Life in the barn was very good…
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I had the least, Brett had the most at 5 and the kids were really low too. I guess we don’t have real common names. If I use my maiden name, which is the 26th most common family name , then there are 3 of me in the USA.
Saturday started out pretty relaxed but with the idea that things needed to be done because a family from church, the Burtons, was coming over for dinner. I saw them on Wednesday and forgot to remind them so I called on Saturday morning. Ooops. She had forgotten and invited their neighbors over for the evening. They felt pretty bad but I was ok with it- didn’t take as much work to clean up for it. We had garlicky rotisserie chicken anyway and it was yummy! They gave me some pansies as a peace offering.
It was Potluck Sunday at church. Always a popular event, even if when we get home Kirsten is asking “what’s for lunch?” I guess potluck isn’t a meal. The girls ate well this time, not too many snacks in the nursery, I guess. One of the ladies left her lights on and ran down her battery so there was a little excitement there, mainly because no one had jumper cables with them. Even Brett had taken ours out when he hauled some stuff around in the Suburban. We had the Suburban because the car wouldn’t start again.
Speaking of the car; Brett had left it plugged in on Sunday so after we got home we started it up with the hair dryer and took a long drive to Ukiah. Oregon, not California. It’s not a thriving metropolis by any means but it is the little town where Brett graduated from high school. Pretty drive and about long enough to finish off the tank of fuel. Hans stayed with the Burton’s to play with Micheal and I had left my purse and Hans’ jacket at church so we picked that up and dropped off the jacket and a pair of sneakers at Burton’s before taking off. The girls slept all the way up, which was good as we stopped several times to take photos and backed up to get better views. We didn’t have to worry about the Weak Stomached One when she was sleeping. Made it back without any mishaps too. Ate a light supper at Burton’s, we had planned on getting home to eat left overs but they insisted. Had a nice visit. Although the car still didn’t need to be fueled up, Brett wanted to get it pretty low. It got pretty good fuel economy on that tank! Of course, the one we want to use up quickly!
I know Monday is not part of the weekend but I thought I’d continue with the car stuff. The kids and I went into town on Monday for a home school field trip to the fire station. I am getting good at starting the car with the hair dryer. The reserve light finally came on so the fuel was getting low. The Fire Station tour was fun. The kids stuck to me like glue for part of it but Kirsten was getting adventurous at the end and seemed to enjoy it. She told Brett all about it when we dropped off his thermos full of coffee and then wanted to dress up like a fireman when we got home. I had a Taste of Home Cooking School (demonstration really) to go to that evening. So after naps (everyone but Hans) we loaded back up, didn’t need the hair dryer this time, and met Brett at his work to trade rigs. I wasn’t going to try and get the car started after it was sitting for 5 hours in the cold and dark on the street! He filled up the car on the way home.
Tuesday, the car would not start for him in the morning but did start without the hair dryer for me in the afternoon after being plugged in for several hours and it was 60 degrees. Brett checked the glow plugs again and two more were out! He changed them last night and the car started without being plugged in this morning! Yeah.
So, that’s the weekend, and a little more, in review.
I wanted to call off today due to lack of enthusiasm. Unfortunately, the kids not only had enthusiasm but they were insistent. Sigh.
A few hugs and kisses from the Big Guy and things were looking up- a little.
A few emails sent back and forth with Boo Boo and things looked a little more better. (Which, I am sure, is proper English.)
Mexican tonight for dinner, although I don’t know exactly which item, is something to anticipate.
Maybe, just maybe, we should go ahead with today after all.
“Rachel is falling in love.” Kirsten stated.
Rachel is an older teen we know. Kirsten has been interested in this development.
Yes, she is.
“Who is it?”
Remember, we met him once when he came to get her. Real big guy.
“With a cowboy hat?”
Yes, I think so.
“I think it’s her brother.”
Oh, no! It wouldn’t be her brother.
“Why not?”
Just give it a few years and you will understand.
Hans has told Talia that he will marry her when he grows up. Give that a few years too.
On another love subject:
Talia has started to spontaneously say “I wuv you, Mama!”
Sweet words for a Mama to hear.
You didn’t know that you could start a car with a hair dryer? I didn’t either, until we tried it.
We’ve been having a TERRIBLE time getting the ’83 Mercedes Diesel started here lately. Brett took it to work last week but couldn’t get it started to go home. We had to go get him in the Suburban. He hooked up the jumper cables to give the car battery a boost and tried a “million” times to get it started. That was the number Kirsten came up with, it must have seemed that way to her but in actuality it was only 3-4 times. Even Mr. Stubborn had to give up and leave it there. The rest of the week was spent diagnosing the problem and finally on Friday got it started. One of the glow plugs had gone out on a cylinder with good compression (not all of the cylinders can say that).
On Sunday, it wouldn’t start again so we took the Suburban to church.
Monday the glow plug light on the dash wasn’t coming on which caused Brett to think that something was wrong with the glow plug thingy (I know that is a complicated word to understand but it’s the best I can do).
Tuesday he stayed home and we tested the glow plugs. They were really working which means just the light is out in the dash. He plugged in the block heater for awhile but it still didn’t want to start so then he started up the shop heater, pointing it straight at the car. Eventually, it decided it was warm enough to start. Brett thinks (hopes) the problem is the fuel so we went driving around to use up the tank. We still have half a tank to go.
