OK, so I didn't get everything on my list done....there are still a few dishes left to be washed (less than a sink full), didn't get the house dusted or the kitchen mopped, and the counter tops are still a bit cluttered...BUT (and that's a BIG but) I picked 5 gallons of green beans, snapped, washed, and canned them. Well, most of them. I still have 1/2 gallon left. After snapping it equaled about 2 1/2 gallons...and that packed into 7 quarts. I did have some help. It turns out the FarmHands really like to snap beans.
Still, I feel like that truck came back to finish me off.
Now if only I could settle down to sleep....but that aftershock that jolted the house about 40 minutes ago jolted me too.
Showing posts with label quaking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quaking. Show all posts
July 17, 2008
May 1, 2008
Shake, Shake, Shake Seniora
I am destined to sleeplessness tonight. BabyGirl didn't tuck in easily tonight (she had an unfortunate run in with B.B.'s cat & Bonpas while playing outside & needed extra attention) so my bath was late & I was not ready to turn in until nearly 11 pm. Lately I've been trying to skip at least the last episode of Scrubs if not the last two in exchange for a bit more sleep.
At 12:30 I was awakened (yet again) by shaking. 3.3 according the USGS. I'm beginning to worry about this new predilection our area has for shifting about. I've heard (through the grapevine) that because our quake was not followed by 24-48 hours of after shocks, but weeks of aftershocks, that the initial quake may be considered a pre-quake (or some such thing) & it greatly increases our risk for something much more significant (like a 6.0). All this worry leads me to think we may need to reconsider our trip down into a cave in 3 weeks. Um......
Then at about 2:30 this morning, the potty chair began spouting positive affirmations again. I'm not sure who turned it back on. Having a small child that does not belong to you state, "All Done!" at 2:30 in the morning will really freak you out!
At 3:30 Bitsy decided the living room needed a good talking too, so here we are. She's alternately nursing (which incidentally she still does about 3-4 time during the night....Oy), crawling around yelling at the carpet, and watching Baby Einstein. Because she's up, Lilly May needed to be up too. Can't miss a party, that one.
As much as I want to keep Bitsy forever suspended in a state of babyhood, I also wish she'd just cut those top two teeth so we can all sleep!
At 12:30 I was awakened (yet again) by shaking. 3.3 according the USGS. I'm beginning to worry about this new predilection our area has for shifting about. I've heard (through the grapevine) that because our quake was not followed by 24-48 hours of after shocks, but weeks of aftershocks, that the initial quake may be considered a pre-quake (or some such thing) & it greatly increases our risk for something much more significant (like a 6.0). All this worry leads me to think we may need to reconsider our trip down into a cave in 3 weeks. Um......
Then at about 2:30 this morning, the potty chair began spouting positive affirmations again. I'm not sure who turned it back on. Having a small child that does not belong to you state, "All Done!" at 2:30 in the morning will really freak you out!
At 3:30 Bitsy decided the living room needed a good talking too, so here we are. She's alternately nursing (which incidentally she still does about 3-4 time during the night....Oy), crawling around yelling at the carpet, and watching Baby Einstein. Because she's up, Lilly May needed to be up too. Can't miss a party, that one.
As much as I want to keep Bitsy forever suspended in a state of babyhood, I also wish she'd just cut those top two teeth so we can all sleep!
April 21, 2008
Disturbances in the night, my thoughts on earth quakes, violet jelly, & AFW
At 12:38 this morning, Husband threw open the bedroom door & said, "Umm..." That's all there was to say as there was yet ANOTHER aftershock. This one was a 4.5. The 19th quake/aftershock in our area since early Friday morning. Did someone pick Southern Illinois up and plop us in the middle of California when we weren't looking? And if so, where the heck is my beach & constant sunshine? I. Have. Had. It.
Last night's line-up went something like this:
10:45 pm- bed & quickly asleep
11:20 pm- Bitsy wakes up to nurse (will this child EVER sleep through the night...or 4 hours?)
12:13 am- Bubba calls to ask me to pray about some impending gang fight in C-town (?). Luckily Husband was still up & answered the phone or I may have come unglued (note to self: post about my violent reactions to being roused from deep slumber). Went back to sleep within 8 minutes.
12:38 am- 4.5 Earthquake causes major jolt of adrenaline & complete lack of desire to sleep for at least an hour.
2:30 am- #1 Son comes into our room & vomits after puking in the floor of the little bathroom.
