Dirt In My Oven

He Cooks Too!

2012-01-27T20:54:00.000-06:00

There's A New Member On Our Dish Crew

2012-01-11T13:29:00.000-06:00

What I see when I look down these days

2012-01-02T20:50:00.001-06:00

Adorable view, isn't it?

Who says we don't have lots of room for company?

2012-01-01T22:00:00.001-06:00

Stacked this way we can fit another 15 on the stairs alone!

Come and stay family and friends,we'll find a way to squeeze you in.

I conquered an item on my "Too Hard" list

2011-12-31T10:19:00.004-06:00

Do you have one of those?
A list of things that seem too hard to accomplish so you can't muster courage to even attempt them?

Well I do. And my husband frequently encourages me overcome and try.
On that list was something my family loves. Something reserved for a special treat because I found buying it expensive and not-so-very-healthy.

That something was crackers.

Notice I say was.
I tried making them. And you know what? they're not so hard after all. In fact, I liken them to making biscuits, and I do that all the time!
I tried a couple of recipes and tweaked them around until they met my criteria for food fit for my family to consume.
Consume them they do, it seems I can't keep enough of them on hand.

Without further ado, here's the recipes I use:

Wheat-Thin Like Crackers
3 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup butter
2 TBSP each: ground flax seed, oat bran, wheat germ
mix together well (I've heard a food processor works well, but I don't have one so I use my pastry blender).
Then add:
1 tsp honey
1/3 cup milk
2/3 cup water
Mix with hands to make a stiff dough.
Allow to rest for about 15 minutes.
Roll out very thin, sprinkle with sea salt, roll lightly to adhere salt.
Transfer to a cookie sheet and cut into squares. Alternately, you can hand small cookie cutters to your children and let them go to town, allowing them to think you're the coolest mom ever.
Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until golden brown -watch closely toward the end, you want them crisp, but not burnt!

Cheddar Crackers
8 ounces sharp or old cheddar cheese
1/4 cup butter
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 TBSP each: ground flax seed, oat bran, wheat germ
3/4 tsp salt
Mix well with pastry blender, then add:
2 TBSP water (more if needed)
Mix with hands to form a stiff dough.
Wrap in plastic and chill for 20 minutes
Roll out thin, transfer to cookie sheet and cut into squares, or, you know, cookie cutters.
Sometimes these stick so I use parchment paper on the cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until crispy.

If you try these I'd love to know about it, I hope your family enjoys them as much as mine does!

Look Who's Walking!

2011-12-31T09:46:00.002-06:00

It may have taken him awhile, but at sixteen and a half months he figured it out, and now he's off to the races. Go Levi!

A Small Snapshot Of Our Christmas

2011-12-30T20:48:00.007-06:00

First Christmas to be big enough to get in on the decorating action = delight!

Mom finally learning that she can just leave it the way the children decorate it = growth (or acceptance that it will all be rearranged tomorrow anyway so I may as well just leave it).
Little boy playing with new tractor Christmas morning = perfection
Want to know what elicited such an expression of delight?
Candy?
Toys?
Jewelry?

Did you guess it yet?

Cleaning Supplies!

Yes, I got each of my children their own squirt bottle and cloths for their stockings and the past few days have seen them cleaning for hours. I don't think the lower three feet of my walls, windows and cabinets have ever been so clean.
"What could this be?"
"Hmm..."
"Help me out here, sis, it might be scary"
"Oh, it's a car, awesome!"
"Now we will all sit on the couch and wonder why Heidi looks like a horse."
I had great fun making a few new items for the dress-up box this year and the girls agreed that shared presents are sometimes the best.
We also had quite a bit of acting going on around here this year.
We continued our tradition (started last year) of a daily advent for the month of December and this year our readings took us though the lineage of Christ. Starting with Him as a part of the triune God and continuing with Adam and Eve, key people such as Abraham, Isaac, Rahab, Ruth, and David, and on to Joseph and Mary.
Heidi also played the part of a shepherd in our church's Christmas program and in the few practices seemed to memorize every line. (I'm glad it was almost entirely scripture).
Between these two things, she had a pretty good grasp of the how it came about that Christ came to earth, took on flesh and dwelt among us.
How thrilling to see both my girls rejoicing that our Savior loved us and came to die in our place.
How exciting to see them realize that the true joy in Christmas comes through knowing that we can have eternal life through Him who rose from the dead!
Thank you Lord for the gift of a Babe. The gift of Yourself!

My Dashing Young Man

2011-12-27T21:59:00.000-06:00

Shh, Aunties, Don't tell the cousins.

2011-12-27T21:45:00.002-06:00

Hannah wanted to make a little ladybug for herself, her sister and each of her cousins today. I had her help me cut some felt, then climb on my lap to help me as I sewed. As we worked, we decided they would make nice "boo-boo buddies" so we filled them with rice to be placed in the freezer and pulled out when those little owies come along.
We also decided that Levi couldn't be left out, but he needed a turtle, not a ladybug.
Great idea Hannah, I'm sure your cousins will love their surprise!

Spoon People

2011-12-19T17:25:00.002-06:00

This was one of those crafts where I struggled to let go of the "right" way to do things and let the girls' creativity come through. In the end, I was happy I did. I was especially pleased with Hannah's adorable mouths and her insistence on "a skirt over the skirt" on the little girl.
Meet Hannah's Daddy and Little Girl, and Heidi's Momma and Grandmother.

