Today is the soft opening of homeschool; tomorrow is the grand opening. We are celebrating my parents' anniversary today. What better way to mark 37 years than with homemade peach pie and homemade whipped cream?
Our summer ended with a bang. We squeezed every last drop of fun out of our long weekend. We sure do miss Big Fish when he goes to work!
Last Friday night we enjoyed dinner with friends. I am always impressed when somebody invites our family of 6 over! We enjoyed dinner, dessert, and a stroll around the grounds (their backyard has a swingset and a little garden with the most exciting crop of butternut squash on a trellis!). Friends are fun, and we are thankful for them and their fellowship.
Saturday was Fair Day! We had off to the Big Knob Grange Fair. Highlights included: a super friendly baby calf, a honeybee observation hive, teaching my kids the rules of the tractor pull, and wonderful strawberry and raspberry milkshakes for the kids. One attraction to this particular fair was the free admission. We had a nice morning of walking around with my parents. We were quite the caravan with a wheelchair, a stroller, and a baby in the backpack! Jacob did ask me why the rabbits had so many chocolate chips in their cages!
Sunday was church, communion, and a much needed nap for many of us. We were blessed with record attendance at our little country church. We had many college students from Grove City, so it will be exciting to make new friends.
Yesterday Big Fish and I tag teamed. He took Jacob for a father/son outing in the morning while I did some cleaning and laundry, and I took Abigail for a mother/daughter outing while Big Fish fixed dinner and hooked up my Kindle to the wireless network. I say "hooked up" because I really don't know what he did to get it to work!
The father/son outing was an early morning of fishing and breakfast out. This was Jacob's first experience fishing like daddy. Usually they fish at a pond when the kids are involved. Daddy likes to wade and fish a stream, so Jacob is learning the ropes. He had fun and didn't even fall in. I asked him if he saw any wildlife; he said, "not even a raccoon!" I think Jacob may talk a little and scare the animals :)
Abigail and I did many things! We went out to lunch at her choice of restaurant....the Chinese buffet! We are fancy, folks. I enjoyed watching her eat boiled crayfish, shrimp, squid, chicken on a stick, and some sushi rolls. At 7 years old, she seems to take after daddy's adventurous eating habits. Since the buffet is in the mall we strolled to the other end and picked up some hair elastics for the girls to share. Then we hopped in the car, picked up a cold drink from a drive-thru, and headed to the playground. Alameda Park in Butler has a nice outdoor playground - large, cushioned outdoor flooring, and lots of slides and climbing wall type things. Abigail enjoyed boppping around while I walked with her a bit and also did a little knitting. Then we headed to Panera and did a little reading and knitting (Abigail is learning!). Finally we picked up a few essentials at the grocery store - you know, the necessary butter and whipping cream that we all need. Actually, we needed these things for the peach pie.
After arriving home, we had a nice regrouping of the family over a big dinner of grilled chicken, cheesy spinach, and rice. I think we all slept soundly last night; I know I did!
Hope you all had a happy time with friends and family this past weekend!
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Two Posts in One
I have some pictures to share. The common denominator is my kids are in all of them! The unrelated part....I'm providing pictures of knitted items and then pictures from the rodeo. These pictures were all taken the same day, so there is that.
I set a goal for last week: to finish a project a day. I have so, so many things on my knitting needles; and it was just getting ridiculous. While I did not quite reach the goal of a project for every day, I did finish 5 things in the last week and a half! I finished a hat, two cowls, and 2 washcloths. I didn't picture the washcloths, but I do have several listed in my etsy shop (wink!).
Let's face it; the following pictures are really just of the kids. My attempts at proper lighting and showing the details of my knitting never actually happened!
Susanna was enjoying a banana coconut muffin while stylin' the oversized hat.
Lydia takes her job of saying cheese for the camera very seriously!
Jacob knows a good cowl when he sees one. Abigail decided not to partake in this photo session because the cowls were "too hot for today". Okay!
