Musings

Just a few musings from a mom who sometimes wonders why she hasn't gone crazy yet. You know it's just a normal day when . . .

--While grocery shopping, the kids all stare and ask "why does that lady have earrings in her lip" in full hearing of the aforementioned woman! (At least she wasn't offended. She laughed at their shock!)

--You find chapstick smeared on some papers and suddenly realize the toddler who sweetly brought you a tube of chapstick earlier in the day wasn't being so conscientious!

--Your daughter comes running into the house crying with an owie to be kissed---stark naked--except for hot pink sandals! Last you checked, she was dressed and you decide you'd rather not know how this happened!

--Your son decides to dissect the 15 lb. mystery squash he grew this summer . . . . right on the kitchen table . . . .right as you are trying to prepare dinner!

--You find boys' socks in all of the following locations 1.) under the swingset, 2.) next to the pool, 3.) under the deck, 4.) on the floor of the car, 5.) on the deck, 6.) in the garage, 7.) by the trampoline. You suggest to your sons that the reason they don't have clean socks, even though you just washed, might have something to do with the tornado effect of the sock dispersion all over the property!

--Your daughter declares that she has a baby kitty in her tummy that will come out in a few weeks. Upon further questionining, it will be PINK and a girl (naturally). The brothers ask how it will come out. After some thought she decides out her mouth.

--Your children decide to camp out on the back deck in small pup tents. After dragging most of their personal belongings into the tents (and you find yourself wondering where the children will lie down) they suddenly decide they would rather sleep in their own beds!


Enjoy laughing with me. We are having an indian summer heatwave and it is HOT. We are all a bit cranky around here, so I thought I would lighten up the day. (And yes, all but one of those things DID happen today!)

~Christina

What the kids put in the Fair

For those of you unable to attend our County Fair this year, here is a small overview of what the kids put in the fair. Any baked goods are not able to be brought home, so if you see ribbons without items, you'll know why!

Nathan made the cardboard truck and trailer entirely by himself for the "recycled art" category. He also made the silver sword himself. He also entered the miniature treehouse, sugar cookies, and lego snowmobile.

Peter entered the miniature treehouse contest. He also had a really neat lego ship, but it fell apart on the ride home! His final entry were some chocolate chip cookies.

Close up of Peter's treehouse, complete with swing, fence, and sandbox (lower right)

Close up of Nathan's treehouse, complete with swing and picnic table.

Juliana entered the Mommy-and-me category. She entered a fingerpainting and made snickerdoodles!

True Confessions!

Just in case some of you had the false impression I am "SuperMom" or something, I thought I would post a true confession of what my kichen floor looked like last week! Granted it IS canning season (extra yuck on the floor) AND the live oak trees are dropping their pitch which gets tracked in a lot AND my kitchen is also the main entryway into the house, but you have to admit my floor was dirty!

Ahhh! The miracles soap, water, and a mop can work!

Little Helper

Juliana is at it again with her delight and love for helping with all things domestic!

Learning how to put clean sheets on the bed.

This little vacuum was a special gift from God to me. I have been working to have the kids help with more of the daily chores around the house. I realized sweeping is very difficult for them to do, but a small vacuum would make it so they could reliably clean under the kitchen table after meals. I asked the Lord to provide just the right vacuum for us and asked for some specific features. At a garage sale the very next day we found this little vacuum with EVERY feature I asked for! It works wonderfully and only cost $1!! As you can see, Juliana is delighted with "her" new vacuum, and I am delighted with a cleaner floor.

From the Kitchen

So, I have been busy in the kitchen lately. Lots of canning still going on. Haven't had time to take pictures of it all! Here are some of the yummier creations lately.

I am trying out a new concept for bread baking. You mix up dough and store it in the refrigerator. When ready, you simply take out some dough, let it rise, and tada! You have fresh bread. This was my first attempt. Oh was it delicious!

This was a blackberry pie that turned out so picture perfect, I just had to document it!

A day's jamming session! I make freezer jam. This year I tried a new pectin called "Pomona's Universal Pectin." It has no sugar and works without sugar. By accident, I actually made a batch of jam that had not one speck of sugar in it and it jelled up beautifully. Next year I will be buying this pectin in bulk!