Me:
The King:
Jouster:
Jester:
Squire:
Scribe:
Duchess:
Maiden:
Prince Charming:
Friday, August 31, 2007
How Many of Me?
I couldn't resist checking to see how many people in the U.S.A. shared our names. I don't think it is very accurate though. If it is, then four of our family members don't even exist. Hmmm. Maybe I really do live in a fairy tale...or la la land.
Me:
The King:
Jouster:
Jester:
Squire:
Scribe:
Duchess:
Maiden:
Prince Charming:
Me:
The King:
Jouster:
Jester:
Squire:
Scribe:
Duchess:
Maiden:
Prince Charming:
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Oh No! The Cake!
It was better than I had imagined. When I picked Jester up from class this evening, he had a cake filled with beautiful pink roses and delicate green leaves. The "old ladies" in his class came up to me and complimented me on how creative he was. I was so proud. I couldn't wait to get him home for a photo shoot so I could post it on my blog.
It wasn't meant to be. We were standing in line to sign him up for course two. Jester and I were juggling with my purse, Prince Charming, the $5.00 off coupon for the next course, the 10% off cake supplies coupon, the supplies needed for next week, the decorated cake, and all his decorating tools. All of a sudden we saw the cake (in the plastic cake carrier) out of the corner of our eyes, just out of arms reach, jump into the air, do a flip, and land face down on the floor. It was like something you'd see in a gymnastics horror movie.
Oh, the agony. The "old ladies" from his class gasped and cried out, "Oh, no!" The oldest lady, who looked to be about my age, said "At least it will still taste the same." Jester said, "Oh well, it was kind of a girly looking cake anyway....all pink and everything." Now that's looking at the glass half full (or the cake half decorated).
It wasn't meant to be. We were standing in line to sign him up for course two. Jester and I were juggling with my purse, Prince Charming, the $5.00 off coupon for the next course, the 10% off cake supplies coupon, the supplies needed for next week, the decorated cake, and all his decorating tools. All of a sudden we saw the cake (in the plastic cake carrier) out of the corner of our eyes, just out of arms reach, jump into the air, do a flip, and land face down on the floor. It was like something you'd see in a gymnastics horror movie.
Oh, the agony. The "old ladies" from his class gasped and cried out, "Oh, no!" The oldest lady, who looked to be about my age, said "At least it will still taste the same." Jester said, "Oh well, it was kind of a girly looking cake anyway....all pink and everything." Now that's looking at the glass half full (or the cake half decorated). 
This mishap allows you, our loyal viewers, the ability to see within the cake. As you can see, it is a layer cake. What you can't see is that it is filled with vanilla pudding. The "old lady" was right. Even though it looked a little beat up, it was still delicious.
(In case you are wondering, that boy with the shorter hair really is Jester. A bit of a change from last week's Cake Man Post don't you think?)
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Time Flies...
I can't believe it's been so long since my last post. We have had a whirlwind week. My dad and his girlfriend came for a visit last Wednesday and left on Sunday. During that time, I was trying to spend as much time with them as I could, AND frantically trying to wrap up my Once a Month Cooking Club planning/shopping. I did get it done and last night was the big cooking night. We had five full portions to make of each recipe. Six families total. (Two small families split a portion.)
Here's the menu I planned:
Creamy Chicken and Rice
Chicken Bruschetta Bake
Chow Mein Hotdish
Cola Burgers
Sloppy Joe's Casserole
Cheeseburger and Fries Casserole
Baked Beans
Teriyaki Finger Steaks
Taco Chicken Breasts
Reuben Casserole
Three Cheese Potato Bake
Chocolate Mint Freeze
Scrambled Egg Muffins
Beef Stroganoff
Total cost per family: $140.18
I could have gotten by cheaper if I had purchased all the meat at Sam's Club, but I went to the local meat market where they portioned all the chicken breasts to size, cut some into bite size pieces, cubed the beef, and cut the finger steaks into strips. Their ground beef is a lot better tasting too.
The evening went well. I got to the church early enough to have all the meat cooked and veggies chopped before anyone got there. The King came in and made the white sauce for the Creamy Chicken and Rice. Our club has not had good luck with white sauces in large quantities, it usually gets scorched. He saved us from that this month! He brought Prince Charming in to be nursed later in the evening and he Jouster and did all the dishes while they were there. What a blessing! I was home and in bed by 11:00 p.m.
I am soooooo happy to be done and excited that our freezer is 14 meals heavier.
