Well, as we enter Day #2 of Jackhammer Madness, this lady has a splitting headache and my patience virtue is a little lacking. I must confess that there were a few moments last night when I saw just how extensive the dust issue was that I almost lost it.
But then, sweet little Kaden just looked at me and said: “Well, Mommy. You’ve got me and Jesse to help you, and we’re pretty good workers.”
So….I put them to work.
And while I was giving Kaden free reign with the mop upstairs in our bedroom and letting Jesse make little puddles everywhere, I had this vivid flashback of one of our old home videos that we watched while we were up at Mom & Dad’s.
It was just a little video of Kaden dancing around our apartment in PA... but while we were watching it I was remembering ME back then. The woman that I was. It was only four years ago, but a lot changes in four years! Back then, I was a Mommy with an immaculate apartment that I kept meticulously clean. Back then, I only had one little boy who was gentle. And quiet. And neat. And organized. And obedient, for the most part.
And I had the corner on the market on pretty much ALL things parenting.
I can vividly remember watching my friend one apartment over with her three “crazy kids,” and I can remember being over there for only a very short amount of time before my head started to spin with the action. And the loudness. And the chaos.
And then I flashforward to today – to the here and now.
And I am her.
A six year old, one whirling dervish of a wild child, and one screamer of a one year old, later…..I’m there!
Four years ago in Phillly, if I saw one dust bunny roll across my floor - a full-blown house scrubbing ensued. And I assure you….I did it all by myself. Flashforward again to today, and I am honestly thankful for the help of my two littles – imperfect though the completion of the job may be. I don’t even care. I guess I’m growing.
Side by side we washed down walls, windows, bedding, blankets, floors, and all cookware that was exposed. And instead of the Littles stressing me and “getting in the way” I found them to be very comforting and honestly….very helpful.
And as far as having the corner on the market….on ANYTHING….the longer I am a mother, the more I realize I don’t know much at all, really. And with each successive child, I get increasingly humbled....with disturbing consistency! I’m actually starting to find it somewhat (honestly, just a VERY tiny bit) amusing.
I was talking to someone just this week who said that she is raising her kids to see all things as “absolutes” – black and white, all the way. And then I remembered a comment one of my other friends said.....she commented that the older she gets, the more “grey is becoming her favorite color!”
I kind of like that. Obviously, there are absolutes in life. But, I’m growing to love that second line of thinking. I’m changing. I’m growing. I’m morphing. I’m mellowing. I’m daily getting humbled. And stretched. And tired, to be honest. And….I’m starting not to worry so much about what other’s think about me. Or what I think about others, for that matter. I can spend my time in much better ways.
So, like the grey blanket of dust in my home, I'm really liking the color grey. It involves giving others a whole lot of grace - myself included. And that's kind of freeing in a dirty, dust-covered sort of way!
Eating Dust
Currently, as I am typing - this very moment - I am sitting amidst a plume of dust...
(See? It's true. hack. hack.)
...whilst "Husband and Friend" use an ear splitting jackhammer in our basement. Their mission that they have chosen to accept is to dig a one foot wide and one foot deep drainage system around the perimeter of the basement so that the NEXT time we get some heavy duty rain or some snow meltage, we will have no more flooding.
(GOOD times).
Plastic is up, towels and tape are around the doorways, and yet - once this whole thing is over - some major, MAJOR real early Spring cleaning is going to need to take place around here. EVERYTHING is covered in a thin film of dust.
And this is just Hour #1.
(Hmn. Fabulous. My home is cursing me).
The plus side in all of this - well, there are a few....
1. We had to organize the basement in order to do this. I LOVE to organize.
2. As a result, we threw away boatloads of junkaroo. We've only lived here for one year, but it's amazing the stuff that multiplies down there.
3. We also loaded up about 6 boxes of yardsale/transfer station worthy junkola, as well....so when the dust finally does settle, there's going to be some nice room down there.
4. AND we got pizza for lunch. That's always fun.
The down side in all of this, though, is...
1. The dust.
2. I HATE to dust.
3. This is why I do not own any knick knacky things.
4. I hate dusting almost as much as I hate ironing.
5. I think ironing is from the Devil.
But, the plus side in all of this.....
1. I'll have a really clean house in a few days, or weeks, or months. Not sure WHEN exactly.
2. I really don't mind cleaning.
3. And, it's time for all of the Christmasy stuff to come down, anyway, so I always go a little crazy when it's out with the old and in with the new.
4. So, this time, I'll just go REALLY crazy.
But, the down side in all of this, though, is.....
