Summer Fun

Really, I don't know if the boys will remember this as the most fun filled summer ever.

That's too bad, as it was also the longest summer break we will probably ever have.  Our school is under construction for the second summer in a row, and as a result, we had an extra three weeks to enjoy ourselves.

We didn't get to take a vacation, as we had to do a majorly expensive roof repair, which meant we missed out on the most looked forward to week of the year.

Instead, we tackled some additional home improvement projects that were long overdue.

We separated Sammy and Charlie, and gave each of them their own rooms.  This meant moving Evan downstairs to the basement guest room, which I think he overall enjoys.  He likes the cooler air (now that it's summer anyway), and he likes the privacy.  It also meant I had to paint Evan's old room and get it ready for Sam.  This about killed me, as it was the first room my Dad painted when we moved in.  He loved Evan so much, and he wanted Evan to be comfortable in his new room, so within a few days it was wearing a fresh coat of paint.  Evan picked out a planets and space border, which my Dad loved, being a space nut himself.  My heart ached as I removed the wallpaper and covered the blue paint with green, and the only way I got through it was by reminding myself that Dad would not want me to stop updating the house.  He was a firm believer in keeping on top of home renovations and painting, and I knew the painting would make him happy.  I also thought about how darn glad I am that I made him teach me how to paint only 3 short years before he died.  It's one of the most practical things he ever taught me.

Next I painted the master bathroom, and added some Uppercase Living accents that have been sitting in my closet for the last two years.  This job has been lingering on my to do list for years simply because I hate painting behind toilets.  Apparently, I am really great at talking myself out of unpleasant tasks.  VERY glad to get this one done.

Evan and I dug out a large area of sod in our backyard, killed a ton of weeds, and planted a perennial garden next to our pool.  We dragged bag after bag of mulch, and carted out load after load of sod, but sadly neither of us gained any arm muscle doing it.  Evan was disgusted at this.  I think he'd like to start looking good for the ladies.

And thanks to my wildly talented and handy brother Creighton, we were able to rip out the COMPLETELY craptastic sliding doors on the top and bottom floors and replace them with french doors that have the blinds between the glass that you can raise and lower with a magnet.  I love, love, love them.  I keep saying on Facebook that I really should have been nicer to Creighton as a kid, and I mean it.  We fought like cats and dogs.  Worse than that.  Once, as my Mom dragged me off the top of him at about the age of 11, she told me I was going to jail if I didn't stop it.  Creighton had an incredible talent of being able to push just the right buttons and annoy the hell out of me.  But now?  That boy takes the best care of me and my family.  When my Dad died, it was as if Creighton emerged from a cocoon.  He blossomed into an adult who is such an kind and caring leader.  He is truly the man and the leader of my family.  My Dad left hard shoes to fill, but Creighton does a good job of it.  I know my Dad has been busting his buttons with pride in Heaven just watching him.  I really feel like he is my older brother now, instead of my baby brother.  He is a blessing.

Which is all a long winded way of saying that instead of a really fun summer, it was a working summer, which is nice in a way too.  I did tell the kids we would try and do some fun stuff around town, so a couple of weeks ago we headed to the Children's Museum.

Our favorite part was the Wizard of Oz exhibit.  The movie has always been a huge favorite with Charlie and Sammy.  They loved sitting in the chair of the Wicked Witch of the West, and pretending to be flying monkeys.

We also really wanted to go to the zoo, but unfortunately we have been living through the hottest summer of our lifetimes (literally).  And it just doesn't sound fun to me to go to the zoo when it is 110 degrees outside.  We may have to move this goal to a weekend in the fall.

We've also been swimming almost every single day, and we've gone on some trips for ice cream and slushies as well.  

Sammy started out the summer knowing only his alphabet and sounds and a few simple words, and now he is already reading at the level of a first grader.  We went out to celebrate with a hot fudge sundae when he learned all of his Kindergarten and 1st grade sight words.  I am not above bribery, apparently.  Also, if I do say so myself, after all these years of practice, I am a kick ass reading teacher.  Want to know my secret for teaching kids sight words?  The good old fashioned Dick and Jane books.  Yep, the ones from the 1950s.  Dick and Jane knew what they were doing.  It works every time!!

Even though our summer was busy and maybe not the most exciting, I have enjoyed spending these days with my kiddos.  Even the days when Charlie's been grumpy, or we've had too many appointments planned.  I am sick to my stomach they will be over all too quickly!

Hello FALL!

