Rifle Season 2013

For the past several years we have been beneficiaries of venison from other family members who have successfully hunted and shared their bounty with us.

This year, we hit the jackpot.  Son Josh and daughter, Amanda both had luck!  This was Amanda's first hunt, just after finishing her hunter's safety course.  She sat in the blind with her dad for several hours and only saw a few small does.

My dear one left his blind to go into the woods to help bring out the two bucks that had been shot earlier in the day.

While Amanda sat alone in the blind for a couple of hours, her frustration mounting at only seeing antlerless deer, she made a decision to shoot the next good size doe that she saw.  As my dear one was walking back to the blind to sit some more with her,  Amanda spotted the doe of choice and took her shot.  She dropped her in her tracks!  Not bad for a first timer.

The shots that my dear one heard earlier in the day were from son Josh's tree stand and from our nephew's blind. 

Josh has bagged deer before, but it's been awhile since he's been hunting due to busyness from school and ROTC.  This year he had free time and was raring to go!  He was able to shoot an 8 point buck.  But, in the process of finding it, gutting it and hauling it out, they forgot to take a pre-skinning photo. Sorry if the next photo grosses anyone out but it's the only one I have.  

The other buck that was shot was by our 13 year old nephew, Braeden.  This is not his first deer but he's still pretty proud of his 8 pointer! 

Due to all this success, I had my first try at canning venison.  Dear one, son Josh, daughter Erin and I all took turns cutting up the meat from Josh's buck (grandma and grandpa said they would take care of Amanda's).  We cooked up some of the steaks for Monday's dinner, and oh boy, was it delicious!!  

Much of it was cut into small pieces to be canned for a quick meal.  I am now  no longer a novice at cutting and canning.  All my jars (11 in all) sealed and I had fun learning.  More good eats for the winter!

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The Kids Are Not the Distraction

On Parenting:

I have talked to a number of women lately with either one baby or with several kids all quite small still.  The thing I keep hearing over and over is that they can't keep up with all the work that needs to be done around the house because the little ones need so much of their time.

If there is one thing I would like to impart, now that I've not only "been there, done that", and am almost through it (though still have an 8 year old who really needs me) is that the children are the job and the other things are the distraction.  I know it feels like it is the other way around because before kids the housework, shopping and cooking were the jobs.

The children have to, need to, must, come first.  If they are cared for; fed, dressed, read to, played with, kept safe and most of all, loved, your duty for the day is done.  Yes, they need clean clothes and dishes so those jobs must be done.  The garbage needs to go out, the towels folded and the beds made (although I'm not so sure about that last one all the time.)

The point is to not make the children feel as though they are in your way, and taking time away from the "important" things that need to be done.  They need to know that they are the important ones.

I know a lot of young moms can't afford a mother's helper or a cleaning lady. I sure know I couldn't.  So I offer some suggestions:  On Sunday evening when everyone is safely tucked in bed, make a list of things that absolutely must get done in the coming week.

-Don't make it so long that you'll never accomplish it and then feel guilty.  Make it manageable.

-Start you day by getting dressed, including shoes.  It makes you feel ready.  Staying in pjs just makes you want to go back to bed.

-Let the kids help!   No, everything will not be done to mom specifications, but they will learn the value of working together and having fun getting the job done.  (Remember Mary Poppins!)

-Make life easier.  With our kitchen re-do still in progress, I have all of the silverware in a plastic storage container.  I have found that it is so easy to empty the dishwasher silverware rack these days because I just grab and dump--no sorting.  Not one person has complained that it is not all lined up neatly in a drawer.

And, finally:

-Never, ever apologize for the mess when someone comes to visit.  They are there to see you, not critique your home.  If you bring it up and then belabor it, the visit is wasted.  Instead, clear off a spot on the table, give your guest a glass of water and enjoy their company. If you feel you must say something, make it light. Perhaps: careful walking through our obstacle course.

Trust me, the day will come when the house is clean all the time. (I'm so not there yet!!)  But, it will also be a lot emptier.  Enjoy your littles, and the rest will fall into place in its proper time.



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Flour Power

Today was a creative day for us which, of course, involves messes!

Our tenacious one always has a book at the ready for me to read to her at the breakfast table.  This morning it was a Nancy Drew Clue Crew mystery that we were trying to finish.  Since she was done eating before the book was done, she decided she would try the volcano experiment the Rad Scientists were doing in the story.

She got out her plastic containers (many more than she needed for this simple experiment-she tends to love to be surrounded when she plays), her vinegar and baking soda, and a couple of spoons.

When the experiment went off without a hitch, she decided to add some more variables (she did not call them this but one day she will know the terminology).  She added green Kool-aid and sugar and still the chemical reaction for her volcano worked just fine.

