DIY - I'm No Canning Genius, But I Have Some Tips

Oh how I love my canning jars. I am pretty sure they are one of my most prized possessions. I love to can and I can whenever I can. <---try to say that 10 times fast. I know I will never be able to have a pantry full enough to never go to the grocery center aisles every again (until my kids move out), but I sure do try. I am not the perfect canning woman, but I do have some lessons that I have learned over the last two years.

My Journey-Open Letter to My Friends

I am 35 and I have moved at least 25 times in my lifetime. Only about 12 of those times were during my military career. I had switched schools 15 times when I was a youth. I was in the social services system for a total of about 18 months off and on. The longest I ever lived in one house was 5 years. The shortest time I have lived in one house was 4 months. I have lived in 7 states, 3 countries, and 10+ cities. So, it would be a fair assessment that it has been difficult to make and maintain friends. I learned early on to move on with my life in every way. That does not mean that the friends I did make during all of those "stays" are not near and dear to me. Some of those friends I have reconnected with on Facebook in a surface type friendship, others I cannot find, and some I am trying to be a better friend to right now. I decided to write an open letter to all of my friends and hope that through the 'net it will reach many of them.

DIY - Slow Cooker Granola

Over the last three years I have been looking for ways to lower my electric bill. I started with hanging my clothes to dry as much as possible. Then I switched to an energy select plan that charges me different rates based on the time of day. This required us to schedule time for the hot water heater to be off and not use our dryer or oven during high rate times. The most recent challenge I have taken on is using my slow cooker and small toaster oven instead of the oven all the time.

PCS - T-minus 10 days Until I am a Single Parent, AGAIN!

The truth is that parents are not really interested in justice. They just want quiet. - Bill Cosby

As I am writing this post, I have 10 days left until my husband leaves for Korea for a year. It has been a stressful and emotional month. The kids are getting out of control and I am dreading the single parent-dome that is upon me. Not the easy single parenting where you send your kids to the other parent every other weekend and summers, but the hard single parenting where you have your children 24/7, 365 with no rest or reprieve in sight. There will be no more mom and dad, good cop and bad cop, or back up parent when I am not feeling good and don't want to go to Girl Scouts. Just me!

My Journey-Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day

October 15th is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day (PAILRD). I suffered a miscarriage 5 years ago and I just now found out about this. Everyone is aware of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month and I am not denying the importance of this. I do wonder why a woman (me) who lost her baby and has been struggling with how to remember this important person every year, did not know about this important day.

Spice it Up!

I have decided that this week I would not write about anything thought provoking or emotional. I am honestly tired of reading my Facebook feed because it is full of depressing stuff. So lets talk about seasonal change and seasonings.

My Journey - Making Decisions

When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier. - Roy E Disney

(so I mention "Disney" and I feel the need to post random Disney photos that have nothing to do with the content of this blog :D enjoy)