Every Season Under Heaven

This morning my kids were all dragging
and now I am.
They seem to have cold/sinus type symptoms.
I don't have any of that.
I have a headache
and a low grade fever
and a husband out of town
and company coming.
I have a three hour meeting tomorrow
with the yearbook staff from our home school co-op.
I have to get ready for registration
for our home school co-op on Monday
and I've got to get these kids registered for soccer
before I have to pay late fees.
I have a house that needs to be cleaned.
I have to make food for this weekend.
I do not have time to feel crummy.
This better be a fast-moving train that comes and goes.

Sigh.
Okay....that concludes
the complaint portion of our post.
If you didn't get to voice your complaints,
stay tuned for the next opportunity
and try to beat me to the punch.

This afternoon, after I took a nap, I sat down with this book that Lovely Megan sent home with me. I haven't read the book itself yet, but I am thinking that I need to do this. I flipped through it copying out the recipes that I liked. What book is it, you ask. I was just getting to that. It's the books about the Duggars, that really large family that has a TV reality show. I guess I am the only person in this hemisphere who has never seen that show. I should watch it sometime. I like what I have learned about these people so far. (Don't worry---this is not going to tempt me to have sixteen more children!)

What I got excited about with the recipes in this book is that they feed a crowd. I like to find recipes that do that. And then I had an great idea---several of these things make two 9x13 pans of whatever they are. I thought that I will buy some more of those aluminum foil throw-away pans and make some of these recipes. I'll make the recipe, one in a regular dish for our dinner and one in the aluminum pan to go in the freezer---to be used this winter when I am either too pregnant or too busy after the baby's birth to get excited about cooking. Isn't that a good idea? I thought so. These guys are not health nuts, I'll warn you, but we can't always eat lettuce and organic almonds, can we? So I have the "feeds a crowd" recipe for a Tater Tot casserole, cheesy chicken spaghetti, hash brown casserole, and then a couple of others that are not for the freezing plan. This would be a good idea for making food to take to another family. You can make the whole recipe, have one for your own dinner and take the other to Mrs. Johnson's family because she just had her spleen removed.

I have friends who have large families---not twenty children, granted---but six or nine kids is a large family to me. I often wonder what daily meals are like in these large families. You would always have to cook such large portions. And the grocery bills---mercy me. I remember a friend of ours in Indiana having two dish washers put in the new kitchen of the house they were building. At first I thought how silly of anyone to have two dishwashers---but then I thought about it for a second. She has eight children. She might need three dishwashers. I can fill up our dishwasher easily from one meal for our family of five and sometimes everything doesn't fit. Add a few more people and I totally understand the second dishwasher.

We have had these unusually cool days lately. Today was all gray and overcast and cool. It feels like fall. And fall is when I get all interested in cooking and baking and want to put on the hearty spread. I think that's why I've been looking at cookbooks and thinking about food lately. Or is it just because I am pregnant? We are big fans of fall though. It's the slowing down and the shorter days. Less work outside. College football starts and we get together with my family much more to watch the games (I don't gather around the TV for football, but the guys and the kids do). I start cooking soups and making breads and we go to soccer games and there are pumpkins. Autumn is my favorite season---and I'm being tricked into thinking it's here. This is not fall coming on early. You have to know that the blazing heat will be back and we'll be in those dog days of summer for a while yet.

But it is just around the corner.

Wouldn't you like to be a napper too?

It's so hard to start school on such
a lovely, quiet, gray morning.
I just want to curl up with a quilt and a book
----I don't really want to read, mind you.
I'd like to take a little cat nap,
but the book always makes it look like
you weren't intentionally napping.

But we must do school.


This is going to take the motivating powers
of a Dr. Pepper.

Is It Just Me?

Is it just me or is everyone else feeling a little lump in their throat when they see the new Hallmark back-to-school commercial? You know the one I mean. In the background you hear John Mayer singing "Say What You Need To Say" and this young teen girl is nervous about returning to school--and her mother is telling her that everyone is nervous. Oh, and she has actual butterflies in her stomach. Well, not so much IN her stomach as in the
general vicinity of her stomach.
That's how we know she's nervous,
the butterflies. And then once on the school bus,
she discovers a Hallmark card her mom tucked
inside her books. Because her mom cared
enough to send the very best.
I've seen this commercial a couple of times now and I have to admit, I get the lump in the throat. I realize that not everyone is pregnant right now so that could be a factor in my emotional reaction. And it's really not the sappy commercial so much as the song.
That's a good song.

If you would have asked me before
about 5pm this evening
if I liked John Mayer,
I would probably have said
"not really"
or just shrugged.
And I'm not saying that I am his biggest fan.
But I investigated some of his songs tonight
and found several that I like.
Guess where you can find them?
Yes, you know where.
Just skip through the other songs.
They are act the bottom.
I think the first one is #12.

I do remember seeing this guy performing on TV one time.
It seems like it was some kind of
Austin City Limits-ish setting....though I doubt
it was actually Austin City Limits.
But it could have been.
Anyway, I saw a few minutes of
John Mayer playing and
singing some song.
I thought that he had a problem.
Have you seen him do the weird mouth
and strained, pained, unusual facial expressions
while he sings?
It was a little bit disturbing.
I thought it was Rain Man giving a concert.
But he can sing and play and
I think he writes a lot of his own stuff,
doesn't he?
I'm just assuming that, actually.
That's based on nothing.
But he seems like the singer/songwriter type.

When I was pregnant with Lovely K,
I remember seeing this episode of
The Price Is Right one day.

"Crazy, emotional pregnant lady,
Come on down!!!"

I was probably sitting there folding clothes or cross-stitching or something. Anyway, I was watching that show and this woman who seemed rather poor was winning prizes and then won the showcase showdown. She was so excited and I was sitting there just crying because I was so happy for her. Like she was the most deserving person in the world and I was so touched at her joy for winning steak knives and a trip to Jamaica. Of course Lloyd Dobbler had to call at that exact moment and then he wanted to know what was going on, why was I crying. I tried to explain, but as I did so it occurred to me that maybe that was just a pregnancy thing. A bit of emotionality.

So I'm asking,
is that the case with this Hallmark commercial?
Am I just being pregnant?
Or are you all feeling a little touched when you view this?
I was just wondering.

