All in a Day

Catching up???

2011-12-03T10:08:00.001-06:00

I don't think I will ever get my calm, peaceful life back. Things have slowed down considerably now that swimming and soccer are done, and I for one, like it. The kids do not...they like going places, and it adds variety to our days.

I have pictures of Aaron's and David's birthdays I need to figure out and make posts, and then there are several things I'm hoping to blog about.

We'll see...no promises...

Did I really ask?

2011-09-26T21:34:00.002-05:00

Did I really ask about what would be next? He has been into bookshelves, eggs (yes, cracking and playing with several,) and now got into the gentian violet. I don't know if I can take this anymore. I'll have to decide if I should post a purple picture or not...

We had a soccer practice tonight and will have a game on Thursday. The kids (I had six extras for a couple miles) were hyper so I sent them all to run with the seniors as they were finishing up their practice later than we finish.

Tomorrow Tracy has a dentist appointment so we have to leave at 7:00 am. Some of us don't even know what things look like at that hour so it should be an interesting trip. I suppose I should figure out some lunch for Mike to feed the kids. Emily thinks she wants to go to McDonald's so will probably go with us for the trip.

I think that's it for now. Some of our friends had a baby who is now 12 days old so I am working on some meal ideas for them.

Empty Cupboards

2011-09-25T12:36:00.002-05:00

Well, I came home last night to find David had been playing with my pots.

This afternoon I came home to find he had emptied my pans cupboard.

Now he is busy playing with water and a squeezer with glasses on the kitchen floor.

What will be next???

Time Flies

2011-08-29T12:06:00.000-05:00

Things have been busy, but I didn't realize it's been over a month since I last posted. One of these days I'll have to give a run-down of what has been happening, but at the moment we are getting ready to head to town. :)

Attention-Getter

2011-07-20T00:01:00.000-05:00

My husband has decided that he has not been getting enough attention so on top of his emergency room trip the other night, he sliced his wrist and had to get stitches Monday at work. I would think there are other ways to get attention...by doing it this way, he has become a pin cushion. Poor guy!

This and That

2011-07-19T05:49:00.000-05:00

Things have been going well.

It has been so hot that I have just been sitting around, not doing a lot other than drinking.

We try to hit the pool several times each week.

The air conditioners have been a blessing.

Mike decided he wanted some special attention so we spent several hours in the emergency room with kidney stones. (I guess that is one way to get some time alone in the car with your wife.) :)

This week is a calm week, so far, on our calendar. I'm sure it will fill quickly though; it usually does. I had thrown around the thought of going to visit the grandparents during this week (a couple weeks ago,) but I think I will stay at home in front of my air conditioners.

Jason's 13th Birthday

2011-07-18T05:25:00.006-05:00

Jason celebrated his 13th birthday last week.

Here he is in the pool during his WOW swimming, and then we shared doughnuts with all the kids that were there that day. I had made blueberry muffins to bring, but we left them at home on the table.

He invited a couple friends over for a few hours.

We had pizzas, fruit, and Dairy Queen cake.

He spent a lot of time playing various "electronic" games that day and even practiced his piano lesson songs.

He got a couple gifts plus a card in the mail earlier in the week.

We still have a raincheck out on his cornbread and hamburger gravy for supper. It has been too hot to eat a meal like that.

Sacked out...

July 4th Cookie

2011-07-07T14:48:00.002-05:00

Jason took time and decorated a flag cookie for me. :)

Iron Man

2011-07-05T00:09:00.003-05:00

I went "all-out" this year and bought wrist bands for Jason, Emily, Melissa, and Laura to go on the jumping rides at the 4th of July celebration. They had a blast except at the end when they lost two hours because of the coming rain.

David and Laura and I were down there as they were inflating the rides. I was sitting by the one called Iron Man. As it inflated I told David, "Look, it's going up up up." He looked up and said, "Up." Then he kept looking at it saying "up" as his face got more and more horrified. He started backing up saying, "Up up bigger Mommy bigger." I was having hysterics at his expense!!!!! I so wish I would have had a video camera on me to catch the expression on his face as he backed away getting more and more scared saying "bigger Mommy bigger."

Poor little guy...I hope he doesn't have nightmares of huge men coming to get him! :)

"Smiley-Guy"

2011-07-03T00:52:00.002-05:00

Refreshing

2011-07-02T12:32:00.001-05:00

Wednesday while Aaron was at his guitar lesson, Jason and I walked down the the river. I lay down on the bridge and just let the gentle breeze blow over me. It wasn't too hot in the day yet...

Sleeping Boy

2011-07-01T00:49:00.000-05:00

David put himself to sleep Monday evening.

Hide-n-Seek

2011-06-30T00:47:00.000-05:00

Hiding in the bookshelf...

Steam-Roller Art

2011-06-29T00:40:00.000-05:00

The girls went to the library and did the steam-roller art again this year. Cutting out all the pieces was still a huge challenge, though Emily was able to do it herself this year, so Tracy and Jason got the joy of helping them cut pieces.

Proud to be an American

2011-06-28T00:26:00.002-05:00

Our local hardware store does projects with the children a few times each year. This past week they made these American flags. I thought they were so cute! (and I didn't have to deal with the mess)

Breakfast for Supper

2011-06-22T20:10:00.001-05:00

Our grocery store has eight week's worth of advertising coupons running right now. I took advantage of them and one day last week we had some breakfast for supper. If I remember correctly, the eggs and the pancake mix were $.59 each and the potatoes and sausages were $.79 each. The strawberries were a yummy addition!!!!!

Mike's Birthday

2011-06-21T01:15:00.001-05:00

We needed more candles than I could fit on Mike's blueberry cheesecake for his birthday so I just put a few on it. He's still full of hot air. :)

His parents came up Saturday to visit and also took us out to eat. They left for home Sunday after church.

