Curious Inspirations

A Page In Time…Peek A Boo

2012-01-18T21:57:00.001-07:00

Our Little Joy

2011-12-18T14:34:00.001-07:00

This little girl has sure stolen our hearts. Now we can’t imagine what life was like before she came along. She is such a happy baby. She makes me laugh when I’m feeling down and want to cry. She is tenderhearted. She “cries” right along with you if you are sad…she comforts you. It’s so sweet.

She is now beginning to say more words. For the longest time every adult was “dada”. Then, when she really could say “mama” she would only say it sparingly and after much coaxing. After that she learned “papa” (what we call our grandpa), and every man was “dada, papa”. Now, when I walk in the door after running errands, she will run to me squealing, wave her little hand at me and say, “Ha mom!” Melts me to the core, I tell ya!

It was two Christmases ago that we found out she was on the way. Oh, that was a tough time for us. We were in a really hard place and here we were having a little surprise! But God knew. He knew we needed her. He knew we needed her laughter, her comfort, her joy, her sing-songy voice, her bright brown eyes and wispy curls.

I also forgot just how much fun age 1 is. The discovering, the newness of everything, the light in her eyes, the bounce in her step. Everything is so new and exciting. It gives me a new perspective as well, teaches me to look at life, circumstances, in a different light.

Thank you Lord for little Z. She is such a blessing!

Today I Love…

2011-10-24T13:36:00.001-06:00

This girl. She’s sure growing up fast!

My Girl

2011-09-03T11:50:00.001-06:00

This girl…let me tell you about this girl.

She’s absolutely amazing. She’s bright, beautiful, awesome.

I’m so blessed to be her mom. She makes me feel so proud.

This girl started public high school this year. She’s loving it…and it’s loving her.

Her teachers already have been calling me, telling me how much they love her.

She’s awesome with the other students. She draws out the introverts; sits with the friendless; makes everyone laugh and come out of their shells.

She is beautiful…inside and out.

Celebrating Our Newest Little One

2011-08-31T22:36:00.001-06:00

We celebrated Baby Z this month. This little one joined our family one year ago now. I can hardly believe just how fast the time has flown by! It doesn’t seem at all possible! She is such a joy! Always laughing and smiling…just being her cute little self…and making the rest of us laugh in spite of ourselves. She is in love with her big sisters…and I must say, so are they with her. How did we ever do life before her? Seems so strange now to think of our family before she joined us.

Happy first birthday, Baby Z! We sure do love you and are so happy that God saw how much we needed you in our family!

Hello Again

2011-08-19T15:28:00.001-06:00

Hello again out there my readers!

Yes, it’s been a very long time since I last posted.

I have to say, this past couple of years has been very interesting here in our world.

We moved, yet again, had a new little addition to our family (Baby Z pictured above with me), just to name a couple things.

It has been a time of ups and downs, and many twists and turns…stretching and growing in many ways.

I am looking forward to blogging on a regular basis again.

This week I will be sharing some photos, thoughts, and fun from our summer this year. I hope you enjoy it!

High Time

2009-11-10T19:38:00.001-07:00

Hello to all my faithful readers! I have seen you popping up on my blog here and there looking for more to read. I’m so sorry I have been so lax lately about posting. I have been in the trenches, so to speak, learning a new program. I recently got Lightroom, a wonderful photo editing program and have been trying to learn that in whatever free time I can grab a hold of. So I have some treats for you! Here are some of the photos I worked on today. I found this little girl fast asleep on my couch today.

She had been sitting there, all wrapped up in a blanket with a book.

And the next thing I knew she was out like a light. I was so surprised! She never takes naps anymore. Must have really needed some extra sleep.

I love watching my kids sleep. They are so peaceful and beautiful.

Our 8th Anniversary

2009-10-01T14:34:00.001-06:00

It’s been 8 years! I just can’t believe it’s been that long! Since my man and I said, “I do.” This last year has been one of the hardest for us, facing circumstances and trials that have pushed us to new depths with each other and with God, thus making this one of our best years too. We have grown stronger together more in this year than any other year since we’ve been married.

We were blessed by some friends of ours who gave us a night at the Silverwolf Log Chalets just outside of Coram, MT. What a fabulous place!

The cabin was so cozy! Just what we needed to get away and be refreshed!

Once we checked in and had a little snack, it was off to Glacier National Park! It’s been several years since we’ve been able to get up to the Park, so it was such a treat!

I love this time of year in the Park. The busy tourist season is over. The stores are all closed up for the winter. There are very few people. And the colors of fall are setting in.

We drove along Lake McDonald on the Going-to-the-Sun Road. The evening light was gorgeous! The breeze was picking up. Just enough to make the trees begin to dance in a nice soft sway. We stopped at the falls. The water was very low, but the sound of rushing water was so sweet.

Mmm…who’s this man! I’ve got to go check him out! Even after 8 years, my heart skips a beat whenever I see him!

We went up to Avalanche Lake trail head, by the Cedar Trail. That is as far as you can go in the highway this time of year. They were also doing some repairs on a bridge on the Cedar Trail, so we were only able to walk part of the way. The forest was enchanted! It was magical! The green was so green. The mist was beginning to fall. It was quite warm. And we were together!

It was so wonderful to get away together. It was too short, as it always is. But we’ve made some more memories, and they will be with us forever.

Landscaping! Finally!

2009-09-22T10:17:00.001-06:00

When we first moved into this house last February, there was snow on the ground and we had no idea what the yard looked like. After the snow melted we found that the lawn was really nice, but the landscaping around the house was in terrible, almost nonexistent shape. It had a really nice cement border all around the house, but the landscaping that had been attempted at some time or other was incomplete and overgrowing.

Someone had put in some nice rock, but had failed to put in the weed fabric before the rock, so the rock was just settling into the dirt. It also looked like there had only been partial rock work done. The weeds were even too much to take care of. We kept them sprayed, but that’s about all we could do with it. Because of the rocks we couldn’t even get into the beds with a tiller. So it sat brown, dead and desolate most of the summer. My heart was aching for some nice landscaping!

Then…the landscapers finally made it to our house! I was overjoyed!

First they dug out and hauled off all the old rock. It looked 100% better already!

Then came the new plants! I was really getting excited!

Just look at that cute little tree! They planted various types of plants, some to bloom each season! And look at the ornamental grass! No one knew I wanted some…and there it is!

And now…for the final reveal!

Ta da! Isn’t it gorgeous!

I’m so in love! It’s done! All the way around the house! And…it’s self-watering! What could be better?!

Those Eyes

2009-09-12T15:35:00.001-06:00

Golly, Miss Molly! Where’d you get those eyes?! I took this photo of J when she was laying on the couch watching TV. The kids do get so tired of me constantly “shooting” them. But I tell them I have to practice on someone, and they are such gorgeous little models.

A Few of My Favorite Things…

2009-09-08T14:11:00.001-06:00

…Li’l K’s sparkling eyes.

A Few of My Favorite Things

2009-08-29T15:00:00.001-06:00

I am going to start blogging a mini series entitled “A Few of My Favorite Things”. You will see it woven in and around my other posts. I hope you enjoy.

…my daughter’s smiles.

Featuring “Funnies On Sunday”

2009-08-10T10:52:00.001-06:00

This young man is amazing. This is my 10-year-old nephew, who visited us with my sister and his two younger brothers last week. Now, all my nephews are amazing, I must say, but today I want to tell you about this guy.

His mom, on her blog, features a post on Sundays called, “Funnies On Sunday”. These funnies are comic strips done by this guy. He’s incredibly talented. You just have to check them out!

When he’s not making comic strips, he’s drawing dinosaurs (incidentally, he can tell you just about everything there is to know about dinosaurs…and he does all the research himself for all his projects). When he’s not drawing dinosaurs, or minotaurs, he’s writing, directing, and acting in his own movies, recorded on his Flip video camera.

He’s a pretty amazing guy! Here’s his latest featured funny.

A Whole Lot o’ Pickin’ Going On

2009-08-09T20:52:00.001-06:00

This week my sister and nephews came for a visit. I will spend the next few days telling you about our time together.

It’s cherry picking time here in the Flathead Valley. It has become a tradition in our little family to go picking every summer. We take a picnic lunch and spend a couple hours, picking our fill to eat and to share with friends. We are very fortunate to have some friends who have about 50 cherry trees on their property and they invite us each year to come and pick as much as we can take. This year it was so perfect that my sister and nephews got the chance to come wiht us! What a treat! In a couple of hours we picked about 18 gallons.

I was beginning to think Li’l K was going to eat herself sick on cherries, or maybe turn into one. By the time we left she had cherry juice all down her chin and all over the front of her clothes, not to mention on her feet from walking on cherries that had fallen off the trees.

Li’l K became fast friends with my sister during their stay. What could be better than sharing cherry kisses with a cute little blonde 3-year-old girl?

There were plenty of trees with low branches for small boys and girls to pick from. And I think more berries went into their tummies than into their buckets. But that’s what berry picking is all about.

When we first got set up my sister and I were busy taking pictures of the kids picking cherries. Then the kids went off to play on the play set and we started our picking. I warned her that once you start picking you don’t want to stop. I don’t know what it is, but that happens to me every year.

The branches were so loaded with fruit that they looked like cherry ropes.

Here are some photos that my sister took to share here on my blog as well:

Berry Pickin’

2009-08-01T12:53:00.001-06:00

This is my cousin, Sharee, and her girls…and my girls…and Li’l K. We all went berry picking last weekend. We were trying for huckleberries, but didn’t find much except a few for munchin’ on. So we switched to sarvis berries. They aren’t as fantastic as huckleberries, but they were plentiful and the kids had fun picking and eating them.

First we drove out to the ranch that Sharee and her husband used to work on when they lived here several years ago…wow…it’s more than several years now! Time goes by too fast!

We also found a handful or two of Oregon grapes. The kids didn’t like these too much.

I thought Li’l K was going to eat herself sick on sarvis berries. She was so cute!

As you have probably noticed…there are no photos of berries that have been picked. Well, the reason for that is very simple. We ate all the huckleberries we could find so there was little to no evidence that we had picked them. And we got such a small amount of sarvis berries each that I just didn’t take a picture…that and I was too busy picking to think about it until we got home. Oh well. Maybe next time.

The day was so wonderful. Time spent with family out in the country. Nothing could be better!

Playin’ with Textures

2009-07-13T13:39:00.001-06:00

There’s a blog that I just love. It’s called Kimi Kreations. Kimi does a lot of stuff with Photoshop Elements that is really fun. She always has great photos to show and tutorials that she finds around the internet to share.

Here are a couple of photos I’ve been playing around with using some techniques I learned from her blog. It’s really fun and I love the artistic result!

Thanks for checking it out!

‘Tis the Season

2009-07-11T19:33:00.001-06:00

‘Tis the season for fresh local cherries….

