Look at that melon

Nothing better to come home to a huge watermelon on your door step. We belong to a CSA, community supported agriculture, and a couple of us trade off going to pick up the produce. Yesterday was Margie's day. I wasn't home so she left it on the porch.

We found Monroe Organic Farms from a friend of a friend. We buy a share of their farm and weekly throughout June, July, August, September and a week or two into October we receive the harvest. Yesterday's bounty was 6 anaheim peppers, 40pieces of corn, 8 different types of squash, 2 watermelon, 2 muskmelon, 12 tomatillos, 5 vine ripened tomatoes, 6 onions, 4 garlic, tons of beets (yuck) and some eggplant. I made a tomatillo chicken dish for lunch for tomorrow, so the flavors can meld before I serve it on rice.

Pecked to death

The kids had their own agendas today- I need to go here, want to go there etc... School starts in two weeks, the little ones left at home usually don't mind doing what they do around me or around the house. Sigh... then of course there will be homework. Oh well.

Dress making

It was all about me today. My mom is always making my girls beautiful dresses and skirts. She always made me dresses when I was younger- even my wedding dress and then the focus went to my children once they were born. I have thought it is wonderful to see my girls twirling around in their dresses that I would not have been able to afford if my mom had not sewn them. But, today was my day. We went to Hobby Lobby and bought material and stuff and went to her house and she fitted the dress as she sewed. When I left she just had the sleeves and the hem to put in. It is really pretty.

My girls- 11, 7 and 3 want some matching dresses made with the extra material. I didn't believe my 11 year-old daughter at first- "You would want to match me and the younger girls?" She said with a rousing "Yes, I would." Wait to see us at a pew near you.

Picture: Megan and Kelly in the graduation dresses that Nana made in May.

Sunday

Sundays are so tiring. It doesn't help with Kenny waking every three hours last night. By 5 am I had had enough. Mike took the baby and changed him and rocked him. It can be challenging.

Yet, in Relief Society we had a lesson about death. We talked about Mathew 5 where it says Blessed are those that mourn. How can we be happy or grateful for death? Last year when I was pregnant with Kenny it looked most likely he had trisomy 18. With this genetic problem he would not live through the pregnancy or would die a few hours after birth. I felt so grateful when he was born healthy. I could see the other side so clearly- baby dead, blessed to mourn. I had a miscarriage before Kenny. I was at the 20 week ultrasound excited to find out if we were having a boy or a girl and then I saw a baby not moving just floating in there. I didn't feel to mournful just a little numb. I do feel blessed that I know that I will be able to raise that baby in the millenium. I know that we will see our brothers and sisters that have passed through the veil. Sister Quillen gave the lesson and said that death is to remind us there is a plan of salvation. It's always good to go to church and feel the spirit and learn.

We came home, ate some left over soup and stir fry and took naps. Hopefully Kenny will sleep tonight. I'm so glad he's here.

Hula Lula

We went to the ward dinner tonight. It was a luau at the stake center. The achievement day girls (girls 8-11) danced to the Lilo and Stitch Roller Coaster ride music. Sister Maualaivao taught the girls the Tongan dance. The Maualaivao daughters and their cousins came and did a show (besides the girls). We had BBQ beef sandwiches, salads, and desserts. I brought my famous pineapple cake.

I went to Goodwill last night to get Hawaiian shirts- even a little one for Kenny. I went to Wal-Mart this morning and got some material for the mumus. It took an hour or so to figure out how to take material and make a dress without sewing. So three safety pins and some scissors and tadah. I really need to learn how to use my serger so the strings wouldn't have been hanging by the end of the evening.

Food Room

Mike's new idea is to move each of the children's food storage to their rooms to make space for more down in the basement. I think this is a great idea. According to provident living, a food storage calculator, a certain amount of grains and rice for a basic storage per person. By sticking in each room we can first tell if we have enough for 9 people and we can rotate it by month one take out the food from Jon's room and replace with new and so forth. If there was an emergency or job loss or such I think we would eat more of it but it gives us a goal.

That is Adam- all his and Kenny's hasn't been moved to his closet. The top of his closet has Kenny's year supply of diapers and wipers that I bought from Amazon.com- should have seen the porch the day UPS delivered all those.

I would love it if there was a site where people would post what their food supply looks like in their houses. It would give ideas of stuff to store or ways to do it or that sort of thing. Here is a look beyond the boxes of grains. Above the shelves are boxes with stuff like ketchup that would not fit on the shelves. Water boxes from Emegency Essentials are below. Stuff like toilet paper I put in the cabinets in the bathrooms and laundry detergent I keep a year supply above the washer.
One of the really good ideas Mike had was to fill our Mason/Kerr jars that were empty with water. We were storing them anyways might as well have some quarts of drinking water.

7x7

My brother Chris borrowed some camping stuff for the weekend. When he was here Jonathan told him that when the Malmkids moved out, they would definitely send their kids back to me (Grandma). Chris said that would be like 7x7= 49 grandkids. I decided it would be like this:

1. Jonathan's 7 little ones would all have red hair (like him) run around reciting PI (like he does) and would be solving their Rubicks' cubes (I know what to get them for Christmas).

2. Megan's 7 little ones would pester me to do jobs (Granny can I clean the kitchen? oh dear if you must), they would play instruments and read lots and lots of books (I know what to get them for Christmas.)

3. Patrick's 7 will be playing jokes on all the other kids, will make use of the squirt guns they bring, will make much music with their armpit farting, legpit farting and earfarting, and will eat lots of candy. (Toothbrushes for Christmas?)

4. Kelly's little olive-skinned darlings will constantly ask to go on many walks with Mike, boss everyone and everything around and quote Hannah Montana episodes, they will probably all be tattle tales, (but, Gran, it's not tattling if it is the truth! they will cry.)

5. Adam's children will all have different super hero suits on. We'll have to watch out for the one in the villian suit.

6. Mary Dotes children will cover their faces whenever anyone looks at them. They'll constantly yell to eat "CEREAL" and only give in if they get to play with bubbles or puzzles. They all will probably be vegetarians.

7. Kenneth's, hmmm, all of them bald, chubby and quick to smile. They will keep everyone up during the night and expect everyone to be quiet while they sleep during the day.