The Joke is on Me

2011-06-20T00:42:00.004-05:00

I went to look for some pictures on the camera to enlarge for my wall and found these:

I don't think I will be using any of them! :)

Visitors

2011-06-12T00:47:00.003-05:00

Mike's parents are up visiting for his birthday. They stopped by and left some stuff and visited. We had blueberry cheesecake with lots of candles. Poor David...when Mike blew out the candles, he started to cry. He wanted to blow them out so I had to re-light one for him when he got his piece, which made him happy.

After all of that, we headed to town. We met Mike's parents and they took us out to eat. We went to the pool for a while after that. Later on this morning, we will have church, a lunch, and then they will head home while I take Tracy and Emily to a picnic in Roseau for their Bible Bee group. I am hoping to squeeze a nap in before youth group tonight! :)

This and That

2011-06-11T06:47:00.003-05:00

Emily and Melissa had a fun and busy week of vacation Bible school. They even took Laura one day. She had fun during the VBS, but on the way home and for the rest of the evening she was more full of cries and clings than "normal" so I didn't take her again. Maybe next year...

We bought a shed and Mike, Aaron, Tracy, and Jason are having "fun" putting that up. I got a bike, and once we got the seat raised as far as it will go, I finally have enough leg room to ride. I'll have to do some practicing now.

We didn't get it done yesterday or Thursday, but we have been having biology, physics, geography, and Spanish videos playing at various times throughout the day for the past month.

Tracy and Emily got their Bible Bee boxes, and Tracy has been working hard on that.

We went to Bemidji for church last Sunday where some missionaries were speaking and got the box of stuff we had for them to them. Their kids are 1 1/2 years older than when I originally tried to get it to them so I had to do some swapping of things.

Some of the kids have been practicing swimming skills, but we haven't gotten to the t-ball skills yet--too many mosquitoes!!!

Mike's parents will be here today to help celebrate his birthday, which he had yesterday. He spent his day out in the mosquitoes putting up the shed.

Smiley Guy

2011-06-07T15:15:00.002-05:00

Melissa's 7th Birthday

2011-06-06T14:50:00.002-05:00

We woke Melissa so she could get ready to go to Bemidji to Grandma's house for two nights and to Putt-n-Go for a fun afternoon.

A birthday lunch of chicken and rice hotdish and kiwi...

A funfetti cake with seven candles

Much-desired Zoobles

A frog nightgown

In the car and on the way after lunch

Another cake--one that we could share without it melting

An egg found leftover from the Easter hunt

Sacked out

Miscellaneous Happenings

2011-06-05T14:42:00.001-05:00

We have a mowing job for the summer. It is a big yard and takes over three hours with the two riders and a push mower going. There is a tire swing in the yard the girls enjoy swinging on, and the lady let the girls pick her tulips this spring, much to their delight. I also am able to use her garden plots. I only tilled one though and hope to plant it soon.

We have been doing some "summer" school--Spanish, physics, biology, and world geography. We had the first test in Spanish, and I had to tell Aaron he was "sick" because he scored better than I did even though I do all the work. I never was good (and still am not) at learning. I like to tease that I got by with school because of my good looks. We are also going to be doing some "formal" music lessons for the summer with some of the kids.

Thursday evening we had our first evening of track so some of the kids ran the 400-meter, the 200-meter, and the 100-meter. We then went to the pool afterwards.

Played-With Toys

2011-06-04T14:42:00.002-05:00

The girls enjoy their ponies and care bears so I frequently end up with pictures like this on the camera.

Coloring Eggs in May

2011-06-03T14:35:00.001-05:00

We colored a couple dozen eggs for Easter and then colored another batch in May. I was trying to get a good picture of the kids and finally just told them to stick their tongues out.

Tracy's 17th Birthday

2011-06-02T14:24:00.002-05:00

Tracy celebrated her 17th birthday May 4. The younger children were excited about her cake and had to put candles on it even though Tracy did not want them. :)

Just Horsin' Around

2011-06-01T14:16:00.001-05:00

We visited my parents over Easter weekend. She has pictures of all the kids on her horses so we had to continue the tradition with the youngest three. Thanks, Jeff, for all your work in getting the horses out for riding! (Sorry about the undignified positioning in the middle picture!) :)

Laura Got a Cubbies Award

2011-06-01T14:07:00.002-05:00

Laura attended the Awana Cubbies program this past year and enjoyed herself. Here she is at the closing program getting her awards--a bear, a certificate, and the patches for her vest.

Lawn Mowers

2011-05-24T13:14:00.000-05:00

AAArrrrggggg!!!!!

I Am Alive

2011-05-05T08:30:00.001-05:00

Busy Days Once Again

2011-04-21T00:19:00.002-05:00

Last night Tracy peeled 10# of potatoes for me plus three yams. I worked on making some meals for a couple families and will hopefully deliver them today. I also have our meal almost ready to go but forgot to buy the dry onion soup mix. I will have to check out the Allrecipes site as I am sure there is a homemade one.

We had Awana awards last night, we went to the park, we watched a couple cows and calves be moved, I did some shopping, I took Laura, David, and the dog for a ride, and we bagged up lots of clothes we were given and will not use to "pass along."

A Tractor Ride

2011-04-11T17:40:00.002-05:00

The kids got to go for a tractor ride today, thanks to our friend Mark.

Emily's New Smile

2011-04-11T00:49:00.003-05:00

I splurged and bought a Happy Meal from McDonald's when we were on a road trip. Emily claimed the smile. :)

David

2011-04-11T00:37:00.003-05:00

David pushes the chairs around the house where he wants them and then does climbing tricks. Here he is up on the computer desk trying to get the "hello." He sure does love phones.

We were having a try-on party of dresses for Laura, and she decided David needed to try on a dress also. Poor messy-faced boy!!!

Laura is Swinging

2011-04-11T00:18:00.002-05:00

Laura learned to pump on the swing the other day.

More Busy Days

2011-03-18T00:28:00.000-05:00

I have not gotten much accomplished around here (or even there!) so just wanted to write a line and let people know I still am alive. :)

Busy Days

2011-03-10T23:31:00.001-06:00

Well, we just got home, and now we are leaving again. Hopefully we will see some of you soon!

