Knocks, Boosts and Weirds

I have several miscellaneous items I want to record on the blog, so I was going to call it Tuesday Tidbits.  However, Tuesday came and went and I did not blog, so now I can't use the title anymore.  Most families have their version of sharing time, like WGB (weird, good & bad).  I was inspired by Jill (she inspires me quite often) to rename our bads and goods to knocks and boosts. 

Knocks

Last Friday one of our kids got sick and I found myself scrubbing floors and walls at 1:30 am, only to repeat the process an hour later.

Boosts

The same child who got sick was able to climb down from his bunk and walk to the bathroom before the explosion.  Scrubbing tiles in the middle of night is definitely better than trying to clean carpets. 

Family time also got a boost since we had four days to relax , spend time with each other and start a puzzle.

I was able to savor some delicious Italian coffee while enjoying the company of three great friends.  Girl time certainly gets a boost.

The guys were not forgotten as they got their tools out and made some noise cutting logs while stocking up on heat fuel for the winter.

Weirds

An owl is free to hunt the woods again.  Upon returning form our jog, Shawn and I decided to peek inside a new house being built.  To our surprise, we were greeted by a huge owl who was trying to fly out a closed patio door.  We made a quick exit (owls talons can be sharp) and watch the owl perched on the scaffold while we formulated a plan to help her find freedom.  I gave Shawn a boost so he could climb on to the deck and with a long stick he opened the sliding door.  It took a bit of encouragement, but eventually the owl did find the open door and flew out.  We know had a good story to share with the boys.

A Little Reward

After a productive day of working in the yard, doing laundry and other such things, we rewarded ourselves with some fresh homemade cinnamon buns.  By then the wind had picked up and the sky had darkened, making it a perfect time to savour our afternoon tea.

Thanks Ann for this delicious recipe.

Ingenuity at its Best

Who needs a clapper if you have this?

Young Men at Work

Nolan was handed a new doorknob box to replace our broken bathroom lock (kinda of important to have a lock when you are about have 16 people in your house) and he took over from there.  All the hours helping dad and skills learned at boyscouts have payed off.  Of course, a willing attitude and some patience helped him finish the job.

While Nolan was taking care of the doorknob, Christian and Shawn flexed their muscles moving some hevy furniture. 

Love my boys, love their muscles, love their handyman skills.

Common Thankfulness

Looking back over the years, I realized that our only tradition of Thanksgiving was being thankful.  A first I thought that turkey dinner was something that we did every year as well, but then I remember the times we went to Vancouver to dine at Samba, a Brazilian steak house.  Due to Shawn's work schedule and Canadian family (who celebrates it a good month earlier), every year we have had a different format.  This year we had friends over who also did not have family in town.  I thought back with a thankful heart, to the many times we were welcomed into Thanksgiving family gatherings while living in Indy (thanks Billingtons.)  It was a privilege to pass on some of those blessings today. 

We had Peruvian, Colombian, Brazilian & Canadian backgrounds savouring a typical American feast. 

Our trusted "crokono" game is always a hit.

Electronic games are always a hit with the teens.

So much to be thankful I could not list them all here.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration as well.

Red Carpet

Red Carpet night is an evening for the high schoolers to shine, an opportunity for them to dress up and show their talents.  Christian would argue with me about my word choice, he would not quite call dressing up an opportunity, but rather a requirement.  At the end if he would be really honest, he would probably tell you he enjoyed "sprucing" up a bit.  Not to mention that his mom thinks young boys in ties look really smart, I mean random (or whatever word the kids use nowadays.)

See for yourself

A Symbiotic Relationship

The question is inevitable,  one that every parent hears:  "Can we get a dog?"  We found an answer that pleased everybody, let's share one with the neighbors!

  Several years ago, as Shawn and I dreaded the thought of adding more to our plates, but at the same time knew how the boys would benefit from having one, our neighbors were contemplating getting a dog, but struggled with  knowing how to take care of one during their 24 hr work shifts.  A perfect solution was found.  They got the dog, and we help care for her, by taking her for walks, having her for sleepovers, and just loving her as our own. 

And the Tree Came Tumbling Down

To get a head start on the fall winds, we decided to be proactive and take the questionable trees down ourselves.  After going through the required channels and getting the approval, the work began.

The big boys got the chainsaw out

and the younger one got the ax

A lot of trees came down, and most fell where they were supposed to  . . .

. . . but some defied the guys "careful" calculations.

Where are going to burn all the wood now?

Or sit down while we roast our marshmallows?

Since these were our only casualties, we counted it as a successful day.

The boys tree house also had to come down due to some rotten posts.  It was interesting that our oldest, who obviously hasn't played in it for quite some time, was the saddest about this event.  Maybe because he made the most memories in it and he was old enough to "help" his dad and grandpa build it.  Then again, he was also very nostalgic about the spindly alders that were taken down. 

The deer was not bothered a bit by the noise and commotion.  As soon as a tree came down, they rushed to feast on the fresh, formally unreachable green leaves.

There were some spots that were unreachable to our guys as well, no matter how brave they are, some jobs were left for the professionals.