At Home on this Mountain
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Giveaway at Teresa's!!
Posted in BeingTeresa is giving away a Christmas book at her blog. Go comment here and don't forget to mention it on your own blog for an extra chance to win. Hurry- the winner will be chosen on the 23rd- next Sunday!
And stay tuned for my own little giveaway, in honor of my 100th post (I never thought I'd make it!!)
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Monday, November 10, 2008
No real theme..
Posted in BeingJust some images from my camera and a few (thousand) words.
First off, I made my bed Thursday morning (yes, that happens to be blog-worthy around here). I walked into my room to start packing for our trip to St. Louis and saw this wonderful little circle of tiny chihuahua prints on the bedspread. So cute!
Spending further time in my bedroom (which is such a happy place for me- I am tempted to paint my whole world that soft aqua color) I had to take a photo of my African violet, which has bloomed once again. I am terrible with house plants. First I nearly drown them, then I go overboard the other direction and let them get totally parched before i dare to give them a drink again. It's pathetic. Somehow this little $1.50 beauty from Bi-Lo continues to thrive, despite my "care," long after its sister from the same shopping trip perished from an overdose of Lindsey. This time around we received the gift of three blooms! I think I see the start of another one a little lower down. I need to check and see if it has reached its potential yet.
We drove to St. Louis on Thursday for Keith's uncle's funeral. He lived in Washington State (like most of his family) but was buried in Missouri at the national cemetery. It was a very short service but we spent several hours afterward visiting with family members from the immediate area as well as many who had flown in from Washington. We were also able to spend some time with our dear friend Johnnie, seen here with RK. She cooked us a delicious breakfast and let us change into our funeral duds at her home. It had been 2 years since we'd been to see her and we definitely need to not wait so long next time- we always have a grand visit!
When we got home, late Friday night, we had a package from Northern Tools waiting for us which included this awesome little doodad:
Everything in the foreground was included with the peeler, yes, even the little plastic packet with a plastic fork, knife and 2 tiny skewers. I'm still unsure what to make of those particular items but I am also unsure what to make of the directions. I do love me some good "Engrish."
I guess that's all for now. Lessons beckon and I will need to can the applesauce that is cooking on the stove, before we head off to Scouts this afternoon. Busy busy! Happy happy!
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Wednesday, October 22, 2008
A new member of the family
Posted in BeingDon't get too excited- it's not that kind of new family member. This handsome fellow actually joined us today, without the usual 9 months notice that we like to give folks. Here he is with most of his new family (you can even see RK's blue-clad elbow next to puppy's leg.
Isn't he sweet? I just love his darling eyebrows! His name is Petey and he's a year and a half old. He's very petite, like a Chihuahua should be, but not quite as fragile-seeming as some I have met. I hope he gets along with Granny's dogs :D| 3 comments | | Link
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
A few things
Posted in BeingThere's not a lot going on here but somehow we're staying busy as all get-out. Fall is my favorite time of year (I have been reading that a LOT lately) I think mostly for me it's because of the weather. I do NOT love hot weather. Spring is nice but the warming days are a hint of the serious heat to come and I can never quite forget that, even while enjoying the 60 degree days in April.
TH is still hard at work selling popcorn for his Cub Scout pack and Honey is the Popcorn Kernel so that's a good bit of work for him (and me) but TH is really enjoying it and likes the idea of achieving his sales goal so he can earn a bow and arrows- yikes! Even in spite of the tightening of belts, people still seem to have a little extra to give to the Scouts. This is our only fundraiser for the year so we have to go all-out and really get things done.
Other than Scout night, when we go to Big City for the bulk of the afternoon and evening, I have been trying to stay home during the week. Gas is getting higher all the time and I'm always wondering when we might not be able to get any at all. As far out as we live from everything, we try to keep tanked up all the time, in case of emergency.
