It's a bird
It's a plane
It's Sarah reenacting the way the ducks came in for a water landing
Black Friday
As promised... my own adventure into black Friday ... well not really at all a black Friday but as close as I'm likely to get!
It was almost a year ago now.. I feel like I can finally relive it. (Actually I did blog about it but instead of hitting the publish button I hit the delete and lost it and couldn't bring myself to relive it a third time... until now!)
There are die hard black Friday fans or grand opening day fans or just plain shopping fans... but I am not really in any of those groups. However, some things are worth changing your stripes for... or so you think sometimes. Channa has always been an IKEA fan. I hadn't really been to an IKEA but had heard of the wonder that is the store and the restaurant. So when an IKEA announced its' plans to build here, I was a little bit intrigued. At the time of the construction I was working at a school near the stores' location. So the kids and I watched with anticipation growing as it began to take shape into a large blue and yellow box of a store. The exterior complete, we waited while the interior work was completed and the grand opening day was announced! HOORAY! But again... I'm not really a grand opening type. So I waited. I waited impatiently. I waited at home checking out their website for what things I wanted to take a closer look at. While I waited for the grand opening excitement to die down I was also waiting for the construction on my own little remodeling project to be finished. Once the dining room was built, I had itchy fingers to get it painted and then furnished. (I have a really bad habit of jumping to the fun part of the remodel project before it's totally finished... like the paint is still wet.. or the dresser is almost built... but I'm arranging furniture and loading the drawers already... )
So I had waited. The excitement and died down enough that I could go midweek during the day and take a long awaited leisurely stroll through the store. I was not disappointed. I was however overwhelmed. I made a few.. ok. many more trips to the big blue and yellow store before I was ready to call it good for a bit.
I was ready I thought to take a friend to the store so she could experience IKEA. So we discussed it. She was planning to redo the floor in her home and I was pleased with my IKEA flooring. I recommended it to her. Next day, a flyer came announcing a sale. An IKEA sale. An IKEA sale on flooring! An IKEA sale on flooring for one day only!!! (They also were selling the pots and pans that I had purchased in the Spring for a screaming deal and I needed one more of a certain size that I used all the time.) This is when I thought I could change my stripes... I mean this was an exceptional sale. Instead of being jealous of the great price she would get on her flooring I was getting excited to go to a one day sale!!
We got up early, arranged child care and then ended up with only one child needing to go with us. (With eight kids between us, only taking one was a good deal.) We were there an hour before the store opened. We figured we'd get there early and go to breakfast in the restaurant upstairs and then make our way to the flooring department and then go get my pans. OOPS... other people also had planned ahead. The line was so long it was weaving its way from the starting point out the doors and into the parking lot. I was beginning to long for my stripes to return to normal. I knew this store though. Within a few minutes I had a plan.... Instead of waiting in the line to the flooring we could go upstairs as though to the restaurant and then, there are all these short cuts through the store and we could get to the flooring from the backside. The couple behind us listened to our plan and decided it was a good idea also. So....
We ran.
I mean we really ran through the store and heard as the crowd began their crushing push toward the flooring and we arrived from the backside as the first shoppers began grabbing the boxes of flooring. The adrenaline was definitely pumping... this was exhilarating. We began to search for the flooring colour that we were after and began grabbing boxes to put on our cart. We were grabbing fast and furious and realized after a few minutes that we weren't counting. We had our 16 boxes already and then some so we put a few boxes back and backed away from the frenzy. It had only been a matter of minutes since we'd been at the front doors of the store. The couple behind us in line had decided to split up, one running with us and the other staying in the line. In less than 8 minutes all the flooring was gone... well, piled on carts ready for checkout. The lady had run with us and we'd helped her grab her floor and as we stood back after the 8 minutes were up.. her husband caught up with us. He hadn't been successful. Our running had paid off. We refused to think that we had perhaps cheated by running through the store. We preferred to think that we were just being clever strategists.
By this time, I had to assume that if the flooring was all gone, I didn't stand a chance at my pots. This was confirmed when I asked someone with pots in their cart. But just then a lady in a yellow IKEA shirt announced that they had more pans and would be handing them out from the stock room area in a few moments. I happened to be standing in the stock room area already. How fortuitous! A swarm appeared out of nowhere and I suddenly became pinned between shoppers and some carts with flooring on them that other shoppers had no intentions of letting out of their grasp. If I was pinned, the people at the front which was only a few feet away, must have been squashed! As the door opened to the stock area where the coveted pots and pans would be doled out, a surge in the group caused a lady to be knocked down and she subsequently hit her head.
Oh my... my stripes were returning fast and I was now trapped. I wanted out of this mayhem before another catastrophe struck. The lady was sitting and recuperating from the bump to the head. She was going to be ok. They announced that they wouldn't be handing out pans until they had a straight line. No one was willing to budge though. They all insisted that they were there first. I could have stayed home and heard that argument. It took at least 15 minutes to regain some order and create a line. Everyone in line had an opinion on how to handle the situation, including me. "Let me out of my pinned in location and fight it out without me in the middle!"
Good things come to those who are pinned in a shopping frenzie I guess, because I ended up getting my pans. We had all the excitement we could handle so we decided to forgo breakfast in the fast growing line upstairs and head home.
I have returned to IKEA since but I'm more convinced than ever that the black Friday and grand opening, special day sales shoppers are a special breed and can have their deals and lumps and bumps and crowds... I'll enjoy some quiet time away from the stores thanks. I 'might' do some online shopping if I feel the urge!
I have not been compensated in any way for this endorsement of IKEA... just happy to have the items in my home.