Laura's 4th Birthday

2011-03-03T12:12:00.005-06:00

Laura celebrated her 4th birthday at the end of February. She is mostly an "easy-go" girl so we did not plan anything "special" other than the cake I made for her.Playing in the bedroom

Someone said something funny!

Smashing crackers for chicken nuggets for lunch

Laura and most of her "loot"

Praying for her lunch

A tiara and a ring on her cake

Skateboarding

Asleep the next morning since I usually fall asleep long before she does at night.

Swimming and Such

2011-02-26T02:56:00.004-06:00

Well, it has been a wild and crazy week. Mike was on nights so we decided to hit the pool a couple times. Tracy, Jason, and Emily had swim team practice, and we stayed in town over the supper hour then went to open swimming. Wednesday Tracy and Aaron played floor hockey. Melissa and Laura gave the lifeguards a job on Tuesday, and David gave the lifeguards a job on Wednesday. Melissa had taken Laura and bounced her out too deep, similar to what Emily did to Melissa a couple years ago, and David decided to walk off where there weren't any steps. I have figured that the lifeguards have come to the rescue for all the kids but Tracy and Aaron (at least I cannot think of a time right off.) Tracy and I ordered new swimming suits, which should be coming today by UPS.

I have been full of aches and pains and woes. My throat has been hurting the "strep" type of hurt so I ran in for a culture. The rapid test showed negative, but I can find out after noon today what the culture shows. I cannot imagine what it would be if it is not strep. My hand is also out of place, causing pain when I do even simple things. I keep saying I should just go to the chiropractor but don't. The last time I went in and got it fixed, I put it out the very next day slamming it against the wall trying to keep my rocking chair from falling backwards on me. :)

We have had yummy (and fattening) breakfast foods this week because I have sets of coupons for free eggs along with cheap sausages, hashbrowns, and biscuits. One of our stores ran a series of eight week's worth of coupons for mostly good deals so I took advantage of them.

David turned 15 months on Thursday, and Laura will be 4 years old tomorrow. She got two cards in today's mail plus a package by FedEx.

No School/No Work

2011-02-20T22:46:00.004-06:00

There is no school up here tomorrow in honor of President's Day. Mike does not have to work either. On the down side, Tracy is not happy about there being no swim team practice. Oh well. We do have an offer of stacking wood we will have to fulfill, but that should not take long with a few of us.

We had a day full of sunshine today. I made meatloaf and Swedish meatballs for meals then had "cardboard" pizzas for a bedtime snack. Now I am just about ready to head to my bed.

Carrots, eggs, or coffee?

2011-02-18T02:43:00.002-06:00

I found this in my folder when cleaning files off of my computer. I pulled it off a friend's blog a couple years ago, I believe.

You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again.

*****************

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.

Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see."

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain.. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.

Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

It's easier to build a child than repair an adult. !!!!!!! This is so true.

May we all be COFFEE!

The Cupcakes

2011-02-15T10:30:00.001-06:00

Valentine's Lunch

2011-02-14T13:56:00.002-06:00

I know it looks like a breakfast meal, but this was our lunch. :) Pancakes, eggs, sausage, and hashbrowns (not pictured)

Tracy worked on heart-shaped sugar cookies with the younger kids yesterday, and I have some cupcakes I am hoping to get frosted with swirled red/pink coloring.

I am hoping to get some fajita-style supper made, but we will see. I guess I will not get much done sitting here. :)

I am sure some of the kids will be swimming today, and I have to drop off the recycling stuff and get a few groceries at the store.

Have a great day.

Home Again

2011-02-13T23:26:00.002-06:00

Tracy, Emily, David, and I made a quick trip down south. Tracy went to Snow Feast in Kimball, and the rest of us barged in on my brother and his family for the night. I got to see my friend and my grandma too. I wanted to see my aunt, but it turned out to be out of the way this trip. We stopped in Bemidji and Brainerd also for very short visits.

Laura got a bed from my brother so is very excited about that. I think Tracy will be too, once Laura sleeps in it. :)

Mike leaves for work in five hours; I should probably try to head to bed.

Potatoes

2011-02-10T00:25:00.002-06:00

I never will understand my family's eating habits. Lately they have not been eating much so I prepared that way for supper, telling a friend I would save him a plate because I had thrown in a few extra potatoes plus a yam. Well, I had to hide a plate of food for him! :) That is good though; it means people are starting to feel much better.

Tonight at Awana was a busy night; the secretary and I did not get everything done we needed to do, and next week is the end of the quarter, meaning that will be busy too. We have to count who did the most sections in each grade and get jewels figured out for those who get them along with our regular work. I'm rooting for Melissa's getting the most sections in her grade! She did a good job learning the books of the Bible this quarter. :)

I should go to bed so I can get up in a few hours to take Mike to work. We were to pick up the car today, but it wasn't quite ready for us. The man will bring it to work tomorrow for Mike so I don't have to make a second trip to town.

Tracy leaves Friday. She is going to a youth conference in Kimball.

Friday

2011-02-04T21:43:00.000-06:00

I think some of us are starting to "come out" of this sickness that has plagued our house for the past week. We have not gotten much done except sit around. Nobody is even interested in food, which is an ordeal in itself here. :)

Riding the Blanket

2011-02-03T06:04:00.002-06:00

One of David's newest activities is riding on the blanket while someone pulls him around the house.

The Day's Happenings

2011-02-01T23:01:00.002-06:00

Today was one of those wild yet calm days. I did not feel stressed out even though we were busy. Around 10:45 I got the call that my glasses were in so bundled up and went to Baudette after the vehicle was done complaining about the cold. :)

I got my glasses, we went sledding for a few runs (I think Melissa lasted the most at four treks down the hill,) and even stopped at McDonald's for lunch/a treat. I also dropped off our electric bill.

When we got home I did not have much time before Mike got home from work so we quickly did our "2:00 clean-up." Less than an hour after Mike got home, I left with the older three kids, and we stacked wood for a friend for 15 minutes before heading the rest of the way to town where Tracy and Jason went to the pool for swimming. Aaron kept the car warm while I did some errands.

