Sawdust and Sandboxes

Bahstun!

2011-07-26T19:20:00.000-07:00

I spent the last week in Bahstun and the surrounding area with the family for our brother Steven's wedding. It was Hot, up to 100 degrees on Friday, but we made the most of our stay.

My mom, dad, Gramma R., Carl and I flew out on Wednesday (up until a few days before, I thought we were leaving Thursday. I was scrambling to get ready!) and flew back on Monday...minus Carl, he went back to Switzerland from Boston.

We did quite a bit of historical tourism. This flag is hanging on a tavern that played a part in the first skirmish of the Revolutionary war.

My Aunt and Uncle Kay and Rick came for the wedding-it was fun to visit them as we saw some sights.

Ralph and I. We dipped our feet in Walden Pond. Just let me say-the packed beach on this hot day made me very glad that we have our own cabin to enjoy.

The Battle of Bunker Hill monument. Useful (less?) piece of information: It is actually on Breeds Hill. The battle name is a case of mistaken hill identity.

Don't say I never taught you anything.

The monument has 294 steps. It was 100 degrees.

I was sweating when I reached the top.

And we even made it to the wedding!

It was in doubt at one point on the drive...it was just a good thing we left to get there 2.5 hours early. We arrived with 1.5 hours to spare.

Driving and navigating in Boston is not for the faint of heart.

Trust me.
and Marian the Librarian. (aka our GPS. The voice sounds oh-so-librarianish. And the way she says "Recalculating. Recalculating. It's so librarianish. Hence the name Marian.)

The happy bride and groom. Steve and Jess held their wedding at a neat old camp lodge type building that was once owned by the girl/boyscouts. It was a beautful location. Of course, I took very few pictures the whole day.

Suffice to say, they ended up married;)

The U.S.S. Constitution or "Old Ironsides." The oldest commissioned warship still afloat in the world.

The famous Old North Church from which Paul Revere told other dissidents to hang the lanterns "one if by land, two if by sea..."
Am I taking you back to US history class?

Good. That's my goal.

Katrina, Mom and Gramma at the Boston Public Gardens.
This day was absolutely gorgeous.

And the picture for my kids-Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McClosky is one of their favorite books. It takes place in the Public gardens and now there are statues of the ducks there.

That wraps up my quick tour of the trip. It was a lot of fun, seeing all my siblings and enjoying the sights.

Right now though, I'm just procrastinating on packing for our next adventure-a family vacation to the Camp on Big Traverse in the UP tomorrow.

Should be fun!

A list

2011-06-23T09:00:00.001-07:00

So far this morning:
Slept in. Till 9. I deserved it after yesterday at work. But does it count as sleeping in when you don't get home till 2:30?
Coffee. Mmm.
Boys were up. Daughter hasn't rolled out of bed yet...
Howie.
Pulled the computer off the table.
Oops. So far it seems to work just fine.
Promptly went to the kitchen and took the vent off the floor and started digging in the ducting.
Busy boy.
Oliver.
Just asked for mittens so his hands wouldn't get cold while riding his bike.
June. Really?
Laundry washing.
Chased the rooster out of the porch.
Someone left the door open.
It's a hoot.

Monday. Gray.

2011-06-20T08:34:00.001-07:00

After enjoying the perfect summer day at the cabin with fun company and visiting yesterday, today is quite a downer.

More. Gray skies. More. Rain.

Blue jeans. Sweaters.

Elsa woke with vim in her veins.

She didn't want french toast. She wanted cereal. Over again. Repeat.

Hmm. Maybe she's got something there.

I don't want to do laundry. I don't want to clean this house. I want to weed my garden. I want to see sunshine.

Think that'll chase away the ugly, gray skies?

Not counting on it. Judging by Elsa's success. She still hasn't eaten a thing.

Meh.

Summer!

2011-06-15T18:56:00.000-07:00

We celebrated our first weekend off together by spending it at the Cabin. We love that place, and spend many, many hours there each summer.

It is the essence of summer-sauna/swimming, relaxation, family and food. Always lots of food.

And fishing. Elsa even got brave and went. Oliver will tell you "I caught a perch! But last year I caught a BIG -spreading arms wide for emphasis- HUGE, bass."

We've had a total of about three hot days so far. The kids cooled off on this one in the garden sprinkler.

The sun beams through the water were nifty. So far, the garden looks pretty good, I've even kept up on the weeding.

And Howie has a new trick, he stood up so he could splash in this bucket. One of his first time pulling up. Tomorrow he's ten months old, that makes him our latest walker...

A new chapter

2011-06-02T07:27:00.000-07:00

Last night was Eric's last evening of work at the local grocery store. Today starts a new chapter: Red Eye Sawmill will be going full steam ahead, full time.

Now, if only the loggers will agree and keep him neck deep in logs.

It's exciting, although, truthfully, it hasn't sunk in yet. Eric's dreamed of this day for quite some time-working on, developing and growing this business full time- it's what he wants to be doing. For me (all of us, really), it'll be quite a change. Hubby home-or somewhere in the vicinity- every night? Weird. And weekends? We'll get to do stuff together sometimes? Wow.
(We've been working opposite weekends since I started my job a year and a half ago. meaning we haven't had a single weekend off together for that long.) Last night I was truthful with myself and admitted that I don't know what it'll be like to not have those few hours to myself between bedtime and home from work time.

Who am I kidding? He has more than enough work to keep him out of my hair.

Every morning one of the first things the kids ask is "Mom, do you have to work today? Does Dad?" The response the give depends on their mood- "Aww, shucks, I wanted you to stay home" or "Yay! We get to go to ____" We haven't really told them Eric's done working out-it'll be entertaining when they finally catch on-"Dad, don't you ever have to go to work again?"

Cheers. Here's to a successful new chapter in the sawmill business.

Glad. (I had a different title, but this seems to be the theme)

2011-05-31T17:48:00.000-07:00

Howie
I pulled out this fleece today...

Yesterday evening there were some pretty nasty straight-line winds in PR. There's talk that there might have been a tornado. Pretty scary, but to make it worse, Eric drove right through it on his way home-he said he almost got blown off the road.

I told him he can now cross "drive through a tornado" off his bucket list.

I'm just glad he's still around to have a bucket list.

In other, less deadly, completely unrelated, humorous news...

I almost washed a kitten this evening.

It managed to sneak into the house and was blissfully sleeping in the mountainous pile of laundry. I imagine it was quite a rude awakening to be unceremoniously gathered up along with dirty pants, dumped in the washer and have water start pouring down on you...the look of kitten perplexedness was priceless.

I'm glad she found her way out before the lid was closed, however.

and had flashbacks...here's Oliver.

My boys, I think they look like brothers.

That, too, makes me glad.

A lost tooth and Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T12:01:00.001-07:00

I had one of those "I totally forgot about those" type of moments the other day when Oliver showed me his loose tooth. Immediately after that, I had a "Woah, he's getting older" type moment. The past week we've been updated daily with the status of the tooth.

Yesterday, while at his cousin's, the tooth came out. He lost it in the grass and never even mentioned it to the girls over there. When I picked them up, he was slightly concerned when I asked where it was-but, no fear, Oliver dictated a note to me, and the tooth fairy came anyhow...

And of course, she took the opportunity to use a little of her oomph to hype up the tooth brushing-no candy eating line.

When he heard her admonitions this morning, he said a sincere "Ok, I'll do that."

I like that tooth fairy.

I got a chance to go garage saleing in Fargo yesterday, sans kids.

That, was the perfect Happy Mother's Day present.

And, if you are a mother-Happy Mother's Day to you!

Brotherly love...

2011-04-13T13:13:00.001-07:00

"Moom!" Elsa huffed, clumping up the steps.

I looked up from my coffee and book. With a deep scowl on her face, my darling daughter came in the door. Pat, clump, pat, clump. One shoe on, the other in her hand. "What's up?" I asked.

"Oliver's just not supposed to do that," she moaned. "He took my shoe off."

"Hmm," said I, tying her shoe for her, "how 'bout that."

"...ANNND," her exasperation deepened, "he put a pine cone in my hood."

As I dug the offending pine cone out for her, I couldn't help chuckling. Oh, dear. How well I remember just this sort of pointless picking. Doing something for the simple joy of getting a rise out of the other. Such a fine example of sibling love.

"Here." Figuring the younger could use a little help, I handed her the pine cone. "Go throw it at him."

Her eyes sparkling, both feet clumping, she ran out the door with a giggle.

Revenge is sweet.

Whistling winter winds

2011-03-22T20:16:00.000-07:00

Spring heard my plea and departed. I can't say that's really what I was going for at all, but welcome to MN in March. The wind has been whistling around our poor little house all day, rattling the windows and doors.

We even had a little thundersnow. I only heard it once; the kids stopped what they were doing, look around and went back to playing. I guess they figured they were hearing things. We might even get a couple inches. Pew.

I'll use the power of positive thinking.

Spring. It's spring.

Now, before I go stick my nose in a garden seed catalog, here's a story for the Aunts and uncs...

This afternoon, Oliver and Elsa were playing oh-so-nicely, when Elsa erupted into tears and started arguing, "but I don't WANNA..blahblahblah."

Since I was sitting there, I asked what the problem was.

Turns out the argument stemmed from this: Oliver was taking the train to visit Steve and Jess. Elsa didn't want to. SHE wanted the train to take her to visit Trina and Russ. And Oliver didn't WANT to, he was going to visit Steve and Jess. Et cetera.

Life was calm again once I suggested they could have two trains and each go where they wanted.

They enjoyed their trips.

Spring is...cruel?

2011-03-16T14:08:00.000-07:00

Spring shouldn't be aloud to tease like this.

I wait patiently for the days to warm, the sun to shine, the snow to melt. For the beautiful soft spring days.

Then it finally does. I peer out the window at the thermometer, and upon seeing it hitting the 40 degree mark, cheer, "Alright! Time to go play outside!" Meanwhile, chuckling to myself. "Score. They should stay out a good LONG time today."

The ol' winter routine kicks into gear-it's not that warm, after all.
Snow pants.
"Mo-oom! Will you pull my pant leg down?"
Boots.
"Oh, wait did you go bathroom first?"
Off again.
On again.
One sleeve.
The other.
"Mom, I need HELP."
Hat.
Mittens.
Repeat.
Finally.Out the door.

A sigh. Quiet. Peace. Just me and the baby. Such a sweet hour. What to do first? Quick, wash the dishes, then coffee and a good book? Mmmm...

...twenty minutes later.

Thump, thump. Creeak.

"MOOM! can we come IN yet?"

"What? You just went out!" I grimace and frown. What about my coffee? My book?

The puddle around them on the floor grows as the chorus goes up: "But my mittens are soaking wet!"

"The snow pile is all hard and dirty!"

"My feet are COLD."

Harrumph. I change their mittens and send 'em packing.
For all of another 10 minutes or so.

Then, they've had enough. It's in the house. Off come the snowpantsbootshatsmittenscoats...onto the floor. In a sodden.heaping.muddy.drippy.needs to be disassembled to dry.mess.

It's okay, I tell myself. Spring is here (no more snow storms, please.) Soon it'll dry. I'll just take myself for a walk later. I wring out the clothes. Find places to dry.

