Enter Felix

In my last post about a recent "date night" I alluded to shopping for vacuum cleaners.  I should be charged with neglect for having not highlighted this new important member of our family sooner.  Felix joined the Schafer household in October of 2014 when Pete and I went out for the first time after Clement was born.  Joe at a local sweeper store in North Canton convinced Pete to try something other than a bagless vacuum. Beyond that Pete pretty much left the shopping to me.  Given the utility of the gift and knowing my enjoyment of the household chore we were willing to spend some bigger bucks in order to find me a suitable dancing partner.

 Introducing FELIX

Joe had a special running on SEBO vacs and gave us a demo of another model that adjusted to the height of the carpet automatically, looked a bit more traditional, and boasted the duties of keeping Disney World and the White House, among other prominent households in ship-shop shape. And, though we typically tend toward the American made option we could not ignore the high quality engineering and sturdy workmanship of this German gadget.  Glancing across the store the unique 70s looking model caught my eye and we got the details from Joe for this more modest, yet marvelous machine.

 

Here are some of Felix's fine qualities:

• It's designed by a woman
• Adjustable handle with bumper on the handle to prevent extra dings
• Variant power switch
• Converts to a canister vac that can be carried easily to clean steps and other nooks and crannies
• smaller width which may mean more passes but along with the swivel handle allows for easy maneuvering around furniture and other hard to reach areas
• Low profile laying close to ground so you can reach all the way under the bed to eradicate dust bunnies easily
• changeable outer filter that comes in a variety of designs that allows Felix to dress for the occasion (we haven't needed to change this yet but it might be fun to go with a different color or pattern next time)
•  Hose insert to the top of the bag which allows you to fill entire bag and it's easy and not messy to change
• easy to switch  parquet attachment to use on tile, wood, or linoleum floors
• long cord allowing me to sweep the whole main floor from one outlet
• BONUS: hours of fun in converting the box Felix came in into our very own airplane with rotating propeller made possible by old sweeper tube attachment.

"yuggage" filled airplane ready for inspection

 

Take-off!

 

Felix's Potential Pitfalls

• The boys too like operating Felix which doesn't give me much alone time and sometimes extends the run time to complete the chore (if only they liked doing laundry as much)
• More attachments to double as swords, trumpets, baseball bats or other utensils
• Felix did not come with a brush attachment, or shoulder strap...perhaps stocking stuffers for another year...?

 

 

 

Blessed we are as we did acquire another cordless rechargeable vacuum that we keep stationed in the basement primarily for keeping the family minivan Viceroy free of debris but also keeps all the boys involved when I get Felix out for a run.  They are helpful  and capable of sweeping the steps and rugs easily.

 

I'm certainly grateful for my little helpers, electrical and otherwise.

 

We like to party!

 

Pete and I recently relived our wild and crazy dating days!  Actually it was the total opposite.  Upon Mom and Dad Schafer's return from Arizona visiting Sr. John-Mark, the whole family gathered at Pizza Hut for some good eats where Lisa mentioned that she was going out to hear a band in Cuyahoga Falls and extended the invitation.  I quickly blurted, "Hmm... maybe.  Sounds like fun.  I've got a babysitter!"  Babysitter- father- well they can be one in the same.  I had been craving some time out without the kids which gets more difficult with Pete's evening schedule of classes.  I then learned that Matt and Debbie were making the trip out.   Not too crazy about having to drive out on my own when I'm just as pleased to stay home and spend a relaxing evening with a good film and popcorn next to my husband I had nearly dismissed the opportunity.

As we pulled out of the parking lot after dinner though, Pete's comment of, "Well, it's obvious my siblings like you more than me.  They didn't invite me out!"  Feeling a little bad for the poor guy, I suggested that my babysitter comment probably kai-bashed his invitation and then asked if he wanted to go.  "Are you asking me on a date?" "Yes, I guess so."

Now to find a sitter...

Yay for Grandma Angie and her willingness to take on the challenge.  Still, it took some serious consideration since Augustine and Clement had fallen asleep on our way home from Pizza Hut and us going out would mean loading them back up in the car and heading to Portage County where they would spend the night with their parents out on the town. 

 

In our deliberations I plainly asked Pete,  "Is this the responsible choice?  Is this what parents should do?"  His response: "What most parents do?"

Enticed by the spontaneity of the plan we loaded the boys back up in Viceroy, jammy clad and bags in tow.  Not that parenting, lacks spontaneity- seriously folks- every single moment with young children can be a surprise, a curveball, a dizzying adventure.  I can't really rationalize it any other way, but a date night is  a self-centered choice to live a little, throw caution to the wind, and just BE.  I specifically chose self centered over selfish because that small ounce of adult time can work wonders in rejuvenating a connection between husband and wife and keep the marriage and family persevering through the mundane, through the chaos, through the rich and through the poor.

