Halloween Traditions and randomness

Friday night was Aggie and Jen's daycare Halloween open house.  She got to paint a pumpkin, play some ring toss and lots of fun stuff.  The tattoos on her arms are still there even after a few baths.

I think she was protecting them.

Oh!!!  and she doesn't just call me Gah anymore!!!  I've graduated to Gah-ma!

Last night, while making her and Leon grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, she practiced by chanting, "Gah-ma Gah-ma Gah-ma Gah-ma"

WHAT?!  

*gah-ma gah-ma gah-ma*

I guess she's just practicing... to drive us crazy.

On Saturday evening, the kids, grands and I went to Living History Farms in Des Moines!

Meri got her obligatory pic with the Taylor tombstone there.

Aggie got candy.

And lots of photo ops to go around!

We haven't been here in years and in the past, they had volunteers sitting outside each of the little buildings in this museum of a town.  I'd always thought it would be cool to open the buildings up and let people see what's inside, like they do on school field trips.  Well, this year they did!

We got a lesson on how to use a printing press, another on how to make a watery tonic of some sort at the pharmacy and a quick class from the blacksmith as he pounded out a red hot piece of steel.

The story tellers were awesome and one of them, in particular, had been there for 30 years.  The kids and I recognized her voice, which was loud and clear.  She told one about a ghost that tugs on your thumb nail.  In the past, she'd told the memorable ones about the purple egg, the nonguama and the tailypo.  Those stories had stuck in the kids memories ever since and probably gave them nightmares, but they/we loved them!  There was no kettle corn to munch on this time, but that's ok.

We rounded out the evening with dinner at Perkins.  Their pies looked delish and some of the kids had some.  I enjoyed them from afar.

I got the rest of the Halloween decor put up Sunday, or was it Saturday?  Eh - over the weekend.  I had quite a little list of to dos this weekend and only skipped a few.

but the web turned out pretty cool!  And there's a ghostly thing on the porch and a very large spider in the lilacs under the pergola.

Someone closed a cabinet door a LITTLE too hard Sunday evening and it fell apart in pieces, some splintered.  This is the remaining cabinet door.

So yesterday, I called an old retired co-worker of ours that lives nearby and fixed another cabinet that had broken many years ago.  He has glue and clamps. :) and knowledge.

He agreed to fix it for me in return that I hem a couple pairs of his wife's pants. No problemo!

A little bartering never hurt anyone!

*I hope I don't screw up the pants!*

I found this photo over the weekend of the girls in my small church school.  I was the only senior that year.  All the other girls were in various lower grades with one of my sisters to the far right.  I showed it to Leon to see if he could tell which girl I was. 

Believe it or not, he currently looks almost identical to me!

Now.  Which one am I?

I had told him prior that when I was a little girl and couldn't take care of my hair, my mom had us get pixie short hair cuts, so he assumed that in high school, I still couldn't manage my hair...

um yes I could.  The pixie only happened a few times and I was REALLY little then.

In this photo, my hair was down to the lower/middle of my back.

I'm the one with long hair, 3rd from the right.

Anyway, back to work!  Have a beautiful day and SPOOKY week!!!

Traditions, Kittens and Canning

Wait, what holiday is it this weekend???

:) That's Robb's stocking.  Left there since Christmas.  On that day, everyone wrote down memories and tucked them in.  Then while unwrapping presents, we start from youngest to oldest.  So everyone can see what everyone else gets.  It take a while but makes it all so special.  So when it came to Robb's turn to unwrap, we read a memory.  The memories are still tucked inside and yesterday I decided to open a document and type up more memories.  I plan to print them out, cut them into single memories and tuck them in.  But this way, I can type them up quick when one comes to mind.

We might need an Easter stocking...  

I'll think on it when I have more time and come up with something.

On Tuesday night, Taco Tuesday, the kids were all over for tacos.  We've done the 2nd week of making the tortillas fresh.  We made too many this time, so I stuck some in the freezer for next week.  Or for making Doritos, yes I found a recipe and have added a couple things to my shopping list this week!

After we were done eating, Meri and Ryan ran back to her house and brought over her 5 week old kittens for us all to ooh and aah over.  The kitten's brother, Kevin, Leon's cat, did NOT like these little monsters and hissed at them from a safe distance.  The kittens were adorable but not enough that I want another cat in the house.  I need another cat like I need another hole in my head.  And no, I'm not getting my ears pierced again either.

But they sure were cute!

