Things

I have turned into a horrible blogger!  And while I'll admit I like the idea of people reading what I right (frustrated writer), the entire purpose of this blog is to document what's going on in our lives so that later we can remember it all.  FAIL. 

I've got a break from the "murder drive" today so I'm going to post and try to catch up....

School has begun and we now have a 4th grader and two 2nd graders.  It is ridiculous to me how fast these three have grown!  This year marks a lot of firsts, not the least of which is that it's the first year that I was not there for "back to school".  Thankfully, K is awesome and took a few photos of the big morning.  He also called me as soon as he dropped the kids off and gave me the morning report.

As most of you know, I wasn't there because I've just begun my PhD program at the University of Alabama.  I'm excited and scared and intimidated all at once!  However, I know this is the thing I should be doing because we have been so blessed.  I thought with my teaching responsibilities that I'd need to be driving to Tuscaloosa (197 miles round-trip) four times a week.  Last week, while in orientation I received my assignments for this semester's work and found that I would not have to be on campus for work!!!!  I can complete all of my GTA work online and just go to Tuscaloosa for class 2 afternoons a week and then for any special events/meetings.  I cannot tell you what a load that has taken off; driving three hours a day is exhausting!

Well, it's time for my first school drop-off of the year!  Smiles all around here!

Much Love,
-J

WOW!

That's all I can say!  I stumbled across this awesome, inspiring blog last week.  Gayle is the mom of four kids and she (along with her husband) eat each week on a grocery budget of $60.  That's right, $60 a week for a family of 6 (including at least one teenage boy)!!!  That also includes toiletries but not make-up, clothes, etc.  Also, they only spend $40 per week on gas ($20/2cars).  They do have a garden and she homeschools the kids.  However, judging by our food consumption this summer that may not be a budget helper!  Perhaps my favorite thing about Gayle's plan is that she doesn't use coupons -- that's right NO COUPONS!  Considering that I absolutely loathe coupons, this chick immediately won my favor.

We used to have a much tighter grocery budget, but lately we've gotten a little lax.  I'm ready to tighten the reins; thankfully not because we HAVE to, but just to be more responsible.  We are wasting a lot and we know better!!  That extra cash could be used to pay off some debt and boost our savings.  I'm not sure I want to immediately cut back to $60 per week, but I'm really considering $80.  We'll see.

So, not to be nosy, but I'm wondering what do you spend each week on groceries?  What about clothes, shoes, gas, etc?  Just wondering...

Much Love,

--J

As Corny as Kansas in August

--

We shucked, cleaned, and prepped the corn and ended up with 35 ears and a bunch of creamed corn. However, I thought this photo best depicted the magnitude of the job. My helpers did all the shucking (and jiving?) while I washed, trimmed, blanched and bagged. Although I had more individual tasks our workload was about even. I'm proud of my little workers.

Here's to hoping your summer is corny, too!

Much Love,
--J

Even more pickin'

Thanks to some kind family friends with an awesome garden we're enjoying a sweet bounty.  The kids and I picked corn, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, bell peppers, and cantaloupe yesterday morning.  45 minutes of picking yielded this...

It is literally more than we could carry! Holdyn is proving to be a very good farmer-boy. He loves the hunt for ripe veggies/fruits. Also, he love the various creatures he finds while picking! Evie and Kallie seem to be able to find any ants within a 50 mile radius, become promptly bitten, and then find the closest shady spot to "rest" and "take a water break". However, they love to help me prepare the bounty once we get it home. I love it all! I so wish that we would have planted a garden this year. It is high on my list of goals for next year, though. Especially since the kiddos are so enthusiastic. In the past any garden we had was a solo effort on my part.

So, how does your garden grow? What do you love to plant? What never turns out?

Much Love,
--J 

Blueberry Picking

We made a trip to a local blueberry farm today and did a little picking.  I tried to get us there early but by 9am it was already close to 95degrees out.  The place was beautiful and the bushes were loaded!  We picked 5 quarts in just under an hour. 

Since the farm is only open on Fridays and Saturdays I plan to get out there at least once more this summer.  The kids loved it but started to flag near the end.  In an effort to push them on to full our bucket I suggested we sing while we picked.

We only had to sing a couple verses of "Found a Peanut" and "She'll be Comin' Round the Mountain" before we had the bucket filled and were ready to go home.  Of course, our renditions had blueberry picking appropriate lyrics -- "Found a blueberry" and "She'll be pickin blueberries when she comes." 

Apparently we had an audience to our performance because as soon as I told the kids we could pack up a lady picking across from us, whom I didn't see before I suggested singing, said she'd enjoyed our entertainment and was sorry we were leaving. Maybe the farm should hire us and pay us in blueberries?! ;)

Hope you're having a sweet summer!

Much Love,

-J

Walk Like an Egyptian

The kids have been going to vacation Bible school at a nearby church this week.  They've had a great time learning about the Israelites in Egypt.  I've enjoyed the three hour study sessions (comps are today).  I've always wondered why we LDS folks don't have VBS, but I'm not asking for another calling or assignment, so I've kept my wondering to myself. ;) Today is the last day of VBS and the kids were told to dress like any Egyptian or Bible figure they've studied.  Here's what I dropped off this morning --

Yikes! (That's a mummy, Miriam hold baby Moses, and Pharaoh in case you can't tell.)

Much Love,
--J

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