Life Lessons

I took Kian, Abby, and Ella to the dentist today. Here are a few tidbits to enjoy from our trip today...

• As we pulled up to the dentist's office, Abby exclaimed, "Oh, this place! I love this place!" Yes, she knew we were going to the dentist, but this office has a little play area that she likes.
• As Ella is playing in the play area, she tells me that she has to go potty. I tell her where it is, and she goes and comes back. Not 10 minutes later, she says she has to go again. This time she takes longer. Meanwhile, the dental assistant comes calling for her. I tell her Ella is in the bathroom. She turns and goes to the bathroom to tell her that it is her turn when she is done. The dental assistant comes back laughing and relates to me that as she approached the bathroom the door was open and the light was off. She called for Ella, and out popped her head from around the door exclaiming that she was going potty.

I guess there are other places we can love to visit, but I am glad that the dentist is one of Abby's. I also will make it a point to remind Ella to close the door and turn on the light when going potty.

Overheard Conversations

I don't know where they get these ideas. It's certainly not by example...

One night while we were at the church for Cub Scouts, Abby sauntered over to a friend of mine, took a feminine stance with her hand on her hips and declared, "Women don't do man's work. Women sew (exaggerated sigh), knit (flip of the hair), and clean the house." Don't worry: My friend wasn't convinced.

And then, last night at the dinner table, the kids had their own conversation:

Felicity: When Klaus is 10 or 9 he can go to Cub Scouts!
Kian: No, when he is 8 he can go to Cub Scouts.
Abby: When I'm 8 I can go to Activity Days!
Kian: I bet Cub Scouts is better than Activity Days.
Abby: I think in Activity Days you go camping.
Kian: In Activity Days you learn how to sew, mop floors and rub a man's feet.

(I just stared at him in wonder.)

Abby and I are not convinced.

Family Duties

Tonight at Cub Scouts, Kian was asked to make a job chart for all of the members in his family. One the left side was a column listing his family members. On the right side were each family member's duties. Here are his words:

Dad: Does work, bringing home snacks duty
Mom: Baby duty, new bottles duty
Kian: Rotating chores, sitting on the baby
Abby: Rotating chores
Ella: Rotating chores
Felicity: Rotating chores
Klaus: Multipurpose universal cleaning tool

He is referring to Klaus' ability to sweep and mop with his body as he crawls around the house. Kian's language and humor sometimes cracks me up.

Concert Pianists

Last night for FHE, our wonderfully talented pianists had a recital of selections of what they have been hard at work on. Here they are sharing their talent:

Here is Kian

Here is Abby

Here is Ella (she is playing songs she is currently practicing)

Here's Felicity

What a wonderful night of success and fun. These kiddos have practiced everyday, multiple times a day to learn these songs. They bring music and joy into our house. Great Job to Kian, Abby, Ella, and Felicity!!!

A Love Triangle?

The other day, Ella whispered to me that she has a new boyfriend. "Hmmm," I thought to myself, "This sounds interesting." After a few failed guesses as to who it could be, she admitted that it was none other than----Tate.

You should remember from my last post that a certain older sister happens to have a crush on this same boy. Considering the sibling rivalry already existing between these two, I cannot imagine anything good coming from this new information!

"A love triangle at ages 6 and 7!" I thought to myself. I imagined the confrontation, the argument, the jealousy, the drama!

I advised, "Ella, you will want to ask Abby if it's okay with her to have Tate as your boyfriend." She didn't seem that was necessary. I tried to convince her that it was. (Never mind that Tate has no clue whatsoever).

She still hasn't mentioned it to Abby. I haven't brought it up, no way, not gonna do it! We'll just see who they're both in love with next week and hope that it's not the same boy.

The Crush

This is all really making us wonder... I mean, isn't she WAY TOO YOUNG for this?!?!

Abby (age 7) had two boys in her Primary class that she had crushes on. She would vacillate between marrying one and marrying the other. She would imagine and play that she was in love with one and talk about him all the time. And then she would day-dream about the other one. To us, her family, it was all very funny and we teased her mercilessly but she liked the teasing.

Then one evening at a Cub Scout activity, one of the boys (whose name is Tate) decided he liked the attention he was getting, so he started playing along, announcing to everyone, "Abby is my girlfriend!" Maybe she didn't like all the teasing and attention then, because for several weeks she emphatically did NOT like Tate anymore.

Two Sundays ago, Abby came home from Primary all dreamy, lovey-dovey over Tate again! She wrote him in an e-mail:


Dear tate i like you. You are like an {angel icon} to me. How are you doing ? I am so {crying face icon} that one of my dogs died.

