Note to self...

The next time you make the custard filling for banana cream pie, DO NOT TURN YOUR BACK ON THE STOVE and BURN the filling, scorching your pan and making the entire house smell horrible!!! (Not to mention making this cook a bit grumpy!) This is the second year in a row that I have had to make a second batch of filling because I burned the first! I have a very strained relationship with my electric cooktop--I need it, but I do not like it. I am looking forward to cooking with gas in my new house!

Thanksgiving Poetry

by Ethan Sweet, age 10
IEW U.S. History Writing
(great program)

OK, since I wasn't able to make it big enough to read, here is the text below:

Give Thanks

Stepping excitedly into the fragrant kitchen,
Holding a warm, moist pie,
Greeted by the smiling faces of my loving family.
Savory, succulent, seasoned turkey,
Fluffy, white mashed potatoes,
Slippery, tart cranberry sauce,
Doughy, chewy rolls,
Cause hungry stomachs to rumble.
Loud laughter, clattering silverware,
Enjoying being with family,
Giving thanks to God.

Thankful

I am thankful for:

* the mercy and love of our God, whose providential care is always with us, especially during the darkest times.

* the truth and beauty of the Catholic Church

* my hard-working, faithful, handsome husband and the love and bond we share that gets stronger every year.

* the privilege of being a mother to my five children, who have forever changed me and give my life so much joy and meaning.

* our two saints in heaven, who are praying for us.

* the circumstances which have allowed us to build this new-to-us-but-used house on this particular piece of land. God's hand has been so apparent throughout this process.

* the gift of homeschooling. The value and benefit of homeschooling becomes very clear as my children have gotten older. As we work our way through the high school years, with frustration, fear and doubt as my ready companions, there have come moments with both my older children, where I can see clearly that the struggle was so worth it. It's a marathon, difficult to do, but with so many rewards at the end. I am thankful for those joyful moments and the bond homeschooling creates with those teens, even when they don't think they need or want it;)

* family members, especially our parents, who always love and support us

* for the help that has been freely offered and given by family and friends during the construction of this house, especially during the not-so-fun land clearing process (during the hottest part of the summer) and hopefully during the upcoming painting process ;) These offers of help touch our hearts and let us know we are loved.

* the interest and *insistent* help our dads have given us during this home building process. We couldn't make them go home!! We couldn't have done this without you!! My father-in-law continues to be a constant presence at the house site, offering his help whenever he can. My father reluctantly left for Florida for the winter and cannot continue his "sidewalk superintendent" duties as thoroughly from there, but calls me, my uncles, and friends to keep tabs on the progress:)

* Cousins/nieces/nephew who make family times 'sweet' ;)

* for my sister-in-law, whose birthday was yesterday. I won't give her age here, but I will say she puts more candles on her cake than I do!! hehehehe! (Sorry about that; I couldn't resist!) She is more like a sister to me than anything. I am thankful for her friendship and love, our family co-op which has enriched our learning experience, and her willingness to join me in a Margarita or two! Happy Birthday, Serena. May God grant you many more!

* the inspiration I have received from this blogging world.

* the food that will grace our table today, and the hands that make it.

* much more, but this is getting long!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

A few more house pics

The carpenters are still working on the siding. It is coming along slowly. They've finished three sides, and are working on the tall side where there are lots of windows and doors and 3 stories. I think these pictures do not show the trim being done on a couple of sides, but it is now. I'll get new pics this week.
A note about the siding, and me... since the roof had to be raised and re-pitched, there is now a wide beam at the top of the house just below the roof. This beam runs all the way around the house even on the gable ends, so we decided to put accent siding above the beam on the gables. I am not a big fan of different colored trim around windows and doors, in the first place, but I was persuaded to go with a separate trim color, mostly because I wasn't sure how my "no trim" look would work with vinyl siding instead of paint. Well, I ordered the accent siding to match the regular siding, but when it came in, it was the trim color. No one knew there was a problem (and they still don't) because by the time I realized it was wrong, the siding was already up. Now, a curious thing happened...very curious. My reaction? I shrugged my shoulders and said, "Oh, well, it's fine." I was not hung up on having the house match my "vision" for it.
A few short years ago, I believe my reaction would have been quite different. I struggled with my attachment to my house to the point where my house was almost a "statement" or a reflection of me. We did not have a big brand new house, either. It was a 200 year old dilapidated farm house which we renovated (although the renovations were never "done"). Perhaps I took inordinate pride in the renovations, or perhaps I was trying to romanticize our lifestyle to the world (farmhouse, big yard, goats, chickens, homeschooling...). Whatever it was, I was inordinately attached to my house.