1. What if I wasn't feeling like going REALLY crazy this time?
2. I seem to remember that I wasn't planning to this year.
3. In fact, I'm quite sure that this wasn't to be the year for crazyness.
3. And the dust. Remember the dust?
It's mocking me........
(See? It's true. hack. hack.)
...whilst "Husband and Friend" use an ear splitting jackhammer in our basement. Their mission that they have chosen to accept is to dig a one foot wide and one foot deep drainage system around the perimeter of the basement so that the NEXT time we get some heavy duty rain or some snow meltage, we will have no more flooding.
(GOOD times).
Plastic is up, towels and tape are around the doorways, and yet - once this whole thing is over - some major, MAJOR real early Spring cleaning is going to need to take place around here. EVERYTHING is covered in a thin film of dust.
And this is just Hour #1.
(Hmn. Fabulous. My home is cursing me).
The plus side in all of this - well, there are a few....
1. We had to organize the basement in order to do this. I LOVE to organize.
2. As a result, we threw away boatloads of junkaroo. We've only lived here for one year, but it's amazing the stuff that multiplies down there.
3. We also loaded up about 6 boxes of yardsale/transfer station worthy junkola, as well....so when the dust finally does settle, there's going to be some nice room down there.
4. AND we got pizza for lunch. That's always fun.
The down side in all of this, though, is...
1. The dust.
2. I HATE to dust.
3. This is why I do not own any knick knacky things.
4. I hate dusting almost as much as I hate ironing.
5. I think ironing is from the Devil.
But, the plus side in all of this.....
1. I'll have a really clean house in a few days, or weeks, or months. Not sure WHEN exactly.
2. I really don't mind cleaning.
3. And, it's time for all of the Christmasy stuff to come down, anyway, so I always go a little crazy when it's out with the old and in with the new.
4. So, this time, I'll just go REALLY crazy.
But, the down side in all of this, though, is.....
1. What if I wasn't feeling like going REALLY crazy this time?
2. I seem to remember that I wasn't planning to this year.
3. In fact, I'm quite sure that this wasn't to be the year for crazyness.
3. And the dust. Remember the dust?
It's mocking me........
Christmas in the County
Well, we are back from the Land of Dial-up. No blogging, facebook, or email for a week - except for the one time we dialed-up and managed to do fourteen loads of laundry while we waited to connect. JUST KIDDING! .....Kind of. It wasn't THAT bad.
But that is one of the little things that actually does make it a whole different world up there. One of the reasons why I really love going "home" so much! Life slows waaaaay down. It's simple. And it's good.
This was the first Christmas in many years where both of my brother's families and my own were together under one roof celebrating all together. Aaron didn't make it the actual day of Christmas - he came in a few days later - but for a few days, we were all together - every last one of us. And we make quite a crew.....
The big plan was for all of us to go on a one horse open sleigh ride, but instead we got a few feet of snow, so we made our own fun....
THIS is Dad's "Christmas moose head carcass" that he put Christmas lights in - JUST for us! (Visions of nightmares dancing in their heads, methinks.....)
The large ones shot a couple of partridge! (I put these pics up for you, Rachel, since you've never seen one before! They look like small pheasants, see?)
We learned many new games, as well! Mancala is our new fave. So far, Kev and I are three for three....but who's counting?
And my nephew taught us RISK.
At 9:00 at night.
Holy Hannah.
Fun game, but CRAZY long.
And those kids don't sleep.
Long about Midnight, Kev and I are TRYING to die.
Put us out of our misery.....I need my bed.......
And Daddy-O.....this is him....he won't care that I put his pic on my blog.....he always comes up with some sort of hick craft for the boys to do to stay out of trouble. This here's a multi-purpose candle holder, a-yuh. Yessiree. See, you can use it for a candle holder OR these handy dandy bullet casings can serve as mighty fine pencil holders, too!
And he even let Jesse use the glue gun ALL by himself. While showering, I heard some yelling, some crying, the basement door opening and closing rather quickly.....and I knew that:
1. Jesse had burnt himself and
2. Dad was dunking his hand in a snowbank
3. It's all good.
4. Yeesh, Dad. Dude. You should KNOW that kid by now.....
And THIS is one of my most fave Christmas gifts! It's a pile of things to burn! But, look how cute everything is! I can't burn this!!
So, anyway....we are HOME.
Way overtired and overfed.
It was wonderful to have been with family. And it is wonderful to be back in our own little space and rhythm of life.
A very merry Christmas was had by all....and we still have one more to go with Kev's side of the family! Whew!
