Tales From the Waiting Room (and other stories)

"They got some Saki, and Sashimi...

and some clean sheets, Oh, kimono, oh, kimono!"

A prize for the first person who posts which t.v. show featured these lyrics on a semi-regular basis PLUS the name of the song. Prize is a $25 GC to Omaha Steaks. Don't worry, you don't have to live in Omaha--they have great mail-order (ask me how I know) and the vegans among us (are there any?) may take heart, there are also plenty of veggie side dishes to order. Although how you can bear to listen to a carrot scream is beyond my ken. 

I prefer to think of this as promoting blog traffic instead of how indelicately *someone* in my household suggested it sounded like I was whoring out my blog. Sweet, innocent blog, I would never do that to you.

The reason for the Japanese theme is that recently, we went to a New Year's Eve celebration with some friends. You'd know this if you read my blog. Yes, that was recent, because we don't get out much. Not because we don't want to, but because Getting Out takes a Lot of Effort. And there's always so much to do around here, not all of it chores (ignore what my children might say about this). 

At this party, there was a guy making homemade sushi. Who does that?  Well, apparently we do now. Brett ordered a Sushi-making kit, assembled from several purchases on Amazon. 

Since I prefer to educate people in what seems to be a playful manner yet if you spend any time thinking about it (and I'm not suggesting you should), it connotes snobbishness. I learned that you can't call something "sushi" just because of the ingredients or how it looks. If you prefer, learn more here. It's quite possible that when you think you're eating sushi, you're really eating chirashizushi or narezushi.

How embarrassing for you.

The final kit of Brett's sushi making items arrived this morning. Apparently, he then had No Choice but to take all of the children except Susannah to the store. The reason for that is, Susannah is finishing up one of those poster tri-fold projects for school. Parents are "encouraged" to help. So that is what my day was spent doing, and I almost certainly do *not* resent it in the least. 

Back to the sushi. Here's Isaiah cutting up a bell pepper. Yes that's a stuffed camel in the background. The explanation would only frustrate you so I shan't divulge.

Josh works on the carrots. I had to put on earmuffs.

Mercy helps with the peppers too. Just because you're missing a couple of limbs doesn't mean you shouldn't use sharp objects and risk losing more, I always say. 

Abigail agrees.

Susannah wanted to try the wasabi--on a spoon, plain. I tried to caution her but she was quite sure she could handle it.

Then Gideon was coerced by his brothers to try it also. They convinced him it was "really good." Gideon ended up in tears and could only be comforted by a kinder egg. These are illegal in the U.S. and since we are good, law-abiding citizens, we order them from Canada. 

These eggs are chocolate on the outside, with a cute toy on the inside. You never know what type of toy you will get. Today, Gideon got a bunch of puzzle pieces which needed to be assembled. His horse-loving sisters were quite envious.

But back to the sushi. 

Nate took care of chopping up the avocado...

Judson handles the cukes quite well.

Now for the series of the Finishing of the Sushi:

The final product. It didn't last long.

Oh and the school project? Here's what we have so far. Susannah was assigned the country of Saudi Arabia. Each student received a different country. What's fun is, we did go on vacation to the United Arab Emirates a little over a year ago and that is next door to Saudi Arabia. So, we have a lot of things that we can use for the project. While in the UAE, I simply could not pass up the Barbie in a burqa. Who could? Her sign reads "Welcome to Saudi Arabia!" in both English and Arabic.

A lot still needs to be done but we'll get there. With the upcoming weather report, I'm guessing there won't be any school for at least the first two days of this week anyway, giving us more time to work on the project. They take snow days seriously here. I rec'd this via text from the National Weather Center:

