more summer

We made freezer jam from some of our strawberries. We did not clean the counter behind Ella and Molly! We planted 4 tomato plants in our very sad, once grand herb garden. This used to have oregano, chives, mint, garlic, rhubarb, basil, sage (pretty PURPLE sage), and a rosemary plant that was waist high. I loved that rosemary plant! And then things started to die. Now it just has some oregano and garlic. And these happy little tomato plants. This is a far cry from the days when Adrian would plant 50 tomato plants. And equally large amounts of corn, potatoes, onion, cucumbers, etc.

I found these random pictures

First we have a very strange game that we played at our family night several years ago. They had to get a dime off of a pile of flour without using their hands.

What was I thinking letting Harrison do this on the carpet? We still have this same carpet and I understand now why it looks so creepy!

That is William. He is asleep. My guess is that he went camping the night before. he thinks it is fun to stay up ALL NIGHT when he is camping. What he calls fun we call "Family Torture Saturday"!!

What is this? Why do we have a picture of it? Someone help me please!
oh boy, must have been a spirit day activity. Go Pep Club! I have absolutely no memory of her ever looking like this. But this is my child, in my house, so chances are I saw it. Okay..... moving on.Good grief, what is this, the Rachel show?

Aright, grab your jackets, cause fall has arrived. We are morphing into October and the carnage that we like to call

AFTER THE TRIP TO THE PUMPKIN PATCH

It must have been a little cool out because the girls decided to put on a coat. But in true redneck spirit...

They are barefoot. And we obviously had a litter of puppies at this time.

So how was your Halloween candy? Good? Fabulous, because it is time for Thanksgiving at the beach house. Here is a little pilgrim girl we call Prudence, no, Charity, no wait, MOLLY! Okay, the worst part of this picture is that I sewed this same outfit for ALL of the little girls in Molly's kindergarten class. I just have oodles of free time I am trying to fill. Would anyone like me to sew some random costumes for their kids classrooms?Christmas just seems to come earlier and earlier each year. Molly sure enjoys a drumstick!I would enjoy it if I got the broom and laundry basket put away. Sheesh!

FUN MONDAY

Our hostess this week is RDH Mom. the assignment is to talk about a vacation
we have taken.


Now, pictures would probably make this more interesting, but I am not a
picture taker or keeper. I got a camera for Christmas this year, because I
wanted to take pics of the kids playing sports and make my blog nicer. Well
that stinking $700 camera is about to make me crazy. The pictures seem to be
getting worse no matter what I do. I have resorted to grabbing Adrian's camera when I want to take a picture anymore. He also has a better zoom. So I am borrowing some pictures from other places on the web!







Anyway. I have done quite a bit of travelling in my day. I have white water rafted in Nepal, walked on the Great Wall of China and paid my respects at the tomb of Jane Grey's mother in Westminster Abbey.







All before I was 18!

I live life a little slower now. I actually don't like to leave home if I can avoid it but there is one place we have gone as a family on vacation that I love. I loved it so much I made us go back a second time a couple of years later!

Old Nauvoo is a beautiful town on the Mississippi River, in Illinois, where Illinois, Iowa and Missouri meet. We actually drive in Missouri for a lot of the trip, which doesn't really make sense since we are going from Tennessee to Illinois. But that is just how it works.

Here are some of my fave things to see and do in Nauvoo:








This first one is the Robert Browning house. Yeah, the gun guy. Now,
I have never even shot a gun, but I am the only one in my family that has
not. The kids are pretty good shots. Even though I am not a "gun" girl, I love looking at everything in this house.
Next is the Scovil Bakery. It is tiny. It has my dream: a bustle oven.
And sweet older ladies make gingerbread men cookies in it. And I LOVE to eat them!

And then there is this awesome place. I will copy the description straight from the web site so you can see how much fun we have here.