But that is one of the little things that actually does make it a whole different world up there. One of the reasons why I really love going "home" so much! Life slows waaaaay down. It's simple. And it's good.
This was the first Christmas in many years where both of my brother's families and my own were together under one roof celebrating all together. Aaron didn't make it the actual day of Christmas - he came in a few days later - but for a few days, we were all together - every last one of us. And we make quite a crew.....
The big plan was for all of us to go on a one horse open sleigh ride, but instead we got a few feet of snow, so we made our own fun....
THIS is Dad's "Christmas moose head carcass" that he put Christmas lights in - JUST for us! (Visions of nightmares dancing in their heads, methinks.....)
The large ones shot a couple of partridge! (I put these pics up for you, Rachel, since you've never seen one before! They look like small pheasants, see?)
We learned many new games, as well! Mancala is our new fave. So far, Kev and I are three for three....but who's counting?
And my nephew taught us RISK.
At 9:00 at night.
Holy Hannah.
Fun game, but CRAZY long.
And those kids don't sleep.
Long about Midnight, Kev and I are TRYING to die.
Put us out of our misery.....I need my bed.......
And Daddy-O.....this is him....he won't care that I put his pic on my blog.....he always comes up with some sort of hick craft for the boys to do to stay out of trouble. This here's a multi-purpose candle holder, a-yuh. Yessiree. See, you can use it for a candle holder OR these handy dandy bullet casings can serve as mighty fine pencil holders, too!
And he even let Jesse use the glue gun ALL by himself. While showering, I heard some yelling, some crying, the basement door opening and closing rather quickly.....and I knew that:
1. Jesse had burnt himself and
2. Dad was dunking his hand in a snowbank
3. It's all good.
4. Yeesh, Dad. Dude. You should KNOW that kid by now.....
And THIS is one of my most fave Christmas gifts! It's a pile of things to burn! But, look how cute everything is! I can't burn this!!
So, anyway....we are HOME.
Way overtired and overfed.
It was wonderful to have been with family. And it is wonderful to be back in our own little space and rhythm of life.
A very merry Christmas was had by all....and we still have one more to go with Kev's side of the family! Whew!
A Christmas Ditty
Twas two days before Christmas
When in Booker Land
Two big boys were making
One fine, large snowman!
He looks rather grumpy
His eyes aren't so cute.....
(My boys really hate
being in their snowsuits!)
The chickies were nestled all snug in their box
Trapped and enclosed - because of a fox
Their eggs are so yummy
I do love them so
Too bad that we lost some
That fox has to GO!
Thus endeth my ditty
My lyrics are bad!
It just ain't real pretty
...Hope your Christmas is RAD!
When in Booker Land
Two big boys were making
One fine, large snowman!
He looks rather grumpy
His eyes aren't so cute.....
(My boys really hate
being in their snowsuits!)
The chickies were nestled all snug in their box
Trapped and enclosed - because of a fox
Their eggs are so yummy
I do love them so
Too bad that we lost some
That fox has to GO!
Thus endeth my ditty
My lyrics are bad!
It just ain't real pretty
...Hope your Christmas is RAD!
Blessed Beyond Measure
Whenever I know that we are about to accumulate more STUFF, I start to get a little panicky. I HATE clutter. I am a minimalist. Stuff stresses me, and it makes me grumpy. So I want to purge. Today was one of those days.....
All that aside....
I am trying so hard to ingrain (engrain?) into my little boys' hearts just how very blessed we are. We need NOTHING! We have "exceedingly and abundantly above and beyond ALL that we could ever ask for or imagine."
And there are many - OH so many - little boys and girls who have nothing.
Both of my boys are tender-hearts. They both feel things really deeply. They initiate conversations like this of their own accord a lot. So, today, I thought we'd all do something about it. Smallscale, for sure. But, something nonetheless.
We systematically went through their bedroom - toy by toy, and we assessed whether we should keep it, chuck it, or give it away. I have two little extremes when it comes to doing something like this. One of my boys is a wee bit of a hoarder, and the other wants to give away the gifts we just gave him a few days ago. Hey - he doesn't even want to keep his bed! So, we're working on balance, here.....
Two bags of trash and one box of pretty nice toys later, we have a much more organized and tidy room. And today, we're taking everything over to the transfer station, we're going to line everything up on the table, and we're going to hope and pray that some needy little family comes in and finds a few perfect, FREE little Christmas gifts for their little ones.
Truthfully, I wish there were three or four boxes of toys to take to the transfer station. Honestly, I was hoping for a little more willingness to part with some of their treasures. But, I AM proud of them.