Are you wondering where the hair dryer comes in? Wednesday, last night, I wanted to go to a Prayer Meeting at church and was going to take the car. Brett has been driving the Suburban because he is afraid the car will not start after work. I plugged the car in about 2, planning on leaving about 5:30. I couldn’t get it started. I got Brett, who couldn’t get it started. (Ha! It wasn’t just a “girl”thing!) The motor block felt warm to the touch but it just wouldn’t start. Someone had told Brett that pointing a hair dryer into the air intake would help so we treked back into the house and got my trusty, old hair dryer. We pointed the hair dryer into the intake and Brett turned the key. Wa-la! The car started. I was a little concerned after the meeting that it wouldn’t start but it did after a moments hesitation.
This morning, I wanted to take the kids to a Homeschool Science Fair. I didn’t get the car plugged in until about an hour before we wanted to go. I took the hair dryer and hooked it all up. But it didn’t start and the hair dryer got too warm and stopped because I just had it resting on the engine and it was pointing crooked. I called Brett and he suggested Hans go out to hold the hair dryer. So out we went again but to no avail. Sigh. It must be a combination of warm engine block and warm air in the intake.
We came in and played Alphabet Go Fish and Math Rummy then made popcorn and watched TV. I was pretty disappointed.
Kirsten just said “We missed it!”
What did we miss?
“The Home School kids!”
Umm, yeah we missed that a long time ago.
“I wish the car had started!”
Yeah, me too.
I went to put away some sheets in “Grandpa and Grandma’s” room, a.k.a. the guest room when I was stymied by a locked door. Seems the mysterious Locker got to that door too. Brett had told me how he unlocked “Henry” and I was able to get this door open without too much trouble.
Then I decided that we should go out and enjoy the snow. I went to go get winter weather items from the Junk Room but, you guessed it, the door was locked. The problem here is that for some unknown reason this interior door has a keyed lock. I think it was because the people who lived here before had teenagers and must have allowed them to have locks with keys on their doors. Personally, I think this is a totally asinine idea but they didn’t ask me. We have never changed them, only turning the lock on Hans’ door around so that he wouldn’t be able to lock himself in and then not get out. This still means someone on the outside can (and will) lock him in but it is an easy fix. We don’t have a key for the doors, the house key will not work. So the door remains locked. At least it’s not the bathroom again and there are not vital thinks stored in there.
We did go out in the snow. Hans and I had fun making a snow man and having a snow ball fight. Kirsten didn’t complain about the “crunchy” snow and managed to find some joy out there. Talia, on the other hand, thought the whole thing was a waste of time and told me at the top of her high pitched lungs. There’s always one. I think she was tired because she hasn’t been napping. She did get some sleep this afternoon which seems to have helped her outlook.
Saturday was a beautiful day here. It was sunny and warm. It got up to 69 degrees! It made one think spring was coming.
Today? It’s snowing and hovering around 32 degrees! It’s been coming down pretty steady for the last hour and a half and there is a skiff on the ground.
I guess winter is still with us.
KJ has discovered locks on doors. This hasn’t been a problem….until today. She must have turned the lock on “Henry”- the name for the bathroom by the kid’s rooms- then was able to get out but then the door was shut again with no one in there. And now it’s locked tight. So we have all be using the master bathroom. This was fine….until the toilet became plugged. It’s very easy to do in our low flow, cheap toilets. The plunger is in Henry. Quite the quandary. If I was mechanically inclined, I would try to stick something in the hole in the knob to unlock Henry but I think I’ll just wait until The Col. gets home. Hope he’s not too late tonight.
Hans had three teeth loose. The two upper ones, with the adult tooth coming in behind pushing out the baby teeth and one on the bottom, just left of center. He has troubles eating, he has to work around the loose ones. He has to stick the food in the side of his mouth and gnaw it off.
After supper, the kids got their usual burst of energy and were racing through the house. Hans and Talia started to wrestle on the floor. As Hans tried to disentangle himself from her steely grip, he yelled “I’ve lost a tooth!” The Little Brute had knocked out her big brother’s tooth!
Hans was excited and danced all over. It was the lower one, the first of his teeth to come out without an adult tooth growing behind it. He felt that it meant he was getting older. Brett explained that there were still lots of teeth to go! It’s the fourth one he has lost.
Talia was a little concerned about her teeth for awhile. She kept feeling them until I explained that hers would stay in there until she was big like Hans.
I know that it is boring to check a blog multiple times to find the same entries starting at you. I will try to update more often. Now that I actually have a blog, I find I have a bit of writers block. The reality of finding something interesting to write about on an almost daily basis can be overwhelming. The kids don’t do THAT many funny things. From the overwhelming number of comments being left, I can tell that everyone thinks what I write is fascinating. Come on now, don’t be shy! A little (positive) feed back is helpful.
Although Dad did have to go to church… for the record, the building is still standing. It’s always a mystery as to how things will go with the service since we don’t have a pastor and get by with fill in speakers. This speaker was one I hadn’t heard before but did a fairly good job. I think he used quite a few “Christian” words that may not have meaning for others.
Talia is the best “pee-pee” dancer! The other two didn’t do that too much but Talia does it anytime, anywhere. She even can “dance” when she is sitting down! I do the dumb thing of asking her if she has to go, to which she usually answers “No!” I watch her for another two seconds and then escort her to the bathroom. As we have noted before, when you have a bladder the size of a walnut and have to go when it’s half full- it’s a pretty frequent event.
