Fall projects

I'm not feeling so great today, so trying to get housework accomplished seemed like an impossibility. I was getting no where fast, and was feeling worse in the process. So I decided to scrap my dreams of a clean house & have a little fun instead. I "stole" the idea from school. The kids made pumpkins on Friday, but I realized we could print off any coloring page & make all kinds of different designs.

It's really easy. Just print off any coloring page & tape to a piece of construction paper. Lay the paper on a rug or carpet. With a push pin, gently poke holes through both papers, being sure to leave space between each hole. (If the holes are too close together, the paper will rip.) Make sure you get all the lines. Remove your "guide" & tape your picture to a window or glass door.

Here are a few others we made. They're all taped up in our living room window & it's fun to see the sun shining through the holes.

Turn back the clock...

There are days that I would love to turn back the clock & revisit "the good ol' days". My husband dreams of living in the 1800s. I'd be happy to relive 2007...or at least the day this sweet lil' thing first wore her prairie dress.

She's still sweet, but as you can see from the hemline,

she's not so little anymore!

Friday she got to live in 1910. Her class attended a one room schoolhouse at a local museum, ciphered on a slate, ate from a dinner bucket, and minded their P's and Q's.

I loved watching her studying up - "Mom, I have to know this word list, so I know what the teacher is talking about!" Last weekend she had fun making a lunch pail with her daddy & baking molasses cookies with her momma. I think all the preparation and anticipation made the experience more memorable.


She's was excited to experience school in 1910. It made me wish I could turn back the clock & be in 4th grade again...

A taste of country life...

What a fun day @ Daze in the Maze! I didn't think I'd be able to go on this field trip with my boys, but was excited when I got a call this morning with the news that I wouldn't have to go into work. We loaded up in the van, popped in a movie (the boys were excited they got to choose...usually their sisters do!), and headed south-east to Covington.

For us "city folk" it's a fun taste of country life - tractors, livestock, dirt, and lots of fresh air! We got lost in the tall "corn" maze, had fun at the "cow-asaurus" dig, enjoyed a hay ride, and had a blast jumping on the hay bales.

They were all excited about feeding the animals...until they saw me do it. Then they weren't too sure. They got a little freaked by the sheep & goats attacking the fence, but finally Noah got up his courage & did it! It might have helped that I sort of bribed him with a pop if he could go through with it. ;) But I'm glad he was brave enough to try. Daniel wouldn't go near the horse, but opted for the ponies instead.

"Not my job..."

There is a running joke between my husband & I.

It used to irritate us that we didn't see eye-to-eye on priorities when it came to cleaning. Plenty of arguments have ensued over this issue.

It doesn't bother him if it looks like a tornado went through our house & clutter is flung hither & yon. So long as the outside looks neat & trim, and the garage is somewhat organized. I, on the other hand, feel the pull to clean, and wash, and dust everything that exists inside the house. It has never concerned me when there are bikes, or rakes, or sports equipment littering the front yard, or that the backyard is sprinkled with okra stalks my boys chopped down (like it is now), or that the driveway is full of sawdust. I just don't see that as my "designated area". And I'm okay with that...even though my husband isn't. ;)

These days we've resigned ourselves to our differences & are trying to be thankful for the balance they provide - so that we can maintain orderliness both inside & outside our home. Well...as much as possible with four kids to help mess it up! ;)

So when Daniel's paper came home yesterday, we both had a good laugh @ his portrayal of us working...

Unexpected...

It wasn't the birthday I expected.

I have to admit, I wasn't too excited about having to go to work on my birthday. But...life. ;) It was a good day. Last night I had fun making brownie treats for the students at school & to send in my kids' lunches. One little girl asked if I was turning 15. It made up for the little boy that asked if I was pregnant. When I told him I wasn't, he wanted to know why I still looked pregnant. I told him to eat his brownie & hush up!

My husband surprised me with flowers (Gerbers -my favorite) & chocolate. Later I found out it was my girls who insisted I needed flowers & chocolate on my birthday. Thank goodness for daughters...who know what a mother who's been told she LOOKS PREGNANT needs!!

We ate supper at Cafe Garcia - a delicious Mexican restaurant in downtown Enid. On our way home what began as a discussion on gratuity, soon lead to government mandated this-and-that. Much to my husband's frustration, I wasn't listening. I informed him that I listen every other day of the year, but I don't have to on my birthday. Shortly thereafter, Noah started a story, then quickly interjected, "You can listen if you want, Mom."

