Currently

Reading ... in the Bible, I'm still in Isaiah while also enjoying a daily Psalm or two.

In other books I read  At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon. It was such a cozy comfortable read. I had heard a lot about the Mitford series from people who have read and loved it. In fact quite a few of you had recommended the series to me after I expressed my need for a light read after a particularly heavy series I had read.

I immediately requested it from the library and was able to pick it up several days later. I started reading it, made it maybe three chapters in, and had to set it aside. I could tell I would love the book, but it wasn't the right time with the other series still wanting to remain front and center in my mind.

I returned it to the library since there were others waiting for it. I placed another request but this time had to wait a while. This time when I borrowed it, I was ready for the read, and I enjoyed it a lot. Mitford became a cozy friendly book home, and I thoroughly enjoyed my visit there. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series as well.

Writing ... nothing worth noting. Though I did get some 2:00 AM inspiration that I jotted down on random bits of paper and tucked them into a writing folder so I don't forget once I sit down to get a chunk of writing done. 

A chipmunk has made its home under, or inside a tree stump next to the walnut tree outside our kitchen window. It was sitting there and I wanted to take a quick picture. Chipmunks as we know don't hold still very long and it changed position mid snap. I was thrilled with the results. The resulting photo is basically begging to have a cute chipmunk story written about it. 

Watching ... a few YouTube videos. I find the best tutorials on there.

Listening ... to the ticking of the clock in the kitchen. The house is almost too quiet at the moment. The furnace isn't running, the refrigerator too, is silent. The neighbor's rooster is taking a break from his usual morning "happy to be alive" declarations. No birds are singing. Traffic seems to be taking a break as well. 

For right now it's only the sound of the keys on my laptop as I type and the too loud ticking of the clock. I'm not used to this level of silence. 

Baking ... for years I have been searching for a brownie recipe that is as good as the boxed brownies. Most times they were a disappointment though one or two have been decently good though still not quite at the level of what you get from using a box mix. 

This week my searching has finally yielded what I've been looking for and I successfully made the best chewiest, fudgiest homemade brownies. Reading the recipe I knew I had to try it. The directions were so different from any other brownies I've ever tried making. It required a finely chopped bar of baking chocolate and cocoa powder that was melted in boiling butter. Next the sugar, eggs, and flavoring was supposed to be beat for precisely five minutes. I'm not sure what difference it would have made had I added or subtracted 15 seconds to the beating time, but I was committed to this recipe, so precisely five minutes of beating is what I did.

The next step that was different from any other brownies I've made was taking the pan out of the oven midway through baking and slamming it on the counter several times and then returning it to the oven.

The end results. Brownie perfection!

Yesterday I tried a new recipe for a peach cobbler that we took along to Kenneth and Paige's last night. It didn't turn out as good as the brownies, but still an okay-ish dessert.

This morning I stirred up a triple batch of our favorite chocolate chip cookies that we'll be taking along to our homeschool co-ops Thanksgiving celebration later today. I had debated making my favorite cookies as well. A Cranberry Orange cookie. It seemed a little more holiday themed, but do I really want to go to all that effort when children most likely would prefer the chocolate chip cookies anyway? In the end I decided no, I'm not going to be making them and stuffed my softened butter back into the refrigerator instead.

Cooking ... this week's menu has been different. On Monday LV brought hoagies home for supper from a fundraiser thing. On Tuesday we had a very basic meat and potatoes type of meal, something we were all craving after the hoagies. On Wednesday I branched out and made a fall themed pizza. The sauce was made with pumpkin and turned out to be absolutely delicious. Definitely going into our keeper recipe files. Then last night we went to Kenneth and Paige's where she had prepared delicious Philly Cheesesteak and salad. I'm almost feeling spoiled having only had to cook twice so far this week.

Feeling ... slightly sluggish. I don't get headaches often. Maybe once or twice a year. This morning I woke up with one and it has me feeling sluggish on top of having the pain of a headache. To everyone who deals with headaches often. You have my sympathies! 

Disliking ... lost mail. I had placed an order on Amazon for the majority of our Christmas gifts almost two weeks ago. They shipped all but one item in the same package. It got lost in transit. I finally gave up and reached out to Amazon so they reshipped, but this time in multiple packages. One of those is currently delayed or lost as well with their cheerful little message is saying if it doesn't arrive by December 16th to ask for a refund. They've never allowed that much time for a lost or delayed package before so I'm wondering if I need to order something else or trust that what I had wanted will arrive in time?

Loving ... the song Holy Forever by Chris Tomlin. I usually wake up with a song in my head and it will be the one that I will unconsciously find myself humming or singing throughout the day. Usually it's a different song every day, but I've had this one for quite a while already and I'm still loving it.

Playing ... daily games with Steven. He has a favorite that we play every day, Then we also add in other games as well. This week those have included Life on the Farm, which I lost spectacularly. Pass the Pandas, Perpetual Commotion, and Dutch Blitz. We're also on a kick of playing Probe quite regularly. 

Last evening we played Scattergories which Paige ended up winning by quite a lot.

Cleaning ... in the little room right off the kitchen there is a large floor to ceiling cupboard. The bottom half has doors and two drawers while the top half has open shelves. I keep all my small kitchen appliances as well as the oversized mixing bowls and large pots on the open shelves, while the bottom I have bakeware and pantry supplies. I deep cleaned it. The lazy susans in the kitchen got a good cleaning and organizing once again as well. I wish they'd stay nice for a while. Unfortunately I have not yet discovered the secret to keeping them nice for longer than a few weeks at a time. 

I also washed all the couch and pillow covers this week, as well as the most used blankets from the blanket basket in the living room.

Annual Struggles

Every fall we do battle with mice as they try to move into our old farmhouse.

This fall has been exceptionally bad and I've lost track of how many we have caught and I still keep seeing the tell-tale signs of them nearly everyday, and hear them in the walls. (Shudder) 

This morning right after LV left for work I decided to try to get an hour of writing done before Steven gets up and it's time to do school and tackle things on our to-do list for the day.

