We still talk a good bit. I guess we could be considered friendly, if not actually friends. He comes over to help when I need something done around the house that I can't do or Nathan doesn't have the skills for. We will have been married 27 years come July...but if you don't count this past year as part of it, then we were married for 26years. I'm not sure how to count it. I mean, we are still legally married, but have been separated this past year...shrugs It was a bit hard to break the habit of calling him every morning to say good morning. (He is a truck driver too, and left the house LONG before I ever got up) And to break the habit of calling him to say I was on my way home. Then I had to break the habit of calling whenever I took Nathan somewhere, as I felt he should know....but after I while I decided he didn't have to know every time I took Nathan to walmart or the doctor or whatever....I let him know when appointment dates are, but other than that I don't call when we are going anywhere. I'm sure there are other habits and things I've had to let go, but that stands out. I have to say I have not ever lived by myself. I grew up with family. I moved in with a friends family. I got married and moved in with my husband. We had our kids. Youngest still lives here, oldest sort of lives here (the truck driver). So if/when the kids STOP living here, I do not know what I will do or how I will react. Sometimes I feel like I am already living alone, with only the 17year old home, he is a lot like me and does his own thing - I tease that he is hibernating in his rooms. (he has his bedroom, and a game room, which USED to be his bedroom, when all 3 kids were living here - once he graduates, he can have the gaming system and tv in his bedroom if he wants it for as long as he lives here). But I know he DOES live here. And I do have my dogs and cats :P

- I loved living alone. It was a bit of a culture shock when I married my ex. As I told you, I'm adopted and the family was not a close one. So when I found myself surrounded by all these noisy people I didn't know what to do. From that point on it was like a crazy roller coaster ride right to the end. I'd like to say that it was fun from the beginning to the end but it wasn't. At the end of it all I ended up back on my own. Now that I'm remarried I love my little family. I can't imagine living without any of them. My youngest lives with us and has no plans to move out at this point. We've made it plain that he (and the other kiddies) always have a place to live if they need it. All they have to do is knock. :) But I do think of what it will be like without any kids here. My hubby is already grumpy. I can just imagine what he'll be like if there isn't a kid present to do the laundry or wash the dishes. I can't do either of those and my hubby hates doing it... I think I may need to find care giver help if our son ever moves out. Anyways, get practicing that speech! And record it so you can see the things you do that you don't realize you're doing at the time. I once had to redo a perfectly good presentation because I had a bit of fluff stuck to the end of my nose. I didn't think it was noticable so didn't do anything about it until after the laptop stop recording. Then I watched the video. All I could see was the bit of fluff waving around on the tip of my nose. roflmao! :D

I have recorded it a few times, and I do notice silly stupid little things. I think the one I got recorded this morning I am going to go ahead and submit. I do pause a few times and twiddle my thumbs (without a lectern to place my hands on I fidget them a lot, so I clasped them in front of me and I noticed I do twirl my thumbs around each other as I talk LOL) I can be expressive with my hands, but gestures are frowned upon for speeches unless they emphasize something. I probably recorded about 20-30 times, but only got through the whole speech about 4-5 times. I would catch myself doing something stupid or pause too long or say something wrong and stop the video and restart. Am uploading it to YouTube so I can post it in class. I am tired of it :P I also need to get started on the next speech, and I won't start that until I've finished this one, so I don't get stuff mixed up.

My kids dislike chores. They feel if they didn't make the mess, they shouldn't have to clean it. Youngest also hates anyone touching his stuff or moving it. His room is always a disaster zone to me. His bathroom gets that way too. Daughter has learned she has to clean anyway since she now lives with boyfriend at a college apartment haha :P Oldest doesn't mind chores as much as the others but hates cleaning anyone else's dirty stuff. A cleaning company is something I would hire if I had the money. Not only for the jobs I hate, like windows and baseboards, but also for general cleaning like mopping and bathrooms. I hate those. I would rather vacuum or even shampoo the carpet than sweep and mop. I don't mind laundry or even dishes, even though I feel like those are never ending. I would be more than happy to have someone else do the dishes! Nathan and I take weekly turns doing the dishes. (I am so glad we have a dishwasher too; it helps!) I do most of the upkeep of other chores, which means they don't get done as often as I want. I drag him out to help sometimes. I used to have this whole chore chart the kids followed when they all lived here, but we fell out of practice on that as they moved out, and never readjusted. I keep trying to adjust MYSELF to one, like living room on Monday, kitchen on Tuesday, bathroom on Wednesday.... but I usually forget or don't bother to completely clean (like, I might pick up the floor/couch and vacuum, but don't dust the pictures or ceiling fan or vacuum the couch/cat tower) ...

