Hot Day for Interstate Travel

Here is what our car said that the temperature was as we headed back home from seeing Woody's orthopedic surgeon!  A hot day in Music City.  I think that officially the high was 97°, but out on the interstate we saw it hit 100°. Pretty hot for the last day September!

Woody's doctor appointment went well.  She did ask him if he was ready for a tibia transplant.  He said not yet!  We go back to see her in 6 months.

Off to Elijah's ball game...next to the last one.

Simply Saturday

I read for a while after I woke up this morning. I finally headed downstairs and got busy on the marinated veggie salad.  That took a lot of slicing and dicing.  It is chilling and melding flavors in the fridge and will be ready to eat tomorrow.  I ended up making a recipe of macaroni and cheese because I needed to use up some milk or throw it out...went the mac and cheese route.  That cooking took I the morning.

Woody made his usual public library trip and included a couple of errands while he was out...a stop at the grocery store for some celery and zucchini and a stop at the pharmacy to pick up one of his prescriptions.  The rest of the day he has filled with crossword puzzles, reading, college football, and more reading.

After my first cooking spree, I rested and read some more.  I even managed to fit in a nap.  After I woke up, I headed back to the kitchen to figure out what Woody would eat for supper!  He decided that he wanted zucchini, yellow squash, and sliced onions that I flavor with olive oil and Italian herbs.  This is a dish that I cook in the microwave...I guess I am steaming when I cook them the way that I do.  I originally made this concoction with a can of tomatoes or tomato sauce added in, but tomatoes are on Woody's list of foods he isn't supposed to eat.  It's still good this way.

I got the kitchen all cleaned up for a second time today and got the dishwasher running.  I decided that it was time to dust mop the new floors in the kitchen and bathrooms and then give them a quick mopping.  That job is done and I am ready to once again sit.  I think that I will sit at my sewing machine and machine embroider another design to use for a Christmas ornament.  I did finally get underway with my Christmas sewing last night...so the machine is once again cranking out creations of one sort or another.  I pick the design that I want, put fabric in a hoop that attaches to the machine, thread machine with the first thread color, push a button and watch it sew out...and change colors of thread when the machine stops and beeps at me!  Easy...right!?  Hardest part is substituting colors called for with colors of thread that I have on hand!  All I can say is that I had better put the pedal to the metal and get these cranking out as Christmas is fast approaching.  I can't believe how close it is to October!

Friday

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Our clock arrived yesterday while we were in Nashville for Woody's doctor appointment.  I'm still debating about what they did to the positioning of the picture.  They pulled the barn into the center and took out most of the foreground and thus put a bunch of the numbers in the shadow.  When I submitted it I was concerned that the 4 would be hard to see and now many more numbers joined the 4!  I'm trying to decide if I will be a squeaky wheel and complain.  The way I submitted it was the way I wanted it.  I have a way to communicate with one of the people in the company as I had asked a question of them and had emailed back and forth a couple of times with her.  So know that I can actually email a person with the problem.  It just seems like we have had to do too much communicating with companies to get replacements.  I wanted this last purchase to go smoothly!  Oh, well...

I am pleased with the quality of the clock.  The photo is actually printed onto the wood of the clock face.  And it is a silent clock...nice, as our last one was not!  I'm waiting on Nathan to help me hang the clock.  I will put it up and see if it continues to bug me about the numbers and positioning of the barn!

Today was grocery shopping day for Woody...seems like that day comes around all too often!  I got the groceries brought in and put away.  I guess I will call this day a "cooking prep day."  I didn't do much cooking.  I mainly got some first steps done to be able to cook some things...another day!  I just wasn't in the mood to actually complete a recipe!  I did roast some fresh red peppers...getting them ready to use in cooking and in making red pepper sauce.  The red pepper sauce has become Woody's catsup...a condiment that is okay for him to use on sandwiches, etc.  I washed and spun dried red leaf lettuce...ready for Woody's salads...and, he did have a salad this evening.  I also hard boiled some eggs for his salads.  I was gong to get some green beans cooked to put in a marinated salad...but realized that I had forgotten to put green beans on the grocery list.  Oops!  Woody got the green beans when he was out running errands with his friend.  So I still have those to cook...tomorrow!  I just started the dishwasher and will go down and wash by hand the few things that didn't fit or don't go in the dishwasher after I publish the blog. And, then the kitchen will be closed for tonight!

