In Moments Like These...

Farewell, my friends.

2011-06-30T22:47:00.000-04:00

The online community that I have been a part of for the last 6 years, is shutting down forever tonight. This is the post that I wrote as my farewell to my friends on The Porch. A friend mentioned that I really needed to copy it and keep it someplace. And seeing as I hadn't blogged in quite some time, and blogging was first encouraged to me by one of the gals I am so honored to call friend, I felt it fitting to leave my post here.

To Mitford:

"Well, my friends...my glass of tea is empty. The ice in my glass has long since been melted and the sweat on the sides of the glass has been neatly dabbed up by my napkin. My dessert plate has a few crumbs remaining from some delicious concoction that someone brought. The sun is setting, and the crickets are starting to sing their song. The fireflies will be making their appearance shortly. I need to make my departure before the mosquitoes come out to play though.

This place has been a beautiful adventure. I have enjoyed getting to know each and every one of you. With me, I take little snippets of days gone by. Little tales of fun and adventure. Empty places in my heart of friends that we have lost along the way. Memories of children growing, grandbabies born, dreams, trips, meetings, drama, and vacations. Decorations, invitations, recipes, prayers. Birthday wishes. I take with me encouragement, and praise, and little discussions about everything...whether it be about what we are wearing for the day, or politics. I have enjoyed it all.

I love each of you, and hope to see you on the other side of the hedge when the porch light goes out. If I don't....
“May your days be many and your troubles be few. May all God's blessings descend upon you. May peace be within you, may your heart be strong. May you find what you're seeking wherever you roam.”

*Jenny rises slowly from her rocking chair...it creaks softly. She shakes the wrinkles and dessert crumbs from her floral skirt and puts her flip flops back on her feet. She blows kisses to everyone around her and looks around one last time to the porch that she has spent so many hours and held so many treasured moments. She steps down off the porch and walks briskly over to the hedge, the path going through it made fresh by a few friends that have gone on ahead of her. She hears a few voices on the other side and knows that she will be welcomed there.

She glances back over her shoulder, one last time...tears in her eyes and waves to her friends, young and old, who have all been brought together for a moment in time by a few books, but mostly by God. She dashes through the hedge....and voices are heard through the other side..."HEEEEY!" "HIIIII" "Applesofgold is here, everyone!!!!"

Her rocking chair remains empty on the porch. Her tea glass and dessert plate remain, as reminders of a delightful time spent with people she calls family.*"

What do you do...

2011-02-17T23:41:00.000-05:00

What do you do, when the weather is fantastic....but your husband took your car because his vehicle is at the Car Spa getting a new transmission?

You grab your easel, your brushes, and your paints and head to the empty driveway.

Don't forget your painter's beret, smock, and your imagination.

Something about painting out in the sunshine and fresh air makes the experience better. She had more than one car slow down in front of the house to observe her talent.

The wind made painting a little tricky. We figured out that putting one leg of the easel in side the legs of the stool, it wouldn't flip. A stroke of genius with a couple of pieces of velcro kept the canvas on the easel instead of flying away in the breeze. Remind me to ask an artist how they deal with wind while painting outside?

I love her work. She's keeping this one. She has given away so many of her paintings, I'm so glad she decided to keep this one for herself.

Carrots.

2011-02-16T19:24:00.002-05:00

I don't think I have ever tasted anything better than carrots fresh from the garden. Except for maybe snowpeas. Or Cabbage. I dearly adore gardening year round here in The Swamp.

A Birthday Do-over.

2011-02-14T13:56:00.000-05:00

Since the Big Apple was sick on her birthday, I scoped out a place to take her this weekend that would TOTALLY make up for the fact that her birthday was a bust.

I scored.

The family piled in the van and headed to Folsom, LA to the Global Wildlife Center. I had heard of this place on several different occasions but wanted to wait until The Little Apple was a little older to go. Nothing like being stuck on a 2 hour long safari ride with a crabby baby. But this turned out to be the perfect age for her to go, as she was thrilled by every animal she saw.

When you go, you purchase your tickets, and of course animal food. Eben chose the family bucket...which turned out to be an enormous amount of food...but we quickly found out why we needed that much food.

There was an enormous amount of animals.

Most of them would eat right out of the cup. Some ate neatly out of your hands.

And some, of the animals, they open their mouths wide, and you just pour the food right in. That was The Little Apple's preferred method for feeding animals. She was so good at it. She learned to shake the cup until an animal walked over to her and opened wide. Then she'd pour it in. At other times, the Little Apple liked to toss the food and yell "Mardi Gras!!!!!!!" I wonder where she learned that?

The Big Apple, being the typical Daddy's Girl that she is, hung out with her Daddy most of the ride, which explains my lack of pictures of her, as I was managing the Other Apples (mainly making sure The Little Apple didn't hop out of the wagon and try to ride a zebra!)

But the Big Apple kept the wagon train driver busy with her questions about the various animals. My favorite question of the day "How big is giraffe poop?"

Unfortunately, we weren't able to get up close to the giraffes....which created some tears on the part of the Big Apple. The giraffes were more interested in the private jeeps that are available for tours instead of the big wagon train.

I have to admit, I had a lot more fun on this trip than I anticipated, and was glad that we all went together on a weekend rather than a weekday without Eben along. The Big Apple declared the day "Almost as good as Disney World." I think that's a pretty big statement.

It was a very nice Birthday Do-Over.

Naughty number 9.

2011-02-03T21:00:00.000-05:00

The Naughty Number 9.

The title of this post is a reference to the School House Rock video for multiplying 9's. It's not referring to my Big Apple at all.

I called the Big Apple from the grocery store the other day, to ask her what kind of cake she wanted me to get. "Mama, can we just have a homemade cake?" Music to this mama's ears. "Well, Big Apple, is there something you want me to get to put on TOP of the cake?" "No, Mama...I just want to use some of the toys I already have." More music to this mama's ears.

"Mama? Can I make the cake by myself?" This is normally something I LOVE to do for my children on their birthdays...because one of the things I do really well...it's decorate a cake. But she really wanted to do it, and I couldn't turn her down. So the night before her birthday, I turned her loose in the kitchen. She did great!

The morning of her birthday, The Big Apple woke up feeling yucky in the tummy. And all stuffy in the nose. But Daddy didn't have to go into work until later this morning, so she wanted to open her presents.

She got her very own sewing basket and her own sewing machine. I figured a girl who is considered half grown has earned her place at the table, right next to me~using her own machine. (actually, the selfish part of me says that she needed her own machine so that she would stop using mine!)

I only wish she had felt better today. We didn't get to sew together like I had originally planned. She spent the day on the couch, sipping ginger ale and broth.

We are demanding a birthday do-over.

But I do have to say, that number 9 is a naughty one. The way it kind of sneaks in and takes away your little girl in the middle of the night....replacing her with half grown young lady....A young girl who is brilliant, and vibrant, and eager to make her way in the world.

Yup. That 9 is a naughty one.

A little heart felt words on military transfers......

2011-02-01T15:27:00.002-05:00

A fellow Coastie Wife posted this a few days ago, and I felt the need to share it, (with her permission of course!) And to share it early, because every word of it rings true in how I feel around transfer season. I'm giving you advance notice here, and cutting you all a break. Please read, and listen with your heart, because this is what most military wives go through every single time we move.

"It is hard being the wife of a military man. You don't get the luxury of a stable life style, you don't get to go for coffee with your best friend (who is usually NOT next door or even the same state!), you don't get to plan vacations without checking the boat/flight/duty schedule. You get orders every 2/3/4 years and you pack up everything you own and move to a new place, where you generally don't know anyone.
Lately I have been called things like "selfish", "mean", "throwing it in our face". Well here is OUR side of it....we don't have time to wallow in the missing you category. We are to busy making everything good for our family and planning the move. We have to be the cheerleader, we have to stay positive and we can not show one ounce of sadness, because when we do it effects the whole family. Yes we are going to miss the friends we made here, that should be a given. Yes we are sad to leave on some levels. But again we can't show that to the children who are already upset they are moving, to the spouse who knows he is going to a more demanding job and will likely spend the first 6 months not home much while they get qualified for the new job. So we smile and we cheer. We make everything sound like roses and rainbows, how much fun we are going to have, how much we are going to enjoy this new adventure.

So as a friend, if you really are one, please do not act like we are abandoning you. You are losing one friend, we are losing all of you. You get to stay here and go on, we get to pack everything up and move on. So please understand the stress we are under, support us (even when we get pissy and snappy) and above all else just be there when we need a shoulder to lean on. Because you as the friend whom we have supported the last few years should understand that it is our turn. Because honestly we don't have time for your negativity and we can not emotionally be there to help you through this.
I love this lifestyle...been doing it since the day I was married. I love the adventure, I love the newness. But don't let that fool you into thinking we love this part of it. It is what it is....now back to my cheering, because that is MY job in all this. "

It also never fails, every single time we get new orders we hear things like "Oh, you are going to hate ___ about that place." or "I've heard that that place is awful because of ______." "Why would you pick to go there?" Trust me, my husband and I have very little to do with where the Coast Guard chooses to send us. If I had my way, I'd stay in one place forever! But what bothers me the most of all, are people that make judgment calls about a certain state or region of the country, having never ever lived or breathed the air in that location. Please, don't do this.

I have found that with every single place we have relocated to, I fall in love with it. If you hear from me from another part of the country, don't expect me to tell you about how horrible it is where I am because you think I'm supposed to be having the time of my life where you are. This is the life that I have chosen, and I love it. I'm up for the adventure.

Drumroll please! ............

2011-02-01T11:30:00.000-05:00

We have received our new orders!

For those of you that didn't get a text message, a phone call, or see it on Facebook yesterday....The Apple Dumpling Gang will be returning to North Carolina. It appears that we can never fully shake the NC sand off from between our toes, as we will be reporting to Elizabeth City, NC early this summer.

Our family is thrilled with the new orders, but a little bummed at the same time. My husband was so desperate for Alaska this time, he listed ALL of the Alaska billets on his dream sheet at the top. I held my breath and prayed for God to change my heart and prepare me for the big adventure if that was where He intended to send us. I had my own ideas...of returning to Duluth and slipping back into our old groove...(you guys know how much I like routine and all things familiar!) I thought about living on the West Coast for the first time, and put Seattle on the list next. Followed by my ideas about how easy it would be on the girls to live close to our relatives in Florida (while selfishly hoping to be able to drop the kids off with them and run away for the weekend with the husband).

But none of that was meant to be. We got pick # 14. Which isn't bad. We are happy with it. Close to all the historical things in Virgina to visit, old friends and Sorority Sisters. Close to our old friends in Sneads Ferry/Holly Ridge/Wilmington.

This is going to work out at this new unit. Somehow they always do. This is where God is leading us, and that's where we will go.

Let the journey continue!

When life gives you mud....

2011-01-28T12:44:00.000-05:00

When life gives you mud.....

...........make mudpies.

Words to live by, my friends.

Just weary....

2011-01-26T23:43:00.002-05:00

Friends....I need this space to just vent for a moment like this.

Alot of people say that I'm so well put together and have my life all organized...well, right now, I'm not. I'm weary. We've had a great deal of sadness thrown at us in the last couple of weeks...and although most of it does not closely effect our immediate family, I am feeling weighed down by the sheer sadness of it all.

This last week has been filled with a detached retina (my dad), a dear college friend losing her spouse quite suddenly, my best friend's dad fighting stomach cancer, THIS, a friend who's daughter has a nasty stomach virus, and on top of everything else.....we are STILL waiting for order as to our next transfer.

And as I type this, I realize that not a single item on this list of stuff do I have control over, and I guess that is where the sadness lays. I can't reattach retinas, I can't bring back my friends husband, I can't heal cancer, I cannot comfort a sick and lonely teenager in a hospital in Florida, I can not get rid of a stomach virus, and I can't predict the future, so I can't see where we will be stationed next.

Yeah...I know...Let go, and let God. Try it in my shoes for a day, and I bet you can't.

So, I'm apologizing if I haven't spoken to some of you for a few days, not being as chatty on IM, or Facebook, or the phone. I'm just weary. The truth is, I feel helpless in these situations so I'm throwing myself into projects that can make someone feel better. I'm quilting for a friend in a nursing home, making baby blankets to share, making dinners for new mothers, and pillowcases for kids in the hospital.

I'll come up for air in a few days I am sure. But for now, I'm just weary, and coping the best I can.

The post in which I compare my marriage to a quilt.......

2011-01-17T22:14:00.006-05:00

Yesterday, my husband and I celebrated a landmark.....12 years of marriage. Pretty amazing to say the least. 12 years might not seem like much to some, but to us it means everything. Many didn't think we would make it. The odds were pretty much stacked against us from the beginning.

Eben had been asking if I would ever make a quilt that we would actually get to keep. So I purposed in my heart to make that happen. I put it off over Christmas, since there was a ton of other homemade goodies going on, but figured I could make him something for our Anniversary.

Here it is...But this isn't just any quilt....this quilt now has a story. And it's a story that I think needs to be blogged about and shared. Or at least documented for my kids, so they can read for themselves when they get older about the story of the Anniversary Quilt.

When I first began this project, I had huge expectations for it. I wanted the most gorgeous, beautiful quilt, the prettiest fabrics available, a predictable pattern to it, everything one could ever hope for in a quilt. Kind of like how we began our marriage 12 years ago. I had these grandiose ideals of a perfect marriage, a perfect little house, a perfect set of children, security, predictability, and the happily ever after that you see in the movies. About 2 weeks after the "I Do's" were said, the reality check slapped us both in the face.

This quilt looks perfect hanging up on the back fence....from a distance. So do alot of marriages. But I have a secret to tell you...if you look a bit closer you will find the mistakes. At on point in time, I sat on the floor of the living room, quilt in arms, telling myself how horrible it was. I couldn't get the fabric to lay flat, it puckered in all the wrong places, the pieces were just all in a jumble instead of a predictable pattern because of the Little Apple who insisted on rearranging the blocks every single time I had them lay them out on the floor. It was an ugly quilt, meant for the garbage can.

As I cried over that stinking quilt, I heard that comforting whisper...you know the one. The one that comes from within your heart, and you know it can only be that still small voice of God. And it said "It's not ugly. It can still be used. Try seeing it through My eyes instead." And I began to see all kinds of comparisons and lessons learned.

My first mistake....TIME. I had neglected to take time to create a masterpiece. I expected myself to put together a gorgeous quilt in just a couple of weeks. Just the same....a good marriage isn't something thing that you can just throw together and hope for the best that it makes it. It takes practice. Years. Of Practice. And work. Hard work. But it goes on from there. Pictured above is the section of quilt that I am least happy with. You see, when I first started quilting it, I chose to free motion quilt it, because it requires a great deal of sewing and the quilt would last. Not to mention that I think it's just really pretty. As I started quilting it, the fabric started to pucker here, and wrinkle there. Not very much, so I disregarded it, thinking it wouldn't be noticeable. But by the time I got to the middle section, the fabric was so distorted that there was no other option but to just leave it alone. Had I addressed the minor problems with the quilt early on, the distortion in the middle wouldn't have been such a problem. Just the same, Eben and I have had many little bumps along the way in our marriage. It's far from perfect, but we have figured out after 12 years together, that if you address those little things as they come up, a huge problem in the middle won't be glaringly obvious to everyone.

Another huge mistake that I made...I didn't really have the right tools for the job. This quilt isn't a baby sized quilt. I made this one bigger so that my sweetie and I could snuggle and watch movies together.

