Family Camp...

...is why I can't post a lot at the moment. It takes place all day, today through Sunday noon. We come home to sleep, otherwise I would just about die.

Anywho, I remembered to program the VCR and if anyone can get the KWWL weather website, scroll down to "Hot Shots," on the right and it files through 8-10 pictures....mine is on! It's the ONLY funnel cloud pic, hee, hee.

I'll check my VHS tape, later.

Carolyn, Ethan and I have to run over to the Reformed church where I clean to work a bit and then it's home to pack up for a day at our own church.

First day of family camp and I am already tired.

Loren may not make many of the sessions because: 1) he can't just sit around all day or he feels icky...he has to do some manual labor to get his heart pumping, and 2) his stomach's been bothering him in the evenings so, for right now he is staying at home all the time.

Only 3 1/2 more days until Family Camp is over...

In other BREAKING NEWS, Loren fixed the dishwasher while we were gone, last night! HURRAY!!
 

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Program Your VCR's ....People!

 
Ma's funnel cloud "hot shot" is gonna be on KWWL around 5:25 TOMORROW MORNING, JULY 31.

:-D

At last...FAME!

Yes, it's true. Ma just received official word by email from meteorologist Mark Schnackenberg, himself, or as his buddies refer to him, 'The Shcnack.'

So to reiterate, that's:
tomorrow...July 31....NBC station channel 7....KWWL...around 5:25am.

Go ahead and program the VCR right away, just so's you don't forget. And please let me know if that blinking in the sentence above bothers anyone. Not promising to change it, but sure would be satisfying to know if it annoys anyone.

I AM SO EXCITED!!

And don't worry, I'll still remain the sweet, humble person I have always been.

Autographs available FREE for attendees of family camp. Requests by mail will be followed up as soon as time permits, but if you want an 8 x 10 glossy, you will have to pony up the moolah, including photo processing and seating arrangement of my choice.

(Ardith and Jason, let all your friends at work know. And if you wish to tell your bosses and bask in some of my fame and glory, feel free. Sharon, I'm not certain you can GET this Iowa station out there in Indiana, but if you stand on your roof and hold tin foil spears in different directions, it couldn't help but improve your reception...)

Is this a great day, or what?
 

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It Was SO Hot Outside...

"HOW HOT WAS IT?"

It was SO hot outside, that Ma could not prevent dematerialization into her shape-shifter liquefied state. Seeping into the ground, she conversed with the worms and beetles and discovered that they too, have a polarized political world, broken down into the two disparate sides of 'charcoal states and ecru states.'

Fortunately, it was cool enough underground that I was soon able to return to my common apparition of 'plump-and-short female nearing 50 who likes to do awful jobs out in the yard that nobody else has the creative flair is desperate enough to attempt.'
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Yesterday I dug all of my lilies and ferns out from their previous home surrounding the tank. That was after I got back from, quite literally, 'bringing home the bacon.'

Today I undertook the seemingly simple task of transferring sod from a new project near the garden to the barren bed of formerly-tanked-emptiness.

FIFTEEN wheelbarrow loads later...it could have been one or two less...it was mostly done. Now a few loads of dirt were needed to "fill in the cracks."

I came in for lunch--which I selfishly made the kids prepare--and Kendra asked me in somewhat shocked tones, "Mommy, what have you been doing?!"

After I found the strength to look in the mirror, even I was dismayed....my hair was plastered to my head and my face was red as a beet (not your dark red beets, but your lighter, pink hues).

It was a humdinger of a humidifying day, it was.

At any rate, that project is sorter done, and then I got started on today's part of the lawn. (have to finish the second part tomorrow, to get it done before family camp)

The mowing proceeded without incident until I hit part of a stump, whereupon the mower died in a most abrupt manner. I started it up but my innate mechanical sensibilities were somewhat offended by an unusual scraping noise, necessitating mower stoppage and a looko beneath el mowero.

The blade was bent.

This looked like a job for el husbando.

Wheeling it up to the garage, I informed my trusty fix-it man that, "I hit part of a stump and now the blade is bent..."

"How do you know the blade is bent?" (why do they always doubt you when you tell them the blade is bent. Do I have the wherewithal to make something like that up?)

"It sounded funny and then I looked and I SAW that it was bent."

*he looks under mower*

"Wow. It's bent, all right." (heh, heh)

*takes blade off and fastens it to clamp while wife trails hopefully behind*

"I guess I'm pretty special if I can bend a mower blade, huh?"

"Oh...you're special, alright..."

Well, Miracle Man fixed the blade and I finished the minimum amount of lawn just before the final deadline (you-have-to-start-NOW-or-you'll-never-get-it-done) to fix supper.

So basically, I got a lot accomplished today, AND...

...I---am---special :-D
 

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It's a Butterfly!

We noticed that the chrysalis had darkened by yesterday, which is a sign the butterfly could emerge in 24 hours...

And it did :-)


Twelve days from chrysalis to butterfly. Time to carefully take off the lid...


