The Correct Way to Make Cinnamon Toast

Okay all you cinnamon toast lovers out there! It has come to my attention that you are all making horrible cinnamon toast and this must be stopped immediately. Cinnamon toast is the ultimate comfort food, a treat that we always eat when we come in from playing in the snow, late night football games, after school snacks, that time when you have been sick and are just getting your appetite back, bedtime munchies, and a treat when you need a pick me up. I love cinnamon toast and it must be eaten with either hot chocolate, coffee, a mug of hot tea or a cold glass of milk. Those of you out there who are exploiting the goodness of cinnamon toast and, godforbid, putting your bread in the toaster must stop this devilment at once. Here is the correct way to make cinnamon toast....

Ahem...

First get yummy bread. Whatever you're in the mood for, whole wheat, a nutty baguette, even plain old white sandwich bread. Put it on a foil-lined cookie sheet, spaced far apart. Place it in a 400 degree oven and brown it's little bottom. Brown, now girls. Not black. You have to peek at it once in a while.

Then flip it over and slather on melted butter. Don't spread cold butter on, it's not the same. It has to be melted and brushed on! Really. Then sprinkle on a mixture of white sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle on a lot. Until your arm hurts.

Then bake it until it's golden around the edges and slightly soft in the center. This must be monitored closely because there is a happy medium. Too crispy and it's just not scrumptious enough. Too soft and the purpose is defeated. I check for golden, crusty edges. That'll do, pig. (What movie is that from, Mommies?)

Then quickly remove from oven, cut into triangles and serve with hot chocolate.

Yum!

Mariage a l'eglise

Well. The wedding of the century is this weekend in the City and we are all aflutter getting prepared. I'm headed off today to get my manicure and pedicure since tomorrow is filled with hair styling. As you know, my nearest and dearest childhood companion, my sweet cousin Ellen who was raised as close as a sister to me is getting hitched on Saturday. We are headed down to the City for Love's Young Dream's celebration!

It's like a Hollywood wedding weekend. Seriously. Hotels and brunches and ladies lunches and days at the spa and all. I'm exhausted just thinking about it. But I'm all set. I guess. I had to go shop for what I laughingly call a girdle the other day. It's really a fancy body suit to help me squeeze into the bridesmaid dress that would have looked fab-oo on me ten years ago, but now just makes me look round and Mummsy-ish. But I am a Mummsy and way too old to be matron of honor. Only for Ellie.

But my girls. Oh my precious girls in their flower girl dresses! Oh wait until you see them. They look like little petite fours sprinkled with powdered sugar and candy coating. You know I'll post obnoxious pictures of them next week, so beware!

And of course Jason is going to try his best not to outshine the groom as an usher! Girls, he cleans up good! I'll try really hard not to lick him during the ceremony. But no promises can be made!

There's something so forgiving about a bride. They can be manic and crazy and diva-ish for several weeks leading up to the day and everyone in their intimate circle excuses them. Why is that? I was like that. I had a near meltdown on my wedding day after I spent several hours and loads of cash in the salon getting my hair done. I was a mere enfant when I got married, so I was at that stage of my life where I wouldn't tell anyone if I hated something I just lived with it. So as the hair stylist who had cut my hair for years teased and sprayed my hair into something unrecognizable I smiled and nodded. Yes, that's exactly what I want. Thank you. In reality as soon as I was out the door and into my cherry red 1962 Ford Falcon with my bouffant I FREAKED out and raced to the church where my mom had her army boots on shouting orders to all in sight. I hiccupped and coughed and spluttered and cried and whined until she just got a brush, took the bobby pins out and brushed out all the hairspray then told me to blow my nose, straighten up and get in the bride's room and fix it myself.

My mom didn't put up with the whole bridezilla thing.

But I digress.