But unfortunately, a quilt of this size doesn't exactly fit under a standard sewing machine. It was a hard job. And I definitely didn't have enough thread. I had to stop my project in the middle, drive into town, buy more thread and continue where I had left off. In the same way, with my own life...if I don't have the right tools I need to get through the day, of course I'm going to get off track and it's going to make life more difficult than necessary. I was reminded again that I had been slacking off in my quiet times with God, and in doing so, was giving myself a one-way ticket to frustration.Frustration.....like what I got when I was finishing the edges of the quilt and I couldn't get the fabric to iron flat to fold over. I had no choice but to bunch it up and sew it and move on. For the sole purpose of just persevering to the end.

And that is what Eben and I will do. We will persevere to the end. For the next 50+ years if God chooses to bless us with that many years together. We don't claim to have the perfect marriage. It's full of mistakes. Heck, it doesn't even look good up close. But can God use it?

I'm sure He can.

Happy Anniversary, Eben. I love you. Matthew 19:26

A month....

2011-01-12T18:00:00.006-05:00

Is it true? Can it be possible? I haven't blogged in over a month!?!?!!? Could it possible that it was the Christmas season, and things got seriously crazy?

Here is a recap of what you missed.... (in pictures, of course...because I'm sure all of you would rather see it, than simply read about it!)

The Apples were in a musical...called The Grinch. It was wonderful. I am glad they got a chance to get their feet wet in the theater, since it is something that I have always enjoyed and it's dear to my heart. This guy came to their performance. I mean, how cool is that?!?!? Jindal in for President in 2012? I might consider voting for him!

The Saturday following The Grinch, The Little Apple got a strange bump on her neck. Sunday, she had another huge on her forehead, and one on her stomach. Oh-oh, I thought. A few hours later, she had a couple hundred bumps. Chicken pox. She had had no other symptoms, no fever, no crabbiness, nothing to indicate that she was coming down with something. Doing the math at the Dr. 's office, The Little Apple was at her most contagious time the day of the stage production of The Grinch, and had hung out with me most of the day at the Auditorium.

....along with every elementary age kid in our entire city. Nicely played. I'm such a horrible mother...having single-handedly exposed every kid in our city to the Chicken Pox in one day.

We survived. With a couple of scars. More emotional scars on my part....as we were kindof treated like my family had the plague and not the chicken pox. Go figure. Small price to pay, though, for choosing not to vaccinate my kids. But we have successfully completed chicken pox with all 3 of the kids.

The next couple of weeks were filled with Christmas joy. Homemade gifts of jam, candied pecans, handsewn Christmas stockings, homemade wrapping paper, and kid made ornaments and presents. I am becoming more and more of a fan of "Homespun Christmas"

We saw lights, we wrote letters to Santa, and I asked the girls to consider giving something of themselves that would mean the world to someone else..... And they did.
I am proud to say that between the 2 of my girls, 22 inches of hair was donated to Pantene Beautiful Lengths Program...10 from one Apple, 12 from the other. They did this in honor of my best friend's Daddy, Papa Les, ...who is battling stomach cancer.

Christmas Eve was full of magic.
And cookies. The tiny carrots you see cam straight from our garden. You will be pleased to know, that the reindeer left the store bought carrots behind, and ate only the ones from the garden.
Daddy read all of our favorite Christmas stories, and each of Little Apples opened a new pair of pajamas. And Santa came, and with him, timely reminders of why we celebrate the Christmas season.
My mom and nephew, The Cannon, arrived the day after Christmas. And what a blessing that turned out to be. The day after Christmas, my husband slept most of the day. Which was weird...even for him. And he felt like he had the flu.

Only it wasn't. The day after that, he came down with a full blown case of the Chicken Pox. It was a gift that just kept on giving. His case was soooooooo bad in fact, he has refused to allow me to post the one and only picture of him that I have of him with the Chicken Pox. Having Geeya here was a Godsend for sure, as she was available to play with the children, cook all of my favorites (I have 6 bonus pounds from that week!), and spoil everyone in the house rotten for days. It was wonderful.
You see that pie? It was sooooooooo good. Just like the ones I enjoyed for every holiday as a kid.
And although we didn't go anywhere or do anything special, we did what families do....we enjoyed each others company.

And finally....(if you've hung on to this post this long, you get a gold star!), because of our Chicken Pox infested household, The Little Apples had to miss their dance recital. And the performance at a church too. I DID, however, have the pleasure of getting to see them do their dances at the Awards Party. I was sooooo moved to tears watching both of them perform. They know that the gift of dance was a gift from God and choose to dance for Jesus. I am so proud of them!

There. I think I'm all caught up. I hope. Until someone posts something that I missed. In the meantime, Happy New Year everyone. May this be the best, and most blessed year ever!

Love, Jenny

Winter White Green

2010-12-02T13:02:00.004-05:00

I have a hard time believing we are in the Christmas Season already. While the temperature has dropped nicely, I had to wear sandels to the store the other day to pick up some ornament hooks.

Here's other reasons why I have a hard time believing it's Christmas time:
My enormous cabbage. It's absolutely huge. Pretty sure when it's time to pick it, I won't be able to lift it. Nor have a pot big enough to cook it in.

Pea pods. We have tons of these, except they don't last long enough to grow into peas...The Big Apple and myself are guilty of going outside and having a little snack when we think the other isn't watching.

Baby Spinach. Another item that doesn't last long. It tastes too good in my salad to grow into Adult spinach. Spring Mix Salad???? Yup, that's what I planted, and now I have so much salad, I barely can eat it all myself. It's a good think I have a few helpers that can go out and pick a bowl of salad to eat with their dinner.
Sweet little blooms...
In a couple of weeks, these pretty dainty things will be more pea pods for us to eat.
We also have carrots growing, but aren't nearly ready yet.
We also have a ton of basil, rosemary, and oregano.

So, while yall are dreaming of a White Christmas....I'll be dreaming of a green Christmas just the same. :)

Topping the tree....

2010-11-29T00:47:00.004-05:00

The Little Apple was given the honor of topping the Christmas Tree with the angel this year.....

Given a little boost by her dad...she completes the tree.....

......or.........

Maybe she doesn't. The Little Apple proved to be a complete failure at tree topping.

Better luck next year kid.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

2010-11-28T23:02:00.005-05:00

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Our day was pretty close to perfect! I had stayed up the night before very very late, prepping the turkey, making pies of all sorts, cleaning, decorating the table, etc. The following morning, my husband got up early and put the turkey in the oven and allowed me to sleep in.....it has yet to be settled exactly WHO gets credit for making the turkey....the person that did the grunt work, or the one who got up at the crack of dawn to put it in the oven....Vote anyone?

Well, in doing his best to help me out, my darling husband forgot exactly what time he put Big Bird in the oven. I was hoping to have our feast set before us on the table around Noon....but without knowing what time to expect the turkey to be ready, I really had no clue as to when to start the side dishes. Ah well. I turned on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and sat with my favorite girls in the whole world as they ooooooh'ed and ahhhhhh'ed over the balloons and bands. I hope to one day be able to go to New York City to watch it in person some day.

I kid you not, I went to baste the turkey again at 10:30, and the little pop up thingie they stick in the breast was sitting up. That can't be right!?!?!? We are eating at noon! So I stuck a regular meat thermometer in Big Bird, and sure enough....The bird was done. Fully cooked, looking beautiful....and no side dishes to eat. The potatoes hadn't been pealed for Eben's Famous Mashed Spuds, no green bean casserole, no cranberry sauce (I cheat...this one came from a can this year)...not a thing was ready. I almost literally had to beat my husband off the turkey with a stick so he would not cut it until the rest of the meal was ready.

But it was worth the wait. An hour later, we were seated together at the table, candlelight shining on happy and hungry faces. We are all truly blessed and have so much to be thankful for. The dinner was delicious, and we were blessed with the opportunity to carry some of the meal to a couple whose plans to go out of town were unexpectedly changed...and I think they appreciated it.

We all relaxed and nibbled on the food the remainder of the day. That evening....we went to a very cute event, where we got to welcome Santa to town, and help kick off the Christmas Season.

Now, most of you know, since we are a family that is on the move, we do not get to see our relatives as often as we would like. So we have what we call "Adopt a Relatives" in every state that we live in. And Louisiana has been no exception. Interestingly enough, our "Adopt-a-Granny" and "Adopt-a-Papa" have been back and forth from Singapore the entire time we have lived here. And we are happy that we have them here for a couple of months. The Middle Apple always picks up right where she left off when Papa comes around. We are so thankful for all of the friends that have been a source of love to our kids.
After singing a few Christmas Carols, Santa arrived by fire truck!
I thought Santa and Mrs. Claus were absolutely adorable. Each child could go visit with them and tell them their Christmas wish.
The Middle Apple and Santa in this picture I will probably treasure for a long time.

The Big Apple was rendered speechless when it was her turn to visit with Jolly Ol' St. Nicholas. Santa gave each child a little toy. And there was plenty of cookies to eat......
And cold chocolate (we don't drink Hot Chocolate here in the south where it's 83 degrees on Thanksgiving Day. My kids and I were covered in clothing simply to keep the mosquitoes from eating us alive.
We finished off the day by going to Ms. Stephenie's house and playing a sidesplitting game of UNO and eating a slice apple pie good enough to make you cry.

It really was a wonderful day. We are all blessed and thankful to God each day for our friends, family, health, and finances.

The birth of a tradition...

2010-11-11T21:12:00.003-05:00

We have a lot to be thankful for.
A new traditions was born in our home this evening, and it was so well received that I am hoping that we will repeat it every year.

The started with The Big Apple, and her big ideas that everyone in our family should make a big list of everything that we are thankful for, and post it on the wall. (Unable to find an empty wall in our house, we had to confine this idea to the backside of the back door!)So we got some paper leaves, of the bulletin board variety, and got busy. 11 leaves per member of the family tonight, one for every day of the month that we have missed so far, and at least one more a day for the remainder of the month. Once they got started writing, the ideas kept flowing. My family and I were filled with beautiful things that we are thankful for.....some were interesting and humorous entries, like....coffee, China, Santa, Yellow Elephant, and naptime....
...and entries that make you think....like Love, health, and friends.

We have a lot to be thankful for at our house.

What are you thankful for?

Louisiana Renaissance Festival Weekend.

2010-11-08T12:47:00.005-05:00

My husband texted me earlier last week not to make any plans for over the weekend, that he had an idea of how to make the girls' Halloween Costumes get stretched a little further.

Little did I know what he had in mind. He ended up taking us to the opening weekend of the Louisiana Renaissance Festival season. And what a fantastic time we had. These are just a few of the highlights from the weekend.

We listened to plenty of fun and festive music.
We ate and drank the tasty things. This particular jug you buy for $6 and has free refills for the remainder of the life of the bottle. The festival made no money off of this family, as it was refilled many times with root beer, creme soda, and wizard wine throughout the days.
There were lots of animals. There was a very dog show for the kids, a fantastic falconry show, horses to ride, and these little tiny little guys that the girls were content with just feeding blades of grass and petting. They looked like they had worked hard enough that day.
We saw jugglers (the Middle Apple's favorite part, as she got to participate in the show)...
And jousting.....

Now, I simply must share this little story about the Middle Apple....because it's just like her, and while I was sort of mortified that this happened at first, I can chuckle about it now. I am also kicking myself because I wasn't taking video of it.

When we arrived at the jousting, the two knights mounted their horses and the audience took sides on who would win. Red and Gold vs. Black and Gold. Naturally, we picked the Black and Gold Team, we are true Louisiana lovers at heart. The Red and Gold knight was doing his speech about how he was going to slaughter the Black and Gold knight, and then the heckling from the audience started. My Middle Apple, caught up in the moment, yelled at the top of her voice as the Red and Black rode towards his corner on his horse "I'VE NEVER SEEN A HORSE WITH TWO REAR ENDS BEFORE!"

I was rather mortified that she had yelled that (but also recognized it as a line from the movie Alladin), but the audience loved it. So did the Black and Gold Knight. He took the stage on his horse, and said "I see that that little girl over there with her plastic sword has more courage than you do! Ha!" *laughter from the audience* Red and Gold replied in a not so friendly tone, "Well give her your sword, sir, maybe she will actually fight...though I doubt she could lift the sword if she tried." *more laughter* At this point, I'm pretty sure the Middle Apple, a girl who will rise to any challenge set before her, would have taken her plastic sword and taken down the knight herself if not for me telling her to stay where she was. Black and Gold appeared to pondered all this for a second and replied "Perhaps she is unable to lift the sword. And that is why I must fight in her place as her champion!"

The jousting ensued, and unfortunately the Red and Gold cheated terribly and our champion was defeated. This was a little too much for The Middle Apple to bear, as she is a little girl that believes in justice and that cheaters never win. I had to explain to the kids that it's all fake and the knights probably take turns winning. The girls seemed to think that was an acceptable answer.

Our other gem of a moment that happened at the Festival was the opportunity to be "knighted" or made "Ladies of the Court" by Queen Elizabeth. My girls, once again attempting to break those gender barriers, asked to please be knighted and made real Musketeers. My darling husband recorded the ceremony, so we have on record the 3 Apples promising to work hard in school, and be obedient to their parents. Thank you Queen Elizabeth!!! You rock!
And for their courage and bravery, the 3 Musketeers, sworn to protect The Queen, they were asked to personally escort Her Majesty in her processional, and protect her carriage.
They took there job very very seriously.

I hope that you all will go to the Renaissance Festival. We had an extraordinary time, and the girls will be talking about it for a long time. They even asked to write essays about their adventures this weekend. And what kind of homeschool mom would I be if I didn't let them?

All for One! And one for all!

2010-10-30T23:39:00.003-04:00

I created the costumes for this year...next year, I might just take the easy way out and head to the store and purchase them...because I kind of went overboard this year.

I found yards and yards of gorgeous soft velvety type fabric at a yard sale a couple of months ago for a couple of dollars. And from that....Barbie Three Musketeers was born.

I scoured the internet for directions first, and came across a gem of a blog. Brown Paper Packages gave directions for how to easily create each piece of the costume, including the genius creation of Musketeer boots made out of Duck Tape.
It was a ton of work, but totally worth it. Don't you think?

Happy Halloween, y'all!

And the relatives came.....(part 3, Avery Island)

2010-10-26T14:05:00.005-04:00

The following day, we piled in the vehicles as we headed over to Avery Island, home of the Tabasco Factory, and some of the most beautiful landscape that Louisiana has to offer.

We took the tour of the Tabasco Factory.
Cleared our sinus' for the next 10 years smelling the stuff as it fermented.
Admired the gorgeous trees on the island....
We hunted up a few gators....But you won't see us on an episode of Swamp People.
We did some hiking around the island. And just when the children were tired enough....
....we did even more hiking.
The doors to the Buddha Temple were open that day, I had never seen it open.

Unfortunately, the egrets weren't at the nesting spot as usual. I'm used to seening the hundreds of egrets out on their little dock on the island. But we were told that they had migrated for the season.

And the relatives came.....part 2, The Bell Tower

2010-10-25T12:20:00.005-04:00

After we took the kids to see Mr. Charlie, we took a break for lunch and at McD's, and let the little Monsterlings run around for awhile.

Then I took them to see the Bell Towers. (pardon the dated link....it's the most current one I could find. The website states that it's been closed since 2004, but I know for a fact that it's wide open and available to the public!) It's a gorgeous little spot that we have been too frequently.