By then I had finished the book and needed to get some work done.  So, I left her to her own devices with permission to add a few more ingredients to her concoctions.

She came upstairs about 40 minutes later and told me she had cleaned up her mess and she was ready to move on to another activity.  I checked on her clean up job.  Whoa.  Flour was one of her main ingredients and it was EVERYWHERE!!!  Not a lot, mind you, but a very thin layer over every inch of the floor in the dining room and some of the kitchen, on the seats of every chair, and all over the table. The only thing I can figure is that she shook out the towel she had used to contain the mess.

 
(The little lump is her creation, and if you look closely you can see the pile of flour on the rung of the chair and the dusting on the floor.)

  Thankfully, she stacked her used dishes and put them on the counter and did not rinse everything down the drain for I am sure it would have turned to the consistency of plaster of paris in our garbage disposal.

I called her into the kitchen and told her I needed a little more help cleaning up.  When I asked her to sweep, she said, "I just did!"  Oops.  I did it the second time around.

The afternoon brought on a flurry of pie baking.  A friend of Michael's brought over two pies last week and, since the pie plates couldn't be sent back empty, our second youngest daughter decided to make pumpkin and apple pies.  (Yes, more flour!)

I had purchased pie pumpkins which still needed to be baked, and we had no apples so, while the pumpkins baked we hit the road to the fruit market (and squeezed several other errands in as well.)

I made the crusts and our little baker peeled, sliced and seasoned the apples.  This pie is going to work with Liz on Monday so we don't know yet how it tastes.

The pumpkin pies turned out beautifully.  My dear one went to Kroger for whipped cream because everyone knows you can't eat pumpkin pie without whipped cream.  He also helped clean up the mess that ensued during the baking process.  (Did I mention flour?)

Our tenacious one used the left over crust to create .  .  .  I'm not sure what.   Apparently it has apples and cinnamon.  I had to taste the pie first, so I'll find out tomorrow what this little creation tastes like. 

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More Wedding Bells

This time wedding bells were ringing in our house!  Our second oldest daughter, Caitlyn, married the love of her life, Jim Beam, on Saturday, September 14, 2013.

They have had quite the year with finishing school, graduating, starting jobs, Caitlyn taking her nursing boards (and passing!), Jimmy going through chemotherapy and then getting his wisdom teeth pulled, and pulling together a wedding.   And pull together a wedding they did!!

Caitlyn and Jimmy were married at our parish,  The Church of the Divine Child.  Their vows were witnessed by our family friend Deacon Patrick Prajzner, who flew in from North Dakota to be here for their special day.

The day started early with a little breakfast and a whole lot of bobby pins and hairspray.

 

There was also nail polish, make up, laughter, and a few minutes of anxiety when we could not find the bride's shrug that she needed to wear in the church.  There must have been too much estrogen for my dear one to handle (there were, after all, 11 females roaming the house in search of a free mirror or empty room in which to change). He decided to do something manly.  He changed the shower head in our master bathroom for me! Thanks, sweetie.

We finally found the shrug (thanks to St. Anthony) and then the photographer arrived.  

I wish I had had the forethought to take my camera out and capture what she was photographing but I was in awe watching her do her thing.  

The ceremony was lovely!  My brother John, and Jimmy's Aunt Darla both did scripture readings, my nephew, Everett read the prayers of the faithful and my sister, Connie sang Ave Maria (wow does that NOT describe what she did!)  I'm not the only one who had goosebumps.  So beautiful.  (nope-didn't think to record that either.)

Three of Caitlyn's sisters and one brother were in the wedding party.  Older sister. Liz, was her maid of honor (beside Caitlyn on the left), Erin and Amanda are next to each other on the right.   On the far left is Jimmy's sister, Kayla, then friend Heather and on the far right, friend Teresa.  Brother, Josh walked with Amanda. 

The ladies were allowed to choose whatever style black tea length dress they liked, but they were each assigned a different shoe color to wear. (Amanda wore a boot for six weeks and did physical therapy for two weeks to strengthen her right ankle enough to wear those orange shoes!!)

The guys' ties matched their walking partner's shoes.  The girls also had nail polish that matched their shoes.  

 Caitlyn's two younger brothers were assigned to be ushers. They decided to wear bow ties, suspenders, 

 and Dr. Who high tops. 

There was, of course, the father-daughter dance. 

 

The food was delicious, the company wonderful and the memories made, beyond compare. 

One of the highlights of the day and evening was that both my mom and my dad were there; a huge miracle for which I am eternally grateful. 

Caitlyn's younger sisters, while not in the wedding party or assigned any role other than "sisters of the bride", had the time of their lives dancing the night away.  They danced with shy cousins who had to be dragged onto the floor.  They danced with Caitlyn's friends (male and female who were dear enough to indulge them.)  They learned to spin and dip, they slow danced and fast danced, and then they slept like rocks.  It was not a night any of us will soon forget.  