…and strawberries from PlowGirl Farm.

And who knew…

…that watermelon was such a funny fruit?

Hope you are getting to enjoy the fruit of the season too.

Baby G.M.

2009-07-08T12:19:00.001-06:00

I finished processing the photo shoot I did last week of Baby G.M. Check it out here!

Our 4th of July Celebration

2009-07-06T19:48:00.001-06:00

I hope you all had a great 4th of July celebration. We sure did. For us it started with a pancake breakfast at home with berry syrup. Yum! Then it was off to the parade. After that we had a relaxing time at home for the afternoon. The kids played in the neighborhood with some of their friends. Then we had some friends over for dinner for potato salad and grilled burgers and dogs. Later, as it started to get dark, we were off to see the big fireworks show that was the best we’ve seen yet! It was an awesome day! Here are photos of our day!

Note the “painted nails” on these horses above. My girls got a real kick out of that!

Li’l K On the Farm

2009-07-03T16:17:00.001-06:00

I did this layout a few days ago. This photo was taken the day I did the photoshoot for Baby G.M.

Credits: Background: Marcee Duggar “Old Bo Back Pack”; Font: Donnyshand from the internet.

Coffee Cake Muffins

2009-06-29T14:34:00.001-06:00

These muffins are so delicious! We have been eating them in my family since I was young. I can remember my sister and I making them for breakfast when we were teenagers and then we would sit out on the patio and have tea, muffins, and fruit. It was so much fun! Now I do this with my girls.

Sometimes we have Coffee Cake Muffins for breakfast and sometimes we have them for “tea”, when we eat them in the afternoon with a cup of hot or iced tea.

I have made these muffins for brunches and bake sales and given them to friends. Now they are a regularly requested item! Anytime there’s a function going on someone asks me if I will be bringing my Coffee Cake Muffins.

Here’s the recipe if you care to make them yourselves!

Prep: 20 minutes Bake at 400 degrees Makes 12 muffins

Topping:

3/4 c flour

3/4 c brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 c butter or margarine

3/4 c chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Muffin mix:

3 c flour

1 c granulated sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 c butter or margarine

2 eggs beaten

1 c buttermilk or sour milk (to make sour milk: for each 1 c needed: 1 T vinegar or lemon juice in a cup measure; fill measuring cup to 1 c line with milk; mix and let stand 5 minutes.)

Grease a 12 cup muffin pan or line with paper bake cups.

Topping: In small bowl mix all topping ingredients except butter. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add nuts if desired. Set aside.

Muffin mix: In medium bowl stir together muffin mix ingredients except butter. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

In another medium bowl combine the egg and buttermilk or sour milk. Add egg mixture all at once to the dry muffin mixture. Stir just till moistened (batter will be lumpy).

With a tablespoon, spoon half of batter into each of the prepared muffin cups, filling about 1/2 full. With another tablespoon, spoon half of the topping mix. Add another layer of the muffin mix and then remaining topping mixture.

Bake in 400 degree oven for 15-18 minutes or till golden. Cool in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from muffin cups; serve warm. Makes 12 muffins.

Check this out!

2009-06-20T21:32:00.001-06:00

After I made this post about the Oatmeal Pancakes, I received an email from Brian Bradley, the content editor at DishiWiki. He requested permission to re-post this blog entry and photo on his website! So exciting! Published again!

Check out Brian’s website, though. It’s pretty interesting. The caption says, “Everyday cooks sharing recipes.” You can create an account and share recipes with other people. That’s my kind of site! And no…I’m not being paid or compensated in any way for mentioning this site. I just truly think it’s a cool site.

A Recipe to Share

2009-06-18T14:57:00.001-06:00

Now…I have shared a few recipes with you on my blog from time to time before. However, I must tell you…I would share more recipes and photos of me making them except for the fact that I am a terribly messy cook. There it is…out in the open now. Whew! I feel so much better.

Seriously though, when I get flour out of the bin, for instance, inevitably more gets onto the floor, the counter, and me than into the bowl…or so it seems. I am also very accident prone. I spill this and knock that over, bonk my head, stub my toe. Just ask my hubby. His famous words about me are, “That’s my wife!” Needless to say, it’s not a pretty sight…nor does it make for photo op moments.

I do, however, have a lot of recipes that I would love to share, so for me it is just better if I show you the end result. Then we all win. And I don’t have to worry about making my cooking scene look good in the process. Now…if I can just remember to take the picture! That’s happened before too. I remember after dinner that I wanted to photograph that pie or casserole, etc. If fact that was just about the case in this situation with this recipe I am going to share today. I was half-way into eating and remembered that I wanted to photograph it. So I took another helping to prepare it for the photo and then I couldn’t finish eating it…I was too stuffed!

So on to the recipe!

Pancakes!

But wait! These aren’t your every day, run-of-the-mill pancakes. These are special. Maybe you’ve come across them before, but I hadn’t until my friend E told me about them recently and now they are a permanent breakfast fixture in our house. We call them Protein Pancakes or Oatmeal Pancakes (that certainly sounds more appealing than “protein pancakes” I think). They are super easy to make and so full of flavor! Here’s how we do it:

In the blender mix well:

1 egg per person eating – so if you have 4 to feed, use 4 eggs, etc.

1/4 cup oatmeal per egg

1/4 cup cottage cheese per egg

1 tsp sweetener per egg + 1 tsp – again, if you have 4 to feed, use 5 tsp sweetener; use your favorite sweetener, sugar, honey, etc.

cinnamon to taste

vanilla to taste

Cook on a hot griddle the same way you would with traditional pancakes. These pancakes take no time at all to make and our family just loves them! Seriously, I looked at the clock this morning when I was making them and it took me no longer (maybe even less) than 10 minutes from the time I started mixing the batter to the time we sat down to eat. You can also use anything you like for topping - syrup, fruit, but our favorite right now is butter and honey.

The nice thing about this recipe, also, is that you can tweak it to your personal taste. You can add other ingredients or change the ones already listed. They are super filling too. And I love knowing that I’m not just feeding my family empty carbs and tons of sugar for breakfast.

So I hope you get to try these! Let me know in the comments section how you like them!

A Day In Amish Country

2009-06-16T18:07:00.001-06:00

Last weekend we took our friend Geraldine up to the Amish auction in West Kootenai, MT. She lived there for a few years and has many friends there. I grew up in Eureka, not too far from there, but it’s been so, so long since I was last at the auction. I knew it would be a fun outing for us.

We crossed the Lake Koocanusa bridge just a little after 9:00am. It was a very early morning for us. We left Kalispell at around 7:00am.

Here they were making homemade ice cream with gas-powered cranks. I have never seen such large old-fashioned ice cream makers!

The girls had fun playing with some kittens and rabbits that were in this box for sale.

We had fun looking at all the stands of wonderful homemade and home-grown items.

These two little ones were just so cute sitting there eating their lunch.

This bed was rather interesting. I just couldn’t see myself sleeping in it, I’m afraid.

The Amish make wonderful cabins. Here are a couple of them that the girls had so much fun playing in.

This is Little K…she’s our little 3-year-old friend that we are watching on a full time basis now while her daddy is at work.

There were three auctioneers…one outside selling odds and ends, one under the tent selling furniture, and one in the barn selling quilts. J had never heard an auctioneer before and had to ask me several times what they were saying.

I thought this was interesting. You always see these that say, “Welcome”, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen one that said, “Go Away”. Too funny!

After we was all the booths we decided to walk around the little village.

We ate our picnic lunch in the little schoolhouse yard, then the kids played on the playground.

After that we were off to the country store for ice cream!

These young men were delivering ice to the auction site where they were having a dinner.

J and I held hands on our walk back to the playground. I love holding hands with my kids.

Then it was time to go. We stopped at the Koocanusa bridge again.

Here are the girls with our friend Geraldine…Little K was asleep in the car.

Geraldine took this photo of the girls and I.

It was a great day! The sun was out, it was warm and wonderful!

Changes

2009-06-09T17:55:00.001-06:00

Changes…sometimes they are good, sometimes not so good. Well, I am here to announce some good changes! I have recently set up my business blog, Sands of Time Designs! Yeah! It’s been a long time coming. Please continue to bear with me as I am still doing some tweaking of things on that site.

So…what do these changes mean? Well, I will continue to use this blog to talk about our family and the events in our lives. You will see some of my photography and scrapbook pages here, but mostly family related topics. I will be posting most of my photography, scrapbook layouts, and photo books on the business site. I hope you all get a chance to check it out! I would love to hear any feedback that you might have. I’m so excited to share these changes with all of you.

Recent Scrapbook Layouts

2009-06-04T22:26:00.001-06:00

Here are a couple scrapbook layouts I did recently:

Credits:

Papers: retrodiva_walk-park-ff_paper2; jhd-playtime-words; O_DarnDirty

Frame: JEdwards_WebChallenge080308_2

Tab: retrodiva_walk-park-ff_tab

Font: BlackJack

Journaling reads: “You’re my _____ Girl – I love your spunk and love of life. I love seeing the flash of your smile and the gleam of light in your eyes. Spring 2009 – age 12”

Credits:

Papers: AASPN_SomethingSpringy_Pattern2 & Pattern 3

Lip stamp: CherieMask_2ps_AllTwitterpated_lips

Journaling label: CherieMask_2ps_AllTwitterpated_note

Font: Goodfish

Staple: AASPN_SomethingSpringy_StapleGreen

Word Art: RhonnaFarrer_2ps_IloveYou; RhonnaFarrer_2ps_Theseare;

Tag: RhonnaFarrer_2ps_FreeTag1

Stitches: AASPN_SomethingSpringy_Stitching

New Pencil Sketch Technique

2009-06-03T18:38:00.001-06:00

I learned a new technique the other day. I love learning new techniques. This one was a pencil sketch technique. I’ve tried other pencil sketch tutorials in the past but just never really liked the end result. They always looked too computerized…that’s the best way for me to describe it. Just not quite right. But this one is awesome!

I took this photo of my niece on Mother’s Day this year. Here’s the color photo:

Isn’t she just adorable? I love the look on her face here and she’s just too cute with her hands on her face. What a kid!

The problem with learning a new technique, though, is that I want to use it on everything! So…you’ll probably be seeing lots more sketches. You’ve been forewarned.

Little Boys

2009-05-24T15:37:00.001-06:00

This weekend I again heard the pitter-patter of little feet on my floor.

I love that sound! I miss that sound.

Our friends Ben and Ellie went away overnight for their 6th anniversary and we got to keep their boys, I and J.

We love these boys. You may remember seeing them in many of my past posts.

Cousins

2009-05-23T12:55:00.001-06:00

In this post I showed you a photo of my sister and sister-in-law that we took on Mother’s Day. This was the first time we were able to have all the cousins together at once! It was such a fun day. We took them to the park and I took tons of photos of them playing together. Hope you enjoy!

