I spy

We have a new visitor. I saw something strange yesterday, I was watching out the back window as Chris was having his snack and we were doing homework. Chris calls out, "SQUIRREL!" No he wasn't doing just a quote from UP!
There really was a squirrel. I watched as she pulled a pair of dying leaves off one tree, and hopped to another tree, a mostly dead tree, and disappeared.



Do you see what I see?



So sweet, little Squirrely Squirrelson making herself at home in our mostly dead tree. I hate to tell her I was thinking on cutting it down in February.

Our old new baby

This week a dream came true for our family.
It started long long ago, when a young girl named Marie Grady and her sister played the piano. Marie married my Great Grandpa, Homer Bagg in 1910. As a wedding present from her family, they were given a 1909 Steinway Baby Grand. They were transferred to Ft. Multrie, KS where they had a little boy, Homer Jr. He retired to La Jolla, CA. When Homer Jr. was 18 he joined the Army, and changed his name, on purpose mind you, to James Bagg. (Yup, Jim Bagg before there was a Gym bag.) Upon Grandma Marie's death, Grandpa Jim and Meb gave the piano to my Dad, who though he didn't play, my Mom did, and she played well. My sister and I took piano lessons on it, but more often than not, just listened to my Mom play.

Long ago, my sister and I were duking it out as to who would get the piano. But of our generation, only Eric still plays; he double majored in music and computers, so it certainly will get a lot of use here, so Lisa graciously let us have dibs. When we were in New York, my Dad asked if I'd like the piano for Christmas since we now have room for it. I cried. And so it was delivered on Wednesday. We should have it all set and tuned in time for Christmas tunes!

It terrified us to see it moved. My Dad couldn't watch. I was intrigued, from a scientific standpoint. But I had to hold one of the kids, under the guise of keeping them away from getting trampled by a piano, but mostly to remain calm myself. Somehow 'having to be calm for the kids' keeps me more calm. The movers were wonderful, so thorough, they didn't move until they were doing, where they were going, set. They even parked on the street, because they didn't want to mess up our new driveway. Apparently concrete and giant trucks don't do well.



They had a wood plank they put down on any step so they could roll right over it. That's how they got it up our steps.



Up into the house through the doorway, this was where I was the most nervous. But I am Extremely thankful to my husband who made sure we have very wide doors and doorways. :)



Each leg was disconnected, but labeled ages ago, since when this piano was made, each leg was a bit different, very custom you know since it wasn't done on an assembly line.



They put two of the legs in, hammered them in place with a rubber mallet, then tipped it over, and got the third leg in. Oh, I was so nervous, but as you can see it was padded and secured the whole time. Now it is in place. And it's not moving for a while.



Both boys watched as they brought it in. Chris was more interested in the big move, and Sam wanted to play it as soon as it was vertical. So I let him. I have no problem letting the kids play the piano. Our rule with this piano will be the same as our old one, "Only Clean Hands on the piano" So no dirty hands, and no toys in or on the piano. So far, so good, but it's only been 3 days. :)



Sam wanted me to tickle the ivories too. But I didn't stick with it long enough like Eric did, so all I can really play is part of Heart and Soul, or Chopsticks.



I did play them! I did tickle these ivories. They are genuine ivory too. It was made before they put an outlaw on ivory keys. But the piano hasn't been tuned in somewhere around 15 years. So it's going to take us a while, time and tunings, to get her into concert shape.



In the mean time, it doesn't matter if it's tune or not, when the boys give us their own concert. They make Beautiful Music!

Wordless Wednesday

Whirlwind Weekend

What a Crazy Awesome weekend!

Friday night, our friends the Meyaard Pfanschmidts came over. Some friend were getting married, and Amy was in the wedding. So they came down for slumber parties after the rehearsal dinner. Too bad the kids were exhausted, the little ones were out cold, but the big ones were still too thrilled to have a slumber party. Woohoo! Jamma Jamma Jamma Jamma! P! J!



Story time was great. It's refreshing to have girls who really sit quietly and listen to bedtime stories instead of behaving like Sam climbing all over me like a jungle gym as I try to read.



The kids weren't inclined to sleep in much Saturday morning either. They held out until 7, which isn't too bad... unless you're exhausted from the night before. We may need some curtains in the Butler bedroom. And they were adorable curling up watching cartoons.



Baby Liam (who is 1 1/2, but I'm still going to call him Baby) was a boy on the Go, all over the place, which is why there aren't any pictures of him until this one. He finally collapsed in the living room to watch cartoons, and Fina curled up to Guard him. The two of them (Fina and Liam) chased each other all ove the house this weekend. So Adorable.



The wedding of Jill and Craig!



This was not just your every day wedding, but the joining of two friends from Butler. They were a few years apart in school, both in the marching bad, both in TBS and KKPsi but only had vague knowledge of each other. And then 13 years later E-harmony brought them together again, so they gave it a go and they fell in love, and they just got married to go live Happily Ever After.



