Tuesday, April 30, 2013

a (reluctant) farm mom

When I recently came across this photo, I thought I really should have named my blog,
"Tales from a Reluctant Farm Mom." 
As much as I am still--and always will be--under construction in this vocation, the FARM part of my title has probably been the hardest part to swallow over the past 12 years.
You see, being on a farm has never been my dream.  I signed onto it and I am proud of my husband and what our family does in agriculture, but it's no secret between the two of us or anyone else that I don't love it.  My tolerance of farming has grown to "like" over the years. 
My job most often as a farm wife and mom is COOK and I am happy to do that.  I stay as far away from cattle as possible and I am terrible at book work. Unless my husband needs a spell or grammar checker, I don't have many marketable skills when it comes to farming.   
Farming isn't neat and clean and predictable.  It's tough.  It's hard work.  It's patience.  Just as it takes many weeks for a crop to go from planting to harvest, it can take years for farmers and their wives to see the fruits of their labor. 
Yes, it's patience.  Lots of patience.
 
Still, I don't have to love farming to defend our way of life.  If you think farmers aren't intelligent and can't manage huge businesses, well, you don't know a farmer.  If you think all there is to farming is planting some seeds and watching them grow (as I did about 13 years ago), you really don't know a farmer. 
What has mostly shifted my tolerance to "like" is watching our boys find their place on the farm.  They are now old enough to help and they love it.  It is fun for me to watch them grow and I can't believe that those loooong days of having two toddlers at home are over as I watch them proudly help their dad where they can.  I don't know if our boys--or girls--will be farmers, too, but I hope so. 
And, if they have spouses, I hope they love the farm.
Or at least I hope they learn to like it.
 
It really is a good life.
 

Friday, April 26, 2013

Mystery solved

Oh, little girl. 
This is not mommy's first go-round.  I wasn't born yesterday, it ain't my first rodeo . . . you get the picture. 
Besides, Elementary is my favorite show and I have been learning the art of deduction from the fictional Sherlock Holmes himself.
SO, if you don't want to get caught after taking all of the tissues out of the box,
 
you really shouldn't leave sippy cup evidence behind.
 

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Hog barns and bar bathrooms

Here's the promised Part 2 of today's previous post . . . .
 
I may not know a whole lot about how to build or remodel a house, but a do know how to decorate one.  (Thanks to getting ideas from other people who have already done it.)
If you follow me on Pinterest, you might have seen an influx of ideas for kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry spaces on my boards lately. 
As soon as I found out this project was a "GO," I started to think about paint colors and decor.  I am practical enough to know that this will be the kids' bathroom after we are through living downstairs.  Also, this isn't going to be a laundry room for just kinda-dirty city clothes.  It will still clean the same muddy and cow manured clothes it always has. 
Knowing that, I'm not planning on anything too dainty, but I do think a fun shade of green paint would be nice.  Maybe not one of these shades, but A shade of green.  I also have a few ideas for a counter top, laundry sorting, and baskets that I haven't had before. 
 
Relating to that topic, here's a little story you might like . . . .
Back up to Saturday as we cleaning up the last of the cement chunks from the basement.  David was looking at the smaller room which will have the shower and toilet and was expressing concern about moisture over the years (a valid concern, since we will have to remodel our upstairs bathroom before this is over, too.) 
Then he said, "We should get some of that panel to put in the bathroom (look of panic from me---I HATE paneling!!!) . . . well, you see it in hog barns." 