There is a pretty little walking trail where you can observe the wild birds, see large Cyprus trees growing
and play with enormous "man-eating grasshoppers" (at least that is what the Middle Apple calls them.
I love listening to the bells chiming their welcome to us.
"playing" the bells.....

After the Bell Towers, we came home and played Wii, gave the Little Apple a nap, rode bikes, and roller skated. It was such a fun and FULL day.

And the relatives came.....(part 1) The Mr. Charlie

2010-10-25T10:51:00.008-04:00

It's always a special time when relatives come to visit.....I think, (and I believe the rest of the family will agree with this statement) that the worst part about being in the military is that visits with family are just too few and far between.

Our honorary guests this weekend were our relatives from MN, Uncle S., Auntie K., and CD Monsterling (their choice nickname for my nephew! I love how it sounds like an awesome Rap Artist name!) , who drove cross country by RV to see us just for the weekend. We felt so special that they would come so far to see us on one of the very few weekends that they have available together as a family.

We had a great time, and we showed them some of our favorite places around here in Louisiana. We wish that they could have stayed longer. But without further ado....here are some pics from our adventures.

On their first day here, we decided to take them to see what I think is a little known about gem here in Morgan City. The Mr. Charlie Oil Rig
The Mr. Charlie claims to be the only place in the world where the general public can walk aboard an offshore drilling rig. Our tour guide, Virgil, is a great guy, loves kids, and has tremendous knowledge of offshore drilling and environmental aspects that pertain to it. Entering the inside quarters of the rig....the kids got to try to open the hatch door.
Learning about a jack-up rig in the Rec Room on the rig.

Checking out the goodies (and sampling!) that there are to eat on a rig. Looking out over our city.
Here's a view of the deck where the magic happens.....
Practicing with a tripod lift...used to lift people out of vertical hatches.
As a bonus treat, Virgil grabbed a wrench and opened up a diving bell for the kids to climb in. They thought it was pretty darn cool!
The Middle Apple practicing her swing. (My personal favorite pic of the day. Thanks for manning the camera, Uncle S., my hands were too full of The Little Apple that day!)

If you haven't visited the Mr. Charlie before, you really should. Every time we go, we learn something new. Ask for Virgil to do your tour. He's awesome.

A Moment I Will Never Forget....

2010-10-11T21:26:00.006-04:00

Someone recently asked about the title of my blog, so I thought that I would write a little bit about it. My Blog Title, "In Moments Like These" was inspired by a song I heard in college, a reminder that every moment that we have is special and unique, a gift from God to be cherished and treasured and remembered. The second part of the title "living every moment for Christ, no regrets" was inspired by a bumper sticker that I used to have on my sweet, run-down little Ford Escort that was my very first car. That bumper sticker pretty much sums up what I would like to say about my life. I'm sold out for Jesus....and I don't regret it. I probably haven't done the most excellent job of "living EVERY moment" for Him, but I do my best.

My husband and I this past weekend, got to experience an unforgettable moment, that came in the form of a concert . A very special concert. For those that know me best, they know that I have been a Michael W. Smith fan since the age of 15. For you math wizards out there....that's 20 years, folks. Dang, I'm getting old....but um....his music isn't. A few months ago, I had the rare treat to share a MWS concert with my mother in her home church. And I didn't think that it could get any better than having front row seats, which is where my mom and I sat that night.

Until last Saturday.Somehow....and I'm still not exactly sure how, we ended up in the pit at the 2010 Make a Difference Tour with MWJ, Toby Mac, Jason Gray, and Third Day at the Cajundome. I remember purchasing the tickets to the show online the day that they went up for sale, and clicked the "Best Available" option within a certain price range (it wasn't the upper end price range either) and paying for the tickets that day. Then the tickets layed on my desk for the next 2 months.

The night of the show...we hired a sitter, and having never ever left The Little Apple to be put to bed by someone other than a blood relative, we headed out the door. You can imagine the surprise on my face as we kept moving further and further forward into the Dome, and still not finding our seats. We finally asked someone for help finding our seats. He responded, "The reason you can't find your seats is because you don't have seats. You're in the pit. Here's your bracelets."

Um....excuse me? In the pit? Sir....I'm like 35 years old....I really don't think I belong in the pit at a Christian Rock Concert.

It was really an awesome concert....it might have even knocked about 10 years off my age. Maybe 20. Because I sure felt like 15 again dancing in the pit. Actually, he performed a song from about that long ago, too.

This guy only had to show up once to our section of the pit......I can't imagine why. But I had to take his picture anyway.

And I got to shake the hand of the guy that wrote and performed the songs that helped me through the darkest and brightest moments of my life.

And it's the Moments Like These that I never ever want to forget.

It's that time again.....

2010-09-30T21:07:00.002-04:00

Just when I begin to feel at home somewhere, set down my roots, find good friends, and really start to sit back and enjoy my surroundings......

This comes.
The List.

And somehow, my husband and I are supposed to look at and prioritize this list of locations, and fill out a dream sheet. Yeah, this is how the Coast Guard helps you feel like you are in control of your own destiny....by letting you choose from a list and selecting where you want to go...when in actually, it's the Coast Guard that has the final say so. We HAVE TO go where they tell us to.

It seems so surreal.....3 little sheets of paper representing an entire uprooting of a family, packing up of boxes, and relocating to an entirely different part of the country. It's so difficult to look at a couple of sheets of paper, and know absolutely nothing about a place...you don't know anything about the people, the churches, the climate, the shopping, the homeschool groups, or what the future holds for you....yet you have to look at this list and go "Uh....yeah....that place looks good. Lets go there!"

If history repeats itself, we won't get most of these locations on this list. During our last transfer, none of our picks were a match for the detailer, so the detailer issued us a secondary list, and we put this place at the very bottom. Louisiana was the last place on earth that we wanted to go. Yet we ended up here anyhow. It's a good thing that God was looking out for our best interest and He knew exactly where to send us....otherwise, we would have ended up....well, anywhere but here!

I wish we could just fast forward to God's selection and just know where we were going.

Maybe if I post the list on a dart board and throw darts at it.....

Inuit carving....

2010-09-21T15:41:00.007-04:00

Every other week in My Father's World, we explore a new country. We have already studied the United States and Mexico. This week, we are discovering Canada. And as lovely as it would be to just hop in a car and drive to Canada, like we used to do when we lived in Minnesota, that simply cannot happen. So, we are left exploring these places by book and by project.

This week's project is from Global Art and we did Inuit Carvings. The Inuit live in within and near the Arctic, stretching from the northeastern tip of Russia, across Alaska and Northern Canada, to Greenland. The Inuit carve in materials they find in their own environment such as wood, bone, animal teeth, and Ivory. Today, we carved in soap...because, well, I love elephants and wouldn't want to de-tusk one for a homeschool project. So we picked Ivory soap...

The Big Apple chose to make a seal.She drew a picture on her soap with a pencil, took her soap out on the back patio and carefully started carving her piece.
It took several tries and several bars of soap to get a feel for how the soap was going to be carved. More than once she mentioned that her soap carving didn't look anything like a seal. But finally, she fashioned something that she was happy with.

Then, she used some water so smooth out some of the wrinkled bumpy parts. Then she presented me with the finished product and asked me to blog about it.
Isn't it cute?

Middle Apple on two wheels.....

2010-09-21T12:34:00.005-04:00

In another attempt to update everyone with our lives great events, I couldn't possibly leave out this HUGE accomplishment.

The Middle Apple has finally abandoned her training wheels and has learned to ride a 2 wheeler.Those that know my daughter best, know that this is not just any ordinary task for her. For her whole life, The Middle Apple has struggled with processing issues and multitasking. She will continue to have to struggle with these issues for the rest of her life, actually. The process of riding a bicycle involves so many different components....balance, visual processing, concentration, gross motor, not to mention her total fear of scraped knees and her very literal mind. A friend of hers had made the mistake of telling her that she had better watch out, or her brains would splat all over the street. For The Middle Apple, everything is very black and white.....there is no gray. If you tell her her brains will splat all over the street, she doesn't think you are joking.....she really visualizes her brains scattered all over the road.

A couple of weeks ago, my husband arrived home with a new bike for the Big Apple, and remarked to the Middle Apple that she would get a brand new bike as soon as she learned to ride on 2 wheels. That statement was just what she needed to hear to put her fears aside and put a look of determination on her face.She grabbed her bike, drug it out to the curb. I asked her if she wanted help. She said, "Just hold the bike up so I can get on it. Then let go."

I did just as she asked. I helped her arrange the pedals, then she got on and pushed off. She made it all the way to the stop sign before she realized that I wasn't holding the bike. And that I wasn't chasing her either. I was too busy standing there wiping the tears out of my eyes. It was indeed, a priceless moment that I had prayed for quite some time. I couldn't be more proud.

A few days later, my husband kept true to his promise. He woke The Middle Apple up and told her to get dressed. He told her that just the two of them were going out on a date. First they would go out for a special celebration breakfast, and then he would take her to town to buy that new bike he had promised her. I swear, the child's feet weren't touching the ground as she skipped out of the house holding her Daddy's hand, and wearing whatever clothes came out of the drawer first.

She came home with a shiny purple, black, and white bike. And her favorite part....she proudly proclaimed, "Mama! It has a kick stand....and NO TRAINING WHEELS"

So proud of my girl.

On the First Day....

2010-09-20T00:00:00.005-04:00

I can't say that there was a dramatic start to our school year this year. There wasn't anything dramatic about it at all. We had been doing "short school" all summer long, doing a great deal of math and all of our reading. But of course, it wasn't without all of the thrills that come along with homeschooling....."Box Day" happened, and we poured over our new texts and wondered just where our adventures in homeschooling would take us this year. Little did we know that our adventures would take us....Around the World.

We decided to continue using My Father's World this year, as it incorporates multilevel learning, and I can add or subtract lessons as necessary for my kids. Both of my kids loved it last year. This year, both girls would be moving onto MFW Exploring Countries and Cultures. On thing that I wanted to stress to my children, and one of the main reasons that I homeschool, is the fact that we, Christians, are not the only people on this earth. There are many other cultures of people groups out there that do not think and believe that we do. I believe that My Father's World does an excellent job of exploring those people groups.

So I set up our hallway (ahem....Classroom!) accordingly...with big maps, a large calendar on the door, and tweeked some things. Last year, I had one small bucket hung on the wall by each desk to hold pencils, crayons, and markers. I quickly found out that one bucket wasn't going to cut it. I found these great organizing buckets at IKEA, and had my dad install them while he was here. I added an extra white board, so that there would be one over each desk, and a desk lamp for each girl to use....as on overcast days, the sunshine doesn't come pouring into the front door like we like it to.

Yes, I know that The Big Apple is in her pajamas in this picture. And she's probably going to kill me in a couple of years when I show her boyfriend what she chose to wear to the First Day of School in the 3rd Grade. One of the reasons I love homeschooling? Every day can be pajama day, if you want to.
I also enhanced my reward system for the girls, and it's working out VERY well. For each subject that they do well, and in a timely manner, they are given a sticker for their lesson plan sheet. Each sticker is worth 5 minutes towards any screentime that they choose. 5 additional minutes is granted for chores done without complaint. Screen time includes Wii, a Netflix Movie, and playing Club Penguin on the computer. So far, this system has had the Apples working fairly hard, and asking for extra credit and extra chores as well. Of course, it also means that I have to give up my computer for a while every day. ugh.
We ditched Math U See, and brought in Horizons at each girl's grade level. We are so much happier with Horizons. Gone is the begrudging that used to surround math class. And we are working on such a variety of new things, that we can't help but like it. I am continuously amused and astounded at how quickly the Apples have picked up the concepts that are presented to them.

So far, we are enjoying our school year. There are some dry spots in the geography sections of MFW, and we sort of skim those just a bit, and other lessons I have to cut down to what I believe to be age appropriate for my kids. And then, of course, there are those days where school has to be tossed out the window...and learning takes flight outside of the textbook and the classroom. Truly, I believe it's those days my kids are going to remember....the days when mama said "Shut your books and put on your shoes. We need to go outside and breathe air for awhile!" And we do.
On the third day of school, there were just too many rainbows to chase. And trust me, childhood is much too short to miss a single rainbow. So we chase as many as we can.

I was told to update my blog....

2010-09-19T21:42:00.010-04:00

It was a really great summer.

Um....yeah.....so great, I never bothered to blog much about it.

The other day, my friend Stephenie asked if I was still blogging. Um...yeah...I guess I am. Today, I am.

I haven't updated in forever. The summer kindof got away with us, and then school started. And by the end of the school day, there just isn't much left of me that I feel like sharing with the world. (Because the WHOLE WORLD is reading MY blog, right? What's that you say? It's not? Oh...well, then....I guess I'd better update for all 2 or 3 of you that do check my blog then. )

At this point, I'm not even sure HOW to update you all on our busy lives.

Perhaps a picture or a few to highlight the rest of our summer? Will that do?
We went to the spray park a lot this summer. The library was offering free passes for every 500 minutes read, and The Apple Dumplin's all thought this offer was too good to pass up. So we read. Alot. We were blessed to have my Geeya and nephew, The Cannon visit for a while this summer. Having them meant very busy days and fun nights!

After their visit, the girls and I high tailed it to Florida for some fun. Unfortunately, our adventures in Florida were filled with bad luck.....which involved jumping into a swimming pool with a brand new iphone in a pocket, trying to dry out said iphone, replacing said iphone, and never getting remotely close to another body of water for the remainder of the trip. Don't ask me how one goes to Florida in the heat of summer and NOT get wet. But we did. Oh...and at the end of our Florida adventure, the Little Apple had to go the the ER for an incident that involved a high velocity swing, The Big Apple, and a concrete floor. Thankfully enough, The Little Apple was fine, following a very costly CT scan, and now has a small dent on the other side of her head, matching the first one. (we might as well just make the poor girl wear a football helmet until she reaches puberty!)

My dad came back with us from Florida to stay for a week. Our luck changed. The girls had the chance to make some very special memories with their Peepaw. This particular picture was taken on a walk at the Bell Towers.
We took Peepaw with us up to Baton Rouge for the Hot Air Balloon Festival. It was gorgeous, as usual. The Little Apple, I think, was the most amazed....as she sat perfectly still while the balloons inflated. "Balla-Moot!" (balloon!) she kept yelling and pointing!
This festival will probably always be one of my favorite things we ever did here in Louisiana.

Stay tuned.....I will blog another time about our first days of school!

Rain, Rain, Go Away....

2010-07-06T23:39:00.003-04:00

Rain, Rain, go away.
Come again another day.

We had a brief let up in the rain over the 4th of July weekend. Just long enough to cut the grass that has grown 5 feet tall because of the rain. But you guessed it. It's raining again. I need to go ahead and build that Ark now.

Little Miss OCD.

2010-07-02T23:08:00.007-04:00

Little Apple and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Well, she hasn't had an official diagnosis, nor will I be seeking a diagnosis and it's not something that I am worried about at all. It's something quirky that I thought was blogworthy that I want to remember when the Little Apple gets older. Her little quirks bring a smile to my face some days, and leave me shaking my head on others.

