~ The couch cushions were in the boys' bedroom.

~ The dumps trucks were parked where the couch cushions should be.

~ A full glass of water sat in the middle of the kitchen floor (this I found with my foot).

~ My bed was somewhere under a weeks worth of clean, unfolded laundry.

~ The hamster was in the porta-crib.

That pretty much sums up my entire Monday.

Everything was displaced and scattered, including my own thoughts. . . things to accomplish, dates to schedule, wish lists, holidays, my own parenting skills (or the lack thereof), questions I wanted answered, realities I didn't want to face, etc, etc.


 
A sick, snotty, slobbery little girl


A flesh-eating, tantrum-throwing toddler


And a very, VERY, inquisitive 4-year-old...

...proved to be more that this mere mortal could endure. 

The day ended on a happy note.



This is Charlie.  Charlie is a girl. We didn't know that when we named her Charlie but the name has already stuck.  Aunt Karen called and asked us if we would like a puppy.  One had wandered onto her property and needed a home.  We went out to meet her and it was love at first sight for the boys.



This morning they piled out of bed and headed straight for the porch.  It was cold and they were still in there p.j.s and they hadn't even had breakfast.


Riley wasn't sure what to think of Charlie at first, but I have a strong feeling they're going to be good friends.

 
She does not want to be bothered with this whole "crawling" thing.  She turns, pivots, stretches, and pulls up, but she will not crawl!

It is late.  Tomorrow is a very busy day.  Good night.

The disaster didn't really have anything to do with casseroles... it was just what we were doing when the disaster occurred.  But I'm getting ahead of my self~

It was last Tuesday, the day of the big storm.  Jessica and the kids came over and we were going to spend the morning making dinners, cookie dough, and rolls to freeze.  We had finished up lunch and were making good progress checking off the items on our list, when I looked out the window and saw my gazebo drifting westward.  I went out to try to put it back in it's place but quickly realized it was much to big for me to move myself.  Grandpa W. was on his way over to say hi to the kiddos so I decided to wait until he arrived and have him help me move the gazebo back into place.  I came in through the front door and was greeted by three terrified boys and Jessica standing in the middle of the kitchen staring at me with wide eyes.

It took me a few seconds to grasp what had taken place but I noticed the smashed window and the rain pouring in onto the floor.

 

The gazebo had come loose and crashed into the window sending thousands of shards of glass all over our playroom.




This is the exact spot were Gideon and Gavin were playing when the window broke.  The Lord was looking out for those two boys that day, they both walked away with very minor cuts.  It could have been much worse.


We got the boys settled down with a movie.


The girls slept through most of it and when they finally woke up they played happily in Eliza's crib.

My husband was away on a business trip but both my Father-in-law and Dad rushed to my aid.  Jessica finished up the rest of the casseroles and cleaned my kitchen.  The glass got cleaned up and the window got patched thanks to my dad and brother.


The most difficult part about the whole disaster was the clean up.  There were thousands of class shards coating every toy we own.  Every toy, bucket, and bin had to be washed and rinsed.  I was standing outside in the down pour, hosing out large toy buckets.  I'm sure the neighbors thought I was crazy. 

The week without Daddy was long and tiring.  We had a little "welcome home Daddy" celebration on Friday night.  I set the table with the nice dishes, lit candles and had a special meal planned.


We ate apple crisp and ice cream by candle light. 


Much to their delight, Daddy was still home when they woke up the next morning.

After some snuggle time in bed we all got up and got ready to go to Apple Hill.




We took the tram to visit the various apple farms.








The fall colors were just starting to show but it was a little too warm that day.  I think we were all looking forward to wearing our sweatshirts and long-sleeved shirts but the 80 degree weather wouldn't cooperate.










We ended the day with fresh apple cider, caramel apples and a train ride around the goose pond.



It's bedtime now.  Time to put on p.j.s, read stories, brush teeth and say prayers.  Hope you all enjoy this beautiful October evening!

Sunday dinners~ back when we were still dating, I always loved when he would call on Saturday night and say "Mom says to come over for dinner after church."

 I loved going to Mary's house for dinner on Sunday.  I must confess, I often spent more time trying to guess what she had made for dinner than I did listening to the sermon.  It really didn't matter what it was because it was always good.  The smell would hit your nose the second you walked in the door.  Meat and gravy slow cooking in the oven, sweet tea brewing on the stove, and the table already set with an extra chair for me.  There was always plenty for seconds.  I would leave the table feeling warm and full, and then spend the rest of the afternoon lounging in the living room, taking turns reading the Sunday paper.

It occurred to me that my own children probably had very different Sunday memories~ like leaving church and deciding what fast food we were going to get.  Or coming home and clearing the cereal bowls off the table so we could eat our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  I decided it was time to start changing that.

I got up early and made an enchilada casserole.  I put it in the oven and asked my husband to set the time bake so it would be done at 12:15.  We got in the car after church and the boys immediately wanted to know where we were going for lunch.  "Home!" I said.  Jude said he wanted peanut butter and jelly for lunch and Gideon started to cry when I told him we were having enchiladas.  So far things where not going the way I had envisioned.  I was starting to think I should have spared myself the trouble of making dinner and slept in.

When we walked in the door the only smell that hit my nose was the smell of burning food.  I tossed the arm-load of church bags on the couch and ran toward to oven.  I opened the door fearing the worst... but the enchiladas where beautifully browned and bubbly.  My extra work was rewarded with pleases and thank-yous and requests for seconds and even third helpings!  Maybe we'll try to make a habit out of Sunday dinners




They were very excited to meet little Regan Rose!

