Chicken Wire Ghost Tutorial
2 years ago
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Not particularly exciting happenings
Last week I got the laptop repaired, which means this week I am creating this epistle from the LOVELY warmth of my electric-mattress-pad enhanced bed! YAY!! On Wednesday, the sweet Faith-In-God Girls had their Mother Daughter Tea Party, which SmallDaughter graced for long enough to--very carefully-- pour each of us a cup of apple juice from our teapot, cruise the buffet table, scrounging grapes and take a bow, then she was off to the gym to play wild games with Uncle R! In the wildness, I am pretty sure she broke a toe, which is now showing some really impressive bruising, but there just isn’t much to do for broken toes!
BigGirl is working on painting our downstairs bathroom, which is pretty darn exciting to me! It always stuns me how fresh and clean a coat of paint makes a room look!
SmallDaughter had Parent Teacher conference, which was mostly just letting me know how much they love her and the funny things she does. My Favorite Gentleman got to come home, and had time to work on cleaning out and winterizing the chicken coop, which is a huge blessing to me! On Saturday, we went on a date! We went to see Thor 2--we were going to see Ender’s Game, but it was all sold out. Then we went to a surprise 40th birthday party for a dear friend, which was very fun!
Sunday was Stake Conference, and my favorite part was that they had 3 very young converts tell their conversion stories, which were awesome! The rest of it was excellent, as well.
On Monday, the Library had an “Interactive” showing of “The Wizard of Oz”, which is one of SmallDaughter’s favorites. It was really a cute idea--they gave everybody a little bag with a set of instructions and a bunch of goodies, and the movie was set to be a sing along. When Glinda came out, we all blew bubbles, and there was a lollipop for the Lollipop Guild, etc. Super Fun--especially since SmallDaughter thinks ALL movies are interactive!
On Tuesday, I had my Library Board Meeting, which wasn’t particularly newsworthy or notable, except for the deeply embarrassing part of tripping on the way in and ripping my long john/tights and thoroughly scraping up my knee and bruising my dignity! Tuesday evening was RS Pie night, and we made about 120 pies. BigGirl was really cranking along--she made more than I did because I helped entertain small children--we had a lot of fun together.
On Wednesday morning, BigGirl & I went to the church where about 15 sisters made big, fancy (labor intensive!) snowflakes to decorate for the Ward Christmas Social. SmallDaughter didn’t have school, so she and LargeBoy had a fun time together! In the evening, we had Youth--LargeBoy looked spiffy in his Scout Uniform, helping with the pack meeting--where they had a “bridging ceremony” to welcome 2 new Webelos into Boy Scouts from Cubs.
Thursday was SmallDaughter’s final Riding Therapy of the year. It is going to be a long, horseless winter, since EVERY TIME we get in the car, she asks if we are going for horsies! March can’t come soon enough for her! My Favorite Gentleman came home Thursday night, and continued the Chicken Coop work--he is also modifying their pen and fences. On Friday evening, My Favorite Gentleman & LargeBoy went to their Father & Son’s banquet, which they had instead of a campout, because of timing and weather issues. They enjoyed good food and company! While they were gone, we had a lovely “Girls Night In” with Miss C. We watched “Charlie’s Aunt”--a very old stage play that was made into a movie with Jack Benny in 1941--but it was still pretty cute & funny, and we ate junk food until I got tired and had to go to bed and the party continued without me!
Yesterday we had our Primary Sacrament Meeting Program. It was really good, and I am always amazed at the outpouring of the Spirit that comes with it! There were also a bunch of callings and releasings---reshuffling both the Young Men and Young Women presidencies. After church, we had the Young Women in Excellence, which they had the YW plan and present. They did a LOVELY job--it was very focused on the values and the progress they had each made, with very little of the “dog & pony show” that sometimes happens with YW things. It was really neat to see the wide range of talents our YW have.
In seminary we are in Mosiah 21-22, where we have the 2nd telling of the escape of Limhi’s people, which is a great allegory of the escape from sin and the process of repentance.
We are excited to go to My Favorite Gentleman’s folks house for Thanksgiving--already planning to play games and eat too much! We will probably end up at my folks for Friday and Saturday--to play games and eat too much! (I LOVE this time of year!)
Monday, October 21, 2013
I am not a huge fan of the creepy and nasty parts of Halloween, but I love any excuse to dress up, so I deal with it. I love creating costumes, and some years I have done in the neighborhood of 20 full costumes in the weeks before Halloween. The single WORST trend in costuming, though is this:
Also presented in this VERY crude (but sadly accurate!) video:
So, I was SUPER excited to find this site: Take Back Halloween "A costume guide for women with imagination". The costumes are all no-sew and (supposedly) easily replicated through found pieces or handily linked supplies. (The site itself doesn't sell anything; they just source the goodies for you.)
But here's the best part: these costumes are AWESOME. They have costumes that are refreshingly imaginative and detailed, drawing from historical figures, folklore, ancient religions, and a little of everything, really. In fact, you will get quite a history and world culture class just by reading through their site! YAY!
1
Also presented in this VERY crude (but sadly accurate!) video:
So, I was SUPER excited to find this site: Take Back Halloween "A costume guide for women with imagination". The costumes are all no-sew and (supposedly) easily replicated through found pieces or handily linked supplies. (The site itself doesn't sell anything; they just source the goodies for you.)
