Mutton Busted

Hello, all.  I thought I’d take a few minutes today to tell you about our exciting rodeo weekend. 

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of ours informed us of a local rodeo in which children were invited to try riding sheep.  Mutton busting they call it.  Years ago the Tool Man was a part-time cowboy, so he jumped at the opportunity to sign Lucy up for a wild ride.  Even though Lucy is 99% princess, she willingly accepted the challenge.  So last weekend our family, along with my mom and dad, headed out in the triple digit heat to watch our little cowgirl in action.

Here’s a breakdown of how the evening progressed.

We arrived at the rodeo grounds an hour before show time to get Lucy signed up.  While Lucy busied herself sucking down a grape slush, Dad pinned the number on her back.

Is this not the cutest little cowgirl you’ve ever seen?!  She was so anxious to ride, but we still had an hour to kill before the rodeo began.  I felt bad for Lucy having to wait so long in those dark, hot jeans, but such is the life of a cowgirl I guess.

Did I mention that it was 100 degrees?  And not a cloud nor shade in sight!  At the ticket booth there was a sign that said there would be no refunds in the event of a rain-out.  We joked that we should be so lucky.

Then we waited and waited.

And we sweat, and we waited.

For an hour we melted and waited.

Finally the time drew near for the rodeo to start, but just before show time something strange happened.  The wind started to blow, and the sky started to darken.  Here and there, we saw flashes of lightning.  It was at that point that I hopped off the metal bleachers and ushered the monkeys to the car.

Then the bottom fell out.

It rained and rained and rained.  A good old fashioned toad strangler.

It rained so much and so long that we decided to leave the rodeo grounds and go to dinner with my mom and dad.

About the time we finished our meal the rain let up.  It was nearly 8:30 at this point, so my mom and dad decided to call it a night, but we rode back over to the rodeo area to give it one more shot.

We made it back to the arena about five minutes before the rodeo got kicked off.  We tiptoed to the stands through the wet, squishy grass, carefully avoiding puddles that were deeper than the soles of our tennis shoes.  Luckily, we managed to find some plastic grocery sacks in my car, so we could sit on the bleachers without getting our bums wet.

After all the waiting, it was finally it was time for the show to start!  The rodeo drill team (who knew there was such a thing) opened things up by parading American flags around the arena on horseback.  Lucy and Tacy watched with wide eyes as the horses marched around in figure eights.

First on the program were the boys riding the young horses.  The muddy ground made for quite an interesting show.

After a good half hour of horse bucking, we heard the long-awaited call for the sheep riders to get in line.  Yay!  For an instant Lucy hesitated and flung her arms tightly around my neck, but she was easily convinced to go line up with Dad.

Lucy was about 12th in line for mutton busting.  Ty, Tacy, and I waited in the stands watching as children, one by one, fell off their sheep to their muddy demise. 

Moments before it was Lucy’s turn, I snuck behind the fence and snapped a picture of the happy cowgirl…

In retrospect, I think it was the mud that got to her.

Like I said earlier, she’s 99% princess, and about 30 seconds before her number was called, Lucy’s princess nature took over.  Wild horses couldn’t have drug Lucy onto one of those wet sheep.  She’s one of the most stubborn people I’ve ever known, and there was nothing the Tool Man or I could have said to convince Lucy to mount that sheep.

Trust me.

We tried.

It was a long, quiet ride home.  We pulled into our garage at 10:00 that night, wet, tired, and aggravated.  Nobody dared mention mutton busting.  In fact, it’s been two weeks since the rodeo, and we still don’t talk about it.  I’m sure this will be one of those tales that we will laugh about in the future, but we are not there yet.  Right now all we remember is how we paid good money to wait nearly 5 hours in the heat, humidity, lightning, and rain for a sheep ride that wasn’t.  Talk about anti-climatic!

Lindsey

Sew Much Fun

I don’t have to tell y’all how hot it’s been lately.  Scorching!

In heat like this it’s hard to kick the monkeys outside to play in the afternoons, so I’ve been trying to supply them with a few activities to keep them busy (and cool) inside the house.  And by activities, I mean something besides TV and video games.

