Bon appetit!

Freddy and I were cleaning his room, and he noticed the mousetrap that I set under his bed...

Freddy: Do you think that Papa will want to eat the mouse that we catch?

Susan: Why would Papa want to eat a mouse!?

Freddy: He's French!

Susan: French people eat mice?

Freddy: Yes. I think so.

Heading south

Two out of three so far.

Brazil: Everyone got that one. Sebastien is going to be hanging out with Roberto there. He also does business with Fabio in Brazil. Well, not that Fabio, but that is who I always picture. While he is in Brazil he might run across Rosie's nanny. She is recovering from a botched surgery; her body rejected the saline implants. You might want to skip Brazil when looking into overseas enhancements.

Peru: Michelle got that one. Unfortunately, it's just a layover. He won't get to do anything interesting.

One country left. It is the one that he has visited before.

Juvenile delinquents

Here is the link to Fred or Chuck caught in the act.

What's new:

No photos on the blog until we get the house fixed. That will take months and a big pile of Sebastien's hard earned cash. A really big pile. I'll have to cut back on donuts and magazines so that we can afford it. The house shifted again, and we think that it knocked the satellite dish out of position.

Here's what is new:

Fred and Chuck have finally been kicked out of the kitchen. I just couldn't take their mess in there anymore. Now they are in the living room, and they have a basement under their house. Oh, and they went bad. Here is a video. They also lost their lake and beach (Pam, that is the last beach that you want to hang out at.) because mold was growing. They still have the airplane though. Chuck flies around in it often.

Calvin started his first job a few weeks ago. Last Friday he cashed his first paycheck. $99 bucks. He works hard for that $. So far he has emptied trash bins, put labels on airplane parts, made boxes, and filled hardware boxes. He has probably learned a few bad words also. And I think that he has learned that he doesn't want to spend his life working in a factory. Lucie plans to start working there when she turns 13 which is only a yr and a half away. She is going to save up for a car.

Isabelle's room is clean. Actually clean. Lucie's room is also. This will be a big shocker to anyone who has visited lately. And, yes, trash bags were used. Several.

Isabelle has been busy filling up her book of poetry. She prefers to memorize and recite poems that she has written (maybe because they are so short??), and she now has a lot of material to choose from.

I'm working on my last bit of fundraising for Open Arms. Feel free to donate! That way I can get back to my couch and bonbons sooner.

We visited a Renewable Energy fair on the weekend. Next yr Freddy wants to exhibit Fred and Chuck's house. There was a doll house at the fair, and he feels that Fred and Chuck's is nicer (light switches and all) and should be displayed. We are planning to go to the Maker Faire, and I think that Freddy should display Fred and Chuck's compound there, under the airplane wing.

After hangin' with the hippies at the Renewable Energy Fair, we cleaned ourselves up and hung out with the Republicans at a senator's backyard BBQ. We get around.

Sebastien is still working on the medieval clock made of cardboard. He is putting a lot of time into it. I hope that it works. I am not working on anything interesting right now. I donated a couple of quilts to church for the Linus Project, and as a result they bought me fabric, thread and batting to make more. But the fabric is ugly (to me), and I just can't get into it.

School is finally going well. Except for the 7 yr old throwing a fit because his sis was reading the Bible passage this morning (which she frequently does, and does very well) instead of his mum. Which reminds me...we had Isabelle church a couple of Sundays ago when Sebastien and Calvin were gone. Isabelle plans the whole thing, with communion, bulletins, readings, songs by the choir, solos, children's time, and an offering. And we have to shake the pastor's hand as we leave. Isabelle church took 45 minutes. We listened to the first chapter of Job, the last chapter of Revelation, the 12th chapter of John, and two Psalms. I'm in the choir. 45 minutes. And an annoying airplane buzzed us during one of the songs; we could see Sebastien waving.

That is all that is new around here.

Sebastien (who just refered to me as his ball and chain) is planning a trip down south. Anyone want to guess what three countries he will be visiting? Here are your hints: He has visited only one of these countries before; he doesn't speak any of the local languages; and he will be going south of the equator for the first time.

Project

 

Freddy and the scary "mid-evil" clock that he and Sebastien are building as their weekend project.

Project

 

My weekend project: The couch is finally recovered. Now only six more projects to go and the living room is redecorated. We can't find Isabelle anywhere. Has anyone seen her? Where could she be?

Parachute boy

 

All dressed up and nowhere to jump.

 

He flies through the air, with the greatest of ease...

 

Sketch

 

"Papa, will you artist me?"

Taddy

 

Hubert: Should we eat the tadpole, Rosemary, or go for a swim with him?

Rosemary: I don't think that we are going to get to do either: Great Granny Sue is ranting and raving about the stink in her kitchen and pretty soon she is going to figure out that it is coming from our aquarium.

Hubert: Goodbye, Tadpole. Goodbye, aquarium.

Rosemary: Let's go to the beach!

Beach front property

 

If you want to live the high life, you gotta be on the beach!

Fred and Chuck are now on the beach. There is a walkway made of blocks and train tracks going from their house over to the water. They love it there. I think that their pet fish is looking longingly at the water.

In the sand, which came from our lake, is some kind of worm. Fred and Chuck are a little afraid of it as it is a snake to them (or a sea serpent as they sometimes call it).

On the left you can see their trap. Nasty thing. They set it out to catch robbers that might come their way. It is a Missouri mosquito trap (hahaha) from Ozarkland. Just perfect for Fred and Chuck.

 

Hubert is on the raft, Chuck has the innertube on, Fred is wearing her swim cap to protect her delicate head feathers, and Rosemary has the shades.

Ashes

 

A photo of Ashes taken last autumn when he was a wee one year old.

Something new

 

Sebastien ordering pizza on our lovely new phone.

If you call me, this is what I will speaking on. That is why my voice now sounds so elegant; I can't help it. My business voice is now a thing of the past even though I am still fundraising.

Tuesday's project:

 

What is Freddy working on??

 

Electricity! Every night at dark someone runs over and turns on the lights. They have a bedside lamp and nightlights for the aquarium.

We have a winner!

 

and Fred and Chuck have an aquarium. If you look closely, you can see one little fish on the left. Linda guessed it; that lady is too smart for her own good.

By the time that school started this morning we had a fish store in the kitchen. Several were bought and are thriving. One, unfortunately, jumped out of his container during the morning and landed on the sign titled, "Common Fish For Sale".

Next up: Fred and Chuck's latest home improvements. Those chicks are living the high life!

Contest hint

 

Sabra guessed a microwave. Good guess, but wrong.

Freddy drew the picture above to give you another hint. And the exciting new thing is NOT in the photo below. It is in the bedroom right now, but it is something that you can put in any room.

Contest!

 

Fred and Chuck now have a fabulous new addition to their house. The first person to guess what it is will get a prize by mail.

Hint: We don't have one. I have seen one in my brother Ken's house and in my friend Melissa's house.

Hint: Surely there isn't another "doll" house around that sports one of these. I'll do some googling and check.