Canning Tomatoes: at home, without a pressure canner.

As a child, I would help my dad in the kitchen and pretend to be on a cooking show.  I would even have him set up the camcorder to record me on my show.  My favorite recipe was homemade cookies, but no matter what was on the menu, I wanted to teach the world how to make it.  As I write these recipe blogs, I can't help but be reminded of that little 8-year-old redhead who always wanted to teach people out there to cook, even if no one was listening.

Some things never change.  I could have never imagined such a thing as the Internet back then, much less a blog, but 20 years later, I'm still doing my own little cooking show.

Today's lesson focuses on canning tomatoes at home.  My dad knows someone with a green thumb and he brought me about sixty tomatoes from that person's garden.  I didn't count, but it was enough to make 18 pints of tomato sauce. Since I could never use that many tomatoes before they spoiled, and since I refuse to let anything go to waste, I canned them and stuck them in my deep freezer for future use in sauces, stews, and other tomato-based recipes.

Enough with the digression.  Here's the how-to:

1.  Gather materials.  I didn't want to make a huge investment by buying a pressure canner and I made do with things that I have around my house in place of standard canning fare.  For this, I used: pint jars, a funnel, a large bowl, a pot for sterilizing, and a pot for cooking.

2.  Wash the tomatoes and then cut a shallow X on the bottom.

3.  Place the tomatoes a few at a time into boiling water and cook them just until the skins begin to split.  Remove them with a slotted spoon and place them into a bowl of ice water.

4.  Peel the tomatoes, core them, and dice them.  When canning a small amount of tomatoes, I just cut them up with a knife.  For a large amount, I use my food processor in the interest of time.

5.  Cook the tomatoes.  I season with some salt, sugar, and garlic.  My husband and kids have a limited appreciation for more varied ingredients.  I made sure mine got to a boil and then let it cook down a little before I canned it.



6.  When the sauce has finished cooking, place the pan in ice water to cool it down before canning.

7. Sterilize the jars in boiling water. Ideally, you pull them out and can them immediately.  Use tongs or a specially designed can holder for this.



(If my sauce hasn't cooled before I'm done sterilyzing, I will stick them in the boiling water again for a moment before I fill them, just to be sure.)

8.  Fill the jars using a funnel.  Leave 1/2" of headspace.

9.  Clean any tomato sauce from the rim of the jars and seal them.

10.  At this point, someone with a pressure canner would use that to seal the jars.  I simply leave them overnight upside down and in the morning, they are sealed.  Press the lid to make sure.  If it pops back up, the jars are not sealed.  They can then be stored in your cabinet, fridge, or freezer.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is CONSTITUTIONAL.

Nearly 24 hours ago, the Supreme Court upheld PPACA (or pejoratively, "Obamacare") in a 5-4 decision.  While I'm glad the Court swung this way, I was stunned and so was most of the country, I'm sure.  Initially, news networks reported that it was struck down because they were so eager to be the first to break the story that they failed to read Roberts' entire opinion.  To their defense, it was probably safe to assume that if Roberts was issuing the majority opinion, it must have been against ACA because he is a conservative Bush appointee.  After some initial confusion, we realized that the law was upheld.  It still made for some good photoshopping, like this "Dewey Defeats Truman" inspired photo below.

Anyway, throughout the day, constitutional scholars came out of the woodworks on Facebook.  It was actually kind of sad to see how little people actually understand about this law and just how government operates in general.  First of all, the enactment of this law went precisely how our Constitution intends.  A majority of members of Congress voted for it, the president signed it, and when it came before the highest tribunal, the justices interpreted it.  Majority won.

The suprise in its passage was not that in reality it is unconstitutional.  It was that everyone expected it to be a purely political vote by the Court, which by and large, it was.  Four liberal justices - Sotomayor, Kagan, Breyer, and Ginsburg - all voted to uphold the law on the commerce clause.  Four conservative justices - Alito, Kennedy, Thomas, and Scalia - all voted to overturn the law in its entirety (Thomas wrote the dissenting opinion).  The tie-breaking vote came from Chief Justice John Roberts, a Bush-appointee.  He even wrote the opinion!

In his opinion, he said the individual mandate was constitutional under Congress's taxing and spending power, not the commerce clause.  Republicans were (and still are) outraged that the bill was passed and has now been deemed constitutional thanks, in large part, to a conservative justice.  The strange part is, they don't like the part that requires people to purchase health insurance coverage (when I'm sure most people that I know who are complaining probably purchase it through their employer).  Republicans whine all the time about making people take care of themselves, don't depend on the government, be responsible, and when the government takes a step to do that, they get mad!  This mandate makes people responsible for their own health insurance but Republicans claim it infringes on their freedom by subjecting them to a penalty (tax...nuance) if they don't purchase it.  They also like most parts of the bill except for the mandate, which is the part that pays for the popular provisions! 

