tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11907563219081758982024-02-20T15:46:57.670-08:00Thursday FarmsSome dreams lay dormant in the back of your mind like a sleepy fat cat you remember every once in awhile. But a Vision you take hold of like a lifeline off a sailing ship and swim your heart out to catch up.Kait Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08238201343730608186noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190756321908175898.post-53727669320427062692011-12-17T23:20:00.000-08:002012-01-27T13:49:08.329-08:00The House on Sunny Hollow<div style="text-align: center;">
If you follow <a href="http://yourmorningcup.blogspot.com/">Your Morning Cup</a>, you'll see that we put an offer in on a house.</div>
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<a href="http://bit.ly/sGGncL">See here</a>.</div>
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For us, its another baby step to Thursday Farms. Buy a house we can safely afford, live in it for 3 or 4 years and do some improvements. Then either rent it for a little bit of profit or sell it and use the difference (hopefully a decent one!) as a down payment for Thursday Farms. </div>
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Little by little the big tree grows, no?</div>
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And if we got this house (which is a long shot but worth trying for), we'd have two willows in the back and a view of large oaks lining the creek along the greenbelt behind the back fence.</div>
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Little by little.</div>
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<br /></div>Kait Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08238201343730608186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190756321908175898.post-20120810332698354552011-11-11T09:15:00.001-08:002011-11-11T09:52:18.787-08:00Back in the Saddle<div style="text-align: center;">
We did it.</div>
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We packed up our stuff in two 5x7x8 pods, left a TON of stuff that we couldn't fit, and got the heck out of Dodge. Excuse me, Seattle.<br />
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We drove 2,600 miles with a 6-8 week old baby and a dog.<br />
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Tatum got to meet well over 100 people. <br />
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My car decided to start overheating in Flagstaff so we drove from Arizona to Oklahoma with the windows down and the heater going.</div>
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We're temporarily living with my parents while we look for a place of our own.<br />
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And, thank the Lord, we've been able to do it all debt-free so far.</div>
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With a varying income from Matt's leftover vacation time, transition to a new job and a promotion within 3 weeks, our budget has been all over the place. We've had to purchase things that we didn't have room to pack, we're trying to figure out how to not be a financial burden to my parents, judging how much we'll be able to afford for rent or even possibly purchasing a home, and hopefully trying to recoup some of the savings we've spent.<br />
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All this with the holidays approaching.<br />
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Time to get back in the saddle and start budgeting again!<br />
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<br /></div>Kait Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08238201343730608186noreply@blogger.com0Edmond, OK, USA35.6528323 -97.478095435.5496138 -97.6360239 35.7560508 -97.3201669tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190756321908175898.post-81527801700818683922011-09-17T11:42:00.000-07:002011-09-17T11:42:22.817-07:00New Addition and We're Moving<div style="text-align: center;">In case you missed it over on <a href="http://yourmorningcup.blogspot.com/">Your Morning Cup</a>, Tatum Keturah was born on August 2 at 8:52pm. Here's a quick visual re-cap of the past six weeks:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">You can read her birth story <a href="http://yourmorningcup.blogspot.com/2011/08/tatums-birth-story.html">here </a>if you're interested.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">And we're moving. Finally. Thank You Jesus.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">After a year of having the possibility of moving right around the corner, wondering if I should buy bulk or start saving boxes or get moving quotes, its finally here. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Matt is going to be working at Mid-America Christian University and in six months will be able to start on his MBA for free, which will be an enormous blessing. I might even try to get another BA in Literature or maybe a Master's in Public Administration--I really miss school sometimes.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">MACU is located in Oklahoma City, so for the third time in three years we're packing up and headed to a new location. We'll be driving nearly 3,000 miles on our Tour de Tatum, taking two weeks so that family along the route can get to meet our newest addition.</div><br />
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So wish us luck on our new endeavor. We don't plan on being in Oklahoma forever, this is just the next step in the journey. After that Matt might look into working with another outdoor company, maybe one based in Colorado but we'll have to wait a few years to see. I have to say that having really cranked down and built up our savings is what's allowing us to do this move debt-free since MACU isn't paying for the relocation. We'll be living with my parents for a month or two once there so we can start to recoup some of our losses.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Until then, we'll be living our of our suitcases! See you in Okie Homie!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Kait Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08238201343730608186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190756321908175898.post-4599820583473231892011-06-22T15:45:00.000-07:002011-06-22T16:46:16.687-07:00Home Brewed<div style="text-align: center;">For Father's Day I found Matt the perfect present on accident! While sorting the mail at work, I filed a Williams-Sonoma catalog and on the back cover there it was! An apartment-sized beer making kit!</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Its made by the <a href="http://brooklynbrewshop.com/">Brooklyn Brew Shop</a>, and I purchased it from <a href="http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/beer-making-kit/?pkey=e%7Cbrew%7C5%7Cbest%7C0%7C1%7C24%7C%7C1&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-NoMerchRules-_-">Williams-Sonoma</a> for the same price.<br />
