I Miss My Brother

Jouster is gone for a week. He is at a Youth For Christ camp in Colorado.

I miss having him around. So does Prince Charming. Jouster rarely complains if I ask him to hold his baby brother, especially when I'm needing to get some work done. Really, you ask. He's a teenager for crying out loud. He actually takes him with out complaining?

Holding the baby in our house is as good as a get out of work free card. No work is involved, just sit with him and keep him out from under mom's feet.

Jouster is an expert at putting the little guy to sleep--and BONUS!--the no work thing is extended until nap time is over.

Friday Night Fun

Jester had a party Friday night. It started at 7:00 p.m. Only one person showed up then. I was beginning to feel sorry for my little boy.

Two and a half hours later, six more came. A grand total of seven guests. (Ten less than Jester's friend Marshall had at his party in June--but who's counting?)

That's when the party started! They sat around the bon fire and enjoyed the the hors devours that Jester had worked on all day.(Cheetos, Doritos, Licorice, Mountain Dew, and Coke.)



















I'm sorry I can't post their names for you. The gentleman on the far left (striking a pose) told me he is in a witness protection program and shouldn't be on the Internet. (Please don't let anyone know I have him on my blog.) Jester is on the far right, in case you are wondering. Jouster had to work and the party was over by the time he got home.

Something Stinks

See this? I did. In person. In our garage.

Our basement is torn apart—that’s another story. Because of the basement being torn apart, we have all of our canning jars stored in the garage in covered apple boxes.

We were not smart enough to mark them when packing them, so I had to open numerous boxes to find the jars I needed for beans. It took me a while to go through them.

During this time, I was a little irritated because I thought our neighbor had something rotten burning in his garbage pit. The smell kept getting stronger with every box I opened. Even Duchess commented on the stink. Something told me to peek over my shoulder and look in garbage can where we store our cat food. (Thank you, Lord!)

Unfortunately it is was not our neighbor burning his garbage. It was a SKUNK! That cat food bin was right behind me. I was close enough that my legs were rubbing against it. I could have been sprayed, attacked, bitten, or even drug off into the woods by a rabid skunk, never to be seen again. My poor children, what would they do without a mother? The King—where would he be without a Queen? (The King thinks I get a little too dramatic from time to time.)

To be honest, the skunk was not about to attack. (I’d like to know how you’d react if you saw a skunk just inches away.) The little critter was sleeping peacefully, most like dreaming he was in skunk heaven. I suppose when he heard me moving boxes and clinking jars, he decided to give off little sprays of his perfume to warn me I was encroaching on his territory. I can't believe it took me so long to figure out it was not garbage.

I gladly left his domain, and informed The King of our Royal Visitor. The King and Jester were able to remove him from the premises. The odor lingered most of the day. I think I might be done canning for the year.

Note to self: We need a new way to store the cat food. That covered garbage can thing does not work.

Thursday's Rain

I posted Thursday about the rain that left as quickly as it came. It returned later! I am so glad I captured this on film. Squire and Duchess (who is smart enought to change into her swimsuit) playing in the rain. We only got 1/4" from the shower, but during that time I was reminded of
A few more reasons to be thankful for a drought:
~No rushing around to close windows to keep the rain out.
~No trying to find where the children have stashed the umbrellas.
~No water in the basement.
~No worries about your freshly curled hair going flat while running to your best friend's van when she is picking you up for a shopping trip to the cities.
~Not having to go shopping and out to dinner with flat, ugly hair while with your best friend in the cities.

The Raising of the Hoop

Jester likes to shoot hoops.

He decided it was time to bring it out of retirement (the shed) and give it a face lift (new paint job).

It's heavy. Here are the King and Jester trying to get it up on the garage.

Proof that the Queen has to lend a hand from time to time.

(Thanks to Scribe for the shot from this angle.)

Here is Scribe showing us how to shoot a hoop.

LOOKS GOOD JESTER! THANKS FOR YOUR HARD WORK.

We Should Live on a Lake....

or get a bigger pool.

Is That Rain?

We got a little rain today. I snapped these photos to prove it. It was not a lot, and it was gone as quickly as it came. As you can see on the sidewalk, it is totally dry where the tree hangs over.







The trampoline looks a little more wet. I don't think we got enough to cut through the dust on our gravel road.

Before it started to rain, I sent Jouster to town to make copies of the Citizenship paperwork for Duchess so we can get it in the mail. It just happened to rain on him while he was on his way to the car--after making the copies. The paperwork looks a mess and I refuse to redo it.


Reason's to be thankful for no rain:
~No mosquitoes.
~No mowing.
~No rain dates.
~No Citizenship paperwork getting ruined minutes before mailing it off to the Department of Homeland Security.

