Mandieg4 - Update and lots of new pics of kids and animals.

[mandieg4]

01. Name? Mandie
02. Gender? female
03. Disneyworld or Disneyland? I've never been to either one. But we live closer to Disney World so if we ever go I imagine that is the one we'd pick.
04. What is your favorite color? blue or green
05. What is your favorite kind of gum? any of the mints
06. How much do you weigh? about 60 lbs too much
07. How tall are you? 5'4
08. Can you swim? yes
09. Do you like to swim? depends on the outside temperature
10. Living arrangement? We own our home and 5 acres, but the acreage is part of family property so we have the run of nearly 100 acres
11. What's on your mouse pad? Firewise Georgia
12. Favorite board game? Monopoly
13. Favorite magazine? Mother Earth News
14. Favorite Actor? I'm not sure I have one. I don't have favorites of a lot of thinks
15. Favorite Actress? See above.
16. Do you have an accent? My family in Nebraska says I have a Southern accent, but my husband's family here in Georgia says I have a Yankee accent. It's probably a good mix of both.
17. Favorite smells? fresh cut hay, watermelon (real watermelon, not the fake candy watermelon), the air after a thunderstorm,
18. Least favorite smells? bleach
19. Favorite sound? My kids giggling
20. Do you prefer pools or oceans? I've never swam in the ocean, so I can't answer that question at the moment
21. Do you watch Buffy The Vampire Slayer? nope
22. Pencil or pen? Depends on what I can find at the moment
23. Who's better - boys or girls? Well, until my last child was born I would have said my boys were way easier to raise than my girl. My last son has done his best to change my opinion.
24. Would you like to own a motorcycle? no, but I really want a new four-wheeler
25. Do you sing in the shower? no
26. Who's the best looking Disney character? I've never really thought about it.
27. What is the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning? Do I have to get up?
28. How many rings before you answer the phone? However long it takes me to find the phone
29. How do you want to die? quickly
30. Have you ever called a 900 number? no
31. Gold or silver? silver
32. Would you ever go bungee-jumping? no, I'm afraid of heights
33. Do you like dressing up? A clean pair of jeans and a t-shirt is about as dressed up as I like to get.
34. Would you rather be short or tall? considering I'm the shortest one in both my family and dh's family, I'd like to be a little taller.
35. Do you enjoy reading? yes, although lately my attention span isn't long enough to read very much
36. What book are you reading now? my nursing books for class
37. Favorite books? I enjoy historical fiction and fantasy
38. What was the last movie you saw? in the theatre- Avatar, at home- Repo Man
39. Favorite movies? sci fi, family films
40. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal? no, just my hubby
41. What is your sign? Gemini
42. What are your personality traits? logical to a fault, easy going, slightly ADD, usually try to see the good in everything
43. What's your biggest fear? My kids dying
44. Would you ever have cosmetic surgery? if it was free
45. Future child's name? I have 4 kids already, there better not be any more future children!
46. Favorite foods? steak, most veggies
47. Chocolate or vanilla? chocolate
48. Do you like to drive fast? not really, I usually keep it about 5 mph above the speed limit on the highway, and 5 mph under the speed limit on the interstate
49. Storms - cool or scary? Love them!
50. Do you like to dance? no, I am super uncoordinated
51. Do you do drugs? never
52. Do you smoke? not anymore
53. What do you think of people who smoke? their choice, just as long as they clean up their own trash
54. Do you drink? Not anymore
55. Favorite drink? coke, with sonic ice
56. Do you think men and women could ever be just friends without wanting each other? yes
57. Do you eat the stems of broccoli? the stems are my favorite part!
58. If you could have any job you wanted, what would it be? a farmer
59. What's your "type"? down to earth, easy going, able and willing to put up with me
60. Do you bite your nails? no
61. Any siblings? two brothers and two sisters
62. What movies have you cried in? most of them, I'm a little over emotional
63. Do you believe in God? yes
64. Did you ever cry over a guy/girl? probably, but I don't remember
65. Have you ever stolen anything? not that I can recall, if I did it wasn't on purpose
66. Do you procrastinate? all the time. I am the queen of procrastination!
67. Do you believe in fate? not really
68. Who's your favorite Sesame Street character? snuffy
69. Do you organize your CD's? I used to, now they are all just thrown in a box so I don't have to see them. With 4 kids, nothing stays organized very long
70. What is your favorite kind of music? country mostly, but I like most all music as long as I can understand the words
71. What are your favorite bands/artists? I like too many to have favorites
72. What was the last CD you got? I haven't bought a CD for me in years. I've downloaded the last few Brad Paisley albums and I bought DH the last couple Josh Groban CDs
73. MTV or VH1? neither
74. Who do you admire the most? I'm not sure
75. Internet Boyfriends and Girlfriends? huh?
76. Are you single? nope, DH and I just celebrated our 12th anniversary
77. Favorite TV show? NCIS
78. Blondes, Brunettes, or Redheads? Well since I am a redhead, I guess I'll go with that one
79. Glasses or contacts? I have reading glasses, but I rarely wear them
80. What color are your eyes? green
81. What is your natural hair color? red
82. But what color is it now? red, although I getting enough white hairs that it'll be pink before too long
83. Have you ever been in love? yes, still am
84. Any pets? a lab cross named Eve
85. Good, decent, or poor grades? good grades mostly
86. Is the glass half empty or half full? half full
87. Do you type with your fingers on the right keys? yes
88. What's under your bed? old picture frames, DH's bow when it's not hunting season, a couple guitars, and a colony of dust bunnies
89. What is your favorite number? I don't have one
90. Favorite sport to watch? what ever sport the kids are playing in the backyard

