More BEEZZZZZ

This morning, my DH said that he thought all my bees were gone.  Couldn't hear anything.  Bummer.

Then they left for the first fishing trip of the spring/summer and left me home with my cold.  Yes, isn't that fun!  My new anti-seizure meds lower my immunity and make me more likely to get...well....anything, it seems.

Anyway, as I lay on the couch feeling like a slug...I though..let's go check on the bees.  There are some flying in and out....ones with "saddlebags".  When a bee is heavy with pollen, it is all on their back thighs looking like yellow, orange saddlebags.  They are neat to see and the color seems to depend on what kind of pollen they are finding.  The weather channels pollen report says there is no pollen currently...my bees do NOT agree.

So, let's crack it open and take a look.  Crack is literal, because bees make a glue that glues all the wood together and you have to use a tool to break the seal.  The top "hive body" is basically empty with a dozen or so bees....hmm....I'm not so sure about this...

Bottom body....full of bees!

I was slightly impressed with myself as I had only planned to peek, so I didn't take the smoker or my veil.  And I sat down with a chair and went through each frame pulling it out to look for the queen.  I couldn't find her, so I may need to find me a queen soon.  I'll give it a few more days and check again.  There were a few clusters that she may have been in. 

With no veil!  There was buzzing in my ears and them flying all around me.  I kept calm and just slowly went about what I was doing being VERY careful not to kill any of them.  That's what sets off the alarm that makes 'em ALL mad.  Danny, the dog, was not as successful as I think he was stung a few times for sticking his nose where it didn't belong.

I tried to get a picture of a "saddlebag'ed" bee, but it was quick to get busy loading it into the hive.
And what we always want....

HONEY!!!

So now I am back inside, reading some of my bee books and getting excited and wanting to make bee soap (honey soap) and candles, and eating bread made from our fresh ground wheat, eggs from the back yard, and honey from the front yard.  WHAT FUN!

My 1st Pie.

I wasn't going to make a big deal out of this, but both Boy and Man told me I HAD to take a picture of my first pie for the blog.

I dressed up left overs to make chicken pot pie....

Happy Monday!

Doesn't the title sound cheery? 

It does not fit my mood.  I almost have taxes done...don't ask, it's a train wreck.
I'm off to the doctor again today.  Sigh.

Finally got a load of firewood this weekend.  Yeah!  HEAT!  (We've been out of wood since last Tuesday) And I did pick up my wheat this weekend!  No more running to Whole Paycheck Foods.  It's a good thing too as there is still 4 days til payday and...um.....$43 in the checking account.  And we're out of chicken feed.  Hmmm.

I know it's a lot to take on, but I am thinking of a garage sale in two weeks.  The "Let's Pay the Tax Man" Sale in the barn....plus....it's on my 101 list!  We can do it...me and  some Aleve and other pharma-friends!

Updates, sans doctor

So, with my split second timing...I couldn't get it all done.  Surprised?  I didn't think so.

So I actually will be going to my Doctor on Monday.  The soonest she could get me in.  I've been approved off of work until April 15th, currently and they will re-check with my counselor on the 13th to confirm how nuts I am. :)  Before I write the next section...please know that I am resting...believe it or not.  I am still having 2-3 attacks a day, but I am able to manage because I can almost always lay down when they are occuring.  I haven't been able to establish if it is true, but I seem to have one when I am stressed or tired, which seems logical, but I haven't been able to confirm that there is a correlation because I also have them when I'm doing absolutely nothing....not even thinking...so

Boy had a really fun day yesterday.  His best buddy, N, invited him to play lazer tag for N's birthday.  Along with Boy, his other set of favorite freinds (the V Boys) were also invited.  The 5 boys had a BLAST!!  Then off to Wendy's for lunch...then more running around at gymtime.  Audition.  And Pizza for dinner.  Followed by watching The Muppet Show on YouTube!!

Going backwards, He also had a great day this past Monday while it was still warm.  We were invited by the V Boys to the zoo.  It became an impromptu field trip as two other families ended up inviting themselves along.  I think at one point there was 11-12 kids.  Then after the zoo, just us and the V family went for ice cream where the boys had "Oreo Volcanos!"

Last Friday was a surprise fun day for Boy that we decided counted for one of my 101 goals.  Here's a picture:

Doesn't he look SO grown up??  This is "Upper Falls" in Logan, Ohio.

Do you see "him" over our left shoulder?  Yup, the "old man" of Old Man's Cave in Hocking Hills.  Luckily it's not really a "hike".  It's more a walk with big paths, so not to worry, I am not straining myself.  But I took Boy "hiking" for the first time.  Some nice folks on the trail took the picture for us.

Off to the doctor today and other fun stuff....

