Spend the Day with Me - Saturday, September 15th

On Swap-Bot, I am doing a swap called "Spend the Day with Me" in which participants take photos of how they spent a day. So, I brought my camera along to document how I spent Saturday, September 15th.

After doing the normal tasks in the morning - like letting the dogs out; feeding the dogs and cats; eating breakfast; and getting ready - Sophia, Olivia, and I left for a full day of errands and activities.

The first stop was dropping Olivia off at gymnastics. She moved up a level this Fall and her lessons are two hours now.

Then I dropped off Sophia at the YMCA where she could work out and take a shower.

It was time for many quick stops to do errands: the post office (to mail a grant proposal for a quilt retreat/service activities we want to do in February 2019), a bank (to pay the mortgage and to change my mortgage statements from being online to being sent to me), another bank (to withdraw some money for an upcoming trip), the feed store (to get grain for the horses), and the library (to get a book about ceramics and wheel-thrown pottery).

I picked up Sophia and took her to Starbucks where she got a free rewards drink.

We picked up Olivia from gymnastics and then headed to a home that my sister is looking at purchasing. I'm excited because she is only 20 minutes from us now! This home has everything she is looking for in terms of everything being on one floor (except the mechanicals and a bonus walk-out level) and her design/style tastes.

After listening to the inspection report for about 40 minutes with my sister, brother, my sister's Realtor (Sherri), and the girls, we headed to Mall of America to get some clothes and shoes.

Normally, we don't go shopping at the Mall of America. However, there are a limited number of stores in our rural area, so sometimes having a wider variety of stores is necessary.

We parked on a new floor and area and came in through Sears which carries Lands End clothes. Perfect! Because I wear cardigans almost every day and Lands End carries the most comfortable ones, I was able to stock up on them. Got a couple black ones (typically what I wear), a navy one, and - because the girls insisted: lilac.

Onto the other end of the shopping spectrum with a stop at Nordstroms for Sophia. She had to get some items for wearing under her Chinese dress for her senior photos. Talk about service in that department! I was impressed with how the employees work with each of the customers to find exactly what they need.

As we walked by one area, there were people working on sculptures made from cans of food. We found out that it is called Canstruction which is a national nonprofit committed to ending hunger.

This year marked its 13th year at Mall of America; and Canstruction - according to the Mall of America's website - was doing a "unique design/build competition showcasing colossal sculptures built from thousands of ordinary cans of food.

"Highlighting the creativity and compassion of top local architectural and engineering firms, these astounding structures are helping to change the world– by lifting the spirits of those in need, by raising public awareness, and most importantly, by collecting millions of pounds of food for Second Harvest Heartland."

While we were watching them build the sculptures, we could hear the laughter and screams from the rides in the center part of Mall of America.

We stopped for a quick refresher at Orange Julius and then onto Maurice's for a couple more pieces for Sophia's senior photos (a top and jacket) and a pair of jeans for me. The only options were mid- and high-rise jeans.

Having already been through one era of high-rise/Mom jeans, there was no way in the world I was going to try a pair on again.

This is not me...but an example of the dreaded high-rise jeggings. 

(This image came from an insecure website, 

so I'm not going to link to it.)

Where were the low-rise jeans? Apparently they don't carry them anymore. I was shocked...and distraught. What should I do?

I decided I'd try the mid-rise jeans and jeggings. The sales person asked what size I wore. I had no idea. I'm not into shopping or clothes like I used to be. She picked out small and medium for me. What? I thought I once wore extra-large jeans?

To make a long story short, after trying on about a dozen pairs of jeans and jeggings, I settled on  medium/short jeggings. The waistband is tight which - multiple sales people said - has to be tight so they stay up. They loosen up as you wear them, so if they start out loose then they will fall down. Well, we don't want that to happen.

