What have I been up too!

  What have I been up too in these many months since I last wrote?  Oh my goodness, this is a hard question to answer.  It is more accurate to say what haven't I been doing lately. 

  I just finished 200 candies (the ones pictured above) for a friend; her son is graduating this Sunday.  

  We bought a different camper.  We are going to park it at a resort for the summer.  I have been busy getting that ready to go.  Tomorrow, the Hubby & I will be going to get it set up for the season. 

  I have also been working at the church a lot.  My term as chairperson on the Mission committee is coming to a close.  I am trying to get everything wrapped up.  

  This is just to name a few things.  I have also been sick a lot the last few months.  There have been days where I haven't gotten out of bed until one or two in the afternoon.  My doctors says I am just over doing it on the days I am feeling good, but someone has to get stuff done!  I have yet to find the magic wand that I can just wave to get everything accomplished that needs to be!  I am still looking!  I hope everyone is having a blessed spring!

Love to all,   Sara 

Deer Meat

  We recently picked up our deer meat that we had processed after our local deer hunting season.  The Hubby doesn't usually go hunting (it tends to be his busy time at work); but thanks to our brother-in-law and his brothers we usually get a deer during their annual hunt.  Because our BIL is a land owner, he receives land gratis tags which always him to harvest a certain number of deer off of his own land.  There always to be more than enough meet to go around plus some to be donated to charity besides.  This year we received a nice doe and buck, that we had processed at a local meat locker. All we had to pay for was the processing of the meat.  Because we had quite a bit of sausage left over from last year, we had the majority of the meat ground up.  When the venison is ground, the processor also adds some pork to it, otherwise it would be very dry.  Venison is a very lean meat and very healthy for you but you need a little fat added to it or it will burn very easily in the pan.  We also had it made into fry sausage, venison bacon, roasts and chops.  We already have had some fry sausage & ground and it was delicious!  We should be set for red meat for awhile.  

  There are definite advantages to living in a small town, and having relatives with a farm.  As you can see one of the main ones is getting this fresh meat every year at next to nothing.  If the Hubby and I wanted to process it ourselves, it really would cost us under $50.00 for around 250 pounds of meat.  Even paying for processing, it only cost us around $1.50-$1.75 a pound.  I think this is very inexpensive.  What do you think?

Love to all,  Sara

Digging out the Basement

  This is what the basement looked like before I started to clean it.  It is an accumulation of things from my mother's home and from the Hubby's parent's home, not to mention a lot of our own junk.  I just can't stand it anymore.  If I left it up to anyone else, it would be like this until the day I died.  Lol!  There are going to be a lot of hours down here to make it the way I want it, so it can be comfortable for everyone.  Before, Bug and the Hubby were comfy down here, but I never was.  I want to change that.  Even after all the stuff is gone through, we need to put up curtains, hang pictures and rearrange furniture.  I see a lot of trips to Goodwill in my future.  Do you have an area in your home that needs to be "dejunked"?  This can't even be classified as decluttered, it is "dejunked". 

  The only thing is once everything is gone through, it leads to many more projects.  The projects will be putting pictures in photo albums, getting reprints of photos both my sister & I want, reorganizing photo albums that have gotten out of order, scrap booking mementos, many trips to Goodwill, packing away things we want to keep, displaying of other things and also selling of items on eBay of a select few items.  It will be worth it when it is all said and done but just the getting it done is the hard part.  Because a lot of these items are my mother's, the emotions have been very difficult as I go through the boxes.  But as each box is emptied it means I am one step closer to my goal!

 

  I really wish their were people who would come in and just take care of this kind of stuff for you, but in turn I feel this is something I need to do myself.  I (with the help of my family both immediate and distant) made this mess, so I need to clean it up!  I have always been the fixer in the family.  Or so it has seemed anyway, my sister would say the same thing about herself.  

 

  Time to get back to work!

Love to all,   Sara 

Winter Driving 2014

   These are the roads that I have been driving on lately to go to the Hubby's shop.  You have to love winter driving in North Dakota, NOT!!!  Actually, these roads really aren't that bad.  Both Hubby and I have driven on much worse.  It is just a way of life when you live on the northern plains.

   You need to know what you and your vehicle are capable of doing.  For 12 years, I work the 11pm to 7an shift at a local manufacturing company.  They employed over 1000 people from many small towns located around it.  The farthest I know of someone driving to work was 2 hours.  They also didn't care how bad the weather was or what the weather was like; they just wanted your rump at work.  I drove many nights in snow storms, on ice covered roads and through fog so thick you couldn't see in front of you face.

   Even today,  I would rather drive in bad weather at night then during the day.  It is just what I am use to.  The Hubby doesn't think I can drive in that kind of weather, but he sure didn't take me to work all those years.  HaHa. 

