On Monday I decided to change the office around. My husband asked why he gets sweaty when I move the furniture. He's so funny. ---------- We had friends visiting this week from Ohio. Thursday evening they came over for a cookout and campfire--SMORES! I just enjoy the roasted marshmallows, but some of the kids love smores. When it was almost time for them to leave, they came running in to tell us that the goat was giving birth. We all ran out, and sure enough Milky Way was pushing. She had a baby boy and did great. She was a bit loud when he finally pushed out, but it was her first kid and he was huge. The girls who were visiting decided they don't want to have babies after all. ---------- We bought a dog kennel last night to put the boy goats in. They have been getting pretty active the last week or so. The children wanted to know why the boys keep chasing the girls. They will be doing that themselves pretty soon. ---------- Maybe the new movie around here should be Sex and the Country.

I was tagged by a friend recently. Here are the answers... *Maybe I should…choose my friends more carefully. *I love the smell of…new hay. *People would say that I…get away with a lot. It's good to be a Northerner in the South. *I don’t understand why…boys attract dirt. *When I wake up in the morning…it is to the alarm of a bleating baby goat. Much better than an electrical alarm clock, but no snooze button! *I lost my will power to…haven't lost any, just changed priorities. *Life is wonderful with…all that it offers. *My past made me…a better person. *I get annoyed when…my husband changes my watch to five minutes fast and then shows up to me meet me on time and I have already been there for a while. Does it sound like I might carry a grudge? *Parties are not…for introverts. *Dogs are…sure of who is in charge. *Cats are…sure the dogs are not in charge. *Tomorrow I am going to…stay home with no one's kids but mine...or go to the beach with friends and their kids. I'm a sucker for the beach. *I have a low tolerance for…people with low tolerances. *I’m totally terrified of…snakes. *I wonder why I thought my life would be…completely different. I love it the way it is. *Never in my life…gee, if I knew this one I wouldn't say never in my life. *High school was something that…is long forgotten. *When I’m nervous…I breathe hard. *Take my advice…nothing is as bad as it seems. *Making my bed is…easier when I sleep alone. Hubby rolls too much. *I’m almost always…up for a party. *I’m addicted to…nothing. But a peanutbutter shake sounds good right now. *I want someone…to be my personal secretary. I HATE paperwork.

Last night we watched Hee Haw together as a family. I had ordered it on Netflix. As soon as the donkey came on and the music started, I was thrown back in time. When I was little every Saturday we would go to my grandparents on the other side of the county. We would go eat dinner and watch Hee Haw and then Lawrence Welk. Then we would go home to get ready for church the next day. So when the donkey came on, I was tossed through time. I could see the dimly lit kitchen. Hear Mom and Grandma putting away the last of the dishes. Remembered the cupboard that was behind the table. There was a little countertop shelf to put food on, since the table was small, and Grandma would make a scratch chocolate cake to put there for dessert. We would sit in the livingroom. Most of us shoved together on the couch, Papaw in his chair, Great-Grandma Phillips in her rocker rubbing snuff. The tv was maybe a 19 inch screen on a bookshelf. There was the smell of burning coal from the stoves. It was a weekly ritual, and I was amazed at how suddenly the memory returned. I wonder what will trigger memories for my children.

Just a bunch of blurbs today. ---------- Kelly went missing yesterday. I didn't notice until late afternoon. We were having guests over and I figured she would come then to see everyone. After everyone left we went for a walk in the new neighborhood and she wasn't there either. I guess she went on a hunting trip for the holiday. She came back when I went out to close up the goats at 9:30. This morning she is lying in the floor watching people walk by. I guess she wore herself out yesterday. ----------- We had a nice time yesterday with friends. We had people from different parts of our lives here. It was good to meet a family that hubby is friends with and I didn't know. ------------ Grandma is back at her house now. M-I-L droppped her off yesterday feeling a little trepidation. She is 93 years old, and as strong willed as ever. One of the neighbors said to some other neighbors that she can't believe how Grandma's daughters just let her do whatever and don't tell her what to do. The other neighbors laughed and said, "You're new to the neighborhood. Aren't you?" You don't tell Grandma what to do. ------------ I tied Mary's legs together for the milking this morning and she did much better. Not great, but better. Finally she wore herself out and then we had some bonding time. She doesn't seem to hate me or be afraid of me, but she does not like milking. The babies are all very fat. ------------ Today starts summer break for #5 and I will have him all day now until the end of June. They will go away for July and then I start back in August with all day until school starts. The other 2 kids have 2 weeks of school left still. It is much better when they are all here together. Then I can go do as I please and not have to schedule my life around the afternoon pick-up. ----------- We have a duck who thinks he is a rooster. He needs a girlfriend. And we have a cat who thinks he is a chicken. He sleeps in the chicken nests with the eggs every night. Even the kids sleep in the nests when I put them away at night. Weird animals. ------------ There is an article on Kristin Davis in the Health magazine for June. She is one of the actresses from Sex and the City. She has been helping for several years to raise awareness of poverty in African countries. She said she started to believe in God when she did that. She doesn't think she would believe in God if she stayed in Hollywood. Her reason: People who shouldn't have hope do. There must be a God to give people hope like that.