So, since you all were so crazy about my Candy Corn Cookies I SUPPOSE I'll give you the insider on how they're made! Because only professional pastry chefs can attempt such a feat, I'm not at all worried about you outshining my Candy Corns! Just kidding. They're so easy. Do your regular sugar cookie dough recipe (or you could just buy sugar cookie dough,but why do that when we all know homemade is so much better and just as easy) and put red and yellow gel food coloring in to make it orange. I like it really orange so put about two parts yellow to one part red. Then knead it in. It is very messy and will stain your hands, so wear gloves! Then (top secret information here!) you cut them into triangles, bake them and let them cool and then dip the tips and bottoms into WHITE CHOCOLATE! Let them harden and accept compliments!

Sweet Treats

Look at my ca-yute Candy Corn Cookies! Won't the girls be surprised when they get off the bus and have a Fun Fall Snack today! Go make some for your little hobgoblin!!!!

Do You Vacuum Your Mattress??

My sweetheart closed our pool yesterday signifying the total end of summer's goodness and welcoming fall. I'm always sad to see summer go, but this year I am especially ready for autumn.

There's something about season changes that make me want to organize and clean my house from tip to top. While he was outside wrestling with leaves and the pool cover, I took down every curtain in my house and washed my windows inside and out. I betcha it had been four or five months since I had last done it. The house always looks so naked when you take down the curtains. Like a lady without eyebrows.

Will you think I'm a big weirdo if I tell you that I love washing windows? Love it. There's something so old-fashioned and sweet about washing windows. Like petting your house. I love pinning my hair back and putting on my rubber gloves and apron, pulling out the step stool and squeegie and getting down and dirty. Aren't squeegies fun??? Filling up a big bucket with my lovely lavender water and then sudsing up the pane...love to use that squeegie-it just magically clears up all the grime! Ta-da!

Three hours later (we have a tiny little house so not many windows!) the curtains are re-hung and smelling slightly of laundry detergent and my windows are sparkling.

Love that feeling!

You know, of course, that I have a slight problem with germ-aphobia! Exacerbating that condition is the show I have recently discovered on BBC America How Clean is Your House?! I saw Kim and Aggie once on Oprah a couple of seasons ago, but had never tuned in. You MUST watch this show. But not while eating. It's absolutely disgusting and appalling that there are individuals who live in such conditions. After watching it, I always feel the need to take a shower and clean maniacally. The windows just plain needed to be done and were on my list, but after a particularly disturbing episode I went on a rampage.

Do you vacuum your mattress? Well, apparently you should! I'm a die-hard once a week at least wash your bedding kind of gal. I always have to spend a little bit more money on my bedding because it really goes through the wringer (get it?) at my house because I wash it so often. Because of my germ-aphobia and also because I love to get in bed with crisp, sweet smelling sheets and after about three or four days they lose their crispness and I have to wash wash wash! WELL! Kim and Aggie say it doesn't matter how clean your bedding is, you can still get DUST MITES and if you're not vacuuming that mattress every time you change your sheets they're IN THERE! Crawling away! (Sound of teeth grinding and mental anguish-whatever that sounds like!) After I watched that particular episode I went tearing through the house, ripping off bedding that had just been washed the day before and vacuuming my mattress like a madwoman.

So, do you vacuum your mattress? Tell the truth, now!

Friday

Whew! Is it Friday already? My life is like a moving vehicle that can't be stopped right now. We are so busy. This morning I woke up determined not to leave this house today. I was determined to stay at home and get some things done that have needed my attention for a while now.

As soon as I waved the kids off to school on the bus, I turned around and immediately went into fourth gear. I started getting out my vacuum and watering my plants. Then I just stopped. Stood still in the middle of my kitchen. I though to myself. No. This is not how this day is going to start. So I put it all away and decided to begin again.

I made myself a beautiful batch of Orange Cream Scones and a pot of Earl Grey Tea and went out on the back deck and had a peaceful fifteen or twenty minutes under the umbrella listening to the birds and watching the wind ruffle the leaves of the trees.

