The last time we had family photos taken was when Moses was brand new to this world, so we have been way past due for a more recent update.
We were asked to “model” for a local photographer who is looking to get his business growing – to shoot promotional photos for the Cincinnati Ukrainian Festival and I immediately said yes! Updated family photos AND in Ukrainian style?! Say no more.
I was not given much notice, so most of our attire was borrowed from our friend & Ukrainian Teacher, Ms. Anna. My new goal is to get matching outfits for our entire family, but TRUE Vyshyvanka from Ukraine are very expensive, so it will take me some time, but I want nothing less than authenic for our family set. I wore my necklace that I bought from an artist in Ukraine through Etsy.
I absolutely love the way these photos turned out so much, but I wish Kaden {my oldest} was in them 😥! I struggle very deeply with his absence in our home. It always hurts my heart to feel that one of my children is “missing.” I won’t let my sadness take away from the beauty of these photos though.
The Morozov {Морозов} Family🥰
Our Family | Наши сім’я
Mom and Dad | мама і тато
Dad and Daughters | батько і дочки
Mom and Son | мама і син
Our children | наши діти
Plus one extra one of me at the Cincinnati Ukrainian Festival this year:
Today’s reading spoke very deeply to my soul so I decided to share it. Maybe it will resonate with you, too.
🧝♀️ Gaia
“Receiving can be a sacred act if your intention is to honor Spirit. It is as holy as giving when performed with a humble & open heart. This is even truer when receiving much needed nurturing, so let others give to you. It may be a stretch to do so at times because of childhood conditioning, but that habit can be overcome. Your wounds can be healed. One way to achieve this is to nurture yourself & allow others to nurture you.
Consider the actions you take that are self-nurturing. What comes to mind when you really think about doing beneficial things for yourself? Set aside your ritualized habits and beliefs that restrict the pure act of allowing your body, heart, and soul to be nurtured. Lie on Earth and ask Gaia to rock you in her bosom as you breathe with her and relax into her loving care.”
🧝♀️ Green Man
“You have the advantage of an incredible synergy at this time. A flow of Life is guiding you, where things just seem to fall into place as you move about your business. You are in a mutually cooperative interaction with Spirit, as your will is aligned with the will of Spirit, and your mission is congruent with your sense of purpose. When this is happening, there is a synergy, a way that your life force is continually coming into balance with the forces of Nature.
There is also a synergy between your spiritual awareness and your personal self, or ego. Be aware of the various idiosyncrasies of your ego, and do not take any of them too seriously. Know that your Higher Self is always looking out for your best interests. In this cycle, tune in to that guidance, however it shows up, and you will find that you move through Life with greater ease due to a synergistic balance of forces expressing themselves as you.”
🧝♀️ Meadow
“You are in a place now where you can take risks with your feelings, and even more important, take risks with the truth of who you are – the truth you know in your heart and soul. You no longer need to be subjected to your conditional fears of letting others know who you really are.
Yes, others may judge, evaluate, criticize, and perhaps even put you down. These are very real possibilities. Yet by trusting that you have the strength to deal with these reactions- rather than responding adaptively and always playing it safe- you can more confidentlyallow yourself to be vulnerable. Always holding back from expressing your truth can create an illusion of safety, but armed with your trust & your faith, you can choose to be vulnerable and share your authentic self with the world.”
Hey friends! I hope that you are as happy as I am that summer is coming to an end!!! For homeschoolers that means no more crowds!!! We get our libraries, museums, parks, and everywhere else back!!! Plus, of course, everything about Fall is awesome!!! 🎃
We are required to send a Notice of Intent to Homeschool to our local School Board of Education along with an Assurance of Home Education, which is due by August 30th of each subsequent year. Here is your gentle reminder to make sure to get yours in! However, if you are new to homeschooling, you are allowed to pull your child from public school at any time, it does not have to be before the school year begins.
I decided to make a new template this year for my Assurance of Home Education. I wanted to keep it simple, but still fun & aestheticially pleasing! This is how I made ours for the 2024-2025 school year!
♡ Reminder: you do not need to go into excessive detail about your curriculum. As long as they are able to see that you have a plan and an approved curriculum, you’ve put enough.
