Happy Halloween...

I don't know if I have ever mentioned this but I love caramel apples. So much that I have a rule that I can only eat them in October. I was just hanging out not doing anything and suddenly realized...it's Halloween, it's the last day of October, I probably need to eat a last caramel apple!

A Honeycrisp apple, Kraft caramels, a stick, a microwave and a couple minutes and I have a wonderful treat. 

I always get a little sad on Halloween. I loved making the girls costumes, finding the things to go with what we had made to make it perfect. I miss that. 

Now, quick before the month ends, go eat a carmel apple.

The Season of Lists...

So it begins...the season of lists. I mean, I always keep a notebook on the counter and make a list of each day and what needs to be done, but during this season it seems like things pick up at church and home and just about everywhere.

 Today this is what is getting checked off the list. A huge banner for Missions Week. I am almost done and if I don't go finish now it will still be on the counter tomorrow and that will drive me crazy. (And as Bryan would say "That's a pretty short drive." ha ha )

But this morning I told Ashley that I felt like I needed to make a list of my lists that I have. Yesterday I had a meeting for the Christmas Eve service and now I have a list of things that need to be done for that. I think that I need to put "Just say NO" on one day of my notebook of lists. Check that off. Now go and get that banner done.

The Kids Overnight...

On Sunday I picked up Amiah and Hudson and brought them out here to spend the night since it is Amiah's fall break from school.

 We were very busy. Playing with the dogs, gathering eggs, eating "punkin cookies", watching Bryan fish, playing with toys, feeding fish, running around, watching a movie, when Amiah saw my Volkswagon she said "Patti, I hate to tell you this but that isn't a slug bug, it looks more like a Dodge to me", getting to hang out with Ashley, going on a hayrack ride, eating popcorn, going to bed, getting up so early we watched the sunrise, eating banana-oatmeal pancakes (panbakes, as Hudson would say), going to Roca Berry Farm, and then home again.

We had a really great time and we were all worn out at the end of the day.

My Toms...

Yes, I have become a fan! Ashley has had a pair of Toms for ages and has always told me how comfortable they are. So I caved. I bought Natural Burlap. Yesterday they came and when I got home last night I tried them on and seriously wanted to sleep in them. So this morning I am wearing them with my pajamas still on. The best part...they give a pair of shoes to a needy child for every pair purchased. Comfortable and giving? Great shoes.

Tough Enough to Wear Pink...

Jayme brought her new puppy out last night. When they arrived he still had no name. He was sporting Mae's halter (that's why it's pink) and he made himself right at home. Oliver, of course, had to act like he was the king of the world and Mae was just chill about the whole thing. We went through all the names we could think of and then she landed on "Watson" as in Dr. Watson from Sherlock Holmes.

 Look at that face and those eyes.

He loves Jayme and he is a sweetheart. I'm very happy for her. He already sits on command, comes to her when asked and is beginning to learn how to stay. Oh, he will be better trained than any dog in our house! I mean, Oliver runs under the table when I say "come"...so...oh well, at least both my dogs know "Go downstairs" and "sit". 

Welcome to the family, Watson.

Jayme got a dog...

Ok, he's pretty cute! and BIG. He already weighs 30 lbs. He looks like the dog on Little Rascals. I can't wait to meet him. She just sent me this picture tonight because the pound called her at 5:45 and said she could come and adopt him. She was so excited. Happy girl. We were just finishing up making sure that he couldn't escape from her back yard. I think we did a fine job.

I bought a straightener...

and the first instruction on the pamphlet was...
1. Never use while sleeping.
There goes my beauty plan.

Sorry, I was busy...

I know you are all wondering where I was all weekend. No, well, I will tell you anyway. I was winterizing my chicken house. Otherwise known as the outhouse. Several weeks ago Bryan came home with some 1/8" luan and said "There you go, I got your wood now you can cover the inside of the chicken house." Good thing I know my way around the shop and the power tools. I started Friday, worked on it Saturday and finally on Sunday evening I got it done. Bryan did help me with some of the two person stuff.

