Goodbye, 2011...

Well, folks, this is it! 8757.81278 hours have gone by in 2011, and it's only 7 hours and 8 minutes until 2012. 365 days... almost all the way lived.

Anyway, that WAS true, at the time I wrote this. But by the time it publishes, we'll only have 7 hours and 7 minutes left.

Hope that y'all make the *most* out of the rest of the time left in this year... and have a

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I can't wait to see how God's going to use this new year... wow. 2012. I feel old, haha!

Much love!
Hannah for the Ps

ps - don't let the picture trick you, okay? This New Years wish is from ALL of us. lol! =)

Merry Christmas!

From our (loud, messy, silly, crazy, wonderful, blessed... and.... a lot of other things!) home to yours...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Hoping that you had a splendid holiday... a house filled with laughter, the scent of fresh cookies, twinkling lights, family, and Christmas music... and remembering the REAL reason for this beautiful time of the year - the birth, life, death, and sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Much love!!
The Pittelkow family

Shame & Disgrace

That's what this blog is!

I see that Sarah didn't post ONCE. Okay, y'all, you can't let her get away with that!! Flood her email, fill up her texts (phone number available on request, lol!), and just pester her in general until she posts. Just kidding... mostly.

But now that I'm home, I promise that things will get more interesting. I'll try to keep it regular... try, try. =) So check back... at least until the end of January, because that's when I go back to college and y'all are in Sarah's hands again!

Until then... well, I had to post at least ONE picture! And since my camera's broken (*sniff*) you'll have to put up with iPhone pictures. Which aren't *that* bad. Right? =)

Much love!
Hannah

Such beauty. *sigh*

Eleven Times Six

Did you notice? Today at 11:11 and 11 seconds, you could write the date and time backwards and it would be the exact same as forwards. 11-11-11, 11:11:11. Just one of those weird, super cool things that will never happen again in my lifetime - or yours.

At least... it's not likely. I mean... if you're planning on living until 2111...

Happy Friday, friends!!
Hannah

ps.... plllllease pardon the blog neglect. I THOUGHT I had arranged for someone to keep this thing alive while I was at college.... SARAH?!?!?

=)

Our Fair

Believe it or not, it's fair time again!! You probably remember the fair from years past. Well... here it is again!!

Well, this year was kinda different for us.

You see this pretty girl right here?

Wait a second. She has sunglasses on. Hang on...

THAT pretty girl, right there?

Or shall I say gorgeous?!

She's my sister. And she's FAIR PRINCESS!!

YES! Believe it or not.

You believe it.

How could you not?

Is that cool or what?

The beautiful girls!! Don't they all look awesome?! The two in the purple are last year's royalty... and... well... you know that one in the blue. The princess, remember? =) And that's her queen - Hannah.

Really cool, right? Hannah and Sarah. =)

Hugs all around!

My loving, adorable sister and brother.

Did... I... just... say... loving? And cute? Well...

Daddy and his princess.

One of them.

Cherry Limeades were the order of the day. Days, shall I say? I think I had one all four days. hahaha!!

Welllll, when it's that hot, who's counting carlories?!

Oops, I forgot to mention something...

Sarah did performing arts this year!! Ladies and gentlemen, may I present the 4-H Reserve Champion?!

It was weird... being "too old" to perform. Yikes. I would if I could!! But I graduated a little too early. I was still in my prime, guys! Har, har. Just kidding. I am super proud of my little sis!!

This kid was SERIOUSLY little. I think he was about a foot tall. Serious.

Some of these girls ride SO well. I'm super jealous. They ride better than I do!!

And of course we had to tour the horse barn. =)

This little dude was SO cute!! And had the prettiest horse eyes.

Oops, of course I meant the SECOND most pretty horse eyes... right, Flame? =)

Oh, and I forgot something! The fair parade. How could I? Sarah and her queen got to walk in it... how cool is that? Of course, Joe, Abby, and I got to drive/ride in the ambulance service's rescue truck.

