Overheard and Pretty Pictures

Frustrated, tech-savvy son: Why do USB keys keep ending up between my toes?!

And while you chew on that, how about some pretty pictures my daughter took?

Marigold

Cat

Crocus

Whatever the plural of crocus is

Heat Day 2023

 I am popping in here to announce that today is the official Heat Day 2023! 

This picture is from yesterday morning when we actually decided to turn on the heat.

But Heat Day isn't simple anymore, so allow me to offer some clarifications.

Since my father moved in, we have not allowed him to freeze. His room has its own heater, and so does my son's room. Both of these heaters are in the addition to our home on the north (and cold!) side of the house. Their heaters have been in operation, off and on, for a little while now. That heat doesn't seem to have too much of an effect in the main house. Or at least I don't think so.

Also, we did have to turn the heat on earlier one day when the furnace repair fellow came to service the furnace. We turned it back off as soon as he was done. So this doesn't count for the heat game either.

AND yesterday morning was the day we turned the heat on, BUT the furnace didn't actually kick on until around 6 a. m. today because we had the temperature set low. I am not planning on turning the heat up yet because there will be much baking the next few days. 

It is still not the record, but it was a more than respectable performance this year, don't you think?

A Fine Day

Yesterday was a fine, fine day. The weather was sunny and just warm, not hot. We had wind, of course, but it was the kind of breeze that would have been good for flying kites, if we'd chosen to fly kites. Days like that make everything in life look sunny.

I decided it was a day to take a few pictures of outside goings-on before settling in to wash dishes and start supper.

What was going on? Well, it seems a warm day is a day for bees.

That wind did make it difficult to keep the smoker lit.

Lots of honey coming out of winter

I know it seems like lots of honey would be a good thing, but we suspect something is wrong with that hive because there are few bees. The queen is still alive, but there is little brood. I'm guessing something happened earlier in winter to make fewer bees since there is so much honey remaining. The other hive seemed to be doing well, so that's good.

After visiting the bees, I walked toward the backyard to see what the chickens were up to.  To nobody's surprise, they were scratching about in the leaves, and Chester the Rooster kept his evil eye on me. 

Common sight nowadays

Chickens weren't the only thing I found in the leaves on the edge of the trees.

Hello, crocus! 

And, yes, according to the dictionary, "crocus" is the plural of "crocus." The dictionary also says it would be correct for me to type "croci," but that would just make it more awkward, I think. I've always said "crocuses," but I learned today that I've been wrong all these years. I will probably continue saying the word incorrectly because I like it better. I guess a lovely spring day brings out the rebel in me.

Heat Day 2020

This morning the inside temperature was 65F, and it was absolutely no problem. After church we decided to visit my father and cook supper for him. My husband and I knew we would be coming home to a very cold house since the dryer wouldn't be running, the oven wouldn't be cooking, and the 9 living bodies wouldn't be maintaining a few spots of heat in the house for the entire day. So, we made the decision to name today, November 1, the official Heat Day of 2020. We turned the heat on as we scurried about to fill water bottles and as we reminded everybody to visit the little girls'/boys' room. 

I don't feel shame, especially since we were driving through blowing snow on the way home. Snow outside equals heat inside, right?

BUT there could have been an interesting turn of events in the game; we discussed during the drive home that the wind was blowing so hard that perhaps our electricity had gone out. Now, as long-time readers know,  I occasionally change the rules of this heat game on a whim. My husband and I reasoned that if the electricity had indeed gone out, then we technically wouldn't have benefitted at all from the heat being turned on. SO, if the electricity was out, today wouldn't actually be Heat Day since we would still be shivering in the cold until the power was back; Heat Day could have been delayed a whole day (or even two).

But we had lights and heat and very tired children when we got home. The game is over, and we made it to November! Yay! 

Sideling Hill Sunset

 Tonight we saw a beautiful sunset. It is the time of year that the sun sets right in the cut in the mountain. The picture doesn't do the colors justice, but I'll post it anyway.

She Can Read!

