Autumn's past

I was going over some photos of autumns past.  For some reason, fall happens to be one of my most favorite times of year for pictures of my family.  There is something amazing about the crispness of the air, the clearness of the sky and the gorgeous colors we get off the trees here in the north. 

This picture of my little one's is an all time favorite.  This was taken two years ago, and looking at it makes me miss their "smallness" back then.

This one was taken the same year, except we're all here.  All six of us...(say hello to my double chin).  They were just so stinkin' cute!  My kids, that is, not my chin.

And then say hello to us in 2010.  All that goldenrod in one spot is making me sneeze just thinking about it.  But, oh, what a lovely yellow it was!

And again.  This is right about when the whole shoot when down hill fast.  They were cold, and insistent on munching apples instead of saying cheese.

 And one more.  Just cause they're that good-looking. You agree?  I thought you would! 
Jo

Kitchen story 2

So we've torn apart our kitchen.  Approx. 8 mos and two weeks ago.  Yeah it's been that long.  For a long while I really didn't care that it's been this long, but now I've got ants in my you-know-what.  The temporary accomodations have not been bad, not bad at all.  The laundry/bath we put in last fall have made being without a kitchen very tolerable, altho tight quarters.  I've learned that--
--dirty dishes and dirty laundry can be found in the same space and not be as overwhelming as I imagined.  
--a washer and dryer make a great countertop.  Just don't use them as a cutting board.  Your knife will hate you. 
--never set a hot pan in your new acrylic laundry sink.  It will melt.
--you never needed all that kitchen cabinet space.  You can do with a lot fewer dishes, tools, and food than you thought.
--a small space makes it next to impossible to work in with your honey without having to bump into/touch each other five gajillion times.  And I don't hate that. ;)

It's the man--carving out the wall for my amazing new windows.  If you want to see how this kitchen used to look, check here and here. I'm warning you, it's ugly.

Our determination to do it all our selves has waned.  Our pride got kicked in the pants to the curb, and we're hiring some of this project out.  You know, there's only so much time in one's life and being social brats was becoming a little old.  We also replace our "regular door" with one the size of the original to the house.

Aren't they just beautiful?

And a view from the outside.  They fit in so well... like they've always been there.


So now we're on to something.  That something being a goal of a new kitchen by January.  Next stop:  plumbing, insulation and drywall.  Now if I could just schedule my plumber for a massage, maybe he'd name me as the beneficiary of his very next job. 

*(Plumber-- a.k.a: the man I sleep with every night; the father of my kids; and winner of my heart.  Just so you didn't lose too much oxygen over my looseness with said man)
Jo

I'm gonna miss this...

September is blowing it's chilly breezes here...I am in love with the crisp air and clear blue,blue sky.  But, summer, you are going to be missed extravagantly.  I loved our summer...extraordinarily warm for the north and just all around beautiful.  A few of the small ones in the family learned to swim because we actually had weather warm enough to swim in.  If the whole year around would be as lovely as summer is here, we would have died and gone to Heaven.  It's just that great!

We splashed in the lake...our town is perched on the edge of an amazing lake and someday *fingers crossed* it would be amazing to actually own a little lakefront property.  Not like we'd deserve it or anything. :)

We watched amazing little parades in town.  Some of them even lined up right in our front yard.  The firemans parade was our all-time favorite... a full 70 minutes of local fire equipment, crazy floats and school bands.  We love that we can sit on the curb, collect candy and wave fiercely at anyone we know marching in the parade.

Naps in the hammock.  We sure do love our backyard.  Even though we've got close neighbors our yard has carved out it's own sanctuary of space.  I've had so many hours of glorious digging around back there and the gardens, etc. are starting to feel like "me".

Not only are we going to miss the yard, but our other favorite spot is the front screened porch.  This little porch looks out over the street and Myron and i loved sitting here after the kiddos were tucked away for the night.  Watching the neighborhood life at dusk, quiet moments at sunrise, enjoying a cup of coffee, and hollering at friendly passerby.  Next year, dear porch, you will receive a new coat of paint and be more glorious than ever.

 Now that summer has ended, we are back in the thick of learning.  Book learning, and learning how to co-habitate (is that even a word?) in a house with fewer days to roam free outside.  A friend said it's like herding cats and I agree.  Some days we love on each other and other days there is nothing left but hair balls and tails.  We will survive. 
Jo

Erie Canal

We spent a day up on the Erie Canal recently, biking only a small portion.  Loved, loved it.  The trail is gorgeous for biking/jogging and we had a great time watching all the boats come and go, feeding the ducks (do ducks like raisins? nah.), and pushing our kids' biking skills to the limit.  8 miles is a Lo-o-ong ride for little legs to pedal.

 We took two bike trailers and youngest two rode.  We had a mini van full to the gills of kids, bike parts, tires, helmets and trailers.

 So one of these years we won't bike the trail, we'll boat it!  We wish.  How much fun would that  be to rent a house boat and cruise the Erie Canal for a week? 

 Hundreds of ducks.  And no, they do not like raisins.  The kiddos coaxed and coaxed them with trail mix, but somebody else had already handed off a bunch of real duck food and that suited their appetite so much better.

 This was one of our favorite stay-cation days this summer.  Fun and exercise all in one-you just can't beat that.
JO