A honey of a day

Yesterday, we spent the afternoon and the better part of the evening collecting the honey from our hardworking bees. It was a messy, sticky job, but mmmm-mmmm, the results were worth the work. After Paul snatched the 3 extra "supers" (which is a box with 10 frames of wood in it that the bees build their honey combs on) from the bees and brought them into the garage, he cleared any remaining bees off and stacked them in the kitchen. We left 2 "super" boxes on each hive (we have 2 hives so far). One box is for their food supply for the winter and the other is for their brood (little baby bees).

Paul took one frame out at a time and skimmed off the honeycomb's wax tops with a heated knife. Each little comb is filled to the brim with pure delicious honey. Bees are actually very clean, particular animals. They even have their own "garbage dump" in a corner of the hive where they bury any invading insects in an antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal goop called propolis (which is very useful to humans and I intend to collect it at some point and experiment).

After decapping, he put the frame in Uncle Mike's homemade honey extractor (that's my handy brother-in-law). After positioning 4 of the frames in the extractor, the boys turned the crank and spun the honey out onto the sides of the wooden barrel.

The honey drips down the sides and collects at the bottom of the barrel and the frame is taken out checked to see if the combs are empty, and the process is repeated on the other side (those hardworking bees build the comb out on both sides of the frame).

After enough honey collects on the bottom, we take the cap off the litte white pipe, and drain the honey into a strainer that sits in the top of a 5 gallon bucket (the strainer collects any extra wax or things that don't belong in the honey).
The honeycomb caps that Paul cut off got their fair share of use too. The kids got plenty of chances to taste-test the wax caps (which were covered in honey, yum... their favorite part). The rest of the wax was strained (to remove as much honey as would drain), then warmed in a double boiler to melt the wax. Once the wax was melted (but still mixed with the honey that wouldn't strain), we poured it into a bowl to let it harden. The wax will float and harden, and the remaining honey will settle to the bottom. Then we break out the wax, rinse it, and save it for one of our winter experiments.... Candle-making!

Then came the clean up... sticky, waxy and messy. I think it took us almost as long to clean up as it did to extract the honey, but there you have it... 6 hours of work for a year's worth of honey and our hands-on homeschool lesson for the week...

Nathan liked the taste-testing too... I'm not sure, but I think he rubbed it all over his head. Whatever it was, it was a goopy mess...

Apple Sch'mear and a trip to Norway

If you've ever watched one of my favorite movies, "Cheaper by the Dozen", you've seen the game Apple Sch'mear. We had gone apple picking several times in August and made all sorts of goodies with them. We also had a bunch of the smaller apples left over that were starting to attract fruit flies in our laundry room...

... so we decided to try our our own game of Apple Sch'mear. It involves a willing volunteer pitching an apple to someone who is waiting to turn it in applesauce with a tennis racket. The juice goes everywhere and the kids have tons of fun (so do our animals as they clean up the mess).

Our trip to Norway
For the last two weeks, and the next month or so, we'll be traveling around and studying Europe. We just finished our "two week stay" in Norway, the Land of the Midnight Sun. We ended our tour with an authentic Norwegian meal. Since my not too distant relatives are from Sweden and Paul's great grandpa is from Norway, we felt "at home" with these cultural foods.

If you haven't figured out by now, our dining room was transformed into a Norwegian restaurant. The meal consisted of Norwegian meatballs (yes, they really were Norwegian style. We found out the slight difference between Norwegian and Swedish meatballs is in the gravy) and potato soup. It deliciously filling. No fruit soup for dessert this time, though.

Nathan's 2nd Birthday

Nathan turned two yesterday. He is a character. He's LOUD and active, and is unwilling to miss out on any of the fun that his older brothers and sisters are having. I enjoy this age soooo much. When Paul and I got back from our trip and I was putting him to bed for the night, he said, "I miss you." Awww, melt my heart... He will also spontaneously say, "I wuv you, mommia". I'm not sure why, but he has gotten into the habit of saying "mommia". Not all the time, just when he really wants my attention. He knows that he's being funny when he says it. I think he may be the upcoming comedian of the family. He'll do something goofy, then look at me and ask, "Funny, mommy?" He cracks me up.

We met daddy at the park for lunch and went fishing after Paul had to leave. We had a dandy of a time getting Nathan to settle down and smile for a picture. He knew what we wanted and avoided eye contact with the camera. After poking, prodding and tickling, we managed to squeak out a few grins. He was so excited that it was his birthday and everyone got to sing, "happy birthday" to him!

