To sleep . . . or NOT to sleep!

I do enjoy traveling with my grandchildren.  I never know what will happen.  Will they get in trouble? will they chatter a mile a minute?  will they fight and wrangle or snuggle up and sleep? 

It is so sweet when they do. 

This is a classic photo.  Don't know that Joey is asleep . . .

but if not he's sure fighting it!  Good of the two! 

I've got lots of good memories of slumber parties on the cabin floor.  My children always wanted to sleep up in the loft and some of the bairns are now starting to want that -- but there's been lots of nights like this.  Of course, my favorites are slumber parties on the screened porch.  In my whole life, I have slept best on the top of the houseboat in the middle of the lake and on my front screened porch. 

Now, I don't think this is sleeping atall!  I think this is rough housing on Nana's one and only cabin bed.  I think Morghan might be honking her PaPa's nose?  And Jack must be planning his next attack because Jack doesn't just lay around doing nothing. 

Now, this sweet little dumplin' isn't sleeping but her eyes are almost closed and she is so sweet that I couldn't resist this pic. 

Nothing is as special as cousins.  Bella is clueless here . . . doesn't care if she's being mauled by her cousin Audri or rocked in the arms of her Mama.  Bella is zonked!  And Audri enthralled. 

This visit (above and below), Gabby and Joe didn't sleep.  Well, didn't sleep except for Joey on the 4-wheeler.  I took the wee ones on an hour's country drive, thinking I would lull them to sleep for there nap . . .  but it didn't happen : )  And look at these faces, why would a Nana want the children to nap?  What cuties!   lol 

We are sure glad they slept the next visit!  and are good sleepers now!

Some babies don't sleep.  For awhile. After birth.

They have to get used to this earth and the new life. 

Some babies are wide eyed. 

Doesn't he just look like a little man?  lol 

Morghan Grace was a good sleeper for Nana tho she's not even thinking about sleeping here.  I've had fun looking through old photos and using some that aren't so familiar to us and reloving my grandbabies!    This one is adorable! 

And here's Maddie Mae. 

In the previous photos (saved on file), Maddie was howling and failing her arms and then her daddy talked to her and she calmed and relaxed.  Sweet!

And then the two youngest. 

This is just another classic picture

of two sweet babes.

Sweet dreams!  love you all, Nana

The Weaning Pen

Photo by Gary Austin

Chapter 1

Grampa George Washington Wilson married, had seven children and was widowed.  A few years later, Grampa Wilson married again and had seven more children.  Grampa Wilson worked hard, spent his money frugally and attained many many acres of land in southern Union County. 

As each of his children grew to maturity and married, they were put up in this little house for the first year or so.  It was just down the road a piece and I imagine it gave the daughters and or the parents some comfort to know that family was close.

The place came to be called The Weaning Pen. 

After that first year or so when Grampa Wilson found the right piece of ground, the married couple would move on to the wedding present, an 80-acre farm somewhere in southern Iowa. 

Chapter 2

Thirteen children were deeded farms after their marriage.  Some stayed on the original farm, some sold them and bought better or bigger or closer to somewhere.  One daughter married a vagabond husband, one with wanderlust and after the first farm was bought and sold for them, Grampa Wilson bought daughter Mattie and her husband Robert Austin a town house.

The house in Arispe was small, just 4 rooms with a little yard and a couple of sheds or outbuildings. And I'm pretty sure it had an outhouse out back!  The house was deeded or set up so that Mattie and Rob couldn't sell the house until all their children reached their majority.  It was tied up so Mr. and Mrs. R. B. Austin had a house to come home to.

Rob and Mattie would strike out for Pine Island, MN to homestead.  They'd live there awhile, have another child,  burn out or get sick and head back home to Arispe and the little house.  Or they would move up to Fort Dodge to barber, starve out and come home.  Lived at Winterset.  Lived on Grampa Wilson's farm one summer.  Lived at Brainerd, Mn.  but would end up back home in Arispe. 

The Arispe house might have been rented out.  There might be tenants living in it.  It didn' matter, if Rob and Mattie and seven children showed up at the door some dark, rainy night needing their house back, they moved right in with the tenants and co-habitated until the renters founds another place. 

I sure can't imagine doing that but that's the way they did in those days, my Dad told me.  Now I wish I had a picture of the Arispe house to stick in here.  Well, sometime soon, I'll get one and tuck it up in here for future reference.

