Zari is an adult! 18 years old!

Wow, I can't believe it's already happened. 18 years since she was born and I first became a mother. It doesn't feel that long ago.

She dressed up for school as a fang-less vampire (the fangs wouldn't stick!). She was worried that she would be the only one at university dressed up, but we assured her that a lot of the students and faculty dress up.

I picked her, Dio, and her boyfriend up after school so we could all go trick-or-treat together. Inga went to a friend's house before I could take a picture! So for the first time ever, we are short one photo.

Dio was Kaz again from Shadow and Bone, but he couldn't find his fedora hat. He still cut a striking figure.

Ivy graduated into Inej's character (worn by Inga last year).

Inga was a Canadian, wearing every bit of Canadian gear we could find: socks, gloves, t-shirt, hoodie, scarf, and flag.

Eric was a "lazy wizard" because he threw on a cloak (one I made years back for myself) and grabbed a staff. Instant wizard!

I pulled out a costume I made back in my university days for a class project, a reproduction of a dress from the 1770s. I haven't worn it for ages.

We ran into one of Inga's friends, who I had made a leather bustier for last time she was over. I love how she accessorized it!

Once we got back, we ate a delicious dinner that Eric cooked and then had birthday cake (made by me and decorated by the kids as a team).

We read Zari's birth story as we were gathered around the table. Her boyfriend got the entire unedited version, complete with placentas and breastfeeding and guttural pushing noises.

We're enjoying a few days of unseasonably warm temperatures. But it looks like tomorrow will be stormy and rainy. I hope it eases up enough for Trick or Treating in the evening.

Ivy and Inga both went to the same practice tonight (the one that's over an hour away). Zari and Dio didn't have anything scheduled so the 3 of us ate dinner (salad made with orzo, cucumber, bell pepper, cherry tomato, red onions, & feta cheese, plus this za'atar-spiced beet dip on top of pita bread, https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/zaatar-spiced-beet-dip-goat-cheese-and-hazelnuts).

The girls didn't get home until 10:15 pm, as usual, so that means a late night and tired children tomorrow morning.

I mostly did breech work after my morning exercise. I took a short mid-day break to sit in the sun on the front porch steps and give our stray cat belly rubs. She's quite tame now compared to when we first met her.

Too much!

Here's my day:

• 7:15 am: wake up, get the kids up with backscratches (a morning ritual of ours), shower, get dressed
• 8:15 am: kids go to school, I drive Dio and Zari since he has some ceramic artwork that needs to be driven home
• 8:30-9:30 am: walking group
• 9:30-10:30 am: breech work
• 10:30-11:30 am: revise a publication with my co-author and resubmit
• 11:30 am-12:45 pm: more breech work, lunch, short spell sitting in the sun on our front porch steps and petting our stray cat
• 12:45-1 pm: pick up Zari and bring her to her university class (since she didn't have her bike today)
• 1-3:45 pm: breech work
• 3:45-4 pm: pick up Dio
• 4:20-7:50 pm: drive Dio to and from his soccer practice, picking up 3 teammates along the way
• 8:00-9:20 pm: hop online for a podcast interview with Melanie Jackson of Mel the Midwife
• 9:30-10:10 pm: Zoom meeting with my video analysis team (USA, Canada, & Australia)

Meanwhile this evening Ivy and Inga caught a ride to Ivy's soccer game about an hour away (they lost 2-0). Eric had a department social and then drove to see Ivy's game, getting home around 10 pm.

Back to the grind

7 am wakeups...everyone out of the house early...back to the normal school schedule. I went to the gym as is usual for MWF. I also attended a lunchtime reading at the university by Michael Martone. Very fun and a nice break from computer work.

After school the usual soccer craziness picked back up, with me driving Dio one direction and Eric driving Inga another. More driving for everyone tomorrow, and yesterday, and the next day, and the next day...it's too much.

I have loads of meetings tomorrow, from the morning until 10:30 pm (broken up only by, guess what??? driving Dio to soccer! Maybe I'll find time to eat, maybe not. Scratch that--I will definitely find time to eat since it's my fasting day today and I am hungry after 36 hours!

Back to soccer insanity

After a lovely week of actually seeing my children, we're back to the usual craziness. Zari left at 5 am for a debate tournament. Ivy left at 6:15 for a soccer tournament an hour away. Eric and Inga left around 7 am for a soccer game 4 hours away. I drove Dio to and from a birthday party mid-day, 40 minutes round trip each time.

Ivy has another game tomorrow, more games if they win.

On top of it, Eric got a leak in his tire in the last part of the 4-hour drive. He was able to find a tire store and it turns out we had to replace all 4 tires....the tread was pretty much gone.