Minus the weekly social gatherings at B-dubs for fifty cent wings, the bar scene was not part of Pete and I's courting routine.  I'm certainly not complaining, but this out of the ordinary experience, loud 80s cover band music, eclectic crowds of 21 year olds newly inducted to the drunken stupor club and 65 year olds high on life masquerading confident dance moves and hat tricks, surrounded by glowing football broadcasts and equally bright and animated wardrobes and language, and the onslaught of smells of yeasty ale, overly applied cologne, fried foods, and nicotine tainted breath exhibited a certain kind of intrigue. 

Ultimately, though, it would be quite easy for me to pass on the experience should the opportunity arise again.  I enjoyed the time talking (or should I say screaming) with Pete and other adults, but would pass with the sore throat which resulted. I enjoyed the tasty Baja burger that we shared cooked to our liking, accompanied by cheesy French fries with bacon that I did not have to cook nor do the dishes for afterward, but our pretzel buns are better and much more cost effective.  I enjoyed wibble-wobbling around on the dance floor with my husband, but much prefer the musical beats in our own heads and the BOOM-shawkka-lawkas that erupt in the comforts of our own home and the boys' individuality and creative rhythms that add to the mix. 

You know what the best part of the date was?!?!?  Spending time with my husband:  the long car ride to the pub and back where we could talk and make a bunch of relatively simple decisions without interruptions, our laughs we shared as we interjected various phrases and actions characteristic of our boys in their absence,  our revisiting fun, interesting memories from our pasts like Pete's love of Tears for Fears and my knowledge of Tainted Love from multiple viewings of Coneheads on TBS,  the uninterrupted night of sleep, knowing that our offspring were safe and well taken care of at the grandparents (where they all slept marvelously through the night- How does that always happen?!?!),   and Pete's disappointment when I showed up for Mass without the boys.  Even though they went with Grandma and Grandpa, we both felt somewhat guilty and strange without having to wrestle the cute little minions in the pew. Beautiful. Being united in our thoughts, actions, hopes, and dreams and striving to share a life of faith together with our family.

It's no wonder it's crazy to think we've been married nearly six years and the countless adventures we've experienced so far.  The time has flown by even since these pictures from November of 2014.  We like to party- for feast days, for holidays, for every days.  It doesn't matter if we're hanging out on Spangler Road, heading to the beach, or shopping for a vacuum (more on that later), the Schafer family is one movin' and a groovin', happnin' crew!

A Change of Heart

My philosophy when it comes to gardening has typically been, Why plant something you can't eat? Pete has made me feel a bit guilty the last two springs wondering if we were going to get any flowers.  (Note:  this draft was begun 12/6/2014  putting Luke at just over 3years old in the photo below.  My how things have changed! and yet stayed the same!)

 We've gratefully accepted the "leftovers" from our mothers and planted them without much plan.  This April I did sprinkle some seeds from packets I had accumulated over the last few years from Easter egg hunts or party favors.  I didn't have very high expectations and primarily did the deed to indulge Luke as he persistently questioned- What can I plant mom? What can I plant?  Mom, what can I plant?  

It took longer than I suspected for the characters of color to come through.  Which is probably my fault in not knowing what the "garden flower mix" seedlings would look like and dooming them to the fate of weeds.  From what others have told me the pink petals above belong to zinnias.  The sunflower never made it that tall probably due to the encounters with the weed whacker early on.  Luke was excited to harvest the seeds but we never got to as it seems some critter broke the thick stem prematurely.

These cosmos where interesting and delightful in how they spread and dawned their hearty stems in all directions.  Geraniums were quite pungent as I remember in my days of manning the plant department on the front sidewalk on Marc's.  Though I've never considered them especially pretty I do appreciate them for their uniqueness.  Perhaps that's the moral of the story...it's worth while to appreciate all of God's creation for its uniqueness, its intricacies, its character if not always its purpose.  Admittedly, I have not sought to explore the details of the flora and will likely learn of remedies, elixirs, and "hacks" of the avid gardener with a bit of study.

But for now I'll simply say... Thank you Lord for the birds and the bees...

The flowers and the trees...

And the many colors of the world.

Watermelon Smiles and Cauliflower Crust

Oh happy day!

If you haven't heard...Pete got THE job.  He is the new Director of Lay Ministry Formation for the Diocese of Youngstown.  Tomorrow marks his 2nd full week on the job.  We here Schafers are getting into the swing of things.  Luke is telling everyone he meets that he is starting preschool in the fall and is ecstatic about his new backpack and lunch packer dohickie thing.  He's not officially registered yet but we're on it!  The academic year will be underway soon at Walsh.  It's not as if I've had a summer off but there is a certain buzz or excitement surrounding the official beginning of the new semester.  More on possible opportunities/news/ventures later but for now I mainly wanted to share some very recent, up-to-date photos.