I had only written a few paragraphs when out of the corner of my eye I see a movement. Looking up I see a mouse sitting in the living room doorway calmly staring at me. 

I screamed, it turned and slipped behind a bag of things waiting to be donated in the hallway.

I texted LV saying, "I'm going on an anti mouse shopping spree. I can't live in a house where mice feel comfortable roaming about and staring at me."

He replied, "Go right ahead."

I opened Amazon, prepared to buy all the anti mouse things I could find.

I found the traps he had been telling me about that they use at his workplace. Apparently they're the best. They come in packs of twenty, but this is war. Click add to cart.

Peppermint oil always seems to help deter them. I start my search for it. Before I found what I want the mouse was back staring at me again.  Another scream sent it scampering away.

Having my feet on the floor with a mouse roaming about was uncomfortable, so I drew them up and sat on them and resumed my search for the peppermint oil. 

It took a minute to decide which one I want, but finally decided a four ounce bottle seems like the best option. I added it to my cart and here comes the mouse again.

Another scream. This time it remained unbothered and it continued halfway into the living room. Some more screaming happened along with waving my arms which made it decide retreating would be wise after all.

More searching Amazon revealed some tablet things that supposed to encourage mice to stay out of the area. Click add to cart.

Next I search for ultrasonic mouse repellent. Turns out it's more than I want to pay, but as I sit there debating if it would be worth the price the mouse comes back.

Another involuntary scream has it ambling back out into the hallway.

I look for bait. I already know from experience I don't want the bait blocks, but after some searching I find pellets with good reviews. They come in a four pound pail. It feels like an appropriate amount by this time. I add it to my cart and then go check out.

The bait is supposed to arrive tomorrow, but the rest is scheduled for Sunday. A little longer than I want to wait, but at least the battle can begin.

I go back to my writing project and the mouse appears again! This time it takes me getting out of my chair to send it on its way. 

I went searching for a glue trap, found one, and set it in the living room doorway. Less than two minutes later the mouse was stuck on it.

I couldn't help it. Another scream, and then I hollered for Steven to come to my rescue. 

It took him a little bit to get out of bed and dressed. While I waited on him I had to suppress the urge to scream every time I heard the mouse struggle on the trap. (One reason I am loathe to use glue traps)

He came and took care of it while I went to brew a pot of tea to soothe my poor throat from all the screaming it had endured and sent Rosie a long message detailing my morning. 

Her response "I can't believe you bought all that stuff and then just caught the thing. Kind of anti climatic. I wanted better opposition from the mouse.

Currently

Reading ... in the Bible I'm still in Isaiah. 

In other books, I read The Unselected Journals of Emma M Lion by Beth Brower. It was a quick little read. If you like books by Jane Austen and L.M. Montgomery the chances that you will enjoy this book too are quite high.

I also read The Final Empire which is the first book in the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson. If you read and enjoy J. R. R. Tolkien books or the Eragon series these should be right up your alley. Overall I was intrigued and entertained. I liked the main characters quite a lot. The world building wasn't too difficult to grasp and quite different from other books I have read.

I had book two here ready to start, but I have become one of those people I can't quite comprehend and decided to quit the series for now even though I did really enjoy book one. Maybe someday I'll pick it up, but if I don't I'm satisfied with the way the first book ended and don't mind having it be my entire Brandon Sanderson experience.

Branching out some more to include a cookbook I had borrowed from the library that I ended up really liking. Baking Across America: A Vintage Recipe Road Trip by B. Dylan Hollis. Over the years I have loved doing state studies in our homeschool. Finding and adding food to try to our studies was a highlight. One year we focused on doing burgers and milkshakes from each state. We never did get to try all of them because the school year ended before we got through all fifty states, and for some reason we didn't pick it back up the next year. 

This book has recipes and fun little facts and stories from every state. I would really like to bake my way through the entire book with Steven before he graduates. Who cares if it takes several years to get it done. I have placed it on the top of my book wishlist for now.

Writing ... a few letters, lots of texts, and some chats with an old childhood friend who sent me a friend request on Facebook. What a treat that has been catching up once again.

Watching ... it snow.

Listening ... to the wind, the hum of the furnace running in the basement, the scratch of a pencil as it moves across paper under Steven's direction.

Baking ... LV flipped through one of my cookbooks and found a brownie recipe he would like me to try. It looks and sounds great, but it takes some chopped chocolate and all I have is cocoa powder, so I'm putting chocolate on my grocery list and plan to make the brownies after my next grocery run.

Cooking ... tonight we'll be having lamb burgers, sweet potatoes, and a quick salad made with lettuce, radish, and grated cheese. 

We had been out of lamb for a while, but received our latest batch last week. It's nice having it as an option for our menus once again.

Feeling ... thankful for many different things, but with the weather getting cold I'm especially thankful to have heated seats and steering wheel in our vehicle. It may seem like only a little thing, but the thankfulness I feel every time I get to use it ... ahhh.

Disliking ... mice. They have become a nuisance in the basement and are so far cleverly avoiding all measures we have taken to have them evicted.

Loving ... the photos LV takes of the sunsets at his workplace. I'm glad he was able to capture these two last week before the rest of the leaves fell off the trees.

We get to enjoy sunrises here at home, but the big hill behind our house has blocked all views of sunsets. 

Playing ...  the top four most played games so far this week have been:

Probe. It used to be one of my Mom's favorites so it makes it extra special whenever we decide to pull it out to play. 
Pass the Pandas
Skipbo
Dutch Blitz

Cleaning ... other than keeping up with the daily dozen I haven't done any special or deep cleaning.

Currently

Reading ... In the Bible I'm in Isaiah. Somehow the first chapter always gives me a thrill whenever I read it. It holds a big part of our faith journey and the reason we are no longer Amish. I shared a condensed version of our "story" in a blog post that you can read here.

In other books I am currently reading Song of  Years by Beth Streeter Aldrich. It's an old somewhat brittle book. The pages have foxing, but the story is still delightful.

My maternal Grandpa was an avid reader and this was a book he enjoyed. My Mom got her love of books and reading from him. This book was a favorite of hers when she was a teenager.