We Now Return to Your Regularly Scheduled Summer

Tell the truth---are you so glad to see new music in our jukebox? Were you even listening to those holiday songs? Are you listening now to the carefully selected music I have chosen for your summertime enjoyment? I'm doing my best to enhance your experience here.

I canned more green beans today. Just six more quarts today. That brings me to a grand total of 48 quarts of beans canned. And you will notice that I have not once screamed at the canner or called down curses on it's silver head. This has all been done in relative peace. But I think I am done canning beans. I believe I have reached my limit. But it's summertime, you know, and how thankful we should be that everyone is enjoying the fruit of the many gardens. Our garden has done well this year. I am looking forward to tomatoes, but I think we have planted mentally handicapped tomato plants. They are just kind of standing around the garden like they aren't sure what to do. Hands in their pockets. Gazing at the sky.

MAKE SOME TOMATOES,
YOU SILLY PLANTS!!!!

They'll probably be like years past where they kick it into overdrive at the end of the season and when the first frost comes, we have plants laden with huge green tomatoes. I have heard that I should pick those green tomatoes before that killing frost and put them in paper bags and they will ripen like normal. Has anyone ever tried this? I know that people somewhere in the world have tried this, but I am directing my question to you, dear readers. Have you guys done this?

Mr. Popsicle just called and he's going to bring me a dozen and a half ears of corn. Some corn-growing friend of his gave him a bunch of corn and he's sharing the love. That's okay. I'm going to shuck it and silk it and clean it up and put it in the fridge for Saturday evening's meal. Did I tell you that we are having company this weekend?
Our old friend from our brief time in PA
is coming to visit us ---along with his wife
and his four children. We should have a lively house.
I hope it doesn't rain while they are here!
They will come in Saturday evening and we will
have a big meal and then they are staying,
I guess, until Monday ---I don't know how long after that.
I can't seem to get an answer from them.

School has been going well. We are in the middle of our second week. I have already made a change. I added work to Lovely K's work load. She just got it today. I added the Rod and Staff 4th grade grammar. I'm just using the text book and she's just going to go through it and do what I select---very casual, not like fully using their program or anything. We've been doing the Simply Grammar (in my effort to be so much more Charlotte Mason---and let me ask another question----are some of you SICK of the name Charlotte Mason?) but it just seems so easy. Too easy. So I added this other text book. Yes, I said text book. That's very UN-Charlotte Mason of me. But I can't do it whole hog, as much as I love her. I need to be able to say to a student or two, "Go do such-and-such in your book" and know that I don't have to sit there and do it with them.

I have been spending so much time with the school day this year so far, just in these two weeks---which I should be doing---but it just makes it hard to get other things done. I have to really be a good steward of my time.
I am learning this.
And I feel like I have been so productive lately.
Just maintaining is a lot of work.
You guys know what I'm talking about.
Never mind the extras or doing things that are
not a part of daily life.
Like cleaning up and organizing the butler's pantry.
This is an on-going goal of mine.
Has it gotten done?
Not yet.
But lots of things have gotten done,
so I won't despair.
It'll get done.
One little chunk at a time.

On Tuesday during our house work time (we call it our "House Blessing" and I wish I could remember where I got that term--is it Fly Lady?) I began teaching Lovely K and Big E how to clean the bathrooms. This took forever that day, of course, because we had to talk about everything and I had to give the slow motion walk-through and talk about poisons and health in relation to cleanliness and all that good stuff. I don't plan on holding a seminar each time we do this. But I told them by the end of this pregnancy I expect to be able to tell them to go clean a bathroom and know that it will be done right. (Now this cleaning did not include the bathtubs. We will get to that later. I don't clean them every week. If that makes me a terrible person, so be it.) They did a good job that day and I think I'm going to make one of those little step-by-step cards for them to take with them so that they can make sure they are following the instructions they were initially given.

How nice life will be
when some of the work
has been spread around
and the people joining in on the work load
are able to do a decent job.
And they are old enough to do this,
believe me.

Oh yes---I thought I would tell you that we have doubled our chicken population. This means that we got another bird. This one is a huge black rooster. He and our sole survivor laying hen have been roommates since late Sunday night and they seem to be pleased with each other's company. I think we have gotten an egg from that chick every day now for over a week. She must be over the trauma of seeing the rest of her tribe slaughtered before her very eyes by an evil raccoon.

Before you ask, let me just tell you why I am not posting pictures left and right (like pictures of children asleep in their supper plate or black roosters or fertile garden patches). I have to learn how to do it. Lloyd Dobbler has those little things, like memory sticks or whatever they are called, and it's supposed to be easier to dump the pictures to the computer from the camera. Easier or not, I cannot say. I need to be shown how to do it. I'm sure I have mentioned (or perhaps you have come to this conclusion yourself by context clues) that I am technologically challenged. In a big way. But that's why I married Lloyd Dobbler. He's supposed to take care of all of that. I mean, if I didn't have him, who would hook up the TV and DVD player and all that if I moved? Who would set up stuff on the computer? That's his area, not mine. I don't ask him to carry our unborn children or give birth to them, do I? No. That's my area.

Hope you are having a lovely day, Dear Reader.
We have had a mixture of sunshine and rain today.
We have cleaned the stupid bonus room for the millionth
time and we have done all the necessary school work.
We have canned beans and cleaned up the kitchen
and washed clothes
and folded clothes
and put away clothes.
We are going to have
a pleasant peaceful dinner tonight
of spaghetti with no meat in the sauce.

Right beside me on the floor is the cutest little three year old boy all curled up with a laundry basket on top of him like a cage. He was laying there for a long time without making a move or a sound. I was beginning to think he might be asleep. But then he just lifted up the basket and turned to me. "If I was an animal, Mama, I would live in this basket." I assured him I would put him in that basket if he turned into an animal.

I love my children.

May Old Acquaintance Be Forgot....

Fear not, Dear Reader!

Your faithful Bell has not forgotten you!

We've been celebrating Christmas in July
and you know how busy the holidays are....
Actually, I have been busy and for some reason it is so hard to find time to sit down here and write to you guys. I keep telling myself that it would be SO MUCH easier if I had a lap top. But I just really don't see that happening. We have spent so much money lately and there are things coming down the pike that will require a fist full of dollars as well. So I don't see a laptop in my future. But that's what I am going to say that I want both for my upcoming birthday and for Christmas. We'll see what Santa Clause and the birthday fairy can do. I just don't think they have a lot of extra cash this year.

