{p,h,f,r} Just Everyday Life

Linking up with Like Mother, Like Daughter today.

{pretty}

The kids have been working on their gardens, and I think they’re looking great.  Sim planted a watermelon start and some bean seeds.  His garden looks somewhat spare at the moment, but he’s very happy with it, and once the beans come up, it’ll fill out a bunch.

Hannah’s garlic has been going strong – planted last fall – and she’s already had a harvest of radishes go through the other half of her garden. 

Here she’s putting in the tomatoes, peppers, and ground cherries (maybe some basil, too?) she started from seed.

Naomi’s miniature garden continues to look fantastic, and she likes to add touches here and there.  But what she really wants is more mini trees. 

{happy}

Happy is a boy who is learning to throw and catch a frisbee with his dad.

 

And happy is also a dad who has a flame weeder.  One of Michael’s favorite tools.  We didn’t have as much use for it at our last house, and he’s more than happy to have things to use it on now.  You can’t see the flame in this picture, but one lights propane and goes about burning weeds into oblivion.

{funny}

Tess is very funny, lots of the time.  Here she’s discovered that she can make herself a little room with kitchen cabinet doors. 

“Take a picture of me!” she said, but she wouldn’t look at the camera.

And here I was trying to get a cute picture of her smiling with the sun shining through her hair, but all I got were pictures of her with her tongue out like this.  Very funny.  She has a small sprinkling of freckles on her nose and cheeks.

{real}

The ducks slept outside last night!  In their duck house, of course.  It was a bit…amusing for Michael and I to get them in there.  Michael got to help pick them up and put them in because:  they’re still terrified of me.  Of course, after having to work pretty hard to get them into the house last night, I then had to work hard to get them out of it this morning.  Soon enough they’ll learn.  I hope. 

Hannah can pick them up without panic – in the photo above she’s just setting someone down.

And Tess, the two-year-old, seems to pose NO threat at all.  Sim saw some of their bigger feathers coming in (the quills come in first, then the feathery bits) and was quite concerned that something was terribly wrong.  When I told him it was just their feathers coming in, he asked if he could touch them.  I skeptically told him it was fine with me, thinking they’d never stand for it.  Well, he walked up to them as they lay resting on the ground, squatted down, and began stroking their wings.  Yep.  No problem.  They didn’t even stand up.

But if I were to try walk up to them – without any intention of touching their feathers –they’d freak out and run.  Ah, well, I didn’t get them as lap ducks, I guess. 

Also {real} is my unsightly connestoga wagon of a tomato planting.  I’ve opened the top now, since some are blooming and need some pollinators.  But it’s not a pretty addition to the garden.  However, once the weather is nicer, I’ll take it all down and the tomato jungle will possibly be added to the {pretty} section.

Sometimes the cuteness is overwhelming

Tess:  Mama?  I’m going to the harbor [hardware] store with Lima.

Guess who’s been accompanying Michael on his many trips to the harbor store to get supplies for the fence?

Answer me this

I’m not actually linking, because I missed the deadline, but Kendra does a post of Answer Me This and I thought it would be fun to answer some questions:

1. What's the scariest thing that's ever been in your yard?

That depends on who you talk to…The ducks think it’s me.  The kids think it’s wasps.  I think it’s back in my childhood back yard when the neighbor’s Chow burst through our fence.  To do him justice, he was completely taken aback that the fence boards came down when he jumped his front paws up, and his surprise allowed me time to grab my toddler brother and run inside.  But my heart was still racing for a while after that.  Nothing says, “You need a new fence,” like the neighbor’s nasty, asthmatic dog making a surprise appearance. 

2. Beards. Thumbs up or thumbs down?

Fine for other people.  For my own husband, a goatee is great, but I did not prefer his beard when he grew it out last year.  I can’t believe how different a beard and a goatee are.  (Why did he grow out his beard?  I can’t remember.)

3. If stuff breaks, can you fix it?

Totally depends on the stuff.  I let Michael do any super gluing.  I can sew things back together, and I can sometimes diagnose what needs to be done for other things.  Household appliances:  NO.  Lego creations:  Sometimes.  Vacuum cleaner:  NO.  Sewing Machine:  Sometimes.  (And boy was THAT a good feeling.  Do you know how long it takes to find the time to take a sewing machine to be repaired?)