I've read it once over 25 years ago. I remember having enjoyed it a lot, but somehow I never did a reread. My loyalties lay with the Anne of Green Gables series after all.

Last week I decided I finally want to do a reread. So far I'm about 25% of the way through. I remember only key points from it and have been having a lovely time reading it. It is fun visiting the world of the seven laughing Martin sisters once again, and even though I already know, I'm looking forward to rediscovering who Suzanne was the beloved wife of.

Writing ... I've been working on copying family favorite recipes onto cards. I declare my hand is out of practice writing with pen and paper. Sometimes I have to sit and stare in disbelief at the weird way some of the letters have been formed.

I don't want my handwriting to deteriorate further and have decided that even after I'm done with this project I want to commit to a certain amount of handwriting every day in hopes it will slow down the getting worse process.

Watching ... birds. Not sure if they're migrating, but there are flocks that come in to rest on the trees outside the kitchen window, before whirling off again. I've been trying to catch them in motion as they come in for landings or lift off, but so far have been unsuccessful. 

I did get a small group of them in one of trees.

Listening ... to the light snores from Steven. We got up early to get all his school work done before heading to our homeschool co-op this morning. We ran some errands afterwards, and he was looking forward to coming home and getting back to a book he had started reading last evening. Only ... the book has slipped out of his hands and he's having a good nap. The first he's had in years.

Baking ... I have plans to make French Silk Chocolate Cookies. I'm out of one of the key ingredients, but hope to get that tomorrow and then bake them in the afternoon. The recipe makes only eight large cookies. Perfect for our weekend!

Cooking ... I love trying new recipes and tucked a few into our menu for the week. One was for Baked Potatoes with a Creamy Crawdad Sauce. I've never bought crawdads before, but have noticed them in the seafood section quite often.

For some reason, I don't know why, I just assumed crawdads would be cheap. Maybe because they abound in our creek and we have been entertained watching Kingfishers dive into the water, catching a crawdad, and then sitting on the electric wire or a tree branch to eat them. They didn't make it look expensive at all. 

As I stood there in the seafood aisle eyeing the crawdads I was not prepared for the price attached. I had two options. For the first one the crawdads came from China. My second option came from Louisiana. There was a five dollar price difference between the two, but in the end I decided to go with the more expensive ones from Louisiana. I had wiggle room with my grocery budget this week so I tried to ignore the price as I added it to my cart.

On Wednesday was the day to try my hand at making the recipe.

Getting started I had to read the recipe several time to make sure I correctly read the amount of butter needed. It seemed a bit outrageous. I chose to trust the recipe and followed it closely. In the end I was so glad I did. It turned out fabulously decadent and delicious. 

It's certainly not something I'll be making often, but we all agreed it needs to be added to our Christmas Eve menu. Having it once a year will be a special treat.

Feeling ... satisfied. Steven and I finished up a big project yesterday. It turned out even better than anticipated and the sense of satisfaction both of us are feeling is a pleasant one.

Disliking ... how dry our area seems to be. We got a nice rain and I was thrilled to finally have our waterfall running again yesterday after having been completely dry for several months.

But it hasn't lasted long. It's already back to only a trickle and unless we get more rain tonight I fear even that will be done by tomorrow. I really miss having the waterfall running all the time.

Loving ... moments of unexpected wit and humor with Steven. Laughter is so much fun!

Playing ... this week the games we played were all shorter ones. We had pulled out a larger game, set it up, but then discovered we forgot it is a three player minimum game, and no one else had the time or inclination to help Steven and me play it, so we packed it back up for another day. Instead we played:

Squirrels: The Card Game

This one is a favorite. Fun, easy to learn, and it has beautiful squirrels. What's not to love? I will happily play it when ever the opportunity arises.

Fruit Punch 

Fruit Punch has been a favorite for years as evidenced by the well worn box. It too is an easy one to learn and lots of fun to play. The box says it's for two to six players and even though we do play with only two players we find it's more fun with at least three. 

This game also goes by the name Halli Galli in which the cards and game play are the same but there's a bell to hit instead of a squeaky banana. 

Magic Dwarf 

Magic Dwarf is a fun little cooperative game that we have yet to win. One of these days we will, but this was not the week that finally happened.

Pass the Pandas

Pass the Pandas is a go to when ever we have only a little bit of time, but still want to play something. It's a dice game. It includes twenty dice with bamboo, water drops, pandas, or blank sides. On your turn you roll your dice. Discard the water drops, place the bamboo into the center of the table to build a bamboo forest, pandas you pass to the player of your choice, blank remains yours.

The object of the game is to get rid of all your dice. Careful though, if you roll and didn't roll a bamboo you have to take the entire bamboo forest to your hand.

They say it's for two to four players. Most of the time it's only two of us playing in which we each start with ten dice. Personally I think having only five dice per person isn't enough, but we do still play like that and enjoy it. I think it would be fun to buy another copy of the game and combining them to have more dice and be able to accommodate more players. The box is big enough to hold several games worth of dice so that wouldn't be a problem.

Top Trumps 

Top Trumps is another go to when we don't necessarily have a lot of time to play. 

There are many, many different themes of Top Trumps games. We have a few different ones, but our favorite is The Wonders of the World.

Thirty cards. Thirty different wonders of the world each with five same stats. Height/Depth, Temperature, Flight Time from DC, Danger, and Wonder.

On your turn you choose a stat from the top card in your hand and read it out loud. The player with the lowest number for that stat looses his/her card. Other players tuck their card to the back of their pile, and play continues until only one person has cards in their hand and is declared the winner. 

I like that the cards also include some facts about the wonder making it somewhat educational.

And now for the last game we played. MapGoMap

MapGoMap is the most educational of the games we played this week. 

Years ago I vowed our children will know the location of all the states. This game helps learn that in a painless way. 

It's not our favorite, but we still enjoyed our time playing. For the same educational purpose I would choose to play Scrambled States of America, which is actually quite a lot more fun. But this was good for something quick with a dash of fun.

