weekending

Posted on February 19, 2019 by Shanda

I just got back from Agway. The kids don’t have school today so I took Sarah with me. She talked to me in the car, all about her future in which she wants “ten cats, including kittens.” She’s trying to figure out what sort of job she should get that will allow her to take care of her cats and spend as much time with them as possible. She dreams of mealtimes when she has them all sitting around the table with her “eating chicken scraps” while she “eats potatoes”. She showed her love to me by generously telling me “I’ll give YOU a kitten if you want one.” I told her she should write all of it down and title it “Sarah’s hopes and dreams.”

*****

I wanted to post photos from Saturday and Sunday on here because we had a nice weekend.

On Saturday Rich was at a wrestling tournament with his team. I had begged him to take Caleb along, as he sometimes has a struggle with boredom at home with me and his two younger siblings so…….. off he went with his Dad, somewhat reluctantly. This left me with just Seth and Sarah for the entire day which was lovely. They were good company for each other and for me. We went to Barnes and Noble because I had bought Sarah a book as a Valentine’s gift but alas it was a book she already owned. Thankfully, when we made the return, the one she wanted was at the store, but we had a few nervous minutes while the lady looked in the back for it. Sarah LOVES the Warrior books by Erin Hunter just like her big sister Grace did at her age.

I took them to Chick fil a for lunch and snapped this photo because Sarah cutely complained, “The chicken keeps slipping from my grasp” which I thought was an adorable way to explain the situation. She ended up putting it down in the box it came in and eating it with a fork.

The rest of the day was spent at home quietly with cats and books.

THEN ON SUNDAY;

We actually had time to relax in bed that morning for an extra hour or so. Rich fell back to sleep after taking Seth and Caleb to their coaches house, I looked at magazines and Sarah read her new book.

Then we got ready and went to see Jacob and Ethan wrestle!! I was so excited to see my two biggest boys.

Look at them!!!! They are wonderful. My heart was happy all day long even though yet again, I was in a wrestling gym. 🙂

They had the best time together.

David alternated between hanging out with his brothers and his mother. Sarah was all over the place, coming back to me now and then when she wanted a dollar or two. She loves buying snacks from the concession table. I think she bought Doritos, and a piece of pizza for lunch. Her pizza looked so good that when she was done I had her go get me a piece (BECAUSE David wouldn’t!! He said if I was a young pretty girl he would get it for me but because I am his mother he felt that I should be getting HIM a piece. We laughed and laughed).

I found Sarah sitting in a lounge area reading her book.

I was up in the stands (bleachers were packed) watching my boy Ethan.

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He won easily. I was cheering so loudly that Rich told me that at one point Ethan’s coaches stopped watching Ethan wrestle to look around and wonder who was yelling for him. 🙂

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He knew right where I was in the stands and made eye contact with his mom after his win. So dear.

Later, we were sitting in the extra room where mat #5 was when Seth and Caleb were dropped off by their coach. They had BOTH qualified for States AND they BOTH won 2nd place!! It was very special to me because Seth was a little quiet and pensive the night before the meet. I noticed and told him he didn’t have a thing to worry about and to “just do it for your hometown”. About an hour later I was tucking him into bed and he told me he would “do it for his mom”. So when he came in he gave me his medal. In the photo I actually have Seth’s and Caleb’s medals around my neck but later on I let Sarah have Caleb’s.

Michael and Zach were at the meet, too, so they could see Jacob and Ethan.

The only one missing was our dear Grace. I missed her so much.

Sarah frolicking across the mat. 🙂

Jacob wrestling. He’s so strong.

So many people I love in one photo……Ethan had just gotten done with a match. Rich and Jacob were busy discussing some wrestling technique with Caleb, Seth, and Michael looking on.

Later on when the meet was over……one last photo of Rich and his five sons, not wanting the day to be over just yet. After we left them, we took the kids to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner and then grocery shopping.

Yesterday the children played in the newly fallen snow.

Cats were sleeping everywhere.

