Shooting guns and field dressing

I am just going to start by saying that I have never actually shot an animal yet, I am still working on my horrible aim. (I am lucky if I even hit something besides dirt or air, I don’t care if I miss really.) I do enjoy the smell of a recently fired gun and the loud ear piercing bang of the bullet leaving the barrel, seeing the empty shell flying though the air after being ejected from the gun with such grace as a falling feather.

Now because I haven’t mastered how to aim with wind interference or how to calculate where to aim above the target so that my bullet hits where I want it. But there is something I have done that my husband (and the males that were also shooting) never have done. Field dress a bird. I did feel like yes I am a female and my aim is horrible and my gun is pink but, the fact alone that I did not flinch while field dressing an animal was a bigger rush than actually firing a gun. (I think it was because there was 6 men and I was the only person willing to and eager to take care of a kill.)

Let me explain how this field kill came to be, we shoot on a friends property and there is plenty of acreage that is fenced in so so one would wonder into the ‘shooting range’. So on this property there is also a pond with fish and some birds, small goats and chickens with a rooster. I guess the rooster was mean towards the children of our friends and they requested that we shoot it. I was intrigued, I have always wanted to hunt but unsure of how I would feel about seeing an animal being killed. This would be the perfect way to see if I do in fact want to hunt or if I just like to shoot a gun.

Well, turns out I don’t have feeling about an animal being killed. I do have a problem that our friends were just going to toss the carcass in the woods and leave it. So I asked if I could have it to take home for dinner, the answer back was a slow okay. (like this ooookay) Keep in mind I have never field dressed an animal but I have cut off the legs and feet of already dead whole chickens. Those chickens were empty and featherless and cold. This rooster was whole, feathered and still warm. (Gross now that I think about it, but I did it.)

I won’t go into complete detail about what I did, but here is a PG version. I removed all feathers but gave the tail feathers to the kids that lived on the property and kept some to make (weird statement->) Christmas ornaments for my husband. Cut off the feet and cleaned them close to the roosters ankle (yet another keepsake for my husband), but when it came to the head I could not get the right leverage to remove it but my husband helped. I then removed the insides and the skin. Removing the inside bits took some funny jumping in place to pump myself up, but I did it and it was so much different than removing the innards from chickens or turkeys you get from the store.

My husband said that he was so proud of me, the other men kept asking me if I do this often. I love my answer, “Nope, first one”, then they asked how I knew how to do it, “I guess I just know how”. I never read anything or watched videos but I did it. We baked it in the oven and shredded the meat for dinner. It was tough meat, and I think next time I will boil it in the base to make home made rooster noodle soup. But that wonderful day where I shot my own gun (38 special hammerless Pink Lady) and field dressed a rooster has sparked my love for shooting and hunting. Can’t wait until I can get my own hunting gun and take down some more dinner.

Oh and incase you are wondering when I was done with the rooster I used a whole travel sized hand sanitizer bottle on my hands and arms. When we went to pick up the girls from my parents I showed off my handy work to my parents and they were very proud of my too. I also washed my hands and arms again with so much soap and a scrub brush. When we got home I took a shower with so much soap I used the whole bar. I wasn’t disgusted by what I had done, I just wanted to make sure that I didn’t get blood on anyone or anything. Better safe than sorry.

This happened a while ago and fingers crossed that today my husband will teach me how to clean a fish. My first one, we are doing a King Salmon, I am so excited to learn. I would have never thought growing up that one day I would trade spa trips and pedi appointments for shooting guns and field dressing animals. My husband has brought out the best person in me and helped my discover who I really am. And, on the up side it is good to know that I if it happens and we need to survive off of animals and fish we get from nature, not only can I clean them I can cook them. Now just to master aiming my gun, but that will have to be later for now, I can hear the salmon calling my name to be cleaned.

Chores for kids, starting NOW

My whole life I was taught that making a mess was part of growing up. When I was little the messes I made were picked up by my mother, she was a homemaker also. When I got older I was allowed to help my mom with the dishes and dusting and what ever else she let me do. I thought I was merely her little helper, little did I know that this was what she did daily to keep a happy home. I remember getting older and not wanting to ‘help’ any more, but then I got paid to help. Awesome deal! Um, no what had happen was it became my job, only is it a chore when I didn’t want to do it.