With Christmas just around the corner I would certainly recommend Pass the Pandas and Squirrels The Card Game if you're looking to add some fun games as gifts.

Cleaning ... we finished cleaning the basement and decided it's time to get rid of all the bicycles the children have outgrown.

We checked, but thrift shops aren't accepting at this time, so we're debating setting them out beside the road tomorrow with a free sign for up to a week. If no one wants them we'll have Steven dismantle them and dispose of them at the scrap place for the parts that qualify for that. Either way it's time for them to go bye-bye.

For now they're hanging out in front of the house.

Next up I need to clean the lazy susans in the kitchen. Usually I try to clean them once a month, but I missed September, today is already the last day of October, so it's definitely time to tackle them again.

Currently

Reading ... in the Bible I'm midway through Ecclesiastes, plus as usual tucking a few Psalms in there during my Bible reading time.

In other books, a dear friend recommended The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by  Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer. So far every book she has recommended I have enjoyed, so I immediately requested it from the library.

And ahhh ... I had the best time reading it. 

As a reader I don't buy books unless I have read them first and loved them enough that I know I'll want to do a reread, or the characters have become so dear to me that I want to keep them in my life.

This book has made it onto that list of books I hope to someday add to our home library. (Thanks, Dana!)

Writing ... since my last Currently post I have written more texts than I'm willing to count. 15,000+ words in a book I have no intention of ever publishing, but it is a story that has become insistent on being written.

Watching ... the sun rise above the horizon, illuminating the clouds that are trying to hide it in the most interesting shades of colors.

Listening ...  to the wind as it passes through the trees and around the corners of the house. I find it interesting how the wind sounds so different in different seasons. It has lost the soft sounds of summer winds, and is approaching the sound of harsh winter winds, but it's not quite there yet. It does sound cold though.

Baking ... Sharon baked a lovely pumpkin shaped loaf of sour dough bread on Saturday. I baked a chicken pot pie.

We don't have desserts often, but I was asked to bake pie for an event so I baked apple, pecan, and pumpkin pie. There was some leftover, so we got to bring those home and enjoy them.

Cooking ... usually I like to create a menu plan on the weekend for the following week. I didn't get around to doing that this weekend for some reason, so here I am on a Monday morning with no idea what I'll be cooking tonight or the rest of the week. 

I'll have to get it figured out once I'm done here.

Feeling ... a mix of feelings. The most dominant one though is one of happiness. There's just so much to be happy about. 

Disliking ... insects making their way into the house. Asian beetles have become a big nuisance this past week or so. At least they're not scary, unlike the yellow jackets that have also decided our house would be a lovely place to check out.

Over the years my reactions to bee stings, yellow jackets, wasps etc. has become increasingly worse with every encounter. When ever one gets into the house it doesn't last very long. Last week one of the yellow jackets decided to chase me around the house while repeatedly flying right at my head. It was quite the battle before I finally ended the assault. 

I was in the house alone and the thought that this is how I'm going to die crossed my mind. Thankfully it wasn't, but I'm thinking instead of only flyswatters for my safety, an EpiPen should also be secured. 

Loving ... the fall season. It's not as pretty or colorful as most years, but there is still so much beauty.

Playing ... we've played a variety of games this past week, but Steven has been on a kick of wanting to play Dutch Blitz so that has been our most played game. 

Either he's getting much faster, or else I'm becoming slower, but it is a real challenge trying to win. After several rounds I'm almost dizzy trying to keep track of everything that's happening.

Cleaning ... this week Steven and I will be tackling the basement. We had wanted to for a while already, but he had broken a finger while playing basketball, so we pushed the cleaning of the basement off until it healed. 

On Friday he got to remove the splint so there's no longer anything keeping us from getting the basement cared for.

Currently

Reading ... in the Bible I'm a bit all over the place. I'm midway through Proverbs while also reading the gospels, and my favorite Psalms.

In other books insert long exhalation this could be a post on its own. 

The library we use is doing a reading challenge that includes mostly classics. I decided to participate since I was hoping to read a lot more classics this year, but it has been rough. My latest from that challenge Grapes of Wrath I had a miserable time reading it. I had several gripes and issues with it almost from the very beginning, but I thoroughly despised the ending so much that I rated it a generous one star. 

Finishing it I thought I really, really need something completely different. Something light and fluffy. A quick read of some kind. 

Someone had shared that one of her all time favorite book series is a YA taking place in Ireland, there was going to be rugby, and high-school. The main characters names are Johnny and Shannon. Armed with only that for information I thought I would give it a go.

The library had all the books in the series so on a whim I decided to take all of them. That way if I like the first one I can immediately continue. If not, no big deal. I can always return them unread.

When I tell you I was unprepared for this series, I mean, I was unprepared! 

It was like nothing else I have ever read.

I've heard tell that some books find you when you need them. Maybe that is the case. I'm fairly certain had I attempted reading them even several months ago I would probably not have made it past the first few chapters in book one, but for some reason even though there were cringe inducing things sprinkled quite liberally in those first handful of chapters there was also something that kept me reading. And so I did.

Book one ended on a huge cliff hanger and I was so glad I had the next book to immediately continue. I could have quit reading at the end of the second book since that was the end of Johnny and Shannon's POV, but book three was waiting and I saw it would be from Shannon's brother Joey's POV who I had really liked in the previous books. He was such a good brother to Shannon and the rest of the Lynch siblings that I had to continue the series.

My heart had already gone through the wringer in books one and two. But reading from Joey's POV took it to a whole other level. It was brutally painful to read, but also so good if that makes any sense. 

Maybe it was because we're only a few weeks from the anniversary of my brother Mahlon passing away, but reading about Joey's battle with addiction was utterly heartbreaking and healing at the same time. I truly think I needed to read these.

These books should not be YA, though. They're so, so heavy. Going in I had been completely unaware of the trigger warnings attached to them and there are plenty.

I have zero regrets that I read them. They were such a hard read, but somehow still so good. I can not stop thinking about these characters. It's been over a week since I read them and I've been unable to pick up any other books. I still wake up at night and they're the first thing I think about.