What happens when I say "yes" to face paint... and forget I did so.

2011-12-19T10:29:00.001-06:00

Snowman-able Snow!

2011-12-18T21:07:00.003-06:00

It rarely appears here, yet right after Thanksgiving it did. We received snow we could make into snowmen!
Heidi worked hard rolling balls all over the yard and only required help to stack them together.
And thoroughly enjoyed the fruits of her labor for the rest of the day.

We made a Daddy trap...

2011-11-06T19:51:00.000-06:00

Now he CAN'T get out of bed!

My New Art Gallery

2011-10-21T19:36:00.003-05:00

Long have I bemoaned the fact that I had no "reasonable" space to display my children's artwork. My fridge front doesn't work for magnets. I've tried string and clothespins, but it always gets so stretched out. The girls love to tape things to the walls, but I don't like my paint getting peeled off too. Frames with clips sounded fun, but too expensive. Finally, I thought of something! Then I had to wait a couple months to go to a town with a dollar store. I purchased six clip boards, brought them home and painted them the color of an adjacent wall. I impressed myself by thinking of using twist ties to keep the clips open while painting so I could paint the whole thing. Karl suggested putting all the boards together and painting random shapes so you could see where they connected when separated, I liked the concept, but couldn't do it. I couldn't get the image of a branch out of my head, so that's what ended up on the boards. Not that it matters much anyway, they're here to display the work of much more important artists:

"Take A Picture For Grandpa Root"

2011-10-10T15:03:00.002-05:00

"We made a bench all by ourselves."
"Heidi banged it with a hammer."
"And Hannah held it securely so it wouldn't wiggle"
"It wary strong."
"And very stable, we can even stand on it!"
"We're wood bangers just like Grandpa Root!"

His first real word was "cat"

2011-10-10T14:37:00.004-05:00

We're discovering that Levi is an animal guy. He loves the chickens, the cat and he share a mutual adoration (this one is named Suckers, loves to ride on the stroller with him and has lasted three months, a record around here) and he's fascinated by the calves.
His favorite being this poor fellow who got his leg broken in the process of coming into the world. I think it's that he doesn't run when Levi comes near. Heidi calls him Gianni (said Johnny). The others are Tyrell, Zachary, River and Treehouse, and the big boys are Robinhood and Little John. I think the only thing more fun than naming things is allowing my children to do it for me.
I'm hoping this means lots of willing help with the farm chores in the future!

The Turkey Fairy

2011-10-10T14:11:00.002-05:00

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving from the Turkey Fairy!
If you look closely,you'll see that there are indeed turkeys behind her.
Wild turkeys.
Wild turkeys who hang with my chickens, eat their food, and join them in making a mess of our front steps.
Wild turkeys that we can't eat unless we buy a license that costs more than buying a turkey all ready to eat in the store.
Humph! But I'll move on.
My turkey fairy loved making her own hat, as did her sister,
and I had to agree, it complimented her wings quite well.

Beach Day... In October?

2011-10-06T21:23:00.002-05:00

We found this delightful little sandbar while out walking the other day, the girls were quickly enamored and hopeful for a day of swimming there.
I wasn't too confident that would be happening in Canada in October, but God provided a wonderful bit of Indian summer and we're working on enjoying it to the fullest.
I do believe it was warmer yesterday than it has been all summer in some of the years I've lived here. Warm, and windy.
Perfect weather for wading, digging and discovering treasures.

Levi was thrilled with the outing as well. Just don't tell him he's wearing a pink hat. It was the only one I could find on the way out the door and when I tried to remove it for pictures to save him future embarrassment, he cried.
Thank you, Lord, for a beautiful day!

Glorious October Walk

2011-10-04T22:29:00.003-05:00

Formal Gloves

2011-08-18T21:47:00.002-05:00

I did it! I finally found a way to make gloves for the dress up box that doesn't cost a lot of time or money.
A couple of hand-me-down stretchy camisoles and about fifteen minutes and they were accomplished.
My Heidi finally has her wish and is ecstatic.
Hannah's pretty thrilled too.

Garden Helpers

2011-08-13T11:15:00.001-05:00

Of all the chores a garden brings
I think watering
is the best
beloved of all.

SleepingBeauty

2011-08-13T11:11:00.002-05:00

Too grown up for regular naps, but still needs them occasionally, she takes them where she falls.

Celebrating Levi and Hannah

2011-08-13T10:17:00.006-05:00

In between Levi and Hannah's birthdays we had a joint party for them with Karl's family. My family was invited too, of course, but those two thousand miles between us got in the way again.
Hannah was SO proud to be having a birthday and be sung to, I thought she was going to pop!
Levi, as per family tradition got his first taste of Momma endorsed sugar (it will likely be awhile before he gets more).
He was a little unsure at first...
but soon decided he liked it.
And dug right in once he realized it was for him.

Afterward ,Daddy seemed to think he needed a bath, then it was on to the joys of wrapping paper.

Thus ends the birthday season of 2011, A whirlwind with all five family members crammed in a month and a half, but such fun while it lasts!

