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Joseph was getting dressed in his room. Alexander, aka Darth Vader, came in solemnly, all dressed in black with a towel/cape, humming the Theme of the Dark Side. He had a gun in his hand, and he carefully took aim. Before he shot his gun, he itched his nose with the back of the gun he was holding. Then he shot. Mom said, “That would be a great thing to accidentally have in the movie.”
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Joseph and Alex were fighting over who would sit on the exercise bike chair. Not to do anything, just to sit. So I lifted them both up onto the chair. They were both pleased at this remedy. I said, “There, now sit like nice brothers.” A little while later Joseph started to try to push Alex off the chair. “Help, Sarah.” Alexander said. “Joseph not being ‘nite buter’.”
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It was time to wake up Alex. Joseph had just woken up, and I was holding him. We went into the room where Alexander was asleep and I put Joseph down on the bed. Joseph saw sleeping Alex and laid down beside him. I, too laid beside Alex and began to rub his back while saying “Alexander, wake up.” He wouldn’t wake up, he was so tired. Joseph thought it was hilarious that Alex was asleep. He laughed, then put Alexander out of his mind and began to play with me. I love playing with Joseph, because when he plays with me I get lots of hugs and kisses. Then Joseph became concerned that Alex was asleep and began to rub Alexander’s back vigorously, talking worriedly. When Alex finally was up, Joseph was much relieved.
Telling the story ruins it. You would have to be there to know what it was like. I love Alex and Joseph.
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Thursday night there was only a dusting of snow. Now it is snowing and we are scheduled for up to ten inches! Alexander is delighted.
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Another window-well beauty. These always fall in our wells in the fall.
Alex enjoys this.
Read about the salamander here.
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A while back, I wrote about our trip to the farm. Here are the pictures of what we did that day.
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Thursday night, I dreamed about hot air balloons. Noon Friday, I learned Dad was going to take Landon, Maria, Johnathan, and I along in his friend Mr. Wilson’s pick-up truck while he chased the hot air ballon Mr. Wilson was flying with his instructor and helped him inflate and deflate the balloon. Maria said she wasn’t going to come because she had seen hot air balloons on television.
When Dad arrived at three, we piled in his truck and went to a park in Brandon. Soon Mr. Wilson arrived and we began to help him set up the balloon. First we got the balloon bag out of the car. The boys helped roll it a little way from the car. Then we got out the basket and put it upright.
Next we tipped the basket on it’s side and Dad and I began to take the 200 and some pound balloon out of it’s bag. It was like a magician’s scarf trick in that it kept coming and coming. Meanwhile, Mr. Wilson’s instructor arrived.
Now we turned on the fan and began to inflate the balloon with cold air. Mr. Wilson informed me that I was to help him buckle down the top of the air balloon’s vents so the heat, when it was applied, would not escape. I passed off the camera to Landon.
Filling up!
Buckling down.
This is why it’s called ‘The Keebler’
Beginning to rise!
The inside.
After the vents were closed, Mr. Wilson gave me a rope attached to the top of the balloon and told me how to ease up the balloon into the air as the burner heated up the air inside the balloon. This was hard as the balloon was EXTREMELY HEAVY!
Getting directions. I have to wrap the rope around my waist but not tie it and pull. I am told to let go if I have to. Then Mr. Wilson demonstrates what he does not want to happen by cupping his hand to his mouth and calling into the sky, “Let go of the rope, Sarah!”
The balloon is not very heavy in this picture yet. For now I am able to smile and wave.
Now the balloon is big and it takes all my strength to hold on. I ease it up.
Going up!
All the way up.
Dad loves this picture.
When the balloon was completely in the air, I rushed in and added my weight to help keep the basket down. Mr. Wilson had me step up into the basket on a side that was trying to escape into the air. This was a lot of fun. It was similar to those rides in the entrance to the grocery store where you are rocked back and forth. The wind pushed the balloon up. Sometimes the basket would lift. I leaned to this sneaky side trying to go up, and then to that side, trying to keep my balance. I called to Landon to take pictures of me in the balloon.
When the basket was level and everything was ready for the take off, I heard Mr. Wilson say to his instructor, “Can we take her along?” I held my breath. The instructor’s answer was yes, if Dad would consent. She went over to talk to him, and Dad nodded his head. The instructor had only been giving him directions on how to cast off the rope, which was tied to the pick-up. THen Mr. Wilson asked, and Dad said: YES! We lifted off. I wished I could have had the camera, but Dad was getting into the truck and, “I can’t come back! I don’t know how it works!”
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Wheeee!!
Mr. Wilson’s touch-and-go.
We flew low over the country. We saw many pheasants, deer, rabbits, and cows. I even saw a fish jump out of Beaver Creek we were flying above. The bottom of the creek was visible, as the water was transparent. The sun was out and there were no clouds. The ride was smooth and the air was fresh, cool, and crisp. However, it was not too cold. The only shivers I had were from excitement. The ride was smooth and gentle, except when Mr. Wilson practiced landing with a touch-and-go. I was instructed to bend my knees, face the direction we were going, and grab the basket in two places while we landed. It wasn’t quite as bumpy as I thought it would be. After we touched ground, Mr. Wilson squeezed the fire on and we rose into the air.
