Introducing...

Princess Elena!

You weren't expecting that.  

A Repurposed Trash to Treasure

My friend had put a toilet paper holder at the street.  She lives two doors down, so I saw it when we were almost home.  Lydda knew exactly what it was because it was in her best friend's bathroom before making its way to the trash.  I didn't know what it was at first, but I knew I wanted to use it as a plant holder.  I got some free spider plants from the same family and thought this would be a great way to display them while they get started.  Tortoises love to eat spider plants, so I'm hoping they grow really well so I can start offering them to my three torts.  So far so good.  Lydda said, "It looked better as a toilet paper holder."  She always knows how to encourage me.

A Garden for Chelonians

A garden for tortoises and humans

The leaves and blooms of a squash are good food for tortoises.  I had missed out on buying squash plants at the store.  Someone on my tortoise group recommended I just plant the seeds from squash I buy in the produce section.  I then remembered that I had a squash sitting in my fruit bowl.  It was small, so not enough to feed the family for a meal, and I had never seen this type before.  I didn't even know the name.  I cut it open, scooped out a bunch of seeds but not even close to all of them and just randomly buried a bunch.  It took two days for them to start appearing.  I now know they are called delicata squash.  I have been feeding the leaves to the tortoises.  I'm hoping we are able to harvest some because someone told me that roasted delicata tastes like buttered french fries.  Sounds yummy!

We are also about to get started on our winter garden.  Eric is excited.  He's always wanted a big garden and what we have planned, will be the biggest we've ever had.

Great for Potassium and Church Giggles

This is bit of a delicate matter but I have to share it to keep it in our family history 

as one of the funniest things that happened to us.  

Millie turned four on a Wednesday.  My niece showed up to church that night with a gift bag.  

As she gave it to Millie, my sister said, "I let Collins pick everything out herself.  There may be something inappropriate in there."

I was like, "Um, ooookay."

Millie dug through the bag and was pulling out lots of fun coloring books and drawing activities and a play makeup set.  Then she pulled out a banana.  If anyone knows Millie, they know she LOVES bananas.  She calls them ninas and wants to eat about four a day.  Collins knows this and just knew this would be Millie's favorite new toy.

The banana had an odd rubbery feel to it and was filled with sand.  Every child wanted to get their hands on it immediately, but Millie put it back in the bag and got started on her coloring activities and applying invisible makeup.  It was a good 20 minutes before she was ready for her banana.  I told them they would need to sit on the floor to play with it.  The two little girls sat on the floor.  Lydda was sitting on the pew.  Lydda bent over and snatched it from them because she couldn't hold back any longer.  She had to feel that banana.  She grabbed the end of it and pulled and pulled and pulled.  This is the part that I'm not sure how to proceed.  You see, the banana transformed into the MOST inappropriate church toy EVER.  It was seriously just an innocent banana full of sand, but when they held the end of it and pulled, it got longer and thinner but the end stayed the same.  This was their most favorite thing to do with the banana, over and over and over again.  The girls were waving IT around in the air.  The fact that we were sitting on the back pew is the only thing that saved us from other people's view.  Thankfully everyone was looking at the preacher.  I was having a very hard time trying to get it from them.  They did not want to lose control of that banana.  I was trying to get them to at least lower their arm so that no one else could see what was waving around in the air.  I was also having trouble speaking because of the most uncontrollable church giggles I've ever had.  Hattie was sitting next to me completely confused as to why I was having uncontrollable, full body shaking silent laughter all because of a banana.  You just do not know how inappropriate this toy appeared.

Of course I have included a milder picture at the bottom. Believe me, it can be worse.   

Millie does love her new banana toy.  She played with it the very next morning.  It changed from a banana to an inappropriate tiara.  She was so excited to show me her new princess accessory.   

Dollar General, CHILDREN'S toy aisle, because I know you were wondering.

You Make Do

When you forget to tell your mom you need a new lyre, 

you make one out of random things at home.

WHY?????!!!!!!

It's like Walmart has never seen a school supply list.  NOBODY is needing paper folders!  

Buy more plastic, and preferably in primary colors.

Although I love the color black as much as anyone else, YOU CAN'T SEE SHARPIE ON IT.

No teacher is requesting that color!

Seriously Walmart, I can help you.  Just ask.  

In better news, I got the very last plastic, yellow, three-pronged pocket folder in our town.  

Quite a few parents were the losers.  I was the winner!

  

First Day of School

They look like they love each other.  So sweet!  

4th grade, 9th grade, and 11th grade

Dawson arrived ready for Mrs. Tricia's school.

I decided to make it official and found him an unused folder and even typed up a weekly letter.

Millie was crazy girl.  She was still sleeping when the girls left for school.  I have just this year left with Millie before she goes to school.  I am enjoying every minute of it.  

Lazy Day

Lately, our favorite family activity has been playing cards.  Not very often do we get a Saturday free of errands and activities, but this Saturday was so great.  We played many games of Nertz, and then I played memory with Lydda.

A New Door

I finished the next phase of the tortoises' house, a plastic doorway.

It will help keep the wind out in the winter and keep the rain out.

I put two chunks of romaine in it today.  I checked later, and it was gone. 

Woohoo!  Sweetheart went through it all by himself.  In the next month, we have to finish the locking wooden door and add the heater for winter.  

K4 has Begun!

We started with the letter A!

Millie loves starfall and is able to do it all by herself.  

I put a tiny sticker on the mouse so she knows where to click it.

  

I found this cute morning activity book at Dollar Tree.  

We are doing one page a week.

This is of course her least favorite part of school.

This took her FOREVER!  Dawson was done lickety split, not Millie.

Swimming for letters!

They LOVE using playdoh!

I am really enjoying planning out our week and getting things ready.

Turtle Fun!

We went to the zoo for a 3-5 year old class about turtles.  TURTLES!  Millie enjoyed it.  

She was super attentive.  Stayed in her spot the whole time.  

I had to tell her that she could go pet it.

She colored and created a turtle.  He was lovingly named, Puppy Horse.  

She nurtured him throughout the zoo.

The advertisement was deceiving.  It made it seem like we would get to pet the Aldabra tortoises.  The lady apologized because she knew everyone thought they would get to, but she said the children were too young.  I WASN'T!  I told the lady that I would slip her as much as $1 for her to let me quickly jump the fence, pet one, and jump back.  She said no. 

We then went and ate super healthy with our friend Lesli.  Millie was the unhealthiest one with her chocolate cake.  She then went home with Lesli and shared some great things.  Here is the text I received, "I just got the scoop.  Millie has a boyfriend named Wyatt.  She gave him Cheetos but he didn't like them.  I asked if you knew about him and she said you did.  I asked if her daddy knew and she said, 'I'm not gonna kiss him!!!  That's weird!!! And I'm not gonna have babies!  That's weally weird!!!'  Then she told me that Hattie wants to get married, but Emma doesn't want her to marry Ethan.  We talked about not stealing other people's man."

Millie was sad to leave when I arrived to pick her up.  Lesli has cable and new Disney episodes.  She was very mad at me for not having them when we got back home.