The Cottage on the Hill

I have vertigo possibly caused by Meniere Disease. I haven't been to a doctor for a confirmation because I'm not excited about the tests I'd have to go through. Besides, there's no known cure for Meniere Disease. There are only treatments with various perscription drugs and operations that will leave me deaf (if I decide to have them done). If left untreated, I will have spells of vertigo with me with no warning. Therefore, based on my own readings and experiementation, I'm trying self-treatment for the time being. I'll probably see a specialist after I have my wisdom teeth removed at the end of the month. Vertigo: I read that this is possible caused by fluid retention in the inner ear. The vertigo I experience includes dizziness in various forms, loss of balance, loss of direction ( I see the bathroom doorway and I walk into the wall instead), fatigue and nausea. (This is worst case...usually I just feel motion sick. In the medical field, I'd be t...

Updates! 1. I have a new vehicle! It's a Chevy Trailblazer and I LOVE it (other than the gas it guzzles). We needed a vehicle that could haul a trailer AND carry children. Hubby gave it to me as my grocery-getter. :) It has a CD player in it! I feel like a queen! 2. Soooo....now we're trying to get rid of my old car. Anyone want to 2000 Ford Taurus SE? I'm only asking $3,000 for it, but am willing to dicker. 3. Ohhh....I should have posted this as NUMBER 1 because it's just so wonderful! Bubby is CRAWLING! He also has a new nickname. It's no longer Bubby. It's Spike because his hair stands up in spikes on it's own and NOTHING keeps it down. 4. I've been diagnosed with vertigo and will be seeing a specialist about my inner ears. I may have Meniere Disease. Please keep me in prayer. The vertigo can be debilitating and I can possibly go deaf if I have this disease. Well, that's all I have time for today! I'll try to post more, but...

Our outdoor furnace is installed and running! What a difference! Our house is so warm, I have to wear summer clothes indoors and keep the enclosed porch open. The heat radiating off the water pipes from the furnace outdoors to the exchange unit in the basement keep the whole basement toasty warm! Hurray! Now we can actually use the basement in the colder weather! The house is this warm because we're having indian summer right now and hubby chose a furnace that's actually too large for our little cottage because we're going to add a second storey onto the house. I am so happy to have this furnace. The wood is free and we're free from dangers of fires within the house. God is so good!

This post is for wives who's husbands have charged them with tending to the household finances. Some women have strong convictions that only the man should care for the finances, but as Mrs. Pearl points out, we are to obey and submit to our husbands....therefore, if he asks us to take care of finances, please do so. My husband has asked me because he doesn't want to. He believes me to be better at such book-keeping and he trusts me with the money he brings into our home. However, with this added responsibility comes an issue. You see, it is natural for your husband to want to know where the money is going and what you are doing with his paycheck. Especially if money is tight and he doesn't see any reward for his efforts. A wife in charge of finances needs to put together a simple budget and balanced checkbook that she can show her husband frequently so he knows where his hard-earned dollars are going. I am going to show you my method of financial organization. You're f...

White Socks floors....I've found this to be virtually impossible. Between my dog and my husband (who works outdoors, so his boots track in all sorts of stuff) and living in the country, I cannot seem to get let alone keep my floors white socks clean. I'd have to sweep, vaccuum and scrub my floors 3 times a day. Or, get rid of my dog and teach hubby to fly. :) However, my floors are cleaner overall since I took on this challenge. Spiritually stifling stuff.....As I started declutter such items, I suddenly realized that I already did this! There's only one book I need to get rid of. It's a non-fiction book about the history of redheads. It's interesting, but contains rather explicit materials. Declutter my basement....I found the best way to be rid of fabrics is to make stuff out of them. I've been having a hard time finding lovely feminine clothing lately, so I'm making some new items for myself. The one I'm working on now is a mauve riding jack...

