You may simply call me a writer, the eldest of the 8 (going on 9) Read children – many of which you will find roaming about the blogosphere. A 19 year old Christian homeschool graduate, I have been Classically educated through the teaching principles of Charlotte Mason. I have been a military child ever since I can remember, toured the nation and the world, and upon my father’s retirement from the U.S. Army, my family and I have been shaping our new land into a homestead known as Fair Hills Farm.

In 2004, my mother discovered the fascinating history of Dr. Harvey W. Wiley and the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. After years of researching and writing, I completed a full length historical drama screenplay titled The Crusading Chemist in March 2008 and recently completed a revision of it. I am now a college student majoring in History and minoring in Political Science at Jacksonville State University and in between studying, working on literary and art projects and living big family farm life I hope to maintain a quest for truthful research through Luke Historians and Not Just An Opinion.  My constant prayer is to glorify the LORD far beyond my finite imagination!

Blogging Since: January 2006

Read my philosophy of Blogging.

Amanda Read is a self-taught artist that developed her skills primarily through nature journaling.

Imaginate That! Read & Abbott Movie Projects

 

Amanda Read is the author of the historical/biopic/drama screenplay, The Crusading Chemist.  She is the Worldview/News columnist for The Cross-Eyed Blog and Webzine, and a regular columnist and contributor for The Girlhood Home Companion Magazine.  In September 2008 she wrote the e-book, Keeping The Family Flock: A Primer On Keeping Chickens.  In September 2009, the e-book The Modesty Handbook presented by Cross-Eyed Blog and Webzine was released, in which some of her writings are featured.  Miss Read is also Editor in Chief of the online fact database, Not Just An Opinion and founder of the Christian historical journalist society Luke Historians.

MAY GOD RICHLY BLESS ALL OF YOU,

~Amanda Read~

@SincerelyAmanda on Twitter

This is a blog post to honor one of our HomeschoolBlogger Class of 2008 Graduates: Eyebright of Defective Compositions.

{The card has a picture of a rose from our garden - photo taken by Abigail} 

I like Micah 6:8 because it is a reminder to me that as homeschool graduates we are at this busy time in our lives when so many people are watching us with high expectations - and perhaps we have some high expectations for ourselves - but ultimately, all that really matters eternally is having a willing heart to serve the LORD.

I appreciate Eyebright's unique and entertaining blog ("Defective Compositions" is a clever title!) and am glad to be one of her (many) blogging acquaintances.

Congratulations, Eyebright!

Keep in touch -

~Amanda~

I’ve decided thus far not to have a set day for my graduation.  I’m happy for everyone else that does but I personally can’t quite get into it.  I remember coming to the conclusion as a young child that I should never have a high school graduation because if I do end up having a college graduation, by then I will have run out of things to say for a commencement speech.

Furthermore, I don’t feel like a graduate as long as I have to prepare for the ACT (which is what I will be doing for the next three weeks).  The other day I accompanied Mom and my siblings on the grocery outing, and we managed to order my class ring while we were at it.  It will be gold valadium with a garnet and have an artist’s palette engraved on one side (to represent my artistic interest) and the Bible (along with a cross and crown) on the other.  The inscription engraved inside the band will be “2 Timothy 2:15”.

Rachel laughed about me technically being the only graduate in my “class” – unless you count other seniors from our homeschool group.  Well, it seems to me that the entire school charade is appearing more laughable the older I get.

For instance, the ACT is supposed to be an exam that tests your overall educational progress and determines your preparedness for college level work.  But as with most standardized time tests, the results still turn out to be somewhat irrelevant.  You must answer a certain number of questions in a certain amount of time (in the case of the math section, you are given 60 seconds per problem).  Ultimately, the test doesn’t test your knowledge so much as it tests your ability to process your knowledge quickly.  For those of us that are slow, thorough thinkers, we may well be just as educated as the super speed readers and mathematical geniuses, but not able to answer as quickly and thus not appear to be so.  I suppose that dilemma will always be a by-product of mass produced compulsory schooling.

While I am on the subject, I might as well dismiss all doubt of my deep seated bias against standardized tests.  My grudge against the sardonic multiple-choice pamphlets began at the tender age of 7 (or maybe it was 8).  We were living in West Point, New York when I was first confronted with such things at the necessity of the government homeschooling law.  Mom was able to give me the test at home because of my young age, but it was still, nevertheless, a timed test.  I wept bitterly while solving the math problems, convinced that I couldn’t possibly solve any of them in the allotted time.

I took my last (or so I thought) standardized test at age 11, which was for the 6^th grade level.  Sure, I scored high on my tests (except for the “Dates and Holidays” section…never quite figured that one out…), but that didn’t matter to me.  In the whole course of the exam I couldn’t find a single interesting question – not even history questions (they don’t even have history on the ACT).  Instead, there were insulting questions such as, “Two politicians shake hands.  Does this mean: A.) They are good friends.  B.) They are enemies. C.) They are just being polite….”  The President’s dog could probably figure that one out after awhile.

The test never gave me an opportunity to demonstrate the reading or nature journals or science experiments or unit studies or Latin that I had studied.  Instead for reading comprehension I was expected to explain whether or not the little boy in an underwear commercial was embarassed or if the lady looking at the rose in an apartment building felt happy.  Such emotionally-oriented testing did bring me to a modest appreciation of math, oddly enough.  It was an objective, honest subject after all!  I wish it had brought me a talent for math as well.

After reflecting on my test experiences, it occurred to me that the panic associated with standardized tests is very similar to the panic felt when walking into a doctor’s office or dentist’s office.  It is a fear of being evaluated and declared “unfit” by some stranger's standard of excellence.  In light of Eternity, it doesn’t really matter.  But being humans of finite rationality it is difficult to remember that sometimes.

I probably won't be online very often in the next few weeks, so I'll go ahead and mention that The Fair Hills Farm Weblog has opened.  Be sure to take a look at the Photo Album - Abigail's photography is great!

