Because tonight…

we had golf ball and larger sized hail…

and lots of it. We heard reports of lots of windows shattering in our area of town, and from a very quick inspection, it seems like our house and  vehicle windows were spared. However, the black car has some new dimples that are not at all cute, and my poor tomatoes and peppers…

are doomed.

We went up to Kansas City to catch the Royals lose a game to the White Sox.  It was a lot of fun and the kids really got into it! They had fireworks after the game, so we got a little bonus. It was my first time in the newly renovated Kauffman Stadium, and it is really cool!

Sean was out of town overnight. Soon after he got home today, he went upstairs to his study.  A few moments later, he came downstairs with a note that Ellie had written: “Dear Daddy, I had a bloody nose this morning. See?!?!”  Some “used” toilet paper was attached. 

I did not know about this note.

The offender

The crime

I do love cottonwoods, but seriously, folks…

Today when we were running errands I had to go to WalMart. We got back to the van and I was pulling out of the parking lot when I realized that I had forgotten to deposit a check at the bank in the WalMart. I parked again, we all got out and went in, I deposited the check. As we were walking out, I said “Wow…I have deja vu.” The older kids snickered, but Ellie said “FOR LUNCH????”

If you’re home schooled, you can wear your crown to class.

And if you’re a reeeeeeally lucky princess…

…you can have your court jester do his lessons right along with you.

Plus a metric ton of sugar, plus a wee bit of lemon juice, plus some pectin, plus some minor burns, plus 1 lid mishap in the water bath equals

Katie and I made 3 batches of strawberry jam today. The first batch was my lesson in reading instructions.  That batch and the second one were processed in the water bath canner. I was out of pectin but had a lot more berries, so we did one batch of “refrigerator jam” that was pectin-free. Oddly enough, that one seems to be doing the most vigorous jelling!  We ended up with 12 pints of very very sweet jam.

Our garden is starting to show some fruit!

…and a flower or two!

Ellie has fallen in love with the Little House on the Prairie books. It is so fun to see her so engrossed in some of my old favorites.

She is currently reading On the Banks of Plum Creek. Grasshoppers can be scary.

I wonder if Laura and Mary ever gave themselves bunny ears?

We have the beginnings of lettuce…

…a few bean plants trying very hard to survive being chewed up by something….

…a couple pepper plants that have not registered any major complaints as of yet…

…the peppers and tomato plants. I just pruned tomato plants for the first time….breaking off the lower branches, pinching off suckers and staking the main stalks.  I felt like I was committing a violent act.

“Please! Make the crazy lady stop tearing off our limbs!”

(You can see marigold seedlings there in the dirt, too.)

My lovely assistant.