Our Week

We processed another pumpkin. This latest one weighed 7.4 lbs. I don't think there are any more pumpkins left in the garden. 

I took Luci to our closest splash pad.  That's a fancy term for a place where water squirts up through the ground.  It was lots of fun for Luci.  I still got some sunburn, even though I sat in the shade the whole time.  I also got to visit with a homeschool mom, Sara, as we watched our kids play.  That part was fun for me.

One thing we learned is that a kid can get an accidental enema from these jets.  Poor Luci. I did get her to the bathroom before the explosion hit, and I was able to clean her up in the van.  Good thing there were some extra clothes in the van.  The next night on the local news, there was a story on E Coli contamination in area splash pads.  How timely!  Testing the Waters, Channel 19. 

Thursday, after working at the Friendship Center, Luci and I headed to Huntsville to get a Smurf at Build a Bear Workshop.  They were out of girl Smurfs, so that was a bust.  Except that Luci ended up with a teddy bear instead, which cost half as much as a Smurf, so we both were happy.  We visited Redstone Arsenal to get groceries at the Commissary, so it was not all about Smurfs.  We did some good stocking up, too.

Luci's highlight of the day (since the Smurf was AWOL) was riding the Cow-levator.  What's that, you ask?  It's the elevator at the mall that has a Chik-Fil-A cow painted on the door.  She kept telling me she wanted to ride the Cow-levator...I didn't even remember the cow.  But she did.

When she told me she wanted to ride the ask-a-lator, I figured that one out much more quickly.

Guess Who?

John found a photo album yesterday, and we had fun looking through it.

Here's a photo of me with my Mom and siblings 'way back when we lived in Albuquerque.  You can tell I was thrilled to be a big sister, loving that I am no longer the one in Mom's lap.  Yeah.

Now I know where JT gets that face.  Here he is at about age 4, in an angel costume at church.  Martha Harrison, JT's Sunday school teacher that year, dressed all the kids up, took their photos and decorated the class with them.  You can tell JT's thrilled with the get-up.

Oh, JT, you are so cute!

Pumpkin!

Luci planted pumpkins this year.  Today John harvested the very first one.  Luci and I worked to preserve it, and made some muffins along the way.  I followed the directions on this site.

Here she is!  This pumpkin weighed 7.2 lbs.  It is really too large for freezing, according to the things I've read online because the larger the pumpkins are, the stringier they can be.  We didn't let that stop us.

Not so sure about the innards!

It was really easy to separate the seeds from all that goop.  Just put the stuff in a bowl, add water, and watch the seeds float to the top.  Pick those out, then stir the mess again.  If the seeds are stuck to the fibers, just rub them between your fingers.  They will come loose.  The bowl of water makes it so easy.  I roasted the seeds (Luci added the butter and salt) and we enjoyed them after supper.  Directions here.

We steamed the pumpkin, a bit at a time, in the microwave.

Pureeing the flesh.  The site recommended a hand blender.  Mine did not work.  The VitaMix had no problem!

We had enough for three packets for the freezer (one will make a batch of muffins, two will make a pie), and enough left over for...

Muffins!  These were so good!  Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins from allrecipes.com. 

JT refused to try a muffin.  He won't eat anything that's the same color as his hair (orange).  I tried to get him to taste just a crumb of one, a crumb loaded with chocolate chips, but he wouldn't!  He did, however, make off with half of the roasted pumpkin seeds.

The Great Pumpkin Experiment is a winner!

John's been busy!

This week John put together a platform for Luci to sleep on.  Before I show you this fantastic bed/sleeping platform, let me show you the other beds that Luci has had in her room since moving here:  

November 2006 ~~Bryan putting Luci's crib together

 March 2008  ~~  Just the crib mattress on the floor

 July 2008 ~~ a real bed, big enough for Mommy to sleep with Luci (yeah, right, as soon as she nods off, she's perpendicular!).  Also big enough for company, should any be brave enough to stay here overnight....

