March 24-30, 2019 Trip to Indiana! Eagle Creek Park, Museum of Art...

March 24-30, 2019

Trip to Indiana -Visit with "L" family, Great Food, Eagle Creek Park, Museum of Art, Thrift Store, Ikea... Great Food, Great Fun, Best of Fellowship!

Hello Friends!

What a fantastic week!!  Yay!  Dd and I visited our good friends, the "L" family in Indianapolis, Indiana.  We met this family in our homeschool group and our friendship has grown each year.  The past two years they invited us to go to the Indiana State Fair with them in the summer; staying with them for a few days taking over their eldest son's bedroom.



Sunday: Day Before our Trip

Sunday at church I was the substitute teacher for our Sunday School class; not that I had much of an opportunity to discuss our lessons!  One of the blessings of our small Sunday School class is that we share our prayer requests and praises before we start our lesson.  I had six minutes left in the class when we wrapped up our prayer so I didn't get very far. Our class has been studying Beth Moore's, Entrusted, a study on 2nd Timothy.  I liked it so well I finished the study last August and have been doing new studies on my own.



 Dd went over to Hailee's house after church and they went to Youth Program together.  She wanted to spend some time with her friend before our BIG TRIP to see our dear friends in Indiana.  Dd and Hailee took our car to the car wash to get that ready.  And I went by two stores collecting fruit to bring and share. Finally, I had to settle down and actually pack my bag, my least favorite thing to do!

 Monday: Day One of Indiana

Monday I had a lot of chores, packing, and cleaning to do before we could drive south to Indiana.  Dd isn't a morning person, but she did wake up fairly early for her.  Speaking of Dd; her friend, Hailee and her mom, too, agreed to come by our house each day to let Henry out and check on the kitties and chickens while Dh was at work.  I think, between the two of them, they visited twice each day.  It sure did make is SO much easier for me to be away when I knew all the critters were being taken care of and minded.

Heather made me a flower 'bunting' for my mantle

Drive Down: Crochet Blanket
Dd was happy to drive to Indy, which allowed me to start a new crochet blanket with my left-over yarns.  I took three strands and tied them together, which is how I've decided I like yarn blankets to be done so they are thick and heavy.  The colors on this blanket are going to be 'interesting,' as I didn't pick out or plan the combination but decided to just use up what I have and accept whatever I get!  Fun!

I just love this crochet blanket Heather made

Dd drove the whole way and breezed past our old house so quickly it was a blur!  James, David, Laura (and Mr. L) were waiting for us when we arrived.  While we waited for Heather to get home we four played some games.  Dd brought a game called Meme Game and it was so much fun; even if I didn't win once I still had fun!  

Monday: Chicken and Salad

Heather finished up her job, she works in a flower shop and came home to make dinner for us.  She made an amazing meal---chicken (dipped in rice flour, scrambled egg, blended rice crispy's put on a cookie tray and melted butter drizzled over the pieces), red potato (quartered and rolled in oil and spices), and the BEST salad (organic spring mix, chopped apple, baked cubed acorn squash, and a homemade oil, orange zest, orange, salt, cumin, and mayonnaise dressing.)

Felt Robin:
I hadn't been at the "L" house an hour before David gave me a felt Robin bird that he had made.  To say I was touched would be an understatement.  Last summer when we visited he also made and gave me a wonderful Robin, sitting in her nest, with three blue eggs!  I've kept it on my bedroom dresser ever since I got home.  I will treasure the new Robin, which is already sitting beside last years, Robin!  What a kind and thoughtful gift to a bird lover!  The "L" kids are just special.



Blueberry Scones:
Somewhere in here, Heather whipped up the most amazing blueberry scones (GF) with the fresh organic blueberries I brought for Laura.  She came to the kitchen and got to eat the blueberries while Heather used the rest of the container in the scones.  The berries were just perfectly sweet!  Then Heather made some Clotted Cream to doppup on top of the scones for a completed masterpiece!  Oh my, was that something to remember for the ages!  Awesome.

