And on and on...this is day three of taking care of mousies. And guess who is ending up feeding them? Oh, if I knew they would survive this long...nah, I probably would've done the same thing. They are a little bit cute, but mostly - yuck-, but they are alive, and they are babies. And sometimes when I feed them a dropperful of formula, they hold the dropper with their tiny still-almost-transparent paws....
My back hurts. It has happened off and on through the years where my lower back has just killed....I can't get comfortable to sleep, so I have been pretty tired...I wonder if it is all the swimming I have done, which stinks if it is, I need the excercise. I cannot really swim with this pain, anyway....I don't feel like going to a dr., paying a copayment, going for xrays, paying the copayment, then going back to the dr.... In the past, I have just been more careful when it acted up and it eventually got better. So I am biding my time....
I am glad for the gospel right about now. Just think how frustrating it is when you want things in order and can't quite manage...add in a hurt back, and wow. I just have to remember that God knows my heart, it is Him I live to please, and if you stop in and think I am a lazy slob, so be it. (you would be kind of right...)
Today I have an assignment from Daddy. Take the minivan into Walmart for a new tire, he got a flat yesterday. That sort of wrecks the plans I had to take all the kids on an adventure, but it has to be done. The thing about the minivan is that it only seats seven. So now I have to choose. It is hard to do sometimes.....they all are so eager to go (the younger ones, anyway)(and Sam if he thinks any McDonalds might be involved)....
We also have to mail a special package to Emily....she requested some coffee, apparently the coffee they serve where she is in Norway is pretty bad........Mirielle made me buy a pound of Starbucks coffee, and we are also sending a pound of another kind. Aaron wants to get some job applications, so he will probably come with me. So I will be running around today. I just have to remember that it is not doing what I like that makes me happy, but liking what I am doing. Or not even liking what I am doing, but being happy anyway.....that contentment "come what may" is precious, a good thing to seek after. God wants me to be faithful in the circumstances here, not to seek my own. Sometimes it seems like being a mother is like a disapearing act...the things I really like to do disapear.....but if I take it right, without resentment, I am rewarded with peace. Look at the movie stars, and show me one who is truly happy. They have money and fame and they spend their time trying to be happy and fulfill their lusts. But that is like trying to fill a cup with a hole in the bottom, because it is only by doing for others that true happiness comes. (I know, a relaxing day at the beach, or to sleep in, or to have someone cook for me are wonderful experiences...but the way the lusts operate, if I seek these things, I will want more...and more....but if I live my life for the others, (God) when these special blessings come along, I will be thankful for them, and enjoy them so much more than if I sought them and longed for them.....)
And that is my preaching for today! Now I have to go live it....
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
blank day....
Nothing planned, that is. Except I have to call the wood lady. That is, the nice lady who sells us wood by the dump truck load....hard to think about the freezing cold winter in such a heatwave, but it will come. Actually, today is only supposed to be in the low eighties, with less humidity. As uncomfortable as the hot weather is, it is also nice. Our pool water has been like bath water....
I just talked to Benjamin before he went off to work. He looked in the baby mousie box and said one was moving, but he didn't see the other one...I am dreading looking in that box. The girls had a big fuss last night over those baby mousies. Kathryn and Margaret were totally opposed to the box being brought in their room. Evelyn, Suzanne, and their cousin Olivia were bunking in with them for the night, and wanted to bring the box in there with them. The box is up on the bookcase so the opposers won. I spent a considerable amount of time trying to get those babies to ingest a few drops of baby formula at a time. (that is why you should never throw anything out, you never know when you will need it).....I detest mice, but hey, they are little newborns, and very sweet.....to see the girls holding them and petting them is so hilarious but sad at the same time, as they are going to die. They asked me what we would do with them if they live, and I said we would set a mouse trap for them, of course. Just kidding. I would let them keep them, easy to say, because I have read that even with a mommy, baby mice survival is only 50%. But now they are asking, Mommy please, if they die, can we get some pet mice from the pet store....