The Little Apple has always had some issues. Tactile Defensiveness is a discription that one of her therapists has used. As a newborn, she didn't want anyone to hold her or rock her to fall asleep...she always fell asleep on her own. Alone in her crib, or in a swing. At her first birthday party, she didn't want to touch her birthday cake. She doesn't like having any toys in her bathwater. EVER.....she will screech, and one at the time, dump every single toy out of the bathtub and throw it on the floor. Then, when you get her out of the bathtub, she screeches because the floor is wet.....from the toys that SHE dumped there.
A couple of weeks ago, we were invited to a friend's house to play in their kiddie pool. The Little Apple finally got in the water, but spent the entire time picking blades of grass and leaves that were floating around on the top of the water, and throwing them out of the pool. I was slight embarrassed.
Yeah. She's got some OCD issues. She found a long blonde hair on her carseat yesterday, and threw such a frightened fit about it, I had to pull over to find out what the problem was. I belly laughed when she pointed to the hair and said "OUT!" Maybe she thought it was a spider web or something? Who knows what goes on in that little brain of hers.
I'm not concerned about these things...her therapist mentioned that the issues don't seem to hinder her from everyday activities. After a couple of weeks of working with her, she now will touch(and squash!) playdough, eat cereal and milk and not freak out when she dribbles milk on herself, and not freak out when I do her hair in pigtails and then show her her reflection in the mirror. (yes, she had a meltdown the first time she saw herself with 2 pigtails in her head!)

Instead of being concerned about her OCD tendencies, I plan on using them to my advantage. For instance.....the Little Apple doesn't like to see shoes on the floor. When my kids enter the house...the immediately remove their shoes. I am teaching the Little Apple to pick up the shoes and dump them in a basket by the door. She loves to do it. She enjoys throwing away diapers.

And then there is the vacuum cleaner. The Little Apple loves this little vacuum.
I do believe she would vacuum 50 times a day if she wanted to. Pretty much every square inch of the floor in the house has been "cleaned" by the the Little Apple. She adores it. When it is time for me to do our carpets, she runs and grabs her's and does the floors behind me and "gets" all the spots that I missed. I do believe that I will have to upgrade her machine to one that actually "sucks" dirt. She's my little helper and I love her. I hope her love for housework continues through life

Rainy Louisiana Afternoon....

2010-06-30T16:42:00.004-04:00

It's raining. Again.Like it does almost every afternoon here in Louisiana.

But nobody here really noticed.
We all had our noses buried in a book.

What are you all reading this summer?

PS.... Those that can't read.....are busy writing.

Mary, Mary quite contrary......

2010-06-25T20:57:00.003-04:00

....how does your garden grow?With silver bells, and cockle shells, And pretty maids all in a row.

Summertime....

2010-06-19T23:22:00.004-04:00

I have neglected my blog for a couple of weeks. But for good reason. We have been beyond busy. Busy in a great way. Summer is my favorite time of year....because it's so stinking busy. We are out the door by 9 AM, and don't rest for very long. The only one that seems to be suffering from our hectic days is The Little Apple, who is accustomed to taking a lengthy nap from 1 to 4 almost every day. Now, she is lucky to hit the crib at 3 on most afternoons. So far, my kids have attended 1 week of VBS, which they loved (thanks Ashleigh for the invite!), 2 weeks of swimming lessons, been to the library almost daily for the Summer Reading Program for crafts, contests, and performances, clocked over 1000 minutes of reading time, gone to the Spray Park, gardened, hiked, biked, gone to free movies at the local movie theater, and eaten ALOT of pb & j sandwiches (that's about what we have time for to eat!) Somewhere in the midst of all this, I got really really sick, and Eben had to take off of work for 3 days to man the fort while I stayed in bed and did my best to not die.

I just wanted to share a couple of pics from the last couple of weeks. Simply because I am so proud of my kids. Here is the Middle Apple floating on her back. This is huge for her, since last summer she was not accustomed to swimming pools deeper than her knees and tried to drown in a friend's pool when I had turned my back for a second to apply sunscreen on the baby. She wanted me to let you all know that this picture was taken "in the deep end."

Here is The Big Apple doing the front crawl. Let it be known that she can swim the entire length of the deep end now, but we have not been able to convince her to take the plunge off the diving board yet. Not even when bribed with a $10 bill. Maybe next summer eh?

And summer just wouldn't be complete without somebody losing a tooth. The Middle Apple can now slurp spaghetti in through her teeth, and spit a watermelon seed out. Not at the same time, but you get the idea.

See yall later when we have some more updates from our busy lives!

Hiking....

2010-06-03T14:28:00.003-04:00

Quite a bit of hiking was done on our "workation". Eben took various kids on different hikes...on the Superior Hiking Trail, to Gooseberry Falls, and we met up with Sean, Kerry, and C. at Jay Cooke State Park for more outdoors type fun.

We cooked out and ate hotdogs. The Little Apple loves her some hotdogs.
Then, it was off for some hiking. We went over to the Swing Bridge. Yes it moved and bounced when you walked on it. And yes, I freaked out.

But the view was gorgeous. This is a rock cliff type thing that my children managed to climb up on with their slippery cowboy boots. Kerry basically had to scramble up the rocks and sit on the kids before they fell in. They were simply too excited to pay attention to such things as death and head bashing and drowning and hospital visits. Or maybe I just need some anti-anxiety medication.
We finally hiked down lower, and I could relax a little. The water was a little more my speed. The kids had a fantastic time. I believe The Big Apple was pretending to paddle a canoe.
The Middle Apple, doing what she does best....dancing like nobody is watching.

Enger Tower.

2010-06-02T13:34:00.005-04:00

Eben and I got to dart away for about 45 minutes while The Little Apple took and nap, so we took off to one of our favorite little spots in Duluth....Enger Tower. There are some beautiful spots here, and part of the Superior Hiking Trail runs through here.This picture was taken over 10 years ago at what have called "The Sweetheart Tree" Look at how young and skinny we both were.

We were delighted to be able to retake this photo 10 years later. Yeah, I'm kindof a sappy girl like that. We will probably be going back in 2020 to redo the photo again. By 2030, I'll probably be in a wheelchair. Ringing the Peace Bell. Because even though I am a firm believer in fighting for what is worth fighting for, peace is beautiful thing.
Eben looking out over Duluth and remembering.
Some beautiful Bleeding Hearts. I have never been successful at growing them anywhere, so I console myself with pretty pictures to use as the wallpaper on my desktop.

Duluth, Home Sweet Home.

2010-05-31T15:09:00.007-04:00

We finally reached Duluth after 3 long days in the car. We arrived close to 11 pm, after having stopped at our familiar Tobey's in Hinkley for some caramel rolls for breakfast (oh how I have missed them!) , and at White Castle (Eben's choice!) for a case of sliders.And just how did we know we were just about to hit Duluth? The air changed. Not just the fresh smell of the air (and the absence of LA mold!) or the air temperature either. My nose started to drip. Seriously......if any of you remember from when we lived in MN years ago, my nose was always running. Always. Running. I'm allergic to birch, and we haven't seen birch trees in forever and a day. I am glad to say that I have finally found some good allergy meds that actually compensate for all of the birch and pollen that was floating in the air. But the air just smelled beautiful to say the least.

I have to clarify something, first of all, about this trip. It was not a vacation.

It was a work-cation. My bestest friend in the whole world (and her family) has been seriously effected by our trashy state of economy. It has forced her husband to find work in another state, and leaving my friend at home raising the kids and selling the house by herself. Geez....that sounds familiar! She asked me to come and help her pack. So that is just what I did. Between packing boxes, sorting memories over a glass of wine, and arranging a moving sale, there was very little time for visiting friends and relatives, seeing the sights, or making new memories. But we did manage to squeeze in a few little things...........like this trip out to Park Point. I was NOT, I repeat, NOT going to let another day
go by without having the Little Apple seeing Lake Superior for the first time. It was a beautiful moment, to say the least.This picture right here, makes a little tear come to my eye.....The Middle and The Big Apple came to this beach a couple of times when they were just babies. But they remembered. And went running and screaming down to the Lake's edge, as if it was a piece of them that been removed for many years. They remember.
And I remembered too.
And it felt like home.

Going Home....

2010-05-31T12:12:00.008-04:00

Home.

Whenever we drive in over 35W and see Lake Superior and the City of Duluth, the city set on a hill, that's the feeling I get.We had the grand opportunity to go home again couple of weeks ago. We were just in Minnesota last Thanksgiving, so for us to be able to go back just a few short months later, is nothing short of incredible.In spite of the big oil spill in The Gulf, Eben was able to secure some leave time and drive us. Normally, he is the type of driver that conquers the distance all at once, and then rest when we reach the destination. This time, we took the scenic tour to Minnesota. Scenic.....another word for saying, we were locked together in the car for 3 endelss days, with only bathroom breaks in between. I'm still trying to figure out how we ended up in Dallas....as Texas is nowhere north of Louisiana at all. But Eben did make up for our detour by purchasing the girls some gorgeous cowgirl boots.....that they really haven't removed from their feet since.Hotels are a boring waste of time to me. Unless, of course, you are going to be spending time at one. We didn't. There was no time to swim in the heated pool, or work out in the gym, or see the sights. We were usually in the lobby eating our continental breakfast by 7 AM. There was time for luggage carrier rides, however.We stopped at a fantastic little country store on the Iowa border that boasted in their roadside signs to have authentic Amish handycrafts. I convinced Eben that I NEEDED to go there.

I am so glad we did. I met a wonderful Amish woman and her granddaughter, who sold me the most gorgeous handmade dinner roll basket. There were so many wonderful things in that store, it was almost impossible to pick just one item to carry with us in our already overcrowded van. Since the Amish are such private people, I did not photograph them, although some Amish communities allow people to photograph their children. I did ask for permission to take a picture of their buggy, and she was quite happy to allow me.Directly behind the Amish Country Store was an authentic One Room Pioneer Schoolhouse. The door was locked, but someone came out and let us in. It had rows and rows of the wooden desks, some of the old schoolbooks that the children would use, and even some of the old clothing that the children wore to the school back in the early 1900's. It was really neat. The girls played school for a few minutes, and The Big Apple pointed out that our own homeschool is very much like the one room schoolhouse. This is an old woodstove....and quite obviously, the schoolhouse has been renovated to allow for electricity, as seen in this picture.
The rules for conduct for the teachers is a little extreme. I mean, not allowed to hang out at the ice cream store? Not wear bright colors? Really?

I would have failed the 8th grade for sure.

But at least prayer was still permitted in schools back then.

Gettin all the ducks in a row....

2010-05-17T20:01:00.003-04:00

Taking a brief blogger break....we are getting somebody's ducks all in a row. Um....and I have proof.

Random

2010-05-15T08:59:00.001-04:00

Heard yesterday from The Middle Apple:

"I didn't invent 'random', but I perfected it!"

Family Time

2010-05-14T16:58:00.002-04:00

Baby pedi....

2010-05-08T14:50:00.003-04:00

I painted the Little Apple's toes for the first time today. When she looked down at them she said, "Happy Birthday, Feet!" It got quite the chuckle from everyone in the family.

And then, of course, I had to paint everyone's toes.
It amazes me that I have 39 toes to take care of. (We jokingly say 39 because The Big Apple has 2 webbed toes). I also have 40 fingers I am responsible for.

I'm soooooo blessed.

How To Train Your Own Dragon......Fly

2010-05-05T14:14:00.003-04:00

The Big Apple captured her first dragonfly while playing at a friend's house the other day. She requested a net so that her captures be made a little more easy, and I was happy to supply My Apples with a net and a bug box so they could observe their winged friends.

Ever since, our days have been filled with dragonflies. FILLED. The girls were up and dressed and chasing dragonflies before I was even out of the bed this morning...their bug box filled with 3 of the flighty creatures.

We have abandoned our regular homeschool curriculum for the week, and have been studying dragonflies...where they live, what they eat, their lifecycle, the different species of dragonflies. It's been a very rewarding experience, to say the least.
And I bring you this very rewarding picture...The Middle Apple has become The Dragonfly Whisperer, so to speak. She captures them in the net, lets them hang out in the bug box for a few minutes, then she pokes her finger in the box and they climb right on it. I guess transferring said insect to your nose would be the next logical place.

Things that make my heart flip flop...

2010-04-26T22:51:00.004-04:00

These are just a few things that make my heart do a flip flop.....

....watching my oldest take off down the street on her own......

...finishing off a project, stitching within it over 2 decades of pent up love and prayers for a sibling....
...and stitching those words, right on the inside....

...going out to the garden, and seeing that in just a couple more weeks, I will be tasting what we've been growing......

...and watching my baby girl test driving her very first pair of high heel shoes.

What makes your heart do a little flip flop when you see it?

Bathing Suit Season.

2010-04-19T15:33:00.004-04:00

Otherwise titled...... "Fat thighs are only cute when you are 2"Seriously, I've never seen anything like those thighs. Well, maybe I have.....on an adult. And THAT is NOT cute.

The Little Apple is WAY cuter with cellulite pouring out of her bathing suit. Are you ready for bathing suit season?

Jam Sessions....

2010-04-15T21:39:00.005-04:00

YUM!

Last spring, I totally missed Strawberry Season, as it comes so stinkin' early here in Louisiana. I had totally spaced out the fact that strawberries grow for just a short amount of time, and by the time I THOUGHT that they should be in season here....they were long gone.
My kids were forced to eat (gulp!) store bought jam. And they tolerated it. But that's all they did, no devouring with recklessness that I am accustomed to.
This year, I was NOT going to miss Strawberry Season. NOT NOT NOT!
I didn't miss it. First chance I got, I bought 2 flats at a strawberry stand on the way home from New Orleans. We made jam....and promptly gave it all away to friends, neighbors, co-workers, and therapists. I went back and bought another flat thinking that SURELY we would have enough. Nope. We ended up EATING quite a few of the jars that we made from that flat....on top of yogurt, ice cream, in hot oatmeal, and on toast and pb & j sandwiches. My husband managed to somehow consume TWO jars of jam and half a loaf of bread in one sitting on one night. I ventured back to the strawberry stand this week, and picked up 3 flats of berries this time. I weighed them....3 flats is about 37.4 pounds of sweet goodness.

So we've been processing those berries into jam. The whole family. How cute is this? I especially love The Big Apple who swiped my do-rag and wore it on her own head. The Daddy Apple was my berry washer, and jar prep guy. The Middle Apple is an expert at capping and slicing berries. Who would have thought that she would be so gifted with a knife and egg slicer?The Big Apple found her talent in the smashing and measuring department.

The Little Apple helped us by taking a nap....and eating whatever berries anyone would pass to her when she opened her mouth like a baby bird. The word "strawberry" I believe is her first 3-syllable word that she was able to say clearly...unless you want to count "Ah-where-cah" which is how she proununces America while singing "God Bless America"

Anyway...when all is said and done, the jam was jarred and it tastes fantastic, and everyone had a feeling that they had been a part of something. If you are interested in a jar of fresh jam, it will be sold this weekend in Franklin at the Black Bear and Birding Festival

as a fundraiser for a sweet sweet girl (sweeter than jam!) who was accepted to the John Robert Powers Performing Arts Academy in New Orleans. She 13 and is GOING PLACES. We were more than happy to donate some of our jam to her training. Break a leg, Nini!!!!!

Field Trip to the Sheriff's Office.....

2010-04-08T13:05:00.002-04:00

Last week, I was involved in a very tiny accident with Homer (my mom-mobile). Everyone is fine, and Homer only sustained a little scratch that was easily buffed out.

This morning, I told The Apples that we were taking a Field Trip to the Police Department, to pick up the police report. I asked that they be on their best behavior, and that when we left, I was going to ask them what they learned from the Sheriff's Office.

