11.15.14 An Essential Oil Warning

Can you spot the red circles under her eyes? She got into a bottle of wholesome courage, some of you will know it as theives. It is a hot oil. Most essential oils are. She had rubbed it all over her face, mounth, hands, and neck. She was waiting in her high chair while I took a shower to go to town. Her curiousity and ability to grab things was not a good combination.

When I went in to get her out she was crying and rubbing around her eyes- not good. I washed her hands with dawn soap and then began diluting the oil with vegetable oil. After 2 applications she looked fairly good. Eyes are hard to clean! Lesson if you have essential oils keep them up higher than possibly kid reached and remember dilute oil with oil. Some experiences are just not fun.

11.14.14 Food

As you might guess food is a big deal at our house. We are eaters and we store and make a lot of what we consume. The girls were semi-waiting for dinner to be ready when they discovered this pie. They decided to taste test. That leads to faces like this from dad.

Actually that face was in response to Reed's toast

OR should I call it jam stacked on bread. Yes we do go through a lot of jam. I was just glad he used bread and not a spoon this time.

We were trying to poison John. Actually no we made white chocolate chip with craisin cookies. He was expecting the usual chocolate chip and is complaining that we ruined his cookies.

A bit of over-reacting I thought.  He survived, as did the cookies.

We were baking to take a small treat to the many veterans we know to say thanks on veterans day. It's been  a favorite tradition. The men and women are so surprised and always say "This is the first time we've gotten a card or thank you on veterans day."
While I don't agree with all or most of the political stuff happening in our country of late, and we could debate war on and on. I do admire people who enlist and serve despite bumbling arrogant politicians. They have often faced enemy fire, long periods of time away from home, injury, loss of dear friends, and a lifetime of memories. It is a great sacrifice.

And one last picture. The boys were able to watch/help grandpa do a tuneup on the trusty water truck last weekend. They had a good time learning from grandpa and being away from home chores.

11.11.14 Laundry Weather

Oh how I love my clothesline. We inevitably do LOTS and LOTS of laundry. So days that are sunny but mostly windy are laundry weather. We run the washer non-stop, I love the new 28 minute cycle.

On Saturday we were able to wash all the quilts in preparation for winter and some of the laundry. My heart and head hurt just thinking of all the loads we will be forced to dry this winter. Even with our inside clothes line it just can't keep up with all the bodies that live here. So it's always a nice nod from God when the wind isn't too blustery and the sun makes an appearance and we run our poor washer till our baskets are empty and our clothes are clean.

Thank goodness for two of those days this long weekend. Unfortunately those trips to and from the clothesline are my only trips outside. But up and down stairs lugging my baskets, up and down to put the clothes on I think is a fairly decent workout. Good thing Anna made so many cookies this weekend. Gotta keep things even. Oh winter how we pray for you but how I don't like your reality! I guess we should just sew the kids into their clothes and burn them in spring... colonial or Alaska style. Phew what a stench that must have been. Best to you.

11.10.14 Sunday

Between the years of possibly 10-14 I spent many a Sunday at the kitchen sink. I was doing dishes, for hours, with my dad. It took hours because he would gleefully inspect each dish and return them time and again to be perfectly clean... Oh how I hated Sunday. I'm not sure if he hated it or enjoyed the fun of antagonizing me. However, this not so fun experience was the result of my poor attitude or behavior choices.

We have LOTS of dishes here and if not sufficient to learn the lesson Greg always thinks of something else to whip up.

Fast Forward 20 years or so and I had three daughters in need of some correction yesterday.

On their knees with their hands. It just makes it a little more meaningful and hopefully more clean. That green grout is like a canal system. Looked good for a few hours thanks to their efforts.

We had stake conference yesterday which was really nice.  We were even able to attend in our ward building. I would like to vote for doing that again, especially with the dim lights. Most of the kids 4 and under went to sleep for the last hour. And probably some mom's and dad's too.
But it was really nice and less stressful than wrestling on metal chairs far back in the gym in Nyssa. When the kids realized we were going to our building and not the one in Nyssa there was some grumbling. Then as the meeting progressed there was some jostling that was not necessary by the big kids. So I got a clean floor and the dishes done all day by the culprits. It is so nice to have them home!