May YAHWEH Bless,

~Amanda~

Originally I intended to post this old interview on Veteran's Day.  However, since the article was misplaced until now, that has been delayed. 

I remember the day when the news reporter and photographer stopped by our house to do an article for The Huntsville Times about military families for the Veteran's Day issue.  They stayed and talked into the evening, so the photographer had to come out the next day to get a good family photo of us in the daylight.  This was the finished result...

___________________________________________

The Huntsville Times Saturday, November 11, 2000

Family forces

When there's a career Army person at home, everyone is on duty

By PAT NEWCOMB Times Staff Writer

Amanda Read counts on her fingers.  She was born in El Paso.  From there she moved to Monterey, Calif.  She moved next to Ithaca, N.Y.  Then it was Germany, with a two-month stay in Uzbekistan.  Then West Point and now Huntsville.  Amanda is 10.  A pretty girl with long brown hair and olive-shaped eyes, Amanda is what is often referred to as an "Army brat".  Her dad, Bryan Read, is a major in the U.S. Army.

But Amanda is no brat.  She's articulate and self-assured.  She helps her mom, Chris, take care of her four younger siblings.  She's smart, too.  "They know their geography," said Bryan Read of his children.  "Amanda can point out on a globe where we've lived."

For now, home is Huntsville.  The family of seven lives in a modest, red-sided rancher on Redstone Arsenal.  Chris Read has made it home, with family photos, baskets and a piano that has nicks in it from many moves.  Those scratches are memories, said Bryan Read.  "Each one represents a different move," he said.

He is one of more that 1,500 active-duty military members stationed at Redstone Arsenal.  More than 2,500 military dependents are also on the rolls.  A typical tour of duty at Redstone is three years, said Dan O'Boyle, a Redstone spokesman.

Bryan Read has been in the Army for 15 years.  He and Chris have been married 12 of those.  Before she and Bryan married, Chris had lived all her life in Tuscaloosa where her father, Roger Sayers, was president of the University of Alabama.  She was a nursing student at Alabama when she met Bryan, who was from Jacksonville.  He was in ROTC while in college and went into the Army after graduating.

Moving with children, especially five ranging in age from 10 to 1, is no picnic.  It takes a lot of organization, said Chris Read. "I try not to be too much of a pack rat," she said.  Because of their frequent moves, the Reads have eliminated one difficulty.  Their kids are home schooled so they don't have to move them in midyear.  The Reads also do it because they want to include religious study as part of their children's education.

A little room off the kitchen serves as a one-room schoolhouse for the Read children.  It's a tiny room, but their education has been broad because of their military life.  "There's been something about each place we've lived that I've enjoyed," said Chris Read, "that I've been glad the children have experienced." 

It's not that there haven't been sacrifices.  The family has never had a pet, unless you count a hermit crab.  They want a dog, but that's not a good idea because of the potential for moving overseas. They have had to leave friends.  And there's always the possibility the country may go to war, and Bryan Read will have to go fight.  "I think that's always something in the back of your mind," said Chris Read. 

But Bryan Read accepts that as part of his obligation.  "It's what the American people pay us to do.   They've invested a lot in us."

The Reads expect to be in Huntsville through the summer, maybe a little longer.  They don't know what's next.  He is a foreign language officer.  He speaks fluent Russian and that may determine his next assignment.

______________________________________________

Oh, to think what has happened in the seven years since!   Yet the LORD planned it all along.

MAY GOD BLESS,

~Amanda~

I planned to include some excerpts from my old October 2001 journal this fall.  That year was hectic because we had to do lots of traveling immediately after we moved to our new home due to Dad's military work.  To us children at the time it was a lot of fun.  I took some time to write a detailed description of our first few days at Ft. Monroe (I was 11 at the time).  I brought along my little blue calligraphy pen and jotted away...it was such fun!

Our Trip To Williamsburg

Day 1 - Today we went to Wellington, AL.  We visited our grandparents and great-grandparents.  Alabama lost to Tennessee in the football game.  Went for a walk.  Traveled some more.  At 2:30 in the morning we got to a motel.

Oh, that first entry....It reminds me that I'm glad Alabama had a big win against Tennessee this year!  ;-) 

Day 2 - Even though we only had 7 hours of sleep and a fair-sized breakfast, we were ready to leave again.  There were cirrus and contrail clouds in the sky.  It was a warm, beautiful day.  We stopped at Arby's.  Then we left again.  After a long while, we made it to Virginia.  Stratus cumulus, cirrus, and contrail clouds deck the blue skies which hang above the auburn, red, and gold tree tops.  Lovely iridescence also occurs.  As we neared the James River, the sky around the water shone down lovely colors of sunset. 

They checked Mom and Dad's ID cards (they didn't need to check mine).  When we got to the guest house, which was a duplex, there was a small front porch with a blue - painted wood floor.  It also had a glider and a coffee table.  Inside there was a small living room with a pull-out sofa and tv.  There were two windows (three counting the door).  Next was a long hall with a high ceiling and an attic.  The first turn to the right was a bed room.  It had a tv, dresser, and nightstand.  It had two windows, which, like the living room, had dark blue curtains.  The second turn to the right was a large bathroom (you can guess what color the shower curtains were).

There were two sinks and a large closet.  There was one, small, window which had a short skirt-like curtain which had an interesting dark, oriental floral print.  Straight forward was a kitchen.  It had a table, refrigerator, microwave, stove, sink, tv, and a pull-out sofa (also a washer and dryer).  There were two windows (three counting the back door) with blue & white-checked curtains.  The walls throughout the house were a light, creamy, beige color.  It was quite nice.  But I couldn't help but remember that we had left our large house at Marion, our pets, and many of our belongings - we would, in fact, be separated from them for two weeks.  We went out to eat at Applebees.  Rachel and I slept in the kitchen.

"Only had 7 hours of sleep" - that makes me laugh now.  I was also entirely too obsessed with adding commas.

