Mr. Scarecrow

I'd like for you all to meet a new friend of ours. He's the one in the middle, if you weren't sure.

He is absolutely a wonderful guest.
Never gossips.
Never eats all our food.
Never tracks in muddy feet.
Never teaches my kids "bad" things.

Actually, he just likes to stand in our garden.
He doesn't say anything... he must be shy!

His John Deere hat is old and grimy, his hickory shirt is torn and stained. But that's ok.
He doesn't even ask to use my bathroom to clean up!

I feel a bit bad about leaving him outside all night. It could get a little cold. He doesn't seem to mind.
And the strange thing is... he is still standing in the same place in the morning!
It must run in his family. Because I have noticed some of his family members doing the same thing in gardens around the area.

Somebody once told me that his job is to make sure that the deer and birds don't eat up all our hard work in the garden. How sweet is that? What a gentleman!

McKenzie (dog) did NOT like him at all!! Don't dogs have a good sense of character? I think she was wrong about this guest.
But she barked and barked and acted like she was going to rip him to pieces. I had to take her out into the garden and allow her to sniff him for awhile to ease her mind.

And ya know, Mr. Scarecrow didn't even mind that!

I hope he sticks around for awhile... I hope he does his job well.

The greatest thing about him? .... he doesn't even ask to be paid for his services!!

Lindsey really had to check him out too.

She wasn't sure why he was standing there in HER garden!

So confusing for a little one.

But soon she giggled and went her cheery way eating her string cheese and running through the dirt with bare feet.

Binky and Sewing Rant

Seriously!!! It has been almost 4 weeks since I removed the binkies from her bed and she is still not sleeping!

She will now go to sleep fine but then wakes up a couple times every night.... and for some reason thinks that anywhere between 4:45 and 5:45 is the time to rise and shine!

It almost makes me want to find another binky and ..... NO, don't let me say it!!!

Don't give in, don't give in!

Ok, I'm staying strong for now. Binky is gone and will not return. Sleep or no sleep!


Another issue I'm having lately:

How do Mom's find the time to sew and get projects done?
I'm having a hard time with this one.

Along with normal household chores, there is baseball every night, soccer on the weekends, garden to tend to, animals to feed...

You get the idea, right?

I'm really, really dying to finish up my American Flag wallhanging. All that is left is the back and quilting.

(This is an old picture. I have the border on it now.)

I purchased some white with red polka-dots for the back but when I got home it looked too stark with the more muted and natural colors of the front. (I think the polka-dots might become a sundress, if I can find time to sew!)

Boy, I'm ranting this morning! I'm sorry.

On a brighter note, today is the last soccer game!

Have a great sunshiny day everybody!

Peppermint Mocha

This morning I got up and made my usual little pot of coffee.
I checked emails and listened and waited intently for the gurgly, bubbly sound telling me that my morning wake-up call was done brewing.
Aaaaahhhh. The sweet sound of it!

But when I began to prepare my lovely concoction.... oh,no... I'm out of creamer!!!!

What to do? what to do? think, think, think....

I made myself a Peppermint Mocha.

Add a packet of Hot Cocoa mix to the cup of coffee.

A dash or two of peppermint extract.

A splash of milk.

Stir.

Enjoy!! mmmm... not bad!

Kids

I decided to do a little photo shoot with the 3 older kids. It's time to update their wall portraits and it's soooo expensive to have them done at the studio.

I had Lindsey's done in the studio last week for her 2 year portrait so those will be in soon.

Anyway, I think these turned out pretty good.

And on another note... I've almost got the garden completely planted. Just have cucumbers, zucchini, and pumpkins left to get in the ground!!

I'm calling it my "patchwork garden" and I'll show you why when I get it all done.

Hope you all have some sunshine to enjoy this weekend. mmmm... I can smell the BBQ's firing up all over the countryside.

Girls...

I bought the little picnic basket for 2.99 at Goodwill.


It makes for some perfect Little House on the Prairie play time.







Sugar and Spice and everything nice;
That's what little girls are made of!!

Dirt & Beauty

The garden has been tilled twice now.

It's almost ready for planting!!

I have about 1/2 of my seeds bought.

To plant:

-cucumbers

-corn (2 kinds)

-tomatoes

-broccoli

-cherry tomatoes

-bush beans

-zucchini

-carrots

-pumpkins (2 kinds)

-radishes

-spinach

-sunflowers

-blueberries

-rhubarb (already in the garden)

We also have some beautiful blooms around our place right now.

