Charlie's Garden

Not to be outdone by his dad, Charlie also sports a pretty decent sized garden that he gets a bumper crop from! He has tomatos, pole beans, snap peas, new potatos, cukes, squash and a volunteer pumpkin!

He's quite the green thumb too, as evidenced by the photos!

Here he's caught a toad to put in his garden to eat the bad bugs!

tomatos

pumpkin - volunteer!

the pumpkin has overrun the garden and is taking over the walk area!

And what every great farmer does at the end of the long day: fish!

Gardens

For most of you that receive our yearly Christmas letter (minus the one that never got sent last year), you would know that I always ended it by stating "Don needs to be on a farm!" Well, never dreaming it would come true, we now live the farmlife!

He digs in the dirt and does the tilling and planting.... and I'll help w/ the weeding and harvesting and canning. It truly is a family affair!






Don went from 6 raised garden beds in AZ to now a full-fledged 1/2 acre. He's always had a green thumb for growing any seed that he plants. He planted strawberries last year and this year they took off w/ a bang. In just 2 short weeks, I picked enough strawberries to jam/can 5 batches of jam! And froze 5 quarts. And gave away about 5 quarts. And had 3 more gallons that ended up going to the compost pile (they were forgotten in the basement fridge when I was in AZ....) I still have enough pureed and frozen waiting for Tammi to come over to teach her to can jam! exciting!!!





Watch out Philip Morris! Don has his own spread of tobacco plants, courtesy of my great uncle who is a 'bacco farmer! We'll be calling in all favors to harvest the tobacco. We'll need help cutting, sticking, and hanging in the barn. And then when dried, we'll need help w/ the stripping, pressing and packaging off to PM or the local coops... yes, folks, all 11 plants worth! No, really, we're going to do this! dad - grab your ticket now = we'll need the help! LOL

The kids run thru the corn... it's amazing how quickly they disappear and how you can't find them! No wonder ppl hid in cornfields! It's also the cats' fave hang out!

Jode chasing white butterflies in the corn!

Chachie & Don hauling wood for our some-day-to-own Taylor Made Wood Stove.

Kellar exploring 'what lies beneath!'

Kids Say the Darndest Things: Part VIII

So, I'm just uploading the last post that was actually put up today, despite it being started a few weeks ago... so, while skimming thru pix... Charlie comes up and is singing his heart out...

The song should be "Up from the Grave He Arose"... we all know the lyrics... well, we all do, except for CharlieBoy.... his version goes like this:

"up from the gravey stone.... with an awesome God in Rome!"

We're all trying hard not to snort with laughter -but it's just so precious! Now I've heard of the version of "up from the gravy he rose..."

New one to me!

Put Me in Coach!

I promised a few weeks back I'd have Charlie's baseball pix uploaded! So, here are some shots from a recent game. Again, he's the youngest and smallest player out there. However, everytime he gets up to hit, mission accomplished! Probably 9 out of 10 times, he hits the first ball out of the pitching machine! It doesn't matter if the ball is high, low, inside, or outside... he just smacks it! His coach wonders if he has a ball magnet inside his bat... I just inform them that he plays ball with me in the back... and that this is by far my worst sport. So, when I pitch, he gets them hi, low, in and outside! He just swings at them all! It's real cute to watch him out there. Some of the parents refer to him as the "Field General" as he's calling out plays and where each of the guys needs to be located - depending upon the hitter! This guy is typically very quiet and content and laid back... however when it comes to sports - he must take after his momma.... the fire of competition ignites and there's no putting it out! There's no option but to win! : )

Catch of the Day: Part II

Life is busy these days, so I'm just going to throw on some more fish fotos with a couple of turtle shots, too! Hope you enjoy!

And remember, fishing on private ponds is a privilege... always ask the homeowner before wetting your line! (ha - just had to say that because the kids watch the Game & Fish Program every Saturday night, and that's how the program ends!)

Charlie with a box turtle that he found and released in our woods.

Don with a snapping turtle that he caught with his home-made trap! Our friend's mother cooked her up and ate her - said she was mighty tasty! (not too sure about that!)

My dad and his crappie! It was a keeper that night!
It was a fish fry when the family came out! Don, Charlie, Papa, Grace, & TanTan

Here's more pix of the fish that made it to the fryer! Zach, Kellar, Charlie & Tan!