The Seawall

Day 3 -  I woke up to Rachel shoving my arm saying: "Amanda! Amanda! Would you like a doughnut-hole?"  We ate doughnut-holes and talked for awhile.  Momma and Rachel went for a run by the moat.  Rachel told me about it, and I couldn't wait!  It was beautiful!  The afternoon sun shone on the water.  For awhile, Abigail lagged behind.  "Come, come, come!" I said to Mary, who I almost tripped over.  We went to the PX, noticing the newspaper that said, "CIA given order to kill bin Laden".  I believe, whether we've experienced it now or not yet, that America shall always know that while you are dealing with one thing, you are fighting another.  In the PX, we grabbed pamphlets about different areas of Virginia.  We bought "102 Dalmatians" to watch at home.  Mom promised to buy Abby and Mary candy if they were good.  They picked out M&Ms.  We all 4 got a Snickers bar.  We sat on a bench (after the "extra" M&Ms container was brought back) and ate our candy.

"Amanda, you can have this." said Abigail, handing me her empty candy container.  "Oh, thank you." I said, agreeing to use it for specimens, placed it in the grocery bag.  We went to a quiet playground for awhile.  Then we went to the Sea Wall.  The water was clear and beautiful.  The waves lapped the algae shore.  We examined the "NO SWIMMING, WADING, BOATING: ONLY SUNBATHING ALLOWED." sign. 

"Look at those steps - may we go there?" I asked, not realizing there were bars guarding the aged stairs. "No, you may not!" said Momma.  Joseph and Abigail pleaded to go there, but Momma said it was almost time to go home. I noticed that Joe and Abby ran to the steps.  I notified Momma and ran after them.  By the time Momma and I both got there, Joe and Abby had climbed through the bars and were walking down the stairs!  Just then a fire truck drove by - the fireman watched them climb out.

As we walked home, we first passed the East Gate.  Walking through the Old building was neat.  Even though the building at the North Gate was smaller than the building at the East Gate, it was still quite interesting.  As we came to the Moat Walk on the bridge, the water bottle in the grocery bag fell into the road.  I grabbed it before a car hit it.  Because I was holding the bag and there was enough trouble already, I was blamed for it.  About 2 seconds later, it fell out again!  This time I was determined to prove I was not the cause of the "mysterious falling bottle".  Sure enough, there was a hold in the bag. 

As I lowered the bag to rearrange every thing, the orange empty M&M can slipped out through one of the holes.  Before I could grab it, it bounced off the side-walk, through the fence, off the cement ledge, and splash! It landed in the Moat, which was more than 4 feet below the fence.  It was bound to happen sooner of later.

"People will think someone littered!" said Momma, watching it float away.  "It was an accident!" I said.  "I know." said Momma.  I was embarrassed to see the orange speck floating away in the beautiful water - but it was funny at the same time.  We went to the Millers' house after supper.

The Millers are military family friends of ours.  Oh, and that who/whom thing drives me crazy.  One little irritating thing about language....

The Casemate Museum

Day 3 - Today we couldn't wait for the next adventure.  When Momma announced we were going to the Casemate Museum, we were excited.  At the museum, we learned alot about the Civil War.  Then we came to the gift shop.  There was so much to look at and to buy.  I collect spoons from different places.  I saw spoons in the gift shop.  Momma asked me if I wanted one.  I looked at all the spoons.  One was a small silver spoon with a cannon on it.  One was a small silver spoon with an emblem on it that said "FORT MONROE".  One was a small gold spoon with an emblem on it that said "FORT MONROE".  One was a large gold spoon with an emblem that said "FORT MONROE".  I chose the small gold spoon.  We went to the Millers' house to play.

YORKTOWN

Today we went to Yorktown.  We went to the theater there.  We saw many different displays.  Then we went outside to observe the Revolutionary War tents.  It was so neat!  We learned that six soldiers would sleep in one tent, that the doctor had to cure more diseases than wounds, and that the general's tent was the largest and warmest.  The meals consisted of salt pork, beans, and rice.  After that, we went back inside for another look around.  We saw swords.

What I would have mentioned next was that the American swords were the heaviest, the British swords were the second heaviest and the French swords were the lightest.  We ended up touring Busch Gardens, Colonial Willamsburg, Jamestown, the Airforce Museum and the petting zoo.  It was great.

I found my old nature journals, by the way.  I hope to scan them in and share some of the old paintings and sketches.

MAY GOD BLESS,

~Amanda~

Recently Rachel and I listened to Diana Waring's tape True Tales: Romans, Reformers, Revolutionaries.  It brought back memories from seven years ago when we first listened to it...

October 4, 2000 was a Wednesday - Science and History day in A Place To Read School.  We were studying the Fifth Day of Creation (flying and water dwelling creatures) and Attila the Hun.  Odd unit study combination, to be sure.  But it combined in an extremely memorable medium. 

Being in the military, my dad usually thought it would be impractical for us to keep a pet, as the possibility of an overseas move always remained.  A few hermit crabs had been the most "real" pet we had kept so far.  Wild butterflies, salamanders, pondsnails and most whatever could be contained in a jar were oddly treasured by me.  In Uzbekistan I actually entertained the notion of hatching wasp eggs, which was not approved of by the maids who kept removing them from the sunny spot on the window sill I set them on ("...But I can train them to be good!").

In fact, most of my interest in science and nature study stemmed from my early childhood desire to have a pet.

Below is an essay I wrote when I was 13 years old at an Aquarium Fish website that recounts an amusing tale in our homeschool.

_____________________________

May 6, 2003 - www.aquariumfish.com

It was October 4, 2000 - an ordinary Wednesday for most people.  We were just finishing up our homeschool history lesson (which happened to be about Attila the Hun) when our mother said that she had a surprise for us.  A while later we went to the PX (as you can see, my siblings and I happen to be "Army brats").  As we walked by the flower shop, we all stopped to admire the Bettas.  We could never go by the flower shop without stopping to gaze at the vases that contained the beautiful fish that swam beneath the roots of Peace Lilies. 