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David cleaned his room without anyone telling him to do it, and he printed and taped up all these inspirational quotes above his bed.

Yesterday I made pancakes, remember? This morning it was waffles.

And David got breakfast in bed again, now with a nice clean bedroom. I’m still in shock that he cleaned it.

It’s a beautiful morning and there’s so much to look forward to.

As I type I can hear David playing the piano and the other kids fooling around on my bed.

“What is done in love is done well.” Vincent Van Gogh

racking up the mom points

Posted on February 18, 2019 by Shanda

David, Caleb, Seth, and Sarah have today and tomorrow off from school and I was telling them that I would make pancakes for breakfast but David complained and he said “I’ll still be asleep and miss out, as always.” My quick thinking mind came up with a solution. “I know, Dave! I’ll just bring you some in bed and after you eat them you can go right back to sleep!” He shut his eyes and smiled like a pleased cat. “That would be AWESOME.”

9:58am

good things

Posted on February 5, 2019 by Shanda

“I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of your wonderful deeds.”

Tuesday morning

listening to music

staring out the window, the eaves are dripping, dripping, dripping (in time to the music)

lots of photos to share;

((for the people I love))

On Friday night we were watching the Incredibles 2

I was sitting weary but happy at my favorite spot at the table when Seth came by and said “I want to sit on you” and he sat on my lap. I couldn’t see the movie very well after that but I put my nose in the back of his hair now and then and breathed in this boy of mine. I gave that look across the room to Rich that he knows means, “Take a picture!”

The very next morning, he was 10 and opening his big bag of gifts with some of his best friends watching curiously.

He was given Dude Perfect things to play with, a new outfit, a stuffed animal dog that breathes thanks to a battery (he named it Oliver), and other little things.

I mixed up his requested birthday cake, which was Red Velvet, and then off we went to the wrestling tournament at our High School. Rich is the head coach and hadn’t slept a wink the night before in all the excitement……

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Here he is, opening up the day of wrestling.

Meanwhile, the birthday boy had a good friend with him all day and they (along with other boys) had the greatest time in the gym and also in the wrestling room nearby, playing football and running around. They came to me now and then, mostly to get money so Seth could buy himself stuff in the cafeteria. Since it was his birthday I didn’t say things like, “Don’t get candy with this” like I normally would.

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David with his friend Tristan. Best boys in the world (the whole team is awesome)

There is so much sitting around and waiting at these tournaments. David stayed bundled in his warm ups until it was time to wrestle.

I found myself a spot at the top of the bleachers so I could rest my back against the wall. Sarah stayed nearby and we played cards and she also had a book and her DS. I was able to chat with another wrestling mom which was fun, her name was Shannon.

Dave after a win, going to the center to take off his ankle strap and get his hand raised.

“Mom, can I have your phone?”

“Only if you sit over here and have your picture taken with me, birthday boy!”

David getting set up to pin.

My wonderful son.

Another wonderful son (Caleb)…..watching one of our guys wrestle.

Later on that night (what a long day, also Dave got 4th place in his bracket), Seth blew out his birthday candles and we ate the cake. I had been concerned that it wasn’t going to be perfect……..but it was. (in all humility)

Isn’t it just so pretty on a Shamrock fiesta plate? By the way, the newest color is another shade of green and they named it “Meadow” and I cannot wait to get a piece of it!!!!

(((Walter pictures))) This cat is adored! He’s sitting on the floor staring at me as I type, too, it’s quite funny.

Well, and then on Sunday we all know what day it was. Superbowl number 53 and my team was in the game. Every time my husband flies into L.A. he gets me merchandise so I was all set to wear Rams stuff from head to toe.

We cleaned and pushed furniture around, plowed the driveway, ordered pizza and wings, and prepared for a houseful of friends all day long!

I was tired out so around 4 I went to bed to rest. I was highly amused by the frequent visitors I had……

Seth even stole my hat!

