The Problem with Valentine's Day

I humbly bring you this post, the day after Valentine's day to address something that has been weighing on my mind. And I also want to speak to the women out there that are degrading all the men that have chosen not to buy into the commercialization of Valentine's day.

I first want to say that I am a romantic type of girl. I love getting flowers and chocolates and being taken out for a nice dinner. I love spending time with my husband and going on dates with him. I say that because I don't want you to get me wrong when you read what I have written.  I am not against the idea of Valentine's day.

However, I think that Valentine's day has become overrated and too commercialized. It has now become a competition with who gets the most flowers, or the finest chocolates.  For our kids, it is who can create the most extreme Valentine box for the school party, or who gets flowers, balloons, and/or candy bouquets when they are in the 1st grade!

When I went to my daughter's school yesterday, I was shocked at all the bouquets of flowers, balloons, candy, and stuffed animals that were there waiting for the child to whom they were sent to be picked up. I just thought to myself, what has this day become?

When I was in school, we made our Valentine card holder in art class, and it was usually made out of construction paper, was almost always in the shape of a heart, and just big enough to hold the small paper Valentine's that we would bring for each other. And what about candy? Well, that was usually given to us by our teacher...in fact 9 times out of 10 it would be a box of conversation hearts.

As a child, I never received anything else. I didn't need to receive anything else. Parents' giving their children these ornate bouquets of flowers, candy, and soda are setting them up for a lifetime of expectation that will inevitably one day let them down. (Not to mention starting them on a road to poor health).

But what I really want to address is the fact that I have seen women take men to task because they do not want to get their wives or girlfriends something on Valentine's day. In fact I have seen these men berated in front of others because of this. Really? Did these women ever once ask why these men did not want to get something? Do you think it might be because the money needs to go to groceries rather than flowers? Or perhaps he is saving up to buy something bigger for her birthday or Christmas. In fact there are some that are more than likely still paying off Christmas bills.

Have you ever asked yourself if it is really that important for men to give gifts on Valentine's Day?

And what about women?  Why is all the blame laid upon men?  Don't men deserve to receive a Valentine's gift? If we are going to force men to give a gift, then shouldn't it be reciprocal? In fact this isn't supposed to be a day just for women. This is a day to show your love for one another, so...

Here is my answer: Valentine's day should be about love and mutual respect for one another.

This year is the first in the 15 years that my husband and I have been together (3 dating, 12 married) that he did not give me a bouquet of flowers or a box of chocolates on Valentine's day.  In fact I didn't even get a card from him! How horrible is that, right? Wrong. My husband works hard every day of the year to show me his love.  He does this by helping me with the housework. In fact, he is a much better cleaner than I am. He helps with the kids without my prodding. He listens to me when I need to vent. He holds me when I am feeling blue. And he makes me laugh when I desperately need a good laugh.

My husband shows me love every day of the year, not just on Valentine's day.

I tried to tell him this, to say that this was more important than gifts, but he kept saying, but..but..

No, I said. I would rather have a husband that shows me respect and love everyday of the year, than a husband who gives me flowers on Valentine's day out of obligation.

Women...when you start hounding men about not buying gifts on Valentine's day, stop and ask them how they treat their women the rest of the year. And women, start asking yourselves how you treat your men every day of the year. If you are berating each other into buying flowers and chocolate out of obligation, then the gesture doesn't mean jack!

So how did I celebrate Valentine's day? On the Friday before, I volunteered at my son's school for their Valentine fest, I ate lunch with him. I spent time with him. On Valentine's day, I ate lunch with my daughter at school, and I went to her Valentine's party. I spent time with her. 

That evening, I cooked a special meal, and made homemade brownies in a shape of a heart. I loved on my family and I spent time with them.

And how did my husband celebrate Valentine's day? By showing me love in all that he does. Every. Single. Day.

Leave a Comment family, holidays, love, Valentines

Food, Family, & Traditions

For the past couple of weeks, I have been baking and canning jellies and jams to take to our local farmer's market. Believe it or not, it has been a dream of mine to be able to bake and make items to sell. While I would really love to own a little restaurant, similar to what my dad owned, at this time the farmer's market is about all we can handle.

Baked goods for the farmer's market

As I stood last night at my kitchen sink, looking out the window and stemming strawberries to make strawberry jalapeno preserves, I got a strong sense of déjà vu. I realized that the food itself was bringing back memories. Memories of my childhood, of when my mom and dad would can jams and jellies. When we would get together with my grandparents and make pies to go into the freezer for winter. The food connected me to my childhood. In fact if I stood there long enough I could imagine standing at my parents' kitchen sink, looking out their window, helping to get whatever produce was ready to either can or go into the freezer.