I organized it by Course of Study on the left, and what we’ll be using on the right. These are the subjects required by the State of Ohio. If you are in another check, please check with your homeschool laws to see if you have any other requirements.
♡ I also made a BLANK & EDITABLE version HERE to make things easier for you! Or if you are the kind of person who prefers to write things in by hand, you can download a non-editable copy below to fill in yourself.
I have been actively & consistently searching for my family in Ukraine since the very first day of the Russian Invasion: February 24, 2022. I needed to find them to make sure they were safe.
I started with zero-to-incorrect information. It felt impossible. I’d search and search and search some more. I would learn new information & feel more lost. Every search always came to a dead end, but I never gave up. I just kept teaching myself Українська мова so that when I did find them, I could speak with them.
My grandmother had 3 last names (same as me) over the course of her lifetime. That alone can make finding someone difficult. I found that because her maiden name was Kruk she came from Western Ukraine. It is a name primarily from Lviv, meaning “Raven,” so I focused all of my efforts there. I found my maiden name comes from Ternopil, which is next to Lviv. I felt like I was finally getting somewhere.
Then, in January 2024, I got a real lead. An envelope from my aunt, in Ukrainian cursive. I had no idea at the time that this letter would be the key to finally finding my family.
I received a new name: Kateryina Fedorivna Kruk. The сестра of my бабуся. From her name, I was able to find that my бабуся’s fathers name was Fedor.
I received an oblast: Ivano-Frankivsk
And I received a village: Zalyp’ia
So I pull up a map of Ukraine, and see that Ivano-Frankivsk is right in between the two oblasts!!! It makes sense! So I move my efforts to Ivano-Frankivsk.
I also notice on the map that the family that we sponsored to bring to America through the U4U Program is from the oblast next to Ivano-Frankivsk. Keep in mind that Ukraine is only slightly smaller than the size of Texas in America. An oblast is what America knows as “States.” It is only a 2 hour drive from Ivano-Frankivsk to Chernivsti. I decided to try to find the needle in a haystack and ask them for help.
They asked their friends who are still living in Ukraine to go to Ivano-Frankivsk and get my grandmothers records for me. They did me one even better by tracking down my living family, contacting them in Ukrainian language to let them know I am searching for them, and passed along my information.
I was given a name, Olesya, and then I waited. Then I received a phone call. I knew right away it was truly my family. I could hear it in her voice. It was a familiar voice, that even though I had never spoken to in my life, I knew it.
This is my 4th cousin, Oleysa. Her daughter, Anastasia. And her mama. Oleysa came to America 2 years ago when the war began. Her daughter came with her, but has since decided to go back home.
We spoke for 2 hours on the phone, connecting the dots & matching information. I scribbled down all of the new names.
She told me she would send me photos soon. I waited.
I learned that Zalyp’ia has only one street in their village.
I learned that my grandmother, Olga, was 1 of 6 children: 2 boys, and 4 girls. The exact same dynamic as my family. I do not believe in coincidences.
I learned that my entire Kruk family was very hardworking people.
Kruk Home – from envelope
My new found family is from the village 1 km from Zalyp’ia, called Pidhoroddia.
Funny story: I immediately texted Sandy after receiving this photo and told her this person in purple looked identical to her. She responded with “who sent you that? I look terrible in that photo with Aunt Irene and Shawn!” Getting that confirmation it was her was so cool!
Aunt IreneOlga’s brother, Stepan.
Stepan (deceased) went to the concentration camp in Germany with Olga. He had a number tattooed on his hand. He was married and had 2 children: 1 daughter, Nadia (deceased), and 1 son, Roman (deceased). I think my aunt Irene resembles him. Nadia had 2 sons, Roman also had 2 sons, Oleh & Vitaly.
Olga’s youngest brother, Myhailo.
Myhailo married but had no children. I think my aunt Mary resembled him.
Olga’s sister, Paraskevia
She lived to be 101 years old. She did not marry or have children. She went by Paska. I think that is what I will look like as a бабуся.
*Not pictured is Olga’s sister Kateryina, who went by Kaska, or her oldest sister Anastasia. Anastasia went to Siberian Concentration Camp. She had 1 daughter: Nadia, and 2 sons: Roman & Metro. I believe they stayed in Russia, but Nadia went back to Ukraine. Kateryina did not marry or have kids.