Gotta love those kids!

A Beautiful Day and a Beautiful Girl

2009-05-21T11:18:00.001-06:00

Last weekend my friend Ellie called and asked us to go for a walk downtown with her. So K and I went. It was so gorgeous and warm out. I found some wonderful things to photograph too. We walked several blocks from the middle of town to the south end and back. I also got some really fun shots of K.

What a fun day!

Sisters and Mothers

2009-05-13T11:17:00.001-06:00

I had such a wonderful Mother’s Day this year. My sister (on the left) and my sister-in-law (on the right) got to come to my house. It’s been so long since we were all able to be together. We had a great time visiting and watching our young’uns play. What an awesome Mother’s Day gift!

Thank you girls so much for being my sisters! I love you both and am so thankful for you in my life and that I get to be a part of yours. I hope and pray that in this next year as mothers you will grow even more in your insight and wisdom for your children and families. You both are truly a blessing. I’m so proud to be able to be in the same family with you both! I love you!

To The Moms…

2009-05-09T09:28:00.001-06:00

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there! I hope you have a wonderful day!

Artisan Bread

2009-05-07T21:02:00.001-06:00

I wanted to share with you a wonderful site I just happened to come across some months ago on artisan bread. It’s the most amazing bread! I love home made bread, and so does my family, but the time it takes, several times a week to make it, just doesn’t fit into our schedule. So when I came across this recipe for bread where I can make the dough ahead of time and use over a couple weeks’ time, I had to check it out!

It literally takes less than 5 minutes of my time whenever I want to make a loaf of bread. After I make the big batch of dough (which takes maybe 10-15 minutes) and keep it in the refrigerator, each day that I want a loaf, I just grab about 2 lbs of dough, dust it with flour, (no kneading required…ever!) and toss it into a greased bread pan. It rests for about 1 hour and 40 minutes before going into the oven for 1 hour. It comes out perfect every time! There is nothing you can do to this dough that it will not work! It’s fool proof!

We have also used the dough for making pizza. Absolutely wonderful! It’s always all ready to go, so we just grab out a hunk of it and press it into the pizza pan, add our toppings and bake for about 10-15 minutes. Literally about 20-30 minutes until mealtime!

The dough is a type of sour dough with a very mild, nutty taste. You can add any fresh or dried herbs and/or garlic to the dough as well for a fabulous herbed bread. My family loves this bread so much that I’ve had to limit my kids from getting into it without asking. They would eat a whole loaf for snack!

Do any of my readers have recipes like this that have just grabbed you and made your life easier and tastier? I’d love to hear about them!

Coloring Easter Eggs

2009-04-19T15:56:00.001-06:00

So…I have to tell on myself a little bit here. Easter snuck up on me. Like all holidays and birthdays seem to. For some reason, if I don’t have them written on the calendar where they are in plain sight, I tend to think that holidays and birthdays are 2 weeks out. I don’t know why, but that’s the way my brain thinks. Maybe it’s wishful thinking. Like I’m wishing I had more time or something. I don’t know. All I know is that it’s really irritating to me and probably the people who’s birthdays I forget until two weeks after the fact.

So…Easter this year was no exception. It snuck up on me and I didn’t even get the eggs colored on time! My poor children. Well, I decided that we would just color the eggs anyway…on Monday, the day after Easter. And that’s just what we did!

We like using all kinds of different media to create a resist or masking effect. This year we used crayons…

…rubber cement…

…and gummed reinforcements.

This little fella was created by J. So cute!

I tried one using scotch tape, totally covering the egg in strip layers. I then put the egg in one color for awhile, unpealed a layer of tape and put it into another color and repeated this process until there was no tape left on it. It looked tie died. Very cool!

J said, “Mom, this is so much fun! We should do it more often…not just on Easter.”

There’s just something about coloring eggs that’s truly one of my favorite times of the year. There’s just a sense of something new and fresh in the air in the spring. The bright colors of the eggs! And then you get to eat ‘em! Yum!

So…Happy Belated Easter everyone!

Tooth Fairy Adventure

2009-03-27T15:21:00.001-06:00

J recently lost another tooth. Let me first explain her mindset about loosing teeth. We were having a discussion one day with her older sister K (now 12 years old) about K's not having any more baby teeth to lose. J's reaction was, "Poor sissy!" We asked her why and she said, "Because she doesn't get any more money!"

So, needless to say, J really loves losing her teeth. She lost her first one at age 2 or 3 due to an accident on the ice in the wintertime. Of course, even though it was an accident, the Tooth Fairy still came to visit. But it was a very, very long time until the Tooth Fairy came again, since J didn't lose another tooth until she was 5.

(Here is a digital scrapbook layout I did documenting her losing teeth. The journaling reads: "J lost her first tooth and a couple weeks later lost another one. She was so excited to get a visit from the Tooth Fairy!")

Now...we have a very, very forgetful Tooth Fairy. She is rarely, if ever, on time and frequently has to be petitioned many times before she actually shows up. It's really very terrible. I haven't figured out a way to fire her, though.

So, on the night that J lost this most recent tooth, she put her tooth in a ziplock baggie and put it under her pillow. Sure enough the Tooth Fairy forgot. So the next morning as I was still laying in bed, J peeked her little head in my door and her first words were, "Bad Fairy! Bad, bad Fairy!" I had to laugh. She's our girl of few words, but she gets right to the point.

The next evening I told J to put her tooth under her pillow again and this time to write the Tooth Fairy a note and put it on my pillow. Here is what I found:

Just in case you can't read it, it says: "Doo not frgit to get the toth and gev mee mi munee." Well, the Tooth Fairy promptly delivered that night!

Hubby and Me

2009-03-18T12:41:00.000-06:00

I have been realizing lately, as I look through my files and files of photos taken over the years, that there are so few photos of my Hubby and I together. I mean it's terrible! There are very few of him, very few of me, and even less of us together. So I'm making a resolution. I know it's not January, but it's a resolution none the less. I resolve to take lots more photos of us.

PS - Ain't he handsome?! Man! It's dangerous for me to look at those eyes! Whew!

Our Newest Pet

2009-03-16T19:10:00.001-06:00

Meet our newest pet, a 2 1/2 inch salamander named "Geico". Before we moved from the farmhouse, one day K was getting something from the cellar. She came running upstairs and said, "Mom! There's something slimy down there and it has fins!" I went to investigate. There, one the dirt floor, was a tiny salamander! In January! In Montana! I was so amazed!

K caught him and put him in a small, clear plastic container. We gave him water in a small plastic cap and gave him some sticks to climb on and some bark to hide under. Then we called my brother and his wife, who have several pets including a gecko, dog, ferret, and tarantula. They told us how to care for him. We had so many live flies in the old farmhouse that we didn't have to buy him food until we moved.

After we moved, we went to the pet store and got him a real house, put several inches of potting soil in it, and gave him a swimming pool. He seems to be doing just fine, much to my surprise! He's actually a fun little pet to have, just as long as I don't have to catch him or touch him!

Happy Birthday Baby J!

2009-03-13T00:49:00.001-06:00

This is Baby J. He is the youngest son of my friend E. A few weeks ago I did a photo shoot of him. It was so much fun! He will be turning 1 on Sunday! I can't believe how quickly the time has passed. His older brother, Little I, got to stay with us when E and her husband went to the hospital to have Baby J. My girls love it when the boys come over. They treat them like they were their little brothers. Little I can't say my name so he calls me "Nana". I love it!

Happy 1st birthday Baby J!

An Article About Us

2009-03-03T10:12:00.002-07:00

A little over a month ago I did a blog post about a typical homeschool day for us. Imagine my surprise a few days later when I was contacted by a copywriter from Alpha Omega Publications (AOP) and asked if I would be interested in them doing an article about us! I was so excited! Janet (the copywriter) called me and we did an on-the-phone interview. The article was published (along with my own photos!) in the February issue of the e-newsletter Homeschool View. Here is a link if you are interested in checking it out! Thanks Janet! It was a great experience!

Moving...yes, again!

2009-02-20T08:52:00.001-07:00

Here is our beloved little farmhouse that we moved into last September. Yes, we are moving from it already. We were hoping to live here for a very long time, but unfortunately our rental agency had some conflicting issues with the owners. We are so sad!

So, this week we are in the middle of moving to our new, new house...

It's strange moving in the winter when you have no idea what the place looks like without snow. But our new, new house is really nice. It's only 3 years old, the newest house I've ever lived in. It still smells new! You know, they have those "new car smell" air fresheners for your car...I wonder if they make a "new house smell" air freshener. Just a thought. Incidentally, I hate the "new car smell" air fresheners...I don't think they smell like new car at all. But my hubby sure loves them! I like vanilla...and of course he hates vanilla!

Ok...back to the new house. Here are more photos of the new, new house that I uploaded to Flickr. It has 3 bedrooms, 2 bath, living room, family room, kitchen, dining room, garage. It's really nice. I love that the living/dining/kitchen are all open. The house is on a corner lot, so we are not buried in houses, and there is a park and playground just across the street! The kids are so excited about that!

This will be my last post to you from the farmhouse. Our internet in the new, new house will not be installed until early next week when we are fully moved in and buried in boxes.

So, ta ta to you all from the farmhouse! I'll be seeing you all next week from the new, new house!

Photo Art

2009-02-17T09:56:00.001-07:00

I posted this photo a few days ago. I wanted to show you some fun photo art I learned from Kimi Kreations.

Here is my version. It was really fun!

Have a great day!

If any of you, my readers, have fun tutorials that you come across, I would love to hear about them! Just add a comment and let me know.

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T11:04:00.001-07:00

Wishing you all a wonderful, love-filled day!

The girls decorated these cookies with food-coloring pens we found at the grocery store. What a fun little project!

Winter Scenes From Around These Parts

2009-02-09T14:36:00.001-07:00

Here are some photos I took recently of scenes around here. We've had a lot of fog lately and it's made for some really awesome photo ops. I've been having fun. I hope you enjoy them!

Have a nice, crisp wintery day!

A Portrait

2009-02-07T17:09:00.001-07:00

I was looking back in my hard drive at past years' photos and found this one of J taken a year ago. I decided to play around with it. Here is the SOOC (straight-out-of-camera) shot:

What a cute shot that has so much potential, but just not any umph. First of all I ran it through Noiseware (I absolutely LOVE this program...and it's free!) to reduce the graininess. Then I used the new free Perfect Portrait action from CoffeeShop. I just love her stuff! And its free! Oh, I guess I said that already.

Pretty amazing, eh? And here is the black & white version:

I can't decided which one I like better. I guess I'll just like them both!

P.S. I have to say, that's one stinkin' cute subject...if I do say so myself!

Grand Prix

2009-02-02T16:29:00.001-07:00

Well, it's that time of year again. Pinewood Derby Grand Prix time. The girls go to a local AWANAS program, along with many of their homeschool friends. And since J is such a lover of cars, she has entered every year since she was old enough to be in AWANAS. This year K decided not to enter a car.

