water bugs

First day at the lake 2010

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stockin' up

The lack of posts should be evidence enough but we have been super busy here at the homefront. I have to clean out a closet today to make room for all my canned goods, it will be a tummy filled winter this year.

My awesome neighbors got in on the fun with corn yesterday. We shucked near 200 ears and put up 40+quart bags of the yummy sweet corn for later.

The community garden will have LOTS of yummies to share this year so get uptown on Saturday mornings early to get the good stuff!

The pickles are almost done for today and I got squash to freeze yet...have a great weekend!

Spontaneous camping, aka the end of baseball season

Lewis and Clark campground was beautiful this weekend. We squeezed into a spot with Ryan's sister and enjoyed a weekend full of swimming, tubing, sand and sun. The food was a plenty, the sleep was a few. Gavin had a couple of bike incidents that left him with plenty of scrapes and a fat "Bubba" lip. No ER visits, though, knock on wood:) It's August and everyone is talking back to school. Except me, I am trying to get the parade all organized for the SpudFest this year. School will be here in no time.

F.R.I.E.D

Why oh why can't I just follow my OWN advice?

One hour at the pool plus one and one half hours at Leah's game = red blotchy skin except for tiny sunscreen handprint smudges on my shoulders and arms.

At least none of the kids are red. They were all greased up and ready to go.

The beauty of summer...

It's 1:26 here and all is quiet on the home front.

I put the little ones down shortly after a lazy lunch of frozen pizza, corn, apple slices and Kool-aid. The kids spent all morning outside while I hung sheets and uniforms out to dry. After lunch I recruited the big ones to help me bathe the dog and water the garden and trees. I lost one after she tripped on a twig and came in for a band aid. Then a bit later the other one wandered away. After the dog was brushed I spent some time watering and came into find everyone sound asleep. One big kid on the floor of the babies room and the other sprawled out in the easy chair.

Isn't summer beautiful?

Hope your having a lazy summer day wherever you are.

Peter Piper picked...

I have found the easiest refrigerator dill pickle recipe. I have cucumbers coming out of my ears. A dozen quarts are in my fridge. This recipe creates quite the zesty pickle but my family loves them. Thanks to Rachel Rappaport over at Coconut Lime for the original recipe.I dare you to check out her blog. You will be in heaven and she will be in your bookmarks faster than you can say coconut.

It ain't really over...

Friday night the Muckdogs got beat. That ended the season for the team as a whole. It was a blow-out. It wasn't pretty.
However, several of the guys got picked up to play with other teams for the state tourney. So, the neverending saga of baseball continues. My hubby got picked up by PBR. I am not sure when he plays but I can guarantee the only view of Mt. Rushmore we will be seeing this summer is someone else's photos.

Sigh.

whilst dreams of vacations danced in my head...

It's 11:30 pm. The game is in the 9th inning. It will probably be over by the end of this post.

The first inning was perfect. After that everything went down hill. It was painful. My husband was pitching and I could feel his pain as the opposing team scored 7 runs. I heard myself meditating quiet cheers for each player as they stepped up to bat.

In the bottom of the eighth we finally got our chance. With bases loaded and two outs JK (my hero) got a grand slam, but only after I whispered silently to myself, "if anyone can do it you can - hit that ball with every fiber of your being"...

We scored 9 runs in the 8th inning to win 10-7.

V I C T O R Y

I guess the cheers really work, eh?

Keep 'em coming.

Cameraless...

It was bound to happen, especially since I was unarmed; without a camera.

The baby stood for almost 5 seconds yesterday. I could have gotten in on film but my lovely sister accidentally took my camera home with her.

Then, #1 and #2 went gopher hunting. By chance, one ended up in the window well and wouldn't you know it? They caught the @#$! thing. Really! They schemed up a plan to trap it with a piece of gutter and make it crawl into a tote. Unbelievable. I was unable to document any of this amazing 2 hour adventure. But, memories are worth more than a thousand words, don't you think?

My husband got home about an hour after the gopher wrangling and he remembered that I had bought a cheap digital camera for the kids on clearance and hid it in the closet. Why couldn't I remember that? So he did capture one photo. The rest of them he must have messed with the flash because they didn't turn out at all.So, without further ado, my kids the gopher wrestlers...
Shortly after this photo we released him because, "he keeps eating his bed". #1 made him a bed of grass and sunflower seeds and he kept eating it, oh, and he pooped. #1 said she didn't want to keep cleaning his poop so we should probably just let him go. Good idea, huh? I'm afraid he wouldn't have made it through the night. Let us not think about how terrible the world might be with one less gopher, shall we?