Clotted Cream:
In a blender mix up a whole brick of cream cheese, then add 1 cup of whipping cream, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar and keep whipping until smooth and combined.  My stomach definitely didn't like me eating this dairy, but I just had to have a little as Heather had made me this years ago and I loved it so much I mentioned it to her and she wanted to treat me.  So good and yummy; especially on fresh out of the oven scones!

Movie: Mary Poppins Returns

After dinner, we moved the living room furniture and put up their projector to show our movie on the wall.  Mr. "L" is a minister and they had their church's projector, which is actually a small thing that they connect to their laptop.  We watched Mary Poppins Returns and discussed and debated it regarding the original. I went right to bed after the movie was over, but Dd stayed downstairs to play around with the kids.  After Mr. "L" had to come to tell them to quiet down twice they were all sent on to bed!  

Day Two:

Tuesday: Pancakes

I woke up fairly early and had a chance to chat with Dh on the phone on his drive into work.  He didn't sleep well without us home.  He is doing all the morning and evening chores for the critters.  After the call, I went downstairs to watch Heather make pancakes with a new recipe.  One of the many great things about Heather is that she is also Gluten Free, Dairy Free, and other various food restrictions and is so considerate about my food rules.  She was making pancakes with a new mix where the 'flour' mix was primarily based on millet and oat flour.  The pancakes turned out fantastic; they were so hearty and delicious!!!!  

Cello and Bagpipe Practices:

David practiced his cello since we were taking him to his cello lesson at Butler University.  It was great hearing him play.  James also had his bagpipe practice, although his lesson was canceled at the last minute.

Goodwill Pay-By-The-Pound Thrift Store:

After breakfast, we made our lunches to take with us.  We went thrifting together--at the Goodwill Pay-By-The-Pound store and had so much fun!!!  Where to begin?  This is a store very unlike every other thrift store I've ever been to!  At the store, they fill things of the same category into these big tables, with sides, that are on wheels and can be pushed in and out of the room.  There are about 10 of these huge rolling containers of clothes, 2-4 of books, 4 of shoes, 6 of miscellaneous-frames, kitchen, living room odds... and that is how the whole store works.  Then after about 30-60 minutes they come over the intercom and let you know they are about to change out the containers bringing the ones out back to the back and bringing new containers out for us to shop.  I have no idea what happens to all the stuff that goes back in the back of the store.  The sides of the walls around the whole store are lined up with grocery carts that are filled to the brim and covered with a sheet or blanket.  I am guessing the carts belong to the other people shopping among us.  The other customers are seriously tough and know the drill!  They really don't have any politeness for customers like us!  It is something to see when the employees bring out a new bin of shoes and they hustle in and grab pairs up in their arms and dump into their carts, buying every pair of shoes they can find that is a match.  I don't know where they sell them, but it is clear they are there for business and not leisure.  We were there for fun and found some great things!  Dd found two Star Wars fuzzy fleece throw blankets and I bought them to give to her for her birthday.  

Pike Library:

Each time we visit we do the same things--go to Goodwill, Eagle Creek Park, and go to their library!  They have a really great library that has a massive mural of aquatic life painted on the back wall and a very nice aquarium.  The kids returned books and picked out new treasures to take back home.

Butler University:

Then we went to Butler University for David's cello lesson.  Heather and David were busy doing their lesson so the rest of us walked to a little park at the university and had a really nice time.  We found their huge bells and were fortunate to be nearby when they went off at 2pm.  We found a little pond and a fountain and walked all around.  We also found a bronze sculpture of Persephone that was really well done and quite old.

Eagle Creek Park:
The kids were having too much fun playing there games to want to go out on a hike but Heather and I were excited for our hike around the lake.  We really enjoyed our alone time, chatting and planning as we walked.  One interesting topic that came up was my future plans for after Dd goes to college and I'm not teaching and parenting at such a full load.  When I went to college I planned to get my art therapy degree but didn't get into the three art therapy colleges due to my undergraduate GPA being too low.  So, I found another college to work on improving my GPA and getting starting my psychology credits.  In the midst of that my finances were removed and I was left without an art therapy degree, but with a Masters in Arts and Liberal Studies (and almost a second Masters degree).  Anyway, Heather was telling me there might be a chance I could still potentially find a job working within the area of art therapy as the career has opened a little including people who haven't received their degree?  Something for me to look into at least!  Wouldn't that be wonderful, if after all these years I could finally do what I had planned on doing twenty years ago?!!  We will see what the Lord has planned but it was a very encouraging discussion while we walked in the woods and looked out at the lake.  I find the older I get the less talk of planning my future happens and I need to restart my fire and hopes for tomorrow.

