Day 2: Getting There is Half the Fun

I slept horribly at the hotel! It was clear I was coming down with something. In singles or pairs, we took turns going to the breakfast bar, where the boys discovered "waffle chips" (waffle overflow that cooks up nice and crispy in the middle of a 4 mini-waffle iron). We didn't leave the hotel until 10 AM local time. I was feeling awful. Mom drove most of the way on day 2. I did drive a couple of hours from just before Superior to Eveleth. We stopped for Subway and ate it at the Laurentian Divide overlook. Even though my throat was really hurting, it tasted delicious, and I think the hot peppers helped numb my throat for a while.

Things looked good when we got to the cabin sometime around 3 or 4 PM, yet there was a surprising amount of work to do. I rallied, and worked most of the afternoon and early evening. We had to collect the d-con (to deter mice from chewing up our mattresses over the winter), vacuum, take down the support beams that keep the roof from collapsing under the snow, wash some necessary dishes, uncover the beds then get out clean sheets and make the beds, get the grill out of the cabin (!), unpack the car, unload the suitcases, wipe everything down, turn on water heater and refrigerator, and more and more. Mom heated some ham for dinner and served it with macaroni and homemade cheese sauce. I was ZONKED when all was said and done. The kids actually helped with unloading, then they spend some time outside throwing rocks in the lake. Zachary and Mom played some Funglish after dinner. Zachary and I went down to the lake where we had a rock tossing contest. The bugs were INSANE.

Day 1: Moving Right Along

We left Loveland at 6:15 AM this morning. The boys spent about the first 4 hours with Mom and I in our car, but switched over to the van and finished out the day there. We did the switch at McDonald's in LeRoy, IL. It was a super smooth day (especially the portion we travelled without kids!). We pulled into the AmericInn hotel at Chippewa Falls at around 4:00 PM local time. Tim, the boys, and the dogs were just under an hour behind us. It was so relaxing to have a few minutes to myself in the room before the chaos invaded.

Tim was pretty zonked from driving all day, so he stayed in the room with the dogs while Mom, the boys, and I went to dinner. We found a place very close to the hotel called Ralph's Red Apple Grill and Bar. They had fried cheese curds, about 6 varieties of Leinie's on tap, and broasted chicken. I knew then that I was in the north country! I brought a salad and some of Zachary's leftover pizza back to Tim. After dinner, I took the boys to swim. The hotel is the same one we stayed at with the Loughners last year. Not only do they have pool and large hot tub; they also have a relatively large water slide that empties into its own 3 foot pool. There was also a zero-depth entry pool for the really little kids. We lucked out, because the life guard who was supposed to be on duty manning the slide had quit the night before, but the morning life guard stayed late, and the boys went down the water slide until 8 PM. Zachary even made a friend. He tossed balls and jumped in the pool over and over with a 10 year old girl. I let him stay late just because he was being so social. Mom offered to let a boy sleep in her room, but they both chose to stay with us.

CSA Pickup: Week 2

This week we got

garlic scapes (GLORY HALLELUJIAH!)
lettuce
spinach
basil

Things are looking a little light this year, because of the terrible, rainy weather this year. (A little hail even hit the garden at one point.)

Patio Evening

Once again, Friday night brought dinner on the patio - though this week it was steaks instead of hot dogs. We even had strawberries picked fresh from our garden. After dinner, we roasted s'mores and were entertained by the boys singing every imaginable version of Dynamite.

CSA 2011 Week 1

Our first pickup:
8 garlics
4 radishes
1.4 lbs spinach
1.4 lbs mixed lettuce

The eggs aren't actually part of the share - I purchased them separately and will be picking them up at Grailville on the same day as produce pickup.

New Insights

So, once Zachary knows something, he really KNOWS it. The revelation about his brain is no different. I told him to "wipe that smug look" off of his face. His reply? "Mom! You KNOW I'm not very good at facial expressions!" Ugh.

Toothless Trauma

Jeremy pulled out his tooth just after he got off the bus today. He was totally excited, and he was all set to put it under his pillow tonight. Then, he started thinking about it. I had to take photos of the beloved tooth. Later, I could hear him sniffling. He had gotten himself worked up into a full-out cry over the thought of the tooth being taken away by the TF. After a heart-to-heart, we decided that he would forfeit the TF money and keep the tooth!

Easter Sunday

The bunny was here:


And here:After Sunday School and a beautiful church service, we came home to host ourselves plus 13 more family members for Easter brunch. It was a really lovely day.

Coloring

Another year's egg dying project has come and gone. Highlight: Rachel walked in. We were almost out of eggs. Someone Jeremy found her one to dye. It came from the container of raw eggs. Poor girl!

Scout Sunday

Busy, busy day today. Palm Sunday. Scout Sunday. Kids sing in church. Bake sale. Sunday School meeting. I'm tired! Highlights were watching the boys sell, sell, sell and Jeremy singing with his Sunday School class in front of church.