aliens that look like snowmen (or snowmen that look like aliens)

i saw a cute Christmas idea in a magazine last week, and thought that it would be fun to try it. we made snowmen, using white chocolate, pretzel rods and assorted candies. G and I did it yesterday afternoon, and while they are kind of cute, in an alien sort of way, they didn't turn out nearly as cute as what was pictured in the magazine! oh well!

G willingly helped me make these, and it didn't take too long. i read a tip on April's blog to use a pastry brush to help spread the chocolate evenly and thinly. i will say that was a very good tip! thanks, April! while the white chocolate was still soft, G pressed in the buttons, eyes and nose. later we put on the licorice scarves- which was by far the hardest part.

we'll be taking them to church tonight. we're having a cookie social after our Christmas play. G and i thought maybe we would tell everyone that A made them. all by herself. then they wouldn't look so pathetic. or alienish.

and I'll let you guess who said that.

UPDATE: we just got home from our Christmas program (more about that later) and the pretzels were all gone! and here is little B really enjoying the one that i gave her. however, she made a huge mess with it- mostly getting the *white* chocolate all over the sleeve of my *black* shirt!

it's been a year of adventure- and lots of hard work!

Today marks a significant milestone in our family's life- it was a year ago today that we closed on this huge monstrosity wonderful diamond in the rough of an old house. we became the proud owners of a colonial farmhouse- over 200 years old, and the first framed house in Bradford County, PA. for the past year, we have spent all our time, energy and money fixing it up, believing that we had the gumption to bring it back close to its former glory. we've come a long way, but there is still a long, long way to go. we're still plugging along steadily, and more importantly, we're still speaking to each other!

it was a long journey to find this house, and you can read more about that in some of my first posts, if you're interested. the house was in very rough shape when we bought it, not even habitable. there was no kitchen, no heat, the bathroom was deplorable, (besides having had all the copper piping stripped!) the house was full of junk, and not to mention the outdated and unsafe wiring, in addition to the crumbling plaster. (and that's just all off the top of my head!)over hte next 5 months, we spent several days a week commuting up here to work on the most pressing projects, getting it ready for our eventual moving date. Dave and the 3 boys did the lions share of this stage of the work.

this is an upstairs bedroom, one of 4. the wall-to-wall carpeting has been stripped, leaving just the padding. also notice the panelling. it's 8' paneling, used on 10' walls. how tacky! but, the window wood work is gorgeous.

this is the front living room. filled with junk, and just the carpet padding.

this is one of the redeeming features of the house- one that made us actually consider buying it! the ellipse is between the upstairs hallway and sitting room, which is located between the 2 front bedrooms.

and here we have the kitchen- or the shocking lack of one! the dishwasher, linoleum and stove were gone, as well as the copper piping from under the sink.

this is a 30 cubic yard dumpster. we were surprised at how big it was, but ended up filling it with over 14 tons of debris, plus another dumpster with 8 tons!

one of the first orders of business was to clean out all the junk from the house and yard. we needed to do this so the boys could start ripping out all the plaster and lath.

here D and N have a good start on the plaster. first, they would knock off all the plaster, shovel it up and then start on the lath. it sounds so easy when i type it, but it was alot of work. and with a house that is almost 4000 square feet, that is alot of plaster and lath!

this is the front living room. big difference, big mess- on the way to being a big improvement!

all 3 boys worked together- and it was a cold and dirty job. with no heat in the house, it was either work hard, or freeze! we had a torpedo heater downstairs, and they would come and get warmed up periodically.

the dumpster is getting very full- but there is still a long way to go!


most of the plaster and lath is gone from downstairs, so now it's time to put it all back together. that involves new wiring, plumbing, heating, insulation and drywall. (interestingly, the bathroom was imediately to N's left- right where the front door was! dave immediately ripped that out, and you can see the new front door here.)

insulating the master bedroom.

somebody looks happy! forward progress- hanging drywall in the front living room.

that's it for the whirlwind tour- i could post a thousand pictures, and only tell half the story! it's been an adventure- and we're enjoying the satisfaction of a job well done! thanks for stopping by, and for following along while we undertake this renovation- we appreciate all the encouraging comments!

today we did art!

i haven't really gotten much done today, but G and A spent time together playing with play-doh this morning. we're not sure who had more fun- the toddler or the teenager! G made lots of things- a dinosaur, an elephant, a clown and a snowman. but the biggest success was the tractor. just like daddy's- and A loved it!