I also got a tire leak today, but that was nothing new: 2 of the 4 leak consistently. I've brought them in to be fixed and it's still ongoing. I have an appointment to have them looked at tomorrow yet again.

I caught up on breech work today and made bell peppers stuffed with brown rice and pork sausage for dessert. All of the pepper came from my parents' garden! Our fridge is stuffed full of garden produce and our cupboards are filled with cans of applesauce.

Mounds State Park

We took a trip over to Mounds State Park to see the Indian mounds. These were ceremonial/astronomical, not burial mounds, dating back over 2,000 years.

It was a gorgeous day for a nice hike around the park trails after we visited the mounds.

Also some pictures and videos of the carriage house. The doors need to be repainted but we're getting close!

We had a stressful near-accident in a roundabout, where Zari was in the outer lane and someone from the inner lane cut across to exit. Zari was rattled so we pulled over and took a little break. We also had an impromptu ice cream break while charging the car. We got the smallest cones and it was so much ice cream I couldn't finish! 'Merica.

My parents leave tomorrow, and most of us have an early start due to various soccer tournaments. Not a sleeping in Saturday!

We've been home the past two days, crafting, playing, and working on home projects. The nickel gap siding is completely painted, the closet door installed, the carriage house railing reinstalled and the carriage house doors working! It's probbaly been many decades since those huge old doors have functioned. It's so satifying to finally get them functional again.

We have lots of silk paintings finished or close to finished...resin art curing...

The weather has been amazing as well. I just want to bask in the sun all day.

Well, it's been busy lately and I've fallen into bed with good intentions of getting back out and writing in my journal. Good intentions that totally disappeared because I couldn't stay awake!

On Saturday (Oct 19) we had a family work morning painting the carriage house and doing yardwork. Inga had a game in the afternoon, winning 2-1 (she scored one of the goals). My parents arrived and then we went to a really fun fall party: potluck, chili cookoff, bonfires, horseback riding, trunk or treat, and hay rides. A great time.

Sunday was relaxed. I am trying to remember what we actually did and drawing a blank! Oh yeah, now I remember: Eric went with Zari to play Ultimate frisbee, but they didn't have enough people. I brought the other kids to the university athletic facilities. Ivy and Inga swam and Dio went to the weight room, and Zari and Eric joined him there. My parents went to a concert at Wabash, which turned out to be very weird and very loud, so they left during intermission.

Monday was a big day trip with everybody minus Eric (he had to work) plus Zari's boyfriend. We drove up to Indiana Dunes National Park and spent an idyllic day on the lakeshore. It got up to 78 degrees! Amazing for late October on Lake Michigan. I waded in the water and honestly should have gone swimming. Ivy and Inga were in for a while.

The kids had a driftwood lifting contest, beach wrestling matches, and lots of other fun. We also went hiking along some of the dune paths, one of which had over 480 stairs!

We stopped at the Abilene Candy Factory on the way home. I let each child choose 1/4 lb of their candy of choice. We also stopped for dinner on the way home--we originally were planning on getting home in time for dinner but we were all having so much fun that we stayed a lot longer than planned.

Our day ended up being a bit over 12 hours from start to finish. Zari got 5.5 hours of driving time in, some of which was quite stressful with busy freeways and congested roads. But she did it!

Today we stayed home and did lots of crafts and other activities. We canned a massive quantity of applesauce from 3 huge boxes of apples from my parents' trees. A few friends were over for things including silk painting and leather working. My dad helped make frames for the silk painting and got our driveway ready for its annual weed preventer spray. My mom cooked a huge batch of borscht for dinner, which we ate on the front porch. We ended the evening with fire & Smores, then an episode of The Rings of Power.

Will update with pictures later...but I need to get to bed!

The kids are excited--school break started this evening and grandparents are coming to visit tomorrow!

I had to bring the car in yesterday morning for an alignment. The nearest place that can do it is an hour away. There was another issue with one of the passenger seats spontaneously moving, so they gave me a loaner car while they fixed that as well. I thought it would be several days but it only took until that evening.

Eric had to drive Inga into her soccer practice that evening, so he picked the car up. At the same time, I drove Dio to his new club practice, about 35 minutes away. So much driving.

The nickel gap siding is ready for painting tomorrow. We have all of the nail holes filled courtesy of Ivy, Inga, Zari, and me. I have a few spots to sand on the corners. We'll have a Freeze Family Painting Party tomorrow morning and maybe we'll get the whole first coat done!

Walking group was chilly this morning! I was glad that I brought a hat and gloves.

