A Great Big Smile

So...for Christmas.  We all got Legos!

Mine was the most complex to put together. 

Coming in at a whopping 1230 pieces.

Also the most fun!

The Space Shuttle: to scale!

Awesomeness!

Love

Dogs have a way about them that just speaks of love.  They never complain when they are left outside for long periods of time, they just wag their tails and grin at you for letting them in.  Dogs love unconditionally no matter what.

We had an additional dog at our house for a few days as some friends did some traveling.  Four legs didn't really like it at first, but got used to having another dog around pretty quickly.  They played with each other outside, running in circles and just enjoying having someone like themselves to play with.

Throughout those few days Four Legs had to be constantly re-assured that he really was our favorite dog and that we weren't replacing him.  He would come up to us if we were sitting, or standing still, and push his nose into our hands.  Soon the other dog picked up on that as well and began to do that.  Seeking attention.  It was so funny to watch!  One dog would nudge one hand and the other would nudge the other hand, both looking for love. 

Once the friends returned from their trip they picked up their dog.  And it has been funny to watch our dog re-adjust to being the only dog again.  He looks for someone to play with when he goes outside now.  And he still seeks almost constant reassurance that he is loved.

Which he is.

Something Wonderful

When I came downstairs this morning, I had to take a second look.  And then grab the camera.  I did have to re-adjust the light a couple times because Four Legs kept "helping."  But this was what I saw.

A lovely reminder about what this season is really about.

Why There Are Two

All dressed up and trying not to look too terribly excited about the upcoming concert.

The see-I-can-smile-for-the-camera look.

We are never ever silly around here.

What? Do I smell funny?

Giggles.

Tickles and more giggles!

And those are but a few reasons why I love my children.

Just a thought

This morning, as I listen to the Christmas music that I love (all year round, incidently), I am reminded of a moment in time, several years ago.

I had given birth to a 7 1/2 pound 21 inch boy.  He was a dream come true for Handsome and I.  Mr O was a good baby, sleeping fairly long at night, and eating like there was no tomorrow (he's still like that).

But this isn't about the baby that was.

This is about the season.  The beautiful Christmas season.

You see, that baby that I gave birth to, was part of a live nativity.  We bundled him up in a blanket, I fed him right before we were "on stage," and he slept like an angel through the whole program.  It was a simple program of songs and short stories about the reason for the season: Jesus and His birth. 

Now, you may or may not believe that Jesus is real.  You may or may not believe in any of that Christianity stuff.  That doesn't matter to me.  What matters is our attitude, our spirit, our way of thinking. 

The reason I love Christmas music all year round is because it reminds me to take that time out and really appriciate what I have.  These days so much focus is put on what we get rather than what we give, and listening to the beautiful music reminds me of how much we have.  We are together as a family.  We have a house and a dog.  We have warm beds to sleep in and fresh food to eat every day. 

Truly, we are blessed.  And if you're reading this, then so are you.  Take a moment in time to say thanks.  Thanks to all those around you.  They are what makes your life complete.

Thank you, all my dear readers.  Thank you for being here when I needed you.  Thank you for being a huge part of my life.  Thank you.

Splish Splash

Right now our little town is going through a very rainy season.  Normally around this time of year we have a little flooding.  A couple streets get covered and blocked off, a house or five get moved out of for 2 weeks, and we have puddles galore to jump in.  During this super wet time, we do a lot of hot cocoa.  Because our children learned the sacred art of puddle jumping from their mother who still joins in on the way home from school.

Puddle jumping is so fun, that we have actually figured out which streets to walk on for the most jumping joy.

And I taught them well.  Notice Mr O's pants aren't wet?  Yup, that takes is an art form when you are puddle jumping.  Never mind that on the next puddle (in sight of our house) he let it rip and got soaked up to his waist. 

Also notice the umbrellas.  We don't want to get wet, well...soaked, so we use them. 

We'll enjoy our next rain!  It will probably be tomorrow...