Hannah's Butterfly Birthday

2011-08-09T21:46:00.005-05:00

Hannah requested a butterfly birthday this year so the girls and I spent the past week or so crafting butterflies. They had so much fun with the project that I had plenty to fill the house with by Sunday's party.
When I asked Hannah what she wanted to eat at her party I always got the same answer:
"Melon. Melon and little butterfly cakes".
I wasn't so sure the daddies in attendance would be satisfied with a lunch of watermelon and cupcakes, so I pressed, "Isn't there anything else you want?"
"No, jus' melon and butterfly cake".
"Well, others might want something else".
"Oh, that otay, Momma, ofer people can have somfing else. I want melon."
Let me tell you, this was one little girl who thoroughly enjoyed her watermelon and butterfly cupcakes. She also loved being sung to.
For everyone else I made pizza with pepperoni I had cut into butterfly shapes with a cookie cutter.

We did some fun, easy crafts and I really enjoyed how laid back the day seemed.
The kids decided they wanted a canoe ride and Karl happily obliged...
with half a canoe.

For the pinata I merely painted a paper towel tube, filled it with candy, taped the ends shut and taped on wings. Easy to make, HARD to break open!

One of the favorite crafts was the butterfly masks.
I enjoyed watching all the children fluttering about afterward.
What a fun three year old birthday idea Hannah!

"I 'ree 'ear old now!"

2011-08-08T21:07:00.002-05:00

So said my darling Hannah all day today.
And she's right,
she really is three years old.
How did this happen?
I think I just finally got used to the idea of Heidi being that age.
Happy Birthday my adorable three year old!

Levi: 1 Year Old!

2011-08-02T17:31:00.001-05:00

On A Hot Day In July...

2011-07-30T09:27:00.003-05:00

There's nothing better than a mud puddle to cool off in.
I'm just glad they asked first so I got to choose their clothes.
And this is before they *really* got dirty.

No need to ask for a smile, though,
there were plenty of those to go around.
Thursday turned out to be bath night.

The Princesses And The Peeps

2011-07-28T21:57:00.004-05:00

More baby chicks! Only this time the purpose is to put their eggs on the table instead of themselves.
Heidi is beside herself with joy, she can't wait to find out which are the girls and have them grow up so she can have the responsibility of collecting the eggs.
What? Isn't this what everyone does with their baby bathtub?
We got an incubator and hatched this batch ourselves, making for some great learning opportunities for us all.
This is probably old news for anyone with any knowledge of chickens, but I didn't realize that the chicks start peeping before they ever come out of their shells.
Or that it takes 24 hours from first little tap tap taps to baby chick.
I'm hoping we have lots of little egg layers in there.

An Evening Swim

2011-07-18T22:17:00.001-05:00

My Darling Little Man

2011-07-18T22:13:00.001-05:00

Levi: 11 Months

2011-07-02T22:44:00.000-05:00

If You Give Girl A Watermelon...

2011-06-25T14:39:00.001-05:00

Heidi's Pioneer Party

2011-06-25T09:36:00.009-05:00

Having read the entire little house series, some of the Betsy-Tacy books, and thinking about reading Caddie Woodlawn, we determined an old fashioned pioneer party was in order for this years celebration of Heidi's birth. We made invitations from the same Holly Hobbie tracing kit I used for birthday invitations as a child.
We set up our screen tent with plenty of freshly picked wild flowers as decorations. Originally,I had pictured using only what the pioneers would have had access to for our table, but Heidi was insistent that birthdays meant balloon napkins and party hats, NOT bonnets!
She was delighted, however, to wear a pioneer dress.
Even little cousin dressed up for the party!
We started the party by making bread and strawberry jam and shaking cream into butter. As you can imagine, it was a little bit busy during that time frame, thus there are no pictures to document the cute little loaves of bread and jars of jam we made to send home with the guests.
I did manage to snap one before the party, however, of the little muslin dolls I made for the girls to take home (the boys made rafts, but I hadn't prepared very well, so they didn't turn out so well).
Heidi had requested that the girls all sew dresses by hand for the party. Since I wasn't prepared to help each girl make a full sized dress for herself, I suggested the dolls and sewing dresses for them seemed to go over just fine.
Heidi was a bit disappointed by the hair color for her doll. "I'm more strawberry blond Mom." I, however, was thrilled to have found a yarn color in the thrift store which represented something more akin to an actual hair color than the shock red I've had to make do with in the past.
We also slaughtered a chicken.
The insides of which were of great interest to the children.
Then, we snacked on bread, butter, jam, watermelon, and...
chocolate, chocolate, chocolate ice cream cake.

Heidi enjoyed her delightful gifts.

But the crowning event of the party, that which Heidi had anticipated with great longing, was washing clothes.
We brought out an old two basin laundry tub, a scrub board and a clothes line and let the kids enjoy.

It might seem like a bit much, but I'm afraid I overly enjoy planning parties around a theme. I had to work hard at holding myself back from making soap and candles and... well, you get the idea.
And, I love to make wonderful memories with these children that I love.
Happy fifth birthday Heidi!

Happy Birthday Heidi!

2011-06-23T23:05:00.002-05:00

Can it really have been five years ago that you made me a momma?
This time with you flies by much too fast.
I want to grasp each moment.
Hold it.
Cherish it.
Savor.
I blink, it's gone.
Instead of clinging to what I cannot keep, may I pour out.
Pour in.
To you.
To Hannah.
To Levi.
Show you True Life
That we might have an eternity in which to worship Him.
Together.