I always do that. Hit the floor running and don't stop until my whole day is gone and I've done nothing for myself. It was so nice to have a gentle start to the morning and commit just a few minutes to myself to relax and have a good morning. It was beautiful outside. Crisp and cool with a slight breeze and I was all alone out there just sipping away on my tea. Missy, my little doggie, came and lay down expectantly hoping that I would drop a few crumbs and the birds were going crazy at some new bird feeders that Jason just put out. I am committed to doing that at least one morning a week. Just slowing down and having a gentle start to my day. I've been in such a calm mood ever since.

"It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all."-Laura Ingalls Wilder

Heart Shaped Cream Scones
2 c. flour
1/3 c. sugar
1 T baking powder
1 t. salt
1 c. heavy cream

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Stir together first 5 ingredients. Gradually stir in cream. Gather dough together and knead lightly on a floured board; this will start off seeming impossible, but don't give up! Pat out to 1/2" thick. Cut with a heart shaped cutter dipped in flour. Bake 10-12 minutes until golden. GLAZE with a creamy mixture of 1/2 c. powdered sugar, 1 t. orange zest and about 1 T of fresh o.j. Serve hot with ORANGE BUTTER! Beat 1 stick butter, softened and 2 T frozen o.j. concentrate, zest of 1/2 orange and 1 T powdered sugar.
Go outside and eat under the trees!

Then I watered all my plants and went to the shed to visit the baby chicks. They are so funny! I took some pictures of them and each time the flash went off they would run in a big group to the other side of the pen. FLASH!!! Cheep Cheep Cheep and scamper off they'd go. They are getting their feathers in and losing all their baby fluff! Some of them are even starting to grow their little combs! Oh, they are so precious! We saw the demon cat out in the backyard stalking the last of our little remaining flock last night. I thought my husband was going to run through the back window! He was so funny. He got Missy outside with him and had her chase it away. He almost had a coronary. No cat is getting at these little babies! They are safe and snug inside the shed.

"If I didn't start painting, I would have raised chickens..."-Grandma Moses

So. Then I was all set and I cheerfully cleaned my house for the weekend, stripped the beds and did my laundry.

Tonight is FAMILY GAME NIGHT and we are all set to spend some quiet family time together. I've made and refrigerated tons of little sandwiches and I'm making nachos and a veggie and dip tray and cookies! Fun!

So.

You know how I was talking about the whole meme thing about what you're really all about. I want to know what's in your purse.

Really what's in there? Okay, you show me yours and I'll show you mine. Deal?


Currently, I have a very old black wallet that cries out pathetically to be replaced so it can retire in peace. It is full of my kids school and sports pictures, receipts that I haven't recorded and old ticket stubs for the Kiddie Park that we haven't been to in two years. It also has $13. 11 in it. Isn't that sad? I never have cash. If I do, it gets spent within a matter of hours or my kids want it. There is also a bottle of hand sanitizer, sweet pea lotion from "Bath and Body Works", two tubes of "Natural Pink" lip gloss. A compact. A set of keys, some of which I don't remember what they unlock but I keep them because you just never know. My cell phone. Two pairs of sunglasses-one a brown mommy pair and one a black Diva pair that I never wear but like to say I own. A pack of gum. (Juicy Fruit). A tiny notepad. Two pens. Only Pilot Precise V5 rolling ball pens for me, thank you. No ballpoints here. Yuk! Oh, and body glitter from our last cheer performance. (No really it's for my night job as a stripper. Thus the name, Amber. If you don't know what I'm talking about refer to my last post.) Two piggy tail holders. And that's it!

Now. You go.

Middle Name MeMe

Okay, so Ash tagged me for another one of these meme thingys. Isn't anyone tired of them yet? I swear there is a meme for EVERYTHING out there. Here's a list of stuff I really want to know and someone should create a meme for the following:

1. What you keep in your purse. I mean I really need to know. Like what do you think Vera Wang keeps in her pocketbook?
2. What's under your bed?
3. What your secret sinful snack is. You know, the one that you eat after the kids go to bed that heads directly to your thighs and middle.
4. What pisses you off the most. And I'm tired of hearing all the "I'm so positive! I refuse to complain." stuff. Don't you people ever get really mad???? I need to know! I'm a redhead so I get mad every day about something.
   