First of all, let me tell you how I spent my Christmas in July. I went to Chattanooga, TN to a home school curriculum fair. The plan and the participants kept changing in the days leading up to this event; I was beginning to think I might just cancel the whole thing. But then I discovered a girl (who is just starting to home school her two older boys) from my church was planning on going. I hooked up with her and we went together. I am so glad we did. We had a good time just chatting and getting to know each other on the road. She is a fun person.

The curriculum fair was GREAT.

I am so glad I went.
I had never been to one and did not know
what to expect exactly. I had heard many people warn others
not to be overwhelmed.
You find yourself facing a hundred or so booths
with vendors of all sorts of things
related to homeschooling.
And then there were the workshops in these little
petitioned-off areas. That would be my one complaint,
if I had to have one, was that it was so hard to hear
during the workshops because you were separated
from the rest of the action by just a curtain.
And not a sound proof curtain.

Of course I made a bee-line for the Simply Charlotte Mason booth when we first got there. I had probably made my purchases from them within the first ten minutes. And met Sonya Shaffer again and told her how I have seen every movie she ever made and I have all the fan magazines and could she sign my arm in permanent ink? No, but I did meet her and feel like I was meeting someone important. She is important to me! Have I mentioned that I love love love the Simply Charlotte Mason people? Because I do. My friends find it so amusing. They were calling me a Sonya Shaffer groupie. What can I say? I get a lot out of her speaking and writing. The way she presents the Charlotte Mason teaching methods really speaks to me. Her stuff has been more helpful and more beneficial to me than anything else I have read or done related to home schooling.

Another great part of the whole "going to Chattanooga" adventure was spending some time with the lovely Megan. I have sung the praises of Megan on this blog in the past so I won't go into all of that right now. But Megan is all grown up now with a house and a husband and a baby. While my chauffeur friend went to spend the evening with her brother and his family, I spent the evening with Megan. We ate enough meatloaf to choke a horse (it was really good!) and we just talked and talked and talked. Her baby was teething and not too happy, but he is such a sweetie pie. He's about to turn one. I realized that we are both grown up and boring because we were tired and turned in about the time that, in younger days, you would say to the girlfriend with whom you were spending the night, "So, you want to watch a movie?" (or make prank phone calls or whatever you did late at night). But we were both tired---so what if that makes us old and boring.

Day #2 at the curriculum fair was us hustling to get to the first workshop of the day---the workshop on Good Habits by Sonya Shaffer from Simply Charlotte Mason. This seminar is so great. I just can't do it justice. On their website, you can order the all day seminar on DVD and this session is included in that. I need to get that myself and watch it once a month or so to help me stay on track. She just presents things that are so practical and so helpful and it is done in such a way that, rather than feeling overwhelmed, you feel like you can do it. You see that you don't take all sixty-something habits at once and try to implement them all. You work on one thing at a time. I am doing that right now. We are working on our morning routine so far. They say it takes six to eight weeks for it to become a habit. We are on week two. It's coming along.

The person I have the most trouble with is ME because
I am the one who has the authority to say,
"Oh, let's not do that today. I'm tired or
you guys are tired or
lets just enjoy this quiet morning
rather than doing what we are supposed to do."

One thing I have thought about a lot since this seminar
--and this is nothing profound, but I just remember
writing it down and thinking about it since then
---is the difference between self-discipline and self-control.
Self-control is being able to keep yourself from doing what
you feel like doing (for example, if you feel like yelling at the
waitress who can't get your order right, you don't do this
because you have self-control).
Self-discipline is the ability to make yourself do
the things that you do not feel like doing
(like getting out of bed on time on a rainy morning or
whatever else that seems unattractive
at the time although you know it is what
you ought to be doing).

I'm okay in the self-control department for the most part. My major issue is self-discipline. It's not excuse to say I come by this naturally, but I can survey my immediate family and see this as a problem we all share. I even remember being so frustrated with my mother a few years ago when I was adhering to a pretty good version of Fly Lady's cleaning schedule and things were running smoothly and I was SO pleased with this. I was explaining my routine to her and telling her how easy and helpful she might find doing her own version of this.
I remember talking about something like, say, doing the laundry on Tuesday nights when she got home from work. And her response was that it sounded like a good idea but what if she didn't feel like doing the laundry on Tuesday nights? And then she'd be off the schedule and the whole thing would be worthless. I just remember very clearly sitting there and thinking, "No wonder I have no self-discipline!"
But you know what?
I am in charge of myself now and I am responsible
for my own behavior. So I need to work at developing some
self-discipline in myself now and instilling this characteristic
in my children---which I think will make
some things in life easier
for them if they have this good habit.

As we were getting ready to leave Chattanooga, I was transferring my suitcase from lovely Megan's car to the car of my lovely friend from church who I rode with on this adventure. For some reason, the trunk to her car is the heaviest trunk in the world. It is so heavy that it won't stay up when you open it. Gravity brings it down. Now most trunks, you open them and they stay open until you close them. You know how this works. Not this trunk---and I learned this the hard way. My friend popped the trunk from inside and I opened it. I reached down to pick up my suitcase and I looked up in time
to be struck in the face by this trunk lid.
Oh my goodness.
I felt like I had been
kicked in the face by a horse.
I mean, this was a heavy trunk.
I cannot stress that enough.
I was stunned.
I was wearing sunglasses but it hit me
on the bridge of the nose just a centimeter
below my glasses. It made a nice straight line of a cut
across my nose.
And here we were standing in front of the
whole convention center and
I never like to be viewed by others
when I am in an awkward situation
..... and I felt like my brain
had been jarred loose
and my nose was bleeding.
I couldn't speak.
I just got in the car and my friend ran inside
to get some paper towels.
We just hit the road and headed for home.

I had a headache until Sunday night.

And I told everyone at church on Sunday
that my friend and I got in a fight
on the way home. She didn't want to punch me in the guts
since I am pregnant so she just stuck to the face.
They all know not to believe me on certain issues.
Like all the ladies at the thing the other night when we were
watching these Nancy Leigh DeMoss DVDs
---some of them (the other ladies)
are on Weight Watchers and I was telling them that
Oreo cookies are zero points because they are shaped
like a zero. That seems right to me.

Okay....the whole point of me getting on here was to
wrap up the Christmas celebration
and tell you who the winner
of my little Christmas treats is.
I just thought I would distract you
with endless chatter.
I guess I had a lot to say
since I hadn't posted anything in a week.
Mercy.