 December 2010 ~~ Maybe, just maybe, she'll sleep in this bed

and Today ~~ the extravaganza, the whoop-de-doo, the bed to end all beds!

Whatcha wanna bet that she won't sleep here, either?

This is a fantastic play space!

I figure this is just another pretty bed, set up for looking at.  Because I betcha she won't sleep in it any time soon.

Usually Luci and I end up on the floor in the living room.  When she starts out in her room, she ends up on the floor with me there--crammed between her bed and the kitchen playset (it's a tiny, tiny room).  So, we end up moving to the living room floor. 

It's getting kind of old for this old mommy.  I don't get stiff, which is a surprise to both John and me.  It's just that I'd rather Luci be able to sleep by herself.  She wants a little sister, then "I can sleep with her, mommy!"  Yeah, right.  I don't think that's happening.  So, I sleep with her.  Luci's counselor says this will pass, Luci will eventually not need me next to her.  Be tough, you say?  I baby her, you say?  You are not living with a sweet little girl who thinks she's being abandoned.  Again.  :( 

Look, Ma! No Cavities!

Luci and I had an appointment for teeth-cleaning and came back with a no-cavity report.  Yay!

But Luci is showing some serious need for braces....

And earlier last week, I found this sweet surprise on the top of a new carton of Daisy Sour Cream--a tiny heart!

First Day!

Our school year officially began yesterday.  Here's our annual photo.  I have taken photos each year, measuring them against the hutch to see their growth.  What you see is one boy who grew by leaps and bounds last year!  And yes, he's wearing his pajamas.  On a school day.  Because when you homeschool, you can do that. 

What you don't see:  Bryan, in the background, laughing at the two who must start school.  It was hard for me to see only two kids in the picture this time.  Sniff, sniff. 

Luci began Mandarin Chinese with Rosetta Stone today.  She's so excited about it!  I also began today, with the Mandarin, to keep her company. We use the homeschool version of Rosetta Stone and I love it.  It is almost like a game, and the homeschool version keeps track of everything for me, including scoring.

Bryan completed two years of Spanish (Latin America) with them, and JT completed one year or Spanish.  This year he's working on Korean.  Someday he wants to go to South Korea and train further in Tang Soo Do, so Korean is his big interest right now.  This shows a screen in the Mandarin lesson from today.

Here are some blasts from the past, showing how the kids have grown.

 1997  Only one student that year! 

 2007  I absolutely LOVE Luci in this photo.

2008

 2009

We are now pet owners.

Luci out-lasted me and so now we have a hamster. 

Yes, it's in a pink cage and yes its name is Fluffy or FluffBall (changing all the time).  And yes, it's MALE.  In a Pink cage.  With a name like "Fluffy."  I refuse to pay for the animal's therapy, so if it has issues then, well, I don't care.

Such a happy Hamster Mommy!

Road Trip!

Thursday...St. Louis

Luci was so excited to see the Arch in person.  Right before this photo was taken, she whispered, "Can I touch it?"

Saturday...Wall Drug in South Dakota.  Luci was scandalized at John's enjoyment of this beauty.

Jackelope!

Sunday...Mount Rushmore. My favorite picture of the whole trip.

Breakfast with the presidents.

Bighorn National Forest, Wyoming.  This pass was opened just one week before we drove through!  The snow was about 2 feet deep here.

Monday...Yellowstone National Park.  Old Faithful.

Yellowstone Lake.  I took a photo of Bryan and JT on this very rock nine years before.  Almost to the very day.  It was not snowy then!  We were amazed by all the snow.

More later!

For Mom

Mom, we are using a few "Pretty Things" for our 4th of July celebration today.  The carrots and tomatoes came from our garden, and we're having some corn on the cob from the garden, too.

And don't forget the banana pudding in the crystal bowl!  It's still in the fridge, hence this silly shot.

Thanks again for the Pretty Things.  Luci especially loved that we are using some of them today.

Wish you all could join us for ribs and potato salad!