When we got home, I made some chicken nuggets from part of the breasts I got for 99 cents a pound, and just a bit ago I finished pulling the rest of the meat off of the bones (after they had boiled.) I will probably try to make a pizza or some sandwiches with that meat and soup or gravy with the broth.

Now most people are in bed so I should get my teeth brushed after doing a bit of clean up. Have a great day tomorrow!

A Quiet Evening

2011-01-31T00:38:00.002-06:00

I enjoyed a quiet evening last night. Tracy went to a planning meeting before youth group so I hung out at a friend's house while he took Tracy to youth group. I did some mending for him first, then I worked on some of my pictures of Aaron and Jason for their books, I made some cookies, went to the store and got a few groceries, and then sat and read my book while waiting for them to get back. Mike was the lucky guy who got to deal with all the noise here, which really isn't noise until you start giving out the orders. If I had the camera on me, I would get a picture of the messy living/dining room, which hasn't been straightened up for three days now. The little girls keep invading the house with their toys and Polly Pockets and My Little Ponies! I find them in the living/dining room, kitchen, bathroom, my bedroom, and sometimes in the back hallway. :)

Turkey Dinner

2011-01-27T05:20:00.003-06:00

Last night I made a turkey dinner for some friends. Their son had been given a turkey from his place of employment for Christmas, and they have had it in the freezer. I cooked it up, cut a bunch of the meat off, and brought that over along with potatoes, gravy, cranberry salad, frog eye salad, jello, stuffing, vegetables, and buns for a yummy dinner to share. Tracy also made a French silk pie, and we had ice cream.

I now have meat leftover for some meals plus the rest of the meat I didn't bring and the bones to cook down for soup! I've also been offered another ham so will have to plan some meals around that in a couple months. We are still working on our ham Mike got at Christmas time from his place of employment.

I bought my anniversary flowers yesterday also, along with the flowers I usually get for the Awana leaders for Christmas. Okay...so I am a month behind... :) At least it is getting done. :)

Going, Going, Gone!

2011-01-23T23:37:00.003-06:00

Mike said to mention that "sleeping potion" was one of the things in the stew. :) I also had some hidden zucchini and squash I threw in. Nothing too major...

Clean-Out-The-Fridge Stew

2011-01-23T16:40:00.003-06:00

Today was the day to make a stew for supper. I had some ham I did not throw in, but there is burger, beef roast, pork roast, chicken, turkey, and a variety of vegetables in there from meals over the past 1 1/2 weeks. I also put in some "unmentionables," but I'll wait until later to disclose them, if anyone is interested. :)

Of Showers and Cows

2011-01-21T09:07:00.003-06:00

Is it appropriate to tell your smelly teen-age son there is "no food and no Wii" until a shower is taken? I say this in the light that when I mention how he smells, his dad just laughs and says, "He's a boy." Well, I understand that, but this is not a third-world country, we have plenty of water and soap around here (the water is even heated,) and it's not as if he is out physically working, earning the stench. This is a matter of, "Please take a shower; it has been two weeks." I self-admittedly stink right now because I took the little kids to see a new calf that was born. The first time Laura and I saw one, it was around 1/2 hour old. David and the calf are checking each other out. It weighs three to four times as much as he does! These last two pictures are the heifer that was born yesterday afternoon, which we got to see around 3 hours old. She was a frisky little thing, jumping all over the pen.

"Christmas" Dresses

2011-01-16T07:19:00.003-06:00

I sewed a lot of dresses for Christmas time this year. The three girls along with the three girl cousins on my side got dresses like this. (Well, if you count the baby's. We were not expecting a girl and didn't really have enough material so I had to piece something together.) Emily does not like her dress though so I'll probably cut it apart and make the baby a new one when she gets a little bigger so she can match her sisters.

I also sewed a purple "Tinkerbell" dress for the cousin on Mike's side, but I don't know if there is a picture of it. She would not try it on; she likes Rapunzel better now. One month goes by quickly for "name-brand" things.

Happenings

2011-01-13T08:39:00.003-06:00

Last night the 9th through 12th graders had floor hockey in the gyms for FCA so the Awana-age children made use of the school's pool. Mike "kept charge" of the hot tub while I skipped out to do some grocery shopping. (I think I got the better end of the deal!)

Tomorrow we are planning to head to Buena Vista to go downhill skiing. I bought some lunchmeat for sandwiches on the way home and plan to make some cookies. The kids do not usually eat while we are there so I have learned to tone down on the meals for the day.

Everyone is doing well.

CRASH!

2011-01-11T06:45:00.002-06:00

Last night Jason was on the kitchen floor warming up on the furnace when he flew out of the kitchen. There was a huge crash, and my whole rack of food came tumbling down, rack and all. It has been leaning more and more over the past 12 years, and I guess this was the time to fall. :) Now I will have to organize that stuff and see if we can get the rack back on the wall.

Thursday Laura went with me to bring Jason to his orthodontic appointment in Roseau and again yesterday to bring Aaron to his dentist appointment. About five or ten minutes from home each time, she asked, "When will we get home? I want to play." Poor girl...

I finally got my letters to the grandparents from last week sent yesterday. I had them ready to go and could not find the stamps. They were in the checkbook which was in the car in town. We had to have two new hubs put on, but at least the car sounds much better, after a year of noise. It also got new license plates so has a clean slate once again.

Emily is 9!

2011-01-07T05:21:00.004-06:00

Emily had her 9th birthday on January 2. She, David, and I made a trip to Bemidji to go to church and pick up Tracy.

When we got home, we made chicken nuggets and a mixture of "store-bought" fry-type things. I think there were curly fries, tater tots, and onion rings.

Emily had seen and requested this ice cream pizza. It was a chocolate chip cookie bottom, ice cream, chocolate chips, and caramel drizzled over the top.

A couple gifts:

Playing the Wii with Jason...

She still wants to go to the glow-in-the-dark mini golf so we will have to set a time aside and do that one of these days.

