mmmmm, pie

(the picture above is blurry when it's bigger, but it gives an idea)

Last week the kids were looking at the apples on the neighbor's tree. They looked so yummy and so wasted. A couple of months ago the old lady that lived next door went to the hospital because of her cancer and was told then that she should live in a nursing home instead of going home. We were all under the impression that she was just in a nursing home and wasn't likely to be back and I hated to see those apples drop and rot. Come to find out, she passed away at the end of July and we're not even sure if she even left he hospital.
I told the kids to go ahead and pick the apples. Timothy had a great time doing it. He called dibs on the biggest, unblemished apple within reach and said that no one else was allowed to pick it.

We borrowed an apple picker from Tim's mom and for the last few days we've been picking apples and I've been peeling and baking and making pie filling for the freezer. I still have a basket full of apples to do something with and at least two more baskets on the tree at the top (which I will not allow the kids on a ladder that high so I will have to go out there soon before they fall off)



Emma climbed into the tree all by herself. She was very excited to have done it without any help at all. Connor was pretty excited about it too and ran in to get me and Daddy to see her in the tree.


The beautiful end result. The apples are a bit tart so the pie isn't too sweet, also when they are cooked they turn into a nice mush so it's more like a tangy apple sauce. It is so good.
They are the perfect pie apple. I'm thinking I'll have to plant some of the seeds so I can have a couple of those trees.

The pie crust is my sister's recipe. Thanks Amy! It really is great.

ready for school

Last Friday, Gramma called and asked to meet her in town for some new shoes for the school kids. Emma was able to find a pair of shoes she liked very quickly and then we kind of talked her out of them and into a pair that would not cost so much. We asked if she wanted to have shoes that tie or shoes that have velcro. She wanted the ones with laces so she could learn to tie shoes.

the next day Tim and I had to run into town and decided that it would be much quicker if the kids just stayed home and that way we could get through our errands faster. When we got home Emma had something to show us. Timothy had taught her how to tie her shoes. Now she's a pro.

a life long project

I've crocheted little baby blankets before and they turned out very nice. they were very simple, no fancy designs, and just a little border around them. I had them done in just a few days and so when I started crocheting a blanket for Connor I thought that I would work on it for a couple of weeks and it would be complete. I began by crocheting rows and it didn't work out so I unraveled it and began again. I continued on with crocheting but thought making a very large square might be kind of cool so I started that. It was uneven and looked horrible, so I scrapped that idea.

I thought for a long time about how I was going to keep the 'stitches' the same size because for some reason I wasn't able to do it like I had so easily done before. I figured that I can knit very simply so at least with the needles I could keep it uniform and it should turn out well.

The above picture is the grand total of what I've accomplished with this blanket in a year. I had wanted it to be a Christmas present for him last year but it didn't work. So my hope is to have it completed for Christmas this year. I've only finished about 6 inches but when it is done it will be gigantic and maybe some day, when he is a grown man, he will still be able to use his blanket that I made for him when he was 3.
He'll probably make fun of it.

Ick, a bug

Long ago when I was very young (so a really long time ago) my dad used to catch cicadas and he would bring them in to show us. He thought it was so funny to pretend that he was shaving with it. Uggh! it was bad enough that he had it in his hand, but then he rubbed it on his face.
Oh, I can't stand it.
But the picture is here for my dad (if he reads this).

The other day we were playing outside and I noticed this cicada shell. the kids aren't scared of it "because it isn't alive", says Emma.
Erica will eventually, I'm sure, add it to her dead bug collection that she has had for a couple of years. She collects things like dead dragonflies and butterflies. She, at leaast, does not keep dead spiders - thank goodness. Of all the things a 13 year old girl could collect! I wouldn't have chosen dead bugs for my collection. I suppose I don't mind since she keeps the collection outside and if she learns something from it then I guess that's okay. I don't think that she will ever become an entomologists because of her bugs because she can't stand many types of insects and I don't think that she will ever get past the creepy factor.

addition:
Timothy and Emma went out to pick some apples this morning and Tim just came back in to show me the bug they had found on the tree. This one is alive, but it is brand new. they are kind of a pretty color when they emerge but that's as far as I'm going to go with that.

The kids were excited to point out how many empty husks were all over the tree and the few live bugs that were still drying out and hadn't climbed any higher yet. I just got the heebie jeebies every time Ronan or Connor walked close to the tree.

just playing around

A long long time ago when I was in school I discovered that I enjoyed taking pictures. I never had any notable artistic talent like my oldest sister (whom I envy to a point of breaking a commandment) and I have always felt that if I ever stood a chance at being an artist in any way shape or form it would be through the lens of my camera. I always say that I should take some classes or read some books and practice more to become better but then I never do.
Anyway, photo editing has been a recent interest of mine. again I'm not all that great, but I feel like art is only art if someone likes it, and if I like it then it's good enough for me.


