family
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Nanowrimo Anticipation!
Tomorrow is a big day, and not just because of the crazy sugar withdrawals.
Tomorrow is the first day of NANOWRIMO!
New story. New characters. New setting.
I can hardly wait!
And while I’m waist-deep in story world, my family will not starve, and our home will not turn into a complete trash pile. At least it didn’t the last two time I won Nano.
Here’s the ticket (well, what worked for me anyway):
1. Plan out the entire month’s menu repeating meals each week. This makes even the grocery shopping a breeze.
2. Have a plan to involve the kiddos in maintaining a somewhat livable home.
3. Schedule writing time each day and commit to that time. I use a timer to stay focused.
4. Avoid online distractions. Try a program like RescueTime. I love this.
5. Cut out extra commitments, which means saying “no” sometimes. It’s so much harder than it sounds.
6. Learn to be comfortable with lower household standards. You can clean it up in December.
7. Get up a little earlier each morning. Ouch! I know this one hurts but it will be worth it.
8. DON’T get behind.
Here’s the Nelson family menu November:
Mondays – lasagna (It’s already made and in the freezer)
Tuesdays – Crockpot Italian Chicken and broccoli
Wednesday – soup (already made at Safeway) and yummy bread
Thursday – Taco/burrito night
Friday – rice bowls with veggies and leftover taco meat and beans
Saturday – homemade pizza (the kids do a lot of this one)
Sunday – make your own
Happy writing!
Are you doing Nanowrimo? What’s your battle plan?
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How We Became Redneck Ranchers
Question: What’s worse than a child running into the house yelling that the steers are out?
Answer: A child running into the house yelling that the steers are GONE!
That’s how we were greeted not too long ago. Of course, it was a morning where we had somewhere to be.
Inspection of the steer pen revealed that they had broken a board leaving a gaping hole. And…the feed from the night before was still there. They must have made their escape soon after feeding time. Twelve hours is a very long time to wander. Visions of the beasts marching through town made my stomach twist.
We scoured the property for any sign.
They’d been in the garden. My broccoli…Gone!
To our great relief it seemed they’d headed for the west end of the property. Hundreds of acres would come between them and civilization.
Our oldest son took off running, the younger son took the quad, oldest daughter saddled the horse, and the youngest hopped in the truck with us.
Behind our property dirt roads twist around poking out here and there into various field. So many routes they could have taken. What a wonderful sound to hear one of the kids scream that they’d spotted them!
There they were, on a narrow path near the river. My oldest son haltered one, and we began the long walk home.
With the steers back home (I think they were happy to be back too), we repaired the fence and moved on with the day.
Wouldn’t you know it, they broke out again only few days later. My husband only had time for a quick repair because the sun was setting.
This is what I saw the next morning:
Yes, that is a Suburban blocking the hole. Classy, huh?
The fence is REALLY fixed now. On to other adventures.
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Up All Night!
This isn’t the blog post I’d planned for today. You’ll have to wait to hear me ramble on about my take on middle school. The reason…I’m tired.
My youngest daughter has two market lambs. It’s time, maybe past time, to wean them from their mothers. Each spring for the last twelve years or so, we’ve gone through this process. Sometimes the ewes put up a fuss, sometimes the lambs, but usually it’s short lived. They can still see each other through the fence.
But this year we have a real drama queen in the field. Not only did this lamb scream, she did so with a voice that pierced my sleep…all night long.
Seriously, I’ve never heard a sheep who could baa louder than this one.
It’s taken me most of the day to write this post. What can I say, I’m really tired.
And the dog broke free of his chain so I had to pick him up at the Humane Society.
And the steers broke through their fence and took a “field trip” down the property.
And…well, you don’t want to know.
But the sun was out, and God is good, and sleep is coming! AMEN!
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New Babies, BBQs and Friends
This post is much like my life…eclectic.
One of my favorite roles in life is that of Auntie. It’s like granny practice. Very early Friday morning, just a few hours after the close of my youngest daughter’s eleventh birthday, my new nephew was born. And he is soooo cute!
Each year we celebrate our youngest daughter’s birthday with a family barbeque. It’s a chance to spend time with friends, enjoy some not-so-good-for-you food and take in some sunshine. We’ve done this since she was quite little, and each year the rain takes a break for the party.
It’s become tradition to serve dirt pudding. Usually, I fill a couple flowerpots (specially reserved for pudding) and stick in a sprig of artificial flowers and a few gummy worms. This year I tried something different. They’re not as cute as the flowerpots, but the little dishes sure make it easier when close to thirty kids come at you wanting chocolate.
Click here for recipeAnother yearly tradition on the Nelson farm…the broken lawnmower. No matter how hard we try to be prepared, we can never anticipate what will bust. The other issue here is our not-so-much drainage. By the time we can drive a mower through the yard, the grass is knee-high. With only two hours until our guests arrival, my husband announced that there would be no revival of the rider that day.
I pulled the OLD push mower from the garage, hoping to at least chop down a patch of grass. I had to start by using zip-ties to hold the handle up. The throttle broke off many years ago, so it only has one speed. That lever you’re suppose to hold next to the handle, that piece that you let go of to stop the engine, it’s long gone. When the handle broke off during my oldest son’s turn at mowing, he had to reach way down and push the mower into a tall clump of grass to make the machine stop.
We borrowed a friend’s push mower. Wow. Did you know those things practically drive themselves?
The yard is still a jungle, but we did get that patch where we placed the BBQ and a few chairs. All those kiddos thought the tall grass was awesome. They played for hours out there.
All in all, it was wonderful!
How did you spend your weekend?