But here's the best part: these costumes are AWESOME. They have costumes that are refreshingly imaginative and detailed, drawing from historical figures, folklore, ancient religions, and a little of everything, really. In fact, you will get quite a history and world culture class just by reading through their site! YAY!
1
Friday, October 11, 2013
One of the things I love about General Conference, is knowing that the people I love, however scattered they may be, are sitting somewhere listening to the same words! Most of all, I love listening to the inspired messages of true Men & Women of God, who have given their lives in service to what they believe*.
My news last week was boring, because it was just being up to my eyebrows in canning. I see people who can quickly and gracefully, but I don’t seem to be one of them. Anyway, it was boring--even being here, and much worse to describe! I canned chicken (from my own flock), potato/carrot/celery soup base, hot pepper jelly and salsa. I got my garden cleaned out and ready for winter. I still need to do my flower beds. I have to finish winterizing both beehives this weekend. Yes, you read that right--BOTH hives! My friend Dave gave me his beehive, since they are moving across the country! YAY! (about the beehive--not the move, we will really miss them!) He has a very different kind of hive than I do, which I have been wanting to try, so it will be interesting to compare. I won’t move it up here until spring though, when it is lighter (because they eat all their honey stores) and they aren't defensive (because they don’t have any honey stores!).
Last week My Favorite Gentleman came home on Thursday night, so that on Friday, he was able to load up the truck (and BigGirl, LargeBoy & my youngest brother R) for their annual camping trip. I was planning on a quiet day watching Conference--with just Sister V & SmallDaughter, then the campers getting home around 6 for the guys to leave for their cookout before the Priesthood session. They had a great time, in spite of the rain (beautiful weather before and after!).
In the morning I ended up with most of my seminary class here (4 teen boys + mom + adorable baby sister, 8 months, very smiley!), and we were smashed into the office to watch on the desktop because my laptop died the death. And then, the campers came home at 3, soaking wet. We borrowed a laptop for the afternoon session (thankfully--there is NO WAY we could have fit another person--let alone 3--into the office!).
My Favorite Gentleman, Brother R & LargeBoy left for the Priesthood Session and Cookout, then, the seminary boys ended up being HERE for the Priesthood session, with parents & adorable younger sibs. Although it was not at all what I had planned, it was a good day. And I did manage to get the chicken in the pressure cooker--eventually. I worked on a project while I listened to conference--I crocheted a scarf for a dear friend, and I was pleased that it turned out really nice, especially since I don’t remember crocheting anything since college! I also untangled and rolled 2 pillowcases full of yarn that I had to was because it got wet and nasty in the basement.
On Sunday, I had to drive My Favorite Gentleman to his workplace, and we took SmallDaughter with us. As we drove along a road we don’t use very often, she saw the Farm Market, and said “there!”--pointing and gesturing! She remembered that TWO YEARS ago, we took her there for their hay maze and giant slide! I wasn't stopping on Sunday morning, but on Wed, we went into town early (BigGirl was setting up for Young Women) and I took SmallDaughter over--she had a great time!
The Wed activity was a “Virtual Road Show” for the Stake, and they filmed a pretty dang hilarious video! I must see if I can get a finished copy. Yesterday, BigGirl & I tended sweet Baby Girl, which was pretty exciting--BigGirl did a quick cleanup of the living room to get it safe for a crawler! SmallDaughter had riding, and the weather was SUPER perfect!
This weekend holds Seminary Inservice (for me), a Stake Youth Activity (for the yoots), and on Sunday--BigGirl is giving a talk, I am doing Sharing Time and we have Sunday Seminary afterwards. I need to get everything prepared today.
We are also pretty excited for our Netflix movie that comes today---the new version of “Much Ado about Nothing” filmed by Joss Whedon in 12 days, casting all of his friends! WOOT!
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Some smells are hard to describe
I have to keep reminding myself of how much life has improved!!
SmallDaughter has had some great cognitive growth--I would say in most areas of development, she is definitely in the three year old range. She has also grown over an inch since April--big news for the girl who didn't grow at all for 3 years! That makes her about the size of the average 7 year old. It is easy to forget that chronologically she is almost 13. It is still bitter-sweet to see girls younger than she is that are doing "typical" things, but she is so cute and funny--and herself, that mostly I am just glad to have her.
I was planning to give her a bath tonight. Bath time for someone with Compulsive Skin Picking is NOT easy--she is fully clothed for the majority of the bath, then we cut the tape and take off the gloves, shirt and pants just in time for the final rinsing (or she picks the sores on her legs and elbows until her bath water is the color of Hawaiian Punch).
BUT--
In the early afternoon, when I went to see what she was doing (silence is golden for some people maybe, but for me it is deeply suspicious!) the reason came clear--she was skating around the bathroom floor on the contents of a bottle of strawberry shampoo and a bottle of Old Spice Body Wash. LOTS of soap. So the bath came early! Still, I think that was the first (or at least the biggest) dumping incident of the week. There have been points in time where I would have traded a year off my life for just one, fairly easy to clean up incident!