Mopping is my least favorite chore right now. It really hurts to be in that position so I avoid it and it makes a nice punishment... we have a lot of tile and a lot of feet that track stuff in and around. I told them with a smile in my voice that probably someday they would have their daughters do the same thing.

On a happier note. Addie is really moving along in her reading! I knew she would when she got it worked out in her mind and gained her bravado back. School is a big step. She finished her first reader and is sailing through the next one on top of all the other books she and I read for AR points.

 

And not to miss a reason to eat cake we celebrated grandma's birthday. We are very blessed to live by grandma. We get to learn from, work with, and share food stuffs with her. She is amazingly positive and cheery, very talented, wise, and empowering. The kids love her and I am grateful to be in her family. She makes it possible to live this close together. She never says anything about my not tidy house or yard and is always willing to sell or loan me sour cream, cake mixes, weird vinegar mixes, zippers,  or whatever I might need. She's saved many a meal and random project here. And she does things like teach the kids how to garden and cross stitch! We are thankful to be her closest neighbors. 

And how to lick the frosting off candles! Just one of the kids favorite experiences with Grandma.

 

11.6.14 Saturday Fun

Because of our strep  diagnosis we had to cancel our Saturday plan to drive to Twin Falls to attend the temple with Aunt Sheryl. We were sad to be left home, but as we ate a leisurely family breakfast- which doesn't happen often with all the early morning commitments- the kids begged Greg to stay home. They made a list of 20 things they could do with him. Grind corn, build fence, fix the chicken pen, put up some insulation... things that needed to be done that appealed to his manly muscle side of life. It was also a rainy dreary day. Constantly drizzling even outright raining from a gray overcast sky. (Just to set the stage).

Greg consented and so I got my drain re-dug and my banister repaired. The kids got out of a day of housework, which let's face it YUCK! Instead the boys and girls on-and-off helped dad. Our front steps are wooden and steep and SLICK in the winter. This summer the support posts for the banisters had rotted off and thus we have been carefully making our way up and down the stairs. However, with the winter fast approaching the ice and freezing rain, we hope to get, make them treacherous hazards to navigate. Those helpful banisters have saved many a backside, front side, and person from a wild ride to the top or bottom of the stairs or a quick trip off of them to the ground below.

I think she is packing the hole or maybe measuring distance. If I recall they said it was 32 inches deep. Even with the 1/5 inches of rain we got that day the ground below was still dry. We need a lot more rainy days to stop this drought.

The boys chipped out the old cement. Excavated the holes complete with pick and shovel- we have really hard ground here. Helped carry up new/old posts, drilled new holes and then set the new posts. My husband only does jobs completely, all the way. He doesn't fudge at all. This means it takes longer and he uses the most heavy duty stuff he can find.

Our new stairway closely resembles a cattle loading shoot. I'm pretty sure steers or hogs could go through it and it wouldn't budge. I do love his commitment to doing things the best he can. In fact, he reminded me so much of my grandfather that has passed away. Working all day in the rain, claiming not to be cold, staying till the job was done and motivating the kids to dig some more, make sure it was level, to do their best too. It was a big day of learning.

I of course did not help outside but rather  cooked and cooked inside. Trying to make warm, energy invoking food stuffs to keep the boys going and warm. Dad's are so important to toughening up kiddos. I worry about colds and discomfort- mostly mine- and call it quits much sooner than their tough dad. And it was good for their dad to observe their more mature personalities. I remind him periodically they are growing up and changing. It is interesting to see what quirks they have and how much stronger and capable they are becoming.

The kids changed wet coats at least 2x that day, Greg of course was too busy to notice any wetness. It was a bundle of extra laundry but great skills to learn.

