Kneads

"I like making our own food. When you make your own food, it is like your own work of art" Morgan, while we were making bread.

Morgan helped knead the bread. She loves being a part of cooking and baking. This day we were making Tuscan flat bread.


And Oh! was it good! I will share the recipe next week.

Ice

The snow has been covered by a sheet of ice. Beautiful to look at, really hard to walk on. Lucky for you, I did the walking part and you just get to see the pictures.

My back steps--a lot slicker than they look. I knew to be careful and I still almost fell. Shuffling across my driveway was no less dangerous. I needed iceskates!

The ice on our granite bench. Sorry the focus is bad--I promise for better photos when (if) I ever get the nice camera I am looing at. The point and shoot kept focusing on the azaleas behind the bench.

Even the evergreen needles were just coated . . . it completely weighed down the trees. I expect we might have some broken branches if it doesn't melt soon.


I hope the sun comes out later. I think sun glittering on a landscape of ice is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.
I think the kids will be staying inside today, though.

Snow Day!!

"I'm so glad this is winter and not summer, because if it was summer, this would just be rain." --Morgan

I think this photo is called "the power of positive thinking". There is no way there is enough snow for a snow angel. But Morgan tried anyway.

This photo is entitled "Contemplative". Wait--every photo of Adeline could be entitled "Contemplative" . . .

Except this one. She loved the snow!

"Where's Waldo Lottie?" Oh--see, her hair has grown back! She is no longer FrankenLottie. She loved the snow--I am pretty sure she was imagining being a super secret pekingese undercover operative. She can blend into any background! Or, maybe just white ones.

The dogs loved cold weather and the snow. You had to be careful not to get bowled over in the midst of their games of chase. This photo is entitled "Kallie has a stick. Kallie always has a stick"

Drama

Morgan got a virus last week.

Day 1
Sore throat, headache, fever.

At first I was worried that she had contracted strep throat from her cousin, and I immediately hauled her into the doctor (I don't mess with strep throat). Luckily, the cultures came back negative. So, I kept her home from school the rest of the day so she could rest, but fully intended for her to go back to school the next day.

Day 2
The next day, however, she woke up and her right eye was very, very red. Well, crud, I thought. Now she has pink eye??? I chose to observe her for a day rather than take her back to the doctor, since she was coughing pretty hard and I hoped it was just burst blood vessels.
Yea! It was. (I know--that isn't a good thing, but it is better than pink eye!)

But she went to bed at 4:30 that afternoon and didn't get up till 8:00 the next morning. Well, kind of. She was actually up most of the night coughing, despite the medicine I gave her.

Day 3
Chris and I made the executive decision to keep her home one more day. I really hated for her to miss that much school, but it is only Kindergarten--and one of the days had been a celebration day at the school. I also called the teacher the day before to ask if I could pick up any work.


Days 4 & 5
So, now she has had the weekend to recover. She still has a nasty cough and did volunteer to take a nap both Saturday and Sunday (not normal!), but I think it is more than time to get back to school.

Morgan however, was coming up with all sorts of drama to stay home another day. "but I am still coughing" "but what if I start throwing up?" "but I feel dizzy all of a sudden"

She is a Drama Queen.

Like the other day when she bumped her head. Not a big bump. She fell off a chair (typical Morgan). And hit carpet.

This of course required an ice pack. And if Morgan has an ice pack on her head . . .


Adeline wants one, too.
I guess she is a Drama Queen in Training

(side note: Morgan's eye patch is not an injury but actually part of a treatment that we have been using for a year and a half now. Praise God, at this point in time she does not need a second surgery!!)

Barefeet

Anyone who has been reading the blog lately knows that, although I have learned to love winter, I still struggle with it. Growing up in a place where 110 wasn't abnormal (and I didn't consider it hot until it was about 98 or above), I still prefer heat to cold.

So, after two weeks of frigid temperatures, I am thrilled that the high today is going to hit almost 60. How does that happen? The high yesterday was something like 25.

