tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-182971992012-01-30T07:07:14.553-05:00Technoprairienoreply@blogger.comBlogger4601100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-59769205596110272362012-01-28T18:51:00.003-05:002012-01-28T18:51:51.194-05:00

Encouraged by his previous success, Aaron went out twice this week to see if he could any birds to land on his hand.  This one flitted from tree to tree getting up his nerves. Finally he got up the nerve and landed.  It's a little hard to see, but I caught this one hovering right above his hands.  Finally he landed as well.  A blurry close up.  Aaron has really enjoyed getting the

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-15788236913478703862012-01-16T20:46:00.001-05:002012-01-16T20:46:27.797-05:00

This Sunday, Joe made us another pasta feast.   I told him that I like the trend our Sundays have been taking lately. This week it was Zite Sangiovanniello (on the left) and Shells with Gorgonzola and Pistachios (on the right).   Both were delicious.   The Zite was light and tasty and the Shells were cheesy and wonderful.

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-12676721077099230832012-01-16T20:44:00.001-05:002012-01-16T20:44:20.225-05:00

Aaron, our bird lover, went outside to fill up the bird feeders.   He stood very still for a long time and was finally successful.  If you look very closely, you'll see a bird eating out of his hand.   It was a brave and hungry chickadee.  Our chickens really love the ground under the birdfeeders.   But they don't like walking in the snow.   So Aaron shoveled a path from our coop to the

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-42549225332729316312012-01-13T22:42:00.000-05:002012-01-13T22:42:14.147-05:00

We FINALLY got enough snow to go sledding.  So we did school faithfully until lunchtime...  and then hit the big sledding hill in town.  If the pictures look blurry, it's because it was still snowing while we were sledding.  Thus the blur by our friend's face!   It looks like one of those crime pictures where they try to hide the face of the innocent person.  Stephen and his

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-84403512268858430852012-01-08T22:49:00.001-05:002012-01-08T22:49:25.268-05:00

This fall we took a survival field trip at the Chippewa Nature Center.   First we learned about compass work and how quickly you can get off course if you don't have a compass.  I don't know if it was the fire building or the shelter building that was the more fun.   I helped Deborah's team get their shelter built.   Good thing we had two tarps and some rope in our "backpack".  We had to

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-45425734261177311852012-01-08T22:21:00.001-05:002012-01-08T22:22:28.248-05:00

My parents came for a week of fun and food after Christmas Day and stayed until Jan 2nd. We played a lot of board games,  played with Grandpa and Grandma's Ipad,  card games,  more board games, puzzles, and more card games.   This is Nathan's hand in Quiddler.   Look at all those vowels!   Joe made us a surprise drink one night - the Swedish 60.   It is a variation of the

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-38878849971976647792012-01-08T22:05:00.000-05:002012-01-08T22:05:08.449-05:00

Joe made homemade pasta tonight for supper.  Ta-da!   Tagliolini with mascarpone and lemon.   It was very lemony and light tasting.  

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-48510246423557242932012-01-01T17:38:00.001-05:002012-01-01T17:38:17.932-05:00

Stephen and Nathan have joined our local homeschool debate club.   In December they participated in a debate round robin.   Each team got to debate two rounds, one negative and one affirmative.   For Stephen, this was the only debate he would be allowed to do since he is too young to compete and is auditing the course this year.    He seems to be a natural at debate and astounded my dh and

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-8890433223013069522012-01-01T17:28:00.001-05:002012-01-01T17:28:55.949-05:00

When my dh was home this holiday season, he made me a beautiful dessert called Paris-Brest.   This dessert was inspired by the road race from Paris to Brest and resembles a car tire.   First he made the pastry cream.   Then he made a praline that he reduced to a dust in my food processor.   Then he folded that praline dust into the pastry cream.    Then he went to work on the pastry rings.  

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-2006082909707375382012-01-01T17:21:00.002-05:002012-01-01T17:28:46.900-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone!  We had a blue spruce tree again this year.   Blue Spruce is my favorite kind of Christmas tree.  Going to church Christmas morning.  A fun time was had by all.   Many Legos were received with joy.  Nathan's new gladius sword.   So far he hasn't broken anything in the house...yet.  A present from my mom - Camo socks!!

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-61802215630184934752012-01-01T17:04:00.002-05:002012-01-01T17:04:44.478-05:00

Welcome to our annual Tapas Night!   We usually hold it on New Year's Day, but this year we decided to hold it on New Year's Eve.   My parents were visiting and enjoyed sharing in our New Year's tradition.   So without further ado... Course 1:    Fried Gruyere Cheese with Bacon and Eggs with Black Olives made by Stephen.  Vegetable Pate made by Deborah.  All three dishes tasted good.  

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-46238403430698995502011-11-29T22:13:00.001-05:002011-11-29T22:21:44.692-05:00

We had our first real snowfall.   The kids were very excited.   Deborah and Aaron are asking for a snow day tomorrow.  These pictures are taken without the flash.   