We both got up too early this morning.  I know that has made for a lazy afternoon for me.  I did finish one book that I had been reading for too long.  It was one of those books that I wished that I hadn't started, but once I started I was determined to finish it.  It was a Pulitzer Prize winner, but I really didn't care for it.  There is a movie coming out based on the book, and after reading the book I have no interest in seeing said movie.  The book was The Goldfinch.  It got a thumbs down from me!  I checked out a light read from the public library e-book site after I finished The Goldfinch.  And, I am enjoying a book once again!  I have been trying to branch out with my book choices, but this last one came off a wrong branch...at least for my reading taste! 

I think since I napped some this afternoon, that maybe I will have enough energy to go make a Christmas ornament.  I keep saying that I must get started on them and just haven't yet.  I did get the patches sewn on Graham's Civil Air Patrol camoflauge shirt. He will be happy with his Grammy!

Play Dough & Vanderbilt Visit

Joseph had asked if he could make play dough today.  After he read, we headed downstairs and he made green play dough from this recipe.  When Isaac found out about the new play dough, he chose to make some too.  Isaac worked on his spelling words and then read.  Elijah and Esther had their times to read.  Isaac chose to have today's long time be dedicated to play dough and Joseph joined him and they had a great time.  Amazing what a little flour, salt and water can do to occupy children's time!

After we ate lunch, we headed off to Nashville for Woody's check in with his infectious disease doctor.  She felt that it was time to take Woody off one of his antibiotics and leave him on his maintenance antibiotic, which he will stay on for the rest of his life.  The traffic was bad both going and coming home.  We went a back road on the way home as the interstate was at a stand still when it was time for us to enter it!  It took us 2hours and 10 min. to get home...longer than usual but who knows how long it would have taken on a stop and go interstate!

We are off to Elijah's ball game now.

Fall Blessings

I don't think that I welcomed Fall on Monday!  Maybe I am just trying to slow this year down delaying mentioning divisions of the year!  All I know that it is going too fast.  When I wrote the date today, I realized that Christmas is just three months from today...surely not!!!

I have started our Christmas shopping.  I ordered some gifts over the weekend and the first one arrived today, so I guess Christmas preparations have officially begun.  The one thing that I wasn't ready for was seeing Christmas out in the stores...that is just too early!

Woody ventured out and got his hair cut today.  Donna and I worked in the library this afternoon.  I did various and sundry jobs around the house this morning.  I don't have school on Wednesday as Nathan and family provide/cook a meal for the Motlow Baptist Collegiate Ministry Center on Wednesdays.  The whole family pitches in and cooks the meal along with getting their lessons done either at the BCM or back home after the lunch.

Checking His Swing

Today for Elijah's long time Woody decided that he wanted to check to see if Elijah was swinging level.  So he engaged me as the videographer and he got the pitching machine cranked up and I videoed Elijah hitting.  Woody came to the conclusion that Elijah swings level most of the time.  After Elijah hit several rounds of balls with the pitching machine, he came back in and I put him to work on some domino challenges.
He made dominoes knock other dominoes down going up "steps" and down again.  We used my grandfather's blocks for the steps.  He tried doing some of his own configurations, also...some worked and some didn't!

Everyone else had their regular Tuesday of school.  Everyone is coming right along with their reading.  Esther and Elijah (and I) are enjoying the books that they are reading.  And, Isaac and Joseph are working hard on their reading skills.  Joseph is also working on math also.  Today he figured out how many units and tens there were in two digit numbers.  He did great!  Isaac is working on spelling which in turn is helping him with his reading.

