Covid 4th of July

Maisie asked why I don't blog anymore.  She and her sister have spent countless hours reminiscing over stories and embarrassing photos on this blog.  The Boyd Babes page is apparently all the rage at the I-35 8th-grade lunch table. 

Well, I certainly can't let the fun stop there.

Where to start- how bout 4th of July weekend.  We were bummed to not attend the Green pond festivities but we didn't think Covid was invited to the party.  So we crashed in on Denny and Cindy instead.  Mike was naturally feeling some symptoms, but our other Covid patient was good-as-new the entire time.  

Oh, sweet Maisie.

Having just returned from Alaska - and a week that brought plenty of other surprises- I was looking forward to a weekend of calm.  Maybe a couple bottle rockets and snaps, reading a few chapters in my book, pairing some smoked salmon I picked up at Costco with boxed wine, and catching up on some Dateline podcasts while I walked the dogs. 

Molly, on the other hand, wanted to make up for not going to the Pond Party by keeping us constantly busy.  Somehow we ended up at the Raccoon River beach twice.  This is where Maisie always confirms her attraction to non-white boys.  The water was cloudy, with spotty areas of foam, a cigarette butt, warm and cool spots, dogs, and a couple I questioned a conception may have been taking place.

But when the sun went down, we stood on our gravel road at the top of our drive in the darkness of a hot July night watching public firework displays erupt in the sky which seemed to reach across the counties, one dog at our feet with the other hiding in the garage basement completely terrified for his life as one of my daughters actually squatted and peed in the middle of the road during the show.

 We didn't get to celebrate at any big "parties" as many do over the holiday weekend, but the patio fires at Grandma and Papas, dog training, bug bites, sparklers, and a special "fountain firework" were our birthday gifts to America this year.

Maisie- can you make a normal face?

No, really.

Thanks.

Grandma teaching the girls how to 'waitress'

The smile I worked all weekend to see on her face.

Cutting the Stalk

Growing up I LOVED vegetables.  I was weird like that.  Brussels sprouts and asparagus were a few of my favorites.  I remember learning to trim asparagus from my mom.  I remember going to the patch of asparagus with a plastic grocery bag and paring knife, always being sure to cut at an angle under the dirt. When it was time to cook, I can still visualize the paring knife blade under her thumb as she taught me to 'feel when the stalk wants to cut easily'  Thats how you get the best asparagus texture.

We've reached that point with Mack.  He's applied to DMACC and was accepted this week. He and I looked at apartments and checked out the Business College.  

He's more than ready.  

In the words of a blogger I follow, "he's soiled the nest" and is ready for the next stage life has in store for him. 

I'm so, so happy and excited for him as I know he has the skills he needs to make his own life moving forward.

Tonight I taught Molly how to trim asparagus like my mom taught me. 

I couldn't help but recognize how quickly all my babes will be moving on... when they are ready and the stock cuts easily.

These are the days

She bawled the whole way to Des Moines because she had just done chores and couldn't resist the urge to hold the babies.  That left her smelling like a goat.  The smell was embedded into her pants and she couldn't think of anything worse.  Meanwhile, I typically look and smell like I crawled out of a dumpster on the weekends, but that didn't make her feel bet.  It was my usual look. She tried covering it up with perfume but didn't want to change her clothes because she'd be 'wasting' an outfit.  

I couldn't appreciate her practicalness more.  Seriously, what 11 year old thinks about 'wasting' an outfit?

3 sets of twin goats in a week.  

An entire month ahead of schedule.  

Leo clearly knew how to get the job done.  He snuck into the girl fence a couple of times before the breeding season started.  Since he basically ejaculated with each sneeze, it shouldn't surprise me he was so effective; yet disgusting, stinky, scary, and yeah... plain old gross.  He figured out how to open the gate with his horns- and goats are not smart.  Where there's a will, (or a horny goat) there's a way.

This whole goat thing has brought more to our lives than we anticipated.  The smells, reproduction conversations, live births, costs, illness, and life cycles.  One of the babies was born - as Molly called it "with special needs."  It couldn't walk, or therefore nurse.  It died within 24 hours and a heartbroken Molly felt a mix of emotions.  Mother Nature is full of ups and downs.

Our two does are sold, but we await the deposit of our remaining 3 bucklings... of course.  The gross ones.

Maisie went to the 8th-grade dance Friday after school.  She had just bought a trendy (aka- very short) dress and was feeling extra confident.  The next day she was asked to the dance by a student who does have special needs in 7th grade.  She didn't want to hurt his feelings, so she agreed to go with him. When I picked her up from the dance, her date was doing a handstand on the concrete floor against the brick wall of the cafeteria.  

I've been in the process of evaluating my career path.  

At one point I realized how awesome it is to be able to curl my girl's hair in my classroom before the middle school dance started.  

Not many moms get that privilege and it didn't go unnoticed by me. 

Molly has one more weekend of basketball before the end of the season. She participated in 2 seasons, which started out long and questionable, but she has improved SO much since October that the games are actually really fun to watch now.  Molly is so consistent, smart, and DEFENSIVE.  

I secretly love watching her get fouls on other girls ;)

These are the days I wondered if I'd ever get to. 

But here I am and I'm kinda lovin' it.

Finished Basements

We've been working on finishing a basement since we lived in Grimes.  