 The ladies should be snug in there this winter and if they aren't it isn't because I didn't try.

 On Saturday when I came in to get a drink Ashley showed me this picture that she took with my camera of a huge Great Horned Owl sitting on our arbor. He also sits on our roof at night and hoots and eats rabbits that he catches. NOISY and a tad disgusting. He did this last night. I wasn't happy with him. We also have to watch Oliver very closely when he is around.

In other news, Bryan got the Volkswagon running and I took it for a little drive up the cul-de-sac. What fun that was. Just like old times. Next week we are having the mechanic in Firth just go over it to make sure it is all good. Then on to restoring the interior and the front fender and a new paint job. Can't wait.

The Bug Chronicles...

On Monday evening (Yes, this is Friday and I am finally telling you a story from Monday. I was embarrassed, ok, took me awhile to get over it. Not really, I just decided to tell it.) ANYWAY...Bryan brought the Volkswagon home from the guy we got it from. He had to borrow a trailer that had a ramp and stuff like that. When he got here, he needed help getting the car off the trailer. I went out there wearing flip-flops. First we have to unload the thing. He unchains it from the trailer and then says, "Ok, hop in and make sure the brakes don't just go to the floor." I get in, check the brakes and think they are ok but what do I know. He says, "I will push the car onto the edge of the trailer and when I get there, you put the brakes on and I will guide you down the ramps, into the shed." Sounds good. But the hitch, at this point, is that the trailer is tilted uphill and the car wants to roll the wrong way. Bryan says "I am going to just pull the trailer out a little to the flat spot on the drive." I am still in the car on the trailer, of course. Why I was unprepared for the car to start rolling toward the end of the trailer is beyond me. Just wasn't thinking about it, I suppose. Minor freak out on my part. Fortunately for me there was a ramp and the brakes did work. I stopped it at the edge of the trailer. Did I mention that the ramp wasn't exactly the greatest ramp in the world? It had a huge gapping hole right where the car needed to go down and it needed a board there. Bryan hops out and says, "What's the panic? The brakes worked and there is a ramp." Always so calm. Annoying. But not really. He pushes the car onto the ramp, helps me avoid the hole and the car is on the driveway, but it still needs to go into the shed which is still at a slight uphill slope. I say, "Oh, Volkswagons aren't that heavy, let's just push it into the shed." Bryan goes to the back end, I put it in neutral and we start to push it up the slight incline to the shed. We have a rock driveway, I am wearing flip-flops, (I am just reviewing since I am getting, finally, to the embarrassing part) the car is really heavier than I remembered  and I am at the driver's side of the car with the door open. I am pushing with all my might, the car is going forward slowly and my feet slip out from under me, I do some sort of body slam onto the driveway and roll under the car. Bryan can't help me because he is keeping the car from rolling over me and I am laughing so hard I can't get up, so I just had to  roll over, out from under the car. I know as soon as I stand up that I am going to have a major bruise on an area where no one will ever see it. (You notice there are no visuals with this blog.) Honestly, I wish there would have been a video because it must have been hilarious, but you will just have to use your imaginations. The car finally did find it's home in the shed and I am still walking upright so no harm done. 

I will keep you posted on the progress of the restoration. I need to get some before pictures. Project for today because, if you know Bryan at all, the thing will be half done before I can even take one picture.

If you need a workout plan...

I have the perfect solution. Spend an hour at the park with a 3 year old. I climbed the ladders, went down the slide and rode the rocking alligator. Looked strange, I am sure but it was a work out. The best part was that it wasn't intentional it just happened and we had a blast.

I wish there would have been blog sites when my kids were little and digital cameras.

I dream in sight words...

This last couple weeks, Amiah has a list of sight words on the counter that we have to go over daily for school. This morning I woke up realizing that I was dreaming about sight words. I'm surprised that I don't dream about combining corn and driving a tractor, because Hudson and I played that for about 2 hours in the back yard yesterday. 

