The Building of a Mountain

I've come to the realization that blogging must be a stress-reliever for me. In 2011 when we were threatened with massive flooding on every level, I blogged about it. Now in 2014 I have a new self-inflicted source of stress: building a new home. In our back yard. If you'd like to follow along on our little adventure, this is the place to find updates.

We have known for about 10 years that we would eventually build. Although our current home looks nice on a surface level, it has some significant structural problems--foundation, mold in the crawl space, rotting wood everywhere, and I do mean everywhere...not to mention FREEZING COLD floors in the winter. Oh yes, and the skunks. But basically, the house is just worn out, from the inside out.

We have been meeting with an architect and builder to design a house that will fit our specific needs. Search as I might, I was unable to find an online house plan that remotely worked for us. For one, we live in the river bottom, and although our home has never flooded (we live 5 miles from the river bank with several levees between) we cannot guarantee how the Army Corp of  Engineers will manage (or mis-manage) the river. We had to prepare for the possibility. (That and the fact that there are rules about new construction in the river bottom...which is a different story all to itself...) Secondly, no house plan I've ever seen includes a master bedroom, an office, and a school room all on the main floor. And try as I might to tweak anything that was remotely close, it just wasn't happening.

After a couple of months of working on the plan, our architect is finishing the final version this week. While we have been working on the paper side of things, we've also been hauling in dirt. Around 600 loads of dirt, to be exact.

Doesn't look too daunting from this view. (To see what it originally looked like, view the previous post.)

This is the view from the garden. You can barely see the roof of our house on the other side.

And this is the view from the barn. Which looks kinda crazy. It IS kinda crazy, although this angle does make it look worse than it is.

Cement work should begin in a couple of weeks. One stark realization we made recently is that our sewer line from our existing house runs right under this mountain. Apparently it has not been crushed under the weight of 600 loads of dirt, but we are worried they might cut through it when they trench the frost footings.

Let's hope my next post is not a picture of an outhouse recently moved into my back yard...

The Beginning

I am in awe as I look at our back yard. Let me show you why.

July 12, 2014

This is the view diagonally across our back yard, shooting from about 10 feet behind the house towards the garden. This (above) was the day we started removing the asphalt behind the garage.

THIS (below) is the exact same shot but taken today, August 3. After several hundred loads of dirt. And this isn't even the best angle. I will try to get some photos that show it a little better. Needless to say, our yard is under some major transformation. More later, but I wanted to get these up for you all to see!

Here is slow transition from one to the other.

2014

The last 6 weeks of 2013 seemed like a literal whirlwind. Worse than our normal whirlwind. There was our homeschool play the end of November, then getting caught up on all of the things that got neglected for the play...workbooks that didn't get checked, lessons that didn't get done, logs that didn't get recorded... Then it was mid-December (!!!!!!) with Christmas preparations, packing, ordering, packing, wrapping, packing...a trip to Colorado for skiing and family Christmas time. PHEW. Then end-of-the-year financial bookkeeping that had been neglected....well...let's just say all year long for a while.

And now it is January 1, 2014. All of that stuff is over, and I'm wondering what to do next. (Dripping with sarcasm!) But the coming of a new year is a good time to reflect on the past and make plans for the future. So, these are my somewhat-lofty thoughts for the next year...

1. Slow Down. When I don't have time to minister to others on a spur-of-the-moment basis, I'm too busy. This is hard for me because apparently I love to pack my schedule full-to-the-brim-full. And I often forget that there are seasons to life, and I am no longer a foot-loose 25-year-old with no children.

2. Read a book. Yes, just one. But one that is not geared for ages 8 and under. Some of you will think this is hilarious because you read ALL::THE::TIME. Well, so do I. But mostly I read my Bible, blog posts, Fox News, and my kids' assignments. I research the best vacuum cleaner to buy and what devotionals I could teach to my Sparks group. I read instruction manuals and put-it-together booklets. And I read tons partial books. You know, like the first 3-4 chapters? I just want to finish ONE book, beginning to end. (Last year I read The Insanity of God by Nik Ripkin, which is excellent and you should absolutely read it if you haven't!) I already know what my 2014 book is: Good and Angry. (See point #3.)

