Pumpkining

I got my 2nd BlogHer check, and again I made about 11 cents a day, and even though I should have used that $25  to buy shoes for the kids, Moose said I could do whatever I wanted with it.

Things have been happening on the selling the old house front.  Good things, bad things, disappointing things, stressful things, but things, things that require risky decisions to be made.  All choices are equally risky and safe.

I am not going to say just what because I don't want to jinx it.  I believe God is in control  and has a plan for us that we can't always see but I also believe in jinxing. ( I totally jinxed myself out of getting a big calling recently.  I was certain that it was going to be a BIG one, one with a LOT of responsibility but because I told people that I jinxed myself into one with very, very little responsibility. SWEET!)

I can however relay facts. 

• Fact one, we still own our old house.  
• Fact two, said house is empty.  
• Fact three, we can not afford to pay 2 mortgages next month. 
• Fact four, rental management properties have been spoken to.  
• Fact five, someone is interested in buying said property but since no paperwork has been made it is still only interest and interest doesn't pay the bills.  
• Fact six, November is coming quickly.

So last night as I tossed and turned in my bed while I tossed and turned decisions in my mind I knew exactly what I was going to do with my BlogHer check.  Buy pumpkins.  What better way to soothe mid autumn nerves than with big orange squash?

This morning I put the situation to the kids, I had a $25 limit for pumpkins and the pumpkin farms charge a lot of money for the attractions and the pumpkins and as far as I can tell none of them do what they used to do which was pay a fee to do everything at the farm which includes a pumpkin. So we hashed it out and decided to buy pumpkins at Winco (17 cents per lb.) and go to a pumpkin farm that had free attractions.

 

The main attraction was the "Hay Pyramid"  I even managed to get some pretty decent pictures from the broken camera.

 

 And just when you think it isn't possible to love Boba Fett any more than you already do, I give you....

Boba Fett the Basilisk, complete with hissing.

On the hayride Camrock spun a tale about  how it was really a vehicle taking us to a Zorg prison camp.  In this picture he was singing a song, presumably a prison song?

As we left we bought some apples for a snack and corn for dinner and a full hay bale.  The hay bale will serve 3 purposes; first, Halloween decoration for my porch, second, a target for my avid archer son, and third, dry matter for the garden.

The best part is I still have $5 left over.

Entrusted to our Care

"Children are an heritage to the Lord."

This is so true. Every child is a gift from heaven a glimpse into the Almighty. When they are new you can almost see the angels about them and you can certainly feel them. I love to watch them as they dream and smile and wonder what they are remembering.

Each child is different and as they grow they teach us things about ourselves and also about others. Take mine for instance.

Healer

Nutmeg is smart as a whip, communicates clearly, has her own ideas about how things should be done and does them with out any help. Thank You. She looks like a china doll but is as rough and tumble as the boys and can climbs like a mountain goat. She is also gentle and caring and there is nothing she likes to do more than take care of me when I am sick. She is diligent.

Philosopher

Then there is Boba Fett, he is not as co-ordinated as his siblings and takes a long time to say what is on his mind. You might think that he isn't as bright but he is. He takes information in digests it, thinks about it, turns each piece over and over in his mind and then hours, days or weeks later comes up with a insightful question or observation. Though easily discouraged he is determined. Beware he is the kind that has ideas that change the world. He is also HILARIOUS. Whether he means to be or not he keeps us laughing all day long. It is just so funny to hear such big words coming out of a little boy in the appropriate context.

Judge/Avenger

Camrock is my enigma. Try as I might I will never figure him out. Calm and easy going yet he holds on to vast amounts of rage that sits and simmers and never explodes. He has a very strong sense of justice and as I tell him that could be a curse or his greatest attribute. He is polite, thoughtful, good and kind. He takes a lot of abuse but never betray him.

Every child is different and a child of GOD. They have been entrusted to our care. It is our duty to help each child be who the Lord wants them to be. A humbling yet exciting charge.

Peril and Easy Cooking

The other day we were locked out of Starlings for an hour. I went out to the Laundry Room and the door locked behind me. At that moment we were all out of the house and I didn't have any shoes on.
Luckily we had access to the garage. After several failed attempts at picking the locks we admitted sadly that all of those hours watching MacGuyver were wasted.

Finally, we got inside, it involved a ladder and choosing which of my children to endanger. They all wanted to be in peril. I chose Camrock because I have had him the longest and also because he is the tallest.

In other news I have been infatuated with my sandwich maker. I "invented" triplets which are only pancake batter cooked in the sandwich maker, but don't tell that to the kids who don't like pancakes but DO like triplets.
My breakfasts have been dominated by sandwiches with a filling of fresh mozzarella, basil and tomatoes from the garden. Yum

The best part is that there is hardly any dishes to clean when I use the sandwich maker.

The camera is still broken.

Perfect Day

We hit the beach twice this week. The first day was so-so and we had to leave early but yesterday we fled the heat and went to our favorite beach.Camrock was on a mission and he set right to work building a model of the battle at Omaha Beach.

He made waves with the tip of the shovel.
Speaking of shovels we found this amazing shovel that is just about 2 feet tall and very light. I feel it will become a good friend if we can manage not to lose this one!
We played in the sand
and frolicked in the sea,
even me!
I was exceptionally brave, I played in the cold water with Boba Fett and at the tide pools I picked up 2 hermit crabs because every one else was too afraid. Not to mention posting a picture of me in a bathing suit on my blog.
And then we stacked rocks
the kids are getting pretty good at it
I asked Boba Fett to put his head close to the rocks for the picture. he is so funny!
The weather was so fine, the sky was clear, it was the perfect day at the beach.
And when we got home it was the perfect night to sit on the porch in the twilight.

Motherhood, Don't Miss It for the World

I remember so clearly, were walking out of a store, Camrock was just 3 days old snuggled up in my sling and I turned to my mother and said "Mom, I just love him SO much!" I didn't know how much a person could love another person until he came into my life. I mean you think you love your husband, really, really love him and then this little one shows up and you KNOW that what you felt before was nothing compared to this. That all you have or ever could accomplish means nothing without those little spirits in your care.

I always feel so sorry for those women who consciously choose NOT to become a mother. How sad to miss out on this.

To Camrock, Happy Birthday, thank you for a decade of motherhood, I wouldn't miss it for the world.