How low can we go?

I used to keep the house at 69 degrees. I was freezing. So, I bought some silky long underwear, new thick socks, and indoor crocs. I was finally warm. I looked around and saw my kids in various stages of undress all day long. What??? It's winter. BUNDLE UP!! Every day I am dropping the temp a degree until the kids are dressed like MN kids and complaining or until I can't stand it. We are at 66 degrees today. Looks like we'll be hitting 65 tomorrow. As long as I have my long underwear, it is all good.

Butter Sandwich or Bread with Butter?

Which do you prefer? A butter sandwich sounds disgusting to me, but bread with butter is palatable. Wonder why? There's no difference, right? Maybe I should be wondering why the kids love butter sandwiches.

Will we get out today?

The trucks were supposed to be plowing yesterday, but we didn't see them. I am sure you are wondering what Mark did last night. He found himself in quite a pickle. He called from work at about 5:00 to ask if we had been plowed. He didn't like the answer. I suggested he try to come home a longer way since he wouldn't make it either of the short ways. I had already seen a number of vehicles get stuck between our house and the highway. Well, he ventured out and made it as far as our neighbor's. There he met the Sheriff who was out here digging out the local police. (Note: Our police obviously are fools to be patroling our high-risk airport when we still hadn't been plowed out from the blizzard. I am sure a large number of terrorists are trying to fly in at the tail end of a blizzard.) So, feet from the neighbor's driveway, he ran into a waist-high drift. Our neighbor was in front of our house with his tractor pulling two other vehicles out of a drift, so I told Mark to stay put and wait for the tractor to get to him. He started shoveling, and he said it was surreal. While he was shoveling, he heard the coyotes howling. I think he was glad he wasn't walking home. Our neighbor found him and towed Mark the rest of the way home. Mark decided he wouldn't be returning to work until we were plowed out. This morning we woke up to someone blowing out our driveway. I don't know who it was, but whoever it was continued on down the road. I guess someone got tired of waiting for the snowplows and decided to plow out the road himself.

Foolish, foolish, foolish

The court adminstrator called this morning to report on Mark's rescheduled court hearings. While on the phone, she told me that the roads were impassable and that the sheriff recommended no county traveling today. Well, Mark thought he needed to get to work. I told the kids to watch Dad out the window becuase we would be able to see him either get stuck or go in the ditch. He started out strong and then got in a large drift about 100 yards up the road. He got himself out of the drift and tried to back up to our driveway. Well, he couldn't get here. The truck kept running into the ditch. So, the only way out was through the drift to town. He took another strong run and got through. Then, he called me to ask me to watch for the plows. Apparently he now thinks he should get home soon after the plows go through. Ya think? Here are some pics. The plows went through Sat afternoon and we haven't received much snow since. Here is our road in the opposite direction of the highway. Here is our stranded mailbox.

Here is the road to town. You can see Mark's tracks. I'm amazed he made it through.

We were plowed out...for a minute

and then Mark tried to go to town. He barely made it there, and then he barely made it home. Looks like we are still snowed in, but we did get our milk supply replenished. He said the roads will definitely be closed again within a couple hours. We did find someone to clear our driveway this morning. Here are the pics. Here are Sarah and Eli with loving their pets. Our cats are so spoiled. We even let them in the house for leftovers and water. Stinkers!!

And here is Jonah waving to his California cousins. Wish you were here to enjoy the snow!!

White Christmas!

Sorry, no pictures of the snow. We've been snowed in since Wed night, and my new camera didn't make it before Christmas. The old one is barely hanging in. I can't find any official stats on our snowfall, but we are definitely in a blizzard and we have a LOT of snow. They were thinking 20" before Sat, but I'm guessing it's more than that. The snow has been falling thickly and steadily since Wednesday. We hope to get plowed out by Monday. The kids had a good Christmas, and most of them were happy with their presents. The boys received Indian dress-up costumes, play rifles, and Playmobil knights and dragons (red set for Eli & green set for Jonah). Anna received American Girl clothing, play makeup, and two pairs of earrings. Sarah received....well....not much. And let me tell you, she noticed! After we were done opening presents Christmas morning, she realized that she had gotten the shaft. Her little face scrunched up with tears and she ran crying into the bedroom. She was so cute, and I felt so sad for her. The other kids had gotten new slippers with their pajamas Christmas Eve, and she didn't get slippers even though she loves shoes. Anna's AG doll had gotten new clothes, and Sarah didn't get a baby even though she loves babies and AG dolls. The older three had gotten their own packs of gum, and Sarah didn't even though she would love to chew gum. Every time she saw something fun, it wasn't for her. I don't blame her for crying. Here's Eli with some of his new knights and horses and the fierce red dragon. Here's Anna opening her presents Christmas morning. Jonah is in the background as well.

