OMG We Had A Baby part 2

When I had my first child 15 years ago at 22yrs old, I was clueless. I did not realize this at the time of course. I didn’t watch my weight during my pregnancy, I didn’t fret over anything.  I pretty much just assumed my body would just instinctively know what to do and while that is true the adage “Older and Wiser” could be applied here.  What a completely different experience!

Here are just a few things I have learned since baby No. 2 (whom by the way, I am completely smitten with)

Saying “No” is ok. To guests, to other mom’s “donations” (aka spring cleaning their baby hoard onto you), to smokers who want to hold your baby… Yep, it’s ok and in fact it is good for you to have boundaries… and to enforce them.

Breast-milk is sticky so clean that shiz up with a quickness. (ok I probably learned that one before, but I got a reminder… a few times now)

My schedule is the only one that revolves around baby’s schedule. Duh. Everyone else’s life carries on. (This is the difference between having a baby at 22 and 37). Don’t expect people to stop their lives in their tracks because OMG YOU HAD A BABY…. But yeah I get it... OMG YOU HAD A BABY! (Strong work)

Sleep is precious. I will cut you if you wake this baby… or me. Ok just kidding. Sorta… Amazing how I don’t have endless energy at 37. I know… Shocker right?!

Video games are golden… (NEVER thought I would say this) I love that my husband is a night-owl… can we say “Your turn”…? One of my most favorite scenes in my house is handing my just fed and changed babe to my husband for him to cuddle in the crook of his arm while he slays hordes of zombies… until 2 am. Good stuff here. He is epic amazing for this. Do you know why I love this? I CAN SLEEP or CLEAN or SHOWER or just SIT!!!

Essential oils are well… ESSENTIAL. Lavender for sleep, Frankie (Frankincense) for my tummy skin. On Guard to ward off the cooties (germs), Serenity for well… Serenity! Because what Momma doesn’t need some serenity!?

My baby is gangsta. True story. He doesn’t care what I am doing or why. Can we say: “Give me all your boob OR ELSE” he also knows how to con (er charm) the pants off his dad!

I may love my cat a little less… “Get your dirty paws away from my baby. Girrrr get away from the breast-milk! No! Mocha get out of the bassinet!” … Poor Mocha. L I was not aware that kitties can have some regression too with a new baby… she was quite naughty those first few weeks. Now she could care less.

Going somewhere requires a LOT of planning. Feed baby, diaper baby, pack stuff, get ready, feed baby, diaper baby, soothe baby, and finish packing up, blah blah blah… what a production!

I am sure there are more revelations that are earth shaking (kidding) but Mr. Meatball is insisting on some mommy time and he is too cute not to oblige.   So until next time.

We Are Not Tearing Families Apart - Conversations With My Husband

So I was sitting with my husband one evening in our back yard discussing our plans for our little homestead (we love talking about what our little slice of heaven will hold) and he indicated that he did not really want to get goats. I of course was like “We are getting goats. Period. I can’t drink cow milk but I can drink goat milk, thus the whole point of having goats”  (This is completely logical in my head – not so much to him.)

This prompted a rather hilarious response from him (well I found it hilarious) – “Woman! I am not jerking off a goat!” Oh… Muh… Gawd… It took me a minute to compose myself as I nearly fell out of my chair laughing. I am sorry but I instantly had a visual of him trying to milk a goat and her expression of “really dude?!” and the bewildered, frustrated look on his face of "I am not happy about this either lady" and I sorta lost it. I reassured him that “I am already planning on being the one to milk any goats that need it and besides I only want like 2 maybe 3 goats; 1 boy and 1 girl so that I can keep her in milk. We can just butcher the baby or sell it each year.”

What came next was also not anticipated by me at all. His response was “We are not killing babies” I started laughing again because I naturally assumed he didn’t realize I meant when “said baby goat” was not a baby anymore. So I clarified “no I mean when it gets older, then we will kill it, I have a friend who really likes goat meat so we already have someone interested in purchasing it each year for meat. He firmly responded with “I am not killing anything and we are not tearing families apart.”

No problem I said. I am fine with being the one to cull off the chickens when needed and a goat once a year. No big deal! Would you like me to field dress your dear too come hunting season? He didn’t find that last part too funny and he just gave me “the look” (it was deserved).

He firmly stated “We are not tearing families apart or killing babies!” I was still laughing “Seriously honey?! You are that sentimental about a farm animal that you don’t even have yet?”