3. Yell less. Don't get the wrong impression. I'm not one of those hysterical angry-eyed Moms that you avoid in the mall. But I do spend almost every day, all day, with all of my children and I get frustrated from time to time. Often that frustration vents in the form of yelling. "I TOLD YOU GUYS WE HAD TO LEAVE AT 3:00 AN HOUR AGO AND NOW IT IS TIME TO WALK OUT THE DOOR AND NO ONE IS REMOTELY READY??? THIS IS VERY DISRESPECTFUL AND WE'RE GOING TO YOUR THING, NOT MINE, AND NEXT TIME I'M GOING TO WALK OUT THE DOOR AND LEAVE YOU ALL HERE AND YOU CAN JUST CLEAN HOUSE WHILE I GO TO YOUR BIRTHDAY PARTY." (Don't we say the dumbest things when we're angry?) Don't judge me. I'm just being honest. Yelling doesn't work very well anyway. A sweet friend recommended the book Good and Angry: Exchanging Frustration for Character in You and Your Kids by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller. I'm through the first few chapters and it has been EXCELLENT so far. So if I can accomplish #2 and read this to the end, maybe I can accomplish yelling less!

4. Simplify. I read a blog post recently about getting rid of 2014 things in 2014. That's like 5.5 things a day! It got me to thinking with 6 in our family, if each person "purged" 1 thing a day we'd have this thing almost licked by December! But I want to be realistic. Not that we don't have 2014 things to purge, but I thought we'd start small and see how it goes. So we are getting rid of 6 things a day (1 per person) for the month of January. We'll evaluate after that.

5. Document more. My goal is to scrapbook one simple layout a week (digital scrapbooking, of course!) Did I just write that? One every week?? This will be a challenge. I've done tons of project in the last year, but actual family documentation in the form of scrapbooking has been almost non-existent. So, this is the year to get my booty back in gear!

6. Grow. As a Believer, this goes without saying but I'm going to say it anyway. Every week God pricks me to know Him better, and share Him more. To forgive, to think of others more than myself, have patience, prioritize, be a peacemaker, root out bitterness, not replace Him with other things, practice self-control, not be distracted by the cares of this world. Just to name a few. I'm incredibly thankful for a church that challenges me every week to be more like Jesus, and for friends and family who hold me accountable. I am a work in progress.

Are these resolutions? Not really. Just things to strive for. What are you striving for in 2014?

You did WHAT today??

You'll never guess, in 100 million years, what we did today. And since you'll never guess, I'll show you. (I knew you'd never believe me, so we took a video of it!)



The kids rode a boat through the garden! How's that for redneck gardening??
Here's more, from the other perspective...


Okay, so you're probably wondering what on earth we were doing this for. You didn't think we did it just for fun, did you? Well, Dustin planted cereal rye as a cover crop in the garden last fall. Cereal rye looks similar to wheat, and is supposed to be good for the garden. Plus, you let it get so tall, then you "mash it down", and it dies and magically becomes a bio-degradable, all natural mulch! We thought we'd give it a try in our garden this year, particularly where we plant the pumpkins since they have to be spaced out so far, and the weeds tend to take over that 50' x 50'+ area before the pumpkins do. So how do you "mash down" cereal rye? Well, with a 4-wheeler, a boat, and 4 kids, of course!

Here's hoping it works!!

Before:

After:

Summer Punch Cards

Summer seems like such an unstructured time. And before I know it, it's August and we have accomplished two of the 58 things I wanted (needed) to accomplish in the summer. Solution? Summer punch cards. Or at least I hope so. I'm really good at setting up a new creative system, but the follow through is usually where the cookie begins to crumble.

This is Version 1.0. I made them small enough that I can reach all of the areas to be punched from either the top or the bottom of the card. (approx. 5.25" x almost 3") Print on cardstock, one card per child per week,  grab my handy dandy star puncher, and set the kids to work.

What does it mean?
Gross confession alert: my kids have a hard time remembering to brush their teeth in the morning. This baffles me. And it is WAY past time for them to remember this on their own. So the top row (teeth) is brushing their teeth in the morning. If they don't have it done by the time I call them for lunch, no punch.

The second row (Bibles) is remembering to do their daily devotions. Dustin gives them a small passage to read and a question or two to answer. Then we talk about what they have read and learned at our family devotional time in the evening.

The yellow row is a mix of reading and journaling--M/W/F they read (I'm not asking them to read an entire 400 page novel, just a chapter or two in a book that is age-appropriate and that they enjoy.) T/Th they will be writing in their journal--a letter-type journal that I reply to. So, they write something, then I write something, back and forth. This is a fun thing to help improve their writing skills and learn something about each other.