Another reason I love Fall is because all my favorite TV shows are on and new again. Shallow, yes. Ashamed, no! I love The Office, 30 Rock, Eureka (which started up again back in July) and Doctor Who (who will not be having a new episode until Christmas- boohoohoo! so I'll have to occupy myself with memorizing the first three series on DVD :D)
I am also all geared up to craft for Christmas. I am working harder than ever to simplify our Christmas budget. I have just about finished shopping for my children and they're the primary people I buy anything for. I am hoping to make something for just about everyone else on our list. I am also hoping to give handmade ornaments to more loved ones than ever. I have a good start but I may have to switch gears soon so I don't get bored with one project. I have something planned for my folks as well that I am excited to get started on.
I am not normally a big one for doing seasonal decorations. I still have my Springtime wreath on the front door (my sister made it for me and it's so pretty but I doubt anyone sees it any more, it's been there for so long) My best friend always has such wonderful decorations for every single season that I have been inspired to do a little to spruce up my house for Fall. It also helps that she made me this awesome pumpkin patch!
She said her kids like for there to be one pumpkin for each member of the family but she made mine a little bigger in the hopes that we might take the hint. There are 9 pumpkins there (for those who can't count) so I am guessing she's praying for triplets for the M Clan. If you want some of your own (pumpkins, not babies!) be sure to head on over to her blog and then click on her Etsy shop. She has all kinds of hand-crafted goodness to Autumn-up (autumnate? autumnize?) your home, shoulder or baby.
Lessons have been going well for us. We just finished reading The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley and started Heidi by Johanna Spyri today. That was a favorite of mine growing up so I am hoping they'll enjoy it. I scored The Hobbit unabridged on CD for $10 a couple weeks ago and we've been listening to that in the van. TH and I are also about halfway through My Side of the Mountain. All of that probably belongs on my homeschool blog but I am too busy to put it there.
Oh, I also spent my whole allowance on potted mums this morning. I really wanted something to pretty-up a sort-of flower bed in front of the house. We spread some straw on the ground, put a big pumpkin one corner and then tried in vain to find something in the woods to fill in the considerable empty spots. The mums (4 different colors!) fit the bill nicely. They're almost too big for the area and I really want to move one of them somewhere else but the kids won't hear of it. I'll do it in a day or two and they'll never notice.
I'd put some more photos up but I have forgotten my Photobucket password and don't have enough room here to put more than one. So the pumpkins are all you're going to get. I know you're all massively depressed that you don't get to see any more of my poo-tastic photography skills but you'll live.
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Friday, September 19, 2008
Blechies
Posted in BeingEveryone has been sick at least one day this week. It's been tons of fun. It started out last weekwith what I thought was an allergy attack. Baby developed the same symptoms the next day (Wednesday, I think). I came out with a monstrous headache on Friday that wasn't completely knocked out by 2 extra strength Tylenol (a rarity) and that persisted through most of Saturday. On Monday I was stuffy-nosed and sneezing again, then TH got a headache and wanted nothing more than to lie in Daddy's big chair all day Tuesday. By yesterday evening everyone had either vomited or felt on the verge at least 3 times :|
Today everyone is on the mend, I think. We've gotten almost no lessons done this week and we missed out several days last week so we're going to skip our next "off" week and work through that to keep up with our plans. That's the nice thing about this schedule, we don't have to wait until Christmas break or summertime to make up missed work.
Today will be spent burning paper trash that has nearly taken over its corner of the kitchen/living room entryway. I will also open up as many windows as can be persuaded to do so (we mostly have jalousie-style ones that don't care for any position except 1/4" open) and light a pear-scented candle or two to get the stink out. Everything feels very stuffy right now. I can't actually smell anything but I think that's because I am too used to it. I have done lots of laundry the past few days but the loads have been crazy ones- a sheet, pillowcase, 3 bath towels, and one complete outfit has been the usual. So we're a little low on some things. I'd also like to hang some pillows on the clothesline.
