When I Was Little

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This Christmas each of the girls received a Just Between Us journal for moms and daughters. And really - it has been fabulous. Rather than staring at a blank page, there are journal prompts for us to write back and forth with each other and get conversations started. Both girls have jumped into this with excitement and I love seeing what is on their minds and hearts, especially when their personalities begin showing through the ink.

{and p.s. this is posted with permission}

From one of my daughters this morning:

“When I was little I thought you were the best mom in the world. Now that I'm older, I know you are.

(I got that from a Hallmark card).

(But it's true).

(I also thought Santa was real).”

I may have laughed out loud at that journal entry. Because this girl just cracks me up at times, and this is just one of the many examples of her brain at work.

You have to love it.

Sound of Music LIVE

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One of my favorite movies growing up was the Sound of Music. Way back in the day {before we had DVDs to pull out and watch at any time}, I remember waiting for Julie Andrews to sing her heart out each year via our tiny television set. Our family now owns the Sound of Music on DVD and has watched it a few times, but I am SO very excited to see that NBC will be showing a LIVE version of The Sound of Music!

Thursday, December 5th at 8/7c, you can catch this 3 hour version of the stage production of The Sound of Music on your local NBC channel. This isn’t a remake of the movie {for those of you die-hard Julie Andrew fans}, but a full-scale musical based on the original Broadway musical. Carrie Underwood will be performing the leading role of Maria, and the characters boast many Broadway performers.

This is one tv production that I am truly excited to watch with the kids - LIVE, no less - and know that it will be family friendly. Do you have fond memories of the old Sound of Music movie growing up? Think you’ll be tuning in to watch this?

Chasing Chickens

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If you would have asked me twenty years ago how I envisioned my life, I don’t think ‘chasing chickens’ would have been on my list. At all. Perhaps a house in the country. A few kids. But chickens – not on my radar.

This past week I took our ‘country living’ to an entire new level {at least in my book}.

 

As a bit of back story, a few weeks ago we had a rogue chicken that someone managed to find a way out of the locked run several days in a row. That same chicken also has recently resorted to laying some of her eggs on the ROOF of the run and likes to walk around up there quite a bit.

We did eventually discover the hole in some chicken wire underneath the coop, fixed it and the chickens remained contained.

Or at least I thought they were.

A few days ago the kids were supposed to let the chickens out of the coop {but not the run} since it was raining. Mid-morning I went outside to scare {aka shoot} a squirrel off the bird feeder and found one lonely chicken pecking the ground underneath the feeder.

But the rest of the chickens were in the run.

Did I mention it was raining?

I briefly chased the chicken and then ran down to the chicken run to double check and do a chicken head count and one was missing {and here I was home alone with no kids to send chasing after it}.

After several times around the run checking for holes in the wire and attempting to figure out how we managed to have another escapee, I was at a loss. No holes. Nada. And I still hadn’t caught the chicken.

Ten minutes of chasing and looking.

Did I mention it was raining?

Because I was getting rather wet and a wee bit irritated, I decided to head back inside and let the chicken roam. But I quickly checked for eggs before heading up to the house.

Inside one of the nesting boxes was the missing chicken- trying to enjoy a moment of peace and just quietly lay an egg.

Apparently that chicken I’d been trying to catch belonged to the neighbors.

Probably better I didn’t catch it, eh?

 

Monsters University {non} Review

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While attending the Disney Social Media Moms Conference in May, our family had the opportunity to watch a sneak peak of the movie Monsters University. This new film will hit theatres in just a few days, on June 21st.

Going to the movies together as a family is something that doesn’t happen often for us. With six in our family, to say it is rare is pretty much an overstatement. So you can imagine the excitement that was practically oozing out of our kids when we were invited to see Monsters University.

Now…you won’t find any spoilers in this post {and our kids have been prepped to tell you only that it was GREAT}, but one thing that really stands out to me is that it was definitely a movie we could take our family too – and feel safe doing so. Silly jokes, fun characters, and more make it amazingly fun. There are many familiar faces throughout the movie and a few new ones that we now love! The kids {and adults} laughed, cheered, and clapped their way through Monsters University.

It really was that good.

Come June 21st, I have a feeling we’ll be planning a fun night out with the kids to see it all over again. But first we need to pull out Monsters, Inc. to watch again!

 

Our family was invited to be a part of the Disney Social Media Mom Conference and  attended a sneak peek of Monsters University at no charge to us.

The Four Footed Family Member

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There’s a new little someone who has quickly wiggled his way into the hearts of family members. We tried to keep him at arm’s length until we knew that Rick wouldn’t have any allergy issues with him, but really…that was a lost cause.

For a week he has been wandering the house, getting into kitty mischief and remained unnamed while we made a list of different names that might fit him.

And the list was getting long: Mittens. Mitt {Romney}. Caramel. Butterscotch. Pumpkin. Peanut. Butternut. Cinnamon.

Perhaps you notice the food trend??

