Are you exhorting daily?

Time for midnight blogging! I've got a tasty snack to chaw on while I post--ciabatta roll with salsa cream cheese dip and a slice of cheese. Love it! (Those items were bought at Costco).

I washed all my filthy quilt squares in Oxyclean in the washing machine. I think it helped. We'll see for sure when they're dry.

Anyone watch King of the Hill? A hilarious animated show set in Texas? Love that show. One of the characters recently said, "I'm so depressed I can't blink." Thought that was pretty funny, and yet not so funny, cuz that's really the way I feel sometimes, including today. But I was majorly cheered up this evening, unexpectedly. On break at work, I was looking at a newspaper, and the front page had an article about a young, local, onfire pastor. The front page!!! He's "hip," and preaches to a young crowd. He tells it like it is--tells them stuff they really need to hear about sin and morality and the evils of abortion. And they are listening!! He's an onfire guy for God, and the positive ripple effect of it has reached me, and he doesn't even know me, nor has he talked to me personally! Our pastor is just like that, too. This got me to thinking about how the Bible says we should exhort one another daily so we don't get hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. It also got me thinking about how in the last days, the increase of wickedness will cause the love of most to grow cold. It seems that righteousness--seeing it, hearing about it, doing it, is one antidote to the cooling effects of iniquity. So if this is the case, then tomorrow, if nobody comes up to exhort me, maybe I should seek it out? Instead of soaking up the negativity around me with no TRUTH AND LIFE to offset? Be exhorted, all ye that love God, God notices those who sigh and cry against wickedness! Right?!
Peace out

Eager beavers, smoky squares, and scorched chickens

It's pretty late, but I feel I must conjure up a new post.....stale blog entries are such eye rolling affairs, aren't they?!

What's new? We had a beautiful day today, thank God, after a rainy weekend. The girls have half days Tuesday through Friday this week cuz of conferences. I went to Jessie's today, and it was pretty gratifying. Even though she struggles some with math and telling time and counting money, she's one of these eager beavers who loves school. (Yessssssss!) She's a great reader and has a good imagination for telling stories. She works hard and wants to do well. God had mercy on me to give me one like her, cuz things are a lot more up hill with Zach. But we're rolling along okay with his homeschooling. I'm still quite deliriously happy with my curriculum choice.

I got my antique quilt squares in the mail yesterday, which I had ordered from ebay. There were 2 sets of 40 quilt squares. They are smoky smelling, dirty, and fragile looking. One set, though, had been sewn together by hand! I was really impressed!!!! Now I'm just trying to figure out how to clean them. Plus, one set has been sewn together quite haphazardly, with really loud color combinations of feed sack pieces. Don't quite know what to do now.....but I did have fun on Saturday turning some old shirts and pants I had been saving into 6 inch squares for a quilt for the couch. I even arranged them on a blanket and pinned them. Now, I just need to sew. So do I make a mad dash a half hour away to Mom's sewing machine, or go old fashioned and sew by hand when I get the chance?

Don't try this at home: Canning pots are not stock pots. I tried making chicken stock with two chickens in a canning pot today, without the wire insert. Well, the part of the chicken touching the bottom of the pan actually scorched!! I still made dinner from this and nobody complained (yay!), but I knew it wasn't 100% okee dokee.

Things to be thankful for on Thursday

Hello, everyone! We actually got some rain! It is like 68 degrees out. I love it! Why do I feel such good energy with this kind of weather? =) Yesterday afternoon, I was standing in the front doorway, waiting for the boys to get to the car so I could pick up the girls at school. It was a golden and crimson kind of afternoon, and the most delicious fall breeze--spicy, cool, apple cidery, was gently blowing. A really delightful moment that I wanted to can in a quart jar so I could open and enjoy in February. I made pumpkin muffins with dinner--'tis time for pumpkiny goodies! I read a quote last night that said something like, "It's better to enjoy each changing season than to be only in love with spring."

My garden beds look pretty spent. I need to cut the raspberries back. I have one giant, towering sunflower in the tomatoes, which is cool looking. The tomato plants themselves look bad, but the fruits continue to ripen. My pathetic pumpkin plants performed like they always do--they look great, grow vigorously, bloom profusely....then in fall, they mildew, and I only get 2 actual pumpkins.

Zach is doing math, and William is watching Nemo for the zillionth time. I exercised on the treadmill for 40 minutes, which I feel good about--2nd time this week! I really have to make a conscious effort to use it cuz of time and things like the sweat issue and the William issue. But of course, I need exercise, and I feel great and proud when I do. William really does NOT tolerate outdoor walks too well. He showed us that recently when I tried walking to school to get the girls and on Saturday, when the kids, my Dad, Kristi, and me went for a walk at their house. William just gives out and cries and cries when he's sick of it, and all you can do is endure till you get home, or speak sternly quite a bit and carry his heavy body home. So, I'm thankful for the treadmill!

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." Colossians3:15

Chris survived the "Wonderland Trail"

Chris returned safely from his camping trip, thank God. I invited him to do a post, but he DOES NOT WRITE, so I'll just say a little. It won't be as good as if HE wrote it , but anywho. It was a super advanced hike--like 8 or 16 miles. (I told you it wouldn't be as good--I can't even remember how many miles). There were 5 or 6 guys, including Chris. They packed everything up they needed. They climbed up to like 5500 feet--this was in the Mt. Rainier vicinity. There was water at the site, but it needed purifying. Everyone had a hefty pack which they had to put clothes, food, small tent, and anything else they would need for 2 nights. I think he said it weighed 65 lbs. Chris borrowed his boss's dad's, and it had one of those fancy water packs with a tube so you can suck water as you walk without the huge inconvenience of lifting a bottle to your mouth (rolling eyes). There was a beautiful lake, Mystic Lake, which was freezing, but they all went in anyway. Chris was not warm enough at night, and he got a wretche sleep both nights. His favorite part was "hanging out with the guys." He came back sunburned, exhausted, sore, almost sick, and very happy. I massaged his back and neck for a few minutes, and boy, was he KNOTTED AND TENSE from carrying the pack! He took care of his stuff, got a shower and dinner, and slept for probably 11 hours Sunday night. I was glad to have him back. I became a bit depressed and apathetic with him gone, which was an unwelcome surprise. Like, he's a motivating, welcome presence, and there's quite a gap when he's gone. I must admit, being more sloppy was kinda cool, but not worth the loneliness.

An easy section of trail 

Wow! 

Mystic Lake 

CRITTERS CHOMPING

I've got the house to myself tonight. The three youngers are at Grandma's, and Zach's at a sleepover. It's just me, the cat, and the neighbor's DANG BARKING DOGS!!!! Why are they barking?!! It always makes me think there's something to be worried about, but whenever I look, I see nothing. Hmph!! They're having a fit about something, and it makes me uneasy.

My mom brought me the most delicious cookies and a small box of chocolates from See's when she came and got the kids. As if she wasn't doing enough! It warmed the cockles of my heart! The cookies are the perfect texture, and they have white chocolate, coconut, dried cranberries, and maybe something I'm forgetting.

When I was heading to my car in the parking lot tonight, there was our resident raccoon under its large tree home, chomping cat food!! One of the guards had just fed it! I got relatively near it, and said "Nice night, huh?". But it didn't have very good manners--it chomped loudly with its mouth open and made a rude hissing kind of face at me.

Hopefully Chris is warm enough tonight, camping somewhere in the vicinity of Mt. Rainier. Hopefully he hasn't been eaten by a bear or fallen into a crevasse.

I had an unusual dream this morning. It was caused by a combination of my chatting last night with Chris while he packed and something I've been worrying about; I dreamt that I was at a cabin in the woods with friends and/or family. I chanced to look down a steep hill near the cabin and saw a bear at the bottom of the hill chewing on something. It looked up at me. I was freaked out and ran back to take precautions. And my ridiculous precautions? Hook chains to orange traffic cones to keep out the bear! Der!!

Tuesday's child plays with foam paint

I've been realizing that William really needs more creative preschool type stuff to do during the day, especially when Zach's doing his school. I recently bought him his own hot wheels cars, which he loves. He wanted to always get into Zach's huge collection kept in a case that closes. Well, Zach REALLY didn't care for that, so now Will is happily playing with his first 6. I've got a vintage Fisher Price garage thing he plays with. Where did I get that?! It's about as old as me, and the elevator only works if you pull outward on this twine my dad attached whilst turning the lever.

Thanks to an idea from Christiancrafters.com, I assisted Will with some "foam painting" a little while ago. I took a dollop of acrylic paint, a dollop of bubble bath, some water, and I whisked them all together to make foam. There was still some liquid at the bottom, but plenty of foam at top. For maybe 15 to 20 minutes, this had him very absorbed. I started him off on printer paper, cuz that's about all I had. I gave him a wide foam brush and then let him at it. He enjoyed pretty much stroking the foam over and over in the same spot, which the paper couldn't really handle. So I got a big piece of foil, which also added crinkle and shine to this "multisensory" activity. He enjoyed mixing the colors, but would sometimes try to lick the bubbles off his hand--not tasty. Now I'm interested in getting him some cheap containers and toys to play with sand and water outside. You can buy tables, but I don't want to pay that much for flimsy plastic. I need to get him some puzzles and things to string beads and some stuff to match and sort. I made a list from some web site that says what 3 year olds like to do--I needed to be reminded! Plus, we've gotten rid of so many toys the others wore out and/or weren't using.

Chris is going to go backpack hiking with some buddies from work on Friday and Saturday this weekend. So now he needs to get a backpack. He's really looking forward to this and has wanted to do something like it for a long time. My parents have courageously agreed to watch all 4 kiddos Friday night while I'm at work.

