Rooster in the Roaster: December 2008

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Harvey

Harvey- the house bunny- is deeply inspiring!

He lives in the "Now".

He spends all of his days meditating- communing with the Great Spirit Bunny.

I decided to reward his noble deeds with 30 seconds of continuous eye contact.

LMAO!!!

(see the Great Spirit Bunny on my art blog at http://handcraftedbyme.blogspot.com )

Happy silly girls

These aren't fancy pics. The girls and I were just fooling around with the camera.

But- they were lauphing so hard.....cute and happy.

Wool Socks

Wool socks make me SOOOOOO happy :)

Just so ya know!

A new necklace

My friend, Heather, mailed me a great box the other day. In it was this lovely necklace.

I LOVE this thing!

It says... Life isn't about finding yourself. It's about creating yourself.

Inspiring!

Wonderful!

Beautiful!

Love it!

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Xmas 2008 at the Nortons

We kept Christmas small and simple again this year. For me this was the most relaxing, stress free December in 16 yrs!

The girls and I really divied up the Xmas doings.
Elanee made all the cards for friends and family. THANKS LANEE!!!!

Elanee and Vayda made all the Xmas cookies.
THANKS GIRLS!

Vayda helped me make Maya's gifts.
THANKS VAYDA!

Maya Rae proudly hand crafted gifts for everyone in the family.
VERY GENEROUS MAYA RAE! :)

All of the kids were gracious in receiving their gifts.

THANKS GUYS!

We all kept our expectations in check. This year we only gave one gift each and it was either hand made by me or someone else. (ok with the exception of Vayda's gift which was intended to help make things;)

I made Bens T with the Japanese year of the horse (his yr) on it. Maya was wishing for clothing with the Littlest Pet Shop critters on them so I made her a T with her favorite critter and a pack of underwear with more critters. (you can see how I did this on my art blog at http://handcraftedbyme.blogspot.com )

Elanee received a book log that I bought (hand made by someone else) on www.etsy.com .

Then Santa came too! Santa at our house is otherwise known as Grandma Rose :) Year after year Grandma Rose and Grand-daddy (Jodys step mom and father) are endlessly generous with us all. We are forever grateful! THANKS SANTA!
We all had a very nice day. We had breakfast together (which included but was not limited to To-sausage ;) Later, we had a regular holiday meal and cookies too. We watched movies and relaxed. Nice day.

Oh- we cannot forget the aftermath :)

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Look whos gone veggy!

After 5 yrs of homesteading....growing turkeys, cows, chickens, rabbits, and goats- I have had a change of life. I am a vegitarian!

Vayda has been a vegitarian for over a year now so I have been accomidating her choice. I see now that taking this step is very personal and profound and everyone comes at it differently and for different reasons. For me, I think I was able to be very in touch with my meat source and through one sad event saw all that I believed and was forced to come to terms with it.

Strangely enough, a few years ago read a book called "Back to the land". It was an account of the real hippies or 'back to the landers'. The author details how so many of the real homesteaders of that time where in direct contact with their meat source and in so doing ended up as vegitarians.

So, as I often find, my choice is not so unique. I guess this is just part of my journey.

Its been about 6 weeks since I made this commitment and I feel great. Nice side effect :)

And, I actually crave veggies!?!?!?! Whats that about!?!?

(so sorry to say I did not draw this picture- found it on the web)

Sleep Over Fun

Last night ended up being a spontanious sleep over night.

The extra girls just blend in over here. Well- Saige is part of the furnature!

Or- acording to the above photo....shes part of the wood work.

She impressed us all with her ability to climb our walls! Ben used to do this in his time.

This morning there was nothing left of the sleep over except a bunch of sleepy heads.

Here is Vayda in bed and Megan under the black blanket. There IS a pony tail poppin out if you look carefully but thats all. It was freezing last night so I guess that makes sence.

Sleepy morning Saige is waiting for Maya to get out of the shower.
This is what Elanee looks like every morning.
Here is Megan putting up with my camera in her face.

Oh- Maya's room is sooooooooo trashed! Lots of late night games :)

Heading Home

On Sunday I was just too fried to go to the second day of the conference. We headed out at noon and took our time getting home. Jody got creative with his route choices (this makes him happy- and doesn't kill me- so I just smile and nod as he delites)

Along the way we found this town that had been hit hard by an ice storm. It was very pretty to drive though.

