Fall-Beware-This post has lots of cute pix!

This Fall has been busy so far. Did we miss it? It is already snowing. Well I least we got some pictures of classic fall activities! I will do another post soon!

At Grandma and Grandpa's house we raked a big leaf pile. There was a tree stump that was perfect for a photo opportunity.

We went to the Apple Orchard with the Mom's club. Joey will be going again with his preschool. What fun! I posted this first picture because if you look closely you can see how hard Joey is laughing. He was having the most fun on this bumpy ride! The second picture, Charlie is in mid-sneeze! I love to capture a sneeze. (Only digitally.)

The boys in the leaves. We raked a pile of leaves in our yard. They would hide their toys and then dig to find them. Out on the sidewalk I raked the leaves from the boulevard onto the sidewalk and Joey would ride his bike superfast though the pile. He would get stuck sometimes!

Face painting. Joey discovered Mamies face paint. We painted away. I drew a mustache on Joey. Joey made this sophisticated look on his face because he had a mustache. Where did he learn about that? When I told him to say "Do you have an Grey Poupon?" he laughed so hard!!!

Joey also had the opportunity to take the dog for a walk. Zoey is a small dog, so Joey is able to walk her on her leash without getting his arm ripped off. Joey was so cute! He took Zoey out in the woods on the path while I watched from the front steps. Every time the leash got tangled, Joey figured out how to untangle it. Joey is a little man!!!

Attempting some green clean up

Along with composting, I have been trying to add more things green around here. First I wanted to try homemade cleaning products. So far I have made some dishwasher detergent that works great! See the recipe on the picture. Just use a tablespoon in each load. What a great way to save money too! I have also starting buying Soy candles-as they release less toxins in the air.

To get some ideas, I looked through the book Green Your Clean Up, by Jill Schoff. I rented it from the library-but I am thinking about buying it. It has lots of good information, but I am not going to go buy a $3,000 vacuum cleaner.

I am not for throwing away perfectly good cleaning supplies-green or not green-just to try a new one. So I still have some windex, toilet cleaners, and other spray cleaning supplies that I want to use up before I replace them. I plan on mixing my own window cleaner using vinegar. For toilet cleaner? I learned from the Flylady (http://www.flylady.com/) that I can use any soap really. So I will be using a shampoo that we don't like. I will also use baking soda as a replacement for Comet. From Mother Nature's Foods, I found some essential oils. I will add these to the cleaners for a more pleasant smell. Another idea is to put a few drops of the oil on a paper towel along with some baking soda and place at the bottom of your trash can. I use the lemon oil. Adding some baking soda with a few drops of any oil into a dixie cup and putting anywhere that needs a little refreshing is a great idea too.

I am just trying to take one step at a time! I did have Charlie is some cloth diapers for awhile. I really liked it. He grew out of that size, and now I am still thinking about getting some more. I do at least 2 loads of laundry just about every day-so why not one more with just diapers? I purchased my diapers through Punkerdoops diapers. Amber is awesome! http://www.punkerdoopsdiapers.com/

So that is my green attempt around here!

Bedtime Prayers

Here is a video of Joey saying his bedtime prayer and bedtime poem!

Jet washed dog

We (me, Joey and Charlie) are staying at my mom's house to care for Grandma. My mom is out travelling for some speaking events.

So. I look outside after Joey was out there for about 4 minutes by himself. He was laughing. Out one window I could see that he was spraying the hose. I got a better look and I see him spraying Zoey with the hose. It was on the jet setting. Zoey was soaked and crying. I felt sooooo bad for her!!! I think Joey felt bad too. So Joey helped me dry her off with a towel. Joey also said sorry to Zoey with out me asking him to. Then he volunteered to roll the hose back up and he turned it off. I know he felt bad.

Just wanted to share what can happen when you turn your back for 4 minutes. It is also hard to hold back the laughter. ;)

Grandma was with a caregiver for some of the afternoon. We hung out in her room for awhile. I love to see her face when she is watching the boys. I see joy, love, and a special spark in her eyes. Joey said to (Great) Grandma that he is starting school. Grandma started talking like she was back in grade school. It was really neat! She was talking about getting a doll from Mable (?) doll collection yesterday. And she went to school and brought the doll with her. Some mean boy took the doll and smashed it on a desk. She was so upset that she just went home for the rest of the day. She lived just across the street from the school house she explained. Isn't that sweet? Right now she is drinking coffee, eating toast, and watching I Love Lucy.

