A couple days ago the power company paid us a visit. They'd been wanting to clear the easement for several years and, evidently it had occured to them that the former residents were no longer here so, perhaps, we might allow the needed work. Indeed! Less power problems! Go for it!
They wandered around, climbing under and over the brush, determining what needed to go away and they discussed, with Daniel and our neighbor what they might do with the resulting refuse. We could use a bit of fill in the general area so they brought their chipper and we benefitted from that :)
In the meantime, they removed a bit of the brush and placed some pretty(?) pink ribbons around some of the focus points, including a tree that, evidently the kittens are quite fond of. Upon the placement of that particular pink ribbon all 4 kittens scrambled up the tree and huddled in it's branches. They did not leave their perch until those noisy people left!
The workers returned yesterday with reinforcements, bringing with them two trucks, a couple chain saws and one very noisy chipper. They were here most of the day. When they left a few trees were gone (but only one truly visible) and a lot of branches and brush. I'm sure the kitty's were off, somewhere, high fiving each other over their victory. The brush and saplings surrounding their tree was gone but, surely due to their brave protest, the tree was still standing!
I gotta say, they are most certainly the cutest protesters I've ever seen!
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Headache!
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
The kids resurrected their old Hungry Hungry Hippo's game today.
Need I say more?
*Groan*
The kids resurrected their old Hungry Hungry Hippo's game today.
Need I say more?
*Groan*
Not Tonight....
Monday, January 16, 2006
It seems as though my readership has increased a bit, therefore I thought it might be a good idea to add a little something new to read :)
Our evening schedule consists of us letting the kids know it's time to get their things picked up and change into their jammies, usually right around 7:30. After that they brush their teeth and head to bed.
Last night,as usual we reminded them. They immediately set to picking up but, before Nathan continued to change he informed us that he had a headache. Hmmm. Okay, he'd been reading for quite awhile, maybe his eyes were tired. He went ahead and changed then we reminded him it was time to brush his teeth. His eyes got big, "But, I have a headache!" Okay. Not seeing the connection here. What does that have to do with brushing your teeth? He then went on to explain, He doesn't like the taste of the toothpaste. If he were to brush his teeth while he had a headache it might make him sick! Uh huh! Nathan, go brush your teeth!
Oddly, his headache somehow magically disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, shortly after he finished brushing and flossing.
Think on our next trip to town we'll see what they have along the line of good tasting, child friendly toothpaste. Perhaps then our son won't be bothered so with those occasional pesky evening headaches?
It seems as though my readership has increased a bit, therefore I thought it might be a good idea to add a little something new to read :)
Our evening schedule consists of us letting the kids know it's time to get their things picked up and change into their jammies, usually right around 7:30. After that they brush their teeth and head to bed.
Last night,as usual we reminded them. They immediately set to picking up but, before Nathan continued to change he informed us that he had a headache. Hmmm. Okay, he'd been reading for quite awhile, maybe his eyes were tired. He went ahead and changed then we reminded him it was time to brush his teeth. His eyes got big, "But, I have a headache!" Okay. Not seeing the connection here. What does that have to do with brushing your teeth? He then went on to explain, He doesn't like the taste of the toothpaste. If he were to brush his teeth while he had a headache it might make him sick! Uh huh! Nathan, go brush your teeth!
Oddly, his headache somehow magically disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, shortly after he finished brushing and flossing.
Think on our next trip to town we'll see what they have along the line of good tasting, child friendly toothpaste. Perhaps then our son won't be bothered so with those occasional pesky evening headaches?
Archives #11..Peter Pan Syndrome
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Peter Pan Syndrome?
Daniel's been entertaining the kids with his antics today. I heard them squeeling and giggling earlier. Thought it might be a good idea to go see what was going on. I was right. There was my 55 yr. old husband, half way (well, maybe more like 1/3 of the way, but, it's a big tree!) up the fir tree cutting branches. Seems he had decided we needed a better view of the tree covered hills in the distance.
"Daniel, come down now."
"Just one more?"
"Daniel, that's enough. Come down now."
Geez! He's worse than the kids!
