Junior Toolbelt

John was a big help putting in the living room baseboard. In this photo he is installing the toughest section. The two baseboard vents in this wall meant that we had to cut a precise notch in the baseboard to fit around the vents.

Also this wall is a full 18 foot run and the longest baseboard length is 16 feet. So we put two splices on this wall both on or near the vents. John's favorite job was using the tape measure and stud finder to determine where to nail. I suppose we could have counted it as a math class, but we want the kids to simply appreciate and apply learning, not simply look for ways to "punch the ticket."

A couple of weeks prior, John helped by sanding the vents to prep them to be painted. The previous owner had put masking tape on the vents, then painted over the tape.

We had to go to a millwork dealer to buy the right baseboard design to match the foyer. Both Home Depot and Lowe's no longer carry that design. The millwork dealer not only had the matching design, it was $.10 per foot less than the big boxes and they cut the 16 foot lengths to my specs to fit into the van. Let's hear it for independent businesses!

Garage Surprise

...I opened my garage and there it was!

Earlier this fall we had our driveway repaved and the event provided some strange sights, like a paver in the garage or a dump truck in the driveway.

The crew came by to pave a neighbor's driveway and then knocked on doors to finish with their load of asphalt. The price was fairly reasonable compared to previous estimates we received.

The driveway was over 15 years old and beginning to dissolve in spots. Now we have a good surface for the winter snow. But moreover we have a nice hedge. Asphalt is a petroleum product that will probably get pricier in the coming years.

Much to be thankful for...

"Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things."

Psalm 117:8-9

Weak Excuse Department

Sorry to post so infrequently in the past few weeks but my internet connection has been slow and intermittent. For example, I have yet to be able to upload the video of the pinata burst from Janine's birthday party.

But it's not completely Verizon's fault. My computer is four years old and full of digital wool. Yesterday I ran Ad Aware and found a couple of things that were probably slowing things down.

Sometime over the holidays I plan to perform a computer lobotomy and reinstall the OS. It will be an exciting day full of disk shuffling, downloading and holding my breath. If, as the Brits say, all becomes pear-shaped, I can borrow the kids' computer while mine is in the shop.

Father/Daughter Dance

Janine just started with a Brownie Troup this past September. So two weeks ago we went to the Girl Scout Parent/Daughter dance as noted on the invitation here. (For us and for most it is the Father/Daughter dance.)

We had a great time overall practicing steps the day before. Then we went out for dinner at our favorite nearby Mexican restaurant before the dance.

The older girls were nice enough to take our picture at the entrance. (see below) But once we got in the school gym it was bedlam. Torrents of 6 to 10 year old girls were running around the place while all the dads stood at the edge and chatted.

Janine and I danced to YMCA which negated the need for any practice at all. But we both had fun and will return for more next year.

Party Line-up

Here's the partial line-up for Janine's party.

From left: Janine, Sara, Jenny, Kaitlyn, Jesse and Anna. Big sister Sarah, and brother John are in the background.

The party activities got going with multiple crafts in store to keep us all occupied. Sarah P. as usual was a big help leading the activities and herding the girls around.

Here's Grace, who had not yet arrived in time for the top photo, painting a picture with Sara.

Then there's Anna and Jenny doing the same...


Because the girls arrived and left in stages, Sarah P. planned the cake and ice cream in the middle of the party with activities both before and afterwards.

Birthday Decorations

Sarah really pulled out all the stops to decorate the family room for Janine's birthday. While it was not a complete surprise, Janine slept in on her birthday, so she was pleased with the volume and theme of the decorations.

My favorite touch is the Christmas lights. Sarah had them strung across her room and shared them with Janine for the celebration.

More on that next...

That's NOT a dog...

...it's a fox. Sarah snapped this photo this morning as a fox came through our yard and lingered by the swing-set. Naturally, all school work stopped with this excitement. (Sorry about the resolution. Because the fox was moving quickly, Sarah took the photo through a window that still has its screen in it.)

I am glad to see a fox again. This spring we saw a female fox guiding her kits across the street. Then this summer a fox was hit and killed on a busy road nearby.