Yesterday my 4-year-old gave my father a Father's Day gift-- about 15 pieces of scrap paper with 4-year-old-appropriate decorations. The grandfather-granddaughter conversation went something like this:

Poppa:  Oooh. Very nice. Another piece of paper-- how pretty. Another one? Oh, thank you. What does this one say?

Anna: (looking carefully at it to read it) Dot, dot, scribble.

At least she can read her own handwriting!

Life is Still Full

Do you worry? My mother did. If people could be paid for worrying, my mother would’ve been filthy rich. 

Since the pandemic situation interrupted our normal routines, I’ve found myself thinking of Mom and, to be honest, feeling somewhat relieved that she didn’t have to deal with it all. For starters, she had severe COPD. For years we avoided visits with her if anyone had so much as a sniffle. This coronavirus would have killed her, no doubt. Plus worrying about social distancing and toilet paper and money problems and the health of all her grandkids— well, all that worrying would’ve done her in just as quickly as old COVID-19.

You know, even if you’re not normally a worrier, the current situation is enough to make you feel unwell. We’re all of us a little topsy-turvy. Even homeschoolers like me who are used to being home with the kids have had to change routines. My children are bemoaning a lack of new library books while I am missing gathering together with my church family each Sunday. My husband, a pastor, has been scrambling to figure out the best way to shepherd his congregation. 

Yes, these times are more difficult for most of us, and worry comes too easily. We have been told that worry cannot add a single hour to our lives, and I know it is true. Otherwise, my anxious mother would still be alive. But she is not.

But we are alive, and that, my friends, is important. If you open your front door tomorrow morning, the birds will tell you all about it, if you’ll listen. So will those spring peepers (if you’re more of an evening person). Listen to them.

Turn off the television, the smart phone, the radio, and the computer, and listen right now. What do you hear? Do you hear your children laughing or maybe whining or perhaps jumping on your bed despite the fact they’ve been warned three times already? Life.

Or maybe you hear your husband turning the pages of his newspaper or making your morning coffee? Life.

Maybe you hear the cat sitting on the ledge outside your kitchen window meowing for some food? Life.

Even the faucet dripping, the toilet flushing, and the dishes clinking in the dishwasher are all sounds that accompany life.

Right now we have an opportunity to be still and listen. We have enough time in a way we’ve never had it before. There are no meetings, no school, no sports practices or games. 

In a time when we feel helpless to help, try listening. Listen on the phone to your friend tell the same story for the third time. Listen to your child or grandchild read from a book or recite the times tables. Listen to your spouse sing in the shower or chop up vegetables for supper. Listen to your dog snore on the rug in the evening.

Be still and soak up all the wonderful sounds of life until you are full, so full of the joy of it all that there’s no room left for useless worry.

*************************************

Speaking of joy and life and an end to all need for worry— Easter is approaching, and Easter means eggs. At our last church potluck, I had the supreme joy of tasting smoked deviled eggs for the first time. If you have a smoker and like deviled eggs, you simply must make these for your Easter dinner. No arguments; make these!

That being said, I haven’t made them myself, so I don’t have a tried-and-true recipe to share with you. However, my friend who made those lovely eggs told me how she did it (she doesn’t use a recipe), and that is what I can share with you. My directions assume you know how to hard-boil and make deviled eggs.*

Smoked Deviled Eggs

First, hard-boil eggs. Next, peel the hard-boiled eggs. Then smoke the peeled eggs in your smoker on the lowest setting for half an hour to an hour. They will be a light shade of brown.

After eggs are smoked, follow your normal recipe for deviled eggs. I don’t follow an exact recipe for the egg yolk mixture, but I do add mayonnaise, mustard, and a little of something sour like vinegar or pickle relish. My friend adds some horseradish. And don’t forget to sprinkle paprika on top; my family says it’s not really deviled eggs without the paprika on top!

*If you’ve never made hard-boiled eggs or deviled eggs, you should be able to find a basic recipe in most cookbooks or online. Or you can send me an email, and I’ll walk you through it.

**This column was printed in the April 1, 2020, issue of the Hancock News.

Old Joke

Says 15-year-old: "I want to write a book when I'm younger called How to Reverse the Aging Process."

