FINALLY -- Back to School pictures!!!

Here are the promised pictures from yesterday morning....

Although Nora insisted on bringing her backpack to wait for the bus with William, she didn't get to ride a bus yesterday.  On the first day of the school year, the pre-k students have orientation.  Gordon and I drove Nora to the school later on in the day.  We got to see Nora's new classroom and meet her new teacher.

 And then, today was Nora's first full (half) day of pre-k.  Ms. Wendy came by to pick her up right after lunch.

Doesn't she look so *little*??

Still no pics

I'm still trying to post the pictures I took yesterday morning.  I have tried NUMEROUS times.  Unfortunately for me, it appears that Blogger is experiencing server issues.  I keep getting the same server error message.

I will continue trying.  Hopefully it won't take much longer for Blogger to get their act together.  I'm getting REAL cranky that I can't post these pics.  A cranky Phyllis is NOT a good thing.

First Day of School, 2012

I've been trying to upload pictures of the kids from this morning.  I'm guessing most everyone out in Blogger World who has children is trying to do the same.  Blogger isn't cooperating very well.  I'll come back later to share those pics.  Don't forget to check in again to see them!

May Wonders Never Cease!

Guess who tried something new for the second day in a row?!?

AND LIKED IT, TOO!!!

That's right.  My Dianna just tried some hamsteak and decided she really liked it.  Not that I thought she wouldn't -- this is my girl who BEGS for me to fry up bacon.  I'm afraid to hope this will become a trend instead of a once-in-a-blue-moon sort of thing.

Quick.  Pinch me.  No, don't.  If this is a dream, I'd like to enjoy it a bit more.

The End of the World?!?

AHEM!  May I have your attention, please??  (Make sure you're sitting down while you read this...)

I'd like to announce that Miss Dianna tried something new for dinner tonight!  

What'd she try, you ask?  

I'll tell you, since there are far more things she DOESN'T already eat than there are things she does.

Dianna tried a piece of baked boneless, skinless chicken breast.  Baked just like I always do.  Seasoned,  as always, with a little onion powder, a little garlic powder, a dash of seasoned salt, and a little pat of butter.  The SAME EXACT chicken she's been turning her nose up at since she was a toddler.

Better yet -- guess who LIKED the chicken enough to EAT MORE?!?

I'm beginning to wonder if the Mayan calendar may be right afterall.  I never in a million years thought my second child would ever willingly try a food she's refused to eat for years.  And like it.

Another Nora-ism

Eleanor found a few coins this morning.  

All of the coins probably added up to a sum total of $0.32.  

She was very exuberant when she announced to me, "Mommy -- I found some monies!  I'M RICH!!!!"

Claiming family heirlooms

Yesterday, Grace decided to organize all of her back-to-school supplies.  For her binder, which is very plain, she decided to decorate a sheet of paper and slide it into the front.

Imagine my surprise when I looked at the kitchen table this morning and saw this:

I immediately called Grace to the kitchen.  I had the sinking feeling I knew what her answer to my next question would be, but I had to ask anyway.

"WHICH marker did you use to decorate your paper yesterday??"

My suspicions were confirmed.  She'd used one of the Sharpies from my computer desk.  Of ALL of the bajillion (washable) markers we have in the house, she grabbed one of two Sharpies from my desktop.

Did I say that we have a cajillion-zillion WASHABLE markers, sitting in a bucket just three feet away??

After trying to help Grace scrub her mark off the table with one of the sprays from his shop, I told Gordon to just leave it be.  I'll have to get used to seeing it there.  Maybe one day I'll refinish the table.

Gordon joked that, "Well, this means that Grace will have to take this when she moves out on her own."

Grace didn't understand at first, so we explained that since she'd left her mark on it, that it would have to be hers eventually.  (I quickly cautioned that she had BEST NOT leave her name anywhere else!)

Grace suddenly smiled and said, "Well, I guess William's gonna get the house -- he's left his name all over it!"

