tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87952508331167094192024-03-05T12:56:20.227-07:00The Bingham DiariesMarried mom of four, living with Multiple Sclerosis. I'm a garden enthusiast and suburban homesteader, and I have been making taglines and real life encounters awkward since forever. Caroline C. Binghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08883064932707416161noreply@blogger.comBlogger1840125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795250833116709419.post-62885258224945952762022-10-20T15:51:00.000-06:002022-10-20T15:51:01.706-06:00Summer of Sepsis, part 1<p> I am stuck in a pain cycle right now and it is KILLER. My meds aren't touching it and I've tried some alternative meds and <i>nothing.</i> It sucks because I can't eat, I can't sleep, I can't work. I mean, I'm sort of doing those things, but not very successfully. It's absolutely maddening. </p><p>So of course I'm going to hop onto ye olde' blog and complain. OF COURSE I AM. </p><p>In other news, I guess it's as good a time as any to talk about my Summer of Sepsis. Yes, that is what I'm calling it for the rest of my life, because it was a BIG HUGE DEAL and is still affecting my health. I have permanent damage to my lungs, spleen, liver, and kidneys. It's also why I'm currently stuck in a pain cycle. LIFE IS SO SUPER DUPER FUN. On to the story... </p><p style="text-align: center;">------</p><p>On June 15th, I was scheduled for a surgical repair of my guts. There was about an inch of my esophagus that needed to be removed, where it meets the stomach, due to prolonged damage from a number of factors. I also had some growths in my intestines that needed to be removed. </p><p>The surgery is very safe, though intense, and required quite a bit of pre-op preparations which were followed to the letter. </p><p>However, we are talking about ME, and my tendency to be medically *ExTrA* did not disappoint. </p><p>The first thing the surgeons noticed was an overabundance of scarring which was essentially locking my organs in place. My liver, spleen, and left lung were the most damaged. </p><p>It was also noted that a previous surgery was done in a manner not commonly practiced anymore. Again, not wrong, but not ideal. </p><p>My surgeons cleaned up as much damage as possible, made some corrections, then continued with their original mission. The surgery was successful and I went to recovery, where I stayed an extra night due to the complications. I was discharged, with oxygen orders, after an uneventful 48 hours. </p><p>At home, on Saturday the 18th, I started feeling unwell. I figured it was due to the typical after-surgery care... when the "good drugs" are officially out of your system and you are adjusting to the discomfort of the healing process. </p><p>I was ALSO being monitored remotely via medical devices and apps, which I will say right now were a godsend and literally saved my life. The app started to ping my surgeon because my pulse rate and blood pressure were wildly varied. Then I started having difficulty breathing, despite being on oxygen.</p><p>Saturday was bad, but Sunday was worse. </p><p>I read through all my patient materials again and again. I figured I was having gas pains. Or maybe I was drinking my water too quickly and swallowing too much air. Maybe I wasn't drinking enough and was dehydrated. I was doing my best to troubleshoot the situation. Then my left shoulder exploded. </p><p> A sharp, sudden pain burst behind my left breast and traveled down my side and across my belly. I screamed in pain and fell to my knees. I started to cry and it took Troy, Blayne, and Taylor to get me into bed. I took as many pain meds as I could and started eating Gas-X chewables like they were candy. </p><p>The shoulder explosion began to repeat on loop and Sunday night was spent in agony. </p><p>On Monday morning, I called the surgeon to request more pain meds. The nurse I spoke with was kind, but firm, that no more prescription pain meds would be called in. <i>(tangent 1: You see, in a NORMAL world, I 100% agree with the nurse. But in a CAROLINE world, where a person has an extremely high pain and drug tolerance, I do not agree with the nurse.)</i> I tried to convey my issues, but it is hard to talk when you are in pain, on drugs, and exhausted. The phone call ended and I lay in my bed wondering if a trip to the ER would be dramatic or not. <i>(tangent 2: when you have a decades-long history of being written off by doctors as "dramatic" you will for the rest of your life wonder if you are actually feeling what you are feeling.)</i></p><p>As I was lying in bed, feeling like death, a phone call came in. It was another nurse from the surgeon's office. She had pulled my monitors and based on the information, they wanted me to head to the Emergency Room since I was having trouble breathing. </p><p>Permission was all I needed. </p><p>However, I was at home with Taylor and Blayne, my two non-driver people and there was no way I could drive myself because I was on oxygen and could barely stand upright with the help of my walker and a person. So I called Daniel and Thaddeus, who were both working at McDonald's, and said "I need one of you to drive me to the ER. Right. Now." There was a bit of a kerfuffle in the background, but soon enough, Daniel was back at the house and helped me get into the car. </p><p>He raced me to the ER, and dropped me and Taylor off, before heading back to work. I hobbled into the emergency room, bent over in pain, and told them I had had surgery at this location, five days ago, and I can't breathe and my doctor said to come in. </p><p>I must have looked terrible because I was immediately taken back to a room for further examination. Things started to get a little hazy here because I was placed on a morphine drip. Labs were drawn and I had a CT scan. I must have dozed off a bit, because I remember being woken by a nurse who was telling me they were going to take me back for surgery NOW. </p><p>And I said to him, "I'm so happy there's something wrong." </p><p>And he said, "Yes, there is something very, very wrong. You should have come in sooner."</p><p>And that is the last thing I remember. Lying in a bed, telling a guy I was happy there was something wrong with me, with Taylor sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, wide-eyed and scared. </p>Caroline C. Binghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08883064932707416161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795250833116709419.post-84459955671511609982022-10-04T19:01:00.000-06:002022-10-16T19:02:39.610-06:00Elder Thaddeus Bingham<p>June 8, 2022 </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Thaddeus is called to serve in the Oklahoma, Oklahoma City mission, English-speaking. </li></ul><div><br /></div><div>June/July/August 2022</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Mission preparations are in full force. Suit fittings. Temple clothes. Luggage. Plus a million other things that you need to do to prepare someone to leave for two years. </li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1XSZYtf0oSpa8NPJNNNVmeOQ2logKlR22wxiEasZdsylio0_IZHA0fFlkMVdg5yV0Zecl0HZDE_qKQ5J6O2Jt6fe5jg7AB8Vhwjre7oLXLKu_0bEKbt7UBlUy0pUGp7lbkXcE465UxoNoXh_GGSK6od7kTMvT2XsNgQAaRjhaK76NowC6EYEUzbiFQ/s4032/thaddeus%20suit%20fitting%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1XSZYtf0oSpa8NPJNNNVmeOQ2logKlR22wxiEasZdsylio0_IZHA0fFlkMVdg5yV0Zecl0HZDE_qKQ5J6O2Jt6fe5jg7AB8Vhwjre7oLXLKu_0bEKbt7UBlUy0pUGp7lbkXcE465UxoNoXh_GGSK6od7kTMvT2XsNgQAaRjhaK76NowC6EYEUzbiFQ/w300-h400/thaddeus%20suit%20fitting%202.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div>August 21, 2022 </div></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Thaddeus is ordained an Elder and receives the Melchezidek priesthood. </li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><p>August 28, 2022 </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Thaddeus has his missionary farewell in Layton, Utah. </li><li>Thaddeus receives his temple recommend.</li><li>Open house to celebrate Thaddeus and wish him luck on his mission</li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOVnFnqymjh_ixCSeNBVaZx3JmeeaVAdKgrFYFQ8J8ltnIIOmuiS1i4c7zwwQgivFYkMi93CQfrnmKrO1cQpd89Db0U0uHd27V3vQiP1KZGkLe7ZicNuBslEFQ5vCNGat56_8hY25Wyf28yoi6nerK0YD743Bgq1nwKonJVW966RcLgUaarbaIRkh4Q/s2738/0828221103%20(2022-10-16T21_37_59.085).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2169" data-original-width="2738" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOVnFnqymjh_ixCSeNBVaZx3JmeeaVAdKgrFYFQ8J8ltnIIOmuiS1i4c7zwwQgivFYkMi93CQfrnmKrO1cQpd89Db0U0uHd27V3vQiP1KZGkLe7ZicNuBslEFQ5vCNGat56_8hY25Wyf28yoi6nerK0YD743Bgq1nwKonJVW966RcLgUaarbaIRkh4Q/w400-h316/0828221103%20(2022-10-16T21_37_59.085).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>August 30, 2022</div><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Thaddeus receives his endowment in the Bountiful, Utah temple. His Ellsworth grandparents were able to come to Utah and go through the temple with him. </li></ul><div><br /></div><div>September 4, 2022</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Thaddeus is in an ATV accident. Has hairline fracture to the clavicle and cracked ribs, A.C. joint separation, and pulmonary contusion. Has to wear a sling and is ordered to take it easy.<br /></li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6ZEVdPba9P3KTXcsF00RfIouOARGB-v-nQzzAVLrSiA4GrbxJn-Vy77O27zFQ7GH1EscyfNOq671b_rPA0b_spOo5pwx6Y3lYrh_ijrRbeL6HJdvm8auEEGb40WRzkrsKq7wM1sWMrZTcUeyhFp2j4MCdmpCdRXM6g_5qD9l5b7igaVZLRilliOGfA/s2702/0904220000%20(2022-10-16T21_43_15.709).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2420" data-original-width="2702" height="359" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6ZEVdPba9P3KTXcsF00RfIouOARGB-v-nQzzAVLrSiA4GrbxJn-Vy77O27zFQ7GH1EscyfNOq671b_rPA0b_spOo5pwx6Y3lYrh_ijrRbeL6HJdvm8auEEGb40WRzkrsKq7wM1sWMrZTcUeyhFp2j4MCdmpCdRXM6g_5qD9l5b7igaVZLRilliOGfA/w400-h359/0904220000%20(2022-10-16T21_43_15.709).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div></div><div>September 11, 2022</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Thaddeus is set apart as a Missionary</li></ul><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZwehRKWuQyaXrueCgoHq3o-noUPPxu5YZ4Am6kbp_rGY37mhpAWIE7TIRqGeVb2lBeYzY7Ku5nSGpPbIq2_qxJ04yciXVM3nsaeHQdVnjv2H9ZhqeAnkA88ayqJVoT_9KPFYaecU6bqSmnXKOilpX3aJuSyobsR0p9O0BCfXAf4selJ10GtPFpWh8JQ/s2558/0911221741%20(2022-10-16T21_36_59.192).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1999" data-original-width="2558" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZwehRKWuQyaXrueCgoHq3o-noUPPxu5YZ4Am6kbp_rGY37mhpAWIE7TIRqGeVb2lBeYzY7Ku5nSGpPbIq2_qxJ04yciXVM3nsaeHQdVnjv2H9ZhqeAnkA88ayqJVoT_9KPFYaecU6bqSmnXKOilpX3aJuSyobsR0p9O0BCfXAf4selJ10GtPFpWh8JQ/w400-h313/0911221741%20(2022-10-16T21_36_59.192).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>September 12, 2022</div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Due to coronavirus protocols, the Missionary Training Center experience begins at home</li></ul><div><br /></div><div>September 21, 2022</div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Thaddeus enters the Provo, Utah MTC. </li></ul><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJVPhTNtMm6enGDW2ltaThhDh_fPCJLa2jPMmLi8xLTaeOCSZBM8cgVGzpxDHNPqJcXpzsZlHPeHoJlRN5bhaPby0WGkfbgsY8sry9TDZan3zC2wyixlRBrH5oejxFgZ31Me25Qx15OBJ1De7vs1mz_kgOzf7Kj_AXLlRorQZMaV2aPFLk8kLdWXhXlw/s2736/MTC%20drop%20off.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="2055" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJVPhTNtMm6enGDW2ltaThhDh_fPCJLa2jPMmLi8xLTaeOCSZBM8cgVGzpxDHNPqJcXpzsZlHPeHoJlRN5bhaPby0WGkfbgsY8sry9TDZan3zC2wyixlRBrH5oejxFgZ31Me25Qx15OBJ1De7vs1mz_kgOzf7Kj_AXLlRorQZMaV2aPFLk8kLdWXhXlw/w300-h400/MTC%20drop%20off.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvIflaLAFBxIY96QLIDknX85fFaBdShxevz94Ovza1zM5zHo945cPFW4VFAAViX_XC4107JEgdWIL7-_IkpgSNNBqO4-3rRGPNT1g6ZNs8Wi0xXHAyem5_IONw5PlXdJFzQGnltiUR1aaDCg9G2Ha0k9lRIeUxBGPCIZ8ZcL3atG2jSgKl5mqt1wJuaQ/s2099/MTC%20dropoff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1577" data-original-width="2099" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvIflaLAFBxIY96QLIDknX85fFaBdShxevz94Ovza1zM5zHo945cPFW4VFAAViX_XC4107JEgdWIL7-_IkpgSNNBqO4-3rRGPNT1g6ZNs8Wi0xXHAyem5_IONw5PlXdJFzQGnltiUR1aaDCg9G2Ha0k9lRIeUxBGPCIZ8ZcL3atG2jSgKl5mqt1wJuaQ/w400-h300/MTC%20dropoff.