My chance arrives, I pack the baby in the backpack throw on my tennies and head out the door. Gorgeous! Slip.
I can't believe how nice it is. Sluurrrp.
The wind smells like spring! Splash.
Squish.
Off, down the driveway, and along the road. Slurping and splashing. Muck. Everywhere. Deep breathing the fresh air; Spring, those gorgeous, soft days, for the moment, is teasing.

I'm not always quite sure, but I think I like it.

Wahoo for JSPhotography!

2011-03-13T20:28:00.000-07:00

A while back, my friend Jennifer had the grand opening to her photography studio. Exciting!

She did a day full of mini-sessions, and I was lucky enough to win a free one. I clicked my heels, then plopped my three cuties (biased? no.) down in front of her camera for the second time.

I clicked my heels again the other day when the UPS guy dropped off my order. I'm loving my new decor:)

And my dear hubby was thrilled to update his wallet.

"I just have a big ol' smile on my face"

2011-02-28T07:53:00.000-08:00

...said a bleary eyed Oliver upon waking on his fifth birthday.

And he did. A BIG ol' smile.

The smile continued all weekend, as we enjoyed days full of visiting, partying, saunaing, game playing and more visiting. My sibilings and I see each other infrequently, and I must say, I soaked up the time together.

My only complaint? It went by much to fast.

This morning I'm getting back into the swing of life...slowly, relaxing with coffee, snuggling my baby and reading my grinning five-year-old a book. The daughter is still sleeping...she must have partied hard this weekend.

I cleaned the top of the fridge!

2011-02-23T20:54:00.001-08:00

That makes me ready for the weekend.

Because, you know, you're only ready for a busy weekend when the top of the fridge is clean.

It's our Christmas-get-together...in February. Except we're not really celebrating Christmas. We're just getting together. All my sibs from their various points on the globe-AK, CA, MA and Switzerland-via China, are coming home.

Cheers!

The real reason, Oliver will tell you, is for his 5th birthday. It's only TWO days away.

*ahem*
Siblings? He'll expect the same next year.
Just FYI.

More winter fun...

2011-02-17T08:52:00.000-08:00

Temperatures have been absolute spring-like here the last week. The snow is shrinking before our eyes, and finally, and it was finally sticky enough to make a snowman. Rolling large balls of snow makes for a good workout. I had to call in the reinforcements from the sawmill to lift the balls for us... Eric and Frank lifting together seriously grunted. Ha. Oliver and Elsa's faces were shining with amazement at the "huge!" snowman..Good fun.

Other stuffs:

Is there a limit to the number of questions a three year old can ask in a minute?
If there is, I think Elsa is trying set a new record.
Along with know-it-all-statements.
I've started a new thing. I've been making a point to wash all the dishes right after every meal. It's usually so quick to do, so much easier than when there's a huge pile. I've been at it two or so weeks, and it has been great. With very limited counter space, it makes a huge difference; I don't not make something just because I'd have to wash dishes first.
Plus, the rest of the house can be flying, but I feel good because I can tell myself, "at least the dishes are done."
We made valentines for all Grandmas and Grandpas on Monday, then delivered them. I've been cutting construction paper hearts left and right since then.
A very, very highly recommended book: Unbroken: A WWII story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand. A biography of Louie Zampereini (if you're a MPR junky, you might have heard of it.) a WWII bombardier who ended up stranded on a raft in the Pacific for 47 days. He was picked up by the Japanese, and survived the POW camps. Amazing story, very well written book.
Seriously. Read that book. It's good.
Off now, to work. I get to renew my CPR certification before my shift. I wonder how much they've changed it this time...

Sledding!

2011-01-30T19:18:00.000-08:00

Oliver, Elsa and I went sledding on Saturday. At Poop hill.

Oliver: "Poop hill?? It's not a poop hill!"
Me: "No, but that's what they call it."
O: "But it can't be very big, if it's just a pile of poop!"
Good point. Good thing it's not just a pile of poop...
Anyhow. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and we all had a blast. My MIL came along for a little while and snapped a few hundred pictures. (For real. She has a happy shutter finger.) Turned out a few great action shots...

Oliver only had a fit the first time he got a whitewash...he was able to laugh it off after that.

They even let me hitch a ride a few times. But only a few.

Howie hung out at Grammie Great's; we got back and enjoyed a toasty cup of hot-chocolate...even with marshmallows!

***

I never did post on here, Eric's grandfather died peacefully early last Monday after a long, long process/battle. We had a family graveside burial on Tuesday. His aunt and uncle are leaving for Montana tomorrow, and Grammie Great will began to adjust to life alone...she spent the last 23 years taking care of Grandpa. Here's to (as the kids call them) Grammie and Grandpie Great.

Keeping the zen.

2011-01-07T09:11:00.000-08:00

Last night the kids and I cleaned and rearranged the living room. I do this every now and then; come up with what I call "the newest best"arrangement. It keeps things fresh and makes living in 700 or so square feet at least a little more manageable.

So going to bed, the living room was clean and relaxing. Zen-like, you could say.

As I sit here, sipping my coffee, I'm trying to keep the Zen.

There's now a "house" behind the rocker.

The puzzles have been emptied from their drawer to make a baby bed. Of course, the puzzles no longer contain their pieces.

The pile of throws is unfolded to make a roof for the house...

Zen. Working on keeping the zen.

At least there's yummy pot roast in the oven for lunch.

That clears it up.

2011-01-02T19:08:00.001-08:00

Heh.

I've just been informed by my world-traveling brother that my blog is blocked in China.

That's good to know.

Now I can stop wondering where the massive Chinese audience I've been waiting for hasn't found me.

After all, reading about the rocking good times here amongst the sawdust just might start a civilian revolt.

Or something like that.

And so.

2011-01-01T17:55:00.000-08:00

And so a new year is upon us. With style. (This kid's got style. JD style. For the past week.)

Snow started falling sometime Thursday and didn't really stop until today...or something along those lines.

You'll have to excuse me and my memory, I've been cooped up for days on end. With three kids and an ornery gallbladder and g.b. flush regimen. All I know is this: Outside=big snow.

(Please excuse the non-edited red-eye photos. I have to find a new editing program. Any suggestions?)

And this:
1) Eating no fat for a week is boring.
2) 1/2 cup plain lemon juice down the hatch will pucker you up.
3)Not looking forward to the 1/2 cup of Olive oil tonight.

We'll see what the outcome is. Hopefully success.

Because I want to eat something good and juicy and fatty.Elsa's checking out how she measures up to the BIG present. It turned out to be hers.
Oliver was only a little disappointed.

Looking back to Christmas, I did succeed in getting in the spirit at the last minute and enjoyed the crazy busyness of those few days. The kids were well spoiled. Really, Santa could've skipped our house, they made out like bandits elsewhere. But, he came, they opened and all was enjoyed. I even managed to get a few Christmas cards done in time... the rest are *ahem* sitting on my counter. Getting in the way every time you want to use the microwave. Waiting for stamps.

We don't want to be to prompt or anything.

It's 8:08 on 1/1/11. The kids are sleeping. The dog is snoring. The hubby is at work. And I don't feel any large doses of ambition coming on. Think I'll curl up with a book.

Struggling.

2010-12-22T07:31:00.001-08:00

I'm struggling to find some Christmas spirit around here this year. Which is odd, I'm one who usually loves the Holidays. This year, however, I just can't seem to get fully in to it. There's a few reasons for it;
I have to work, this evening, then Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It simply doesn't work to plan any of our family gatherings for any other evenings, so I'll only get to attend each one for a few hours. That stinks. People shouldn't be aloud to get sick on Christmas...(I'm sure the sick people would agree!)
Only one of my siblings is coming home. On the one hand, at least I won't be missing out on them, but one the other, it's just...odd.
I spent all of last week sick with my gallbladder. That kind of put the zap on my get-prepared-for-Christmas spirit.
And, like they say, when it rains, it pours. And floods... between replacing the tranny on my jeep, then getting the call that "it still won't shift over 55mph" and Eric shearing off the arbor in his sawmill last week and multiple other smaller things breaking and happening, the checkbook just keeps on shrinking. Ouch.
All together,despite my efforts, I'm just feeling the Scrooge in Christmas. Really, I'd rather be more cheerful.

So in an attempt to show some spirit:

I got a heck of a deal on cards: 80 for $3.93-including shipping! Maybe they'll show up in the mail today..

Merry Christmas everyone!

It tastes like a snowflake!

2010-12-09T08:12:00.000-08:00

I purchased a bag of Mint Truffle Hershey's Kisses the other day. Yum. I brought them to work with me, but there were a dozen or so left in the bag when I got home last night. This morning, Elsa found them when she sat down for breakfast, and promptly divided them into two piles, one for her and one for Oliver.

After eating breakfast at a breakneck pace (amazing what a little candy motivation will do to an appetite!) Oliver popped one in his mouth.

A minute later, he exclaimed "MOM! These kisses with snowflakes on the wrapper?! They taste like a SNOWFLAKE!!!"

Reflections over morning coffee

2010-12-06T07:17:00.000-08:00

Days are flying by, as usual. Snow is falling, winter is here to stay.

Howie is grabbing his toes, giggling, getting way bigger than I'm ready for him to be.
Thanksgiving is past, Christmas is creeping upon us. I have a total of 1 gift purchased at this point. I am on the ball this year.
I do have ideas for a couple I'd like to make, however.
Oliver is, so far, unimpressed with the whole Sunday School program. I think he's got a little of his dad's dislike of large crowds going on there...I'll be doing a little talking-up and excitement making through the next few weeks.
I'm finally recuperated from working an over-night double at work on Friday-Saturday. Just in time to start my usual busy week at work.
...Oliver threw up this morning, but judging by the bouncing on the couch and pounding on his sister, has been fine since...
Bread is rising. Yum!
Eric's grandpa had a stroke on Saturday. He's not doing all that great. Right now it's a wait and see situation.
Sitting at the computer makes it oh-so-easy to ignore the chaos that sprung up over the weekend.
Amazing how working one day makes the whole house fall to pieces.
And now, the kids are asking to go outside. Off to help round up the proper attire...

Enjoy your Monday!

Thelma

2010-11-04T07:21:00.000-07:00

A few facts: We live in a trailer house. We live in the woods. Mice live in the woods. It's getting colder, therefore mice want to live in our house.

So, we have a cat. Thelma.

This is her.

Another fact. She's a good mouser. I haven't had any mouse turds in my cupboards since she came to stay.

And I appreciate that. Really, I do. Very, very much, in fact. For that, I'm willing to feed her and put up with her cat hair everywhere.

But seriously. Does she have to go out looking for mice, catch them and bring them inside, leaving them on the floor-sometimes half eaten-for me to stumble upon unaware and unassuming as I groggily start my day?

It's quite a waker-upper.

I'm baaack!

2010-11-03T08:31:00.000-07:00

We're back up and running after an unintentional technology hiatus.

I'm under strict instructions from Elsa: "Mom, you shouldn't never, EVER spill coffee on the computer again."

At a $73 repair bill, I'm inclined to agree.

Halloween was a beautiful and successful day. We had a train, a princess and a teddy bear. And lots of candy.

I've got spelt bread rising, pumpkins in the oven, a shower to take, work to go to, so I suppose I'd better keep moving.

I enjoyed my forced hiatus, but it's good to be reconnected!