Oh, the funniest thing was when daddy got home from work and they all ran down to meet him, stumbling over each other to tell him about the mice....but they agreed not to tell 'til he got up on the deck.....so they were giving them hints, telling him they had something cute, two little cute things, so adorable....he was giving me this look as he walked up the driveway, like, "What did you do now?"....(once he came home to a baby bunny, which I do admit I purchased for $25 at the pet shop, it was SO cute and they begged)....and the two kittens...and of course Rosie, but he said I could have her.....anyway, when he saw what they were, he looked mighty relieved.
Sonja stayed up to watch the movie with the older kids last night. She is awake already, on the couch, and she is tired. Why oh why do kids get up when they are still tired?
I am thinking about doing something fun with the kids today. Cheap and fun. Summer is ticking by, I do not want to think about school yet. I have been stocking up on supplies, but not school clothes. My kids will be neat and clean, but they will not have all new clothes. Except for all the nice things I bought last year on clearance for Jonathan....
Why is it that I never run out of things to say?
I just talked to Benjamin before he went off to work. He looked in the baby mousie box and said one was moving, but he didn't see the other one...I am dreading looking in that box. The girls had a big fuss last night over those baby mousies. Kathryn and Margaret were totally opposed to the box being brought in their room. Evelyn, Suzanne, and their cousin Olivia were bunking in with them for the night, and wanted to bring the box in there with them. The box is up on the bookcase so the opposers won. I spent a considerable amount of time trying to get those babies to ingest a few drops of baby formula at a time. (that is why you should never throw anything out, you never know when you will need it).....I detest mice, but hey, they are little newborns, and very sweet.....to see the girls holding them and petting them is so hilarious but sad at the same time, as they are going to die. They asked me what we would do with them if they live, and I said we would set a mouse trap for them, of course. Just kidding. I would let them keep them, easy to say, because I have read that even with a mommy, baby mice survival is only 50%. But now they are asking, Mommy please, if they die, can we get some pet mice from the pet store....
Oh, the funniest thing was when daddy got home from work and they all ran down to meet him, stumbling over each other to tell him about the mice....but they agreed not to tell 'til he got up on the deck.....so they were giving them hints, telling him they had something cute, two little cute things, so adorable....he was giving me this look as he walked up the driveway, like, "What did you do now?"....(once he came home to a baby bunny, which I do admit I purchased for $25 at the pet shop, it was SO cute and they begged)....and the two kittens...and of course Rosie, but he said I could have her.....anyway, when he saw what they were, he looked mighty relieved.
Sonja stayed up to watch the movie with the older kids last night. She is awake already, on the couch, and she is tired. Why oh why do kids get up when they are still tired?
I am thinking about doing something fun with the kids today. Cheap and fun. Summer is ticking by, I do not want to think about school yet. I have been stocking up on supplies, but not school clothes. My kids will be neat and clean, but they will not have all new clothes. Except for all the nice things I bought last year on clearance for Jonathan....
Why is it that I never run out of things to say?
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
baby mice and broken hearts...
Are they even mice? I hope they aren't rats....oh, wait 'til daddy sees these!
Suzanne and Kathryn...
Suzanne and Kathryn...
Kathryn and Charlotte Claire....
Where did the baby mice come from? Why were they lying on the back patio? One was dead, Sam scooped it into the shovel and sent it flying into the woods. The girls put the other two into the woods on a little plastic thing....they decided to check on them several hours later....they are still alive, breathing but little else. They have been trying to feed them milk. They are holding and petting them. They have very little fur, and are smaller than my thumb. They will probably die. I don't want mice in the house. The cats don't want mice in the house. But how can I tell them not to nurture? Even though they're just mice (yuck!)....
Kathryn does not like the baby mice, she says they must wash their hands to get the stupid mice germs off. Margaret says they better not have babies and go into her room.....they are apparently nibbling cheese.....
we stayed up waay too late, again...
We watched a movie last night, Mirielle, Aaron, Mali, Samuel, Margaret, and I. "The Curious Life of Benjamin Button"....he was born an old man, so when he was a child, he had all the infirmities of the aged....then as he got older, his body got younger. We thought it was thought-provoking, but a real downer...the story was told by his dying friend/lover, to her daughter....and watching this woman slowly die throughout the movie was just painful to watch. After going through it in real life with my mother and father, I can think of better ways to be entertained....
