Nie Nie on the Today Show

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I am sure you all know the Nie Nie Dialogues. She is inspiring to truly appreciate life so we can find joy in the little things.

Past Due Update

Isaac is going to his first homecoming night....aahhhh!

Shaya is finally ready for the homecoming! It took three hours to do her hair!



School started, Fall came, Homecoming went. Soccer is over. Thanksgiving is here! Winter is coming. How did this happe so fast. I still can't believe we have been in NJ for 10 years. I am in denial. Isaac is loving HS. I think his attitude could go. Jaida is loving the social world of real school. She is doing great. Kaylin and and Landon are my favorite kids right now because they are home with me all day! I love my homeschoolers!
Shaya, Erman's niece, moved in with us and is going to school with Isaac. She is 14 and is enjoying the Cherokee High School Experience.

We are enjoying our time here in NJ and working on our plan to move back west. In the mean time we are enjoying the East. I will be going to NY on Saturday! for a fun girls day out! I can't wait. Turkey, NY. Turkey, NY. Turkey, NY....forget black Friday!

As for Marissa. We had court and it looks good. WE will have a ...?Mediation? on January 15th. We will let you know how that turns out. She is a sweetie and has quite the variety of faces to show every expression from happiness, excitement, to leave me alone, not right now, and I do not like yooouuuu.

My first Baseball Game!

Some of Erman's work crew decided to go to a Phillies game last Monday night. So Marissa and I tagged along with Erman and had a fun filled evening. This was Marissa's first Baseball game and she had a fun time. She ate a whole hot dog and tried bumming some fries from Erman's friend. Marissa loved all the attention she received and was the perfect baby. She sat on our lap and joined in when the rally towels (she used her baby wipes) started to wave. It drizzled on and off throughout the game which made it more fun. Here's a couple of snap shots of us.

Fried Squash Flowers?

Gourmet Magazine had an intriguing recipe this month. I had to try it. We had a successful crop of Butternut squash and the plant had lots of blossoms this month. We had fresh mint I saved and planted by the creek. It was easier than I thought. The flowers are hardy, not dainty. I like the batter, maybe I will use a variation with onion rings. The tomato sauce was good. It was a very unique taste. You will definitely taste the mint. I liked it. Everyone tried at least ONE. And Erman will not touch it! (Nothing new there). I will continue to provide my kids with Guinea pig opportunities.

sQuash bLossoms
1 c. ricotta cheese
1 lg. egg
1/4 c. mint
1/3 c. parmigiana romono
12-16 blossoms

Batter
1/2 c. plus 1 T. flour
1/4 t. salt
3/4 c. club soda or seltzer
1/3 c. parmigiana romano

fry in 1/2 in. vege. oil and season with salt

Native American 101

I knew there was a reason I married an Apache man! They are really spiritual and are in touch with nature. They love the outdoors. They get to go to school for free too. And many people tell me that Mr. Apache man should be getting a check in the mail just for bing Native American! Well, I am not too sure about all the stereotyping and assumptions American's do; but, Mr. Apache man did not go to school for free and we do not get checks in the mail.
After waiting 14 years Mr. Apache man finally came through....He recieved his piece of the American Pie- a piece of land on the outskirts of the reservation in the White Mountains of Arizona. This is like an answer to our prayers, no...we did not pray for a piece of land. We prayed to move back closer to home and this is one step closer to moving home. Soon enough we will build a log cabin and come home to family. Mr. Apache man can finally be back in touch with nature and chop wood for our wood stove and teach the kids to hunt. We will leave the rush of New Jersey and he will get a job on the reservation at the local Casino. I hear from another assuming American that they hire you if your Native American and you can make 100,000 to 250,000 a year just for being Native American! Well, that is enough of Native American 101. Here is our piece of the the American Indian pie....

Family Pictures

#1

Marissa turns 1. Things she can do: dance, mama, dada, laugh, point, goes to sleep perfectly, loves soft blanky.

Happy Birthday

Jaida made the cake and Kaylin helped decorate it! I remember before they were old enough to bake and I would think about if it was right that I should bake my own cake. Which I think all Mothers must ask themselves. I think I always made my own previously because I just like cake too much and any excuse for cake is all good. All and all, I like haveing someone make a cake for me! Thanks girls!! PS For my birthday we went to the farm and picked peaches and stayed up until midnight jarring peaches and making jam. Aint that romantic! I just love having a man in the kitchen with me, even if it is once a year.

Second Annual Keen Lake 2009

It was a successful fill of missing the Urmston Reunion. Can't say that it was the same. Every time I saw a family with shirts for their reunion, I thought Our reunion would kick your reunions butt, and smiled.

Jaida caught the biggest fish, bass. The rest caught Pike? Landon did not want to go home. On the last night he said, "I just wanna go home, this is not fun. I mean, you come her' and make friends- then you jus' hav' to leave 'em." Good point.

The kids found wanna-be cousins. It was okay. Mr. Apache played constructive games with all the kids, since a total of 11 kids was nothing compared to thirty something. The other wives would tell their husbands to go do somthing with their kids, I didn't have to say that. We all got sun and had fun. And Isaac successfully completed a kick flip on his skateboard this trip. Back to reality. When is the next family reunion anyway?

Blueberry Jam Season!

Okay, we want to move closer to family, but....there are good things in New Jersey. Like picking blueberries at the local farms. The blueberries taste a whole lot better when you know a cute little boy picked them.



We took them home and mashed every one with our little thumbs. The kids love this part.


Then we cooked it and added our secret ingredients (sure jell and sugar)!