In the years before, the cars have looked very nice, sleek and painted well. However, due to our whole family getting our wires crossed about when the race day would be, my Hubby had to make this years' car start-to-finish the night before the race. So, the paint didn't get to dry properly and was still sticky when we arrived at the race. We decided that in years to come, if this situation happens again where there just isn't time to do the job, we won't enter a car. It was a bit hectic, to say the least.

The track was all set up and ready to go. The kids could get any final repairs done, such as weight added or reduced, then have their cars registered before the race started.

However, once the cars were registered, and of course had tons of graphite on the wheels, they couldn't do anything else with them. That's when it was time to put the cars into the Pit and wait for the races to begin. I always love checking out the creativity of the kids (I mean parents - 'cause we know that it's most often the parents that do all/most of the work). There are some pretty clever designs.

This is such a fun family time. The parents park their stuff on the chairs and visit with each other. The kids go off to meet up with their buddies and run around. Everyone brings snacks and we just have a fun time. K and her friend S were inseparable.

And so were J and her friend K. They ran around and played and ate snacks and ran their races when their names were called.

During the opening ceremony we all sat together. It sure is fun having Daddy with us!

And we are ready for J's race. Ready, set, go....!

Now, I must apologize. My Hubby tells me every year how the judging works, and every year I just can't seem to get it straight. So for the most part I just let the judges do their thing and I enjoy watching the kids do their races. From what I do understand, though, is that it's called double elimination. And I understand that means everyone gets to race lots of times. There, that's all I know about it. Pretty unimpressive, I know.

Unfortunately J's car didn't do all that well. But we always talk to her before the race to make sure she understands that it's not all about winning, but about having fun and participating with friends.

So she enjoys watching her car and then she's off to play with her friends again until her name is called for another race.

Making a Chocolate Wacky Cake with J

2009-01-26T20:22:00.003-07:00

For the 4H Foods Fair this year J chose to make a Chocolate Wacky Cake, one of our family favorites and super easy to make. So I got out my camera and she put on her apron and away we went.

To begin with, you must have measuring cups and spoons.

Then, using a spatula to level off the top, you scoop the flour.

Next, you add the sugar...

...salt...

...baking cocoa...

...baking soda...

...and white vinegar. Yes, I did say vinegar. That's why this is called a "wacky" cake. Fun, huh?

Then you add the vanilla...

...and the oil...

...then the final ingredient...water.

Next, you put on the flat beater.

Then you let it mix up and stop to scrape the sides of the bowl once in a while.

Then you turn to Mama and give her a cute little look. Mind you, this is the most important part of making this cake! It won't turn out right without "the look".

When it's all mixed up and there is no more flour stuck to the bottom of the bowl because you did such a good job scraping, you pour it into an ungreased baking pan.

Now for this part you absolutely have to stick out your tongue. Another crucial part of this recipe.

Now it's ready to put into the oven. What a proud girl we have here. Making a cake all by herself at 6 years old. Pretty impressive!

Now comes the part that is arguably the best part of making a cake of any kind, but especially chocolate...

...licking the bowl! It's just the best! I remember how much I looked forward to this part when I was her age. But of course I don't do that anymore...you know, now that I'm a grown up. Yeah...right!

You just can't lick the bowl without getting it all over you either. It just doesn't work.

And the grand finale! A beautiful, yummy cake that the judges rave over! Great job J!

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Just in case you would like to make this cake, here is the recipe:

Chocolate Wacky Cake

In a large bowl mix:

3 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup baking cocoa

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 tablespoons white vinegar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup oil

2 cups cold water

*Pour into ungreased 9x13 pan, or two 8" rounds. Bake 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees. Bake 15 minutes for cupcakes.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

6 tablespoons softened butter

Baking cocoa - 1/3 cup for light flavor

1/2 cup for medium flavor

3/4 cup for dark flavor

2 2/3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

*In small bowl, cream butter. Add cocoa and sugar alternately with milk. Beat to spreading consistency. Blend in vanilla.

A Typical School Day At Our House

2009-01-21T14:59:00.001-07:00

Just thought I'd share with you some photos of a typical day of school at our house. As you may know, we are a homeschool family. We have homeschooled all along, since K first started learning to read. I guess you would say we have an eclectic style. We don't use one curriculum, program, or style. It's really a hodgepodge of things that work for our family which is what homeschooling is all about...making it your own.

We use the internet for tons of free resources. I do, however, monitor it very closely and limit the amount of time the kids are allowed online as well.

For K, in the subjects of Bible, Science, and History & Geography, we are using Alpha Omega's SOS (Switched On Schoolhouse) which is a computer-based curriculum. It's working out really well and she enjoys it.

For math, both of the girls are in Right Start Math, a wonderful hands-on curriculum. Here is a photo (above) of the math balance. Right Start teaches math using lots of games and manipulatives with very few worksheets. We all really love it.

A lot of times the kids love to play the games even when they're not on "school" time.

For phonics and Language Arts skills we are using Sing, Spell, Read & Write. In the beginning, when K was learning to read, I chose a very basic reading program with no bells and whistles. It was a wonderful program, but for us it didn't work well. K is dyslexic (as is her teacher!) and sees things - including words - in her mind as 3D pictures. So 2D words on a page were just too confusing to her brain. At the suggestion of my sister, who had used Sing Spell with her boys, I switched to it and have had great success since. J is not dyslexic, but we have used Sing Spell with her as well because we already have it. And she just loves it and is learning to read like a whiz.

Homeschooling for us is really not just doing "school". It's a lifestyle. In everything we do we can learn something, and that's what I want my children to learn more than anything else. Children are like sponges and will absorb so much. As a homeschool teacher, I feel that my job is really to awaken the love of learning in them and point them in the direction of learning. They will take off on their own from there. For instance, they constantly come to me when we are not on regular "school" time and ask me how something works, how it's made, why it does this or that, or even "Mom, I'm going to write a story about..." It thrills me to the bone!

The kids will tell you they don't like school...but let's face it, how many kids ever say they like school? But the real proof comes when we are done with our school day at noon and, after chores, they are outside playing while other kids are still in school. They really do love this. And once in awhile we even do TV school, like yesterday for the 2009 Presidential Inauguration. J played with Legos on the floor, K had her sketch book, crayons, and markers and we watched President Obama being sworn in. We looked up the floor plan of the White House on the internet, looked at Washington D.C. on Google Earth, and learned some trivia-type things about past presidents. What a fun day! I wish I could have done school this way.

Sharing

2009-01-09T14:09:00.002-07:00

Well, I have been thinking lately about sharing with you some of the fascinating things I've learned along this exciting journey of digital scrapping and photography that I enjoy so much. Mind you, I'm no expert. Quite the contrary. It's just that I get so excited when I'm playing around with a new technique and end up learning something totally unexpected and wonderful...you know, those "accidents" that turn out to work just right. So I want to share with you one of those experiences I had today. Sort of a mini tutorial, if you will.

Over the past several years, since I became interested in digital scrapping and photography, I have found a wealth of information online. The internet is such a fabulous tool for self-teaching! There are SO many tutorials available as well as networks of people who are willing to share what they know. Several of my favorite tutorial sites are ScrapGirls, Digital Scrapbook Place, and one of my most recent favorites (within the last year) Pioneer Woman (don't ya just love her?). I have found tutorials in many other places as well, but these have been the most influential for me.

So, what I want to share with you today is a tutorial on digital chalking by Brandy Hackman that I found some time back at ScrapGirls. This tutorial was written for Photoshop, but I operate with Photoshop Elements 5 (or PSE) and it works just fine. If you take a look at the above layout I did of my daughter J, you will notice the little embossed, chalked, flower in the lower left corner. I won't share the whole tutorial with you here, as you can follow the link provided above and go through it yourself if you like. However, what was so fun to me was what happened as I was playing with it after I did the tutorial. Let me just say also, there are many ways to arrive at a given result. Like my Grandma used to say, "There's more than one way to skin a cat." Well, we won't do any real cat skinning here...I like them to much. So here's one way I did it.

After the "chalking" was done, I thought the flower would look cool if it had an embossed look to it too. So here is what I did:

- Turn the eye (icon) back on, on the PNG layer

- Go to Layer Styles > Bevels > Simple Emboss: 125 degrees lighting angle; Bevel size: 1; click OK

- Make sure the PNG layer is still selected (looks blue), then play with the blending modes (the drop-down menu under "normal" in the image below) until you find one that suits your taste.

This effect made a wonderfully textured, embossed, chalked look! It was so easy and so fun!

By the way, if there is anything mentioned here that you don't understand or are not familiar with, please feel free to leave me a comment and I will try to explain. Also, if you have done this technique, or another that you really enjoy, I would love to see it! Send me a link in the comments section below. Thanks!

Layout Credits: Background paper: "For Love of Clover" by Amy Bleser (DigitalFreebies.com); Flower Doodle: "Doodles 2" by Angie Briggs (ScrapGirls.com); Overlay: "Serenity" by Angela Sharrow (DigitalFreebies.com); Word Art: "Winter Sparkle 2" by Miss Mint (PeppermintCreative.com); Photo corners: "Patch It Up" by Theresa Kavouras (ScrapGirls.com); Font: Tangerine.

A Couple O' Beauties

2009-01-06T16:56:00.001-07:00

Just had to share some photos of my little beauties that I captured over the holidays.

I just love them! How did I manage to get such photogenic kids! Amazing!

So Very Thankful

2009-01-02T20:23:00.001-07:00

Today I am so very thankful. See these footprints in the snow? These are the footprints of my Hubby heading to the garage this morning on his way to work. These footprints are very precious to me, especially today.

As he was heading down the road, a few miles from home at about 5:45am, my Hubby saw a small herd of horses standing in the road. He tried to slow down but it was just too icy and he hit a mare, killing her. Amazingly, my Hubby came through with no marks or injuries! His suburban is "pretty messed up", as he says. I haven't seen it yet.

When he called to tell me the news, I was struck again, as I have been at different times in my life, at just how fragile life is. In just an instant it can be gone or severely altered. The events of this day have been another reminder to me to cherish my loved ones. To hold them dear. To enjoy them and be with them more often.

This evening as we were sitting at dinner together, I couldn't help but think that it was one of the most delicious dinners I've ever ate. It was a simple meal...very simple. Just roast chicken, potatoes and veggies. But it was so delicious! Simply because it was shared with my whole family and we are all well. I am so very thankful.

Happy New Year!

From our home to yours...

2008-12-25T10:44:00.000-07:00

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

2008-12-23T20:05:00.001-07:00

Well, it took a long time this year, but we finally have snow. And boy, the snow we are getting! I can't remember when we've had this much snow!

It was boot-top deep just in the driveway, before the snowplow man came and plowed it.

