Fanfare for the common man. The true American Idols sound the trumpets o...

This lady of God is so inspiring.

I took this from we4bates.blogspot.com

How sweet.

That is called a what???

I love homeschooling my kids because I have so much fun with them. Today my five year old was coloring a picture from her age appropriate body book. She was coloring the digestive system while I was explaining it to her. A few minutes later, I over hear her explaining everything to her older brother. When she go to the intestines, she paused a minute and said, "This is called the poop pipe." How funny is that?

New way of eating

Let's keep this post real. I am very overweight. It started with my first child and hasn't stopped. I need to change a few things. My diet wasn't so much about piggin out on ice cream or pizza but more about PEPSI, to the tune of 6-7 cans a day. Oh, and the wonderful world of white bread. A perfect snack would be a can of Pepsi and a slice of white bread. YUM. Okay I have issues.

I am currently holding the soda down to one can a day and I have traded white wheat for whole. I of course in two weeks have lost zero pounds:( That ticks me off. But on to the rest of my family's new diet plan.

The NO NO list:
No soda
No white wheat(except special occasions)
No soy (I am allergic)
No HFCS
No MSG
No nitrates
No things with ingredients I can't pronounce

The CAN list:
Fruits
Veggies
Whole wheat
Almond milk for me
Lean meats
Our own eggs
Lots from scratch

I am wondering if I need to take a herbal supplement or something to jump start my metabolism. I though for sure I would lose at least some when I quit drinking soda, so maybe there is something else going on.

Hubby is on this new way of eating and is loosing lots of weight. I am still not sure if I am happy or envious about it.LOL

The only problem I am having with this new program of sorts is I have no idea what to do for snacks. Fruit is not cutting with the kiddos anymore and I am out of ideas. So if anyone happens by this blog and has any ideas please let me know.

On a different note, I know that I never post anymore, but I have some post coming, I promise. I hope to get up at least a post on our homeschool year and some pics of the kids in the mountains in the fall. We love to go riding around the ATV paths around here in the fall.

More praising the Lord

In a previous post, I wrote about how my mother and sister in law were spared when they were involved in a wreck. Well, today hubby was in a wreck. On his way to work, his brother was driving when he slid off the road and over the mountain. Praise God he is okay and unharmed. They managed to get the car back in the road and everything is fine now, except maybe the car and their egos. LOL. PRAISE the LORD!!!!

Robert Byrd

Today WV Senator Robert Byrd died. Although his political beliefs may have sometimes differed from mine, I have to give the man his dues. Senator Byrd did hold the most consecutive terms of anyone in office and he also had a very good attendance record with more roll call votes than anyone else in the history of the senate.

From a personal perspective, Senator Byrd was always very prompt on responding to my questions or complaints in regards to his representation. I fully believe that he cared deeply for the people of West Virginia and I also believe he tried very hard to represent them to the best of his ability.

Praising the Lord

Our family is so thankful for God's protection lately. A few weeks ago, my sister in law was going to the local feed store to get some feed for her horses. She went early in the morning because her and her husband was going on a weekend getaway. As she was pulling off another car hit her head on. She is okay. She ended up with some stitches, sprains, scrapes, and bruises. But she is okay and finally able to get around. Her truck is totaled. The guy that hit her had no insurance and a revoked license. He plans to sue her but that is another post. Don't get me started.

Last weekend, I got a call that my mom was in a wreck. She was on her way back from her dad's when she was hit head on. A car crossed into her lane and she went off the road and scraped her passenger side all the way down on a rock cliff. AND the car still hit her head on. The driver got out and accused her of hitting him. Uh, hello, her truck is pinned between a rock cliff and YOUR car. At the accident, she kept loosing consciouses and they took her to the ER. She is okay. She suffered a major concussion and a torn muscle in her arm. She is pretty banged up. She has been referred to a neurologist and may need some PT for her arm. Her truck is totaled.

I still have reason to rejoice though. They are both okay. God was there with them. Actually, my mom was praising the Lord over and over and the EMTs thought that she was delusional from the concussion. LOL God is Good.

A few of my favorite people

Go baby go. Hooray



My baby and her baby, picking flowers.