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Matt has mentioned a number of times how much he'd like to try his hand at making his own beer, but looking at what is normally used (two 5 gallon plastic buckets), he knew it wasn't something easily done in our teeny apartment that is quickly becoming overrun with baby supplies (and we're minimalists when it comes to baby gear!). </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Enter this cute little kit. With only one gallon it can easily be stored on a pantry shelf to ferment. It was affordable, and will be a great way to test out a new hobby for Matt. If he likes it, then once we move somewhere with a bit more room he can get the larger versions. Until then, if a batch turns out to be not-so-great then at least its just a gallon wasted and not 5! (t'would be such a shame to waste beer!)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">We'll keep you posted on how it turns out! If he starts a batch this weekend, he should be able to toast one of his own beers in celebration of Tatum's birth! </div>Kait Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08238201343730608186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190756321908175898.post-59993547720436784382011-05-22T11:44:00.000-07:002011-05-22T11:44:28.293-07:00Where Our Money Goes Now<div style="text-align: center;">When we first began the climb towards a debt-free life in the summer of 2009, our main focus (after saving our $1,000 Emergency Fund according to Dave Ramsey's Baby Steps during our very first <a href="http://smallnotebook.org/2009/07/01/the-no-spend-month-challenge/">No Spend Month</a>), was kicking our credit card debt.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">We finally did that in the summer of 2010, after<a href="http://yourmorningcup.blogspot.com/2010/03/drinking-wine-from-dixie-cup.html"> moving across town </a>to a place with rent that was significantly less than what we had been spending, and <a href="http://yourmorningcup.blogspot.com/2010/07/another-no-spend-month.html">our second No Spend Month</a> (gotta love the nice jump starts those give a budget!). </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">After that we began to throw our weight against my remaining student loans and opened an ING Direct Savings account to put our Emergency Fund in, while continuing to add a bit more to that every month. We also increased Matt's contribution to our 401K, knowing its more important to do that now--even for a few months--and lower it later if needed than to never do it at all. I've never opened a 401k with a company with the simple knowledge that I wouldn't be in one place long enough to be fully vested, whether it be from moving or leaving a job altogether to stay at home with my babies. So instead of each contributing, say, 4 or 5%, we have Matt contribute 10% towards his 401k, in which he'll be fully vested this year.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">According to Dave Ramsey, we should have been throwing everything against my student loans at this point, but this nagging voice in the back of my head kept asking, <i>"What if I get pregnant and we have to go to one salary?"</i> Compared to most of the world, Matt and I are abundantly wealthy. But if we took away my salary and were still living in Seattle, pretty much all we could afford would be Section 8 housing in an unsafe neighborhood.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">So we divided putting money towards my student loans and an emergency fund.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Then...surprise! In late November we found out we were expecting! And BOY was I grateful we had begun building our Emergency Fund!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_v9QdAphGDRWZAzb0_Mlx24lHvmrhX2JieceKx-8VIgKdobeu6I8kiJBhSxxpmkDzB-P1CpbjFJaGaTBmHvzPF8yRwUCgSMGMSTLZ2Xdna5IB2J-F5DRU0St9DqiIJVttoy1tvztJhZj/s1600/11-20-2010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_v9QdAphGDRWZAzb0_Mlx24lHvmrhX2JieceKx-8VIgKdobeu6I8kiJBhSxxpmkDzB-P1CpbjFJaGaTBmHvzPF8yRwUCgSMGMSTLZ2Xdna5IB2J-F5DRU0St9DqiIJVttoy1tvztJhZj/s400/11-20-2010.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Since then, we've spent just $50 more a month towards my student loans, and the rest that we can spare goes towards our Emergency Fund. Thankfully, by the time our little Tater Tot arrives in late July we'll have enough in savings for any unforeseen medical emergencies, or to help us through a few more months of Seattle's high prices if we don't move right away (there's a possibility Matt could get a job on the other side of the country and we'd move mid-August, just a few weeks after the Tater's arrival). We're definitely hoping for the move, as the median family income is $12,000 less there than it is in Seattle!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I guess all this to say that following Dave Ramsey's Baby Steps has definitely helped us dig out of our debt hole, but looking at our life situation we had to make choices that were better for us at the time. Knowing we won't be plunged deep into debt if Tatum needs to spend a night in the hospital is definitely a huge peace of mind.</div>Kait Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08238201343730608186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190756321908175898.post-81876284828254879712011-05-10T12:14:00.000-07:002011-05-10T12:14:45.939-07:00The Waiting Game<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">It seems like a lot of life is waiting for something, and frankly I'm sick of waiting to move. Since last October we've thought every couple of months there was a chance for us to get out of the Pacific Northwest and Matt to finally be recognized for what an awesome manager he is.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">But here we are, 8 months later and still waiting.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Our next hope is a move in August. Probably only 3-4 weeks after our baby girl is born. Where we are now is a one bedroom "apartment" that's really the bottom level of a house. One room is our living room, dining room, kitchen, office and library. Our bedroom is small and already I'm trying to figure out the best way to fit a bassinet or pack n' play in there. And there's no use in going overboard with the "nursery planning" since there is no nursery, and no point in totally rearranging everything now if we'll just have to pack it up 3 weeks after the Tater Tot makes her grand entrance.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Its frustrating...not knowing. We have limited access to a washer and dryer...do I buy cloth diapers or not? It'd be great to register for a crib and crib mattress...but where would we put it? I have bought oodles of fabric that we'd love to use for the baby's "nursery," but right now all I can make is a quilt. Hopefully come August she'll be able to have a nursery where I can hang curtains and make a cute crib ruffle and a throw pillow for the rocker (which is the second hand 1970's gold rocker from a thrift store that I've had since college).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Its going to be a challenge trying to figure out timing and accomodations for the family and friends who want to be here for the birth. I want family here, of course, but I think I'll go crazy sitting around with a bunch of people staring at me like a time bomb if I'm a few days late. I'm already trying to think of easily freezable group dinners. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">But wondering about it and checking the real estate market in South Carolina won't make anything happen any faster. Complaining about the constant rain and chill and gray won't make it disappear. Wishing for a bathtub or a dishwasher to help make things a little easier or more comfortable won't do any good. Our home has been a huge blessing that has helped us get out of debt and save up a nice emergency fund, but its time to move on and Matt and I know it. We're just waiting for God to open the doors. And if He doesn't when we want Him to, He must have a reason, right?