Checkin out the farm

As you know, I have been to Critter Farm before. My family, on the other hand, had not. This was their first time getting to experience the sights and sounds of real farm life!


S had a few firsts this time around. His first time handling a freshly laid egg.


And, of course, his first time in a pair of rubber boots. Can you look any better in a pair of rubber boots?


G was totally in awe of the chickens....even if it was a little chilly out here when the sun was going down.


Here they come!


G looking around happily.


He was very intrigued by Roopert. I think he was very fascinated that such a little bird could make such a loud noise.


And I am convinced that K is a real natural. Or, maybe, it had something to do with her great teacher! Either way she had a great time being with the chickens and feeding them and helping out with random chicken tasks.


G became fast friends with Danni from the first time he spoke with her on the phone many, many months ago. So, when we arrived at her place, it didnt surprise me at all that he loved being near her. No matter if they were headed to the chicken coop to see the flock or exploring and finding great, squirmy bugs.



And look. There were still a few of these hanging around. The bright, red berries looked so happy when the skies were a little gray.

Just the beginning

The trip out west was a very long one. We had to drive a couple hours to get to the airport, then we had to venture into the security area with a family of five and a billion suitcases. This, of course allowed us to bypass the normal security lanes and meander over to "the family and special liquids" lane.....otherwise known as the "people who are gonna take a long time" lane. And that we did. We had bin after bin of coats and shoes and laptops and carry on bags. I have to say tho, that the people behind us were very patient and that made it so much easier.

G's first time on a plane. He was very excited and did a fantastic job.


So excited in fact, that by the time we made our connecting flight and were in the midst of the long leg...this is what happened.



We made it to Oregon...finally. The kids are more than tired as we wait for G's car seat to travel down the luggage line.


We arrive at Danni's tired and hungry. And I have to say that after all the travel and frenzied airports and rental car places......seeing Danni(and of course sweet Roxy) made it all worth it. And this. Something small to many, but so meaningful to me....it warms my heart.



Oh wait. I meant this. Seeing this.

never know what will show up on your doorstep

I am a planner. A huge planner. Okay, fine. I am fanatical when it comes to planning. My name is frugalmom and I am a fanatical planner. I have been for as long as I can remember.

So, imagine my surprise when I get the urge to do something NOW. Like spontaneously. Like, just pick up and go.....Can I do that? Is that possible? Wait, I don't have a plan...not A, B, or C....And then to do it without breaking out in a cold sweat and having heart palpitations....?

Well, I. did. just. that. No, no. I didn't have any weird symptoms, but I did call up my "bestest bud" and ask her what she had going on in the next few days....clearly, her living over 2000 miles away from me wasn't having an effect on me at the time.

Now you have to imagine Danni's surprise when I, the planner, talk to her and very casually toss the idea to her about us coming to hang out this week...like, as in, 2 days from now. And by us, I mean, all 5 of us. Yes, my whole crew. I'm pretty sure she said, "Are you serious?" And then I said, "yes." And then she said, "How in the world....." And then I said....okay, well, you get the picture!

Lemme just say that Danni and I, well, we work quite differently in the planning arena. When I look into the future, I see times and dates all allotted and categorized, places I need to go and things I need to do. My calendar is my lifeline. I adore my calendar. In fact, I have been known to sit down at the new year and just fill in my entire calendar. Dates I need to remember, things I have going on months from now....the clean, crisp pages of a new calendar....it makes me giddy just thinking about it.

Danni? Thru my eyes? She flits. Like a butterfly. Ever so gently from one thing to the next. Not really needing a plan to get her thru. Letting things catch her eye as she goes...allowing her to experience things in a much different way then myself. To be honest, it amazes me actually. Its something that I wish I could do at times. I am so planned and structured that sometimes my course is so very well laid out that I dont allow myself to veer from it. This, in turn, can cause me to pass things by and not take the opportunity to see everything it may have to offer.

And lists...don't even get me started on those. I have them all over my house. Lists for the grocery, lists for the meals that week, lists of things I need to do....even my kids like lists....


I digress. So, now we are busy. Busy getting things ready to go, busy packing, busy buying snacks. Lots of snacks. This will be the little guy's first time on a plane...and I want to make sure I have enough snacks to keep him with a full belly....oh, and having his mouth full might not hurt either. Not that he wont keep talking(to everyone)...but it may help.



I told G that he was allowed to take a couple things with him in his suitcase. What would you like to take, I ask? This is what he requested.


Oh. Well, we cant really take him, hunny. (As I'm watching him try to figure out just why we cant do that). How about you choose 2 of your sleeping guys to take with you. Okay, he says. So now they are safely packed in his bag and he seems okay that the snowman will not be going with us.

I'm pretty sure there wont be any snow when we get there. But I'm also pretty sure that it will be wet. Very, very wet. So, of course, I had to bring these.



J getting ready to go....already listening to his music. Make sure you have lots of songs on there....its gonna be a very long day of traveling.


K very methodically getting ready to go. If you look at the 2 kids' items laid out I'm sure you can see the difference!


And, of course G. Well, his stuff anyway. He informed me that he would rather not be in the picture. He was busy after all. He had to pick out books for his bag on the plane. And that was way more important than sitting next to a pile of clothes and saying cheese.


So, today will be full of driving, sitting, snacking, sitting, snacking, music, sitting, flying, sitting, and if I play my cards right....maybe a little sleeping. Then at some wee hour in the morning, we will get off the plane and get to see the beauty of Oregon. Even if it is in the dark.

And more than likely these little spur of the moment things wont happen that often. But, I have to say that I have found the joy of spontaneity. The little rush of excitement and wonder of what may happen next. Had it not been for Danni, this whole spontaneity thing probably never would have crossed my mind. What are friends for, if not to show you new things and introduce you to new ideas. She is a free spirit and that's one of the things I adore about her.

The question then becomes....I wonder if by teaching me all about spontaneity, if she ever thought it would lead to me and my crew of 5 showing up on her doorstep in the middle of the night after having given her 2 days notice......Don't worry tho...I have our time all PLANNED out once we arrive.

Turkey day around here

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.



Every year the kids go to grammy's house and make place mats of some sort to use on the table. This year we had more like place cards. They hung very sweetly on everyone's chair.



Around here we try to keep it as fun as possible. Note the napkin rings that quickly became eye wear.



And, of course, since napkin rings are very multifaceted they quickly turned into this jenga type game. This one held everyone's attention for quite some time and there were lots of ohhhhh's and ahhhh's.



After all the dinner stuff was done and things were all cleaned up.....G asked to break out the bubbles. Of course, you cant blow bubbles unless you are in the proper attire.



Then we had a little knitting lesson. Grandma loves to knit. K showed interest a few years back, but it didn't really stick...so now she is at it again and this time seems to be very dedicated. I told her to keep on going....as tight as her stitches are....she ought to be able to make mama a really warm blanket just in time for her birthday.....hint hint.



Not to be left out, of course. G has to learn how to knit, too. He went right up to grandma and said, "I want to learn how to knit, too, grandma."



So, we all spent a very cozy evening knitting, reading, sitting by the fire, playing some games, and of course, enjoying some pumpkin pie.

In the kitchen

On cold and dreary days we like to bake. It makes us feel happy.