Day 275-281

Day 275, Sunday, October 3rd

No picture - boo! Sundays!

Day 276, Monday, October 4th

We have recently joined a science co-op with some friends and this was our first project.  Chicken bones in vinegar!  After 3 days they turn rubbery - very fun, but dangerous?!  I don't think L really likes the results (or else it was the vinegar smell!).

Day 277, Tuesday, October 5th

No picture, but a very busy day!  BSF, science co-op, work! 

Day 278, Wednesday October 6th

Our history lesson today was about Egyptian mummies and pyramids.  Time to build a sugar-cube pyramid!  They were disappointed that we didn't allow them to use icing for the glue so they could eat them!  Seriously?!  Where do they get these expectations? 

Day 279, Thursday, October 7th

Karate day - and a belt test too!  It was a little tough keeping Baby Girl quiet and occupied.  Thankfully, a little friend was generous enough to share her new crayons!  Can you see Baby Girl's bottom lip sticking out?  So intent!

My favorite part of the test - dropping the old to accept the new!

Great job L!

Day 280, Friday, October 8th

Some of our pumpkin crop.  For 3 nights this past week we had a frost, so the garden is officially done, though I think we were all done about a month ago!  There is something nice about seeing it all plowed under and cleaned up.

Day 281, Saturday, October 9th

Happy Birthday to my mother!  We thought since she is leaving on J's birthday to visit her siblings in Florida, we could celebrate his birthday on hers!  What a serious group of boys - NOT!  J will be turning 13 on Wednesday!  How did that happen?!

Days 171-177

I'm a little late for this weeks Project 365, we were out of internet/phone (gasp) since Thursday!  Realized today when I called Comcast it would have been back on sometime Friday, if the hubby hadn't unplugged it!  Oh well, it was a good break from all things online!

Day 171, Sunday, June 20th

Bathtime with Baby Girl!  She loves her bath - can you tell?!

Went to the Leeper Park Art Festival in South Bend with Luke.  We each picked our favorites.  I really love the nature photography, esp. the Macro!

Luke like the color and texture in this one, plus the silhouettes.

Day 172, Monday, June 21st

Time to freshen up my toenails! 

Day 173, Tuesday, June 22nd

Went to visit my sister and her kiddos for the afternoon.  They (being the city) drained the creek that runs along their home, so here is a rescued crawfish.

Day 174, June 23rd

My Baby Girl thinking she was playing the Wii - she was moving all around and making sound effects too!

Day 175, Thursday, June 24th

M had his cousin stay the night - can't believe I didn't get the camera out?! 

Day 176, Friday, June 25th

"Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow . . ."

It's doing quite well, actually!  We've had plenty of rain and so far, have kept up on the weeding!  We've also harvested some of our lettuces and basil!

Day 177, Saturday, June 26th

We went to my niece's last Upward soccer game.  Baby Girl and cousin trying to stay cool! 

Day 150-156

Day 150, Sunday, May 30th
The garden is officially planted!  Yeah!  I had some wonderful friends come over on Thursday and we made short work of it.  There are still a few things left to plant, mulching to be done and (since we've had some wonderful rain) weeding to begin!

Day 151, Monday, May 31st
We went to the Memorial Day Parade in downtown Mishawaka.  They did a great job - no candy(!), only a few sirens and so much more I don't have room to list it all.  If I am going to go to a parade this is the one!  The weather started out a little rainy, then a 10 minute downpour and then the sun finally came out!
Ready, Aim . . .

Fire!

All that and Baby Girl slept through it!

Day 153, Wednesday, June 2nd
We went the the Shipshewana Flea Market to get some plants for my planters!  So excited!  Last year, due to being pregnant, I never got around to planting flowers in them.  I was definitely ready - now I'll just have to clean out the weeds that are growing abunduntly in them!

Why you don't let a 6 year old take Silly Putty in the vehicle for a 45 minute drive!  This shirt is still lying next to the washer . . .

Day 155, Friday, June 4th
Baby Girl playing with the little Tupperware dishes!  I actually did not teach her to do this! 

She kept smiling for the camera after I took the picture!  Here I finally got it!  I think that is a smile?!

Day 156, Saturday, June 5th

A good pot of soup at the end of a rainy day.  Chicken Tortilla is a fav of ours!

Day 115 - Day 121

Day 115-Sunday, April 25th

Papa got his pheasants. M made sure we knew that we had to be very quiet or they might "get all freaked out".

Day 116-Monday, April 26th

Dan and J went back to release the pheasants for Papa.  The goal is for them to 1) survive, 2)nest and raise their young, 3) so my dad not to have to purchase them next year.  We've already seen one dead, and two have ventured into our yard thereby driving our dog nuts!  Dan did a great job with these pictures.

Day 117-Tuesday, April 27

A couple of weeks ago I was browsing another Project 365 from Sara's and came across a beautiful picture of a wisteria (sorry, I can't remember where or I'd link it!).  Here is my wisteria. 

Since living here for almost 8 years, we've had one - 1 - uno, year that it bloomed like it was supposed to! All the others it has looked like this.  If you've ever seen one in full bloom, you know it does NOT look like mine!  Very pathetic!  What, oh what, can I do to help it?!

Day 118-Wednesday, April 28th

Yes, this is our dog in a baby bouncy seat!  I had put it away after Baby Girl was finished with it.  I got it back out because we were having some company with a little(r) one.  We were in the kitchen working on school when J calls me in, "Mom, you've got to see this!"

Yes, he thinks he is the baby!

Day 119-Thursday, April 29th

Brie baked in a pastry puff crust!  Yummy!  I don't think the picture does it justice!

Day 120-Friday, April 30th

A great day for a picnic and Baby Girl's first trip to the park!

Day 121-Saturday, May 1st

I can hardly believe it is May already!  That means we will be planting the garden soon.  Here are some of the seedlings we started for our garden!  These are the tomatoes.   I think we have 5 or 6 different varieties and approx. 136 seedlings!  And I was concerned that none of them would come up!?  That's gonna be alot of tomatoes!

Day 108-114

Day 108

Sunday, April 18th

Baby Girl now has two teeth!  Her first one came in Saturday night and the second on Wednesday.  They were hard to see at first, but she kept feeling them with her tongue.

Day 109

Monday, April 19th

Yummy muffins made from carrot pulp left over from juicing.

Day 110

Tuesday, April 20th

Day 111

Wednesday, April 21st

Baby girl found a new toy at Nana's.  She thought she was big stuff sitting in a chair!

Day 112

Thursday, April 22

Papa on his tractor. 

Day 113

Friday, April 23rd

Day 114

Saturday, April 24th

The boys sold some stuff at the resale store today.  So they can buy more Legos?!

The first watermelon from the garden! Jake picked it and here it is!
Isn't it pretty? And it tasted yummy too!

Luke's Veggie Stand

Luke was looking for a way to make some money and this is it - a Veggie Stand! He made the sign and decided on a price then picks the veggies and shares some of the profits with his supplier (thanks Nana and Papa!). It now has a cooler to keep the veggies fresher longer.

Nature's Bounty

Here are some before and after pics from our garden this year.
This is before planting, but after plowing and marking the location of where we wanted to put everything.

After a good rain and a sunny day - everything is growing well!

The rewards of lots of hard work . . .