So, although they aren't my ideal style due to the higher waist, I was really happy to see that my size has gone down. When I first started wearing clothes at Maurices many years ago, I was an extra-large. About a year or so ago, I went down to a large. Now, I'm in a medium which is encouraging and reflects a change in eating habits (significantly more vegetables and fruit; less carbohydrates; slightly more protein; and rarely a Diet Coke - compared to 2-4 pops a day at one time).

As a side note: when I came home and looked online, I found out that Maurices still makes low-rise jeans. The Mall of America just doesn't carry them. So, I'm going to return the jeans and get a low-rise pair in the right size.

After that, we made one more stop for shoes at DSW. There are rows upon rows of shoes at discounted prices.

Of course, the girls always enjoy trying on the impractical super-high-heel shoes that they would never wear.

After much looking, Sophia found a pair of black shoes with gold trim for her red Chinese dress. They will look nice with the dress and her headdress.

Olivia found a pair of high-top Converse canvas sneakers to wear instead of her black boots and sandals. She was happy that they had her size (which is a rather small women's size).

By the time we were done, it was well almost 5:20 p.m. By the time we would get home and make dinner, it would be in the 7:00 hour. So, we decided to stop and pick up a pizza and cheese bread for dinner.

We had not eaten a "normal" meal since breakfast (lunch was relatively-healthy snack food we ate in the car), so having a hot dinner was good. We all didn't realize how hungry we were!

After dinner, I walked out to see the delivery that had come while we were gone. It's the siding for the back of the house. This will replace the siding that was warped due to the fire back on May 5th. The window also was delivered and is in the garage.

I noticed that one of the roses has a couple of flowers on it. Despite the heat (92 degrees and humidity in the 70s), it is doing well. Found a Japanese beetle, though, which is not good. It was starting to destroy the leaves on the roses. Had to put an end to that or else it would completely strip all the leaves from the roses and move onto another bush or tree and do the same thing.

After dinner, I helped Sophia type her application for being a 4-H county ambassador. Normally she would do the typing, but she broke her third finger on her right hand on Friday morning.

Her finger got stuck in a metal opening in Bailey (the horse's) halter/lead line, and when the farrier was here and Sophia was holding the line, Bailey jerked her head up abruptly and Sophia's finger twister and the bone broke.

Right now, her finger is "buddy taped" to the fourth finger to provide support until she can see a hand specialist this upcoming week.

This is what her hand looks like - you can see the diagonal line on her third finger - just where the bone is broken.

There is quite a bit of bruising on the third finger. It is at a slight angle too compared to the other finger (though it's not as obvious in the photo below as it is in real life). This may pose an issue since she plays the harp and piano. We'll have to see how the orthopedist can better line up her finger this week.

In the evening, I caught up on reading the paper.

There was an interesting article about how the state parks are collecting prairie seeds with the help of the public. There are quite a few sessions coming up where people can help collect the seeds which are then planted to expand the prairies.

I had the t.v. on for a while, but ended up falling asleep with it on. Woke up around 10:15 and turned it off. Ended up going to bed I was so tired.

Scavenger Hunt - August 2018

This month I participated in a swap on Swap-Bot called "Scavenger Hunt" in which participants were challenged to find five and photograph five items. Below are the items and my photographs:

Something cluttered

This is the top of a bookshelf that I am working on right now. There is a system of organization, though not apparent by this photo.

Under the weights and foam rectangle are ideas for service projects for a teen club I'm co-leading.

Next to that is a pile of paperwork that I need to go through and do. My goal is to finish this by the end of August.

The next pile are two English books for the girls and then magazines and other periodicals I want to read and recycle.

The last pile is a stack of vendor registration forms for an upcoming event I'm organizing; and the top sheet is a map of the layout of where the vendors will be located. This pile will be gone after September 8th.

On the shelf below this are homeschooling resources that I need to go through during the upcoming week as I finish laying out the upcoming school year.

Something that is heart-shaped or has a heart on it

Aspen, our Siberian Husky/American Staffordshire Terrier mix wears a heart-shaped identification tag on her collar.