Olga’s Cousin, Paraskevia
This is Olga’s cousin, who has the same name as her sister. Her mother was Evdokia Kruk. This is the grandmother of Oleysa, who is my 4th cousin. She died in 2006.
Barbara Kruk Prunchak (deceased), Mary Kruk Forster (deceased)
Olga had another cousin named Barbara who lived in Upstate New York. She lived to be 102. Olga visited her. Her son, Bob, remembers my grandmother. I look forward to hearing more about her.
Bob
I put this photo of Kaden & my dad together with the same accordion, but nearly 60 years apart. I really love when life comes full circle like that.
Kaden on left, my dad on right
Well, that’s all I know for now. I am incredibly grateful for these extremely well preserved photos. Some did not make it through the years as well. I’m waiting for copies of the letters that my grandmother wrote home to Ukraine. Her first husband also stayed in contact with her family, even after her passing, so I’m really excited to be able to read these letters and hopefully find the answers to all my questions and fill in the blanks. I am still in complete shock that my very big dream finally happened! I found my family in Ukraine! I look forward to getting to know my family more and hearing all about their lives in Ukraine. I want to learn their favorite foods & see photos of how they dressed. I want to learn folklore passed down in our family & stories of my ancestors and keep it all safe here so future generations won’t lose these important keys to our past.
Thanks for being here for my journey – My Ode to Olga.
Grace Girls is back in session for the new academic year! This makes our third year attending Grace Girls! Our first meeting was last night & the girls learned How to Set a Table.
Grace Girls is sort of like an etiquette class where homeschooled girls get together to both socialize and learn how to grow up to be Proverbs 31 Women (aka homemakers). They have so far learned knife cutting & Kitchen safety skills, how to preserve fresh vegetables from the garden, how to plan meals, how to host a fall feast, how & when to start a meal train cooking for someone in need (elderly or sick neighbor, a family who welcomed a new baby, new family moved in, a death in the family, etc.), how to make corn husk dolls, and how to hand sew, mend, & embroider clothes. My girls have mentioned to me how grateful they are to learn these skills & how useful the classes have been for them.
Homemaking is something I had to teach myself starting from the very, very basics. I did not have a homemaking mother growing up. I am very grateful to be able to pass these skills on to my children while also still constantly learning new things myself.
Ms. Darla hosted our meeting. She taught the girls different ways to properly set a table. She worked on a tray, placing different styles, layers, & color schemes together.
She taught us that the most important parts to setting a table are consistency & making our guests feel welcome & wanted, rather than overwhelmed & intimidated.
She had different learning stations set up for the girls to take turns at so that no one space was too overcrowded.
Ella really enjoyed learning how to fold napkins at the first station. I particularly liked her napkin with the flower pocket. I would like to start setting our own table napkins that way for fancy meals & gatherings. It is so beautiful & will be an interesting way to use our flowers from our garden.
Mia loved picking flowers & putting together mini bouquets for table settings. I have never thought to do miniature personal bouquets for each guest, but I love that idea for future gatherings too. It especially sounds nice for a breakfast or brunch gathering.
At the second station, the girls each took turns setting their own place settings using fancy dishes. They enjoyed creating color schemes with the dishes, napkins, & placemats. Sasha had a lovely time arranging her favorite dishes – they were so much fancier than ours at home.
The third station was to set a Christmas themed table. I love the use of real pine needles & pinecones. That is so beautiful & festive. I’ll have to remember that for our own Christmas dinner!
Ms. Darla rented every book her library currently had on table setting, napkin folding, and hosting for the girls to look through to pick their favorite tables. She asked the girls what meals & what seasons the tables were set for. I took some photos from different books that I plan to use at my own home!
Of course we had to check our her beehives while we were there because we have plans to add our own to our home next year! Luckily, Ms. Darla also teaches homeschool families about beekeeping & honey extraction, so I’ll be able to get off to a good start!