He says it was "only 5 feet up in the air." Let's see now. I'm 5'3 and I was looking up at him. Does that sound like he was "only five feet up in the air"? *sigh* Men!
I guess, I do have to admit, it is a nice view....
Peter Pan Syndrome?
Daniel's been entertaining the kids with his antics today. I heard them squeeling and giggling earlier. Thought it might be a good idea to go see what was going on. I was right. There was my 55 yr. old husband, half way (well, maybe more like 1/3 of the way, but, it's a big tree!) up the fir tree cutting branches. Seems he had decided we needed a better view of the tree covered hills in the distance.
"Daniel, come down now."
"Just one more?"
"Daniel, that's enough. Come down now."
Geez! He's worse than the kids!
He says it was "only 5 feet up in the air." Let's see now. I'm 5'3 and I was looking up at him. Does that sound like he was "only five feet up in the air"? *sigh* Men!
I guess, I do have to admit, it is a nice view....
Archives #10..Autumn Romance
Sunday, October 23, 2005
On The Wild Side - Autumn Romance
A couple days ago Nathan and I had the fortune to witness romance in the wild. Nathan was happily and purposely scouting the yard, net in hand, poised for action should a flying bug cross his vision. All of a sudden he shouted out in excitement. "Two Dragonfies!" Oh boy. A bonus awaiting his capture! I responded by raising my voice, so as to be heard over the rushing sound certain to be invading his brainwaves. "Nathan! No! Wait!" I was only mildly surprised when he obeyed my command and stopped, gazing at me with a confused expression. He didn't have to say anything. I could see it written all over his face, plain as day..."But, Mom! Why?" I smiled and pointed in the direction I'd seen the dragonflies take, "Lets go look!"
We both rushed over and saw a marvelous sight! There, on the ground before us were not two, but three dragonflies, seemingly in a wrestling match. It seemed rather unfair as there were two on top with one struggling underneath. As we watched, and listened to the wrestling, the buzzing, one of the top two suddenly just gave up, flying off in one direction. The remaining two hesitated but a second before flying off in another direction, fastened securely together, one directly above the other.
Nathan thought all this quite interesting, although he wasn't sure the interesting aspect overrode the bonus capture he had just missed. Once I explained they were making more dragonflies, he rethought that. Oh good! More dragonflies to capture!
I was thinking more along the lines of more drgaonflies to grace our presence as they worked to rid us of less desireable bugs but, I guess, maybe my mind works a bit differently than that of an eight year old boy.
On The Wild Side - Autumn Romance
A couple days ago Nathan and I had the fortune to witness romance in the wild. Nathan was happily and purposely scouting the yard, net in hand, poised for action should a flying bug cross his vision. All of a sudden he shouted out in excitement. "Two Dragonfies!" Oh boy. A bonus awaiting his capture! I responded by raising my voice, so as to be heard over the rushing sound certain to be invading his brainwaves. "Nathan! No! Wait!" I was only mildly surprised when he obeyed my command and stopped, gazing at me with a confused expression. He didn't have to say anything. I could see it written all over his face, plain as day..."But, Mom! Why?" I smiled and pointed in the direction I'd seen the dragonflies take, "Lets go look!"
We both rushed over and saw a marvelous sight! There, on the ground before us were not two, but three dragonflies, seemingly in a wrestling match. It seemed rather unfair as there were two on top with one struggling underneath. As we watched, and listened to the wrestling, the buzzing, one of the top two suddenly just gave up, flying off in one direction. The remaining two hesitated but a second before flying off in another direction, fastened securely together, one directly above the other.
Nathan thought all this quite interesting, although he wasn't sure the interesting aspect overrode the bonus capture he had just missed. Once I explained they were making more dragonflies, he rethought that. Oh good! More dragonflies to capture!
I was thinking more along the lines of more drgaonflies to grace our presence as they worked to rid us of less desireable bugs but, I guess, maybe my mind works a bit differently than that of an eight year old boy.
Archives #9 Canning
Monday, October 03, 2005
Canning For Dummies
Perhaps a better title would be how not to can! lol Another weekend adventure at our house...
