Halloween Around Here

Around here nothing prevents Halloween from happening....not swine flu (like Dallin has)....or throw-ups (like Oakley had)....not anything!! Although, we were confined to our house for most of the week we still had alot of Halloween fun. We were lucky that the kids got sick on a short week at school so they didn't miss as much work, especially where one whole afternoon was just Halloween party. We had to forego things like the Halloween Carnival this year - which actually there wasn't a single tear shed over this...I was surprised, but I think the kids understand that it is the same year-after-year and we can just hit it next time it comes around.

These are my pride and joy. This is the first year EVER that I have actually grown a pumpkin. I attempted many other years, but this is the first year we succeeded. We were so excited to have so many - and I must admit that I think they are BEAUTIFUL. They are all nicely shaped and such pretty orange color (well, except for the two greenies!).

We had a night of fun pumpkin carving. Laiklie is sitting in front of Oakley's pumpkin...duh mom! Pay a little attention please when behind the camera!

These are our new fun Halloween gloves from Grandma Hawkins. Yes, Laiklie did get a pair, but trying to get her to actually wear them is a different story.

We were told with Dallin to keep him in for 7-10 days. So, we have been very obedient until yesterday. I decided that with trunk-or-treat being outside and Dallin not having to touch anyone that he could go. We didn't stay for the dinner afterwards, but the kids had a great time and filled their baskets. The picture doesn't show any of their costumes very well. Would somebody please send me a memo next year before Halloween reminding me to take the "family costume photo" with the kids standing up so you can actually see their costumes!! Oakley was Miss America - and a beautiful one I might add. You can't see her banner due to the pumpkin she was holding, but silver puff paint makes a great banner. Dallin decided to be Frankenstein after he saw the milk jug head I made. He looked SO STINKING CUTE! We got more comments about his costume than any others. Rhett changed his mind over and over and finally decided on Superman just minutes before it was time to leave. Laiklie and I went through the entire (I am talking big) dress-up box and this grass skirt was what she was willing to wear. I was pleased because it was a costume which was a step-up from last year.:) She was my cute little hula girl! We had a great Halloween and here is hoping you did too!!

What a day!!

4:30 am Up to give Dallin Motrin and put in a load of laundry (I couldn't go back to sleep - that is where the laundry came in.)
7:30 am Up again to get Oakley ready for school and out the door
8:15 am Shower
9:15 am first trip to the school to deliver stuffed ticket envelopes for Halloween Carnival
9:30 am Drop Rhett off at preschool
9:40 am Dallin to the doc - positive swine flu test off to the pharmacy
11:30 am finished running for tonights enrichment and pick-up Rhett from school
12 - 1:30 pm Inexpensive Christmas Ideas final details for tonights enrichment I am incharge of
2:00 pm back to school to deliver second round of ticket envelopes
2:40 pm finally found one H1N1 vaccine in Dubois that the lady is willing to hold until 4 O' Clock for Oakley
2:50 pm track down the bus mid-route to grab Oakley and sped fast as possible to Dubois
3:45 pm Oakley vaccinated for Swine Flu (I cried all the way to Dubois because this is such an answer to a prayer - my only other option was to stand in line all day tomorrow - leaving one boy with swine flu and two other kids with who knows who??)
4:00 pm ran to the school in Dubois to see my mom - I can't go to Dubois and not see my mom
5:25 pm back home to do relish plate and load car with enrichment stuff
6:30 pm to church set up and do enrichment
8:45 pm back home to put kids to be

Finally a break!! I am so glad today is over and that we got medicine for Dallin and Oakley so that hopefully he will feel better soon and Oakley won't get it. I am also counting my blessings that we were lucky enough to get the last of only 15 vaccinations that they did appointments for so there was no waiting in line. I am grateful that we had a great turn-out of ladies (30+) at the enrichment I was incharge of. It has been a very emotional day and I am ready for a day where I have NOTHING TO DO!!

Welcome to the Museum

This post is dedicated to my friend Hollie!

