Brittney got her first paying job this past weekend. Our neighbour went out of town on a business trip and needed somebody to feed her cats. Brittney was more than happy to get the job for two reasons --- she loves cats and she would make some money.
Jake, being the money guy in our house, was a little ummmm .....uneasy about the fact his sister had a job and he didn't. Cookie selling season is not yet open and to say he's getting anxious, is an understatement.
Our neighbour returned home and that meant payday for Brittney. She was quite happy, bubbling and showing us her earnings. The more she talked....the more upset Jake got. We were quite sympathetic to him, trying to reassure him he'd make money just as soon as he started selling cookies again. We really did feel badly for him.... but just couldn't keep from smiling when he threw his hands wildly in the air as he said, in his overly exuberant way,
"But Mom....you don't understand.....I'm poor.....I have nooo money.......I'm just a bum!!! Why can't you understand? I feel really jealous when she gets money and I don't......I want to be like Bill Gates or Warren Buffet or the Queen!!"
Sooo, after some serious thought, he's decided this weekend, cookie selling season will be open. Which means....I will be over seeing the buying/baking/packaging of the cookies. He will do all the work (even the clean up) but I will be there watching....just in case.
Oh....and on top of it all, he's decided to include his new friend. At first, he didn't know whether he should hire him as an employee, or take him on as a partner. He finally decided he'd make him a partner and they'll share the profits equally.
Sooo, if the weather is good, it will be his opening weekend. Wish him good luck (and me the energy and patience to keep up with them).
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
I've been tagged!
Linda from Our Little House in Town has tagged me!
The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
Each player answers the questions about themselves.
At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.
a) What was I doing 10 years ago?
Well, Jake had just been born in April. We were living in Oshawa, Ontario but were having our 'dream home' built on Scugog Island, Ontario. We were in the process of trying to sell our home, pack up our things and look after a newborn. Tyler was 5, Brittney was 3 and I was a busy. Larry was taking a course on archeology and teaching full-time in Toronto.
b) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today:
I didn't do too much today. It was my birthday and I got spoiled. Brittney made supper and wouldn't let me into the kitchen. Jake made an interesting dessert and Tyler did the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. Hmmm....I could get used of this ;)
c) Snacks I enjoy:
Chocolate!! *grin* I also like potato chips, popcorn, ice cream, candy (hmmm I guess my secret that I'm a junk food junkie is out lol)
d) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Travel ---- Larry and I love travelling so we' be all set. Places I would visit --- Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, California, The southern states, The Caribbean (a cruise), England .... hmmmmm...I'm sure there are more places but that's all I can think of off the top of my head.
Larry would retire, although continue to substitute teach, tutor...just so he didn't get too bored.
We'd renovate our home to make it exactly as we'd like.
We'd put money away for each of the kid's education.
Hmm....wonder if there'd be any left? I hope sooo....we'd put some away to generate an income to live off of.
e) Places I have lived:
I was born and grew up in Port Perry, Ontario. I moved to Oshawa, Ontario. From there back to Port Perry and now in Newfoundland.
And who am I tagging?
Jacqueline
Kayla
Molytail
Penelope
The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
Each player answers the questions about themselves.
At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.
a) What was I doing 10 years ago?
Well, Jake had just been born in April. We were living in Oshawa, Ontario but were having our 'dream home' built on Scugog Island, Ontario. We were in the process of trying to sell our home, pack up our things and look after a newborn. Tyler was 5, Brittney was 3 and I was a busy. Larry was taking a course on archeology and teaching full-time in Toronto.
b) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today:
I didn't do too much today. It was my birthday and I got spoiled. Brittney made supper and wouldn't let me into the kitchen. Jake made an interesting dessert and Tyler did the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. Hmmm....I could get used of this ;)
c) Snacks I enjoy:
Chocolate!! *grin* I also like potato chips, popcorn, ice cream, candy (hmmm I guess my secret that I'm a junk food junkie is out lol)
d) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Travel ---- Larry and I love travelling so we' be all set. Places I would visit --- Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, California, The southern states, The Caribbean (a cruise), England .... hmmmmm...I'm sure there are more places but that's all I can think of off the top of my head.
Larry would retire, although continue to substitute teach, tutor...just so he didn't get too bored.
We'd renovate our home to make it exactly as we'd like.