We adopted Aspen from a local humane society who worked with a rescue agency in Texas to get her out of a high-kill shelter when she was only six weeks old. She was part of a 11-puppy litter that was going to be euthanized. Thankfully, they were able to get her out in time.

She had to overcome a lot of fears - especially of men. She is a very protective dog of all of us; and a great watchdog. We are so happy to have her as part of our family.

Something you're proud of

I learned to do Saori weaving last year and enjoyed it. During May of this year, I took another Saori weaving session and make another table runner. Below is the one I made this year.

There are a variety of different types of yarn as well as colorful pieces of roving. The result is a very tactile piece that has a variety of textures.

Something older than you

This is a set that was in the bathroom that my sister, brother, and I used when we were growing up. It was from my step-grandmother on my dad's side. My grandpa's first wife, Olivia, passed away six weeks after I was born. His second wife, Esther, was the grandmother I knew when I was growing up. She passed away when I was about eight years old.

This set was something our family inherited, and ultimately - somehow - it was something that became mine when I was a young girl. I don't know if Esther intended it to be for me, or if my parents decided it was for me. What I did notice is that the angel has "June" on her dress - my birth month.

The perfume bottle broke when I was growing up and we glued it back together. So, there's a visible crack where the two pieces meet. There's also a little piece missing from the powder container. Regardless of these imperfections, this set is very meaningful to me and brings back memories of my grandparents and visiting them in Illinois many times as a child.

A beautiful or intriguing cloud/sunset/sunrise picture

I had trouble choosing only photo for this one. On the 21st, I took Olivia to her rifle practice. Sophia joined us too; and on our way back home we noticed unusual clouds. To the west of us, there were clouds that were flat on the bottom. The best view of the clouds we had was at our home looking to the west over the pasture.

To our east on the drive home, we spotted a partial rainbow about 15 minutes from home. By the time we came home, we could see a full rainbow. This is the view of the rainbow as I looked to the east. Unfortunately, there are electric lines in the photo...however that's the best view of the rainbow.

On the same night, there were beautifully-colored clouds to the west. It's amazing how facing one direction the clouds are pinks and purples; and the other side they are more blues and oranges.

Perhaps the sun setting (also on the same night at about the same time) had something to do with the rainbow and dramatic clouds. This is the road in front of our home looking to the west as the sun is setting by the cornfield.

It was fun doing this challenge, and I enjoyed spending time over the past couple of weeks looking for things that fit each category.

Outdoor Mom's Journal - July

During our outdoor time this week we went....around our backyard. We watched a grove of trees - along with others in the pasture - that were damaged by the May 5th fire be taken down on July 11th.

The backyard was graded so there's better water flow from the house. The firepit also was leveled - along with all the weeds that were growing in it. 

Although I asked for the firepit to be leveled, I didn't anticipate that such a huge part of our backyard would be re-graded. It was quite the shock when I came home from doing errands. 

On July 14th, my sister and I went on a farm tour sponsored by the local co-op. We went to several farms in Wisconsin. It was interesting to see some of the farms, though it wouldn't be an event we would do again.

We were expecting more activities and information at each farm than there was; and, although there were food samples at some, they were either sitting out in the heat and not properly chilled or had flies on them. No thank you...I don't want to get sick.

The farm pictured below had an impressive garden.

By the third week of July, the concrete pad for the garage had been built. We were enjoying the open views to the west now that the trees had come down a week before.

The loss of habitat for birds and wildlife, though, was tough to see. However, we know that our land has plenty of trees and natural areas for wildlife to enjoy still. 

The most inspiring thing we experienced was...seeing two little fawns eating grass by the side of the road. They were a little too close to the highway, so we stopped and gradually moved the car forward so that they would run into the forest.

Sure enough, that's what they did.

It was such a treat seeing these little ones on Olivia's 15 1/2 year old birthday!

