Can’t say this project saved me any money, ‘cuz I wasn’t gonna spend any money on a computer desk … in my lifetime.  The old desk was fine and sturdy enough to last the rest of my life, barring house fire or other calamity.  But when an upgrade came along I didn’t even have to think about it.

YES!  I’ll take it!

This was put out at the curb at my friendly neighbor’s house across the street.  The kids told me about it, I went and inspected it, had the big Cowboys carry it home and spent the hour after supper dishes transferring all my stuff and here we are.

This is certainly a nicer looking desk than the old one, which now resides in the bedroom of the afore mentioned big Cowboys.

If you read all my posts carefully you’ll recall that I recently told you that I got that old computer desk off the curb, only down the street.  I had to drive to pick that one up, ’bout 5 years ago.  It was sittin’ out in the rain.  I had my doubts about it because of that, but it’s a great desk.

The little drafting desk that the big Cowboys had is now in the other Cowboys bedroom.  (Remember that black and white desk you gave us a hundred years ago, Faith?)

We just had us a regular trickle down party last evening!

This “new”one is also very nice, good quality (read mondo heavy!  huh boys?).  Spiffs up our den real perty-like, doncha think?

Here’s your shortcut back to Frugal Fridays.

I would never have thought to do this!  Even if I had thought to do this I would have ruined it with the syrup!

Then there’s the other way, you know, the way where, as the mom, I have to be all noble and everything and serve wonderful pancakes to my kids and then eat a salad while smelling the wonderful pancakes.  (Nothing against salad, I like salad, but not while watching people enjoy homemade pancakes!)

But the thing is, I feel differently (a little) about food than I used to.  I don’t feel the urgency at meal times, like I used to.  I don’t get that feeling of “If I don’t eat something right now I will perish!  Because it’s way past lunch time, like 3 maybe 4 minutes past!  I could die right now!”

I even forgot to eat breakfast yesterday because I was so busy with the shelf project.  AND I didn’t feel like I would faint or anything!  Quite a break-through for me.  I’ve had that problem all my life, even when I was skinny and fit.

It’s gotta be the sugar.  Not that I’m a total freak about sweeteeners, and I’ve even had a bit of sugar lately, what with all the reasons birthdays excuses that have been coming along.  But my consumption of regular old sugar is very low in comparison to the olden days.  You know, the days before May… of this year.

So, I was flittin’ around readin’ blogs this a.m. and found this wonderful recipe for pancakes.

She had strawberries that were within the last 30 seconds of their usefulness, and I thought to myself “I have strawberries that are within their last 30 seconds of usefulness!”

She found a can of whipped cream in the back of her fridge, and I thought to myself “I have some whipped cream in MY fridge!”

Then she started talkin’ about how the pancakes were high in fiber and I noticed that they had oats and OJ in ‘em, and I thought to myself “I have oats and OJ.

I had to get up right then and make this for my kids!  OK, for me too, but no sugar, remember?

So, I had to alter the recipe a little and make my hand not throw a dollop of whipped cream on top of MY pancakes.  I

The only real change I made in the recipe is that I used one really ripe, mashed banana instead of the sugar she used.  Dunno what hers tasted like but banana, OJ, and oat pancakes are yummmmmmmmy!!!

We loved this.

Sittin’ around this morning chattin’ with Faith about food.  We do that.  A lot.  We’re both fairly awesome cooks, but we’re so different in the kinds of food we cook.  So we really have a great time giving each other new ideas for different meals that we would never think of independently.

Here’s the one I told her about.  I read it on the world wide web, somewhere.  Of course I don’t remember where, and if it was your recipe please say so, and I’ll be happy to link to you.

I’ll call it -

Tater’s and Sausage

Wash, peel and quarter a bunch of potatoes and throw (we are allowed to have fun while cooking!) ‘em into your crockpot.

Slice up one or two onions and layer that over the ‘taters.

Now open one or two cans of green beans and pour ‘em (water and all) over the onions.

Do the same with a can of diced tomatoes.

