A much needed vacation

Hubby I went on a second honeymoon in May for our 19th anniversary. We left the kids home, and drove to Georgia.

It was wonderful to reconnect without any stresses. We even rented a car, so we didn't have to worry about whether the car would make it or not.

We didn't really have any destinations planned, just a general area for hotel reservations. We both enjoy photography, so we decided to make it a photo safari. We just drove and stopped along the way to take pictures of whatever caught our eye.

On one hand, a driving vacation with today's gas prices seemed silly. But, on the other hand, admission to a theme park would cost us as much as 40 gallons of gas. Even at only 20 miles to the gallon, that would be 800 miles. As it turned out, we went 1800 miles in 6 days. We went to Savannah, GA; Hilton Head, NC; Blue Ridge, GA; and Panama City Beach, FL.

I'd always wanted to go to Savannah. Now that I've been there, there are really only two cities I'd like to visit, Chicago and Boston. Since I don't want to fly, I probably won't be going to either one any time soon.

The first day we got as far as Hilton Head, NC. We went to see the beach, however, it was the day that Sub Tropical Storm Andrea was brewing off the coast. It was incredibly windy, even for someone that's used to hurricanes. I started taking pictures, but realized that hubby was just trying to keep the sand out of his camera. We decided to go to dinner instead.

We did find a cemetery to take pictures in. Hubby likes cemeteries, I don't know that I share his fascination, but this trip was about compromising. I was surprised when we found a book of 101 things to do around Savannah that it included a picture of the same crypt we found.

The next day, we toured Savannah. If you go, make sure to take one of the bus tours. They offer on and off services, so you don't have to worry about finding a parking space. Although, we walked most of the city anyway.

Savannah was pretty, and had a lot of history. But, I think I had romanticized it so much in my mind, that Paris, France wouldn't have been good enough. It also seemed that hubby was a little antsy to get to the next destination on the list. In fact, he canceled the hotel that night so that he could drive farther towards Blue Ridge. We stayed in Atlanta that night instead.

Since we didn't have as many miles to drive that day, we had time to see something in Atlanta. I didn't know that the Atlanta Zoo has the youngest panda in America. So, when I figured that out, it was a no brainer. The zoo is small, but the gorillas, orangutans, and pandas made the trip worth the admission.

One odd thing is that you can't sell any pictures you take there. There's a big sign out front that says so. Hubby and I would like to sell pics at some point, but the ones at the zoo were obviously for our own pleasure.

I stuck some of the pics in a montage and posted it on youtube. You can look if you like. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN-aJXuIZy8

Tomorrow I'll share the rest of the pics and the surprise he had waiting for me near Blue Ridge.

Why am I up so early?

I admit it, I am a night owl. Given the chance, I will always opt to stay up till 2am. But, I know it's not good for me, and I can see my mood getting worse when I do, so I try to go to bed by 11 each night.

This week, I've been working on Ebay and here, and the kids want the computer during the day. So I have been on the computer, staying up much later than I should.

Last night, I made a concerted effort to get to bed by 10. I made the announcement at dinner, I gave a 30 minute warning at 9:30, and I forced everyone to bed by 10:10. Yes, I was 10 minutes late, but if you know me, that's not bad at all.

I was asleep before I hit the pillow, probably as a result of the sleep debt I'd incurred. And, I woke up at 4:15 am.

I thought that I just needed to go to the bathroom, so I did and crawled back under the covers. But, I soon realized that I just wasn't tired anymore. I laid there until 4:56, and decided that it was pointless. I was awake, I might as well get moving.

So, I got up and checked my auctions, my e-mail, and my FlyLady reminders. It's now 7 and the rest of the family is up (except dd who would sleep till 1 every day if I let her).

Now that hubby isn't in the bedroom, I can go and make my bed and get dressed for the day. Then there's the morning routine of unloading the dishwasher and starting the laundry. We're testing for home school in three weeks, so I have a lot of reviewing with the kids...I guess I need to get moving.

Hope everyone has a productive day.




My only question is, what time should I go to bed tonight?

Whole Wheat Pasta Vegetable Lasagne

From time to time, I'd like to talk about dinner. I don't want this to be about food or recipes, but I'd like to share some of the simpler things I make for dinner.

If you really want a website that's big on simple cooking, go to www.savingdinner.com. Leanne really has it covered. Her freezer meals are a great way to eat healthy even when you have to be out of the house all day.

I recently had a reason to put my hubby on a diet, but that's another story. The point is, that I've been trying to eat healthier. We've always eaten vegetables, but now I'm trying to eliminate enriched flour and high fructose corn syrup.

Whole wheat pasta has been a challenge for me. It seems like the flavor of the pasta always overpowers the dish. I can't just substitute whole wheat for regular in my recipes. So, my poor family has had to endure me learning to cook all over again.