We had a really fun time at last night’s meeting & we left feeling like we learned a lot. I love that each of my girls who attended found their own special talent to bring to homemaking & future gatherings. Ella found a way to make her love for origami useful at the table using napkins, Mia’s love for plants & nature brings creativity + beauty to the table’s decor and ambiance, & Sasha’s love for creating a beautiful space for each person she loves will be useful for setting each place at the table. Each person’s talents come together to create a magical gathering & after all, the most important part of the table is togetherness.
We are beginning our second year taking homeschool classes at Mason Cottage Day! It’s hard to believe it’s only been that long! I feel like Ms. Natalie is one of my dear lifelong friends who I’ve known forever.
So naturally, I wanted my first post of my new Series: Our Favorite Places, to be about her studio – Mason Cottage Day! In this series, I’ll be sharing about our very favorite places & what makes them our favorite.
Welcome to Mason Cottage Day
From the moment you arrive, her studio is so welcoming! She has a board outside her door with important information & business cards, as well as which classes she is currently offering.
We personally have taken Sewing, Embroidery, Baking, and Reading/Writing classes in our time at Mason Cottage Day. I think science would be a really fun class to take too!
One of Ms. Natalie’s former students made her this adorable giant wooden pencil & another student made her this name plaque. I love that she continues to display their artwork that they took the time to create for her even after they have moved on. It shows how much she truly cares about each and every one of her students.
Each month, Ms. Natalie changes the artwork on display. It’s so fun to see the different projects & types of art the students are learning, as well as what students have come up with on their own in the art room.
This is such a cozy reading corner for students learning to read, and I love the giant embroidery hoops on display. I had never seen them that large before!
She has a ton of books & learning games for all different ages. She has been working with Sasha on her reading, & it has been so impressive to see how fast Sasha has been making noticeable progress in her reading abilities.
One of my favorite things about Mason Cottage Day is that it is really geared toward homeschooling families. Siblings are welcome to come play for free during lessons! That’s incredibly helpful, especially for low-or-one-income large families who otherwise have to miss out due to pricing or scheduling conflicts.
There are plenty of interactive areas to play such as a kitchen/nursery/home play area, a doctor or veterinarian area, a building area, and a doll house area for children to use their imagination.
There is the cutest little hand-washing station for baking students, along with plenty of child-size aprons to choose from.
All of her baking is taught through these conventional ovens. They are the perfect child-size, beginner ovens to learn on.
Sasha has loved taking baking classes at Mason Cottage Day. She had learned how to make a good variety of different items. Her confidence in the kitchen is going up after each class & just like at our home, Ms. Natalie incorporates reading & math into her baking lessons, so those skills are also improving while she bakes. Sasha of course looks adorable in her little aprons & she’s always quick to let her siblings take turns helping her bake.
The art room gives students free-range to create to their hearts content. There is a painting table, all the coloring utensils you need, stencils, & tons of other various art supplies & tools. Anything out is able to be used, and if you see something in her art storage area that you want to use that isn’t out – just ask! She’s more than happy to accommodate little minds.
You can always count on seeing fun science projects or experiments going on from her science students – like this potato clock.
She even has a beautiful planter that is Ukrainian Petrykivka style, which makes my Ukrainian 💙💛 heart so happy to see.
Ella loves learning sewing & embroidery from Ms. Natalie. I have loved every single project that Ella has created for me. Ms. Natalie comes up with super cute, child-friendly projects. One of my favorite projects she has made for me was the peekaboo picture frame with the cutest photo of our kids at the park.
Another thing you can always expect to find at Mason Cottage Day is plants! Ms. Natalie loves plants & nature. She teaches about Monarch Butterflies in season & grows her own pollinator garden outside.
Because of our mutual love of plants & Pollination, we made her a bouquet from our own pollinator garden to bring to her as a gift. We love creating bouquets for people we love!
She has been such a great teacher and role model in our children’s lives. She is helping them learn lifelong skills that they can & will regularly use. She has the kindest & understanding soul. I look forward to our visits with Ms. Natalie as much as the kids do!