From 2:30 am until 4:30 am- Continue to take care of #1 Son while he vomits & runs a fever in between feeding Bitsy who doesn't feel the need to sleep and napping in the recliner.
Shortly before 5 am- FINALLY go back to bed.
6:20 am- Listen to the boys run around the house & raid the fridge. Tell #1 Son that he cannot have a cup of milk (repeatedly) & listen to him cry. Tell B.B. he cannot have the Batman toy that has been the bone of contention in this house since Friday when J gave it to them & listen to him cry.
7 am- Alarm goes off demanding I get my lazy, bon bon eating behind out of bed. Really, woman, all you do is sleep!
I know some of you live with earth quakes as part of your lives....maybe not daily, but not exactly uncommon. I can assure you, I am not cut out for this life. Every time I feel that jolt or hear a rumble, my heart starts pounding, my chest gets tight, I have a hard time breathing, & I feel like puking. It amazes me when people say they nearly slept through the first one (which has been dropped to a 5.2). It seemed so loud & so violent. I was terrified.
It also brought to the forefront one of my biggest fears. Our bedroom is at the opposite end of the house from the kids. When we were looking at layouts for houses, this seemed to be one of the only options for a single level home. I wanted the bedrooms all grouped together, but that wasn't an option. Our house isn't big (almost 1,600 square feet), but the rooms are far enough apart that I worry about getting to them in case of an emergency.
Friday morning proved Husband & I can do just that even when half asleep. It's nice to know we're capable, but I never want to try it again. We had no idea what was going on. Husband thought it was a tornado. I was pretty sure it was an earth quake. We had no idea how long it was going to go on or how bad it was going to get. All we knew was we needed to get to the kids. When it didn't end quickly I began to worry that it was going to get REAL bad. The thought of the kids spread around the house was not a pleasant one.
I know I may be beating a dead horse here, but I need to put all this down. I'm worn out from being jittery & nervous for the past 3 days.
On to things not earth quake related. The violet jelly is good. It has a very mild flavor. It's hard to describe, but I think I'm going to really like it. I may even make more. I was a tad worried as the infusion made with the violets did not smell appealing.
I fully plan on using my new vacuum today. But then I fully planned on using it yesterday. But sunshine, warm temperatures, and violet jelly got in my way.
And finally, today is Monday & you know what that means! It's officially Ask FarmWife Day. So fire away, ya'll!
Last night's line-up went something like this:
10:45 pm- bed & quickly asleep
11:20 pm- Bitsy wakes up to nurse (will this child EVER sleep through the night...or 4 hours?)
12:13 am- Bubba calls to ask me to pray about some impending gang fight in C-town (?). Luckily Husband was still up & answered the phone or I may have come unglued (note to self: post about my violent reactions to being roused from deep slumber). Went back to sleep within 8 minutes.
12:38 am- 4.5 Earthquake causes major jolt of adrenaline & complete lack of desire to sleep for at least an hour.
2:30 am- #1 Son comes into our room & vomits after puking in the floor of the little bathroom.
From 2:30 am until 4:30 am- Continue to take care of #1 Son while he vomits & runs a fever in between feeding Bitsy who doesn't feel the need to sleep and napping in the recliner.
Shortly before 5 am- FINALLY go back to bed.
6:20 am- Listen to the boys run around the house & raid the fridge. Tell #1 Son that he cannot have a cup of milk (repeatedly) & listen to him cry. Tell B.B. he cannot have the Batman toy that has been the bone of contention in this house since Friday when J gave it to them & listen to him cry.
7 am- Alarm goes off demanding I get my lazy, bon bon eating behind out of bed. Really, woman, all you do is sleep!
I know some of you live with earth quakes as part of your lives....maybe not daily, but not exactly uncommon. I can assure you, I am not cut out for this life. Every time I feel that jolt or hear a rumble, my heart starts pounding, my chest gets tight, I have a hard time breathing, & I feel like puking. It amazes me when people say they nearly slept through the first one (which has been dropped to a 5.2). It seemed so loud & so violent. I was terrified.
It also brought to the forefront one of my biggest fears. Our bedroom is at the opposite end of the house from the kids. When we were looking at layouts for houses, this seemed to be one of the only options for a single level home. I wanted the bedrooms all grouped together, but that wasn't an option. Our house isn't big (almost 1,600 square feet), but the rooms are far enough apart that I worry about getting to them in case of an emergency.
