Learning To Sew 101!

A few weeks ago Kate, a friend, taught the boys and I how to sew. Now, I know the very basics but not how to sew a pattern. I learned from my Grandma Mar years ago. I did not pay very close attention back then so I had forgot how to do it. The boys were making some pants for the 4-H clothing review. They each got to decide if they were making shorts or pants and then what kind of fabric to use. Ethan chose shorts made of flannel. Kellen made pants out of fleece. Both boys had a good time learning and love the pants and shorts that they made.Kate and the kids looking at the fabric. The different sides have different names. Don't ask me what they are called. I was too busy taking pictures to pay attention. I am sure my Grandma is laughing that I have not changed in all these years.
Kellen starting cutting
Reading of the pattern to decide what to do next
Ethan and Kate sewing
Checking where he wants to put the waist band
Ethan being goofy in the finished product
Kellen's finished product


The boys and I learned a lot! Thanks Kate! We would have been lost without you!

Tiny triumphs 23!

It has been a nice week here in Marshfield. Beautiful weather has finally made an appearance! I even took the boys swimming! They had a blast!

1. The garden is growing by leaps and bounds! Or is that leaves and roots? I will have to get some pictures up soon.

2. Jared and I finally replaced the remote that is lost with a new one. We have been using one remote for both cable boxes. Now we have two!

3. I have made some cakes for Kellen's birthday party this weekend. We are going to a baseball game with a few of his friends. Should be a fun time

4. The boys are almost done with their summer reading goal at the library. They have to read ten hours to get the final packet and are only about one hour away from it! Then they keep reading to earn entries in a drawing. This reading program is not as good as the one in Fort but the boys seem to enjoy it

Tiny Triumphs 22!

It is Thursday again, this day seems to sneak up on me every week. We had such a great week last week! I want more like that. I would not say no to some nicer weather, we bought a pool pass and have not been able to use it because it has been crappy since. So I am crossing my fingers that it will get nice next week!

1. The boys each did a sewing project. Kellen made fleece pants and Ethan made shorts out of flannel. They both love their creations. They will show them for 4-H tonight in the clothing review. I will post pictures soon.

2. I taught my first cake decorating class to some 4-H kids. There were eight kids all together. The kids had so much fun and so did I. We are going to have to plan another meeting because I did not get them through as much as I would have liked. There are plans to come over and use my decorating stuff before fair. I am willing to share as I have any tip you could want, and most likely three or four of each of the ones that are popular.

3. Jared and I took down a tree over the weekend. It was a BIG one. We only used a hand saw and rope to do it. Probably not the smartest thing we have ever done but now it is done! Everyone lived to tell the tale.

4. Ethan is all done wearing his brace! He says that he feels so free now! He also said that he feels weak in his arm. He is getting stronger everyday. I still see him using his left hand more than the dominant arm that he broke.

Have a great week!

Flag Day 2011

On Tuesday, the Rozelleville Rockets 4-H put on a play at the VFW for flag day. The kids all read a story about the flag. They did very well. We had seven people pull out at the last minute so Kellen and Ethan were one of the few that were brought in to help. The members of the VFW loved having the kids there. We were served hot dogs, chips, soda, and ice cream. It was a lunch fit for kings, or kids. We also go to meet a gentleman who was in Navy during a war. He told the kids what it was like on the ship and what he would have done differently if he had it to do again. He would have stayed in the reserves after his four year tour. He also showed the kids his uniform. He also brought his seventeen button pants. The kids liked hearing it and asking questions.Kellen getting ready to read
Ethan reading
The Rozelleville Rockets
Logan and Ethan in their Grey and Blue jackets to show which side they fought for
Kellen reading
Ethan and Logan fighting

It was great to do this and to be apart of this club that does such wonderful things for the communities that we serve. I could not have selected a better group of people to be with me and my boys.

4-H Parade!

Last week we walked in the Heritage Days Parade in Stratford. 4-H had a float and 800 string cheese sticks to toss to the crowd. The cheese was very popular with the crowd. Everyone wanted some, but there were more than 800 people there. We hope to get more next year. The boys got to ride the float and I walked and waved and threw cheese at people. That has been a dream of mine for awhile now. I wanted to wave and throw in a parade. So one goal of my life is done. I did get a little crazy with the cheese and I hit a few people. Oops, at least cheese is soft. If I hit them on the head with a sucker that might hurt.Peace Out Man!
Ethan ready to ride
Kellen ready to go
The float
Me waving while I walk
The boys all decked out in their groovy duds
Thanks a bunch Bill's for the four wheeler that pulled us. A BIG thanks to Marathon Cheese and D&D Nutrition for the yummy cheese!
We were rocking that float!

