I have have a cantankerous old aunt named Flo. She's the kind of aunt you have a love/hate relationship with. She always brings headaches and stress, but her presence represents the richness of family.
Before we had kids, when there was still a spare bedroom, Aunt Flo came to visit a lot. She must not like babies, though, because as soon as we told her we were going to have one, she quit coming. Once a baby was born, she would always stop in for a brief visit just to get a peek at the new face, but then refused to come again until the baby was quite a bit older. I offered to help pay for a hotel room, since the spare room was now a nursery, but her visits have been few.
She called a couple months ago to say she was coming to see us again. I bought some of her favorite food to cook for supper, and instructed the older kids and my husband about the way we should behave when she's around. Then we began to wait.
A few times, I could have sworn I saw her car coming down the street, but apparently it wasn't her. I began to wonder if there was something we had done to offend her, so I even called Uncle Eb to see if there was a reason she hadn't come yet. He told me, no, that I should expect her soon.
Yesterday, she pulled into the driveway. She got out of the car, saw me looking out the window, and shook her fist at me, screaming. Then she drove away. Crazy lady.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
The Kids
Just a few things to make note of while they are on my mind...
Zivah has been smashing her face quite a bit. Sometimes, she just doesn't get her hand down in time when she's crawling and does a face plant into the floor. Sometimes she just leans forward into objects like the step stool or table. She has been sporting regular facial bruises.
Today, Zivah and I were sitting on the glider on the front porch. The glider's metal is stamped with little round holes, so Finley and Joe like to pick flowers and stick them in the holes, where they dry out and stay there until I pick them out and throw them away. Zivah seems partial to the dried daisies. I took a flower and started rolling the stem between my fingers, causing the flower to spin. Z saw me doing that and promptly started spinning her flower. I am amazed at her fine motor skills. She is also very good with the toy that has the buttons to manipulate to cause little characters to pop up. I remember it took Joe a long time to figure out the twisting one. Z has it down. Girls do tend to develop their fine motor skills earlier than boys...
She also puts small objects in her mouth, like most babies do. I am thankful that she is smart enough to not swallow if she can't gum it to mush. I frequently am pulling rocks, paper, and other small toys out of her mouth.
Lately, when you tell Joe something, he will frequently respond with a loud, high-pitched, "Whaaaaaat?!?!" I'm not sure where he got that from. It is rather funny.
Today, after finishing up an early lunch, Finley decided to do the dishes. Joe wanted to wash them as well, so I got them organized. Finley scrubbed while Joe rinsed. It worked well, I think, although I haven't actually looked to see how clean they are.
Finley is still obsessed with horses. She is also wanting a rabbit. When we pulled some carrots the other day, she kept trying to get me to promise to save them for her bunny. When I told her I didn't know when we'd be getting one, she said, 'Victor can catch one for me. He's fast!' (Victor is her 7 year old cousin.)
Finley has started reading a little. With the 4 year old kindergarten material I bought last year came some little basic reading books with sentences like: 'Jill is a pig. Jill has a wig.' She can read most of them fairly well.
Finley is really excited about school. We got some of her new workbooks the other day, and she keeps asking to do them. I've got her signed up for a science class that will meet once a week, and she is excited about that as well. When Joe said he wanted to go to school with her: "No Joe! It's not your class! You're not old enough!"
Zivah has been smashing her face quite a bit. Sometimes, she just doesn't get her hand down in time when she's crawling and does a face plant into the floor. Sometimes she just leans forward into objects like the step stool or table. She has been sporting regular facial bruises.
Today, Zivah and I were sitting on the glider on the front porch. The glider's metal is stamped with little round holes, so Finley and Joe like to pick flowers and stick them in the holes, where they dry out and stay there until I pick them out and throw them away. Zivah seems partial to the dried daisies. I took a flower and started rolling the stem between my fingers, causing the flower to spin. Z saw me doing that and promptly started spinning her flower. I am amazed at her fine motor skills. She is also very good with the toy that has the buttons to manipulate to cause little characters to pop up. I remember it took Joe a long time to figure out the twisting one. Z has it down. Girls do tend to develop their fine motor skills earlier than boys...
She also puts small objects in her mouth, like most babies do. I am thankful that she is smart enough to not swallow if she can't gum it to mush. I frequently am pulling rocks, paper, and other small toys out of her mouth.
