Grandparents and Veteran's Day

Olivia did a school project for Veteran's Day this year. Here is her tribute to her great grandparents. 

MY GRANDPA, JERRY HARDCASTLE

 My great-grandpa served in World War 2. He drove the 1^st jeep leading the tanks in the war to storm the gates of Dachau Concentration Camp to free the Jews. He was in the 11th armored division. My grandpa signed up to serve because he believed all people had dignity and rights. Even outside of his military duty he worked hard to help people. My grandpa died in April 2006. I am happy that he had a chance to do things he was destined to do, my grandpa saved many lives. I am proud of my grandpa and how he risked his life for others. THANK YOU GRANDPA!  

MY GRANDMA, MARIETTA HARDCASTLE

My great-grandma worked for the Federal government during World War 2. She worked one year at Camp Carson, which is now called Fort Carson, and at bases in Denver and California. My grandma typed and sent orders for trains to where they need to go; she also drew portraits of her bosses for the company news paper. My grandma enjoyed the women she worked for and with. When my grandpa was assigned to the base in Kansas my grandma had to get there by herself, so she learned to drive at age 21. My grandma had a small official part in the war the effort, and a big part supporting her husband who fought in the war. Without women like her the war would not have been successful.    

First Egg!

The chickens laid their first egg!!!!! It was an Australorpe. More? Just thought I would share.

feathered friends

Well, those feathered girls out in the yard...... they are growing up into the finest looking flock you ever saw. But, no eggs yet. Come on girls! I guess they are only at the beginning of when they could lay. I close them up sometimes. They are Dave's project and hobby. And when I do if I wear Dave's coat they are nice and friendly. Come right up to me saying "Hi ya big Dave, got treats for us? Water?" One of them even let me pet her soft feathers. If I go out in my coat they run away. They know their "shepherd".  Sort of like us Christians. The frequency and amount of time we put into knowing the Father is in direct relationship to us being able to follow him in life. I am partial to the "pretty" Amerucaunas. Dave loves them all, even the plain black Astralorps. Sure am glad God is not like me, playing favorites on such silly notions as what fancy feathers I have. He loves me from the inside out and loves my outside too, after all he made me this way on purpose.

Here are some pictures of the feathered girls.

The other day there was a huge bird outside. It was early, I did not have my glasses on yet. A friend of one of the girls was being dropped off. I saw the flutter, I saw it hop along the front of the house near the chicken coop. It was the size of a chicken, variegated feathers, fluffy neck, hopping, flapping. I thought one of the chickens had gotten out. I called for Olivia, expert Chicken Catcher, to go get it. She dutifully went out and snuck up on it. Within about 8 feet of it, she thought, this is no chicken and just as suddenly it flew away, a great huge hawk. Well, we felt pretty silly, but really, hopping along and flapping from that distance it really looked like one of our variegated chickens. Same neck feathers, head, size, behavior.Since then we have seen the beautiful creature swooping over the chickens, sitting on the end of the house by them, trying to land on their house. Being that the coop is half covered, there is not enough room for a big bird like that to get in and out, but hey, she can dream, just don't try it! Please. 

Here is a photo of Her Royal Beautifulness. 

Doesn't look anything like a mere fluffy chicken, as pretty as they are. Silly me. 

Playhouse

Some projects go fast and others..... well, take their time. Time. We built our house and moved in in 9 months. We built the playhouse in 3 years. Well, deadlines and banks do tend to make you hurry up a bit. :) So, the playhouse is done today! Moved in. Here are the pictures. The girls picked the inside color a bright lime-ish green and did the paintings too. The color reminds me of my elementary classrooms. Everyone's hand print is represented even Jigs got in on the action.My dad donated the lumber from various projects and the paneling too. Dave did a great job building it and even did the concrete pad himself with help from a good friend. I found the hutch at a garage sale and it matches the shelf and rug we had at our first home. Funny how things like that work. They have all been donated to the playhouse or hang out house now. The material I found for the curtains matches the colors in the art and walls perfectly. And I used 97cent coat hooks to hang them with. Now, let the fun begin.

Phoebe's new room

My little first born baby girl is growing up. She will be 13 this next week and well, it is time for a room fitting of such a wonderful young lady. So, we re did her room! Started in September and finished this weekend. Yippee!!! In time for her birthday. Here are some before and after photos for you to enjoy.
Before: a sky complete with rainbow and clouds, a picket fence and clothes over the windows drying on the line. Head board Daddy made. So cute and sweet for a sweet little girl.