Here's the menu I planned:
Creamy Chicken and Rice
Chicken Bruschetta Bake
Chow Mein Hotdish
Cola Burgers
Sloppy Joe's Casserole
Cheeseburger and Fries Casserole
Baked Beans
Teriyaki Finger Steaks
Taco Chicken Breasts
Reuben Casserole
Three Cheese Potato Bake
Chocolate Mint Freeze
Scrambled Egg Muffins
Beef Stroganoff
Total cost per family: $140.18
I could have gotten by cheaper if I had purchased all the meat at Sam's Club, but I went to the local meat market where they portioned all the chicken breasts to size, cut some into bite size pieces, cubed the beef, and cut the finger steaks into strips. Their ground beef is a lot better tasting too.
The evening went well. I got to the church early enough to have all the meat cooked and veggies chopped before anyone got there. The King came in and made the white sauce for the Creamy Chicken and Rice. Our club has not had good luck with white sauces in large quantities, it usually gets scorched. He saved us from that this month! He brought Prince Charming in to be nursed later in the evening and he Jouster and did all the dishes while they were there. What a blessing! I was home and in bed by 11:00 p.m.
I am soooooo happy to be done and excited that our freezer is 14 meals heavier.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Cake Man
Jester is the cake baker in the family. He started by baking my birthday cakes for the past three years. (Plain angel food, no frosting, from a two-step box mix...as per my request.) His sisters caught on to the special treatment I was receiving. This year they both wanted him, and only him to bake their birthday cakes.
While decorating their cakes, he was frustrated because he didn't really know what he was doing. The girls were impressed, but I thought it would be cool if he could REALLY decorate a cake so I signed him up for a cake decorating class. He was not happy and complained that he would be the only guy in a class full of old ladies.
At the end of his first class he told me there were quite a few old ladies, most of them were probably in their thirties, but to his surprise there was another young man in the class...a drummer in a band. The other dude had a mohawk, multiple facial piercings, and numerous tattoos. With such a cool guy in class with Jester, cake decorating no longer seemed so bad.
Tonight was his third class of level one. Here is what he produced:
He was grinning from ear to ear when I picked him up from class. He only has one week left to go and told me tonight he wants to sign up for level two and eventually take all four courses.
By the way, he has to make his own icing and cakes for class. I am a mean mom and won't let him use a box mix for his cake. He has had a lot of flops, but the recipe he used for this cake is a winner. Anyone for a little cake?
While decorating their cakes, he was frustrated because he didn't really know what he was doing. The girls were impressed, but I thought it would be cool if he could REALLY decorate a cake so I signed him up for a cake decorating class. He was not happy and complained that he would be the only guy in a class full of old ladies.
At the end of his first class he told me there were quite a few old ladies, most of them were probably in their thirties, but to his surprise there was another young man in the class...a drummer in a band. The other dude had a mohawk, multiple facial piercings, and numerous tattoos. With such a cool guy in class with Jester, cake decorating no longer seemed so bad.
Tonight was his third class of level one. Here is what he produced:
He was grinning from ear to ear when I picked him up from class. He only has one week left to go and told me tonight he wants to sign up for level two and eventually take all four courses. By the way, he has to make his own icing and cakes for class. I am a mean mom and won't let him use a box mix for his cake. He has had a lot of flops, but the recipe he used for this cake is a winner. Anyone for a little cake?
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Monday, August 20, 2007
A Good Time!
We were out of town this weekend with family. I couldn't resist sharing this kid quote:
Me (to Squire and younger boy cousin, Sir I, who had just come in from outdoors): "What have you boys been doing?"
Squire: "Oh, we were just watching the dogs mate."
Sir I, who doesn't know what 'mating' means, very enthusiatically added: "Yeah, they looked like they were having a really good time!"
Thursday, August 16, 2007
County Fair
I took the five youngest children to our County Fair this morning. Weekday mornings admission is free. Kids 12 and under are always free, but I would have had to pay $5.00. I couldn't resist the free admission, so I went as a single parent. The King was out of town. He missed all the fun.
When we got there the promise stage had an exotic animal production going on. The kids loved it. They got to see a tortoise, parrot, python, chinchilla, an African fox, and others. At the end of the show, the kids were able check out a 'feel and touch' table. Maiden thought it would be fun to touch the rat on display:
Scribe held an African Hissing Cockroach:
Our next stop was the butterfly exhibit. Everyone who entered was given a butterfly feeding stick to attract them for a close up view...Squire and this butterfly became fast friends:
Duchess had one who would not leave her alone. She kept trying to shake it off her shoulder. Maiden helped her out by giving it a good smack. (I think he survived. I didn't see any dead ones when we left.)