"Issued at: 3:22 PM CST 1/29/11, expires at: 2:00 AM CST 1/30/11

Winter storm watch in effect from late Sunday night through late Tuesday night, 
The NWS in Kansas city/pleasant hill has issued a winter storm watch for freezing drizzle, heavy snow and blowing snow, which is in effect from late Sunday night through late tuesday night. 
Location, eastern Kansas and western Missouri, including the cities of st. Joseph, Kansas city, butler, clinton, and warrensburg. 
Timing, light freezing drizzle or freezing rain will be possible early Monday morning through Monday night. Widespread snow will move into the area late Monday night and continue through Tuesday night. Snowfall will end by Wednesday morning. 
Snow and ice accumulations, a light glaze of ice up to a tenth of an inch will be possible on Monday and Monday night. Snow accumulations between 6 and 10 inches may be possible through Wednesday morning. 
Impacts, this long duration storm will arrive in multiple waves. Light freezing drizzle or freezing rain will lead to icy conditions on primary and secondary roads as early as the Monday morning commute. Once snow arrives Monday night, roads will rapidly become snow covered and travel will be difficult to extremely dangerous on Tuesday. 
Other impacts, strong winds between 20 and 30 mph Tuesday afternoon will create significant blowing and drifting snow along with highly reduced visibilities into Tuesday night. Additionally, falling temperatures will also be likely Tuesday night producing wind chill temperatures well below zero by Wednesday morning. 
Precautionary/preparedness actions, 
A winter storm watch means there is a potential for significant snow, sleet, or ice accumulations that may impact travel. Continue to monitor the latest forecasts during this still developing winter storm. 
Conditions can deteriorate rapidly in winter weather situations. Slow down and allow extra time when traveling. Practice your winter safety rules, keep a flashlight, food and water in your car in case of emergency."

--------

I prefer to "practice my winter safety rules" by simply staying indoors. But that's just me. 

On a seemingly unrelated note, I have received the highest of compliments. Yes, even better than the Driveway Award. My blog has been complimented on Olive's Pearls. 

Have a great weekend, all!

A New Low

Oh sure, there are times I can fit in to polite society. But just when you think you've gotten all the kids out of diapers, here we go again. As often happens, the baby got diaper rash, necessitating medicated soap in her bath. And she didn't even want to play with the duckies.

Gideon saw the residue left in the tub and exclaimed that he was "never taking a bath in there again." As if the tub doesn't require a good scrubbing after he and his brother come in from taking turns burying each other in mud.

Nice socks, Gidster. Got another pair just like it in your drawer?

After a bath and a fresh diaper, what baby doesn't need a good bottle?

I think other people my age get out more often. 

 

Residential Flatwork

Yeah I know. The Golden Globe Awards just gained national, if not international attention and acclaim. But Hollywood is fickle, and fame is fleeting. What matters most in this sad old world of ours  is that our driveway has won its first award. This is actually the first driveway we've ever had that has won an award. To be completely honest, I didn't realize this was a possibility. 

I asked our driveway what it thought about the honor. It was too verklempt to speak for quite some time, but I finally got him to say a few words, which he wanted to convey to you here, since the permanence of his residency ironically makes road travel impossible.

"I'd like to first of all thank The Concrete Promotional Group, a heretofore relatively unknown organization, without whom this honor would not have been possible. Second, the Easleys themselves, who have provided me with a strong foundation since my youth. They poured their heart and money into my very existence, and made sure I was never spoiled by my fame, yet used daily for the purpose for which I was made. The solid groundwork upon which I was laid is a testimony to their commitment--nay, their sincere dedication--that driveways everywhere should be treated with respect, whether they be a few feet long or half a mile, such as I am. But I am not here to brag, because I cannot take credit (and neither would the company that formed me) because all that I am brings me to the events of today, and has further cemented my belief that justice truly does exist in this world, and if you just lay there every day and let people walk all over you, you too may be the recipient of this award. But I wouldn't seal my pores."

He said it all, really. I remain humbled and we will try not allow this to go to our heads. I'm not saying it will be easy. The award sets next to my high school arm-wrestling championship trophy and the children's Grand Prix awards. The Golden Spoon awards (spray painted wooden spoons) stand triumphantly behind them, earned by the children for creating delicious desserts. 

Let's get back to what was really important about today though. The snow started to melt and was at that perfect temperature for making snow folk. Also, it was Martin Luther King Jr. day, and homeschoolers know that there's never really such a thing as a day off. So the snow-folk were allowed after morning chores were done. 

Abigail and Mercy were annoyed at Isaiah's decision to put arms on the snowperson.

Susannah soon tired of rolling snow, and wanted to know if this looked like a realistic enough head to put on a snow-woman. Sure Susannah, it looks totally normal. Especially on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. At least the snowwoman should have been dyed black. We could have named her Rosa. 

Josh wasn't content with a mere snowman. So here is his snow throne. The children took turns being a royal something-or-other.

Finally Josh got a chance to relax on his throne.

