Raising Some Dough!

Earning Summer Cash

Not wanting to mooch off of Mom and Dad, Caitlin and Joshua are trying to raise money. They have summer activities they need to pay for and items lost in the fire they want to replace. They are already in the hole (to Jax and me) for swimming lessons and summer passes to the pool. Their chosen method to raise money is to sell bread products – loaves, rolls, etc. You might say they are “raising some dough.”

This isn’t new to them. They’ve both been making bread for a long time. We’ve made our own bread at our house for years now, and they both learned to do it. So you won’t be getting experimental bread, you’ll be getting our tried and true recipe for fantastic fresh bread.

Joshua's rolls — They look good, don’t they?

Orders

They would like to find a few regular customers, people who they can provide bread to on a regular basis on certain days of the week (Mr Jones every Monday; Mrs Smith on Tues. and Fri. for example). It’s available any day of the week except Sunday. It would be best if they didn’t have more than 4 loaves of bread or 4 dozen rolls on any one day.

One time orders are welcome as well! They won’t turn anyone away.

For special occasions they would do more 4 per day. For example, if you have a family reunion this summer and would like 12 dozen rolls, that would be fine with some advance notice. These would be great for occasions like Memorial Day BBQ, Birthday parties, Thanksgiving dinner, family Christmas Party.

All bread is white bread for now. As soon as we can get our wheat grinder from Missouri we will be able to offer wheat bread too.

Pricing

One loaf of bread: $5

One dozen rolls: $5

Half dozen rolls: $3

Half dozen cinnamon rolls: $5

2-4 Bread Bowls (for soup): $5 … number depends on the size you want the bowl.

Special pricing available for larger orders. If you want a specialty bread, like Italian bread, then make a request and they may be willing to fill it.

Shipping

Neither of these two can drive, so we’re anticipating customers to be local (in the PG area). We will deliver to you in that area. If you live outside of PG and want bread (rolls for lunch, or cinnamon rolls for the office maybe), then we will have to make arrangements for pickup (we could meet you near a freeway entrance for instance).

Morning delivery will be most likely. They will wake up, make the dough, and deliver the breads when they are done baking. You could have fresh, hot bread in the mornings for breakfast!

Would you like the smell of fresh bread in the morning?

For large special orders we can make arrangements for delivery to other locations. Again, just give us enough advance notice and we’ll make sure the kids take good care of you.

Order Your Dough Now!

So if you would like a weekly delivery of specially made fresh bread, then order now! We’ll take orders for up to 4 loaves, or 4 dozen rolls, per day. You can order by filling out the form below, private message on Facebook, or give us a call at 870-291-1520. Be sure to tell us which day you’d like regular deliveries on!

Satisfaction guaranteed. They are kids. They’ve been known to occasionally forget to add things like salt, or sugar. So if you get a bad batch then it will be replaced for free.

Payment expected upon delivery. Cash is preferred.

If you haven’t tasted our manna from heaven before, than a free sample will be provided upon request.

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17 May 201723 May 2017

Mini-Marathon Race Day Video

13 May 2017

Getting Antsy

An Unfulfilled Plan

Julie and I have been all sorts of antsy to get started on the remodel of my parents house. After 6 months of being in limbo it has been great to finally make a plan. Being unable to execute that plan though has been nigh unbearable. It’s like being on the starting line of a race, you’re told to get on your mark and get ready, but nobody ever yells “Go!”

I can’t even say for sure that we’re ready. I don’t know that we know for sure what to do first, or if my parents have any set-in-stone plans. I’m sure that time is going to fly by this summer, so we probably should have hashed some of that out already. C’est la Vie.

What to do next

We have been having discussions about what to do next. We need to make arrangements to get the rest of our stuff from Missouri out here to Utah. Things that aren’t coming to Utah need to be sold, like our livestock and probably the tractor.

I did go to the high school and middle school and registered both Caitlin and Joshua for school next year (another post on this later). At some point we’ll have to see about getting new UT paperwork (Drivers Licenses, car registration, etc). I hope that can wait awhile though.