Lately, when you tell Joe something, he will frequently respond with a loud, high-pitched, "Whaaaaaat?!?!" I'm not sure where he got that from. It is rather funny.
Today, after finishing up an early lunch, Finley decided to do the dishes. Joe wanted to wash them as well, so I got them organized. Finley scrubbed while Joe rinsed. It worked well, I think, although I haven't actually looked to see how clean they are.
Finley is still obsessed with horses. She is also wanting a rabbit. When we pulled some carrots the other day, she kept trying to get me to promise to save them for her bunny. When I told her I didn't know when we'd be getting one, she said, 'Victor can catch one for me. He's fast!' (Victor is her 7 year old cousin.)
Finley has started reading a little. With the 4 year old kindergarten material I bought last year came some little basic reading books with sentences like: 'Jill is a pig. Jill has a wig.' She can read most of them fairly well.
Finley is really excited about school. We got some of her new workbooks the other day, and she keeps asking to do them. I've got her signed up for a science class that will meet once a week, and she is excited about that as well. When Joe said he wanted to go to school with her: "No Joe! It's not your class! You're not old enough!"
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
This past Saturday, I hopped in 'The Hoss' to run some errands and check out the American Artisan Festival at Centennial park. Even with no air conditioning in the truck, I thoroughly enjoyed driving The Hoss around town. Having 8 cylinders of power under foot is fun. The pull of the gears keep begging for higher speed, and the momentum of such a big hunk of metal... well, it puts a big smile on my face. It's a good thing I'm not able to drive the truck all the time. There might be a lot of speeding tickets and the amount of petrol burned up by that thing would not be so good.
Anyway, so I stopped in at the Artisan Fest, and found it to be almost an exact repeat of last year. I did run across one booth that really caught my attention and drew me in. What I saw first was an large etching of elephants dancing in various ways. (That description doesn't do the picture justice.) For some reason, it nearly made me tear up. The artist was David Bigelow, and the combination of his talent and wit made his work delightful. His use of word play and alternative perspective is reminiscent of Gary Larson. His work reminded me a little of some of the stuff I come up with, so I chatted with him a bit. In a roundabout way, he encouraged me in my own artistic pursuits (encouragement is always nice), and I ended up buying a piece that makes me smile and prods me a bit every time I look at it. (A sign in the picture says 'absolutely no thinking outside the box' as a cat pauses outside its litter box.
Sunday night, I roasted broccoli, potatoes, and summer squash for supper, all from the garden. I kicked myself afterward, remembering that I could have added carrots to the mix. I also harvested some of the 'Blue Jade' corn which wasn't very blue at all. But it was fun to eat. Would make a nice, odd little hors d' oeuvres or something. You would have to eat about ten of them in order to feel like you actually ate something.
I think I might have a phosphate deficiency in the garden. (I need to start doing soil tests.) My potatoes didn't flower and are dying out (curling brown-edged leaves), so I probably just need to harvest them now. I pulled one plant out, and found about 6 potatoes buried. It seems like a miracle to be able to plant one little ball of potato and pull several more bigger ones out of the ground only a few months later.
Last night I finally took advantage of the cool evening weather and started pulling out some of the grass that is making my jungle of a garden even more jungly.
Oh, and I have been reading the Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery that my mother sent me for my birthday. Inspirational, overwhelming. I keep reminding myself that all I need to do is take one step at a time.
Anyway, so I stopped in at the Artisan Fest, and found it to be almost an exact repeat of last year. I did run across one booth that really caught my attention and drew me in. What I saw first was an large etching of elephants dancing in various ways. (That description doesn't do the picture justice.) For some reason, it nearly made me tear up. The artist was David Bigelow, and the combination of his talent and wit made his work delightful. His use of word play and alternative perspective is reminiscent of Gary Larson. His work reminded me a little of some of the stuff I come up with, so I chatted with him a bit. In a roundabout way, he encouraged me in my own artistic pursuits (encouragement is always nice), and I ended up buying a piece that makes me smile and prods me a bit every time I look at it. (A sign in the picture says 'absolutely no thinking outside the box' as a cat pauses outside its litter box.
Sunday night, I roasted broccoli, potatoes, and summer squash for supper, all from the garden. I kicked myself afterward, remembering that I could have added carrots to the mix. I also harvested some of the 'Blue Jade' corn which wasn't very blue at all. But it was fun to eat. Would make a nice, odd little hors d' oeuvres or something. You would have to eat about ten of them in order to feel like you actually ate something.
