Not So New Year, New Goals

  

GOALS

    
   Last year sucked.  Pure and simple.  I broke my ankle twice, had surgery to repair it once, and almost lost my job because of it. My Mom was sick and in and out of the hospital. She finally realized she couldn't be alone at her house and moved in with me. I love her dearly, but learning to live with each other is hard.  She is set in her ways as am I.  My last 3 children flew the coupe and I went through pure he Double hockey sticks when they left.  Empty nest syndrome is REAL and it SUCKS.  So, here are my goals to improve this not so new year!






    1.  Get a life.  My DH and I need to do more things together. Cultivate new interests. Spend quality time together. One evening every other week is our goal.  I hope DH will spend more time with me working on these goals also.





    2.  Set up my craft room.  As I now have a spare bedroom, I am going to create the craft room of my dreams!  Well, since I am on a small budget, at least a functional, if not pretty, craft room!





   3. Improve my writing skills.  I would like to eventually try to submit an article or 2 to a magazine or another blog.  I think that would be too cool.






   4.  Plant and tend to a garden this year.  I built 3 raised beds last year before I broke my ankle so they are still not in use.  I want to try and grow as much food as possible for our family.  Not only will this help financially, but having more fresh veggies should improve our health as well.




  5. Plant a cutting garden.  I love flowers. They make me smile and make me happy so I am going to bring more happiness into my life!
 
  6. Work on tidying up and improving our much neglected yard/porch.  I have already begun by hanging my new wind chimes on the porch but I want to make the outside our happy place.  I would like yard ornaments and yard art all over!  I want to use more edible plants in the landscaping, and plant more fruit trees. Operation Oasis has begun!


  7.  Enter an art quilt in an art show. I started my art quilt. The ideas have been floating around in my head for a few years now, but I have just begun.  At least it is a start and having the craft room set up should facilitate this goal tremendously!




  8 Get back into the frugal mindset. Our budget is faring a little better with all of the kids gone but we need to tighten our belts in order to stay in our current home and prepare for retirement.  Our financial choices haven't always been up to par, but I have to forgive myself and move on. I cannot change the past but I can control the future. So posts on Last Week's Frugality will be upcoming!




  9. Can/preserve as much food as possible. Small batch canning is one area I'm interested in. Dehydration is another.  So look for posts on what I am canning and preserving!




10.  Finally, I plan on using this blog to hold myself accountable and accomplish my goals this year. Posting on my progress will be a huge part of my goals.  I hope to build readership and share the ups and downs of achieving all of my goals this year!  ( I am trying to be positive here!)




I hope you enjoy hearing about and seeing my progress here on Herb and Botanicals Homestead!

Blessings to all,
Lisa




 

Public Service Announcement

    This is a subject close to my heart!  My DH has epilepsy. I found this on Facebook and wanted to share it with my readers.  Seeing someone have a seizure is terrifying.  This is what you need to do:

 

The person will wake up and be disoriented, confused, and may not be able to respond to you for some time, but try and reassure them. Try to get the person on their side-the recovery position in case they vomit. When they do start to come out of it, they may be embarrassed.  Please don't stare  too much and make them feel even more self conscious.

 

My hope is that you'll never need this info but at least you will know what to do!

 

Healthy Blessings,

Lisa

Thankful Thursday

     This week I am so thankful for my DH.  He has been my rock, my personal valet, my chief cook and bottle washer since I broke my ankle in July.  He has been simply amazing!  He has had his bad days still, but then I just stay with him and do what I can for him. Then he rallys and does everything in his power to help me.  So today I am thankful for my partner in crime and everything else....Tom.

My wish is for each of my readers to have someone in their lives that loves them like he loves me!

Blessed,
Lisa

Last Week's Frugality

 Hello Dear Readers,

     I had a so, so, week for savings. Here goes:

    Last week I packed my lunch all week.  I ate Breakfast at home before leaving for work!

    I was able to get 24 cans of green beans and 12 cans of corn for my pantry for free!  I used the Meijer rewards I had earned and the canned goods were on sale for 3/$1.  Nice addition to my pantry if I do say so myself!

   I batch cooked all of my meals for the next week on Sunday and also packed my lunches for the next week!  I did purchase some plastic 1 cup containers for this purpose, but they were on sale and I had a coupon!  They will be paid for in a week or less of packing my lunch.

      I did get some bad news.  I have a small avulsion fracture on the same foot I broke back in the summer. So it is casted and I will be off my feet for at least another 2 months.  Therefore I will not be able to get all of the canning I wanted to do done this fall.  I had been waiting until I got back on my feet but that is the way it goes. 2  months or more on crutches.

My Pretty Purple Cast!!