Visitors can watch missionaries as they demonstrate timeless skills
in producing everyday items made from wood, metal, clay and other materials.You can view demonstrations in a wide variety of 19th Century trades such as spinning, bread making, candle making, pottery, rope and barrell making. Tie everything together as you help the Rope Maker create another length. Finish it all off with the
baker, and taste delicious bread from the brick-oven. A must stop for the children!

In Nauvoo we have watched inspiring and funny musical productions. We have ridden in ox pulled carts. We have made rope, yarn, candles, bread, and Prairie diamonds. We have played pioneer games for hours. We have toured dozens of houses owned by very interesting and important people. We even sat through a lesson in a one room school house. Our answers had to be neatly written on our slate!

Now travelling with 6 kids can be expensive, so I might as well tell you how much it costs to do all this stuff in Nauvoo.

Nothing, Nada, zilch.

That's right, it is all free! We just have to pay for a very reasonably priced hotel room. The first time we stayed in Keokuk Iowa at the Holiday Inn. The second time we stayed at the Nauvoo Family Inn. Our room had 10 beds. For only $125 a night and we had a full kitchen. It was heaven.

And of course an indoor pool.

Next time I want to stay at the Inn at Nauvoo. It looks pretty posh. It may be a trip when we just need one regular room. You know, when there are less than 8 of us travelling together.

We can do 3 nights/4 days in Nauvoo for under $500 for our family of 8.

Maybe that is why I like it so much!

EDIT**** Lucy took pictures of our trip to Nauvoo and Rachel put them on her Fun Monday post, so head over to my daughter Rachel's blog, The Pink Basement Dweller, to see our family pics, if you want to!

On Saturday

Adrian decided to set this big pile on fire. He lit it while the kids and I were gone watching Prince Caspian. This pile is here because Adrian decided it was time to tear down the scary falling in barn.

But he decided that only half of it was scary so he left the other half standing. Then he called me and asked me to stop and get some hot dogs and marshmallows.

Did I hear wiener roast? That sounds like no cooking and no clean up. Woohoo.

Here is a picture of the fire late Saturday night with the flash turned on:

and some with the flash off:

Then on Sunday it suddenly it felt like summer when William was eating this with strawberries picked in our front yard

and Molly was doing this on the back deck

Oh Yeah!

**Edit** I did not explain this very well. THe kit is what I got from Elizabeth and I pulled the finished pics off of her blog.

Sorry. I have not made the quilty cuteness, yet. But I did teach Ella how to embroider and sew last week. She made an apron for a present for her teacher and emboidered a bear on teh pocket since her teacher collects Boyd's Bears.





I have been enjoying getting back into sewing lately. Of course my obsessive personality tells me that if a little sewing is good, then 200 sewing projects will be even more dandy.

I really need to tell that obsessive side to shut it's mouth!

But since I am also scared to spend too much money I have been drooling over everyones wonderful sewing blogs hoping they would have contests. And then one of my all time favorites had a contest. Elizabeth at oh fransson. And OH baby, does she make great stuff. So of course I entered. And then like a miracle. She drew out my name and sent me this:






Now, what is this you are asking yourself? It is a kit to make this:















Oh yeah, I am loving me some baby giraffe quilt. Bring on summer, cause I know what I am going to be doing. Now go and visit her sight cause it has all sorts of amazing tutorials!

Still steamed, but the other kiddos are racking up the awards

I have received many nice comments and talked to a lot of people today who said that Ella really got the shaft about the AR thing. Thank you.

Then I went to Harrison's award program today. He got 4 awards and a medal. For most AR points in his team.

And they said how many he had.


OOOOHHHHH I better complain to the school board that our privacy was invaded! Oh, and he had over 600 points. Last year he had the most in his grade and that made his friend Stephen mad so this year Stephen made sure he got more points. Over 800! See how that works, kids will push themselves harder as you raise the bar.

And to think, I don't even have an education degree.

So our delightful principal is going to have a little visit with me tomorrow and unless I am really happy when I leave our superintendent will be next.

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And know for something completely different, a man with three buttocks.

Kidding. But can you name the TV show?