4. What was your first car?

Toyota Tercel in high school.

5. How often do you eat out?

Not too often.  A couple of times a month?  Sometimes more.  Allergies make our choices limited, and too many times I go out and think, “I could have made something better at home.”  We’ll be having a new baby soon, so I’m going to see about a date night for Michael and I before then.  After that, it will be take-out for a while if we’re eating out. 

6. Why is your hair like that?

Ha!  This is a question I imagine people wondering but not asking.  My hair is like that because I always think, “I’ll let it air dry until it’s nearly dry and then I’ll blow dry it and style it.”  And about 15% of the time, I actually do it.  The other 85% of the time, I forget until I’m about to leave the house, when I realize that my hair looks like that and I don’t have time to do anything about it.  Ponytails still work, though. 

7 QT about Strep (again!), ducks, piano, garden

Joining Jen for 7 Quick Takes!

1.

Poor Hannah has been stricken with strep throat for the second time in recent history.  The last time was about a month ago, so this seems really unfair, especially since she was supposed to go on a choir overnight tour with her choir and that was supposed to be…today and tomorrow.  And she can’t go because strep throat + choir = no go.  Besides not wanting to spread germs to everyone else, singing through multiple rehearsals in 24 hours is not so great for those with throat ailments.

2.

I’m really hoping that nobody else gets it this time.  Last time I got it and two other of the kids did, too.  The kids were barely affected, but I was DOWN FOR THE COUNT.  Poor Michael. 

3.

The ducks couldn’t be happier that Hannah isn’t going out of town so they don’t have to be terrorized by the crazy lady who is almost certainly out to kill them.  (That’s me.  I’m not really out to kill them, but try explaining that to ducks.  I’m telling you:  they DO NOT listen.  Ever.) 

It’s totally humbling that yesterday, when we had some friends over to see the ducks, Sim and the 3 1/2 year old were running races past where the ducks were lying peacefully in the shade, and the ducks…continued lying peacefully in the shade.  If I walked into their line of vision – many feet away, and with no intention of doing ANYTHING to them, they all got up and started peep-peep-squawnking.  How is a 3 1/2 year old running safer than I am?  I promise that I have NEVER harmed a duck. 

So the strep throat might actually be a plot on the part of the ducks to make sure that it’s Hannah who takes them in and out of their nighttime habitat. 

4.

Last Sunday afternoon the girls had a piano recital.  They did a great job.  It’s amazing how much they’ve learned in not-quite-two years.  It’s awesome to see them learn and grow.  Hannah was a bit nervous, and said to me beforehand:  “Now I know what people mean when they say they have butterflies in their stomachs.”  They both did beautifully, despite butterflies!

5.

The piano instructor (also the pianist and organist at our church) said that once the recital was over, the girls could start learning to play songs from Frozen.  We got a book of the sheet music on Wednesday (piano lesson day) and the kids now know ALL THE WORDS for ALL THE SONGS.  This includes Sim and Tess.  Sim can read them himself, and Tess hangs out and listens to the kids singing them over and over.  Ridiculously cute is when Tess makes up ballet dances as she sings the songs. 

6.

Lovely weather = science in the driveway.  The kids are working on their heart model here. 

7.

Also, lovely weather = garden going nuts!  Whoohoo!

Bush English peas flowering away.

Salad daily.  Sometimes twice daily.  I’m going to have to start giving away lettuce so it doesn’t bolt before we can eat it.  Or make lettuce smoothies?  I imagine if I put in enough fruit, it would be pretty good.

Chervil, carrots, sugar snaps.

Strawberry beds, garlic in the foreground, rhododendrons, and happy 2-year-old.  All enjoying the warm, sunny weather.

Overheard

Naomi:  Who is my favorite author of untrue books? 

****

Michael:  No stickups at the table. 

Awkward adolescent ducks

I bet you haven’t read many things with THAT title, have you?!?

The ducklings are indeed awkward adolescents these days. 

