School's Out!

Howdy Readers!  School is officially over for me today as I start my first day of vacation. I am very happy to be out! I am excited for what next school year will offer for me, I will be teaching FACS  at  Prairie Hills Middle School. Yeah me!  This past year in Second Grade has certainly had its ups and downs and I have learned a lot. The plan had been for me to loop with them to third grade and while I wasn't opposed to teaching third grade,  I really did not want to do it with the same group of kids...they were really a tough group of kids.

I have already met some of my future students, will hang out in the class next week and work with the high school teachers on rewriting the curriculum --which I enjoy doing.  I will be getting a MacBook, so that will take some getting used to and am already committed to a workshop to learn more.   I will probably use my dear friend Kaitlen for some assistance on that venture! 

I continue to be involved in other activities, I think I was busier as a part time employee than when I worked full time!  Dan and I will serve with the church as a deacon and a Congregational secretary until the end of this month, then onto other positions in leadership. We are going thru many changes at church which is very exciting and it is great to be involved in these changes. Soon we will begin the process of looking for a new pastor.

We both are still involved with Circles of Hope,http://www.peaceconnections.org/Circles-of-Hope.html Dan as a co-chair of a Resource team and I on the Economic and Stability team--not as a co-chair officially.  I am co-chairing our church conference's women's retreat committee and look forward to that responsibility being passed on in September!  I recently became our church's representative for Et Cetera Shop board and I really enjoy it!  I will be volunteering at the shop some more this summer.

We are excited to be going to Pennsylvania for my brother Daryl's wedding in June. Deborah is a great addition to our family and I get another sister! :) We will probably go camping sometime this summer, not sure if we will take Gilly, seems to be easier to just leave her at the Vet--will be more of a vacation without the hassles of the dog. We are always looking for dog sitters...if you are interested..... :)

I have a mental list of projects this summer, I figure if I don't write them down and they don't get done than I don't have constant reminders of what I didn't do! We do plan to paint the house before it gets too hot, which is something that we have been putting off for awhile.  Dan has been very successful at selling things on Craigslist and now we are going thru the house for stuff to sell at a yard sale or on Craigslist.  We continue to love going to yard sales and love good buys.  I have been on a crafts kick as of late, recently made a purse out of 3 place mats, making scarves out of old T-shirts and who knows what I will make this week. Have spend numerous hours on Pinterest getting ideas.  

Dan and I have been on the losing weight program this spring. We both have lost over 10 lbs and the key is to keep exercising! I have been doing Zumba at home (that way no one can laugh at me) and we recently purchased a great used bike for me and we ride bike almost every evening. Love it! Sometimes we take Gilly.  We both rode in the Cookie Wiebe Memorial bike ride for Circles of Hope, this was the first "official"  bike ride for me. I rode 10 miles and Dan -30, then the next day we rode 9 miles.  I hope to join Dan on the MCC Flatlander bike ride in September, I need to keep training to ride 30 miles.  We want to go to Topeka one weekend and ride some of the trails there with my cousin, Guy. 

This year we decided to not plant a big garden, instead planted a container garden which sits on our deck. Dan discovered that our bad luck in growing produce was not our lack of a green thumb, but our 3 black walnut trees that surrounded the garden on 3 sides.  Evidently, their leaves are too acidic for growing things.. go figure!  So next year,  we will relocate the garden to another area with better success. I bought 7 tomato plants at the MCC relief sale and already have 3 blooms, yeah! It is great to just open up the door and there are growing things and I don't even have to wear shoes!--the best part of summer!

Later, Lynda

Its been a long time...

Mercy, Gracious! It has been quite some time since I blogged about our lives on here! We are quite busy. I am now into my second semester of teaching second grade and for the most part I love it! I put in a lot of hours that I am not paid for with my part time teacher salary--come in the early am and stay past 1 pm--but that is part of being a teacher I suppose, especially a part time teacher. I am hopeful that they can hire me as a full time 3rd grade teacher next year. I told the other 3rd grade teacher, that I get to pick the kids that I want in my class! :)

Dan continues to be a deacon at our church and I am the Congregational secretary, both positions will end at the end of May.. yeah! We are going through a change in our pastoral leadership and at this point have had a transitional pastor with us for a few months. We are excited for the new changes that God has in store for us! I am on the Women's Retreat Committee for our church district, this year I am co-chairing with another person. It has been more fun than originally anticipated! --It is fun to work with someone who shares common and some new ideas.

Tomorrow, I will attend my first Et Cetera Shop board meeting as a representative for our church. I am finishing a term for someone who is no longer able to do it. I love the Et Cetera shop-- still volunteer in the summer and have some this school year as well. I enjoy working in retail and really like the ministry it provides. Dan and I continue to be involved at Circles of Hope and we are both co-chairs of committees. I am really enjoying these opportunities to volunteer and be in leadership! Working part time certainly has its benefits.

This summer Dan, Gilly and I went to Colorado Springs again to camp and hang out. Unfortunately it rained cats and dogs for a number of days, since we were in a tent, we ended our vacation early. This summer, we have talked about going to Nebraska and canoeing/kayaking down the Niobrara river. We did this one of the first summers we were married, but not sure how Gilly and (new dog) will do.. or if even allowed. We are planning on getting another dog, one that Gilly can play with and not be so needy! Who knows if that really will work! :)

I am still teaching a budgeting class to people with Prairie View -our mental health facility, through a grant to help people who are on the verge of becoming homeless. I enjoy it a lot and have met some really great people. I continue to make and sell jewelry--had my first open house this December and sold several pieces and got some orders. Think I will make it a yearly event.....gives me a great incentive to get the house clean! :)

Well, that is about all I have to say for now.
Lynda

It all started with a crock pot....