PS:  not long after Jerry, the youngest son and child reach 18 or 21 (I forget which!), Gramma and Grampa sold the house . . .

DAMM CATSUP BOTTLE GOT ME!!

02/15/2012

Written by Boi
Ok, this has to be told for all to know.  The most lovely wife is a "greenie". She is into recycling, so whenever we use a can of veggies, milk bottle, containers of any sort, we have to wash them in the dishwasher so later down the line, someone can throw them into a crusher or melt them down to be made into who knows what. Anyway, I try to appease her, and mostly try to do her bidding, but once in awhile, when i'm in a hurry, i'll just throw the container in the trash, and cover it with other trash, so she won't notice the direful deed i had committed. ANYWY, a couple of weeks ago, in a hurry, i threw a plastic catsup bottle into the trash can and buried it so she would'nt find it. And it worked, I thought, until today, when she stated she was going to recycle some things. Then, she said it: I'm missing a catsup bottle!! I didn't hesitate,as I was caught. I silently laid my head on her shoulder in pretend shame and guilt, then burst out laughing, and I couldn't stop. She was missing a damm catsup bottle. We both laughed and I still laugh when I think of her digging thru the trash to see what i've thrown away. Oh, life is great!!  I can hardly wait for what is next.

Our Kitchen

In 23 years our kitchen has seen a lot and done a lot.  There's been some fabulous meals and baked goods coming out of this room.  Our oven has roasted big birds, and small birds, baked casseroles, runzas and cinnamon rolls galore.  And looking ahead, there's much more to come! 

Remembering past successes,

here's just a few great momentscaptured on film! 

(oh, that made me sad because none of these are captured on film --

these photos are all digitally captured, saved and stored! 

On the other hand, what fun digital photos and cameras!

It is a curse and a blessing : )  but, back to the subject at hand.

Himself's Pork chops.

Oh yum.

Imagine these with mashed potatoes and gravy.   

Glorified Tuna Sandwich w/home grown tomatoes and Provalone.

Makes my mouth water (but not his!)
Delish!

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds -

We have experimented.

Some win.  some lose! 

OMG!  What's that in my kitchen!!

Birthday Cakes

Too many too count! 

3 times 6 and 4 times 7

28 and 11!

He's a young thing and cannot leave his mother!

(oh, errr . . . sorry.  I got carried away.)

Pickles, Peppers, Pickled Peppers

Relishes and canned tomatoes.

That is almost a poem. 

Wait!  We didn't bake that one! 
But it is cute and has a 4-wheeler on it!  

Oh boy.  I don't know what that is! 

Stop! don't eat that! 

But the grilled, barbeque chicken breast

 closest to Himself looks good! 

Easter Eggs.

Died cloth.

Died hair.

Experimental open heart surgery.

Well almost.

We've tried about everything in this kitchen

including these beauties displayed in Gramma's crockery bowl -- 

homemade muffins.  Yumm! 

Much has passed through this kitchen, across the stove, through the oven. 

Through the teeth and over the tongue,

look out stomach! 

Here I come!  oops.   

But this? 

What on earth?

What does Himself have to say about this?

TP IN OVEN



guess you will have to ask him. 

Abbacadabra !!

From this . . .

and this . . .

to This! 

Magical!  Love this room with the angles and hall.

And of course, the color green and the built in audio.

Pretty cool!

(and the play kitchen around the corner!  lol)

Morghan Grace

Happy 13th Birthday, Morghan Grace.

Nana loves you!

I put these pics in from birth order, upwards . . . and what happened?  Blogger scrambled my photos . . . at first I thought, Yikes!  I've got to sort these pics all out again.  Then, thinking it through, I realized that 13 years of memories don't come thru in chronological order.  These precious memories pop into our minds at odd and various times.  They come to warm our hearts a minute and then (especially in my old mind!) they are gone again until another day and another time reminds us of that special memory.  Thank goodness for my photo albums!  I have had a lot of joy and fond memories in my stroll tonight through the last 13 years with Missie.  Miss Morghan.  Morghan Grace, my first and bestest oldest granddaughter.

                                                              Love you, Missie Morghan!

                                                                    Happy teenage years.



Craig

Prankster

Father

Family Man

Tease

Willing Participant

4 Generations

Wrestler . . . and in this case "Loser"

And the Winner IS!  Gabrielle!

Uncle

and Uncle a bunch of times . . .

Married Man
Love this wedding photo!

Happy 36th Birthday, son o' mine.