Bountiful Basket!

Im a day behind. I know.

Like I said in my last post, I ordered 2 things this time, the conventional and the hostess pack. I was too excited and didnt get any pictures before I got everything on the table! It was seriously like Christmas!
So I will start with the pictures.

We got SO much stuff, I had a hard time finding places for it all!
Some interesting things were the Oroblancos and the parsnips. Neither of which any of us have had. The orobloncos are a hybrid of a grape fruit and a persimmon and are supposed to taste like a sweet grape fruit!
So far we have used 1 pineapple some potatoes some apples and some oranges.
This morning made some delicious cubed potato hash browns with onion, the grape tomatoes and the onions!
Next we have plans to make our own potato soup!

On a side note-we did not make it to Multnomah falls today :( . Maybe next year!

Up coming posts and some not so good new

I just wanted to fill you all in on some posts I have coming up. Im hoping that by doing this I can hold my self to it and actually blog on a regular basis!
Tomorrows post should be about our Bountiful Baskets. I ordered 2 this time, a conventional basket and a Hostess pack. I'll have more detail and pictures tomorrow!

I am hoping that we make it Multnomah Falls on Sunday as it seems to be the last nice day for a while, well at least in Troutdale OR! I have been there SO many times its not even funny but it never looses its allure. I have family(on both sides) that live on this side of WA but more south, so we would often travel up threw the Columbia Gorge, stopping at the falls, but it has been a good.....oh 8years! Jared and the boys have never seen it so I figured now would be a good time!

Here in a few weeks I am going to commit to myself to take a picture every day. I have a good reason and hopefully it will keep me occupied. Although it kind of relates to the bad news.

So as is par with the military life style, deployments come around. We can prepare ourselves as much as possible emotionally but it still does not take the anxiety/sadness/pain away from the time leading up to one. We have known when Jared was going to deploy for about 2 months, I had things planned out time line wise but as is also par with the military, dates have changed, and not in our favor. Our whole time line has been put on a tight crunch. I just found out this afternoon so its still kind of settling in. Thankfully though he wont be a full year because of his ETS(getting out of the military) date.
So my first picture will start the day/night(dont know which) he leaves. It may not be a picture I take if we have some family there with us but there will be one!
Be prepared though it could be a sad one!

Which brings me to a question, and I hope SOMEONE, will speak up lol
Who knows of a good site for doing something like this that I can link to my blog and facebook?

My biggest parenting challenge and joy.

So while looking threw my blog feed I read a post from Motherhood Truth. She was writing about the Seven wonders of HER world. It was in response to a blog called Mama's Loosin' it. Every Tuesday Mama Kat give out some writing prompts and then on Thursday and post your URL to the post you wrote using one of the prompts.
I thought this would be an awesome thing for me to try. Often times I get the urge to blog, but really have no idea what to say
So I chose the writing prompt: Your biggest parenting challenge and/or joy.
So here I go.