Vera: BBC show:
Heather and I share the same lineage of being decedents of the United Kingdom and share similar personalities.  She has more of her gene pool from Scotland where as I am a mutt of England, Wales, and Scotland combined.  I thought she might like one of the mystery shows from BBC that is a particular favorite of mine; Vera.  It is set in Northumberland, England, right on the edge of Scotland.  The episodes always show lots of countrysides and I just love it!  I thought she might like the scenery and the character of Vera too, and I was right!!  We watched one episode and I planted the seed.  While we were at her library we picked up a whole season of the show in case she gets the chance to watch an episode on her own.  The best part of watching Vera is afterward when you can start saying: Ta, Pet, and the other various catch words from that area!  Vera loves calling everyone, "Pet."  It was a great way to wind down after such a busy day!  I think we fit more in than I do in multiple days combined!  Heather was crocheting a daisy-chain mantle decoration for my mantle and I crocheted on a new blanket.  We drank our tea, crocheted and watched our show til bedtime.

Day Three: Wednesday:



Test Pies!
I really had a jolly laugh on Wednesday.  When I came downstairs I found Heather already in the kitchen making apple pies.  A major founder of their local congregation had suddenly passed away, a major figure in their community and his funeral would be a big event and need lots of food provided.  Heather's husband is a minister of their community and was out of town at a conference and wouldn't be able to attend the viewing or funeral.  Heather wanted to contribute pies for the service meal.  I watch her peel and chop and make one GF pie and then fuss over the pie made with wheat flour.  She hasn't made a wheat flour pie in years and the consistency of the dough is very different.  This dough caused her trouble in the dough stage and also when it came out of the oven it was a bit over-done and crumbly.  I thought it all looked great, but I'm easy!  Heather is, if nothing else, a baker and this un-perfect pie were causing her major strife!  She cooks like no one I've ever met and has such divine skill I stand amazed watching her make meals with such ease.  After the pies came out of the oven she mentioned eating them, to which I was totally confused!  Why would we eat the pies she made for the funeral?  Well, silly, because these are the "Test Pies!!!"  Oh my!  I guess the look on my face was something!  I was so surprised she went to all that effort just to judge whether her pie making skills, especially the pie with wheat flour, were up to her high standard.  In the end, she decided her wheat flour pie crust did not make the grade and she would only bake GF pies because her crusts are perfected with that recipe.  I think she was bringing five apple pies to the gathering, five perfectly perfect pies that is!  What an accomplished baker!  Amazing.  I've never even ever made a pie!  Much less a 'test pie!'



After she got the pies in the oven, Heather and I sat on the sofa and had a little crochet time.  For a winter gift, Heather had mailed me a plaid bunting to hang on my fireplace mantle.  I told her how my Dd wanted me to take it down as it is so 'wintery,' but I was enjoying it so much.  Heather decided to crochet me a flower chain of 11 pastel flowers to hang up and replace the plaid one to welcome spring into our home!  Isn't that kind!  She worked on it the whole time we were there and had it completed by the time we had to go home.

 Art Museum:
We had a chance to chat while the kids played.  Heather had a prearranged lunch date with a group of girls and had a little time before she headed out.  I was excited because I had the pleasure of taking J, D, L, and Dd to the art museum.  It used to be called the Indianapolis Museum of Art, but now it is called Newfields.  We had such a great time!!!!  We really covered a lot of art and they were so awesome and interested in it all.  I loved seeing the Georgia O'Keefe's, Joan Mitchell, Lee Krazner, and Martin Puryear pieces.  We packed our lunches before we left home as they let you eat your lunch at their tables, so we sat outside and enjoyed the actually warm spring day.  After lunch, we went back in and saw more galleries before heading outside to the art gardens.  The kids decided they wanted to drive over to their off-site sculpture garden to see their favorite; Funky Bones.  We've gone with them to this sculpture for years and it's great that they all love seeing it together. 