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-40501691399613510612011-11-24T20:20:00.001-05:002011-11-24T20:25:48.712-05:00

This week Nathan and Stephen took part in Student Statesmanship Institute (SSI).   They played the parts of representatives. They researched bills (that had already been through the Michigan House), listened to testimony, and prepared speeches in favor or against bills. In the evening of the second day, they all gathered together to give their speeches and vote on the bills.    Nathan

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-58436602158588459302011-11-24T20:12:00.001-05:002011-11-24T20:15:20.002-05:00

Our cat Mavis had a batch of fall kittens.   This time she had them close to the house and we were able to tame them very easily. It got so that whenever we went outside, the kittens would hear us and come running.  Stephen liked the kittens best.  A couple of them fell asleep while they were on his chest!

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-10716917860093448212011-11-21T20:41:00.001-05:002011-11-21T20:54:25.500-05:00

We had a lot of apples this year.   I estimate that we harvested about 20 bushels of apples from our 9 trees.  This was our biggest harvest ever. They were beautiful and we hardly had any bugs in them. We had so many Red Delicious apples that we decided to make cider with them.   We took 8 bushels up to a friends' house.  She had picked some other types so the cider tasted delicious.  

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-4529083670516005902011-11-21T20:29:00.001-05:002011-11-21T20:36:30.427-05:00

This year is Geology, Meterology, and Astronomy.   So for Geology, you always have to make a volcano with baking soda and vinegar.   So why just do it in a bottle when you can make one outside?  Notice the sides of the mountain with the poor hotels and houses built by foolish people who should have known better than to build on the side of a volcano.  A really big "explosion" of "lava".  

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-53365304691774705122011-10-09T21:24:00.002-04:002011-10-09T21:24:53.663-04:00

Today Aaron collected the 20,000 egg produced here at Cold Feathers Farm. Now we're trying to decide what to do with it?   Fry it?   Make it part of a quiche?

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-79193732675890672562011-10-02T16:40:00.004-04:002011-10-02T16:40:36.612-04:00

This year both Nathan and Stephen participated in the youth hunt.   Some deer were spotted but none close enough to get a shot at.    Today they are trying their hand at bow hunting.   

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-89597263569647576642011-10-02T16:38:00.000-04:002011-10-02T16:38:27.806-04:00

We participated in the county fair again this year.   No best of shows this year but we still did well.   Aaron got an "A" award for his eggs. I got a second place for jelly (opal basil herb jelly), second place for pickled carrots, and third place for my cherries. Stephen, Deborah and Aaron all got "A" awards for their vegetables.  We took our traditional Ferris Wheel ride... ..

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-71222490217850839612011-10-02T16:28:00.001-04:002011-10-02T16:28:29.770-04:00

Deborah and Aaron have made nature forts in our woods.   Deborah has camouflaged hers with branches from a tree that was cut down.   She's also tried to transplant some wild sage and some mint but I don't think they made it.   Aaron's fort from the back.  Aaron's fort from the front.  We had some beautiful sunlit days this summer.  We did have some trees fall down so my dh

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-24319866730877267872011-09-25T19:46:00.001-04:002011-09-25T19:48:51.643-04:00

At the end of summer, my dh, Nathan, and Stephen started practicing with their bows.   They are all three determined to get a deer this year.  Deb and Aaron enjoying a soda on the porch.

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-48871839403042207592011-09-25T19:45:00.001-04:002011-09-25T19:45:48.212-04:00

My dh made me this wonderful warm corn and scallop salad for our anniversary dinner.   It was a favorite dish at a restaurant that is now out of business.     For my part of the meal, I made a spaghetti dish where you didn't cook the tomatoes.   You sauteed the onions and peppers and garlic and then added the tomatoes and cooked pasta.   My dh was skeptical, but it was fantastic.   This

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-85407658868964735902011-09-25T19:27:00.000-04:002011-09-25T19:27:05.908-04:00

Nathan turned 15 this summer.   Hard to believe it.  And of course, we are still having Star Wars Cakes.   Good thing I figured out how to make gray frosting!   This cake is the Darth Maul duel at the end of Episode I.    See Obi-wan hanging onto the projection?  The weather was very nice for his birthday party.   We were able to take a walk in the woods with our friends and have cake and

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-34832935001358112622011-09-25T19:13:00.000-04:002011-09-25T19:13:25.544-04:00

I'm almost done with the garden so I should be back to posting relatively on time... soon!   To catch up, here are some pictures taken this summer.    Isn't this adorable?  Aaron grew some big mushrooms early this summer.    We got quite a few wonderful mushroom dishes out of his crop.  We had lots of days in the park this summer.   One time our friends brought some bead supplies and

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-41867099642680822432011-07-26T19:39:00.002-04:002011-07-26T19:41:40.310-04:00

Our Jr. Literature Group had a presentation night for all the dads. Aaron is portraying Linus from Hostage Lands. He told us the story of Rusticus, a Roman soldier who changed.Deborah was Queen Tiy from The Golden Goblet. She told us how Ranifer saved her parents' tomb from being robbed.

