6.19.11
A disclaimer to start off I have not intended to lead you to believe that I am Holly Happy Homemaker who can do 1 million and one things to make a happy home in any environment with any raw ingredients. I've received lots of comments about the meat canning and I while I appreciate your astonishment... it's something I have wanted to do for years and finally decided to do it. We all have different talents and strengths in our jobs as moms/homemakers/wives/women. I like food, I like cooking, I like eating so that's one of the things I do and I think I do well. I would just like to confess that my housekeeping/organizational skills are where I am really challenged. Now I do take refuge in the thought of constantly being overwhelmed by numbers with different plans, but the reality is we enjoy hours of cleanliness not a lifetime or even lifestyle. We are working on it. Me on the how and what part and them on the doing and maintaining.
Anyway to the pictures our pigs were ready to market so Monday night we (Greg, HArold, John and I) I hold the fence, loaded the pigs to take to slaughter. The boys are so good at getting the pigs in the trailer in about 5 minutes we were done. So on our way home from the butchers we picked up two new piglets. We were exotic this time and got color pigs. Black and Red!!! We are so narcissistic here we have orange/red color chickens and red pigs. No seriously it was just a fluke. Harold was in hog heaven -ha-ha- to get little ones to play with. It has been MArk's job to check on and keep track of the pigs. There isn't-hopefully- any danger of them escaping their pen but you usually don't find the problem till the pigs are missing or running on the lawn. So he has spent many hours at the pig pen watching, talking to, feeding, and possibly playing with the piglets. (It does not hurt pigs to hold them by their back legs to transport. Greg was not so excited to cuddle the pig in his clothes he was wearing to work that day. I think the customers would have been a bit put off by fresh pig smell too.)
That night we went to the church orchard to thin apricots and peaches. Mark is being held up by Uncle Jay, Anna and John are getting it done without pesky ladders, and Harold just hung out.
We also participated in Meals on Wheels. I did this program when I was a kid and loved it!! WE had 11 recipients to deliver too and all the kids wanted to help with each drop. There was plenty of food to take to the doors as the program has experienced budget cuts so they are consolidated to 2 days in Vale but send meals for 7.
I love the program because it checks on people who are shut in or almost shut in who are otherwise very lonely. We had great visits and I think brightened and surprised many people by the kids bringing their lunch. Service is so fun when you meet a need so easily.
That is the burner plate on my 2 year old stove. yes that is sunlight coming through it. UGH! Things don't last.
Mark cut his own bread. Do you see the size he cuts? about 2 inches.
While those were great in college from the bakery, at home that really cuts down on the servings per loaf. He was proud of his independence and I cut it in two-- more butter and honey can be applied that way you know.
Here at the Saunders house we have taken a page from boot camps. Being that we have so many bodies needing things to do and not being of the age or judgment to use most power tools we cut the too tall grass around our many trees with scissors. IT doesn't take too long, it looks way better and why not? We are getting ready for the family reunion (WE HOPE YOU COME WE ARE WORKING HARD FOR YOU TO COME PLEASE COME!) and so we are trying to be more diligent in keeping up instead of panicking at the end. Harold is learning the art of mowing around trees and
MArk is reminding him that a baseball game would by much more fun!!! They played plenty this week even had to be grounded for a day so we could get some work done. They all survived and I got some help. As a mom am I the only one who feels like Cinderella? What would I ask for from a fairy godmother. Not glass shoes. My kids aren't fond of boughten pizza... I think bewitched-like abilities to clean my house.
Reed decided he was big enough to ride a bike so he climbed up and made the noise. He was having a blast until it finally slid down the pole putting him on the ground.
Reed also learned to shake it in the car this week. The kids showed him how to hold his hands together and twist his arms to further his moving to songs. It's really cute and he does it on demand. He is really growing up right now proving to us he is not a baby. He got three teeth this week too- thank goodness- with more making him miserable as we try to sleep.
So the thought for the week comes from David McCullough, Pulitzer PRize author of books about famous people. His concern is over our lack of letter writing or pencil talking with each other. He said that daily letter writing was brain calisthenics and that we have lost that art form, or the opportunity to work out our problems on paper. When you write the answer comes as you are forming the letter. I must concur (thanks Monica) that even just these weekly letter/updates are helpful to me to recall, process, report or ponder on the what and why that is happening in our life and what we want to share with you. That while it is by no means a complete picture the conversation with you and the thought of what we would like to share with you is stimulating. It has made me try to be better or at least recognize the better parts of where I am at. So I appreciate your receiving and responding. I for one sometimes feel a bit mushy brained (not romantically either) and it is good to write and think.