5. Your worst feature. Personality-wise, beauty-wise, character-wise. That's juicy yummy stuff. Let's hear about that.
6. What is the thing you hate most about your house? Because I have like 50 things on that list.
7. What is the thing you love most about your hubbie? That's good stuff right there.

I mean, don't you guys want to hear about REAL stuff. Stuff like "Hello my name is Amber and sometimes I eat Little Debbies on the couch in a really disgusting way after my kids go to bed and there are nights, especially Mondays, when I'll have two and I know my husband is looking at me like 'Where is the 90 pound girl I married?' and that makes me want to have another one, but instead I bite my nails." That's the meme for me!

But ALRIGHT! I'll do the middle name one and be nice. I don't feel nice today. Can you tell?

So my middle name is DAWN and, here's a secret, I hate my name. Hate it. Amber is such a stripper name. You know? Like you would expect someone on one of those phone sex numbers to answer "Hello, this is Amber." Gross. And Dawn. It's fine. Boring. But fine. So.

D for my little doggie. Oh, how I love her. She loves me even when I'm being negative. Like today. And she looks cute in sweaters.


A is for apple pie. It's my specialty. And it smells wonderful when it's baking. And it reminds me of fall.

W is for winter. Winter gives me the blues and by February I'm about to check into the Betty. Except the Betty is for substance abuse isn't it? Well, maybe they could help me with my Little Debbie problem.


N is for Neatfreak. It's a control issue. When my husband gets mad at me he goes around the house messing up knicknacks and making pictures crooked on the wall just so I'll go along and fix them. It's OCD, I think.

You have to post these rules on your blog. Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you do not have a middle name, choose one you would like to have. When tagged, write your own blog post containing your middle name facts. At the end, choose one person to tag for each letter of your middle name. Then leave them a comment telling them they have been tagged.

So I tag:

Allison because I love her and I wish I could go inside her house and look around. Under her bed and in her purse and stuff.

Tina for the same reasons. I love her and if anything would tear me away from pink and yellow in my house, her Cherry Hill Cottage would!

Cindy because she's neat-o frito! And I want to get to know her better.

And of course, Alison because I stalk her daily. And I wish she were my neighbor.

Luscious Links for Thursday

Oh, have I got some wonderful links for you!!! I have stumbled across some really great stuff lately. Including some wonderful blogs that have been out there floating around and not being read by me!

First of all, aren't those fall treats pictured above so yummy??? Those are all courtesy of Bethany Lowe. Go check out all her fun holiday stuff.

Okay, so have I told you how my husband and I are popcorn junkies? Well, if you want some FREE popcorn head on over to Dale and Thomas and send off for some free popcorn! Check out their Chocolate Chunk & Caramel, Cinnamon Creme Drizzlecorn, and Butter Toffee & Walnut Crunch flavors. How great is that for a cozy fall night cuddling on the couch under an afghan with your sweetie and a scary movie???

Okay, ready for some great blogs? Go check these out!!!

Cute Pink Stuff
The Feathered Nest
The Book Blog
My Minutia
Whistlestop Cafe Cooking

And have you seen? Susan Branch is in Country Living this month! Oh, I adore her. I wish she were my neighbor. Or rather, I her neighbor. In fact, I would just be happy to live in her garage. I betcha my house is about the same size as it anyway, so we'd fit right in! I curl up with her cookbooks and devour them. Love love love her and I've already ordered by 2008 Susan Branch calendar. I wish the article would have shown inside her house, though. Don't you know it's darling?

Monday

Have I mentioned my obsession with pie? I know I have issues. But seriously I have a hard time finding something more relaxing to do when I'm stressed out or something occurs in life that is beyond my control. I'm a huge control freak and when I can't control events in my life I clean my house like a madwoman and usually cook. So today is Monday! And without going into to details, it's been a Monday all day. I busted in the door about 12:30 this afternoon ready to pull my rain-curled hair out by the roots, changed into an apron and rolled up my sleeves.