Zach and I started a book for school called The Golden Goblet. What's interesting is that it was kept downstairs at our main library, and someone had to retrieve it for me! It was published in 1961. I'm just wondering how many other old books are down there--especially ones I grew up reading from my old library! You don't see too many old books out. Do they move them all down there to make room for new ones, or sell some of them at their library sales?

Got the kids a bunch of clothes they desperately needed at Goodwill yesterday. Every time I turn around, I see a need for a coat or a sweatshirt, or pants or shorts are too small or worn out, shoes need replacing, and there's a severe sock shortage. How many times have I already mentioned my sprees at Goodwill and Value Village? It seems like I'm going once a week now. Zach also got a brand new, high quality skate board and a Halloween costume. And on my way to the cash register, I spotted some adorable shoes for 3.00 (for me--bonus!) which I snagged. Trips like these are complete doldrum-busters. I know some of you know what I'm talking about. =)

It's good that life doesn't stink all the time

Well, it's late Sunday night. Everyone's in bed asleep, but I'm not quite ready for that yet, so I guess I'll fill this wind-down time by stringing a few words together. Okay, done! Just kidding.

This was a really good, weekend, thank the Lord (following an interminably long, tiring week I didn't think I was going to survive). I got all my peaches canned, cookies made, floor mopped, embroidery worked on, some laundry done. I got in a quick trip to Good Will, where I picked up canning jars ,a toy for William, and a small pink, hand painted lamp shade for the girl's room. Chris did some good yard maintenance--he really tidied up the yard, with Zach's help. They got toys picked up, mowed, weed-ate , swept the concrete slab. Then Chris set up our chairs that are always getting knocked down or used as stepstools for the tree-swing, and we had a fire in our fire pit, aka, Weber. All of us were out pretty late having a relaxed happy family time. Enjoyed the full moon and the clouds giving way to clear sky and the resultant dramatic shadows. We ate popcorn, and burned up maybe the last of our wood. I was eyeing purposefully some trees at church that were cut down and lying there to make room for expansion.

Today, our pastor talked about the value of being interdependent and involved with the people in our church community. Chris and I were socialed out, so we enjoyed the community of family this weekend. The girls did get to go to a birthday party at an indoor pool last night. We had to go to Build a Bear at the mall to get an outfit as a gift. So Jessie was able to purchase an outfit for her own bear at the same time. I 'm pretty dumbfounded by the popularity of these stuffed animals and their outfits. They really don't do a thing for me, but plenty of kids these days seem to go ga ga for them! Stuffed animals were what I liked when I was a kid, too, but I guess mine were nudists.

Our cat, Max, caught a sparrow Saturday. I rescued it, named it Jack, and let Zach play with it for awhile. It even flew to the perch of a birdhouse in his room! Zach also found out, thanks to Max again, that his recently escaped snake lives in a crack in the ground right outside his window!

Chris, William, and I all had naps this afternoon. I made the most delicious dinner, which I found on recipes.com, a real source of inspiration. It's called Sweet and Sour meatballs, but it calls for canned peaches! And it has a rich, complex sauce! You could make your own meatballs, but I gave up on that a long time ago, and use Costco meatballs. Ikea's are the best, but they're too far away. =)

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

1 lb 1 oz ground turkey or beef
1.5 oz oat bran
1 lg egg, slightly beaten
1/4 tsp ground allspice
3 T light brown sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1 c. canned peach slices in juice, drained (reserve 1/2 c. juice)
1/4 c. cider vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)
1/4 c. ketchup (I used chili sauce)
1 T. soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c. sliced green onions

Preheat broiler. Combine meat, bran, egg, and allspice. Shape into 24 meatballs. Place on rach in pan 4 inches from heat; broil 3 min. on each side.

In 12 inch nonstick skillet, over med. heat, combine sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in reserved peach juice, vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce and garlic, stirring until cornstarch dissolves. Bring to boil until thickened, about one minute.

Add meatballs, peaches, green onion, stirring to coat with sauce; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 12-15 min or till meat is cooked through, stirring occasionally. Great over white rice.

It's sprinkling pretty good outside-really feels like fall! Only a few weeks ago, I was wearing capri pants, cuz it still seemed liked summer. Now I'm ready to turn same garment into a quilt. No, really. You should see me when I get hold of some worn out article of clothing that is quiltworthy. I tear into it with my scissors and cut out all usable parts, fold it neatly, and put it into my quilt fabric pile with a satisfied smile. Yesterday, I spent quite a bit of time researching feed sack quilts on the internet, because I am really enamored with them. Then I stumbled on to a surprising number of offerings on ebay, including some vintage feed sack quilt squares, 2 lots, that were found in an attic. I am bidding on both of them. I would just have to sew them together and then add filler, backing, and then quilt it! Also bidding on an "Albers Mill" feed sack, which I would like to make into a couch pillow. Chris and his coworkers actually contributed to the local Albers Mill renovations. It's not a mill anymore, but rather condos on the waterfront. So, it would be meaningful, and its the only Albers feedsack I saw.

Yesterday, I managed to can 5 quarts of peaches--Elbertas. That's a good feeling! I have a lot more to do--must get more sugar and maybe more jars. The only way on the planet to eat canned peaches is to eat the home canned ones. And I add cinnamon to the light syrup. I shudder to think of the "taste" of the storebought ones. They taste like canned green peaches. Lame!

Well, this was an interesting day. William was the world's biggest handful pretty much all day. He woke up a tyrant, demanding cocoa, which, to him, is "the PRECIOUS." His pacifiers are his other "preciouses." He is not easily diverted away from his firm goals. We still haven't gotten a microwave yet, so we have to heat milk or water on the stove. I was trying to rest a few more minutes before stopping the indignant demands and yellings of my terrible two-dler. I don't think he has heard the instruction on "yielding rights" yet. ARGHHHHH!!!!! And he wouldn't take a nap!!!! And I tried several times!!!! Preschool sounds like the most excellent idea ever--especially when I'm trying to teach Zach and Will is wanting to be Mr. Universe--Mr. Center of the Universe, that is.

Since when do squirrels try to steal egg salad sandwiches in the middle of the day through an open window when people are in the next room? That actually happened today!!!! One of these fuzzy, gray fellows scuttled through a kitchen window to steal a quarter sandwich that had been sitting there all of 2 minutes!!! The nerve!!! What was he going to do with it, bury it next to his walnut stash?!

We got a new couch today, hallelujah!! I did a Labor Day sale, pay nothing for 18 months deal. Yes, I am evil for buying on credit. Our other couch was great, except for the glaring hideous cracks all over the vinyl seats!! My dad helped us get this couch for a song from one of his old neighbors. It had like 2 small slits in it when we got it. Well, Chris diligently repaired the slits with a special kit--twice--but it just weakened the vinyl and caused it to explode in cracks!!! NOT COOL!! So now we have a lovely brown leather couch. Chris and I pretty much killed ourselves getting the old one out and the new one in!! It was right before dinner, and all the kids and one of the obnoxious neighbor girls (bless her heart), were hanging around gawking. Chris and I got just a teensy bit testy with all of them after I collapsed to my knees with our old 3,000 lb behemoth. It sounds bad, and it looked bad, but amazingly, I didn't really get hurt. I dropped onto the grass, not the cement walkway. What had happened was, I tripped on a cord coming from the couch and just sank to the ground with the couch still in my hands! We both really had to wrestle it out, down the stairs, and out the picket fence. We both hurt our hands, and I dropped one or both of the couches, several times. I didn't drop them hard, but my hands and arms just kinda gave out. I thought I was strong--but that was a challenge. Only a few more years until my strapping 11-year old son will be strapping enough to take over this kind of thing--Lord, haste the day--but I do treasure these last few prepubescent years with him, believe me. So we put the old one next to the street with a "FREE" sign. And guess what, within hours, it was gone!!!! For people who don't mind living with blankets covering the seat, it is a great couch with lots of life, and very comfortable. It even had reclining seats. Too bad it wasn't leather, or it wouldn't have gotten all stupidly cracked.

William learned what else can go in a potty chair this evening, for the first time. Apparently, he thought it was something to finger paint with, because Chris had to do a lot of cleanup afterwards. And I was at work and had to miss all that fun--poor me!

My mom made this Dorothy costume for Zoe--isn't it adorable?! A neighbor girl gave her the red sparkly shoes first, and then Zoe wanted a costume to go with it. =)

There's no place like home! 

