Explosion

Yesterday I had to clean out the attic so that boards could be taken up and wires to the kitchen and hallway laid. So I handed things down to my boys and asked them to pile the things in my room against the wall. After quite a while I could tell that there were some things not against the wall, but I was in the attic and couldn't see the extent of the damage. When Hubby came home, he noticed right away. "What in the world happened?!" It seems that our children think we have super powers. We evidently never need to sleep or go to the bathroom! There were boxes and articles everywhere. So yesterday was spent cleaning up the mess. Today will be spent cleaning up the mess that was made by the mess. Does that make sense? Because of the first mess, I had to go through stuff and sort...dump, Goodwill, friend, etc. Now there are piles all over waiting to be moved. There is also the diningroom table to look at. We had a file cabinet in the attic. In order to get it down, we had to remove the files. So now I have to go through all of those papers to see what we can get rid of. I actually started that yesterday, but the shredder broke as we were getting rid of old papers. So now in my diningroom there is a broken shredder lying in disarray surrounded by a multitude of papers and tiny shreds of paper. No one would ever thing to rob us; it looks very dangerous to enter our house! See there is something good in everything. I just hope the company that is coming tomorrow sees it that way!! ---------- #1 and I were washing dishes Wednesday evening after church. It was late, and I was tired. He needed to put away the blender, but didn't know where it goes. I told him (for at least the tenth time- no exaggeration), but noticed that he was putting it away without assembling it. I told him to first put it together. "I don't know how." Now, honestly, he has to do this about once every other week. He is not a stupid child. I just don't get it. So I go to him and once again show how to assemble the blender. "How many times do I have to show you this?" A few minutes later as he dried some dishes, #1 quietly says, "I'm sorry I was born to you." "What?" "You should have had a girl so she would know how to do these things." I laughed. "Girls are not born knowing how to do this. They have to be taught. Are you teachable?" "I think so." "Then we're fine." But then yesterday I asked him to vacuum the rugs and then leave out the vacuum. "I want to vacuum the hallway." "Huh," he responds. "I didn't know you could vacuum wood." I have only done this ten thousand times in front of him! There is an obvious difference in the observation skills of males and females. Maybe I was wrong about the blender.

Sherry's Old Eyes

My dear, old, decrepit friend, Sherry, told me the blog page was too bright for her failing eyes...so I hope this is better. Actually, she wasn't the only one to complain, so I guess it may have been too bright. I thought it was pretty.

My taste in lighting is actually really good. Most of the new lights are up in the house, and I do NOT regret the new light in the diningroom. I had several people make me start questioning my decision to get rid of the chandelier, but I am happy now that I did. The light in there now is much softer and warmer. The room glows at night. I'll post pictures later.

The pictures today are to catch up on goat news. Last Thursday evening we had twins born. They were born to Emma, whom I didn't expect yet. These goats really confuse me. No more goats have kidded since. Hubby was happy about that; he feared they would come while I was out of town. OUR babies he will offer to deliver, but not goats' babies! Anyway, Faye and Ashten are HUGE and I really expect them to go anytime. I think Faye may have more than twins this time. Perhaps Ashten will too. Madison is still doing fine; I only expect twins out of her.

Meet Isaac. He was the first born. His mother cried all evening, and at about 6:45 hadn't had anything. By 7:15 he was on his way out.

I took #1 to basketball practice, and when I got back at 7:30 both Isaac and Isabelle were here. Isabelle is smaller and more fragile. She is also a lot whiter and you can see her skin through her fur. She will be happy in a couple of days when it is 70 degrees. I put her in the manger; she can't get up there yet.

This is the mother, Emma. She seems to be feeding them fine, but I don't know about her protective instincts. She doesn't seem to care where they are or if the dog is around. Mary, on the other hand, will attack the dog at any chance she gets. Maybe Emma is just more laid back.

This is Sam, the dad. You may be wondering how you get black babies out of tan and brown parents. This breed makes all kind of descendants. That is part of the surprise and thrill of new kids.

Here are their little wagging tails enjoying some "Mommy Milk." These are the triplets born the week before. They were two weeks old yesterday. Left to right, they are: Alex, Rachael, and David. They are doing great and have fat little bellies. Mary is a super mom.