Vegas Grandpa and Other visitors

This summer my Dad, Vegas Grandpa Mike, came to visit. We offered him the couch. But he insisted on sleeping in his truck in our driveway in the back yard. He drove here all the way from Vegas stopping and camping in his truck along the way. My Dad is sooooo cool! He brought a box of jewels for me! It was a shoebox full of jewelry from Grandma Karen. My dad worked at a casino in security. At times they are allowed to take from the lost and found box! So amongst Grandma Karen's jewelry was also some lost and found bling! And guess who found it now!! I had having a bunch of girls come over and they can "found" something lost too.

He also brought the boys Spiderman Tackle boxes! The boys loved them. What fun! We really reminded Vegas Grandpa what it is like to have toddlers around all day. I was also watching another little girl about Charlie's age-so it was busy to say the least! We went to the Chippewa Valley Museum http://www.cvmuseum.com/, Irvine Park Zoo http://www.irvineparkzoo.org/ and to Bridge Street Station restaurant in Chippewa. http://www.burgersandtrains.com/ I was so surprised when a "grandma" was talking with Joey and all of the sudden she taught him how to shoot spit balls through a straw! I was appalled! But I pretended it didn't bother me. I loved hanging out with Vegas Grandpa. Now for a trip to his place!!!

We also got to spend lots of time with my brother Alex. He is so inspiring to me. Alex will visit me at work and bring me coffee and chat. We talk some business and some goofy stuff too. He is also a camper. Currently he is living in southern CA at a family campground living in a van. (Down by the river?) This campground ROCKS!!! It has WIFI!!! So he can tweet and keep up with this blog all he wants! :) He pays $1 for a shower and cooks all his food over a camp fire! My brother is sooo cool!

I love dirt!

I have never been more excited about dirt! I can't wait for my kitchen scraps to turn into a pile of luscious nutrient rich dirt! I started a compost about 2 1/2 months ago. I know, a compost pile in the city? Well with some research I found out how. I took a plastic garbage can-about 12 gallon size-from my Mom's house. She was not using it and I asked her if I could have it. I did not just steal it. (not like the old days anyway, ha ha!) I drilled a bunch of holes in the can-which was sooo much fun! If you ever get a chance to drill holes into something-do it! It is a great feeling. I place the garbage can on about 4 bricks to allow circulation under the can. I added a 3" layer of dirt from my huge wood chip dirt pile. Then I started collecting my kitchen scraps. Charlie and Joey volunteered to be your "Vanna White".

One day I was planting a new bush and there were several earthworms in the dirt. I thought-hey I have a better home for you. And I gently placed them into the compost bin. I think they are in worm heaven. Joey and Charlie added their worm cousins to the bin. When the worms would wiggle Charlie would squeal with glee! They were in the fridge-leftover from a fishing day. I would say that these worms have been saved from the mouths of fish!

My favorite thing to compost? Oh, it's so hard to choose. Hmmm...I love putting egg shells into the compost. It gives me an excuse to crush them a little bit. I also love putting in coffee grounds, vegetable peelings, and torn up egg cartons. I keep a large empty coffee can on my counter and it is filled up with scraps about once a day. After I put about 3" of kitchen scraps in the bin, I will add a 3" layer of shredded paper and then 3" of grass clippings or brush. Once in a while I will tip the bin over and roll it around a bit-to mix it all up.

So, I am hoping soon I will see all this "work" will pay off, and I will be rewarded with beautiful dirt. What to do in the winter, when the compost may freeze? I will have to do a bit of research on that.

Treasuring memories

"It's good to have an end to journey toward; but it's the journey that matters in the end". -Ursula K. LeGuin








Scanning in old photos of Jeff and his family has brought a smile to my face. In these pictures, Jeff is about the same age as our youngest. I wonder what it is like now, as Jeff's mom, to look back at these photos. Does she remember the sounds he made? Teaching him everything? The stages? Now as a grandma, do memories come flooding back? How will we remember these days?



















Four Generations!

Charlie looks just like his Daddy!








What memories are we making? The baby shower for our first baby. The sticky kisses. Eating a cherry picked with love by your toddler. (Even if you don't want it, you eat it anyway) Cuddling before bed. Reading just one more book. Just one more hug. Tractor rides. Homemade birthday cakes. Witnessing so many firsts. Through picture taking, filling out baby books, collecting scribbles and art projects, video taping, scrapbooking, digital backups, I think we do a pretty good job at recording these precious moments.

"Celebrate what you want to see more of." -Tom Peters

Jeff and his baby brother Randy!