It was almost a year ago now.. I feel like I can finally relive it. (Actually I did blog about it but instead of hitting the publish button I hit the delete and lost it and couldn't bring myself to relive it a third time... until now!)
There are die hard black Friday fans or grand opening day fans or just plain shopping fans... but I am not really in any of those groups. However, some things are worth changing your stripes for... or so you think sometimes. Channa has always been an IKEA fan. I hadn't really been to an IKEA but had heard of the wonder that is the store and the restaurant. So when an IKEA announced its' plans to build here, I was a little bit intrigued. At the time of the construction I was working at a school near the stores' location. So the kids and I watched with anticipation growing as it began to take shape into a large blue and yellow box of a store. The exterior complete, we waited while the interior work was completed and the grand opening day was announced! HOORAY! But again... I'm not really a grand opening type. So I waited. I waited impatiently. I waited at home checking out their website for what things I wanted to take a closer look at. While I waited for the grand opening excitement to die down I was also waiting for the construction on my own little remodeling project to be finished. Once the dining room was built, I had itchy fingers to get it painted and then furnished. (I have a really bad habit of jumping to the fun part of the remodel project before it's totally finished... like the paint is still wet.. or the dresser is almost built... but I'm arranging furniture and loading the drawers already... )
So I had waited. The excitement and died down enough that I could go midweek during the day and take a long awaited leisurely stroll through the store. I was not disappointed. I was however overwhelmed. I made a few.. ok. many more trips to the big blue and yellow store before I was ready to call it good for a bit.
I was ready I thought to take a friend to the store so she could experience IKEA. So we discussed it. She was planning to redo the floor in her home and I was pleased with my IKEA flooring. I recommended it to her. Next day, a flyer came announcing a sale. An IKEA sale. An IKEA sale on flooring! An IKEA sale on flooring for one day only!!! (They also were selling the pots and pans that I had purchased in the Spring for a screaming deal and I needed one more of a certain size that I used all the time.) This is when I thought I could change my stripes... I mean this was an exceptional sale. Instead of being jealous of the great price she would get on her flooring I was getting excited to go to a one day sale!!
We got up early, arranged child care and then ended up with only one child needing to go with us. (With eight kids between us, only taking one was a good deal.) We were there an hour before the store opened. We figured we'd get there early and go to breakfast in the restaurant upstairs and then make our way to the flooring department and then go get my pans. OOPS... other people also had planned ahead. The line was so long it was weaving its way from the starting point out the doors and into the parking lot. I was beginning to long for my stripes to return to normal. I knew this store though. Within a few minutes I had a plan.... Instead of waiting in the line to the flooring we could go upstairs as though to the restaurant and then, there are all these short cuts through the store and we could get to the flooring from the backside. The couple behind us listened to our plan and decided it was a good idea also. So....
We ran.
I mean we really ran through the store and heard as the crowd began their crushing push toward the flooring and we arrived from the backside as the first shoppers began grabbing the boxes of flooring. The adrenaline was definitely pumping... this was exhilarating. We began to search for the flooring colour that we were after and began grabbing boxes to put on our cart. We were grabbing fast and furious and realized after a few minutes that we weren't counting. We had our 16 boxes already and then some so we put a few boxes back and backed away from the frenzy. It had only been a matter of minutes since we'd been at the front doors of the store. The couple behind us in line had decided to split up, one running with us and the other staying in the line. In less than 8 minutes all the flooring was gone... well, piled on carts ready for checkout. The lady had run with us and we'd helped her grab her floor and as we stood back after the 8 minutes were up.. her husband caught up with us. He hadn't been successful. Our running had paid off. We refused to think that we had perhaps cheated by running through the store. We preferred to think that we were just being clever strategists.
By this time, I had to assume that if the flooring was all gone, I didn't stand a chance at my pots. This was confirmed when I asked someone with pots in their cart. But just then a lady in a yellow IKEA shirt announced that they had more pans and would be handing them out from the stock room area in a few moments. I happened to be standing in the stock room area already. How fortuitous! A swarm appeared out of nowhere and I suddenly became pinned between shoppers and some carts with flooring on them that other shoppers had no intentions of letting out of their grasp. If I was pinned, the people at the front which was only a few feet away, must have been squashed! As the door opened to the stock area where the coveted pots and pans would be doled out, a surge in the group caused a lady to be knocked down and she subsequently hit her head.
Oh my... my stripes were returning fast and I was now trapped. I wanted out of this mayhem before another catastrophe struck. The lady was sitting and recuperating from the bump to the head. She was going to be ok. They announced that they wouldn't be handing out pans until they had a straight line. No one was willing to budge though. They all insisted that they were there first. I could have stayed home and heard that argument. It took at least 15 minutes to regain some order and create a line. Everyone in line had an opinion on how to handle the situation, including me. "Let me out of my pinned in location and fight it out without me in the middle!"
Good things come to those who are pinned in a shopping frenzie I guess, because I ended up getting my pans. We had all the excitement we could handle so we decided to forgo breakfast in the fast growing line upstairs and head home.
I have returned to IKEA since but I'm more convinced than ever that the black Friday and grand opening, special day sales shoppers are a special breed and can have their deals and lumps and bumps and crowds... I'll enjoy some quiet time away from the stores thanks. I 'might' do some online shopping if I feel the urge!
I have not been compensated in any way for this endorsement of IKEA... just happy to have the items in my home.
Just the right angle
So is it a great camera that takes good photographs, the photographer, skill and good subjects, or pure happenstance?