Judson finished his featureless snowperson.

Nate used a little more artwork in his creation.

After a brief date with hot chocolate....

It was then time for school. Who better to learn about today, than the holiday bearing the name of who was being celebrated?

 ]

It took a couple hours, but they all finished their sheets, and a Q&A afterward. Good thing they (mostly) paid attention to their lessons! They were then released to play for the rest of their....holiday.

Apparently there may be another "snow day" tomorrow, as freezing ice is predicted for tonight. It matters not that much to us, but it somehow all seems more festive when the world decrees that it is too dangerous to venture out. 

Good thing I went to the grocery store today. 

 

Crabby Legs

Sure, we had a great Christmas and New Year's and I may post more about that later.

But then I got really sick the other day. Then a few other members of the family got really sick. Two  nights ago I was so sick, I ate rotten crab legs. 

But I'm getting ahead of myself. 

Sunday evening, despite not feeling the greatest, we went out on a planned activity with the children anyway. When we got home I was so hungry I couldn't think of anything except the crab legs that I'd bought 3 days ago, with the express intent on eating them on New Year's Eve while watching "It's a Wonderful Life." (those two things go together, don't they?)

Then we got invited out on New Year's Eve--our whole family--which almost never happens (see: number of children) and we decided to go to the place where there were lots of homemade treats (including sushi!) and bored board games. Brett discovered Boggle for the first time. It's now on its way here from Amazon.com. 

Thankfully there was a Pictionary game going on as well, which is one of few games I have the patience to handle for longer than 5 minutes. I have come to terms with this about myself--this.. not liking to play most board games. I have decided that I'm still a good-enough mom, even though I don't play Crazy 8's or Go Fish card games with my children. Instead, I give them a daily vitamin and figure that when they're old and healthy, they can decide which games they want to play, and mock me after I'm dead about what a lousy mother I was. "She could have just fed us healthy, homegrown vegetables and meat instead of the vitamin, and still played games. It wasn't an either/or situation there." 

But our gardens never make it past the July drought anyway, and the children sob when we try to butcher our meat goats. "I love her! She's always so nice when I go out to the barn!" Instead, we purchase half a beef twice a year and also shoot deer (two this year! Go Josh and Brett!). My explanation that the cow also at one time had a face and parents, doesn't seem to hold water with the children. So the "hay-burners" live their lives out in pleasure in our fine pastures. 

So, last night when we got back from our activity with the kiddos, I was at that time quite feverish and had no brain activity left. Really, I think if I'd been hooked up to an EEG, it would have flat-lined. See, for a couple of days we'd been trying to figure out what the heck that awful smell was, coming from the refrigerator. Sometimes Brett would open the fridge, dig around a bit, and say something like "It seems like a rotten meat sort of smell" and then we'd discuss what meat was in the fridge. Of course it wasn't the children's bologna, that takes at least a year to rot thanks to current processing methods (Oh, hence the vitamins). Then--eureka!--I found an old bag of chives. Tossed those, sealed up the trash bag, and tossed it in the garbage cart to be taken out later this week. Confidently I strode over to the fridge and opened it up again. 

No change. 

It didn't occur to me that it could be the crab legs, because I'd *just bought them* 3 days ago. I went to my computer, too weary to carry on, and slumped over while reading boring political sites. Then Brett--not feeling too well himself--declared that he found the offending food, and it was the crab legs. 

"BOTH bags?" I said. Both? Really?  Maybe just one. Because now that he said "crab legs" they immediately sounded like something I must have very soon. 

He said that one bag was bad so he threw it out but the other seemed...okay.  So despite not feeling the greatest himself, he cooked up the crab legs, melted some butter, and served it to me. Immediately I knew they, too, were rotten. By this time Brett was so stuffed up he couldn't smell anything so "it seemed fine to him."  Good enough. In retrospect, it was a huge mistake, because on top of the flu I now had food poisoning. Not bad really but enough to make me curious about my sanity. 

So on a good note, we'll leave you with a few photos of our wonderful holiday season, which really was wonderful, and all I'd hoped it would be. 

But then, my standards are low.

And, what would a holiday scenario be without baby livestock? I ask you.

Have a beautiful New Year, all! 