Here's the Christmas tree with the presents. The kids have fabric gift bags that we use every year. Each kid has their own pattern. I LOVE these bags, and they are even more special since they were made by my Aunt Ellen.

Sharing a serene moment

Now that I am almost recovered from the septic shock, I am ready to post again. Yesterday afternoon I paused and realized we were having a wonderful, serene moment. I wanted to share my moment with you. I was folding laundry while Anna and Jonah were shopkeepers in their stores. Anna's signs say, "Holiday Sale" and "100% off!" Sarah was taking a bath, and Eli was reading a book to her.

I couldn't resist taking pics of the littles mugging for the camera.

And here is another day when Sarah & Eli were counting together.

I could just cry

We live in the middle of nowhere. I know that. All the houses in this town are old, old, old. They all have issues. I know that. We knew whatever we bought would need work. So, we bought an old farmhouse and remodeled it. We bought at the upper end of the market out here, but really there isn't much choice. Lower priced properties would have needed a lot more work, so I think it all evens out in the end. When we bought we even discussed bulldozing the house down and starting from scratch. We did all the right inspections and were OK. Now yesterday we find out that our septic has to be replaced. What??? What was the point of getting a septic inspection before we bought? We specifically told the inspector that we wouldn't buy the house if the septic needed to be replaced. We certainly didn't include a new septic system in our budgeting. So, I could just cry. Just a little vent. I'll be better in a few days.

The Tooth Fairy just can't compete with St Nicholas

So she shouldn't even try. Anna lost another tooth - the 8th according to her - and she told me that the tooth fairy isn't real. Why? Well, people can't fly and magic isn't real. That's all pretty logical. Imagine her nonsurprise then when she woke up and found nothing under her pillow. Yikes!! The tooth fairy ran downstairs, grabbed some cash (you get extra when you are forgotten) and coins, found the rubber cement and glitter, decorated the coins with glitter, and stashed it all in a spot where it could be found downstairs. Whew. A few minutes later all was good again. St Nick, however, came last night right on schedule. He left markers and fruit snacks in everyone's shoes. It's quite exciting to have your own set of markers and your own box of fruit snacks. Mom never buys fruit snacks. Can you believe it?

What a sweet scene this morning

They are coloring like crazy. I just love the huge roll of paper I bought a couple years ago. I have no hesitation in letting each kid cut off a few feet and go to town. Love that our kitchen/dining room has enough room for them all too!

The temp dropped today, and we woke up to snow. I decided that we needed to have a coat rule. If the temp is under 30 degrees, then everyone has to wear a coat outside. Over 30 degrees, and only Sarah is forced to wear a coat. That doesn't seem unreasonable, right? Wonder why it doesn't seem so obvious to everyone.

Jonah is off to the high school to watch his first wrestling match. He went with a friend, so I am sure he will have a blast. He's going to start wrestling next week. This should be interesting.

Silly Sarah

Here are a couple shots of our silly little Sarah. Can you see that she pulled the stool over so she could grab the phone? Caught ya!!!

Little Sarah is struggling with some sort of virus. For the past couple weeks she has had trouble sleeping with a terrible cough. It peaked (I hope) for a few nights when she threw up every time she coughed. Now in addition to the cough and snotty nose, she is looking really homely with chicken pox type marks all over her face and neck. We were trying to wean her, but these long nights and terrible coughing fits put her squarely back to nursing during the night and early morning. I've been sleeping in the laz-y-boy with her quite a bit too. Sigh. Poor little thing (and poor mom, too).

Happy Thanksgiving!

We spent a quiet time at home yesterday. The kids went on an adventure with Mark in the grove while Sarah and I napped. Then, Anna & I cooked dinner for the family. I made a roasted chicken and chipped potatoes while she made cheese scones. Here she is cutting the scones before baking. Here she is taking the scones off the pan.

Today Anna & Jonah will each make an apple pie to take to Mark's family' Thanksgiving tomorrow.

I think they liked my chicken.

This just can't be true, but it is.

We just took a barn cat to the vet. Never did I think I would do such a thing. Kids obviously cause havoc in the brain. Fluffy is sick, and we just couldn't let Anna's second kitten die without doing something. It didn't seem like the right message to send. So, now she gets to administer antibiotics 2x per day.

