Our new home...

I haven’t been regularly updating this, like I planned.  We’ve been a bit busy.  To say that, is an understatement!!!  We were ready to remodel our 100 year old farmhouse, but decided it wasn’t going to cost much more to build new, so here we are.

The bonus room was slated to be storage, but we decided to make it a game room for the kids.  We got the insulation & drywall almost finished in it today!  When I say ‘we’, I use that term loosely.  Lol!  I’m really there mainly for moral support.  Haha! While I do measure & cut drywall, I try not to make intricate cuts.  My allergies prevent me from doing too much with drywall & insulation, but I try!


 

DIY Foot Exfoliating

Summer is winding down.  Our students head back to school this week.  Summer is just too short!  While getting in ‘Back to School’ mode, I decided a pedicure was on my to-do list.  As a teacher though, it’s not in my budget.  Thankfully, my bestie, Pinterest, had me covered! 😍I viewed tons of DIY pedicures, foot scrubs, etc.  Guys, I found a relaxing DIY foot bath & exfoliating treatment.  It’s not a ‘One & Done’ treatment.  It needs to be one part of your routine, but it was pretty great!

I had purchased a dish tub at the Dollar General sometime back.  I’m sure I had a great idea for it, but I have no clue what that idea was & the tub was sitting on a shelf.  So, it’s now used for pedis!  Yay!

I used one cup of Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar, (ACV) & dumped it in my tub.  Next, I poured one cup of Listerine  mouth wash into the tub. Finally, I added two cups of HOT water to the tub.  Then, I added my feet & perused Pinterest for other great ideas.  I set a timer for ten minutes.

 

After I was finished with that, I scrubbed with this amazing sugar scrub that I found at Wal-Mart.  Then, I rinsed my feet & patted them dry with a clean towel.

My final step was suggested by a massage therapist.  She recommends using grapefruit seed extract on your feet.  I ordered some on Amazon & LOVE 😍😍😍 it!

Timing

Last year, my husband and I decided that we were tired of pouring money into our old, almost 100 year old, farmhouse.  We remodeled it when we moved here eight years ago.  All was remodeled, except the kitchen.  Over those eight years, we've had electrical issues, sagging floor trusses and have simply outgrown the square footage.  After a surprise water leak last Spring, we decided it was time to build.  Cut our losses and start fresh.  While this is a HUGE undertaking and will change our finances drastically, we felt it was the best decision.

Fast forward exactly one year later and they are breaking ground on our new home.  We spent almost one full year scouring floor plans, architects, building codes, etc. to ensure a perfect home for our family.  With one teenager, one preteen, and one elementary student, we have a huge array of "needs" for our new home.  Another factor to take into account is our business.  We need space for an office, rather than sitting with a laptop on the couch, at the table, outside, etc.  A final piece of our puzzle was aging.  We sure aren't getting any younger, so having a master on the ground floor was important to me.  We may need space for our parents in the future as well.  Many factors went into this home building process.  If you are building, don't take these steps lightly.  :-)

After nine months of searching, we found an architect, contacted him, and purchased sets of his floor plans.  We submitted floor plans to multiple lumber yards to get estimates on the cost of building material.  A family member who does concrete work for a living was called as well.  We decided to not have a basement, which was a drastic compromise for me.  :-) 

Below, you'll find a picture of the spot where the house will go.  This is after the topsoil was removed, then we received a torrential downpour all afternoon.  Ughhhh....

Guilty!

As I sit here in my bed today, I deal with issues of guilt.  EXTREME guilt.

As a mom, I'm told that I need to be a stay @ home mom, a working mom, a full time mom, have a career, not have a career, spoil my children, don't spoil my children, toughen them up, soften them up, give them vaccines, don't give them vaccines, spend every single waking moment with them, or take "me" time, and SO many other options.

Here's the deal...do what works for your family.  There isn't one correct answer.  Don't let anyones  idea of perfect become YOUR vision or your goal.

Most of you don't know the health issues that I've battled over the years because no one wants to hear about others problems...we all have our own.  Ha!  I'm learning, slowly, b/c hey, I'm a little stubborn.  ;-)

In my past, I've dealt with PCOS, endometriosis, infertility, fibromyalgia, and food allergies.  It seems so weird to lay it all out there.  I've always considered myself healthy and happy.  Truly, I am.  God helps me to continually see the bright side in everything.  No matter what I'm going through, good or bad, someone else probably wishes they were going through that, instead of whatever they're dealing with.  Someone is always worse off and someone is always better off.  That's why we can't get into the trap of comparing ourselves to others...they aren't us!!!  Remember that!  YOU have a path to live and it's not the same as anyone other path!