Okay, so what I really want to say is that my sweet husband came tonight and taught the Young Women how to make soda can camp stoves. It was so great and they each made one to take home.

You Rock Adrian!

A random update for those of you that are obsessed with every detail of my families life. Yes, I mean you creepy stalker person....

Tonight was Ella's first fast pitch ball game. Her reaction:

"That ball comes at you fast!"

It's that natural athletic intuition that makes her such an excellent ball player.
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Sunday Adrian was released from three years of serving as Elders Quorum President.
Yes, he is going to get another calling. No, I can't tell you what it is.
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Ella and Molly received awards for reading this week. Molly had just over 100 AR points and Ella had 510. Her school used to give prizes to the kids who had the most in each grade. Ella was trying to get the most in the whole school. All they did was give her an award that said she was in the 200 point club. Excuse me? They refuse to acknowledge achievement and they reward mediocrity. They said they could not say how many points they actually had because of "privacy issues!" Privacy issues my tushie!

Sorry for my potty mouth.

I am sick to death of the elementary school here and their bizarre agenda. I fought with them two years ago when I was in charge of Book Character Day (politically correct Halloween). They wanted me to give each child in the school a ribbon that said, "I participated in Book Character Day"

Even if they didn't dress up.

Why should we give them a ribbon saying they participated when they did not? To celebrate mediocrity? To not hurt anyone's feeling? I said no, they gave out ribbons anyway. I have not helped with anything since then. Yep. I have had between 1 and 4 students at a time going to that school for 11 years now. And I have had about enough.

Why should Ella work her tail off when they don't even acknowledge it? I know, because hard work is its own reward, right? Sometimes when you are nine years old a pat on the back is needed, too!

OOOH, did you see that rant coming?

I better run and burn the 25 copies of the Powerpoint Ella and I made of her class pictures. We love to do things for Ella's teacher. She is the BEST teacher we have ever had. And we have had a whole lot of teachers in the past 11 years with our 6 kids. Guess how our fantastic principal treats the best teacher ever?

He fires her.

yep. Our principal can go suck eggs.

Wonder if he will read this. Wonder if it would make a difference? nah!

Your results:
You are Superman

Superman 55% Spider-Man 45% Green Lantern 35% Robin 25% Supergirl 20% Hulk 20% The Flash 20% Batman 15% Wonder Woman 15% Iron Man 15% Catwoman 5%

You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...

my 200th post in which i ask aquestion, raise a warning and a picture of a hottie with an accent

Last week there was a slug in my kitchen sink. Where did it come from? The consensus is that it was on one of the bowls rescued from the backyard and rinsed off into the sink, down the drain only to crawl back up the next day into a clean sink.











I very much want to forget that I ever saw this slug. But seeing this slug makes me think of my poor parenting skills. See, once Lucy was a happy little 8 month old crawler. Actually she wasn't a happy baby, but we will pretend she was for this story. She also was PICKY. she only drank milk. And ate Uncle Ben's Country Inn Broccoli Rice Au Gratin. No joke. So one day she was crawling around our 75 year old cruddy rundown farm house when she spies a big fat slug on the kitchen floor. Slugs loved to squeeze in under the back door of that house. It was really such a fun, quaint, example of all I love about country living.











so what does a girl who will eat nothing at all do when she sees a big slimy slug?











Yep, she decides to take a nibble.











And I can't decide what to do. Slug=gross. But she is chomping away on the thing and I REALLY do not want to touch it. Should I pull it out of her mouth or just pretend we are having French day and it is escargot.











Finally she spit it out and just moved on her merry way.











I still have nightmares.

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Now my warning. You can only watch instant view Netflix movies from 3 computers. We own 3 computers and I just cleaned my laptop up. Netflix is treating it like a fourth computer. Now I have to wait 30 days before I can watch Ballykissangel and Monarch of the Glen on my laptop.

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Here is a picture of what makes Monarch of the Glen such a great show









that is Alastair Mackenzie. He plays Archie. Archie is a reluctant Laird. And he is this weeks crush with an accent.

Enjoy...