I ate a quick lunch and then headed off to run errands and get a hair cut.  I stopped at the Post Office first and mailed a book to a favorite author of mine.  She has written several books about the Shakers and I had recently acquired a book about the Shakers' founder.  I had contacted the author through Facebook Messenger and she hadn't read it.  Once Woody and I had finished it, I told her that I would put it in the mail to her.  That was my first stop.  I then headed off and got my hair cut.  After that I went to Walmart and picked up a few things that I needed.  By the time that I got home it was time to fix supper.  Tonight I made chicken fricassee and homemade biscuits.  Of course, the recipe had to be adapted to Woody's dietary needs...not too hard to do with the chicken fricassee, but the biscuits were another story...can't use milk and can't use baking powder.  I found a recipe for "No Milk Biscuits" and then substituted baking soda and cream of tartar for the baking powder.  I used coconut oil for the fat.  They came out good enough for putting something saucy over...not the fluffiness biscuits, but adequate for the recipe!  It seems like I have been putting in lots of pictures of food lately...guess that 

is what you get now that the kitchen is finished...no more kitchen progress pictures so now pictures of what is being made in the kitchen!  It was pretty tasty despite no salt, no butter, no milk/cream!  We just make do with what we have to use and not use!  Now...I have to clean up the mess I made!

Peeping in on You!

Just checking in to make sure all of our blog readers are doing okay!  This is Esther's main accomplishment of her long time over here today.  She learned how to draw an eye that looks quite real!  I'm impressed with her first try.  She watched a video and followed right along...pausing when the gentleman got ahead of her too much!  She didn't quite have it finished when her time was up so she came back after she got all her school work done and finished it.

We have just come back from Elijah's game.  His team won tonight.  Elijah got hits both of his times at bat and scored each of the times that he was on base.  He played first base tonight.  Good game, Elijah!

Woody headed out shortly after lunch to take his friend to another doctor appointment.  This time it was McMinnville and as Woody said, that is a much easier trip due to so much less traffic.  Less traffic or not he was gone four hours!

While he was gone, I made a cake from a new recipe that I found and hoped would work with one adaptation to make it "Woody diet friendly!"  I substituted baking soda and cream of tartar for the baking powder and it worked fine!  It is a 12 Yolk Pound Cake.  I wanted to try it to see if I could use up egg yolks from making an Angel Food Cake.  It is a good cake...just perfect to put spoonfuls of strawberries and their juice over.  Woody bought strawberries the other day so he needed another cake to eat them over.  And, it came out of the bundt pan perfectly.  Here's a picture of it cooling in the pan before it was time to turn it out.  It is a pretty yellow color.  This bundt pan is an antique, I guess, as Woody bought it for me our first Christmas...if I'm remembering correctly...if not our first,  then our second!  Now that the game is over, I think that I will go cut myself a sliver of it!

Saturday=Pie Day

This is the first pie that I have made in our new kitchen!  This is one that Woody can eat.  It is French Cranberry-Apple Pie.  Pretty good!  And, the crust turned out really good once again.  I have been having trouble making the good crust that I had always been able to make.  Today's was like my crusts of old!  Maybe I just needed a new kitchen?!?

Woody made his weekly trip to the public library.  I made the pie this morning and then in the afternoon got busy on finalizing tomorrow's Sunday School lesson.  The lesson still isn't totally finalized.  I'll get back to working on it after I publish tonight's blog! Woody has been watching college football, reading, and doing his crossword puzzles.  I think that I even heard him blow a few leaves. I know for sure that he made the trek out to the compost pile to empty the compost bucket, a job that I have been doing of late.  By the description, I guess you can tell that it has been a pretty tame day in our lives...as most are these days!

YAY!!!!!

Nathan was successful last night installing the damaged shade in the laundry room.  So he came back over this afternoon and put up the kitchen honeycomb shades.  He got them up in time to shut out western sun that glares into the window over the sink every afternoon that the sun is shining, and, lately, what with no rain, that is daily.  So we felt the insulating effects of the shades as soon as he had them up and we pulled them down.  We will keep them down till in the morning.  So at least in the kitchen and laundry room we are tucked in for the night!  We're both very happy with them.  Nathan made it look like it was easy to install them!

There is now one item left that is to be hung on the wall that is straight ahead in the picture.  That is the spot that we have always had a kitchen clock and we are missing having one hang there.  I keep looking to see what time it is.  That habit hasn't been broken even after months of the clock not being there!  I have one picked out to order and had some trouble with getting it ordered...today I went over
and Graham got me all straightened out.  It's a special order (will have one of my photos on it) so it will be a week or more till it gets here, but at least it is ordered and my order has been confirmed!  Grandson and son were big helps today!

Woody did our weekly grocery shopping this morning.  I brought the groceries in from the car and got them put away.  Woody rested in his recliner for a little while and then headed out to run errands with his friend.

