Diocesan Pilgrimage

 On October 8, 2011, the younger kids and I attended the Diocesan Pilgrimage to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.

I jumped at this chance to ride in a coach tour bus to this absolutely beautiful architectural marvel. I wanted to take  the time out from our busy life-style to pray the Rosary and attend Mass with more than 3000 other "pilgrims". If you are reading this post, there is a very good chance that your intentions were also remembered! There were folks from every nationality present as our church is "universal". The Rosary was prayed in scores of languages, the beginning of the prayer said in a native tongue and the response we gave in English.

The music was fantastic, performed by an orchestra and the massive pipe organ. The acoustics in this Basilica  were amazing and the female soloist sang like an angel. The theme of the day was " Come Worship the King of Kings."

I will set the rest of the pictures to the lyrics of "To Jesus Christ Our Sovereign King". Please feel free to sing along!

To Jesus Christ, our Sovereign King,

Who is the world's salvation.

All praise and homage do we bring

And thanks and adoration.

Christ Jesus, Victor!

Christ Jesus, Ruler!

Christ Jesus, Lord and Redeemer!

 Your reign extend, O King benign,

 To every land and nation;

For in your Kingdom, Lord divine,

 Alone we find salvation.

Christ Jesus, Victor!

 Christ Jesus, Ruler!

 Christ Jesus, Lord and Redeemer!

To you, and to your church, great King,

We pledge our heart's oblation;

Until before your throne we sing

 In endless jubilation.

Christ Jesus, Victor!

 Christ Jesus, Ruler!

 Christ Jesus, Lord

and Redeemer!

Great Country Farms, 2011

 Our Homeschool group visited Great Country Farms for an October field trip as we did last year.

 With Sam in school now, we were fortunate to be able to invite another fellow for John to hang out with.

 Beautiful weather made the hay ride fun.

Each child was able to pick out their own pumpkin or gourd. 

MANY other school groups were here, probably eight or nine.

 This jumping pillow is quite an attraction.

John and Erik sit in the center of the web. 

These little "cars" are called Doodle-bugs.

This Agri-Business is filled with fun, outdoor things to do for kids like this steep double slide.

 There was a lot of exercise to be had as the farm encompasses many acres.

 Kids love to play on old construction equipment.

We didn't see these self-pedaled, heavy-duty go-carts last year.

 A small stoned gravel racetrack was fine for enjoying a long ride.

 There were many of these carts available so that a group could ride together.

I pushed the little guy around.

It was a wonderful fall day spent with good friends in a lovely setting.

A New Rubi

 Jeff decided to trade in his fancy sports car for something a lot more sturdy.

He wanted something rugged, with all the high-tech amenities on the dash. 

 This log proved to be no problem for the wheel to scale.

Folding the top down took only five minutes.

This band of brothers is ready for adventure...

 Have Fun, Be Safe. Happy Trails!

Homemade Apple Pie

Homemade apple pie seemed like just the right dessert to serve our good friends coming up for a weekend visit.

 We don't have an apple peeler and probably don't need one since these would be the first pies I've made in over five years.

I buy mixed varieties of apples by the bushel from the nearby orchard where they are grown for 16 dollars a box. They have been very good, crisp and juicy. I like to eat an apple a day when I've got them.

 This apple slicer was used to core them and then I took the skin off with a paring knife. G Money (wearing briefs) attended.

 Of course I wanted to make the crusts from scratch which is the scary and difficult part.

 14 apples were cut up and cinnamon, a small amount of sugar, and a pinch of salt were added. This recipe didn't call for butter chunks on top of the apples nor any vinegar in the crust.

They turned out well and were plenty of dessert when served with vanilla ice cream to a large crowd.

October = Pumpkins!

 I was able to buy these nice sized pumpkins for only two dollars each at a roadside stand. I asked the youngsters to wash the dirt off them and we brought out a bucket of warm soapy water and a scrub brush for them to use.

I can honestly say that never in a million years would I have thought to actually "bathe" a pumpkin by submerging it in the pail of water, but these two did.

They dropped them in one at a time and scrubbed them in the water. I thought you had to dip your brush into the water and wash them on the deck! I also didn't realize that pumpkins float...

Duchess strolled by as Gangsta G  Dawg got right into this project. Apparently he was in charge of the heavy cleaning. All I could think of was " Not bad for a two year old!"

 These pumpkins were sold by size- the two dollar size happened to be a great fit in the bucket. Like most families, we buy a pumpkin for each person in the family. Its a personal thing- everybody gets their own to carve in any way they want to. I have had the pleasure of using my pumpkin (a much bigger one than these in past years) to cook dinner in. Once, we had a tasty hamburger goulash  and the next year, a "pumpkin custard." There is nothing to it- carve out the pumpkin ( leave the bottom intact), place the prepared food inside it, set on a cookie sheet in the oven at 375 or so and cook. Serve from the pumpkin!

Aren't they beautiful?!!! To me, pumpkins symbolize the spectacular month of October which is a very special time in this family. This month, we hope to celebrate a birthday, two wedding anniversaries (on the same day!), and the expected birth of our new grandchild, please God!.

Boys To Men

 Instead of cutting wood this year we ordered it to be delivered and had it dumped in the yard.

I  considered having a "stacking day" and inviting our grown sons and son-in-law to help place it in neat rows because we had some fun with that last year. No doubt, I had more "fun" than the actual workers since I  mostly cooked and served food!

Then I came to my senses and realized that all of those big guys had their own work to do and we had two able-bodied young fellows living right here that could handle this project themselves. It occurred to me that Sam is almost 14 and we only have 4 more years worth of mandatory hard labor that we can require him to do! I've wasted so many opportunities! For too long, it has just been easier and more natural to ask the older folks to help. These guys need to be brought up to speed on the ways of the strong and capable young men that they are becoming.

They embraced this project and made it easier by attaching a yard wagon to the ATV for transporting logs closer to the pile.

Our goal for them is to stack at least an hour a day until it is finished. That is, if it isn't raining!

I have noticed that in pictures, things look a lot more dangerous than they seem in real life. Yes, I am referring to the lack of helmets which was allowed in this one circumstance. By the next day, the trips were widening out from just point A ( wood mound) to point B ( stacked wood pile) to encompass other points elsewhere and the helmet rule was back in full force! In future, I will avoid making exceptions- it doesn't work.

I am making an effort to stay out of their way and let them work out the details. Micromanaging is one of my most glaring faults and  I cheat myself of peace of mind and others out of developing and implementing their own plan for success when I indulge in it.

It was a "Eureka"  moment to realize how quickly the next 4 years will pass. TODAY is the day to harness these fellows' strength and energy with increasing amounts of responsibility and hard physical work. They will certainly benefit from gaining the skills necessary  to maintain a home and yard. More and more, we need their help. Thank you, gentlemen!