"Wow! I've never been this close to a butterfly before!"
Nolan was PRET-TY excited.

Then, in an instant, it flew off to a nearby Ash tree...

"Bon Voyage, Stripey."
 

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It's Sweatin' Time, Again

Oooo baby, is it ever 'close' out there.

That's what Mom always used to say. Loren usually makes some remark whenever I use that term, which is why I try to say it as often as possible, just to drive him nuts.

Speaking of being depressed (I'm kidding...but of course, if I'm REALLY depressed, how could you tell if I WAS kidding? Makes you wonder...huh? I just love playing mind games...), I was reading one of my favorite Mommy Blogs this morning, the one by Dawn Sheehan. She's the lady who sold something on Ebay that her kids had slipped into the grocery cart and wrote such a funny episode about it that she got on TV and has a two-book deal with Guidposts and rights to a screenplay...

ANYWAY, she attended a conference recently, called 'Blogher' where lots of women who blog got together and had fun--half of which was getting away from home--and you know what? There are LOTS of moms out there blogging. Some even have 10 kids.

This confirmed in my mind something I'd already suspected...that I am an unknown loser just another one of many, who apparently has less than nil chances of ever getting published (and paid for it), there will be no fame and fortune or even the chance to help pay off medical bills or ever get ahead or...you know.

SO, I've decided to quit being an unpaid writer and go back to my former profession of being an unpaid mother and homeschool teacher...BUT, I do have the satisfaction of fixing up the yard after certain people from the electric or propane companies come and rip things apart.

There's just something about setting things aright, and getting filthy dirty in the process, that keeps me going.

And now that my rest break is over I return to my sweatage and toil...
 

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Love is in the Air

People are falling prey to the engagement virus all over the place.

Earlier this month another nephew made it official with his girlfriend, which has brought about a flurry of comments on the Hoyt family email chain. I'll give a few samples, though I should set it up by saying that our nephew Andrew had it done up quite special by taking his girl out to the original ice cream shop where they had their first date, all the while making arrangements for his roommate to deck out her apartment with candles and flowers and rose petals, and as if this weren't enough...! Andrew got down on one knee and did the official opening of the ring box, etc.

Let's just say, the bar has been raised VERY HIGH for the remaining Hoyt nephews. Following are a few comments, with no names attached....

"Congratulations, Andrew! How romantic! I think fathers and uncles could learn a thing or two from this new generation of Hoyt men." --Aunt

"(For the record, I don't want a romantic guy.) You sure did do great, Andrew. :)" --unmarried girl cousin

"That's what I like to hear, (above cousin). Sticking up for us old-fashioned just-get-the-job-done, just-the-burger-no-fries-thanks types." --married male cousin

"Well, nature needs some way of passing on the genes of those of us who can't do as well as Andrew. Aside from buying a tasteless, incorrectly sized ring and burning the apartment down with the romantic candles, I can scarcely fathom genuflecting to my fiancee-to-be." --another unmarried male cousin

"Practically speaking, why bother?" --same unmarried girl cousin as above

"And for that matter, why bother with the expense, or why propose in person? Today is the Age of Communication! of Efficiency! We can e-mail our proposals! Attach digital images of engagement rings! Why, we could even conduct the wedding via teleconferencing!" --Mr. I-don't-genuflect

As you can see, we are a real fun crowd :-D
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Speaking of falling like flies, a young couple in our church also got engaged this past Thursday...Edith Weikert and Bronze Helmke.

Congratulations to the new 'couples!'
 

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That Propane Tank Thang

When the guy called and said he'd be right out (yesterday) to move the tank, Ma knew she'd better get pictures of her lilies in bloom.


Oh, the carnage...


The men are getting ready to hook the tank onto the pipe-trailer-thingy.
(so THAT's what those funny things on the ends are for...the kids always thought they were 'climbing enablers'))

Move 'er out!


Huh. Somehow it looks different...


And I'm thinkin' you could get two bodies in here, end to end...


Tank is in its new position. Now the wire has to be dug up a bit and shortened...


Loren watches them do various stuffs.


This moving business all stemmed from putting in the new electric wire and having to conform to new code standards. We were only off by a coupla feet, but hey, what's that compared to the chance to stomp down Ma's flowers?

The lilies aren't that big of a deal to me. They'll grow practically anywhere you throw them. I'm going to wait a bit and see where inspiration leads.
 

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Arghhh..

Arghhh #1 is that I didn't notice until this morning that last night's post hadn't published due to an unclosed tag. My fault.

Arghhh #2 is that Blooper Blogger won't publish my photos again this morning. Their fault.

Arghhh #3 is that I woke up before 5 this morning. I guess we won't go into Who's fault that is.

The good news is that Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen work quite well in combination to wipe out a headache.

Arghhh #4...the headache returns.

More good news: after today, only 26 more weekends to clean the church!
 

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Big, Big Day Up at the Hoytstead....

...unfortunately I have a killer headache and am going to bed as soon as I transfer my laundry to the dryer.