About a year ago when Hollie found out that we heat our house with a coal furnace she could not believe that people actually still in this day and age have coal furnaces...that people actually shovel coal into a fire to heat their house. She suggested opening my basement as a museum for tours.:) I promised her that I would blog about the coal furnace for all to learn and enjoy...without me having to clean the basement. I agree with Hollie that coal furnaces are as old as the hills. My sister's comment the first time she saw it was - "This really is old...like the olden days!" Yes, it really is old...like the olden days. It is the one thing (other than just one bathroom) that I really hate about this house. We have had to learn ALOT over the past 10 years about how to work and run a coal furnace. For instance...you can't adjust the thermostat. You set it at about 72 and sometimes you are smoldering hot and sometimes very chilly. We either open windows or grab some blankies...but we NEVER adjust the thermostat. Why you ask? Well...when you do it causes the coal furnace to back-up. What is back-up you ask? When extremely stinky, thick black smoke comes billowing out of every crack of the furnace. It can take a very long time to get the smell out of the house. The "furnace is backing-up" are the 3 most dreaded words in our house. So, how do we look at having a coal furnace (since we actually have zero other options where we live!) as a positive thing? We have heard over and over in our "How to be Prepared" class at church that coal is the very best way and is going to be the cheapest way to heat homes in the future. :) So...we really are just a step ahead of you - I guess infact that would make us...well...not a museum at all.

Here us how it works:

This is the truck delivering coal to the coal room.

I (yes -me...Ryan has a bad back remember) shovel the coal into a bucket and dump it into this. It is called the Hopper. I usually have to put 3-5 buckets full every night.

The hopper pushes the coal slowly into this - the main part of the furnace and after the coal burns it turns into clinkers that I get to take out every night also.

What is a clinker? These are clinkers! These are actually small clinkers because we have just started burning for the year...clinkers can get big and HEAVY!

So - there you go...all a little smarter!:)

Lovin' Fall

I LOVE this time of year....

I love that we all have our after summer glowing skin.

I love feeling like I have a whole new wardrobe when I get to pull out my jeans and sweaters.

I love eating hot food like baked potatoes and soup after a summer without.

I love the smell of the first fire of the season in the fireplace.

I love the smell of the cows - after a summer without them it is kind of a nice smell. (for a few minutes anyway!)

I love the excitement in the air as my children anticipate the holidays.

I love the time change when it starts to get dark at 5:30 - It makes my husband have to come home. There is not alot of farming you can do after dark.:)

I love the new baby calves we get in the Fall.

I love the start of all the traditions that come with the holidays. It always brings us closer as a family when we start all of our fun holiday traditions.

This is my kids and their Hawkins cousins painting the pumpkin at Grandma's house. It is usually the start of the holiday traditions! Yay for grandma!!

My Favorites of the day...

Rhett got to go help his dad haul cows this morning. It is the first time he got to go all alone since the big kids were at school. He looked SO BIG and SO CUTE out by the semi. It is images like these that I want always engraven upon my memory!!

I have to admit...

Today I am kind of depressed!! It was one year ago today that Ryan, the kids and I boarded the big airplane for our "Back East Vacation!" We got to visit everywhere from Nauvoo to Niagra Falls to Palmyra to D.C. to Hershey Park and Gettysburg. We spent 2 full weeks in and out of hotels and squished in our rental mini-van and we had SO MUCH FUN!!

I am really sad that we can't just pack-up-and-go every year! It was such a neat trip to be able to see so many church history sites. We were able to see where the Prophet Joseph started his life, where he saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, where he found the gold plates, where the Book of Mormon was first published and finally where the Prophet was murdered. We learned so much and grew from being able to experience it all. Our children had so much fun and were SO WELL BEHAVED! that both Ryan and I were amazed. We got to spend quality time with Great Grandpa and Grandma Romell that are serving a mission for the Lord. Our kids talk about this vacation and the things we saw constantly. We hear about Nauvoo from Rhett on a daily basis.

We loved our vacation and Ryan and I are counting down the days until we can go on another "Back East Vacation!"

A Much Needed Break

So, today is the start of our long 4 day weekend! WAHOO! YAY!! FABULOUS!! And any other exciting word I can think of!!! We are planning on going to my parents for a few days to spend time with family. Because it is General Conference this week I wanted to share a link I found with some different printable ideas for you and your kids. I printed a million for at my mom's house (she has ALOT of grandkids!) It is so nice to have something to keep them all entertained!:) I hope this is helpful to anyone looking for ideas. HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND AND IF IT IS AN EXTRA LONG ONE LIKE OURS SHOUT OUT A FEW EXCITING WORDS AT YOUR HOUSE TOO!!

http://alittletipsy.blogspot.com/2009/09/general-conference-activities-for-kids.html