Music at the conference

The evening was filled with music.

This was ALOT of fun.

This band was great. They sang in Spanish and the guy in yellow was a HUGE hit with his saprano sax!

The croud quickly got into it.

There was something for everyone.

Dorks!

Tom Beers (of Ithaca) seriously ROCKED THE HOUSE with a blues song on his harmonica!

Jody and I agreed that he stole the show!

The teen music was not our thing at all but the kids youth really got into it.

I enjoyed this band. They sung in Farsi and put a translation on the screen.

Jody had wanted to skip the music and head back to the hotel early but I talked him into staying and he was grateful he did. It was alot of fun!

Conference Break

We grabbed some coffee at the morning break and perked right up :)

The halls were a-buzz with people chatting and visiting...and getting to the rest room of course.

Jody and I were happy to bump into several people from our area as well as a many we havent seen in years. It was a regular reunion!

I liked the view from the glass elevator :)

Speakers at the conference

This conferece is a very big deal in the Baha'i communitee. These conferences are being held all over the world. 41 in number taking place in Abidjan, Accra, Almaty, Antofagasta, Atlanta, Auckland, Baku, Bangalore, Bangui, Battambang, Bologna, Bukavu, Chicago, Dallas, Frankfurt,
Guadalajara, Istanbul, Jonannesburg, Kiev, Kolkata, Kuala Lumpar, Kiching, Lae, London,
Los Angeles, Lubumbashi, Lusaka, Madrid, Managua, Manila, Nakuru, New Delhi, Portland, Quito, Sao Paulo, Stamford, Sydney, Toronto, Ulaanbaatar, Vancouver, Yaounde.

At 9 am the event started with prayers and devotions.
We heard inspiring presentations by two representives of the Regional Baha'i Council

The croud was very attentive as we listened to many speekers talk about the
direction and goals of the Faith and how it effects the people in New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Conneticut, New Hamshire, Mass and Maine.

A variety of people came forward and gave accounts of teaching efforts
that are working for them in their communitys.

The entire experience was very informative and inspiring.

About me/ This blog

*About the title- When I started this blog back about 8 yrs ago we were home-steading and raising all of our own meat. As a direct result of being so very close to our meat source, we became vegitarians. So, though it remains "Rooster in the Roaster" we now only have ToFu in our roaster. So thats that.

*About our family- Jody (a therapist) and I have been married for 14 yrs. I am an artist and stay at home mom. I have been homeschooling up to 3 of our girls for 5 yrs now. Thats become a way of life for us. Its great!
When I married Jody he had 3 boys and 1 girl, ages 15,13,9 &6.
I had 2 girls, ages 5 &3. Two years into our marriage we had 1 girl. Now in 2012 the kids range in age from 30 down to 12. I also have a step daughter 22 from my first marraige whome we have reconnected with so I now enjoy two step grandsons.
We live in upstate NY. We are Baha'is so we live from a place of tollerence and service. With all of the kids we were pushed into a lifestyle that required one parent at home. The tight budget forced us to become very frugal. That is exactly what drove me to 'go green'. It all started with a compost bin....and off we went. Now, we are pretty darn eco friendly!

*About the recent posts w the little blonde girl- We are in the process of adopting a 5 yr old girl. We adore her and I am dying to show her off however, she is currently a foster child and by law I cannot name her or show her face. After the adoption is finalised, I will let you see her. Cannot wait for that.

Thanks for checkin out my blog. Be sure to see my other sites.

My Big Fat Ideas

Sort your closet using only emotion! Meaning- go through all of your clothing 2-3 items at a time. Look at each and decide quickly how it makes you feel. If you instantly feel GOOD seeing the piece then keep it. If it reminds you of a grandma, you only wear it when you are feeling fat, sick or sad- DITCH IT! If you only have it because its in 'great shape' - donate it. Its better to have a closet full of rags you adore than a collection of designer items you arent thrilled to wear. As for those fat clothes...get rid of everything you dont fit in today. Have faith that you will have what you need when you need it. Try this! Its liberating!!!