4-H and Give 2 the Troops

This morning we will spend several hours working as volunteers at Give 2 the Troops. This is an organization that sends packages to soldiers who are deployed. The soldiers are allowed to ask for particular items, but sometimes they just ask to be remembered. Each family in our 4-H club has been preparing items to donate that represent the head, heart, hands, and health of 4-H. Our family is donating books, Valentine candy, emory boards, and medicine and hygiene products. We have also written a letter of encouragement and thanks to the soldiers. No matter what you think of the war, people are involved in it. It just seems right to send a little love their way. Inside each box, at least 20 hand made cards are sent as well. The soldiers say these are the best part of the package, because they know someone cares. If you would like to make some cards while you are watching tv or just want to do a little nice deed, make some cards and give them to me. I will make sure they get into the packages that are sent out every week. The cards should not have your last name or address on them, but otherwise whatever you want to say to express your thanks is appropriate. Often the soldiers ask for school supplies to help the local children where they are. Some have asked for shoes for the kids there. These guys and gals are definitely going beyond their job description. Don't they deserve a little of your time and appreciation?

Chaperone

I was a chaperone for a youth event this past weekend. We took 6 teens to Winterfest in Gatlinburg. I had never been before and it was also #1's first youth rally. It was VERY professionally done, and we all had a great time. Well most of us had a great time. I think #1 was a little young to go. Other 12 year olds are probably fine to go, and if he had had a friend his age he may have been fine, but I didn't feel like he was mature enough to handle it. He had a couple of break downs during the weekend, and cried softly because he missed his brother and his monkey. The monkey is still an issue. I heard him tell one kid that he slept with a monkey. The kid asked incredulously, "You don't still sleep with it do you?" He side stepped as best he could to still appear cool and say of course he doesn't still sleep with a monkey! It was a difficult weekend for him. The conference itself was great. They use a lot of different ways to teach- lecture, skit, video, experiments, singing groups, etc.- in order to get the lesson across. The lesson was Love God, Love Others. Now I am giving #1 the day off of school while I work with #2 on how to write a research paper. Then Wednesday #2 gets the day off while I work with #1. #1 didn't wake up until about 8:30 this morning, and went to bed about 9:00 last night. I slept well too.

Talent

Yesterday was a busy run-run day. We were hosting a talent show at the Agricultural Center last night, and #1 was the emcee and producer. His focus in 4-H is Communications and Expressive Arts, and I was told by the extension agent that it was time for him to step it up a notch. He did a good job. He prepared a script to read between performances that told about the 100 years of NC 4-H. We had practiced it several times beforehand, but he still pronounced several things wrong. For some reason he wants to say, "A- hose- key County" instead of "A- hoss-key County." The poor thing was nervous and didn't know what was happening to his body. I guess he has never had such a bad case of the nerves before; I didn't realize. So I had to explain why he was having an upset stomach, and I gave him some meds. #2 won first place in the comedy category and 3rd in the art division. #1 was able to enter the art division, and he received second place. Several acts were quite good, and several were there to make proud parents happy. It was a fun evening, and I am glad it is over. Now we have to write thank you notes to sponsors, and #1 needs to learn how to make a film out of it. The fun never ends! The boys are also working on a research project this week. I really need to have each boy alone for several hours, but that ain't happenin'. So we learn a little at a time, and I escape to the office when I need a breather. Friday #1 and I go to our first youth rally. I will be helping to chaperone 6 teens in Gatlinburg, TN. I need more sleep before this happens!!! #2 and his dad are planning to spend some quality time together while we are gone. There is talk of camping in the backyard, but today is cold and rainy, so maybe not. One thing is for sure, #2 says he IS living on potato chips and soda all weekend. I imagine it may happen that way...with a few burgers and some cookies for the daddy!

To Each His Own

Saturday we went to a Valentine's dinner at church with about 8 other couples. We had a good time visiting with each other, eating good food, and playing a version of the NewlyWed Game. Afterward, several of us were talking about the answers to the game. We discovered that each family runs things a bit differently. My Hubby does 0% of the housework, while other husbands do 40%, or even 70-75% as one couple said. This doesn't bother me, nor does it bother Hubby haha, but it had me wondering why it is that way. My father never did housework, and Hubby's dad didn't either. So I guess we started out doing what we knew. I wonder though how it will go for my boys. I do expect them to help at home, and they are being taught how to help, so maybe what they see and what happens when they marry will be two different things. The other thing I noticed after dinner was that I told Hubby I wouldn't work after #2 came along. Some people took that as I was being bossy, but I don't remember how it happened. Hubby was working a night time job, going to two seminaries in two different states, and preaching on weekends. I was tired of being a single working parent, and said I was quitting. Hubby agreed, and that was that. As for how we got to the current situation, I'm not sure. Life just seemed to hand us things and we went on with life. It was Hubby's idea to home school. I have worked odd jobs since about 7 years ago. Hubby never complains about the dirt in the house. It works for us. It might not for you. But then, he's MY Valentine, not yours. And I LOVE HIM!!