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-49513674149233354862011-07-26T19:32:00.002-04:002011-07-26T19:38:38.006-04:00

While I'm updating my blog with May pictures, might as well put in these pictures from a field trip to Hartwick Pines.Deb learned how to measure the board feet of a log.Aaron and Stephen practice sleeping in a lumberman's bed (minus all the fleas and ticks).We had two rangers talk to us about the different trees in the forest.

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-25874570130432756652011-07-26T19:29:00.002-04:002011-07-26T19:32:16.666-04:00

Since Nathan's birthday is coming up very soon, I thought I had better post Stephen's birthday pictures. Especially since it took place in May. Birthday pancakes of course.Star Wars cake, of course.Kit Fitsu fighting off some droids.And presents of course!

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-12169823936194375992011-07-24T17:01:00.003-04:002011-07-24T17:08:17.361-04:00

We had three graduations this spring. The first was my niece's graduation from high school in Illinois.Second was our friend Teri's graduation from college! Hurray!And last was Nathan's best friend Josh's high school graduation.

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-54707110419059337182011-07-24T16:56:00.002-04:002011-07-24T17:01:22.426-04:00

Under the maple in the front, we have some juniper bushes which no one really liked but that were here when we moved in.We wanted to take them out since they seemed impossible to weed once the grasses moved in.It was harder than we thought. My dh finally had to come in with the tractor and drag out the main roots with a chain.All clean now.Newly planted with flowers and spread with mulch.

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-59311757977592134532011-07-24T16:46:00.002-04:002011-07-24T16:56:15.263-04:00

We had a good baseball season up here. This year, we only had two boys playing. Aaron broke his leg and was in an ankle cast for most of the season. Stephen's season was in May and we have a few games that were pretty cold. Deb is under the purple blanket.Stephen got to play 3rd base and outfield and had a good season. His team won 2 games which was a pleasant surprise since this was

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-60195816590918212862011-06-05T19:23:00.003-04:002011-06-05T19:27:04.021-04:00

I just realized that I had not posted Aaron's birthday pictures. He turned 11 this May.This year, he had a Hoth cake.Complete with Han Solo on tauntaun.We had our good friends over for dinner ...... and a Narnia quote game made up by Aaron ....... and of course presents!

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-60301600149321256622011-06-05T19:19:00.003-04:002011-06-05T19:22:16.651-04:00

I had a relaxing Mother's Day this year. The children had gotten me an ice cream cake for the occasion and my dh grilled hamburgers. We used Aunt Lorene's deviled egg plate for the pickles and eggs.My presents - all revolving around food! A new garlic press since I broke my last one. A new book of tapas and chocolate!Deborah's chocolate even had instructions!

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-61203438564916000402011-05-22T17:38:00.003-04:002011-05-22T17:45:41.064-04:00

Since Aaron was still on crutches for Easter, we postponed the egg hunt at home. When he was walking, the three youngest hid eggs for each other.See the camo egg hid for Stephen by Aaron?Deborah is reaching very carefully into the blackberry brambles for her egg.Aaron contemplating his egg?Remember the chick with the pompom on her head? Take a look at this great Easter bonnet!

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-44578279703388244942011-05-21T18:42:00.002-04:002011-05-21T18:53:34.663-04:00

With the very useful help of the children, we got most of the garden in. Only thing left to plant are some pickling cukes and the second planting of corn in a couple of weeks. We added a triangular section of new garden this year. The children dubbed it The Salsa Arrowhead. The outside rows are tomatoes. There are peppers, hot peppers, and onions behind the tomatoes. And to top it off way

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-26216226134622907532011-05-16T22:18:00.004-04:002011-05-16T22:31:21.119-04:00

Tonight we went to Shotgun 101 at a local gun club. We shot skeet tonight and all had a great time, despite the cold wind whipping through the course.As you can see, Aaron is doing much better with his foot. He's still wearing a brace and limping a little, but every day he is getting better and better.Even I shot and did a pretty good job. I really enjoy shooting. There is something very

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-90464984120795780962011-04-28T18:56:00.003-04:002011-04-28T19:04:48.463-04:00

Well, we have our first real broken bone. Nathan's broken little toe doesn't really count since we didn't have to anything except avoid stepping on his foot for a while. Aaron was playing outside and jumped to make a shot or swing an imaginary sword and came down wrong on his left foot.The bruise got nice and yellow and it swelled up for a couple of days. But after a week, he still couldn't

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-36398490054004535612011-04-28T18:46:00.002-04:002011-04-28T18:56:14.243-04:00

We have a very nice Easter. Wonderful service, dinner with a family from church, and of course, the Easter Egg hunt.This was the first year that Nathan hid eggs rather than finding them. They are growing up, sigh.Nathan his one egg in the crook of his arm and amazingly it took a while for one of the girls to notice it.Emptying the eggs for next year.They aren't surprised by the picture, it

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-34026677597226101072011-04-28T18:42:00.002-04:002011-04-28T18:46:50.554-04:00

We have a new shiny tiller (well, relatively shiny). It really does a great job. Note the coveralls. It is still cold here but we're planting anyway.Now, isn't that pretty?

