I Like How Johnny Draws

Air Force John (8 years old)

I have been going to the school a lot this week to open house nights. Last night was Johnny’s class. I sat in his seat which was right up front surrounded by girls—perfect. On his desk was a list of his favorite things including a line that asked what he wanted to be when he grew up. I phonetically decoded the words Air Force and flipped the page to see this guy looking up at me. Johnny has been drawing these very detailed things lately from memory. The other day on his folder he drew a shark jumping out of the water and you would have thought he had to have had a picture right in front of him. I like it.

On Sale!

Today my mom and I headed north so that I could show her the Hanson’s barn and we could discuss the winter market. I knew she would love the site—it is awesome. We bopped around to some local shops and ate lunch having discussions of what and who we should have as vendors, what needed to be accomplished, how much work it would be and then how cool it could be. I think we both left the day excited and focused on the task. I will absolutely need her to help me pull this off, but I am looking forward to doing something visually inspiring again—especially with my mom. The hope (and prayer) is that this sale could generate momentum and excitement for Herititage Beam & Board. There are so many possibilities for this company. We just need to make it happen.

Here is a pic of the super fun ice cream sign that we picked up for the sale. While it waits, it can sit over my desktop making me smile.

No More Melons

This weekend we cut open the last of our watermelons, saving the biggest for last. It weighed in at 24lbs! Adam saved the seeds for planting a ton more next year. Last week we even sold one of our melons. This morning we walked out and I was a little disappointed that we didn't have any more melons to inspect. We did see some buds from the lettuce we replanted and the 2nd planting of radishes is coming along. Those little yellow cherry tomato plants are awesome. Every couple of days we have a ton more to pick and they are so yummy. The mini bell peppers are beautiful—bright orange and red all over the short little plants. On the making list for this week: Hot Pepper Giardiniera, Dill Pickles and Salsa. I hope to keep freezing veggies too for soups this winter. I make a soup per week and I would love to have supplies on hand from our summer produce.

This weekend Adam hosted his brothers down for a campout, I raced the Batavia Half Marathon (It was hot) and Luke and Elissa hosted their fantasy football draft. Kids are back in school and I have work to do pouring my mom’s book.

Goodbye to Bugeye

It is with a sad sigh that I am writing about the loss of our rooster, Bugeye. Last night I mentioned to Adam that I hadn’t seen him all day—he and David then went out to look for him. We have so many chickens now that he may have been with any of the groupings, but in the evenings they all seem to gather on the front lawn and that is when I was concerned. There was no sign of him. A few days ago we saw a very large hawk overhead and there is also the possibility that the neighbors’ dog got him, but I am sure that they would have mentioned it. Sad, but we are assuming that he died a brave man protecting his girls from enemies. He did his job. Even after my run in with him earlier this summer, I have grown to like him. All the kids could pick him up and he was definitely nicer than Marilyn. He will be missed.

This couldn’t have happened at a more opportune time for the 6 or 7 young roosters that are set to be butchered. We will have to see which one is chosen to be the next big man on campus.

Making Pickles

First batch of pickles

Right now Adam, Anna and I are sitting in the kitchen making soup and pickles. Anna is playing DJ and serenading us while we work. Today has been gorgeous and I love not having any place else to go. Yesterday the kids worked together to make a race track for their bikes. This morning Adam did a second planting of lettuce, radishes and turnips while I attempted my first long run after being injured for a couple weeks. Hoping that I can get in a good rhythm for the rest of the the training. I have a bit of catching up to do, but if I steer clear of any more injuries I should be fine for October 7th—hopefully!