Hypocrisy abounds.



**I started this blog the day after PPACA was upheld.  I finished it three days later.  Hence the timing is off...

Home Improvement: Workshop.

When we first moved into our new abode, we hoped to making finishing the second floor our first task.  However, that proved too costly for our budget so we opted to hold off on that for fall.  Instead, we made a workshop for Joel outside that also serves as a storage building.  We didn't have anywhere to keep our things outside so it was pretty important to get this project going.  We also figured that it could serve as a laboratory for Joel to experiment in running electric wire since we have to do that upstairs as well.  This was a project that was a few months in the making.  First we had to find a storage building that satisfied our tastes.  We learned our lesson about building one ourselves from a previous nightmarish experience.  This time, we knew we wanted to pay to have it built and we wanted it wooden.

Here is our building, a spacious 12'x16' that was painted to match our house.

Here you can see that the inside was just framing and a subfloor.  After running electric wire from our house, under our driveway, and out to the shop, Joel set to work on wiring the building.  (Note:  running wire under the driveway is VERY labor intensive, but totally doable.)  He did remarkably well for his first time wiring something.  He didn't electrocute himself and everything worked!

After many grueling hours working inside that shop (and several hundred dollars in materials), we got the walls and ceiling up, insulated, and painted, we hung a light, we installed an air conditioner, and we installed flooring.  Joel also built this awesome work table that looked like professional craftsmanship.  He is supremely excited about having a place to fashion together his airplanes.  I'm also happy that he doesn't have to utilize my dining room table to accomplish this task.

Hopefully, once I get a few paychecks under my belt we can start working on our second floor.  It will add roughly 1000 sq. ft. of living space that we desperately need.  I'm thrilled about having it finished, but dreading doing the work!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

As matriarch to a family of five, I often find myself doing about half a dozen loads of laundry in any given week, sometimes more when I wash bed linens.  Since I have been out of [full-time] work for the past three years, I have tried cutting back on unnecessary expenditures.  Laundry detergent is relatively expensive and I never can find good deals on it.  I purchased it in bulk from Amazon a couple of times but that still wound up being pretty costly.  I decided after doing some researching that I would make my own and it winds up only costing pennies per load.  I've been using my homemade detergent for several months now (on an $11 investment) and I'm happy with it.  My clothes stay clean and I still have a lot of detergent left before I have to make another batch (for $1).  Anyway, here's how I did it...

1.  First, gather all the materials.

• Borax
• Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
• Fels-Naptha Soap Bar
• 5 gallon bucket with lid
• Empty containers (enough to fill ten gallons)

I found the first three ingredients at Wal-Mart, all neatly merchandised together by the dryer sheets.  Apparently, I'm not the only person who makes her own laundry detergent.  They came to about $7 total.  The bucket and lid came from Home Depot for about $4.  I had saved up containers for awhile knowing that I would be needing them soon.  I still didn't have enough so I wound up over concentrating my detergent into fewer containers and I still had to leave some in the bucket and refill the containers when I had used the contents.  Everything is reusable except the Fels-Naptha bar.  That is the only thing that has to be repurchased for the next load.  The Borax and Super Washing Soda go a long way, and of course the containers and bucket last indefinitely.

2.  Next, use a cheese grater to grate the entire soap bar.  (I'll be frank here, it was too hard for my delicate fingers to grate so I had my husband do it for me.)

3.  Put the shredded soap into a pot and add four cups of hot water, place it over medium heat, and stir until it has completely melted.

4.   Fill the 5 gallon bucket halfway with hot water.

5.  Add the melted soap mixture. 

6. Then add 1 cup of Super Washing Soda and 1/2 cup of Borax.

7.  Stir with something that is long enough to reach the bottom of the bucket, like a wooden paint stirrer or if you have one that attaches to a drill, that is ideal for this application.

8.  Continue stirring while filling the bucket the remainder of the way with hot water.

9.  Place the lid on the bucket and allow the mixture to sit for a full 24 hours.

When it is ready, it will have gelled slightly.  Stir again.

10.  Finally, funnel the detergent into the bottles.  Simply fill the bottles halfway and fill the remainder with water.  Shake well.  Also shake before each use.

These are some of the jars I filled.  I still had just under half of my bucket left when I ran out of containers.  I came up with some more containers and refilled some of these before I finally ran out.  This batch will last me about six months, maybe a little longer, as I do A LOT of laundry and I over concentrated the detergent in the containers.  I use this detergent in a GE front-loading HE machine and have not had any problems.  About 1/4 cup will wash a regular load of clothes.  In a regular machine, probably 1/2 cup.  You can add essential oil drops for fragrance but I found the detergent to have a nice clean smell.  The clothes don't come out with much of a smell, but they are plenty clean.  I use this detergent with a homemade fabric softener and then a regular Bounce sheet in the dryer.