Green: Math Facts. My kids know their math facts, they just don't know them FAST. I blame this on the fact that they have never had to "race their neighbor"--when you have one child per grade, that happens. So I've got some creative games and contests to help them get their math skills up to speed.

The blue row (sneakers) is exercise. I'm not talking about running a marathon, just some purposeful exercise. They can even count baseball practice or swimming lessons.  (Or they can do Zumba with Mom!)

The last row is showering. What is it about summer that increases a child's ability to stink, and decreases their visits to the shower? Never mind, I don't want to know. All I want is for my kids to remember they need to shower every day.

On the right side at the top I have 5 "Men At Work" images. These are for 5 work projects to be completed sometime during the week. They will be different every day and can be things like weeding a flower bed, cleaning out their closet, picking green beans in the garden, or sorting out their too-small shoes. Hopefully this will get more of those projects I hope to get done in the summer, actually done. 

Because I'm not a total slave driver and I know summer is a time for FUN, they are allotted 1 hour of computer time per week, which is shown in the bottom right corner of the punch card. Also, they get a reward if their punch card is all punched at the end of the week. It could be getting to have a friend over to play, going on a Saturday adventure, or something else they want.

"No TV?" you ask? As much as I would like to outlaw TV altogether, I do let them watch one (Mom approved) show per day (they must agree on the show) on Netflix IF (and ONLY IF) the house is all picked up. Every room. This helps keep things tidy.

So, that's our summer punch card program. I'll let you all know at the end of the Summer if it worked, or if we fizzled out on it by the 4th day!

Our Year in Review

My Shutterfly "Year in Review" book for 2012. I do one of these every year as Christmas gifts for the Great Grandma's.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Turn your favorite photos into a photo book at Shutterfly.com.

Parental Rights Threat

I don't normally forward political things unless they are really, REALLY important, and this one is. I have been closely following this 2-part issue for several years, and one of the two parts is coming to a vote TOMORROW (Wednesday) in the US Senate. If you want more info, read here , or feel free to talk to me.

Bare bones, here's the deal--if you believe responsible, law-abiding parents should have the final say in the rearing of their own children, please call your 2 US Senators TODAY!! and ask them to oppose ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which will be voted on in the Senate tomorrow. Most parents are surprised to know that parental rights (in this case, of children with disabilities, but all children will be included in the next treaty that comes up for ratifications--this one is just the first step)...anyway...parental rights are not written down in the text of the Constitution, it is up to judges to decide on a case-by-case basis. Scary?? Absolutely. If you don't want to take the time to thoroughly research this issue for yourself, then just trust me--if you believe in parental rights, call your Senators today.

I called today and this is all I did: Gave my name and zip code. Said I was calling regarding the vote that will take place tomorrow on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. And I said, "I urge Senator Blundt/McCaskill to oppose ratification of this treaty."

That's all I had to do, they thanked me and said they would pass the info on. No question as to why or support my argument, and they were congenial.

If you're unconvinced of the seriousness of this matter, here are two things:

Overruled trailer A 3 minute trailer for "Overruled: Governmental Invasion of your Parental Rights". The trailer is just 3 minutes, Overruled itself is actually 40 minutes, but if you have time for that, even better.

Also, here's a short "quiz" that will probably surprise you--parental rights are already being challenged in the US and passage of this treaty will just make things much worse.

Thanks--sorry I seem all alarmist, but as I've followed this issue, now is the time to be alarmed.

j

Below is the contact info for Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska (just contact YOUR state's Senators)--a phone call is best, but if the only way I can get you to do something is contact them via email (webmail), I've included their contact webpage as well. Please encourage your family and friends to call, too.

MO:

Roy Blunt

Telephone: 202-224-5721

http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-roy

Claire McCaskill

Telephone: 202-224-6154

http://mccaskill.senate.gov/?p=contact

KS:

Pat Roberts

202-224-4774

http://roberts.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=EmailPat

Jerry Moran

202-224-6521

http://moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-jerry

NE:

Ben Nelson

202-224-6551

http://bennelson.senate.gov/email-issues.cfm

Mike Johanns

202-224-4224

http://www.johanns.senate.gov/public/?p=EmailSenatorJohanns