How the Squashes Arrived!

Just the other day we walked down the street and bought some pumpkins and squash. As we walked back Yip started telling an elaborate squash/pumpkin story. Once we got home I took pictures while he posed the pumpkins, then we printed them off into a little book and he wrote his story down. I've NEVER seen him sit so long to write before! So I thought I'd share his story with you today; How the Squashes Arrived! 

Once upon a time there was a pumpkin. But he was not always a pumpkin!

Then there was a big pumpkin. He came along. He was walking and then he tripped and fell on the little pumpkin! 

The little pumpkin was squash! The gig guy was asleep. The little pumpkin could not move! He was sad, very sad. 

The little pumpkin grew warts. He still could not move! And the big pumpkin was still asleep. He was small now. 

Then the big pumpkin woke up and walked away. The little pumpkin was now a squash. That how squashes arrived! 

Painted Fall Leaf Curtains with Stencils

Fall is here!! Seriously, fall is my favorite season. 

The cool weather perfect for jeans and a sweater. Football games and piles of leaves to jump in.

Except we don't have leaves in Kansas. Why?

Well, first there just aren't that many trees in Kansas to begin with. 

Second, a lot of trees in our town are evergreen cedar. The are hardy trees but aren't the prettiest to look at. 

Third, if you are lucky enough to have a deciduous tree in your Kansas yard and you do have beautiful leaves falling down...well, put away that rake because the leaves don't stay in the yard long. The wind ALWAYS blows them away to parts far away. 

*sigh*

I REALLY miss fall leaves. Really. 

I've asked me family in Indiana to send me leaves in the mail.

I think they think I'm joking. 

I'm NOT! 

Fine, if my family doesn't love me enough to send leaves, I'll just have to make my own. 

See! Now the fall leaves are falling all day long outside my window!! 

A friend of mine had given me a huge roll of paper, the kind that schools use, and I cut it to fit my odd shaped windows. 

I Googled leaf template and printed a few pages, laminated and cut the leaf shapes that I liked. If you look at the top of that picture you can see my dauber. I took an old towel and cut off a square and wadded it up into, well the shape it is, took duct tape around the top and used it to paint over the stencils..it worked perfectly! 

I did a layer in oranges, yellows and reds then I let those colors dry. Later I came in and stenciled again with greens and browns slightly overlapping the other leaves. I am sooo happy with how it turned out! I love that big window but I hate blocking the light with curtains. Of course I can't leave it uncovered completely, people might see me walking around naked in my house (kidding!!) 

I love curtains that aren't curtains!! 

Sunday Devotions - Body Splendor!!!!

Let me just start off by saying that this post is probably one of the hardest I've ever written. The thought of sharing this subject with you has caused me a lot of anxiety. I'm literally biting my nails off as I write this. Why?? Well, I'm about to share a few photos of myself...in a sports bra. Showing my pregnancy stretch marks...from twins...and a c-section. (I wouldn't blame you at all if you ran screaming from this site right now.) 

Okay though, let's back up. Why exactly am I sharing a post of my half naked body with you on a SUNDAY DEVOTION? It's kind of a long story so let's start at the beginning. 

I've always been athletic. All through high school and college I played sports. After college I continued running and lifting weights and started doing some yoga. I never worked out or exercised because I was trying to attain the "perfect body" or anything. I just really enjoy how my body feels after I exercise. But any girl who spends a decade playing on sports teams spends their fair share in a locker room with other girls. It's no surprise I have a few hang ups about how my body looks. It sure hasn't helped either that my stomach has gone through some trauma. My first pregnancy I carried twins full term (and gained 60 pounds) and my second ended with an emergency c-section. Fun scars abound!! 

Earlier in the year I found a website that I have absolutely fell in love with, Bodyrock. A few times a week the Bodyrock site posts 12 minute workouts (alternating rounds of 50 seconds work, 10 seconds rest) along with a video on how to do each move. Twelve minutes may not sound like a lot but these workouts are HARD!! I'm always sweating like a pig when I'm done and there's lots of times I can't make it through an exercise without a break. It's awesome that the workouts are only 12 minutes too, no excuses! Bodyrock encourages those working out with them to take a photo of themselves once a month or so to really see the difference Bodyrocking can make. Some Bodyrockers even end up sharing those photos on Facebook as inspiration for others. 

I'd thought about sharing my photos but couldn't bear the thought of showing my stretched out stomach to 50,000+ Facebook followers! AAACCCKKK!! 

But I have taken photos along the way. This is me on May 1st, 2012. I am so insecure I couldn't even bear to get my head in the image! 

So back to Bodyrock. One of the hosts, who does AWESOME workouts by the way, has shared a couple of plastic surgeries that she's had on the site; a breast enhancement and a nose job. And she's caught a lot of criticism for doing so. Lots of people say she was beautiful to begin with and she didn't need to get the plastic surgeries and that now that she's had two she won't be able to stop. I had to agree, she didn't need that work done. She had an awesome body...BUT I also thought it shared a LOT of courage a bravery to share her insecurities with others . After that I got to thinking a bit more of sharing my photos but STILL couldn't bear to do so. 