Jill, the name of our curriculum is Learning Adventures. Dorian Holt, wife of John Holt (big in home education), created it. The website is Learning-Adventures.org. We started it today, and I have a really good feeling about this. We're starting with Egypt. What we did today was, we read Genesis 37:1-36 about Joseph. Then I asked Zach a bunch of comprehension questions, which were written out. He had just one vocabulary word to write on a 3x5 card, and his writing assignment was copying the events we had just read about Joseph in chronological order. His vocabulary word was chronos. Then we looked at and read some of our library books. For social studies, we read about the people of Egypt--what they look like, wear, eat, etc. For science, he read about deserts. One of Dorian's big things is the connectedness in real life of things and how when you're curious or interested and have freedom to do a lot of your own research and reading, you can learn SO MUCH. For example, if you're interested in taking pictures, you would get a camera. You'd probably research what kind you wanted, and that might lead you to a photography class, and that might lead you to learning to develop your own photos, and that might lead you to entering a contest or cutting your own mats....when you're interested, not FORCED TO READ THIS TEXTBOOK FOR THIS LONG--NOW STOP--NOW STUDY FOR THE TEST--NOW THE NEXT CHAPTER--AND YOU DIDN'T RETAIN IT NOR DID YOU GET TO DO ANY PERSONAL RESEARCHING OR HANDS ON PROJECTS BECAUSE WE HAVE A SCHEDULE TO KEEP, DANG IT..... Learning Adventures is the opposite. And I don't just get to throw the lessons and books at Zach and head to the mall ( actually a bed would be the more tempting choice). She has me reading out loud to him and being pretty involved. And there is a lot of flexibility about what books you can get, although she gives you lots of specific ideas, including some required literature. So, I personally learned a lot more about Egypt today, in 1 day, "teaching" my son, than I ever knew before!! And I thought it would be fun to make some Egyptian food for dinner, so I looked up on the internet how to make Egyptian bread and lentil stew. Zach helped me with the bread, and we wove a bit of math in there, since I was doubling the recipe. For math, he did math-u-see. He's almost done with the focus on multiplication book--it's one of those Greek letters, can't remember which. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's learning--and that feels really good to say that, rather than, " I hope I can make sense of this complicated lesson plan and COVER and FORCE down his throat these 79 subjects, so I can check off the boxes!" Of course, today I didn't have any errands to do, so on days where there are errands, we will have to be more flexible. Yes, I know it's REALLY EASY to be elated at the beginning of something, and 1 month later be crying in your latte cuz you're behind or sick of it, or whatever. NEVERTHELESS!!!!! I still think I'm on to something!

I made a SUPER cake Sunday. It's rich and sweet and moist and comforting. Good for a near fall weekend. Try it! Or invite yourself over and ask me to make it. We'll have a little party for all the kind people who comment on my blog! So if you are one of those lazy people who only READ blogs ( and CRRRRRRITicize like the old rich Aunt? from the Anne books)......THEN NO CAKE FOR YOU!!!!

CARAMEL APPLE COFFEE CAKE

3 eggs
2 c. sugar
1.5 c. oil
2 tsp vanilla
3 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp bs
3 c. chopped, peeled apples
1 c. chopped pecans

TOPPING

1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. milk
1 c. packed brown sugar

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs until foamy; gradually add sugar. Blend in oil and vanilla. Combine flour, salt, and baking soda; add to egg mixture. Stir in apples and pecans. Pour into a greased 10-inch tube pan; bake at 350 for 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove cake to a serving platter. For topping, combine all ingredients in a saucepan; boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly pour over warm cake. (It does seem like a lot, but it soaks in some).

We have too many @#$%^&* flies in our house!!!!! And no, I don't keep a litter box in my house. The neighbors do have chickens, though. I'm really tired of flying, buzzing, impertinent, ugly flies. In summer, they do their stunt flying in the middle of the rooms, but now that it's cooler, they're all mellow and languid. You might look at the ceiling and see 7 of them trying to do charades of constellations. There are 2 flies in this computer area right now just ambling about drunkenly over my screen. This is not Amityville, ya wee beasties!!!

Okay, if I have to retype quite a few of my words, it's obscenely past my bed time. Goodnight, sleep tight, and don't let the bed bugs bite! Or those really big spiders that come out at night and run REALLLLLLYYYY fast.

This is not officially our cat, but it thinks it is. The neighbors, whose cat it "really" is, unless we want to spring for vet bills for its shots etc., named it Solito. I call him Mr. Cacklings or Mr. Cacks. He's quite calm and cute, gets along well with our other cat, Max, and has a high-pitched, cute meow. He hangs out at our house a lot, eats our food, sleeps here!

I got my curriculum today and spent some time looking at it and coming up with some lists of what I need. Then I went to the library to get some books I need. It's based on the Bible and books you check out or buy. I'm really looking forward to this, and so is Zach. I need to get him his own NIV Bible. We'll be starting out learning stuff about Egypt, deserts, Joseph, with all sorts of related goodies and language arts and science woven in. There will be some cooking, like lentil stew and even some kind of Jewish feast or something at the end of the section! He'll be doing a diorama of the layout of Egypt. Each section gets 30 days. He'll also be studying Rome, Greece, the Explorers, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the Reformation! I have a strong feeling I'm going to be learning a ton along with him.

My parents had the three older kids overnight and then took them out to play miniature golf and to lunch! My kids' grandparents are better than your kids' grandparents!! =) It doesn't look like the kiddos will be swimming in Gma's pool anymore--the thrill is gone, don't cha know. I guess they went in for just a wee bit this morning, and then spent a LONG time soaking in Gma's deep soaker tub FULL of hot water!

I picked some blackberries today, over by a nearby school. But they were mostly overripe, and I didn't get enough to make the jelly I wanted to. Plus, William was with me, and he thought I had taken him into a man-eating forest. He was no help and quite fussy. So I froze my berries--they say jam actually tastes better when the fruit has been frozen first. Now, I'll just need to find some more, maybe on Monday.

I'm very happy it's a three day weekend. I was completely sleep deprived for the last 3 days, and we got out at 1:00 from work this morning! Tuesday, when we go back, it will also be a long one.

God bless you, each one!

Mr. Cacklings 

Well, we all survived the first day of school! It's kinda like turning 30...you fuss and fret about it, but then after you're there, it's not a big deal. Zach doesn't have his unit study curriculum yet, but I showed him the website and what it's gonna be like, and now he's really looking forward to it. We then looked at a website that has fabulous art projects. We picked out a paper mache chicken! The one on the site is actually a Native American inspired bird, but Zach really wanted a chicken. He started that today. We reviewed multiplication tables and wrote out ones he struggled with. Then I had him write a bit about what he did this summer and corrected it for capitalization and spelling. William was a champion interrupter, but I actually got my book started and walked on the treadmill at the same time for 15 minutes!

Heard the TV referred to recently as "the Great Life-Suck"! Isn't that great!?

Did you know that Da Vinci said, "Small rooms discipline the mind, large ones weaken it"? I feel very triumphant and disciplined in the mind, then, because we have a house of pretty small rooms! Yay! I think even a lack of storage disciplines the mind, too, because if you see the messes and can't just throw it into a cupboard, you're forced to come up with an intelligent solution. Yes, I am still heady from my recent fall cleaning upstairs. =) I remember watching this show on TV awhile back where this very wealthy family in Arizona was going to build themselves a HUGE, sprawling mansion because they were "outgrowing" their old mansion. And they had only 2 very small kids. I remember commenting to Chris that it must be nice to just build a huge new place to store your ever accumulating stuff rather than sort, get rid of, throw out, and give away your stuff like the rest of us peons!

I just found out today that school starts on Thursday!!!!!!!!!!! Jessie kept telling me it was the 1st, but I wasn't convinced. I had to get her back to school list at the school today, and I was told that it IS the 1st!!! What a shock! I thought it would make sense to start after the holiday, but whatever. I've been a really good girl and buying the girls back to school clothes at the thrift stores regularly. I'm so proud of myself and THANKFUL for good thrift stores nearby! I bought Zoe one pair of new jeans today (18.00!!!!!), 2 pairs of shoes, and Jessie got 1 pair of shoes. I bought her other pair (like new) at the thrift store! Also got them 97% of their school supplies. They're keeping their "old" backpacks whether they like it or not. I said we could put fancy patches (not that their backpacks are hole-y!) on if they wanted. In the past, I would do more of the feast and famine thing--a famine of clothes in the summer cuz it doesn't matter as much, and then buying tons of new stuff with store credit cards! DUMB!!!!!! I'm slooowwwlllyyy wising up already.....going to the thrift stores a lot more often, and enjoying that smug feeling of a great buy on clothes for all of us! :) I ordered Zach's curriculum today. I may have it in my paws in a week. Tomorrow's the school ice cream social, when the families that come get a free ice cream cone and can meet their teacher and see where their new room is.

It's really getting cool at night here! Starting to get an itch to start a new quilt--such a fallish activity!

Don't make me think of a clever title at this hour!

Here I am with my tea and my blog. I've only been home for a half hour, and it's 1:30!

Do you ever wonder what happened to Job's beautiful daughters who shared in the inheritance? Did they name their children after brothers and sisters they never met? And where are their descendents now? Did one of them go on to produce fake maple syrup? (Yes, one's name was actually Jemima!) Maybe another one is a famous beauty we have seen in a movie. And is the royal family in England descended from David? If so, have the sins of the fathers, like adultery, been passed down quite strongly?

A good dinner I made tonight you might like to try. It was angel hair pasta served with shrimpy white sauce (shrimp in the sauce). I used half and half for the white sauce, added parmesan cheese, garlic powder, garlic salt, and fresh ground pepper. It was yummy! Best to buy cooked, peeled shrimp. Veggie was spinach salad with blue cheese dressing--best to buy refrigerated, fresh dressing with big chunks of cheese! My white sauce recipe--
6 T butter, 6 T flour, and 3 c. half and half. And you know how to make it, right?

Jessie asked me yesterday at the dinner table if cartoons were in black and white when I was a kid. And she was serious. And I didn't even smile OR get annoyed! I just answered matter of factly that when I was a kid, we had to pedal a crude machine continuously just to get a picture! (Doesn't that make you think of the Flintstones?)

A blessed Sabbath to all, and to all a good night!

Don't you love the smell of playdough?

I changed some settings on my blog, so now commenters without blogs can leave comments. Welcome, Janelle!! :)

William used his potty chair for the first time yesterday. What a triumph!! When you wait till your kid is 2 3/4, you may be using lots of diapers, but at least your face is not blue from demanding constantly that a non-ready toddler SIT ON THE POTTY AND TRY!!!

