When Fawn meets fawn…

Yesterday a familiar face wandered into our neighborhood.  I’d seen him with his mom earlier last fall.  But today Mommy Deer was nowhere to be found.  I, of course, was worried for the little guy, especially when he let myself and my kids get this close.

He came no closer than four feet away and I was mesmerized.

He paused long enough to get a good look then off he went as graceful as could be.

Today the poor little darling came back.  Alone.  I now fear the his Mom is gone for good.  Probably the victim of an accident with a car.  I’ve seen way to many deer along the side of the road near our rural town.

I reluctantly let Lea take out some apples for the little fellow. 

He gobbled them right up.

I know we can’t continue to give him treats or become too friendly with him.  If he gets too used to us, then it will be so much easier for him to get hurt by the next car driving along.  He’s just so small and my heart breaks that he’s alone.

So we’ll watch from our front window and wish him well.

And be grateful that he graced us with his presence.

Summer Days

As a child I remember dreadfully long, hot summer days.  The kind of days that lingered and never seemed to end, no matter how many otter-pops you ate or how sopping wet you were after running through the sprinklers.  I especially remember the days spent on my childhood farm.  The quiet of the country mixed with the chirping of birds, and the occasional meow or bark.

Now, that I’m grown I yearn for those never-ending days.   I can see the time stretch in my children’s eyes as they mention they are tired of certain summer projects or activities, but yet time doesn’t linger for me anymore.

I’ve been trying to make the most of these speedy days and this week especially, we are working on completing a couple of dream projects.  Can’t wait to tell you about them.  Here’s some hints.

Meaningless photos that carry so much summer magic for my kids and me. 

Wonder if you can guess what we’re up too?

Bet the neighbor’s are hoping that we are finally getting around to tackling all those weeds. 

Uhhhhhm, soon I promise.

I’m not the only one dreaming.  A wonderful friend took Prince Erik fishing over the weekend.  Now my Prince can’t catch squat.  Or at least I know he’s spent oodles over the years on bait and poles and it’s resulted in Nada.  So going with someone who really knows how to catch something is, well like, WOW!  Dream Come True.

 

So Prince Erik and T-rev went out on the Puget Sound and discovered Crabbing - (Crab Pot Style).

They also discovered the art of catching one of the ugliest fish on the planet.   Both it’s eyes are on one side .  I’m nearly nauseous just looking at the picture.  Here’s Prince Erik holding 1, might I add over-whelmingly Huge (snort), of the 22 Flounder that they caught.  You would think with a grin that big he’d caught a 40 pounder.

 

He then brought his smelly haul home.  I’m the WORST fish person you will ever meet.  But I love the guy so much I’m letting him clean, cook and eat his catch as long as he cleans up the smell, and triple bags the fish food when he’s done.  I usually have to go to the other end of the house while it’s cooking, or I find excuses to run errands at just the right time. 

The only downside is the fact that once he cleaned the fish and cooked the crabs, well all the remains got dumped into the garbage bin.  Let’s just say warm weather, mixed with rotting seafood is enough to send out a sure Nausea-inducing odor that has completely taken over our garbage bin area (Which WAS located directly underneath our bedroom window.)  No longer.

I thought someone had left a dead animal under our house and I nearly lost lunch after getting a faint whiff of the fumes when I took out the garbage the next day.  Let’s just say garbage day can’t come soon enough this week.  Meanwhile Prince Erik is on garbage duty.

Sorry I got side-tracked.  No more fish stories.  I promise.

Yep, it’s summer, and I’m loving every second of it that I can.  Especially love moments like these.  A special package arrived this week.  See, I won one of the Mad Hatter Tea Party give-aways hosted by Theresa or the Enchanted ‘Faerie Moon Creations’.

The goody bag was simply magical.

And my girls are practically fighting me for the necklace. 

But it’s mine, it’s mine I say.  I did share the gumdrops with them.

 

Thanks Theresa, your gift was perfect.

Magical Transformations in the Making.

So this week was much better.  Wa-hoo!  I felt so good I even busted out the old sewing machine and started a new project using this thrifted humongous wedding dress that I stole for $9.99.

 

All that material and beading… You’ll never guess what magical transformation I’m endeavoring to tackle with it.

I can’t wait to show you the finished projects.  I’m giddy with excitement every moment that I squeeze into working on it.

The kiddo’s don’t have school today so I’m letting them sleep in a bit.  But when they get up we are going to have some fun. 

My baby turned 4 this last week and I’m still in shock over it.  Don’t know whether it’s the shock from surviving four years of one of the most active, energetic wonders born on the planet or…

Could it be four years of rubbing shoulders with a miracle that leaves me bursting with joy every time  she hugs me.  My little Hope has taught me more about God’s love than nearly any other person I know.

So I’ll take the frantic exercise in discovering what she’s up to any day;  because it means another day of living with a true miracle and angel.

I do however, think it’s high time I taught her how to play with babies.  She’s always holding them upside down.

 

Future grandkids beware if I don’t.

Guess what else?  I saw Fuzzy-Wuzzy the bear again on Wednesday night as I was coming home from my Scripture Study Meeting.  Had my camera in hand and everything.  But the darn thing was on the wrong setting and he lumbered into the tall grass before I could get it right.  So I snapped this picture when I got home instead.  Our rickety fence was very haunted looking and even though I’ve been meaning to get out and fix it, I think I’ll wait until after Halloween since it lends itself to an eerie atmosphere.