Strawberry Jalapeno Preserves and Pepper Jelly

Tradition in our family and in many families can be found in the food that we eat and make. There are certain things that we always make on holidays. For Easter it is ham, deviled eggs, and my grandmother would always make angel food cake with strawberries. For the Fourth of July, growing up we always had watermelon and homemade ice cream. Thanksgiving of course means turkey, our family's special dressing (stuffing), and pumpkin pie. And of course on Christmas we would have homemade candies that was only made during that season.

Homemade deviled eggs, a tradition at many of our family gatherings.

I try to carry on some of these traditions for my children, but I also try to start new traditions for them. They will grow up eating strawberries and pie crust for Easter, and for the Fourth of July, since my daughter is allergic to dairy, there is no homemade ice cream. Instead we stick to fruit kabobs and of course grilled hamburgers and hot dogs.  Thanksgiving we still have our traditional family meal, and for Christmas, I make several of the candies that I grew up with.

Homemade buns using my dad's recipe that he used when he owned the Pastry Shop

One of the best gifts I have received was from my cousin Jim. To most people it would have no value, in fact it really has little monetary value, but to me it is worth everything. It is our grandmother's rolling pin. It still has the dough on it from the last time that she used it. She passed away in February of 1988, I was only 14 years old. When I look at that rolling pin, I think about her and her raisin pie and her stacked applesauce cake. I also think about how much she loved all of her grandchildren and how kind she was to us. I know that when Jim looked at the rolling pin, he had different memories of her, but still loving memories. He is older than me and while we didn't grow up together, we share what matters most, a grandmother, a rolling pin, and sweet memories.

My grandmother's rolling pin.

So as I make the jams and jellies, as I bake my dad's famous hamburger buns that he served at his restaurant, I am making new memories and traditions, while still carrying forward the old. These memories are ones that my children can look back on and remember, fondly I hope. Memories that I hope they will carry on as they raise their children. Memories that are all founded in food.

What food traditions does your family have? Let me know in the comments below.

Leave a Comment baking, bread, canning, cooking, family, farmer's market, food, growing up, Jelly, traditions

Saying Goodbye to My Little Boy

Today is my son's birthday.

Clowning around with his sister.

I know this should bring happy thoughts and excitement, parties and celebrations, but this year I can't help but being a little sad.

I have always heard about people having a midlife crisis. They hit a certain age and become depressed with the knowledge that they are getting older. I think I might be having one of those. My thoughts race back to past times and my younger years. Times that were happy, and some that were sad. Times that I would never want to repeat, and yet there are some memories that I would like to experience again.

Date night with my little man.

But all of this has nothing to do with my age, not really. Even though I am in my 40s, I haven't hit an age that depresses me.

No, my midlife crisis has nothing to do with how old I'm getting, but how old my kids are getting.

It could be that the problem is made worse with all the babies that seem to be arriving. In fact we will have a new baby in our family in May (my great-nephew). Going against what I said in an earlier post, I am now looking at Drew and longing for the days when I could hold him and cuddle with him.

At our town's 2015 Christmas Parade.

This birthday is especially hard because we are having to say goodbye. Drew is now 10 so we are saying goodbye to the single digits. And while it is not unanimous on when the tween years officially begin, the consensus seems to be at age 10, which means we are also saying goodbye to childhood.

So this year we are celebrating Drew's birthday by going away. We were invited to stay with some friends at their land (in the Ozarks, people don't have vacation homes, they have "land") there will be no big "friend" birthday party, (well maybe later, it is his 10th afterall) just a basketball cake, good friends, and we will quietly say goodbye to childhood and hello to the tween years.

My Mona Drew

But somewhere deep inside, my little boy is still there.  The little boy who still calls me mama. The little boy that still let's me hug him and give him kisses. The little boy that still snuggles up to me on the couch while I'm reading aloud. But while that little boy is still there in certain ways,  it is getting harder with each passing year to still see the little boy in him. He is almost as big as I am.  And will soon be bigger.

So goodbye single digits, goodbye childhood, goodbye little boy. I know you are growing into a wonderful young man.