So are you exercising your brain enough are you thinking and finding solutions or are you stuck? It's easy to get stuck. Been there. Sometimes felt like I lived there. But then I do get sick of it and get going somewhere even if it's more stuck it's usually on the way out. Wishing you well on your journey. And loving to hear from you about your successes, fun times, relaxing and enjoying times, and the solution or problem needing a solution times. Best to you
Anyway to the pictures our pigs were ready to market so Monday night we (Greg, HArold, John and I) I hold the fence, loaded the pigs to take to slaughter. The boys are so good at getting the pigs in the trailer in about 5 minutes we were done. So on our way home from the butchers we picked up two new piglets. We were exotic this time and got color pigs. Black and Red!!! We are so narcissistic here we have orange/red color chickens and red pigs. No seriously it was just a fluke. Harold was in hog heaven -ha-ha- to get little ones to play with. It has been MArk's job to check on and keep track of the pigs. There isn't-hopefully- any danger of them escaping their pen but you usually don't find the problem till the pigs are missing or running on the lawn. So he has spent many hours at the pig pen watching, talking to, feeding, and possibly playing with the piglets. (It does not hurt pigs to hold them by their back legs to transport. Greg was not so excited to cuddle the pig in his clothes he was wearing to work that day. I think the customers would have been a bit put off by fresh pig smell too.)
That night we went to the church orchard to thin apricots and peaches. Mark is being held up by Uncle Jay, Anna and John are getting it done without pesky ladders, and Harold just hung out.
We also participated in Meals on Wheels. I did this program when I was a kid and loved it!! WE had 11 recipients to deliver too and all the kids wanted to help with each drop. There was plenty of food to take to the doors as the program has experienced budget cuts so they are consolidated to 2 days in Vale but send meals for 7.
I love the program because it checks on people who are shut in or almost shut in who are otherwise very lonely. We had great visits and I think brightened and surprised many people by the kids bringing their lunch. Service is so fun when you meet a need so easily.
That is the burner plate on my 2 year old stove. yes that is sunlight coming through it. UGH! Things don't last.
Mark cut his own bread. Do you see the size he cuts? about 2 inches.
While those were great in college from the bakery, at home that really cuts down on the servings per loaf. He was proud of his independence and I cut it in two-- more butter and honey can be applied that way you know.
Here at the Saunders house we have taken a page from boot camps. Being that we have so many bodies needing things to do and not being of the age or judgment to use most power tools we cut the too tall grass around our many trees with scissors. IT doesn't take too long, it looks way better and why not? We are getting ready for the family reunion (WE HOPE YOU COME WE ARE WORKING HARD FOR YOU TO COME PLEASE COME!) and so we are trying to be more diligent in keeping up instead of panicking at the end. Harold is learning the art of mowing around trees and
MArk is reminding him that a baseball game would by much more fun!!! They played plenty this week even had to be grounded for a day so we could get some work done. They all survived and I got some help. As a mom am I the only one who feels like Cinderella? What would I ask for from a fairy godmother. Not glass shoes. My kids aren't fond of boughten pizza... I think bewitched-like abilities to clean my house.
Reed decided he was big enough to ride a bike so he climbed up and made the noise. He was having a blast until it finally slid down the pole putting him on the ground.
Reed also learned to shake it in the car this week. The kids showed him how to hold his hands together and twist his arms to further his moving to songs. It's really cute and he does it on demand. He is really growing up right now proving to us he is not a baby. He got three teeth this week too- thank goodness- with more making him miserable as we try to sleep.
So the thought for the week comes from David McCullough, Pulitzer PRize author of books about famous people. His concern is over our lack of letter writing or pencil talking with each other. He said that daily letter writing was brain calisthenics and that we have lost that art form, or the opportunity to work out our problems on paper. When you write the answer comes as you are forming the letter. I must concur (thanks Monica) that even just these weekly letter/updates are helpful to me to recall, process, report or ponder on the what and why that is happening in our life and what we want to share with you. That while it is by no means a complete picture the conversation with you and the thought of what we would like to share with you is stimulating. It has made me try to be better or at least recognize the better parts of where I am at. So I appreciate your receiving and responding. I for one sometimes feel a bit mushy brained (not romantically either) and it is good to write and think.
So are you exercising your brain enough are you thinking and finding solutions or are you stuck? It's easy to get stuck. Been there. Sometimes felt like I lived there. But then I do get sick of it and get going somewhere even if it's more stuck it's usually on the way out. Wishing you well on your journey. And loving to hear from you about your successes, fun times, relaxing and enjoying times, and the solution or problem needing a solution times. Best to you
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