Snippets

Since I can't (or won't) make the time to update this poor blog properly, I can at least post the highlights of our lives over the last several months.

May: School ended on the 14th, which was also our sweet 16th Anniversary! I can't resist the urge to brag about Daniel's all A plus grades. Sorry. Memorial Day weekend found us in our RV heading to Delta to the annual ATV Rally. We had a blowout the night we started out from home so we had to head back to town, get some new tires and start out again the next day. We're so thankful it happened when and where it did and for the good Samaritans who heard the loud bang and came to help.

June: Molly started her baseball season as a New York Yankee (much to the dismay of her diehard Red Sox fan relatives.) We left on our major RV trip on the 18th. We covered over 7,600 miles from here, through Canada, down to WA, OR and CA, then back via NV, CA, OR, WA, Canada and home sweet home. I hope to get some pics and more details up soon.

July: We returned from our trip on the 17th. Molly finished out her baseball season. Daniel went to the Alaska Summer Research Academy up at the University for 12 days. He did the robotics module and had a great time. Lonny took half the kids to the air show at Elmendorf and Matt stayed behind to visit his cousin. I stayed home with the others so that Daniel and Nicholas could start Cross Country practice at the beginning of...
August: My dad had yet another intestinal blockage which required yet another surgery. Fortunately, this time it looks like the surgeon corrected the problems left behind by the previous surgeon so we all hope and pray that Dad does not ever have to go through that again. And now here it is fair time. We entered Samantha in the baby contest today which she did not win. No matter -we know who the cutest baby is! I really don't know why I wanted to enter her except that I had wanted to enter Ethan the past 2 years but always thought about it about a day too late. With that boy's overflowing personality, I feel sure he would've won something! :) So, since we paid the entry fee to get in, we decided to take the other kids tonight. We don't really DO the fair. Lonny just likes to do a brisk walk around, maybe get something to eat, and do the bare minimum of other things to keep the kids happy. The boys were okay with that but Miss Molly was not. I promised her we'd go together, just the two of us (maybe one or two little ones too) next year. That way we can take our time looking at all the animals, see all the booths, see the entries and ride a ride or two. Oh, and of course get some yummy food.

School starts all too soon and I cannot say that I am ready in the least. I am not mentally prepared or physically prepared. Hopefully I will be by the first day! I still have my head filled with berry picking, veggies, and home projects. Speaking of which...maybe tomorrow we'll start tearing out the big rock fireplace! Whoo hoo!

Ponderings

I heard some very sad news today about a Ketchikan pilot who died yesterday leaving behind a wife and four kids. I knew of the family and had met his wife before. News like this leaves me feeling almost as bereaved as if I had been close to the family. I couldn't stop thinking about it today. I just can't fathom the depth of grief and shock she and the kids must be dealing with right now. I cannot imagine having a husband one minute and then finding out that he's suddenly gone forever. Everything you had recently done together was for the last time. Your kids would be fatherless. I just cannot imagine what they're going through and what they will be going through for a long time. My thoughts and prayers are with the Murdocks. And I will hold my husband closer than ever.

Bloggity Blog Blog Blog...

I know, I know, I haven't posted in FOREVER! I have Molly's First Communion pics to post, and some cute ones of Ethan and Sam.

Right now I feel like sticking a vacuum cleaner into my ear and sucking out everything that is stuffing my head. I'm quite sure I have a sinus infection so first thing Monday, I'm going to the clinic to have my ears cleaned out and get some antibiotics. Blah.

I must say, apart from runny noses and stuffy heads, our summer is starting off very well with some fantastic weather! It's 74 degrees right now and it's 7pm!

We got lots done today. Lonny cleaned the carpet upstairs and I washed Abby and her bedding. I always like to wash carpet and dogs on the same day; it just makes sense. :) Lonny fixed some stuff on the RV and it's all ready to go.

Now it's off to our annual fast food outing. I think we deserve it.

School is out! (Daniel)

The title says it all! Complete freedom for three months! We can stay up late and wake up late! We can drive down the coast in an RV! I can stay up at the University for two weeks! Ah glorious relaxation.

Eastertide

Youth Group was in charge of the Easter Egg Hunt and party at church on Holy Saturday, so the boys helped set things up and hide eggs and then Molly and Ethan participated in the festivities. Molly won a giant pink stuffed bunny after finding 62 eggs!!! Ethan was happy with his 18, which Matthew helped him find. He's actually a pretty good searcher, for a toddler. Ethan, not Matt. :)

A Traditional Lenten Food...

A friend's facebook post gave a link to the origins of pretzels. Apparently, the ropes of dough were twisted to look like crossed arms which was the prayer stance of the time. They were invented by a monk and they were found to be a good food to give to the poor because they were nourishing and portable.
So...I made them on Holy Thursday and they were gobbled up in short order! They are sure to become one of our lenten traditions along with Hot Cross Buns which I also made last week. I didn't get a photo of them but they too were scrumptious!