I had a recipe to share but thinking about it right now still makes me feel kind of sicky, so I will save that for later. I think we'll have a smoothie for lunch. We had popcorn for supper last night. I think I need to make some chicken stock too and get our bodies back up to snuff. I wish I could figure out a way to get apple cide vinegar into my children. I actually like it will a little honey or agave and water but I don't think I could get it into them that way. I can just make them take most things (like CLO) but ACV is a tough one. Any ideas?
Oh, one more thing. My husband suffers from migraine headaches; has done since he was a child. Lately he's been reading about Paul and his "thorn" and how he praised God for his suffering, not just in spite of it. So he has been trying that out- praising God for his migraines, and his whole outlook about them has changed. It's been pretty revolutionary. I decided to give it a try while we were sick, specifically while I was feeling so miserable. It didn't make it go away but it did give me the strength to stop sniping at my children and gather them up, explain to them how awful I was feeling and how much I needed their help getting things done and give them some love. So, praise the Lord for that. And today we're all mostly feeling better, so praise Him for that too!! Oh, and after my little pep talk we managed to get all of the laundry folded, hung up and put away, as well as several more loads swapped around in the machines, all while I sat on the floor directing traffic!
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Friday, August 1, 2008
All sorts of things
Posted in Beingoh ARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHH! That's my best Charlie Brown impersonation. And it's all because I was just about finished with my oh-so-lengthy blog post when I clicked a bookmark on my browser window toolbar and navigated away from this page and LOST IT!! Oh boo-hoo-hooooooooooo!
Enough wailing and gnashing of teeth- I'll try to recall most of it because it was good, oh yes, GOOD stuff.
It's been a pleasantly busy week or two. We celebrated our 8th anniversary on the 22nd, my first nephew was born on the 25th (which is not to discount the value of my husband's nephews, whom I very much claim as my own, having known them since the older one was 7 months old) his sister turned 3 on the 30th and my own sweet baby RK turned the big 0-1 on the 28th (oh, and my dad turned 45 too :D) Here's a photo of my birthday girl, after enjoying her first ever "cupcake"- she's my first baby to get a personal cake on her first birthday, but these were such pleasant and not oeverly sweet cupcakes that I didn't mind (and I may have mellowed a bit since that first hyper-attended baby):
(please excuse the slightly pinkish eyes- I forgot to doctor that up before uploading and I am trying to keep the above pictured baby from eating a pair of fingernail clippers) That's her new outfit (one of them) from Great Grandma and Grandpa. It is very cute with a little pair of snug-fitting capri pants (a good trick to get anything to fit snugly on my skinny baby but they do.)
Baby RK also took her FIRST STEPS on her birthday!! It was just about 2 steps and she hasn't repeated the trick but that makes her my earliest walker ever. The others have all been at lest 13 months. Her favorite trick at the moment is standing up on her own and her sibling never tire of screaming in glee and excitement "LOOK AT BABY! SHE'S STANDING UUUUUUUUUP!" It is pretty exciting.
My weather widget tells me that it's supposed to be sunny and clear with a high of 94 and since my laundry is threatening to overtake the entire house if I don't start washing it and pegging it out on the line, I think it's time to make breakfast and get to work. My bad toe has been injured again and it's killing me but I am going to limp around the back yard anyway and get it done. I've already used the dryer 4 times this week and that's killing me even worse than the toe, so there ya go.
I have some sewing pics to share and will have more this afternoon after I make cloth diapers for a certain drinking and wetting baby doll. I will also try to post the recipe for Baby's birthday cupcakes. They're actually muffins with a bit of icing on top and not too terribly unhealthy. Now it's time to put the computer to sleep. Goodbye!!
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Saturday, July 5, 2008
SWD #2
Posted in Being
Outside my window...
the scent of wood burning into charcoal in a can in the side yard. My husband and oldest son working hard to clear the space for our new "firehouse"- the home for his blacksmithing forge and my outdoor earth oven. I'll definitely be posting photos when the time comes for that.
I am thinking...
about getting dressed at some point today. I don't want to rush things though- it's only 3:10 in the afternoon.