{Red heart icon} Abby Musser


She wouldn't answer my questions about what changed her mind about him. But I asked her Primary teacher through e-mail what happened at church?! This was her reply:

"Tate and Abby wanted to hold hands several different times during third hour. I told them that we don't need to be holding hands and to keep our hands to ourselves. Abby also asked me if we could play church charades because she wanted to pretend she was Mary and Tate could be Joseph and they could be married. HAHA!!"

A week later, she's not lovey-dovey over him anymore. What drama! But seriously, isn't this all a little premature? Any advice/experience/opinions would be appreciated.

Studying Poetry

Every weekday morning around here at breakfast-time we read a poem or two. It's amazing how quick the kids memorize them just by hearing them repeatedly. This morning, I asked if anyone wanted to read a new poem. Abby volunteered and she stood and read in her clear and sweet childish voice, "I Had a Dove" by John Keats. It goes:

I had a dove and the sweet dove died;
And I have thought it died of grieving:
O, what could it grieve for?
Its feet were tied,
With a silken thread of my own hand's weaving;
Sweet little red feet! why should you die

Why should you leave me, sweet bird! why?
You lived alone in the forest tree,
Why, pretty thing! would you not live with me?
I kissed you oft and gave you white peas:
Why not live sweetly, as in the green trees?

Well, you can probably guess how this sweet 7-year-old girl responded to the poem. She quietly asked, "Could I read the poem again but changing a few things?" I assented.

This was her version which she copied for English later in the day:

I had a dog by Abby Musser

I had a dog and that sweet dog died
and I have thought it died of grieving
O what could it grieve for?
Its paws were tied
with a silken thread of my hands own weaving
Sweet little white paws! Why should you die?

Why should you leave me sweet dog! why?
You lived with me.
Why pretty thing! would you not live with me?
I kissed you oft and gave you dog food.
Why not live sweetly in the green grass?

A Quick Thought on Cleaning

I just agree with this statement:

"Housekeeping is like the Word of Wisdom: we master it, and then go on to more important things. Cleanliness is pleasant but order is more important, and orderly lives require that ordering a house take a minor role. The dirty dishes can never be conquered; we have them with us always. By relegating them to their own brief hour we can rise above them. Housekeeping can be put down by this final insult: Do it but don't think about it."

Don't you agree?

My Beast!

For any of you who knew Abby when she was a baby, you'll remember how CHUBBY she was! What a cutie. And Baby Felicity was so fat I could only fit her into dresses! But Klaus has them beat. He's our biggest baby weighing in at 25 pounds at 6 months old. Now, at almost 9 months, he is 28 pounds and H-E-A-V-Y!

I've had to pull box after box of baby clothes out of the garage to try to find something I can fit on him. Size 12 months, no way. Size 18 months look like they'd be big enough but nope! At a garage sale I picked up a cute Osh-Kosh onesie that said on the tag "24 months/24 1/2 - 27 pounds." So basically, Klaus is bigger than a 2-year-old! He's the happiest and cutest baby in the world too. I call him My Beast!

Here's a new video of him finally moving around. Please disregard the spitting up at the beginning!

I got the job!

I found what I was looking for. Remember when I was searching for something to give me a change of scenery, a break of some kind, a hobby, a class, a part-time job? I got it, ba-by!

It is funny how it all started with Matt submitting an online application to the library for me. He didn't even ask me, he just sent it when he checked e-mail first one morning and saw there was an opening for a Substitute Library Clerk. This was the position I applied for at the beginning of the summer and didn't get. I might not have even applied the second time out of embarrassment, I don't know, but he decided for me and sent it.

Weeks later after the job posting was removed from the internet and I assumed it had been filled, I got called in by the director for an interview! Surprise! This interview was better than the first one because I was more comfortable and confident.

Two days ago there was a message on my answering machine from the director of the library asking me to call her back. Matt and I listened to it as I tried to "read between the lines" of her message to determine if I had gotten the job or not but I couldn't figure it out.

Last night I called her back and she asked me to work for the library! I am so excited because this is a dream job for me. Just being in the library makes me happy. Now I get to help people find the books they're looking for and sign children up for their first library cards and spend time in the most orderly and book-filled place! This library system is amazing; I love it!

I know it's a little bit crazy with my youngins and all; some might think it's a wrong decision for me to leave my babies in the hands of a babysitter. But I know I will be happier and they will be happier if we get a break from each other every now and then! And I am confident that I will find a family or two that will watch my kids lovingly and their kids will play with my kids and it will be beneficial for all.

I am blessed! Thank you, Matt!