Their feathers are coming in, which means that they’re part fuzz, part feather, and the areas that are transitioning look…ragged. 

And sometimes wet, even if they’re not wet. 

Their voices are starting to change, too, so what we hear these days is, “Peep, peep, peep, squawnk!” 

They also act as if I am always and have always been out to kill them. 

This morning, when I went to transfer them to their outdoor habitat, they all peep-peep-squawnked with great horror, and then two even propelled themselves (by somewhat mysterious means) out of their makeshift enclosure, one even going so far as to run across the kitchen (really quite funny to see) before she realized that she’d – horror of horrors! – left all her flockmates behind and was (the worst fate possible for a runner duck) ALONE!!!

 

Birds of a feather ABSOLUTELY flock together.

It’s somewhat disconcerting to be seen as the most horrible event in the lives of four ducklings…all before 7 a.m. 

But despite their awkward adolescence and their irrational fear of those who bring them all good things in life, they are still pretty darn cute and endearing, and we’re all glad they’re here. 

5 Favorites – Gifts for my husband

I’m joining Hallie at Moxie Wife this week for 5 Favorites. 

Michael’s birthday is coming up next week.  Neither Michael nor I list Gifts as our primary (or secondary) love language, but I still like finding thoughtful and fun gifts for him.  Unfortunately, he’s ridiculously good at guessing the presents I’ve gotten for him (without trying) or deciding he’s going to go ahead and get himself something that I’ve gotten for him before I have a chance to give it, but I’m listing here some of the ones he hasn’t guessed in the past.  I don’t think he’s going to guess his birthday present this year, either!  (I hope.)  Since he reads here, I’m not including that  gift in this list, but I’ll post some others.

1.

Pig Next Door Bacon of the Month Club

Last Christmas, I got Michael a subscription to The Pig Next Door’s Bacon of the Month club.  This is a gift that keeps on giving.  And gets shared with the family.  And doesn’t lead to clutter.  Win!  We’ve really enjoyed trying the different bacons.

2.

Leather Jacket

One year, my older sister found a fantastic deal on a leather jacket – she combined a sale and coupons and maybe another deal – and I bought Michael a leather jacket.  It’s been a few years, it’s still in great shape, and we both like it a lot.

3.

Kitchenaid Stand Mixer

Believe it or not, I actually didn’t think we needed a Kitchenaid stand mixer.  Michael wanted one, though.  So I saved and bought him one.  Now I’m really glad he wanted it, and we both use it a lot.  Another gift that keeps on giving, and one that can be used by the whole family.

4.

Books

Both Michael and I like to read.  A lot.  And it’s always fantastic to find a new author or an old favorite that hasn’t been revisited in a while for Michael to enjoy.  Of course, if it’s an old favorite, there’s a much higher chance that he’ll order it himself or get it from the library in the 6 weeks before Christmas when it was going to go in his stocking.  Grr.  But I do like finding things that he likes, even though he can sometimes be a bit skeptical of my choices.  He usually enjoys them in the end.

5.

Retreat

One year I got Michael a retreat for Christmas.  I booked the weekend at a retreat center, got him the train tickets, arranged for the pickup and dropoff at the station, and sent him on his way.  He was totally surprised, and he really enjoyed the retreat.  This one can be done fairly inexpensively, if necessary – a friend with a guest room (no TV and the phone turned off, of course!) and a book from a spiritual master can provide a retreat if there’s not a lot of cash to cover a retreat center.

Scenes from camping

Last weekend our family joined other American Heritage Girls families and went camping – we stayed in a cabin.  Hannah thinks that’s fake camping, but I’m 36 weeks pregnant, so I said fake camping or nothing.  :)  Naomi and I had to skip out back to the city for Saturday afternoon for her concert (and of course I’d left the camera with the campers, so I don’t have pictures of that, but just imagine a radiantly smiling girl singing in the midst of other choristers and you’ll have a good idea of how it looked).  And most of the other pictures of Naomi also had other people’s children in them, I’m not going to exhibit them here, which means that there aren’t many pictures of Naomi on this trip, but she was there and had a great time!