David Said "Hat"

2010-12-31T09:22:00.001-06:00

Yesterday at lunch time, David said, "Hat." Now, there really is nothing unusual about that; he has been saying that word for quite some time.

This time it was a riot because he took his plate full of food, put it on his head upside down, and said, "Hat," while giving the cutest grin which turned into a laugh when he got our attention.

It was a camera moment, but the camera wasn't in my hand!

David

2010-12-16T07:30:00.004-06:00

Which picture of David should I enlarge to put up on the wall and give to the grandparents?
Oops, I think I need to run the red-eye checker through on the last batch of pictures I uploaded.

Pumpkin Fun

2010-12-16T07:14:00.006-06:00

The younger kids got a pumpkin from a party we went to back in the middle of October, and we just got around to carving it last week. It had one "heart" ear and one "crescent" ear. I did get enough pumpkin for one batch of bars, but the other went moldy before I could get it processed. It has been a busy time around here.

David enjoyed checking out the inside of the pumpkin and even decided to taste the "pumpkin guts," much to Jason's and Emily's dismay!

I Snagged a Few Deals

2010-12-16T07:04:00.004-06:00

I pulled out some coupons the other day and ended up getting the ravioli for 30 cents a can and the ketchup for 60 cents a bottle. The Chicken in a Biscuit were $1.49, which is a good deal for me since we like to eat them at "Christmas" parties, and the hot chocolate was 19 cents because I spent $10.00 at the store. I also pulled the trick of shopping for someone else so stuck a few things of mine into his cart so I could get the deals on the limited items such as butter for $1.99 and then paid him back. So "crazy" were my receipts that I had to give him a hand-written one though. :)

David's First Birthday

2010-11-25T23:22:00.003-06:00

David turned a year old on Wednesday.

Here he is all happy in the morning.

A lunch of grilled cheese with tuna was on the menu.

Here we are heading to town...

...about a minute later David was sound asleep.

We spent a bit of time waiting at a friend's house until her husband came home from doing chores.

David LOVED the balloon!

Looking at the fish and other animals at Soulutions was on the list of things to do.

Enjoying some birthday cake...

"DON'T TAKE MY CELL PHONE AWAY FROM ME!" was David's cry when Jason was trying to get it out of the packaging.

Sleeping at the end of the busy day.

Snow

2010-11-18T22:12:00.002-06:00

Well, you would think we "Minnesotans" would not become excited about a little bit of snow, considering we have winter eight months out of the year, but I sure have seen a lot of excitement on Facebook and blogs about it. :) Here is my two-cent's worth:

SNOW!!!!!

More Busy Days

2010-11-17T02:02:00.003-06:00

I just cleaned up my e-mail "Inbox." It is handy only having to scroll through a few things now. :) I try to keep it around 20. Earlier I made some cookie dough, three different types of cookies, and a pan of bars. Hopefully they will stick around long enough for Mike to have some for work each day this week. He will be leaving for work in a couple hours. He just got off of a five-day weekend, works four days, then has the four after that off. It is a ROUGH life but someone has to live it. Ha ha ha :)

I wrote my preliminary food list for Thanksgiving, and it looks so good that I might have to have a trial run at it this weekend sometime. :) I'll have to get the kids' handprints for our annual handprint turkey cookies too.

In the meantime, here are some "fall" pictures of some of the kids in the leaves.

Busy Days

2010-11-16T02:32:00.002-06:00

As I just about head to bed (I need to press the charge button on the water softener after the washer fills for the last time,) I am enjoying the peace and quiet of the house. I am so thankful I got a nap earlier this evening because Laura was up well past midnight.

For the past two weeks I have been trying to keep up with the housework (not very well, I'll have to admit,) trying to do some school work with the kids, running errands, and sitting with our friend while Aaron helps her husband at the farm. I do not see the schedule getting lighter anytime soon.

I have started sewing on the "Christmas dresses" which is going to prove to be a big project. I do have one all done already except the zipper. I am debating on making a purse-type thing with that one, and hopefully the recipient will be greatly excited about getting the dress. I know her mom will. :)

I am also working on an assortment of pictures, but I need to go buy some more pages to get one of the projects done. I did get some pictures mailed out to the grandparents yesterday plus bought stamps to get the rest sent to people.

Today is Mike's last day of his five-day weekend so we will have to make him some cookies and bars for breakfasts and snacks.

Have a great week!

David, David, Candle Blower

2010-11-01T19:14:00.002-05:00

Aaron is 15 Years Old!

2010-10-30T20:16:00.002-05:00

Aaron did not want to do anything special for his birthday and would not even choose the foods he wanted to eat so he ended up with eggs, sausage, and hashbrowns for breakfast, chicken nuggets and fruit pizza for lunch, and pepperoni pizza and cheesecake for supper. He received a couple cards in the mail, Facebook greetings, a phone call, and a "pen light" is on its way in the mail from us. Here are a few pictures. As you can see, he is REALLY appreciative of the camera. :)

David is 11 Months Old

2010-10-26T14:07:00.003-05:00

David turned 11 months old on the 24th and has been keeping us busy. He is walking about 1/3 of the time now, he gets into EVERYTHING, he loves pencils (which I have written before) and wooden spoons, and he climbs.

Thursday

2010-10-21T23:31:00.003-05:00

Today was a relatively calm day. We did not do much, but that turns out alright because tomorrow will be extra busy.

David really enjoys pencils, which really scares me. He can find a pencil where there was none before, it seems. He even knows how to sharpen them. Every-so-often I will hear the sharpener going and find out David is the one who is there. He has been walking more and more too.

Tomorrow some of the kids will be going to geography club. I will have some of the other kids and will be sitting with a friend who has liver cancer. Aaron is going to go out to the farm with her husband to see if he can be a hindrance. No, really, I hope he will be able to help in some way, if just keeping company.

I have a load of laundry calling my name. The buzzer on the dryer we have likes to buzz several different times to give us a second, third, and sometimes fourth chance. :)

It sounds like tomorrow will be the last "really" nice day for October. We have had so many that I have been thankful for. Last night I had a bonfire for the little girls since we did not have Awana due to no school today for the public schoolers.