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-58247906306182278472011-04-14T13:47:00.002-04:002011-04-14T13:51:16.711-04:00

Deborah and Aaron are studying Biology this year. We started with plants and just finished the Human Body. On to animals next.This will probably be the last time we make a full size picture of our bodies. Even now, I had to enlarge some parts so that they would look right with the children's outlines.

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-8720641033780576152011-04-13T22:44:00.002-04:002011-04-13T22:50:59.089-04:00

Last week, we had a quick snowstorm and our silly chickens got trapped by the bird feeder. The chickens don't like to walk on snow so they stayed under the feeder where they had a little bare spot of ground. Finally after some snow started accumulating on their backs, I sent Nathan out there to shoo them into their coop. We have new chicks as well. This Dominic is a couple of days old.We

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-467405337326904662011-04-10T18:58:00.004-04:002011-04-10T19:04:32.716-04:00

Deborah turned nine! We have the traditional chocolate chip pancakes ...... the nine year old girl cake with a motorcycle race...... legos ...... books ...... and birthday money!I got my wish and had a wonderful ice cream cake!

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-65596954615733254552011-04-03T15:55:00.003-04:002011-04-03T16:04:26.878-04:00

The Cardinals are back!Aaron sat for a long time and tried to get a chickadee to eat out of his hands. There was one brave one that couldn't quite get up enough courage to go all the way to Aaron. He would fly down until he was about 2 feet away and then fly back to a branch.My parents are visiting and we made our annual trip to the Butterfly House.It was a sunny day and the butterflies were

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-75439837551391378712011-04-03T15:48:00.002-04:002011-04-03T15:54:31.990-04:00

We went with our local homeschool group to see an Argentinean dinosaur exhibit. These are velociraptor bones. A lot smaller than Jurassic Park made them out to be!This is the Gigantisaurus, possibly the biggest meat eater, bigger than a T. Rex.They had a dinosaur digging site where the children can unearth bones. Deborah really enjoyed it and stayed in the box for a long time.

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-46307915944391210512011-03-24T18:19:00.006-04:002011-03-24T18:57:26.131-04:00

Last Saturday we boiled down our maple sap. This is the first year we've tried to use our new metal pans. Overall it was a fantastic success. My dh built a fire box out of concrete blocks.First we put one pan on and tested it with just 2 gallons of sap. No leaks this time so we were good to go.Then we put on the second pan. That pan had one leak but it seemed to close up once the pan

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-37132313127565068602011-03-05T18:22:00.002-05:002011-03-05T18:30:04.599-05:00

It's been a long snowy winter (it's snowing right now!). The deer are getting desperate. There isn't much left under the bird feeder after the birds and squirrels finish.We tapped our maple trees a couple of weeks ago. We've had a slow start to the season. I hope it isn't indicative of the whole maple season.Deborah, tired out from tromping through the snow.I used the mock mincemeat that I

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-46458273277979319292011-03-05T18:10:00.005-05:002011-03-05T18:36:19.418-05:00

Back in January, we drove to the Frankenmuth Snow Fest and took in the sights. We met up with three other families and had a great time.There were some imaginative statues there.There was also ice sculptures on display as well.The petting zoo was a bit hit. They had the world's calmest camels there.Deborah got her money's worth out of her $2 pony ride. It turned out that if they didn't have a

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-45223365953653690192011-02-14T10:18:00.001-05:002011-02-14T10:20:30.707-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!Look at what my valentine got me for the day!

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-59220784916882087912011-02-13T17:47:00.003-05:002011-02-13T19:46:29.977-05:00

We finally put out some suet and soon the mysterious bird network had spread the word that food was available at our feeders. Soon we had some nuthatches, blue jays, and woodpeckers all coming around.This is a male Downy Woodpecker.This Red Bellied Woodpecker would never stay still long enough for me to get a clear picture.Yesterday we had one of the Pileated Woodpeckers that is living in our

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-70715355695242598442011-02-13T17:33:00.003-05:002011-02-13T17:47:09.160-05:00

We've had a lot of snow and it has been great skiing snow. We have really be blessed this winter. Deborah and Aaron have gone out with me many times. But after the last big snow, we had a LOT of snow to plow through to actually be able to ski.The deer have been active in the woods, scouting around for anything to eat. They've even eaten some of my ornamental lavender which I wouldn't think