Levi's First Haircut

2011-06-06T22:04:00.003-05:00

I have the most adorable boy on earth (and no, I'm not biased), but even I could see his hair was getting a little long.
So I got out the scissors, set him on Daddy's lap, and went at it.
And I was amazed by what a grown-up looking little boy I had!

It Must Be Baby Week On The Farm

2011-06-06T21:20:00.005-05:00

First chicks, now we're trying again with kittens.
Meet Heidi's "Queen" and Hannah's "Flower" (she says it "wower"). We *think* they're girls.

We Call Him "The Roomboy"

2011-06-02T09:14:00.006-05:00

Since the advent of the scootch a couple of weeks ago, Levi has affectionately become known as the "Roomboy". Like the Roomba he cleans the floor in random patterns then returns to his base(Momma) for an energy refill.

Levi: 10 Months

2011-06-02T09:11:00.002-05:00

Hat courtesy of Uncle David.

A Slithery Friend

2011-05-31T16:24:00.001-05:00

Our New Arrivals

2011-05-31T10:56:00.005-05:00

"They 'lellow eben!" Was Hannah's delighted exclamation when the first chicks came out of the box. Yellow just happens to be Hannah's favorite color. And to have brand new, adorable chicks in that color? Beyond exciting.
And so, with our mail-order chicks, we are now chicken farmers. At least for the next couple months.
I think it'll be a good experience for our girls, but to be perfectly honest, I'm excited too.

My Little Seamstresses

2011-05-30T21:24:00.003-05:00

Heidi and Hannah made their own skirts this week! It's been a long-asked for project and I finally made it happen. They chose the fabric, determined the style, helped me measure and cut, put the pins in themselves, then sat on my lap and guided the fabric through while I operated the pedal.
I made them some shirts to match and I had two (very) orange girls.
and one bewildered looking little boy.
Who felt he needed to taste his sisters since he didn't get an orange outfit.
In the end, however, I think he approved.
Great job girls!

A Sping Walk

2011-05-27T20:58:00.000-05:00

Sisters Share

2011-05-27T20:54:00.001-05:00

...even the hard-won trophy of a captured frog.

Map Fun

2011-05-27T20:30:00.005-05:00

Maps seem to fascinate Heidi. The other day while driving home from her friend's house, she asked if we could draw a map of how to get to all of her friends houses. I thought it a grand idea and we did so immediately upon returning home. We talked about compasses and directions and she began to drive her fingers from one friends house to another, telling me when she was turning East, West, North or South. That gave me an idea. I sent her to get her hot wheels and put a large piece of paper on the floor.
I proceeded to draw a very large, very not to scale, map of our area, including the homes of a couple of friends.
Heidi and Hannah spent the next couple of hours coloring it in (making sure our driveway looked very muddy) and driving their cars from one place to the next.

What a lot of fun from a couple minutes worth of outlining and instruction on my part!

Dandelion Queens

2011-05-26T13:25:00.002-05:00

One of the princesses was happier than the other about having her picture taken. I'll leave you to determine who was who.
But if Momma cracks enough jokes, it gets harder and harder to hide that grin...
and before you know it, a little smile breaks through.

Marveling At The Wonders In The Ditch

2011-05-26T13:19:00.000-05:00

A Garden Of Our Own!

2011-05-25T21:03:00.005-05:00

The girls are the proud cultivators of their very own piece of land this year. It was planted, of course, with much fanfare.
I look forward to seeing what their little garden produces.

All Better

2011-05-25T20:57:00.002-05:00

This little fellow was a sick boy last week with fevers up to 104F and a very turbulent stomach. It's wonderful to see him exploring with enjoyment once again.

Searching Scripture Together

2011-05-25T20:49:00.001-05:00

"Then it goes 'vroom' like this"

2011-05-25T17:59:00.004-05:00

There's been lots of airplane building going on around here lately. Heidi has plans to build a craft large enough to transfer herself and all her friends to Grandpa and Grandma's house in California. (The boys have to sit in back because they're sometimes loud.) The only thing she's asked for Momma's help with is procuring batteries to make her cardboard engine run.

Easter 2011

2011-05-24T15:46:00.003-05:00

Easter was a little low key this year as I was fighting a kidney infection, but we did manage to do a few things to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior.
Heidi had asked if we could have an Easter tree since we have a Christmas tree every year. I was more than happy to work together with her on that and we decorated a branch from the yard with coffee filter butterflies and a"He is risen" banner.
(Thank you Auntie Summer for our beautiful gloves!)
We also made our own Easter baskets. Mostly from things I would ordinarily throw away.
We covered margarine containers with bunched coffee filters that the girls had dyed and wrapped electrical wire with floral tape for the handles.
I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome.
We also dyed eggs and had an egg hunt.
Then headed off to a family gathering where the girls were thrilled to hold baby cousin.
Mostly I was thrilled to have two little girls old enough to interact with and talk to about why we celebrate Easter and hear them praising God for sending His Son to die in our place and bringing Him back to life for eternity.

