Gardening Class Finished

Life can now resume.

I figured out how to plant our garden this year. I had the soil all properly amended at the old house. It was painful to let the grass take over that garden patch. You know how birth pains fade? Letting grass take over a garden patch pain does not fade. We have a very clay-ey soil here. Instead of amending the soil we are just going to plant in containers, the whole garden. This way we can have a garden over the septic field. I did also learn a lot getting ready for this class. The new gem was growing potatoes in a pot. It works. And with grow lights you can grow them inside the house year round. Yes, year round. Even DH is on board with that plan. I learn so much getting ready for classes.

Now to order the apple trees and figure out where to place them. What kind? Standard? Dwarf? Semi-dwarf? put along the fence? put in the pasture? I think I figured out where the raspberries, blueberries and the currants will go. Rhubarb will go on Blueberry Hill in between the pine trees because we don't mow there anyway.

The new question is where am I going to put the strawberry patch? Haven't even started that process but I did find the old horse manure pile for the fertilizer.

And are we going to grow grapes?

WHEN?

The following question happened at dinner Saturday night:

#3: WHEN are we going to get a new sibling?

Our response:

we ignored him.

Climbing Waterfalls-Frozen Ones

#1 &#2 are climbing frozen waterfalls today.

Next weekend is the Blue and Gold Banquet.

The weekend after that #1 & #2 are going caving.

it's taking over our lives-Scouts.

Snow

more snow

planning the garden

ordering chickens

Typing One-Handed

#1 needed help putting the water jug on the water cooler. It is 5 gallons, therefore 40 pounds and difficult to set in place. He accidentally flipped it up and my pinky finger was in between the jug and the cooler. I am sitting here with a bag of frozen corn wrapped around it. #2 just came up to me and asked if he "should administer first aid." Then he ran to go get his kit to splint me up. What a great boy.

#4 just came up to me and asked, "why do you have corn?" Ishowed him. He promptly and loudly says, "WOOOWWW!"

I thought I had one more time

but I guess I don't.

#6 had the habit of grabbing one of my fingers and walking me around. She would lead. She would giggle. I let her. I went on walks and dinner burnt. She would take me around and around the first floor of the house. She would take me outside in 10 degree weather. I would fake shiver, go outside for a few seconds, grab her and carry her inside. She would take my finger and then look at me, nod and say, "Uh, uuu ooouu." Have absolutely no idea what she was saying but she was emphatic. Each time she was very emphatic. Sometimes, I just felt my whole late afternoon was spent being taken around the house, time after time after time.

She hasn't done it in a few days, maybe even a couple weeks now.

I sorta miss it.

Dinner Prayer

from #4

Deawa Hebbenwy Fadda, (Dear Heavenly Father)
Fankfuww for dis food. (Thankful for this food.)
Pweease bwess da food. ( Please bless the food.)
Pweease bwing mowa snow. (Please bring more snow.)
Pweease hewp da snow to mewt and da caw to go. (Please help the snow to melt and the car to go.)
Pweease bwing da sun so we can swim in the poowa. (Please bring the sun so we can swim in the pool.)

In da name of Jesus Chwist, Amen.

Think God is confused?

or laughing as much as we did at the table?

Nothing Exciting Around Here Folks

Friday I baked 6 loaves of bread, two kinds of cookies, and a batch of soup. All of them are at least half gone. (And I made big batches darnit.) Saturday the big boys had choir practice, I got the required 6 gallons of milk for the week and 20 pounds of bananas (okay maybe not 20 but it felt like it carrying it out to the van but at least 10-15). Then with the warm weather Peter and Laura came over and it was snowball wars. They built forts, pelted each other, had a great time. I fed them green chile burros and took them home.

A Thought

It came to me as I was sweeping the stairs and front hall.

God doesn't need more CEO's. He needs mothers who are content in their role and will follow Him in raising their family.

Amidst the Raspberry Wars

#6 has also learned today to move the kitchen chairs across the tile floor, climb up on it, stand 12 inches away from the cookie jar and growl, "Goooookkiiiiieeeeeee." While she does that she does her little happy stomp. She stands and stomps one of her little feet for emphasis.

stomp!

Goooookkkiieeeeee! stomp, stomp

Goookkkieeeeeee! stomp! stomp!

gooookkkiiieeee!

stomp!

all this in between battles with #4 over who has the wettest raspberry. It has been going on for at least 30 minutes now. I am not sure who is winning.

To be nobody-but-yourself -- in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else -- means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.
ee cummings


edited to add: I found this quote in Reader's Digest when I was in high school. I clipped it out and carried it with me in the military, college, all my moves. When I read it I was strengthened.

Dinner Tonight

DH is working late-a server down and customers are screaming. I am doing single parent duty for dinner. I sit next to the baby, anticipating that I will get slimed. (I did.) The big boys and I are talking about bread. We had fresh bread with our bean soup for dinner tonight. #1 had started a batch of cookies before dinner. I tell him that he has to finish making the cookies before he moves on to another task. To my left I hear:

GOOOOOOKKIIIIIIEEEEEEEEES

the entire table erupts in laughter

I think #6 expressed her opinion very well.

I think she gets the first snickerdoodle out of the oven.

25 Random Things about Moi

I have read all of the original Robert Ludlum books and the Matt Damon movies suck
I totally and completely love and adore my husband.
I judge when summer is truly here by how hot my hair feels in the sun. I can judge the how cold it is by how fast my nose freezes.
Playing in a symphony is still one of my goals in life.
As a child my favorite book was “Heidi” and I was fascinated by the autobiography of Helen Keller.
I bake approximately 8 loaves of bread a week for the family.
When we left the library yesterday a person looked at our load of books and said, “Whoa.” (We had a milk crate and several arm loads of books.)
I want to scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef one day.
I was an expert sharpshooter in the Army.
Most days I like my hair but there are still moments when I long for red hair with curls. (But they are only moments now.)
All my children have Biblical first names.
.I don’t like Oreos or Hershey’s Chocolate Bars.
My favorite sandwich is fresh tomato and avocado on whole wheat toast.
I still wish we could live in UP for ONE reason-walking by the lakeshore like I did as a child and teen.
My goal this summer is to fill all my canning jars.
I am still figuring out what I want to be when I grow up. I will go back to college and finish when #6 is in her teens. We will probably go to college at the same time.
I was a certified advanced master gardener.
Everyday I cajol a child to put the couch cushions back on the couch and I have for about12 years now.
My favorite times last summer were when #5 and I would go to “Blueberry Hill” and pick berries after dinner each night.
I have read more children’s books in my adulthood than I did in my childhood.
I don’t like jogging. I did it for 2 years in the Army and that was quite enough.
The age of child I like the most seems to be the age my youngest child is (currently 16 months).
My husband is amazed that I can like hard rock and classical music. He is an either or guy on this issue.
I really, truly love being a mother.
I like snow.

What do I hear?

I have #2 singing a lullaby to his baby sister.

She is giggling back at him.

He wiped her up after lunch, gave her to me and then brought her upstairs for a nap. He brought her into the living room saying, "Oh, I know you love me. I love you too." They were hugging.

BLUE

You give your love and friendship unconditionally. You enjoy long, thoughtful conversations rich in philosophy and spirituality. You are very loyal and intuitive.

Find out your color at QuizMeme.com!

Why does it take SO long

to get things done?

The basement flooded on Christmas Eve. The school room still is not put completely back together.

You know if they (the children) would just start to photosynthesize I could get something else done.