Debt On Ice

The estimated median household income for our county is 2.5 times what husband's income is, if you include his housing allowance. If you count only our taxable income, that number jumps to 4.5. We have to budget. We don't have another choice, except financial ruin. We were well on our way down that path before husband was able to find a new job. In the past I have been too overwhelmed and discouraged by what seemed insurmountable to even be involved in making a budget. I was difficult. Last year I refused to let husband put me on a cash budget, fearing that I would spend the cash unwisely, or lose it, or be robbed. It sounds silly I'm sure, but I was genuinely fearful and I thought I was doing just fine.

Through God's grace we have been able to stay on track none the less, like a lonely ant slowly eating the proverbial elephant. We have been paying down our overall debt load, which is encouraging. Towards the end of 2011 I had a significant change of heart and finally felt the whole weight of my own contributions to our financial situation. Over course of a few months husbands explained our situation, our budget, his plan, and his goals. I have been able to lend some organization to his methods and we set some goals together. After reading about the envelope system on several blogs I follow, I asked to be put on a cash budget. Sadly, because of my overspending, we couldn't do that until our tax refund came in. The very day Husband's W-2 came in the mail I sat down and filed our return.

 

Finally, our direct deposit payment arrive! This morning, while Husband made a very large online payment, I wrapped our cursed credit cards in several plastic bags and weighted them down with a stone and froze them in a jar of water. I think it would have been more fun to wizz them up in my handy dandy food processor, but my more rational, financially savvy spouse told me that wasn't a good idea. I'm still not so sure about it. But I guess those cards can't hurt me where they are. The jar is labeled simply "debt". I don't want to thaw that out!

The rest of my life starts today.

Seesaw

I just wanted to show off my pretty bowl

Today I played on the housework seesaw. I was on one end, and the two boys were on the other. And they are so much better at this game than I am. Today I concentrated on a few pet projects; making room for the new things I bought yesterday and working on my ferments. I had to reorganize 5 of my 9 cabinets to find the room for my new bowls. That took most of my morning. So while I did this:

 

They did that:

 That is our sensory box, with rice

While I did this:   

In the crockpot is beef stock,  jar on the left is sourdough, the wrapped jars are kraut and carrots, the jar on the right is water kefir

They did this:

 Two against one, no fair!

I knew they were making a mess, since I could see them at the sensory bin while I was chopping the carrots. But they were happy and playing together nicely, so really the 7 minutes it took me to clean up that mess were well worth the peace I enjoyed while doing something I needed to get done.

Today I started a batch of lacto-fermented carrots. This is a new recipe for me. I have made saurkraut, yogurt, milk kefir, and water kefir before, so I have had some practice with home fermentation. Eating naturally fermented, raw foods is a fantastic and inexpensive source of probiotics and other nutrients. If you are interested in the subject, please see this article by Sally Fallon. 

For supper I planned to use one of the freezer meals I cooked earlier in the week, but since I felt so accomplished and energetic, I decided to make some sourdough pancakes. I've never had much luck (okay, ANY luck) with sourdough in the past, but I decided to give it a second chance. My inspiration was an episode of "Man vs Food" where he goes to Alaska and has this massive breakfast at a genuine roadhouse at the base of Mt McKinley. The breakfast included sourdough pancakes that looked so tender and tempting I haven't been able to get them out of my head for a week. I knew, thanks to one of my favorite blogs, Cooking Traditional Foods, that you can use equal parts water kefir and flour to make an "instant" sourdough starter. 

So this morning I fed my starter a cup of whole wheat flour and a cup of filtered water, I figured that in 8 hours it would be just perfect for these Yukon Sourdough Flapjacks. Instead of adding baking soda, I did the optional steps 10 and 11 and let it prove in my microwave, which I made into a sourdough sauna by microwaving a little water for 5 minutes. (Just make sure you check the microwave temp with your hand, it shouldn't be uncomfortably warm, but a few degrees cooler than your own body.)

The result? A nice, light, bubbly batter that looked very promising. I fired up the stove and used a 1/3 cup measure to dip the batter gently (trying to disrupt the batter as little as possible, to preserve the air bubbles). 