When we left the office (after being redirected to 3 different locations and quite a bit of confusion as to who actually responded to the accident and where the accident report was filed) I said, "It only counts as a Field Trip if you learned something today. Tell me one thing that you learned."

The Big Apple responded "Don't park illegally behind somebody." (Referring to the other vehicle)

Excellent point.

"What about you, (insert Middle Apple's name)? What did you learn?

"Taking trips to the Sheriff's Office aren't much fun....so don't get your van in an accident."

Thanks for the reminder, kids.

Spring has arrived....

2010-04-05T19:53:00.007-04:00

I've wanted to blog...I really have....but so many good things have been happening that it's almost unrealistic that it's me it's happening to. So....here's a recap in pictures of what we've been up to these last few weeks.....

I got to attend the concert of a lifetime.... Michael W. Smith....and managed to somehow be blessed with front row seats. We took a trip to trip to Florida.....and dove right in.... (yes, it was cold!)
And played games.....
And reunited with long lost siblings....
We had a long stream of birthdays.....

The Little Apple turned 2!
And the Middle Apple turned 7, and wanted her birthday to be at the Hibachi Grill.
The Nephew #1 turned 9 while he was visiting us.
We've flown kites.....
And published a book! (and had visitors from Florida too!)
We have done much hiking and site seeing!
Made new friends.... even ones with many many teeth!
We've dyed eggs.
Did I mention that the local strawberries are ripe? And did I mention that they are delicious?
Speaking of delicious, the coffee and beignets at Cafe du Monde in New Orleans are just as fantastic as everyone says they are. You really should try them sometime.
Oh....and a new Super Hero was created today. Just sayin'......

Would you believe that we are tired from all that's been happening?

Ready for summer.

2010-02-21T16:21:00.001-05:00

Lilly....

2010-02-20T00:50:00.007-05:00

Meet Lilly.
Say Hi, Lilly. I'm pretty sure if Lilly would spit out that thing in her mouth, she'd say hello.

Lilly is kind of special. You see, Lilly was my baby when I was a little girl. She was given to me the Christmas when just EVERYONE had to have one....and if you didn't get one, well...then....I guess your parents didn't love you or something. Lilly, is over a quarter of a century old! She doesn't show her age at all, does she?

I used to go visit my Grandma Avery on the weekends. She was a very special grandma, in as much as I pretty much thought that she could do anything. She painted with oil paints, let me play with her artist supplies, she played any card game imaginable, did puzzles faster than anyone, she knew all the answers to the puzzles on Wheel of Fortune, bought orange sodas, Klondike bars, and Doritos on Friday nights for me to consume all at once while I got to stay up until the 10 o'clock news came on, and then fed me sticky buns on Saturday mornings.

Yes, she was a very special grandma. When I was about 7 years of age, she taught me how to sew. I sat and sewed little pillows, crudely cross stitched a sampler or two, and happily hand stitched little things that I usually gave away as gifts.

One weekend, I toted Lilly over to my Grandma's house and announced that I would like to learn to sew a dress. And my Grandma helped me to do it.
We laidLily down on some paper and traced around her.....we cut out the paper to create a pattern. Then, she took me up to the 5 and 10 to pick out some fabric, and I chose a happy little pattern of a girl petting a cat, and another pattern with a spray of flowers all over it. We painstakingly hand sewed our hearts out that weekend, and created Lily's dress.

Sure, the stitches were crooked...and the dress was less than flattering. But I made it, and no dress was ever made with more love than that dress. And when the weekend was over, Grandma sent me home with the remaining fabric so that I could create another dress for Lilly.
I never got around to it. Because there's the fabric. And it's over a quarter of a century old too.
So, what do you say, Lilly? Should we ask the Little Apples if they want to learn how to make a dress? I certainly hope that I can be as good a teacher as the one I had many years ago.

Sewing bug...

2010-02-15T20:00:00.004-05:00

My friend got a new sewing machine.....a really really nice one. Then she started cranking out some super cute new skirts for her daughter. This sparked the sewing bug. So I had to see if I could make some super cute skirts too. This is what I have been busy making these last couple of weeks. (and I'm posting this mostly for my non-facebook friends, since these pics have been plastered all over facebook for a while now)

The first thing I worked on was a bedding set for The Big Apple. She wanted something special for her American Girl doll... so special it was. I let her pick the fabric out at the store, and to my surprise...she didn't pick her favorite color (pink), she picked blue!Then, I made her a skirt. She picked pretty much ever scrap of blue fabric that I had in the craft closet, and I turned it into a skirt. It's her new favorite skirt. I have to sneak into her room at night and wash it, and return it in the morning. She likes it THAT MUCH.

Then, the Middle Apple claimed that she NEEDED a skirt too. Now those of you who know my Middle Apple know what her personality is like. It's bold. It's loud. She speaks her mind. So, she chose fabrics accordingly. Yup. Purple cheetah and black. Definitely makes a statement, don't you think?
The Wee Little Apple got the last skirt. I found this cute print in the remnant bin at the craft store and whipped this skirt out in a couple of hours. It's by far my favorite.
So now that I have been bit by the sewing bug, and I've had some practice on the remnants and rags laying around the house, I think I'm finally ready to start cutting some of my nicer fabrics that I have picked up. Can't wait to see what I can make next!!!!

Mardi Gras Unraveled: Parades

2010-02-13T21:17:00.004-05:00

What is Mardi Gras? When you get down to the brass tacks of Mardi Gras, it is the celebration(s) held leading up to the season of Lent. Need a more detailed history of Mardi Gras? Please click here. One of my children informed me last year that one of her Sunday School teachers had told her that Mardi Gras was the devil's holiday, but in reading the history of the celebration, it is far from being that. Mardi Gras is actually deeply rooted in Christian Traditions.

For me, Mardi Gras is a season to smile. It's all about fun! It's about wearing bright colors and big bows! It's a time for being together with family and friends. It's a time to watch your kid's eyes light up watching floats go by, it's about music, and dancing in the street. (Even if you are wearing your underwear over top of your clothes! Yes, The Middle Apple walked up to a guy on a 4 wheeler in the parade today, and asked him if she could have the underwear that was hanging on his handlebars. And then wore them on top of her clothes. I'm probably going to regret letting her do that....but whatever.

Mardi Gras is about smelling gumbo cooking. It's screaming "Throw me something, Mister!" at the top of your lungs. Just because it's fun.
It's about having fun. Today.
Because tomorrow, you gotta clean up.

You know you live in Louisiana when....

2010-02-08T16:20:00.004-05:00

You know you live in Louisiana when..... the Friday before the Superbowl, you can't get out of your driveway because a pack of Elementary School kids are flooding the streets.
You know you live in Louisiana when that pack of kids congregate on the street corner, joined by the local high school marching band....creating a mob of people that requires police presence and a call to the local Newspaper.
You know you live in Louisiana when the pack of kids all start chanting "Who Dat....Who Dat....Who Dat say they gonna beat them Saints!" And march down the street to "When the Saints go Marching In"
You know you live in Louisiana when your team wins the Superbowl, a crowd equally as large floods the street in the night, hugging, kissing, and screaming. The sounds of car horns beep like crazy, the police and fire trucks circle the neighborhoods with lights and sirens going....not because of any local crime, but because they too, are celebrating a victory. Fireworks are blasting, there is dancing in the streets, and celebrations that last for hours.

And you know you live in Louisiana, when you are proud to call this place home.

Not Me Monday

2010-02-08T14:39:00.005-05:00

I don't participate in Not Me Monday very often. But I had to confess this one, because it is eating me up inside.

I simply did not lose track of my baby during my oldest child's birthday party at the bowling alley....and I absolutely DID NOT find her playing underneath some scaffolding where someone was messing around with lighting and sound equipment. And one of my friends most certainly DID NOT take a picture of it. I am the most responsible parent I know of, and would NEVER stop for a second to dance at my daughter's birthday party. And I'm am NOT posting this picture as proof that I was actually at the birthday party.

And finally, I did not grin from ear to ear when my husband wanted to purchase The Big Apple a BB gun for her birthday. I did not totally laugh my head off when upon opening her gift did the words "But girls aren't allowed to shoot guns!" Furthermore, I did NOT give her and her daddy the "thumbs up" when he took her outside, and began giving her her first lessons in safety....and her taking down the target.
Want to participate in Not Me Monday? Head on over to MckMama's Blog and sign right up! It's fun!

So this is what 8 feels like.......

2010-02-04T11:40:00.005-05:00

"So, this is what 8 feels like...." ~~~The Big Apple, (Feb. 3rd, 2010)

It feels like going out for your birthday at Incredible Pizza, and discovering that even the signs on the wall are all about you. It feels like playing Skiball with your sister....as many times as you want.
It feels like shooting hoops, and actually making some.

It feels like going bowling......

and shooting. (Her daddy would be so proud.) And he bought her a BB gun for her birthday, but we are waiting until he gets back from his trip to give it to her.
Being 8 feels like go-kart racing with your friends, and coming in dead last...but you don't mind because even the employees at Incredible Pizza will drive you around because they know it's your birthday and want you to have a blast.

The Big Apple turned 8 years old yesterday. It was a bittersweet, but perfect day.

She finished off the day by spilling over a box of my tampons in the bathroom at bedtime, and asked what they were. I asked her if she felt grown up enough to know, and she said she was. And I guess that 8 years old is old enough, because I sat her down and gave her just enough information for an 8 year old to know, and as scientific and factual as I could be because I know how her brain works....and instead of her being horrified about the prospect of growing and changing...she asked some very good questions and thought the whole monthly thing was kind of cool.

My little girl is growing up at lightning speed....and as sad as that makes me, I am beyond proud of her and am enjoying every single second of it.

I need to hear from some of my bloggers.....when did you first start telling your kids about the facts of life? I'm hoping that I didn't start too early...I just saw an open window for information last night and went for it.

Mardi Gras Unraveled: King Cake

2010-01-31T02:37:00.003-05:00

History of the King Cake

The Epiphany or Little Christmas is observed on January 6 in many Christian churches. This day has come to be known as "Kings Day".

Since the 300's, King's Day has honored the meeting of the Three Wise Men with the infant Jesus. King Cakes became part of the celebration to symbolize the "finding of baby Jesus".

Traditionally King Cakes are oval-shaped to show unity of all Christians. It is also said that the oval shape represents the path that the Kings traveled after they visited Jesus. The Mardi Gras season which begins on January 6th is expressed on King Cakes by using the carnival colors of:
green (signifying Faith)
gold (signifying Power)
purple (signifying Justice).

In the past, a bean, pecan, pea, or coin was hidden inside each King Cake. Today, a tiny plastic baby is used. Sometimes the baby can be made of porcelain or even gold. As a King Cake is cut, each person awaits anxiously for a piece to locate the "baby". The person who finds the baby is "King of the Party" and obligated to bring a King Cake to the next seasonal celebration.

King Cake is very very sweet. It is generally filled with cinnamon, but you can find King Cake with many different flavors of filling......raspberry, strawberry, cream cheese, chocolate, etc. They are so yummy. I look forward to king cake every Mardi Gras season now!

....to further embarrass my children.....

2010-01-26T19:44:00.003-05:00

It is my hope that one day, when my children become fine young women and start to date that they shall bring their mates home to meet their mother and father.

And Eben and I will do what every good parent is supposed to do on such occasion.

Embarrass the heck out of them.

And this would make a good story.
This morning, before our schoolwork began, the house was quiet. A little toooooo quiet. And that's never a good thing, is it. So called to them that it was time to begin, The Big Apple came to the table, eager to begin. The Middle Apple, however, was silent and nowhere to be seen. So, I got The Big Apple started on her assignments and called The Middle Apple again...this time a little more threatening.

She finally emerged...but looking a little odd...like she had gotten into my lipstick.
Only I don't own purple lipstick.

I looked a little closer and realized she had broken blood vessels around her mouth. Like she had put something over her mouth and created suction....you know....a hickey!

So I asked her. "What did you have on your mouth?"

And the story came out....."Well, I didn't want to do my schoolwork. So I was hiding. And I put a plastic egg bottom over my mouth so I would be quiet and not talk."

So there you have it everyone. My daughter does not have a beard and mustache. That is, in fact a hickey on my 6 year old's mouth, and now you know how it got there. And I don't mind if you laugh about it, because I have laughed until the tears have rolled down my face about it.

The Cast Lady.....

2010-01-23T21:06:00.003-05:00

You may call me THE CAST LADY.

The first time The Big Apple broke her arm, I was a little sad...but hey, kids break arms, right? So we made lemonades out of lemons and decorated the cast with as much bling as we could find.

The SECOND time she broke it, just two weeks after getting her first cast off, I was a little more upset. I sighed deeply, shed a little tear and went back to the craft store for more decorations.
When the orthopedist saw what I had done with the purple one. , he offered me a table at the office to decorate casts of patients twice a month. I had to decline, as I was a busy mother and knew my limits.

Having learned my lesson with the first broken arm, I asked if The Big Apple could be left in a wrist cast for an additional amount of time. I'm glad he was in favor of my idea, and that the Big Apple wanted a red one...because I had been dying to make a Ladybug cast. This one was my favorite.
So, by that time, I was an old pro at arm casts. I decorated a few of The Apple Dumpling's friends' casts when they asked. It was then time to try bigger and grander casts. The Middle Apple was happy to oblige my cast fettish, by refusing to give up toe walking by the age of 4, so we casted her too. And decorated accordingly. This one wore clothes. What do you mean you've never seen a little girl wear a mermaid on her legs before?!?! Well, now you have.
And when wearing casts on your legs, you must accessorize with jewels and of course get a pedicure.
So, now since I have brought you up to date on all of my cast decorations, I introduce my latest cast creations. (drumroll please.......)

Probably the best decorating I can do for him and he still be in uniform code. But he better watch out, I'm coming after him with the glue gun and jewels in the middle of the night if he doesn't act right.

Unstoppable....

2010-01-22T23:04:00.003-05:00

A year ago, around this time....The Little Apple was approaching her 1st Birthday. I was a concerned parent, as The Little Apple was getting further and further delayed. She still wasn't crawling. Not only was she not crawling, she wasn't even interested in trying. She could roll over, but wasn't interested in using that skill to move anywhere. All she did was sit up with her little basket of toys, and was perfectly content with staying in that space. She couldn't transition from sitting down to her belly, nor from laying down to sitting.

But what a difference a year makes. With the help of fantastic therapist from the Early Steps program here, she is well on her way. She receives physical therapy, occupational therapy, and sees a special instructor who comes to work with her with some of her cognitive and fine motor development.

Climbing a step of stairs at the playground might seem like an easy task to parents with 2 year olds that are developmentally on track...for my Little Apple, this has been a long and hard uphill climb. And she is succeeding. I was thrilled to see her take off on her own at the playground today, and get TO THE TOP of the stairs unassisted. This is big. Heck, she finally succeeded in climbing onto the couch by herself just last week.

She still has a long ways to go to catch up with other little ones her age. Her low muscle tone in her legs does not allow her to go down the stairs yet. Or ride one of those riding toys. Or run across the crazy bad uneven sidewalks in Louisiana without falling.

But she is proving herself to be a determined and unstoppable little girl. I wonder where she will be this time next year?

January 16, 1999

2010-01-17T23:00:00.003-05:00

Even after 11 years, that day remains the happiest day of my life.

