Daffodils Herald Spring and Hope

Hi!
Glad to have you back!
Check out the pretty daffodils out front in the parkway! Aren't these beautiful?!
Daffodils are the first flower to bloom at my house. I know other property owners throughout Joliet have earlier bloomers, but daffodils are my first to bloom. They wave in the spring breeze and dance in the April showers singing about the warmer weather to come.
They show their sunny petals beckoning us to hope for the warm summer days of running barefoot.

Parkway Upgrades

Good Morning!
How are you? It was such a lovely day, I decided to touch up my parkway a bit with fresh mulch.
Mulch really seems to add a fresh, well-kept feel to any gardening project.
The goal with my parkway, and along my drive, is to look as yuppified as possible so as to not attract unwelcome attention.
Honestly, I initially planted an edible parkway in hopes that everyone would do it and we could solve the hunger problem, but O had too many creepy people driving by casing my parkway. They were unwilling to atop and chat so I could point out what was edible and cut then some fresh Swiss Chard. I had to switch to mostly ornamental plantings for my household's safety.
Anyway, the touch of mulch I spread sure brightened up this small area!
What do you do every year to freshen your landscaping?

My Humble Homestead

Hi!
This is a view of the front of my humble little homestead.
You can see daffodils blooming. Could that be a promise warmer weather is to come? Or... have the poor things been tricked and we will have a 'year without a summer'?
My gut feeling is the later is true, but time will tell.
My prayer is that we have at least one normal summer before the new seasonal reality sets in!

A Bed of Peas

Hi!
Welcome back!
I am ashamed to say that this really is the full extent of what I have planted so far this season. With so much going on, I am badly neglecting my garden again this year.
I must say, though, that this little patch of spring peas brings me much joy.
It was put together quite simply and quickly using the lasagna gardening method. For me lasagna gardening is a must as I have been blessed with good solid clay, gravel and old bottles for ground to farm. My understanding is that Ridgewood was once the town dump. This would account for the number of antique glass bottles unearthed when the city put water in!

The Beauty of Compost

Ah! Fresh seasoned compost. Is there anything to compare with it?
This particular compost pile was created in the summer of 2008. It has had almost three years for the worms to work their magic. After sitting long enough to become grown over with chocolate mint, digging it up to spread on the cardboard for a fresh garden spot is truly an aromatic adventure!
This was to be a permanent compost bin location. Initially Candace and I attempted to build a compost bin out of segments of limestone we found on the homestead. We hauled the pieces, placed each carefully and concreted in place.
Then, the next morning, we realized that the concrete had not been properly mixed and the pieces of limestone were all loose! As we didn't have time to build a fresh bin, we filled it as it was.
Looking back I can say that it was improperly placed and improperly built, but I am grateful for it none the less.
My garden this year is partially dependent on that little dilapidated compost bin that sits way too close to the house!

Why is There Reality?

I sit at work wondering what's next. Matt has completely shut down while waiting for transition to the new school. 

We haven't even gotten a list of schools that will accept him for us to check out, so this may  be a while. The target date for transfer is May 2, 2011, but I can see this really was just a date to put on paper so the process could be started. 

Apparently I must wait for the three best schools for Matt's needs to agree to accept him. Then I will be issued a list and must set up appointments for he and I to tour each and see which one we think is the best fit for him. This fact in and of itself amazes me as the school he is leaving really seemed, IMHO, to think of me as the enemy. Not only the enemy, but an incredibly Slow enemy at that. Possibly something akin to a dolt! 

I am so impressed with being an integral part of my son's education and future. I am afraid I was very spoiled when he was in the IE program at Forest Park IE School. Transition to a school that is more an indoctrination point/ day care for kids whose parents don't care was traumatic. I am glad to be going back to a world where parents are valued and every child is not just entitled to an education, but to be nurtured and challenged at the same time.

My child is so special to me and I can not stand to see him so stressed he is not functioning. Hopefully we will receive the list of schools this next week. Then we will take a day off from work and school and declare it "Matthew Day". We'll go to the three schools suggested and see what we think. 

