All You Need to Know About Me Here....

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Trying Times


Hello Friends -It's been a trying week at our place. Lots of roadblocks and speed bumps to face and overcome. Stress, anxiety, PTSD and depression are constant companions to our family right now and there are times when it hits full force, slowing us down to the point of stopping. Somehow we continue to slog on and make it through but it takes a lot out of us.


I'm lucky to have many family and friends to support me and mine through these times. They come to my defense and to my side when I need them most and I will eternally be grateful. I find grace in God's love and in His Word, along with the uplifting words found in certain places on the internet.


Things will get better, and I will make it through...we all will. It takes time, faith and determination, all of which can hide deep inside, waiting for you to realize they are there, dig them out, dust them off and put them into use. Some days they are more readily available, others not so much. Some days it is easy to get out of bed, others there is no chance. But I am being kind to myself and with others and I look for understanding and grace in all situations.

Please be gentle with me as I face these trying times, and understand that I will be back full force soon, if God wills...





 

Friday, January 16, 2015

Family Roots

4 Generations have graduated from our high school
Holey Family about 1942
The town I live in is full of my family history. We may not be the "big name" in town, or have all the money, or know the right people, but my family has been here for 5 generations (or more). I have relatives buried in nearly every cemetery in the area and you can hardly turn a corner without a family story being told. "So and so lived there..." "Remember when we....".  My children are the fourth generation to graduate from our high school.

Several years before my Mama passed away, she and her sister came to me and asked for computer help to search for a long lost relative. It was when Google was just starting and they weren't sure how to use it. We typed in some information and soon we were going back generations!

Martin and Maria Smeby Family
Now, granted, this particular branch of our family tree is large, prestigious on the East Coast and nobility in Scotland, ensuring there are many records and a proliferation of information. I was able to trace my maternal grandfather's family (on both his mother and father's side) back many generations and found many stories of notable and notorious relatives, including a pirate, noblemen, soldiers, and even a Vice President.

Family Stories
I have relatives who are helping me do the same on my maternal grandmother's side. And my father's side is already done. It is amazing to hear the stories, to see the pictures, to piece together the lives of those that have gone before me. It gives me a sense of belonging, giving me a knowledge of who I am and where I came from!



Family Tree
There is something to be said for appreciating where your family comes from and thankfully I have been dubbed the Family Historian.  Relatives send me pictures, old letters, and stories. I have funeral cards, obituaries and birth notices.  I have copies of birth, death, and marriage certificates, wills, land titles and census records, all tracing my family back through the years.

And now, Princess Pea's social studies teacher has assigned a project creating a family tree. The more generations she can add, the more extra credit she can get. I told her she has an unfair advantage. She laughed and said "I know". She wants to ask her teacher if she can just bring in my books and binders instead of drawing it all out on a piece of tag board. We will figure something out I'm sure.

Princess' Project
In the meantime, we will put it on the tag board and squeeze in as many as we can. And I get the pleasure of teaching my beautiful daughter all about her heritage. I love to see her engaged and excited about this project. I love her asking the questions, her eyes lighting up to hear stories. Praying she will be the next family historian!

My Parents with their Grandchildren
3 Generations, My mom, Princess Pea, and me








Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Planning the Garden!

Good morning Dear Friends...

It is another brisk morning in the valley! Actually the weatherman said it is the coldest morning temperature (without windchill) that we have had yet this winter. My Jeep registered -14 F on the way to work. So very glad there isn't any wind to go along with that!

- 14 - sure glad there is no wind today!

It's usually about this time of the year that I go into full planning mode. Planning the garden, planning projects for the year, organizing and cleaning and de-cluttering! I pull out the calendar, make lists, take inventory, and rewrite budgets. It's a new year filled with hope and promise!

Burpee's Calendar
Today is focused on the gardens! I found an awesome planning calendar over at Burpee's Website that tells you specifically when to plant or transplant in relation to first and last average frost for a specific growing zone. This is especially helpful for newer gardeners like me and not only includes vegetables but herbs, fruits, and flowers. 
Garden Calendar
So I printed off a copy of the full year (one month per page) and using the calendar noted when to plant each specific item I want in my garden this year. There are a few items missing (most notably potatoes) but for the most part I have covered everything we will need.

I have already ordered seed catalogs and am anxiously waiting for them to come in the mail! I love pouring over the different varieties of each vegetables, oohing and aahing over the beautiful colors of the flowers and wishing I could buy everything all at once instead of spreading it over the years. Someday I will have the gardens, orchards and berry patches that I want and need to support my family.

The next step will to measure the gardens, decide where, if possible, we can expand, and then map where everything will go. We have several gardens around the yard, some raised, some not, that we plant in. There are many projects that need to be done to get everything in that I want, and it may take a few years, but will get there.