Big Smiles over here

2010-10-14T10:32:00.000-07:00

Howie doesn't know it yet, but that big grin must be because he gets to go to Roiko ladies weekend with mom on Saturday.

I hadn't thought I'd get to go, it being my weekend to work, but a coworker came through and picked up my Saturday shift. Wahoo! Now the babe and I get to join the festivities from Saturday morning until Sunday when I have to leave for work. Clickin' my heels over here.

That'll be it for now...my mouse courser is acting funky since I spilled coffee on the keyboard the other day...now it's constantly trying to go to the bottom left corner of the screen. Makes navigation a little more difficult.

Have a good one!

Once upon a time..

2010-10-12T18:08:00.000-07:00

This morning:

Elsa, with a starry, far-away look in her eyes: Mom, where do princesses live?
Me: in castles.
E: We should go to a castle.
M: But all the castles are far, far away, Elsa.
E: But we should GO to one. Then I could see the princess.
M: Oh?
E: Yeah.
Even more starry eyed: An' then I could BE the princess.
M, thinking she's oh-so-sweet: Ooh.
E: Yeah. ...I could live there, an' then the King could go away.
M: Go away? Why?
E: We could SHOOT the mean king. (Woah. Nix that sweet thing. Country girl here.)
M: Shoot him?! Nooo. We don't want to shoot him! What if he was a nice grandpa king?
E: A GRANDPA KING?!?
Off she runs, laughing.
Hey Oliver! A GRANDPA king!!

Heh. Not sure what to make of that one.

A kinda funny flashback

2010-10-01T09:07:00.000-07:00

Just the other day when I was uploading pictures I had taken of apple picking, this one popped up.

Check it out! Howie's sitting up already!

Or not.

I had left my regular, larger memory card in the computer, so I loaded the camera with the smaller sized card the camera came with...and evidently the last time I had used it, Oliver was about, ooh, 5 months or so. As you can see, he's a little bigger now, holding Howie. A fun, unexpected flashback.

***

This week has been filled with beautiful fall days. Mild, sunny, perfect. Last night I embraced that, and had ladies for a bonfire. It was a beautiful, starry, fall night. Apple cider was enjoyed, fun was had.

And it was the perfect end to my almost two months off.

Today, I start back to work. I only put in 5 days-evenings, actually- every two weeks, and for me it's been just the right time out/home combination. We'll see how it goes now with Howie.

Apple Season

2010-09-25T19:39:00.000-07:00

Nanna and Pappa's apples are ripe, so we spent today making applesauce, dried apples and fruit leather.

Oliver got to climb the apple tree. While spotting him (he's never really climbed a tree before) I was reminiscing that I remember when these trees were planted; I was probably about his age. They weren't of climbing height back then.

Elsa desperately wanted to climb as well...until she realized she was up high, the branches were poky and she had to hold on herself. She opted to keep her feet on the ground.

Howie was a big help as well...

Seven or so hours of apple cleaning, machining, and cooking and I came home with a huge bowlful waiting to be canned and enjoyed over the winter. We made both chunky-with-honey and smooth-with-sugar versions with the thought that my little Howie will be big enough to enjoy the smooth version in only a few months, while the rest of us really like the chunky style. The evening ended with fresh, warm, homemade applesauce topped with vanilla ice cream. Absolutely delish!

Crisp!

2010-09-22T08:39:00.000-07:00

Fall came quickly in this neck of the woods. Cold evenings and chilly days have been the rule lately. We've been busy, living life.

The last of the garden harvest is waiting to be picked. We sold 52 pumpkins to the local grocer earlier this week. (If any locals are looking for a few pumpkins, we have many left overs!)

Eric planted these giant sunflowers this year. Some are over 11 ft tall, and have been wonderfully cheerful to look at all summer. He has an itch to roast the seeds, something we haven't tried before. If we do them all, I think we'll have plenty of seeds!

To the left of the kids are three rows of potatoes, a row of carrots, what's left of the onions and some tomatoes (if they survive!). To the right are the pumpkins and some squash, all waiting to be harvested. Yum. We had a great year in the garden (with a bumper crop of weeds, as you can see!) and I'm already missing the fresh, delicious days of August. Mmmm.

I'm crying UNCLE!

2010-09-10T12:20:00.000-07:00

That's it. I've determined finding the bottom of the laundry pile is simply not possible. Day before yesterday I thought it was getting close, but it has evaded me again.

It could be because the daughter has had accidents the last two nights...while ever so conveniently positioned upon ALL of both of the kids blankets, meaning they all.have.to.be.washed.

And because the spin cycle of the washer only clicks on with small loads...meaning I can wash a total of four, yes 4, towels (or the equivalent) in a load...unless I want to wring them out by hand.

Either way, I'm crying uncle to that amoeba of a laundry pile.

UNCLE!

...If you don't hear from me in a few, please come check...I may be drowning. In laundry.

They got the boot...

2010-09-09T07:46:00.001-07:00

You may remember the arrival of these a few weeks ago...cute, fuzzy, itty-bitty little kittens.

Itty and bitty are quickly becoming larger and more adventurous...looking outside the box they've been living in to the great world of the porch.

So yesterday morning, Elsa and I moved them outside. They were utterly terrified to begin with.

We set up a house of sorts, with their familiar cardboard box, a rubbermaid tote and a piece of plywood. Cat-house thrifty style. (Aren't those kittens cute? You know you want one!)

And they quickly became curious about the bright world and *gasp* dog outside. Because we've kept them in their box until now, it was quite hilarious to watch them trying to coordinate their legs and bodies to run in a larger space. Imagine a drunk kitten.

Mama cat, Thelma was less impressed with the move. Her and Rena (the dog) are at odds, and she prowled the house mewing for a few hours before I shoved her in the box and blocked the doorway. She seemed to get the picture, as they're all cuddled up together, in the box, this morning!

Today

2010-08-26T08:24:00.000-07:00

We're basking in the sunshine

For the second day in a row, Oliver and Elsa are gone to play with friends.

Friends.

...and snuggly, sleepy newborns.

They make life good.

One week already...

2010-08-23T12:04:00.000-07:00

We're settleing into our new normal around here. So far, Howie has been the most content babe I've had. He sleeps like a champ, (I just jinxed myself...) which has made this past week much easier and really a lot of fun. Rest tends to do that.

The older kids are adjusting quite well...other than the fact that they seem to bounce off the walls quite a bit higher than they used to. Today I stopped multiple games of slide-off-the-washer-onto-the-clothes-pile-climb-back-up-and-do-it-again and other variations of the same. Broken legs are something we don't really need...

Here's a few pictures from the last week and some tidbits I've been meaning to get down...

Elsa and Howie, the evening we came home. Howie was sound asleep, but Elsa was "holdin' the blankie back so he can see, Mom. He couldn't see nutin'"

They're both incredibly proud and doting to the little guy. At the hospital, they barely let their Grammie and Grampie have a turn... "is it five minutes yet?" and "I get to hold him next!" They also got to pick out some new toys to bring with. He immediately had rattles on his wrists and dolls to cuddle with.

Chillin' with his big sibs.

The questions those two come up with are humorous. "Are you milkin' Howie Mom?" and "I don't like that bellybutton." when they saw his umbilical cord.

Today-one week old.

When Oliver and Elsa were leaving with their grandparents before I left for the hospital, Elsa was giving me a hug and said "He can be a girl Mom. He can be a girl."

Sorry my dear. We've got ourselves a keeper of a boy here.

I'm pretty sure she'd agree these days.

A new arrival: and this time, it's not kittens

2010-08-18T12:46:00.000-07:00

Howard James arrived on Monday and 2:12 am. All 7lb 4 oz and 19.4 inches of him. Everything went very well, we both came home last night and are doing wonderfully!

Our newest arrivals...

2010-08-11T22:49:00.001-07:00

Oliver had something important to say ...he was on the phone to Nanna and Papa's right away.

Four new felines have arrived.
(Truly, that was Oliver's first response, "I have to call Nanna and Papa!!!)

Ha! And I bet you thought it was a baby of the human kind.

I wish.

But I am happy to report Thelma and her litter are all doing well.

And if there are any OTHER new arrivals around here before mine, I can't say I'll be such a good sport. So there.

One benefit of living in the country

2010-08-05T14:12:00.001-07:00

I can look out my window after a long quiet spell, see my children like this:

...and simply wonder just how muddy and where their clothes are, and laugh. Then go back to enjoying the peace and quiet of happily playing kids.

I wonder if sliding down a dirt hill on a bare bum is as fun as it is on fully clothed on snow in the winter? I'll ask them and get back to you on that.

Peace. Quiet. Morning.

2010-08-05T08:03:00.000-07:00

Sipping my coffee in peace and quiet. Aaah... The kids bounced out of bed at 8, as usual, and I was not.ready.to.get.up. I've been a little low on sleep this week, what with late nights around the campfire followed by two evenings of work.

So it was with a big "oh, yeah" that I heard Eric getting the kids ready to go run some errands with him. "Wha...?" I asked. "They asked to come" he replied.

That never happens. Usually Elsa stays home.

Ohhh, yeah. Coffee, nissu and a couple hours alone,(I was to awake to go back to sleep). AND a day off before my last three scheduled days of work.

Ohhh, yeah.

Fair Time!

2010-07-30T21:34:00.000-07:00

The kids and I are going camping Sunday through Tuesday with a group of ladies/kids, and they are more than a little excited. When they were picking up the living room this evening, every.single.toy. they picked up was "one I'm gonna take along camping" and the stray clothes all had to be put in a pile "so I can take it camping."

I was just starting to wonder how we were going to pass the evening while keeping my sanity, when my mother-in-law called saying she had come upon 40 free tickets for the rides at the county fair. Talk about great timing.

I jumped at the chance, gave Joan a call, washed some faces, changed a shirt or two and off we went. All of a sudden I didn't even have to find something for supper. Cheeseburgers to support the local 4-H clubs it was.

$90 worth of free tickets had these boys...

And this girl...

...grinning from ear to ear.

They dashed from one ride to the next, living it up...(it'll be a shock next time when there's a limit of one or two rides. Total. Rather than one or two times on every ride...)

This girl, on the other hand, preferred to watch most of the rides. The boys would be half way through, and she'd say "I wanna go on it now." (Can't blame a girl for wanting to send in the troops to check the things out, can you?) She did make it down the giant slide a couple times and through the twirly bear one that we could all go in together.

What she really loved... (here, the sheep had just licked her on the nose.)

was the animals

...of all kinds.

What a good way to spend the night. Completely spur of the moment, and lots of fun was had.

That, my friends, is the way to live life.

Wednesday

2010-07-26T12:21:00.000-07:00

I wonder if the rooster has any idea it was just told "SHUT UP!" by Oliver. It doesn't appear to have fazed it at all...

One of my current favorite lines is "Cuz I'm the mom, that's why."

Such as : "Moooom, I wanna scoop my OWN ice cream."
"No, I'll do it."
"But whhhyyyyy caaan't Iiiii?"
"Cuz, I'm the mom, that's why."

It works great.

While eating breakfast, Elsa asked her dad for something to drink. Againandagainandagain. When Eric told her "I'm coming, keep your pants on!" she looked down, then quietly stated, "They're jammies, not pants."

Eric is outside, sawing. Yahoo! We always love when he has work in the mill!