I decided since, after 3 years of trying I finally managed to grow zucchini, that it would be a good time to make an old favorite of mine, zucchini relish! Daniel and the kids went out and picked the zucchini,. I washed said zucchini and the kids watched as I cut it into smaller portions and fed them into the processor.That was oodles of fun! It was amazing seeing how quickly I could feed the chunks through the chute and, almost instantly they would emerge out the other end, neatly stacked shreds in the bowl. 1 very large zucchini yielded exactly 10 cups of shredded! The kids were rather disappointed once that was done and we had it and the onion salted and stored in the big bowl to rest til the next day. They wanted me to play with the processor some more!
The next day we got everything ready and started measuring and chopping the remaining ingredients. Again, the kids were disappointed that I wasn't going to use the processor. It seemed rather pointless for chopping two bell peppers.
Got everything cooked up and it was time to remove the jars from the hot water and fill them. That proved to be a bit tricky. Hmmm. Maybe I should've invested in a pair of tongs? Oh well. Somehow I managed. One jar at a time, removed from hot water, nestled in a hot pad and filled via a ladle. Hot relish spilling on my hand. Not a pleasant experience! Maybe a funnel would've been a handy thing to have? Rims wiped clean, lids and rims affixed. On to the next jar and the next. More burned fingers. Laughter from my children, Daniel shaking his head in disbelief... Somehow managed to get all the filled jars back in the canner and processed for the required 10 minutes. Now what? How do I get them out of there? Daniel to the rescue! Good thing his hands handle heat better than mine do! Think I'll add a jar lifter to the list. :o)
A few minutes later and we listened as the lids all popped one by one. What a satisfying sound!
Maybe next weekend will be less eventful. But then, what would be the fun in that?
Canning For Dummies
Perhaps a better title would be how not to can! lol Another weekend adventure at our house...
I decided since, after 3 years of trying I finally managed to grow zucchini, that it would be a good time to make an old favorite of mine, zucchini relish! Daniel and the kids went out and picked the zucchini,. I washed said zucchini and the kids watched as I cut it into smaller portions and fed them into the processor.That was oodles of fun! It was amazing seeing how quickly I could feed the chunks through the chute and, almost instantly they would emerge out the other end, neatly stacked shreds in the bowl. 1 very large zucchini yielded exactly 10 cups of shredded! The kids were rather disappointed once that was done and we had it and the onion salted and stored in the big bowl to rest til the next day. They wanted me to play with the processor some more!
The next day we got everything ready and started measuring and chopping the remaining ingredients. Again, the kids were disappointed that I wasn't going to use the processor. It seemed rather pointless for chopping two bell peppers.
Got everything cooked up and it was time to remove the jars from the hot water and fill them. That proved to be a bit tricky. Hmmm. Maybe I should've invested in a pair of tongs? Oh well. Somehow I managed. One jar at a time, removed from hot water, nestled in a hot pad and filled via a ladle. Hot relish spilling on my hand. Not a pleasant experience! Maybe a funnel would've been a handy thing to have? Rims wiped clean, lids and rims affixed. On to the next jar and the next. More burned fingers. Laughter from my children, Daniel shaking his head in disbelief... Somehow managed to get all the filled jars back in the canner and processed for the required 10 minutes. Now what? How do I get them out of there? Daniel to the rescue! Good thing his hands handle heat better than mine do! Think I'll add a jar lifter to the list. :o)
A few minutes later and we listened as the lids all popped one by one. What a satisfying sound!
Maybe next weekend will be less eventful. But then, what would be the fun in that?
Archives #8 September
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Candy Making 101
Oddly enough my previous posting originally began as a recounting of our weekend family project. I have no idea how it morphed into its current form but there you are! LOL Following is what I originally intended to post on Monday...
We made peanut butter bon bons this weekend! What a fun time it was! I did most of the measuring and the kids took turns dumping all the ingredients in the bowl. After that the three of us attempted to mix it all up. First Nathan gave it a try. He cut the margarine in and started folding, scooping from underneath, up to the top, squishing it down. His arm wore out real fast. Lindsay gave it a try. Her arm wore out even faster! I decided to give it a try. I may have lasted as long as Nathan did.
Obviously this was not going to work! I decided maybe it was time to try out my new food processor so headed over to get it together. I finished with that, turned around and saw Daniel standing over the bowl with the wooden spoon sporting a rather self satisfied grin. He'd done a wonderful job of mixing it all up!
