Gratituesday

Hello...
Wow a bit of catching up...
All of your sweet thoughts were a nice treat I wish there were more time in a day so my comments would express my deepest heart but alas I fine that even getting to take time to say hello is often a challenge.
Forgive me I just have the children home and they are my main respocibiity and I am so loving it!
Today they played so well together all day!My day started off making my darlings lunch and seeing him off then my other boy wanted to watch a movie together at 6:30 a.m.!
He set it up while I tended the dogs and chickens.
Knowing it had little to do with a movie and all to do with time to cuddle and be beside each other...well it was Beethoven the dog slobber and all :)
Dash rested his head on me and really just stayed still that is a very rare thing for him indeed so it was a pleasure for me.

Movie break mid morning to feed them and tend to the garden.

Last Thursday I did not get time to post this but I harvested the cabbage and the squash.
The lone cabbage...it need nitrogen if only I would have fed the others they would have fed us and not the birds :)

It was a meal home grown and home made.
I can only begin to tell you all how wonderful a feeling it is to do this.

I was right about the squash it was intensely flavorful with a mellow after taste out of this world!!

I saved his seeds for next crop

See that meal every plate was cleaned and the bowl were empty.
Cole slaw was a hit!
The pulled BBQ chicken was too.

Back to the present.
Today I have these in the garden.

This is only a day or two from harvest.

I had to interrupt their play to ask for help transferring laundry and they were so obligating and helpful. The even cleaned the living room when asked.

That is some happy yeast!I let it rise thrice.

Oh Mommy I think I am getting this down.

I also repaired the beeded curtin. I had errored in my measurement when I first made it.
Yep I goffed and I just was not happy with it.

before

after

I love it now!

I had this other valence I had made and so I cut it down and then added the beeded one to it.

It created a nice gather center valence if you click on it you may be able to make it out.
Last week I found these creeps!

Cure is to wash them off well if you wash them off then you risk
This...

Powdery meldew

gotta run the family is calling me in to watch a show with them.

Tackle it Tuesday

Reviewing my home owners and auto insurance was the big tackle today.

Home owners...
insurance is often neglected.
The breakdown is
dwelling
contents
liability
deductible
and if you have any additional riders
like :
electronics
musical instruments
jewelery

In reviewing our today I discovered that our dwelling was far too under insured at $115 a square ft. Method of discovery....divide the square footage by the dwelling coverage= how much you have your dwelling covered for ...
Few homes now could be rebuilt for that price. I raised that coverage.

Contents are on a percentage basis. Now I have been married a many a year and own all that is within the estate. No debt on these items. However to replace them would certainly cost far more. Now remember to replace them would not mean that you get couch for couch...it is more like you get couch valued at the declined value of the one you owned. tricky stuff...
The contents is valued and then your covered a percentage of the dwelling value on top of that...By increasing the dwelling the 75% of dwelling plus the contents value = what is the total of the coverage you will have on your contents.
?BUT remember that if a fire ever took your property it is insured at a rate for = that means depreciated value of all items.

Liability coverage is a real concern for homeowners.
If you own your home this should be no less than the value of your home...
With our sue happy society it is important that you not loose your home.
It is a good idea if you have a great deal of assets that it be increased substantially that is if you qualify. We keep or liability maxed out to keep our home life safe.

A deductible should be based on what cash you could come up with in case of an emergency.
It pays here to be debt free and to have an emergency savings fund not only in case of loss of employment but also for the applied to cover your home if a tragedy or plumbing failer and the like should occur.

By increasing our deductible from $250. (set when times were much different for us and that was a huge amount to come up with) to $2000. (this now accomplished by beginning an emergency savings fund) we can now cover or deductible with our own savings instead of the risk ratio that caused us to pay a much higher rate at a low deductible.. That and now a greater understanding that much of anything under that amount we would fix for ourselves anyway...

A review of the value of anything on a rider is a good idea...

For example if you have musical instrument insured and it is worth less or equal to a deductible why insure it. It is a mute point.
Now if you have a rider on say a computer or something and it is worth more than the increased deductible then you may choose to keep coverage or not.

