New Dress for Mae-Marie

For Christmas this year I made a few things for the children. I made a doll quilt and a dress for Mae-Marie and a "sports" teddy bear for Tucker. I will post pictures of the quilt and bear later, but here is Mae-Marie's dress. I used Jennie Chancey's Girl's Regency dress pattern. Her site is http://www.sensibility.com. It goes together very nicely. I have made many dresses out of this pattern. This dress I altered just a bit to enlarge the area where the sleeve sits in and I lowered the neckline, front and back, a bit.

The print on it is hard to see, but it is a print of little violet flowers. I have enough left over to make a regency dress like this for myself. Hopefully, I will have it done by spring. When I get it done, I'll post pictures of it.

I haven't sewn much at all since we moved, but after the beginning of the new year, I intend to start back up again. I'm almost finished organizing my sewing room, which is nice to finally have. Now I won't have to completely put a project away when I am in the middle of it. I will just be able to shut the door. Less clean up time - more time to sew!

Gingerbread Houses and Christmas

Well, having just recently moved, and not being completely unpacked (boy does that take a lot of time!), we didn't decorate the house much, only a little here and there. We did take the opportunity to make cookies (lots and lots of cookies) and hard candy (caramels and strawberry hard crack candy) and gingerbread houses. I have always made one at Christmas, but this year we started a new tradition. The children each made their own, small version of a gingerbread house out of graham crackers and a plethera of candy that Daddy brought home for us. We spend hours, and made a big mess, but we had Lots of FUN! Sometimes I get so caught up in the daily grind of what has to be done when, and chores and schedules that I forget to just relax and have FUN! This was a great reminder. We enjoyed it so much that we have decided to make it a new Christmas tradition! Anyway, here are some pictures.

These are the children's houses: Albert's, David's, Scotty's, Mae-Marie's and Tuckers (left to right).

This is my version of the gingerbread house. I copied the basic pattern from Martha Stewart's book - Homemade Christmas. It went together really easily this year (too many years of total frustration paid off, I guess), but I like to decorate them differently each year. Next year I think I am going to try for a "mansion." We'll see how that works!

This is our mantle in the living room. Like I said, we only decorated a little, plus I couldn't find half of our decorations (mismarked boxes!), but at least it was something. We put a few things on the mantle in the kitchen too. Just enough to feel a little like the holidays. I've decided to decorate my living room here for Christmas in red, gold and black bears, so my husband bought these two to start my collection. What a sweetie!

Our Christmas tree. It has a story behind it, too. We are accustomed to going out the week before Christmas and picking out a fresh cut tree for Christmas. This year, we went out only to find just about all of the trees gone. We were told they had sold out for a couple of weeks. Wow, was I amazed. We looked at the alternative of an artificial tree, but it was always a tradition for us to get a cut tree. What to do?! My husband managed to find one place left that had a few trees. Actually, some fairly tall ones. The area where we wanted to put the tree could handle a 10 foot tree. So, that is what he got us. However, we could not find our tree stand. So, Scott went out and bought a new one. When we went to put the tree up, we realized that the base was too skinny for the stand and it was too tall for the stand. Our tree kept tipping over! Ack! Being fairly adaptable individuals, we explained this to the children and our tree, although nicely decorated, stood leaning somewhat into the corner for Christmas. Truth be known, our poor Christmas tree ended up looking very similar to a very tall "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree. But it was still just as beautiful to us!

Anyway, I hope you all had a Merry Christmas. Remember as the year comes to a close to thank God for what blessings and experiences He has allowed into your life this year.

We Moved to Wyoming!