I thought I'd try to figure it out with Sarah. She however is much more photogenic than I so I made her be one of the subjects of our inquiry instead of behind the camera...
We've noticed that a lot of great photographers do this angle stuff... you know taking photos on an angle instead of straight on. Is it just for effect, does it capture the essence better, or is it accidental?
Does the degree of the angle matter?
Does the number of subjects matter?
Does angle only work on people up close or can it be groups and in wide open spaces?
Such questions tumbled through our minds as we approached the park on a wintry afternoon.
The perfect time to visit a park if you want to be the only ones there... if you don't mind the nippy temperatures and the frigid fingers gripping the camera!
So our results....
to the left again, but not so much tilt.. hmm
looks like a bridge in an earthquake... so no tilting photos on bridges... we'll make a note of that.
How does distance play into it?
Kenzie looks like she's holding on because the stairs suddenly became VERY steep... hmmm
Sarah was doing fine until I tilted the camera, now she looks like she might fall back off the climbing structure... yikes!
Well angles, tilts, actions, distance... hmmm... playground was fun regardless of how I was holding the camera!
What if I come down low to the ground?
The ducks appreciated that I was down on their level.
then a little more...
and then again some more...
too much.. a little too much.
Anyone else feeling dizzy?
So we're not too sure if we gained much for our photographic skills but it was a fun afternoon.
I thought I'd try to figure it out with Sarah. She however is much more photogenic than I so I made her be one of the subjects of our inquiry instead of behind the camera...
We've noticed that a lot of great photographers do this angle stuff... you know taking photos on an angle instead of straight on. Is it just for effect, does it capture the essence better, or is it accidental?
Does the degree of the angle matter?
Does the number of subjects matter?
Does angle only work on people up close or can it be groups and in wide open spaces?
Such questions tumbled through our minds as we approached the park on a wintry afternoon.
The perfect time to visit a park if you want to be the only ones there... if you don't mind the nippy temperatures and the frigid fingers gripping the camera!
So our results....
a little too far to the left in our opinion
this one to the right we liked
this one to the right we liked
to the left again, but not so much tilt.. hmm
looks like a bridge in an earthquake... so no tilting photos on bridges... we'll make a note of that.
How does distance play into it?
Well personally the far and the close worked for us, but the middle... nothing remarkable.
How about those candid, action shots? We hit the playground for that.
How about those candid, action shots? We hit the playground for that.
Kenzie looks like she's holding on because the stairs suddenly became VERY steep... hmmm
Sarah was doing fine until I tilted the camera, now she looks like she might fall back off the climbing structure... yikes!
Well angles, tilts, actions, distance... hmmm... playground was fun regardless of how I was holding the camera!What if I come down low to the ground?
The ducks appreciated that I was down on their level.Let's try amount of angle....
first, just a slight angle..
first, just a slight angle..
then a little more...
and then again some more...
too much.. a little too much.Anyone else feeling dizzy?
So we're not too sure if we gained much for our photographic skills but it was a fun afternoon.
TotemPoles
In the spirit of re creating past photo op memories...
This particular pose was one the kids didn't have any qualms about re creating! I did have to explain what a Totem pole was.... I suppose this means it's past time to take them on vacation to Nanaimo and a visit to the Royal Provincial museum wouldn' t hurt either.
Even without personal understanding of a totem pole, they were able to grasp the concept and so we give you....
the totem that has cracked up
This particular pose was one the kids didn't have any qualms about re creating! I did have to explain what a Totem pole was.... I suppose this means it's past time to take them on vacation to Nanaimo and a visit to the Royal Provincial museum wouldn' t hurt either. Even without personal understanding of a totem pole, they were able to grasp the concept and so we give you....
the totem of eight
the totem of Connolly silliness
the totem that has cracked up
Struck Gold
I'm a little slow.... but I will eventually learn.
I told the kids to run out and take a picture of the new van... yup new van... it finally happened. I did the research on it... oh come on.. of course I did the research.. I did the research for months... and then did it again... cause that's what I do. And then at the end... I did what I often do.. I second guessed myself.... I started to think of other options... but I always came back to the same conclusion. So.... it was finally time to upgrade from the 25 year old gold van to it's new replacement... "Goldie"!!
I told the kids to run out and take a picture of the new van... yup new van... it finally happened. I did the research on it... oh come on.. of course I did the research.. I did the research for months... and then did it again... cause that's what I do. And then at the end... I did what I often do.. I second guessed myself.... I started to think of other options... but I always came back to the same conclusion. So.... it was finally time to upgrade from the 25 year old gold van to it's new replacement... "Goldie"!!
But like I said... the lesson I need to learn is to be much more specific when I ask my kids to take a pic.... like saying... "Please go take one simple photo of the new van.... not 1000!!" But then we would all miss out on photos of all the important aspects of the new van!
FYI... these ain't no stock photos baby!
Yes.. the new van has 18 cup holders... not the selling feature for me.. but for the kids, apparently. Oh.. and it has a gas pedal and brakes!... mirrors, lots of little cubbies for all the little things that you need on the go... it has buttons and gadgets... but more importantly it will be reliable, seat 8, cart around the groceries and the library books, heat us in the winter and cool us in the summer and all in more comfort than we've been accustomed to.
Now if you want a selling point.... THIS was a BIG one!!
I thought I was the only one who was excited about trunk space. As you can see.... it's fun to have this much space.
It's been a lot of fun!!
I think I have a playroom for rent.
NOT YET Caleb... Keep dreaming....
FYI... these ain't no stock photos baby!