Mothers Day, 2011

2011-05-17T21:16:00.004-05:00

My Mothers' Day this year seemed like absolute perfection. Why? Because I got to spend it with my children and my wonderful man. Karl hasn't always been able to be around on those "special" days, and I've learned not to take it for granted. Around here we consider any day he can spend at home a Special day.
Karl thrilled me by having the girls help him make a coat rack to place at a little person hanging level. In a climate where it seems you need a light jacket six months of the year, and a parka the other six, I think he realized it might be handy for a Momma to not be the only one capable of hanging up said outerwear. Or maybe he just got tired of stepping over coats in the entrance and decided it would be easier to take it up with the kids instead of the Momma. Either way, it makes me happy!
He allowed the girls to choose the paint color... which explains why I now have a red and yellow board in my green entrance. Neither one was going to budge on the chance to have her favorite color displayed. Every time I see it I smile, it's just so "them"!
In the afternoon we went on a walk through "The Hundred Acre Woods" as Heidi calls the bush on our property. With much hilarity and splashing about in puddles they caught a frog and proudly displayed "her" for the camera before releasing her again.
While we had a wonderful walk, the trails are still rather... wet. How thankful I am for a stroller that can handle them!
Thank you Karl, Heidi, Hannah and Levi for loving me and making me feel special! It's the most incredible privilege in the world to be your wife and Momma!

I've Waited Ten Years For This

2011-05-11T10:08:00.000-05:00

When I was in Bible school I met a Canadian fellow who informed me that he had penguins and polar bears for pets. As I find penguins delightfully amusing I was interested. Interested enough, in fact, to say yes when he invited me to come for a visit over Easter break. I was excited, I would get to feed, play with and cuddle adorable little penguins!

Then I arrived. No penguins. "What is the meaning of this?" I asked. "Oh," he said, "Penguins are shy little creatures, you'll have to come back for a longer visit if you want them to get used to you and show themselves."

So I did. A year later I spent a month of my summer in Canada. Still no penguins. This time he claimed it was too hot, "Don't you know penguins hibernate in summer? Come back in fall."
I did, again for a month. This time he told me I'd have to show the penguins I was going to stick around for awhile and the best way to do that was to marry him.

I bought it. Six months later we were wed. I arrived at my new home eager to meet my pets, only to be informed that these creatures are so shy I would have to be here for five years before they would show their faces. I determined to patiently bide my time.

Five years passed. Then six. When I asked, he began muttering things about penguins abiding in the South pole and other such nonsense.

Seven years, and he began to question me. " I never really said anything about penguins, did I?"

Eight years of marriage, ten since my first visit to his home, and look what shows up:

Sure, it may not be what I originally had in mind, but I'm guessing this version is even better!

WOW! She married me for Penguins? I thought she married me for love! Well ... at least I know the bait was good. :~) --Karl

Wildflower Jelly

2011-05-10T21:36:00.002-05:00

The girls have been ecstatic about the arrival of the first flowers of Spring. They want to pick every bit of color they see and I'm beginning to run out of vase space so I decided to try a more creative use for their finds. Today we made jelly, both violet and dandelion. First, we had to pick lots and lots of flowers, approximately one cup of each (if you try this I would strongly suggest making sure the flowers you choose are indeed edible).

Nest we thoroughly rinsed the flowers, placed them in a glass jar and poured one cup of boiling water over them. We let that sit for a few hours then poured the mixture through a sieve, reserving the water and discarding the flowers.

Next was an eighth cup of lemon juice and two cups sugar and bringing the mixture to a boil. (I think wearing butterfly wings during this step is optional.)

When it was boiling we added half a package of liquid pectin and boiled for two more minutes.

Then came the canning, and even better,the taste-testing.

Mmmmmm... can we make it again?

Such pretty pink and yellow Spring color!

What We Did In California: Part 3

2011-05-07T17:31:00.006-05:00

Spring! Glorious Spring! That's what was waiting for us when we arrived. Of course it rained most of the time we were there, but when the sun did peep out, it SHONE!

The girls fed Grandpa and Grandma's ducks,

played on playgrounds,

and picked flowers with Papa.

They also flew kites

and hunted for bugs.

They made boats and floated them with Grandpa

and simply enjoyed the novelty of being outdoors without a parka.

What We Did In California: Part 2

2011-05-07T17:12:00.002-05:00

There was lots of riding bikes and learning to ride bikes ... and falling off bikes... on the days it wasn't raining. This, as you may have guessed was more Karl's department than mine. Through his encouragement, Heidi became a more confident rider and cousin Keira was able to leave her training wheels behind. Hannah spent more time sporting the headgear than actually riding, but seemed to enjoy every minute of it.

So did Heidi, how delightful to have spring while there was still snow on the ground back home!

What We Did In California: Part 1

2011-05-07T15:57:00.005-05:00

My purpose in going to California was to spend time with my family, and we did just that. Not a lot of visiting friends or going places this trip, just lots and lots of being with those we love. My girls loved getting to know their cousins better.

Aunt Summer was a little overrun with nieces and nephew.

All the Aunties and Uncles enjoyed meeting Levi.

Because, lets face it, he's just plain adorable!

I taught my sisters to make truffles.

Because with Summer headed back to the mission field in August it is highly essential that she have the skills necessary to survive any dire situation.

You know, like the lack of readily available quality chocolate.

And I helped Mom turn a bedroom turned storage room back to a bedroom again. She had done the hard part of sorting and cleaning. I got the fun sewing part of the job.

