaver pond.  we had not.  amazing!  where once a small creek meandered through the woods a pretty significant dam had been constructed and acres and acres of land flooded.

my camera does not do the scene justice.

there is a fairly large looking beaver lodge way across from where we were standing.  i didn't have time to explore and get better pics, but this must have been here for at least a few years.  the pines were dying from standing in the water, but the water was teeming with tadpoles!  i bet its teeming with mosquitoes too, but since it is somewhat non-stagnant, maybe it won't be too bad.

so this is where all of the different sounds i've been hearing this spring and last year have been coming from.  just before we found out about the pond we had been discussing the loudness of the frog sounds were coming from across the road.  there were no ponds or vernal pools in there the last time we had explored.

the acreage that this pond is located on has been for sale since we've lived here (10 yrs.)  i've seen it advertised for subdividing and developing.  hopefully the beaver has put a damper on that for the time being!

day #2 feeling out of sorts

have you ever had one of those days where you just felt like you couldn't stand to be in your own body?

your clothes feel wrong, your hair feels wrong, even your skin feels wrong.

yeah, that's how i feel today.

it's been quite a while since i've felt this way.

i swear that it's directly related to what i eat.  i didn't eat extremely horrible this past weekend, but i didn't eat extremely wonderful either.

i also think that it has something to do with my anxiety too.  when my anxiety gets so high for too long i just feel like i either want to run off screaming into the woods, or just go to bed for a few days.

thankfully i have something to keep me from going over the edge in either direction.  something that gives my life purpose and direction.  something that keeps my mind occupied and makes me smile when i absolutely don't feel like it.

want to know what that something is?

post #1 My Day

I'm going to try a 30 day blogging challenge to try and get back into blogging regularly, so here goes day #1!

Saturday mornings are usually rough for me.  I work thursday and friday from 9 am until 7 pm (or so)  and then on fridays i sometimes go grocery shopping after work before i head out of town.  so on saturdays i am usually exhausted!  i'm not as young as i used to be, that is for sure!

Yesterday i had a busy day ahead of me and i was a bit grumpy about it, but i forced myself up and out of the house anyway.  A very special friend of mine organizes a Pink Tulip Festival in our little town (to support breast cancer awareness) so this was to be our first stop.

  A few minutes after getting there some of our family showed up with a few of my favorite things!  And my absolute favorite things in this whole wide world are my five grandsons!  this is charlie, grandson #4

                                 

At the Tulip Festival there was a plant sale (amazingly i didn't buy any), bake sale (i bought everyone pink cupcakes) and some John Deere mowers and such (grandson Joe loved them)  Seeing my babies improved my mood immensely!

We left the Festival and wandered around the farmers market in town.  i've been trying to make it there for the past couple of weeks, but like i said, Saturday mornings are rough :(  It's been a cool and damp spring here in Maine and the crops are slow in coming so far.  There was lots of seedlings and i did buy 8 basil seedlings.  I also bought some fermented probiotic stuff that a lady from Bar Harbor makes.  I'm gonna give it a try and see how I feel.

I decided that i wanted to go shop a little before we headed home, so we headed to Mardens and I bought an inflatable pool and some pool things for the boys.  Now i just hope we get some summer weather this year!

I then went home and prepared a delicious pizza casserole for our church supper club.  A group of ten of us has gotten together three times now to share a meal and fellowship.  Last night we hosted and we all had a wonderful time.  I am really happy that we have found a church home and family!

Well, there you have it!  My day!