I've done more canning and yesterday, canned 2 pints of steel cut oats with fruit and 3 pints of brown rice.  I tried one of the oats this morning for breakfast.  I'll be making more of that!!

If you're interested, it's 1/2 cup steel cut oats to one pint jar.  Also add 1/3 cup fruit (apples, frozen berries, etc.) 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cinnamon.  Fill up with water or apple juice, wipe rims with vinegar or water.  Then pressure can for 20 minutes.

When reusing common jars, I tighten it up good.  For the regular canning lids, I tighten, then pull it back 1/4 inch.  I have very good luck with most everything sealing so far.

If I DO hit a dud and one doesn't seal, it goes in the fridge for use first.  Usually that's due to the lid not twisted correctly or a crack in the rim that I didn't see.

I ate the oats in the pickle jar this morning and it was really good.  I dumped into a bowl and microwaved for 1 minute, then added some heavy whipping cream.  It was very good but I probably won't do the apple juice again.  It just seemed too fruity for it's own good.  I'll try the one done with water tomorrow.

Back to work.  Ryan is off work today so he'll be monitoring Leon's school work today and I can move my laptop up to the sewing room.  It's quieter in there AND I can sew during my breaks.  I haven't had a chance to yet this week.  Leon is at his mom's next week so I'll work from my sewing room each day.

Have a wonderful day and get your taxes in!!!!

Frandomly Friday

It's a Good Friday!  

So far anyway.  

Compared with one from a couple thousand years ago tho... Now THAT was a great Friday!

And unless I drink a couple cans of diet pop soon, it'll be a so-so Friday...

The fixings for chili dogs are in the house and I'm out in my office.  Work has been crazy busy lately.  Even with the virus, some of our customers (medical labs) are having to put most of their staffs on furlough due to the low traffic of the usual tests.  So additional help from my company is needed.

My MIL had a doctor's appointment by Zoom the other day. Maybe just to make sure she's still kicking.

She is.

Leon and I painted the front window yesterday.  From the inside, it looks cool, but we always have that shade down.  So we won't see it at all unless you go outside.

And from the outside it's all washed out.  I may hang some dark fabric behind it on the window so you can see the pic better...

 update: I just hung some black fabric behind it and it's even worse...  uggg.  Oh well.  It'll be fine.  Maybe we'll put another coat of paint on it today so it could stand out more.

Also yesterday, I dyed a jacket of mine that I've loved for years, but it's been sitting in my closet for about 20 of them because of a stain on the sleeve.  I wore it on our first trip to Ireland in 1998.

And now I see that there's paint on the pocket that didn't dye.  

Oh well.  I am loving this dark chocolate brown!

The house was so cold this morning that I turned the heat back on.    

I'm hoping to get some masks done for that neighbor today.  Sigh!  So many things come up when you least expect it!  I've got a few done, but I'm wondering if that's truly what they were looking for.  Oh well.  One of my sewing friends said they'll be happy to get anything given to them.  Yeah...  maybe.

So I'll carry on.

The people in the house are getting stir crazy and Leon's room is getting an overhaul.  Eh - it gives them something to do I guess.  However now our guest room solution needs an overhaul as well.

Not that anyone is coming to see us any time soon...

Well, back to work after I throw a few dozen eggs in the IP.

Have a wonderful Good Friday and Happy Easter!

First Annual McVal Apple Smear

My SIL and niece got to our house LATE on Saturday night.  I have no idea what time as I went to bed when Leon did.  Robb stayed up for them. 

On Sunday, after church, my nephew and his girlfriend came for dinner also.  Afterwards, Cathy pulled out two huge bags of beautiful apples.  They could have easily pulled them off our tree, but oh well. 

So she has two huge bags of beautiful apples and asked if we had a bat.  Yep.  If you remember the movie Cheaper by the Dozen, they played Apple Smear and hit apples across the yard with a bat.  THAT'S what she had in mind... 

The kids set up on my lower deck which did NOT get fixed up in time for the graduation party and needs repairs all over the place.  Yep, Josh took his girlfriend there...  She didn't say anything about it, so I think she's a keeper!

They hit apples off the deck and fruity bits flew! 

Leon took a turn and then hit a questionable deck railing, making a good crack sound.  

Yeah... EVERYONE move down to the grass please!!

They did.  And played ball apple!

Leon hit his so far once that in his excitement, he pulled his pants down.  REALLY?!?!??!?  I'm so glad I was inside and didn't see that...

