My Little Book Monster

There is new book worm in our house. I call him "My Little Book Monster." My Dad is a book worm, I am a book worm, 17 year old daughter is a book worm and now my 7 year old son is a book worm. I LOVE IT!

Last week I went to the library while my little monster was at school and picked out the following books for him to read. Actually, there is a book missing. He just had to take it to school in case there was "free time" and he could read more. It's a Dinosaur Cove book.

He read Squanto two or three times and asked that I re-check it out (7 day rental only due to holiday theme) so that his Granddad could read it because he thinks Granddad will like it alot.

He then read Spider Kane. Right now, he says Mary Pope Osborne is his favorite author because he absolutley loves the Magic Tree House series. He and I snuggle up together either on the couch or in my bed and read silently side-by-side. It's one of my most favorite times with him right now.

Yesterday (Sunday) he finished Spider Kane and couldn't wait to see the next book I had checked out for him. I try to keep them a surprise so he doesn't know what's coming. He sat down and started reading Horrible Harry at Halloween. We took a break and joined the rest of the family and did the whole social thing until bedtime. After we turn out the lights, we let him read with his flashlight for "a bit" before we tell him lights out. He often turns the light off himself after a while. Last night he came in at 8:47 (I forgot he had been reading since 8:00) and was could hardly contain his excitement... he had finished the book! Granted it wasn't long but still, 8 chapters later and the book he had started was finished in the same day.

We all fell in love with this "Spanglish" book that I happened upon. To hear DH read it outloud with his thick Spanish accent was the best and funniest thing ever! Paco read it outloud yesterday and really tried to copy his daddy. It was darling.

The illustrations are too cute and we just love the way the story ends - a new spin that is worth finding this book!

It has an extensive glossary in the back to help out the folks who aren't sure what the words mean as well as how to say them in Spanish.

It's so fun to see reading turn from hard work to pleasure in a year. I love his school teacher and know his ability has been fine tuned under her care. We are so blessed!!!

Pepitas

Last night we carved pumpkins for the first time that the boys remember. Don't worry, I have enough mommy guilt that I don't need you feeling sorry for my kiddos. We go to the pumpkin patch three years running now so I'm not THAT bad a mama.

So, I took scores of photos but with one click of a button, Poof! They are gone - never to be retrieved. You'll just have to take my word for it. And I'll take more pictures of the finished project tonight.

Today, Pepitas are on the menu! Ree, The Pioneer Woman, has already done a fabulous job of showing us in her awesome style how to make them so check it out by clicking Pepitas at the top of this post. (Links are working for me here anymore.)

Enjoy! I know we will.

Canning Season 2011 Complete

Lots of jam and jelly made this year!

Right to Left: Pears, dill pickles and dilly beans
bottom shelf: zuchini, dill pickles, dilly beans, beans

You can barely see the jars of applesauce from last year (not canning any this year)
PEACHES! I love the peaches this year.

Tomatoes. I love canning tomatoes. I am not sure how many I canned total, but kept 63 qts for us. Canned for my mom and two brothers, too.

First year doing hot peppers! They are pickled but not dill so think nacho style hot peppers.

First year doing Dilly Beans - my Mom has done them in the past.

First year doing Zuchini Pineapple! I can't wait to try it! I bought organic pineapple juice and used the zukes from my garden so I'm very excited. Think crushed pineapple and that's the texture.

I enjoyed canning this year. I missed the time spent with my Mom but feel real good about having a nicely stocked pantry with most of it from our garden or own fruit trees!

Apples are soon but since I have applesauce and apple butter left from last year, it will be low-key and I'll dry more apples for snacks and granola. All in all, I feel great about the bounty the Lord blessed us with and look forward to eating quality food from our garden this winter. Now, if my freezer was stocked with home grown beef or better yet, elk or deer, I'd have no complaints what-so-ever!

Discombrugleated

My baby doesn't need me anymore. He's so unlike his older brother in many ways but in this way, they are WAY different. When he turned a year old, I lamented how different he already was from his brother. ( http://mamacitalujan.blogspot.com/2008/03/my-baby-is-1.html) My baby weaned himself at 16 months by one day shaking his head and refusing to nurse. He never nursed again. I was not prepared. I mourned. It was awful for me. He sucks his fingers. And has a favorite blanket. And sleeps in his own bed. His older brother had me... and my bed. And was forced to wean at 2 1/2 years old and it was awful for both of us. We mourned. We cried. We went through it together. I didn't know what I was wishing for when I wished for this: http://mamacitalujan.blogspot.com/2007/11/1-year-ago-now.html.