Happy Spring to you All!!!!

I'm Exhausted!

- 11:00 pm-- finally fell asleep (I should have known better than to have that iced coffee at 4:00)

- 11:30 pm -- Second son comes stumbling into bedroom and into my bathroom. (He doesn't remember this at all)

12:30 am -- Sweet little 2 year old wanders into my bedroom, climbs up, and lays on my head. (why does she do that?) Put her back in her own bed!

1:45 am -- My husband's hand must be attracted to my face!

2:00 am-- What is that sound?! Oh, just the chicks fighting over a tiny piece of newspaper.

4:55 am -- Sweet little 2 year old climbs in bed and lays on my head... again! (I push her over to her Daddy)

5:58 am -- Yeah! Daddy finally gets up with 2 year old with the promise of watching Dora.

6:26 am-- Roll out of bed and hit the shower.

8:05 am-- Begin the 1 hour & 10 minute drive to pick up Oldest daughter from a friend.

10:55 am -- Home but only for a few minutes. Feed girls a snack, go potty, rush out.

11:30 am-- Arrive at soccer field for Daughter's team pictures.

12:00 noon-- Soccer game begins. Uh oh, who has snacks today? Wouldn't ya know it, ME! Dear hubby runs to store to pick something up for 14 hungry, sweaty little kids.

1:10 pm -- Drive 10 minutes to nearby town for Oldest Son's baseball game. Chase Little One around while trying to watch the game.

3:55 pm-- Head for home. (Where is that again? Directions, anyone?)

4:22 pm-- I think this is where we live. Check phone messages. What?!! Second Son has baseball practice right now!! Call hubby. He agrees to stay in town with boys for practice.

5:15 pm -- Begin to prepare a lovely, homemade meal for my family. Actually it was pretty good! Throw in a load of laundry. Hang up towels outside to dry.

7:00 pm-- Dinner cleaned up. Read books to Little One. Send Older Daughter to shower.

7:50 pm -- Check on animals. Put chickens to bed, collect eggs.

8:00 pm -- Send girls to bed. Prayers.

8:10 pm-- Send Little One to bed. 2nd time.

8:33pm-- Send Little One to bed with swat. 3rd time.

8:48 pm -- Train comes through 2 hours early. Little One is scared. Hold and cuddle until train is gone. Send Little One back to bed. 4th time.

9:08 pm-- Tuck ALL the boys into bed... including hubby.

9:20 pm -- House is quiet... except for the sound the chicks make in their corner of the living room.

9:30 pm -- Check emails. Read Bible. Catch up on blog.

GOOD NIGHT!!!

Entering Unexplored Territory

My oldest is almost a teenager and his brother is not far behind him.

Thus, the idea of unexplored territory.


I'm a girl, which means there is alot about boys I don't know or understand.

I have come to be aware of this as my boys are growing up and sometimes I shake my head in confusion.
How do boys work?


I recently bought this book and have since read it once and skimmed it back over a second time.


It's written by a Christian man.

So to get a man's perspective and ideas on how Mom's can influence their sons to become Godly men, was nice.

I recommend this book to all Mom's with boys. Rick Johnson does a good job of being honest and informative about what makes boys tick.


A couple of my favorite quotes:


--"A parent's main task is to receive a child as a charge from the Lord and then to dedicate the child to God's ways."


--"Manhood and Fatherhood are learned behaviors. Boys are visual creatures and learn by observing."


--"The only thing a man has that can't be taken from him is his character."


--" Your son needs the courage to continue to do what is right even when all those around him are calling for him to compromise."


Proverbs 1:8- My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother.

I'm Confused...

... and definitely chuckling to myself.

After getting the kids off to school this morning, I began the daily routine of tidying up.

In the kids' bathroom, I found this on the counter...

Translation: " I KO declare freedom."

That would be my 10 year old son.
The history buff.
The lover of antiques and antique hunting.
The one intrigued by geneology.
The child who checks out books on the Civil War instead of SpongeBob.

I'm not sure what this message on toilet paper is supposed to mean or what significance it has.

It may have something to do with the fact that he has been grounded for the past week and last night was the end of his "service".

But it sure has brightened my morning routine!!

Oh man, I love my kids!!

Hamburger Hoagies with Au Jus

I made these for dinner last night and they got a thumbs-up all around the table!