God and Chickens, Again

On Friday, I took my two boys and a buddy to ask businesses for participatory gifts for a talent show we are producing this week. We also bought a few things at Dollar Tree to put in the goody bags. As we were walking into the store, three other people were walking in and held the door for us. I heard one of the women say, "That's a lime green shirt." As we walked in and started to look around, the three came up to me and asked if we could talk a minute. I said sure. They explained that they were on a treasure hunt, and they had asked God to show them the treasure. They wrote down different words that they felt God was giving them, and then they went in search of those things. One had written Dollar Tree, another lime green shirt (#2 had one on), another wrote shorts (#1 had those on), they had written parking lot (which is where we met), and finally they had written green eyes (both my boys have green eyes!). On top of that #1 had on a WV sweatshirt, and one of the ladies is from Fairmont, WV. So they asked if there was anything that we needed to pray about, feeling that my boys were the answer to their treasure hunt. I had just received that morning an email from two of their little friends- an uncommon occurence- that they would like prayers because they lost their great grandmother last week. So we prayed in Dollar Tree, and my boys were thrilled to learn that they are God's Treasures. God sure is cool. ---------- This afternoon, Hubby was working in the back yard when a car slowly drove up our lane. It turned around at the neighbor's house, and slowly drove back down toward our house. Then they rolled down the window, turned a bag out of the window, and dumped a chicken out! Yes, you read that right, they dumped a chicken off! Then they just drove off; it was like some people drop off cats. It looks to be about a month old, and it is friendly. I imagine someone had an egg project and then didn't know what to do with the chicken later. My stories just get better the longer I live here! By the way, we sold two goats this past week. I guess my sign works.

Where There's Smoke, There's Fire

Yesterday a wildfire spread behind our house. There were lots of firefighters and media, as well as other people hanging around all afternoon. It started when some land clearing, piled fires got whisked by the high winds. Thankfully the winds were headed the opposite direction of residential areas, and no one was hurt. These were taken from our back porch. There were planes and helicopters buzzing the house all afternoon.

You can see they were getting pretty close. The boys enjoyed the excitement. The fires covered about 200 acres.

But the real excitement is this...I finished Wyatt and Anna's hats!! #1 even gave a , "Wow," when he saw Anna's hat. "I didn't know you could do ear flaps yet," he cheered.

Answered Prayers

So those of us who believe in a God who gives chickens a rest, also believe that the same God listens and responds to our requests. This week I have heard of several answered prayers and thought I would share. The boys and I have been reading a book about WW2 heroes that received the Medal of Honor. One, named Desmond Doss, was actually a conscientious objector. His fellow soldiers made fun of him, despised him, even threatened him, because he refused to fight with a weapon. He was made a medic, and during the taking of Okinawa, he rescued 75 men while under fire. He offered himself when others were hiding in fox holes or behind rocks. How did he manage this death defying feat? He prayed. He prayed for himself, his leaders, and his fellow soldiers. Last week a lady was telling me what a terrible time she was having with a neighbor. The neighbor lives downstairs and constantly complained about my friend walking around at night. The complex she is living in also wouldn't fix her toilet, and she was having a terrible time working around that. She has a background that makes it difficult for her to cause waves, so she was accepting that this is the way it has to be. I prayed right then and there, along with several other women, that the neighbor would be a friend and that the toilet would get fixed. Well guess what? She has a new friend and the toilet is fixed. Another prayer has been for a little girl I know. She is two years old and her eye has been turning in all of a sudden. Several different doctor visits have shown that she is very far sighted, and she got glasses yesterday. The eye is starting to move over! She still has an MRI this afternoon to rule out anything else, so we continue to pray. These may seem like small occurences. These things could have been solved without God's intervention. But knowing that God is there for us, big or small, is very comforting. The story of Desmond Doss wasn't in a Christian book. It was in a Scholastic book on war. It surprised me to read that in a trade book. Isn't it sad that hearing how people depended on God has become something you aren't to share with the public? Maybe if more of us told the big and little things God does for us, just maybe, more people would depend on him. What has God done for you this week? ----------- As I picked up the extra kids from school yesterday, I told them about the triplets. "Dang," said #3, "that's a lot of kids." Couldn't have said it better myself. We now have 11 goats, and 4 more are pregnant! A man stopped yesterday who would like to buy some from me. Thank goodness.

