Daily Goals - Saturday January 30th, 2021

     Its’s Saturday! I didn’t get to sleep in. My little one left at 7am, to head back to school. It is truly bitter sweet. I hate to see her go but I love to see how much she grows and becomes her own person when she is gone. We are back to a house filled with kids by day (which I love) and just me and hubby at night. I think this is the best of both worlds. I love having kids in my life, but I love sleeping though the night! LOL but if God ever blesses us with a miracle, we would be so happy to have it. I am though super lucky to have all my littles in my life. I just finished another book this week. I have hit my book goal and over for January. I have only 2 more books in the series I’m reading then I’m finish it and need to find a new series. Hubby and I were talking about what to do with all the books I read. With libraries still close for covid-19, I have been ordering my books. I personal like to have a book in my hand and not my ipad. I dream of a house with a library like Belle hand in Beauty and the Beast. Can you imagine cuddling up on a chair with a cup of coffee or hot coco by the fire and just read, during the winter? That would be awesome. In the summer, I love to sit outside and soak up the sun with a great book. Okay enough day dreaming. Time to get the day started!

Today’s Goals

·         Gardening time- New month coming meaning time to get Herbal Roots Zine printed for February. I love this type of learning.

·         Crafting Corner – I need to cut the vinyl for the 2 wood stove covers.

·         Cooking – Start to look over recipes for dinner ideas for February.

Yesterday’s Goals

·         Work – Today I work 6:30am-6pm. I have 2 new kids today; they are siblings of a child that already is in care. So today should be fun.- Busy but fun day. Kids had a blast.

·         Clean Livingroom –I will wipe walls and toys down. Organize a little and but heart toy labels up. After work, I want to move the couch and clean under it, then.  I always forget what a long day, new littles make. They are fun to have, but not use to the rules. When you are 1 adult to 5-6 kids, you have to be strict in a nice loving way. They were amazing kids though and I loved having them here.

·         Reading – Today is a reading day. I want to slow my body down tonight and read for 20 minutes. It is very important to keep my mind working out too. Reading was nice, taking the 20 minutes after mediation to read and relax seem to be doing me very well and lets me reset my mind.

·         Garden Time – We need to water the plants in the green house, and put compost on the gardening beds. We got outside for a little bit. I was nice to get outside and take care of everything.

 

What are your goals for today? Let me know, you have a blog hook them up! Let’s work together to be the best we can be.

Daily Goals - Friday, January 29th, 2021

Happy Friday!

                We are all done our covid-19 quarantine! I’m so excited. In the end the house was quarantine almost 3 weeks. Cass ended up going to my parents’ house last Friday so I would be able to open the daycare this week. If we didn’t do that, we all would have been just let go out of quarantined this Thursday. Financial we could go 4 weeks without an income for me. 3 weeks with no income is going to be hard, on our budget.  PA’s PUA is suppose to be up and running and I’m suppose to be able to get paid thought them. Let hope that is right, and everything goes right. I don’t know how the government can’t see that them having so much close is hurting so many people financial. As always, we will figure everything out. I trust that God has a plan to help though the bad.

Today’s Goals

·         Work – Today I work 6:30am-6pm. I have 2 new kids today; they are siblings of a child that already is in care. So today should be fun.

·         Clean Livingroom –I will wipe walls and toys down. Organize a little and but heart toy labels up. After work, I want to move the couch and clean under it, then.

·         Reading – Today is a reading day. I want to slow my body down tonight and read for 20 minutes. It is very important to keep my mind working out too.

·         Garden Time – We need to water the plants in the green house, and put compost on the gardening beds.

 

What are your goals for today? Let me know, you have a blog hook them up! Let’s work together to be the best we can be.