Keep in mind I am not a tidy person, this I know and don’t mind. I have always been messy but I like to,think of it as disorganized creativity. Yeah, that theory worked from when I was a kid to mid twenties. I have kids now and messy is not really working much more. They are old enough to destroy a room mere seconds after I have sweated and sometimes bled to clean it up. This I what I called a cleaning stalemate. My children were younger and it was harder to make them help. But now, they are 2 and 3 and I do make them help, they find it fun and I let them keep all the shiny coins they find. Sort of like allowance, but never enough shiny coins to actually buy anything.

I don’t give them hard chores, mostly picking up toys and things off the floor and putting the, in the rooms where they belong. For some reason they feel in the doorway of a rooms counts, but that it pretty good for young kids. They help load and unload washing machine and dryer, they can only unload the dishwasher of the plastics and lids. But when they are very bad I have them wipe tables and floors, I have even done this in stores. It is quite amazing what kids retain, I can ask them anywhere if ‘they want to scrub floors’ and they promptly say ‘no mame’, this seems to be the best form of punishment I have come across so far. The down side is I am a ‘mean mommy’ but the up side is more cleaning gets done.

I do love dearly when they help me clean, granted sometimes they end up making a larger mess than actually helping but it is a new thing that I am doing. I never realized that something we all teach our kids is to try to be neat and tidy, granted many of us don’t want to be tidy and organized but we all have our breaking point where we buckle down and clean.

I really hope that my kids like to be have clean places just like my mom, because I don’t mind the dirt and mess as much. But for now I will take a page from my mothers book of life and clean, clean and clean some more. Who knows if I stick to it long enough I might even have the same standards of clean that my mother has. But for now my break is over and I must finish the family room, I just dislike our hardwood floors. They are such a pain to keep clean, large area rugs are defiantly in my future.

Happy Monday and happy reading.

Official Preschooler

Well I did it, more like we did it. It was Gabby’s official first day of school and it was the full day. We did the half day where I was with her and she got to try out preschool and she didn’t even notice that I was there. But today was the whole day, well she goes in the morning and she made it. No accidents or anything, I am so proud. Granted that I was positive she would want to go home early or need me to come and hover around. But she was a perfect student.

I guess I have to face the fact that my little girl is growing up and doesn’t need to hold my hand anymore. I know that at times she will need me and I will be there waiting, hoping it is sooner than later. People say to not count your chickens before they hatch, but I this case I think that it is okay. The only reason I know this is because SHE wanted to go to preschool, SHE was ready. I wish I was in the same boat but luckily her little sister can distract me.

Parts of me do look forward to when both my girls will be in preschool and I will have my own time. But then there is a little twinge inside of me that knows when that day happens I will have to figure out what to do with myself. I have already started to look into taking online classes to finish my degree, or maybe find a part time job, depending on what the girls schedule is like.

As my children grow parts of me feel lost and left behind, however, parts of me rejoice that they are coming into their own. Parenthood is a pull and push of many emotions and feelings that no one prepares you for. There is no book out there to help you deal with how you feel, you can ask your own parents and they smile, give you advice and think back to when you were a child. And that is what life is, experiencing things first hand and figuring out what path to take and hoping that you made the right choice.

I know now that my child will grow up and experience life and not want to hold my hand, or have me close by; but when they do, I will be there, with open arms and a heart full of love. Always and forever they will be my babies and I just want to love them and help them every day. 

Credit scores and life

So in life you have choices that you have to make, many that include your credit score. Sadly, I seem not to have one. How is that possible you may ask? Apparently, very easily. I at the fun age of 18 wanted to buy a car, not having any credit history needed a co-signer. Thanks Mom and Dad, I got a car loan, paid it and took care of my car. I never applied for a credit card, I never wanted one. I did join those cd membership things once, had it for a few years then cancelled it due to not wanting any more cd’s. (Guess that didn’t count.)