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>October 4, 2022</div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Thaddeus is officially in Oklahoma. </li></ul><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDY2ZvkHzgsw0NJ_lQdZLRC3ti6YeZXqbPWa4XznOTr5uUtH2MFPNjlgcW6yz6-jSc187rD73f-ryfgvFHNtXOIsTnNTBLn3RzevPDoIBsivyHjY2OvFYFH3zEfXbOthPUXm2RR2ueg2Jf_48j6VMm5St3aFQTFVcpQ_7ZysybaFRukVrN5IqUe07BTA/s2048/1st%20day%20in%20Oklahoma%2010-4-22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1248" data-original-width="2048" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDY2ZvkHzgsw0NJ_lQdZLRC3ti6YeZXqbPWa4XznOTr5uUtH2MFPNjlgcW6yz6-jSc187rD73f-ryfgvFHNtXOIsTnNTBLn3RzevPDoIBsivyHjY2OvFYFH3zEfXbOthPUXm2RR2ueg2Jf_48j6VMm5St3aFQTFVcpQ_7ZysybaFRukVrN5IqUe07BTA/w640-h390/1st%20day%20in%20Oklahoma%2010-4-22.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><p></p>Caroline C. Binghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08883064932707416161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795250833116709419.post-75804002506633737922022-04-16T02:32:00.001-06:002022-04-16T02:32:34.282-06:00March-ish to April-ish 2022<p> My face is back to normal now. Hooray. (She's says with lackluster.) At any rate, my brain is doing just fine. I just had my yearly MRI and the results are stable. What does that mean? Not a whole hell of a lot. The reason I have to have my brain looked at is that the disease progression of MS can be spotted on an MRI of the brain BEFORE it's noticed physically. But disease progression in other parts of the body that are controlled by the nerves in the spinal cord is usually noticed <i>physically</i> before you can see the progression on the spinal MRI. Are you confused yet? At any rate, I am STABLE and my brain more or less has the same amount of damage as last year. That being said, there is definite, noticeable brain atrophy, which gives more weight to the fact that I am losing my words more, and more often. </p><p>ALSO. </p><p>The disease progression has gotten to the point where I will need another surgery. They need to remove some of my esophagus and intestines, plus it's time to remove some old scar tissue courtesy of my handy dandy connective tissue disease. It will be awesome to not feel like I'm being squeezed all the time and I'm ESPECIALLY looking forward to less vomiting. </p><p>THEN, when THAT is done and over, I will be getting two more dental implants and another bone graft. I mean, can you even handle my glamorous life? I'm very excited about the whole teeth thing though because I've been waiting a long time. We had to get through 3 sets of braces and a wisdom tooth surgery before it was my turn. And our insurance resets on May 1 so there will be plenty of money for co-pays and such. </p><p>In non-Caroline news, we are getting Thaddeus ready to send in his mission papers. He has been working really hard to get things in motion, including setting up his own doctor appointments. It's super helpful because work is crazy for both me and Troy. (And there I go making non-Caroline things into Caroline-centric things.) </p><p>We are trying new meds for Blayne. We are switching to something a little stronger and hopefully a lot better at quieting some of the voices in our head. </p><p>Daniel is doing great. He has his appointment set up on his birthday to get his drivers license. If you can keep a secret, I've been letting/making Daniel drive people places instead of me. <span> THAT'S WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU GET A LICENSE. <span> </span></span></p><p>Taylor has been really getting into sewing and making clothes. She right this minute is making a gray bustier. She found a pattern she liked on Etsy, bought it, and immediately set to work. </p><p>Which reminds me that I have to work in a few hours, so I need to get some sleep. Man alive, life really just gets crazier and crazier the older the kids get. </p><p><br /></p>Caroline C. Binghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08883064932707416161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795250833116709419.post-63454882251963109492022-03-21T17:42:00.006-06:002022-04-16T01:26:03.886-06:00March 21, 2022<p> It's not been 9 months since I've updated the blog. Pfhht. We have been up to the same old, same old and it is very boring. I guess in the beginning it wasn't very boring, but now we're used to all the changes so... BORED. </p><p>Thaddeus is officially a high school graduate. He graduated a year early because he switched schools and they accepted work credits as electives, and he has been working since he was 15 so BOOM. Graduated. These days he's working a ton and fixing broken stuff all the time. My garage is a disaster. First, he had an old honda civic, then he had a truck. Now he has a motorcycle. The motorcycle doesn't work *yet* but it probably will be running sooner than later. Currently, he walks around the house in a motorcycle helmet because you have to break 'em in, especially if you have pokey-outy ears. He also moved out of the house for a bit, then realized maybe we're not so bad, so now he's back and a little bit nicer about stuff. </p><p>Blayne is a junior and is back at a regular high school. We tried going to an alternative school for a while, but that was a little too much, so then we had to just, take a whole break from school for a few months while we focused on fixing our brain chemistry. Sorry, kiddo. After lots of come-to-Jesus talks and lots of closely monitored med adjustments, we are happy to say that Blayne is back at school (of their own volition) and it's hard some days and that's okay because we can do hard things. We can cry about it, complain about it, and hate every stinking minute, but we can do it. </p><p>Daniel is a sophomore and is also the tallest person in the house. He is also in the process of growing a beard, but we/I would really like him to shave. I actually think his almost-beard would look better, because his facial hair is too fine, and it would look better all the same length. However, I'm just the mom so my suggestions are trash. He's doing well in school and is getting really interested in machining/manufacturing. He made a new knob for the stick shift in the Jeep. And he made a little hammer. He's actually pretty good are making things and figuring out how to get things to go together just right. </p><p>Taylor has also been having some fun times with therapy and brain meds. Fun fact: since she was born so freaking early, she probably should have been in occupational therapy, like, all her life. But she wasn't, so now we're playing catch up, because while YOUR anxiety might make you cry, HER anxiety make her have pretty violent motor and vocal tics. (We've been to a LOT of brain people this last year.) Good news is that her tics have calmed down enough that she was able to go back to school. (Yes, we all took extended breaks from school, because I was not going to let her go to school while she was ticking so badly because kids are assholes.) ANYWAYS. Taylor is also back at school, part-time, and doing pretty well. Taylor is also in the process of maybe being diagnosed with autism, but maybe not, but she DOES have a neuro-cognitive processing disorder, and also a teeny splash of OCD/ADD. </p><p>(Look, we just give all our money to therapists, okay? It's FINE.) And no, I won't elaborate any more than that because not really my story to tell, you know? </p><p>I also had a job change and I'm now working for JetBlue Airlines and you guys? It kinda sucks. I mean, having a job and working from home is nice, but also not nice, because you're never NOT at work. It's a whole thing. I would tell you more about things, but I'm in the middle of an MS flare and I can't feel my bottom lips or the tip of my tongue and you guys? I WANT TO RIP MY FACE OFF. It's irritatingly painful and hurts the least if I leave my mouth open a little bit, but like, who want to sit with their mouth hanging open? WHO? The answer is nobody. </p><p>I guess the most important familial event of the month is that Troy and I have been married for 20 years now, and that feels weird to say and I don't like it. Oh, and Troy is doing fine. Still working for the transit authority doing accounting things. That's the extent of my knowledge and interest. Do you have a job? Do you love it? No? Can you put up with it? Yes? Good. </p><p>For real though, I'm going to go ice my face. because if more of my face is numb, it makes the MS numbness not as irritating. Again, Brains are stupid. </p><p>The end. </p>Caroline C. Binghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08883064932707416161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795250833116709419.post-38479713580552420792021-05-13T11:37:00.004-06:002021-05-13T11:37:46.753-06:00Life Updates 2.0I am tired. I am really, REALLY tired. Of everything. Of nothing. Life has just been A LOT, and whenever I think I have one part figured out, then a new issue jumps the line, begging for attention. <div><br /></div><div>And I'm just DONE. </div><div><br /></div><div>Currently keeping me awake at night are worries about whether or not to vaccinate Blayne for COVID. (I'm vaccinated. So is Troy. And Thaddeus) Because on the one hand YES! Vaccines! Hooray! But on the other hand: covid psychosis. Because people with a history of certain things (hello hallucinations) have a higher risk of triggering a very scary and severe psychosis. </div><div><br /></div><div>Another thing keeping me awake is Taylor, who has developed a tic. Which is going to be a fun rabbit hole of a health history deep dive, to try and figure out what the underlying cause is. Is this because she was born 8 weeks prematurely? Maybe it's her history of strep. There's also the autoimmune factor. But what if it's an allergy? Or maybe this is because she had Lyme disease when we lived in Virginia. Or maybe it's because of her chronic kidney disease. What if she's allergic to all the grains too? Maybe she has inherited my MS. Maybe it's all of those. Maybe it's none of those. </div><div><br /></div><div>And while we're at it, let's add in an existential crisis wherein I am trying so, so hard to grapple with faith and humanity and am continually, but unsurprisingly, disappointed in both. </div><div><br /></div><div>Oh, and let's not forget to mention that Thaddeus moved out. Because of COURSE he did. He is officially an emancipated minor and wants to succeed in life, on his own, without anybody's help. Naturally, that relationship has changed and we now have Thaddeus over for Sunday night dinner and games, and he sometimes visits during the week. </div><div><br /></div><div>Also, school will be out soon, and we have been figuring out our summer schedules. Blayne, Daniel, and Taylor are all taking summer school to get a few more credits under their belts. Plus, they would prefer to do PE/Fit for Life classes at home, instead of at school, and I can't say I blame them. </div><div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile, I'm just working a ton and trying to keep clients happy. The garden is going great. The chickens are fine. (Dottie has gone broody TWICE though. I swear if she does it a third time, she will have to go live somewhere else.) We've also been keeping track of our passport applications, and the CDC traveling requirements. We have a trip to Mexico scheduled in a couple of months, but who knows if it will be cancelled or not. LIFE IS JUST SO EXCITING. </div>Caroline C. Binghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08883064932707416161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795250833116709419.post-77728089626296559012021-03-08T10:51:00.004-07:002021-03-08T10:51:46.076-07:00Anniversary<p> I am on Day Three of the COVID vaccine. I was lucky enough to get the one dose, Johnson & Johnson version. However, I began to develop a headache almost immediately after the injection. I've also been very tired and achy. Today is the worst with the muscle aches though. It hurts to stand too long or do too much. Thankfully, day three is supposed to be the worst of it, and then I'll start to feel like a regular person again. </p><p>In other news.... the weather is warming up. There are even green things starting to poke their heads out from the ground. This is super exciting! In another 7ish weeks, it'll be warm enough to start putting things in the ground. And this year our crops are going to be a bit different on account of our new food allergies. I need to focus on growing and putting up lots of things that we CAN eat. </p><p>It's also official that ALL the chickens are laying eggs. And we have some beautiful colored eggs, blues and greens and pinks and browns. They look happy and beautiful sitting on my counter. Except that I now have a LOT of eggs, and we really don't eat