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Right?</div>Kait Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08238201343730608186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190756321908175898.post-1224798568875673812011-01-25T08:38:00.000-08:002011-01-25T12:22:55.743-08:00Good Tilled Earth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://manvsdebt.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/lotr-the-shire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" s5="true" src="http://manvsdebt.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/lotr-the-shire.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">We watched Fellowship of the Ring the last two nights (extended version, of course), and in the beginning when Bilbo is talking about hobbits, he describes their love of peace and "good tilled earth."</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">As all the seed catalogues are coming out and bloggers are discussing getting new chicks and planting seedlings and choosing garden tools, I have a hitch in my giddup to do the same. But with all the unknowns in our life at the moment, I know I have to wait. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>Patience, grasshopper.</em></div>Kait Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08238201343730608186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190756321908175898.post-66567578496423125532011-01-01T14:16:00.000-08:002011-01-01T14:16:18.526-08:00New Beginning<div style="text-align: center;">Well I said I was ready to start trying for a baby...what I didn't know when I wrote my last post was that I was already pregnant!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX0xfiVq_buNxqSjZ_JzUUvERfK33h2YfuGtCoF2N-HSqiE0oDMPNk4HBOy68KxJiJPqugOUoJPdUoxtjX0I3QzxL6w49Yv56I1WyJ_G1YsDqrfcYbiJfeD0YPif1QVp1Q5kFBl4pJ4sxH/s1600/SCAN0018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX0xfiVq_buNxqSjZ_JzUUvERfK33h2YfuGtCoF2N-HSqiE0oDMPNk4HBOy68KxJiJPqugOUoJPdUoxtjX0I3QzxL6w49Yv56I1WyJ_G1YsDqrfcYbiJfeD0YPif1QVp1Q5kFBl4pJ4sxH/s320/SCAN0018.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I may have said I was ready, but truth be told we were both in complete shock when we found out. Maybe I wasn't quite as ready as I thought! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Now Matt is urgently looking for the next step in his job, as we both want to make it a priority that I be a stay at home mom. Hopefully I can grow <a href="http://theruffledowl.blogspot.com/">The Ruffled Owl</a> into something of a viable business, even if its just a couple hundred dollars a month extra that would be a big help.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">We have a potential next step. I won't say anything more at the moment, but it might even include becoming homeowners. Nothing fancy, and certainly not Thursday Farms itself, but a place where we could decorate a nursery, and then once we move, rent out to provide a small extra income. With the housing market the way it is, there really hasn't been a better time to buy. Even after taxes, HOA fees, insurance and maintenance fees, it would still be cheaper than renting in the particular place we're looking! Then maybe in 5 or 10 years, when the economy has fully turned around, we can sell it for a profit to use as a nest egg for the farm.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Just dreams at the moment, maybe, but hey, that's what this blog is for.</div>Kait Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08238201343730608186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190756321908175898.post-24609944608598981612010-11-09T15:27:00.000-08:002010-11-09T15:27:16.973-08:00ReadyI'm ready for the next step. <br />
<br />
Ready to move. <br />
<br />
Literally. <br />
<br />
Someplace at a lower latitude where the sun won't set in the 3 o'clock hour during December. <br />
<br />
Ready to start trying for a baby.<br />
<br />
Ready to be home where I have more than the hours leftover after working, commuting, exercising, cooking and cleaning to follow things I'm passionate about...like writing, crafting and gardening. Its that aggravated feeling I could make a decent living doing what I love, but its just not the time to try it. <br />
<br />
Patience. <br />
<br />
I must have patience.<br />
<br />
"You will keep him in perfect peace, who's mind is stayed on You, because he trusts You."Kait Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08238201343730608186noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190756321908175898.post-54758727417790270422010-10-27T10:07:00.000-07:002010-10-27T10:07:19.823-07:00The Ruffled Owl and a Baby Quilt<div style="text-align: center;">The winner of the name contest was <a href="http://theruffledowl.blogspot.com/">The Ruffled Owl</a>. If anyone ever actually looks at this blog, head over to <a href="http://theruffledowl.blogspot.com/">the site</a> and check out the apron designs I've got up. Hopefully this is a stepping stone towards being a stay at home mom and still bringing in a bit of income!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">And here is my first baby quilt!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Sorry, Mom. Actually Dad too, since when I joked and asked if he wanted an apron he responded, "I want a grandkid!"</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Anyway, its something I'd like to add to the Ruffled Owl stuff. I had a lot of fun making it, and am already started on my second one for another Little One that will be here soon. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The Aisley Baby Quilt</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlDGo_1QI4OqeWDCs0P5vEIQ1qGFdvYGbJUJci8JRQoSg3O0LGymHpc5Dl6U-sNV7up45QaiPUh_CbMMR7iID4lZGDgFZrvDhQerWIn8nGTn2TxTpIycbvNjiCLqZyqAoBW1M6tSVy4ig/s1600/IMG_8834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlDGo_1QI4OqeWDCs0P5vEIQ1qGFdvYGbJUJci8JRQoSg3O0LGymHpc5Dl6U-sNV7up45QaiPUh_CbMMR7iID4lZGDgFZrvDhQerWIn8nGTn2TxTpIycbvNjiCLqZyqAoBW1M6tSVy4ig/s640/IMG_8834.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVSU9KLfx98i9W-3raKWlEA-rT0ii70qbXqiByVCeK2cjOxJkLxkPeXhxPYKqd-cM-EfgSBt4dB08CI5nFt97dGLDK8glGTlcBIkzRpCX7y7e5r1H38iN7WyLlEZJSkTbsFXJQU-eZxILK/s1600/IMG_8836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVSU9KLfx98i9W-3raKWlEA-rT0ii70qbXqiByVCeK2cjOxJkLxkPeXhxPYKqd-cM-EfgSBt4dB08CI5nFt97dGLDK8glGTlcBIkzRpCX7y7e5r1H38iN7WyLlEZJSkTbsFXJQU-eZxILK/s400/IMG_8836.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij2LBGGKVgU7Ci-SzZd7z79uKY4FMUdMl2zJakTXSJfy8qvLRa8YHtcgFNEFrNx3lBOtYeW66VLfmaNvHQMymdCz8UbTRHT1I-qDlQg0uoQGovh1PPh1bRRo1EKTHSzhSOIMFg3Bzvtbb3/s1600/IMG_8841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij2LBGGKVgU7Ci-SzZd7z79uKY4FMUdMl2zJakTXSJfy8qvLRa8YHtcgFNEFrNx3lBOtYeW66VLfmaNvHQMymdCz8UbTRHT1I-qDlQg0uoQGovh1PPh1bRRo1EKTHSzhSOIMFg3Bzvtbb3/s400/IMG_8841.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">Oh and today is the last day to enter the raffle at <a href="http://www.naptimediaries.com/">Naptime Diaries</a> to win a Ruffled Owl apron...or a bunch of other prizes. To enter, make a donation and then comment on what you would like to enter your "ticket" towards.</div>Kait Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08238201343730608186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190756321908175898.post-10191287427381079282010-10-06T13:55:00.000-07:002010-10-06T13:55:28.708-07:00Win An Apron!So over on Your Morning Cup and the Giggling Gourmet I'm having a little contest. <br />