I had always wanted one, but at first my father thought it would just add on to the list of dead pets.  To my surprise, however, Momma told us to pick one out right at that moment!  I had my eyes set on the more expensive red Betta, but because of its price I had to be content with a different one.  The fish we ended up purchasing was a male Half-moon Turquoise.  He was pretty enough, and we were all happy just to be allowed to own one!  When it came time to choose a name, Momma joked saying we could name him "Attila" because he was a "Fighting Fish".  But I actually thought it would be perfect so the name stuck.  We were very inexperienced fishkeepers, so poor Attila had to put up with a lot.  We sketched him, wrote about him, memorized his scientific name, and much more.  I preferred to call him a "Siamese Fighting Fish" because it sounded more exotic than "Betta". 

There was one thing that was rather unfortunate, however.  We quickly learned that Siamese Fighting Fish were not supposed to be fed once every month or once every week.  They were supposed to be fed every day. I had heard that the could live off of plant roots and infusorians only, but they will not thrive on that type of diet alone.  In our panic (or maybe just mine) we looked up several pet stores in the phone book.  I was just imagining how horrible it would be if we starved our fish to death.  We went to one that was supposed to have only supplies for cichlids - but at that time I didn't know what that meant.  We ended up buying the wrong kind of fish food.  Attila just didn't like it.  I became worried that the uneaten food would foul the water.  So, Momma and I changed the water.  But we put in the wrong amount of dechlorinator.  At midnight Momma noticed that Attila was not looking well.  She fixed the situation in time to save him.  From then on I was more cautious about carrying out his weekly water changes.  We finally found the food he was used to - "BettaMin".  He would have accepted the other food if we had let him get used to it, but I didn't know that until later. 

I fed him three times a day and changed his water once a week.  We would even give him tiny pieces of cheese or bread occasionally (which is okay if done in moderation).  I noticed, however, that his sides began to bulge more and he even seemed to have a little difficulty swimming.  It turned out that he was just overweight.  After that I only fed him twice a day and stopped giving cheese.  He really was a good fish and became part of the family.  He would swim up to the glass and twitch back and forth as thought anticipating the moment we would give in and feed him a treat.  We loved to wach him bluff at his reflection in a mirror.  He looked so fierce and beautiful.  But he was smarter than your average Betta in my opinion.  He soon learned not to bang himself into the glass and he loved to play with a shell that would float around in his vase.  He learned to put up with the high-traffic zone in our house (which then consisted of five children) and somehow tolerated the occasionaly appearance of little fingers in his vase. 

Whenever we had to go out of town he would stay at my friend's house.  She also had a Betta and we had to keep them at a distance to keep them from bluffing up at each other through the glass.  Bettas can jump as well, and I know people that have had odd experiences.  I even dropped him a few times when I was changing his water, but it seemed never to harm the hardy little fish.  Attila made large bubble nests quite often.  Out of curiosity, I calculated how many bubbles were in one of his nests.  There were approx. 402 bubbles!  Hw brought in a whole new world of fascination to me.  He lived for about two years and since then I have had seven fish and a small water garden.  I now have an aquarium and I still enjoy studying fish.  But my favorite breed of fish is still the Siamese Fighting Fish and I don't think any other fish would make a better first pet - or first true science project for that matter!

__________________________

Yes, Attila the fish was a big deal in my opinion.  "Half-moon Turquoise" is the proper fish fancier term for his black face/turquoise body coloration.  Since he differed somewhat from some of the frizzly European/American variations of Betta that I had researched, I entertained a romanticized imagination that he was directly imported from Thailand.

I still don't think this photo does him justice.

MAY GOD BLESS,

~Amanda~

Before Independence Day, we were set busily to work on the grounds of the property and household.  The drought that was endured earlier this summer prompted colonies of ants to invade our kitchen, sunroom and living room in search of food and water.  They are diligent, no doubt.  They never give up, no matter what squashing and spraying they have to endure.  Even though we have now received substantial amounts of rain, the ants don't mind hanging around to see what treats they can pick up for free from the kitchen counter.

On July 2nd Abigail and Mary helped me clean the Dominiques' coop.  While in the middle of that project we realized Joseph (who was mowing the lawn behind the kennel) had been ambushed by yellow jackets.  We ran to his rescue, diverting the hymenopteran militia.  Now at the driveway behind the garage, I told Joe to roll on the ground.  I quickly pulled off his shirt in order to prevent the embedded hornets from stinging further.  Just then one of the devilish beasts swiftly and accurately took aim and stabbed me soundly on the nose.  The venom was of an excruciating tension.  Joseph was stung seven times.  The doses of arnica and apis mellifica were helpful, but I still had to spend the 4th of July with an unbecomingly swollen nose.  Exactly two years ago to the date I was putting up with a swollen right foot from an encounter with a velvet ant (that is by far the most painful sting to my recollection - even worse than a jellyfish, which I've also felt).

My first experience with yellow jackets occured when I was about 4 years old in Ithaca, New York.  Two little neighborhood boys that I played with, Isaac and Errol, lived just across the street from us.  They were warned by their father not to play in the woods that surrounded our houses.  They called the area by their yard their "Woods".  I called the area in our backyard my "Forest" (around that time Dad would occasionally read aloud some Tolkien to me).  Since we all badly wanted to play in the forbidden zone, I came up with a compromising facade.  "You can't play in your Woods," I began, "but maybe you can play in my Forest...".

Our trek ended when we unwittingly disturbed an army of yellow jackets.  The battle concluded with a painful retreat on our part.