How sweet she is

I don't know what happened to make her change. Just growing up and growing older probably. It seems like last year Abby and I were constantly clashing because of her selfish and independent spirit unwilling to bend to her parents requests.

This year she is full of love and selflessness and a desire to make people happy.

This past week on the way home from somewhere some evening, she got so excited. She told me, "I need to talk to you and Daddy about something tonight without the other kids around."

Her secret turned out to be an act of service. She needed Daddy to switch her and Ella's mattresses so that Ella would be able to sleep on the top bunk, which is something that Abby just knew would make Ella happy. She was just bursting with anticipation for Ella to discover this gift. It did make Ella happy. And Abby was filled with joy too.

Many mornings Abby wakes up and gets herself ready without me asking, because she knows I would want that. She asks how she can help and often volunteers for chores and babysitting and little things around the house. It's not all the time and she still has her moments of not wanting to be helpful, but it's such a different Abby from the girl she was last year. I sure like it!

I can imagine her growing up into such a wonderful young woman.

Today during church when people from the congregation can go to the podium and share their testimony with everyone, I asked the kids if they wanted to go up. Abby did. She felt shy and wanted me to come up with her which I happily did.

When we got up to the podium, she didn't want to talk out of nervousness. So I shared my testimony first, including some words about a daughter who teaches me how to be more like Jesus.

When it was her turn, she talked quietly about loving her family, all of us. She talked about when Ella was having a grumpy day, that she knew she could do something that would make her sister happy and then doing it and how it made her feel. She talked about not always being the best sister. Sometimes she's more of Ella's friend than her sister. It was so sweet. I've discovered that when you let Abby talk, and you have to be patient and just listen, she says very profound and true things.

I'm so thankful for my sweet children.

My brain-switch is on again!

Towards the end of my pregnancy last year, I made a comment on this blog about my inability to think. I couldn't study. I couldn't contribute to Sunday School because I had no good thoughts to share. I just passed away hour after miserable hour doing Sudoku and Ken-Ken puzzles. All of my energy was in making a baby and keeping us warm and caring for the kids.

Fast forward a few months. Klaus was still fresh out of the oven but enough time had passed that we were going on a family outing to the library--all of us! I remember talking to Matt on the long drive there, and then seeing something on a passing car which triggered a thought. I remember thinking about that thought, really actually thinking about it, analyzing it, pondering over it, and then coming to a conclusion. I remember sharing it with Matt. It was my first real brain-powered thought since having the baby! I was so pleased with myself. It was reassuring to know that I was capable of having my own thoughts.

Fast forward to the present. I have recently found myself yearning, praying, researching for something to do that will be a break from my life as "Mommy"--a hobby of some kind, a service project, an outlet, an escape, a change, a class, something that will use the part of me that is not Mommy but Rhyetta.

Maybe it's because we've started kidschool again and we're studying and reading and learning again. Kian and I are reading a biography of Benjamin Franklin. And we're reading "Robinson Crusoe" which takes a little mental exercise to understand. Abby and I are reading "The Secret Garden." Matt and Kian and I are reading "Plutarch's Lives" which takes a lot of mental exercise to understand. And we'll be starting Dickens and Shakespeare this year as well. It's turned my brain on and I like it! It's felt so exciting to read something, have to think about it to understand it, then explain it, then question it, then do a little more research on it which leads to learning about something else. I suppose it's the learning process. It's not just my kids learning, it's me too! And I can THINK again!

I smiled to myself yesterday during the briefest of moments on a quick kidschool break when I glanced down the hallway and thought to myself, "This afternoon during quiet time I'll be able to study something!"

I've researched Masters Degrees in Library Science (cost-prohibitive). I've thought about becoming a Master Gardener through the local Extension Office (should help my gardening skills). I've pondered institute classes, part-time work, exercise classes, anything really that might be the break I'm looking for. I don't even know what yet. But I'm so happy just thinking of the possibilities.

Two versions of an exciting day

First, here is Abby's version of this exciting event...

Abby Rescues Blackie by Abby Musser

One day in a huge forest with a clearing there was a family. Mom, Ella, Felicity and me went on a walk and a big dog and a small puppy came along. The dog was named Wilbur and the small puppy was named Blackie.

Now, Blackie always followed Wilbur. While we were walking back home, Blackie followed Wilbur into some tall grass and did not come back! So I, Abby, went in and rescued Blackie. Then we went home and played. We still have our beloved Blackie and he still loves us. The End.