G will soon be 16, but from the first day that we brought A home from the hospital, he has taken the time to foster a loving and close relationship with A. the birth of A was a very special time in our family, and i am so grateful that God blessed us with this sweet little girl. a very vivid memory of mine of her first few days is one of G and A together. i was in the kitchen, doing something, and walked out into the family room to see G sitting on the little chair next to A. she was asleep in her car seat, and he was leaning over her. i wondered aloud what he was doing, and he replied "I'm watching her sleep." he was sitting and watching her, waiting for her to wake up! he just wanted hold her. at the time i wished that i had taken a picture, but this memory is so vivid and real to me, that it could have happened only yesterday.

G is rarely too busy, or to impatient to take the time to play with his little sister. and for that, A has elevated G to the status of "Favorite Brother"

i for one think he is worth of that title!

i guess we fixed them!

after a stressful day on Thursday with the pigs, we decided to change the way we are charging our fence. the pigs are bigger and smarter and getting more aggressive as they grow. time to put our foot down, and show them who's in charge!

A and i went up to Tractor Supply on Friday morning and got a new battery operated fence charger. this baby puts out 10,000 volts, and is powered by a lawnmower battery.

when we got home, we went down and switched over the fence to the new charger. immediately, it started giving off regular blips of electricity, one about every other second or so. there was also a high pitched whine vibrating through the air.

after coming out to eat their breakfast, and snuffling around a bit, Pig and Spot spent the rest of the day in their little house, trembling with nervousness.

i guess we showed them who's boss!

more about the butler's pantry and mud room (which used to be called the utility room)

i had another post about the mud room and butler's pantry, but in a fit of bloggy housekeeping, i accidentally deleted it. so here is the current version, complete with pictures. more to follow later.

I've cleared off the work space of the butler's pantry, and am painting it with the high gloss latex enamel, after having primed it. i really like this color.

priming and painting the trim.

here is the joint compound that Dave was using to finish the ceiling. apparently we are too good for the normal stuff. nothing but the best- the professional stuff is all we'll use! and a shot of our really cool Drywall Compound Sander And Sucker Upper; a housewarming gift of the most practical kind.

the Drywall Sander And Sucker Upper in action.




getting ready to paint the ceiling.

painting the ceiling. here i am wearing my painting sweatshirt. i only wear it when i paint. and considering how much I've been painting lately, it's a good thing that it's my favorite sweatshirt!




the ceiling is done. and i really like the color. but the funny thing is, it was hard to paint with, because I'm so used to painting with semi-gloss or latex enamel, that it felt really strange to paint with a flat paint. i kept thinking that something was wrong.

and another funny thing- i asked Dave tonight what he thought of the ceiling. (and that was after he worked in the mud room all morning putting the light back up, and hanging some of the trim and stuff.) i said "what do you think of the ceiling?" and he just looked at me, and said, "it's a ceiling. it's white" and i was all like- "oh no, it's blue. a lovely shade of blue" "really?" he said. anyway... i had to show him the paint can to convince him. so it's a subtle shade of blue, obviously.

for now, this is turning out to be one of my favorite rooms in the house! i'll keep you updated on the progress that we are making.

pig farming? not so much.

the pigs have been growing nicely, and between N, A and I, we've been caring for them and managing them diligently. just last week, G helped me move their pasture to the final, and largest part of the field, where they are happily rooting for grubs, roots and worms.

that is, until this afternoon.

apparently, the solar charger does not work so well on cloudy, overcast days. (go figure!) so, even though the fence is hot, the pulses can be up to 10 seconds apart. and since pigs are so smart, they've quickly figured that out, and have gotten out. twice. today.

what the sam hill am i supposed to do now? this does not fit in well with my genteel imaginings of raising sweet pork from happy pigs.

Pig and Spot are now wondering all over, just rooting and snorting about. pretty much what they could be doing DOWN IN THEIR FENCE, but they are just doing it up here by the house, adding to my already overwhelming number of grey hairs.

my imagination is running rampant, envisioning numerous horrific things that could happen:

#1- they could be hit by a giant, speeding tractor trailer. not even any bacon left to scrape up!

#2- they could root up my shrubs and flowers

#3- they could get lost in the woods

#4- they could drown in the creek

#5- they could walk over the bridge into town

#6- they could get hit by a car, and make my home owner's insurance skyrocket (would that even be covered?)

