Cuckoo!

During the trip back to the Homestead, PJ received as a gift from his aunt Kresent a beeeeeauuuuutiful piece of machinery. I still giggle with glee as it explodes in song on the hour and the half hour. Here are the chickens and the clock. So far they are doing great with the "look with our eyes not with our hands" thing. It's so fun!

The Desert

We're back from it. High and dry. Going thru a gajillion photos. Will post some of them soon!

Catching up

Post Christmas here at Wild Wild West Drive.
Here are some of the goings on:
New Years Eve Movie Party with the kids-in the basement, sleeping bags, 2 am lights out, Annie.
Getting the kids back in the school groove.
Getting ready for the big Phx trip. (Woot!)
Back to the gym.
Trying to journal.
The candied tangelo peels did not turn out as good as I would have liked. Need more tangelos to try again.
The winds are being whipped up again and may just blow us somewhere else. I am having a really hard time with this. I have faith that we will be okay, but right now going through this (AGAIN!!!!!) is unfortunate. It actually is more than unfortunate. It more than really sucks.
Ava starts new ensemble arts classes next week-Drama Games (She should be in honors for that!) and first grade choir. Tres exciting!
That is the little that is going on around here. Plugging along. Quietly. Trying.
Hoping that all my peeps are feeling their joy.
Later.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

How lovely are your branches. St. Joe Tree Farm, year THREE!

Merry Christmas from Downtown Fort Wayne!!

The last couple of years we've packed up the kids and the hot cocoa and headed downtown for the annual lighting of Santa and his reindeer. There are actually three big things-Santa, a Christmas tree at Wells Fargo, and a big wreath at another building. (I can't remember right now who sponsors that). Last year we saw all three, but this year we did things a little differently. This was the inaugural year for the Parks department to have a big extravaganza at the Community Center, with crafts, the movie Elf, balloons, and all sorts of hijinx. The parks director (of whom I am fond and whose wife I think should be in the top 10 of Most Darling People in the Country list) was even there in costume. We picked up PJ at work then headed over to the Community Center first. Each of the kids made an ornament and we visited shortly with some friends we hadn't seen in a little while. Afterwards, we went back outside to brave the cold (it WAS cold!) and wait for Santa to be lit up. The kids began to grow impatient, but we plied them with hot cocoa and some snacks and they calmed down a bit till the big moment arrived. It's so fun all lit up!

Happy Thanksgiving to all you out there in Blogistan!

A great day was had by the Thuringer clan-movies, tickling, a good meal and a rocking centerpiece! Pilgrim in canoe by Ava P, Turkey hat by Master J. We've so much to be thankful for, especially for our family and friends. Blessings to you all!

One Smiling Sooper Boy

Don't let the man in the picture fool you; I spend plenty o' time in the yard of ours and our recently foreclosed upon next door neighbor's and with the Amazing Yard Appliance known heretofore as the Blower gathered up a lovely pile of leaves for the chickens to play in. They were in the middle of the yard as opposed to down at the street where they need to be because I knew the chickens would want to play in them and playing in them down in the street is a tiny bit stressful for me. So PJ, bless his heart, moved the big ole pile of leaves down to the street after my children had a blast playing in them. They culminated the leaf playing celebration by removing their shoes and socks, and were brought into the house and promptly put to bed for an afternoon nap. The End.

Thrifty Goodness

So last Friday we had a par-tay here at Chez Thuringer, and the morning of said par-tay I realized I had nothing to wear. So I left early to head over to Target to see what was going on over there, and, finding nothing, went directly to my Favorite Thrift Store. It is so good that even tho my reader is in another state, I cannot give away it's awesomeness. Anyhoo, I cruise in there, head for the dresses, and find a darling black shirt dress for $5.50. Missing it's belt, I picked up a replacement for $1. I figured I'd wear this with the patterned tights I just picked up at Target, and that would complete the outfit. But before I left, I moseyed on over to the housewears dept. to see if there was a crock pot (mine is slowly falling apart-missing knob, cracked handle, but still crocks like a champ!) as a back up, or of course good pyrex or vintage tupperware. No can do, but my eyes came across these lovely coffee mugs! They were a lovely set of six, so bright and lovely, stackable, vintagey, and awesome. Three DOLLARS! Yet, as I can be a little insane occasionally, I walked away. What??!! I know~I know! Yet I did. And yet after a successful party and a trip to South Bend and teaching Sunday School I could not get these lovelies off my mind. I was certain that somebody came in on Saturday and snatched them right up, but I knew I had to go check. Right after dropping James at school on Monday on my way out to Meijer (which I totally love but am mad at because they hosted YOU KNOW WHO for her book signing today!!!) I stopped in. Soooo many cars in the lot. It was almost too much to handle. I may or may not have knocked down a small child on my way toward the housewares area (I am kidding, I totally would know if I knocked down a small child!) and found the mugs!!! They are mine!!! Bwahahaha. I brought them home, washed them, and stacked them in the cupboard where the never used fiesta ware mugs used to reside. (I moved the fiesta mugs to a different cupboard. We never use them because the handle is too wierd for me and the mug is too small for Peeg.) And have been enjoying them immensely for tbe last couple of days. And now, without further ado, here is their Big Internet Debut!