Yes.. the new van has 18 cup holders... not the selling feature for me.. but for the kids, apparently. Oh.. and it has a gas pedal and brakes!... mirrors, lots of little cubbies for all the little things that you need on the go... it has buttons and gadgets... but more importantly it will be reliable, seat 8, cart around the groceries and the library books, heat us in the winter and cool us in the summer and all in more comfort than we've been accustomed to.
Now if you want a selling point.... THIS was a BIG one!!I thought I was the only one who was excited about trunk space. As you can see.... it's fun to have this much space.
It's been a lot of fun!! I think I have a playroom for rent.
NOT YET Caleb... Keep dreaming....we still have that other Gold Van... we'll hold onto it for you if you'd like.....
I couldn't resist
I've actually wanted to do this for three months now. But well... the best laid plans and all.. today things sort of fell into place just beautifully...
ok, I offered the kids a bribe.
Almost 30 years ago now, My mum, brought her eighth baby home. And as all mothers of eight do, she stopped in on her way home at the photography studio with the whole passel of us to get a family portrait. Had to get it before John spread his wings to greener pastures and the group began it's journey into the unknown realms of growing up. Oh wise Mum that she was. Arranging a family portrait would forever more be a daunting scheduling task. Between kids on missions, kids at universities, kids in far away lands overseas, kids with hectic work schedules, kids in multiple sports, clubs and activities, gathering them all back to one locale would prove quite a challenge... not to mention the addition of spouses and grandchildren to also arrange!
And so the following photo was taken....
So, you might ask, what did I find so difficult to resist?
A few months ago I also came home with a new baby. In some ways an eighth. 25% of the time an eighth. Since he wasn't a full time eighth, I didn't feel compelled to stop at a photography studio on the way home.... I didn't feel compelled to stop anywhere frankly until I was comfortably at home! (Hospital stays are not for the weak I tell you. You come home exhausted and more grateful than ever for your own familiar surroundings.... but I digress)
What I did feel compelled to do though, was re-create the photo. The similarities were more than just having eight children at my disposal to photograph.
ok, I offered the kids a bribe.
Almost 30 years ago now, My mum, brought her eighth baby home. And as all mothers of eight do, she stopped in on her way home at the photography studio with the whole passel of us to get a family portrait. Had to get it before John spread his wings to greener pastures and the group began it's journey into the unknown realms of growing up. Oh wise Mum that she was. Arranging a family portrait would forever more be a daunting scheduling task. Between kids on missions, kids at universities, kids in far away lands overseas, kids with hectic work schedules, kids in multiple sports, clubs and activities, gathering them all back to one locale would prove quite a challenge... not to mention the addition of spouses and grandchildren to also arrange!
And so the following photo was taken....
So, you might ask, what did I find so difficult to resist?A few months ago I also came home with a new baby. In some ways an eighth. 25% of the time an eighth. Since he wasn't a full time eighth, I didn't feel compelled to stop at a photography studio on the way home.... I didn't feel compelled to stop anywhere frankly until I was comfortably at home! (Hospital stays are not for the weak I tell you. You come home exhausted and more grateful than ever for your own familiar surroundings.... but I digress)
What I did feel compelled to do though, was re-create the photo. The similarities were more than just having eight children at my disposal to photograph.
- The child who was representing Jill in the photo was Miles... Jill held newborn Eden... Miles, who held baby Whittaker representing Eden, was born on Eden's birthday. --- A stretch you think... hmm
- There is only one curly haired child in the bunch, one thumb sucker and one finger sucker in each group, and one that wears glasses in each group (although Mackenzie wasn't wearing hers at the time)... perhaps there's a statistic in that.. one in eight children... or it could just be an anomaly.
- The child representing Channa, is none other than Channa's only daughter Mackenzie.
The Sky is Falling
So last night about midnight I was chatting with my mother via the internet about this, that and the other thing. I was nursing little Whittaker. My point... I was awake. I was even semi-alert!
Fast Forward to 6:30 am. The kids and I were all shivering out in the car as we took Caleb to seminary. The request for some music came and I flicked on the radio. It was time for a news update though. The radio station was interviewing the Nasa Ambassador. Hmmm.. interesting... He mentioned the meteor that was seen last night at midnight. WHAT? When we came inside the kids wanted to look it up to see if there were any pictures. This was essentially the report from KSL.com!
We flicked the radio back on. On the radio, the Nasa Ambassador they were interviewing was describing the sonic boom that people both heard and felt as a mini earthquake. Things shook in some houses. 911 was called to report many break in concerns with bright lights and a thud. (not really break ins) Some people had just left work and wondered if they were in a spotlight from a helicopter... the light was that bright and it lasted almost 10 seconds. It woke still other people from their slumber.
BUT OH NO, NOT I. I was already awake. And I missed the whole dang thing!
The neighbours diesel moving truck idling in her driveway at 1:00am.... that I heard. The furnace kicking on a few minutes after I climbed into bed... that I heard. The neighbours truck lights racing across my wall as she pulled away... that I saw. The dog chasing the cat out the doggie door at 4:30am... that I woke for. Miles wondering if he can get up yet at 5:30... that I woke for. The alarm at 6:00... that I woke for.
But the once in a lifetime meteor racing across the sky directly over my house, followed by a shake and a thud.... that I was oblivious to.
Fast Forward to 6:30 am. The kids and I were all shivering out in the car as we took Caleb to seminary. The request for some music came and I flicked on the radio. It was time for a news update though. The radio station was interviewing the Nasa Ambassador. Hmmm.. interesting... He mentioned the meteor that was seen last night at midnight. WHAT? When we came inside the kids wanted to look it up to see if there were any pictures. This was essentially the report from KSL.com!