It was a Beautiful ceremony, lots of Love, actually really reminded me of my own wedding. Sigh. And Wowza by the way, Everybody cleans up so nicely!

We hit the reception, but turns out I'm not as young and crazy as I used to be. I danced a bit, but the heat and the noise were getting to me. I was quite Thankful we didn't bring the kids, but I missed them, they would've had a great time dancing with friends too. I swear as the evening progressed, I think the staff cleared the water glasses away and turned up the music at the same time, in some sort of cahootz to get us out. Well, it worked on me. The next morning, Amy and I did a spot of shopping before they had to hit the road and we had brunch with some friends who were in town visiting for the wedding. I wish this weekend could've lasted weeks instead of mere days. Exhausting as it was, it was so refreshing to visit with my friends who have moved far away. I miss them. So Much. This may have been the last double Butler wedding. I don't know of any Butler band couples headed for the aisle, so we're just going to have to find alternatives of getting the 'band back together'.

Harvest Time

There's something simply beautiful about Indiana in the fall.

Maybe it's the Amber waves of grain, specifically field after field of corn. I guess I missed it too much when we lived in California for that few years, because one of my favorite things about fall is the neverending fields of beautiful browning corn. Around here the last week or so the farmers have been harvesting. The corn is nice and dry and great for Feed or grinding. We were lucky to sample some sweet corn in the summer, but this time of year isn't the time for fresh corn. I worked doing QA at a corn mill, for a few years and beginning of October was our new crop.

I was lucky to snag a few before and after pics on the country roads this last week near our place.



Love the drying corn before harvesting. "Them's gonna be some happy pigs, get to eat that."



Row after row after row.








After harvesting.




Check out all the schmultz left behind.





My favorite.

Purple State of Mind

So, Live and Love out Loud is having a Purple contest. I popped over to the old neighborhood to see if I could find anything. I lucked out. Pretty Purple Cabbage!



I will say this. I love my old neighborhood.




Whoever gets this house will be lucky to live there. I had nice neighbors. No one ever shot bebes at our house, or report us to the town or county. I can't say that for the new house. We have nice neighbors here, but we also have some Not Nice ones. But I loved this old house. I loved living here. A friend of mine told me it would be our Bethlehem, because it was the house where I brought my babies Home. So many memories, such abundant blessings. And she's right. I dream about there. And even the thought of this house selling and being gone from our lives forever makes me so sad.



I'm in a state of confusion; Happy, Sad, Stressed, Crazy, yeah that's about it. We've had a nibble on the old house. OK, more than a nibble. But I hesitate to shout too loudly. Shhh.. An offer has been accepted.




I drove by there this weekend, just to take a look around, and left in tears. After the potential buyers agreed to a price last week, they insisted upon an Inspection. And that was fine, that didn't make me cry, just the finality. And the Reality.
The Inspector was super nit-picky, and gave us a long list of 'problems'. Eric thinned the herd a bit, narrowing it down to three groups, 1. ones we could afford to fix, 2. we could do, but it would take a nice chunk of time and money, and 3. potential to be quite expensive...the potential deal breakers, if you will. They countered with the request that we do all group one and one item from group 3, the biggie was a request to get a HVAC Certified Technician out to look at the furnace because the inspector thought our gas flame was not the proper height. We were worried that something might be wrong. First, some Good News: The flame height and gas pressure are within "normal operating limits". Then the Bad News: The Heat Exchanger was cracked. More Good News: The Heat Exchanger is still under its 19-year parts warranty. WOOHOO! But the Bad News: The labor cost of replacement is nearly $800.
Good News: They completed the work this afternoon.
Ugh. There's a big part of us all stressed out because we don't know if we can afford to sell the house, but we can't afford to hang on to it any more. This double mortgages business is for the birds. Eric tells me it's time. And sure it is. We're Blessed to be living in our Dream House. How few people of our age get the privilege of building and living in their dream home. We are so Lucky. On the other hand, this old house kept me pretty safe for 13 years. And we were happy. And God gave us not just one, but two miracle babies. And this house kept us all safe. And we were happy.
I pray that the people that build this house are happy there too. I pray that they are as Blessed by this home as we have been. There are many wonderful things about this place, like this.

Spontaneous Snapdragons!



I planted snapdragons a couple summers back, and in the fall, they just pop up. I was thrilled to find this fuschia one blooming. So pretty. Almost purple. But beautiful. I hope they find wonderful suprises like Spontaneous Snapdragons.

A Frosty Morn

How Perfect for the day after Halloween, the first of November, to the be epitome of a chilly fall morning, frost lying gently on the ground.



I found all these on the edge of my driveway. Wow! I tell you, I'm not used to having giant trees give off beautiful leaves. I'm really enjoying it this season.



Not necessarily enjoying the return of the cold. Though the boys were thrilled to break out their winter coats, but by afternoon, of course, they didn't need them. It was a beautiful day.



I love Fall. Is it my favorite season? I don't know. I love them all. It is Beautiful the way God makes cold death so lovely.