Slice a pound or two of smoked sausage and throw that on top of the ‘maters.

Pop the lid on that bad boy and cook on high for a little while (3-4 hours) or on low for a big while (6 -8 hours).  It’s ready when the potatoes are tender.

Super simple, your 9 year old can make this dinner.

Here’s Faiths contribution.

Philly Cheesesteak

Ya pick up a roast beef (like a chuck roast or whatever is cheapest) and have the meat dept. guys shave it for ya.   (I hesitate to cal mine butchers, ‘cuz they’re not.)  Be sure and say “shave” so they will get it thin enough.

Once ya get it home, unwrap it and plop the whole thing into the crockpot.  Turn it on high for an hour or two, till it’s done enough to suit you.  It won’t take long because it is sliced sooooooo thin.

Saute some sliced onion and bell peppers in a tiny bit of butter or olive oil.

Assemble your sandwiches on  hoagie rolls, you know, meat first, then onions and peppers, then top with sliced sharp cheddar or provolone for picky kids who don’t like yellow cheese (Slim!) ( But who can resist that smile?).

Serve with a big salad!

Here’s your shortcuts!

Recipe Swap at Grocery Cart Challenge.

Tempt my Tummy Tuesday.

Tasty Tuesday.

Foodie Friday.

Food on Friday.

It’s hot here.  Is that an understatement for relentless 100° afternoons and night time “lows” of 80°?

When the afternoons are 100° - 105° that is not the time for kids to be out bike riding and roller blading and scootering.  They’ll either have a heat stroke or just sit around on the porch.  Both are less than stellar options.  They go out there in order to  get lots of exercise and stay fit play and have fun!

So we turn our days upside down.  We get up and eat breakfast, the kids do their chores, then they are FREE to play out doors until lunch.

Once lunch is over we have school till we’re done and then they can have leisure time in the house, either reading, watching a DVD or playing board games right up until supper time.

I am running my a/c now, but we’re trying to be very smart about it.  The rule is that you just don’t open a door in the afternoon, not without a very compelling reason.  That way all my bought air stays where I want it, and my house stays comfortable, and we don’t go broke when the bill comes.  Noble causes, all!

Some of the secret, hidden, don’t-tell-my-children side benefits to this schedule are:

• Chores get done in a hurry or it starts cutting into play time.
• School work is not done in a rush, just to get out of the house to play.
• I have time in the mornings to get all the days laundry washed and hung out.
• If I want to bake anything, I have time to do so in the cool of the day.

Ok, so they’re not secret, or hidden, and you can tell my children if you want to, but this works out nicely for us.

I love the freedom that homeschooling affords.  Not that I really know any other way, but part of my middle squirms when I hear gov’t school moms talk about having to abide by certain rules and schedules.  I really love making up our own rules and schedules that fit us.  Anything else seems so wasteful.

We take off huge chunks of time when the weather is fine.  Around here that means mid-Autumn and early to mid-Spring.  We may take 6 weeks or more during those times.  It only makes sense.  Why would we want to take time off when everyone else is?  I wanna go to the zoo when the high is 74° and there are only 4 other families there, don’t you?

When I woke up this morning I had no idea that today I would be getting a “new” book-shelf unit to replace my 40 year old unit I’ve been using for our school books.

As is our custom, lately, Hubs and I have been enjoying our morning coffee out on the front porch.  And since it’s our neighborhood’s turn for brush and rubbish pick up this week, we have a heap of junk out at our curb, and so do all our neighbors.  Tres white-trash!  No?

Anyway, I noticed that one of our neighbors, whose junk heap I had view of from my comfy rocker on the porch, had put out a couple of pieces of furniture since yesterday.  So, I sent Tex over there to  ”See if I’d be interested in them.”

So he asks me, “How am I gonna do that?”

Well, we had to have a little impromptu lesson on junk pickin’!

(Aren’t y’all relieved I have set the bar so low for “redneck white trash” standards?)

I told that cowboy what to look for and sent him off.  You know how to junk pick don’t ya?

