Bucket Training

"Shhhhh" I tell the big girls, as thier studies in the kitchen get a bit loud. My little K-bug is sound asleep in the chair and bundled up. She and I were up most of the night, as she learned a new part of becoming a big girl.... Learning to spit up in the bucket, instead of all over everywhere. I still don't know why she's not feeling well, but for now, I am dealing with helping her feel better.

Last night, just after bedtime, K-bug started spitting up. After cleaning her up, changing bedding, and setting her up in a recliner, I went into the kitchen to find a little bucket that was just her size. I also went and grabbed a few fresh towels, blankets, and rags~ better to put away unneeded supplies, then to need them, and be unable to go get them!

I know this little girl is very bright, so I explained what the bucket is for "When your tummy is sick, you grab the bucket, lean over it (showed her) and put your spit in there. Don't Spill it, and momma will take it away to clean up." I put the bucket in arms reach of her (her OWN arms) and had her practice a few times. {"Oh no! Your tummy is sick! What do you do?" She thinks, and grabs the bowl. "Oh no!! Need to spit!! Where will you put it?" She leans over the bowl and dry spits *p-tew* "Oh good girl!! Now where does it go?" She hands it to momma.} Ok all set.

She drifts off to sleep~ only to wake up and need the bucket a few minutes later... She used the bucket! Yea! She decided that spitting also meant that Daddy needed to hold her again. Daddy cuddles her for a bit~ he almost looked ready to try to help me through this one.

She starts to get sick again, and starts refusing the bucket! EEK! I quickly realize that she thought having the bucket ready MADE her spit... ahhh I quickly explain the bucket is for IF she is sick, not to make her sick.... It just helps with the mess. She understands, and goes back to using the bucket. Back into daddy's arms. Poor baby. I cleaned up, and prepared the LR for tummy battles, and then scooped up K and told DH to go to sleep. He had to work today.

Once she is settled, I make her some tummy tea, and she has a sip or 2. She drifts to sleep again, and stays asleep for a while. No tummy yuk since 2 am. She didn't have a fever last night, but just before she fell asleep, she was freezing cold and warm to the touch. Her little brother was warm too.

Both are napping now~ and the big girls are working hard on their studies. :)

Garden Pictures

The Garden Takes Shape

I've been turning my garden area by hand, one shovelful at a time. I've learned a lot! Gardening MIGHT be a great anger management, as it gives you purposful destruction. Gardening can be good for an exercize routine- you're doing repetitive muscle movements for long periods of time (Heart rate up? Sure! Work faster!). Clay is not soil. Clay with BIG WORMS is good, but still not soil. Grass and sod turned under with out newspaper shavings smell like funky swamp rot when turning the soil the second time. I'll have to try the newspaper shreds trick next year and debate which plan was better.

Since the last post, I have finished turning the soil and clay for the second time. I've remeasured the perimeter and I have 220 sqft gardne area. My path has been stamped, kicked, and shoveled about and is rather clear in the dirt. Yesterday and today, I've been stabbing the clods of dried dirt and clay with my shovel, breaking them up smaller and smaller and shifting the resulting mounds into position.

Today, DH gave me a $40 dollar budget and took me to the Nursery. :-D

I got 11 packets and 1 meshed bag of seeds and things to plant, 4 cu ft of (some kind of "super soil fixer") ______________________ and 1 cu ft of chicken poo :-D DH found the 2nd Farmer's Almanac for Kids and picked that up for some lesson material for school.

He didn't he me trying to tell him how I was trying to bring down my total. The book was 10. I figured the seeds out at 2 dollars a packet ($22 -25) the soil was 16 and the poo was 6. I asked him if the book was seperate from the garden budget ("Huh? Yea" as we are walking to the really long line) Ok... I'm still about 5 dollars over.. "Ok, I'll go thru and put a few of these back for now" I chirp as I start sorting thru the little colorful packets in my hand. "No. Don't put anything back." He says to me :) I love this man!! "Ok Honey, Thank you!!"