Tonight, I made lasagne. It was pretty good, it tasted fresh, like real food should. That's what I like about losing the fake foods, everything tastes better.

Until now, you're thinking: "I don't have time to cook from scratch", "Who does she think she is?". Let me just cut in here to say that dinner was not without its mishaps. First of all, after I promised my son that I would make it, I remembered that my oven is broken. That's a whole 'nother story too. I couldn't disappoint him, so I decided to adjust it to fit in a pan that would fit in the toaster oven. My point is that you can have real food, even if you're not perfect.

Here's how I made my lasagne:

I cut up half an onion and five cloves of garlic. I sauted them in garlic oil in a small sauce pan. Well actually, I started to saute them, and my mother called. While I was distracted, I remembered that my oregano needed trimmed. Taking the cordless phone out to the herb garden, I cut some for the sauce. Then I came in to find the onion and garlic burning on the stove.

I decided that it was salvagable, burnt garlic is bitter, but not unedible. It wasn't black, just darker than the soft saute I wanted. I added a large can of diced tomatoes and a small can of sauce, and set it on medium.

Hubby was bowling on the Wii in the next room, and I challenged him to a game. My son walked into the kitchen, took the lid off, and smelled the sauce. He commented that it smelled wonderful.

My son knows how to cook, or so I thought. After I bowled that frame, I checked on my sauce. It was at a full rolling boil, and the bottom was scorched. Apparently, my son didn't realize it needed to cook slowly. So, I transfered the sauce that wasn't stuck to the bottom of the pan to a new pan and set it on Low while I finished my game of bowling.

My son boiled the noodles, and I microwaved some vegetables. I used a frozen zucchini and squash mixture. If I would have thought ahead, I would have added the veggies in with the tomatoes, and they would have all simmered together, but I didn't. So, I microwaved them for 7 minutes in a bowl with a little water and some plastic wrap on the top. When they were done, I added them to the sauce with some of the fresh oregano (if you add herbs too soon, they lose their flavor).

I put some (1 1/2 cups?) ricotta cheese in a bowl with one egg and stirred it up. Then, I put a layer of noodles on the bottom of the pan and sprinkled it with shredded mozzarella cheese. I put a layer of the ricotta cheese mixture over that, and then the sauce. I finished off with a layer of noodles, a very thin spread of sauce, a generous sprinkling of mozzarella cheese, and a sprinkle of parmesean cheese.

If I would have been using a normal sized pan, I would have made several layers, but I used a small pan that would fit in the toaster oven. As it turned out, I think only having one layer of noodles was a good idea with the whole wheat pasta.

I baked it at 350 while I beat my husband at Wii golf. :-)

See, it turned out OK, even though I had problems (most of them self-inflicted). I'd love to get some real recipes with whole wheat pasta. If you have any, e-mail them to me. I will try them and let you know what my family thought.

The artist side of me

I love to make things, and I love art. I really love making things with textiles, I love any fiber. I worked at a fabric store for a while, just because I loved folding the fabric. Yes, it is an illness.
I'm what my mom calls a jack of all trades, master of none. I knit, crochet, smock, needle felt, cross stitch, quilt, if it uses fabric or yarn, I do it. I go in phases, where I do one thing more than others, but I usually make bears, dolls, or something to dress them in. I can make clothes, but I find more enjoyment in making something decorative.
This month, with the flowers blooming, I was feeling very frilly. So, I made fluffy porch pillows. I also just sat down one night while hubby was watching t.v. and made a couple thread bears. They're fun, because it doesn't matter if they turn out right, because there's no pattern. They become what they want to become. And, of course, I needle felted a bear. I love needle felting, it's like sculpting, but I still get the textile feel.
When I got back from vacation, I got them listed on Ebay. You can look if you like: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZlullaby*lakeQQhtZ-1QQfrppZ50QQfsopZ1QQfsooZ1QQrdZ0
I'll get pictures of past projects up soon, I have a feeling there's going to be a lot of work involved in setting up a blog.

April droughts don't bring May flowers

I’m so happy, we are finally getting some rain. When it rains frequently, I get a little depressed. But we need it so badly right now, I’ll just get some inside chores done today.

I have some things that I’d like to get listed on Ebay Sunday, so I need a reason to be stuck inside today.

This time of year makes me want to get outside. When the Florida heat really sets in, I’ll still want to be out in it, just at the beach or the lake. But when it’s in the low 80’s, I want to plant things. Unfortunately, I don’t have an irrigation system, and we haven’t had rain in months, so I have been a little discouraged. I’m concentrating on fertilizing, weeding, and maintaining what I have. This year, I’ve decided to just start at the front door and work my way out into the rest of the yard.


It took me a while to come to this more balanced viewpoint. When I moved to the lake, I thought I could manage 3 acres on my own, right away. I took on projects that would have required a full-time landscaping crew. To make matters worse, the hurricanes of 2004 proved that the property drained right into the house. Three feet of water in the living room showed us the site plan needed major revisions.

