The Land of Lincoln!

2012-2013 School year -- Done

4-H Enrollment paper work -- Done

2 (LONG) weeks of Professional Development --Done

Family vacation -- Done

Here are some shots from the first part of our vacation:   "The Land of Lincoln"!

New Salem; the village where Abe Lincoln spent six years before beginning his political career.  While in New Salem, Lincoln ran a general store, worked as Post Master, and spent some time in northern Illinois serving as a captain in the Blackhawk War. 

The Illinois State Capitol Building;  embarrassingly enough, this is not our children's first state capitol tour.  We toured the KY state capitol two years ago...  Illinois has the 2nd tallest capitol building of all the 50 states.  (I don't remember which state is tallest.)  The Capitol Building in D.C. is significantly shorter.

After Lincoln moved to Springfield and married Mary Todd, the couple moved to this home where they lived until their move to the White House.  After President Lincoln was assassinated, Mary Todd lived with her sister Elizabeth and then her son had her committed to an asylum for the mentally impaired. 

The Old State Capitol;  this is the actual spot where Abe Lincoln sat, this is NOT his actual hat, though.  We saw one of three remaining hats that he owned at our next stop, the Lincoln Library and Museum.

At the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum, we got to meet the Lincolns!  Well, at least a wax replica.  This museum is a MUST SEE!!! You are taken on a journey through Lincoln's life.  The Library part is interesting too, but by the time we got to that part of the building, the kids were TIRED and our feet hurt and we were hungry and, well, you know how it goes...  We just did a quick look-around the exhibits about the "Boys in Blue", the soldiers who fought in the Civil War.  I'd have liked to spent more time there, but maybe another time.



Lincoln's Tomb:  our last stop!  We all had to rub Abe's nose for good luck.  When I visited the tomb as a kid, it was closed.  This was the first time I was inside the actual tomb/monument. 

We learned a lot, we had fun, and that ended the first half of our vacation! Stay tuned for part 2...

Meet me in St. Louis!

An afternoon at the pond!

Saturday afternoon after chores were done, we loaded up the fishing poles and headed out to Dave's mom and dad's pond.  It was a wonderful late-afternoon, early-evening to be out "on the water". 

Danny caught the first fish--thank goodness... He'd been driving us NUTS all week with "When can we go fishing?  When can we go fishing?  When can we go fishing?"  He was so desperate to go fishing, he even bought the worms with his own money!  Thanks, Danny :)

The fishing pole situation went pretty well, all the big-kid poles were pretty much ready to go, we had to add a new hook here or a sinker there, but over all, everyone was fishing with in minutes of arrival. 

Dave took one for the team by using the "Tigger" fishing pole, circa 2004--Danny's 3rd birthday!  (The girls eventually got bored and shared their poles with us!)

Drew became as master of the rod and reel.  I was brought up on  "button pole" and it wasn't until I met Dave that I ever fished with a non-button pole (I'm sure there is a technical term for the non-button pole reel).  Anyway, my old button pole is a piece of junk all these later, so all we have are the ones with the veil-thingy.  I had it in my head that Drew was too young to be using anything but a button pole, but he was a natural!  I showed him how to cast once and he was instantly a professional.   (Notice in the picture how his pole is bent over, he's reeling in a big one!  Sort of...)

The girls never cast their own lines, but they had fun reeling in the bobbers and the occasional empty hook.  We were surprised by how content they were to just relax and watch the water!

Even I caught a fish, I caught one of only 2 sunfish, the rest of our catches were icky bull heads.






In case you're wondering:  No, we didn't have fish for supper!

Things to be thankful for today...

Things I am thankful for today include but are not limited to:

Wellness:  Holly is feeling much better today after a bout of the stomach flu yesterday.  It was a classic 8 hour bug, she's back to her normal, chatty (VERY chatty) self today!

Fun Runs:  Yesterday's Crooked River 5K race was my most enjoyable race out of the last 4 years of my running 5ks.  I had a fantastic run with one of my dearest friends, Keli.  We just jogged and chatted, chatted and jogged.  It was delightful. 