Abby Saves the Day by Rhyetta Musser

Today we took a break from learning to go for a walk. It was hot but now and then a refreshingly cool breeze brushed past us and the day felt extremely pleasant. Our new puppy Blackie followed us along with Wilbur, our dog. It was a healthy exertion for us all climbing up and down hills. On our return, the puppy followed Wilbur into a brush-filled, sloped field and didn't come out again. "Blackie, come!" we called. We heard him cry from not too far away. I didn't want to enter the tall, grassy, tick-infested, chigger-loaded field to rescue him! But Abby was unafraid. She bravely stepped in, found a path to him (there were big spiderwebs too!) and pulled him into her arms.

"The brave rescuer saves her helpless puppy!" I declared encouragingly. She beamed at her heroic adventure for the morning. The End.

A Fresh Start

Today marked the beginning of another school year for me. It also marks my sixth year and second in sixth grade in my chosen profession. At the beginning of each school year I anticipate the makeup of my class (especially if there are those precious "gems" coming from the previous grade!). I can make a pretty good guess how the year is going to go depending on how the class behaves the first few days of school. If today was any indication, I am in for a great teaching year. I had 16 out of 20 students show up today and none of the are a said "gem". This year, I will experience a first. Today I received a student that recently moved from our neighboring country to the south. This student speaks little to no English.To say the least, it will be an interesting experience this year.

I look forward to see the growth and learning that my class this year obtains. I am grateful for this fresh start as I know each of my new students are. Hopefully this year doesn't become like riding a wooden roller coaster.

Our Felicity

I've heard of people placing names of things around the house when they are learning another language, but this is just too funny...

Ella got a good laugh out of Felicity being the butt of the joke, as did we all.

A while ago, I was wondering what happened to Felicity because she had been going to the bathroom for a long time. She wasn't in the kids bathroom, so I looked in Rhyetta's and my bathroom. I found Felicity sitting on the potty fast asleep. I quickly grabbed the camera and Rhyetta and shot the following video. Unfortunately, she had woken up somewhat but she was still very tired while sitting on the potty.

Oh Felicity. You bring much joy and happiness into our lives.

Our Little Singer

Rhyetta has recently been "doing preschool" with Felicity. They are using What your Preschooler Needs to Know and Felicity loves learning and singing the nursery rhymes as well as listening to the stories. Here, she sings "Mama's going to buy you a knocking-bird" that she has learned. 

Fun in the Sun

Today we started filling the swimming pool so we can cool off in the summer heat. The past few days (except Sunday of course) we have been hard at work cleaning out the muck and yuck that collected in it. We were able to finally purchase a pool filter/pump so we can keep the water clean.

Kian the "Exterminator"- Trying to get horseflies.

Felicity enjoying the water, while Kian and Abby talk about horseflies.

I am glad that we are able to have some fun in the sun this summer. Now we just have to figure out how to maintain the water (our preference would be to not use chlorine) so it stays crystal clear.

A Wedding!

We had the opportunity to attend a wedding and reception of Matt's coworker this past weekend. It was awesome! It was so fun to teach the kids some etiquette, get all dressed up, and brave the blazing hot weather to celebrate with E. and J. Here are some of the highlights from the weekend. They certainly made us laugh.

The girls especially were so excited to see the wedding ceremony. We had looked forward to it for weeks. It was difficult for them to enjoy it, however, because they had to stay quiet and there was a broad-shouldered man sitting in the row in front of us. One of the nicest things about it was that after the ceremony the bride and groom personally greeted each guest as they left the chapel, row by row. We waited our turn as the front rows were dismissed first. I asked the girls if they wanted to hug the bride which I thought they would seeing she was wearing such a pretty white dress but they felt shy and chose not to. When they came to our row, we all stood up and congratulated and hugged the bride and groom, well, all of us except Felicity. She decided there was no way she was going to get close to those strangers. She refused to leave the pew. No worries that everyone behind us was waiting for their turn to leave the chapel! She backed up into me (I was holding our 25-pound baby in the heat). I tried to escort her out with my hand, pulling on her hand, but she wouldn't have it. She climbed onto the pew to avoid getting near them! They got the hint and backed up but I still couldn't pull her out. I got out of the way (Klaus is heavy!) and Matt came back to pick her up to leave but she had lost her shoe climbing onto the bench. Matt reached down to collect it and heard a rip. His pants had ripped right there in the chapel with everyone behind us watching this little escapade! We exited as discreetly as possible!

After a trip to JC Penney to buy some new pants!, we were on our way to the reception held at a hotel in the city. It was held in the ballroom. There was an entire table dedicated to holding huge glass candy bowls filled to the brim with assorted candies. The guests were allowed to fill up a bag of candy as a treat. The kids loved it of course! I loved the music and the dancing. I got to dance with the girls spinning them around as much as they liked. Kian wouldn't dance with me, but he did get out on the dance floor and made up some of his own fancy footwork. It was very methodical and required his total concentration. Some of Matt's coworkers held Klaus for us so Matt was able to dance with me. That was the best part!