Woody has upcoming appointments at Vanderbilt.  He got one reminder/confirmation call about the first one.  That is next week to see his infectious disease doctor.  If all continues to go as planned, he should be taken off one of his antibiotics and only be left on one...probably for the rest of his life.  When he had to reschedule the infectious disease appointment, he attempted to get it on the same day as his appointment with his orthopedic surgeon...but no such luck!  So he will make a trip towards the end of the week next week and then have to go back at the first of the week the next week.  He has certainly been on the road a lot for doctor appointments lately...and most haven't been for him.  I guess it is his turn now.

Fall Ball Game Night

We have just returned from Elijah's ball game.  Tonight his team played the early game.  Elijah played 2nd base.  He also made the only real hit of the night and ended up scoring.  The other person who made a "hit" got on base because of a fielding error.    Their team lost, but it was again a learning experience for all.

I had school this morning.  We all moved along in what we are doing.  Isaac came over for his long time and he invited Joseph to join him.  They ended up playing one of the Osmo games...a math game and Isaac was really doing a good job with figuring out the math facts and having fun at the same time...a fun learning game on the iPad.  Joseph also did a little with Osmo during his time.

While Esther was reading with me, Woody headed off to pick up Abigail at Montessori school. Her mother was otherwise occupied and Nathan was at the BCM.  I think that Kathy is counting the days till Abigail turns 16 and can get her driver's license.  I'll bet Abigail is also counting the days!!

We stayed in pretty much this afternoon until it was time to go to the ball game.  I sort of had a lazy afternoon.  I did a little cooking for lunch and the rest of the eating was salads or leftovers.  I got the kitchen cleaned up and then rested for a while.  I believe my eyes closed for a little while. Nathan came over and checked out the blinds to see if he could figure out how to mount them.  He thinks he knows.  He will get a trial run because the damaged one fits our laundry room window so he is going to put that up first so he can make mistakes there instead of in the kitchen!  If we like these blinds we are planning to get them for the sunroom so having the one in the laundry room will already have one  installed at the back of the house.  I peeked and the new shade doesn't have tape wrapped around it...so perhaps it was just a fluke or someone not doing their job properly on our first set!

Nathan has come back over.  I'd better go down and supervise! Ha!

Tea for Two and Lights!

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A week or so ago, Donna and I decided to forego our usual library work day and meet at my house so  I could show off the new kitchen and we  could visit and munch cookies and sip tea.  We had such a refreshing morning!  Before she left, our contractor showed up and fixed the lights.  So Donna was able to see the full effects of all the lights turned on before she left!  And, I am happy to once again have under counter lights that aren't falling down.  What happened is that his workers put them up without dusting off all the dust that was under there and they just wouldn't stay stuck.  One less thing to wait for in the final phase of the kitchen redo!  Still have the shades to wait on.  And, I may have to wait a bit on those as...wait for this...Nathan has to go to prison on Saturday so he won't be home to be able to do them that day!  Now, an explanation is due!  Nathan drives to Kentucky periodically to work in the prison ministry at one prison or another in the state.  He usually goes on a family visiting day and juggles, etc. for the prisoners and their children and spouses.  And, so far, at least, they have always let him out of prison at the end of the day!

Woody spent the morning upstairs challenging the computer to Scrabble games, while Donna and I visited.  This afternoon, Graham came over with something for both of us to do.  He needs me to sew on a couple of buttons on his CAP dress uniform coat and also on some patches on his camoflauge jacket.  Patches are about my least favorite thing to sew...especially to military precision!  I told Graham only for him would I see on patches because I loved him so much!  I did get a smile out of him.  Graham's job for Woody was to proof read his first college English essay.  I warned Graham that Woody was pretty free with the red pen and not to let it bother him!  There really weren't as many red marks as I expected!  Graham has until 11:59 pm tomorrow to get his paper submitted via
computer.  At least it was completed to the point of being able to proof it...now if internet stays up and electricity on so he can submit it before the deadline!

Off to clean up the mess that I made cooking supper.  Tonight I made one of Woody's favorites: Philly streak sandwich with cooked peppers and onions.  Tonight I made more red pepper sauce so he would have a condiment to put on his sandwich.  So lots of messes await me.

Still Waiting?