Niagra Falls

After our drive to Niagra Falls, we settled into the Shearton Hotel in Canada and headed to the Crown Plaza (next door) for dinnner. Their dining area had a great view of the Falls and since the sun was setting while we were eating, we were able to watch them turn on the light show that lit up the water. Back at our room, we had a wall of glass that also overlooked the Falls to the left and the city of Niagra on the right.

Friday, we started the day with a bountiful breakfast at our hotel restaurant (again, overlooking the falls), then headed out for a full day of touring. Our first adventure was just across the street where we took the famous "Maid of the Mist" boat tour. It took us past the American Falls (I may be bias, but I thought that the American Falls may be a bit prettier) and into the midst of the Horseshoe Falls. The power of the thundering, rushing water is incredible (and loud). The mist from the impact of the water on the surface went hundreds of feet into the air and would have saturated us if not for our ever fashionable rain garb.

After our boat trip (a must-do), we walked along the path, past the American Falls, to an eye level view of the Horseshoe Falls. The speed and swiftness of the surging water was breathtaking as it fell over the edge. We took a "Journey Beneath the Falls" which took us 125 feet straight down in an elevator and out onto a platform where we could see a side view of the water cascading from the Horseshoe Falls above. (Also a very wet tour... thus the yellow rainwear). We were able to walk through a tunnel that led behind the falls to two portals where we could view the water coming straight down. I thought that part was a bit disappointing since you could see absolutely nothing but a white wall of water covering the opening, but Paul, really got a kick out of the sound of the thundering water reverberating off the walls... (I think it has to do with the inate urge of the engineer to think outside the box... or tunnel). The walls of the tunnel were lined with historical and informational posters about the Falls (which I found very interesting).

After a full day of sightseeing, we headed back to our hotel for dinner, and then out to the IMAX to see a movie about the knuckleheads that tried to barrel over the falls. Only about 15 people have tried (which surprised me), and 1/3 of them died in the attempt. The most interesting story was a 7 year old boy in the 60's that was in a boating accident. He only had a lifejacket and a swimsuit on, and survived without any problems (...except for maybe a fear of boating :)

The next day, we drove a few miles down the Niagra River to see the whirlpool and rapids. The Niagra rapids are known to be one of the most difficult rapids in the world. It is illegal to try to ride down them anymore (for good reason). Then we took the Rainbow Bridge back into the United States. The streets on the American side were anything but appealing (filled with run down Indian cuisine restaurants), but there was something comforting about being back on "our" side. We headed to Goat Island State Park (a good name, don't you think?) to view the falls from the American side. You certainly don't get the same effect since you can't really see both falls at the same time, but the view was still amazing.

We are now on our way back to Illinois. There were quite a few times during the weekend that we wondered how it would work to bring all 6 (soon to be 7) kids with us. It would be a challenge, for sure, and being that we saw no one with more than 3 kids, I'm sure we'd be almost as much of an attraction as the falls, but a trip back with the whole family has been our intention from the beginning. Now that we have an idea of the worthwhile (and affordable) sights, the only question is when...

Oh, and THANKS sooooo much to both of our parents for taking such good care of our crew while we were gone!!!!!!!

Oh, Canada

Thanks to the Grandmas for taking care of the kids, we were able to get away for an extended weekend!! Paul has been wanting to go to Niagra Falls for a while, so that was the place of choice. Instead of driving to New York to get there, we thought it'd be interesting to head up through Michigan, cross into and drive through Canada, stay at the Falls, then head back west through New York. Our drive there proved to be a bit more interesting than we anticipated.

Paul took off early from work on Wednesday and we got on the road around 4. There was a crash on I-80 (along with narrowing of lanes for roadwork), so we sat on the interstate for an hour and a half waiting for it to get cleared. We stopped around 9 to find a hotel in Michigan, but apparently there had been an oil spill in the next town and the clean-up workers had been filling many of the hotels for the last couple months. Oh, there was still room, but from the prices, you could tell they weren't hurting for business.

