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{O}’s (much discouraged) Haircut | Before & After

June 24, 2010 By Laura 16 Comments

Big haircut in the house!

I have been talking for 2 weeks, about getting my hair cut again, because it’s driving me crazy. This morning I mentioned out loud to Michael, how I’d really like to go get it done today. But he said, “Me and the boys all need them too, anyway.” We are rather spoiled, because our hairdresser, Janine, comes right to us, and cuts anyone who needs it. SO convenient. Sometimes I go to her, for a highlight, a dye job, or a big-deal-cut for me. But generally, she comes to us. So Michael called her as he always does (her number has always been in his cell phone), and she said she would come tonight! She most always comes within a day or 2. Got to love that!

Well that’s when {O} said she wanted to get hers cut short. And then, that’s when the household went into a state of tissy, and great debate.

For some reason, her triplet brothers and big sister really, did NOT want her to get her hair cut that much. Even her Daddy has scowled at the mention of it, many times. I on the other hand, love it long on her, but feel like if she really wants to get it cut, she should be able to. My only concern, is to be sure, she is sure.

Well trust me…..she was discouraged, BEGGED, and someone even attempted to bribe her, all-day-long, not to get it cut, by her siblings. But she stood strong, and never wavered, right to the end. She was so excited. She was sure. It wasn’t necessarily about donating. She just wanted it cut. She’s all about style and fashion anyway. She’s a girl like that.

Even Janine made a little disappointed expression, when she came and we told her. Although she is DYING to BUZZ the boys hair!! She has been waiting to do that. I do believe she will be waiting, forever, on that one. I love my long haired boys, and thankfully, they love it long too. {S} always wants it long enough for a ponytail. lol

So Janine first cut {S}, then {JM}, then me, then Michael, and THEN {O}. Janine asked how how much, and {O} said “to here“, and showed her shoulder level!

But Janine started cutting lower, and I could already tell it looked pretty cute at that length. When Janine did all the way around, {O} went and checked it out to see if she should go shorter, but she came back out squealing, “I LOVE it!”
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BEFORE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AFTER

It really did look pretty cute! I think it was only about 8 inches taken off. Nowhere near the 17 inches her sister cut off last year! But for {O}, and her size, it was a lot. More than she had ever gotten cut at once before, anyway.
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She had her photo taken with Janine, just like {A} did last year.
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Her triplet brothers and sister decided it wasn’t so bad after all, and they would be o.k. Daddy also loves it.

I think my little girl is a doll, with her long or short hair. She’s even cuter today though, because of how giddy-happy she is with her new shorter haircut. But what I really love about her , is that she already has such a strong sense of self-confidence. She knows who she is, and what she wants, (as much as a 7-point-10 year old can) and while she will listen and consider, she is not shaken by the opinions of those around her.

She follows her own heart, and the beat of her own drummer. I think that’s going to take her somewhere in life.
No matter what her hair looks like.

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A Dragonfly Wonder | Homeschooling | Nature Study

June 18, 2010 By Laura 4 Comments

It’s Friday afternoon, and a beautiful summer-like day. I was doing some stuff around the house, with all of the windows open, and the kids were all playing outside, when I hear {JM}, “WOW! I just found a really BIG dragonfly! Guys, come look!”. I was chuckling at how loud he was yelling, with such enthusiasm, and wondered if the whole town might come running. I slipped on my flip-flops, sauntered out there, and saw Michael was already at the site of said-dragonfly. He said to me as I headed over, “You didn’t bring your camera?” My plan was to judge for myself, if it was camera-worthy. ; )

I took one glance, and…..Yup! It was!! I went and got the camera, hoping it wouldn’t fly away before I got back.

{JM} found it on the tree, just like this…..

It looked like it had no intention of moving, any time soon. It was huge. But I knew you wouldn’t be able to tell the scale of it, in a photo of it, on a tree.

So Michael put his big man-hand beside it….

It was 6 inches, easy, head to tail.

After I got those shots, Michael was dying to get it on his hand. He managed to very gently….

Just LOOK at the size of that thing!! It did flutter it’s wings momentarily, and it honestly sounded like a bird’s wings flapping.

Maybe it’s common, but we’ve never seen anything like it, in our lives. Have any of you New England folks ever seen one like this? Do they grow this big in other states?

If you know what kind it is, or even have a guess, please let us know!

We’ve been trying to research it, and figure out what the species is. But I haven’t yet been able to find a photo that matches it. We’d love to learn more about it.

Is it possible to have a ‘dragonfly hive’ in your yard, like some have bee hives?