Chickens and God

I enjoy my chickens. I might even enjoy them more than the goats, but it is a close call. I like listening to them, watching their behaviors, and of course, gathering their eggs! I went to a chicken class at my 4-H Leaders' Conference on Saturday. I came out of it in wonder. The class was about the many poultry programs available to youth, but it ended with a lesson on chickens and their eggs. The egg starts about a week before it is released. Once released the egg will take 24 hours to develop. It comes down a two feet long tube, where it is fertilized, covered with the "white," encased within the shell, and then deposited into the world. Even after it is deposited, the egg is changing with the temperature drop once it enters the outside world. We learned about how the eggs are fertilized, why the rooster gets on the hen's back (his weight causes the vent to come out of the hen and then he can deposit sperm), and even looked at developing chicks through the eggs. I was able to see the heart of a 4-5 day old embryo beating inside the egg. As I said, I left the class in wonder. How could anyone think that what I just learned happened by sheer accident and coincidence. Everything about the chickens point to a God; a miracle working, creative, loving God. The hens lay eggs every 24 hours, and then their bodies go through a 2 1/4 hour rest before the next egg starts. That means that once a week a hen has a "Sabbath Rest." Wow.

New Family members

I was at a 4-H meeting when I received a call from home, "Mary's squeezing out the third. You might want to come home." Mary was kidding...triplets again! By the time we got back about an hour later, the kids were nearly cleaned up, and they were walking around. Usually the kids wait a day or two before leaving the barn, but these guys are ready to roll. They've already left the barn and been to the chicken coop. There are two girls and a boy, named Rachael, Alex, and David. We already had a cat named Luke for those three's brother, so the names fell easily.

They nursed right away. They are so very sweet, and the mother is great. They needed naps, and slept quite a bit. Being born is hard work.

I thought this would give you an idea of how small these miracles are. They are dwarfed by the chickens.

You can't get all three together at once. They will keep this momma hopping.

Town Meetings and Tables

I went to a "Listening Meeting" last night with the Board of Education. There are a lot of changes occuring in our county, and the Board wants to hear what citizens think about possible changes. Mostly people are upset. There are several schools still functioning as K-8 schools, and that is one of the changes. They are wanting to go to a Middle School configuration of 6-8. It was interesting to listen to why parents want K-8. It actually sounded a lot like home schoolers. They like having the different ages helping each other. It makes the kids more responsible and kind. Families stay together longer. There is more of a community feel. I tell you, these parents don't want to give it up. I may write a letter to the Board; I'm still undecided.

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If you happen to be a homeschooler then the following will not phase you a bit. If you aren't a homeschooler, then grab your hat for this:This is my kitchen table.It is filled with piles of papers that need filing, an unwatered plant, coupons for saving money, clothes that have been outgrown and need passed along, various other sundries, and rodent bones. Yes rodent bones.This was a biology lesson for #2 a couple of weeks ago. He was to dissect owl pellets and see what bones could be found in the pellets. He found a teeny tiny skull, along with a bunch of other bones. He separated them out into groups and identified them on the chart.

I thought that was the end of the lesson, and started to throw away the bones. No. He put them in a bag and hid them for safe keeping. Just what exactly he thinks will happen to them I don't know, but if any robbers come looking I can tell you where they are hidden.

Catching Up

Well it has been a few days since I contacted the blog world. I have been a little indisposed. Thursday ended up being a very busy day with lots of running. I did manage to get the items to the pantry, and then even made it to Give 2 the Troops. Another friend was there working and she asked me to go to dinner with her. So I took the kids home, threw a pizza on the table at Hubby, took the boys over to the friend's house, and then left with her for dinner. We had a super dinner at Outback, and enjoyed talking to another big person. I saw a full moon this evening and wondered if that was what was going on last week. Kids all over the county were driving their parents nuts. Friday we went to the library book sale, and then spent the rest of the day looking for a particular teacher's manual. I found a few text books at the sale, but I had to buy manuals online. It was a good deal none-the-less, and we headed back this afternoon for the bag sale. You fill a bag for $5. We were filling up for the soldiers. Our state 4-H project for the club is to pack boxes for the soldiers with things that help the soldiers' heads, hearts, hands, and health. I thought a bunch of books filled the head bill. Saturday I went to Raleigh for a 4-H Volunteers' Conference. It was a very long day- leaving the house at 6 am and returning at 9 pm- but it was fairly good. I went to a great class on poultry. I'll share more of that another time, but prepare yourself. You will learn more about chickens than you ever thought you wanted to know. Today #2 and I went to the new neighborhood to sell eggs. I had 9 dozen to get rid of. We sold them for $2 a dozen if you don't keep the carton, $2.50 if you do. We were able to sell all of the eggs. There were a few weird questions, and one woman was very concerned about finding a chick in her egg. She may not buy anymore if she ends up with a blood spot on an egg. Another woman was very excited. She remembered that we took eggs to them when they moved in a year or more ago. She said her son still says those were the best eggs he ever ate. Last of the Big News: #2 won fifth place for his pillows at the Unnatural Resources Fair. #1 got the part of the Sandman in the play. I don't know how big a part that is. The first practice is tomorrow night. Guess I'll know then.