I guess I should go take the blankets off the horses. It will be a good time to repair the tear in Ming's blanket.
And I need to make sure the water trough is filled to overflowing since the hoses and spigot won't be frozen.
And probably clean up the guinea hen coop.

No rest for the farmgirl.


I wouldn't mind a couple days in the tropics, though. I am daydreaming of days like this . . .

Sun, tank tops, and bare feet in the grass.

Earning the Adoration of my Horses

I think Chivalry is telling me something. Maybe, "hey--the water is a solid block of ice again. do something about it! Oh, and I'm hungry."

I think he also might have splinters in his tongue, now.

With all the arctic temperatures we have been dealing with lately, it has been a lot more work keeping the horses supplied with water. We have a tank heater, but the outside spigot froze and we have only been able to get it dethawed one day in the last 10 days (and then it froze again), so it is hard to keep the water levels high enough to turn the heater on.


So, I haul these nasty things into my kitchen. High class farms have all matching buckets. We don't. High class farms also have automatic waterers with heaters. We don't have those either.

But I bet you can guess which bucket is the one Lil Bit picked out for her pony.

Then I put those nasty buckets into my kitchen sink and fill them up with warm water.

Really makes you want to come eat at my house, doesn't it?

I do clean the sink and counters after this. No, really! I do!

And then I carry two of those buckets at a time out of the kitchen, down the back hall, out the door, across the back porch, down the steps, across the yard, across the drive, into the field, and dump them into the water trough.

Rinse and repeat.

Do my horses appreciate all this work??


I think so. I got kisses from Chivalry.

And sweet looks from Annie.

And then she rubbed her head all on my back, which I view as a sign of love but is probably just because her face itches--hey, I take what I can get.

Oh . . . I am developing some great muscles from these workouts. There is a bright side to everything. Still--I can't wait for a couple days above freezing.

Defining Irony

Last week, I shared a photo that I found a bit ironic. Later that day, while driving, I noticed something else I found rather ironic . . .

Does anyone else find it odd that tax services use the Statue of Liberty to advertise helping the government take away your money?? (I also felt rather bad for the two people dressed in rather wimpy costumes dancing on the roadside just to stay warm in 8 degree weather!) I mean, I understand the government needs money in order to function. But Lady Liberty? She of "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free . . ."?

Or am I the only one who sees the irony there? Maybe I am. Feel free to ignore my ramblings.

Then there is this that I found in an online article: "Gun rights supporters flooded the state capitol Monday to lobby legislators. Hundreds of people, many carrying pistols, converged on the General Assembly building . . . to support gun friendly bills."

I mean, I am not anti-gun by any means. But I think that offering friendly encouragement usually doesn't involve a pistol. Again, maybe that is just me.

These two events sparked some great educational discussion on "irony" with Morgan. It was great fun coming up with examples of irony. But, irony doesn't just happen in the news or on the streets. It happens in my own house.

At 2:30 in the morning.

I was thrilled. Thrilled, I tell you!

Due to our house being nearly 100 years old, the bathrooms weren't part of the original plan. Thus, the upstairs one especially is in an awkward location. The only way to get to it is through one of the bedrooms. Our bedroom. So, if Lil Bit needs to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, I wake up when she tries to sneak quietly through our room (and usually fails miserably). Then I often drift back off to sleep, knowing it is just my child and she will probably be in there 20 minutes.

I think she falls asleep on the toilet or something.

The other night, though, I got woken back up by someone poking my shoulder. Loud whisper: "mommy?? mommy? Should I not flush the toilet so I don't wake you and daddy up?"

Ah, the irony.

The Bitty Moments

Right now, Adeline is walking around in her lavender snowsuit, no socks, one of Morgan's blue crocs, one of Morgan's black dress shoes, and carrying a black dress purse I got for my birthday.

It is the little things that make our days so special, and it is often the little things that are so easily forgotten. One of the main reasons I love "blogging" is because I get a chance to record all those small, everyday events. I also find I take a lot more photos (and am really hoping to purchase a digital SLR camera soon--all donations accepted!). Like the photo I was just going to take of Adeline in her fabulous get-up this morning. Except, she took off the shoes and dropped the purse before I could snap the photo. I did get a beautiful one of her in her snowsuit and glamorous bed head look, though.

