The Weekly Review XII

Sunday~
When I got up I made baked oatmeal for breakfast. I haven't made it in awhile and I really ought to remember it more often. It is quite yummy. I also put a roast with carrots in the oven with Keren's help. We didn't have room for the potatoes so they had to be cooked on top of the stove. Mike preached today about being too rule orientated in our following of Christ. His main text was in Colossians but he also was in Mark quite a bit. After lunch the guys loaded up Luke's trailer with all sorts of random things from our place. A tiller, a riding lawnmower, our old dining room chairs, used oil and coolers. He looked pretty cute pulling away from here. Beatrice decided to go up to Bemidji with them and visit for a day and return with Abbi, her kids,  Mom and Dad on their way through to Iowa. I didn't really feel like doing the dinner dishes so I took a nap and read for awhile, then I started the dishwasher, Sarah had it pretty well loaded so it didn't take long but I took another break from work and when I got around to doing the rest of the dishes I discovered that my drains were plugged. Even the bathroom sink drain was. So I couldn't do any more dishes even if I wanted to because I am not a plumber. Fortunately Travis wasn't in Adams this time but would be returning in the night.

Monday~
When Travis got up this morning I showed him my mess and he tried plunging the sink but that didn't solve our problem at all. He had to get out his roto rooter thing. It took a bit of work and I got to clean the bathroom better than I had planned but we have working drains again! After much hard work I did get all of my dishes done again.  We took the Davidson's supper this evening and we ended up bringing Malia home. We had a few boys try to be stow aways while Malia was packing her bag. Levi and Kade sure do let Travis know he is special, which is pretty fun. We got to hold sweet little Cody for awhile too. Pretty fun. We stopped by the library and Fleet on our way home. Then we had our supper of enchiladas and cut up cucumbers and zucchini.  Same as what the Davidsons had for supper only they had cooked zucchini and I have decided that my family eats their zucchini raw happier. The kids listen to their father to much and his feelings about that fruit. It is actually very yummy I think! Gregory and Deborah wanted to pound nails this evening so I gave each of them 3 and they pounded and pulled for quite awhile aerating the soil.

Tuesday~
What fun I get my Bea back today! They all got here in a drenching rain. The rain is amazing this summer in its quantity and force. I am beginning to be ready for it to be over. I wouldn't mind a week or so with out rain. The Bemidji folk ran in and used the potties and got a drink and then headed back to the van. Margaret had violin lessons today but Trumpet lessons were cancelled because Robert wanted to play. I need to buy Margaret two books and a new bow. Something has been ruining her bows. We threw one away this summer it had gotten all gunky with something and now this one is. We don't know what is causing it. I need to make a little case for it to stay in for now I think, there must be something in her case. We took Malia home on our way to take Beatrice and Gregory to a birthday party for David P. at Look Out Ridge. We picked up DJ and took him there with us. We weren't sure if the rest of us would stay there with them or go do something else, but they seemed like they would be fine on their own so we left. We went to Red Lobster for supper. It was of course yummy. Harrison got crab legs. We spent a while just watching him eat. He didn't mind, he did mind if anyone tried to snitch from him though.

the players and their coaches

Wednesday~
This was the last day for horseshoes this year. They always have an awards ceremony and McDonald's shakes and hamburgers after they play on this day. So that was what we had for our lunch/supper. We just had had a few snacks before going there because we weren't very hungry and then we weren't very hungry for supper either so we skipped that and had carrot sticks at that time. We went to Feed My Starving Children to pack bags of food to be sent over to Haiti and Liberia. Fifty seven people from church were there. It was a good evenings work. When we got home we had ice cream and homemade chocolate sauce for our bedtime snack, and raw almonds to balance it out. Our school books came in while we were away this evening. It is so much fun looking at them. I am rather excited to start the year. I need to clean off the school shelves and I don't feel like doing that so school might have to wait.

hard workers

Thursday~
I made a very ambitious list of chores for the kids and I to get done before Dad, Mom, Abbi, Mara, Jonathan, Aaron, and Megan got here. We had thought they would be getting here a little later in the day so I thought it was reasonable, but then they called and said they would be here closer to noon, I kind of thought we wouldn't get it all done. But the kids kept busy with a will and we got just about everything done! I was rather proud. They didn't make it until about 2 so that gave us some time. I didn't get kefir made until after they left but I think that was the only thing we didn't have crossed off. I do love lists. They are so motivating! We had a nice short visit with everyone and then they kept on moving north. When they were gone and I was cleaning up a little in the kitchen I discovered a bowl of cottage cheese I had gotten ready to serve sitting in the fridge. My memory can be so hit and miss.

ready to head north

Friday~
Pha Nia and her eleven month son, Waylon came over for lunch and to visit for awhile. Waylan is at such a very cute stage. He is just about to learn to walk and is always babbling away in his language, with his four little teeth sticking out. After they left Travis read to the kids for awhile and then he left for work and we left to go to the library and bank and Cub. Cub had 2lbs of clementines for 98 cents so I got ten pounds. I bought two bags when we were first in there and then when we got out to the van I pealed one real quick and had the kids sample it for me and they said it was good so I ran in and got three more bags. While I made supper Gregory washed all the clementines for me and then we peeled five or so and Gregory served them to all the girls and Harrison. They emptied that bowl and Gregory came back and filled it again. Some are getting overly ripe so we will have to eat them quick. We bought a couple of books at the library this time. I don't usually look at their for sale shelves because I don't really have any more bookshelf space but they caught my eye. Gregory chose one by Eric Carle called Walter the Baker. I like it. It is about Walter and his wife Anna who run a bakery and sell to the Duke and Duchess and how he invented Pretzels. And you know how much I like homemade Pretzels. So this is a really cool book. And this is possibly a true story. I like that too.

reading our new books

Saturday~
As soon as we had breakfast we headed over to help a guy that isn't able to care for his place properly get it under control around there. Bill from church had met him due to his work and coming into this man's home to maintain his water heater, visiting with him he realized he wasn't able to do the work needed himself and being in his place he could see there was a serious need. The goal was to clean out his basement, garage and get his yard back into a yard. It happened because there were a lot of teens who gave their morning, several guys, and a couple of us ladies. The guys who worked in the basement had to wear heavy duty masks because the fumes were so bad and the garage wasn't much better. Bill said he about threw up when he dug in with the bobcat for the first load the smell was so strong. My kids and I just stayed in the yard and worked on pulling, clipping weeds, mowing and picking up garbage out there. In a quick mornings work we filled a huge haul in dumpster. When I was pulling a bunch of burdock and box elder plants up I ran across a small clump of rhubarb. I was rather excited, it wasn't where anyone could get to it so I dug it up and need to plant it. I am not sure I have a very good place for it, I need to research their sun needs. When we got home I mowed our yard, as I did I kept feeling so thankful that I can still do that. Our place is so manicured looking after you are at a place like that for awhile. I really wish I had taken some pictures of our work but I didn't think to bring along my camera. This evening when I went out to get some onions for supper I saw this huge caterpillar on the parsley so I showed it to all the kids. Beatrice and I decided to watch and see what type he is so we put together a butterfly garden and hope he developes a cocoon soon. He is really cool, when he is irritated, like being rubbed on his back to hard, he pops out these bright orange antlers. This evening the kids played various ball games, some of their very own creating, with several of the neighbor kids. They play with them less this year then they have other years. Harrison tires of the boys quite quickly, they take the games to seriously and get mad about it more than he likes and they are getting older and their language is getting rather salty. Change has to happen. I was hoping we could postpone these things a little longer but I guess not.

What type do you think he is?

So that is our week. I hope you had a good one too.
~Anna