My clean house and clean laundry:  After the race, we were trapped at home while Holly fought her bug.   So, I cleaned the house in the morning, then the oldest and the youngest went "farming" with Dave in the afternoon.   Drew and I lounged around on the couch and finished our library books while the washer and dryer did their job. 

Peace and serenity:   The sun came up this morning!  I hopped on my bike and did a quick 8 mile tour out and around Pecatonica.  The birds were chirping, it was nice and cool, those purple and white wildflowers in the ditches smell AmAzInG!  AND:  I saw a fox!!! A real, live, adorable fox!!! He (or she) was coming up from taking a drink out of the creek.  I don't think I've ever seen one so up-close.  He (or she) looked not quite full grown, but I really have no idea.   I tried to snap a picture quickly with my phone, but he (or she) got camera shy right as I was about to click a pic. 

So, today I do not have a new car, I do not have a nice, big, fancy house, my clothes are late 2012-Old Navy, but life is still pretty darned okay!

My very brief stint as "soccer mom"...

I know, I know... If you are going to have a successful blog, you need decent content and steady posts...

Well, life has been busy for the Dalys lately.  That's my only excuse.

The last few weeks have been filled with Running Club (Drew), farming (Dave), 2 piano lessons per week (Drew AND Holly), and soccer (Holly). 

Soccer was supposed to be Tuesday and Thursdays from 6-7pm for 5 weeks in April and May, but it more or less worked out to only once a week due to bad weather, a middle school band concert, and a kindergarten program.  We had to drive to Winnebago for it, so that added up to another 14 minutes of my week gone out the window, too. 

She had fun though!

She learned some fundamentals (not many, but at least she knows which way to kick the ball and where to kick it!)

And it was worth a 'free' t-shirt and a scoop of frozen custard from Culvers!!!  I mean, really, who doesn't need a bright orange t-shirt?


P.S.  She gets the tongue-sticking-out thing from her father. 

Orange Crush Cake!

Yesterday afternoon I was strolling through Valli Produce and spotted something that got my taste buds thinking:  An Orange Crush Cake.  It looked DELICIOUS!  It was bundt shaped (my favorite shape), it was glazed (my favorite topping), and obviously made with Orange Crush Soda (the sticker on the front was the official sticker of the pop).  Well, let me tell you right now:  I do NOT buy baked goods.  I bake baked goods.  Because I'm a lifelong 4-Her. 

I made a mental addition to my Woodman's list:  Yellow cake mix, an orange, and a can of orange flavored soda (Sunkist TEN was on sale). 

Then, Sunday afternoon was experiment time!  I mixed the pop (12 oz.) and cake mix, greased up my bundt pan,  poured in the batter and baked for 40 minutes.

After cooling for about 10 minutes, I poured on my glaze (powdered sugar and milk).  I sprinkled on some orange zest and VIOLA!!! Orange "Sunkist" DELICIOUSNESS!!! times 1000!!!!

This guy had 2 servings --after polishing off his own steak, a salad, and some potatoes, too! 

This gal gave the cake two thumbs up, too!

By my calculations, the cost was $1.90 for the entire thing (compared to Valli Produce's $4.99!) and the pop I used was only 10 calories, so each serving was around 130 calories if you cut the cake into 10 pieces (minus the glaze and ice cream).  I will DEFINITELY make this one again.   

P.S.  I know you are all insanely jealous of my 1970's Burnt Orange bundt pan.  You're just going to have to work through that on your own. 

The Nation's Most and Least Satisfied Workers...

This afternoon as I sat down to scroll pinterest for a few minutes (I mean hours), the article on my homepage was about the nation's most and least satisfied workers. 
GUESS WHO IS THE SECOND HAPPIEST WORKER?!?!?!?!   High school teachers!!!
I was relieved, in a way, to read this because our district is experiencing a minor hiccup right now... (some would argue a major belch,) but all in all, I think we all do LOVE what we're doing, it's just the political garbage that is bringing us down.