It is the most glorious of fall days here in Nebraska.  Yesterday morning dawned hot and muggy, much like the rest of the summer here in the midwest.  Around 3:00, a cold front blew through with some pretty strong winds, and a few raindrops.  When it had past, miracles of miracles, the humidity was gone, the sun came out, and it was beautiful!

We left our windows open over night, and it was so nice to air the house out and turn off the A/C.  Today, as I type this, my windows are still open and there is a beautiful cool breeze blowing in.  I did some fall deep cleaning yesterday, and when I was finished, I treated myself by getting out my fall decorations.  Here is my mantel...

I am a summer girl at heart, but I do love fall as well. I love the apple orchard and the pumpkin patch, and all of the fun activities that go along with the great weather during this beautiful season.  And after three months of sizzling Nebraska summer heat, we are always ready for a cool down.

I think we are all finally on the mend around here.  Charlie and Sammy are both slowly getting over their bout with croup and high fevers.  Jeff and Evan are feeling better too. Me?  I am marveling over the fact that I am the only one who hasn't gotten sick.  (Knock on wood!)  Maybe after 12 years of teaching my immune system is FINALLY getting better!

My family is coming up on some tough days during the month of September.  September 13th would have been my Dad's 59th birthday.  Our first without him.  On the 28th, it is the one year anniversary of his death.  Both come with an aching sadness over not being with him.  I feel strongly that on both days we need to create some new traditions...traditions that focus on celebrating Dad's life, and not just remembering his death.  Because his life was so much more powerful, positive, and beautiful than the 8 weeks that took him from us.  So, on Dad's birthday I invited my family over to have Dad's favorite meal of fried chicken and cherry pie.  On the 28th, we will meet at the cemetery and hold a prayer service, and then we will go to Dad's favorite restaurant and remember good times and the many reasons why we love him so.  On both days, we will be together, and I am certain beyond certain that Dad will be with us too.

Spring

I am not usually one who is depressed by winter.  I mean, what teacher doesn't love a good snow day, right?  I don't mind snow much, mostly because I don't often have to drive to work in it.  Instead it usually means cozy days snuggled under blankets, a fire in the fireplace, and baking cookies with my boys.  Most years I don't mind waiting patiently for spring.  As a Nebraskan, this serves me well, as spring can often take it's own sweet time in arriving.

This year feels different.  I am very anxious for warm weather and sunny skies.  The stark snow and barren landscapes of winter have seemed too close to my own emotional outlook this year, and have felt  oppressive.  I think I am hoping that the cheery sound of chirping birds, sunny skies, and warm breezes can help transport me out of this season of grief.

I am learning that grief doesn't go away.  I thought at first it might.  The sharpness of it will dull with time, but it never leaves.  We are all adjusting to our new roles in life, the altered picture of our family.  I don't know if it will ever feel normal, or okay, but it is becoming less "new".  I am learning to deal with it, but it was somewhat of a surprise to me that everyday still brings tears.  Every single day.  I don't know if that will ever change.  And I guess if it doesn't, you just learn to keep going.

I am hoping the arrival of a new season, the season of new life, will help breathe new life into my heart.  I am feeling ready for some happy and some sunshine.  I know my Dad wants that for us to.

SNOW DAY!

Good morning!  It is the happiest of days in a teacher's life this morning!  We are having a SNOW DAY here at the Sole Woman.  It's been snowing since yesterday morning, and we have about 6 inches on the ground-and it is still going strong!  Here's a picture I took this morning with a new photo program I am playing around with on my iPhone (I love the old fashioned feel it gives photos):

I am sitting with my coffee, looking at the snow falling quietly outside the window.  My family is all tucked inside, warm and safe.  Jeff is working from home today, Evan is taking advantage of his day off by sleeping (he is SO 12!!), and Charlie and Sammy are snuggled up on the couch under blankets talking about what they will be doing outside later today. 

Bliss!

Since I have nowhere to go and nothing to do but enjoy my coffee, I thought I would give you an update of life around our house.    I forgot to mention that my darling husband bought me for Christmas the gift I have been dreaming of for the last 8 years....drumroll please....a KitchenAid mixer!!  (And she is a beautiful cherry red too!)  I guess I haven't talked about it a lot here, but I love to bake.  I love to do things homemade.  My go to stress reliever is bread baking, much to the delight of my husband.  I think he secretly loves it when I have a bad day, because he knows there is a loaf of fresh baked bread in his future.  Since I first moved into my own space, I have been using my mom's cast off mixer, which was a gift from her 1974 wedding.  About 6 months ago, he lost a leg, and I had to prop it up on a piece of wood so it wouldn't wobble while I mixed.  The thing drove me bananas.  If the recipe called for more than 3 cups of flour, the batter would climb up the beaters and try and get into the motor.  It was beyond frustrating to try and mix up dough for Christmas cookies.