Gardening Goals ~ 12 -11 Weeks before Average date of last frost

        Okay if you are following me, I have missed a few weeks. Well holiday is one reason and COVID-19 is another reason. You can go back and read about what an amazing 2021 we are off too in Life of a working mom: 2021 off to a crazy start (missy-lifeofaworkingmom.blogspot.com). Everything is starting to get back to normal. That is life though. I’m not prefect no matter how hard I try. Need time off is fine. You can always follow with my in Week by Week Vegetable Gardner’s Handbook. I love this book, because it keeps me on track.  This week will be the week my body needs! I need to get my hands dirty!

 Weekly Goals

1.      Plant seeds – I will be starting to plant seeds, onions, leek, kale, collards and lettuces. If you follow me on Facebook at PA Gardeners we will be posting tips on how to grow each plant. So join us!

2.      Water plants – I need to remember to water indoor plants and outdoor seedlings!

3.      Make gardening Trays – We are going to work on getting rid of plastic in the garden. I will have a little for plant markers, but we are going to soil blocks and wooden trays. It is time to get rid of anything that isn’t good for our environment. I will have a few plastic containers, for cuttings but not much.

4.      Clean up green house – Yes this is still a goal, will most likely always be a goal.

    Here is where you can check out the rest of the blog post for 2021 garden.It doesn’t seem like a lot going on in the next week, but it will keep me busy. I’m so excited to get my hands dirty this week. Check out our Instagram, and Facebook pages to see photos of what we are doing in the garden! What do you have planned in your garden?

Life of a working mom: Gardening Time - 16-15 Weeks before average frost date (missy-lifeofaworkingmom.blogspot.com)

Life of a working mom: Gardening Goals ~ 18-17 Weeks Before Average Frost Date (missy-lifeofaworkingmom.blogspot.com)

Gardening Time - Leeks

            I don’t normal grow leek. Honestly it more I don’t really know how to cook with them. This year I decide to give them a try! I want my littles to learn to try new things. I guess that mean I need to too. I have to learn about Leeks, because I don’t know much about them then what is on their seed pack! Which is very useful information, but to be a good gardener I like to know a lot about a plant that will be in my garden.

            I picked the Bulgarian Giant Leek, from Baker Creek Heirloom seeds. I am not 100% sure why I pick this one. It was the one I like though. Hopeful it likes my garden.  Baker Creek has given me some great information on when to start the seeds, when to put them outside (6-8 weeks before last frost! ~ that is soon!!) and how to plant them. I will use the details they gave me match to my Week by Week Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook to plant them.

            What Are Leeks and How Are They Used? (thespruceeats.com) stated that leeks are apart of the onion family. That I knew, but they have a lesson onion taste. Okay my family might like them, then they are huge onion people. They also give great detail on how to harvest and prepare the leek. I will have to come back to this article. Growing Leeks | Tips for Planting Leeks in your Garden (bonnieplants.com) has a lot of tips on planting leeks. One being you can harvest as soon as they are an inch tall. Another one is that they do better in the fall. I will be planting them in our fall harvest too. (Having fresh healthy food all year round will be amazing!) Rotation of Leeks are the same as onions. According to An amateur's guide to crop rotation - GardenFocused.co.uk they should follow, peppers and tomatoes, and after them will be beans, peas and sweet potatoes. What should be planting with leeks? Leek Plant Companions - Learn About Companion Planting With Leeks (gardeningknowhow.com) states that lettuce, cabbage, strawberries and carrots do great with leeks. I think I will be trying lettuce with my leeks this year.

            Well I spent a lot of time today learning about leeks. I’m so excite to give this plant a try in my garden! Hopeful this helps you learn a little more about leeks too. If you have any tips for my please let me know. I believe gardening is always a learning thing!

Gardening time - Onions

 Onions

I decide on 2 different types of onions for this year. I have decide to go with the Stuttgarter onion, and the Wethersfield Red.  I decide that I wanted one red onion and one yellow onion. I don’t normal care which one I cook with. Therefore having both on hand will be nice.

            Stuttagart Onions were the other type of onions we deiced to grow. This are a very popular variety of onions.  Onion sets Stuttgarter Riesen: description of the variety, photos, reviews - Garden - 2021 (rfarmfresh.com) tells about "Zamen Mauser Quedlinburg any how he culture it. Stuttgarter Onion (rareseeds.com) were bought though baker Creek. I like that they were easy to grow. We need easy to grow plants.