Happiness is...

...hearing your precious toddler say his prayers for the first time. I figured he was listening but had no idea he had the whole thing memorized! What a sweet memory.

Farewell, Spring Break...

It is with great sadness that we bid adieu to a school-free week. In some ways it seemed to go by like greased lightning but, at the same time, our last day of school seems really long ago. I'm pleased by what I was able to accomplish during the break but I'm not sure that I'm ready for the school routine to start up again. For one thing, that hour we were robbed of last night has really done me in! I'm tired! I know, I know... I just love this time of night when there's no one else awake but me and no one needs anything from me. My hands, hips and lap are free!

Sammy's first birthday was today! I was able to sew her the traditional Puppy Towel at the traditional last minute and I think it came out very cute. We invited our neighbors, her Godparents, over for cake and ice cream and they brought her some books, among them the Corduroy board book and stuffy to go with it. Very nice gifts! We gave her a harbor seal Folkmanis puppet as well. Her cake was chocolate, of course, round, encircled by cupcakes like a flower. The middle had chocolate frosting covered by coconut and rainbow sprinkles and the cupcakes were also frosted and sprinkled with pink sugar. The birthday girl wore a sleeveless white dress with ladybugs on it and red tights. She also wore a tiara for a short time which she tolerated surprisingly well! She seemed to know that it was HER day and regaled us all with cherub cheeks and dimpled smiles. Goodbye infant, hello baby!

Phase 1 Completed

Much better, n'est-ce pas?

I progress....

In case anyone is wondering...yes, I have made a small amount of progress on the downstairs mess. If I took a picture, you wouldn't be able to tell that I've made any progress, but I know that I have. I'm sure I would've made palpable progress had my husband not been away for the long weekend and had I not been simultaneously potty -training our 2 year old and sleep-training our almost 1 year old. Not that I'm complaining (I've given that up for Lent. HA!) That's just life with kids.

What holds me back is that I still don't really have a plan for where everything should go yet. I've done a lot of sorting and have put lots of odds and ends into containers. The work remaining involves labeling and savvy storage solutions. I may even have a label maker purchase in my future. We'll see if the finished product eventually resembles the neat, organized and humbly elegant vision inside my head!

Before....

Okay, so it's a little embarrassing to show these photos of my hopeless-looking mess. The boys who occupy the downstairs will tell you that I rarely set foot down there, except to do laundry and when I do venture into their domain, I tend to sigh heavily and make whimpering sounds. I add to their mess by putting things down there that either a)don't have a home or b)have a home downstairs and I haven't bothered to put it all the way away.

I worked a little bit down there this afternoon while the littles were napping and the bookcase looks a little bit neater. It's a long process, of course, since I end up having to go through all the stuff and sort it and get rid of some and take some upstairs...yada, yada, yada. It didn't help that I fell off the counter while trying to get the last bottle of paint off the top shelf of the cupboard. The stool wasn't quite under my foot. Apart from a nasty-looking red patterned (from my sweater, I'm guessing) bruise on my back where I hit the drawer knob, a sore wrist, and a broken belt loop, I'm okay.

Too much inspiration, not enough perspiration

I've decided on a name for my current affliction. See above. Lately, I find myself perusing other blogs (for hours on end!), purchasing craft kits (to add to my collection of unused craft kits), and ordering more homeschool materials...all because they inspire me! I am on fire with inspiration! Only problem is, I have to actually do something with it all. I could be inspired for the entire school year and we still wouldn't have a whole lot to show off. Sad, but true.

What, oh what is the cure for this affliction? Discipline. I cringe but say it again...discipline. Self-discipline. Methinks I've just found my nemesis.

I'm going to try something: I'm going to post a goal on this blog (for my countless followers...hee hee) and then I'm going to post whether or not I have completed or attained the goal. Let's get a little perspiration going here! Okay...first goal is organizing the homeschool/arts/crafts stuff downstairs. I'm going to post a before picture either tomorrow afternoon or Saturday and then start tackling it. My ultimate aim is for the domino effect of an organized downstairs family room, then laundry room and then master bedroom closet. That probably doesn't seem to make much sense but I'll fill you in as I go.

Wish me luck!

Me just finishing my 5 kilometer relay. As you can probably see, It was very tiring.

Public School- Different ain't it? (Daniel)

On my first day of public school for 5 years I felt like I did on my first day of kindergarten- scared and a little bit weirded out by all the people. West Valley High was the most crowded place I'd been in for a long time. Looking back on the first day I realize it must have seemed more crowded because I was about shoulder height to everyone else. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. The teachers were nice, and, once I got to know them, the people were nice too. And, a semester later, Here I am! I have a lot of friends, I ski after school, and I get good grades. I look forward to World History Honors and English Honors next year, which I hope won't be to hard! German is especially fun: Ich habe mien Deutschclasse gern. Ihre seit verruckt. Skiing is going well. We just had Regional Championships in which I beat 3 people in the 10k, Although my team did come last in the 4X5k relay. I think I'm doing pretty well!