After they came and packed all our earthly belongings into boxes, the moving company loaded it all on the truck including our van on the 15th of November and took off for Wyoming. The next day we drove to the airport in rented cars and boarded an airplane bound for Denver, CO. Then we got on a little "puddle-jumper." It was TINY. It only had the capacity to carry 19 people! When I first saw the plane, I did not want to get on it. I am a bit nervous about airplanes as it is, but I could not imagine getting on that tiny plane.After some loving reassurance by more devoted husband, I climbed aboard. I wish we had pictures of how small that plane was. One seat on either side of the aisle with three seats across the back. We sat in the back, Mae-Marie and Tucker in front of us, then Scotty, David and Albert across the back. Talk about bumpy! For a while I thought I was going to be ill. But I prayed about it and relaxed and realized how well I got to see a view of God's earth. Unexpectantly, the ride turned out to be a blessing to me. We flew over mountains and open fields. To the right of us was open plains, we could even see the spirals on the ground from the path of the waterers. To the left were the mountains. They were covered with snow, but in small areas the pine trees peaked out from under the snow. It was the most beautiful plane right I have ever been on. We arrived in one piece, albeit a little shaky from the bumps coming in to the airport, but we were on the ground. We picked up our rental vehicle, went through the town (it is absolutely beautiful - just like a small town from years ago) and drove to our new home. It is in a little community outside of Sheridan, named Story. It is nestled at the base of the Big Horn Mountains. You drive up a winding hill and as you come around the bend at the base of the mountains, there is the town. The area is thick with pine trees. It is like we live in the woods. It is so peaceful. Deer are everywhere and apparantly don't seem to care if people are around or not. They just wander around along with the turkeys that are everywhere. David, who is chomping at the bit to begin hunting, has asked many times now if I am sure that he can't hunt in the back yard. LOL. It is great! Hopefully we will be here for a while (at least for a few years). Welcome to our new home!

Tribute to a Beloved Friend and Companion

Skeeter came to us four years ago. We had an outdoor cat that visited us every day because we would leave her a bowl of food outside. She became pregnant and when she had her kittens next door in the barn, a large dog killed all but one of her kittens. One evening she left the last small black kitten under our back porch and left never to be seen again. We tried for two weeks to get that kitten inside the house. My sweet husband would lie on the back porch waiting for that kitten to take the bait of food so that he could catch him. Try as he might, though, he continually evaded him. Scott got more mosquito bites than imaginable trying to catch that cat. We changed our tactics and tried to lure him into the house with the food while we hid. It did the trick. He came in and we had a new member of our family. We called him Skeeter in honor of how many "squiter" bites Scott got. He hid under a cupboard and when we got him out, we put him into a large coat closet until he could acclimate to us (and learn to use a litter box!) Many months later, he decided that it was safe enough to start coming out. He was always a scaredy cat - he preferred to sleep on the beams in the old house. He would come into the kitchen occassionally and sit on my lap in my rocking chair or on the back of the chair and look out the window while I was in it. A year after we got him, we thought we would get him a girl cat so that we could have kittens. We bought a beautiful grey and white cat that we were told was a girl and we named her Duchess in honor of the name we gave Skeeter's mother. However, Suprise! she ended up being a "he" and we changed his name to Spot. When Spot was full grown, we started having all sorts of territorial problems and they both went in to be "fixed". At that time we found out that our scaredy cat had a heart murmur and the vet told us he was lucky to be alive. When we moved, he seemed to adapt alright at first, but with the dogs and the other cats, Skeeter started living more and more under the bed. We did what we could to encourage him to come out but it was difficult. One day last week, he came out and went to his bowl in our bathroom and started meowing oddly. He never left that bathroom again. For the first day, he just seemed to have a bit of an upset stomach, but he couldn't use the bathroom very well. The next day he could hardly move and a day later he died. It was horrible and it was so quick. I am not sure what happened to him or why he died. He did seem to be in a lot of pain the last few hours, though, and I am glad that it didn't last long. Out of all of our animals, he was mine. I will miss him. He was a good friend. Goodbye Skeety. (Summer 2002 - Oct. 10, 2006)