Some of Matt's coworkers helped themselves to the open bar and there was a cup left on our table with a straw and pretty pink liquid on the bottom. This looked more appetizing to Ella then our own water goblets, so she decided to pick it up to refresh herself after dancing. (In her defense, we do share water glasses and cups at home). I was thankful that I saw her drink a sip of this alcoholic beverage and quickly grabbed the cup away, telling her that it was someone else's cup and that it had alcohol! She spit what was left in her mouth back into the cup and felt very bad about it.

We danced and visited and ate cake till 9 pm when it was decided by all to go home. We all loved it.

The next morning we were getting ready for church and I had a lot to do to get ready so I asked Abby to help Felicity get dressed because they were wearing matching dresses. She volunteered to do so cheerily and Felicity looked great. I helped her with her shoes and we went to church. It wasn't until Matt sat her on his lap during church that we realized she had no underwear! The little flasher!

Such fun times in our family this weekend.

Itchy All Over

This is only a small example of his reaction

We think Kian has an allergy to some type of food. We are not sure what, but you can see what kind of reaction he had. He has never had such a reaction to food before, so we are wondering what it could have been. We know what foods he ate for dinner (that's when he said he started getting itchy), and so we can begin to pinpoint from there. He ate  a hamburger with ketchup, bbq chips (the cheap kind), corn, mint choc. chip ice cream (cheap kind), choc. syrup (cheap kind). Since he has had bbq chips, corn, ketchup, and choc. syrup before, we are thinking that it might be either the kind of hamburger or ice cream flavor (since he has had other flavors of ice cream made by the same company and no reaction).  Whatever it is, this is a first for us and only with Kian.

A New Found Desire

Before I begin, I have to give credit to my Dad and all his hard genealogical work for our family.

Before moving to Missouri, I was complacent that my Dad did as much of the family genealogy as he could. Ever since moving, I have been asked over a dozen times if I am related to so-and-so Musser. My response has always been, "I don't know, but I would like to find out." I even had a past student of mine hand me some names of Musser's that they are related to. However, the same response was all I could give. As of late, I have been in contact, as was my Dad while alive, with a Charles Musser that lives in Las Vegas. He is a distant cousin and has done extensive research on our family.

Ever since getting a hold of Charles, I have had an inner desire to find our family history for myself. He emailed me information about this Musser and that Musser and it was all very intriguing. They were lawyers, fought and died in the Civil War, were editors of newspapers, and more importantly lived and died in and around the area of where I currently live. MY ANCESTORS LIVED IN THIS AREA!?!?! Too cool. Furthermore, this desire really heated up after a trip to the Family History Center in our local church. I was able to possibly find information beyond what my Dad had found. I have been emailing Charles back and forth trying to verify information I found. He send me a stack of information he collected during his research one day, and at this point in time it is a gold mine. I was able to spend an entire morning at the FHC researching and found great information. I found out that my early Musser ancestors were Mennonite and driven from Switzerland in the late 1600's. I discovered that they came to America in 1727 and 1747. I possibly discovered the connection to a long held family legend (that one of my distant cousins, Amos Milton Musser, were friends with the Prophet Joseph Smith). Many more things I discovered and look forward to discover as I continue researching.

After discovering this, I had to call my mom and tell her. After the conversation was over, she mentioned that Dad was stirring the pot and was helping the effort. I don't discount this at all. Now all I want to do is go visit the places where these ancestors are laid to rest and pay my respects. I am grateful for what they have done and went through. My desire is to finally be able to respond to people when asked if I am related to this Musser or that by saying YES, I am.

A Hundred Thousand Years

Tonight as Ella, Abby, and Felicity climbed into their beds and as normal bedtime procedures for the girls, they gather things into their beds. Books are OK, but toys are not. Abby wanted a book Ella had. I told Abby that she would have to wait for her turn. Abby wasn't satisfied with that and so she demanded that Ella give her the piece of fabric being used as  a bookmark. I tell Abby to get into bed and she comments, "Ella, you can't touch my things for a hundred thousand years." The comment Ella made ended this conversation. "Abby, you are going to be dead in a hundred thousand years." Ella knows that she will be able to play with Abby's things well before a hundred thousand years.

I think a diving board is in order

Sunday night into Monday morning, we were hit with severe thunderstorms with wind and lots, and lots, and lots of lightning and rain. It started around 11:00 Sunday and lasted until 3:30 Monday morning and actually beyond. So as with other times when it rained, I checked the hole to see how much water was in it and how long it would set me back from continuing to dig. What I found amazed me.

