Whew!

Today is a beautiful day. It is the last day of September, the trees are turning brilliant shades of red, yellow, and orange. The sun is warm and there is barely a breeze. Best of all, there are no men with diggers and manure spreaders in my yard.
Allow me to back up . . .
As we were building our landscaping last summer, my brother-in-law stopped by and had a GREAT idea. Inspired by the dried manure we were using to fill in the planting spaces, he thought, "Wow. You should tear up your lawn and put a pad of manure over it. That would give you a really nice and even lawn." (Well, I was not actually able to read his exact thoughts, but it was to that extent.) He then verbalized this to my husband.
My husband--my brother-in-law's brother--was ECSTATIC when he heard this idea. "Yes, he exclaimed. Let us tear up the lawn in September. That would be GREAT! Then I can go back out to the field to harvest, my brother can return home to his plush lawn that was planted before he had children, and you can constantly keep our children off the manure, Laura, since you are home anyway! Yes, that would be absolutely SPLENDID!" (OK--I don't think I've ever heard David use the word "splendid," but it goes with this ridiculous enthusiasm he was suddenly expressing.)
And so this conversation continued for weeks after this initial light-bulb moment. Of course, I was the absolutely irrational one for not wanting a yard made of manure until the grass could finally grow and fill in.
Then a funny thing happened. I expressed my concerns to my friend Deb, who reminded me that the lawn across our road would go untouched, still giving the kids a place to play. I came home, told David he could rip up the lawn come September if he really wanted to, and I barely heard a word from him after that. With my husband, there's no joy in discussing a topic if it isn't going to be a debate.
So, here we are. September 30. No diggers. No manure spreaders. No kids rolling in dried cow poop. Thank God for small miracles.

Translations

Sometimes as parents we begin to acquire another language without even realizing it.
Teresa's favorite pattern is polka dots. She has a polka-dotted dress that is her favorite. She calls it her "coconut" dress. She also has "coconut" pants. She would love to have coconuts everywhere in her world--preferably pink or purple ones.
Yesterday morning David and I were questioning our boys on their eating habits at school. Mealtime is not as messy as it used to be, but they still each leave something to be desired. When Landen was in preschool, the class ate lunch in their room and each child was responsible for his or her own cleanup.
This year Nathan's class is eating in the lunchroom. Landen told us they don't have to clean up after themselves because the "janerator" comes around to do it. David and I tried not to laugh, but we just couldn't hide our giggles behind our coffee mugs. We assured them that they didn't have to give the "janerators" even more to do!

A Room for T

Teresa's room is now complete. She calls it her "purple room" and loves to show it off to everyone who visits.
She is not quite ready for the shoe theme I had planned, though. Whenever she sees a pair of shoes (no matter how tiny they are), she feels she MUST squeeze her toes into them! These shoes are then left in random places all over the house. So, the baby shoes I had planned to display are still tucked safely away for now.



I'm honestly not sure if I saw this ribbon curtain idea somewhere or if I thought of it on my own. I hung a white sheer curtain behind it to hide the window, but still let in natural light.
It is fun to channel my inner girly-girl when decorating for my daughter. I never thought a little sister to two brothers could be so tough and yet so girly at the same time!
Next up . . . transforming our former baby room into our new main floor office. Goodbye Rockettes blue and hello Caravel Brown!

Vanilla

The first batch of vanilla is complete! I started giving honey bears of it away in late July with little snips of beans to help it finish. It really works well in baking and anywhere else you would have a use for vanilla. (I bet it would also make a tasty drink, but I haven't tried that yet.) :o)
I have just started a new batch with the used Mexican beans and new Madagascar beans. I hope they can get along and make more delicious vanilla!

Crock Pot Applesauce

My aunt shared apples with me this weekend, so I have started up the applesauce factory again! Medium or large apples are perfect for making Crock Pot Applesauce. Just peel, core, chop, and throw in a few additional ingredients in the morning. You'll have warm applesauce by suppertime!
Crock Pot Spiced Applesauce
12 cups peeled & chopped apples
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup water
1 T. lemon juice
dash nutmeg, optional
Pour apples into slow cooker. Pour in sugar and cinnamon. Mix with apples. Stir in water and lemon juice. Top with nutmeg. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours or High 2 1/2-3 1/2 hours. Mash gently with a potato masher or stir for a chunky sauce.

Here's mine a couple hours into the process. My family loves this and it makes the house smell so good!

FYI

I heard back from Holly. "Survivor" was filmed on the Pacific side of Nicaragua--in case you were like Landen and still wondering!
I am ordering a 2011 Time for Kids Almanac for Landen for Christmas. Even with his 2010 edition spiral bound, some pages are starting to come out again. Of course, those pages contain his FAVORITE map!
Sometimes my kids can be a little careless with their books and things, but there is definitely nothing wrong with LOVING a book to pieces!

A Cake for a New Baby or a Jewish New Year!

Yesterday I attended my dear friend Deb's baby shower. She and her family will welcome their sixth little blessing at the end of this month. My friend Cathy had a fabulous idea. What does a mom of six need more than anything? We couldn't arrange for more hours in a day or make sure that little boy will give his mom a full night's rest from the start, so Cathy thought of the obvious. FOOD. Not only did the guests bring delicious food for Deb to take home, but Cathy made a fabulous brunch for us, too.
I just love cooking with Cathy. She's a Jersey girl. She moved out here to the midwest, fell in love with a South Dakota farm boy, and now she's settled amongst us farmers. Her specialty is Italian--yummy, real Italian food. Yesterday we sampled her frittata and bruschetta.
Since baking is my specialty, she asked me to bring a coffee cake. I tore out a recipe for Jewish Apple Cake from Relish magazine recently and couldn't wait to try it. Being a Catholic German, I have to say it was the first time I ever knowingly followed a kosher recipe! I was so happy when Cathy told me it was just like the cake her Grandma, who lived in a primarily Jewish neighborhood, used to make for her.