My husband reminded me of another saying I had been thinking of: #2 asked me how old I was when I got married. 29. How old are you now? 26. "You can't descend in age, Mom." -------- I was thinking this morning of all of the people that I could name who have served our country in the military. All of my uncles on my mom's side, though none are her brothers. My father, my father-in-law, uncles on my dad's side, my husband's uncles, friends, cousins...So I thought I would just list their names here as a Memorial Day list of honor. Family: Floyd Stead, Eddie Sharp, Larry Stead, Dan Stout, George Poling, Bobby Poling, Ed Heavner, Kenny Stead, Chris Stead (Vietnam), Fred Sharp, Kenny McPherson (Normandy), Shuryl England (Vietnam), Josh Sally, Steve Soujia, Todd Stead, Troy Stead, and more I am sure that I am forgetting or unaware of. Friends: Sandy Lindelof, Paul Bernarde, Aaron Bullard, Elliotte Pearson, Kenny Bolyard, Junie Harris (Vietnam), Ron Newton (Vietnam), Anissa Shuttlesworth (killed in Iraq), Pete Wilson, Lora Ebeling, Kim Fry, and again many more. Thank you again to those who have served. Happy Memorial Day.

My kids crack me up with their vocabularies. They talk like little old men sometimes. The other day we were walking through the field when #2 told me the trees were "thriving" and today #1 said that his brother was "wearisome." There were a couple other words that I was trying to remember for this post, but now they have flown from my mind. I really enjoyed my week to get the house back in order, but I am just as much enjoying being with my boys again. --------- This is Memorial Weekend, the start of summer. I was thinking this morning that when I was little it meant the end of school. We started after Labor Day and ended at Memorial Day. Gone are those days for today's public and private schoolers. Of course, they are gone for my kids too as we start in July and end in April--weather has a lot to do with it. Anyway, there is a National Cemetary in the town where I grew up. Each year there is a parade through town out to the cemetary. The first casualty of the Civil War is buried there, or something like that. As school children we would all wear white and march through town with the rest of our school. Our teacher would give us each a little American flag to carry and we all brought flowers from our yards, mine were always snowballs from the snowball bush and irises from Grandma's flowerbed. We wrapped them in wet papertowels and foil to keep them fresh. At the end of the parade route, we would go through the rows of perfectly aligned headstones and try to find one that needed flowers. Each headstone also had a flag. There would be speeches in the cemetary given by school children who won a contest, and by veterans who fought for our freedom. Then we would go to Garden Fresh- the local grocery- and the owner would give everyone who marched through town a drumstick ice cream cone. Children still march today, but gone are the white dresses and sunbonnets, the white sneakers, the yard flowers, and the ice cream. I doubt any one listens to speeches, and many children probably don't know why they celebrate this holiday. I wonder how many young soldiers overseas will celebrate it tomorrow for the first time. And how many will never get to celebrate. Thank you to all who have given us this holiday. Thank you for the reason, not just the relaxation. God bless America.

My family is back. They left last Saturday. Hubby took the kids to WV to their grandparents, and then he went to MI to a conference. They got back yesterday evening. They came back with new shoes and more money than they left with. They said it was just for being the grandkids. Do they know when they have it good or what?