Okay, enough lamenting. Here is my baby, 4 1/2 years old, still not needing his mommy. He's in preschool now, 3 days a week and he loves it! He's such a character, check him out on his first day of school:
He could NOT stop laughing! We're talking belly laugh here people!

And what's really funny, is he was cracking himself up! I was trying to get a good picture here and the more I wanted him to "smile nicely for moma" he did this:Until I finally went to sport mode and got this out of him:

While the smile is what I wanted, looking back at these pictures, the crack up ones are my boy! They are HIM! And oh, how I lovew him and really don't want him to change... at all.

So, why the Discombrugleated post title? That is how I feel. I'm in an weird space mentally and emotionally. While he's not in school full time, he'd like to be. He's never ready to leave when I pick him up, looks forward to going to school each morning and is sad when it's not a school day.

When I was canning up a storm, I welcomed the break to get things done. Well, I'm done canning for the year.

My parents are in South America and I miss them terribly.

I don't have a quilt going. I want my sewing room so I can have a place that is "my space."

I miss having my baby around bugging me.

The chickens are fine. The garden is done and the chickens are enjoying gleaning it.

I miss my parents.

Fall is here and I want to get quilting. I need to get quilting!

Thankfully, Bible Study has begun and that is helping a great deal with me centering in on Jesus.

I'm fine. Really, I am. I just feel a little out of sorts and need to work the bugs out.

Country Aunt

This fall my brother brought two of his grandkids out to Aunt Joy's to feed the chickens, gather eggs and experience "life in the country!" I can't tell you how exciting it was for me to be the Country Aunt for the afternoon. We had so much fun!!!

Here is Gorgeous eating a peach fresh from the tree, having no idea that they didn't come from Walmart. She wasn't so sure she liked it either...

Here are the kids with their beautiful mother:

Feeding the hens, little man liked throwing the feed AT them instead of FOR them... not sure the hens cared as long as he didn't eat their feed. (which he tried and I told his mama, it was okay, it's organic feed!)

Gorgeous gathering the eggs:

Two darlings trying not to break any eggs!

It was a fun day and I can't wait til we do it again!!!

Fall

We are really missing my parents who are in Peru and Bolivia right now (Bolivia today, actually). They'll be home soon and we can't wait to hear all about their experiences!

Enjoy the pictures of fall!

Pumpkin Patch!

Fall 2009, ages 2 & 5!
Not sure what P is trying to do to J but I can't believe
how much they've grown and yet how much they
look the same!

2010, ages 3 and 6

2011, ages 4 & 7!

J had the option of going to the pumpkin patch with his preschool OR going with P to the same patch together. He wanted to go with his brother. So we asked P if he wanted J to go with him or if he only wanted his classmates... he wanted his bro! So, for the third year, they went together and had a blast! The weather was perfect and the company couldn't have been better.

We love fall time!

Call to Worship

John Keith Falconer said,

I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in land flooded with light.

Tele' from World Renewal Brazil shared about the opportunity to minister in NE Brazil on the campus of Barclay College and my oldest daughter and I got to experience the Holy Spirit moving in us! Evangelical Friends has partnered with WRB and we heard two students share their testimony of their recent internship in Brazil.

The Call to Worship centered on the quote from Falconer. I love being Friend but there are times when I feel especially blessed to not only be Friend but be among other Friends. I experience that feeling often at our Yearly Meeting sessions in Oregon. I have to say, I got an unexpected dose of blessing at Chapel on Thursday at Haviland Friends Church.

I have some more time to spend in prayer as the Holy Spirit leads me on how to live my one candle of life...

The Fort

My parents found this FORT (not playhouse thank you very much) on the side of the road. They stopped and found out they could have it if they came and got it... so, last night, Granddad and Dad took the boys to their surprise errand and at dark they pulled in with this:
(forgive the goolish photo - break lights, dark and person behind the camera did a number on it!)

Daylight brings this:
Inside that will soon be gutted:

More inside that needs work...LOVE the chalk board though!

There's even an option for electricity. Just plug in a reverse cord on the outside and VOILA! poower in the fort. We're opting for flashlights and lanterns right now though.

Side window that opens! New curtains have been ordered by the boys in either camo or cowboy - to be determined by what's on sale! HA!

New paint, copper penny roof, my kitchen from when I was little... put it on stilts and have a ladder to get to door, add a porch... the things being said on what we can do are endless. I'll keep you posted as progress is made!