Yesterday we woke to green, turmoily (that should be a word) skies and stayed in storm watches all day. Today, so far is sunny and gorgeous. Time to go enjoy it!

Whata day

2010-07-19T19:01:00.000-07:00

After thoroughly enjoying the Sunday School Picnic yesterday, today actually felt quite productive. At this point (supposedly less than a month left!) any productive day is really quite enjoyable!

Made fresh muffins for breakfast, blueberry, of course.
Liz and Mom arrived, and we went picking at the neighbors, since our patch has been picked over. Another 2 quarts acquired for me despite the incessant bugs and drizzling rain. Must say my picking speed is slowing with the growing belly...
Even fit in a quick nap after lunch before the hubby left for work.
Then weedwacked, yes, weedwacked two rows in the garden. The weeds in a few places have gotten *ahem*, a little out of control. Worked wonderfully, as I only had to pull the weeds close to the plants, and Eric will be able to till in the roots tomorrow. Spent over 2 hours doing that...final tally: a heaping, and I mean HEAPING wheelbarrow load of weeds. I can hear my onions singing in joy at the weeds demise.
It really deserved a picture. Too bad I didn't take one.
While I was weeding, the kids (for once!) did an excellent job keeping themselves entertained, and it was quite peaceful. The weather had cleared up and the evening was gorgeous.
New potatoes and fresh scrambled eggs for supper. Easy-peasy.
A very short walk to satisfy the kids, then into the tub and ice cream cones for snack.

A day well spent.

Now I'm exhausted. Anyone want to fold my laundry and wash the dishes?

How was your June?

2010-06-30T16:07:00.000-07:00

Summer. It continues to fly by. Looks like I successfully didn't blog for the whole month.

Above is a sunrise at the Camp on Big Travers in the UP. One of the things we've been up too. I can't get the underline off of this thing...

The opportunity to capture this picture (taken from across the yard so as not to interrupt their trip to Michigan...or maybe it was PR this time...) brought me out of my blogging drought, however. It just seemed like the perfect reprise of this:

...one of my favorite pictures from Elsa's first year. In this one, she had just learned to sit up.

Add a few years, another baby on the way, some more sawmill equipment in the background, and a newly adopted dog, Reina. And life goes on...

I'll grab a moment and share a moment from the past weeks.

A successful fishing trip for Grandpa and Oliver.

Blueberry season. A growing garden. Summer. It all goes by to fast.

Num.

2010-06-07T19:34:00.001-07:00

Num. Rhubarb cake. This recipe I make is utterly delicious. I made one on Friday...and another today. (In my defense, I brought most of the first one to a family gathering. I only ate half.) Warm, with some coffee (finishing this morning's pot...I've been planning this all day, and saved the coffee.)

Fresh from a bath, Oliver wanted to help me. Feeling amicable, I told him to pull up a chair and had him dump in a few ingredients. Then to turn on the mixer.

Note to self: next time say "only turn it on a little bit" rather than, "okay, Oliver, turn it on." Cuz to him, that meant full. speed. And a flour cloud. And a giggle fit.

He kind of looked like this. Except with flour all over instead of cherries. And two years older.

The giggles brought Elsa, also fresh from a bath over.

By the end, she kind of looked like this.

Okay, not quite like this. Not even a fraction of this. This is a full bottle of power look. Tonight was only a light dusting.

No harm, the cake turned out even better than last time. Making regular recipes to gluten free sometimes takes a few tries to get it right.

Lots has been happening the last few days. I've been feeling productive, and could share...but really, this post is just me trying to delay the inevitable second...okay, third piece of cake...

Following is the recipe. Make it.

Enjoy. Savor. Inhale. Many pieces in a row. With coffee at 10:00pm.

Then I won't be the only one.

***
Rhubarb Cake
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
Cream these then, add:
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Mix:
2 cups flour (I use a gluten free mix. Last year I used regular. Both are wonderful)
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

1 cup butter milk
Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk

3-4 cup rhubarb
1 tbsp flour
Toss together to coat rhubarb, add to batter. Spread in greased 9x13 pan.

1/4 cup butter
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
blend together, sprinkle over cake.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Let me just say...

2010-05-26T16:50:00.000-07:00

"I'm gonna be like you, Dad, you know I'm gonna be like you."
(Quick, name that tune.)

If you arrive at work kinda crabby, and proceed to expect everything and everyone to fall into place around you, it just ain't gonna happen. Work today was sorta...like, ug. I felt like telling a few people to lighten up. But I didn't.

Fortunately, the two monkeys of mine are getting cheerier by the minute. A little oatmeal in their tummy seems to have gone a long way, thank goodness...I was starting to think I had an aura around me that said "Anna's tired, be crabby around her today."

The brightest spot of the day so far was the $29 fix for the Jeep's shaking problem. I was certain there was a broken-something-expensive...but a rotation and alignment was all that was found to fix.

My hour long drive to and from work was made even longer by the lack of radio in the borrowed car. 6 am is even earlier when there's no distraction.

Now, tummies are full, half the dishes are washed, the sun is shining, and a walk and watering some new garden plants are in store.

Let me just say, the day (! it's 7:00 already! Ack!) is lookin' up.

Incidentally, that picture is from last night. Like Oliver's choice of headgear to ward off the mosquitoes?

As usual, a O&E story...

2010-05-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

My kids have been playing church a lot lately. Just this morning I happened to be close enough to hear when they started singing. That's when I heard this:

"Jesus loves me....it is cooooolllldd! ...the Bible tells me soooo"

I had to go in the bathroom to cover my guffaws. Guess I need to clarify a little.

When I got back from wiping my tears of laughter, they had moved on to Happy Birthday. The repertoire in this church is diverse.

This is what happens

2010-05-17T09:49:00.000-07:00

...when a very opinionated little girl finds the new garage sale purchases...
"Mom, I not going to sleep, I just wear this princess nightgown."

Saturday evening we kicked off Cabin season. Oliver was devastated that he didn't get to go out in a boat fishing due to expired boat licenses...until Grandpa took him in the paddle boat.

It didn't faze him that the boat was tied to the dock by about 12 feet of rope.

He put in 3 solid hours.

While I was at work Sunday afternoon, Eric and Oliver went fishing. In a real boat.

This boy L.O.V.E.S. fishing. He's been fishing in puddles around home for the last month.

And he had some great success. This morning's report was very entertaining, he's got the fisherman's talk down to a T...

He left out the part where he was terrified and told his dad he didn't want to catch "that big of a fish again."

If the walls were covered with velcro...

2010-05-13T16:31:00.000-07:00

They'd both be on the ceiling.

This cold and rainy weather is becoming a hazard to our health. A minute ago, O&E were climbing on the kitchen set, then to the back of a chair and bailing off...

Now they're playing soccer with a basketball.

Supper they were doing cartwheels on the bench.

My "stop that, you'll break something" reflex is wearing out.

Tomorrow, today's high temperature is supposed to be the low of the day.

For the safety of my noggin, the survival of the poor Thelma-cat (and the fact that there's city-wide sales in M) I really, really hope so.

A few daily funnies to record for posterity...

2010-05-08T17:20:00.000-07:00

At work today, my patient was "sleeping." After trying many tactics to wake her, I finally asked, "are you just not responding to me, or what?"

To which, with her eyes tightly closed she simply stated, "I'm not responding to you."

Guess I had pestered her to much. Maybe I'll tuck that away for when I'm old and use it then too...

***

Last night, Elsa was insisting on being independent during and after sauna.
... I was paying attention to Oliver when I heard:

"I need a little help over here. I need a little help over here. I need a little help over here."

She had managed to get one arm in the correct hole, and was working on the head; evidently it wasn't going so well...

Spring has gone into rewind.

2010-05-05T18:51:00.001-07:00

The forecast for Friday: Snow. 80% chance of precipitation.

What?!

April was gorgeous. Evidently May is gonna sock it to us.

It's leaving us staring out the window...saying, really?

And, unfortunately, these poor blueberry blossoms may not fare so well. I was thrilled with their number when doing some cleaning in the patch the other day.

And to make matters worse, (in a way) the kids and I went out for a trek in the woods this evening...and found even more blueberry bushes that I didn't know existed. Please snow, don't fall.

A Chicken Story

2010-04-22T16:57:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of the entrance to a cozy little chicken coop. A nice little abode for our feathered friends.

This is the bounty they share with us. All winter, they laid all their bounty in one corner in the coop in a nice, accessible little pile.

They still lay them in a nice little pile...

They just...aren't so accessible.

And each time we find a pile, they pick a new spot. "Never in the same spot twice" or, "how many spots can we hide our eggs?" must be their motto.

It's become an Easter egg hunt. Every day. And they cheat. They use the woods.

The little stinkers.

Our newest arrivals

2010-04-16T17:04:00.001-07:00

We had a busy day, leaving right after breakfast, picking up Eva, hitting up some garage sales (yay for garage sale season!), running a few errands, the library, groceries, and then, picking up 9 cute fluffy additions to our brood.

I intended to get a bunch of meat birds, but the local fleet was out for the time being. We came home with 2 bantams, 5 Rhode Island Reds, and 2 Black Australopes. All but the bantams will be hens, it's a toss up with those what they'll be (a.k.a straight run, meaning they weren't sexed).

The kids are loving them. They would sit and hold them all day if they didn't have to take "naps" and be left alone:)

Getting these chicks came at an opportune time. Last night our dog Sam "ran away" if you get my drift. He had been running/visiting the neighborhood all spring, and nothing we tried seemed to get through to him. Finally, the other day the kids and I went for a walk to a neighbors to check out their baby goats...Sam went nuts. From that and other reports we've gotten about his shenanigans, we had to make the decision to put him down because he was clearly a hazard to any small animals in the neighborhood. It just wasn't worth it. (Not to mention the ticket if the DNR caught him chasing deer) Fortunately the kids are so excited about the chicks, it's helped keep their minds off Sam being gone. They've talked some about him going to puppy heaven, and that "he must have went running in the woods and a reindeer got him." Not sure where the reindeer come in, but sure. They'll miss him, though.

Morning Chuckle

2010-04-14T09:17:00.000-07:00

The scene: This morning. Our living room, Eric looking at Oliver's hair.

"Hey boy, you're getting kind of shaggy."
Oliver, surprised and indignant-like, runs his fingers over his cheeks and chin: No I'm not!

I think he'd be the first four year old to need a shave. Heh.

***

Another gray day in store. I could use some sunshine for drying the mountains of laundry I've been working on. And to get me out of this house and away from the munchies that seem to have consumed me.

But who am I to complain about a little grayness? This picture is from a year ago on a walk to our creek.

Compared to this one from the other day, short sleeves, no hats and mittens or snow-I think we're miles ahead on the nice weather thing, don't you?

One of those moments...

2010-04-11T19:42:00.000-07:00

After getting home from work today, the kids and I went for a walk down to our creek. And I had one of those moments...

One of those, where did you come from, long-legged girl? moments.

Then, (Hi, Oliver!) some moments playing Pooh sticks through the culvert. Sideways, the computer seems to think tonight.

A few moments of reflection...again, sideways. *sigh*

A few moments of study...