Our internet service stinks. It has been going in and out for over a week. Embarq better shape up or they will be losing a customer. Anyway, here is the letter to each of my boys, condensed for time and space's sake. ------- #1 was in fifth grade this year. Besides growing physically, he grew a lot academically, spiritually, and emotionally. I saw him start turning into a responsible young man that I am proud of. This was a hard year of lessons and he came through it well. This year he started noticing when things needed doing, and usually he went ahead and did them without being asked. He puts away his laundry, and tries to clean up after himself much better now. He is able to look after younger children, and has been very helpful with the Cloverbuds in our 4-H club. Academically, #1 started using a schedule to keep up with his studies, and rarely did he need prompting to finish. Spanish and Math went well. Grammar started falling into place, and his writing achievements were awesome. He won a writing contest at the university. I have seen his artistic abilities improve as well. The university classes seem to be helping, and he is starting to think about being an artist. He is a great public speaker at co-ops, show and tell, and banquets. He even gave a thoughtful campaign speech and won President in 4-H. He enjoyed new sports this year as well. Archery, shooting guns, bowling, and soccer were his favorites. He enjoyed being on a soccer team this past fall, and his team won the championship. I think the surest sign of #1's maturing was his ability to deal with conflicts with other people. He didn't come running to his parents or friends, but courageously and politely tried to take care of it himself. --------- Third grade pushed #2 in some new directions. He continued to excel at academics, but he had to try a little harder this year. He became an avid reader, fervently explored God's creation, and continued to have a positive attitude. He did well in Math and quickly picked up the Multiplication Facts. He loves Science and enjoyed Chemistry this year. Piano was fun, except for the practicing. He still struggles with Grammar, but a Writing class in Co-op opened a new passion for him. The schedule didn't go well with #2. He is still needing personal guidance. He enjoys cooking. And this year he won first place in the Unnatural Resources Fair for designing some drawers. He was also Photographer of the Year for the County 4-H. #2 thinks out of the box, and is often trying to invent new gadgets. His fort ended in a terrible case of poison ivy, but the Christmas knives have found their place doing whittling. He is an outdoorsman, but doesn't like competitive sports. He likes archery, shooting, and fishing. #2 is also a great public speaker, and especially likes Power Point. He won a talent show giving a demonstration of cooking an omellette. #2 needs lots of guidance to complete a task, but he is always happy and eager to get things done. We are very proud of him.

It finally happened!!! This morning as I tried to fight with Mary, yet again, she finally let down her milk. I was able to get about half a cup out of her. Doesn't sound like much, I know, but for what I have been through with her I am happy to get anything. She still stomps and fusses, but it is much better than it used to be. And now finally milk came out, too. The sad part was hearing her cry when I finally got milk. It sounded like such despair, "I have tried so hard and long. I have triplets! Isn't that enough for you?!" So maybe in another week I will be able to milk her without too much difficulty. Now we have to figure out what to do with the baby boys...they are starting to try sowing their oats. --------- We had storms last night and Kelly was her usual baby self. She followed me around room to room while I cleaned. Then when I got out the vacuum, she gave me the dirtiest looks. She still couldn't bring herself to leave me, but she sat in the doorways. After that I insulted her more by giving her a bath. I guess she decided to take her revenge in the middle of the night, because she drove me nuts, licking, breathing, pacing, until I finally put her out at 2 a.m. I'm shocked that she isn't covered in mud. --------- I finished the boys' scrapbook for this past school year. It always amazes me how much we do in a school year. When you are going through the year, you forget what has gone by. For instance, I had finished the year thinking we hadn't done enough writing. Then I went to the computer to print out some samples of their writing, and they actually had done quite a lot of writing. I also wrote a page for each boy describing their accomplishments and how they have grown this year. Tomorrow I will post those letters.

Yesterday in Bible class I had another one of my "disgusted with God" moments, but it worked out for me. We were discussing the last reigns of the Kings before the Babylonian captivity. We have spent many weeks discussing the long list of kings of Judah and Israel. A few of them came out looking fairly decent, but mostly they looked worse than an American politician paying off the Taliban. They were wicked men who turned from God, some even replacing Him with other gods in Yahweh's temple. Then you get to Josiah. This guy was so on fire for God that he destroyed all of the other gods, their high places, their temples, even their places in people's homes. He went out of Judah's boundaries and did the same in Israel. He was a great king in the ways that seemed to matter to God before. Then Josiah was killed in battle and the throne of David seems to be over. A couple of Josiah's sons reign, but they are puppets for Pharoah, as well as being evil as their ancestors had been. Then the Jews are carted off to Babylon. You see what disgusted me was that God could let the evil men reign for long periods of time, if they just would slightly turn toward him. Call out to God in your time of trouble and he will take care of you. Now a good guy comes along and he gets taken out and the nation destroyed. Then I started looking at the bigger picture. It had been prophesied that Babylon would arise and destroy the nations for the way they had turned from their Father. God had to keep his word in order to be God. But in allowing Josiah to so completely turn the people away from their gods and back toward the Lord, perhaps when they were taken to Babylon the people would cry out to God again. You see, the Jews had so completely abandoned God that they didn't even know the law anymore before Josiah. If they had been taken captive then, they may not have been able to call out to God, simply because they didn't know him. If they couldn't call out to God, the nation would be completely annihilated, since it was their faith in the Lord that made them a nation. If that had happened, we would never have had Jesus. Disgust was now gone. Praise and adoration to the Father who can see so much more than I will ever be able. My sincerest apologies Father.