It's a good thing he came out too! Or I wouldn't have been able to go anywhere!

I think the little farmhouse looks so cute dressed in winter white!

Out where the barn is the snow is knee-deep! I was surprised! There I was in just my snowboots without snowpants. The driveway was only boot deep. So I went trudging out toward the barn and it got deeper and deeper! I was getting snow inside my boots. But a photographer must endure some hardships to get the just the right shot, you know.

Oh I love winter! There's just something crisp and wonderful about it! It's so invigorating to be out in it!

The girls are having so much fun playing in the snow. The only problem is that it has also been very cold. In the negatives. So, they only go out for short periods of time before their faces, fingers and toes are frozen. It's so cute! They come in and their cheeks are pink and their lips can hardly move when they talk. And they always ask for a cup of hot chocolate. You just have to have hot chocolate when you come in from the cold. It's just what you do!

Sassafras

2008-12-20T15:41:00.001-07:00

This is Sassafras...or Sassy, as we call her. Let me tell you about Sassy. For so very long my girls have been wanting a cat. But since we rent, most of the time owners don't want tenants to have pets. So the closest thing to pets we are allowed are fish in an aquarium, which we do have, by the way, and we love them. When we moved out to the farmhouse we thought that maybe, since it was a farmhouse out in the country, the owners wouldn't mind if we had a couple pets, particularly a dog and cat. But no...they said absolutely no pets.

Well, we went about moving and getting settled in. As we would come and go we would see a couple of "phantom" wild cats. They were so scared of everything. As soon as we would pull into the driveway, they would be off like a shot into the woods or the garage or under an outbuilding.

The more we were around, the more this little black one became used to us. And the trouble she caused! She would get into the garbage and string it all over the place! We finally had to get a couple garbage cans that had latches on the lids. Even then she would get up on the lid and scratch the plastic bag to smithereens. After awhile we didn't see the other one. In fact, I never did see it. The girls told me about it. I think it was a calico.

I decided to start giving Sassy some milk in the mornings to see if we could get close enough over time to hold her. After all, she wasn't our "pet". We didn't choose her; she chose us. And she came with the place. Of course the kids were ecstatic about this idea of befriending her.

At first she would cry and cry when we were outside. It was like she wanted us so bad, but was still too afraid of us to come out of hiding. We put her milk on the front porch, on the bistro table by the window so we could watch her. She would only come up to it after we went back in the house. Then she would almost stick her whole head into the bowl while she ate. She would shake her head and splatter milk all over the window. She figured we were a safe distance away from her and would watch us through the window, rubbing against it like we were petting her, smearing up the window with her dirty little coat and milk splatters. Over several days this became her habit. She would drink her milk and stay at the window meowing and rubbing up against it and purring. She would come and go throughout the day. She felt like she was part of our family, just watching us through the window.

It wasn't long until the girls were able to go outside while she was on the porch and finally they were able to touch her and hold her. Then Sassy became their best friend. You never would have known that at one time, only a few weeks ago, she was deathly afraid of people. She went everywhere with them. She would even try to get into the car when we went somewhere. Like a puppy dog, she would follow the car out of the driveway. It was like she had never been fearful at all.

Well...sadly, it's been several days now since we've seen our little Sassy. Over the weekend it got down to -15 degrees outside (not counting the wind chill factor). The first cold day, she spent almost all day on the bistro table by the window. I put a small box with an old towel out there for her and she didn't leave it all day. That evening we didn't see her. When K put out her milk the next morning, Sassy didn't show up to drink it and it quickly froze over. Yesterday it was warmer out (just above 0 degrees) so the girls bundled up and went out to see if they could find her. They walked everywhere calling her, but didn't find her. We are all so heartbroken! We are hoping and praying that she is ok and just weathering out the cold somewhere nearby.

We miss you, Sassy!

Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland

2008-12-11T14:21:00.002-07:00

Today dawned with a bright shining sun and a frosty blanket over the countryside. It was so gorgeous, so I decided to go for a walk in the winter wonderland.

The mountains finally have their coat of snow. They just gleam in the sunlight!

The sky is so blue! It's been quite gray out for several days now, so the beautiful sky is such a treat.

Our little homeplace looks so cozy tucked in the dusting of snow.

Winter cheer to all!

_____________________________________

I would sure love to hear from you, my readers! If you are enjoying the photos and stories feel free to leave a comment. Have a great day!

Happy Thanksgiving to All!

2008-11-26T13:59:00.004-07:00

Photo curtesy of Google Images

I love this time of the year! It's one of my absolute favorite holidays. Our family has a tradition that we've been doing now for several years. We go to my aunt's house. It's the best place on earth.

When I was young I spent a lot of time at Aunt Roxie's house. She was my main babysitter. I have the fondest memories of time spent there.

I remember Aunt Roxie doing laundry. The sound of the washer and dryer in the background and the smell of clean laundry was so comforting. She would fold her clean clothes on the kitchen table. At lunchtime she would make us (my siblings and I) peanut butter and Welch's Grape jelly sandwiches with a cold glass of milk. We would sit at the table and eat, with the clothes piles pushed out of the way.

At the back door was an old wooden screen door. The spring squeaked when it was open and I can still hear it slam shut. It seems kind of strange that that would be a comforting memory.

Aunt Roxie had an old dog, Brownie, who was getting way on in years. In fact, he was so old that all I remember him doing was sleeping behind the living room stove. Us kids were told to not go near him because he was crotchety and might bite us.

Aunt Roxie doesn't live in the old, wonderful house anymore. They sold it. It really was old and too small for them. When they sold it and moved somewhere else I cried. But I soon found out that Aunt Roxie's house is still the same no matter what building she lives in. Aunt Roxie's house is still the smell of fresh laundry when you walk in the door. It's drinking tea with spun honey in it. It's leather slippers. It's the sound of another log being put into the woodstove. It's the sound of whistling. It's the sound of stories being told. It's the smell of leather and hides. It's the smell of something wonderful cooking in the kitchen. It's the sound of jokes and laughter. It's the best place on earth.

Now, when our little family heads out for Thanksgiving at Aunt Roxie's house we sing the song:

Over the river and through the woods

To Aunt Roxie's house we go

The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh

Through the white and drifting snow

Over the river and through the woods

To Aunt Roxie's house we go

Hurrah for the fun is the pudding done

Hurrah for the pumpkin pie

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Harvest Party

2008-11-11T11:11:00.002-07:00

Yep...this is us, my Dear Hubby and I. We switched races for the evening. Scary, huh? Meet Thurston and Shaniqua. We won a prize in the Costume Contest too!

Several friends came out on Thursday (the day before Halloween) to help me set up and decorate. I have to say, our place looks so festive! It's so much fun!

K dressed as Autumn - she also won a prize. I have to say, she was breathtakingly gorgeous.

J was a cute little butterfly. But, true to her "Plain Jane"-ness, she didn't want any frills, no face-makeup, no glitter, just an antenna and wings. So adorable!

Unfortunately, other than this photo of the Bounce House, I didn't get any photos of the Carnival stands outside. We were still setting them up as it was getting dark. We had flood lights out in the yard to light the stations. One station had a ring toss, balloons filled with candy on the wall and darts to pop them, and bottles to knock over with a ball. Another station had some relay races with eggs (some were hard boiled and some were fresh), a "Chubby Bunny" contest where you had to fill your mouth with marshmallows and still be able to say "chubby bunny".

The kids (kids of all ages) loved the games and the bonfire outside. Inside the garage we had chili dogs and hot chocolate; a face painting station...

...and a station for pumpkin decorating with googly eyes, glitter glue, markers, colorful feathers, pom-poms, and many other fun things to decorate with.

Here are some photos of the fun costumes that were there. Everyone did such a wonderful job on their costumes!

The cutest Pooh Bear ever...

...Shaniqua again...

...a pregnant nun...

...a mountain man and cave woman...

...hippy grandma...

...Raggety Ann and Andy...

...Michael Jackson...

...and so many more wonderful costumes I just don't have room for them all! It was a fabulous party! We are already scheming for next year!

Scenes from the Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-28T07:42:00.003-06:00

About a week ago, the girls and I went to Sweet Pickin's Pumpkin Patch. We always look forward to this time of year!

They have so many fun activities for the kids. This is one of J's favorites...the straw bale maze.

But this one was her absolute favorite, the barrel train! She went on this ride so many times. There she is in the last yellow car.

The wonderful Fall decor makes for great picture-taking opportunities! This place is a camera-lover's haven!

J was making faces at me, so......

...I had her thrown in jail.

I don't know who this little boy is, but he was just so cute trying to get himself a gourd...I couldn't resist.

There were farm animals to feed and look at...sheep, goats, chickens, rabbits...

...but I have to say, my favorite was the donkey. When I was growing up we raised donkeys. They are so much fun! And just as cute as can be.

Visiting the Pumpkin Patch is a treat for the senses. To experience the sights, smells, and tastes of Fall...like popcorn and carmeled apples purchased from the little Mercantile.

And you just have to have your picture taken among the pumpkins. What a wonderful day!

Guess I misplaced my saddle somewhere in a box...

2008-10-16T17:06:00.003-06:00

I thought I was more "back in the saddle" than I am. Moving is just so much fun! I still don't have all of my computer tech stuff networked together...so, some of it is here, some is there, and the computers can't talk together to get the info that I need...particularly my photos. It's very frustrating. But it will all come together soon.

These dear little friends of mine (in the photo), my wild turkeys, come through my yard every morning. They graze through at a leisurely pace. I love watching them. I guess if you feed them they will become a regular nuisance, even coming up on the porch and making messes. But I really do love watching them.

So far we've been here just about a month and we've seen lots of wildlife. There are deer all over the place. Just a few miles from here is a game preserve and we've seen deer there and a coyote crossing the road. I had a yearling deer in the yard a few days ago. He was standing under the crab apple tree just staring at us through the window. Also, almost every night we hear the eerie sound of the coyotes' songs. It's been so long since I heard that!

Besides getting settled in, there are so many other things going on here. We started our new homeschool year on October 6th. This is our 5th year. I usually brace myself for a rough first week...lots of adjustments, rearranging curriculum to fit the time frame, etc. But this year, to my wonder and amazement, we had an awesome, bump-free first week! I didn't even know that could exist. But it was such a welcome event, due to all the other busyness I'm up to my eyeball in...um, eyeballs, that is (guess that "s" got misplaced in some box somewhere too!).

I'm also helping with the planning of two parties for this month. This weekend my friend E and I are putting on a baby shower for another friend who had a baby boy last month. This is the first baby shower I've been a part of putting on and it's very exciting! Hopefully I'll have all the details and photos from that next week. The next party is our church Harvest Party, which I mentioned in the previous post. That will be so much fun! I've got the corn stalks, some pumpkins, and Indian corn. I still have to get some straw bales. My Hubby thinks I'm crazy to have the party here so soon after we've moved in, but I find it very motivating in getting things unpacked.