After nearly 12 years, I know enough not to freak out and just let things be.  So, I took a shower and gathered my thoughts.
As we were sitting around the table having a snack with the boys, I told him, "You know, if you want me to consider your ideas for the house, you cannot tell me that 'you see it in hog barns.'"
"Well," he answered, "you know what I mean.  You see it in bar bathrooms."
WOW.  Big upgrade there.  We have now gone from smelly hog urine to drunk male urine.  It is true that our boys are not the neatest in their bathroom habits sometimes, but I do not anticipate needing a pressure washer to hose the walls down! 
Again, I kept my mouth shut and that's how it will stay.  I know what battles are important and that one is not worth it.  I will be the one handling the painting, decorating, and LACK of paneling that will be put up.  All necessary steps and the right kind of sheet rock/paint will be chosen for a high-moisture environment--something we were too young to consider 12 years ago when we remodeled the upstairs. 
Yes, he is still Super Husband, my hero with a backhoe and knowledge of all-things construction, but there are some things just better left up to the woman of the house.  :o)

Super Husband (or . . . She's Thinks my Backhoe's Sexy)



Our project took an unexpected turn yesterday when our plumber showed up a day early (prayers answered!) and told us that the sewer pipe was broken too far under the house. We would have to dig down to it outside. 
Again . . . I was ready to throw up.

But, what was that?  A bird?  A plane?  No, it was Super Husband swooping in to save the day!  Dig down to it, you say?  Call someone to do it?  HA!  That's what the backhoe attachment on the Skidsteer is for!  By this morning, it was all ready to go.  Whew! 
Crisis averted and now we will have all new pipes to the septic tank, so there will be no surprise clay pipe collapse in our future. 

Gotta run and pick up some pipe fittings.
There will be one more bathroom project post, and then I promise I will move onto other topics!

Monday, April 22, 2013

Step One

Step one is done.  I have to admit when we first started at about 9pm Friday evening, I was so nervous I could have thrown up.  Did we know anything about sawing and jackhammering concrete?  No.  But, just as we did when we built the living room addition, we plowed ahead and took it one thing at a time. 
The girls stayed at grandma and grandpa's for the night, so the rest of us had all of Saturday to work.  David's dad and uncle Doyle came to help, too, which was huge.  We were all done by 4pm Saturday. 
 This shows the east side of the house where the new bathroom and laundry room will be.  We had remodeled this shortly after we were married to be an office. 
This is the present utility room.  The old toilet pictured here is now gone. 
This room will be used for our freezers and storage. 
The only snag we encountered was hitting the sewer pipe in a few places.  Thankfully we never went all the way through or we wouldn't have plumbing now!   We have it covered, so it doesn't smell and hopefully won't before the plumber can get here on Wednesday to put the new plumbing in.  The kids thought it was pretty neat to flush the toilet and run downstairs to watch it go through the pipes! :o)
David and I both agreed that it really wasn't all that bad doing that part ourselves.
Now . . . we wait on the professionals to come and do their part.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Home Improvement

There are several ways to my heart.  Admittedly, most of those involve food.  Among the top finishers, though, is making progress on long ago back-burnered house projects.
I blogged about the history of our home renovations in 2009.  2009!  Yes, at that time it looked like the kitchen remodel would be coming up quickly.  I don't remember what happened exactly, but it didn't happen.
I think what probably happened is that we had a 1, 3, and 5 year old in the house full time and I was already living on the brink of sanity.  (Sanity is a very important quality in a mom.) Then we were expecting little miss Rachel and that was about 9 months of mom in survival mode.  After her birth, I made the proclamation that all humans living in our home needed to be upright first before we delved into destruction.  She started walking in February.
You know, what's not so great about comfort zones is that sometimes you (or maybe it's just me) can stay in them because they're familiar and functional, even if no longer comfortable.
I love our home and the history behind it.  BUT, our kitchen NEEDS to be remodeled and our family NEEDS to go through this messy transition.  I am ready and have suddenly become quite impatient about getting started!
The kitchen has become like the acne I used to battle.  I could ignore it for awhile, until someone asked me about the red spots on my face. 
Our kitchen has plenty of blemishes.  The sticky tiles we put in 8 years ago with a 5 year warranty lasted exactly that long and not a day more.  Our hand-me-down rolling chairs have worn plenty of holes in floor.  The cabinets are dark Formica--fully functional, but needing a much-needed makeover.  We have already purchased a temporary refrigerator and microwave.  We have already been told that there aren't many 13 year-old dishwashers working anymore.  Who knows when the range will die--could be tomorrow or next year.  The insulation is near zero.  I know that winter is here when the butter in the cupboard becomes hard to spread.  Yes, it is all functional, and we are thankful to have everything it has given us in the past 12 years, but it all needs a serious dose of Tetracycline.
Thankfully, my husband came up with a brilliant plan to make this all a little more feasible (and more likely that I will maintain my sanity, because he kind of admires that about me as well.)
We will attack this mountain in two phases.
Phase 1:  Renovating the former downstairs office (now vacant) into a bathroom and laundry room.  This will take a little work, redoing plumbing, etc., but we will handle the demolition phase of that ourselves . . . hopefully within DAYS!!!   (These spring snow storms worked in this house's favor.) 
After this phase is completed, we will be able to demolish the kitchen and move the kitchen cabinets downstairs to our present utility room.  Most of our appliances will also move downstairs, so we can cook and survive for the duration of Phase 2. 