This morning we got a phone call saying that our contractor was going to come by at 8:00 to see about a problem we are having with our undercounter lighting.  So far haven't seen him...maybe he'll show up at 8pm...highly doubt it!

The two youngest and I rearranged our school meeting place.  We brought the work downstairs so we would be downstairs to let him in!  Elijah had his long time today.  We did science experiments with Pop Rock and Nerds candy.

Woody once again left fairly early as his friend had two more Doctor appointments in Murfreesboro.  And, once again he didn't get home till after lunch.  After supper, Woody picked up some of our prescriptions at the pharmacy and then went to the prayer room at church.  He is home and settling in for the evening.

I finally decided after lunch that the only way to get the worker here was mess up the kitchen!  I needed to make a casserole for our supper and it had quite a few steps involved in making it. I also roasted another chicken that Woody had bought.  Roasting in the convection oven went better the second time around.  I think that I got the oven temperature probe placed properly this time. I'm heading back downstairs to finish cleaning up the kitchen.

One item that we are no longer waiting for is the one shade for the kitchen window.  We had one damaged that had to be replaced.  The replacement arrived today.  So maybe soon we will have shades to pull down when the sun is shining in in the late afternoons...or to pull down in the evenings.  We are depending on Nathan to put the shades up.  And, he isn't around as much as he used to be now that he is the Motlow Baptist Collegiate Ministry director!  We will wait patiently...since we have gotten pretty used to waiting for one thing or another for the kitchen!

Fall Arrived at Our House

 

 By yesterday evening, I had the Fall decorations put out around the house.  I enjoy the little touches here and there of Fall colors.

 Woody left fairly early this morning to take his friend to several doctor appointments in Murfreesboro and he didn't get back till mid afternoon.  He has to take him for more appointments again tomorrow.  I hope that tomorrow's don't take as long.  Tomorrow he only has two appointments so hopefully they will take less time than three!  By the time Woody gets these appointments taken care of for his friend, it will be time for him to head off to some of his own appointments come next week and the next.  Unending doctor appointments...or so it seems at this time.

I had school today.  Esther did a chalk pastel picture during her long time.  I sent a picture of it to my good friend who I have known since nursery at church...we went to the same school 1st through 8th and then the same high school and then even went off to college together.  I enjoy staying in touch with her via Facebook.  We also saw each other at our 50th Cottey College reunion.  She has given us some good suggestions about drawing with chalk pastels that I will share with Esther.  

Woody went to the Monday Night Furnace Room Prayer meeting and will head to the ball park after he finishes at church.  I chose to stay at home.  I was in the midst of a tearing apart job...tearing apart our old clothes hamper.  It was not easy to knock down so I could put it in the garbage.  I guess for it to have lasted for 50 years, it should have been built fairly sturdy!  I'll bet our new one isn't so sturdily made!  I got that job done and it is in the trash.  I am in the midst of getting my sewing things set back up.  I'm starting to get in the mood to sew something.  Now we will see how long till I feel like I have things the way I want them in order to get back into the swing of sewing once again.  

A Twisted Saturday

Saturday's baking accomplishment: Olive Oil Soft Pretzels.  These are for Woody...a way for him to have some pretzels sans salt.  I tasted a small pinch of one and it tasted pretty good.  Maybe the next time I will infuse the oil with garlic and rosemary to give them a bit more flavor.  Woody didn't complain so guess they passed his inspection and were something different for him to snack on that fall within the parameters of his strict diet.

It seems like I was in the kitchen most of the day!  I did manage to get out one of the tubs that have Fall decorations in them...haven't gotten out the other one nor have I opened the first one...except to check to make sure that Fall decorations were in it.

Woody went to the public library this morning and also ran a couple of errands.  The rest of the day he has watched a DVD, some football, read, done crossword puzzles, and played Scrabble with the computer.