After the movie, which ended around 2am, we started talking about my mother. She was a bargain shopper. Now, she died three years ago this summer, at the end of July. In June, I took her shopping. She found a very pretty skirt, and actually paid full price for it because there was a graduation party and a wedding coming up. She passed up the shirt/top that went with it, buying two things full-price was too much for her. This was at Wal-Mart, mind you. And she COULD afford it. It was just the principle. Anyway, I specifically remember how pretty the skirt was, and how nice she looked in it. Fast forward one month, and she had died. My father asked my sister and I to pick out the clothes for her to be buried in. We went to Walmart and got the shirt that matched the skirt, it was on clearance for THREE DOLLARS! Oh, our brains were mush after staying with her for all hours that week in the hospital as she passed, and we dropped the bag of clothes off at the funeral home without taking off the price tag on the shirt...oh, how we laughed about that last night. The thing is, my mother would have thought it was the funniest thing in the world. The problem with all this is the memories it brought back....we were laughing and crying at the same time....the movie ended, Mirielle, Mali, and I stayed up talking about Gramma for a long time.....she looked so beautiful lying there, but now I am thinking about it again, and I still hate it that she is gone. She was so much fun....did not act her age, she could laugh at herself.....my kids have been remembering her, and the funny things she said and did and the cool presents she got them through the years (cheap, of course)....
Anyway, we are going shopping today. A local grocery store has 4 double-up-to-$3-coupons, and we have 4 extra ones from the newspaper. Mirielle has been planning which ones to double....plus this store has some other things that are a good deal, like milk for $1.45 a gallon....it is still pretty hot out, but not as bad as yesterday...we have to figure out who to bring and who to leave. Camille-the-spoiled-but-adorable sweetie pie wants to go. 'Cause she can't pass up an opportunity to cry in the car seat and stand up in the cart, can she? No, she isn't all trouble, she is learning so much all the time, it is enjoyable to be along with her in it all. And Charlotte Claire, with her independent spirit and relative maturity, inflexible and very vocal about it. She will want to go....and of course Jonathan will want to go....he likes to ride in the van. Or any vehicle. He brings one of his steering wheels, or he uses something else to steer with, like a broken camera. Sonja K. will want to go, she cannot pass up the opportunity to possibly "get" something. And the other little girls will most likely want to go too, as they haven't been out and about much lately. This all means that it will be crazy. Because one or two kids dancing and pirouetting through the aisles seems sort of normal. It is when you begin to multiply that the staring starts. And when one of them inevitably argues with another one, or UH-OH, hits or pinches, and the loud crying, oh dear, maybe we don't want to go.....but then, where ever we go, at some point they all start thanking me....it is so funny. I take them to the grocery store, and one of them says, "Thank you for taking us, Mom...", and they all chime in....admittedly, I usually DO get them SOMETHING special.....like a drink or snack. And I try to remember that even if this is just a trip to the store for me, for them it is an outing in their childhood, and I try to make it fun for them.
I need to go start getting out clothes....it is funny, because Mirielle, with whom I stayed up 'til almost 3am, suggested we get an early start. ha. Snoozing, she is....and I have been awake for hours.....oh well.
After the movie, which ended around 2am, we started talking about my mother. She was a bargain shopper. Now, she died three years ago this summer, at the end of July. In June, I took her shopping. She found a very pretty skirt, and actually paid full price for it because there was a graduation party and a wedding coming up. She passed up the shirt/top that went with it, buying two things full-price was too much for her. This was at Wal-Mart, mind you. And she COULD afford it. It was just the principle. Anyway, I specifically remember how pretty the skirt was, and how nice she looked in it. Fast forward one month, and she had died. My father asked my sister and I to pick out the clothes for her to be buried in. We went to Walmart and got the shirt that matched the skirt, it was on clearance for THREE DOLLARS! Oh, our brains were mush after staying with her for all hours that week in the hospital as she passed, and we dropped the bag of clothes off at the funeral home without taking off the price tag on the shirt...oh, how we laughed about that last night. The thing is, my mother would have thought it was the funniest thing in the world. The problem with all this is the memories it brought back....we were laughing and crying at the same time....the movie ended, Mirielle, Mali, and I stayed up talking about Gramma for a long time.....she looked so beautiful lying there, but now I am thinking about it again, and I still hate it that she is gone. She was so much fun....did not act her age, she could laugh at herself.....my kids have been remembering her, and the funny things she said and did and the cool presents she got them through the years (cheap, of course)....