My beautiful blue eyed princess.

Raising Homemakers

Check out this great, new site for future homemakers. I strongly feel that a tide has turned in this country. Women are once again taking up the call to be keepers of the home. Of course, if any are like me, I had no idea how to be a homekeeper. I grew up with my mother working and going to college full time so I didn't really know how to keep a home, cook, or anything else. Now I have a long way to go but I have come pretty far in my abilities over the last few years. But hopefully with websites like this we will have help in training up our own daughters to answer the call of homemaking.

One last thing, Raising Homemakers is having a great giveaway too. So head on over and enter.

What a great eleven years.

glitter-graphics.com

Happy Anniversary, Daniel. I love you!

I copied this post from Grape Moments in Life. You should drop and look around at her wonderful blog.


I found THIS BLOG and thought I'd share. I did a copy and paste to my blog so I can't take the credit for this neat list. This is a list of just some of the famous people that were homeschooled.
There are a bunch of athletes that weren't added and Venus and Serena Williams (tennis) as well as Tim Tebow (football) are just three of them. Anyway, I thought it was interesting. =)

Constitutional Convention Delegates

* Richard Basseti – Governor of Delaware
* William Blount – U.S. Senator
* George Clymer – U.S. Representative
* William Few – U.S. Senator
* Benjamin Franklin – Inventor and Statesman
* Alexander Hamilton – Lawyer and Economist
* William Houston – Lawyer
* William S. Johnson – Columbia College President
* William Livingston – Governor of New Jersey
* James Madison – 4th President of the U.S.
* George Mason – Justice of Virginia County Court
* John Francis Mercer – U.S. Representative
* Charles Pickney III – Governor of S. Carolina
* John Rutledge – Chief Justice U.S. Supreme Court
* Richard D. Spaight – Governor of North Carolina
* George Washington – 1st President of the U.S.
* John Witherspoon – President of Princeton
* George Wythe – Justice of Virginia High Court


Presidents

* John Adams
* John Quincy Adams
* Grover Cleveland
* Jefferson Davis (the only president of the short-lived Confederate States of America)
* James Garfield
* William Henry Harrison
* Andrew Jackson
* Thomas Jefferson
* Abraham Lincoln
* James Madison
* James Polk
* Franklin Delano Roosevelt
* Theodore Roosevelt
* John Tyler
* George Washington
* Woodrow Wilson


Statesmen

* Henry Fountain Ashurst
* William Jennings Bryan
* Winston Churchill
* Henry Clay
* John Dickinson
* Pierre du Pont
* Benjamin Franklin
* Patrick Henry
* William Penn
* Daniel Webster


Military Officers

* John Barry – Senior Navy Officer
* George Rogers Clark – Revolutionary War hero
* Nathanael Greene – Revolutionary War hero
* Nathan Hale – Revolutionary War hero
* Stonewall Jackson – Civil War General
* John Paul Jones – Father of the American Navy
* Robert E. Lee – Civil War General
* Douglas MacArthur – U.S. General
* George Patton – U.S. General
* Matthew Perry – U.S. Naval Officer
* John Pershing – U.S. General
* David Dixon Porter – Civil War Admiral
* Joseph Bradley Varnum – Revolutionary War hero


U.S. Supreme Court Judges

* Charles Evans Hughes
* John Jay
* John Marshall
* John Rutledge
* Sandra Day O’Connor


Religious Leaders

* Joan of Arc
* Dietrich Bonhoeffer
* William Carey
* Jonathan Edwards
* Philipp Melancthon
* Dwight L. Moody
* John Newton
* John Owen
* Hudson Taylor
* John & Charles Wesley
* Brigham Young


Explorers

* William Clark – Lewis & Clark Expedition
* Meriwether Lewis – Lewis & Clark Expedition
* John Wesley Powell – Colorado River Expedition
* Sir Ernest Shackleton – Antarctic Expedition


