The McDonald House

Emma's Cards

2011-01-28T06:51:00.000-08:00

Hey, everyone!! Emma has the cutest cards in her etsy store! I don't know that they show the actual charm that they have in person. She sent me several of them for Christmas and they are soooooooooo cute, I can't stand it. Check them out! Sorry I don't have a pic of one of them here, but they are cool because the pictures are adorable and the insides are blank. You can write whatever you want in them and not have to worry about some factory message that doesn't quite work.

They are at http://www.etsy.com/shop/beaverrebellion?ref=seller_info

Vea

Skirts

2010-12-03T06:49:00.000-08:00

"I’m very fond of men. I think they are wonderful creatures. I love them dearly. But I don’t want to look like one. When women gave up their long skirts, they made a grave error…" ~Tasha Tudor

I got this from ButtonWillowCottage, a blog that I really like. I've read it and read it, and I think it gives me good perspective. Again, I took this from another post, and I hope that it's alright, as it is a quote from a long past lady and not the author of the post.

I always wanted to be beautiful, and have thick long hair and be very graceful. But I got what I got, and have to deal with it. Perhaps, I will start wearing more long skirts. Emma always encourages me to do it. I do believe she's got something there. If Emma and Tasha Tudor think the same way, it must be right.

Rat typing words

2010-07-20T09:57:00.000-07:00

Well, mom told me if i want a blog, just post something on THIS blog.

Well anyway, being an only child is lonely. With Levi gone, I had to revert to pretending that Malachi was my brother, so i'm always chatting to him. Oh well, anyway, some might not know that i went to girls camp. Man, i had so much fun! i pretty much hung out with the girls, made friends, and received many a Popsicle from our angry cooks. The cooks threatened at every meal that they would dump the leftovers on our heads if we didn't get second helpings. Good times, Good times.
i swear my hair only got curlier at camp. when it rained, my hair had ringlets aplenty. can you believe i got COMPLIMENTED on it????? Anyway, i pretty much hang around the house singing, cleaning, getting sick, and getting in trouble for reading. Oh, and of course making fire with an angry face and napoleon dynamite shirt.
But anyway, I'm loosing weight, and i feel very accomplished.
I'm writing a book that is sure to be published! It's pure genius and full of pictures and knights.
Well, im off to the library, so i love you guys very much and hope that i can see you soon.

Is this stealing?

2010-07-19T07:35:00.001-07:00

...cloud gazing

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time. ~John Lubbock

I took this from another blogger. I liked it so much. At least I will give them credit for it since it wasn't my work. It came from http://buttonwillowchronicles.typepad.com/

June Trip

2010-07-19T07:24:00.001-07:00

We had quite the long vacation in June if you could call it a vacation. Brent worked and worked and got Michelle a new workshop in her new basement and even got a new deck partially done on Dad's house. The old one was dangerous. I love this picture of Dad and Percy. I don't have very many, and I am realizing that I don't have pictures of older people in the family (including us) and on the other hand, lots of pics of the grandchildren. Not that I don't want those pictures, as they are so precious. I don't even have a picture of me to put on my facebook, so one of these days, I will try to get one of me.

We are home now, having spent most of the month of June in Utah. Missouri is a green jungle as always. We are just trying to survive the heat, humidity and bugs. September is my favorite month. I'm just waiting.

Emma and Barrett? Emma and Barrett WHO?

2010-05-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

Surely you will all forgive me for my continual neglegence of posting on not only the family blog but also my own shop blog. I don't have any good excuses (mostly because my new goal is to not say, "I'm busy!" because I hate that excuse). I have simply not done it recently.

SO....I don't have any REAL news. We still plan on going out West sometime but don't know when, and I promise to give all of the pertinent people as much notice as I possibly can.

But I figured that I would throw a few pictures up anyway.

You can see here that you cannot seperate Weasel from Barrett. Ever.

Here is a teaser of what I am posting on my shop blog: The toads are Barrett's parents.

Here is Weasel and Barrett, of couse, and Ursa chewing on a bone...of course. Note the Christmas tree that we finally took down a month ago. You can see the Mr. Toad doll in the upper left hand corner as part of the tree decoration.

This is me hugging my oven which I LOVE! Since this picture we have hung all of my cast iron above the stove.

Anyway, I hope that you all get a kick out of these photos. You sure learn a lot being married, you learn a lot "going without" electricity (it will be a full year this June) and you learn a lot traveling to different places and meeting different people. I would love to share all that I have learned, but I think it all sounds like cliches' that EVERYBODY has heard a hundered times....but it doesn't make them any less true. But I think it is mostly the type of learing that must be done by each person for themselves. If I ever think of a way to share what I have learned; not only about cooking on a wood stove or learning the best way to pee outside without filling up your shoes--but more about morals, integrity, true worth, and a good attitude--I will share it. Till then, I'll just keep learning.

Lots of love!