The kids got to look in the microscrope to see the ear mites. That was pretty cool. Jonah tracked his first rabbit to its burrow. I panicked when I saw Sarah trailing the boys heading out toward the grove. They were so focused on the rabbit that I'm not sure they even knew she was outside. All was good, though. They found the burrow in the pasture, so I had a visual the entire time. Eli asked me to take this picture. Some day this will be a working schoolroom with wonderful shelving from Ikea. Dreams.......

Goings on

Sarah is resourceful and climbing crazy. She is standing on top of two gallon water bottles while pulling papers out of the bag. What a stinker! Anna and her new kitten, Fluffy.

Sarah reading. Guess she thinks she is in kindergarten. Must be an identify crisis.

We have wildlife. We caught a shrew in the morning (in the house, yuck!) and found this guy eating cat food in the evening.

In Loving Memory

We lost our most beloved, Hosa. She joined our family a few weeks ago and immediately became passionately loved by my beautiful daughter. Anna and Hosa spent hours playing together every day, and Anna loved taking care of little Hosa. Hosa is survived by two sisters, Climby (Eli's kitten) and Moses (Jonah's kitten) and an adopted aunt, Goldy (the stray cat). Last night Anna & I had a girl's night in Willmar. We had a wonderful time together sharing laughs and the sadness in her heart. Anna had asked for a locket (she remembered that Aunt Judy has one) so she can put a picture of Hosa in it. Very sweet. We are hoping that Grandma G can locate a new kitten for Anna. We even bought the new kitten toys last night, so I hope Grandma is successful!

The transformation of yet another room

can you see the washer in it's new spot back by the toilet? Can you see the toilet? Can you see how much space we have to get into the room? Isn't it amazing? Our mud/laundry room is now usable. Hip! Hip! Hooray! for Mark

My apple pie lover. I'm back to trying to emulate Betty Crocker. Last night Anna & I made a homemade apple pie. We even made the crust from scratch. It seems like a hassel, but it is super easy with my wonderful food processor.

I must say that I couldn't be Betty Crocker without a fabulous cookbook my mom gave me a couple years ago. It's called the New Best Recipe by Cook's Illustrated Magazine. Cook's Illustrated is the Consumer Reports of cooking.

My sweetheart playing in her room by herself. Her room is tiny - not even 9x9 - but we squeezed in her crib, a toddler bed, small dresser, and some toddler toys.

He didn't want to do it, but

it has to go. Mark's big project for this weekend is tearing out the shower in our laundry/mud room. Here are the best shots of it as is. As you can tell, the room is ugly. But, that's not the problem.

The washer fits in, just barely. It has to be about a foot from the wall otherwise the hoses flood the floor with water. It was a tight fit before we had to pull it out, now we can just barely squeeze between it and the sink. The shower is on the other side of the brown wall by the washer. The dryer is tucked into a corner on the other side of the sink. I can't open the dryer door all the way, but at least it's not in the middle of the room.

Hidden along the far wall is a toilet with a box on top. The toilet is difficult to get to if I have any laundry or laundry baskets in the room. Obviously, the box on top doesn't help. Since I deemed it unusable as is, I decided to use it as a storage spot.

Mark won't be doing any remodeling this weekend. He's just hoping to get the shower out so we can work in it. With a little more room, maybe we can rotate the washer so it isn't in the middle of the room. The shower is old and gross, so it's not a loss. I had wanted it out anyway, so I'm pleased. :)

You missed it

Mark gave his first radio address. He was the speaker at our Veteran's Day celebration. He gave a speech in front of a few hundred people and students, and he was broadcast on our local radio station throughout the county. He's getting more and more famous every day. His speech was FAB-U-LOUS. He even made me cry at the end. After it was all over he was told, "Well, the good news is you made a great speech. The bad news is that you'll be the Veteran's Day speaker until you leave."

Anna & Jonah are having a wonderful morning today. They are joining their public school classes in riding school buses to a neighboring town, watching a play, returning on the bus, eating lunch at the school, and having fun at recess. I think they'll be tired when they get home.

I found the checkers game in a box yesterday, and you can guess what the latest craze is.

These two are playing together more and more. Here Sarah is wearing many beloved headbands.

I'm baaaaaack!

I'm back after a long break. We moved last weekend, and things seem to be together enough for me to grab a couple minutes for computer time. We spent this past weekend in the Cities on Mark's reserve weekend. The kids were awed by the big buildings, congestion, and huge Mall of America. Eli & Jonah were spellbound by LegoLand while Anna was overwhelmed by the American Girl store. I was reminded of why I hate shopping with the kids and how much work these four are to tote around outside of our friendly little town. I had the pleasure of physically restraining a disobedient Eli in two stores (complete with screaming and body thrashing). That kid is so wonderful, but he is also so stubborn, strong-willed, and strong. Here are a couple of pics from the past few weeks. The kids were playing superhero with our play silks. Oh, how I love those play silks. Anna was Honeybear, Jonah was Sky Blue, Eli was Green Grass, and Sarah was Little Miss Strawberry. The superheros are working together to save the world.