Bright flash turns night into day
Video Courtesy of KSL.com
A fast moving meteor lit up the night skies over most of Utah just after midnight Wednesday. KSL News has received hundreds of calls from people who saw it, from southern Utah to southern Idaho.
We flicked the radio back on. On the radio, the Nasa Ambassador they were interviewing was describing the sonic boom that people both heard and felt as a mini earthquake. Things shook in some houses. 911 was called to report many break in concerns with bright lights and a thud. (not really break ins) Some people had just left work and wondered if they were in a spotlight from a helicopter... the light was that bright and it lasted almost 10 seconds. It woke still other people from their slumber.
BUT OH NO, NOT I. I was already awake. And I missed the whole dang thing!
The neighbours diesel moving truck idling in her driveway at 1:00am.... that I heard. The furnace kicking on a few minutes after I climbed into bed... that I heard. The neighbours truck lights racing across my wall as she pulled away... that I saw. The dog chasing the cat out the doggie door at 4:30am... that I woke for. Miles wondering if he can get up yet at 5:30... that I woke for. The alarm at 6:00... that I woke for.
But the once in a lifetime meteor racing across the sky directly over my house, followed by a shake and a thud.... that I was oblivious to.
Gesundheit
Main Entry: ge·sund·heitPronunciation: \gÉ™-ˈzu̇nt-ËŒhÄ«t\
Function: interjection
Etymology: German, literally, health, from gesund healthy (from Old High German gisunt) + -heit -hood —
—used to wish good health especially to one who has just sneezed
Apple Process
Just kidding.... After weeks of endless apples taking over our waking lives..... it definitely deserves a mention! Although 5 straight full days would likely have done the job, that was not a luxury we had. Between nursing baby, school schedules for both my homeschooled and Channa's public schooled, soccer practices and games, Channa's work, meals, scouts, laundry, cleaning and minimal sleep we snuck apple processing into most evenings for 3-4 hours.
Apple Picking... the term windfall has a totally different meaning to me these days. Windfall apples aren't necessarily ripe yet, they aren't good for slicing anymore since they're bruised or cut and often they are the ones with worms or earwigs inside them! I think if someone tells me they've recently had a windfall, I'll be looking for the bruises!So many apples were lost to the ground, the chickens, the bugs and we couldn't be bothered with the ones on the ground after a while!
This is just a sampling of the buckets of apples... I have 20 buckets. We picked them full at least 4 times. Not to mention the cardboard boxes and the large bags we filled.
In between batches of apple canning, everything had to be scrubbed and cleaned to be ready for the next batch. Including the bands for the jars. Fortunately that was something the kids found some amusement in doing!!
We enlisted a lot of Apple Workers over the weeks. Some felt like we tricked them into it... promising them pizza and movies for a 'bit' of help. Others took their jobs very seriously and wouldn't leave if we begged them!!! (Derek was one of those workers... he had stamina and endurance... but he sorta slowed us down)
Everyone had their ideas on which tasks were more fun than others. Lining up to do slicing and fights over cranking the apple sauce squeezer, sent a clear message to management.
Taking out the apple poop to the chickens was also fought over... although more in the "I took it last time!" kind of fighting.
This is the Squeezo. It makes applesauce.It is the only way to go.. We researched a lot while we canned regarding proper canning techniques etc... but we really enjoyed learning the history of the Squeezo machine! (It was invented by an Italian for tomatoes, but he couldn't get anyone to manufacture it for him, so he began his own little manufacturing plant with his family in his backyard.) Now over 120 years later, we are thrilled to have his invention for applesauce! Even the apple poop part!
This particular one may be an original.. it's not.. but it is old.. and this year we discovered that the inner piece that mushes (yes the technical term) the apples into sauce was grinding against the metal sieve creating a nasty metal shavings black gunk to fall into our sauce.. GROSS! now what?.. this is what precipitated our research on the machine. So, Patrick attempted repairs and Channa found a new machine. We simply couldn't have technical difficulties slowing us down! The new machine does the same job. It has an extended apple poop chute. It is much more labor intensive to crank giving the cranker person an incredible upper body workout! It also has a few plastic parts that we're not sure if they'll stand the test of time the way the 'original' one has. But we didn't have to slow down our operations.
YES, I said Apple Poop!It's the term we used to refer to the non useable 'stuff' that squirted out the end of the apple sauce Squeezo machine!
The chickens devoured the apple poop!!
Processing apples brought out a lot of different emotions from our workers! Fights over different jobs, excitement at tasting the fabulous sauce, exhaustion at having to stay up until the wee hours to finish the task... and then this photo.... well... a lot of different emotions....Sauce was certainly more labor intensive than pie slices, filling or juice was but the sauce was soooo very tasty.. it didn't require any sweetening.
It is unsweetened, organic, liquid gold in our opinion!
Dancin' the night away
TOO MANY rights of passage!
For me that is... Caleb doesn't seem to mind... but I just can't take it.
Tonight, his first stake dance. All afternoon he was shooting hoops with the guys. Then just 15 minutes before the dance start time, he came home, showered and grabbed a quick bite. He was ready to go in just over 15 minutes.
I remember getting ready for stake dances. Spending the afternoon laboring over what to wear, how to do my hair, thinking about dancing and things to talk about. Boys are so different!
I offered him some tips to be cool but apparently that wouldn't be necessary ... "thanks can you just give me a ride?"
The dance is over now. His reaction.....
For me that is... Caleb doesn't seem to mind... but I just can't take it.