The "Oh My Goodness" Look

Mr O had a birthday.  This year it just happened to fall on Thanksgiving Day.  So he got to choose what we ate, and where we went, as per birthday celebrations around here.  He chose a quiet day, just hanging at home with pancakes for breakfast and bratwurst for dinner.  Ever had bratwurst for Thanksgiving dinner?  Yum!  Which was probably inspiration because of the gifts that he was given.

This was a full kit of pulleys, some thin rope, and some building pieces.  I have some photos of what he's built, just not loaded onto my computer.  Needless to say Oma and Grandpa's gift was a total hit.  He has been lifting, conveying, and moving loads of Legos with his creations.

This was the other reason that it was a good thing that he chose to stay home.  This Lego set was one that he had been saving for since he saw it in the Lego magazine several months ago.  He had saved up about $35 and had come and talked to Handsome and I about the possibility of paying for part of it.  We thought that was a great idea.  So after a breakfast of pancakes, he got to walk upstairs where this was on the floor.  That was one surprised little boy! We had managed to keep it a secret (don't ask me how) for nearly 2 weeks.  He, of course, got immediately absorbed in the building of the set.  Thank goodness Lego organizes very well.  They had the instructions set up so that the mini-figures are built first, then for this set, the dragon.  Oh boy was that cool! 

He got the dragon finished just in time for lunch, which consisted of birthday cake and snacks.  Then it was back upstairs to finish the job!



So...

As many of you know, I've been struggling with my health for the past...while.  I don't want to know how long it's been, so I'm not going to check the calender.  As of a week and a half ago, I made the decision to go Gluten Free. 

Now this was a decision that I did not make lightly.  I read up on it, asked people about it, and looked to those I know with a GF diet already and what changes it has made in their lives.  Once I had done all the homework on it, it was time to go shopping.  Replacing the wheat flour with gluten free options.  Cleaning out my pantry (you wouldn't believe how much stuff I already had that was GF!), and putting all the food with gluten in it into boxes (did you know that cream of mushroom soup has gluten in it?).  The old "out of sight, out of mind" adage; we didn't want to be tempted.  And in with the new stuff.  All that I purchased was flour.  The only thing that I can't make well yet, is bread for the kids sandwiches.  They are good sports and eat what I did bake.  It tastes just fine, it just didn't rise. 

But anyways, in eating specifically gluten free, in just one and a half weeks my pain has all but dissapeared.  No kidding.  We, as a family, were going to stay GF for the month of November, but it may just turn out to be permanant.  If my pain continues to decrease, and I continue to feel good, this will be how we eat.  And really, to our family, nothing has really changed.  I already made so much of our food from scratch, that changing out the flour really didn't change things.  Dinner sometimes takes a little more prep time (like when we want pasta, I have to make it), but mostly our diet is just the same. 

Eating this way has been wonderful for me.  I'm happy, energetic, and excited for life again.  I don't have to convince myself to get out of bed in the morning.  There is no temptation of pain relief pills, because now I just don't need them. 

I feel good again. 

And I don't want to go back. 

Fun-ness

Just recently I did something that I didn't know I could do.  It was a really fun project.  That took about 4 hours.  It involved some cutting.  And some stitching.  At the beginning of the day I had two twin flat bed sheets.  That evening I had this:

For those of you who don't know, that is Altair (pronounced Alti-Air) from a popular video game.  There is a sword that goes on his back (that is not there in the photo).  But other than that, yup, that is it.

I must admit.  I am a little bit amazed that I was able to pull this one off.  I had had a very busy week between volunteering and home, and I had been asked to do this in plenty of time.  But ended up not even starting it until Friday afternoon.  This was when he came over Saturday morning with his family.  It was completed in right about 4 hours (it was between 3 and 4, but I'll round up).  Fully lined and sturdy enough that this very active boy can play and beat it up, and probably grow out of it instead of the costume shredding itself (like so many are prone to these days).  It was a ton of fun, and a bit challenging to get it right.  I only had enough fabric to do this once, no room for errors.  And those tails front and back were a challenge for me.  I had no pattern except a men's shirt pattern and this boy's sweatshirt (for an approximate size) and a picture of the character.  I must say that it turned out pretty well!  Woot! 

What I look forward to every morning.