However, we DID have the propane tank moved this morning. Many lilies were crushed, but it will be OK. Those things grow like weeds, anyway.

Thanks to Ethan and Carolyn I got a little work done at the church, then went into town for an emergency creme rinse run....when you have girls with long hair you can-NOT run out of creme rinse. Took the three young whippersnappers with me and they played at the park for a bit.

Then, THEN Ma went out and dug up all the grass around the grape vines, which was facilitated nicely after I pruned the grape vines back to nubbins.

Now when people drive by they will no longer say, "Oh look...the Hoyts are growing crab grass....again."

Work on music for a family camp skit and then a quick practice completed the day, as well as reading aloud another chapter from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

Now I will be in fine shape as soon as the headache meds kick in...
 

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It's a Miracle

The mower has been HEE-yulled.

It may not be quite as eco-friendly, but the husband has fixed it so it dieth not every 90 seconds, anymoreth.

Eventually the cramping in my right hand will subside. There's just something about pulling the cord and messing with the idiotic concave primer doohickey that makes a Ma's hand take on a claw-like appearance.

But veiled references to Dark Shadows aside, everyone who went out to shop for a new grass-cutting machines...cancel that.

Ma's vote is no longer selling for the price of a lawn mower.

However, if anyone's thinking along the lines of a lifetime supply of chocolate, with two pacemakers thrown in....I'm willing to negotiate.
 

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What I've Learned (so far) Today

• Obama has 427,000 "friends" on MySpace. McCain only has 60,000.
  
• We have a stupid, stupid mower.
  
• Richard Simmons, testifying at a congressional hearing, has not ruled out running for public office.

  "I don't know. I may run for office. You never know."
  "After this congressional hearing, I will go home," Simmons said, "I will talk with my Dalmatian dogs, I will pray to God and then I'll see what else I can do to help."

Personally, I will vote for anyone who procures for me a new push mower.
 

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Church Art

Here's one from a couple of weeks ago. I saw Nolan drawing it and I told him, "Now keep that nice so I can take a picture of it!" (once in a while he'll just cross out or erase a perfectly good picture)
I thought it was pretty spiff with just the mountains, sun and road with truck. Nice perspective. Then he added signs and "Well!" and...stuff. Nolan tends to not know when to stop.

This one's by Trevor. He likes to get lines going beside each other in curves. I've named it, "Madonna at Prayer."
Pretty good for a short, Protestant kid, no?

Ma likes it, though I'm contemplating trying to sell it on Ebay...
 

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The Jim-Bob Report

"Happy July 24th, everyone. I'm Jim McDonald, welcoming you to Iowa's News Network...All Iowa, All the Time. Unless we don't feel like it.

Today we'll be heading to our field reporter, Bob MacCackle, stationed in Des Moines. Bob? Tell us what's happening out Ioway?"

"Well Jim, we have more exciting news from the Hoyt homestead. Ma has recently finished up another stint of the Idiot Proof Diet!"

"....*pause*...Again ? Bob...I thought there might be some actual news..."

"Whaddya mean, 'again,' Jim? This is classic stuff. Life wouldn't be the same if Ma wasn't on a diet now and again. It's like the swallows returning to Capistrano each year, or Puxatony Phil popping out of his hole every February. It's tradition and you expect it...like...like a presidential election with no good choices. It's part of what makes America great, fer cryin' out loud!"

"Alright, Bob...cut the clichés, if you please, and just give us a little news."

"Ok. Well....as a matter of fact, Jim, there is an exciting development among the youngest Hoytsters. Nolan and Trevor Hoyt have captured a Monarch caterpillar, which they've named 'Stripey.'"
"Well, Nolan uses the name 'Stripey,'...little Trevor prefers to call it 'Goldie.'

The boys have fixed up a nice little jar with sticks and leaves from the Milkweed plant. Both of them are very excited, Jim!"


"Ah yes, Bob. That harkens back to my own youth and the pet caterpillar I raised...my, my...how I miss old Maximillian..."

" 'Maximillian?' You had a caterpillar named 'Maximillian?' Gimme a break, Jim..."

"And what's wrong with that name? I thought it rather regal, in a lepidoptera sort of way. Max was a good listener...a confidant, if you will...Max...Max was my friend."

"Aw Jim, you're chokin' me up, here. I never knew you had a soft, larval side to you..."

"Yes...*sniff*...well...at any rate, what's the ETA on the Hoyt boys' butterfly, Bob? Are we going to see the finished product anytime soon?"

"Well Jim, the caterpillar formed its chrysalis on the 18th of July, so given its 2-week pupal stage, the Monarch butterfly should emerge around August 1, or smack dab in the middle of Family Camp! Back to you, Jim."

"Oh dear. This IS stunning news. We can only hope for the best. Ladies and gentlemen, you can be sure we'll be here for any late-breaking developments in this tense situation. Until then, this is Jim McDonald for Bob MacCackle in Des Moines, saying 'Good day,' and please join us in wishing...