And a few moments of enjoying the unleashed feeling of being outside with my kids, on a beautiful spring Sunday, with nothing more pressing than P&J's for supper upon arrival home. Unlike Sam. He was enjoying a very leashed up feeling of frustration...and taking it out on the stroller.

I'm not a fan of this.

2010-04-09T18:02:00.000-07:00

Work, I mean. (Although by my recent track record, it might seem blogging as well.) It's not that I'm not a fan of work, moreso the current schedule we're in the middle of right now. Starting yesterday, I work four days and an evening-which isn't so bad in itself...many people work five days every week, (it is more than I would like...)- What I'm not a fan of is the fact that I work days, and Eric works evenings all those days.

This means I haven't seen him since Thursday afternoon, and other than a kiss hello or goodbye when one or the other of us is sleeping, I won't see him until Monday morning. Harumph.

I'll stop whining now.

On the plus side, it also means the kids are at home/with us most of the day, with only a few hours when we both have to be gone. A definite plus.

Easter was good. Spring is here. The frogs are peeping in the swamp. (That's one of my favorite sounds of spring) Things are starting to turn green. I can just about taste those delicious garden goods. I love this time of year.

Weekend.

2010-03-22T17:09:00.000-07:00

I wore a pair of pants last week.
Went to brunch on Friday morn.
Watched a basketball game, (it was a good one!)
Saturday brought spring cleaning fever, and I scrubbed the kitchen floor.
Washed some laundry-including that pair of pants...and today they don't fit!
Then chased the neighbor dog away...
Put 25 potatoes baking.
Had a crash internet course in chicken butchering...
Set the kids to getting a sauna bag together.
Butchered and cleaned two chickens who met their untimely demise....
Gathered the potatoes, sauna bag and family,
Went to my ma and pa's
And celebrated my Gramma R.'s 87th birthday! She's as spry as ever.
The company was great, food was good and the sauna hot.
Sunday brought chasing away that neighbor dog again...but no butchering.
Church,
Scrambling home to put away a little of the torn-up house that didn't get put back together due to chicken butchering...
And K&D W. and boys over to play and grill hot dogs,
Sunday evening, a chicken in the oven-
Gave my finger a nasty burn.
But it was yummy!

The whirlwind pace of spring is upon us... it's a shock after the relative slow of winter.
And now I've gotta find that one box of clothes...

Progress...

2010-03-17T09:23:00.000-07:00

Change is in the air around here. We're hoping/planning on getting a start on a house this spring and summer, so yesterday, Eric took the bull by the horns and started clearing some trees and brush. Maybe I should say he took the stump by the chain...

Clearing space

Watching in suspense
(note another improvement in Elsa's hair (and Oliver's, but it's under the hat.) They both got cuts the other night, and are looking quite spiffy.)

Pulling stumps...

And he had to call in the big guns. Oliver told Eric "I think you'd better go get the Moline" when the Allis Chalmers was struggling. Wouldn't this have been a great picture of a boy and his tractor watching his dad with his tractor? If only the dog wouldn't have gotten in my way.

And then, the really big guns.

Progress. It's a good thing.

Satisfied

2010-03-11T18:23:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we failed to find the MIA library books. Thank goodness there was Bible class to distract the monkeys. Because today, while I was still in bed I heard "Can we go to the library?"

My "after lunch" held them off for a while.

Then lunch came. And I said after nap/quiet time. Then, seeing there was no getting out of this one, I got busy looking for the books. Flashlight and helper in tow, we searched the house, under, around and behind.

Know where they turned up? In the laundry basket between loads of laundry. Maybe that's a sign I should get that laundry folded.

Elsa woke up from her nap, and still blinking the grogginess out of her eyes, asked "Can we go to the library?" She could hardly believe it when I actually said yes.

Boy, were they clicking their heels as we headed out the door. They were excited to go pick out new books. And you know what? I like that. It makes me not even mind- so much- the two day search.

Songs for today

2010-03-10T13:55:00.000-08:00

Through the window photo grab

Rain, rain, go away, come again another day...

Oh where, oh where did the library books go? Oh where, oh where can they beeee?

Although this temperate weather is welcome and I can almost watch the snow melt, I could really handle seeing the sunshine. I hardly dare to say it, but what if spring is here for good? Have I mentioned the mud? Another sign of spring. It's half a foot deep in places. Spring. Yum. However, this is MN I know the other shoe will fall and we'll get a March-or April-storm.

To break the monotony of being in the house, I thought we'd head to the library and grocery store. No dice. A stack of books have gone MIA. And, since I cleaned in order to have some friends over for brunch yesterday, I haven't really a clue where they could be.

Speaking of, that brunch was great fun; after our trip to Duluth the other weekend, the group of us from around here decided we should make an effort to get together more often. I was babysitting, so over they came. I made a delicious Apple German Pancake, the others brought their contributions, we ate, the kids played and we visited. Good for the soul. The above picture is Oliver cooking up concoctions with some friends.

Sunny and 40?

2010-03-04T11:23:00.000-08:00

Thanks everyone for the well wishes on the last post. I'm looking for the new arrival sometime around early September. (I just made my first Dr. appt, so it's mostly just a guess.) In answer to inquiries, lately I've been feeling pretty good...but the stretch from pretty much Thanksgiving through New Years my stomach was in my throat. It made it hard to enjoy all the yummy holiday food and I'm very happy to have that stretch behind me. We're all pretty excited...and relieved to have made it to this point!

Now, how about this weather? Absolutely gorgeous, upper thirties the last few days. I was watching Thelma the cat this morning basking in the warm sunshine, soaking up the rays with her tummy solar cells, and thought, boy, can I relate to how wonderful that feels. Mmmm.

Think I'll head outside for a walk-

And it's the end of the month.

2010-02-28T18:43:00.000-08:00

What? Where did that go?

It's been a busy one. I've still been working a lot, which makes the day off busy as well...playing catch up.

Oliver just turned 4 last week, on the 25th...and I didn't even blog about it. Huh. He thoroughly enjoyed every minute of being the birthday boy, which around here usually lasts about a week. We usually have a party with each side of the family.

Birthday one..

And birthday two.
(Note Elsa's hair. It began falling out/breaking off in the front over the last two months...and was starting to look like a mullet. I trimmed it between the two parties. It looks a LOT better!)

The days have been full. Many days I've had a full post written in my head, but it just never got typed up. But onward:

This evening I just got home from Duluth and a fun filled girls weekend. This was the view off our deck, we had a "Bridge view suite."

My comrades.
These are the girls I grew up with (plus one, who's sort of a transplant.) The weekend was planned only in the last few weeks, but eight of us were able to drop everything and head to Duluth, a wonderful city that most of us actually lived in at some point in the years following high school. Now we're all but one married, with many kids between us...and it's already five years since we've all been together. How time flies.

It was a wonderful, rejuvenating weekend, full of reminiscence, good food, shopping, and laughing till our stomachs hurt. A great way to usher in spring...(fingers crossed.)

And now. Do you wanna know the real reason I've been a little slow on the blogging lately?

Because there's only one thing that's really been on my mind lately...and I wasn't ready to share it yet...

We're gonna have another baby!

Today

2010-02-11T15:28:00.000-08:00

The thermometer has been getting a work out around here the last few days. This morning the water in the kitchen pipes was half frozen and slushy when it came out, meaning it had to be more than -10 last night. This afternoon was a balmy 25 or so out there. The sun has some warmth to it...winter will still be here for a while, but one can smell spring somewhere out there.

I passed my ACLS class today with flying colors. It's satisfying to have that done and checked off the list. I put quite a bit of time studying for it last week, and wasn't really sure what to expect.
Now I'm off until Monday, and have a lunchtime Valentine's Day party to look forward to tomorrow. A friend is having ladies and younger than school-aged kids over to decorate cookies and such.

Now, today:

Last weekend's snow gave Eric a chance to play with his pay-loader...and make a big pile for playing on. Here's Elsa, working her way up. It's so steep that every step she took slid back half way.

Despite that, they persevered.

Savoring a moment at the top

Gathering gumption.

Kowabunga!

To the bottom...

and up again.

Despite the dishes teetering mile high and laundry to my elbows, life is good.

What would you do with someone with pulseless electrical activity?

2010-02-10T18:25:00.001-08:00

Not sure?

Hopefully by tomorrow I will be certifiably sure of what I'm supposed to do, should the situation ever arise.

Or should it come up in Trivial Pursuit.

Either or.

I've been spending much of my free time over the last few weeks studying for the Advanced Cardiac Life Support (what you do beyond basic CPR) class I have to pass in order to keep my job. Today was day one. It went well...none of my 'patients' died. Sometimes, that's all you can hope for.

I still have to use my cheat sheet a little more than I'd like, but hopefully tomorrow will go smoothly, I'll test out well, and life will be good.

Oh, and the answer is: administer oxygen, provide high quality CPR, monitor ECG, start IV, administer epinephrine 1mg followed by atropine 1 mg...just so you know.

Make that two nights in a row

2010-02-03T09:06:00.000-08:00

Elsa's been completely potty trained during the day for many months, and lately had been doing fine during nap time...I just wasn't brave enough to go the whole night as she was still having a wet diaper in the mornings.

Turns out, she's probably just been lazy. I've worked the last two evenings, so Eric has put the kids to bed. This morning, as well as yesterday, Elsa didn't have a diaper on when I got her out of bed, but has been stone dry. When I asked him why, he looked a little blank and said, "Oh, I didn't? Oops." Oops? Not if she's waking up dry! Cheers to accidentally finding out that *maybe* we're all done with diapers!

I just was emptying my camera and found this. It must have been last night with dad, I guess they were tuckered out!

***

Another Elsa story.

For those who don't know, my hubby works at the local grocery, J&B Foods a couple days a week to make up for the sawmill being s.l.o.w. His uniform shirts are polos that have their logo on the upper left chest. My kids recognize the symbol; any time they see it (ads, billboards) they inform us "Hey, that says J&B Foods!"

Elsa has decided that any and every logo says J&B Foods. If she puts a shirt on that has a little logo in the corner, she says it's a J&BFoods (she says it as if it's one word) shirt.

This morning, when I asked if I could comb her hair, she started searching. For what? The Conair brand comb...which she now calls "J&BFoods Comb." Go figure.

Hello world! We're awake again!

2010-02-02T08:07:00.000-08:00

For the last month, Eric and I have occasionally commented on the tiredness we've been feeling. Eric mostly had a problem waking up in the morning, and I just felt tired and lazy all day if I was at home. We chalked it up to winter blahs, not enough sun/exercise, that sort of thing.

Then last weekend, Eric noticed something. The stove pipe was burned out/rusted through and small amounts of smoke were escaping into the porch. Yikes. Minor carbon monoxide poisoning. Probably the culprit.

This week, we're awake again! Granted today I'm still tired (I worked yesterday evening and didn't get home until 12:30) but it's the normal tired. Not the bone tired, lay around but not really sleep kind of tired I was having. Eric doesn't take getting woke up three or four times to finally roll out of bed. It's a relief to feel normal...and to get something so potentially dangerous taken care of.

We do have a carbon monoxide detector, evidently the amount of CO wasn't enough to set it off...or it needs replacement. The smoke detector that is part of the same thing still works and I haven't made it to a store to pick up a new one.

It's good to be awake.

