2.14.24 Sick day

Last week Merle was sick. He could manage toast so Andrea took care of him bringing him water and toast. She cares for him even as she endures much teasing and touching from him. It's a give and take. 

Addie thought it would be fun to make individual biscuit pizzas. After church, the kids had the experience of making their own pizza with her. They were so delighted. 

I also took some time to try some Valentine cards. A podcast I listened to said part of restoring your health and managing stress is doing things that are fun and bring you joy. I'm not good on knowing what would be fun but creating does bring me joy. Painting is slightly less messy than sewing although Andrea walks through the paint, coloring on the cards etc etc it is challenging with many people around. 

Bruce was reading to a sore and hurting Merle. I love that all my kids love books. 

Missionary Mondays are back. We are so thankful to be able to look Aliza in the eye. Sorry it's not the most flattering picture of her but it is the moment of connection for the week with her. After so many years home and around home it's still hard to not talk to her more often but I am managing. 

She is really enjoying her trainer Sister Muhlstein. I'm so thankful this has been such a positive. 

Her happy spot, all organized and ready to learn. She loves order and small things. Note the tiny tea cup and playing cards. 

Finally, after hours of crying, they gave in and went to sleep. 

The only thing they wanted to eat was some pears. 

Some of the away-from-home kids Aliza and Harold really enjoyed pears too. It reminds me time passes quickly to open jars of fruit they won't and weren't a part of. 

Now Andrea gets to enjoy them and learn the rewards of the harvest. Along with noodles. We were given some noodles from the moving project these two were sampling before I got the lasagna made. Honestly, they like raw noodles more than sauced and cheesed noodles. 

And that's a wrap. Thankfully everyone is well again and the crying has lessened considerably. I'm thankful for health and contentment. Life is good. 
 

2.14.24 Food moving

Over the years we have moved many people. Each of these experiences taught my kids something different. In the recent years, we haven't been as involved. The older strong men that live at my house are often called to move some heavy things but the younger crew is out of luck when it comes to serving others. We were fortunate a few weeks ago to get to help my parents move their food storage. When we arrived we were delighted to find several cousins there already lugging items up the stairs and into the waiting trailer. 

The saying many hands make light work was put to the test. We were thankful for the various abilities and strengths shared that day. 

Grandma had used some of that food to prepare a delicious lunch. A quick or patient wait in line to wash hands then the feast!

Then back to work unloading the stores. Bruce, Cambree, Millie, Henley, Papa, and Rachel all worked and worked to make a lovely organized storage space.

Others made trip after trip to another shed hauling the longer-lasting dry goods. Again, I am so thankful or many legs to move and move the products. 

John and Mark put together more shelving and distributed the heavy stuff wherever it needed to go. The day was smooth and at the end nothing was broken and no one was sad. It's fun to be needed and impressive to be able to see a job well done. We are thankful for opportunities to help. Life is good. 
 

1.9.24 Legion

We have been learning how to help each kid manage stress. We are teaching things like sleep, preparation, breathing, and some energy expenditure. Addie feels better when she exercises. Her brothers like to hear her approval and be strong like her so they are often "training" with her. These are core exercises after a run. 

The location for regional American Legion speaking was John Day. We don't go that way very often, but with technology we could look at the road and see what conditions were to be expected. We also didn't have a solid  time the contest started, just after lunch. So we headed out on new roads with an adventure ahead. 

We were treated to beautiful scenery. 

Then it got worrisome. Unfortunately, we were following a very cautious driver. Greg hates following anyone. I was just very thankful he was dealing with it and I had a book to look at. 

Addie placed second she did well. I really wish they had a questions section but the scholarship addition is very welcome. It was good to visit with the Legionnaires, its great for Addie to gain more experience. She is becoming a poised confident young lady. We are very pleased with her ability to work hard and get the job done. 

Back at home after a long day of traveling, it was nice to be together. Reed and Addie are quite the team and Reed is a quiet supporter of Addie. Merle is fun for Reed to cuddle.

John enjoys his Christmas present nerf gun. We have the most reverent scripture times. 

Afton is literally in the middle or the picked-on younger sibling. It's not a good spot right now, I'm working to reign these older brothers in but am not finding a lot of success. 

The group on the sidelines. We do scriptures daily but I'm not sure anyone gets anything out of the experience. 

Life tools and changes and doesn't. We try to do what we are supposed to. When I read the quote "you will have greater peace and harmony in your home" I wonder. But we keep trying and forgiving, and learning to be kind, and not picking fights. The story of Lehi's family really resonates here. We are blessed. 

 

2.8.24 These are my people

While talking to our missionary on Monday we snapped a quick hello picture. Alia and Aliza are good buddies and miss each other in a comforting way that is not to be overlooked. Aliza gave Lia a lot of the nurturing she needed. With Covid and life etc Aliza was home a lot more than most of our teenage kids. We miss interacting with her. 