Today we raised our coverage as well as our deductible...
Total savings for us was $80 a year for more Insurance.
We then take on the risk of a higher deductible by having an emergency savings.

WE Become our own insurer in part.

Auto Insurance.


Same thing but the coverages are called by different titles.

First things first
Is there a Lien holder (debt) on the vehicle
This is where it really pays to own what you can afford.
By owning your auto your life is a much more economic journey.
We have owned all of our cars.

Age of vehicle
We started out with a 1964 Chevy and then a 1972 vw buss, cars all around 10 years old or older. The newest vehicle was 5 years old that is the Honda...it is a 2001.
I was married 22 years before I ever had a "newer" car.
I chose instead in my case to adopt the children.
Best choice :)
This a choice we made to drive cars we owned outright.
No judgment just our choice.

An older vehicle at least 3 years old is much cheaper to insure.
It is also much cheaper to register.

Coverage
Automobile Liability (you messed up) Ins. this usually has no deductible. It is two part.
*Bodily injury/each person/each accident
*Property Damage each accident
This is the consideration...Do you own your own home?
If so at the highest affordable benefit enough to cover your assets

Uninsured Motorists Ins (they mess up and they are not insured)
*For bodily injury each person/each accident

Under insured Motorist Ins
(they do not insure them self up to the full damage they caused)
*Bodily Injury each person/each accident

In Arizona we are # 1,3 and 4 in red light runners! Yep few of them are insured and often they are from over the boarder as well there is no way to get milk from a turnip!

Automobile Medical Payments
*each person
This is a good gesture for your passengers.
It will often cover their medical deductible and help them to regain a norm.

Auto Collision Insurance
This has limits often it is at Actual Cash Value It has it's own deductible
(same principle as above)

Auto Comprehensive Insurance now this a variable .
Can you afford to replace this car?
Do you care if it gets a ding in it or a bad fender?
If You do not own this vehicle this is a higher cost to you by far.
Banks make loans for cars based on proof of this ins.

Full Safety Glass Coverage may apply to the Comprehensive ins.


Now there are Discounts offered.
*Multiple Car
Multiple Policy
Utility Car
Alarms were once a consideration but they found that most people just ignore them.
Passive Restraint***This is big in the industry***buy a car with them!
Anti lock Brakes ****this is big in the industry***buy a car with them!
Premier Plus type things where you might insure your home and your autos with the same insurer.

Some autos are high theft like trucks especially older ones :)
Here in AZ this is an issue they steal them and take them to Mexico.
So ask when you are looking at a purchase of a car whether it is considered one of these high theft cars.

Now credit scores mater here. Not the same one that is the base for a loan but the ability to pay...It is imperative that you always make your bill payments on time.
This is where the benefits come of your reputation.

There is also a Rating on the vehicle.
If it is just for pleasure with no unmarried driver under 25 well this a discount then that may apply.
Never
let an unmarried driver under 25 borrow your car!!!!!!!!
Unless of course you have them on the coverage.
FYI some insurers will give discount for taking defensive drivers class voluntarily.

Watch out for AI auto indemnity...they offer cheap rates to get you in then they will hike them high! If you try to go back to standard insurance you will have a penalty for 5 years because you were insured as a high risk driver.
Snake in the grass!
I saw so many people fall for this that geco is one of them if you get my drift.

FYI
I was once a insurance agent for a time before we adopted our first child.
I never desired to be a career woman but in order to not go insane wanting a child I let go and earned a 98 % on the test and worked part time at the same time.
It was only a month or two after I gained the licence and the employment that Steve came to me and asked about going the international adoptin route.
Sometimes in life compleatly letting go is what appears to have been needed to have a dream come true.
Those times of gaining that licence has so helped my family.
I was fortunate to gain a greater understanding of the system and the "Snake in the grass" of the industry tricks.

On the auto we are at the best we can be.
Some policies offer an accident forgiveness but be aware that your going to pay a lot more to cover the risk that they take in offering the coverage so look at that delta too.