Tonight, his first stake dance. All afternoon he was shooting hoops with the guys. Then just 15 minutes before the dance start time, he came home, showered and grabbed a quick bite. He was ready to go in just over 15 minutes.
I remember getting ready for stake dances. Spending the afternoon laboring over what to wear, how to do my hair, thinking about dancing and things to talk about. Boys are so different!
I offered him some tips to be cool but apparently that wouldn't be necessary ... "thanks can you just give me a ride?"
The dance is over now. His reaction.....
- my feet hurt
- dancing is probably good exercise
- there were snacks
- I danced with 6 girls... (I had to point blank ask if he asked any girls to dance!!)
- I'm kinda hungry...
'nuff said
217 quarts of applesauce
157 quarts of apple slices
14 quarts of apple juice
12 apple pies
48 apple tarts
3 apple cobblers
2 boxes of crisp apples to eat over the next month or so
15 pounds of apples consumed throughout the process
4.5 weeks of sleepless nights spent achieving the above numbers
22 aching muscles from chopping, lifting, and cranking
3 weeks minimum before we'll allow anyone to open a jar!
How you like them apples!
157 quarts of apple slices
14 quarts of apple juice
12 apple pies
48 apple tarts
3 apple cobblers
2 boxes of crisp apples to eat over the next month or so
15 pounds of apples consumed throughout the process
4.5 weeks of sleepless nights spent achieving the above numbers
22 aching muscles from chopping, lifting, and cranking
3 weeks minimum before we'll allow anyone to open a jar!
How you like them apples!
Blessed Baby - Backlog blog
Sept. 27th, 2009
Blessed by Daddy
This little blessing suit was a gift from Pat's mother, Louise when we were blessing Caleb 14 years ago. Little did she know back then that this little outfit would see plenty of use with four grandsons. Grandma Louise passed away when Sarah was 6 months old, but having this little suit has reminded us of her, as each of my boys have been blessed. We already know that she is with us in spirit and would be so pleased with all these Noble grandsons. Having this physical reminder is special to us though.
We were so happy to have Tina, Mardy and Clairee attend his blessing. Happy that my mum hadn't made her return home arrangements still so that she could be with us also. Grateful to the friends and home teachers who assisted with the blessing. Grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this special young babe's life and part of what will shape and mold who he is to be. Grateful for examples around us and guidance to help him along his way. I'm grateful to be his mother, to have been entrusted with yet another wonderful boy to love and adore. I love his little looks, his little sounds, and little toes. I know he will not always be the adorable little man that snuggles perfectly into the contours of my neck and fits in my arms, but I know that he will always be there in my heart because I've watched as each of my other sons who once were so perfectly snuggled in my arms have grown and become Noble boys and young men. And my heart swells.
I love that Whittaker wore the blessing outfit originally purchased for Caleb, and that Caleb held the microphone for Whittakers blessing. (full circle, irony, cool, ... mushy moment.. frugal faux pas.??)
This little blessing suit was a gift from Pat's mother, Louise when we were blessing Caleb 14 years ago. Little did she know back then that this little outfit would see plenty of use with four grandsons. Grandma Louise passed away when Sarah was 6 months old, but having this little suit has reminded us of her, as each of my boys have been blessed. We already know that she is with us in spirit and would be so pleased with all these Noble grandsons. Having this physical reminder is special to us though.We were so happy to have Tina, Mardy and Clairee attend his blessing. Happy that my mum hadn't made her return home arrangements still so that she could be with us also. Grateful to the friends and home teachers who assisted with the blessing. Grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this special young babe's life and part of what will shape and mold who he is to be. Grateful for examples around us and guidance to help him along his way. I'm grateful to be his mother, to have been entrusted with yet another wonderful boy to love and adore. I love his little looks, his little sounds, and little toes. I know he will not always be the adorable little man that snuggles perfectly into the contours of my neck and fits in my arms, but I know that he will always be there in my heart because I've watched as each of my other sons who once were so perfectly snuggled in my arms have grown and become Noble boys and young men. And my heart swells.
I love that Whittaker wore the blessing outfit originally purchased for Caleb, and that Caleb held the microphone for Whittakers blessing. (full circle, irony, cool, ... mushy moment.. frugal faux pas.??)Moments - backlog blog
The morning of Whittaker's blessing was far more relaxed than we anticipated. Caleb's friend Andrew had spent the night and was joining us for church. He borrowed a tie and suit coat for the day. All the boys were dressed quickly and then entertained us ladies as we were primping and prepping with some songs on the piano. It was a fun moment as we all stopped periodically to sing along and then a quick glance at the clock brought us back to our senses and we finished getting ready to go. Baby fed and dressed, bag packed and we were all dressed and ready and more importantly we were all happy. (Don't let the big boys facial expressions fool you... they were happy... they're just boys who don't like having their photo snapped all the time)
Moments... it's what I love. We all need more moments to remember what is truly important.
Moments... it's what I love. We all need more moments to remember what is truly important.
Room for Improvement - Backlog blog
One of the assignments for Caleb's classes was to evaluate his work environment. Such an assignment couldn't have come at a worse time. We were glad that the assignment grade was based on his evaluation of the environment and not on the environment itself! While Grandma was visiting, she and I spent more hours a day working on her computer projects than we ever did sleeping. New baby demands time and is definitely a distraction for each of us. I wasn't as focused on the boys school as I ought to be so there were quite a few days of them playing educational games more than actual educating! My efforts this summer while I was the size of an elephant to finish putting the school room together the way I wanted were well intentioned, but I didn't quite finish... still waiting for the free time to finish the office.