Today I talked to a guy about renting a jack hammer.  I think it scares David a little about how excited I am to bring it home.  :)  Or, maybe he's always wanted a wife who can handle cement-crushing tools.  Maybe I will have a hidden talent there.  Can't wait to find out.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

. . . and back to white.

The boys got their snow day.
The promised storm finally blew in late yesterday afternoon and continued to dump snow on us overnight.  It is still snowing a little as I write this. 
We can't complain, though.  Many in the Sioux Falls area are fighting falling tree branches and are without power due to the rain that came before the snow. 
We've done that before.
Not fun. 
 
It's been a day of cleaning (when isn't it?), Wii, baking molasses cookies and lemon cupcakes, playing Memory, fighting/playing (sometimes it overlaps), snow angels and a long nap with Baa Baa (for Rachel, anyway). 
 
I just signed the boys up for baseball.
It seems impossible that practice will start in just a few weeks!

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Granola Bars

Alright . . . the inside of our house is starting to get old AGAIN!  So, the girls and I have started getting creative in the kitchen.
Today's project was Granola Bars.  I intended to make a more healthy recipe, but as it turned out, I didn't have all of the healthier ingredients that I needed.
So, I found this recipe on allrecipes.com.  They are still pretty healthy for a baked treat, especially if you use fat-free sweetened condensed milk.  I read in the reviews that the butter can be left out, too, without affecting the end product. 
What I like about this recipe is that it is very versatile.  Basically, add 3 cups of quick oats and then 3 cups of whatever else you like in your granola bars.  I did not add the coconut or raisins this time, and we used some Easter M&M's for instead of the chocolate chips.
You do need to use quick oats, since they are not baked for long and you will want the oats to be soft.

Granola Bars

3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
2 T butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup raisins or Craisins, etc. 

Preheat oven to 350.  In a large bowl, mix the ingredients together until blended.  Press flat into a greased 9x13 pan.  Bake for 20 minutes for soft bars or 25 minutes for crunchier bars.  Let cool for 5 minutes, cut and then cool completely before serving.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Lazy Halupsie

There are some comfort foods that I suppose you have to grow up with to appreciate, like pigs in a blanket.  And I'm not talking about hot dogs wrapped in bread--those are delicious to ANYBODY.  I'm talking hamburger and rice wrapped in cabbage and topped with ketchup.  My German people call it Halupsie.  It's not for everyone, but it's comfort food to me!

As our family has grown, I have resorted to the Lazy version, which tastes the same and is easier for the kids to eat, too.  I have started all of them out on this early on (for David, early on in our marriage), so by now they appreciate it, too.

I was going to post a picture, but it really isn't a pretty dish. . . and then I was too lazy to get my camera.  It still tastes good, though!  Trust me. :)

I split this up into two batches.  I cook both and then freeze one to heat up later.

Lazy Halupsie

2 lbs hamburger, browned with onion
1 cup rice
1 small-medium head cabbage, shredded

Layer in a greased roaster or split between two greased casseroles. 