Now, we have a few rodeo pictures. The North Washington Rodeo is a great time! It has become a family tradition. Jacob's favorite part is the bull riding. Abigail enjoyed a root beer float and screaming "woohoo" in my ear :) Lydia enjoyed her glow necklace and "horses and bulls too, mom". Susanna pointed to all the horses (takes after mama) and bites of ice cream and french fries were savored.
Tuesday night was family night. My husband said we got our money's worth because kids got in free with paying parents. The weather was great, and my husband and I enjoyed watching our kids taking in the sights. I was scoping out styles of cowboy boots and thinking of a possible Christmas present idea...just being honest! I like the plain brown leather with maybe a touch of turquoise accents :)
Happy end-of-summer-back-to-school to you! Squeeze in these last summer drops of fun!
I set a goal for last week: to finish a project a day. I have so, so many things on my knitting needles; and it was just getting ridiculous. While I did not quite reach the goal of a project for every day, I did finish 5 things in the last week and a half! I finished a hat, two cowls, and 2 washcloths. I didn't picture the washcloths, but I do have several listed in my etsy shop (wink!).
Let's face it; the following pictures are really just of the kids. My attempts at proper lighting and showing the details of my knitting never actually happened!
Susanna was enjoying a banana coconut muffin while stylin' the oversized hat.
Lydia takes her job of saying cheese for the camera very seriously!
Jacob knows a good cowl when he sees one. Abigail decided not to partake in this photo session because the cowls were "too hot for today". Okay!
Now, we have a few rodeo pictures. The North Washington Rodeo is a great time! It has become a family tradition. Jacob's favorite part is the bull riding. Abigail enjoyed a root beer float and screaming "woohoo" in my ear :) Lydia enjoyed her glow necklace and "horses and bulls too, mom". Susanna pointed to all the horses (takes after mama) and bites of ice cream and french fries were savored.
Tuesday night was family night. My husband said we got our money's worth because kids got in free with paying parents. The weather was great, and my husband and I enjoyed watching our kids taking in the sights. I was scoping out styles of cowboy boots and thinking of a possible Christmas present idea...just being honest! I like the plain brown leather with maybe a touch of turquoise accents :)
Happy end-of-summer-back-to-school to you! Squeeze in these last summer drops of fun!
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
A Little Midweek Update
1. Potty training!! Lydia is doing well - during the day she gets to wear little undies! Her treat is 2-3 M&M's depending on what is in the potty. I do have a picture of her sitting on the potty, but she looks like she woke up on the wrong side of the bed. One of those - only a mother could love faces - I'll spare you.
2. Let's put up pictures of inanimate objects! These are what we collected today, minus the white egg (just there for size reference).
3. School books have been finalized/decided upon/ordered. We hope to start the day after Labor Day. This is the last year of not having to report to the state!
4. My grandma is not doing well - she is in her nineties, and it looks like there is cancer throughout her body (tumor in her back and cancer in her bone marrow). She taught me how to bake an apple pie when I was 12! She and my grandad (who is 94) have always been such an example of hard work and contentment.
5. I'm closing this blog post, as I must run to the feed store to pick up some fleece. I bartered some of my soap and lotion bars for a couple of fleece.
TTFN!
2. Let's put up pictures of inanimate objects! These are what we collected today, minus the white egg (just there for size reference).
3. School books have been finalized/decided upon/ordered. We hope to start the day after Labor Day. This is the last year of not having to report to the state!
4. My grandma is not doing well - she is in her nineties, and it looks like there is cancer throughout her body (tumor in her back and cancer in her bone marrow). She taught me how to bake an apple pie when I was 12! She and my grandad (who is 94) have always been such an example of hard work and contentment.
5. I'm closing this blog post, as I must run to the feed store to pick up some fleece. I bartered some of my soap and lotion bars for a couple of fleece.
TTFN!
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Chicken Down
A death of a chicken is discussed in this post. Please refrain from reading if you do not want to feel a little sad.
So, we lost our first chicken yesterday. Actually, I take that back. We had to get rid of a baby chick two years ago because it was running around pecking all the other chicks' eyes. We lost our first chicken due to causes beyond our control yesterday. Our flock of 14 decreased by one. This flock is pullets hatched in mid-spring. My frustration stems from that fact that I don't know what was wrong with the creature!