Anyway, we are going shopping today. A local grocery store has 4 double-up-to-$3-coupons, and we have 4 extra ones from the newspaper. Mirielle has been planning which ones to double....plus this store has some other things that are a good deal, like milk for $1.45 a gallon....it is still pretty hot out, but not as bad as yesterday...we have to figure out who to bring and who to leave. Camille-the-spoiled-but-adorable sweetie pie wants to go. 'Cause she can't pass up an opportunity to cry in the car seat and stand up in the cart, can she? No, she isn't all trouble, she is learning so much all the time, it is enjoyable to be along with her in it all. And Charlotte Claire, with her independent spirit and relative maturity, inflexible and very vocal about it. She will want to go....and of course Jonathan will want to go....he likes to ride in the van. Or any vehicle. He brings one of his steering wheels, or he uses something else to steer with, like a broken camera. Sonja K. will want to go, she cannot pass up the opportunity to possibly "get" something. And the other little girls will most likely want to go too, as they haven't been out and about much lately. This all means that it will be crazy. Because one or two kids dancing and pirouetting through the aisles seems sort of normal. It is when you begin to multiply that the staring starts. And when one of them inevitably argues with another one, or UH-OH, hits or pinches, and the loud crying, oh dear, maybe we don't want to go.....but then, where ever we go, at some point they all start thanking me....it is so funny. I take them to the grocery store, and one of them says, "Thank you for taking us, Mom...", and they all chime in....admittedly, I usually DO get them SOMETHING special.....like a drink or snack. And I try to remember that even if this is just a trip to the store for me, for them it is an outing in their childhood, and I try to make it fun for them.
I need to go start getting out clothes....it is funny, because Mirielle, with whom I stayed up 'til almost 3am, suggested we get an early start. ha. Snoozing, she is....and I have been awake for hours.....oh well.
Monday, August 17, 2009
summertime.....
The back yard...when we built our house, this was an old overgrown cornfield. No trees at all. These trees planted themselves. 
The wild area between the back yard and the back field, which we call "the snake field"....
Kathryn Grace and Jonathan, playing WII....they look so clean and refreshed and tanned....they are taking a break from the pool....
Kathryn Grace and Jonathan, playing WII....they look so clean and refreshed and tanned....they are taking a break from the pool....
Camille loving her dolly....
Jonathan and Charlotte Claire watching "Curious George"....I like public television...one half-hour show is just enough....
Camille lookin' cool.
I did so much cleaning up today, finally after all these days of just the basics. I straightened and vacuumed and mopped and dusted and scrubbed and sorted.....and the kids are erasing it all! I mean, who brought the economy sized jug of peanuts out here to the living room, and most importantly, who spilled them? No one, that's who. I couldn't seem to get the work I wanted to do finished to take them in the pool, so I had Aaron take them out and watch them while I finished....it is way to hard to mop floors with kids all around. (I used to mop at night when thely were all in bed, but they stay up too late and I am too tired).....As soon as I start mopping, Sonja appears, soaking and dripping, with a jar of applesauce....can she please have some? No, go outside and let me finish. A few more kids start trickling back in, wanting snacks, or drinks, or just to see what I am doing, or to tell me that Camille wants MOMMY in the pool. Okay, kids, just get back outside and let me finish!!!