So I just had the drawing. It was so professional. I tore paper off the edge of a picture from a Strawberry Shortcake coloring book and made the little papers with your initials on them. Then Big E selected one of the tiny folded papers. And the winner is.....
Faithful Reader Mrs. JP!!!

Congratulations, Mrs. JP! I will be delivering your goods to you in person since I know where you live and where you go and what you do. You dear readers didn't know that I have a private eye trailing each and every 1.5 of you, did you? I know your every move! ha ha!!! I'm like that money with eyeballs on those commercials. Do you always feel like some body's watching you? And did Michael Jackson sing on that original recording? Does anybody know this? Because I think it sounds like him. Listen to it.

Okay, my kids are all about to have STROKES because they are ready to go swimming and I am on here doing this. So before we are in need of medical assistance, I should stop.
Much love to my faithful Christmas in July readers.
God bless us, everyone!

Mom and Dad Can Hardly Wait For School To Start Again

I told you we started school yesterday. Did I tell you it went well? Of course, how hard is the first day? Really? Not exactly the day that stresses out the students. Everything is fresh and new.

I'll tell you what has been the topic of morning
conversation though---something the children
are not fond of---alarm clocks.
Lovely K already had a
clock in her room.
I bought one for the boys'
room Sunday night
and after the kids had gone to bed,
I went in and set both alarms.
The plan had been
to set them for 6am,
but I decided to set it for 7am
since we had a late
night Sunday night
and the kids were tired
from a busy weekend.
(See how thoughtful I am.)
Earlier this summer, they would have
all been up by 7am on their own anyway.

The real person we will have to work on with this getting up in the mornings at a regular time is THE MOTHER. Especially now that she is pregnant. Although I have to say---I've been getting up in the mornings anyway. Earlier than usual. Maybe I'm already to that point where it's not comfortable to lay in the bed for too many hours in a row. But I have just never been a morning person. My mom always said that even as a baby she learned to just leave me alone for a little bit after I woke up and then I'd be fine. Just don't mess with me first thing. I don't try to be hateful. And I'm not over the top or anything. It's just not the sweet lump of sugar that I am normally. ahem.

My little brother came over last night (a little after 11pm) and I was so glad that he did. I was SO tired last night. He brought a couple of movies and wanted to watch one when he got here. I told him to go ahead, that I just couldn't. I am always the one who wants to stay up late playing games, watching a movie, doing whatever. I've always been a night owl. But I just didn't have it in me last night. I made it until 11:30pm and I felt like it was the wee small hours of the morning then. I could almost hear Frank singing. I slept like a rock.

Our morning went really well....stayed on track....even started on our Tuesday subject of studying our first composer---we'll be learning about Mozart. I was surprised at the level of interest the kids had in this. But it was sometime around 11am that the kids both had something to do and I told them I just needed to lay down for a minute. For a minute, you know. Just to rest my eyes or whatever part it was of me that was screaming out for rest. So I lay down....and two hours later.....Yes, I said two hours. I don't know what happened.

I'm so glad Lovely K is big enough to make sandwiches. She didn't even make a mess. I came out and warmed up some left overs and ate them. And can I just ask a question: Why am I eating beans? Did I not learn from Sunday's experience of eating every gaseous food known to man? Evidently not.

I could sleep for another couple of hours right now. I read something the other day about this being a big time of growth for the baby and I remember thinking, "Oh, I wonder if I will be more tired when that is happening." Well, guess what? I am. I hope something major is being done, that this child is in there learning to knit or speak Latin or something significant to explain the total zapping of all energy being experienced on my end.

I go to the doctor tomorrow.

Do you know what is bugging me this pregnancy?
Smells. Certain smells.
Even before I was pregnant,
when I would go into my local small town Walmart,
I hated the smell of the dough at the Subway
there at the front of the Walmart.
I don't know if it's when it is rising or what,
but I do not like that smell.
I would always think, "I hate that smell. I would really hate it if I was pregnant."
And I was so right.
I despise that smell.
And it gets all over the front of the store.
You can't get away from it.
It just turns my stomach.
So it has been with other smells during this pregnancy.
This morning, I threw some chicken in to cook
and the smell of that....oh man....not good.
And part of my head just knew that it was
the normal smell of chicken being boiled.
You know that smell.
But it gagged me today.
And I should be making the casserole for which I boiled
this stinky chicken, but I just haven't yet.
I don't want to go in there and take the lid off and be hit in the face
with the full force of
that smell.

Aren't you so glad I am sharing all this information with you? I hope you weren't on your way to visit me wearing your new Happy Chicken Heart perfume and bringing me some unbaked Subway bread dough. Please just throw that out the window and stop by Starbucks for a mocha frappacunnio. And that is soooo very mis-spelled. I know this. It's not in my spelling dictionary. Sorry. At the local coffee joint in the next tiny town over they call their's a frappe. Now that I can spell. And afford. Ooooh....and I'll be over there tomorrow.....

Okay...I know that Saturday is the deadline with the whole Christmas in July prize and I have been thinking about it. I have also been as busy as a bag full of swear words. So don't be rolling your eyes or complaining about the less-than-exciting atmosphere of this celebration. Let me go ahead and add a not-so-necessarily Christmas item to the heaping pile of two things. (Sorry I haven't been better about this.)

Item #3 (imagine me as your Price Is Right game show model
displaying the item) is a checkbook cover.
What gets a bigger work out during the holidays
than the wallet? And since wallets are so specific to taste,
we will go with the decorative checkbook cover.
I have searched in vain for a link
to this particular check book cover
so that you could get a glimpse of it.
So you get my description.
The checkbook cover is a leather-looking material
--it's in its little protective box and I don't' want to take it out
of there to touch it myself because I'd never get it back in.
It is black with a slice across the top of it that is
brown....so it would be appropriate for male or female.
The verse inscribe on the front of the
cover is Psalm 37:4:
Delight thyself also in the Lord;
and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
And there you have it.
Item #3 in our whiz-bang of a giveaway.

And now I think I will go lay down. We need to do another little block of time of school work, but you know what? I think class is dismissed for the day. When the teacher can't stay awake, what else can you do?

Besides, I have to go sit in the dark
with some ladies at church
and watch a video tonight
and I don't want to sleep
through all of that.
I might snore.

