Pumpkinpaloosa

When I picked up the flyer for Pumpkinpaloosa, a county wide activity sponsored by the library, and that the first prize was a Kindle Fire, I knew we had to compete.  I mean, who can be more creative or carve better pumpkins then us?

We bumped into this little guy who was also dressed as the Doctor

When I finished carving my pumpkin my hand and arm hurt. I mean, really. My pinky still hurts even today.  I guess my pumpkin carving muscles aren't what they used to be.

When I saw that there were other activities offered other than the pumpkin carving contest, I knew we had to dress up. Ruth and I dressed as the 10th and 11th Doctors, from Doctor Who.

When we got to Pumpkinpaloosa we saw there was some ringers.  I mean, shouldn't there be different categories for those of us carving the old fashioned way, and those carving with dremels and other specialized pumpkin tools?  Like an amateur and profession division?

When Ruth won first place in the teen division we were really excited!  After she carved it, I suggested she also paint it, seeing as we were in a competition in the daytime and it probably wouldn't be lit. She did a great job on the painting and that's what pushed her over the top.

The Dalek, the Portal and Toothless the Dragon

When we got home I took more pictures of the pumpkins, especially my Dalek.   I don't believe the judges fully appreciated the Dalek pumpkin. if they were Whovians I would have won for sure.  Jared's pumpkin was also based on the Portal comic book, which he worried they were not familiar with.   Maybe next year we should label them so that the judges can more accurately see our genius.  I did get 3rd place in the adult division, so that is something.

Fall Break

On Thursday we went to our local corn maze and had a pretty good time wandering in the dead corn. Since it was an extra long weekend, Kaitlin came home for another visit.

Plotting our next move. The maze was very big.

One of several look out points.

We snuck into the kids princess area just so we could sit in the coach. We were disappointed that the princess dresses didn't fit us.

One of two tractor rides. This one was much less bumpy. We learned from the first tractor ride why pioneers preferred to walk rather than riding in the wagon.

Kaitlin on the hamster wheel. I think this game looked funner than it actually was.

Our favorite activity was the simon says corn maze. You spin the wheel and whatever action you landed on you had to do until you found the next wheel in the maze.  We went through the maze holding arms and hissing like a snake, walking big goofy steps, and clucking like chickens, among other things.  People all around us looked at us like we were crazy, but hey, they were in the simon says corn maze too so we didn't know what their problem was.

My personal favorite was the corn pit.  I decided I wanted one in my basement  (notice that I am the only adult in the corn pit - their loss).

One of several photo ops we took.

On Saturday we drove up to visit my mom where we went to a real pumpkin patch. This was not a pumpkin patch of lies like the commercial one by our house. In verity the pumpkins actually grew in this spot.

There were so many excellent pumpkins in this patch, I am sure that the Great Pumpkin will appear there this Halloween. Luckily we had some pocket knives to cut them from their stems.

This patch was owned by a friend of my mother's. 

We picked the very best ones, we are pretty sure. Notice matching sweaters/theme of stripes. Ruth missed the memo.

Above the cemetery where my father is buried are some caves where my dad played when he was a kid. We had to go check them out.

Jared was a very good "stomper" the whole hike there to keep rattle snakes away.  The inside of the cave was very small and full of poop/scat.

We also did an autumn craft with pressed leaves that my mother had prepared.  This is a craft that her mother did with her.