Science and History with Murals

I got a flash of inspiration yesterday. I had taped a long piece of freezer paper on the wall for Ethan to color on and started him off by drawing a couple of fish. As usually happens, Molly and Matt got interested in the project so I suggested they make an undersea scene. Before long, there were sharks devouring fish and octopi leaving clouds of ink behind them. Ethan had long since lost interest but the other two were having a great time.

As I was lying in bed last night, I got to thinking that we should do a more accurate undersea mural with more sheets of paper for the upper, middle and deepest layers of the ocean. We could research and look at lots of pictures to really get it right and then label things and illustrate different behaviors of the sea creatures. Then, (I pondered further) we could do murals for other habitats as well, such as desert and forest. More inspired by the minute, I thought we could also do history murals by either illustrating a timeline of a certain period or by illustrating a specific historic event. Heck, we could even do a book report mural! The possibilities are endless!

Now, stay tuned to find out if this spark of inspiration actually catches fire or simply burns out like the trivia game idea I was so excited about a couple of years ago. I still may try to do that....

The Procrastination List and The Someday List

I've been thinking a lot lately about things I'd like to do "some day." I've realized that I have two lists; one of things I would like to have done but don't really want to take the time to do - I call that one my procrastination list, and the other of things that I would like to do but perhaps don't have the time at this point in my life - my someday list.

When I think about my procrastination list, it's with a sigh and a sinking feeling of guilt. Items on this list include: organizing all my recipes
organizing craft supplies
cleaning out closets
moving files from one cabinet to another
cleaning out files
painting all the boring white walls
making curtains for the kids' rooms
You see what I mean about the sinking feeling?? Cleaning, organizing, painting and sewing are not things that I love to do. I love the feeling the finished product gives me but the process is tedious and often frustrating.

On the other hand, I get a feeling of creative euphoria when I think about my someday list. These items include: acquiring a flute so I can start playing again
learning how to play the piano
learning how to knit socks and mittens
knitting Christmas stockings for the family
knitting Icelandic sweaters
acquiring Nordic skis so I can get out there with the kids
hiking the trails around the area

I've found that it's just as easy to put off the things you want to do as the things you don't want to do. My various unused knitting patterns and paraphernalia are testament to that. Sometimes starting a project is the easy part and finishing it never seems to happen and sometimes it's difficult to get started, but once you jump that hurdle, the rest is easy. I love to daydream about how my house would look if I painted the walls that warm honey color. I even bought the paint! The thought of actually moving furniture, doing all the necessary prep, painting and clean-up makes me want to...keep on writing about it and never do it! So, I've lived with white walls for four long years. I hate white walls! Another problem of mine is deciding what to do first. I want to do it all, so I end up doing nothing. I suppose that all I can do is chip away at my procrastination list and as I find more free time in the next few years, reward myself with things on my someday list.

What's on your lists?

Crafty

I like to wile away the winter hours with quick projects like those above. This year I tried felting soap. I got the idea from Family Fun magazine, where I've gotten so very many other cute ideas. I actually had to stop subscribing to the magazine because I had stockpiled a surplus of crafts I want to try! I love natural fibers and thought the felted soap would make unique gifts. I did have some trouble with it. The hardest part was getting the contrasting stripe to stick to the main color. I suspect that needle felting would work, if I knew how to do it.

I bought a kit for the little pixie doll at my favorite local toy store, Enchanted Forest Toys. I just think they are so darn cute!! And I thought Sammy would be able to grab onto a small, squishy doll. She does seem to like it but I think a cotton yarn might be friendlier to her little gums so I intend to try a cotton version.

Window Stars

I finally got the gumption to try some of these really cool paper stars that I've admired on other people's windows over the years....They're surpisingly easy once you get the hang of them. Of course I only did the easier ones. I'd love to try some harder ones, eventually.

Neglect

Oh dear. It appears that I am too busy with Facebook to bother with my poor blog. I'm sure my few followers have given up on me by now. I could come up with a list of excuses but what good would that do? The simple truth is stated above. I would love to catch up on my blogging today since it is a dreary, cold day and my chores are nagging at me. Isn't that when we suddenly get a strong urge to blog? What I will do, though I would much rather succumb to my blogging urge, is build a cheery fire, make a cup of something hot, relax for a few minutes, and then put the last of the Christmas decorations away and clean the house. I wouldn't even do that much, sadly, if we were not having company for dinner!

I will try not to forget you, dear blog.