I was hoping to go to a university lunch lecture, but I got a last-minute Zoom call that took precedence. It's ok--there are lots of other campus events that I largely ignore or miss 🙂 And honestly, part of it is just for the free food and the interesting lecture is a side benefit.

No one had soccer practice or games today--a miracle! Ivy and Inga went to the last middle school football game for the season and called us halfway through: "We want to come home--we are too cold!" I made them bring two jackets and gloves and they still couldn't stay warm. Wow. This is coming from Ivy who wears shorts and tshirts much of the winter!

We had time to watch one episode of our show after dinner (Eric: street tacos with ingredients from the local Mexican grocery store). Inga has a field trip tomorrow that leaves early and gets home late. I'm letting her wake herself up!

Yesterday we had plans to swim at the university pool, but then they got foiled by almost everyone having something else going on that afternoon. I am drawing a blank about what I did in the afternoon! It's like totally gone. We did watch an episode of The Rings of Power at some point.

Ivy had a school choir concert, which I got to attend. Eric was off driving Inga and Dio to their respective soccer practices (Dio has started up with a club team now that school soccer is done).

This week's 36-hr fast is 2/3 done and I'm hungry, but not nearly as hungry as I would expect. Weird and nice given that I'm fasting until tomorrow.

I did some filming today (breech-related videos). It's amazing how making maybe 10 minutes of finished videos takes well over a day. I had to set up my studio, get everything exactly as it was 2 years ago (these videos are various updates so they're getting inserted into longer existing videos). I'm still editing at the end of today and then I have to do captions and then get them translated and then produce the videos in 4 other languages. Probably several days of work for 10 minutes!

Stray cats and skunks

We have this cute stray cat who has been hanging around our house mewling at us. She lets us pet her if we wait for her to come up to us. Inga has fed her bits of meat once or twice so I think we'll be seeing a lot of her.

We were outside sitting on the front lawn late tonight, hoping we'd spot the Northern Lights. No luck...but it was a gorgeous night with a half moon. The cat stayed with us most of the time and got bits of ham and tuna.

Then Inga saw something out of the corner of her eye. She thought it was another stray cat...but no! It was a skunk. We all ran inside and called it a night.

It was a school holiday for everyone today. The kids had a friend over for much of the day. We pulled out all of the costumes and fabric and craft supplies. It's a bit of an explosion of materials but we did make a purse and a skirt by the end of the day.

Ivy had a game about an hour away this evening (losing 3-1), which Inga and Eric attended. Then she came back, grabbed a sleeping bag and pillow, and went to a friend's birthday party/sleepover.

Everyone came home after school, for the first time the entire school year! Amazing!

Not a whole lot going on otherwise and my left shoulder/neck is really hurting so I'll keep this brief. (Too much computer work.) Tomorrow is a school holiday and the kids are having some friends over. I'm envisioning a day filled with crafts, games, and outdoor time. I hope we can make that happen.

We had time to watch one episode of The Rings of Power tonight.

Shiplap done, a long wait

Eric and I finished up the shiplap siding late this afternoon. So satisfying! Now I have to paint it....and install the door...and then install the garage door tracks. But it's getting closer!

Dio had his sectional game, which both of us were able to attend. They lost 1-0 so his soccer season is officially over. Zari also had a sectional (away) and lost 5-0 so she is also done. I waited for her at the high school for over 1 1/2 hours! Eric thought she'd be home at a certain time but it turns out her team ate at a fast food restaurant. So I sat in the car...waiting...and waiting.

I did some filming today because we have a few lessons that need updating. I have to do a bit more tomorrow or Friday. Then editing, captioning, translating, etc.

Stinky morning

We woke up to the smell of skunk. It happens on occasion when there's one in the neighborhood. Zari had to leave early just as it was starting to not be 100% dark. I warned her to be careful going into the garage 🙂

I had a good work day after my morning walking group. When Eric came home in the afternoon, we put up more nickel gap siding in the carriage house. One big wall is totally done and 2 other walls are about half done. Gorgeous weather so it was a pleasure to be outside (kind of) working.

We had time to watch two episodes of the new series we've started: The Rings of Power. I'm loving the costumes, especially that deep teal color that's used in so much of the fabrics.

Feast of the Hunter's Moon

Yesterday afternoon we took the whole family, plus one friend, to a historical reenactment/festival celebrating Fort Ouiatenon and the history of the French-Indian war. A fun excuse for thousands of people to dress in 18th century garb, do handicrafts, sell food cooked over an open fire, and offer all sorts of diversions such as Highland Games and axe throwing and cannon shooting.

It's been so long since we've been able to do something together as a family.