Rolling a thin sheet of pastry out on a wooden pie board calms me right down. Crimping edges, making a lattice pattern. And then the smell, oh, the smell of that pie cooking in the oven on a rainy day. Before I know it I start to smile and by the time it comes out of the oven all brown and bubbly, I'm feeling better.

Can anyone tell me why when you buy baby chicks they impale them with that metal clip on their wing? We always take them off. You know our weird ways-we can't stand anything unnatural about our animals. Chicken au naturale! Jason held each baby chick in his big rough hands to gently remove their clip. They hate it and chirp and squeak and get all puffed up as much as they can puff at this stage. But they are all free and happy and can flap their wings to their little heart's delight.

We have such a busy week this week, as usual, that this may be my only post for the week. My cheerleaders are in the process of building a float for our homecoming parade on Thursday and my little bitty cheerleader (Jacy) is walking with her little squad in the parade too. I can't help but post some pics of her. I'm proud as punch.




Oh and have you been over to Chez Fifi? Oh you MUST go visit her!

Thursday

This is Sassy the chicken. She is six days old. She is the only chicken out of 15 that we have named so far. We normally don't name our chicks until they are obviously going to survive the first few months. I have attachment issues to animals with names. But we had to name this chick. We brought her home last weekend when she was only two days old and she hopped out of her box as soon as we set it in our new baby chick pen and strutted around checking out her new home. When all her sisters finally ventured out of the box to check out the place, she immediately started pecking them all just to let them know who was boss. It was hilarious. Chickens are, by nature, pretty lazy. Our big chickens spent most of their day laying around under the trees in the shade or lackadaisically pecking and scratching in the grass for bugs. Sassy the chick runs everywhere she goes. Runs to the water bowl. Runs to the food. Runs to the little perch that Jason set up for them. Runs to get the ant that is walking by in her pen. She's so funny. Chickens are so much like people. Except for the whole wingless flight and feathers thing. And the laying eggs thing. Okay, so maybe they're not like people, but they definitely have personalities. And there is definitely a pecking order in our people world just like the chicken world.

Okay, so enough chicken talk. I'm so happy though. I love chickens! Especially at this age when they are just little balls of fluff and tiny-ness!


So Jacy is doing so much better at school this week. She cried on Tuesday after our long relaxing weekend at home swimming and laying around in our pyjamas! She left with tears in her eyes. And I turned around and left with tears in my eyes. Hate it. But her teacher called me at about ten in the morning. Scared me to death. But she was calling in the middle of class to let Jacy call and tell me some "wonderful news". She got to move her desk next to her little friend, Faith, and was happily coloring in her Math page. What a wonderful teacher. Calls a worried mommy in the middle of the morning because she knew Mommy would be worried. Interrupts her class to let a student talk to mom on her personal cell phone. Love her. Love this teacher. So the next day we bought our lovely teacher a big bouquet of daisies in a glass vase with a big bow on it to tell her just how much we love her. And there were no tears last night and no tears this morning.

Hallelujah and Amen!

Jacy is my precious baby, but God loves her more than we do!


My daddy's birthday was last week so they are coming over this weekend and I am making him his favorite German Chocolate Cake and homemade vanilla ice cream. And I got him this book:
My dad is fascinated with the Amish and I must admit they are really interesting. We are a very old-fashioned family and we all love antiques and history and the Amish are full of all of that. We have an Amish community here in our part of America and about once a year go to their Amish kitchen for dinner. My dad is so nosy, he will walk around their home and property and look in their barns and walk out to their fields. It's so embarrassing! But he loves them. He has a big busy beard and sometimes during hunting season it's a little bushier than normal and I call him Amish Joe. So I found this book and it's so wonderful. I knew he would love it even though its a cookbook. But it also tells about their daily lives and history and has some great pictures.