THAT many. Starting in July/August, I'll be waterglassing some of the extras. But I have a good bit of waterglassed eggs already that I need to get through before I start adding any new ones. So I'm going to be ordering egg cartons today and put out a little "for sale" notice to a local page. I don't even know how much to charge. I guess I need to figure out how much pasture-raised eggs go for. </p><p>What else, what else... It's officially been a year of the pandemic. Oh! And today is mine and Troy's nineteenth wedding anniversary. We shall celebrate by ordering dinner from a restaurant and eating it at home with all the kids. It's a bit lame, but OH WELL. WE'RE OLD AND LAME. We'll do something fun and exciting next year. </p>Caroline C. Binghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08883064932707416161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795250833116709419.post-61007205403640646102021-02-25T10:22:00.002-07:002021-02-25T10:22:23.591-07:00Another day, another headache<p>My head HURTS today. </p><p>I had a deadline this last Monday, with a presentation, and I worked HARD all weekend long, staying up late to get certain things finished on time. </p><p>Now, you should know, I gave up Dr. Pepper. I just stopped, cold turkey, because I have no self-control, and if it is in the house I will drink it. So it's GONE *poof* and everything was going swell. </p><p>Until. </p><p>(The dreaded until...) I was on day three of 12-15 hour work days, and I was in the middle of animating a video for the landing page of a company I work with. And my boys were going out to do something, somewhere, and I said "Hey. Will you please bring me back a Dr. Pepper?" </p><p>Now, these cute boys were like, "Mom. You stopped drinking that. You said that we should never buy you one again." </p><p>And I was like, "I know, but my head is killing me, and I have tons more to do, and I just need some caffeine." </p><p>And then they said, "𝆕okay-ay𝆕" in a kinda sing-song-y type of way. </p><p>Except then they came home. And instead of getting me ONE Dr. Pepper, they went to Sams Club and brought home AN ENTIRE CASE. </p><p>And since I have no self-control, I chugged way, WAY too many cans of Dr. Pepper. </p><p>So now, today, I have a headache from caffeine and sugar withdrawal, but I am POWERING THROUGH with Tylenol and LOTS and LOTS of water. </p><p>And now I know that even when I think I could have maybe just one little sip of my favorite drink, well... I CAN'T. </p><p>The end. </p>Caroline C. Binghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08883064932707416161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795250833116709419.post-70742194814207403832021-02-24T23:23:00.003-07:002021-02-24T23:23:55.298-07:00Too tired <p> I had a busy day today. Taking the kids to school in the morning eats up so much time. We have to leave the house at 7:25, and I take Blayne up to Ogden for school, then it's back to Layton to drop off Daniel and Taylor. I usually get home by about 8:20, but then I have to leave again for school pick up at 11am, 2:30 pm, and 3:30 pm. </p><p>Plus, I had an extra unexpected errand at the dentist. I had two surface fillings break off, and one of the teeth was very sensitive to heat and cold and brushing. Anyways, I had an appointment scheduled for next week, but the office had a cancellation so I was able to get in today at 9:30am. </p><p>Also, this is probably a little bit weird, but... I fall asleep at the dentist. I just close my eyes and manage to fall asleep with my mouth wide open being worked on. I'M JUST VERY COMFORTABLE at the dentist.\</p><p>When my dental nap was over, it was time to pick up prescriptions at the pharmacy. After that, I had a weird window of time... you know the ones. It's too far to drive home and back , but it's too early to just wait for a person to be done with school for the day. At any rate, I managed to hit up the farm store and get some vegetable seeds and seed starting pots. </p><p>While I was in the store, I got a phone call from a number I didn't recognize. Naturally, I did not answer. BUT I SHOULD HAVE! Because Wednesday is maid day, and they got to my house earlier than expected, and I wasn't home to let them in. So I called back, and gave the garage code. Also, I wish I would have had a maid for the last 10 years. They are so stinking amazing and thorough. I wish I would have started using a maid service sooner.</p><p>And THEN it's also my infusion day. Which I also fell asleep at. In fact, I'm falling asleep even as I type this blog post. Infusions always make me so, so tired. </p><p>Plus, when I got home, I needed to do chicken/animal chores, finish up dinner, clean that up, and try to work. I. AM. TIRED.</p><p>And since I've fallen asleep at the keyboard a few times now, I'm gonna sign off until tomorrow.</p>Caroline C. Binghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08883064932707416161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795250833116709419.post-68107392854197100782021-02-23T13:03:00.001-07:002021-02-23T13:03:08.061-07:00allergy suprise<p> Man alive, have we had DEVELOPMENTS around these parts. </p><p>First of all, THE CHILDREN ARE BACK TO SCHOOL! This is the very most exciting thing because they are OUT doing SOMETHING which they haven't DONE for a VERY LONG TIME. </p><p>I AM ALL CAPS EXCITED ABOUT THIS. </p><p>I have also been doing a lot of food experiments lately. You see, one cannot join the military if one has an anaphylactic food allergy, and one human in particular very much wants to join the Air Force. (Hooray! So proud!) Thus, we made an appointment with the immunologist to see the extent of their allergies. Good news: He can join the Air Force. He can eat lobster. Bad news: He is allergic to ALL OF THE GRAINS. All of them. Rye. Barly. Wheat. Corn. Rice. Oats.... All. Of. Them. And mollusks. Also allergic to mollusks. </p><p>To say I have been experimenting with baking is an understatement. </p><p>AND THEN</p><p>IN A <b><u>PLOT TWIST</u></b></p><p>(but not really a big plot twist... kind of like an "I knew something was coming, but I thought it was something else, and whoa, that makes so much sense" kind of way)</p><p>We found out that BLAYNE is allergic to all. the. grains. AND! Yep! They are even MORE allergic to shellfish than their brother. (But we never knew, because we've been avoiding shellfish and etc. since 2005.) So now half of the children in this house <b>cannot eat </b>most of the commercially prepared convenient foods that make my life easy. I mean, it's not a HARD pivot, but it's definitely presented with some challenges. </p><p>I made grain-free pasta. It was okay-ish. I have notes with improvements for next time. Because there most definitely will be a next time, because <i>nowadays,</i> I just get to spend all my time in the kitchen forever and ever and ever, amen. </p><p>I also plan to make appointments for Daniel, Taylor, and myself, because if I have to change all the recipes, I'm only going to change them ONCE and FOR ALL. (I mean, not really once because it takes at least half a dozen times to get something right, which is why I need to have a definitive list of things to avoid.) </p><p>In other news, it's beginning to warm up a bit here in Northern Utah. The days are getting longer and more chickens are laying eggs (thankfully NOT allergic to) which is fascinating to me that their egg cycle is based upon hours of light exposure. So interesting! </p><p>I've also been dreaming of the garden. The garden plan has to change because crops need to be rotated and changed due to dietary restrictions. I even told Troy that I want to take more of the yard and turn it into a vegetable garden, but he is not on board. Ugh. I JUST WANT TO PLAY FARMER. </p><p>We also have a house cleaning service now. I've been working a lot, especially the last few weeks, and I'm just too tired/unmotivated/drained to take care of the house. I can't do the house and the kids and the animals and the cooking and the cleaning and ALSO MY JOB THAT I WORK HARD AT. So I hired housecleaners. It has been the best thing ever, and they come on Wednesdays and I am so grateful that we are able to afford this service. I'll tell you what, my MS is progressing, and I have two spinal cord injuries that aggravate any type of bending over to clean. In all seriousness, the last time I cleaned my bathtub, I was bedridden for 2 days, which essentially undid all of my hard work. </p><p>This brings me to my next thing: work. I have worked in marketing and communications and branding for the past decade-plus. When we decided that I should stop working as a lunch lady, because my exposure risk to covid-19 was too high, I was approached about taking on a new project. I took the job for a number of reasons but the main one was flexibility. I can work from home in pajama pants. I can work at 1am without needing a building key. It's a pretty sweet gig and I've been working on the backend for a few months now. It's always difficult to convey to clients the time and effort that goes into building a cohesive, functional website. It should be ready to launch by March 15, but I really have to WORK. It's definitely not as physically challenging as my last job, but mentally, phew, it's a little rough. OH WELL. </p><p>Beyond that, I've got nothing to say. Happy Tuesday folks! I'm gonna have a nap! </p><p><br /></p>Caroline C. Binghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08883064932707416161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795250833116709419.post-77717381631296387012021-01-07T09:50:00.001-07:002021-01-07T09:50:30.511-07:00Pantry ChallengeFirst off: I AM OFFICIALLY OFF DR. PEPPER.<div><br /></div><div>Thank you (bows) thank you (bows). No really, hold your applause. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's probably a dumb thing to be proud of for a lot of people, but not me. I am a caffeine/sugar addict. So I'm baby-stepping my way out of those. I will work on processed sugar next, but for the here and now, I am SUPER proud of my progress. </div><div><br /></div><div>Part of the reason I've been successful this time is due to a pantry challenge via Instagram. You know how I love my garden? And canning? And being self-reliant? Well, those loves have given my larder quite the haul. I have hundreds of jars of food that will be wasted without use. And I very much dislike food waste. And if we don't eat it, it will be a waste of my time as well, so I committed to doing a pantry challenge. </div><div><br /></div><div>Our goal is to spend as little of our grocery budget as possible. We will still go to the store once a week for milk and dairy products and will keep the spending to $20 or less. Our aim is to use all the odds and ends from the freezer and the larder. If we run out of something, we will have to figure out a work-around. We are on day 7 of the challenge, and it's been pretty fun. And since I'm not going to the store, it's been pretty easy to stop the soda habit. </div><div><br /></div><div>I also love that this challenge has put me back in homemaker mode. (Which is a mode I love and was struggling with.) I'm embarrassed to admit that wintertime always makes me a bit lazy. Without the need to get up and tend the garden, and preserve food, and all that, I find myself doing less and less. And by doing, I mean, cooking, cleaning, parenting, and everything else. This challenge has recharged me. At any rate, I'm hoping to stretch this challenge until at least Valentine's Day, or even until the first part of March. And yes, we do have that much food storage. </div><div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile, in Pandemic News, the kids are going back to in-person learning in about a week. Daniel is the only person that still attends school in person. Daniel is also the only person not failing spectacularly. Thaddeus, Blayne, and Taylor are failing almost all their classes. Can we all say Summer School? Well... maybe not Taylor, but that would only be because she's in 8th grade, and her credits don't quite matter as much as the other kids. And I get it! I've done online school in the past and it is hard to stay motivated and on top of things; probably because I'm too easily distracted. </div><div><br /></div><div>Also, I don't know if you're into American politics, but boy howdy. Yesterday. Yesterday will go down in infamy. I watched the news, horrified by the images being broadcast. I was thinking of my friends back East and their families, and hoping that they were able to stay safe during the rioting at the US Capitol. It was also frustrating to watch. Where was the tear gas? Where were the police in riot gear? Where was the National Guard? It is a stark contrast to the protests of this past summer. I just have no words, only sadness, frustration, and anger. </div><div><br /></div><div>Well. That's about all I have to say for now. The Christmas holiday passed by pretty quietly. It was the first time in a number of years that we had no visitors, and I gotta tell you... it was nice. The kids slept in, and we just hung around, eating treats and enjoying each other. