Hello Summer!

I cannot believe the school year ended today.  Now the crazy really sets in.  Keeping 6 or 7 children busy and having fun.  We're going to study the American Revolutionary War this summer which should be fun?  I'm working on some things, knitting, sewing, and crocheting, to enter in the fair but they are either complete and I haven't got modeled shots yet (due to the models being in school) or they aren't quite finished.  Next post.  Fingers crossed.  The scrapbooking is completely caught up, or rather was, until there was a t ball game, so there is more time for crafting.  We do start our birthday season next week so we'll see.  

 This is my Mom with 2 of her sisters.  One older, one younger.  One suffering from alzheimers.  Three of my Mom's five siblings suffer from the dreaded mind robbing disease.  As did her father.  Her youngest sister died a few weeks ago at the young age of 69.  She had alzheimer's.  I firmly believe in my own mind that it robs the body as well.  It was a hard memorial service but made me very thankful for my mom and that her mind is intact at almost 80.  Sure she forgets things but don't we all.  She has to have a list.  So do I!

 Do the crime and do the time at my house.  These little "criminals" wrote on my car.  I am grateful it was with the end of a jump rope that was wrapped in duct tape.  It was first mentioned it was sidewalk chalk!  It came right off but they had to do the washing.  I supervised.

Our garden looks mahvelous!  We've been ahead of the weeds so far and anxiously awaiting harvest.  Especially the tomatoes and cucumbers.  I have bacon in the freezer for the BCT sandwiches.  I'm drooling thinking about them.  As you can see below the beans are up.  What kid doesn't like to drink from a hose?  We didn't have a hose per se going but the soaker hoses were on so getting a drink from them was the closest he could come to drinking from a hose.  I'm not sure how much he got.

School is OUT!  Bring on summer!  We had 3 first graders going to second grade, a second grader going to third, a seventh going to eighth, and a freshman going to sophomore.

But the one that got the most attention for the end of the year is the sixth grader finishing elementary school and heading to junior high.  This one made me tear up.  I remember him in kindergarten just yesterday.

The fair entries are due in 2 weeks and I still have 3 projects to get ready.  I didn't realize it was so soon.  I may not enter for the Niftiest Needler after all.  People, not things or hobbies so if my time is taken from my hobbies to study the American Revolution and make rootbeer or take trips to the library for special programs or play with origami with the kids, or, as in today, play paper dolls....so be it.

Happy Fall...already?

I've been told the first rule of blogging is not to apologize for absences.  So I won't.  I've noticed when I step away from the blog is when I'm emotionally in a bit of a tailspin or life is crazy busy or I'm tired of being on the computer.  This absence has all three qualifiers.  The downward emotional tailspin was caused by watching a few more pieces of my heart go to school each day.  Sure I still have 2 here but 7 are not.  I've been scrapbooking online 8 albums from our Disney trip as well as keeping up 8 day to day albums for 8 grandmunchkins.  Hence the overload on computer time.  The Disney albums are done and the 8 day to day albums are pretty much caught up and require a half hour a day or so to get pictures and comments in per event per album.  I am, however, now doing our church bulletin weekly and some weeks are a bit more work than others.  As for the crazy life.  Well, the pictures below explain that.  While I won't apologize for my absence, I'll apologize for the photo overload.  There are knitting projects, birthdays, fall activities, and life that happened over the last 2 and a half months.                          

 A few of my finished knitting projects.  They are on ravelry if you would like more details.

 While I knit and care for the home, my husband fishes.  Successfully!
And below are the pieces of my heart I'm lending to the schools each day.  I'm thankful their parents let me have them each day.  While I wish they were with their parents and lent to me, in this world that's not possible so I will hold out my hands and be thankful for each moment they are here.

There were 2 special birthdays.  Our sweet daughter and Great Grammie.

 A trip to the pumpkin patch was in order as the air cooled and the leaves changed.

 And on Halloween we were visited by a Princess, Tigger, 2 Ironmen, Steve, a Nerd, a Care Bear, and a witch.  Did I forget anyone?

 Happy Fall!  "A second spring where every leaf is a flower".

 Raking and gathering commences.  We have an art project in mind for those leaves.  Stay tuned.

A quick glimpse of the last few months.  I'll try not to stay away so long.