“I want children to feel comfortable in the studio. Everything is set up so that they automatically know what to do. It’s a great joy to see children of every age play, pretend, and learn while using all the different materials! Children always have very good ideas about what should be included, and I always take their suggestions seriously. A simple thing such as including little squeeze ketchup and mustard containers made one young person so happy…he had noticed that the play kitchen did not have them, and he suggested adding them. Playing and learning are very definite collaborative communication pathways. I hope the studio allows children to learn in their best ways!” – Ms. Natalie
Classes are an affordable $20 each, which includes all necessary materials! *Beginning October 1, 2024 classes will be raised to $30 each*
Mason Cottage Day is located at 105 E. Main Street, Mason, Ohio 45040. The free parking lot is located behind the Pop Revolution Gallery Building off of Mason-Montgomery Road.
It is right along the cutest little shopping Street – while you are there check out the Mason Whippy Dip for a yummy ice cream treat, or the attached Thai Terrace for a delicious dinner!
You can contact Ms. Natalie to visit her studio or schedule classes at nataliebaxter@yahoo.com
There has been a lot of new friends around here lately & I thought it was probably a good time to give an updated version of who I am & what I’m doing here 🙃.
Hi! Nice to meet you! I’m Madison. AKA Mama Morozov.
First & foremost, I’m a homeschooling mom of 6 {although my oldest, Kaden, lives with his grandparents who became his “guardians” when he was a toddler while I was struggling with addiction. We sadly lost his father to suicide in 2017}. I have 2 boys (my “bookends”) & 4 girls in between: Kaden Yuri, Ella Aleksandriya, Mia Nataylia, Sasha Katiya, Athena Mariyah, & Moses Kolya.
I’m first generation Ukrainian-American {my тато’s family is from Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine,} & my husband is from Stavropol, Russia. {Fun fact: Stavropol was actually Ukrainian territory until the 1930s.} My oldest son, Kaden Yuri, was named after my тато (Yurko), and my youngest son, Moses Kolya, was named after my чоловік (Nikolay). Kaden also carries on my тато last name, which is important to me because as his only child, a daughter, his name would have ended with me & I am honored to have kept it alive through my firstborn. In both Ukraine & Russia, the child is given their father’s name {patronymics} – as the middle name for both male (vych / yovych or ovich /evich ) & female (ivna / yivna or ovna / evna) names. We chose to give them their own version, because they are their own person.
I’m on a journey to find out everything I can about my heritage & bring traditions back to life. I am a member of the National Women’s League of America and the Cincinnati Ukrainian Community. I taught myself how to read, write, & speak Українська мова + our children attend Українська школа. I share Ukrainian recipes, folklore, and culture.
I am currently building my mini suburban homestead, but have dreams of one day owning a large-scale, off-the-grid farm with excess land for my children to build their homes future homes with their future families. I’m a strong supporter of generational living & familism.
I have 11 years free from drug addiction. I began my blog with the intention of teaching others how to live again after addiction. Many people are in it for so long, or grew up in it before adopting that lifestyle themselves, that they truly do not know how to get up on their own feet. However, I struggled to find myself and my voice as a role model & I have come to realize that addiction is not in any way my passion or purpose; but, I am still committed to teaching others how to live with both resourcefulness & sustainability.
I went to college for interior design, but never finished obtaining my degree. I apply my love for interior design & professional organization in my own home today. I love DIY projects, and like any other neuro-divergent person, I always have at least 5 new projects going on at once – I am a hobby hoarder, if you will. My home style is a fine mix of Academia & Cottage Core, with lots of rainbow-order color-coding in between.
I try to live minimally, and I do not support consumerism or trends. Everything in my home has been gifted to me, found on the road, or reused second-hand from a person or thrift. I am a lover of all things vintage. I prefer handmade items & independent artists over store-bought, mass-produced crap.
I love gardening, cooking + baking, crafting, reading + writing, good music, & going on adventures. I can’t sit still for any length of time & I have to always be doing something. I find rest to be absolutely dreadful & laziness unacceptable, which must be why my favorite Bible verse is: “She looks well to the ways of her home & does not eat from the bread of idleness.”
Speaking of bread, recipes are probably what I share most, since I spend a huge majority of my life cooking for my family. I eat a mostly plant-based, but occasionally pescatarian diet. I am emetaphobic & have always been afraid of consuming land animals in fear of getting ill (in my mind, death does not belong inside living things. Death rots & causes sickness.) I’m a person who eats to live, rather than lives to eat, but cooking & hosting for others is my love language.
