friday the thirteenth....

A new day. Evelyn took these this morning, throught the window.

I woke up this morning and thought about the fact that I am here, alive, today. Have I been making good use of my time here on earth? It doesn't just go on and on forever. And someday, we all must stand before Him. God saw how it was with people, how they fought and hated and lied...He sent His son to live like we do, to battle sin and overcome, and make a way for us to follow. This isnt' something that it strict and difficult, no!!! Being free from wanting respect, being free from caring what others think of me, being free from being angry, and impatient. Jesus made this way for us to follow Him!! When I don't care about getting my way or about being right, then I can love my husband and bless him. When he is doing that too, it is amazing how good marriage can be. If I had one wish: that each person would decide to live truly for God, and follow this way that Jesus made. ( It is unimaginable how the world would be if this happened....no more theft, no more divorce, no more murder.)

Today I have to take Camille to a well check-up. Sonja K. has been sort of bratty lately, like when I ask her to do something, she just collapses on the floor, then when I urge her to get moving, she will crawl....or just cry and sob over little things. So I am thinking she needs more attention. I told her whisper-quiet last night that I was going to write her a note to come home on first bus trip today so she could go to the dr. with Camille and I. She was so excited! This morning she could barely contain her secret. I had to wait until the right moment to tell the other kids because I didn't want them to form a mutiny. They can be tricky in the morning. Jonathan needed a shower, and he did not want a shower. So he did this loud fake crying thing, and I had to get him quiet before he woke up the two little girls....so I told him it was not nice for him to stand there crying while all the hot water runs down the drain and wastes daddy's money....so he starts yelling that he is sorry, that it is not his fault it takes him so long to get undressed, and if I (mommy) would stop being so mean, he wouldn't have to cry. This does not make much sense to me, but I remained calm cool and collected, and got him showered, crossing my fingers that Sonja didn't spring it on him about her going first trip then, because that would have done him in. Evelyn made them all cocoa, and I made them English muffins with strawberry jam, and while we were eating and everybody was happy (except for when Sonja decided to forsake manners for a good laugh with Jonny, and did a huge noisy toot on the bench, and Suzanne stomped out of the room. Suze has a weak stomach, if you so much as breath in the direction of her plate, she will not eat her food. ) Anyway, when everyone seemed happy and things were going swimmingly, I said casually, "Sonja gets to go first trip today, but I can only do one at a time so the school doesn't get mad, so you guys can have a turn another day..." This set well with them.

Joseph gets to work tomorrow! He has a unique assignment: he is the Ambassador for a new video game, some kind of Warcraft or something. He gets paid good money to stand there in Walmart in a special t-shirt, and explain the game to interested people. He will be in one Walmart for 4 hours, then go to a different one for 4 hours. He only has his permit, and Abigail has plans on Saturday night...so I will be doing a little bit of driving on Saturday.

I had a bit of fun yesterday. My sister-in-law Kim and I went shopping with her two youngest (she has 12), and my Charlotte Claire. Abigail stayed here with Camille so she could take a nap, since she has the appointment today and gets cranky if she misses two naps in a row. Anyway, we had some fun. Her two year old is like Camille: he does not like to sit in the cart. He also saw his sister Danielle, who is 4, walking with Charlotte Claire and having lots of fun, so it was doubly hard for him. He was a pretty happy camper though, except for the way home. He would stop crying to listen to us say things to him then start right back up again. Poor guy. He had had enought. But we had fun. We stopped at DunkinDonuts for two medium coffees and literally counted our pennies to pay for it, as I don't like putting three dollars on my charge card. I had packed snacks for the kids, so they didn't care that they didn't get anything. We went to Target and I got Danielle, Charlotte Claire, and Camille matching jumpers for $2.25 each. Then to Price-Chopper....one car -cart, three kids...they took turns. And Kim had the kids most of the time...she must be the nice one. She always ends up with the kids. My kids love her. I do think she is nicer than me.

The good thing about living so far away from the stores is that we have 35 minutes to talk on the way there and the way home. The bad thing is that it takes all the live long day to go on a shopping trip. Oh, I told the cashier that my daughter, the coupon clipper, has been gone for a while to Connecticut and will be back home soon....and she told me that she used to cut coupons for her mother. And then her mother started clipping them for her...same thing happened to me! Someday, Mirielle will be married and have a family, and I will be the lonely gramma cutting coupons for her........

Okay, it is plain that after blogging for over two years, over one thousand posts, that I will never run out of things to say. Blah blah blah...I am boring even myself here.

frosty morning

It was a freezing cold night here in central New York state. The stew fixins the kids have been playing with are all frosty. Rosie had to lie down on a frosty deck.

Frosty frosty summer stuff....I guess we should pack it away.

This is the backyard....

