Around the House Today

Here is another blog header Hannah made for me this week. I think I'll save it for spring.

We are reading this book in our group reading time. Truly a life changing book for me.

Potato soup for lunch. We'll probably add some butter and cheese to it before eating. Because butter and cheese make the world go 'round- along with chocolate (which wouldn't taste good in potato soup, I don't think).

Yogurt made this morning should be ready tonight.

Lovely fall day- I love to have the windows open as I work in the kitchen!

Working on science (favorite subject).

Fall decorating.

Fall Carnival

While on their way home from Abby's dyslexia treatment, Brian, Abby, Jacob and Hope stopped by the college to see Doug.

Since I also attended this college for one semester, it was fun for me to see the pictures of the campus. It's hard to believe it's been twenty years since I'd been there...

The college was putting on a fall festival for the community, so since they were there, the kids helped Doug (just a little bit) with the set up.

Doug showed everyone around.

Making sure the games and activities are in working order.

It appears that the games are working just fine.

Bobbing for apples!

The college guys show how it's done.

Hope tries for the apples...

...and in the process loses the front tooth she's been working on all week!

Happy Fall!

Hannah saw the doctor this morning and he gave her antibiotic eardrops for her infection. We knew her eardrum had ruptured (due to the amount of drainage) which he confirmed. If this is a viral infection, the drops won't help, but if it is bacterial, the drops should take care of it.

Her pain level has been going down since yesterday afternoon (down to a "3" from a "6" on a scale from one to ten - it was a "9" at the worst) and we are grateful for that.

Our email account has not been letting us send emails, so for those of you who have written (you know who you are...!) please know that I am not ignoring you. I'm just dealing with flakey technology.

Fall Colors and an Update on Hannah

No one went to church yesterday as to avoid catching any germs that could be passed on to Hannah.

So Brian got up early on Sunday morning and took Abby and Jacob on a hike in the park.

They went on a four mile trail they had never taken before.

Brian said his goal is to walk every trail at least once...

all on the same day.

I let him know he'd be alone on this hike- probably thirty miles over rocky terrain. My knees hurt just thinking about that.


As for Hannah, her strength is getting better and she is eating more, but the severe ear pain continues. A heating pad helps, but please continue to pray that she will get well and that the pain will go away soon.

Prayer Request:

Although I try to keep things light around here on the windswept plains, today I am asking my dear friends and family to pray for Hannah. Last winter she caught the flu which weakened her immune system even further. She has struggled all this year for energy and strength.

Last week she developed a sore throat. After the birthday party, she developed an ear infection (hasn't had one of those since she was a baby). She hasn't been eating this week due to nausea and vomiting, so on her way to get a drink of water two nights ago, she fainted, the glass she was carrying shattered on the floor around her but thankfully she did not get hurt from that.

Please pray that her immune system will rally and that she will be able to fight off the infection. Please pray that the pain will go away and she will be able to eat again. She had a bad reaction the last time she took antibiotics, so we are doing everything we can to avoid those.

Thank you!

The girls filled pumpkins with flowers as one of the party activities. Now we will have cute fall decorations this week!

The girls had a wonderful time at the birthday party. They said the birthday girl was dressed from the colonial era, one girl from the victorian era, and another girl came dressed as a pirate. I'll have to ask what the other two girls wore as I think there were seven girls total. (I just used the word "girl" seven times in those last sentences!)

Dresses Finished, On To The Party!

Front View

Back View

The girls are at the party right now. I hope they are having a good time!

Skirt sewn, Bodice halfway done...

Abby needs to sew in the lining, then buttonholes and hemming the sleeves.

Next, sew on the skirt and hem it, make a longer belt and add the rick rack trim.

Whew!

Cutting The Dress Out

Friends from church loaned us their sewing machine for the week! Hopefully this dress *won't* be hand-sewn after all!

Sewing for a Birthday Party

Hannah and Abby are planning to attend a birthday party next weekend. The dress is "historical", so the girls have chosen to dress in a 1940's theme. They searched for reproduction feedsack fabric to be as accurate as possible. We could only get 4 1/2 yards of the above fabric for Abby, so we will need to cut carefully. It always boggles my mind just how much fabric these vintage dresses take- the skirts were so full.

To make this project even more fun, the sewing machine died after my last quilting experience, so we are hoping to get it fixed in time (we found our former repair shop had closed and now need to find another). This may end up being a hand-sewn dress (oh please, no).

When the fabric arrived in the mail it included a hand written note from the woman who runs the quilt shop- so friendly and sweet. I have always commented to the girls that the women who work in fabric stores are the nicest people ever.