I had such a great time with the kids at the museum, it just might have been my favorite part.  But, it's like comparing apples and oranges because getting to spend time with Heather, just having a friendly chat over a cup of tea was so simply perfect.  I'm so glad to have a friend that enjoys chatting, tea, and crocheting/knitting together.  It is so rare to find someone who is such a good friend and we can be at ease with each other.  So thankful and appreciative for friendship; even if I only get to visit with her once or twice a year it is a real blessing.



Birthday Cake:
As soon as we got home the kids went right back to having fun there---PIT, UNO, Meme Game, and Hit the Deck.  In the morning J and Dd had made a GF cake and then this afternoon they frosted it.  Dd was allowed to pick something to eat while at their house and since her birthday is so close she wanted to imagine what it would be like to have a birthday cake with them.  It didn't exactly turn out how she had imagined it, but it was still very lovely.  They put a layer of raspberry jam between the two circle sheets of cake and then they made a buttercream frosting to cover the whole cake.  Then Heather decorated the top of the cake with dehydrated, sugared lemon slices and Amaryllis blooms that she bought at Trader Joe's.  I'd never seen those before and was so pleased with how yummy they tasted!  We all had a slice as soon as it was decorated!



Post cake, Heather and I crocheted while we looked for editing mistakes on her book that is about to be published on the History of Christmas.  I can't believe how far it has come!  It looks so good, I only wish I could have had another day to read it!  Heather shared with me a series called, Lambing Live, that we found on YouTube.  Oh my, it was mesmerizing!  I was so impressed by how much those farmers loved their lambs!  These families in England have been raising sheep for generations on the same fields with the same dog breeds helping them along.  It was fantastic; can't wait to watch it more.  I love how we share good shows, good books, good conversations, and encourage each other.  What a great day!

Dinner at Ikea, then home for Disco Night:

Disco Night:
While Heather and I were upstairs watching Lambing Live, the kids were having their Disco Night.  They have done this every visit for years, as Laura says, "it's a tradition!"  They have one of those fun disco lights that sit on the floor and get plugged in and it spins colors all around the room.  They have an epic pillow fight, listen to music, and then played a card game.  They always have a blast together.



Day Four: Our last morning together before we headed home:

Thursday:
Before we left, Heather, offered to take us one on the last hike.  I'm not sure why but a new hiking/biking trail is just about to be completed that leads to Eagle Creek Park.  The new trail is just a short 1 3/4 miles long, but the path is a nice view with old trees on one side and a golf course on the other.  Most of the kids came along and made it fun.  It was a cold and chilly morning so we all bundled up and were pleased by the new trail that none of us had walked before.  David and I picked up worms that had been stranded out on the pavement.  At the end of the path, before the park, we stopped at an old massive Galyans Trading Company steel bear sculpture to take pictures.



Heading Home:
When we returned back to their house Dd kicked it into gear and packed up and loaded the car.  It is always the WORST having to leave when you are having such fun and love the people you are visiting so much!  Dd felt so blue she let me drive all the way home.  She did fall asleep a number of times, which was probably much needed.  The drive was thankfully uneventful!  When we arrived we noticed there was a new bird on our fence--a Mourning Dove?!  We haven't had one of those in a long time.  Henry, Agnes, Dickens, Honeysuckle, and all the chickens were so happy to have us back home.  I was impressed Dh actually cooked the chickens rice every day to keep up the spoiling that I do!  Hailee's mom, Amy came to walk Henry every early afternoon and then Hailee would come by after school for his next walk.  I bet he enjoyed all the attention.



Friday:
Dd had done extra homework all last week (and the week before) so she didn't have to scramble to finish her homework on Thursday night; for she left MI all ready for her Friday classes!  Smart kid!  On Friday all she had to do was pack her lunch and go.  Most of the students were missing this week, at least the older teen group she normally sits with at lunch.  There is a once a year event called Teens Encounter Christ, that many invite each other to attend and this years event was held this Friday. 