THAT would be so cool, huh?

One thing is for sure: God’s work never ceases to amaze us.

BTW, yes, Michael has been painting, among 100 other projects we’ll be sharing with you soon enough.

Thanks for dropping by, and sharing in our marveling at the wonders of nature!

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Earth Day 2010

April 24, 2010 By Laura 4 Comments

A few years back, we decided to invest some ‘extra’ personal efforts of our own, on Earth Day, to help preserve and protect our environment.

It has become a tradition of ours, every year since. Somehow, we’ve been blessed with perfect weather to revel in every year on April 22, as well. This year was no exception.

Typically, our Earth Day starts with heading out into our neighborhood in the late morning, with our poke sticks and big trash barrel on wheels, to clean up all of the litter we can find.

As we work our way down the side roads, people drive slowly by, and smile at us, through their puzzled expressions. As if they are thinking, “What on earth, are they all doing?” (No pun intended. lol). Some actually roll down their windows, and ask us out loud. Others get it right away and already know and say, “Are you cleaning up because it is Earth Day?”….to which all the kids say in unison, “Yesssss.” And they usually say something like, “That’s so niiiiice. Thank you.” And again in unison they say, “You’re welcommmme.”

It’s downright sad, to easily find all we do.

We know some escaped the back of a truck on the way to the dump, or blew off someone’s deck by accident, etc.

We also know how many people just carelessly toss out their vehicle window, anything they are done with.

We love the part where we get to our beach.

We don’t find a whole lot of trash on the shore, but some. There are often adults, settled with their chairs and blankets at the beach, on (school) days as warm and fine as these. So most of them strike up a conversation with us. They first group thought we were a real crew, hired to clean up the beach, because of their colored shirts. But the kids explained, they were trying to wear “Earth Day colors”. Then they got it…”Ohhhh. It’s Earth Day….that’s right.”

I know the awareness of Earth Day has slowly grown since the 1960’s. But it seems we have a ways to go! For ALL to be aware not only of Earth Day, it’s history and purpose, but to contribute to it’s success every day of the year, through our daily habits. That’s the goal.

For us, our rituals of global love include not only cleaning up, to beautify our environment….

….but appreciating the beauty and Creation by God already all around us. Like this huge sea snail I spotted in the rocks, left behind by the receding tide, as we made or way down the shoreline. O.k., ‘beauty’ may be a stretch, for a sea snail. Sure, in it’s shell, it verges on pretty.

But I am quite sure, out of it’s shell, it’s about as ugly and nasty as the dickens.

The kids studied the sea snail meticulously….

…and had lengthy discussions about how interesting it was. And big! Then they decided it would be kind, to return the snail to it’s safe-haven home: the sea.

So that’s just what they did, even though it was a bit of a hike to the water line, as the tide was going out.

But the sea snail seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, or perhaps a thank you, as bubbles quickly rose from it’s shell, to the surface of the water.

Like any gorgeous weathered day around here by the shore, it’s hard not to feel so blessed, and amazed, at all God has created, for us. We sure do love it.

Soon, we headed home, ate some lunch, and later on, baked some Earth Day treats! Cupcakes.

The cupcakes were deviled food cake mix, aiming for an earthy color. Then we colored ‘whipped’ vanilla frosting from a can, and got creative. Going with the whipped was a wise choice. It was so easier to work with.

I do love the “EARTH” ones, that Michael/Daddy did.

Michael, {A} and I designed the rest.

These 2 were a couple of my favorites. By sight, and bite. : )

Our Earth Day has been as simple as this, but I have some bigger ideas for the future. We know many others do special things on Earth Day, and still others do nothing special, but are just good “earthlings” all year long. (And we appreciate that!) Did YOU or your kids do anything in particular, at home or at school, for more global awareness, appreciation or nurturing, on Earth Day?

Year round, we try to recycle, conserve energy (for our bills too, lol), reuse materials, and do other clean-ups on our street now and then, and we never, ever litter! (We also let anyone we see littering, really ‘have it’. “Excuse me. Pick that back up, please. NOW!!! <throat clear>. Thank you.”) Michael wants to put a rain barrel in the ground, to use for watering our gardens.

We hope you had a wonderful EARTH DAY!! Feel free to share with us anything about your day this year, or any and all tips or habits you use throughout the year, that benefits us all, as we preserve and protect the beauty of our world, together.

(P.S. After commenting, don’t forget to visit the Home Page! XO)

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5th Basketball Season, Slam-Dunked!