Friday morning proved Husband & I can do just that even when half asleep. It's nice to know we're capable, but I never want to try it again. We had no idea what was going on. Husband thought it was a tornado. I was pretty sure it was an earth quake. We had no idea how long it was going to go on or how bad it was going to get. All we knew was we needed to get to the kids. When it didn't end quickly I began to worry that it was going to get REAL bad. The thought of the kids spread around the house was not a pleasant one.
I know I may be beating a dead horse here, but I need to put all this down. I'm worn out from being jittery & nervous for the past 3 days.
On to things not earth quake related. The violet jelly is good. It has a very mild flavor. It's hard to describe, but I think I'm going to really like it. I may even make more. I was a tad worried as the infusion made with the violets did not smell appealing.
I fully plan on using my new vacuum today. But then I fully planned on using it yesterday. But sunshine, warm temperatures, and violet jelly got in my way.
And finally, today is Monday & you know what that means! It's officially Ask FarmWife Day. So fire away, ya'll!
Seriously!
I have had it with this earth quake crap. A 4.5? Was that necessary? I was sleeping. I haven't done that so well lately...so, just for me, could you please stop?!!
April 18, 2008
More Quakes & Questions
As freaked out as I was by quake #1, I totally missed quake #2. It was a 4.5 on the Richter Scale & centered even nearer our house than the first (scarily near). I was in Wal-Mart with the little kids when it hit. I heard the roaring & thought it was the Air Force as this is a prime spot for drills. It wasn't until the cashier said something about the second quake that I realized what happened.
Apparently #1 Son was on top of the dome shaped monkey bars at school when it hit! "It shook me, Mom. Then Miss G blew her whistle & we all had to sit criss-cross applesauce real fast! They didn't let us stay out side after that so we wouldn't die." That scared me more than anything else. B.B. keeps saying, "We got a stay up late a'cause of dat wiggling. Den it quit wiggling, but we didn't have to go back a bed!"
Thank you all for checking in on us. And I'm relieved to hear everyone else was OK.
Now, back to your questions! Kork asks: Why does Kermit the Frog think it's not easy being green?
Because "it seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things. And people tend to pass you over 'cause you're not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water or stars in the sky." And really, who likes to be ignored?
Brando asks: Why are there 8 hot dogs in a pack and 12 buns?
You see, my four year old son secretly runs all hot dog bun companies. His favorite meal is ketchup on hot dog buns without the hot dog. If there are 4 extra buns in the pack, it assures his tastes will not be overlooked.
And Anonymous asks the all important question: What would you like for your upcoming birthday?
Now, just to be clear, I did not submit this question in a shameless attempt to get what I want. No, if that were the case, I'd just add a wish list to my side bar.
So, for the record, here's my birthday wish list (from the totally do-able to the complete fantasy):
A pink 4 GB Zune MP3 player
My ATV
New Pajamas (so I can get rid of my raggedy ones I live in)
The Princess Bride 20th Anniversary Edition DVD
An entire week at my parent's house this summer with no obligations (read: weddings, reunions, conferences)
My living room painted (hey FarmBoy, hint, hint)
A good set of kitchen knives (the $15 set I bought FarmBoy for his birthday 10 years ago is about shot)
A Daudi-house (an Amish version of the Mother-in-law suite)
A Green Apple Kitchen Aid Mixer
New non-maternity summer clothes
A fenced in yard for the FarmHands to run in when I have to be inside with Bitsy
A new super-cute big umbrella. B.B. has nearly destroyed the umbrella of death.
A vintage tan suede Stetson
New ballet flats in size 5 1/2 (my black suede keds are nearly shot). These are cute!
World peace (because Husband says I should add it to my list...although I truly believe it is not possible...read Revelation lately?)
The Spiderwick Chronicles to read to the FarmHands...yeah, that's it....for the FarmHands.
Chocolate...lots & lots of it.
The Sweeny Todd soundtrack (the entire Broadway/London show, not just the movie soundtrack. It left too much out.)
OK, that'll do for now.
Apparently #1 Son was on top of the dome shaped monkey bars at school when it hit! "It shook me, Mom. Then Miss G blew her whistle & we all had to sit criss-cross applesauce real fast! They didn't let us stay out side after that so we wouldn't die." That scared me more than anything else. B.B. keeps saying, "We got a stay up late a'cause of dat wiggling. Den it quit wiggling, but we didn't have to go back a bed!"
Thank you all for checking in on us. And I'm relieved to hear everyone else was OK.