Yesterday we finally settled on a non-hunger inducing name.

Toby. Short for Toby Cat…a name that is a throwback to one of the kids’ favorite singers – Toby Mac.

{I’ll admit that I am really already in love with the little stinker cat}.

English Teacher Fun

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The English major in me finds this hilariously funny…

via Pinterest

Come on…admit you snickered just a little bit!

Dear Pinterest Pinners

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I realize that there are so many yummy recipes available, but must you all pin such fabulous pictures and recipes of what appear to be the best desserts ever?

It’s making my resolve to not continually shove sweet yumminess in my mouth crumble like the topping on that apple crisp recipe I just saw.

Melt like the gooey chocolate that is oozing out of that death by chocolate brownie cake.

I do believe that I am gaining weight just looking at the pictures. And that is really not good.

Last night I caved and made the oreo cheesecake cupcakes and they were {sadly} fabulous enough to lick the bowl clean of any remaining batter. I will not remind myself that there are still some sitting in the fridge calling my name.

Please help a girl out. Salads would be a really nice option although I realize they don’t speak quite as loudly to the masses. Be kind to a girl.

Please?

Who Can it Be Banging on My Door?

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Rick and I were sitting on the couch together at 9pm the other night, watching a news program, when someone started shaking the front door handle rather frantically. My heart immediately began pounding. The door handle continued to rattle until I thought the person would try to break the door in.

As Rick got up to see what was going on, the doorbell started ringing quickly as well.  I was meanwhile curled up on the couch and considering my options of escape and defense. Who in the world would be on our doorstep late at night and so crazy-like?

Rick started saying something {I wasn’t focusing well on what he was saying} and then he opened to find our poor 10 year old daughter standing outside on the front porch. In the pitch black.

Trying to figure out why we had locked her OUT.

It’s here that I will publicly admit that I forgot one of our children was not at home with us {something that I hope never to be repeated} . While our children have spent the night at friend’s houses and gone on trips with others, typically I remember that they are gone…and will be returning. 

This time I didn’t remember.

The girl is only ten years old. I have a long road ahead of me in remembering who is where and due home. Lord, help me if this is how I start it all off!

Don’t Put it Past Me…

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All I need is a partner in crime and a wee bit of caffeine...

My Pitiful Fashion Sense

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I’ve never claimed to be a fashionista. Although I’ve been known to dress up on occasion, my typical ‘dress’ involves jeans, some type of a tshirt and my favorite pair of Sambas.

Not exactly runway material.

We had family pictures scheduled last week and I bought a lovely new scarf to wear. Ten minutes before pictures I was ready to scream because I have NO idea how to make a scarf look super cute. So I did what any normal mom would do.

I called in my 10-year-old daughter and had her do it for me.

My fashion life could be looking up in the upcoming years as she gets older and helps her momma dress.

Drip Free Syrup Containers

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Sticky fingers. Drippy containers. Syrup everywhere.

It drives me nuts.

Years ago I picked up a super-amazing syrup container that managed to stay on our shelves for years. Whenever it was empty, I rinsed it out and then refilled it with the syrup that we had on hand.

The no-drip spout had me at the first squeeze.

Meet the Kellog’s Eggo syrup.

Unfortunately, my mother didn’t understand my obsession with the no-drip spout and threw out several bottles when they were empty. I was NOT happy to find out that our grocery stores no longer carry them on their shelves.

I gave in and bought a new syrup bottle and the syrupy messes returned.

Wanting a sticky-free house, I turned to Amazon {why I didn’t think of looking there before is beyond me}.  This momma was THRILLED to find a four pack of Eggo syrup {and super saver shipping}. Enough to have a spare or two in the closet {should a certain mother forget and throw the container away} and enough to share a bottle with another mom and make her pancake mornings even more enjoyable.

Puts me in the mood to make pancakes, yes it does!

 

Dear Fruit Flies

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For the record, I really dislike every fiber of your tiny beings. I really wish I could figure out how you manage to multiply so fast and then inhabit every surface of my kitchen.

If I could invent a way that would instantly zap you all d.e.a.d. and rid the house of you, I do believe that I would be a wealthy woman. And well loved by women around the world.

Every now and then I find a trick that manages to trap some of you, but those of you that are elusive continue to breed and make me contemplate devious ways to knock you off in droves.

Is it sad that I get a great deal of satisfaction counting how many of you there are floating in the latest trapping device? I hope not, because I will continue to do it as long as it helps.

Sincerely,

 

Confessions of a Homeschool Mom

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Saw this today online and it literally made me laugh out loud.

And then yell “fire drill” stop and consider it for a brief moment.

So if you see me on Facebook, you might want to ask what my children are up to.

Apple Picking with Four Children….

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The visions in my head of a joyful afternoon of apple picking with our kids were something straight of the pages of an idyllic children’s book ~ an afternoon traipsing through the orchards, picking the perfect apples to bring home and use in our favorite recipes.