The view out my front window. Purty.

Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies

Ok y'all.  A bunch of you requested the recipe for Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies, so here goes.  Sorry I don't have photos to go with this post, you'll just have to imagine.

Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies
Oven at 375*
Yield: approximately 25 sandwich cookies.

1 cup sugar
1 c cooked pureed pumpkin (or canned pumpkin)
1/2 cup shortening

Blend together.  Then stop mixer to add:

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon

You can add chocolate chips, raisins, and/or nuts if desired.

Mix together.  The batter will be a bit on the thick side.  That is a good thing.

Bake for 8-10 min on greased cookie sheet.

These cookies are kind of hard to tell when they are done.  They will get that "golden brown" look, but it is hard to see because they are already kinda dark cookies.  In my oven, they take a full 10 min.

For making the sandwich cookies, you won't want to "drop" them onto the sheet.  They turn out too fluffy, and you'll end up with pumpkin cookie balls (fun, but kinda dangerous in the wrong hands).  So, what I do to get around that problem is to fill a ziplock freezer bag (the freezer bags are a little sturdier and won't be so prone to bursting; I'm speaking from experience here) halfway full of the batter.  Yes, the batter is supposed to be a bit on the thick side.  Then seal the bag, cut a corner off the bag, and make pretty little circle patties on your cookie sheet.  They can be fairly close together, the cookies don't "grow" much at all.  I like my circles to be roughly 2" in diameter and about 1/2" thick, though the thinner you make them the faster they bake, and the more cookies you'll get.

On a side note.  I have tried using oil to replace the shortening and the cookies ended up really sticky once they were baked off.  They would stick to each other, our hands, the ziplock bags, everything.  So use shortening and you'll get lovely cookies each and every time.

Once you have all your cookies baked off, make the filling.  Which just happens to be cream cheese frosting. 

8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
powdered sugar

Blend well until you have a thick frosting.

Put frosting in freezer ziplock bag (sound familiar?).  Cut corner off.  Frost the underside of one cookie and stick it to the underside of a second cookie.  Eat first one, then make more.

There you have it!  Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies.

Something very very cool happened at our little school.  We (our school) just happen to fall in the top 5% of grade schools in the state.  Yeah, you read correctly.  We're in the top 5%, out of the entire state.  WooHoo to our amazing teachers!  And high fives to all our parent volunteers who help, there are lots of them. 

The high school marching band came down to help the grade school celebrate the achievement.  It was a really fun end to our day.  The kids absolutely loved it!

On a side note, I love living in a small community.  I know most people at the school by sight, if not by name.  I know, me, really bad with names, knowing quite a few people by name.  Pretty cool.  I digress.  I love knowing most of the people who live around us.  It is just nice.

Did I Fail To Mention?

I'm afraid I just do not have guest accommodations for dragonflies.  So sorry to be such a bother.  But when you just fly in out of the blue like that, you really can't expect a person to have dinner ready and waiting.

This beautiful dragonfly flew in while I was doing dishes.  It then tried to fly out the closed window at full speed.  That did not go quite as well as it had hoped.  I finally managed to get it into a jar so that it could be safely transported back outside.  The kids loved seeing this giant of an insect up close. 

It did make a full recovery, and was last seen swooping in on a mosquito.

Timing is Everything

So this last weekend, for the first time in 10 years (I think), we (as in our little family of 4) made the trek to the other side of the state for the big family cider press.  It is a yearly tradition, one that goes back before I was born.  Great Grandpa had a cider press.  We still use that same press. 

So much fun!!  Two crates of apples, lots of willing hands, and two cider presses. 

Whee!  Busy day!  Since my cousin brought along his press, it made the work go so much faster.  Allowing us to finish both crates of apples in about 4 hours. 

Total cider pressed: a few over 70 gallons (we didn't get an exact count before some people needed to take a few and head out).  And it is really yummy.  Spicy and sweet.  MmmmmHmmm!

No Really, I'm Serious

Or as serious as I can be while my daughter has a handlebar moustache on her lip.

One Last One

I got one last pretty picture of my roses before the rain storm hit.