Fast forward to getting married, a partnership where my husband and I sign for things together. (Guess that means another co-signer.) So I found out that when you have a co-signer many companies won’t look at my credit score just the co-signer. We are trying to get a home loan for first time home buyers, so they clearly are only looking at my husband’s credit score. When I asked about mine, I was told I don’t really have one; it is so low that it is pretty much nonexistent.

Then I am told that I should get a credit card, um yeah okay. If I don’t really have a credit score how would it even been possible to get a credit card. Not to mention I would need a co-signer, lovely circle. This reminds me of trying to get a job, they won’t hire you unless you have experience but you can’t get any experience unless someone gives you a chance.
To make matters worse, I don’t want a credit card. Never wanted one nor do I want one now. I have a PayPal account, where you can get the item now and then pay later. This doesn’t count for some reason, seems a lot like a credit card to me. I just can’t carry it around and charge things willy-nilly.

I have a bank debit/charge card that is linked to my bank account, but my husband is also on that account. But this is not a credit card, as I am told. Thanks people I am not a stupid, I know the difference. I just think that a charging for something when you don’t have the money is stupid. You are paying more for something that you could just buy when you have the money.

I am sure that maybe that is why my credit score is so low. If I didn’t have the money, I didn’t need something. I paid my bills, bought food to eat, kept gas in my cars and never bought anything extra unless I had the money.
I watched many people charge things to cards and build up a large sum to pay later. I didn’t want to go into debt just to have something shiny that would lose value over time or break. I think that is why I am such a bargain shopper; I use to shop until I dropped. Never with a credit card, only cash or when I knew had I had money in the bank.

It is now a stupid hill that we as a couple must figure out how to climb. Guess we (I) might have to bite the bullet and get a credit card. I feel like one of my kids, I will go down but I will kick and scream the whole time. Maybe I will just get one through our bank and just use it for gas and groceries once in a while. But I will combine it with coupons, in-store deal and still never pay full price unless I have to.

I feel like a child right now, slightly helpless and having to do something I really don’t want to. Even if it is going to help in the long run, I just don’t want to pay an inflamed price just to help my credit score. It is already bothering my coupon clipping side, but I will move forward and make life better for my family.

CREDIT CARD RESEARCH HERE I COME! (Lol)

My kids remind me of cats

I will start of by saying that I have had cats, been around many cats growing up, and interned at a vet clinic so I have been around the many personalities of cats.

1. When my kids are hungry they make constant noise/whine about food, until they receive something. Many cats act the same way, when I had Dinky would chirp until I put food in his bowl.

2. When my kids are sleepy they will crash anywhere and everywhere. I’m surprised that they are actually comfortable is some positions. As the internet has shown the world cats are very similar.

3. Laser pens. If you never tried it with your kids, DO IT!

4. My kids make messes, as all kids do but they don’t clean up unless told or scolded. Cats make messes and don’t care, don’t think they will ever clean up.

5. When my kids want snuggles or cuddles, they take it. Doesn’t matter where I am or what I am doing, they will be in my personal bubble. Cats only cuddle when they want it, not the other way around. (As I type my bubble is so longer mine.)

6. Sometimes they sit for a movie, and on rare occasions they actually watch the whole movie. Cats will zone out on a dust fluff in the air, Dinky did this once for an hour. I know because that’s how ling I watched him do it.

7. Potty training, teaching your kids to hold it long enough till the toilet is always a ‘fun’ milestone, but when they master potty training best thing in the world. Cats and litter boxes pretty much same thing, unless your cat came potty trained or magically like Dinky knew what the litter box was for.

8. Kids and cats don’t care what it is you have they must have it or be between you and your item. Be it a book, phone, or my personal favorite morning coffee. To this day I only fill my largest cup 2/3 of the way up.

9. Trailing off of 8 sticking their hand in everything, my kids can not look with their eyes always their hands. Which has led to many messy clean ups. I have know ten cats who have stuck their paws into anything and everything. My cat Dinky was not allowed near fish tanks or cup with liquids.

10. The ability to fit into spaces that they should not fit, which usually involved rescuing of some sort. My kids got stuck between their beds and walls many time, or my personal favorite: stuck in a sleeve which they thought was the neck hole. Dinky has been rescued from under the house when he fell through a hole that was for the new stove to hook up to.

