12 years old

My baby boy is 12 years old today.  My, how the time has flown by.  People always used to tell me that would happen, but I didn't really understand.  How can you truly explain to someone how fleeting those precious moments that fill up years will seem?  How time just seems to scurry past at lightning speed while you grasp at and savor those moments.

He is almost as tall as me, now - as he gleefully points out almost daily.  I no longer have to bend to hug him (haven't for quite awhile now, actually).  He is no longer the 'cheap date' at a restaurant.  (we had quite a deal going there for awhile with a senior discount and a child discount at the same table...)   :D  He is now officially a 'pre-teen'.  Goodness.

I look forward to watching him grow and mature through the coming teen years.  I can't wait to see what passions will spark and take flight - what will become 'his thing'.  I don't know all that he will become; I only know that I will be here loving, encouraging, watching and savoring those oh so fleeting moments of what is left of his 'childhood'.  Those years that just go so fast.

Monday Update

It's a Monday so that means that tonight was science class with Kerry and crew.  We are enjoying this year and the focus on Biology via hands on nature study.  We have been focusing on pond life for the last two weeks and tonight we examined samples of our own pond water under the microscope.  The highlight of our microscopy lab was identifying Volvox.  That was from the water sample taken at the pond dam.  I am so grateful to Kerry for allowing us to join in with him on science each year.  What a privilege!

A special surprise of the evening was seeing the Northern Lights!  I have never seen those before so this was truly a treat.  It was absolutely beautiful.  The red would fade away then shift a little bit then come back strong.  The green was fainter, but visible.  I kept trying to take a photo or video of it, although I knew it was hopeless.  (and it was, sadly)  But, oh, how I wanted to capture that moment.  I certainly captured it in my mind.  :)  And what lovely weather to view it by!  Today has been so pretty.

I enjoyed walking outdoors on 'my loop' again today.  It was so warm I was sweating again!  Geez.  But, all for a very good cause, eh?  No worries... by Wednesday the high temp is only supposed to be 52.  :/

We got the last of our tomatoes today.  At least I am assuming it will be the last of the tomatoes.  We have already hit freezing a couple of times, but I think this coming week will truly do any remaining vegetation in.  I surely have enjoyed having fresh tomatoes for so long, though!

Jackson's Photos

Jackson went out early the other morning and took some lovely photos.  He posted several of them on his blog, but I am stealing a few to post here, as well - including my new header and footer photos on this blog.  :)

Fall is probably my favorite season, except that it is followed by winter.  Now don't get me wrong; I love parts of winter; like the snow, holidays, family time, coziness... But, I really DON'T like other parts - the hard parts - like trying to drive to town through snowy country roads, ice storms, bitterly cold temperatures, electricity going off, dark afternoons and evenings, worrying about our animals in those conditions...  THOSE are the things that I dread.  Oh well.  Perhaps this year will be a milder winter than last?  And at least I have Jackson's photos of this lovely fall morning to look back on.

This one cracks me up.  The horses converging on Jackson's truck in the field.

Annie deciding whether to chew on the side mirror or admire herself in it...

Dick and Bob, the Haflinger team - never apart...

I just love this view of the place from the back 40.

I love the sky on this one

Boffers

Boffers.  Yes, boffers.  That is the new thing that has taken over my household.  Last summer my boys were introduced to the 'sport' of boffering.  They are both now die hard fans with Jackson even attending a high school age boffering club 2 days a week!  Jonathan is a bit leary about boffering with all those older kids (rightly so, I imagine) and is working to start up his own boffer club for middle schoolers.  Even my dear hubby got bit by the bug... for a few minutes, anyway.  (He also determined that it is QUITE the cardio workout!!)   :D

So, what IS boffering?  Basically, it is using a homemade foam mock weapon in battle gaming or reenactments.  Truthfully, it is a fun(ny) way for teenagers to expend a lot of energy!  :)  No one gets hurt and a lot of fun is had.

How do you make a boffer?  You take a piece of PVC pipe and cover it with foam of some kind.  Some have used those foam floaty tubes you can buy in the summertime for use in your pool.  My boys used a roll of foam that is sold in camping stores as padding for under a sleeping bag.  Securely tape the padding around the pipe using duct tape.  Be sure to completely cover the end of the pipe with padding as well.  Then put duct tape around the entire padded area.  (The variety of colors of duct tape these days allows for a lot of creativity!)

Here are some pictures of my boys (all three!) boffering.  :)

I haven't been allowed to take photos of the high school group (although you KNOW I am dying to!)   Maybe one of these days...   :)

Sauteed Cabbage and Onions

I love, love LOVE Sauteed Cabbage and Onions!  Trust me, this stuff is TASTY!  Basically, it is my favorite way to have any cruciferous vegetable - brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, kale... you name it.  Quick, easy and low calorie.

Sauteed Cabbage and Onions
olive oil (about 1 Tbsp or so)
1/2 a large head of cabbage, chopped
1 onion, chopped
garlic
salt
pepper

Heat the olive oil in a skillet then put about half of your cabbage and onion mixture in.  Sprinkle garlic (liberally!), salt and pepper over all, quickly saute it (to a little past 'crisp tender'), then remove from pan and cook the other half the same way.  Serve immediately!!  