Later, Dear Reader.
Have a lovely day.

Busy Street Lights, Even Stop Lights Blink A Bright Red and Green

I have been so busy lately. I don't say this in contrast to you. I know you have been busy too. You have probably been doing more profitable things than I have been doing, but here's the deal: I can't write about you on my blog. I have to write about me. That's the rule.
(That statement--That's the rule.---is all
it takes to satisfy my boys most of the time.
I can give them some arbitrary guideline
and they don't really question it
once I make that statement.)

So Lloyd Dobbler's aunt and uncle, who we love, came to visit on Wednesday. Thursday the aunt and uncle and me and the kids loaded up and traveled to the big city....and then back out into a bit of country to the home of Andrew Jackson. He wasn't at home. We spent several hours there and enjoyed it (all except the scene where Superbaby pitched the biggest fit any child of mine has ever pitched in their little lives---it was like I didn't know how to react because it had never happened and we were surrounded by everyone visiting Andrew Jackson----yeah, I didn't enjoy those couple of minutes). I think we walked 487 miles that day and by the time we got back to tiny town, I was feeling it. I fixed supper, we ate, I cleaned up the kitchen from supper and then told them that dessert was in the kitchen and if they wanted some to go and get it. I had reached my limit for that day.

What a great hostess.
Friday morning the aunt and uncle left at the crack of dawn. I got up a bit later than the crack of dawn so it was a good thing I told them goodbye the night before. We did stuff around the house and then went swimming in the afternoon to celebrate the end of summer freedom. The kids had a ball. My parents came by Mr. Popsicle's house to see my kids hurl themselves off of the diving board. My mother did not pass out.

Saturday after lunch my mom and I and Superbaby went to College Town to do a little shopping. We ended up running into "my favorite aunt" and her family. They were looking at a house there. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE it if they moved to College Town. And I would say that now is a great time to be looking for a house---it's a buyer's market, isn't it?

We got home later than we planned to from the College Town excursion (but we had fun!) so we did not have the yummy summer veggie quiche that I planned to make for supper that night. That leads me into my frustration of the next morning. In my tired state before bed on Saturday night, I grabbed a package of bacon from the freezer (from the recently killed pig, you may recall) and put it in the fridge to thaw. I have to have bacon for the quiche. I was going to get up and make it Sunday morning for our lunch. So Sunday morning I roll out of the bed bright and early and tear into the package of bacon. As I am ripping into it, I notice that this particular package has something written on it from the butcher. It says "ends." I thought, "Hmmm...I wonder what that means..." Well, I found out that it means this is what was left over when they made the bacon. It was not slices of bacon. It was chunks of fat with a scrap of meat here and there. It was worthless for what I was planning to do. (It'll be great for seasoning beans and such though.)

SO I thought I would make excellent use of my time and take a load of laundry out to my mother's (surely I have told you that the washing machine broke---a new one is being ordered, but I am without a washer and surrounded by people who make lots of dirty laundry!!!) and pick up a package of bacon on the way home to proceed with the quiche lunch plans. I thought I would go to my mom's, put the laundry in to wash, and leave. Well, I did not realize that my mother's dryer is on it's last leg. I found this out early Sunday morning. She wanted me to wash my gigantic load of towels that I dragged out there and take it back home to my own strong and able dryer. This meant I had to sit there and wait on the towels to wash. I did get to have some really good toast made out of this great blueberry bread and to sit and talk with my parents for a little while. This also meant that I didn't have time to buy bacon or make the quiche before church. I had to race home with my wet towels and leap into the shower right away. But bless Lloyd Dobbler's little pointed head---he had been breaking the five gallon bucket of beans while I was gone.

Plan B for lunch was
hamburgers....but Lloyd Dobbler
decided that the Mexican restaurant
was calling his name,
so we went there.

Sunday afternoon I had planned to send the family to swim without me. I needed to do some stuff in preparation of school. I needed to get started on the canning of the beans. I needed to do more laundry at my mother's house. I needed to do a lot of things. Not to mention four DIRTY bathrooms. But Lloyd Dobbler really wanted me to go with them to the pool and I was feeling VERY tired (much more like laying by the pool than doing all that work I needed to do). So I went to the pool. We lost track of time and didn't leave the pool in time to get ready for church, so Lloyd Dobbler stayed home with the boys to finish breaking the beans and getting them ready to can while Lovely K and I went to my mom's to do some laundry and made a run to Walmart. When I got home from the store, I was really just dog tired. There was no reason for me to be that way. Many people seem to think you don't need a reason to be so tired when you are pregnant, but I just haven't been feeling lousy like that. I have felt so good this pregnancy (especially now that progesterone is behind me). Maybe I save up the yuckiness for times like that, get it over with in a lump, rather than spreading it out over a bunch of days. Whatever it was, I felt terrible. I had to lay down for a few minutes.



Anyway, we got supper made and the kids fed and in bed. We tried to proceed with the canning of the beans but something is going on there. I have been so frustrated. I didn't test the canner before I used it last night, so sometime after 10pm I am waiting to hear the jiggling sound that start when the canner is doing its thing....but it didn't start. And then steam started blowing out of every place on that demon-possessed canner. I turned it off and called my mom. She sent her canner over first thing this morning. I thought I would be smart and test it first. I have tried twice and can't get it to work. Is it me? Is it my cook top? What's the deal? In the meantime, I have eleven quarts of beans that are not fully done. I could scream.



In other news, we started school today.
That has really gone remarkably well. But it's Day #1. Everything is a introduction/review. A lot of the things we are using are different this go around---I'm much more on a Charlotte Mason path than ever before. We changed Math too. We have always done this one Math (Horizons) and we have changed to Lifepacs by Alpha Omega. Same publisher, but different concept. The kids seem excited about it. We shall see how long that lasts. But it's a totally different format and I do think it's going to work well with the sort of children my older two are.

Lloyd Dobbler left this morning for a couple of days. I am tempted to call my little brother and ask him if he wants to sleep here tonight. That would mean I could go to sleep at a decent hour. I never sleep well when Lloyd Dobbler is out of town and I am already tired today! I can't stay up until the wee small hours of the morning (...when the whole wide world is fast asleep....you lie awake and think about that boy and never ever think of counting sheep.....Man, that's a good song. Do you know this song? I must add it to the Christmas tunes so you can enjoy it). But I know I will stay up until I hear Sinatra singing. And then tomorrow I will be the wicked witch of the south.