For those Unshiney Days

At this house, we have a plan to combat the rainy season.  In other words we have lots of alternative activities for the 8 months of the year that we cannot count on the weather to be nice.  We play in the rain, but after a while we get wet and cold, and then it's time for inside fun.  So we have Legos.  Lots and lots of Legos.  And we all like to play with the Legos.  No really, it is a family activity. 

We all teamed up on making farm equipment.  When it was finally time to be done (it was dinner time), we had a tractor, spray rig, drill, 2 quads, trailer, and some other miscellaneous farm stuff (barn, shed, house, horse stall, etc.).

Boy oh boy was that fun!!  I really do love it when we all sit down like that.  Having family time is so nice.

Two Front Teeth

Yup.  We're all familiar with that Christmas song "All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth."  Well, our two little munchkins will be getting early Christmas presents this year. 

They are "Arrrggghhh"-ing like pirates.  Giggle

That and when I take a close look at their teeth, I feel such sympathy for them.  They are both going to have to endure years of orthodontia work once all their adult teeth come in.  Peaches seems to have been blessed with my undersized jaw (even after 4 years of retainers and 2 1/2 years of braces, my teeth are still slightly overlapped), there simply isn't enough room in her mouth for all the teeth.  She lost three lower baby teeth in order to make room for two adult teeth that completely fill the space.  And she'll most likely need retainers for the rest of her life (like me).  Mr O is a little luckier, he got his Daddy's smile.  Still going to need braces so that he'll be able to bite properly, but as it looks now (and from x-rays), he may get off with just braces and no retainers (like his Handsome Daddy).  Ahh well...Life!

A Really Fine Whine

So, don't read this if you don't want to hear (well read about) my whining. 

You've been warned.

I'm tired.  Constantly tired.  Fatigue is yet another daily friend that has become a shadow.  There is no energy for anything.  Yoga is still in my daily routine, but even the 10-15 minute routines that I do (very simple poses geared towards stretching and endurance) leave me exhausted.  I'm tired of being tired.  Getting up and simply being a mother to my kids is hard.  I have to mentally pep talk to myself to get up and do things.  The simple act of walking two blocks to take the kids to the park puts me close to collapse.  We stay at the park for at least 30 minutes so that I can recover sufficiently to walk home.  2 blocks!  I shouldn't be that tired from 2 blocks!  At my age I should be jogging, walking, swimming, biking, and ready for more. 

And then there is the pain.  Constant, mind-numbing, pain.  Half of my brain is always focused on how much pain I'm in.  Will I be able to do a certain activity, or would it be too much?  I find myself constantly weighing the odds of if I do this, will I be able to do that, and on and on.  Over simple things like going grocery shopping, walking the kids to the park, playing with the dog, doing dishes, loading the washer/dryer, making dinner; every day things that I should be able to do without thought, I cannot.  Unable to do much, and even the few things I can do are curtailed.  Because of the constant pain.  My shadow. 

Life isn't fair, I know that.  This is my problem to deal with, and I'm doing my best.  But there are days that it's just too much. 


No I'm not quitting, not even close.  But I wouldn't mind a day, or even two, pain free.

Just sayin.

Last Days of Summer

So now that the kiddos are in school, I need to write about the last few days of summer that we had.  Since we live up here in the northwest corner of the northwest, it doesn't really get sunny until late in the summer.  Late as in mid August usually.  So we had our fill of drippy and cloudy "summer" days, wearing jeans and shoes instead of shorts and sandals like most people expect to do.  We didn't mind the weather, we're used to it and actually enjoy it most of the time.  Although I do need to get the kids rain boots.  But I digress. 

The last days of summer.  They were beautiful!  Sunny and hot, just like it is supposed to be.  We enjoyed the sunshine by getting out the sprinkler and water balloons.  That was fun!  The kids weren't really patient with me, so I only filled about 20 balloons the first time, and away they went!  Running, giggling, throwing and missing, jumping on the trampoline with them, and ultimately having a ton of fun.  I love watching the smiles and laughter of my two beautiful kids!  That, to me, is priceless.  No one could pay me enough to leave this behind.

