We Have Lift off!! Houston...

Our family rented the Astronaut Farmer this weekend. I so could relate to the wife. Letting your husband have his dream is scary and stressful and downright insane....but sometimes it actually works out, Go Figure! Well this year has been filled with exhausting ups and downs, but I am glad that we didn't give in. Our pens touched paper today to lease a thirty acre paradise with a quaint farmhouse. The barn is amazing. Persistence pays off. Chickens, Goats, two Lamas, blueberries, apples, organic garden, all of it is ours to do with what we will! For all those that prayed for us, thanks. It worked! So Patrick gets his dream of owning his own company and I get my dream of living on a farm (not just a piece of land and a house with no other purpose...there has to be a purpose....mowing 5 acres of lawn does not serve a purpose). So pray for me that I can move yet again without killing my husband or my kids.

Greetings from Daddy-Laing

Hi ya'll....

Em just informed me that I could actually add to this blog. I've enjoyed reading it but it didn't even occur to me that I could actually WRITE something (go figure, I'm on a computer for 10 hours a day it seems, but--alas--am still about as technical as a turnip, I'll admit).

Isn't Em a great writer! (I just had to mention that before I forget....) :0)

My technical expertise, or lack thereof, is the stuff of legend around the Laing and Armstrong homes. We used to look forward to her dad's bi-annual visits to Utah because I could save up all the semi-major and major honey-do's for him to accomplish while in town. Now that he lives across town we (1) never see him and (2) have a growing list of broken items and house projects that have yet to be done.

Personally, I am a firm believer in hiring professionals to do what professionals do every day. That's why I (we) didn't put in our own sprinkling system or finish our own basement in Utah. Time is money and it typically--in my mind--will cost me more to first figure out how to do something, second try to do it, third go get Em to help me figure out how to do it right, call up her dad to help us when we both get stuck, and--what are we at--fifth, take it to the repair shop after all and pay to have them undo what I've done. (One good example was the roto tiller we recently borrowed that I took a part and couldn't put back together; I think Em may have mentioned this to you).

Fixing things--or trying to--is also hard on the bod. You all heard about my 4 broken ribs and dislocated shoulder, I assume. I wasn't even trying to actually FIX anything. I was just up on the ladder, looking at the chimney, trying to figure out what it would take (for someone else) to come fix it. Our 100 lb. horse named Wilson knocked down the ladder ... and I ended up in a neck brace in the E.R.

Anyway. Just let me say thanks to each of you ... for being there for Em while we figure out where to land ... for buoying her up while I get our fledgling company off the ground ... for cheering her on while she and I rent for the first time in 15 years ... for being her friends as she goes through all the ups and downs of life, family and marriage to me. It's not always the easiest thing, I know. But I love her for it and I'm so glad we're a team.

We're almost there--I keep telling her to hang on. Our farm house, our acreage, our chickens and our cow ... they are just around the corner. Eggs and milk anyone? I'm sure we'll have plenty to share.

Ciao, Bionic WomEn

Patrick

Again!?!

No go on the house...glad I didn't post pics. It just wasn't coming together. Nailing down jello is just hard to do. We were planning on moving this weekend, and now it is a no go. Life is like a box of chocolates....somebody ate all the good ones and you are left with the crappy soft centers that will do in a pinch, but not the dark chocolate carmels you were so hoping for. So for now, not moving, not packing, and things have only got to get better. Patrick has a huge smile on his face and just as optimistic as they come. Glad we didn't settle though....we are meant to have land....all I can say girls, is follow the spirit. Yes, it is true, sometimes he tells you to chop off some evil doers head, or say hi to your annoying neighbor, but you gotta do it even if it hurts. Here's to doing the tuff stuff...may we all get stronger by doing so.

