halloween-nini

aack, we have bats under our house! hee hee

don’t these look good?  I taught the young women how to make gourmet caramel apples last week, so easy and delicious!!!

the bathroom is finished!

before: (note- these are not the best “before pictures, but you get the idea – at this point we had already taken down the mirror/cabinet, it was old and looked it.  Also notice the crazy pink/orange shower curtain, I had pink and orange rugs to match… what was I thinking?)

after:

Yay, I love it.  I got the fabric for the shower curtain at Ikea – after two trips, for some unknown reason I didn’t buy enough the first time…

It is such a great feeling to finish a task!

Now all I need is a new toilet.  I had a dream the other night that I went into the bathroom and the toilet was all taken apart and I was scrambling to try to put it back together and wondering if I could just go get a new one, and if I could install it by myself…

fall is in the air

hunting for pumpkins

orange autumn evening

which one will be pie?

super trooper!

Dillon, the only boy in a sea of sisters, turned 12!  Wierd.  I have designated him a super trooper because last week he underwent surgery for a hernia!  -  No not from lifting weights, but one that he has probably had his whole life, and just recently detected.  Good ‘ol turn your head and cough routine…

He was pretty nervous sitting there in the bed waiting- until they “gave him something to relax”.  He is recovering great and extremely happy that the doctor gave him a note to get out of PE for TWO WEEKS – score.

in the kitchen

Accomplishment: a special skill or ability acquired by training or practice
It was my first solo canning experience. I have lots of memories of helping my mom can peaches when I was young, and her advice was invaluable in doing it on my own- thanks Mom!

I found a water-bath canner at the thrift store for $3.50, that’s right $3.50!!  I got great deals on peaches and pears up the road at apple hill, and went to work! I ended up with 21 quarts of pears, and 28 quarts of peaches. It is so satisfying to be adding to my food storage like this.  Next I am going to do spaghetti sauce, then applesauce.  And I am formulating plans for canning from next year’s garden too – pickled green beans, diced tomatoes…

my little funny face

Molly loves to make faces, and she is very photogenic too.  She hears the camera shutter, and she turnes on the smiles, or the faces, as her mood suits…

hee-hee

butterfly garland

I had fun making this tissue paper butterfly garland this last week.  I found the idea here.

All you need is :

pipe cleaners
string
scissors,
pliers
construction paper
and of course lots of colorful tissue paper:

I got this bunch at Costco a few years ago and it has been AWESOME!

STEP 1 :CUTTING

Fold the construction paper in half and cut out a butterfly shape.  I had to draw mine first, and I did two different shapes.  If you are interested in using my shapes, leave a comment and I will make a pdf of them…

Take a stack of tissue paper that you want to use and fold it in half, and put it in the butterfly template, taco style -so everything is folded in half.   Now cut out the butterflies.  You can seriously cut a large amount of these at once.

Now using the pliers cut the pipe cleaners in half

STEP 2 – ASSEMBLY:

stack up three pieces of tissue – I used three different colors for each one, just do what you like.  Take a pipe cleaner and bend it in half.

Take the tissue papers and scrunch them up in the middle, then slide the pipe cleaner over the tissue, and twist the ends to make the antennae.

now separate and “fluff” out the wings

Now make more, lots, lots more…

HANGING

to attach them to the string, simply twist the antennae a time or two more around the string.

EASY PEASY!  Now hang them up and enjoy.  I hung mine in Chloe’s room,  but Paige now wants some too…

Oregon coast

ahhh what a wonderful, beautiful place

AND WE HAD TONS OF FUN WITH ALL THE FAMILY:

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helloooo

Yes I am still here!  After spending two weeks in Oregon, we came home and prepared for the kids going back to school.  All three started last week.  I now have three kids in three different schools, OY.  Paige started high school (9th grade), Dillon is in 7th and Chloe is now a big 1st grader.   This is the first year that I can remember actually wishing summer vacation was a little bit longer, I am usually SOOO ready for the kids to get back to school and to have a normal schedule again.  This year I could  used a couple more weeks…

Along with the start of school there have been orientations, back to school nights, soccer practices, church activities and stuff and more stuff.  And not to mention that my washer started leaking, so after 12 years of good service, we bid it adieu and bought a new set.  YAY – front loaders, and I love them.  Now I can keep up with the laundry.  I have created a new problem though, where in the heck will all these clean clothes go?  Time to clean out the closets, as if there weren’t enough to do.  But that is not all, Scott and I are fixing up the bathroom; new mirror, faucet, hand towel holder and TP holder, and painting the cabinet.  Today I am being Mrs. Handy-woman and installing the faucet.   So far so good.  (I am waiting for the silicone to dry right now, so I thought I would take this opportunity to update this here blog.)  If Molly allows I will finish the second coat of paint and hang the cabinet doors back on, and put on the new hardware too!

Basically what I am saying is, WOW, how come there is always SO much to do?  The other day I had to consciously make an effort to sit and read a magazine without feeling guilty that something wasn’t getting done…  With four kids, it is easy to get soo busy that I don’t do anything for myself!  So here is my message for you, take 20 minutes (at least) today and do something for YOU!  Do it!!

As for me I think I will read…

enjoying summer

Here are some of my firework shots from the Fourth:

We have also spent some time at the river:

Now we are off to Oregon for a couple of weeks!  Yay!!  Hope you are enjoying your summer too!

Happy Fourth of July!!

This morning we had a pancake breakfast:

followed by a parade for the kids

Tonight we will go watch fireworks, and I am going to try shooting some pics with my new camera, wish me luck!!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE  DAY!!

go Dolphins!

Chloe is on the Dry Diggins Dolphins swim team this year.

(so is her cousin Abby)

She started out in the juniors class, because she couldn’t swim accross the pool without stopping yet – which is the requirement to be on the competing part of the team.  Actually she was basically a non swimmer when she started in May.  I figured that she would just be in Junior Dolpins all this year and maybe next year get to the point where she could swim the 25 yards required.

Well surprise to me – seemingly overnight practically it all came together for her and she swam the 25 yards half way through June!  WOW, I was so amazed and proud to watch my little girl swimming accross the pool unaided, and not even looking like it was hard!  I guess the coordinating of the side breathing, kicking and arms all came together and she took off!  So a week ago she moved up to the regular 6 and under class, and last Saturday she competed in her first swim meet!  WOO HOO!

(hey I just noticed that she is standing by the 6 1/2 marker and she is 6 1/2 years old! – fun)

She was SO nervous.  But for the little kids they will let a coach swim along side if necessary, and that was all the support she needed, and she did it!  She competed in 3 races.  A freestyle relay, a freestyle race and a backstroke race, she only needed the coach in the water for the freestyle, she loves the backstroke.  And guess what? – she came in FIRST place for the backstroke!!!   She got fourth place in the other two races too!!  So amazing.

It really threw her out of her comfort zone moving up to the competitive class, but she did it!  I think she had fun at the meet.  I enjoyed it too.  And it gave me a chance to pull out my face paint and tatoo everyone with the dry diggins dolphins logo!!  GO CHLOE!!!   Needless to say Scott is one proud Daddy too.