--The Taylors

New Recipe

2010-03-13T07:54:00.000-08:00

For any of you who are interested, I published a smoothie recipe on my other blog (pennywise mom) and it's really good. Look at it and see if you want to try it.
Mom

A long time

2010-03-02T14:21:00.000-08:00

So, everyone. Here I am, finally getting something on this blog. It's not for lack of time, but totally one of ineptitude. I tried downloading the memory chip from my camera a while back and couldn't make it load. I tried again today, and for some reason it worked. While I know you would love to hear from me without pictures, I am totally sure you would like to see me even more. So we will all be privileged to see some pictures from nearly a year ago in some cases. I would hesitate to put something that old into this blog, but no one actually ever got to see these pics.
First Pic is obviously an Amish horse and carriage when we were in Shipshewana. Not like nobody has ever seen that. So here is another of the carriages in town. There was horse manure everywhere and all down the sides of the road.
The picture of me is at the beach at Lake Michigan. It was very cool there. Literally.
I now understand that I don't know what I'm doing with this. The pictures are not loading where I want them too. So, the first picture isn't really a horse and carriage. It's really my van, the one I don't have anymore. It makes me sick to look at it.
The second pic is of the kids at Thanksgiving point in Utah. I told them to scream like the shark was getting them. It looks kind of funny.
Anyway, it's been so long since I blogged, I'll have to figure out how to do this all over again. Oh! one last picture. Natalie is usually good at her bread baking. This time was interesting though. I call it, "the can that barfed up bread."

Brynn in an orphan dress

2010-01-23T14:20:00.000-08:00

This is Brynn in a dress made from rather drab fabric......as in, the fabric that I happened to have in my "quilt" stash (as if I actually did any recreational sewing these days...)

It's been a completely crap day, so these pictures made me happy. You should see all the poses this girl strikes.

Just so you know...

2009-12-12T11:49:00.000-08:00

This is the restraunt where Barrett and I ate lobster up in Maine. It was delicious!

This is me chewing a tree down in Maine. It was delicious!

This is me sweeping the floor of our un-abandoned house...AGAIN! We put in a larger stove, and we are putting in an even LARGER stove soon. We are insulating also. I was just realizing the other day that we have it much easier than our family did in Oakley, and there aren't 6 little kids with us either! Whew! So please don't worry about us. We have lots of food, have HOT showers, piles of clothing, piles of wood to burn, and near-by neighbors who have already offered us a place in their homes if it got a little too chilly. We are looking forward to a snug, low-key winter where all we have to do is all the projects that we are always putting off.

Just so you all know, electricity isn't IMPOSSIBLE, infact it is even on the "to do list", but it is after insulation for sure.

This is the house this last fall. You will recognize Ol' Blue, the rabbit, the horse trailer, and the house hiding behind it all somewhere. If we had had more time this fall, we could have tapped those trees infront for some real mapel syrup. The house doesn't look all that large in the photo, but I'd say that it is about 1800 to 2000 square feet. It also has two seperate basements.

Barrett came in the house and told me today that someone broke into the farmer's barn, stole half of the cow feed and dumped piles of manure in the cows water trough. I was horrified and tried to think of what wacko would go to all that trouble...and then I realized...the wacko was Spanky. And Barrett laughed his head off. Thanks a lot, you obease pony!

Until next time--Chao!

Todd Show and Brynn/ Seattle

2009-10-01T09:43:00.000-07:00

This is Brynn helping Todd to take a drink . Isn't that precious?

Okay! See those magnificent bouquets of flowers behind Brynn, as well as the ones she's holding??? Those are only $5 at the Pikes Place Market in Seattle. Holy Face!!!!

Brynn and Todd in vague pirate garb. Todd took that wooden sword he's holding and beat everything in sight. At that festival, they had no less than 3 swords a piece GIVEN to them because they were so cute.

Dinosaur Todd

2009-07-12T15:55:00.000-07:00

This is Todd up in his natural habitat: The wild
Tyler told him to act like a dinosaur.

So He Did.

Playtime

2009-07-11T16:26:00.000-07:00

OK family, here are some of the cutest pics ever. Brynn, Maggie and Ivy found some old dresses of Mellie's (which Grandma Percy made) and with Natalie's help they got all dressed up and played princesses all evening. They danced, twirled, primped, walked like I didn't know they knew how to walk that way, and generally entertained us all. That was a really bad run on sentence, I know, but I'm in a hurry. Anyway, enjoy the view. It must have been May that these were taken.
It's after July 4th and I am still trying to get back on track with my regular life. I have been off for three months with Michelle and fam being here and then traveling and being gone for almost 2 weeks.
Mom

Rabbits!

2009-06-24T19:58:00.001-07:00

Okay, so maybe this little guy's eye shouldn't have been as big and buggy as they are. That's a little unnatural. However, Emma's rabbit is absolutely a joy to sew! Mom, hop on it! (teheheh, you know...hop.)
I made it a little lace skirt so Brynn could be even more proud of it. I just asked her what the bunny's name was, and she said, "um....shoodeenster". Alright, Shoodeenster it is!

There's a better picture of how I did the buttons. Once again, I actually wish I would have just done them the way Emma does hers. My buttons make it look like it has problems.

Brynn's New Dress

2009-06-20T19:41:00.000-07:00

Today Brynn, Todd, and I went to the quilt shop in Springville to get some fabrics to make her a new skirt. Brynn picked out her fabrics, which were all pink and bright and crazy, and then she told the ladies at the quilt shop all about her friend, Maggie with RED hair. (yes, she yelled the word "RED"). As I was going through the quilt shop, I noticed little numbers taped to the floor, and then noticed that there was one of the workers dressed as a clown, and I though, "What the devil...." Then all of the sudden, the clown lady yelled, "everyone get on a number" so I got on a number...and then even more odd, they called out my number. I went up to the cash register, and I got to participate in a contest to win a prize. The contest was hula-hooping....and I've got to say, I kicked butt. So, basically, I won a coloring book for the kids.
So, here's the kids, in an obviously forced pose.