Our recent accident that we had in California cost us a loss of a discount for three years, yet even so the coverage we have is still by far the lesser of the cost than to change to the newer coverage.

Menu Plan Monday

Another week of meals to tend too...

The daily bread is rising and a carrot cake in the oven...
making what I have into something for the family to enjoy.
Our camp trip was a bit of a splurge this last week and so I have to be a bit extra creative this week.
It was so well worth it though.

My little family is refreshed.
I even feel like mopping the kitchen floor today just because.

This week I am going to make a conscience effort to get the cooking done before 1 p.m. as much as I am able .

This last year I was able to reduce our electric bills $28. every month (we are on an average of the 12 months cycle) this by hanging clothing out more often and also loading up the oven when I use it.
It is called the time of use plan.
In the summer here in the desert the high price time of use is between 1p.m. and 8 p.m.

Those items on menu that are easily re-heated will then be cooked before the heat of the afternoon. Perhaps the electric company in your area might offer this type of program.

Inspired

in·spire

Pronunciation:

\in-ˈspī(-ə)r\

Function:

verb

Inflected Form(s):

in·spired; in·spir·ing

Etymology:

Middle English, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French inspirer, from Latin inspirare, from in- + spirare to breathe

Date:

14th century

transitive verb1 a: to influence, move, or guide by divine or supernatural inspiration b: to exert an animating, enlivening, or exalting influence on inspired> c: to spur on : impel, motivate inspire people to work> d: affect inspired him with nostalgia>2 aarchaic : to breathe or blow into or upon barchaic : to infuse (as life) by breathing3 a: to communicate to an agent supernaturally b: to draw forth or bring out inspired by a visit to the cathedral>4: inhale 15 a: bring about, occasion inspired by his travels in the Far East> b: incite6: to spread (rumor) by indirect means or through the agency of another intransitive verb: inhale

— in·spir·er noun

David commented that I am inspired. I thought a lot about this. That in the post of "how do I do what I do". He got me to thinking...I believe that he is right. The perception of sheer determination is somewhat an error. Even in that idea it is the "I" the ego that accomplishes.
Well I know that the days I live are many where I do not know how I even do what I do or accomplish those things that are formed in and through me.

David your right and I stand very gently and thoughtfully corrected.

It is His breath with in me and around me for without it this woman would be feeble and week in my shoes to accomplish much of anything. I stood at the big board last evening trying to do the tasks of menu and assigning the "tasks to the maidens" so to speak. I was overwhelmed. Seeing the pantry and trying to keep up that pace of preparations. It was at that moment I was dearly reminded of the difference.

In my strength I was overwhelmed, saddened that life takes on such a great challenging role in so many of our day -to-day lives. How exhausting it can all be. It left me tired. The thought, well perhaps the inspiration...if you want to do it on your own you can...or I can do it through you.

well...enough said.

Thank you David

All yee all yee out come free...

I heard you calling but I just had to stay out and play...
:)

We went to the forest.
Did you guess it?
Following some advice I kept the hush until our return.


We camped at around 7500 feet.
It was beautiful!
I had a vision of our place and this was what I saw.
I had a dream about a skunk so I stopped for ice and got three large cans of tomato juice.
Steve's employer let him work 4 /10 hour shifts and we left early Friday morning.
We just LOVE the Chevy it pulls so well.
The trip up was better than last and we used much less fuel.
Our camp spot was a primitive with a creek.
Click to enlarge any image

Someone before us very thoughtfully built a lean too.
Cool to look at but the kids were not to sure about who or what else might of taken residency.

This was truly an amazing structure.

Looking toward the creek
Walk with me down the slope and come see the creek.We had a wonderful time all Friday down here.
I taught the children how to make a dam.
We removed all the rocks and then had a nice swimming hole.

This tree stump was just a sapling when General Crook forged the trail across Arizona.
It is over 200 years old.
Amazing story is told by a tree if you listen.
The rains were more plentiful back then and over the last 50 years or so the growth slowed significantly.

