Transplanted City Girl
• Thursday, September 4, 2008 - If I could Turn Back Time........
That song has a new meaning for us. As I have spoken of before, our home was built in 1890 with an addition added by 1910. In living here, Joe and I have often talked about the remodeling that we would like to do.
This morning, the remodeling discussion took on a whole new turn that I am very excited about. Last week, 2 of the 5 circuits in our electric box went out. We have had no electricity in the kitchen, other than the 220 outlet for the stove. The refrigerator is being run temporarily by having a heavy duty extension cord run from another part of the house. The only other electricity that we have in the home is in the laundry & bath which share a circuit and the dryer which is on a separate 220 circuit.
This has been a very eye-opening week. We have found that we don't need the electricity as much as we thought. After the first 2 days, no one has missed watching TV. That brought us to this morning. I had 2 oil lamps lit and placed on opposite sides of the room. Joe came in, getting ready for work, and noticed how much light those lamps provided. He was surprised to see how well they did are providing enough light to do what needed to be done. That was when he made the comment that changes everything. Instead of replacing the circuit box with a larger one, we are going to wait another 2 weeks until next pay day. If we are still finding that we don't miss the electricity, then we are going to a small circuit box. We will then be putting electricity in only 3 rooms of the home.
Kitchen: In our kitchen, we have an electric stove (220 volt circuit) that I use when the weather is too hot for using the wood cookstove. We also need a 110 circuit to run the refrigerator.
Laundry: In our laundry area we have our water heater and clothes dryer that share a 220 circuit. There is one plug and we simply plug in which ever appliance we are needing to use. We also have a 110 outlet for the washing machine. We will keep these, but he plans to add a second 220 outlet so we don't have to switch out the dryer and water heater. If they are not being used, we can unplug them. They will each have their own outlet however for the times when we do need both to be used at the same time.
Livingroom: This room will have a single 110 outlet to have available for the computer and my sewing machine. The computer is a necessity since we will be using it as an income resource. Eventually, I will have a treadle sewing machine, but until then the electricity will be needed.
This weekend when he makes a trip to get supplies, Joe will be buying a few more oil lamps and oil. Making this change is a huge step for us. It is one that we are finding to be easier than we would have thought a few years ago. As time goes on, we will likely find we can use even less electricity. In the meantime though, this step alone is bringing us closer to the time when we will easily be able to manage our electricity needs with only a wind power system.
The clothes dryer & washer are appliances that are seasonal. Whenever possible, I will be hanging the laundry on a clothesline to dry. Days like we are having right now when it is raining, the dryer will have to be used. The washer will be replaced with a wringer type as soon as we are able to do so. While I still am wanting to hand wash as much as possible, I am being realistic about the arthritis in my hands and planning ahead.
We will always have the option of adding another circuit box later if we find that we have need to do so. I am very optomistic however that it will be unnecessary. It seems that the more time we spend doing things the "old way", the more we realise the modern ways are not as essential as we would have believed them to be.
Eventually, we will be using a wind-power system to provide our home with the electricity we need. Cutting back now on our usage will be a good preparation for that time. The size and type of system we use can be adjusted to fit the actual need. |
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• Mon-1-Sep-2008 - Update!
We have had a lovely visit with Jonathan's brother and his wife . . . .
In the midst of this, partly because his brother does this for a living and is an expert, my laundry/kitchen/dining area flooring has been torn up to prepare for tile.
It is taking A LOT to level the floor. Step One was about 800lbs of some sort of concrete-like underlayment. Step Two, is some kind of concrete board. Step Two is today.
In the meantime, my refrigerator is in the living room, squished next to the bakers rack, I have a stack of concrete board to walk around (the boys love to play on it!) and the dining room table is of course, not in the dining room area, either. The washer and dryer are stuffed in our master bedroom for the time being.
It's . . . . quite cosy!
I would say I have experienced deep challenges but as I really can't cook or do laundry and barely can clean mostly I'm curling up on the couch with a stack of library books I got recently. 
I should blog, we just aren't home very much and when we are, we either have company or I'm pretty busy. For not having a functioning house and all!
My Jonathan has two speeds of work: not working and full speed. I know I will have tile and my appliances back as soon as one can resonably expect, and until then I'm biding my time.
I hope everyone is having a great Labor Day!
~Ashley~ |
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• Tuesday, August 26, 2008 - Encouraging Little helpers
Do we encourage our little ones to help? Yesterday, I wrote about how Abigail was helping me make dinner by putting the dry kidney beans into the bean pot - one bean at a time. She had a lot of fun doing it and I had fun watching her. I later thought how easy it would have been for me to just do it myself. It certainly would have been done much faster than the time it took her to do it. Or, instead of seeing the fun part of the task and not getting impatient, I could have fussed about it.
How often have you listened as a parent complains that they have trouble getting their kids to clean their rooms or help out around the home? How often have you been one of those parents? Even the most well-intentioned parent can have those times of frustration.
I wonder, how many times did that child who won't clean their room had tried to help in their very early years only to be set aside and not included in the tasks? In the child's early years, we help to set the tone for the kind of helper they will be.
From the time Abbie was able to walk, she would follow me to the washing machine and watch me load & unload it. One day, she held her hands up to me reaching for the laundry I was taking from the washer to put in the dryer. The laundry was heavy for her, but I let her help me. She took the laundry one item at a time from me and added it to the machine. I had to help support larger items like my Beloved's jeans or blankets. I also had to adjust the laundry as she was too little to put the laundry towards the back of the dryer. Now, at 2 yrs old, she automatically comes with me to help with laundry and will stay near my side. When I am washing by hand, I set up a little tub for her with warm water for her. As I wash the wash cloths and other small items and they are rinsed, I hand them to her. Abbie then "washes" them and squishes out the water. When I am hanging laundry on the line, she hands me items to hang or the clothes pins. After the laundry is dry, she again will help by putting the laundry in the basket or putting the clothes pins in their container.
