The freeness awaits

Tomorrow is December! I can't believe it! So much is going to happen this month I can't even take it.


Moms bday.
Graduate.
My bday.
Christmas.

Crazy pants I tell you. Throw in there visits from friends and family. Should be a jolly time that's for sure! I can tell you that I will be a hell of alot happier once school is over. Then the fun begins.

As of today...

13 days.
4 finals.
3 classes.
2 forum postings.
1 quiz.
1 paper.
1 poster session.

...until I'm a free bird!

Today I finished research paper number 2 and tomorrow starts the last one. Which is the worst of all of course.

M and I were discussing today going to the movies solo. Thoughts? I'm thinking about going solo on December 14th as a solo celebration of my freeness. However, I have never been to a movie by myself but I think it would be kinda nice. Plus during the day the movie is more likely to be empty. Lyddy of course is against it but I think I might just do it! Hmm what else can I do on the marvelous day that will be December 14th... I hope its snowing so I have reason to cuddle up with the poochies, eat good food, watch movies, read, and do WHATEVER THE HELL I WANT.

Soon to be basking in my freeness,

Riz

School and other ramblings...

You know when you look forward to something for so long. You hype it up and you count it down. Then poof! It's over and you're on the other side. For the past almost 5 years this looking forward to has been the end of a semester. Once I get to the other side? Well more school... but not this time!

I'm tyring to psych myself up for finishing college. I feel like I should be over the moon right now. Unfortunately class stress is not allowing me to feel the excitement. I want to be excited but its just not happening. I wish I had one more extra week wiggled in there to get stuff done. O well, I just have to make it work. I foresee many sleepless nights and tears in my near future.

But can you believe it...

15 days
4 classes
3 exams
2 papers
2 forum postings
1 quiz
1 poster session

... until I'm a free bird.

I hope I feel the euphoria I have been looking forward to. But that's the problem you see. Once you finish one obstacle there's always another one to overcome. Maybe it's a matter of perspective. School was an obstacle there's no doubt about that, I keep forgetting to look at the future as an adventure. It can be hard sometimes as a 20 something graduate in this economy.

As I said to my sis, I just want a farm dammit!

As you can tell by my book selection lately, I'm trying to absorb all of the farm related info. I can gather. Specifically organic gardening, throw in some hens and a coop, with the possibility of 2 hives, some sheep, and some wabbits.

It's interesting because every author has a slightly different opinion and it clearly comes out in their writing. Specifically in terms of "farm" animals and what should be done with them. I just can't imagine butchering my hens and succumbing them to the seemingly torturous mating practices of roosters. Some authors say never to name your animals, only give them numbers so you don't get attached to them. I understand that in western culture we tend to humanize our animals but come on, if your hens are excited to see you and have distinct personalities how could you shove your unassuming hen into a crate, one that trusts you, and bring it to slaughter? I just can't imagine it. I think I'm off to a world of vegetarianism.

The authors do make good points in saying that all animals must die and with some circumstances on a farm you need to kill an animal in order to put it out of its misery. I am going to have to find a way to cope with these situations. I mean I know my dog won't live forever, but I can't ever imagine living without her.

So a post that was supposed to be about impending graduation turned into a post about organic gardening and farm animals, go figure. Well my end goal is to provide food for myself and hopefully fiber to wear and knit with. This leads into other goals of being completely self sufficient. How amazing would that be? Always something to strive for.

Riz

PS: I'm currently absorbed with (even though there are certainly other things I should be reading that pertain to ahem.. school!) The Vegetable Gardener's Bible by Edward C. Smith. AMAZING. I'll give a full review once I finish.

PSS: Continued frustration of not being a twin. I need my Lyddy to experience this end with me. It would just be so much better. I feel like I can't be excited because she still has a year to go! I don't know what it is. Maybe just the perpetual worry I have for my siblings and their well being. Hmph. Maybe she can find it in her to celebrate with me, that always makes me feel beter :)

Banana Saturday

Let me start off by thanking Gwen Stefani for being able to spell banana with no hesitation.

Moving on... I bought some bananas at the store the other day with the intention of baking something that I can bring for breakfast in the morning as I am running out the door.

Lo and behold, I made two somethings.  First up is Baked Oatmeal off of the lovely food blog A Cozy Kitchen.  I must admit, try as I might, I can't get myself to love oatmeal.  It's the texture that gets me, just too slimy.  But oatmeal just seems like the perfect warm wholesome breakfast for when it's chilly out, so I am hoping that this oatmeal will finally be one that I like.  I haven't tried it yet though, so I will have to update you on that.  The only alterations I made to the recipe was leaving out the nutmeg cause I didn't have any, I only used 1 banana, I used steel cut oats instead of rolled (I won't pretend like I know the difference between the two), and I did not include the raspberries or almonds (I like my food plain).

I also baked some banana bread to polish off my last two bananas.  I used this recipe off of allrecipes.com.  I didn't change anything with this recipe.