I was concerned for the kits as well as for control of the local rodent population. Perhaps one of the kits has grown to patrol this area. Good for him.

Janine's Birthday

Janine turned eight yesterday, so we had a party for her today. Using the standard formula, we invited eight girls and all of them could come, but not at the same time!

So we had a continuous party from 1:30 to 4:00 this afternoon. In fact some of the girls are still here as I write this post!

Sarah is the party queen. She came up with the ideas for most of the activities. Even better, she lead all the girls in painting flowers, suncatchers, a giant happy birthday sign, even making scarves.

Look for more later...

Glad we missed that one

Janine's Brownie troop had their first outing while we were on vacation. Today was her first meeting after returning.

Unfortunately one of the girls got poison ivy on her face. Heck, we don't have to go on any outing to do that! We just go into the woods bordering our backyard.

Thankfully through recognizing the leaves and spraying as much of it as we can, we all have been able to avoid it for the past few years.

Sunday - Going home

On Sunday morning we left to return home, but we brought back with us many memories of the vacation. Here is one of my favorites, all my girls down at the beach.

I don't know what they are looking for in this photo, but it was a great opportunity to get everyone in the same picture.

The drive home was long. On every long car trip, Bobbie helps out by reading a book out loud. This year she read The 21 Balloons on the drive to Richmond and Carry on Mr. Bowditch on the rest of the trip. She finished Mr. Bowditch by the time we got to Breezewood.

But home was still two and a half hours away across the most treacherous part of the PA Turnpike. Thankfully we all arrived safe and sound at about 10 PM Sunday night.

On Monday when I put the Thule roof box away until next year, I left some of the sand in the bottom of it just for old time's sake. It was a great vacation.

Saturday - Pack up

We first stayed at the Heart of Duck vacation house in 2001 when it was still called Bailey's Irish Dream. On the morning we were packing up to go we found tiny ants had invaded one of the bags. Because Bobbie and I had to work fast, we asked the kids to sit on the steps so we would not step on them. I took a picture of it as a cute scene of the three kids.

Well this year we have four, and thankfully no ants!

Friday - Sun and wind

After Thursday's rain, the wind picked up. While it was 85 or so during the day, the 20 mph wind made the beach a little challenging.

We all got down to the beach after breakfast but it was too challenging for some of us. So we swam in the pool at the house. It was quite cold at first, but one got used to it quickly.

Later, we opened up the hot tub at John's insistence. Getting into the pool was much easier after that. But as Sarah found out, getting and staying on the air mattress was tough, especially when you little sister is pulling you around the pool.

Thursday - Shopping

Janine looks like she needs the coffee in this photo. Her sister was shopping her under the table.

Thursday was the obligatory day of rain during our vacation week, so we all went shopping in Duck village. There are three mini-malls of trendy shops in the village. While Janine sat on a stylized bench in front of one of these shops Sarah was inside surveying the fashions.

We went back to the house for lunch then we were off to one of the other mini-malls. Thankfully they all closed by 5:00.

The weather cleared late in the day, so we were able go to the beach after dark.

Wednesday - Happy Birthday on the sandbar

All week last week the Coast Guard was either patrolling the shoreline or conducting training exercises. Most days we saw a Blackhawk helicopter, but on Wednesday this C 130 flew up and down several times.

We almost needed it. The surf was pretty strong all week and it had formed a sandbar about a quarter mile out where the water was only three feet deep. Because the waves broke across it there were several people standing on it with boogie boards riding in on the odd wave. Sarah and John got out there too using the small boogie board that was in the service closet at the vacation house.

Then John got out a little too far. Sarah called to him as he fought the waves. Bobbie noticed this and swam out to John. She realized that they were on the edge of a rip current and swam parallel to shore away from it.

At this time the, lifeguard on patrol was on shore ready to help if she got the signal. Thankfully both Bobbie and John got in just fine.

Just in time so we could go out to dinner to celebrate Bobbie's birthday. Here we are at one of the Outer Banks' finest restaurants. While most of the restaurants there are warehouses of food, this one is patterned on a French bistro with small tables and great food. I was glad to find such a nice place to celebrate Bobbie's birthday.