 

When I was little I loved the fact that George and Mary Bailey renovated an old home for their own.

 

I’ve often dreamed of buying an older character home and making it mine.  Who’d have thought that I’d be living that dream with my very own newer home.  I’ve watched it crumble around me to the point where I think it has a mind of it’s own.

Lately though, the scary abode hasn’t been so scary.  (Knock on wood, because I’m not begging for something new to break down.)   I’m actually starting to get excited again about reclaiming all of it’s broken parts.  Dreaming of claw foot tubs, farm sinks, cream cabinets, tiled floors, and fresh paint.  The home is 18 years old and it might take us another 18 years to scratch up the money to reclaim it – but I feel it will happen.   

Now I’m off to play with the kids and dream of course.

Not all's quiet on the Home Front

Things were a bit quieter around the Fawndear forest today and I couldn’t figure it out at first. The kids were as thunderously loud as usual but something was eerily quiet and then I figured it out.

My phone died. Our home phone is a cell phone. We switched to cell after going through hoop after flaming hoop with the phone company and never really getting anything remotely similar to customer service.

So our family had 4 cell phones: the Home phone was MINE. My husband and a cell phone, and we had one for the kids so that if I had to go anywhere they could still get hold of me. And Evo-man had a phone because well he’s Evo-man and he usually get’s what he wants or drives us bonkers until we succumb.

Evo-man’s phone met with a water accident, and the boys misplaced the kid phone about a week and a half ago. Prince Erik’s (merely a week old) phone got tossed across the room and died. And so mine was the last survivor. Until it mysteriously was found all quiet and lifeless this morning. No matter what I did no familiar beeps and blips of light protruded from its small screen. I tried two different chargers, taking out and replacing the battery and even some hand banging therapy to no avail. It’s gone.

I’m comforted in the fact that mine always lasts the longest. Maybe it’s because I insist on getting a girly looking hot pink phone and installing Disney Princess music as the ring tone. Something about the ringtone of ‘A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart makes,’ would easily make my phone one that any warm-blooded teenage boy would avoid carrying at all costs. It was truly a strategic tactic on my part. So it safely remained in my possession.

I don’t know whether one of my kid’s invisible friends attacked it, as they seem to be doing quite a bit of damage around the house as of late, or whether it died of natural causes.

Needless to say I’m missing my adult conversation. I can bet Prince Erik is going to take it nice and slow in replacing the phones because he doesn’t have to worry about me calling him at work and nagging him about this or that. It’s much easier to avoid email than it is to avoid the silly phone ringing.

So I guess I’ll go outside and visit with my neighbors over the fence or take my kids on a walk in hopes that I might get to talk to some adults today.

And for future ringtones… Maybe I’ll go ahead and have the kid’s phone play, ‘Another one bites the dust,’ in preparation for how frequently we seem to go through these little expensively annoying but very addicting electronic gadgets.

I think it will be good to deal without calls for a couple of days. Maybe I'll actually get something accomplished without constant interruption. We’ll see.

Random Nuggets of Reality

I'd like to think these are musings but in reality they are random pop-ups in my already scattered brain.


1. You can take the dog off the farm but you can't take the farm out of the dog.




Here's itchy remembering the good ole days of chasing my brother Speedy around the farm. Hint Speedy - you really want Itchy back right?


2. The kids will generally avoid and ignore you until the phone or doorbell rings then they will absolutely regale you with the loudest, most chaotic ruckus your ears have heard all day.

3. They will also develop temporary and selective deafness which seems to only apply to sounds that come out of your mouth.


4. I have proven this theory. So I guess that means it isn’t a theory but a fact. Your husband will go about the day perfectly fine until you sit down at the computer to do something - then all of the sudden there is an emergency that needs your upmost help – right away! Hence, I get my best blogging in after he’s in bed. I pointed this out to him the other day and he had no idea that he does it so I think it’s a subconscious thing.



5. Go ahead and plan for the worst thing possible to happen with whatever the situation. Then no matter what, you’ll either be pleasantly surprised or prepared.


6. Homework will always be delayed until the last possible Second…


7. As will the dishes…


8. And the laundry.


9. Reading the scriptures will get you out of doing chores if your a kid.



10. When you suggest exercise to the kids they are not interested, but if you offer to take them to the Skating Palace – they are hopping up and down to go. I think next week we are going to offer some upper-body strength training in the form of canoeing.



11. Every time you are running late for a meeting the family tank mobile will be empty and in need of an emergency trip to the money-sucking gas pump.



12. When the kids, cat or husband decide to get sick and hurl – you can guarantee they will never make it to the bathroom, but will find the most inconvenient patch of wall, carpet, furniture, or vent duct, or parent on which to get sick upon.

13. Outside allergies hit you the hardest at the precise time you want to be out of doors doing yard work.


14. If there is an important piece of paper that you really need – you’ll never be able to find it until you are no longer in crisis-mode while looking for it.


15. No matter how early you intended to go to bed, you’ll probably fall into it exhausted a mere 2-3 hours later, after you folded laundry, reloaded the dishes and helped everyone with their homework.