First of all, I would like to point out an excellent article by Mrs. Wayne Hunter called More Time in a Day. You can find this article at: http://www.ladiesagainstfeminism.com/artman/publish/article_2496.shtml I printed out the article for my Home Management Binder (see www.myblessedhome.blogspot.com for info on putting together a Home Management Binder) And now, onto my post: Do you ever feel spiritually stifled by your stuff? Do you ever feel like you can't move forward in your walk with Christ because of the junk you're harboring? Or perhaps you can't figure out why you don't feel spiritually at peace in your home? It could be your stuff. Do you have things that you'd be embarrassed to have around the house should Jesus come for a visit? Do you realize that Jesus visits you every day and stays for a LONG time? :) I've been feeling this lately. I have some books, clothes, movies, magazines, etc that I really shouldn't have. I'm going to get r...

The roller coaster of emotions....the stages of grief....and the amazing love of Christ that heals and sustains me has been my life these past few days. :) I thank God for my son. Having him really helped me get through the miscarriage. I had a baby to hold, love and take care of rather than empty arms. My husband grieved in his own way. He worked on chores about the house with an occupied determination. Yet, he would check on me nearly every 15 minutes and offer gentle kisses and loving words. He called my mom to come sit with me and help care for my son. He went out and bought a tasty, hearty dinner for us and made sure I had plenty of water to drink. I thank God for my husband and my mother. My emotions were so strange. I went from utter dispair and grief to almost a non-chalant acceptance and back again. But one thing rings true over and over again....my baby is in Heaven with Jesus. A deep feeling within me leads me to believe the baby was a boy. I named him Duncan. Maybe it...

Notice my ticker is gone? I miscarried my baby on Sunday morning.

I'm preggy!

First of all, I uproot all plants that need to be replanted next spring. Then, I let them dry and burn them. Next, I turn the soil and remove the rocks. Lastly, I cover and protect my lavender plant for the winter.

Autumn is upon us. The leaves look so beautiful! I just love living in an area where I get to experience all 4 seasons! We're getting our outdoor furnace installed! I'm so excited! Our home will be so much warmer and we'll save loads of money every winter! Hubby's been working so hard on it. I appreciate him so much! I made salsa this morning from the last of my tomatoes and peppers. Now, I can clean out my garden. I'm already planning on next spring's garden. I switched from grocery shopping once a month to every two weeks. The once a month shopping didn't pan out. I did have a menu and worked from that, but I still ended up running out of food and spending more money than my budget allowed. The every two week deal helps me plan better and I food doesn't go to waste.

I have allergies. Yuck. I'm just a bleary eyed, stuffy/runny nosed mess! :( I've been sick for a week like this and completely fed up. The problem is I have no idea what I'm allergic to. My allergies are never consistant and I could go years without allergies and then suddenly, I'm sick! Hmmmmm...... I was called for Jury Duty. Now, I'd actually like to serve on a jury. It's part of being an American citizen. However, having a 6 month old baby kinda made me worried about serving. Thankfully, the matter was settled out of court and I don't have to report. Tis the season for muddy boots. My floors are a mess. :) Oh, one more thing....Bubby's rolling over now!!

Two nights ago, I let my dog out into her fenced in area to go potty. There are two spotlights, one that shines in the kennel area, and another that shines into the yard. There in the yard was the cutest raccoon eating grubs. I grabbed the camera, took a few shots and thought nothing more of it. Yesterday, I went to let the dog out during the day and there was the raccoon. RED FLAG!! Then my dog started barking at it and it didn't phase the critter. RED FLAG #2!! Then, it started to walk away and it had no hind legs!! RED FLAG #3!! I don't think it is rabid, but I think it has distemper.

Isn't he the cutest!!!?? I am such a proud and happy momma! Of course, my hubby is a proud and happy daddy, too! We are just so thrilled to be parents and thank God every day for our little man.

While reading a back issue of Reiman Publication's Quick Cooking, I came across an article of kitchen tips. One reader posted a tip of how she uses paper towel tubes to organize her grocery bags. I thought it was a wonderful idea and used the tip! I have a drawer in my kitchen that keeps plastic grocery bags. I reuse the bags either at the store, or as garbage bags. Usually, it's a fight to keep the drawer from bulging and bags from popping out. So, I had a paper towel tube and an empty wrapping paper tube. I was able to cut the wrapping paper tube into 3 lengths for a total of 4 tubes. I labeled each tube and stuffed them with the appropriate bags! Now my drawer is so neat and tidy and I don't have to hunt for a particular bag!