I was tearing into the first flapjack before I even remembered to pour another one out, it smelled so nice. The finished pancake (flapjack? are they the same thing?) was AMAZING!! It was so delicate it melted in my mouth, and so flavorful that I didn't need butter or syrup. By the time my second pancake was cooking I was dialing my sister to share the discovery. It is nice to have friends and sisters to share these dorky little things with. Shared joy is double joy, right?

The flapjacks were a huge hit with the family as well. Even my picky 3 year old, Jack, finished a whole one without coercion. Now I just need to figure out how to have the batter ready for me in the morning. There is no way I can keep my hungry crew from eating their own shoes for an hour or more in the morning!

Thrifting bliss

My Living Room, this evening

Like so many women, I enjoy shopping. Unlike so many, it's the hunt I enjoy more than the buy. Not that I don't like to buy things, but I enjoy browsing, eying, plotting, and planning. I'm not normally an impulse shopper. I used to be, but when I started staying home I was very aware that I wasn't just spending *my* money. My husband works hard and long to put money in the bank account, and keeping that fact in mind helps keep me honest and on budget. A friend in college introduced me to the glorious art of thrift shopping, and it seemed to click with me. I like old things, and diving into a thrift shop brought back of the thrill (and occasional horror or disgust) of those giant black trash bags full of hand-me-downs that we used to get as kids. 

 Today I found myself in dire need of some "me" time. Both kids are sick and the baby had me up every hour last night. I was tired, cranky and running low on general goodwill. When husband arrived home this afternoon I told him I needed a nap and to go out. Alone. I did get a nice nap and then I nursed the baby, handed him to his papa and they went out for a long walk. I went straight for my favorite three thrift stores. About 10 minutes from my home there is a Salvation Army, an estate auction/antiques shop and a local thrift store. Between the three of them I can usually find what I'm looking for. Today I went looking for a large cookie jar or crock to keep my coconut oil in, because I just ordered 5 GALLONS of the stuff. I hope I don't regret that. (But look at that pretty crock I found! That was easy. Finding the space to store a 5 gallon bucket, now that is going to be more challenging.)

When I walked into the first shop (Salvation Army) I did my usual rounds, quickly scanning for those things I'm always on the lookout for: old Tupperware canisters (any color, but especially green), canning jars, Fiestaware dishes, Pyrex anything, pre-2000s Corningware (for a friend), cast iron anything. I found a set of lock-top jars that will be perfect for making ferments, like saurkraut and ginger carrots. $2.99/each, not a bad deal. I pay $0.50/jar for the canning jars, but the lock top will keep more oxygen out, which will help the beneficial, anaerobic bacteria flourish in my lacto-fermented veggies. And there's no worry about the metal corroding in the brine, unlike the screw top caps.

In the estate sale/antiques shop I mostly just browse. I can't go in there with the kids unless I have a buddy to help me watch them. Most of the things there are far out of my price range, not to mention they don't fit my lifestyle. Still, in a back corner they have the "junky" thrift quality items. That is where I've bought most of my Pyrex baking dishes. Today I walked in and started looking around, enjoying the freedom of not having the kids. The first thing to catch my eye was a beautiful, big yellow Pyrex mixing bowl . Sadly, it was cracked. Fine for display, but I'm not big on "look don't touch" things. I kept browsing. Fourth table in, I see IT. THE THING. THE THING I LOOK FOR AND NEVER FIND.

A set of Pyrex mixing bowls. In good shape, the red one is a little faded but overall, the colors are good and not very scratched. The second largest size, the green bowl, is missing. There's no price, just the seller number. I find a nice crock for my oil, and some Corningware for my friend. I almost put the bowls back several times. I knew they would be expensive. But I toted them up to the register anyway. When the owner told me the price I was amazed. $25. Obviously, they had to come home with me. :)

 

At the third shop I was running out of time and I still needed to go to the ethnic grocery store nearby. I did a quick swoop looking for my top items, and I saw this little Hoosier Glass vase. I received one like this from my grandparent's estate and my sister saw it on Sunday and admired it. The one in the thrift shop was identical and marked $0.69. This has to have been the best thrifting day I've had, bar none.