I'm not going to lie and say that every single day has been easy. There have been times when I've wanted to just throw in the towel. We have struggled and we have endured. We've seen the "for better and for worse", the "for rich and for poor", the "in sickness and in health", and have not been immune to the "good times and bad times."

But I have seen what has happened in the past 11 years something that no one else can see....not only did God grant me the desires of my heart on that icy January afternoon, but I was granted the one person in this world that would cause me to grow the most. I was given my best friend, to walk arm in arm with, side by side, as long as we both should live. And I love him more than he will ever know.

Life lessons from a toddler...

2010-01-14T22:15:00.005-05:00

All a girl really needs in life is her security blanket and her best friend.

Then, she's ready to conquer the world.

Or...... at least the front yard.

Christmas Came to our house.....

2010-01-04T16:05:00.004-05:00

Christmas was and extraordinarily busy time around our house. Hence, the lack of posts. Here are a few picture updates.

There was LOTS of painting and decorating. The Little Apple gave little ornaments to all of her therapists and baskets of goodies.
There was a family-wide gingerbread house building party. Some did more eating than building. The Little Apple even participated.....standing up in a chair at the table, of course.

There was popcorn and cranberry stringing. The Middle and Big Apples decorated a tree outside for the birds and squirrels outside to enjoy. The critters munched the goodies faster than the girls could make them!!
There was lots of letter writing to Santa, of course. And cookies and hot cocoa left out for the famous big guy....on our plate that we keep especially for the guy.

This year, and elf came to stay. This is Rosey. She comes and spies on the kids during the day, and reports back to Santa if the kids have been naughty or nice. Every morning Rosie finds a new hiding spots. The Apples have enjoyed looking for Rosey every morning. On Christmas Day, Rosey was found praying next to the manger containing Baby Jesus. A perfect reminder of whose birthday we are really celebrating.
Yummmmy, gingerbread man baking.

And a birthday cake for Jesus, of course. We decided that this year, Jesus wanted Angel Cake. This little plastic nativity seen here is one of my most prized possessions. My sister and I spent our own dollars that we had when we were very little to purchase the pieces for my Mamaw. She kept these as treasures at her house....she never put them away, left them out all year long. They have been played with for many hours by many children. Mary is missing her hands, and the paint is worn off in many places, but the love is still the same.

And, our Christmas Tree. And of course there is a big story to go with it this year. Our Christmas is NEVER this big. NEVER NEVER NEVER. Usually, the girls get 3 gifts a piece. After all, Jesus only got 3 presents for his birthday.....and he was the King! This year, after all of the Christmas shopping had been done, the UPS man pulled up to our house. He knocks on the door and asks me to sign his little doohicky thing. I was confused, because I hadn't ordered anything online and wasn't expecting anything at all.

The UPS guy brought 3 MASSIVE boxes to the door. I opened them and found present after beautiful present addressed to the kids. The mail lady came shortly later, with a big gift card addressed to me and Eben, to purchase our Christmas dinner. The next day, 3 more large boxes, and another gift card came. And the following day, one more box arrived. After a little investigation, we found out that our family was submitted to the Soldier's Angels program and that we had been adopted. This was totally unexpected and made us feel very very humbled and appreciated. This has inspired us to to be more generous in our own giving at Christmas.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and got to spend it with people that they love. We certainly did.

2009 in 2 words....

2009-12-31T14:14:00.004-05:00

2009 was full! And everything is 2 words or less :)
*crawling baby
* First steps
*family time
*Minnesota Trip
*Disney World
* First Birthday
*physical therapy
*home school
*Crossing Place
*public school
*spray park
*Mardi Gras
*road trips
*New Orleans
*leaky ceiling
*swings
*bittersweet goodbyes
*backyard garden
*Weight Watchers
*Louisiana mud
*Model Airplane
*bare feet
*missing teeth
*tee pee
*backyard camping
*dress up
*flower girls
*Easter Eggs
*bathing suits
*fire works
*good friends
*snow balls
*American Girl
*dance performances
*Lavender Martini
*Vocabulary Parade
*Roller skates
*Hair Bows
*7th Birthday
*6th Birthday
*cutting teeth
*smaller clothes
*larger clothes
*Christmas Angels
*Ant Farm
*Butterfly garden
*GPS
*tying shoes
*Avery Island
*crawfish boils
*breastfeeding
*Balloon Festival
*Lost friends
*Lemonade Stand
*Oz lookalikes
*Soccer Games
*Three Duckies
*Jesus Christ

Thanks to everyone near and far who we all love so much for being a part of our lives in 2009. I can hardly wait to see what is in store for us in 2010. I'm sure it's going to be a wonderful year. Blessings to you all!

Which came first, the chicken......or the egg?

2009-12-07T22:53:00.003-05:00

Put on your chicken boots......and head on down to Molly's chicken coop. This is the story of how The Middle Apple discovered how yummy fresh eggs are.

Feed and water the chickens.
Hunt for eggs. Yeah...she actually had to reach under the chicken to find it.
Look! She found one!!!
Take it back to the house, wash it, and have Uncle Mark scramble it.
And serve with a happy face pancake. Because we get spoiled like that when we go to visit Auntie Molly and Uncle Monkey :)

A glimpse into our past.....

2009-12-07T16:47:00.006-05:00

Our family recently had the opportunity to travel back to our old stomping grounds in a whirlwind adventure up to Minnesota and back, in our van. And when I say adventure...I mean, cram your family of 5 in a minivan, along with carseats, highchair,snacks, DVD player, laptops, porta-crib, cold weather clothing, toys, varying size Christmas gifts, and a very oversized box of Satsumas to pass out to relatives. And somehow it all fit.

The following is just a touch of one of my favorite days of our whole trip. The day that we got to see Duluth. For those of you that are new to this blog, I would like for you to know that Eben and I spent 5 glorious years in Duluth, right after we got married. We have lots of friends here, and dug our roots down deep. As cold as the winters get in Duluth, the hearts of the people are the warmest of anywhere in the country that I have seen so far.

This first pic, our first apartment together. We lived on the second floor in the rear of this quadroplex. It was a great place.....$500 all utilities included for a 2 bedroom place. Loved it. Although I couldn't stand sharing a wall with neighbors. Very little privacy.
And this is our very first home that we bought together. We lived in the apartment for 6 months. Then when spring came, we started looking for a house. Eben and I were very pleased to see the Silver Maple tree that is in the front yard. We planted that tree the summer we moved in, in honor of our marriage vows. We hoped to be able to watch the tree grow through the years. And sure enough, our tree is still there, growing stronger, standing the tests of time.

The little window up top on the house is a little trick....that room is actually alot larger than it looks from the outside. You would never believe that that room once housed 2 cribs, 2 dressers, a rocking chair, changing table, and a twin sized bed. Plus, it has a walk in closet. I loved living in this house. Although it did have the tiniest kitchen ever, and a miniscule living/dining room area, and a postage stamp master bedroom, we were very cozy living here.

This next picture is where I used to work. This is Lakeview Christian Academy. My years spent working here remain some of the happiest days of my life. I often said to my co workers as I was picking up my paycheck that I could hardly believe that I got paid to work there.
Not only did this school have some of the best students ever (and some of them I have remained in contact with through the years), this school housed some of the greatest teachers the world has never known. I honestly mean that. I met some really great teachers that not only went the extra mile for their students, they had fun doing it too. If we ever moved back to MN, I would totally consider giving up homeschooling for a chance to teach here again.

This next picture...well, it brings tears to my eyes actually. This is my best friend, Molly. I'm a firm believer in Divine Appointment, and if for no other reason did we go to Minnesota, it was so Molly and I could meet each other. I thank God every single day for her. She's the best friend anyone could have.
We toured Canal Park. And bundled up in every item of clothing we had....and actually looked like tourists.
We drove along Superior Street, which was all decorated up for the Christmas City of the North Parade. I took this picture because of the Skywalk System. In the extreme cold areas of MN, alot of the buildings are connected with the Skywalk so that people don't have to brave the cold to get their shopping done. I got to take the kids to the Aquarium for free (thanks Molly!), where we made waves,

went snipe hunting,
climbed mountains,
and swam in The Great Lakes. Quite literally. I had to go out to the car, bust open the luggage and obtain dry clothing for the The Little Apple, who decided that GETTING IN the water was much more fun than just standing next to it.
Oh, and I also took this picture through the aquarium window, which is now my desktop.
I will continue with more pictures and rememberances in a later post....but I will add this, when I am in Duluth, I feel like I am finally home.

Friendship from across the miles.

2009-12-02T21:18:00.003-05:00

Friendship knows no limits.

You can be half a world away....but the love remains the same.

Good morning, Singapore.
Good night, Louisiana.
See you when you get back.

An extention of the Hands of God......

2009-11-28T14:25:00.004-05:00

James 1:27 " Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."

This has been a blog post a long time in the making. A very long time, in fact. It all started a few months back when my friend Stephenie asked me if The Apple Dumplin's would like to participate in a Lemonade Stand. You can read all about that delightful day HERE .
All of the money would be used to purchase toys and school supplies for orphans in Indonesia. From that day, they raised about $50. More donations came from lovely people online, and then the girls had about $80 fabulous dollars to spend at the Dollar Store for kids in Indonesia.

Here are a few pics from the shopping trip....

Hair accessories are very important.
The girls carefully laying out their hand selected items for payment!
You will see that pink kitty backpack again in another blog post at the orphanage
HUGE BAGS OF LOOT!!!
That was a very fun day. The girls had a nice time choosing things that they thought would be fun for the kids in Indonesia. And not one complaint was made that day that they weren't buying anything for themselves.

We dropped off the items with Ms. Euvah, who was headed back to Singapore. Never would we imagine that in a short while later.....Stephenie and her daughter, who had come up with the idea for the Lemonade Stand would also be joining them in Singapore for Thanksgiving.

A few days ago, Stephenie, Raelee and Euvah took the gifts to the children in Indonesia. They didn't simply drop them off to the children. They hand delivered LOVE to those children. I would love to copy and paste some of their pictures onto my blog for you to view, but as they are not my own pictures to share, I cannot. You will simply have to view them for yourselves on their blogs. Please view Stephenie's Blog post HERE, and Ms. Euvah's post HERE.

Be warned. These pictures will change your life. My heart was warmed and totally broken at the same time. What I do know is that even from many THOUSANDS of miles away, we were given the opportunity to be an extention of the Hands and Feet of God. I am very proud of the girls and what they selflessly did for other children, and very proud to call Stephenie and Euvah my friends, they have tremendous hearts. I love them.

Baby School

2009-11-11T22:46:00.004-05:00

For the most part, we love homeschool. But educating the kids has gotten increasingly more difficult since The Little Apple has started moving around. And when I saw The Middle Apple and The Big Apple now do most of their schoolwork in the early morning while baby is still sleeping (we are blessed with a baby that likes to sleep in until around 9 AM) and while she is working on her breakfast. We usually continue with our math lessons later on during the day when The Little Apple goes down for a nap. This system is working out very well for us.

But then of course, no system is flawless. There are many days when we have to rethink the whole day and work around what we have going on.

So we now have what the older Apples call Baby School. Baby school usually means that I come up with something very cool to keep the baby occupied while the older 2 finish up with what they have for the day. The Little Apple has spent plenty of time in Baby School scribbling with markers, plinking bingo chips into a coffee can, stacking small wooden blocks, watching Baby Einstein videos, and the like. This week, the very cool project was STICKERS!
She loves them. She calls them "Tick-Cars" She surprised one of her therapists last week by working with stickers for almost 30 minutes. I had to take a picture of her doing her schoolwork, she was so sweet. We have this beautiful piece of artwork hanging on the fridge right now, where all great works of art should be hung.

I guess it's never too early to start homeschooling. I can't wait to start teaching her about The Revolutionary War with her sisters!

2009-11-11T09:44:00.002-05:00

"Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, Jesus Christ & the American Soldier. One died for your soul; the other for your freedom." ~ Lt. Col. Grant L. Rosensteel, Jr. USAF

Thanks to all of the Veterans for their service on this Veteran's Day. I do not take our freedom for granted, it came at a great cost.

Halloween, Cajun style!

2009-11-02T15:31:00.006-05:00

Happy November, all of my bloggy friends!

Our Halloween weekend went by in a blur, and it was so much fun! On Friday, the girls went to the pumpkin patch with their co-op buddies and had an amazing time. They played games, ate cookies, and decorated pumpkins. On Friday night, the girls had been asked to be in a parade in Houma with their dance school...but as it rains just about all the time around here, of course....it literally rained on their parade, and it was cancelled.

But, alas...we made up for it on Saturday. We celebrated the big candy collecting day in a big way! Cajun Style. And when I say that Louisiana knows how to party, halloween is no exception.

I had the girls help make the costumes this year. They asked to buy Barbie and the Three Muskateers costumes, but I wasn't having that....I prefer homemade costumes anyday! I came across a very quick idea online to create a flock of ducks.....

Here they are working on their duck feet.

And a cute flock of ducks they were....
My sweet little duckling... learned how to say "Trick or treat!" only when she said it, it sounded more like she was saying "Chick-en treat!" Very appropriate, I thought.Then we headed over to Stephenie's for some tasty Gumbo and fun with friends. Then it was time to costume up and trick or treat!

Here is where I must explain about trick or treating around here. True to like every other holiday, Louisiana does it up right. Trick or Treating is more like a block party. This picture was taken at the very beginning when the crowds were light. Everyone sits in their driveways. Some barbeque, some drag their televisions outside to watch the game while they pass out candy. There were adult beverages in cups everywhere. Some even set up little spooky houses for the kids to go through. The police ride around on 4 wheelers and patrol the crowds. I loved it! Super fun time!
Super fun time, unless you are this little duckling that didn't mind what the mama duckling said about walking along the curb where the rain had left big puddles. So of course, she fell in one and made a big splash. (pun intended!)
Note to self: White clothing. Children. Louisiana mud. Doesn't mix.
And I absolutely had to share this picture, because it's so priceless. This is Miss Eleven from Gypsy Forest. She was dressed as Red Riding Hood's Granny....The Middle Apple decided that Miss Eleven was her special friend for the evening. When people saw the two of them together, they said, "Oh look, how cute! It's Mother Goose!" Soooooo sweet!
We had such a marvelous time. It feels so good to have such special friends, and spending this cozy time time of year with family.

This is the way we knit a hat, knit a hat, knit a hat....

2009-10-23T13:03:00.003-04:00

The Big Apple decided that she would like to try knitting. The only kind of knitting that I know how to do is on these loom things...so I own them in almost every size there is. She decided that she would like to try making a hat first, and then next, perhaps a scarf or two.

We bought some clearance yarn from Walmart for $1 out of her own money because she LOVED the color. It's a rough texture, but we can work with some nicer cotton yarn next time.

She figured out the steps to knitting VERY quickly, and I barely had to help her at all. She even asked if she could sit up and knit instead of having her regular movie at bedtime. I was only happy to oblige.

This is the finished product. She's very pleased with it. She wants to sell hats to earn money to buy herself her first American Girl Doll. This hat was for sale for $50, she said. But she was willing to sell it to me for the bargain price of $30, since I was her mom and all.
I think I got a great bargain.

Soccer!

2009-10-09T07:39:00.006-04:00

The time has come for me to blog about the Apple's latest obsession....Soccer.