Don't worry.  Be happy.

[commence whistling]...

 

I tried this healthy, alternative pizza crust made up of cauliflower, egg, a little cheese and some spices.  It turned out well really.  You bake the crust for 15-20 minutes and it browns up nicely and then you add on your toppings.  I finished it with tomato sauce, a layer of spinach, just a bit more cheese, olives, green peppers, banana peppers (on half), and some seasoned chicken breast.  The finished product was tasty but truth be told we ended up ordering a pizza from Papa John's the same night.  Luke said with cheeks full of the commercial wares, " I LLite this pizza a yittle better than the other one."  He's been doing much better at enunciating his "L's" and gets the right pronunciation out about 70% of the time.  We're still working on the "C", "K" and "G" sound though.  Maybe by the time he starts preschool he'll actually be able to pronounce his name properly? ;-)

Other profound revelation came on Friday when we were at the library.  I was working with Luke on his letters and he was using a magnetic activity board where he had to move the letter into the designated spot.  As he was doing this I was going over sounds and words that began with that letter.  Of course the "M" and the "W" were right next to each other waiting to be sorted.  As Luke moved the "W" to it's appropriate location he says, "Hey! "W"!  That starts with "D"! The gears in my head ground and perhaps a puff of smoke escaped my ears as I chuckled and affirmed his (and my) discovery. There you have it folks.  http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/double-u

May God bless you and all you encounter this week.  The light of Christ shines through you and your smile -even a watermelon smile!

 

 

The scoop.

In a desperate attempt to keep myself away from the refrigerator and the cupboards I thought I'd keep myself busy with blogging.  What-do-ya-know the draft I pulled up is laden with pictures of food- glorious food.  To be frank, this was the second draft I clicked on having discovered that I had two labeled as "Clement Time" for some reason.  Convinced that the subject of our newly 1 year old, third son was too deep to tackle right now I chose the draft without the exclamation point to achieve publication.  And so, here we have it.

I'm stressed. Here we are months after Pete (and I) decided that he would not be signing his contract at Hoban for the upcoming year and we are still waiting to know what the future has to hold by way of employment.  Truth be known an opportunity arose in the Diocese of Youngstown.  Pete got called in for an interview, thought it went well but has yet to hear the outcome weeks later.  I've been putting off applying for jobs myself.  I don't really want to go back full time, but I will to provide for the family, get health coverage and give Pete the opportunity to focus on finishing his dissertation.  I keep going back and forth.  I miss science but I don't want to miss out on my kids.  Luke's getting geared up for pre-school at least,  maybe me taking post in a Catholic grade school would be a pretty good gig in handling those tuition payments?  My license will expire in June of 2016 so it's nice at this point I could get back into the field without doing a bunch of extra work before the academic year would start.  Then again, I don't want to send out all my info if I'm not really available.  The clock is ticking.  Benefits run out on July 31st.  One of us ought to have something secured by then. St. Cajetan, pray for us.

I miss Pete. He'll be home soon.  Likely before I complete the post.  I've been "kicking him out" (ah-hem...I mean encouraging him) to work on his dissertation like it was a full time job.  Because...well...it is.  Since the plan is to walk the stage in May 2016 with the doctoral degree in hand he best be getting his boogie on particularly if adding in the learning curve of a new job.

And, despite my three young charges and plenty of responsibilities I'm floundering to find how best to stay occupied.  Eating can tend to be the "go to" activity.

I'm not hungry.

I'm not hungry.

Really.

I'm NOT Hungry. 

Homemade Pita Bread

Homemade baked falafel

Warm Eggplant dip

All dressed up with homemade tzatziki, tomatoes, olives, pepperoncini and feta



Clement says "mmm" (In reality he's only about 3 months old in this photo not quite on the solids) 

Stuffed Zucchini to deal with the squash explosion of last year's harvest (Don't worry- this was a whole different meal than the falafel)

A-dust-tin "yicking" the beater from brownies

Mexican seasoned venison burger grilled on an English muffin (pumpkin one actually) topped with avocado, cheddar cheese, and salsa with a side of swiss chard.

Clement's first crack at solids (age 3.75 months).  On the menu: Applesauce and oatmeal. Verdict: he loved it (much more than the ball of play-doh he just popped into his mouth- I'll be back)

Are you hungry?

Please pray for us.  For patience, understanding, and openness to the will of God and how best we are called to serve Him and care for our family. Although not especially relevant, I'm including the responsorial psalm from Sunday's Mass that's been stuck in my head and has sprung forth from my lips numerous times today.

If today, if today, you hear the voice of God,
Open up your heart. Listen to His voice.
If today, if today, you hear the voice of God,
Harden not your heart. Harden not your heart.

"A" is for...

Apple!

 Or

Augustine!

