Burrrrr

CLEP

Home Educators interested in CLEPing college credits: Register now! Get a head start. . . Get it done on your own time . . . Get it done early! Join us on Tuesday, February 24th at 7:00 at Summit Woods Baptist Church at 50 & Todd George Rd. in Lees Summit for an information session about CLEPping, taking online college classes as a high school student, & other ways to earn college credit hours as a high schooler.

Come learn how to navigate through the "clutter" of distance learning ...options for students of any age! Bring all of your questions with you! Invite your friends and we'll see you soon!

This class will be taught by Cindy Woodcock, Teacher, homeschool mother from Texas. She has blazed the trail in many areas and is a wealth of information regarding earning college credits while still in High school. Cindy has several previous students who have completed CLEP degrees and two currently working to achieve a Bachelors degree through TX A&M before leaving HS. Parents & students will both benefit from attending.

Pre­registration guarantees a packet of information that will equip you on your journey. There is a registration fee at door of $10. to help cover expenses, hand­outs, etc. Mark your calendars, invite others. You will not want to miss this meeting! Preregister with Karen Collins, stevenkarencollins@gmail.com 816­739­7540 or Cindy Woodcock, mailto:cindy@splunxter.com 972­489­5600

From: The Seed Guy

The below is from the seed guy.  I bought one of these seed packages in the past (actually a friend did, I just went halves with her on it as it was too much for her).  Its a very good deal, and very good seeds. i highly recommend.

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** HOW MUCH VEGGIES TO GROW TO FEED YOUR FAMILY **

This is a much thought about and debated topic. How much do you really need to plant to feed your family? How many seeds or plants do you need to plant if you want to feed your family fresh Veggies during the growing season, and then can, freeze or dehydrate enough to last the rest of the year?

I think it's important to consider also that each person in the Family needs a certain amount of calories per day, depending on how active they are. This would play into your choice of the mix of veggies that you would grow; given that some veggies like beans have a higher calorie count than say lettuce.

The chart below gives you a good idea of how much of each plant or seed you will need to plant per person, based on picking and eating them fresh. If you plan on Canning or freezing your Veggies to get thru the Winter months, you will need to plant more. I would suggest you multiply the amount list by 4 if you plan to can also.

Seeds or plants per 100-ft. row is the recommended amount or number to use for proper spacing and growth. Estimated yield per 100-ft. row is based on optimum growth, so it could be different from Family to Family. If you don't plant in 100-ft rows, then you can divide the amounts down to the size you do plant.

FOR OPTIMUM YIELDS, YOU WILL WANT TO:

1) Start Off with good Heirloom Seeds (THE SEED GUY has List below)
2) Use a good Compost/Soil mixture
3) Maintain Fertility
4) Provide enough water
4) Use Mulch
5) Control Pests ( insects, and the furry types) Companion Plants are a way to control and deter pests.

** Good Healthy HEIRLOOM SEEDS will make all the difference when you want that Big Yield at harvest time. At THE SEED GUY, we have a great 60 Variety Heirloom Seed Special now that contains 25,000 Heirloom Seeds, all Non GMO, and each variety is individually packaged and then put in a 10 x 14 silver mylar bag. All Heirloom Seeds are Small Farm-Grown, and we hand count and package to make sure you get no cracked or broken seeds. They are fresh from the 2014 harvest, and the Seed package is priced reasonably at $55, so more Families can affordably grow their own healthy Non GMO Gardens.

** You will get 50 Heirloom Vegetable Seed varieties, and then 10 FREE Heirloom Herb Seed varieties as a Bonus.** You would definitely be able to Feed Your Family with this Seed package, and you can store the Seeds you don't use right away in the 10 x 14 silver mylar bag we provide. You can Order this Seed package on our website at http://theseedguy.com/78-the-60-variety-survival-heirloom-s… (Seed varieties listed below).

You can call us 7 days a week, at anytime, as we are a Small Family Farm, and make ourselves available to answer your questions and for phone orders. Call 918-906-7381, and I Promise you will always be able to talk to a Live Person.

If you LIKE US on our Facebook page, you will be on our List for more great Gardening Articles, New Seed Offerings, and Healthy Juice Recipes. Thank you and God Bless You and Your Family.https://www.facebook.com/theseedguy