When we lived back in NC, The Big Apple repeatedly asked if she could be on a soccer team...and not really knowing how to go about doing that in the booming town (note the sarcasm) of Holly Hole ...er, I mean Holly Ridge, soccer just wasn't meant to be. So, now that we are here, The Apples have their chance at soccer. And I am now one of those moms.....a soccer mom.

I had originally requested that both girls be signed on the same team, and was devastated to learn that I was going to be doing double duty of toting 2 kids to different practices and games. But after being in the routine, having them on 2 different teams was really the best choice for the both of them.

Let's start with The Middle Apple.

Soccer for 6 year olds is definitely interesting....I think it's more of a comedy act for the parents. The kids run around in little packs and attempt to put the ball in the goal. Check out my lil' apple trying to find her way in that pack....

I have to tell you about The Middle Apple's coach. The woman is a saint. She has more patience with The Middle than I have seen from someone in a long time. Usually by the time that practice rolls around at 5:45 during the day, my patience has been stretched and spent and I am just about done. Elizabeth never ceases to amaze me with her kindness towards my girl who has problems listening. But then again, all of the girls have problems listening, and soccer practice looks a whole lot like trying to herd kittens. In this picture, Elizabeth stopped to give The Middle Apple special instruction on which goal to try to get the ball into. Because heaven knows, she usually doesn't know which way the ball should be going.
I suppose Elizabeth also should have instructed her on where NOT to put your feet while hanging out around the goal. Because this is what happened to her.
Yes, she got tangled in the net and unable to free herself. And while other soccer mommies ran to her rescue, I went trotting across the field yelling "Wait! Wait! I need a picture!" *click* "I am soooooo going to post that on my blog! Ha!" To which The Middle Apple responded, "Am I going to be trapped here forever?"

This next picture is The Middle Apple's favorite part of the game. It's never too early to teach good sportsmanship, and I love it!
Now let's move onto The Big Apple. I have to mention here, that The Big Apple is just not by any means an athlete. She'd rather play with her dolls. And have her dolls come watch her play at her games. I'm okay with that.

She also believes that soccer is all about looking cute in your uniform....oh wait, that's what I believe. So, um.....I did the soccer mom thing and got some help making bows for everyone on both teams. Cute eh? We take them out for the games, but I have seen our soccer bows all over town on non-soccer game days, so I know the girls love them.
Here is Coach Seth. The Big Apple thinks he hung the moon. He is really great with the girls and makes all of the practices fun. With the U8 team that Izzy is playing with, the kids actually play different positions. The Big Apple's favorite position is Defender.
She's a pretty darn good defender too, if I do say so myself. The coach just tells her not to let the ball in her box, and she's all over it. She takes her soccer really seriously.
So far, we are having a great soccer season. Wet and muddy...but none the less, a great season.

Psalm 151

2009-10-01T12:45:00.002-04:00

One of our homeschooling assignments this week was to create a Psalm, just as David did in the Bible. After reading several Psalms from the Bible, this is what the Big Apple came up with.

Psalm 151, by The Big Apple, inspired by God.

Praise the Lord.
I will praise the with all my heart.
I will praise the Lord forever.
I will praise Him for He washed all my sin.
I will praise Him to the end.
I will praise Him for He created Heavens and Earth.
I will praise Him always.

Selah.

Saturday out....

2009-10-01T10:03:00.005-04:00

The next event that I would like to catch all my Bloggy friends up on, is the Saturday out that we had recently. We went to a event in Houma called the La Fete d' Ecologie ( I suppose, without any background in cajun or french, that this translates into "The Festival of Ecology" This festival was every homeschool teacher's dream! There was so much to look at, learn about, and do...that I'm positive that we can log it as a FULL day of school.

This is a blacksmith, we enjoyed watching him fashion a hook with his hammer. The Big Apple had recently learned about blacksmithing in her Colonial studies, so she had tons of questions for him.

We saw some people who made different types of arrowheads out of pieces of rock. They had fishing spears and blowdarts to look at and touch too. The man on the left is actually sharpening the arrowhead with a piece of deer antler.
They dug for worms, and learned how dirt is made. If you found a worm, you got your face painted.
There was crab racing. The kids got to choose a crab from a bin and hold it in place until it was time for the race to start. For some reason, it was always the tiny ones that skittered across the finish line first!
I love this picture of The Middle Apple. There was a turtle in the bayou that kept surfacing and hiding again. She stood and watched for the turtle for resurface over and over again for at least a good 20 minutes.
The Apples could have stayed and done this activity all day long. It showed what would happen to our environment if we don't protect our wetlands.
Local furs to look at and touch. Very cool.
The Apples got to help paint a wetlands mural. True to form, The Middle Apple decided that surely mermaids live in the wetlands, so she painted one.
The Big Apple showed off her itty bitty tiny Mosquito Fish.
Then there was THIS GUY. I think he is supposed to be King of the Swamp or something. He had a band of people banging pots, pans, garbage can lids, and the like...and they parade around the festival grounds. Odd. Only in Louisiana can a king wear beer as a necklace and Spanish moss for a beard.
This was my favorite part of the day. At one of the tables, the girls met a lady that had a very interesting display of the many different types of critters that live in the bayou. She demonstrated what happens to the wildlife when the wetlands aren't protected and maintained. The girls spent nearly an hour asking her many many questions. The lady was rather impressed by their questions and level of understanding, that she took them down to the water edge with a net, helped them scoop up some creatures. Then, they took their findings back up to the table and helped her classify them using some of her books.
You may notice that The Little Apple isn't in any of these pictures. That is because she was a crab, didn't have a nap, and stayed in her stroller for most of the time, only to be shut up with cookies. If not for the crabbiness of her, our day would have been perfect. As we were climbing exhausted back into our van, The Big Apple asked if this could be counted as a school day. OF COURSE!!!!! I learned alot too!

Lemonade...50 Cents!

2009-09-30T09:52:00.003-04:00

I'm playing catch up because I've been a naughty blogger. So, my next few posts may be a bit outdated, but none the less, worth posting.

The first event I wanted to bring you up to date on is the Lemonade Stand!

Our friends Stephenie and Raelee were having a lemonade stand and wanted to know if we wanted to participate. Of course we did! Especially when we found out where the money that they would be earning would be going. Not into their own pockets, but to children in Indonesia for school supplies and toys! Beautiful! A lesson in money, advertising, and missions all at the same time.

We baked bread, cupcakes, and banana bread and headed over to their house. We were greeted with a beautiful set up stand, which I wish I could share with you, but I don't have one that doesn't have my kids faces in it. But I will share with you The Middle Apple and the roadside sign.
And The Little Apple checking to make sure the lemonade was sweet enough.
After about an hour of running the lemonade stand (IT'S REALLY HARD WORK!) The girls played. And ate the profit.
Just kidding. We were surprised to learn that the girls had earned almost $50 for the children in Indonesia. Thanks for asking us to help Stephenie! We had a blast.

Weightgain Wednesday....

2009-09-16T14:08:00.003-04:00

I do my Weight Watchers weigh in's on Thursdays, which is unfortunate because MANY lessons in MFW this year revolve around cooking in the kitchen.

Today, it was fresh bread. The Big Apple has been learning about Jesus being the Bread of Life. God provided the Israelite manna every morning for 40 years so that they would never go hungry. Today, The Big Apple provided her family with lunch. She did it all, the measuring, the pouring, the mixing.
She did have a little help with the kneading, but not very much.
Loading the dough into the oven to rise. 30 minutes later, the loaf was double it's size and ready to bake.
Absolute perfection.
I am ashamed to say that between the 4 female members of this house, we consumed the whole loaf of bread with jam for lunch. Not a crumb was left for Apfel (Daddy Apple). And I still have to weigh in tomorrow. *sigh*

Rainy Day....

2009-09-13T15:16:00.003-04:00

What to do on a rainy day????...Go fishing, of course!
The days of rain have been driving us a little nutty...but in between showers, I send the kidlets out to get muddy. They have enjoyed it. Our backyard has been transformed into a swamp. Perfect for fishing :)

Some posts simply don't need a title.

2009-09-06T14:50:00.004-04:00

"I am hopelessly in love with this little treasure of a gorgeous baby girl who thinks she is a piano playing, monkey rolling, run away Toto puppy dressing, show stealing, piece of work" is too long of a title for a post. So I'll just leave this post without a title.

Tidbits

2009-08-21T11:29:00.010-04:00

We just completed our third week at our little school... I just wanted to share with you some of the things that are going on around here.

The Big Apple is always reading. She loves it. Sometimes I go check on her late at night and find her still reading a book. I have to give her a page limit at night so that she will actually get enough sleep.
The Middle Apple's curriculum is very slow at easing the children into reading. The Middle Apple is doing very very well and can read most of her assigned pages without help. I'm so proud of her. Her handwriting is coming along great as well. She amazed me this week by completing 100 addition problems without complaint, and only missed 6. Not bad if I do say so myself!

She has also been learning about the different names of God in her Bible studies. Jesus means "The Lord Saves." We made some beautiful pictures to hang in the window using crayon shavings and wax paper. I love kid art!
We made alot of them.
This week, The Big Apple was learning about the Jamestown Settlement, so we decided to try to create a model of one. We read that the houses were created out of mud, using the wattle and daub method, so that's just what we did. We made a playdough mixture, and colored it with real Louisiana mud. Then we smooshed it into the wood frames and dried the mud walls in the dehydrator.
Daddy lended a had with the thatch roof, since I really have no architectural ability whatsoever.
Okay, soooooo it came out looking a little strange and not too authentic. Sue me. But The Big Apple had a blast, and isn't that what learning is supposed to be about?
And what post could be complete without a Little Apple update? Well, here is your gratuitous picture of The Little Apple eating so prim, proper, and neatly with fork.

Well....maybe not.

"Columbus sailed the ocean blue....."

2009-08-12T13:10:00.004-04:00

".....inFourteen Hundred Ninety-Two!"

Also heard at my house....."Land Ho!"and "To the first man that spots land, I promise a velvet robe!", and " I claim this land for God and for Spain!"

This week, we have been studying Christopher Columbus and his voyage to The New World. We recreated his journey in our very own backyard with little more than some aluminum foil, some chopsticks, and some index cards. Oh yes, and The Little Apple's long since abandoned baby bathtub.

Our ships were very seaworthy, and bore the names of the three ships that journeyed across the ocean. The Big Apple, who was in charge of creating the Santa Maria, insisted that the sail had a Santa hat on it. Not in real life, but just for this pretend voyage, of course.
We also studied a little bit about air, wind, and how it moves things. What a perfect tie in with the unit. The Middle Apple really enjoyed demonstrating how the sails work. And insisted that Christopher Columbus needed a wife, who looked like a Polly Pocket. The Big Apple quickly corrected her and told her that the wife died before he left Spain. It's amazing how much information she absorbs when she hears a story. I didn't think she was paying attention.
They spent a long time this morning recreating the story. I simply sat back with a cup of coffee and enjoyed watching the learning unfold.

Up, Up and Away, In My Beautiful Balloon!

2009-08-11T13:41:00.004-04:00

On Saturday, we had the time of our lives over in Baton Rouge at the Hot Air Balloon Festival. Here are just a small sampling of some pictures from that day....of course, mainly because my kids happy faces are in them. Another reason....rain. A big thunderstorm threatened to take over the event....we had to dash to our cars to stay dry, grab a bite to eat. Then we went back and enjoyed a GORGEOUS time.

The girls got to walk around, and meet some of the pilots of the balloons, and collect their trading cards.
And in one instance, they were allowed to step inside the basket and witness a burn. Um....my kids didn't think it was a good idea. However, their little friend covered her earns and showed her bravery.
I love this next basket. It was either "HI MOM" or "WOW IH", it's all in the perspective, you know.
Then it was time to look to the skys...we got to watch skydivers hurling towards the ground at 120 mph. Very cool. The Middle Apple thought so too.
One of them brought our great nation's flag....and we sung The Star Spangled Banner.
Then the balloons began to inflate....we have been told that balloons do not "blow up." Blowing up is for bombs and require explosives. Balloons strictly inflate. ;)
The girls watching and playing with balloons of their own.
And I flew a balloon of my own. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see any of the balloons take off, the storm caused the event to happen too late, and it was actually getting dark, in spite of what you see in these pictures.
Here is one of my favorite pics from the event.....it was all just so colorful and beautiful
We were so glad that the weather cleared up and that we were able to return to the event. It was a great day.

Happy 219th Birthday, Coast Guard!

2009-08-04T19:00:00.004-04:00

Did you kiss a Coastie today? I did. It's the Coast Guard's birthday today, and what better way to celebrate than a PAR-TAY!!!! And party we did. There was way too much food. But not nearly enough cold drinks to quench the thirst from the (did I hear that correctly?) 103 degree heat.

My favorite Coastie got asked to be on a volleyball team....he's so cute when he's playing isn't he? I love my hot, sweaty, coastie hubby.
There was facepainting....who can resist a cuddly pair of tigers?
There was much bouncing with friends and losing of flip flops.
There was a boat available to tour and Coasties galore to answer your questions.

There was a rock climbing wall. And The Big Apple actually made the 40 lbs. weight requirement this time so she decided to give it a try.
This is about as high as she got....before she claimed that she was afraid of heights. Did I mention she sleeps in a bunk bed?
I was asked if I wanted to give the wall a try. Sure, why not?!?!? I was told that I was the only wife/mom that climbed that day. But you do have to admit...I totally rock the helmet.
Mind you, I haven't touched a climbing wall since a month or two after The Big Apple was born. Then, I got pregnant AGAIN....and wasn't able to climb . I made it a little more than halfway up before sweaty fingers made the handholds impossible. Yeah, that kid next to me in the picture climbed higher than I did. But you don't need to rub it in.
And I swear, I did NOT post that last picture because I have lost more the 20 lbs, and I am totally loving the size of of my rear end in this picture. I would never ever do something like that. Really.

It was such a fun day....we had a blast. Plus, it was a nice reward to The Apple Dumplin's for such hard work in homeschool again.

Our First Day of School

2009-08-03T20:58:00.003-04:00

When I was a little girl, I loved playing school. I had a little chalkboard that I kept behind my bedroom door, and I would use it to teach my little classroom of stuffed animals. I knew when I was little that I wanted to be a teacher. A really awesome teacher that made a difference in kids' lives. A teacher like the ones that were so wonderful to me growing up.

Now, I am a big girl. And I can do a bit more than just "play" school. I can open my own school. This is my first year as the principal of the very exclusive Wilson Christian Academy, my very own private school, officially registered with our beautiful state. Today, was the opening day of classes at our little school, and it was a day that buzzed with excitement. The pencils were sharpened, the posters were hung, copies made, and the lesson plans reviewed. Everything was ready and in it's place.Our little school is located in the hallway by our front door. Not as perfect as having a whole room devoted to just homeschool stuff, but this suits our little family's needs wonderfully. I can still keep an eye on the baby as she trashes the whole house with out school out in the open like this. I had found these great kid desks in the garbage earlier this summer outside the Catholic School in town. I made off with about 12 of those desks in the back of my van, and they got distributed to some other homeschool buddies. The carpet remnant is a product of our water issue in the baby room a couple of weeks ago. The easel and stools are from IKEA, and the kids love them. I still need to cover one of them, but am waiting on The Middle Apple to chose her fabric. Of course, The Big Apple chose purple leopard print. I mean, what else is there to cover a chair with if you are 7?