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Caroline C. Binghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08883064932707416161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795250833116709419.post-53726863606164177362020-11-17T15:56:00.002-07:002020-11-17T15:56:24.541-07:00Ch-ch-ch-changes<p> There has been a LOT of change around here lately. </p><p>Just to bring you up to speed, coronavirus is still alive and kicking, killing thousand and thousands of people. Up here in Utah, the case numbers are on a steep rise. In fact, I had to resign from being a lunch lady, because the exposure risk was too high. I mean, I know at some point my house will get corona. But when it hits, it's not going to be fun. When I get a cold, I am sick for 3-4 months. I can't imagine how long or how hard a toll it will take on my body. And who knows, maybe it'll be no big deal! But it's not a chance we want to take. And Troy! He has asthma and fits the demographic of people who die. Because Covid kills more men than women. Hooray! Nothing like a global pandemic to make you plan your imminent death and outline the steps for what comes next, depending on who dies. </p><p>SO. I quit. I gave two weeks notice. The next day, I FELL OFF THE LADDER. on my neck. And my notice then became effective immediately. Which was the same day the Covid case numbers surpassed 3.9K people. Call it kismet, call it fate. I definitely took it as a sign that I was not supposed to work anymore. </p><p>Anyways, I have a cervical spine injury. Your cervical spine is supposed to be ever so slightly curved, and mine sort of straightened and torqued, and I tore some ligaments, and have bulging discs and lots of swelling. DOESN'T THAT SOUND SO FUN! I even got a super cute neck collar to wear all the time. #sarcasm. At any rate, my neck stinking HURTS. And I have accidentally bumped my head twice since, and thought I was going to DIE each time. Neck braces don't help with cupboard head bonks. </p><p>I have also adopted the most amazing fashion of wearing a fingerless glove on my right hand, because the joints in my right hand are always SO SO COLD. The fingerless glove covers up to my middle knuckles, but leaves my fingertips out, so I still have the same dexterity per usual. I have also decided that Michael Jackson must have had Raynaud's.... totally explains the one glove thing. IT'S A MEDICAL CONDITION PEOPLE. </p><p>And since I'm not working, I now get to be at home with my kids during the day! Thaddeus, Blayne, and Taylor are all doing distance learning. Only Daniel attends school in person. The three home kids have been doing.... well, I'm not really sure what they have been doing. But they have been staying up really late and then sleeping all day, and who knows what their diet or academics actually look like. </p><p>UNTIL NOW. To quote Beetlejuice, "It's SHOWTIME!"</p><p>Yesterday was my first full day as a stay-at-home-mom. I woke everybody up at 7:30am. Then I made them stay awake ALL DAY. And they did school stuff, and we did house stuff, and we cooked, and baked, and Taylor was fine, but Blayne and Thaddeus passed out dead asleep around 6:30pm. I told Troy it was like having little kids all over again, and this first week we are working on resetting our internal clocks. I have also made people go outside. In the sun. I'm such a monster. </p><p>Another thing I have been working on is sourdough bread. I have conquered the starter, and now I'm just playing around and trying different recipes. It definitely take a LOT of time to make sourdough. It's a full two day process. </p><p>What else, what else.... the chickens are great. The dog is great. The people here are iffy, with moments of great. I don't think there's a whole lot more you can ask of people right now. </p>Caroline C. Binghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08883064932707416161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795250833116709419.post-25194445874043848552020-10-23T21:16:00.000-06:002020-10-23T21:16:52.998-06:00Green<p>We had the first freeze of the season last night. LUCKILY, I have leveled up my garden this year with a greenhouse. I feel very, very happy with this development. I also added some PVC to two of my raised beds, making mini hoop houses, so I should be able to extend the grow season there as well. I've gotta tell you, between the winter garden and the chickens, I am a VERY happy camper. I did have a friend ask me about our future plans in regards to this house. My plans are as follows: if we stay, great, if we don't, also great. I mean, our home is great, but it's not our dream house. It ticks all the boxes we needed, though, which is more than a lot of people can say, so we're pretty happy. </p><p>Of course, every time we talk about dream homes and all that, I do tend to look within. We have lived on both coasts. We have lived in starter homes, apartments, duplexes, townhomes... We've lived in the city, and we've lived in the country; in the mountains, and the valleys. And we have been pretty good with it all. My favorite places we've ever lived though, is King William, Virginia. It was gorgeous, we loved the people, the schools, the friends.... Hands down, it was the most beautiful place I have ever lived, and I had the BEST medical team there. The only downside is that we were literally across the country from our families. And Troy has a better job now, here in Utah. </p><p>I just need a little more land, and a few more trees. I am even good with recreating the VA look here, with tree varieties that work in our grow zone. I will create my own woodland paradise, dammit! But I need more land first. hahahaha. In the meantime, I will be the crazy chicken lady with a greenhouse in the backyard. </p><p>In other news, I've started working again with one of my favorite people in the whole entire world. That's right, Elisa and I are back in business together! We already have a few clients and all that jazz. It's pretty fun, because we work so well together, and THIS TIME, we live in the same place! Not gonna lie, when Troy originally proposed moving to Utah, my first thought was, "OH! I GET TO LIVE BY ELISA!" and you guys, we literally live like, an 8 minute drive away from each other, fifteen if you hit a red light. Isn't that so derpy? It is, and I DON'T CARE AND SHE FEELS THE SAME WAY AND THAT'S JUST THE KIND OF PEOPLE WE ARE. </p><p>The kids are, well, the kids are struggling in school. We live in state of dum-dums, and people are super great at spreading germs. I can't even get into the whole thing without getting SUPER frustrated and annoyed. Between the pandemic and this horror show election year, there are just entire subjects I don't feel like talking about, because, frankly, I am talked out. I'm not even angry about things anymore. I'm really sad and disappointed, and it has definitely changed how I view a LOT of people... and I know I shouldn't allow people's behavior and actions to change my outlook on life, but it has. As our personal death counts go up, five so far in just the last few months, my faith in humanity grows smaller and smaller. </p><p>I also truly believe that good, GOOD people, are being deceived so adeptly, that they don't even realize it, and not every person is educated on the subtleties of digital media marketing, which is a damn shame. Fortunately for me, it's kind of what I do, and have done, professionally, for over a decade. I know how the algorithms work, because I have used them all to my advantage for years. I am so well versed in creating deep fakes and the like, that I feel like I could teach a master class on the subject. Oh wait, I HAVE done that. And one of the super, duper, MOST frustrating thing is interacting with people that have been duped. It's fine. But I am definitely keeping track of who people are voting for. And the outcome of the presidential election may just trigger a new level of rage inside of me, from the very depths of my soul. AND THAT'S WHERE I'M GOING TO END MY RANTINGS. Otherwise, I will type a novel, and I literally do not have that kind of time. 😬 In fact, I need to get to bed, because I have FARM CHORES in the morning. sigh. I want to live on a real farm. </p>Caroline C. Binghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08883064932707416161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795250833116709419.post-91160304537239227732020-08-10T09:46:00.000-06:002020-08-10T09:46:34.824-06:00hi. it's me again. <p> 2020. Man alive, this year has been a little crazy. </p><p>First of all, I don't even know where to begin with my ramblings. The global pandemic of the Covid-19 and the subsequent stupidity of the American public is my current vexation. I mean, how hard is it to STAY HOME and WEAR A MASK and WASH YOUR DAMN HANDS. I personally have been quarantined three times due to possible exposure because of selfishness of people. I'm so over the debates and the arguments surrounding the pandemic. At what point did people stop believing in BASIC SCIENCE and MEDICAL ADVANCEMENTS. Of course, I'm a little more cautious due to the fact that I am high risk, and absolutely would be ravaged by the coronavirus. And there are people in my own family that don't believe that it's like, REAL or something. They continue to live their lives, covid be damned. It really boils my blood that I have to fight over something as basic as the HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF MY CHILDREN. #sorrynotsorry. </p><p>And that's not even the tip of the iceberg that is this dumpster fire of a year. Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash. President Donald Trump (who is very undeserving of the title) somehow, miraculously made it through an impeachment trial. How? That is a very good question that will be discussed for years to come. Personally, I think the man is an idiot, a racist, a sexual predator, and a pedophile. So, you know, let's put this piece of garbage on a pedestal. </p><p>In related news, can we talk about the absolute shiteshow that is the 2020 Presidential Election?It's pretty sad when we have to choose between two bad choices. I mean, next to Trump, Biden looks like an angel; but he has his downside as well.</p><p>Oh, and of course there is the murder hornets. And the great toilet paper crisis. Freaking school closures is the current bane of my existence. My kids will be doing 2 days a week in person, and 3 days remote learning. I am relieved about this, because kids aren't going to be social distancing. Sure, maybe for a hot minute. Until they have a crush and wanna hold hands in the hall, or make-out somewhere. And there are parents arguing FOR 5 day a week, IN PERSON class. That is wild to me, especially with how the virus spreads.... You see? This is what I am talking about when I say I have thoughts.... so very, many thoughts. </p><p>And of course let's not forget about the wildfires in Australia, followed by flooding. Or the awful, awful murder of George Floyd, which has sparked outrage across the nation. I am thrilled with the protests that are going on all around. There has been a disparity between black and white in this country for too long. I wish I could rally and join the protests, but there is no way for me to do that because I am immuno-compromised. </p><p>We also have the plague of locusts, and probably some other horrible thing that I haven't remembered. Sheesh, though, I don' think we can handle any more disasters. </p><p>And that is where I leave you on this fine, early Monday. I leave you tired, from everything and of everything. </p>Caroline C. Binghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08883064932707416161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795250833116709419.post-70638807178776814232019-11-05T02:34:00.001-07:002019-11-05T02:34:51.239-07:00Experiments, Life, and Lessons Learned<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Well folks, it's been awhile. Things have been very busy over here. The garden EXPLODED, despite the strange spring that kicked off the growing season. </div>
