Guess What's for Dinner Tonight?

Zack's first Turkey. 

He's a bona fide hunter now.

Never turning back!


(You'd make his year if you left a congratulatory whoop for him!)

O' what to do with a mobile baby?

Good luck.
If you have one, you may need it.

My model is nearly one year old, can rev her engine and get moving
pretty fast for mere hands-and-knees motation.
I've been trying to work on her scrapbook and to do that I spread everything
out on the living room floor.  Yeah.  Not a "safe" option (for my paper and supplies)
 for sure, but it's the biggest clear surface I have.
Add to that a seasonal outbreak of flying ants IN the house, and you have a
recipe for, well... for confining baby to... to something confining.
In most cases that would be my arms.  Today once again, I don't know what
to do with the girl to keep her out of trouble (and from eating winged carpenter ants)
so I sit in the rocker and we visit.  She sips a bottle of milk, and I daydream.

In my daydreaming, I look over and see a laundry basket.  It gets me thinking
of the old days when Zachary, my firstborn, was a curious toddler, and how stumped
I was on how to confine him while I took a bath (no shower in that house).  Probably there
was a baby in this story -  there usually is.  Clayton would have been a sensibly immobile
baby several months in age.  At that time the safety of 2 was at stake and baths were a kind
of laughable dream!

Somewhere in my desperate ingenuity I dragged the laundry basket into the bathroom
with me and plopped my toddler in it. Handed him a bag of Cherrios, and kept him
within reach.
That's how I got clean in the early years.

Normally naps are the hot ticket, but lately the various naps overlap so there is a ready
supply curious fingers no matter what time of day.
Big brothers and sisters - they are the real unsung hero's!  As I sat daydreaming today,
I concluded the laundry basket not the right option for this toddling baby in this season.
I have a feeling it would have been an upside-down basket with crying-baby in no time flat.

So the formula for this day is: 2 big sis's, one big brother, bedroom, and baby gate.
Big brothers and sisters were something I didn't start right off with (for my children),
but I find they are real life savers!  I highly recommend getting some.

It's been a creative hour or so.
Now:  rescue of the babysitters, bright praise doled out, kisses, and food.
Life is good.

Maybe the best Weekend picture

Doesn't really need words, does it.

"I'm not worth ANYTHING!"

Says Susanna.
And then:

"I mean...
Mom wouldn't trade me for ALL the money in the world!!!"

You're right Baby.  I wouldn't trade you for ANYthing!

And it's a fine line between being worthless and being priceless
I'm glad you know how valuable you are ;-)

P.S.  Please don't tell people that your mom thinks you're worthless!

"Dad, I want to earn some money."

He calls her... "Ah-Lor"

A nickname of his own invention.

I had once considered Allie; Lori we sometimes use, and occasionally just plain Lor.
But Ah-Lor?
That's one I never imagined.

However... it fits.  

And the thing is, that he can say every other version of her name as clear as day!
What I love is that Bryce views his relationship to Aloria as his own.

He is not replicating anyone else's, and he takes ownership in his
girl by calling her his very own endearment.

She is his girl.

She is his Ah-Lor.

Twins... 5 years apart.

A Princess washed my Potatoes (and other snippets of my life)

 My not-too-proud Princess

 Clean Potatoes 

 Carolina is branching out in her artistic abilities.

She's now added people to her repertoire.

 Light through glass.

 A new love discovered in books.

 Not everyone has a Rest Room this classy.

I don't want to forget, because one day I might miss it.

Birthday beauty from my sis-in-love.

 My hard-working boys.

I promised them hot tea and a cookie if they would split and stack wood for an hour.

It was snowing out.

They met their end of the deal - could I do less?

Last nights Girl Party:

Rose Lemonade

Flannel Pajama Bottoms

Lemon Merangue Pie

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hot Tea

Lots of hours visiting with feet pulled up on the couch,

fire glowing softly

and no interruptions.

Wish you could have been here with us :-)

 Role-playing

mother and daughter.

 My made-over chalkboard

perfect for spelling lists

vocabulary words

and love notes.

 I really don't have enough wall to display all the happy artwork my children produce!

It tickles my senses.

 My favorite childhood recipe:  Broccoli Cassarole

Mom's own cheery handwriting, and signed with love

kept tucked in a recipe box

painted with love by my other mom.

Favorite things from 2 favorite people.

 Broccoli Cassarole hot from oven.

Plate of  perfectly golden puffed "Grammy Potatoes"

(Thank you for washing them Princess!)

 More happiness.

My day was full of grateful sighs that escaped my lips before I realized

what my heart was thinking.

Boy. Are you playing with your food again?

Working on the Fun-factor

They've been doing so great with school work assignments.
Especially in the attitude department - follow-through, cheerfulness, and completion
have been the norm, and occasionally I like to stir things up a bit to make life interesting.

Its good to refresh the spirit to keep on.  Life is not fair and rewards are not an entitlement
but giving them every now and then  is one of the wonderful perks of being mom!

This evening Susanna and I made campfire dinners by mixing in a large bowl:
*Ground Beef (fried with onion, garlic, and salt to taste)
*Diced Potatoes (uncooked)
*Diced Carrots (uncooked)

Then we layered two sheets of aluminum foil,
put a generous serving of the hash mixture in the middle
then folded the edges.

We also quartered an apple and removed the seeds,
laying the four pieces in the center of another double layered aluminum foil.
Then we sprinkled brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon on them
and brought the four corners of foil together twisting to close the top of the package.
Times however many campfire-cooker-eaters you have :-)

*[Disclaimer: I am not a tutorial person so good luck deciphering all this gobbledygook!]

If you have a 10-year-old boy in the family, you don't need to offer too much
help and advice on cooking the campfire fare.  It's all a big experiment and
10-year-old boys are always up for a challenge!

I will tell you that my 10-year-old boy achieved success tonight and how he
did that was by placing the aluminum packets around the edges of the fire
but on the glowing embers.
He turned the packets every so often with a couple sticks or with some sturdy
work gloves for roughly 45 minutes.
(I don't know for sure as I prefer to not watch these proceedings closely.
It can dampen the atmosphere of fun considerably :-))

survival chopsticks :-)

According to discriminating taste-testers everything turned out superb!
But do remember that one fine thing about eating in the outdoors is that
everything tastes better - even charcoal :-)