She was a Speckled Sussex, and she very well could have been the chicken that started laying the first eggs. Maybe she just wasn't ready? Is that possible? I noticed yesterday morning that she was lethargic and not interested in the grain and veggie treats that the other pullets were gobbling down. I checked again on her yesterday afternoon, and she was just standing in the shade not moving. I was able to catch and pick her up with no struggling. The other chickens would have given me a run for my money to catch them.
She seemed like she was, um, constipated. She kept pushing her little bottom, but nothing was coming out. I wanted to try to relieve that and try to get things moving. I soaked her for several minutes in a warm tub of water hoping to help something come out. Then, I called a friend who used to raise chickens on a commercial basis. He suggested an eye dropper of warm water mixed with Epsom salts. I didn't have the salts, so he said just regular salt - a saline solution. My mom and I were able to give her the water/salt solution, but that's when things went from bad to worse. Maybe we gave her too much? Maybe she was too plugged up to take anything into her digestive system? She went downhill very fast from that point on.
I did not want to see her suffer, and she obviously was. I made the executive decision, and my husband quickly put her out of her misery. None of my other chickens are showing signs of anything. I've done a little reading but have not come up with anything conclusive yet. Any of you have ideas? I would think she was a bit young to be egg bound, but maybe? Would producing eggs too early be something? How do you help a constipated chicken?
On a lighter note there were a few chicken butt jokes bandied about last night. I can speak with some authority on that now :)
So, we lost our first chicken yesterday. Actually, I take that back. We had to get rid of a baby chick two years ago because it was running around pecking all the other chicks' eyes. We lost our first chicken due to causes beyond our control yesterday. Our flock of 14 decreased by one. This flock is pullets hatched in mid-spring. My frustration stems from that fact that I don't know what was wrong with the creature!
She was a Speckled Sussex, and she very well could have been the chicken that started laying the first eggs. Maybe she just wasn't ready? Is that possible? I noticed yesterday morning that she was lethargic and not interested in the grain and veggie treats that the other pullets were gobbling down. I checked again on her yesterday afternoon, and she was just standing in the shade not moving. I was able to catch and pick her up with no struggling. The other chickens would have given me a run for my money to catch them.
She seemed like she was, um, constipated. She kept pushing her little bottom, but nothing was coming out. I wanted to try to relieve that and try to get things moving. I soaked her for several minutes in a warm tub of water hoping to help something come out. Then, I called a friend who used to raise chickens on a commercial basis. He suggested an eye dropper of warm water mixed with Epsom salts. I didn't have the salts, so he said just regular salt - a saline solution. My mom and I were able to give her the water/salt solution, but that's when things went from bad to worse. Maybe we gave her too much? Maybe she was too plugged up to take anything into her digestive system? She went downhill very fast from that point on.
I did not want to see her suffer, and she obviously was. I made the executive decision, and my husband quickly put her out of her misery. None of my other chickens are showing signs of anything. I've done a little reading but have not come up with anything conclusive yet. Any of you have ideas? I would think she was a bit young to be egg bound, but maybe? Would producing eggs too early be something? How do you help a constipated chicken?
On a lighter note there were a few chicken butt jokes bandied about last night. I can speak with some authority on that now :)
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Egg-citing! Also, Keeping it Real.
Yesterday was a big day for the chickens; we had our first egg! I had marked on the calendar that our pullets should start laying right around August 15, so we obviously have an overachiever :) There was another egg today, so we'll see if they start trickling in now. It never gets old....finding the little treasure of a fresh egg.
Remember how I wanted to keep things real for you? Jacob found the egg yesterday. It was a discovery because the young pullets really just don't know what they are doing yet. Their funny little eggs (about the size of a golf ball) can be found anywhere. This particular egg was found in the coop itself close to the water bucket. Both Abigail and Jacob were so excited, and since Jacob found the egg Abigail carried into the house. She was told to put the egg in the refrigerator. She decided that she had to use the restroom first, so she took the egg with her (of course - wouldn't you?). So, the egg makes it finally to the door of the 'fridge only to be dropped right before being placed on the egg shelf :( Sad day for Abigail but a good teaching opportunity for mama (words such as "mama knows best" may or may not have been used, ahem).