We'd put money away for each of the kid's education.
Hmm....wonder if there'd be any left? I hope sooo....we'd put some away to generate an income to live off of.
e) Places I have lived:
I was born and grew up in Port Perry, Ontario. I moved to Oshawa, Ontario. From there back to Port Perry and now in Newfoundland.
And who am I tagging?
Jacqueline
Kayla
Molytail
Penelope
Sunday, May 25, 2008
More Chocolate....(click pics to enlarge)
Tool Box...with tools!
Christmas Stockings full of goodies
Chocolate Piano
3-D House
Dove Box made of white chocolate
Nut Barks
Trinket Box
Trinket Box packaged with chocolates
Chocolate Box
Truffles
Golf Bolfs
As I wrote about here, I am a chocoholic. I always have been and, most likely always will be.
I've been working with chocolate for about 13 years (eating it......well...that's been much longer ;0) ) What started out as a hobby, has now become a part-time, home-based business.
I still remember the first time I saw a chocolate mould and the melting wafers....I thought...."hmmmm.....I can do this". I immediately bought a mould, some melting wafers and hurried off home. Much to my amazement, it worked and my creation actually turned out!
From there...I moved into selling a few pieces --- suckers, novelty items and boxes made completely of chocolate. Although fairly happy with my creations, I was only using the melting wafers purchased at the bulk store. While this was ok and I was selling some......I longed for the real stuff --- pure, silky Belgian and French chocolate is what I wanted to work with. After all, as a true chocoholic I needed the real stuff and wouldn't be happy until I could use it (and then of course, eat it).
After unsuccessfully trying to locate somebody who would actually teach me how to work with the real stuff, I finally realized I'd have to find out for myself. Off to the bookstore and library to peruse the multitude of books. As with many things one book directly contradicted the next book....very confusing. I took several notes. Again though, much to my amazement, my first creation with the real, pure, ooohhh so smooth chocolate worked out! Ecstatic I was....Some of my customers did not understand the change in price, they were happy with the taste of the imitation chocolate.....but to me, nothing comes close to the real, pure stuff. Mmmmmm
After I had learned the technique, I did find a baking school that offered some courses. Larry and I enrolled in these and while I was there to make sure I'd been doing things properly, I think Larry was there to see how many of the creations he could eat lol. Oh well....I enjoyed his company lol. I was glad to know, everything I had learned through the books and on my own was right.
One added benefit of doing this is the flexibility it offers me ---- and I love flexibility (one reason why we homeschool). I can homeschool as well as make chocolate and the two fit beautifully in around each other. I can arrange my day the way it works best for me like. So whether I'm making truffles for a wedding or suckers for a birthday party or batches of almond bark for a fundraiser....I can mix it up and pour it before we start homeschooling, let it set up while we do our schooling and then finish it before lunch.
The kids love helping me with this venture too....helping me sell at a sale or taste testing a new product or learning about chocolate.....it ties in beautifully with homeschooling. They've learned a bit about running a business, making change, interacting with customers and even making a sales speech (this one is Jake's speciality lol)
Chocolate also allows me to be creative, without really being creative. I've made 3-D houses out of chocolate, a 3-D piano, golf balls, tool boxes, gift boxes made completely of chocolate....the only real limit is the imagination.
So while chocolate started out as a passion for me, it then turned into a hobby and eventually into a business. It's also taken me places I never would have thought of on my own. Over the years, I've been asked to teach a workshop at the local community college, been invited to do demonstrations at various women's groups (sometimes this takes the form of a demonstration, sometimes it's more of a workshop where they create things), the opportunity to do a Valentine's Day workshop with some homeschoolers, provide a chocolate making opportunity at birthday parties, provide hands-on experience for my children, participate in sales, weddings, fundraisers...the list goes on. Whenever a new opportunity is presented, I try to rise to the occasion. I'm not sure how successful I am but I always have fun with it.
I'm always looking for new suggestions, challenges or bookings for local events....so I'd be interested in hearing any ideas you may have!
Christmas Stockings full of goodies
Chocolate Piano
3-D House
Dove Box made of white chocolate
Nut Barks
Trinket Box
Trinket Box packaged with chocolates
Chocolate Box
Truffles
Golf Bolfs
As I wrote about here, I am a chocoholic. I always have been and, most likely always will be.