Leave a Comment birthday, celebrations, Drew, family, growing up

A Secret and a Shameless Plug

I am still in the process of getting back on track with my blogging.  I'm still having some pain from the surgery, and I'm still not quite back to my normal routine.  Although if you follow me on Instagram, then you know I was well enough to bake an apple pie the other night. :-)

I actually had a post ready to go, but was not happy with the pictures and I'm not able to show you the true finished project.  So that post is going on hold, and instead I am going to let you in on a little secret which leads to a shameless plug.

My husband is an amazing writer.  He can write some of the most amazing poetry and prose I have read.  When we were dating he would write me beautiful love letters, while my love letters compared to his would be "right back atcha" or "ditto."  I could never express myself the way he could.  I have always been amazed by him and his talent.

My amazing husband!

While we were dating, I took his poetry and made it into a sort of book.  I printed out his poetry on pretty paper and tied it all together with ribbon to create a special book that I know meant a lot to him.

Fast forward a decade and I'm excited to share that now his book of poetry is available to purchase online as an ebook.  This is definitely a side of Steve that most people do not know about.  Nor have they had the chance to see.

You can find his book here.

I hope you will check it out.  It is some beautiful poetry, and again, this wife is beaming with pride.

Leave a Comment books, family, husband, poetry, publishing, Steve, writing

A Good and Sad Christmas

I hope your Christmas was a good one. We did have a good Christmas but we also had something sad to happen as well.  I'll get to the sad part a little later.  I know it has been a week since my last post, but I spent the last week with my kids (in some cases taking care of sick tummies), getting ready for Christmas and watching the days fly by.  Before I knew it, Christmas was here and gone, and I didn't even get all my Christmas cards mailed!  It was just one of those years.

As for our Christmas we started off with the kids being sick a couple of days before. I was afraid that it might spill over into the holidays but we were lucky, they did get well before the Christmas festivities started. We started our celebration with a trip to Grandma's house where the tradition is to make homemade cashew chicken. I was helping with cooking the chicken when I accidentally broke a coffee mug  (I was drinking coffee while cooking) and I sliced my finger on one of the broken shards. 

I cut it pretty deep and it wouldn't stop bleeding. I had been putting pressure on it and holding it above my heart, but it didn't help. I knew I needed a stitch or two but that meant driving 30 miles and missing the first of three family Christmas celebrations. Luckily Steve came to my rescue and looked up on Pinterest ways to stop bleeding. The one we chose to try was sugar. We found out that sugar is an antiseptic and also helps the blood with clotting. To our relief, it actually works! I held my finger in some sugar that Steve had in his palm and while it didn't completely stop the bleeding it did slow it down enough to bandage it. And though I was in pain,  I did get out of doing the dishes.

I thought I would share some of our Christmas traditions with you. We always open our presents with our kids on Christmas morning but about four years ago I started taking one gift for the kids to Grandma's house for them to open. That gift is new footie pajamas. The kids have come to expect it and in fact they ask to make sure that I have bought them new pajamas and they can open them Christmas eve. I think even if we didn't go to Grandma's house I would still have pj's for them to open and of course they love to put them on immediately.

We have also cut down on the gifts we get for our kids. I try to follow the rule of one thing they want, one thing they need, one thing to wear, one thing to read.  What I have noticed is that with less presents, we can spend a little more and get quality and the kids can focus more on what they received, since they aren't as overwhelmed.

The aftermath of unwrapping presents.

For both of our extended families we have ceased buying gifts for each other, instead we made a rule several years back that we would make gifts. These have been some of my favorite gifts to receive. 

This year I received homemade vanilla from my oldest sister, homemade bath products from my middle sister, a beautiful hand embroidered team towel from my oldest niece, and a hand painted picture from my youngest niece courtesy of her 18 month old.  We also received a hand painted picture from our grandsons, and once I get it framed both paintings will be hung in our house. I love artwork from the kids. 

Handmade gifts we received.

My sister-in-law who usually makes me something from scrapbook items (she has made me a photo book and other things in the past) broke with tradition and bought me a set of silver measuring spoons with the initial H in the middle. I didn't mind, as they are beautiful! 

Initial silver measuring spoons

I really do love the homemade gifts and if you haven't tried it with your family, I would suggest you do.  We made candles our of vegetable shortening this year.  We used crayons to color them and essential oils to make them smell good.  They honestly didn't work out as I had planned, so I am working on improving them so I can share with you what works and what doesn't in case you want to try making them.

