The little dragon

So, once again I'm behind! Life seems to have been on fast forward since the last post. A lot has happened and two holidays and a birthday as passed! So, Happy Halloween, Happy Thanksgiving, and Happy 4th Birthday to Celia!

John Paul's parents came in for trick-or-treat and stayed through Celia's birthday (Nov.4). I would post an image of Sam dressed up this year, but alas he ran off with his friends and I missed the photo opportunity! He did come home with a pillowcase full of candy, though. I think we are still eating it!

Celia with our neighbors, Hannah and Emma

Dragon girl and waiting to cross the street with her Oma.

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Celia's requested a strawberry birthday cake with a dinosaur on top. So, we re-used the dino candles from last year's birthday cake and made a Parasauralopholus stencil (also request by Celia). She filled in the image with colorful sprinkles and it looked fantastic!

County Line Orchard, Hobart, Indiana

Last weekend we went to the pumpkin patch and apple orchard. It was a gorgeous day and I felt so blessed to have my family with me. Sam's pumpkin weighed 29 lbs, John Paul's was 25 lbs, mine was 17 lbs, and Celia's didn't get weighed because it was so small. :) We also picked a few apples for a pie (coming soon), but we probably ate more apples in the orchard than we brought home. When JP's parents visit, we are going back so his mom can pick apples and hopefully make her incredible apple cobbler. yummmmm. I'm really starting to like this area!

Sunflower seed harvest

Today we harvested sunflower seeds. With over 60 sunflower plants, we shared plenty with the birds and squirrels and now have a bucket full soaking in water. They have to soak over night then we will lay them in the sunshine tomorrow to let them dry...then it's oven roasting time! Celia was so excited to help and be a part of the process. What a grand little gardener she is. She collected a few specimens to take to her classroom science table so that her friends at school can see how fun gathering sunflower seeds can be!

Anvil Lake, Eagle River, WI

This Labor Day weekend we took our first trip to the North Woods in Wisconsin. The weather was cool and rainy, sunny and gorgeous, and absolutely perfect. I wouldn't have traded a moment spent with my family for anything in the world. I have to say that I will forever love Kentucky for its rolling mountains and my safe home, West Virginia for its grand rivers and hiking trails, and I love Wisconsin for its fantastic beauty. I am taken away each time I go and just fall a little more deeply in love. This trip brought about fishing, walking in the forest, swimming, cooking, strolling through downtown Eagle River, browsing through junk stores, and simply making good old fashioned memories.

our front yard

leaving

I tried to catch this process in action. But, as it is, I missed the butterfly coming out of the chrysalis. I am bummed. But this is the footage I do have, compiled into a quick time movie. Enjoy. :)

Credit to Neko Case for the tune (one of my all time favorites!).

(ps...sorry for the crappy quality...I'm off my game.)

September brings emergence

I checked on this glorious being first thing this morning. I noticed how clear and colorful the chrysalis/butterfly appeared. I then whipped up breakfast for the kiddos, got Sam off to school, and sat in the kitchen trying to awake the zombie inside me with a cup of joe. As Celia finished her breakfast she went in our living room to check on the butterfly. She was ecstatic, "Mommy!! Mommy!!! The butterfly came out!!! Look! Look!" I was shocked and soooo disappointed that I missed her emergence. We ran outside and adjusted the garden cam so it would take images every 20 seconds; I didn't want to miss her exit flight! And, for the next hour we stalked her, taking photos and watching the moisture drip from her wet wings. Then, she was gone. poof. I'm working on the video. I'll post it as soon as I can. Here's to a new day, and a day filled with flight.

changing chrysalis

I am sooo excited!!! She's changing!! I did get the garden time lapse camera and it's all ready to set up when the time is right!!! If I"m not here when I think she's close to emerging, then the camera will do the trick....If I am here, well my old faithful canon will capture every second. She changed so much since yesterday I'm sorry I didn't take a picture. From now on, I'm shooting an image a day. Enjoy Life!

Monarch cocoon

This is the most amazing little treat! Celia spotted this monarch cocoon on our front window. After researching I have found that Munster, IN is right on the Monarch butterfly migration path. They munch on milkweed, which the previous owners planted in our front flower garden (Thanks, Mark and Becky!!! I bet you did that on purpose, huh?)! The cocoon is clear but the color of the pupa is this gorgeous luscious green and the outside is adorned with lovely gold and black specks; the gold is so bright and so fabulous to find in nature!!! As the metamorphosis transpires before our eyes we will watch the pupa change from green to the noticeable Monarch coloring. The stage is 7-10 days and we are already seeing the wings inside. I swear I'm ordering a time lapse garden camera today so we won't miss the butterfly's awakening! If I'm lucky enough to find one online and get it going in time, I'll be certain to post it on here! Yay for mother nature!

Saturday evening

The sky was amazing! I couldn't resist snapping a couple images trying to capture the beautiful light. I feel so lucky that I get to enjoy this every single day. It makes me not want to leave! :)

Saturday, all day

We canned 10 quarts of tomatoes, one quart of pickled jalapenos, and one pint of tomato juice! Next, we are making pickles before these cucumbers around here take over our home!

for Mark and Becky

I'm throwing this pic into the mix simply because it's so funny!! I predict bread in this zucchini's future!!
The flower garden is such a joy! We added a couple of rocks, bird bath, and a hummingbird feeder, but no additional plants yet. I have some ideas for a couple of newbies, but don't worry I'm sticking to the blueprint!!







The grapes were quite successful, minus the japanese beetles! We were infested! Hopefully the milky spore will do its job and end the beetle madness! In my opinion, the white seedless were better tasting than the red. The skin wasn't as thick...maybe this was our fault as "farmers;" we are on a learning curve, you know!


The sunflowers are hanging their heads and our next chore is going to be saving the seeds and roasting them for trail mix snacks! I think we have 30 or so!! And some of them are super beasts!

The gooseberries were plentiful! We really didn't know much about them until we began researching harvest time, etc. We used some of the raspberries next to the sidewalk, the gooseberries, some cherries, and some fresh picked blueberries from Dan and Kelly (two doors down) and made two delicious cobblers. They were a bit tart, but yummo!

Three pears were on the pear tree...one fell off...we haven't eaten it yet, because it is hard as a rock!!