Prince Charming fell asleep in this position:
He slept through lunch. I'm glad, it was hectic. Everything we wanted to eat happened to be at different food stands. I was running from place to place getting cheese curds, corn dogs, gyros, etc. Here is Squire eating his cheese curds:
I had finally gotten all the children and myself our fried foods and then started looking for drinks. The root beer stand was a bit of a walk away from the last food stand. I had almost reached the drink stand when I looked back to check on Maiden. She was empty handed. "Where is your foot long corn dog?", I asked. She matter-of-factly answered, "I was thirsty. I didn't want it. I want pop." I frantically started looking around at the ledges of all the food stands. Raising my voice slightly (which turned a lot of heads our way) I asked, "Where did you lay it?" She did not respond. I looked in the nearest garbage can. My worst fears were realized. She had dumped it. "YOU THREW IT AWAY?" (A lot of people were now watching the drama.) I thought to myself, 'I had better get a picture of this for my blog, otherwise no one will believe me.' It's laying at the top of the can near a napkin. As you can see, only two bites had been taken from it. What a waste of five bucks. Well, maybe only $4.50 since she took two bites. It's a good thing I didn't have to pay admission.
I'll have you know that my reputation has been ruined. I am no longer looked at in society as "The Queen who has it all together". I am now known as the crazy woman who yells at her kids for throwing their food away and then runs to take a picture for proof.
Maiden got her pop. She was also trying to get me to let her go on rides at the Midway. At one point in the day she said to me, "I have a fever." (Holding her hand on her forehead.) "Only a ride will make me better." 
We took in a magic show too. When asking for a volunteer from the audience, Duchess raised her hand, jumping up and down. "Pick me. Pick me." Magician said he had wanted an adult, but since she wanted to help so bad, she could come up. He started out by explaining that the silver box on the table was an heirloom. Something passed down to him. He kept stressing how special to him. Duchess had to put the green handkerchief in a bag and wave the magic wand.
Then he had her do something to the box and it fell apart. But the green handkerchief was inside. Everyone in the audience laughed. She was devastated. She came running to me and buried her head in my shoulder. I had to explain it was just a trick and the box was supposed to fall apart. She thought she broke it. It took her awhile to get over that trauma. I don't think she'll ever volunteer at a magic show again.
I lost Scribe for a while. I found him at the midway. He played the sledgehammer game and won this great blow up hammer toy. Just what a decluttering mom wants laying around her house. Duchess was so excited for him. Do you see her boots? She HAD to wear her "cow boots" to the fair because she was going to see cows and horses.
We ended the day at the commercial building. We ran into a lady we used to go to church with. Maiden was born on her birthday. She kept telling me all through my pregnancy she would give the baby money if we had it on her birthday. She gave Maiden $200.00! We hardly knew her at the time, but she has adopted Maiden as her special little friend. She even calls Maiden on her birthday to chat. We had not seen her since Christmas and I was surprised to see Maiden run up to her and give her a big hug. (That was a random paragraph--totally off topic--sorry.)
While at the commercial building collecting freebies, Maiden did not get a new Bible like all the other children. Duchess took it upon herself to find the man handing them out. I asked her which booth he was in. She didn't know for sure, but she told me, "He's the white guy." (That one made me laugh since all of the guys were white.)
All in all it was a fun day, but it was a little hard on me keeping track of all the kids. I lost Squire twice, Scribe three times, Duchess eight or ten times--I lost count, Maiden twice, and Prince Charming once. (I did find them all and we are now all home safely.) Needless to say, I was absolutely exhausted by the time I got home.
Note to self: A 5:1 children to adult ratio at the county fair is not a good idea.
When we got there the promise stage had an exotic animal production going on. The kids loved it. They got to see a tortoise, parrot, python, chinchilla, an African fox, and others. At the end of the show, the kids were able check out a 'feel and touch' table. Maiden thought it would be fun to touch the rat on display:
Scribe held an African Hissing Cockroach:
Our next stop was the butterfly exhibit. Everyone who entered was given a butterfly feeding stick to attract them for a close up view...Squire and this butterfly became fast friends: 
Duchess had one who would not leave her alone. She kept trying to shake it off her shoulder. Maiden helped her out by giving it a good smack. (I think he survived. I didn't see any dead ones when we left.)