What you can't see in the picture is the stench from the dog... Grandma spoils Opus with table scraps and she pays us back with nasty smells. Another would be the sound of Caleb's lectures for some of his classes over the internet. The sounds of the boys games. The tummy rumblings from each of us since Grandma and I often would put off meals.. for just another few minutes... again and again as we worked endlessly on the computer. Or the phone calls that interrupt our focus.
This is what he sent off as his evaluation. I'm sure they were impressed... doesn't everyone wish they could work in such a chaotic place?
What you can't see in the picture is the stench from the dog... Grandma spoils Opus with table scraps and she pays us back with nasty smells. Another would be the sound of Caleb's lectures for some of his classes over the internet. The sounds of the boys games. The tummy rumblings from each of us since Grandma and I often would put off meals.. for just another few minutes... again and again as we worked endlessly on the computer. Or the phone calls that interrupt our focus.Sarah of course has solved all of this by taking her school books to her room... 
Caleb would love to do that... he just needs a computer for so much of his school and I won't let them have internet access computers in their bedrooms... still working on that solution!
Caleb would love to do that... he just needs a computer for so much of his school and I won't let them have internet access computers in their bedrooms... still working on that solution!Ho Hum
Doesn't he look like he's overworked, hard done by... or just spoiled rotten? Someone is ALWAYS holding him. I'm not too sure if that is the face of appreciation or not.
Fly on the wall... -- Backlog blog
The excitement mounting for Caleb to sing in the Priesthood session of conference was infectious. The day dawned and we spent the morning listening to the first session and making the substantial lunch they had recommended he eat before he arrived to go sing.
Grandma prepared pork chops, mashed potatoes, beets and peas. We all benefited from Caleb's singing!
He was well fed, looking dapper and on time for the bus at the stake center at 2 pm. And then we watched the afternoon session... in the back of our minds our thoughts were with him though. They should have been focused on the words of the apostles during the afternoon conference but... to be honest we couldn't help but wonder was he taking it all in?, was he nervous?, what were they serving as the promised light supper snack?, how would they sound?, would their practicing be enough?, what would it be like to be in the typically off limits areas of the conference center?, will he get the chance to find out if the flowers were real of fake? (something Grandma and I had wondered ever since the practice night that we had attended... he already told us he had no intention of feeling them for us and that we were silly).
Patrick had been given a ticket to attend the priesthood session and he and the other proud fathers of choir singers from our wards carpooled downtown. They left moments after the afternoon session ended. Grandma and I were at home with five children. We prepared a simple dinner and worked on our computer project. We really didn't discuss much. Twenty minutes before the priesthood session was to begin I noticed the clock and said what apparently Grandma had also been thinking....
"What I would give to be a fly on the wall in the conference center tonight. I'm so excited and nervous for him. They should have had a mother's of the boys in the choir section in the conference center."
What happened in the next 10 minutes was a whirlwind! We both put on the first dress we could get our hands on. Threw Whittaker in his car seat, called up the neighbour and arranged to drop off the two boys for a few minutes, jumped in the car and drove like the wind over to the stake center where we snuck in during the opening prayer to the relief society room where they were broadcasting the session in spanish. We watched the opening two songs and then we left. We were laughing hysterically by the time we returned to the car. We must have had all those men wondering what on earth are these crazy ladies with a baby and two little girls doing here at the priesthood session? and then we left.
An hour went by. The kids were in their jammies, we'd changed back into our comfy clothes and had returned to our computer project. That clock caught our attention again when there was only 10 minutes left until the session ended. Mum looked at me, I looked at her and without needing to say anything... we literally flew! The kids were so cooperative even if they were completely confused! We jumped back into our skirts, threw all the kids in the car and took corners in the car without slowing down... We pulled into the full parking lot and parked cockeyed as we jumped from the car at the back entrance to the stake center and RAN down the hall... as quiet as 5 kids and two ladies could... just in time to stand at the back of the room and watch the final song of the night. AND WHAT AN AWESOME SOUND IT WAS! It was definitely the favourite song of the boys and you could tell!!
Then just as quickly as we had appeared... the song ended and we were running again with me carrying Whittaker in the car seat... the jammie clad four giggling as they ran... Grandma and I trying desperately not to laugh out loud. Back in the car and out to the road. I must say though.. when that priesthood session ends.. Men do not stick around and gab... there is a sea of suits leaving the building within 15 seconds of that closing prayer! (not like a ladies function that's for sure!)
Some quick thinking made us realize that Sparky would have been at the session and since he wasn't in the fray of the conference center in downtown salt lake but just at a stake center near his home in Virginia.. he might get home quickly and we could find out if he saw Caleb. So we called him... oops we called Valerie... shoot... in all our excitement we forgot about the time difference. She didn't answer. Then we spoke with Sparky on his phone. He had been excited to see Caleb also. Not sure if anyone had been as excited as us but, since he had a poor seat at the back of the stake center he also had gone to the relief society room where the spanish broadcast was happening to see a better view! (it either runs in the family to be creative and strange or we are very clever!) We had a great chat and the excitement level was still high! Thankfully Valerie hadn't been asleep so we didn't wake her.
We were home and the kids were tucked in and the real agony began. We were on a high from our excitement and waiting for Caleb to return from his adventure was torturing us! Patrick returned home first and we began peppering him with questions. He didn't clue in at first that we were mentioning things that we shouldn't have known about. We were giddy with excitement. We had extracted everything we could from Patrick when FINALLY Caleb returned home! We did our best not to pounce on him when he came through the door. OK so we pounced, but we didn't hurt him.
