My son, the chef

I was in the kitchen this morning working on lunch & Daniel asked, "Are you makin' lovin' carrots, Mom?" I replied with, "I've never heard of those. How do you make them?" I didn't really expect he would have an answer for me, but he surprised me with, "Well, you cut them up and put sugar on them, and then you put them in the oven until they turn brown, and then you take them out, and then you put them on the stove in the sauce...and that's IT!"

Call me crazy...

...or pathetic, at least. :) We drove to Goltry, OK today to pick more apples. Yes, you heard me right. And the crazy part about it is - it was my idea. We brought home about 150 lbs. or so. Don't go getting all impressed with me. I never did process all 350 lbs. we collected last Sat. I know...you're sitting there wondering WHAT in the world possessed me to go get more! Trust me, I'm not masochistic. I just know we will be gone next weekend & with the hot weather, I worried that they might not be that great 2-3 weeks from now. (Plus I knew if I went on a Saturday, I would have Phil's help...and his ladders.)
My Dad always told me "It's not what you know, it's who you know." and it's proven useful. I met this Mom through attending MOPS 3 years ago. We picked apples a few years ago, but since then I had lost her phone number. Thankfully I ran into her sister at Wal-Mart (the "melting pot" of America!). I was excited about the prospect of going out there. They spray their trees & the apples were beautiful - no bad spots or worms, nice & big, and delicious. So I'm back at it again. Only problem is...I'm running out of freezer space. I guess I'll have to take up canning!

I've spent my week with apples...

...hundreds & hundreds of apples...three hundred and fifty pounds of apples. I've made applesauce; we've eaten about a quart each day, and still there are 30+ quarts in my freezer. I've dehydrated apple slices (so yummy with cinnamon-sugar sprinkled on top!). I've made apple pie, apple turnovers, cooked apples, and apple cider (okay...Phil made that). I'm seeing apples in my sleep. I finally called it quits, collected a 5 gal. bucket of the best ones & insisted Phil take the remaining apples to the dump. Thankfully, he agreed he had his fill of apples too...for the time being. Despite all the work, I know that it will be wonderful to enjoy them all year long...and believe me, we will be enjoying them all year long!

Anyway...I'm glad it's Friday & that I can clean up the sticky mess on my kitchen counters & off my kitchen floor. I just don't know what I'll do with all my free time next week with no apples to keep me company!

Another week has gone by...

In some ways this week went by quickly with the flurry of starting the school year, getting caught up around the house, anticipating time with friends...but there were moments to be savored listening to kids' stories & school adventures...times to reflect & relax. Wed. I got to spend time with my friend, Lisa, & her daughter, Addison. We went shopping together, ran errands, and enjoyed lunch at Pizza Hut. Thurs. we spent the evening with friends of ours that work in China. It was neat to hear about what they have been doing & the changes that await them when they go back - a life so different from ours, and yet we relate to the challenges in parenting, marriage & communication, and living a fruitful life. Friday afternoon the kids had their all-school swim party at Splash Zone. I even went down the slide w/ Sam - Noah's buddy, whose Mom (a teacher) was busy supervising kids. I decided I'll just stick with the Lazy River. It's been a fun week of adjusting to a new schedule. I'm not in a hurry to add more to my plate; I've finally just taken a few things off & it feels wonderful.

My days with Daniel

This is the first time in over 7 years that I have been a stay-at-home mom to one child. I am loving it. And the best part is I get to spend my days with Daniel. He stays pretty close by & doesn't like to be alone for too long, but I don't mind. He chatters non-stop & is always thinking of...something. When we baked cookies, he wanted to know why I had to scoop them out with my scooper, and why daddy couldn't build a machine like the applesauce maker that would just "crank" out flat cookies. He was pretty amazed to see that balls of cookie dough could come out of the oven flat as pancakes. This morning he had me laughing out loud when he decided, "I am not going to do any jobs for you today!" "Ha! Have I got news for you!" was my compelling reply, then trying to change the subject, "Do you hear the rain outside?" Daniel asked, "Is THAT the news?" At lunch I told him that we were having company for supper & that a boy his age would be here. "What's his name?" "Daniel." He gave me a blank look. I explained, "He has the same name as you." A giggle. "Huh. I thought it was ME! I thought I was coming over!"

A moment of victory

Any parent will tell you it's not about being in control of your child, but sometimes it is necessary to "win" in order to prove a point & show him who is in charge. My moment came this morning. Daniel has coasted for too long on the coattails of his siblings - at least in the area of picking up. He mastered the art of moving at a snail's pace or looking busy while being completely unproductive. This morning he had a dozen items strewn on his bedroom floor. I know he is fully capable of picking them up & putting them in their rightful place, but he wanted nothing to do with it. I should have had my camera (but that would have probably encouraged him). He lay prostrate on the floor, his cute little hiney high in the air, whining & moaning, "I'm too little, I'm so tired, I need Noah, I can't do it..." On and on...and on. I told him he could do it & if he would cease his whining & start picking up, I'd be glad to help him. That didn't help. He didn't quit. I didn't think you could reason rationally with a 3 year old, but I was wrong. I calmly explained to him that if he quit & picked up, he would have time to watch a cartoon. If he didn't quit, he would still have to pick up, I wouldn't help, and there would be no cartoons. The tears turned into giggles & he was finished in no time. Addison was over today & he asked her not to make a mess in his room. I smiled to myself, "Victory! Point made." Later on he disobeyed & I told him to stop. He kept on. My moment was officially over.