I did so much cleaning up today, finally after all these days of just the basics. I straightened and vacuumed and mopped and dusted and scrubbed and sorted.....and the kids are erasing it all! I mean, who brought the economy sized jug of peanuts out here to the living room, and most importantly, who spilled them? No one, that's who. I couldn't seem to get the work I wanted to do finished to take them in the pool, so I had Aaron take them out and watch them while I finished....it is way to hard to mop floors with kids all around. (I used to mop at night when thely were all in bed, but they stay up too late and I am too tired).....As soon as I start mopping, Sonja appears, soaking and dripping, with a jar of applesauce....can she please have some? No, go outside and let me finish. A few more kids start trickling back in, wanting snacks, or drinks, or just to see what I am doing, or to tell me that Camille wants MOMMY in the pool. Okay, kids, just get back outside and let me finish!!!By the time I was finished, I was so hot and sweaty....I would spare you the details, but...nah, I was soaked. Sweat was dripping off the end of my nose. I felt like I had already been swimming....so the pool was doubly refreshing today.....
We came in and had some lunch, chicken strips and green beans, and cantaloupe slices. And ice water. It is 89 degrees in the living room right now. Downright tropical...but getting out of the pool and sitting in the scorching sun feels great, for a few minutes anyway. I actually fell asleep on the couch for like a half hour this afternoon....we set the fan on the table where the dvd player is, and the breeze, even though it was a hot breeze, felt fine. The kids only woke me up to tell me like twenty important things, and Jon asked me a few questions. Then Charlotte Claire brought me a fleece blanket...how nice of her, until I realized that she wanted to snuggle up to me and join my nap. Sorry sweets, it is too hot for that.....
Now, it is the dreaded dinner time....I am going to use the leftover steak....here is my plan: cube and marinade the meat, cube, oil and season some potatoes, microwave them, slice some zuchini and yellow squash and onions and peppers, make schish-kabobs, or however it is spelled. Time to move it move it.
new morning....
new post....the night passed too quickly. Possibly because we stayed up 'til almost 2am talking and talking and being silly, Mirielle, Mali, Margaret, and I. And where are they right now? With the exception of Mirielle, who has a babysitting job today, they are sleeping. I don't exactly regret staying up so late, but....
It is too hot to to go anywhere. The big van with no A/C seems almost dangerous in the heat. It just isn't designed to have no A/C. Most of the windows are just for looks, the back ones that DO open just are flap windows....so while the driver and and who ever has to sit by mom, or with the younger ones, who ever GETS to sit by mom, are relatively comfortable, as are the first row behind the front, when the van is moving and the breeze comes in, anyway....One time years ago I took all of the kids, I think I had 12, and a friend, down to my parents' house on a severely hot and humid day, and ROAD CONSTRUCTION! I was actually feeling woozy, it was so hot in our van....and yet we still had to just sit and wait in the traffic....after that experience, I have been much more careful about packing them up and going out and about in the heat.
We might be going to Darien Lake again. IF I get the tickets, I don't want the kids to get their hopes up too high, but my brother called me yesterday and said he knows someone who can get the tickets very reasonably. Reasonable enough for us all to go for well under $100! I didn't think we would ever be able to go again....with all these guys, even mini golf and bowling are super expensive. Jon and Sonja K. are busy right now, talking about their favorite rides. To hear them, you wouldn't guess they have been there ONCE.....when we were leaving last time, they started talking about the next time we go, and I wanted to say, HEY KIDS, what makes you thing we will ever get to come here again??.....Now, I just need to talk Paul into going. He had lots of fun last time. If he doesn't go, I won't have anyone to wait with whoever doesn't want to go on a particular ride. The older kids will go off to go on the coasters, and I will have the littler ones by myself. So Paul should take ONE day off from work, and come with us. Mirielle has said she will gladly watch the two younger ones for us, as she doesn't like the rides....
The septic tank pump people might be coming today. Country living at it's best! I hesitated to put on this one particular comfortable around-the-house shirt, because I remembered the septic tank pump people might be coming. And the shirt...well, it is CLEAN, but when my shirts get something on them, a stain, that won't come out, well, then it is an around-the-house shirt. wow, when did I turn into a housewife?
Aaron and Sam are back from their weekend in the Adirondacks. They did not drown, or get eaten by bears. The did, however, sleep out with no tents, and Sam lost some sleep due to the fear of bears. The came back tired and happy.