Here's where the magic happens...

** I have also used this detergent on my son's cloth diapers without any ill effects.

Boy Pants.

I've never been one to try and "train" Brayden to do anything.  I have kind of let him do things naturally.  I never pressured him to use the toilet, I just continued to patiently wash his cloth diapers until he was ready to wear underwear.  Well, a couple weeks ago, he finally decided he was ready to shed the diaper and transition to what he calls "boy pants."  I had already set the wheels in motion, buying him a potty and underwear several months ago. 

This is the potty we bought him.  I like it because it looks like a whimsical version of a real toilet and it is easy to dispose of the um, gifts, he leaves behind.  You can also take the seat off and it fits nicely into the adult toilet.  Very convenient.  It is kind of cute because it sings when the child potties, as a reward for using the bathroom.  Then it gets annoying when it randomly sings in the middle of the night even when it isn't in use.  That's my one complaint.

He never seemed interested until just recently.  It didn't require rewards or punishments.  He just decided he didn't want to wear diapers anymore.  My baby is growing up!  I really won't miss washing the diapers.   I can't say it will save me a lot of money because we don't use disposables.  I did go and buy some more "boy pants" with his favorite Cars characters on them.  His favorites have "Queen" and "Chesco Nuli" (Francesco Bernouli).  How cute does he look in these?

I also bought him some boxers, which he refers to as "Bubba pants" since Jacob wears boxers so prominently.  Check this out:

Way too cute.  He refuses to wear diapers, even when its time for bed.  I have to sneak a diaper on him after he falls asleep.  He has had some accidents along the way, especially in the beginning, but those have decreased as he had gotten used to not wearing diapers.  He also likes to pee off my front porch which we are discouraging.  My neighbors probably think we are so redneck, not that they ever step foot outside their house.

Anyway, I said all that to say this - Be Patient!  Kids will potty train when they are ready.

The Hunger Games. YES.

Since I'm spending the summer doing a lot of nothing (when in actuality, I should be planning for the many classes I'm teaching this fall), I have decided to put some hours on my Kindle.  We know from an earlier blog post that 50 Shades of Grey just didn't do it for me, so I opted for something that had caused mass hysteria at the movies - The Hunger Games.  Let me reiterate, I'm usually not one to follow the crowd, but if I ever expect to win Jeopardy I need to delve into pop culture a bit.  Anyway, I borrowed the first one with the monthly lending allowance on Kindle, and figured I'd take my time with it and borrow another one in the next month.  Well, 24 hours later I had knocked that one back and was ready for another.

I did what any good resourceful person does when faced with a challenge like this, took to Facebook to beg for a lender.  I immediately found someone (three people actually) who was willing to digitally lend me the last two books in the series and I went to work on them.  The first book was definitely the best, and they sort of petered out from there, but altogether, they were exciting enough.  The author did excellent descriptive work, I could really picture the Capitol and the 12 (13) districts, the characters, the reaping, and the arena in the Hunger Games.  The character development was thorough and the plot was filled with exciting developments that led to a good story overall. 

Some of it was predictable, but that is okay.  The whole love story was weak.  However, the way Katniss tells the man she chooses that she loves him was kind of cute there at the end.  I guess since these books were for young adults they couldn't get too raunchy.  Stealing kisses and glances here and there was about all we got.  The whole dynamic of the post-apocalyptic United States and a powerful Capitol who makes slaves out of the people of the districts was really quite clever.  It seemed plausible but totally ridiculous all at the same time.  I liked it.  It mixed the days of the Glaldiator fights in the Roman Coliseum with the technology and advancements of the future. 

I was sad to see this series end.  My cousin graciously send me almost 700 books for my Kindle so I have enough free books to keep me entertained all summer and then some.  I'm currently reading a murder mystery by James Patterson.  The story is good enough but the typos on the digital version are driving me insane.

Unrelated:  only a month left until I start work.  I'm getting antsy because I feel like I should be doing something, yet I'm so overwhelmed that I don't even know where to start.  Sometimes between now and then, probably around my birthday, we are taking a family trip to the beach with my in-laws.  I'm really excited to be spending a few days with my kids on the beach.  The big ones love it and hopefully Brayden will enjoy it as well.  I'm actually supposed to be looking for a place to stay now, so I better get back on that.  Until next time.

June: A month for Joel

June is pretty hectic for us, in the way of celebrations.  First, we have our anniversary, then comes Father's Day, and finally Joel's birthday.  He gets very excited during the month of June for his presents, as most men in their thirties do.  On June 7, we celebrated our fourth year of marriage. 