SmallDaughter has had some great cognitive growth--I would say in most areas of development, she is definitely in the three year old range. She has also grown over an inch since April--big news for the girl who didn't grow at all for 3 years! That makes her about the size of the average 7 year old. It is easy to forget that chronologically she is almost 13. It is still bitter-sweet to see girls younger than she is that are doing "typical" things, but she is so cute and funny--and herself, that mostly I am just glad to have her.
I was planning to give her a bath tonight. Bath time for someone with Compulsive Skin Picking is NOT easy--she is fully clothed for the majority of the bath, then we cut the tape and take off the gloves, shirt and pants just in time for the final rinsing (or she picks the sores on her legs and elbows until her bath water is the color of Hawaiian Punch).
BUT--
In the early afternoon, when I went to see what she was doing (silence is golden for some people maybe, but for me it is deeply suspicious!) the reason came clear--she was skating around the bathroom floor on the contents of a bottle of strawberry shampoo and a bottle of Old Spice Body Wash. LOTS of soap. So the bath came early! Still, I think that was the first (or at least the biggest) dumping incident of the week. There have been points in time where I would have traded a year off my life for just one, fairly easy to clean up incident!
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Moving into Fall
Last week was a flurry of getting ready for the Ward 1950’s social. I got the skirts made, and at the dress rehearsal on Wed, I fixed all the skirts that needed finishing touches (which was easy for me, and gave poor Becca, who was in charge of a million things one less thing to think about--which is always a noble goal!) SmallDaughter crashed the rehearsal, and wanted to be with her friends (the 8-12 year old “Faith In God Girls), who were—as always-- super sweet and patient with her.
On Thursday, after I brought SmallDaughter home from riding and put her to bed, I harvested all the peppers in my garden, and got them ready, and on Friday afternoon (in the morning I went to our Fiber Arts Group meeting and ran a bazillion errands), I started watching a movie and slicing a billion pounds of peppers. I have canned gallons of jalapenos over the years, and they have never given me a problem (except that time I cut the tip of my finger off with the slicer--(*&$%@#!!!!--but that is a different story!) However, for whatever reason, THIS time, my hands really started burning. It may be because I had several varieties of peppers, or my skin is getting more sensitive with age, I don’t know. Anyway, I stopped and scrubbed them thoroughly, and tried to keep going, but the pain got too bad to continue. It continued to intensify throughout the night--I couldn’t sleep, and with my eyes closed it felt like my hands were blistered with burns, but they weren’t even red! However, they were only bearable if I kept them in cool water--I was melting a bowl of ice in under 10 minutes!
I tried every crazy thing I could find on the internet, including:
washing with:
soap,
laundry soap,
dish soap,
shampoo,
toothpaste (can’t recommend that one!),
bleach,
ammonia (not together!),
rubbing alcohol
soaking in:
milk,
lemon juice
lemon juice followed by baking soda,
ketchup,
mustard,
hemorrhoid cream,
urine (I was desperate by that point--it was about 3 am!),
I don’t remember what else!
Finally, after peaking in intensity around 2am, by 4:30 they had calmed enough that I was finally able to sleep. They felt better in the morning, but my hands stayed tender for several days, although I am not sure if that was from the peppers, or from all the crap I put on them!
On Saturday, I worked (slowly and exhaustedly!) on getting the rest of the peppers sliced and seeded. I finished in time to go to the Social, which turned out amazingly! SmallDaughter had a pretty great evening, because the food was hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries & potato chips! There was a photo booth with adorable props, and she walked around holding them up--cat eye glasses, bow ties, and her favorite--big lips! BigGirl had slept on, and then baby-sat in velcro curlers, so she could do authentic 50’s short curly hair (almost all of the other YW have long hair, so there were LOTS of pony tails). She also tried out the new makeup she got for her birthday from Bec (who also taught her how to apply it!). I did big Marilyn eyeliner for her, and she was truly a knock-out! Lots of people didn’t recognize her, and several gave her that “favorite” left handed compliment “You look so pretty--you don’t even look like yourself!” Her favorite was our good Bishop saying “does your Father know you look like this!?!”
It was a super fun activity, and had really good turn out. I am glad that the entertainment was videotaped, -it is pretty hard to describe the awesomeness! Some of the memorable moments included: The YW presidency doing “Splish Splash” with super cute bathtubs they cut out from cardboard and painted white, then used blue balloons as “The Wonderdog”, The Nursery and Sunbeam boys doing “Jailhouse Rock”, the little girls doing “Lollipop, the Faith in God Girls doing “Hand Jive”--and in one of the sweetest moments of the evening--SmallDaughter went out with them, and was very careful to mimic their dance moves and hand moves!!! I was not the only one crying, either! The young women did a really cute dance to “Blue Suede Shoes” and the young men were a showstopper with a lip synch medley of favorites whose highlights included LargeBoy doing a hilarious Jerry Lee Lewis at the piano for “Great Balls of Fire” (We accidentally even got the hair right!)!
My Favorite Gentleman worked all day Saturday, and then came home about 3 am on Sunday morning, and left from church at 10:30. He only came home because Bill (his usual roommate, and the guy he carpools with) was going on vacation this week, and My Favorite Gentleman was the only way he had to come back!