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-78592599430065806252011-02-06T17:08:00.005-05:002011-02-06T17:34:12.641-05:00

Two weeks ago, we had an exciting time of sledding. We met up with two other families and sledded for over an hour.NathanStephenAaronDeborahAfter all the fun, you still have to walk up the hill!The children tried to go down as a group but...... the ends soon wrapped around and it became a giant muddle of sleds.Usually one or more of the sleds would break off. They never did get a good group

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-26684402948685500052011-01-09T21:06:00.004-05:002011-01-09T21:23:55.500-05:00

This January 1st, we held our 6th Annual New Year's Day Tapas dinner.The children and their dad worked all afternoon and part of the evening to prepare a 9 dinner gourmet Tapas meal.So without further ado, the first course - Stephen's Olives in Lemon and Orange...... and Nathan's Lime Drizzled Shrimp.Next course - Baked Stuffed Onions. These were great and I liked them much better than stuffed

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-86764877629335155902011-01-01T13:57:00.003-05:002011-01-01T14:03:12.669-05:00

In early December, we participated in the annual Piano open house. AaronDeborahStephenNathanAnd even me!

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-14243954779170031222011-01-01T13:51:00.002-05:002011-01-01T13:55:52.252-05:00

Over the Christmas holiday, I taught Deborah and Aaron to cross country ski.Deborah really enjoyed it and went into the woods with me the next day.While we were outside, Aaron noticed that snowflakes were on our picnic table and hadn't melted yet.Pretty cool, aren't they?

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-4556542983354614442010-12-26T14:15:00.004-05:002010-12-26T14:26:01.045-05:00

We had a very nice Christmas with the grandparents.My favorite picture of the day and my favorite present that I gave to the boys.Happy children with Legos. After it was all over, my dh pointed out that we wouldn't have many presents this year if all things Legos and all things Star Wars had been forbidden.Aaron got a Boba Fett helmet that he can really put on his head.Nathan got a Cardinals

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-23007244047692968922010-12-25T12:32:00.006-05:002010-12-25T12:44:13.938-05:00

Some still pictures of the Curling Event yesterday. Clearing the pondSpraying the courseA thing of beauty!Trying out the courseStephen knocks Nathan out of the center to win the pointAfter spending a couple of hours outside, it is time for hot chocolate inside! And not just hot chocolate - orange hot chocolate!

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-34343235796696277772010-12-25T12:22:00.001-05:002010-12-25T12:30:12.921-05:00

My dh had a great idea yesterday. He had the children out shoveling the snow off of the pond. Then he made half of a curling court. The children were reluctant at first but soon had a great time.

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-80323766207716660242010-12-24T22:02:00.004-05:002010-12-24T22:15:46.917-05:00

Now that we have the power back on, we are enjoying the snow.I loved these snowmen holding hands.This was the same pumpkin that Deborah was sitting on this fall. It is almost completely empty now. We've seen squirrels inside and chickens sticking their heads in.And what is a Christmas without Star Wars snowflakes?

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-4395466402014099012010-12-23T11:01:00.001-05:002010-12-23T11:03:02.428-05:00

We are studying Biology this year in school. And what better way to study cells than to make edible ones!

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-77897046682718998642010-12-23T10:50:00.002-05:002010-12-23T11:01:17.161-05:00

Now that the Christmas cards are out and all the presents are wrapped and the cookies baked, I can catch up on the Blog. We had a big dead limb on our oak out back. So my dh took care of it this fall.First he cut off the two ends of the branch.Then he worked on the main branch.And no one got hurt or knocked off the ladder. Success all around!

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-25794093591360747732010-11-27T19:10:00.003-05:002010-11-27T19:22:50.850-05:00

This year we are studying biology. For the two youngest, we did the experiment where you put the white carnations in colored water and watch them turn colors. As soon as we started to put in the food coloring, Aaron cried out, "Quick Mom, go get the camera and take some pictures for Uncle Mike!"So Uncle Mike, these are for you...For the rest of us, this is what the flowers looked like after a

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-48550637486072910052010-11-23T21:11:00.006-05:002010-11-23T21:39:49.804-05:00

These are the last of the fall pictures... I promise. We had so many good ones this year.We went on a walk with my mother and made nature art. Art made out of things found in nature and left there. So we gathered lots of red leaves and arranged them.First we arranged them by size in a line...... and then in a wavy line...... then we finally left them in a circle for some other person in the

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-34895120462355425152010-11-21T16:00:00.003-05:002010-11-21T16:11:05.900-05:00

Yesterday was the official end of the gardening season. Last Saturday, we moved the giant pumpkin from the front porch before it could rot and put it in the garden. We're watching to see how long it takes for the animals to eat it.Yesterday I finished up the dehydrating (the last of the hot peppers) and the canning (blackberry jelly, cherry jelly and the jelly below). Can you guess what it

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-9100659735706851782010-11-07T18:30:00.002-05:002010-11-07T18:38:08.616-05:00

Nathan picked this a little while ago. He calls it the 'snake' carrot. I have to agree with him.My mother was photographing birds on the pumpkin underneath the bird feeder. After she left, another critter took interest in the pumpkin.What a greedy pig!