I'm sorry, I don't have a digital camera available to me and I have no computer. I have to use my father's computer, so I can only paint you a picture with words. I have a lovely 3 seasons porch on Taigh Beag. Now, for those of you who may not know what that is, in the north country where I live, a 3 seasons porch is an enclosed porch one can use in Spring, Summer and Fall, but is just too cold in winter. Up until now, the porch was either a place of business or a storage room. But now, it's a haven for my little family that cost me less than $30.00 to transform this week! First of all, the porch is around 6 by 12 or 14 feet (can't recall exactly). It has 3 large windows, a door to the outside, a door to the living room, and a small walk-in closet (this is where I keep my wardrobe because the master bedroom closet is miniscule). The walls are a lovely knotty pine! Such a warm, cabin-y feeling, I just HAD to live in it. So, I pulled out an old rope bed I had i...

For a more feminine wardrobe! You see, I've been decluttering and that includes my clothing. So much of it doesn't fit, is outdated, old, and simply getting ruined by seemingly gallons of spit-up that emerges from my son! (My son is actually not a big spitter-upper, but when he does, he aims good...) So, as I'm getting rid of bags of clothing, I'm taking keeping in mind what I need and finding feminine alternatives for other things. Apparently Victorian Trading Company now has a clothing catalog! I'm going to check it out. :)

Anonymous posted in the comments section: "That's still bizarre. They're little kids. A position of authority? I pray your husband never leaves you because you're entire sense of self worth is tied up in being a Mrs. How about being a warm loving person? You seem very angry all the time." Such is to be expected when one gripes in public. :) Someone always misunderstands, takes it out of context, takes it too far, or simply disagrees. I'm not bothered by that. I am bothered that it causes an appearance of being cold and stuck-up. Whether that's true or not, it's something to be addressed. I am sorry I appear angry all the time. Perhaps my blog does need to be more uplifting, but it is my personal space where occassionally I post muses and thoughts going through my mind. Sometimes those thoughts are the negative. But, anonymous has reminded me of some Bible verses, "Whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely and of good report...thi...

I do not expect my SIL to have her children call me Mrs. Scott. I'm Aunt Kate! However, my SIL is head of the nursery at my church and she introduces me to the other children as Miss Kate. I really don't mind being called Kate by those who I am familiar with, but when I'm in a position of authority, I'd rather be called Mrs. Scott. ladyscott

Two words: School bus! I had a 45 minute school bus ride growing up. I HATED it! We had assigned seats and I usually got the 8th row, which is the seat over the rear wheel. I was usually surrounded by loud, brash, misbehaving kids. They usually had knives and cigarettes and would vandelize the bus. I lived in fear, hoping I would never get in trouble for their misdeeds, such as cutting the seats or smoking. Sometimes, I'd be refused a seat. I remember when I was in kindergarten, the bus was so packed (way over the legal limit) and there were no seats. The bus driver screamed at me to sit down, but there was no place to sit. Some high school seniors in the back of the bus told me they'd find me a place to sit. They made me (at 4 years old) sit behind the last seat of the bus, crammed between the seat and the emergency door. I had my glasses crushed on the bus. And then they installed seat belts, but we never used them. Instead, they had to be draped over the backs of ...

What is it with this trend of calling women "Miss" and their first name? I really dislike being called "Miss Kate." First of all, I am NOT a "Miss" and secondly, Kate is my familiar nickname. I am very proudly Mrs. Scott. Calling me Mrs. Scott does not make me feel old or detached. On the other hand, "Miss Kate" makes me sound like a child and lowered in societal and respectable standards rather than the married mother that I am. I don't want to be called Miss Kate, nor do I want my children to address adult women in that manner. Which brings up another point; men don't receive that kind of watered down respect. They get addressed properly as Mr. Smith, not Mr. John. Unfortunately, the three greatest offenders are a close friend, my sister-in-law, and my church. My close friend, I allow her daughter to call me Kate. We've known each other for so long and she's growing into a young lady, so I have no problem with the fam...