 And now........ presenting the room of a very wonderful 13 year old! She picked it herself, Chocolate and Pinkalicious.  I found the quilt at Ross, made the valances and chair cover and bulletin board and new inserts for the baskets from fabric she chose. The closet curtain I rigged up from a clearance window sheer.  She did get a new bed too, scored on line for less than half price with FREE shipping from Sears, good quality too. The lights around the top, I bought after Christmas sale last year. I thought she would like them, and she does. :)  My mom even helped with the painting the weekend before double knee replacement surgery! I used drawer pull knobs to hang the valance. Cute, creative and affordable! Welcome to teen hood my dear, sweet girl, who is likely the most wonderful teenager to ever live, and yes, I tell her often.

Cleaning carpets

Well, there is nothing quite like cleaning  your carpets. Sure it is really nice when you finally get there, but really, people do this every year??????? It is EPIC! Dilemmas galore. First I had to decide if this is a good time? No. Never is a good time to do this, so let's just do it. Next dilemma, what company? No soap. Steam or oxy???? I don't know, look it up on line. Go with steam. Find steam company that seems reputable and affordable. Good, that is done. Next dilemma, You mean I have to move all my treasures/junk?  That is epic, crazy, loony, this is why this is the first time in 6 years we have done this......and I swear it will be the last while I am moving furniture, boxes and dressers.  I spent a week cleaning out each room so that it would be devoid of all movable items, and small furniture. And let me tell you, I DO NOT HAVE a week to do this. My available space in the house for this was completely full. I mean totally and completely full. It looked like we were moving. So, the carpet cleaner came. He cleaned it all. He did a great job. He took our rugs to clean too and brought them back and they are so nice. He re stretched a carpet. He did a great job. It took him most of the day. While it was drying we were trapped in the kitchen crowded in with all the furniture from the living room. So we escaped and went grocery shopping. The next day I put some things back. But, the window washer was coming (yes, I know--- why the next day? Well, there is no good time, so just do it!). I rearranged room settings. It was fun. The windows were cleaned in and out and the tracks and screens and it is fabulous. Now, all that cleaning has gotten me into cleaning. I must confess, I hate cleaning. I like a neat house, organized, and clean enough. But in the 6 years we have lived here I have not once cleaned behind the piano or other such places. Yuck. It is done now. The next dilemma in getting your carpet cleaned is putting the things back. Maybe, I don't want all that stuff put back, but what do I do with it? Do I want it or not? My sister in law recently had hers done too. She was brave and got rid of a bunch of stuff. I just can't decide. So, my house still looks like we are moving. I just don't want to put it back, but don't know what to do with it. Well, honestly, I haven't had the time to decide. The carpet and windows look great, the new room configurations are fun and all the "extra" is sitting in the middle of rooms and walk ways waiting............... for me to decide what to do with it.

Honestly this is sort of like that If You Give a Mouse a Cookie book. It started with re-doing my daughters room She is about to be 13 and she gets a room makeover for her new bigger girl status. Young lady in fact.  Well, her carpet needed cleaned and so we did the whole house. If the carpets are going to be cleaned the windows need it too. If you are going to clean all that you might as well get rid of all your junk. :) That scattered line of thought really makes things hard. Nothing left to me is really done at all. P is waiting for her room to be finished still and I have piles of stuff all over waiting to be put away or gotten rid of. Maybe in another life I will get it all done. For now, it waits, a little at a time. Hopefully by the 13th birthday it will be done.

Finding Wives

Dave here:
OK, so I found out I have some "fatherly wisdom" conversations that will be needed sometime soon.  Yesterday, my great sons were playing "Wild Adventurers" and erected a fort to protect their families from bears and other "meat eaters" (thanks Dinosaur Train!).  After they got their fort built they decided it was time to start a family.  Much to my pleasure, they decided the first course of action (before having babies) was to get married and find wives . . . literally.  So they loaded themselves in canoes (a blanket) and crossed the wide lake (the slippery painted concrete part of our basement floor) in their quest to find a wife.  After a little paddling Kedus exclaimed "There is one!  Nate, go get her, she can be your wife".  Kedus, even in matters of future marital bliss, is always the instigator and more than willing to let Nate go first on any adventure.  Nate thought this sounded like a fine idea and went to claim his bride at which time he wildly declared "Kedus, there are two!".  Babies quickly followed (pulled out from their blanket canoes for those of you who are wondering) and the intrepid alpha males protected their growing families from all manner of "meat eaters" (or meteors . . . these two terms are often used interchangeably).

After collecting my thoughts, I launched into a very insightful monologue about the fact that we don't just go find our wives then marry them (here anyway) and that their future wives will want to get to know them and see if they are gentlemen (a common theme here), and they go visit their future wives' dad's to ask permission, then they ask their future wife if she wants to marry them, etc . . . This amazing "Dad speech" was met with 2 blank looks, a faint response of "Oh . . ." then a reply from Nate of:  "Kedus, let's go kill the bear that is trying to get in our houses"

Boys . . . you have a lot to learn!