#7- they could be mistaken for a deer and shot

there really is nothing that i can do right now- every one is gone, and it's hard to herd pigs by yourself. so I'll just pace in front of the windows, trying to keep tabs on where he pigs are, and what they are doing.

check back in later- maybe we'll be having a pig roast. consider yourself invited. wear your favorite Hawaiian shirt, bring an apple, and come on over!

PS- my trepidations were realized! the pigs were up at the house rooting up my flower gardens and shrubs! I'll tell you what- if they root up my purple lupine, there will be you-know-what to pay!

just to keep you in the loop...

hey! i was wasting time working on my blog layout, and besides making it way cooler looking, i added a new feature in the sidebar. (you know, over there to the right----------->)

it's a current running list of what we are working on, and what we are trying to get done.

this will help keep Dave me motivated, and i thought that it might be kind of fun.

just wanted to let you know. feel free to leave a comment to keep us on our toes. we love comments!

there was alot to be thankful for!

after 3 months of M being away, we were all really looking forward to seeing her again. the boys made this sign for her, and hung it on the front porch. even though we didn't get home until 4am, and M was way too tired to notice the nice thing her brothers did for her, she did appreciate it more in the morning. we were all definitely tired, (and i'll freely confess to taking a nap that afternoon) but it was good to be together again. and to make the day extra special, Dave got the heat hooked up in the 3 back rooms. so the house is pretty warm and toasty now. (or at least the downstairs!) woohoo!

it was a busy weekend, so I'm thinking that you'll understand why I'm not posting until now. the girls and i took M on a "tour", and showed her the pigs, chickens and Dudley, the rabbit. i had a really cute picture of them with Dudley, but accidentally deleted it. oops! A was glad to have her big sister home, and just looked at M with a big smile on her face, and ran right over and gave M a big hug! B was not shy at all, either. A was happy to show M around, and tell her all about our animals. we fed the pigs, gave Dudley his grass, and let the chickens out. just normal chores for us, but something different for M.

B is quite good at giving hugs. she squeezes real tight, and says "ahhhh" it's so sweet!

A was sure to get in on the action, too!

we watched the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, a family tradition. A actually watched most of it!




another (new) family tradition: gathering wood on Thanksgiving morning. A loves to be out with her daddy, and working on the tractor is even better! they worked up quite an appetite!

i took the time to make a little turkey craft with A. I'd been wanting to do it all week, so G peeled potatoes for me, and i was able to make this cute little foam turkey with A. we both had fun.

ready to eat! and every one is starving. (but thankful!)

yum! turkey, spiced cantaloupe, gravy, stuffing, lovely center piece that i thought up all by myself...



...mashed potatoes, corn, peas, buns, sweet potatoes casserole, fizzy grape juice to drink, special cranberry jello. most of the food we either grew, froze, canned or made from scratch. the rest i got at the grocery store...


M was able to rest and relax, and willingly helped me with a bunch of stuff. she also baked, cooked and visited friends. but she was very diligent in her schoolwork, proving that she is very conscientious, and works hard for those excellent grades. N enjoyed looking at her chemistry book, and seeing what she is learning about. since he is taking advanced chemistry this year, he was curious to see how the books compared.



all the big kids took the time to play with the little girls. they all enjoy horsing around with each other. here M and G are playing the classic "Run Around The House In A Circle Like Crazy Fools, Laughing Like Wild Baboons." this is always a fun game, enjoyed by siblings everywhere. then last night they all played hide and seek with A. first i helped her count to 10, and taught her to say "ready or not, here i come!" she did very well at finding their hiding spots, except when G hid between the shower curtain and liner! even M didn't find him! it was hysterical to watch A walking around the house doing her "sneaky walk", calling "where are you?" when she couldn't find N, she would come to me and ask "where iz'em?" then it was A's turn to hide. the big kids counted to 10, and when they would playfully call to A to ask her where she was, she would call out "here i am!" one advantage of having a big house is lots of places to hide! they all had a great time.

here are M and N enjoying the fact that they can both be on the Internet at the same time, and not have to patiently wait for their turn. isn't technology grand?

and one last round of silliness- how many clowns can we fit in the Cozy Coupe? not too many, but we had fun trying!