Sink with a View

I need to clean my kitchen window, but the view still makes me pause and admire every time.

Kid-Created, Mother-Approved

One of our little girls started doodling this all over church bulletins.

We thought it was just too cute and asked one of the (barely) teenagers to scan it and digitize it and fix it up so it could be printed out (because evidently crayon doesn't scan and print well). He did, and I just uploaded it to our Etsy shop as an instant download to print. 

It's not made by a professional graphic designer, but we're pretty proud of their youthful collaboration. 

Recently we found more of her lovely doodles when we were cleaning her room, so big brother is working on them. However, they actually are on church bulletins and overlap with some of the words, so it will be a little more challenging of a project.

At the beginning of our homeschool journey, I was worried about teaching the children technology, but I've found that the children teach themselves. I certainly don't know how to do what my son is doing with all the digit image manipulation. 

Anyway, if you know somebody who likes this sort of thing, send them a link!

Official Heat Day 2019

Today-- Monday, November 4, 2019-- is the day you've all been waiting for-- Heat Day 2019! 

Yesterday it was a bit chilly in our house, but we didn't have to deal with the cold at night since we left for a quick overnight visit to my dad. When we returned this evening, it was too cold for me. If I hadn't felt like I might be coming down with something, I might have toughed it out for another day or so. 

But I'm not too disappointed since we made it into November. Is it November 23rd (our record)? No. And while I will forever harbor the dream of lasting until December, I think we all know that's unrealistic. 

Here's to waking up with toasty toes in the morning!

In Case You Were Wondering. . .

We haven't turned our heat on yet. Last week we had one cold day and night when the wind was blowing. I got all worked up and actually wrote a game plan on our whiteboard because I did NOT want to capitulate earlier than last year (which happened to be today, October 22nd).

Yes. A game plan.

What is a game plan for the heat game? Well, I listed all the things we could do to warm up inside the house instead of turning on the heat. Baking squash, putting on more blankets and socks, and lighting candles all made the list. I won't even embarrass myself by listing out (for the whole world to read) all of my great ideas. Let it suffice to say that the entire whiteboard was covered.

So what did the kids do? They ran outside to play and left the door open. Seriously. Some of them didn't even wear a jacket. They did, however, like the baking cookies idea.

Since then, it hasn't felt too cold in here. I'm hopeful because we will have close to a gazillion guests at our house this weekend, and that means lots more body heat and lots of cooking heat.

I am soooooo prepared this year for my heat game. Anybody else playing along?

Spring!

Now, you might all be thinking, "She does this same post every year-- crocuses, robins-- how boring!" But there is something different for me this time-- a homeschooling freebie!

Anyway, three days ago, I felt spring in my bones, so I took a walk outside with my camera to dig through the leaves to see if the crocuses were up. And they were so close to being open, but I didn't think I could count this as the official spring indicator.

See? Not quite open yet.

Well, the next day, the children found another sign of spring and hollered for me to grab the camera.

Do you see them?

Maybe this one is a little better?

Yes, Robin Redbreast graced us with his presence, and so did all of his friends. That's pretty much the official beginning of spring in my mind, right there. But, I cannot ignore my crocuses, so I took a walk to the backyard again. Et voila!

Definitely official

My husband gathered the troops to re-make one of our raised beds. It is now smaller and taller, and sand the masons left in a pile is in it because this is our attempt to improve the soil for planting garlic later this year. I want to grow enough to make a braid. Or two.

All ready for planting

And while it is officially spring in my bones and my heart, a peek at Sideling Hill reminds me that winter might not be through with us yet.

If you look closely, you can just see the ice still on the south side of the cut.

Now, for my first freebie.

Education.com reached out to me to offer a freebie to post on my blog. That was several weeks ago, but when I saw the worksheet, I knew I had to wait for my flowers because it is a spring word search (and answers). I hope you like these, and if you have difficulty accessing them, let me know because this is the first time I've done such an endeavor.