Cathy was telling us about it and said that he showed his ######.  Leon corrected her and used the correct term for it.  "hello?... It's called a #####."

It was drizzling and they got pretty drenched.  I'm thinking this is a new tradition now.  

Meri missed out as she had children's theater practice, but saw what they had done out there and is looking forward to next years festivities.

Apples beware!!

6 pictures, 6000 words

I may not get to 6000 words, so with that, that is your Christmas present from me...

Here is my duct tape Maddy.  We hope to have a family photo with her done soon.  You can't see the rollar blade and pole she's riding, but it's a little tall... Can you tell?  Real life Maddy is actually shorter than me.

For Sunday evenings Norwegian Christmas dinner, here is Ada's tree.  As much as possible is purple and as many ornaments as possible are Wizard of Oz based.

Our dinner consisted of mashed potatoes and melted butter, lupskows, meatballs, lefsa with butter and sugar, and of course Cod.  YUM YUM YUM..  For dessert, we had kringla cookies.

 

And Norwegian rules for table manners are preferred.  I don't know if this is for real, so if you are from Norway originally, please correct me!  Norwegian rules mean, NO RULES!  If you want the mashed potatoes across the table, reach and get them.  Doesn't matter whose face you put your elbow in!

This year I actually started a new Norwegian rule.  I accidentally called someone by the wrong name and THAT person was sitting on the opposite side of the table...   So the new rule is make someone horribly inconvenienced by asking them to reach in front of someone else to pass the dish in front of a second person to you.  I think this could catch on!

Leon found their little Christmas statuettes that dance and sing and did his best to wear out the batteries.  Then in his spare time, went to break a snow globe and made an attempt on Mrs. Clauses ceramic life.  He was totally hopped up on cod!

And here is the bestie, Ada!  We gave her the whole dvd collection of North and South.  When she isn't collecting Wizard of Oz or purple things, she swoons over Swayze!  

Who doesn't?

 

On a trip to California years ago, she actually got lost on the street where he lived trying to find his house.  It was around there somewhere!!!

Our tradition in the past was to get the dvd's from Netflix and watch them with her once a year.  We haven't done that for a few years since Netflix came out with instant downloads and we dropped the dvd portion of our membership.   This only came on dvds unfortunately and we hadn't thought that through.

Anyway.  There is our weekend in pictures and HA!  Only 410 words!  BARGAIN!

Fiddling on the roof

Over the years, I attempt to get the kids first day of school pics.  And have been successful for the most part, even when taking a photo of my son in the dark next to those silly black eyed Susans before he left before 7 for a football practice many years ago.  

 

Couldn't find that one but found a couple others.

The next generation has taken over and Maddy took it upon herself to make sure the tradition carries forward.  She had a friend take this one for her on her first day of classes and posted it on FB for me to see!

and here is the caption she put with it.

 "MOM! Here's the typical first day of school pictures, however, instead of black-eyed-susans I had to make due with good ol' Martin Luther! If you look close enough you might be able to see where I tore off the skin on my left leg from the Keurig when I fell out of bed this morning! It's pretty exciting stuff. Also, since you probably just spend every moment thinking about how much you miss me I'll let you know....I'm dropping out of college. I'm done. Actually I'm not but now you won't be as angered knowing that I made a hole in the wall on the landing last week....oops. Sorry! I'll patch it up during Thanksgiving. Well...uhhh.....love you! Have a wonderful day!"

me:
Thanks for the 1st day of school pic!!! I do miss you but I hope you're having a great day!

me:
and sorry about your knee. You shouldn't be falling out of bed on that end...

her: 
I'm just very talented. Also, I read your blog. What are these surprises???!?!??

me: 
Nothing expensive... no diamonds or anything... Just a little something Leon wanted to send along.

 me: 
wait a minute.. what hole?

her: 
Haha, look at the landing it's maybe 2 feet up and about an inch in diameter.

Of course I had to run inside and check it out.  It's not really a hole, but a circular indentation.  A little spackle wouldn't hurt though...

Her brother put one in the wall right about there when he moved out too...

Tradition!!!

I'm thinking Chocolate!...

Just got an email from my favorite Advent Calendar place. Traditionally, I buy chocolate advent calendars for each of my kids and for a close friend, she and her husband are chocolate hounds!

Our house rule is this... If the chocolate for that day is still there after they go to bed that night, it's mine... That way, Robb and I get a little chocolate too when the kids are forgetful...

I think this year, I'll order a couple of each of these.




















What are your pre-Christmas season traditions and preparations?