1. We went to buy deer apples yesterday for saucing only to find little tiny apples for sale in the corner. I inquired. Apparently the year I went to the orchard and bought those big, beautiful windfall deer apples on the cheap the apple sorter wasn't working. The sorter is fixed and the orchard keeps the bigger windfalls to be pressed into cider ($7 a gallon this year!
gah!). We need to find a cheap apple source.
2. Claire really wanted a big themed birthday party this year: Friends. Lots of cute, styled food. Games. Presents. The whole shebang. I said no. (Actually, I probably laughed and said no a bit too emphatically, but that's beside the point.) To compromise we said that she could make a pinata and have some neighborhood kids over to smash it. She tackled this project with gusto! She made this fish completely by herself, she didn't even ask for help. We were very impressed by her initiative and the product itself.
3. Gus got the dreaded haircut this week. When he was littler, Chris had to hold him in a headlock while I quickly buzzed off what I could. We bribe him with various things now, but he hates getting his hair cut just as much. I wonder if I will be able to trim up his hair outside again next month. Will it be too cold? Having outdoor haircuts makes the clean up so much easier.
4. I love library days. Every one of us was snuggled up reading in the living room this afternoon. Ah! quiet coziness. Claire has been reading anything princess/ adventure/ fantasy. Lily has been loving the newest series by Kathryn Lasky, some series about wolves. Izzy loves this picture book called Izzy Pippik--go figure. Gus loves non-fiction of any sort--animals, dinosaurs, trucks, rocks, weather--you name it. He also really likes find-the-picture type books. He gets one or two every week from the shelves.
5. Chris is taking a Kleinig class in Fort Wayne this week. The kids and I have a different routine when he is away. We stay in jammies until late morning. We don't finish our school on schedule. I cook (or don't cook) crazy things for dinner. And the kids eat jello. I'm not sure how the tradition started, but whenever Chris is away for an extended period the kids are allowed to make themselves jello. I won't prepare it or eat it--it is so gross. But it is (wiggly) fun for them, and it is the only time jello is allowed in my kitchen. As soon as he pulls out of the driveway, it is usually the first thing they ask about. "When is it time for jello?" :)
