Archives for 2012

2012: Happy Fall, Ya’ll!

September 21, 2012 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: iStockphoto

Marking the official start of the fall season, September 21st also welcomes pumpkins, changing weather patterns, allergies *sniff*, festivals, jackets, and beautiful landscapes of red, orange, yellow, green, and purple leaves.

As I pull out our autumn decorations and light the pumpkin spice candle, I don my ¾ length-sleeved, comfy shirt as I snuggle in to watch some football.

With the arrival of my favorite season, I struggle through the initial allergies. However, knowing that hayrides, apple and pumpkin picking, Halloween fun, and Thanksgiving are in the forecast brightens my outlook.

Happy fall, ya’ll!

Question: What’s on your agenda this fall?

2012: Garden Journal – September Edition

September 20, 2012 by Tracy

My garden missed me while I was on vacation because it was a wild mess when we returned. I had some help, but I lost some plants. Oh well, it was toward the end of the season, and I am learning.

With our garden thriving at the end of July and off for a couple of weeks, our garden produced and looked like this at the end of August:

Strawberries

Our 4 plants produced 27 strawberries during the heat of August. Though we did not munch on half of them, we blessed our neighbors as they harvested our garden while we were on vacation.

The bugs and/or birds are still eating our fruit. Some of our strawberries have chunks missing, but the net is still in place. I haven’t found anything eating at the plant, but something is enjoying our sweet fruit.

Tomatoes

With 40 ripe cherry tomatoes, our plants continue to produce. Currently, the plants are covered with green tomatoes just waiting to ripen.

In pruning our plants, I knocked off over 50 green tomatoes as I unstuck the vines from the net. It was amazing how overgrown the garden got during our time away.

Cucumbers

Something is harming my cucumber plants. The leaves are wilting, so I’m not sure if it is a bug or just the heat. In spite of the setback, our two plants yielded 11 cucumbers.

Of all the items growing in our garden, the cucumbers are my favorite. They continue to amaze me!

Lettuce

Oops! My pruning in August resulted in killing all my lettuce plants. I am assuming it was my pruning – though I understand that lettuce does not like heat. Well, the temperatures soared above 100 degrees here in South Carolina, so it could have been a combination of the heat and my pruning. I’ll learn from this mistake for next year.

Peppers

Harvested the two green bell peppers, but one was almost red.

Our yellow pepper plant has little tiny buds, so maybe we’ll see one this season. In our area, the peppers are taking longer than usual to produce.

Carrots

Sprouting lots of green stalks above the ground, our carrots are growing.

Onions

More green shoots have emerged from our onions. Yeah, they are growing well.

Herbs

After snipping more parsley, basil, and oregano, I dried and stored these herbs for gifts and use this fall. These herbs just keep on growing, so I keep on drying.

August 1 August 20 August 20

Our garden missed us while away on vacation, and I missed tending and caring for these fruits and vegetables. Though it hit its peak in July/August, I look forward to extending its season into the fall.

In using time wisely, our garden has provided extra fruits and vegetables, hours of activity, subjects of conversations, and lessons learned. Enjoying our gardening experiment, I encourage you to garden. You might not get it right the first time, but it’s okay. I’m not 100% successful either, but the results are worth the investment. Happy experimenting!

Question: Are you planting a fall garden? If so, what are you planting?

Goals for September 2012: Use Coupons

September 19, 2012 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Flickr (Angie Torres)

Replacing those lazy days of summer are busy days on the run. Accepting the fact that I spend more time in the van than I really want, I am working to keep life simple.

Coming off August where our family was on vacation most of the month, I am slowly finding our groove.

If I measured my goals on my progress each month, then I would get discouraged because my progress is slow. However, looking back to January, I see how far I’ve come. If you are struggling with your goals, reevaluate, and keep going. Setbacks will come. Accept them, regroup, and proceed.

The following is my recap of August, and my goals for September:

Physical

Drink 4 glasses of water per day. Water really is great for me, but I went back to sweet tea and diet coke. Need to get back on track.

Eat breakfast each morning. The morning routine is busy, and I don’t always eat breakfast, so I’m struggling with this goal again.

Exercise for 20 minutes at least 3 times a week. Not sure where to fit in this goal. I do walk the track once a week during my son’s soccer practice, but I need more exercise. Can anyone recommend a regularly-updated health blog? I need a cheerleading squad. 😉

Family

Plan at least one family outing/activity each week. Accomplished! This goal doesn’t seem hard because it is so fun. We attended a baseball game, enjoyed the vanilla ice cream cones at Burger King, family dinner, soccer games, and dressing up like Pirates for Talk Like a Pirate Day. Love this goal, and keeping it all year.

Spend 10 minutes with each child each day. Accomplished! This goal is easier with my children on different schedules. I get to spend time with my toddler all morning, then help my kindergartner with her homework, and later work with my son. Thrilled that this priority is working.