Hudson Goes to Kindergarten

Lunch for Four

Kids waiting for the bus 

This date has been on my radar for a few years now. I knew that one day all of my kids would go to school and I wondered how it would be. We had a fantastic summer and we haven’t been thinking about school too much. The day came quickly. I stayed up the night before and made lunches and worked on a chart to help them get the school day rhythm going smoothly. The lunch bag days are really close to being over. But just so Hudson doesn’t miss out and also because I haven’t bought lunch boxes, I packed their lunches and decorated their names. Four lunches is a lot to make every night. I heard a tip last year—make a bunch of sandwiches and put them in the freezer and then grab and bag rather than make, grab and bag. I’m trying it. This year is the last year I get to have all of my kids at the same school. I am going to enjoy them all being together at the bus stop and all running down the driveway when they get home. Hudson was more than ready yesterday morning, first one up, teeth brushed, backpack on and so ready to go. His best friend from school had a seat waiting for him on the bus and his smile couldn’t have been bigger.

Watermelon!

Adam and I decided to go out and dig up some of the potatoes from the plants that were not looking great. On our way in we checked and melons and one was ready! We are always excited when it comes time to cut open our first watermelon. This is an Orangello melon and like its name implies, it is orange. We have played around with growing melons for a few years now, but both Adam and I agreed that this was our best one yet. Really juicy and sweet, very crisp. Totally awesome. We collected the seeds to dry and plant next year.

Amy and Bella Came to Visit

Me, Chelsy, Amy, Bella and Mom

Last night I got to go and pick up Amy and Bella and keep them until today. I had never met Bella! She is a doll! It went so fast and we didn’t have any specific plans so we just did whatever we happened upon. Fortunately for us it ended up that we scored a lovely dinner out at Boulder Ridge with my folks and Lee and Chelsy. The evening even included an adventuresome golf cart ride. It was fun for me to introduce Amy to Chelsy and for her to catch up with my Mom and Dad. We came home and hung out with Adam; laughed and stayed up super late. This morning we had eggs, tomato and kale and I am convinced that this is the true breakfast of champions. If I had a restaurant, I would serve these three items and charge some bucks. Stef and kids came soon after and I was smiles ear to ear that I had both of these girls that are so precious to me sitting in my kitchen. We tried to commemorate the occasion with a photo—funny how long it took. Before I knew it they were gone. Time goes by too quickly. Looking forward to Christmas time when her entire crew will come and stay!

Here is a her recipe that I can’t wait to try:

Amy’s Kale Salad
6-8 cups kale leaves

4 tbs olive oil

Two  juiced lemon

2 cloves garlic

Salt and pepper

Red pep flakes or cayenne pepper

Shake

Parmesan cheese 

Crumbled bread crumb

Our Last Week of Summer

Hudson and our garden pick 

This is our last week before school. We dropped off all of the supplies yesterday and Hudson was able to meet his teacher. We accomplished our summer goals minus me being consistent with the chart, but I am okay with that. Johnny came in the other night to tell me that he taught Hudson to ride his bike. It took no time at all. The day that we went to Great America Hudson practiced even more and now he is a full fledged independent rider—just like that. wow. All my kids are mobile on two wheels.

The kids have been going to VBS in the evenings. Hudson came home last night with 500 pieces of candy because of all the kids he guessed how many where in the jar. I can only imagine what kind of smile was on his face when they called his name out as the winner (as well as my other kid’s faces knowing they would get a share of the loot).

We have been hunkered down here a bit this week really trying to work out meals and such with what we have. It has been an interesting challenge. Fortunately for us, it is peak of garden season. We have been eating like kings by most of the world’s standard. Adam canned tomatoes the other night and I made more zucchini bread to eat and freeze. I am still really fascinated by the idea of getting a goat. One could really do a lot with it. Butter, milk, cheese, yogurt... The garden has been a highlight of this year for us. And I am so glad that we are learning how to time it up and use what it is providing. It really is awesome. Unfortunately the chickens found our tomatoes the other day. We will need to figure something out there so we wont have any more gorgeous red tomatoes all pecked up and on the ground.