Some of My Favorite Quotes

"If you propose to speak, always ask yourself, is it true, is it necessary, is it kind"
A home is for free expression- not first impressions
I create my own reality
Its not the power of the curse- Its the power that you give the curse
Live the life you love
May everyone point to you and ask, "Why are these people so happy?" I want you to be happy...to laugh, smile, and rejoice in order that others may be made happy by you." -Abdul-Baha
The only way that I will ever be great... Is not what I do to my body- but what I do to my mind- Ramtha
Turn off the TV! You're killin perfectly good brain cells!- me ;)
Use it up, wear it out, make it do- or do without
We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make our world- Buddha

Get Green in the Kitchen

Use cloth tea bags.
Use cloth coffee filters.
Recycle, Recycle, Recycle !!!
Compost. Instead of throwing away your food scraps dump them in a compost pile out back. Mix in fallen leaves and lawn clippings. In the spring spread it around your flowers. Never buy Miracle Grow (poison) again!
Raise a few chickens. They take up very little space, eat all of your kitchen scraps and give you a healthy breakfast.
Buy non-petrolium soaps. This is so much better for your health, septic, and the world.
Scrub with baking soda.
Clean with Vinegar. Fill a spray bottle with a cup of white vinegar and water. This is a disinfectant and great cleaner.
Cut down on zip locks. Wash your baggies and reuse free plastic bags.
Ditch the plastic. Use mason/ canning jars for fidge food storage. These make pretty shelf storage for dry food items too.
Ditch the sponge. Down grade your bath room wash clothes or down grade your old kitchen towels.
Skip the paper towels. Down grade your nice dish towels for scrubbing rags and/or cut old bath towels into kitchen towel sizes.
Use cloth napkins. Find these dirt cheap at yard sales and the Salvation Army. Put a laundry basket in the kitchen for ease.

Get Green with your Food

Dont use McDonalds! The fries are a carcinagen and the burgers literally have meat from 1000 different factory raised cows.
Cook on Sunday and freeze meals for the week.
Learn to cook. Turn off the TV and you'll find the time.
Buy fresh eggs. Grocery store eggs are up to 6 mo old. Ick.
Never buy meat in a plastic tray under a bubble of plasic wrap. There are poison gasses keeping the old meat looking pink. This is poison.
Support your local farmers. They are the best recourse for safe, healthy, fresh food.
Can your own food. Its soooo much cheaper and cleaner.
Cannot afford to buy grass fed meat? Grow your own. A calf only costs about $60! You can get about 400lbs of beef for just under $400. It only costs $1.50 for a chick and another $1.50 to have it processed or you.
Buy grass fed meats and hormone free milk.
Do a colon cleanse. www.cleansethatcolon.com- I cannot say enough about this.
Make your own bread. One home made loaf costs only about .50-.75
Dont eat microwave popcorn. There is teflon in the bag. Teflon is BAD for the bod.
Do not eat margarine. This is not food! Its just one molicule away from plastic.
Do not buy the following: High Fructose Corn Syrup, Palm Oil, Hydrodonated oils, Mono Sodium Glutinate (MSG), Nitrates, Natural Flavors or Artificial Flavors.
Grow your own produce. Instead of water hogging pesticide wanting flowers plant tomatoes, peppers and zucs. They create beauty for the yard and free groceries.
Eat organic. Thats less poison in the body and in the earth.

Get Green in the Laundry Room

Graciously accept hand me downs for the kids.
Upgrade to a front loading washer. They use just 12 gallons of water vs 50 in a top loader! Plus they spin the clothes to nearly dry! Check with your tax guy. It may be a write off!!!
Hang your clothes inside on clothes wracks in the winter and save $ on the electric bill. This is much kinder on your clothing too.
Hang your whites outside for two days to brighten.
Hang all your clothes out to dry in the summer.
Use lemon juice instead of bleach.
Use petrolium free laundry soap or make your own.
Patch old jeans or look rockin and wear ripped jeans.
Buy recycled clothing. This saves TONS of $ and reduces stress too. If you get a stain on something you paid $2 for you wont stress out.

