Operation Graduates Part 4: Happy Working Song

Today was so much better than yesterday in so many respects. Thank you, Jesus! I honestly don't know if I could have done two of yesterday in a row....something would have snapped! :D I think it also helped that I spent some extra time in prayer this morning asking for an extra dose of patience--even today that was much-needed!

I was flying solo this morning for the most part, as Leah was working in the business with Dad, and Sarah and Mama were out getting hair-cuts and doing a little last minute shopping. (AHEM. And going to the bran' new Panera's in town!!!)

Today was House-Cleaning and Decorating day, and I immediately thought of the "Happy Working Song" which set me to smiling and laughing to myself. It was a good way to start the day out. 

First job was The Reading-Nook. This has been our general catch-all spot for a long time because the attic stairs pour into the reading nook, so anything that is coming out or going into the attic gets stashed here. Plus Daniel got an elliptical machine which was not even placed at a neat angle in there. Then, since Abigail Taylor spends most weekends up here, we never bother to put her mattress away. Sloppy, I know. But hey--we've been busy!

Before:

*WARNING!* LARGE MESS!

This is my Bob the Builder moment: "Can we fix it?" 

..... "YES WE CAN!!!".....

:D

Add some JJ Heller in there....

Then I thought you might like to see our attic which is relatively clean at the moment, having had a Project done to it not too long ago.

These are the steep, scary stairs that cost chump-change during the house-building. We love them.

I saw the Great Big Old Wreath Daniel puts on our large Reading-Nook window every year...

It's rather enor-mouse.

I traveled downstairs, then, to sample Anna's peppermint icing for the cakes.

 

It'll be tinted blue-ish, and then the cake will be iced with it, then decorated with the royal-icing snow-flakes and snowy pinecones! I think it's gonna look gorgeous.

All right. The second project was worse than the first. 

This was the laundry-room/ cat's night-spot that I needed to get clean and tidy enough to be used as a Butler's Pantry for the after-party. 

Before:

I want to let you know we don't usually have everything looking this terrible...we've just been busy. K'?

After:

(having dusted, mopped, swept, and what-not)

^ I was not being sloppy--those are folded table-cloths waiting for Graduation Day.

Now we come to the coolest bomdiggity part of the my day. But you can't see it. Nope. Because I've decided to keep all our amazing interior decorating a secret till the post of the Big Day itself. But I'm telling you...it's glitzy-glamor-Pinterest-worthy so be prepared!

             "BE PREPARRRRRRED!" (Kudos if you can tell me where that's from!)

Operation Graduates Part Three: The "Bad" Day

Today has been a hard day in a million ways. Day 3 of Operation Graduates. I won't lie and tell you I was the most cheerful person all day. Well, up till I ran into technical glitches, I was doing pretty well. Then a video that has a deadline and NEEDS TO BE POSTED failed to upload 5 times. 5 times. Then I give up and decide to load this post full of pictures while I do billing for Dad (at 6:00) and I come back to find they failed. Pile that on top of a great many smaller stresses or issues (none of which are serious, all of which Pounced me in a bad way), and it makes for a Cross Rachel. This Cross Rachel, however, is going to attempt to restore her good humor and to make you all laugh by writing up Day 3 of Operation Graduates.

*Composes herself and tries not to begin singing "Bad Day"*

9:30

It began with needing to gather pine branches and other greenery for decorating the interior of our house. I love traipsing through the woods, and because I didn't care if it rained or not (you know I love walking on duck-days) I took Benjamin, Abby, and Grace with me.

We thought it best to wear Hunter's Orange so we didn't become Venison.

This is us preparing to sally forth in the rain. I left the camera at home because I didn't want it to get wet. But see the NRA hat? It's my treasure from the SAT's. 

10:00

I call the Walkers to ask if they have any clippers I can borrow since all of ours were taken in Dad's truck to work. We tramp over there. They have no clippers. A knife?

Oooooh....

A survival knife. Complete with matches and a compass. Oh yeah.

I felt so red-neck today.

So redneck.

As you will see.

When you're hacking with a survival knife at thin little pine branches that are just a bit too green and springy to snap, you feel over-dramatic.

Still.... it was fun.

Like a boss. ;)

11:00

By the time we'd gathered a Rubbermaid container of cypress and pine, it was raining rather hard. Grace was misbehaving. 

She got time-out on the forest floor...

Hence the wet bum.

But that corrected the dear little thing's attitude, so we were good.

11:15

We're home! I take "After" pictures of us cold and drenched. :)

Yep. Purty wet. See how red-neck I'm looking? 

Oh yeah.

It gets better.

11:30

We are inside and I don't bother to change clothes. They'll dry. Still, my wet, cold flare-jeans flapping against my ankles is a tad surprising...

11:35

Because it's a well-known fact that Some People say walking in the rain gives you a cold or a chill, we dose ourselves liberally with Snickerdoodles.

I also partake of a cheerful mug of P.G. Tips--the last tea-bag. *sniff*

I use milk and natural sugar--the best combo for this tea!

12:00

I start to making dozens of snowflakes out of royal icing. They'll be used to decorate the graduation cake once they harden. So much fun to make, but time consuming!

1:00

This is your personal red-neck with a crippled hand after the first hour.... one sheet done.

Witness the un-doing of the hair throughout the photos...

1:15

Sarah takes a picture of me making snowflakes in an NRA hat and texts it to Abigail. The following text conversation makes me laugh:

Abigail: Rachel wearing a cap? I think I need a good half-day to think about this.

Me: Oh yeah. I can get rough when I want to.

Abigail: You do look so hilariously red-neck!

2:00

Still going strong with the snowflakes. 

And your personal red-neck after Hour Two and a bit.

Notice the hair? Yep.