And this is Joseph Michael, 18. He is a good reason not to judge a person by the way he looks. I mean, he doesn't have tatoos or piercings or anything, but with his tinted glasses and nice little beard thing....well, you wouldn't guess what a sincerely good guy he is. He has chosen the good things in life, to be pure and follow God.

Ahh, and here is Benjamin. He hasn't exactly chosen the same path as Joseph, but he is a good boy. He has a good heart. Yesterday he turned 21, and we had his favorite dinner, hamburger stroganoff with green beans. And since we had just had a cake for Miss Camille, I made him chocolate chip cookies instead. He got two presents, a package of chocolate covered caramels, and some sunflower seeds. But we did give him some money....

Suzanne made him a nice card, and Jon wrapped his two gifts in foil. The kids all gathered around when he opened them. I do think Miss Rosie thinks she is one of the kids.

He shared the candy with them....

Abigail really made Jon's day by helping set up some Waffletown track.

And so, this morning I got up early and made pancakes for the kids for breakfast. And packed their snacks. Hey, they wouldn't appreciate it as much if I did it every morning! I always make breakfast for the younger kids, but the older ones, only occasionally. It was really really nice to hear the big kids (Aaron, Mali, Sam, Margaret, Kathryn) thanking me so THANKFULLY, not just robotically (is that a word?) as they went out the door for the bus. Since like 99% of what I do is not noticed or appreciated, when it is, I'll take it!

Poor Charlotte Claire. She just can't figure out why it isn't HER birthday yet. Camille had hers. Benjamin had his. She came out this morning and asked, "Now is it MY birthday?"

Staying home to save money is hard for me. I can think of lots of places to go, and lots of good reasons to go there. I need some sandals for our trip. I have these Birkenstocks that I have had for at least four years. They are getting a bit shabby. They are my only sandals. And here in the northeast part of the country it is hard to find sandals in November. And I cannot order them online without trying them on, except for Birkenstock, since I know which size fits...but they are so expensive. I suppose I should consider it a part of the trip cost. And, I would also like to find somewhere that still has summer clothes, super duper clearanced.

I am so so so excited that we actually are going away. It is only five days and I truly wish it was longer, but I'll take it. The older kids are actually looking forward to it. They like to do things their own way. As long as they clean up before I get home, I don't care what they do. Well, I may eat that statement.

The novelty of having lots of water hasn't worn off yet.

Rosie makes our house dirty. She gets a bath, looks so sweet and fluffy, then she goes out and gets all muddy, then comes in and tracks it all over. I try to grab her and wipe her feet off with a towel, but don't always manage to. I like my floors clean, but I also like Rosie, and I guess you can't have everything.

Jonathan really wants me to have a new baby. He was playing with the Emmaljunga that is in the living room last night, putting a doll in it and pushing it back and forth. He says we should use it if we have another baby, because it pushes so nicely. He says if it is a girl, we should name her "Cutie Renee". Hmm. He says he would be big enough to hold her and rock her and help her not to cry. Poor Jonathan....but it is funny, after all these babies we have been given, I think if we were given another, the kids would appreciate it more than any kids in the world. I don't think I would ever get to hold it.

Mirielle is coming home this weekend!!!! That means I can't put dirty pans in the sink anymore. And we always have to have a vegetable with dinner (we usually do anyway), but corn doesn't count with Mirielle. But maybe she will catch up on the coupon cutting.....and make more breakfasts for the older kids. It will be so so nice to have her around again. I miss her, not just her help.

Rosie is barking at the neighbors....

just some fun with rosie

Mali and I had fun brushing Rosie....then we bugged her a little. Rosie is a bad girl. She still nips at Mali, but not at me.

Rosie is eight months old, she is still a puppy. She is much calmer than she used to be, but she still gets unreasonably excited to see any given person at any given time.

She looks like a big stuffed animal....

After these pictures were taken, she went outside and got all muddy.

Today was a productive day. I sort of drill-seargented my younger girls into cleaning their room really well, as my special tribute to Veterans Day. I helped them. I could not believe how messy their closet was already. It seems like I just spent the day in there not very long ago. We sorted the hair ponies and barrettes and the Barbie shoes and pennies and markers and dollhouse stuff and pencils and purses and papers and undies....we sorted and cleaned and vacuumed....and their room looks nice and organized. Then I made the mistake of going into Charlotte Claire's room, which I just cleaned recently too, and lo and behold: all the things they were going and putting in there while we were cleaning were all in a pile in the doorway! Dishes and cars and doll clothes and Duplos. I cleaned that room, too. It was not too bad, but it still took a good half-hour. Then I vacuumed in there and in my room and in the hall...and it was time for lunch.

