In the last few days I have received so much email asking "where have you been"so now I will tell you. By the way thanks for asking!

Lets see the new sunroom turned into "well since that wall is down why not that one too",I must admit its getting old fast.We have no kitchen or diningroom and its looking like at least a month till we do.For those who do not know we have 4 children under 5 so you can imagin what meal time is like.

The log cabins are moveing along well both are almost down and moved here,today should be the last day of removal.Scott has been doing most of the work himself and seeems to really like it,maybe this will open a new buisness for us.The next step is to get the county out here and get all the right permits to put them back up,we are not looking forward to that.

The animals are all doing well this year,we have them all in the same field and rotate them weekly. Our herd is up to 2 lambs,3 goats,1 heifer,1 heifer calf,4 pigs,a pony,geeses,ducks,rabbits and a few turkeys and our pet potbelly {cant forget the dogs and cats}.I have been working with the heifer to break for for work and she is makeing slow progress but we may get there. I also just got a sulki for the pony so i need to fix it up and get the kids working with their pony.

The hay field is ready for a second cutting so thats on the list along with the gardens{weeds are fighting hard this year}.I managed to plant 20 fruit trees and expand the berry patch,but still need to get the grapes set up better for next year.

We start "school" the 1st of Augest ,the twins turn 2 and the #2 child turns 4 so i need to plan a party for them also.Boy how time flies!seems like just last month the twins were newborns and I was so hopeing for the day they could walk,now I wish they would sit still!Potty training is NOT going well I think I'll just house break them{lol}.

Canning is going to be done outside since the kitchen is gone,and I still have not gotten the wringer washer fixed so I am done to a scrub board and hand wringer,I really do enjoy laundry so thats ok.I know I am forgetting something but thats ok I am tierd from just reading this LoL

Thanks again to you all who have been wondering about me and thanks to Cindy for sending me the password! I was worried I would be left to the wolves. Well time is short this morning and I hear little voices wakeing up so its time for me to go.You all have a great day.

-- Anonymous, July 15, 2001

Answers

Glad to see you made it back in, Renee. I have to go take a nap now that I've read your list . . . . ;-)

-- Anonymous, July 15, 2001

Hey Renee, did you ever get any answers for the help for the cabins? My weeds are fighting hard too, but I figure they're not going anywhere, and I'll get them sooner or later, dosen't seem to be so important this year. You do sound busy. I must be really lazy because I don't have any little kids and I have a hard time keeping up!

-- Anonymous, July 15, 2001

Renee, glad to hear from you. I know exactly how you feel! Our kitchen is up, but no running water or countertops yet. It's a catch 22 situation - we set up tables, shelves etc so we can cook, but then it's so cluttered that we can't work on it! How about living 2 years without a bathroom? We never dreamed it could take so long. We have a teenage daughter too. We do have a wonderful outside wood-heated bath tub and an outhouse with a spectacular view, but still... Looks like the bathroom space will shortly become a temporary bedroom for Kim's ailing dad, so maybe it will be a few more years.

-- Anonymous, July 15, 2001

Renee,

My goodness you must get tired! My mom liked to can outside when she could, kept things cool. Now then, how long exactly does it take you to do the wash for that many little ones???

-- Anonymous, July 15, 2001

Renee, How do you do that , how do you can outside? What do you do it on. I want to do that, I hate being stuck in the house. I've always dreamed of finding a way to do it outside, where the breeze is blowing. I really wish that I could have been an Indian and lived out in a T.P.!TRen

-- Anonymous, July 15, 2001

Marty here is how to handle alot of laundry,everyday I wash atleast 6 sets of dirty cloths but with the kids its more like10 sets I also make sure I do one set of bed sheets and then one day a week all the towels.I also fill a large tub in the morning w/ soapy water and the dirty stuff gets dropped in all day ,thats the next days wash.{I have 2 tubs going ,one to soak and one that days wash}.My laundry room is outside ,I have the 2 tubs and 2 double rinse sinks,one srub board and 2 hand wringers and a garden hose to fill and one to drain.I take the soaked tub and use a home made plunger type thing and plunge them for about 10 min.,then i sort the wash into the double rinse sinks ,the stuff that needs a scrub board and the stuff that does not .It takes about 40 min. a day to do it all,now if it rains for more then 3 days i sneak to the laundry mate and wash only then hange them in the house. I like the hand wringers cause the girls can help with out the fear of fingers being smashed,and by the way they brag that they get to do laundry.Sure I want the electris wringer washer fixed but till then we have a great time.

Tren,use a gas stove outside,I had the gas company run an extra line w/ a safty vaule for me and bought a pretty beat up gas stove for next to nothing at a yard sale.We use propane so its not to bad,also Scott made a "cart/dolly"for me that the stove is mounted to and i just roll it out of the shed ,hook up the line and we are good to go.

-- Anonymous, July 15, 2001

Gee renee, no wonder you haven't been on chat. I feel guilty now that I never got my garden in. Compaired to you, I've got loads of time on my hands. :) I only have one,moody teenager.

-- Anonymous, July 16, 2001

Dee, One MOODY teenager is enough to keep anyone buzy! TRen

-- Anonymous, July 16, 2001

Gosh, I'm embarrased. I make hundreds of excuses not to cook, and my kitchen is in the house and functional. If you look in the dictionary under "lazy", you will probably see my picture. I'm gonna go hide my head in shame now.

-- Anonymous, July 16, 2001

hi renee, just took time to read this thread........wow...you are a busy lady. It must be the youth in you because I remember when I was your age being able to do all that and not think too much about it. We built a dome house back in the 70's when I had three children, the oldest 5. He started school in the fall while we were still living in a tent. We still could not "homeschool" in Michigan then or I most likely would have done since I sure dreamed of it. I must admit that I sure yearn at times for those days when I had my cookstove outside and did all my canning and laundry outside. I am like Tren, probably would do the teepee thing in a heartbeat. We still think about doing what Kirk is doing, building with stone, out back where no one can see us and just living back there off the grid. Getting a little "up there" in age to start over I guess. But then, who knows??? Enjoy and those weeds etc. aren't the measure of a persons life or worth.

-- Anonymous, July 16, 2001