The Thing:

2010-01-31T17:19:00.000-08:00

Thing one: The kids have bunk beds. They take up half the room.
Thing 2: This means the bed reaches all the way to right below the ceiling light fixture.
Thing 3: The ceiling is probably 7 ft high.
Thing 4: They knock into the light fixture when playing...
Thing 5: And now it doesn't work.
Thing 6: So I told them "Too bad, you broke it and have to wait until Dad can fix it till you'll have lights in your room."
Thing 7: They didn't listen. Oliver took out the light bulb...
Thing 8: And whatdayado when something doesn't work? Bonk it on something.
Thing 9: A shattered light bulb spreads Ev.er.y.wh.ere. Over two bunks and the floor beneath.
Thing 10: Remember how the bed takes up most of the room? That makes it very hard to clean behind. and under. and to change sheets.
Thing 11: Have you ever had to vacuum a top bunk while standing on the ladder, holding the vacuum in one hand and using the hose with the other? It's now a secret talent of mine.
Thing 12: Oh yeah. This was all in the dark.

The thing is: Kids sometimes do REALLY annoying things.

Frosty and Bunny

2010-01-24T18:26:00.000-08:00

So I've been MIA for a few...
many days of work in a row, but I'm looking forward to most of this week off...after tomorrow!!

Tonight:

We made it outside for a bit, and, finding that the snow is perfect for snowman making, we built Frosty. That's what Oliver named him.

And Elsa insisted that we build a bunny. So, meet Bunny. Or Rabbit. They haven't decided.

Happy Sunday!

I'm starting something new...

2010-01-14T17:15:00.000-08:00

posting two days in a row:)

Maybe it's a new leaf for the new year...it just took a little bit to get started. Kinda like other things around here. Such as the fact that the calender on the wall still says December 2009...we're not rushing into the new decade. (although the new decade doesn't actually start till next year. They started with the year 1, rather than 0, so the decade is really from Jan 2001 til Dec 2010. In case you wanted to know.)

Anyhow...

Innocent? I think not.

Elsa pulled a fast one on her Grammie and Grampa while she was there today. She was playing with Grammie and Oliver when Grampa got home from work. She heard him come in, didn't say a thing, got up and went in the kitchen. Next thing Grammie heard was her telling him, o, so sincerly that he should go to the store and get her some M&M's, "Grammie said so." She'd never even mentioned it to Grammie, and Grampa thought it was true...

She ended up with some M&M's.

The kid can work the system...and she's only two!

You slacker! He says.

2010-01-13T12:03:00.001-08:00

Eric's right. That's me. Blogging slacker...been uninspired lately(or possibly, lazy.)

The weather finally warmed a bit, and we've actually been able to go outside for more than minutes the last few days. Yesterday the kids rode in the sled and we made a large loop through our 40 acres. Good fun, and a workout for mom.
The chickens are even venturing outside the coop, also kicking in and laying a few more eggs.
Despite the relative warmth, the walls are still closing in on us. The walls are much to close in this house, as it feels as if the kids can bounce from wall to wall...
I made it out of the house last night to play hockey with a group of ladies. Quite a workout for these legs, considering they haven't skated since I've been married. Only one bruised cheek from a classic wipe out:)
I read a great book last weekend. (Didn't do much else...) Day After Night, by Anita Diamant. Historical fiction based on the true story of Jews immigrating to Israel after WWII. They were stopped by the British and placed in a camp much like concentration camps...very good read.
Oliver has spent all day helping his dad outside. His day just isn't complete if he doesn't get to 'work with dad.' Elsa and I have been enjoying some time alone...FYI playing playdoh is rather therapeutic.
Interesting fact: A truck part that is $33 here costs $100 in Sitka AK. Someone is enjoying quite the markup, I'd say (This thing is little and plastic, no way it costs that much to ship some up there.) So, we'll be mailing the part to K&R...
Another funny thing: Last weekend when the whole continental US was in a freeze, Sitka AK was one of the warmest places in the country, enjoying weather in the 40's. Really throws people off when they hear that. Sitka is actually has a much more mild winter that we do here, rarely getting below the 20s.
And one 'small world': A lady I worked with for a day at my new job is a traveling nurse who worked here in the past, and was back for a month or so and picking up shifts...where do you think she is currently living and working? Sitka. And she works at the same hospital as you, Jen! (Her name is Anita, and I believe she's an ICU nurse there...)

Happy Wednesday!

Sunday evening.

2010-01-03T15:53:00.000-08:00

What better way is there to spend a frigidly cold Sunday evening than cuddled up with new litebrites that finally got batteries?

And me? The Sunday paper and crossword. Yum.

Although cold, winter sure is cozy.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T14:03:00.000-08:00

Christmas tree and decorations down. Check.
Top bunk of bunk bed finally finished and usable. Check.
Laundry half done...and folded and put away. Check.
Nap taken. Check.
Play outside in zero degree weather with kids. Check.
Firewood hauled in. Check.
Hot chocolate warming. Check.
Good way to start the new year. Check and double check.

Happy 2010!

Peace on Earth

2009-12-28T18:09:00.000-08:00

Ahh.

The week of Christmas was filled with much hustle and bustle around here, but at this moment, I'm enjoying a cup of tea, early bedtime for the kids and some peace and quiet. And a moment to reminisce.

Credit on the photos to my talented friend Jennifer. She does wonderful work.

The days went by fast, but much fun was had. All of my siblings were home at some point for the holiday, and it was wonderful to see them. (For those who don't know, we're about as spread out as any siblings can be while staying in the states. California, Massachusetts, Georgia, Alaska, and in the middle, me, at home in MN.) As usual, the uncles riled up the kids, spoiled them rotten, and left us with memories to tide over until next time. It doesn't get much better than that. (My camera was evidently far from my hand...not many photos to share. And these are SOOC...no cropping or nothin'.)

We went to my uncle and aunt's on the Isaacson side to enjoy Christmas Eve; sang carols, visited, good food...and no pinata. Piece of advice: start a pinata more than four hours before you want to break it...even with the aid of a hair dryer, it won't be ready. In spite of that, the evening was still a good time.

Anyone need a half-finished pinata?

Christmas morning everyone slept in. The kids didn't rise until after 10, and being as we had two parties to attend, I didn't even attempt to make it to church. Instead, we enjoyed a more leisurely *late* morning together. Santa was good to all, and hit the jackpot with Oliver's shotgun. Talk about a little boy's dream come true. He had shot a some bear, deer and a couple eagles within hours...despite Great-Gramma R.'s admonitions that he shouldn't, because "Eagles are a national symbol." No convincing this young hunter.

The afternoon spent with my mom's side of the family, then the evening with Eric's. (Where Elsa was given this adorable doll.) Lots more food, presents and fun. Then all of a sudden, the day was over. Another wonderfully full and enjoyable holiday. And a snowy one as well!

Today saw me straight back to work, and boy was I dragging. But as icing on the cake, I came home to a freshly cleaned kitchen and bathroom, as well as supper on the stove. Num. A good way to bring in the new week!

Have you gone fishing today?

2009-12-21T09:33:00.000-08:00

They caught lots of big fish. True story.

The count is down to three days. Fortunately the kids are young enough that they aren't pestering about how much longer.
Still a present or two to find...but nothing to serious.
And wrapping.
And a little cooking.
I finally got Christmas cards on Saturday. Filled out, handed out and mailed almost all of them by yesterday. How's that for quick turn around?
The new job is awesome. Back again this evening and tomorrow, then off for a long weekend. My schedule for the next bit while orientating pretty much ROCKS, with lots of four day weekends.
The kids are playing church. They've got babies, are sitting in their booster seats lined up on the floor and singing slow, made up, Jesus loves me like songs. Then I hear "there's three more songs. We're at Runeburg." :)
Just found out there's a 90% chance of snow for Christmas Eve and day. Ah well, it'll be pretty.
Two of my brothers are in the state! They'll be home in a few hours.

And the funny of the day:

Oliver to Elsa: "Get your finger outa Dad's nose. You're gonna wreck it!"

Whew. And Yay!

2009-12-17T18:07:00.000-08:00

I survived- and enjoyed!- the first day of my new job today! I was right, the learning curve is going to be steeep, but I'm looking forward to putting this rusty brain to work again. The people I worked with today were great; accepting and full of laughs. Just my style!

Back again tomorrow, then making Christmas goodies with my mom and Katrina tomorrow evening.

Happy Weekend!

P.S. Why is it my kids have a recent infatuation with playing in-and making a mess around-the bathroom sink? Why not with picking up toys or something useful?

Good for the armpits!

2009-12-14T07:40:00.000-08:00

Last night at supper, I was cajoling the kids to finish their sweet potatoes so they could have desert by telling them "Nom, nom, eat 'em up! They're good for your eyes!!"

To which Elsa raises her arm, points at her underarm and says "Good for the armpits!!"

:)

Check!

2009-12-13T15:22:00.000-08:00

Christmas tree, up and decorated.

Two fun helpers.

Even Thelma was intrigued.

Merry Christmas!

Saturday

2009-12-12T12:21:00.000-08:00

Wahoo! I got every single thing on my list and only a few impulse buys yesterday (and those were a few clothes for me...jeans to replace the two with new holes in the knee, and some great boots!) The only problem was that I was so fixated on the list I had made, that I didn't contemplate the few people who's gifts I hadn't decided on...but knowing what I was looking for was a wonderful way to go!

I recently realized my growing son was quickly stretching out of his winter coat. Of course, during garage sale season, I picked up a size bigger for Elsa, and she still fits in hers from last year. Oliver? Nothing. How annoying. So I found him a coat yesterday...he wore it out to the mill today with his dad... and got oil on it. How typical. I didn't even get mad. It's a given that new gets stained on the first wear. Garage sale finds will stay clean forever...

Today I'm dragging from a late night Christmas partying last night...not a whole lot getting accomplished but I'm still hoping to get a tree and set it up today. Good thing there's a tree farm about three miles from here!

Wish me luck...

And December is zipping along...

2009-12-10T08:00:00.001-08:00

leaving me in it's wake wondering where the time is going.

Last weekend was Amanda R. and Gordon H.'s wedding; very beautiful. My sister and her hubby are now here from AK and will be through Christmas. (Russ and Gordon are brothers, married to first cousins who grew up together:) So they were both involved in the wedding.)

Today I have to somehow make the kids room spacious enough to fit in a set of bunk beds. My in-laws decided the kids needed bunk beds. They're the type that decide something like that, then go buy what they want (unlike me, who would look at garage sales and thrift stores for years before buying new...). I'm a little on the fence about fitting such large beds for small children in a tiny room (Really, they could share one twin bed...) but who am I to turn down new beds? They'll be great when we have a new house and maybe more kids...

Tomorrow I'm headed Christmas shopping. So far my stash consists of a pack of gum for each kid's stocking (they had a 3 pack for 99 cents yesterday at the grocery. Can't beat that! Especially when they love gum so much.) I did order one gift online yesterday, but hope to find most of the rest tomorrow. I have a pretty comprehensive list of the gifts I need and where I should be able to find them, so hopefully all will go well! It should be fun, Katrina, our mom and I are going together.

Saturday we'll make it feel like Christmas and put up a tree. That's the plan anyhow...

Stay warm!

Happy Birthday!

2009-12-02T08:11:00.000-08:00

First of all: Happy Birthday to my hubby! You're gettin old!:) Love you!

