Julianne's room

Clarence is doing some demolition to prepare for installing the new windows in the girls' rooms. Once the new windows are in, Julianne wants to re-do her room so I thought I'd get some pictures before it was all changed.

Julianne has had a yellow room with Veggie Tales since she was about five. She wanted it changed when she turned 10. She thought she was on the every-five-years plan but it hasn't worked out that way.

I suppose she's growing up but how could someone not want the French peas or the penguin from The Toy That Saved Christmas?

She has this happy sunshine smiling at her every morning. I think he helps her wake up cheerfully.

Queen Esther looks down from above one of the windows. She was always Allison's favorite.

Madame Blueberry.

Bob, Larry, and Junior Asparagus.

Palmy. I love his Reggae-sounding song on the Veggie's Christmas CD.

Laura the carrot.

King George's rubber ducky.

I've never been able to decide which is my favorite. My dear sil Kathy painted all of this for us. Prior to that, she had done Precious Moments animals in a similar fashion for Julianne's nursery. She shares her talents with us so generously and I really appreciate it.

Since this is my 99th post, I'm thinking about a giveaway. I'm nowhere near as talented as Kathy but I've got a little something I made to send to someone-so stay tuned for # 100.

Crazy sisters

As part of her prayers, Allison often will ask God to "keep us safe wherever we are going tomorrow". Tonight it went like this instead: "Please help us to have a safe drive wherever we are going today...tomorrow...I don't know...I love you...Goodnight...er, Amen." By this point, Clarence and I were laughing out loud.

It brought to mind a few other distinctly "Allison" memories.

She has used "Amen" instead of goodbye a couple of times on the phone.

Years ago, when Julianne's room was being painted, Allison wanted to be allowed to sleep in the living room with her so she promised "I'll be peace and quiet!"

She once (she was quite young) saw a man walking a large, light brown dog and said "That man has a deer for a pet."

In Florida, when we were visiting my inlaws one winter, she was excited to tell a joke to anyone she could.

The joke was "How did they name Canada?"
"They drew some letters out of a hat."
"C, eh?"
"N, eh?",
"D, eh?"
"That's enough".

She became quite friendly with a couple down the street from her grandparents. We warned her not to tell them that joke, as they are Canadians and might be offended by it. "Too late" she answered. Thankfully, they laughed with her and weren't offended.

Of course, I'd hate to leave Julianne out of things.

When she was little, she once told me "I need some medicine. I've got a temper."

I'm sure much of this is of the you-had-to-be-there variety but tonight I'm laughing all over again at my crazy kids. I've had a difficult day and they are like sunshine to my spirit. I am so blessed to share life with them.

Of course, the chocolate/chocolate chip muffins Julianne made for dessert didn't hurt either. ;-)

New wallet

Remember the latest skunk incident?

One casualty of that escapade was Clarence's wallet. His very special, he-doesn't-want-any-other-kind, wallet. The only kind of wallet he has carried since buying the first one at a craft show over 20 years ago.

A couple days after the "incident", I called Mike Barnes, the guy who crafts these incredible wallets, and ordered a new one for Clarence. I didn't think to ask Mike how long it would take for him to make it and send it out so the girls and I have been faithfully checking the mail every day before Clarence gets home, hoping to intercept the package.

Today was the big day.



Mike calls this style of wallet a "sidebill". The part on the left folds over to the right, then it closes like a regular bifold wallet. That part where he stamps his name and "Calfskin" is a coin pocket. It really is cool.

Then there is the outside of the wallet. Isn't it great?

You can choose the design in the leather. I don't remember all he offers but I think there is a choice of deer, fish, or several types of leaves. I know he makes other styles of wallets, too-of course, I only need the sidebill type.

I've seen blogs encouraging folks to "shop with real, live people" for their holiday shopping so I decided to give Mike a plug here. His website doesn't have a lot there yet but his contact info is listed, along with a small picture of the leather switchplate covers he also makes. Great stuff! Men are often so hard to buy for and Mike's work is unique and beautiful. I think his prices are excellent, too.

Clarence has continued to carry his old wallet these last three weeks. He joked with the employees at the bank and feed store about his skunky wallet and stinky money. Thing is, after a week or two, the smell dissipated. Who knew?

His old wallet is showing some wear. Now his new wallet is waiting in the wings, ready for when he finally decides the skunky one has to go.

Prepping for windows

Wow, pictures can be a wake up call.

These are pictures of the end of our house, where the girls' rooms are located.



As you can see, the foundation plantings have gotten out of hand and would make replacing the windows and siding pretty much impossible.

We didn't plant any of this stuff so it all dates back a couple decades or more.

This side of the house isn't very visible so it's been "out of sight, out of mind". We didn't really realize what a mess this was. The tallest bush is mock orange. The butterflies love it when it's blooming. The other stuff is bittersweet and icky juniper. Lots and lots of icky juniper. Yes, that is the actual botanical name. Icky Juniper.

Clarence's tractor, my inlaws, and a few hours of work made a huge difference.

Clarence would have left some of the mock orange but his dad and I ganged up on him and told him it should all go. I didn't even have any mercy on the crooked little apple tree that was growing around the corner. It was all too close to the house and really needed to be taken out.