Outside in nature is where I feel the most free & at peace. I keep my children outdoors as often as possible – my motto is “the sun is out & so are you.” We love collecting nature for our Nature Wall & learning about new plants & insects. I love celebrating Mother Earth & all she provides us with. I speak with the universe & I have a close connection with my spirit guides. I live an eclectic lifestyle & pull from where I feel most connected. Every day I strive to be a better person than I was the day before.
Do we have anything in common?
Thanks for stopping by!! I’m so glad you are here!! ❤
It’s been a crazy week over here!!! Beginning Monday morning, men began emptying the contents of the home of our neighbor caddycorner to us all over the lawn: furniture, beds, TVs, clothes (so much clothes), personal records, literally every item in the home just tossed out the doors onto the front lawn, driveway, deck, back yard… so of course I walked over & I asked what was going on with all this stuff.
He told me the residents were evicted. They went through the court process, they were notified they had “x” amount of time to retrieve their belongings, and the crew would arrive the next morning to pick up the “trash”. He gave me permission to take anything I wanted before the Junk Crew arrived to haul everything away.
So I rounded up the kids and the wagons and began filling them with things we wanted & needed. I replaced so much of my kitchen! I got brand new, never opened items including Kitchen Aid attachments & Pioneer Women sets. I got an amazing kids book collection for both my kids & our Little Free Library and new items for my garden. The kids got tons of new clothes & items. I got things I had been wanting forever but couldn’t justify spending money on such frivolous things at this time. Mostly all brand new items too 🤔.
The neighbors began joining in, filling their arms, wagons, and trunks full of items they found useful to them. Some of us met for the first time, and spoke on how sad, and weird, this was. Especially how much brand new stuff was there that they just left 🤨.
Some neighbors worked together to collect items for others. A member of the family came to collect any photos & personal memorabilia she could find. I learned that a year ago the mother who lived there passed away, then her daughters continued to live there. This year they were evicted, and at some point recently packed up a U-Haul with what they cared about taking and fled the home, leaving everything else in it behind: the good, the bad, and the absolutely disgusting.
Nobody else wanted to mess with going through the garbage bags of clothing so I loaded up the wagon, and car, several times going back and forth with giant bags of clothes bringing it to my home to go through & put into piles of keep, sell, and donate. There was SO much and there was no way I was going to let any of it end up in the landfill when so many people could use it.
At first I assume their shopping problem obviously led to this outcome, but as I’m going through the clothes I start thinking “there is no way someone has this much clothes for themselves” + “there is no way someone just left all these brand new with tags clothing items behind, what will they wear now?” + finally, “why are there multiples of the same outfit in different sizes?”, when my brain suddenly switches back to my “criminal mind” (from my days of active addiction) and realizes what is going on & why everything is brand new….. these people were boosters 😅.
In case you are unfamiliar with the term, boosters are people who steal items from stores in order to pay for drugs. They may have also been people who accepted stolen items in exchange for drugs (including prescription medications). However, with the amount of brand new items these people had, I’m going to go ahead and say they did the boosting.
My suspicions became reality when I found this 😯:
At first I did a little happy dance knowing I was right. Then I began worrying. I just got my felonies expunged this year!!! Am I going to get in trouble for having these items?! I just got rid of my Receiving Stolen Property charge!!! I don’t want a new one!!! I took that shirt back to where I got it from to be safe.
I eventually calmed myself down and realized that I obtained these items honestly & legally. I was given permission by the owners of the property to save these items from going to the landfill. I worked really hard for these items: lugging the 60+ full to the brim 55-gallon trash bags of clothes to my home, taking days going through each & every item to find what is usable & what belongs in the trash, enduring the lingering smell of mildew & cat pee. I am washing what is dirty, but salvageable. I am donating a huge percentage of them to organizations that will give freely to those that need clothing. This is no other than if I was cleaning out a hoarders home, because that is essentially what they were: hoarders. {And now my house looks like I’m the hoarder 😅.}
❤ GENTLE REMINDER: Please do not donate to organizations like Goodwill. They have no good will at all. They are strictly for profit, NOT for people. When donating items, please always think first of homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters, or food & clothing banks. They give items to those in need for FREE. For children’s items, please find a local school that has a clothing room to give for free to children, foster care, or a center for mothers: pregnancy centers, family-friendly sober living, etc. ❤
The second day was spent {sort of} organizing what is worth saving VS what is just picked over trash. We looked through what was left to complete sets we were looking for & see what we missed. The cleaning crew came & cleared out the front yard which was most of the large furniture items like dressers, buffets, display cases, bed frames, tables. They took whatever bags and small items were left in the front yard. Their truck was overly full and they decided they needed to stop for the day.