I believe the schools originally mentioned are in Romeoville, Naperville and Bolingbrook, IL. I will post the list we are sent and our reviews on each.

Please, pray for us over the next few weeks as we  decide on a school and begin the inevitably difficult transition to the new school. 

Beautiful Song About Autism

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hiQYurSJCQ&sns=em

Visit me:
Whatifweallcared.blogspot.com
Sent from my iPhone

Matthewland

My son, Matthew, lives in 'Matthewland'. 

It's an awesome place only available to totally awesome kids! 

It's about introspection, creativeness, hugs, kisses and Always, Always thinking outside the box!

 I am grateful to be allowed to sit just outside the gate and listen to all the fun to be had inside.

Matt's New Swing

Matthew spent a Sunday afternoon building his own swing. A custom swing to his own specifications made completely from items he found around the homestead!
With all the stress of the coming transition to whatever accommodations the Joliet Public School System intends to make, Matt has really been a mess lately. He does not handle transition well and the wait has been long and excruciating. It is wonderful to see him still be able to release all his creative energies. He loves to design and build things and was so proud of himself and happy when this was finished!
I Am So Proud Of Him!!!

Time to Pitch In!

Oakwood Cemetery is full of beautiful old trees. The trees add to the Victorian feeling. They are stately and make me feel like I've walked into a whole different era when I visit there. I can almost see women in long skirts walking the paths.
Unfortunately, these trees do fall from time to time. This leaves a huge clean-up for the cemetery volunteers.

Weed Prevention

Good Morning!
Isn't the warmer weather heavenly?! I'll certainly take 48- 71 degrees over 30 degrees any day!
Come around back and see what I've been up to.
I am finally putting in my garden... one tiny vegetable bed at a time... this way the whole thing does not seem so overwhelming a project to undertake... and the crop harvests are staggered.
My first step is laying down cardboard boxes to prevent weeds from growing. For this bed I only put down a single layer of boxes. That is the same as I did last year. It seemed to be sufficient to prevent any weeds already in the soil from growing into my new vegetable bed.
For the garden area that will be fine. For the little hill going down to my neighbor's fence I am planning to use approximately three layers of boxes buried under a thick layer of hay! My neighbor has a solid crop of poison ivy on her fence, which she claims she doesn't know how to get rid of, so I am planning to smother what has grown onto my lot.
I picture my garden all covered in cardboard and the poison I y buried under cardboard and hay and I smile. Neat, clean and weed-free!

Cleaning Up the Garden

Hi! Just a bit of weed pulling here. This is actually the spot where my new compost bin will be built soon. Three pallets and some wire and I'll have a fresh spot to dump compost. Really, I don't have much to compost as the critters eat amost everything!
I do compost any leftovers the dog and chickens don't eat, ash from the wood stove weeds the chickens don't eat and fruit and vegetable peels. As my critters have voracious appetites, the bin fills very slowly.

A site I Found to Help Plan Ahead

Hi! 

Just a quick thought to all of you who are prepping. 

I found this website a while back and thought you might want to check it out.

It has links for food storage and emergency preparedness steps.

There is an amazing 'food storage calculator' ~ 

scroll down until you find it~ 

Please,

check it out!

Everyone should have at least a year of food stored.

I am ashamed to say that I do not think I have that accomplished yet.

Also, you need to plan on having enough to take in a few people.

That relative you dread having visit will be at your door~

 and you know you'll have to let them in!

And the kids down the street who show no evidence of having parents.

How could you not help them?

http://lds.about.com/od/preparednessfoodstorage/Food_Storage_and_Emergency_Preparedness.htm

Keeping it all in Perspective

Do I have to be perfect? 

Does everything have to be done today?

Does my house have to be spotless?
Maybe it's enough that Captain Asperger has on clean clothes?
Or that we read another chapter of a book together?
That we still are getting along?
That Matt was dry all day?  :)
Maybe it's way more important that we took a long hike together and rediscovered why we're best friends?
Yes, the house does need to be way more organized, 
But...
With the issues my child has...
And me working 48 hours/ week....
I have to prioritize....
I'd rather have Matt happy than have a perfectly spotless house.
I get a little more organized every day and that's okay with me.
Some things are simply way more important than a perfect veneer!