<br />
While this may not seem directly related to Thursday Farms, in fact its a hopeful tiny step towards being a stay at home mom who can bring in some income on the side. <br />
<br />
One day, one day I tell myself.<br />
<br />
So head on over and throw in your ideas! The more submissions the better your chances of winning!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://yourmorningcup.blogspot.com/2010/10/win-apron.html">Your Morning Cup</a><br />
<a href="http://thegigglinggourmet.blogspot.com/2010/10/win-apron.html">The Giggling Gourmet</a>Kait Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08238201343730608186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190756321908175898.post-89725361611171023452010-09-12T17:59:00.000-07:002010-09-13T09:54:01.621-07:00Harvest Heartstrings<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUa5qDp1CB0caBLKRsq4TU-8EoXtfC3XfV1PNbHR2ceXpnmeLBQub9KDVdejcl9lE5hjRbbJIIzW6XgjTB9h3WElVyP4NstE2pzbOuVhTE55_VBHNR1V5RTs_w4-_GnYewhHlHo4QiZQqj/s1600/two+tomatos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUa5qDp1CB0caBLKRsq4TU-8EoXtfC3XfV1PNbHR2ceXpnmeLBQub9KDVdejcl9lE5hjRbbJIIzW6XgjTB9h3WElVyP4NstE2pzbOuVhTE55_VBHNR1V5RTs_w4-_GnYewhHlHo4QiZQqj/s400/two+tomatos.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div>Its turning to the time of year I love the most.<br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Autumn.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This is when I wish we already had our farm the most. That I would be out in the morning with the chill making the tip of my nose red and filling my basket with potatoes and squash.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This is when Harvest plays a tune on my hearstrings, a siren call of land and tilth and seasons. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">But no farm yet so I'll have to satisfy myself by harvesting what I did plant.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">My enormous tomato plant has finally made four tiny green</span> tomatoes that I'm hoping will actually ripen before a frost kills 'em off.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxitmoAGvznWKGhcpsAP8whvk_HPJKZ0bpuMQiMEO6RTN9iLkTdDh2zndK8Ov492qyrYd9tg42VboyWg4Ltdk9l0HhkLPkYlUPi1vYbgABHohMT1phrKRkcfmZtc7FgiBcpSUKOZBYhprr/s1600/tomato+bokeh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxitmoAGvznWKGhcpsAP8whvk_HPJKZ0bpuMQiMEO6RTN9iLkTdDh2zndK8Ov492qyrYd9tg42VboyWg4Ltdk9l0HhkLPkYlUPi1vYbgABHohMT1phrKRkcfmZtc7FgiBcpSUKOZBYhprr/s640/tomato+bokeh.jpg" width="428" /></a>, </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My carrots are nice and fat, but we have so many from our CSA box I'm just going to leave them in the dirt for the time being, letting them get even bigger and fatter. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The little bunny that was so cute three months ago is now a fat little bunny who has a taste for my spinach. I feel like mean old MacGregor in the Peter Rabbit stories, but I'm about ready to turn Roy loose on him if he starts in on my carrots!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">That's all the news here. We're focusing on building more of a nest egg, and paying off my student loans. Slowly and surely.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjurs3OZsmY5uItY3YAaspNO_fC0JSp0bEejocdvw0Kyx7AsGsmm4N8hkvYSZTXWnAT_AVs6QQLKxRwHiSVmZKa-UNKZsXMQ_p8sPEQHbj445vhgipnuC5vunfUcLNGLfwn58dTUA1l9iYA/s1600/tomato+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjurs3OZsmY5uItY3YAaspNO_fC0JSp0bEejocdvw0Kyx7AsGsmm4N8hkvYSZTXWnAT_AVs6QQLKxRwHiSVmZKa-UNKZsXMQ_p8sPEQHbj445vhgipnuC5vunfUcLNGLfwn58dTUA1l9iYA/s640/tomato+detail.jpg" width="452" /></a></div><br />
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</span></div>Kait Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08238201343730608186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190756321908175898.post-80696433927934716062010-08-22T01:18:00.000-07:002010-08-22T01:18:17.593-07:00ContentmentLast week while driving home from work, I was inching along in traffic when I noticed the man in the car next to me.<br />
<br />
He was driving a brand new BMW...it didn't even have the plates in yet. A large pinkie ring graced the clenched fist that pounded the leather encased steering wheel. He was throwing a fit, waving at the cars around him and clearly having a nice little tirade.<br />
<br />
Now I'm no saint. I've shaken my fist and pounded my own wheel and done my share of yelling at the Seattl-<s>idiots</s> -ites who don't know how to merge onto a freeway.<br />
<br />
But at that particular moment I was content. Perfectly and utterly happy with where I was in the car and in my life. I may dream of a farm in the country, but I don't need it to be content.<br />
<br />
And that was the lesson I learned that day. (again. and I'll probably have to learn it again. and again. and again. and...)Kait Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08238201343730608186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190756321908175898.post-81660682048353620382010-08-16T09:19:00.000-07:002010-08-16T09:19:56.290-07:00Telling Your Money Where To Go...I read in Dave Ramsey's book <em>Total Money Makeover</em> that having a budget was telling your money where to go, not wondering where it went.<br />
<br />
Now that we've finally paid off that last credit card we're looking at where that money should go now. We still have my student loan, should we throw all our weight against that? <br />
<br />
What about our Emergency Savings? We've got the Dave-Ramsey-suggested $1,000 in an account, but realistically we want to have a cushion of about $12,000 in there.<br />
<br />
Then there's the thought that pretty soon we're probably going to have to sell one of our cars (I vote for Matt's, I'm too attached to mine) for one that will last us longer. <br />
<br />
There's also the good argument that we're young and without kids and now is the time to see the world! Labor Day is coming up and we want to get out of town and explore this state a bit!<br />
<br />
Oh, and not to mention that Christmas will involve a bit of traveling this year and, let's face it, Christmas is just always expensive no matter how hard you try! I just keep seeing that perfect gift for people! <br />
<br />
So do we split up our extra income or throw it all against one thing? If we threw it all at the student loan it would still take us about a year to pay it off, and by that time (hopefully) there will be a little one on the way and flying to Paris for a week will be a lot more difficult. <br />
<br />
So for right now, we're splitting it all up. A good chunk is going to the student loan, another good chunk towards the Emergency Savings, but we've also got a Travel & Gifts savings account for Christmas and other trips. We opened an ING checking account with the free $50 bonus and are using that to slowly begin saving for a car...we want to pay for the whole thing up front rather than having a car payment.<br />
<br />