- I'm glad you're done with the speech. I feel you'll get a good grade just because of how many times you went through it. :D And now, you've hit on one of the awesome parts of being blind... Everything is already clean. Everything is whatever state I want it to be in at the moment: clean, dirty, solid gold, it doesn't matter. ;) Usually, it's our youngest who cleans. He doesn't mind doing it. He was the peculiar one who loved to help clean when he was little. When it became apparent that I wouldn't be able to continue, he took over with out saying a word. I really got lucky with my youngest. I love all my kids but he's my sweet baby. And that doesn't even embarrass him when I say it in front of others. He just says Yep, and goes on with life. roflmao! :D

Even tho I want all A's, I will be satisfied to get a passing grade. I think that based on the grading rubric for this speech I should at least get what would be a B on the speech video. The last speech is going to be the most strictly graded and is also one I am a little more concerned about because it is persuasive. I am NOT into persuading people to do things.

LOL yes I can see that would be a nice part of being blind....just imagining everything is clean and tidy and not knowing better - at least until you FEEL it... None of my kids mind me saying they are my babies or my sweethearts, or whatever name I use. They know I say it because I love them. My youngest used to clean better than his older siblings, when he was LITTLE. Now he does not want to at all. :P

Oooh just saw there is another $10 produce haul at that little shop today, I will go see what I can get!! Even if I can't use it all, $10 is a great bargain!

I went this morning for some "case sales" and got corn dogs and hot dogs. After I left, they posted they had sausages and Philly steak meat, I MIGHT have gotten those if they had them earlier but maybe not. The cases are a good price, but still expensive for all at once. Like, today I spent $55 already there. BUT I got 48 corndogs, and a 10lb pk of BIG hot dogs. (Like 50 of them? I dunno!) And I grabbed a box of jalapeno and cheese hot dogs for my neighbor, so she paid me back the $10 for that AND gave me some of them for Nathan to try. Edit: I wanted to compare the case sales to Walmart prices too. So, for like the corndogs if I bought them at Walmart, I would have bought 2 packs for the price I paid for the case (which is equal to 3 packs). And the hotdogs, right now smaller ones are on sale 2.50 a pack, so I paid slightly more for the hot dogs than I would have for 6 packages at Walmart but the SIZE difference makes up for it I think. plus if they were regular price, I would have saved $ AND got bigger hot dogs! I wanted to see what case sales were like and I know we will eat hot dogs and corn dogs. They often have chicken or pork or hamburgers case sales from what I've seen looking at older posts. Tomorrow is supposed to have some chicken cases, they haven't posted what yet tho. Plus I think for case sales I really should have a chest freezer and I don't LOL My side-by-side fridge/freezer can only hold so much.

- My guys know to keep my areas clean. They know that if I feel dirt in one of my areas then I'll check elsewhere and then they'll have to clean. So, my paths and usual haunts are kept clean. The rest of the house? Out of sight is out of mind. lol For your persuasive speech don't frame it like you're talking to an adult. Frame it like you're talking to one of your kids when they were little and you needed to explain something to them. That's how I got past a similar assignment. I just framed the speech like I was trying to persuade one of my spawn to tie their shoes while I helped their sibling into their coat. :D I'd buy bulk if I had the freezer space. Especially considering how much my guys can eat. Right now I do grocery orders every 2 weeks. At the end of the two weeks they're boiling the wallpaper for soup. If only our place was a bit bigger, too. :) Today is my new-found sister's birthday. I wished her a happy birthday but am unsure if I should have. She hasn't responded or anything yet. It's just my anxiety telling me I should have stayed quiet. I think the real problem is that I'll allow myself to get close to her and she'll end up like most of my family. I feel like the kid who poked the sleeping bear. XD

no no no, didn't you say she felt like bloodties was family? if so - if she wants a closer relationship, I don't think she would be upset over you wishing her a happy birthday. She is probably just busy doing something with other people! I don't really think anyone should be upset over birthday wishes.