I got up early yesterday and spent ALL DAY attacking the upstairs. We have to walk through so much cluttery stuff to get to our bedroom, and it demoralizes me EVERY TIME. It makes me feel guilty and pressured and overwhelmed. Basically, it's an attic--a finished attic--so that's where our extra stuff goes. We don't have a garage. And since we remodeled the attic about 3 years ago and have had a zillion calls on our finances, we have kind of halted our progress. So there isn't all this great storage space or cool living space yet. And the bathroom is still waiting to be finished. But I still love this house. Yesterday, I made myself VERY proud and pleased as punch with what I got accomplished. It feels like it transferred to my brain, and now my brain is not cluttered with guilt and pressure and disgust, etc. I got rid of lots of magazines--took them to work, where they are desperate for new stuff in the lunch room. I got rid of lots of trash, lots of recyclable papers (GOSH, am I a pack rat!!) , Will's old crib bedding, my stupid ebay stuff (Yes, I closed my store yesterday--that felt good, too. Wasn't working for me. Fun trying--got it out of my system for the most part), some clothes of mine that were too small or not being worn. I got most of the cds in one spot, the cassetes in one spot, the sentimental stuff in one spot, all my crafty arty stuff in one spot, stuff Will can wear eventually in one spot. Moved the ugly coat tree into the bathroom, swept, de-cobwebbed. GOOD STUFF!!! It's fall cleaning, don't cha know. A good way to start a new school year--clean! The back of the van is full of stuff to get rid of! And I decided to take the kids clothes to a consignment shop instead of just Goodwill. Of course, the downstairs could use another day of cleaning--bathroom, floors, etc.!! And we don't even have a big house!! When Kerry Yacoubian moved into her bigger house in Georgia, she said it was easier to clean, or it didn't get as intensely dirty as fast.

I got Jessie some playdough a few days ago. It was supposed to be JUST HERS, and she would pay for it. Well, it's been awhile since we've had play dough around, and it has been played with intensely by the neighbor girl, William, and Zoe. Jessie has been upset by this. She didn't want to share, and she doesn't want her colors mixed up (conscientious, responsible 1st born girl). So I had to tell her she didn't have to pay for it, that playdough's cheap, and I can buy lots more to replace her ruined, shared stuff. They are having so much fun with it!! It's funny. Jessie keeps showing me these plates of "meals" she makes--hamburgers, spaghetti, pancakes and omelette!

Say, "Cheesy smile," Jessie! 

Chris and Zoe at our lovely, wooded campsite. 

William and I at a beautiful stream cutting through the rock. 

Zach with Will's baby car seat on a scooter. 

Zoe looking for fish and frogs. 

The seasons, they are a-changin'

The pictures below are of our camping trip to La Wis Wis--probably our second and last of the year. It was peaceful, beautiful, fragrant, and restful. I didn't really want to come back--or else if I did, I wanted to bring back a walk in the woods with all of its accompanying smells and the way the sunlight filters down through the hanging moss in the trees. We stayed for 2 nights. I posted a lot of pictures, because I didn't want to leave anyone out!

After the vacation, I've had to really start changing gears in my mind--turn a corner, if you will. Summer is almost over, and the school year's about to start. Sometimes shifting gears for me involves being moody, grumpy, and sleeping a lot--how pathetic--like growing pains in an adolescent or something. Yesterday, I woke up sick--bad sore throat on left side, achy, and very tired. I laid(or is it lay?) down as much as I could between dishes and laundry and meals. I also called in sick to work, and felt guilty doing it, since I had just had all of last week off! I'm sure my supe didn't believe me. I started feeling better last night, but not so great this morning, after all. At least I don't feel like I need to sleep all day. Put a pot on to boil to make some tea--to which I am addicted. Any other green tea or black tea addicts out there? How about Karena, over there in Tealand? Me Mum and Dad(the way I phrased that sounds better with an Irish lilt) got back safely, in a way, from their cruise. Actually, my Mom is sick as a dog with food poisoning--painful stomach and weakness. Not fun! She actually reads everyone's blogs and enjoys them, she just doesn't comment.

Last night, with the first day of schooling looming fast, I found out what I want to do with Zach for his 5th grade year of homeschool. It's Dorian Holt's unit study called Learning Adventures. It looks fabulous, has won awards, parents seem to dig it, and kids, too. It sounds perfect for my active, non-academic, hands-on, project-oriented Zach! And it's very affordable--you supplement with a lot of books from the library or that you buy. Makes learning interesting, fun, and it covers Bible and everything else besides math. You have to have a separate math program, which I do--Math-U-See. I'm getting excited and praising something I haven't even tried, I know. Last year we did A Beka's DVD program--expensive, frustrating, school-at-home, the opposite of what I'm looking at in Learning Adventures. I'd like to say the Lord led me to this! I was getting a little worried about what I was going to do!

Ebay update: Have sent off three things--two of which I sold at a loss. I have received good feedback from two. One person has not paid for something I also sold at a loss. So....nobody seems to know my stores exist.....no sales there......want to ditch the whole experiment--a time hog.

I do believe William is ready to start potty training. He's 2 and 3/4 and has been using words and noticing relationships to do with "pot," "pee," "poo," etc. Plan to get him a used potty chair and pullups and/or training undies this week. Yay!

SLOW JOE CROW IS WITH US NO MOE

Well, our saga with a baby crow has ended sadly. Believe it or not, I was really uptight about this crow--felt really responsible to do the right thing for it. I came to the point this afternoon where God was showing me how stressed I was about it and that I should just ask him for help already! So I did. Then I did a little internet research and phone calls on who could take the crow and was trying to find the closest place possible. Well, at 4:30, I was prepared to head north for 1 hour with 4 kids before dinner to take Jose to an animal hospital. I was not happy about this at all, but felt I had no other choice. Jose was not really eating much, walking much, or flying much. So we all get in the car, the air conditioning is on, have crow, will travel. Then I notice that the crow looks pretty strange, and the kids start telling me that while it was loose in the yard, William had stepped on its head and like did something else mean--forced it through a gap in the fence or something. So I'm yelling about this and very upset and William was in big trouble. The bird continued acting strange and not normal or healthy. Then, after acting like it couldn't breathe and its neck was broken, it gave up the ghost. This was both upsetting and a relief. William did something bad, but I think it was really providential, too. Zach buried it in the back yard on the other side of the fence. He cried, and I cried, too. I had a burden lifted was a big reason I cried. But I can get attached and responsible really fast, too. I made it clear to Zach that he had better NEVER, NEVER tough a bloody baby crow again!! (It wasn't really bloody--I just like that English word.)Now I can get ready for camping already!!! GOSH!!!!

Zach's new buddy 

Meet Jose

How do you like Zach's baby crow? It was on the ground and can't fly well, so he rescued it. An internet search said that a normal part of the young crow's development when it's learning to fly is spent on the ground, and its parents are nearby. I made him put him back for a spell to see if they'd come back for him and if not, he could keep it overnight inside. Well, countless crows flew overhead to their nightly nesting site, but they didn't seem to notice. Our neighbor said that when he had done the same thing once, he was followed for a week by a whole gang of crows! This is a crucial time for a baby crow to be accepted into a crow family, and I want Zach to keep trying to put him back and watch to see if any of the black feathered ones notice or care. Will they reject him cuz he's been touched? I don't know. They can live to be 30 years old, so if we end up keeping the little guy/girl, it could be long term! Zach already has a goldfish, a lizard, and a snake in his very small room he shares with William! Am I a nice mom or what! My friend won't let her kids have a single animal, though they beg! I suggested Zach call the bird "Jose Cuervo," which is Spanish for Joe Crow. (Jill and Kristi, do you remember that Dr. Seuss record with its "Slow Joe Crow's clothes"?)

Zach and Kin slept outside last night and got cold....and then rained on!!!! There wasn't a peep in the paper about that! Glad of it, though. I actually have the heater on right now cuz it's pretty cool in the house. Monday was so hot!! Hopefully, my grass will breathe a little sigh of relief and catch up on some of its greenness it was losing.

Have to go to the car dealership and get the back hatch of the minivan fixed so we can go camping in 2 days.

Chris actually got to have a guys night out last night! An unheard of thing for a Monday night! I watched TV till late. Earlier, I got my exercise spending like 2 hours cleaning up our reclining, white plastic chairs that go in the yard. They were encrusted with mildew and speege--very uncomely. I got the girls to help. Now they're looking new and presentable again. A person should be able to take their cup of coffee and cookie outside and sit for 5 minutes when they need to, right? And not on brown grass.

Dead dogfish tell no tales

I spent a long time on ebay messing around with that stuff. Did lots of laundry and watered the yard. A hot day--is anyone NOT experiencing hot days? Chris came home and was in a great mood--was really glad to have me home--suggested we all take a walk on the waterfront. So we did--it was twilight, and the air was cool and sea-fresh. It was one of those magical summer evenings that will stick in my mind--something about the atmosphere, smell, lighting...I don't know. We saw a Dad from chuch and his kids at the dock. They had just finished fishing. They're the same ones Zach has gone out with a few times. On the rocks, dead, was a small shark!! Chris called it a "dogfish," and said it was the same thing! It was very cool and unusal to see there. Of course, the kids wanted to poke at it, and Zach's friend pulled out one of its teeth! The kids had their skates and scooters, although William commandeered Zoe's scooter most of the time. Shoulda known to have brought another. We then got ice cream at McDonald's because there was no other better, closer place open, which is an embarrassing shame. There should really be some great ice cream shop open on a Monday night at 9:00 on the waterfront! There were lots of people out! Someone needs to get their act together. Unfortunately, really good ice cream shops are not common here. You can get all manner of coffee drinks and smoothies every time you turn around, and there are a few Baskin and Robbins, but nothing awesome. In California, really good frozen yogurt was popular. It's rare here, and quite hideous. I guess it's just not in "vogue" any more. Sure do miss it!