Also, I am pretty sure I'll have arthritis after this. ;)

Aunt Christy and Mama spent the rest of the afternoon and evening preparing a Something Sarah doesn't know about. Or at least pretends she doesn't know about.

I attempt to upload an important video for a friend and that's where my day turned sour.

But you know what? 

God got me by the scruff of my neck and reminded me to remember Him. All His gifts during this day. And even as I write this post I am reminded...

I got a rainy walk. 

I got to smell wet pine branches...

and hold a dripping kitten.

The snow-flakes turned out perfectly...

...and I played Redneck.

It was a good day after all. :)

Operation Graduates Part Two!

Sarah and I had a coffee/lunch date with Casey in Smithfield today. It was so much fun to walk around the town in this glorious (though strange) 70+ degree weather! We wandered all over and I enjoyed it, though my feet didn't. See, I made the mistake of wearing my vintage heels and forgetting an extra pair of shoes.

Ahem ahem ahem.

Though I guess it was horribly improper, I took off my shoes and finished my walk and shop-wandering in bare feet and hose. I mean, honestly--what was I to do? I didn't care what people thought, and Casey and Sarah didn't care, so what was wrong? Nothing. I guess my characters are rubbing off on me...that sounded terribly like something Calida Harper would do. XD

We didn't do a lot of cooking today, but we did look through a TON of old family pictures. That is always a load and a half of fun. I have changed so much. I used to be so cute. ;) Anyway, in the spirit of reviewing childhood before graduating, and because Kendal wanted to see pictures of me as a kiddo, I have brought you a few. Enjoy! :D

Me, Sarah, and Daniel. I love this. Our personalities are so evident already. Daniel, slightly mischievous, Sarah being goofy and me....?

Yep. Ever a book-lover. :)

Little Ballerinas.

Awwww! Sarah was so cute as an Indian chief!

Me, Leah, and Sarah all dressed up for church. :) Isn't her hair so blond?

Ha ha. This picture makes me laugh for some reason. XD

Aaaand the little fire-fighters. I look out of humor...wonder what was wrong?

Awwww. I love looking through old photos, don't you? A graduation is totally the time and place for it! :D Gotta love re-living the old years! I know there'll be lots of preparations for the graduation tomorrow, so stay tuned for further episodes in Operation Graduates! :D

Operation Graduates Part One! :)

I guess it slipped my mind, but I haven't told you yet that Sarah and our cousin Matthew are having a double graduation on Saturday! Though the actual ceremony is being held at a church down the road, we are having a party at our house afterward, and that means rather a lot of food and preparation this week! I thought I'd take the opportunity of showing you a little more of our day-to-day family life and document the days leading up to this event with the pictures! I haven't really given you a concept of just how closely our two families work together, have I? Nope. Didn't think so. 

Let's try now.

11:00 a.m.

I clean off the kitchen counters all except for the ham which I randomly christen "Millicent." Why? Because that is a good name for a ham. Millicent is going to feature largely in our ham biscuits come Saturday, so I thought I might as well introduce her to you.

11:30

I take pictures of the counters in their cleanliness, all prepared to act as the calm before the storm.

The granite-topped pastry counter..

Ah, Millicent! You are beautiful in your sheer gown made by Saran!

On the way around the kitchen I found a leftover Avenger's napkin from Daniel's 22nd birthday. Yes. That's right. 22. What are you lookin' at?

Coffee makers at the ready in case we need caffeine...

See? Clean.

11:45

Aunt Christy brings over load of groceries, I gather my things together and realize we're missing milk for my biscuits, and Anna's missing vanilla for her's. Someone's gonna have to go over to the Walkers' to get it because two of the cousins, Jeremiah and Michael, are already headed this way with other ingredients we missed.

12:00

I volunteer and though I can drive, I choose to walk the 1/5 of a mile distance across the field. It's like 70 degrees out there, and rather a pleasant (though unseasonal) day for a walk.

Churchill goes ahead of me to convey my intentions to the Walkers.

I meet them half-way across the field where Michael shows off their ingredients, and Jeremiah looks at me skeptically. "What are *you* doing with the camera, Rachel? Isn't that Sarah and Matthew's ground?" Yeah, yeah. Well it's my blogging project! :D

They leave me to my own demise and I take a picture of Floofy-Grass just for fun.

I am met on the driveway by three of the girls, and my two newest cousins. 

"Buttons" is on the left, "Todd" on the right. Ain't they sweet? 

D'awwwwwww

While pausing to kiss Buttons, I smelled peanut butter. "That's funny," I thought. "A cat that smells like peanut butter. I shall have to remember this for the blog." And then I come inside and find myself being fed peanut-butter "buck-eye" dough by Bethany who also extended her generosity to the cat. Hence the smell. I knew my nose wasn't wrong. :P

12:15

Having got my milk and vanilla, I traipse homeward.

You can see our wood-pile covered with the plastic sheeting. *cozy*

And our clothesline. Just because everyone has one and everyone should hang up bright pink towels when they can. Bright pink Other Things too, but we won't talk about that here.

12:30

I finally begin the biscuit-making process which continues all through the afternoon. We are slotted to make 200 biscuits, but I up it to 250 because I know from experience that where there are Daniels, math calculations vary widely. 

2:00

Abby joins me in the biscuit-making venture, and I take a picture of the counter-tops now. Actually, not as bad as they could be! I think I'm a tidy cook.

I love the intense concentration when the biscuit-cutter gets sticky. 

Abby has seriously grown to be a huge help in the house! She's like a mini-Mama! <3

Mama, Leah, and Anna started on making front-porch decor....aren't these so cute? Mason Jar candle holders? These are going to run all the way up the front steps and have candles burning inside them. :)

*Smile* I liked this shot. It felt very secret.

So! That was Operation Graduates part 1! Stay tuned for the other episodes! :)