Spring Word Search

Spring Word Search Answer Key

Thank you to Education.com for providing this fun addition to my little blog. They asked that I post the following, and I'm happy to do so; I know lots of homeschoolers (and other educators) benefit from the site. 

Learning opportunities are in full bloom with this spring-themed word search. Kids will have lots of fun hunting for words while they reinforce their spelling, vocabulary and word recognition skills. Even more fun learning resources are just a click away at Education.com!

Back to Jody's words-- I would also say this word search is one of those quick and easy activities that a mom who is homeschooling many sometimes needs to keep some busy while others need a little extra help. Enjoy!

We've had a little snow lately, so we've been feeding the birds and enjoying their antics.

At first, after we put out our feeders and before it snowed, the only birds we saw were goldfinches. We could see some woodpeckers out in the woods, but only the finches were at the feeder. Then there was a bird that looked like a finch but with a red head. What was it? After much argument, we settled on a house finch.

Then came the snow and the tufted titmice, red-bellied woodpeckers, black-capped chickadees, and nuthatches. Juncos (two of which died after a run-in with our double glass doors) and our guineas enjoyed whatever dropped to the ground. And then came the blue jays and bright red cardinals (with their not-so-bright brownish ladies).

My favorite feeder-- made by our dear friend, Lance

Our birdwatching goes beyond the feeders and into the woods and on our roof. My eldest spotted a bluebird on our roof! Several weeks ago, we watched turkeys meandering through the yard and woods. And we've seen turkey vultures and hawks, too. 

This was taken in October, but it is a turkey vulture on our roof.

It's been quite the education and entertainment for us the past several weeks. Meals and lessons are interrupted as our attention is diverted away from the table. Now that we have our addition, we have two angles-- one from the dining room and one from the living room. 

What birds have you enjoyed this winter?

Good Morning, Sunshine!

I've felt overwhelmed lately. Twenty-four hours simply isn't enough. I had grand blog schemes to chronicle our Big Trip Out West. I have about 40,000 other pictures I wanted to share. So much has been happening, and not the least of these happenings is three deaths in my family in four months. Happenings and deaths deplete my reserves.

Yesterday was hard for me. Yesterday was the viewing/visitation for my cousin's son. He was young, and I keep remembering his smile and his twinkling eyes. Who is ever ready for the death of somebody who should have been attending your own funeral?

But then, I looked outside this morning.

Isn't it funny how God knew best exactly what would cheer me up? (Silly me thought I just needed some chocolate!) 

Little Boy

My little 4-year-old is so cute sometimes that he makes my heart melt. Sure, he still thinks he's the boss; he and his sister had an argument about it just the other day. But. . .

Our memory poem for February was Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken," and little boy memorized it, too. I wish you could hear him recite those words I'm not sure he even understands: "Two roads diverged in a lellow* wood, and sorry I could not travel both. . . "

Those sorts of things make my heart do flip-flops.

Now. Last week my baby boy moved out of our room and into his own new big boy bed. The mattress came in a box, and it was a big family occasion to watch it be unpacked and expand. Kids were bouncing around so thickly in that room that a good picture with no kids in it was hard to come by.

The mattress-- all rolled up

Unrolled and mostly inflated

We let the bed air out for a night before tucking him in it for the first time. He half broke my heart and half cracked me up when he said, "Mom! I don't need you to tuck me in! I can do it myself!" We tucked him in anyways. 

Very Fun Box

He loves his new bed, but I think he's had a lot more fun with the box it came in. That box entertained the little ones for at least an entire afternoon. In addition to crawling in and out of it, they also used it as a slide. I heard lots of imagination floating around that day.

In many ways, my son is growing up, but the little boy in him still crawls in bed with us in the morning to cuddle. Thank goodness.

*I'm sure many in my family remember a time when my cousin Becky was similarly too cute for words when talking about her favorite colors-- "red and lellow."

Thursday Things

The weather has been so warm here the last few days that the kids were outside in short-sleeves playing. Some were even begging for the air conditioner to be turned on! That didn't happen. At least it feels cooler this morning.

I've been too busy to blog much lately, so I've saved up a few random thoughts.