Okay, so I clearly I found this entire conversation humorous, but there is a rather serious topic that should be brought up. Death is a real part of life on a farm & homestead. Things happen to animals just like with people. Sometimes you can intervene to heal and help, other times, there isn’t much you can do and the humane/kind thing to do is to put down the afflicted animal. Then, there is the purpose of raising animals for meat. This animal will have to die for you to eat it. That is a fact.

SO… If you are not prepared to put down an animal when needed, please think very carefully as to whether you should be getting farm animals of any kind.

At any rate… the goat topic will have to be revisited at a later date… I am pretty sure I can convince him… eventually… hmmm...

Why I Can Meat

It’s convenient. Grab a jar from your pantry, pop it open, and you have wonderfully tender meat all ready to add to your recipes. I love having ready to eat, cooked meat on hand for recipes too. It makes meals go so much faster. Plus it tastes darn good. Really! Home canned meat is tender, juicy, and can be seasoned however you like.

Ground Venison with Onion in it.

It saves on freezer space. We have two freezers out in our house. A small one and a large deep freezer, but they are ALWAYS too full, no matter what I do. Anytime I can store food at room temperature, it’s a huge plus for me. Have you ever had a power outage and had all the meat in your refrigerator and freezer spoil? Yeah, me too. BLECK – it smells soooo bad AND it is an expensive loss. Not to mention trying to can or eat all that meat before it spoils is a pain. So in taking a page from my son’s Boy Scouts Motto of “Always Be Prepared” It’s a smart preparedness measure. No one wants to be stuck eating dry cereal and crackers if your power goes out… Just sayin'.

I don’t know why, but I always thought canning meat would be hard. It is SO not. I also thought it couldn’t possibly be safe. WRONG. Low acid veggies tend to be the main culprit in the US for botulism. (Who knew?!) The pressure canning process kills everything.

It is really easy to do so don’t be intimidated. Be sure to trim the gristle, bruised areas and excess fat. Meat MUST ALWAYS be processed in a pressure canner. There are no exceptions (that I am aware of). The processing times may seem rather long, but trust me, the time is worth the investment. You can process in broth/water or dry raw pack. (If dry raw packing, the meat will make it’s own juice).

Ground Meat: As in beef and venison are really versatile too.  They go great in:

Burritos,

Chili,

Hamburger helper,

Spaghetti sauce,

Tacos (can we say Taco Tuesday in the House?!)

Ham is another really handy one to have. I usually cube it up. If I had a large Sunday Ham with a bunch of left overs, I will can up the extra. I use it in:

Split Pea Soup

Bean Soup

Au gratin & Scalloped Potatoes

Baked Mac n Cheese

Chicken Soup -
Fresh out of the Pressure Canner.

Chicken Breast. I usually cut this into ½ to 1 in cubes 

Soups (Chicken, Tortilla, White Chicken Chili)

Chicken Salad

Chicken Alfredo

BBQ – just shred it up, toss it into the crock-pot with some BBQ Sauce and throw a pack of buns next to it and bam! Happy munching. (great for potlucks too)

Roasts and cut meat are great too. Tenderloin, Roasts, are fantastic. I just cut them up to the size I want or even different sizes in different jars for variety. I usually add a quarter of an onion to each quart too. It is really good right out of the jar (yes you can eat it right out of the jar). The juice is what I use for my gravy bases too. There is some serious flavor there.

Beef Roast

Venison Roast

Pot Roast

Stews

Beef Stroganoff

Asparagus, Mixed Veggies 
and Ground Beef

There are loads of recipes on YouTube and the internet, but I always use my Ball® Blue Book® Guide to Preserving for cooking times and for reference. It is likely the most used book in my house (second only to my Bible devotions).

One more note, I bring canned meat with me when camping. It eliminates the need for cold storage for meals with meat. It is shelf stable. You just have to make sure not to break the jar LOL.

Remembering…

Today marks the 3 year anniversary of my grandmother’s passing. My beautiful, kind, wise, God fearing, strong and gentle grandmother. When she passed I lost someone very precious. She was my prayer warrior, my confidant, and my safe harbor and there have been countless times that I wished that I could just pick up the phone to share joy, news, to cry, ask advice, or just pray together. I miss that in a way that will never leave me.

However, when I look at what the last 3 years have brought in her absence, I would like to think she and I would find a great deal of joy in review over a cup of french onion soup while splitting a Ruben.  So in honor of her and the wisdom of her advice when in doubt; I refer to Philippians 4:6-7.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He had done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus”

Counting the Blessings and Being Thankful

In the last 3 years, my marriage has grown tremendously. God has given us peace and a deep love for each other. Our relationship has become precious to us and I am so thankful for my grandmother’s support in those early years.