When we gained speed and height, Mr. Wilson let me squeeze the handle that controls the fire. I could just reach it by standing on the balls of my feet and reaching my arm high above my head. At first, Mr. Wilson told me when to use the fire, then the instructor told me she wanted to try something new. She squeezed my hand whenever it was time to use the fire. She helped me land the ballon very gently with almost no hard bumps. We touched ground, then lifted off a couple of feet and glided along the ground, and alighted again. This was repeated several times, like a stone skipping across water. Finally we came to a halt behind a car racing track that was not in use at that time.
Mr. Wilson took over and we again gained speed and height. He did not quite get that it was actually the instructor who had made the landing and he said, “Now you can’t make me look that bad.” We didn’t tell him what was actually going on until we had landed for good.
All too soon, it would be sunset, and Mr. Wilson landed the balloon. This time it was much bumpier, and I was smashed between Mr. Wilson and the instructor, who took turns falling on me. It didn’t hurt that bad. Dad pulled up in his Mr. Wilson’s truck and all together we began to put the balloon away.
First Dad pulled the air balloon onto the ground. Then Mr. Wilson and his instructor squeezed the air out of the balloon. Then everyone helped put the balloon into the bag. When the balloon was in, Johnathan jumped on the bag to get the air out. Finally, everything was loaded into the back of the pick-up truck.
Squeezing out the air.
Stuffing the balloon into the bag.
We returned too the park, had a few snacks, and then we went home. I had not expected to have ridden in the balloon that day.
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I was sitting at a little table outside with Landon, John, Alexander, and Joseph drinking hot chocolate. Before we drank any, we all howled at the full moon that was just rising, even Joseph. I had to help him drink his. He was sure it was going to be too hot, even when I had tested it to be sure it wasn’t. He flinched when he took a drink, yet he really wanted to. He kept coming back for more.
I think I have finally gotten the recipe just about right. It took quite a while. The biggest thing was that for three years I have been adding cinnamon to hot chocolate. When I do, I have to stir it a lot because the cinamon separates itself from the mixture. I have just realized that cinnamon adds a gritty texture and a bad taste to hot chocolate. What I confused with a missing ingredient was really one ingredient to many. I want to put the recipe here, but Landon thinks it should be secret, so I will leave a couple ingredients out for now. Maybe I will put them on later.
1/2 cup boiling water
2 T butter
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup white sugar
1 pinch of salt
5-1/4 cups milk (Whole if you want a scrumptiously creamy treat.)
1 T vanilla extract
3/4 cup half-and-half cream (Only if you don’t use whole or two percent milk.)
Bring water and butter to boil in a saucepan. Combine the cocoa, sugar and pinch of salt. Bring this mixture to an easy boil while you stir. Simmer and stir for about 2 minutes. Watch that it doesn’t scorch. Stir in 3 1/2 cups of milk and heat until very hot, but not boiling. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Divide between 6 mugs. Add the cream to the mugs of cocoa to cool it to drinking temperature. (optional)
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I was walking through the mall with the family. My heart was beating faster than normal. I had my Claires Botique gift card in my pocket. I wondered how bad it would hurt, because I was going to get my ears pierced.
We entered the store, and told the cashier what I needed, and then I was escorted by a proccession of family members and a ear piercing lady to a tall chair in the corner of the store. I was given pictures of many earings. The woman recomended that I get 14 Kt gold earings so I wouldn’t have an allergic reaction. If I did, I would have to take the earings out, and the holes would close up. Anyway, the gold ones were cheapest. I picked some white gold ones that were quite pretty.
Next came the hard part. I was going to have both ears done at the same time, and that took two people. The second person was checking out customers, and couldn’t get there at that moment.
When the woman arrived, they positioned the earings and told me they were counting to three and on count three I had to blow Maria’s hair off because she was standing in front of me. I didn’t quite do that, because I was concentrating on not flinching. That’s because the condition on which I was to get my ears pierced was that Dad got to watch my face while it was done. It didn’t hurt so bad, but my ears felt hot and were a little purple for about forty-five minutes later.
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With only two hours notice, the whole family packed our bags and were off to our grandparents farm. Dad wanted to help Grandpa in his harvest, so we bought a tent from the store and left town. Mom and Dad were going to stay in a hotel, and we were going to sleep outside. It was a fun trip, and every one except Joseph got to ride in the HUGE combine and the tractor! Alexander really liked riding with Dad and seeing the ‘kim-bine’. Our trip to the farm was a lot of fun.
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When I was little, I can’t remember how old, Mom and Dad were asleep in the early morning and I was looking at a
Madeline book on the couch. I woke them up by suddenly screaming excessively loud because I had gotten a paper cut.
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Today I helped Dad complete the trim. Now it is DONE! I nailed in the last piece with Dad’s supervision.
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After an all to long period of my internet being down, in which I have not been able to write, Dad has put me back online!
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Mom decided that she would have the new school room green and the kitchen red. Dad has finished painting the ceiling and installing the lights and light switches, and the carpet man is coning on Monday!
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