Printer Ink Tip

I just learned this one yesterday. Wish I had learned it long ago, as it would have saved me a lot of aggravation. I am assuming this is true for a lot of printers, so I am passing it on.

Being homeschoolers, we use a lot of ink and paper. To save, I have Walgreen's refill my ink cartridges (for an HP 2210) when they run their specials of refills for $5, or I buy the used/refurbished ones at Office Depot or Walmart. Usually they work, sometimes they don't. Or, I will have one that I have used several times and it will suddenly just stop-for no reason.

This happened again this week. My nearest Walgreen or Office Depot is 30 minutes away, so its a real pain to go buy one and bring it home only to find it won't work. And, the 2 I got wouldn't work. I called HP to see if there was a work around as I didn't want to drive all the way back again--I mean we are talking 100 miles for 2 trips.....

I was told to look at my cartridge for a date. There is evidently a microchip in the ink cartridge that tells the printer when that date has arrived. When that date gets here, it is considered to be an expired cartridge and will no longer work. the two ink cartridges I bought were indeed expired (sold to me by Office Depot in October and one had expired in April of 2007). That also explains why ones I have refilled over and over suddenly stop--the date came up.

So, I will no longer refill them close to or past the expiration date, and I will open the box and check the expiration date of refurbished ones at the cash register BEFORE I drive all the way back home.

I thought this was worth passing on!

Pumpkins Etc

This morning I took the kids to Pumpkins Etc. They all had a blast. I would highly highly recommend this pumpkin patch to everyone! It is family run. There were several patches to choose from. You can take a wheelbarrow with you to put your selections in or (as in our case) give a kid a ride. When you first get there, you will be greeted by cats. Lots and lots of cats, mostly cute babies. We were told that early this morning they had counted 21 of them. We also went through the hay bale maze. There is also another maze that we did not go through. They have a picnic area if you want to take your lunch. Prices were very reasonable. Admission is FREE, and you don't pay for anything except what you buy. They sell pumpkins, candy, gourds, honey (from Smithville)and mums. Get more info at http://www.pumpkins-etc.com/ They have a Platte City address, but it is actually on the Smithville side, more towards the Hoover area. It was very easy to get through and signs marked the way well.
If you have little ones with you, they will enjoy the airplanes from KCI that fly over often. We had to stop and wave at each one and guess where they were going.

We also saw a cute halloween display on highway 92 on the way there. It was all made of hay bales painted up. The kids had me pull over so they could see it better.

Rodeo, Pears and Apples. Signs of Fall

Last night JD and I took 7 girls to the Annual Bayer/Dodge Rodeo at Kemper Arena (American Royal Building). We had a lot of fun. All 7 of the girls ride on a regular basis, so they really enjoyed it.

Before we left to go, the twins and I finished up the last batch of pear sauce. Last night JD brought me a bunch of apples that a friend from work gave him. His friend just bought a commerical orchard and they came from there. So, probably on Monday I will start making some applesauce. JD has also requested that I make him an apple crisp.

St Joseph MO area-Remington Center Events

visit the website at www.stjoenaturecenter.info for more information about the upcoming events, or call at 816-271-5499.

Friday, October 30 -- 5-8pm

Children's Halloween Party: includes magic shows, balloon animals, face
painting, food, and goodie bags. Free with paid admission. Wear your
costume!

Sunday, November 1 -- 1-5 pm

$1 Admission Day: help celebrate our One-Year Anniversary with $1 admission
for all seniors, adults, and youths. Children three and under are free.
We'll be serving refreshments all afternoon, as our thanks to our patrons.

Saturday, November 14 @ 2 pm

Second Saturday Story Time: We're reading "Blue-berries on Parade" from the
Disney's Pixar movie "A Bug's Life." Join us for a coloring activity,
snacks, and take-home goodies!

Saturday, November 28 @ 2 pm

Last Saturday Craft: Let's Play Nature Bingo! It's a fun way to learn about
animals and nature, and we'll have some cool prizes for all our contestants.
We're also making leaf prints for you to take home.

Saturday, December 12 @ 2 pm

Second Saturday Story Time: We're reading a book about snow, and having a
winter party! We'll be serving a snack, have a coloring activity, and even
have some take-home goodies for you.