1 can tomato soup
1 can water
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Mix and pour over the top.

Bake at 350 for one hour.  You may also make it in a Crockpot on high for 4-5 hours.  In my opinion, it has to be eaten with ketchup.

Oh, so good and so comforting as we hunker down for ANOTHER winter storm!!  The boys are hoping to squeak out just one more snow day!

Sunday, April 7, 2013

A little victory is always sweet

This past Friday and Saturday, our family went to our first YMCA basketball tournament to watch Landen's 3rd grade team play. 
They played one game Friday evening and three on Saturday.  It was the second game on Saturday that ended up being the team's first victory for the year.  21-20! 
Since this was these boys' first introduction to basketball, we didn't expect them to be great this first year.  In fact, to keep them working hard in the future, it was better that they weren't. 
 
Something happened at this tournament, though.  The usually timid boys came to play! 
 
Although Landen was disappointed that they didn't place high enough to receive medals, he was still pretty excited about that win.  We look forward to watching these boys play through their years together.  This is just the beginning!

Friday, April 5, 2013

Grow.

 
Soon, it will be time for the farmers to begin the growing season.  Most years, it has begun already, but not this year.
 
For us, our growing season is constant, as shown by my "Teresa toes."  This past week, she took her kindergarten physical and immunizations like a little rock star.  So much better than either of her brothers.  Now nothing but time is in her way to start kindergarten in the fall.
 
This morning Landen was lamenting that he has to work at the things he isn't good at doing.  It's a tough thing to teach . . . or, maybe, we just have to grow and realize that working on difficult things is hardly ever enjoyable, but the accomplishment in the end is worth the effort. 
 
As a parent, sometimes the future can be overwhelming.  How will we raise these four totally different children to be the best they can be?  How will we confront each difficulty, large and small, as it comes?  How will we celebrate achievements in their varied talents?  It can be exhausting to think about!
 
It's a good thing the growth comes gradually, like our little seedlings. 
 
One day at a time.
 
 
 

Thursday, April 4, 2013

WalkMS is May 4!

The 2013 WalkMS:  Aberdeen is coming up soon!  This year's walk is May 4, starting at Plymouth Congregational Church (on the west end of Melgaard Road) at 10am.  Registration begins at 9am.  

We would love for you to join our team, Many Steps to Fight MS, again or for the first time!  The event is casual with pizza and bars after the walk.  Even the route is however long you want it to be! 
(There is no minimum $$ amount required to walk, but a $125 donation is required to receive the official 2013 t-shirt.) 

All donations benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in providing support for those affected by MS, and ultimately, finding a cure for people like my mom who live with MS every day.

You may join our team or donate at www.mymswalk.org.  The website is not the most user-friendly, so ask me if you have problems with it. :)  You may also mail any donations to me and I promise to get them to the right place!

Thank you for all of your past and present support!  We couldn't make the difference we make every year without you!

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Easter and Easter Monday

Here's what I've got for the Melius kids' Easter morning photo.  A whole lotta chaos!  Nathan and Teresa were up before 5am to check out their Easter baskets.
After dad did chores and Easter Morning mass, we drove down to Brandon to celebrate Easter and Isaiah Luke's baptism day.

Isn't he sweet? 
 
After that, the big three got to come back home to vacation at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  David, Rachel, and I ventured to Rochester on Monday morning for her post-surgery check up.  Our little girl, who was still a baby on her last visit, this time walked from the parking ramp to her doctor's 12th floor office and met new people all along the way.  (We did allow her to use the elevator.) :)
She had a great check up with Dr. Bite and we will return in a year for a Craniofacial Clinic where they will make sure her jaw, teeth, cranial bones, etc. are growing correctly and check for a bunch of other things concerning her development. 
She is now saying "Dad" and "dog." (Her favorite word is still "snack.")
Nothing slows her down . . . except for getting stuck in her toy box!