Exhausted

I am exhausted today. Yesterday I woke at 5:00 a.m. anxious about the Application for Citizenship document for Duchess that needs to be mailed before the end of this month. The fee for the N-600 is $215.00. After July 30 it will be $420.00 I don't want to miss the deadline! This will be proof that she is a U.S. citizen. I did get it finished, now I need make copies and get it in the mail.

Want to hear the irony? There is a law in effect that automatically made her a U.S. citizen as soon as she was adopted by us. She can also get a U.S. passport without the document. I've spoken with other adoptive families who have not filed the N-600, and have no intentions of doing so. We want to be on the safe side. We want the document that "proves" she's a citizen.


Then Jouster woke up early and asked me to take him shopping. His favorite mall is an hour away. Shopping with him is emotionally exhausting. We don't agree on clothing styles. Fortunately we can compromise somewhat.

We were gone most of the day. I got home in time to find all my containers, label them, nurse the baby, and take off for my cooking club that meets once a month. One or two women plan the menu, type the recipes and cooking instructions, do the shopping and get it all set up for an evening of cooking. This month was a little easier. We prepared 12 dishes each for four families. We have had up to 15 dishes for 6-8 families in the past. We got home about 11:00 p.m. (an early night for our group) and then had get it all into the freezer.

This is what we prepared: Ginger Flank Steak; Taco Crescent Bake; Tater Tot Hot Dish; Pizza Pasta Casserole; Bean Biscuit Bake; Chicken Pot Pie; Chinese Chicken Morsels; Mexican Chicken Lasagna; Church Potatoes; Crustless Spinach Quiche; Granola and Caramel Rolls (those are baking right now).

I love having the meals in my freezer. Especially for the evenings the King is out of town. I don't always feel like preparing meals when I am alone with the kids. This club saves us from too many nights of Pizza delivery's and Taco Bell drive through's.

I have tried doing this on my own at home. It's not as much fun as when you can get together with friends and cook...and we meet at a church with a huge kitchen, commercial stove, and dishwasher. I am in charge of the menu planning and shopping for next month. If you have any great freezer meal ideas, please let me know. I need all the help I can get.

Happy Birthday!

Seventeen years ago today, the King and I were getting to know our first born son. We were young and so very proud of our beautiful baby boy. He was just a few hours old in the photo above. (Sorry it's so fuzzy, I had to take a photo of it because I was having scanner difficulties.)

Jouster has grown to be a handsome young man. He is smart. He is a dreamer. He is a gifted swimmer. He works hard at his job and is extremely disciplined at saving money. He has a tender side to him that he allows us to see from time to time. He will make a wonderful father some day. He is a blessing to us.

Last night he told me he is excited to be turning 17. I had to ask why. I was waiting for a profound, thought provoking reason.

His response: "Then I can get into R Rated movies without your permission."

Lord, help us.

Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed?

Prince Charming and I have a secret. When the King is on the road, P.C. takes Daddy's side of the bed. Could anyone resist kissing those cheeks first thing in the morning?

The Miracle of Adoption

(July 23 update--the YouTube video has disappeared from this entry. I am not sure why, and I can't figure out how to put it back without making it a new post. I guess you'll just have to go directly to the link. )

My favorite song! This video brings tears to my eyes and reminds me of our two year wait for our daughter.

Royal Ditty

Last night I was showing the Royal Children our blog. It was great fun until Maiden saw her 'ditty' picture. She asked what was on her forehead. I told her it looked like dirt. Her jaw dropped as she looked at herself in the photo and then at me. Pure disbelief is the only way I can describe her expression.

There's no doubt she was thinking of her future. She is Royalty and must be very careful around the paparazzi. It could come back to haunt her one day. Those tabloids are ruthless.

Beans

The Royal garden is producing. Totally organic!
Jouster and Jester picked beans (a lot more than shown).




Jester, Squire, Scribe, Duchess, and Maiden cleaned, cut, and snapped the beans. I overheard a discussion about child labor laws. Our Kingdom had heard of no such laws. (Yes, you are seeing right. All the children are playing, uh, working with knives.)





Duchess did not tire of the process. She stuck with it until the end. She actually enjoys working with mom.








She packed the jars and added salt. She was so proud of her work. I kept hearing, "Please, can I do it?"







Our first day of canning beans yielded 14 quarts. Our goal is 100 quarts.

I am having a little problem with the water escaping my jars. I think it's because I am having a hard time regulating the pressure.

I should get the hang of it by the time we are finished. 86 to go!