Kids Say The Darndest Things: Part VII

This one is too cute! It comes from Charlie - boy!

While we were homeschooling the other day, Charlie was learning measurements of time and length, etc.

Here's a sample of the fill-in-the-blank:

24 hours = 1 Day
2 cups = 1 pint
7 days = 1 week
365 days = 1 year
12 mos = 1 year
12 inches = 1 ________


Nope! It does not equal "1 foot"! According to Charlie, 12 inches = 1 ruler!

I think that's pretty clever and is truly a sign of genius!

Charlie's crop of cucumbers from last year!

Me and my kiddos!

Mommy & Daddy w/ Charlie for his 8th B-day!

Toothless - Charlie!

Kids Say The Darndest Things: Part VI

Today's Word: Driveway!

What is a driveway, you might ask? Well, at our house it is two things...

1. A place where you park your car. (and why do we drive on the parkway, but park on the driveway?)

2. And if you might be an "Ein - hi - mer" then a "DRIVEWAY" is where you drive thru to get your food from the fast food joints!

I honestly can't remember which of my kids started this saying, but it's always been a part of our family, so I'm thinking it must have been one of the girls. Nevertheless, when we go to a Wendy's or Mickey Ds, the kids always ask, "Are we eating inside or going thru the driveway?"

User Error!

OK... so, for the last couple of weeks I've been pulling photos from my old files... because my computer wouldn't let me download my latest bunch of pix! Well, that's what I tho't was the problem.... but after asking Don nicely to try it for me... he gets them downloaded with no probs! Definitely user error!



Here's a collection of some photos that I wanted to share! Hope you enjoy them, too! I'll be working some posts around some of the great photos too!



Don't you just love 'blog-booking!' I can get more done this way than I could ever dream about getting scrapbooks done!

Hannah! what a beaut!

The boys out snowboarding on sleds!

Kellar's first BIG CATCH!!

Yes - there is an Easter Bunny!

Kids Say the Darndest Things Part IV

What's the difference between a "Concession Stand" and a "Concussion Stand"???

Not much, if you're an "ein - - hi - - mer"!

Our weekends are filled with sporting events in which there is invariably a concession stand in the near vicinity. Our boys are often heard yelling out, "Can we go to the *Concussion Stand*?"

No - they're not going there to get their heads knocked around, nor are they headed there for any butt-kickin'. What they are looking for is a yummy ring pop or Starburst or hot chocolate these spring days. Oh - and of course, one can't forget to mention Krispie Kreme donuts while limited supplies are available! {If they weren't such natural athletes, I'd begin to wonder if they didn't play sports, just so they could dig up some change and run off to the Concussion Stands!}

So, can anyone tell me why it's warm all week long, but as soon as Friday night rolls around, it's so cold and windy and rainy? Guess we're not in Arizona anymore!*

*Disclaimer... I'm the only one who thinks it's cold... 37y of desert dwelling has made my blood so thin that I just cannot warm up! So, while I'm dressed up in many thick layers, others are running about in shorts & Ts!

So, if you can't find us on the fields - check out the Concussion Stands!

Another Win!

Just for Charlie's scrapbook, aka this blog, we will record that his baseball team is now 4-1! Tonight, bottom of the 6th and final inning, he's the lead off batter. He hits a single... and eventually after subsequent hits by teammates he makes it to 3d by sliding in! (yah - more laundry for mom!) Needless to say it was a close call and the ump called him SAFE! So - game ended when they were still rallying - but we were up by 2 at that point! 10-8!

Sorry - will attach a baseball pix later!

Chachie - you're so cute out there... the smallest and youngest player on the team! But the one with the biggest grin... and the biggest heart!

Love ya kiddo - mom

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things: Part I

Where did the week go? Last posting was Monday and now it's Friday... I guess I was all consumed during what might be considered 'free time' by soccer practice for 4 kiddos plus one of them also playing baseball. Anywho... on to my post!

One of my fave things is when Charlie Boy whispers in my ear before bedtime to say, "Mom, I'm gunna try to come down and sleep with you tonight!" It warms my heart. Charlie has always been the best co-sleeper. He's such a sensitive, loving guy. Well sure enough last night he had a nightmare - we think he was too hot - so at 345a this morning I got to be snugged between my boys. I love it.