what's up weekly. (I'm a deadbeat.)

Hi, folks.  Sorry I didn't show up last week.  It was break week, and I'd had big plans - remember when I told you I had a whole list of things to accomplish, like cleaning out the chicken coop, and building a compost bin, and cleaning out the garage, and pulling out fall clothing, and sealing the wood on my garden bed?  There were probably more things on the list, but those are the things that I know of off the top of my head that most certainly did not get done.  I just couldn't show my face around here knowing I had squandered my time so wantonly.

Because squander it I did.  I did literally nothing.  I took full advantage of the break and went into full deadbeat mode.  I rarely changed out of pajamas.  I didn't exercise most days.  I laid on the couch and read two entire books.  I threw daily popcorn parties at lunchtime and watched an entire season of All Creatures Great and Small with the kids.  We were all total lushes, and I was at the helm of it all.

The weather was great, though, and at least the kids got plenty of time to play outside.  They've invented a new game called Voorst Ball.

I will say, I did make it to the library to pick up a few holds, and we went to Home Depot one afternoon so I could buy the wood for the compost bin.  But that is as far as I've made it into that project, and I don't know when I'll have the time to actually do the building now that school is back in session.  Oh well.  Que sera, sera.  Look how flexible and flippant I've become after just one week of unrestrained indulgence.

Todd was a busier bee than I was - he got a few projects tackled around the house.  First, the kids broke the hardware on the banister, so he got some new hardware and got it all squared away.  Then, he spent a morning troubleshooting the fireplace. The pilot light had gone out, and after it was relit, it wasn't turning on when the switch was flipped.  But now that's all fixed, too, and not a moment too soon because some of the school mornings this week were chilly, so it was nice to be able to light the fire for the kids to warm up by.

Kool and the Gang.

The return of our school days was a weird comfort after our week off - I'm glad to be back in the routine and to have less free time, as weird as that sounds.  It's nice to not have to make decisions about how I will spend my time, or to rely on willpower alone to get things done.  School just kind of moves us all along in a great sweep, and the important things get done by default without much thought.

We had a couple milestones to celebrate this week, in addition to our school days.  The kids each celebrated a baptism anniversary - Atticus celebrated five years, Penelope six, and the younger kids all celebrated the first anniversary of their baptisms.  We got them gifts - the girls each got a necklace with their initial on it, and the boys got leather carabiner straps for their belts.  I bought a leather stamping kit, so I'll hopefully get their initials stamped on those soon.

Juni turned four and a half, and cried because she didn't get a present for it.

Ophelia has not only mastered walking on flat land, but is now also the Stair Master.

The kids had their first screening of The Lord of the Rings (well, so far just the first one), and loved it.  We recently finished reading through the books for the first time, so it was fun to start the movies together.

Todd hosted Men's Beer and Books this month, so some guys from church came over to hang out in the backyard one evening, and Penelope and I stayed up late that night, watching Little Women. 

We are loving putting our firepit to good use this fall and had a family Sing Out in the beautiful, changing weather.  I'm ready for Fall this year - now, if someone would just tell it to officially arrive.  We haven't gotten any frost yet, and my tomato plants are starting to produce a few tomatoes again.  My tabasco peppers might just have time to ripen.  And also, it's the middle of October and it feels weird.  I'm ready for summer to call it quits.

And those were our weeks!  Not very productive when averaged out, but still full of good, fun things!

what's up weekly. (In Which I Slow to A Crawl in Preparation of Fall.)

Whew, you guys.  This week has been a mental fight.  I think the shortening days are getting to me or something; I just don't have much gumption to get at 'er lately.  If I could, I think I'd maybe just opt to lie in bed watching Meg Ryan movies.  Well, maybe I wouldn't, but life just keeps trucking and Meg Ryan movies aren't free, so I guess we'll never know.  

The big kids are doing an amazing job of keeping up with their heavy workload.

BUT TODAY IS FRIDAY and we have a lot to look forward to: we're hosting Men's Beer and Books tonight, so the guys from church will be sitting out in the backyard around the firepit, smoking cigars and singing hymns and talking about all kinds of things.  The kids and I will probably watch a movie (though nothing with Meg Ryan) and then hit the sack.  Tomorrow will be our first Saturday home in nearly a month, so I will probably spend it dusting the living room, but since it desperately needs it, it should be enjoyable.

Another day, another installment of Skeeter Wars.

But let's back up to last weekend.  We headed up to Iowa for my niece's birthday and spent the day playing, eating, and running around with their chickens and ducks.  We came back in time for dinner, and Todd made the kids Brinner, which was clearly a genius parenting move.  

On Monday we kicked off our fourth week of school, and I can officially say WE HAVE MADE IT TO FALL BREAK!  After lab science this morning, and a little Little Town on the Prairie this afternoon, we will be on break for the next week.  I have big plans: I need to build a compost bin, clean out the chicken coop, switch out fall clothing for the kids, clean out the garage, take Atticus to retake his driver's test, can up a bunch of stuff that's been waiting in the freezer, and seal the wood on my garden bed before the weather turns cold.  

Think I can get it all done?  Normally, I would bet on myself and say, "Yeah, it will take a push, but I can do it all."  But after the lethargy of this week, I'm starting to think I need to get a little more realistic and pick just a couple of things to tackle.  I definitely have to do the chicken coop, and by default build a compost bin for somewhere to put the old bedding.  But beyond that, we'll see.

Back to this week.  What else happened?  We had friends over for dinner Wednesday night, which was fun.  I found a great deal on beef, so I canned up some stew meat, and a friend gave me a free bushel of apples, so I made apple butter.  The canning shelves are getting full, but I'd like to get more protein and starches put up - meat, broth, potatoes, beans - because right now my cabinet looks pretty fruit- and salsa-heavy.  Which is fine, but doesn't help a ton with meal prep, which is my favorite reason to can - it makes dinnertime SO EASY when the ingredients are prepped and ready.  Maybe I can at least get some meat canned up over break week.

And... I think that's it!  Ophelia would like you to know she is officially walking now, so she will see you out.

Have a good weekend!