Our Garden Experiment

Well, it's fall and it should be harvesting time. It should be. Not this year. Arizona and I are at war. In the spring before I got sick and discovered I had arthritis, we planted a garden. Not a giant one, mind you. Not like our last one in Maine. We thought we would start conservatively. Corn, pumpkins, watermelon, cantaloupe and a few squash. We watered like we were supposed to. You know, I actually thought it would be lack of water that would keep my garden from growing. But the weather was not my enemy. No, it couldn't be that easy. The water was the problem. Let me explain. Where we have moved to, it was barren. We live in the southeastern part of Arizona and except for mesquite trees, there was nothing except sand. Sand everywhere. We couldn't even leave the windows of the house open for all the sand and dirt that would blow into the windows with the slightest breeze. But put a little water on it and, well, that is a different story. In my garden area, so picked because there was nothing else growing in it, grew weeds that were indestructible. In the beginning of my illness I was still able to weed because the weeds were still small. Then the boys started doing the weeding, but the weeds won. Soon they outgrew my poor plants. Now, we were able to save some of the plants. But then the pesky little critters, you know birds, squirrels, raccoons and who knows what else, decided that my little plants looked like good food. So little by little, the plants disappeared leaving only small holes in the ground. A few plants did survive the giant weeds, and starving critters. I was actually proud that I had a few corn stalks left and what I thought were watermelon and pumpkin plants left. Last night, apparently, something ran off with the baby corn. Was I disappointed! Well, my other plants have started to produce. But they look nothing like watermelon or pumpkins! Some weird long curled up green type of wild squash, I guess. What an experiment! Quite different from my garden in Maine where I had so much I had to give it away, I couldn't put it all up. Well, that's life - at least out here anyway. But my dear husband tells me that maybe another move is coming - to Wyoming. Oh, today I am especially excited about that one!

Beautiful Weather

This being our first summer in Arizona, we thought we would die from the heat. Especially having come from Maine. The last few days, however, have started to cool down. The nights have been pleasant. You can tell that fall of some sort is coming. Today we have had especially beautiful weather. This afternoon it is in the 80s. The children have been itching to get outside and play and today was perfect.

This picture is of two of my boys - David (11, on the left) and Scotty (9, on the right). They love to climb trees. When we lived in Maine, they climbed the pine trees all the time, not to mention swinging on and trying to figure out how to climb into the willow next to the house. Here, we have only mesquite trees. They have thorns on them so it has taken them a little while to figure out how to climb in them. Now they take a miniature hammer along with them to pound the thorns off. You see their rope for climbing, along with another they have turned into a swing. As long as they don't mess with my clothesline. :-)


This picture is of my two youngest, Mae-Marie (8, on the left) and Tucker (6, on the right). Now that the weather is cooler, they have set to driving around the back porch. As long as they can avoid running into each other, all is well. Sometimes life is a bit frustrating for Mae-Marie, whom we affectionately call Mae Mae, being that she is the only girl at home. My other daughter lives in Maryland, and unless she is visiting, there is no one else to play "girl" things with. Well, unless you count Mom in.







This is a picture of my oldest son, Albert (11). Well, actually he and David are twins, but as I am constantly reminded Albert is 13 minutes older. He is not much of an outdoorsy kind of guy, but he does like to go out and entertain the little ones. Today he was monitoring the races that were being conducted on the back porch.

It was truly a beautiful day today. With the light breeze, it felt so good even I didn't want to come back in. However, life calls - there are meals to be made , animals to be tended to, and baths to be had. Time to start thinking about the week ahead and all that entails. Blessings for your Sunday!

Puppies, Puppies, Puppies!

This week has just been loaded with taking care of puppies. Our girl dane, Shadow gave birth to five beautiful puppies last Sunday. It was amazing!

The first one came at about 3:30 in the afternoon. The second one didn't come until about an hour and a half later. All in all, though, she was done at 7:00. When all was said and done she had two merles, one harlequin, one fawn, and one black. Of course, our boy dane, Freckles, was quite the proud papa.

I was quite surprised to see a fawn in the middle of the litter, however, I remembered that Freckles has brindle in his pedigree, so I guess it was bound to come out sometime. Shadow is a very good mama. The children all want to go in and see the puppies. She is fiercely protective, though. The only way they have been able to sneak peaks is when we take Shadow outside. Sometime between tomorrow and Saturday, the pups should open their eyes and we are all looking forward to that.