Here's what the article said about High School Teachers, Special Education Teachers, and Teacher Assistants:
Their well-being index score= 73.6%  (100% would be perfect well-being)
                                   obesity= 79.4%  (This is a bummer, 79.4% of teachers are obese?!?!)
         Percent Satisfied w/Job= 91.1% (100% would be completely satisfied with job)

The article also reported that "teachers were the most likely workers to report that they smiled or laughed, experienced enjoyment or happiness within the past day." 
These teachers also ate healthy diets, second after nurses! 

Some minor and major things need to change in our district, and I have faith and confidence that they will.  The tides will change, everything is cyclical, it's education's turn to be in the hot seat...  But, the fact is this:  It's Sunday afternoon and I AM looking forward to going to work tomorrow!  Here are three reasons why:

1.  I really enjoy teenagers.  They are funny! We have some good times and genuine laughs.  They are at such an exciting time in their lives, the whole future is ahead of them!  Some of my favorite times are with my Algebra 2 students.  A lot of these kids were my students two years ago as freshmen.  They've come so far and we can do some really hard stuff now and solve some really cool problems because they have grown so much academically!  Someday I can say, "I knew him/her when..."!

2.  I have a lovely student teacher right now, and while she doesn't need my help, it's fun to share with her some tips, tricks, games, and activities that I've picked up along the way.  I never do the same thing more than once a year (this can be good and bad, I tend to forget some things,) so everyday is a new adventure!

3.  The life of a teacher is busy from September to May, but it's the perfect job for a mom!  I was lamenting my low salary to my in-laws on Easter Sunday, and as wonderful Aunt Mary Sue reminded me: I'm in a period right now where my number one job is to be a mom and wife.  I can climb the career ladder and get more letters behind my name later.  Right now, I need to be home after school, on holidays, and during the summer.  I'm lucky to be able to do it all! 

If you're interested in seeing where your job ranks, here's a link to the article:
http://www.nbcnews.com/business/most-least-satisfied-workers-1C9080645

Have a great week!

Mom's famous meltdown-2013

So, this is what 4-H really means for this family:  Mom having a freak-out/meltdown/spaz-attack which will undoubtedly lead to years of therapy for the Daly kids when they become adults. 

Well, my meltdown this year happened much earlier than usual (normally this happens about mid-June). 

It went like this:  (Tuesday afternoon of spring break...)
Carrie:  "Dave, are you going to be around the buildings this afternoon to help us get the 4-H calves tied up?"
Dave:  "Mmmhhhmmm...."
Carrie:  "Dave, did you hear me?"
Dave:  "Hmm?  What?"
Carrie:  "Am I the only one that is concerned about breaking Danny's calf?  Do you realize that we haven't done anything with those calves since November?  We are busy every Saturday morning from now until June!  Once school gets out, I only have 4 days off until I have to be in Belvidere everyday for two weeks!  Don't you understand that I'm NOT going to be around much in June?  You can't expect us to work with these cattle for 6 weeks and then be ready for the fair!  We're never going to be ready?  Why don't you care?  Am I the only one that is concerned about this?!?!?!"
Dave:  "Whatever.  I'll tie them up.  You are over-reacting.  Get a grip crazy woman."  (I added the last sentence for dramatic affect.)

Well, this is how the rest of the week played out:  We worked with the 4-H calves three afternoons during spring break.  Each day, the twins haltered right up and we led them around like puppy dogs.

Danny's calf has only been weaned about 3 weeks.  We needed to completely break her, so on day 1, we tied her to a post and took turns standing next to her and talking to her. 

On day 2, we tied her up and took turns talking to her and petting her.  When everyone was ready to be tucked back into the pen for the night, I was able to kind of lead her to the water tank at the far end of the barn.  Mostly it was a lot of me holding on for dear life and her jumping in the general direction of the water tank. 

On day 3, we tied her up and petted and combed her for awhile, and then after she was settled down, Danny untied her and led her like a pro!  

In conclusion,  one of the following must be true:

a.  we've cracked the code on how to properly halter break calves,

b.  we've lucked out with some really naturally calm 4-H projects, or

c.    my meltdowns really work.

I'm going with choice 'c.'