Back in the fall, we bought a piece of land and we’re planning to build a home there. Since the Holidays we’ve been sprucing up this house to get it ready to go on the market in March so we can sell it, and head to our land.
The hang up though is where to live between selling this house and building the new one.
We came up with a great idea. We’re going to buy a travel trailer and park it on the land for the few months it will take Mr. T. to build the new house. It would be a great solution because it’s hard to find a rental around here anyway, and with a dog, 2 cats, and 3 kids, its even harder.
Plus, we’ve been considering purchasing something to make camping a bit easier on our old tired bones, which this would do. And, the used ones we’re finding on Craig’s list are the same or less than what we’d spend on rent for those 3-4 mo we were building.
So, I think that’s what we’re doing. We’ll be spending the first few months on our land in a travel trailer…Now we’ve jut got to find one!
We’ve had a cold running through our family over the last week and 1/2 and finally, today, everyone was feeling good. We were itching to get out of the house but it was a balmy 19 degrees here in Maine and the wind was blowin’ hard all day. No sledding or snowy walk in the woods was going to happen for anyone!
We talked about going to the movies, or….what else even was there?? Finally we came up 
with the idea of going bowling. We have this great facility in the area that is actually part of a conference center. Lucky for us it’s also open to the public, and, it’s a lot of fun!
So, we headed up to Point Lookout, and went bowling. We all had a blast, no one scored all that well ( I think Mr. T. was the highest with 97 or so?) but it’s not about that. It’s all in the fun of the game. O. even had a good time watching everyone and clapping with us.
On our way home we decided to try and see if we could get a table at our favorite little pub The Badger. It seemed like it wasn’t going to work out at first when we called, but, we decided we’d stop by anyway. We were all really hungry and had a taste for their food in our mouths, so, we crossed our fingers and Mr. T. headed in to see if we could get a table…..and we did! Our hungry bellies were happily satisfied!!
An exciting game of bowling and a tasty meal at a favorite restaurant, can’t ask for much more!
So, I looked at the headlines on MSN this morning, and, this is what I saw “Another Pregnant Man”. Of course, I clicked. I had to!
I’m just not sure how I feel about all this though.
First and foremost, I must say that I support everyone’s right and freedom to do what they choose, as long as it doesn’t harm others….and this doesn’t harm anyone, so I do totally support these people for finding happiness and creating a family that is full of love.
I just don’t really understand it all I guess.
I mean, if you were a woman from birth who felt so desperately that you were meant to be a man – enough so to go through surgery and such to transform the physical body you were given to match the gender you feel on the inside – how is it that you are willing to give these feelings up to have a child.
After giving birth to 3 children, I can’t think of anything more womanly and beautifully feminine than carrying and giving birth to a child. I mean, the fact that we are equipped to gestate and nurse our young is one of the fundamental physical differences between male and female.
If you identify as a man, how do you reconcile all of these things?
Is it not easier, maybe even more appropriate to just adopt? There are countless children in this world that need people to love and raise them. Or, in this situation, if parenthood was the dream, and adoption wasn’t an option for some reason, they could have simply raised the children that were brought into the union from this mans partner’s (also born as a woman) previous relationship?
Of course the man carrying the child has only had his breasts removed and takes male hormones. He still has his ovaries, vagina, etc. Maybe that internal baby hunger us women get just couldn’t be stifled (it can get really nutty at times!!) and, here they are.
Whatever the motivation and circumstances, obviously, it’s really none of my business. The only reason I’m even privileged to any of this information is because of the media.
And in the end, all I wish these people and their family is the best….I just can’t help but ask, WTF???
I’ve shared a lot about the kids, even Mr. T. and I, but, I’ve yet to mention our dear doggie and his two feline friends. Our dog’s name is Wilson. He is just 1 and is a crazy but lovable dog who doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. He is a bigger dog (80+lbs), and obviously has some type of shepard, and some type of retriever in him, other than that, we don’t know. 
In all honesty, we probably shouldn’t have a 1 yr old dog as well as a 9 month baby. It’s definitely not ideal. But, when our old pooch Bear passed on this spring, it was very odd not to have a dog laying about the house. So, here we are.
We got Wilson from a pet rescue. They rescue dogs in high kill shelters in places like Kentucky (where Wilson is from) who are about to be euthanized. She transports them up north to New England here, where there are less animals in need, and more “no kill” shelters,. The dogs stay with her, and with other foster families she has until she can find a “fur-ever” home for them.
Wilson has been with us for about 6 months now. He has a few bad habits (he will love you to death, and if he happens to get loose all the puppy goes to his head and he won’t listen to you…not to mention his unfortunate interest in cars) but we’re hopeful that we can help him with those so he can become an all around wonderful pooch.
Then there are the two cats. Both boys also, and both orange (all our pets are orange-ish!!). Forest (the lighter orange guy) is our oldest cat and he moved to Maine with us from New Mexico. I. named him and he chose Forest because our house (the cat’s “new playground”) was in the forest at 
the time.
Our other cat, Sparrow (named both for the bird and Jack Sparrow, the pirate) we found on Freecycle. He’s just two, and was originally found as a stray kitten. Because of that (or maybe it’s just Sparrow) he is really scrappy and enjoys kicking animal butt of all kinds including mice, moles, chipmunks…..and Wilson’s!
The kids absolutely love the animals. K. feeds them as his chores, and O. is learning how to “pet them gently”. He and Wilson are growing up together, and already have a pretty solid bond, which is really neat.
I’ve had animals ever since I was born, starting with dogs and then moving on (after I begged for years) to both dogs and cats. Mr. T. had cats growing up, and always wanted dogs too. When we met, I already had a cat, and we promptly got a dog after moving in together. Since then, we’ve had at least one dog and one cat in our family, usually more!
Yes, having animals can be a pain in the butt sometimes….like when I came down stairs the other day to find Wilson had chewed one of O.’s favorite wooden toys. But, they’re really worth it. To me, it’s a fantastic experience for the kids to grow up being with and taking care of animals, plus, it’s just not Home to me unless there are a few furry family members sharing the space.
by AKA MOM on January 24, 2010
in Recipes
I prefer home made food to processed, pre-packaged stuff and, when I went looking for a good yellow cake recipe that baked up like the well known boxed mixes, this is what I found.
The main recipe and it’s variations come from allrecipes.com. I, of course, tweaked it a bit to make it my own. I made it a tiny bit healthier and instead of shortening, use 1/4 c oil and 1/4 c applesauce and I also increased the milk that the original recipe called for to make it moister.
The cake comes out really great! It’s super moist but also easy to handle, and it takes icing like a dream! And best of all, it’s so simple to make. You can use this recipe (and it’s variations) to make about 30 cup cakes, 1 13×9 in cake, or two 9 or 10 in round cakes.
Ingredients
- 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
- For a Yellow Cake: Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add oil, applesauce, eggs, milk, and vanilla. Beat at low speed for 1 minute, then high for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl frequently.
- Pour batter into greased and floured 9×13 inch pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes.
Variations
Variation for a Chocolate Cake: Add 1/3 cup cocoa powder to the basic cake mix prior to adding the milk.
Variation for a Spice Cake: Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, and 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice to the basic cake mix.
Variation for a White Cake: Prepare as for the basic cake except use 3 egg whites for the 2 whole eggs. Whites may be beaten separately and added for a lighter cake.
Variation for a Pineapple Upside Down Cake: Melt 1/2 cup butter in the bottom of a 9×13 pan. Add 2/3 cup brown sugar, stirring into the butter. Arrange pineapple slices in the pan. Top with the basic (yellow cake) mix recipe. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, cool 5 minutes, and invert to serve.