When you put all your extra money towards one thing it seems to go quickly (well, maybe not quickly but faster). Splitting it up makes it feel like each goal is going to take forever. I guess there's no perfect solution, but that's ours at the moment.<br />
<br />
Where do you throw your money's weight? Debt? Savings? Fun?Kait Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08238201343730608186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190756321908175898.post-22266634699431304412010-08-07T11:59:00.000-07:002010-08-07T11:59:14.319-07:00DONE DONE DONE!!!<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Its a cool, drizzly morning and I have the most wonderful, contended feeling. A breakfast of eggs, bacon and coffee, a warm fleece, the sliding door open to let in the cool breeze and the sound of rain in. And, I did something wonderful this morning:</span></div><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #171717; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"></span><br />
<h3 style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">Select Payment Amount</span></h3><table border="0" cellspacing="0" class="formTable" style="width: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td colspan="2" style="padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;"><span class="required" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">*</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">Choose one of the following:</span></td></tr>
<tr class="valign-mid"><td class="label-col-left" style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 2px; text-align: left; vertical-align: middle; width: 260px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #cfe2f3;"><input id="payment_full" name="PAYMENT_OPTION" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" type="radio" value="P" /> </span><label class="radio_text" for="payment_full" style="color: rgb(23, 23, 23) !important; position: relative; top: -2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">Last Statement Balance - [08/05/2010]</span></label></td><td class="label-col-left" style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 2px; text-align: left; vertical-align: middle; width: 260px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">$X,XXX.XX</span></strong></td></tr>
<tr class="valign-mid"><td class="label-col-left" style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 2px; text-align: left; vertical-align: middle; width: 260px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #cfe2f3;"><input id="payment_min" name="PAYMENT_OPTION" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" type="radio" value="M" /> </span><label class="radio_text" for="payment_min" style="color: rgb(23, 23, 23) !important; position: relative; top: -2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">Minimum Payment Due</span></label></td><td class="label-col-left" style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 2px; text-align: left; vertical-align: middle; width: 260px;"><strong id="minimum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">$XX.XX</span></strong></td></tr>
<tr class="valign-mid"><td class="label-col-left" style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 2px; text-align: left; vertical-align: middle; width: 260px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #cfe2f3;"><input id="payment_other" name="PAYMENT_OPTION" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" type="radio" value="O" /> </span><label class="radio_text" for="payment_other" style="color: rgb(23, 23, 23) !important; position: relative; top: -2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">Other Amount</span></label></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #171717; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #171717;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I clicked that darned button to pay off the full balance of our credit card!!!!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #171717;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #171717;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">HALLELUJAH!!!</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #171717;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #171717;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Do you know how good that feels! We even have to skimp a bit this week to make up for it but after a year of working towards this goal its worth it not to drag it out </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">ONE MORE WEEK!!!</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #171717;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #171717;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In other news, namely garden news, I got a small batch of snow peas I blanched and froze along with the snow peas from our CSA box. That should last us 3 or 4 stir frys, at least!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #171717;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #171717;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My tomato plant is enormous...I mean, its as tall as I am! Its a Brandywine, but I didn't know they grew that big! I discovered a problem, though. Just when I was excited to get a few blooms...they would drop off! Reading in my Rodale's <i>Organic Gardening</i> book, I found that shaking the tomato might prevent this from happening.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #171717;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #171717;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I had head about this originally on Apartment Therapy's Re-Nest website, where they talked about the old wives tale of <a href="http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/gardening/beat-your-tomatoes-and-other-old-wives-tales-from-the-garden-119016">Beating Your Tomato With a Broom.</a> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #171717;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #171717;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So I've been giving it a try! I never liked tomatoes much anyways, so I get a certain satisfaction from smacking them around. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #171717;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #171717;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And you know what?</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #171717;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #171717;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Since I started I haven't seen any more blossoms drop! No fruit yet...but hopefully if I keep up the regular beating I will! </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #171717; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><br />
