How To Make Apple Cider

Fill your bucket, half with each kind of apple.

Drop them into the grinder.

Spin as hard as you can.

Turn, tighten and press out the juice.

Fill the metal bowl with fresh apple juice (cider).

Watch the bees enjoy your cider.

Wonder about the comment, 'Don't worry, the bees will be strained out when we pour it into the jug.' Also, enjoy sucking your finger before your mom makes you stop (again).

Pour it into the jug.

Take it home and enjoy!

Free Pumpkin 'Carving'

The itty bitty Norco Library (America's Horse Library) was built and decorated probably before I was born, and it hasn't been changed since. It's great with the olive green furnishings and all; it is almost back in style again. As part of our county library system, we make a weekly trip there to pick up the books we have put on hold. When we were there last week we noticed a sign for a pumpkin carving with free pumpkins for the first 50 kids. I put it on the 'maybe' list and it ended up working out to go.

We left a little early (we're 7 minutes away with green lights) because the kids didn't want to be late and miss a pumpkin. When we got there a surprisingly huge group had already gathered. We managed to get a few of the last tickets and waited for the doors to open. When we got in, we realized they wisely decided not to carve, but to paint the pumpkins. They kids had a lot of fun making a good old mess. Anna was very deliberate, as was Jack. Leah did a good job and Luke just stuck on as many stickers as he could after I took the paint away so the inch thick globs could dry before we went home.

Someone had made cupcakes for everyone, too, so they even got dessert before dinner. What a treat!


Jack putting on his hat.

Anna and Luke getting started. There isn't too much paint on Luke yet.

Leah carefully applying the paint.

Still at it.

Kathy Had Another Baby Shower

I found out reading a blog from someone at our old church that Kathy had another baby shower (Kath, why don't you tell us these things? Are you too busy? :) Just wait!). She put together a photo slide show so I thought I'd put it in my blog for my family to see if you're interested! Just click on the below link:

http://kostjuk5.blogspot.com/2008/10/katherine-baby-shower.html

Derek's New Semi-Invention

Derek had some thought the other night that ended up with him online looking for a way to make a home made pitching machine for our whiffle balls. The next day over lunch he headed to Home Depot to buy the needed supples, a long length of PVC and a connector. He was so excited he tested it right when he got home! After the kids went to bed, he spent awhile in the backyard assembling the thing below. Anna was up reading and lended him and hand and the two of them ran to Target at 9:00 to get a couple dozen more balls. It was a little windy the next morning, but Jack (like father, like son) was out there first thing trying the thing out. Our leaf blower powers this contraption that shoots whiffle balls out one end. The kids (and Derek... one in the same, no?) have all really enjoyed it. Now we just need a permanent stand for it... the chairs don't work so well for holding it still from the kids knocking it around.

We're still working on our long, long project list. We've started to get some advice and estimates on how to handle the grass in our yard. It'll need to be re-sodded or torn up and seeded. Neither are cheap, but I guess that is the price we pay for wanting and getting a big yard. I just wish the sod hadn't died off while the house was left empty! One side and the back along the fence are pretty cleaned up now but the side you can see in the picture below hasn't been touched. That'll be next probably since we might not be able to do the grass stuff until spring. We have a number of huge piles of yucca and other weeded out things around the yard. It'll probably take all winter to get rid of them as we fill up our little green trash can once a week for pick up!

With all the projects we have to do on our house, some might find it a little surprising that Derek put so much time and energy into a whiffle ball pitcher. I, on the other hand, do not. :


Anna loading the pitcher.

October 14

I caught myself not taking as many pictures of random every day living so I'm trying to do more of that. I know I'll forget, so these will be my memory for me. October 14 is Anna's birthday. It was a normal day but we took it light on the school work for various reasons. Here are a few shots from that day:


Luke and Leah cozying up.

Not an a-typical look for this goof.

Part of Anna's specially requested birthday dinner, sausage gravy and biscuits.

How old are you?

Cowgirl Cafe Repeat

On the morning of Anna's 7th birthday she chose me to have breakfast with at, surprise, surprise, The Cowgirl Cafe. She wore her best cowgirl duds and we had a great time. I know all parents say and feel this, but I can't believe how grown up she is and how fast her first seven years with us has flown by. I'm looking forward to all the days we have left together, I love this little girl!

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Blown Away!

We experienced our first Santa Ana Winds in Norco this last week. We've had many Santa Ana wind experiences when we lived in the Santa Clarita area, but this was different! We live on a hill and the winds really whipped through. It moved the obvious stuff around but also managed to move our patio furniture and cushions 15-20 feet over toward the fence. It blew another cushion probably 40 feet down the side of the house. The newly purchased hammock (a great yard sale find!) tipped over more times than we can count. We just left it upside down and the kids used it like a jungle gym for the duration of the winds. Inside the house was pretty crazy, too. The winds were very loud and strong. Although you didn't feel the house move, you literally heard the winds howl. It was almost like a thunderstorm with sudden bursts of noise and sometimes constant moaning of the wind. We ended up with a couple of scared kids in our room those nights. I actually kind of enjoy it.


Anna and Jack went out to put the furniture back. The rug was even blown over to the other side where the furniture is piled up.

Anna on an adventure to retrieve the cushion.

The stack of lawn furniture. This is how we found it.

The hammock... or jungle gym.

Swing For the Fences... or behind the fences!

Some kids and adults made a trip to the Batting Cages while we were together Saturday.


Jake... see the ball coming? A little yellow dot to the right of the fence?

Caleb swinging hard. The ball is long gone.

Jessica got a chance to hit at some pitches.

Jack. It looks likehe hit this one.

Jake the Ham

Jake wore Jack's batting helmet for a good part of the afternoon that he was here. I was taking pictures of the girls and their gifts on the couch and noticed that he was being a ham in the background so I started taking a few pictures of just him goofing around. He still thought I was taking pictures of the girls. He was so cute and funny, I was trying not to laugh while I was taking pictures (so he'd keep on doing it)!

The Birthday Girls

Jessica, Anna, Courtney

Last Saturday the Waymeyers and Alex were able to come up for a joint Birthday Party for Jessinca (11 on Oct 9), Courtney (8 on Oct 10) and Anna (7 on Oct 14). Anna enjoyed an extra special birthday party with her cousins and Aunt and Uncles and everyone had fun together.

Some more pictures from the day:

Courtney with a gift.

Anna excited about the painting pony gift.

All the kids working on a sticker scene.

They're both out!

Just a couple of days after her first front tooth came out, her second one did, too. Anna was eating dinner when it came out and didn't even notice that it did. Later that night I thought she was sounding like she had more than one tooth out in the front so we checked (I hadn't noticed, either) and, sure enough, two were gone! After a short search Anna actually found her tooth on the ground near where she had been eating dinner!

Batting Cages

Derek found a local treasure, the Norco Batting Cages. He took the boys down yesterday while the girls were at Kathy's shower. They all had a blast at the local 'dive'.


Ready to face the 40 mph pitch.

Attempting to make contact. Derek said they were pretty fast/high for him, but he tried joyfully and made contact with a few. Caleb, Derek thinks you should go when you're here Saturday for the girls' birthday party!

Another Lost Tooth

We were eating breakfast Thursday morning and Anna was saying her tooth was too loose to eat anything. She has been saying her tooth was loose since before we left Arizona, so I gave her my standard reply: tear it into pieces and chew it on the side. She said it was too loose for that. Derek checked it out and agreed it was pretty loose but Anna didn't want him to do anything about it. A few minutes later Anna popped up out of her chair with a very excited look on her face... she got it out herself!