And there's Brynn's awkward smile and Todd's usual face.

The Silver Donkey

2009-04-17T11:54:00.000-07:00

I thought I would explain about why I liked this book I recomment from my side post. I found it for a great discount at one of the discount book sellars that send me stuff in the mail. I think it may have been Daedelus. Anyway, I read it out loud to our family a month or so before Christmas last year. It wasn't a deep plot, or action packed, but it was a thoughtful story about a couple of small children who find a blind runaway soldier during a time of war. The book itself was beautiful wih a dark green cover and a silver ribbon.

I think that not only was it enjoyable to read aloud, but that we were all together, enjoying something together with an age range in the family of age 11 to 50. For us all to sit down together and enjoy something for many hours is a rare thing. Perhaps the experience of being together was as important as the story. I would recommend an activity of this kind for anyone. Even just a couple. I used to read books to Brent all the time without kids. I read him the Hobbit and all of the Lord of the Rings when we were young marrieds. I have read him many other books. Good times!!

Ultrasound (Toby & Jill's baby)

2009-03-19T08:40:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, I had the battery of blood tests required by the state of Arkansas for home birth moms. Then we saw the Certified Nurse Midwife who works with Candy for a checkup. She was really nice and especially understanding about my raging case of white-coat high blood pressure. It was just fine by the end of the visit, so no problems there.

She was doing the list of routine checks, listening to the baby's heartbeat and so forth. When she got to measuring fundal height, she started asking me if I was sure about my due date. I'm pretty sure about that. I was supposed to be about one centimeter for each week of pregnancy, or about 25 1/2, but it was more like 29. So that means either wrong due date, huge baby, too much fluid, or twins. So we consulted Candy and she recommended an ultrasound to see what was going on in there.

Now, I've never had an ultrasound before. We've had all our babies with midwives and it's never been necessary, and I've always liked to be surprised at the birth by which gender the baby is. But, come on, if I have to have a diagnostic ultrasound my natural impatience for information takes control. It was a really neat thing to have a peek at this kid three months early. It was also mega-expensive, since we have no health insurance and pay out of pocket (or is it nose?) for our medical care.

First, there are no complications. The baby is just the right size, there's only one in there, and fluid levels are good, too. It just so happens that this baby likes to stretch itself out from top to bottom and throw off the numbers. Figures.

Second, we are having another little BOY! I think Hollis smiled his face off last night when we told him. Now we know what color to paint the nursery, and whether to buy pink or blue clothing. That's a laugh on both fronts, since he will sleep in our room (mostly in our bed), and we have boxes of clothing kept from when Hollis was a baby.

New little fairie and Todd Show

2009-02-25T11:15:00.001-08:00

What the.......?

2009-02-24T18:31:00.000-08:00

Here is the story of the woodpecker who thought Levi was a tree. A few days ago, I was out in my sewing shop, sewing away, when I heard a thunderous crash on the building. It was so loud I thought something had fallen from the sky. I ran outside to circle the building, but stopped right outside the front of the bay window, because there, laying on the ground was a stunned woodpecker. I wondered how it could have made such a big sound hitting the window.

I picked it up and ran into the house to show Levi; imagine holding a woodpecker in your hand!!! He came down and thought it was pretty neat. The poor thing was blinking its eyes over and over. I thought he looked like he was starting to revive so I took him out and put him on the porch railing so he could fly away. (I call it a he, but I don't know.) He just layed there and quivered and I was afraid that he would fall off onto the concrete below, so I picked him up again and took the cute thing over to the picnic table with a larger surface, so that he could recover there. Just as I was about to set him down he flew out of my hand and straight over to Levi, who was wearing a grey shirt and faded black jeans.

We were both so surprized! I ran in the house and grabbed the camera and came out to take some pictures. That being done, I thought I should pick the bird up again and set him on the picnic table. As I reached for the bird, he would quickly work his way around Levi's body so that I couldn't reach him. So I went to the other side and he worked his way quickly to the side I wasn't on. It was so funny that we were both laughing and the bird still held on. After a while of this he actually did take off, hit the window in the doorway, hit the window on the kitchen, and flew to the tree in front of the house, where he stayed for a couple of hours.

We see him outside all the time in the afore mentioned tree. He is our new friend.

Some kid pics.

2009-02-13T07:05:00.001-08:00

We're learning more and more how and when to use our camera. Now if only we could remember to use it at night when Liv and Hollis were home, and if we could take pictures of each other, we'd be pretty well documented as a family.

Here are some cute pictures of Ivy. The little hat that Vea made her really completes the look, I think.

Last night was the Daddy-Daughter date for the Activity Days Girls. We got volunteered since I'm in the Primary and we have a swanky camera and light set-up. It was at Eric and Diana Allphin's house, hence the classy (and brown) wall and props. We got pictures of each Dad and his daughter, so here's Brent and Natalie, and Toby and Livvie.

Is it Spring yet?

2009-02-12T20:15:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of my stuff. I am not selling the rugs, but the looms to make the rugs. I like them a lot.

I put some in my Etsy store. It is the first time I have listed stuff. I had to call Michelle to help me and she doesn't know how close to tears I was. Emma also said that she had just listed her skirts. I hope she does well, as they are beautiful and Emma looks so good in them.

Brent (Dad) is fortunately working, and some weeks he has had to go and stay with Kelly and Cathi and work down there. Thank you Kelly for letting Brent come and help you.

Levi just got notification of his Pell grant. He can now afford to finish the semester at Crowder. He is excited.