Now, I ask you...if this face came into the house and said "Hi Ah-mom." reached up for a hug and gave you  very dusty kisses that resulted in having dirt on your lips, would you mind? I sure didn't. 

Fortune Palace...

Almost every Sunday our family eats lunch together at Fortune Palace. We have eaten there so often that the people who own it and work there all know our names and what we drink and... you get the idea. Anyway, we always read our fortunes out of the cookies and sometimes they make us laugh and sometimes they make no sense at all. My sister, Jenny, told me that when they get fortune cookies they have to say "This is about ____________ (whatever they choose)" and then they can open the cookie and see if the fortune fits. So we started doing that. I decided this morning that maybe each week I should post what my fortune is. Ok, I will. Today, I opened my cookie and THERE WAS NO FORTUNE! I am an unfortunate person apparently. 

So I have to use Bryan's. Ironic that the day I decide to blog my fortune, I don't have one.

On Cleaning the Fridge and Pumpkin Donuts...

Yesterday I was doing stuff around the house and was making food for 10 people who were coming to dinner and in the process I decided to clean the fridge. Why? Why do I do this sort of thing? But I did. The best part about this whole deal was that Ashley was sitting at the counter drinking coffee and talking with me while I cleaned. So I said "I'm going to freeze these bananas that are in here." Ashley puts them in a freezer bag for me. Then I said "Maybe we should just make banana bread with them." and as I was saying that, and cleaning I found a dish with some pumpkin in it. "Is this your pumpkin?" (I only use pumpkin around Bobbi's birthday and Thanksgiving.) It was hers. We decided to add some pumpkin to the banana bread recipe. Then I was remembering working at Roca Berry Farm years ago and smelling the pumpkin donuts early in the morning and well, the next thing we knew, we were making a batch of pumpkin donut holes and six loaves of pumpkin banana-bread. 

I just considered it a reward for cleaning the fridge. 

The donuts were amazing!

 By the way the color of that dish is going to be the color of my Volkswagon.

A whispered wish remembered...

I don't always expect Bryan to hear everything I say. (Actually, it is probably a really good thing he doesn't. I am not always the nice person you see here.) But one day, last spring, as we were driving to Beatrice, to get a couple more chicks, we passed an old 1970 Volkswagon that was for sale. $8000.00. As we drove by, I was looking out the window and just sort of said to myself, "Oh, I would love to have a Volkswagon, just for fun. They are just so cute." We went to Tractor Supply, ran our errands and came home. 

That was last spring.

Yesterday, Bryan came home from work, we ate supper and while we ate he said, "There is an old 1972 Volkswagon parked in a field up on 82nd and Bennett Road that's for sale. Let's go look at it." Me "Ok." So he calls the guy and we go look at it. It runs, there is one front fender very damaged that needs replacing and the interior is in sort of sad shape. A fixer upper. So we chat with the guy and then we are driving away and Bryan says "So do you want it?" Me, amazed "Well, I would love it, but it really isn't necessary and I'm just not sure that I should have it just because of a whim, so no, we probably shouldn't. It was fun to look at though. So no, we don't need to get it." He remembered my whispered wish from last spring. 

Turns out he has kept his eye out for a really good deal all this time. 

Cut to this afternoon. 

Phone rings. 

"Are you sure you won't kick yourself? I would enjoy the process of  fixing it up and then if you decide you really don't want it we can get the little bit that it cost back out of it. You've got your Volkswagon. I called Ed and it's yours." 

Oh, my word! I can't tell you how excited I am to be able to buzz around in this little beauty. He is going to repaint it for me sort of Robin's egg blue. 

Thank you, Bryan, for hearing my heart.

Shooting...

Sunday afternoon, Bryan, Chan, Tyler and I went out to Shad's farm and shot the rifle I will use for hunting my deer and we also shot a .22 pistol and a .38. Not to brag...ok, yes to brag! Here are the results from just one of the targets.