I will admit that I screamed when I opened it on Christmas morning.  I love it.  Seriously.  I am not one to keep appliance on the kitchen counters, but I love my mixer so much, she has a place of honor on the counter.   (And besides, she's red!  So she coordinates with my kitchen!!)  I have been trying out lots of new recipes, and I have been playing around with made from scratch cakes.  Do any of you have any recipes for homemade cakes?  Or tips?  Mine haven't been the greatest.

This week I had to submit all of Charlie's documents and paperwork for Kindergarten registration.  It's really starting to hit home that he's going to school next year.  I know every mother feels like their kids grow up too fast, but it is UNBELIEVABLE to me how quickly his first 5 years have gone.  In fact, he is turning 5 on the 17th, and he is beyond excited.  I know he's ready for this new adventure, so I am trying to get my heart to accept this.

I am off to bake some bread!  (Not because I am stressed today :)  Just because it sounds nice!)  I hope you are warm and cozy on this January Monday.

New Perspective

This afternoon, I was busy cursing winter under my breath. Saturday brings me the despicable task of sweeping all the floors and mopping everything clean again. Doing this in the month of January means that I sweep an entire sandbox full of rocks into my dustpan. Despite being "Mom the Shoe Nazi" (as Evan calls me) and freaking out at my family if they try to wear their shoes more than 2 feet beyond the garage door, the sand and gravel and rock salt are invading my house.

I was also cursing because I would dearly love to shoo my boys outside for the afternoon. Today though, it was chilly, muddy, and icy all at once, and hello? I don't want to add mud and snow to the mess on the floor.

So I was grouching and grumping as I stepped onto my back deck to shake out some rugs when I must have been hit in the head with a brick or something, because all of sudden I was struck with the simple beauty of a winter afternoon.

The farm fields behind our house were dusted with snow, and looked like a baker had sprinkled them with powdered sugar. The air had just the perfect amount of bite to it, so that instead of making it hard to breathe, it awakened your senses. The sun had just started to sink lower in the sky, and the light was so golden...rich. And I was dazzled. Invigorated.

I'm not giving up my pining for spring. I still can't wait to mow the grass and throw open the windows to warm spring breezes. But I am glad to have had this reminder that beauty comes in all seasons.

Snow Day! AGAIN

This is the worst winter I remember in AGES. In FOREVER.

We already have 27 inches of snow on the ground.

Today will bring roughly 6 more inches, plus my personal favorite, blizzard force winds which make fabulous snow drifts! I love shoveling snow drifts! NOT.

To make it really fun, tomorrow the windchill will be -35. Awesome!

And my dear Mr. Kleffman? I love him dearly, but instead of buying us a snow blower, he bought us another shovel. The man cannot stand to part with a dollar. And most of the time, that's nice. Except when it is the worst winter in AGES and FOREVER and I am desperate for a snow blower.

We are off of school again today after only one day back with students after Christmas break. I love me a good snow day, but I actually would really like to be with my students. We have so much to do!

I am convinced Nebraska was picked up a couple of months ago and put in Alaska. This is just no fun.

Spring Has Sprung

The weather here has gone from 62 on Monday to 89 today. It was HOT! We have our air conditioner humming, the birds are tweeting again in the morning, and every child I come into contact with during the day (which on average is about 45) is full to the brim with effervescent energy.

The bird family that have tried for the last four summers to build a nest on the underside of our deck are back. Every spring, they valiantly try to create their home, despite the fact that we have knocked it down for the last three years. I wish I had that kind of persistence. I actually thought it was great the first time they showed up. I had visions of showing the boys cute baby birds and watching the eggs hatch. Instead, we ended up with copious amounts of bird poop all over the hot tub and patio, which my talented toddler then proceeded to get all over him every time we went outside. Which has meant an eviction notice for the birds ever since.

There is always a great congregation of wasps who try to be the bird's neighbors under the deck. They move in every spring, terrorizing my kiddos as they try to play in the back yard. After dinner, I tried to shoo all three boys outside to swing while I did the dishes (and make 20 pb&j sandwiches for Charlie and Sam's preschool group to take to the zoo tomorrow). They were all overflowing with spring time giddiness, and I desperately needed them out from underfoot. I knew spring was here in earnest when they all ran back in the door not five minutes later shouting about the "bees" chasing them. My valiant husband headed out at dusk with a can of wasp killer to chase them away, thus beginning the weekly spring and summer ritual of extermination.