So I'm playing with my pictures today.

before

after

so yummy

I should have taken a picture.

The other day I was trying to figure out what in the world to feed my family that wouldn't push me over the edge from sheer boredom. So I pulled out the cook book that was compiled of recipes from the good old and young ladies (and a very few men) from church. There was a recipe for clam chowder that looked like it might be yummy. So I put the few ingredients that I didn't have on my shopping list all the while thinking that the clams just might make it too expensive to make and so I didn't even have my hopes up. Hooray! They were affordable and so I got a bit excited.

I'm no gourmet, but I'm alright when it comes to cooking. My husband complains because I've made him fat. (What ever, Honey) I have never cooked clam chowder before and in fact have never eaten it before. I've only ever had clams a small handful of times but they've always been tasty.
So I boldly set forth on my culinary journey. I chopped and minced and simmered until it was all done then realized that my kids may turn their noses up at it. But I forced them to try it anyway.
To my amazement they loved it, every one did.

So now I get to have a new favorite recipe to make every once in a while, not because of the expense, but because it is a heart attack waiting to happen. But it was oh so tasty. I ate the leftovers this morning for breakfast because it was that good. Then Erica got off the phone with her friend and asked if there was any left. usually my kids don't think twice about leftovers. If she had asked earlier we could have arm wrestled for it. :)

the best day of summer

well, maybe not the very best day of summer, but it was pretty good.

the kids watched some of the Olympics this morning, played games and the little kids colored pictures. They went outside for a while and thought today would be good for a picnic, and it was a good day for one. It was bright and a nice dry 80 degrees outside.

a perfect lunch of tuna sandwiches and pickles is worth the squish onto an itty bitty picnic table.




A couple of hours later we had a sudden roll in of thick, dark rain clouds.
Well, you haven't truly lived until you've played in the rain. And likewise, you have not truly experienced childhood until you've played in the rain.

they didn't get muddy out in the driveway. The messy face is attributed to the cookie he ate out in the rain.

Even with the chocolaty mess, I so love this beautiful face.

Fall is near

Ever since the end of April when Emma had Kindergarten Roundup she has been so anxious to start school. She frequently asks me how many days until school starts.
She had to get shots before she could go to school. We got that checked of her list of before school to-dos. We got her paperwork taken care of and turned in. As soon as it was in their hands we turned around and went supply shopping. Yay!

There are still a few items that need to be bought and we can pick those up next week; but we got lots and lots of paper, many crayons, some markers, pens and pencils, glue and a pair of scissors or two. Then I got to thinking "where am I going to keep all of this stuff?" so I got a plastic bin to keep it all in. last year I just kept the notebooks in a cardboard box under my desk. the box is tattered and only had one notebook in it but is full of quite a lot of other stuff. I will now need to sort through all of that and make an empty space under my desk to keep the plastic bin.


They look so tempting. I love school supplies. I never did like school but I love school supplies. I suppose I yearn for a simpler time in my life, and what could be simpler than Kindergarten.

My sister and I were talking about Kindergarten the other day. We think we should open up a kindergarten spa. Wouldn't that be awesome!
We would card you at the door to make sure you were old enough to have to have Kindergarten therapy :)

There would be a play dough corner, maybe a rice table. We'll have giant bean bag chairs for adults who can sit on the floor and still get up by themselves. Everyone gets their own stuff because as adults we have to share everything already. The spa would provide the supplies.
We'll have nap time. And for those of us who like to write in books, we'll get phonics work books and gold star stickers for a job well done.

as big as daddy

I'm sure that every kid that has ever lived has, at some point around the age of one, put on mommy's or daddy's shoes.

I remember a picture of my oldest sister in my dad's work boots and a diaper. It was a great picture and every time one of my babies has tried to wear enormous foot wear I fondly remember that picture.

It seems as soon as they turn a year old they are in such a rush to be big. I wish he'd slow down a little and stay my baby for a bit longer. He's been in such a hurry since he was 4 months old.
The next step is talking and he already says "oh oh" and "bye" kind of.

an appropriate choice

When looking for a name while expecting we knew that we were going to go all Irish as we have done with our other boys. Ronan was the name that stuck with each of us more than any other and we searched through names independently for some reason. In the Celtic language Ronan is a seal and we are shown all the time how appropriate his name is for him. after giving birth it was noted that there had been a lot of amniotic fluid, more than any of our other four kids ~ which kind of explains why I didn't feel him very much that last 6 weeks.
ever since he has loved bath time. He tries to play in any and all water available. he has never minded if he gets water in his face. today we put him in the tub and, I'm not kidding, he floated on his back and kicked his legs. The boy was swimming. He's a natural. Now we'll have to get him some SCUBA lessons.



(the picture is outside because I'm not going to post naked, bathtub pictures)