'...Godspeed, Goldie...' "
 

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Life in the Yard

I won't go into the problems I've had with posting pictures, but I think most of that is semi-settled, now.

At any rate, on with some yard life :-) (click on pictures to enlarge)

Dayflower. It's basically a weed, but a nice weed.


This Johnny Jumpup made it's way from one front bed to another, and altered it's coloring in the process.


Elderberry bush. You just can't beat that white flower head against a blue sky.


Oh looky...the cucumbers are flowering. Cukes to come in a week or two.



Solomon's Seal, in bloom. The name comes from the root configuration, which I don't intend to dig up and show you right now...


Here is the berry which forms after the blooming period.I ran across an interesting blurb concerning the healing properties of this plant. It was written by someone named 'Gerard,' who I've not been able to track down but obviously wrote long ago in the old English...

"The roots of Solomon's Seal, stamped while it is fresh and greene and applied, taketh away in one night or two at the most, any bruise, blacke or blew spots gotten by falls or women's wilfulness in stumbling upin their hastie husband's fists, or such like."

(and people wonder why 'women's rights' got its start...but I digress)


HollyhocksAs I've mentioned before, this flower looks best against the faded paint of an old house or barn.

Last but not least, this year my 'Lizzie Miller Rose' outdid itself :-)
Bloomed all over the place in June. It's an old sturdy variety that needs no winter protection. Spreads readily too, so let me know if anyone wants a start...
 

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It's HOT

As in, dripping-down-on-your-glasses-and-you-smell-like-a-pig-from-mowing, hot.

Part of the grass cutting fatigue comes from having to restart the ailing mower every few strips...*barely suppressed urge to scream*

Ma employed one of her age-old lawn grooming techniques today: When you don't have enough gas or time to mow the entire lawn, just mow the front parts of both sides so that people passing by will think you did the whole thing :-D
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I sent my twister pic into KWWL but nothing, so far. I guess it is no big deal, huh? It sorta was, to us.

I even called it in to 911 and when I told them my location... "We have weather spotters out there. Thank you for calling."...*click*...

Ohhh-kay.
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Since we went to the library on Friday Ma needs to report on the books she picked out:

Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression by Mildred Armstrong Kalish

Yours, Jack: Spiritual Direction From C.S. Lewis

Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America 1789-1989 by Michael Beschloss

A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children by Caroline Kennedy

Why Women Should Rule the World by Dee Dee Myers

That last one serves two purposes: 1) to read, 2) to leave lying around to drive the husband nuts. I strongly adjure every wife to do this, once in a while.
 

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The Diet Report

Well, Ma is pretty stinkin' happy since she has lost six pounds with the 11-day Idiot Proof Diet :-)

I have two confessions to make: I modified the diet by guessing on the meals for each day, and also adding a chocolate or two, most days.

And yesterday, I had four bites of homemade vanilla ice cream at the fair, after Trevor couldn't finish his. (the little squirt)

Then too, I hit the diet at an opportune time since I'd (apparently) lost 4 pounds previously, which means in reality...

...I've lost 10 pounds in just over 2 weeks :-D

Respectable, again.

Even so, I'm gonna be good and hit the treadmill before breakfast.
 

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Whew!

What a day, and before we go further let me say that concerning Marlys, things are looking up.

They went into her lung, found the place where it was bleeding and cauterized it. They will check her tomorrow to make sure it is still ok, and then perhaps send her home :-)

Obviously, if she gets to go home that would mean the TB check came back negative.

Nothing to say but PRAISE GOD and I thank everyone who prayed.
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Now, concerning this huge day...everything went very well, including Kendra remembering she could walk across from the park to the courthouse and get her permit renewed, which she did.

Legal, again.

I'll get to details about the fair and such, later (I hope) but the BIGGEST DEAL of the day was seeing this....
...from the intersection of 65 and 57, which is just east of Iowa Falls.

We were close enough to see the rotation, and I don't like to partake of overly used words that often, but this was

AWESOME.

We could tell it was a fairly little thing, and of course if it had touched the ground (it never did) and we'd detected damage, we would have started praying something fierce for the people in harm's way.

But that never happened, thankfully.

So, I guess I've got my twister picture, anyway, and nobody was hurt.

I'd post more but I have to go out and sprinkle grass seed on my new "project." For the sake of my older kids, I dug out the old onion/grass patch and made a few niftly curves and am planting grass and sticking in some old limestone rocks and moving some yarrow over...

It will be oh--so--über--cool.

And one more thing...today is the last of the 11-day Idiot Proof Diet! That means I'll be setting my alarm for 12:01 so I can down a bag of chocolates.

Of course I'm kidding !

(for the most part)
 

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Big Day Ahead

(no new about Marlys yet, this morning)

The library books are due tomorrow so you know what that means...a five and a half hour trip to to towns and then back home.

Then I realized that the Franklin Co. Fair was in session this week, so I thought, "Hey Ma, why not make it even worse and hit the fair, too ?"

