Fun "Free" Day

A friend shared with me a great program that is running through the summer. It is called "Kids Bowl Free". For the length of summer, every child who is registered, gets 2 free games of bowling per week - all across the country. Although I have been registered for a few weeks, we have not gone. I wanted to make sure it was right for our family. To participate, the children must bowl between 9 am - 5 pm. Yesterday was the big day - the children were motivated to finish their work 30 min early, so we could leave by 3 pm. Even though we homeschool, we still "school". On another post, I will show our schedule, but, we start near 10 am with formal sit down school - after the kids have already been working since 8:15 am on chores, and music lessons. The kids had lots of fun! I just sat back and helped when needed. The alley was clean, very well lit, and nearly empty. Out of 40 lanes, 2 were being used - us and another family! It was a nice "once in a blue moon" treat for the kids. Enjoy the pictures!

Aren't these shoes adorable? They were so tiny and cute!

By the way, "Free" isn't always free! I had to pay $4 per child for shoe rentals! So it cost me $16. And I didn't get to play! Although I am a good ball pusher...

Sew Running Around!

Country Needles here. In between stitches, literally, I will update you on my sewing adventures. I have been busy for certain! A special little lady in my life just turned 9, and I had to treat her to some sewing creations. My first project, and most intricate, is a pleated, smocked, and sewn top called "Pony Club". It is a beautiful top that is perfect for that older little girl. Unfortunately, this top turned out to be a very challenging project that shouldn't have been. Another experienced seamstress and I have concluded the pattern (which came from AS&E (Australian Smocking & Embroidery) #98), might not have been vetted to its fullest, a small risk when using patterns that come from magazines. But, I have it completed now.

I was able to give her a beautiful apple print jumper, and two Gypsy skirts - one for her and a matching one for her little sister (and my daughter), plus I am finishing up a 2nd apple jumper for her little sister and a tiny jumper for her special doll, Emily. I have smocked a dress for Laura, so it only needs to be assembled. *Pictures coming soon!*

First Day of School

This past week we celebrated our first day of school! Always a big day in our Family. Enjoy the pictures!

Embarassing Moment

Have you ever seen a grocery store shopping cart parked out front of someone's house? How about a neighbor's house? Maybe while you are doing a drive-by in an undesirable neighborhood - where you slouch down a little lower in your seat and lock the doors? C'mon, you have all been there. Well, I go down for one day and my husband has a near mental breakdown. Yes, Kind Heart and I (along with some dear friends) were out with a bad stomach bug - food poisoning. And I send my Dear Professor out for popsicles, he spends over $100 and 1 1/2 hours at the supermarket, and can't bring it home with his hands, so he has to truck it back in the shopping cart. Yes, you read correctly. My husband stole the shopping cart and pushed it back into our neighborhood with all his groceries in it, with 2 of our kids as accomplices. I had to accompany him back to the grocery store this afternoon for fear he might be arrested. And the young gentleman who took the stolen cart back actually asked "Are you all done with it now?"

Matching Babies

Sweet Sis was in need of some cooler pajamas and so I picked some up for her today - shock! I bought her a nightgown instead of sewing one up - but my list is getting so long at the sewing machine, I just couldn't resist. Besides it came with a matching one for her dolly. I always thought I would make her first matching set, but at $8.60 on sale, that dream was easily purchased away! One day when I've gotten through my list, I might get to that. Translate: Christmas time.

Update - A Building Adventure

This past Sunday, Professor was able to construct the foundation for the Playhouse. He worked hard at staining the wood with the awful wood-preservative, to prevent future rot, and measuring, cutting, and nailing. He had some mighty good helpers to assist along the way. The playhouse is still undergoing remodeling (needs new hinges, a larger floor, some paint, and some hooks for closing the doors and windows), but at least it is up and the children can play in it while we work. It is large, as I can stand in it without bending over, as can Professor. (The last few pictures were taken by Straight Arrow - umm, he's still learning)

Coming of Age Tradition

Coming of Age - what exact age does that define? I believe it is referring to courtship age, but not sure. Well, we certainly don't have that age in our family (and hope we won't for a long time!), but we consider it a right of passage in our family when a child begins to read, and can read well enough to read the Bible during family worship time. So we buy the child's very own Bible (other than the one they get when they are dedicated as a baby). It is a surprise day and one in which I make a Bible Cover for them. With Kind Heart, we bought his Bible this summer at our favorite place while on our traveling adventures. So, I finally was able to finish sewing his cover. He picked out the fabric! Now, he is happy to tote around his Bible and show his friends.

A Great Escape

A few weeks ago, we decided to take a 3-day weekend and find some R & R in the wilderness. With everything we have experienced over the past 6 months, this was very much needed! We love to camp (especially in our camper) and love it more when we can relax, which with 4 small children, can be difficult! But with much success, we did! We had a wonderful time, and thoroughly enjoyed each other for 3 solid days. We are already planning a return trip soon! And, well, we only had one child overboard unintentionally - so I would say a success!

The beautiful drive!

Lil'Farmer pumping up our raft!

Sweet Sis all ready for a boat ride!

Country Needles relaxing while the boys row!

The night-cap, hotdogs and smores!

For my own sake, I have not published the picture of me jumping into the lake - it was a fantastic adventure shot - but, the ol' backside is showing! I'll spare you. So, I challenged Kind Heart to jump-in, assuring him I would if he did. He did - so I had to! No one else was as brave...

Chicken duty!

Sweet Sis taking in the majestic landscape.

Froggy Potty Success!

It has been a few weeks since Lil' Sis has been diaper free! We are so happy and excited for her, especially for overcoming some difficulties she had been having. She is still wearing an overnight pull-up, but she is close to giving that up too. We are so proud of her!

A Building Adventure

We have been wanting a playhouse for the children for quite some time - years! I think Mom and Dad want it more! I finally found one used online and was able to pick it up last week. I had to rent a 6' x 12' trailer to disassemble and load the pieces onto. It was quite the work. I couldn't have done it without the help of my kind neighbor and his son. Once we arrived home, and I unloaded the pieces, I realized that the floor/foundation was quite rotten. The rest of the playhouse is in great condition. I suspect a sprinkler could have been near the back side where they placed the playhouse against a fence. So, I had to delay constructing the playhouse until we decided how to repair the foundation. We decided to just start over and build it from scratch. Today, the children and I went and purchased the wood and loaded it on top of the truck. I will have to spend some time putting a coating on the pieces to prevent rot/termites in the future. The kids are excited as am I! Did I mention that I had to level the ground where we are placing the playhouse? That is quite the work. My hands were sore for days and I am still staring at my blister scabs. Ahh, the things we do for our children!