Saturday, April 29, 2017

Flip-Flop

The calendar says spring, but the weather says winter.  
I had two Saturdays this week.  We had a day of rain and snow on Friday so Jim didn't go to work.  
It feels like Saturday when he is working around our place.  
Fridays are usually good days for me, too.  I've recovered from my two days of chasing boys around and I'm ready to get at my projects, which often consist of catching up what needs to be done.  
I am deep cleaning a little each week as I go along and I'm in the kitchen now.  I'm half done I think.  
The regular school year is nearly over and I'm down to one day a week with the boys.  
There is summer work for Lorene coming up, but we will work that out when we know more. 

Christian knows that I'm much more inclined to give snacks when a tea party is involved.  Our little packs of muffins contained only 4.  We have to have separate tea pots for some reason.  


Earlier this week it was spring and we had Barry overnight on Saturday.  
He helped and/or played around Jim for most of that beautiful, just warm enough, windless day.  The picked up twigs and branches, mowed, and worked on the barn.  
When Jim was gone for a bit, Barry and I deadheaded daffodils and dug rocks out of the driveway for the flower bed by the shop.  
He is indefatigable and I was stove up in the back for half the next week.  
My plan with grandchildren is to really wear them out.  They go to sleep so much easier. 
At the end of the day we burnt those branches and a few marshmallows.  
Jim is willing to take a long time to toast the ones he eats to a perfect light brown with a gooey middle.





It's a tradition to go out to Sunday lunch at Burger King where there are always a few kids to play with on the play set.  There wasn't as much playing this time because all the kids were enthralled to see the fire truck come to put out the fire in the trash bins.  
I see it is a good idea to have the bins in a nice brick enclosed area away from the building. 
 


Barry then chose to go out to the Archway and feed the fish.  I allotted the whopping sum of $2 to buy the food.  There wasn't a whole roiling mass of fish this time, but the ones that came were big with big mouths.  We walked around a bit.  It's a lovely place to enjoy. 





Lily of the Valley is my favorite flower.  I should say one of my favorites since my daffys are my favorite, and my dutch iris, and my woodland phlox, and my....
well, you get the idea.

Mom had loads of these growing in the shady spots by our house.  I loved their tiny crispness, their beautiful smell.  We used to take May Day bouquets to our teachers when I was little and one year the lilies were ready on the first of May.  I don't remember them blooming that early ever then.  

This year, I have a new record, April 22nd.
Of course, we are just enough south of home to be on the north edge of the next planting zone. 


1. White coral bells
Upon a slender stalk,
Lilies of the valley deck my garden walk.
2. Oh don’t you wish
That you could hear them ring?
That will happen only when the angels sing.


Tulips and Woodland Phlox




Random stolen shots of boys with Paislee




And then it was winter. 
This is the latest snow I remember that lasted long enough to get a photo.
April 28th


We are looking forward to warmer sunny days next week. 






Saturday, April 22, 2017

Home Is Where The Family Gathers

 Sunday we had a family dinner.  
We have family dinners every once it a while, but this time since it was Easter, everyone was dressed up and Lorene commandeered the picture taking.  
We haven't had anything resembling a family photo for a very long time.  Since we had no way of taking pictures with a remote trigger we settled with these two poses and I like what we got. 




I like this one, too.  You can see who is the star of the show.


It was a perfect day, weather-wise and people-wise. Not too cold, not to hot, beautiful sunshine and no wind.  


















We did enjoy a few inside things as well. 



New chicks!!




Pretty Paislee


All the Grands.




Sunday, April 16, 2017

Memories--Making New Ones, Visiting Old Ones

Paislee Photo of the Week


I know I've done a post about this doll house before.
These are better photos because I am in it.  Ha!
The lighting is better since they are taken in Lorene's house upstairs where there was plenty of light.  
I loved this Barbie doll house.  
I still do, obviously, because I am still taking photos of it.
I love it because my dad built it.  
I love it because I watched my dad build it.  
I love it because in it's original state it, it was made with painstaking care.  It is in good shape considering the third generation is playing with it now.  The doors have hinges and door knobs.
There are clothes rods in the closets.  Each room is painted and carpeted in different colors. When Dad made it the windows had panes and thin plastic 'glass'.  
That lasted until my kids played with it. 
Lorene was the one who played with the Barbie dolls and for many years a new Barbie doll set was her birthday present so there is about every household item you can think of to play with.
Some of the things are left over from my Barbie days, but not very many.  
I think these boys have the most fun in setting up the house.   
I like to see them playing with it.  

The photos are for me.







Back door.

Front door.





We celebrated Jim's birthday a couple of days early.  My folks came to visit.  We had Nathan's family over for lunch and we went to Lorene's for supper.  

Great Grandma

These feet are made for walking!  
It won't be long now. 


Paislee is chewing away on things, but no sign of teeth yet.  
Nathan didn't get teeth until he was 10 months old or so. 


Happy Birthday!



And we have new chicks.