I am thankful for...
three-day weekends! It's like getting an extra Saturday. All day yesterday, Honey and I kept thinking it was Saturday and then remembering that it was only Friday; it was great and worth the day of lost pay (as long as it doesn't happen every week :D)
From the kitchen...
wafts the savory aroma of GARLIC- three head of it, to be precise, in the buttermilk brine for my fried chicken. I am testing out a recipe from Cook's Illustrated's American Classics cookbook, a thrift store find from week before last. $2.99 is often more than I want to spend on a used book and if I had noticed the cigarette smoke smell in the pages of this one I probably would have passed it up. I'm glad I didn't now because I don't notice the smell any more and it's a great book. I think I'm going to try the thick and chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe next. I also have peach puree in the fridge and freezer that needs turning into more jam. Not my favorite chore but a satisfying one nonetheless.
In the sewing room...
that baby quilt is still waiting to be basted. I bought one of those new-fangled basting guns at Walmart recently, the kind that insert those little red plastic hang tag thingies into the quilt sandwich. I have to test it still to see if it will make holes or if I can use it. That must get done this week- baby is due on 7/11 and lives 3000 miles away.
I am reading...
Clifton Fadiman this week. Also several volumes on keeping goats, Max and Ruby books, a new-to-me Annie Dillard (we go way back to my high school AP English days) at a leisurely pace, Jeremiah. I always have time for reading- it's not optional. Oh, and Woe is I - brushing up on the grammar I never learned in that AP English class, or any of my other English classes. Blasted school systems anyway.
I am hearing...
the dulcet tones of Coldplay's X&Y album (yes, I still call them "albums") Coming up next on the ole iPod is Death Cab for Cutie's Marching Bands of Manhatten. Man, I love my iPod. Who ever said that was a frivolous gift?? Not me!
Around the house...
the laundry is ganging up on me. I really need to get it under control. I might have to resort to the dryer since my forecast shows a cloud with a nasty lightning bolt for each of the next 3 days.
I am looking forward to...
cooking in my earth oven. It's so hot in the summertime here and I have been really good about keeping the AC off for most of the warm weather so far this year. If I could keep the cooking heat outside with the rest of the heat, I might be able to keep our power bill under control. Despite a rising price per kilowatt in the past few months, I have actually kept the bill BELOW our budget amount.
One of my favorite things...
is folding dish towels, napkins and cleaning cloths. Those are my favorite loads to deal wtih, I think because they stack up so nicely into just a few piles and they all get put away in the same spot. No running hither and yon around the house to put away one measly load.
A picture thought to share...
Don't forget to head on over to Peggy's blog and read all the other Simple Woman's Daybook entries. Maybe you can make one of your own!!
the scent of wood burning into charcoal in a can in the side yard. My husband and oldest son working hard to clear the space for our new "firehouse"- the home for his blacksmithing forge and my outdoor earth oven. I'll definitely be posting photos when the time comes for that.
I am thinking...
about getting dressed at some point today. I don't want to rush things though- it's only 3:10 in the afternoon.
I am thankful for...
three-day weekends! It's like getting an extra Saturday. All day yesterday, Honey and I kept thinking it was Saturday and then remembering that it was only Friday; it was great and worth the day of lost pay (as long as it doesn't happen every week :D)
From the kitchen...
wafts the savory aroma of GARLIC- three head of it, to be precise, in the buttermilk brine for my fried chicken. I am testing out a recipe from Cook's Illustrated's American Classics cookbook, a thrift store find from week before last. $2.99 is often more than I want to spend on a used book and if I had noticed the cigarette smoke smell in the pages of this one I probably would have passed it up. I'm glad I didn't now because I don't notice the smell any more and it's a great book. I think I'm going to try the thick and chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe next. I also have peach puree in the fridge and freezer that needs turning into more jam. Not my favorite chore but a satisfying one nonetheless.
