Friday did not go as planned. We were supposed to be done with the boys' room yesterday. The carpet was going in and we were to start moving the boys things in there. They were supposed to sleep in their twin beds for the first time last night! But it didn't happen. We missed the Happy Birthday Jesus party (with our local homeschool group) because we had to wait all day for the carpet guys to come. That's 2 park days we've missed in a row because of this construction project. They didn't come until late in the afternoon, so we missed the party for nothing. Then when they did come, we found out they measured wrong, and we didn't have enough carpet to finish the room like we thought. We were under the impression that we had enough carpet left from the rest of the house. I had to order more carpet to finish it, only to find that the prices are quite a lot more now, because I won't have a volume discount. Their room is turning out a lot more expensive than we thought it would be. It had to be right before Christmas, too! As it stands, it will be at least another week before the carpet will be available, maybe longer.
So, this will serve to help us learn a little more patience. Patience is a good thing. Goodness knows I need all that I can get as it does not come naturally to me.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Recent Mishaps
We have suffered several mishaps the past several days. Some of them were not worthy of their own blog entry, but with our recent trend, I thought I would post them all together.
My hubby C has a race car, which he races as a hobby for the fun of it. He races on several dirt tracks within a couple hours radius from our home. He often takes the boys with him to watch him race, and the boys are also pretty good help as his pit crew. Well, this past weekend C took the boys and a friend/employee of ours with him. The races were delayed a few hours due to rain, and by the time C's race took place, it was getting later in the evening. This does not sit well with our son C. He has difficulty staying up late sometimes as he's such an early riser. Our friend A was sitting on the bleachers with the boys watching the race. It was quite chilly that night since they drove a couple hours north to the dirt track. Since he was cold, C was hunched over on the bleachers with his knees up and his chin resting on his knees and hands. He must have fallen asleep and A and H couldn't tell. The next thing H remembers is some guy standing below the bleachers calling out, "Hey you guys. There's a kid down here under the bleachers asleep on the ground. He must have fallen while he was asleep." Sure enough, C had fallen asleep and did fall off the bleachers. Luckily, he didn't break any bones! The amazing thing is that he never woke up when he hit the ground. He did, however, sustain a bloody nose, scraped up face, and a pretty badly chipped tooth. The tooth hurt him for several days and it was difficult for him to eat. I don't know yet if he'll need a cap on the tooth or not. We'll watch to see if it gets to hurting him, and check with the dentist at his next check-up.
I inadvertently ate some gluten, so I am very groggy and sleepy today. It usually lasts a couple days so should be over soon. At least it wasn't C who got glutinated this time!
I knew it was going to happen: Brooke got silly putty in her hair. We tried for a while to get it out, but to no avail. Finally, in a flash of inspiration, I remembered peanut butter as a remedy for chewing gum. I actually used some oil instead, and that worked well. I was so thankful I didn't have to cut the bottom 4 or 5 inches from her hair. It's finally getting longer, and we didn't want to ruin that!
We have been enjoying our little tea parties so much! It's been more difficult lately since I broke my tea pot, meaning I have to heat up each mug of water separately. I had that little 4 cup micro-kettle for about 18 years. Yes, I had it going into college in 1989. I have no one to blame but myself. It was a stupid clumsy moment. I admit it. I am VERY clumsy at times. I shouldn't tell you guys that because now nobody will let me hold their baby. But really, I have never dropped a baby. Even when I tripped down the stairs in my own home, carrying H at the time, I fell and never dropped him! He was fine, but I swear I broke my big toe. In any case, it hurt for a couple years. And poor guy, my oldest son H has the same clumsy gene. We joke about it sometimes. At least I'm in good company.
Totally out of character for her, B broke a mug that matches our set of dishes. She wanted to be a big girl and put her dirty dishes in the sink. Only trouble is, she's not tall enough to set things in the bottom of the sink. She dropped it in, and that's how it happened. It's kind of a shorter wider mug, which the kids like to eat their applesauce out of. I tried to find more of them at the Pfalzgraf outlet, (where I go to get replacements for the broken plates, bowls, etc.) and they don't seem to be making them anymore. So I only have about 3 left, and we use them all the time. Oh, well. I figure when the kids are a few years older, I'll get a new set of dishes. I have never picked out a set of dishes for myself, not even when we got married. The dishes we have were C's which he had before we married.