The Case of the Mysteriously Disappearing Water

Chuck and the new water softener

We noticed a year or so ago, that our water pressure had started to decrease. We heard neighbors complaining as well, so we didn't think much of it.   Time went by and our water pressure slowly got worse.  We adapted, as humans do, at first we didn't run the wash during showers, then we started not taking showers at the same time, that sort of things.    As our concern grew, Chuck checked the water regulator valve, we were still within normal water pressure range, so we did nothing.  As time passed our pressure worsened and it started to get inconvenient. When the shower was running the cold water from the fridge was a trickle, when two showers were running or a toilet was flushed all water was reduced to a small stream, and the dishes started to not be as clean at the end of a cycle.  But we are hearty sort of person, not quick to complain.  We'd joke about how we were grateful just to have hot water or running water at all.   Well, this week it came to a head when I started the clothes washer downstairs and then I couldn't get water out of the upstairs sink at all and then the a few days later when I couldn't get the shower to work until after the toilet tank was done filling.  I consulted with neighbors again on facebook to learn that only we were facing this dire drop in water pressure.  My handy husband was now on the case. Everyone told us to check the water pressure valve again.  He check the pressure coming into the house, and again, it was in the normal range.  He turned off our sprinkler system, but still the water trickled.  Then Chuck bumped into an old friend at a church meeting who had seen my post on facebook and suggest he check our water softener.   As soon as Chuck bypassed our water softener the pressure returned. Amazing!  Instead of the hike we had planned for Saturday,  Chuck spent the day installing a new water softener* and now our pressure problems are resolved.  I'm so grateful for a husband who handy and resourceful.  I'm also grateful for God's tender mercies.  Chuck went to a mid-week church meeting that he absolutely did not want to go to, and it was there that we got the information that helped us solve our problem.

*Why do we need a water softener you might ask.  Well, if a large percentage of your water was reclaimed from a copper mine, you'd need a water softener too. 

Jared's Reflections Video

Jared is off track this week and spent a day making his Reflections video.  He did another stop motion, but this time experimented with camera angles and locations shots.  The final one minute video took over 300 individual frames.

Here is a link to the video on YouTube:  http://youtu.be/EeOX8kl2MpM

Talent Show

Ruth and her friend auditioned for the school talent show and was one of ten acts that got in. They performed a short scene from Cinderella and sang "The Step Sisters Lament".  They did really well, and what amazed me more is that they put it together all on their own with no adult guidance or intervention.  Here is a highlight. (If you get this blog via email you may need to visit the blog to see the video)

I told you last week that Ruth got a swing dress for her birthday. She wore it to a dance this weekend that she went to with friends.  The theme was Back in Time and she dressed it up like the 50's.  I took this picture when she got home from the dance.

Ruth is 15

We had a great day celebrating Ruth's birthday this week. Ruth isn't a big cake fan, so she requested homemade cinnamon rolls for her birthday dessert.  She also wanted lasagne for dinner, which was a delicious choice.  She got a swing dress, a lamp, an animation program and a necklace. She's been really excited about the dress and we've been on adventures this week looking for accessories, so she'll be ready for a dance next week. She's pretty excited and a bit amazed that she has hit this age milestone.  We are planing to get her permit in December.

This week was Ruth's first student-led conference at school. Ruth is a great student so those meetings are always a pleasure to attend.  She's been posting some of her school projects on her youtube channel, including a pony version of a Macbeth scene that is amazing.

Helloooo blog people! Kaitlin here.
Mom is making dinner right now, (Moms make so many complicated, healthy dinners every day! That is so wonderful!) so I get to write the blog this week! So here's what's up!

A Fun Weekend With Our Favorite College Student

This Friday I drove down from Snow to come visit with the family because Ruth's big birthday is next week! To celebrate, yesterday we enjoyed a fun trip to Saver's where we ended up buying a reversible knight's cape. (Why, you ask? Because it was cool.) Then we went and saw Guardians of the Galaxy. It was a clever movie with a lot of cool graphics, but we were less impressed with some of the language. Although, we laughed out loud at some of the scenes, including "Kevin Bacon is a hero."

After that fun excursion, we came home and in the evening, Ruth and Mom and I made eclairs for the first time. We particularly enjoyed the attempt to fill the shells without breaking them and the eating spoonfuls out of the giant bowl of leftover whipped cream/pudding filling. Mom promised us that they would taste even better today, and as usual, she was right. I personally have eaten at least five eclairs just today. They are indeed a delicious, delightful delicacy. We did eat.

Jared's Scout Thing

I have heard that Jared got a "scout thing" this week! We are so proud of him for the things he is accomplishing! Jared has grown so much! Just today he excellently recited the fifth Article of Faith. (His reward was a piece of bacon.)