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I'm actually in the midst of a garden experiment! I call it "Ghetto Greenhouse", and it's a nifty little thing I threw together with tomato cages, bamboo sticks, zip ties, and heavy duty clear plastic. I figure, that since I grow indeterminate tomato plants, I should be able to prune them way back, and then the plants would continue to grow. Of course, this is all theoretical, but can you imagine vine ripened tomatoes in the dead of winter, with a foot of snow on the ground? Because I can, and it is a beautiful dream.<br />
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Sadly, we do have to deal with Mother Nature, who decided to send cooler temps and our first frost about two weeks ahead of schedule. Naturally, this made for a lot of extra, sudden work! I stayed out in the yard, mulching the tomatoes, then covering them with their frost blankets, well into dark. I have kept an eye on things, but today.... today I opened up that ghetto greenhouse to see how the experiment is progressing.<br />
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Unfortunately, I think I mulched a little TOO well, and the tomatoes just couldn't BREATHE. So I removed just about all the mulch, and I pulled the plastic all the way back to let in a little air to help things dry out. My experiment has not failed yet though. After a few hours in the breeze, the plants perked up a bit. I HOPE that they will bud again, but if they don't, well.... that's totally on me.<br />
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Also, at the beginning of August, I got to fly out to Arizona SOLO to help my sweet niece Sadie find the perfect baptism dress and accessories. Sadie's baptism would be the first sort of big family event since the passing of Troy's mom. And as I'm sure you can imagine, it was especially hard getting everything ready and together, because that was something special that Grandma and Mom did together. So I offered to come and help get everything all set for baptism, so that cute little Sadie and her mom, could have the support that they needed. Plus, I got to hang out with Marie, which is always a fun time. I also converted Marie to the mumu/kimono/NO PANTS lifestyle. I take it very seriously, on account of pants being very hurty to wear.<br />
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Case in point of pants being hurty: I just lost my gallbladder. It was an emergency surgery, and it took a little longer than usual, because *I*, Caroline Bingham, was STONED. (That's gallstone humor guys.) The surgeon was super impressed with me, and said that I had the worst gallbladder he had every seen, and that I had "HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS" of stones. Three times! He said hundreds THREE TIMES. So my routine,emergency, outpatient surgery turned in to a hospital admission with IV antibiotics and a whole bunch of medical staff coming to meet ME, the medically fascinating woman who said her pain was like, maybe a seven. YOU GUYS. I just have no frame of reference for pain!<br />
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The ONLY analogy I've ever found that fits ME is this: </div>
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Going to the doctor when you're chronically ill is weird.<br />
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It's like imagine everything in your house is on fire, and you're standing there and the fire department come in like, describe the fire to me and maybe we can find what caused it and put it out.<br />
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and you can't just say everything, so you're like.... well, the fire in the curtains is the biggest.<br />
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but the fire in the photo albums might be doing the most damage<br />
also, the fire in the couch is really inconvenient.<br />
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Occasionally, the fire guy is like, well your tv is on fire, so it might be electronic-fireitus, but that would cause other things like fire in the DVD player.<br />
And you're like, Oh yes. that's been on fire for years. i forgot to mention it because it's always been a relatively small fire. it's right next to the bookshelf which has much more fire.<br />
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and then the fire guy is like, oh. i wouldn't worry about that. book shelf fires just happen sometimes.</blockquote>
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ANYHOW. My horrible gallbladder is gone, and now that it's out and I'm almost 100% healed, I am feeling GREAT. </div>
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Also, like, 3 days after my surgery, Troy drove us down to Arizona to attend Sadie's baptism. Sadly, Thaddeus had to stay home to work and do mandatory school stuff. High school is a real good practice for real life.... moving on. </div>
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Sadie was baptized and it was great! Great Grandpa and Grandma Bingham came up from Safford, and it was nice to say hello and give a *barely-hug* (you know, on account of being very ouched). We also got to see Aunt Jessica and her cute girlies, and afterwards Troy took our kids to see Kambry play in her volleyball tournament! </div>
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Unfortunately, time was super short and Troy had made plans to meet up with some old friends way, WAY in advance, so we missed an impromptu extended-Bingham family dinner.<br />
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Hmmm... what else, what else. We just had Halloween. It was lots of fun. Thaddeus decided he's too old to go trick or treating, so he stayed home and handing out treats at the door. We had a lot of teenage friends in and out of the house all evening. (More like, all day, every day!) </div>
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I also did an inventory of all the yummy stuff I've been growing and preserving the other day, and it just about blew my mind! We seriously don't need to hit up the grocery store for months, which makes my heart SO very happy.</div>
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Beyond that, we are not really up to much! The holidays are coming up, but we're not going anywhere. It's Troys busy season, because TRANSIT! He is working his tail off so that <i>you</i> can enjoy and be safe on <i>your</i> travels. It's a bit of a bummer this year, because we have to miss our nephews baptism, because he's getting baptized over Thanksgiving. 😭 We're pretty used to doing our own thing at this point, because that's just the reality of our life, but we do miss out on a lot of things as well. I PROMISE WE'RE TRYING! We <i>did</i> do a Fakesgiving about a month or so ago, because every now and then, you just need a big 'ole turkey dinner. </div>
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Caroline C. Binghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08883064932707416161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795250833116709419.post-3788677330402709852019-06-25T15:25:00.000-06:002019-06-25T15:25:09.055-06:00Camping and Pageants and Snow Oh My!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We are all home again. It feels great. What is NOT so great is the amount of laundry and cleaning we have to do. Why is it that it takes twice as long as your "trip" to recover from said "trip"? And there is so much laundry and tidying to do as well. My house looks like it threw up all of it's belongings into a massive pile of crap near the stairs.<br />
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Meanwhile, my body is still trying to recover from the amount of activity it has done since last week. Girls camp was fun, but MAN ALIVE, there was so much walking and stairs and more walking and more stairs! Taylor and I were at the <a href="https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/locations/camping/sites/478938?lang=eng" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lyman Lake Recreation Camp</a> with our stake. (WHICH, by the way, they only do every other year, so it's stake camp, ward camp, stake camp, ward camp.) Anways. Our ward was lucky enough to be housed in the lodge this year. And I say lucky, because it was COLD and the whole stake went home EARLY because of SNOWSTORMS. </div>
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Anyhow, here is the front of the lodge: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT8qZM7-LsQU972M9C9jZPlByj1BDdZj0kJYhfTihf-kSKobRlj572RGFCL_yUmYiyRz89dICHS2uhLeAd8dsvwHvQUQKcbACaM1PkpM9wORde1DBdLWA-SO02m0y0lu6Q6Idijz-2Ui4D/s1600/lyman+lake+lodge+front+view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="470" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT8qZM7-LsQU972M9C9jZPlByj1BDdZj0kJYhfTihf-kSKobRlj572RGFCL_yUmYiyRz89dICHS2uhLeAd8dsvwHvQUQKcbACaM1PkpM9wORde1DBdLWA-SO02m0y0lu6Q6Idijz-2Ui4D/s640/lyman+lake+lodge+front+view.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And the back: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuYfqTVULzF9pS11ff2XJBclMq3pZjaPugON9h-MOPbyUX3pTcinmtPUQHoAA7_aR-ijn3_lZfJGu37hfpGi4kNK3Zn3Ldc6MGKVgbcnlbfKnzDPrJ_swJTywRLmkGwR7lDfBS0NgR_Lfw/s1600/lyman+lake+lodge+back+view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuYfqTVULzF9pS11ff2XJBclMq3pZjaPugON9h-MOPbyUX3pTcinmtPUQHoAA7_aR-ijn3_lZfJGu37hfpGi4kNK3Zn3Ldc6MGKVgbcnlbfKnzDPrJ_swJTywRLmkGwR7lDfBS0NgR_Lfw/s640/lyman+lake+lodge+back+view.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And the insides:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeatuwMFUA05jgCcg3HXHTDFcje_qUqTNtoGBAiWNJks6KS-bRHqDDB2lNqBvZ8cLVIMKWd9fOj9svZo7Q2UkyFuoimaco8pUVzmKSHF4ii_qrJPnvRIDt4c46OrtNsfzXR9Aqn874zawz/s1600/lyman+lake+lodge+interior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="470" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeatuwMFUA05jgCcg3HXHTDFcje_qUqTNtoGBAiWNJks6KS-bRHqDDB2lNqBvZ8cLVIMKWd9fOj9svZo7Q2UkyFuoimaco8pUVzmKSHF4ii_qrJPnvRIDt4c46OrtNsfzXR9Aqn874zawz/s640/lyman+lake+lodge+interior.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The last night we stayed in camp, the entire downstairs area of the lodge was cleared, and the wards that had been staying in tents were brought inside to sleep. We had a few extra bunks in the loft area as well, so those were cleared out to make room for everyone.<br />
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We did have a little bit of cabin fever that last day as well, because a lot of the outside activities were cancelled for safety reasons. The stake leaders said they would take the wards out individually to make up for their water activities. I don't remember whether or not they are going to take them to do another ropes course. If they do, great. If they don't, also great.<br />
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It was also fun for me because I got to know some of the other ladies from church. I am not really great at making friends, and I miss a lot of activities because I don't feel good. Actually, I was super worried that I would relapse at camp, but I DIDN'T, and I'm just gonna chalk that one up to the Lord. (Thank you and amen.) It also helps that I carry a pharmacy with me at all times.<br />
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As far as personal participation, I did go on the slack line with Rachel. She was a little nervous about going over the pond (because it was COLD) by herself, so I stood next to her and said since we're basically the same height, I would go with her. (Because it's less shaky with 2 people, but that only really works if the 2 people are about the same height.) Anyhow, I got up on the slack line, and cheered us on the whole way. Now, TAYLOR on the slack line was funny. She was going over by herself, and they started bouncing the line, and that little monkey swung her legs up onto the top line, and then started pulling herself along hand over hand, yelling "Are you gonna stop bouncing the line?" It was hilarious to watch.<br />
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I also want to mention that I was super good at throwing tomahawks, and it made some of the girls a little nervous. WHICH IS PERFECT. Of course, no girls camp is complete without a little drama. Luckily, I don't really care too much if a teenage girl is mad at me, and not caring make them even MORE mad, so it just makes me laugh, which makes them even MORE mad. Man alive, so many life lessons at girls camp.<br />
