summer can you stay a little longer?

Summer quarter ended this past week so now I get summer for 4 weeks. Since I start college on Sept. 21st, I also bumped the kids back to start their homeschool at the end of September too, instead of the 9th like the public schools are doing this year.

My photographer Tessa has been so busy that she hasn't uploaded the pictures that I have taken to blog with so I am going to just try my best to tell you about them.
bare with me :o)

Remember the photos of our garden being planted? that space looked so bare. Now we have cucumbers, peas, beans, a humongous sunflower (Sophie's pride and joy), corn, tomatoes still ripening (over 12 plants-geesh!), and flowers. It looks like a jungle. We made it look like a victory garden with the diamond garden in the middle and a path around it. Two of the paths have disappeared because of overgrown tomato plants. I have started pinching off the new flowers on the tomato plants to direct the growing and ripening of the already numerous small tomatoes on the plants. Is that right? Anyone grow tomatoes?

We had exhibits in the county fair. To be honest we didn't make our exhibits specifically for the fair but since we are a busy family for the sake of sanity I went around and collected things that the girls and I have made. I put them in my giant orange bag and took them up there to see if they fit into a category. They all did! Hannah, Sophie and Aliss all got 1st and 2nd places in their divisions, Hannah got a 1st place in the overall division with a ribbon that has a huge rosette and 5$ of McDonalds money (that she shared with her sister-what a sweetie!). Tessa took her photos up too. She did really well and got 3rd overall from the huge rosettes too! I am so proud of my girls.

Zackery has gotten bikes given to him by a friend of his dads. He has learned how to take the parts off and reuse them on his bikes or on his friends bikes. One thing he has learned though is that boys flock to the shop that has parts like bees to honey. He is growing so fast into a young man. I am glad that he has the opportunity to build bikes even with his dad not here to show him. I was a little concerned about him being able to work on things. I really should stop worrying about these things because God shows me time and time again that He has everything under control.

The cats all are looking well except two days ago I noticed them starting small sneezes again. I try and shoo the cats outside during the day for the open spaces away from each other and fresh air. I am also still dosing them with L-lysine and Colloidal Silver. Man I hope this stuff goes away for good and soon!

Zack and I are driving an hours distance away today for our deposition from the accident 3 years ago.

Fall is in the air. Walking home from a neighbors house the other night around 8pm the air was sorta damp and clear. All of a sudden I thought kids should be getting ready for bed and school will be starting soon. There is a tree along the river that already has branches with yellow leaves on it and I think I heard a few of the Canadian Geese that stop over here along the river flying overhead the other night too.

4 more weeks summer...4 more weeks....pretty please? :o)

What do these things have in common?

For the past two weeks I have had quite the succession of very sick cats. We love our kitties dearly and it seems that when we volunteered to foster/tame feral kittens this summer we put our own pets in a very dangerous situation that most of them are fighting their way out of.

Colloidal silver
l-lysine
organic chicken broth
amoxicillin
zithromax

Dosing 9 cats 2 times daily with antibiotics, l-lysine water (blended up tablets in my osterizer with water), colloidal silver in water to drink and using Zack's nebulizer machine to mist watered down colloidal silver in a cat carrier so they can breathe.

Ask me how much fun I have been having? Well, maybe ask me next week.

Be back soon,
Lori
xo

Summer goodnes part 3:: Washing babydoll clothes

I guess the babydolls have been getting a tad dirty making mud pies again...
Tessa and Aliss used to wash their babydoll's clothes each spring in the same big bowl that Hannah used.

Some things change and some things stay the same. I think when my granddaughters start coming over in years to come I will supply them with a clothes line, pins and the same bowl their (future) mamas used and they can wash baby clothes too!

Summer goodness part 1

we are finally enjoying some of our garden's bounty

Mom leaves back to Alaska tomorrow. This will be especially difficult for me as I only get to see her once a year.


I will miss you Mom.

The Perks

My mom is one of The Best cooks I know.