March 12, 2010 By Laura 4 Comments

{A} just finished up her fifth basketball season with the Plymouth Girls Basketball League, and what a season it was!

Last year as a player on the junior league, she had a really great playing year, with all of her acquired skills finally coming together, gelling, and showing out there on the court. This year, she started with the senior league, and she was really looking forward to it. Of course, she really loves this game.

Try-outs were at the end of October, and she did really well there. We heard she was one of the first girls drafted by one of the coaches, who we were not very familiar with because he was a senior coach.

She would be playing for team Liberty, and she realized very quickly though, that this year was going to be different for her. After the year she had last season, it was a tough pill to swallow. If anyone knows {A}, she’s just a happy-go-lucky kind of girl. A very sunny disposition. The kind of person people say to “Do you ever stop smiling?”. She is very sociable, friendly, self-confident, and loves to joke around and have fun with people of all ages. Even her coaches. She’s serious about playing well, but she’s really light-hearted about it all too. She just likes playing hard, but having fun doing it.

Well, it’s safe to say she stopped smiling quite a bit this season. Especially early on in the season. Because she realized at her very first practice, that her coach this year was all business. He’s all about the game, teaching the girls to use their skills properly, and make them better players. He wants certain things done, in certain ways. He’s tough, direct, and not the least bit hesitant about being loudly vocal to anyone who doesn’t follow his exact directions. What a clash for our Little Miss Sunshine!

We knew she had a rough year ahead of her. Unexpectedly rough. But as her parents, we thought it was a great thing for her. Why? For one thing, this guy was an excellent coach, and we knew she’d come out of the year, even a better player. He knew this game well, and he was passionate about defining the skills of any girls on his team. Teaching them proper form, thinking ahead, “looking around”, and “being smart”: terms we heard him shout frequently this season.

It was also an opportunity to build her character. A way for her to experience, how the world is filled with people with very different personalities than her own, and there will be times in her life, when she’ll need to find a way to work with such people in her life, gracefully. To respect authority in certain situations. There was much to learn this year, that would go far beyond the game of basketball. She would grow not only as a player, but as a person. It could only be a good thing.

Coach just passed out shirts at the start of the season, and she was none to pleased to see she was number 1. “No pressure.”, she said.

Practices were a bit of hard work, with a lot of skills drilled, and strategies taught, and {A} never missed one. As tough as Coach was, it was easy to see all season, that he knew what he was doing, just looking at the score boards. They had an excellent season of 10 games, with 8 wins and 2 losses, only by a point or 2. I didn’t take photos all season, but {A} was finding her groove, and learning how to handle Coach, a little more every week. She was out there on that court every game, always sporting her crazy big sneakers, and only sometimes, her smile.

Last weekend was play-offs, and the Championship game, for the teams left standing. Our team, Liberty, won their first play-off game on Friday night, 26-4. Play-off game 2 on Saturday was another win of 12-19. {A} played awesome those 2 games, on offense, defense, and shooting as well. They made it to the Championship game scheduled for noon on Sunday.

Here they are pre-Championship-game on Sunday, huddled down the school hallway, listening to Coach.

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Warm-ups.
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Game time, playing against the Monarchs . . . .

Catching the rebound.
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Coach was all about his marker board. He used it to explain every thing, whether it was a bad call on the girl’s part, or a plan when they got back on the court. It was an excellent tool, that really helped the girls who benefited from a visual to clearly understand.

#2 was one of our boys ‘other’ favorite players, besides their sister.
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It was surprisingly tense game. I am super competitive, and one of ‘those’ moms, cheering, hooting, hollering, or screaming from the sidelines, making a scene. You have no idea. By half-time, the score was 10-8, with Liberty leading. Too close for me.

In the end, the Monarchs won by 6 points, with a final score of 13-19. The other team simply played a better game that day. (That’s me, practicing sounding like a good sport.).

I need the practice, because next year, the boys, {JM} and {S}, start playing basketball too. We’ll be living at the gyms every year during basketball seasons, from then on out.

The crowd was only on one side of the gym – the side I was shooting from. {A} was the first called up, to receive congratulations, and her trophy. They had both learned to appreciate each other, for their strengths and weaknesses, as they both saw it.
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The whole team: Liberty. There she is on the far right, smiling.

There is no shame, in being runner-ups!
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But our girl is still #1, to us.

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Superbowl Menu

February 8, 2010 By Laura 2 Comments

We had a nice little Superbowl Sunday. We kept it pretty low-key, for a couple of reasons:

1) Our own New England Patriot’s weren’t playing.

2) It was a school night.