The first day of school

Today was the first day of school. It was foggy & misting, but we had to get our "in front of the bus" picture. It was so dark outside the reflectors on the bus shone each time my flash went off. The bus driver let Daniel ride with his siblings. He thought he was in hog heaven. With all the excitement, he couldn't contain his inner pirate.
Mrs. Means (the kindergarten teacher) had home-made play dough for each one of the kids that changed colors as they played with it. Noah shares his table with his best buddy from Preschool - Rachel, and another boy, Garrett. Garrett may be a foot taller than Noah, but Noah assures us that he can run faster!
Grace's teacher, Mrs. Streck, is a "new" face to school as this is her first year back teaching after a 10 yr. break. Grace's class is the smallest at school with just 9 kids in 2nd grade. She admits being relieved that Mrs. Reid isn't her teacher this year, as her name indicated that she would have high reading expectations.
Abbie has Mrs. Haymaker for 4th grade & is excited about all the reading & book reports they "have" to do this year. She will be involved in the Science Fair & is looking forward to doing an experiment her Uncle Greg "created".
Noah had been sick with fever Sat. night - Sunday & we wondered if he would make it through his first day of school. When he got off the bus that afternoon, he triumphantly declared, "I didn't even throw up today!"

Saturday

Yesterday was a good day, despite getting off to a rough start. We were @ Hillsdale Christian for parent's orientation last night & to meet the teachers. It's hard to believe school starts on Monday! This morning we've been lazy, watching the Opening ceremonies we recorded last night. Wow. That's all I can say. It was an incredible thing to watch. The only one who didn't care for it was Daniel, who kept asking, "WHEN are they going to have the Olympics?" All the dancing, symbolism, and choreography didn't impress him, he wanted to see some sports action. They're watching volleyball, fencing & swimming now, so he's happy.

Last night I went out with 2 girlfriends to see The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. We didn't do dinner or hang out later as there were kids & obligations, but it was a fun 3 hours spent together. I enjoyed the movie a lot & it was time well spent. Phil had our 4 kids & my friend's 2 here at home. They had a water balloon fight, played video games & Yahtzee, made beeswax candles, & told stories. Phil kept the kids plenty busy & they all had a blast. But as a result, this is what confronts me this morning:
So, I'm sitting here, eating my yogurt with wheat germ & taking deep breaths. I took plenty of them last night before bed. Then I'll pull myself together, clean up the wet clothes in the bathroom, pick up the toys & balloons from the backyard, find my kitchen counter, accomplish something today, and move on. There's no sense hangin' onto it. Fun comes at a price. Although I have to admit that right now...I'm a fun-hater. But I'll get over it. In about an hour or so.

It's been HOT here with temperatures in the 100s. Yesterday was a high of 107 & still 105 by 8pm. Today was just a high of 101 degrees, but even with the cooler temps (haha), I decided to take the kids swimming this afternoon.

When there's not a pool available, we make do with what we have & find a way to cool off!

Just call me Susie

My good friend, Shari, loving calls me "Susie Homemaker" anytime I do something domestic...like make supper...from scratch. She shakes her head at me when I bake bread. Yesterday I found strawberries for $1/pound at ALDI's, so I made freezer jam. She's starting to make me feel like something of an oddity. Many women I know don't cook or bake anymore. They don't follow recipes. They don't dream of meal plans. They order take-out. And though I must admit it would be wonderful to afford to eat out more frequently, I'm often disappointed when I do. I find myself thinking, "I could have made this at home...for less...and it would have tasted better!" Now, this isn't as much a testament to my cooking (I'm not that great!) but more indicative of the quality of restaurant we can afford. :) Trust me, McDonald's is not that fabulous!

Making jam with Abbie took me back in time. When I was about her age, I got to "help" Aunt Frieda make orange marmalade. Aunt Frieda wasn't my aunt, she was a missionary "mom", but back then we called adults "Uncle & Aunt" instead of "Mr. & Mrs.". I'm not sure how much help Sarah, her daughter, and I were. She probably suggested we go play so she could work in peace. I still can't believe she cooked jam...in the Amazon...with 100% humidity & NO air conditioning! I loved watching her make it. I loved being the taste-tester. I loved playing with the extra jam, adding color to our hearts content until it turned a lovely shade of grayish-brown. I never heard of freezer jam until I stayed with Phil's family. My mother-in-law was the one who introduced me to freezer jam and strawberry pie and zwieback. It's so quick & easy to make...the challenge is finding cheap or free fruit to make it worth the cost. But when you do, it is definitely worth it.

Getting out of the rut

Well, my "blue-ness" probably had something to do with the stomach bug I contracted. It's been low-key (for the most part - except for when the kids are fighting) the past two days. My kids have been begging to go to the pool, but thankfully the sprinkler & makeshift slip-and-slide they created with painter's plastic kept them occupied. Phil got them all working this afternoon & I got a mopped kitchen floor out of the deal, so I'm happy. Phil is filtering 4-5 60 lb. jugs of honey tonight, and the plan is for me to jar it tomorrow, deliver some as "payment" to the farmer's whose land house our hives, and get the rest ready to sell.