Scientists

* Wilson A. Bentley – “The Snowflake Man”
* George Washington Carver – agricultural research
* Pierre Curie – discovered radium
* Albert Einstein – theoretical physicist
* Paul Erdos – Hungarian mathematician
* Michael Faraday – electrochemist
* Pierre-Gilles de Gennes – French physicist
* Oliver Heaviside – electromagnetism researcher
* T.H. Huxley – biologist, zoologist, Darwinist
* Ruth Lawrence – mathematician
* Gilbert Newton Lewis – physical chemist
* Ada Lovelace – founder of scientific computing
* Benoit Mandelbrot – pioneer in fractal geometry
* Blaise Pascal – French mathematician
* Joseph Priestley – father of modern chemistry
* Samuel C. C. Ting – Chinese American physicist
* Konstantin Tsiolkovsky – Russian rocket scientist


Inventors

* Alexander Graham Bell – invented the telephone
* John Moses Browning – firearms inventor/designer
* Peter Cooper – built the first modern skyscraper, the first commercial locomotive, and patented the first gelatin dessert which was later named Jell-O
* Thomas Edison – invented the stock ticker, mimeograph, phonograph, and electric light bulb
* Benjamin Franklin – invented the lightning rod
* Elias Howe – invented sewing machine
* William Lear – airplane creator
* Cyrus McCormick – invented grain reaper
* Guglielmo Marconi – developed radio
* Eli Whitney – invented the cotton gin
* Sir Frank Whittle – invented turbo jet engine
* Orville and Wilbur Wright – brothers who built the first successful airplane


Artists

* William Blake – painter, engraver, poet
* John Singleton Copley – American Colonial painter
* Evelyn De Morgan – Pre-Raphaelite painter
* Christian Grew – American Painter
* Donal Hord – San Diego sculptor
* Akiane Kramarik- 10-year-old art and poetry prodigy
* Claude Monet – French Impressionist
* Grandma Moses – American folk artist
* Charles Willson Peale – American portrait artist
* Lu Pinchang – ceramic sculptor
* Leonardo da Vinci – Renaissance artist, sculptor
* Andrew Wyeth – American realist painter
* Jamie Wyeth – American realist painter


Composers

* Johann Sebastian Bach – Baroque
* Irving Berlin – Patriotic
* Anton Bruckner – Symphonies
* Noel Coward – Musicals
* Felix Mendelssohn – Romantic
* Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Classical
* John Porcaro – Experimental
* Francis Poulenc – Choral
* John Philip Sousa – “March King”


Writers

* Louisa May Alcott – author of Little Women
* Hans Christian Anderson – fairy tale writer
* Margaret Atwood – Canadian novelist, poet
* Fawn M. Brodie – biographer
* Pearl S. Buck – Nobel prize-winning author
* William F. Buckley, Jr. – conservative writer
* Willa Cather – American novelist
* Agatha Christie – mystery author
* Samuel Clemens – a.k.a. Mark Twain
* Charles Dickens – British novelist
* Robert Frost – Pulitzer Prize-winning poet
* Charlotte Perkins Gilman – early feminist writer
* Alex Haley – African-American novelist
* Sharlot Hall – poet, writer, Arizona historian
* Joshua Harris- pastor and author of I Kissed Dating Goodbye
* Bret Harte – frontier California journalist
* L. Ron Hubbard – science fiction writer
* Helen Keller – blind and deaf author and lecturer
* Rose Wilder Lane – journalist, ghostwriter, daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder
* C.S. Lewis – Christian writer and apologist
* Amy Lowell – Modernist poet
* Gabriela Mistral – Nobel-prize winning Latin American poet
* Sean O’Casey – Irish author
* Thomas Paine – political writer during the American Revolution, author of Common Sense
* Christopher Paolini – teen author of Eragon
* Isabel Paterson – conservative political author
* Beatrix Potter – author of Peter Rabbit Tales
* Jedediah Purdy – author of For Common Things: Irony, Trust, and Commitment in America Today
* Kenneth Rexroth – poet, translator, critical essayist
* Carl Sandburg – American poet
* George Bernard Shaw – Irish-born playwright
* Mattie J. T. Stepanek – 11-year-old author of Heartsongs
* Rosemary Sutcliff – historical novels for children
* Rabindranath Tagore – Bengali poet, essayist, dramatist, songwriter
* Leo Tolstoy – Russian writer
* Mercy Warren – American Revolution eyewitness
* Phillis Wheatley – African-American poet
* Walt Whitman – American poet
* Laura Ingalls Wilder – children’s book author
* Virginia Woolf – English novelist