So...this post has totally been the play-by-play story of the last few days for us. You may find this hard to believe as this has been so very long....but I did leave stuff out. Sometimes I just want to ramble on about the ordinary things that happen in my ordinary days. You have my permission to skip over these posts that might possibly bore you to literal death. How nice of me to write that at the end of a long boring post instead of across the top. Oh well---you'll know for next time.

Have a lovely day, dear reader.
I hope it's a beautiful day in your neighborhood as it is here!

Do You See What I See?

(....said the Bell to the readers everywhere.....
Do you see what I see?)

Do you know what you are looking at? That is a recent picture of the babes. Recent as in a couple of days ago. That picture was taken with my new camera!!! Woo--hoo!!!
Remember a little while ago when I said "I know something you don't know" (yes, I know, I'm SO mature)? Well, that's what I knew---that I had a new camera. Lloyd Dobbler got it for me for Mother's Day. It was a bit late. We got it the night of Big E's last ballgame:

We spent so much time there this summer.
I thought you should get a glimpse
of what it was like.

It was so hot at the end.
Do I look hot in this picture?

(And I mean temperature-wise.....I'm sure
we all think I look extremely hot
in the other sense of the word.)

This is Superbaby rummaging through my mom's purse. She always carries huge purses and usually there are snacks in the purse. Especially when she came to the ball field. You would be amazed what that woman could fit into her purse.

Here is the whole team
(and also the arm of someone
who kept getting in front of me) ....

on awards night. That's when they got their
little trophies---which is the whole reason Big E wants
to play sports. He loves the trophies.
He's so proud of his trophies.
It may look like they are all holding yellow softballs,
but that's their trophy. It had the ball in it.
Guess who's three year old brother
learned how to remove the ball from the trophy?
Much to the horror of the trophy owner.

Don't forget to throw your name in the hat if you haven't already for our Christmas in July Giveaway! Since there are already 1.5 names in the hat, I am guessing that everyone has signed up. But anyone can until the 25th.

Speaking of that, I am ready to add item #2 to the Christmas in July pot. Item #2 is a lovely decorative tray from Fitz and Floyd (the Santa's Kitchen collection). It is shaped like a Christmas tree. I'll take it out of the box later and take a picture of it. I don't have time right now. I've got company on the way! Lloyd Dobbler's aunt and uncle are on their way to our house for a couple of days (it's the young aunt and uncle that we love). I am trying to get a jump start on supper in case we are without water for most of the day like we were yesterday. We ate lunch at McDonald's and supper at our favorite Mexican joint yesterday because we had no water at our house from about 11am until 4 or 5 pm. (This is because of road construction on the highway that's like one street away from us.) So maybe I'll get a picture of the tray posted later. It's not going to happen today. You'll just have to imagine it for now. Or maybe google it. I gave you enough information to be able to do that.....
That was such a good idea, I did it myself.
What did we ever do before google?
I googled the tray. Here you can see what it looks like.
It seems small in that picture. It's about twelve to fourteen inches long. Long enough for whatever you want to put on it as long as it's not something that is, say, sixteen inches long.

I must go pick up all the school books and curriculum that is spread abroad in the guest bedroom. I have told the kids we are starting school Monday so I really need to get ready. And I am. It just makes a mess. But I am making progress.

Hope you have a lovely day, Dear Reader.

'Tis the Season

Hello, lovely readers. It is a nice, quiet Saturday here. We are being threatened with rain, but I say "Bring it on!" I love rain. I wish it would rain all night. I do hope it isn't raining tomorrow afternoon, however, during our regular Sunday afternoon family swim time. The kids so look forward to that.

Do you know what today is?

It's our anniversary----mine and yours---actually, it's the one year anniversary of this cozy little blog where all are welcome. I don't know if anyone else was here at the beginning. That seems so long ago. But July 11th was when it started. Today is the day.

Happy Birthday, Ordinary Days.
You are one big fat year old.

In celebration of this landmark, I would like to give someone a treat. Maybe you. Here's my plan: we are going to celebrate Christmas in July! From today until July 25th (that's the actual Chrsitmas in July), anyone who leaves a comment and asks me to add their name to the pot will be eligible for my little giveaway. Here's what you will win: a box of treats. I keep toying around with what to give as the prize, and here's what I am thinking: I will just make it a conglomeration of things. And I will reveal them as I go along. Keep in mind that my last name is not Rockefeller. There will be no flat screen TV or diamonds in the mix.

The first item going into the box is a CD. You can't have Christmas without a good Christmas CD. I hate to think of how many Christmas CDs I have---too many, I am sure, but I can't resist them. This one is one of my favorites. It's older stuff. Something for everyone on this CD. There's Spike Jones singing "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth" (my kids love this version!) and Glenn Miller's "Jingle Bells," Perry Como's "Home For the Holidays" and Jose Feliciano's "Feliz Navidad" (which you better not sing around my father!) plus several other great old Christmas standards. This is a great CD. And it's the first thing going into the mystery prize box. Stay tuned as I put more treats into the box. And don't forget, you have to tell me you want your name in the hat for the drawing.

I am off to the store and to get things ready for this evening. We invited a couple from church over for dinner. We are grilling the first pork chops from the pig we had butchered recently. We are also having our first mess of beans from our garden. I made a blueberry/blackberry cobbler that smells wonderful and I know from sampling the spoon that it tasted great before it was baked. Mmmmmm. I'm going to roast potatoes too and do something to some squash. How does that sound for a simple summer supper?

By the way, thank you to my 1.5 dear readers---
for being dear and for being my readers.

Free Music Download

If you like inspirational piano, here's a link to
a free music download. I think it's only good for a few
days, so don't poke around and miss it.
This guy (the pianist) was a friend of mine in
younger days and we had a lot of fun together.
I hope he does well with the musical career
of which he is in hot pursuit.
I hope you enjoy the music.

What's for supper, Grandpa?

If you recognize that question (the title) then you probably also know about the Empty Arms Hotel and how your hometown can be saluted from a corn field. I'm not going to be talking about anything to do with Hee Haw. I hope you're not disappointed. I thought I would tell you what we had for supper and how lovely and tasty it was. Wish I could show you a picture, but the leftovers are packed away in Tupperware now and all that is left of the other part is the smiles on our faces.

