The Game Plan

Like almost every other American family, for us, this will be a busy week. At least up until Thursday. How do you prepare for Thanksgiving? Do you wing it? (No pun intended... maybe) Do you have a list, or lists to keep you on track? Or maybe you have lists but ignore them an just do whatever comes to mind? No matter how you do it, it gets done, and I'm sure you will have a lovely holiday.

I'm a list type person for the most part. I like to keep a "Ta Da" list. Not a "To Do" list, a "Ta Da" list. I like to see the tasks marked off. It gives me a sense of accomplishment. I've also learned that it helps to keep my expectations more realistic. I tend to plan way more than what Super Woman could do in one day. I don't always get everything crossed off. Truth is, I almost never get everything crossed off. But, I almost always get most of it crossed off. That is where the sense of "Ta Da" comes in.

I won't bore you with the details of my list for everyday but the basic game plan for this week is:

Monday: Detail clean the kitchen, laundry, start some cleaning downstairs, take the turkey out of the freezer.

Tuesday: Do the rest of the cleaning, laundry, prep the guest room, make dinner rolls, bake squash for a squash pie, check on the turkey and see how the defrosting is progressing.

Wednesday: Pie making day! This year we are making 2 apple pies, 2 lemon meringue pies, 1 french silk chocolate pie, 2 pumpkin pies, and 1 squash pie (my dad prefers squash over pumpkin, but I've noticed he's never refused pumpkin if the other wasn't available). Also, I make sure all the finishing touches are done on the cleaning, and poke at the turkey and pray it is defrosted for the next day. Wednesday evening after church I prep the turkey so I can shove it in the oven at O'darkthirty Thursday morning.

That is the basic plan. We try to eat between 1 and 1:30 or so. The rest of the fixings I make while the turkey is doing it's thing in the oven and driving us all bonkers with the smell.

We are looking forward to lots of family time this week with grandparents coming in for a few days.

Oh, before I forget, I finished Isaac's scrappy Forrest Soaker last night. I can check another project off my list!



I will lanolize that today while I am cleaning in the kitchen. After the kitchen is clean, I'll reward myself with some sewing time. I was hoping to finish Jerusha's blouse over the weekend but that didn't work out. We had a certain birthday to get ready for on Sunday. Happy birthday to my sweet heart!

Just for My Dad

You know what that is, don't you?

::::: Big, Cheesy, Grin :::::::





:D

Just Stuff

How is everyone? I know we are entering a wicked busy season of the year. Lots of stress (good and bad) and lots of fun, and lots of work to do! But that's okay. Maybe it is good to have the holiday rush so you feel burnt out. Maybe that is why I don't mind winter so much. Those January days when I still feel like I need some recovery time from the holidays are much appreciated. I am so thankful then I don't have our garden to tend to! LOL. Of course, by March, all bets are off.

I have a few "special" projects I want to work on this winter. My list keeps getting longer and longer. There is NO way I will have time to complete everything I have in mind. I'm going to have to prioritize after the holidays.

In the meantime, I am tackling my sewing pile. I finished Jerusha's moleskin jumper for church, and am in the process of making her blouse. She is such a girlie girl that I am doing the gathered long sleeves and peter pan collar with lace trim. I haven't done anything this trimmed up in a few years. The twins are outgrowing that "little girl" type style, and like more classic lines, which means quicker, simpler sewing for me. A good thing, as it gives me more time for my thousand other projects. But Jerusha is still into "pink" and "frilly" and "fluffy". For her everyday stuff I never put that much time into it. She may like all that frilly stuff, but she also likes to play outside. I'm not into the muddy ruffled look.

When get her blouse done, I'll have her get all dressed up and I'll post a pic. Immediately following the blouse are church skirts for the twins. Yes, I'll be posting pics. Of course, after that... QUILTING TIME!!!! Woot! I have fabric for my nephew' wedding on the 13 of December. I'm doing a disappearing 9 patch, cuddle quilt sized, machine pieced and quilted. Anyone think I can get it finished, wrapped and sent to Ohio in time for the wedding?

I won't bother with the list of things I have to make before Christmas. I am not going to be able to do it all, so I am working on formulating "plan B" for now. I may actually have to spend the rest of the winter catching up on my "pre-Christmas" list!

Without applesauce to do this week I almost feel at a loss of what to tackle. Almost. As I already said, I've been working on my sewing pile. Today has been a smorgasbord of tasks. This morning we did some picking up, laundry, the usual for us. I also decluttered my closet. Four bags of clothes are leaving this house. All clothes, that thankfully, I have outgrown... the right way! They were too big and it was time to get rid of them. It was refreshing. I need to do a major decluttering in the basement, but that is for after the holidays. That is on my radar, very brightly, I might add. I've already done some sewing today, which is nice. I plan to do more this afternoon.

I'm still working on my novella for the NaNoWriMo challenge. I missed writing yesterday, so I'm just a wee bit behind. No biggie. I can make it up easily tonight. Here and there around the other stuff when I have a few minutes I am still knitting, and almost done with another soaker for Isaac. I'm in a hurry to finish it because I am making a surprise for Dale for Christmas. Shhhhh! Can't say any more than that right now.

