Thursday - NO WEDNESDAY! LOL

BreAnne had a 28-week OB appointment today and I got to play with the kiddos! Josiah woke up after she had left, and he jumped right into the fray. 

Poor, Gideon is under the weather. He's a trooper. 

These 3 and I attempted to put a floor puzzle together. I'm sure we would have done it if Bre hadn't come home when she did. 

I ran home and touched base. Stacia and Allie were both busy with their respective course work. I made Dad lunch, Michael mowed the lawn, Dad went down for a nap and I headed back to town to get my hair cut. 

The next time I came home Stacia was playing with meringues. She wondered if she could air brush some....they didn't melt. 

Next, she torched some of them (I'm sure there is a fancier name for that). 

A nice fall plate for youth group. 

I headed out to the garden to pick a salad...and got side tracked by flowers. 

I brought some inside. 

I did get lettuce, carrots, kale, onions, cucumbers, beets and green beans from the garden. 

The girls had wrapped up their school and projects when I got back inside. They joined me in scrubbing veggies, setting the table and such. 

I planted two kinds of beets this year: Chioggia (Bassano) candy cane striped, and Ruby Queen. Michael and Dad like beets. The candy cane beets grew much bigger...but how would they taste? I didn't notice a big difference. 

Michael however is the beet connoisseur.

He likes the Chioggia (Bassano) better. He thinks they are sweeter. They certainly bleed less red than the Ruby Queen.  I had a pork loin I made for the family. I avoid pork.  I have a freezer of wild salmon...and it cooks up in 7 - 10 minutes in the air fryer. 

Dijon, honey and spices...

Michael decided the salmon looked better than the pork and joined me. There was also an entire salad, green beans, beets and a cucumber tomato salad from our garden. I felt good about a meal we'd caught or grown. 

After a bit of clean up time the girls and I left for church. The women are still not meeting so I used the time to run a couple of errands. 

Y'ALL! ONE of dad's meds cost $237 and the full cost was over $1000!!!!  Just let that sink in.  I also dropped books off at the library and then went back to the parking lot to read. 

After youth we dropped Allie off to have coffee and catch up with a friend. 

August Snippets

 

The Dahlia's are blooming. I started them from seed in the greenhouse and then up-lanted them and eventually transplanted them where I found dirt. Unfortunately, I was not aware they are perennials...and put some right in the middle of garden beds. Um...I'm going to try to transplant them "somewhere." Editors note - I've since been told that they are NOT hardy in Zone 4b - where I live. That they have to be dug up to winter over....so I'm not sure that's worth it - may just start them from seed again next year....though I need to research and see if there is a benefit to digging them up and wintering them over. 

The candy cane beets - I think we can begin to pick and eat the beets. This tasted much like any other beet. 

Stacia's famous bombs

We voted Aug 16th. Due to our remote voting locations AND our new rank-based voting we are told we'll know results on Aug 31st. 

Livie started 4th grade at a brand-new school. 

The chicken equivalent of "talk to the hand." 

Real food comes dirty! 

As the chicks begin laying eggs we have some surprises - this morning it was a double yoke. 

August comes to an end, and I realize fall is here. The leaves ARE turning yellow and orange...the rain doesn't look like it will leave until the snow flies. LOL  We will be running crazy on projects around here until it snows...but this year, I find myself looking forward to winter. It has made all the difference in the world to embrace each season for what it is. 

It has felt like the summer grabbed a hold in May and drug us through the past couple of months... I am content to slow down soon. LOL 

Michael and Jamin's Arctic Adventure

 

This is the proof of life photo Jamin sent me. He and Michael took a trip to Barrow recently. Jamin takes trips every quarter and Michael was happy to accompany him on this one.  There was talk of finding a polar bear. 

The goal of the trip was to go to the edge of the arctic and step into the arctic sea...which they did. I've not heard many stories just yet - but I will. 

I'm quite sure Michael took lots of pictures and will share them at some point. Michael arrived home at 8:30 p.m. and Jamin flew on to Florida....now there's a change of scenery. 