No, not the sports team..... Last week, I visited my maternal Grandparents. My Grandmother is my inspiration and mentor. She has always kept house perfectly. She's so feminine and graceful and full of God's love! My Grandfather is very special, too. Unfortunately, he's suffering from dementia and Parkinsons. Anyhoo, while I was there, I noticed my Grandfather's socks. He was wearing white socks. They looked as if they were fresh out of the package! The bottoms had no dirt or dust on them! My Grandmother's floors are spotless and so clean and tidy. I'm inspired! I'm going to clean my floors and do a white socks test. I happen to have a package of unused white socks.

I want my children to see the changing sun throughout the day. When I was school-aged, I remember vacation days, summer days and days when I stayed home sick and I enjoyed the late morning sun. I really liked the sunlight at that time of day, and I still do. I remember thinking that I never really noticed the sun, and there were days in the autumn and winter when I hardly saw sun at all. I want my children to enjoy the sun. I want to my children to be free. Schools today are like prisons! You're locked into the building. You're locked into the classroom and you're metaphorically locked into your desk! You only see the same people day in and day out. You're sometimes treated like a prisoner and the staff are sometimes like wardens. You're guilty until proven innocent. You're heavily monitored at all times and can't even go to the bathroom without an interrogation. With all these rules and regulations, there's still an air of anarchy among the yo...

I love my homemade laundry detergent! I can't remember who I got the recipe from, but I belive there's a link to it on Candy's site... www.myblessedhome.blogspot.com Anyhoo, this laundry detergent is so inexpensive, doesn't take long to make and works better than any commercial stuff I've used. Not only does it get my clothing cleaner, but it also makes them softer! I figured, for 2 gallons of the stuff, I pay approximately 63-69 cents.

Beans and LOTS of 'em!! I knew I should have chicken wired my cucumbers. They're growing wild and it's hard to find them to pick, so I keep tripping over HUGE yellow cucumbers that I have to throw away. A fair amount of summer squash is growing, but my zucchini isn't doing so hot. A goodly amount of sweet peppers are growing and I believe there are monkeys in my tomato plants. Why? Because it's a jungle in there!! A few things I've learned about my garden that I need to remember for next year are these: 1. Plant the mint somewhere else! It grows worse than the weeds! 2. Use something stronger than weak pine branches to string up pole beans. 3. Leave even more room than I ever imagined for tomato plants and buy bigger, stronger cages 4. No matter what, thin those carrots!! 5. Cage in those cucumbers! 6. Don't bother planting lettuce. I only eat spinach anyway. ********************************************************* We just went through a triple diget heat w...

My dad gave us an antenna for our TV. I hooked it up and I get WB really fuzzy. One day, while breast feeding, I flipped it on and watched an episode of "Yes, Dear." I'm not a sitcom fan at all, especially since most portray the wife as really contentious and the husband as a doofus and the children are really poorly behaved and run the family. But, I watched this episode and it was actually a good one: The wife is concerned that her marriage is getting boring because all they seem to talk about is their son, Sammy. The husband doesn't really see this as a problem, but it bothers the wife so much, she tries a variety of games to induce non-family-topic conversations. It doesn't work, so she asks her husband to take a wine course at the local college with her. He agrees and it seems to boost their conversations. However, the reading is rather demanding and the wife can't find the time to read the text book because she's too busy taking care of Sammy....

I heard on the radio today the proper way to stack your fridge: Crisper 1: veggies like broccoli, peppers, eggplant, etc Crisper 2: apples only (apple give off gasses that can rot other fruit) Door: Condiments and bottles of wine layed flat Top shelf: fruits and veggies (this is the warmest part of your fridge) 2nd shelf: milk, butter, beverages 3rd shelf: raw meats, lunch meats, eggs Tuesday play by play: 5:30 am woke up hubby's lunch shower measured my weight loss 129 lbs, 29" waist, 39" hips, 20 1/2" thighs fed and changed baby laundry-whites fed fish fixed bed got dressed put mail out 7:00 am ate breakfast meal ideas for the weekend transfered water tidied sofa sewed pants fed, changed baby changed clothes (baby peed on me) called parents went grocery shopping got gas visited parents fed and changed baby had lunch changed baby sewed pants got mail sewed baby clothes fed and changed baby sewed baby clothes put baby down for nap brought back garbage pail dishes s...