This toddler bed is actually made with a crib mattress on plywood placed over three Rubbermaid totes! I made a skirt to hide the totes, put together a quick quilt and covered pillows to tie in with the curtains I made for the windows and storage shelves.

It's amazing how much I can get done when I'm not the one doing all the cooking, dishes, laundry and childcare.

Where have I been?

2011-05-05T21:39:00.003-05:00

Want to know where I was for the month of April?
Here.
At home.
Recovering from the month of March.

Where was I in March, you ask?
Ah, now that is the question!
I had the tremendous blessing of being able to go "home" to California.

My children got to see their cousins, My parents got to see their grandchildren,

and our whole family got to be together again!

(although we didn't quite all get in the picture,my sister's husband wasn't there that day).

What a joy to spend time with those I love!

Levi: 9 Months

2011-05-02T22:12:00.001-05:00

Levi: 8 Months

2011-04-05T14:33:00.002-05:00

Yes, it's late again. Is it bad to admit that I didn't realize it was April?

Ready For Church

2011-03-05T15:20:00.001-06:00

This Year's Winter Coats

2011-03-03T18:58:00.002-06:00

Lightning "The" Queen Enters The Awana Grand Prix

2011-03-03T14:37:00.005-06:00

Levi: 7 Months

2011-03-03T13:53:00.000-06:00

Yes, this is a day late, but yesterday was beyond hectic.

Snow Girl

2011-02-15T15:24:00.002-06:00

We've had one day so far this year on which it was possible to make a snowman (usually it's too cold and dry so the snow won't stick together), sadly we had to be gone most of the day, but we did what we could once we got home and the girls pronounced their new friend a snow"girl".

Face Painting

2011-02-07T18:25:00.004-06:00

Perhaps our most loved project to date. We even made our own paint!

I adapted a recipe to use what I had on hand and it worked well.

For each color paint I used about :

1 tsp lotion

1/2 tsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp water

food coloring

and just mixed them all together.

The girls wanted to paint their own faces, so I let them.

Fun!

Drawing Ourselves

2011-02-07T16:54:00.002-06:00

I laid my kids on a big sheet of newsprint this week and drew around them. We cut out the outlines and the girls colored them in.

FUN self portraits!

Making Valentines

2011-02-05T20:16:00.002-06:00

For our Valentine cards this year I decided to use what we had around the house - quite literally - I had the girls pick up all the scraps of paper that were all over the floor (as they often seem to be with some scissor enthusiasts I have around here). Then we tore those scraps up even smaller and threw them in the blender, added some hot water and blended away. Apparently that part was really funny because Hannah couldn't stop giggling the whole time the blender was whirring. Next we stirred in some flower seeds. I found it humorous that what I had on hand were bachelor buttons and forget-me-nots.

Then the girls squished some more water out and formed the pulp into heart shapes.

Well, okay, I helped a bit with the forming.

They turned out quite cute, and the recipients can plant them in Spring.

Ice Thrones

2011-02-05T19:22:00.001-06:00

Painting Snow

2011-02-05T19:16:00.001-06:00

Levi: 6 Months

2011-02-02T17:12:00.000-06:00

Yes, he is a drooler, why do you ask?

Abundantly Beyond

2011-02-01T20:00:00.003-06:00

When Karl chose to act in faith and terminate his employ at the arena last spring we weren't sure where our income would come from.

We put our all into the farm...
and experienced total crop failure...
with no insurance.

And yet, God has provided.
Not only all our needs,
but some of our wants as well.

A couple months ago my trusty used oven, bought by my sisters as a housewarming gift when we moved into our home, decided to be a little over zealous in the heating department. As in I set it at 350, wondered why things were burning in a quarter their allotted time, checked and found the temperature to be 695.
I thanked God that He had blessed me with a wall unit a couple of years ago, determined that a new oven was not a need, and moved on with life.

Then, Karl went to the dump one Saturday last month and brought home this: Yes, that is a flat top stove/convection oven combo!

Karl wisely waited until after our dinner guests on Sunday had been fed before trying it out. It worked! The only things we could find wrong with it were a broken interior glass on the door and a bit of grime. I gave it a thorough scrubbing and Karl ordered and installed a new pane.

I now have two convection ovens at my disposal and a marvelously easy to clean stove top - and all it's cost us was the price of the door glass.

I am blessed and provided for. Even in the "wants" category!

Why didn't anyone tell me there were other things to eat in this world?

2011-01-31T21:23:00.003-06:00

Levi got his first taste of something other than Momma milk today. Being my third,I guess he's not as subject to paranoid Momma as my first was, so when the girls had pears and asked if he could too, I said "why not?" and got out my mesh fruit bag for him. 'Twas love at first taste and that pear disappeared!

How to have a picnic when it's -20 outside

2011-01-21T22:59:00.000-06:00

Lil' Chefs

2011-01-20T21:58:00.003-06:00

My girlies helping me make cookies in their new chef ensembles. Heidi's styled after her current favorite skirt in her favorite colors, and Hannah's in her favorite color and a bit more of Momma's style. They have oven mitts and hot pads too!

You Tell 'Em, Heidi!