I really do have more photos coming. Fall is one of my favorite seasons, if not the favorite, for taking photos. The girls and I are going on a homeschool field-trip tomorrow to Sweet Pickin's Pumpkin Patch. We went a couple of years ago, when I first got my camera, and I had a blast taking wonderful photos of the fall colors and decor. Now that I know a little bit more about my camera, I'm really looking forward to taking more photos.

Getting Back in the Saddle...So To Speak

2008-10-04T10:28:00.002-06:00

Well, things are starting to come together around here in our little farmhouse. Unpacking after a move is like putting a puzzle together. First of all, you can't remember which box a particular item is in. You remember seeing it somewhere in some box, but it's probably at the bottom of the stack of boxes in the garage. You have to unpack that box (the one you can't find) to be able to unpack this box that you've been tripping over for days now...so where do you start? Oh it's interesting!

The property we are on is on a hill above a farmer's field (see the photo above...in the background is the field). We live on a triangle of land bordered, of course, on one side by the field (east), on another by the county road (west), and on the other by a small forest (south). Just beyond the back yard is a small barn surrounded by field grass almost as tall as my daughter J. We are going to have our church's Harvest Party here this year, so I've been wanting to get the tall grass cleaned up a bit, first of all, so it's not a fire hazard when we have our bonfire, but also, so it will be easier to do a treasure hunt and the carnival games. A friend of ours has a Brush Hog mower that he brought out yesterday and cleared out the tall grass and even made a walking trail through the rest of it behind the barn all the way to the greenhouse at the east fence. Since the property is on a slope from the county road to the east fence, K and J love to get on their bikes by the road and coast down the hill. Now they have a little meandering path to go on all the way down.

So...as we get more settled in and are able to function again like normal people, there will be lots more photos and stories of farm-life.

Howdy Folks!

2008-09-24T09:13:00.000-06:00

I'm sorry I don't have a photo for you today. We are in the middle of moving into our wonderful little farmhouse! So...all my computer components are scattered hear and there. I have taken some fun photos of our new place recently that I will try to get on the blog soon.
We have to be out of the old house by Monday, the 29th, so we are working like crazy to get the last of the boxes out and the cleaning done. I hope to get back to blogging regularly sometime next week. Thank you all for your continued visiting of my blog! It's so encouraging to see. Talk to you all soon!

Sunrise

2008-09-09T12:57:00.003-06:00

One morning when the girls and I were camping, I happened to wake up just before sunrise and saw a gorgeous red sky. I quickly grabbed my camera, went down to the beach and sat there soaking in this beautiful display.

It's been so long since I've seen a sunrise. The house we currently live in faces north and there are no windows on the east side. We live in a housing development, too, so even if I get up early in the morning to look outside, all I see are rooftops.

So I sat there in the peace and serenity of the cool morning.

In just a matter of seconds the scene would change...

...like the graceful moves of a beautiful dance.

Simply breathtaking!

Moving!

2008-09-06T20:20:00.004-06:00

Yes! We are moving! We found this cozy little farmhouse last week and all the arrangements have been made.

It has a 3 car garage...perfect for storage and working on projects!

The house has 3 bedrooms, 2 bath, and a quaint cellar...yippee! I'm going to go crazy canning!

The kitchen is double the size of the one I have now. I can't wait to bake up a storm! As a celebration of the new house when we move in I'm going to make my Grandma Faukes' famous cinnamon rolls.

I've always wanted a farmhouse with a covered front porch and vine-covered trellis.

As you can see, the owners are doing some upkeep (interior and exterior painting, etc.) so it will be sometime next week before we get the word that we can actually start moving boxes.

The scenery is gorgeous too. I would have taken photos of it, but my camera battery was dead. The house is surrounded by farmers' fields on two sides and woods on the other. There are rolling hills beyond the fields and a gorgeous view of the mountains and into the peaks of Glacier National Park. It's been so long since I lived in a place where I could see the mountains from my house! Oh I love those mountains.

Scenes From Camping

2008-09-03T18:14:00.003-06:00

Here are some awesome scenes I was able to capture while we were out camping.

Enjoy!

Camping

2008-08-30T10:59:00.003-06:00

I've recently been out where there is no internet, and no phone (unless you carry a cell phone). Just peace and quiet. The girls and I went camping at Big Arm State Park on Flathead Lake for four days last week, and it was one of the best camping trips I've ever been on.

Our new tent was fun and large...10x10. I purposely got a large one so we would have plenty of room in case we were forced inside due to inclement weather.

It was so fun and exciting. Like playing house, even for me. For some reason doing chores when you're camping is much more fun than doing the same chores at home. Why is that? Hmmm.

J is so funny. She sleeps like a turtle...head all tucked in the covers. The first night was really cold. We had to wear just about all the clothes we brought. The next night was just right and the third night was hot! We were sweating.

The days were awesome. Warm, sunny, beautiful. The kids went swimming as soon after they woke up each morning as possible and were hardly out of the water all day. The site we were at had it's own beach (as do most of the sites), so I could sit at the campfire and watch the kids playing in the water. Pretty nice spot.

This campground is a pretty cushy one. Especially the site we were in. We had the lake on one side of our site and on the other side, right across the camp road, were the bathrooms with showers! Yeah...pretty cushy. Great when you have kids though.

Everything about camping is cozy to me. I think I could live camp-style for quite awhile before I got tired of it and wanted civilization again.

And of course, you can't go camping without having a camp fire. This is the first year out of several in a row that campers have been able to have campfires this late in the season due to forest fire hazard and dry weather.

So every night we roasted marshmallows and made S'mores. Yummy and gooey.

The only problem with that is...it's so much fun to roast the marshmallows, and you can't possibly eat as many S'mores as you can roast marshmallows. Such a dilemma.

And I think the kids definitely wear more on their faces than they get into their tummies. But that's all a part of the fun of it too.

But my personal favorite camping treat is Oreos. When I was growing up we always took Oreos when we went camping. Dad and I would do Word Search puzzles and eat Oreos, trying not to get milk or cookies all over the book, while racing to see who could find the words faster. Oh that was fun!

The whole campground was so beautiful. I found so many wonderful things to photograph.

Even doing laundry in the woods is more fun. Imagine that!

Here is where I found K most of the time when she wasn't in the water. This tree was right at the corner of our site.

Time for breakfast. Starting with a nice hot cup of cocoa.

Eggs and bacon...

...and pancakes. It sure smelled good.

There's just something about camp cooking too. It just tastes better out here.

Then it's back into the water they go. The girls pretty much lived in their swim suits.

And I sat there on the beach and took pictures. And read a book.

And the kids played some more.

The last night we were there it was very windy and I suspected that it might rain, so we packed up everything that could get wet or blown away. We took some snacks and games into the tent and went to bed early.

The girls listened to their books on cd. I read my book. And we listened to the sound of rain drops on our tent all night. I love that sound.

We didn't want to leave, but we missed Daddy and there were things to do at home. Hopefully next year we'll be able to go camping more often.

I'll never forget this trip.

I'm Still Here

2008-08-30T09:23:00.000-06:00

No...I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. I'm still here. But I've been experiencing some technical difficulties with my blog. So please bear with me.

Here is a photo to tide you over. This is Flathead Lake, looking out toward Wild Horse Island. Thank you for your patience.

Beautiful Sights

2008-08-19T23:38:00.002-06:00

Here are some beautiful sights I've seen lately.

I recently went on a little outing just driving around, looking at the scenery. It's harvest time here in Montana. The fields are golden, the flowers are bright. It's breathtaking.

I love old barns. There's just something about them. The stories they could tell. Can you imagine?

Simply beautiful.

Raspberry Sorbet

2008-08-11T15:07:00.001-06:00

My daughter K (age 11) made this Raspberry Sorbet the other day using some of our raspberries we picked last week. It is so yummy!

Here is the recipe from the Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker recipe book:

2 c water

2 c sugar

12 oz (aprox. 1 cup) raspberries - pureed and strained

4 tps. lemon juice

Combine sugar and water in medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heatto low. Simmer until sugar disolves, about 3-4 minutes. Cool completely (place mixture in covered container and store in refridgerator overnight - or chill over an ice bath for 30 minutes if using right away).
When cool, add raspberry puree and lemon juice; stir to combine. Pour into ice cream maker's freezer bowl, turn machine on and let mix until mixture thickens, about 25-30 minutes. If desired, transfer sorbet to an airtight container and place in freezer until firm.

Delicious!

Scenes from Farm Day This Week

2008-08-09T15:26:00.002-06:00

Little Farmer I

My friend M, who owns The Farm, is expecting their first little one. She's due in September. Can you even tell she's pregnant? She has such a cute little bubble in front.

Holding the bunch of basil is my girls' friend M.

J with M's cousin C, who is working for her on The Farm this summer.

M's cozy little cottage.

Harvesting goin' on all around.

Just Because

2008-08-08T19:28:00.000-06:00

Look what my Hubby brought me yesterday! A dozen beautiful roses! No special occasion...just because. I love you babe. Thank you.

Raspberries, Raspberries, Raspberries!

2008-08-05T18:20:00.000-06:00

Today the girls and I picked our raspberries. The bushes were so full of berries that they were hanging down to the ground!

We ended up with a gallon just from today. I washed and froze them for making sorbet, smoothies, and freezer jam. Yum!

Baby Maya's Album

2008-07-26T14:59:00.002-06:00

05_Baby Maya_pg1, originally uploaded by Sonesta Smith.

I just finished this album for a friend of mine. I did the photo shoot in May. I'm so excited about it! Check out the rest of the album on my Flickr site.

Farm Day Produce

2008-07-24T18:40:00.000-06:00

Here is the produce that we brought home today from Farm Day: carrots, beets, kale, basil, lettuce, swiss chard, and green onions. I'm going to blanche the kale and chard and freeze it for future use. The carrots probably won't be around longer than one day. The kids keep nibbling on them...alright, I guess I do too. There's just nothing like fresh, home-grown carrots. The lettuce and green onions will be used up quickly in salads.

As for the beets, I have not eatten fresh beets in so long that I decided to check out some recipes online to see what I could do with them. This Red Salad looks really good. I also think this American Beauty Cake sounds tasty. There were several wonderful recipes I came across. Now to just choose one! Oh my! Well, we could always just eat beets more often.

A Saturday Outting

2008-07-21T20:11:00.003-06:00

Last weekend the girls and I went on an impromptu outting. Papa called and told us that Snappy's Sports Center was having their annual free Kids' Fishing day at their private pond behind the store. So off we went to see if the girls could catch a fish.

It was so packed with people that we had to wait for quite awhile for an available fishing pole. Both of the girls have been there with Papa in years past and, since it was so busy, K decided to not fish and let J have the chance (what a sweet sister!). J was determined to carry her own pole so I showed her how to carry it so she wouldn't "hook" everyone around.