In the end, even though I'm glad I read these I would be very hesitant to recommend them to anyone, because of all the triggers.

Writing ... other than this blogpost, nothing. After that reading journey my well of creativity and inspiration has dried up. I know it will come back someday, but today is not that day and tomorrow isn't looking too good either.

Listening ... to the neighbor's rooster crowing loudly, the hum of the dehumidifier running in the basement, and the trilling of a bird I can't identify.

Baking ... I made a small batch of cookies yesterday, there are still five left, but I'm assuming those will disappear soon.

Cooking ... for dinner I'll be making a lentil stew and some herbed dinner rolls to enjoy with it. It's been cold lately which has made me crave this stew, so we shall have it tonight.

Feeling ... so very thankful for the life I get to live. I've been blessed beyond measure to have LV for my husband, to have the family we have, and to know our Saviour. It's not a perfect life, but it's a really, really good one. And I'm feeling overwhelmingly thankful for all of it.

Disliking ... drought. After all the rain and flooding at the beginning of the summer we are back to being dry. Timothy and Rosie Mae's well ran dry on Saturday. They're drilling today, but in the meantime they've been coming over to our house for showers, laundry, etc.  As much as I love having them here, I wish it would be for a happier reason.

Loving ... the bouquet of flowers in the living room. They're Rosie Mae's. She brought them along over so that she still gets to enjoy them while they wait on having water in their house.

Playing ... a variety of games. My favorite for right now is called Squirrels. 

Cleaning ... we were planning on deep cleaning the basement on Labor Day but then someone wanted to have an interview so LV went into work instead to conduct it. He was able to work all day, but the prospective hire was a no-show. Not the best first impression if you're hoping to get a job, I must say.

Currently

Reading ... in the Bible I'm making my way through Matthew while still tucking in a few Psalms every day as well.

In other books I finished Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë a few days ago. I've been trying to read more classics this year and this one has been on my want to read list for years already. I ended up really, really disliking it, but somehow managed to read the entire book.

The characters were miserable, unlikable, and in the end had no redeeming qualities. I'm confused how it's viewed as a beloved love story. 

Writing ... a few letters, a smattering of text messages, some journaling, and editing and polishing up a first draft.

Watching ... The Boy in Striped Pajamas. Steven's history curriculum suggested we read the book and when I went to request it from the library and saw there is also a movie based on the book I decided to get both. 

I liked the book better, but the movie was good too. We watched it as a family and it had all of us reaching for tissues.

Listening ... to some instrumental music. I'm finding it a nice background noise as I write and go about my day.

Baking ... I haven't baked anything recently other than sweet potatoes. 

Sharon sent me a recipe today for some filled bread/rolls along with the plea that I make them. 

I'll have to see if I can figure it all out tomorrow. It's in a different language which makes it a bit more challenging.

Cooking ... tonight I made our favorite fried chicken once again. It's been close to a year since the last time I had made it so was a treat for all of us.

Feeling ... sleepy, but at the same time already eager for tomorrow. I love mornings and new days.

Disliking ... distracted drivers. We were driving along with the flow of traffic, which was heavy, when all of a sudden someone who wasn't paying attention to the road drove right into the back of us. 

Thankfully we are all okay. The only lingering thing is the uneasiness I feel when ever another vehicle gets a little too close for comfort.

Loving ... grandchildren. They are a delight and I love it whenever we get to spend time together.

Playing ... most recently a memory game with our grandson. It was the best of times. He was concerned I didn't have as many matching sets as he did. He started splitting his sets every time he made a match so that we can both have a card.

It completely melted my heart. 

Cleaning ... I need to wash a few windows and spray some spider deterrent. I had run out of the spray earlier this year before I got all of the windows done and the windows that didn't receive the treatment have spiders wanting to hang out there. 

It's time to remedy that.

Currently

Reading ...  in the Bible I needed some Psalms to start my day.

In other books, my most recent one was Bridge to Terabithia. It's one that we've had for years, but I had never read.

Yes, it's a children's book, but I was a sobbing mess by the time I got through it. I had gone into it with zero expectations, but it is now one of those books that has left a permanent mark on me. How had I never read it before?

Writing ... lesson plans for our new school year that we're kicking off next week. Text messages. Lists. And that's basically it.

Listening ... to the sound of the dryer as it is drying the third load of laundry of the day. It drowns out most other sounds other than the occasional passing vehicle.

Baking ... I want to bake apple and peach pie later on. I need to get apples first when I go on our grocery run later today.

Cooking ... on the menu, Comfort Meatballs, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli Salad, Dinner Rolls, and then the aforementioned pie for dessert.

Feeling ... a little bit drained, thanks to still not being quite back to a hundred after reading Bridge to Terabithia.

Disliking ... bugs splattering on the windshield when I drive, 

Loving ... that I have a windshield to protect me from being splatted by those bugs.

Playing ... most recently a Bible Trivia game and UNO No Mercy.

Cleaning ... I really need to tackle the basement. We got it dried out after it flooded, but it's still dirty because of what the floodwaters left behind.

Currently

Reading ... in the Bible, 1 John. So encouraging!

In other books my most recent read was The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It's a book I've kept hearing about for years already and I kept thinking I want to read it someday.  That "someday" happened to be this week. 

It wasn't quite what I expected, but I was enjoying it quite a bit. This evening LV and Steven went fishing, Sharon was grabbing some work after classes, and with the house empty and quiet I decided to settle in and read the remaining 25% of the book. I had heard from some of my reader friends how they had to cry when reading this book, but I was starting to think there must be something wrong with me because though I was touched multiple times, nothing was inducing tears ... until it was. I don't remember the last time I cried this much while reading a book.

I still haven't fully recovered. 

Our home library has only books we truly love, and I think I just found the next book I need to add to it.

Writing ... menu plans, lists, and some letters.

Watching ... Steven and I have been watching an episode of Storage Wars after lunch for the past week or so. 

Listening ... to the birds singing. We have quite a variety of birds that hang out in the trees around the house, and they sing most beautifully. I especially like listening to them in the mornings when their songs seem to be at their sweetest.