Educators

* Amos Bronson Alcott – innovative teacher, father of Louisa May Alcott
* Catharine Beecher – co-founder of the Hartford Female Seminary
* Jill Ker Conway – first woman president of Smith College
* Erik Demaine – associate professor of Computer Science at MIT
* Timothy Dwight – President of Yale University
* William Samuel Johnson – President of Columbia College
* Horace Mann – “Father of the American Common School”
* Charlotte Mason – Founder of Charlotte Mason College of Education
* Joyce Reed – Associate Dean of the College, Brown University
* Fred Terman – President of Stanford University
* Frank Vandiver – President of Texas A&M University
* Booker T. Washington – teacher and founder of Tuskegee Institute
* Noah Webster – “Father of American Christian Education”
* John Witherspoon – President of Princeton University


Medical Practitioners

* Clara Barton – started the Red Cross
* Elizabeth Blackwell – first woman in the U.S. to receive a medical degree
* Florence Nightingale – Nurse
* Susan La Flesche Picotte – first American Indian woman physician
* Albert Schweitzer – Physician
* Mary Walker – Civil War physician; recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor


Business Entrepreneurs

* Andrew Carnegie – wealthy steel industrialist
* Amadeo Giannini – Bank of America’s founder
* Horace Greeley – New York Tribune founder
* Soichiro Honda – creator of the Honda automobile company
* Peter Kindersley – book illustrator and publisher
* Ray Kroc – founder of McDonald’s fast food restaurant chain
* Jimmy Lai – newspaper publisher; founder of Giordano International
* Dr. Orison Swett Marden – founder, Success magazine
* Adolph Ochs – New York Times founder
* Joseph Pulitzer – newspaper publisher; established Pulitzer Prize
* Colonel Harland Sanders – started Kentucky Fried Chicken
* Dave Thomas – founder of the Wendy’s restaurant chain


Others

* Abigail Adams – wife of John Adams; mother of John Quincy Adams
* Ansel Adams – photographer
* Susan B. Anthony – women’s rights leader
* John James Audubon – ornithologist and artist
* Alyssa Buecker – director, Milbo Productions
* John Burroughs – naturalist
* Jennie Chancey – historical costumer
* Davy Crockett – frontiersman
* Edward Curtis – photographer
* Robin Lee Graham – youngest person to sail around the world at age 16
* Alex and Brett Harris – twin teen writers and conference speakers for “The Rebelution,” a Christian ministry/youth organization
* Eric Hoffer – social philosopher
* Sam Houston – lawyer; first leader of Texas
* Abraham Kuyper – Dutch politician, journalist
* Mary Leakey – fossil hunter
* Charles Fletcher Lummis – journalist, historian, photographer, founder of the Southwest Society
* Harriet Martineau – first woman sociologist
* Margaret Mead – cultural anthropologist
* John Stuart Mill – free-market Economist
* Charles Louis Montesquieu – philosopher
* John Muir – naturalist
* Raymond Parks – Civil Rights activist, husband of Rosa Parks
* Sofia, Susan, and Judit Polgar – chess masters
* Bill Ridell – Newspaperman
* Will Rogers – Humorist
* Eleanor Roosevelt – wife of Franklin D. Roosevelt
* Bertrand Russell – Logician
* Drew Ryun – co-founder of Generation Joshua, director of Jim Ryun Running Camp
* Ned Ryun – co-founder of Generation Joshua, president of American Majority
* Deborah Sampson – female soldier in the American Revolution
* Emerson Spartz – 12-year-old internet entrepreneur (MuggleNet)
* Herbert Spencer – philosopher, sociologist
* Gloria Steinem – founder of Ms. magazine
* Timmy Teepell – chief of staff for Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana
* Lester Frank Ward – Father of American Sociology
* Martha Washington – wife of George Washington
* Frances E. C. Willard – educator, temperance leader, and suffragist
* Frank Lloyd Wright – architect
* John Lloyd Wright – architect, toy designer, inventor of Lincoln Logs
* Sho Yano – gifted child prodigy
* Elijah ben Solomon Zalman – Jewish scholar
POSTED BY KELLI AT 12/16/2009 10:00:00 AM 0 COMMENTS

In memory of our miners. May we never forget.