Liquid Gold on Friday the 13th

Woody headed off to do our grocery shopping fairly early this morning.  I sort of lazed around this morning since I didn't have to get up and get going.  When Woody got home, I brought the groceries in from the car with Nathan's help.  He happened to be outside so helped unload the trunk.  What would have been multiple trips out to the car for me, we ended up doing in one trip!  Thanks, Nathan! I got everything put away and decided that I would go on and start some cooking.  I decided that inwouodngoi on and roast one of the chickens that Woody bought (It was buy one get one free.). I had been wanting to roast a chicken using the temperature probe and the roast setting with the convection oven.  I don't think that I got the probe placed correctly as it said it was done much too soon.  I replaced the probe and cooked it longer.  I was finally satisfied that it was done.  I sliced as much of the chicken as I could so Woody can have sandwiches with it.  I also got a good amount of chicken pieces that I will use either in soup or a chicken and rice casserole.  After all that I plopped the bones in my stock pot and cooked the bones along with some veggies for quite a few hours and made chicken stock aka liquid gold.  It is cooling in the fridge and once it is cold and the fat is solidified I will take the fat off the top and then put it in two cup containers to freeze to use in various recipes that I make.  The chicken stock is one of the ways that I add some protein to Woody's diet and of course homemade broth just adds good flavor to lots of recipes.  Using my homemade helps us control any added salt...which I add none.  It is hard to keep away from salt...even most chickens have a salt solution added to them to ensure tenderness.  We managed this time to find chickens with no saline solution added to them.  Much better for our kidneys!

Woody rested for a few minutes after he got back and then headed off to run errands with his friend.  He was gone several more hours doing that.

We have had supper this evening.  And, I just about have the kitchen cleaned up...still a few more dishes to add to the dishwasher and then I will close down the kitchen for the evening!

I had planned to do several more things today...both cooking and things around the house...but those will have to wait for another day!  I guess I'll be like Scarlett and say, "Tomorrow is another day!"

Heading to the Ball Park

Elijah has another late ballgame tonight, so I decided that I would post early prior to the game.

It has been a pretty usual Thursday.  I had school with four.  Isaac had his long time and decided that he wanted to do some sewing again...so he made a pillow...his favorite thing to make.  He came back over later in the afternoon and I could tell that he wanted to finish it...so I let him...hate to quell his enthusiasm!

Woody picked up Abigail at Montessori today...well, he tried to...where he parked she couldn't see him so she thought that he had forgotten to come!  So she had two folk to pick her up today...Goosey (Woody) and her mommy!  At least she got picked up!

Later in the afternoon, Woody visited with another couple in his Deacon family.  I did a little cooking for our supper.  The dishwasher is loaded and I will turn it on when we get back from the ball park.

Remembering

It's one of those days that is hard to remember...but most, if old enough, remember exactly where they were on September 11, 2001 when they first heard about the Twin Towers in NYC.  I was teaching at Ray's Montessori School in Tullahoma on that fateful morning.  We were in a situation of being some place where there were no televisions or radios or anything to bring us the news.  The husband of one of our teachers phoned us shortly after the first plane flew into the first tower and then called back shortly to tell about the next.  We were totally dependent on hearing the news from outside sources.  That made the horrible happening even more surreal!  Not a day that will be easily forgotten in our country...and, a day that shouldn't be forgotten!

We've had a pretty usual Wednesday day...not a lot out of the ordinary going on.  This morning, I worked on getting some things out away that had gathered in our bedroom during the kitchen renovation and I had never found them a home so today was the day.  I'm planning on getting my sewing cutting table set back up.  I have been away from my sewing for too long!

I went to the library to work after lunch. While Donna and I were working there, Woody went to visit another shut-in couple in his Deacon family group.  I came home and made red pepper sauce from some of the fresh red peppers that a friend brought me yesterday.  I roasted them in the oven
yesterday and today turned part of them into sauce.  This is a condiment sauce that Woody can have in sandwiches and it is really quite tasty.  I rested for a while after I finished the sauce and went down to fix supper for Woody, but he was already "scrounging" for his supper from the leftovers in the refrigerator...so guess what I was going to cook will wait till tomorrow.

Now I am trying to decide if I am going to go on setting my sewing cutting table back up and get organized to do some sewing or if I am going to go get out the storage tubs that have Fall decorations in them.  I did hang our Fall front door decoration today...so I can say that I have started Fall decorating!

Must Be Time to Decorate for Fall!

Look what showed up on our front porch today!  Cheryl (my one and only sister) sent us this.  She has been adding to my "pumpkin collection" for years now.  She always finds such unique ones! This new one has given me the inspiration to get into my fall decorations and do a little decorating...maybe tomorrow!