Baking ... most recently I made a Peanut Butter and Jelly Cheesecake on request for a birthday. It turned out fabulous. There's still a small piece in the refrigerator waiting to be enjoyed. Cheesecake isn't my favorite dessert, and I also never crave peanut butter in desserts, but somehow I still thought this is really good.

Cooking ... Eggplant Parmesan, Meatballs with an Orange Mustard Sauce, and a simple salad.

Feeling ... there's this sense of happy hopefulness. Like there's something good waiting just around the corner of life and I'm just waiting to see what it might be.

Disliking ... mud. I'm very thankful for all the rain we got, but mud is another story. Steven came in completely spattered in mud earlier today so some pre-rinsing of clothes needs to happen before I do the laundry.

Loving ... the beautiful spring weather we're having.

Playing ... today Steven and I played several rounds of Dutch Blitz. I used to dominate that game, but not any longer. I've come to the conclusion that he's better than me at every single game we have that's not strictly luck based.

Cleaning ... today I deep cleaned the refrigerator. I was going to clean one of the lazy susans as well, but oopsies, I finished reading that book instead.

X ~ XLR8

     Words beginning with an "X" are a bit more challenging and I have at various times during previous A-Z challenges simply resorted to using words beginning with ex and placed a heavier emphasis on the x part of it. 
    Today however I decided to turn to a little game Steven used to love playing.
    

    XLR8 was simple enough to play being very light on strategy.
    Most of the time it was only Steven and I playing it, though it can be played with up to six players.
    You start with the little speedometer at zero and five cards in your hand. On your turn you play a card and then draw another. The MPH cards helped you accelerate your speed. You play the card and turn the wheel on your speedometer to indicate your new speed. First one to get to 200 MPH wins.
    Included in the cards were caution cards. When played,  all your opponents had to reduce their speed to 25 MPH. Blow Out cards could be played on another player making them have to return their speed to zero. A Pit Stop card has the player of your choice have to skip a turn. A rare 2x or 3x multiplier card allowed you to double or triple your speed.
    This game appealed to Steven because of speed and racing. 
    I enjoyed it a lot because it was an easy one to pick up and play when ever, and the adding and multiplying was a nice bonus to slip in something educational while having fun.
    This little game won a creative child Game of the Year award back in 2008, I can see why.  
    The only complaint I have with this one is that instead of a game box it comes in ziploc "chip bag" of sorts. It works, but it's not my container of choice.

U ~ Umbrella Plants

    Umbrella plants, also known as May Apples are on the list of my favorite things in spring.
    It wasn't until after we were married that I found out that they produce flowers. I had never examined them closely enough to see the delicate white blossoms hiding under the umbrella like leaves.
    That first spring after we got married LV came into the house one day with a freshly picked bouquet that included the flowers from the umbrella plant.
    I was absolutely delighted with it.
    Every spring after that as long as we had access to umbrella plants he would present me with another bouquet. I loved each and every one of them.
    Currently the hill behind the house is covered in half grown umbrella plants. And after 25+ years of having an annual bouquet, I'm thinking it's fait to assume that before too long I will be getting another one.

T ~ Teachers

     School was an overwhelming new thing to me. Those first few days felt confusing and all I wanted was to be at home with Mom and my brothers. The kindness of teacher Lydia soon helped me get adjusted and I actually learned to look forward to going to school.
    Unfortunately after only six weeks something happened that made that she had to go home. It was out of state which meant a new teacher had to be found.
    Ruth was her replacement. She was a scary teacher, a bully with a temper. There are quite a few stories I could share of the happenings in our little one room school while she was in charge. She expected a lot from us and didn't hesitate to use a whip if we didn't measure up to what she thought we could do.
    Most of the time my lessons weren't too difficult, but then she decided first graders also needed to do memory work and assigned long German hymns to be memorized. I was fluent in Pennsylvania Dutch, I had just learned to read and write in English, but German? It was too much. I hardly understood anything. With Mom's gentle coaching I got it memorized and recited perfectly while still having zero idea what I was saying.
    All these years later I can still recite the entire hymn, but even now I had to have a number of the words of the first two lines translated in order to know what it says.
     Demut ist die schönste Tugend,
        Aller Christen Ruhm und Ehr
        Humility is the most beautiful virtue,
        The glory and honor of all Christians
    At the end of that school year Ruth was asked to not teach another year. The community was having other problems as well, so everyone homeschooled until they could move midway through the school year.
    It was toward the end of second grade when we moved and I was introduced to teacher Hannah. I loved her. She also expected a lot from us, but in a kind and encouraging manner. We thrived with her for the next three years at which point she transferred to a different school.
    Our next teacher was lovely, but much more lenient. My learning suffered a lot that year. She only taught one year and then got married.
    Enter teacher Sadie. She had lots of ideas on how to make school fun, that we didn't appreciate as much as we should have. She was a stickler for perfect penmanship and I chafed under her constant correction with her dreaded red pen. I really appreciate it now though. It was thanks to her that my penmanship improved greatly.
    Her weakness was grammar, language arts, english, or what ever you want to call it. It was so bad that the entire school was failing and finally the bishop himself convinced Mom to step in and teach that class for all eight grades.
    Having her come in to teach became the highlight for all of us students that year,
    Sadie taught for two years and then moved on to a special ed school. 
    My eight grades were over with six different teachers having had a hand in my education. I have fond memories of five of them. Ruth, however should not have been allowed to work with children.

S ~ Soup

     The Amish community my Dad grew up in had its own quirks. One of which was that instead of serving "church" peanut butter for lunch after church services they served bean soup and half moon pie filled with an apple filling.
    The soup consisted of beans, similar to navy beans but a bit bigger and meatier, torn chunks of bread, milk, and lots of black pepper.
    It was served by placing big bowls on the makeshift tables and everyone ate out of the bowl nearest them. Most tried  to keep to their side, but all that double dipping was still a bit much for those with weaker stomachs. 
    My Dad never talked about it without sharing the revulsion he felt when faced with eating that soup. He chose to skip the soup, eating only his allotted half moon pie, and go home hungry every Sunday.
    Because of his aversion to the whole ordeal Mom never made bean soup for us.
    So it was quite unexpected when I became pregnant with our first child and I craved bean soup even though I had never even tasted it before.
    I made some and enjoyed every bite.
    That craving ran its course and I haven't had bean soup since.