She's right.  There are lots of spots like this piece of door frame:

Five Days

In five more days, the kids will start school.

Gordon and I will take Nora to visit her classroom and meet her new teacher.

I'm excited.  I'm sad.  I can't decide WHAT I am.

Part of me thinks that it'll be great to finally get back into the routine of school.  Part of me is looking forward to getting tasks accomplished that I've been putting off all summer.  Like organizing the craft room.

Part of me is disappointed that the summer is coming to an end.  I worry that we didn't enjoy the summer to it's fullest potential.  I keep thinking that maybe we should have done this or that.  Maybe we should have spent more time riding bikes or playing outdoor games or hanging around the fire pit.

In five more days, I won't need to decide which side of the fence I'm on.  I'll be busy getting lunches and snacks packed.  I'll be taking pictures.  I'll be making sure everyone gets just one last kiss and hug from me as they walk out the door, ready to conquer the challenges they'll face.

And then I'll probably crumple up into a ball of tears.

Final Weekend of Camping!

This past weekend, we took our final camping trip of the summer.  This time, we planned to camp at the same time as some friends of ours.  As our luck would have it, it rained the first night and a good part of the next day.  This didn't ruin the good time we had -- camping with friends makes the drizzle just sort of disappear.

What to do on a rainy day of camping?  Scavenge for treasures!

....and then create necklaces and baubles with said scavenged items! 

What else is fun to do on a rainy day of camping?  A TEA PARTY -- in the back of Mom's van!

Of course, snuggling with Dad is always high on the list of fun things to do too.

And just plain old digging in the mud, too!

Can't forget that just being silly is fun too.  

 

Thankfully Sunday was a gorgeous day for the beach!  Here are a couple of pictures that my friend, Barb, took with her camera (I'd left mine at the campsite!).

I forgot just how much fun camping with friends can be!  We had an absolute blast camping with Barb, Dan, Maggie, and Ella.  I really hope we can plan a similar weekend (or maybe longer!) for next year.

A Day At the Lake

Will and Nora are both friends with two brothers, Talon and Owen.  Their mom and I wanted to get the kiddos together at some point during the summer.  We finally coordinated to get together last Thursday.  We all went to one of the beaches at a local lake.  The kids all had so much fun -- even my big girls!

Even the ducks wanted to join in on all the fun play!

Fair time fun!

A couple of weeks ago, our town held its annual fair.  Gordon and I decided to take the kids down that Sunday morning to check it out.  We first arrived shortly after the fairgrounds opened, so we had to wait for the rides to open.  As soon as the rides opened, the kids were begging to get tickets to ride.  

Predator

Since we've started letting Ashton and Dusty outside, they have become avid predators.  

They pounce and play with bugs all the time.  

They just LOVE being outdoors. 

I almost feel like Ashton was posing for me when I took all of these pictures yesterday.

Bugs!

Yesterday evening, our backyard was filled with what seemed like hundreds of dragonflies flying about.  Gordon noticed it first.  He called out for the rest of us to come see.  

While out admiring the dragonflies, I noticed something on the side of the shop.  From where I stood, I thought it was a leaf stuck there.  I wasn't wearing my glasses, mind you.  So I walked up closer, to make a better inspection.

It was a praying mantis!  I haven't seen one in years.  I remember the first time I ever did, I was scared spitless by it!!

The first time I saw one, it had flown into the car while Dad was driving down a dirt road in Vermont.  Mom glanced back when Pauline and I freaked out about it and told us it was just a grasshopper.  When we continued to freak out, Mom took a closer look and realized it wasn't just a grasshopper, that it was a praying mantis.  I was still freaked out about it, but kind of in awe of it too.

This guy was so much bigger than the one I remember from my childhood.  He stayed pretty still while the kids and I walked up close enough to check him out.  I wonder if he was as curious about us as we were about him.

Countdown to School

I started the official countdown to school toward the end of last week.