I did well at the book warehouse. I was able to finish up some Christmas shopping for the nieces and nephew, and a little for my own brood. I got a coming of age boy book for #2's tenth birthday later this year. That just stuns me that he will be 10! I also got some books for school for the next couple of years. We will soon be getting into WW1 and 2. The rest of the books were just for fun reading. A couple of weeks ago, #1 was talking to his grandmother about what is planned for this summer. The biggest news that he was excited about was that they get a new book each week for summer break. Then the two boys can trade, thereby getting 2 new books each week. It was wonderful to hear him so excited about that. There was a time, not too long ago, when he didn't want anything to do with a book, and we weren't sure he was going to read. What a pleasant turn-around.

Wednesdays and Thursdays wear me out. Yesterday was triple coupon day at the grocery store and that just added to the fatigue. My favorite buys were the ones where they paid me to buy their product: Taster's Choice individual coffees and Barilla Pasta. I also got Green Giant vegetables for just over 1 cent a box, and Yoplait Yogurt was ending up about 10 cents each. Today I am off to spend more money though. There is a Scholastic Warehouse Sale in Raleigh and a friend and I are heading there to do some book shopping. I used to go when we lived in TX and it was always a great deal. This time, though, I had to decide if it would be worth the gas money. I went to Barnes and Noble yesterday and got an idea of what I would spend and save and decided, yes, it is worth it. Hope it works out to be true.

A couple of weeks ago, I was helping #5 to finish up his lunch when he said, "You don't play. You just work." I agreed with him--I wanted him to finish eating and the more you talk to him the longer he will take. But it has stayed in my head since then. I actually do play, but I work a whole lot more. As I look around here today, it looks like it will be another work day. I guess all of the play was for last week's trip. Last night was my "Night Off." I was planning to go to the grocery and to get pictures developed. As I worked on downloading the pictures on the computer, I decided it would probably be better to go ahead and order them on-line. I saved about $13 according to what I would have spent at CVS, but more importantly I didn't spend any more money on gas. With it nearing $4 a gallon, life is starting to have to change for us.

We went on a 4-H trip this past week. Our club has been working on it all year; fundraising for over a year. It was a nice trip to Virginia. We spent the first day at a museum taking classes on a few different eras in VA history. We learned about the Native Americans, the Revolution, the Bateau (a form of river transportation), and the Gilded Age--Victorian lifestyle. After we were educated, we headed out to see some of the events. We went to Natural Bridge and saw the caverns, the waterfalls, an Indian village, and watched a light show depicting creation. The next day we were off to an Elizabethan garden maze. That was what the kids were most looking forward to. Some of the adults were trying it too. Another mom and I were the winners; it was lots of fun. Then we took a tour of Michie Tavern, a tavern from the 1700s. #1 really enjoyed it. We did a square dance and he really liked that. The last day we went to Ash-Lawn Highland, home of James Monroe, and to Monticello. Our family had gone up early on Thursday to see the vacation home of Jefferson at Poplar Forest, and that was a nice addition to Monticello. Some interesting things to me were:

• A lot of people's success was who they knew. All of the first presidents knew each other and had contact with each other.
• I don't think we could survive in a time like that now. They reused things every way they could, saved what they could, were ingenious even to the point of boiling the dirt in the smokehouse to get out all of the salt during a salt shortage.
• The politicians were seldom at their own homes. They had to depend on others to take care of their homes while they were running the country or being ambassadors to other countries.
• Debt was a BIG problem for our forefathers. Jefferson died penniless. Monroe was deeply in debt as well. But it wasn't as much their fault as debt is today. Jefferson inherited a lot of his debt, and people visited him all of the time and he was expected to entertain them. He also was being a gentleman and signed a note for his daughter's father-in-law, who then defaulted on the loan. Monroe had to pay for all of the furniture for the White House after the fire of 1814 when the British attacked.

#1 says Michie Tavern was his favorite. #2 picks the Indian Village. Hubby likes the indoors of Monticello- outside it was cold. I think I would pick either Michie Tavern or Ash-Lawn Highland. The tour guides make or break it for me, and those were really good ones. I also think it was a great addition to see both Poplar Forest and Monticello. They have a lot in common and it was interesting to see them both.

Now we are back and have to get back into the swing of things. The goats were bears this morning. Mary does not like being milked. It will be along few weeks to get her settled I am afraid.