            Wethersfield onions have a history in the USA that dates back to 1700s. I thought that was so cool. I picked them because of that but researching them. I have learned a lot about them! The Rise and Fall of the Wethersfield Red Onion - New England Historical Society  article by tells that women were the main people to grow the red onions. I have learned that they are long day onions. Meaning they need a long day to grow. Onion: Wethersfield Red Overview - Growing Tips (smartgardener.com) states you can plant onion seeds two times. If started as a transplant! This is so excited because we don’t have a lot of room in the garden and I love to have onions all year long.

            Planting onions can be done either in the garden or indoors and transplanted outside. We have decided to plant indoors and transplant outside. This will help them grow start off so we can eat them sooner. You are supposed to start them indoors 8-12 weeks before last frost. They will be planted outside before the last frost about 3-4 weeks before. I didn’t realize that, so I will make a mental note to make sure I plan where they are going late fall.

            Companion Planting is so important! The idea of planting two plants together to help each other. According to Companion Plants For Onions: What Can I Plant With Onions In The Garden (gardeningknowhow.com) best to cabbage family because onions repel cabbage loopers, cabbage worms, and cabbage maggots. They also naturally deter aphids, Japanese beetles, and rabbits so they would be good for tomatoes, lettuce, strawberries and peppers. Because of chemical incompatibility and possible flavor contamination they wouldn’t be good companions for peas, beans, asparagus and sage.

            Are you planting onions this year? If so any tips?

2021 off to a crazy start

 

This year has started off CRAZY! Hubby bed popped. Yep, you read that right. We have a sleep number bed and it popped on his side. We love the idea of this bed, but the fact that they can’t get someone out to fix it for 20 days. Is so crazy. If we didn’t need the two types of bed, I need soft and Hubby need soft. We go with another company. You can’t though because no one else offers it. Hubby end up after 3 days of sleeping on wood, that he needs an air mattress. He got a cheap on off amazon. I’m so thankful because I felt horrible.

That was crazy enough, we found out my mom had covid-19, and we had new years eve together. My family is close and decide in April of 2020 that we choose family, knowing that one gets it we all would get it. Now we all were tested prior to New Eve and everyone was negative.  My mom having it was a shock. I am supper sad about it though, because it means we were all exposed. Well, everyone that was their New Year eve has gotten it. My mom has a cold and is fatigued (and if you know my mom that is crazy). My dad has a slight cold. My husband and I both have it. Hubby is the sickest with a cold that is beating him up all the time. I have a little cold but doing okay. Cass (my daughter) was at her dad’s and didn’t get it. But of course, came right before I told her that my sister-in-law had it. She was exposed and now in the camper and couldn’t go back to school. My little brother family 3 tested positive 2 with major cold systems for 3 days and then they are going, and one with no symptoms. They whole family but one brother has it and has been quarantined. Which also means my business is closed. Income will suck!!  There is no help right now for it. Though we are happy my husband is still getting paid.

This year though has shown us who we really matter to. We have had so many people reach out and ask us what we need. I have had offers to go grocery shopping for us to making us dinner. SO many prays and people checking up on our family.

This year has been crazy, people broken to the USA Capitol. It is more now Black vs White, Democrats vs Republicans. Everything we are see is pinning America against each other. I have read the world is crazy though. Lock downs have started back up in other countries, and they are having blackouts. I don’t live there it is only what I’m reading.

I though look at the good I’m seeing and focus on that. Well getting sleepy, the fatigue comes on quick. I will write more tomorrow.