Not long after we checked in, Grandma called to let us know that someone rear-ended her car while she was bringing the boys home from soccer practice. You know it's not good news when the conversation starts with "Everyone's OK, but we had a little incident..." It was only a minor fender bender, but Grandpa and Daddy thought it'd be best to have everyone checked out at a chiropractor the next day. The chiropractor wouldn't see them without written permission from their parents, so that meant finding a fax machine to send our permission for Grandma and Grandpa to take them in. We really should have left a medical note anyhow, but didn't think of it. After searching far and wide for a Staples in Detroit, Michigan, we finally got the note faxed. Afterward, we checked out their laptops and purse-size cameras (since both of ours died recently), and found a great deal on a nice Dell Laptop. It was clearanced and just about half off! Being that we can't pass up a great deal...

Which bring us to our next adventure... Detroit is just across the river from Windsor, Ontario in Canada. We took the tunnel under the river that separates the two (I've never driven under water!) and wound up at the Border Crossing in Canada. The nice guy in the dark-tinted booth checked our passports, asked where we were headed and if we had anything to declare. Paul had heard from a co-worker that you should declare anything you have that you can think of, so he listed off what he thought they'd want to know... a camera, clothes, a few laptops... The guard asked if he had any weapons or firearms? "No". Any cash? "Yes. A couple hundred." He closed his darkened window for a bit then reappeared. Apparently we looked or said something suspicious, because when he came out he repeated, "Sir, do you have a gun?" "No." He went back into his little booth then stepped out with a yellow ticket and sent us over to immigration to have our car searched. We were met by four other police with, "Please step out of your car and up to the sidewalk." They put on black leather gloves and searched every nook and cranny. They opened all our suitcases, glove compartments, camera bags, backpacks (and rudely didn't zip them back up, mind you)... they even tried to check inside the door panels. As Paul and I, his pregnant wife, were standing and waiting, one officer barked at us, "Sir, get your hands out of your pockets." (Paul had his fingertips casually in his jeans pockets while we were waiting). Finally, having found cheerios and fries on the floor instead of drugs or weapons, they grabbed our brand, spankin' new laptop (still in the box) and said, "Why do you have this?" "Well, it was a really good deal at Staples in Detroit." "Sir, you should not bring things like this over the border. How do we know you aren't intending to give it to someone in Canada?" Paul, worried that they'd confiscate it, thought he'd win their sympathy by telling them our accident and faxing saga. Personally, I don't think they're allowed to have sympathy. We were officially scolded and sent to another building for approval. We did make it through, but I was left with a bad taste in my mouth for Canada, and after all that, we didn't even get a stamp in our passport! Apparently, US Citizens don't get one. What a raw deal!

Oh, and the drive from Windsor to Niagra reminded me of Nebraska. Plain, old boring.

Caleb's 11th Birthday!

Yay!!! We finally got the picture thing figured out with a new laptop (a whole other story for later)...

Caleb, my "left-hand-man", celebrated his 11th birthday last weekend. That puts him just 2 years away from being an official teenager. Where does the time go. It's amazing how fast they grow. In the last year, Caleb has really started to grow into a young man. I can't believe how strong he is. He carries 50 pound bags of grain around like they're paper weights. Whenever I need something heavy carried (and Paul's not home), I ask Caleb. That boy can actually carry his dad on his back (for a little while)! I call him my "left-hand-man" because, well, I'd be up a creek without him. He's so responsible and helps out soooo much. Many mornings he'll have breakfast cooking by the time I come downstairs (since he wakes at 6am to milk the goats and I am NOT a early riser by nature). He doesn't just make pancakes anymore. Nope, he's expanded to Amish oatmeal, baked apple pancakes, coffee cakes, cinnamon rolls... anything we have a recipe and the ingredients for. It's likehaving a B & B in my own home!
Caleb wanted a baseball field cake for his birthday. I'm a bit ashamed to say that he actually baked his own cake and made the frostings, but I DID do the decorating (although he had to draw it out for me). We make quite the team :)

This year was my brother Mark's 50 Birthday, so we celebrated Caleb, Nathan, and Mark's birthdays all together. Poor Nathan took a spill on a gravel driveway while apple picking a day before the party, so he looked a mess for the pictures but enjoyed the attention none-the-less. Uncle Mark was on his way home from Wisconsin for cake time, so he missed out on blowing his candles out. Notice how stratigically the candles are placed. Caleb made baseball players out of them.