SnowTodd

2009-01-29T10:04:00.000-08:00

This is Todd in a rare moment of tranquil calm. I'm thinking that his brain wasn't functioning because it was frigid outside, on top of the fact that moments before this picture, he was hunched in a little ball beside the rain gutter and catching icy melted snow running out of it into his mittens. He is a beautiful little boy, when he isn't yelling garbled toddler speech about "sharp knives" and "choochoo trains".

An Ivy Day

2009-01-19T15:13:00.000-08:00

I thought you'd all enjoy hearing about shopping with Ivy today. She decided while we were in the middle of Food 4 Less that she was a puppy. That means she crawled around on all fours, yipping and whimpering intermittently. She even panted, tongue out. She howled in agony when we tried to put her in the cart. Occasionally she licked store fixtures or merchandise before we could stop her. My apologies to the macaroni boxes, glass doors protecting the milk, and the mirrors next to the floor at checkout.

To top it all off, she refused to come with us when we said "Come on, Ivy." She only responded to "Here, puppy!" Now, those of you who ever shopped there know that Food 4 Less caters to a slightly, um, Ozarkier class of people (let's just say that about one in ten of our fellow shoppers was sporting some kind of unique bodily funk). Today, I think we won the prize.

Mad Rush Before Christmas

2008-12-16T11:09:00.000-08:00

Well. here is a couple looking for a home this Christmas. I'm not sure where they are going. Tell me what you think, Michelle, of the color and if it would qualify for an ETSY picture or not.

It is bitterly cold and icy outside. The kids are home from school. It is possible that they could miss the whole week, and I guess it is also possible they could get 2-3 days of school in. The roads are slick, it is dark and dreary, and nothing is melting.

Dana got a real job offer from the company he has been interning with. Josh is hopeful that he is transferring to another job with great potential. We'll know more on that later. Emma and Barrett are busy getting Christmas done and in the midst of it mourning the loss of their collie Nixie. My personal theory is she got into some rat poison from the description they gave and her activities. Nixie was a wonderful animal - not to be confused with some of the dopes we have around.

In case I don't get anything else on here before Christmas, I wish all of you the most joyful and also reverent blessings of the year. Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the world. He came to the earth in humble circumstances, lived a humble life, performed miracles, taught us how we should live and treat our fellow man. All goodness that is here on this earth stems from him. He suffered for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemanee and paid with pain that we cannot understand. He then suffered, an innocent on the cross and died, being resurected three days later, fulfilling the great task that was laid before him in the councils of heaven. With this small and abbreviated description (which does not do justice to him) I would encourage all who read this to take some time to recognize the great blessings we have, and worship our Saviour in whom all good things are made possible. To my children, I love all of you so much. Please be safe. Love, Mom (Vea)

The Kids Out East

2008-11-26T18:24:00.000-08:00

Hey, this is Emma and Barrett. We are out in Maryland again for the winter. We are hoping that maybe we can figure out some way to hit Missouri for Christmas, but I'm not sure that it is very likely--we aren't the high-rollers that we look like (tee-hee!) We are back in the cottage called "the blueberry" and I am just ecstatic to be in a HOUSE. Don't get me wrong, I'm perfectly happy camping about and all that jazz (though, I always miss having an oven) it's just that it's getting cold and it is SO nice to have hot running water, solid walls, a place to set up my sewing and LEAVE it up, and yes an oven too. So, Natalie, the next time you feel like complaining about doing the dishes, just be happy that you don't have to first haul the water in a jug, set it up on saw-horses, and wash the dishes in the rain when there is ice floating in the dish water and the sponge is frozen solid. Hahaha, it sounds horrible, but when it was that cold, I just heated the water on the stove. Anyway, it was fun, but I am excited to be in a house.

Thanksgiving is all too soon for me. I hadn't realized that the holidays were not only close but HERE! Basically, I'm doing half the dinner and my mother-in-law is doing the other half; it makes everything so simple. There will only be the four of us, but that didn't stop me from making four pies...and a shepherd's pie...and I have extra pie crust--just in case. I am also in charge of the turkey (which came from whole foods), the cranberry relish (which I made with one of our 3 grinders--it turns out we didn't need to being another because we had packed 2 away; who knew?), and the hot punch. i feel like I am getting off all too easy this year, but I am thankful for in-laws who don't mind me using their kitchen as well as their groceries all the time. ...I think we are out of butter...

I started a blog, but no one should expect anything terribly exciting just yet. I have been pretty busy moving into a HOUSE and working on Christmas, and I imagine I will continue to work on Christmas till I can't wait till it's over with--so...don't expect too much just yet. I intend to have Beaver Rebellion cartoons, articles on why my brain works better than the average 20-year-olds', pictures of all the crazy stuff that I'm doing, including food, aprons, skirts, dolls, recipes, and whatever else I feel like! I just have to figure out this goofey blog stuff--it seems like I can't get anything to look right and I havn't even started. bleh! By the way, the address is:
www.beaverrebellion.blogspot.com

Anyway, Barrett and I are VERY happy, we canoe everyday accross the river to take care of our two crazy horses; I am making up for all the times I didn't have an oven this last summer and fall; we have internet access and like to hop on that crazy WoW game, we have access to the best thirft store I have ever been to, and Barrett is always happy to indulge me in all kinds of wacky clothing and house-wares (he bought me a child's book called "Kate and the Devil" because the girl on the front had long red hair and an apron full of stuff--it turned out to be a really good book; it was a quarter), we have a nice time visiting his folks who always seem happy to see us and have plenty of tasks for tall, strong sons and many pants that need to be hemmed by stubby daughter-in-laws. They don't even think I'm a mooch when I use all the Mrs. Myer's lavender laundry detergent. -gling!-