My calendar and thermometer don't seem to be agreeing with each other.  The calendar says it's the end of September but the thermometer seems to think it's the middle of July.  I'm ready for crisp, cool weather and fall colors.




Uncle Rex let each of the boys pick out their own giant pumpkin to take home.  For the better part of a day I drove around town with over 150 lbs. worth of pumpkin in my van.  They look bright and cheerful on my front porch and they are a nice reminder that summer is indeed coming to and end.


This is the view from my kitchen sink~ what I look at while I wash dishes.  A sweet reminder of how much I am loved.

It amazes me and humbles me when I consider all of the times I have fallen short, let them down, lost my patience and yet they still want to pick me flowers.  I'm leaning a lot from my children.


 

It's not really gardening.

When I think about gardening I envision mowing a patch of green grass, trimming some hedges, and pulling small weeds out of the flower beds.

Yard work at my house is more like; "extreme gardening".  The weeds are as tall as I am and the lawn is a half an acre of weeds, mole hills, and pot holes.



I went to check the mail but I couldn't find the mailbox for all of the tumble weeds and over-grown sunflowers.  I decided I should probably do something about that, so I went out this morning to tame and conquer!

We've only been country folk for a little while so farm equipment is a bit thin on the ground around here.

But we make do...



This is my version of a tractor/trailer set up.  It's a tarp that I pile with weeds and drag to the back side of the property.



This is kind of silly.

Something I should have out-grown by now...

...but as I'm working I imagine that I'm like the frontier women of the old west.  Battling the elements and wilderness to carve out a home from 40 acres of untamed land.  Okay so it's really just 3 acres on the outskirts of town, and I'm usually in my ball cap, with my cell phone in my back pocket and a camera slung on my hip... but it helps pass the time.  Am I the only one who does that?


She's a good little companion.  Content to sit in the wagon with her sunhat and sunscreen on; watching me work and trying to grab Riley's tail as he walks by.


They don't realize it but their days of sitting on the porch while I work are numbered.


After I mowed the 2 foot tall weeds that is our front yard; I was looking forward to drinking the water bottle I had put in the frig earlier that morning.  That's when I saw my oldest son standing on the porch calling my name and trying to show me something he had in his hands.  As I got closer I discovered that he had picked me some flowers (weeds).  He went into the kitchen and got my water bottle out and used it as a vase for the flowers (weeds) he had picked for me.  It's at moments like that you realize the importance of being gracious.  He obviously wanted to do something nice for me... but I really wanted that bottle of water.  I patted him on the head and thanked him; then went inside and drank a nice big glass of lukewarm tap water.

 
(my camera was on the wrong setting so I didn't get a good picture of him)





 Filthy hardly describes what we look like after a day of yard work, and pictures really don't capture the extent of our filthiness.


 



A bath was in order.



Now for a nice long shower and a comfy chair to sit in!

So many babies being born these days!  Lots of baby showers and hospital visits, it's so fun but sometimes it can be difficult to keep coming up with unique and affordable gifts.  Here is a fun little project that I have made as gifts for my expecting friends and family members.



If you are interested in making some for your little one, here is a list of supplies you will need:

~ A package of onesies.  Any kind will do; long-sleeved, colored, striped... be creative!  I just used a package of 5 white Gerber onesies (they were about $8.00).

~ 3 or 4 scrap pieces of coordinating fabric.  You need very little material to make these, it's a good way to use up scrap material from other projects.

~ Several different kinds of trim (optional)

~Light weight HeatnBond, sold by the yard, at any craft and fabric store.  Again, you don't need very much.

~ An iron.  Make sure there is no water in your iron and set the heat setting on "wool".

~ Coordinating sewing thread and a sewing machine.  The sewing machine can be optional.  I use it to zig-zag around the edges of the cut-outs but you could use embroidery thread and do a "button-hole" stitch around the edge.

Step one:
First draw your pattern out onto a plain piece of paper.  Hearts, birds, apples, pears, stars, a sail boat...
Just remember to keep your shapes simple otherwise you won't be able to sew around them.  If you're not comfortable with making your own patterns you can find stencils at the craft store, or you can ask one of your "artsy" friends to draw up some patterns for you.  Keep in mind that this is a child's onesie; it's supposed to look a little funky...it adds to the charm

Step two:
Cut out a square of the HeatnBond and iron it onto the WRONG side of your material


Step three:
Trace your shape with a pencil onto the paper and cut it out.



Step four:
Remove the paper from the back of the shape.  It should just peel off easily.  If it doesn't that means the adhesive hasn't melted completely.  Stop peeling and iron it a little more until it comes of easily.


Step five:
Place your cut-out exactly were you want it to be on the onesie and then iron it until it sticks to the fabric.  It should just take a few seconds.


If you are not comfortable drawing patterns like birds or pears, you can simply cut out rectangle and square shapes and finish the edges with trim.


Step six:
Finally, take your sewing machine and set the stitch dial to zig-zag.  This is the most difficult part of the project.  The onesies are small and you have to navigate the presser foot around the shape.  Just be patient and go slow.

So maybe this all sounds like too much work. You can dress up some plain onesies by simply gluing some cute appliques under the neck of the onesie.  Just be sure to use washable, fabric glue.



Once you've mastered this there are a million different ways you can dress up your child's clothing.  A flower on the bottom of a plain jean skirt, stars or a truck on a t-shirt, a monogram letter on a hooded sweat-shirt...  you can have really unique clothes for pennies on the dollar.

Oh, I almost forgot!  This is for you Trisha...



The teddy version of my dolly pattern.