14 days and counting, in case you're curious.

It's crazy to think the summer is almost over already, but I am ready for the kids to go back.  I'm ready for the normalcy of our school-day routines.  I'm ready to get back into volunteering at the schools.

I'm not entirely done with the summer, though.  Just yesterday, I forced the kids outside with me and taught them how to play a game I played as a child.  Tomorrow, we'll be heading to a local lake with friends for the day.  This weekend, we'll be camping with other friends.

While I'm ready for school to start, I'll be sad when summer ends.  It's been a good summer.

William-ism

Fresh from William's mouth....just a few minutes ago....
William:  "I'm a please-machine!"
me:  "you are??"
William:  "yep.  Whenever anyone says 'please', I do whatever they ask!"

Good thing his mechanics are working properly -- Nora had just asked him to please move off the chair he was using. 

I wonder if I ask him to "please" clean his room, if it'll work?!?

First Horse Show

 This past Saturday, Grace participated in her first horse show.  She entered in the Western Walk/Trot classes (both pleasure and equitate), in the pole bender (trot only -- timed), and in a couple of games classes.  She was riding Shawnee, her friend Marina's horse.

I think she did REALLY well.  She came home with a ribbon from each class -- one second, two thirds, and two fifths.  Best of all, Grace now knows what to expect from a horse show.  I'm sure she'll be a lot less nervous next time.

See that riding helmet she's wearing?  It belonged to my sister, Rachel.  Rachel took riding lessons almost 30 years ago.  She generously offered to give her old helmets to Grace, who had been using random helmets at the stables up until now.  Grace and I both love that she now has her very own helmet to wear.

Homemade English Muffins

Last week, I tried out a friend's recipe for English Muffins.  They were SOOOO YUMMY!  They were also pretty easy to make.  I'll definitely be making these little gems again.



In case you're interested in trying the recipe out yourself, here it is:

English Muffins

1 cu. hot water
1/2 cu. milk
2 teas. honey
2 teas. salt
4 cu. flour
2 teas. instant yeast
3 Tbls. softened butter
cornmeal

Mix together water, milk, honey, and salt.  Add 2 cups of flour and the yeast.  Mix until you have a loose batter.

Cover the mixture and let rise for about 1 hr.  (double in size)

Add the butter and remainder of the flour.  Roll out dough on a surface sprinkled with cornmeal to about 1/2" thick and cut into circles.

Let rise until doubled.  Cook on a hot (about 350 degrees), well buttered griddle until they are light brown.

Turn once while cooking.

Now....here are some adjustments I think will make this recipe better/easier....
1.  Next time, I plan to roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface and then set the circles onto a sheet that has cornmeal sprinkled on it.
2.  I didn't butter my griddle -- I just sprayed non-stick spray on it.  Worked fine, IMO.
3.  I don't know if I allowed the circles to rest/rise long enough -- I'll definitely give them a longer rise time so that maybe we'll get bigger/deeper nooks & crannies.  (The taste was spot on, and I didn't mind that there weren't huge craters in the muffins, but Gordon would have liked for there to be bigger nooks & crannies)
4.  I sort of eyeballed when to flip the muffins.  I think a few of them could have cooked a bit longer.  I did some research of other similar recipes and found that most of them said to brown the muffins for 7-10mins (depending on which recipe!) per side.  I'm going to try timing it next time to see if there's a perfect time for each side to be cooked just right.

Possibilities

Every now and then I have to acknowledge just how blessed I am to have such a hardworking husband.  If it weren't for Gordon doing stuff like this:

(working on a sidejob out in the shop here at home)

I wouldn't be able to do all that I do.  I wouldn't be able to stay home with the kids.  I wouldn't be able to volunteer at the kids' schools.  I wouldn't be able to deliver the kids' forgotten lunch bags (even if/when they don't realize they'd forgotten them!). 

I couldn't be the wife/mom that I am if Gordon wasn't the supportive husband/dad that he is.