So we'll be packing a lunch to eat in-between the first library and the fair and hope to be back before dark.

This means Loren will have make his own sandwich, but it's probably time for him to explore his inner lunch, anyway.
 

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The Marlys Update --Revised, 2nd time

(5:45) Marlys has been taken into surgery...there is a lot of blood in her lungs

(5:30 pm)

PLEASE PRAY

Marlys and Caleb have been put in quarantine in Iowa City due to suspected TB.

This afternoon Marlys' oxygen levels fell to low levels, so they truly need our prayers.

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(3:30pm)
(sorry for the tardiness, I should have accessed my email on Loren's computer)

Marlys has been taken to Iowa City, which I assume means University of Iowa Hospitals.

She is still coughing up blood.

Caleb took her in to the local hospital again, but they didn't do anything additional for her, so Caleb took her down to Iowa City last night.

Ma thinks we better keep a prayin'...
 

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Greetings....

...from Loren's computer.

(say, did you know that if you accidentally press 'ctrl' while hitting 'backspace,' instead of holding down 'shift' and hitting 'underline,' like you'd intended, it makes everything SHRINK?)

Something is wrong with my computer; either not enough RAM, failing hard drive, or things equally unimportant. Thus, the computer takeover.
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In mulching news, Mr. Lupkes mowed the grass by his bins yesterday and presto, my strawberry beds are safely covered! Derek finished up his bed and Ethan did all of his watermelons.

The kids did a lot of the raking for me and then I carried it over in the kiddie pool, a wonderful grass transportation device even if it has too many holes for wading.

Ooo, now...Ma has an EX-cellent cleaning tip for y'all. (and you know how I am constantly looking for new ways to keep my home clean and lemony fresh..)

Let's say, your iron filter on the Culligan unit kicked the bucket years ago and is too expensive to replace. What to do about those nasty rust stains on the tub and shower walls?

And we're not talkin' about a little haze, here. I mean shower walls that are completely orange brown, which I must say, was NOT on the color tableau I'd chosen.

The answer? THE WORKS.

Yes, it's a toilet bowl cleaner.

Takes out rust instantly on whatever it touches. Grab a sponge and mop up the excess and finish off what didn't get hit the first time.

Course, it does make the hands sting a little, so you might want to wear gloves (unless you're pushing 50 and just don't care anymore)

Also, I HIGHLY recommend that you take frequent breaks, moving your head out of the immediately cleaning area so you can...um...breathe.

Other than that, it's a great product. (though it will take the color right out of clothes, heh, heh)
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Well, I've fed my posting addiction for the day, now to feed ME :-D and that reminds moi, as of this morning I've lost 5 pounds on the Idiot proof diet and kept off the other 4 pounds I mysteriously lost prior...so that means I've lost 9 pounds in the last 2 1/2 weeks or so!

I is happy.
 

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Yet More Updatage

Concerning Marlys, a blood clot was found in her lung and extracted. This should let the doctors feel comfortable with having her go home, perhaps as early as tomorrow.

Again, Ma thanks people for praying :-)
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In other news, we spent 6 1/2 hours at Pine Lake this afternoon (including travel) so the kids have had a fun day of water play while Ma rested her ever-so-slightly less corpulent self in the shade, sipping Diet Cherry Coke and listening to her favorite oldies station, KIOA (sounds like "Ioway" after the "K" :-)

Then we came home, wet but tired and happy. Because I am such a outstanding mom, I let the kids eat a meal involving all the food groups: ice cream sundaes. Naturally I required them to put some fruit on because every slacker meal deserves that little nutritional touch that makes it special.

Ma had a sensible salad.

So it was a great day, all around, with a Picasa album to follow....sometime.

And now,

bon appétit, everyone :-D
 

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Prayer request update

There is some good news concerning Marlys Weikert...

...the baby is fine, so we can all praise God for that :-)

However, Marlys was diagnosed with pneumonia and they were having her stay overnight at the hospital.

I'll let you know when I have any more news.

Thanks so very much for praying!
 

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Just Stuff

First of all, I've heard no more news about Marlys...

Secondly, I dropped off all the school registration forms at the local office and I DO hope I filled everything out properly.

Thirdly, went shopping with Melinda today and we stopped and had a little picnic lunch on an nice shady bank at Prairie Bridges. We saw lots of dragonflies darting about...two or three groups of geese swimming sedately by...heard the beauteous cardinal song--as well as many others....enjoyed the peaceful bliss of God's creation....heard the first song of the cicada! Ut Oh...that means summer's more than half over and frost could come in six weeks! Mark it on your calendar, folks. It brought a little melancholy knot to my stomach. Ah well.

Fourthly, I bought three "Knock-out" roses for half price at Wal*Mart. You know what this means...Ma will have to work on another little landscaping project :-D Awww, too bad, Ma...hee, hee.