"Autistic-Like"~ Please view on PBS

http://www.autisticlike.com/PBS-dates.html

Power Lines vs Trash Pick-Up

Amazing how, even though trash can no longer be picked up in alleys due to low power lines, Waste Management doesn't seem to have any problem parking directly under these power lines for street pick-up!

Anyone out there seeing similar incidents?

Building a Treehouse!

Hi!

I found Matt busy working on cutting wood to build a treehouse and thought I'd snap a quick picture.
This was taken through the kitchen window and the chicken run so that I would remain unnoticed and obtain a completely candid photo.

Freeform Inventing

Welcome back!
As Nick and Steven put my fence back up, Matt was busy building this in his tree.
This brings back memories of a time when all we had to play with was what we could find outside.
True creative thinking stems from making the impossible with items that could not possibly be put together to male anything useful!

Temporary Repairs

My fence is back up!
Nick and Steven came by and put it back up for me... friends are awesome!!!
Now I can hang out laundry with minimal fear it will be pulled off the lines. Now Mr McDoodle can run loose in the back yard while I tend the chickens and hang laundry.
This is so nice!
Now, this is just a temporary repair.
To control the deliberate flooding caused by my neighbors I will be erecting a concrete block wall about two blocks high.
The posts will be placed in the blocks and the blocks will be filled with concrete.
I will be running two drains from the wall (to the street and alley) to keep the pressure from building up too much.
So, my fence is repaired and a busy summer of upgrades awaits!

Spring in the Chicken Run

Ah! 

Warmer weather hit and Farmer Fred herded all his girls outside to bask in the sun!

Crockpot Delight

Well, I got carried away cleaning out the fridge and realized I have a lot fresh vegetables.
I threw them in the crock pot with a bit of Sazon and Adobo!
A yummy dinner will be waiting when we get home!!!

Christian vs Preppeing

Hi! 

I have a bit of a dilemma and wanted to share my perspective as compared to what I am hearing.

Your opinions are definitely wanted. 
I am a prepper. 
Yup, I am in the process of making sure my family has enough of everything to last at least a few weeks if a disaster hits. 
I am overstocked on some things that I come by easily and short some things that are more expensive or that I simply need to make time for. 
But, my dilemma is this: 
Is prepping a non-Christian practice? 
I keep hearing, from a few sources, that prepping is not a Christian practice. 
That we should rely fully on God and He will make sure we have all we need without us doing anything extra.
I am of the opinion that God gave us wisdom. 
That He fully expects us, to the best of our capability, to be prepared for whatever is obviously coming. 
So, as Japan slowly dies of radiation poisoning and the weather is weird, I will prep. 
So I will keep prepping. 
Prepping means I stock up on toilet paper or bar soap when it's on sale. 
It means that I recycle the grey water from my washing machine to water my fruit trees and vegetable garden. 
This means that I am saving a bit more money with every prep I do. 
Prepping means I am challenging myself to live more frugally every day. 
What can possibly be un-Christian about that?

Spring in the Chicken Run... a Celebration of Warmer Weather!

It is finally warm enough to leave the chicken door to the coop open all night and put the platters of leftovers in the run instead of the coop!
I had gotten into the habit of placing their treat platter in the coop in the mornings because it was to cold to bother with the padlock on the run and because I did not want the platter to freeze to the ground.
Now that the weather has finally changed for the better, I am placing the treat platter in the run after 10:00pm when Farmer Fred, Gertrude and the other girls are sleeping.
In the morning, when Fred wanders outside, he let's the entire neighborhood know a full breakfast buffet has been set out for his little harem! I am absolutely sure the entire neighborhood knows he's awake and ready for breakfast.
His buffet for tomorrow morning will consist of leftovers Willie Mae brought me as well as a cabbage and a bag of greens. I'll add in any leftovers from today's meals and set it out tonight.
If lucky, newly emerging bugs will find it in the night!
Then they will have a wonderful breakfast buffet covered with fresh juicy delectable bugs!!!