Summer school

As this school year is winding down, I am thinking about the summer months. I would like to do "light" school work during summer. Not a lot, just touch up on some subjects.

CC: Work on multiplication tables and cursive.
KC: Reading well and handwriting worksheets. Maybe some "very light" math.
Both: Independent reading, botany study, and geography study.

We will be using Galloping the Globe, Fun with Times Tables, and some on line resources.

Of course, I will need to look at curriculum for the fall as well. I really need to get CC away from Saxon math because he is so bored with it. I was thinking about using Horizon Math or Math U See, but not sure. Any ideas? I want to do more hands on as well this fall, as both kids seem to enjoy that. Daddy will have to help with the science experiments though, so not my department LOL. Anyway, just thinking out loud here, but could use some help.

Frugal way of life

Are you green or are you frugal? Some people would have you to believe you must buy this and try that to be "green" because the would is going to come to an end if we don't. Our children will "suffer" because we all didn't buy 100 percent recyclable materials, solar panels, or hybrid cars. Lets be real. This world will end when God says it will and the enormous debt that we as a people have is what is really going to cause our kids to suffer.

Over the last couple of years, I have learned a lot about being so called green (mostly due to my financial struggles brought on by huge debt). God calls us to be good stewards of the earth, and our finances, and our families. It is so funny how all of this works together.

If we work hard to manage our finances always looking for a cheaper, better way to save, we will not be buying into the overly consuming lifestyle that so many do. For example if we want to better manage our heating bill, do we go out and spend upwards of twenty grand on solar panels or do we just turn the thermostat down in our homes?
Here are some green/frugal ideas from our home.

-BUY USED SAVE THE DIFFERENCE. This is our families anthem.
-Turn your thermostat down in the winter and up in the summer. Let your body get use to the adjustment. It will, I promise.
-Use ceiling fans, they can lower your homes temp by several degree and use way less energy than a air conditioner.
-Turn lights out when no in use and learn that you don't need to have a light on just because you are in the room. While watching tv, turn the lights out.
-Turn the computer off when not using it. I was surprised to learn how much electricity my computer uses when left on.
-I wash all of our laundry in cold water except diapers and bed linens. The laundry will be clean.
-Air dry your laundry. My favorite chore!!!! Dryers is one of the biggest users of energy in your home.
-We use only natural cleaners in our home. Do we go out and spend a fortune on them? NO! We make our own. There are a ton of recipes for this on the web. We use vinegar and water for an all purpose cleaner. Baking soda and borax work great for tough bathroom stains. A small amount of olive oil will shine up any old piece of wood and we even use it to shine our hardwood floors. We also make our own laundry detergent. The laundry detergent doesn't irritate our eczema and it is way cheaper than those dye free brands in stores.
-We grow our own garden every summer as well as fruit trees and various berries. All organic, heirloom varieties.
-We also have our own chickens for organic eggs. Better for us, better for the environment, and better for our wallets.
-Cook from scratch and save a ton on packaging.

That is just a small sample of some of the green/frugal things we do to try to lower our expenses and our carbon foot print.

Some of my favorite Lincoln quotes

No man is good enough to govern another man without that other's consent.
- Abraham Lincoln |

I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom, and that of all about me seemed insufficient for the day.
- Abraham Lincoln

Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.
- Abraham Lincoln

The ballot is stronger than the bullet.
- Abraham Lincoln

Our Castle of Dreams

My beautiful Bride
You did say "I do"
My heart is all yours
I promise to you
To build a Castle
A Castle so great
And gardens of love
My Princess of fate.






My shy handsome Groom
I could not say "no"
My heart is your heart
I’ll never let go
A white picket fence
A house with fresh paint
You are my Castle
The Prince of my fate.