My neighbors and I worked on getting the big items that were still good to our own front yards so people could still have a chance to get them before our own garbage day. I placed children’s items in front of mine, like a toy kitchen, that got picked up almost right away. I gathered useful baby items I could donate. We found more pieces of sets we were each searching for.
My body finally surrendered & gave into it’s exhaustion around 9 pm that night, and I crashed. I had pulled an all-nighter with a 3 hour nap in between continuous working & hauling. I didn’t get to save it all, but I did manage to save a lot.
The Cleaning Crew came by again the next afternoon, on Day 3, to clean up the middle section, and take the remaining large items. They still had quite a bit to go in the back towards the garage, deck, & backyard when they left for the day.
Day 3, from the frontDay 3, from the back
I didn’t think to take photos the first two days – I was on a serious mission. I wish I would have though because that would have been cool to document from start to finish. On the first two days, you couldn’t see the garage or stairs to the basement. The items were stacked well above my height (5’4″) and the mountain just kept going. It was surreal.
I finished organizing the clothes and dropped off all of the clothing donations to The Healing Center. They are exactly that – a healing center – to help individuals and families to heal & rise from poverty. They offer a free clothing store for those in need, as well as several other services.
I put 15+ bags into the clothing slot of the bin, but some of the bags were way too heavy to lift above my head by myself, so I placed in front of the clothing side and prayed that someone would get them before we have any rain.
When I arrivedWhen I was finished
It felt good dropping off so many new clothing items for people who need & will appreciate them. It was a lot of really, really nice clothes in style that will hopefully make some women very happy. I have used The Healing Center’s services in the past, and I really wanted to give back to one of the places that has personally helped me in my time of need. I strongly believe in universal karma, & by giving back to the universe every chance you can, and I do not mean monetarily.
I feel like that was truly a once in a life time experience. The neighborhood came together and had a great time doing it! We were celebrating in each other’s finds and sharing the things that someone else cared for more. My older kids set up a kids crafting/toy area for kids to play while their parents “shopped” and entertained them. I got to meet many of my neighbors who I otherwise would have never met.
The craziest part is that I had recently left all of my Freecycling groups due to car issues. I need to limit my driving to only necessary trips, so I didn’t want the temptation of looking at free items I couldn’t go pick up right now. It felt like the universe was giving me one big freebie farewell right in my own space to keep me safe, happy, & occupied for a long time until I’m able to scavenge free once again. I mean the amount of items that were on my need/want list that I was able to cross off all at once is too much to be only by coincidence; it was nearly the entire list, plus so much more. The universe handed me a way to afford the things it didn’t physically supply to me, like car repairs, as long as I put in the work to earn it (the clothing). It is truly something special to have this strong of a connection with the universe & know that my spirit guides are always looking out for me. It is probably my biggest gift that was given to me in this life, besides my family.
While it is an extremely sad situation, it was TRULY a huge blessing to us from the universe. 🥰
It’s no surprise that large families go through large amounts of bread, and food in general. My family is no different! In our home, we typically go through 4-6 loaves of bread a week, easily.
While grabbing that many loaves of bread off a grocery store shelf – especially a bulk warehouse store like Costco – is certainly much more convenient, it isn’t as good tasting or good for your body {it isn’t a secret that America has the worst bread on Earth, in every category}. If you buy better quality bread, it might be better tasting and have better ingredients, but it definitely won’t be better on your wallet.
This bread takes longer to make, but it’s so worth it! You absolutely cannot find bread in any grocery store that is as delicious as homemade. This bread is quality ingredients, great taste, & low-cost! If you keep a well-stocked kitchen & Pantry, you should already have most of these ingredients on hand at any time.
