You Don't See That Every Day

 This past weekend we started painting trees. It was like fingerpainting when we were little. Dip your hands into a glob of paint and splatter it all over. Except this time we were using gloves, and we had a mark to aim for - the tree trunk. We paint the trees the first 2 years to keep them from getting sunburned and to protect them from sprays. In some orchards you will see collars around the young trees. We looked at this option and decided it wasn't for us. The suckers till grow up those collars, and you have to remove each by hand to the get suckers that grow there. Plus that bark doesn't get accustomed to the sun if it has a collar on it.  Painting the trees is one job my kids don't mind doing too much. It goes quickly and we can have fun while we work. We wear a rubber glove on one hand with a cotton glove over it. We dip that gloved hand into the small bucker of paint we carry and coat the lower half of the tree. 5 seconds or so per tree and on to the next one. Thank...

This year (2019) has brought many changes to our family. It's funny how traditions are made and cherished and... protected. For many many many years we have gone to a certain tree farm to cut our Christmas tree. We would bundle up the kids, make sure the baby of that year was snuggly warm, make sure I had a camera! and head out. There were the farm dogs there which the kids loved to pet especially those years we didn't have our own pups. There was hot chocolate and cookies to look forward to in the warm barn after we found just the right tree. But then the kids got bigger and busier and we didn't always go as a complete family. I remember one year the Mr was sick and the Boy took on the cutting and carrying duties. This year was very different from all others. My older kids were still away at college; the two middle kids had a load of homework to tackle, my husband was fixing the plumbing (bc a working kitchen sink is pretty important) .... So the youngest child and I...

The beds were full. The dishwasher was very full The shower ran at odd hours The laundry basket is full. The dinner table was full. The house echoed with laughter. All my kids were home. My heart is full. A very happy day of Thanks.

Spring is coming! I know its only January but I can see the daylight growing earlier and longer each day, offering hope of time outside not shivering. Our holiday break is over and we are back to the routine. Which is a good thing! The first day back to school was a lot easier for us than the second. We were up and going on time, with the only fussiness when it came time to do math. One child has a little problem with wanting to DO math. She's very good at it, and when she is in the right attitude, she can fly through it. The second day ... well, at 9am and I was just starting to eat breakfast, instead of starting school. And now that we are in week 2, well, I'm dreaming again about break time But about our break .. We packed it in this time. It felt like it to me even if the kids might not agree. The week before Christmas we took off from homeschool, although the older kids still had class at away-school. Choir concerts, singing at the Capitol, dentist and ortho appo...

Sometimes something amazing happens once in a great while. Like Halley's Comet. I still remember my 7th grade teacher's excitement over this flying ball of gaseous rocks. The work in progress This past weekend I had amazing idea come to life. That is something that rarely happens. So, it wasn't quite as ethereal as Halley's Comet, or any comet really. But it was cool enough for the Mr and I to look at each other and go, Oh yeah. I'm glad we made this happen.  Back in November I began to anticipate the Christmas break. Two weeks to sleep in a little, and not run around so much. I know my kids like the break from school, but not necessarily the break from friends. As my mind was whirling with to-do lists, I came across a Facebook post from a relative who has a tradition of decorating graham cracker "gingerbread" houses each Thanksgiving break. A lightbulb began to glow in my mind. Why not get my kids and their friends together to do this?!...

It's November!!! I am so looking forward to what is in store for us these next couple of months, even though I can't tell the future -  I just feel it's going to be great. I was ready for November about the middle of October. Is it because my daughters have been playing Christmas music since September? (No!) Or maybe it's because the change in the weather and the colors of the leaves, have me enjoying the cycles of life. For Halloween we walked the neighborhood for trick-or-treating with our youngest two, and some neighbor friends. Walking with friends made it even more fun this year. And the weather cooperated wonderfully. The stash wasn't as big as it has been in years past when we had 3, 4, 5 kids collecting, but there is still plenty of sugar and chocolate to go around. Little K dressed as a 50s girl, and was quite excited to get to wear make-up. The other sister went as her Dad (although he doesn't actually have a mustache). That's what she threw toge...

Way back in the middle of summer, The Girl Who Swims, and Runs, mentioned she would not be running on the cross country team this year. Admittedly I was a little sad. I enjoy running, and I enjoy seeing my kids compete in sports. After a short talk together, basically "think about it some more, and "how are you going to stay in shape fro swim?" and "it is your last chance ever" she changed her mind and joined the team once again. This last week was the end of it. Her last high school cross country meet. And it was a fun one. She stayed in the top group most of the way and finished up in 9th place. Which meant she did not qualify for moving up to the State level. I wasn't sure how I would find her at the finish line. With some tears in our eyes, we hugged and she said "I don't have to run anymore!" So now on to her favorite sport: swimming. ((This girl has been a water baby since she was born. Never wanting to get out of the tub, always drawn ...

A week has passed since our spring break ended and I am finally getting to this. It went by too fast! We kept busy enough to feel it, but no so busy that we didn't sleep in. Oh, that felt good. And yes, Monday morning of back-to-school was very painful for all of us. We started the break with a wedding - friends' children who we've known since our kids were little. We all enjoyed the wedding .. it was simple and beautiful. Our Boy got a chance to serve - scooping ice cream at the reception.  We all enjoyed the dancing - The Boy and I joined in on the Mom and Son dance; The girls showed us their moves to songs we had no clue on; and The Mr had some great tango moves. It made me miss our ballroom dancing days. That evening we picked up The Cousins. What a giggle-filled three days those were! We took them to a local children's museum one day. There was an exhibit there for streams - and just like an engineer's grandchildren would do, they each start...