The Best Of PA

So I added another little chore to the girls short list. Washing windows and mirrors. Just one window or mirror a day. I have found that it is the small consistencies that have shaped my children's character. Reading books everyday, doing morning chores, helping mommy cook, activity worksheets, walks to the park, reading lessons, bath time, scripture reading, prayer and lullabies. These are the small pieces to our day. They bring my girls comfort and safety in knowing what the schedule is, and when we have off days, there are always those, you can feel it. I find myself more irritable and the girls are more whiny. I struggle with consistency. At least once a week we fall off the bandwagon. Each new week I find myself vowing to do better the following. I know it's important. I see the positive effect it has on my girls. And so the training continues, on Mom and girls. "Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it. P...

So I have been angry as of late. Not sure why, but my impatience and temper have been flaming up. I knew I needed to stop. It was wrong to yell at my girls so much over the teeniest tiniest things. I was looking for answers and went searching in all the wrong places...junk food....YouTube...TV. But really none of them worked. But here is what is working: 1) Quiet Time: putting down the phone, turning off the tv, shutting off Internet, clicking off the crazy loud upbeat music, talking in hushed tones, a mere whisper. 2) Finding a quiet place and praying. Prayer...consistent, constant, heartfelt prayer makes all the difference for peace and a washing wave of calm to drown out the anger. 3) Searching the scriptures for answers. Pondering and Praying for answers in the pages. 4) Dimming the lights, and lighting a candle. 5) Turning off all other distractions and turning on soft music, hymns, classical, lullabies. This needn't be loud, but gentle and soft, so yo...

I love living in a small town. I know all my neighbors, I feel safe and we have all these wondeful community events. Some of the cool traditions my town has: community day, tours in the graveyard (your tour guide dresses in period style and it's free!!) movie nights in the park (with free popcorn, rootbeer and candy-as if the free movie wasn't awesome enough!?!) a rocking carnival with death defying fireworks that thrill, and concerts in the park (again FREE!! And so fun!!). I love being part of a community that still holds all it's charm!! This pic is of Elly and I this past Sunday at Concerts in the park. Two live bands,one jazz the other more seventies boogie and a whole lotta people dancing. Good times!!

There is true poverty in this world. The dirty, bone chilling, emaciated kind. There are places where bodies huddle together in fear at night, from fear of safety, for lack of clothes. There are innocent people that wonder when they will eat next. Life threatening poverty. Are we personally aware of this? Are we personally helping in any way?? And then there is "us" from the US. Even our poor have roofs over their heads, food in their bellies, clothes to wear. Our government makes sure of this. And yet most of us whom aren't living off government assistance-claim our houses aren't big enough, our meals aren't savory enough, our clothes aren't fashionable enough, our vacations aren't exotic enough, our yards not big enough, our houses not new enough, our cars not the latest model, our social lives not exciting enough, our tech gadgets don't do enough. Well ENOUGH!! Disclaimer-yes I have been guilty of these thoughts one time or another. And...

I've been waiting on the computer to fix itself so I can email more than one picture on my blog. But I'm anticipating it taking longer than normal. (how long does it take for a computer to FIX ITSELF??? Kidding) Any-who, Danny is devoted to his beehives. His Italian bees. He has gotten stung quite a bit and puffed up like a balloon (man I wish I had taken pictures) But he is learning lots and loves it. He has also wised up and began wearing his netted hat. The hive is behind our backyard in our neighbors yard. It's a joint venture we have going on here. Here is a pic of Danny checking out the hives. He makes frequent trips to the hives to give them sugar water. Mmmm. Love me some sugar water. Il sen more picks your way!!

Elly's hair do

Here is Kathy Kunsman and myself, showing off our gooey sundaes :-)

What a fabulous date Danny and I had this past Saturday. We went with our very good friends and neighbors, Kathy and Alan Kunsmans. Our destination: Lancaster, PA. We stopped by DJ's a fifties restaurant for some sundaes. It's like stepping back in time-or so the Kunsmans say-whom were teenagers in the fifties. It had everything but the juke box-but it played nothing but fifties music, so I suppose we didn't need it. Even the waitresses had the skirts, hairstyles, Bobby socks and smiles. Our next venture was Sight And Sounds-a beautiful theatre that plays only Biblical stories. They are as wonderful as Broadway shows, yet so much better because there is purpose and meaning to it-and you feel the spirit when you are watching it. We watched Jonah-it was amazing. We ended at good n plenty where we ate family style a good old fashioned Pennsylvania Dutch meal by the Amish. Mmm. It was a delightful date and I know I should have taken more pictures-sorry!

There is nothing better than a girls night at Dorney Park. (The local amusement park-yay for season passes!) I felt like a teenager again whipping on the rollercoasters, throwing my hands up and shouting. And not having a single kiddie to worry about...exhilarating. I love my girlies, but it is nice to have a break every once in a while. Kuddos to my friend Jennie for watching the kiddies while Danny was at scouts. (we swapped babysitting) And kuddos to a hubby who allows me girls nights without the kiddies. It's nice being young. Ive decided I don't want to age any older than this. Can someone tell me how I can accomplish this?? Sorry for the lack of pics and info and pics for the pioneer camp which was so fun. Computer still broken-promise I will fill you in once I save up and decide I want to pay the extra dough to fix it. Have a great date coming up this Saturday. Sight and sounds theatre in Lancaster. Keep you posted!!

