Open letter to my friends turning 30.....

30 is wonderful, but not as wonderful as 31. 32 is even better. Look at yourself in the mirror, really look. Now is your time.

It isn't too late to realize your dreams, in fact it is never too late right up until you die. Each step you take can be one closer to your dream or one away. That's your choice.

Wear the funky heels. Dye your hair purple. Sing out loud with the windows open. Dance when you feel like moving to the beat. Even if it is the toilet paper aisle at the local grocery store and your ring tone is awesome.

Love. Love yourself. Love the children in your life. Love your partner. Love your neighbor. Even the annoying ones. Do it.

If you hate running, don't.

If you hate "working out", don't.

Eat the cake.

Give up diet soda. It doesn't help and it tastes like crap. Eat the cake instead.

Cry sometimes, but also forgive. But don't ever cry on the phone with strangers. It will never help.

Stop the car sometimes to look at things. Shooting stars, sunsets, children laughing. Sometimes you have to stop and look them in the eye, let them know, let the universe know, "I am listening. You are beautiful." Breathe that beauty in and it becomes you, mixes with who you are, and is released back into the beautiful world around you.

You are not old. You are ancient. Gilded. Embrace it and release the folly that is a bad thing to grow old,  release the fear of growing. Grow.

That is all.

Too Busy

You would think that with as busy as we are, there might be post after post of all the things we've been doing. We have reached maximum capacity overload though and first to go was time to write.

Otherwise known as officially too busy.

Here's some cute pictures to go with an apology and a promise of an update.

Someone asked me to post this week's meal plan

Refer to this post for more detail.

Here, by request, is our menu plan for this week.

Sunday: Roast chicken, from our farm. 6lb bird. I used an upright cast iron roaster (it has a stand in the middle to mount the bird on) and surrounded the bird with mushrooms, carrots, onions, and potatoes, seasoned with Swamp Fire, and stuffed with butter (instead of olive oil).

This chicken will be used for dinner tonight, leftovers shredded (2.5.lbs), and the carcass made into broth. 4 meals. This chicken was $24, but that equates into $6 per meal in meat. About $1.25 per person for meat.

Side dish with the chicken tonight is jasmine rice with the veggies mixed in and a cream sauce. The result is like the rice in "chicken and rice" casserole. Heavily buttered.  Some of the vegetables could be set aside to make a soup, but I am not doing that.

Monday: Lamb chops (6$). Sweet potatoes on the side. Leftover rice is there is any, peas if there isn't.

Tuesday: I take salad (with chicken $1.25 see above) for lunch or dinner, kids eat pizza with dad. I work a 12 hour day.

Wednesday: Steak (3$ that's right, from our farm too) broiled. Roasted turnips. Asperagus.

Thursday: Ham ($3.50) and beans with corn bread. I use black eyed peas, carrots, onions, and braising greens. Lily will make the cornbread from a mix into muffins. Uses 1 quart of chicken stock.

Friday: Curried chicken (using the leftovers) over jasmine rice. Variety of vegetables cooked in. Veggie egg rolls on the side.

Saturday: Beer batter fish (5$ on sale from Hy-vee) and chips. Salad on the side.

I will also make a batch of chili (beef $3) at some point for the freezer.

Lunches:
Cheese noodles
Ponyo Miso (with chicken, broth, veggies, and rice noodles).
Peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches
Pancakes
Grilled cheese and tomato soup

Breakfast:
Farm eggs and sausage x2
Fruit and cheese plate, maybe with venison summer sausage
Oatmeal
Muffins (that Lily makes)

Snacks: yogurt, fruit, venison sausage, chips and salsa, popcorn.

We will also make rolls and pizza dough for next week. Some chicken gets carried over by freezing it.

$45 in meat for the week. $20 in veggies. 20$ in dairy. $20 in bread and noodles and rice.
Time? 15 minutes prep for each meal. 20 minutes if the kids help.
105$ total but most of it is paid in bulk once a year. So really, just $50 at the grocer for food.

All real, most local, most from our farm.
No desserts. We only do desserts on holidays or special treats. I know, I'm a mean mean mommy.

That's the plan. I don't beat myself up if we veer off it or sub in other stuff. 

Rider in the Wind

Lily loves horses. She loves horses almost as much as the colour purple. I love how she comes out of lessons sore and utterly happy. I love how she asks to share the last part of her hour giving her sister and brother a turn. She is a wonderful big sister to them, always. Little gestures of generosity remind me of this. She is usually tired and sore, but when Holly is done with her turn they commiserate.  Isaac is in awe of the horse too. He gets quiet and watchful and then touches the horse with what looks like reverence.

Jessica really understands my kids too. She works Lily hard, but also respects her as a person. It took a long time to find a teacher that was just right, that met this relationship criteria.

I love Thursday mornings.