So, we love you all and hope to see you in the near future. We also want to remind you that any of my fam is welcome, incouraged, and anticipated to come out to Maryland, stay in a cottage right by the water and go canoeing, boating, thrifting, site-seeing, and whatever else to heart's content! I'm counting on Lynn's love of boats, Jill's affinity for thrift stores, Todd's dreams of becoming a trecherous pirate, and Mom and Dad selling their house, having wads of cash, and wanting to take a road trip to see their two favorite vagabond children. C'mon guys! I can see the water from this window! and THIS window! and this one, and this one, and this one, and....Oh, and THIS one!
...Barrett's parents are very curious to see where I came from and why I like sandwiches so much. So...let me think of some more insentive, and I'll get back to you all later!

--Lemons and Barrett

2008-11-25T06:24:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I don't know how to arrange these pages. Does anybody give lessons?

This is Brynn, Ivy and Maggie.

OK, folks. Here are the belated pictures from our Utah trip. I didn't look at closeups, so for all I know I look like a dumpy cow with a dumb expression on my face. I had lots of other pictures, but so many of them were Michelles kids that (even tho they were cute) I decided not to post them because of my inability to see them closeup, cause I 'm a spaz on the computer and because Michelle has so many posted on recent spots already. I thought maybe the fam would like to see a picture of the parents of this crazy clan.

We were up in the mountains above Heber, and it was very beautiful up there. I wish we had had time to camp while we were there, but time was short.

Todd became the happiest person alive when he discovered a stream of cold water and he played and waded in it till his feet were like ice. That boy needs the outdoors.

The girls in the stroller were all holding wildflowers and they were so cute, but I don't think the camera caught the cuteness of it all.

Thanksgiving is in two days. We will miss our kids out west. We love you so much and wish we could be together. Hey, I just remembered we have a couple out east. I still have to get used to that. Emma, post something to this site if you can. We would love to hear from you and Barrett. We love and miss you also.

ALSO, we have someone interested in buying our place. Pray for us to be able to sell it. It is becoming very expedient, that we do so. There is no construction work. Even the Aulick family (whom most of you know) is shutting down.

Be thankful this week and always for life, family, good friends, for our Saviour Jesus Christ and the great plan of salvation. Be thankful that we live in a great land, and we are still free (at the moment). We are so thankful for our family and so pleased to call you ours. Every single one of you (and that always includes in-laws) are dear to us.

The Todd Show and the Washing Machine

2008-11-24T09:40:00.000-08:00

These are the kind of pictures Todd will hate when he's older...but hey, that's what you get for trying to secretly climb into the washing machine....while half naked.
This is Todd yelling at me.

Being Brainwashed by Disney

2008-11-08T17:51:00.000-08:00

This is not actually on the teacup ride. Tyler told me that when he went on that ride as a little kid, it always made him nautious, thus he selfishly robbed me and the kids of the opportunity to stand in line for 45 minutes to get onto swirling teapcups that would make US want to vomit.

This was a store totally devoted to The Nightmare Before Christmas. I love the outside of the shop, and would have to have a house that looked like this!

I couldn't remember this villain's name....it was sort of awkard, like when you see someone from high school and try to remember their name and fail miserably (only in this case, the guy didn't go to my high school...just many homely odd kids like him.)

This is Wall*E and us! After we took the picture, Todd turned around and gave Wall*E a kiss.

I just want everyone to know that while I'm writing this, Todd is standing behind me screaming and trying to repeatedly shove a battery powerered Black & Decker drill into my back. Anyway, here's us with Mickey. Does he look like he's gained some weight in recent years? Maybe it's just me.

Halloween in Fairview, and a slice of our working life.

2008-11-07T18:21:00.000-08:00

(Hello, the family. It's Jill.)

I love Halloween. Part of the reason we've enjoyed hanging out with Renfest types so often is because everyone loves an excuse to dress up. Modern clothes can be cute and comfortable, but as for just killer STYLE, give me Victorian or Regency era any day. I'm a girl who wishes it was still required to wear hats when one leaves the house.

But Fairview is really killing my Halloween buzz. We didn't have plans for the big day, but made them fast when our first group of trick-or-treaters made an appearance. A group of punky fourteen to eighteen year old kids, without costumes, rang our doorbell and requested candy. One of them was actually SMOKING. Come on, kid. Unless you tell me you're Anthony Bourdain, no candy for you!

Just in case any of you were thinking of moving to Effing-view!

Now, some pics:
The little girls really love to get in there and "help" us sew and grommet bodices. They mostly like to lose my pins and bobbins, then drive Toby crazy by shoving grommet pieces in the way at maddeningly inappropriate times.

In this first picture, Maggie is singing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." Next, we see Ivy servicing the big sewing machine with a seam ripper and a point turner.

The ever elusive Barrett and Emma

2008-09-29T20:52:00.001-07:00

Hey....pretty nice blog you've got going here...
Hahaha, anyway, The B and me are still kicking it old-school up here in Montana. We've had a really awesome time and seen many BEAUTIFUL places....but none to live in sadly enough. It is more or less the price; they want umpteen million dollars for some worthless ugly acreage that you couldn't hardly live on, and if you want something pretty (which there is much of)...I don't know, I guess it is just a little bit frustraiting that some punkerish Californian with more money than sense will swoop in, buy up thousands of acres of land, swing back out and only come to see it a few times a year and all the while making sure the price of property is ridiculously high.
NEVERTHELESS, we have truly had a fabulous time and have been treated like royalty by Barrett's many generous friends.