$57 dollars later (Hey, I was REALLY close in my estimate) He had to think thru the sequence of events, closely to see how he agreed to almost 60.... hehehe

OH! :( The (really cool) watering can I had found! Ugh!!! I was horrified to discover it was TWENTY-five ninety-nine, not the mere 6 dollars I had thought I read. I must learn to wear my glasses all. the. time. *sigh* I quickly took that back inside! My thumb over the hose end or milk jug with sprinkle holes will work just fine!! LOL

I would LOVE to take a pic of the back yard right now, but the webcam on the computer likes the sun to be a bit lower first. I will snap pics before and after I spread the soil booster. I'll even take a picture of the bag, incase you want to use it to break up your clay and supplement the soil. They have another one for raised bed gardens too. :-)

Seeds that we have now include: Garlic, Onion, White Lisbon Onion, Rainbow Carrot, Rainbow Tomato, Cucumber, Lemon Cucumber, White Corn, Golden Corn, Radishes, Strawberry, Cantalope, Red Grape Tomato, Slicer Tomato, Spear mint, Basil, Carrots, Shrot carrots, Green Bean and Sweet Pea.

A day in the Garden

So today was a little busy. I got the strawberry pot filled with my little 6 pack of plantlings, and added 3 little tomato seeds just for giggles. I am hoping that i can have a tomato plant here on top, but i would be wiser to have it be a small cherry tomato plant instead.

I have it set up on a chair, in hopes that the children and dogs will get over th newness of it and allow it to continue to thrive :) We'll see.




Then I checked on my 2 foot planter full of little radishes. OHHH!! Sprouts!!! They look so delicate!! I better make sure it's not going to freeze tonight...










But the majority of my work was in the big section. I seated the supports for my trellis today. It looks a bit odd, and even more so once start running the string work!

One thing I discovered, was that once you turn the grass and sod under, and wait 2 weeks for the rains to soak back in... The soil STINKS!!! Ewww!!!

So here's to hoping that mixing in some top soil and that stink all creates some nourishing veggies!!!

The Adventures of a Quitter

57 hours and 42 minutes.

That is how long ago my DH and I gave our cigarettes to God- our Lenten sacrifice. DH is doing rather well. He doesn't feel withdrawl, just a random irritation at the loss of the hand to mouth thing. He also doesn't understand how this ride feels to someone who is physically addicted to the chemicals, mentally addicted to the enforced break times and the overall "happy" associations with this now forbidden activity.

58 hours and 27 minutes.

I went outside and did garden work to help get past another craving. Two different children came out and asked if I was imagining the grass clumps as Daddy's head.... No, not at all. I am trying to keep my head clear, free of any thoughts. I am safe that way, no reminders of what desperately want, and yet so strongly DON'T want. I want to succeed.

We fought last night, over something stupid. When it was over, he apologized. But it seems the effects of it carried over to today. It seems DH thought I was imagining the clumps were his head, and shared it with the kids. LOL Perhaps he has very good reason for thinking this way. ;-) But, his head is safe. I do not want to dwell on what upsets me. I want to get through it, past all the struggles.

58 hours and 40 minutes.

Matthew 4, verses 1-11

For 40 days and nights, Jesus was in the desert, fasting and praying. The first thing the Devil tempted Jesus with was food! Jesus was strong, and I shall be too! I am pretty sure that fasting and praying in the desert was not an easy thing for Jesus. I do not expect it to be easy for me to quit a 20 year addiction.

Don't belittle my hard work, and the things my children are also enduring, by telling me that I should smoke, rather then yell at my children in my fits of withdrawl. My children and I have talked, they will be ok with some yelling, if it means I will live to see them grow up and start their own families. We all would rather go through this 1 time, all together, then to keep "attempting" and failing. It will only be bad like this for a little bit longer... I promise.

59 hours 23 minutes.

I want a smoke after every meal. I want one after I worked hard on something. I want one when I am frazzled. I want one while I am tending the laundry. I want one approximately every hour, from waking to dark. I want one to keep me from yelling at the kids. I want one because I am bored. I want one because I am on the phone....

Off to go dig past this...

60 hours.

Praise the Lord!!! I can get through these cravings, I can defy Satan and his ever decieving lies. I can get this devil off my back, and out of my lungs. I LIVE!!!! I will survive!!!! I have friends all over the globe, praying for me and my battle. I have posted my shame for all to see~ Confessing this truth and fighting to make it no longer true for me.

I am NOT a smoker.

I might be a quitter, but I am fighting the most important battle in my life~ and I intend to win with God's help.