This Grand Life

I finally finished this book, the book about adopting children and how to manage some of the challenges that go along with the entire process. I was happy to be chock-full of knowledge since we had  our home study and parenting training today. I was ready to impress the psychologist with everything I had learned, except she had NEVER heard of Karyn Purvis or the book. (sigh)
I think that dealing with the state that is under-funded has been eye-opening for me. She was very nice and was very optimistic so we were thankful. She will come back next week for a short follow-up and then we are finished! They will put us into a state-wide database so we can wait for a match. We are in much anticipation.

This week has flown by and I am sad that June is almost half way gone. I have been savoring my time outside, despite the record heat and drought, because there is so much to discover and admire. We have lots of new critters hiding around the property so the kids and I enjoy snapping photos of them and giving them names.

Feathers seem to be the new "thing" here, so the girls' and I ordered some feather extensions to put in our hair. I must say that we all look good, but little Rose is cute as a button with her feather.

As if the kids need ANY excuses to not brush their hair, Devin showed them all how to take a bandana and make a do-rag for their heads. So we now have feathers and bandanas......everywhere!
I am not sure about Willow's yoga pose, but the girl is limber!

Zeb got his first real haircut, and he cried the entire time. It was a little pathetic, but he got over it quickly. That evening we sat outside in a very summer-like fashion and ate ice cream cones. I think we could have one every evening and it would be a perfect summer.

Last 

Speaking of perfect summers, we had a perfect dinner of fried chicken nuggets. I used to make them mostly for birthday dinner requests but I was really craving a comfort food and this hit the target. Of course Mr. Bartyl and Jaymes made the preparation even sweeter. It has been forever since I have had a wine cooler, much too long. Fuzzy-navel, oh how I have missed you.

Finally, this sweet boy not only has 4 teeth now, but he loves to sit outside and try and grab at the streams of sunlight on the rug. His little world is full of big wonder and new discoveries. Life is good from here, my front porch. All I have to do is slow down and take it all in, and I do. I love his sweet face, blue eyes, and chunky thighs. The dimple in his chin makes me *swoon*!

Now, if I could only find a way to slow time down.

Bee Wrangling

 Last week Devin and I went a friend's house and removed a bee hive that was living in the side of her house. We were happy to get a chance to try out a new bee vacuum Devin built. When we arrived bees were flying out the exterior corner here. Her husband sprayed expansion foam all around hoping it would keep the bees inside the wall and then they would die. Bees are clever and just chewed a hole through the foam.

 After a bit we figured out where the hive body was and Devin used his saw to cut a square out through that part of the house. BINGO! The hive was above the basement ceiling (finished basement) and below the floor joists to the main floor.

 It was not a HUGE hive, but they had several combs drawn down. These combs you see are actually attached up higher, so it was difficult to remove them in whole pieces.  the comb was full of brood, eggs and honey.

 Since my hand was smallest, I pulled the comb out and also tried to vacuum up as many bees as possible.
 The bee vacuum was attached to a  bucket. When we were done, we took the vacuum part off top and placed a screened lid on the bucket.

 We collected a box full of comb. Sadly, we were not able to find a queen. I am sure she was smooshed in the process. I threw this comb out in my apiary and let all the bees rob it of honey.

  I tried to get all the comb out. there were still field bees flying in, but the homeowner was going to spray them down with water that evening. The bees were actually very docile considering we were ripping their home apart.

They had some repairs left but at least the bees were gone and we got to a new hive. I put the bees in a 5 frame nuc and gave them a frame of eggs from another hive in the apiary.
I will check on them in one month and see if they have a new queen.

Planning a Mega-Family Lake Day

It's summer and that means loads of fun filled activities, right?
Logistically it's not ideal to load up my crew and take them many activities. That's not to say we NEVER venture out, but we tend to stay home (a common summer theme for many large families).
Economically, who can afford to do many vacations? Well, not many large families. Do we suffer and have a boring summer? No way!!!!!

Being large means thinking outside the box and keeping things simple. Most days we are at home playing games and splashing in a small kiddie pool eating popsicles. Occasionally, when the weather gets super hot, we have an afternoon movie day complete with popcorn and rootbeer floats. Summer is also a great time to learn a new craft or to start knitting those Christmas gifts.

The hot days are an opportunity to relax every afternoon so that after dinner we can stay up past dark and catch lightening bugs and play flashlight tag.

We are also fortunate enough to have grandparents who live on a lake and have a private dock. It's really nice because they also have a screened in building with a table and grill and also the water starts shallow at the shoreline and gradually gets deeper. This makes a great area for little ones to play.
This year I promised the kids we would pack a cooler and swim once a week. Tomorrow is a lake day.
I am trying to keep costs down and since it will cost about $20 in gas to get there and back, I must stay creative in selecting and packing food for the day. Seriously, you have to have lots of food when you are swimming, right?

Here's how a mega-family packs for a day of fun at the lake while keeping costs to a minimal.