We have been tortured today with the smell of a sirloin tip roast cooking in the crock pot. It is making us salivate with anticipation. The wood stove is burning merrily along, keeping us all warm (too warm!) and cozy.

So, that is how things are here at the Beehive today. Hoping everyone's day is blessed and that you are thanking God for those blessings!

Tea Time Black Mail Picture

We were supposed to be doing chores. I thought everyone WAS doing chores. I went along in my blissful ignorance until the quiet (well, relatively quiet, at least for us) morning was interrupted by gales of laughter.

Esther, Jerusha, and Isaac emerged from the girls room, going to tea (as I was informed). I least I think it was Isaac. Unless we recently adopted a little girl, I now have another wonderful black mail picture for later.




Oh, and Isaac was renamed "Charlotte" in honor of the tea party. Lovely.


Of course pictures aren't enough. He could claim later that he was forced and didn't have a choice. I think the following is evidence enough to prove the opposite.





When Josiah was Isaac's, excuse me, Charlotte's age he used to dress up in the twins special dress up clothes. Boas, heel, hat... the whole nine yards. Anyway, you see what happens when you have older sisters who play with you like you are a little doll.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today, November 15th....

Outside my window... cloudy with some very brief patches of sunshine.

I am thinking... about a situation that has come up at church and is taking all our emotional energy and thoughts right now.

I am thankful for... Being done with the applesauce. WE did 230 quarts in 4 days. Whew!

From the learning rooms... We are back in full swing.

From the kitchen... split pea and ham soup cooking, and smelling wicked good and causing the children to pester me every two minutes with: "Is it done yet?"

I am wearing... black denim skirt, green t-shirt, cranberry tweedish sweater.

I am creating...a church jumper for Jerusha made out of a pretty printed moleskin.

I am going... to be writing this evening.. I hope!

I am reading... Ummmmmm.... errrr.....nothing except the Bible at the moment.

I am hoping... to have enough energy to exercise later this evening.

I am hearing... "Hey Mama, is it done yet?" Again.

Around the house... we did some cleaning this morning, some laundry, some folding, I did some organizing of the menu and shopping list.

One of my favorite things... A lazy afternoon with nothing to do but drink tea and knit.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Quarterly reports due, sewing, and getting ready for Dale's birthday this Sunday.

For guidelines to the Simple Woman's Daybook go: http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Applesauce Update

After doing 94 quarts in two days, we are taking a break today from canning. One reason is that we have to do some baking. Also, Benjamin had an appointment at the orthodontist's this morning, and it wiped out a huge chunk of time.





If you are looking at that close up picture thinking something looks funny, it's because it does. They are RED braces. And no, he doesn't have them on the bottom. Yet. That will happen a little later. His top teeth need to be shifted a bit before they deal with the bottoms. He has a lot of instructions, and lot of what he can and cannot eat, but I noticed that most of the "Don't" eat stuff is junk food that we normally don't eat anyway, so no loss. He does have to be careful with something like apples. He isn't supposed to bite into it whole, but can cut it up to eat.


I've been puttering around this morning working on some odds and ends with picking up, laundry, folding, putting canned applesauce away, and making bread. Well, Elizabeth actually made the bread. Esther will be making some cookies later, she assures me. She is my chief baker. I did manage to finish Jerusha's other corduroy jumper this morning.



Isaac took one look at Benjamin's braces and laughed. Then while I was taking Benjamin's picture (what a good sport he is!) Isaac kept saying the toddler version of "cheese!" and trying to get me to take his pic. I guess he wanted to show off his cute little teeth.





We had a pleasant read aloud time listening to the old radio drama based on the book "Captain Courageous" by Rudyard Kipling. We listened to it at The Homeschool Radio Show. Every week or so they have some new freebies to listen to, and we enjoy drawing, coloring, knitting, or playing quietly while listening to the dramatic performances based on classic stories. Some of them are very humorous... like the version of Pinocchio we recently listened to that starred what'shisname who did the voice of Bugs Bunny.

It has been a regular type day for us, which is nice, since we haven't had one of those since before we left for vacation! I've forgotten what our normal routines feel like. It feels all comfortably predictable to be in our usual schedule again.

At least for today. Tomorrow it's back to the ol' grind... of the Squeezo.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY November 9th...

Outside my window... Gray, gray, and oh, did I mention it was gray?

I am thinking... Sunshine, where are you?

I am thankful for... 14 bushels of apples we got cheap.

From the learning rooms... A somewhat abbreviated schedule for school since we are doing up apples.

From the kitchen... The canner is processing quarts of applesauce.

I am wearing... brown corduroy skirt, green embroidered shirt, somewhat applesauce- splattered.

I am creating... Applesauce. Lots of it.

I am going... to be doing applesauce for the foreseeable future.

I am reading... Are you kidding? Who has time to read?

I am hoping... to finish up the apples inside of two weeks.

I am hearing... The timer go off, so I need to get off here and go tend to the canner.

Around the house... piles of laundry, and toys, and books that need picking up.

One of my favorite things... Seeing all the applesauce canned and ready to use this winter!

A few plans for the rest of the week: I'll give you three guesses.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...



For guidelines to the Simple Woman's Daybook please go to: http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/