Here's an account of one of their days:

"4:00 a.m. Time to get up on this nice, breezy morning. Ben and Jacob go out to hand-milk our five cows and do the rest of the barn work (feeding the cows, feeding the horses, etc.). Emma and I start breakfast, with the assistance of Susan. Verena gets herself ready to leave for the sewing factory in town.

4:50 a.m. We're all seated at the table to feast on breakfast, which consists of fried eggs and potatoes, scrambled eggs, coffee soup and crackers, cheese toast, hot peppers, jam, hot pepper butter, butter, fresh strawberries, coffee and tea.

5:00 a.m. Jacob leaves for his construction work.

5:30 a.m. Verena leaves for the sewing factory and Ben leaves for his construction work. Emma and Susan are washing the dishes, and will soon hike out tot he garden to hoe. I want to put some more sweet corn and hot peppers in the ground.

6:30 a.m. Emma is ironing and Susan helps me put out sweet corn and eighteen hot pepper plants."

It goes on to tell about the rest of their day. Precious. Just precious.

Here is their recipe for coffee soup:

Coffee Soup:
4 cups hot coffee
4 slices bread, toasted
Sugar
Cream

Brew the coffee. Break each slice of bread into 1-inch pieces and place in four serving bowls. Fill each bowl with steaming coffee. Add sugar and cream to your taste and stir. Serve hot.



Went grocery shopping this morning, did some housecleaning and put some of my kids clothes for sell on ebay. I love ebay. I make more money off selling my kids' clothes on ebay than any consignment shop or garage sale ever. We have good kids clothes, I always clean and iron them and only sell the ones that have no spots and donate the rest. I'd buy my kids' clothes.

And look what I found at Wal-Mart of all places.


I usually don't care for Wal-Mart's holiday decorations. They can be so cartoon-ish. But these ca-yute little guys had to come home to my little Shabbee house! I lit my new pumpkin pie candle and I've been stalking the mums and pansies at our garden center. I'm pacing like an animal waiting for fall! I think I'm going to break my own record and get fall things out tomorrow. If only the pumpkin patch were open...sigh.

Busy night tonight! Jacy is cheering and Molly has softball games. I really just want to sit out on the back deck while Jason cooks some burgers and watch the leaves fall.

Would you believe I bought my child a Christmas present yesterday? I know! But if I start now then maybe we can actually pay some bills in December. Just kidding. But I like to spread it out over several months. I go crazy at Christmas.

I ordered her this fun artist set from Back To Basics Toys with supposedly everything a beginning artist needs: 24 color pencils, 24 watercolor cakes, 24 oil pastels, 2 paintbrushes, 2 drawing pencils, 10 pieces of sandpaper, pencil sharpener, eraser, and a quality storage case. My little artist-you know who she is! I also bought her an English easel and case that comes stocked with supplies, canvases, artist palettes and pastels. Next pay period I'm getting Jacy the same big dollhouse that Molly has. So we can have two monstrosities taking up space in our house. It is actually darling. But who needs two? Apparently we do because Molly won't let Jacy touch hers!

Well, I'm off to fold some laundry and go pick up children! Happy Thursday!

Cottage of the Month

Okay, have you been over to Jen's Cottage of the Month website yet? As you can tell I run over there on the first of every month. You MUST go check this one out. It makes me want to paint my piano. But my mother would kill me. Kill me, I tell you. Go see.

Fall Fever

I'm so ready for fall. I'm usually not. I normally like an indian summer and like it drag out, hating to see summer end. But this year, I'm ready for fall's goodness. I'm ready to plant kale and mums and pansies. I'm ready for sweaters and blue jeans and thermoses of hot chocolate at football games. I'm set for bonfires and camping and the pumpkin patch. I'm ready for breakfast in bed with apple cider and hot sausages dipped in maple syrup.

I'm ready.

Are you as ready as I am?