In the sewing room...
that baby quilt is still waiting to be basted. I bought one of those new-fangled basting guns at Walmart recently, the kind that insert those little red plastic hang tag thingies into the quilt sandwich. I have to test it still to see if it will make holes or if I can use it. That must get done this week- baby is due on 7/11 and lives 3000 miles away.
I am reading...
Clifton Fadiman this week. Also several volumes on keeping goats, Max and Ruby books, a new-to-me Annie Dillard (we go way back to my high school AP English days) at a leisurely pace, Jeremiah. I always have time for reading- it's not optional. Oh, and Woe is I - brushing up on the grammar I never learned in that AP English class, or any of my other English classes. Blasted school systems anyway.
I am hearing...
the dulcet tones of Coldplay's X&Y album (yes, I still call them "albums") Coming up next on the ole iPod is Death Cab for Cutie's Marching Bands of Manhatten. Man, I love my iPod. Who ever said that was a frivolous gift?? Not me!
Around the house...
the laundry is ganging up on me. I really need to get it under control. I might have to resort to the dryer since my forecast shows a cloud with a nasty lightning bolt for each of the next 3 days.
I am looking forward to...
cooking in my earth oven. It's so hot in the summertime here and I have been really good about keeping the AC off for most of the warm weather so far this year. If I could keep the cooking heat outside with the rest of the heat, I might be able to keep our power bill under control. Despite a rising price per kilowatt in the past few months, I have actually kept the bill BELOW our budget amount.
One of my favorite things...
is folding dish towels, napkins and cleaning cloths. Those are my favorite loads to deal wtih, I think because they stack up so nicely into just a few piles and they all get put away in the same spot. No running hither and yon around the house to put away one measly load.
A picture thought to share...
Don't forget to head on over to Peggy's blog and read all the other Simple Woman's Daybook entries. Maybe you can make one of your own!!
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Friday, July 4, 2008
Hair of the Week
Posted in BeingInspired by She Does Hair (thanks Chas, for sending me there!) I have been fixing up my girls' hair every single day this week! I didn't think Baby Girl even had enough hair to fix up, but I've been pleasantly surprised by what I can do there. It's still pretty limited, but in 6 months we should be doing quite a bit. And she is SO GOOD about leaving it alone once it's done. She hasn't removed a single band, bow or clippy yet.
I have taken photos of them every day, mostly for my own reference, but I want to share one from each of them this week. I am going to restrict myself to just one per girl, otherwise we could end up with an all hair blog really quickly. So here are my favorites from this week:
I had two different women comment on how much hair Baby has while she had it like this:
And this is Big Girl's 'do for today. Each of the 4 small ponies is done in a flip through/knot/bug and then another one for the full pony at the bottom. I also broke down and trimmed a full inch off of her bangs. We'll just wait until she's older to grow them long. Or maybe she'll always wear them.
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Friday, June 27, 2008
Simple Woman's Daybook
Posted in Being
Outside my window...
the magnolias have been blooming for over 2 weeks now and I have been in the throes of a particularly heinous allergy attack for about 2 weeks; ya think there's any correlation? It's cool out there, for now, and the sun is shining (again, for now) It makes me want to go work in the garden.
I am thinking...
about writing, of all things. I have always been more of a reader than a writer. I think I have addressed that here before. Lately I have been reading essays, which I never realized existed as a genre, outside of high school English classes, and I am really intrigued by them. I think I would like to try my hand at writing something other than a grocery list or an inane blog post. We'll see.
I am also thinking about how much time I spend on the computer and how it affects the way I spend the rest of my time. There is much to be found online that is lovely and good, and I enjoy the time spent being inspired and refreshed by other homemakers and their endeavors. But I also can relate to what's being discussed in this blog post and I don't want to fall prey to that. So I have taken my nightly computer shut down one step further (the lady at Apple Care told me a few months ago that turning my computer off at night, rather than putting it to sleep, would help keep it in tip-top shape, and it has!) and actually started shutting it down during the day. Granted, it only takes 2 minutes to boot it all up, but that's about 1 minute and 55 seconds longer than waking it up, and sometimes that's all my laziness needs to just go do something else.