Ty is usually content to play independently with his Legos, Zoobs, Gears or other building sets.  He has no problems entertaining himself, building all kinds of wacky contraptions from fishing poles to mini amusement parks.

Lucy on the other hand, is a high-maintenance, hands-on kind of girl.  She wants my full, complete, undivided attention at all times, so keeping her occupied is a challenge.

Recently Lucy has expressed quite a bit of interest in learning to sew.  {Insert my happy face here.}

I jumped at the opportunity to introduce Lucy to the world of sewing!  Last week we began our “lessons,” and Lucy is loving every minute of it.  I think I may have created a sewing monster.  She begs to work on projects every day.

The first skill we started with was sewing with a needle.  I found a neat sewing kit at Michaels for a DIY doll.  The kit included precut felt pieces with needle holes already punched in them –perfect for a beginner! 

Lucy worked with embroidery floss and a yarn needle which were easier for her little fingers to grasp than a typical needle and sewing thread.  Of course I had to help Lucy with threading the needle and knotting the string, but she quickly caught on to the rhythmic, in-and-out motion of using a needle. 

The doll project is taking a little longer than either one of us anticipated, but that hasn’t dimmed Lucy’s enthusiasm for sewing.  I’m proud of her for being patient with the process.  She hasn’t complained one time about being tired or bored, which indicates to me that she truly loves the craft.

Even though we are still working on the doll, I decided to go ahead and let Lucy begin working with the sewing machine.

She.  Loves.  It.

I‘m teaching her on the machine that I learned on about 12 years ago.  It’s a simple, no-bells-and-whistles machine with only straight and zigzag stiches.  Nothing fancy to confuse her.

The first thing we did was discuss some safety tips.  (Wouldn’t want anyone sewing her fingers together now, would we?)  Next I pointed out the main parts of the machine:  the presser foot, hand wheel, needle, bobbin, needle position switch, reverse lever, and foot pedal.  I decided not to teach her how to thread the machine yet. Instead I focused on teaching her to “drive” the machine.  A tip I read online was to let her begin by sewing on paper without using thread.  This worked great.  I drew lines on the paper (straight, curved, and zigzag) and let her practice following the lines.  The needle poked neat holes in the paper, so Lucy could easily see where she was going.

Lucy worked nearly an hour with the paper, practicing how to guide material, sew on curves, turn corners, regulate pedal speed, and reinforce stitches.  I really was surprised at how diligently she worked.  Once again I expected her to get bored with the project, but this little girl stuck with it.

It’s so much fun to be able to share my sewing hobby with Lucy.  This week I took her to the fabric store with me where she pranced all over the store, squealing with excitement at how cute every single bolt was.  I’m afraid I see a fabric addiction in her future. 

I hope to post some pictures of Lucy’s first completed projects soon.  She and I have both been busy sewing this week (which explains the reason why my house is such a wreck.)  I’ve been feeling the pressure to sew and embroider as much as possible before we start back to school.  I’ve finally had the foresight to work on fall outfits for the girls in advance, so that when the seasons do change I will already have some cute, new duds hanging in the closet for them.  Maybe I’ll share a fall fashion show with y’all in the near future.

Lindsey

A Frock for the Fourth

This is the blog post that almost wasn’t.

I’m finally getting to sit down to the computer after spilling 100% of my lunch in the middle of my living room rug, including a full glass of ice water, which shattered upon impact.  Grrrr.  And wouldn’t you know that after cleaning up the enormous mess and preparing myself a new lunch, I had to stop eating to change a stinky diaper.  So much for my “lunch break.”  Now you know why I was beginning to think I might never get around to blogging today.

OK.  Pity party over.  Time to move on to the topic of the day.

l Fun Fourth Frocks  l

I got the idea for this top from, you guessed it, Pinterest.  I knew Lucy would have a blast making this personalized patriotic shirt.  It was super easy to create and cost me less than $4.  Best of all, it’s truly one of a kind.