I have only been a mom for 4years. Needless to say Rylan was a surprise to my 18yr old self. Jared and I were engaged at the time and I was planning to go to culinary school in Portland OR. I was also still in HS. So a lot of things changed for me in a very short amount of time. Rylan was born a little less than 2wks before Jared deployed. So I raised him for the first 15months of his life. I got do do things the way I wanted with him. I guess you could say that my control issues are related to the military life style. I dont have control over or say in a lot of things, some pretty big things. So when I do find something that I have total say in, I get a little obsessive over. After Jared came home it was a little difficult for me, to let someone else make decisions about Rylan was frustrating. Even the simplest things like picking what he should wear. If it wasnt what I thought he should be wearing it was hard not to say something. Then as Rylan started getting accustomed to Jared, he started listening to Jared and not me. Once again I had no control. Since then things have gotten better and Im more able to enjoy things and not worry about how I think it should be.
Rylan is in some ways, my exact opposite(which would be his dad lol). I am quiet, I dont talk a lot and I hate repeating myself. I REALLY dont like talking in the morning. Rylan on the other hand is a chatty cathy ALL THE TIME! The mornings and when he is in the car are the worst. Its like the time that he slept he was accumulating all these things to tell me and he HAS to say it all the second we get up. I also have NO imagination! Even since I was young. So sometimes it is hard for me to relate to Rylan and his huge imagination.
Rylan is a big joy in my life. He is amazingly smart, so I dont have to really dumb things down for him a lot. I enjoy seeing him learn. He is very curious and I feed of what he is talking about for the day and we learn about it. He is such a sweet and love child, and he is kind of attached to me. He can also be very whiny, over dramatic and crys a lot. I think this has been my biggest challenge with him. It can be difficult to go about our day because he is crying about something that is nothing.
Then there is Gabriel. Sweet, chunky, stubborn, almost 2, Gabe. He has been challenging and joyfull in such different ways than Rylan. Like I mentioned he is STUBBORN! He makes things exponentially more difficult than it needs to be. Rylan was never stubborn like this. I took him everywhere when he was this age. He would sit in his stroller, sit in a restaurant booth and be good to go. Gabe is a different story. If he can not walk, and destroy, he is NOT happy. We can get about 5 min out of him and then its preventative measure time. Making sure there is nothing in his reach(he will throw it, eat it or rip it up) making sure he has a snack(although it only quiets him for a while) and keeping him from screeching.
Im sure people love us at the mall when he is hanging half out of his stroller screaming like we are torturing him.
It has been a big change learning how to deal with him as compared to Rylan.
Like I said he is BIG and very physical. Sometimes I have to have Jared hold or handle him because he is just to strong for me.
The joys of him are pretty awesome though. He is very funny. He is going to be the class clown, we can already tell. From a young age he has been making faces at people, he has a pretty good stink face! His emotions are plain to see and usually LOUD no matter what they are. He loves to sing and dance when Jared plays guitar, he loves to run(away from me usually) and he loves to cuddle with Jared.
Overall my challenges can be summed up in that, I had my children when I was still making the transition from "child"(Ive always been more mature for my age though) to young adult, at the same time my children are going threw the first few years of their lives, which are difficult. Doing this together, while a learning experience, is kind of stressful!
Threw all that though is the joy of experience my children, good and not so nice. Getting to teach them such things that are so exciting to developing minds. Getting to see the excitement on their faces, brings me such a warmth that I never knew existed.
I am so thankful for my boys who are so unique, fun, trying and exhausting.

Our first Cloth Diaper experience.

So like I have mentioned before I bought some cloth diapers for Gabe. Well the arrived a few days ago. My first step was to wash the prefolds a few times to get all the oils off and get them nice and quilted. I washed and dried them in all-5 times.
Gabes first time wearing it was part of the morning and then at nap time. It went AWESOME! No leaks! He even had a NASTY poo waiting for me when he woke up lol! So I set that prefold and cover(some got on it) in water to soak for a few days.
Then last night was his first time going over night in it. Again it went AWESOME! Jared was the one who got up with him and said that there were no leaks even though he had a massive poo again!
As of right now we only have the two diapers so I don't have a sprayer. Which left me using the toilet pretty much as a wash basin to get the poo off!
So a sprayer is going to be a must once I move.

I also found a small store in Tacoma called Best Loved Baby that carries cloth diapers. I plan on going in sometime this week to check them out, get a better fell for ones I like!

Day 3/4

I didnt get a chance to post last night, we kept our selves pretty busy and then Jared and I watched the UFC fights, then he went over to the neighbors for a bit.
I ended up watching True Blood.....odd show.

Anyway, last night we FINALLY ate the Elk shoulder. It was pretty good. We did it pot roast style though and neither Jared or I are fond of pot roast. It was good though taste wise. Ive never had Elk before but I am not a fan of game meat. The boys were not interested in it either :( .

Tonight........we had McDonald. Bad, I know!
We took the boys to the park late in the day and were not coming home until....wow I just realized that it was only like 4:40 when we were coming him. Damn time change....
Lets just say we were lazy today lol!

Just some random news

Today I ordered 2 Econobum one side diapers. They were buy one prefold and cover get one(set) free. For $9.95 with free shipping. After tax it only came to $10.88.