The next summer when my family stayed in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, we were introduced to another division of wasp superiority.  While dining outside, very large maroon colored wasps would sometimes land on our plates.  Being extremely American in nature, valuing our right to consume in peace and liberty, our first impulse was to slay the impudent insects.  But our Uzbek maids, Luba and Olga, strictly forbid us to bother them.  "Let them have what they want!" was the policy in negotiating with Central Asian wasps.  We were warned that their sting was extremely painful.  The wasps thus carried out their thievery - actually picking up chunks of meat and flying off with them.  I have one recollection of walking under the arbor eating my shashlik (meat and vegetables roasted on a skewer), and being confronted by one of the sting-bearing maffia.  It chased me until I finally threw down the skewer (which it dived after).  I wish I could find the sketches I made of them at the time.  I think they were scribbled on a piece of cardboard from a crayon box and are probably long gone.

Well, that's one post for summer.  I intend to make another one regarding the projects that have distracted me from the internet realm thus far.

GOD BLESS,

~Amanda~

Days are longer, and the weather is cooling and warming by turns.  Thus, I cannot rely on the weather.  The latest technological desktop computer in our household gave out under the affliction of 1,400 viruses.  Thus, I cannot rely on the latest technological desktop computer.  The dog, Rex, astonished me by sneaking over to the neighbors' land two nights in a row and devouring their garbage (well, he is the prime suspect).  Thus, I cannot rely on the dog, Rex, to control himself.  I now have to chain him up at night (until Dad's business deal goes through and we have the funds for an advisable luxury - a fence around the property). 

Of course, the government takes some time to get its act together and give a reasonable nod to business deals, and thus I dare not claim to rely on the government.  In the past week or so we had a cruelly injust frost.  Our family picnic had to be cancelled and our planting delayed.  The website software and its contents for FairHillsFarm.com had to be deleted.  I am thankful that Yahoo! SiteBuilder has an Import feature.  I was able to download the free software on to Dad's laptop and import all the files from our Yahoo! Small Business webhosting account.  I did some work on it last night.

Dad headed to the coast to go deep sea fishing with our uncle (his brother Jon) yesterday, and they will return Saturday.  Our aunt Crystal and the Cousins (Emma, Ashley and Jon-Jon) are visiting tomorrow.  They are homeschooling as well.  Grandmomma visited on Mom's birthday (April 10th) and brought some cake along.  That was a nice visit.

I started a HomesteadBlog, by the way.  That adds to my list of Sincerely Blogs (HomeschoolBlogger and Xanga - which I use to keep in touch with some friends that don't have HomeschoolBlogs).

I am slaving away (on my own perfectionistic initiative) on a painting for our farm logo.  It features a Dominique cock and hen with a countryside background.  I have been photographing the various stages of the artwork, which I will post when it is completed.

I am in the final stages of revising Entry the First (as I prefer to call it) of Diary Of A Country Girl.  I am trying to master the art of saying as much as necessary with as few words as possible, if there is indeed such an art.  I don't believe I'm a good essayist, as on occasion I have written a 40-word-long sentence before.  Mom says I'm more of a novelist sort of writer than a journalist.  But sreenwriting is definitely forcing me to be more versatile in my writing style.

I am struggling with figuring out precisely how to get stoichiometric scientific equations plugged into my calculator.  I always end up a bit off, and Dr. Jay L. Wile suggests reading the calculator manual.  Needless to say, I don't believe I ever even read the calculator manual for at least three years.  I think I will e-mail a highly knowledgeable friend on the subject.

I have begun reading Shakespeare's Hamlet.

How can I possibly be consistent with so many influential variables? 

But here I conclude...I cannot rely on myself or on the world.  I must rely on HE WHO has no variation or shifting shadow...CHRIST.

GOD BLESS,

~Amanda~ 

There are times when plans that have been long held as ideals become resolved.  Today was one such time; yesterday was its prequel.

The new chicken coop - or  barn, rather, as we enjoy calling it - arrived yesterday. 

Mom and I spent the rest of the day painting and staining it until it became a masterpiece.  Its color palette is a fine representative of our farm colors.

But the energetic, long-suffering 5 week old chicks ought to be the most grateful.  Until today, they spent the majority of their time in a stuffy brooder which was too short for them to flap around in.  One bale of straw covered the entire floor of this 8' x 8' building, thus resulting in a comfy, deep bedding.

Elizabeth Linda playing with the chicks, not surprisingly.  She stars in many photos.

In this video you might notice that my hand is dotted with dark wood stain - Rachel told me I looked like a giraffe after all the painting and staining was done.

We are scheduled to another Noccalula Falls Easter picnic - pardon me, I should have said FirstFruits picnic.  The term "Easter" has nothing to do with CHRIST.  Rather, it alludes to the name of the Babylonian goddess of fertility, "Ishtar".  The celebration of fertility (involving bunnies and egg hunts) is a tradition that the Israelites adopted while in Babylonian captivity.  The original celebration of JESUS's Resurrection ought to be given the Biblical title, "Feast of FirstFruits" {1 Corinthians 15:20}.

Culture has an odd way of impacting the Church, however.  Old habits die hard.

Portable poultry fencing from Premier 1.  Ah, well.  Until we get the ideal board fence.

GOD BLESS,

~Amanda~

My absence has since been occupied by work in the realm of physical laboring on the land, involving gardener's net, as opposed to the internet.

Mom and I constructed a fair enough fence around the garden in order to keep our produce pure from the presence of animals.  The posts are slender logs from felled trees, as are the beams used for the raised beds.  We used plain, plastic gardener's net as the fencing material.  It's nothing stunning, but at least it is decent and rustic.

As for the chicken coop, plans have been altered.  The logs will suffice for another building, when we have the time.  For now, the pressure and anticipation from the young chickens has finally influenced us to choose a more convenient outlet - a pre-fabbed, 8' x 8' miniature barn, which is to be delivered on Tuesday.

Yesterday's errands consisted of purchasing a feeder and waterer, as well as many tomato, pepper and marigold plants (and enriched soil).  The weather has been pleasant and windy - until last night, when we received a good rain.

