06.07.10
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Keeping cool and breaking the bank

May’s electric bill was high. You would think I kept the thermometer set at 68 degrees or something similar, which certainly is not the case.

Coincidentally, the morning of the day I got the electric bill, I was upstairs for perhaps the third time before lunch and noted, with some amount of annoyance, that I was turning every single light off for the third time that morning. Little fairies seem to magically appear whenever I go downstairs and flip all the switches. So, my kids are getting a fair amount of blame for the expense and have been clearly instructed to keep the lights off or else. I’m not sure they know how serious I am, but when they find out that or else means no TV in the afternoon, it might help jog their memories.

I thought that keeping the upstairs thermostat at 80 was reasonable, but I’ve moved that to 85. The downstairs one is now at 80 from 78. At night, I switch those temperatures. If the bill is not significantly better next month, I will turn off the A/C, at least when my husband isn’t home.

But I suspect that the biggest culprit is the clothes dryer. Eight people generate quite a bit of laundry. My clothesline broke last month, and I used the dryer a lot. The line is now fixed and I have vowed to not use the dryer at all, unless I am desperate. This will be a challenge. The humidity levels are already pretty high, so it takes maybe 2 hours for thicker articles to dry out. I have limited space, so hanging up 4 or 5 loads just isn’t possible. And we seem to get a deluge every afternoon; anything hung up after 2 pm is at a serious risk of getting even wetter if it’s still up when the storm passes through.

I am on a mission. If you know any other energy saving tips, please let me know. Nighttime temps are above 70 degrees down here, so opening the windows at night isn’t going to help much. I did that in April, with much success, but summer comes early down here.

06.03.10
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How my garden does grow

This is my first year doing a raised bed with a square-foot gardening mentality. I went small scale this year to see how things would go (and because I had a limited budget). Here it is.

These are my tomatoes gone wild. Normally, tomatoes should be spaced 2 to 3 feet apart. The square foot garden system I followed seemed to think you can squeeze something in between. There is a basil plant in there. Actually, there are two, but the second one is definitely not thriving. It’s hard to get sunlight when you have enormous tomato plants hovering over you.

Here is the healthy basil plant. Well, it was healthy. When I saw it yesterday, one section was completely covered with an unidentifiable (by me) bug. I haven’t had the heart to check out the plant today. This plant was nearly defoliated for a dish for my party a few weeks ago, but it bounced right back.

I have 4 different tomato varieties growing. I can’t remember exactly what I planted, but some are big and some are small. All are growing right now, so in another month, I’ll be seeing lots and lots of red.

Isn’t this one pretty?

I love tomatoes.

These cherry tomatoes might never make it to the inside of my house. They are so yummy warmed by the sun and straight off the vine.



Having never grown broccoli, I had no idea what to expect from these large leafy things. I squealed with joy when I saw the florets sprouting from the tops the other day.

They are for dinner tonight.

I harvested this crookneck squash the other day as well.

Lots of flowers on the pumpkin vine and I did finally notice a fruit growing. The last time I tried pumpkins, the bugs got most of them and a woodchuck finished what they left behind. Maybe this is the year for truly fresh pumpkin pie.

I really think this is a watermelon vine and flower. I thought it was dead and just looped it around the trellis and hoped for the best.

I was very excited to see this tiny fruit last weekend, and I noticed one or two others yesterday. I’m still not confident the plant will survive; it’s such a straggly thing. We shall see.

It is nice to have a garden, and nothing tastes better than your own grown vegetables. But I am very glad I can head to the local produce stand or grocery store for things my little bed fails to grow.

Next year, I will definitely give the tomatoes more room.

05.31.10
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The Matthew Freeman Project

Today, we attended a ceremony kicking off the national campaign for The Matthew Freeman Project. Matthew Freeman was a Marine Captain who died last year in Afghanistan. Two days before he was killed, he talked to his mom and asked her to collect pens and paper for the kids of that country. Despite his death, she accepted his challenge and began this project.

I am always inspired and amazed by people who heroically turn life’s sorrows and trials into hope and meaning for other people.

The mission of The Matthew Freeman Project is: To honor the memory of Marine Captain Matthew C. Freeman by realizing his vision of helping children in Afghanistan and other war-torn countries worldwide, principally where American armed forces are, or have been present, by delivering school supplies, especially pens and paper, to help continue their education and improve literacy; to honor God by promoting communities of promise, prosperity, and peace.

It was a nice ceremony.