Anyone for a swim?

Yes, it is completely filled with water. To be exact, that's 144 cubic feet of water sitting in where my storm shelter is supposed to be. Amazing that this amount of rain actually fell in one night!

To say the least, I don't think that I will be digging for a couple weeks , Eh? Looks like I get to focus on other things around the house/land, like cutting/chopping wood for winter.

Our Title of Liberty

Tonight for FHE, I had the opportunity of giving the lesson. I decided to talk about peoples names and why are they important. Abby and Rhyetta mentioned that they identify us, so others know what to call you, and to what family you belong to. I then talked about Captain Moroni and what he did to identify to others what he believed. Captain Moroni, being the righteous military leader that he was, rallied the people behind him using the Title of Liberty declaring to all he fought for freedom, religion, his God, and family.

We decided to follow in his footsteps and we made our own Musser Family "Title of Liberty" or in other words a mission statement.

It reads:

"The Musser Family stands for and defends truth, righteousness, agency, charity, service, healthy living, love, and peace. By living the gospel of Jesus Christ and following the prophet, having fun together, and being kind to each other, our family will be forever happy and safe."

Like Captain Moroni, we plan to post this in our home as a constant reminder of what we believe.

A little setback

Well, I have encountered something that I hope will resolve itself rather quickly, so I can get back digging. A few days ago, my right elbow has started to really hurt when under strain. Yesterday, instead of digging I continued to cut up a fallen tree so our wood supply for the winter will grow. Well, when I was done, I commented to Rhyetta about the pain and she said it sounds like tennis elbow. With that being said I looked it up on WebMd and some of the symptoms listed I am experiencing. Today, I took it easy and just did some light cutting of wood. Picking up branches to cut, and even picking up a cup of water was discomforting.

Now, I am not one to carry on and waaa. I am more likely to work through pain to get a job finished. However, I think it wise to let my elbow rest from the rigor of digging for a bit so it can heal. Unfortunately, there are a myriad of other tasks around the house and yard that need to be tended to. I know my mom would tell me, "Take it easy," and so I am.

And the thunder rolled on day 4 of digging

On digging day 4, the hot weather has broken and there was a cool breeze to work in. After helping dig in the garden for Rhyetta, I decided to get working in "The Hole." I have started to get to just clay now, and let me tell you the fun has just begun.

As Rhyetta worked in the garden and I worked in "The Hole", the thunder started to roll. The clouds were moving in. There were a few sprinkles, but gratefully and thankfully that was it. It is kind of a catch 22. We want it to rain to water the garden and flowers Rhyetta has planted, but I don't so I don't have a big pool in our back yard.


After finishing today, Kian and the other kiddos came out to play. Kian posed for some pictures to show how deep it is getting.

I am so glad that I can provide some fun and excitement for my kids while I dig a hole (3 feet down, 3 to go).

Day 3 of the dig

Today started at 7 am when it was nice and cool and "The Hole" was completely shaded. Unfortunately, the humidity was still hitting me with every shovel full of dirt/clay. I realized today that I am digging into more clay now, and we'll see how that goes. With the first row of dirt thrown out of "The Hole", I made an important discovery. I finally reached the 2 foot mark. HOORAY!!!

The sides come up to my knees.

I finally finished the digging today at 11:25. I am so glad that I started in the morning rather than then the afternoon. I also hope that with all the exercise and sweating I am doing, I am actually working off some poundage. Is that too much to ask for??

With a 9x12x2 hole dug into our backyard, the kiddos have fun climbing in and out, helping me take dirt out, and even helping me put some back in. Even the dogs take advantage of the space.

We are supposed to get thunderstorms starting tonight and lasting until Friday off and on, and so I hope "The Hole" doesn't become "The Pool."

Second Day of Digging

Today I felt like Bob the Builder. Can I do it? Yes I can! The heat and humidity this afternoon was overpowering at times. I think I personally drank 2 1/2 pitcher full of water today. By lunchtime, I had about half of the hole dug for a second time.

Halfway there for the day.

After many rests and cool downs, and a deliciously recharging dinner I managed to finish for the day.

Finally done for Day 2 of digging.

When everything was said and done I came out smelling like roses and as dry as a baby's diaper. At least I can hope I am burning more calories than what I took in today.

It sure was hot and humid today.

Tomorrow, round 3. It's supposed to be an even warmer day, so we'll see how far we get.