I love Halloween, too. Kind of a taboo thing to say in our small town in the heart of the Bible belt. I don't mean I love all the ghoulish, macabre scenes of Frankenstein and plastic grave markers that weird people think is funny to put in their front yard. I also think those tasteless inflatable witches and pumpkins are bordering on eccentric as well. But to each his own.

I mean I love the nature-y traditional fun of Halloween. You know, pumpkin picking, big bundles of rustling cornstalks with rosehips and mums nestled in beautiful arrangements. Big piles of gourds and caramel apples and weenie roasts. I love the fun of costumes and I love trick or treating with my kids. Holding their hands as their little lantern bounces along and I love dressing the dog up in her tradition Halloween tutu!

Here's what Jacy is going to be for Halloween:
Molly can't decide. I want her to be a hobo clown. Like the old fashioned 1930's kind with the handkerchief on the stick and the painted mouth turned down. The big shoes and oversized black coat and big fat tie. Wouldn't she be ca-yute? She's not having it. Last year she was a scary ghoul and I hated it. I wanted her to be a retro witch.
Didn't happen. So, if you're getting in the mood for fun like I am, here are some fun vintage Halloween links.

Morticia's Morgue
Old Fashioned Halloween
Pumpkin Seeds
Vintage Halloween
Hop Hop Jingle Boo

I'm into it. And I'm trying not to jump the gun and get my fall decorations out. I refuse to do that before at least the middle of September. Although I do want these letters. I think I could make those...

Have you seen this????

You wanna talk about creativity and having some free time...

Writer's Block

Okay, so I haven't abandoned my blog. I'm just totally uninspired. I've written three different posts and deleted them because they were so boring that even I stopped paying attention to its mindlessness while I was typing it. It's not that we haven't been busy, but we haven't been busy with interesting, creative things that are worth sharing. I'm stuck. I've found no lovely links. In fact, the only time I'm getting online is to quickly check my favorite blogs or bank account or do a perfunctory scan of my email.

The truth is I'm just really wrapped up in my family right now.

Jacy is having some difficulty adjusting to First Grade. Oh, she loves it once she's there and her teacher is absolutely wonderful. Wonderful, I tell you. And she's made three new friends, which let me tell you is a wonderful feat for a shy little freckled blondie. But it's six hours away from Mommy. She has teary mornings and teary bedtimes asking me to let her stay home or "at least come home for lunch, Mommy!". I want to say "Okay, that's it! We're homeschooling!" But of course, I know that would be a terrible option for my children. (Aside: not that I don't agree with homeschooling. For some families it works well and I think that's terrific. It's just not for us! However, if I could have my children around me 24 hours a day and just teach them things about the world and we could go fun places and read fun books without having to introduce things like Math, Science or some watered down version of history that the public school system calls "Social Studies", then I'd jump on the homeschool bandwagon! Actually, I think they've come up with a similar program. Isn't it called Unschooling? Anyhoo!) So, I'm crossing my fingers that it gets better in a coupla weeks. She thrives on routine as much as Molly and I, so hopefully that will help.
Speaking of Molly, she's doing great aside from having best friend troubles. Is it normal for nine year olds to have girlfriend trouble already. Here's what I'm hearing "Madi won't play with me on the playground anymore because she's now a library aide and thinks she's hot stuff! She goes in the library and does aide stuff instead of playing at recess. She's a Miss Priss!" "Madi didn't choose me for her Math partner today she chose Diane and Diane isn't even good at Math!" "Madi told me that my bows were too big and puffy today and that it made me look like a First Grader." Argh! If I have to hear one more "Madi this" and "Madi that" I'm screaming. I'm trying to do this whole "You know what? Friends go through phases and it doesn't mean that you're not still friends..." yadayadayada. But my goodness. My theory is that they see too much of one another. I bet they were together every other day this summer and now every day in the classroom, every Thursday on the softball fields. I mean, my goodness, I'm starting to get a little annoyed by her. (Not really. She's the perfect friend for Molly and I'm confident this phase will pass over. If I don't put them in a small room to duke it out first!)