I've been working with chocolate for about 13 years (eating it......well...that's been much longer ;0) ) What started out as a hobby, has now become a part-time, home-based business.
I still remember the first time I saw a chocolate mould and the melting wafers....I thought...."hmmmm.....I can do this". I immediately bought a mould, some melting wafers and hurried off home. Much to my amazement, it worked and my creation actually turned out!
From there...I moved into selling a few pieces --- suckers, novelty items and boxes made completely of chocolate. Although fairly happy with my creations, I was only using the melting wafers purchased at the bulk store. While this was ok and I was selling some......I longed for the real stuff --- pure, silky Belgian and French chocolate is what I wanted to work with. After all, as a true chocoholic I needed the real stuff and wouldn't be happy until I could use it (and then of course, eat it).
After unsuccessfully trying to locate somebody who would actually teach me how to work with the real stuff, I finally realized I'd have to find out for myself. Off to the bookstore and library to peruse the multitude of books. As with many things one book directly contradicted the next book....very confusing. I took several notes. Again though, much to my amazement, my first creation with the real, pure, ooohhh so smooth chocolate worked out! Ecstatic I was....Some of my customers did not understand the change in price, they were happy with the taste of the imitation chocolate.....but to me, nothing comes close to the real, pure stuff. Mmmmmm
After I had learned the technique, I did find a baking school that offered some courses. Larry and I enrolled in these and while I was there to make sure I'd been doing things properly, I think Larry was there to see how many of the creations he could eat lol. Oh well....I enjoyed his company lol. I was glad to know, everything I had learned through the books and on my own was right.
One added benefit of doing this is the flexibility it offers me ---- and I love flexibility (one reason why we homeschool). I can homeschool as well as make chocolate and the two fit beautifully in around each other. I can arrange my day the way it works best for me like. So whether I'm making truffles for a wedding or suckers for a birthday party or batches of almond bark for a fundraiser....I can mix it up and pour it before we start homeschooling, let it set up while we do our schooling and then finish it before lunch.
The kids love helping me with this venture too....helping me sell at a sale or taste testing a new product or learning about chocolate.....it ties in beautifully with homeschooling. They've learned a bit about running a business, making change, interacting with customers and even making a sales speech (this one is Jake's speciality lol)
Chocolate also allows me to be creative, without really being creative. I've made 3-D houses out of chocolate, a 3-D piano, golf balls, tool boxes, gift boxes made completely of chocolate....the only real limit is the imagination.
So while chocolate started out as a passion for me, it then turned into a hobby and eventually into a business. It's also taken me places I never would have thought of on my own. Over the years, I've been asked to teach a workshop at the local community college, been invited to do demonstrations at various women's groups (sometimes this takes the form of a demonstration, sometimes it's more of a workshop where they create things), the opportunity to do a Valentine's Day workshop with some homeschoolers, provide a chocolate making opportunity at birthday parties, provide hands-on experience for my children, participate in sales, weddings, fundraisers...the list goes on. Whenever a new opportunity is presented, I try to rise to the occasion. I'm not sure how successful I am but I always have fun with it.
I'm always looking for new suggestions, challenges or bookings for local events....so I'd be interested in hearing any ideas you may have!
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Feeding a family of 4 - 6 on $70.00 -- Really???
Hmmmm......
I quite often read claims on various sites that make me go....hmmmmm. They are usually claims of how little it costs to do a certain thing and....if you, the reader, will only have the wisdom, then you'll be able to do so as well. They make it sound so easy and make the reader feel inadequate.
These claims always make me feel I'm doing something wrong because usually it's costing me a lot more to do what they are writing about than the claims they are making. Now, before I continue, I must preface this with the fact I am no stranger to being frugal. I've had more than one bank manager ask me about this. There was even one who said, "I have many clients that make twice as much money as you and they still cannot make ends meet. I don't know how you do it. If you are ever considering re-entering the work force, please come and see me first. I can't guarantee you a job, but I would certainly like the opportunity to have you on my staff."
I recently found such a claim on this site. It claims a family of 4 - 6 can be fed on $70.00/week. Hmmmm....I know *I* don't feed my family of 5 for anywhere near that amount, not even close. We don't buy cookies, chips, pop, or any convenience foods....just the necessities and our grocery bill is still much higher than $70.00. But.... this writer claims it can be done (and elsewhere on the site it even makes claims of menus that actually cost less than that).