On Monday, I finally got the dang peppers made into pepper butter and canned, and after all that work, I scorched it, and I am not sure it is edible! I canned it anyway (hope springs eternal, and My Favorite Gentleman’s taste buds are not that picky!) Then I started peeling on the 20 lbs of carrots and 30 lbs of spuds for canning mixed veggies. On Tuesday, BigGirl went with me over to buy the supplies I needed for getting the bees ready for winter, and to pick up my spinning wheel from the repairman. He is fun and delightful (as all spinners are!) and we ended up talking to him for over 2 hours! Then we picked up a bed frame that was on Freecycle, and came home, where I continued to work on canning!
Yesterday, BigGirl helped me get mixed veggies canned and the bees taken care of. They are doing great, but I am not extracting any honey this year--I suspect we will have a long, cold winter (we had a cool, wet summer) and I want to make sure they have plenty of honey. However--their honey is very pretty! We will have one more “bee care day” next week, and that will pretty much be “it” for the year--except for building an insulation box to put around the hive next month.
We started to work on canning some of our chickens, but the meat is so tough that I just ended up putting it in the crockpot all night, so it could soften up! I suspect I will end up canning all of it, for that reason. Today, I need to continue my canning (I am waiting on the dishwasher to finish my jars), and I am harvesting all of my tomatoes. BigGirl has been harvesting my herbs--which had a hard year, since Dad had to put the scaffold up on top of them to work on the siding!
Tonight, besides the RS broadcast, our ward is having a “Super Saturday” with crafts classes and dinner. SmallDaughter is being indescribably cute lately! She has really had some good development, and is just hilarious! She is loving riding the big yellow bus. She can be in a bad mood in the morning, but as soon as she sees the bus she cheers up! School seems to be going well for her so far (she hasn’t complained, anyway!!) Thursdays are her favorite, because she gets to go riding and get “hamburger, fries and apples” from McDonalds. I am not sure which thing excites her more! BigGirl and LargeBoy are doing awesome. They are both pursuing a lot of self directed studies, which is a pretty exciting stage for a mom! The Wonderdog is as awesome as always.
On Thursday, after I brought SmallDaughter home from riding and put her to bed, I harvested all the peppers in my garden, and got them ready, and on Friday afternoon (in the morning I went to our Fiber Arts Group meeting and ran a bazillion errands), I started watching a movie and slicing a billion pounds of peppers. I have canned gallons of jalapenos over the years, and they have never given me a problem (except that time I cut the tip of my finger off with the slicer--(*&$%@#!!!!--but that is a different story!) However, for whatever reason, THIS time, my hands really started burning. It may be because I had several varieties of peppers, or my skin is getting more sensitive with age, I don’t know. Anyway, I stopped and scrubbed them thoroughly, and tried to keep going, but the pain got too bad to continue. It continued to intensify throughout the night--I couldn’t sleep, and with my eyes closed it felt like my hands were blistered with burns, but they weren’t even red! However, they were only bearable if I kept them in cool water--I was melting a bowl of ice in under 10 minutes!
I tried every crazy thing I could find on the internet, including:
washing with:
soap,
laundry soap,
dish soap,
shampoo,
toothpaste (can’t recommend that one!),
bleach,
ammonia (not together!),
rubbing alcohol
soaking in:
milk,
lemon juice
lemon juice followed by baking soda,
ketchup,
mustard,
hemorrhoid cream,
urine (I was desperate by that point--it was about 3 am!),
I don’t remember what else!
Finally, after peaking in intensity around 2am, by 4:30 they had calmed enough that I was finally able to sleep. They felt better in the morning, but my hands stayed tender for several days, although I am not sure if that was from the peppers, or from all the crap I put on them!
On Saturday, I worked (slowly and exhaustedly!) on getting the rest of the peppers sliced and seeded. I finished in time to go to the Social, which turned out amazingly! SmallDaughter had a pretty great evening, because the food was hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries & potato chips! There was a photo booth with adorable props, and she walked around holding them up--cat eye glasses, bow ties, and her favorite--big lips! BigGirl had slept on, and then baby-sat in velcro curlers, so she could do authentic 50’s short curly hair (almost all of the other YW have long hair, so there were LOTS of pony tails). She also tried out the new makeup she got for her birthday from Bec (who also taught her how to apply it!). I did big Marilyn eyeliner for her, and she was truly a knock-out! Lots of people didn’t recognize her, and several gave her that “favorite” left handed compliment “You look so pretty--you don’t even look like yourself!” Her favorite was our good Bishop saying “does your Father know you look like this!?!”
It was a super fun activity, and had really good turn out. I am glad that the entertainment was videotaped, -it is pretty hard to describe the awesomeness! Some of the memorable moments included: The YW presidency doing “Splish Splash” with super cute bathtubs they cut out from cardboard and painted white, then used blue balloons as “The Wonderdog”, The Nursery and Sunbeam boys doing “Jailhouse Rock”, the little girls doing “Lollipop, the Faith in God Girls doing “Hand Jive”--and in one of the sweetest moments of the evening--SmallDaughter went out with them, and was very careful to mimic their dance moves and hand moves!!! I was not the only one crying, either! The young women did a really cute dance to “Blue Suede Shoes” and the young men were a showstopper with a lip synch medley of favorites whose highlights included LargeBoy doing a hilarious Jerry Lee Lewis at the piano for “Great Balls of Fire” (We accidentally even got the hair right!)!