Making candles for Christmas

Now for the sad part. We lost a member of our family.  My cat Tippy passed away the day after Christmas.  I knew this time was soon to come.  Her health was not the greatest and she was 18 1/2 years old.  That made her 90 in cat years.  I got her as a stray when she was a little kitten in August of 1997 and she has been with me ever since.  The kids were sad of course and Carly used one of her Christmas gifts, a book writing kit, to write a book about Tippy.  I thought it was very sweet.  My heart was sad at losing Tippy, but I know she does not suffer and we will always have great memories of her.

She loved to lay in boxes, bowls, or anything she could squeeze herself into.

I hope that you all had a fabulous Christmas.  I hope you kept the old traditions and made new ones. I hope that you hugged your family tight and enjoyed the greatest gift of all, Jesus.  

Let me know in the comments some of your family traditions.

Leave a Comment Christmas, December, family, holidays, home remedies, traditions

In Every Thing, Give Thanks

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)

The verse above is a good reminder that we need to give thanks for every thing that comes into our lives.  I recently listened to a sermon that talked about living a grateful life.  So many times we focus solely on the things that are going bad, and we forget to remember the blessings that God has given us.

I was doing this.  I was focusing on the little things, the things that didn't seem to be going right.  The fact that our siding was not getting up as fast as we hoped, the stress from my job, the fact that I am putting on a few pounds.  Instead what I should have been focusing on is the fact that we have a home to live in, I have a job that pays the bills and provides for my family, and we have plenty of food to eat.

Turkey ready for the oven

God has blessed my family, and what better day to give thanks, than on Thanksgiving.  Today is a day to remember the wonderful blessings that we all have.  And if we have an over abundance of blessings?  Then, share with those who do not.

Carly getting the bread ready for the dressing

I started down that same old road this morning as I was getting the turkey ready to put in the oven and having Carly start on the dressing for me.  I didn't get all the ingredients that I wanted for the turkey, but that's okay.  It will still taste wonderful.  And I forgot to make the cornbread for our family's traditional dressing, but we have plenty of bread and it will still be good.

Remember God has blessed us.  I give all the glory to God for the family I have, the house we live in, and the food we eat.  He will always provide for his children.

O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. 1 Chronicles 16:34 (KJV)

From our family to yours, have a very happy Thanksgiving!

Leave a Comment family, holidays, thankful, Thanksgiving

Old Fashioned Apple Butter - A Family Tradition

Have I told you how much I love fall?  Enjoying the cold, crisp days.  Fresh apples from the orchard.  Corn mazes, and pumpkin carving.  What's not to love? 

Another reason I love the fall is due to a family tradition that was started by my niece and her husband.  Actually it is a family tradition that his family started and they decided to carry it on.  Making old-fashioned apple butter!

Stirring the pot...literally!

When I talk about making old-fashioned apple butter, I am not talking about using an old recipe, but about the process of making the apple butter.  We make it outside, over an open fire, in a big kettle.  I have a picture in my head about how pioneers must have done something very similar. 

Our apple butter making day includes a gathering of family and friends.  We use this time to visit with each other and tell stories.  We also catch up on what is going on in our lives as well as relive the past.  And of course we each take a turn stirring the pot. ;-)

Carly's turn!

It is a true group effort.  I wouldn't want to try and stir this all by myself.  It does get tiring after a while.  And before the apples break completely down, it can be quite hard to stir.  While the apple butter is cooking, we eat a potluck lunch, and continue visiting with each other. At the end of the day, when the apple butter is cooked, we each get to take home a pint jar to enjoy. 

I talked to one of the men that was there and we discussed how people used to come together to help each other out.  They would have a big barn raising, or help each other butcher, make soap, etc.  It was a way to lighten the load of work that was very taxing.  For us in this process, we helped each other out by taking turns to stir to make the process easier.

Drew's turn!

To the pioneers this was their social time.  To be honest, it is my kind of social time as well!  It is a great way to pass down the traditions of the old ways of doing things.  To be able to pass down these types of traditions to our children is the whole reason why we moved to the country and started our farm in the first place!  We wanted our children to learn the "old" ways of doing things.

Steve's turn stirring!

When it comes to a recipe, our family doesn't have one written down for the apple butter.  Each year it is slightly different, and each year it keeps getting better.  I can tell you that my niece uses apples from a local orchard, apple cider for the liquid to help break the apples down, and spices which consists of sugar, cinnamon, and cloves. 

I will tell you my niece's secret to making the apple butter over the fire.  She starts it on her stove first and then puts some of the apples in the blender.  To be honest, if we had to cook down the apples from slices, it would take all day!  This helps to hurry things up a bit, which I can't blame her for doing.  Once it goes into the pot, it simmers for several hours before its ready to be eaten. 