We didn't even consider the possibility in Granger.  That was the basement we questioned the radon levels and at one point called the fire department as we thought there was a carbon monoxide leak as Mike was nauseous.  After several fire trucks arrived with flashing lights and I stood on the cold on the front stoop with Baby Ross to get "fresh air" the carbon monoxide levels in the house were found to be safe.  Turns out Mike just had low blood sugar and needed to eat.    

Winterset wasn't really a basement-finishing-basement either with a huge crack in the floor, a mysterious 'cave' nobody seemed to know the purpose of, and a wall that leaked the smell of cat urine when the humidity was just right.

But when we built our house in St. Charles, the finished basement we always planned was included in the blueprints. 

It didn't happen as soon as we hoped, because what does? 

But it finally happened. 

And last night we had our first family game night in our finished basement.

(Ross was at a friends- but still).

We surprised the kids with big TV and Pool Table at Christmas.

Maisie cranking up the game/snack/drink table when Jasper was invited into the party.

and of course Molly loves clean-up duty.

My girl.

Cooking and Church Basements

I'm so glad my girls know how to cook and bake.  

Molly has perfected a recipe she found so she and Jayson can eat Snickerdoodle Bars for breakfast each morning during the school week.  

She mothers him pretty hard.

My Foods 2 Students struggled a bit as they learned to make soufflés this week.  I kept catching myself telling the high school students my 13 year old likes to make soufflés on Saturday mornings for fun and  that they are one of her favorite foods.

When my Culinary Arts students were prepping for their Friday Cafe, I explained that my 11 year old already washed and cut all the fruit to save them some time in class.  When she was preparing the strawberries for the parfaits, she stated, "These berries are bussin!"

One of the ingredients in the Snickerdoodle Bars in Nutmeg.  I always encourage my kids/students to smell spices as they use them.

Molly took a big whiff and and realized the spice smelled really familiar. 

We haven't been to church in years, let alone a church basement but it turns out Nutmeg smells a lot like an Old Church Basement.

Who Knew!

2022 and Snow

The first day of 2022 brought snow.  I helped Ross and his friend get bundled up for the cold.  Tracking down gloves, wrapping a scarf behind the head, keeping their pant legs from bunching up in snow pants and pulling them OVER the boots to keep the snow out.  It sorta took me back to when he was little. 

With his fur hat, I think he still looks the same as he did 10 years ago.  

The main difference is his best friend has a mustache. 

And not only did January 1st bring snow, it also brought snow crab to Grandma's house.

We celebrated January 1st with as many scissors/shears and bowls of butter we could find so 10 people could eat crab legs at the same time.  

Grandma busted out an old tub of toys she had been storing for Ross since he was little.  

The boxing ring was a hit.  Glass Coke bottles had also been stored for him, along with a yellow gummy bear, a cap gun of some sort, and lots of pieces of gum. 

She asked him before we left if she needed to continue to store the toy tub.

The answer was a definite Yes.

The days are certainly long, but little did I know how fast the years could fly.

Fall 2021 is Happening NOW

I feel like life keeps going faster and faster.  The whole saying, 'The days are long but the years are short' couldn't feel more true.  We didn't get to camp as much as we hoped over the summer, but snuck in 2 camping weekends this fall.  We decided we prefer Fall camping over Summer camping any day!  We love the crispness of the air, the crowning around the fire, sweatshirts and no need to bring ice!

However, fall does bring the mice. We've never had an issue with mice in the camper until our last trip.  

I noticed the turds earlier in the day, but hoped the mice had left since they had already eaten all the ketchup packets, coffee pods, and were resorting to the dish towels and carpet. 

However, arriving at our campsite, we discovered more evidence of mice pooping in the camper pantry.  We ended up at Bomgars for actual snap traps.  I'm beyond sick of the stupid sticky traps and poison bait.  We set a trap in the pantry and sat around the fire before bed.  

Sure enough when we walked into the camper, we had a dead mouse!  

Cheers, jumping and praises of hallelujah could be heard echoing from our camper walls.  Molly said it best, "no-one wanted to sleep in the camper with a rat!"

Poor Jay sleeps on the dinette with his pillow toward the pantry. He said it didn't bother him though.

But it didn't stop there.  We RESET the trap.  Once the camper was quiet and everyone was tucked in, we heard another snap.  

Mouse #2.

The trap was again, RESET.

I was just drifting off to sleep when I heard Mike say, "I knew it!"  

Sure enough, we caught 3 mice in the camper that night.  

He threw the first one in the fire- instant cremation. 

The second two he just tossed out the camper door.  This made for an interesting site as we woke and walked out of the camper in the morning.

It was chilly in the mornings and evenings which we loved.  We also noticed an "orb" seemed to be visiting us over the weekend?

The first night was just the 3 littles as Ross had to work and Mack wanted to go to the home football game.  The second brought the big boys, plus a friend.  This means we always reserve a tent spot, as well as an electric site.  Big family planning. 

Homework is in full swing and we are all in desperate need of some sort of fall break.  I wish we did trimesters, or 8 block, or just something less exhausting than what we do.  

But, nobody asks me.

Our 3rd round of the Great Plains Indians Biome in a shoebox happened this weekend.

She collected the grasses and leaves in her crocs.  

She's a little concerned the guy on the horse looks like he's shooting at the canoe- but I've assured her the trajectory is off and he is definitely going for the buffalo. 

Pumpkin carving happened before Jasper ate the pumpkins.  His nibble spots made the most perfect Jack-O-Lantern mouths ;)

Fall, I have a feeling you will be gone before we know it.  

It's been good.  

You are my favorite and I'll miss you.