More Entries.
We have segregated the berries from the rest of the garden. Last year we didn't have much luck with them. Both the Blueberry bushes we planted failed but both Raspberries took. I would like to add more raspberries to the patch and then we will need to put up netting to keep out the birds. That will require braces and such to hold it.

The trellis currently has clematis on it but I would like to replace that with grape vines. I know my parents used to grow concord grapes and make their own juice and jelly from them. I want to get there again.

The apple tree needs to be pruned. We had a huge harvest last year. Largest one my dad had seen in all the years of owning the property. I would like to get another tree in this year too.


Last Year's Gardening Start!
The strawberries are in a great spot, but only receive sunlight on part of the patch. I used old pallets to create my strawberry patch. I stapled gardening fabric to the back of the pallets, flipped them over and filled with soil. It works great! My plants really took off and we had a lot of berries (if we can keep the squirrels and birds out of them). The pallets need to be moved (there are only 2) so that they all receive the sunlight. I have the perfect place for them, but it requires moving a small wood pile and some other things and then actually moving the pallets. I also want to expand this area by adding about 6 more pallets! Of course we will need to add the netting here too.


Strawberries in a Pallet
The herb garden did well last year, right outside the back door. I will need to add some organic mixture this year and till it in good. I will be adding a few more to the garden this year!

Oh, I can't wait to start my garden! We will be planting our tomatoes and peppers inside so they will be ready to go come summer! I still have some research to do on other things, and we will have to make arrangements for the vegetable garden to be tilled, but all in all it's a great start! I can't WAIT for summer! :)

 

Monday, January 12, 2015

Weekend Recap...


Sleeping Beauty!
 
Changing the Diaper
Good Morning Dear Friends...Praying you had a restful and blessed weekend. Mine was full of family, fun and football. I was blessed to have my younger brother and his wife come for a visit on Friday night with their sweet baby Adelia! Honey and I were home alone so I got all kinds of time to snuggle on her without having to share!  Eventually though, Princess Pea came home and stole her away from me. But that's ok, she ended up having to change the wet nappie! She offered and it was good experience for her. She had never changed one so small.

Looking for something?
Saturday was a rough day for me. I have been having a hard time with constant exhaustion. I'm not sure if it is due to illness, depression, lack of exercise or what but I can't seem to wake up and all day I feel like I just want to crawl back into bed, along with feeling achy in my muscles and joints.  This has been going on for quite some time and its enough for me to start becoming a bit concerned. Now that I have medical insurance again I will be sure to go in and have the tests run. 

I  was able to get the remainder of Christmas down and put away on Saturday, but that is about all I accomplished.  The puppies thought there should be another gift under the tree and had to dive under to search for it! After all that and little laundry, I laid down for a little rest and woke up 3 hours later. Eeek...so much for a productive Saturday.
 
Sweet Baby

Packer Backer! :)
Multi-tasking!
Sunday was a bit better. Princess Pea and I attended church and she went to her confirmation class. Then home to a house full of family for the Packers/Cowboys playoff game. The whole family was there, a pot of chili was on and there was loud cheering for both sides (Honey is a Cowboy's fan). Baby Adelia was passed around and loved on a lot and the dogs played until they dropped. My brother, Eric, brought his year old beagle, Dory and she played and played with Luna and Emma.
kisses!!

 Steve
Janet

Becca and Adelia
 
Tired Girls...Anessa and Adelia

Watching the Game
Focused!
Grandpa and Adelia
 
Tired Emma
 
And Luna too...
I'm researching some shows to watch on Netflix. Let me know if you have any suggestions. I'm kind of liking Mrs. Fischer's Murder Mysteries, The Librarians, Murdock, and Forever right now.  I'm also looking for books to read that mirror Jane Austen and such. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
 
Well  another (mostly) great weekend in the books. I promise I will keep  you posted on what the doctor says about my exhaustion and any follow up on that.  Now, on to another week of work, school, dance and fun.
  




Friday, January 9, 2015

Home

Good Morning Dear Friends..
 

View out my Kitchen Window last night
Once again it's a bitterly cold day over here. It sure makes me want to just stay home and hibernate. Yesterday we had some snow, the fluffy kind, and with the wind blowing, there were white out conditions and blizzard conditions to the west of us. It wasn't quite so bad here, but bad enough for many activities to be cancelled, including my Board meeting! Cookie's boss called and told him to stay home too. He is a cook at a local supper club and I guess they didn't think anyone would be out dining last night. I'm glad I didn't have to worry about him on the roads.