Here we are on our wedding day - 06.07.08.  I love this image because my little cousin is in the background shielding his eyes from our public display of affection.  These have been a great four years of marriage.  I've managed to get a Master's degree, we had ourselves a baby, we bought a new house, we became landlords, and we both got full-time jobs.  I don't know how I got so lucky to land such a supportive and loving husband, but I'm hanging on to him!

For Father's Day and Joel's birthday (which is actually tomorrow), we had a little party at our house.  Joel's parents came over and brought his two little cousins and my dad came.  I made fajitas and a cake (which Bailey devoured in its entirety later that night, so Joel never even got a piece) and we gave all the Dad's their presents.  To say Joel got spoiled would be an understatement.  Here are some pictures captured that day.

(Above)  Jacob and Joel.  You would never know they aren't biologically related.  They work out famously as father and son.  None of that typical strained step stuff.  I love it.

(Above.) My spoiled husband.  This is one of the planes he got for his birthday.  You can see his sheer excitement.  I think it is cute, but somewhat annoying.  All this man wants is airplane stuff.  Could be worse, I guess.

(Above.)  Joel has contained his excitement upon the realization that I am snapping photos of him.  This is the plane that I bought him after he mentioned it 278 times over the past couple months.  He was supremely overjoyed, even if his expression doesn't show it.

And finally, a picture of me and the birthday/Father's Day boy.  We rarely take pictures together, which is unfortunate because I love to look at them as the years go by. 

Joel's 32nd birthday is tomorrow.  It is hard to believe when I met him he had just turned 24, and I thought that was old!  I know we already had a party for him, but I can't let the day go by without trying to make him feel special.  Food is my forte so I plan to cook him something nice and bake him a cake from scratch.  I'm new to this whole homemade pastry set so we'll see how that goes.  So far, my homemade chocolate chip cookies are a hit with everyone.

Brayden beckons.  This blogging thing takes awhile but I'm going to try and do it more until I go back to work next month.  I don't have much else to do (other than planning for four different classes).  Until next time...

Fifty Shades of Lame

Normally, I don't follow the crowd.  I don't have to see the latest blockbuster in theaters when it comes out at midnight on a school night.  I don't wait in line for hours to pick up the latest gadget.  I don't read books like Twilight or Lord of the Rings.  I don't watch primetime TV (although, I will watch reruns on Netflix if I get hooked  - ex. Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice).  I'm not sure why this is the case, I guess I just like blaze my own trail.  Anyway, when Facebook became inundated with posts about the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, I was indifferent.  That was until I read reasons why people weren't reading it, then I became intrigued.  I also read that hardware stores were having trouble keeping rope on the shelf, which I really don't understand because the characters never even used it.  I picked up my handy Kindle Fire and went to the book store.  Then I found they wanted $9.99 for one book.  Um.  No.  Fortunately, I have a friend who is even more resourceful than I am and she sent me the whole series.  I set to work to see what all the hype was about.

First, the good (sort of).  It kept me interested at first but it seemed to follow the law of diminishing returns.  The more I read, the less interested I became.  The author tried to come off as a sesquipedalian (aka user of big words) and I think my vocabulary expanded slightly.  It was almost as though she overused her thesaurus and underused it at the same time.  Anyway, this is supposed to be the good.  The book was about BDSM, which is very obviously why so many understimulated housewives are enjoying it.  They have an inner freak similar to Ana's inner goddess. Some of the sex scenes she described were entertaining, but they lost their spunk a few hundred pages into the book.  The romance was thick.  I can see how people would like to read about handsome billionaires lavishing an ordinary mortal with houses in Aspen, condos in New York, Audis, diamonds, expensive vacations, and Christian Louboutins.  I get it.

The bad.   There was absolutely no plot.  It kind of felt like I was just reading Ana's blog.  The author has got to be laughing about this all the way to the bank.  James does throw in a few good sub-plots that kept me turning the pages like the time the ex-submissive Leila held a gun to Ana and the time Ana's ex-boss Hyde demanded ransom for Christian's sister.  The problem?  It only lasted a couple of pages and the solution was entirely predictable.  As for a climax (insofar as stories go), there was no major climax in any book.  It was just a flat storyline.  Not only that, the story wasn't even believable.  Their romance blossomed at a freakishly quick pace.  She needed her ass whooped, and not by him, for moving so quickly with a man.