1. still usable
2. at least clean up-able
3. all the important parts are there
4. doesn’t look like anyone died in it (only applies to recliners and the like)
5. is light enough to be carried by those folks as are available
6. will fit in my house (or car if I have to drive to get it)(that’s how I got my computer desk)
7. I like it/want it/need it

Since both pieces of furniture looked to be book shelf type items we didn’t have to worry about rule #4.  And when he’d inspected them carefully he reported that they both were in ok shape and seemed clean and usable.  Handy kid to keep around, huh?

So now I had to go see for myself.  Hubs had already declared one piece to be to large for our needs.  I had my eye on the smaller one anyway.

It was just an ordinary 3′ wide, 4′ high book shelf like you’d find at Target.  Not quite as flimsy as WalMart shelving.  The only problem was that it was missing a few of the little pegs that support the shelves.  I had a sneakin’ suspicion that the other unit might have some in it, and lo and behold, when I opened it up (it had doors and therefore could have been subject to junk pickin’ rule #4 after all)  anyhow, when I opened those doors the inside was fairly bristling with shelf support pegs!  So I snagged 8 of ‘em! (I sent Dusty back a few minutes later for the rest of ‘em.)

Now, lest you think that my junk pickin’ ways are akin to stealing you need to know that this is what folks do here.  It’s like a sport.  Folks from all over town will come in pick-up trucks and troll the neighborhoods where the junk piles proliferate (only when it’s officially their turn, otherwise setting junk at the curb violates some city ordinance).  I’ve gotten lots and lots of nice, usable items this way.

• my first double stroller
• Sally Mae’s high chair (a nice wooden one)
• my computer desk
• a table we use for another computer desk
• chairs galore
• mini trampoline
• rabbit cages (long ago)

And just in case you think I have now ruined the second piece of furniture for some other hapless junk-picker by removing all the pegs, hold your judgement and read on.

I had Tex and Hank bring my “new” shelf unit home and all during the getting of this nice piece of useful home furnishing I had been plotting.  Plotting to disasemble and replace the 40 year old book shelf unit that I’d been using these past 10 years for our school books and throw it on our junk heap, ‘cuz I’m NOT takin’ it when we move!.

I knew I had to make the change fast, the rubbish truck could come today!  I had to get my old shelf empty and out at the curb today!

So, I’m sittin’ there planning how to make the change, still before 8 a.m., and I have only procured my new shelf and hadn’t even begun to empty the old one when I hear that rubbish truck coming.

It’s too late!

Opportunity missed.

Now I had to plan just where I can store a busted apart old shelf unit for the next 6 months until it’s our turn again.  I was thinkin’ maybe I could just bust it up real small and put a few pieces into our trash can every week.  That might work.  Then it hit me.  The truck only did my side of the street.  A quick call to my friendly neighbors across the street and we’re back in business!

You never saw books fly off a shelf so fast!  Good thing I have a huge dining table so I didn’t have to set those stacks of books all the way on the floor, that would have hurt my back, and that makes me grumpy.

Bustin’ that shelf unit up was WAY harder than I expected, but I was motivated.  By that time the truck was comin’ back up the other side of the street!  All four of my (at home today) kids were haulin’ shelves and boards across the street while I was wailing on those side boards and the top shelf with the big hammer!  It was a big unit and falling apart, but still some of it didn’t quite wanna give up the ghost.

We finally got the last of it across the street and onto my friendly neighbors junk heap just in time for the truck.

I installed the shelf supports gleaned from the other piece (which is now on it’s way to the dump in case you were worried about it not being useful without it’s share of pegs), and tacked some staples to hold the back in place nicely.

It took some rearranging to fit all the books where I want ‘em, but I am so happy with my “new” school book shelves!

And I worked pretty hard at this, so I hereby give myself permission to not exercise today.

Here’s your shortcut back to Wordful Wednesdays.

And here’s your shortcut back to Things I Love Thursdays.

