Time management

I was thinking of different ways to be frugal. Time management seems to be what I keep focusing on. I am a big time waster. I get sucked into the computer, drawn to junk TV if it's on, and THE PHONE!

So, I'm making a plan. Consciously spending my time. If I had a job outside of the home I would have a schedule, a list of duties needed to be done. I am doing that for myself at home. I have to be flexible but have a general plan so I can make the most of my day.

5:30- Up and dressed.
make list for the day of what needs to be done. Drink my coffee read my Bible (God and caffeine)

6:15- Wake up the kids
Farm Chores
Make breakfast and get them moving for the day.

7:00 Kids on the Bus
Computer time- returning emails and blogging

8:00 general house cleaning
laundry

10:00 Errands
Try to keep errands in an order and in one area for that day.

12:00 lunch
start working on dinner preparations
mending,sewing,repairs/maintenance (whatever needs to be done)

2:30 first round of kids come home
homework/snack

3:30 second round
homework
finish cooking dinner

4:00 Farm Chores

5-6:30 Dinner depending on evening schedule

6:30- 8:30 Evening activities
Scouts, baseball, picking up daughter from work
Family time

8:30-9:00 Bedtime

10:30 My bedtime



So that is what I'm going to work on for the next 30 days. Making this schedule a habit and not allowing myself to spend three hours on the computer, not getting sucked into TV and if I'm on the phone, making sure I'm multi-tasking and getting my work done. I can also keep myself from those activities by leaving them off.

Welcome to 2012

Baking Christmas cookies

Our Christmas tree

The aftermath of opening gifts because I didn't remember to take pics while they were opening gifts.

We drove to my Mama's house and spent Christmas Day with my Mama and her husband.

Now onto 2012.

I have a few goals this year.
1. Become more frugal, save money where I can and make extra when I can.

2. Get rid of Debt notice the capital D, because Debt has become a real entity in our life. We were always very careful to stay away from frivolous debt (credit card) we had the mortgage and the vehicle payment. When the economy fell out from under us, jobs canceled, work became scarce and people got weird(trying to get a $2000 job for $200) We started using our credit card for groceries and even utility payments. That's over now. Hubby has a good job and my goal is to have the credit card paid off in one year. As well as working on paying back my Mama who helped us out last year.

3. Take care of myself--- I'm not going on a crazy diet or becoming a workout queen. I'm going to go to the Dr. Get my check ups, take care of my teeth, and make a very conscience effort to feeding my family a well balanced diet and move more.

My Family

These are the crochet dishcloths. I gave them as gifts this year and now I'll be selling them for $2ea. They really do clean better then my other dishcloths!

This is my healing salve I made using lavender infused olive oil, beeswax and essential oils. I gave this as gifts this year and am waiting to get feedback before I try selling any.

Of course I will be making more soap. My family is using the batch I made last spring. Now I'm going to experiment with essential oils and added ingredients. Although I do want to make a batch of straight lye soap to use in my laundry detergent instead of buying the fels naptha soap.

I'm also going to participate in the 23 day frugal challenge. Look for the button on tomorrows post. Yes, I'm setting a daily schedule to post! Happy New year to everyone and please join me in learning new ways to be frugal- that is a farm girl skill!

The past few weeks have been crazy. The holidays seem to suck up my time and yet I don't get anything done. I write list after list. Forget my list, write a new list, lose the list, and so it goes... I have everything I need to finish my quilt except the knowledge on HOW to do it. That is on my list for tomorrow. I've been decorating for the Christmas season, a little here and there. I'm really not that into decorating. My Hubby thinks I'm a grinch, I just don't like doing it, I don't seem to have the creative urge to dress up the house. I have alot of empty spaces on my walls. I like it uncluttered. Mostly I don't like to clean and the more stuff hanging around means more dusting. Maybe my laziness makes me a minimalist? Now I do like to get crafty, that's making a mess, I like to make a mess, don't like to clean it up! My house right now is quite sparklely, perhaps that's not a word but really there are mica flakes everywhere. While I am not creative on my own I can be inspired by what I do see and copy it. I'm the horrible person at craft shows that thinks, I'm not paying $15 for that when I can make it myself! Probably why I'm such a bad salesperson because I hate selling something to people when I know they can make it or do it themselves. Hubby says I need to adjust my thinking process!

copied ideas!