11. Clean warm laundry. Kids and cats are like magnets to the warm soft bundle of comfort. But sometimes when it’s a blanket we all cuddle under it, by we I mean I catch them in my ghostly warm cover and they love it.

I’m sure there are many many more ways kids and cats are the same, but I’ve been blogging for a bit and my kids are quite, fingers crossed nothing is broken or spilled. Happy reading!

Mommy’s Preschool Blues

Today makers the day that my oldest daughter is offically school ready. It’s a sad day but also a happy one. I hoped she would have waited until next year when she was actually 4 but she did things that made it very clear that she was ready for a new (much larger) milestone in life.

I loved that we have mastered small milestones in life, the biggest one she mas mastered was using the toilet like a big girl. These were small milestones that I knew I could handle in life, simple ones that in my heart I knew were small. I never wanted to focus on the larger ones that I knew would come. I think this milestone is more of a slap to the face, this slap sucks, she is growing up and ready to explore the world. Explore the world leading the way instead of Mommy leading the way.

I know it is only preschool, it is only two days a week for a few hours. But she is still my little baby girl. I don’t want her to grow up, I have fears for her. I am afraid that she will get bullied, or get hurt, even worse feel alone. I know that she will be under teachers care and that nothing bad will happen. But my own mother told me that that is a mothers curse, you spend your life worrying for them. But the best part of that curse, the love that is in your life. It is a new love, a love that you can never explain, it’s something that you never knew you were missing out on until you hold your child.

I know she will love me, even hate me at times. But those are milestones and things I knew would happen. I was prepared for that, but these feelings I have about my daughters first day at preschool. These are harder than I would have ever expected. But part of me knows that these feelings will fade, but I also know that these feelings will come again, and again and forever.

Wanting the best for your kids and wanting to protect them is a hard balance, it is a fight that I know now my own parents felt often. But in all reality I welcome these feelings every day, and look forward to my children growing and exploring the world till their hearts content.

Summer time and kids

I love my kids, but during the summer time it’s harder to have them listen. I know it’s only because they are outside and we have tons of backyard goodies for them.

Let me explain what we have for them, and there are quite a few back there. So we have the simple basic things like; a kiddie pool (ours inflates) and this is our third one, Dakota took two huge bits out of a free larger one (where it has a top ring you inflate with air and fill up this pool) so all that is left is the filter, a smaller shallow inflatable one, not sure how that one popped but it was only 5$, and lastly the one my parents gave us because they don’t use it that often (somehow there is small leak that we can’t find to save out life’s). We have tried the plastic hard shaped ones last year but one flew off during the winter somehow and the replacement one somehow cracked (maybe during the winter) and the dogs used it for play also. I think we just have a hard time with pools. But there is a slip-n-slide that works perfectly with our backyard, we have a slight down grade backyard so our pools always have a deep end, but the kids never seem to mind.

We also have a typical swing set, it was free and with some spray paint and a few screws, it was basically brand new. It comes with 2 swings (one normal and one seat type one for babies) and sea-saw and the double type swing (it’s a lot like sea-saw but not up and down it’s back and forth).

Then we have that first tiny slide that you buy when your kids climb and want small exciting things, and our ‘tree house’ it’s a two level Little Tykes play house and it has a swing with the bucket type seat and a larger longer slide, this was a gift for our younger daughters birthday, there is also a sort of clubhouse space underneath but the kids don’t care much about that. We don’t have trees that we can build in (really not trees) so them calling it a treehouse is cute.

And I have garden, but it’s mostly weeds and dirt so I don’t really care if the kids play in the dirt, for now. Our baby plants aren’t big enough for outside yet so the dirt playing is okay for now. Just means it’s bath time that night.

So yes I understand that coming in for nap time is not the most exciting thing to do, but lunch and snacks are outside and I do skip naps sometimes when I have lots of house work to do, but I won’t lie some days I play outside with them. Some times I tan and they copy me and I think that skipping housework to enjoy time with my girls are fine because they won’t be tiny girls who want to be just like me forever.