The countdown is up on the calendar in my classroom, proclaiming that as of tomorrow we only have 19 days of school left. I have cocoons germinating away in the corner, with tadpoles next to them on the science shelf.

But the best part of spring? For me it is that the promise of summer is right around the corner. Long, warm, lazy days to spend with my kids with nothing better to do than be together and take the day as it comes.

Whirlwind

I am reading a book with Evan right now that was my all time favorite book in elementary school. It's called Night of the Twisters, by Ivy Ruckman. It is a semi-fictionalized account of the 1980 tornadoes that hit Grand Island, Nebraska. 7 tornadoes destroyed the town on June 3, 1980 over a time span of roughly three hours. The storm is qualified as the most unusual tornado outbreak in the United States, as it was an extremely slow moving storm (roughly 8 miles per hour), it spawned a large number of tornadoes which all followed a curved path that often turned back on itself instead of the traditional straight line, and three of the tornadoes were anticyclonic (which means that they turned clockwise). Only 1% of tornadoes in the Northern Hemisphere turn clockwise, and to have three in one storm is incredible.

I originally picked up the book at age 8 because the author Ivy Ruckman came and made a presentation at my school, where she told about her grandchidren who had ridden out the storm in their basement. While reading, my mom told me that my Aunt Denise had been in Grand Island the night of the storm, and for several days they knew nothing of her whereabouts or safety, which added a personal connection for me.

The whole experience began a lifelong fascination for me. I just love to study, read, and hear about tornadoes. I get a bit nervous during an actual storm, especially now that I am a mother. As I head to the basement, I can't help thinking about how exactly I would keep all three of my babies from swirling away from me. But the absolute fascination is still there, just as much as when I was 8.

And so, as we head into another tornado season here in Tornado Alley, I can't help but be excited. There's just something about the sky turning green that gets the blood moving, you know?

It was an interesting day around here yesterday...

Omaha is typically a pretty snowy place in the winter time, but this year, Mother Nature waited until yesterday to send us our first significant snow fall. This was the view out my back door at about 1:00 in the afternoon:



So pretty don't you think! I was loving the snow (since we had the day off from school and I didn't have to drive in it) until we had to go out and shovel it. It was a very wet and heavy snow, and at about 7 inches at our house, it took me quite awhile. The upside was that Evan is starting to put some muscle on him, and for the first time he was a huge help in the snow removal process. Charlie really enjoyed taking his small, child sized shovel and flinging everything I had just moved back onto the driveway with alarming speed. I watched our neighbor's three teenage boys clearing their driveway, and thought "SOMEDAY!!!"


And unfortunately, this picture shows what used to be the end of my cat Ray's tail:



Evan was trying to shoo him out of his room, and thought he was all the way out the door. Apparently his tail hadn't quite made it. Luckily, most of it is fluff, but there was a tiny bit of the end of the tail skin that was taken off by the bedroom door when it shut on his tail. Strangely, Ray didn't make a peep when it happened. Evan made the horrific discovery on the floor, so we hunted up the cat, and it was bleeding a bit, but nothing terrible. Evan has always had a tremendous guilt complex about everything, so he bawled for the rest of the day, prayed to God for forgiveness, and begged of Ray to have mercy on him. I thought this was punishment enough, as it is apparent he will never forgive himself for hurting his favorite companion. And it wasn't a purposeful act either. Amazingly, the cat still seems to like us, even after his horrible day.

Maybe there is some truth to the whole Friday the 13th thing after all!

I am in LOVE LOVE LOVE!

With an electric blanket! I have never owned one before. Due in large part to the fact that my mom is a bit of a Smoky the Bear. There is an OCD gene in my mom's side of the family, one which I inherited full force. It started with my Grandpa, who had a healthy fear of water heaters and furnaces exploding, and a driving need to make sure all the doors were locked in the house about 200 times before going to bed at night. My mom is the lucky one with a light case only related to all things flammable. She HATES candles, space heaters, and electric blankets. Could start a fire you know! She passed the gene on to me, and hence my obsession with folding towels certain ways, perfectly placed rolls of toilet paper on the dispenser, neatly arranged office supplies, etc. Anyway. My mom never let me have an electric blanket growing up, and as a result as an adult I have always been slightly fearful of them.