Jewish Apple Cake
6 cups peeled and thinly-sliced Granny Smith apples (about 3 large)
1 1/2 cups + 5 T sugar, divided
4 tsp. cinnamon
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
4 eggs
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup orange juice
2 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Grease, sprinkle a little sugar, and flour in a Bundt or tube pan. Combine apple slices with 5 T sugar & cinnamon; set aside. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside. Beat eggs with remaining sugar and brown sugar. Add oil, orange juice, and vanilla; beat well. Gradually blend in flour mixture and mix until well blended (about one minute).
Pour 1/3 batter into the pan. Top with 1/2 the apple slices, draining off any liquid. Pour in 1/2 the remaining batter and top with rest of apples. Top with remaining batter, making sure the apples are covered.
Bake 55-60 minutes, until the top turns golden brown and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes in pan. Turn out onto a wire rack and let cool completely.

The hardest part was taking this beautiful cake out of the oven and not being able to slice into it until the next day! I hope you like it as much as we all did.

Survivor

If you live in Eureka, South Dakota, used to, or know someone who does or used to, chances are your TV was tuned to CBS tonight for the "Survivor" premier. One of our own, Holly Hoffman, is one of the Survivors this year. I grew up in Eureka and have known Holly my whole life. She is a real, genuine, nice person and amazing athlete.
David and I are "Survivor" fans from the beginning. We've missed just a few episodes over the past ten years, but certainly not since we've gotten DVR. (I think having guaranteed "Survivor" recording is what really pushed us to make the switch from our unreliable VCR.)
Some people golf together, some go camping, we watch "Survivor." Since we've had our children, they have been brought into our favorite TV night of the week, too.
We know it is TV, and not reality, but it draws us in every season for its entertainment value. We love the scheming, challenges, and twists. Our kids especially like the challenges. Tonight some past Survivors were on a commercial. As one came on the screen, Nathan said, "Russell!" Wow. I didn't know he actually remembered any of their names!
Landen immediately found his almanac to look up Nicaragua on the map and was wondering which coast they were on--Pacific or Caribbean?
The rest of the hour, I heard, "Holly!" whenever our newest favorite came on the screen. The boys asked me, "Is she REALLY there? Like REALLY there?" I didn't get into the whole explanation of pre-recorded TV shows and editing, but assured them that she--someone from Eureka--was actually there.
We hope Holly was able to go far into the season! (Can you imagine coming back from that experience and having to keep that secret?) She made it past the first tribal council with no problem tonight, so things are looking good. We're already looking forward to next week!

Hide Out

Nathan is into hiding out now (and sitting in chairs on his head, but that's a whole other entry). I hadn't heard from him or Teresa in awhile, so I went outside to check. I walked around our yard calling for him & Teresa with no answer. Even though they are older now, somewhat understand the concept of danger, and aren't usually the wandering type, I still hate the feeling I get when I call them and get no answer.
Finally, when I was ready to go back inside and make sure they weren't in the house, they both popped out from behind the tall weeds in the trees. Nathan said, "You didn't look in the hide out!"
Oh, silly me.

Nathan's First Day of Preschool

Nathan finally made it! It is his turn to go to preschool today!
After the open house on Tuesday, he told me, "I found my best friend." He couldn't remember his new best friend's name, but that's what today is for.
Have a great year, Nathan!

Picture Day

I just placed my picture day order for my boys today. Picture day is next Monday, but I'm not a big fan of sending money to school with my kids. Given the fate of several mittens and gloves, I decided to order online.
School pictures sure have changed! It has gone from one boring standard background to so many choices it is almost too difficult to decide. It makes it much more fun and personalized, that is for sure. Landen will have a brownish background and Nathan will have a blue one. Each will complement their eyes and their shirts.
The company has also started offering touch up service. Where were they for my 8th grade school picture? I'm not sure my parents would have paid the extra $6 for acne coverage, but I sure would have picked up a few extra hours of babysitting to pay for it myself! Kids these days just have it soooo good! :o)
So, we're all set--backgrounds chosen, shirts ready to go--now all we need are two handsome smiles next Monday morning!

Moving Coincidence

Exactly 7 years ago on 9/3/03, our first baby came home from the hospital and moved into our baby room. Today, on 9/3/10, our last baby is moving out of the baby room! Teresa's bed isn't quite finished, but she is SO excited to sleep in her purple room that she will sleep on a mattress in there tonight.
Children. I've said it before and I will say it a million more times--they are always changing and growing.
Except for a mini mid-mom crisis a few weeks ago, I have been fine with this latest transition. As my mom recently reminded me, "There is a time for everything."
Yes, it was wonderful having babies, and miss that precious first year with each of them (except for the pregnancy nausea, labor/delivery experience, monstrous Wal-Mart purchases, and mandatory sleep deprivation).
As they grow, though, it is also wonderful seeing a glimpse the little people God created them to be and what they will become. (I do plan to have a talk with Him some day about a few things he added that seem quite unnecessary in my opinion.) :o)
So, here's to my "big" kids in their big kid rooms. May you always have sweet dreams.
Daddy is especially excited to have you all moved out. He has been planning his main floor office for the last 7 years!