My Favorite Gentleman worked all day Saturday, and then came home about 3 am on Sunday morning, and left from church at 10:30. He only came home because Bill (his usual roommate, and the guy he carpools with) was going on vacation this week, and My Favorite Gentleman was the only way he had to come back!
On Monday, I finally got the dang peppers made into pepper butter and canned, and after all that work, I scorched it, and I am not sure it is edible! I canned it anyway (hope springs eternal, and My Favorite Gentleman’s taste buds are not that picky!) Then I started peeling on the 20 lbs of carrots and 30 lbs of spuds for canning mixed veggies. On Tuesday, BigGirl went with me over to buy the supplies I needed for getting the bees ready for winter, and to pick up my spinning wheel from the repairman. He is fun and delightful (as all spinners are!) and we ended up talking to him for over 2 hours! Then we picked up a bed frame that was on Freecycle, and came home, where I continued to work on canning!
Yesterday, BigGirl helped me get mixed veggies canned and the bees taken care of. They are doing great, but I am not extracting any honey this year--I suspect we will have a long, cold winter (we had a cool, wet summer) and I want to make sure they have plenty of honey. However--their honey is very pretty! We will have one more “bee care day” next week, and that will pretty much be “it” for the year--except for building an insulation box to put around the hive next month.
We started to work on canning some of our chickens, but the meat is so tough that I just ended up putting it in the crockpot all night, so it could soften up! I suspect I will end up canning all of it, for that reason. Today, I need to continue my canning (I am waiting on the dishwasher to finish my jars), and I am harvesting all of my tomatoes. BigGirl has been harvesting my herbs--which had a hard year, since Dad had to put the scaffold up on top of them to work on the siding!
Tonight, besides the RS broadcast, our ward is having a “Super Saturday” with crafts classes and dinner. SmallDaughter is being indescribably cute lately! She has really had some good development, and is just hilarious! She is loving riding the big yellow bus. She can be in a bad mood in the morning, but as soon as she sees the bus she cheers up! School seems to be going well for her so far (she hasn’t complained, anyway!!) Thursdays are her favorite, because she gets to go riding and get “hamburger, fries and apples” from McDonalds. I am not sure which thing excites her more! BigGirl and LargeBoy are doing awesome. They are both pursuing a lot of self directed studies, which is a pretty exciting stage for a mom! The Wonderdog is as awesome as always.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Still Busy!
Things here are, of course, crazy busy, but I am really liking getting settled into a school routine. The big kids have become MUCH more self motivated and they are going great guns on subjects that have caught their interest. I have instituted a new plan for decluttering the house in tiny small bites, so I hope that I can maintain my focus and not get terribly sidetracked.
I took seven of the 8 hens I have been fattening up to get butchered (the other one made her escape and blended back into the flock , and I didn't have the energy to chase her around!). They still weren't very fat!
I was pretty bummed to find out on Friday that My Favorite Gentleman wouldn't be coming home on Saturday, because we went to the Renaissance Faire! It is about a 3 hour drive, and we took my Uncle R (the photographer) and LargeCousin with us. A good time was had by all--the big kids were all costumed, which increases the fun quotient. I had the least fun, since I was buddies with SmallDaughter in the wheelchair, and all the paths were gravel--and hilly. They have lots of fun rides, which are all human-powered, and she LOVED them--which meant every time she was not on a ride (grinning like a loon--it was heart meltingly cute!)--she was BEGGING to be on a ride! So much fun we were all exhausted!
On Sunday, I reminded a Bishopric member to announce the Summer of Service Ending Social for the next Sunday, after Church, and he asked if I would mind if it was postponed, simply because of how busy September is. I didn't mind at all (truthfully, a bit of a relief!), but I only give it 50% odds of happening at all, since October--and indeed the rest of the year--are just as busy!
Remember what we did for My Favorite Gentleman’s Birthday? (Nothing.) We did it AGAIN for our anniversary! Actually, we did do one cool thing. Each day we had an assignment of 5 things that we texted to each other ( one day it was character traits we love, the next day was things we do together, etc.). It was very fun and surprising, and really nice bonding and communicating.
For BigGirl’s 17th birthday, she made cupcakes to share with the Seminary Class, and with the Young Women at church (since her birthday was on a Wed, when they have an activity). SmallDaughter had a Dr. apt. which went well. BigGirl is going to have a Halloween party in Oct. instead of a Birthday party, so our celebrations were pretty low key. She asked for (and received) a full set of Harry Potter, and she also got a super cute Totoro poster. There are a couple of other gifts, but some of them haven’t arrived yet! On Thursday, it was the VIP open house for the newly remodeled Library, which I had to miss (even though I do count as a VIP, since I am a Trustee!) because it was at the same time as SmallDaughter’S FIRST SESSION OF HORSE RIDING THERAPY! And there was MUCH rejoicing! She has been asking to ride her horsies since the day the last session ended!
