Everyday and the Fourth

I decided to sit and take a break and post some random thoughts and happenings. I have been craving coffee drinks like a mad woman. Specifically, Moo-Lattes from the DQ. But to save money and spare some calories, I have been making this smoothie. Not quite as thick as store bought coffee smoothies, but it satisfies my cravings. Today I added a few dashes of cinnamon.

Starting on Monday, David starts a new job. A Monday-Friday, 8-5 kind of job. I am expecting him to work lots of extra hours, but it also means more evenings at home together as a family. I won't have to do dinner and bedtime by myself all the time. It also means I will have to make some big adjustments to my daytime routine. No longer can I leave the kids at home with their dad while I run errands or get my haircut. A BIG change, but good for our family.

On the fourth, I felt like Martha when I made this Flag cake for my little family. As I post this picture, Joe is sitting next to me, and says, "that was a good cake Mom". I snapped more photos of the cake than I did the kids. We spent the Fourth at home - just the four of us. Shooting off smoke bombs, throwing Snappers, and a few simple night fireworks for Joe. We cooked burgers on the grill, corn on the grill, and potato salad. I made this potato salad where you soak the taters in red wine vinegar after you cook them but before you add the mayo/dijon dressing. Oh my, cream cheese and stars. That is my new, one and only potato salad recipe.

Hanging out on the Fourth. Charlotte loves Snappers.

Maybe I took so few pictures of the kids, because I would stress out about them using Snappers, let alone them being around smoke bombs and Black Cats.

Now for my one and only son, who desperately wanted a "baby brutter", he will be a big brother to two little sisters.

My break should be ending soon. Time to work on dinner, and clean for the weekend.

Shatto

A brief, sob story about this post. Wednesday, I arose from a peaceful slumber (not really) at 0520. Highly unusual for a weekday, but so that I could run to Walmart, buy some of the weekly dry good stuff, shower, fix a filling breakfast, feed everyone, bathe Charlotte, dress everyone except David, and clean the kitchen all before 0900. So that later that afternoon, I could fix dinner and take the kids over to my dad's in hopes of going to a baby shower/dinner.

As we are about 8 minutes out from our house, I was feeling pretty pleased with myself. Oh yeah, except I forgot my.....you guessed it. Thanks to modern technology we used the camera phone. Okay, no more babbling here are a few pictures.
In the milking pit.

Calf barn

I'm holding Charlotte and milking the cow.

Milk shots

I ended up buying a gallon of whole strawberry milk, so that I could make ice cream. Literally, I just threw the milk in the ice cream maker, no extra sugar, no eggs. Pretty good.

Thomas 2010

Wednesday, we are going to Shatto dairy farm, so I thought I should post some Thomas pictures from June 4th. The kids usually aren't in the car this long, so documenting the occasion seemed appropriate. Trust me, they were excited.
Sunscreen, and waiting to line up and wait for our train ride.

Waiting for our train ride. Hot dog, this is when we really started to swelter. A hot day indeed, especially under this big tent, and riding on an old train. Charlotte and Dad.

One of my new favorite pics. Despite the heat, the kids were great.

I kept pushing water. "Take a drink", "are you thirsty", "here is some water".

After the train ride, crazy people waited in line to take pictures upclose with Thomas. This is our picture with Thomas. Sane people, like David and I headed to the shade with cold treats for the kids.

Cold treats for the kids, and lots of water. Guess which they preferred...

Not the water.

Then we headed to the activities. Tatoos.

Somber Charlotte. After the tatoo was on , she thought is was pretty cool.

After tatoos, we headed to the coloring and toy tent where Joe conducted his interview with the Baldwin City Signal. Then to the moonwalk slide. This was Joe's first time on a moonwalk/inflatable type apparatus.

Firemen's gear.

I need to frame this and put it in his room.

Are we tired yet? Hanging out by the misting hose and playing in the sandbox.

Ready to board the shuttle (school) bus and head back to our car. Joe is visiting with the Baldwin City FD. The boy has never met a stranger. Sometimes that worries me...

Riding the bus, although it wasn't meant to be, is a fun activity for the kids too. It really is a great and easy family event. We might skip next year, not sure about hoisting around a six month old, nursing and most likely potty training the two and half year old. But then sadly, we may not have too many more years where Joe wants to go see Thomas. Time will tell. Maybe there will be another little man in the family.

Copycat

So this post is a copy of a post from one of my favorite blogs, Whatever. When I read the lightning bug post, I thought to myself, hello, duh, this is what Summer is all about. And, didn't I catch lightning bugs with the Burt boys year after year. Oh yah, hasn't your son grown increasingly excited each night the lightning bugs appear.?.

So here we are waiting on the front porch swing for the lightning bugs to make their entrance. Actually, we were watching the neighbor boy and his remote control car almost cause numerous motor vehicle accidents.

Finally, when the lightning bugs started lightning, Charlotte and I created a little habitat in our jar. She is picking grass.

Examining the bugs. I have to admit, I also wanted to catch lightning bugs, because I wanted to try to snap some cool pics of the bugs as they lit. But two things, lightning bugs aren't easy to photograph. Number two, they don't seem to glow quite as much when they are stuck in a jar that smells of salad dressing remnants.