View out my Living Room Window last night


Warm Glow of (Fake) Candle Light
It is an LED Candle - much safer with the
animals in the house
I love the look and feel of candles burning. The glow they put off warms the soul as much as they light the room. It evokes a warm, cozy feeling, especially on cold winter nights. Unfortunately with all the animals in the house, I don't light them as often as I would like. Emma is such a spastic, 7 month old lab puppy with at tail that can clear the coffee table in one swipe. All it would take would be for her to get over excited (which happens often) and the candle would start the room on fire. I do have a couple of the LED candles but they just don't give the same feeling in my opinion.
 


Warm Cozy Quilts
So we look for other ways to stay warm and cozy.  Quilts are one of my favorites! This one was a gift from one of the circles at church! Isn't it sweet and I love the colors. It is the perfect size for cuddling with while reading on the couch!
 


Wii Fun
We have been playing a lot of Wii as well the last week.  We have 4 remotes so we can all join in. The kids and I played last night, Mario Kart again, and of course they both beat the pants off me. But the laughter and time together is worth so much more than my pride!
 
Here are some other miscellaneous pictures from the house...our sweet Sassy Cat, some of my beloved books and my wonderful son. 

Sassy Cat
Books
And More Books

Adelia!
Cookie Hanging Out at the Computer
This weekend will see me cleaning closets, packing up the Christmas things (yes, I know, I've been saying that for a week!), crafting, laundry and of course watching the Packer Game!! I'm not big into a lot of sports but give me my football! Local High School, Wisconsin Badgers, and Green Bay Packers....I do love to watch. Of course, this Packer's game, a play-off game, will be a fun one...played in Lambeau Field in Green Bay in the cold, against the Dallas Cowboys (who happen to be Honey's favorite team!). Me thinks there will be someone not so happy Sunday evening. Actually, we don't trash talk much...we just root on our teams. I'm hoping the weather doesn't get too bad. We have invited my brother and his wife down with their new baby for the game. Little Adelia is so very sweet! I just want to love on her forever!
 
On that note, I'd better get to work. I think my lunch break is over and I have things to get done before I leave.
 
Praying on this verse today: 2 Timothy 4:17 -  "But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me...I was rescued out of the lion's mouth." - May the Lord your God stand with you today, whatever you are facing.
 
 
 




Thursday, January 8, 2015

Thursday Goings On


Today is another frigid day here in Western Wisconsin! My Jeep showed -3 degrees on the way to work! Of course that is not counting in the wind! Gusts are making the windchill as cold as -25 below zero or more. Brrr....just makes me want to hibernate. If I didn't love living here so very much and have all my family roots here, I would seriously think about moving. But then I'm sure I would miss it!
As cold as it is, we are looking for things to do inside. Since we cut back on Christmas this year and didn't get cards out, I sat down and wrote a couple notes to some special friends. I have a friend going through a particularly bad time right now and knew she could use a lift. In hers I included a few post it notes with inspiring quotes or thoughts for her to hang up around her home or office. I sure hope it helps. I hate to see my friends hurting.
 
I also took the time to start some lists...grocery lists, cleaning tasks, blogging ideas and some books I'd like to check into. If I don't write it down, I forget. How frustrating!
 
 
When I got home, Honey hooked the Wii back up and Princess Pea and her friend A- hung out and played for awhile. I took them on in a round of Just Dance and then on to Mario Kart! Oh we laughed and giggled! What a great way to spend a cold winter evening! :)
 
Of course Princess Pea won nearly every round (she has LOTS of practice). But A- and I took it all in stride. Nothing like a good giggle when your Mario Kart character goes flying off the edge of a cliff!
 
Even the puppies were relaxing last night. Luna curled up in her chair while Emma made herself at home on the floor! They are such silly girls. We did go outside to play for a bit when I got home, but the cold and wind made it near impossible for us to stay out long.
 
 
 
Of course there is always housework and laundry to do. Looks like there is a basket of towels waiting for me when I get home tonight. Sigh...does it ever end?  And of course tonight will likely feature more of the same! And I will be working on some projects to take down to my friend's consignment craft store. She takes just about everything I make! Before Christmas I was selling rice warming bags there. These are fabric sewing together filled with rice and essential oils that you can put in the microwave to warm. Then you put them on achy muscles, menstrual cramps, or for warming your feet at night. I even use mine on the seat of the Jeep on extra cold days! Makes for a much warmer ride into work! I made some mini ones for Princess Pea to put in her pockets at the bus stop. She loves them! Anyway, the store is having another sale in February so I need to restock!

Well, hopefully the weather starts cooperating more here soon. Though, now we are to get snow again today! In the meantime, we are keeping busy with our indoor projects and dreaming of gardens and spring, just around the corner! :) God's Blessings to you all my dear friends!