Zoe told me about an exchange between her and our drama queen/diva neighbor girl, who is about 9. Kelly--"What's it like to be a real kid?" Zoe--"You ARE one!" Kelly--"Well, I'm not really one--I'm MATURE."

This afternoon, Zach loosened the back brakes on my bike cuz they were so tight they squeeked when you weren't even applying them. He must have spent maybe 20 minutes in the sun taking off the baby seat on the back and then doing the loosening of the doohickeys. I was very proud and thankful he did it. It's really cool to have a strapping 11-year old boy who I can mold to be useful for my own benefit-- MU Ha ha ha!!!!!!.....OH, sorry, did I say that out loud? And of course to love God and serve OTHERS and be responsible, etc., etc. :) But what was great was, when he came into the kitchen to get something to drink and was sweating pretty good, he said, "I feel like I've been working as hard as Dad!"

What is love?

Is it hot enough for y'all?! Wow!!!

Just finished dinner--Costco flautas with salsa, guacamole, sour cream and white rice. Yum! William is asleep in his bed. Chris is at the church at a maintenance meeting. Zach got back an hour ago from fishing with his buddy Joe from church. They're looking to trade Zach's lizard with cage for Joe's bb gun, something Zach has earnestly sought, with tears at times. Yesterday was spent at home. I did five loads of laundry, watched a neat movie on Lifetime (a rare treat), and rested during the hot hours of the day. Then I rushed off to Costco before they closed for some food! We barbecued hot dogs and buffalo steaks. Chris mowed the lawn and repaired a broken window in the laundry room. He himself broke it awhile ago putt-ing in the back yard. Yes, he loves golf. He doesn't get to play a ton, so he'll watch it sometimes, too. We've kinda migrated from being Saturday Sabbath keepers to Sunday Sabbath keepers. I work Friday nights, and we go to a non-Kingdom church now. I still love the Friday night to Saturday night thing, but sometimes life evolves, ya know? I still love to see people say, "Happy Sabbath" on their blog and what not. Just thought I'd explain that since I mentioned those chores on Saturday. :)

My parents sent me an e-mail recently that I really loved, so I'm passing it on. Here it is:

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year olds, "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined.

*"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love." --Rebecca, age 8
*When someone loves you, the way the say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth." --Billy, age 4
*"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other." --Karl, age 5
*"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs." --Chrissy, age 6
*"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired." --Terri, age 4
*"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is ok." --Danny, age 7
*"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss." --Emily, age 8
*"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."--Bobby, age 7
*"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate." --Nikka, age 6
*"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it every day." --Noelle, age 7
*"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well." --Tommy, age 6
*"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore." --Cindy, age 8
*"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night." --Clare, age 6
*"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken." --Elaine, age 5
*"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford." --Chris, age 7
"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day." --Mary Ann, age 4
*"I know my older sister loves me because he gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones." --Lauren, age 4
*"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." --Karen, age 7
*"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross." --Mark, age 6
*"You shouldn't really say, 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget." --Jessica, age 8
And the final one--author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry." Excuse me while I get a kleenex. Those are priceless, no? Hopefully you all didn't already receive the same email from my Mum.

Have Monday through Friday off--yay!!

You might get hungry reading this

I spent a long time last night trying to get a picture in my profile area of blog. The editing HTML thing was new to me. I actually accomplished entering the URL by cutting and pasting, but it said my photo needed to be no more than 50k. I had cropped a digital photo and tried to use it, but it was "too big"! Humph!! What now?! Anyone know what the deal is--anyone technical and camera oriented, say, BRADLEY??? :) Dumb question--what does the k stand for in 50k?

Sold my first ebay item today--what a thrill! It got 5 bids! The funny thing is, it wasn't a name brand thing I went out and bought on ebay and thought would sell. It was a girl's seersucker sundress that my mom gave one of the girls. They never wore it, really, and it was just sitting there--cute and in good condition! It actually has a tiny hole on the front bottom, which I explained honestly on ebay, and it got 5 bids! Sold it to a gal in sunny, hot Florida. PTL!

Made a good version of pizza for dinner: use focaccia bread for the "dough." You slice through it horizontally, and place cut side up on your pan. I then mixed tomato sauce, garlic powder, garlic salt, oregano, basil, and parmesan and spooned it on top. Then came shredded mozzarella, sliced mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, and olives. I baked it a 375 for about ten minutes. It wasn't really HOT after that amount of time--you could leave it in longer or turn up the temp. But it was delicious!! And a great midnight blogging snack!

Have garden broccoli and tomatoes and want a good way to serve them? Cut up and steam your broccoli till it's just right. Meanwhile, dice your tomatoes and mash up some garlic. In a large frypan, heat up some olive oil. Add garlic and tomatoes and some basil. Lightly saute. Then add broccoli to this mixture; gently mix, serve, enjoy!

I made curried chicken last night. When it was cooking, Jessie asked, "Is that stew? It smells like stew, and I don't like to eat stew when I'm not in a good mood." It was such a funny thing to say! She said it without malice, just kind of matter of fact. And she didn't seem to be in a bad mood, either!

It's the honey delivery boy! 

Two bids!!!!!

I GOT TWO BIDS ON MY EBAY STUFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! JUST A LITTLE EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After several days of feeling pretty badly about a lousy first try of a 7 day auction, I attacked afresh!!! I did yet some MORE reading up on selling...I took some new pictures of my stuff, slashed prices, and relisted. I improved a few other things as well. That was this morning, and when I checked, a few minutes ago, I have 2 bids!!! So I'm hoping other people will also want some of those things and there will be some bidding wars! I discovered a very important fact on the forums this morning: it's a magnetic, addicting thing for buyers to see a low price. It's a game that people play--"I can afford that, I want that--look at that price!" And then several other people think the same thing, and it's fun to try to add 50 cents or a dollar to the previous bid to try to win. Apparently, it's no fun for buyers when you start the bid asking what you want for the item--and I had asked high on all my stuff. So.......the trick is not to operate at a loss forever.........this could take time.......but 2 bids is a dream come true and answered prayer--I'm not kidding! The battle's not won yet, but at least I'm still in the game when I had actually thought of quitting. But nobody I lamented to recommended quitting. Simple words like, "You'll do it," said with absolute assurance, can really mean a lot!

Another day in the life of yours truly

How do you like William's shiner? (See photo at the end of this mile long post). That photo is a few days old, and he looks worse now! When we were at my parent's house on Sunday, William tripped and bonked his head on the metal base of their patio chairs. He had a huge egg with a blue stripe down the middle, and he wouldn't let me put ice on it, of course. It's kind of worrisome, because you think people will wonder if you're beating your kid. And when neighbors live close by, and the windows are open, and they have heard William screaming often enough, or me yelling often enough...you know how it could be!

The weather has been really gorgeous--in the 80s. I've been struggling like crazy to keep the lawn green--watering constantly! Yesterday, spur of the moment, went to Dash Point Beach with my kiddos and Andrea and her kiddos. We didn't have a lot of time, which I regret, but it is a really beautiful beach with good sand, flat, and great large quantities of area for people to play! I finally got a new bathing suit, too. A lot of chaps were boogie boarding(?), which Zach is now interested in. He thinks maybe he and Chris could make one. Yesterday, he and his neighbor friend were "harvesting" wheels off some abandoned lawn mowers in an alley, hoping to make a homemade go-cart! He then asked me if there was anything lying around the house he could use for axles. "Oh sure, son, let me go check in the medicine cabinet! Or maybe you could use a golf club!"

Earlier this week, he helped my dad do some work at a house. When my dad dropped him off, he was desperately hoping I would let him keep this huge machete my dad was willing to let him have. It was dull, but HUGE, and there was just no way! He was BROKENHEARTED that I said no. I felt bad, but, like I said, there was no way! He would have used it in the "club." That's an undeveloped area on our alley neighbor's land with blackberry bushes, trees, cement rubbish, etc. It's a place the kids love to explore and mess around in--whacking at berry bushes, making forts, blazing trails, looking for treasures, etc. The kind of place all kids should have access to, right? There's nothing charming about it, but our yard is small, so I'm grateful for diversions for the kids close at hand! The day after the machete disappointment, I was very glad for Zach's sake that his new friend down the street let him ride his pocket bike. That's another thing Zach is in love with. Three of the boys have now been to the new local bike shop to browse and ask questions. Heaven for him!

Someone just called on the phone. William wanted to get me the phone, which is fine, but then, the WHOLE time I was on the phone trying to get Chris's cell and work phone numbers to an old friend trying to get him a referral for work, William was SCREAMING because he wanted the phone. He was outraged that he only got to pick it up. So here I am trying desperately to find a quiet place in the house, and William is following me, HOLLERING!!! If I go outside the back porch, the phone cuts in and out. So I try to go upstairs and lock the door behind me, but it doesn't really lock. So I hold it shut for a minute while he stands one foot away, behind the glass, and continues to be a jerk. Then I get Zoe to guard the door so I can go upstairs and try to think and hear and talk to this person! GOSSSSSHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! Please tell me someone reading this has seen and loves Napoleon Dynamite?