But before bed I do make sure they pick up some toys and laundry just so they know that you can fill a day with fun and games but you should clean up just a little before bed. I am excited that the girls will be partaking in the garden this year, they have picked out chocolate mint, two types tomatoes,
some lettuce, and green onions. Maybe next year my seedlings will actually take off instead of the weeds taking over.

Well now go outside and enjoy the weather!

Simple money saving things I do

I posted on where I find good deals and what to look for but now you can see a few simple ways I save money at home.

Kool-aid/punchI hit up my local Dollar Tree (store of cheap good items) there are some things I love to get and one thing I buy are punch mixes, but the only difference is I buy the single ones you can add to your water bottle and use those (not in a single water bottle).  I use 2 or 3 depending on how large of a container you are putting them in, and add sugar after I have added in the water (again this is all on how large of a container and how sweet you want it).

 

Food storage

Never throw out jusice containers or bulk plastic jugs, I use mine to store my sugar, flour, rice, and other dry baking/cooking products. If you can’t remove the label or it is a dark container I would use a paint pen and label my containers. I also use the old juice and soda bottles for things like kool-aid. After all why throw away something that could help keep items together (and lets face it those paper bags they come in suck). I also store my bulk beans and unopened pasta in a basket so they’re not floating bags of food that could fall and burst open. 

 

Come back soon, I might have some new tips or just something that has been on my mind. Who knows?!

 

 

 

coupons, freebies, giveaways myway

I have been doing these things for about a year now and I have had some success and some crap-shoot too. The best thing to do is keep trying and keep clipping to save money, and freebies are always a nice surprise in the mailbox. Also get a coupon holder, many dollar stores carry them, I have coupons that don’t expire for 2 years in mine and it’s good to hold them in the same place.

A few hints that help:

 ~you might need many social media accounts to get freebies (ie: Twitter, Facebook, Vine,etc) these help you find freebies and follow companies that give special deals to their customers.

~having more than one email, this way one is for personal things like family and friends and the other for companies that send out newsletters. Many newsletters contain printable coupons or even a link for free sample even recipes (also you can possibly snake extra samples with multiple emails)

~stores that have a customer card that costs nothing, you want to get. Big Lots for one sends newsletters about special deals that they don’t publish in the paper. Some stores also have loadable cards so you don’t have to clip so many coupons.

~this becomes your hobby, it pretty much it a part time job if you can manage it

~check many sites, they may have the same things listed but sometimes they don’t

 

http://www.couponclipinista.com/  This website has listings for coupons, free stuff, giveaways, deals, does a coupon matchup for you and if you are friends on Facebook she lists her winners for giveaways she puts on herself.

 

http://www.freestufffinder.com/ This site also has listings for free stuff, ad previews (some before they hit the newspaper), online deals, and printable coupons. This one also has a section on how to use coupons to the max.

 

http://www.influenster.com/  This site is more is a community of trendsetters, social media masterminds, and educated consumers who live to give opinions of products and experiences. Influenster invites its most active members to participate in exclusive VoxBox programs where members receive complimentary products to test and review. In exchange, we ask our members to do what they already love to do: share their opinions with their friends & followers on social media. This site uses a lot of those media accounts, I have does 5 boxes and won 2 larger prizes picked by the actual companies.

 

http://www.freebieshark.com/

http://klippinkrazykoupons.com/  

http://www.stockpilingmoms.com/

http://www.coupongeek.net/

“La Cantina,” Bobby’s Dry dock

Bobby’s Dry Dock

7876 Birch Bay Dr., Birch Bay

Restaurant owner, Bobby Christoffer is a long-time icon in Birch Bay. He started the former Dry Dock Restaurant – first located on the water down the street, then directly across the street in ‘the old house’…and now, after four years as “La Cantina,” Bobby’s Dry dock is back! Come by for a great meal, a beer from our great variety on tap, to try your luck at pull tabs, sing a little karaoke… or just to visit with the locals. We look forward to seeing you!!