Great! Now it was a family project! The kids dumped the cereal in and I mixed that up before we all proceeded
to turn it all into a multitude of 1" balls. Once that was finished I melted the chocolate and set the kids up with toothpicks to do the dipping. It only took a couple minutes of watching them attempt to coat the balls and pull them out, only to have them slip off the toothpick and fall apart during attempts to respear them to realize that wasn't going to work out so I took over the dipping, placing the chocolate coated confections on parchment paper. This is when Nathan had a brilliant idea! He thought it might be fun to decorate the candies with sprinkles! So, he and Lindsay took turns giving each freshly dipped candy a liberal dose of colorful sprinkles. They looked great! Just like downtown! They taste really good too! Kinda like krispy "Reese's" peanut butter cups!
The recipe we used was a combined version of 3 different recipe's I found:
Peanut Butter Bon Bons
18 oz. peanut butter
1/2 cup softened butter (we used nucoa margarine due to dairy issues)
4 cups powdered sugar
3 cups rice krispies cereal
12 oz. chocolate chips
2 Tbsp. shortening
Blend first three ingredients well then mix in the cereal. Form into 1" balls. Melt the chocolate chips (we used semi sweet) and the shortening on low in the microwave. Stir to smooth. Using toothpicks Dip the balls in the chocolate mixture, coating completely. Allow excess to drip off, and place coated balls on wax paper lined cookie sheet. Immediately sprinkle with colored sprinkles if desired. Once the chocolate had set a bit we carefully stacked them between sheets of wax paper and placed in the refrigerator to finish setting. We're keeping them stored in the fridge due to the margarine content and to keep them out of sight (and somewhat out of mind).
Warning! This is a great family project but, if you're anything like us you can count on a gooey chocolatey mess! Chocolate chocolate everywhere! And somehow I seemed to be the messiest of all...
Monday, September 26, 2005
Summer Is Gone
The weather is starting to change. Autumn is making her presence known. The sun still warms us during the day but it's not quite so intense as a month ago and it's ray's are appreciated now, more than before. The daylight hours are waning. As I step outside in the morning, to breath in the cool crisp air I'm not greeted by the sights and sounds I've become accustomed to since Spring made her debut. The leaves on the apple tree are beginning to transform into beautiful mini palette's of color and, one by one are fluttering to the ground.The bird calls I hear are different than they were a few weeks ago, and not so numerous. The hummingbirds no longer visit, moving on to their winter homes. The bright yellow Western Tanengier no longer sings his song and the Robin , like her cousin's, has moved on to warmer zones. The squirrel's, so vocal just a month ago, aren't chattering as they scurry about so often. They're too busy gathering fodder.
The wildflower's with their brilliant hues have nodded their heads and faded. The clover, sweet smelling, red and white has dried into shades of brown and with it, the deer, magnificent in their strength and beauty have ceased to grace our yard with their presence. Things are quieter now. When I hear rustling in the bushes, I no longer wonder what wild creature it may be. There's an added crispness to the rustling leaves as a cat darts out from under it's cover.
The spiders have been busy spinning their webs. Beautiful to behold and awesome to consider how this seemingly lowly creature could construct such a complicated work of art. I've let them know their artwork is appreciated so long as the keep them out of the house and well removed from the doorways and my most oft used pathways. They don't always heed my warnings but, for the most part we manage to coexist.
The dragonfly's are becoming more prevalent. Their beauty and their skill most appreciated. What amazing creatures they are! I wonder at their longevity, the history they've witnessed, the changes they have ushered in.
Summer is gone. The frost will soon be upon us. Time to bring the garden's bounty in and busy ourselves in the kitchen, the new season's hub of family activity.
Candy Making 101
Oddly enough my previous posting originally began as a recounting of our weekend family project. I have no idea how it morphed into its current form but there you are! LOL Following is what I originally intended to post on Monday...