[r]AWESOME!

My sister came to visit me yesterday, which was a special treat in itself. When she arrived, she brought gifts; a half gallon of raw milk and fermented cod liver oil. These gifts would seem a little odd to most of you I'm sure, but to me they were perfect. If you are wondering why, why oh why would I be overjoyed by these gifts, check out the Weston A. Price Foundation; they have a number of articles which can explain the whys and wherefores more efficiently than I can.

I was pleasantly surprised by the cod liver oil. I didn't find it fishy tasting at all. And the raw milk brought me double joy, as I was able to drink a large glass and my eczema has not flared! I had another glass this morning, and it was a welcome addition to my breakfast. I noticed that my usual 11am mood swing (blood sugar related) didn't occur at all, which was a welcome change.

And this is a photo of my living room. How about that train track, eh? That was my handiwork.

That's about all I have to share right now.

Laundry Night

Tonight is laundry night. Laundry folding can only happen when the children are abed, since the littlest one takes great delight in emptying baskets and the bigger one enjoys hopping up to sit next to mama, and that inevitably leads to toppled piles and frustration.

Husband is doing homework, which means I have the TV all to myself. Around here, this is big, exciting news.

Just look how happy that made him! No, just kidding. That would be the Chocolate Chickpea Cake.

Normal?

I'm really pleased with how "clean" my living room is today. Since the husband and I have been doing an exercise program each evening, all the toys have to get cleaned up. I really enjoy the Christmas season, and I go all out while it's here. But now that it is all over, I'm rather relieved. Back to normal, back to the routine is good for all of us, especially me. 

2011 was a good year for us, we had a baby, husband finished his first B.A., we had a nice beach vacation, and I kept on with the routine. Diaper washing, food preparing, house cleaning (eh, sort of), breastfeeding, baby carrying, preschooler educating. I guess it's actually pretty dull around here, but I enjoy it. 

 Now it's 2012 and I'm excited and energized, ready to charge "once more into the breach!"

"The game's afoot!"

Typical

I was in the middle of fixing supper this evening when Baby Bear started wailing, Speaceboy had a tantrum and I had a hissy fit. So I had to stop and calm down, then deal with the kids. I decided enough was enough and put the big boy in front of Blues Clues (thank you netflix!). After nursing the baby I set him back in the highchair in the doorway of the kitchen and I started cooking again. About 5 minutes into things I realized that Baby Bear was too quiet. I looked over and this is what I saw:

Yes. He's asleep. I laughed so hard because I had been using the food processor about 10 inches from his head. Not even my laughter, or me squeezing by him to get the camera woke him up. He stayed that way for about 20 minutes, until, just as I was finishing the labor intensive part of supper, Spaceboy came in and cried "BOO!" and laughed hysterically while the baby wailed pitifully. I shoo'd the mean big brother away and finished the meal (mostly stirring at this point) holding the baby.

So, in other words, it was a typical day. Both of those boys are long since in bed, thanks be. Dear Husband is working on homework, and I'm toodling on the internet instead of folding the 6 loads of laundry that I washed and dried today. This is my living room.

I took down most of the holiday decorations, the tree was where that big wicker toy basket is. That blue thing is the bird cage, which I had to move away from the drafty balcony door. Since my last photo we've scored two much-needed dumpster treasures: a second lamp, which was Dear Husband's find, and a comfortable chair for my sewing table. I'm really going to miss that dumpster when we move.

I rearranged the living area so that Baby Bear (who is trying to walk) could have a space of his own. He loves it, and I now have a safe place for him when I'm out of the room.

I guess I'd better stop procrastinating now and make space for my laundry. Repeat after me: I do not complain about my blessings. I remind myself that I am blessed with an abundance of clothing. Clean clothing. And a washer and dryer in my apartment. A washer and dryer right next to the bedrooms, so that I don't have to haul laundry very far. I choose to think of things in positive ways! I am thankful!