</span></div>Kait Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08238201343730608186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190756321908175898.post-39718499447404945212010-08-03T12:06:00.000-07:002010-08-03T12:06:05.578-07:00And The Vision Expands<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">Everyone, it seems, wants to live on Thursday Farms whenever its up and running. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">How fantastic would it be to have my in-laws on the east slope where my Papa Palmer can keep an eye on the vineyard, my grandma over the river and through the woods, and my parents in the valley where my Mom can teach Bible studies in the outdoor ampitheater? <em>(this is just a scenario, family, no one get their panties in a twist cause they weren't mentioned!)</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Oh, and Aunt June wants to live there too, as long as she has a porch, a rocking chair and a gun. Aunt June lives in Alaska at the moment, so you'll excuse the gun comment. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Last weekend I was down in Orange County and we hosted a big ole beach bonfire. So many good friends came, and what I loved was so many of them were excited along with us about this vision. And they want to come visit. Or help harvest. Or make butter together. <strong>I LOVE it!</strong> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">As for right now, our house (okay, one-bedroom basement apartment) could nearly double as a B&B with as many guests as we've been having! I adore having friends and family come up and stay with us...we're actually investing in some <a href="http://www.rei.com/product/778152">REI 3 1/2 inch camp beds</a> so we can whip them out on a moment's notice! (I'm not a fan of air mattresses...) </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">In other exciting news, we finished our<a href="http://yourmorningcup.blogspot.com/2010/07/another-no-spend-month.html"> No Spend Month</a> on July 28th (a wee bit early), and this Friday we will officially be out of credit card debt! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>I mean, DONE! FINITO! FINISHED!</em></strong> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Hallelujah, Jesus be praised and help us never go back there again!!! What a huge step for us in heading towards being completely debt free! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">'Till next time, may you live within your means and beyond your dreams!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Kait Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08238201343730608186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190756321908175898.post-78382862797559296152010-07-27T23:51:00.000-07:002010-07-27T23:51:43.221-07:00Meant to Have It to Give It Away<div style="text-align: center;"><blockquote>"Everybody ends up somewhere in life. A few people end up somewhere on purpose. Those are the ones with vision." --Andy Stanley</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: center;">Part of the reason we feel this idea of Thursday Farms is more than a dream is it has stuck with us. Pressed on our hearts. Always in the back of our minds. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Back in January I started reading <i>Visioneering</i>, and I'm starting it over and want to blog my way through it this time.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Re-reading in my journal some of my notes helps me see the farm in a bigger picture.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">We're meant to have a big garden so if people don't have enough to eat they can work an hour or two and go home with good, fresh food. Share fresh eggs and milk with our neighbors.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">If a young couple just starting out can't manage the ridiculous costs of a wedding, we can offer a free location to host it.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Maybe a pastor and his wife would love a weekend away from ministry but can't afford it. They can stay at our B&B to rejuvenate.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">One facet of this multi-faceted dream is to be able to teach yoga (yes, I'm a certified yoga instructor). I would love to have a big deck or floored area outside that could be an outside, year-round yoga studio. A retracable awning and rain flys could shelter from rain and snow, space heaters to make the space comfortable, and when its nice and sunny you can open the entire thing up and bask in the sunshine.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I would love to be able to teach moms in the neighborhood who might not have the time or money to go to a studio. Each week one or two moms would watch all the kids while the rest got some time to themselves.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">This book emphasizes that a "vision forms in the hearts of those who are dissatisfied with the status quo." Its a burden. Not just something you <i>could </i>do, but <i>should </i>do. I believe the church, not the government, should be the one to help those who aren't able. Hopefully Thursday Farms will be a part of that.</div>Kait Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08238201343730608186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190756321908175898.post-90026259717833597932010-07-26T10:05:00.000-07:002010-07-26T10:06:28.515-07:00Garden Update 7-26-2010<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">Yesterday was a gloriously warm and sunny day. At noon I headed outside in my nightie (modest enough) to read in the sun for a bit, when I spotted my spinach. It had bolted (flowered), and now lay wilting over the side of the pot. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">There was about a week when I was thinking "ooh I should pick some of those leaves for a salad," but with our CSA being 90% greens at the moment I kept thinking I could wait. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Lesson for next time: pick the spinach when its ripe and just blanch it and freeze it! <em>Dur</em>.</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Spying my past-its-prime spinach I noticed some other pots that weren't looking too happy and was inspired to actually do something about it.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I re-potted my strawberry, planted some more spinach (my Maritime Northwest Garden Guide said this was the time to, although it seemed a bit warm...), prepped some pots for future lettuce, leeks and whatever else might strike my fancy, and planted sunflower and other wildflower seeds along the border of the backyard. Technically its in the greenbelt but its really just a foot of bare dirt before the blackberry bushes, so why not have some color there? I've had the seeds for over a year now and haven't stored them in the best possible manner so I'm not even sure if they'll germinate, but it was either plant them or toss them!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I hauled my giant tomato plant (pic coming soon) around all afternoon moving it to wherever the sun was hitting so it could soak up some rays. My poor squash plant has powdery mildew so I'll have to do something about that...last year I tried a mix of milk and water and baking soda sprayed on it and that worked out so-so. Any suggestions?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Lastly swept the concrete patio then blasted it with water so everything was nice and neat again. When it was all said and done the backyard looked much nicer and my shoulders were much browner. I laid in the hammock and nearly fell asleep in the drowsy warm afternoon. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Did I mention I did all this in my nightie? Such was our Sunday afternoon...</div>Kait Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08238201343730608186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190756321908175898.post-40257429251937948052010-07-25T00:22:00.000-07:002010-07-27T09:50:25.435-07:00My Own Beeswax<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDRuaTqQQpOtpKeyLaSEdbm4jYh9i1BhASuqEzQ2PReUIccMV-Q2El93wOoC4z2e2RVt3sZtpMbQ3WnJgbEE54Hqx6VlVRPjks75bwvavig75s1czKsHao-a1FgxV2eWVO5cu1X06lIBdy/s1600/bee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDRuaTqQQpOtpKeyLaSEdbm4jYh9i1BhASuqEzQ2PReUIccMV-Q2El93wOoC4z2e2RVt3sZtpMbQ3WnJgbEE54Hqx6VlVRPjks75bwvavig75s1czKsHao-a1FgxV2eWVO5cu1X06lIBdy/s400/bee.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">I want to be a beekeeper.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Yes, go ahead, laugh if you like.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>But I'm just a bee charmer...</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">That was said with a long southern drawl...anyone know that movie?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Seriously, though, I love honeybees. Their happy little buzzing. Their hard working spirit. They don't sting you for the fun of it like a wasp or hornet. I've actually let bees crawl onto my hands and carried them outside if they get stuck in the house...be nice to them and they'll be nice to you. <br />