I've been a slacking blogger. Mostly, I've just been catching up on family time after working extra hours over the last weeks. The weekend was a goodie, with a quiet family meal with the in-laws for Thanksgiving. (I say quiet, because there are 8 adults and our two kids in the usual family gathering there. Compare that to the 50 or 60 plus with the R. side of my family, and it's quiet.)

Friday was a relaxing one at home, then a warm sauna at my ma and pa's. Eric worked all weekend.

Saturday the kids, their Nanna and I ran to the cities for a cousin's wedding.

Oliver was very concerned Saturday morning when we were getting ready to leave.

"Mom, I want you to wear a skirt, not a dress." and "Mom, my baby (his baby has lots of opinions) doesn't like big ol' poofy dresses. You should wear a skirt." and on and on. I wasn't sure what he was getting at, but I kept assuring him that yes, I would wear a skirt. (Eric said, "Great, I don't even know the difference between a skirt and dress, but Oliver does...")

Turns out he didn't want us to be in the wedding. The next questions were "Mom, are you gettin' married?" then "Nanna, are you gettin' married?" He was happy to hear us say no, that we were already married, but wasn't fully convinced until after the wedding when he said "You didn't get married!!" with a big, relieved smile.

Maybe the poor kid will be able to relax and enjoy the next cousin's wedding this weekend!

Life is busy!

Because it makes me smile...

2009-11-23T08:12:00.000-08:00

I've had this comic saved on my desktop for quite some time. Because I've been at work (still the old, boring job) six of the last eight days (which means I've been gone more than I've been home...including the hours I sleep. Sick, isn't it?) and therefore don't have much to say, I decided I'd share this. It's pretty much the same as a glimpse of home anyway.

(Except my kids are cuter...winkwink.)

Very familiar. Makes me chuckle.

Details

2009-11-18T06:31:00.000-08:00

Details? You want details?

The wonderfully, spectacularly exciting job I was offered yesterday is at the DL hospital, in the ICU. It's part time, with the option to pick up more hours if I would like. I'm working way more than I would like to be right now, so more time at home will be wonderful. I'm not sure, but I think it'll be mostly night shifts and I'll have to work every other weekend. That'll be a change, but right now, I'm perfectly willing to work with it! Fortunately Eric can be relatively flexible with his work as well. Benifits and a pay raise help make that more persuasive as well:)

I won't be starting until mid-December, in order to give my current employer time to make the needed changes in their staffing. Plus it'll give me time to review all the nursing knowledge I haven't really used in the last year...

I'm incredibly excited about this move. It'll be challenging, (something I have virtually NONE of in my current job) and the learning curve will be steep. I'm pretty sure the first months will be hard and that at times I'll wonder what I've got myself into. But I'm ok with that.

The downside is that I'll be starting about a week before Christmas...talk about some hectic holidays!

Here's to good changes!

WAHOOOOIEEEEE!!!!!

2009-11-17T14:06:00.000-08:00

I got the job! I got the job! I got the job!!!!!

15 minutes ago I was seriously crabby about them taking an extra day to call, but hey, it's all good now. Other than the ulcer in my stomach.

I GOT THE JOB:)

Unsuccessful (?) hunt

2009-11-14T14:34:00.000-08:00

The result of Oliver's first foray into the woods hunting deer: a sound slumber and his dad having to carry him home. But only after sitting for a few minutes, then stating "Dad, I don't think the deer are coming."

Probably a better use of his time, they've not been big on the hunting success this fall.

It'll be a shocker

2009-11-14T09:08:00.000-08:00

when it's -20 and sunny.

Oliver's convinced that no matter what, if the sun is out, it's warm and summer. Just now I overheard him "Elsa! The sun came out! (It peaked out for about 10 seconds) We can go outside to play!" I'm tellin' ya, it'll be a shocker come January.

The job interview went well, I had a good feeling when I was leaving. Of course, I spent the next hours rehashing everything, "I should of said this instead..." I should hear on Monday what the verdict is. Keeping my fingers and toes crossed. Thanks everyone for the good vibes:)

Off to throw the kids in the tub. They were washing dishes, which evidently turned into a soap-up-our-hair-with-hand-and-dish-soap-fest. And to mop the floor...

The sun keeps peaking out-enjoy your Saturday!

Whirlywind

2009-11-11T07:27:00.000-08:00

It's been one of those.

In no particular order:

Working way more than I would like to right now.
Elsa was sick over the weekend...5 days of not eating, throwing up, diarrhea, temp, sleepsleepsleep, and just sitting around looking miserable. Poor thing. My guess is H1N1...
A warmer November than October. Its a good-very good-thing.
Our chickens are laying eggs like mad. The last three days: 5, 7, 8. We have 10 hens. Eggs, eggs, eggs. We love eggs.
Some wonderful friends came over last night. Good times. Helped my problem mentioned on Facebook the other day: "Egads! Between my work-which is very solitary-and having a sick kid keeping me home from church (and a wedding), I'm in desperate need of social interaction!!!" Thanks Joan:)
Raked leaves and hauled them to the garden on a tarp. The kids got to ride on the tarp while I was dragging it...talk about a good workout!
Ate a watermelon yesterday. Have you ever had watermelon in Nov? Last one from the garden. I miss the garden. I really, really miss the garden. But I do love the un-yons (Elsa speak), peppers, squash, pumpkins, potatoes, green beans and carrots that are hanging out waiting to be devoured.
Packed those carrots in sawdust...we'll see how many months they last.
I have an interview tomorrow...and butterflies like mad today. I want this job. Wish me luck. Keep your fingers crossed. Say a prayer. What ever it takes. I want this job.

And a story.

You know how stores have music playing, but most of the time you can only sort of hear the background music and singers, not the actual song?

Well, the other day, the kids were listening to tapes. I found a basket full of kids tapes at a garage sale; Cinderella, Snow White, Rumpelstiltskin, and one treasure: a karaoke tape of songs from my youth, the wonderful and talented Backstreet Boys. Yay.

Elsa loves it. My dear, sweet little two year old has fallen for a boy band. She puts it on and sits in front of the tape player and listens to this horrible background music: ladedada, Let me shooow yooouu a piece of my heaaaarrrt.

So the other day, she put it going and Oliver pipes up, "It sounds just like at J&B Foods!!"

Elsa, stop coloring on that potato with a crayon and other such foolishness.

2009-11-03T17:16:00.000-08:00

And you thought crayon and potato didn't go together in a sentence. Ha.

To continue the foolishness theme:

Floppy eared, two toned bunnies. Elsa refused to wear her brown shirt and it turned out Oliver didn't have any brown pants. Such is the life of home-made costumes.

They were much to shy to say Trick-or-treat, but managed to get a few handfuls each before saying it was "too cold" and "scawy." It was all good.

Bunk beds, four year old style. They kept telling the rest of us to "be quiet, we're sleeping." Right. Look comfy?

And the best kind of foolishness: when you get to make others look foolish.

At Amanda's bridal shower the other week. Put the paper on your head and draw the bride in her gown with your crayon. The bride's favorite is the winner! Entertaining to watch.

Heh. With summer gone, we gotta find our entertainment where we can.

Such as prancing on the couch in your skivvies, singing "bare naked, bare naked," and doing the "high jump" off the back of the couch...ahh, or not.

bed time, here we come!

Hope your November is filled with foolishness:)

Magic Pumpkins

2009-10-28T16:04:00.000-07:00

My kids, well, they're young. They're just getting to that remember from year to year what different holidays mean stage. So when I launched into a "Hey! Let's carve pumpkins!" announcement, it was met with "Uh, okay. Here we go again, she's lost it" looks.

Never fear. In a stroke of wisdom, I pulled out the new birthday book Elsa got from one of her Uncs (at least I think it was an Unc, the only clue was the address on the package, and we don't know anyone named Amazon.) and we read about Max the bunny and how he went Trick-or-treating with his little orange pumpkin pail. I explained how Oliver had dressed up as Robin Hood (he LOVED Robin Hood,) Elsa wore a cow hat, and they went trick-or-treating last year. Then I explained that trick-or-treating is essentially looking funny and begging for candy. And that another thing people do at Halloween is carve pumpkins.

After that, it went something like this:

"So, should we go carve pumpkins?"

Resounding "Yeah!"

Alright.

Gathers pumpkins, knives, nose-picking-children and husband.

Draw pictures of what we'll carve. Start digging. (Notice Oliver's very apt tshirt. heh.)

Begin carving...
and carving.

And then:

Oliver: "We're gonna carve the pumpkins, and then they'll turn into CANDY!"

Catching on. It's a gradual process.

Pew. Seriously.

2009-10-22T19:12:00.000-07:00

Of all the *wonderful* tasks a person gets to do once they become a parent, one that ranks right up there at the top of the list is poo in the bathtub. Seriously, pew.

I must say I'm very glad I happened to purchase bleach the other day.

*entire readership runs for the hills* I'll stop there.

Off to make a cup o' tea. Much more pleasant.

Cackleberry Gone Soft

2009-10-21T09:48:00.000-07:00

Hmm. What is wrong with this egg?

1) It has a tail.

2) There is no shell!!

One of the odder things we've seen with our chickens so far. From the little bit of Googeling I've done, sometimes a chicken will simply lay an egg without a shell. Often it is the first egg she lays, but it can happen at any time. "It just happens."
Very, very odd.

Happy, Happy Birthday

2009-10-19T13:51:00.000-07:00

Hello, lopsided.

You're officially two. How did that happen?

Fun, fun weekend.

2009-10-19T12:50:00.000-07:00

This weekend was our 17th annual R. ladies weekend. It's a wonderful tradition that started with just our grandma and her girls/in-laws, and has spread to welcome the next generation. For a large family (great grand baby number 50 was with us this time!) it's a great way to reconnect at lest once a year. I became the default last-minute planner, and found us a vacation rental in Red Wing, MN. Because the planning was last minute, many weren't able to make it-they were missed (and missed out)! The photo is missing some of those in attendance.

It was a wonderful place. We very much plan on going back there in the future as it's a gorgeous house, affordable, has room and beds galore, is very scenic and relatively close to most of us. We truly could have stayed right on the premises and been thoroughly entertained.

Last week, we had snow and cold, cold, cold. Just in time for the weekend, the sun came out, fall arrived and we were treated to absolutely beautiful weather.

Hiking Barn Bluff. The way the bluffs in this area rise out of nowhere is gorgeous. (I know, I look like I'm gonna pop you one. Maybe I will. I do have a mean left hook.)

Stairs on the hike. Lots and lots of stairs. They are from the devil. Or so Claire thought at this point.

The mighty Mississippi from the top of the bluff.

A certain milestone is being reached this year by our eldest cousin-she went home with many, many treasures. We have birthday parties with style.

Gut busting laughter: it's good for the body.

Yup, lotsa sophisticated humor. We should be set for a while after this trip.

A few randoms

2009-10-15T08:27:00.000-07:00

Sitting as far away from the candles as her chair would allow...she wouldn't blow them out.

There's a blanket of snow covering the ground. I must admit it is beautiful.
But still. Much to early.
Our chickens are laying eggs these days. Yay!
We weren't sure if they were all laying in the coop. I thought we should be getting more than we were.
Turns out, it wasn't the chickens-they were doing as directed.
Caught red handed (or is it red pawed?): Sam. Dadgum dog. (at least he'll have a luscious coat, eggs are good for that.)
We've also discovered that we have another rooster. All of a sudden, a third 'chicken' was crowing. Humph.