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Of course, we got home just in time to do a quick load of laundry and then turn around and drive to Manti, Utah to see the last ever performance of the Manti Pageant, which is called "The Mormon Miracle Pageant", and after much discussion, no one in our family could quite pin down what the miracle was. At any rate, we saw it, it's over, the end. Actually not the end. It was so stinking COLD! We were not prepared for how cold it was outside. Again, I think this all goes back to being from the Mesa, Arizona area where a hoodie is all you ever need. We were FREEZING.<br />
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And now we are back at home (with Blayne!) trying to get everything cleaned up.<br />
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The end. </div>
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Caroline C. Binghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08883064932707416161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795250833116709419.post-68661090588871834622019-06-16T01:59:00.001-06:002019-06-16T01:59:21.169-06:00Summer Loving<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Summer is here and kicking our butts. I'll tell you what, I am daydreaming in rose-colored glasses, watching my kids run through the sprinklers, with slightly melted popsicles grasped in their chubby little fists. Instead? I just have teenage boys in and out of the house all day, needing rides to places, and money for things.<br />
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We already had our annual stupid summer accident. Thaddeus and Daniel went to high adventure camp. The second day, Thaddeus ended up in the hospital after the zip line broke, resulting in a metal rope burn and TWO gaping lacerations that were stapled back together again. I'm just glad he didn't fracture his skull. Needless to say, Thaddeus came home from camp early.<br />
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Also: I am going to girls camp..... wait, hang on a sec....<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I aM GoIngTo GIRLS caMp!</span></div>
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Taylor had been hinting that she didn't want to go to girls camp, but after much discussion, she decided that she would be able to go if I came too. So I am! We leave Tuesday morning. I have no official job for camp, so I'll just, you know, be there for moral support and stuff. </div>
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THEN, Taylor and I are going to leave girls camp a day early, because we will be headed down to the Manti LDS Temple pageant. June 22 is the pageant's final performance. I don't remember exactly the announcement, but a bunch of LDS pageants are going bye-bye. So we'll see the Manti pageant (And we will be riding in style because all the hotels and bed and breakfast places are sold out, so we rented a motorhome!) Next summer, we're going to go see the Hill Cummorah pageant and check out a few church history sites. Should be fun. </div>
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Also, my parents and Blayne are meeting us at the pageant. And then we are taking Blayne BACK from our dear homesteading grandparents. I am super excited to have Blayne back, and Taylor is DYING for some special sister time. It's been a really, <i>really</i> good experience for Blayne, but we miss that sweet girl something fierce! </div>
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I have also been looking for places to spend my personal time. Last week, I toured three nursing schools, because I would be SUCH a good nurse... Unfortunately, last week was also my slump week. (You know, the week before my infusion where I just get more and more sick?) And after talking to Troy, and factoring in all the costs, and factoring in all the slump weeks, and potential relapses, and disease progression... well, nursing school just doesn't make sense. I seriously hate that I can't even do something I really, really want, because of my MS. CURSE YOU MS! </div>
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So I can't do nursing school. </div>
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I can't do my (dream job) elementary art class teacher job.</div>
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But I DID find another program that I'm excited about! A million years ago, when I was going to school in Virginia, I found the coolest program for carpentry and woodworking, and I really wanted to take those classes, but SURPRISE! We moved away instead. But the community college down in Salt Lake has a furniture and cabinetry program. Naturally, I applied to that program. I'm pretty excited and am SO happy, and I have so many home projects swimming through the brain. It shall be glorious! </div>
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Caroline C. Binghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08883064932707416161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795250833116709419.post-64340468367868732882019-05-28T02:07:00.000-06:002019-05-28T02:07:00.146-06:00Almost Summer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We are in the last week of school. We are excited, but also not excited. The kids want to do so many things, on top of all the other things that already are happening, and it's just not going to be a calm, lazy break.<br />
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Meanwhile, it rained SO MUCH, that I already had to go and prune the itty bitty tomato plants. They were starting to grow a little fungus, because that's what happens when you have warm, wet weather. Also, I made Troy go out back with me to see all the plants that I am super proud of. And this year we have gooseberries! I've never had one before, so I'm excited to try. What else, what else...<br />
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I've been interviewing for a few different jobs. The first order of business after getting officially hired will be to hire a house cleaning service for every other week. It's happening guys. I can't keep the house in tip top shape because my dumb body doesn't like household chores. My body doesn't like to bend. It gets SUPER angry. And almost all the chores around the house involve bending! Loading dishwasher, bend. Cleaning toilet, bend. Mopping, bend. Vacuuming, bend. Laundry, so much bend! And I can do a little bending. It's just that I can only do so much, and I prefer to save my bends for the garden, therefore, maid service!<br />
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The kids will also have to step it up a little bit around the house. They will have to get dinner prepped and started. They'll have to keep up with their chores, and their activities. They're just going to have to take their responsibilities seriously. I mean, there's not an overly excessive amount of things they need to do... but putting your shoes in your bedroom is required. I know it's asking a lot, but I feel confident that they will figure it out. </div>
Caroline C. Binghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08883064932707416161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795250833116709419.post-18823787897374421892019-05-18T00:40:00.000-06:002019-05-18T00:40:54.464-06:00Are you tired of hearing about my garden yet? Because I still wanna talk about it all the time.... yep, I'm that girl. <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The weather here has been crazy the last two days. Everyone FEELS it in their sinuses. I, of course, just took some Sudafed and went on with my day. I also managed to finish clearing the last garden bed in the front. We have this weird corner on our property, where our fence, and the neighbor's fence, meet in maybe a 30° angle. And this triangle of doom gets overgrown with black eyed susan, bee balm, and SO. MUCH. MINT. Ugh, I <i>loathe</i> mint. I mean, I like it just fine as a flavoring for ice cream and chewing gum, but the plant is rather invasive.<br />
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And THEN, in the middle of the bermuda triangle, is a flowering plum. Which is okay, as far as trees go. It certainly wouldn't be my first pick, but hey... it came with the house. I did prune it quite heavily back in February. The poor tree had been pruned badly, and I did as much correcting as I could for this year. I always go with the 30% rule when pruning trees: Never prune more than 30% of the tree, of else it goes into shock and has trouble healing. The tree looks WAY better now, but it will probably take another five years to really look good.<br />
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I also pruned the magnolia tree back then, and that thing is doing swell. Also, last year, when I was getting rid of all the little magnolia tree babies that were popping up, I took the cutting with the biggest root, and transplanted it in the flower bed near my front walk. I just crossed my fingers that I had done everything right. I kept a very close eye on the baby tree, and when winter came, I prayed that it would survive.... That baby tree has DOUBLED it's height over the last 6 weeks. It looks so good, and I just keep patting myself on the back for a job well done.<br />
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Anyways, The front planting beds have all been tended, and now I get to sit back and enjoy the results. I've actually been thinking about it, and I really don't do much weeding. I get the plant beds cleared and fed, and then I pretty much forget about them until October/November when it's time to prep the perennials for winter. I mean, if I'm outside and there is a weed, I'll pull it.. But I'm done. Really all that is left to do is mow and edge the lawn, and keep the porch clean! Really, the success of a garden boils down to doing your homework, and figuring out what works in your climate, and then some smart planning and implementation. <br />
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Anyhow, that's all the update I have for now. Next time, we can talk about a new drug I am experimenting with called Kratom. It's not illegal in Utah yet (not for lack of trying), and I've gotta say, so far so good. REALLY good. </div>
Caroline C. Binghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08883064932707416161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795250833116709419.post-88126360781742976212019-05-14T00:28:00.000-06:002019-05-14T00:28:29.296-06:00Summer Garden is DONE!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The summer garden is planted! <div>
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Today I planted all the vines. We're talking watermelons, cantaloupes, summer squashes, winter squash, cucumbers, pole beans... Sadly, when I was hardening off the vines, a few didn't make it into the house overnight, so my eggplants and a few melon varieties didn't survive. Oh well, there's always next year! Also, I was pulling a few weeds here and there, and GUYS! I HAVE POTATOES! I guess I didn't get all of them out of the ground last year, because there are little potato leaves poking up out of the dirt. Meanwhile, I had already seeded potatoes for container gardening, mostly because it's easier to harvest that way, so we're going to have LOTS of yummy roots. </div>
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I did realize that I haven't planted any lettuce. But lettuce is easy and grows just about anywhere, in any condition. And I am officially a crazy plant lady. </div>
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Know what else? School gets out in two weeks. I am real ready to be done for the year. It's just been a hard year for all of us, and we are going to take some time to regroup, and we are going to have lots of mini adventures all summer long. They have to be mini adventures because big kids have big kid things to do. We are going to be so crazy busy, and THAT'S OKAY. It will be a good busy, because I have lots of OUTDOOR IDEAS, because sunshine is delicious for our souls. </div>
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In other news, the fridge is finally fixed! It's cold again! Not having a refrigerator FOR OVER A MONTH was not the funnest for us. We have a second fridge, but it is SMALL, and it basically held the condiments. And even though my canning season is supposed to just be starting, I had to adjust because the freezer stuff thawed out and there is NO WAY IN HELL that I was going to be tossing all that defrosted meat. So I made a LOT of chili, and a LOT of taco soup, and a LOT of bone broth, and ALL THAT JAZZ. But tomorrow, I do want to get some rhubarb something going. I'm going to make a cranberry/rhubarb chutney thing that is amazing with pork and chicken. And obviously I have to make some sort of pastry thing. We shall see. I always have grand plans, but they don't always come to fruition. Ah well, that is life, and life is good. And I need to remember to take a picture of everything before it starts getting big! </div>