Moving Day

Yikes! Sorry I haven't written. Things have been a little crazy here in the Laing Insane Home. We are yet again moving our large brood to a new home. Our home has not sold in Utah, but we have had quite a few lookers. Patrick has been amazing. I swear he poops money! Luckily, I saved the boxes from our move in October. All I can say, is that if the stars align and we get into this house, I really don't care what it looks like, as long as it is psuedo mine. Yes, I know I cannot technically buy it, but as long as I can paint, and plant flowers, then it is the next best thing. The kids can maintain their school and our ward, and mommy can have a comprimise with daddy. 3/4 of an Acre ain't too shabby in good old Stumptown. And since it is zoned residential/agricultural, I can have my chickens and still live in the city...go figure. Now I am not going to post a pic of this so called villa we will be leasing to own until my hot little hand signs some kind of official document. I've learned the hard way that things can change. So this week will be filled with packing tape and frozen pizza. Screw the diet. Damn the schedule and to Hell with the homework....I have to move! To be continued....

Wheat and Rice and Corn....OH MY!

So all of you who know me well, understand that I am a little bit of a news junkie. I love current events, and I am not talking about what star is in rehab! CNN,KSL in Salt Lake, KATU in Portland, Glenn Beck, FOX news, are all on my favorites list. So if you haven't been keeping up with the whole food shortages and runs...news flash. Flour is more expensive, and rice is being limited in COSTCO. So I ask myself, Self are you prepared for things like this? Now my pantry is full. I have rice and flour and oats. Oil is in no short supply. Powdered milk, beans, chili, and soup starter are in abundance. We are not about to run out anytime soon, but I pose this question to you in cyberspace....what can you do with all this stuff? A crash course in cooking with food storage has been my only pastime this past month. With my husband's job situation, I have tried to live on a lean budget and use my precious flour,rice, and beans. But alas I have come to the conclusion that man cannot live on bread alone. Bread is my friend. We have been consuming copious amounts of the marvelously leavened creation. The sweet smell envelopes the whole house every other day. But I need more. Eggs are an absolute essential along with butter. Without these two ingredients, most of my wholesome creations cannot be made. Our diet these past few weeks has consisted of soups and stews with bread, pasta dishes, tuna and toast points....homemade Mac and Cheese. All of these things are yummy and my grocery bill has gone down dramatically but could I live on food storage alone? Not unless I had a freezer, chickens, and milk products such as cheese and yogurt. Does anyone think they could actually live on Pantry items for a year? Has anyone ever done it? Just making brownies requires eggs...and we all know that brownies are a must have in any food storage plan!

Children's Birthday Parties

How many of you out there really want one more polly pocket shoe stuck inbetween your toes? I ask this question because Brighten's birthday party was today and I was reminded of the horror of these events. Choosing to let someone else do the clean up and planning can have advantages, but it comes at a hefty price. We had the party at a Young Chefs Academy in Tualatin, and the party was fun, but pricey. The lady running it was hillarious and really engaged the children but it was too short for the price paid. Not having to make invites, clean up, be creative, or cook all day can be worth the price, if you are tired mom with a husband out of town for the last two months. Now because it got over early...cardinal sin of birthday parties...I had to think fast on my feet for some creative time waster until parents arrived....didn't I pay $240 for them to do that?

And those cute little gifts which I spoke of earlier, will come back to bite me in the foot one cold dark night when I stumble to the potty. Which brings me to my next point...why support Target, Toys R Us and Walmart? Brighten got a second hand desk for her birthday stocked with her very own art supplies. Now I will admit that it is a messy present, but it is one that she uses everyday. Those late night encounters with all things small and plastic will now be thrown into the trash when they are not picked up...oops!

Ok, if any of you are familiar with the recent statistic that 80% of YM go inactive between 18 and 30, I know why. What brats they are to everyone. Don't people teach there kids to be polite anymore? They grow up with a what's in it for me mentality. Saw this firtst hand today. Granted, they listened and laughed but still nothing was ever enough? What do we do mom's to stop the spread of the Diva? Brighten even had a mental breakdown after the party. She was overloaded. She needed a hug and to be promptly put back in line. No, I didn't beat her, just calmly held her and told her about all the wonderful things she received and that it was time to share and be nice to her brothers and sisters. Her day to be Diva was done.



Now for my final thought: Girls, I would ask you to adopt my philosophy and only torture yourself every other year with the Friend Birthday. The inbetween years are reserved for Family. This is not only money saving but will allow you time to save up so someone else can do the dirty work for you!

PS. I think the whole point of birthdays is to remind the mother of the Labor process she went through to deliver the said child into the world....it's almost as much work...

Stuck in Switzerland

And now it has stretched to Saturday.....