Isaac was the first to arrive and pretty much the first thing he said after taking off his coat and hugging me was “is that a red velvet cake?” and he ate 2 pieces. 🙂

I sat right in between my sis and my bro and it was a delight. It was also a delight to see our girlies play and have fun. Naomi braided Sarah’s hair and then they made batch after batch of slime upstairs. They didn’t even make that big of a mess….I just had to vacuum the next morning what with all the glitter and foam beads everywhere.

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This picture makes me so so so so happy! Rich invited his wrestlers to come watch the game and we had some parents stay, too. Our friends Chris and Carolyn came again this year (they have in the past as well) and it was great to see them and catch up. We had TON of food to enjoy. I’m just so thankful and happy to have good friends through our community. Look at Seth and John standing on the bookshelf behind the couch. And Sarah sitting with her Uncle Isaac. And sweet Naomi sitting between me and her mama. I really need to print this and put it on my fridge. I’ll smile all day.

Well, alas, I was disappointed in how the game turned out. My team lost to my son’s favorite team and Caleb has such a sweet heart that he felt bad and just stood next to me in silence as we watched the Patriots celebrate after the clock ticked down and the game was over. “You can be happy, Caleb!” said Rich, but Caleb didn’t have it in him. I had to go get groceries the next morning so I thought I would see if I could get Caleb a shirt to show him I was a good sport. 😉

I took this photo at 6:20 this morning!!!!

By the way, when you have wrestlers in the house they’re gonna wrestle. Caleb got a huge goose-egg on his forehead and another boy hurt his thumb (Rich even wonders if it’s broken). That shadowy spot on Caleb’s head is The Bruise.

I went for a nice walk yesterday again, the temps reached 60 which felt so nice after days and days of frigid temperatures. I even saw a Robin taking a bath in a stream in the woods. The birds were happy, too.

(after a long day) we were texting Michael and the kids and laughing on the couch.

Pictures from this morning. (see Walter?) Grace, David got the ink pot unstuck from the table finally.

I sang him a song about a Handsome Handsome Cat.

I praised the sunrise.

And a few minutes later, the morning golden glow.

“Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for all mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”

amazing

Posted on January 29, 2019 by Shanda

It had been a long while since I had gone to the woods by myself so I practically ran.

I spent so much time over the holidays inside malls, inside the house, inside the car, doing, doing, doing. It was time to just “be”.

I took all of these photos on Friday.

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First stop was the chicken coop where I found some eggs. Walter begged and begged to go on the walk with me but I said “no” right away because I knew (from what Grace had told me) that all he would do is feel lost and scared and meow a lot. Therefore, I put the eggs and the cat in the house.

I’m so thankful to live close to running water. In fact, I was outside again yesterday in the cold sun, laying back on the frozen ground with my eyes shut, listening to the sound of it.

The tree I hugged.

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funny icicles hanging down from a fallen pine tree

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Looks like snow or styrafoam, but it’s really some kind of fungus.

more pretty pretty fungus on a fallen tree

The sunshine was really lovely to see on this walk, after several gloomy days.

I am an admirer of ice.

In fact, I ate a bite of it. It tasted good, like pine, but later on when I gave some to Sarah she spit it out and said it “tasted like the stench of the forest.”

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As I made my way around to the stream again (the same stream from near our house, only deeper in the woods) I found that it had flooded the day before, well beyond its banks. Then, it froze overnight and the next morning when the water started to recede, it left its coat of ice spreading across the ground.

I stood up on a bank to take this photo, looking down across the ice. I closed my eyes and could hear it falling and cracking. It almost sounded like someone else walking throught it in the distance, but I was alone.

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I got as close as I could to the water and sat on a frozen moss covered boulder for a while.

(A good thinking spot.)

I didn’t see any birds but the closer I got to the field the more I could hear them.

The trees had sheets of ice hanging off their lower branches. Sometimes a wind would blow gently through and shake the ice enough to make a sound like soothing wind chimes.

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It was all such a delight and my face was pleasantly cold. It felt good to BREATHE.