Our microwave died this week, and I am handling it surprisingly well and stoically, if I do say so. I haven't cried or thrown any fits! I haven't even sighed loudly or rolled my eyes much at all! So now I'm living my own Colonial House (snort--as if!) and heating food up in the oven or on the stove top! The machine was bought with wedding money, so it's 12 years old! I think what may have helped contribute to its demise was some strain it underwent lately. About 2 weeks ago, Jessie wanted to heat up a frozen hamburger bun in there. I explained, several times, how to do it, but she misunderstood. I think she put it in there for like 3 minutes on high or something. Well, it scorched! The plate was scorched, the buns had petrified, and the hole kitchen was filled with acrid smoke. I was literally choking in there, trying to get the windows open and the vent going!! I sprayed air freshener, lit incense...the bad odor was very lingering. And it had soaked into the microwave. So I lit like 5 incense sticks and let the smoke in the microwave. It really helped, although, whenever you opened the microwave, you smelled an odd combo of burnt and floral...like an opium den or something. Just kidding--as if I would know what that smelled like! I never wanted this microwave to die, cuz I was used to it and really liked it! These new-fangled contraptions with all their "smart" technology and "sensor" cooking are a bit much for me....I say now...but pretty soon, I'm going to "have" to get a new one!

Haven't sold anything on ebay yet. One auction closes today, another one next Wednesday. I have 3 items being "watched." Not bid on, but "watched." I think I may have been too hasty to sell. I should have gotten my feedback points built up. I'm only at 2! People don't feel real confident buying from a new seller with a feedback of only 2. So, I'm going to try to buy some inexpensive stuff on ebay, and try to get some positive feedback from it. I'm frustrated, to be honest, but there's a lot to learn--by trial and error, and otherwise. This is no free lunch. You don't sell all your listings the first day! It's hard, though! I WANT TO MAKE MONEY, NOW!!! TRUST ME, PEOPLE!!! BUY MY STUFF!!! I wish I could ask a close friend or relative a million questions, but I don't have a close friend or relative selling! I'm not going to bug to death the gal my mom told me about who I have already called twice. So I do my best, and look at the question and answer forums on ebay--A LOT!!

Anywhoo....thank God it's Friday! Anybody want to come over and help me do some ungratifying housework? The fish tank needs a cleaning, the fridge needs a cleaning, the van needs a cleaning, more laundry, more lawn watering! Sometimes I like to joke around with God and ask, "God, your angels watch over us and keep us safe...but don't you have any that can give me a neck massage or give me a hand cleaning?" :)

Chris worked 13.5 hours yesterday. Did that include the 3 hours it took him to get home? I'm not sure. He got stuck in traffic. Some fatality accident that had happened like 12 hours earlier was still snarling the road! Argh!

I bumped my poor widdle head! 

candle lanterns

Last night, the kids and I had the funnest time in the front yard. There were a few neighbor kids over as well. I had seen in magazines these jam jar candle holders that you rig up with wire make handles to hang them outside in the evening in the summer. I tried it--put blue sand in and yellow candles, nailed them up above the porch. But the wind, though slight, kept blowing them out! So I got my quart canning jars and put the yellow candles in them and put them on the ground of the porch. They stayed lit and looked so cool! We then took the hanging ones down, and put some on a low brick wall and a few on the picket fence. And for some reason, they stayed lit there, for the most part. Mucho ambiente!

It looked like a stage on the porch, and the kids were being very entertaining--dancing, somersaulting, cartwheeling, showing off! I discovered I can still do a decent hand stand! We had popcorn and koolaid, and then me, the kids, and one neighbor girl slept right in the front yard where we had been hanging out with our blankets and pillows! It was like 11:45 when we went to sleep! The neighbor's kitten slept with us all night, which was so sweet! My lower back and hips were not amused by the hard ground. I had to put a pillow under by hips and change positions often. It's so neat sleeping outside--going to sleep with the stars over head, waking up often cuz you're cold and sore, watching the sun rise on another beautiful day!

Going to see cousin Stephanie, who's living in Seattle, and her mom, Aunt Linda, today at the fam's. The kids will be able to swim again.

No bids on my ebay stuff yet. I dreamed that I had one bid--a green number one--and I was so happy! I also dreamt of a very loud blimp, and the sky being filled with hot air balloons!

I successfully listed 7 clothing items on ebay today! What a victory! It took me forever to figure out how! Now if just one thing sells in the 7 days I will have them listed, that would be just fantastic!
Been having beautiful 85 degree weather. Went swimming at Grandma's house yesterday. She made a nice lunch for me and the kids and my friend Andrea and her kids. I would have loved to have splashed around in the pool just like a kid, but I don't have a bathing suit...I haven't replaced the last one that got ruined by paint somehow.

Don't try this at home

Anyone heard of a box oven? I had read about one, and Zach was itching for a project yesterday. I told him how to look up instructions on the internet, and he found some. It turns out they were lame instructions, cuz he didn't have success with his biscuits! The plan was to take a good sized box, line it and cover it with foil, and do the same with the door. Then you make a "shelf" poking through the side with a coat hanger. You put a pie tin of hot coals on the top shelf. Each briquette is worth 45 degrees. Then your food goes on the bottom. He used duct to make the box with--heavy duty foil and duct tape. The article didn't specify what kind of tape, and I thought "duck tape,"as I used to call it, was the obvious choice. It melted, though, and his biscuits fell in the oven! Argh! A priceless comment when we were looking at the article, though: Zach was so excited, he thought he'd be able to start a restaurant! HA HA HA! He said it with triumph, like he was already thinking of spending his riches.

Go figure--William has been quite cute and good for days. We must have had his evil twin on Saturday.

Getting closer on my ebay venture (grins nervously, crosses fingers)! I went to Goodwill a few days ago, and found some great clothes for me and the kids, and 7 items I'm going to try to sell. I stuck with cute, name brand stuff, mostly. I took pics of all of it--outside in the bright sun--so you can actually see it. Then, yesterday, I got as far as listing one item, but then I got hung up on packaging and shipping details. So I spent HOURS poring over the forums at ebay getting questions answered. I also talked to a gal my mom knows who has been ebaying for 5 years. She was very helpful. Have my digital scale, my boxes, my tips, my pics, my accounts...I just need to get some bubble wrap or peanuts and some padded envelopes, and then get all my stuff listed! I'm excited by this challenge--it's gonna be such a huge rush if I sell one thing!

PTL--not been bothered by insomnia since I last complained about it--I feel the prayers of someone--is that you ,Mom? :)

Crazy cats and dumb criminals

William is playing outside this morning. Just a minute ago, he opened the front door so he could say, "Go ou-yide...yay!!" Then he shut the door again! (Ou-yide is "outside.") A little while before that, when I was doing sit-ups, our cat, Max, who had been bathing himself next to me, decided that watching me exercise made him feel nippy. So he lunged toward me, took a bite of my arm, and then, having got that off his chest and not feeling guilty at all, went back to lounging on the rug, as if nothing had just happened. It didn't really hurt, but it was surprising and funny.
Last night, Zach was leaning out our windowless window upstairs, looking at Max, when Max decided to try the same song and dance on Zach. But he actually bit him as hard as he could, Zach says, and then Zach bonked his head and scraped his arm pit trying to back away! When he told me I actually laughed really hard--you had to be there.

Yesterday, we got up too late to go to church, which I regret. Maybe we all needed some antisocial recovery time from our driving nightmare with Will. I played the piano a lot. Chris barbecued a beef brisket. I bought corned beef brisket by mistake, instead of just beef brisket, but he soaked it in water for awhile to help get some salt out (don't know how much that really helped), used the spices as a rub, and barbecued it with low heat over a pan of water. It's moist, salty, and tastes like pastrami. The kids and I played badminton in the yard after dinner. It was really fun--there was continuous trash talking and occasional good volleys. With the remnants of the barbecue, we burned a little wood and sat around the fire for awhile.

DUMB CRIMINAL: I read a story in our newspaper last week about an older man who had health problems and heavy medical debt. He was stressed out about it and wanted some relief--like the government taking care of him. His brilliant scheme: shoot his friendly mailman of 20 years so he could go to jail! DUHHHHHHHHH!!!!! He just calmly shot the man 6 times, then calmly got in his car and drove away so he could turn himself in. The mailman looked like the nicest guy, and was flabbergasted. (Yes, he survived 6 shots to the abdomen. He can't digest food on his own now or produce insulin.) Mailman said, "If he wanted to commit a felony, why didn't he just brandish a gun in a bank instead of shooting his mailman!?" Poor guy!

DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME: Another dopey thing another older man did, for real. He left his keys in his still running car. His solution? Use the vacuum cleaner to "siphon out the gas so it would stop running!!!" Well, a spark was created, and he got 1st and 2nd degree burns!! Der!

A joke that Cliff Owen told us recently: This man found an old lamp, which, when rubbed, brought forth a genie. "You may have one wish, so pick wisely." "I want to go to Hawaii, but I really don't like to fly. Could you create a road from here to there for me?" "Awwww, that's too hard; couldn't you come up with an easier request?" "Ok, how 'bout if you give me the wisdom to understand my wife?" pause............"You want 5 lanes or 6?"

Quote from George Bernard Shaw: We have no more right to consume happiness without producing it than to consume wealth without producing it.

Yesterday we did the Sternwheeler cruise with brunch, on--is it the Columbia River? It is in Oregon, a long drive away, and very beautiful. The weather was fine, the food was good, the captain looked just like a captain with his white full beard. He commented throughout our 2 hour ride on the history of the area and other facts. There were what looked kind of like odd docks at certain intervals on the river, and he said they were used by 4 Indian tribes for fishing! On our way into the parking lot, and Indian(I think) was selling salmon out of his pickup!