The website does not yet have information on how to donate supplies, but the project is aimed toward school children. There is an email address for any military personnel who are deployed and wish to distribute school supplies to children in their area.

I hope your Memorial Day was lovely. Please remember to pray for the souls of all those who died for this country, and also for those who are currently in harm’s way.

05.30.10
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We needed a long weekend

So far, the weekend has been great.

We cleaned the garage. This is a big deal. We’ve been here for 4 months now and the garage was the last major mess left. My husband can now park his car in the garage. And I ordered two of these bike stands, because several bikes do not have kick stands, and those that do rarely seem to be upright. Hoping that the kids will properly store their bikes vertically which will help to keep the floor clear.

Bill has been working with the boys on scouting projects. They have enjoyed working together immensely. I’m happy to have an improved, sturdier shelf in the back of my van to aide in carrying 30 bags of groceries home.

Bill also took the older girls out to a lunch date yesterday, and then he ran errands with Mary in the afternoon so she would have her special time with dad. Peter got to play catch one-on-one. And I had a lunch date with him today. Everybody has wanted – and gotten – their piece of the most popular man in the world…well, in our world, at least.

I baked zucchini bread and walnut date bread. I ran errands. I ran 4 miles. I biked 10 miles (2 yesterday and 8 today – ouch).

Bill replaced the left turn blinker on my van. It’s been out for 4 months. It’s amazing how a simple 5 minute job can make you feel so good when it’s finally done.

And we bought a classical guitar today. I didn’t really wake up this morning and say, “I think I’ll buy a guitar,” but somehow that’s what I ended up doing. Now I need to learn how to play it.

And I still have tomorrow. Wonder what trouble we’ll get into then.

05.28.10
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Late night

How many ringpops does it take to keep the under 5 crowd amused through double header playoff games? I stopped counting after 3. I only wish that I had realized how effective they were and bought them at the grocery store instead of at the snack bar for $0.50 each.

The boys won. I’m happy for them. I’m happy that the season is over.

Now I need to look into fall ball.

05.27.10
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Following my own orders

We didn’t get home from baseball until after 9 pm last night. It was 10 before the kids were bedded down and I remembered that I needed to change the dates on some documents for my husband. He would have done it himself, but one was a JPEG file I had created, so it was complicated.

It didn’t take long to complete the job. I printed a copy of the changes, emailed him the new versions, and showed him my work. Finally feeling “done,” I sat on my chair next to his chair to relax for a bit before bed. It had been a long day with a field trip to an organic farm, ballet class for the girls and then the baseball game.

After a minute, his GI Blackberry buzzed telling him he had a new message. “Go to bed,” I growled at the electronic leash. “It’s nearly 11 o’clock at night. Why would somebody be up this late sending you emails? Don’t these people ever sleep?”

He picked up the thing and looked at it. “That would be your email,” he said.

“Oh, go to bed,” I growled at the phone again. And then I did.

05.26.10
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Flashback

Yesterday I had the opportunity to have lunch with my husband (and no children). I insisted on checking out the DFAC (dining facility aka cafeteria) near him, since I had heard how great it is. And it was great. I mean, it’s a cafeteria, but it’s a low, flat price for whatever you want, the salad bar had an acceptable number of toppings and dressings (the spinach was fresh), and there were plenty of choices of hot entrees and desserts. I would eat there again.

We selected a bar-height table. There was a TV with CNN on.

Suddenly, eating cafeteria food in that setting brought back memories of sharing meals with my husband, long before he was my husband, at our college’s dining facility, at a bar height table, with CNN on the TV.

A decent salad bar and a tab of $8.50 for two people are definitely incentives to frequent the DFAC, but the real reason I’d go back is to imagine, for a half hour, that I am 20 again.

05.24.10
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Monday Monday

For breakfast, I had a huge bowl of sliced apples (with a side of fruit dip). For lunch I think it will be pineapple and strawberries.

I have tons of leftovers here, so if you’re hungry, come on over.

Party seemed to go well. Funny that the BBQ chicken – no recipe – using homemade leftover sauce – is all gone. I didn’t even get a piece.

I didn’t get any margarita cupcakes either. I will definitely make a double batch next time. My bottle of tequila is half gone.

And our stock of Jack Daniels, Maker’s Mark and vodka took a hit. If we have this crowd over again, I think we’ll need to restock.

*****

Public schools down here ended last week. My school still has some lingering material. Motivation is sorely lacking this morning, but, nevertheless, off we go.