So....I thought I'd take a bit closer look. After all, maybe I am doing something drastically wrong and if I can feed my family for $70.00, them I'm all for it. I started by picking 10 items off the list on this site. I went to my grocery store, equipped with my list and wrote down the prices. For my comparison, I chose the cheapest brand on the shelf. Also, as our grocery stores sell things in grams, kgs etc., I had Larry convert them into the same units (and therefore prices for the same quantities) as on the original list. This is what I found:
................................Price listed on web site..........Our price
Hot Dogs, 1 lb .................................89 ...................... 2.47
Margarine, 3 lbs ............................1.35 ...................... 7.17
Ground Beef, 5 lbs .........................6.90 ......................18.80
14 oz. Tin of Salmon ....................... .97 ...................... 2.33
1 lb frozen peas ............................1.00 .......................1.09
1 bunch of celery ...........................1.30........................1.79
10 lbs all purpose flour.....................1.92........................5.70
4 boxes Mac & Cheese.....................1.33........................2.36
3 doz. eggs..................................2.17 .......................6.81
3 lbs long grain rice.........................1.00.......................2.69
TOTALS .....................................18.83.....................51.21
Interesting.
I've only compared 10 items --- there are a total of 48 items on the list. At the end of these 10 items, I've already spent $51.21 and somehow doubt I will be able to buy the rest of the list for $18.79. I would even go as far to say if I purchased everything on that list, my weekly grocery bill would be a lot more than I already spend.
So much for feeding a family of 4 - 6 on $70.00. (I even left a comment on this website and the response seemed to indicate there was no idea what I was talking about and probably it was just a banner ad. When I left another comment with a link to the original post, the comment was never published or answered)
I quite often read claims on various sites that make me go....hmmmmm. They are usually claims of how little it costs to do a certain thing and....if you, the reader, will only have the wisdom, then you'll be able to do so as well. They make it sound so easy and make the reader feel inadequate.
These claims always make me feel I'm doing something wrong because usually it's costing me a lot more to do what they are writing about than the claims they are making. Now, before I continue, I must preface this with the fact I am no stranger to being frugal. I've had more than one bank manager ask me about this. There was even one who said, "I have many clients that make twice as much money as you and they still cannot make ends meet. I don't know how you do it. If you are ever considering re-entering the work force, please come and see me first. I can't guarantee you a job, but I would certainly like the opportunity to have you on my staff."
I recently found such a claim on this site. It claims a family of 4 - 6 can be fed on $70.00/week. Hmmmm....I know *I* don't feed my family of 5 for anywhere near that amount, not even close. We don't buy cookies, chips, pop, or any convenience foods....just the necessities and our grocery bill is still much higher than $70.00. But.... this writer claims it can be done (and elsewhere on the site it even makes claims of menus that actually cost less than that).
So....I thought I'd take a bit closer look. After all, maybe I am doing something drastically wrong and if I can feed my family for $70.00, them I'm all for it. I started by picking 10 items off the list on this site. I went to my grocery store, equipped with my list and wrote down the prices. For my comparison, I chose the cheapest brand on the shelf. Also, as our grocery stores sell things in grams, kgs etc., I had Larry convert them into the same units (and therefore prices for the same quantities) as on the original list. This is what I found:
................................Price listed on web site..........Our price
Hot Dogs, 1 lb .................................89 ...................... 2.47
Margarine, 3 lbs ............................1.35 ...................... 7.17
Ground Beef, 5 lbs .........................6.90 ......................18.80
14 oz. Tin of Salmon ....................... .97 ...................... 2.33
1 lb frozen peas ............................1.00 .......................1.09
1 bunch of celery ...........................1.30........................1.79
10 lbs all purpose flour.....................1.92........................5.70
4 boxes Mac & Cheese.....................1.33........................2.36
3 doz. eggs..................................2.17 .......................6.81
3 lbs long grain rice.........................1.00.......................2.69
TOTALS .....................................18.83.....................51.21
Interesting.
I've only compared 10 items --- there are a total of 48 items on the list. At the end of these 10 items, I've already spent $51.21 and somehow doubt I will be able to buy the rest of the list for $18.79. I would even go as far to say if I purchased everything on that list, my weekly grocery bill would be a lot more than I already spend.