He is so beautiful!
Dash walked this old man all the way up to camp.
He had a wonderful girth and I would suppose him to be here rotting another 50 years.

Dove showed amazing resiliency and kept to the task all day!
We were able to raise water level about 6 inches and the pool sunken another 3-4 inches.

Dash never stopped up and down the stream just lovin' life!

After a while I simply sat and directed.
I also dug out the silt under the stones and then Dove lifted and removed them placing them on the dam. It felt so wonderful teaching her the ways of the earth. This is my desire for both of the children. We obtained some good control over the flow. The kids learned about the path of least resistance.
So much of life revolves around that simple truth.

The depth became really nice for the kids to play in.

Dove was determined to remove a boulder way to much mass!
So I dug around it for a good hour or so.
I rubbed the silt and the water flowed down through the dam to remove it.

Well I was sitting on that sitting stone digging out the silt to be able to rock the boulder out of place and as I sat there the sun shifted over time.
Several hours passed as we created this pool.
Well while I was digging I had the scare of my life!
Well at least one of them.
I was looking down into the water and there was a human hand under that big old rock!!!!!!!
I freaked out!!
Pulled the kids out of the water post hast.
"What's wrong Momma?"

"go get your father, tell him come NOW!"

"Why momma?"

"go now!"

So Steve comes to the water as the very inquisitive children wonder why mom is quietly freaking out.
He goes into the pool to check it out.
Now he has his boots on so he climbed the rock to get vantage.
I could not see it.
I then approached to point to where.
I tell him of the digging and the stick and the image and not the children know.

We are all very pins and needles...

He then holds his hand over the water to point and ask me the location...
Then he sees it!!!!!!!!

The reflection of his hand.
I saw the refection of my own hand in the water reverse image!

Well do we have a ghost story to tell!!!!!!!
Hahahahahahhaha

It was so freaky!!!!!!!!!

got my tummy in knots for a while
after many hugs and much consoling and the expressed
"it would of freaked me out too!" by my husband

We all had a few good laughs.
Hope you did too.

So supper of spaghetti with whole wheat noodles...
Let me say my men are gracious!
I thought it was horrible and so did Dove.
I think the forest critters enjoyed it hahahahah....
But the guys ATE IT!!!!!!! they will eat anything hahah

The face said it all....
Note Dash just shoveling it in.
Maybe he did not even taste it
:)
lol

Well speaking of faces...
You try to take pictures of happy goofy children
:)

What amusement...
no they were not really picking it
at least not this time
hahahahhah

Oh they were just cutting up.

We played a board game till we all just wanted to finish it the next morning.
Note that Dash fell out that fast!

New day new adventure...

We all hiked down to the pump house.
A good 3/4 mile hike.
I stayed on the road and they went down to the creek side for the hike.

Then I saw them...
Oh they were all around!

This orange flowers were covered with butterflies and we enjoyed these things all weekend.
They were all around camp too.

I loved this image of the trees arched over my head.

Well on our hike they found an even better water hole.
So we made a plan for later to return to it.

Meanwhile I found some beauty on my own up on the road.

I had gotten way ahead of them and then I heard my boy.
He was so happy to catch up to me.

Just as he did a great blue hearon flew over head.
I saw 4 of them that day and was the only one to get to do so.

Soon behind came up my other dear ones.
They felt bad to let me walk alone.

Even thought the day was just begun the heat was becoming a force to reckon with.
We pressed on on coming so far.

This is a secure site.
It is a large water supply for upper Arizona.

Fast white water. Two streams murge the water pumped up and the creek we are camped on.

The bridge or porch of it had the air from the water flowing up through the cracks with such force that it was the best air conditioner you could imagine.
We all cooled off.

It really felt wonderful
even at 7500 feet it gets rather warm.

It is a rule that your never really able to get everyone to smile at the same time.
Dove would rather be at camp and yes you can really tell she is becoming a pre teen.

They took lambs ears (a large leafed plant) and had races.

This was very significant force of water.

This sign is so old it was old when Steve was a boy.

Every one had a big appitite and so a breakfast of bacon and eggs was as good as it gets.