More bad.  The redunancy was so annoying.  Ana and Christian were constantly fighting and having makeup sex.  GAG ME (metaphorically speaking).  Not only was the story repetitive, but James used the same five sentences to rehash the same story lines OVER AND OVER.  The book was on repeat.  I never had trouble turning off my Kindle to go to bed at night.  To me, that is the measure of a good read...whether you can't put the thing down at night.  I could.  Her prose was terrible.  I've seen autistic monkeys with better communication skills.  I was more distracted by that than anything else.  She also had a hard time with writing in the first person.  We never knew Christian quite like we knew Ana.  The ways she told us about him was through emails (FOR REAL).  She also made us read the dominant/submissive contract TWO agonizing times to give us a glimpse into his world.  At the end, when she realized she had written something totally unbelievable into the story (Ana withdrawing five million bucks for ransom) she just wrote a separate chapter that described a phone conversation Christian had with the banker.  Really?  Lame.  Then at the end she tells the story of Ana and Christian meeting (again), but this time from Christian's POV.  After spending hundreds of pages making the reader want to like Christian, she finishes by making him look like a complete douchebag.

Anyway, I'm done bagging on that book.  I guess this is why I don't follow trends.  I am far too cynical to enjoy them.

I. Got. A. Job. (the full time variety!)

After searching unsuccessfully for the past three years, I have FINALLY been offered a full time job as a high school history teacher.  Ever since I left Mitchell County, I have been staying busy one way or another, by teaching at Moultrie Tech and VSU, working as a GA at VSU, getting my M.A., and trying to do other graduate degrees.  What I've really wanted to do all along was contribute to my family in a fulfilling way. I have felt so useless for the past three years. Fortunately, caring for Brayden alleviated some of that feeling.  I really think I would have had a hard time working and missing out on most of his first two years.

Anyway, the first thing many people ask me when they learn I got a full time job is, what about the Ph.D.? Well, I still WANT to get one. However, this economy is tough. Many college graduates are unemployed.  A recent report says that employment for Ph.D.s is falling and that the number of Ph.D. grads on food stamps has TRIPLED in the last few years, to the tune of over 33,000 recipients.  I'm pretty sure it isn't those with a Ph.D. in Engineering who are among them.  I just read that article recently after a couple of my unemployed fellow History M.A.s posted a link to it.  That was the moment that I decided to get serious about looking for a job.  I have skills, I have experience, I need a JOB. I have been filing applications for years, probably in the three digit range.  I have had a handful of interviews, none of which worked out.  The one thing I really know how to do is teach history.  Many of the jobs for which I applied were not history teacher positions, and I was applying for jobs making money that I earned at Bud K when I was 20.  I didn't care.  I'm ready to work.

Finally, just last week, I got called for two interviews.  One was at a high school and another was at an engineering firm for a human resources position. Anyway, now I have to make a long story short because Brayden found a very large toy in his closet from Christmas that requires adult assembly, which means I will be busy for the next hour.  Well both places offered me a job - a good problem - but the teaching position paid a lot better and has more opportunities.  I will have to start another blog later! =D

Everything is going according to plan.

For many years, I had a post-Master's degree plan.  I would take a year off to search for work and if nothing came, I would start a Ph.D.  Well, that is exactly what is happening.  I really thought I would find full-time employment.  There are just no jobs out there.  At least, nothing for which I am qualified or for which I would be willing to postpone a doctorate.  So, let's catch up.

After all the educational setbacks over the past year (detailed in earlier blogs), I finally got into a program that seems like it will work itself out without setbacks (I'm still holding my breath).  I was accepted into Florida State University to pursue a Ph.D. in History.  I still could not believe I was accepted.  Surreal.  Anyway, right now I am leaning towards a focus in African-American history because it is the one thing that just really strikes my fancy.  I also enjoy modern American history and southern history.  My principal interest is, of course, the Civil Rights Movement.  But for now, I'm accepted.

Not only was I accepted into FSU, they selected me for one of their assistantships!  To say I was shocked would be an understatement.  I was absolutely humbled by this.  My professors said they expected it, Joel wasn't surprised at all, but I really had written off the funding.  The funding is very important, not only because it pays your tuition and allows you to earn a stipend, but it shows people that your program has faith in you.  In other words, it makes you more hireable after graduation.  I was willing to go to school even without the funding.  I had already prepared myself by getting an out-of-state tuition waiver from the Academic Common Market.  I planned on paying for the in-state with a loan.  I was just going to drive to FSU on Mondays for class and have the rest of the week off.  However, this assistantship changed all that.  Now, I will be working as a 'Gordon-rule grader' so I have to attend a US History (to 1865) class on MWF and I will be grading 3000-word essays from up to 180 students.  Shoot me now.  If there is ONE thing I HATE about teaching, it is grading.  This one is a time soaker, too.  I can only imagine how long this will take.  I learned from my undergrad though, that if you make a rubric things will go faster, so that is the plan.  This semester is going to be the death of me, but I have never been one to let anything get the best of me.  Evidently, to have an assistantship, one must also take 12 hours.  That is three classes at the doctoral level.  I never took three classes during my M.A. so this is a big step for me.  Hopefully, Brayden will be getting easier and easier to deal with since he is getting older. All the other motherly duties will have to be delegated.  I just keep telling myself that I can do it.  I want to do it.  The good thing is, if I go at it three classes at a time it shouldn't take me too long to finish the coursework.  My advisor said four semesters, but I need to confirm that for myself.