Steve would say I'm always stirring the pot! ;-)

I always enjoy these times.  I love creating new family traditions and continuing on the traditions of our ancestors.  I hope to be making apple butter with my family and friends for many more years to come!

Let me know in the comments below what types of traditions your family has.

Leave a Comment apple butter, apples, cooking, fall, family, homemade, simple living, sustainable living

5 Reasons Why I Read Banned Books to My Children

This week is Banned Books Week and I wanted to share with you why I read banned books to my children. 

While I was working towards my master's in library science, one of the classes that I took discussed banned books.  I had always assumed that if a book is banned or even challenged that it had to be because the content was so vile, so horrific that no one would be able to read it.  I was wrong.

Some of the books that have been banned and/or challenged include: 

• Harry Potter Series
• Little House in the Big Woods
• To Kill a Mockingbird
• Gone With the Wind
• The Lord of the Rings
• A Farewell to Arms
• The Grapes of Wrath
• The Great Gatsby
• Charlotte's Web
• Where the Wild Things Are
• And many more...

What is the Difference Between a Challenged Book and a Banned Book?
So what is the difference between banned books and challenged books?  Challenged books are those that someone finds offensive and has asked that they be removed from a library.  That library can be a school library, a public library, or a college library. Normally if the book is challenged, it will be removed from the shelves and unable to be checked out until a decision is made.

If it is decided that the challenged book should be physically removed from the library after the challenge has been reviewed, then it goes from being a challenged book to a banned book and it will no longer be a part of the library collection.

5 Reasons Why I Read Banned Books to My Children

So you might wonder why I read banned books to my children, and as they get older, they will be reading the books themselves. As you can see from the very short list of banned/challenged books above, if I didn't read or allow them to read banned books, they would be missing out on some truly tremendous works of literature.  I thought I would share some of the other reasons why and then you can decide for yourself whether or not to allow your children to read banned books.

1.  I want to be the one to decide what my child reads and doesn't read.

I really never could understand the reasoning behind banned books.  If you don't want your child to read something, then don't allow them to.  I may be naive in my thinking, but it should be up to the parent on whether or not a book is appropriate for that child.  I want to be the one to decide that for my children.  I do not want another parent deciding what is or isn't appropriate for my child.  

2.  I want my children to become free-thinking adults.

In order for my children to become free-thinking adults, then they need to have read a multitude of diverse ideas.  I want my children to be able to make up their own minds and to create their own ideas.  Reading a diverse set of books is a great way to shape who you are and who you want to become.  

3.  I want to expose my children to different cultures, traditions, etc.

This goes along with #2 above.  I want my children to learn about different cultures, traditions, histories, etc.  The only way to do this is to allow them to read about it and to experience these cultures.  It is not always possible to personally experience how certain people live, but the next best thing is to read about it.  

4.  Too much "protection" can backfire.

I am all for wanting to protect my children from inappropriate material.  There are certain t.v. shows that I do not allow my children to watch for various reasons.  There are also certain books that I wouldn't let them read at the age they are because they just wouldn't understand. However, trying to protect your child too much can have negative effects.  They can either enter the world unprepared for what it holds, or they can go behind your back and do the things that you were trying to protect them from in the first place.  Neither scenario is a good one.  I hope to keep the lines of communication open with my kids and make sure that they are prepared when they go out into the world.

5.  I want my children to read some great works of literature

If I didn't allow my children to read banned books, they would miss out on some great works of literature.  Several award winners have been banned or challenged.  My son would not be able to read Mark Twain, and every boy needs to read Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. My daughter would not be able to read Judy Blume. I read Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. so many times, the book fell apart!  I can't imagine my kids not having the same kind of experience with books that I had.  There are certain books that shaped me into the person I am today.

An extra thought: It's okay to say no to some books:

6.  It is okay to NOT allow your child to read a book

When my son was in the second grade, he brought home the book Jack's Run, by Roland Smith.  I had not heard about it, but decided to read about the book before delving into it with him as our evening reading.  I realized that not only was the reading level too high for him, but so was the content.  This is the first time I told him that he needed to take it back to the library and we would check it out again in a couple of years.  Later that same year I had the pleasure of meeting Roland Smith as well as his wife Marie Smith, who is also an author.  I told Marie about my son bringing home one of Roland's books to read and then we started discussing my son's age.  I felt relief when she agreed with me that 8-years-old was too young to read Jack's Run.  So sometimes it is okay to say no.  This goes back to reason #1.