Until I was reading my Bible this week and came across this passage; 

^{1 Corinthians 15:38-44}  But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.  Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another.  There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor. So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

God created my body in splendor!! He created it to do wonderful things. I had 3 babies and dang, those stretch marks are a sign of the strength my body had while bringing life into this world! Okay, can you just say "WOW". God doesn't create mistakes. He gave me this body for a specific purpose, he created stretch marks for a reason too, and who am I to question that he's made a mistake. According to God my body is grand! Why shouldn't I be proud of it?

So here's me after about 5 months of Bodyrocking on October 4, 2012

There's not a huge change but I can certainly tell a difference in my love handles and I DEFINITELY feel stronger with more energy. It's amazing the workouts I can do now, with no problems, that I couldn't do 5 months ago. It's also amazing how much more energy I have to spend on my family! 

Look, I have a head in this one!! Ha, ha! 

The previous photos were really hard for me to share on my blog. (All my fingernails are gone now!) But the next image is by far the hardest to share. 

My Twin Skin.

Yep that's my belly. Gross isn't it? 

No, no it's NOT GROSS. (I have to keep reminding myself of that!)

My stretched out tummy did wonderful things, it brought three glorious children into this world. God is more than happy with how I look and I should be too. 

In this world we get so wrapped up in how we look that we forget that this earthly body is fleeting. This will not be the body we inhabit in heaven, that body will be glorious! But this earthly body and earthly life and world holds its own splendor. God doesn't make mistakes, we don't need to "fix" anything he's created. 

Embrace it. Be proud. Our bodies, our lives are gifts. If we feel the need to strive for a "perfect" body though the earthly one shouldn't be our focus. Rather we should strive for perfection in spirit. 

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for the strength of my body. Thank You for stretching out my tummy because it reminds me of just how glorious this earthly body You created is!! It can do fabulous things! Help me find perfection in spirit and not worry about this short lived earthly body. There are definitely more important things to worry about than that. Amen! 

Yahoo's Preschool at Home

Yahoo is 3 1/2 years old. Where did the time go? It feels like just yesterday Yip and Yap were 3 1/2! 

When the boys were 3 years old, and we lived in Illinois, I took them to an hour and a half "preschool" at the local high school two days a week. The program was through the home economics department, there was one teenager per child and basically it was giving these high school students hands on experience with young children. They had a big playroom, they provided a snack and usually the kids did some sort of fun art project with a teenage helper. 

The boys spent their next two years, still in Illinois, in a more formal preschool in the next town. Twice a week they spent the mornings at preschool in a nearby town while I ran errands. We moved to Kansas right before they started kindergarten. 

Out here in Kansas, where towns of any size are few and far between, Yahoo doesn't have the preschool options that the boys do. A lot of people have asked me if she's in preschool this year. But no, she's not. 

There is a preschool in our little town. Preschool is five mornings a week but they have to be 4 years old to attend. I sure wish she could go to preschool, she has so much energy that it really needs to be focused on something. 

We did look into going to Dodge City twice a week for a preschool, but it was just too far away to justify driving there so often (besides the days we drive there for football games.) 

I decided to have preschool at home this year. Now, I'm not an expert on kids of this age by any stretch of the imagination BUT I have subbed a LOT in the local preschool so I've stolen lots of ideas from there. 

Most days Yahoo and I have the same morning routine. 

We do our calendar and add another day everyday. We count the numbers and work on number recognition. We have pictures so she has an idea of what is planned for certain days; Sunday is for church, Thursday is for Library, Saturday is for football, etc. And we add special days on the calendar too, like birthdays or days that I'm going to be substitute teaching. 

We sing the days of the week song to the tune of the Addams Family theme song. 

Then we sing the Months of the Year Macarena

I laminated Yahoo's name (Leola) and she practices signing her name with a dry erase marker. Then she's in charge of marking what the weather is doing on her chart. Hmmmm....it's windy in Kansas??? I never would have guessed! 

Do you remember the Letter People? I remember this curriculum when I was in kindergarten and Yahoo loves to point to the letters and say the sounds but her favorite thing to do is watch this Letter People video! 

Some days she dresses Jesse the Weather Bear. 

Today he stood naked though, poor guy, it was only 65 degrees out! 

I bet he was freezing! 

I usually try to have some sort of activity to do with her. 

Some days we sit and count, make patterns with beads, go on a shape or color hunt. Today we made a fall tree. 

And then there are some days we don't do anything. Because after all she's three and sometimes she's just not in the mood which is fine with me. It's hard having your mom as a teacher I'm sure. 

It would be nice to have a preschool nearby but we're doing to best we can out here on the prairie. Besides, I can find just about anything I need on the Internet! 