 We celebrated the two year anniversary of Augustine’s birth with a trip back out to Arrowhead Orchard in Lisbon, Ohio and a baseball themed birthday party.  We braved the cold weather to pick our own Red and Golden delicious apples.  Two years previous we explored the same orchard.  I’m sure a number of people humored me with accusations of smuggling goods from the pumpkin patch and I vividly recall an older man jumping three feet back when I was waiting in line to use the restroom and he found out that very day, September 30^th, was Augustine’s due date.  We passed on the corn maze this year but, as you can see, the boys enjoyed the other activities.  This was the first time we actually picked our own apples and the whole “lift and twist” technique is harder than it sounds.  We did a fair bit of preparation for the trip with apple and orchard themed books from the library but still I was surprised by the massive amounts of fruit clinging to the main branches of the trees a striking contrast to the  uniformly round, evenly spaced depiction in most children’s books.

Grandma Angie, Grandpa Steve and the Maione family joined us for the outdoor activities.  We learned that the entire crop of Ohio peaches was wiped out this year because of the harsh winter and that apple trees typically produce a good crop for 20-25 years.  After a chilly hayride to the pumpkin patch and some samplings of warm apple cider and various jams we enjoyed a picnic lunch with steamy turkey vegetable soup in our handy dandy thermos, P.B. and J sandwiches, Clancy’s snack mix, and crisp, freshly picked apples.

Hamster wheel

How  'bout them apples!

The cake

We followed the outdoor fun with a baseball themed party at home. Finishing this post some 8 months later still has Augustine enamored by baseball. He grabs any sweeper attachment as a substitute for a Louisville slugger and is ready to swing at balls real and imaginary. We "play" baseball everywhere- In the living room, in the basement, in the back yard, at the playground...The obsession is easily encouraged by Pete who readily busts out the baseball peanuts and the Schafer brew and commentates in the announcer voice for authenticity. I'm grateful to the warmer weather where they can lay out the bases, swing the bat more freely and leave the peanut shells outside. It's fun watching for the brief spurts of the game in the backyard but I'm not yet convinced that I would enjoy little league...too much waiting.

Special shout out to my friend Ellie that helped decorate the sugar cookies during her visit from Columbus-particularly under the strict direction of Luke to only get the white sprinkles to put on the American flags as stars.

Augustine's name and age are consistent topics of conversation and he patiently, manually moves his fingers to display the proper count when people inquire.  It's funny looking through the pictures at the orchard and seeing him wear the fuzzy lined boots which probably actually fit at that time.  I have attempted numerous times over the last six months to retire those boots to storage.  Augustine is able to put them on by himself and would often wake up, request to go outside, put on his boots, and, you guessed it, go play baseball.  I would ask, "don't those hurt your feet" noticing his bare feet extending beyond the measures of the boots when side by side.  After, discovering his boots anew when I did the last clothes swap for the warmer weather he insisted that they be returned to the shoe closet.  And so the activity following promptly after his opening breakfast request of "I'm hungry.  I want Apple Rounds and gummies." would include,  "Can I doe outside.  I will put on my boots. They do not hurt my feet."  before I could even respond.  Out he went at those early morning hours where I enjoyed watching him get out the baseball implements and begin his very own commentary.

More recent one liners from Augustine:

"Edamame. Edamame. Eda-daddy?"
" Are you a buck or a doe?"

Long Time Snow See

Boys and their toys.

The three older boys layered up their clothes and headed into the cold to shovel the driveway.   Pete spent his morning with the new love of his life, the fine form that sent electric shocks up his spine from across the store- an all metal with a reinforced metal edge snow shovel.  As usual I enjoyed the genuine happiness that sparkled in Pete's eyes as he shared the tale of his discovery and chalk it up as a double bonus that it rounds out our snow shovel collection to three which serves our crew appropriately for the time being.  Luke, Augustine, and Pete had cleared the lot and enjoyed some outdoor fun otherwise before returning to the warmth for lunch.  By the time lunch was finished though the driveway was completely hidden again!  Pete took the opportunity to put off his dissertation just bit more to shovel his way out again.

We await daddy's return to finish out our traditional Valentine's Day plans of pajamas and Chinese take out.   Hopefully this post will be momentous in helping me complete the nine other drafts I have to give some sort of update since my last way back in September. Sheesh.

Here's our cutie Clement all cuddled up for a drive to Grandma's a couple weeks ago.

 

"Frosty" (original, I know ;-) joined our neighborhood in mid-January.  His dismembered remains still litter our front yard.  The boys attempted to resurrect him today but the snow wasn't fit for such a creation. 

And here's my smiling face, compliments of
Luke, to assure you that I am "alive and well" ( and maybe just a little bit crazy) despite my longtime blogger absence.  Stay warm and spread the love.  I, for one, am grateful for the comfort of a warm home, delicious food, and a healthy family to share the day with.