Sunday, our neighbor asked if we wanted to go swimming. It was so hot, we couldn't refuse. My dilemma was there was no way I was wearing my old swimsuit! It's a modest swimsuit, but my figure has changed since having a baby. So, instead, I wore a pair of sports shorts, a sportsbra and a t-shirt. You know, it's so much better going swimming when you're covered up! No worries about the figure, any missed shaving, or getting sunburned! My son had a great time bobbing around with mommy in the pool! I cleaned out my fridge yesterday and I realized how much food goes to waste. I wonder how I can reduce food waste. I already write out menus for the week, but I always make a little extra because it's hard to judge how hungry hubby's going to be when he comes home from work. When my brother lived with us, I rarely had leftovers, and when I did, he gobbled them up the next day! It was great! Any suggestions? I think I'm going to write my own recipe book to...

What a wet summer we're having! I'm not really complaining. My tomato plants look great and everything is so green still! I'm not fond of cloudy days, but I do like rainy days. :) Be sure to check out Beautiful Womanhood (or LAF). They've updated. www.beautifulwomanhood.com Also, I'm going to participate in Candy's To-do challenge. I'll post my to-do's on this blog at the end of next week. :) www.myblessedhome.blogspot.com I'm debating...do I want a new computer or a new refrigerator more? I'm actually leaning towards a new refrigerator. Both are wants at this point in time, but a new fridge will be more of a need eventually. :) So far, I have $81.87 saved up for a new fridge. I'm considering one with the freezer on the bottom, but I know I don't want a side by side. I finished reading Kateri of the Mohawks. It was interesting, but the end was rather disturbing. The author portrays Kateri Tekakwitha as basically dying from pay...

My son is 3 1/2 months old now! I love experiencing all his growing and all his developments. I'm so glad I can stay home and experience every little bit of his life! He's working his hands better and starting to actually grab and things and sort of play with them. He can pull his own binky out of his mouth, but not put it back in yet. He also looks forward to his routine, but has made a change. He doesn't want me reading to him at night. Every time I try, he cries. I was showering this morning and the power went out! How annoying! Oh, by the way, my foot is better. Still a touch sore, but better. Well, I'm hungry....tootles!

Hubby and I went out on a date on Saturday. We saw the Pirates movie. BIG cliff-hanger ending! Otherwise, it's been a fairly peaceful existance other than last night. At 10:30 pm, my husband was getting in and out of bed. I asked him what was wrong and he said that a storm was coming and he wanted to the tent down outside. So, I said we could run outside and take it down, but he was worried about leaving our son in the house. (What a sweet, caring man I have!) I reassured him that our son was sound asleep and that we could have the tent down in 5 minutes. So, we ran outside and I realized that the storm wasn't coming. It was already here!! The lightening was fantastic and frightening. I dislike electric storms, and I dislike them more at night and I hate being outside during one. In my growing panic, I was pulling the heavy beams that hold the ridge pole up (this is a rather large 18th century reproduction tent) and I stumbled a little and dropped the pole right on t...

Bible Reading: I finally figured out how I can get a substantial amout of Bible reading in per day. I read the Bible out loud to my son while he's nursing. It's great! I can usually get in 2 chapters per feeding AND I have a better understanding of the Word when I read it out loud! To keep track, I wrote out each book and each number of chapters and I highlight the chapter numbers as I read them. Mystery: The Case of the Missing Checkbook: I lost my checkbook and was frantic to find it. I was so stressed out, wondering what happened to it. Finally, after just about turning my house upside down, I found it among some recipes! Thank the Lord! Raspberries and Peas: That's what I'm harvesting now in my garden. :) I love the raspberries in a bowl with sugar cane sprinkled on top and vanilla rice milk added. New Fridge Fund: I am saving up to buy a new fridge. And I mean a NEW fridge. No second hand, no give-aways. I want a NEW fridge. Forth of July: My husband w...