Some cute lines Elly has said: "Eeny Meeny Miney Moe.  Catch a tiger by the toe.  That's a funny part Mommy, tigers don't have toes." "Mom I'm allergic to the paint cuz I keep on achooing!" "Mommy I have two wishes: to go to grandma's house and to have a heart in my feelings." Some cute things Brinley has done: She is singing all the time.  Opening up books pretending to read them, while singing to her hearts delight.  She actually says thank you, mommy and daddy perfectly now.   Elly began picking up the chickens and now so does Brinley.  Yay for Mommy: I've had such a productive day. We had circle time, some science, math and history lessons and read books with the girls. I canned some peaches, made a homemade crust that came out perfectly, made a peach pie.  I finished three loads of laundry, did up my hair in forties fashion and straightened up the house oh and washed the kitchen floor, ran two miles and made dinner.  That is a pret...

There are more pictures to come. I really don't know why this picture didnt go through in the first place.

Well today was the first day of Pioneer Summer Camp. Yay! The kids stayed busy learning about how the pioneers lived, ate and dressed. They tried some beef jerky, made homemade butter and listened to some fiddling-or violin playing. They created log cabins ( with boxes in the shapes of houses covering them with icing and pretzel rods) and played pin the tail on the pig. They ended with a good ole water balloon fight. It was fun time in these neck of the woods. Sent from my iPhone

(the girls and I at chick fil a for free food-gotta dress like a cow) For some reason I have recently become obsessed with the forties.  Obessed to the point of: pinning my hair in forties fashion, wearing aprons daily, smearing on red lipstick, adorning myself with pearls (well fake pearls), setting the table in company fashion every night (with table cloths, and garden flowers) Canning, Baking pies like you would not beleive..and from scratch Scaling back on the budget Repurposing things It's been soo fun!  I'm glad I'm living in this day in age, but there are certain things I so admire about the 40's and 50's. Things like, hard work, appreciating the little things, frugality, the fashion, values, neighborliness (thank goodness for our wonderful neighbors) modest living, gratitude and making things from scratch. Sent from my iPhone

Aagh!! My computer is broken and Elly is sick. Fun times. But I want to send you a message via iPhone. I am canning peaches!! All by myself! It's exhilarating knowing I can do it without help!! I am also trying to live a more forties life. This means sticking to a tight budget, more creative meals, more canning and less going out. It also means dressing more the part. I found this adorable forties doo that I am obsessed with. Will add more pictures when possible. I even wear the fancy red lipstick these days and I feel gorgeous!! I've learned the value of a good apron and am sort of obsessed. You know how I get. I feel a forties date coming on!! Anyways I'll keep ya posted. Ta ta for now!!

Tuesday: A short hike and Girls Night A short hike Katie dropped Mary and I off somewhere on Wasatch Boulevard-home of multi-millionaries.  We were about to take a short hike up the mountains.  But first we had to find the trail.  There was a steep wooden staircase we trekked up.  It led into a wealthy neighborhood.  Several styles of McMansions surronded us, brick, stone, castle, roman palace.  And we walked the whole neighborhood, searching for the hidden path to the mountains.  I suppose we were a bit distracted by the sheer size of the mountains and luxury homes.  Eventually we asked one of the residents arriving home where the path began.   "Just down the hill there, next to to the craftsmen style home."  She pointed in the direction we had recently passed.  How did we miss it?  We thanked her and headed towards that craftsman style house. With mor...

MONDAY: DEDICATED TO SHOPPING/SPENDING MONEY It is quite the ordeal to go shopping in Utah.  I mean before you get out the door there is the primping and curling, make up and accessorizing.  In Pennsylvania I can run a comb through my hair, throw some earrings on and out the door I go.....without makeup at least half the time.  But in the land of the beautiful I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't want to scare anyone on my venture.    Seriously there are so many gorgeous gals AND guys out west.  I'm always surprised, (especially about the guys part). Never have I seen so many people so put together.  Hair perfectly in place, makeup evenly puffed on covering any sort of blemishes, adorable outfits, trendy jewlery.  It's like they stepped out of a fashion magazine.  Okay so not everyone is like this-I mean I was visiting-but the bulk of them...beautiful. So I made sure I primped and prepared right along with them and we w...

I am tradition person.  In fact I probably over do the tradition thing.  I get excited and make exravagant plans..sometimes it turns out GREAT, while others not so much.    Don't worry, it's actually kinda good, because when some don't pan out, well we try out something new the following year.  But this tradition....this one is a keeper. 1) Monday is when it began, with reading.  I got some cute books from Barnes N Noble.  They are awesome and simple.  Of course I had to simplify it even more because I have a four year old with an attention span of about 30 seconds.  So we learned in short incriments about the Revolutionary War and how people in the Colonial days lived.  I think I soaked it up just a bit more than the kids.  Seriously sometimes I wish I could start school all over again, I'd be much more interested this time around.  Tuesday we planne...