Hurry, Christmas is Coming!

I thought that I better get something down before Christmas arrives. Grandpa and Grandma and cute Aunt Jo from PA came for Thanksgiving. We had a little bit of Christmas before they left. Most of the pictures are on the other computer and the reason that they are not poster here has nothing to do with my laziness. Just thought I should point that out... caz sometimes people get ideas... and start thinking.

The first blizzard this winter. School was cancelled and it took Jim FOREVER to shovel himself out and go to work. Once the wind died down the kids headed outdoors.

Hmm, I'm think the kids enjoyed it?

No longer my BFF

I HATE Rubber Gloves.

It wasn’t an all-of-a-sudden sort of hatred, or even the funny sort - the kind when you see that hideous dress and pull it out so that you and your friends can mock it in burst of giggles. It was that sort of hatred that comes about because at one time we were best friends. I’m not a hating kind of person, but this was truly not my fault. The gloves turned on me.

I used to love rubber gloves; I even sang their praise. I traveled mile after mile in my home hand in hand and they never once let me down. But none of that matters - It’s over. And I hate them.

A week ago I cut my thumb. It wasn’t serious but it was large enough cut that it made it difficult to do anything with my left hand. I milked the situation for all it was worth and claimed that the family would have to take over the cooking and cleaning duties for the WHOLE week. I scrunched up my eyes and whined every time I was asked to put a little pressure on my thumb, but it only worked for the first two days. Clearly the children did not read the memo that I posted onto the fridge.
And I quote, “Thy Mother shall not be forced to work for a whole week."
AND YOU KNOW WHAT?! It didn’t work. IT! Didn’t! WORK!
Should I have cried longer? Should I have layered on more band-aids? Should I have packed my thumb in ice for a week? Should I have written the memo out in pictures?
Well, I couldn’t even fool the hubby man. Not one little bit. Why? - Because I have rubber gloves. Curse their waterproof hides.

I know what you are thinking. You’re thinking that in this month of thankful posts, I have the audacity to write a hateful post. Go ahead and judge me. I can handle it…maybe… I still hate rubber gloves.

You can never have too much fun.

The other day while I was upstairs getting dinner ready it sounded like the kids were having too much fun down stairs. The hubby had just gotten home from work and I sent him down stairs to investigate. As soon as he got home he called me down.
"Oh great." I moaned leaving the kitchen.
I envisioned great epic toy battles or cathedral sized art on my walls. As I neared the end of the stairway I braced myself for the next Apocalypse ( which, by the way, seems to happen a lot in our home.) But what I wasn't expecting was a whole lot of water...
and a necked little boy.
With help from his sisters (where are they, by the way?) he was talking a bath in the blue plastic toy bin. The first words out of his quivering blue lips, "Mommy, I'm cold."

NOW I really am Six

NJ had been waiting and waiting for her teeth to fall out. Sometimes good things take a while. She told me that because she has lost her teeth, she is really and truly six.

Applebutter

Last week I decided to make apple butter. I doubled the recipe so that I could can some, just for fun. (Nacho) The apple butter was really easy to make. The only problem is the name. It didn't call for butter at all. It's more like apples cooked for a VERY long time with some spices.

Here are my great helpers that helped me make the apples-cooked-to-a-juicy (bloody didn't fit here)-pulp-with-no-butter-and-some-brown-spices: the apple machine (that's what the box said), my crock pot, child #2 and #3 (Some were more helpful then others, but those that were less helpful had more FUN).Here is all the apples and spices ready to cook all night and fill my house with the smells of delicious apples-cooked-to-a-juicy-pulp-with-no-butter-and-some-brown-spices. Here again are my two helpers eating the just finished apple butter on cornmeal biscuits. YUM!

Sometimes it is hard to be happy in the morning even though you're eating good things.

Baby Boy Turns Three

My little boy turned three on the twelfth. Can you believe it?

I can't.

How dare my man child get to be so big.

He wanted a train cake. So this is my attempt.

It sorta worked. I had these grand ideas in my head, but to actually do them....

Happy Birthday!

Oh, if you make the man child upset he will call you Diaper Change Man.

I still don't know where he got it from but consider this a warning.

The man child's destruction

Look what the Man child did to one of our Toilets!There is a reason why I tells you NOT TO STAND ON THE TOILET!
But I'm ok.
I really am.
Because I have pictures like these... and more that I'm saving. Oh! so much more!

Thinking

On our way to church the kids were being really quiet; something that isn't normal in the Dietrich car. So I asked them, "What are you guys thinking about?"

Middle child: "I'm thinking about Jesus!"

The oldest:"I'm thinking about Joseph Smith!"

The man child: "I'm thinking about praying!"

So, I guess that makes me like, the best parent ever. Seriously, I don't mean to brag but...

7 Years

Yesterday was my Anniversary. I have now been married for 7 years. I've never been very romantic-though I do watch sappy movies- so this is more of a realist kind of post.

I took these pictures on Saturday and Friday.
This is what 7 years has brought me: Enough people to have a FHE chart,

Art work,

A fridge full of milk,

All three potty trained,

Medication,

More art work,

Messy rooms,

Messy bathrooms,

School made crafts for Mother's Day,

Lots of dishes,

A multi-purpose table.