So we posed for some pictures to make some special valentines. My heart needs some crafting to unwind from the stress of sick kids, speech kids, and taxes those combinations are not easy and take much of my mental and emotional energy. 

Thankfully these cuties were very open to sharing their sweet energy and love with others. 

These monkeys are sure fun. They are patient with my busyness and love all of us. We sure need their hugs and happy laughs. 

These two are as different as night and day but similar in stature. This day they even happened to be dressed alike. How thankful we are for the many unique personalities that live at our house. 

Magna tiles are the best toy invented. I bought more for Christmas and thus the imagination can be bigger and more complex. One day not shown here Alia announced they were making a going-to-the- butcher place.  They made an alleyway and two pens with gates between, so they could one by one take the animals to be killed for meat. Oh my well that's descriptive and unusual. They used their vast collection of animals to be butchered. 

Grandma Corn came and read one evening with the younger kids. 

Afton waited patiently for her gifts. 

Addie decorated a cake at her mutual activity. Sadly we are not good mutual attendees but the kids enjoy it when they go. 

 Life has been intense with lots and lots of mud and cows a month later than normal. The mud destroys equipment and takes a lot of extra time. The cows left today!! That is a huge celebration. But rock is being delivered and thus farm preparations begin with pivot track maintenance and repair. Always repairs. Responsibilities never stop. 

Livy and Millie are reading Harry Potter because I'm desperately working to get lots and lots of words through Livy's mind. She's on the cusp of Middle School and then high school and has to be a confident proficient reader. She read 5 books from Gregor the Overlander and 2 Harry Potter working on the 3rd. My master reader brother said if you don't like to read you just haven't found the right books, and my super sister said you just have to read words to read words. With that in mind, I gave in on my rules of no Harry Potter and had her listen to the first book of each series to get her hooked then she read and read the following books. We will still read classic great literature like Anne of Green Gables and the Secret Garden, but needed something she could and would read solo. I'm encouraged to see her nose in  a book so frequently right now. 

This is a season of home learning. Winter with the early dark and cold cause us to be inside with some time on our hands, reading and learning are perfect ways to fill them. Life is good and we are blessed. 

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1.30.24 Afton Birthday Cake

We had our first birthday of the year recently. Thankfully some generous friends shared their overstock of eggs with us. Thus even though new laws have almost doubled the price of eggs it was no big deal to make several sponge cakes this weekend. 

I love this recipe mostly because it almost always works out. The few times it didn't the kids still eat up the failed attempt. Afton prepped for blowing out her candles. 

Lia really likes to help right now. She was willing to stir the lemon curd. 

Millie helped separate the eggs. She then did the step of aerating the yolks. A sponge cake uses both parts of the eggs but whips in the air independently of the other. This light yet filling cake is a delicious throwback to years gone by. 

Andrea loves to watch. It's easier when she stays on the other side of the wall as the multi-step process requires a little more concentration than usual. Not to mention the myriad of other things going on I appreciate when she just hangs on the wall and observes. 

A variation is a chocolate sponge with mousse filling. This is rich and decadent. The mousse is divine. 

The finished lemon sunshine. Maybe we should call the chocolate a midnight mousse cake. 

 We are thankful for the sweet children that grace our home. This is a hard time of year forcing myself to wade through my thinking and actions of the past year trying to make it make sense in the computer. I appreciate the kids' patience and care for each other. 

Afton and I took a quick grocery run to restock for the week. I know the necessity of connecting with each child, the younger ones often get pushed aside for the bigger events and needs of the older kids. Thus I'm working to pay attention and give attention to the younger kids this year. We ended our shopping trip with a restaurant sit down for hot french fries. Of course, she walked through the door at home sharing her opportunity with the others. Small moments wrestled from the daily hustle and bustle are important and I need to work harder to spend the time with these quickly growing up kiddos. Life is good. 

1.27.24 Chapter ffa speaking

After a month of reading and writing the chapter speech competition finally arrived. New this year with a captive audience of freshman and their parents the speaking contest was first. Mark started the evening off with his speech about the power of cover crops to help control chemicals in the air. Mark did well and managed his questions adequately. He had some challenging questions from the scientist judge. 

John again competed in extemporaneous speaking. Thanks to Addie for creating his research binder. He did ok and has a ticket to the district competition. He spoke about genetic modified corn and the benefits to agriculture. 

Addie spoke last and nailed her questions. Aliza had coached her before leaving that she needed to learn enough that she would be the expert in the room and therefore no question would be too hard to answer confidently. She took that counsel to heart and with all the time off from fencing due to her wisdom teeth removal learned a lot about nuclear energy. 

Following the speaking, the officer team finally got to the evening's main draw, the greenhand ceremony. 

Everyone read their part and the green hand painting began. 

After the students had their hands painted, they added their hands to the poster to hang in the Ag room. A novel induction rite that the kids enjoyed. Besides a few cheeks, no clothes were marked green during the activity. 

Another year another round of learning. I really enjoy these deep dives into a certain topic. Likewise, I enjoy seeing the kids grow and gain thinking skills.