Fifthly, Nolan and Trevor are all excited because they have found a Monarch caterpillar and are now "raising it" in the firefly jar. All lightning bugs are collectively heaving a sigh of relief, even as we speak...

Sixthly, here's a little conversation between the two new parents that took place moments ago...

*while picking up Legos*

TREVOR: "Nolan....what's the heaviest thing?"

NOLAN: "The earth."

TREVOR: "Good job !"

*they run over to check on caterpillar*

NOLAN: "Look how much he's eaten!"

TREVOR: "OH MY GOODNESS!!!"

NOLAN: "Let's go up and get on our pajamas and brush our teeth and check on him again!"

TREVOR: "Okay!"
____________

Trevor got dressed all by his lil' ol' self.

If I'd known this would make them so all-fired responsible, I would have suggested they get a caterpillar a long time ago.
 

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Please Pray...

...for a young married couple in our church.

Marlys and Caleb Weikert. (pronounced WYE-kurt)

Marlys is expecting their first child in November and was rushed to the hospital, coughing up blood.

Please pray that she and the baby will be alright.

Many thanks
 

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Finally, I can relax

The church cleaning is done for another week, the lawn is mowed and the terrible humidity is temporarily gone.

It's been tolerably weird here at home with the oldest three (actually the middle three if you count those out of or in college) off to the state convention.

I moved the kids closer at the dinner table to prevent gaps...we got a taste of what it will be like when Melinda goes off to college.

We're going to need a smaller table.

Below is a 34 picture album of this week's visit to Prairie Bridges Park. I went on Thursday afternoon/early evening after mowing the lawn. Felt the need to go out and do something fun, just for me.

Yes, I know I'm selfish. Just ask the ten kids I gave birth to at home and nursed and homeschooled and fed and took care of when they were sick :-p

At any rate, the trek was enough to get me through another day.

July 08 Prairie Bridges Park

Have a good weekend, y'all.
 

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Once Again, the Idiot Way

Yes, it's true...Ma is back on the Idiot-Proof diet. I'm into day 4 of the 11-day stint and things are lookin' good.

After three full days I've lost 2.5 pounds, but that's not all...

When I stepped on the scale for day 1, it read down 3-4 pounds from the previous week!

So I must have hit the diet cycle just at the right time, to coincide with hot, heavy work which will hasten things along.

Speaking of sweating buckets, today is basically the most heatful and humid of the year, which means....TIME TO MOW THE LAWN!

When I started yesterday it was bad enough, but today should be brutal. Just the thing to melt off an extra pound.

(that's the language they use in those women's magazines with the weight-loss articles..."...and that's how Francine melted away the 108 pounds!")

Anywho, it seems like a good time to give it a go so I done gone ahead.
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In other news, my junior delegates, Derek and Melinda, are heading off to the State Republican Convention in Des Moines, this afternoon. The wonderful Severs, who are providing the ride, need to be down there on Friday night for an activity, so my budding anarchists are hitching a ride.

Also going will be Kendra, as an observer.

Should be much hilarity and good times with that crew together, whoo boy!

I baked some oatmeal applesauce muffins as my contribution to tomorrow's breakfast, which I hafta say, if you're gonna bake you should definitely pick the hottest day of the year.

My, my...time for my breakfast break of ham and pineapple. YUM! Admit it...you're jealous 'cause you don't have to go on a diet every so often, like me.

Well, if you are going to be one of those people who always does the right thing and never so much as sniffs a chocolate chip, then you had better be willing to pay the price. In this case, nobody's getting any of my ham.

At any rate, think of me today, mowing in the ferocious humidity and sweating like there's no tomorrow....
 

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(revised, Thursday)

This will be quick, as the day has been busy.

I wouldn't post at all except every once in a while I don't and then someone contacts me to see if anything's wrong :-p

So, my exciting day went as thus:

After folding the last of the laundry, putting meat in the crock pot and baking cookie bars for the kids' after-lunch dessert, I headed off to my monthly cleaning job, feeling oh--so--efficient.

Five and a half hours, two protein bars and a bottle of water later, I returned home, popped the top on a Diet Cherry Coke and sat for a few minutes to see the end of Kendra's birthday movie, The Inspector General.

After that break I cut up vegetables to feed the crock pot. It looked hungry.

Needing to get into the great out-of-doors, I took my trusty wheelbarrow and started 'round the house, removing unnecessary plant life as I went.

It was a profitable time, interrupted by having to finish up supper for the family. Supper which I could not partake of, but no, I'm not bitter.

Back outside to finish exfoliating my little part of the globe, and then in to clear the table of the dishes and food I could not eat. Not that it was a big deal.

After that, it was a simple matter of trying to find recalcitrant children to pick up their toys. This involved going out on the porch and glimpsing a striking cloud, lit up by the setting sun, which begged to be shot with the camera.

Naturally, Blogger decided, ONCE AGAIN, to refuse picture posting privileges. Time and fatigue prevent me from employing other machinations, but trust me, it was terribly copacetic.



Unlike Blogger, which is terrifically annoying.