The rabbit is a nerdily-awesome as ever; it apparently can climb up steep mountains with boulders embedded in the road and somehow magically survive...but just BARELY. I'm sure it was sobbing oil ever inch of the way but even though the roads got progressively worse--rocky, steep, jagged, sitting-on -the-edge-of-a-cliff, etc.--it chugged along like a real trooper and is still packing us all over the country. Bless its little rodent heart, it somehow manages to contain Barrett, me, Nixie, a tent, two backpacks full of clothing, a tool box, a cooler, two milk crates: one full of food/equipment, the other oil, grease, and other car stuff, all kinds of bedding, dog food, dog dishes, dry goods, three big pairs of boots, a small set of bagpipes, leather working tools, and I don't even remember what else, but still more stuff! I'm sure most of it is due to expert packing by Barrett, but for a car that you could park on the bed of our truck, it does pretty well.

Anyway, we have all kinds of pictures, but I will just post them later...if you're lucky. We're having a super time and are looking forward to seeing everyone in Utah in...eh, 2 days or so. We still aren't sure what we are doing this winter, but we only have been offered a place to stay by everyone we know! Anyway, we love you all and hope to see you soon, or sooner or later, or sooner than later, or later....whichever works out.
BYE!

Apron I Made for Lucy's Apron Swap

2008-08-29T14:59:00.000-07:00

OK, some people (ahem) publish all of their cool projects and activities on their blogs and I am always excited to see what they are doing. So, I wanted to show off my latest project. It seems like anything I make with black
always turns out good.

NOT, that I am trying to brag, but I just really liked this.

I love this paper pieced leaf pattern. It looks like a quaking aspen leaf......which reminds me that I need to publish a few pictures from our trip to Utah. So I will do that later.

Happy Halloween!!.......Really Early

2008-08-28T15:55:00.000-07:00

Today, Brynn, The Todd Show, and I made Halloween cards. We all sat down and pulled out my paper and scissors, and Todd immediately procured the scissors and went for our couch. Brynn grabbed a marker and started drawing her goofy little faces that consist of two eyes and a dissatisfied line of a mouth.(To see these masterful work of art, see the little green monsters below.) Basically, that's all she draws these days, and when she wants to draw herself, she adds some swirls and scribbles all around the little face to depict her signature curls that all hairbrushes fear.
I yearn to imbed a desire to create in both of my children, and I let Todd keep cutting and Brynn keep drawing faces. Then, I had an idea! Perhaps we could use my kids' extraordinary talents to make some cards! Unfortunately, the only pictures I could think of for "Labor Day Cards" were somewhat sardonic and ironic, thus we skipped ahead a holiday. (I didn't think it would be quite appropriate to cut and draw a pregnant woman screaming profanity because labor sucks soooo bad. Labor day......yes, I know it's not celebrating us women who perform great physical feats, but it should be!!!! OH yeah, that's mother's day. How the crap did I get off on this tangeant? )
Brynn drews her little faces on green paper, and I cut around them to make globby little monsters, and Todd just kept opening and closing the blades of some very dull little craft scissors while I strategicaly placed pieces of paper between the blades. Thus, on the picture Todd is holding, there are random monsters with big awkward jaws. When Todd saw his picture, he kept pointing and growling, which is what he is doing in the picture up there. Anyhow, I think the result it quite charming and the children and I are thinking of starting a line of designer stationary adorned with goofy monsters.

The Amazing Maggie

2008-08-05T08:30:00.001-07:00

Here is a reasonably good shot of the house. The pictures I took of Maggie were on the porch on the picnic table. This was a little girl's outfit I wanted to take a picture of and show Michelle. The pictures didn't turn out, so we edited them for light and then found she had the most delightful expressions on her face. I only wish I could say that she got her good looks from me.

We are contemplating a trip to Utah on Wednesday. It was up in the air and kind of a last minute thing. Jill keeps saying that she wants to see people while they are alive, and not just go to funerals. (The last time they went out was for Nile's funeral.) We will miss Dana and Corinne and Josh being out there as we loved hanging out with them. It would be a quick trip as school is starting next Thurs.

the

2008-08-05T08:29:00.001-07:00

2008-07-27T22:19:00.000-07:00

Kelly is holding Ivy on the porch.

Lynn and Emma visiting. The weather was perfect and I never thought we could pull it off.

A picture of our original family, Toby and Jill's family, and The Todd Show with his bubble machine. That wasn't actually at the party, but he looked so cute I put it on anyway.

Late pictures of our family and wedding party

2008-07-27T21:54:00.000-07:00

Ok, I hope this isn't a big mistake. I uploaded this picture from a small one I could not see, so if you see a goofy look on someone's face........... After Barrett and Emma's open house we went inside and took a whole bunch of family pictures since it was the last time we were going to all be together. What a riot. It was late in the evening and we were all tired and not in the mood to take pictures.

These are our boys.

An Actual New Post from Mom

2008-07-15T14:33:00.000-07:00

So, Michelle, this one is for you to look at and tell me what you think. Of course I will talk to you on the phone while you critique my project.

To all the rest of you.......stay tuned.