What You Can Do

Read banned books, support your local library, and educate others about the right of freedom of speech.  And if your child brings home a book you don't want them to read?  Just say no, but please don't take the right to read it away from others. 

Comment below and let me know how many of you read banned books?

Leave a Comment banned books, books, censorship, family, freedom of speech, reading

Throw Back Thursday: Our Anniversary!

Happy Thursday!  Fall has officially started which I am very excited about!  One other thing I am excited about is that tomorrow is my wedding anniversary.  My wonderful husband and I will be celebrating our 11th anniversary!

I would like to be able to say that it has been completely wonderful and a piece of cake, but I think any of you who are married would know that it would be a complete lie.  Marriage is not easy.  Marriage is hard work. There are times where you don't feel like putting in the work.  Times when things are so bad that you wonder if it would just be better to walk away.

I'm here to tell you that those bad times, the times that make you wonder, are the times that make the good ones even sweeter.  Working through the bad times and surviving is worth it in the end.

What has helped me and my husband is the fact that we truly love and respect each other.  Girls, I have to tell you I got a good one when I married this fella!  He treats me with respect, he loves me unconditionally, and he thinks I am the most beautiful woman on this earth!  And the best part is that I feel the same way about him.

So tomorrow, we are finally getting away and spending some time with each other.  If we are lucky, a couple of times a year we are able to get away for a day and a night.  Well for this anniversary, we are going to be gone a whole weekend!  We are also going to be doing something that I love to do that we haven't done in a long time!  We are going antiquing!  I already have some items on my list that I want to buy to restore for our home.  Hopefully I can find what I am wanting.  If I do I plan to share my projects with you!

The other exciting thing that is happening today is that we are getting new internet service.  As you would expect (from the title of my blog) we live in a very rural area and so our options are limited (one), until now.  We now have another option so we are going to go with that one and see how it works.  I am hopeful that our service will be better and more consistent.

So have a great weekend and next week I promise another recipe and the start of the Christmas series. See you then!

Leave a Comment anniversary, family, husband, love, marriage, wedding, wife

Our Family's Fall Bucket List: How to Purposefully Create Time Together

Fall is a time to get back into the routine of school days, extracurricular activities, and all the things that keep us busy.

This year, we promised ourselves that it would be different. We had planned to say no to extra activities, we would stay home and enjoy our time as a family.  But here we are again, our days are filled with work and school, and our evenings with extracurricular activities.  With everything that we have going on, we are only home two nights out of the week.

Family time is so important to me.  I don't want to get so busy with our lives, that we forget to remember the important things.  Recently I shared with you a post on my son and how fast he is growing.  I didn't realize how fast it was going until I realized that I had already missed the "lasts."  Our lives can get so busy, that sometimes we forget what really matters the most.  We have to be purposeful in our time that we spend together, or it just doesn't happen.  

I have seen on Pinterest different ideas for "bucket lists."  Some are lists you make of things you want to do before you turn 30 or 40, others are geared towards a season or holiday.  For us I thought we could work together to make our own family bucket list to purposefully create things that we can do together. This would allow us to have our family time. 

Fall is my favorite season, with springtime a close second.  For us, it makes sense to create a list of activities that we can do during the fall season.  I thought that I would share that list with you.  These are all things that our family loves to do.  These items were decided based upon what our family wanted to do.  This is a list that is personal and meaningful to us.  It is not meant to be a list that your family has to follow.  Instead use this list as a guide to create your own bucket list.  Create this list as a family and incorporate at least one thing from each member.  

The important thing is to make it unique, make it special, and make it memorable.  And of course most importantly make it fun!  

So here is our list of 20 things that we have done or will do this fall.

So let me know below, have you made a family bucket list?

Leave a Comment bucket list, fall, family, fun, kids, pumpkin, simple living

Going Camping: What to Do and Not Do

Our family loves to go camping.  It is a great way to get away and really enjoy nature and each other.  And talk about some great family memories and adventures that are made on these trips!

Just this past weekend, our family went on a camping trip to one of our state parks.  It was a beautiful weekend.  The weather was not too hot and not too cold.  We went during Bass Pro Outdoor Days and camped with some friends that are in the same scout pack. To be honest, I think that our kids enjoyed it more than our family vacation we took this summer!

I thought it would be great to share with you some of the ways we prepare for the camping trip, and some of the things that we took or we wished we would have took. 