It was difficult to cast without "catching" someone standing around us, but she got in several tries. She even had a couple bites, but the fish just weren't very interested. They were probably confused at all the worms suddenly floating in their pond.

Several times we had to detangle ourselves from someone else's line. J was disappointed that she didn't get to catch a fish, but she did very well overall.

Then, as we were walking back through the store we noticed the Crocs. My girls both have very narrow, long feet (thanks to both of their parents) and we have tried several brands of these shoes with no luck...they are just too large and sloppy on their feet.

So, as we were walking past the shoes we noticed this brand and decided to just give 'em a try. They each were able to find the exact color and size that they needed! Amazing! Usually, if we find the correct size, the color is wrong. What a find! They were so excited!

Then we were off to head back home. On the way we passed an arts and crafts market in a park. Since it was a gorgeous day and we didn't have to be anywhere else we decided to stop and poke around. The girls had fun looking at and trying on these cute hats.

There were many booths with dolls on display and the girls flocked to these. K, who loves to sew and make her own designs, was particularly interested in checking out how things were made.

Then it was time for lunch.

We found this food stand that offered something unusual...crepe sandwiches. This sounded so much better than a hot dog or hamburger. The girls each ordered a ham & cheddar and I had a brie, pesto & greens crepe.

To drink we ordered the ginger lemonade. It was so refreshing! The ginger gave it a spicy zing.

The crepes were so delicious! Just thinking about them now makes my mouth water.

What a fun day it turned out to be! I'm so enjoying this time in my girls' lives. They are both old enough now that we can just wing it sometimes and really have a fun time. We don't have to worry about taking naps anymore (except for Mommy, that is) or keeping on a schedule all the time. It's great!

Sick Daze

2008-07-17T06:19:00.000-06:00

This is me this week - sick. Well, actually, this is a digital scrapbook layout I did about 2 1/2 years ago (wow!) when I was first learning digital. I was sick and wanted to be scrapping. I didn't have a laptop at that time. I was miserable.
I'm the type of person that, even when I'm sick, I want to be doing something. Whether it's reading, watching TV, listening to music, doing puzzle books, scrapping...whatever. I hate not being able to do something. I lay there thinking of all the time passing by and of all the things I could be doing but can't.
Well...this is me this week (minus the fever). I have a doozy of a head cold. My eyes are watering, my nose is swollen and running so fast I can hardly keep up with it, I sneeze like my head's going to blow off. And now the cold is moving down into my throat (ugh).
I thought this was going to be a little summer cold that would blow over quickly with a few sniffles. But no, it's here to stay awhile. But hey! I have a laptop now!!! Whoohoo! I can lay here and finally do something. Although, with my watery eyes I can't see what I'm doing, but hey, if this post is totally illegible, you will understand, won't you?

Rediscovery!

2008-07-14T05:00:00.005-06:00

I have rediscovered my Canon EF 50mm 1.8 prime lens! Here are some photos of my family that I took today. Just playing around.

I had forgotten just how much I love this little lens! It was my first lens. When I got my camera, it was a body only. So, being on a very tight budget, I did some research and found that this lens would be a great starter. I wasn't disappointed!

When I first got my 50mm lens, I didn't know anything about my camera. So I shot totally in automatic with it. I just realized it's been a year now since I've gone "manual" with my camera settings and I really haven't used my 50mm in that time. Even a year ago, I really didn't know much about aperture. So rediscovering this lens is like finding a treasure! With such a wide aperture I'm going to have a blast playing with this lens again! Can't wait to play with it more!

Farm Day

2008-07-12T05:00:00.002-06:00

Every week K, J, and I go out to PlowGirl Farm, a local organic farm, to help my friend in her garden. The kids really love Farm Day. It has become the highlight of their week. They get to play, run around and be free. Another friend of mine, who has two little boys ages 1.5 and 5 months, comes out to work too. My girls love to babysit and they are really great helpers.

Last week we were harvesting and weeding. They have a really cute little set up for harvesting. They set up a shade tent and used an old bathtub to wash the veggies and then ran them through a large salad spinner (which they had to send to France to get).

So we washed veggies, spun them, weighed them, packaged them, and put them in individual boxes in the refridgerator for the customers to pick up.

All the kids just hung out in the shade, or played, or checked on the pigs, or dug in the sand, or swung on the tire swing. Sometimes they came out in the garden to help weed. And then they would go back to playing again. Little J here in the baby seat was the biggest help of all...as you might have guessed.

These two were content to sit in the wagon and let K pull them all around the farm. Even when she stopped, they just sat there waiting for her to go again.

Then it was lunchtime. Yeah! We ate in a screened tent away from the bugs and sun.

J even brought her own picnic basket for her lunch.

Nannying

2008-07-10T10:06:00.001-06:00

This past week I've been "nannying" (is that even a word?) for some friends of mine who went to Cancun for their 20th wedding anniversary. They have 6 kids ranging in age from 18-2; two of them have special needs: one is deaf and one has Downs Syndrome. It's been quite interesting. The most trying part of it, though, has been that the 2-year-old had an intestinal bug and has had diarrhea and been vomiting almost the whole week.

So I've been running around the house after her changing bed linens, changing her outfits several times a day, spraying spots on the floor with Woolite Pet Odor stuff (by the way...this really works well!), and changing a million diapers a day.

Today is my last day here; I get to sleep in my own bed tonight! Whoohoo! J is also excited to be going home. But K loves it out here. There is so much room for her to play. This week while we were here they had a new washer & dryer and refridgerator delivered. So K asked the delivery men for the refridgerator box and she's been having a blast with her little "house". I'll post more about that later, but right now I have to go get two little boys from summer school.

2008-06-29T22:28:00.002-06:00

Here is the first harvest of my daughter K's little garden. She was so excited to get these baby radishes. The last week of May we planted a 26'x3' garden with peas, beans, cucumbers, radishes, carrots, tomatoes, and nasturtiums. A couple weeks after we planted the garden, we had a surprise snow storm that lasted all day long. It killed off most of the cucumbers (we had 6 altogether and 2 survived). K had, fortunately, gone out in the snow to make tripods for the tomatoes out of rasberry canes and covered them with clear plastic bags held down at the corners with rocks. The tomato plants are still green so I have hope for them yet.

What were your favorite toys or games when you were a child?

2008-01-28T10:22:00.000-07:00

I remember one year for my birthday I got an Etch-a-Sketch. I played with that by the hour!
Another favorite toy, although really not a "toy", was our family tape recorder. I used that more than anyone else. I would record myself (or my siblings) reading stories, making up stories, singing, or just chattering away. Over the years, here and there, my parents have found several of those tapes and when we listen to them we all have a great time laughing.
Recently my Dad called and left me a message. He didn't say anything, just played a portion of the cassette that he had just found. I have to say, it brought tears to my eyes. Those were wonderful days in my childhood and are very cherished memories. It's fun to hear them again.

Blog Prompt: On the 28th day of December I will time-travel back to

2007-12-29T13:04:00.000-07:00

...the days of Anne of Green Gables. It has become our family tradition, around this Christmas time of year, to watch the Anne of Green Gables movies...all three sets. Christmas just isn't Christmas without it. I have to say though, it's just the girls and I that watch it. My hubby gags at the mention of it!

The women and girls wore such lovely fashions. The men were gentlemen.

Some of my favorite things about this movie are the gardens, the scenery, the warmth and wholesomeness that you feel. Even if things go wrong, it will be ok in the end and we laugh and shake our heads because we've been there too. It's a fairy tale. We all love the fairy tale. It's a breath of fresh air.

At our house, while we watch the movie, we like to curl up with a warm cup of tea or hot chocolate and cake or other treat. Just watching the movie makes you want to have a tea party!

DSP Blog Prompt for Dec. 5th

2007-12-05T11:48:00.000-07:00

On the fifth day of December I watched (name of show) then wished (blank):

Well...since today is the 5th and it's still morning, I haven't watched anything on TV yet. So, the last thing I did watch was....um...let me see...Andy Griffith, last night while I was working on the computer. Whenever I watch that show I wish that life could be as simple and sweet and wonderful as it was in those days. I know it wasn't perfect and there always will be evil in this world, but in those days there was more of a general respect for each other. The styles and fashion of that era too were so wonderful.

Sketch of Daughter J

2007-08-09T17:27:00.000-06:00

Here is a sketch I did of my daughter J from a photo-graph I took of her. I used the Corel Paint Essentials program that came with my new Wacom tablet. I never knew I could do sketches! The program also came with some wonderful tutorials, and links to more online tutorials. I have been learning so much and I'm having so much fun!

Welcome Home Soldiers!

2007-07-17T09:54:00.001-06:00

Welcome Home Soldiers!

2007-07-17T09:47:00.001-06:00

"Welcome Home!" to my brother and other soldiers! Our Heros! Thank you!

According to some, today is Pecan Pie Day. What food would you like today to celebrate?

2007-07-12T17:02:00.000-06:00

Today the food I would like to celebrate is...STRAWBERRIES! I really love strawberries...especially chocolate-covered strawberries! Yum! Every spring, when Costco gets their large strawberries in, I buy some, and my girls and I make chocolate-covered strawberries. They are so wonderful!

Childhood Chores

2007-06-13T10:42:00.000-06:00

Blog Prompt: Did you have specified chores as a child? If so, what were they? Were you given an allowance for completing them? How much? What chores did you feel were unfair? Which ones did you enjoy the most?

When I was growing up we did have chores to do. My mom, sister, and I would take different chores and do them for the whole week. For instance, Mom divided the chores up into 1. laundry, 2. living room & bath, and 3. kitchen. Each one of us had one of those chores for a week and then we would rotate. We really liked this rotation because it was a break from doing the same thing all the time and we learned to do everything. In addition to those divided chores, we also had animals (donkeys, horses, chickens, rabbits, cats, dogs) so we were responsible to take care of our pets and our rooms. When I was a teenager we lived on a farm and raised a large garden and hay for sale. We had to irrigate the field twice a day and help with the gardening. In the summertime we would get up early and get our chores done so we could have the afternoon hours off. We really liked that and it taught us to prioritize.

We weren't given an allowance for our chores. Mom and Dad saw our helping out as being part of the family. They didn't get paid for being Mom and Dad. They didn't want to create in us the expectation that whatever we did we would get paid for.

I really didn't like doing any chores. I don't feel that any of them were unfair though. However, when I was little and doing them, I didn't like it at all. Now I see the value and I'm so glad that Mom and Dad raised us to be able to do good work. I really can't think of any chores I really enjoyed, but I do remember being in the garden as a family doing the weeding and singing songs and quoting movies. Those are great memories!