Okay, back to the guilt.  My family is the best.  They are so helpful and supportive.  But today, I lay here in my bed, sick.  Not from something you can catch, but something that my body can't fight on its own.  Some days, I must just realize that laying in bed, doing nothing, is what my body needs to heal.  So as badly as I want to go to my oldest sons basketball games out of town, I have to pull back, listen to my body and realize that I won't be able to do anything for my family, if I go today.  Not only will I be miserable, but I'm quite sure my wonderful family will be miserable too if I go.  I need today to be about my son and his talent, not him remembering me sick.  So, as much as it kills me, I'm missing out.

I read articles online talking about how important it is for you to be at every single event that your child participates in.  I'm not so sure I buy into that completely.  I can't be a good mom if I push myself to the point of illness.  If I push myself while I'm sick, to go to every single event, there's nothing left of me to give to my kids.  Yes, it's important for our kids to see our faces in the stands, but do they need to see every single face at every single game?  As much as I'd like to be there, we are outnumbered with three kids.  We physically can't be everywhere, all the time.  My kids have someone, a parent or grandparent, at each game 99% of the time.  I make sure that my kids know how proud I am of them, daily.  I tell them daily how much I love them.  I give them hugs and kisses.  I joke around with them.  We text back and forth.  I provide them with food, clothing, multiple sports, everything they need and most of the things they want.  They are smart, funny, outgoing, athletic, have goals and dreams, and two of our children have started their own businesses.  So, I'm thinking that they are adjusting well.  ;-)

I just feel that there is an extreme amount of pressure, everywhere that we look.  We are constantly bombarded with images, news stories, articles, links, and more to tell us that we aren't good enough.  Don't let someone else define you.  You are made to stand out.  You are made to be you.  You must do what works for your life, your future, your family.  So, while it's nice to get inspiration from others, don't let them define you.  <3

Holiday Excitement

The last few years have been hard for me to get into the Christmas spirit.  I run around buying presents for the those I love.  I stress out, praying that they love the gift that I purchased for them.  I doubt myself hundreds of times and buy more.  I try to decorate the house and have every square inch decorated.  I love to cook and bake and set such high expectations for myself that I have NO option, other than to fail.  No matter how hard I try, I never obtain my all of my expectations.  The last few years, I was over so much stress and pressure.  I had young children at home, ran our business full time, was a full time student, (again) to obtain another degree and got a teaching degree.  No wonder I felt overwhelmed!

This year, I'm slowing down.  I'm enjoying my children, because it's true, they grow SO fast.  I'm learning to listen to my body and slow down.  I'm trying to savor every single moment.  I'm sure God never intended for me, or anyone else, to be so stressed.  It's simply not what He has called us to do.  So, take a few moments to relax, slow down, and be purposeful.  It's my new goal...to have purpose in everything.

Welcome back!

Well, it’s been over two years since I stopped blogging. To be honest, life happened. I was a full-time wife, mom, student, (again), and a business owner. Now, I’m done with school, for the second time, but I’m also a full-time teacher. I am teaching fifth-grade and I LOVE it! My handsome farmer and I are still running our farm. We’re diversifying our product lines and are excited to see what the future holds for our family! I’m going to try to be much better about blogging! Stay tuned!

We think about what goes IN our body...but,

So anyone who knows me, knows that I continually think about food! Lol! What new creation can I create? What new recipe can I try? How can I incorporate healthy ingredients without my kiddos knowing? Lol! So I'm always thinking about what goes IN to our bodies, but what about what goes ON our bodies? 

Have you ever given it much thought? Once I realized that I didn't want large corporations controlling what foods I eat or what foods I give to my family, I rarely stopped to think about toothpaste, body sprays, deodorant, makeup, nail polish, shampoo, all of those things we use every single day. Those products add up! So, I sure don't want some large corporation telling me it's all safe! I needed to do a bit more research! When I was subbing at a local preschool the other day, I was talking to the other teacher, who told me a lot about what products she uses! That's is, I'm on a mission!

I set off on a quest, well, not a physical quest! Lol! (Although I did end up at Jo-Ann's perusing through their book section! 😉) Anyway, I searched Pinterest and found an awesome person to follow! Great ideas for diy-ers! Although upon further investigation, who am I kidding? Like I have time to make everything we use for a family of five on a daily basis! I'm a full time mom and wife, farmer, small business owner, a full time college student, work part time at a preschool, volunteer at my kids school and am head chauffeur to my children and their never ending list of sports and activities that keep us on the go! So, I set back out on my quest once again to find a reliable, reputable source for organic products that we will use!

Lo & behold, what did I find? The person I was following on Pinterest had a shop! Not only that, but it was fairly local! All products are made in small batches as well. So after shopping her website, I filled my cart with goodies and proceeded to checkout! Two days later, I found my mailbox full! It's like Christmas!!!! I am so excited to try all of my new goodies! I will keep you all updated!!! I'm anxious to try everything out! 

So, even if you don't go all out organic, like we are, look up your ingredients! Question your foods, your products and more! Get out there & make the world a better place!