2011-01-19T13:02:00.003-06:00

Heidi has discovered the power of signs. In stores they tell you where things are and what's on sale. On the road they tell you where you are, how fast you can go and how to get to where you're going. As with anything, she wanted in on the action. Telling people what to do? Writing? She's there! I was the happy recipient of this sign. It's for the mice, to let them know they're not welcome in my home. I love how she realized she was running out of room and improvised by doing a dot for the "O" instead of a big circle. Read and beware mice, disobey Heidi's sign and your life is in peril.

How We Go Out To Eat

2011-01-18T22:16:00.003-06:00

My Heidi has a host of incredible qualities, not the least of which is her determination and stick-to-it-ivness. Once she has an idea in her head, she will keep at it until it becomes a reality. Well, a few days ago she determined she needed to go to a restaurant for lunch and it needed to be McDonald's. (I guess that seems like a marvelous place when you're four years old and have only been there a handful of times).
I was NOT going to drive for an hour in the wind and snow and -20 temps with three sick kids just to take my girl out for a happy meal. Now, I may not do so well at persuading Heidi to abandon her ideas, I am, however, learning the fine art of providing a more appealing alternative. Enter McDonald's at our house! I got to be the cook (surprise, surprise) and she got to be the waitress (which apparently they have in her version of fast food places). We worked together on a menu for Daddy to peruse when he got home, then she put together a notepad and got dressed up so Daddy wouldn't recognize her when he got home.

To pull this remarkable feat off, she had to wear one of my maternity shirts with a ribbon belt and a backpack for a hat. Would you have guessed that was really Heidi under there? I didn't think so. Daddy said she was an incredible waitress.

Today she said she wants to go swimming in the house. How am I going to deal with that one?

Snow Fort

2011-01-18T17:49:00.003-06:00

Karl put a bit of the snow from the driveway into a pile... and invited the girls to help him hollow it out.

Looks fun, but that doorway is a wee bit small for my claustrophobic tendencies.

Now He Can Play More!

2011-01-18T16:58:00.002-06:00

The girls have been delighted to discover more games that Levi can participate in. Like kick the ball,

and sword fight!

Just Levi (or "E-bi" as Hannah calls him)

2011-01-18T16:30:00.002-06:00

Ice Towers

2011-01-16T20:32:00.002-06:00

I wish I could give credit where it was due for this project, but it's been a couple years since I saw it and tucked it away in my memory banks as a fun activity to do with my kids during our long winters. So to whoever thought this up, thank you! First we found lots of containers, filled them with warm water and food dye, then set them on the front porch to freeze overnight. (This is where we hope food dye doesn't kill our kitty who's been hanging around - knowing our luck, it just might!)

Next morning we brought out a bucket of warm water to dip each container in so we could then pop the ice out and make towers with it.

I poured a bit of the water between each "block" of the ice tower and it worked great as glue to stick it all together.

The towers look a little wobbly but are actually quite sturdy and haven't changed a bit in the few days they've been up. With our forecasted temperatures, I'm sure they'll stick around for awhile.

Now I'm having visions of trying it with buckets and building arches and things to walk through, or spelling things with sticks inside the ice. We'll see how ambitious I actually am!

Easy as ABC

2011-01-12T13:08:00.003-06:00

Teaching a child to read.
For some unknown reason, that has been my biggest fear as I've thought about homeschooling.
Then Heidi wanted to learn, and I thought she was ready.
We began.
Her with excitement, me with trepidation.
You know what? It's not as hard as I thought.
We have our bumps and rough spots, but she's steadily learning and improving in skill.

My favorite part?
Watching her as she comprehends a word she has read and voluntarily offers a definition or uses it in a sentence.

"Cat" - "We had a cat but it got stomped on by the calves and DIED!"
"take" - "I will take you in the ambulance"
"has" - "the wood has fire on it"
"kiss" - "I'm gonna kiss you!" (this one ends with laughter as she tries to attack me with kisses)
"walk" - "we go for a walk in the hundred acre woods" (her name for our bush)
"rag" -"Oh, like, my clothes are all in tatters"

"This is our Robot head!"

2011-01-08T19:00:00.001-06:00

Kitty Confessions

2011-01-05T19:47:00.004-06:00

I thought cats were supposed to have nine lives?
It seems the ones who come our way have used eight and a half of them.
Ever since the Great Mouse Invasion of the Winter of 2009/2010, I have desired a feline on the premises who could keep the outdoor rodent population to a minimum in an effort to keep the indoor rodent population at precisely ZERO. We tried bringing a kitten home, but soon determined a more mature cat would be more likely to survive Ruger's (our dog) curiosity. Kitten was given away. In the past three months we have brought home three nearly grown cats. All of whom have survived Ruger and yet, um, have not survived.
Miriam the First walked with us to the mail box and did not return.
Dandelion became a little too closely acquainted with the tire of the truck.
Miriam the Second discovered sleeping under calves' hoofs not conducive to keeping one's internal organs intact.
Is it really so hard to keep a cat alive?

We do have a stray who's been hanging around for a couple of weeks. I waver between hoping she'll stay and telling her to flee for her life.

The kids are really starting to hope for a pet who lasts more than two weeks.
Yesterday I bought them goldfish.

Me 'n My Boy, Levi: 5 Months

2011-01-02T22:02:00.002-06:00

My happy boy, he awakens me in the mornings with his laughter!