Now lunch is over and cleaned up and Camille is in her nap, Paul is taking a run, (I walk, he runs), Mali and Margaret went shopping with my sister Cheryl and her daughters Ellen and Audrey. (I wanted to go, but it is Ben's birthday, and Paul is home today...).

Joseph is playing guitar, Abigail is doing church work on her computer, and Jon is playing house with Charlotte Claire. Kathryn, Evelyn, Suzanne, and Sonja are in Kathryn and Margaret's room having a hard time getting along. Aaron is doing homework, and Sam is probably playing video games in Joe's room.

And now I am going on my walk. I do not feel like it. I am comfy right here in my comfy chair. But off I go....I cannot lose my resolve after only one day!! Not again, anyway.....

happy veterans day!!!

I don't like to get in to politics on here, but there is something I have been thinking about, due to a recent conversation with my son Sam. He knows the details of how the English and the American soldiers fought against the spread of Hitler. He knows about the other wars against communism, and the suffering that was involved. So he asked me the other day, all inocently, "Mom, if everyone hates communism so much, and it caused the collapse of so many countries, why do people want everyone to have health care with the government controlling it?" hmm, Sam, good question.

And I won't even put in my two cents on the issue.

But I will say a big thank you to all who have served to protect our freedom!!! And to all those left at home to hope and pray. Thank you!

My father was in the Air Force, but he didn't finish his time. He changed his birth certificate, enlisted when he was 17, and missed my mother so much he kept leaving to go see her. Bad, bad. He was discharged. One of my brothers was in the Navy, my other brother in the Air Force.

Anyways, we have it good here in the USA. We have alot to be thankful for. My father used to say that everyone wants everything handed to them. My mother used to say that people want heaven on earth with no suffering.

I, for one, am thankful today for one particular thing: WATER!!!!

I took a shower this morning without checking with 15 other people. I just turned on the water, it came out blasting.....I forgot what it feels like to wash up under actual pressure (except the pressure to hurry the heck up, ha.)

When I came out to the kitchen, I turned on the tap without checking if anyone was in the shower. Or if laundry was in the washer. Oh, how lovely. This problem has been going on for months, getting worse and worse, and now it is gone!!! And the good part? It only cost $109! There was apparently a huge clog of muddy clay stuff in the line of the pressure tank. So Mr. Darling cleaned it out and replaced a section of the pipe, and voila!!! Water!

Everyone is home today, including Paul. And today is a special day, for another reason: It is Benjamin Paul's 21st birthday! He never had to go to school on his birthday. Wow, 21 years ago I was a 23 year old, having baby number three. Emily Anne was almost 4, and Abigail Marie was almost two. I had had a miscarriage the year before on the 18th of November, then I was due for Ben the next year on that very date, but he was a week early. He was my smallest baby ever, at 6 pounds three ounces. I remember when I expressed conccern, the dr. just said, "He'll grow." And did he ever. He was the best little boy, full of mischief. Mirielle was born 15 months later, then Joseph 15 months after that. And Benjamin was Mr. Helper. He could pick up and vacuum when he was three years old. I am not confused about that, either, because we moved into this house when he was 4 years old. And he used to vacuum the living room in our mobile home all the time. He liked to do it, so he would pick up all the toys and vaccuum. He was also his daddy's helper. Paul used to bring him with him all the time when they were building this house, we had his 4th birthday here when it was still under construction. They had cupcakes on a stack of sheetrock. Benjamin has always been smart and curious and energetic. He started working on the farm down the road at 13, he just went down there all the time and put notes in his scribbly handwriting, in the guy's mailbox. The guy finally called him, and he started working when he was 13 or 14.

So today he is 21, has gone to community college for a few years with no degree yet, has had a few jobs, none right now, and he doesn't know for sure what he is going to do for his life....maybe the Navy.

Virginia (Jenny), I just wanted to suggest to you about the dollhouse stuff: if you are on a tight budget, your girls might be just as happy if you get them some furniture sets without the dollhouse. My kids like the houses okay, but they are more likely to just get the furniture and accessories out and set up houses on the picnic table or floor or shelves of the coffee table. One neat thing though, is the FisherPrice dollhouse mini van, it is cute, but it is like twenty bucks! And it is hard to find the babies without buying the house, as I think a few come with it. But you could try ebay for that. Actually right now ToysRUs is having a special that if you buy the dollhouse for $70, you get the minivan free, that is a deal...and if you get a ten dollars off 100 coupon, and pick up a few accessories, ...hmm. You should check online and see if it is still going on. The stuff isn't totally unbreakable, but is sturdy.

I need to get moving....it seems like a Saturday. A day with everyone here in the middle of the week....I am taking Sonja K. with me on my walk yesterday. She started fussing when I chose Kathryn yesterday, so I promised her today. That is a good thing, it binds me to going!!! I just have to remember to promise someone else for tomorrow.....

thank you mr. darling!!