Goodnight.
 

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Life in the Yard

Ugh. I've been sitting in front of this computer all day, going over math and science papers, figuring out grades and adding up credits to make sure everything is hunky-dory for Derek's transcript.

'Tis done :-)

Now I need to go outdoors and reclaim my brain...but first, a few happenings from around the yard:

This is the year that all of my wild prairie roses--gathered from various ditches--have prospered and bloomed.
This one is the most common, pale pink, but I also have a white one and my most coveted, dark pink.

Gotta love the Iowa state flower!

My newest rock garden project includes a little yellow snap dragon.
Once the transplants (hopefully) do their stuff, I'll give a project report.

This year our large plum tree did not leaf out, proving Melinda's theory right...that insects had invaded the trunk. Melinda cleaned out and hung up a goose-neck gourd from last year's crop and hung it up in the dead tree. Then we noticed this bird hanging around....
Melinda did some research and found out our guess of a Common House Wren was right, and that the male fixes up 2 or 3 nests and then sings for a female to come and choose one. This little guy has been singing his heart out, day after day and so far, no takers...

Time for the Purple Coneflowers to start their display.


I lost my Betty Boop rose over winter, but this Morden Blush is still coming back to show it's pretty cream and light pink blooms.


Now...off for some weed pullin' fun...
 

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Storm and After

We've been needing rain for the garden and flowerbeds, so when this came along in the afternoon...
...things looked promising. (taken across the road, mostly north)

Toward the south we saw the rain streaming from the clouds.
Some places in Iowa reported 1 inch in as little as 10 minutes.

I can believe it. We had four or five waves of short but drenching downpours.

After the rain settled down to a sprinkle, I walked around outside and saw this robin...


...gazing at the sunset.


It's amazing how fast things can turn around.
 

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Weekend Festivities

(second attempt after Blogger completely lost the first post)

Sharon drove out from Indiana for the weekend, in time to accompany us to the Iowa Falls fireworks on Friday night.
They were quite impressive, as evidenced by the bits of phosphorus which fell three inches from Ma's foot.

Saturday was the big BIG day, though, and we'd been cleaning most of Friday in preparation. I even pulled out the stove fer cryin' out loud!

Ardith and Jason rode up from Cedar Rapids with Josh and Anna Scholl, recent transplants to Iowa's flood-damaged city.

The cookout menu included:
--hot dogs and brats, which for once in my life I did NOT burn
--pickled beets and eggs (beets grown by Carolyn)
--coleslaw
--applesauce (from our apples)
--raw peas in the pod (grown by Carolyn)
--homemade cherry pie and vanilla ice cream (cherries from our trees and pies made by Sharon)

But of course, you'll want to see pictures...

Here we see the "Scholl" right in his element...
...unfortunately, I did not get a photo of Trevor's Bob-the-builder hat on this esteemed head.

I'm sure it was just a coincidence that Anna only spoke when the husband was in another room.
Scholl kept Carolyn and Nolan vastly amused by his experiments in flawed structural design. He'd make some small building, than drop it onto the floor where it shattered to pieces amidst Carolynesque guffaws.

Lame claims were made that the damage was due to incorporation of "non-real" Lego's with "real" Lego's, but methinks the blame should instead be laid on shoddy workmanship.

Topics of conversation ranged from past exploits of LeTourneau students to the practicalities of raising a giant squid from the ocean floor.

Following are a few random quotes:

"We don't CARE about growing asparagus on Mars!"--Carolyn

"We just got Ardith excommunicated? SWEET!"--Scholl

"Did you catch the dripping sarcasm?"--Carolyn

(I must say, Carolyn came up with some real zingers :-)

Throughout this enjoyable day Trevor had a little sniffle, which has since blossomed into more colds for several other kids. That pretty much insures that we've spread it on to the assemblage in Cedar Rapids, which means....

...our work here is done.
 

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Something is Wrongo in Photolando

As in...cannot upload pictures onto Blogger...cannot log into Photobucket account...cannot start new Photobucket account.

Yes, it would seem the end times are near.

Meanwhile, we had a jolly good time yesterday. Sharon was here from Indiana, Ardith and Jason were up from Cedar Rapids, and the mystery guests?

Scholl's :-D

Also from Cedar Rapids.

What a time of laughter! Scholl has got to be one of the most entertaining people I've met in a while. I'd heard rumors, naturally, but this small gathering at the Hoyt homestead allowed me to experience the full effects of Schollertainment.

Thankfully, God provided Anna to keep him in line. Somewhat.

I even have PICTURES, but alas, not the one of Josh wearing Trevor's Bob-the-Builder hat.

We never did get around to discussing Republican terrorists...it was mostly terrorists of the college kind.

Half of the remaining kids want to go to LeTourneau and half do not.

Me...I just wanna take a nap.

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Yes, We're Alive and Fine

Sorry for the no posto, yesterdayo.

Been VERY busy in the yard...