Garden Update

It is August 6th and we are now into tomato season! They are so delicious and beautiful. Yesterday I made and egg dish with huge tomato chunks and last night spanish rice with cilantro and tomato to go along with venison Adam cooked on the grill. Our fridge is comically empty, but who needs to go to the store when you have all of these gorgeous tomatoes! Our watermelons are getting huge and the cantaloupes should be ready in the next week. Beans are also starting to come. We did a replant on the radishes last week as well. Adam took some of his folk’s horseradish and made some fresh jars with it—very excited about that. I saw him eating it straight with tortilla chips last night. I left a jar of it in my parents fridge with a note on it for my dad. My thinking is that it will be gone within the week... We have been eating a lot of cucumbers these last few weeks, here has been my favorite recipe for them. It reminds me of the summer I spent in Russia way back in 1998.

• Crispy Cucumbers and Tomatoes in Dill Dressing
  • www.allrecipes.com
  • 
    
  • Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup cider vinegar (and 1 Tbls. balsamic vinegar)
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh dill weed
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 cucumbers, sliced
  • 1 cup sliced red onion (I just used the ones from our garden)
  • 2 ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges (I add extra tomato)
  • (I also add a couple of Tbls. of greek yogurt)
  Directions
  1. In a large bowl, mix the vinegar, sugar, salt, dill, pepper, and oil. Add cucumbers, onion, and tomatoes. Toss, and let stand at least 15 minutes before serving.

We Have Our Girl Back

Anna and her horse Mack

On Friday afternoon we headed up to WI to fish for a bit with the boys and visit with Adam’s folks. Adam was excited to bring up one of our chickens and a bunch of veggies to share with them. It was a gorgeous evening and we sat outside while the kids played in the pool and just relaxed—at least I did, Adam was a little busier doing the cooking.

Saturday morning was our day to pick up Anna. We had a little stress with our van door not shutting just as we were about to leave, but thankfully we got it shut and made it there just a tiny bit after we were hoping for. There was a big closing celebration and because we were a little late we stood at the back and I couldn’t see her. We sent David down to find her. She was so cute when I saw her! Her hair  was in a french braid that must have been done a day (or two) before. I was glad that we were all there, that we got to go and pick out a sweatshirt with her and meet her horse. She had a great week and she continues to impress Adam and I with how mature she has become. Of course one of my first questions to her was how she did on the swim test :)

We Had Such a GREAT Time!

Boys in Line for Raging Bull

The kids earn Great America tickets from a school reading program. I had two tickets which expire this Saturday. Our summer has been so jam packed I have been really struggling with when I could go. Anna is off at camp so I didn't feel bad about using her ticket for Johnny. The deal was this: David had two days to read the book Woods Runner by Gary Paulson. It is about 160 pages which is significant for David. If he could complete the book by the deadline, I would take him and Johnny to Great America. Johnny also had to complete a reading challenge in order to qualify. Both boys did it, so I had to get my act together and find a way to make it happen. Even with the free tickets it is still not cheap. We packed our own food and tried to be as conservative as possible. We stopped at Walgreens on the way and each of the boys picked out some shades for the day. When we got there I forced them to eat an entire peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Johnny protested, but later in the day said that it was amazing how that sandwich really held him over. Lesson for the day—Just listen to your mom... We started off big on the Raging Bull. I wanted Johnny to do the hardest coaster first so that he wouldn't be afraid of any of the others. It worked—he loved it and we conquered coaster after coaster for the rest of the day; all the while fueling ourselves on refills of lemonade and popcorn. David had a goal to do the Giant Drop and this was the only ride Johnny wasn't into. He made us laugh the whole line though and even when I was buckled in next to David I was looking down on him wondering what in the world he was saying to everyone around him. David and I dropped gigantically and I was laughing because it took my breath away. We finished out the night with one last ride on the Eagle. I heard a rumor that it might be the last year to ride it. When we got back to our car we chowed on all our food that we never went back to the car to eat, laughing that red hots make you feel alive and all sorts of other silly conversation.