R ~ Raindrops

    I love raindrops on flowers and plants.
    I will often run outside after a rain to take pictures.
    My favorite is when the roses are blooming. I like roses at anytime, but there's some extra special when they have a lot of raindrops clinging to their petals.
    

Q ~ Quilt Frame

     The first winter after we got married I was gifted a quilt frame. I soon put it to use and for several weeks worked on quilting a Broken Star quilt that I had pieced the previous winter.
    After that quilt was done I tucked the frame into the attic where it remained until we moved to Missouri.
   It found a spot in our storage building. With three little children to care for, quilting was the last thing on my mind.
    After two years at that house we moved to another one in the same community where once again I didn't even think about quilting.
    When we moved halfway across the country to our current home fifteen years ago the quilt frame didn't make it. There were different times when I would have liked to to set it up and do a quilt or two with the girls.
    I puzzled about what happened with it for years. How did it simply just disappear?
    Last week I was talking about things that have been damaged during our moves and the mystery of the missing quilt frame when all of a sudden a memory popped up and I realized exactly what had happened with it.
    When we had moved to our second home in Missouri I had tried to find a spot for it. There was no room in the house, and we didn't have a storage building. I came up with the brilliant idea to put it in the crawl space under the house. It wasn't an ideal space at all, but the dirt was covered in gravel and I thought it would be fine. Unfortunately I never thought of it again, and somehow forgot where I had put it until now.
    I wonder if it has been discovered by the current owner and if they threw it away.
    I regret it was left behind, but at least I finally solved that mystery.

P ~ Phase 10

     Twenty some years ago LV introduced me to the game of Phase 10.

    I had been invited to his house to meet some of his cousins. My brother John gave me a ride to his house and as I was walking across the yard someone came out to meet me and said, "The cousin LV really wanted you to meet didn't come after all so you don't have to stay."

    I looked in dismay at the back of John's buggy that was rapidly clattering down the driveway, and wondered if I could catch him if I ran fast, or if not I could slink through the woods and go back home.

    "You can come on in, since he has left already," the person said and led the way to the house. As I stepped inside, the screen door closed faster than anticipated and neatly swiped the shoe right off my foot leaving it plopped outside on the porch, with me and my other shoe inside.

    The conversation that had been going at high tilt slowed and stopped as everyone watched LV's girlfriend try to get that offending shoe back on her foot where it belonged.

    Thankfully at this point LV realized I was there and came to my rescue. We headed upstairs where a group of his cousins were preparing to play Phase 10. He explained the rules to me and we proceeded to play. The game was fun, even though I lost spectacularly, and the day that started off so awkwardly had become much more enjoyable.

    Through the years since that day we have played Phase 10 hundreds and hundreds of times. I've lost a good 95% of the time, but somehow I always enjoy it.

O ~ Oops

     Oops is such a great little word that fits nicely for a lot of things happening lately.

    Such as forgetting I have to make an "O" blog post until a few hours later than I would have liked. Oops
    
    Or yesterday when I missed my exit because I was happily driving along thinking about all sorts of things when I realized, oops, my exit is behind me.

    Also yesterday, Steven found a small pretty whitish rock with red strips and speckles on the frozen ground when we were out walking. He picked it up and put it in his pocket. An hour later he reached into his pocket and a funny look crossed his face. "Um - Mom - my rock is sticky. He drew it out and no longer being frozen it was apparent that the rock was actually one of those pillow shaped peppermint candies. Oops.

    Carrying a plate with stuffed eggs, apparently not steady enough because the next thing I know several slid off and plopped on the floor. Oops.

N ~ Nine Patch

     I was six years old when I received my first sewing machine. It was an old fashioned Singer treadle machine.
    I immediately wanted to learn how to sew. 
    Mom gave me fabric scraps and I started sewing with no real plan of making anything. The joy of seeing those rows of stitches run across fabric was enough.
    It didn't take long for me to get the treadling part of sewing figured out, and once Mom realized that she created a 2"x 2"  square cardboard pattern, gave me access to her good stash of fabric scraps, and got me started on making nine patch quilt blocks. 
    I spent hours and hours happily cutting out squares and then sewing them together to make the blocks.
    Those blocks eventually got turned into a quilt that we still use today.
    

M ~ Money

     Being a single woman when you're Amish is a life of hardship, especially when it comes to earning money.
    The options available to earn money are limited.
    Being a teacher was your best option, but there weren't that many positions available and even if you were able to get one, the money you could earn was pitiful. Nine dollars a day was what you could earn at the time when I was a substitute teacher. They have since raised it to eleven dollars a day, but that is still nowhere near enough.
    If you weren't fortunate enough to be able to secure a teaching job another popular option was to be a mother's helper for the six weeks after a baby was born. Taking care of the house, meals, garden, canning, children, and often any other accumulated tasks the mother put off until this time. The mother got to rest and enjoy her newborn for those six weeks while the girl worked from early morning to late night for the paltry sum of five dollars a day.
    Quilting was an option for some if their living quarters had room for a quilt frame.
    Some were able to work at greenhouses in the spring.
    But nothing ever paid well. Girls simply didn't "need" money.

    Not all Amish communities are the same. This was how it was in the community we lived in. 
    

L ~ Letters

    Circle letters were an important part of our lives when we were Amish. I was in a number of different ones and my Mom in I have no idea how many different ones.
    A circle letter consisted of on average ten people. The address sheet contained the names, birthdates, and addresses of all those participating in the letter. The first person on the address sheet would write a letter, mail it to the second person who would read the letter then write one and send both letters on to person number three. By the time it reached person ten the circle letter was officially started. Person ten would then write a letter and send the entire packet of letters back to person number one who would remove the original letter she/he wrote, write a new letter and continue it on its rounds with each person removing their old letter and writing a new one.
    Mom kept all the letters she wrote. I'm so glad she did! 
    The past few evenings I have been reading some of the letters she had written. They're all interesting to me, but my favorites are the ones she wrote for her circle letter that included only her mom and sisters. She was much more open and less restrained in those as she wrote of everything going on in her life. Of settling into a new home in a different community and all the challenges that involved. Of the day to day antics of her children and her thoughts and feelings on a multitude of things.
    