Tuesday

2010-10-19T22:52:00.000-05:00

Today was a calm day, compared to some. We did some school work, bummed around, Mike treated us to pizza with some of his soccer "thank you" money, and we watched "Swiss Family Robinson." Jason and Emily had read the book as part of their reading project this year, and all the kids were laughing at various points in the movie. Yesterday Tracy had a violin lesson, and tomorrow Mike goes back to work after having a five-day weekend.

David's Newest Batch of Baby Gifts

2010-10-18T17:19:00.004-05:00

David got these gifts from the friend that attended his birth. She had wanted to get him stuff earlier, but I told her, "No, he doesn't NEED anything right now!" Now was the perfect time; he looks so cute in the outfits. :)

His favorite toy---the lawn mower

Last of the Garden

2010-10-18T17:02:00.003-05:00

Here are the last of the beans from our garden and the tomatoes that we got this year. A friend gave us a big box of tomatoes that I canned and got 14 quarts from so that was good.

Out of 24 squash and melon seeds I planted, this is what I got. I guess I cannot hide any squash in our food this winter. :)

Another friend was done with her garden and told me to take what I could use so I grabbed some carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and tomatoes that were there. I made some "California blend" and froze it along with two separate bags of broccoli.

David Walking

2010-10-16T22:00:00.003-05:00

David has been taking lots of steps since September 20, when he took the first two to Mike. Here is a clip of how he has progressed since then.

Soccer Tournaments

2010-10-08T23:21:00.002-05:00

The tournaments are tomorrow. We will be gone all day again. :) We have been invited to the corn maze afterwards.

Clean Teeth

2010-09-30T19:43:00.002-05:00

Today I had a dentist appointment. My teeth were very stained because of our water softener not working. I am so glad to have my nice-looking teeth back for a while!

Tonight Mike and the four older kids are at soccer practice. The little ones and I are working on cookies. At the moment, one is on the computer and two are in the bathtub.

Today we went to the park and then got a small treat at Dairy Queen before heading home.

A Little Bit Muddy

2010-09-29T00:39:00.004-05:00

David decided to head outside to play in the mud the girls made up by the house.

I guess he wore himself out. :)

Famous Last Words

2010-09-25T13:57:00.005-05:00

I gave instructions to each child this afternoon for an outside job. I told the oldest two to "clean out the shed," and this is what I got. I had actually been considering this for a long time but have never been ambitious enough to do it. It sure looks nice!!!

Does anyone want this smoker?

Ahem...did I say it looked nice???

(all the junk they took out) LOL!!!!!

Emily did a great job of cleaning out the sandbox so I took the tiller to it.

Jason was supposed to be picking up stuff from around the yard and putting it by the sandbox, but I don't think he did very well. I will have to go out and point some things out to him. He is, after all, a boy. (Most of this is what Emily took out.)

Laura and Melissa (along with a tiny bit of help from Jason at the end) put the soil from the box garden into a can to save for next year.

I took down the garden area and got most of that tilled. I still have carrots and onions in it, if they produced. Most of what I have pulled out of the garden this year has not been anything worth mentioning. I will see if any of it is picture-worthy. I had been lamenting about not having enough beans to can, but after thinking about it, I have never had enough beans to can from my garden. The beans I canned came from a friend, and she did not get many this year.

David crawled around where the excitement was best at the time. Here is a picture of him earlier today.
Dumbo-dog is barking at the shovel while Jason takes dead bean vines to the woods and Aaron tills the horseshoe pits.

Checkbook

2010-09-23T00:25:00.003-05:00

I need a whistle or a call-back feature on my checkbook. I seem to always misplace it because I am so scatter-brained. I have been "missing" it for the past eight days, but I KNEW I did not lose it. I finally took the time to think back on where I was and what I was doing when I had it last and found it in the little van. :) I cannot spend any money though--I only have three checks left. I am here on the computer to order more plus send an e-mail. I wonder what else I will get distracted with before I actually complete the tasks... :) I put my last two stamps on bills to mail so will have to hold off on a letter to Mike's parents.

We have been busy with soccer, Jackpine, soccer, youth group, soccer, playing, soccer, school, soccer, shopping, soccer, cleaning, soccer, Awana, soccer, etc. I am sure you get the idea. I did manage to make a pan of bars for Mike's breakfast, and yesterday afternoon Tracy made him some cookies. He has a bag of chips on the counter, but I do not know if they are a good flavor or not since they are still there. (Or maybe I did not let him know they were for him!!!!!)

I hope everyone is asleep. I will get those checks ordered now.

This and That

2010-09-17T00:58:00.002-05:00

Tonight I am wishing for another refrigerator and freezer for the weekend. My family is growing by three teenage boys, and I have been making food for the Jackpine Retreat.

I still have a bucket of apples in the refrigerator I would like to make into apple crisp, and I would like to make some blueberry muffins for a friend and possibly visit her for a few minutes tomorrow.

I made some refried beans for our taco dinner Sunday and splatted them out of the blender onto the ceiling. I certainly hope nobody gets a piece of my spoon because it is a tiny bit chopped up. ha ha ha (I guess I was not trained well in blending foods.)

Tonight I sent Mike and the older four kids to town for soccer practice and sent them a list of stuff to do afterwards. I was called about an hour later with the sound of, "Are you coming to the meeting?" I TOTALLY forgot about the meeting I was supposed to attend so threw the three little ones into the vehicle and headed to town. That is the fourth trip to town we made today.

David is getting ready to stand on his own and maybe take a step or two. We have caught him standing alone a couple times already.

Aaron and I picked up one of our lawn mowers from being repaired from one of the Jackpine boo-boos, and I about died when I paid for it. The belt was a dollar over the twenty I was expecting, but the labor is what got me. They had to nearly tear the whole thing apart to get the belt on.

After we picked it up, I had Aaron do some mowing at the church building. There was some sort of problem, and the deck is now smashed. He said he could fix it with a pipe wrench though...