   It is kinda pretty to drive through weather like this, almost hypnotic.  After the recent news about the storms in the south and all the major accidents that resulted in it, some of us had to smirk about how they couldn't drive in the snow and ice.  I wish no one harm but have they ever heard of slowing down or turning the cruise control off.  It is crazy!

   I wish you are all safe this winter season!  Drive carefully!

Love to all,  Sara

Neurology Appt

  Bug had a neurology appointment to see how she has been doing on her medication for migraines.  It is a preventative medication, to help keep them at bay.  She has been have migraines for a number of years now, but has only been seeing a neurologist for the past 8 months.  I think it has really helped.  Before, we took Bug to just of primary care doctor.  She was put on just a general pain reliever which she had to take everyday.  It helped, but it also made her gain weight, which was not a great side effect.  But the migraines were worse.  Now that she is of a certain age, she is able to see an adult neurologist and a whole new field of medications are open to her.  She is on a new regimen that has almost completely eliminated the need for Aleve or Tylenol, etc.
  Every time Bug has an appointment, she has to fill out an assessment on how her headaches have been seen her last visit.  Each answer is assigned a point value and then the total is rated on a scale.  I am happy to say the last time she filled it out the assessment the total said she had no debilitating effect from her headaches.  This is a huge step for her!!!

  I am so happy we were able to find the right doctor and medications for Bug.  I know I have suffered from migraines for most of my life and there is nothing worse than one.  I would gladly take one of her headaches so she would not have to go through it.  But unfortunately, this is not the case.  She suffers from them just like me and my grandmother.  My mother said she never got migraines, but I know she had some terrible headaches, so I always wondered. 
  If you suffer from migraines, I really hope you seek help.  There is many different medications out there that can help.  I know I have to go through a lot of trial and error before I found the right mix.  Just be open and honest with you doctor when things are working and more importantly, when things are NOT! 

Love to all,   Sara

Polar Vortex 2014

  So I am hearing about this polar vortex. I think we are right in the middle of it!!!!  It is dang cold out!  Hopefully it will warm up soon! 

Love to all,   Sara 

New Year's Resolutions

 

 

  Do you make a list of resolutions every year?  Do you actually write a list or do you just think about thing you want to change and then promptly forget them?  I was always in the second bracket.  I thought of things I wanted to change and maybe even did for a week or two in January, but had forgotten by February 1st.

  This year I want to do things differently.  I don't know if I really want to call the things I want to change as resolutions.  They are more of things I want to do to have a better life for my family and myself, also to have more peace and a deeper meaning to our lives.

  So here are just a few things I will be trying to do in the new year:

• Cook supper at least 5 nights a week (the other nights we need to eat up leftovers, etc.)
• Read my Bible more and encourage Bug to read hers
• Keep a cleaner home
• Pack the Hubby's lunch every day
• Exercise more (of course)
• Do more family activities (even if it is going swimming in the backyard)
• Spending more time at the lake (a must!!!)
• Have at least a dozen freezer meals on hand at ALL times
• Find some  time to do the things I enjoy doing i.e. crafting
• Get my basement under control (if you could see my basement right now you would understand)
• Make every spot in my home a livable place.  It seems like we have a lot of STUFF (junk), that both the Hubby & I can't seem to get rid of.  Not anymore, I want to be albe to use all of my house, not just certain rooms or spots because the other rooms are so full of stuff! 

I think that is a pretty good  start.  Maybe I will add more to the list as I some of these things accomplished.  So what are your resolutions? 


Love to all,   Sara

Mother-In-Law is in a Manor

  The past few months have been very difficult for the family.  It was decided in the beginning of October to put my mother-in-law in a manor (old folks home).  She has been having health issues for a number of years, but it has gotten to a point where my father-in-law could no longer take care of her by himself.  There is guilty feelings in all of us for not being there more, but what can one do?

  My MIL has been having mini strokes in here brain for the past several years.  What this does is mimics Alzheimer's disease. She has also gotten to the point where I believe anyway, not that anyone else in the family agrees with me, she is having small stokes in her left leg and arm.  It is getting very hard to for her to walk.  Her left leg just doesn't want to move at all.  Her left arm has been bad for years.  

  I know that the stress of being responsible for my MIL needs have taken there toll on my husband and sister-in-law and father-in-law, also.  I do what I can but they don't want to but added stress on me because of my own health issues.  I took my MIL to the doctor the other day and the next day all I could do was rest, I was so tired from the day.  At least by taking her, we will have her evaluated for he possibility of a wheelchair.  I would hate to have her fall when we have her out for the holidays or something like that.  It is just so hard to know what to do.  I found the following quote on Facebook, I wish I could remember who had posted it.  It sums up what we need to remember when dealing with our older generation. 

Love to all,   Sara

HAPPY NEW YEAR

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S!

 

from my family to yours!

 

 

Love to all,   Sara