Now, back to your questions! Kork asks: Why does Kermit the Frog think it's not easy being green?
Because "it seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things. And people tend to pass you over 'cause you're not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water or stars in the sky." And really, who likes to be ignored?
Brando asks: Why are there 8 hot dogs in a pack and 12 buns?
You see, my four year old son secretly runs all hot dog bun companies. His favorite meal is ketchup on hot dog buns without the hot dog. If there are 4 extra buns in the pack, it assures his tastes will not be overlooked.
And Anonymous asks the all important question: What would you like for your upcoming birthday?
Now, just to be clear, I did not submit this question in a shameless attempt to get what I want. No, if that were the case, I'd just add a wish list to my side bar.
So, for the record, here's my birthday wish list (from the totally do-able to the complete fantasy):
A pink 4 GB Zune MP3 player
My ATV
New Pajamas (so I can get rid of my raggedy ones I live in)
The Princess Bride 20th Anniversary Edition DVD
An entire week at my parent's house this summer with no obligations (read: weddings, reunions, conferences)
My living room painted (hey FarmBoy, hint, hint)
A good set of kitchen knives (the $15 set I bought FarmBoy for his birthday 10 years ago is about shot)
A Daudi-house (an Amish version of the Mother-in-law suite)
A Green Apple Kitchen Aid Mixer
New non-maternity summer clothes
A fenced in yard for the FarmHands to run in when I have to be inside with Bitsy
A new super-cute big umbrella. B.B. has nearly destroyed the umbrella of death.
A vintage tan suede Stetson
New ballet flats in size 5 1/2 (my black suede keds are nearly shot). These are cute!
World peace (because Husband says I should add it to my list...although I truly believe it is not possible...read Revelation lately?)
The Spiderwick Chronicles to read to the FarmHands...yeah, that's it....for the FarmHands.
Chocolate...lots & lots of it.
The Sweeny Todd soundtrack (the entire Broadway/London show, not just the movie soundtrack. It left too much out.)
OK, that'll do for now.
In case of earthquake, this blog will be manned.
So, gentle readers, were you jolted out of your bed at 4:37 this morning? We were. And I can assure you, I do not like earth quakes.
Husband thought it was a tornado. We both stumbled out of bed, I grabbed Bitsy & he ran to the boys' room. There's still debate about who got to BabyGirl first, but I know I did. The kids & I hunkered down in the bathroom until the shaking stopped. Then I thought I might vomit. Honestly.
I'm hearing the quake was a 5.4 on the Richter scale. It was centered VERY near to us, so we had a good deal of shaking. No damage yet that we can see. Husband will get under the house once the kids are off to school to check the foundation better. A few pictures fell, some toys, a bottle from the top of my cabinets, and a bottle of cinnamon from my spice rack, but that's all.
The kids are thrilled with the idea of being up "in the middle of the night." All except for Bitsy, who just wants to go back to sleep, but can't stand to miss the excitement.
Truth be told, we were all pretty terrified for a minute or two. Now that the adrenaline has passed, we're just shaky. Aftershocks are still being felt.
Now that I've lived through an earth quake, I'd rather not experience one again. Guess that means I won't be moving to LA to pursue my film career anytime soon. Sorry to all my fans out there.
I hope you are all safe, sound, and still asleep. We will just stay awake & keep an eye on things.
Husband thought it was a tornado. We both stumbled out of bed, I grabbed Bitsy & he ran to the boys' room. There's still debate about who got to BabyGirl first, but I know I did. The kids & I hunkered down in the bathroom until the shaking stopped. Then I thought I might vomit. Honestly.
I'm hearing the quake was a 5.4 on the Richter scale. It was centered VERY near to us, so we had a good deal of shaking. No damage yet that we can see. Husband will get under the house once the kids are off to school to check the foundation better. A few pictures fell, some toys, a bottle from the top of my cabinets, and a bottle of cinnamon from my spice rack, but that's all.
The kids are thrilled with the idea of being up "in the middle of the night." All except for Bitsy, who just wants to go back to sleep, but can't stand to miss the excitement.
Truth be told, we were all pretty terrified for a minute or two. Now that the adrenaline has passed, we're just shaky. Aftershocks are still being felt.
Now that I've lived through an earth quake, I'd rather not experience one again. Guess that means I won't be moving to LA to pursue my film career anytime soon. Sorry to all my fans out there.
I hope you are all safe, sound, and still asleep. We will just stay awake & keep an eye on things.
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