I think I might have a phosphate deficiency in the garden. (I need to start doing soil tests.) My potatoes didn't flower and are dying out (curling brown-edged leaves), so I probably just need to harvest them now. I pulled one plant out, and found about 6 potatoes buried. It seems like a miracle to be able to plant one little ball of potato and pull several more bigger ones out of the ground only a few months later.
Last night I finally took advantage of the cool evening weather and started pulling out some of the grass that is making my jungle of a garden even more jungly.
Oh, and I have been reading the Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery that my mother sent me for my birthday. Inspirational, overwhelming. I keep reminding myself that all I need to do is take one step at a time.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
For My Benefit
Things I forgot to document the past two posts (since I never really started my 'garden journal' and know that if I don't type it first, it may never end up in Zivah's baby book):
The lettuce and spinach is bolting. The Blue Jade corn I planted is also flowering. It said it was a dwarf variety that would only grow about 3' tall. I didn't quite realize how small that was! It is cute, and I am hoping that it will pollinate well, as I really want to try the blue sweet corn it is supposed to produce (however small). Oh, and when the package says to plant your squash about 6' apart.... it didn't mention that the vines wouldn't stay in their six foot zone, but would wander all over the garden. It looks like I might have a good winter squash crop, anyway.
Zivah: She is crawling all over the place, getting into the cupboards, etc. Her favorite cupboard is the one where the kids' paint and brushes are located. Most times she'll make a bee-line for it, pull it right open, and scatter the contents across the kitchen floor. She doesn't say any real words to speak of yet, although when she gets to whining, very often, she'll come out with a distinct 'mama-mama'. (I am trying to get her to say 'dada'.) She has pulled herself to a standing position a couple of times, but isn't all that motivated to do so very often. She scooted herself off the shallow step onto the porch once, so now tends to think she can tackle any sort of stair feet first. At church, during worship, she will start to 'sing': "Aaaaaaah." She is a pincher. She pinches hard, then rolls the skin between her fingers. It hurts. When she hasn't seen Chris for a while, either in the morning or when he gets home from work, she gets so excited. Her face lights up (even brighter) with the widest toothless smile she can muster and bounces, flinging drool everywhere. I am thankful that she isn't very clingy. If she isn't tired or hungry, most of the time she is rather content to wander around exploring all the things this house has to offer.
The lettuce and spinach is bolting. The Blue Jade corn I planted is also flowering. It said it was a dwarf variety that would only grow about 3' tall. I didn't quite realize how small that was! It is cute, and I am hoping that it will pollinate well, as I really want to try the blue sweet corn it is supposed to produce (however small). Oh, and when the package says to plant your squash about 6' apart.... it didn't mention that the vines wouldn't stay in their six foot zone, but would wander all over the garden. It looks like I might have a good winter squash crop, anyway.
Zivah: She is crawling all over the place, getting into the cupboards, etc. Her favorite cupboard is the one where the kids' paint and brushes are located. Most times she'll make a bee-line for it, pull it right open, and scatter the contents across the kitchen floor. She doesn't say any real words to speak of yet, although when she gets to whining, very often, she'll come out with a distinct 'mama-mama'. (I am trying to get her to say 'dada'.) She has pulled herself to a standing position a couple of times, but isn't all that motivated to do so very often. She scooted herself off the shallow step onto the porch once, so now tends to think she can tackle any sort of stair feet first. At church, during worship, she will start to 'sing': "Aaaaaaah." She is a pincher. She pinches hard, then rolls the skin between her fingers. It hurts. When she hasn't seen Chris for a while, either in the morning or when he gets home from work, she gets so excited. Her face lights up (even brighter) with the widest toothless smile she can muster and bounces, flinging drool everywhere. I am thankful that she isn't very clingy. If she isn't tired or hungry, most of the time she is rather content to wander around exploring all the things this house has to offer.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Weekend Update and Other Ramblings 6/15
It would at times be beneficial if that mind to text contraption were in existence. Then you would all know how crazy I really am.
I have been pondering my trait of over-analyzation and the need to research things before I get involved. I wonder how many ideas I have shot down before they had a chance of becoming a reality, or what is the number of great ideas I have that aren't being executed because I haven't figured them out just right. On a more positive note, at least I haven't done lots of things poorly.