We quizzed him and chatted for at least an hour. This had been an incredible experience that he will not soon forget.
Some of the things he shared were:
I wonder if it had anything to do with the fact that .... later... the next day later.... we discovered that the session was available to view on line.... including the songs!
We watched them all again.
Grandma prepared pork chops, mashed potatoes, beets and peas. We all benefited from Caleb's singing!
He was well fed, looking dapper and on time for the bus at the stake center at 2 pm. And then we watched the afternoon session... in the back of our minds our thoughts were with him though. They should have been focused on the words of the apostles during the afternoon conference but... to be honest we couldn't help but wonder was he taking it all in?, was he nervous?, what were they serving as the promised light supper snack?, how would they sound?, would their practicing be enough?, what would it be like to be in the typically off limits areas of the conference center?, will he get the chance to find out if the flowers were real of fake? (something Grandma and I had wondered ever since the practice night that we had attended... he already told us he had no intention of feeling them for us and that we were silly).
Patrick had been given a ticket to attend the priesthood session and he and the other proud fathers of choir singers from our wards carpooled downtown. They left moments after the afternoon session ended. Grandma and I were at home with five children. We prepared a simple dinner and worked on our computer project. We really didn't discuss much. Twenty minutes before the priesthood session was to begin I noticed the clock and said what apparently Grandma had also been thinking....
"What I would give to be a fly on the wall in the conference center tonight. I'm so excited and nervous for him. They should have had a mother's of the boys in the choir section in the conference center."
What happened in the next 10 minutes was a whirlwind! We both put on the first dress we could get our hands on. Threw Whittaker in his car seat, called up the neighbour and arranged to drop off the two boys for a few minutes, jumped in the car and drove like the wind over to the stake center where we snuck in during the opening prayer to the relief society room where they were broadcasting the session in spanish. We watched the opening two songs and then we left. We were laughing hysterically by the time we returned to the car. We must have had all those men wondering what on earth are these crazy ladies with a baby and two little girls doing here at the priesthood session? and then we left.
An hour went by. The kids were in their jammies, we'd changed back into our comfy clothes and had returned to our computer project. That clock caught our attention again when there was only 10 minutes left until the session ended. Mum looked at me, I looked at her and without needing to say anything... we literally flew! The kids were so cooperative even if they were completely confused! We jumped back into our skirts, threw all the kids in the car and took corners in the car without slowing down... We pulled into the full parking lot and parked cockeyed as we jumped from the car at the back entrance to the stake center and RAN down the hall... as quiet as 5 kids and two ladies could... just in time to stand at the back of the room and watch the final song of the night. AND WHAT AN AWESOME SOUND IT WAS! It was definitely the favourite song of the boys and you could tell!!
Then just as quickly as we had appeared... the song ended and we were running again with me carrying Whittaker in the car seat... the jammie clad four giggling as they ran... Grandma and I trying desperately not to laugh out loud. Back in the car and out to the road. I must say though.. when that priesthood session ends.. Men do not stick around and gab... there is a sea of suits leaving the building within 15 seconds of that closing prayer! (not like a ladies function that's for sure!)
Some quick thinking made us realize that Sparky would have been at the session and since he wasn't in the fray of the conference center in downtown salt lake but just at a stake center near his home in Virginia.. he might get home quickly and we could find out if he saw Caleb. So we called him... oops we called Valerie... shoot... in all our excitement we forgot about the time difference. She didn't answer. Then we spoke with Sparky on his phone. He had been excited to see Caleb also. Not sure if anyone had been as excited as us but, since he had a poor seat at the back of the stake center he also had gone to the relief society room where the spanish broadcast was happening to see a better view! (it either runs in the family to be creative and strange or we are very clever!) We had a great chat and the excitement level was still high! Thankfully Valerie hadn't been asleep so we didn't wake her.
We were home and the kids were tucked in and the real agony began. We were on a high from our excitement and waiting for Caleb to return from his adventure was torturing us! Patrick returned home first and we began peppering him with questions. He didn't clue in at first that we were mentioning things that we shouldn't have known about. We were giddy with excitement. We had extracted everything we could from Patrick when FINALLY Caleb returned home! We did our best not to pounce on him when he came through the door. OK so we pounced, but we didn't hurt him.
We quizzed him and chatted for at least an hour. This had been an incredible experience that he will not soon forget.
Some of the things he shared were:
- Once on the buses, cell phones were confiscated and tie tacks removed. The rules had been discussed at the dress rehearsal and they were enforced.
- One of the boys hadn't bothered to get his hair cut as they were told to do, so a lady pulled him aside and gave him a haircut right there in the conference center
- The light supper/snack provided was a lunchable... (no wonder they recommended that the bottomless pits that are young men, eat a substantial lunch before they came!)although he said... they sure could smell the catered meal being served somewhere else in the building to the speakers.
- He wasn't as nervous as he thought he might be. They just stood up and sang when it was time.
- The extra 'contingency' songs that they had to prepare weren't needed.
- The conference center seemed a lot bigger when it was full of people!
- He was sooo glad that he had participated in this opportunity.
- He couldn't believe how exhausted he felt!
I wonder if it had anything to do with the fact that .... later... the next day later.... we discovered that the session was available to view on line.... including the songs!
We watched them all again.
Big foot
What really gets me about this photo is that if I hadn't been the photographer, I wouldn't be able to tell you whose feet were whose.... Patrick's or Caleb's... I know I couldn't tell you whose shoes they are! Size 12 and 13 shoes... if all my boys have feet this size... I may have to build a shoe room... they take up so much space when they aren't on their feet!
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