Okay, enough about my Ph.D.   WE MOVED INTO OUR NEW HOUSE!!!! I can't even remember the status of our home purchase when last I blogged, but on February 7, 2012 we closed on the house.  This may seem silly, but it really changed our lives.  We were crammed into that tiny house for the last nine years.  It was okay when it was just me, Jake, and Bailey.  However, with five of us, it was cramped.  We moved into this house and immediately had about 700 more square feet of living space.  Jacob and Bailey finally have their own sizeable bedrooms.  Brayden sleeps with us so he doesn't necessarily need a bedroom, but all of his things are in Bailey's room so we call it theirs.  There is a second floor that is unfinished but will had about a thousand square feet of living space.  We plan to put in a bedroom for Jacob, a gameroom, a guest bedroom, and a full bath up there.  This is going to be a costly addition so we put it off for a little while.  Hopefully this year though.  Meanwhile, we have been getting things situated downstairs and outside.  We bought a new dining room table to fit the five of us and a new big comfy recliner, among other things.  Anyway, my point is we are just so much happier.  Living less than a quarter mile from my dad's house is also a plus.  The kids love hopping on their bicycles and being at his house in a minute or two.

Okay, I think that is all for now.

The New Year

It is 2012 and I was not even creative enough to come up with a Resolution.  I have had so much going on.  Joel and I put in a bid for a house and we are now in the process of purchasing the house.  The closing date is a week and a day a way, but I have a feeling we won't have everything done in time.  We are currently in underwriting and the mortgage company continues to request more and more information.  Since the housing crisis, getting a mortgage has become a painstakingly slow and tedious process.  Hopefully we will be moving into our new (and much larger) home by the end of the month.  We are all SO excited!

I had planned on starting an Ed.S. degree this semester but I knew I would have to pay out of pocket since I can't have a GA and teach on campus.  Unfortunately, we were only able to save up enough money to make the down payment on the house so I couldn't attend school for the Ed.S.  Therefore, I'm only teaching two classes and working as an intern for a company at VSU.

Since I have all this time on my hands, I have begun to do things for my enjoyment.  For so many years, I only went to college.  Now, I wish I had a full time job, but while I don't, I am doing things that I like.  I haven't done this in so long and it feels great!  I guess this has become my Resolution - enjoying things I like.  My dad got me a Kindle Fire for Christmas and since then, I have read about 12 books.  I forgot how much I like to read for pleasure.  For so long, I only read history books.  Reading really gives me an escape from reality.  And it is so much more convenient to download books to my Kindle than go to the library or bookstore.  I stick to the free downloads so that I don't have buyer's remorse.  If I don't like the book, I just delete it.  No driving, no shopping! 

I also started watching TV for pleasure. We got rid of cable (satellite) in an effort to be more frugal.  We now get our entertainment from Netflix and Hulu Plus.  I had been forcing myself to only watch educational programming and not bubble gum type shows, but over the holidays, I decided to live a little. I have heard so many great things about Grey's Anatomy for so long that I decided to give that a try since Netflix has all 8 seasons.  I started watching them and I am currently up to the end of Season 3. I am so glad I decided to do this.  For some reason, since I began to read and watch TV for pleasure, I have really become happier and more carefree. I can't explain it.

I also started using Pinterest yesterday.  This is particularly useful for me because I am not the creative type. I love all the ideas that I can get and hopefully put to use in our new home.  I can also find ways to fulfill my new frugal lifestyle that I hope to maintain when I get a full time job although I'm afraid the big spender will rear its ugly head again.

More later.

Instigating...again.

For some reason, I can think of more shit to say on Facebook than I can in my own blog. Perhaps it is because I know people are reading it.  I have perpetuated some serious political wars lately.  It is no secret that I am a flaming liberal, a label I wear with pride. I don't understand the conservatives who spar with me.  They respond with such hatred, bigotry, and racism, yet they are the party of Christianity.  I no longer post on other people's threads because they have like-minded individuals as friends and I usually wind up on defense when I prefer offense.  However, arguing like that has earned me an ideological friend or two that I would have not otherwise had the pleasure of meeting.  Nonetheless, I have started posting only on my own threads.  I have my backups, not that I really need them, but there is strength in numbers.  The positions I take on issues are backed with facts and combined with empathy.