    This one amused me as she detailed her day juggling canning peaches, getting laundry done with my less than enthusiastic eight year old help, and rescuing a goat stuck in a woven fence.

K ~ Knock Knocks

     When Steven was but a wee lad he was introduced to knock-knock jokes and immediately latched on to them.
    What followed was a period of truly dreadful jokes we all suffered through. They made zero sense, but he loved them.
    At some point I grabbed a pen and would jot them down, thinking that someday once he's older he can read them and see what we had endured.
    I found those jokes again last year and read some of them to him. He was properly unimpressed, but I quite enjoyed them this time around. Somehow time took the mind-numbing tedium from them and left only the sweet memory behind of a little boy inventing his jokes.
    I have decided to compile them into a book and try my hand at illustrating each one. 

    Here's an example of one of the "jokes"

    Knock knock
    Who's there?
    Grasshopper
    Grasshopper who?
    Grasshopper door.

    The joke makes zero sense, but drawing a little scene involving a grasshopper door is going to be fun.

    I may have to decide whether to give him the completed book for Christmas or keep if for myself.

J ~ Jams & Jellies

    There's something satisfying about making jams and jellies. My favorite is strawberry, with quite a few other fruits tying for the second place spot.
    Several years ago Steven found a recipe for dandelion jelly that he wanted me to help him make. And our journey into floral jellies was started.
    

    It turns out dandelion jelly is actually really great. It tastes a bit like honey. If words other than actual flavors can be used to describe the taste I would say it tastes like sunshine and happiness.

    I have used lavender. A good way to describe it would be that it holds a bit of mysterious intrigue, a touch of aloofness, but it's overall pleasant.   

    Last summer I made violet jelly. It was a fun process. The tea I made with freshly picked violet blossoms was at first blue, but when I added a few tablespoons of lemon juice it turned into a vibrant pink. 

    Violet jelly is delightful. I would describe the flavor as shy but wistfully charming.

    Fruity jams and jellies are my favorite, but floral jellies are a lovely change every once in a while. That is, all except forsythia. I tried using forsythia last summer, but as it turns out - it tastes of despair and bitter betrayal

I ~ Ice Cream Empire

    Playing games is part of our daily life. Not only do we enjoy it, but we have found that they often aid in learning more effortlessly.
    For an example, the game Ice Cream Empire.

    It was a game that used to get quite a lot of table time when Steven was younger. He loved the little trucks that were used as tokens to drive around the gameboard hauling the ice cream chips on the back as we bought and sold ice cream and built our chains of stores across the states.

    He thought it was all great fun, while the teacher part of me smiled at the learning that was unwittingly happening.
    The game board had all the states labeled, and as he was building his chains of stores he was also learning the names and locations of the states.

.

    As he bought and sold ice cream he was doing math.

    Though not heavy on the strategic side of games there were critical thinking skills involved in decision making.
    There are two superficial things I really don't like about this game. The first is the artwork on the cover. It looks very unprofessional to me and always makes me cringe just a bit when I see it. The second, the cursive writing. As someone who has taught our children to write in cursive and the care that went into their daily penmanship, the poor display of spacing, slant, and letter formation bugs me a lot.
    

Would I recommend this game? Yes, as far as a fun family game goes it is a decent choice. While not in our top ten list of games, I'm still glad it's part of our collection.

H ~ Handkerchiefs

    Pretty handkerchiefs were treasured among Amish girls. There were no rules pertaining to them unlike almost every other aspect of our life. They provided a tiny bit of self expression which was a welcome change. 

    Both boy and girl toddlers often had handkerchiefs with fun designs. My brothers each had several with various barnyard scenes, while I had one with bunnies. 

    I was probably three or so when I traded that one in for something more grown-up when my Grandma Swarey gave me my first real Sunday handkerchief. Up until then I would play with Mom's pretty handkerchiefs at church. To be able to tuck my very own grown up handkerchief in my pocket to take to church felt so special!
    On a side note, does anyone have any idea how to restore fabric that has developed spots from being stored? It looks a lot like foxing in old books. I'd love to take care of it if possible.

    It wasn't too long after my first pretty handkerchief that I received the one I used to play with and fold into things while I sat next to Mom during the three hour long church services.  

    It was used to make a "mouse". It was always satisfying to create it, but even more satisfying to pull its tail and have it turn back into my handkerchief ready to be made into a mouse again. 
    Unlike the twin babies in a cradle that I used to fold it into and rock and play with for a while, there really wasn't much to do with a mouse other than give it to my baby brother and let him pull the tail to undo it, and then make another one for him to repeat the process.

Example of the twin babies in a cradle.

    On my tenth birthday I received another handkerchief. That Sunday I carefully tucked it into the pocket of my new "grown-up" style dress. I was now too old to play with a handkerchief in church and started sitting with the big girls instead of with Mom.
    I had no reason to use  my handkerchief that day, but the knowledge of it being in my pocket felt good. 

    I had quite a collection of handkerchiefs by this time, and I always enjoyed choosing just the right one before leaving for church. 
    Mom encouraged me to save my prettiest ones until I turned sixteen and joined the youth. I was glad I had and by then I started matching the color of my handkerchief to the dress I was wearing. Except when I wore black, then I always paired a pink handkerchief with it. 

    Unlike some of my cousins who lived in different communities where the youth girls would fold their pretty handkerchiefs in quarters and pin them to the outside of their pockets where they could be seen through the lightweight while organdy aprons they wore, mine were always tucked into my pocket because our aprons were all heavy weight enough nothing would have shown through.

    

    The last time I recall choosing my handkerchief with special care was on our wedding day. Having a blue wedding dress of course needed a blue handkerchief to go with it.