After washing and drying the shirt, I created a stencil for Lucy to paint the stripes.  I love using the freezer paper method for painting on fabric.  I won’t go into the details here, but if you are curious about the process just search online for a tutorial.

Lucy did a terrific job stenciling the stripes.  The only thing she had to remember was to tap straight up and down, no brushing side to side.

After she was done with all the stripes, we peeled the freezer paper off the shirt, and I brushed some dark blue paint onto the palm of Lucy’s hand.

Then I helped Lucy carefully stamp her handprint in the top corner of the flag.  This was the trickiest part of the project, since there was no “take two” for the handprint.  If you don’t get it right the first time, you don’t get it right.

Luckily, we got it right!

There you have it!  A fun, personalized, flag T-shirt.  After waiting a few minutes for the paint to dry, Lucy was more than happy to model her new frock.  Isn’t she a cute Lady Liberty?   Now to make another shirt for Tacy Mae.

“If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”   2 Chronicles 7:14

Happy Independence Day everyone!

Lindsey

Happy Birthday, You Two!

Well, the big birthday party of 2015 is in the books!

This year, for the first time ever, I decided to combine Ty’s and Lucy’s birthday parties.  Since their actual birthdays are only two months apart, we split the difference and hosted a birthday bash right smack in the middle of the two dates.

Upon first mentioning the idea of a combo party, I received a little resistance from the monkeys, but I reassured them that they would each be able to have their own cakes and eat them too, so to speak.  Once the monkeys finally agreed to the plan (as if they had a choice) I had the challenge of intermingling two totally different party themes:  Star War and Minnie Mouse.

For the most part, I kept the two themes separate.  We had a Minnie area, and we had a Star Wars area.  For the buffet I created an arrangement and a menu that reflected both themes.

At 11 years old, Ty has nearly outgrown extravagantly themed birthday parties.   Still I had to do a little decorating for my birthday boy.  I jazzed up the Star Wars table with touches of black and gold.  For the table centerpiece I filled a vase with gold star balloons and black crepe paper.  I also hung black and gold crepe paper from the ceiling.  Then I set out this bowl of “Chewie’s Wookie Cookies” for the boys to carry home as favors.  Out by the pool I had a basket full of pool noodle light sabers for the boys to battle with.

Since I was pretty busy with all the party planning, I had to keep the cakes fairly simple.  Ty requested a vanilla cake with two light sabers crossing on top.

On the Minnie Mouse side of the house I got a little more fancy with the decorating.  Lucy and I created this name garland to hang across the mirror, then we placed the party favors and utensils on the buffet underneath.

Inspired by the Minnie’s Bowtique cartoons, I created ribbon ponytail holders for Lucy and her friends.

Lucy helped me out in the kitchen making and bagging these sweet Mice Krispie Treats.

On the other end of the buffet we set out the Mouseketools for cake and ice cream.

Lucy’s cake was red velvet.  The mouse figures on top were purchased at Dollar Tree.  Minnie’s outfit was initially pink, but I gave her a makeover with some red spray paint.

After swimming for a while and dining on some yummy hot dogs and hamburgers, the monkeys eagerly opened their birthday presents.  Lucy received lots of Minnie toys, a bracelet making kit, camping gear for her American Girl, art supplies, some cute clothes, and this sweet handmade card from her friend.

The one thing Lucy requested for her birthday was an aquarium.  Of all things!  An aquarium!

She was thrilled when she opened her last gift to find this neat little tank with a colorful Betta fish.

Ty told everyone who asked him that he wanted Legos for his birthday.  Well, he got what he asked for – lots and lots of Legos.  I was dumb enough to think that all those Legos would keep him busy for at least a week or two.  Ha!  More like a day or two!

He assembled all the kits before the weekend was over.

As you can see he was particularly excited about these Minecraft Legos.

One last picture for you today.  Little sis enjoyed the birthday party too.  Tacy had a blast batting around balloons, blowing bubbles, and helping Lucy open presents.  I think her favorite thing of all, though, was this chocolate ice cream.  As usual, Tacy insisted on feeding herself, and she didn’t get one drop on her dress.  Although, she had quite the chocolate mustache by the time she was finished.