Filling one box of toys when there is still a bedroom FULL of treasures is a small gesture, I know. But small gestures add up to big ones.
And, if I can just keep this constantly in the forefront of their little hearts and minds, if they can begin to learn to give things away - and even buy things with their own money for others - of their own accord, they will grow to be more selfless and loving. They will see with the eyes of their Savior. They will feel with tender hearts that break easily for the suffering of others. They will learn that it REALLY IS more blessed to give than to receive. And they will hold their things loosely realizing that all that they have is only a gift on loan.
All that aside....
I am trying so hard to ingrain (engrain?) into my little boys' hearts just how very blessed we are. We need NOTHING! We have "exceedingly and abundantly above and beyond ALL that we could ever ask for or imagine."
And there are many - OH so many - little boys and girls who have nothing.
Both of my boys are tender-hearts. They both feel things really deeply. They initiate conversations like this of their own accord a lot. So, today, I thought we'd all do something about it. Smallscale, for sure. But, something nonetheless.
We systematically went through their bedroom - toy by toy, and we assessed whether we should keep it, chuck it, or give it away. I have two little extremes when it comes to doing something like this. One of my boys is a wee bit of a hoarder, and the other wants to give away the gifts we just gave him a few days ago. Hey - he doesn't even want to keep his bed! So, we're working on balance, here.....
Two bags of trash and one box of pretty nice toys later, we have a much more organized and tidy room. And today, we're taking everything over to the transfer station, we're going to line everything up on the table, and we're going to hope and pray that some needy little family comes in and finds a few perfect, FREE little Christmas gifts for their little ones.
Truthfully, I wish there were three or four boxes of toys to take to the transfer station. Honestly, I was hoping for a little more willingness to part with some of their treasures. But, I AM proud of them.
Filling one box of toys when there is still a bedroom FULL of treasures is a small gesture, I know. But small gestures add up to big ones.
And, if I can just keep this constantly in the forefront of their little hearts and minds, if they can begin to learn to give things away - and even buy things with their own money for others - of their own accord, they will grow to be more selfless and loving. They will see with the eyes of their Savior. They will feel with tender hearts that break easily for the suffering of others. They will learn that it REALLY IS more blessed to give than to receive. And they will hold their things loosely realizing that all that they have is only a gift on loan.
My Heart in Their Hands
We took a break from traditional holiday baking this week and made some mini pies for a fun, festive mid-day treat.
The boys particularly loved double dipping their spitty fingers into the pie filling...
We made a basic pie crust, cracked open a can of pie filling, and cut out simple little shapes.
Voila!
Super cute and delish. A wee token of my love for them.....
Easy - relatively healthy - crust recipe:
1 cup flour (spelt, unbleached white, or wheat - or a blend if you're feeling sassy)
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/3 cup olive oil
4 TBlsp. cold water
Roll out crust and cut into desired shapes.
Put filling in the middle.
Make an egg wash out of 1 whisked egg and 1 tsp. water - use this to "glue" the two peices of crust together and then "paint" the top of your mini pie.
Sprinkle raw sugar on the top.
Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
The boys particularly loved double dipping their spitty fingers into the pie filling...
We made a basic pie crust, cracked open a can of pie filling, and cut out simple little shapes.
Voila!
Super cute and delish. A wee token of my love for them.....
Easy - relatively healthy - crust recipe:
1 cup flour (spelt, unbleached white, or wheat - or a blend if you're feeling sassy)
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/3 cup olive oil
4 TBlsp. cold water
Roll out crust and cut into desired shapes.
Put filling in the middle.
Make an egg wash out of 1 whisked egg and 1 tsp. water - use this to "glue" the two peices of crust together and then "paint" the top of your mini pie.
Sprinkle raw sugar on the top.
Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
In Other News......
Well, let's see. I completely embarassed myself on Facebook these past couple of days. I tried to tag my friends and family in our Christmas letter, and I somehow managed to not only tag some of them 20+ times but I completely missed many others! How did that HAPPEN???
And the kicker for me was that I thought this would save me boatloads of time. Not so much. On my first attempt (which felt like it took hours), I tagged EVERYONE on my list. But, I later realized that Facebook only lets you tag a certain number of people per note. Who knew? Obviously, not me. So, then I just tagged people in batches of twenty. I guess this was my mistake. Because then, not only were people getting tagged, they were also seeing it in their news feeds and in other's news feeds, to boot! Holy Heavens. That was embarassing!
Anyway....I'm over it.