And ta-da, two baked goods that I can bring with me to school or work in the morning!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, bring on Christmas!
M

Made from Scratch

Photo Credit

Made from Scratch is a wonderful book by Jenna Woginrich that documents her journey to a homemade life. This book was AMAZING. Seriously. It was hilarious first of all which I didn't expect. It was chock full of good info. without being too much plus it gave information while documenting her story. This book was suggested by Ashley English on her blog where she regularly talks about Jenna and references Jenna's blog. Jenna talks about going from her corporate job back to her rented farm tending her chickens, dogs (which she mushes!), and angora rabbits. Amazing. I'm right behind you Jenna!

On another note it's Thanksgiving. So, Happy Thanksgiving. But it just doesn't feel right. We celebrate a time when the Native Americans helped the pilgrims and taught them how to farm and survive. If the Native Americans had not done this then they all would have perished and the majority of us would not be alive today. So how did we repay them? Mass genocide. I find it ironic that we take a day out of the year to give thanks when we're celebrating one of the bloodiest and heinous parts of American history. I feel great pain for what we put Native Americans through. Being direct descendants of pilgrims, literally our family came over on the mayflower, we have the same last name and can trace our lineage straight back to them, I am not proud in any way of how we treated these people. Apart from the horror of our past, look at how many turkeys are slaughtered for this holiday? I'm just saying, it doesn't seem right.

Apart from this, I do love the thought behind everyone in America carefully considering what they are thankful for.

I am thankful for:

My Dad who has taken money out of his retirement fund to pay for my education. I will forever be grateful.

For my sister who is always there for me.

For my Lucy dog who provides me with constant comfort and love.

Riz

Canning & Preserving

Photo Credit

Canning and Preserving by Ashley English will not disappoint! After reading Keeping Chickens I was hooked. The second I saw that the person who had been hoarding it finally returned it to the library, I ran out immediately and grabbed it off the shelf 10 minutes before closing. Yes her books are that good.

It provides you with the basics on how to can and gives you some great recipes to try out yourself. I love how her books are so easy to read for the beginner and are honest without being too daunting. So scamper out yourself and grab a copy!

I am really bummed because these are the only two of her books that our library has. Looks like I'll be filling out another request form to buy her others books. I wonder if they put a limit on how many requests one person can make? I would totally go out and buy them myself just to support Ashley, as I am sure I will someday but the funds are not permitting at the moment.

Now that I have finished Canning and Preserving I have moved on to a book Ashley suggests in her blog that I found at our library. The Self Sufficient-ish Bible by Andy and Dave Hamilton. I'm about halfway through but unfortunately there are other things I have to complete, ahem huge research paper due tomorrow, before finishing their wonderful book. Sigh.

Back to dreaded paper, am I done yet?

Riz

PS: T-minus 22 days till I'm a free bird

UPDATE: How can I have been working on this paper for O I don't know 17 hours now and I'm still not done?? Beats me.

And the Countdown begins...

5 more class days.
3 more research papers.
3 more quizzes.
3 more forum postings.
2 more tests
1 more poster session.

And after December 13th? NO MORE SCHOOL.

I will be a free bird. No more papers. No more tests. No more group projects. No more truckin around school in negative degree weather. No more 45 min. long morning commutes. No more door-opening-by-themselves bathroom stalls. No more grumpy teachers or annoying students. No more late night stress. No more ordering expensive books.

I can just go to work, come home and do whatever I want to do. Doesn't that sound like heaven?

It does to me, can't wait.

T-minus 25 days until I'm a free bird

Riz

When Life Gives You Lemons...

So I've been telling myself that I don't want to use our blog as a way to complain about all the little things in my life because even though it might make me feel a smidge better, it is not uplifting and I don't like the idea of spewing negativity into the world.

Having said that, I did not have a very good day today.  Work was rough, I didn't sleep well last night (causing me to not feel well today, does that happen to anyone else?), and I had homework due tonight and I didn't get out of work until way late.  So overall, not my best day.

Such a sweet girl. She curls up in my lap then rests her head on my hand while I'm on the computer. Melts my heart!

After my homework was done, I sat on the couch with B and G thinking of a way to unwind.  I thought about making some tea, but that didn't sound that great.  Then I thought maybe watching a movie or some TV would do the trick, then I said nah that's not what I want.  So anywho, I picked up my computer and started reading the archives of Ashley English's Small Measure (I read blogs like they're books, ps). And let me tell you, her life makes me green with envy.  There is nothing more that I want for my future than to live a self-sustaining life, with gardens and chickens and homemade everything!

Moving on, I decided I would try and bake a loaf of bread.  In the past, I haven't had great success with yeast (I had trouble with things rising, or not rising to be exact).  But I said ya know what, if it doesn't work, at least I did something productive to entertain myself with tonight.  So I slipped my apron on over my cat bathrobe and got to work.

And it worked people! I used the recipe on the back of the yeast packet, nothing fancy.  I kneaded out all my frustrations of my day and watched my dough rise!

Dough after it was sufficiently kneaded.

So at the end of my rough day, I came away with this! And I couldn't be prouder of myself!

Ta-Da!

M