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-86066425589450077542010-11-06T14:28:00.002-04:002010-11-06T14:51:27.790-04:00

The new flock is doing well. None of them are flyers which makes doing the chicken chore a lot easier these days. Now that the garden is essentially finished, we've let them out so they can scratch around in among the stalks and dead tomato plants. Hopefully it won't give them a taste for escaping their fenced yard.

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-32315148227754780562010-11-04T19:24:00.003-04:002010-11-04T19:31:14.495-04:00

We carved some pumpkins early in October while Mom and Dad were visiting. Only two children wanted to carve pumpkins. I'm afraid it is a sign that the children are getting older!Since I'm not getting older, I carved one of our white pumpkins with a spider web pattern.Deb carved the shape of our state.Aaron made an owl based on a pumpkin we saw in a magazine.Ta - Da! The pumpkins in all

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-69643943790217290932010-11-01T22:29:00.004-04:002010-11-01T22:43:03.812-04:00

This fall has been just gorgeous. Before the big windstorm that came through last week, the trees were so colorful. And though it is futile to try and capture the beauty of the trees, I can't help trying to take the perfect fall picture. Enjoy!

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-65585937352098451762010-10-27T22:06:00.003-04:002010-10-27T22:15:41.059-04:00

We rounded up our Illinois trip with a visit to my sister in Chicago. It was my nephew's 4th birthday and he was thrilled to have his cousins visit.It was such a wonderful day that we walked to a nearby park and enjoyed playing police/jedi/superhero on the playground.Deborah made sure that her cousin was safe crossing the streets.Our final vacation event was to visit the Jelly Belly Warehouse

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-83754781707332287772010-10-27T21:46:00.003-04:002010-10-27T22:06:46.705-04:00

We took some time to go to the St. Louis Zoo while we were in Illinois. It was a beautiful fall day - not too hot, beautiful sunshine, and not a cloud in the sky.Most of the animals were moving around. We watched these dwarf mongooses (mongeese?) wrestle for a long time. We had to see the elephants fairly early in the day because they are Aaron's favorite. And right next to the elephants

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-69769100107719657972010-10-20T21:50:00.003-04:002010-10-20T22:13:32.682-04:00

We went to Illinois in late September to visit friends and family. On the way, we stopped in Indiana to visit friends. It was a beautiful fall day and it was a joy to drive through the fields of golden beans and corn.It was just barely warm enough to swim. Personally I thought it too cold but hey, it was just above 70 so it was warm enough for the children.One of the girls is in college, so

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-75858243548595453562010-10-18T19:31:00.001-04:002010-10-18T19:40:19.110-04:00

Welcome Fall! This is our best jack o lantern pumpkin. We really didn't do anything to make it so big. It just sorta rose out from under the vines and surprised us. Deb's Indian corn turned out nice. It is pale green, pink, and blue.The tomatoes this year have been great. I made my first bread salad this summer and really enjoyed it.I cooked up some white pumpkins on Saturday and made a

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-34423221932004668342010-10-17T16:02:00.005-04:002010-10-18T21:25:36.061-04:00

This summer we had a Lego exhibit at our local museum. We took the grandparents to it and were really impressed. They had a very detailed huge Lego layout with even some buildings copied from real building in our town.The Lego Art sculptures were just amazing."Louisville Slugger"I liked the crayon that was partially unwrapped.Deb is looking at some models of skyscrapers from Detroit.These are

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-49631137580838025202010-10-16T15:47:00.004-04:002010-10-16T16:03:09.022-04:00

We switched flocks recently and put the newer chickens over to the old coop and took the old birds to the butcher. I was very glad to get rid of this flock. The rooster and about half of the hens were always trying to get out of their yard. And into my garden! This new flock doesn't show any signs of flying over the fence so perhaps they will stay where we want them.We have a new rooster.

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-5056289963773162472010-10-13T21:34:00.002-04:002010-10-13T21:50:21.327-04:00

This year we tried to make solar some-mores. We saw the design in the Family Fun magazine.It took a long time and finally we gave up. The chocolate was soft but the marshmellows weren't that melted. So I guess it was a nice idea but not a practical one. We'll stick to bonfires from now on.On an unrelated note, here is my new cutting board (well, new from July). I got it at the

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-70089360004636640052010-10-10T16:53:00.001-04:002010-10-10T16:56:47.919-04:00

"To be at our house for breakfast, you wish?"