 

Just Like That

It's so quiet here now. We miss all of the big kids being here, and the grandchildren. What a crazy, too-short time we had with everyone! We were also blessed to have one of our DIL's parents here for a little while too. It was extra-special to see Taylor, who just returned from Afghanistan in October.  I managed to get some photos of the beautiful grandchildren (oh..and their parents).

Thanksgiving was delicious. I was banned from the kitchen. I tell myself it's because they wanted to give me a break, not because they don't like my cooking. And truthfully, I cannot cook like my children can. They watch the cooking shows and do strange things with fires, oddly-shaped tools, and spices. They pair seemingly unrelated foods together and make them taste good.

 

My sole contribution was my 7-layer salads made the day before, which were nearly forgotten in the last-minute rush to get everything on the wheelie cart and out to the table. The children had their own wing of the house. That's sparkling cider on their table, mom :)  Although in retrospect....nah.

The babies sat out with us.

Isaiah's birthday was two days after Thanksgiving this year. 

He was delighted with his toys.

A few days before his birthday, Isaiah went to one of his tri-annual appointments with his eye surgeon. For most of his life, we've dealt with his congenital cataracts, laser surgeries, and all-day patching. We've dutifully gone to the appointments and listened to what the next step would be, and prepared ourselves for it.  

This time, the doctor said that his eyes were fine. No more surgery, ever. No more patching, ever. No more bifocals, except maybe in his 60's. 

They're fine.

Just like that.

The house is quiet, the grandchildren are gone.

Isaiah's eyes are fine.

Just like that. 

Signs of the Times, Part Deux

As I've attested to previously, this is a strange land we've moved to. Though after two years, I now feel very much at home, I am still struck by the amount of statues of livestock. Today's entry brings us "Attempts at Humor." Tip for signmaker:  too obvious, thus not truly funny, but otherwise noteworthy and photo-worthy. 

And hey, who doesn't like walnuts? But do I like them enough to have to make an appointment to buy them? It's hard enough for me to remember to make appointments for the children to get their yearly (or semi-yearly, depending on the condition) exams. So I shall opt out of making a Walnut Appointment and trust Providence that there will be some on the store shelves when I need them for the upcoming holiday baking season.

Ah, but now on to the fun stuff! We received two shipments today. None of them were livestock, yet they were welcome all the same. We first became acquainted with Kinder Eggs when we visited my sister and her family  when they lived in the United Arab Emirates. I thought this was something unique, so when Brett and I were able to be in France for a week last January, celebrating our 30th anniversary, we visited friends and I was going to bring their children some Kinder Eggs, but then realized they were widely available in Europe, and in fact pretty much everywhere except the U.S. 

But being a resourceful type, if I do say so myself, I found out how to purchase them on the inter-tube. However, they are illegal to sell in the U.S. (some silly thing about the toys being small enough to choke on). So, we purchase them from a Canadian supplier. It's not that I think I'm above the law, I just like to sit next to it and mock it from time to time. 

We ordered them in May, but due to the hot weather, they only ship these delicacies when it gets cool enough so that they don't melt. My poor children had to do without their kinder-eggs all summer long. 

They're really neat. Chocolate with a toy inside. Josh wasn't sure about the pink baby dinosaur emerging from her egg, so he traded for a more manly toy.

 Isaiah, as always, is happy with his toy.  We're not sure what this is, to be honest.

To be honest, Mercy wasn't really thrilled with her fire hydrant toy. But she did enjoy the chocolate. 

The other package that arrive today contained the surf 'n turf items I'd ordered for Brett's birthday. More importantly, it contained dry ice. It does look really cool and bubbly, but you have to be there.

Josh decided to get the full view. 

Have a great Friday, all!

 

 

 

Tarantulas 'N Roses

As promised, here are the tarantula photos. One morning in Haiti a couple weeks ago, Brett woke up and saw that Josh had a tarantula crawling on his back. Josh was just starting to wake up too, and Brett said in a low, stern voice: "Do not move." 

Josh knows his dad well enough to obey a direct order like that. We do have other children that, upon hearing something like that, would flail around saying "What is it? GET IT OFF ME!"

So the spider was gently brushed off without incident. One of the first things Josh said upon once again receiving the gift of speech, was "You know mom's going to want to know why you didn't get a picture of the spider while it was still on me." 