And if that wasn't enough...I got to sit down & share a piece of birthday cake with my honey.

So, it wasn't the birthday I expected.

It was better.

It was a great way to end my 35th year of life...and begin the next.

Stories to tell...

I love family traditions - be they meaningful, sentimental, or just plain hilarious. When I married my husband, I had no knowledge of a particular family tradition, carried down from his mom's brothers. At first it was only at Christmas, but now it's become a tradition at most family gatherings. And in our home, it's become a "regular" at bedtime.

George & Henry are known as the greatest hunters of the North Woods, though you'd never think it to hear their stories. We're not sure if they're brothers or friends, but they've been on many adventures together & always manage to find themselves in the midst of a predicament. The actors who play them vary, but they are distinguishable by the way they speak - one with his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth, and one with his tongue stuck behind his bottom teeth. Sometimes they're married (to Georgette & Henrietta), sometimes they have a housekeeper, sometimes a stubborn mule...but they are always on an adventure, hunting down one ferocious beast or another.

My boys have fallen in love with their stories. They remember the details, and watch with admiration as their dad weaves a tale of epic proportions, and portrays both characters at the same time.

So it's no surprise that they've been begging to go hunting. Phil promised they could go at the end of the week, if their room was clean. Without being told, they got to work the minute they got home from school Wednesday night & had their room spotless. Thursday after school, they donned their camouflage, grabbed a snack, & headed out the door with their daddy...ready to get some deer.

They left shortly after 4pm & had several hours before dark to sit in the deer blind. It didn't take long for boredom to set in. Daniel laid down on the ground & fell fast asleep. Noah complained there wasn't any room left for him to lay down. But he waited patiently (as patiently as an 7 year old can), and wasn't disappointed. Phil spotted several deer & helped Noah stand up next to him. P hil said he was so excited, he couldn't stop giggling, and quickly clamped his hands over his mouth. Pretty soon he was whispering, "Shoot 'im, dad...shoot 'im!!" Phil did get a shot off, but missed.

But the great hunters weren't discouraged. There are more fierce animals to hunt...

...more stories to tell.

Overprotective?

I've considered asking my son to wear protective gear.

...and refrain from future WWF performances...

Tuesday night he did a flying leap & his face met the metal ring on the trampoline. He's got a great shiner, though he was embarrassed to go to school the next day. He's tough...or hard headed. He cried more about putting ice on it, then he did when he hit his head!

Apples, and peppers, and plums...oh my!

With Fall setting in & Winter not far behind, we've been doing some "storing up". Not as much as my husband would like ;) but with me working, it doesn't allow the time needed for canning & freezing. But here & there, we squeeze in family "activities" - applesauce, canning apple pie filling, dicing & freezing peppers, and making plum jelly.

Abbie & Phil went apple picking one Sunday afternoon & brought home about 100 lbs. of free apples. There's usually a good apple crop about every other year & these were surprisingly sweet. Thanks to an Amish friend, I was taught many years ago how to make applesauce, but prefer to freeze rather than can it.

The boys (big & small) love to run the Victorio Strainer.

Grace was a big help in slicing & dicing banana peppers.

Most of these were frozen to be used in future recipes, but several I made into sweet banana pickle rings. My sister-in-law from KY introduced them to me on pizza. Sounds weird, but is so, so good!

I didn't "document" the plums. My husband brought home bags & bags of them. They were taking up freezer space, waiting until he has time to turn most of them into wine. I decided that making jelly would be a better use of the fruit. We agree to disagree on this matter. ;)

So...what was I saying?

I'm beginning to feel like this blog is a conversation.

A conversation that keeps getting interrupted.

Interrupted with solving Math questions, refereeing arguments, doctoring wounds, responding to email...voicemail...snail mail, balancing checkbooks, typing estimates & invoices, paying bills, folding laundry, cooking meals...

...answering question, after question, after question...

Soon I can't remember what I was talking about in the first place.

And then it just takes too much energy to even go there...to talk...to explain.

After I've been quiet for a while, it's hard to know where to start. Do I tell what happened last month? Last week? Or just stick to today?

And since the TV is on in the backround...I'm not really sure whether this all makes sense.

So...what I was saying? Anyway...