So, I am hoping that my "laissez-faire" reaction to the wrong color siding on this new house is not an indication that I am getting lazy or that I just don't care. I am hoping that Our Lord has taken these three years of haitus in this rental home to re-order my heart and my priorities. He is so good. Thank you, Jesus.

The "big side" (there will be a deck on that second floor where the sliders are)

The back, with the new mudroom attached

The new mudroom

See? It's fine. Actually, it looks good, except for that dumpster;)

War of 1812

The British troops burned the White House!

by Ethan Sweet, age 10

For Lexi

Annie is missing her big sister a lot right now. So, this morning I told her we would make a paper chain with the same number of links as days until Lexi comes home for her semester break in December. Annie can take a link off each day and watch the days dwindle until Lexi is back home. As we began our project, the 2 younger boys joined us saying, "Annie isn't the only one who misses Lexi!"
Also to let you know that you are not alone, see your chaperone at work with another couple!

I didn't forget

I thought I would cut back on my birthday greetings, thinking that my (adult) relatives might be getting a little tired of their faces and birthdays plastered all over the internet....well, my blog, at least. But, I think I might have started a tradition, and not wanting to slight anyone, I would now like to offer my belated, but heartfelt, birthday wishes to my father-in-law, whose birthday was last Friday, Nov. 13.
Thanks for being a great dad and grandpa.
We appreciate all the love and support you've shown us over the years...countless books read to little ones, games of catch, power tool instruction, rides, driving lessons, camping trips and more. Thank you also for all of the help on our house.
We love you.

More house progress with some swine flu mixed in

Soccer season ended for us on October 31. We had a couple of days of rest before the swine flu hit. Yes, I believe we have had the H1N1 flu. Our symptoms match up and there is a lot of it going around here, so I am assuming this was it. All four kids (at home) had it and I am at the tail end of the fatigue and headache. Yes, we felt miserable, but we have had worse, and, for us, at least, it was short-lived (48 hours or so). From what I am hearing, our experience with H1N1 is pretty typical...it's not any worse than a regular flu. Hopefully, we are done with it and don't have to worry about swine flu for the rest of flu season...
Anyhoo, obviously I haven't been up to the new house in a few days. So, these are pics from last weekend. I'll try to get updated pics this weekend.
Have a great one!

Drag the cursor over the picture to see the caption.

Advent and Christmas

I don't have much time to write these days, but I was doing a "quick click around" and saw that Elizabeth has a lovely post to help us prepare for Advent and Christmas. It's wonderful. Go see.

Finally!!!

Nope, we are not Finally moved in. This Finally!!! is for a courageous bishop who spoke truth to power. I do not have time to fully discuss it myself, but, usual, Red Cardigan has done a better job than I could have done, so here, go read this:

Episcopal Body Slam Alert

God bless Bishop Tobin for his strength and courage. May his example be the spark the Church in America needs to cut through the excuses, self-deception and rhetoric that liberal/Democrat/pro-choice "Catholics" use to justify their stance--beginning with our Bishops and trickling down from there! Amen!

Small Successes - Nov. 5, 2009

Well, I am not feeling very successful these days, but I will try to come up with something...here goes:

1.
Soccer season for all three boys has ended (until this weekend, of course, when indoor soccer begins:P) BUT, I am starting to get caught back up on laundry and other housework. I am beginning to feel like I am treading water now, instead of drowning!

2.
As far as house-building goes, I managed to get myself and the three youngest up to the site last Friday morning before they set the first section of house, so I was able to get pics right from the beginning. I also picked a shingle color in less than 5 minutes, and realized I could scale down kitchen renovations A LOT, saving $$.

3.
I nursed a sick teenager back to health and am currently tending a 4 year old with a nasty virus (different from teen's virus, but neither is swine flu--I don't think)

That's as good as it's going to get here this week!! Visit Faith & Family Live for more Small Successes.