1 1/2 - 2 lbs ground beef
garden vegetable spreadable cream cheese
hoagie rolls, split and toasted
au jus sauce (envelope mix or jar)

Season the beef with whatever seasoning you like to use (I used a salt-free Mrs. Dash seasoning). Shape into oval patties that will fit on your rolls. Brown in skillet or on grill.

Spread the cream cheese on toasted hoagie rolls. Place cooked beef patties on rolls.

Serve will Au Jus for dipping.

This is very quick to prepare on busy nights. And filling enough to feed my boys and still have some left over for lunch the next day!

(I took a picture but it actually didn't look very appetizing, so I decided to leave the picture out)

6 Chicks

I guess 3 of them were naughty... they are standing with their beaks in the corner! ha ha

Ryan with Salt and Pepper.

Kyle with Luna and Heidi.

Kaycie with Winn-Dixie.

Lindsey with Dora.

The kids named their own chicks and have already figured out how to tell them apart.

They are Silver-laced Wyandottes. I had hoped to get some Barred Rocks but they didn't come into the feed store yet. I may try another store to find some other breeds.

10 Things....

... I love about this time of year:

1. Lilacs blooming...
(my very favorite flower!)



2. Baby Chicks. I should be getting my day-old chicks in the next day or two. Can't hardly wait!

3. Rhubarb in the garden (& in my cobbler!):

4. Songbirds. They sound so beautiful right now.

5. Summer is close. Soon the kids will be out of school and we'll spend every afternoon swimming in the river!:

6. Baby Calves in the Pasture.:

7. Baseball & Soccer. Actually I have a love/hate relationship with sports seasons. But I definitely love watching my kids have fun playing on a team.

8. Outside Play (when it's not raining).:
the kids made a homemade hammock using heavy twine and a blanket. Imaginations!!

9. Longer Daylight. I love being able to take a walk or spend time outside in the evening.

10. BBQ's. Oh the smell of hot dogs and hamburgers cooking on the grill. There is nothing better!
And I just thought I'd share this picture with you all. My little one playing outside in her dress and rubber boots. I asked her to show me her boots and this is what she did:

In Memory Of...

This picture was taken at a family reunion in 2005. Uncle Clarence on the right.

My husband's Great Uncle Clarence passed away 2 weeks ago. He was an amazing man!

The prime example of a gentleman, soft-spoken, very giving, honest, and just a good ole' country boy!

When the family gathered for his funeral, we were told to walk through his house and take whatever meant something to us.

At first we felt weird. It just didn't feel right to be going through his things and taking them.

Ken's Grandma kept insisting that we take some things because if the family didn't take it, it was all going to end up in auction or Goodwill.

So finally we started looking around with the rest of the family.

It turned out to be a neat time of sharing memories of such an important family member. Someone would see the accordians that he would play at family reunions.

And the cribbage boards sitting on his TV table.

Or the collection of John Deere items.

The huge popcorn bowl sitting by his recliner.

All these things were dear memories of him.

I got this vintage Montgomery Ward family scale with a basket of wooden eggs. This sat in Uncle Clarence's kitchen and I always thought it was the cutest thing. Now it sits on my kitchen counter.

This is an antique buffet hutch. I love this!

A little cow stool that Kaycie chose to keep. She remembers sitting on this when we've been at Uncle Clarence's house. It now sits by the kids' bookshelf. (notice the udders!)

A beautiful antique dresser. It has a large, oval vanity mirror ,that we are repairing, that attaches to it. It needs some work but I think the girls will love having this dresser in their room.

Other items we got: vintage croquet game set (Kyle's), antique pocket knife (Ryan's), cribbage board, popcorn popper, quilt rack, a push broom for the shop/garage, and an antique iron (which we were told, besides ironing shirts, was warmed on a woodstove and wrapped in a blanket or towel, then placed at the foot of the kids' bed to warm their feet in the winter at night.)

We will greatly miss Uncle Clarence but I'm so glad we have these things to remember him by.

Birthday Happenings

We had Lindsey's birthday party yesterday.

I was really hoping and praying that the weather would cooperate so the kids could play outside and the adults could enjoy the deck.

Nope!!! No such luck!

Wind and rain all day.

Oh well, we still had a nice day with family and friends, celebrating our Little Sunshine... Lindsey!

She got a Dora The Explorer Trike from Mommy & Daddy. Oh, she was soooo excited! This girl loves Dora!

She also got a bunch of books and dresses... 2 things she loves.

So, Lindsey is now offically 2 years old. OH MY!