We did have one ace in the hole we had rescheduled our trick-or-treating for Saturday night so the kids were a little more driven to get the job done in a timely manner. All in all it was another day for the memory books and now we are ready for all the snow and rain we have fasted and prayed for these last two years. Let it SNOW...!

11.5.14 Cider

We were blessed with LOTS of apples this year. And I mean LOTS like over a thousand pounds, which in years past I have split with at least two other people. So we had to come up with some creative uses for apples. About 13 years ago we made apple cider with Greg's family. I mean aunts,uncles, cousins etc. It was a major project! We pressed 5 800lb bins of apples but man was that cider good. We checked on the availability of a press, but had a hard time finding anyone with the machinery that was local. We were finally hooked up with a local inventor man and made our appointment.

We worked for two hours grinding and pressing apples and got about 10 gallons of juice. I was a little disappointed it wasn't more productive but it sure was good. We are scheduled to go again sometime this week I hope, because I am done canning apples here and need a way to use the rest. 

Cider deserves donuts and grandma was kind enough to help us out and make some yummy cake donuts.

FIRST TASTE OF THE CIDER, YUM!

Our kind friend Kelly who has blessed our family with many opportunities. She is an amazing woman.

Turning the press to get the cider. Anna and Harold were best sized for the job, but Mark and Addie had to have a turn too.

We decided the remains were diabetic apples. Sugar is gone just fiber...Makes great animal feed though.

Washing then shredding the apples. That was the best bowl. This is set up on a geothermal hot spot, while the night was fall-cool the water was delightfully warm. In fact they have to cool not heat their water for use. We live in a great place.

 It was a fun night and the apple cider syrup on pancakes the next morning was divine!

As we continue to debate travel and doing fun things like the rest of the blog world vs. our work together in all different conditions and situations I have to remember to be thankful for who we are and not wish we were somebody else. The kids really enjoyed the evening. The owners are delightful people full of talent, kindness, and newness to our family. It's good to meet others and great to get such delicious rewards for a big project. Let's just say apple picking is almost a bad word at our house. Not that it's hard or bad it's just kids... but this night, like most nights we work together as a group, was full of good giggles, great people, and a lot accomplished. We did recently decide that we try to live with purpose. Mean getting good things done.

I love helping others and I love that my family is able to serve others in real and meaningful ways. We appreciate all the opportunities we are given to do these projects. And really fresh cider and homemade donuts is that really so hard? Nope just fall goodness! Best to you.

11.4.14 Pumpkins

While I don't love Halloween I do love carving pumpkins. It is a fun tradition we have  recruited my parents in as master carvers and more hands and eyes watching lots of knives working at one time. This year we got a few pumpkins from our home garden but the carving pumpkins came from some seeds we had tucked in the ground at my mom's garden. She is deer free with a dog and more traffic. We are thankful there are some deer free zones in our valley.

Each year the kids get more independent and creative. And there seems to be more kids and pumpkins. This year we canned applesauce all day then carved pumpkins that night. It was a full day and I was so thankful my parents and Greg showed up to get the carving done because I was beat by the time seeds started appearing on the table from the pumpkins.

We switched out the large pumpkins for a small pie pumpkin for Miss Millie. It was much more her size and she enjoyed being part of the fun.

Ears are a trademark of my dad's. Addie loves to add ears and worked to get these on her pumpkin. Her persistence paid off and she did it herself. She was very proud of her pumpkin.

And finally after much ado and matches flying we enjoyed the masterpiece of lighted pumpkins on our front porch. And that was the fun of Halloween.

Well not exactly. We went to the doctor the next day and found we did have strep. So we got some of the kids started on antibiotics, skipped the trunk or treat and watched the three stooges. The kids loved it. We ate some candy we had around the house and it was great. The next night we went and visited the grandma's and uncle Kevin. They were overly generous and we have candy enough till Christmas. So every night or when we are together we have some candy bars and are slowly working our way through all the fun of Halloween. My kids have good grandparents and a spoil sport mom. Oh well it works out in the end. Happy holidays!