Angels In Unexpected Places

Life as we know it in the Michel house is about to change.  We are staring down what looks like the end of Jeff’s job.  And as a single income family this is an extremely stressful position to be in.  Soon I will be going back to work after being a Stay-At-Home-Mom for 12 years which is going to be a big adjustment for the boys & me.   Add to that all the stuff that’s been going on with Jeff’s family and the four of us were pretty much on stress overload.

Jeff decided we needed to go do something to get our minds off everything for a little while but we’re trying to save as much money as we can since at this point we don’t know how many more paychecks he’ll be getting. (And I don’t start work until December.)  I called my Mom to see if there were any free activities noted in the paper and she suggested we go someplace different for ice cream than our local DQ.  It’s not free but pretty darn cheap.  This was a great idea!

We headed out for Jordan’s in West Kittanning, not even sure that they would still be open this late in the year.  This is where I think the divine intervention stepped in.  The glowing neon OPEN sign was such a welcome sight.  The four of us and the owner were the only people there.  We all ordered our ice cream and since he was getting ready to close for the night and had already cleaned the dining room we just hung out around the counter and chatted with him.  An angel sent with just the right words.

While we were standing there talking about how big the ice cream cones were the conversation shifted a bit.  He told us how he would be closing for the season soon and had already laid off his employees for the winter.  So it was just him for the next week or so.  I think he noticed that we had that worried & weary look about us and as we talked Jeff started telling him what was going on in our lives.  Along with the laughter and ice cream he gave us some wonderful words of wisdom.  Among was this bit of advice….

“This is big. Bigger than you can handle alone.  So give it to God and let him show you what to do.” 

We talked for about an hour while we tried to finish our giant ice cream cones before they melted all over us and by the time we headed home we were all feeling much better.  While we are facing some big changes to the routines we are used to in our lives we will make new routines and while big changes are scary life is full of change.  So we have to learn to adapt and one way or another it will all work out.

I would like to sincerely thank Jeff from Jordan’s for being so kind and offering such caring words to our family. 

Those are "small" ice cream cones!

                                                          

Something New

     Last night I did something new with the boys.  We have never been to an art museum or a gallery but a friend was having some of her paintings put on display at Deer Creek Winery at the mall.  I wanted to go to see Marcia and show her support (and to see some of her wonderful work in person.)  I wasn't real sure how that was going to go with the boys.  Taking two energetic boys to a place where they can't run or touch things is just asking for trouble sometimes.  But Jeff wasn't feeling well and I really wanted to go so off we went.

     I'm so happy to say that the boys loved it!  Marcia's work was beautiful!  We all loved it!  Shane decided that "The Tree of Extra Life" was his favorite.  JJ said he couldn't decide. I think they were especially impressed that they got to talk to Marcia, who was wonderful with them.  They had lots of questions for her about how she got to be an artist and how did she get so good.

     We couldn't stay too long, that rambunctious little boy nature started to appear, and that's not a good thing in a store filled with breakable items.  But I'm so glad we went.  It was so nice to see Marcia & Travis.  And the boys are now totally inspired today.  Shane was up at 6:30 and drawing pictures on the front porch.

New Hay Rake

        It's been a good 3 years since the gear box on our old hay rake shattered.  It jumped into gear while being towed down the road and that was basically all she wrote.  Every summer getting the hay made became a particular challenge since we had to find a kind soul willing to loan us their rake each time Jeff wanted to bale.  Finally this year we were able to replace the broken rake!

          I'm hoping that since Jeff now has all the machinery that he needs for baling hay that getting this job done won't be so stressful for him. 



He looks so happy with his new toy.



Our First Camping Adventure!

       Earlier this week we took our first camping trip!  We didn't go too far, we thought for our first trip we should stay fairly close to home just in case.  I mean we did just replace the transmission in Jeff's truck and we only got the truck back on the road a week and a half before we bought the camper. 
        So Tuesday after Shane finished his PSSA test the boys & I finished loading up the camper so when Jeff got home from work we could head out.  We got off to a little later start than we wanted because Jeff wasn't able to get the route that he wanted that day, but it really wasn't a big deal since we weren't travelling too far.  We got to the campground around 7:00 PM and we all proud of ourselves for getting camp set up before dark.  That's when things got a little interesting.
         I brought a Schwan pizza with us for supper that night.  They come on a little disposable pizza pan and fit perfectly in the tiny little oven we have.  20 minutes and we would be eating and no dishes to do!  Well, there was 1 major flaw in that plan.  The heating element is too close to use the disposable pans. About 5 minutes into the baking time we noticed a little smoke coming out of the vent at the back of the stove.  We didn't think anything of it since it was the first time we ever lit the oven.  We just assumed there was a little paint or dust or something.  A few minutes later smoke is rolling out of the vent, the kids are bailing out of the camper, coughing & rubbing their eyes.  Jeff grabbed the pizza out of the oven while I opened the windows & roof vents trying to get the smoke out.  The center of the pizza pan had burned away leaving only a 2 inch ring at the outer edge and the bottom of the pizza was like charcoal.  Hahaha.  Leave to me to catch dinner on fire! :)  First thing the boys said when they came back in was "So much for the new camper smell."  (They crack me up!)
         After that the trip got much better.  We went hiking and biking during the day.  We played board games and watched a movie when it got too chilly to be outside.  Wednesday evening we had a fire (outside this time) and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows.  We all had a great time and can't wait to go again!!