On my birthday (which I spent suffering from a headache - poor me), I stopped by the farmer's Co-op store. I was hoping to find the right apple tree to plant in the yard. I saw some baby chicks, and started thinking about how to build a coop. Today, I am thinking that if we really are going to put the house on the market in the spring, then I am sure the chicken coop and resulting lack of grass would be a deterrent to buyers. What do I want really?
Anyway, I have taken your advice and let the weeds go unchecked.
I harvested my first summer squash this morning, and am anxiously awaiting the ripening of these Amish Paste heirloom tomatoes. As a side note, a few of my tomato plants are developing yellow leaves and aren't looking so great. I am hoping it is just a minor problem.
Most of the green seen in this shot comes from pumpkin, cucumber, winter squash, and summer squash plants. Oh. And grass.
Letting a few of the radishes go to seed. The flowers on this one were especially pretty, I thought.
Here you can see the seed pods on this radish.
On to a different subject: The past couple Sundays, we have attended The Anchor Fellowship, a church more like the one we had been attending most of my years here in Tennessee, but is much closer to our house. The pastor has a big beard and tattoos and a sense of humor not unlike Chris's (read goofy). It makes Chris feel like he fits right in. We'll see...
I have been pondering my trait of over-analyzation and the need to research things before I get involved. I wonder how many ideas I have shot down before they had a chance of becoming a reality, or what is the number of great ideas I have that aren't being executed because I haven't figured them out just right. On a more positive note, at least I haven't done lots of things poorly.
On my birthday (which I spent suffering from a headache - poor me), I stopped by the farmer's Co-op store. I was hoping to find the right apple tree to plant in the yard. I saw some baby chicks, and started thinking about how to build a coop. Today, I am thinking that if we really are going to put the house on the market in the spring, then I am sure the chicken coop and resulting lack of grass would be a deterrent to buyers. What do I want really?
Anyway, I have taken your advice and let the weeds go unchecked.
I harvested my first summer squash this morning, and am anxiously awaiting the ripening of these Amish Paste heirloom tomatoes. As a side note, a few of my tomato plants are developing yellow leaves and aren't looking so great. I am hoping it is just a minor problem.
Most of the green seen in this shot comes from pumpkin, cucumber, winter squash, and summer squash plants. Oh. And grass.
Letting a few of the radishes go to seed. The flowers on this one were especially pretty, I thought.
Here you can see the seed pods on this radish.
On to a different subject: The past couple Sundays, we have attended The Anchor Fellowship, a church more like the one we had been attending most of my years here in Tennessee, but is much closer to our house. The pastor has a big beard and tattoos and a sense of humor not unlike Chris's (read goofy). It makes Chris feel like he fits right in. We'll see...Thursday, June 11, 2009
If a squirrel can do it...
Sometimes I wonder if this earth will really end up being destroyed in God's final effort to set things right. It is such a fatalistic and but at times comforting idea. It is an idea that makes me want to believe that it doesn't really matter all that much, taking care of things.
Then driving one day, I started wondering how the Creator must feel about it all. I imagined that he must geta little upset angry, creating this beautiful world then having man just destroy it. Then I thought about how I would feel if I made something special for my kids. I would want them to enjoy it, love it, and take care of it so that it would last a long time... But I suppose I wouldn't expect it to last forever. Children are know to wear things out. I wonder if that is how God thinks about the earth. He wants us to discover its beauty and its resources, to enjoy creation and use it wisely, and I am convinced he doesn't like us trashing it.
And sometimes I think about the possibility of redemption. He is able to take things (like us) that seemed hopelessly trashed and make them new and beautiful. He calls us to be a part of redemption and restoration as well. (See Isaiah 61).
Anyway, here's a little cartoon to inspire you.
Then driving one day, I started wondering how the Creator must feel about it all. I imagined that he must get
And sometimes I think about the possibility of redemption. He is able to take things (like us) that seemed hopelessly trashed and make them new and beautiful. He calls us to be a part of redemption and restoration as well. (See Isaiah 61).
Anyway, here's a little cartoon to inspire you.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Taking Responsibility
While I was outside this morning checking on the various things growing in the yard, Finley finished her breakfast and took it upon herself to wash all of the breakfast dishes...And she did a great job!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Joe-isms
"I'm going to do it my byself!"
When Finley and Joe are playing the 'last one there is a rotten egg' game:
"I'm a rockin' egg!"
Me (at 3 o'clock in the morning): Joe, why are you out of bed with your blanket over your head?