OMG I just got back from that $10 produce deal at the little market. I got a bag of carrots, bag of snap beans, package of sliced watermelon, package of blackberries, two small packages of mixed fruit, one large package of mixed fruit, a package of kiwis, a package of cubed butternut squash, a bag of green peppers (not bell peppers, these are a little longer and skinnier and darker green), a package of brussel sprouts, a package of mango, a 4pack of corn on the cob and a whole box of fresh flowers (9 bouquets!! about small-med size!) :o I swapped the brussel sprouts with her kiwi and let my neighbor take all the mango. She rode with me and we both got a deal. Totally worth it, even if most of the fruit needs to be eaten within a day or two (expiration dates are within a few days) I think I am using fresh vegetables instead of canned for a while hahah! Gotta slice and cook the carrots, since I now have TWO bags (I had not used the one I got two weeks ago yet, oops - been meaning to make some hamburger stew with them, the potatoes I bought and hamburger meat)

- I just realized that my caps lock was on. I apologize. I wasn't yelling intentionally. XD I hear what you're saying about the birthday wishes. It's just that I have such awful luck when it comes to family and my anxious brain latches onto the slight chance that she'll wig out over it. sigh :) omg, what a haul! It sounds like the green pepper you got may be a jalapeno. What are you going to do with all that since you don't have a chest freezer? Can youcan ? And what are you going to do with the flowers? My guys just got back from the eye doc. Hubby has to get bifocals. He said it made him feel old. lmao My youngest needs a slightly stronger prescription then hihs old glasses. Now we just have to wait the 2 weeks until they're ready. I really wish I could see hubby in his bifocals. He's so funny when he tries to age gracefully. 😂

I had to get bifocals too. I went on Monday.

I don't recall seeing caps? Its ok tho. I don't mind. I use them when I get excited or to emphasize things.

I do not can. That might be worth learning if I am going to keep doing these produce hauls. I have too many carrots. And probably too many snap beans lol I was thinking about freezing them. I don't know how you would freeze carrots, but I should be able to just put the snap beans in a freezer bag? They are in a plastic produce bag right now. (like what fresh cherries or grapes come in). Maybe peel, slice and cook the carrots THEN freeze them? I don't know. I am going to make that stew tomorrow but that only uses like 4. I thought jalapeno peppers were smaller than bell peppers? I really don't know anything about peppers. Nathan sliced one and fried it up with a little oil and salt. I ate a few bites but I am not a big pepper person.

Had corndog for lunch. Having hot dog for dinner. Got to try out my stuff haha! Not bad, either one of them. I think I might get tired of eating them before they are all gone tho. Lucky I can get rid of some of the hot dogs, Nathan and one of his friends, and some of HIS friends are supposed to go camping next weekend, so I can buy buns and send them along for the camping trip! I told him I'd help pay for food - so there we go! :D

I think the peppers are probably? poblanos. They're a mild pepper, still!

And before you freeze the snap peas, clean the string off and blanch them (put in boiling water for just a minute, then shock in ice water). Then dry them and you can freeze them.

GUYS. It's been so crazy this week. I haven't even been on to do bathhouse LOL. It was VBS week! So we've been getting to the church at 8-8:30 daily, and then it's over at 12:30, then we all have to clean up.. then I've had to work an hour or two each day LOL. Today I didn't have work to do, but we had an extra game time after lunch, so we did that until 1:30 and then put everything away, the tables, etc, put the chairs back. AND El and Lil were the main people in the skits all week, but I was also a bit person in them on days 1 and 5 so.. that was a thing :P

It's been EXHAUSTING :P Then tonight Alex, El and I went to get groceries for their graduation party on Sunday... but we only went to Sams and the car was full. We still have a full list of stuff to get from Walmart so.. we're going tomorrow morning :P Then we need to get cooking tomorrow.. potato salad, devilled eggs, pasta salad, quinoa/kale/roasted corn salad, nacho filling (regular, and vegetarian). I think that's it? OH! Mac and cheese.

