Tiny Dog

Anne (4), singing: There was a fawmer had a dog and Bingo was his name-o. B-I- Inchy - O, B-I-Inchy-O, B-I-Inchy-O, and Bingo was his name-o.

Cinderella IV: Convicted

Overheard as Susan pushed her baby sister's swing:

Susan (singing): Swing, swing, night in jail. Swing, swing, night in jail...

My 8-Year-Old reads EVERYTHING

I don't know for sure, but she may have read Dante's Divine Comedy and shared her knowledge with the other kids.

Overheard as the kids build things with their Lego sets:
Andrew (6): I think we need some more skeletons for hell and purgatory.
Lucy (8): Yes, we can use the black ones for hell.
Andrew: Ok, what about heaven? Can I put some of these guys with the white suits here?

....

Lucy: She has a scared face. She must be in hell because you're not scared in purgatory.

Lunar Eclipse Tonight

It has been a long time since I blogged last, or even since I looked at others' blogs, but I wanted to mention tonight's event because the next one won't occur until December of 2010 (which may be the next time I get a chance to blog again).

Anyway, I found out a couple of days ago that tonight there will be a total lunar eclipse and that its climax will occur at a reasonable hour, so I thought we could let the kids stay up to see it. Not until today (3 days after my weekly shopping day) did it occur to me that I could make it "fun" by providing snacks whose names coincide with the theme of the night sky, like Moon Pies or Milky Way bars.

Upon further reflection, however, I decided that buying these treats wasn't a good idea after all because: 1)I don't really have the money, 2) It's Lent, and 3) I don't actually like Moon Pies or Milky Way bars.

So, since it will probably be about 20 degrees outside, and cloudy, maybe we'll watch the eclipse online and have some hot cocoa or tea.

Applesauce

Way back in October, Mom invited us over to make and put up applesauce and apple pie filling. I am finally putting up these pictures from that event!First, you wash all your apples.


Then, you core and halve them.


After boiling the apples in water, get a strong guy to move the pots for you.


We all took turns turning the handle on the grinder.

The finished applesauce was YUMMY!!!

Kitchen helper

Susan said, "Oops, I dwopped in a egg shell. I have to get it out. Never mind, it went away." I guess we'll see who gets a crunchy bite of scrambled eggs this morning.

The Weather Outside is Frightful...

...But in here, it's so delightful!

When the snow blows, the kids decide to carry "Master & Mistress" in a litter through Africa.

Or be servants to the Indian Princess (holding the sticker book modestly to veil her face)...


...while Peter colors his Thanksgiving Turkey...

...and Andrew hides from the snow!

Free Sofa & Love Seat

Free Sofa & Love Seat to anyone in the Colorado Springs area willing to come get them! I'll include 2 cream-colored mattelase slipcovers.

Me (sort of)

My Inner European is...

Your Inner European is Spanish!

Energetic and lively. You bring the party with you!

Who's Your Inner European?

Well, that's actually my outer European, too! How 'bout that! I don't know about the energetic & lively part, but I have 7 kids, so I often do bring the party with me.

Summer Part IV: Antonito

Our final day on the road took us to Antonito, and the oldest Catholic church in Colorado, Our Lady of Guadalupe.

This was very curious. The bell tower was aparently infested with bees.

Can you tell what object in this picture just doesn't seem to "go" with the rest? One of these things is not like the others....
Beautiful stained glass.

We drove home after visiting this beautiful old church. We had a great vacation and hope to see more of our country next summer.

Summer Part III: Mesa Verde

The next day we went to Mesa Verde.

The dancers demonstrated traditional Indian dances.
This man explained some of the dances and traditions of his people, and told funny jokes.

Here are some of the famous ruins of the Mesa Verde area. You could not live in these dwellings if you were claustrophobic.
This photo was taken from the van across a chasm.
Amazing how these ancient people built these dwellings.

Our last night on the road we had an indoor pool at the motel:

Summer: Part II: Aztec

On the road we stopped at a scenic overlook to stretch our legs a bit.

Our next stop was Aztec National Monument.

Our last stop this day was Four Corners. We took the requisite tourist photo:

Food Meme

Mimi over at Bigger than a Breadbox had this meme up, so I consider myself tagged.

You take the letters of your name and write a little food-related factoid for each.

K - Kielbasa. Yummy. a friend brought over a casserole with penne pasta and kielbasa - delicious!

I - Italian Wedding Soup. This is such a good "comfort food!" It's a meatball soup with spinach I think - it's been a while since I made it; time to find the recipe again, methinks.

T - Tea. This is the perfect time of year for it. A friend of mine sells very good teas, and I had a tea party where she demonstrated how to brew different kinds for the best flavor (white, green, black, oolong and red). I ordered a bunch of them for myself and for Christmas gifts.

T - Tortillas. Corn for enchiladas, flour for fajitas or burritos. Fry some up and eat them topped with fried eggs and salsa. Mmmmm... that sounds good right now.

Y - Yogurt. Plain with honey; Raspberry in the blender with bananas and frozen berries; Strawberry with Cool Whip, poured into a Graham cracker crust and frozen - Yogurt is a great treat!


Note to self: Never do food memes when you're hungry.

What I Did This Summer: Part I: The Great Sand Dunes

This summer we took a family road trip to several places relatively near our home. This is the first trip we have taken as a family that wasn't specifically to visit more family.



Our first stop was the Great Sand Dunes. What a fun day that was! We had fun wading through the stream that runs at the foot of the dunes.



Once we made it across the water we began the climb up the sand.
It was a windy day, but other than the stings from the flying sand, it was a wonderful day.

Highland Fling

Over Labor Day Weekend, we got all dressed up and headed up to the Longs Peak Highland Festival and Games. Dad had signed us up to march in the parade to represent the Rutherford Clan earlier in the summer, so we all got together for that.
Front row: Lucy (8), Andrew (5), Susan (3), Margaret (7), Anne (4), Benedict (almost 2), Peter (1 1/2).
Back Row: Rebekah, Mike, Benjamin, Ian (in back), Mom, James, Dad & Paula

James (holding St. Andrew's Saltire flag above) bought fabric and supplies and he and Mom & Dad made the clan banner and the clan banner (being held by Ian, right behind Mom) Here we are in the parade (above). Doesn't Dad look great in his kilt? His kids all got together and bought him the kilt, jacket & brogues last Christmas. My beautiful Sister-In-Law is in the center wearing a skirt she made herself, and Mom is behind the second stroller wearing her gorgeous hostess outfit. I wish I had a better picture! I am bringing up the rear (37 weeks pregnant) in a navy blue dress my mother wore to MY wedding 11 years ago. I pinned a mini-sash in the family tartan on my shoulder.
Here's Mike holding a banner while we waited for the parade to start. Doesn't he look handsome in his Tweed jacket and cap?

Anne, Lucy, Susan, Margaret & Andrew cooled their feet after the parade at our picnic site not far from where we started marching.

We had a great time and hope to do it again next year!
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