I'm off to two different doctors today to see where we are in "the plan".  I'm seeing more sleep later this week (read: tomorrow) as some medications are likely to be increased.  Ug.

On other fun matters...Boy had a science fair last week and this week is auditioning for the homeschool production of  "What if cartoons got saved?"  If you haven't heard the song...it is so cute! 

He wants to be Elmer Fudd.  We'll see...I think any of them would be so.stinkin.cute!!

More updates later today!

GOALS!

OK, I'm not talking about Soccer...

I'm doing a 101 in 1001 challenge.  You can read about it and my list on the seperate page here.  I will periodically post how I'm doing on the list, what I'm doing, etc.  I am putting clickable links on the list as I blog or take pictures of  the items on the list.  I have multiple blogs because I can't figure out how to make dynamic pages on this blog (You know, one for scrapbooking, one for homeschooling, one for photography, etc.) so I you don't have access to a blog that you want to get to...let me know and I will add you!  OR if you know how to make my blog all integrated, hit me up with a message....I would LOVE that.

I was asked to put a post on the actual blog because you can't leave comments on the "101" page. So here it is! Feel free to leave a comment, question, offer to help (hint) or link to your list on this post.  I'd love to see (ad help) with your list too!

BEES...

I know for a lot of people the reality of bees in the spring is just something to avoid and deal with...that was me a few years ago...

Now...for me it is spring because I see bees!  OUR bees.  My hive made it through the winter!  WOOHOO.  I saw where they had cleaned out all the little bee bodies of the non-survivors (read:dead) and dumped them right outside the hive door and I was sure that there was no one left in my little box.  But zooming in and out of the box in the past few days are those wonderful worker bees.  And that means...

SOMEWHERE SOMETHING IS BLOOMING!  Hooray!  Spring is here!

And as for the weather guy who said there was going to be 3-4 inches of snow later this week....
"LA-la-LA...not listening!!"  (Besides, we're out of firewood...so we're out of heat!!)

Another rite of spring is planned for later this afternoon...the official count of the animals on the farmstead....and a trip to the feed store to buy chicks!! Stay tuned for pictures.

The news from the Dentist...

The GOOD news is that I don't need a Root Canal...
The BAD news is...that I don't need a Root Canal!

I really didn't WANT a root canal...but I was hoping that they would say..."You know all that pain in your face??Well, you have a bad tooth that we missed previously...(or fill in something) and you need a root canal.  Now all the pain in your face/head will stop."

Um...nope.  It's not my tooth.  So we are back wrestling with the reality of the Trigeminal diagnosis....NUTS!!

Grain Mill Fun!

For my birthday...kinda...I was promised a grain mill so I could grind wheat into flour to make into bread.  ( I realize most people are thinking...when will she move into this century??  I also received a new (to me) computer for myself and the business so there is the "this" century gift.)

I thought we were going to hold off on the mill since I crashed the car and had a huge deductible to pay...but my sweet DH....well, he keeps track of things going on in the world and he thought it would be better to get it now and be prepared...so....

Fun stuff from Amazon!



WooHoo Wondermill!



Boy adding Hard Red Wheat Berries

Ta-Da  FLOUR!!



Bread is ready to bake...



YUMMY!

Now to add some homemade jelly..
....do we have any jelly in this house ?!?

Hit or miss...

I realize that my blog of late has been very...hit or miss...mostly miss. For that I apologize and I am finally ready to fully explain. I've hinted at it before...my health is currently not great. I started feeling really bad back in November and went to the doctor only to be told I had a double ear infection...that was "solved", so we thought. Still my face hurt, my ear hurt, my temple, my jaw, my cheek...I went to the dentist. I went to the eye doctor. Finally, back in January...my family doctor came back from maternity leave...woohoo...I love my doctor, she is good! I received a diagnosis...Trigminal Neuralgia...


"Trigeminal neuralgia (TN), tic douloureux^[1] (also known as prosopalgia^[2], the Suicide Disease^[3] or Fothergill’s disease^[4]) is a neuropathic disorder characterized by episodes of intense pain in the face, originating from the trigeminal nerve. One, two, or all three branches of the nerve may be affected. It is, "one of the most painful conditions known to humans, yet remains an enigma to many health professionals."^[5] This pain may be felt in the ear, eye, lips, nose, scalp, forehead, cheeks, teeth, and/or jaw and side of the face; some patients also experience pain in their left index finger.^[6] Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is not easily controlled and there is no cure.^[7] It is estimated that 1 in 15,000 people suffer from trigeminal neuralgia, although the actual figure may be significantly higher due to frequent misdiagnosis. In a majority of cases, TN symptoms begin appearing after the age of 50, although there have been cases with patients being as young as three years of age. It is more common in females than males.  FROM WIKI

Fun, eh?? Yeah, I thought so. I thought, you know it's been months since I had something wrong....let's go with...TN. Yup. No really. So we have embarked on how to live with this new development. I've had to take some time off of work so I can sleep at night like a normal person , EVERY.SINGLE.NIGHT..so we can get the anti-seizure medicines to work and see if that will solve the problem. You would think that sleeping every night and not being at work would mean that I would blog more often...you would think...but you would be silly, huh! I am still having TN attacks or seizures, granted not 6-8 a day as before, we're down to 2-3. But everytime I have one it just knocks the stuffing out of me and I end up taking a nap. I think the first week I was home (last week) I slept about 18 hours a day.