And our final, notable mishap, was when B burned her fingers. C and the boys had a bonfire going, burning all the brush we've cleared off our property for the blueberry field preparation. At the end of the bonfire, the boys were supposed to find the straggler branches which didn't get into the fire. B went down there with them and was helping find unburned branches. (The fire was burned out at this point and did not appear to be dangerous.) B found what she thought was a branch, but it was really a steel rod. She picked it up and it was still hot. She burned 3 of her fingers on the tip. Two fingers were not very bad, but the middle finger was quite charred, with a burn spot almost the size of a dime. I put some lotion on it that I routinely use for us fair-skinned blondies when we sunburn. It contains royal jelly from honeybees. For 2 days, I kept putting more on the fingers, and they never blistered during that time. Since they hadn't blistered in 2 days, I figured they were doing well enough I didn't have to worry about them any more. That's when the worst finger blistered up into a huge pocket of fluid. It was so taught, I had to prick it 3 different times to let it drain. It lost the damaged skin now, and all is well. That royal jelly works wonders on burns! I am truly amazed. On bad sunburns, we hardly peel at all, and there are certainly no blisters. It's good stuff.
That's all the mishaps I can think of right now. Maybe our little string of bad luck is over for a while.
My hubby C has a race car, which he races as a hobby for the fun of it. He races on several dirt tracks within a couple hours radius from our home. He often takes the boys with him to watch him race, and the boys are also pretty good help as his pit crew. Well, this past weekend C took the boys and a friend/employee of ours with him. The races were delayed a few hours due to rain, and by the time C's race took place, it was getting later in the evening. This does not sit well with our son C. He has difficulty staying up late sometimes as he's such an early riser. Our friend A was sitting on the bleachers with the boys watching the race. It was quite chilly that night since they drove a couple hours north to the dirt track. Since he was cold, C was hunched over on the bleachers with his knees up and his chin resting on his knees and hands. He must have fallen asleep and A and H couldn't tell. The next thing H remembers is some guy standing below the bleachers calling out, "Hey you guys. There's a kid down here under the bleachers asleep on the ground. He must have fallen while he was asleep." Sure enough, C had fallen asleep and did fall off the bleachers. Luckily, he didn't break any bones! The amazing thing is that he never woke up when he hit the ground. He did, however, sustain a bloody nose, scraped up face, and a pretty badly chipped tooth. The tooth hurt him for several days and it was difficult for him to eat. I don't know yet if he'll need a cap on the tooth or not. We'll watch to see if it gets to hurting him, and check with the dentist at his next check-up.
I inadvertently ate some gluten, so I am very groggy and sleepy today. It usually lasts a couple days so should be over soon. At least it wasn't C who got glutinated this time!
I knew it was going to happen: Brooke got silly putty in her hair. We tried for a while to get it out, but to no avail. Finally, in a flash of inspiration, I remembered peanut butter as a remedy for chewing gum. I actually used some oil instead, and that worked well. I was so thankful I didn't have to cut the bottom 4 or 5 inches from her hair. It's finally getting longer, and we didn't want to ruin that!
We have been enjoying our little tea parties so much! It's been more difficult lately since I broke my tea pot, meaning I have to heat up each mug of water separately. I had that little 4 cup micro-kettle for about 18 years. Yes, I had it going into college in 1989. I have no one to blame but myself. It was a stupid clumsy moment. I admit it. I am VERY clumsy at times. I shouldn't tell you guys that because now nobody will let me hold their baby. But really, I have never dropped a baby. Even when I tripped down the stairs in my own home, carrying H at the time, I fell and never dropped him! He was fine, but I swear I broke my big toe. In any case, it hurt for a couple years. And poor guy, my oldest son H has the same clumsy gene. We joke about it sometimes. At least I'm in good company.