My little man and I with his Christmas present from the rest of us - a snake of every color according to Heidi's specifications. When stretched out, he's over six feet long. Heidi thought we needed to keep going, but I saw visions of stitching and stuffing all night Christmas Eve and called an end to it while still a manageable project.

Gingerbread Houses

2010-12-31T17:12:00.003-06:00

We've a tradition of putting on a gingerbread house decorating party every year in the weeks leading up to Christmas. When I announced it would soon be time,Heidi excitedly wanted to know when her cousins would be arriving. You see, we were in California last year and the cousins got to experience the fun together. I had to explain things wouldn't be able to work that way this year, but we did have some friends over and had a grand time!

Hannah concentrated very hard on getting things just right.

Yes, Karl actually grabbed the camera for a change!

I think my favorite part was watching how much personality dictated decorating style!

Christmas Candy

2010-12-31T16:18:00.002-06:00

I had help making my annual caramels for the first time this year.

Everyone learned about stove safety and that it's Momma 's turn when things get too hot.

We had great fun cooking, stirring and wrapping,

but the best part was the eating!

Included

2010-12-29T19:21:00.002-06:00

I love that my girls make sure to include Baby in their play. The game of choice lately has been "Tent".

Have you met our calves?

2010-12-29T17:37:00.002-06:00

They're destined for the freezer, but for now they live a cushy life in the greenhouse.

The girls love going with Daddy for their twice a day feedings.

When asked how old they are, Heidi will always volunteer that one was born on Sunday - leaving out the fact that the Sunday in question was at the beginning of November.

"Icicle Stew"

2010-12-29T17:26:00.002-06:00

"I'm making icicle stew, Momma, it's really yummy!"If I let her have her way, it's all she'd eat all winter.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T11:38:00.002-06:00

From our family to yours,

We hope you have a joyful day of celebrating God become man.

It Doesn't WorkThat Way

2010-12-21T17:53:00.002-06:00

Hannah, on her way to bed, notices she still has rubber bands in her hair.
"I take them out Momma." she says,and proceeds to do so before I have a chance to.
"Stop Hannah," I say, "you're ripping hair out too!"
"Oh," she says as she looks at the mass in her hands, then starts to place it strand by strand on top of her head, "It otay, I put it back"

Alphabet

2010-12-02T19:57:00.002-06:00

Heidi's been interested in all things reading and writing lately, so for the past couple of months we've been working on an alphabet for the wall. We finished last week and I can now just direct attention upwards when she has questions about the formation of a letter. I love that she is constantly wanting me to spell things out for her so she can write them, and that often her writing is for others. She loves to write letters to her cousins!

What makes me laugh is the words she deems necessary to record:

"Momma, how do you spell document?"

"How 'bout eternal?"

"Grandpa and Grandma Wagenhoffer and Grandpa and Grandma Root?"

What a world these 26 little letters will open for her!

Levi: 4 Months

2010-12-02T13:48:00.002-06:00

My little man graduated to his big boy crib and big boy chair this week.

He's loving the new view, but as you can see, he's still a bit on the short side for it.

Why, oh why, do they have to grow so fast?

Heidi's Sewing Again

2010-12-02T11:39:00.003-06:00

Heidi's been asking for a top sheet for her bed for a while now, but as she still sleeps in a toddler bed, they aren't readily available. I finally got around to cutting down an old sheet of Karl's and mine that I had saved for the purpose and she helped me sew them up for she and Hannah. Great job Heidi!

Advent

2010-12-01T21:05:00.003-06:00

As a family, we made 25 little stockings to mark the days from December 1-25. I stocked them with slips of paper containing verses about Christ coming to earth. Every night I plan to put a small treat for the girls in each stocking.On day 1 this seems to be a loved tradition already with Heidi asking me every couple of hours if it was the next day yet so we could look in the next stocking and learn what the paper says. My hope is to spread the wonder of celebrating God becoming man out over the entirety of December rather than save it all for a single day that is over much too quickly. I want Christmas to be about Christ for my children and want to build traditions which bring Him and what He has done for us to the forefront of our minds every day. I also want it to be fun and exciting for my children (and me) and so far this seems to include each of those elements. Hoorah!

Playing In The Blizzard

2010-11-30T16:24:00.004-06:00

I just sent my children out to play in a blizzard.
Was it wise? I don't know.
But I do know that I needed some quiet and they needed to run and get rid of some energy.
So I did it, and you know what? They haven't come back yet. They seem to be enjoying it in fact.
It's really not so bad here in the woods, surrounded by trees so the wind doesn't blow as hard. The snow is coming down sideways,however, and I'm thinking Heidi will sufficiently release cabin-fever-itis by trying to shovel a path to the door. The one that's covered by a large overhang yet had snow come rushing in when I opened it.
Yes,I just sent my children out to play in a blizzard, something my California self thought I'd never say.

I Love This Age

2010-11-24T18:17:00.002-06:00

The best reward for picking up toys is... mopping the floor!

Playing With Food

2010-11-24T18:06:00.002-06:00

Occasionally I break out of the rut of boring snacks and suppers and have a little more fun with food. This is the girls current favorite snack, Mr Crab: Cut the top off an apple,then cut the rest into eighths. One marshmallow broken in half plus two chocolate chips or raisins for the eyes.

Then just sit back and listen to exclamations of delight!

Pretty Princesses

2010-11-24T16:06:00.000-06:00