Mostly though, things haven’t changed since we made the decision to stay in Utah. I keep going to VA appointments 2x a week. Julie keeps the kids alive and doing well in school. The difference now is that we feel good about having a plan, and antsy about getting started on it.

I’m going to try to add a picture to the end of each post from now on so that you can see us. I’m sure the pics will be more appreciated than my words anyway!

5 May 20175 May 2017

Journey

Jax and I have been discussing where our journey is going to lead us. I’m not overly thrilled with our options. But as I have taken the day to mull things over I have come to this understanding. Sometimes we have to do things we may not want to do in order to attain the things we want.

For example, if I want to lose weight, I will probably need to diet in one form or another. Now I can make the best of that diet by choosing a diet that will fit my lifestyle. But I will need to make changes in my diet if I want changes to occur on my waistline. If I want to be able to run a marathon or climb Mount Everest, I will have to train every day. I can’t just wake up in the morning and expect to do great physical feats. I have to work hard, work through sore muscles, work when I don’t want to.

My aunt tells a story of going listening to a concert pianist with whom she had grown up with. She talks of how effortless his performance seemed as his hand glided across the keys. While talking to him afterwards, she casually said, “I would give my right arm to play like that.” His response has stayed with her through the years. “Would you? Would you really? Because that’s what it takes. That is what I did.” While other children were running and playing in the streets, he chose to practice the piano. While other boys were playing baseball his hands were learning how to make music. He knew what he wanted and he did everything he could to attain that goal.

So as I sit here in limbo trying to weigh my options I have decided that I need to decide what it is that I really want. What do I want in five or ten years? Is it a house, a farm, a boat? For me, those things are secondary. What I want, is a happy and whole family. I want a husband who may have scars but whose wounds have healed. I want children who are happy and productive.

They should understand that they can do hard things. They can reach any goal they set for themselves. I want them to learn that even when life throws you a curve ball, you still have options. You can smash it out of the park. You can hit it and bide your time on first base. Even if you try with all your might, you might strike out. But there will be other pitches, other times at bat, other games to win.

Sounds great. I want a happy little family. To some people that may sound like a very vague goal. But in my situation there are some very specific things that we must do to reach that goal. The first thing is to help Jax heal from the trials that are still plaguing his dreams and turning them into nightmares. We have other trials to heal from, some visible and some very personal. There are financial, physical, and emotional elements to consider.

That being said. As I weigh my options, I feel like I have a clearer view of my path. If I want Jax better then I need to live where he can get proper care. I will make the best of this curve ball… I’m going to smash this thing out of the park! And I will enjoy the journey as I go.

2 May 20171 May 2017

Update: Our Immediate Plans

Julie and I are very happy to announce that we have made some plans for our future. There is still a lot of info we don’t have, and so nothing long-term is settled, but we’ve decided we’ll expect the worse, use it as a starting point, and plan from there. At this point though, even being able to make one decision about the future seems like an extraordinary event. So I apologize in advance if this announcement seems small to you… it isn’t to us!

This Summer

After my parents complete their celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary in May, a major remodel of their home will begin. The purpose of this remodel will be to make the necessary improvements and repairs for our family of 10 to move in sometime before next school year begins (late Aug or Sept?).

You read that right, Julie and I will be moving into my parents home in Utah and are planning on living there indefinitely. This will give us plenty of time to figure out where we are in the other aspects of our lives. The hardest part about this is going to be telling all of our friends back in MO that we aren’t coming back. We’ve longingly looked forward to going back there from the moment we landed here.

Mental health care

The biggest reason for staying here in the SLC area instead of heading back to the farm is so that I can continue receiving the VA care here that I just wasn’t getting back in MO or AR. If I’m going to ever complete my journey for mental wellness I need to get some professional help. I’ve been getting that here. And seeing what I have available here, compared to what I was receiving, makes it clear that what I was getting, wasn’t nearly what I needed.