The BIG news is what went down at my work Christmas party last night. For about two months now - just one shift a week - I've been working at a local restaurant right here in my area. My reasons are NOT to "just get out of the house," as most people think. I assure you - if I just needed a break, I would go and catch a movie with a friend - not run my tail off. But, I do love waitressing, AND it gets us some gas and groceries. More on that later.....
SO. We had this rockin' Christmas party last night that our boss gave for all three of his restaurants that he owns. He seriously threw down some mucho buckaroos for this thing! All employees were allowed to bring a guest, so Kevy and I got a really fun date out on the town. Except, I'm getting old, and supper didn't even start until 8:00. I had to drink MANY cups of coffee.....
Anyway - oh my word - I have a really big point, here. I just can't seem to get to it. SO - have you ever seen the game show "A Minute to Win It?" I've never seen it, but I've heard about it. ALL of the employees had to play the first game - "Hanky Panky." The top two from each store who were able to pull out their tissues - one by one - from their boxes first, went on to the next rounds. WELL - guess who killed it for the Hampden branch??? That's right. Just call me the Tissue Queen! OH - AND we each found a $50 hiding in our tissue box! Sa-weet!
So, then the six of us moved on with each game getting increasingly more difficult - AND embarassing, I might add. The prizes were nuts - a camcorder, a new camera, PS2, 4G IPOD, an IPAD touch, and a 50" 3-D flatscreen t.v. with 3-D glasses and tons of movies etc. etc.
Anyway - super long story short, I came in 4th place and won a Nikon Coolpix camera with a 16 gb memory card and case. Pretty sweet. I got the worst time on the game where you're blindfolded and you have to get a lampshade that's attached to a super long fishing pole to sit on your head for 3 seconds. I got mine swinging way behind me and COULD not for the life of me get that thing on my noggin. I knew going into it that I was not going to do so hot. I have NO hand eye coordination to begin with - being blindfolded added to that beauty. AND I have no depth perception whatsoever. This was NOT the game for me. It took me almost a minute and a half. Very bad.
I love that camera, but I hate to lose! I'm so competative. My consolation, though, is that the person with the 2nd worst time was my fellow co-worker, and I would have felt bad to see her disqualified. AND she went on to win the top prize and brought home the t.v. Pretty cool. Also, it probably wouldn't have sat well with people if the newest girl brought home the biggest win. My co-worker is a sweet little young single Mama who's had a pretty rough go at life, and she deserved this. So, that makes me feel good.
But I really REALLY do hate to lose. I had dreams about that dumb game all last night! Don't get me wrong - I had NO desire for that honkin' t.v. I just wanted the satisfaction of being the winner! Pathetic, I know. But, I play for blood in UNO. Just ask Kevy.....
All in all - a super fun night out with my man, and some pretty sweet prizes to come home with. A very merry Christmas party, indeed!
....And NEXT year, I won't be the newby anymore, so watch out!!!
And the kicker for me was that I thought this would save me boatloads of time. Not so much. On my first attempt (which felt like it took hours), I tagged EVERYONE on my list. But, I later realized that Facebook only lets you tag a certain number of people per note. Who knew? Obviously, not me. So, then I just tagged people in batches of twenty. I guess this was my mistake. Because then, not only were people getting tagged, they were also seeing it in their news feeds and in other's news feeds, to boot! Holy Heavens. That was embarassing!
Anyway....I'm over it.
The BIG news is what went down at my work Christmas party last night. For about two months now - just one shift a week - I've been working at a local restaurant right here in my area. My reasons are NOT to "just get out of the house," as most people think. I assure you - if I just needed a break, I would go and catch a movie with a friend - not run my tail off. But, I do love waitressing, AND it gets us some gas and groceries. More on that later.....
SO. We had this rockin' Christmas party last night that our boss gave for all three of his restaurants that he owns. He seriously threw down some mucho buckaroos for this thing! All employees were allowed to bring a guest, so Kevy and I got a really fun date out on the town. Except, I'm getting old, and supper didn't even start until 8:00. I had to drink MANY cups of coffee.....
Anyway - oh my word - I have a really big point, here. I just can't seem to get to it. SO - have you ever seen the game show "A Minute to Win It?" I've never seen it, but I've heard about it. ALL of the employees had to play the first game - "Hanky Panky." The top two from each store who were able to pull out their tissues - one by one - from their boxes first, went on to the next rounds. WELL - guess who killed it for the Hampden branch??? That's right. Just call me the Tissue Queen! OH - AND we each found a $50 hiding in our tissue box! Sa-weet!
