2013 Iowa Barn Tour

This past Sunday, a group of us toured several barns on the Iowa Barn Tour.

Katie, Erin, me, Joyce, Jamie, and Tyler

It was a perfect day to go driving around the Iowa countryside, looking at farms and climbing around in old barns.

Pfantz Barn in State Center

That's all the further we let Erin climb!

 

Their haylofts would have been filled with hay back in the old days, but now we can see their whole structures.

Outside the barn, was a very friendly grey cat.
In fact, animals are one of the best parts of the barns!

At this barn, there was a pony, a dog, lots and lots of cats, and chickens.

And this barn had the most adorable baby kittens.  Orange!  The best kind!

There are other things to see too:

But really, the barns themselves are amazing.

 Dobbin round barn near State Center

Inside the round barn- where the cows were milked.

Climbing down a steep stairway in one barn

Buck barn, near State Center.

  Join us next fall!

Garage Sales, Cleaning, and Kittens

I have not been able to do much garage sale shopping this summer.  But one Saturday that I always make time for is the Polk City city-wide sales.  They are always fantastic!

Here we are at the end of our shopping.... my van was packed full of treasures!

This year, Katie came along with my mom, my friend Jamie, and I.  She was looking for an outfit to enter in a 4-H competition.

These are all of Jamie's things.  She got the 3-ton jack for $20!  Us girls find such cool stuff, don't we?

We did well, and we had fun!

Here are the details on my buys:

There was a book sale at the library; $5 a bag.  I decided to make it worth my while, so I bought all the juvenile fiction books on CD- Erin loves listening to these.  Plus 6 books and 4 DVDs.

An onion chopper $2, Shrinky Dink paper $.25
 Hair Spray (the extra-hold kind for dance) $1
under-the-bed clothing and shoe organizer $1
Paper craft scissors set $1
4 packages of glass/crystal beads- $.25 each
Tupperware beverage container for the fridge $4

Adult shorts, girl's velvet dress, matching purse and silver shoes: $4 for all!

There is one house in Polk City that always has beautiful girls' clothes in Erin's size, and they are always priced reasonably.  I buy lots of her school clothes there every year.  
T-shirt $1 (Katie bought that for Erin)
the two outfits were $3 each
That's a Land's End swimsuit- for $2!!  Katie can wear it this year, then pass it down to Erin.

The jeggings and long-sleeved T's are for Ayla- only $1 each.
Capris were for our cousin, also $1.

Adorable shirt, and cropped pants for Erin.  $4 for all!

I found this Christmas decor item the weekend before, at a sale in Slater.  I absolutely love the poem The Night Before Christmas, so I was willing to spend $10 on this.  We have 4 stockings in our family, so it will be perfect!

Katie is modeling her garage sale finds for Fashion Day

Shrug-$1
Dress $4
Leggings $.50
Shoes $2.99

Remember back in May, when I was doing a clutter-busting challenge, and you were supposed to find 7 items each day to get out of your house?  

I quit posting the pictures, but we kept up with the challenge.

Here are the things we cleaned out of the girls' rooms:

There were more than 100 items we got rid of from each room.  Kids are constantly bringing home little paper and plastic things... like Sunday School materials, or parade paraphernalia that they think they need.  And then one day later they have forgotten all about.

So, their rooms looked much better.  But they both have a huge project still to tackle....

How can anybody possibly use that desk?  Are all children naturally hoarders?

And one more thing before I go:

Actually, two things.

We got two new kitties.  The orange one is Henry.  The brown/gray one is Annabeth.

They (especially Henry) have been keeping us busy.

Gymnastics Show 2013

Katie has finished another year of gymnastics.

This is her class- Success Level 3

She decided not to do competition team this year, so she was in the highest level of recreational gymnastics.  She had a lot of fun with her classmates and teachers.

Floor exercises

She learned how to do a back bend- from standing!- this year.

She did great on the bars!  She was the only one in her class to stick the dismount.


And beam....

Well done, Katie!

Memorial Day

I have seen a lot of posts today thanking people for their service to our country.

It is always a good thing to do.

Katie, Ayla and Erin walking to the Riverton cemetery

 But that's not what Memorial Day is about.  

Veteran's Day is about thanking our veterans.

Memorial Day is about the fallen.

fineartamerica.com  (photo credit)

You can't really thank them.

So you honor them- by flying their flags.

Or decorating their graves.

We decorate the graves of our family members because we are lucky enough to not have anyone in our families who have lost their life in battle.

In 2001, Jeff and I visited the In Flanders Field

Museum in Ypres, Belgium. (You pronounce it Eepray)

It is in a place where war raged from 1914-1918, and thousands of lives were lost.  Many, many British and American soldiers died in the trenches here.  

Some of the trenches are still there.  The museum does a very good job of teaching you what war was like in Ypres... and it was terrible.

This is where John McRae wrote the famous poem "In Flanders Field."

This is something I will never forget- the lists of the British soldiers whose bodies were never recovered.

The names go on and on.

What a sacrifice.  

The people of Ypres have not forgotten what our soldiers did for them.

I am so glad that my daughters and their cousin Ayla can spend their day having fun.  I hope that someday they can appreciate where that freedom came from.

This is a poem inspired by John McRae's- and the author is the person who came up with the idea of making paper poppies to sell as a fundraiser for veterans.

We Shall Keep the Faith

by Moina Michael, November 1918

Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet - to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.

We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.

And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We'll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields

2013 Dance Recital

One week ago tonight,

we were just getting home from the dress rehearsal of

Erin's dance recital.

We can take photos at dress rehearsal, but not during the real recital.

Erin did great! 

This is ballet- "When She Loved Me"

Tap- I just love these costumes.  And these girls.  They're so beautiful, aren't they?  Erin has been in class with this group for two years and they are all good friends.

Acro- "Cotton-Eyed Joe"

Aren't those shorts beautifully be-jeweled?

Strong girl!

And jazz- what fantastic costumes!

The song was "Amazing Mayzie"- all about those tail feathers.

What a great show Performance Dance Centre!