Jeff has been trying to talk me into one for three winters now, and I finally gave in, but only after we discussed a fire safety plan if it resulted it us burning the house down. (See the OCD coming out?!) I used some gift certificates I had received from my students to head over to Walmart, and I picked out a blanket with dual controls so Jeff can have his at a low setting and I can fire mine up.

I had THE BEST night of sleep I have had IN YEARS last night. I have always had problems with being cold at night. In high school I slept with mittens on my hands in the winter. Lately, I have been known to cajole Jeff into getting into bed 10 minutes before me to warm up the sheets. But finally, last night, I slept in total toasty comfort. I cranked it up to the middle setting of 5, and loved every blessed minute of it.

Heck, a fire is worth all this comfort before hand.

Pumpkin Patch

We celebrated fall on Saturday morning with a trip to the pumpkin patch. This year we went to th Big Red Barn and Pumpkin Farm, and we LOVED it. Less expensive, less crowds, very kid friendly.

The highlight was the pony rides for both Charlie and Sammy. Here is Charlie:



They also of course loved picking out their "punkins". Sammy loved each and every one he saw and wanted to take them all home, including the one filled with ants.



Sammy also loved diving head first into the corn bin. We found out this is NOT a good idea for a kid with asthma, but I think Sammy thought it was worth it.



I love fall!! The kids had a great time, and so did we!

Apples, Apples, Everywhere!

The boys and I went to the apple orchard yesterday morning with my Mom. It was a beautiful day for it! The sun was shining, bright blue sky, and the perfect temps.

Charlie and Sam, who love anything that is mechanical and resembles a vehicle, were absolutely entranced by the chance to ride on a tractor. The tractor pulled us up into the grove of trees, where we were dropped off with bags to use for picking. Evan, who relishes his annual trip to the orchard, was an awesome apple picker. It was Charlie and Sam's first trip though, so we had to give them some training. Charlie picked up on things right away, and did a great job filling his bag to the top. Sammy was typical Sammy, and was way more interested in eating than working. He wanted to grab every apple off the ground at first, but once I finally broke him of that bad habit, he started picking apples off the tree and taking a bite out of each one before he put them in the bag. I finally gave up, cleaned off an apple for him, and he just wandered around near us eating away.

The orchard had a huge playground, and we let them run around there, while we paid. We got some cider and some jam too, and some of the MOST delicious homemade cherry cola to drink on the way home. It was a wonderful way to spend a fall day.

In the afternoon, Evan and I used our apple machine to core and skin 20 quart bags of apples, which are now in my deep freeze, waiting to be made into yummy treats. I love that he is at an age where he is an enthusiastic helper! I also made two huge batches of apple sauce, one with cinnamon, one without.

Now that I have homemade ketchup, applesauce, spaghetti sauce, pickles, and canned apples and tomatoes put up, I feel like I am ready for winter. Bring on the blizzard!!

Fall Harvest

What a wonderful Saturday!

We stopped at the grocery store on the way home from school Friday, and I picked up a box of doughnuts. This morning, we slept late, and sat around in our jammies eating chocolate doughnuts with "sprinkers" and sipping coffee. Well, I sipped coffee. The toddlers sipped milk sippies.

The air had just a tinge of fall in it today when I went out to mow the grass, so I turned off the air, threw open the windows, and let lovely cool breezes drift through the house. I love it when you can smell the outdoors all through the house.

The best part was when I weeded the garden and found LOTS of ripe tomatoes, and even more green ones on the vines. We are in for a bumper crop. All twelve of my plants are producing well!

I made a date with my sister for next Saturday to start our canning. Every year we make homemade ketchup, spaghetti sauce, and salsa. Actually the last two years I took a break, since I was a baby machine, and didn't have the energy to put in a garden at the new house. This is our first year for the garden at the new house, and our first crop here. I expected it to be a little less than usual as the ground hasn't been built up yet, but it is doing beautifully. I will savor the canning even more having been away from it for awhile. There is nothing more satisfying to me than feeding your family food that you have grown and prepared yourself. It is an art and a feeling that is dying with my grandma's generation, but Sarah and I do our best to keep it going in our family.

I love this part of the year. I love getting to harvest the fruits of the summer, and my labor. We also made a date for mid September to go the apple orchard, where we will buy bushels of apples, peaches, and pears. We will freeze these, so as we go through the winter we can pull them out for pies and treats like baked apples. We'll also make a family favorite-homemade applesauce (it's pink!!)

Now that my babies are a bit older, and I have the freedom, time, and energy to do this again, I feel like I am reclaiming a part of myself I haven't seen for awhile. Hallelujah! I am returning, bit by bit and piece by piece.