Saturday, December 26 @ 2pm

Last Saturday Craft: Let's make pinecone decora-tions! You won't believe how
cool pinecones can look with this fun craft.

Pear Sauce

Today I made up a batch of pear sauce. I make it the same way I make apple sauce, but use pears instead. I cook down the pears (whole) and mush. Then I run them through a sieve, add sugar, cinnamon and a little lemon juice (it helps to keep the color). I didn't make enough to can, just enough to eat-a few quarts. We also like to eat it on biscuits.

Its been busy

I have not blogged in awhile, I'll do better, I promise.

We have been very busy lately. We were in a parade with our church group in Liberty. MO.

Our new 4H group has taken off well, with close to 45 kids joining. We were in a very cold parade for the Plattsburg Fall Fest and our group came in 3rd place for organizations. The morning was in the 30's as we created our float. At one point during the parade route as we were downtown the temp jumped to 48 as the buildings created a windbreak. But, as soon as we turned the corner, it went back down to 41. The kids and adults who rode on the float were brave, and well bundled in blankets. As for me, well, I drove, so I had the heater on. A few of the younger kids rode with me, but we were still cold as we had the windows down. We celebrated national 4H week by decorating the windows of 3 local businesses. For a small town, Plattsburg has a very large and nice fall fest. The entire town is involved.

Our homeschool Coop has started a new semester. The kids were really excited to be back into their Friday routine and see all their friends. This semester I am an aide in drivers ed, and am teaching 'Awesome America'. One of my students is currently on vacation, touring the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Mt Rushmore. The rest of the class is hoping she will return with lots of pictures. So far in class we have learned about the flag and how to fold it, the history of the pledge, watched a video on the Grand Canyon, Lewis and Clark, history of Uncle Sam, and about Martin Luther King Jr. We also ate some of America's favorite snack foods while watching the GC video. As usual, the class really likes to eat.

On the farming front, we have sold some cattle and are planning on changing over to Angus. In about 2 more months our pigs (hopefully) will be ready for market. All they hay has been cut and the crop farmers have taken in the soybeans, but have not yet started the corn. It has been cold and damp the majority of the time. Our ponds are all full. I am afraid it is going to be a long hard winter though. The horses and cows are already starting to get their winter coats, and normally they aren't this time of the year.

On the home front, we had a family wedding last weekend on the Espey side in St Joseph MO. It was good to visit with family and as my dad pointed out very nice to see family at a happy event rather than at a funeral, which the past 10 years or so seems to be the more often case. After the wedding my parents spent the night here and we had a good visit. My dad grew up on a farm, so he likes to check the status of our farm every now and then.

We also spent a weekend at the Kansas Speedway for the Nascar races. Tysa came home from Chicago for the weekend and Taylor came up from Arkansas for the races on Saturday. However Emily and Rebecca spent Saturday in St Louis, but were able to go to the races on Sunday afternoon. So, all 5 girls were home that weekend, but never at the same time.

I am also posting an old picture that a friend sent me on facebook. It shows my family back in 1970. My kids got a kick out of it and so did I.

In Independence MO--for homeschoolers everywhere

November 11 at the Mid-Contient Public Library in Independence, they are having a home school expo from 9 a.m. to noon! This is located at the 3440 S Lee's Summit Rd in Independence, MO.

Go to http://www.mcpl.lib.mo.us/temp/homeschool_expo.pdf for all the information.

Some of the featured events include:
Children's autor Christine Taylor-Butler
various booths
database classes
tours of the genealogy center
door prizes
storytime and crafts
experiments
clowns and face painting
police department
Burr Oaks (another neat place for homeschoolers!)
Steamboat Arabia (and another great homeschooling field trip)
Families for Home Education

Not just for homeschoolers....St Joseph MO

Sunday, November 1, 2009 from 1 pm to 5 pm

$1 Admission

Children 3 years and under - Free

Free refreshments will be served.

Remington Nature Center is located at: 1502 MacArthur Drive,

St
Joseph, MO 64505

Where is the Heart of Your Home

Where is the Heart of Your Home

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