Friday was absolutely crazy. We had seminary (5:15 to 6:05) then got SmallDaughter dressed and on the bus, and the boys out the door to school (6:30 is--but the bus was a bit early !!!@#%!)--but we got it done! LargeBoy hopped in the shower, and we were on the road by 8 for his 8:30 apt at the Orthopedic Doctor, where Doctor pronounced that his arm is healing well--barring any stupidity! We zoomed back home, where I took a 20 minute power nap so I wouldn't fall asleep while driving, did a bit of housework, and at 11:30, drove BACK up North, picked up SmallDaughter from school and took her over to the Children’s Hospital to see her Neurologist (1 hour, 24 min, according to Google maps, but actually slower because of the muchisimas road construction). We were a bit early, so she got to see all the things she loves at the Hospital, and then we went to meet her new neurologist (as her old neurologist just got married and moved to TX). SmallDaughter loves the weighing, measuring, taking vital stats part--she is VERY good at that routine. Then they showed us to our exam room, and she played with the toys BUT, it took him over 45 minutes to get to us, and she was pretty out of patience! Then we had to go to the lab for bloodwork--and she was SUPER good. She still doesn't like it, and she stiffens up like a plank, but she didn't cry!
We finally left at about 5:43, and I realized I would not be able to make it home, put SmallDaughter to bed, then turn around and go 45 minutes back up the same road for my VERY important beekeeping class. So, I just gave her her meds on time and took her to the meeting with me. That made us a tiny bit early, so I was able to stop at a Farmers Market, and get some yummy fruit. The meeting was excellent--it was the class on how to prepare the hive for winter, LOTS of good info. We came home and I got SmallDaughter into bed (she did NOT sleep through the meeting, as I had hoped she would!), and I took a quick shower and My Favorite Gentleman got home at midnight. BigGirl’s friend (and my seminary student) came over for a birthday sleepover, but I barely saw her! I had terrible insomnia, and couldn't sleep until around 2:30, which was particularly bad since I had to get up at 5:30 and go to the big City for Seminary Inservice. Fortunately, another Sister from the Ward was just called as one of the 2 teachers for the other Seminary Class, and so we rode together and she drove! It was really excellent, and I felt (as I always do!) uplifted and inspired.
I made it safely home and took a nap, and then BigGirl’s new friend who has just moved in, and who is a TOTAL kindred spirit! came over. Her 5 year old sister was totally enchanted by the chicks (which are getting big, but aren't ugly yet), and all the kitties! My Favorite Gentleman took the whole group of us out to the Mexican Restaurant, which was really fun. Afterwards, we rented a movie, and had a family movie night while I worked on sewing the girls circle skirts for the ‘50’s social that the YW are putting on this weekend. It is shaping up to be quite the blowout!
Church was very good--My Favorite Gentleman said the Opening Prayer in Sac. Mtg, but had to leave during the 1st talk (just like usual). The speakers were excellent and I really got a lot out of it. SmallDaughter fell asleep, and slept all through Sunday School on the bench! Her helper sat with her, so he got to go to Adult Sunday School! We found out at about 9 am that the Primary Sacrament Meeting that we have been practicing for--that we were planning to have on Sep. 29th, can’t be then, because it is Fast Sunday--and more importantly FAST AND TESTIMONY MEETING (because of General Conference), so we were kind of scrambling, because our plans changed so suddenly! None of the teachers had lessons prepared because we had planned to be practicing in the Chapel the whole time! We have rescheduled the program to November, and we just ran through it anyway!
We have had several beautiful babies welcomed into the family, and I am feeling particularly blessed!
I took seven of the 8 hens I have been fattening up to get butchered (the other one made her escape and blended back into the flock , and I didn't have the energy to chase her around!). They still weren't very fat!
I was pretty bummed to find out on Friday that My Favorite Gentleman wouldn't be coming home on Saturday, because we went to the Renaissance Faire! It is about a 3 hour drive, and we took my Uncle R (the photographer) and LargeCousin with us. A good time was had by all--the big kids were all costumed, which increases the fun quotient. I had the least fun, since I was buddies with SmallDaughter in the wheelchair, and all the paths were gravel--and hilly. They have lots of fun rides, which are all human-powered, and she LOVED them--which meant every time she was not on a ride (grinning like a loon--it was heart meltingly cute!)--she was BEGGING to be on a ride! So much fun we were all exhausted!
On Sunday, I reminded a Bishopric member to announce the Summer of Service Ending Social for the next Sunday, after Church, and he asked if I would mind if it was postponed, simply because of how busy September is. I didn't mind at all (truthfully, a bit of a relief!), but I only give it 50% odds of happening at all, since October--and indeed the rest of the year--are just as busy!
Remember what we did for My Favorite Gentleman’s Birthday? (Nothing.) We did it AGAIN for our anniversary! Actually, we did do one cool thing. Each day we had an assignment of 5 things that we texted to each other ( one day it was character traits we love, the next day was things we do together, etc.). It was very fun and surprising, and really nice bonding and communicating.