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Caroline C. Binghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08883064932707416161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795250833116709419.post-5398955433038495982019-04-30T23:29:00.000-06:002019-04-30T23:29:47.791-06:00Have a Great May<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The weather here is being NUTS. Today was chilly and breezy and rainy and COLD for outside work, and what a lot of outside work there is.<br />
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We got a <a href="https://getchipdrop.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ChipDrop</a> yesterday afternoon, so we mulched all the garden beds around our house. We worked hard and fast, and today I am paying for that endeavor. My back is KILLING me, and none of the usual tricks are working. We'll just chalk it up to the fact that I haven't done garden work since November, and my muscles forgot their primary functions. Also, because I took some pain pills, I fell asleep and totally missed my <a href="https://www.tysabri.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">infusion</a>! But it kind of works out, because I am on some antibiotics and such due to a killer kidney infection. I even got a shot of Rocephin, so that was fun.<br />
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Meanwhile, it's almost May... which means it's almost summer, and I am NOT ready. I really need to sit down and calendar everything out, because holy heck-ness, these kids got a lot of stuff to do. I don't remember being so busy as a kid. We all did have swimming sports every morning though. But we would ride our bikes to the pool, then we would swim and swim and swim, and then we would head over to the cafeteria to get our free breakfast. After swim everything, we would just go home and not do much. We did the summer reading program at the library, and we would do chores, and we would entertain ourselves.<br />
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Speaking of chores, I seriously need to hire a maid. I just can't keep up with stuff anymore. I try, but it's pretty dicey with the results. AND I get mad at my family because they don't clean things all the way, and it drives me nuts! And then they act they are doing me a FAVOR by cleaning up after themselves.... No. No. No. I'm just going to start throwing stuff away, and nobody can stop me, because I do what I want.<br />
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Also, gardening news. My rhubarb is growing like crazy! I'm going to make some of cherry rhubarb chutney that pairs beautifully with chicken and pork. And I still like to crunch on raw rhubarb, because it's so sour and I love sour everything. I also have a random brussels sprout sprouting; looks like one of last years seeds overwintered all on it's own. Ooh, and my strawberries are filling in so nicely. I can't wait for all the berries I have coming. OH! AND! I planted 2 blueberry bushes last year, and they did not do so well. In fact, I thought they had given up altogether and died. But there is NEW GROWTH on BOTH bushes! And a hydrangea that I thought was dead? ISN'T! I am so excited for the yard. And the bulbs that were planted in the fall have bloomed so gorgeously. I need to get MORE bulbs for the front yard in the fall.<br />
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My baby magnolia tree is getting taller, and the apple trees I grafted are healing just fine. I have a few tomatoes and tomatillos that can go in the ground soon, and I have been growing ground cover for some of the heavily trafficked areas in the yard. It just gets a bit too muddy by the gate and the shed. So moss it is! I am also fighting with some dandelions that think my grass is a good place to grow. It's not, so I am yanking those bad boys out before they turn into puff balls and invite their friends to the party. I'm even thinking about getting a few chickens, because I hear that they love to eat dandelions. Except I don't know how well chickens and dogs get along. It'll be okay, right? Anyways. Those are our updates. Have a great May! (<i>see what I did there?)</i></div>
Caroline C. Binghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08883064932707416161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795250833116709419.post-29103684068943358542019-04-20T00:50:00.000-06:002019-04-20T00:50:58.764-06:00Weekend Update<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I think our house is cursed buy a refrigerator demon. I mean, that's the only possible explanation, right? Also, I don't understand why it takes so long to get a technician to come and fix it. We are basically doing a pantry challenge, because the fridge in the basement is small, and is barely big enough to hold all the condiments and salad dressings, let alone fresh foods that need to be cool. AND because the fridge and freezer broke, this whole week has consisted of me cooking all the perishable items. I ended up making 8 quarts of beef stew, 8 quarts of taco soup, 20 pints of chili, and I can't even remember the rest. It's just been real exciting in the kitchen.<br />
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Meanwhile, Thaddeus got to go back to work finally. He was so mad at the doctor when they took his stitches out. He was on the schedule to work THAT DAY, but after the doctor realized he was a LIFEGUARD, which is a job where you get wet, he shut that down. Just because stitches are out doesn't mean the would is healed. So that was exciting.<br />
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We also had an Eagle project pow-wow thing with the boys in our troop and their parents. My boys are going to have quite a busy summer, because they will definitely be Eagle scouts come autumn. The best little tidbit I learned was that there is not an hourly requirement! I remember helping my friends get their Eagle, because they had to meticulously count everybody's hours, and it was a HUGE time suck. Not anymore! Hooray!<br />
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Also, we had our first lawn mow of the season. And I've been busy prepping the garden spaces. Our asparagus looks so cute. And the grapes that I propagated look amazing. They totally rooted and are ready to go in the ground. I also discovered cherry BUSHES. I guess technically, they're dwarf trees, but the point is, Troy has wanted cherry trees, but I don't have room for two more big trees, unless he's willing to let me turn some of the grassy area into an orchard. SO. I got two cherry bushes, a Romeo variety, and a Juliet. And I planted two boysenberry bushes, and pruned the blackberry vines. AND I thought that my blueberry bushes from last year were a total bust, BUT! There seems to be little baby branches popping out of the ground, so I'm going to cross my fingers, and hope that we get a fun blueberry surprise later this summer.<br />
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Tomorrow, we're going to be planting the lettuce and spinach beds, along with some flowers, and onions, and herbs. I just love being in the garden, and it is so incredible to be able to grow our own food. Even with the fridge mishap, when I started making the chili and soup and all that, every ingredient came from my garden. I used so many jars of tomatoes and tomato paste, and peppers, and tomatillos... I was annoyed and happy at the same time.<br />
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Another fun thing happening tomorrow is my apple tree grafting class! In my yard right now, I have three apple trees, and I have a spot for a fourth. The three trees I have now ripen early, mid, and late. This is amazing, because I cannot have big ole apple trees ripening at once. I just don't have enough time to do all those apples at once! I'll be very interested in what varieties are available at the class. I would LIKE to get a green or golden apple, but I want to learn about what varieties work best for what, and I need to be able to gauge the size. One of my apple trees, the Gravenstein, is going to be a BEAST of a tree, at 20-30' high and wide. The other trees, which are twisted around each other and oh so cute, are Gala and Braeburn, and they only grow to be 12-15' high. So I'm definitely in the market for another fifteen footer.<br />
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GAH! Can you tell how much I love working in the dirt? It really is my happy place.<br />
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I'm also thinking that we will get our summer day camps going here in Utah. It'll give the kids something to do, and honestly, we have a pretty good set-up for hosting hordes of grade-schoolers. Of course, I have to discuss with the kids first, because while I am happy to supervise and such, it really is a team effort. And I have to look at all the schedules, because teenagers are stinking busy! Work, scout camp, girls camp, zion camp, band camp.... it's enough to drive a person crazy!<br />
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We're also sort of car shopping. After Troy's mom passed away, we bought her car, because the transmission went out on our Yukon. And while it's been nice to have a car, it's a little bit cramped for 6 full grown people. And now that Troy's dad has remarried, he would like to buy it back for his wife to use. Which is fine by me! Anywho, I would prefer a VAN because they are a little more MS friendly than a SUV, not to mention the very big price difference. I just can't jump up in to a car like I used to. Actually, I think we might go looking at cars this weekend, after all the yard work stuff is done. JUST LOOKING though. </div>
Caroline C. Binghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08883064932707416161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795250833116709419.post-26436902947179562632019-04-11T11:06:00.002-06:002019-04-11T11:06:51.628-06:00Spring Broken <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So we had Spring Break.<br />
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Thaddeus kicked it off by accidentally almost cutting his finger off with a machete. Yes, you read that right. WITH A MACHETE. So we got to head to the urgent care, where he received 8 stitches AFTER an x-ray to make sure he didn't chip his bone. (He didn't.) He also had to do a fun exam to make sure that there wasn't any nerve damage.(There isn't.)<br />
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And we got to have a super full house for spring break. Blayne came up with my parents, and we had some friends from VIRGINIA!!! come to visit as well. Kaela and Blayne got to be silly together for the first time in, gosh, five years? It was pretty exciting. Kaela was accompanied by her parents, so the rest of us got to have some fun too. We just love their whole family.<br />
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The kids all went to the temple to do baptisms for the dead. I stayed home because I have MS, and it was being a real *ss that day. We also had a movie night, and a game night, and a couple sit-around-and-chat nights. Basically, it was a low key spring break with some of our favorite people. WIN.<br />
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And now everyone has gone back to their respective homes, and school has started again, and I'm back to my regularly scheduled days of..... well, whatever I want really. Actually, I just have a mental list and I go down that list one by one, asking myself , " Self: do you have enough energy to do this?" And most of the time, the answer is not really. It's quite obnoxious. Like, I KNOW I can't clean my whole bathroom. But I'm pretty sure I could clean the toilet, and probably the sink. It's just how it is these days.<br />