Reality is a lot more expensive.

In truth, it only takes four eager children a little more than 2.5 minutes to pick all of the apples that one might need for an entire year’s worth of applesauce, pies, and cobblers. After that, you’d better hope and pray that you have enough money in your bank account to cover the amazing poundage of apples that you have to lug back to the car.

I’m thinking that apple picking may be left to adults in the future and we’ll keep the kids busy with something a little more tedious….like strawberry or blueberry picking.

New Chickens in Town…or the Coop

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We finally fixed the coop and are attempting another round of chickens. We debated starting with chicks again, but figured that we should test the coop safety on a batch of chickens we weren’t as emotionally tied to.

I know it sounds harsh, but it’s true.

Meet the new girls in town.

Each week we seem to learn something new about chickens. Last week we had the windows open in the house and heard crowing. Which is slightly problematic, since we have four HENS.

Betcha didn’t know that in the absence of a rooster, one of the hens will ‘man-up’ and take on characteristics of a rooster, eh? Yeah. Neither did we.

Crowing. Attempting to do other things to hens that only a rooster should do.

I love living in the ‘country’.

Because I NEED a Scarf Tutorial {no really, I do!}

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Pinterest has become a wealth of information for me lately. I have decorating boards, craft ideas, recipes out the wazoo and even a ‘fashion’ board…just in case I ever feel the need to get trendy.

The other day I came across this video tutorial on 25 ways to Tie a Scarf and had to share it, because frankly, it’s PURE GENIUS.

 

Life at this Moment

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The last two months have seemed so chocked full of activity. We’ started back with school at the beginning of August and had what seemed like a non-stop array of visitors during those first few weeks.

Rick has been working like crazy to get our bonus room finished above our garage so we can have a separate space for our schoolroom. It’s been a work in progress over the last few months and we’re just about finished!!

Painting is just about done and we’re finishing up trim and moving everything into the room. And organizing.

We had this past week off from school and are starting back up on Monday ~ and the kids and I are so very excited to be in the new room!! Can’t wait to share the finished room and give you a tour around.

Four Naughty Words

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At the dinner table tonight, Zachary leaned over to me and said, “We aren’t supposed to say the one ‘D’ word or the two ‘S’ words. OR the ‘H’ word.”

I looked over at Rick and inwardly braced myself for what was going to come out of his mouth next. I calmly asked him what words those would be ~ a bit afraid that I might have to intervene.

In case you were wondering, the four no-no words are ‘dumb’, ‘stupid’, ‘shutup’, and ‘hate’.

Phew.

My Least Favorite Chore…

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Laundry is one of my LEAST favorite chores. Yes, I love to have everything folded up and baskets empty, but I highly dislike part of the process. I don’t mind washing/drying, but I truly detest the folding part of it.

Just ask my hubby, who will search endlessly through crumpled up baskets of clothing to find something…only wrinkled.

Even worse than the folding though is ironing. Today I had to pull out my {still shrink wrapped} ironing board. Purchased brand-spankin’ new when we moved in February.

Can ya tell how often I iron?

On the bright side, at least I do laundry more often then I iron.

8 - 5 = Not Enough Eggs

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Mid-March we embarked on a new adventure. Chickens. When we picked out the fuzzy little chicks, oohing and ahhing over their cuteness, we only intended to take home six.

The woman at the poultry sale thought we should take home a few extra. “Just in case,” she said.

Because you just never know how many might turn out to be roosters.

Fast forward a few months and now the COOP Condo has been completed ~ shingles, a sliding window and siding to boot ~ and our poor coop will soon only house three lonely ladies.

That’s right. Three.

Because out of EIGHT chickens, five of them were roosters. I’ll share some pictures with you all, but let me give you a little tip.

When naming your chickens, do NOT give them names that can be gender neutral or shortened to a boy’s name. I firmly believe that this was our downfall.

Some introductions….

Meet Henrietta. The first of our flock who pushed all fear aside and made himself known as a rooster to my face. Henrietta quickly became known as ‘Henry’ and was sent to live over the mountain and now has a large flock of ladies and can crow to his heart’s content.

Next on the ‘must find a new home’ block was Blackberry. One of the prettiest roosters we had, with iridescent blue tail feathers, but also a peck-peck-pecker of my toe nails. He also now resides with a flock of 20 lady-friends.

Fuzzball was another sweet rooster. A loud crower, but definitely needing a home to call his own. He took the place of a mean old rooster at someone’s house and is watching over six female friends now.

Sunshine {now known as Sonny} was one of the sweetest roosters and a pretty white/brown mix. His pitiful crow is not one to impress the ladies, but he will soon have a new home.

BrownBack….such pretty colors beginning to show. A nice fluffy white tail, but mean, mean, mean to the neighbor’s chickens. Definitely time to find a new home!

So now our adventure continues as we look for a few more birds of the FEMALE persuasion to join the flock and contribute to the household egg consumption.