Summer Clover & Stuart Little

Our transition to move Teresa to her big girl room is off to a great start!
We bought the paint last week--Summer Clover--a shade just pink and just purple enough to satisfy my all-girl two year old. I didn't have a plan to paint; I just wanted to have the paint at home for when the mood and opportunity struck.
When my mother-in-law offered to watch Teresa today and my friend Roxanne was free to help paint (she loves to paint just like I do), I couldn't pass it up! The room took hardly any time at all and I already have Teresa's kitchen and dolls moved back in. (I promise I will post a photo when it is all completed.) I am in the process of painting her dresser and bed. At this rate, she may be ready to move downstairs by the end of the week.
After we finished the bedroom, I decided to re-paint a couple small walls at the bottom of our basement stairs. The first wall went just fine. On the second wall, I had to remove the light switch cover (no problem) and the large air vent grate. That was going very smoothly until I popped it off the wall and discovered a very interesting surprise inside--a decapitated mouse! I'm not terrified of mice, but I still wasn't very excited about this find. If I was going to get it out of there, I needed to put myself in the right state of mind. I kept repeating "Stuart Little" to myself to remind myself of the cute mouse with Michael J. Fox's voice (and one very unlike this little gray dirty thing that had met such an unfortunate fate.) I found an old painting trowel and scooped it into my garbage bag as quickly as I could. Ick!!!!!!!!
When David and my two youngest came home, I was still painting--this time touching up the green paint in our "baseball field" toy room. Changing the decor in that room has crossed my mind, but after seeing all of the nicks all over wall, I decided to keep it the same until toys are not flying quite as frequently. It does look much better now.
I love a good day of painting. The walls look fresher and the smell of paint even smells clean. I just hope there aren't any more surprises hiding in the walls!

Comfort Food

I appreciate a good box of macaroni and cheese as much as the next mom, but sometimes I just have to have the real thing!
Homemade mac & cheese can be as simple as a white sauce (butter/flour/milk) & Velveeta, but I REALLY like this recipe I found in the Mar/Apr 2007 Simple & Delicious. The flavors blend together so yummily. Is that a word? It is now.
Creamy Macaroni & Cheese
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cup milk
8 oz. Velveeta
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Boil macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat; stir in sour cream, Velveeta, Parmesan cheese, salt, mustard and pepper until cheese is melted and smooth. Drain macaroni; toss with cheddar cheese. Transfer to a greased 3 qt. baking dish. Add cream sauce and mix well. Bake uncovered at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.
If your kids are like mine, it might take awhile for them to develop an appreciation of the "real" thing. If they never do, no problem. There will just be more for you!

Blessed

Yesterday we celebrated Landen's 7th Birthday just a few days before the actual big day.

It was a definite success. They all played well together from the beginning of the party to the end. Teresa didn't even mind playing with all of those boys.
David and I enjoyed our time visiting with our adult guests, too. Birthdays are a great excuse to get together. We are truly blessed with wonderful family and friends!

First Grader

Today was Landen's first day as a first grader!

His favorite part of the day was finding out he gets his own desk this year. Nathan can't wait until Sept. 9 when he gets to join his brother on the bus. Only 16 more sleeps!

Lake Date

Yesterday we spent the day at our family friends' lake home. The Melius & Johnston families have been getting together for these dates (and a pheasant hunt in the fall) for about 60 years now.
Since our children handled Lake Superior so well--and loved it--we decided it would be safe to take part in the fun annual tradition. It was no surprise they loved Lake Enemy Swim just as much!
After a practice run with dad, both boys were able to ride the tube on their own.


It was a beautiful day filled with boat rides, visiting, and lots of good food.

We can't wait for next August to get here so we can do it all over again!

Mixed Feelings

In just a few days, we will be back to the routine of a new school year.
I am approaching our first day of school with mixed feelings as I usually do. On one hand, I do not want to give up our family's summer routine. We are usually all awake and out of bed by 7:30am, which is not sleeping in by any means, but it sure beats our 6:15am school year wake up time! Our kids go to bed at 8pm year round, so thankfully getting back into a bedtime routine is not an issue at all. As they have gotten older, the summer days do not drag on for me as they sometimes used to. This summer has been especially nice as it is the first that I have been able to let them all play outside by themselves. They all seem to have a homing device built in, so most often they check in with me before I have to look for them.
On the other hand, I am more than ready to wave goodbye to that big yellow bus next Tuesday morning. I am ready for a break from the brotherly bickering and fighting, even if that means Nathan moping around the house declaring over and over again that he misses his brother. Nathan will get his turn at bus riding and school this year, too, going two mornings a week. He has the advantage that I wished Landen had when he started--an older brother to look after him.
Landen will be in the 1st grade this year and he's excited for it; Nathan will be in Preschool. This parenting stuff is a bittersweet business. It seems my children are always taking the next step in growing up. I just get through all three closets with the appropriate size clothes and before I know it, I am swapping those out for the next larger sizes. While it is wonderful to see these changes, it can also be heartbreaking for this overly-sentimental mom.
I suppose it is time for me to brew a cup of coffee and snap out of it. The school year will start if we're ready or not. I better go set my alarm clock.