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-26167745270385982432010-10-10T16:41:00.004-04:002010-10-15T10:34:58.604-04:00

We have a new archery range near our house. It is a 3D range which means that the targets are realistic foam animals.So we went to their open house and checked out the range.Here's Stephen with his two "kills" on a wild boar.Deborah is a left handed archer due to her dominant left eye (even though she is really right handed).My dh got 5 kills out of 5.

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-58147081573940962872010-10-09T19:26:00.004-04:002010-10-09T19:54:08.482-04:00

Well, the garden is just about finished. We still have some potatoes and carrots in the ground and a couple of peppers hanging in there. Most everything else is finished. We had such a beautiful day that we spent most of it cleaning up all the posts, hoses, spray aways, and fences. It looks very bare out there now.About a couple of weeks ago, Aaron came inside from feeding the chickens

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-83277609266379163782010-09-19T16:34:00.004-04:002010-09-19T16:49:29.553-04:00

Our local minor league team did well this year and made it to the playoffs. At the last minute, we bought tickets to one of their playoff games. It was a beautiful night. We got there early which turned out to be great. The concession lines are sure short when you get in when the gate opens!The line for playing on the big playground tower is also short! Aaron and Deborah had a great time on the

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-90233409736128266712010-09-12T15:36:00.002-04:002010-09-12T15:48:30.402-04:00

Our friends who lived on the lake invited us to come over and take plaster casts of animal prints. Their lake is being drained so the dam can be fixed. They now have about 6 feet of "extra beach". All the critters from far and near were coming and feasting on the crawfish and frogs that got stranded above the water line. They have found mink prints, coon prints, dog and cat prints, and

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-79424509954293707812010-09-11T22:08:00.003-04:002010-09-11T22:23:35.096-04:00

This August, we went as a family to Skeet Shooting 101, a class given at a local gun club. Everyone got a chance to shoot.They showed us a video that explained how to shoot clay birds (really clay frisbee like discs) and what the safety rules were. Then we went out to the course and we had an instructor help us.His name was "Duck" and he was very patient with all of us novices. Aaron is

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-65433338920299150682010-09-03T17:54:00.003-04:002010-09-03T18:01:25.423-04:00

When my parents visited in the early summer, we took advantage of my mother's artistic ability and had her give the children a painting lesson. Since the weather was good, we did some splatter painting. Nathan didn't want to do anything abstract so he made a mountain scene and then splattered in the flowers in the foreground.Aaron and Deborah were game and splattered away.The finished

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-47900863458969124692010-09-02T22:07:00.002-04:002010-09-02T22:12:42.167-04:00

Nathan found this great white butterfly last week. It must have liked the taste of his skin because it stayed on his hand a long time.Nathan also found a porcupine on our property. All of us were able to see it since it apparently only had 3 legs. It was moving pretty slowly but was alert enough to raise its hackles when my dh got a little too close. It certainly looked pretty

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-88585936414713418002010-08-30T15:19:00.004-04:002010-08-30T17:26:30.528-04:00

In August, Nathan turned 14. He created his Lego cake with the help of Aaron."Luke, I am your father." "No! That's impossible!"It was very authentic. Luke is even missing his hand.

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-69838496465154065792010-08-29T19:04:00.003-04:002010-08-29T19:16:01.133-04:00

It is a very good time to be at our house. We've had some great meals from our garden crops. Just last week, I made gazpacho with seared watermelon and goat cheese on toast.These are Stephen's white carrots. They looked more cool than they tasted. They were pretty bland. But they looked cool.One weekend, I picked 23 melons on Friday, 33 on Saturday, and 21 on Sunday. Good thing

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-27073160856346124402010-08-29T19:01:00.001-04:002010-08-29T19:04:00.429-04:00

Yes, we have hit Egg number 15,000. Actually it was in June, but better late than never is my blog philosophy.

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-16604787309145218732010-08-28T13:49:00.004-04:002010-08-28T14:06:11.932-04:00

This year was a great year at the fair for us. The children did great in their crops (more later) and the weather was just perfect. After weeks of hot, muggy weather, it cooled down a little and was so pleasant the whole week of the fair. We took our annual trip to the fair with our friend from church (see Stephen below trying to shove cotton candy at her).We saw the free show (a circus of

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-74110845873896994532010-08-27T16:57:00.002-04:002010-08-27T17:01:32.208-04:00

Sorry to have been absent so long. We've been busy with the garden. I've canned 79 quarts of green beans and we've picked 78 dozen ears of corn. Now I'm canning tomatoes (84 quarts of sauce and counting).Plus my other excuse is that my old computer died and it has taken me a little bit of time to figure out how to update my blog with my new computer. But now I'm back! Enjoy the peppers!

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-20519941817027351162010-07-28T18:27:00.001-04:002010-07-28T18:32:02.750-04:00

When we aren't snapping 12 gallons of green beans or shucking 14 dozen ears of corn for the freezer, we're having fun at parks and the nearby lake.