Random thoughts for TGIF...

I just rocked my almost 9 month old to sleep. It doesn't happen that often, she puts herself to sleep 90% of the time. But the Lord knows I need a little soft baby snuggling every now and then and helps me find the time to enjoy a few precious stolen moments...

The baseball game is at the Birdcage tonight. It is the late game, set to begin at 8 which means probably 8:30 or later. I have some awesome friends who will be taking the older kids to a fireworks display while I have the baby at the game. The wind is out today and the heat is not quite as thick and makes it a little easier to be out in. After Tuesday nights game I know the guys are looking for a fresh start with some new energy. Dh got an email today that read, "Just a reminder to start taking your ibuprofen for tonight. I don't want any sore arms come game time, so start dosing it up now. I want the arms good and oiled up.(dh), start splashing on your after shave smelling cream rub stuff that you can smell from a block away." Before most games I help dh apply icy hot to his shoulder. I don't mind because it relieves the pain in my sore wrists, I had no idea the team was so aware of it. It made me giggle.

We got the rare chance to drive up North to see my sister last weekend. It was a short visit, but fun. The kids went up the day before with Grandma and spent the night. They were pooped. Here are some shots of the 5 hour road trip home. Yep, that's a cheese cracker in my son's mouth. We weren't even out on the highway yet and he was out.

We have started swimming lessons to which my oldest child said,"Mom, why do we go to lessons? We never go to the pool." I admit that I am not the super mom I wish I was. It is hot and I hate the heat. I have good intentions most days. Then the kids act up and I don't feel like rewarding them and causing intense irritation for myself. Today, they are all sleeping so I get some quiet time with the one in my belly and the computer...

Last night we had the end of the year t-ball game and picnic. The kids had a wonderful time. The heat was unbearable but the water balloon and squirt gun fight quickly solved that problem. In this small village we have amazing volunteers that give up two nights a week for two months to pitch the ball to tiny wanna be ball-players. It takes an immense amount of patience and sacrifice. I appreciate it and I know many other parents who do as well. Thanks Mrs.P and Vic!


The child I am growing is getting big. My doctor visit yesterday confirmed the fact that I am measuring large, again. I am sure I will be as big as a house by the due date. The heartbeat has been pretty consistent so I think I have a good guess about the sex of the baby. You know, maybe I will be right the fourth time? I am not gaining a lot of weight but my middle is HUGE and it makes even normal every day tasks pretty difficult. So, if I answer the phone out of breath you know it was the walking to the phone that did it and NOT anything else...

This weekend is jam packed(again) with activities including; a pool birthday party, a much anticipated return of the Cornbelt All-Star game on Sunday and a couple of important planning meetings. It should keep me breathing pretty heavy...

Happy Birthday USA!

Farming time. WW

moving on up

Despite not having his uniform clean until minutes before the game started my hubby (the stud man) still managed to pitch almost the whole game before accidentally hitting two batters, oops. He came out when they were tied so he doesn't get the win (which I think is a totally bogus rule and if I had some sort of baseball boss power I would change it) but he did bring in the tie breaking run, I think :), with his totally, awesome, studly, barely fair hit, ball down the first base line, AND he looks terribly handsome in uniform...:) For more complete and less biased and probably a bit more correct stats see the website here :) Unfortunately one of our pitchers hurt his hand pretty badly while playing outfield during the game. I was sure it was his head the way he hit the fence but I am praying his hand heals quickly, because he is a daddy and needs to have healthy hands NOT so that we win districts but that would be really nice, too!

2008 Cornbelt Standings

(6-30-08)

DR Mudcats 14-0

Flandreau 13-3

Canova 9-4

Montrose 11-5

Humboldt/Hartford 9-6

DR PBR 6-8

Salem 6-8

Madison 7-9

Lennox 5-10

Colman 4-10

Harrisburg 3-11

Canton 0-13

Next game is Tuesday night at home against a non-league team, Sioux Falls and then home again Thursday against Harrisburg. Save me some nachos!