We made peanut butter bon bons this weekend! What a fun time it was! I did most of the measuring and the kids took turns dumping all the ingredients in the bowl. After that the three of us attempted to mix it all up. First Nathan gave it a try. He cut the margarine in and started folding, scooping from underneath, up to the top, squishing it down. His arm wore out real fast. Lindsay gave it a try. Her arm wore out even faster! I decided to give it a try. I may have lasted as long as Nathan did.
Obviously this was not going to work! I decided maybe it was time to try out my new food processor so headed over to get it together. I finished with that, turned around and saw Daniel standing over the bowl with the wooden spoon sporting a rather self satisfied grin. He'd done a wonderful job of mixing it all up!
Great! Now it was a family project! The kids dumped the cereal in and I mixed that up before we all proceeded
to turn it all into a multitude of 1" balls. Once that was finished I melted the chocolate and set the kids up with toothpicks to do the dipping. It only took a couple minutes of watching them attempt to coat the balls and pull them out, only to have them slip off the toothpick and fall apart during attempts to respear them to realize that wasn't going to work out so I took over the dipping, placing the chocolate coated confections on parchment paper. This is when Nathan had a brilliant idea! He thought it might be fun to decorate the candies with sprinkles! So, he and Lindsay took turns giving each freshly dipped candy a liberal dose of colorful sprinkles. They looked great! Just like downtown! They taste really good too! Kinda like krispy "Reese's" peanut butter cups!
The recipe we used was a combined version of 3 different recipe's I found:
Peanut Butter Bon Bons
18 oz. peanut butter
1/2 cup softened butter (we used nucoa margarine due to dairy issues)
4 cups powdered sugar
3 cups rice krispies cereal
12 oz. chocolate chips
2 Tbsp. shortening
Blend first three ingredients well then mix in the cereal. Form into 1" balls. Melt the chocolate chips (we used semi sweet) and the shortening on low in the microwave. Stir to smooth. Using toothpicks Dip the balls in the chocolate mixture, coating completely. Allow excess to drip off, and place coated balls on wax paper lined cookie sheet. Immediately sprinkle with colored sprinkles if desired. Once the chocolate had set a bit we carefully stacked them between sheets of wax paper and placed in the refrigerator to finish setting. We're keeping them stored in the fridge due to the margarine content and to keep them out of sight (and somewhat out of mind).
Warning! This is a great family project but, if you're anything like us you can count on a gooey chocolatey mess! Chocolate chocolate everywhere! And somehow I seemed to be the messiest of all...
Monday, September 26, 2005
Summer Is Gone
The weather is starting to change. Autumn is making her presence known. The sun still warms us during the day but it's not quite so intense as a month ago and it's ray's are appreciated now, more than before. The daylight hours are waning. As I step outside in the morning, to breath in the cool crisp air I'm not greeted by the sights and sounds I've become accustomed to since Spring made her debut. The leaves on the apple tree are beginning to transform into beautiful mini palette's of color and, one by one are fluttering to the ground.The bird calls I hear are different than they were a few weeks ago, and not so numerous. The hummingbirds no longer visit, moving on to their winter homes. The bright yellow Western Tanengier no longer sings his song and the Robin , like her cousin's, has moved on to warmer zones. The squirrel's, so vocal just a month ago, aren't chattering as they scurry about so often. They're too busy gathering fodder.
The wildflower's with their brilliant hues have nodded their heads and faded. The clover, sweet smelling, red and white has dried into shades of brown and with it, the deer, magnificent in their strength and beauty have ceased to grace our yard with their presence. Things are quieter now. When I hear rustling in the bushes, I no longer wonder what wild creature it may be. There's an added crispness to the rustling leaves as a cat darts out from under it's cover.
The spiders have been busy spinning their webs. Beautiful to behold and awesome to consider how this seemingly lowly creature could construct such a complicated work of art. I've let them know their artwork is appreciated so long as the keep them out of the house and well removed from the doorways and my most oft used pathways. They don't always heed my warnings but, for the most part we manage to coexist.
The dragonfly's are becoming more prevalent. Their beauty and their skill most appreciated. What amazing creatures they are! I wonder at their longevity, the history they've witnessed, the changes they have ushered in.
Summer is gone. The frost will soon be upon us. Time to bring the garden's bounty in and busy ourselves in the kitchen, the new season's hub of family activity.
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