Getting a new computer will be delayed some. You see, my husband's truck needed some big repair work. It cost us nearly $1,000.00 that we didn't really have to spare. Thankfully, God provides, and we were able to pay cash, though our savings account was just about wiped out and all the money I saved up for another vehicle was used up. But, it was still there. I really didn't want to put it on a credit card. I'm not too worried, though. God always provides! I'll be able to get a new computer when God wants me to have a new computer. He HAS been dealing with my computer addiction for a while. :) My parents don't live too far from me, so I'll be able to blog at their house. So, don't disappear on me, dear readers. I'll still be here.

A few days ago, my Aunt called my mother and told her she had a rug she wanted to be rid of. My mom told me about it, and I gladly took it off her hands. It's an 8 foot by 10 foot braided rug that was in her living room. She was worried about it being worn, but it looks just about brand new! So, yesterday, I rolled up the old rug in the living room that the previous owner's dog peed on, and put down the new rug. It looks so good! Thank you, Jesus! I got to visit with my Aunt and I was inspired by her little home. She lives in a single wide mobile home with her husband and teenage son. She has it done up so cute, uncluttered and spotless! I immediately tackled my home and have been doing so since! Here and there I'm cleaning and decluttering more and more...the ongoing battle. My goal is to get down to 125 pounds and be organized before I become pregnant with my next child. :)

Hello, my readers: My computer died. So, I'll only be able to hop on my dad's computer about once a week to update, but I'll try to keep updating. :) ladyscott

1. What's the last book you read? The second Baby Whisperer book by Tracy Hogg 2. What did you eat for breakfast? Cinnamon Life cereal and a peanut butter no-bake cookie 3. What was your first pet and what was it's name? When I was born, we had a dog named Patches, but my first pet of my own was a black cat named Cinder. 4. Do you know latitude from longitude? Yes. 5. If you could take your dream vacation, where would you go? Hmmm.....I'd go back to Scotland and I'd take my husband with me. :) 6. What's your favorite shower soap? Right now, I love Gerber Baby Body Wash in Oatmeal. I loved Irish Spring vitamin soap, but they don't make it anymore. 7. Mustard or mayo? Spicy Brown Mustard 8. Tell a knock-knock joke you know. Knock Knock. Who's there? Ivana. Ivana who? Ivana come in! 9. How old were you when you got your driver's license? 16 10. If you cook or bake, what's your favorite thing to make? If you don't cook or bake, what's your f...

I started a list of housekeeping goals/rules to help me keep my little cottage tidy: 1. Nothing sits on top of the microwave 2. Radiators are NOT shelves 3. The desk should remaid tidy and the dropleaf closed when not in use. 4. The dining room table is not a desk or work station 5. Chairs are not catch-alls 6. The vacuum belongs in the porch closet when not in use 7. The mop and broom belong on the basement landing when not in use 8. The porch bench is not a catch-all 9. I must be able to close the grocery bag drawer (sometimes it's so stuffed with grocery bags, I can't close it all the way) 10. The dining room bookcase is not a catch-all 11. My dresser is not a catch-all Lately, I've been noticing my posture and presense has been horrible. Not only that, but I'm starting to acquire that slapped together look busy moms tend to have. While shopping in Aldi today, I noticed a young lady shopping as well. She wore a simple, long denim dress. It could have been dowdy, ...

My mother was giving away a bunch of books, and among them I found this book: Secrets of Loveliness by Kay Thomas (1964) It is a cute paperback for teenaged girls on how to be lovely both inside and out. In it includes practical tips on what to wear and how to manage your wardrobe. Here is their basic wardrobe checklist: Coats: 1 heavy winter 1 rain - year round 1 lightweight for spring and fall (optional) Suits: 1 wool for spring and fall (optional) Dresses: 3 cotton - year round 1 velveteen for parties 1 silk or nylon for Sundays and dress-up occasions 1 full-skirted silk or chiffon for dances Separates: 4 cotton skirts - 2 straight or flared in solid colors; 2 full or dirndle style, prints or plain 2 wool, velveteen or corduroy skirts 4 cotton blouses (8 are better) 3 sweaters (including 1 cardigan to throw over party dresses) ...