I was greeted at my bedside this morning at 6:30 by 2 eager little girls that were begging to get started with their schoolwork. (Note to self: pull out some lessons for telling time and put them in the extra credit folder) They buzzed through their breakfast and threw on some clothes. I commented that some days we were just going to have to have pajama school, and the Big Apple was thrilled that she wasn't going to be wearing a uniform this year.

We worked our butts off for the next hour or so...mostly because The Little Apple decided that today would be a great day to sleep in until 9:30. This worked very well for all of us, and we got alot done. We did spelling, phonics, reading, handwriting, and Bible and History. The Big Apple is starting Adventures in My Father's World for 2nd grade, and The Middle Apple will be working on MFW for 1st grade this year. We had to leave our math lesson until the baby went down for a nap because math class requires many small manipulatives.
I would like to point out the cute little buckets hanging on the wall here. This was an idea that my friend Stephenie had (THANK YOU!!!!). This works so well. We didn't have one spilled pencil box or misplaced scissors at all today.

Once we had tackled the big subject and done a few other impromptu lessons, we took a break to eat some leftover brownies (Thanks Granny!) and do an art project. I threw out the art lesson for today, which was basically drawing straight lines, and had much much more fun with this. Especially when you add glitter.
Since the girls worked so hard today, and I barely had to look at them with so much as a raised eyebrow, I treated them to an afternoon out at the Spray Park, Library, and Snowball stand.
The Big Apple commented to me as we were driving home that "This is the best day of my life!" as she was slurping a snowball and reading a book about Vikings that the library had put on hold for her.

Hehe...I don't know about the best day, but it certainly was a great start to our new school year.

Baby...Missing In Action

2009-08-01T13:30:00.002-04:00

"Mama, can I take my baby outside for a walk?" the Big Apple asks innocently.

"Sure honey...just stay between the stop sign and the mail box." I replied absentmindly.

I heard her open the front door and roll her baby doll stroller outside and slam the door closed.

A few moments passed, and I realized that the house was quiet. Too quiet. That always means something or that someone is up to no good. I got up from computer and went to account for all of my little monkey children. The Middle Apple was watching a show in my bed. I knew the Big Apple was out walking her baby doll in the stroller. Then I quickly figured out that one monkey was missing. The Little Apple was missing, and she wasn't in all her usual hiding places.

I found her.

Somehow, the Big Apple had managed to load the Baby Apple in her babydoll stroller and gotten out the front door with her.
The Little Apple was loving every single minute of it. The baby doll stroller, on the otherhand, was struggling under the weight of that little monkey.The Big Apple is going to grow up and be a terrific mommy some day.

Ya can't take it with you...

2009-07-31T10:35:00.002-04:00

Heard at my house this morning.

The Big Apple : "When you die, you don't get to take anything with you to Heaven. No toys, no shoes, not anything."

The Middle Apple: "Bonus!!!! I won't have to brush my teeth! 'Cause I can't bring my toothbrush! I think I'm gonna love Heaven!"

Independence Day

2009-07-13T13:49:00.004-04:00

I am just now getting around to posting about our 4th of July celebration, what with all the water damage and new carpet and such in our house....but what a celebration it was!

We spent our 4th with our good friends....unfortunately Eben had duty that weekend and we saw very very little of him. Which makes me sad. But I am very blessed to have people here that are almost like family to us, and I was soooooo happy to be able to spend the evening with them.

The girls played outside in the pool while the best ribs (EVER!!!!) were cooked on the grill. There was mac and cheese, baked beans, and zucchini swimming in butter. Oh, my....you can't count points for Weight Watcher's on a holiday, because it will never work... My cellulite was singing for sure :)

After we ate, we went outside to enjoy the evening air. The Little Apple discovered that there was water in the pool. And that if you push on the soft side of the pool, the water comes out.
The moon came up, and it was time to light some fireworks.... I still, for the life of me, can't get over the fact that I live here. Everything is just so rich and green and beautiful. And I get to live here. What could be better? (don't mention my moldy bathroom ceiling, right now, okay?)
Some of the fireworks were loud, so they ran for the cover of the porch swing and plugged their ears.
some you have to dance in,
and some, you have to dance with....and try not to light people's hair on fire.
But that's another story. However you spent your 4th, I hope it was a good one. Our's was the best!

Also of Blog-worthyness....

2009-07-12T10:15:00.006-04:00

My husband made me promise to post this photo. So I will.
But only because he asked so nicely.

Among my many perfected talents, you may add left-handed mouse clicking to the list. I am right handed.

You see, when you have been nursing a baby for 15 months, there are certain things that you have plenty of time to work on. Like how to eat a messy sandwich one-handed. Or how to pick up the tv remote with your toes. I have even learned how to wash my face and apply make up while nursing. And now, I have perfected the art of left handed mouse clicking. You see, if you perch the mouse pad on the side of the recliner, the baby's feet can't reach it. And if you drape the cord between your toes, just in case those crazy legs do in fact kick your mouse, you can still have access to it before it hits the floor. For some reason, this amazes my husband.

I'm glad that I can still dazzle him.

We inturrupt this Summer to bring you.....

2009-07-12T06:27:00.007-04:00

Water Damage. And all the hassle that goes with it.

And I mean hassle. A lot of it. I don't remember praying for patience, but I am getting my goodly dose of it now.

When I mean water damage, I don't mean like these new friends of ours. I regret to even post about my measly event that is practicing my faith building techniques.

Before our trip to Florida a few weeks ago, the AC unit, which is cleverly (NOT!) located in the attic, began leaking water into the bathroom. It destroyed some of the ceiling tiles. Which wasn't really a big deal...the AC guy came, supposedly fixed the issue, and went along his merry way. That same night, the water began leaking in worse...destroying even more tiles, and causing the ceiling to droop.
And mold. Did I mention mold? Ewwww. My wonderful husband, in the midst of repeatedly phoning the AC repair guy and the landlady took matters into his own hands and climbed up into the attic and made a temporary fix himself. I stress the word temporary here, because the AC guy was supposed to come back and redo the thing while the girls and I were in Florida. Oh yea, and the landlady said the bathroom would get fixed too. They didn't. humph.

Fast forward 2 weeks...The girls and I return from Florida, we get all unpacked, when I notice a strange smell coming from the Little Apples bedroom. Smelled just like a wet diaper had been left somewhere. I tore apart her room looking for the source.

And that is is where our little sage went from bad to worse. The water from the AC unit had now started seeping back into the house under the carpet in The Little Apple's bedroom. And it smelled funky....ruined the padding, the carpet, and damaged the stuff around it. I am very thankful for my good friend Stephenie, who came and helped clear out the room, otherwise more of Elise's things could have been ruined. This is the contents of her bedroom and closet, now conveniently located in the dining room. Nice. We were fortunate that only the legs of the little chest that my late grandmother painted got wet, and the rockers of my mother's rocking chair, that my dad got for her on their honeymoon, took some water.
A lovely view of the wet carpet, minus the wet padding that I tore out, that had to be spread out out on on the floor for several days, waiting for the insurance adjuster to come, then more waiting for the carpet replacing person to come. I really wanted the carpet to hit the curb the first day, just to get the funky wet diaper smell out, but I guess that just wasn't meant to be.
Yesterday, The Little Apple got new carpet in her room. You cannot begin to understand my happiness about this, as The Little Apple, does not care to sleep anywhere but her own crib. This week, we have had all sorts of living arrangements for her, in attempts for her to be comfortable sleeping....none of them a winning situation. She would cry and cry, eventually collapsing and sleeping more out of sheer exhaustion than peaceful sleep.
So last night, after much debate about mold and paint, etc...we decided that it was safe enough to put the Little Apple back in her own room. She lay down in her crib at 6:30, and went to sleep without a peep. She's still sleeping this morning as I type, and I couldn't be more pleased.

Oh yea, I have to add this, because I am just soooooooo proud of myself. See that white thing on the floor of the picture? That's a broken closet door. It's been broken since we moved in. The carpet installer guy tried to fix it, my husband had tried to fix it, the landlady's husband had tried as well. Yesterday, I fixed it myself with some toothpicks and gorilla glue (love that stuff!) and then I hung the door myself. HA!

But now, onto part 2 of the water damage sage....getting the bathroom fixed. Did I mention that this house only has one shower? This should be fun.

A Blogger Vacation....

2009-06-29T00:02:00.006-04:00

It's been a very busy couple of weeks....thus the title of this post. I've been on a very busy Bloggy Vacation. Here are some highlights......

My Dad came to visit. And he is a World Champion player at Pretty Pretty Princess. You have to admit, that it takes a very special kind of guy that is willing to dress up in necklaces, bracelets, earrings and crown....but he'd do anything for his granddaughters.

Not only did he play dress up with the girls, he mowed the lawn, installed cabinet locks on all my cabinets, and did all kinds of other handy man projects around my house. I was happy to have him here.

Then we took a trip to Florida for some sun and fun.

There was plenty of swimming....
The Big Apple really got the hang of swimming this summer. She really enjoyed the pool and we tried to get out there to swim every day.

There was some chillin' out with Geeya....
There was splashing....
And dancing....
The girls were flower girls in a wedding, and their cousin the ring bearer. I was the wedding planner, my sister was the florist.
We took a trip to the Happiest Place on Earth....Where someone had her very first driving lesson.

And new best friends were made.
And now that my bloggy vacation is over, I am pooped. But ready for some more summer fun.

Honeymoon...

2009-06-14T20:30:00.002-04:00

Heard at out house....

"That's a picture of Mama and daddy, before they went on their honeymoon. A honeymoon is when you go to the moon, and it's filled with honey and gingerbread."

Somebody's been playin' in the bathroom!

2009-06-10T10:51:00.004-04:00

Once upon a time, there was a messy bathroom. The mommy searched all over to find out where the mess came from.

The mess couldn't have come from the princess with the fat backrolls, could it??!?!? No! Never! The Little Apple is a perfect angel and would NEVER make such a mess in the bathroom!
Or would she?!?!?!?!?
And now we know why the mommy goes to bed tired every single night.
THE END.

Crawfish Boilin'

2009-06-08T18:48:00.006-04:00

We've had the wonderful opportunity to attend a few crawfish boils since moving here.

Before I moved here, when I thought of crawfish, I would shiver...totally get the heebie jeebies! So weird. The only experience that I had ever had with crawfish growing up was seeing my brother bringing home a bucket of them from the creek near our house in Virginia. He decided to drop them in the fishtank that was kept in my bedroom. Sometime during the night, those crawfish managed to climb the tube to the fishtank filter and escape the tank. The next morning, screams were heard throughout the house, as discoveries of those miniture lobster looking creatures were made....in the bathroom, downstairs in the kitchen, under beds. To this day, there are 2 crawfish still unaccounted for.

But now, I am learning to have a new appreciation for crawfish. The kind you boil. Not the kind you keep as pets.

For the latest boil that we went to, I decided that I was craving some blueberry cobbler, and asked the girls to help make it. Humph....kid cooks are great cooks, but usually the cleanup is a doozie.
When you first arrive at the boil, the first thing you must do is find yourself a beverage of choice. Mine is always Diet Coke. The very next thing you must do is check out the cooler full of specimens that are to be cooked.
And the first thing you must do if you are a kidlet upon arriving at a crawfish boil is play with your food----before it's cooked.
I think what I love about crawfish boils the most, is the atmosphere. The air smells great, people sitting around relaxing and chatting. The kids running around getting filthy and shrieking. Someone usually wisks my Little Apple away, and she is happy and content playing with new people while I enjoy visiting grown ups for a little while. And of course, who doesn't love it when the guys do all the cooking?
When it's time to eat, it's really time to eat. And when you think you are full enough to pop, you loosen your top button on your pants and fill your tray again. My dad, who is visiting from Florida, had the honor of attending this boil, and was brave enough to try a crawfish. I had to peel it for him. He said that his lips were on fire. Which I think is an insane thought. Insane because The Big Apple, who is only 7, ate a huge amount of crawfish. And The Little Apple spent most of the meal whining at me because I wasn't peeling her crawfish fast enough for her to eat. The rule is at a crawfish boil, if you are old enough to eat them, you are old enought to peel your own. I am afraid that The Little Apple would just eat the thing shell and all, so I peeled hers for her. Next year, she's on her own.

The Big Apple peeled her own. Her little friend across the table peeled some for her too. Just because. Love her.
And then there's the Middle Apple, who just doesn't care for much unless it's carbs and fruit. Well, she got her wish. As many hamburger buns, watermelon, cobbler, birthday cake, and icecream as she could hold. I have said this before, and I will say it again. I just love living in Louisiana, I hope that we will get to stay here for a while. I feel like I've found my place and am fitting in nicely.

We start 'em young 'round here!

2009-06-08T17:41:00.003-04:00

The sweet Little Apple decided to assist me in doing the dreaded laundry. Here she is loading the machine.

And apparently, the laundry room seconds as an entertainment room, because I found several pictures like this one:I guess that watching things get soapy and then spinning is interesting. Go figure.

Heard at my house....

2009-06-04T11:46:00.002-04:00

Me: "What would you like for breakfast this morning?"
The Middle Apple: "I would like a sandwich."
Me: "What kind of sandwich?"
The Middle Apple: "A doughnut sandwich. With rainbow sprinkles."

A creative writing assignment...

2009-06-03T15:51:00.002-04:00

I gave The Big Apple a creative writing assignment this afternoon, and when I read it, I could not help but share it. I am posting it here, including all spelling errors and punctuation.

The story prompt was "In came Kate's big birthday surprise! What was Kate's big surprise?"

Kate's surprise was a birthday cake! When Kate's mom cut the cake, a whale fell on top of it! Then the whale squirted a fish out of his nostol! Then the whale farted! P.U.!

D.J. said it was a big, fat, stinky cake. Evrybody laughed! It was stinky!

Somebody kicked the whale and told it to go home. It didn't move. "MOVE!" she yelled. It still didn't move. "Do you mean I like to move it move it?" said D.J.

"No!" she said.

"Uh oh!" said Jennifer. "Hold your ears!" It's about to pop one of the birthday balloons.

POP!

Evrywhere went prizes! (Like candy and toys) Then someone threw a fireball at the whale. Then it got insinerated.

The End.

Lazy Days of Summer...

2009-06-02T23:23:00.003-04:00

Our summer has kicked off and is already in full swing. We've got all kinds of fun and games going on around here.... even on the rainy days.

Reading lessons... The Apples are enrolled in the summer reading program at the library and are having a blast reading together.
Science Lessons....The girls built ocean habitats for some of their Littlest Pet Shops with homemade playdough.
Physical Education... the girls really enjoy running around at the Spray Park and taking trips to the park.

More Physical Education... chasing The Little Apple should be an Olympic Sport. The Little Apple has accomplished so much in the past few weeks with the hard work of her therapists who wear her out.
Recess... the girls get some well deserved down time, they earn screen time by completing chores, doing assignments, or going above and beyond the call of daughterhood in courtesy and manners. They prefer the Wii or stealing my computer. More summer fun to come!

What's wrong with this picture?

2009-05-27T19:01:00.003-04:00

What's wrong with this picture?

And no, I'm not talking about the gobs of cellulite spilling over the pink socks.

Some of you may just die from shock when you see this picture. I am having a really hard time looking at it myself. But it had to be done.

The Little Apple tore her feet up at the playground yesterday crawling all over creation. I had thought ahead and brought her Babylegs to protect her little knees, but didn't think about the fact that the tops of her feet drag the ground when she crawls.

She hates shoes, and I just don't think shoes belong on a baby. But sometimes compromises need to be made for the greater good.