Eau Claire

 While we were in Eau Claire for Grandma Edie's funeral, we got to spend some time together with my family which was long overdue.  In fact, my kids haven't been to Eau Claire since February due to Covid!  It sure is a crazy time of life...  Anyway, we spent some of our precious time together riding horses (Livi was elated), riding Grandpa's ATV (Simon refused to get off!), and playing with Everett.  He has grown so much and the kids hadn't seen him since last Christmas!  It was very sweet watching them all play together.  We're glad we had some family time together, even though it came through a heartbreak.  Sure wish this pandemic could get under control so we could easily spend time together and travel again!

Saying Goodbye

 Last night was a rough night for Grandma.  We thought it was the end.  The priest was called and Mom and her siblings gathered.  She was in a lot of pain, barely conscious and vomiting profusely.  Somehow she pulled through and rallied and by today was feeling loads better.  I've been asking Mom if I should come, but Grandpa had not wanted the grandkids to see Grandma in this condition.  But, today Grandma changed her mind and said that she would like to see the grandkids, but only if we didn't say goodbye.  Within the hour, Eric was home from work with the kids and I was on my way to Chippewa first to pick up Lucas, and on to Durand.  

Grandma finally had agreed to a hospital bed, which had been rolled out into the living room.  All of my aunts and uncles were gathered, but were taking turns with their vigil due to Covid.  Most were waiting out on the deck when we arrived, but she could still hear them talking and laughing that hearty Weisenbeck laugh from her bed.  It made her so happy to have her kids all close to her.  Mom and Michelle were taking care of her every need and Todd was in the kitchen making a double batch of her cinnamon roll recipe.  She was listening to the sounds of the dishes clanking, smelling the delicious aroma of the rolls, and was snuggled in to one of the beautiful quilts she made many years ago.  It was a display piece that she had never used before, but finally she decided it was a good time to use it.  

It's really hard to think about what to say to a loved one when you know you're saying goodbye, but you don't want to actually say goodbye.  We chatted about the weather, I showed her pictures of the kids at the pumpkin patch, and we chatted about how everyone was here for her and how much she loved it.  She told me that Jesus had been calling, both last night and this morning, but that she didn't want to go.  She told Him that she was going to miss everyone too much and that she wasn't ready to die.  She said she wasn't scared, but sad.  

When it was finally time to leave, I gave her a hug, stroked her white hair and tried not to cry while she told me these words:  "You have been a very special part of my life.  Tell your kids how much their Grandma Edie loves them.  I love you and I'll see you again."  I can't even remember what I said back to her...something about how much I love her and am going to miss her and that she was a treasure to me. And with that, we said goodbye to Grandpa and headed out.

Grandma had another couple of good days with her family keeping vigil.  She sipped brandy, ate dilly bars, had her hair washed, had a bite or two of cinnamon rolls, sang songs, and listened to the stories told by her kids.  They kept watch round the clock.  She started to fade and was eventually not able to talk anymore.  Her breathing changed.  She finally answered Jesus' call on Thursday, September 24th, in the wee hours of the morning with several of her kids and Grandpa surrounding her.  She is forever loved and will be forever missed.

Last Boat Ride of the Year

Last night we went on the last boat ride of the season with Tom and Sara.  The colors were just starting to show and it was a warm and beautiful night out on the water.  We stopped at the island where Eric and Tom used to camp growing up.  It has a cool winding path through it and we took a little walk, but it ended abruptly when we encountered the overpowering stink of a dead animal.  (Must've been a dead fish?)  Aside from the stink, it was a great way to spend a fall evening and it was so nice to spend a little time with Tom and Sara.
 

Homeschool - Unit One: Harvest

 

Nolan:

Plum Barbecue Sauce

Applesauce

Graphed favorite kinds of apples

Venn Diagram of flour vs sugar

Alphabetized 

Made onion rings

Made a Harvest Lap Book

Additionally:

Completed Pokemon addition facts

Worked on Proper Nouns, reading comprehension skills, and is building a character analysis resource for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Made art projects for Grandparents Day

Started piano lessons

ABC Mouse

Olivia:

How many Apples?

Learned applesauce song

Made Apple Man

Made Apple puppet

Finger painted Apple tree

Practiced short a sound

Worked on opposite words

Worked on rhyming words

Additionally:

Started Math Book 

Practicing letter sounds and games - Zingo, Sight Word Swat, and building sight words with tiles and letters

PlayDoh and coloring

ABC Mouse

Made Art Projects for Grandparents Day

Together:

Picked apples

Dug Potatoes

Made Applesauce

Grated, labeled and froze zucchini

Made Zucchini Bread

Harvest Meal

Tried many new fruits and vegetables: apricots, dates, beets, spinach, artichoke

Read books and poems about harvest

Talked about different ways of preserving: canning, freezing, drying

Dehydrated apples

Made Play Doh

Apple Stamping

Learned the parts of an apple

Learned new vocabulary: Tablespoon, teaspoon, knead, harvest

Got produce box from food pantry and distributed to neighbors and friends

Made a meal for the Frederick Place

Visited Hansen's Garden Center 

Fall Poems

Picked Grapes

Picked Pumpkins