Whew!  It was a fun party, but I’m glad it’s behind me.  I think I am officially through with all my summer duties:

• Plan next school year – Check!
• Chaperone children’s church camp – Check!
• Vacation Bible School – Check!
• Birthday parties – Check!
• Relax the rest of the summer – Working on it!

Lindsey

Shoo Fly

Ahhh, summer!

It’s the closest I get to “time off.”

I am often asked if we take a summer break from homeschooling.  Yes, we take a break, but the reason may not be what you think.

Our summer break is more for my own sanity than for the kid’s pleasure.  I do believe I’d go crazy if we did school twelve months a year.   My brain desperately needs the time to recuperate, recharge, and relax.  Taking a summer vacation also gives me the chance to tackle various projects around the house like:  cleaning out closets, organizing clutter, purging the ever-increasing mountain of toys, making jelly, completing craft projects, sewing for the girls, and planning birthday parties.

I also have the tough job of keeping the monkeys occupied throughout the summer.  While I could think of hundreds of household chores to keep them busy, the monkeys are none too thrilled with the thought of doing housework all summer.  I can’t say that I blame them, but I do make them do their fair share.  A few chores that the monkeys help with include: laundry, pet care, mopping, wiping down bathrooms, watering plants, and dusting.  Their leisure time is spent sleeping late, swimming, playing Wii, riding four-wheelers, digging in a dirt pile, building with Legos, and aggravating each other.

Occasionally I try to sneak in a little education during the summer.  A while back I told y’all that I am trying to incorporate nature study into our academic work.  (See this post.)  While I am not planning any formal nature studies for the kids this summer, I would like to send them out to observe and explore creation from time to time.  And I’ve noticed that sometimes, if you keep your eyes and ears open, opportunities for nature studies knock on your door.

Literally.

A few weeks ago there was a very strange looking critter clinging to the back door of our house.  I’d never seen an insect with such a long, slender tail.  It was the perfect specimen for a nature study!

Being insect ignorant, I had to use Google to help me identify this creature as a mayfly.  Once I had a name for this bug, I did a little reading online, so I would have some information to share with the monkeys.  I even found a couple of short, informative videos about mayflies for the monkeys to watch.

The monkeys thought the mayfly was a neat looking critter.  They eagerly got out their nature journals and started sketching with their watercolor pencils.  What was particularly cool is that this mayfly molted on our door leaving an empty exoskeleton for the monkeys to examine.

Lucy especially loves nature journaling.  She never tires of adding pictures to her notebook, sketching everything from sunsets to pinecones.  I’m very encouraged by her enthusiasm for nature study.

During our brief study we all learned that mayflies are pretty amazing critters.  A few interesting facts:

• Mayflies live the majority of their lives (up to 3 years)underwater as nymphs (immature insects).
• Once the mayfly develops into an adult, it leaves the water for the land.
• Enormous swarms of mayflies emerging from the waters of the Mississippi River have actually been detected by weather radar.  Wow, that’s a lot of bugs!
• The adult mayfly typically lives only 1-2 days.  There are some species of adult mayflies that live only live 5 minutes!
• Adult mayflies exist only to reproduce, hence they do not have functioning mouths.

I tell you, the more we do nature studies, the more I like them!  The monkeys definitely enjoy them too.  It almost makes me want to get started on our new school year, so we can dive deeper into outdoor learning.

Almost.

For now I think I’ll be content to enjoy the rest of my summer.

Lindsey

My Not-So-Little Boy

I can’t believe I let Ty’s birthday sneak by without mentioning it here on the blog.  Yes, Ty celebrated his 11th birthday a couple of weeks ago. 

That’s just a little too close to the teenage years if you ask me!

You may remember that I have a tradition of taking the monkeys’ pictures at their exact time of their birth each year.  This year Ty had his two best friends over for some birthday fun, so I had them all get together for the annual picture. 

Ty has know these two his whole life.  They are a great bunch of kids, and they all get along so well.  I am thankful God has provided Ty with Christian friends to grow up with.

