The Bittersweetness Of Down Syndrome.

Well, while Gideon was getting his teeth brushed this morning one of his lower front teeth fell out! To say that we were surprised is an understatement. You see, Gideon has a pretty small single word vocabulary so he did not inform us that he even had a loose tooth. As parents of 13 we have always made much of the losing of the teeth. I have kept every tooth each child has lost and stored them in a pretty little tin. And of course the excitement of seeing what the Tooth Fairy (aka Mom and Dad) has left under the pillow! Well....you know what I am talking about here. So Giddy got lots of hugs and cries of exclamation but I don't think he grasped what the fuss was all about. It made me feel really sad inside. He does not understand about lost teeth or money under his pillow. And I felt a sense of loss in that. I think there will be many things in the days ahead that Gideon will not understand, and though there are so many days when he seems more like a typical kid....it is moments like this morning when I am reminded that he isn't. So here is a picture of my sweet little boy missing his first tooth. I love you Gideon.....for who you are and I am so thankful to God for giving you to us!

My Favorite Fall Recipe

Well, I would have to say tomatos and sweet corn. They are the sweetest harvest out of my garden. I typically plant at least 5o or more tomato plants. This year they are all heirloom plants and they are perfect! Not a blemish on them. My corn did terrible, but the cows will love it. I will share my favorite dish that I prepare with the tomatos.
Wash and chop tomatos into chunks.
Add thinly sliced sweet onions.
Crumble generous amounts of feta cheese and add to dish.
Add blue cheese dressing and mix everything up.
Salt and pepper to taste. I use kosher salt and fresh coarse ground pepper.
You can add green peppers if you like. Or you can make the same dish with cucumbers instead of tomatos. I serve this with some croutons sprinkled on top. It is absolutely wonderful.
This is my version of a German salad my mom always made:)

Milking Time!

This is my son Joel who is 14. He is one of the kids who is trained to milk Rose, our 3 year old Jersey Holstein cross. Noah and Joel milk in the mornings before school and Joel and Gabe milk in the evenings. I help out when needed. Rose gives the sweetest milk which also supplies us with butter, cream, and home made cheese on occasion. She is a big responsibility though as she gets milked two times a day 10 months out of the year. Holidays and sick days included. She is due to have her second calf the middle of February so we will stop milking her the middle of December. This gives her a rest time and us as well. Rose is the most valuable animal on our farm and more than pays for herself in what she gives us.

Summer's Bounty.

Some of the tomatos from my heirloom plants. Pears from my pear tree. I love this time of year. Everything is ripe and ready to put up for the winter. My apple trees are loaded this year and I have been sharing with my mom for applesauce. This years tomato crop is beautiful, not a trace of blossom end rot on a single tomato. I planted over 30 plants and am hoping for a large crop for canning. I use tomatos in soaps and stews and sauces. They are one of my favorite things to grow.

The Amazing Lace Swap.

elizabethso sent me a skein of Woolen Rabbit lace in the color moroccan spice. Beautiful!

Falling For Ewe Swap.

I was pleasantly surprised to receive both my Amazing Lace and Falling For Ewe swap boxes on the same day. The Falling For Ewe swap is a secret swap and here is what I got from my person.

Blue Sky Alpaca Swap!

I got a beautiful swap package today from wizgirl!

Yale Lake Family Photos

Ethan, our oldest grandchild holding Leni our youngest grandchild. Ethan is 9 and Leni is 3 months. There are 10 more in between them!

Our oldest daughter Brianna and her husband Pat.

Brianna's baby Gus and Hannah's baby Leni.

Day At The Lake

Celebrated two birthdays at the lake yesterday. Joel turns 14 and Gideon turned 6! Gorgeous day. Warm and beautiful. We are happy owners of 2 acres right on the water at Yale Lake in Washington. We have an outstanding view of Mt. St. Helens and the drive is only about 40 minutes from our home. We plan on building a small vacation home one day and spending a lot more time here. Its a clean and very large lake, our family loves to water ski and swim. Enjoying the last warm days of summer!

My Favorite Things About Autumn.

Well, I think autumn is my most favorite time of the year! The heat of the summer is coming to an end and there is a definate chill in the air. I love that the kids are back in school and there is once again order to my days. I love the colors. After all they are my favorite colors of all. Reds and oranges and browns and yellows. Love them! It is also harvest time for my garden. My tomatoes are starting to turn ripe and everything is winding down. Making applesause and apple butter, canning up my tomatoes. Planning for the holidays, getting Christmas gifts going. Which includes some knitting too. This year I have a turkey or two that I am fattening up for our Thanksgiving day celebration. Also, some of the sock clubs I joined will be starting up too! I look forward to new yarn and goodies in the mail. Time to get my wool socks out and fill up the woodbox. There are lots of wonderful things about this time of the year. I could go on and on! The picture was taken at Cannon Beach, on the Oregon coast. It is our favorite beach spot. We are only 2 hours from the ocean from where we live.

The Wonders Of Autumn.

Well, the kids are back in schools and I have a small part of my day free. It is lovely and I look so forward to mondays. The leaves are starting to turn and there is a sweet chill to the air. This is my most favorite season of all. I dyed up some roving in the crockpot this morning before church. I used blue, green and brown and it looks beautiful. I am dying it for my swap partner in the Fibery Goodness Swap as her favorite colors are jewel tones. Then I will be spinning it up on my Schacht wheel. I am also getting my goodies together for the Amazing Lace Swap that I started on ravalry. I find myself quite addicted to this swap thing. Some of my packages have been wonderful ,yet sad to admit but some have been awful. But what fun to get a box of goodies in the mail. Its like my birthday when that happens. I will be posting pictures of another swap box that I am expecting this week. Til then, enjoy the beauty of the season!