I am not sure how I ended up with such a serious kid!

While Adeline tends to make me laugh with the things she does (or wears), Morgan cracks me up with the phrases she chooses.
Some recent Morganisms:

While driving back from visiting with family over the holidays, we enjoyed looking at all the "Christmas Museums" (a Morganism for those houses that have lots of lights and decorations). We drove by one home that was particularly amazing. I think every square inch of the house was coated in lights--and there were at least 8-10 blow-up figurines in the yard, along with various other reindeer and such. I thought Morgan would love it, but her comment was "Oh wow, I don't know what they were thinking! They must have been like SNAP! I would have just thrown a few lights on the roof and called it good." Since when does a five year old say "and called it good"?? And where on earth did she pick up the phrase "snap!"?

And then last week, a friend took cupcakes in to school for her son's birthday. She called me afterward to tell me this story . . .


Morgan came up to her during the class festivities and said, "Thank you so much for bringing in the cupcakes . . . . I'm not really a huge fan of Batman, though . . . so can I give you the ring?"
At least she was being polite about rejecting the cupcake theme.

Dreams

This morning, Lil Bit and I watched Mart Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. I was again blown away by the hope he had. Not a hope for something unattainable, but something he believed should and could be. And I pray that all of us will be able to not be judged (or judge) "by the color of [our] skin (or any other external characteristic), but by the content of [our] character."

Frivolous Friday--Baby Edition

No, I am not pregnant again. Although I won't rule that out as a possibility in the future. But not now, not yet.

Still, my sister found a website that takes pictures of you and your spouse and tells you what your future kids may look like. I did a girl first because I wanted to see if they got anywhere close to our girls.



I must say, the Bits are MUCH cuter. That girls face doesn't quite fit with her head. And the chances of Chris and I having a straight haired child is pretty much nil. But, at least she is the same race as us (my sister ended up with a "kid" of a very different ethnicity, which we thought was hysterical!).

But, Chris and I should apparently avoid having boys--or I should at least use different pictures when trying to create one. Tell me this kid isn't truly ugly???



actually--he isn't ugly--he is CREEPY!!

Ballerinas

Lil Bit has just started taking dance.

Like every little girl, she has longed to be a ballerina . . .

Morgan has the confidence and poise, even if she is (in the general course of her days) lacking in grace.

Then again, maybe she will uncover a hidden talent. Chris' mom was a ballerina, so it is in the genes. Either way, she is having a blast--which is really the pointe. (Pointe--get it! hahaha. I am already a dance mom, using corny plays on words.)

Oh, and Lil Bit already has an adoring fan club who just wants to do everything she does.

Winter

Growing up in a very warm, Southern climate, I have trouble with cold. Especially the damp, windy cold.

My first winter at college (in a state that actually had winters!), I thought I was going to absolutely die the first time it dropped into the 40s. I still remember my roommate walking in and laughing at me because I was in two sweatshirts and wrapped up in my bed blankets and quilt while drinking hot tea. She was from a more Northern state and didn't think the 40s was really anything to get all worked up about. She probably thought I was a total freak when I made her go take pictures with me the first time we got snow flurries, but my roommate was kind enough to humor me (and even smile for the pictures).

It took me two years to get (fairly) accustomed to winter. I still am not sure I see much point to freezing rain--just snow already! And I still get cold and sometimes have trouble warming up (although one blanket and a cup of tea will usually fix it now). I don't think I will ever like the shortened days.

But now, in spite of those things, I actually enjoy the season. There is a stark beauty that is hidden during spring and summer and autumn. The intricacy of the bare branches, the diamond encrusted blades of grass after a frost, the purity of the landscape after a snowfall.


Living on the farm has brought even more enjoyment. Looking out in the morning at a field completely coated in frost; or at the ancient trees, devoid of leaves in stark contrast to the gray sky (I did not take that photo in black and white, by the way. if you enlarge it--by clicking it--you can tell there is some color); or the immense quiet that the pine forest has now that the animals and birds are either sleeping or taking vacations in warmer climates.