Note: With our kids we are not hiking-in our camping equipment. So at this time weight is not an issue with us. Likewise we are not interested in "glamping." We try to bring the necessities and at the same time pack light.  Here are some of the things that we pack.

TOTES

We have totes that we use to keep some things at the ready.  For this camping trip, we took two totes, one for food and kitchenware, and one for general camping supplies.

Our kitchen camping tote

Our kitchenware tote included:

• eating utensils
• pans for cooking
• spatula/knife/cutting board
• spices
• percolator/coffee
• food that did not need refrigeration

What I would do different:

• prepare veggies ahead of time and place them in the cooler
• bring sandwich bags for storage (really just an oversight) 
• bring more paper towels (something that we try and not use too much of)

Our general camping tote

 Our general camping supplies tote included:

• lantern
• 2 head lamps (these were a lifesaver!)
• lighter/matches
• camp stove
• extra propane for camp stove
• trash bag
• hammer
• first-aid kit
• twine

What I would do different/What I forgot:

• pack more trash bags
• pack a small tool set (hammer was good, but it would be nice to have a few other pieces if needed)
• check first-aid kit to make sure it has everything (we were missing bandages which we needed!)
• save up dryer lint and bring as a fire starter 

COOLER

We brought a cooler so we could bring foods that needed refrigeration.  We wanted to make good meals for our camping trip and I think that we did that.  The first night we had chili, then in the morning we had breakfast burritos, then the second night we had a polish sausage, potatoes, onions, and peppers dish.  We probably could have cut down on the amount of items we took by sticking to hotdogs and pbj, but I love to cook out in the open.  Of course we also had some bottled water that we brought.  
 
TENT AND BEDDING

Our tent is supposed to sleep  4-6 people.  I'm thinking that 4 would be the most comfortable.  With any tent, make sure you are getting the size you need for comfort.  And while a pop-up tent would be nice to set-up, its size would not be good for us.  And honestly, once you get familiar with how your tent is set-up, it shouldn't be too hard.  Note: Set up your tent before you go camping and make sure all the pieces are there, and don't forget the instructions!

What we took:

• tent
• sleeping bags
• pillows
• old quilts 

What I would do different/What I forgot:

• bring an air mattress (multiple so 4 people would all be sleeping on them)

I would highly recommend an air mattress.  We did not have one this camp out, we slept on some old quilts, and then our sleeping bags on top of that.  It wasn't too bad, but after two nights, that was about all we could handle.  We did have a foam mat that was supposed to be big enough for the kids, but I think only one kid ended up being able to sleep on it.


CLOTHING/TOILETRIES

We wanted to pack as light as possible, which really for this trip, we were running out of room in our car, so one duffel bag for four people was all I packed.  We were gone for 3 days and 2 nights.  In the future, I'm going to try and pack 2 duffel bags for us.

What we took:

• 1 duffel bag
• 2 sets of clothing for each person
• 1 set of pjs for each person
• toothbrushes/toothpaste
• hairbrushes/combs
• deodorant 

What I would do different/What I forgot:

• towel and soap (I completely forgot and this campground had a shower!)
• 2 duffel bags, one for the kids and one for adults.  Or another idea would have each kid pack a backpack with their items in it.

I thought I would show you how I packed the clothes.  I put a complete outfit together with shirt, pants, socks, and underwear like below.

One complete outfit

And then I rolled it up and stuck it in the duffel bag.  This way, we weren't searching for a pair of socks or underwear.  Everything was together.

Rolled up ready to be packed.

Something we did take that we weren't able to pack in a tote, was our dutch oven.  I did take a skillet as well, but our dutch oven would have been sufficient enough to cook in. 

As for our next camping trip, I know that we will be even more prepared.  We are all eager for that next camping trip and we hope that it will be as much fun.

Let me know, what do you take on your camping trip?

 

Leave a Comment Bass Pro, camping, cast iron, fall, family, friends, fun, kids, scouts, simple living, tips, vacation

Happy No Rhyme (Nor Reason) Day!

Today is national No Rhyme (Nor Reason) day.  I'm sure you are all going to be celebrating this wonderful holiday!  In case you aren't in the know, and have never heard about this holiday, it is the day that we celebrate those words in the English language that do not rhyme with any other word.

Have you thought of any yet?  If not, let me give you a few:

• orange
• bulb
• month
• amongst
• fifth
• flange
• pierced
• false

There are actually quite a few and the list above is just a very small list.  Did you think of any others?  Comment below and let me know if you can add to the list.