I am thankful...
for interlibrary loan. A little prosaic, I know, but I really am. I borrow so many books this way and even when I don't get them read through, I can get a feel for whether it's a book I'd like to buy and I get to know the author's name and the physical feel of the book. Then when I am browsing through piles at thrift stores I am more likely to notice that book and buy it, if our visit together was a positive one.
In the sewing room...
more peace than in the whole rest of the house combined. My decluttering efforts have been especially strong there and it shows. Now I can go in and immediately start accomplishing things instead of spending half an hour clearing a space in which to work. So this week I made a quilt top for my sister's soon-to-arrive baby boy. I am really pleased with it and today I will get it basted together and maybe start quilting. I have several other projects in the planning stages, so I have lots to choose from once this has been finished.
From the kitchen...
wafts the scent of nearly overripe peaches. I am making more jam today. I even bought new jars yesterday since last weekend I had to empty out 4 jars of last year's apple butter to make room for peach-strawberry jam. Not coincidentally, I also have nearly 4 laoves of apple butter bread in the freezer.
I am wearing...
a gianormous gray tee-shirt nighty, covered in ice skating penguins, which belonged to my Grandma Joyce who passed away more than 5 years ago. I wore it a lot during my last pregnancy and I unearthed it yesterday in one of my decluttering forays.
I am reading...
Anne Fadiman's At Large and at Small, Job, Acts, The Last Battle (aloud with kids) and several goat care books
I am hoping...
that I can withstand the heat today and leave the AC off. Not likely with jam-making in the works, but a girl can dream, no?
I am hearing...
the 3 rooster-boys are crowing for all they're worth, letting the other neighborhood roosters know they're back here and they're not taking any bull. Also Pokemon on the tv. Early mornings are tv time here. It helps me to distract the children while I drink my coffee and wake up a bit, so that I am less grouchy once we turn it off. 15 more minutes until that happens.
One of my favorite things...
is hearing my husband drive up and sneaking outside before anyone else realizes he is here, so that I can get a kiss before anyone else.
A few plans for the rest of the week...
include killing the last 25 chickens tomorrow and going to church on Sunday. We will probably go to the Farmer's Market after church; I think I'll pack a picnic lunch to eat in the car on the way to that. I've been saving up our "eating out" money each week to go to the drive-in when something we want to see is playing. Eating out money because the drive-in has the best junk food in 3 states. Even though they're an hour behind us, we wait until we get there to eat supper (usually around 8 pm our time) and Honey has fries with his burger and later on, more fries. Yes, they're that good.
A picture thought to share with you...
this is the sort of thing you can expect when you turn a 7 year-old loose with a camera of his own. That's our chicken coop out there beyond the window screen. I love to see what he finds snap-worthy. A lot of things fall into that category.
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Thursday, January 17, 2008
Kids are hilarious!
Posted in BeingLast night it started on our way home from the City. The boys ran out into the yard (without coats, natch) as soon as the van came to a stop even though it was 7 pm and pitch dark.
This morning TH was dressed and ready at about 6:45 (still pitch dark) I told him that it hadn't really stayed around as the weather had been pretty warm during the night. He didn't care so after breakfast (and sunrise) the three "big'uns" ran outside to play in the snow. Much hilarity ensued with snow angels:
Pratfalls:
Sledding:
and babies in cute hats (self portrait by woman wearing said baby):
TH just came in looking dejected (and whining) because he can't make a snowman. He tries but it keeps getting all "cricked." That's one syllable by the way, rhymes with pricked, not wicked. Perhaps he should try a mudman instead.
OH! Late breaking news story! TH just dragged me back outside to show me "something great!" Here is the "something great":
And the master with his creation:
I'm afraid I'll have to go call them all in soon. We missed lessons yesterday due to the field trip to story time and the City so we have some make up work to do today and tomorrow. I wouldn't want to cut into the weekend that TH finds so sacred now that we do lessons FIVE DAYS A WEEK. The injustice! Oh, the humanity!!