They also discovered a lovely freshly dug hole next to one gate, thanks to Four Legs.  It is fairly long, like a trench, and also a little over a foot deep.  Perfect for a river.  Or a dam.  Or mud pies.  Or a water park.  Or a whole host of other things that the kids have come up with.  So they found it, came rushing inside to see if they could proceed to flood it.  The answer was the expected one, and two very happy kiddos proceeded to get absolutely filthy.  Playing in the mud for the next 2 hours, they finally complained of hunger.  I'm actually kind of disappointed that I didn't grab a photo.  They were covered in mud, head to toe.  I actually needed to rinse them off in the hose before they could come in and take showers, that is how dirty they were.  But oh it was so fun to listen to them imagining different things, playing together, and just having fun.  Ahh, childhood.  I hope and pray that they don't leave it behind too quickly.

Quick Update

Yes I know, I've been very very neglectful.  I'm almost sorry, but not quite.  *Giggle*

So....life as it has been over the past couple weeks that I've been not posting.

We went to the fair, did not ride any of the rides.  Watched a horse show.  Ate cotton candy.  And attended the way way cool country music concert.  It was The Band Perry, just so's y'all know.  Awesomeness!!  The kids sang along, and it was soooo cute!  Dancing and singing, until they became totally worn out (the concert didn't start until 7 and didn't end until almost 9).  Absolutely fabulous experiance!

We have been picking blackberries.  We (the kids and I) will go out in the morning and come back with buckets and buckets of berries.  I've been freezing and jamming them.  Not as much as last year though, we've had a very wet summer, and the berries are still mostly green. 

Handsome made a rather large purchase for the family by way of Costco.  A large TV and a X-Box/Kinect.  Thank you Costco for making it a whole lot cheaper for us!  I just need to get a timer to go with it.  And yes, I'm a good mom and make the kids do their chores and homework first, and even then they only get 20 min.  Really though, I have a feeling that it will save my sanity this winter.  When the kids are bouncing off the walls, and can't stay outside very long because of the cold.  They will still be able to be very active.  Woot!!  And yes, I've played it.  You have to be active to play, none of the sitting and waving a remote around.  The person has to jump, dodge, kick, duck, or whatever, in order to get points.  It's a game system, no I don't promote video gaming, but this one is actually ok.

The kids and I made a short (2 days) trip to Walla Walla to put up corn with my parents.  It was crazy busy, very sticky, and tasty.  Very very tasty.  I love sweet corn!  After putting up a cooler full (read fridge freezer full) we went out to this beautiful park, met up with some cousins, and played all afternoon.  Had a picnic, chatted with some family that I haven't really conversed with in a couple years, and really just relaxed and had a wonderful time.

Handsome and I have made some progress on the Fiat.  It is all torn apart and the body work is almost half done.  It's looking pretty good!  I need to get in gear and do some sanding though...

And since we live in the Northwestern corner of the great northwest, it seems that our summer may be over already.  We had about 3 weeks of nice sunny weather, but we're already into grey rainy days again.  I don't mind, it's part of living here.  That is why yellow and red are my favorite colors.  Bring on the rain!  I've got rain boots and an umbrella!

Yup, that's about it for updates for us.  School doesn't start for another few days, the kids are getting really excited though.  (me too)

Hooks and Worms

Once the adrenalin rush of Silverwood wore off, we were off to go fishing. 

Down at a lake with a nice dock. 

3 kids, 4 adults, life vests to go around, a boat, fishing poles, night crawlers, lawn chairs,

water, dirt, lots of dragonflies, and lovely sunshine. 

It was a good day, even though no one caught anything.

And then there was Silverwood

Silverwood is famous for its' rollar coasters.

The kids braved the Timber Terror.

They have all signed off of rollar coasters for at least the next few years.

The kiddie rides were a little more their style.

I think they ended up going on this one (minus Handsome) about a dozen times before we left.

They liked this one too.

More because of Garfield in the middle though.

And then we actually got to meet Garfield!

And Odie!

What a wonderful day!

Staying dry was not an option.

Bumper Boats: lots of fun!!