Anyway, I think I just realized why I have a hard time blogging. I do my best work when people give me ammunition with which to respond.  Yes.  More later.

I'm such a slacker.

When I first started this blog, I logged on daily and was constantly thinking of topics.  The excitement has worn off, unfortunately.  Right now I am on Christmas break with the kids and since I have no job, I'm spending the day cleaning my house.  I can never catch up with the cleaning, therefore, I have little time to blog.  I also wish I could read my book on the JFK assassination but I can't find the time to that either.  I don't know how I ever found time to watch TV when we had cable.

JOB.  It looks as though I will be teaching another semester of HIST 2112 at VSU in the Spring.  I was hoping to have found a full time job already, but I haven't.  I love teaching, so I guess adjunct teaching as a holdover for a full time gig is not too bad.  My first semester teaching at VSU went famously.  My students really enjoyed the class, as evidenced by their responses on the Student Opinion of Instruction.  I am excited that I will get to do it again in the Spring and adjust the course accordingly.

SCHOOL.  When last I blogged, I had recently learned that I could not continue with the M.Ed. in I.T.  Since, I applied for the Ed.S. I.T. program at VSU and was accepted for Spring Admission.  This time I know I can't get a GA so I am saving up money to pay for tuition out of pocket.  I've had enough of student loans.  I'm hoping that starting this degree will lead to employment since the M.A. in History is not doing me any favors.  I plan to continue to educate myself until I eventually find a job.

HOUSE.  Joel and I are currently under contract for a new home that is just down the road from my dad's house.  It is in the neighborhood where I spent my childhood - Tallokas Circle.  Our loan application should have arrived at the mortgage company today.  Buying a house is an incredible stressful process.  And that money that I'm saving up for tuition, yeah I might have to use that for closing.  Hopefully not.  Our closing date is January 26.  It took us two weeks to start the loan process so we are just hoping that doesn't slow us down any.  I cannot wait to move into a bigger home.  This one is two story but only the bottom story is move-in ready.  The upstairs is completely unfinished but we hope to turn it into living quarters for Jacob.  Teenagers want their own space.  The house we live in now, the one I bought in 2003 at the tender age of 19, will be going up for rent.  I'm dreading that process as well.  I don't think I have the personality to be a landlord.  We'll see.

KIDS.  The kids are keeping me busy, as they should.  Brayden recently turned two and he is such a cutie.  He loves his brothers and is most happy when they are home with him.  I'm glad it is Christmas break because they help keep him entertained all day.  Bailey will be 11 next week which I cannot believe.  He and Brayden are on the same level in a lot of ways.  Brayden actually has better language skills than Bailey.  Jacob, my teenager, is well, a teenager.  If boys are this bad, I would hate to see what raising a girl teenager is like!  Glad I have boys!

I think I'm done for now.  Hopefully I can find the time to post for Christmas...

Note: I'm not offended by you calling me educated.

I am something of a political activist on Facebook.  I tend to express my opinions on issues when I feel so compelled.  For some reason, people get their panties in a wad about this.  I try my best to be polite and not snarky but in response (if people have to balls to respond) people try to insult me by accusing me of thinking I am smarter than them.  Still others go and post statuses about me (on the downlow) in attempts to belittle me!  Two in particular that I find the most amusing - one girl called me "overeducated" and one lamented that I think I know everything because I am virtually a "professional student."  Since when is the pursuit of educational attainment a bad thing?  And does it not come with the territory that I should be intelligent since I have a lot of university training?  I mean, should I have gotten dumber?  Someone else insinuated that I was a moron who was indoctrinating students.  All because I have an opinion that I voice based on facts that I have researched.  This is nothing revolutionary or radical.  Okay, I'm sleepy.

Job Interviews : /

I have been searching endlessly for full time employment. I really want to move my family into a bigger house and START A CAREER.  I'm 28 years old for crying out loud.  I should be several years into a career by now.  At this rate, I won't be able to retire until I'm 80.  I had two interviews over the past week.  One at Albany State and one at the local board of education.  I thought they both went very well... haven't heard back yet.  Now I'm playing the waiting game. 

I also applied for FSUs Ph.D. program.  If I happen to get accepted I will be absolutely shocked.  If I get a full time job AND get accepted I really don't know what I will do.  I am definitely going to try and get myself back in school in the spring or next fall depending on what happens on the job hunt.  All this uncertainty is driving me bananas.

Brayden probably won't be thrilled if I get a job.  He likes being home with me five days out of the week.  I only have to leave him for a few hours on Tuesday and Thursday while I teach.  He stays with my dad so it is minimally invasive for him.  If he went to a daycare I think he would have a panic attack.  He is so shy and completely fearful of strangers.

I just wanted to clear my thoughts.  That is all for now.