First, a cooler is a must . We usually pack lunchmeat, etc to make sandwiches or I make PB&J sandwiches before we leave and pile them high into a cake pan. I will cut them in fourths so that the kids can snack on them throughout the day. Tomorrow we are bringing some ham and cheese so I baked up some sandwich rolls. By baking my own bread I save quite a bit plus it is much healthier.

My kids LOVE those jello and fruit cups, however they can be pricey for  so many of us and I don't want to limit how much food the kids eat. That would not be fun. We also have cousins who swim with us so I need to have plenty.
 This is where I make up my own jello cups.

 

I buy my jello and canned fruit from Aldis, which makes it very affordable. These plastic bowls and lids can also be re-used so it ends up costing me about $4 to make up 16 jello cups with fruit in them. the kids love them and Rose was excited to see me make them and helped me put the lids on them. These containers can also be used to make pudding cups. These cups are MUCH bigger than the little pudding cups you see in the store too.

We always like something sweet too and store bought cookies are not only expensive but loaded with junk you don not need. Tonight the big girls helped me whip up some peanut butter cookies.

I double the recipe and it makes about  60 cookies. That seems like a lot but there will be 10 kids and a few adults hanging out at the lake. Homemade cookies such as these only took about 30 minutes to make, thanks to my convection oven and cost me only a couple of dollars in ingredients.

Last year I bought soda for the lake. This year that just isn't going to happen. First off it's way too expensive and secondly it's way too sugary. This year I bought each child a tumbler cup that has a travel lid so that we can save by not using paper cups and so we could bring drinks in a cooler. Here is what I have for drinks.

My 5 gallon drink cooler was too big for a one day outing so I got these 2 gallon coolers. I put ice water in one and I make up lemonade or iced tea for the other. These are easy to carry and the perfect amount of drink. They cost me $14 each at Academy Sports but I saw them at Walmart 2 days ago for $9 each.

Aldis is also a great place to stock up on some chips or cheese sharks (think Goldfish crackers). Snacks are a big part of what makes these day trips enjoyable. I will also use a laundry basket to pack up extra diapers, sunscreen towels and a large quilt. The little ones will sometimes need quiet time on a quilt and under a shade umbrella.
So this is how we organize it all. I must also mention that the kids MUST clean their rooms and the bathrooms the evening before the lake day. I also do my best to get laundry washed and put away. Typically we get home exhausted so it helps to have the house clean and orderly. This also makes the unloading of the van easier. For dinner we eat a bowl of cereal or yogurt, and then it's bedtime. The kids are usually ready for bed after a day in the hot sun, swimming.
Like everything large families do, it only takes a little planning and day before preparations to take the whole gang out for an enjoyable day.

So what cool  and budget friendly things will your family be doing this summer?

Memorial Day Bugs

Goodness! It was a very hot Memorial Day today! It was a burning 97 degrees and we have no rain in the forecast this week. That stinks since I decided to plant a little more corn in the garden yesterday.

Devin was working his bootie off in the ER today so the kids and I did more yard work and ate a million popsicles. In fact I made 2 trips to the store to buy some:-)

Summer officially starts for us today, although school will be in session until Journee finishes up Algebra and Quinn finishes Biology. The young kids will be reading each day as well. Seriously, it's too hot to be out until dusk so why not stay busy?

This evening I was walking around picking up toys (and popsicle wrappers) when I found this hanging on the side of the house.

It appears that the larger spider ate the smaller one. Now, this spider looked to be about 5 inches across. Anyone know what it is? I have no clue and did not kill it, in the event it's a helpful spider. If ya'll tell me it's a mean, poisonous spider...I will hunt it down in the morning.
Yes, there are "helpful" spiders. I remember when I was young (guessing 12) my grandpa and I spotted a HUGE spider on the side of my parents' house and I told him to squash it. He refused, telling me what type of spider it was and that it ate poisonous spiders. I bet my grandpa would know what that ugly one there is.....ya'll let me know if you do! Right now it just looks like a carniverous spider.

I also went to feed my honey bees, the ones I took from a friends house. They are queenless and I put them in a 5 frame nuc with a frame of eggs and capped brood from the neighboring hive. They should raise a queen within a month. I decided to feed them some. Well, lookie what I found out there on a hive.

It looks like a little twig...until you look closely and see the mouth. Wait for it.........

It crawls around. It's like a tiny caterpillar. Wicked!!!! It's amazing how it is dressed to look like a twig on a tree.
So.....anyone know what this is? I will try and look it up later. I have never seen one, but it was good practice to photograph with my macro lens.
Finally........

This 2 year old boy of mine is trying to kill me with a looooong slooooooww death. You see this look he has? He winks and tries to convey a super innocent look. Well, he has learned to climb the back deck rail (YES, IT"S REALLY HIGH UP!) He tries to get up and look down over the rail, and he can do it quite well. What to do?????
I am considering locking him in his room until he's 18 and in the meantime taking up a career in entomology.