The rifle shot in this picture was my very first shot. Then I had to go ahead and make 3 bullseyes out of 6 shots on the other two targets that were further away. And one bowling pin through the center that was on a post at 105 yards. Ok, enough bragging. That deer, though, is as good as dead if it walks in front of me. I'll keep you posted.
P.S. Yes, my right shoulder was in pain that evening.

The Masks We Wear...

On Sunday Bryan preached out of James 1:19-27. In an earlier post I told about building huge masks to go on stage for this weekend. Well, they were up and also a 4'x4' "sticky note" and huge pencil that I made for the stage also. It was an amazing service. At the beginning every person who walked through the doors got a mask. Then at the end of each service Bryan asked everyone to write on their mask the things that they hide from people and are afraid to admit. It was powerful. Then everyone threw their mask on the floor and symbolically left their issues at the foot of the cross. 

 You can see the masks on the steps up to the stage. This was after third service. The floors on the way out were littered with tons more masks.

Is the Effect worth the Cause?

This was my kitchen on Saturday morning.

Every year for the past 13 years, on a weekend in October, our family and the Schlegel family have gotten together, eaten Korean food and carved pumpkins. What started as an innocent dinner invitation turned into a Festival that we all look forward to every fall. We have added people along the way. This year we had 20 people here. Our family, Blake Bishop, Fred and Cathy Schlegel, Chelsey (Schlegel) and Troy Kirk, their three kids, Amani, Finley and Beckham, Barry and Andrea Grieser (the people Ashley was nanny for and now I am) their two kids (and one on the way) Amiah and Hudson, Jon and Alicia (Clark) Reisinger, their friend, Topher, his wife and little girl couldn't come. Lots of food and noise. 

I heard "Hey, Patti, I need..." about a million times. 

First thing of the evening was a hay rack ride around the horse trail. 

We had such amazing weather. 

 Ashley with Hudson, Amiah and Amani.

 Ashley and Hudson

Amiah, Ashley and Blake

 Jayme wanted people to wear costumes so Bobbi came up with this - Jayme is the bride of a Husker player and Bobbi, Blake and Ashley are the jealous bridesmaids. Ashley just forgot that she was supposed to be jealous so we decided in this picture she is the bridesmaid who has a fake smile like she is so happy for the bride. 

 Cathy wins, hands down, for the best costume of the night. Good job, Cathy. I wore and apron and pretended I was a cook. But since the apron is made out of old overalls, I also could pretend to be a farmer's wife. Haha.

 Let the eating begin.

Lots of food was consumed. 8 pounds of pulgogi, 30 eggrolls, probably a gallon of stir fried veggies and enough rice for 20. 

 Amani, Amiah and Finley

 Hudson

 Finley

 Hudson got such a kick out of Bryan putting the mask in front of his face.

Amani and Amiah modeling theirs projects in process.

 Then the carving begins. Chelsey and Bobbi have carved together for probably 12 years. They are always inventive.

 Ashley and Troy have carved together since he married Chelsey.

 Alicia and Jon joined us last year. We love having them.

 Jayme and Bobbi deep in a serious talk, I am sure

 Ashley and Blake. 

 Blake and Fred. This looks like a serious competition! 

 Jayme and Alicia created this Pokemon One Pumpkin.

 Blake's Bird.

 Fred's. We never know what Fred's are.

 Jon and Topher created this striped beauty. 

 Bryan always makes sure that there is a traditional looking one in the bunch.

 Ashley and Troy had a green pumpkin so they did Elphiba from Wicked. (I always have to have all sorts of assorted things for people to use if they want.)

 Bobbi and Chelsey's Pirate Ship Pumpkin. 

All the finished products on the porch. 

So you tell me...was the effect worth the cause? I think so. Every year when I clean up I get excited for the next year when we can do it all again.