We have become home owners of a home with a sturdy roof that doesn’t leak! This home has seen heartbreak and joy as any real home would.

My Grandmother and my Mother. Beautiful 

Losing my grandmother had the beautiful side effect of deepening the relationship with my mother. When I feel the urge to call my grandmother, I call my mom and tell her I love her. It has become a wonderful thing that I cherish. She is the one I call with "the news" or just because I want to. 

We have a child in college and that is an exciting win, in fact he is almost done! And while the door closes on one childhood, we are experiencing another one with a new baby! Our other child has reached a stable point surgically with his foot! YAY!

We have learned new skills. Canning & Homesteading being some of my most favorites. Wiser budgeting; this is the one that I think my grandmother would be most happy about.

Travel. We have had the luxury of traveling in the last few years. Trips to sporting events, out of state family adventures and more. There have been some amazing memories made in the process.

My father-in-law’s heath improved greatly over the course of some of that time. Without going into too much detail, 2 years ago we were looking at a hospice possibility and now he is able to hold and enjoy his newest grandson smile and coo and grow right in front of his eyes. What a blessing!

Blessing others. We have had the good fortune to be able to use our stability to bless the lives of others.

A deeper relationship with God. My sister blessed me with a daily devotional book that has been gracing my early morning nursing sessions with Mr. Meatball. I love that God continues to pour into our lives in both little and big ways.

There have been COUNTLESS blessings but these are some of the biggest.

One of the largest blessings I have had in life is the presence of God fearing role models. My dad’s steady faith, commitment and willingness to be there for family; my maternal grandmother’s spirit of unconditional love for me and her constant support in prayer; my mother’s acceptance of me with all my flaws and her non-judgmental love of others; my paternal grandfather’s devotion to protecting the innocent lives of unborn babies as a steady act of Godly love and protection. These things have shaped me and I am eternally grateful for their commitments.

So now 3 years later, I remember her with more peace and joy than I have ever known and I know that one of the reasons I am able to be in this place in life is because of her and her heart.

In Loving Memory of Joan Mae Gardner

Dreams are things wished for…

I dream of little legs running through dandelion fields and of little lips blowing their wishes into the wind.

The pitter-patter of tiny feet chasing butterfly wings and dragonflies zipping overhead in the hazy summer afternoon.

Of innocent laughter as the wind teases hair and clothes and kites flying overhead.

Of wonder at baby chicks and rolling in the grass with loyal furry friends.

I dream of earthy rain scenting the warm summer nights and the steady drum on the roof.

I see little boots splashing in puddles and impish grins of joy at trips to the fishing hole.

I envision bonfires in cool evenings and short sticky fingers being licked clean with childish abandon.

I hear the crickets and cicadas song at night as it lulls my babies to sleep under starry skies.
I imagine scraped knees and boys in trees.

I see piles of leaves being rolled in and thrown in the air by little hands with joy.
I hear sleigh bells muffled by softly falling snow as it lands on tiny tongues anxiously awaiting each snow flake.

I dream of open fields and rolling hills and warm breezes of country air with little children running wild and free with rosy sun kissed cheeks.

Of nights twinkling with fireflies and mason jars filled with their glowing light.

I dream of you and me on a porch with tea rocking in the evening looking at each other knowing… we are in our heaven.

So I sent this lovely little bit to my husband for his reading pleasure and some warm fuzzies… and this was his response…

REALITY,

I hear questions (about 50,000) and grunting and feet STOMPING up the stairs and down the hall followed by the soothing thunder of doors slamming (Teenage Boy).

The joys of young adult smart ass backtalk singing through the house (Collegiate).

And the hollow sounds in the background of GO GO GO! BUUUT NO NO NO!

And on the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me 12 diaper changes, 11 grunts a grunting, 10 bucks fo gas money, 9 night time meds, 8 days a lazing, 7 glasses of wine, 6 college debts, 5  S—C—R—E—A—M—I—N—G hours (colic baby & frustrated momma), 4 chinese combinations (what we order every time), 3 Spanish cousins, 2 bucks in my wallet and a FART filled bedroom STINK!

All as I walk down the hall with a coughed up fur ball on the bottom of my feet.

So there is that folks… 

I almost fell out of my chair laughing – I hope you enjoyed the laugh, I certainly did.  God I love my husband… HA!  

Happy New Year Ya'll