Maybe even cooler than walking. Literally - it was pretty hot.

Since we in the ambulance were at the beginning of the parade, we got to hop out at the end of the route and watch the rest!

That's all for now, ya'll!! Come back soon!!!

Hugs!
Hannah...
for everyone
=)

Quotables (Again)

So, people... here it is! Another round of quotables *just* for you! We've cooked up some really good ones lately. Without further ado... as they always say.

Why do they ALWAYS say that?

---

(Hannah and Sarah are playing a duet on the piano…)
Sarah: Don't play it so fast!
Hannah: It's a Viennese waltz!
S: Well - I'm not a Viennese player.

Joe: He has glasses, but he usually wears contacts, so you can’t tell.
Sarah: Yeah. He looks pretty good in contacts.

(Hannah is wearing a brown hat in a verrrrrry English-looking way…)
Hannah: Look, now I'm ready to go to the Ascot. Only they wear black and white.
Sarah: Yes… you’re the Ascot in sepia!

Sarah: Hey, why don't tattoos disappear?
Hannah: *pause* Is this a joke?

(Abby is hanging upside down off the edge of the couch and Hannah's in another chair, reading…)
Abby: Hannah, did you know, you're really pretty?
Hannah: Aw, thank you Abby!!
A: Even from upside down.
H: Well, I guess I'll just have to walk on my head all the time so people can see how pretty I really am!
A: Oh, don't worry - you're pretty right side up, too.
H: Thank you. That's very comforting.

Hannah: Abby, wash those rollerskates with soap and water, please?
Roberta: But then they'll get wet!

Mom: It seems I am the only one who remembers to take the chickens their slops.
Sarah: *weakly* Well.... isn't that something?

(Watching Valkyrie…)
Sarah: Look at all those Nazi flags!! Is that really necessary?!

Hannah: Isn't there something we can do to that LOUD rooster?
Sarah: Yeah. We can shoot him...

Hannah: You want a soda?
Sarah: No, I'm having Arizona sweet tea. Soda’s bad for you.... What kind of soda do we have?

Joe: Did those guys just slide down a wall??
Sarah: Yeah, Flynn is indelible.

Sarah: Don't your older children amaze you, Mom? *long pause – no answer* I guess not.

Mom: *reading* "... The British soldiers were coming nearer to the area in which the Indians..."
Roberta: Wait, where are they?
Hannah: The area.

25 Years

So SOME of ya'll (not all of ya'll because only some of ya'll have good memories, obviously...) knew that Mom and Dad celebrated their wedding anniversary recently!! These pictures are SERIOUSLY overdue, my friends. But I thought ya'll might enjoy seeing some pictures of their celebration!!

Oops, how did that get in here?

As you can see, this is NOT this year's celebration. But twenty-five years ago.... yep, those were my cute, just-married parents.

And they're still cute. Despite the fact that they aren't really "just married..." sometimes they can still act like it. haha!

Abby didn't think Dad was smiling "big enough."

Hey, everyone!!

Oh, and those two strangers next to Sarah? Those are my aunt and uncle... the very ones that were there twenty five years ago when Mom and Dad said "I do." Awesome, yes?

Mah mama and me. =)

How do you like my Southern accent? haha!

This restaurant is the most **gorgeous** spot in the county. It's a super beautiful old farmhouse overlooking the valley. Mmm...

And their gardens are so pretty!!

Happy, happy...

Sistas...

...and another sista (me) and her brother (Joe). But you didn't know that did you?

You see, folks, this is what happens when you get married and stay that way for 25 years. You get some pretty awesome by-products, and they're called kids. We kids rather think it's a good return on investment.

This is a heavenly thing... creme brulee made with farm fresh eggs and blueberries. Mmmmm... You've never tasted such amazingness.

Speaking of amazingness, there was this beautiful sunset that night.