Duluth

Ahh, vacation . . . and know that I use that term VERY loosely when vacation involves our three children. Some parts of traveling as a family are a relaxing break from reality, but others are much more difficult than everyday life. I have to say it was much easier driving to Denver two years ago, which was almost twice as far. The number of children has stayed the same, but now we have three talkers--all who are most willing to express their opinions and observations. All. of. the. time. Now, where was I? Oh, yes. The departure.
We finally departed on Monday at 5pm. I had hoped to make it halfway through Minnesota the first night, but shortly after we left our house I wondered if we would even make it through the corner of North Dakota! We did eventually cross the Minnesota border--barely--and stopped in Fergus Falls for the night.
We reached Duluth late in the afternoon on Tuesday. As soon as we crested the hill that overlooked Lake Superior, Nathan delared, "This is the best vacation EVER!" We spent the rest of the week doing the following: watching ships go under the Aerial Lift bridge,

climbing Enger tower, finding real acorns, throwing rocks into Lake Superior,

watching Nathan drink out of the lake,

wishing our cabin had air conditioning, touring the William A. Irvin Ore Ship Museum,

watching "Mysteries of the Great Lakes" at the Omnimax Theatre, playing in the sand and water at Park Point Beach,



figuring out how to use the world's oldest microwave (all by myself!),

hiking and coming upon a discarded toilet in the woods, picking wild raspberries, watching carpenter ants make huge piles of sawdust, playing Polish golf, mini-golfing, eating lots of good food, touring every possible public restroom with Teresa (sometimes more than once), and building a campfire just as the rain was beginning to fall.
We still have lots left to see and do in Duluth, so we hope to return again someday!

Back from "Up North"

Our family just returned this evening from a week in Duluth, MN. I'm too tired to post much--I'll give you all the run-down of events once I catch my breath (and get through that mountain of laundry)!

Two -Wheeler

In the busyness of the past week, I forgot to post a most important milestone for Nathan. Last Friday, (6/30), he learned to ride his bike without training wheels!
I wasn't there for the occasion, so my sister-in-law thankfully thought to take pictures (and video) so I could see some of the first rides around my in-law's farm.
His cousin Carter, who is 8 months older and started riding his two-wheel bike earlier this year, told Nathan he was proud of him. Now he is really one of the big boys!

Dilly Roast Beef

Wheat harvest is in full swing--on the downward swing, actually--and that means I have been spending even more time than usual in the kitchen!
For some reason, those peaches I was admiring on Sunday seemed to multiply in their boxes as the days went on. Even after canning 40 jars, making strawberry-peach jam, peach crisp, eating some, and freezing some, I was still left with about 1/2 box, or 30 peaches! So, today I spent my morning making another peach crisp (which went in the freezer to be enjoyed later), peach bread, and puree to freeze for peach bread in the future. I am now down to 5 peaches. Yeah! I really do love peaches, but it was getting a little ridiculous around here! Have you seen that "Everybody Loves Raymond" episode where Marie is stressed because she has too many pears? That's how I was starting to feel about peaches! Next year I will be more aware of when wheat harvest will be happening before I take on such a huge peach project. I may narrow it down some, to maybe two boxes. :o)
Anyway, back to wheat harvest. My main job during harvest is keeping the field workers fed. I wrote about the traditional Melius lunch last year--bologna sandwiches, the Pepsi float, etc. It's still the same this year!
The noon meal allows for a little more creativity, but beef is still the meat of choice. Today we had Dilly Roast Beef. My friend Sarah shared this recipe with me a few years ago. I've tweaked it some, meaning that I replaced the measurements with "abouts." It tastes delicious every time! You really can't mess it up!
Dilly Roast Beef
1 beef roast (Chuck roast works especially well, since the pickle juice tenderizes it. If you have room in your roaster, make 2 roasts and save one for leftovers.)
About 1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 jar chili sauce
1 jar dill pickles (The original recipe called for a small jar, but I always use a big jar.)
Cook in a crock pot on low for 8-10 hours or in the oven for 3-4 hours at 325. Before serving, discard pickles. Slice roast and pour some of the juice over the meat before serving.
This is good served as a traditional roast and in sandwiches. My leftovers will turn into BBQ roast beef sandwiches tomorrow. Shh. . . don't tell the guys!

Aren't They Pretty?

For the second year in a row, I have purchased an insane number of peaches and honored my food-preserving ancestors by canning them. Here are the first 31 pints of peaches to come out of the canner. I ran out of sugar for my syrup, so the other half will be done soon!
In past years, I have frozen them with lemons and oranges or made peach jam. Last year I canned some for my dad's birthday present. After I remembered how easy it is to can them, I decided to can most of my three boxes this year.
Of course, we will share some, too!