Indeed.
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Monday, December 10, 2007
The Nutcracker
Posted in BeingChas already blogged about our trip to see The Nutcracker. It was so much fun to have a little girls' night out with my best friend! And she is such a good friend to me. I am exceedlingly thankful for her presence in my life and not just because she bought me Mr. Darcy for my birthday. Honey took some pictures of Baby Girl and me before we left. So here we are in all our finery:
Baby Girl is wearing her granny's dress from the 1950s. It was quite yellowed around the edges, where the ruffles are edged in white, especially the neck ruffle. So I soaked it in hot water with some Arm & Hammer Oxy-boost type bleach alternative. After about 15 hours it looked great so I rinsed it in cold water and ran it through the machine on the perma press setting and air dried it. I did a big batch of old baby dresses at once and they all lost just about all their stains and nothing was damaged. I was quite pleased as they have been hanging around in a basket in my sewing room since MJ (now 2 1/2) was born
As I mentioned in last night's post, we decorated the Christmas tree last night. It's a bit bare in places, as free trees tend to be, but we all think it's beautiful. Here's a photo so you can judge for yourself. MJ is not stealing an ornament as the photo seems to suggest. She was just trying to pose.
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Monday, November 5, 2007
Random images from our lives
Posted in BeingJust a few photos to prove we still exist and to thrill the grandfolks.
TH really wants to be a birdwatcher. He made a pinecone bird feeder at Cub Scouts this weekend but we haven't seen any birds near it yet. We saw this handsome fellow last week at the tree where we later placed the feeder. We'll see if he and his pals come back. We took the photo through the dining room window and screen so that's why it's a bit blurry but I think it's kind of a neat effect.
A great advertisment for the joys of the library, dontcha think?
Nothing sweeter than a sleeping baby, no? And isn't my bedspread pretty? My mommy gave it to me
Nothing sweeter except maybe a wide awake and smiling baby, that is. 
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Sunday, September 9, 2007
A proper announcement
Posted in BeingI feel bad about September's menu post. It rather sounds as if my menus are more important than our new baby. That is not the case AT ALL. We are thrilled beyond reason to have another precious blessing in our lives. Everyone is excited to have tied up the gender battle in the house (3 "boys" and 3 "girls" counting Mama and Daddy) and everyone is madly in love with "new baby." Some of us are still referring to her as "it" since we didn't know her gender until she arrived but that's not an insult on her femininity, just a slip of the tongue due to 8 month's habit.
Here are a few photos to make y'all jealous
That's about 30 minutes after birth, having a little snacky. It's hard work, being born is. A girl needs some refreshments afterward.
And here she is a week or so ago, giving Mama some love. You can't tell it here but she was smiling like crazy through most of this. We just didn't get any pics of the actual smiles, natch.
I will try to post another one or two soon.
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Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Birthdays
Posted in BeingWe have 2 birthdays in the Spring- mid-May and early June. So the past few weeks have been busy for me. MJ (my current youngest) turned 2 a few weeks ago. Here's a shot of her birthday loot before she woke from her nap. The doll bunkbeds on the table were my sister's when she was in elementary school. The cradle on the floor was mine about 23 years ago. My folks sanded and spiffed them up with a new coat of paint and my mom made Dora bedding for all three.
Here she is with her new vegetable basket . These are made by Melissa and Doug and excellent, heavy duty toys. I snagged them at the school supply store on clearance for $6! The basket needs some Gorilla Glue but that's not bothering my little housewife.
And here is the "PINK!" birthday cake, as requested by her small highness. Confession time: I cannot make a decent birthday cake to save my life. Pound cake, pineapple upside down cake, and any kind of pie you can imagine, but I buy my birthday cake in a box at the grocery store. Frosting too. To avoid the strawberry-flavored pink stuff I used vanilla and added a drop of red food color. 