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They're the friendlies of the bug world. <br />
<br />
Aside from my general love for them, bees are important to a homestead for a number of reasons.<br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Pollination</b>, for one big one.<br />
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When I had my squash and zucchini growing in pots on our patio last year, there was a severe lack of pollination. I had to use a paint brush to pollinate the squash blossoms to get them to actually grow. I succintly coined it "plant sex."<br />
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I'd rather let the bees handle that next time, thanks though. Guess I'm just not "in the mood" to whip out my paintbrush every day. Hardee har har...<br />
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Second main reason: <b>honey</b>. <br />
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I love me some honey.<br />
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Not just for the flavor, but I've used raw honey as a facial mask and as a treatment for cuts and scrapes.<br />
<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=hubp057-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=074348052X&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>In a study in India they found that in first-degree burn patients who were treated with honey versus conventional treatments, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #ffd966;">91 percent of those treated with honey were infection-free</span> as opposed to only 7 percent infection-free using conventional methods. At the end of the study, the patients who had been treated with honey had wounds that more readily healed. In patients who had c-section and hysterectomies, those who received the honey treatment instead of the standard disinfecting treatments of iodine and alcohol were" infection-free in fewer days, healed more cleanly, and had reduced hospital stays." By the way, all those facts were taken from <i>The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods</i> by Michael Murray & Joseph Pizzorno, page 651.<br />
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There is also the theory that eating honey or pollen from the area that you live in will help with allergies. I think there's some validity to this, as I had been having lemon and honey in hot water every morning during the blooming spring season, and while most people walked around with a kleenex stuffed up their nose and doped up on Benadryl, I seemed to be allright.<br />
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Thirdly, fourthly and fifthly are <b>bee pollen</b>, <b>propolis </b>and <b>royal jelly </b>.<br />
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The Encyclopedia lists their primary uses as such:<br />
<br />
<b>Bee pollen</b><br />
Allergies<br />
Antioxidant support<br />
Energy enhancement<br />
Menopausal symptoms<br />
Support for chemotherapy and radiation therapy<br />
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<b>Propolis</b><br />
Common cold<br />
Gastrointestinal infections<br />
Immune enhancement<br />
Upper respiratory tract infections<br />
<br />
<b>Royal Jelly</b><br />
Elevated cholesterol levels<br />
Energy enhancement<br />
<br />
There's also a theory that bee stings can be good for you. While in Romania, one of my friend's dad is a beekeeper and is convinced being stuck every now and then is healthy.<br />
<br />
Besides the health benefits to beekeeping there's just something about bees I love. Its constant company buzzing around. Its a lesson in patience and calm to stand there with bees swarming around you. They can clue in as to how you're feeling. They can even predict some weather. If there's not a bee to be found, rain is on the way.<br />
<br />
Maybe someday I'll tell you the story of how we found out I wasn't allergic to bees. It involved my friend's dad in Romania and some poor unlucky bee.<br />
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Till then, bee happy!</div>Kait Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08238201343730608186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190756321908175898.post-40944693156383276972010-07-22T16:12:00.000-07:002010-07-25T00:30:04.583-07:00Taking Some Steps<div style="text-align: center;">After reading the first few chapters of the book <em>Visioneering</em> by Andy Stanley, I realized that what we had was more than a dream. It was a vehicle to take care of creation, to raise our kids, to host events for people we love, to provide sanctuary for those needing respite, and to maybe produce a little wine if we're lucky.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The book emphasizes that having a Vision is different than a dream. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">A Vision sticks with you and nags at the back of your mind. One of the lines was that "it feels like disobedience if you don't follow through," (or something to that effect, don't quote me on that).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Visioneering-Andy-Stanley/dp/B002MC01D0?ie=UTF8&tag=hubp057-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="Visioneering" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B002MC01D0&tag=hubp057-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=hubp057-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002MC01D0" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />Visioneering</em> also talked about taking steps <strong>now</strong> for your future. Thursday Farm isn't going to fall into our lap, and even if it did there's a lot to be learned about gardening, farming, raising goats and chickens and homeschooling our kids. You don't learn all that overnight.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The first step towards our dream is getting out of debt. After reading about it on a number of other blogs like <a href="http://www.keeperofthehome.org/">Keeper of the Home</a>, I learned about Dave Ramsey's Baby Steps to being debt free. The first step was to create a $1,000 Emergency Fund.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=hubp057-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=159555078X&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">Our first <a href="http://yourmorningcup.blogspot.com/2010/07/another-no-spend-month.html">No Spend Month</a> in July 2009 was been helpful in that. We built our emergency cushion (which eventually will need to be 3 months of income), and now we are chipping away at that nagging credit card debt.