This made me excited for when we moved to Birch Bay and there was a bar that was close (not to close) that we could go to, but boy I have been so wrong about that, 4 years of trying to figure out what the hell WE did to be treated like shit every time we went out to have fun and kick back.

This is many things you would find describing Bobby’s Dry dock, yet when you want to have a nice evening with friends sometimes you are treated differently as if nobody cares how the customers feel. I will start with the first time I was removed for this establishment, I was being SEXUALLY HARASSED by another patron and myself and my husband asked the man to stop to no avail, so I told the bouncer (who was more into his cell phone games than helping a paying customer) and his reply was I should enjoy the attention. I said that if I have to handle the problem myself then I will, sadly a few minutes later I had to. This other man (more like pig-scumbag dick head) SLAPPED my ass, so my response was that if he touches me again I will hurt him. He slapped my ass again and I proceeded to smash a beer bottle on his face (problem solved or so I thought), this is when the bouncer finally decided to do something and physically remove me. (I mean really dick head you refused to help me in the first place and now you want to help, nope you are welcomed with my knee shoved firmly into your pelvic region and I felt my knee bone hit bone and hard {thanks dad for teaching me that}.) I was able to remove myself from this so called bouncer and then run after and attack the sexual asshole again and proceed to kick the living shit out of him for about two minutes before my husband pulled me from the building. I found out later it took 5 men to hold back my husband from harming that so called man and  7 to catch and hold myself so I could me removed (one being my husband).

The second time I was told to leave (noticed told and not taken outside by force) was many  months later, I was 6 months pregnant which meant I was the DD, and I didn’t mind the deal was buy me food and some soda and I will be happy. So I was sitting at a table near the back, exactly next to the restroom (I could not only smell the bathroom I could hear people use it, I am sure there is some rule about that somewhere), and my husband ordered his drinks and my sprite and orange juice with the deluxe nachos with fresh made guacamole (heaven for a pregnant woman like me). I was sitting with my friends (6 of us, me included) who were drinking and we were all talking to each other and we all only had one drink (well they had one drink I had not touched mine yet, food first at the time) and the bartender came over and told us that we are cut off from more beer and we need to leave because I (me the pregnant one was making a scene). I said there must be some mistake because we have only been here for maybe 45 minutes and only had a one beer each and I am not drinking at all. This older bartender looked me straight in the face and yelled ” I can not serve you alcohol due to you being pregnant”, (yes you old sagging titted bitch who has more wrinkles than Shar Pei, I would love to endanger my child’s life with you shitty ass beer) I told her in a calm voice that I am the DD I my drink is only sprite and o.j and that she made it for me. Her face became red and then said that if I left than my friends could stay. I said sure and that I would be back at midnight to pick up my friends and left.

The final and last time my family was asked to leave was when my husband took out his friends for a good time. This being said he had not gone out in over a year, so there should be no bad blood from Bobby’s and everyone can be civil. Oh boy was I wrong, over three years the same bartender girls have been treating this place like it’s their own high school and they are the queens. But the problem for kicking out people who have done nothing wrong can have major effects. My husband is a calm person and is nice until provoked. And these bartender Mean Girls have something out for our family and anyone we are with. I mean being there for an hour just sitting and eating food doing nothing but chatting with people and being friendly helping make somebody happy and what happens? BAM! Kicked out, what for? Asked the bouncer he said he didn’t know, asked other people and they said he did NOTHING, he was just chilling and doing NOTHING, taking up space at the bar eating a drinking. Until the same bartender who told me I had to leave had some problem and kicked out my husband. I am not saying that this person has a problem with our family but it seems every time we go there it is THE SAME BARTENDER telling us we are causing a scene, being too loud or being rude and needs to leave. This same bartender told us we can’t come on the property due to a restraining order, um sweetheart we weren’t send papers I called the police station and they looked for months and nothing, so you need to stop running business away from your boss’s place and suck up what ever problem you have and be an adult about it and serve the drinks and take you tips.

So Bobby’s Dry Dock or La Cantina what ever the fuck you call yourself, we and all our friends will no longer be going to your shitty place for a good time. We will take our hard earned money and spend it at the Past Time or The Wheel House or go down a block and visit your rivals and spend our money there.