Anyone have any great activity that Yahoo might enjoy? 

Foody Friday - DIY Starbucks Mocha Frappuccinos

Lately DR has been addicted to drinking Starbucks Frappuccinos. Harvest is usually a time when he hits the caffeine hot and heavy considering all the hours he's working. He's not a big coffee drinker and soda has been giving him heartburn this year. So he's switched to Frapp's and he goes through em' like crazy! 

 I LOVE em' too! They are sooo good! He brought home all these empty bottles from work the other day. I hated throwing them in the recycling and buying more from the grocery store. A four pack costs $5.50 after all. "Maybe I could find a recipe that's close." I wondered. 

And I DID!! 

I searched Pinterest and found this recipe. This blog has great photos to go along with making the Frappuccino too. Check it out. 

I thought there might be a bit of a difference in taste but there wasn't! It tasted just like the stuff I bought at the grocery! 

Here's the recipe; 

Mocha Frappuccino

1 1/2 cups strong brewed coffee*

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa 

1 teaspoon ascorbic acid** 

6 cups whole milk OR 6 cups low-fat milk + 1 Tablespoon pectin***

* Regular coffee can be used. If you’d like the exact taste of the bottled version, Starbuck’s Espresso Roast gives that taste. Brew 2 cups of cold water with 1/4 cup espresso coffee grounds.

** Ascorbic acid is added originally as a preservative, but it does add that hint of flavor. It does not need to be used.

*** Pectin is used in low-fat milk to thicken it. If you use whole milk or raw milk, or if you just don’t want to, pectin does not need to be used.

I didn't use the fancy Starbucks coffee or the Ascorbic acid or the Pectin and it tasted just fine to me! 

But I'll have to see if DR notices the difference! I'm going to encourage a little white lie and let him THINK I bought it at the store. We'll see what he says! 

Paper Collage Owl

My maiden name is Wise. I grew up just down the road from my Grandma Wise and, needless to say, was at her house a lot. Grandma had LOTS of owls in her house. 

Not REAL owls but a lot of little collectible owls or pictures of owls or owl calendars and the like. Because of her last name, WISE, people just gave Grandma a lot of WISE OLD OWLS. Personally I've never liked owls...probably because of all the ugly ones Grandma had growing up. 

So, imagine my surprise when I was inspired to paint an owl. 

Actually I didn't paint the owl, I painted several large sheets of papers a variety of colors and textures. Then I cut out each shape of the owl and glued it down to a black matte board. 

Then I cam back through with a black Sharpie marker and colored pencils and enhanced and added some details. 

I like the way the feathers aren't laying down. 

So now I'm done with this owl and while I like the technique and effect, I can't possibly hang it in my house. I just down like owls...though I am attracted to the circles of his eyes and repetition of feathers. Maybe I just need to do another bird....one less owlish! 

It's been a while....

Whoa. It's been a while since I've posted. It's not often that a whole week goes by without me blogging about something. But then again it's harvest time. Translation: I'm a harvest widow.

Corn harvest has been in full swing in SW Kansas for the last three weeks. We've had a little rain during harvest but not enough to slow down the combines in the fields. DR has been working from 7 am to 10 pm. Occasionally he's even had to spend the night at work. The kids and I get to kiss him goodbye in the mornings and that's about all we see him these days.

A couple times a week we'll take a crockpot dinner to the grain elevator for DR and everyone else working crazy hours. The kids love going to the elevator because they can raid the candy bucket and watch the scale girls probe the trucks.

I've had photos to go along with harvest before but I've learned it's against company policy for people like me to be taking photos of the elevator. Since I'd kind of like my husband to keep his job I'm posting sans photos:) 

Normally I'd spend my lonely evenings catching up on blogging. However I've found myself watching Netflix and watching episodes of The 70's Show. Sometimes it's hard to find something interesting to blog about. But this fall I've found I just don't have the time to blog. I'm a harvest widow which means I'm reminded once again of all the wonderful little things my husband does in our home. From working in the garden to mowing the lawn. From folding clothes to taking out the trash. It's amazing how many chores I have to remember to do when DR is in the throes of harvest.

Last week was an especially long week for us though. Normally I don't substitute teach more than a couple days a week but last week I subbed one day and subbed at our town library for three days while our librarian was dealing with a family emergency. It was great because I could bring Yahoo with me but it really messed up our schedule and routine last week. Long nights, rushed homework, tired Mom.

I don't think I could be a librarian full time though. All. Those. Books. I was drooling. Libraries are like a double edged sword though; you have all those wonderful books just begging to be read but as a librarian you can't just sit and read all day..there is actual work to do!! It was fun for few days though :)

Hopefully I'll get back into a groove soon. Harvest getting over would help that. I can't complain though. A harvest lasting a month is heaven. I remember a few years ago in Illinois where a harvest lasted for three months....it was awful!

How's your harvest coming along?