Every season, every morning, brings some new beauty, a new wonder to enjoy. I am trying to treasure each of them.

Child Labor

When you have a farm, even a small one, everyone does something. And no slacking--just because you aren't out of diapers doesn't mean you don't do your share.

We feel we have split up the chores fairly evenly. Morgan feeds the dogs each morning . . .

Adeline hays the horses.




She works hard for her goldfish crackers and juice boxes. Maybe she should consult a union for better benefits.

You know, something more than free room, board, meals three times a day and snacks in between. Plus, all the kisses and hugs she can handle.

No one really appreciates her plight. It is the curse of moms farm kids.

The horses don't understand how hard she works. They think a secret chef makes wonderful meals just magically appear on the table and get rather cantankerous if there isn't food instantly available when they are hungry.

Oh, sorry--wrong tangent.


"Seriously, mom, can I be done yet? I really need a diaper change. And some goldfish. And maybe a kiss."

Irony

There are a few things you need to understand before you can grasp the irony of the following picture:

1. Morgan has had some issues with her eyesight. We did surgery last year, and it looks like we might need to do another (I am taking her back to the doctor soon). In order to strengthen her weak eye, we patch the strong one each afternoon.

2. Adeline likes to be exactly like her big sister. So, sometimes we let her wear a patch, too. In order to not mess with her eyesight, though, we usually just stick it on her forehead.

3. My kids never pose perfectly for a photo.

4. Except once . . .

My Personal Mechanics

We really try to make sure our girls have a variety of experiences--not just "girly" ones. Yes, they may dress up like princesses, but then they go out and make mud pies . . .

. . . or work on cars. These were taken at the nearby Children's museum. Morgan was rotating the tires . . .

and then did some exhaust system repair. She looks downright professional there. But that was nothing compared to a few days later when she actually helped Chris do something or other to one of our vehicles (yes, my five year old probably knows more about cars than I do).

Don't you love the cherry-rainboots? Every good car mechanic should have a pair of those.

I have no idea what they are taking apart here. But we highly suspect this car sat around for a while at some point, because we (and by we, I mean they) found this behind one of the panels:

A mud-dobber's nest. Just what every engine needs to run well.

Crazy

The post-holiday schedule has been even busier than the holiday schedule. Now that Lil Bit is back in school today, I am hoping for some resemblance of normal to return (hahahahaha).

In the meantime, please say a prayer for my sanity. Not because of the schedule. Not because we are adding another activity to our busy lives--Morgan starts ballet today--and not because my normal state of mind is slightly off-kilter (although, admittedly, it is).

Because Adeline has a new favorite word: "Mommy"

Why would such a sweet word coming out of the mouth of such a sweet looking child drive me crazy? Because she doesn't say it is a sweet voice.
It is "moommmmmYYYYYY mommmmmYYYYY". (imagine the last syllable in a nice shriek)

She. says. this. three. hundred. times. a. minute.

Usually while clinging to my leg, or while I am putting on her shoes. or while I am already in the process of getting her juice. or cheese. or eggs. or milk. or pretzels.

My nerves are shot, I tell you.

I will resume normal blogging tomorrow--maybe with some ballerina pictures. In the meantime, look at this sweet face and realize that, yes, she is sugar . . .


. . . but she is also quite a bit of spice.

Entropy

The Law of Entropy states that everything moves from order to chaos. Fence boards get knocked down, trees fall across driveways, green grassy fields turn wet and muddy . . .

and Adeline's hair goes from neat and orderly (well, as much as curly hair can be) to a wild mess.
Let me give one illustration of how this particular form of entropy occurs. We recently visited a Children's Museum with some friends. Towards the end of the visit, the kids spent some time on the slide.
Static Friction + Curly Hair = chaos
Step one:

Step Two . . .
Step Three . . .

Step Four . . .
Adeline's hair is now sheer chaos. (Oh, and she is laughing there, even though it looks like she is upset.)