A beautiful morning

I looked out my window this morning, and the beauty out there took my breath away. The view is just the tall pine trees in the neighbors yard, but they were illuminated by golden light, against a bright blue sky--truly magnificent. The light was almost Maxfield Parrish-ish, which I always love.


(No, we look NOTHING like these people, even when I go out to feed the chickens in my pajamas!)

This winter has been so weird--more days that felt like April than December (or January or February, for that matter).

My guys are at a Klondike Derby in 40+ degree weather (and mud to the armpits, I am sure, since it rained the last 2 days), and so last night BigGirl and I ate 2 heart shaped boxes of chocolates while we watched "Breaking Dawn, pt. 1" together. We had a great time!

This morning, I did get to watch my neighbor repeatedly hitting the tire on his pickup truck with a sledge hammer. Now it is parked just barely in his driveway--I think it is axel problems. Maybe my car problems are contagious. My poor gray boringmobile has entered the automotive version of hospice care. I do not think there is any recovery for this.

Now I need to go do useful things!

Fundraising VS Guilt

When BigGirl and LargeBoy were in public school, it seemed like every other week they had some kind of fundraiser going on. I am not a fan of most of the stuff that they carried home in their bulging backpacks--more overpriced stuff to dust, more guilt for me--and everybody they showed the catalogs to--and then, when all of the stuff came in, I had to sort and distribute it. URGH.

That is definitely one of the perks of homeschooling. If they decide to sell candy bars to make money, they go to Sam's Club and buy a carton, and sell them. No guilt (except when I am the one who buys and eats the candy--but that is another post!).
I thought that we had it down to only one fundraiser a year--our 4-H club has a cheese fundraiser in the spring, but I don't object to that on nearly as many levels (cheese is something most people buy anyway, our price is very competitive and it is actually a useful product--not just more crap to sit around needing dusted---But I still have to sort and distribute it--sigh.)

So, this year SmallDaughter changed to a different class at school, and she just brought home her fundraiser info. At least she is selling chocolate. And it is good chocolate (Malley's, from Cleveland, for those who care about such things). And it is a pretty good deal for a fundraiser. And it is not going for anything abstract like "the booster club" (like I know or care what that is--they never "boosted" anything I was involved in!) The money they earn will go to help their class go on field trips--which is something their teacher, Mrs. K is really good about.

So, I suppose I will go along with the herd and be a "good mom" and press gang everyone I know into looking at the catalog.

But I still feel guilty.

A little smackerel of something

So, I just went downstairs and as I came to the living room I could hear some very happy lip-smacking and sipping sounds from the direction of SmallDaughter--who was kneeling on the floor, obscuring whatever it was she was eating (it is usually a raw egg or something of that ilk). However, when I went around to investigate, it turned out she had poured herself a nice full glass of Hershey's Syrup. Full and overflowing--and was happily drinking it up.

Seriously, it has it's moments of completely surreal Winnie-the-Poohness. (I know he never mentions the Hershey's Syrup, but it is only because he is deprived--we all know he would LOVE THAT STUFF!)