I will stop complaining about $4 a gallon. LOL  Do you see that? $12.99 a gal. 

About that polar bear...

I'm grateful they were able to take this trip together and I'm thankful to have Michael home. Life is so much easier and fuller when he's home. LOL 

All photos by Jamin. 

A Day at Home

The morning began with Olivia. Stacia had school and Allie was sleeping - poor Liv was left with me to entertain her. She introduced me to a Disney show...and we made banana muffins. We also had a good talk about the recent changes in her life. She is attending a new school in the new town they moved too. She told me she likes the school. She had discovered today a friend from school goes to her church - always a great connection.  It was good to hear she is liking the new school. We've been praying for a smooth transition for her. 

Stacia spreads out her books and gets it done! LOL  The challenge this year is to find a quiet place to work on school in the mornings. Allie is usually sleeping when Stacia starts the day (because she works late at night several nights a week). GG has taken to loud discussions and singing in the a.m.  My noise cancelling headphones work nicely. I gave them to her right after this picture was taken. LOL 

Stacia finished school. CyRi arrived to visit for a bit, pick up Livie and head to the state fair.  The girls and I visited and ran a couple of errands. 

I took Allie to work. 

I noted the chicks, which are now pullets, were pecking at the tiny new chick. I couldn't find all the things for the brooder but set our new chick in the other side of the rabbit hutch, caught the broody hen and put her back to work. LOL  We've raised a chick by hand before, but if she will do the job, it's much easier to integrate the new chick to the flock. 

I picked veggies for dinner...made dinner, started a batch of chicken broth, and waited for Michael to come home. 

Stacia and I DID begin the Monk series again...it's been 5 years since we watched it. I think it's o.k. Watching MONK puts me instantly back to our days of living in the RV.  LOL 

Michael arrived home. GG went to bed.  I waited up for Allie. 

Three eggs tonight - we suspect 1 from Golda (her eggs are bigger and white), we also got a green egg and another BIG brown egg. I am guessing we have 3 of the pullets laying. We are dreaming of being overrun by eggs once again. Last time we had this many hens we sold eggs.

More yellow is showing up in the yard...I think fall is here....and if I refuse to admit it much longer I may miss it altogether. LOL 

Surprise in the Chicken Coop

We've had a hen sitting in a nesting box for weeks. First, we thought she was dying as she had been ill and picked on. Then we thought she was avoiding the rooster. We left her alone. Tonight, when I went to check for eggs the box was empty and there was a tiny brown egg in the box. Our new chicks have begun laying a week early! YES. I look forward to swimming in eggs again. 

I was surprised to find the hen sitting on the floor of the coop. She moved to grab some food and look what I saw! She HATCHED A CHICK. I sat and watched; she is doing a terrific job at being a mommy. This obviously did not hatch from one of her eggs. My guess is maybe it's one of Golda's eggs...Godla has been a great hen for 4 years. I hope it is not a rooster. 

It took Stacia, Livie and I 30 minutes to get them all inside this evening. They ran us ragged. One even flew out of the coop. We finally got Alex. He's much less intimidated by them than we are. 

Our Day

We had a guest preacher today at church. He spoke on the importance of being "committed to Koinonia" - committing to community, following through with fellowship. It was full of Scripture, which I look forward to exploring further this week.  Stacia and Allie liked the specific steps he gave for intentional fellowship. He talked about how we need to remember the battle belongs to the Lord, but we are in it together. I have been processing what it means to allow others to be in the battle with us....it requires vulnerability. Just processing. I thought it FUN that this was a strong sermon on community given by an INTROVERT. Often, when I talk about this topic, I'm brushed off because I'm an extrovert. Good to hear his thoughts. 

Josiah and Carrie are celebrating ONE YEAR of marriage, and they brought Liv out to celebrate with us. We love sleep overs with Olivia. She was able to have lunch and visit with Allie before Allie went in for work.  The girls were jumping on the trampoline when they were foiled by rain. 