Would the job go faster without a 2 year old helping? Certainly it would, but I would be missing an opportunity to teach her how to help out. Teaching the idea of having a good work ethic doesn't happen overnight or is an attitude that can wait until a child is a preteen to teach them. We, as parents, must start early and let the idea of doing chores and helping be something that they learn to do from habit. Yes, there will be times when the child will become resistant and rebel against helping, but we need to continue to encourage them.
When I was working, before becoming a SAHM, I often saw the effect caused by parents who did not teach their children how to work. The kids grew up to be lazy on the job and some were having to be trained in even basic skills that should have been taught when they were growing up. I will never forget a girl who came to work at the fast food restaurant I was working at. When she was asked to wash some dishes, she literally had no clue how to do it! I asked her if she ever did dishes at home. Her reply was that her Mom always did them in the dishwasher. This 18 yr old girl had never washed a dish by hand in her entire life!
As parents, are we training our children to be independent or are we training them to be dependent? Over the years, many well-meaning women have made the statement to me that they hated doing chores when they grew up, so they were not going to burden their children with chores. These mom cleaned their childrens rooms, made their beds, did all the household cleaning, laundry, meal preparations, and such themselves without the help of their children. Her children grew up very unprepared for life on their own. They lacked the skills to know how to do their laundry, how to prepare meals, or take proper care of their homes.
How sad it is to see children who are not expected to help around the home! How sad that there are parents who do not see the chores as a form of preparation to teach their children about real life! |
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• Tue-26-Aug-2008 - Blog Award!
Posted By Ashley
I have needed to post about this lovely award for over a week! It's so sweet, yes?
Joy gave it to me. What people say when they mention my blog always leaves me feeling humbled.
I keep forgetting to post this award, partly because I'm very mentally scattered right now, partly because I'm staying pretty busy. Which I find ironic because I've tried to write some very thought-provoking posts lately, yet it's hard to concentrate on everything that needs done!
Also due to family from out-of-state getting in today, and my husband taking off work for most of their visit, this is my almost-sort-of-last-chance to do this. (I do want to try to post off and on during the next week but it might just be pictures.)
Picking 7 blogs to pass the award onto is daunting as well. Will it be easy or hard? Who will I forget this time? Ack!
Disclaimer: If you do not accept awards, I'm not offended if you don't display it. I'm not trying to clutter your blog, just to be nice and tell you that I REALLY LOVE YOUR BLOG!
**[Edit: forgot to ad the rules of the award!]
The rules of the award are:
1.The winner can put the award on his/her blog
2.Link the person you received the award from
3.Nominate at least 7 other blogs
4.Put links of those blogs on yours
5.Leave a message on the blogs of those you nominated
Generation Cedar (formerly Families Against Feminisim) - the url to the blog changed recently and I still haven't changed it on my sidebar. I check this blog every day. While we disagree on some theological points, this blog always makes me think. I find it encouraging and uplifting and challenging to take part in some of the discussions that occur here.
Home Girl - My other every-day blog. She's so easy for me to read and relate to. Her blog is so refreshingly honest and forthright. It's also quite balanced - you know, heavy topics, light topics, the kind of balance I don't even try for because, well, I seriously doubt I could achieve it. This girl seems to accomplish it effortlessly and is so coherent and concise . . . .
In A Shoe - a really fun family of eleven. Mostly, the mom blogs, but sprinkled throughout are blogs from the dad and oldest daughters, helping to round out the perceptions of the family that you can draw from knowing them online. Sometimes it's serious, but mostly it's lighter and I appreciate that.
Ornaments of Grace - This lovely blog is updated sometimes on a weekly basis. Which is fine by me, as that's about as often as I can check it and the content is always so good! I don't want to miss a thing, but as the mom of a 2.5yo and a 10.5mo and another on the way sometimes it's just so nice to find a blog that is rich and thought-provoking and I don't get behind 15 posts if I miss a week!
Happy To Be Called Mommy! - If she wasn't so personable over the net, she'd be intimadating! I think her crafts are adorable. Bethany is making mozarella cheese this week. Have you ever want to make your own mesophillic starter culture at home? I have no idea what you use that for, but she makes it look fun and easy!
Just Give Me Jesus - I have never met you, but I consider you a dear friend. Cyberworld would be an emptier, lonlier place without your raw, open blog. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on HSB.
One more? Just one more? How did this happen?
Large Family Mothering - Have I mentioned that sometimes I don't get around to visiting blogs often? And how much I enjoy the ones that make me think and challenge how I percieve my world? This is one of those nuggets that enriches my life.
Blessings,
~Ashley~ |
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• Monday, August 25, 2008 - Would you like 1 bean or 2?
Today, I am making taco soup for dinner. Abbie, age 2, came into the kitchen wanting to help. So, I set the bean pot on the table with my gallon jar filled with dried kidney beans. Abbie climbed up on the chair and started putting the beans into the bean pot......1 bean at a time! LOL
This was so cute! Her face had a very intent expression as she took her task very seriously. She loved putting them in for me. Never mind that a job that would have taken seconds for me to pour the beans into the bean pot turned into a 20 minute task. Abbie was having fun while also learning to help out.
Here is our recipe for the Taco Soup:
Cook up enough kidney or pinto beans for your family. When fully cooked, add a pint of tomatoes, a pint of whole kernel corn, taco seasoning to taste, some onions, and green chilies to taste. You can also add some browned ground meat.
I serve this with a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheese, and sliced olives. It is a very basic soup that I often will home can the extras from.
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