I know that with PTSD and other mental health issues that there isn’t a “cure” – no person has told me I can be cured – but that they can help me to overcome the symptoms and to live a more normal and less stress-filled life. So we’ll stay here until we think that I’ve reached a level of success that we are comfortable with.

We anticipate this will be a matter of years. There is no test to determine when this is “done.” It’s something we can’t put a date on for completion; maybe it’ll be decades. Going through the Canines With A Cause course is anticipated to take about 2 years to complete, so it would be at least that long, and probably much longer. We’ll stay as long as it takes.

Finances

Our financial situation was another important aspect of this decision. Due to the huge financial blow that losing the house was, we aren’t in a position to rebuild on the farm right now anyway. Even if the insurance reverses course and covers us though, we still have made the mental health treatments our first priority, and would just hold those funds until we are ready to go back.

We just don’t have the funds to cover both a rental here AND to cover the mortgage. The house in MO doesn’t exist, but we are still paying for it. Our only income is my VA disability. There is just no way to live on that VA income if we have to pay for rent and a mortgage. There’s not enough left over to live on. I’ve covered that in this post. Moving in with my parents eliminates that need for rent. Really, from a financial aspect, this is our only option. Thankfully it is one we can live with.

2-5 Year Plan

This is where it gets harder to discern the future. We don’t know when/if I’ll ever be better, so making plans is difficult. Caitlin and Joshua will graduate high school here if we stay that long. JR will be old enough for Kindergarten in that time. If we’re here that long though Julie will finally be able to pick fruit off of a tree she’s planted! That would be nice!

We’ve planted 40+ fruit trees and never picked a piece of fruit!

I would still like to plan on moving us to a sail boat at some point. Those plans are obviously hard to make though. Maybe that’ll be in the 10 year range for planning?? I started following about 4 blogs from people who have done it though. I’ll continue to read those and keep dreaming and making plans. I’ll also keep updating this blog, if for no other reason than to document our activities for our kids.

Somewhere along the line either I’ll get well enough to find work, or Julie will need to. VA income alone will never be enough to rebuild with (or purchase a boat). No matter what we do we are certain it will involve a good amount of juggling and compromise.

Additional Benefits

My parents are thrilled with the idea of us moving in. They’ve been asking us to do it for years. One of the main reasons they like the idea is that they like to travel. They would often spend months at a time with us in MO or AR. Eventually they would have to leave though because something needed to be done at the house. With us living there, they can now travel and not worry about how the house is fairing. They will travel when they want and come home to see the grandkids when they want. They make it sound like they will basically turn the house over to us and will come visit occasionally.

Moving in with them also gives us access to their 2.5 acres. That is enough land for us to have another milk cow. We won’t ship Lady across the country, but will find a mini-jersey here for us. We can also garden and plant fruit trees (again). I think we can have chickens too. All of these will help with the financial burden we are expecting. The farm-style life we love is still accessible.

I can also pursue the service dog that I was hoping to get from Canines With A Cause. We think that will be a big asset in my path to mental wellness. And since our plans begin with my becoming well, we’re looking forward to that.

And of course I couldn’t give a list of benefits without mentioning being close to family. We’ll obviously be close to my parents. But additionally, almost all of our family still lives along the Wasatch Front. My only sibling lives here, and all but one of Julie’s does too. We might be able to make it to a family reunion for the first time in quite a while 🙂

The Take Away

Our plans are malleable. We could beat them into any shape we choose. We aren’t thrilled that this is basically our only viable option (but we are thrilled that our only option happens to be a good one). Returning to our uber-supportive friends in MO would be awesome, but because of the care I’m receiving here, it just seems foolish to leave when receiving that treatment is our first priority.

I’m not going to give up on sailing, and Julie will not give up on the farm. As soon as we feel like I am closer to being … normal (we can’t say “cured”) … we will think about making plans to move on. If we happen to have enough funds available to think about life aboard a boat, then perhaps we’ll make it happen. If not, then the farm might beckon as well.

So stay tuned… hopefully a whole world of adventure still lies ahead!