Totally out of character for her, B broke a mug that matches our set of dishes. She wanted to be a big girl and put her dirty dishes in the sink. Only trouble is, she's not tall enough to set things in the bottom of the sink. She dropped it in, and that's how it happened. It's kind of a shorter wider mug, which the kids like to eat their applesauce out of. I tried to find more of them at the Pfalzgraf outlet, (where I go to get replacements for the broken plates, bowls, etc.) and they don't seem to be making them anymore. So I only have about 3 left, and we use them all the time. Oh, well. I figure when the kids are a few years older, I'll get a new set of dishes. I have never picked out a set of dishes for myself, not even when we got married. The dishes we have were C's which he had before we married.
And our final, notable mishap, was when B burned her fingers. C and the boys had a bonfire going, burning all the brush we've cleared off our property for the blueberry field preparation. At the end of the bonfire, the boys were supposed to find the straggler branches which didn't get into the fire. B went down there with them and was helping find unburned branches. (The fire was burned out at this point and did not appear to be dangerous.) B found what she thought was a branch, but it was really a steel rod. She picked it up and it was still hot. She burned 3 of her fingers on the tip. Two fingers were not very bad, but the middle finger was quite charred, with a burn spot almost the size of a dime. I put some lotion on it that I routinely use for us fair-skinned blondies when we sunburn. It contains royal jelly from honeybees. For 2 days, I kept putting more on the fingers, and they never blistered during that time. Since they hadn't blistered in 2 days, I figured they were doing well enough I didn't have to worry about them any more. That's when the worst finger blistered up into a huge pocket of fluid. It was so taught, I had to prick it 3 different times to let it drain. It lost the damaged skin now, and all is well. That royal jelly works wonders on burns! I am truly amazed. On bad sunburns, we hardly peel at all, and there are certainly no blisters. It's good stuff.
That's all the mishaps I can think of right now. Maybe our little string of bad luck is over for a while.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Lots of Stuff Going on This Week
We're finally getting the boys' bedroom finished, which means that we will get them out of the school room and B's room very soon. I can't wait to get this place whipped into shape a little better. But it's been a crazy week with finishing the framing out of the closets, and getting drywall put up, mudded, and textured. The drywall installers were done 2 days later than scheduled, so we missed park day with the homeschool group. Today we started painting. The walls are all done. It's just the doors and trim that need painted now. After that, C can start working on the cedar wood slat ceiling. It will match the ceiling that is in the main area of the house. Then, carpet and the boys can move in!
A neighbor of ours found these 2 coyotes on the road. They were freshly killed by a car. I had to call around and find a taxidermist who could mount them for C. He and our business partner want mounts for our Georgia cabin. (It's another business venture of ours as it will be available for vacation rentals in a few months when it's ready. I told you my hubby has his hands in several major projects all at the same time. I sometimes get dizzy just trying to keep everything straight!) So, I drove the coyotes over to the taxidermist's and he will start on them in a few weeks. We may also have him preserve the rattlesnake (see old post) for us as that would be another mount for the cabin. It looks like he does good work. He had quite a few specimens in his showroom including a bobcat, rattlesnake, otter, fox and also a coyote.
Today, after working all day on our projects, C took us to our friend G's lake for a ride on our airboat. Only trouble is, we haven't had it out for quite a while and the gas was old so it wasn't running well. The kids and I didn't get to ride at all, but we'll try again later when the gas has been flushed out and replaced with fresh. In this picture, hubby C is driving while G is trying to figure out what is wrong with the engine. Notice how the boat is plowing water. It wouldn't get up on plane. While we waited to see if we would get to ride, though, the kids entertained themselves in various ways. I entertained myself taking pictures of my kids.
Hubby also started another major project his weekend. I have to tell you, we have a friend who does a lot of work remodeling and doing custom carpentry work in restaurants. He sometimes gets stuff the restaurants get rid of when they remodel, but it's perfectly good, even fabulous material. He is outfitting us with almost everything we need for a complete bar on our back porch. We are by no means drinkers of booze, so it's not that kind of bar. But it will be a nice spot for entertaining guests, a place to eat when we're outside, etc. Here is a picture of the bar in it's unfinished state. (The gentleman in the picture is not my hubby, but our friend G that is outfitting us with the materials for the project. He's helping C construct it all since that's what he does for a living. He does excellent work.)
