Lola

This is how we found Lola this morning.

That can't be good.

LOL-a

: )

Like Peas In A Pod

Benjamin's peas!!

Happy Chickens Make Better Eggs

Thought this was so cute... exactly what I always say!

Hey, speaking of eggs...

if you happen to live around here,

would you like some eggs???

We're currently overrun.

I can save them, but they're so much better fresh.

Fresh from the happy chicken.

Tip Tuesday: 2 o'clock

Wow.  Thanks for the tip. 2:00.  Epic, right??

About a year ago we came up with this idea and it's been a real life saver.

Country Girls and Kitties

Got nothin' much to say today.

 So, here's Graci, Hailee, Ruth and Patience with the world's cutest kittens.

Hailee is our adopted daughter.  Not really.  She lives across the street but hangs out over here most of her waking hours.  It's cool that even though we live out in the middle of nowhere, God provided a buddy for our kids to play with.  Isn't that neat?

Just Another Dangerous Snappy Thing

So there I was, happily spackling away in the kitchen when Noah called me outside, "Mom, you have GOT to come out here and see what I got!"

 Yesterday I taught the kids how to catch a four foot black snake, who happened upon the swing set area.  They chickened out.  I'm not sure why.

But today was even more exciting...  Noah found THIS:

 in the back yard!!!

He's a big, mean thing.  And snappy, too.

Goodbye Faux

Yesterday started out just like any other normal day...  get up, make Captain's lunch, read Bible, snuggle Benjamin on the swing, make kid's breakfast, manage the chores, write a blog, clean the kitchen, organize a few kitchen cupboards.  And then it happened.  For some reason I decided to pull out the stove...

And this is what I found.

Spotting a Sucker

For those of you who already knew this, please bear with me.  It took me 40 years to get the hang of it.  But, I'm happy to say that I can definitely spot a sucker now...  and deal with it properly!

  I told you I'm a newb.  And for those of you who never heard of "newb"...  it's a gamer term for "new," you know, "new to the game."  And that's definitely me when it comes to gardening!

Anyways...

Here's a sucker:

Tip Tuesday: Onion Poultice

Onions for ear aches???  OK, get ready.  This sounds really weird.  But I wouldn't tell you about it unless we tried it first and it really does work.  I'm sure there's a good scientific reason... but it's just one of those old-timey things that you've got to see... um...feel to believe.

This really helps an ear ache.

Getting A Garden Going

 Thanks to a beautiful weekend and lots of helpers... the garden is coming right along.

 It's hard to believe that it's already time to dig something out and make room for something else.

Van Moments: Hillbilly Shopping

 On the way home from the park on Thursday, we decided to stop by Lowe's for some straw.  If only I had a truck... but then I couldn't bring all these wonderful people along....

A Good Flick

Have you seen this movie?

We just found it at our local video store.  That's right, folks, and honest-to-goodness video store!  Not a Redbox.  Which is like the Wal-mart of the movie world.  But that's another story.

Anyways, our video store also has bunnies and exotic tropical fish--  how cool is that?  I love supporting local stores.  I'd gladly pay a little more just to keep them in business.  But their movies are only 99 cents for the first day, so take that redbox!  And they have every movie that you can think of (mostly) and they even know where it is and have seen it, too.  For a non-movie lover like myself, that's pretty impressive.

And I'm curious what you guys think of this...  would you rather watch those cheesy, church-made movies with corny religious lines, so-so acting and an in-your-face moral message, or do you prefer to watch a movie with a GOOD redeeming story about real people working through real struggles and overcoming-- even though there's cussing and a few other funky things thrown in?

We've seen tons of both.  Some are better than others. 

This movie, Joyful Noise, had some of that funky stuff-- teens sneaking/dating, yelling at mom, cussing (I absolutely hate God's name in vain cussing and don't even know why they put that junk in a perfectly good movie) and other random bad stuff.  But it also had such a redemptive story line.  Real struggles.  Real people.  Religion vs. Christianity.  Hard questions.  Leaves you feeling good.  And happy. 

So, what do you think?


What are your favorite movies that you watch over and over and quote on a regular basis?

We've Been Busy

Update on the garden progress...
Turns out that we do actually have some dirt in our yard!  Yay!  Noah and I started digging around a few weeks ago and discovered where the previous owners had their garden rows.  The cats and chickens then discovered them.  So now we're working on a fence.

Most of the tomatoes and peppers are doing great.  Very happy to get out of their tiny little pots.

Ruthie was enjoying digging.  We're trying that method of planting tomatoes super deep.

Tip Tuesday: Salt

Hi Guys,
I've been thinking and thinking of a clever way to tell you about my latest epiphany.  Couldn't quite come up with anything witty or smart.  So I'll just tell ya...

SALT.

A Sub and a Swing and Staying Positive

You know, things don't have to be perfect to be good.

I've been having a pretty hard time lately.  I should have just gone ahead and cried like a baby at the graduation and gotten it over with like all the other normal people.  Instead, I keep everything bottled up and save it for later when nobody's looking.  And it works its way out slowly and in weird ways.  And it's hard for other people to tell what's wrong with me because I'm not crying at the graduation, which would make perfect sense.

Mom Thoughts

An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy. -Spanish Proverb

Old Stuff and Tradition

I'm not sure how this tradition got started, but many years ago we got the bright idea to let the little girls try on my wedding dress each year on our anniversary.  We missed the past couple of years due to our stuff being packed away so weird from moving multiple times, but this year the girls were determined!  They even crawled up into the attic to find the right bin.  It was fun watching them ooh and aah over it.

Sweet Peas and A Little Honey

 Remember those peas that Benjamin and I planted back in March???

20 Years!

 Oh my, I can't even believe it!

The Party

Hola muchaco.

I was totally amazed by the turn out!  I made tons of food, but wasn't really sure if anyone was coming...

A Home School Graduation

It.  is.  Finished.

The lists and lists... and lists of lists.


The planning and stress and worry.


The 14 years of home schooling.



The graduation, reception and party...

Fun Family Fiesta... How to Make Mustaches

I never could figure out what the big deal is with all the mustaches, until....

New Stuff

 Spring has sprung here on the farm!

Lots of new stuff...

My garden is actually growing.  Yay! Spinach , onions and garlic here.

Potatoes sprouting.  I thought maybe the chickens ate all the sprouts, but lo and behold, here they are...