Dio had sectionals today and his team won 2-1 in a shootout. He'll be playing again on Wednesday. Ivy and Inga are done with school soccer, so they came home right after school today. It was fun and weird to see them home! I was working in the carriage house when they came home. Eric helped me put up more nickel gap siding, and then I started to install the door to the under-stairs closet.

Champions!

Ivy and Inga's school team are undefeated champions! They haven't lost a single game this season and they just finished a tournament today winning both games 5-0 and 4-0. Inga scored 8 of the 9 goals.

I've been unusually exhausted the last few days. I'm ok during the day but once it's about dinnertime, all I can do is just lie down in bed. What's up with that?

Zari took the SAT again this morning. She has one more scheduled for November.

We got the garage approach poured today and we're just 2 days away from being able to finally use our garage! It's only been 13 years :) The doors are adjusted and working properly. Electricity should be coming in 1-2 weeks.

Inga has a friend over for a sleepover. We'll do a pancake breakfast, have a laid-back morning, and then go to a big historical festival thing in the afternoon.

Here's the newspaper article:

https://www.journalreview.com/stories/cms-girls-soccer-has-undefeated-season,316054

CMS girls’ soccer has undefeated season 

Posted Friday, October 4, 2024 5:00 am 

For the Journal Review 

The Crawfordsville Middle School girls’ soccer team has capped off a phenomenal season with a 7-0-1 record, celebrating both an undefeated regular season and their second consecutive county championship. Under the guidance of longtime coach Laurie Vellner, the team achieved an extraordinary milestone — going undefeated for the first time in Vellner’s 14 years coaching at Crawfordsville Middle School.

“This season has been remarkable,” said Vellner, who has taught at CMS for 18 years. “The girls showed incredible determination and teamwork, and it’s been a joy to see them develop both as athletes and individuals.”

Vellner was supported this year by first-time assistant coach Lisa Talcott and special assistance from Coach Eric Freeze.

The team’s success was driven by the dedication of its eight eighth graders: Inga Freeze, Osiris Herrera, Alicia Fernandez, Krystel Ledezma, Krystal Munoz, Olivia Abney, Maritza Solano and Lexi Cox. Their leadership played a pivotal role in guiding the team to this historic season, with captains Freeze, Cox and Solano leading by example.

“We’ve had a really strong group of eighth graders this year,” Vellner said. “Their leadership and dedication were key to our success, and I’m excited to see where their soccer journeys take them.”

Next up, the team will compete in their conference tournament on Saturday in Lebanon. Vellner is excited to see what the team can accomplish as they aim to finish their season on a high note.

“I’d like to extend my deepest gratitude to my fellow coaches, the supportive staff at CMS, and the amazing group of parents who have been so encouraging,” she said. “They’ve truly made this season a success.”

Inga and I got home at 10:20 pm from her soccer practice. I'm glad I was able to stay alert during the drive there and back. I've had really disuprted sleep the past two nights.

I did a lot of breech computer work (creating volume 3 of our clinical scenarios). Then it was time for a change of pace, so I hauled out our power tools and started installing the shiplap (nickel gap) siding in our carriage house.

I had to scribe the first line of siding since the floor slopes, dips and curves. I also had to rip some 2x4s in half to create 2x2s and sister them onto one of then wall that had been framed as a 2x4 wall, rather than a 2x6 like the rest of the walls. Then I could finally start putting the siding up! I am proud of my scribing job--the first line fits perfectly on all 3 walls. I couldn't have done it with out a laser level.

We're getting a new approach poured and our carriage house doors adjusted. Then we will finally, after more than 13 years, be able to use the garage to park our door and close the garage doors!

Here's to hoping I can sleep better tonight.

Zari had a home game, winning 2-0. She scored one of the two goals!

Debate night

We let the kids all stay up late to watch the vice-presidential debate. It was definitely much more restrained than the presidential debate!

Vance kept going off-topic and talking about these millions of illegal immigrants who are single-handedly responsible for...

• overrunning entire cities
• taking all of the good jobs
• creating record housing prices by buying up all the housing
• bringing in record levels of fentanyl and other drugs
• probably 1000 other things that he wants to scapegoat someone for

I want to meet these crafty immigrants. I mean, surely they would be on the upper echelons of America by now, given how they have (according to Vance) so successfully taken over everything. Right?

Anyway that's it for American Political Theater for tonight.

Inga and Ivy had a soccer game, winning 4-0.

I did mostly breech work and a tiny bit of work on the carriage house (scribing the bottom layer of nickel gap siding that will go up on the dividing wall). I need to get the table saw set up so I can cut the lines that I marked. Of course they are not straight, but curved. Of course. That will be fun.