While all this construction was going on, C said he had something for me to look at in the bed of his truck. He also said that when I got done looking, he needed me to make some phone calls for him. Here is what I found in his truck.
A neighbor of ours found these 2 coyotes on the road. They were freshly killed by a car. I had to call around and find a taxidermist who could mount them for C. He and our business partner want mounts for our Georgia cabin. (It's another business venture of ours as it will be available for vacation rentals in a few months when it's ready. I told you my hubby has his hands in several major projects all at the same time. I sometimes get dizzy just trying to keep everything straight!) So, I drove the coyotes over to the taxidermist's and he will start on them in a few weeks. We may also have him preserve the rattlesnake (see old post) for us as that would be another mount for the cabin. It looks like he does good work. He had quite a few specimens in his showroom including a bobcat, rattlesnake, otter, fox and also a coyote.
Today, after working all day on our projects, C took us to our friend G's lake for a ride on our airboat. Only trouble is, we haven't had it out for quite a while and the gas was old so it wasn't running well. The kids and I didn't get to ride at all, but we'll try again later when the gas has been flushed out and replaced with fresh. In this picture, hubby C is driving while G is trying to figure out what is wrong with the engine. Notice how the boat is plowing water. It wouldn't get up on plane. While we waited to see if we would get to ride, though, the kids entertained themselves in various ways. I entertained myself taking pictures of my kids.
It's Advent
This is our first year observing Advent. We will be celebrating the observation of Jesus' birth. So far so good. We started the book "Jotham's Journey" tonight which is a book specifically for reading during the Advent Season. We tried to read this book a couple years ago, and they just weren't ready. But tonight the kids were wonderfully quiet and I like to think attentive too! This is a picture of our Advent wreath. It is a very simple home made job, thanks in part to my friend M. Hers looks better than mine! In lieu of a nativity set, I am using our Betty Luken's felt set. I'll post pictures of it later. Happy Advent, everyone!Saturday, December 1, 2007
Relaxing the Blogging, but Not Quitting
As with everything I do, when I am excited about something I jump into it full force. 150%, full-blown obsession. When I started blogging, it was no different. I tend to be a perfectionist, and over-do it on some things. I started reading several people's blogs all at the same time, and had to catch up with everything! And starting mine, it took a while to figure out how to do it all. Then the posting began, and I felt like I was posting a lot. (I know some of you told me that I didn't write much, but for me it was a lot since I am not much of a writer.) I realized that I could not keep up that pace for long, and you notice that this past week I didn't post for a while. I think I have just come off the "high" of the initial running start, and am now realizing that I want to keep blogging, just not let it rule my life. I will post as I feel like, and not pressure myself to write everyday (or every other day!), or to write about everything we are doing in our life. I didn't think I would have anything to write about, but this family never seems to have a dull moment after all! So, I will not be taking a hiatus this holiday season, but will probably step back somewhat to let more of our life "happen" around us.
I think another strategy for me will be to not agonize so much trying to polish my posts to perfection before posting them. It's taking me too long to publish a post. So I apologize ahead of time if relaxing a bit turns my posts into something more garbled! But at least I'll be writing. Hey, you might get a laugh out of the whole deal. I know I need to laugh more. My childhood situation did not lend itself to laughter. Things were far too serious and it affected me in a very big way. I am not dwelling on the past when I tell you this. I am simply explaining a little bit about why I may be so critical of myself. For a long time, I didn't know things any other way. But it's hard for me even now to open up and "be real". I think that is why I admire some of my blogging friends so much when they show so much of their real selves. We're all human, aren't we? We can judge each other all we want to, but we're really all so much alike it's staggering to think about.