The girls did not do any painting when the boys were gone , so the living room is still half done. We just need one more night of serious painting, and then we can start the kitchen...blah. It will be nice when it gets done though....all the wall hangings from both rooms are piled on one of the kitchen tables, and some of the furniture is still pulled from the walls.....all the curtains are still down, it looks like the grinch was here, except we have no hooks or wire.
Well, I have some laundry to start, and some sweeping up to do...hey didn't I just do all this YESTERDAY?!
It is too hot to to go anywhere. The big van with no A/C seems almost dangerous in the heat. It just isn't designed to have no A/C. Most of the windows are just for looks, the back ones that DO open just are flap windows....so while the driver and and who ever has to sit by mom, or with the younger ones, who ever GETS to sit by mom, are relatively comfortable, as are the first row behind the front, when the van is moving and the breeze comes in, anyway....One time years ago I took all of the kids, I think I had 12, and a friend, down to my parents' house on a severely hot and humid day, and ROAD CONSTRUCTION! I was actually feeling woozy, it was so hot in our van....and yet we still had to just sit and wait in the traffic....after that experience, I have been much more careful about packing them up and going out and about in the heat.
We might be going to Darien Lake again. IF I get the tickets, I don't want the kids to get their hopes up too high, but my brother called me yesterday and said he knows someone who can get the tickets very reasonably. Reasonable enough for us all to go for well under $100! I didn't think we would ever be able to go again....with all these guys, even mini golf and bowling are super expensive. Jon and Sonja K. are busy right now, talking about their favorite rides. To hear them, you wouldn't guess they have been there ONCE.....when we were leaving last time, they started talking about the next time we go, and I wanted to say, HEY KIDS, what makes you thing we will ever get to come here again??.....Now, I just need to talk Paul into going. He had lots of fun last time. If he doesn't go, I won't have anyone to wait with whoever doesn't want to go on a particular ride. The older kids will go off to go on the coasters, and I will have the littler ones by myself. So Paul should take ONE day off from work, and come with us. Mirielle has said she will gladly watch the two younger ones for us, as she doesn't like the rides....
The septic tank pump people might be coming today. Country living at it's best! I hesitated to put on this one particular comfortable around-the-house shirt, because I remembered the septic tank pump people might be coming. And the shirt...well, it is CLEAN, but when my shirts get something on them, a stain, that won't come out, well, then it is an around-the-house shirt. wow, when did I turn into a housewife?
Aaron and Sam are back from their weekend in the Adirondacks. They did not drown, or get eaten by bears. The did, however, sleep out with no tents, and Sam lost some sleep due to the fear of bears. The came back tired and happy.
The girls did not do any painting when the boys were gone , so the living room is still half done. We just need one more night of serious painting, and then we can start the kitchen...blah. It will be nice when it gets done though....all the wall hangings from both rooms are piled on one of the kitchen tables, and some of the furniture is still pulled from the walls.....all the curtains are still down, it looks like the grinch was here, except we have no hooks or wire.
Well, I have some laundry to start, and some sweeping up to do...hey didn't I just do all this YESTERDAY?!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
not very exciting post....
It was and is very hot today, muggy and sticky and oppressive. How can the southerners handle it on a regular basis? Paul and I headed out to church with just Sonja, Jonathan, Charlotte Claire, and Camille...in the small van with a/c....we to home, ate lunch, and got into the pool as fast as we could.
I grilled some steaks tonight, and we had baked beans with bacon, pasta salad, and cucumber. I feel like I need to go in for another swim, but a cool shower might suffice.
Oh heck, I cannot write tonight...we are watching "Becoming Jane", due to Mirielle's affection for Jane Austen.....I cannot concentrate...these movies are like all dialogue, and way too interesting.......
I grilled some steaks tonight, and we had baked beans with bacon, pasta salad, and cucumber. I feel like I need to go in for another swim, but a cool shower might suffice.
Oh heck, I cannot write tonight...we are watching "Becoming Jane", due to Mirielle's affection for Jane Austen.....I cannot concentrate...these movies are like all dialogue, and way too interesting.......
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