Bring it on Cornbelt!

p.s. If you are reading this chris d... I am praying for your daddy. My father in law told me he was up your way and got to golf with him. Hope the rest of the family is healthy and well. Take care and say hi to Barb and the kiddos :)

Happy Father's Day Weekend!

We knew we were in for a treat on our weekend camping trip when dh's father called and said, " when I was your age I should have fished more and played less baseball".

On Thursday the packing frenzy began and by noon we were on the road to a little campground five hours North. The weather was in the 70's when we left and when we arrived it was 20 degrees cooler and raining. We didn't pack the right clothes.

Daddy set up the campsite and before we knew it the sky was dark and it was sleepy time. The baby slept so well in the camper. It was a blessing. We had borrowed an electric heater, thank goodness, to keep us warm at night. We really needed it.

Grandma and Grandpa took us to the "point" and we fished from shore every day. Friday night the clouds got dark and a mini storm took us completely by surprise. I was holding the baby in one arm and a lawn chair in the other, another chair was between my legs so it would not blow away. The strength of the wind was pretty amazing. I am not a small woman and I thought I might go with it.

The landscape was picturesque. I could only imagine the Lord's hand forming the small rolling hills and shaping the earth for the big Missouri river. It was breathtaking. It made me want to paint. Hardly any trees and just miles and miles of grassy hills along the river and highways.

The kids both learned to cast and catch fish. They caught something everyday. There were bass and walleye to keep and red carp and silver slip jack to throw back. #1 caught the biggest out of our bunch. She proudly posed with her 21 inch walleye. Dad even measured for all you fish story tellers...check out his facial expression:) I think he was a bit surprised she could reel a big fish in all by herself.Oh, we did other things than fish, I think... I just didn't take any picture of those things. Except the 'camper slide' and #3 with her new favorite toy (it's a bobber for all you non-fishing types).

Sunday was an early morning as we packed up to leave. Dad had a father's day ballgame to get home for. He pitched and the boys gained another win. Check out the Muckdog website for stats.

A little rusty?

I like to think I am an educated woman. I have a diploma collecting dust somewhere. I try to keep my brain in gear by picking up a substitute job here and there. I should be able to handle 5 nights of four, five, six and seven year olds, right?

SQUEAK!

That’s the wheel in my brain trying to get a moving. The first night went off beautifully without a hitch. Everything was smooth and practically effortless. The biggest problem we had was that the markers were mostly on us and not the mural we were coloring. I spent almost 15 minutes talking about Ruth and Boaz and paraphrasing the story out of the Bible. I was almost done when an adorable little boy asked, “What is wheat?” which led to a discussion about growing and farming and that night I just happened to have a farmers wife as my helper. It was magical.

Then came night number two. I didn’t get supper on the table until 5:30 and I still had to shower. I spent all day preparing memory coloring books to give to each child. I felt prepared but when I got there kids were looking for me because our assigned spot had changed and there was mass confusion. At the start of the evening I was holding one nametag so I wandered over to her mother and said, “Is she here tonight?” To which she promptly pointed to her child sitting in the front row plain as day. “Oops”, I swallowed hard. It was going to be a long night.

SQUEAKY SQUEAKITY SQUEAK!

During music we learned another new song and the boys wouldn’t do the actions. In games one little girl had to potty, “RIGHT NOW”, and the outside door was locked. Coming in from games one of the kids knocked over the rainforest trees in the hallway. We had only five minutes to eat snack and use the restroom. The Bible lesson was not successful. There were no listening ears in the room. We passed out the coloring books only to have most of the kids color every page instead of the ones that corresponded to the night’s lesson, (note to self – do not hand out five nights of lessons unless you want all of them colored). The craft was a one on one activity with lots of glue. Then at the last 20 minutes of class time I had a child ask me, “is it time to go home, yet?” A sure sign that he was thoroughly enjoying my teaching presence. For the last activity we pinned the beak on Bill the toucan and I put the picture of the toucan so high I had to lift half of the students up to have half a chance of getting close. (Note to self- measure all students to come up with an average height for paper before playing game, round down.) Then, after the evening had come to a close a mother came to me and asked where her child’s clothes were. I was clueless. As far as I knew that child was wearing those clothes all night. I searched high and low for my helper who was nowhere to be found. I finally discovered the soiled clothing in the bathroom. The mother, I am sure, was not impressed with my resourcefulness.