+mowing
+raking
+mulching
+weeding
+building up the garden beds
+weeding some more
+transplanting
+weeding yet more

And that was just the little kids! Made me exhausted just watching them while sipping Diet Cokes from my lawn chair.

(obviously that last part was a joke...except for the Diet Cokes. Three-cokes-per-day for three-days-in-a-row...Ma is goin' into caffeine overload)

Why all the outdoor hullabaloo, you ask?

WELL, we have GUESTS arriving for parts of the weekend !

Sharon drove out from Indiana and should be arriving any moment, to stay until Sunday after church.

Tomorrow Ardith and Jason will swing up from Cedar Rapids, along with some very special guests. I cannot reveal just WHO they are at this time, other than to say it is a husband and wife tag team who went to school with Ardith at LeTourneau.

I've even made up a list of potential conversation subjects...let's see now...

1) Politics
2) Religion
3) War in Iraq

...oh wait, that's what NOT to talk about, heh, heh.

Nevermind. There will be exciting cookout menu selections, including Ma's famous pickled beets & eggs, made with beets Carolyn grew with her very own hands!

I just hope they don't fall through the grill grate.

Another reason for not posting yesterday is anger and frustration with the incompetent wonderful folks at Blogger, who nearly drove me berserko were so very helpful in posting Kendra's birthday pics...

For SOME REASON, they would only let me post one and ONLY one picture to a post page. That means I had to laboriously upload one picture at a time, cut and paste it to a new tab, and then repeat the process a mere seven times.

It was maddening but I kept it up because there was NO WAY I was going to let them get me. That's what they want to do, you know...mess with your mind until you start thinking of them as an evil entity and then lose all sense of proportion as to reality and before you know it, they'll have you thinking the world is round...

But of course, I know better.

ANY-ways, now that the important stuff is done--cleaning up the garden--I guess...*heavy sigh*...I should get around to doing something with the house.

I don't know why I enjoy cleaning up the outside more than the inside (other than the fact that I love being out in the fresh air and it takes me this long each year just to get over winter), but I do.

Maybe I'll start with the kitchen, since that's where I keep the chocolate...
 

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Kendra Turns 19!

 
(click on pictures to enlarge)

Kendra chose "rich man's burritos" for her birthday meal. The dessert--which she made herself--was pound cake with real whipped cream and real cherries from a can.

Wow...the huge number of candles generated enough heat that Ma had to hold it away from her face :-p
Kendra got all but one in her attempt to blow them out. (no cake for YOU, heh, heh)

A CD....Michael Bublé?


"But...who IS this guy?" "Trust me, Dear, you're gonna love him."
Reminiscent of Sinatra, only better.

Oooooo...Jane Austen's Guide to Good Manners.
It's what all the modern ladies are reading these days, and it comes complete with a sumptuous ribbon bookmark.

See the nifty shadow effect behind Kendra?
...and to think I did it without even trying.

Short Stories of Saki


BIG BAND!
A 3-CD set just like the one Ma got from mère de Paige.

I guess that subtle hint of, "...and if you ever want to get me Big Band CD's, that would be great..."

paid off...*wink, wink*
 

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Here...take this quiz...

 
How Smart Are You?

From the BBC site. Today's was the English section and Ma scored 18 out of 20, due to two unfortunate spelling errors. (what? no spell-chek?)

Next week...MATH. You know, I'd take that 'cept there won't be time for a year-long refresher course.
______________

Quote of the Day from a breathless child:

"MOMMY! Thehwoh's a Wipe Wazz-behwy!!

Yeah. It's a quiz. Guess which one said that :-)
 

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Life in the Yard

This post is brought to you in part by...
...Ethan, mowing the yard. Derek's taking his turn, too, but we all know how much 17-year-olds like to be caught on camera.

We celebrated Kendra's birthday last evening, so there'll be pictures up of that, in time. But today is slated for mucho mowingo.

I purposely let the grass get higher than usual so we can accumulate mulch for the garden, assuming we can hack through the tall grass without completely killing the mower.

Ah well...time for an update on the cowbird drama:

As you can see, there are two birds in this Chipping Sparrow nest...two birds that do not look alike.
On the bottom one can plainly see the brown markings indicative of a sparrow. On top, with greedy and undeserving mouth open, a probable cowbird baby.

The only reason one of the sparrows survived is that those eggs began hatching before the cowbird egg. Usually it's the other way around and the bigger cowbirds successfully compete for food to the detriment of the smaller birds.

When I looked in on them last week, I clearly saw what looked to be a small dead bird on the bottom of the nest, as well as an unhatched cowbird egg.

My only comfort is that one of the sparrows lived and only one cowbird seems to have made it out of its egg.

Farmer Frey is back today, downloading corn from the bin. A newly shorn Trevor has found a shady place to watch, while picking moss off a tree trunk.


Oh joy, the Indigo Bunting has come back!
This beautiful fellow stopped by more than a week ago, but looking at him helps me forget about that mangy cowbird....ARRGH! I thought about it again...
 

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