Yesterday was a rough day.  I had  a few not great things happen, and since it was my birthday, I gave in to the temptation to complain.

A LOT!

I even complained to y’all here on the blog about one of the things.  (And yes, I did, finally, see the irony of having a rant post right after the youtube video of Roger Miller singing about being happy.)

Well, I have to tell ya, I don’t like being a whiner.  I knew I didn’t like it in my children, but I really don’t like it in me.

Complaining and whining is rather outside of my normal behavior and yesterday I remembered why.

It’s a downer!

It’s a downer for the whiner and it’s a downer for those that the whining is inflicted on.  And I really don’t like that feeling.  I try to remain happy, to control my thoughts and behavior so that I don’t get into those blue funks!

But the thing is, I’ve known this for years and years and I still let it creep into my day.  What a baby!

So, the lesson I’ve learned from my 48th birthday is that when my kids are having a bad day and want to whine, let ‘em, and then talk to ‘em about it afterwards.  Let them evaluate the difference for themselves.

For me and my own behavior, I choose happiness and cheer over gloom and whining.

Here’s a link to my Summer recipe post for Taco Salad and Chocolate Iced Coffee!

Here’s your shortcut back to Works for me Wednesday.

I don’t know how she got so cute!  But she comes up with this stuff on a daily basis.

Ya really gotta give her credit, not every girl can wear chaps with a dress!  I’m thinkin’ I need to keep my camera in my hand at all times.

Here’s your shortcut back to Wordless Wednesday.

I cornpletely forgot to post my Menu Plan.

I don’t encourage or discourage my Cowboys from reading my blog, but Slim (age 9½) never has shown much intrest uless it’s a photo of him.

Well, I guess he’s growing up and growin’ an appetite.  He figured out how to find my menu posts to learn what’s for supper on any given night through out the week.  Clever cowboy!

• Monday - Crockpot lasagna
• Tuesday - Grilled chicken thighs (it’s my birthday so we eat my fav)
• Wednesday - Grilled hamburgers
• Thursday - Grilled chicken (not my birthday, just yummy chicken)
• Friday - Grilled hamburgers (what? homemade hamburgers are good for you, I just eat mine without the bun)
• Saturday - Grilled Sausage (yes, we have a new grill, why do you ask?)
• Sunday - Dunno yet, maybe Taco Salad

There ya go, Slim!  Happy Eating!

Here’s your shortcut back to Menu Plan Monday.

Yes, folks, today is my birthday!  Don’t get excited, I’m in a funk.  A genuine, blue funk!

I’m razzled at my next door neighbor!  Not my wonderful, book swap going, nice, friendly, homeschooling, across-the-street neighbor.  My next-door neighbor who, although we have lived next to them for 18 years, we have spoken to… brace yourselves… twice.

I don’t think they’re malicious, just very introverted.  But yesterday’s act makes me wonder.

Our tree that shades our rabbit cages hangs over into their yard.  I didn’t consider this to be a big deal since lots of their trees stick over into our yard.  It’s just a thing, we have lots of trees that are kinda right at the fence line.  And being trees, they have no repect for which side of the fence they put their roots down on and which side of the fence they hang their branches over.  I understand that about trees.

Apparently the neighbor doesn’t get trees the way I do.  Yesterday, he cut down all the branches of our tree that hang over on his side of the fence.

You got it, my rabbits are now having a hard time finding a shady spot.  They are safe from the noonday sun and most of the afternoon sun, but the morning sun is right on ‘em.

I’m not sure, but Hubs might be able to position the cages so as to get all day shade.  But this morning when I went out to feed them, the older set were in full sun.  I’m glad I was able to get to them early. (I always go out to feed at 8 a.m.)  If they’d had to sit there for another couple of hours it would have killed them.  At least the one in the cage on the eastern end of the unit, which just happens to be Annabelle, the sweetest of the three older rabbits.

Now here’s where it gets all personal and begins to ruin my birthday.  Hubs and the two eldest boys were already gone for the day.  That left me with Dusty (Rowdy was still asleep, don’t ask why I didn’t wake him, I didn’t think of it).