1.  Wonderful Wednesday. Yesterday was a lovely day. I was able to spend some time outside with the kids. Reading a good book (E. B. White's Trumpet of the Swan) aloud to your children in the woods with sunshine on your arms does wonders for a body.

I also saw pretty things outside which cheered me up. All of these added a touch of color to our brown "winter" world.

Bluebird house

Tulips popping up

My yellow crocuses! (Or is that croci?)

And if all that pretty was not enough, later in the day after a quick shower, God gifted us with this rainbow.

2.  Child Development.  The baby is at that funny/cute stage where she likes to "hide" by sitting in plain view and covering her eyes. We crack up every time it happens, and that is several times a day. If she can't see us, we can't see her! (Note: I fully recognize that my "baby" is actually a toddler, but she is still the baby.)

3.  Bookish Podcast. My high school BFF recently joined together with some of her co-workers to created a podcast about books they read. It is called Unabridged, and you can find it here. In their words:

Unabridged - Four Teachers Take on Books is a podcast that comes from the desire to share a love of reading, cultivate a reading community, and invite students to become lifelong readers. 

I have listened to a couple of the episodes, and I wish I had more time to read. I also love hearing more of Jen's voice since we don't get to talk often. I am making a prediction that she will never not love a book they review. If you listen, you will learn that she is a real book lover.


4.  Another Place to Shop.  Recently a new family has been coming from afar to our little church-- and they have children! That's always exciting for a small church, you know. Anyway, their three older girls are crafty and have started a business. It is called KovalKreations and can be found here or on Etsy.  Right now they have some beautiful girls' clothing and baskets. I am in awe of their skills.

5. Vintage. And speaking of Etsy, after a long Christmas break so we could arrange things in our updated home, we jumped right back into Sideling View Crafts. I finally sold one pattern in January! And because we have developed an auction habit, I started listing some vintage items.

I'm still listing things because I have quite an accumulation of stuff and not an accumulation of time. Below is a cute vintage children's book I listed this week.

And that's all for Thursday because my family needs to eat breakfast!

Miscellaneous Monday

Things have been so busy that I haven't had a chance to post some pictures I wanted to share.

First up are shots from the garden.

Tomatillo growing

Bird egg bean almost ready

Bees on sunflower

Closer to bees on the sunflower

Jalapeños galore!

Here's a warning to all those who don't like garden pictures: I'm itching to get out in the garden with the camera today to capture some beautiful pumpkins and squash-- just in case the deer get through the netting laid on top of the pumpkins and don't mind the taste of the hot pepper spray we sprayed all over.

Next up is a picture of our cats. They don't really have individual names because we couldn't all agree on them. Most of us can't even tell them apart. Collectively they are The Black Ninja Cats. They are deadly to many, many outdoors creatures and leave offerings on our porch frequently. They do, however, "allow" a possum or two to share their food at night.

Our Ninjas

And speaking of critters. . . my son captured this frog at the worksite.

Camouflaged little frog

And who could forget about the eclipse? Around here it wasn't 100%, but we did get to see it. My oldest daughter and I were out and about at appointments and shopping, and people were so kind to share glasses so we could see it.

Here at the house, my husband was more creative. He and the rest of the kids built a contraption with foil and a long paper tube and a cardboard box and a recycled church bulletin to capture these images. My son said it was hard to get the camera at the right spot to take the picture, but I thought he did a good job.

In big news this week, our dishwasher is finally working again thanks to Mr. Gordon, our most excellent appliance repairman. He asked Peter to screw in the final screws. I just had to take a picture; you know how important that was to our little 3-year-old man! We thought he actually tried to leave with Mr. Gordon, but he told us he just wanted to open his van door for him.

Working on the dishwasher

I've often wondered if a dishwasher is actually helpful. I've had one ever since I moved out of my parents' house, but does it really save time and effort? After living without one for probably close to a month, I can say that my verdict is "YES!" I love our dishwasher and am so happy it is working again.

And last, but not least, out 14th wedding anniversary was last week.