They switched to standing on the deck and throwing the ball for Millie. Retrieving the ball meant a lot of running across the yard and up and down stairs for Millie. We like to tire her out. 

Go get it, Millie

They set up a sleeping spot for Liv next and then baked some wildly sprinkled cookies.  We settled in to watch Frozen 2.  GG woke up. I made a quick Sunday dinner. We moved on to Apples to Apples. Whatever did we do around here before Nolan bought this game for Stacia?  Nolan made it home after 10 hours of work. He played a game with us and then went to take a nap as he expects to get called back in to work. 

Livie, Stacia, Nolan 

It's pretty funny how many words match up for Baby Boomers or Millennials. LOL 

The girls have settled down for bed. GG is in bed and I'm going to read for a few hours. Good night. 

FRIDAY!!!! YES.

I found myself sitting in the back corner where I sat with Nicole two weeks ago, with a yummy bowl of Hungarian mushroom soup. This time we celebrated a successful first week...survival...the first week for Arielle to mommy two 18 month olds and a 3 yo, the first week for Allie to do college classes, and the first week of Stacia's senior year.  She submitted her first Lit response paper on Father Brown and said it felt good to be back at it. 

We enjoyed our soup and split a goodie, or two.  We checked out a gym and a novelty store. Then we came home to our various projects and Benny and Arielle headed home. 

I pulled all the beans today...see that meager crop? This isn't our best gardening year. LOL I pulled a couple of cucumber vines. We've got lots of cucumbers to go....and look at that white Dragon Egg cucumber. 

This dragon egg is big enough to be a squash. LOL Speaking of squash we have a good sized kabocha squash. I'm trying to decide how long to leave it...long enough to mature but early enough to avoid the slugs. 

It was a relaxing afternoon. We decided to have a fire after dinner. Allie got called in to work at dinner....fair time...everyone needs fast food.  I drove her in, then got home and got dad out back and just as we got everyone OUT there it began to rain. We were not to be deterred. I gave Dad an umbrella and told him to enjoy the fire. ::snort:: 

We snacked on carrots, while we sat around the fire, under the umbrellas. 

Allie called and I ran to pick her up. She picked up 3 extra hours. We sat around and enjoyed hot drinks. 

It's good to have the week wind down. And each week will get a bit easier until we all feel a new normal. LOL 

No Rain Today!

We left early this a.m. for Bible study. It wasn't raining when we got home so I spent time outside while both girls worked on school. 

Michael bought me the greatest gift - my own 12 in, battery powered chainsaw...today he taught me how to use it. I plan to get out and do more...today was full. 

I couldn't resist spending time in the garden. So.much.rain. Wow - lots of slugs...but the Dahlia's are great. Did I mention before I didn't realize they were perennial and planted them right in the middle of a garden bed? I planted them as seeds and figure I can try to move them in a bit or just pull them and plant more. LOL  

Dahlias and Brussel Sprouts 

Will they have enough time to produce a few meals? 

Brussel Sprouts

More peas and squash. Michael isn't impressed with these peas...he wants sweeter, sweet peas. I'll have to do some research. I let them get too big but even the tiny ones aren't as sweet as the ones he remembers. 

I pulled the pea vines. The chickens loved it! 

The pumpkins are growing...but I'm just not sure they'll have time to mature...The early variety didn't do a THING...these Connecticut ones are doing better. 

Every bit counts....in the freezer for stir fries and soups....

Allie spent the afternoon at the fair and met us at Life group. 

Stacia and I prepped our meal offering for Life group me and watched a couple of episodes of, "When Calls the Heart." 

Life group met tonight. I never got a shot of the other side of the room. humph!

 

Krista, the gal under the tv, proved how considerate of a friend she is when she left me sleeping in the parking lot last night. I didn't even know she'd come by the car. I sure was tired. LOL 

Nolan spent the night with Grandpa. He was happily in bed by the time we got home.