I had to borrow a diaper from a mother of a 1-year old, because I neglected to bring diapers on board! When your toddler's poopy on a boat, dipes in the car won't help. And I just couldn't grin and bear it for the whole time. Our waitress, who was fabulous, was kind enough to ask the mother. I was working up the courage, but my mom mentioned it, and she secured one for me in nothing flat! PTL!

The drive home, William did not fall asleep. It was honest to God such a nightmare, I really don't want to relive it. He cried and yelled and fussed and moaned and whined enough that I would have been exhausted enough for deep sleep if I had done a fraction of that myself. We didn't know where his pacifiers were, so he was without that very important, calming, crutch. At 2 and a half, you think he should be done, right? Bad timing for weaning him off that. He is not very sensitive or responsive to yelling or even physical pain like the other 3 were. I have a completely different kid this time--goody--I "finally" got one of those "strong-willed" kids that you have to read books about to know how to handle. Nothing I said or did would shut him up. So, finally, I had to just let him keep yelling, "Momma, momma, momma, momma, momma, momma, momma, momma, momma, momma, momma, momma, momma," to infinity and beyond. I was sitting next to him cuz I though it would help. My blood pressure was very high. I was staring at the road ahead and not moving--just enduring. I couldn't talk to anyone. My ears were turning warm and red with anger and stress and suffering. He finally got sick of being ignored and wanted comfort, which I gave him, and then he wanted to yell again about the injustice of driving for hours. Finally, after a flare prayer, I said very businesslike and purposefully, "ARE YOU GOING TO STOP YELLING??!! IT'S GETTING REALLY OLD!!!! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!!!" That actually sunk in for a minute, and when he tried being a jerk again, I said something very similar. He then clung to my arm for a few minutes and fell asleep. Can you say ARGHHHHH!!!! (Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, as Dory would say.)

I'm cuckoo for bubble shakes!

It's 9:19 A.M., and it's going to be another perfect day, it looks like. I just sat down with my coffee. William is watching Kratt's Kreatures, girls are at summer school. This may be the last day for them.
I had the worst time sleeping last night, and I'm not amused. What is up with this 2 week insomnia I've had? I used to be able to sleep like a baby within 10 minutes! Now I'm wide awake, wide awake, wide awake till early in the morning, just thinking...about too many things. I think I fell into an anxiety rut that I need to find my way out of. So, last night, at like 2:00 in the morning, I took a blanket out in the back yard, lay on the grass, looked at the full moon, and enjoyed the fresh air. I almost could have slept right there, but then the neighbor's darn dogs started barking incessantly. I was gratified when one actually responded to my, "Cashmere!! Shut up!!"
Yesterday, I spent ALL day heavy cleaning. You know how you can get away with being a slacker for quite awhile, and then when company's coming, you have the extreme fear of God about not letting that slacker trait show? My friend from church, Andrea Betterhomesand gardens, and her 2 children are going to stop by on Friday. We will then all go to Point Defiance Park for a picnic. Oh, and on the way, stop at Wendy's Vietnamese restaurant at Freighthouse Square for bubble shakes. They are my favorite drinks--the'yre fruit smoothies with these chewy tapioca balls at the bottom, and you suck on it with a large, colored straw. The balls are marble sized, and they are the consistency of chewier than usual gummy bears. I always get mango. When I'm having a really bad day, I sometimes take my black thundercloud and whoever is handy and buy me some mango happiness. Last night at dinner time, I made peach raspberry smoothies from frozen fruit. Usually I add sugar, vanilla, and nutmeg, but it doesn't taste quite like I want. Last night I found 2 much better additions: rum extract and almond flavoring! Yummy! And don't skimp on the sugar, either. So yesterday was heavy cleaning and rearranging and adding items of decor. I spent several, like 3 hours, in the kitchen alone. And I didn't even get to the bathroom or mop the wood floor! But it does look better. Oh, and I didn't even get to the upstairs. The 3 older ones had to clean their own rooms.
The day before yesterday, I spent ALL day researching ebay and how to become a seller. It's been in the back of my mind for a long time, and I've thought and prayed about it. I finally took the plunge. I ordered a digital scale and some free post office boxes. I have some decent clothes lying around I want to try to sell. I set up an ebay store, and took several pictures. I got id verified...now I'm waiting for my stuff to come. I plan to try to find good quality, name brand clothes at the thrift store, and try to make a profit off them. I'm pretty nervous. Anyone out there ever sold on ebay?

Quote for the day: Try to see who your child is and love what their talents are.

Well, the need to finish painting the picket fence has really been nagging me. Maybe I'll get to that today. Will I get on my treadmill or do medical transcription course? Those last 2 get squeezed out of my day way too often. Argh.
Saturday, my family and mom, dad, and Kristi are going down south on a brunch boat ride. My dad's idea it was. He and my mom have been before. What's the boat? Something old-fashioned like a steam ship or something. Already planning on having diversions in the van for William--lollipops, books, sedatives, duct tape. :) Hoping it will go well. We don't travel very far any more, so it will be a neat adventure, Lord willing.

The Weekend News Update

Dinner at the Melting Pot was amazing. We were in a quiet, dark corner booth--very private--with a candle on the table. We started off with a cheese fondue. They put all the ingredients into the metal pot right in front of us, and the "burner" was built into the table in between us! Once all the ingredients were hot enough and melted together, we dipped bread cubes, apple pieces, and fresh veggies with long pronged forks! Then there was delicious salads, and after that, the entree. The entree we had was like 4 different meats, cut into cubes--there was duck(!), pork, chicken, beef, and prawns. (Okay, 5 meats.) We got to pick the broth we wanted it to cook in. There was also mushrooms and red potato pieces to be boiled along with the meat. They gave us a whole bunch of little containers of sauces. It was delightful. I came ravenous, and left stuffed for the rest of the evening. We had Boston Cream Pie that my Mom made when we got back to her house to pick up the kids. It was pretty late by that time. I had hardly any appetite to appreciate the cake at all there, but I REALLY enjoyed it as a breakfast of champions on Sunday morning.
Sunday I taught my 2-4 year old class. They do not have attention spans at all, really. You can't teach them the story of Noah, for example. I had to get their attention with skittles, and round up the stragglers who would rather play than be at the table. So I got in a few words edgewise to my glazed-eyed tots about Noah and rainbows. Then we made rainbows on blue cardstock with glued on cottonballs and skittles for the rainbow. (You know--"Taste the Rainbow.") Yes, they did consume quite a few skittles, but it kept them at the table for a goodly amount of time! When the plate of skittles was too far away, they'd just calmly pick the gluey ones off their paper and eat those! When the parents came to pick up the kids, William took several still wet rainbow papers and dumped all the gluey candy on the floor. Of course all the kids dove for them!
After church, we all went to my friend Andrea and Matt Eldridge's lovely home in South Hill for a meal. Her house, inside and out, should be in some magazine. It's large, and everything is amazing about it. She made us a very nice barbecued lunch and a yummy cake. The kids played on the trampoline and in the sprinkler. William was ready for a nap after church, so he was way beyond Mr. Nice Guy all afternoon in the hot sun at their house. He shrieked quite a bit, which was not cool.
We just took it easy in the evening. Chris made us a casual, late dinner. I checked out the new piano book Kristi gave me for my birthday. This morning, Monday, my girls prolonged my birthday even longer by both giving me bouquets of flowers from the yard and homemade cards! It's pretty dang warm today, even in the morning. TTFN!

Have you kung-fued your chameleon today?

GOD'S GIFT TO THE BLOG WORLD IS BACK, MY LOYAL CONSTITUENTS! Okay, sorry, I don't know where that came from. I'M KIDDING!!!!!!! REALLY!! I just really, really had to burst out with something very, very ridiculous. I feel better now. It's late, and it's Friday, and I guess I'm not quite myself... My family will verify that I like to burst out with craziness sometimes. And I have passed this on to the next generation, as well. Okay, yes, Chris has added to the goofiness in the gene pool, too. Sometimes, out of the blue, Zach will bust out with a perfect rendition of a chameleon walk. They take these funny jerky steps and Zach does it very convincingly cuz he's tall and lean. From him we also got "DueKLAKideez!" It's just something you shout out when you're feeling zesty. However, I use the word fairly often in place of "thingamajig." Zoe gave us "Dance hand, dance hand," which is accompanied by appropriate hand movements. From their cousin Jed we have borrowed "Want nums!!" (Nums being victuals.) At dinner time, you will probably hear me say to the kids, "Everybody wash your fat hands, time for nums!" "NAKES!!" has been shouted for years when we see a slippery toddler escaping from the tub and running around the house. Yeah, we often get goofy and physical. We show affection by sometimes biting or scaring or grabbing on the back of the neck. Kicking and fake kung fu moves abound. I personally like to punch and jab and do "roundhouse kicks" while shouting "Tae Kwon Do! Ju Jit siu! Karate! You kill my father, prepare to die!!"