Really.
While she is here I am taking full advantage of that perk.
Strawberry, Rhubarb, Custard Pie.....

You would too, wouldn't ya?

Mama of a Graduate

Bubbly Apple Cider for the toast of a great future!

The Dad, The Grad & The Mama

photos Tessa has taken

special friends help pass out cake

My Mama came down from Alaska.

So many thoughts and memories to not forget of this special time period. My first child has now graduated and is talking about starting on an Associates in Art Degree this fall or winter. So many friends and relatives came to celebrate Tessa with us. I'm so glad they did so Tessa can see how many people support her.


Fly baby....fly...

In My Home::

::early morning watering and thinning of veggies in my garden

::last stages of planning our first graduation and all the last minute details that go along with that...I will share photos when it is all said and done (this Sunday is the BIG day!)

::Sold a couple bags to a very sweet friend over in Spokane

::helping my girls foster C.A.R.A. kittens until the adoption day in a few more weeks. lots of feedings, teaching how to drink from a dish, rounding them up and a new kitten who is more wild than the ones we have had that Aliss and I are gentling.

::Ricky (another C.A.R.A. cat that is sweet but doesn't like other cats) in my laundry room til his antibiotics have healed his tail.

::making Tessa a little bolero jacket to go with her Chocolate Brown gown she is wearing for Graduation.

::trying to keep in contact with friends and family

::starting three summer classes online and getting them organized: Sociology, Diversity and Health & Safety for young children.

::started an internship with an agency that does Supervised Child Visitation. I just learned that I start my own case this next week and I am SO EXCITED! God is so good in the fact that He knows I know little girls and the new case will be a little girl. So EXCITED...oh, did I already say that? ~grin~

::Had my 5 kids + 6 friends for a sleepover last Friday night. CRAZY! We made home made pizza.

::made Cinnamon Rolls for my brood from leftover pizza crust dough...yummy!

Am I forgiven for not being here much lately?
I will try to do at least short posts in the future.
Hope your week is going well!

xo,
Lori

18

Aliss made Tessa's birthday breakfast in bed.
Tessa was made to get back into bed fully clothed for the celebratory breakfast in bed. :o)

"where's my presents?"

....when your first born child becomes a full fledged adult, the world tilts on its axis.

First there is denial...
then acceptance.

Then a new kind of relationship happens~
respect becomes an even stronger element in the relationship
listening and helping with future plans in the terms of guiding
not telling, but listening happens.

Knowing Tessa was turning 18 and graduating has of course been something I have known was coming, but that didn't deter the emotions that have happened in waves these past several days. The waves of immense pride in my girl flip-flopping with emotions of longing for that long-legged little 9 yr old colt or the baby with fat rolls around the wrists...

Knowing she is considered an adult...knowing what a wonderful and remarkable young lady (woman) she is....knowing there are many lives out there that her kindness and humor will touch..

So many emotions and we haven't even gotten to the graduation celebration night...

special little suprises

My girl Tessa; who is now officially an adult TODAY, made me the above banner as a surprise.

I can't say how much I love seeing my kids up there when I check in here and chat with you all.
I specially love how lissilulu is on the hillside like the Hollywood sign in the movies too. ha!

Hope you are having a great weekend wherever you are!

xo,
Lori

sunshine & flowers

A couple of new Meg Carry-Alls have bloomed over in my shop in honor of all of all of this lovely sunshine and flowers this week!

P.S. I am working at making the Meg Carry-All into a pattern for others to sew...what do ya think?

graduation time

In the depths of handmade Graduation Announcements
needing to be sent out by this weekend.