And then we're having ribs and brisket too, but we're ordering them LOL. Well, we HAVE ordered them.

I can't imagine anyone being mad over a happy birthday wish!

- Canning can be really economical but you do have to sink a chunk of money in it when you first begin. It's not that hard to learn, either. Google it and you'll probably find 1,000 different sites explaining what you'll need and how to start. If you're going to continue getting hauls like the last one it may be a good idea to invest in it. Otherwise, to freeze the vegetables all you'll need to do is wash them, prepare them how you'd like (cut up the carrots/tip and tail the beans) , make sure they are thoroughly dried and pack them loosely in ziploc freezer bags. Lay them flat to freeze and you're good to go. You cando this with the fruit, also. Where did you go that you got such good deals? :D

can I come to Els graduation party? Yum!!! Thanks for the advice on the veg. I'll do that, it's what my neighbor was doing. I'd rather freeze it in amounts I'll eat than the whole bag all together too VBS sounds like ya'll had fun!

Fruit usually gets eaten quick here unless we have TOO much of it. I don't buy it a lot since it's more expensive especially in precut packages like most of this is. Of the fruit only the kiwi was not precut. Well and the blackberries lol There is his little market I drive by all the time on my way to Walmart. And they have these food ministry deals every week or two. That's what the $10 deals are. They get in a truck, you pay $10 and you get some of everything that was on the truck. They also sometimes have a fruit/veg market or case sales like the hotdogs/corndogs that I got today, or frozen food sales depending on what type of trucks they can get in. I guess they buy stuff that's rejected or almost expired or something to sell cheaper? Not really sure how they get their stuff to be honest, but based off what I've learned I think that's it.

Oh! I wonder if kiwi would be good in strawberry/banana smoothies? :P strawberry/banana/kiwi smoothies.. hmmm :)

- Sorry, I didn't see your post until now. Aside from the fact that she's my sister I've known her since the end of March. I don't know her very well and am just a bit anxious about it all. :) omg, your schedules make me feel very lazy. The roasted corn salad sounds good. Recipe? :D

- kiwi would go well with the strawberry banana. I heard about something like you described out in Seattle, Wa. You would bring a clothes basket and pay a nominal fee to have it heaped with everything from fresh veggies to venison and toiletries. I haven't been able to find anything like it over here on the east coast. Then again, the churches around here aren't that benelovant.

I drove past them all the time wondering why people would park and walk across the street. Well now I know! If you can get that kind of stuff for only $10 its amazing! I have started working on the beans, but due to freezer space/lack of flat pans (I can only find 2 at the moment) I will have to stop and do more tomorrow. Then I guess I'll do the carrots too, I looked online and it says do the same thing as the green beans, except slice into coins, obviously!

There is also a group that comes by and sets up in the same parking lot called the "Dorm Parents" and apparently they get truck loads of random stuff cheap too - and sell it cheap - they were there today too but I didn't go look. They have stuff like toiletries, toilet paper, mops, laundry soap, I saw book bags and kids toys today, towels....It seems like a good deal too but I was already spending $50. So maybe one day when I have more free $ available I might check them out too. They give the $ they raise to make college kids care boxes :) Its sweet.

Oh I know, I read it all. But still, birthday wishes, I wouldn't be worried about! ESPECIALLY since she seems to think that everything should just be.. family. :P Which.. IDK, I agree with kat, that's not how the world works!