We usually do something special with just me, Paul and the kids on their actual birthdays. Most of the time we meet daddy at a park near his work, but this time, Caleb's birthday landed on Saturday. Instead, we took everyone to Johnny Rocket's. It's a fun, old-fashioned looking hamburger joint. They play 50's and 60's music and serve hand-made milkshakes. We all had alot of fun and the kids got balloons to take home.

The birthday boy or girl gets to choose what he/she wants for breakfast as well. He chose cinnamon rolls. I hate to admit it, but he made his own cinnamon rolls too. Shame on me. You could say I was slacking a bit this year, but boy were they good!!! I think he even made them better than I would have!

After the yummy cinnamon rolls, Paul took Caleb to the driving range for his first golf outing. We bought a lefty set of clubs at a garage sale this summer and he's been trying his hand at wacking the walnuts from our tree out front into the neighbor's field (which is the real reason I got the clubs... much more fun than picking them up by hand!) I think he's found another sport to show interest in, although I think we'll stick to the driving range and walnuts for now (much more cost effective :)

That's a good one

Inevitably, when I walk into a store, I take note of the people's reactions to my little train (or flock) that is following (or surrounding) me. It's kind of fun. Some people just look, others do the "head bob" (cause you know they're counting), and others ask the infamous question... "Are they all yours?" That question can be fun to answer (especially when I've left one or two of the kids home). "No, I have 2 more at home." That's when you get the look of shock or amazement. FUN! I have been tempted to ask the same question myself to other moms when I see a boatload of kids following them around. It is somewhat energizing to find someone else who is experiencing the same things you are. I won't ask that question, though, because, depending on which word you emphasize, it can sound a bit rude when your on the receiving end, so I just avoid that question entirely.

The runner up to that question is... "My, you have your hands full." Now this one is tricky because I've been hearing it since I had only 3 little ones riding around in my cart. It doesn't seem to matter how many kids you have, everyone thinks you have your hands full. It is partly true. You can have your hands full with 2 kids, 4 kids, or 6 kids. Your hands just seem to grow with your family size.

Just this week, as Paul took our family went out for ice cream, I heard one that I hadn't heard before. Of course, it followed question number one, but it went something like this... "Are they all yours?" "Yes." "You should have your own reality TV show." Wow! Since when did having 6 kids and a watermelon belly constitute my own tv show. I'm starting to understand that we are now far enough away from the typical household, that people can only imagine how we are able to function with such a big family. As I entertain the thought, my mind can only think of how boring other people's lives are to want to watch our family doing household chores. Either that, or the TV producers would have to do quite a bit of embellishing. As this fellow ice cream eater was leaving, she said with a smile, "We'll be watching for your show". Naaaaa, she'll have to read my best seller first :)

Sounding off

Sorry, Ladies and Gents... no pictures yet (of my own, that is). This one I pulled off the internet.

Restoring Honor 8-28-10

Recently my mom went to Washington DC to the Restoring Honor 8-28-10 Rally. She spent a crazy bus ride out there, stayed for a few hours and rode the bus home. I was energized when I heard how many people showed up for the rally (estimates were around 500,000). That one person could bring together that many people to DC for a political rally is amazing.

The interesting part, from what I understand, is that this was not a "political rally". It was a call to spiritual revival throughout America. Hmmmm, can what Christian believers call a "spiritual revival" be led by someone of another faith? When Glenn Beck called everyone to turn to "god", which god was he meaning? Whichever "god" you believe in? Sounds a little like a meshed up "one world religion".

I have no problem with many religions joining together a variety of reasons... a political rally, a patriot movement, even a backyard barbque, but when many religions join together for the sake of religion... I'm not so sure it's a good thing.

Oh, I can hear the backlash even now... many Christians have fallen head over heals for the ideals and words of Mr. Beck. I, personally, have not listened to him other than a small blip on youtube, but from what I have heard second-hand, I would say I agree with most of what he says. I've even heard people say that he may just be a born again Christian from what he says. Mind you, even in the past few days, he has claimed to be unashamedly Mormon. In case you haven't heard, the Mormon god and the Christian God are NOT the same. "Who else could've gotten the variety of different religions together for a call to spiritual revival?" Isn't that what we'll be saying one day about that guy in the book of Revelation? I am not saying that Glenn Beck is the ONE, or that what he is trying to do is bad, but we, as Christians need to keep our eyes fully open and not be seduced, for when that time does come... "even the elect will be decieved, if that were possible" Mark 13:22