We needed the rain, as it has washed away a good deal of the ubiquitous yellow pollen (though I had to clean out the hen's water bucket - the dingy yellow wouldn't do, in my opinion).  It also watered the pasture, which was recently seeded well with a new pasture mix of grasses and clover and so forth.

I have plenty of writing and web designing work to keep me busy for the time being.  I have some Shakespeare and Chemistry to attend to on top of that.

Farewell....

GOD BLESS,

~Amanda~

The chicks were let out for the first time at two weeks of age (we had to wait for the weather conditions to be right).  Below are photos and videos of their first two outings.  We have also begun construction on the new chicken coop.  It is going to have a quaint pioneer appearance, I suppose - as it will be built of logs from the trees felled on our own land.

 Flying contest!

Babies, babies.

What I look like on a daily basis (that's my outdoor apron, by the way).  Beth really does cling to me all the time.  She asks me to take her everywhere - and she is starting to get a bit too heavy, but I carry her around on my hip regardless.  My nickname to my siblings is "Mimi", dating back to when Mary as an infant couldn't pronounce my name.

 MAY GOD BLESS,

~Amanda~

Around 7:00 antemeridiem yesterday Dad received the familiar call from the Post Office - our chicks had arrived!

He dropped Rachel and I off briefly at the back door of the Post Office, where we had been instructed by the workers to "ring the buzzer" to pick up the livestock delivery.  After I was handed the small box, I opened one of the flaps to see 26 little black and silver chicks alive and well and chirping madly. 

Rachel helped me get them set up in the brooder.  Dad fetched Abigail and Mary  - who would've wanted to come along to the Post Office with us if they had awakened quickly enough.  I already had the brooder warm (I turned the heater on two days beforehand to get it ready).

I mixed a little packet of powder called "Grow Gel Plus B" and mixed it with 1/2 cup of water.  I read that the tiny amount of powder would transform into a nutritious green gel that could nourish 100 chicks.  I had a hard time believing that, but nevertheless, it proved to be accurate.  That was their little gatorade sort of boost after the trip.  The McMurray Hatchery shipping box said that the chicks hatched on February 18, 2007 at 3:11:35 A.M.  Quite precise, isn't it?

Chicks were amazingly designed to thrive for three days on the yoke which they suck in before they hatch out of the egg.  That's quite convenient for farmers that order chicks!

We are feeding them Organic Chick Starter, and adding a little QuikChik to their water.  I've been studying up on natural feeding methods for chicks, including giving them garlic, slippery elm, chickweed, oats, raw milk (if only we had goats or a cow - people used to feed chickens left over skim milk all the time) or perhaps even a little cod liver oil if any show signs of weakness.  So far, however, the chicks all look vibrant and healthy. 

(I eventually moved the feed trough to the side next to that cabinet you see in the photo - the chicks are more comfortable eating right under the lamps and heater)

They are all dark colored chicks, as they are Dominiques.  We're still a little uncertain about which one is the exotic chick.  There is one chick that has gold markings around its eyes that somewhat resemble Egyptian eye makeup, along with a lot of yellow on its belly (I'll have to take a picture of it).  Otherwise it looks like the others, so we'll have to work on that awhile...

I filmed the below video by placing the camera inside the brooder...a curious chick pecked at the lense...haha

 Who can resist cuddling a chick?  The rest of the Read children had a splendid time.

Our eight Red Star hens surprised us this morning by laying eight, large brown eggs and not eating them!  We were on the verge of thinking that they were good for nothing spent hens when they mysteriously went on strike this winter.  Perhaps they heard the chirping of their successors and became anxious...

 (Beautiful Dominiques - what our new chicks will look like when they are grown)

The weather is very pleasant at the moment - warm, sunny and breezy, drying the land after the thunderstorm we had last night.  David was not feeling well Saturday evening.  He had a fever, a rash and complained of a sore neck.  Since those can be symptoms of meningitis, Mom and Dad quickly took him to the hospital.  It was emotionally traumatic for everyone, but the doctor confirmed that he did not have meningitis, as his neck was not stiff or paralyzed in anyway. 