I've been offered an upright piano for free! I've always wanted a piano! Hubby said I could have it, but we have a little dilemma.....where to put it! The spot I originally planned for it is against the wall between the living room and dining room. The problem is the 55 gallon fish tank is on the other side of that wall. I feel it's too much weight for that area at once. I can't move the fish tank because we actually have very little wall space in our Taigh Beag (little house). The only other available wall space is in the living room where the sofa is. I do have a pretty good idea of how to rearrange the living room, BUT I'd have to be rid of the current entertainment center and get an armoire instead. We can't afford that right now. Hmmmm.....

In the comments section, I was sent a comment from Anonymous concerning my son watching Baby Einstein videos (or any TV for that matter). The writer warns me that TV can be detrimental to my son's development and to his eyes. Lately, I have been hearing and reading about this and that Pediatricians recommend that children not be exposed to TV until they're at least 2 years old. I've also been convicted that I'm not spending enough time with my son in one on one playtime and games. And while I thought he liked his Baby Einstein, he does get fussier and more difficult to calm on the days that I let him watch it. Soooo....away goes the Baby Einstein until he's a bit older.

I had a pretty active weekend. Saturday, hubby and I went to see the movie "Cars." It was really cute, but I would have enjoyed it more if the little girl behind me stopped talking, kicking my seat and pulling my hair. What was worse was she was sitting on her dad's lap and he did nothing to stop it! That clinched it for me. My children are not going to the movie theatre until they can prove that they can behave through it. After that, we went to my parents' house where my two older brothers and their wives and children were visiting. It was great seeing all the cousins together again! We had my mom's homemade pizza (YUM!) and just chit-chatted. When we got home, we did some yard work and let the dog play outside. When it was time to come in, I noticed blood on the floor. My dog's mouth was covered in blood, so I checked it out and didn't see any flowing blood. So I threw her in the bathtub and started washing her off. That's when I noticed...

I recently sent an e-mail to my state's senators, Chuck and Hillary. I don't agree with either of their politics or agends, but at least Chuck sent me an automated responce in a timely fashion. Hillary sent nothing in return.

Socialization within the public school is highly limited. Ooohhhh....what's this now? The most oft said comment I hear when I mention homeschooling is, "But your children won't get the socialization a public school provides." What?! What socialization! Cliques, gangs, teachers yelling above the classroom din, and the only people to talk to are your own age. With homeschooling, my children will have many opportunities to socialize with children of all ages, including their own through homeschool get-togethers, sports or extra classes (art, music, etc), church, my own family, and re-enacting. Re-enacting and church also will involve my children in socializing with adults as well, and people from all walks of life with many different backgrounds, stories, experiences and skills that can be passed on to my children. And what socialization does public school provide when your child becomes "too cool" to talk to you and only utters caveman talk: Mom: Hi John...

My son is only 2 months old and I'm already establishing education in the home. Most moms do this naturally. Your infant is constantly learning and absorbing information. I'm doing it more consciously. It's nothing major, really. After all, he's only 2 months old! He still spends much of the time sleeping. I have him watch his Baby Einstein video every other day. I think every day is too much, personally. Plus, I don't want to get into the habit of using the TV set as a babysitter, or needing the TV set to occupy him son. I'd rather cultivate his creativity in occupying himself otherwise. However, Baby Einstein videos are so cute and rather good for his developing mind. He has Baby Neptune right now. The next one I want to get is Baby MacDonald. At night, I read a book or two to him before leaving him to fall asleep. At first, he fussed because I turned off his turtle (a cribside toy that plays classical music, lights and swimming fish). Now, he see...

While in Lowes today buying paint, I spotted a Better Homes and Gardens publication on organization. I flipped through it, but put it back with a chuckle. It would be a great magazine if you had all the space in the world to organize with. These closets were bigger than my son's bedroom!!

Why is it that when I seem like I'm the busiest and face deadlines that my sweet son becomes a screaming, crying, needy, hysterical mess. And then I become frustrated with him because I want him to be calm, but he needs me. Key words here: I WANT him to be calm, but he NEEDS me. Sometimes, I feel I NEED him to be calm because I'm facing a deadline for getting something made for a customer. (Before I had my son, I had some garments I was sewing for customers, planning on getting them done before he was born, but he arrived early). Then I have to remember that my son arrived on God's timing. Also, my son is more important than some customer. My business is actually closed, but these are residual orders. I can't wait to be unloaded of them so I can put all my focus on my son without that added stress of needing to sew something for someone by sometime. Speaking of which, I best be off and getting some sewing done.