We had Roasted Veggies and Sausage with Pasta. I had gotten a recipe from Pleasant View Schoolhouse a long time ago (you can follow a link to that blog on the right) and over time we have adapted it to our tastes. This makes an attractive dish and you can add or subtract veggies according to your liking. The key to the whole thing for us has been the coriander. We use it very generously. So let me just share my version of the recipe with you:


Roasted Veggies and Sausage with Pasta


In a large bowl stir together:
1-2 red peppers (cut into bite-size pieces)
1 sweet onion (cut into bite-size pieces)
1 lb fresh mushrooms
2 zucchini and/or yellow squash, chunked
2-3 carrots, sliced
any other veggies that sound good at the moment
1-2 lbs kielbasa sausage, sliced in big chunks

Toss with the veggies:
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
dill
parsley
coriander

Spray two 9x13 pans with a non-stick cooking spray. Spread mixture out into the two pans, not more than and inch or so deep. Add a few more shakes of salt and coriander. Put these in a 450° oven for 30-45 minutes. The longer I leave them in there, the better they seem to be. I like them good and roasted. While this dish is roasting, cook 1/2 to 3/4 lb of pasta (I use the mini penne). When the veggies/sausage are done, remove them from the oven and add Parmesan cheese to them as soon as they come out of the oven. Drain the pasta and add to the veggie mixture. Stir these together. Be generous with the Parmesan cheese. This makes a large quantity, but it's good! And makes great left overs.




My parents came over to eat with us and Lloyd Dobbler's mother is here. We added fresh cucumbers, fruit salad, and a loaf of 9-grain bread from the deli to make a tasty meal.

By the way, I loved the orthodontist today. Third time is the charm indeed. And this guy is going to be so much cheaper. He was so great, like this laid back, down-to-earth grandfather. Kind of made me think of Chuck Swindoll. He was great. That's who we are going with. It'll take a few weeks for him to study the x-rays and data and devise his exact plan of treatment. I'm ready to start whenever they are. And I know Lovely K is ready to get this underway. I forget how self-conscious she is about this sometimes. She brought up today to the orthodontist a name that a little boy had called her and it just brought tears to my eyes. Kids can be so mean. I am so thankful that crooked teeth are a relatively easy fix.

Let me know if you try the recipe. I think you'll like it. My mother and mother-in-law just raved over it at dinner tonight and wanted the recipe. If you hate it, just keep that to yourself.

Time Keeps On Slippin' Into the Future

Sorry, lovely people,
that I haven't been on here giving you
a moment by moment commentary of my ordinary days.
I'm sure you've been in the depths of despair
when you found no daily update. I'm sure you're just
a mere shell of the person you were when
my progress reports were coming in daily.
Hey---are you even listening to me?!?!

Let's see----Fourth of July: we did that. Went to a family gathering. We were supposed to have a family gathering for my mom's side of the family at my parents' house. That got canceled when my mother spent four days in the hospital. So we ended up going to a gathering for my dad's side of the family at my cousin's new home. They built a great house way out in the middle of no where. We hiked up this mountain behind his house. I must really be out of shape or just look horrible when I am hiking up a steep grade because they were constantly asking me, "Are you okay? Do we need to stop and rest?" By the time we got home that night, I was exhausted. I think I went to bed at 9pm listening to firecrackers.

Sunday after church I finally got to have Chinese food: hooray! We went to a new local Chinese buffet with Mr. and Mrs. Popsicle. I don't think any of the other three we very excited to be eating there, but I was. I just needed a Chinese fix and was so happy to have it. Another wonderful thing happened on Sunday: RAIN. It rained quite a bit and I loved it. I wish it would rain for two or three days straight. My garden is growing in response to the rain. Lloyd Dobbler picked the first mess of beans last night. This means I'll be canning soon. Oh, you've never heard me complain like I complain when canning is going on. I told somebody the other day that I have a love/hate relationship with the whole canning issue. I hate it when I am doing it, but I love it in the dead of winter when I can pull out a jar of green beans that we grew. Keep in mind that I am thankful underneath it all--- even when I complain.

Monday I thought would be my last day of partying before the kids came back (I even thought I'd be able to go to the Town of the Cow with my good friend [sorry I haven't called you back, good friend, feel free to give me a good swift kick] and have lunch at the cool place); boy, was I wrong. I worked my fanny off on Monday getting loose ends of my various projects done and doing some regular housework that I wanted to get out of the way before the babes returned. I was dead by Monday night.

Tuesday my three sweet potatoes came home. I was so glad to see them. I was so excited all morning. And they all seemed so grown up when they came in---especially Superbaby. He just seems like he's grown inside and out. I had really missed them and I'm so glad to have all the little birds back in the nest. They had a wonderful time at their grandparents and I am glad for that. Grandma is here for a couple of days.

This morning we went to the program at the library. It was the first one we made it to this summer and it's the last one. Lovely K and Big E loved it. It was this safari guy with some snakes and a crocodile (a little one). He was very entertaining. Superbaby was ready to leave about fifteen minutes into it. He must share his father's great hostility for snakes.

I am about to load up Lovely K and venture off to the orthodontist. This will be the third orthodontist we consult with. The first two gave me vastly different opinions. Let's see who the third guy agrees with or if he's going to come up with his own, unique ideas. I have heard good things about this guy we are going to see today. There's not a question of whether or not she needs braces. The matters of dispute lie in the method and timing. Oh, and by the way---have you noticed how EXPENSIVE orthodontia is?

So now return to life as normal.
The kids are home. Time to get a jump start on this new
school year. Time to start preparing for the coming
changes in our lives.
And time to can beans.
I don't know if you can tell,
but I frowned as I typed that bit about the beans.
Sigh.

Progress Report 4

Those of you who are worried that I am not taking advantage of this time without children can rest at ease. I have taken more than one nap today. We must be making something important on the baby right now because I am just so drained today. I could take another nap right now if I tried real hard. Ever have days like that when you were pregnant?

I remember when I was pregnant with Lovely K,
I would just have these waves of sudden sleep
sweep over me. I was headed to the next tiny town over
and just got so overwhelmed with one of those waves
that I pulled into the Walmart parking lot
and took a little nap.
A UPS truck driver who was a friend of mine
saw me and wondered if I was okay.
He came over and knocked on the window,
waking me up and
nearly giving me
a heart attack.