Alex doesn't have recipes haha. But there's a honey mustard vinagarette? We used smoked corn last year, but I think it's going to rain all day tomorrow, so probably no luck there. Roasted will be fine!

yes they were poblano peppers. I saw the name on the bag when I went to get the green beans out of the fridge. Teach me not to look at the bag LOL

I realized I didn't answer you about the flowers. I have offered them to my daughters boyfriends mom/sister, to a friend of mine/her daughters and let Nathan send a text out to his friends to see if any teenage boys want to give flowers to girlfriends or moms/grandmas for any reason We had one take us up on the offer. So tomorrow I am going to run around passing out flowers to 3 places lol I'll keep some on my table, add to the bouquet from two weeks ago that is still nice and pretty!! I only have had to throw away 1 flower from it so far. And that was this morning!

[edit] 24th 730ish am So I finished up the green beans. Just put them in ziplock bags, I have 9 servings-cut to canned size. (my size servings, Nathan doesn't eat them and I figured I'd separate them into snack bags for serving size for me) I'll do carrots later today. Going to make the hamburger stew too.

[edit] 24th - 3pm So I have gone to walmart, then had nice long chats with 2 people delivering flowers :) Then grabbed late lunch at DQ and came home. After the last trip for flowers (which was after lunch) I peeled and chopped potatoes and carrots for stew and started that in the crock pot....and then peeled and chopped the rest of the carrots into circles, I have two deep cereal bowls full of sliced carrots, plus some on the cutting board still. Going to blanch and freeze them after we take the trash off because it needs to go and I don't want to wait any longer - I waited til I did all the peeling and chopping so we could take that trash off. My hands hurt! :P

hahaha, I feel you, Kat!

Last night we went to Sams.. and filled up the entire car :/ So this morning we boiled (and peeled) the eggs, and boiled the potatoes, marinated the artichoke hearts and kalamata olives... went grocery shopping. Had two full carts and a full car again.

Came home and madeeeeeeeee... pasta salad, potato salad, devilled eggs, cole slaw, mac and cheese with bacon, and the smoked corn/quinoa salad with kale.

Tomorrow Alex and El are going to make the nacho stuff (and vegetarian stuff!) and cut up all the nacho toppings and the fruit, top the mac and cheese and warm it up so it's already warm when we put it into the chafing dish, and they're going to make the relish tray thing. And Lily, Iz and I are going to go to church, then pick up 6 dozen donuts.

And then we're all going to hope it doesn't storm!!

I've done half the carrots. I started with the bigger carrot circles, so I have a bowl full of tiny carrot circles hahaha! I have 7 bags of carrots right now, and I'm sure I'll get at least 4 from the small pieces :P I stuck them in a ziplock bag to blanch tomorrow. I need to separate and freeze the squash too I guess....I would assume butternut squash cubes can be frozen :P That or cook it. My stew isn't done yet. I cooked it on high for 1hr, since I didn't start it til almost 2. Turned it to low after that hour (maybe hour and a half). Potatoes are almost done, carrots not quite. I used smaller peices. Sheesh. I turned it back to high. Guess dinner will be late for me!

Oh no. I hope it doesn't storm too!! Are you able to move the party inside if it does? Will you have enough room?

I met my probably soon to be new neighbor today. She was over with her sister peeking in the windows. Said she hopes closing will be next week. She seems nice. She didn't say there would be anyone else but her living there, so maybe its just her. I told her it was me and Nathan, the four animals (she met 3 of them) and that Shane sometimes brings his big rig home but if that bothered her to let us know and we'd go back to using the truck stop. She says she has plans to fix the driveway hallelujah!! And of course to clear out/clean up all the trees. And put in a pool apparently. Nice to have $ I guess :P

- I never would have thought to use honey mustard vinegarette with quinoa. It sounds good. :D Yeah, I know the world doesn't work that way but every time I think I've got things figured out I get blindsided.

- That's a really nice thing to do with the flowers. :D You could probably get some inexpensive school supplies from the dorm-parents. :D

After all the anxiety about how my sister would react to my birthday wishes all I heard from her were crickets. Nothing. I think I'm going to take that as a win and move on. :D

hi! You and I posted at the same time LOL AND I got a forum point, yay!

Aww, well, exactly - be Elsa from Frozen. "Let it Go' :P

I have never had quinoa ... I am not even sure what it is? Grain? Vegetable? I plant it in farmville2 all the time hahah looks like one of those but I don't know.