Our outdoor time made us ask (or wonder about)...what trees would be ones that would appropriate for us to plant to replace the ones that were removed because of the fire?

We would like to have more diversity of trees at the farm. Although we have lots of pines, oaks, and fruit trees, there are a lot of boxelder trees. These type of trees are considered "junk" trees - they grow prolifically and quickly. We have little groves of boxelder trees in some of our pastures that never used to be there when we moved here in 1995. These mini-forests provide cover and shelter for birds and animals. However, I'd like to see more diversity in trees.

The question is: which ones would do well in our climate and be most beneficial to birds, wildlife, and the environment?

In the garden, we are planning/planting/harvesting....flowers mostly. We're enjoying the tiger lilies in full bloom on July 4th.

I started working on the butterfly garden in the backyard - weeding and adding a lot of new perennials. There are even two blueberry plants in there!

Around the 11th of July, the lilies that my Dad gave me in the late 1990s or early 2000s were in full bloom. It's nice seeing that these flowers have done so well for over a decade.

I added nature journal pages about...nothing yet this month. I need to sit down and create some pages that look back on the highlights from July.

I am reading...nothing that is nature related.

I am dreaming about…days without mosquitoes and horseflies. Both of these have gotten in the way of taking the dogs on walks this summer. Combined with high humidity and hot temperatures (and consequently hot asphalt), it's not enjoyable for the dogs or I to go on walks in the middle of the summer.

A photo I would like to share...is of a new swing set, fort house, slide, and climbing wall that we got to replace the playhouse that was destroyed by the fire in May. Our swing set was on its last leg and not functional anymore, so we got a new - much sturdier - set that can handle teens and adults.

Olivia loves to swing each day (I think it helps here a lot with her sensory processing disorder), so this is good for her. Both the girls are enjoying the fort and have been reading in it on cooler days.


Thank you to Barb the Outdoor Hour Challenge for the idea of doing an Outdoor Mom's Journal.

Tea Party at Panola Valley Gardens - ABC of Summer Fun (Letter T)

On Sunday, August 13th, Sophia, Olivia, and I went to Panola Valley Gardens for an afternoon tea. The flowers were beautiful.

As we walked from the parking lot to the pavilion (in the background) where the tea party was being held, there were colorful gardens everywhere.

There were annuals combined with perennials.

There was a very light rain, so the flowers were covered with rain drops.

There were sheep grazing in the pasture in the distance.

Statues were in some of the gardens.

The afternoon tea menu was displayed so we knew what to expect.

The tea cups and pots were displayed on a table. Each guest could pick one cup and saucer; and there was one tea pot for each table.

Olivia liked the black tea pot, so we picked that one.

The tables were under a pavilion that had glass doors. Since it was sprinkling, the glass doors were closed.

The girls by the tea cup and tea pot table.

We had our own table in a quiet corner which was nice.

Our centerpiece was red and greens.

The table next to us had a centerpiece with pinks and purples.

This was our table setting. Each table had different color napkins, placemats, plates, and cups.

What was nice was that each table was reserved for only the guests in one's party. So, there was no need to make small talk with strangers.

There was lemon curd and Devonshire cream for the scones; and a fresh fruit plate.

We enjoyed a variety of sandwiches.

Sophia enjoyed sampling a variety of sandwiches. There were plenty of sandwiches for us to try each one.

There was a chicken salad sandwich and spanakopita that we all liked. Sophia and I liked the egg salad sandwiches too. 

The scones were delicious. Soft, slightly sweet, and flavorful - blueberry, raspberry, and cinnamon-apple flavors.

There were a variety of desserts.

The girls were so excited to try macaroons.

Each of the desserts was different from the other which was nice. There was such a variety in taste throughout the afternoon tea.

We all enjoyed the experience and would like to go back at another time. There are both lunches and afternoon teas throughout the summer. Perhaps this will become an annual activity for us.