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I also managed to have 3 mini MS attacks. Those are always fun. Have I ever told you about an MS hug? They hurt. Real bad. Like, I can't move or breathe or anything besides lay in the fetal position and cry. The "hug" feels like a vice, gripped just under your breast and around the ribs, slowly tightening so hard that you feel like your body is going to be snapped in two. The worst part is the beginning, when it first grabs hold. I took a few pain pills, because I KNEW what was going to happen next, but pills take 20-30 minutes to work. And I didn't make it to my bed in time, so I literally collapsed beside my bed. As the pressure increased, so did the pain. It felt as though my ribs were breaking, and the sharp, jagged edges were slowly puncturing my organs. I could do nothing to stop the torment as waves of pain began to travel down my spine. As I lay sobbing on the floor, I kept telling myself to breathe, in through the nose, out through the mouth; one, two, three, four, five. I called for Troy as I exhaled, hoping he heard my cries. He put me into bed, then hurried to the basement for the ice packs, because my body temperature was on the rise. My fever broke four hours later, as did the excruciating crush of the hug.<br />
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There is something that happens to your mind when instances of agony have become commonplace. It is a disconnect, as though your spirit leaves the body, hovering from above, so that you don't feel the enormity of the pain. It is a weird, yet wonderful feeling, because then *I* am not hurting, that other Caroline is.<br />
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I had three of these hugs during spring break. Thankfully, they were less debilitating the second and third times.<br />
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And now, today, people are back at school, and I am still in my pajamas, because I am not yet fully recovered. This is also why I can't possibly clean the whole bathroom at the same time. Isn't life grand? </div>
Caroline C. Binghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08883064932707416161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795250833116709419.post-14983156155985965332019-03-20T11:22:00.004-06:002019-03-20T11:23:34.641-06:00Brain-less<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My body straight up QUIT on me last week. I was trying to describe it, and really, the only other time I've had such painful muscle spasms was during CHILDBIRTH... specifically, when I was experiencing back labor. So I got to use my handy dandy walker to get places, and my fun kids got to fetch my pills and help me get from my bed to the bathroom and back again. Thankfully, it only lasted about two days, but I think I need to start getting spinal injections. I'm also really thankful for TV, which helps keep me distracted from the searing, white hot pangs of death.<br />
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I have also had feedback from my children that they would like better descriptions of my state of health beyond my usual "I don't feel good". According to them, I never feel good, so if I feel worse than usual, they would like specifics. I guess I can accommodate.<br />
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Meanwhile, I am busy trying to get the relief society ministering interviews scheduled. I usually only have two districts to worry about, but since it's the last month of the quarter, I am trying to get in touch with anybody that hasn't had their interview yet. And I hate the word interview in this case, because it's so formal. I mean, it technically IS an interview, but it's also not? I don't know. I just have feelings about the verbiage is all. Plus I have to call people ON THE PHONE. Ugh. Phone calls are the dumbest and give me anxiety.<br />
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Also, the last term of the school year started! I have a love/hate relationship with school. Actually, I have a love/hate relationship with most things, and I think most people do. There are very few things that I love all the time, and there are very few things that I hate all the time. Mostly, I'm wishy-washy about the vast majority of things, and I have completely forgotten what I was going to say, because tangents are just the right amount of distraction. I have no idea what I was getting on about. Even the first sentence of this paragraph isn't helpful enough, because I can see that I have ended the sentence with an exclamation point, and now that I'm thinking about it, what is so exciting about a new school term? That means we are one step closer to summer, yes, but it also means we are one step closer to having kids home all day, every day, which means I need to start planning NOW, because the children are coming! My goodness, I can write a mean run-on sentence.<br />
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Now I'm off to do something, though I can't remember what that something is. Fingers crossed I figure it out soon. </div>
Caroline C. Binghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08883064932707416161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795250833116709419.post-2410430693477624592019-03-14T10:41:00.000-06:002019-03-14T10:41:04.283-06:00Dreaming of Warmer WeatherI've been updating the coding on some of my old websites, and MAN ALIVE, you stop computering for a year or two and suddenly you're illiterate. I also forgot how much hurry up and wait is involved in the back-end of things. It's like the internet has other things to do besides immediately index my changes. RUDE.<br />
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Meanwhile, I'm trying to get our summer plans coordinated, but it's not going too well because I don't have all the necessary calendars. I need people to be on the ball with calendars and schedules! So far, the only person registered for school next year is Taylor, because we weren't waiting on a boundary variance for her. And we applied for a boundary variance for Thaddeus (you know, because we LIVE CLOSER to that high school) and it was denied. And we were going to appeal the decision, but the other day, we got a letter saying that he actually WOULD be able to attend the requested school. I guess they had extra openings for sophomores. HOWEVER, this now means that Thaddeus will go to one high school, and the other kids, well.... maybe not. Whatever happened to just going to the school you live by? WHEN DID THIS BECOME A PROBLEM FOLKS? <br />
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Meanwhile #2: it's snowing again. Has been for the last 2 days. Not a lot, and it's not sticking, but I would really like my yard to start greening up and flowering again. I LOVE my backyard. LOVE LOVE LOVE. Have I ever shown you pictures? Hang on a sec....<br />
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Okay, these are some of the flowers in my front yard. I have just now realized that I need to take photos when everything is in bloom all at once. I have a lot of perennials, which I LOVE because no maintenance.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqGko-P3Ani73X0IqPXytsgXYkJO643-HGJ78ol4hZRYdSNuO4F4Pb2UUtCnGJUcsDYNGorQ36miTHatRtPfaTjCAhtgWH9IUtcfiXPxzKsIdEh7OJsoEBNKTCvzvGcfBb3Z1QQoBdrbJm/s1600/front+yard+flowers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="611" data-original-width="710" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqGko-P3Ani73X0IqPXytsgXYkJO643-HGJ78ol4hZRYdSNuO4F4Pb2UUtCnGJUcsDYNGorQ36miTHatRtPfaTjCAhtgWH9IUtcfiXPxzKsIdEh7OJsoEBNKTCvzvGcfBb3Z1QQoBdrbJm/s1600/front+yard+flowers.png" /></a></div>
For the most part, I grow pretty things in the front yard, and I grow FOOD in the back garden, with some flowers here and there to discourage certain naughty bugs, and encourage bees and butterflies.<br />
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I have three huge dogwood bushes that I like to cut them into shapes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIWStesZds7KDYvNboeTBQRxTjlAn1jX1YrAsu325odyU2gU4B3Y_mO0otIbmMc-C9U0G7RRhdntb_ZFOZ84xFa20F0jbdB2c9TF-r7SlQ6HYScSoT5FTng0Er2WNSp2u6yUPwTpwnQTc/s1600/heart+shaped+shrub.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="588" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIWStesZds7KDYvNboeTBQRxTjlAn1jX1YrAsu325odyU2gU4B3Y_mO0otIbmMc-C9U0G7RRhdntb_ZFOZ84xFa20F0jbdB2c9TF-r7SlQ6HYScSoT5FTng0Er2WNSp2u6yUPwTpwnQTc/s1600/heart+shaped+shrub.png" /></a></div>
I actually want to take those big old shrubs OUT, and replace them with blueberry bushes for two reasons: 1. Blueberries are delicious and pretty, and 2. I'm allergic to dogwood. I had to get rid of a few other perennials due to allergies, and the 3 big dogwood bushes are pretty much my last allergy problem to eliminate.<br />
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I have two big rhubarb plants. If you are looking for a gorgeous plant, I vote rhubarb. It's just a bonus that you can eat the stems. Rhubarb is a perennial, so it comes back on it's own, year after year. It's hardy, and both heat and cold tolerant. It's HUGE, so it is definitely a statement plant, and you can eat it too! I also really love that it's SOUR when eaten raw... like, SUPER sour, and that's my favorite! But when cooked or combined with other fruits, it can bulk up the recipe without altering the intended flavor profile. AND it's a cut and come again type of plant. It's one of the earliest producers, and on the first harvest, I got eighteen pounds of stalks. And I easily get at least three harvests like that. RHUBARB FOR LIFE.<br />
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Here are some of my strawberries: <br />
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And here's two more pictures of my early harvest. <br />
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Oh friends, I just love playing in the dirt! But I guess while I'm waiting for the ground to thaw I can be productive in the house. </div>
Caroline C. Binghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08883064932707416161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795250833116709419.post-72804940273322563062019-03-10T18:35:00.000-06:002019-03-10T18:35:06.716-06:00Winning Last night there was quite a hullabaloo over what to do for dinner.<br />
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You see, there is a LOT of food in this house. Quite a lot. We have plenty of things to eat, and plenty of meals and treats that could be made as well. We do, however, seem to be quite lacking in the easy, grab off the shelf food. (This is because I believe FOOD doesn't come in a package. PRODUCT comes in a package. I have a whole soap box I like to get out, brush off, and preach from every now and then when my kids complain about snacks.) ANYWAYS.<br />
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I told my family that we have plenty of food, and I don't want to go to the grocery store, and I think it's silly to even go to the store when we have plenty of things to eat at home already. (Seriously. An example: There was a fantastic sale on boneless/skinless chicken breast a while back, and I bought 40 POUNDS. It was a killer deal.) Plus we have all the delicious food from our garden that is canned or frozen and my goodness gracious, I REFUSE TO GO TO THE STORE. So we are having our very own pantry challenge, and it's going to be great. Tonight's dinner is honey-garlic roasted root veggies, with honey-garlic grilled chicken. I do like to have green food with every meal, so I might open up some green beans, but then again, I might not. I HAVEN'T DECIDED. I feel like root vegetables are super filling, so we don't necessarily need another vegetable, but I also have GIGANTIC TEENAGE CHILDREN who eat so very much food. Maybe I'll add a bread, hmmmm. But do you see? There just is no reason for me to buy more food. I WILL check the ads and see if anything is on super sale, but I'm not just going to go because I'm in the habit of a weekly shopping trip.<br />
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Speaking of food, my seedlings look awesome! Most everything has popped up, though I'm still waiting on the husk cherries. Confession: I can't remember for sure that I actually put seeds in the grow box, so I added more seeds yesterday, because I think that maybe the reason they're not growing yet is because I maybe forgot to plant them. Hooray for cognitive brain dysfunction! It is seriously getting bad though, guys. And also today at church, when they were passing the roll around, I couldn't even turn the page. It took a ridiculous amount of time for me to get that dang paper to unstick to the one behind it, and I almost gave up. BUT THEN I DIDN'T and I ended up turning the page all by myself so I win at life.Caroline C. Binghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08883064932707416161noreply@blogger.com