My Favorite Color

2007-04-18T13:33:00.000-06:00

My favorite color is green. It hasn't always been green...when I was a child I loved blue. I love all shades of green, but especially the deep rich shades.
Green, to me, represents warmth, life, comfort. It's very inviting. It's happy without being invasive. It doesn't shock you...unless it's chartreuse.
Right now, being spring, the new green grass is poking up out of the dry, deadness left from last year. It's so refreshing! It makes me want to get out and play...go for a walk...have a picnic.
My second favorite color is purple. My wedding colors were cream and purple. I have purple throw-pillows on my couch. Purple, too, is warm and inviting. I love it's richness. Throughout history purple was used to represent royalty.
I love the sunsets with their purple glow. Breathtaking!
What a wonderful thing...color!

Photo credits: photo taken by me, Sonesta Smith, 8-06. Do not use without permission.

Books

2007-04-16T11:07:00.000-06:00

Books, books, books! I love books! You should see my wishlist on Amazon!!! I look for books everywhere I go...garage sales, library sales, Salvation Army, etc.
Right now I'm reading a really wonderful "old" book called "And Green Grass Grows All Around" by Marguerite Lyon, written in 1942. It is a book about the author's experiences living in the Ozarks on a farm with her husband. She talks about all the wonderful "native" Ozarkians that are their neighbors, the old folks that have wonderful stories to tell, the young ones just getting started in life, the day-to-day living of life in a rural community. I just finished a chapter in which Marguerite writes of the "Eats of the Ozarks". She tells of all the wonderful food that the housewives make using "what's on hand". She even lists several recipes I am anxious to try! She makes my mouth water talking about the wonderful gardens of fresh veggies, smoke houses filled with meat, cellars filled with canned jams, jellies, pickles, meats, vegetables, fruits, etc. She talks of corn cakes and gravy, wilted lettuce, Dog Cake, fried salt pork, fried chicken, cracklin' corn bread, boiled beans, cottage cheese, Jam Cake, molasses cookies, molasses cake, and strawberry short cake and so much more.
The next chapter is about gardens in the Ozarks. I can just imagine spending a nice cool afternoon or evening with a book in the garden! Or having a little snack of fresh veggies!

A few of my favorite things...

2007-04-10T13:43:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite restaurants is Red Lobster. Unfortunately the closest one to us is about 3 hours away! We get the commercials all the time on TV and it makes me drool! It's like torture!
One of my favorite cleaning products is Lysol Disinfectant Bathroom Spray. Cleaning the bathroom is one of my least favorite jobs, so anything that makes it easier and faster is great with me! This spray is so easy...just spray and wipe. No rinsing needed. It leaves a streak-free shine and I love it!
My favorite wine is Gewurztraminer. It's inexpensive, has a nice fruity taste, and is not too sharp.

4/9 Blog Prompt: Changes

2007-04-09T09:51:00.000-06:00

Changes...changes. Everything is always changing. We say the phrase, "When everything gets back to normal..." What is "normal"? We are always changing! I guess when we refer to "normal" we mean the way we know things to be routine.
Routine is fine, nice; but I'm learning to be able to roll with the punches, so to speak, of the changes that are going on in my life. It's not easy! It's rather hard. I would love to keep things just so...the way it's always been because that's what's familiar...sort of "safe". Even if it's ultimately harder, what we know seems better to us somehow.
We have recently undergone a major change in our house. My dear husband decided a couple weeks ago to close the restaurant and "get a regular job" to put it into his words. This was a good move, but a very, very hard decision to make. I knew it was the best thing, yet something in me wanted to fight it. The uncertainty of the unknown. What would he do now? How are we going to make it? What's going to happen? Will he be able to get a job right away? I also knew that to fight it could possibly be hindering some new, really great things that God wanted to do in our lives!
And it has been good! In the last couple of weeks since he started his new job, my dear husband has had more family time; he comes home with energy to spare; he's more excited about life! It's been wonderful! Yeah, things may be tight financially, but the other benefits are far outweighing any negatives. And most of all...God knows what He's doing! That's the most important thing! He's changing us; making us.

2007-02-09T17:02:00.000-07:00

Since my last post, there has been a wonderful addition to our family...extended family that is. My niece, Evie was born Jan. 31, 2007. Here is my latest scrapping layout that I did for a challenge at DSP (New Kids On the Block, round 1).

"Fill-in-the-blank" prompt

2007-01-29T12:17:00.000-07:00

1. Two names you go by:
Sonesta
Mommy

2. Two parts of your heritage:
Norwegian
Dutch

3. Two things you are wearing right now:
V-neck, long-sleeved, olive green shirt
Haflinger shoes

4. Two things you would want in a relationship:
Love
Respect

5. Two of your favorite hobbies:
Scrapbooking
Reading

6. Two things you want really badly at the moment:
Laptop computer
More room in my house

7. Two pets you have/had:
Jasmine - Siamese cat
Sammy - chocolate lab

8. Two people you talked to today:
Hubby
Kids

9. Two things you did last night:
Had a family wrestling match
Watched "Batman" with hubby

10. Two people that live in your house:
Hubby
Children - K & J

11. Two things you ate today:
Oatmeal
Boiled egg

12. Two people you miss:
Brother - stationed in Iraq
Sister - lives in Florida

13. Two things you're doing tomorrow:
Homeschool
Laundry

14. Two vacations you've been on:
New York City
Florida

15. Two favorite holidays:
Christmas
Fourth of July

16. Two favorite alcoholic beverages:
Mike's hard lemonade
White Zinfandel

17. Two bands you have seen live:
Restless Heart
Amy Grant

18. Two things you will do after this survey:
Console a crying child
Eat lunch

Between the ages of 5 and 10, what was your favorite activity?

2007-01-25T16:28:00.000-07:00

(DSP blog prompt for today.) When I was between the ages of 5 and 10, I was outside as much as possible! I was a tomboy (even got a cap gun for my birthday one year!), and if I could be outside, I was in heaven!
When I was 5, we lived in a mobile home on a nice sized lot in town. We had a large garden, which I helped plant and harvest. I remember the corn patch the best. Those stalks got to be so tall compared to a small child!
I remember I wanted a toy car so bad! You know...one of those that you could sit in and make it move. So Dad found a wooden apple box, cut a broom handle to just the right length (to mount the steering wheel) and asked my Mom for an old plastic lid that she wasn't using anymore. He nailed the lid to one end of the broomstick, nailed the other end of the broom stick to the apple box...and voila! I had a car! Oh how I loved that car! And the steering wheel actually turned!
When I was 7, we moved to a large log house (the Big House, as we call it) in the country on 40 wooded acres. It was a child's dream place! There were trails to be discovered! There was a creek and two irrigation ditches to play in! There was a tree fort! It was so wonderful! We lived there for 4 years and had several horses, and raised donkeys, chickens, and rabbits. Alot of times I would be walking the trails, out on some adventure, with a fluffy baby bunny in my shirt pocket. Or I would harness the donkey to the two-wheeled cart and my sister and I would play that we were Mary and Laura Ingalls in "the olden days".
One winter I remember, there was so much snow! Our friend Jackie would always plow out our driveway for us. He piled it up really high not too far from the house. Some other friends came over (big teen aged boys) and made a snow dugout! It had snow benches cut into the walls and was tall enough inside that we could be upright on our knees. It was quite roomy with tunnels that led to other rooms. We had so much fun playing in that snow fort!
Oh! As I'm sitting here writing about it, I feel like I'm right back there! It was so wonderful!

2006 Reflections

2007-01-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

Here's a layout I did last night for a DSP challenge about being "reflective". Enjoy!

Credits:

Photo: VP filter

Paper: Frosty Christmas Cheer by Valerie Brumfield @ DSP

Alpha: Spring Breeze by Shabby Princess

Brush: Circle Grunge brush set by KHM

Fonts: Arial; dearJoefour

Fuzzy Kitten

2007-01-10T21:38:00.000-07:00

I did this layout today for a challenge at Digital Scrapbook Place.com. It was a themed challenge to do "birth stories". So I chose a funny story about one of my favorite cats.

It reads:

"When I was young, we lived on a farm. My cat was about to have kittens and it was wintertime. We kept her inside at night so if she had the kittens, they wouldn't freeze.

My sister and I shared a room and a double bed in a little log cabin not far from the house. One night, when we went to bed, we brought the cat in and put her in a cardboard box with some old cloth rags for bedding.

Sometime during the night the mama cat jumped up on our bed to snuggle with us, so I gave her some room. She came right up between our heads by our pillows. All at once I felt something small and wiggly! I jumped out of bed and screamed at my sister that the cat had brought a mouse into our bed! Both of us flew out of the bed and turned the lights on.

We threw the covers back, expecting to have to coral a mouse...but what we found instead was a brand new kitten! Boy, did we breathe a sigh of relief!

The mama cat had several kittens that night and one of them (which was one of my favorite cats I've ever had) was a little fluffy gray kitten that I named "Fuzzy".

Sadly, Fuzzy didn't get to live very long. A few months later my Dad accidentally ran over him with the tractor."

Credits:

Photo: Feral Kitten by Itshears @ Stock.xchng.com

Paper: Angela Sharrow's "Serenity Paper" @ Digital Freebies

Fonts: Belphebe; BethHand

Doodles: Kim Liddiard's Doodlicious brush set @ DSP

Baby Day!

2007-01-08T21:44:00.000-07:00

Today I got to babysit for my friend, E. She has the flu and decided to go to the doctor's office to get checked out. Baby I, is 3 months old now, and he is such a good baby! The girls and I get so excited when E calls to ask if we want to babysit.
Today I laid him on the floor by the Christmas tree (no...I haven't had the chance to take it down yet!). He coo-ed and googled over it, yelled at it, laughed at it.
It's so much fun, now that I'm out of baby stage (oh that sounds and feels weird!), to have friends just starting their families, bring their little ones over. And it's wonderful when they come back and pick them up and take them home. I love that I get to sleep through the night! I love to get my "baby fix" and then let them go home.

Treasured Ornaments

2007-01-07T17:02:00.000-07:00

Here is my latest layout...my "Treasured Ornaments". They are so precious! Enjoy!

Details:

Papers: Grungy Green Snowflakes; Antique gold Pattern by Valeri Brumfield @ DSP

Ribbon: Bits of the Season by Kim Liddiard @ DSP

Fonts: Selfish; Christmas

Sketch: by Berry Girld @ DSP

Snowflake: Michelle Coleman @ ScrapArtist.com

Brads: MJV @ SimplyCleanDigiScraps.com

Photo editing: by me using VP

Kids Say

2007-01-07T16:50:00.000-07:00

J (age 4) informed me the other day, as she was playing with my hair, that I would look really good in "pink" tails! I just love the things kids say!

First Posting!

2007-01-07T16:41:00.000-07:00

Here is the first entry in my new blog. I think this will be a fun thing. I am looking forward to sending out my scrapping layouts and general thoughts and ideas.