Hair Dye:
After her classes, Dd came home, did her chores, and then went to Hailee's house to help her with her dye her hair.  I think she just needed some Hailee time to help her get over the hump of leaving the "L" family, which I understand. Somehow in the middle of dying Hailee's hair, she decided she wanted some of that teal/green color in her hair too and asked permission.  I was a bit surprised, but have decided it is harmless and she should have a little fun. Friday was catch-up for me, I stayed home and got things back to normal---laundry, cleaning, walking Henry a lot...

Saturday: Family Tree Work:
This winter has been especially brutal on the trees on our property, and around our whole area to be exact.  How many power outages our area had this winter!!  So many trees, covered in ice and snow fell.  While we were visiting the "L" family, Dh had been using his spare time to chainsaw some fallen trees.  He asked Dd to help him after she helped me with our shopping on Saturday.  Then I decided I didn't want to miss out on the family fun and joined in too!  I just love it when our whole family is working together!  Dh and I did all the chainsawing and Dd split a lot with an ax and also carted and loaded loads of wood from the woods to the truck and then finally from the truck to our outside cabinet Dh made for stacking wood.  We filled both of his containers! It was great to see Dd splitting wood and working hard with us, but for some reason, she wasn't keen on the chainsaw?!?

Barred Owls:
I don't know if it is 'good' news, but the owls are back in our section of the woods.  I'm always afraid they are going to try and fly off with one of my chickens, which might not be very likely since our hens are pretty big and heavy.  This week we have heard two couples talking to each other so it is extra apparent of their presence.  I love hearing them, especially when the hens are safely in the barn at night, safe and sound!



Fence:
I'm planning to clean the old paint off the fence and repaint the fence.  Dh wants me to paint the back yard fencing we took off and mend any broken sections and then put it all back up around our back yard, which is now our enclosed garden.  The picket fencing looked very pretty, but critters could just hop right through and eat our veg so we put up a metal fence to keep the garden secure.



Garden:
I'm planning to start some seeds next week.  I'm ready for fresh spinach, Swiss Chard, lettuce, tomatoes, kale, basil, rosemary....it is time to start some of the seeds.  We've been talking over our plans and what we want to grow and in which beds.  Although I can get all consumed with my garden I need to be able to focus on the flooring and fencing this year too.  I'm really tired of this old floor!



Dd's Academic Progress:

Bible:
Church, Sunday School, Youth Program
Independent Bible Study: Word of Life and Awaken: 90 Days with the God Who Waits by Priscilla Shirer

David made Laura this cute stuffed animal (Squishy)

Grace Classes:
Cultural Geography (BJU)
Spanish I (BJU and DuoLingo everyday)
Algebra I (Saxon)
Introductory Logic 
Exploring Economics (Ray Notgrass)
The logic class is extremely difficult for Dd, she really hit a wall this week in class and came home absolutely depleted.  We are hoping for a "C" in this class.  She is doing really super in all her other classes, but Logic seems to be her weak spot.



Home Economics:
Baked a Cake and made various meals



Hikes:
Eagle Creek Park x 2
Art Museum Garden hike

Art:
Visited the Newfield's Art Museum: 3 hours
in Indianapolis, Indiana

Dd and I gave David this fun oversized mug--he loves Star Wars and big mugs.

Next Weeks-Months:
Dh and I have been making plans for what we hope to accomplish this spring.  Top of our agenda is finally putting down flooring throughout our house.  When we bought this house the house was covered in 35-year old nasty carpet that many pets had soiled many times.  Within the first week, I personally had pulled out every single bit of that offense and expelled it!  Then for a temporary solution, I painted the floors, throughout the house, with a stone-colored paint and many layers of polyurethane.  The stone paint has held up well in the basement with the cement floors, but the particle board floors on the main level have chipped and chipped leaving small circles of yucky particle board showing.  We are trying to decide what kind of flooring to put where.  So far, we have decided to see if we can afford oak hardwood flooring for the main level and a laminate for the basement.  The basement here is partially underground and moisture is an issue we want to be careful about and the laminate would be the best choice.

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