I have tried to do cloth before.
A local consignment shop had 2 gdiapers for really cheap. Gabe looked so cute in them. But the only prefolds I had were some old Gerber ones I had been given as burp rags for Rylan.
Gerber prefolds(or flats) are notoriously bad among CD people. They certinly did not work for us!
That and a combination of the covers being just to small for Gabe. He woke up damp so I didnt keep going.
Well Ive had renewed interest in CDing him. I hate the price of diapers!

I was also looking for an alternative for Rylan. He is potty trained, just not at night. I hate the fact that I have to buy him something just to pee in!!
He could probably fit in to a large "normal" cloth diaper because he is skinny But they would probably be to short in the front because he is tall.
So I got to looking around and found something awesome!

Flip Potty Trainer!
This is perfect for Rylan. Hes not a super heavy wetter but he still wakes up with a wet pull up. That and he is a very heavy sleeper so I think it will be awhile before he is able to get himself up at night to use the bathroom.

Next topic!
This one is kind of random but I just have to share.
Jared is brewing his own Hard Apple Cider!
Random, I know! We bought two jugs of UV Pasteurized apple cider when we were in Clarkston, from Wilson Banner Ranch.
One jug he added yeast and brown sugar to, it has the airlock on the top, borrowed from his beer making stuff. The second he let naturally start to ferment on the kitchen counter, then added brown sugar and honey.
Both are fermenting like crazy!
The former is much lighter in color and will likely be more alcoholic. The later is darker and will be less intense.
Next is to bottle it mid next week!!

Day 2(PC)

Had to run out for a few things today....
Yeah I know we are not good at this! I got orange juice, more Worcestershire sauce. Diapers and (generic) pull ups.

SO anyway!
Dinner tonight was-
Oven roasted chicken breasts
Green beans(canned)
Baked potatoes.

Well Jared decided he wanted to do the potatoes in the coals on the grill. All was good until he was like well they aren't done, they are still hard. So we just fed the boys what we had anyway and figured we could eat them later or save them.
2 hrs later and he takes them off and realizes they are so hard because they are BURNT!
Yep, Potato FAIL for us!

Our big accomplishment though is dinner for tomorrow.
Elk Shoulder Roast!
Which is in the crock pot bathing in a Worcestershire and home made beer bath, with potatoes celery and carrots.
Smells DIVINE!

Self Sustainability

Jared and I talked on and off the last few years about self sustainability. With the reality of moving back to our home town, and Jared leaving the Army, its becoming more of a reality for us.
Threw talking to our friends there who work, about their wadges(we have pretty open friends) it has finally hit Jared that we will both need to work full time(like most people now). So we are looking even more, it to ways to help us save. Not only save but to become less reliant on grocery stores. I guess you could say we are going a little Hippy! Basically we want to be able to support our selves(and hopefully others) when times get hard.

Both of us were raised in a fairly rural area. His mom had a garden, and animals. He raised a pig for FFA. I raised a steer for 4H. Unlike many kids growing up today, we know where food comes from, the good and the bad.
We know the process of life, that chickens and cows don't live for ever.
We know the horrible things that are being done to commercial produced foods. From the way animals are treated to the way farmers are treated.
We are also realizing that if major things happen MANY people will not know how to continue daily life. Simple things, like making a fire, making bread, SURVIVING!
Skills that just 2 generations ago, were a necessity to daily life.

So this starts our journey. Learning trades that can benefit us in the future. Learning more about alternative energy, raising animals.

These are our plans.
When I move home I will start the search for our home. The requirement is a large yard, which where we come from is not hard to find, most already have garden areas in them already.

Chickens and a garden will be our first steps. Having chickens will be beneficial in 3 ways. First they will help fertilize and cultivate a garden. Second, they make eggs!! We love eggs around here! Lastly, the meat its self. Some of them will be raised for meat alone, the others for eggs and then meat when they stop laying eggs.
Luckily Jareds mom is experienced with gardens so she will be a BIG help to me!
Im thinking- tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, carrots, some sort of leafy greens and some flowers to start with!

Another perk is that Jareds mom and step dad have property in the mountain areas outside of town. This gives us a little more land to work with.
Jared has dreams of starting a bee hive, a little ambitious, but a really cool idea!
We also would like to raise a pig and maybe eventually a steer.
Either of those can be bought and slaughtered locally though so we have options.