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say over and over again. Everytime I go outside for a walk I get surprised (and smile a lot) over something in God’s big beautiful world. Which is why I always take my camera along.

My heart, mind, and soul go back home refreshed.

“If you have ever gone to the woods with me, I must love you very much.”

~Mary Oliver

..the dark sacred night..

Posted on January 21, 2019 by Shanda

I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself what a wonderful world

Good morning, it’s -5 outside, ice coating everything, sunshine lighting up the trees so they look all-over silver. The most beautiful world outside, do the little wild animals in the woods enjoy it, too?

My heart is overflowing with joy.

I stayed up last night taking photos of the moon. This morning I woke up to the children being so charming; Sarah already outside with her hair yellow and glowing down her back, Caleb and Seth laughing and fooling around together downstairs, David trying to make a fire using foil and batteries (“it only made smoke”). Sports Center blaring on the TV, cats eager to be fed, and a movie playing on the small TV in the addition with no one around to watch it.

Good morning texts on the phone from my beloved sister and brother. Today is Weston’s birthday, I can’t believe my little nephew is eleven today.

I couldn’t wait to look at my moon photos.

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Dear Joanna watched it with me, way way faraway in Pennslyvania. My family all fell asleep.

The magical moon.

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It was so cold that I went out the front door, said hello, took a few photos, and then went back inside to warm up for another 10 minutes or so.

I didn’t bother with a tripod. I just tried my best to get the settings on my camera correct and then *didn’t fiddle around* simply because it was too cold and I had no mittens on my hands.

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It really does look as if it’s hanging in the sky.

I have needs and hopes and wishes and wants and complaints. But last night when I was standing under an inky black sky, under a beautiful moon, in my slippers on top of a cold hard snow and my nose was freezing and my hands were freezing, and I was wearing a coat and a robe and a hoodie, I thought to myself………..

God is 1,000,000,000 bigger than any of my petty problems.

Vast, immeasurable, mighty, and……. and amazingly…….He loves & cares for you and me!

Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders You have done, and the plans You have for us–none can compare to You–if I would proclaim and declare of them, they are more than could be numbered. Psalm 40:5

jake’s haircut

Posted on December 27, 2018 by Shanda

We convinced our son Jacob to get a haircut.

unkempt:

kempt:

much better!

*****

I love you, Jacob, and even though you’re grown up now and gone most of the year at college, I’m glad for the times you’re at home and we can enjoy your company and take care of you in little ways like driving you to Joe’s for a nice haircut.

*****

Don’t worry about anything; instead, PRAY about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s PEACE, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

*****

wall of children

Posted on November 29, 2018 by Shanda

I look like such a big head in this photo but that’s selfie photography for you! Poor Sarah didn’t make it into the photo.

After all the planning and organizing and hosting of Thanksgiving, we were all ready to get out of the house on Black Friday and it was absolutely the best day because we were all together, Rich and I **without even one child missing**.

The line at Starbucks was a little long so I got silly with my camera and my mama-joy.

Rich and I both felt deep down meaningful gratitude over spending time with them, our biggest blessings of all. Each so different and yet, together, a special group of siblings. That’s how all families feel about their children, and rightfully so.

God is so good to us.

THE SONS

At the mall! I like to do things fairly so I said to Rich, “The girls go with me and the boys go with you!” (I’m sure the boys were utterly relieved)

Sarah insisted on getting this blanket for “someone” on our Christmas list!

I’m thinking if it were a fluffy sweater in Sarah’s size she would look dashing!

(Note to Self: Sarah looks good in mauve.)

She found her perfect dream dress. And thank goodness I liked it, too. It’s plain and simple but with the best twirling skirt ever.

AND THE DAUGHTERS

So. I had a secret mission for this mall outing. I wanted more than anything to get updated portraits taken of Jacob and Ethan. They are both Juniors in college this year and it’s been since High School that I had a nice professional portrait of them. Grace’s senior photo is still on the wall looking fabulous, along with the other school-age children who just brought home their updated school portraits.