Ditty

My little Maiden. She does not like to be dirty...she can't say the "r" sound so she says "ditty".If her shoes are dirty, she can't wear them. If she sees dirt on her hands and can't wash, she cries. Today it's a different story. She has found a feather...and every speck of dirt between here and the feather.

Rockin' Girl Blogger

Theresa nominated me for the Rockin' Girl Blogger award. Thank you, I am so honored. Just when I was starting to think I wasn't popular in this blogging world....I don't know much about these awards, so someone will have to tell me where I can collect my winning$.

She stumbled across my blog after visiting Lisa's where I had left a comment. While looking looking at my pictures, she realized she knew who I was. Theresa and I met at home school park day about a month ago. We talked a little curriculum, Biblical kids names, people we know in common, and you guessed it....blogs. I had not started one yet so I think it's pretty neat she found me. (I am supposed to pass this on, but I don't really have that many blogger friends.)

The one person I have to nominate is my cousin Chris (Frazzled Farm Wife). She got me into this blogging addiction. She lives near where I grew up so I it's fun to see photos of the "locals" and the area. I love being able to keep up on her life on a daily basis.

The other person I visit regularly is Lisa. Her blog is so uplifting to me. She is a home school mom too. Talking to her in person is just as uplifting to me. She's already been nominated by Theresa. Just so you know Lisa, I would have picked you too!

Not the King of Speed

My husband has never been very good at the card game Speed. (Not since he met me anyway.) Recently, at a family gathering, he won. Not once, but two times. Notice him holding up two fingers letting all the world know that he won twice. He was wearing sunglasses so his opponents couldn't see his 'poker' face.
He was relentless. He showed no mercy, and he was very proud of his accomplishment. You can tell by the sweat on his brow how hard he worked for those two wins. You would have thought he won the million dollar jackpot by the way he was a hootin' and a hollerin'. Here are his opponents:Two little girls. Our six year old niece on the left, and five year old daughter Duchess on the right.
Until the moms stepped in. I helped Duchess win twice and my sister-in-law and her daughter won a few rounds too. (O.K., so we took over for the girls--they got a little teary eyed when they realized they were no longer playing.) But it was worth it, we put the King back in his place and showed him that he may be the King of my castle but he is NOT the king of Speed!

Poor Jester, he is following in his father's footsteps. He won't be the king of Speed any time soon. Here he is showing everyone how many times he won. No fingers raised? I guess that would mean NONE!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday Frazzled Farm Wife, Happy Birthday to you! (Don't worry, I won't tell anyone that you are 39.)

Catching Some Rays

Jester and Jouster tanning by the camper. I remember those days. When I had no fear of skin cancer. No evidence of wrinkles. No sun damaged skin. All the time in the world. Ah, to be a teenager again.

Charades

Can you tell who Squire and Scribe are acting out? Here's a clue:
They had a blast at the Crazy Horse Monument. (No pun intended.)

Hangin' With My Dad

Here is the King with Prince Charming on his back.
If I did a scrapbook page of this photo, I would have to label it, "Has anyone seen Mt. Rushmore?" Or, "Excuse us, are we close to Mt. Rushmore?"

I don't know what they were looking at, but it certainly wasn't George Washington.

Tourist

Here is Duchess hiking around Devil's Tower. Doesn't she look like a tourist? Camera bag on one shoulder, purse on the other. I had to laugh when I saw this photo of her...the sunglasses on crooked, the piggy tale off center.

We tried to talk her out of making the 1.3 mile trek. We had forgotten to pack her sneakers in the camper so she was wearing a pair of sandals. She told us she could do it. "My feet won't hurt, I won't get tired. Please let me go!" How could we say no to that? She joyfully went onward while I stayed back with Maiden and Prince Charming. The King said she never once complained or fell behind. When she finished the hike she was beaming with pride.

The next day we bought her a new pair of shoes for hiking. After walking for most of the day, she looked up at me and whispered; "Thank’s for my new shoes. They are sooooo comferble. My feet kind of hurt at Devil's Tower, but that's o.k., they don't hurt now."

She makes my heart sing.

Brush Your Teeth

These are my favorite pictures of my little Maiden from vacation. She is in the camper brushing her teeth. As you can see, she takes it very seriously.

BFF (Best Friend Forever)

Here is a picture of my cousin Chris and I. Her family was in the Black Hills at the same time we were. They came to see us at our campsite in Spearfish. She has been one of my very best friends since as early as I can remember. Even though we don't see each other or talk very often, we can always pick up where we left off.

Home Again

We are home. It feels good to be back after 12 days away. The lawn looks as short as the day we left so we must not have had much rain. (The royal gardener is happy about that.) The garden looks o.k. but very weedy (royal gardener not happy).

I will try to get pictures posted in the next few days.

Me