2021 Yearly goals

 

I’m a planner. It makes me feel better having plans and goals. Having something to work toward makes life more fun. 2020 was a year of learning for me. Learning to be okay with things I can’t control. This has been very hard for me mentally. I have started to come around to it. This is a huge Trauma for me, because I have lost a lot due to it. I have to be okay with not having control and knowing God has a plan. Once I work though that it will all come together.  This year though has been a year of Family! We have never had more family time then we do right now. My daughter was home because schools we close the last few months of her senior year and hubby worked from home. We also had lot more time with my niece and nephew. My extended family grew closer. We decided we wanted to be in it altogether and take what comes with it. We never quartered from each other. We had family time and came closer. This was very important because both my brothers also have their own business and were affected with the covid-19. Having each other through this was very important. 2020 we also send our daughter to college. This was such and amazing event. She got to go to her dream school and have live classes! This was so exciting. This year was different, and kept us on our toes. Hoping 2021 is a little less on our toes and more relaxing.

2021 Goals

Family Time

1.        Plan a fun day for hubby and I once a month. Weather it is a fire outside, or beach trip. Just something nice for the 2 of us.

2.       Plan a family weekend vacation trip to the beach trip.

3.       Plan an extended family beach trip.

4.       Plan once of month family game night.

Garden

1.       Extend the garden.  I would like to double it in size.

2.       Start 50% of my plants from seeds.

3.       Grow 200lbs of food from the garden.

4.       Start a compost system.

Animals

1.       This year I want to get bees. I have a lot of studying to do so we don’t lose them. We are hoping to have 2 colonies to help each other grow.

2.       Meat chickens – This year I would like to get some meat chickens. I am thinking about doing 3 groups of 15-20. I want to raise more of our own food. I am researching so I know how to process them. We eat chicken a lot. I love to be able to save ½ the price on the meat. I like to learn this year.

3.       I want to make a movable rabbit cart and see how it handles. I would love to do meat rabbits again. But I have to prove we can take better care of them. Hubby wasn’t happy how the others kept getting out. I’m hoping to prove the idea works, so we can do rabbits and sell them.

4.       I want to make movable turkey cages. I like to grow 5 turkeys. That way we have our Thanksgiving turkey and have some in the freezer.

Improving myself

1.       Reading – I like to read 24 books this year. 12 fiction and 12 nonfiction. Reading is very important for your brain.

2.       Mediation – I would like to keep up my mediation 5 times a week. Meditation has been a great way for me to relax and regroup.

3.       Workout/Yoga – I want to do yoga 5 times a week. Yoga has been found to help me sleep better, feel more relax and helps my body. Working out is also very important. No I don’t want to be a super model. It isn’t what I’m going for. But I want to be in shape. I want to be able to keep being me. Having a healthy body is the way is the best way I want to live.

4.       Putting healthy into my body. Okay didn’t know how to write this one. I want to continue to eat healthy and know what is going into my body. I do a lot of research on what is healthy and why. I listen to people and the pray about it. I not saying eating out once a month will kill me, but I want most the food I eat to feed my body not hurt it. With everything going on a strong and healthy body is more important than ever.

Daycare

1.       Plan lesson plans and have them ready for the week. We learn though play and I need to have more hands-on lesson plans.

2.       Keep up the on the book work. This is the hardest part of the business for me. Is the book work. There is so much information needed. So much to do with it. I like to keep up on it and have it under wraps.

3.       Monthly newsletter – I struggle with getting these out. I’m so busy and they are the last thing I think about. I have to get better. This are good for parents to see what the kids are truly learning. With this I’m adding monthly journal entries. This allows the parents to see how their little ones are growing.

Oleksy Crafts, Creations, and more

1.       I want to get this business up and going. We have started it. This will be a hubby and my business. This will help us earn money together and work together. This business like the daycare is something we can take if we move. We do a lot of wood work and work together.

2.       I would love to come up with 2-3 things to sell monthly and go from there. Coming up with ideas will be hard but will be so worth it. So once a month I would like to come up with a new project and get them up.

 

These are my 21 goals for 2021. There is a lot here. I will break them down monthly. See where I go. Not everything will be prefect, not everything will go as planned. I will do my best to make my life better in 2021 then 20202.