I had five 8 by 10s hanging up in the livingroom, but was very much missing the two eldest boys.

I wasn’t sure if we could just walk into the portrait studio without appointments but we tried it and had SUCCESS! All I wanted was one 8 by 10 of each of them and we were in and out of the studio in no time at all, pictures in hand.

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They turned out so nice!!!!! Here’s Jacob’s portrait. He will be turning 22 next month.

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And here’s Ethan’s portrait! He’s 20 years old.

I love how they go together yet they aren’t matchy-matchy.

I find myself staring at their faces quite often. 🙂

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This is exactly where I am right now, sitting in the chair draped by a white and blue blanket that Aunt Colleen crocheted for me in our local school colors so I could take it to cold outdoor games. In the mug I have hot spiced apple cider, and to the left of my laptop you can see the jar candle, and then my phone propped up, which is playing my friend’s video to me this morning. What a great way to start the day, with photos, conversation, laundry, and blogging.

To be honest, I have also been to the vet to drop off poor Walter. Today our kitty has to have his special operation that will help him grow up to be a nice, tame, good-smelling male cat who can’t make babies. We’ll go pick him up again later. 🙂

Also, Seth is home for the second day in a row. He’s feeling better but had a fever yesterday so has to be home one more day. I have to admit I really really like having him home with me.

It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness.
CHARLES SPURGEON

BE BLESSED TODAY, FRIENDS
YOU ARE LOVED.

first sledding of the season

Posted on November 16, 2018 by Shanda

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My brain woke up before the rest of me. I was so tired it took me a few minutes to reach for my phone to see if school was cancelled this morning. Nope, just a two-hour delay.

As soon as Sarah got up she went outside.

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She couldn’t wait to go sledding.

It was 7 o’clock in the morning.

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Our house sits on a hill so it’s been fun for the children all these years. They can just sled from the porch steps all the way down……beginning with the oldest Jacob and ending with the youngest, Sarah.

Alas, no one else wanted to sled with Sarah this morning. Seth got half ready and then changed his mind. “The snow isn’t good.” “It’s too cold out.”

I watched Sarah through the window. And then I went out on the cold wet porch in my socks.

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I was charmed to see her attempt something her big sister Grace would have also done at age 8; she decided to scoop up kitty Walter and take him for a sled ride. After all, this is Walter’s first winter. He has a lot to learn.

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He learned it really fast.

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Sledding wasn’t for him.

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Back inside, Caleb made himself bacon, cheese, and eggs. A nice proper breakfast, served on a white fiestaware plate, with a periwinkle mug of ice-cold juice on the side.

They can’t cook at the same time without squabbling (G, right?) so after his big brother was done, Seth made himself bacon and eggs, too.

Snowy outside, cozy inside. Look at Parker begging. LOLOLOLOLOL

PS, the first photo is of my garden gnome. He can’t see right now.

ambling

Posted on November 14, 2018 by Shanda

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“Sarah, Sarah come back!” I cried.

But it was too late.

She was gone……..out the door and down the steps to celebrate the weather.

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Seth wanted to know if there would be a snow day.

“NO” we said.

It was just the first snow and it was only in the air, with no accumulation on the ground.

Off to school they went, and off to run errands I went.

…….. back home with enough time to do housework, build a fire, and read.

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P L A N T S

“We need, above all things, to slow down and get ourselves to amble through life instead of to rush through it.” ― Alan Watts

“A quiet and modest life brings more joy than a pursuit of success bound with constant unrest.” — Einstein

“…..happiness and comfort do not depend on the wealth of this world. The things of the world will not satisfy the desires of a soul.” Matthew Henry

fullsizeoutput_5c69 “When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive; to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” — Marcus Aurelius

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A L I T T L E M U S I C

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M O R E T H A N O N E C A T

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O N E G O O D B O O K

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C R A C K L E S & O W L S

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Honey Cinnamon Bars

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup honey
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
GLAZE:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons water
Additional toasted chopped walnuts, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, beat sugar, oil, honey and egg until well blended. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; gradually beat into sugar mixture. Stir in 1 cup walnuts.
Spread into a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown (edges will puff up). Cool completely on a wire rack.
For glaze, in a small bowl, mix confectioners’ sugar, mayonnaise, vanilla and enough water to reach desired consistency; spread over top. If desired, sprinkle with additional walnuts. Let stand until set. Cut into bars. Refrigerate leftovers.

