I'm feeling pretty darn depressed at the moment. We're having a hard time right now and I'm trying to stay positive, but things just keep happening. With Thanksgiving coming I'm trying to remind myself of all the things I have to be thankful for, but I'm struggling. 

What's so bad you ask? Well  to start off with this month we got kicked off of food stamps, no big deal since my husband got some overtime and an "extra" paycheck this month. Then we find out somewhere in the budget we messed up an that money wasn't really extra. Again we weren't to worried about it, we used the money for groceries, a coat and winter clothes for Nanna, rain boots for Jacks, underpants for me, and a treat for Shayne so it not like we wasted the money. Then we lose electricity in both our bathrooms and won't have the money for an electrician until we get taxes back. Shortly afterward we found out Shayne was going to loose his job in mid December due to some stupid old policy the company just now chose to enact. It's getting harder to feel quite so positive, but that's ok we've been in tighter spots before. Everywhere Shayne has looked for a new job hasn't really panned out, but we're still confident he'll find something. Then the dishwasher breaks. Totally no big deal, I can wash dishes by hand. It's to bad that I don't have any way to stop up our tiny sink, I may have to wash them in the bathtub... By candlelight... And to top it all off yesterday we were headed to one of my little brother's birthday party and stopped for gas. Once the gas was pumped the car wouldn't start and we had to sit at the gas station for like two hours trying to figure out what was wrong only to have to have the stupid thing towed! Thankfully the tow was covered by our insurance and my cousin was able to pick the kids and I up and take us to the party. We still don't know what's wrong with the car, but at least we have a car that's big enough to hold all of us until we do figure it out.

Yogurt paint

Books

I hardly ever go anywhere without the kids, but since one was napping and the other looked close to it I figured they could stay home with Shayne while I ran some errands. I decided the kids needed a treat. Ok, let's be honest, looking around the bookstore by myself is a pretty good treat! I picked out a handful and was about to leave when I noticed a table of Halloween books and couldn't resist getting more. I originally intended on buying each kid one book, but how could anyone resist such awesome books? I only spent $8 on all of these.

I love that my children saw the books as a treat. It makes me feel like I'm doing something right!

My kids are definitely readers. Last night I got Jacks to go to bed without a fight by telling him we could go to the library today. We go to the library at least twice a week and get a bag full of books plus a themed book kit. Even with all of that we exhaust at least half a shelf of books we own every day! The only negative I can find with my children loving books so much are the amount of tears Jacks sheds when we have to return one of his favorites!

This is one of the reasons I thought blogging might be a bad idea, I sometimes get out if the mood to do anything at all. I tend to fall into these little bouta of depression where I don't want to even leave my house and it's really a problem.

I get snappy and irritable. I hate myself for being short tempered with the people around me, but I can't help it.

My body is driving me crazy. I'm sick and I don't know why. Honestly I'm scared to find out. It's probably nothing, but on the slim chance it is something I'm terrified!

My hormones and cycles are all over the place and I don't know what to expect from one day to the next. 

Here are the only things keeping me even remotely sane:

Midwifery Study Group

This picture has nothing to do with midwifery, but I like it.

Every Monday I get to be part of a midwifery study group that is held by a local midwife. There are four of us that attend and it is amazing how much I already love being around these women! I generally find that I have a hard time fitting in or really feeling comfortable around most people. I have a total of probably three good friends, all of which happen to be married to my husbands cousins or friend! 

Anyway, we've been working our way through Heart & Hands by Elizabeth Davis and every week we work on a skill and do research on a herb. I feel good about the work I'm doing and the things I'm learning. While I'm not motivated to become a midwife I do feel like the skills could be useful and the information is interesting to me and will be beneficial when I start teaching birth classes. I also feel like, should the world as we know it end, it'll make me a useful member of society. 

Food Issues

I have been a terrible blogger as of late, and I am truly sorry, but it's really mostly been because of the lack of good pictures to put on!  