Thank you, Mom and Dad, for everything... like, most especially, staying together for 25 years. Needless to say, we appreciate it. The sleepless nights of child raising, the long deployments and separations that the military life brought... even the kisses that make Abby blush a shade barely lighter than scarlet.

But we especially liked that creme brulee.

=)

The Ball Game

"Take me out to the ball game..." la-la-la!! Our friend Holly (who's featured in this short film along with her sister, Paige!) made this adorable "music video" for us!!

It's super hilarious - soooo... enjoy!!

ps - sorry it's slightly big... but I couldn't figure out how to get a smaller size!!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Quotables!!

DEFINITELY high time for another round of quotables!! It's been super long, and I bet ya'll are feeling serious withdrawls. We're pretty bad... heartless!
Or, as Sarah would say, "You're heartless. Totally. As in Without. A. Heart."

---

Sarah: You know (he)’s a pretty good pianist.
Hannah: Really?
S: No offense, but better than you even.
H: Wow, he must be pretty good!!

Abby: I wish I had a bruise.
Sarah: I’ll give you a bruise.

Hannah and Sarah are buying French fries for a snack, and they ask for two fountain waters to go with them…
Sarah: French fries are THAT much?!?! Well, we'll just pretend we paid for the water, too.

Roberta: Have you noticed in movies that people in love never finish their sentences?
Sarah: When I’m in love I’ll ALWAYS finish my sentences.

Abby [about to play a trick on Dad]: Oh he’ll scream! [thoughtfully] No… he won't scream. He's not a girl.

Sarah: Just exactly what are those chickens eating?
Mom: Oh, those little grass seed things that look like bugs...
S: They must have verrrry good eyesight. Well, when I get THAT close to the ground I don't see anything.

Mom: You probably just realized that your mom is human, haven't you?
Joe: Oh no, [weak laugh] I've known it for a LONG time.

Sarah: I hope I marry a guy with a long name so he won't call me "Mrs. Fill-in-the-blank."
Hannah: I think it's cute!
S: well yea I just don't want to be like Mr. and Mrs. Brown.
H: Only when he's... happy.
S: Yeah well, he might get too happy!

Sarah: During adjudication, I counted the disciples at least fifty times, and I swear about twenty times it came out there were only eleven.

Sarah [repeating a movie]: “You should call me ‘Papa,’ you know,” [looks over at Hannah] Well, YOU shouldn’t.

Watching the Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again...
Joe: That mule would not be able to follow them.
Roberta: How would you know? You've never been a mule!

Down to the River

"Remember what he used to say: 'It's a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.'"
J. R. R. Tolkien

Well, at least in this family, that's true!

Careful when you step out the door... you never know where adventure will lead, haha!!

Last week, we (that means Mom, us kids, and my aunt and uncle) went on a small adventure down to the *big city*. =)

We've got a beautiful park down there... and some waterfalls and dams and trees and a carousel and doughnuts... but we're still getting to that.

Okay, I'm not the Loch Ness monster... it's just a reflection, okay?

We threw pennies into the pond, walked over the bridge, and read all the signs we came across.

Look at all that water, willya?!

It was a slightly chilly day... windy and cloudy but just about warm enough to not wear a jacket. These are the kinds of days we like best - 'specially after a long winter!

Abby didn't think to highly of that bridge, let me tell you. =)

The folks!

City-ish details.

We have some lovely lavender out here, ya'll... you really should see it!!

On second thought - you should actually see the stuff over on the coasts. Acres and acres of lavender farms. Mmmm. The best time to come is right around now... it's all in bloom and smells heavenly!! =)

Speaking of heavenly... mini homemade doughnuts. Though they may be bad for your waistline and wallet, these are definitely a good addition to any adventure!! =)

Being the homeschoolers that we are, we applied every homeschoolerly technique - learning all you can about a person/place/event in the shortest amount of time possible!! =)