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-2994140036631336282010-07-22T14:46:00.002-04:002010-07-22T14:59:41.811-04:00

Last weekend my dh was traveling so the rest of us went to a nearby town for a Tall Ship Festival. There were 11 tall ships plus the two tall ships that are teaching vessels and always in town.It was a lot of standing in line. You stood in line to get on the shuttle bus, you stood in line to get tickets, and you stood in line to tour the ships. We toured two large ships and one small

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-83496825619436545862010-07-19T08:29:00.001-04:002010-07-19T08:32:06.399-04:00

Sometimes I get a little time just to enjoy our woods.

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-90899723449142539872010-07-17T15:34:00.008-04:002010-07-17T15:52:49.451-04:00

I took these pictures as soon as I could but believe me, they were much more spectacular in real life.First, Nathan's fat lip due to a baseball...... and Stephen's black eye. Really more of a purple and red eye.Stephen's wasn't caused by a baseball. It was a water balloon. And why would a water balloon do that much damage? Well, a normally thrown water balloon wouldn't but one launched

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-76425399959182066152010-07-16T15:16:00.002-04:002010-07-16T15:23:21.482-04:00

Stephen turned 12 in May! He had a long birthday with the birthday pancakes on his real day...... and his cake and presents 3 days later when his aunt and uncle and cousin were visiting.Stephen's cake featured the Lego theme of Space Police.It was a lovely warm night and we celebrated on the porch. And Stephen got more Lego's! He was so excited to get this Lego set.

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-48873592975242172072010-07-16T15:12:00.002-04:002010-07-16T15:16:01.014-04:00

Still on catch up pictures. Aaron turned 10 this May. We started the day with our usual chocolate chip pancakes.Aaron's cake featured the Lego Agents theme.He was excited with his new Bible cover. It has the map of Narnia on it.Lots and lots of Legos.

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-4120826286887962432010-07-15T21:28:00.003-04:002010-07-15T21:39:42.711-04:00

We've had an unusually wet and warm summer. The garden is just exploding. Everything is at least a week ahead of schedule.We tried a radish mix and were fairly pleased by the outcome.These are asparagus ferns after we were done eating asparagus. They get huge and ferny and have to remain so for the rest of the summer. Take a look at the very wide asparagus stem. It looked like 4 stems

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-86233014455730434442010-07-15T21:20:00.003-04:002010-07-15T21:28:37.075-04:00

Sorry for the long break in posts. We've had birthdays, baseball, vacation trip, baseball, garden, and more baseball. Aaron and Stephen were on one team and Nathan was on a junior team (for 13-14 year old boys). Aaron's and Stephen's team was very good this year and won most of their games. Aaron pitched this year and really had a great year.Stephen improved tremendously and really came into

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-89267488913466134952010-06-07T21:51:00.003-04:002010-06-07T21:58:01.948-04:00

Deborah asked to use my camera and take pictures of the house and woods. She took a lot of pictures but she also took some that were just wonderful. Here are her best (in my opinion). It looks like she has a little of her Uncle Mike in her (see last three pictures).

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-57626192809804754532010-06-06T21:34:00.003-04:002010-06-07T21:58:56.007-04:00

My, how time has flown. I have garden pictures to post and two more birthdays. And all my baseball pics. For now, we'll settle on bird pictures. The first one was taken by Deborah of our rooster.We have a Cardinal pair that comes around when we fill the feeder.Somehow the Goldfinches are only around when their bird sock is filled. They don't seem to be around if I have left it empty.

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-78587516671279306602010-05-19T22:48:00.002-04:002010-05-19T22:58:38.562-04:00

Deborah turned 8 this year.She was probably the only girl in the state with a Lego Bionicle cake but I guess that is what you get when you have three older brothers.We celebrated her birthday early since we had to go down for my aunt's memorial service. She was glad to have her grandparents here for her birthday.Thanking Daddy for her gifts. By the way, the crown says "Birthday Queen". Very

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-27857499908054927892010-05-06T22:17:00.002-04:002010-05-06T22:24:54.554-04:00

Just before Easter my aunt died and the whole family gathered for a memorial service on the Saturday before Easter. Our family went down and spent a couple of nights in a night hotel in Missouri. My two sisters came as well as my parents. We all stayed in the same hotel and had a great time together. My other aunt and my cousin stayed there as well and it was good to catch up on their

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-58855465853586095122010-05-05T22:34:00.001-04:002010-05-05T22:37:38.646-04:00

We try to go every year to see the butterflies and every year I try to get the best pictures of them. This year, it was so sunny that the butterflies were very active and it was hard to get them to land on you.

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18297199.post-711916289576669742010-05-05T22:30:00.000-04:002010-05-05T22:33:59.766-04:00

(Actually, the two faces and one knee of Deborah)

Technoprairienoreply@blogger.com2