Editor’s Note

To toast nuts, bake in a shallow pan in a 350° oven for 5-10 minutes or cook in a skillet over low heat until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.

**RECIPE FROM TASTE OF HOME MAGAZINE

notes: next time I will use slightly less oil (maybe replace half with applesauce.)
I did not toast any nuts.

slime and dough

Posted on November 13, 2018 by Shanda

I had to take Caleb to a doctor’s appointment 40 minutes away yesterday and when I came home a few hours later, I found these two making slime, unattended! As soon as I walked in the door they told me they needed shaving cream! They were sitting on the couch in the livingroom with all sorts of liquids!

I found the delinquent babysitters downstairs. David said, “I told them not to, but they wouldn’t listen.” Michael said, “I didn’t know!” To which I replied to both of them, “It’s a babysitter’s job to make children listen and to know what they’re doing at all times!”

I took the Rinse Aid away from Seth and Sarah and told them to make a list of things they needed and to put their shoes on. Michael was going to take them to the Dollar Store. Wasn’t that nice of him “to offer”?

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They came back cheerfully supplied with multiple cans of shaving cream, dish soap, and more glue.

Then they made slime for the next 5 hours straight. They made lots and lots of slime.

David was highly annoyed as he walked through the room to the pantry. “SARAH, stop making slime! Mom, we have way too much slime, they need to stop.”

“They’ll run out of ingredients eventually,” I cooed from the couch with my book.

“They have a box of Borax and two gallons of glue! They won’t run out until slime is everywhere!”

In case you’re wondering about the paper fence taped to the table, that was Seth’s creation. He put it there so they could play ping-pong. This truly is the house of children.

Did I clean up this mess? Absolutely NOT! But I did re-wash the table this morning.

There were many times when I thought they were done, but no, they had to keep adding a squirt of this and a squirt of that. Seth’s wasn’t coming together properly so Sarah gave him advice on how to make it work. Caleb became the designated slime-finisher, the person who knead and squeezes the slime to make it come together smoothly. Basically, he was a Kitchen-Aid mixer. He would get done with Seth’s and then Sarah would approach and say, “Can you do mine now, Caleb?” Sadly, no matter how much he asked, they wouldn’t GIVE him any to keep.

Sarah was highly protective of her slime, and so was Seth. They rarely let each other touch their slimes. And of course each believed their own was the best.

Seth had so much in his bowl that he divided his into two manageable batches. When one half was “done”, he had to go back and work on the second half.

In order to make slime you have to use your mom’s beloved laptop to look up videos on YouTube.

You also have to use every bowl, spoon, scraper, and containers with lids in the house.

Sometimes your mom will let you use food coloring to make colorful slime but sometimes that is where she will draw the line and finally say, “no”.

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When making slime, it is customary to invite your mom “to feel it” every time you see her walk by. Sometimes the thought will cross your mind that all her praise and obligatory enthusiastic handling of slime is just a big act, to make you feel good about your creation. But most of the time you believe her…….. your slime IS AWESOME.

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Don’t know what to do with odds and ends of slime? Simply throw them into the kitchen sink and forget about it!

With ingredients like Borax, glue, soap, and shaving cream, at least it SMELLS clean! Maybe TOO clean?

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Fluffy, cloudy slime. They made it themselves!

I found myself standing in the kitchen, scrubbing some of it off my shirt with a wet dishcloth. I also found lumps of it on every handle and knob in the house.