He was right, that was the first question I asked upon hearing the tale. Brett said he thought the more prudent action was to remove the venomous spider from his son first. I pointed out that tarantulas don't have enough poison to kill a strapping young lad, though it would be painful (as was the 28 hours of labor giving birth to Josh, I might toss in for speculation). And since Josh is allergic to stinging insects (YES, I know, spiders are arachnids, not insects) Brett also said that he might be allergic to the spider as well. I pointed out that they did bring Josh's epi-pen with them. 

But I forgave all, because indeed they did get photos. And upon further reflection, I did see their point. Probably best not to purposely tempt fate and get bitten by a poisonous spider, especially since it's doubtful the local witch doctor accepts Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Kansas City. 

And not to minimize the situation further, but my older sister Pam had a pet tarantula for years. Hers was at least twice the size of this one and much fuzzier, and would have consumed it immediately, merely out of embarrassment for the species. 

Here's the group on the last day. Everyone survived.

They got a lot of work done there, mostly mechanical, on the well-drilling rig. Some welding also. 

The week brought them home, but then had daddy leaving on business. My emotions run thusly:

Ah, but he was so thoughtful, and a lovely bouquet arrived the day after he left. Aren't they lovely?

He's so nice. I really think this marriage thing is going to work out for us. Just so happens, when he returns this week it'll be his birthday the next day, so I've ordered various types of gourmet animal flesh and muscle, and sea insects for appetizers. True, I'll have to heat it up, as it will arrive with a huge pack of dry ice. We'll throw that in the pool for the children's amusement. They never tire of that. 

Bible Quiz started up again. Always a good time for me, though a bit stressful for the participants. We had a great start yesterday--the teens did well. This is Mercy's first year and she was nervous but recited a whole quote (has to be word-for-word or it doesn't count, yes they are merciless ; ) )

The whole team.

Christina (front left) is too old to be a quizzer so she is their coach. It involves paperwork, which she loves. 

Oh, but I mustn't forget another of the weeks' highlights! We received a chickment on Friday morning. Apparently they are rather loud (as we all would be, traveling in a box for two days without food or drink) and when the post office receives them they're a peeping nightmare. So the call sounds something like this:  PLEASE. COME. PICK. UP. YOUR. LIVESTOCK. ARRIVAL. NOW. Livestock indeed!  More like sweet little bundles of fluffiness!

♫ Anticipation ♫ 

Awwwww!

 Ahhhh...finally some food and water!

 

 We ordered all pullets (females) because, for you non-farm folk, those are the ones that lay eggs. Also with a minimum order of 25, we get a free rare-breed chick (of unknown gender). So we always check that box, because they usually look funky, or have furry feet when they mature, or something that makes chore-time even more fun than it already is. He's (she's?) the one in the first photo that's separated out. Nate did that as soon as he opened the box, because he likes to guess which breed it is. This time, we don't know. We'll have to wait until he grows up. He's kind of blueish.

It gets old rather quickly having the chicks in the house, so they are now up at the coop, huddled under a heat lamp, in their very own "chick" room as they are too small to be with the big hens and roosters who would promptly peck them to death for no apparent reason. I've come to realize that chickens are not clever creatures. Are there such things as wild chickens?  I wonder how they survive.

Have a beautiful day. It's sunny here and just chilly enough to want to wear a sweater. Perfect.  

 

Man Sale

Though we were supposed to welcome daddy back home today, an earthquake in New Zealand prevented flights getting out. We're certainly thankful that at least as far as they know, no one has died but there's been lots of damage. So we'll focus on that instead of being too disappointed. Hopefully daddy will be home tomorrow. 

Oh, and the fact that the house behaved itself this week! So far! True, the guest house tried to get in on the action, setting off its fire alarm at 2:30 a.m. the first night Brett was gone. So the alarm company called. While it's never fun to get a middle-of-the-night phonecall, my first conscious thought was that it must be the airlines calling, and not with good news. After realizing that there was no other option but to go check out the guest house (before they dispatched the fire department), I thought "If there really is someone there, I'll take Josh with me." Though Josh is 15, he's nearly 6 ft. tall and could wield a baseball bat if necessary. At least he could be intimidating. Or if there really was a fire, no need to actually enter the place, just go back and tell the alarm company to go ahead and send the fire department.

Then I remembered.  Josh was at a loosely-named "sleepover" at a friend's house. I could've just woken up all the other kids and made the perp run screaming in terror at the sheer number, but instead I opted to take my Corin, my Great Pyrenees, who would certainly do all he could. Maybe herd the perp into a corner while I cited scripture, or wise words from Mother Teresa until I found my cell phone. Oh, here's my fearsome boy, in a photo from last winter.  