Yesterday, I tried cloth diapering my son with the simple rectangle cloth diapers you have to pin. You know, the ones that most people buy at Walmart to use for burp cloths. My son soaked the whole thing in an hour. It ruined his nap. Pride goeth before a fall. I proudly touted that I was going to use cloth diapers for my son. Mothers smuggly smiled and said, "no you're not." Even my own mother said so. Well, my pride took a fall yesterday. But I haven't given up hope. I'm going to make or buy an all-in-one cloth diaper to try first. If that works, then I'm hooked! If not, well, I went out with a fight and I'll have to suck it up and admit that I was wrong.

I realized a few things today: 1. How untainted my son's body is and how I hope to maintain a healthy lifestyle for him. 2. How I felt I spent my grocery money wisely when I brought home healthful foods. 3. How buying cheap, bulky processed foods is not a wise way to spend grocery money. Not only is it less healthful, it also usually ends up wasted because the unused portion ends up rotten in the back of the fridge. It's better to spend the money on portion sizes of more healthful foods. Sure, it's more expensive in comparison, but at least I'm using it and my body is using it better.

I want to homeschool because the theory of evolution is just that...a THEORY! Schools teach it as fact and refuse to teach "intelligent design." I have no idea why they teach evolution as fact when Darwin himself at the end of his life didn't believe it.

This afternoon, we had a bad storm. I could see it coming, but usually we have pretty mild thunderstorms this time of year. Suddenly, the wind started whipping really hard. I couldn't even see out the windows because of the amount of debris blowing in the air. There was a big crash and I grabbed my son and called for the dog and down in the basement we went. Looking out the basement window, I could see trees crashing down in the woods next to us. We were down there for an hour before my neighbor tapped on the window. He checked up on us and let me know that a tree came down and hit the side of his garage and took out his power line. There was a worse storm up north a bit where my husband was working. He watched the tornado, but it never touched down. Thankfully, he's home safe and sound.

Thank you, veterans! My maternal grandfather and my father are both veterans. Memorial Day weekend was well spent. :) Saturday, we spent the evening with our neighbors and ordered out pizza. Sunday, hubby had a re-enactment and I went to church. I missed sermon, though. My son messed his diaper and got hungry, so I spent it in the nursery. :/ The sermon was from John 11, so I'll have to read that. After church, I spent time at my parents' house, but decided to come home and putter around the house. I had allergies all weekend, so I was a bit under the weather. Memorial Day, hubby and I packed up Donald and went grocery shopping. We got 100 mahogany clams and 100 littleneck clams for the picnic. I made strawberry shortcake. At 3pm, we had a family picnic, and for the first time, all the grandchildren got together. We had a photo shoot of course. I played badminton and bocce ball. It felt good to be active and agile again after being pregnant. My dear grandmother ...

So my children aren't penalized for being absent due to illness, religious reasons, or going to re-enactments. The local public school has some really messed up policies on catching up on schoolwork if you're absent. Our neighbor's son's friend was not allowed to catch up on school work after he took a week off from school when his grandmother died.

Yesterday, I felt the tingle. Overnight, it became full-blown...a sore throat. I HATE sore throats. My bathroom vanity is covered in my arsenal against sore throats....salt water, listerine, hydrogen peroxide, and when I'm done with my errands, I'll gargle with 15 year Scotch. I also suck on chewable vitamin C tablets and take in plenty of fluids. I just pray that if it's contagious, my son doesn't get it. My brother introduced my husband and I to a fantastic confection. Neither hubby nor I can eat chocolate. (Don't feel bad for us, we don't even like the taste of it anyway.) It's made by Ferrero and called Raffaello. "An almond surrounded by a fine milk cream, then covered with a crisp delicate wafer and sprinkled with tender, shredded coconut." It is SO good and apparently hard to find.