Jake's 13th Birthday Party - Featuring Photos!

Bad Mom Alert:  I haven't hosted a birthday party for Jacob in YEARS.  I think he was turning 6 years old the last time he had a birthday party...you know, the real kind where you invited guests and have birthday cake and presents.  Footnote:  We normally take him somewhere.  Birthday parties are SUCH a hassle.  This one took me two days to recover from.  This year, since becoming a teenager is such a rite of passage, Jake deserved a birthday party.  He was actually pretty nonchalant about it.  I think it was more about preventing myself from feeling guilty.  Nonetheless, nonetheless...

I told my closest friends and family about it just informally.  It started as just a gathering to cook, eat, and swim but it evolved into a regular old party. 

Brayden had some friends over.  Laura, Splash, and I all had babies within a seven months of each other.  Marley the Redhead is twelve days older than Brayden.  Jordyn the Choker of Babies is seven months younger than Brayden and Marley.  These two young ladies can hold their own!  Brayden was a little freaked out by all the commotion.  He is definitely a passive and docile child.  He doesn't fight when kids take his stuff and he just sits back and watches.  This is certainly not a trait that I passed down.  I was the bossy kid.  This picture says a lot about their personalities.  Jordyn is Laura MADE OVER.

Here is another one of my best friends, Ashley and her two kids, Ashlyn and Cole.  Ashlyn is only four months younger than Bailey.  I can't help but think of what Bailey could be whenever I'm around Ashlyn.  Anway, this is not a sad post! 

Here is Joel doing what he always gets stuck doing at our gatherings -- grilling.  He is just so good at it!  You can probably gather from his facial expression that he does not want me to take a picture.  This is common.  He hates my lust for photos and video.  One day he will appreciate it.  One day.  Until then...the glare.

Featured here are Splash and her husband Terry, Brayden on the train, Marley, and Layla.  Oh, and Laura in the background.  We all stayed inside most of the time.  It is hot in South Georgia!

Now we are singing Happy Birthday to Jake.  You can see Terry and Joel in the background.  It is always good to bring husbands around for Joel to talk to.  They were probably having an intellectual conversation about football.  : /

Since I was so young when I had Jake, it would come to pass that none of my friends have kids his age.  Brayden should have lots of children his age populating his birthday parties.  Jake, not so much.  He did have his friend Stephen come spend the weekend with him.  I have known Stephen since his birth because my dad and Stephen's dad were friends.  (This happens when you have children as a child.)  Their family even gave me some of Stephen's baby clothes for Jake to wear way back then (he is 3 months older than Jake).  Anyway, I digress.

The party was a success. We crammed about twenty people (or more) into my tiny house (next year I hope to have moved!!) and the kids had fun.  I felt better about doing something for his birthday and won't have to live with the guilt of not having a party for the poor fella. 

Now, to start planning Brayden's second birthday party!  Maybe I will write a blog about his first birthday before it completely fades from my memory.

I am now the proud owner of a TEENAGER.

Invariably, when you have a child at the tender age of 15, you will have a teenager by the time you hit 28.  Well, I'm 28 and my little boy is now 13.  He turned 13 on September 1 and I've been meaning to blog since then but I've been busy chasing an almost two-year-old everywhere (oh, and looking for a job - two interviews next week!).  I really can't believe he is a teenager.  He is a great kid.  Sweet, respectful, smart, and well-behaved.  He is in a much better place in his life than I was at his age.  It is hard to believe that at his age, I was only a year from becoming pregnant with him.  Watching him grow up has really put my life into perspective. 

Here we are on his 13th birthday.  I would upload a picture of him as an infant, but honestly, I am too lazy to find one and scan it in.  I had just gotten home from a long day's work (3ish hours =D) and he had just come home from school. 

We had an intimate family dinner that night with the usual suspects (my five + dad) and made Jake's favorite food - bratwurst and pierogies.  My kid is strange.  The rest of us ate bacon wrapped pork tenderloin.  While we grilled, the kids swam in the pool:

Jacob is such a good big brother.

Then we had a little cake, featuring the cake that I wrote about here.

After blowing out the candles, Joel hit him with some silly string.  Bailey was TICKLED.  Can you tell?

While "Bubba" (How country, right?) opened presents, Brayden perched himself on the couch.  Is he not the cutest kid you have ever seen?

We got Jake some new clothes because suddenly, after all these years, he wants to wear "less immature" shirts.  Anyway, he got really excited about the Polo shirts he got because frankly, they are all the rage in junior high right now.  He also got some Abercrombie shirts, a Tommy shirt, some Hollister cologne, a new phone, some clothes to wear to his weightlifting class, and a couple of Xbox games.  I'm still trippin' on the new clothes that he asked for.  Junior high definitely changes kids...