Hunting. Its just a way of life there. The Elk roast we will be enjoying soon was a product of hunting(legally!). Its a great way to provide that extra meat for your family. Again Jareds mom and step dad are invaluable here because they dress their own meat(jared knows how also). There is no way on earth I could do it. It has nothing to do with blood or killing an animal. Its the smell. The last time I was at his moms house and they were cutting and packaging deer meet, I had to leave. It smells of very strong iron to me and that is just one smell I am very sensitive to!

We also have yet another avenue. We live next to a reservation. Jared and his siblings actually went to school on the reservation(although they are not native). Jareds mom and step dad have many friends out there who they trade goods with regularly. Mostly Salmon, and buffalo(usually jerky).

As I type Jared is brewing his own hard apple cider. He has brewed his own beer to and is now trying to learn how to grow all the ingredients to be able to make beer from his own ingredients!

Eventually we will be doing solar panels, when we have the money.

We hope to grow a relationship with those around us threw sharing our goods and knowledge. Bartering can be a great thing in times like these.

Most of all, aside form what I have already said, we like the effect this will have on our children.
The knowledge of just where your food comes from, how it got to your plate. How to grow food, and the importance of stewardship of the land and animals around you.
Accountability. Its already decided that collecting eggs in the morning will be Rylans chore, and he is very excited about it!

So in closing I want to share some awesome sites and blogs I have found while doing research.

A Year Without Groceries
Love this blog! Not only informative but honest! I love how, if there is something they dont have or cant grow, they use other avenues like Co-Ops and farmers markets!

Urban Sustainable Living
Tons of great info for beginners!

There are many more out there!

Day 1

So Im thinking this pantry challenge is not going to be super strict lol!
I went out and bought a few things-
Worshtishire sauce
Old Bay seasoning
Sweetened condensed milk
a lemon
and Irish Spring Soap

For dinner tonight we had-
Cedar plank Salmon seasoned with Old Bay seasoning and lemons
Cheddar Broccoli pasta salad, which was a packaged side thing and was disgusting to ONLY me!
Canned Corn

I added the corn because there really was no broccoli in the pasta, even thought it was another starch :(

What I loved about this meal is the fish. We got it from Jareds mom, who got it from her friends on the reservation. Which means it was wild Salmon. This gave it a different flavor and texture that what you would buy in the store. Store bought fresh Salmon is good too and normally what we get but this just felt better!

Jared and I have fallen in love with Old Bay seasoning! Its perfect and has a good kick to it!

So that is pretty much it for today.
Our upcoming meals will be-

Elk Shoulder Roast

Seared/baked Bone in, Skin on Chicken breast

Sides- To be determined!

PANTRY CHALLENGE!!

We just recently got back from visiting our family in Clarkston and needless to say we spent WAY to much money while there! To add to that we got a flat tire on the way back so now we have to purchase a new spare(our spare was an actual tire not a dough nut).
Thankfully our need for groceries has been about 4-5 days later than 1st and 15th paydays so, we had food left when we got back AND while back home we acquired some meat from Jareds mom.
She gave us 1 side of smoked salmon, an Elk shoulder roast(guesstimating 2lbs) and a half side of frozen salmon. There might be something else I am for getting...
What I like about this is none of those meats were store bought. The elk was shot by Jareds step dad, and the fish came from his friends on the reservation who catch and smoke the fish themselves.
Here at home we had- 1/2 lb bacon, 1lb stew meat, 1lb ground pork, 2lbs ground beef, and about 4lbs chicken breasts(with rib bones?)
So, I am fairly sure we are set for meat until the next payday if not longer!
Along with the meat we also have a lot of canned food like vegetables, tomato products, chilli, soups. Noodles and rice. pre packaged sides, which I really dont prefer but we are trying to save money and finish out the pantry.
I did have to make a trip to the store for Milk, OJ, lunch meat, Bread(x2) and some fresh veggies but only spent $24.

So in my next post I will give you all a full run down of what we have and what we plan to make with it all!!
I may decide to extend this to how ever long we can but for right now its just until the 15th of November.