We have water pressure!!! Oh, we are in hog heaven. Total bliss. We filled the hot tub, did laundry, ran the dishwasher, and flushed the toilets all at once!!!! I gave Rosie a much needed bath, and the hand-held shower had so much pressure she was leary of it. Wow. I am doing load after load of laundry, I am almost caught up already!!! I do not want to forget how thankful I am this very day for water. So if and when I get to complaining about something, remind me!!!

I am home tonight with the seven youngest. They were dancing like crazy with the music cranked, until I couldn't take it anymore, and I suggested they turn on Qubo....they are watching Rupert, a very nice cartoon. They are pooped out now. I should do showers and get them to bed before they get a second wind. There is no school tomorrow, so they get to stay up a bit tonight.

Camille has a dollhouse baby, and she is walking around with it cradled in her hand, saying, "Shh, shh." They have a bunch of dollhouse furniture out again. If I could pick just one type of toy to invest in, this would be it. It is sturdy, and it keeps their attention. I mean, she is only just two, and she plays and plays dollhouse. I wish I could buy just a bunch of babies, as she loves them the best.

Today was a bye-bye day. We went to the dollar store (Pepperidge Farms raisin bread, one dollar. I used three loaves to make french toast for dinner tonight)(and it was good)...then on to BigLots, where I got a few Christmas presents, including pink slippers for myself. Then to Staples where there is a UPS station, so Joseph could mail back his xbox360 to be repaired. Hopefully for him it is something they will fix for free. Then we were hungry, so we went to BurgerKing, because we had the free fries coupons from Halloween. Abigail, Joseph, and I each got a $1 sandwich, and one to spilt for the little girls. And ice water to drink. Not too bad for lunch....although I was not going to eat any fries, and I did. One by one...and they add up.

Then we went to Wegmans, where I bought a dozen one pound bags of frozen veggies for 79 cents each, and about 30 cans of canned veggies for 39 cents a bag. Wegmans is a high end store, their store brands are as good or better than national brands. I got eggs and shredded mozzarella (a 5lb bag, 1.80 a lb.), bread and milk and chocolate chips and brown sugar and carrots and potatoes and soup and pasta and sauce and a 27 pound turkey for thirty-nine cents a pound! Before I started shopping, I got a large coffee, as they have excellent coffee, and sipped it while I shopped. I also picked out a cranberry toasted-walnut muffin to have on the way home with the rest of the coffee. I wasn't going to, but then I saw the baker taking them from the pan to the display case, and I couldn't resist the thought of such a fresh muffin....they are the best, tart cranberries... and slightly sweet fresh moist muffin, and those toasted walnuts, yum.

When we got home with all the groceries, I put away some, then assigned the kids to put things away, and I went on my walk with Kathryn. Oh, if everyone had a Kathryn to bring on their walk with them. She talked so much about so many interesting things, it really distracted me from how hard the hills were. She told me about a snake that her and Emily had come across, and we saw two deer, which she really wanted to chase, but didn't. She didn't get one bit out of breath on the hills. No sir, she talked the whole way.

I am bound and determined that I am going to walk every single day until we leave for vacation. I don't delude myself that I am going to look great in my suit or anything like that, but if we are doing alot of walking, I want to be able to do that. I know from experience that it doesn't take very long to get into somewhat better shape.

Well, time to read some stories and have some showers....I don't like to see them parked in front of the tv for too long.

Mr. Darling is coming over!!!

Camille likes playing dollhouse.....she does not like wearing clothes. Rosie looked so nice in her green fangs. The boys have fun with her, hopefully not too much fun.

Pie, pie, pie....too much sugar on top, but this was the best apple pie ever. The apples were tart enough that it was not overly sweet.....so the sugar on the crust was okay.

Anyway, Mr. Darling is our plumber's name. If he reads this, or his wife or kids, don't be embarrassed, I am glad he is coming to visit!! He is supposed to be here in three minutes, but I am hoping he will be a little late since I am sitting here amidst the mess, eating pie for breakfast....oops, here he is!

oops.

I find myself saying that too much. Sonja just showed me the beautifully bound cookbook produced by the second graders.....recipes from each child, all compiled by the teachers....and oops, I remember Sonja telling me we needed a recipe...and I remember MEANING to get to it, then I totally forgot....until just now when she showed me the book. Oops. I told her I was sorry....but. Ouch.

Jonathan is supposed to decorate a construction paper turkey....and I HAVE to remember to help him with it.

I spent three hours in the kitchen today making 4 apple pies. We are having pork chops and stuffing and mixed veggies and then, apple pie....it smells heavenly in here. I cut up some of the chops and poured Frank's hot sauce/butter over them...better than wings. It is time to eat now, I just took a quick put-my-feet-up break, which is over now....