 

[2dream]

 

[Wifezilla]

Welcome

 

[Javamama]

Welcome

 

[keljonma]

to the 'I used to be a lurker' group!

Isn't that a killer list?

 

[homesteadmomma]

; will look forward to reading your journal!

 

[mandieg4]

Thanks for the warm welcome.


My mom always tells me that a goal is just a dream until it is written down so I guess I'd better write down my dreams to make them come true.

I have always wanted to have the skills to be as self reliant as possible. I don't really want to live off the grid or anything like that, I'm too spoiled for that, but I want the peace of mind that if I had to I could keep my family alive and fairly comfortable without outside help. My husband on the other hand has only recently began to see things from my point of view. It only took 12 years, but we're finally starting to see eye to eye on this subject. I have always had a garden, and except for the couple years we lived in town, I have always had chickens. It has only been in the last year or so that that has changed to OUR garden and OUR chickens. Mark has always helped me if I needed, but it has never been his priority until recently.

About two years ago we put a manufactured home on 5 acres that Mark's parents gave us out of their 75 acres. His dad also leases 50 acres right next to us. So we have plenty of room to do what we would like. Right now we have a 2500 square foot garden plus ten 3'x6' raised beds with plans to add at least 6 more this winter. We also have 38 laying hens, a rooster, and 12 meat chickens. My BIL owns 4 commercial chicken houses so I can have all the meat chickens I want. He can bring me all the small birds that he has to cull that I want. I try to raise a dozen or so every couple months.

Mark is in the process of leveling off an area to build a shop and a barn. Hopefully we will get that finished this winter and be able to buy a milk cow in the spring. We would also like to get set up for several bee hives in the spring. My grandpa was a beekeeper most of his life. In fact he used to be a state bee inspector for the state of Nebraska for several years when I was growing up. He has gotten past the point where he can handle it anymore and told me I can have all the equipment he has left, I just have to come get it. My brother got most of the big stuff, but he has all the supers and frames I can haul and a two frame extractor. I could probably buy everything new for the cost it would take to drive to Nebraska and back, but I think I'll just count the cost of getting it as a chance to visit family and call it even.

 

[lorihadams]

Cool! Glad to have you here! I can't wait to see pics of what ya'll are doing!

 

[framing fowl]

Hey Mandi! I've always loved your avatar! When I'm in a funk sometimes I'll break out my C&H comic books and it only takes about 4 pages before I'm just rolling!

I'm glad you're getting your grandpa's equipment. I don't know about y'all but to me there is something about using the tools or equipment of a master. Call me crazy but I have an old agate burnisher that has been used so much the wood handle is seasoned with the sweat and oil from the former owners hands and the brass ferule just gleams. It fits easily in my hand and seems to have a mind of its own and goes right where it needs to go. The new agate burnisher I bought feels rough in my hand and the ferule is cheaply made and looks garish. It too seems to have a mind of its own and likes to cause me problems and jump around. Anyway, it seems like old tools have their own history that they bring with them and they have the kinks worked out so to speak!

Score on the BIL and getting your meaties! MyT Man went to a family reunion in MO two weekends ago and they had a hog roast. The host has a commercial hog operation and the one they roasted, he called the sales rep and reported that they had a "mortality".

 

[mandieg4]

I got on the computer last night to double check what time the local beekeepers club meeting was next week and saw they had a new beekeepers seminar today. So my I got my 10yo up early and headed toward Atlanta. We are on lunch break now but we have learned so much I'm afraid I'm going to forget anymore info they give us! Luckily they have printed up handouts of most of the topics they have gone over. I'm going to have to find a binder and start a bee notebook.