So I'm into my second week of being off of work, and now starting to be able to function just a bit. I've been thinking quite a bit about my 101 list and how some things are now looking unrealistic. I thought I could work on my "Milly" cross stitch that I have been working on since...whispering...1990. Yikes. I have the work, I even have the chart, but now I can't find the thread. So I'm laying in bed not doing much, except thinking about buying baby chicks from the feed store.....

Another Angel Food Box...

I picked up my Angel Food Box this past Saturday.  I think I'm going to try and do more "couponing" and grocery gaming this month.  The fridge is basically empty but the freezers are full.

 

So March is another "Month-of-Almost-Nothing"

• 2 lbs hamburger steaks (These are HUGE!-8oz each)
• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts 
• 2 lbs macaroni & beef entree 
• 1 lb boneless pork chops 
• 1 lb ground beef 
• 1 lb crunchy fish wedges 
• 1 lb smoked sausage 
• 1 lb corn 
• 1 lb green beans 
• 1 lb sugar snap peas & carrots 
• 15 oz diced tomatoes 
• 1 lb kidney beans 
• 1 pkt chili seasoning 
• 8 oz buttermilk biscuit mix 
• 10 instant oatmeal packets 
• 32 oz shelf-stable milk 
• 1 dozen eggs 
• 8 oz chocolate chip cookie mix
• 2 lbs breaded chicken chunks
• 1 1/2 lbs fully cooked Salisbury Steaks (without gravy)
• 1 1/4 lbs Tyson natural chicken breast tenderloins
• 2 lbs cream of broccoli soup
• 2 lbs tomato basil soup
• 24 oz natural cut fries
• 7 oz apple cinnamon muffin mix

The menu will follow shortly.  As far as last months menu went....pretty well.  I rearranged a few days, but basically had the same meals.  There was only a day or two that I hadn't really planned well and had to come up with something which for the one day was a frozen pizza from the freezer and the other day was a "leftover smorgy".

Out to dinner

So 40 has...started to....turned around.  We spent the evening with cherished friends.  We all went out to Red Lobster for dinner while Boy spent the evening with his favorite girl and her sister (their girls).  Then the ladies went to Hobby Lobby and the guys went to Lowes.  We met back up at their house and enjoyed a rich and delicious cherry cheesecake with candles on it for my birthday.  AWW....how wonderful!! 

Thanks guys for making me feel so loved!! <3

The Blessing of Family...

My sister and I have never really been close.  The age difference, living in different cities, and everything seemed to cause that.

This past holiday season, I thought that it needed to end.  So she came out for Thanksgiving...and then for Christmas.  Since then she (and her dog, Buddy) have been coming out and helping me with various areas of the farm.  She is a great motivator.  She works really hard and we get going on a task and it gets done.

Whereas Boy will not listen to his mom, he will listen to his Aunt.  His Aunt listens to what I'm trying to get through to him and then SHE says it and he listens....oh well, whatever it takes!

We've helped clear up some space in the woodshop for Man.  We've recycled 2 truck loads of metal.  And today we tackled the storage room of the barn.  What.A.Mess!!!  I should have taken before pictures, and then after.  We aren't done, but now we can walk through the storage room.  We have big plans for a spring BARN SALE.  And hope to sell lots of stuff to get it out.of.here!! (and the cash will go to the debt fund!)

Next week she and her friend are going to be helping with some improvements to the shop.  And I will have to motivate myself....sigh.  My goal is to get the pump house organized.  It is full of random boxes of computer stuff, homeschool stuff and boxes and boxes of jars.  Plus a bunch of stuff we "inherited." I have a bunch more homeschool boxes of stuff that need sold.  First will be the barn sale, then in June is our curriculum fair for our homeschool group.  Hopefully, someone can use all this stuff.  But in the meantime, it needs to go SOMEWHERE besides the kitchen counter and the top of the deep freeze.   It makes food prep a bit difficult!

Then, once I have a place to put all this stuff while we wait for the sale, the next big goal is the homeschool/scrapbook/JUNK room.  Right now, honestly, you cannot walk through it.  I am so ashamed.  I need help! 

Anyway, Thanks Casey for the help and motivation!!!