this getting M back and forth to college can be very sleep depriving... i left at 4:30 this morning to take M to meet her ride to SC. (dave was in the woods, hunting) they made good time, and M called earlier, saying that they made it safely back to campus. so it's 17 more days of tests, papers and finals, and then we have her home again. we're all looking forward to that, and we are beginning our preparations for Jesus' birthday...

the anticipation is mounting....

we're all looking forward to a momentous event- M is coming home for thanksgiving! we go pick her up this morning at 2AM, and despite what is sure to be a sleepless night, on top of a very busy day, compounded by crack-of-dawn-rising little girls, we are eagerly anticipating seeing her again after 3 months. she'll only be here for 5 days, and according to her, much of that time she would like to spend sleeping. she has been run ragged with homework, finals, work and just general college stuff, so she's really in need of some rest. that is, as much as it is possible to rest in this busy, crazy household!

I've been cooking and cleaning like mad all day, trying to get ready for turkey day. i guess it's an indication that M is growing up- it's the first that I've cleaned the house for her.

go figure!

guest friday- all the way from South Carolina!

Hello all! It’s me, M. You know, my mom’s daughter who went off to college and has been buried ever since under a pile of homework?

updated to add new information below:

that is a slight exaggeration, although it feels true sometimes. Life has certainly been busy since I arrived here at Bob Jones University, located in Greenville, SC, and home to about 5,000 students.

As a freshman nursing major, I am taking a variety of classes: chemistry, biology, orientation, English, math, and Old Testament Messages. I am enjoying my science classes a lot; I really enjoy learning all the details of God’s creation, and how and why it all works. Right now in biology we are learning about genetics and inheritance. Chemistry isn’t quite as interesting at the moment; we’re working on reaction equilibriums. Another thing that makes chemistry less than enjoyable is the impending lab final, where we have to memorize all the procedures and equations for the entire lab, which will take about 2-3 hours to perform. Of all my classes, I dislike English the most. However, I am enjoying all the wonderful chapel speakers. I also like the fact that each class starts with a prayer. it reminds me of what’s really important.

My days generally go something like this- wake up, get ready, eat breakfast, go to classes, work (3 days a week),chapel, lunch, classes, dinner, homework, sleep. On the days that I don’t work, I either have classes or do homework during that time.

My roommates are great. We all get along and actually enjoy being around each other. We have fun, motivate each other, and provide excellent pieces of advice, along with a sympathetic ear and shoulder to cry on.

that was just a quick overview of all that goes on here. We’re all also in a society (there are 45 different ones). At a minimum, we go to our society meeting every Friday, and society Sunday school. Society also offers the chance to become involved in sports, prayer meeting, and extension ministries. Although I would love to play basketball for my society, I decided that it would just be too much this year.

There are couple of big events coming up right now. Besides the fact that these next few days will be pretty busy for me (multiple quizzes and three tests) we also had Artist Series Tuesday night (a required event) and the Turkey Bowl on Saturday. Artist Series occurs every semester, and is an activity designed to expose us to culture in order to help us appreciate it. This time it will be a production of “The Pirates of Penzance”. I am very excited about going. I’ll be attending with two of my friends. From what I’ve heard, it should be really good. Plus I’ll get the opportunity to hear the famous “I Am The Very Model of a Modern Major General” in context, and if nothing else I will enjoy getting all dressed up, since this is a formal event.

Then there is the Turkey Bowl on Saturday, which is the championship game for the guys' society soccer. I am told that it is the Super Bowl down here- the stadium will be packed with people from the school and the surrounding area, and the excitement level will be high. What I’m really excited about is halftime. This year they are doing an Olympic theme for halftime, and I qualified for the women’s 100meter dash, and the team I am a part of qualified for the women’s 4x200meter relay. It will be a nice break from all the studying. It’s getting really hard to study anymore- my body and mind miss physical activity.

we just received a rather excited and breathless call from M- she was so excited to tell us that she placed first in the 100meter dash, and her relay team placed third in the 200meter relay. there was an award ceremony at halftime, and she received a gold medal, as well as a bronze! she will also be featured in the campus newspaper, sometime next week. she called to talk to us as she was walking back to her dorm- she has a lot of studying to do, and wanted to get started right after she took a shower! what a girl!

The biggest event on campus is a countdown: The countdown of how many days left until Thanksgiving break. This much anticipated event is the cause for great rejoicing as it draws nearer. 4 days to go……………