This past weekend we had some friends come to the farm that we hadn't seen in quite awhile.  We had a great time just visiting with them, and they were able to see all the new additions that we have.  We got out the dutch oven and made campfire chili and fry bread over an open fire.  It was delish!  Our friends happen to be YouTubers just like we are.  The funny part is that there was hardly a time when something happened that there wasn't at least one person yelling out "get your camera!" or "why isn't anybody filming this?"  After awhile we all started laughing about it.

However because of us wanting to film just about everything we did, we got some great videos.  Some will be posted soon to my channel at Henslee Farm Adventures .  In the meantime, you can watch this great video from RobThePirate about their time at the Henslee Farm.  Once your done, please check out his other videos, they are cool and funny!

In other news, I will be starting my Christmas gift making series.  I will be showing you some things you can make for Christmas gifts.  After all there are only 114 days  or only a little less than 4 months until Christmas!
 

2 comments bread, cast iron, cooking, family, farm, friends, holidays, simple living, yeast bread

Throw Back Thursday: Embracing the "Lasts"

 I'm taking a one week break from my regular throw back Thursday recipe post. I'm sorry to those who look forward to seeing it each week, but I promise I'll have one next week. 

Mama's birthday and Drew at nine months

There has been something that has been weighing on my heart and I just had to write about it.  In fact just thinking about it, I can already feel the tears start to well in my eyes. I'm sure at one time or another all moms go through this but I just didn't expect it to happen to me this soon.

Mama tickling Drew at two-years-old

So here it goes. My son is growing up. There. I said it. Yes I know that all kids grow up, but this is different. I was okay with him growing up into a toddler.  I was okay when he started preschool. I was okay when he started kindergarten. Alright, that last one is a lie. I was a complete basket case when he started kindergarten, but you catch my drift.  I knew he had to grow up, and I was going to be a strong mom.  I just knew it wouldn't bother me one bit! 

Mama kissing Drew at three-years-old

I used to imagine what kind of a man my son would become.  While I definitely did not want to wish my life or his away, I was excited to see the kind of person he would grow into.  I didn't think that him growing up would actually affect me.  I wasn't going to be like those other moms, the ones that cry and lament that their baby is gone.  No, I was going to relish the wonderful young man my son was becoming.  After all, it is just a fact of life and it has to happen!

Drew missing his two front teeth at four-years-old

Then things started happening this summer. Things I weren't prepared for.  I had to stop using the child-size hangers for his clothes and had to buy the adult-sized ones so his shirts would not fall off.  I began to notice that when I folded the laundry it was getting harder to tell the difference between his socks and his dad's socks.  I went to put on a pair of his flip flops he left beside the door so I could run out to the car. And they fit!  I looked at him sitting beside his dad on the couch one evening, and I noticed there wasn't as much of a size difference anymore.  But where it really hit me was when I took him to the dentist right before school started, and I was told that he had no more baby teeth.  It was all I could do to keep it together right there in the dentist's office!  The hygienist took one look at my face and knew I was about to lose it.  She had sympathy in her eyes for me and told me it was going to be okay. 

Drew at six-years-old right after a soccer game

That's when I knew. No longer am I just experiencing the "firsts," but now I have started experiencing the "lasts" with him. Before I had always thought about beginnings, and new things that my kids discovered, never the last thing they would do. And that is why this mother's heart is breaking.

Drew at seven-years-old having a shake with his aunt

I can no longer pick him up and carry him...when was the last time for that, how did I miss it?  No more tooth fairy...what night was the last time for that, why didn't I realize it?   I know he doesn't believe in Santa anymore from the things he says, but he keeps it quiet because of his little sister...when was the last time he believed? Last year? The year before that?  Where was I?  Why didn't I see this happening?

Drew at eight-years-old gearing up for football season

My heart aches and my eyes are stinging with tears.  My baby has grown.  He is growing.  And there is nothing I can do about it. Nothing.  I'm not sure how I am going to handle this.  I'm not sure I'm going to be able to keep it together.  So I might have to reckon with myself that I have become one of those moms.  And you know what?  I'm okay with that. 

Drew at nine-years-old with a new haircut

Even though he is growing up fast, and he will soon be an official "tween," he still comes and gets in bed with me every morning.  He still asks "Mama will you hold me?"  And as I put my arm around him, I can't help thinking, will this be the last time? I know that day is coming. I'm not sure how I will handle it when I wake up one morning realizing that it has come.  But for now I am just going to cherish each one of those mornings...until the last. 

2 comments family, kids, love, mother, son, tbt