Happy happy

kids.

After our big breakfast it was down the slope to our water hole.
The Daddy man and Dove had a secrete...

They had spotted fish in the water hole.
nope no hand just a few fish
:)

Dove wanted to submerge herself and was her quirky self.
When she does this I am reminded of her needs.
Sometimes I just forget.

She is so dog gone SWEET!

The Daddy man had his daily headache so he was feeling badly.
We got to get him into the doctor.
Please pray for his health.

The kids often do not realize them self in space and we often get hurt they do not ever mean it to happen but they just forget themseves and do not realize it hurts.

It is His heart to gain a nice image for his new project.
It is in it's infantsy so I have to keep hush hush yet.

Now look at that dam!
They did a great job!

Dash is paddling an imaginary boat.

To beautiful not to show you!

All along the creek were berry bushes.
I think either raspberry or black berry.
We may return in time for picken season.
As long as the chiggers stay at bay and the fruit is not overcome with aphids it looks like it could be promising.
I love love love to harvest our own foods.

The butterfly's were really doing the work of pollinators I think the harvest would be large.
I'll have to do home work and find out the time line to harvest.

Well the time came that we would return to the other pond.
So we all loaded up in the truck and drove down the road to it.
It was so fun.

I love this guy.
We hiked a little way and down the embankment

My blue jeans man does not ware shorts and this is why.
He just is not thinking bare legs, unfortunately the woods have a way of making you think about where your walking when you have shorts on...
Poor guy!
All the way down his leg ouch!

Now this marvel of a tree took our breadth away!

The center of it is hollow it is one ancient tree

The pond was so perfect for the kids to play in.

same tree look at the mass of it!

a glee was anounced when the slide rock was discovered.

Little boys and old ones :)lol look under logs of course!
found one weird worm.

Me thinks...leach!

The end of this thing had a strange flange of a opening.

Wow did it move funny, I have never witnessed one slither the way it did. It was rather fsasenating!

I loved all the flora around the creek flowers too many to imagine.

Now over 50 time the race was on over and over.

Bark as in dog Ship and Private Parts (it's a boy thing) :)
the falls and the rapids it was amazing that any of the crew survived!
They were capsized and ship wrecked in mighty waves....

acahummm.....

over and over and over and over this was the scene.

Daddy Man and I sat marveling in the wonder of the two little sailors in our charge.

He finally gave way to fatigue...it only lasted till the sun came through the trees when the clouds parted.

They had so much fun...

We all returned to base camp and I got to do my favorite thing when I am camping....

Wash my hair...
Steve found this on the side of the camper last trip.
We did not even know it was there.
It was hooked up to the hot water tank too.
oh that was so refreshing.

Time to load up...
The children played and we folded blankets and loaded up the supplies for next time.
This trip was time to return to our wonderful life at home.

Refreshed.
We rolled up the bags.
I almost gave the bear quilts away...
I am so grateful that we still have them.
I use the quilts to cover the mattresses and to stuff around the sides for insulation.
However we needed no insulation this trip.
The weather was perfect!

We had the windows open all night and it was not even cold.
It was also warm in the day but not hot.

by the way the skunk dream...
When I was sitting there in camp I looked up to the kids side of the cabin to see a very large skunk staring at me.
It was Doves stuffed toy!

Well this day drove us back down the mountain and back home to begin again the daily rutien that we are so very blessed to have.

When we contacted the friend that Steve has been trasporting to work (car pooling) to help him out.
Bad news they had let him go.
He was a sub-contracted fellow so he was not a fired of such they just do not have enough work to keep him right now.
He is no longer employed at Steves site.
Very sad for my man to hear. He loves his friend so.
It is in no way a bad reflection on my man.
They have been buddies for over 30 years and to see him on such hard times breaks my mans heart.

The garden is happy...a little hot for it but I have 4-5 large melons coming along well.
Two more butternut squash and some peas to pick in the marrow.
For now.
I am home and it took me three hours to do this post!
I hope you enjoyed your visit to the forest...

TAG your it.