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">We moved to a place with rent that is about $500 a month cheaper, and have been diligent in putting that towards debt. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I started to learn to grow things last year. We called it my "training garden."</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Not much success there. My zucchini and squash got powdery mildew and I got a whopping 4 or 5 snow peas from my two little plants. I got a small bunch of Danvers carrots, but think I need to plant them deeper.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">This year I think the seeds have gone bad...I must have planted 40 in that planter box but only 7 or 8 have actually sprung up.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">My heirloom Brandywine tomatoes have grown to be large and in charge...but because of the long, cold, wet spring I've just now got three little flowers.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The slugs have devoured my squash and zucchini so I bought starters again.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Again they devoured the zucchini but have left the patty pan squash alone...maybe because its gotten powdery milder. I need to do something about that.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">My snow peas have done relatively well...I've harvested five from a few plants.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The Kentucky Wonderpole have grown slowly and I don't think I gave them enough to climb up on. They're just beginning to get little flowers, too.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Overall I may not have the greenest thumb but I'm getting to experiment with organic pesticides and home remedies for plant diseases on a few plants rather than a huge garden. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Every little step counts, right?</div>Kait Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08238201343730608186noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190756321908175898.post-47399390660839733352010-07-22T12:05:00.000-07:002010-07-24T00:00:00.456-07:00Yes, We're Going to Have Weird Home-schooled Kids...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sxc.hu/pic/l/f/fl/flaivoloka/899931_80902243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" hw="true" src="http://www.sxc.hu/pic/l/f/fl/flaivoloka/899931_80902243.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-size: xx-small;">photo by Flavio Takemoto</span></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">We don't have kids yet and I know I want to homeschool...is that weird?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I read these news reports of text bullying, fights on school buses where the driver doesn't even pull over, cramped classrooms, overlooked kids, and politically correct learning that is more and more lacking art, music, and P.E and focusing on test scores.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I don't want that for my kids.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I want my kids to learn at their own pace. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">To learn the names of composers as well as presidents. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">To know how to plant turnips as well as do equations. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I want them to learn to entertain themselves, to build a fort in the woods and make teepees from bean poles. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I want TV to not be a babysitter or a space filler but a well earned relaxation break.<br />
<br />
That's the plan, at least...we'll see how it turns out...</div>Kait Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08238201343730608186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190756321908175898.post-25051599445132006052010-07-20T21:41:00.000-07:002010-07-25T00:22:46.120-07:00The Vision<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sxc.hu/pic/l/m/ml/mlkdesign/867264_99769162.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" hw="true" src="http://www.sxc.hu/pic/l/m/ml/mlkdesign/867264_99769162.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><em>photo by mlkdesign</em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Land.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">A garden large enough to sustain a family.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">An orchard budding with apples, peaches and cherries.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Chickens, a goat, maybe a cow.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">A vineyard stretching far over gentle hills in the bright sun, with a backdrop of majestic mountains.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">A barn, or yard, or something big enough to host a wedding or big party. Lanterns hang year round.<br />
<br />
Maybe by that point I'll be a good enough chef I can do the cooking, or be the wedding coordinator. Or the photographer. Or just try to do it all.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Woods where we can get a good supply of wood, and where our kids can go to explore in safety.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">A fresh spring feeding a lake full of toads and ducks and water lilies, and where we can take a dip in the summertime to cool off.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Nestled in the woods a small bed & breakfast cottage and guest house.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">A house big enough to hold a family but small enough to keep clean and uncluttered.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">A large kitchen opening into a great family room that doubles as a homeschool room.<br />
<br />
By that point I earn a decent income as a writer to be able to work from home.<br />
<br />
My family lives within a day's drive.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">This is The Vision of Thursday Farms. That's all it is right now. A Vision. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">But its a Vision with a Plan. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">We don't know when we'll get there or exactly how. We don't even know which side of the Mississippi we'll end up on. But this isn't just a dream. Its a Vision so tangible we can set a compass by it, and we do.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Thankfully we're united in this Vision. It wouldn't work otherwise. We're yoked together, both pulling towards it.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">This blog isn't like <a href="http://yourmorningcup.blogspot.com/">Your Morning Cup</a>. It's not going to be filled with funny stories about Roy or recipes to try or how to make a duct tape dress form. Its just about our Vision of Thursday farms and the steps we take to get there.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm a writer and I need a place to just write. Without over editing, without adding pictures, without trying to market myself. So this is it. If you're reading this, I hope you enjoy and that it inspires you to pursue your Vision to fruition as well.</div>Kait Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08238201343730608186noreply@blogger.com3