Bacon?

Yesterday Devin and I removed some bees from the side of a friend's house. It was cool and I will post as soon as I get the pictures emailed to me. In the meantime, we have just been plain busy here.
Tuesday we took the kids to Huntsville to the Rocket Museum. That was tons of fun, especially since we met up with good friends who moved to Huntsville.

In other exciting news, I am just plain worn out from grocery shopping and house cleaning today. seriously, that baby is so heavy! He will be 8 months old tomorrow! He loves to play on the floor, thank goodness, and he has a new best friend who plays with him.

 Duke loves the soft quilt and will happily let Fletch pull and chew on him if he can only stay right there and doze off.

 WHAT???? Did you say "BACON?"

Oh, Ok then. If there's no bacon, then there's no reason to move. Carry on....
****Tomorrow I promise a better post on something....with a little more "meat". I might even throw in some bacon:-)****

The Exhaustion of Being Blessed

Exhaustion is my word for the day. Today is the day you are warned about, the day that you will be up past your eyeballs in things to do and yet NOTHING gets done. OK, let me back up a bit. I did the essentials. My kids and I did school, we learned about Africa (specifically Egypt) and how the Nile runs opposite of how you think. I cooked breakfast, reheated leftovers for lunch and made dinner, compete with dessert. Kids have been read to, played games with and given baths. I stayed extra optimistic because my dear husband has been a little less than optimistic today. Laundry was done and folded and put away. The baby has been nursed, and nursed, and nursed some more. I discovered that if I sit in the recliner still for longer than 5 minutes I fall asleep.
Despite all of this I know more than ever we will have more. More exhaustion, more demands, more meals, more stories and more games...more children. I would be tempted to say that I am ready to have "me" time. I am tired of constantly giving of myself. I am through having kids and babies and all it includes. Yes, despite all of this I know that these are treasures worth more than anything. These are blessings that have been graciously given to me. Who am I to refuse such a blessing? If I have nothing else ever in the world, I have these blessings. My children. My family.

So the extra things on my to do list are pushed back for another day. The quilts, the scarves, the organized house they can all wait.

If I could stop time and lock up these days into a bottle I would. These days where we don't HAVE to go anywhere. These days when we can play, we are all together and the biggest decision amongst us all is which movie to watch. I look back on all of the days I did not appreciate it enough. Those days when I only had toddlers at home were special days that flew in a flash. I am sure I spent too much time focusing on things that in hindsight were not as important as the time spent with my babies. I am wiser, more mature now. I only want to soak up the days, even if they are crazy at times.

We are always busy. We are also always very blessed. Even though I am exhausted to the point of sleeping in the big easy chair when I sit down, I know I am very, very happy.

Crud, Oh Crud!

How much laziness can one body keep and for how long?
It seems this head crud moved into my chest and became chest crud. Now I feel like, well, crud!
I literally wasted an entire day yesterday with 2 naps and still did not get any energy back. At least, not enough to accomplish anything other than feeding the kids and caring for their basic needs. I suppose some days are just like that.
This morning I was hoping to jump out of bed and feel 100% better, since I did go to bed at 9pm lastnight. Let's just say I felt better than yesterday. I have only had one nap so far too, so it's getting better.

I have decided that we need to really strap down if we are going to get the basement finished this year, so....time to look back over the budget and see what's going on. I must re-do the food budget too and add to it some room for snacks and lunches this summer. We are not taking any vacations this year, but we intend to spend one day a week at the lake. I will pack a cooler of food those days and I already purchased 2 water coolers that hold 2 gallons of liquid each. I can take cold water and maybe lemonade or tea in the other. Most summers we take along a 12 pack or 2 of soda, but I decided that a once a week trip warrants water and tea.

I also revamped my master grocery lists. I keep it in the pantry and highlight items we need, as we need them. This keeps me from having to make out long lists every time I go to Costcos or Sams.
I suppose I could revisit my master dinner list as well. I have been intending to add a couple of new recipes to the list. I  cannot make a weekly menu and stick to it. I only cook what sounds good to me at the time, so.......I just keep a well stocked pantry and freezer and also a list of what I have available to cook. I am thinking that the grill should be fired up this week because kabobs sound good:-)
I also made up more pancake mixes for the freezer. Whew! I grind my soft wheat and add the dry ingredients for pancakes together, each in a gallon sized bag. I store them in the freezer since it is fresh wheat and use them as I need in the mornings. I only add the eggs, oil, honey and milk. Breakfast is super easy for this crew when it's pancakes with my "convenience" package.
So here's to turning a non-productive weekend into a slightly productive day. Here's hoping I feel myself by morning because I am no good sick.

Oh! I must also update you all on the adoption! The first weekend in June we will attend the IMPACT training that is required....then we are set! It's hard to believe that we are less than a month away from having ALL of our requirements finished! YAY!