My brother Carl has been here from GA. He's achieved rock star status with my kids. Especially with Oliver. That Unc is just plain cool.

Need a good way to make yourself look gray haired for Halloween? My kids have discovered the solution: Gold Bond Foot Powder. That stuff covers very well and doesn't come out.
I'm headed out tomorrow morning for a R. ladies weekend. Wahoo! We're off to an awesome looking vacation rental house by Red Wing. Should be a wonderful time.
Here's hoping the weather shapes up for us!
Now, I better be off to accomplish the list of things before I can leave: make soup to bring for tomorrow supper, make supper for today, buy a birthday present, stop at the library, do laundry, fill out a job application, pack...best get on with the day!

A little Mama on my hands.

2009-10-11T15:52:00.000-07:00

I'm currently watching my daughter play with her new kitchen set, and trying to decide how I feel about my two year old daughter having more working counter space than I have. Humpf.

We had an early birthday party for Miss Elsa yesterday. I think we hit the jackpot with the Little Tykes kitchenette we gave her. The grin on her face was priceless, along with the whispered "ooo" and "yeah" and "nice" and other such awe-struck-little-girl noises. I hauled it in from the car after morning church today, she played with it until afternoon church, and now she's going on two hours straight. (To sweeten the deal, the set was $10, the pots, pans and bowls around $4 and the plastic food $1 all from thrifts and garage sales. One pot set at Target was more than that!)

Love hitting that sweet spot with gifts. It's fun to see her imagination come to life.

I would share pictures, but my camera is MIA. Now, off to enjoy the Sunday paper and these moments of quiet. Ta!

Check it out!

2009-09-28T08:53:00.000-07:00

Listening to MPR's Midmorning this morning, I was excited to hear a program about a website called GoodGuide. It is precisely what I've been looking for (although I couldn't have told you this was what I wanted...)

I feel it's important to have good, healthy meals/snacks/cleaning products/everything else we use day to day, and have been trying to focus my shopping to reflect that (not always successful, but hey, we'll get there.) I have always been frustrated by how daunting it is to actually find out what goes into products, where the ingredients come from and whether the claims are accurate. For example, claims of "natural" are not regulated and don't really mean anything. Organic is much better and does have requirements, but there are different percentages of "Organicness" (technical term there) and many issues that can slip through those cracks as well. How does your average Anna-trying-to-shop-with-kids-in-the-cart know what is good, better or best?

And, now I have my answer!

http://www.goodguide.com/

It started as a university research project, and although it is no longer affiliated with a school, it is not supported by any companies who would get preferential treatment in return, or any other such thing. It gives good, easy to understand ratings based on hundreds of factors, and you can see how it does in the category most important to you (health, environment, etc.)

For me, the biggest thing is decreasing the amount of sugar/high fructose corn syrup/additive-preservative junk in foods I buy. And cleaning products. I hate cleaning products. I don't buy them. They don't make me feel clean, they make me feel high. Poo. Bring on the baking soda and vinegar. And the elbow grease.

Check it out. I've already been surprised by a few products I buy! And maybe I'll find a few cleaning products I like. My elbow grease tends to run out.

They even have plans to make a deal where you'll be able to use a cell phone, scan the bar code of the product you're looking at and it will give you the details. Nifty, eh?

That might even convince me to get a cell phone!

A gray, deary day...

2009-09-22T08:03:00.000-07:00

With cousins over to play.

This usually makes me smile, as the group gets along pretty well. (Incidentally, these pictures are from our vacation, and have nothing to do with today...other than the pining I have for still being there. And, because my mind is stuck in today, I'll not get to sharing details of our adventures either. Some other day...)

But today....hoy-vay!

This one woke up bawling and utterly inconsolable...

This one forgot to take his brain with when he got out of bed...

Scenes like this are nonexsistant this morning.

I finally stuck on the rainboots and shuffled them all outside. A little steam needs to be burned off...and maybe I'll get a chance to finish a cup of coffee...

Ahh...

and to dream of these days.

***

Late addition:

After a few hours of threatening Oliver with removing his bedroom door if he didn't stop slamming it in his sister's face, timeouts X ???, and informing him that "I don't care if you don't want to play with Elsa, you will let her play... Give.Her.That.Toy.Back." the rest of the day went quite well, I would even hazard to call it fun:)

Message to Joan:

2009-09-17T10:14:00.000-07:00

Hi Joan!

I just had to let you know, both Oliver and Elsa went to bed with "Baby Aila" last night...

Guess she made an impression last time we saw you!

Back to the real world

2009-09-16T14:23:00.000-07:00

Sand...sun...

and smiles.
She's got a thing for this pose these days.

That pretty much sums up our trip (I'll try share more once I get through the pictures...) Today saw me jumping right back into the 'real world' with a 5 am alarm...made me wish I was still out of town. All in all, it was a wonderful vacation!

Oh, goodness.

2009-09-08T20:33:00.000-07:00

I just got those punks back to sleep.

A few minutes ago Oliver was bawling in his sleep (symptom of to much fun, not enough sleep today) and wouldn't stop.

So he woke up Elsa.

And kept bawling. He eventually became coherent enough to say "I want my cookies back."

I finally picked him up and took him to our room, where he promptly stopped bawling and fell back asleep...

but when I walked out with him, Elsa wasn't going to miss out on a late night treat and started bawling "I want cookies, too!!!"

Fortunately, she was easily convinced that the only cookies around here are imaginary...

A vacation!

2009-09-07T11:26:00.000-07:00

It's pretty much official.

We'll be headed to the UP early Thursday morn.

We like to plan way ahead on these things.

Going here....

Enjoying this...

and this.
And visiting and a lot of relaxing and enjoying each other.

For the first vacation Eric had gone on since the summer Oliver was a baby. I'd say he's about due. Here's hoping for the beautiful weather to continue!

Welcome Fall!

2009-09-04T08:02:00.001-07:00

First of all, thanks to everyone who took the time to read and comment on the last post. Your support warms my heart. Last fall was hard, but we're in a good place around here these days. Time heals, and life is good.

***

Fall is in the air. The nights are crisp (crisp enough that some of the taller plants in the garden got their tops frosted the other night!) and some trees are changing color. I'm not sure I'm prepared to let go of this summer, it was so beautiful and the weather so wonderful! I love fall...but then comes winter. Ack!

Yesterday was a fiasco around here, but it turned out to be a productive fiasco. I started out by straightening up the porch (We built a 10x10ft porch on the back entrance of this trailer, it houses the wood furnace, washer and dryer among other things.) In this process, I knocked the hose that drains the washer out of it's drain pipe. And neglected to notice. Then started a new load of wash. Then went outside.

Then noticed the water leaking from under the wall...

And came in to about an inch of water covering the floor.

So what was a simple straightening became an all out shop-vacing, washer-moving, dark, mysterious corner cleaning afternoon.

But it's all good. The dark, scary corners were cleaned, and I came out $12 richer!

The cleaning spilled over to other areas of the house, so I ended up with a rearranged and cleaned living room as well. Wahoo!

Today list is being made as I go. I was supposed to work, but my client is in the hospital so I get to enjoy another day off. Happy fall!

A year ago.

2009-08-31T08:12:00.000-07:00

A year ago today, I was pregnant.

A year ago tomorrow, I wasn't.

I had/was miscarrying. Miscarriage is one of those things a person doesn't really think about, doesn't really think will happen, until it happens to you. I had had two healthy babies, and assumed life would continue along that path. That a pregnancy would lead nine months later to a beautiful little person. Then, I miscarried.

Intellectually, I understood that it happens, and that when it does, it's for a reason. That reason really has nothing to do with you, the mother, more to do with something not being right with the baby. That there's really nothing you could do. However, that knowledge doesn't fill the void it leaves when you realize you're loosing your baby, that you'll never get to know this little person.

It doesn't take away the moments that take you off guard. The times when I glance up to see my two kids playing across the room, and in my mind see a third sitting on the floor, playing with them. When a friend comes to tell you with excitement that she's expecting, and is due when you would have been. And as happy as you are for her, as much as you want to convey happiness, all that comes out is "I'm miscarrying." When your arms just feel so empty.

And suddenly, there are babies everywhere.

The next few days were ones of functioning. Waiting to pass the fetus, then when I did, wrapping it in a little blanket, putting it in a shoebox, burying it, saying a prayer together, as a family sending him up to heaven.

It began to fade. I adjusted to the idea of not being pregnant. Started making plans that don't involve fitting a new baby into life. Even went days without thinking about it.

Then came the due date. And suddenly, it was fresh again. My arms felt empty again. And once again, there are babies everywhere.

Then, once again it begins to fade. It will never go away, it can't. He is a part of me.

As hard as loosing a baby was and still can be, I am thankful that I have been blessed with healthy children and a wonderful husband. It is immeasurably easier to fill these arms when they are feeling empty when there are little bodies to fill them with. They are living comfort.

My other comfort has been faith. Knowing that my child will not face the trials of this life, that he (I've always thought it was a boy) is safe up in heaven and that some day, I will get to meet him. Shortly after the miscarriage I had a dream. It was utterly vivid, and in it, my little, precious bundle of baby boy was sleeping quietly, in the arms of my grandfather. In that lies the greatest comfort, knowing that Grandpa is taking care of him until I get to be there to take over. Until then, he will always be in my heart.

***

Going through a miscarriage can make a person feel stranded, alone. It's hard. It's loosing a baby that you're already so in love with. Typing this, I've had to stop multiple time because of the tear streaming down my face. I hope that in sharing this experience, someone who is feeling that pain will find some comfort, knowing that you're not alone and that as hard of a place it is, you can, and will, make it through.

***

I had to end with my two tales of happiness, the joys of my life, each on the day they came into this world.Mr. Oliver. Going on four already. Yikes.

And our princess, Elsa. Almost two.
Able to cross her toes (think like crossing your hands) at birth.

Now go hug the ones you love.

Tickeled my funnybone #5682

2009-08-26T12:31:00.000-07:00

As he hung onto my leg yesterday, he jumped back and said "Ow!! You got WEEDS growin' there!"

In the evening, we could hear a siren going by in the distance. He jumped up, ran to the door, and said "It's a firetruck! Mom! Can we go to the parade?"

Maybe I should shave my legs more often...

Nah.

On a roll...

2009-08-25T12:21:00.000-07:00

I love days like this. So far this morning:

Three loads of laundry on the line.

Picked a bucket of chokecherries

Cleaned them

Juiced them.

Picked potatoes
Cucumbers
Summer squash
Beets
Onions
Parsley
and made them into a delicious lunch, along with steak. I tend to make a large lunch on days when Eric has to work the evening. That way, we still get to eat a real meal together. Plus he doesn't have to find as much to eat for supper!

Making meals is a pleasure right now. There is an abundance of healthy produce in the garden, and it's all so delicious. When every single thing we had came from within 10 miles of us, I'd say a it doesn't get much better than that!

So far, we've had a productive day. This afternoon I hope to finish making jelly and syrup, as well as some laundry and house work.

Here's to those days when you just get things done!

Now if all days could go so well...