If Ye Are Prepared, Ye Shall Not Fear

With the recent tornadoes in Missouri (one within 45 miles of our house), I have really been impressed upon to get our family a storm shelter. I had a thought of burying a used grain silo. In talking with friends from Church, that idea has been shot down. So, I started researching on the web. They have pre-made concrete, fiberglass, and steel shelters you put in the ground. To say the least, we would have to give them all five of our kids to make even the first payment. YIKES! "Not Gonna Do It!"

With those choices out of the way, some of these same friends from Church suggested me building one. I researched DIY storm shelters online. Hey, I can do that! So, the process has begun. I have started digging a 9x12' ( don't ask why those dimensions, that is just at the time seemed right) hole in my backyard, behind my garage. (See mom, doing all that digging in the back yard when I was little is paying off!) The hole is only one foot deep so far and took me 3 hours of digging, drinking water, digging, drinking water, and so forth. It has already claimed the life of my shovel handle (DOAH!). However, I will yet defeat the Lamoni clay (yes, clay! I was told today that it gets worse the deeper you go.) that lies beneath my yard to save hundreds of dollars.

Plus there are some benefits to digging it myself: 1) save money; 2) sweat profusely in the heat and humidity which in turn helps me shed some poundage; 3) helps me get into shape; 4) gives me a sense of accomplishment; and 5) save money.

Thank goodness for 2 months to get this done.

 "The Hole" after one day of digging.

My Life Story

By Abby

Once upon a time in a far away land there was a little house in a little wood. Inside the house was a little family. I was one of them. I was Abby. I had a dog.

She was pretty. She was black, white and golden. I did not know that my dog would die. Her name was Storm.

One day Storm died. Right now I miss her. I still love dogs.

When that day came I was heartbroken but to this day I still miss her. But now I have another dog named Wilbur.

This is how Wilbur came to be my dog. My mother and father had heard of a family that was moving and they had a dog. They were giving the dog away. It was a black lab and beagle. So we went to look at it. It was black, all black! I couldn't believe my eyes.

One day Daddy found a cut on Wilbur. I burst into tears. I was sad. Very sad.

Now for my family's names: me, Kian, Ella, Felicity, Mom, Dad, Klausy and Wilbur. That's 8 people!

Right now I'm happy with my dog. As you know, I still love dogs but my heart is still broken with love. Reader, I hope that you love dogs too.

The End.

What's been goin' on...

Here's an update of what's been happenin' around the Musser household.

Klaus is growing! He's a chubby 4-month-old who drinks a lot of milk, loves to smile at his parents and his siblings, and sleeps all night. What a wonderful baby. He's everything a baby should be! He'll laugh, especially for Daddy.

Felicity is fiery. She's got a temper which is normal for a 3-year-old. It must be hard for her to keep up with the big kids all the time. She likes to sing (on her terms) and get dressed up in all of the princess paraphernalia we own so she looks like a young, gaudy Queen of England!

Ella is smart and silly. She asks questions like, "When was God born?" and says things such as, "You are in my soul." She loves to read chapter books (keeping up with the big kids, again!) and has started on text books! She rides her bike and plays in the mud and feels awful rich with $10 in her pocket.

Abby has a new dog, a part beagle-part black lab named Wilbur. We all love him. He'll jump up when he wants some attention so that the kids hold his front paws in their hands and dance with him. He's a sober dog so Abby can play with him easier because he's not too boisterous. She loves to play with him. She's an expert bike rider and story-writer. Mostly her stories are about dogs involved in some kind of a love triangle.

Kian has not been as interested in computers of late (what a surprise!) Or maybe it's just because he has to clean his room before he gets to use his computer and he doesn't want to clean his room! His current ambition is to grow up and become a professional Lego Designer. I told him we can look at lego.com today and see if there are any job postings! His birthday is coming; he will be 10. He wants to invite his classmates from his Lego stop-motion video class. I visited the class last week to see how many children this included--I was surprised to see teenagers and girls! That will be an interesting birthday party. He is going to earn his Bear badge tonight for Cub Scouts. On to the Webelos den now! Mommy is especially proud because she is the new Cubmaster for his pack.

Rhyetta is so thankful the weather is changing. It is May! It is Spring! The spring garden is growing. It's not as big as I want it to be, but I'm raising a baby this year and have to remember I can't do everything. We harvested some radishes yesterday that were delish! All of our chickens and guinea hens have died so our yard feels empty without any farm animals. It's alright though because we've got Wilbur now. I feel busy with keeping house, planning cub scout pack meetings, and attempting to school the children. Ella keeps asking, "When are we going to do kidschool again?!" So I'm trying to do a little tiny bit here and there.