So, then the six of us moved on with each game getting increasingly more difficult - AND embarassing, I might add. The prizes were nuts - a camcorder, a new camera, PS2, 4G IPOD, an IPAD touch, and a 50" 3-D flatscreen t.v. with 3-D glasses and tons of movies etc. etc.
Anyway - super long story short, I came in 4th place and won a Nikon Coolpix camera with a 16 gb memory card and case. Pretty sweet. I got the worst time on the game where you're blindfolded and you have to get a lampshade that's attached to a super long fishing pole to sit on your head for 3 seconds. I got mine swinging way behind me and COULD not for the life of me get that thing on my noggin. I knew going into it that I was not going to do so hot. I have NO hand eye coordination to begin with - being blindfolded added to that beauty. AND I have no depth perception whatsoever. This was NOT the game for me. It took me almost a minute and a half. Very bad.
I love that camera, but I hate to lose! I'm so competative. My consolation, though, is that the person with the 2nd worst time was my fellow co-worker, and I would have felt bad to see her disqualified. AND she went on to win the top prize and brought home the t.v. Pretty cool. Also, it probably wouldn't have sat well with people if the newest girl brought home the biggest win. My co-worker is a sweet little young single Mama who's had a pretty rough go at life, and she deserved this. So, that makes me feel good.
But I really REALLY do hate to lose. I had dreams about that dumb game all last night! Don't get me wrong - I had NO desire for that honkin' t.v. I just wanted the satisfaction of being the winner! Pathetic, I know. But, I play for blood in UNO. Just ask Kevy.....
All in all - a super fun night out with my man, and some pretty sweet prizes to come home with. A very merry Christmas party, indeed!
....And NEXT year, I won't be the newby anymore, so watch out!!!
Peep and Quack
Well.....
My two duckies are no more.....
Kevy found them out in the back field this morning......
And then we picked up pics of the predator on his trail cam out back.
Such is the cycle of life - of predators and prey.
My Littles surely have learned a lot about death this fall - between the turkey, Daddy's deer, one of our chickies, and now my boys...
We told them about it over supper. None of the details, of course - but we felt it best to tell them the truth. Death is an unavoidable part of life and a risk we have to be willing to take if we want to let anything - or anyone, for that matter - into our hearts.
They took it okay. I can tell that Kaden, especially, is sad, and that he's still processing. And I'm sure there will still be questions. But, an order has already been placed for two new babies in the spring. We shall see.....
This brings back SO many memories of my childhood! We raised chickens to eat - not just for their eggs. We got attached, and then Dad made us pluck them! Horrors! And we raised our own turkeys and pigs to eat and sell, as well. You can't help but get attached at least a little bit. I can still remember Mom & Dad waking us up in the middle of the night to watch the piglets be born. That is one of my clearest memories as a really little girl. And I can remember crying after each one got sold, too! And the amount of dogs we went through as kids - horrible, tragic deaths....a whole lot of sadness, really.
But, I still look back at the memories of all of our animals - both our farm animals and our pets - and those are still some of the BEST memories of my childhood.
The boys and I talked tonight, and we agreed - the sadness really is worth it!
So, we shall see what the rest of the winter holds for us and our girls. And maybe we shall start afresh and anew in the spring.
And maybe we'll also have a little foxy pelt hanging on our bedroom wall before the winter is over.......
My two duckies are no more.....
Kevy found them out in the back field this morning......
And then we picked up pics of the predator on his trail cam out back.
Such is the cycle of life - of predators and prey.
My Littles surely have learned a lot about death this fall - between the turkey, Daddy's deer, one of our chickies, and now my boys...
We told them about it over supper. None of the details, of course - but we felt it best to tell them the truth. Death is an unavoidable part of life and a risk we have to be willing to take if we want to let anything - or anyone, for that matter - into our hearts.
They took it okay. I can tell that Kaden, especially, is sad, and that he's still processing. And I'm sure there will still be questions. But, an order has already been placed for two new babies in the spring. We shall see.....
This brings back SO many memories of my childhood! We raised chickens to eat - not just for their eggs. We got attached, and then Dad made us pluck them! Horrors! And we raised our own turkeys and pigs to eat and sell, as well. You can't help but get attached at least a little bit. I can still remember Mom & Dad waking us up in the middle of the night to watch the piglets be born. That is one of my clearest memories as a really little girl. And I can remember crying after each one got sold, too! And the amount of dogs we went through as kids - horrible, tragic deaths....a whole lot of sadness, really.
But, I still look back at the memories of all of our animals - both our farm animals and our pets - and those are still some of the BEST memories of my childhood.
The boys and I talked tonight, and we agreed - the sadness really is worth it!