Prince Charming fell asleep in this position:
He slept through lunch. I'm glad, it was hectic. Everything we wanted to eat happened to be at different food stands. I was running from place to place getting cheese curds, corn dogs, gyros, etc. Here is Squire eating his cheese curds:
I had finally gotten all the children and myself our fried foods and then started looking for drinks. The root beer stand was a bit of a walk away from the last food stand. I had almost reached the drink stand when I looked back to check on Maiden. She was empty handed. "Where is your foot long corn dog?", I asked. She matter-of-factly answered, "I was thirsty. I didn't want it. I want pop." I frantically started looking around at the ledges of all the food stands. Raising my voice slightly (which turned a lot of heads our way) I asked, "Where did you lay it?" She did not respond. I looked in the nearest garbage can. My worst fears were realized. She had dumped it. "YOU THREW IT AWAY?" (A lot of people were now watching the drama.) I thought to myself, 'I had better get a picture of this for my blog, otherwise no one will believe me.' It's laying at the top of the can near a napkin. As you can see, only two bites had been taken from it. What a waste of five bucks. Well, maybe only $4.50 since she took two bites. It's a good thing I didn't have to pay admission.
I'll have you know that my reputation has been ruined. I am no longer looked at in society as "The Queen who has it all together". I am now known as the crazy woman who yells at her kids for throwing their food away and then runs to take a picture for proof.
Maiden got her pop. She was also trying to get me to let her go on rides at the Midway. At one point in the day she said to me, "I have a fever." (Holding her hand on her forehead.) "Only a ride will make me better." 
We took in a magic show too. When asking for a volunteer from the audience, Duchess raised her hand, jumping up and down. "Pick me. Pick me." Magician said he had wanted an adult, but since she wanted to help so bad, she could come up. He started out by explaining that the silver box on the table was an heirloom. Something passed down to him. He kept stressing how special to him. Duchess had to put the green handkerchief in a bag and wave the magic wand.
Then he had her do something to the box and it fell apart. But the green handkerchief was inside. Everyone in the audience laughed. She was devastated. She came running to me and buried her head in my shoulder. I had to explain it was just a trick and the box was supposed to fall apart. She thought she broke it. It took her awhile to get over that trauma. I don't think she'll ever volunteer at a magic show again. 
I lost Scribe for a while. I found him at the midway. He played the sledgehammer game and won this great blow up hammer toy. Just what a decluttering mom wants laying around her house. Duchess was so excited for him. Do you see her boots? She HAD to wear her "cow boots" to the fair because she was going to see cows and horses.
We ended the day at the commercial building. We ran into a lady we used to go to church with. Maiden was born on her birthday. She kept telling me all through my pregnancy she would give the baby money if we had it on her birthday. She gave Maiden $200.00! We hardly knew her at the time, but she has adopted Maiden as her special little friend. She even calls Maiden on her birthday to chat. We had not seen her since Christmas and I was surprised to see Maiden run up to her and give her a big hug. (That was a random paragraph--totally off topic--sorry.)While at the commercial building collecting freebies, Maiden did not get a new Bible like all the other children. Duchess took it upon herself to find the man handing them out. I asked her which booth he was in. She didn't know for sure, but she told me, "He's the white guy." (That one made me laugh since all of the guys were white.)
All in all it was a fun day, but it was a little hard on me keeping track of all the kids. I lost Squire twice, Scribe three times, Duchess eight or ten times--I lost count, Maiden twice, and Prince Charming once. (I did find them all and we are now all home safely.) Needless to say, I was absolutely exhausted by the time I got home.
Note to self: A 5:1 children to adult ratio at the county fair is not a good idea.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Inch and Mile Thing
The King and I decided to tackle cleaning out his office. (If you don't hear from me in a few days, please call in a search and rescue team.) During the cleaning/decluttering spree, the children were left to fend for themselves. (Never a good idea.) I had bought them a new sprinkler to run through and squirt guns to keep them occupied. I've been told it is always a good idea to check on your unsupervised children every few hours. This is where I found Maiden:
In the kitchen sink. Actually in the dishwater with breakfast dishes that Jester had not finished yet. What you are unable to see in the photo is how gray and dirty the water looked. Ew. I asked her why she was in the dishwater. "Cause I'm cold. That's o.k., (long pause, really cute smile) right?" I'm such a sucker. I left her there until she was ready to get out. Bad idea because after lunch, this is what I found:
Give them an inch and they'll take a mile. We thought we heard water running in the kitchen. Narrowly escaping with our lives from the clutches of a cluttered office, we found her in the sink once again. She was smarter this time, she had filled the sink with fresh clean water. Probably because she was wearing a clean swimsuit. She was pouring water over her head to get really warm.