For BigGirl’s 17th birthday, she made cupcakes to share with the Seminary Class, and with the Young Women at church (since her birthday was on a Wed, when they have an activity). SmallDaughter had a Dr. apt. which went well. BigGirl is going to have a Halloween party in Oct. instead of a Birthday party, so our celebrations were pretty low key. She asked for (and received) a full set of Harry Potter, and she also got a super cute Totoro poster. There are a couple of other gifts, but some of them haven’t arrived yet! On Thursday, it was the VIP open house for the newly remodeled Library, which I had to miss (even though I do count as a VIP, since I am a Trustee!) because it was at the same time as SmallDaughter’S FIRST SESSION OF HORSE RIDING THERAPY! And there was MUCH rejoicing! She has been asking to ride her horsies since the day the last session ended!
Friday was absolutely crazy. We had seminary (5:15 to 6:05) then got SmallDaughter dressed and on the bus, and the boys out the door to school (6:30 is--but the bus was a bit early !!!@#%!)--but we got it done! LargeBoy hopped in the shower, and we were on the road by 8 for his 8:30 apt at the Orthopedic Doctor, where Doctor pronounced that his arm is healing well--barring any stupidity! We zoomed back home, where I took a 20 minute power nap so I wouldn't fall asleep while driving, did a bit of housework, and at 11:30, drove BACK up North, picked up SmallDaughter from school and took her over to the Children’s Hospital to see her Neurologist (1 hour, 24 min, according to Google maps, but actually slower because of the muchisimas road construction). We were a bit early, so she got to see all the things she loves at the Hospital, and then we went to meet her new neurologist (as her old neurologist just got married and moved to TX). SmallDaughter loves the weighing, measuring, taking vital stats part--she is VERY good at that routine. Then they showed us to our exam room, and she played with the toys BUT, it took him over 45 minutes to get to us, and she was pretty out of patience! Then we had to go to the lab for bloodwork--and she was SUPER good. She still doesn't like it, and she stiffens up like a plank, but she didn't cry!
We finally left at about 5:43, and I realized I would not be able to make it home, put SmallDaughter to bed, then turn around and go 45 minutes back up the same road for my VERY important beekeeping class. So, I just gave her her meds on time and took her to the meeting with me. That made us a tiny bit early, so I was able to stop at a Farmers Market, and get some yummy fruit. The meeting was excellent--it was the class on how to prepare the hive for winter, LOTS of good info. We came home and I got SmallDaughter into bed (she did NOT sleep through the meeting, as I had hoped she would!), and I took a quick shower and My Favorite Gentleman got home at midnight. BigGirl’s friend (and my seminary student) came over for a birthday sleepover, but I barely saw her! I had terrible insomnia, and couldn't sleep until around 2:30, which was particularly bad since I had to get up at 5:30 and go to the big City for Seminary Inservice. Fortunately, another Sister from the Ward was just called as one of the 2 teachers for the other Seminary Class, and so we rode together and she drove! It was really excellent, and I felt (as I always do!) uplifted and inspired.
I made it safely home and took a nap, and then BigGirl’s new friend who has just moved in, and who is a TOTAL kindred spirit! came over. Her 5 year old sister was totally enchanted by the chicks (which are getting big, but aren't ugly yet), and all the kitties! My Favorite Gentleman took the whole group of us out to the Mexican Restaurant, which was really fun. Afterwards, we rented a movie, and had a family movie night while I worked on sewing the girls circle skirts for the ‘50’s social that the YW are putting on this weekend. It is shaping up to be quite the blowout!
Church was very good--My Favorite Gentleman said the Opening Prayer in Sac. Mtg, but had to leave during the 1st talk (just like usual). The speakers were excellent and I really got a lot out of it. SmallDaughter fell asleep, and slept all through Sunday School on the bench! Her helper sat with her, so he got to go to Adult Sunday School! We found out at about 9 am that the Primary Sacrament Meeting that we have been practicing for--that we were planning to have on Sep. 29th, can’t be then, because it is Fast Sunday--and more importantly FAST AND TESTIMONY MEETING (because of General Conference), so we were kind of scrambling, because our plans changed so suddenly! None of the teachers had lessons prepared because we had planned to be practicing in the Chapel the whole time! We have rescheduled the program to November, and we just ran through it anyway!
We have had several beautiful babies welcomed into the family, and I am feeling particularly blessed!
Friday, August 30, 2013
Time Marches On!
We celebrated My Favorite Gentleman’s 45th birthday by doing--not much! It’s pretty hard to celebrate long distance, especially with no good mailing address!
Last week’s highlight was definitely a visit with our dear friends Bill & Janice, who came into town from far away! Bill has started turning beautiful pens on the lathe, and let us each choose one, and he gave SmallDaughter a wobble duck push toy that she LOVES! I think it was especially good for LargeBoy to have a chance to talk to Bill, who is a fount of awesome stories.
On Thursday, SmallDaughter had her school open house. She has the same teacher, classroom and aid as last year, but she was still shy for a few minutes. Then she found the toys, and told Miss Sherry (her aid) to sit down with her, and got busy playing with her favorite things. The transition seems to have been smooth--I am glad they have the time for the kids to come into the class.