 

We did save $.30 per gallon on gas using our Kroger's rewards points!  $3 is $3!!

 

We have been staying home pretty much with my new fracture and all but that is good right?  Saving on gas and by not going out!

 

 My Mother make a large pot of beans and cornbread and shared with us for one night's supper. Yummy! Thanks Mom! No one makes cornbread like my Momma!

 

Well, that's about it for me, what have you been saving money on?

Please share so we can all learn from each other!

 

Frugal Blessings,

Lisa





Fall Favorites

  

    I love Fall. I really love Fall!  I love warm apple cider, candy apples, sweater weather, pumpkins, leaves and just everything....Fall!   Here are a few of my favorite Fall things!  Enjoy!

Warm apple Cider--Easiest way is to heat cider (gallon) in crockpot and add 1 cup of cinnamon red hots to it and stir!!  This is wonderful!  You can add orange slices or cinnamon sticks to it if you want!

Pumpkin Bread--Here is a great recipe for this Fall favorite!

Pumpkin Pie--Here is the famous Libby's Pumpkin Pie recipe!

Sweaters--Here, here, and here are links to some wonderful basic sweaters!

 Candy Apples--Here is a caramel apple recipe, here is a red hard candy apple recipe!

Pumpkin Muffins--Here is an easy fat free recipe!

Pumpkin Carving--Here is an awesome site to get free pumpkin carving patterns!

I hope you enjoy the Fall links!
Don't forget to follow my board on Pinterest!

Fall Blessings,
Lisa

Thankful Thursday

 

Today I am thankful for Peyton!  Peyton is our 2 year old Shi-Tzu.  He is the ruler of our roost!  True to his breed, he is the proverbial lap dog. Just exactly what my DH needed. As many of you know, My DH is disabled and has multiple seizures everyday.  We trained Peyton to bark when DH seizes to alert us.  He is amazing! He is lazy!  He is spoiled rotten!  He is perfect for our needs especially since our baby flew the coop.  He gives DH something to look after, care for, and is invaluable to us for alerting us when DH seizes!  So I am thankful for Peyton (yes he was named after DH's favorite FB player).

What or who are you thankful for this week?

Blessings,
Lisa

Thankful Thursday!

 


Soccer Season!

My Beauty!

Toothless wonder!

 

 

Silly Girl!
 

Today I am thankful for my Grandbaby!  She has been the one bright light this summer!  You see Granny has a pool and my grandbaby loves to swim so she has been at Granny's house quite a bit this summer! 

She started first grade yesterday!

Waiting on the bus!

 

So I am so very thankful  for my dear Grandbaby! She is the light of my life!

 

 

What are you thankful for?

Blessings,

Lisa

Well, Hello Again!

Hello All!
  So sorry I have been MIA for the last few months!  With the coming of summer, We opened our pool and I enjoyed that for a little while!  My DH has been having a rough summer.  Lots of seizures. And then  I fell up 3 stairs at work, broke my heel bone and had to have surgery.

Back piece of heel bone broke with Achilles tendon still attached!

I have been non weight bearing for almost 2 months now.  Off work and adding to my problems, I have been in a major funk. Depressed and bored.  The icing on the cake is that my baby moved out!

Me and Kait after  College Graduation!  I miss my RN!

Can you say empty nest syndrome?    My Dh is struggling with the empty nest thing as well.  We have been so focused on raising our children that we do not know what to do or how to act with them gone!  They have been our life.....so now what????  I almost feel like I am just waiting to die. What do we do now??  I told you I have been in a funk!!! Lol!
     So I have not accomplished much in the last 2 months but I am still standing!  Well, at least figuratively!  

     How have you spent your summer?  I hope yours has been better than mine!

Blessings,
Lisa

Thankful Thursday

        In the hot Summer months popsicles are a perfect way to cool down while enjoying a delicious, fruity treat.  Frozen, refreshing, mouth friendly candy on a stick cannot get any better....or can it?
                                                               --Marcus Samuelsson

                                       Today I am thankful for Popsicles!

Cool refreshing Blessings to you all,
Lisa

PS  Go here for some awesome 2 ingredient popsicle recipes! Enjoy!!

Thankful Thursday

True friendship multiplies the good in life and divides its evils. Strive to have friends, for life without friends is like life on a desert island......to find one real friend is good fortune; to keep him is a blessing!
                                                                           -Balazar Gracian

I am so very blessed to have Sandie as my BFF!  We have been though thick and thin together since grade school!  She is so very special to me and I thank God I have her in my life!  While we do not talk but maybe once a week or maybe if life gets in the way, once a month but, I know she is always there for me if I need her and I hope she feels the same way!  Love ya' Sandie!

Blessings,
Lisa