Matt is finishing his second year of teaching. Only 3 more weeks till summer. It's been a great year. When he's home, he stays busy mowing the yard, cutting down trees for firewood, fixing bike tires, etc. Most Saturdays he is outside all day working, working, working. But on his new riding lawnmower, it's fun too.

That's life here. Hope you all are doing well!

Gotta Love It!

It's that time of year in the public education arena where students from 3rd grade on up see how effective their teachers have been by taking their state tests. Today my class started their round of standardized testing. Let me just say that there's no finer time in public education that state testing. (Of course I say that with tongue in cheek!)

There are moments like this when you get warm fuzzies all over. Gotta love it!

It Finally Happened...

Our car's transmission has "gone the way of all the Earth." It was a good mini-van, and was well used. We were fortunate enough to have found a new, though slightly used, Kia Sedona mini-van that will hopefully serve our family just as faithfully. We will take our car to get smashed and salvaged, or in other words... take it to the car graveyard.

May we have a moment of silence for our loss...






Thank you.

A Whole Lot Of Cooing

It's My Right!

While I was putting together a new tool, Kian noticed there were going to be some parts (nuts, bolts, washers, etc) that weren't going to be used. Kian always wants things that are left over to create his own thing. He asked if he could have them and I mentioned that maybe his sisters would want them. He continued to mention how he wanted them and that his sisters wouldn't want them.Our conversation soon came to an end when Kian declared, "I was the first-born and it is my right to claim things that are yours!" There was nothing more I could think of to say.

Never Ceasing to Amaze Me

This is not a prideful comment, but I believe that Kian is a genius and totally in-tune with the Holy Ghost. Let me explain...

We have what is called a yard hydrant that provides us plenty of water for our garden. It has had a leak that has gradually worsened (to the tune of a $100+ water bill last month. YIKES!!!). We went to home depot and purchased a 3/4" garden spigot to replace the hydrant. As I took of the old hydrant, I quickly learned that the new spigot I got was too small. So I took the old hydrant to the hardware store. I purchased a new one and placed it where the old one was. After turning the water on, to my disbelief, the water was coming out of a closed hydrant more than it was leaking from the old one. As I came into the house retelling what the current situation was, Kian chimed in. I didn't want to listen to what he was saying at first, but decided to listen. He suggested putting the new spigot onto the hydrant where the hose would normally go. Man, why don't I think of great ideas like this??? Needless to say, it worked. No more leak (hopefully). Yes, the new hydrant still leaks, but with the two pieces working together there's no leak. I came into the house hailing Kian as a genius and that he is so in-tune with the Spirit.

It never ceases to amaze me of the validity of "out of the mouth of babes" do we learn great things.

What will I do with myself?

I’ve been without a certain major appliance in my home for over a year. With four children and a newborn baby, some might consider this appliance a necessity. But I think I’ve handled its non-presence pretty well. Can you guess what it is?

It’s a clothes dryer. A top-notch washing machine I’ve got. Thank goodness with all the cloth diapers that are washed around here. But it’s mate—a very nice dryer we purchased five years ago—had to be sold to someone else because it runs off gas power and our wonderful home in the woods here only has electric power.

Compared to the summer before last when I was washing and drying the clothes by hand because there were not enough quarters for the machines at the laundromat, just having a washing machine in my home again was heaven. I haven’t even missed having a dryer. Hanging up clothes is better for them anyway and the savings of electricity was a benefit by not running another energy-guzzling appliance.

I often have clothes hung up all over the house. With diapers to wash and towels and bedding and clothes for seven people, I run out of space in the laundry room frequently. The chairs around the dining room table get used as a hanging up place as well as the crib and the doors and the ironing board and wherever else I can think of!

But now…thanks to some generous friends of ours who moved away and had an extra, we are the owners of an electric dryer! I used it this morning for the first time on a load of cloth diapers. How exciting it was to turn the knob and select the appropriate setting again. Permanent press, no! Knit/delicates, no! I need high heat for these little rags. Timed heat, yes! 50 minutes later I heard the familiar BUZZZZZZZ of the dryer that I haven’t heard for so long.

As I pulled the warm, dry diapers from the machine I marveled at their softness. My diapers haven’t been this soft for a looong time. How exciting it will be to dry my towels! I’ve had stiff towels for just as long and feel embarrassed when I offer them to my guests.

It took me less than five minutes to pull them out of the dryer, fold them and put them away. What used to take 20 minutes will now only take 5. Multiply this times at least 10 loads/week and I’m going to be saving a lot of time! What will I do with myself?!

I might just sit and wait to hear that familiar BUZZZZZZZ that sounds so lovely in my ears!