I promise that once you try this bread, you’ll never want to go back to store-bought sandwich bread again!!!
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups King Arthur’s Bread Flour + 3 Tablespoons set aside
3/4 cup Half & Half, putting 2 Tablespoons from that aside.
3 Tablespoons water, + 1 Tablespoon set aside.
1/4 cup raw, local honey
2 Tablespoons Bob’s Red Mill Instant Non-Fat Dry Milk Powder
1 Tablespoon Active Dry Yeast
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
1 large egg, + 1 yolk set aside
4 Tablespoons salted butter, room temperature, cut into 8 pieces.
Flaky Sea Salt, for sprinkling on crust.
Directions
Over medium-high heat, whisk together the 3 Tablespoons Bread Flour, 2 Tablespoons Half & Half, and 3 Tablespoons water until a thick, paste-like mixture is formed.
Begin slowly whisking in the rest of the Half & Half until mixed in, then whisk in honey until fully dissolved. Remove from heat.
Transfer your mixture into the bowl of your Kitchenaid Mixer. Cover mixture with Instant Non-Fat Dry Milk Powder, Active Dry Yeast, egg, and Bread Flour. Set a timer for 10 minutes and let rest.
Attach your dough hook & knead on medium speed until a ball of dough is formed. Once formed, begin adding 1 piece of butter at a time until it is fully mixed into the dough ball before adding another until all 8 pieces are incorporated.
Grease a large bowl & place dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap, a reusable cloth cover {my favorite}, or just a dish towel if that’s all you have! Place in dark area {like an oven that is turned OFF} for at least 1 hour.
After at least 1 hour, grease your 9 x 5 loaf pan. Punch down risen dough and knead again using your hands while you form your dough ball into a Loaf shape to place in your Loaf pan. Cover again, and let rise again in the same dark place for at least 1 more hour.
After at least 1 hour, remove from oven & then preheat to 350°F. While oven is preheating, mix together egg yolk with 1 Tablespoon of water using a fork, then paint onto top of risen dough using a silicone pastry brush. Sprinkle sea salt on top to your desire.
Bake for 30 minutes, flipping Loaf pan halfway through to get an even, golden crust. {Tip: always set a timer when flipping is required. It’s too easy to forget, especially if you use baking time for kitchen clean up like I do.}
Let cool in Loaf pan for about 10-20 minutes, then remove to a wire cooling rack until ready to eat.
My parents & son, Kaden, have made their way home from Cleveland. Sandy loved & appreciated her Care Package, and sent the most personal & sentimental package back for me!!!
I have so much love & appreciation for it and I am feeling beyond blessed that she felt compelled to share this with me. It truly means the world to me and I wanted to share it here for those who have been following my Ukrainian Roots Journey.
🧚🏼♀️ Fairy Tale 🧚🏼♀️
“Mother looks lovingly to her daughter. She knows she has passed on the wisdom of many generations. She hopes family traditions will carry on. She’s provided love, support, and encouragement.”
“Daughter looks back feeling empowered, uplifted, and full of love. She understands where she came from and what her family endured and worked hard for to make a better life for future generations. She is carrying on traditions, but worries they will get lost.”
“Along comes a younger family member who starts to look at the family tree. She sees the beauty of the tree. She feels uplifted. She is inspired to learn more about her culture. She travels down the branches, wanting to reach every leaf before she moves on.
‘Tell me about the roots of this this tree,’ she states.”
That made me cry when I opened it and read it. Sandy has 2 boys, but had hoped her whole life for a little girl. Her brother, Shawn, also has 2 boys. I was the little girl of the family- for this reason, to be the third fairy. To carry on family traditions and grow stronger roots, making sure our culture does not get lost over the years.
I was always told I was meant to be here throughout my addiction struggles. I survived a near-fatal overdose & was told there was obviously a reason I made it when so many others didn’t.
I am a strong believer in universal signs and openly receive messages through spiritual forces. I am firm in my belief that this is my purpose in this lifetime. This is why I was saved. To be the person who brings our family tree flowing back to life again. I think both Olga & Mary spiritually walk this journey with me & I know they are proud of me for this, & proud of my children too.
From Heroin to Housewife 