Hungarian Goulash

The boys and I really liked this.  Marvin thought it was 'fine'.  I think what that really meant was he was expecting it to taste like pot roast - and it doesn't.  But, I will definitely be making it again.  It was a nice change of pace.  Even Marvin says so!  :)

on my little bread plate   :)

Hungarian Goulash
3 onions, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
2 green peppers (I would have liked this but no one else in my house will touch a green pepper, so I left it out.)   :(
3 lbs. beef stew meat (I just cooked a chuck roast and cubed that meat)
1/2 tsp. plus 1/4 tsp. pepper, divided
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 cups reduced sodium beef broth
1/4 cup flour
3 Tbsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. caraway seeds
1 garlic clove, crushed
dash sugar
12 cups uncooked whole wheat egg noodles
1 cup (8 oz) reduced fat sour cream

Place onions, carrots and green peppers in a 5 qt. slow cooker.  Sprinkle meat with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper.  In a large skillet brown meat in oil in batches.  Transfer to slow cooker.  Add broth to skillet, stirring to loosen browned bits.  Combine flour, paprika, tomato paste, caraway seeds, garlic, sugar and remaining salt and pepper; stir into skillet.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Pour over meat.  Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours or until meat is tender.

Cook noodles according to package directions.  Stir sour cream into slow cooker.  Drain noodles; serve with goulash.

Apple Salad

This is such a simple, lovely salad.  In fact, I am craving it again as I type this up.  Guess I'll have to make some more tomorrow.  :)

2 Apples
1 cup Grapes
2 stalks Celery
1/3 cup Walnuts (if you like)
fruit fresh dissolved in water - toss above ingredients in it to prevent browning.  (or you can use lemon juice)

Dressing
1 T lemon juice  (reduce this amount slightly if you use lemon juice instead of fruit fresh to prevent browning of the apples)
1.5 T Miracle Whip or Mayo
1.5 T milk
1 T sugar or Splenda
shake nutmeg
shake cinnamon

Dice up the apples, grapes and celery.   Add some chopped walnuts if you like. Note - the amounts listed for these ingredients are estimates.  Typically, I just use what I have and add more until it 'looks right'.   Be sure to put these in the water/Fruit Fresh mixture or the lemon juice to prevent browning while you make the dressing.

Stir together Miracle Whip, milk, Splenda, nutmeg and cinnamon - then mix with the diced ingredients.  Chill or serve immediately.  The above recipe just makes 2 good sized servings.  We usually double or triple this recipe.

The end of an era...

Last Sunday we took our Suburban and Aruba to the Kansas City area to trade them in on a new fifth wheel.  It was both exciting and melancholy.  Exciting, obviously, because we can't wait to be in that new fifth wheel!  But melancholy, certainly, because one just can't help thinking of all the memories we have made in the Suburban and Aruba.  We got both in 2003 - when the boys were 7 and 3 years old.  There have been a lot of great trips since then, including the two biggies out west.  But, we knew we had to make a change of some sort because Jackson, especially, had outgrown the bunk area in the Aruba and both the Aruba and Suburban were starting to show their age.  Since Jackson now has Daddy's old truck, we can pull a fifth wheel.  Plus, it just didn't make any sense to have 3 vehicles for only 2 drivers.

Mama and Daddy went in with us on the new fifth wheel and we will all share it.  They plan to take it southwest sometime this winter for several weeks - probably the maiden voyage!  When we camp somewhere together, like at the state fair, we will stay in the fifth wheel and they will stay in their horse trailer, just like before.  (I am thinking we got the better part of this deal???)   :)

So, what did we get?  We got a 2012 Jayco Eagle Super Lite 31.5 FBHS.  That is a lot of numbers and letters to designate that the main bedroom is in the back and the bunkhouse (with 4 bunks) is in the front.  The sofa (hide-a-bed) and dining table are in a slide out so there will be more room than we know what to do with in the living area.  It IS longer than I was thinking I could manage, so I will be practicing driving skills out here at Willis Creek Ranch!  It is about the same length as Daddy's horse trailer, so he will be just fine.  We have the unit on order and hope to pick it up mid-November.  Lousy time to go camping, but that is okay.  We may just sleep in it in the driveway!    :)

When we pick it up I will post photos for sure.  But, in the meantime, this post is dedicated to our very special Aruba and Suburban.  And their mushy, sentimental former owners.  :)

Taken the day we brought the Aruba home.  Look at my little boys!

Jackson checking out his new bunk room.  He had a lot more room then than now!

My little cutie on his bunk in 2003.

Last Sunday morning - getting ready to head to KC

My sad Jonathan taking one last look at his sticker collection (from our travels)

We got most of them off, but couldn't remove these.

done saying good-bye  (Jonathan had the hardest time...)

Jackson, Jonathan, Marvin and Laura - ready to go order the fifth wheel!

at the dealership - removing our plates

the look on Jonathan's face here just kills me...