Toby and Jill's Kids! In a Pool!

2008-06-24T07:31:00.001-07:00

Toby and my Dad finally got the pool cleaned up at my parents' house. Hollis is so proud because he is tall enough to touch the bottom, and Ivy is perfectly happy set adrift to paddle about on her own in a little float. Liv and Mag have new goggles, as you can see. You can also see Olivia's tonsils in that last one.

The promised pictures!

2008-04-03T16:35:00.000-07:00

Hello from Maryland! I finally coordinated being at a computer WITH the picture CD at the SAME time, if you can believe it! Anyway, I hope you all can see what exactly is going on in these pictures; one of them I am just on the pier over by Barrett's parents' house (you can see the sailboats all docked across the way), another I am helping canoe across the river to go feed Grendle, another I am...can you guess?-- feeding Grendle, another, I am bopping around in the parents' kitchen (it is a pretty shot of my hair, the shirt that I tye-dyed, the back of one of my aprons, and the linen petal skirt that I made out of a tablecloth), another I am driving his dad's boat (his NEW one! Don't tell him!), and another where Pheobe, and I are marooned on this teenie island that you can only be on when the tide is low--Barrett paddled away to take that picture. Unfortunately there are no pictures of Barrett, himself, just yet. We went and say the beautiful cherry blossoms in Washington DC and there are pictures of BOTH of us together! They were AMAZINGLY beautiful and DC was particularly pleasant at night! Anyway, be patient and you can see those ones too!

Barrett and Emmaline in Maryland!!!

2008-03-31T17:36:00.000-07:00

Stay tuned and once Barrett or I get our acts together there will be pictures to see; thus far the organization has been lacking. We are having a fabulous time here in MD, everybody has been generous and kind and we appreciate it greatly. We (or really Barrett) have repainted and re-plumbed the kitchen--it looks FAR better than it did. The plumbing is copper and looks so nice, I hope he does the rest of the plumbing in a more visible spot! :)

Next project is the bathroom! the lanolium is pulling apart and I could have laid the rubber base better with my brains tied behind my back! (provided Dad would lend me his fancy-pansy tip for the caulk gun...)

As I said....we DO have some pictures, but they are pretty much only of me on account of Barrett hating cameras even more than I do and also that Nixie doesn't know how to use the camera (yet). Nevertheless......now that I have figured out how to get on this crazy gig and post something, maybe next time we will get some pictures in.

Till then...

--Barrett and Emma Taylor

Rough Saturday

2008-03-22T12:17:00.000-07:00

Well, today has been tiring. Dad, I, Levi and Nat have been clearing woods, burning pasture and brush hogging the fields with our new tractor and brush hog.

Dad has also been under the house jacking up the sagging places and has replace the main beam going across the middle of the living room with some huge beams. That should take care of our sagging problems. Of course, we didn't do this all today, it has been in progress over the last few days. At the moment though, we are so exhausted that we can hardly move.

Thank you, Emma for unknowingly providing the picture for this post. I think it's a riot. Tyler and Michelle should be out here in a little over a week. Can't wait. .........................Mom

Crap Bodice!!!

2008-03-12T13:42:00.000-07:00

HOLY FACE!!!! Guys, this is why I'm trying to change the world with my bodices. Most women look like THIS at the ren fests. We've all seen them, but I never imagined I could look that grotesque. I made this total crap bodice because I've seen so many of them that I know exactly how they work. It makes sense for people to make them, because there's only boning up the front, and it literally took me 10 minutes to cut and sew this. Wow, but it's soo nastay!!! I've never looked more flat-chested in my freaking life. Have a good laugh, friends!

Spats!

2008-03-12T13:33:00.000-07:00

Okay, Mom, this is for you! These

are the faux boots I was talking about. I'm actually wearing some of Tyler's shoes, so if my feet look a little bit....that's the reason why! They were ridiculously easy to make. Seriously, another business here!!!!

New Season

2008-03-04T12:26:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow, Tyler and Michelle will be heading to California for their first Ren Fest of the season. Spring is coming, and changes are taking place in several of our households. I love my family so much, I can't even put into words how I feel about them all. I pray for all of you every night, that you will all be protected from harm and that you will all be happy and successful in your worthy endeavors. I think about you, worry about you and hope that you would realize that I (we) would do anything I could to help you. I don't know what changes will come our way. If we can possibly sell the house (BIG worry there), I can't even tell you what we will be doing, except scrambling for a place to live.

It seems that the uncertain future in our own little world and in the bigger picture, ie. elections, rising prices, and storms of life and the elements are here to stay. Please be careful, do the things that are right, and pray for guidance and help from the Lord. Please also be grateful for all that you have and are. I am humbled when I think of all the Lord has blessed me with and am amazed at the talent and intelligence of my children (which includes spouses and grandchildren - no exceptions). I have a good husband. I have been blessed more than most people I know.

Be careful in your travels, in your work and in your schooling. Follow your gut instincts. If something seems wrong or uncomfortable, then it is wrong. If there is a nagging doubt in your mind about something, figure out what it is and take care of it. I can't tell you how many times I have made the mistake of ignoring those feelings and regretted it.

If you read this, know that I am being a mom at the moment, and these are my feelings I wanted to express. If you think I am being silly, then you aren't a parent yet.

I can't wait to see you all. Michelle and family will be here soonest and it will be wonderful when you are all here. I love you all.