Lloyd Dobbler has been working on the painting project today. He touched up many places in the house where the trim has taken a beating. He has primed the kids bathroom and tomorrow it will get two coats of friendly blue paint. Already with just the primer on there, I can tell the lighter color is going to be so much better. Why did I ever pick that dark green for their bathroom in the first place? What was I thinking?

I'll tell you what has been on my mind all day: supper. I want to go somewhere and eat something really good. I don't even know what I want, I just want hot, good food somewhere. I had another bowl of my good friend Cracklin' Oat Bran (oh, you must try it, Laura---I don't usually buy it because it's not the cheapest cereal, but it's good. It's good dry as a snack. It's good in a bowl of milk. It's just good!) for breakfast once I finally made it down the stairs this morning. Lloyd Dobbler saw my sluggishness this morning so when he went out very early to get some painting necessity, he had Starbucks hot chocolate (he won't touch their coffee, but loves their hot chocolate) and one of their stinky old doughnuts. I haven't eaten any pastry at Starbucks that has delighted me. Last fall I ate a pumpkin scone there that haunts me to this day.

But supper---lovely supper. I'm wondering if I can talk Lloyd Dobbler into going to the Chinese buffet with me. He will never ever go to those with me. Or somewhere where I can get a bowl of spaghetti as big as an elephant. Or just a fabulous salad and some kind of groovy bread. I just want some gooooooood food.

I hope you are having a lovely holiday weekend. We will be hitting the new Fourth of July parade in our Tiny Town tomorrow morning. My mom told me that the World War II veterans are supposed to be the grand marshalls. That's nice. We've never had a Fourth of July thing here before. Too bad the kids will miss it this year. Speaking of the kids, the weird feeling of not having them with me has grown every day.

Happy 3rd of July, dear reader!

Progress Report 3

Maybe I should call this
"lack of progress report" today
since there hasn't been
a lot of progress made.

Yesterday was my official "running around" day. I had planned to go to College Town and shop and meet my friend and I did do all of that. I also ran several errands before I ever left for College Town. I had a lovely time with the friend I met. We ate lunch at Jason's Deli and then went to see a movie. Oh my goodness. The movie. Sigh.

We saw "My Sister's Keeper" and along with everyone else in the theater (except for the two men that were dragged in there) cried our little eyes out. I have never cried so much at a movie. And it wasn't just because I am pregnant and pumped up on extra hormones. Everyone was crying. After the movie, a bunch of us came out of our little theater room and went into the bathroom; this woman was in there putting on make up and she just stopped and looked at us like we were all zombies or headless or something. She said, "What movie did you guys just see? You look awful!" And we felt like we'd been run over by a truck or something after the movie. I don't even know that I would recommend the movie unless you just need to be run through an emotional wringer.

Today I was talking to my friend who went with me about that movie (because she is stalking me and showing up everywhere I am) and we said that what made it so sad was that this family had no faith. They had no relationship with God. They had no hope. They struggled with this horrible thing and then the girl dies and it's like they all just thought it happened for no reason. Everything is just random. Then the narrator said that she thought she would see her sister again someday and I just wanted to say "So....why do you think that?" No, it was not a Christian-themed movie.....not in the least.

I was so tired when I got home yesterday evening. It was about 6pm and I tried to lay down and take a nap but the phone rang off the wall. So then I went upstairs and began my assault on the bonus room. I did actually make progress in there (I had forgotten about that) so I do actually have progress to report. Hooray for me!

I would really like to move the boys' beds in there while they are gone...but I don't think that is going to happen. It would take another strong guy to help Greg move them; they are HEAVY. Still haven't decided how to lay out that room. And other things have to be moved around, various pieces of furniture from this room to that. We've got to get a bar in the bonus room closet so that it can actually be used as a clothes closet. I have so much I need to do in the next couple of months! I can't think about it all without causing my head to spin.

So today....Thursday....I was so wiped out this morning. I had left over tiredness from yesterday and not for any great reason. The house was quiet and I was alone. That was actually very nice. I watched a movie and ate a huge bowl of Cracklin' Oat Bran cereal (I always want cereal when I am pregnant) and took it easy this morning. Went to get my hair cut at lunch time. Bought groceries. Ran errands for my mom---who got released from the hospital this afternoon, by the way. Took her stuff out to her house. Met Lloyd Dobbler at our favorite Mexican restaurant where they know us like the crew at Cheers knew Norm. I'm surprised they don't shout out our names when we walk in. But tonight it was just the two of us and we sat in a small booth. That never happens. Then we went over to see if we could help some friends of ours who were moving today. They were just unloading the last load of stuff. Lloyd Dobbler helped the guys with the stuff and I got the tour of the house and chatted with the wife. We stayed over there way too long and now we are home and still feeling lazy. That's been the theme of this day: laziness. We planned to get the kid's bathroom primed tonight, but I don't think that is going to happen. Lloyd Dobbler just wants to put in a movie and chill. And I have to say....I'm not feeling like putting the nose to the grindstone either. We have all day tomorrow. He's off work. We have no other plans. We can make hay while the sun shines tomorrow.

Do I sound like a sloth?

I have actually gotten some things done this week. And we are only half way through the chunk of time that the kids are gone. More will be accomplished. And if you are just completely unsatisfied with the rate at which things are getting marked off the list, there's only one thing you can do: come over here and help me! ha ha

I think I am tired because I have been constantly on the go this week and when I have been at home, I've been trying to get stuff done. I have been busy. I'm doing the work. I'm baby-stepping. (Dr. Marvin? Dr. Leo Marvin?---surely you've seen What About Bob?)

I brought home Fireproof from my parents for Lloyd Dobbler and I to watch. (Are we the only Christian couple in America who has not seen this movie?) But Lloyd Dobbler also rented two movies on his way home---one that we have both wanted to see and one that I don't plan to watch and which would fall under the category of Action/International Espionage/Suspenseful Thriller/Guy Movie---- which is not a category I usually enjoy. Unless it's those Jason Bourne movies. Or an old James Bond movie with the only actor who can really play James Bond. You know who I mean, don't you? His name starts with Sean and ends with Connery. He is 007.

Okay....that's all I have to say.
I could get into a whole thing about my neck roll discovery this week or the how silly the hospital personnel were during my mother's horse pistol stay...but I will spare you. I may make those topics into an explosive, controversial post for the holiday on Saturday. Now you won't be able to sleep. I can sense the anticipation building. Try to control yourself.