               I know it’s been a while since I’ve written anything in this blog.  Life has a way of getting really busy.  I’m sure you all know what I mean.  So I’ll catch you up on the major stuff and we’ll go from there. 

                In February we bought a camper.  We decided that we needed to spend more family time and this would be a great way to do it.  I’m sure this will lead to many adventures!  My family used to go camping all the time when I was a kid and we always had a great time. 

                   The boys finished up their bowling league and their team came in 2nd!  They did a great job and I'm so proud of all four of the boys on Team 8!  But I'm also a little sad.  I miss my Saturday mornings chatting and laughing with my friend Dawn.  Her son, Michael, is on our team.  So while the boys bowled we could have a couple of hours to sip coffee and talk with another adult.  (Something that we Stay-at-Home parents don't get to do often.)

                    March brought a couple weeks of unusually warm weather that allowed us to get a jump start on some of the Spring Work for the farm.  All the oats have been planted for this year and have already started to come up!  Hopefully we don't get too much more of the cold weather that has moved in for the last week so they keep growing.

                    We seem to be settling back into a routine again so I am hoping that I can get back to keeping my blog going.  As summer approaches farm and family life promises to get interesting.

Spring Cleaning, Early

            I don’t know what got into me yesterday, but I suddenly got the urge to do some serious cleaning.  It probably has something to do with the fact that we are spending so much time inside right now.  I set out to clean my family room and boy did I clean it. 

            I noticed that it was dusty in here and thought, “I’ll wash the walls down.”  That led to washing off everything on the walls.  Then I looked up at the textured ceiling, (I hate our textured ceilings) and saw dust and a cobweb or two.  So then I figured I might as well wash the ceiling as well.  That meant that all the furniture had to go so that I could move the ladder all over the room.  Well, you can probably guess what happened next, since the ceiling and walls were clean and the furniture had already been moved out, what better time to scrub the carpet. 

            It took me all day.  I finally got everything put back in the family room at about 8:00PM.  It looks so good I think I’m going to do the living room today. 

            Everyone always talks about spring cleaning but I don’t have time in the spring.  Once spring gets here there is so much that needs doing outside I don’t have time to clean inside so I think winter is a fine time to my heavy indoor cleaning.  And it will stay clean longer after I finish in winter since the windows are all shut. (Living on a dirt road does have a couple draw backs.) So I’m off to tackle another room.  If you don’t hear from me for a couple of days I’m probably doing battle with the dust bunnies.

Snow day, Slow day

          These are the kind of easy, slow paced days I love.  We have a fresh blanket of snow, about 3”-4”, and I just got a message that bowling was cancelled for this morning.  So we don’t have to hurry out into the cold to shovel the walk and clear off the car.  These things will happen but all in good time.  Days like this don’t come along too often.

          I lit the wood burner, grabbed a fresh cup of coffee, and started some oatmeal for breakfast, because this just feels like a good day for some hot steamy oatmeal.  The boys will probably curl up on the couch under quilts with their DS’s and have epic fossil battles all morning.  I’ll be in my sewing room working on a few more blocks for the quilt I’m making, the state flowers.  Eventually we’ll make it outside but not for a while. 

          I’m thinking tomato soup and grilled cheese for lunch and then will head outside.  I’ll shovel off the front porch steps and the walk while the boys feed Matilda, the lone surviving chicken from 2 years ago.  (Matilda is more like a pet to the boys so we can’t butcher her)  Then we’ll all bring a wheelbarrow load of fire wood. 

          Later, after Jeff gets home from work, we’re going to load up the boys sleds I his truck (which is finally running properly and legal to be on the road) and head over to his Mom & Dad’s house.  They’ve got a good sled riding hill in their yard. 

          Yes this is a welcome change to the hurried pace we’ve have been keeping lately.  These relaxing days don’t happen often so I plan to enjoy this while I can.