Allow children to help with a household task each week. Done! After cleaning out their desks AGAIN, my children are still learning, but mostly put their items away. It is a process, and we are moving forward.

Financial

Follow Crystal’s year-long plan to reach my goals. I’m adjusting this goal. For months June, July, and August, Crystal recommends a full-fledged budget and going cash-only. Agreeing to compromise with the cash-only by using cash for big purchases and credit card for weekly expenses, I am on track.

For the full-fledged budget, I need a better system than pen and paper. If anyone uses an online or electronic system, then please share. I’m moving on to the September and October goal of using coupons. Though I am already using coupons, I need to get my menu plan completed at the beginning of each week for September.

Purchase dressers for my daughters’ room. This goal is ongoing. No progress this month, but we are in no hurry.

Purchase upgraded computers for hubby and me. This goal is also ongoing. Put aside savings this month towards this goal.

Business

Write posts one week in advance. Took a big step backwards this month. The last two weeks have been tough, and I’m still getting posts written. I am taking baby steps getting back to this goal. Grateful for the taste of victory before falling behind, but I press on and keep writing.

Make one improvement to the blog this month. Accomplished! I upgraded my plugins to improve the speed of Using Time Wisely. My project of upgrading and correcting older posts is still a work in progress.

Read two chapters of blog book each month. Reading lots of children’s books, but no blog books. Keeping this goal to try again in September.

Thankfully, I made progress on my family goals since major improvements are needed with my physical goals. With each month having its challenges, I refuse to give up. When it gets tough, I readjust, focus, and start again. Encouraged by the improvements, I take these new goals and move forward. You can do it, too. Happy goal reaching!

Question: How are your goals coming along?

My Upcoming 2012-2013 Events

September 18, 2012 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

This school year seemed to take off like a rocket. In whizzing past opportunities, I have chosen to limit my event planning this year. Last year, I took on too much. Though the events went really well, I was worn out, tired, and sick after each event.

Though I am still very active at my children’s school with chaperoning on field trips, organizing lunch pickups, and assisting teachers with daily tasks, I am not directing any of the school programs this year. I enjoy directing, but I lighten my load. In using time wisely, these are my upcoming 2012 -2013 events:

Fall Festival

Our school’s primary fundraiser is our Fall Festival in November. In the midst of our building project, all proceeds from the Fall Festival will benefit our growing student body.

These Fall Festival preparations are in the works, and I have been working to nail down commitments. Creating a safe, fun environment with lots of activities and shows is my goal in coordinating KidZone. I’ll keep you updated as our event takes form.

Lunch Coordinator

As our school is growing, I volunteered to help our new school office manager at lunch time. In past years, the students only had the option to purchase pizza on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Each child is responsible to bring their own lunch to school as there is not a school cafeteria. To assist parents with at least one lunch option a day, I researched, visited establishments, negotiated deals, and created an order form for weekly lunches. The new system takes effect next week. Stay tuned for more details on the good, the bad, and the ugly. 😉

Forensics Coach

My new adventure this year is coaching one student in the NFL (National Forensics League). Though I have entered speech contests, directed productions, completed two speech degrees, taught Fundamentals in Speech, and judged numerous speech contests, I have never coached one-on-one.

Besides the newness in coaching, I have no experience with the NFL, so I’m learning their rules, guidelines, and judging regulations. The first meet might be interesting, but we have to start somewhere. 😉

With my upcoming 2012-2013 events, I look forward to learning new concepts, applying my experiences, and enjoying the process while using time wisely. In preparing for these events, I expect to make mistakes, but in the end, I’ll be better for it. Stepping out of my comfort zone!

Question: What are your plans this school year?

Cleaning: Our Gas Fireplace

September 17, 2012 by Tracy

On this chilly rainy day, I dressed in a lightweight long-sleeved shirt and welcomed the changing weather pattern in front of our gas fireplace.

Though it’s not here yet, my favorite season is autumn. In anticipation of falling leaves and pumpkin decorations, I replaced my summer candle with a pumpkin spice flavor to spark a new scent throughout our home.

Though we are not yet ready to turn on the fireplace, I noticed that the dust had built-up on our gas logs. As I took off the glass plate, I met cob webs and a thick layer of dust. In between a few sneezes, I wiped down the entire fireplace resulting in a pile of dust.

NOTE: My pilot light had been shut off. If you attempt cleaning your gas fireplace, turn off your pilot light before taking anything apart.

After a thorough cleaning of the inside and outside of the glass plate using Windex, I put the fireplace pieces back together.

Even with a deep spring cleaning each year, our fireplace had collected quite the dust. As we continue preparing our home for the changing temperatures, the current dust-free logs in our gas fireplace will warm our home while we wrap up in blankets all snuggled together. Did I mention that I love autumn? 😉 Happy fall preparations!

Question: Do you have any tips for cleaning a gas fireplace?

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