{pretty, happy, funny, real}

{pretty}

 

 

All I have is something pretty for today.  Someone from our homeschool group was giving away this buffet and hutch for FREE.  The only catch was we had to take the matching table that doesn't have any legs.  Umm...deal!  There used to be a little credenza here that we moved to our front room.  And there were two shelves that also had to be taken down that I still have to find a place for.  All in due time though.  This really pretties up our dining room, and has helped declutter the linen closet.  Now I have a real place for tablecloths and napkins and placemats, oh, my!

Apple Picking

Yesterday afternoon we drove south a few hours with some friends to an orchard for an apple festival they were having.  This morning we started the day off with Mass at a cute little church and then came early to the orchard for all you can eat apple pancakes.  SO good.

 

Figuring out our wagon situation.  Fritter ended up hauling a wheel barrow with our loot for part of the apple picking.  Eventually the sun became too much for him (plus the late night up in the hotel room the evening before) and dad had to pick up his slack a little.

The orchard has a tractor that pulls customers along the orchard.  We were already picked out by this point and just enjoyed the ride.

Family picture taken by my good friend MB.  I'm always amazed anything can grow here in the desert.

Sunflower was tuckered out by the time we left for home this afternoon.  She couldn't even pick her cheek up from her shoulder.  Tired baby.

Apples and pears!  Aren't they pretty?

Now I just have to figure out what to do with all the apples.  We'll eat plenty of them for sure, but I'm thinking apple butter sounds good too.  I've never made it before, and have never ever canned before so I'm a little intimidated by the process.  It can't be that hard, right?

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

{pretty}

Some of the plants in our yard are doing good and provide a pretty spot for me to focus on.  September is a hard month for this mama.  I'm so tired of heat, and so ready to curl up with a cozy cup of tea.  But it's still hot, so I must console myself with looking at the flowers that still have a month or more left of blooming.  Look at how big our Bird of Paradise has gotten this year!  Crazy.

{happy}



 Happily the morning weather has cooled off some, and we HAVE had a couple of days in the 90s recently.  A good (actually a great) book and a cup of coffee on the back porch (in the shade) has kept me fairly content.

 We also made these little felt rosaries one afternoon.  It was a fun, quick craft, and I have even caught Fritter and Ladybug praying on their rosaries before bed.

 Dan came home early that day while we were in the middle of rosary making, and he sat down with us and made these little toys: a blue shark, a green Littlefoot, and a yellow duck with a great orange bill.

 Ladybug contented herself with making a bead necklace.

{funny}

 Dan had some extra wood laying in his garage, so he gave this circled board to the children to play with.  It has been hilarious seeing the games they have come up with for it.  This one is "spin the board without getting your feet pinched".

 

They also use it as a pretend diving board to dive into the deep green sea.

 Uh-oh, sissy is next!  I'm not so sure she wants to go.

 

{real}

 I'm not sure if it's just the time of year, but the mosquitoes are terrible in our backyard.  The children routinely come back inside with five or six bite marks daily.  So bugspray has become our reality.  I'm open to other ideas if you have them!

Also, the bougainvillea in the top picture is the only one of three that has survived the scorching summer.  I'm sure being in a raised box didn't help keep them cool, and lack of water (my fault entirely) clinched the deal.  I don't really know how the other one is still alive...

Not Allowed

"No Maggie
and no Dad
and no Mom
and no Catherine
allowed
in my room" (or woom)

Fritter posted this sign on his door right before nap time yesterday.  I think it goes in order of those he was most upset with.  :)  So when he lay down for his nap, I stood at his doorway and said, "Well, goodnight!"

"Mom, I need a kiss," he told me.

"But your sign says I'm not allowed in here," said I.

"Well, but mom, I need a kiss.  And I like kisses.  And so you can come in to give me a kiss," he reasoned.

Can't argue with that.  I wonder if I should have told him that mommy and daddy own the house, including the part that is his bedroom?  :)

The reason the sign is all wrinkled up, is because when he woke up from his nap, whatever he was upset about must have been forgiven.  He tore the sign off his door, balled it up and was going to throw it away.  I told him he could just give it to me.  (I had to take a picture of it!)

Note(s) To Self

*Don't post things on your blog after receiving almost no sleep.  Though you may not mean to sound...mean, you won't be able to tell if you do, and you will.

*If your croupy daughter refuses to drink water, because she says it will make her more sick (who can figure a three-year-old's logic?) give her ice chips.  She WILL eat ice chips and lots of them.

*Don't despair if you are tired all morning long.  When you get a chance for a nap, jump on it.  You will feel almost peppy when you wake up.

From The Bottom Of My Heart

Dear lady who brought the croupy boy to Chick-fil-A last week without any thought to the other children around him (or their parents who would rather sleep than be up with a croupy three-year-old),

Thank you for ruining my Labor Day plans (and my sleep, see above).

Yours,
Those of us who didn't get a wink of sleep last night due to said croupy child