The best part is, we have 8 children and 16 nieces and nephew who are still single, so we will likely get to do this many more times in the coming years.  

Wishing countless blessings and many happy years to Jim and Caitlyn Beam. 

Artsy

Daughter, Amanda, huge fan of the website Pinterest, found a new take on a hobby that she enjoys.  She took a painting class in high school and really liked it, and to our delight brought home several of her works of art for us to see and enjoy.

Last week while perusing Pinterest she saw an oil painting on canvas that she thought would be fun to try.  Off to Michael's we went.  She purchased 4 rectangular pieces of canvas and a tube of black acrylic paint (to try a new medium) and she went to work.

The first picture, a storm trooper mask,  was painstakingly copied off a photo. It took her several hours to draw and paint it.

As she only used three of the four canvases, she decided to do a free hand painting of the Detroit skyline. Pretty sweet. 

Interest and talent in drawing and painting run in the family.  We have several kiddos who are quite adept with pencil and paint.  I know that it comes from my mom's side of the family because my mother, her sister Micky, and several of my cousins on that side are all very talented artists.  None of it, however, did she get directly from me.  Oh, well.  Glad I can enjoy the gifts she's been given.  Good job Amanda.

The View From My Porch

The work on the streets that are bordered by Telegraph, Outer Drive, Cherry Hill and Lodge Lane continues.  As of this morning the work crew is digging up my street for the third time in as many weeks.  It is fascinating to watch.  Although, sometimes a bit inconvenient.  One of the workers just came to tell me that the water will be shut off again because they broke a water pipe.  As I sit here typing, I can see water spewing out of the hole in the ground and several men standing around waiting for it to be shut off so they can continue their work.

Our side of  the street received the great big cement pipes while the other side is currently being fitted with the smaller black pipes.  (I hope this bodes well for no more water in our basement!)

It is fascinating to watch the  excavator operator move that huge claw so gently to avoid the tiny gas pipes that are under the street.  It's like he's using his own fingers to gently dig away the dirt.  I tried to upload video of this process but my computer is being a putz.

The workers are friendly and don't really mind if they have spectators.  They are willing to answer questions and I haven't heard any of the children on the block getting told off for playing on the dirt mounds.  Even the big "kids" are trying new things as my 19 year old told me she climbed the steps in one of the largest pipes.


It's no less interesting than is was three weeks ago, and we are getting used to having all the big trucks rumbling up and down the street--my whole upstairs shakes when a trucker leaves with a trailer or two full of dirt and cement.

On the down side, we did loose five beautiful old trees before they began digging.  I wondered why until I saw the counter weight on the excavator whipping around.  The trees were really in the way of their progress.  I am hopeful that they will be replaced when the new grass seed is spread.

On the upside, all the neighbors are seeing a lot more of each other as we trek up and down the block to get to our vehicles or return home from an outing.  The neighbors on the side streets and into the next block have been ever so generous as to share their parking spaces with us.

We are all looking forward to the finished product; then we can all go get our vehicles washed and remove the layers of dust that coat them.  Oh, yes, and have nice smooth streets to drive on once again.


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A Common Thread

Approximately 20 years ago, my mom started a quilt.  Not just any quilt mind you.  This quilt is unique in that it is a genealogy of her mother's side of the family, starting with her grandparents, Michael and Mary Ellen O'Connor.

The light blue patch is my grandmother, Marie; loving known as Ria.  My great-grandmother had 11 children and the quilt design only called for 8 patches so, on the quilt as in life, these siblings had to share. Because not all of her children married, the color coding used to trace the family works out well. 

You can trace my grandmother's family by following the blue color which is used in the center circle.

Grandma Ria and Grandpa Jay had four children before my grandpa died of Tuberculosis when my mom was seven.  

My parents, Noreen and John,  had seven.  That's me on the green patch.  Does that name look familiar?

 My dear one and I have our own, very full, patch.  I took after my great grandma in more ways than just her name sake.  If you check out the names on this patch and compare them to hers, there are many of the same wonderful names.  The lamp in the middle signifies my nursing degree.  Please note that my mother's has one as well. 

Come September 14, our second oldest will add her hubby to her patch.  Lots of room for kids on there! Oh, look, another nurse's lamp. 

We stretched it out for this shot and it is as long as my parents' dining room (~12 feet).  That's a lot of history. That's also a lot of sewing. It is not completely up to date, as it is difficult to keep up with that many people.  Mom works on it quite a bit. She did the nurse lamps this year as well as other professional symbols to show the degrees we have.  It is quite a labor of love and we are so grateful to her.  I told her today, "this may be the one thing we fight over one of these days."

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