Zach, Jessica, and zoe slept over at Grandma's house last night, and almost managed to consume all her pop and ice cream and go in and out of the pool 59 times in one day! So I got to sleep in this morning, and it was just William and me. I even got to study my medical transcription for a spell. And guess what fascinating tidbit I gleaned for you? You know how when you're dropping off to sleep and you suddenly jerk for no reason, and it wakes you and is pretty annoying? That actually has a name--myoclonus!
In the morning, my Pop is going to bring over a truck load of soil for my new raised bed. Chris built it for me recently, because I asked him very nicely, with a cherry on top. :) He did a great job--you can always count on him doing it right and well and sturdily. So, it's a long cedar raised bed right against the chain link fence. It's been empty for a few weeks now, but tomorrow there will be shoveling and dirty fingernails! Yay! I will transplant my 3 blueberry plants from the lawn into the bed. Eventually, I'll buy a few more. And I'll put some other veggies in, too. I'm not sure what my best choices are mid-July--seeds or starts--but I guess I'll figure it out. Chris and I are going out to dinner for my birthday after that. The parents will watch the kids again! :) Yay! We're going to check out this place in downtown Tacoma called The Melting Pot. It's a fondue restaurant, of all things! Some people might remember when fondue was quite popular YEARS ago! Hopefully it'll be a good choice. Some of Chris's co-workers have been there and liked it. The waterfront is close by, which makes for a nice walk. (Thank you for the nice card, Aunt Ellie. Them were nice words! :)
p.s. Did I ever mention that Zach has a replacement for his rat that died? It's a lizard he caught. We buy it crickets at the Tropical Fish Import store. It has shed its skin twice! Yes, Zach can imitate this lizard, too. He showed me how it acts when it's on the hot sidewalk!

Well, it's been a few days, and I need to freshen up my blog! I don't really have anything fabulous I've been dying to record...It's a beautiful morning. Zach's outside doing his math. After that he'll do language. We're keeping up with these two "R's." Will is looking at his new Nemo sticker book. He's obsessed with Nemo. The stickers are reusable, and to him, every single character from that movie is "Nemo," the shark, Dory, etc. He's over by the couch chatting with the sticker book, saying "Nemo" this and that over and over and over again. In about a second I'm going to get up for some Advil. Down the street there is some jackhammering going on by some city crews. This is punctuated by William's rather regular, dry cough. It sounds like a fake cough. Argh! The girls are at summer school. They both had field trips to the Tacoma Art Museum this week, where they did some neat art projects.
Last night, Zach went to Royal Rangers at church, and Jessie went to Stars. Zoe was pretty sick with a sore throat, so she didn't go. Jessie's group had a cooking contest where they had to bring something they made. We made a fabulous little concoction that won Grand Prize! She was hoping she'd win, and she was so proud she did! I remember when I was few years younger than her in school, and there was this coloring contest--just on coloring book pages. Well, I got either first or second place, or else I tied with this other boy, and boy was that a heady victory for a young'un! :) So what we made was something I had seen in Family Fun magazine awhile back when I was waiting for my oil to be changed. You make these edible snails--the body is a small pickle. The "shell" is tortilla, cream cheese, and lunch meat, rolled up, then sliced. You then toothpick it to the pickle. The antennae were green onions that were inserted into little slits. Adorable!
Last night, I slept on the couch, because at 12:30, I was still too wakeful for our warm, upstairs room. If you turn on the fan above the bed you get a breeze, but it's loud. I got this new coffee from Costco, and it definitely has way more caffeine than the last kind. It's keeping me wakeful too long when I drink if after dinner as usual. Must adjust. So, I'm trying to sleep on the couch with the front door ajar for some cool breeze. I turned off the front porch light. It's 1:15, and I'm finally feeling sleepy enough to really go night night, when I heard, distinctly, our front picket gate latch shut! Well, I had already shut it when I got home from work, as always. I heard no footsteps on the gravel or the grass or the front walk. The neighbors dogs didn't bark, and when I grabbed my glasses and looked out front, I saw nothing. My heart was beating soooo hard! A few minutes later, our cat came out to the front door and sat on the front mat and very placidly sat there viewing his domain. I don't know what the deal was--it was not a windy night. But I prayed for safety and SLEEP and finally did get it. I don't care one bit for night noises, especially in the midst of reading a very gripping, sometimes scary book. (The Living Blood by Tananarive Due, a sequel to My Soul to Keep--excellent books!)
Anyhoo, I need to get going--errands and cleaning and watering and showering.
Don't touch that dial! We'll be right back after these messages!

A little joke I actually remembered

Our pastor told this joke on Sunday:
A little boy had just been put to bed by his dad. A few minutes later, he called out, "Dad, can I have a drink of water? " Dad-"No, son, I asked you if you wanted any and you said no. You've lost your chance, now go to sleep." A few minutes later, the boy calls out again, "Dad, I'm really thirsty--can't you bring me a glass of water?" Dad-"Son, I said NO! Don't ask me again!" The persistent lad..."PLEASE, Dad!!" Dad-"No means no! Ask again and I will come in there and give you a spank!!" Silence for a moment. Then, "When you come in to spank me, could you bring me a glass of water?"

This is Jessie's self-portrait. It's her best yet! 

"Betsy,did you hear about that study where they found that people who had more friends and who spent more time with them tended to live longer!" 

"I just need some alone time...in my box." 

"I'm such a big boy I can't stand up for my pictures!" 

Yesterday, dinner "snuck" up on me, as it does sometimes. It was a warm day and a busy one. I need to have dinner ready about 5:30. At 3:30 I was trying to figure out what to make. I threw 2 chickens in to roast, thinking ahead to sandwiches, but what to serve with them? Well, I found a neat recipe in the newspaper, of all places. It actually calls for cut up chicken, but I left that out this time. I'm not sure this was the family's favorite--it was a bit different for all, but I enjoyed the change for my tastebuds. I think you could also try cracked wheat in place of couscous for a nuttier, chewier sensation.

COUSCOUS, CHICKEN, AND ARTICHOKE SALAD

Yield: 6 servings

2 (6-0z) jars marinated artichoke hearts
4 cups cooked and cooled couscous, orzo, or other small pasta (I used one small box)
2 cups coarsely chopped, cooked chicken
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, divided
salt, pepper
2 T freshly grated parmesan
cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, for garnish

Drain artichoke hearts, reserving marinade. Coarsely chop artichoke hearts. In a large bowl, stir together couscous, artichoke hearts, artichoke marinade, chicken, green onions, parsley, 3 T pine nuts and salt and pepper to taste. Stir gently but thoroughly. Sprinkle with remaining 1 T pine nuts and Parmesan; garnish with whole or slivered tomatoes.

Donuts in the barbecue and burning bushes, oh my!

Well, it's Tuesday morning, and my vacation is over; I went back to work last night. We went camping at Silver Springs Thursday through Sunday. It took about an hour to get to this old growth forest of red cedars, hemlocks, and such. It was a quiet place and the weather was like 55 degrees a lot of the time. I didn't bring a stinking coat so I wore the same 2 sweatshirts for the whole time. It was actually a beautiful, warm sunny morning on our last day! There was a beautiful little creek behind our site, and a short walk away was the White River. Jessie fell in the creek and came back soaked and bedraggled. She wasn't hurt, but we were all sorry to have not seen it. We lucked out with our camping neighbors. First, there was a little girl for the girls to play with. When she left, another family came with 2 boys about Zach's age. Zach found 2 frogs--he has amazing creature finding prowess. Something to try: after frying bacon, use the grease to fry up some of those canned biscuits. I actually ended up having to split them cuz they were so thick, but it is really good!
Chris bought a dutch oven a few years ago, and neither of us realized the proper way to season and keep the thing up. So a few days before we left, I actually spent hours on the internet researching how to restore this rusty, caked and baked little pot. First I tried boiling water in it on the stovetop and scrubbing it out whilst hot. That helped a little. But then, after hemming and hawing, I finally got the courage to try the next step: getting medieval. I started some briquettes in the barbecue and put the oven in the refiner's fire upside down for about an hour. I used a copper(?) wire brush I found and scrubbed the dickens out of it--messy, but it worked! So then I greased it with shortening, put it back in the fire for it's all-important seasoning. And it worked! I was SO proud of myself and my proper, greasy, black pot! Then I actually made a batch of donuts in the barbecue! It was like an episode of Colonial House. Anybody see that and love it and tape it, too? I heated up a a bunch of oil to a hot temp and made donuts in my own back yard. It was cool. So this prep work was done so Chris could do his camping spesheeality--chili . Even though I failed to bring chili powder or anything at all with spice (der!), even bland food tastes fabulous when you're oot and aboot in God's creation, eh?
The fourth of July was perfect warm weather. The Tall Ships at the Tacoma waterfront was on its last day, so we drove over there to catch a glimpse of some of the beatiful schooners. For a price, we could have seen more, but camping cleaned us out. We didn't buy any fireworks this year, but our neighbors all seemed to have filled up their flatbeds with them. There was racket into the wee hours. One of my fancy grasses in the corner of the front yard actually caught fire! It was spectacularly frightening and flabbergasting. When I went out there, the neighbor was already dowsing it with his hose, thank God...same neighbor whose fault it was, I was told...but anyway...yes, fireworks in Tacoma are illegal, and yes, lots of people still light them. There are lots of booths of them all over--the Indians sell a lot of them. And yes, you hear sirens throughout the evening!
I made mint chocolate chip ice cream in the ice cream maker, and it was scrumptious. Dinner came from Fine Cooking magazine, my favorite. Chris slowly grilled some boneless, skinless chicken breasts with barbecue sauce on the barbee. Then I lightly toasted some focaccia bread and caramelized a ton of onions. You slice the chicken in strips and make a sandwich with the chicken, onions, sundried tomatoes, mayo, and fresh spinach or arugula. Try it--you'll love it!
The girls are really enjoying summer school. I caught the last few minutes of Jessie's class. They had talked about some principles of portrait painting and been taught about Frida Kahlo. Jessie's homework was to do a self-portrait.