Ruth Is Cool

Ruth has been working on Lady Macbeth's handwashing monologue lately. Today she recited it for the family and we were very impressed! She is an excellent actress. Now she is making a video for her channel with the same theme. Can you believe this gal is almost fifteen!?

Insights from Aforementioned Favorite College Student

As I've been home this weekend I have noticed a few things about our house that I did not notice before. I figure they might be interesting to read so I will include them:

-Our microwave is huuuuge! You could fit a hippo in there!
-Having a washing machine in your very own house is exceptionally convenient!
-Everything is so clean here!
-You don't have to worry about how many dishes you will dirty, because everything goes in the dishwasher! Revolutionary!
-I love these people! They are so nice and fun! I forgot how much we sing at home.
-Each cabinet is full of OUR stuff. There's no sharing! I love that!

Our Quiet Life

If our life keeps being this quiet, I'll have to just update the blog once a month instead of once a week.  Most nights we are all on our screens, watching shows, or working, or playing video games, and one of us will look up and say into the silence, "another crazy night at our house."  Then we'll all smile and agree and go back to what we were doing. 

Things of note this week:

Ruth and her friend Ali.

Ruth went sailing on the Great Salt Lake with her mutual class.  They had one activity where they learned about sailing, and then on Saturday they went sailing.  Ruth didn't have a lot to say about it, but I guess she had a good time.

I made a fez. It's amazing what you can make out of craft foam, fabric, and a glue gun.

We went to Jared's schools fun run, but instead of running, I watched two kids try to serve pizza to hundreds of people, and couldn't stand by without helping. So I approached them, asked them if I could take over (not that I gave them the option) and then, army general style, reorganized their whole distribution line. When other moms saw what I was doing, they jumped in to help as well.  Jared was a good sport about it, and took a place on the line handing out water bottles.  30 minutes later, we had missed the fun run, but the pizza line was running like a well oiled machine. I told myself that I was going to stay away from the PTA this year, but sometimes I just can't help myself.

Strange howling could be heard from the basement all week, as Ruth was cast as Lady Macbeth in a scene for drama class, and she's been working hard at memorizing her lines. Damned spot!

Catch Up Week

Finally things have settled down for us, Comic Con is over, all the kids are in school, and my work is feeling more comfortable.   I'm still struggling to find a new rhythm to our new schedule, but that will come too.

I thought I'd mention today a few things that might have fallen through the blog cracks lately:

• My peaches came on, and there were oodles of them.  For family home evening we canned some jam, and then I gave the rest away.  I still have dozens of bottled peaches in the basement that we aren't eating.  I set a goal to serve the family two quarts a month, so by next year we'll have room to can more. As far as the rest of the garden, the zucchini have been great, the tomatoes not so much, and I can't grow an edible cucumber to save my life.
• Ruth's youtube channel is up to 1500 subscribers. My "Let it Go" tab now has close to 3 million views. 
• Jared is almost to his 1st Class Scout.  The only thing holding him back is passing the swimming test.  We've needed to take him to the pool to practice but it just hasn't happened yet.  Soon.  He turns 12 in just three months, so we're trying to finish off his Faith in God award as well. 
• We are on the hunt for a different car. The mini-van gets only 16 mpg, and with only two kids at home we are ready to downsize.  I hate shopping, especially for cars. 
• After four or five years, I've retired, for the most part, from teaching guitar.  As of a few weeks ago, my last student moved on, and I've been turning down new students for the last little while.  It's all part of transitioning into working.



I did stop to take this selfie.

• Thinking of guitar, Ruth is absolutely loving guitar with her new teacher and band.  She practices just out of love for making music, which is amazing to me. She's also learning about how tricky playing and singing at the same time can be. 

• Chuck still rides his motorcycle every day.  He takes it to work, and then takes it out for a ride every weekend.   My scooter, however, has been collecting dust for the most part.  I did take it out for a nice long ride this week to see the autumn leaves. Whenever I take it out I wonder why I don't ride more often. 
• This summer I watched every episode of the Doctor Who reboot. Ruth is glad to now have a fellow whovian in the family.  Not to be left out, Chuck is watching it now too.