Tiny Triumphs 21!

WOW! Whomever said that summer was a time to relax did not have kids. I feel like I have been running for two weeks. But I am loving every minute of it!

1. The boys started swimming lessons yesterday. They are in new levels now! I am so proud of them!

2. The garden is growing well! The one in the backyard is not doing as well as the one in the community garden. I guess it does not get as much sun back there as I thought it did. It seems as if things back there are just growing slower. This year is an experiment so if it does not work no big deal. I have decided to use it for flowers next year if vegetables don't work.

3. The boys started summer school! They are in school all morning. Ethan is taking reading, math, and foreign language. This week he is learning German. Kellen is taking Mindstorm (They are building robots), Art, and Gross science. Kellen is also taking band.

4. We were in a parade on Sunday with 4-H! The boys also did a flag presentation at the VFW with 4-H. I love that the boys are very involved with the club!

More Garden Work!

We went to the garden tonight and I was amazed at how awesome it is! I have said it before but I will say it again it is SWEET! The boys are very excited about it. They love watching it grow!My Nasturtiums are coming up! They are supposed to keep the bunnies away. So yay! that they are coming up!
Radishes and kohlrabi
Green Beans. I think a few of mine are dying and I don't know why!
Baby Cauliflower
Spinach babies
Carrot babies
Jared hammering in the re bar for the trellis
putting on the connectors to hold everything together
Ethan helping Jared cut the pole!
The boys with the finished trellis
A better view of the trellis net. We also assembled one at the home garden, I will get some pictures of it tomorrow!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Very well, actually! My gardens are doing so well! I hope that we get lots of yummy fruits and vegetables out of them this year! I can hardly wait to see what I get! Now I am going to show you some pictures that show how much things have grown! In just two or so weeks! I am so impressed!Here is the garden that Jared built me in the back yard! This picture was taken the day we planted it!
Here it is two weeks later! I can tell than things have grown!
Here is the community garden after we planted it!
And here we are two and a half weeks later. I have peas coming up that were just seeds in the last picture. I also have melon, and zucchini coming up from seed. The carrots and radishes are doing amazing as well!!!!!
Check out the little red tops on the radishes!!!!! I am so excited by these! I planted them right in the garden and look what they are doing! This weekend we will be trellising the gardens so I will post more pictures soon!

Primary Target!

Last week the boys got toy bow and arrows. They were trying to find targets in the yard and were not having any luck finding them. I had planned on making driveway markers but thought that if they wanted to make targets that would be cool too.We used scrap 2x4's and wooden stakes. The boys painted them and we screwed them on to the stake. Then they clear spray painted the top so the rain did not get to them. We also gave them numbers so that they could keep score while they were playing! Above is the 100 point target that Kellen made.
Rocket Ship by Ethan
Black Widow Spider by Ethan
Flower by Kellen
I of course had to do a few! Here is my bumble bee
Here is a bonus bee by Ethan!
Lady Bug by me! I figured that once the boys get bored with the targets I can use them to mark the driveway. So that anyone who drives on it will see them!
A few of the targets
Kellen aiming at the targets
Ethan shooting
Look at the smile on Kellen! The bows and arrows were made by some ladies. They were selling them at Dairy Fest and I could not pass them up. They have given the boys hours of fun already!

Cast On, Cast Off!

On Tuesday, Ethan got his cast off! He fell off of his bike in May and broke his wrist in two places. He wore a splint for a week while the swelling went down and then a cast for three weeks. He got to have all of his friends sign it! He loved having it for about a week. All the little girls hovered over him and took care of him. Then all he wanted to do was swim and get wet as the weather got hotter. He still has to wear a brace but he can get that wet! He can even swim in the pool. He also can take it off at night. We have even gone on a few bike rides since the cast came off! Now, we can really enjoy summer!!!The last picture of Ethan in his green cast
No more cast! Check out his tan line!