Presentation in Law and Ethics on Thursday
Math101 test on Thursday
Photo shoot for Tessa's senior picture tomorrow
Reprinting about 20 more announcements
Scrapbooking the announcements

BUT:
2 weeks of dinner menus have been written out
AND
the food to make the aforementioned dinners is in the kitchen

all is well...

feeling the love

Sophie made my bed and added a huge heart shaped out of ribbon on it too


Sometimes a Mama's heart could almost explode with love...

quick trip to the beach

Today was a long day so a quick trip to the beach close to us was in order. We hadn't been there when the mud flats were showing before. Hannah and Sophie found all sorts of treasures and Aliss kicked off her shoes and ran with Dog. We are dog-sitting Dog while his owner Nick has the veins in his neck cleaned out. Thankfully Nick did well and is on the mend now.

the long way home

You know the (i think) Fleetwood Mac song long way home? Well, that's what happened last week. My Mom got us a membership at Costco just in time before the kittys ran out of the lamb and rice food I feed them.
My mom is personally responsible for the bulging tummys of 11 cats that I feed daily. I know, I have a soft spot for strays.


Since Costco is an hour away we decided we would all go and use the gift card that my Mom (I know, I know, she is great and you cannot have her...well, unless you are my sibling reading this or her husband, but I digress) gave us for this fancy shmancy movie theatre.

We had a blast in the comfort of the theatre and headed over to Costco which is truly amazing and would be even more amazing if I had more money! Which may be a bad thing because my house would be filled with totally useless things. So bully for me I couldn't buy one of everything.
So we got the kitty chow and other necessities in bulk like toilet paper and half & half for my coffee. You know, things a girl cannot live without and decided to head home a way I took before. Or did I?
We ended up taking a way home that was the long way home. It made a triangle from the regular way and lucky for us had a cut off to get us back on track. I guess God knew how much we needed an adventure to liven up our lives and give us one more crazy memory of laughs and dorky songs to sing on a rainy night cruising around Southwest Washington searching for home!

P.S. the kitties are so very happy.

P.S.S. the uptown bag is heading to Australia tomorrow (forgive me if I already said that but I am so excited!) and a gadget pouch is heading out to Ohio!
Yay! business is picking up. Thank you!

xo

seed + soil

We finally got our seed in the ground, and right in our backyard. many families are joining forces and have made a community garden and I think that is wonderful but I know myself well enough to know that if I can't get out there in my pajamas in the early morning to weed and water or to just sit in the dusk and stare at what is to come in our plot of land then I just won't do it.
Too much time and preparation when it is outside the place we call home.

We have two rabbits and the kids made sure to get some of the bunnies gold (rabbit poo) to spread in their gardens. The kids remember the experiment I did last summer with two planters and one had rabbit poo and one didn't. Guess which one flourished? :o)

We left a patch of grass for little picnics right next to the corner where Hannah and Sophie will have a green bean teepee. We are so excited!

Have a great weekend

Hamilton

My mom gave me birthday money back in the beginning of April. I was supposed to get either a percolator for coffee or a new toaster oven. I can honestly say I was going for the percolator but after searching and searching and daily seeing the sad excuse for a toaster oven we used slowly falling apart. Sensibility won out. Introducing Hamilton. The kids named it....don't be too impressed with their creativity yet. Hamilton is the brand name. :o)



Shiny black and chrome wins out every time over tired old white and falling apart.
nice.
I have also been busy replacing my bag that I have carried for at least 6 months and have been told by Tessa repeatedly that it is time to replace it.

You know, so much extra time to make myself a bag. :o)

Well, I did it and I am so happy. I liked it so much that I made one with a different suede color for my shop. I plan on making a few more with different suede and fabrics and the same design for my shop too.

I also copied the satchel/messenger style bag that I designed to carry all of my college books too. This one is for my shop. It's super duper cute.
That's the shop update for this week.
Thanks for looking!

P.S. I have a bag heading out to Australia in a few days. How exciting! :o)

quiet children

Sometimes when children are quiet they really aren't being naughty...

Hannah was quiet for a very long time in her room last week and it turns out that she was having a birthday party for Mr. Bear...and documenting it with Tessa's camera.

You can come along if you would like.

The family tradition of breakfast in bed for your birthday extends to Mr. Bear as well.

What nice gifts you have Mr. Bear. Your hat looks very savvy on you.

How very sweet of you to give Hannah a "bear kiss."