Ok so what I was wanting to write about today is how much of a hard time I'm having with food. I have been trying for years to eat "healthier", by which I mean trying to eat more of a whole foods diet and less of a crappy processed cupcake sort of diet. I have been pretty successful at making small changes gradually. My biggest obstacles have been things like budget, Shayne's taste preferences, and my own will power, but I'm finding these thing are easier and easier to overcome as time goes on. 

I keep tons of whole grains in the house, I'm trying new vegetables all the time and slowly removing most of the meat from our diet. It's really strange to me, but I don't really enjoy eating most meat. I'm not really motivated to be a vegetarian for moral reasons, but I just don't really like to eat meat the vast majority of the time. Is that weird?

The Blackberry Monster!

This is Nanna's favorite baby.

Sorry for the poor quality photos, the combination of one year old and poor lighting make it hard to snap good ones.

She has been dragging this baby, we call him "The Boy Baby", around nonstop! She insists that I take care of the others, but this one is hers.

Seeing her passionate love for taking care of her baby makes me excited for the day she gets to be an older sister and for the day she has a child of her own.

I know she is way to young to think of her eventual motherhood, but I know when the time comes nurturing will come naturally to her.

It kind if makes me want another baby!

Make Money From Home $

If you are looking to make a little pocket change in your spare time here is a website that lets you earn cash for doing surveys and you can do paid e-mails as well. If you can't complete a survey you can spin for a chance to still make a little money which is totally awesome and they give you a $5 bonus just for creating an account. I will get money too if you sign up through my link and I would greatly appreciate that! The money I earn goes to purchasing school supplies for my kids!!!

I am having a very hard morning. I'm sure this is going to sound ridiculous, but yesterday I missed out on what would have been my 24th consecutive Corn Festival! The Corn Festival is just what it sounds like it is, and it happens every year in my home town. I was supposed to go, but since my husbands family was having a family and friends picnic, my husband is the driver, and I'm not the arguing type, I didn't get to go. So now I'm bawling my eyes out being a big baby wishing I had fought harder and gone. I hate that I missed out. The whole thing is stupid because I had a goodtime yesterday anyway! I guess I mostly missed seeing my family.

My $5 Couch

I'm really glad this thing only cost $5 because its dead now... The poor thing suffered from attack of the killer Daisy! Oh well, it's going to be to cold and wet for an outside couch soon anyway.

I love my sweet babes! 

That is all!

Random thriftyness

 

Love-seat I found at a thrift store for $70 that I really wanted.

Love-seat I found at a different thrift store just down the street that is missing feet, but has a hide-a-bed for $5.

I bought the $5 one.

I love thrift store shopping.

Baking Bread

I have been so absolutely in love with baking bread as of late. I have been really loving the WHO bread recipe from Soulemama

The loaf above was actually a store bought 

frozen for when I'm feeling sort of lazy type of 

thing. The yellow bag underneath is my first

attempt at sewing a bread bag.

I even went out and bought a bread machine! 

And then Jackson promptly broke it...

It's ok I think I can still use it...  

Crafty Update

We have all been feeling very crafty as of late. I made the kids a mini outdoor music station.     

Jackson had fun painting.

I made this play cloak with the intention of it being a gift, but the kids fell in love. Maybe I can sneak it away while they sleep...

And I made this mobile for Jackson who demands everything be red at the moment.

Meet Khan

This is our new dog! His name is Khan Noonien Singh!!! As you can see Nanna isn't exactly pleased!

They still have some issues, but they're coming around.

Khan wanted some crackers too.

Jack and Khan are already the best of friends.

What could be sweeter than a boy and his dog?

Any who, we named Khan after young Khan from the Star Trek original series episode called Space Seed. I thought he looked very Khan like with his black hair and golden skin. Plus it's fun to yell KHAN!!! And it's fun to say things about his rath.

 http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Khan_Noonien_Singh

Mishmash Photo Update

Feeding his Anna some Popsicle and getting bit in the process...

Loving the new playroom that has since been rearranged twice...

Playing in the pool

Nanna's first birthday!

Enjoying the 4th of July parade

Some lite reading

Digging in and getting dirty.

Ok I promise my next post I'll introduce our new dog!!! I'm so behind on blogging!