Carefully poured it into our sterile hot jars. Note: the handy funnel, no fancy tools.


Walaah...Blueberry Jam.


The time spent on the computer is brought to you by Jaida Ivins. She is dressing the baby and helped with the Jam. Kaylin helped smash and pick and Landon helped pick the berries. I am not sure what Erman and Isaac did? We find what we can love about New Jersey, the Garden state and the most corrupt state in the country. Last Thursday, the FBI nabbed 44 people in a massive corruption-money laundering-organ trafficking scandal. Yes, you heard that right.

Nine Children wouldn't be that bad?

Maybe I thought that for 1 day. But Mr. Apache man seemed to find some ZZ's amongst all the joyous voices of tattle-taling and "I'm hungry". We could not round up 38 children to duplicate the Urmston family reunion. I will face the facts and fly to CA next year for that.

Happy 4th of July (late)

It was a fun 4th. We went to the parade and Isaac marched with the color guard. We had a BBQ and had fun. We invited all the family, but no one showed up? I haven't gotten the pitures of Isaac on the computer yet. The pictures I did get were the "Marlton Sons of Italy" in the car and the "Philadelphia Mummers". We have yet to see a Mummer's Parade in Philly with 10,000 marchers to ring in the New Year. It seems to be a big tradition for Phillians. Maybe one day we will see the mummers. But, I think I'd rather go to a Pow Wow.

We're at the Shore (beach)

We went to the beach on a whim. It was fun. Jaida is a fish. Just like Erman, she spent the entire time in the water! Here eyes stung afterwards from so much time in the salty water, no wonder. Kaylin had fun, but was ready to go home after the excitement was down. Landon did not want to go, then did not want to leave! As for Marissa, she loved the sand. We are thinking of you, our family on the family reunion at the beach! I know you guys are having fun.
We made our own fun because I was tired of Jaida saying, "I wonder what their doing right now?" about every 4 hours on Monday.

Happy Father's Day

We had a dilema while traveling to drop off dad's favorit soda- Route 44 Vanilla Coke.
Feed the baby without a spoon.
"Here, use the straw for dad's soda. Just suck it up and she will suck it out."
Mom licks the spoon clean. Dad never knew. Infact, dad said, "This soda was better than the last one."
That night as we are going to sleep I see Dad sleeping like a baby. He is holding the comforting clenched in his hand against his five 0'clock shadow face. He has no idea that this is the comforter that the baby threw up harves vegetables, not spit up, on from the food that was fed with his Route 44 Vanilla Coke.
I could not wake him.

Happy Day

Here is Landon's happy day. He is the seven!



Happy Birthday Isaac. He got an airsoft gun, but I made him promise not to shoot his leg to test it out. (like someone else we know) I told him he could look at the pictures at coontzclan for curiousity. I still laugh at Tyler. Isaac is loving his age and enjoys growing up. He went to Six Flags for 8 th grade graduation with his class (his dad). They rode Superman 6 times, Bizarro 7 times, Batman 4 times, Nitro 6 times, and El Toro eleven time in a row. They came home with bruises and Isaac's neck and back hurt. This will probably be Erman's last time. We look forward to Isaac's next 4 years in High School!
He is still trying to convince me that I need a facebook. I am amazed at all the people that have facebook. The geneologist at church is teaching a "facebook Geneology" class in Delaware this summer. So, maybe, eventually I will get facebook too. And what is up with this summer weather. I think Grandma and Grandpa brought the Austrialian weather with them to the states! It was 68 in NJ today and it has been raining for about 3 weeks and more is on its way!

The Smithsonian Carousel

We had our first spin about 10 years ago with Grandma and Grandpa Urmston. We had Isaac, and Jaida. Here we are 10 years later with three additions: Kaylin, Landon, and Marissa. My, how things change with a blink of an eye.




The Crusaders watched the young Arab men play games on horseback called “carosella” or “little wars”.

Sir Reginald and his fellow knights would practice on wooden horses that were supported by a central pole suspended from a beam. With the help of the knights’ strong squires, the horses could be moved up and down on the pole, simulating a real ride. The knights could improve their agility without tiring their horses.

The carousel in Washington D.C.was built in 1947 by the Allen Herchell Co. It was previously partner with the Armitage Herchell Co. in 1873. The Allen Herchell Co. was a major employer in the community of North Tonawanda. The factory complex in North Tonawanda is one of the last existing complexes in the United States which housed the production of wooden carousels. It once housed 50 to 75 carvers(from Denmark, Germany, Russia and Italy), a woodworking shop, a paint shop, a storage area, an upholstery shop, a machine shop and a roundhouse in which carousels were assembled and tested before shipping. Carousels from this company were shipped throughout the United States and Canada, as well as to all parts of the world, including South Africa, India, Tahiti, and Mexico. John Wendler owned it in the 30's. It moved to Buffalo, NY in the 50's and was eventually sold to a rival manufacturer of amusement rides Chance Manufacturing of Wichita, Kansas.

148 hand carved carousels still exists today in the U.S. This particular carousel was built in 1947 located in Baltimore MD. It was moved in 1981 to D.C. This one replaced a 1922 worn-out carousel.

After WWII the carousel making industry slowed down due to the need of the carvers and engineers. Carousels are a piece of American History thanks to the 13th century Arabian Crusaders. Not many years after Sir Reginald completed the tournament (and won), wood carvers began to create ever more beautiful and intricately carved horses. They created small carousels that were actually made to turn by real horses tethered to the carousel and walking in a circle around it. You didn’t have to be a chivalrous knight to brave the carousel anymore. Anyone could take a spin!