Today is Primary Day in NC. I actually voted early, as usual. I try to avoid the long lines, and the possibility that the actual voting day may get away from me and I will forget to vote. This is the first time that I actually get to vote for President...in my entire adult life! I know, I am so young. Actually, we have moved every year and didn't get registered in time to vote. I had thought when we moved here that I would get to vote for President, but we ended up moving before early voting in TX, but too late to register for NC. I could have figured out absentee voting I guess, but it wasn't important enough to me. So last week I went to vote in the Primary. I am unaffiliated, so I didn't expect to vote in the NC Primary. So I went in and they told me that I got to choose which ticket I wanted to vote on. So I chose one, thinking that only the presidential part would be different and the other parts would be unaffiliated choices. I started to vote when I realized that they had given me a straight ballot. So I took it back and told them that wasn't going to work for me and I wanted an unaffiliated ballot. I had to convince them that I realized that it meant I couldn't vote in the presidential primary. I said I couldn't vote for anyone on that ballot because I didn't know any of them and I hadn't researched them. I needed to vote unaffiliated because I had researched those people and knew whom I wanted to vote for. They were incredulous, even trying to explain the voting process to me, but I was adamant and voted unaffiliated. So I still haven't ever voted for a president, but November will get here before I know it...And I do not plan on moving before that!

Time just keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping...I was filling out schedules for the kids' day camps and the summer is about gone. They are doing some fishing, electric projects, cooking and sewing, clogging, and more. I looked up church camps, but it is out of the question with price and schedules. So they will have a fun summer at home. We started getting some things into the ground in the garden last week. I put a whole bag of fertilizer on the garden because the boys want corn and we haven't had much luck with corn. We may end up with corn on steroids! We also put out tomatoes, beans, lettuce, and peas. The strawberries are doing well too. The fruit trees look pretty full this year, and the grapes are doing well, too. Perhaps we will have a good year--if the rain keeps coming. Last night was a terrible lightning storm. I thought the barn had been hit, and hubby thought the water tower had been. The dog was in our room, of course. Nothing has been heard from the goat lady. I am hoping that is good news. We had a guy stop yesterday evening to see if we wanted to buy another goat. She is an alpine and nubian mix and already bred. I told him I think we have enough to handle for now. He was able to tell me of a slaughter house though. So if we can't get rid of goats we don't need, I think we can at least butcher them. The goat lady would faint at that news! We took the boys to see Nim's Island yesterday. It is a good movie. It is nice that the boys are starting to be the age when we can see interesting movies together. The new theater has already been taken over by another company. I guess rent is ridiculous at the new plaza. The homeschool curriculum sale was this weekend, too. I made enough money to pay off the books I had bought for #1. He needed science and math this year. A good friend is giving me math for #2. We are also sharing a science with friends for #2. The library is a great help to us for interest and for saving money. I love the university library and we may spend more time there this year. And that is why time is slipping...

Our family does something called "Fun of the Cup." It started years ago when hubby would go away for spring break and I would be left with the kids by myself. So I would fill a cup with slips of paper. The kids would draw one a day and we would do something that it said. We would go to get donuts, or to the zoo, or the park, or toy window shopping. It didn't have to be expensive, just something to look forward to. #1 started calling it "Fun of the Cup" and a tradition was born. So now we are on summer break and doing fun of the cup. This week was to go to Baskin-Robbins. We went last night and surprise, surprise, it was 31 cents a scoop! They were having a special and we didn't even know. Next week we won't get to do the cup since we have a trip planned to Virginia with our 4-H club. We don't do the cup when there are extra special things like trips planned. That is enough to look forward to in itself. ----------- A couple of friends asked me what the goat lady did, so I guess I didn't explain what was going on very well. The deal we made was $100 a goat and then if I decided to keep the kids it would be another $50. She was well-paid, as most goats go for $75, but I didn't want to drive as far as I would have to to get one for that price. She called last week and told me I had been dishonest and the price had been $200 per goat, and now she wanted $100 per female kid and $25 per male. She just continued to lie and I had answers for all of her lies. She even pulled out, "You're a preacher's wife and I thought you would be honest." I told her not to even try to pull that card, she was being dishonest and she knew it. So yestedray I sent a nice note to her with a check for the $50, and completely ignored her dishonesty. I won't be answering the phone the next several days as I am sure she will call and cuss me out. Just leave a message if you call, I will get back to you. ---------- Speaking of the goats, I have to get a strategy to deal with them during milking time. They all try to get into the stanchion at the same time. Darkie has figured out how to knock the feed bucket off the wall. Mary is furious that I should touch her, and she jumps and snorts the whole time. Milky Way is a pig and eats everything and won't move unless the world is ending. Fay is the only sweet spot. She doesn't push and shove, and she stands still while I milk. She doesn't have any milk to give me yet, but it gives me comfort to have a cooperative goat.