Sarah thinks she's a big kid sitting on a stool at the counter with a glass bowl.

Mark's parents came over for the big Vikings vs Packers football game. They brought Vikings outfits for all of us. Don't we look awesome and very purple?

The only Halloween pic I have. Anna was a 70's girl, Jonah & Eli were soldiers with swords and armor, and Sarah was a pumpkin. Halloween was a bust this year. Since 95% of the streets in town are tore up, muddy, and full of hazards, we didn't have any Trick or Treating. We went to a thing at the elementary gym, but it really wasn't any fun. We dearly missed Trick or Treating in Texas.

Woo! Hoo! 3 down, 1 to go

Eli is officially out of daytime pullups. He hasn't had any daytime accidents for over a week, and I am celebrating. What a wonderful, incredible feeling to be free from diaper duty. And for our house, Mark's sister and brother-in-law came to help us paint last weekend. The carpet went in early this week, and the kitchen & dining room flooring will be going in early next week. We move next weekend. Mark will be in Alabama for the weekend pretending to be active duty Air Force. The kids & I will be moving boxes and cleaning the house.

Time for a haircut?

How do you know when you need a haircut? As I was getting Sarah out of the van this afternoon, I tried brushing her very long bangs out of her eyes. For some reason they wouldn't move. I leaned in for a closer look and realized that her bangs were glued to crusted snot under her nose. It was very pretty.

The first snowman of the season

We woke up to a winter wonderland this morning, so the kids spent the whole morning outside. The snow melted by lunchtime, but we have one little momento left. Isn't he cute?

Yikes! It's SNOWING!!

So, Jonah throws a fit every morning when I tell him that he has to wear long sleeves and long pants. Here is what he wore outside to play yesterday. Yes, winter hat and mittens with shorts, a t-shirt, and crocks. Here is what it looks like outside tonight. I don't think he'll be arguing with me anymore!

Here is just a cute picture of my little Eli. He is maturing so much now that he hit the big 3, and I am finally really, really enjoying him.

The kids' classes at the public school are going great. Jonah is undoubtedly the most popular kid in kindergarten right now. Every morning when I drop him off the kids greet him with wild excitement. It's a lot like Norm from Cheers. When I picked him up this week, they said goodbye to him with the same excitement except some of the kids needed to give him hugs too. We should have named him Norm.

Anna is having a blast in her class too. She even has a little magnetic mirror in her locker. Hot stuff for 2nd grade. Last weekend she had an overnight Friday night and a playdate on Saturday. Then, today, the mom of another girl told me that her daughter really wants to be Anna's friend. Her daughter seems to be a little jealous of the other two girls who already had playdates with Anna. Yikes. I don't know if I can keep up.

This public school thing has been working out much better than I anticipated (but of course it hasn't been super cold yet). Not only do the kids get the fun classes, but they are participating in the fun activities too. So far this year they have participated in the homecoming parade, a visit to the library, a visit from the firemen and firetrucks, and Norwegian folk dancing. I like not having to schedule our own fieldtrips or music lessons. Very nice.

School at home has been so smooth this year since I finally figured out to do our lessons during Sarah's afternoon nap. It is so easy now. Anna continues to blow through her reading and math. She has a great attitude, and she is super easy to teach. Jonah is starting to sound out simple words, and he loves his reading lessons. I am amazed. I never thought he would be so excited about school. My only concern right now is that Jonah has started to stutter. It seemed to start when he started blending letters, and it has gotten worse over the past week almost in tandem with his reading progress. I think it's just a developmental stage, but I'm watching him. I know the stuttering is really frustrating for him.

Another day, another picture

Here are the kids eating dinner. We eat in the kitchen when Mark isn't home since it's easier for me. Sarah usually sits on the counter. It's just easier for everyone that way. She is very proficient at stealing food off other plates when the kids aren't paying attention. Anna & Jonah created guitars yesterday, and they have been working on a band ever since. Eli plays the drums and Sarah dances. They performed an original work titled "Popcorn" this morning.

Anna found a paper wasp nest. Luckily it was vacant. Paper wasps are our nature topic for the week. This picture will be in her nature journal.

Since I wash EVERY dish by hand, I spend a lot of time washing dishes. To keep Sarah occupied, I put her in the sink while I wash. It's a very interesting process. This is the beginning of yet another dishwashing session. Anna felt the need to be in the picture too.