Every year, I get all excited about Superbowl Sunday, no matter who is playing. And then I realize how late the game is starting! And then I remember, that I forget that that is the case, almost every year!

Still, we can’t let the opportunity for a little private family party, pass us by. But considering the circumstances this year, we kept the menu simple-simple.

Pastrami Sandwiches – we love them. We just put a pound 1/2 of pastrami in our steamer for 10-15 minutes, rearranging in the steamer basket about 1/2 way through for even heating of the meat, and then we pile it on a toasted wheat roll. The kids prefer no mustard, but Michael and I like a little French’s.

Here’s an item we were downright excited to try: Jalapeno Poppers!

Participating Ingredients:

18 fresh jalapeno peppers
8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
3/4 shredded or grated cheddar cheese
1 green onion chopped
package of bacon, cut in half to shorten (18 slices, 36 halved)
brown-sugar BBQ sauce
toothpicks
RUBBER GLOVES!

(You will only chop jalapeno peppers without gloves once, but never again. I did, once, and my fingers spent the entire night in HELL. Literally, I’m quite sure. The throbbing pain of burn, was nearly unbearable. I was near tears. Just take my word for it, and use gloves when chopping these babies, and don’t touch any part of yourself after having touched the peppers! Especially your eyes!)

1) SO….once dressed in your gloves, slice the peppers in half, lengthwise. We keep the stems on, and try to cut those in half too. It gives you a little handle later, and keeps them cute! Clean out the inside of the peppers completely – free of seeds and white membrane. However, the real heat is in the seeds and the white membranes – so if you like more kick, leave a little. We left just a little seed in ONE pepper, and I got the Lucky Popper. ; )

2) In a bowl, combine softened cream cheese, chopped green onion, and cheddar cheese. Mix well.

3) Being sure your gloves are on again, or still, using a little old-style butter knife, or a cheese spreader, fill all of the peppers halves with the cheese filling. We filled it well, as a little heap.

4) Pre-heat the oven to 275 degrees. (I realize most cooks/bakers do this first, but I’m too slow to prep the food, so the oven is on for too long, for no reason. Plus, I feel pressure because the oven is waiting and ready, but I’m not done! lol)

5) Next, wrap each cheese-filled pepper, with a 1/2 piece of bacon. Do not pull it tight, as the bacon shrinks when it cooks. Secure each one with a toothpick through the side of the pepper as you go, and place on a cookie sheet. (We cover the cookie sheets with tin foil for stuff like this, to avoid having to wash the pan after. ; ) Call us lazy.

6) Generously brush each bacon-wrapped-cheese-filled-pepper, with brown sugar BBQ sauce.

7) Put in oven for about an hour, or until the bacon is crisp and sizzling.

*You can serve immediately, at the risk of burning mouths. But we found anyway, that letting them set & cool some for 10-15 minutes, really makes them all the better! They firm up a bit, and you can really enjoy the different elements of the Jalapeno Popper in your mouth, instead of it all being very soft and mushy in your mouth.

A friend asked us, “Will the kids eat those?”, and the answer was YES! Our little ones, especially, like hot stuff. {A} just thought they “were just o.k.”. But it’s not the recipe, it’s her. ; )

We’ll be adding these to our appetizer hit-list for future occasions. We put 1/2 f this batch, already cooked, in ziplock bag and into the freezer, to be able to just heat some up sometime soon. And trust me, soon it will be!

BTW – My friend Mary Beth, from Nothin’ But Country, made up a batch of the Bacon-Wrapped Pineapple Bites for her Superbowl party, and came by the blog here to leave a fantastic review of the recipe! Check it out! If her review doesn’t convince you to try them, nothing will! And check out her blog too! She and her husband LOVE to cook, and all kinds of great recipes.

We also snacked on tortilla chips and salsa through the game, in between hoots & hollers at the tv. As you can see, we already had been at them before I remembered to take a photo. lol.

Our ever-creative boy, {JM}, made a football for our party, as some festive decor. He made it out of gold and white tissue paper, and a little gold mylar. That boy is ALWAYS ‘making something’, and he never ceases to surprise us with his great ideas either. Get this……..

…..the football lights up!! In the dark, it really puts off quite a glow!

Since our New England Patriot’s weren’t playing in the Superbowl this year <boo-hiss!!>, we decided to cheer on the Saints! Why? No real significant reason, except maybe because their names is the Saints, and we like their logo the best. : ) We are really happy for New Orleans.

Did YOU watch the Superbowl? Which team did you cheer on?
And more importantly, what was on your Superbowl Menu, if you had one? Do share!

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