You can see lots of photos, both old and new, at this link.

Truman Homecoming

Truman State University celebrated their Homecoming last weekend.  We attended the banquet on Friday and, of course, the parade on Saturday morning.  After all, it is a tradition!   :)

The parade is always a lot of fun and we like to see and hear the area bands march and play.  This is Matthew's last year as Drum Major since he is graduating in May.  I have to say - that Novinger band always looks so sharp and sounds great.  Quite impressive, especially for a small school.  Their overall percentage of students in the district who are in the band must be pretty high - because their band isn't too much smaller than the Kirksville band!

Daddy and Mama in the 'KSTC' seating in front of Patty's.   :)

Matthew

Anna, Jane and Katharine

Julie, Juan and Anna

Daddy, Mama and Dr. Siscel, Truman Board of Governors

Daddy, Harry Gallatin and Dick Erzen

Jackson, Jonathan, Marvin and Laura

After the parade we went to Jade restaurant for lunch.  Mama and Daddy met Austin and Betty and we all wanted a chance to say hello to them, but we sat at a different table so that they could have a nice, relaxing visit.   :)

This is why we had to sit at our own table...   :D

You can see more photos at this link.

Table Rock Lake/Silver Dollar City

A few weeks ago we headed down to Table Rock Lake to camp for the weekend.  We had no idea it would be our last trip in our beloved Aruba OR in our Suburban.  But more on that in another post...

We so enjoy camping at Table Rock Lake any time of year, but perhaps especially in the fall.  The air is crisp and clear and the sky is always such a brilliant blue.  We have our favorite campsite (we are SUCH creatures of habit!) that connects to the walking trail around the lake.  Simply pop out the door of the camper, slip down the little hill and we are at the trail.  Nice.

One evening, in particular, was perfect for walking that trail.  The boys and I set out just before dusk and enjoyed the dimming light on the water and the sounds of the woods.  We came back to a campfire and roasted marshmallows.  Just about
perfect!

We always visit Silver Dollar City when we are in that area.  Season passes make this an affordable family destination several times each year.  That is nice because they rotate their festivals throughout the year, so there is always something new to see.  In the fall they have their National Harvest Festival.  This year special attractions included a Birds of Prey show and a Lumberjack show.

However, one of our very favorites at SDC has to be the good ole Homestead Pickers.  They are there year round and we often catch multiple shows.  These fellows are incredibly talented musicians and music historians (don't let their outfits fool you!).  On this day they had three guest musicians joining them - all playing Hammered Dulcimers.  Lovely!!  I sure was thinking about Candace and the girls... they should bring their instruments and join in on the jam session sometime.  :)

It was another lovely visit to southwest Missouri.  Can't wait to go again!   You can see all the photos as this link.  

And here is a little video with snippets from our trip (mostly the Homestead Pickers!).  You can see it larger at this link.

Nature Study Resources

Just a quick post to highlight a few nature study resources that we have found to be helpful or interesting.

I have enjoyed the following book this fall.  It is written largely as a narrative and is filled with numerous sketches from the authors nature walks with her own children.  She also has a blog that I had actually run across awhile back - only recently connecting it to her as the author of this book.

Link to book
http://www.rfwp.com/series/nature-study-by-laurel-dodge#book-nature-study-for-the-whole-family

Link to blog
http://naturestudyforthewholefamily.blogspot.com/

Also, here is a link that we have found very helpful in identifying birds.  It has definitely gone into our 'Bookmarks'.
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birding/backyard-bird-identifier/

Finally, here is a link to an article that I first ran across several years ago.  It hit me like a ton of bricks then and I find that I like to (need to!) re-read it every so often.  :)  It just backs up the 'aha' moment that I seem to have every single year (will I never learn??).  In fact, Jonathan did his best work yet on his nature study page when I just got completely out of his way, let him go off to the pond dam alone with no 'instruction'.  He came back excited about what he had seen, looked up all the information himself and had a sketching done before I even got back home.  Read this article... it is a good one.  :)
http://www.homeschoolingboys.com/hsboys/articles/10.html

The Sidekick

The 'marvelous and wonderful Stephen' agreed to come up and help us out with a project that has been the bane of our existence for many months now.   I don't think Stephen knew what he was getting himself into, but he was gracious and kind and invaluable.  We truly appreciate his willingness to come and help Jonathan put together the Sidekick.  He certainly made one boy very, very happy.

Here are photos of the weeklong building adventure!!

Building began in the mud room

Of course Stephen had a lot of 'help'

more help

even more help!  :)

He made a lot of progress that first day!  We were impressed!

taking it to the back patio for the next stage of building...  Jonathan and Zack checking it out

Jonathan and Stephen

More help??

it's getting there!

Stephen and Jonathan

Jonathan putting together the pedals

Stephens devoted fans

still going...

Looking really good!

putting the gears together

getting ready to take it on the first test run!!

Success!!  Jonathan and Stephen on the Sidekick.

Jonathan's first solo ride

Taking Susanna for a ride

Susanna, Jackson and Jonathan