Selfie at the game

How did we spend our anniversary? We went out for a baseball game with all the kids because that was when they had free tickets from the summer reading program at the library.

Beautiful night for a game

And as has happened every single time we've gone, the Hagerstown Suns lost big time. We keep hoping that next year will be the year we see them win. It was a sad game, but Big Tony entertained us with song and dance in the last couple of innings.

On Pop-Tarts and Butter

Our family has failed to reach consensus on the proper way to eat a Pop-Tart. All of us agree that it is best to lightly toast them and to spread butter on the un-frosted bottom to melt. However, some maintain that one should bite into the tart with butter side down, and others insist the buttered side should face the roof of the mouth.

I'm definitely in the ranks of buttered-side down. But, then again, I prefer the Pop-Tarts that have no frosting. 

In other news, I've had more time lately to ponder important questions like whether or not one should eat Pop-Tarts buttered-side up or down.

I've had time to enjoy giant block castles-- watching their construction, not making them. This one utilized several different kinds of blocks and Thomas toys. Too be honest, what I enjoyed most was that my almost teenager was the one who built it; I'm so glad he still enjoys playing with something not dependent on electricity.

Impressive

I've also had time to enjoy the bits of the outdoors brought in by my adoring fans. To be perfectly honest, the blooms pictured below were actually brought in as love offerings for Daddy because the girls were mad at me for some reason I now forget. I enjoyed them on my kitchen window sill just the same.

Pretty spring posies, a little wilted

Now that we had a chance to enjoy some snow, I'm enjoying our spring. Even the dreary and rainy days have been delightful inside. When things aren't so cheery around here, when they are crazy and chaotic, I want to remember these times.

_The Hancock News_ Column--February 8, 2017

The view from our front porch is a million dollar view. I’ve often bragged that of all the parsonages in all of America, we’re blessed to live in the one with the best view.

But it’s not just me. When people visit our home for the first time, they stop, look around, and enjoy their view of layers of hills and mountains. Sometimes people take pictures. They always comment about how lucky we are to be surrounded by such beauty, and they are right. We are lucky.

So it might surprise you to know that none of those breath-taking views are my favorite. For more than a decade, my rocking chairs (I’ve gone through more than one) have faced our living room window. For hours and hours, I’ve rocked my babies, held them while they slept, and stared out that window into our tree-surrounded backyard. I’ve memorized the green leaves and grass of summer and the brightly-colored and blowing leaves in fall. The bare tree trunks bend in the winter winds and green up again in spring.

Occasionally, in my window I see a flower bloom or a bird swoop. Deer, stray dogs, and even a bear have wandered into my view. Often children quickly pass back and forth across my field of vision, chasing, throwing, jumping, or wrestling.

That view is not exactly the stunning one I’d see if I stepped out the front door, but it’s my companion. It’s my comfort zone. It’s my normal.

And sometimes, after holidays and trips to see family, after meetings and general chaos, I crave normal and quiet. That is where my mind is now-- savoring the routine, enjoying the plain, rejoicing in the mundane.

The time will come again when I seek out a little more excitement, but for now I’ll sit a spell and enjoy the view out my back window.

***************************************

I feed my kids “mule slop,” and they love it. “Mule slop” is only what the kids like to call it; it’s really called muesli, and it’s a quick and healthy make-ahead breakfast for when you’re so busy you have no time to enjoy any view.

This is one of those recipes you can make your own. Add whatever you like, take out whatever you don’t. I usually add in whatever fruit we have on hand. We also like to add coconut, chopped nuts, or pumpkin or chia seeds. If you don’t like honey, try maple syrup or sugar. If you can’t have dairy, use almond or coconut milk. If you don’t have the yogurt, substitute more milk. This recipe is forgiving!

Muesli (aka, Mule Slop)

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup milk

1 cup plain yogurt

1 cup or more dried, fresh, or frozen fruit (chopped apples, raisins, blueberries, etc.)

1 cup or more seeds or chopped nuts, optional

2 Tbsp. honey (more or less, to taste)

Mix all ingredients together. Cover and refrigerate overnight. If you’d like, you can serve with additional toppings.