He apparently had only some odd virus, and Mom thinks that yeast might have been a contributing factor (he got thrush one time when he was an infant - it sometimes takes your body awhile to be cleansed of that).  Mom has been buying yogurt and other probiotics.  We have a yogurt maker too - we might try making our own again sometime.

~~~

Thus, all said and done, everything is well at the moment, thank the LORD.

MAY GOD BLESS,

~Amanda~

I had my 17th birthday yesterday.  I had a very enjoyable little party with my family.  Grandmomma and Granddaddy came for supper.  They gave me a pretty gold colored jacket and crocheted beret.  I also received a lovely scented candle from Mom.

     To our surprise, the new chick brooder arrived yesterday afternoon.  Abigail, Mary and I began assembling it.  It's very nice and big - and can hold up to 48 chicks for about 3-4 weeks.  As for the chicks themselves, we ordered 23 pullets (young hens) and 2 cockerels (young roosters) from McMurray Hatchery.  We are also receiving a free exotic chick...we have no idea what it will turn out to be!  It should be quite interesting.  They will arrive in the week of February 13th.

     Well, my birthday yesterday was quite eventful.  It featured the State of the Union Address, the Academy Awards nominations (if anyone happens to care...haha), and the birth of our friends, the Maltasses' newest baby boy, Israel Antonio Conrad (someone that actually has the same birthday as me!).

     I plan on making a post about the 200th birthday celebration of General Robert E. Lee that Dad, Rachel, Abigail and I attended as soon as I get some photos/videos downloaded.

     I have delayed making a new blog post recently because of some tragic news from Uganda we received.  The 16 year old missionary daughter, Talitha, died of malaria.  We were surprised to hear that, as we thought she was recovering.  I wasn't sure how to write that news on my blog right away.  Grace returned to the States with the family yesterday.  We need to keep them all in prayer during this very sorrowful and trying time.

     I pray that I will make excellent use of this 17th year THE LORD is giving me.

GOD BLESS,

~Amanda~

New Year's celebration was charming this year.  Dr. John Y. visited, as tradition holds (he has visited on New Year's Eve 6 years in a row!).  He is an old friend of ours that is amiably unique.  He has always kept us children amused with his humour, literary prowess, calligraphy, poetry, photography, art, cello, intellectualness and, of course, the surprising treats he always brings.  He even visited us overseas when we lived in Germany a decade ago.

The noticeable excitement amongst the Read children when he arrives may be likened somewhat to that of the young Hobbits when Gandalf arrived at the Shire with his fireworks display.  Yes, the fireworks!  Another thing Dr. Y. is known for.  This time Dad rode with him to the shop to select some.

After a game of Charades he made a sumptuous chocolate soufflé and delicious strawberries and cream.  The weather has not been too cold recently - in fact, it was quite warm a few days ago.  We had a nice fireworks display (though we did wonder why Rex was so intent upon sniffing the sparks).  Grandmomma and Granddaddy visited on New Year's day before John Y. left.

I believe I am spoiled, to a slight extent.  You see, I am used to being healthy all the time.  We easily take advantage of our health around here and get into the habit of staying up too late, especially at this time of year, and therefore not fitting in as many hours of sleep as we should sometimes.  On top of that we have had the strange weather, which has totaled to an uncomfortable cold we're all suffering from.  We are used to experiencing just a touch of an illness for about 24 hours.  But now I've been trying to shake off these cold symptoms for about 3 days!  That is bizarre to me. 

One of the most successful treatments we have used so far has been steaming the essential oils of Hyssop, Lavender, Eucalyptus and Lemon in a small pot on the kitchen stove.  It clears out congestion when inhaled, and is especially good for helping infants and small children breathe freely (Hyssop is antiviral, Lavender is calming and antiseptic, Eucalyptus is a well known decongestant, and Lemon is antibacterial).

I haven't written half of what I wanted to write, and I'm not sure I wanted to write half of what I have written, but it will have to suffice until another moment in this new year permits me to elaborate.

Farewell.

GOD BLESS,

~Amanda~

Christmas has come and gone once again.  Year twenty o'six is nearly over.

We had a splendid Christmas party with family at our Grandparents' house on the 23rd (little cousins are growing up fast!).  Grandmomma gave Rachel and I each a very pretty old-fashioned white nightgown with lace and burgundy velvet trimming.  They match exactly and are very lovely.  I'm sure the other little Read bloggers want to fill you in on their gifts...

We also had a game of "Dirty Santa", as tradition holds, and Rachel and I played this time.  We managed to find nice gifts; an ivory ceramic potting bowl with narcissus bulbs and an ivory shelf with two picture frames and a clock (which will complement our bedroom walls very nicely).

The feast (you might say that we had three days of feasting ) was delicious.  Dad, by the way, tried his hand at cooking some huge cuts of venison in the smoker on the 22nd.  It was roughly a 24 hour project total, but the meat was delicious and it was a learning experience. 

On Christmas Eve our Grandparents took Rachel and I on a shopping trip.  Rachel came up with the idea of five of us children combining our money (a total of $172.00) to buy presents for Mom and Dad.  I was skeptical about the idea at first, as I worried that we would not find any suitable presents.  We did manage to find a fancy blender and brown blouse and sweater for Mom and a printer/scanner/copier/fax machine for Dad.

That evening we wrapped the gifts at our Grandparents' house with Grandmomma and Aunt Laurel.  After a nice supper, Uncle Dan and Aunt Laurel drove us home (Cousin Samuel was having a great visit with the others at our house, and little cousin Goodwin was already in bed).  They stayed for our own little Christmas Eve Advent Service that we have every year.

After they left we completed our other Christmas Eve tradition - watching, "It's A Wonderful Life".  That is always nostalgic and enjoyable.

Christmas day dawned as a cloudy one, since we had a good deal of rain the night before.  We don't get a ton of gifts like we used to, which actually makes presents a more tolerable experience.  We don't have to deal with hectic amounts of wrapping paper everywhere.

Beth received a puzzle, chim-a-long and Buzz Lightyear toy; David received a light-up flying disk and Woody Toy (he got a Buzz from our grandparents too!); Mary received a toy horse barn with a collection of little horses; Abigail received a digital Kids' Camera; Joseph received a Playstation 2; Rachel received an assortment of ballet attire and a Roller Coaster Tycoon computer game; and I received nice Levenger Circa Agenda notebooks.  Each of us children also received $25 dollars from our Grandparents on the Sayers side of the family.

We had a game of Charades that evening (one of Rachel's stocking stuffers).  Very funny...

Today we visited our Great-Grandparents.  Great-Grandmother Mary loves to hold Ben.  The rest of us children sat down through the majority of the chilly evening watching the 1938 "Adventures Of Robin Hood" while Dad talked to Papa Joe (Great-Grandfather) about family history.  It was another nice visit.

Thus, all is well that ends well.  Tidings of Comfort and Joy!

GOD BLESS,

~Amanda~

I am generally not content with a blog post unless it describes every detail which I intend to convey to the utmost of credit.

