4-H Five Day Camp 2011

If only it was longer....

More hours in the day

Just when the days are beginning to get shorter, I have found more time!!! Being pumped full of Prednisone offers the benefits of killing off even infected poison  ivy AND keeping you awake for thet month that it is flowing through your veins. When I mentioned it to my Dr. she said that I should be glad I am not Bipolar to begin with as I would probably require heavy medication to offset the already natural tendancy to go manic. As if I wouldn't already be glad I am not bipolar.

I'm thinking of these stretches into 3:00am as a gift, the gift of of quiet time to finally begin blogging.

Again.

(Summer 2011) Going, going.......

I feel like I slept right through summer

I think it needs to begin afresh

Weed the flower garden in May, not late August

Get to the beach

Get up early. Really early

Visit more people

Pick blueberries

Pick raspberries

Take more weekend vacations

Get those horses out to Lake Michigan!

Hindsight

 

(She WAS just smiling)

Retraction. Ode to Adrianna

Many moons ago, I mentioned somewhere within a blog that Adrianna does not like being photographed. This has been bothering me since. I knew I was wrong. I knew the false statement needed redeemed, if only for myself.

Tonight as I am awake to the point of mania, I have renewed my desire to begin posting again. The redemption post has been calling me.

Adrianna is a very happy child, mostly when A. Reading or B. With animals. She also loves blus. Apparantly during the summer too as many of the photots are in the water. She must get that from me.When she is not so happy is when she is A. Overtired and B. Overheated and C. (big one) Hasn't eaten enough (which is quite often). She also gets all of these from me.

I had fun remembering all these happy, smiling times when she readily accepted being the focus of the lens.

More uh, boy stuff

We just left from a friend's house, where we all left with a variety of items, including food. Solomon's friend gave him a little container of a substance I have never heard of but am not surprised by. It probably cost very little but it is worth it's weight in gold (to him).
It is called Flarp. Under the name in smaller letters: noise putty.

I am quite certain that only mother's of boys will understand this post. Or maybe I really do live in under a rock.

This kid is really, very easily entertained and amused to the point of breathlessness.

Make due post

I am down graded tonight to the laptop which for some reason has had all media erased? moved? transferred? stolen? Next project: stream it to this guy. Nathan has several flight simulators now that he is learning a TON on and so I have much competition for the pc. I had such a great post in mind too, one that has been bugging me.

I will instead vaguely hint to Solomon's latest prompt to uncontrollable laughter. We watched the movie "Secretariat" together and if you have seen it you probably remember several very funny parts, especially the ones that refer to body parts and every time it is repeated, it becomes funnier and funnier...I have explained to him that this is one of those phrases that stay within our family (not a family "secret" just a family joke) lest someone who has not seen the movie (for shame) should think this is a common phrase around our house. If only I had a photo of him rolling around the floor unable to stop laughing.

I have few pics to choose from that came loaded. I shall choose one that best lifts my spirits.

So much for lifting my spirits.

Mums remind me of fall

AND

of Marigolds-the smell of which haunts me

from some previous life.

Hydrangeas only produce anxiety about my own garden

and the ever unspoken question:

"Will the Hydrangeas bloom THIS year?

WILL THE HYDRANGEAS EVER BLOOM?

My rival pics to choose from were

*Penguins

or

*Desert Scene



Bye Bye MR.MICHIGAN WINTER! (ha)

aaah

a new look

a new season

finally, glad for change

Holiday Perspective

Lots of people I know

are making changes this holiday season.

Some are adding new traditions,

some are throwing several out the door.

Most are making their choices,

despite much resistance from outside forces.

Others have no choice

but to let change occur.

We have always been very firm believers

in cutting our own fresh trees

for Christmas.

Real trees.

Ok, the kind that actually smell.

The sort that you hunt for in snow pants,

with everyone pointing in different directions,

 the dog sniffing madly

and someones boots ALWAYS

continue to come untied. With all but 2 people pulling

branches apart to let the ones with the saw belly crawl under to

work madly at first then begin ordering everyone to

 just push itthe rest of the way over.

