Pumpkin Pie Making

As Binny and I were adding ingredients and stirring the pumpkin pie filling, she looks up at me and says... "Mom, this smells like wet dog."

As she put the ginger root back into the freezer she asked, "Mom, what is this?" It's ginger root. Kind of like a tree root, but it's ginger and we eat it. "Is it a root from the gingerbread tree?"

Too cute not to share! Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

92

I just hung up from talking with my grandfather. Although I didn't sing for him like he does for the rest of us on our birthdays, I did wish him a Happy Birthday and was thrilled that our card arrived today and not a day late.

I was the last of all 8 (required) family members to call him today. I kind of like being last to check-in although my Mom usually likes to give me a courtesy call when she hears that I haven't called yet. Like I don't know it's his birthday. Of myself and my 2 siblings, I am usually the one reminding everyone else. No matter. Grandpa sounded great and they were getting ready to have the birthday cake Grandma Dee made for him. Chocolate, of course.


They were over at a friend's house for a Norwegian dinner of Lutefisk and lefse, then their friend (my one senior blog reader. Hi B!) showed my grandparents my blog and the photos of the Gardener's new tractor on her TV computer. Seriously, every time he mentions computers he searches for the word in his very sharp 92 year old brain and usually still comes up with TV.

The Gardener and I often talk about how so many things have changed over the years since my grandfather was a boy, and even since he retired over 25 years ago! For many years a horse was my grandfather's only form of transportation and now he uses a GPS while my grandmother drives their car. Hell, he even uses a cell phone and pretty damn effectively at that. I don't see him starting his own blog anytime soon or purchasing an ipod (although he loves ours), but I did hear him say a while back that he wants to look for a new banjo on Ebay. See, even the Internet is growing on him.

Happy Birthday Gramps!

RTT- Screw You Swine Flu

Well it's Tuesday again and the best way to get everything out there is to pull out the Un Mom's Random Tuesday Thoughts badge and get to it.

Shall we?

After weeks and weeks of impatient waiting, there was finally an H1N1 flu clinic in our area. My friend, (not the doctor's office or the school where the girls were supposed to receive the vaccine) called to tell me that she just took her kids to a flu clinic at a local fire department and had them vaccinated. She also said there was NO waiting and I should take the girls. (thanks for the heads up, T!) It was on an evening that I had to work but I left instructions with the Gardener to have both girls vaccinated and none of that nasal spray stuff, even for Binny no matter how much she complains and cries about getting the shot. And did Binny cry! She had herself so worked up that the Gardener had to hold her down for her 3 seconds of pain. Her arm was sore for about a day but she's fine now and even posing for the camera. It was of course no big deal for Mae who has been a little pin cushion lately. I do feel relieved now that they both have been vaccinated and I hope that everyone else who wants to have their kids vaccinated will be able to do so very soon. Mae was a special circumstances case but even if she weren't I would want them both to be vaccinated...

And finally... *drum-roll please.*

The Gardener's new toy tractor.

As you can see it's not new at all, rather old, noisy and a little rusty but it's what he wanted, something he could tinker with. It obviously needs a little work and some fresh paint, but it actually runs, so that's a start right?

Have a great Tuesday and don't forget to drop by the UnMom for more Random Tuesday thoughts!

Lazy Sunday

The skid steer that was for sale on redneck craigslist our front lawn was finally trailered out of here yesterday. Not wasting any time with a pile of hundred dollar bills burning a hole in his pocket, the Gardener left just after 8:00 this morning to look at a tractor more than 3 hours away. At least he didn't expect me and the kids to go along. Not that I don't like spending time with my husband but 6 hours (round trip) in our farm truck pulling a big heavy trailer is not my idea of quality time, especially since I know his style. He will drive straight through only stopping to refuel without even going inside the gas station to pay (he's a huge fan of pay at the pump) let alone stopping for lunch or a pee break. I just hope he remembered his anti-narcolepsy meds this morning...

Instead I'm home with the girls, catching up on some blog reading and photo editing (my new favorite obsession hobby) while the girls are playing nicely together in the living room.

before

after

The other morning there was a thick layer of frost combined with fog outside making the sunrise even more beautiful than usual. I couldn't resist running outside in my PJs and bathrobe to capture it... then of course I jazzed it up a little.

Wardrobe Wednesday

My project for the day.
Oh and family, this is the last time I'm going to say this. If your clothes make their way to the hamper looking like this they will stay there unwashed until the underwear has been removed from the pants leg and the pants are turned right side out. Same goes for tights and socks. If they are all balled up and inside out they will not be washed!

More wardrobe Wednesday at Heathen Family Revival.

Half Off Hookas. Random Enough?

Well it's Tuesday again and the best way to get everything out there is to pull out the Un Mom's Random Tuesday Thoughts badge and get to it.

Shall we?

Last week I mentioned that there was a school referendum on the ballot here. It failed miserably. The vote was something like 1200 against and 600 for. The number of people who voted against the new swimming pool was even higher. Hopefully the school board will do some more educating before sending voters back to the polls. If they had their act together they should have done this last year during the presidential election to entice more voters. The turnout for this school referendum was wimpy at best. But yet again, no one asked me.

The Gardener broke his thumb. Smashed it with a hammer at work. He only decided to go to the doctor because it happened at work and wanted it all to be on the up and up. The doc. took an x-ray then burned a hole through his thumbnail to drain off... you know what, I think I'll spare the rest of the details. He's much better though.

I saw this sign last Sunday when we were walking from the restaurant to our car. I was just happy that I had my camera in my purse.

I changed my blog! I have been wanting to make the photos on my blog larger but until now I haven't been able to figure it out. I have learned a ton of computer stuff since I started blogging over a year ago but I still have a lot to learn. I'm still a 2 column blogger but thanks to Shady Lady, this blog post and minima stretch, I now at least have the bigger photos.

This was an indoor photo I took of my brother. I didn't care for the color version but I love it in black and white.

Have a great Tuesday and don't forget to drop by the UnMom for more Random Tuesday thoughts!

Warm Weekend

After the full weekend we had I am enjoying the peace and quiet that a Monday morning brings. My mom and 2 of her friends were here over the weekend for a Unitarian function down in Milwaukee. They arrived Saturday evening and since I didn't trust my mom when she said that they would eat anything, I made a vegetarian black bean and corn stew served on white rice with cilantro and lime. My mom usually leans toward the vegetarian side but uses a new term, flexatarian which is basically a vegetarian that eats meat sometimes. Or as normal people call them, omnivores. To avoid a scene of this has meat, this doesn't, I skipped it all together. It was delicious and for once the Gardener didn't remind me that I forgot to add the meat.

Since it was just a quick overnight visit, Binny and I decided to go down to the city and have lunch with my mom and her friends along with my brother before all of the UU festivities began. They did invite us along for the service but since it wasn't until later in the afternoon (and even the UUs tend to be more church-y than I care for these days), we decided to pass.

Lunch was great though. We ate at a middle eastern restaurant and stuffed ourselves for almost 2 hours, chatting the whole time! The weather couldn't have been better too. Saturday we spent the entire day outside without jackets, hats and mittens! Even made time for a family bicycle ride. Yesterday was beautiful too, with temps in the 60s! A perfect day to be out and about in the city.