I know this journal writing is therapeutic for me. It helps me to learn more about myself. It makes me really LOOK at life and what is happening around me. It helps me to appreciate the little things. Basically, it's got me thinking, pretty much about everything under the sun! I also like the fact that the blogging helps me to hone, or rather, re-learn my writing skills. Maybe it's sharpening my thinking skills even more than polishing my writing abilities. I don't know what happened to my intelligent brain. When I was in college, I never sat down to write anything in my spare time just for the fun of it. But when called upon to produce an essay on demand in one of my classes, I would amaze myself at what I could come up with. How did my brilliantly organized brain turn to mush? It's funny, but I realize my talking abilities have disappeared as well. I find myself using the wrong words all the time. I'll tell the kids to put their dirty dishes in the fridge, when I really mean the kitchen sink. I'll call the kids the wrong names (sometimes even using the dogs' names for theirs!), and say the wrong quantity when reading a number out loud. I try and talk to people outside our family and embarrass myself because I stumble and use the wrong words so much. It's even more embarrassing when I have to pause and think for 15 seconds before the word I'm looking for comes to my mind. But I guess that's the breaks of multi-tasking all the time. Or maybe it's old age setting in. Who knows. But it definitely has a way of humbling a person. Maybe I needed to be humbled.
Look how bad my brain is anymore. I am way off track. Another reason I need to blog is to share our family happenings with extended family. We have family living in several different states, all pretty far away from Florida. It's an easy way for them to see pictures of the kids, and to help them know what goes on in our world. It's much easier to write once and get it over with than to write the same email 5 or 6 times. I was very bad at writing letters, I know. Sorry about that. This way I am actually writing! So, I hope you guys are all enjoying the posts. I know several family members aren't leaving any comments, but I think they are reading. Okay, enough of a boring subject. I'm off to start composing a more interesting post, unless I get sidetracked with life.
I think another strategy for me will be to not agonize so much trying to polish my posts to perfection before posting them. It's taking me too long to publish a post. So I apologize ahead of time if relaxing a bit turns my posts into something more garbled! But at least I'll be writing. Hey, you might get a laugh out of the whole deal. I know I need to laugh more. My childhood situation did not lend itself to laughter. Things were far too serious and it affected me in a very big way. I am not dwelling on the past when I tell you this. I am simply explaining a little bit about why I may be so critical of myself. For a long time, I didn't know things any other way. But it's hard for me even now to open up and "be real". I think that is why I admire some of my blogging friends so much when they show so much of their real selves. We're all human, aren't we? We can judge each other all we want to, but we're really all so much alike it's staggering to think about.
I know this journal writing is therapeutic for me. It helps me to learn more about myself. It makes me really LOOK at life and what is happening around me. It helps me to appreciate the little things. Basically, it's got me thinking, pretty much about everything under the sun! I also like the fact that the blogging helps me to hone, or rather, re-learn my writing skills. Maybe it's sharpening my thinking skills even more than polishing my writing abilities. I don't know what happened to my intelligent brain. When I was in college, I never sat down to write anything in my spare time just for the fun of it. But when called upon to produce an essay on demand in one of my classes, I would amaze myself at what I could come up with. How did my brilliantly organized brain turn to mush? It's funny, but I realize my talking abilities have disappeared as well. I find myself using the wrong words all the time. I'll tell the kids to put their dirty dishes in the fridge, when I really mean the kitchen sink. I'll call the kids the wrong names (sometimes even using the dogs' names for theirs!), and say the wrong quantity when reading a number out loud. I try and talk to people outside our family and embarrass myself because I stumble and use the wrong words so much. It's even more embarrassing when I have to pause and think for 15 seconds before the word I'm looking for comes to my mind. But I guess that's the breaks of multi-tasking all the time. Or maybe it's old age setting in. Who knows. But it definitely has a way of humbling a person. Maybe I needed to be humbled.
Look how bad my brain is anymore. I am way off track. Another reason I need to blog is to share our family happenings with extended family. We have family living in several different states, all pretty far away from Florida. It's an easy way for them to see pictures of the kids, and to help them know what goes on in our world. It's much easier to write once and get it over with than to write the same email 5 or 6 times. I was very bad at writing letters, I know. Sorry about that. This way I am actually writing! So, I hope you guys are all enjoying the posts. I know several family members aren't leaving any comments, but I think they are reading. Okay, enough of a boring subject. I'm off to start composing a more interesting post, unless I get sidetracked with life.
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