Clarence is hopeful that we didn't totally eradicate the mock orange. The girls would like it to come back, too, because they love the birds and butterflies outside their windows. As long as the juniper is dead, I don't care.

Window shopping

(Sorry for the unplanned blogging break. I got miserably sick on Saturday afternoon-couldn't get out of bed or the room started spinning. I'm feeling a lot better and hoping I'm on the mend for good.)

Yes, we've actually been shopping for windows.

Not like this one, though.

We took this picture at the window place because our kitchen window is the same shape as this one and Clarence wanted the visual reminder of how the trim is supposed to look when he's done.



We have needed to replace the windows in our house ever since we bought it (16 years ago!). Other things have taken precedence but it's time for the remaining windows and doors now.

The windows we need for the girls' rooms, the bathroom, and one for the living room were all in stock. The other living room window is going to require making a decision on exactly what we want to do and ordering whatever that ends up being. We aren't great decision makers around here so that may slow us up a bit.

The doors aren't easy either. We have a doorwall in our bedroom and I think I'd like to replace it with a door with blinds built into the glass. Of course, Andersen doesn't offer that option so we've been trying to decide what to do about that. We aren't great decision makers around here so that may slow us up a bit.

We think we want fiberglass for the front door. HD has one we like but it's white. I want to paint the outside, but I'd like the stained wood look inside. That means special order, pay in full up front, and hope all the things we found on the internet about HD and that door company aren't accurate. Another decision and (say it with me) we aren't great decision makers around here so that may slow us up a bit.

Clarence's dad has lined up his Amish neighbor to do the work. His dad also borrowed some scaffolding from one of his friends. As the windows are replaced, the siding we bought a couple years ago during the kitchen remodel will be able to go up, with the Tyvek underneath. It's pretty exciting to think the house is going to be more airtight and comfortable soon.

I'd love to hear any suggestions for fiberglass entry doors-likes and dislikes. 'Cause, you know, we aren't great decision makers around here and we can use all the help we can get.

Completed baby gifts

The shower is tomorrow. I just finished the gifts. I am such a procrastinator.



I ended up using the flannel I purchased first on the burp cloths. I just love the softness of the flannel for next to the baby's face.

I kept debating about using the cotton that matches the fleece on the burp cloths (that was part of the procrastination problem) and ultimately decided that I didn't like the way the design looked when I measured the correct size piece. But what to do with the matching fabric?

Clarence suggested a corn cuddler like I've made for all of us, with a sham that matched the blanket. What a great idea! I used to put a hot water bottle in the crib before bedtime. My girls usually nursed themselves to sleep and, if the bed was warm, I could lay them in it without waking them. If I had known about corn cuddlers back then, I would have used one-much easier and stays warm so much longer.

So, I'm not actually done with the gifts. I still need to make an instruction tag for the corn cuddlers and wrap it all.

Almost done. And the shower is still 11 hours away. Lots of time to spare.

Pumpkin cranberry scones with pumpkin butter

Life as Mom is having a pumpkin recipe swap this week. I decided to share a recipe I got from a homeschooling message board a couple years ago. I don't know who posted it there but it is really good. I, of course, sometimes make changes to the original recipe. Those are listed under the last picture, if you are interested.




Pumpkin Cranberry Scones

2 cups self-rising flour (or all purpose flour + 1 tsp. baking powder and 1/4 tsp. salt)
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (or 1/4 tsp. ginger, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, 1/4 tsp. allspice, & 1 tsp. cinnamon)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold
1/3 cup buttermilk, or sour milk (~1/2 tsp. vinegar to 1/3 c. milk)
1/2 cup pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup dried cranberries


1. Mix together flour, sugar, spices, baking powder (if using), baking soda, and salt (if using) in a large bowl. Cut butter into small pieces and cut into the flour. Mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Mix in dried cranberries. In a separate bowl mix together the pumpkin, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add to flour mixture and mix until the dough comes together (don't overmix).

2. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead gently 3-4 times, and then shape/pat dough in a circle about 1 1/4-inches thick. Slice in half, and then cut each half into four equal pie-shaped wedges. Brush with egg glaze (1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp. milk.), and sprinkle with mixture of cinnamon and sugar.

3. Bake on a cookie sheet at 375º for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Makes 8 scones. Serve warm with Pumpkin Spice Butter.

Pumpkin Spice Butter


1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice


Combine all and mix until creamy.

My changes to the scones:

I used whole-wheat pastry flour for half of the all-purpose flour this time. I don't think I can tell a difference-certainly not a negative difference.
I always omit the salt. We don't miss it.
I replaced half of the butter with yogurt to cut the fat content. I may be sorry tomorrow (doing that tends to make baked goods drier the next day) but I imagine my family will happily eat them for breakfast anyhow. Especially with the pumpkin butter to put on them.

I also have never, ever remembered to do the egg wash/cinnamon/sugar thing. That's why they look all flour-y in my picture. If you want me to use an egg wash and sprinkle it, you've gotta list that stuff in the ingredients. Once I've used all the listed ingredients, I tend to quit reading the instructions or something.


My changes to the pumpkin butter:

I omit the butter.

Shocking, I know, but I didn't want a butter butter. I wanted a pumpkin butter. Like apple butter, only with pumpkin. Never mind. Make it however sounds good to you. ;-)