So - we finally have an updated HomeschoolBlogger.  It seems to have learned a thing or two about detail from HomesteadBlogger.  I believe I am nearly recovered from the utter resounding difference of this set up.  I appreciate it regardless of any slight hinderment whatsoever.  But my precious Palotino Linotype font is gone!   What I have will have to suffice (and I am not ignorant to a few tricks in the book of webdesign as it is).

I will share a little "Gold, Frankincense and Myrhh" we have experienced recently...

As for glittering Gold, Rachel and I have been trying our minds at the Jamestown 400 National Treasure Hunt.  Joseph and Abigail have helped too.  We have found a lot of clues, but the challenge lies in connecting them all.  Once I get passed the hieroglyphic translation entirely, we should be on to something.

This evening we are attending a Christmas party (yes, the entire family!).  It is an event being held by the Sons of the Confederacy (being Southerners, we have Confederate ancestors, of course).  Civil War history is so fascinating.

As for lively Frankincense, Advent celebration has been as lovely as ever this year.  Our Christmas picture for this year was a reasonable success.  We attended our friend, Evan's performance in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever recently.  It was a cleverly amusing portrayal of fun and flaw that always shows up in a Christmas Pageant - no matter how hard everyone tries.  I've been in five little Christmas Pageants myself, mind you ("I'm always Mary" - that's a running feminine brag line, isn't it?).

As for bitter Myrhh, Mary's 8-month old cat, Pearl, died mysteriously today.  This morning I found her in the kennel when I was on my way to feed the chickens.  She seemed nearly paralyzed, her head and neck trembling.  Mitzi, her grandmother, curled up next to her as though she was trying to comfort her.  From the drooling and tremors the cause is assumed to have been poisoning.  Joseph, Abigail, Mary, David and I handled the burying.

Here is our chosen Christmas picture of the year:

"...GLORIOUS NOW BEHOLD HIM ARISE, KING AND GOD AND SACRIFICE..."

MERRY CHRISTMAS,

~Amanda~

I spent this day in planning my goals for the remainder of this year.  I have put the pressure on myself to work harder on my other school subjects by forming a new daily schedule (yes, one of those again).

I really have nothing to complain about or dilly-dally on.  I have a lot of work to do - most of which is probably different from the majority of highschool girls in the nation (homeschooled or otherwise) simply because my family has been put in a different situation.  GOD gives all of us plenty of time to fulfill HIS will for our lives.  We are merely required to be willing and diligent.  Oh, and have that other little factor: discipline.

Abigail, my 9 year-old sister, has better discipline at her age than I did, I believe.  She works consistently on her subjects just a little bit each day - often times voluntarily on the weekends.  Mary, age 7, is developing that nice habit too.

I have always been willing and eager in my attitude towards studying (though math has been my main flaw).  I was always considered smart enough to be above average, and I liked to study independently. 

But sometimes I struggled with a little piece of foolishness that would spoil my day.  

There were days when I lacked the discipline to carry some problems through.  I have memories of struggling over a single math problem for at least 20 minutes and then feeling horribly guilty when I got it wrong.  At the end of the lesson I would feel burned out but unaccomplished.

That was a ridiculous, perfectionistic hang up of mine, not to mention an abuse of time.  I had a hard time acknowledging to simply learn from my mistakes and resolve to move on towards the finish line.

I highly resolve to never be even remotely like that again.

MAY GOD BLESS,

~Amanda~ 

Post Scriptum - My goal is to have the screenplay ready for production by August 1, 2007 - LORD willing.  In between then I might still be able to fit in some Washington, D. C. research!

Once again we have experienced the breaking of the fellowship. 

The Thanksgiving Visit - The Grand Highlight of the year - has been ended.  All the times past of counting down days and preparing the house and the feast with the most satisfying of anticipations have begun to fade away as mere shadows in the light of Eternity.  The selfishness of me!  Of our family!  To want the beloved Clarks and John Y. to ourselves all the year long!  {Is my way with words unnervingly odd?  I do not mean it to be, really - I do not.}

On a more practical method of conveying the joyous simplicity of spending time with friends that are kindred spirits, feel free to watch this little video of Beth (age 2 - wearing the cream colored dress) and Jenny (age 1 1/2) playing with their dolls and bestowing affection upon the charmingly oblivious Ben (5 months).  They had a splendid time.

The visit began with a cookout with the Abbotts and the Maltasses - other great friends of ours.  The Abbotts brought Belle (the cat we gave them this summer) along to have a reunion with her feline family.  She appeared to realize that she doesn't have many kindred spirits among her own cat relatives.  She would much rather relax in a pleasant house than frolic in the yard fighting for food scraps and scrambling up trees.

Even the youngest children became interested while Dr. Y led a brilliantly thoughtful Bible study this morning.  We were only briefly interrupted (to our appropriate astonishment) by a Jehovah's Witness knocking on the front door.  

A season of memories, indeed.  I would write more, but I might get carried away in details....and I really need to go through some more photos and videos.  I also need to let my siblings and friends have something to write about.

Farewell...

PRAYERS FOR THE NATION AND THE WORLD,

~Amanda~

When I have been absent from writing in a journal, on a blog, or perhaps even in correspondence, I tend to want to say, "I haven't written in awhile".

However, if I decide to just use common sense and resist explaining a truth which holds itself to be self-evident, I have no need to say that.

It has been raining here for quite some time.  I actually enjoy that, since we didn't get much rain this entire summer.  Our garden needs it.  My siblings were slightly dismayed by it, however, as they have not been able to ride their bicycles today.  Abigail and David received new bikes yesterday, by the way.

Dad had to pick up some oyster shell calcium for the hens yesterday, as their otherwise unnoticed calcium deficiency was being expressed through egg eating.  They never did that before, and usually are excellent layers.

Last evening Beth found herself in an odd predicament.  She somehow managed to get her toddler-sized head stuck in between the railing of the rocking chair in the Master Bedroom.  She panicked (need I say more?).  Dad had to get out the screw driver and take the chair apart in order to liberate her.  Jillian happened to call in the middle of it (she witnesses a lot of our experiences on the other end of the line).

All Beth had to say on the matter was, "I got STUCK."

Mary was somewhat ill this morning, but I think that she is recovering.  We have lots of house cleaning to do, as we are having company next week.  Tomorrow we are going to a Civil War event at Janney Furnace.

I have to smooth out some more scenes.  I am feeling pressured by numerous things, and I regret that I cannot think of an optimistic title for this post.

But surely everything will be right with - well, perhaps not the world, but at least with those of us that are willing to go through a lot of predicaments for the sake of CHRIST's Glory...

PRAYERS FOR THE NATION AND THE WORLD,

~Amanda~