Turns out it was the average yearly glitch, upon which the guest house, feeling neglected, wants in on a little action. Perhaps it heard through the Druid Network that being on fire gets one some attention and a shower. 

Oh and Josh returned the next morning, in time for chores. He claimed to have only slept a half hour and played Catan or video games the rest of the night, and that he was able to "handle it" without needing sleep. But right after lunch...

Noah arrived yesterday, for a long weekend visit. He brought gifts for everyone.

Gideon's always pleased whenever someone remembers he's a leap frog (born on Leap Day).

Noah has always loved to cook, but doesn't get to at the assisted living place he resides at. So I make the most of it while he's here for holidays or long weekends. Fruit salad and pizza last night.

Scrambled quail eggs with onion and mushrooms this morning.

The girls had a great 2nd lesson at NTRC. Abigail rode Sheena, who had a twinkle in her eye and was more up to Abbi's speed. Abbi was able to control her very well. 

Mercy had Boomer, who often didn't feel like walking at all, so took a bit of coaxing. 

I'll leave you with a sign of the times. I don't know what it means. I merely give the message, I leave the interpretation to others. It did make me smile, which is really all that matters. Also that I finally have a title for my post today.

Happy Labor Day weekend, everyone!

It's Reining, it's Poring

Reining:

 

Mercy waits not-so-patiently for her turn. Thank you, Dolly (the horse) for being so responsive to my girlies!

Finally!
  

Thank you to Northland Therapuetic Riding Center for the lessons, which will now take place on Thursday evenings. Ever since we've moved here we've tried to find a place that would take the girls for lessons. When we lived down south, no one questioned it, we paid for lessons and the girls did great. Who knew that not having arms would prove such a liability?  Now, after trying to pay for lessons numerous times with many places over the course of nearly two years, we find this place less than a half hour from our home, and it's no cost! And they were fantastic with the girls. 

Poring:

 

Yep, school's started up here again. You can practically feel the air crackling with excitement just by looking at them!

We opted for public school for Susannah this year, which started last week. So far, so good, she's aced her math and Language tests (the only ones she's taken so far) and our dear piano teacher (and voice for Susannah) has moved her extremely busy schedule around a bit to accommodate all of us on Thursdays.  So here's "first day of school" for Susannah:

 

I must say, signing her up for both breakfast and lunch program was a very good idea. She has to be at the bus stop (end of our driveway) at 7:05 and most mornings it's all I can do to make sure her clothes are on right (I promise, I do buy her socks in pairs that match. But inevitably one goes to live with Jesus at some point during the wash/dry cycle. I've learned to buy either tights or white socks only) and her hair is looking good. I wouldn't want to get up any earlier!  It all works out. We wait with her till the bus comes (we have a long driveway, and don't want her standing out there by herself). 

But...The House is confused. It's been breaking all week long, *while* Brett is here and able to be on location when the workmen arrive. I have a pathological ...not fear, exactly, but let us say, intense dislike of, having workmen in my home when Brett's not here. It's not a safety issue, it's that they want to explain things to me. They want to tell me why a certain appliance is not working, how it's my fault (therefore voiding any warranty, implied or implicit) and explaining to me the intricate workings of something that I don't care about and never will. They then want me to sign papers absolving them and their kin of all blame. 

They do not do this when Brett is here. Here's the electrician yesterday, installing some sort of electric thing (I assume) while Brett looks on.

And today, the Bug Man Cometh. 

Unfortunately, Brett was at an eye dr. appt when Bug Man came. So I was presented with paperwork that confused me. In the comment section, it said "Food left out in kitchen, trash in kitchen, did utmost to minimize insect control." 

I had the courage to ask exactly what food was "left out" in the kitchen. He said there was a partial cake in a box. Oh, that would be the leftover cake from Judson's birthday yesterday. 

Created by my dear friend Donna, the cake was a huge success and I resent the implication that it could possibly be the cause of a plague.

 

 And his answer to "trash in the kitchen" was, "Well, you have a waste can in the kitchen."