Today my oldest child turned 6 years old!! I can hardly believe how big he is getting to be. Suddenly he takes his role as "the biggest" very seriously. He wants to help me with things and he makes sure everyone knows he is the oldest. Here the boys are watching his 5th birthday party on the video camera. His voice has dropped an octave since last year. Isn't he a bit young for that?? Pardon the filthy shirts- they had already finished their pizza, or it had finished them :)
And another store-bought cake mix and frosting, this time tinted blue. TH insisted on a Last Unicorn cake. He received the movie from my aunt on Saturday at his first birthday party of the year :) and he has watched it at least 5 times since then. He had seen it before (Netflix!) and has been yearning to own it ever since.
I made a skirt for MJ and boxer jams for TH but I have photos of neither so I guess I'll have to post again later in the week. Happy Birthday, my loves!
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Tuesday, April 10, 2007
My budding artist
Posted in BeingTH, my oldest, is nearly 6 and has been quite an artist for most of his life. For as long as he has been able to hold a pencil or crayon he has been drawing. Today he drew "Ang" from Avatar: The Last Airbender, on my dry erase board. He also threw in some water bending for the camera.
Here is a picture of the character from the show (he's the one in the bottom left corner with the arrow on his head) so you can see what TH was going for in his picture. He also drew Ang 's name in "Chinese writing style" as a label underneath. Thankfully I took the photo when I did because he fell and hurt his foot and got mad and erased the picture.
You can see a bit more clearly on this webpage:
http://www.tv.com/avatar-the-last-airbender/show/28841/summary.html
And since big Brother erased the first one, AC decided to copy it from my photo. Then of course I had to take a picture of his as well. So here is my other artist and his masterpiece. As you can doubtless see, this Ang has legs and arms and a bottom (that's the little 4-sided shape under his head) All very important things to a 4 year-old.
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Preserving the Harvest 2008
~June 22nd~
*11 half-pints
honey-sweetened peach-strawberry jam
~June 27th~
*7 half-pints and 2 pints
honey-sweetened peach jam
~June 28th~
*24 home-grown chickens in the freezer
(7 whole, 17 cut up
plus feet and backs for stock!!)
~July 6th~
*8 pints and 14 half-pints
honey-sweetened peach jam
~July 16th~
*18 cups fresh green beans,
blanched and frozen (a gift from the boss)
*12 pounds ripe bananas,
cut into 1 inch chunks and frozen for smoothies
~July 22nd~
*32 ears home-grown corn
blanched and frozen in meal-sized packages
~July 27th~
*8 pints cream-style corn
(home grown)
~July~
about *8 cups blackberries
and *5 cups wild blueberries
from around our property,
in the freezer
~August 4th~
14 pints
4 half-pints
and 1 quart
hot and spicy tomato salsa
(that's 18 cups altogether)
~October29th~
13 quarts chunky applesauce
5 quart jars dried apple rings
What I'm reading
The Bible- currently in the books of Ezekial and 1 Corinithians
Heidi by Johanna Spyri
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
The Hobbit (on CD) by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Bondwoman's Tale by Hannah Crafts
What I've Read Recently
One Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
At Large and At Small by Anne FadimanHow To Be Good by Nick Hornby
The Book of Joby by Mark FerrariThe Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
World Without End by Ken FollettAnne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery (for the 12th time or so)
The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley
What I Watch
The Office
30 RockDoctor Who
HeroesEureka
Scrubs2008 Crafty Stats
Yardage In:
13.5 yardsYardage Out:
3 yardsItems Made: 2
Money Spent:
$58.06
Recent Entries
Giveaway at Teresa's!!
Romance?
Pop Dickens
No real theme..
Election- Shmelection!
Blogs I Read (almost)Daily
Money Spent:
$58.06Recent Entries
Giveaway at Teresa's!!Romance?
Pop Dickens
No real theme..
Election- Shmelection!