Two notes: 1)I might have more than one reader if I wrote shorter-like, "Had party, went to thrift store, found cute mugs, went back and bought them, now am happy!
2) Did not get any good Halloween photos as James was scared of Ava's costume and crying for the photo ops. He got over it, tho, and had a great time trick or treating. There's just no photographic evidence of it.

Thinkin' About Getting Back into the Blog Saddle

I googled PJ the other day. A couple of local blogs had the schedule of the council meeting last week which featured our one and only, and a couple of really old blog posts from yours truly were the only applicable things to really come up. So I looked at said really old blog posts and thought, "Wow, this looks like I used to have fun with it!" Sometimes it seems like the day is filled with so much minutiae and perhaps I have lost the sense of how to get past that so I have stopped blogging. I've been missing something in my life, and was thinking lately how I have an urge to be creative but have trouble carrying through. Perhaps the blog would be a good place to start. I don't need any exceptional skill (except to spell correctly and 1) am pretty good with that and 2) hello, spellcheck!) like working a crochet hook or sewing a straight seam. So we are going to start here. Slowly. But hopefully make it feel like less of a job and more of a creative outlet. I'm getting back in the saddle. Prepare to be underwhelmed.

My boyfriend's back and he's gonna be blogging, hey nah, hey nah...

If you want to become even smarter than I know most of my readers are, (all one or two of you!?) you could see what is going on in Peter's world. It's good stuff.

I Just Can't Get Enough

10th Annual River City Rat Race

Where PJ not only completes the 10k, but has a new personal record!

Things One Sees on an Amish Farm

A Pony and his Cart

A Horse Drawn Lawn Mower


Two Sweet Children with their Pumpkins and Gourds

Even More Fave (really, it's all quite wonderful!)

New Fave

James' Amazing Field Trip to the Pumpkin Patch!

One of the things I have been fortunate enough to enjoy with both kids in school now is participating a little with each one. For instance, I have been helping at Ava's school, and additionally I was able to come with James on his first field trip to Kurtz Farms pumpkin patch! We met at school and waited for the school bus. We got partnered up with a friend from James' class, and when the bus was ready for us we climbed aboard. We went out Maysville Road, and James was so excited because it seemed like we were going so fast. We saw horses and cows and sheep, and before you knew it we were at the farm. We got off the bus and went to Pumpkin 101. The lady from the farm did a great job keeping the wee ones engaged, and showing them the different kinds of corn, pumpkins and gourds they grew at the farm. They had some really big ones! Toward the end of pumpkin class, the kids received instructions on how to choose their very own pumpkins, and we climbed onto the big cart and the farmer pulled us with the tractor out to the pumpkin patch. James and his buddy each picked out a really nice pumpkin, and before you knew it we were heading back to the barn and onto the bus. It was a particularly cold day out and James was ready to get out of the cold, but sad to leave the farm. It was a really fun trip, and a good time (and pumpkin!) was had by all.

And He Ran..He Ran So Far...

...well, not quite away. But holy moly the man of ours ran a half marathon again this year! He worked hard, and he beat last year's time by about 5 minutes! He placed 335th out of 2279 overall, and his total time was 1:48:21. We are so proud of him.

Honorary Degree Much?

Perhaps winning the Nobel Peace Price has taken some of the sting out of not being awarded an honorary degree from Arizona State University.

Surprised and also not...

Senators McCain and Kyl have officially lost every right to ever talk in any way shape or form about ACORN. They decided that it should be okay for the government to give contract money to companies who do not allow retribution in the form of lawsuits for little instances like rape, kidnapping, locking someone in a shipping container without food or water, and threatening further harm should the truth come out. Why wouldn't we as Americans be proud to place our tax dollars in the care of such fine upstanding companies? The surprise is that I saw McCain's name on that list. Some freaking maverick. Jon Kyl has accomplished what I thought was impossible and become more than a joke. But then again, if according to him, maternity care / reproductive issues should not be covered by health insurance (why should it? he doesn't need it!) it stands to reason that such treatment is acceptable to him. Deplorable.

Don't have much to say for now

I am sorry for not posting. There is some yucky stuff going on 'round these parts. Some stuff to worry about. I am enjoying autumn, preparing for a couple of fun things (Halloween! Progressive Party with some neighbors!) but altogether it is taking what I've got to keep it together. It will all be okay, but for now, I am on cruise control. Not much else. Will check back in soon, hopefully with some good news. And I won't leave you hanging on other stuff, like pumpkin patch, or PJ's race. But please be patient for now.