And I'm loving my free time. I've gotten lots of fun visits in this week. Went to gramma's, had breakfast with my dear sweet neighbor friends that I love and adore, had long phone conversations with no kids running up to me to pull at me asking for things or telling that "she hit me!". Did some digital scrapping. Got my house clean. And next week I'm determined to go antiquing by myself. I'm planning to buy a huge Caramel Macchiato and lay the seats down in the minivan strolling leisurely along and buying whatever strikes my fancy and is in my budget.


Okay, so here's something I'm having difficulty talking about. See these lovely chickens pictured above? Clarice, Minnie, Wilma, Lucy, Honey Pie, Francis, Nosy and Mrs. Peck? Dead. All of them. We started out this spring with 14 chickens. We have two left. There's some awful chicken predator on the loose and between us and our neighbors we have lost a total of 23 chickens since June. Want to see a picture of the culprit.


Doesn't look so vicious does he? Well. Try waking up and opening the blinds on the window and seeing a mass of feathers strewn across your yard. Gasp in horror and wake up your hubbie to walk outside and find your beloved pet chicken horribly massacred in a corner of the yard. Head, feet and wings in tact with the breast totally eaten out. Seriously. If that damned cat every crosses our fenceline while we're awake, he's had it!

Actually, the culprit could be a number of things. Possum, raccoon or horror of horrors, skunk. We also have coyotes that roam around our area. I hear them making their eerie barking sounds at night. But Jason has walked the fence line every night for months and we've strung electric fencing above the top of our fence, so whatever's getting in, it isn't digging and it knows how to avoid electric fencing. It's got the be the nastiest of god's creatures. The housecat. (Aside: sorry for all of you out there who are cat owners. I love you. I do. And I like the idea of a cat. I'd like to have a sweet kitty curled up on an armchair by the fire. But you have to admit they're nasty. My precious doggie doesn't leave her hair all over the place or use the bathroom in a bucket filled with gravel. She takes her leave through her little doggie door and does that in private in a very considerate way. Not in a bucket. Yuck! And she doesn't eat chickens!)

Will you laugh at me if I told you I cried the other day about my chickens? I couldn't help it. They were dropping like flies. And some of them we've had for four and a half years and we've raised all of them from tiny pullets. Jacy was just two years old when we got our first six chickens and she would toddle out to the henhouse with her little basket on her arm and pull the eggs out and bring them in the house so proud of herself. And Molly used to pick up the chickens and carry them around under her arm like loaves of bread. She used to put them in the back of her Barbie Jeep and zoom around the yard until they'd had enough and flap their wings and fly out.

Sad.

In memory.



So. For this long weekend we plan to go buy 20 (seriously) new baby chicks and unfortunately when they are old enough to put in the henhouse, we'll have to confine them to their yard. We actually do have a henhouse with a fenced yard that is enclosed in chicken wire and safe from predators. But Jason and I have an issue with seeing animals penned up. We can't stand to see a dog on a lead tied up in the backyard or bunnies in a tiny cage. Our bunnies and chickens roam around the yard eating my plants and sleeping in lawn chairs, but they're free and healthy and fat. But, those days are gone for now. Into the henhouse they must go. Until the demon cat has been eliminated. I mean, until we find the owners of the cat and kindly knock on their door and ask them to keep their damned animal, I mean sweet pet inside so that it doesn't MURDER our animals. (Aside: we would never harm the stupid cat, so don't send me emails about animal cruelty. We're the most animal friendly family you've ever seen. But you can bet if it is a cat, I'm going door knocking.)

So that's it. Isn't our life exciting? We have NOTHING planned for this long weekend and I'm so excited. We took the girls to Incredible Pizza last night. And we're smoking some ribs to eat while watching college football (Go Sooners!) today. And we might go swimming and we might plant some roses. And we're definitely buying chicks. And that's IT!

Love it when we don't have any obligations.

Have a great Labor Day Weekend.