I had school this morning.  Having just four students seems strange!  Joseph and Isaac are both working on their reading.  Joseph is also working on his math skills using the Montessori equipment that I have.  Isaac and I split his time between spelling and reading...really I think that the spelling lessons are improving his reading skills.  Esther is reading Little Town on the Prairie and Elijah is reading My Side of the Mountain.  We turned Grammy time for Elijah into Goosey (Woody) time.  Since it is Fall Ball season, Elijah has been going out to practice batting using his pitching machine.  Today they also watched a video about baseball skills.  Elijah told me that he learned the proper way to hold his hands on his bat when batting.  We will go back to experiments when the weather keeps them from being outside or when Fall Ball comes to an end.

This afternoon Woody visited with one of his home-bound Deacon family couples.  He also dropped off some paper work to his friend who left them in the car yesterday.  Later in the afternoon he went to the prayer room at church.

By the time he got back from all that, it was almost time for me to head off.  Our Sunday School class  gathered at a local Mexican food restaurant for food and fellowship.  We had a storm blow in about the time that it was time for me to leave.  It rained some and we had some pretty good lightning flashes and a few thunder booms.  But it didn't stop us from having a good time and no one got too wet heading into the restaurant and by the time we left, it was just drizzling a little.

Late Night at the Ball Park

Elijah had his third game of the Fall Ball league.  It was a good game.  The boys are learning a lot.  He got to play two innings as short stop and two as right fielder.  He was pretty tired by the time we were driving home.

Woody should be tired, too.  He has had quite a day.  He left the house a little after 5am to take his friend to McMinnville for a hospital procedure.  He didn't get home until 2pm.  Then at 6, he headed off to go to the Monday Night Furnace Room prayer meeting.  I rode to the game with Nathan and family. Woody came to the game after the prayer meeting.

I had school this morning with Joseph, Isaac, Elijah, and Esther.  It was Esther's day to have long time with me.  She did a quilled flower design and then did a water color painting.

Our "Visitor" Helps Her Daddy!

Woody enlisted Melany while she was here today to help him out with his Sunday School lesson for tomorrow.  The lesson is about Elijah and the prophets of Baal...when they built alters on Mt. Carmel.  Woody has been planning to teach the scripture/lesson using food to help the boys keep this event in the Bible in their memories.  Woody read through the scripture and guided Melany as he will the boys tomorrow...they will be using pretzels, caramels, raisins, red hots, Nerds, and powdered sugar to make the alter, sacrifice, rain, fire, etc.  Here's a picture of Melany's creation.  It's sitting on the map on top of Mt. Carmel!

Woody has put a lot of thought into what to use that is edible so that the boys' scan consume the entire thing when the time is right in the scripture!  I do think that this will be a lesson that will be engrained in the young minds of these sixth, seventh, and eighth grade boys!

We had a nice visit with Melany.  She brought one of her neat creations to add as an accent in the kitchen.  It's all made out of paper (well, not the battery operated candle).

I just checked my email to get the last picture that I'm going to post today (one Melany took of the kitchen) and found an email from my Sunday School teacher telling me that she won't be there tomorrow!  Gulp!  So I will post this picture of me waving at all of you from my new kitchen and then go see what I can pull together on short notice for tomorrow's lesson!

Friday Doings

It has been one of those days of doing a "little of this and a littlr of that."  Woody did our grocery shopping and then pretty much turned around and headed off to do errands with his friend.  He was gone for quite a few hours.  I had pretty much decided that I wouldn't do much cooking today except for supper.  But in the end I made a pot of potato soup.  And, I'm glad that I did as Melany (our daughter) and maybe Erin (our first grandchild!) plan to come see us tomorrow.  They haven't been here in quite a while.  They want to check out the new kitchen and visit for a while.  I told her we would be home!

Woody had batting practice with Elijah and the pitching machine late this afternoon.  We have had supper.  The dishwasher is running.  When I post this, I will head downstairs and wash the dishes that didn't go/fit in the dishwasher and finish cleaning up from soup and supper making. Then I will close the kitchen for the evening!  I never got around to any Christmas sewing today...and, I don't think I feel like heading into the sewing room this evening...maybe I will surprise myself and revive enough to do something in there, but it is very doubtful!  Maybe tomorrow?  Probably not since Melany is coming for a visit.  Well, I guess I can say that I am at least thinking about Christmas sewing!