Hot chocolate and cookies usually are on the house

as part of the cost of the tree and are always welcomed.

This happens to be a "make due" season for me,

in many ways as raising 4 children on a small farm

sometimes leaves no choice but

make due.

Solomon REALLY needed a tree one night and he and Doug

were actually going to buy a PRE-CUT tree

as I was not feeling well.

By the time they arrived at the nearest neon lighted

parking lot converted into a field of aromatic pines,

it was freezing rain. No deal.

They returned with Doug telling Solomon

to go dig out the "artificial" tree that we used

in our fifth wheel adventure in 2005.

He thought that sounded like a fun project to work on

until we could finally bring home The Tree.

Days flew by and ornaments began to adorn fake tree

until we all decided that we were fine with the fake tree

for this year. We even realized that it matters very little.

It felt different, a change beyond my control, filled with  memories of

celebrating Christmas in the Florida Keys and the same ornaments

that filled our huge "real trees" were condensed this year

to fit our smallish, fake tree that doesn't smell like anything

and even fits into our dining room.

And It's okay.

This is how small the tree is.

I like to need a laddar to decorate the top 1//3.

This is also a reflection of how everyone

has grown.

After wrapping tonight

with the lights off but for the

sparkle of the mini lights,

I felt secure and serene,

peaceful knowing

that I have successfully

walked through one more change

and I am still okay.

Thankful for yet another

Christmas with a healthy family

and focusing

on what is real and meaningful

even if it is artificial.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Thanksgiving: Not just a day, but a way of life.

Our traditional home cooked Thanksgiving feast:

includes roasted turkey, sage dressing, mashed garlic potatoes,

candied carrots, steamed broccoli, roasted sweet potatoes 

and Nana's famous dinner rolls...

AJ's "special menu" request:

frozen Tyson chicken patty and

homemade fries.

We have much to be thankful for not just today

but for always.

How in the WORLD?

Yes, the frog on my sidebar is real.

It was found in the kids bathroom

suctioned to the trim board.

As my trusty Boy Scout manhandled him

with an empty toilet paper roll,

he began leaping around the bathroom,

eventually ending up perched on the comode lid.

Just like a prince on his throne.

For real.

The. End.

I know it is coming. Michigan weather is so deceptive. I didn't want to feel as though I missed my last opportunity to enjoy the Lake; letting The Weather fool me into thinking I had endless days to take that last walk. What a day to climb Mt. Pisgah and enjoy the warmer air up there. I'm sure you can guess who the first one up was. NOT me.

The signs didn't mention anything about not hanging ABOVE the boardwalk...

And NOTHING about not doing splits on the railing.

Or throwing your brother over..

**BLOG NOTE: Adrianna does not enjoy being photographed.

I make no distinction between my children

and do not keep track of who is posted how often

I would rather not post the emotional reaction on her face

to a camera.

I shall hold those for her wedding slide show.

Sentences

photo from today at Mt. Pisgah

So I asked Solomon to read some words and use them in a sentence.

"Scrubbed....um. Ok, yeah: I scrubbed really hard on your panties"

When he saw the look of horror on my face

he fell into that uncontrolable fit of raging laughter

and then continued using the word on other notable things like underwear, etc.

I have NO IDEA where he came up with that

but it sure did feel good to laugh.

I Dreamed A Dream

The little girl

lives inside

no matter the age

nor stature

nor station in life.

Wrestling

with what was

and is

and is to come.

Stunned

to realize her

childhood longing

come to fruition

at last.

The missing piece

now found,

grateful all the more

from the wait.

My horse: River

"A lovely horse is always an experience..

It is an emotional experience of the kind

that is spoiled by words".

-Beryl Markham

Lots of ribbons came home from Allegan this year!

These two girls have come a LONG way in the last six months!

We'll be back Allegan County Fair!