Now for a picture of just Ty.  He’s such a handsome guy, on the inside and out!  (If you’d like to see birthday pics from years past you can check those out here.)

You won’t meet another boy with a heart as tender as Ty’s.  Sure he’s not perfect, just ask his sister.  He could worry the horns off a billy goat, as my grandmother used to say.  But Ty is the most kind, honest, polite, considerate little boy I’ve ever met.  And most importantly he loves the Lord!  God has been working on Ty’s heart a lot this past year.  It’s been a difficult journey at some points, but it’s been a joy to watch Ty mature spiritually.  I’m excited to see how God will continue to grow and use Ty for His purposes.

What about Ty’s birthday party?

Well, some time last winter, the Tool Man and I decided it might be easier nice to combine Ty’s and Lucy’s birthday parties.  So this year, half way between the two birthdays, we will be throwing a Star Wars/Minnie Mouse party for both monkeys.

The big party is only one week away, so we will be super busy cleaning, crafting, and cooking over the next several days.  I am beginning to question whether a combined party was actually the easiest route.  It’s kind of tricky melding two separate themes into one congruous celebration, but I have a few tricks up my sleeve.  Stay tuned for lots of party pics!

A Walk on the Wild Side

Sometimes I get tired of being the bad guy around here.  And by “bad guy” I mean the person who is always making the monkeys be quiet, do their school work, mind their manners, and tidy their rooms.  Let’s face it, when it’s time to have fun, I’m usually not the person the kids come running to.  That’s ok.  I understand that “having fun” is not necessarily at the top of my job description.

But once in a while I enjoy surprising the monkeys with a little pleasure, like treating them to a trip to our local zoo.  Boy were they excited to go!

Truth be told, our local zoo is not the greatest zoo ever.  The landscaping needed some tlc.  Several cages were vacant.  Quite a few exhibits were closed.  But a subpar zoo is better than no zoo at all, right?

Of all the animals we saw on our zoo excursion, I have to say that birds were my favorite, particularly the bald eagles and this guy.  Have you ever seen such beauty in all your life!  His tail was magnificent, and he knew it.  I guess there is some truth to the old adage, “Proud as a peacock.”  I’ve been wanting a peacock of my own for quite some time, and seeing this gorgeous guy reminded me why.

Lucy, who is quite used to being around poultry, was eager to get to know this gaggle.

A landscaper working nearby warned Lucy that the geese may turn on her and try to attack, but these geese were quite docile compared to the ones in our own backyard.  Our birds honk and hiss and chase when the kids get near them.

As usual, Tacy was so well behaved.  She was content to ride quietly in her stroller as we made our way around the facilities, silently observing the animals at each exhibit.

I think Tacy enjoyed our field trip, but she never expressed much interest in anything.  She’d watch the animals through the fences with about as much expression as one who was watching a can of beans.

The exhibit that got the kids most excited was the reptile house.  Lucy squealed like a pig upon seeing the first snake up close.  Ty had a blast trying to locate the snakes and lizards in their tanks.  Some of those critters were great hiders, unlike the two beasts below.

There were quite a few tortoises who lived at the zoo, and the kids liked watching them creep around on their toes.  Lucy quickly spotted a baby tortoise, and before I knew it, she had her arm shoved through the fence, up to her armpit, petting its back.  I am happy to report that Lucy returned home with all 10 fingers. 

A portion of the zoo was dedicated to animals of the Louisiana Purchase.  Here the kids discovered a teepee replica.  (Or is it a wigwam?? I never know the difference.)  Ty quickly hopped in for a photo op, but Lucy was little wary.

What zoo trip would be complete without a couple of hungry, hungry hippos?  I don’t know about you, but I don’t think that if the hippos decided to charge that a measly fence and shrubbery could hold them back.

I’m so glad I decided to treat my monkeys to a day of leisure!   We all enjoyed our “free” day, as the kids like to call it.  I think it would benefit us all if I incorporated a few more of these “free” days into our schedule.  The monkeys have already decided where they would like to visit next… the safari park.  Lucy is dying to get up close and personal with a zebra.

Lindsey