End of 2013

2014 has greeted us with a long cold winter that started in 2013. Although it has only been three months, is has felt like a year. 

Some of my goals this year, learn more Spanish, practice my Chinese characters, be more fit. I think should add to the list learn how to love winter.  

Lake Michigan is pretty, year round. If I can't love winter here, there might not be any hope for me. 

 2013  Reflections

I made my first turkey.

 Raw meat grosses me out.  I do eat meat and cook with a fair amount. However I like it in small chunks, or ground up. When the decision was made that I would cook the turkey, I had reservations.  Just the thought ofpulling out the insides and handling that much raw meat made me queasy.  I also stereotyped turkey makers as the elders of the the family, I am one of the kids! Being responsible for it made me feel old.  Thanks to the Internet, Pioneer Woman and Alton Brown I felt I had the resources to guide me through the process. 

Brining the turkey seemed to be my only option after scouring the Internet and reading reviews. Orange peels, apple cider, spices etc.. Nathan commented that if the turkey tasted as good as the brine smelled it would be a hit. 

My thoughtful husband pulled the insides out and helped me transport it, as a result I had little physical contact with the turkey itself. 

 2013 was the year that an event would happen only once in a lot of lifetimes, when Hanukkah and Thanksgiving crossed paths.  Although  we are not Jewish, I really wanted to participate in this special event. I decided I would make Latkes. I think my cooking of these needs perfecting but we ended up eating them all at breakfast time and they never made it to the Thanksgiving meal.

The Bird..  I am no food photographer I was in a hurry to get a picture before the carving.
I felt it was a lot easier than I thought it would be and I spent too much time worrying. It would have been a lot harder without Nathan helping me carry and move it from one place to another. I was thankful for a cold Thanksgiving because there was no way it was going to fit in my fridge and I could keep it in the garage. 
Verdict: juicy breast meat, but Nathan felt it was maybe a little too juicy. If I make it again I will dry it out a little bit before baking.  I probably ate more turkey this year than any other, but overall I still prefer ham.. 

SKI

The Double Cola Co. In Chattanooga Tenn. makes this delicious soda. I might like it more than coke. It has high fructose corn syrup,and lots of caffeine, so unfortunately I have no good reason to start drinking it regularly.  The flavor is great and they do claim it is made with real fruit juices.  Take the sweetness of Mountain Dew and add a nice refreshing citrus taste and you come close to SKI. I can even water it down with club soda, add lime and it still taste great. I won't be trying that with Coke anytime soon.  Nathan discovered it while in Evansville, Indiana for work. He might not be going back there again so his last trip we stocked up.


Camera obscura/ pin hole camera
 Nathan set up a pin hole camera in Jane's room. Supposedly this technique was used by artist in the past to paint buildings, landscapes etc.
  It was neat to see the houses across the field from Jane's window so clearly defined on the wall. Nathan drove around the neighborhood and we could see the van move along the road.

I am looking forward to 2014 being full of new opportunities and seeing God work in our lives.

presentations past and present from outypants on Vimeo.

auld christmas from outypants on Vimeo.

before thanks from outypants on Vimeo.

Homeschool Happenings

WZZM News station

  

Everyone is out getting the story.
 In the past they would have to come back to the station to edit and put on the air. Modern technology allows them to report,edit and send back to the station from one location.

The green screen 

Future WZZM crew?

Grand Rapids 

One of the mom's was good at asking the editors, weatherman, etc. what schooling they needed to to get their jobs. 
 I didn't think to ask those questions, I was like the kids, looking at the buttons, screens, flashing lights and trying to see myself on the TV..   The answer that might have escaped the kids, but moms will gladly remind them, was that a college education was needed. 

Weather Ball
Red- warmer weather ahead- Blue- cooler, Green- no change forseen- blinking- snow or rain.



POST FARM
Second Year

 Thankful for the friends we have made over the past year.

Lovely bunch of 10 year olds.. All have September/October birthdays.

2012

 We got bigger pumpkins this year, as we went later in the season.

This is why I go, fresh pumpkin doughnuts.

Our Thursday morning class at Res-Life held a crazy hair day on October 31st. Games, candy and prizes were available for the kids that day.

Ava and her sister had great crazy hair.