Joe: Becuase it's dark.
Typical bathroom routine is for me wait while he pees so I can help him pull his pants up and/or clean up any messes. As we were headed into the bathroom one day he said, "And then are you going to stand like this?" and put his hands on his hips.
Friday, June 5, 2009
FINALLY!
Joe has taken initiative the past few days and done #2's in the potty without prompting or force.
And there was much rejoicing.
And there was much rejoicing.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
The Rain Barrel
Here it is! Ten minutes of thundershower this afternoon, and it is overflowing. The bricks in front are to keep the kids from using the spigot as a step.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Weekend Update 6/1
After talking it over, Chris and I decided there was too much to do to get this house ready to put on the market this summer... much to my relief. At least I know where we will be living and can hopefully get Finley signed up for some classes this fall. Since we now aren't in a mad panic to get a long list of things done to the house, I convinced Chris to take a little hike in the woods Saturday morning.
We packed into the van and headed to a nice little nature trail just a few blocks from Mark and Molly's. Radnor Lake is a nice little place to visit without having to drive an hour or more from the city. The only downside is that it is normally packed with people, so there is no feeling of being out in the 'wilderness'
To our pleasant surprise, Jenny, Laurel, and Molly pulled into the parking lot just as we were about to try to find the trail head. This was probably saving grace as it got Finley and Joe really excited about the prospect of a hike. We walked for a while with J,L, and M on the paved section, then wandered off on our own down a trail. It wasn't long after that Finley started to get 'tired', which really, I think, meant 'bored'. Thankfully, with chasing games and searches for walking sticks, I managed to get Finley though the hike without carrying or dragging her.
We did also see a fawn about ten feet off the trail, lying flat on the ground pretending that nobody could see him. The mother was just a hundred feet away, so used to foot traffic in that area that she wasn't the least bit concerned about her baby. Of course we forgot to bring the camera along
We got home and spent the rest of the day cleaning out the garage. We have a ridiculous amount of stuff. Pack rats at heart, we hold onto lots of things just because we can see a potential use for those items. That does come in handy quite often and does save a few dollars. But every once in a while we have to ask ourselves the question, 'Are we really ever going to use this?' As a result, our garage is one truckful lighter.
Today, I am hoping to finish up making my rain barrel (thanks, JK, for the barrel). This morning, I was reminded why safety goggles are a must when the jigsaw sprayed my face with small plastic bits, one of which flew into my eye. I finished up the 4" hole for the downspout adapter wearing eye protection. Now I need to wait for Chris to help me since I cannot get the spigot we salvaged from some old washer hookup unscrewed from the elbow it is attached to. Pictures will follow when it is finished.
We packed into the van and headed to a nice little nature trail just a few blocks from Mark and Molly's. Radnor Lake is a nice little place to visit without having to drive an hour or more from the city. The only downside is that it is normally packed with people, so there is no feeling of being out in the 'wilderness'
To our pleasant surprise, Jenny, Laurel, and Molly pulled into the parking lot just as we were about to try to find the trail head. This was probably saving grace as it got Finley and Joe really excited about the prospect of a hike. We walked for a while with J,L, and M on the paved section, then wandered off on our own down a trail. It wasn't long after that Finley started to get 'tired', which really, I think, meant 'bored'. Thankfully, with chasing games and searches for walking sticks, I managed to get Finley though the hike without carrying or dragging her.
We did also see a fawn about ten feet off the trail, lying flat on the ground pretending that nobody could see him. The mother was just a hundred feet away, so used to foot traffic in that area that she wasn't the least bit concerned about her baby. Of course we forgot to bring the camera along
We got home and spent the rest of the day cleaning out the garage. We have a ridiculous amount of stuff. Pack rats at heart, we hold onto lots of things just because we can see a potential use for those items. That does come in handy quite often and does save a few dollars. But every once in a while we have to ask ourselves the question, 'Are we really ever going to use this?' As a result, our garage is one truckful lighter.
a before shot
and after
Today, I am hoping to finish up making my rain barrel (thanks, JK, for the barrel). This morning, I was reminded why safety goggles are a must when the jigsaw sprayed my face with small plastic bits, one of which flew into my eye. I finished up the 4" hole for the downspout adapter wearing eye protection. Now I need to wait for Chris to help me since I cannot get the spigot we salvaged from some old washer hookup unscrewed from the elbow it is attached to. Pictures will follow when it is finished.
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