Triples

Today starts triple coupons at the local grocery. This is actually the second one this year, and my NY Resolution was to be able to pass the savings on to the local pantry. So today the boys and I will make a trip over there. I have already been to the store for my two allotted trips this morning. I use one card for me and one for Hubby. You can use 20 coupons each day- so 40 for us. I really did well on toilet paper and tissues. Soap also seemed to be a good one for me this time. I am taking Joy detergent and Dial soap. The Joy ended up being 29 cents, I believe. The Dial wasn't as great a bargain as I sometimes get, but it was a larger bottle, so maybe it was ok. The prices of everything are higher, and it seems harder to get the really great deals that I did last year. I guess everyone is paying for the recession. --------- #1 auditioned for Hansel and Gretel last evening. He said he messed up on a woman's name, but otherwise did fine. We find out Sunday if he gets a part. As I look at the February calendar, I get overwhelmed thinking about possibly adding a play to the mix. The other continual NY Resolution about leading a quiet life often suffers neglect. I can tell when it gets to be too much though; I slept ten hours night before last! ----------- I thought we live in the South!! It is a high of 34 today! Grocery shopping when it is 21 degrees isn't as much fun as you might think.

Sewing Projects

This is EeEe. He has been #1's favorite friend for about 11 years now. Remember the story at Christmas about putting him away? Well, I asked a couple of days ago if it is time to put him in a box. I was told, "Yeah, as long as I can still visit sometimes." I took that as a no. I suggested putting him on top of the dresser for a while to see if he was ready to go away, and this is what I found this morning. One hand is MUCH flatter than the other. He is full of holes with stuffing threatening to fall out. He is a very loved monkey. I was thinking this morning that when my brother was #1's age, girls from school were calling him. We don't have that problem yet. He likes EeEe better.

While the monkey can't be fixed- he is too threadbare- #2 did make a sewing project. He is entering the Unnatural Resources Fair again this year. Last year he won first place for making drawers out of orange juice cartons. This year he made two pillows out of his dad's old t-shirts. He wanted to tie dye them, so we used old food colors. We even used an old pillow's stuffing to stuff these. The only nonrecycled part was the thread from the sewing machine. We drop them off Thursday, and find out the winner on Sunday.

Busy Days

Yesterday was just one of those days that continues to race by without a pit stop. I did have my seatbelt on, though. There was school, work, errands, tanning a deer hide, dinner to make, a prayer meeting, and likely more that flashed by the window so fast I missed it. It was good to have the prayer meeting at our house. We are joining a group called First Mondays, and people all over the world are praying on the first Monday of the month. I love to pray, and I looked forward to it all day. We had a time of silence, and I could feel the tension melting out of my neck. That was when I hit the brakes on my day. Aahhh. ------------------ One of my birthday gifts was this sign. I am not selling all of the goats, but there are a few that need to be somewhere else. Darkie is so big, and eats so much, without giving me anything in return. And then there is Ashten. Yes, she is on the wrong side of the fence. The little pipsqueak can slip under the fence and off she goes. Even being very rotundly pregnant, she can manage this acrobatic feat. So after the babies are born, off she goes.

It is funny to me that the goats wait outside the chicken coop to get into it, and the chickens wait inside wanting to get out. How often we are unhappy with our circumstances, thinking someone else has it better.

One lone duck rules the roost.

------------ Hubby and I watched Seargent York last night. It was my first time to see it. Boy does that movie have a lot to say. Why can't Hollywood make them like that anymore?

Comedy

We went to see a show at the university on Friday. It was a juggling, comedy act. We enjoyed seeing something a little different. It was a two man act, and they were really good. They also brought up 4 kids from the audience to tell jokes. One kid's joke was this...Why is six afraid of seven? Because 8-9-10. Of course it is supposed to be because 7-ate-9, so the guy asked the kid if he wanted to try again. Yes. Why is 6 afraid of 7? Because 8-9-10. He told it the same way!! It actually was funny.

My three handsome men waiting at the theater... #2 wantd to wear a tie. He got one out of his dad's cache. He and I learned to tie it by reading his book, The Everything Boys Book.