Though it is hard sometimes and I need breaks like going to Las Vegas to be with my sisters, I wouldn't change it for the world.

Table Tennis

Many of you have asked if I have improved on my Table Tennis skills. And by that I mean just people in my family. And by that I also mean no one.In this picture you can see two different sizes of Ping Pong balls. The ball for losers and the ball for winners. Loser

Winner.

Of course I have never used the loser ball, but on a daily bases I can smash a Table Tennis ball to pieces. And by that I mean never. What a wast of $.1233333 during these troubled times!

When ever I play Table Tennis or what I affectionately call Ping Pong, I am known as the Master or dominater (either one is fine with me). I usually win. and by that I mean ALWAYS. It also helps that I bribe the referee before the game. Come on! it's not my fault that the six year old is easily bribed. And when I win (again which is always) and I win by (I don't mean to brag) like 2,543 points. I know I know! That is like totally unheard of because the game doesn't go that high, but with my cool moves it can't be helped.

The "oh look shy" move. The move can be very deceptive, but you have to be careful because if done wrong you may give yourself a bloody nose.

The Led Zeppelin move. Yeah, this one can not be stopped...unless you miss the ball completely and don't get the chance to use your sweet move.

So come one and all and challenge me too a match. I dare you! I double dog eared you with sausage and cheese and with green eggs and ham zillion dare you! but only if I get to pick the referee.

ps. I find that if you don't floss your teeth after eating you play much better.

Go figure?!

A Flash of Brilliance. Wait?! Where did it go?

Have you ever experienced a moment of brilliance, when you know that you have come up with something great? Well, yesterday this was mine.

I had leftover fruit (and whatever category rhubarb is in) that needed to be used up, but not enough to make something big enough for us all to eat. I decided to make a post about my brilliant idea because hey, it was a great idea!

Rhubarb, strawberry and blueberry cobbler. Doesn't that just look per-tee! Instead of making a quick sticky cake-like topping, I made a biscuit topping for two reasons: first because I think it tastes better and second because if I was going to post about my great idea I had to use only the best.

I was working really fast, because for me, the brilliant ideas come when it is almost past the time for being able to pull it off. Like the night before your big project is due and you are able to pull it off because of your "creativity/brilliant idea" and the teacher has no idea that just a few hours ago your mom was frustrated with you for waiting until the last moment and the tears were hiding behind your long dark lashes. At least they would have been if I had dark long lashes.... Or how you can say something in your last paragraph that somehow (thank the stars) gets you the A. Well, that didn't happen this time.

In my hurry I dumped the nutmeg into what was left of dinner. I then had to scrape it out of the chicken, black bean and green chile sauce.

As you can guess I wasn't too happy with myself. There may or may not of been some feelings of woe is me. But I got the nutmeg in the right pan and poured it over the crust.

It ended up tasting good enough that I didn't mind posting my "not so brilliant move."

Don't I have a good looking thumb? Every goddess has to have something they are vain about. JK

Lands' End Sale

The Lands' End Sale will run from August (the 5Th if you have me to get you in) the 6Th through the 10Th. The earlier you go, the better the selection. As always our home is open- that or you can tell me what you want me to get you. But then you have to promise to pay me back.

Sandwich?

For lunch my middle child made her own sandwich. Doesn't that look dee-lish! She really did eat the sandwich and she seemed to enjoy the nice loud crunch.

Family Reunion Part 2

These are pictures from the second day of our family reunion and the "family parting pictures".
I made Jim stop on the side of the road so that I could get a picture of "old mining stuff". It's okay to be a tourist once in a while. As long as it is ONCE IN A WHILE.

Melanie came along with us as we walked through Deadwood's grave yard. Yes, it is kinda strange but what was really strange was we had to pay to get in! And guess what, we fell for it and gave them our $$. Sad, sad, sad...

This was one of the Head Stones so you can tell I wasn't lying about the grave yard. I love this picture because of the man child hiding in the upper right corner!

After lunch we went to Lead and looked at there big open pit. It was actually really fascinating and I really enjoyed looking at rocks with gold in them. To bad they wouldn't let me take any of them home. Plus the rocks were behind plastic.

Some of us were trying really hard to get at the gold...

And others...not so much.

Cousin Sarah came and hanged out with us. Looks like she was have the time of her life doesn't it. She was a good sport and it was fun to have her with us. Thanks Sarah! Since they wouldn't let us take home the rocks filled with gold we decided to go looking for gold ourselves. We pulled off of the road and let Emily try her luck with gold panning. We were only missing two things, the pans and the gold.

Melanie got tired of the man child and almost threw him into the river, but she changed her mind when she saw I was taking pictures.

Looking for gold.

I'm sorry we didn't find any but we sure got close...at least I think so... I sure felt in my gut that we were close to something... golden.

Our family photos before we all headed home.

I'm I really that nerdy looking?

For Melanie S. Helm:I know! I know it isn't much writting, but we all can't have smart for our middle name. Just saying...