Aside from puppies, we have been back to school full-time again. We go pretty much all year, just doing an abbreviated amount during the summer. Now, however, we are easing back into full swing again. The children really love world history and that appears to be the focal point of the week. In some way or other, books, battles, etc., we are discussing world history. I grew up with very little knowledge of anything other than the US. In college I discovered more about the study of other countries, but I, too, am enjoying an intense study of world history right along with them. It's great!

Tucker is now reading, which means the youngest (so far) is now reading. I feel like we have passed a hurdle. It really feels like an accomplishment having them all reading now. I remember a time, with several, where I never thought we would learn to read. I was sure I was doing everything wrong, but eventually it all fell into place. Isn't it amazing how that works. Just lay the foundation, I suppose, and continue working and it comes when the child is ready. I think I learn as much, if not more, daily than my children do. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Imaginary Birthday Parties

Let me see, today we had a birthday party for my daughter's babydoll, complete with birthday cake (animal crackers) and tea ( milk in my teapot). We sang "happy birthday," blew out candles and opened presents after which my daughter, Mae-Marie, and my youngest son, Tucker, put on a miniature play in honor of Elizabeth's (babydoll's) birthday. Everything is always full blown with my children, but I love it. This morning, the boys (Albert, David, Scotty and Tucker) all decided to see whom they could tie up better. I walked by the room several times only to see a different one tied with rope ina variety knots and twists. Yesterday, the boys salvaged what ropes were left of Scott's hammock after Freckles (our male dane) destroyed it. They spent a long time figuring out how to tie knots in them to make swings for their sister, to make a lasso to catch anything that moves, and to make their version of a bullwhip. These ropes kept them entertained all afternoon. Boys, I love 'em. This morning we tended to the farm animals and did our outdoor chores, then came in and did our school work.

Our female great dane, Shadow, is expecting puppies any day now. She is "officially" due on Monday, but it could be a few days early or late. We really can't tell how many she is going to have, she hides it so well. But then, she is a big dog with a lot of room, so we'll see. We already have a few buyers who are interested. That is, if I can convince the children that we cannot possibly keep them all. There almost isn't enough room in the house for us all as it is - I can't imagine several more danes running through it. This is an older picture of the danes from Easter, but it is the best I have right now of them. Shadow is two years old. We bought her from another family back in February and she was a sad sight to see - so thin and afraid. Thankfully, she has regained her spirits and is so happy here. I don't have any idea of what happened to her, but I am glad she is here with us now. Freckles, my baby boy, is now weighing in somewhere around 250lbs. He just turned a year in this picture back in March. He is a sweet animal, but he does have a very strong personality. I hope we will have beautiful puppies from these two.

Scott, my dear sweet husband will be returning from work in a little while. It is pretty late, but we have plans to pop some popcorn and watch a Poirot mystery together. Kind of a little "late date night" in the living room. We are both avid mystery fans and he is our favorite.

All in all, it was a good day today. Tomorrow brings with it another set of adventures to look forward to.

Welcome

The peaceful, quiet beauty of nature is my resting place. It is the "hideaway" I escape to when I need to renew my strength. Sometimes I take my bible, sometimes a notepad, sometimes I rely on my thoughts to ponder, sometimes I use this time as a reprieve from needing to think at all. A windmill out in the middle of a field of grass is one of the most peaceful sights to me. You can hear the wind and see it captured even as you feel it against your skin. A picket fence reminds me of a simpler time. A time when families gathered together because they wanted to, not out of necessity. Along with picket fences I envision porch swings, afternoon picnics and peaceful days. I have kept a notebook diary for a long time - I think I started one when I was 13. It has always proven to be a good way to work things out in my life and to enable to me to see things more clearly. I have decided to gradually move my diary online. I am on here so much lately that it just seems to make sense. I have named this blog/diary, call it what you will, Of Windmills and Picket Fences, because that is what this is to me. A place to go for reprieve, to hear myself think. If you feel so inclined, let me know what you think. I sometimes live in a whirlwind, being a stay-at-home, homeschooling mother of five. There may be days I cannot get near a computer because of, well, life, and there may be days when I ramble on and on. This is my quiet, relecting time. My time to be at peace and to remember the simpler times. My windmills and picket fences.