So much for feeding a family of 4 - 6 on $70.00. (I even left a comment on this website and the response seemed to indicate there was no idea what I was talking about and probably it was just a banner ad. When I left another comment with a link to the original post, the comment was never published or answered)
Mom...We found a fossil!!!!
Tyler has finished his bookwork part of his studies.....so he's now done for the summer. This now allows him the time, in the nice weather, to focus on what he wants to do. Much of this time is divided between cartooning and exploring around outside.
Today, him and Brittney decided they'd like to explore around outside for a bit. Jake was busy drawing and didn't really want to be disturbed but after a bit of coaxing, he decided to join them.
That meant I was home alone....and did it ever seem quiet! After a bit of time had passed, a couple of excited kids come bursting into the house, yelling, "MOM, MOM.....WE FOUND A HUGE FOSSIL". They were obviously excited and seeing how our area is rich in fossils, they were sure they'd found one --- and a huge one at that. Before heading out again, they asked for the camera so they could take a picture of their latest find. A little while later, they returned with the above pictures.
Hmmm...it was a little difficult to see from the pictures, but it was much larger than any fossil I'd ever seen. A closer look is what I wanted, so we struck out again. On the way, we enlisted the services of our neighbour's friend. She gladly came along to analyze 'the fossil'.
Much to their disappointment, it turned out to be a cleverly designed piece of art work and not a fossil. Using the natural colour of the rock (no paint was used), the creator used a rock tool to dig very tiny holes which created the design. A very interesting technique and find, even though it was a fossil they were looking for.
Oh well....the hunt continues. ;0)
Monday, May 19, 2008
Homeschooling support
As we're winding down our sixth year of homeschooling, I can hardly believe we've been at it for so long. In the beginning, our intention was to homeschool Brittney and do it for a year or two, until she regained some of the confidence she had lost.
I spent the better part of a year researching the whole idea of homeschooling. It really wasn't something I thought I could do. Larry, on the other hand, said, "Oh it will be a piece of cake." Easy for him to say.
Just as I was ready to say I thought I could homeschool Brittney, Tyler announced that if she got to stay home, then he wanted to too. Oh my....I was sort of confident I could homeschool one, but TWO??? ......I wasn't so sure. Back to the research.
My biggest support came from the internet. I knew one person, sort of, that homeschooled. I called her first and she was more than happy to talk about it. I made *the* biggest mistake though that most people do.....the first question I asked her was "What about socialization?" ....ooohhh....that makes me cringe to think I would ask that .... it is the most asked question homeschoolers get (and the most dreaded as it really is a non issue).
I read many articles and joined a couple of on-line discussion groups. I received a lot of info and ideas from the experienced homeschoolers there. After researching for almost a year, we were fairly sure we would homeschool. Before making the final commitment though, we attended one of the many conferences held in our area. It was after attending that, we were convinced homeschooling could work for us. After all, we'd just be doing it for a year...maybe two.... and how much damage could we do in that short period of time?
As I mentioned off the top.....we're now finishing our sixth year with no plans of quitting just yet.
I spent the better part of a year researching the whole idea of homeschooling. It really wasn't something I thought I could do. Larry, on the other hand, said, "Oh it will be a piece of cake." Easy for him to say.
Just as I was ready to say I thought I could homeschool Brittney, Tyler announced that if she got to stay home, then he wanted to too. Oh my....I was sort of confident I could homeschool one, but TWO??? ......I wasn't so sure. Back to the research.
My biggest support came from the internet. I knew one person, sort of, that homeschooled. I called her first and she was more than happy to talk about it. I made *the* biggest mistake though that most people do.....the first question I asked her was "What about socialization?" ....ooohhh....that makes me cringe to think I would ask that .... it is the most asked question homeschoolers get (and the most dreaded as it really is a non issue).
I read many articles and joined a couple of on-line discussion groups. I received a lot of info and ideas from the experienced homeschoolers there. After researching for almost a year, we were fairly sure we would homeschool. Before making the final commitment though, we attended one of the many conferences held in our area. It was after attending that, we were convinced homeschooling could work for us. After all, we'd just be doing it for a year...maybe two.... and how much damage could we do in that short period of time?
As I mentioned off the top.....we're now finishing our sixth year with no plans of quitting just yet.
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