My beautiful Bride
With child you are
I promise to be
Best Father by far.
To share all the pain
To share all the good
Make true my promise
Your Castle of wood.






My shy handsome groom
I cannot disguise
The part of our love
My womb holds inside
A wife and Mother
The best I will be
Within these old walls
A Castle will be.


My beautiful Bride
How is it I see
Three children later
And no time for me
Sorry I’m home late
I do need a hand
Hired help will build
Your Castle of sand.






My shy handsome Groom
I’m tired and worn
The children run wild
The wallpapers torn
I swear I do need
Just one helping hand
To help with chores in
My Castle of sand.


My beautiful Bride
I have to leave town
Business is calling
Lest all should fall down
My ventures I sought
Have not turned out well
They seem all for naught
Our Castle we sell.






My shy handsome Groom
I must tell you this
Children all grown now
So leave with a kiss
Our Castle is paid
I own it you see
I learned in good time
The Castle was me.
Jeanne (Carlton) Walters ©1995

The Girl I Used to Be

She came tonight as I sat alone,
The girl I used to be.

She gazed at me with her earnest eye
And questioned reproachfully.




"Have you forgotten the many plans
And hopes that I had for you?"

"The great career, the splendid fame,
All the wonderful things to do?"




"Where is the mansion of stately height
With all its gardens rare?"

"The silken robes that I dreamed for you
And the jewels in your hair?"




And as she spoke, I was very sad
For I wanted her pleased with me...
This slender girl I used to be.




So gently rising, I took her hand,
And guided her up the stairs

Where peacefully sleeping, my babies lay
So innocent, sweet, and fair.




I told her that these are my only gems,
And Precious they are to me.

That silken robe is my Motherhood
Of costly simplicity.




And my mansion of stately height is love,
And the only career I know,

Is serving each day in these sheltered walls
For the dear ones who come and go.




And as I spoke to my shadowy guest,
She smiled through her tears at me

And I saw the woman I am now...
Pleased the girl I used to be.

author: Rowena K. Lewis©2001
Used with permission
Thank You, Rowena.

Great twist on an old favorite

Mary had a little lamb
His fleece was white as snow.
And everywhere that Mary went,
The Lamb was sure to go.
He followed her to school each day,
T'wasn't even in the rule.
It made the children laugh and play,
To have a Lamb at school.
And then the rules all changed one day,
illegal it became;
To bring the Lamb of God to school,
Or even speak His Name.
Every day got worse and worse,
And days turned into years.
Instead of hearing children laugh,
We heard gun shots and tears.
What must we do to stop the crime,
That's in our schools today?
Let's let the Lamb come back to school,
And teach our kids to pray!

John Wayne for president?

Today, I was discussing with my 7yo son a picture that showed the American Forefathers. I asked him if he could identify any of them. His response? George Washington, Thomassss uh, uh, Jeefferson, and oh yeah, John Wayne! He meant to say George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams.LOL I still don't know how he knows anything about John Wayne. Out of the mouths of babes...is always something funny.

I want to write a really meaningful entry to describe the way I feel about the way our political leaders have completely disregarded the majority and passed this health care death sentence. I want it to be inspiring and motivating, honestly I do. But all I can think of is "YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME" and maybe some "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?", and a little of "HOW CAN YOU BE THAT BOLD TO GO AGAINST US?".

How does this all end? I don't understand why they would pass something they know is going to get them kicked out come election time. There is only two explanations that I can see.

1. They are so out of the loop, that they really think they can't get pushed out of office....OR
2. They find a way to ensure that they stay in office. HMMMMM....ever hear the one about the president who gets rid of term limits to better himself. I am just saying, I would not be surprised. Actually, nothing would surprise me anymore.

Please check out the Christian Mother Series.

This website is full of wonderful advice, ideas, and encouragement for us christian wives and mothers. You will love it.

Oh joy

My seeds finally came in. I'm running late on getting them, but woo hoo they are here!

Ready for spring!!

It has been warm and about 60 degrees here so far this week. Of course, that means spring fever has hit. It could not have happened soon enough as this was the worst winter I have ever seen. I think I could go a long time without seeing snow again and that would be fine with me. Anyway I thought I would share some of what we will be planting this year. All of our garden so far is going to be heirloom seeds from various on line sources.