Today we tried again. Another egg was found - in the nesting box. Abigail was given another shot, and the egg is now sitting in the refrigerator waiting for daddy to come home and be shown the prize.
In other news, new soaps are being produced, cured and listed; so please take a little time to check them out. Also, I am almost to a goal of 150 likes on my Facebook business page. I would love for you to "like" me too :). Thanks a bunch!
Remember how I wanted to keep things real for you? Jacob found the egg yesterday. It was a discovery because the young pullets really just don't know what they are doing yet. Their funny little eggs (about the size of a golf ball) can be found anywhere. This particular egg was found in the coop itself close to the water bucket. Both Abigail and Jacob were so excited, and since Jacob found the egg Abigail carried into the house. She was told to put the egg in the refrigerator. She decided that she had to use the restroom first, so she took the egg with her (of course - wouldn't you?). So, the egg makes it finally to the door of the 'fridge only to be dropped right before being placed on the egg shelf :( Sad day for Abigail but a good teaching opportunity for mama (words such as "mama knows best" may or may not have been used, ahem).
Today we tried again. Another egg was found - in the nesting box. Abigail was given another shot, and the egg is now sitting in the refrigerator waiting for daddy to come home and be shown the prize.
In other news, new soaps are being produced, cured and listed; so please take a little time to check them out. Also, I am almost to a goal of 150 likes on my Facebook business page. I would love for you to "like" me too :). Thanks a bunch!
Monday, July 22, 2013
Monday List
Sometimes I like to share my to-do lists; maybe I'll revisit them someday and giggle over the jobs with which I was pre-occupied! Also, I'm nosy and like to read other people's lists; so maybe you want to do the same?
1. Work on potty training this week. Since it's a fairly quiet week, we can get in a few days of stay-at-home focus on Lydia. She shows such an interest, so we'll see. We are not in a hurry, but it would be nice to have one less person in diapers!
2. Buy chicken feed, dog food, and a replacement belt for the vacuum.
3. Finish preparations for Bible study tomorrow night.
4. Bake muffins (usually I double the batch and have the on hand for the kids' breakfast for a week or two).
5. Brush the dog. Little Miss Gretel is shedding like a crazy dog. Poor thing is hot!
6. Sew something....idea for the etsy shop!
7. Cut castile soap and shampoo bars that were made last week. BTW...have you "liked" my facebook page yet?
8. Pick green beans and bemoan the fact that something happened with our squash and zucchini plants that makes them not produce. What could this be? They have plenty of blooms and plenty of pollinators just no baby squash!
9. Finalize the kids' school curriculum orders for the Fall.
10. Attack the mountain of laundry!
1. Work on potty training this week. Since it's a fairly quiet week, we can get in a few days of stay-at-home focus on Lydia. She shows such an interest, so we'll see. We are not in a hurry, but it would be nice to have one less person in diapers!
2. Buy chicken feed, dog food, and a replacement belt for the vacuum.
3. Finish preparations for Bible study tomorrow night.
4. Bake muffins (usually I double the batch and have the on hand for the kids' breakfast for a week or two).
5. Brush the dog. Little Miss Gretel is shedding like a crazy dog. Poor thing is hot!
6. Sew something....idea for the etsy shop!
7. Cut castile soap and shampoo bars that were made last week. BTW...have you "liked" my facebook page yet?
8. Pick green beans and bemoan the fact that something happened with our squash and zucchini plants that makes them not produce. What could this be? They have plenty of blooms and plenty of pollinators just no baby squash!
9. Finalize the kids' school curriculum orders for the Fall.
10. Attack the mountain of laundry!
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Nothing Says "Fun Road Trip" Like...
a nice, sticky lollipop! My blog cuts off some of the picture, but my son actually shows up if you click on the picture itself (the first one).
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