Get Green in the Bathroom + Beauty

Use reusable TP. Pee wipes are a great tree and money saver. Two layers flannel. Wipe (pee only) and wash. We love um!
Use reusable tissues. We call um one honk hankies. Small hankerchiefs for single or so use. Wash.
Hang your towel to dry. You can use just one towel all week if you let it dry in between uses.
Use natural hair spray. Yes it exsists! Its pricy but if you take the time to learn about regular hairspray you will be running for it.
Scrub with baking soda and vinegar.
Use cloth pads. You can buy these online or get a pattern on line and make them using recycled flannel. This will save you at least $120 a year and 1000s of pads from going to the landfill.
Use petrolium free lip balm. I vote for Burts Bees.
Use organic or natural face lotion.
Use amonia and poison free hair dye. There are nice modern user friendly versions available.
Use natural aliminum free deoderant.
Periodicly rinse with peroxide.
Whiten teeth with baking soda and peroxide. Mix a little into a paiste and brush.
Use natural tooth paiste.
Skip the lotion and eat more omega 3's. This is so good for the skin that you wont need much body lotion.
Buy 100% recycled Toilet Paper.
Clean your skin with Witch Hazel and a cotton ball or TP. This strips greese and it great for teens.
Buy natural shampoo and conditioner. I use Natures Gate brand and love it.
Use non-petrolium soap. There are wonderful natural soaps that are long lasting and kind to the skin.

Get Green in the Family room

Get Green in the Home Office

Use a rubber stamp for your return address rather than stickers. You can reink a pad and it will last for AGES.
Recycle computer ink cartridges.
Save packing supplies and reuse.
Save envelopes and reuse.
Recycle paper. If you prefer to shred your paper be sure toss the shavings in the compost pile. The shavings make good bedding for your chickens too.
Save some paper. Buy recycled computer paper.
Make memo pads for phone messages. Cut used computer paper into 4s. Stack and staple.
Save paper. When you get junk mail take a moment and call the sender. Ask to be removed from the mailing list.
Turn off your computer at the power strip when you are done.

Get Green with the Kids

Cloth pull ups and soakers.
Cloth diapers of course.
Limit lessons. You will both spend less time driving in circles and will have time for a little serenity.
Buy parenting books 2nd hand.
Teach your kids to play outside...its cleaner, cheaper and quieter ;)
Teach your kids to donate and pass on unused items.
Teach your kids to value their things so they last longer and can be passed along.
Buy used toys on Ebay for Xmas and Bdays. Young kids dont know the difference. Big kids raised like this value the thought and the item and not the packaging.
Buy and accept second hand clothing. Kids dont care about brands unless you teach them to! When your 3yr old is wearing all of $1 worth of clothing you wont wig out when she destroys it.

Get Green with Gifts

Green gift idea.... Recycle a kitchen cabnet into doll house. I am making two.
Give gifts likes framed photos rather than another plastic thing.
Have a hand made holiday where everyone gives only hand made gifts. You can buy directly from the crafter at www.etsy.com
Have a recyled holiday where everyone gives only recycled items.
Save greeting cards. Cut fronts of and use as tags or remount on card stock and make a new card.
Save and reuse gift bags and tissue paper.
Offer a service- like baking, decorating, supervising, clean up- as a gift.
When your child has a Bday party to go to give home made gifts. Bring baked goods to the grown ups.

Get Green with Shopping

Use cloth shopping bags. Use recycled fabric. Easy to make.
Get your stuff locally and FREE with www.freecycle.org
Turn off the TV and you WILL buy less!
Stay one step BEHIND on the technology and get everyones cast offs for cheap or free.
Kill the credit cards and learn to budget.
Learn the difference between wants and needs.
Just because they make it doesnt mean you need it.
Shop second hand. Salvation Army, consignment, yard sales and antique shops have increadible finds.
Get concious about what you are buying and who is making it and under what circumstances.
Spend a little more on one good item and you wont need 2 cruddy ones.
Support your local small shops. Find family run businesses, co-ops and farm stands.
Stop supporting your box stores. Get creative! Get curious! You will be surprised at where you can get your favorites and essentials.
Shopping is not a real hobby. Find something that really fills your heart and soul.

Get Green with Your Junk

Take outdated computers, cell phones and other electronics to the apropriate location for recycling. Call your town for info.
Hoe out your house once each year and have a yard sale. Donate the unsold items.
Donate! When you donate to the Salvation Army and get a receipt you can write it off. I saved $1700 doing this last yr.
Down grade your garbage collection service to 2X ea month. Limit what you throw away to fit your service.
Freecylcle your unwanted stuff. Give it away FREE. Its good for your soul man ;) Get connected at www.freecycle.org
Recycle.