Unexpected Visitor!

Joseph had a bit of a surprise when he left school at our house this morning.  I guess he stepped right over this fellow on our front steps.  Realized what he had stepped over and hightailed it home.  They said that he burst in the door yelling, "Snake, snake" at the top of his voice!  Of course a snake is a good reason to take a break from school!  Everyone arrived back over here and Isaac and I got invited to come out and see the discovery!  It took them a while to find it in the leaves, etc. in the garden in front of our porch, as he had been frightened off the step!  We watched him for quite a while and then several little boys decided that they wanted to see him move...so a few acorns were thrown and a long stick came into the picture.  The bottom photo shows it when it decided to take off.  He was several feet long!  He found a hole in the ground that he disappeared into.  I'm sure that he was a bit traumatized by all the attention!  

Woody got the pitching machine working this afternoon, thanks to Nathan!  He and Elijah had a time of batting practice...Goosey (Woody) feeding the pitching machine and Elijah hitting.  I watched for a little while.  

I forgot to mention the day before yesterday that the appliance repairman came and got the Internet connection working again on our stove.  It was an easy fix.  I got him to replace the light bulb, also.  So the range is back as good as new!  Nice to have light in both ovens once again!

I have plans to get underway with some Christmas sewing...I'd better get busy considering how fast this year is passing by!  

The Party's Over!

When I finish blogging, I have a few things to put away from our "breakfast get-together."  We had a good time visiting and eating...as se always do.  The time literally stood still, for me, while they were here...my watch stopped and I was surprised when the time was told to me...hours passed all too quickly and it was lunch time and a bit beyond when we realized the time!  Thinking back over our conversations, we covered a lot of ground and caught up, "at least some," throughout the morning and a little into the afternoon.  

Woody had his monthly doctor appointment with the oncology group here in town.  This is where he gets his shot for anemia and his B-12 shot.  He stopped by the Farmer's Market while he was out and then he and his friend ran an errand.  I guess he culminated his morning by a stop at the library and spent some time there before coming back home.  I think that he thought he stayed out long enough for our breakfast to be over, but not quite!  He didn't need to stay away, but guess he decided to try!

Donna and I worked in the library this afternoon.  I was a bit tardy!  We did maintenance, Donna added a couple of books into the computer and I deleted a couple that we have decided won't be coming back to us (they have been long, long over due (several years) and we have requested their return several times...so we have given up on seeing them again.  Now I have to make the decision as to whether replace them...I think that I will attempt to replace at least two of them. Both of those are parts of series that we have the rest of the books so these missing ones leaves a hole for the rest of the readers who might want to read that series.

I came home from the library with the intention of making Woody something for supper to go with some other leftovers...but in the end the leftovers were all he got as I sat down in my recliner and dozed off and have had trouble reviving!  I think that all I will end up doing is putting away the dishes...the proof that the party is over!  As you can see in tonight's photo.  When they are put away I will enjoy looking at my bouquet of sunflowers that was brought to me today...to add a little yellow to my kitchen! Very pretty!

Getting Ready

I'm having two friends over for breakfast in the morning so I am in the throes of getting ready.  I don't know if you are like me...but one moment I think I am about ready and in the next moment I have thought of a bunch more things to do.  No matter how ready I am, it seems that I am never ready until my guests walk in the door!

I had school this morning, though Woody took over Elijah's long time and had batting practice.  Elijah had a game tonight.  So he got in some practice beforehand.  Woody went to the game.  I stayed home because of the heat and also needing to do some things to get ready for in the morning.

Laboring on Labor Day

I have done a little of this and a little of that around the house today...keeping pretty busy.   I have cooked some and cleaned some.  Again, I cooked for upcoming days...not for today...except for breakfast.  Woody has been picking up things in "his" room/the family room.  He tends to gather things around his recliner...or is it that things gather around his chair?! This evening he went to the Monday night Furnace Room Prayer Meeting at church.  While he was gone, I decided to wash the window in the dining room.  We'll see in the morning when the sun shines on it if I did a good job or not.  As soon as I post I am going to go put the curtains back up.  I let them run around in the dryer to get dust out of them.  I hadn't done that after the construction, so I imagine I got some more of the white dust out of the house.  Now to do the four sets of curtains in the living room...another day!