In 2005, my dad used a bulldozer for a week and re-graded the property. It was 2 feet too low in places, the front porch was one of those. To divert the water away from the house, and into the lake, we had to build a retaining wall. I say we, but it ended up being me. The wall is over 75 feet long, and 3 feet high. Every stone was put in place by yours truly.

On the site plan, my house looked like a little dot. I should have kept that in mind when I designed the beds. See, the wall obscured the entire front of our house. From the street, you can only see the front of the wall, which is at ground level. I didn’t want our house to look like a roof sticking out of grass, so I planned a cottage garden that would make the wall look like it was planned. The circular driveway is right beside that bed.

On paper, it was pretty. In my mind, it was beautiful. So, full of hope, I went to the nursery to buy plants to fill it. I envisioned Lantana and Jasmine along the wall, because it would fill in and cascade down the side. I already had some, so I just divided and planted what I had. I had some herbs that I also divided. I still had a lot of bed to fill, so I went to the nursery and bought flats of annuals. I filled my trunk and backseat with flowers. I was so excited to get home and put them in. I had a basic plan in my head, and I started to place the flowers.

When I’m in the garden, I don’t really think much, I just lose myself in the feel of the dirt and the smell of the flowers, occasionally getting completely distracted by a passing butterfly. I came back to my senses when I realized that I had planted every flower I brought home. Why did it look so empty? I bought flats and flats of flowers, did I bring them all home?

It was at this point, that I realized the wall I built was 75 feet, but the front of the house already had a wall across the porch, so the flower bed is a little over 100 feet wide. When you factor in that it’s 12 feet deep, that’s over 1200 square feet of plants. If I put in plants that cover a square foot, I need 1200 plants. At a dollar a plant, I was in way over my head.

That year, I finished off with wildflower seed mixes. It looked silly for a while, but the cosmos finally really packed a big punch at the end of the summer. When the annuals died off, it really looked bad, and since there had been grass there before, weeding was a constant problem. Pulling the grass in the flowerbed was especially disturbing, since I couldn’t get it to grow anywhere else on the three acre property. It was like hair in a bald man’s ears.

Each year since then, I have added a few more perennials when I plant the wild flower seeds. Someday I don’t think I’ll have to plant the seeds, because I have a lot of volunteers already. The existing lantana and jasmine are filling in nicely, and the smell of the jasmine actually gets a little overwhelming on warm evenings. My mom and dad gave me a volunteer crepe myrtle from their house, and friends and neighbors have been generous with extras from their yards too.

With the focus of the yard being this one bed, I had to let other projects go. I haven’t even had time for my vegetable garden, although this winter the flower bed did have onions in it, and there are cherry tomatoes growing among the vinca right now.

I’ve finally got it under control enough that I feel I can take on one more project. My dear sweet hubby wants grass. I feel that grass is not an environmentally sound option, but I can add fertilizer and water to one small part of the yard to keep the peace in the family. I do admit that it would be nice to have a small lawn for the kids to play on. But, if we could get a summer rainy season, it would make the job easier.

Come on clouds, you can do it.

A Simple Hello

Hi,
This is one of those things that I've been meaning to do. It's on that list I carry in my head of the things I'd like to do someday. Well, I finally took the leap, I made a blog.
I actually started one on Ebay last year. But, I sell dolls, bears, and sweet stuff there. My name is even sweet, Lullaby*Lake.
I didn't want to have to keep that up all the time. I mean, basically I'm a nice enough person, but sometimes things do go wrong in my life. Hey, I'm not perfect. Isn't that good to know?
So, this is the real me, simple enough. The real me always wanted to be a mom, and I got the career of my choice. I've been married for 19 years, and have a 14 year-old son and a 12 year-old daughter. I've home schooled them for 5 years now, and before that I was on the PTO and a member of the Elementary School Task Force.
I have had office jobs. We lived near Tampa, and I was the first female that VALIC offered an analyst position. I didn't take it, my son was a newborn at the time, and I chose to stay home with him instead.
When I first quit work, I could barely make Hamburger Helper. When baby number two came along, I really lost track of laundry and just about everything else. Around that time, my husband decided it would be a good idea to be self-employed, so I was the secretary/bookkeeper for him. Housekeeping came last on my list of priorities. Actually, I came last.
And then, after many emotional rollercoasters, I found FlyLady. She helped me see that it wasn't that I wasn't organized, it was that I wasn't loving myself. I wasn't taking care of me.
Now that I've been flywashed, I am much better at being a wife and mother. But, more importantly, I'm happier being a wife and mother.
So, this blog is about the new me. I'm not a desperate housewife, I'm contented. I could put the kids in school tomorrow and get a job, but it wouldn't make me happy.
I hope you can get some encouragement from checking in once in a while.
If you've never heard of FlyLady, and haven't already googled it, here's a link: www.flylady.net