On Friday, BigGirl had a babysitting gig, and LargeBoy had not one, but 2 doctor apts! He got his cast off, and he got his ingrown toe treated with acid to stop it from growing back (the dr. just put a tiny drop on the side where the sharp edge grows--he got to keep the nail.) My Favorite Gentleman got home in the wee small hours of the morning, and we got up at 5, and got everybody loaded in the van to head for PA for the Family Reunion. I drove, while everybody else slept! My car (my beautiful blue, new car) has been making a really horrible, high pitched vibrating sound for a couple of months--but it doesn’t do it very often, and I can never make it do it when I want to, so we had adopted a “wait and see” attitude. When we were almost halfway there, I changed lanes and there was a HORRIBLE loud noise (I seriously thought I had cut off a Harley!) but I could not see anybody around me--quite the mystery! It woke My Favorite Gentleman up, but we had no idea what caused it. A few miles later, it happened again, so I pulled over and My Favorite Gentleman got out to check. The tires looked fine, but when he got down under, on the inside--there were patches worn totally down to the fabric on the sidewalls! We were so blessed that we haven’t had a blowout! So, we turned around and drove (CAREFULLY!) back home. Where we loaded everything into the pickup, and drove over to the reunion--a little late, but feeling very, very blessed!
We really had a great time at the Reunion. We spent most of the day at a nice little beach that the kids really had a blast on! Around 3, BigGirl & LargeBoy went with my young(ish) cousin Alan to his work at the Theater, where they watched Despicable ME 2, got a WHOLE BUNCH of movie posters, and enjoyed touring the projection room, etc. I was going to get SmallDaughter dressed then, but she was having so much fun that I didn’t have the heart to make her--and she got another 2 hours of swimming!
We went back to the Cabin for supper (which was served “caveman style”--no plates, no utensils!--they just put foil down on the tables, and put the salad and the spaghetti right on it! ) The kids had a great time running around playing with cousins, and I had a fun time talking to everybody. My cousin also had his dog and 2 of the cutest, round fat fluffy puppies you have ever seen! The puppies hardly had their feet on the ground the whole weekend--they were just carried lovingly around by all the kids! After the kids were mostly down for bed, a bunch of us played a really fun game that they got at Gen-Con, and laughed and talked until after midnight! We finally went to bed and crashed! We got up pretty early, picked up the big kid’s from Aunt Stephanie’s house and drove home just in time to get My Favorite Gentleman back on the road for VA.
Monday was pretty exciting--it was the first day of Seminary, and the first day of school. I have 6 students here at the house, and 2 more on the phone! It’s pretty awesome! SmallDaughter LOVES riding on the big yellow bus (so much more glamorous than a mere mini-van!). I was not overly happy about the transportation situation--the original plan called for her to get picked up at 6:30 (she still is) and ride on the bus for over 2 hours--since her school doesn’t start until 9! NOT HAPPY. They worked it out so her teacher and her aid come in early, and she gets to school at 7:30, and just has an extra long day. I decided I was willing to see how she did with it--I would only put up a fuss if it was really hard on her.
However, she has actually been happier, and less tired than any first week of school before! Every other year she is sound asleep for the drive home, but she hasn’t even wanted a nap, and she is more cheerful about getting on the bus, so it seems to be working out ok. The worst part is just that we had to move seminary back, so it is from 5:10 to 6, which gives us the half hour it takes to dress SmallDaughter. BigGirl & LargeBoy started on their school with much less fanfare, but they are both really motivated and excited by the subjects they are studying this year. (when I asked if they needed any new curriculum stuff, LargeBoy asked if I would order him some chemistry books--um, yeah! He is also working on “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” and really going to town with it!)
We also got a new order of chicks on Monday! They are so cute! We have quite a few varieties, since I got the “Brown Egg Layer Assortment” and I also got 11 of the “Easter Eggers”--the Ameracaunas that lay green eggs. They are my favorites--SO cute--even when they grow up! Diesel the kitten has been going crazy--walking all over on top of their wire crate, and sticking a paw in to try and get one! The crate is plenty roomy for the chicks to move out of her way, but I put her outside anyway!
On Tuesday, I was the “extra mom” for Miss Kelly, who had a Dr. Apt., so I drove Becca in to her job interview at Barnes & Noble. BigGirl was excited to go spend the gift card she earned from the Summer Reading Program. Then (of course!) we wandered over to the neighboring Chocolate Shop and got a couple of goodies. A pretty nice day out!
On Wednesday, Bec watched SmallDaughter so she go to sleep on time, and I took the large ones to YM/YW. The shop has given us a nice loaner car, which really makes things easier. I am trying to get all my curriculum sorted and my new calendar systems set up and running. It always takes longer than I think it should, but I am babystepping forward. I have been working on doing boring things like phone calls, getting stuff arranged (like SmallDaughter’s fall riding session--only 2 more weeks until “horsey-day”!). Not exciting, but somebody has to do it!
Yesterday LargeBoy made Spanakopita, which is one of my favorites, so I am glad to have him willing to try new things. It turned out great, too! Today in seminary we role played Nephi going to get the Brass Plates. We had just enough people, and it was pretty hilarious! SmallDaughter doesn’t have school today (teacher inservice) or Monday. Tonight we are going over to our friend’s house for a BBQ! Yay! for fun times with friends! My Favorite Gentleman will get home in the middle of the night, and he gets to stay until mid-Monday, which is exciting.
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