So, we shall see what the rest of the winter holds for us and our girls. And maybe we shall start afresh and anew in the spring.
And maybe we'll also have a little foxy pelt hanging on our bedroom wall before the winter is over.......
Inquiring Minds.....
I guess I never really explained why we do Christmas with our little family when we do it....why we do when we do it....sounds catchy.
Anyhoo... we started this tradition way back in our first year of marriage. We always celebrate with my family (which is a two hour drive away) on Christmas Day, and we celebrate with Kev's side of the family on New Year's Day. This has been the extended family tradition since we tied the knot. And we love it.
But we decided early on - way before kids even - that we wanted to do our own thing on a completely separate day from all the rest and establish our own family traditions rather than have them get completely absorbed in with the others. Plus, once our kids came along, we would have all the more reason to want to do this, AND we liked the idea of spreading out all of the celebrating and gift giving so that it would not be so overwhelming to the kids, as well! I think we're all able to enjoy it more this way.
And thus the tradition began.
We almost always celebrate on the weekend before. Kev has Fridays off, so we were originally going to have our Christmas Eve on Friday and our Christmas TODAY. But, he thought why not have our big shebang on Friday and then we have another whole day to just completely veg out and play before the busyness of Sunday and then the start of a whole new week.
So, that's pretty much it. There is a method to our madness!
Wee, though it may be.......
Anyhoo... we started this tradition way back in our first year of marriage. We always celebrate with my family (which is a two hour drive away) on Christmas Day, and we celebrate with Kev's side of the family on New Year's Day. This has been the extended family tradition since we tied the knot. And we love it.
But we decided early on - way before kids even - that we wanted to do our own thing on a completely separate day from all the rest and establish our own family traditions rather than have them get completely absorbed in with the others. Plus, once our kids came along, we would have all the more reason to want to do this, AND we liked the idea of spreading out all of the celebrating and gift giving so that it would not be so overwhelming to the kids, as well! I think we're all able to enjoy it more this way.
And thus the tradition began.
We almost always celebrate on the weekend before. Kev has Fridays off, so we were originally going to have our Christmas Eve on Friday and our Christmas TODAY. But, he thought why not have our big shebang on Friday and then we have another whole day to just completely veg out and play before the busyness of Sunday and then the start of a whole new week.
So, that's pretty much it. There is a method to our madness!
Wee, though it may be.......
A Merry Booker Christmas
Well, the dust has settled, Ransom is down to nap, and the day is drawing to a close.
But, what a fun day we've had!
I always love our little family Christmases. They're simple. They're fun. There's no stress, no frills really, lots of fun food, and a whole lazy day of being in our p.j.'s together.
The boys woke up so super excited! They raced up the stairs to us and we all came down together ready to start the festivities. Daddy stoked the fire, we made a pot of coffee, we plugged in all of the lights, and then we snuggled on the couch and read the Christmas story all together.
We all opened our gifts from each other and just took our time savoring them. Then, Kev and I made our traditional big family breakfast.
Some highlights of our day......
Jesse's fave gift was a pair of kiddie roller skates. (NOT quite sure what we were thinking here.....this kid is a walking death trap, so we made him wear a helmet!!!) Of course, he wants NO help from anyone, so I counted about five wipeouts within the first couple of minutes, but he's happy as a lark....He's a stud.
He also got his very own set of legos. These are a HUGE hit in our home. They are played with DAILY. So, a box of his very own is pretty special.
We added yet another coffee ornament to our growing collection. Our tree really does show our amazing addiction to the stuff!
Kaden also got his own little lego set.
And the big gift that we got for Kaden that we knew he would be SO super excited about....hmmmm...wait a minute......
There. That's better! As I was saying, the big gift that we got for KADEN that we knew he would be SO super excited about....
was a hunting game that he ALWAYS plays when he goes to Cabela's. As you can see....it's a big hit with ALL of the boys! I'm really somewhat anti electronics - I like to see kids using their imaginations, being outside, playing like I used to do when I was little! And my boys do this. But, when we saw this game, we caved. So, today they have free reign - they get unlimited play. And then from here on out, it will be just like t.v. time and anything else. Balanced. I love that word. It might be my new favorite word. Plus, Kev says it's teaching them "life skills." A bit of a stretch mayhap....Anyway......
And then we got some Chinese for lunch! We really are ALL about the food......
And now we veg and we play.....still in our p.j.'s.....and I'm thinking Chinese leftovers is looking pretty good for a supper option!
But, what a fun day we've had!