Reluctantly posing when asked by Mom.

Letting them go.

As I write this, in my backyard there is a light show. I tried to take pics but they didn't turn out, and plus I was all sorts of Silence of the Lambs, infrared light, creeped out being in the pitch dark. Maybe this happens in every back yard, but literally, the lightning bugs are twinkling like Christmas lights on a tree. Too beautiful.

Lately

Summertime, and the living is easy. Well, not easy, but fun, sweet, ornery, and awfully hot so far. I have some pictures from Day Out with Thomas that I will post soon. In the meantime, check out Joseph @ The Baldwin City Signal.


Painting outside
Chickens are growing well. Although, tonight David caught two owls sitting on the chicken coop roof, so who knows.?.

Entertaining the kids at the sink, so I can struggle through cooking dinner. The mess created usually consumes mucho time.

Finally, SurPRisE, a third little Toland is due this holiday season!

For PEte's Sake

I started this post back on April 23rd, but you see, I have developed this awful, awful habit. When I start the bedtime routine for the kids I have these lofty aspirations of folding clothes, washing dinner dishes, scrubbing floors, but about thirty minutes into the routine, it is all I can do to keep from falling asleep. I either end up asleep with Joe, or I come downstairs, start watching TV just to decompress from bedtime battles, and I am out like a light. The worst part of the habit, is when David gets home around 1 am or 1:30 am, I scramble to wake up, and clean something. Because I know when the kids are awake I feel guilty not playing with them, or it seems so hard to just break away from them and put away folded clothes. Or Joe likes to conduct my cleaning of his room, and it becomes a battle. After some barely productive cleaning, it takes me about 1-2 hours to fall back asleep. That being said I will leave you with these pics, so I can go try to fall asleep. These pics are of the chicken coop (obviously) when the initial batch of chickens were first acclimated. Yes, I said first batch, for various and mysterious reasons we are on our third batch of chickens. I guess, that is why they are $1.50 a piece.?.

Sometimes, when he is being silly, my Dad makes this face.

David worked really hard, I helped hang like maybe two sections of chicken wire. He did it all!

Spoiled

Funny, life never turns out like you plan. Good Friday is one of my favorite days. I think that is because my Mom always made Good Friday special, where all of us girls would go out to eat lunch, or some special errand where we were all together. I have begun a tradition of a nice family lunch/brunch and spending the afternoon coloring eggs, because a) David works Friday night and b) I work the weekend and miss Easter.

It just so happens one of my annual checkups fell on Good Friday. Bummer. This being the case I started making lunch yesterday, so that a) I wouldn't fell rushed to get home and cook, and b) we would eat before 3pm. Brisket was in the oven at 4 am this morning, salad was ready in the fridge, I just needed to come home and whip up some mashed potatoes, and I could make cupcakes while we dye eggs.

While I am in the shower this morning, the power goes out. Other than ice storms, when the power goes out, it flickers back on within a few minutes. Not the case today. Crap, brisket in the oven, and I hope my loaded refrigerator stays cool. But, OK, I am relieved to leave David at home with two kids and no electricity while I begrudgingly head to my appointment. Because, surely, power will be restored to the Toland home as soon as possible.

Once home from my appointment, (gasp) our home is still in the dark, and my brisket is in a tepid oven, and my salad and hard boiled eggs, well, I didn't check because I didn't want any cold air escaping the fridge. Oh yeah, no mashed potatoes, because of my electric stove. I grew up with gas stoves, and I miss them dearly. Executive decision, pack up the kids and go out to eat. We dined at Granny's Chicken Ranch (at Legends), it was decent and hit the spot. With much anticipation, we headed back home. Groan, no power. So Charlotte and I took a nap, and Joe played in his room (yes, I know mother of the year, I napped in his room while he played). When I awoke, (awoke, sounds like a fairy tale, right?) I needed a plan. Still no power, so I called my Dad, to see if maybe we could crash at his house. But he offers to bring out a generator. I guess much of our little town, especially the bigger businesses were without power, and power was not expected until late tonight. Boy, it sure is a daunting feeling to be so reliant on electricity, and in an instance, (when you are most humbled, wet and naked in the shower) Mother Nature decides to turn off the switch.

Anyway, plan is generator. After my Dad hustles to load the generator, gas, power cords and power strip outlets, and he is on his way, the rush of the central air fills the house, the oven lights up and almost every light in the house. Well, "Dad, since you were on your way, why don't you just come over for dinner?" My brother Michael, happened to be with him. I finished the brisket, whipped up some mashed potatoes, simultaneously dyed eggs with the kids. Michael and my Dad entertained the kids, and helped out with dinner. Joe played outside with Michael until dark. Something I never do, because I always feel like I need to clean the kitchen, bathe everyone, finish laundry, clean their rooms, you name it. While I washed dishes, I visited with my Dad while he and Charlotte watched Joe and Michael outside. Maybe not like what I planned, but a good Easter Friday none the less.

Happy Easter!