Fwd: CENTRAL JOLIET TWP HIGH SCHOOL needs your support!

If you can't see the message, click here. Make sure you add mycokerewards@email-icoke.com to your address book to ensure our emails reach your inbox. Help fill your school's shelves with wonder, discovery and knowledge     Enter some codes     |  Sign into your account         How it Works   |   Rewards Catalog   |   Offers & Promotions   |   Explore Brands   |   Schools CENTRAL JOLIET TWP HIGH SCHOOL A O MARSHALL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ST JOSEPH SCHOOL Manage your email: » UPDATE account » Unsubscribe » Privacy Policy *No purchase necessary to enter sweepstakes. Registered schools will earn 1 entry for every 5 points donated by My Coke Rewards members from 3/15/11-4/30/11. Visit mycokerewards.com/schools for full details and official rules. †Schools that register between 3/15/11-4/30/11 will receive 1 entry and 1 additional entry for every 5 points donated by My Coke Rewards members during the Promotion Period. If the school does not complete registration for the My Coke Rewards for Schools program prior to 6/15/11, the donated points will be given to a charitable organization through the My Coke Rewards program. My Coke Rewards for Schools is open to accredited schools, grades K-12, in the U.S. (and D.C). This email was sent to you because you asked to receive updates and promotions from My Coke Rewards. To review or change your contact preferences, log in to the mycokerewards.com site and select the view/edit profile option under My Account. To unsubscribe from My Coke Rewards emails, click on the "Unsubscribe" link above. © 2011 The Coca-Cola Company. The Coca-Cola Company, PO Box 1734, Atlanta, GA 30301, USA

Dating vs Surviving

It has been brought to my attention that most men are liking for a woman they can take care of. A female who only does the Biblical female roles. A true Proverbs 31 woman.

I think this may explain why I am not dating. I simply cannot afford to just sit and wait for a man to rescue me.

Now, there are many things around my little homestead I can't physically do or would rather not do. I end up having to hire a man to help me. I just simply don't have the same physical strength as a man.

And, given the option, I would choose to have a big strong man around to take care of me. Someone to assume responsibility for paying bills and doing major repairs. That would be truly wonderful!

In the meantime, I must make do and persevere. I can't just let the place fall apart while I sit at my sewing machine!

I Think I May Have a Neighbor Problem!

Good morning!
The weather has been beautiful here!
But...
This is what I found when I went out to feed my chickens!
The neighbor insists it just fell over all by itself!?
The green at the bottom of the posts is the part of the metal stakes the posts are bolted to. The stakes go 30" into the ground.
The lattice was screwed to the posts.
Since this photo was taken they have moved the fence closer to their yard and folded it in half.
Wonder what would possess them to do all this if they didn't knock it down in the first place?!?!

Project 365~ Why Should I Do This?!

Hello! 

Welcome back!

I have a new project I wanted to share with you today. 

 'Project 365' 

This is something I should have already been doing, yet sort of have been at the same time.

The point of the project is to take a photo of something meaningful to you every day. 

Then use this 'photo diary' to watch your world change and see how the things that matter to you change with it. 

Now, to me, this means to take a photo of something that really touches me deeply. 

My intention is to take these photos each day and use these for my blogs. 

As I sometimes post blogs, like this one, devoid of photos, there will, undoubtedly, be days where I will post multiple photos/ blogs. 

I think this will serve two purposes~ first to prompt me to post more regularly; second to give you a deeper look into my world. 

I know that I do a lot of introspection as I read my blog posts and look at all the photos I've posted. 

Sometimes I can't help but ask myself, "What were you thinking?"

Or...

"What happened to your plan to get ______ done?"

My challenge to you is this:

Take a photo of something really special to you every day. 

You don't have to share these photos with anyone, but look through them often and watch as you world changes!

http://content.photojojo.com/tutorials/project-365-take-a-photo-a-day/