However true this may be, I'm left with wondering who does *not* have a waste can in their kitchen? And if we didn't, wouldn't this invite more insects?  I told Bug Guy that I wasn't going to pay extra just for being alive. He finally admitted that the cost was the same, he just "likes" to fill in the comment section. 

I think he missed his calling in life. Maybe he should just author a boring blog that only a few people (hi mom!) read. 

But back to Judson's birthday. This, he declared, was THE only gift he wanted for his birthday. Besides the summer camp we'd sent him too, of course. But that was way back in July, for pete's sake. Of course, this particular gift was not available in the United States. I don't know why. I think just because, that's how it goes with us. 

So it didn't arrive until today, because we had to order it from overseas. I ask you! 

But tomorrow's Friday, for really real. I quake with fear at what The House has in store for me when Brett leaves again. We'll be fine though, so have a great weekend!

Shock and Awesome

Several people (okay, two) have pointed out that when they click over to my blog from Facebook, there are no videos and some punctuation is missing (I'm flattered that they don't assume it's my error).  I don't think FB will allow video links, so if you're reading this from FB, you can go directly to my blog--which in all honesty you should have bookmarked in the first place--

Tales From the Waiting Room (and other stories)

Then you'll be able to see the video I posted from Sunday (where Josh speaks). 

Oh, and this fab video of Mercy milking a goat. Susannah has a turn also. 

Here's the direct link if the vid doesn't play: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts0nDRUrAwc

If you recall, last week several of our appliances committed hari-kari because they sensed Brett was out of town on business. Bless him, in the few hours he had home, he fixed every single issue. However, he's gone again, and the house found out. 

Here's our pool, which I've tried everything available (and then went to buy more stuff) to shock into submission, yet the algae remains. For some reason, the girls want to play in the sprinkler this week :P  It'll take Brett being here again to frighten it into it's usual crystal-clear state. 

 

Sad looking, isn't it?  

Oh, and let's not forget the quail-watering system. I love my quail and the eggs are especially cute when cooked in a darling quail-egg pan:

 

For size comparison, on the left is a quail egg from a beginner, the next one is the beginner's egg size the next week and then the normal size quail egg--compared to a regular sized chicken egg. 
 

So I want my quail to be comfortable, but their watering system kept breaking. Thankfully though, Brett loves hearing my melodious voice anytime, especially when he's holding up a sheet of drywall in Oklahoma and I'm saying "TELL ME ONCE AND FOR ALL HOW TO FIX THIS OR I'LL DO MY OWN KEVORKIAN-ESQ FIX!"

So he walked me through it but it still didn't work. He said I needed wire clippers, which were were "in his shop." The Shop is a large and scary place to me, and his descriptions of where things are never fit what I can find in real life. So I hung up on him, mad at myself immediately for knowing that I'd have to apologize for hanging up on him. In my defense, he should have presciently realized that I'd be needing wire-clippers this week and put them on my desk with a large post-it marked "SUSAN, USE THESE WHEN THE QUAIL WATERING SYSTEM GOES OUT."  Maybe next time he'll learn. 

Lest you think I always complain, here's some things I'm thankful for:

My friend Michelle, who gave me nearly-rotten bananas, so I could make more blueberry-banana bread. I still had a few bananas left over (I'd mashed and frozen them to use them later) so the girls I and bit the proverbial bullet, octupuled the recipe, and went for it. Here's a few of the loaves. We didn't have quite enough at the end for another loaf so Mercy suggested muffins. Then declared that since she thought of it, she should be able to eat those. Fair enough. Seems like there's plenty of bread for the rest of us. 

   

Thank you, Michelle. Maybe I'll share some with you....

Oh and the pretty plaid blue dress that Susannah's worn in the past few photos? Yeah, it tore badly (and not on a seam of course) when she misstepped when climbing over the chicken coop (we do have a ladder but she slipped). She was upset, as the dress was brand new. It was so badly torn on the bottom half, it never would have looked good even with a decent stitching job. Time for an altering lesson. 

First cut the bottom of the dress off. Iron up the bottom of what is now a shirt, to make a hem. Then start to sew--with supervision.

Not bad at all! In fact, quite cute! And now, extra fabric to use for dolly blankets to match.

 
  
 I'd be remiss not to mention my Happy Property, now that our wonderful Hay Guy has visited. The grass has to get really high for him to be able to properly "hay" it, so it looks not-so-nice until he gets here. 

Have a great day, everyone!