Kentucky Wonder Bush Beans
Great Northern Shell Bean
Copenhagen Cabbage Seeds
Golden Bantam Corn
Straight Eight Cucumber
Hale's Best Melons
Dixie Queen Watermelon
Black Diamond Watermelon
Sweet Banana Peppers (hubby)
California Wonder Peppers
Jubilee Tomato
Brandywine Tommto
Soft White Wheat
Hard Red Wheat
Buckwheat
Chicory
Chamomile
Red Clover
Sage
Parsley
Pollinator Flowers
Alfaflfa
Lettuce mix
Onions
Potatoes

That should be a good start anyway. I would like to get some more herbs for the herb garden but we will wait on that. Hubby wants to plant only what we really like as far as the veggie garden so that narrowed it down a lot. I still have some half runner beans and some Silver Queen corn from last year. I plan on being able to can or freeze a lot this year, if the Lord be willing. The wheat is more of an expeirment. We have this large upper bottom on our property that just sets there. Hubby wants a mini jersey to call that place home, but those little things are expensive. So for now we are just going to plant lots of wheat there. If it does good we may grind some for ourselves but it will also be used for the chickes and goats(as soon as I talk hubby into it). The stalks will be used for compost as they are rich in many nutrients.

I also need to order some fruits trees and berries but that is going to have to wait until next payday. We already have some apple, peach, and pear trees along with some grapes, blackberries, and strawberries. I want to add a lot to that because we have very little of them and they tend to be ate on the spot instead of perserving them. I also would like to have some paw paw trees and a few cherries.

We are wanting to get some type of vegetation for a border by our house. Our backyard is right beside the dirt road by our house. This has always bothered me especially because we have lots of windows on the back side of our house and it makes me paranoid. I wouldn't mind the privacy in the backyard either. We thought of privacy fencing, but that is WAYYY to expensive. Any ideas on what kind of trees or shrubs that would make a nice full barrier and be fast growing?

Well, that is the garden so far. What are you planting?

In memory of Buck

Our beloved dog of thirteen years passed away Friday morning. I am not one to usually cry over the death of a pet, but I must admit I was crying like a baby. Buck first became a member of our family when my husband and I had only been dating for four months. Some people were giving away pups at a flea market. Over the years he has been a protector and a friend. He has ran off robbers, mountain lions, and pit bulls. He has warned us when something was wrong like the day he wouldn't let us in our truck. Turns out the brake line in the truck had broke and the brake fluid had leaked out. Our kids have know him their entire life and looked to him for protection when they were playing in the yard or when we would go into the mountains for a hike. I guess he was just a good, lovable country dog who will be sadly missed and loved by our family.

Kylee's Birthday

Maybe sweet baby is finally one. Where did the time go? She is trying to get the hang of this walking thing, talking up a storm, and has a temper and a half. She is going to be one opinionated little girl. Happy birthday baby girl, we love you more than words can say.

FOR TODAY
Outside my window...rainy.
I am thinking...that I need to do a lot of outside work on the homestead.
I am thankful for...my family and the heat pump being fixed for free, again.
From the learning rooms...I am taking a break. I need to get back to basics.
From the kitchen...homemade tacos and brownies for dessert. YUM!
I am creating...a less cluttered home.
I am going...to get new curtain rods for the bedroom.
I am reading...Calm my Anxious Heart. I can't think of the author's name, but it is good so far.
I am hoping...for a productive garden.
I am hearing...the patter of little feet.
Around the house...we will be working on gardening and yard work this week.
One of my favorite things...Air conditioning. I am a total wimp at working in the heat.
A few plans for the rest of the week: Yard work, garden, decluttering my kitchen cabinets.
Here is picture for thought I am sharing..

That picture reminds me of my grandma who I miss everyday.


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I have saw this list on a couple of blogs today and I thought I would do one too. This is a list of 100 things one could do in their life. I will write all the ones I have done in bold print.



1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been inside an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma>
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee


There you have it the good, the bad, and the what was I thinking!!!!!