Needless to say I was exhausted last night when my son showed me his coloring sheets from his class, which is another section of the same age students I have. He had two neat little art sheets to show me that his obviously much well-oiled teacher had planned and successfully executed.

Sigh.

Wish me luck tonight and a quick prayer for strength and a little oil for those squeaky wheels wouldn’t hurt either.

My favoritist time of the year

What do you get when you take almost 100 kids and over 50 volunteers and put them together for 5 nights in a row? FUN!

We start our community (almost county-wide) vacation Bible school this week.

Call me crazy but this is the MOST fun I have all year. When my church hosted VBS alone we would sometimes get as many as 75 children signed up. I would be in charge of music and we would be rocking and a rolling to the theme song every night. For the past several years the three town churches have pulled together resources to put on an outrageously fun, Jesus-loving, song-singing, game playing, snack eating PARTY! This year proves to be more fun with an amazing number of kids and half as many high school and adult volunteers to join in the excitement.

The Bible lessons are challenging this year, especially since we teach mixed age groups, but I am ready for it. Our theme concentrates on taking care of God's beautiful creation through sharing, giving, growing, loving and praising! We use critters from the rain forest to illustrate our responsibilities.

I...Just...Can't...Wait!

Here is an overview if you want to follow along with us!
We would appreciate your prayers as well!

Day 1 - We Share

Bible Story - Boaz shares with Ruth (Ruth 2:1-17)

Bible Memory Verse - Share every good thing you have. (Galatians 6:6)

Shari the Butterfly - this butterfly is very plain underneath, but shares the beautiful blue color on the tops of her wings with all the world!

Day 2 - We Give

Bible Story - Elisha gives food to 100 people (2 Kings 4:42-44)

Bible Memory Verse - If we can give, we should be generous. (Romans 12:8)

Bill the Toucan - Toucans give music to the rain forest with their loud, distinct cry. Toucans are known in many areas of the rain forest as “Dios te de” (God gives to you) because their call sounds like this expression.

Day 3 - We Grow

Bible Story - Parable of the mustard seed (Mark 4:30-32)

Bible Memory Verse - Grow and be happy in your faith. (Philippians 1:24)

Tad the Frog - Frogs grow and change from a tiny egg, to a wriggling tadpole, to a hopping frog! We all change and grow in our lives, too!

Day 4 - We Love

Bible Story - Jesus the vine (John 15:1-5, 7-17)

Bible Memory Verse - We love because God first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

Esme the Macaw - Young macaws stay with their parents in the same nest for as long as two years! The parents love their babies and care for them in the ways they learned from their own parents.

Day 5 - We Praise

Bible Story - Jesus enters Jerusalem (Mark 11:1-10)

Bible Memory Verse - We will praise you and thank you, Lord. (Psalm 35:18)

Cleo the Monkey - The howler monkey is the loudest animal on earth- their call can be heard for up to three miles! They praise God loudly and proudly!

it's official

Yesterday, being the last day of school, made today the official start of summer break.

We have been waiting for this day with much anticipation. Our whole family spent yesterday helping to spruce up the yard and put new sand in the sandbox. Even the baby got in on the fun. We put up the toddler swing and she swung herself to sleep. I wish I would have snapped a photo.

This morning #3 was up with a tummy ache at 6 am and by 7 both kids were chomping at the bit. Somehow the subject of the pool came up and I spent the rest of the morning juggling baby and air compressor. It's done. The pool is up, the freezing water is in it, the floats are inflated and the suits are wet. We've spent the bulk of the day outdoors and everyone is beat. The big kids are playing in the shade and the baby has crashed, again, this time in her crib.

We had our lunch outside and just finished a snack of fresh strawberries. It's barely the middle of May but summer has stuck its head out of the sky for today at least...

Sunshine is a glorious gift, isn't it?

First annual Irish Spud Days a success...

The first annual Irish Spud Days have come and gone in this tiny village we call home. It was a community wide effort and I think we all wore ourselves out. My kids will have some amazing memories of the parade, the inflatables, the food and the dance.



It was an awesome example of what living in the village is really like.The sun came out and cooked a few of us who weren't expecting it. It was a gorgeous day.



Next year will be even better, because now we have experience to learn from.