Mom

Mom

Maggie

2008-03-04T12:13:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite pics. Last year we were at a small ren fest in Baxter Springs and Maggie had fallen asleep on the ground. Several people stopped to look at her and I think a couple of people took pictures, too. It was the main picture on my computer for a long time. In case you are wondering, this is Vea talking.

2008-02-28T08:32:00.000-08:00

This is for you, Mom

2008-02-23T21:01:00.000-08:00

Hey, mom, since you guys weren't able to make it to the family reunion this last summer, here are some pictures we took.

toddly-odd

2008-02-23T20:52:00.001-08:00

I have no explanation for this picture...where Brynn is pouring milk on Todd's head. I do have an explanation for Todd's head in the other picture. That's my little man in a beaver had that we bought him....and then he never would wear it.

Making the Bedroom Sexy

2008-02-23T15:21:00.000-08:00

Well, here's the only room in our house that looks vaguely decent. We're just excited about the curtains behind the bed. We really think they help set it off, and it looks so pretty when it's made and kids aren't jumping on it. Anyway, I need to get back to work to make the rest of the house so it doesn't look like hell. Just wanted you guys to see that we don't live in squallor..how the crap is that word spelled?

*Michelle*

Todd and Natalie

2008-02-21T14:59:00.000-08:00

I found this older picture of these two in a picture folder. Michelle and Toby both have a lot of pictures loaded on this computer that I have never seen or don't remember seeing. I loved this one particularly. Todd was just a tiny little guy back then and we were worried about him. This must have been about April 2007.

A Scotsman moving a park bench

2008-02-21T14:31:00.000-08:00

Newlyweds

2008-02-21T13:34:00.001-08:00

Darn the lousy background.

Darn the new camera we don't know our way around.

Darn the dark night.

Darn the green wall.

I still like this.

Barrett and Emma

2008-02-21T13:22:00.000-08:00

2008-02-21T11:22:00.000-08:00

After a couple of requests to see more of Emma's wedding dress and my desire to post more of the wedding pictures, I looked through all of them and unfortunately, this was the only one where she was still fully outfitted and it is NOT a good picture. But here is it anyway.

I will try and put up a few more wedding pictures also for all of you that can't get enough of them, (including me).

I miss Emma very much. The house is very quiet and there is no dog to clean the food off the floor, Ha. No Emma, I don't miss you because of your dog. Actually, we miss Barrett, too. We will be glad when you both come our way again. We can't wait.

Mom and Emma

2008-02-20T06:31:00.001-08:00

OK folks, I know the last person you probably want to see is me, and at the moment I don't even know if this pic is one of the barely tolerable ones, because I don't know how to preview the picture (Yes, I know it can be done) in a large format before I post it without going to a lot of trouble. I tried to get one with Em and I but one of us or both of us had a goofy look in every picture we took. Sorry. But this was after the wedding when we had come home to eat.

Emma, most of the pictures I have of you without your fur coat are also without your bodice. I am afraid you will have to deal with it.

Oregon Coast 2007

2008-02-19T12:32:00.000-08:00

kids are cute!

2008-02-19T12:25:00.000-08:00

Emma in "Damsel" costume

2008-02-18T14:26:00.000-08:00

Emma had a friend over at the college who wanted to use her for promotional purposes for his aspiring photography business. Emma is never pleased with her pictures, but I really liked several of them. Vea

quotes to think on

2008-02-18T14:12:00.000-08:00

I have come across some quotes I like quite well .......Vea

"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty." - Thomas Jefferson

" I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have." - Thomas Jefferson

" Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations; entangling alliances with none." - Thomas Jefferson

"Those who sacrifice freedom for safety deserve neither." - Thomas Jefferson

About right now, I am thinking that Thomas Jefferson was one of the greatest men to ever live. No wonder he was one of the great builders of our country. Now for one more quote from another Thomas.

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas Edison

Portland Pirate Festival Pictures by Boo

2008-02-17T17:38:00.001-08:00

These are some pics from the Portland Pirate Festival. I want to again thank Dana, Corinne, and Josh for helping take care of kids and supporting us that weekend. I love my family soooo much!

Brynn talks to Death

2008-02-17T17:18:00.000-08:00

Okay, we all know that Brynn loves Pirates. It's just that when you see a really scary looking pirate, and you're a little kid...you should run away. Well, my girl ran up and sat on his lap and just talked and talked. She was so goofy and cute sitting there, that other people wanted to take pictures of their own kids with the pirate, and Tyler could hardly pull her away for them to do it. Plus, the Portland Pirate Festival was the month before Halloween, so the scary decorations and skulls were out for the season, and every time Brynn saw any type of a skull, she yelled " Pirate, Pirate!"

Another Emma and Barrett pic

2008-02-17T17:02:00.001-08:00

This picture was taken the day after the wedding. They were goofing off and this was one of their funny shots. I love the look on Emma's face.

This is my first attempt at putting a blog site together and Michelle had to walk me through it. She is trying to keep me modernized. Thank you Michelle. You inspire me with all of your ambition. The first picture took almost an hour to upload. We think if this is going to be worth it that a dial-up connection just isn't going to cut it.......

disneyland

2008-02-17T16:56:00.000-08:00

All right, so we went and sold ourselves to Disney. You know what? Mickey is a total jerk in real life.

Emma and Barrett's Wedding

2008-02-17T16:17:00.000-08:00

This was a favorite photo at the park where the wedding took place on the 15th of February. Barrett and Emma both looked beautiful and happy. Obviously, Barret is in full dress Scottish kilt.