Our tree is up and decorated. I use ornaments from when I was a child, ornaments Hubby and I picked out or the kids bought and homemade ones and the crafts the kids make at school. I have a second tree in my sitting room that isn't decorated yet. Well, it has beads and pearls wrapped around it, but no ornaments. Of course I don't have a picture of it because I forgot to take one! This year we are trying to simplify our Christmas. Help the children, and remind ourselves, what the true meaning of Christmas is, besides a materialistic mad dash to malls and stores to gather "stuff". This year we are focusing on family.

Staying in on a cold wet day

It's chilly this morning so I built the fire again.

I started my morning doing some cleaning and cooking. I put a chicken on the stove to make some stock. Love the smell of chicken cooking. Maybe it's the herbs I put in with it. It just makes me feel comfy! I ironed the quilt top again. I have to say I'm really excited about it. I added the red border and it really sets it off. I am inspired to make more. I even spent the evening cutting strips of fabric to make a dresdane plate quilt.

I took a few of the pumpkins, dropped off for the goats, and baked them off. I just couldn't see feeding the goats perfectly good pie pumpkins. They will get all the others!

As I was writing out the menu plan for the next two weeks, and the grocery list, I thought I'd make some snacks. I have all this pumpkin now so I made pumpkin bread.

Then I made another pumpkin bar cake that is still in the oven. I have to make the caramel frosting for that when it cools. So the house is warm and toasty. It smells of chicken and pumpkin/cinnamon, and the children will have homemade snacks for after school. Tonight's dinner is not chicken but pasta, because we have to go to a Pack meeting for my little Tiger Scout. Tomorrow we will be eating Chicken BBQ with Ranch potato wedges. I got that recipe from Heavenly Homemakers---love her blog! Now it's off to toss the laundry, and prepare for the whirlwind of children coming home from school!

pinwheel baby quilt project

I set aside my sampler quilt to make a baby quilt. I didn't use the traditional pinks mostly because I didn't like any of the pinks I had and I really love these reds. I hope the mama likes this. I've never made a baby quilt or any quilt for that matter. I'm not sure if I should make a border or not. I have enough of the dark red fabric to do a border but not the light.

Notice the red ironing board cover? I made that too. I even have a draw string through it to keep it tight around the board.(Very proud of that)

This went together rather quickly. I used the sandwich method to make the half square triangle blocks. My Hubby laughed last night because I was a bit frustrated that I could whip out a baby blanket but it seems like my sampler is just taking way too long. I can see me making alot of baby blankets because it's instant gratification! So this week I have to go to the Quilt shop and get batting and a backing fabric. I'm thinking a flannel? I want it to be soft. And I'm going to attempt to hand quilt it because I have plenty of time and it isn't that big. I just need to find out how to hand quilt! lol .... So if anyone has any ideas about a border or hand quilting please let me know!

Lessons from the farm

Stay on your own side of the fence...or you'll get all caught up.

Poor Potter. He doesn't belong in the chicken pen, but he sneaked in when one of the kiddos wasn't paying attention. Trying to get out the small chicken door didn't work well for him. I don't know how he got his head in there but it wasn't going back through. So I had to humiliate him by taking his picture before rescuing him. See how annoyed he is. Robert grabbed the screw gun out of the barn and I took the top board off and pushed his head back through the door. He was quite happy to get to his own side of the fence! I guess I saw in farm world what we sometimes do in the real world. Get a little too curious, maybe covet what someone else has and we cross a line, get past a gate, climb a fence. Once there we realize it's not we we want, where we need to be, or very good for us. And then we discover we are stuck, trapped, alone. And to get out of the situation we have to deal with some uncomfortable attention.

Freezer is Full

Not one freezer... all of them. In fact I don't think I can buy ice cream or anything else because I have no room! Two upright freezers and two refridgerator freezers filled with chicken, beef, turkey, flour, oat meal, and whatever fruits and veggies I managed to freeze this summer. It feels good to have that food stored away. Like a weight lifted. Hubby is sleeping now, he's working night shift this week. I am going to go out and move the goats out to the field so they can eat up the grass while it is still green. Then off to do errands. I'm stocking up on tissues and dishwashing detergent. I'm going to make more laundry soap. I was reading Rhonda's post on Down to Earth, about using homeade liquid laundry soap for a household cleaner. I'm going to try that out. I really think I'm addicted to Lestoil. I thought it was the pine oil that I enjoy smelling, but I think it's the petroleum products in it! Well, the goats are calling me!!!!