 We just did some hair dye and pig tails

 The girls, trading their prizes and candy

Elliot  had his hand at playing pool.

Some of the classes the kids have been taking on Thursday morning:

Gift Making

Defend your faith

Michigan History

Gym

Games

Drama.

I plan on including some pictures and information about their Wednesday school in the future.

I know I have said it before, but my kids don't have to worry about socialization with the way we homeschool, I have the opposite problem, too many choices for socializing. 

fruitridge from outypants on Vimeo.

Sappy mom post- you have been warned.

 When following the kids around and documenting our lives, I try to put the camera down and make sure I am experience it with them and not only through a lens. The kids like watching our vimeo channel. If you would like to see me turn into a sappy,weepy mess, just have me watch one of those videos. Jane will gush- "Oh Elliot you were so little and cute!" I think he is still so little and cute, but watching those videos the reality sets in, we have big kids!  No more missing front teeth, strollers, saying basghetti instead of spaghetti. 

I am excited to see the people they will one day become, but there are days I would like to just stop time and keep them little just for an extra day or two.

Meijer Gardens 2007

Fall 2013

 I think Elliot might understand how fleeting his childhood really is, he said today he would like to be a kid forever.  I think he gets that life is pretty good when mom and dad take care of you. My job for the next 10 years will be to make sure he does in fact grow up, since mom and dad and the free ride won't last forever.

Jane got this Build-a-Bear stuffed animal- named "Monkey" for her first birthday.  It is well worn and loved. 
 Nice photo bomb courtesy of Elliot. 

I know one day I will look back at this time and think how little they look and how fast they went from our big kids to our young adults. 

bike to church from outypants on Vimeo.

Fall Time

We attended Zeeland's  Pumpkin Fest

Jane was part of the parade with The Critter Barn, 10 year olds were able to hold the bunnies. Jane's bunny got scared during their chant, and scratched her but she was a trooper and held on tight and has the marks to prove it. Working with animals isn't always easy.

In front of the Howard Miller clock.

There were scarecrow displays that depicted different States.

"Duck Dynasty"  representing Louisana

 After the Pumpkin Fest we visited a local horse farm

Jane and Elliot helping the band.

Carnival games, free horse rides and pumpkin painting, and food were part of the festivities.

The farm was raising money. It rescues horses  and provides riding lessons and mentors to help kids with mental, emotional and developmental issues. 

We visited Robinettes Farm with one of our homeschool groups.

 It has been probably over 10 years since I was last there.  I think it was an activity with our young married group from church. I don't think Nathan and I qualify as young married anymore.

The kids polishing their newly picked Red Delicious.

"Apple Cake" made with crushed apples.
Cider is made from freshly squeezed apples, juice is boiled.

Artprize 2013

artprizeetc from outypants on Vimeo.

    
          Our second year of Artprize greeted us with warm weather and lots of new art to vote on. I easily voted on one out of three entries I saw last year, maybe it was the rookie in me, who got easily excited and impressed by what I see. I realized sometimes I would vote after I talked to the artist, as if they would know one way or another if I voted on them. I call it the guilt vote. Really though I never voted on something I didn't think was at least worth a mention.  Sometimes it is a good guess that an entry isn't going to win, but "hey its pretty neat and isn't something I could do" therefore it gets a vote. 

My Mother-n-law's favorite
made from license plates, a boat wheelbarrow and other odds and ends.

 This year I was much more critical and found myself  texting my vote a lot less.

The living statue. If you put some money in the jar he would come to life and play a song.

Flash Off

Flash On

Nathan and I even got a date day to explore more than we would with the kids.

This entry made the top 10. It is carved out of wood.

Homeschool outing with our friends the Clarks. It was nice going during the weekday, with less traffic.

Earth Giant. I overheard the artist is a college student who after entering went back to college out east and once his professors heard he made the top 25, told him to return to Michigan. He did end up making the top 10 list.

The Winner

I voted for this entry and hoped it would win. I am not sure how I managed it, but after seeing it twice I didn't get my own photo?  It is a four panel quilted image of The Sleeping Bear Dunes.

It took the artist one year to make.  Anne Loveless is a Michigan native.

This is us, summer 2012 at Sleeping Bear Dunes.