SEEDS IN THE PACKAGE:
1) HALES BEST JUMBO CANTALOUPE
2) HONEY DEW GREEN MELON
3) SUGAR BABY WATERMELON
4) CALIFORNIA WONDER BELL PEPPER
5) EARLY JALAPENO PEPPER
6) BEEFSTEAK TOMATO
7) LARGE RED CHERRY TOMATO
8 ) GOLDEN BANTAM SWEET CORN
9) SMALL SUGAR PUMPKIN
10) LITTLE MARVEL PEAS
11) SUGAR SNAP PEAS
12) KENTUCKY WONDER POLE BEANS
13) BLUE LAKE BUSH BEANS
14) BLACK TURTLE BEANS
15) BUSH MEXICAN PINTO BEANS
16) CALABRESE BROCCOLI
17) SNOWBALL CAULIFLOWER
18) LONG ISLAND BRUSSEL SPROUTS
19) BLACK BEAUTY EGGPLANT
20) PARRIS ISLAND ROMAINE LETTUCE
21) CRIMSON GIANT RADISH
22) CHERRY BELLE RADISH
23) CHANTENEY RED CORE CARROT
24) SCARLET NANTES CARROT
25) KALE VATES BLUE SCOTCH
26) ALL AMERICAN PARSNIPS
27) GOURMET LEAF LETTUCE BLEND
28) ARUGULA
29) MARY WASHINGTON ASPARAGUS
30) TALL UTAH CELERY
31) FLORIDA BROADLEAF MUSTARD
32) SIBERIAN DWARF KALE
33) YELLOW STRAIGHTNECK SQUASH
34) DARK GREEN ZUCCHINI SQUASH
35) PURPLE TOP WHITE GLOBE TURNIP
36) SEVEN TOP TURNIPS
37) ASHLEY ORGANIC CUCUMBER
38) BOSTON PICKLING CUCUMBER
39) BLACK SEEDED SIMPSON LETTUCE
40) GOLDEN ACRE CABBAGE
41) BOK CHOY CABBAGE
42) ORGANIC HARD RED WHEAT
43) ORGANIC FLAX
44) ORGANIC ALFALFA
45) BLOOMSDALE SPINACH
46) DETROIT DARK RED BEETS
47) GIANT NOBLE SPINACH
48) CLEMSON SPINELESS OKRA
49) MORRIS HEADING COLLARDS
50) WHITE SWEET SPANISH ONIONS

AND HERBS
51) ITALIAN GIANT PARSLEY
52) ORGANIC CHIA
53) FENUGREEK
54) CURLED CRESS
55) LONG STANDING CORIANDER
56) SUMMER SAVORY
57) BORAGE
58) FLORENCE FENNEL
59) ITALIAN LARGE LEAF BASIL
60) BOUQUET DILL

How Cool is this Bee Hive?

I have wanted bee hives for some time.  At one point, I had a guy who was going to put hives on both our farms, and in exchange we were going to get some honey, but he passed away.

This hive looks like something I could do.  We have the perfect set up here--water, shade, clover, fruit trees, vineyard......

I'm going to get some more information from this company, and start studying up on bees and honey.  I just might do it in a few years....

Back Home

First, let me say I realize at times mothers must work outside the home at times.  Other times, I believe it can actually be damaging to the family.

I recently experienced one of those "damaging"  episodes.  I was a zombie for the last 6 weeks.

I worked outside the home for 8 weeks.  Lets just say it was NOT the job for me.  I am now back home and in the last 4 days I have finally gotten the laundry caught up, and the house halfway back to order.  I worked in a very unprofessional retail environment where it was not healthy at all.  Every time I was ready to take my break or lunch, I was told to wait until they had a smoke break first (which they never clocked out for).   Never, ever in my life had I heard such concentration of bad language and drama,  I mean every other word.  It not only came from a large majority of the customers, but also from the help, from the general manager on down the line.  It often seemed like they were trying to out due each other.  I believe there were only 2 employees who were not constantly swearing, back stabbing and creating other drama.  They also would go on "witch hunts" and target one certain employee, then move on to another one a few days later.  I just could not work in an environment like this any longer.  There were also 2 employees who had anger control issues, and you  never knew when an item would get thrown, or something kicked. When I started, we had a lot of customers who came in that were Mennonite.  I noticed they were gradually dwindling in numbers.  I asked one, who always spoke to me and he said that the women and children could not longer come into our store due to the nature of the conversations they overheard.  A few days after that conversation, I turned in my notice, effective immediately.   Needless to say, I am at peace with my decision to leave there.

I just don't understand why women think they are attractive by talking and acting that way.  Do they not realize that it doesn't make them look tough, it makes them actually look insecure, cheap and trashy.  I don't get it at all.  Do they act like that in front of their parents and children??  Makes me wonder.....

In the midst of all that, my husband was seriously ill and in the hospital.  When I sent a text to my manager, the reply I received was if I wasn't going to be at  work the next day, I had to let her know by 7pm to avoid getting written up.  Rather cold and heartless I thought, considering I had not missed any prior work.  She didn't even ask how he was.

So, laundry and ironing are now caught up, kitchen has been 75% detailed, I got my stove taken apart, cleaned, and put back together.  I am getting caught up on my coupon book getting it organized, and I detailed my car.  Next, I will work on the husbands car and truck, and its time to clean the garage again.  And, I have a long list of other jobs to tackle as well.

When the right job comes along, I will take it.  But, it will not interfere with my beliefs, or my family.  But in the meantime, I'm playing catch up.

My New Garden Guide

SproutRobit is gone....But, a new site, is very similar http://www.gardenate.com/.  So, this is what I planning on using this year.

Last year squash bugs got my pumpkins-they also got them the year before.  I actually did not even plant pumpkins last year, but had some great volunteers come up from the compost pile.  And, the squash bugs got them again.  So, over the winter I have done some research.  It seems that squash bugs do not like catnip, french marigolds, dill, petunias or nasturtiums.  So, I will be planting some of these in the raised beds this year with the melons, pumpkins, squash and cucumbers.

Later this weekend I plan on starting my garlic indoors.  Can't wait.