Melissa wanted a fire when we got home so I made her a small one. It was not as much fun without the big kids though--she only lasted around two minutes. It was enough to make her happy though. I suppose part of it is that we had no more marshmallows to roast. :)

We have a gentle rain falling. I also have the radio going. I love the "Music Through the Night" programming.

Hmm...no new pictures to post.

I will see some of you this weekend. The kids have a soccer game tomorrow afternoon.

Soccer Game

2010-09-15T07:43:00.001-05:00

We had our first soccer game yesterday. Both the junior and senior teams lost but played hard.
If anyone who is coming to Jackpine is interested, they have games on Friday at 3:00 (Jason and Emily) and 4:30 (Tracy and Aaron) in Warroad as if packing for camping is not enough to cram into your day. :)

Happenings

2010-09-11T20:32:00.002-05:00

Sunday
Church
Tracy went to a CTI concert.

Monday
Tracy and Aaron went to water balloon volleyball.
Mike and the four older kids went to a soccer practice for the juniors.

Tuesday
We did school work.
Tracy and Aaron had soccer practice.

Wednesday
We did school work.

Thursday
We did school work.
Mike and the four older kids went to soccer practice while the younger three and I did errands in town and went to the park.

Friday
We did school work.
We had a long day because we were supposed to have a soccer game which got canceled.

Saturday
Mike, Tracy, Aaron, and Emily went to a Kid's Day at our sporting goods store.
In the evening we were invited to a birthday party.
Aaron is now at a Bible study, and Tracy would like to drive to go pick him up.

I did not get letters sent out to the grandparents this week so hopefully some of them will see this. :) We did a lot more, but it is the "little" things I usually write to them about.

Three Down, One to Go

2010-09-08T18:36:00.002-05:00

Well, we now have three mowers out at the Jackpine campgrounds not doing a bit of good. :( Did I ever mention I think mowing is a waste of gas, time, and everything else?????? It does smell good when it is freshly mowed though. :)

Canning

2010-09-06T23:54:00.001-05:00

I have been busy canning tomatoes, applesauce, peaches, and jelly. We have been busy with soccer and other activities and will start on the fourth week of our school year tomorrow. Other than that, life has been happening; it is quite busy. :)

Congratulations, Tracy!

2010-09-01T23:47:00.001-05:00

Tracy studied hard this summer memorizing Bible verses and studied the book of Colossians. Saturday she was in a competition in the cities. She placed 6th for her age group! Yeah, Tracy!!!!!

Itasca State Park

2010-09-01T01:47:00.006-05:00

We finally made it to the state park with the youngest two kids.

David at the base of the tower. Because of the HUGE amount of people and limit of six on the tower at a time, I didn't even bother trying to take him up. Had he been awake, I would have considered it.
Laura climbed all the way up.

David at one of the pine trees.

Crossing the headwaters of the Mississippi River...

Trying again...

Art Around the World

2010-09-01T01:17:00.005-05:00

Back in July, three of the kids went to some art classes. They studied three different countries and then did projects. They also discussed a bit of poetry.

Here are Jason's projects:

After the art classes, we went up to the depot where they were doing steam-roller printing. Here is Melissa's printing getting ready to be inked.

Here she is watching the steam roller.

Her projects:

Emily's projects:

Laura was too young to attend the classes, but she was able to take part in the steam roller printing.

Water and Rocks

2010-09-01T00:37:00.004-05:00

Emily and Melissa went up the North Shore with my mom and my brother and families. Emily begged to take the camera and came home with 258 pictures--mostly of "water and rocks," as she stated. :) Here is a sampling...

Imaginary Numbers

2010-08-26T14:44:00.001-05:00

We are pretending to have numbers in our house. I am glad they do not run up our food and gas bills. :)

Clean Living Room

2010-08-17T15:26:00.001-05:00

Last night when the kids went to bed, our living room was a TERRIBLE mess. This morning we jumped out of bed and headed for town so the kids had no time to notice I had stayed awake to clean it. We got home this afternoon and had this conversation:

Melissa: Who cleaned the living room?
Mom: I did.
Melissa: All by yourself?
Mom: Yes.
Melissa: Wow, how did you do that?

Ha! I guess I am not known for cleaning "all by myself." :) Usually I tell them to pick up their stuff and then throw the rest away.

Mom Strikes Again

2010-08-04T23:37:00.004-05:00

I, as the Mom in this story, am getting very tired of striking again. Three strikes equals an out in baseball. Twelve strikes equals a perfect game in bowling. I am somewhere inbetween. I have been sitting at the computer trying to ignore life and crabby children for the past several days. (Poor Tracy has had to deal with it all... Thanks, Tracy.) I just wish I had a job to run away to like Mike does. He leaves earlier and earlier each day, it seems. Today it was 4:20-something when I opened my eyes and he was already gone. When he comes home, he has his computer stuff to do then sits and listens to messages/programming/old movies/whatever.

I had children in to the doctor again today, but I guess I wrote that I was going to yesterday. I think the doctor was starting to respect me a bit after I was in last time (this is the same doctor that told me I was putting my life on the line for having a home birth instead of a C-section last fall and walked out on me,) and today I think that respect was added to even more. I took David in for his ears. Well, he does have that same infection in the ear that she wouldn't give me medication for last time, only worse so she did give me the medication. I wanted to do a strep test for Melissa. Well, she took one look in her throat and didn't even bother with the test. I had to pipe up that I wanted Laura tested because I don't think she ever got better after the last medication. She told me it was my money but did swab her throat and walk out of the room. (I wish I could have known what she was thinking at this point.) However, she came back in saying the rapid test was positive and asked me if there was anything else. :)

We got medication for myself and Emily also though she would not give me liquid for Emily. Here we go for the long haul...when you can't swallow a pill, you chop/grind it up and put it into food, right??? Ha! I pinned her down, all the while listening to her pleas of no, she didn't want to take it, it was yucky, choke, choke, choke, cry, spit, scream, choke, etc. All the people at the pool heard her cries and who knows if people at the park did also. I don't know how they couldn't have! In the end she did win and didn't take it! She managed to spit out every little tiny piece I had chopped up and threw up the rest that I ground into powder and put into some chocolate and peanut butter (along with the rest of the contents of her stomach.)