I always love our little family Christmases. They're simple. They're fun. There's no stress, no frills really, lots of fun food, and a whole lazy day of being in our p.j.'s together.
The boys woke up so super excited! They raced up the stairs to us and we all came down together ready to start the festivities. Daddy stoked the fire, we made a pot of coffee, we plugged in all of the lights, and then we snuggled on the couch and read the Christmas story all together.
We all opened our gifts from each other and just took our time savoring them. Then, Kev and I made our traditional big family breakfast.
Some highlights of our day......
Jesse's fave gift was a pair of kiddie roller skates. (NOT quite sure what we were thinking here.....this kid is a walking death trap, so we made him wear a helmet!!!) Of course, he wants NO help from anyone, so I counted about five wipeouts within the first couple of minutes, but he's happy as a lark....He's a stud.
He also got his very own set of legos. These are a HUGE hit in our home. They are played with DAILY. So, a box of his very own is pretty special.
We added yet another coffee ornament to our growing collection. Our tree really does show our amazing addiction to the stuff!
Kaden also got his own little lego set.
And the big gift that we got for Kaden that we knew he would be SO super excited about....hmmmm...wait a minute......
There. That's better! As I was saying, the big gift that we got for KADEN that we knew he would be SO super excited about....
was a hunting game that he ALWAYS plays when he goes to Cabela's. As you can see....it's a big hit with ALL of the boys! I'm really somewhat anti electronics - I like to see kids using their imaginations, being outside, playing like I used to do when I was little! And my boys do this. But, when we saw this game, we caved. So, today they have free reign - they get unlimited play. And then from here on out, it will be just like t.v. time and anything else. Balanced. I love that word. It might be my new favorite word. Plus, Kev says it's teaching them "life skills." A bit of a stretch mayhap....Anyway......
And then we got some Chinese for lunch! We really are ALL about the food......
And now we veg and we play.....still in our p.j.'s.....and I'm thinking Chinese leftovers is looking pretty good for a supper option!
Christmas Eve Day!
Although the day did not start out the best on MANY levels.....the big boys were crabby and at eat other a lot, and Ransom gave me THE MOST WRETCHED poop explosion of all time when I went to get him out of his crib - ending in all things needing to be washed and his room practically needing to be bombed.......
We are - nonetheless - having a very fun Christmas Eve day once we recovered a bit.
The boys have been working on some "Psycho Santa" cards for our two little old widower neighbors on either side of us!
Jesse gave Mama an early present.....
We prepared "George" for our evening game of "Pin the Nose on the Snowman...
Last minute cards are being made for each other......
And TREMENDOUS amounts of treats are being made - gingerbread houses, cupcakes, and a snowman cake....
It is shaping up to be a lovely week-end!
One that will involve grandious doses of sugar highs, methinks......
We are - nonetheless - having a very fun Christmas Eve day once we recovered a bit.
The boys have been working on some "Psycho Santa" cards for our two little old widower neighbors on either side of us!
Jesse gave Mama an early present.....
We prepared "George" for our evening game of "Pin the Nose on the Snowman...
Last minute cards are being made for each other......
And TREMENDOUS amounts of treats are being made - gingerbread houses, cupcakes, and a snowman cake....
It is shaping up to be a lovely week-end!
One that will involve grandious doses of sugar highs, methinks......
Outside My Windows
:: The view from my kitchen window.
:: My side yard.
:: The road out front.
:: My backyard and one of my boys lying down.
:: My home.
The snow has returned.
And I'm no Scrooge.
It's beautiful.
:: My side yard.
:: The road out front.
:: My backyard and one of my boys lying down.
:: My home.
The snow has returned.
And I'm no Scrooge.
It's beautiful.
Christmas Dayz
Days are being filled with lots of preparing, lots of gifting, and last minute flurries.
Christmas movies are being watched, cherished Christmas stories are being read and re-read, and hearts are getting prepared.
The snow has left us - for now - so our days are once again being filled with swingsets and bike rides. The girls and ducks are happy for the grass again. And this hypocritical Mama from Maine kind of is, too.
But, I guess I'll take some snow for Christmas. And then it can fly away home.
Here's to Happy Holiday-ing from my family to yours!
Christmas movies are being watched, cherished Christmas stories are being read and re-read, and hearts are getting prepared.
The snow has left us - for now - so our days are once again being filled with swingsets and bike rides. The girls and ducks are happy for the grass again. And this hypocritical Mama from Maine kind of is, too.
But, I guess I'll take some snow for Christmas. And then it can fly away home.
Here's to Happy Holiday-ing from my family to yours!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)