Now, Dusty is perfectly capable, but this is a two person job.  Guess who the other person was.  Here are some hints.

• You love her like a sister.
• She’s really miffed right now.
• Today’s her birthday for cryin’ out loud!
• She threw her back out while moving rabbit cages at 8 a.m.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know.  The neightbor has every right to cut those branches.  I shouldn’t have been relying on shade that “his” branches were providing, I should get over it.

I will.

But, man, my back hurts.

…and all on my birthday!!!

And, boy, are my kids characters!

Between the 100° afternoons that just won’t go away, and the looming stage 3 water restrictions (which, of course, means a rate hike) we are taking out the garden.

And since we’ve decided not to plant a Fall garden, this is it for this house.  No more gardening here at this location.

Pulling the plants was the easy part.

We plan on taking the cinder blocks with us when we move, so they need to be neatly stacked out of the way where it won’t be so tempting to climb on them and break them.  Apparently, cinder blocks are heavy.

As I understand it, soil is also heavy.  Dusty is hauling some of the wonderful garden soil out front to spread around on the “lawn.”

Dusty, Tex and Tex’s friend are working very hard, tryin’ to get it all done in one day.

It kinda feels odd to see this going on.  Feels kinda wrong.  But, at the same time, it feels like progress!

Now, it’s time for me to go make these hard workin’ characters some quesadillas!

You know what is really cool?

Enjoying the same music as Tex.

For some weird, unfathomable, techno reason WordPress won’t let me access my For Sale page.  I can’t edit or nuthin’!  So, if you go looking around there you may find some items that we no longer have.  Frustrating for us and y’all.  I apologize.  We’ll fix that as soon as we have access. I’m gonna unpublish it if I can get that much cooperation.  We’ll see.  Maybe I’ll make a whole new page.

Until then I’m gonna be offerring some items in regular posts, from time to time.

And mostly it’s gonna be the items that the Cowboys have left on my desk, in my way.

Today I found these items.  All are brand new, but from the clearance.  This means they have minor cosmetic damage.

• Jonathan Park  Volume 1 (incl. study guide)  $12.50
• Beric the Briton by G.A. Henty  $10
• Balancing the Sword (incl. both volumes and the CD) $20
• For You They Signed by Marilyn Boyer $15 (I have 2 copies)

Plus actual shipping cost to your address.

If you’re interested just leave me a comment.  Be sure and fill in the email box (nobody can see that but me).

***UPDATE***

I was able to un-publish my For Sale page.  We’ll make a new one soon!

I have been a busy girl.  Sometimes I get on a roll and ya just need to stay outta the way!  Bring me empty boxes and take out these full ones and get back outta the way!

Whew!  Then I need to sit down with a big glass of ice water and try to breath normally.

If I had stopped to count the items I would not have gotten nearly as much done.  I’ll just estimate that it was about google plex infinity!  Is that a real number?  If it is then that is how many items are in my garbage can, recycle can, junk heap at the curb (hooray!  it’s our turn!) and on my porch in reasonably neat boxes waiting to be dropped off at the Goodwill store.

I’m tired.  I feel dusty from my eyebrows to my ankles.  And I forgot to take before photos.  Well, forgot is not the whole truth.  I wasn’t sure just what areas I was gonna cover, and once I get started I know better than to mess with the powerful force that is… momentum!  Plus, if I take a photo of the before stuff then the boy (just pick one) would have photographic evidence that I must have done something with the amphibian coloring book that he has had since forever and only ever colored 2 pages, and that was at gun point because I insisted.

I have long insisted that homeschooling actually has one draw back.  The little beggars are always here to witness me hauling their old junk out.

Ah well, I did take some after photos.

I’m kinda scared to think about how many days I’m gonna have to do this much de-junking before we can even begin to pack!

HELP!  I need a mocha frappuccino!

Here are your shortcuts to Things I Love Thursdayand Frugal Fridays.