Well.... my plans for living a year of second hand have gone in the wind (its pretty gusty out there today). It was going pretty well until we decided to buy a new crock pot after searching for a used one for awhile... and then from then on, it was downhill. I would say that we have not gone too far over the edge, we still consider ourselves yard sale fanatics. I definitely think before I buy something new. I have found that buying new shoes is better for your feet and if you have a hard time finding shoes that fit, a second hand purchase is almost impossible. My wallet is not happy.

Right now we are getting ready for a yard sale, so we are combing through the house in search of things to get rid of. I realize that we have created a vicious cycle. Buy second hand, sell, buy more, sell... you get the point. Then, the week after city wide garage sales, is DUMPSTER DIVING DAYS... that is where we get the stuff we didn't want to pay for, or didn't know existed, FREE! I have to keep my eyes on Dan, he was a tad bit upset at a person (who we never met, just saw driving away with some loot) for getting some "great" bikes that he would have liked to fiddle with. I am still not sure about the garage door opener that he found a couple years ago. It sits somewhere is the garage ready to become a motor of an electric bike. I, on the other hand, constantly see potential for all kinds of jewelry, storage containers, display, etc. from found items. I guess we each have our passions!

Homemade Bread Rocks!

Since we have decided to only buy second hand this year, we have also tried to know where our food comes from and what is in it. I am trying to watch our preservatives and buy organic for the most part. I am now making bread at least 2 loaves a week instead of buying it in the store. I know what goes into it and it is so much healthier for us and so incredibly tasty. Homemade bread sandwiches are the best. It is hard to not finish off the whole loaf when it comes out of the oven. I kindof cheat by making the dough in the bread machine, and then baking it myself, but this way, I can actually have time to do something else while it rises.

Our Favorite recipe- Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread. ( this title would indicate that there is more whole wheat flour and oatmeal that anything else, not the case... just a little recipe fact for ya!)

1 1/4 C water ( 70-80 degrees)
2 T honey
2 T butter/margarine ( or as a former student said Mar ga reene)
1 1/4 tsp. salt
2 T nonfat dry milk powder
1 3/4 C. bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 c. quick-cooking oats
1 1/4 tsp active dry yeast.

I also add some flax seeds to the mixture, you can add amount desired in addition to the whole wheat flour or substitute some for whole wheat flour.

In the bread machine, put all ingredients in order as suggested by manufacturer (usually all liquids, then dry, last yeast- make a little well for the yeast).
Select basic bread setting, choose crust color and loaf size if available ( makes a 1 1/2 lb loaf). Bake according to bread machine directions. Check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 2 T of water or flour if needed.

Bread machine for mixing only. Select Dough option and when finished roll into a loaf, put into a greased loaf pan. Cover and rise in a warm place for 1 hour. Top of the refrigerator is great for this. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Tap top of bread for doneness, it should sound hollow. Take out of pan and let cool on wire rack. Amazing with honey, pb or just fresh out of the oven. Enjoy!

Review

This weekend we checked out some thrift shops in Wichita. The best one was the new Goodwill store in Maize, by far! I think I saw one shirt that had a stain on it. The styles of the clothing were up to date and nice. The store didn't have that funky used clothing smell that many second hand stores have. Even the bathrooms were great. I will definitely go there again ( to the store and maybe the bathroom! :) We went to the DAV --not as good reviews, but I did buy one thing there. It kindof reminded me of an antique store; stuff was everywhere. The smell was evident, I DID NOT use the bathroom here--went to Quik Trip for that. Across the street was a shop that supported the Wichita YWCA. We found some plates to match our set at home, SWEET! We went to the Restore and then to the Goodwill on Oliver. Dan checked out the used cars there and I shopped, decent stuff also.

I have shopped at the etc shop twice now and have gotten some stuff for Dan as well as me. It is fun to just walk around and look at stuff. I feel much better buying something at a place where I know what the money goes to. I would like to go again this week, anyone wanna come?

A Year of Living More with Less

This past summer and during this fall, I volunteered a couple times a month at the Et Cetera shop in Newton as a Clerk. I enjoyed the job for the most part: met and worked with some really great people, saw students and people in the community shopping and got to do some shopping while I worked. It is amazing all the stuff that comes into the shop and what people buy. As I worked, I found myself thinking about what we spend our money on and why. Many people came once a week to shop for bargains and I wondered if they really needed something or were just filling their home with good buys like Dan and I do at yard sales. I began to wonder if we really need that item or do we buy it because it is a good buy? I want to make a conscious decision this year to really watch what I spend my money on, where and why I am buying that item. Dan's advice to me when I make my weekly summer yard sale trip with friends; do you know what you will do with it and where will you will put it? -that advice has been good and I have listened to it almost all the time. I recently used something that I bought this summer that I had NO idea what I was going to do with it...felt a little guilty even though it only cost 25 cents!

So I approached Dan with this challenge: only buy from second hand shops this year. This excludes under apparel and food.

Ask me in a week, how its going.

Thanksgiving

My family came for Thanksgiving this year. We had a great time catching up, cooking and eating.

making black bean soup

Puffed Wheat Balls- something that my grandmother made each year during the holiday season. Pretty sticky, but still yummy!


Everyone fell in love with Gilly and she just took all the attention in stride. She quickly learned who to sit beside at meals and when cooking.
We visited the Salt Museum in Hutchinson on Friday and saw some movie characters. This is a mannequin of Agent Smith from The Matrix.

We also went to The Niffy Nut-- which was so busy and The Yard- where the men really wanted to go and the women bought more. Go figure!


We saw the local turkeys in our backyard and watched Gilly herd them up. We played a lot of Wii with Lowry and went shopping in Newton. It was a good time!