Back to the doctor's office I went to explain, but I did walk out with liquid for her in the end.

Now to get some laundry done and see if I can clean the bathroom and finish up some laundry...

Tuesday

2010-08-03T23:47:00.003-05:00

(for a few more minutes anyway)

Today I stayed home and did absolutely nothing! :) While that is not exactly true, I did not go anywhere. I even sent Tracy in the big van to put it in its proper parking spot after we started packing it for our trip this weekend. The dog had taken his place in the van as soon as the doors were open and spent most of the day in there. He was thrilled to pieces when Tracy took him for the drive around the yard.

Tomorrow I will be bringing David to the doctor (again) :( for his ears. She (the doctor) had told me not to bring him back unless he developed a fever, but I can tell they are really bugging him. He is constantly rubbing them and seems fussier than normal, and he has never had a fever with any of his other infections. Melissa will also go for a peek at her throat since she hasn't been acting right and says her throat hurts.

This weekend we are heading to Lake Itasca for the Family Music Festival and will also hit the state park so we can get the pictures of Laura and David that all the other kids have had. The stuff we have packed was the "easy" stuff and now get to do the fun food, clothes, and miscellaneous junk that fills up the rest of the space and makes the van dirty.

Mike worked today and will work tomorrow but took Thursday and Friday off. That was a big surprise for me; I never expected that he would do that for Thursday.

I pulled up the radishes in the garden. They were about four feet tall; I do believe they were going to seed. I usually plant the radishes and lettuce together, but I don't think I had much lettuce in my part of the garden. We have to use the girls' garden when we want lettuce. I also threw two onions into our spaghetti tonight and ate two tiny carrots. If I'm lucky, I'll get a handful to grow this year. :)

Never Home

2010-08-01T18:04:00.003-05:00

I made three large calendars for our wall for August, September, and October since the boxes on the regular calendar are so small. I think our June and July were too busy. There were only two days in June we did not go somewhere (and one of those Mike went to work) and none in July. It is no wonder I am frequently filling our gas tanks! :)

Tonight Mike took Tracy and Aaron to youth group and the three girls to the park while Jason, David, and I stayed home. I am supposed to be working on pictures, but Jason is not upholding his end of the deal. I guess I will have to go wash some dishes instead.

Soccer starts this month for our family. I think we are going to have four players this year, and I have not heard if Mike plans to coach or not so we will be busy once again, busier if he does coach.

We start school August 16. I have most things ready for that. Tracy is going to try the video school for chemistry. Anything has to be better than me trying to teach it. :)

I still want to get a family picture, but that is like getting teeth pulled--maybe harder. We have not had one for our wall since long before David was born. We tried once, but nothing turned out. Speaking of teeth, Melissa lost a tooth a couple days ago on the bottom and has one just hanging by threads on the top.

David got a big "knocker" on his forehead. He fell off the bed. I turned my back for three seconds, long enough for Laura to say, "No, David, don't fall off the bed!" and he was down, crying before he hit the floor.

Tomorrow Tracy has a violin lesson, and I will probably take the kids to the outdoor pool in the afternoon. The indoor pool has only been closed for a week, and I sure do miss it.

Swimming

2010-07-24T22:56:00.005-05:00

Our indoor pool is now closed for three weeks for its yearly maintenance. Tonight I took Emily, Melissa, Laura, and David swimming. We met up with some friends. After that, we got a few groceries, picked up our laundry from the laundromat, and picked up Aaron and Jason who had been at a sleepover. We cleaned out the van, which has been a "catch-all" for the past week so I sorted through that a bit ago. I do not normally let it get so dirty, but coming home in the evenings when the mosquitoes are at their worst, I tell the kids to just, "Hurry and run in." I'll have to put the vacuum cleaner to the floor in there one of the mornings next week while Tracy is at her driver's education drive time.

Everyone is now tucked away in various sleeping locations, and I'm doing last-minute things before my birthday tomorrow. :) I have already received two cards and two e-mail greetings. I'm too old to remember how old I will turn for sure, but I think it's 38. I have been officially "ancient" for ten years now! Twenty years ago, 40 seemed SOOOOOOOOOOO old. :)

David was eight months old today, and he celebrated by getting his sixth tooth through. He has been very fussy. Here he is this morning,

and here Laura is feeding him.

Jason's 12th Birthday

2010-07-17T17:07:00.004-05:00

Jason had his 12th birthday on July 14. In the morning he went to his swim team "lapping" as I call it, as he swims nearly a mile each time he goes. We went to Streiff's Sporting Goods for a birthday party for Jason in the afternoon with two of his friends. He had pizza, pop, a cake, ice cream cones, and 1 1/2 hours of archery. For supper he had chicken nuggets. I believe I bought doughnuts for his birthday breakfast.

David Eats Spaghetti

2010-07-17T16:54:00.002-05:00

I do not like what the red-eye checker did to these eyes, but I just LOVE the pictures! :)

Cat Antics

2010-07-17T16:47:00.002-05:00

Laura was trying to pick up a friend's cat, much to the delight of all of us, considering the cat was about as big as she. :)

Laura

2010-07-17T16:43:00.000-05:00

David, David, Cookie Baker

2010-07-17T16:37:00.002-05:00

Well, cookie mixer anyway...
Or, maybe cookie dough sampler...
I had just given him a bath and put clean pajamas on him.
Needless to say, he got another bath.

Mike's Birthday

2010-07-17T15:45:00.002-05:00

Mike got two pairs of pants and Whoppers for his birthday.

I made him a cake, forgetting we had ordered a strawberry cheesecake blizzard cake for his birthday. I put a bunch of candles on, not counting, and found out later that I had put 43 of the 45 on. (I should have just opened another box since it was so close...)

CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT!!!!!

Sharing his birthday with Facebook friends...

Look Who is Crawling!

2010-07-15T08:47:00.002-05:00