We had no idea how long she'd been in there this time, but it must have been quite a while. The hot water supply had been depleted for the day. With off peak, the water heater does not kick in again until 2:00 a.m. We had no hot water to do dishes after supper and all baths and showers for the evening were a little chilly. Maiden didn't seem upset about it, she didn't need a bath anyway.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Saturday's Surprise
We had a rain storm Friday night. Our ash tree was destroyed in the wind. It fell into one of our pines and was blocking the driveway. What our photos don't show is the damage it did to the pine tree. I will have to take some photos of that and post them later.
We did not have the equipment needed to get the tree down. We had to call in for back up.
Here is Neighbor Guy and The King watching Tree Removal Guy riding up in his boom truck. They were pretty impressed with his saws and other Tree Guy tools. 
Once the tree was down, there was a lot more cutting and clean up to do. This is Jouster and Duchess working hard. Jouster was not impressed that he had to work all day at home in 90+ degree heat and humidity and THEN have to work all night at Culver's. (I think there are child labor laws that protect children like him.)
Here is The King. We had a big fire burning most of the day.
Neighbor Guy helped out with his four wheeler. He went home and put his snow plow on to push branches to the fire. He recently had quadruple bypass so The King had to remind him to take it easy. This was his version of taking it easy. He worked all day with The King.
Jester wanted everyone to know he was injured during clean up. Poor baby.
Tree Guy left this until Monday when he will cut it down and chip out the stump.
This is what our tree looked like at the end of the day. A pile of ash. Once an ash, always an ash. (Is that a pun? Or a really funny joke?) We took full advantage of the fire. We used our dutch oven and made chicken and sweet corn for supper in the coals. Yum!
Saturday, August 11, 2007
A Wedding
This is my sister and her new husband. Aren't they a cute couple? They got married yesterday. I couldn't make it to the wedding. It's really not my fault I couldn't go. They told us two weeks ago that they were going to tie the knot. I just could not coordinate a flight plan to work for everyone involved.
I am so excited about the gift idea I had. A ten year Journal. It's one of my favorite possessions. I only got it this year, but already it has been a treasure to our family. My sister-in-law has had this journal for quite a few years now, and I know her family feels the same way. I thought it would be a great thing to give newlyweds so they could start documenting their life together from the very beginning.
On a side note, I told her a few months ago that I couldn't be in her wedding. Mainly because I am still fat from having babies (and she's skinny), but also because there's a slight possibility I may be bad luck. I have been a bridesmaid in five weddings. Four have ended in divorce. I am glad I was not able to be a bridesmaid in my own wedding!
Congratulations Lil' Sis. I wish I could have been there with you. I love you!
I'll Have None of That!
My husband has blessed me by hiring someone to clean for me. She comes on Wednesdays, cleans the bathroom, dusts, vacuums, and mops all the floors. Tuesdays has become the day the house needs to be thoroughly tidied so when Cleaner Girl comes, she can whip through the house in record time.
One Tuesday afternoon, Squire and Scribe had been sent to their room to clean. They had been there for a few hours. Supper had been prepared and the rest of the family was waiting for them at the table. The King went up to tell them to come down to eat. Then we heard it, The King was upset. Squire and Scribe had not done as they were told. Disciplinary action took place. The boys came to the table sniffling.
Duchess just sat there. She did not say a word during the entire meal. She quickly finished her meal, took her dishes to the kitchen and disappeared. (Which was odd because she is usually one of the last ones done...and she didn't ask to be excused like she normally would.)
The rest of the family was still eating when we heard the hum of the vacuum cleaner. This is what we found:
Duchess in her room vacuuming. She had picked up her room (putting everything on the dresser) and started to vacuum.
We had to chuckle. She probably thought she was next in the discipline line. She was not taking any chances, she wanted none of that!
One Tuesday afternoon, Squire and Scribe had been sent to their room to clean. They had been there for a few hours. Supper had been prepared and the rest of the family was waiting for them at the table. The King went up to tell them to come down to eat. Then we heard it, The King was upset. Squire and Scribe had not done as they were told. Disciplinary action took place. The boys came to the table sniffling.
Duchess just sat there. She did not say a word during the entire meal. She quickly finished her meal, took her dishes to the kitchen and disappeared. (Which was odd because she is usually one of the last ones done...and she didn't ask to be excused like she normally would.)
The rest of the family was still eating when we heard the hum of the vacuum cleaner. This is what we found:
Duchess in her room vacuuming. She had picked up her room (putting everything on the dresser) and started to vacuum.
We had to chuckle. She probably thought she was next in the discipline line. She was not taking any chances, she wanted none of that!
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