• July 16, 2008 - The Rest Of The Year The Money Is Yours

Cost of Government Day Arrives "This year July 16 is Cost of Government Day — Americans on average work until this day to pay the full costs of federal, state and local government spending and regulatory costs."

Your Thoughts (0) :: Post A Thought! :: Permanent Link

• July 16, 2008 - Video - I'm A Mom

I heard this on the radio today, and I thought this was funny. I hope I don't sound too much like this, but I fear sometimes I do.

Your Thoughts (0) :: Post A Thought! :: Permanent Link

• July 15, 2008 - Hot Weather

What We've Been Up To In The Hot Weather This is our second really busy week and this week is also equally hot as last week. Last week the older girls did Horse Camp. This week they are doing Art Camp in the morning. In the early evening we are doing swim lessons. Natalie and Rachel have a summer cold. I was feeling dizzy yesterday and emotional. I think I was short on sleep. Here are some pictures from this last weekend to share with you. We had a fun family weekend. Abigail really is a very happy baby, but she doesn't think much of me trying to take her picture instead of holding her.

Your Thoughts (0) :: Post A Thought! :: Permanent Link

• July 11, 2008 - Baby Milestones

Big Girl Abigail Abigail is 8 1/2 months old now. I can't believe it! It sure has gone fast. She past a couple of milestones today. One) is that she said, "hi dada," while waving to her Daddy. Two) a little later she went over to Daddy and pulled herself up on his legs as he sat at the couch. Such a big girl.

Your Thoughts (2) :: Post A Thought! :: Permanent Link

• July 11, 2008 - Been Busy

I've had a busy week I've had a busy week. You would definitely NOT want to see my house. The older two girls have had day horse camp during the day, then the older three girls have had swimming lessons in the evening (with me front packing the baby). Plus, there were a couple of appointments this week. I am looking forward to the weekend. I'm hoping the kids want to play outside - although it is suppose to be VERY HOT this weekend - by my Northwest standards, of course - meaning it is supposed to hit 90. Luckily, we have a couple of box air conditioners. Gardening Jon put up a grape trellis for me. It's not quite done actually - but he did the hard part and put up the posts. I'll get the wires this weekend, and then I will do some pruning. I weeded around my roses earlier this week and added compost and fertilizer at their base. I have four roses I've bought between last year and this year, then four I transplanted that were in a shady spot from when we originally moved here. I treated them for Blackspot several weeks ago and they are all starting to perk up and have leaves and buds. I can't wait for them to all open up and bloom at the same time. I hope that happens this year. That's about it for my garden escapades, except that I was out yesterday morning before it was hot turning the ground. We have soooo much room here in our "yard" to plant flowers and such. Unfortuneately, it's sooo much space I've had trouble getting to it. The previous owners did bark and fabric ground cover (which I can't stand and am still trying to get out of the ground) and probably caseron'd it, with a few bushes and a few flowers, but not the way I'd do it. I want to get it mostly planted in perennials and have it come up year after year. One of these days, hopefully next year, we'll be building a house and then our yard will be elsewhere, but I like gardening and I don't want to caseron it, so I'm trying to plant stuff anyhow. I've got to live in the here and now. It's been three and a half years of in two years hopefully we'll build, so that's what I've got to do.

Your Thoughts (0) :: Post A Thought! :: Permanent Link

• July 7, 2008 - Reality Monday

Let's Be Real I don't know about you, but I love having conversations with other moms where they tell me the reality of their days. I love knowing the nitty gritty - that their house is in disarray, that they didn't get through their curriculum this year, that they only spend two hours a day on actual schoolwork, that they were short tempered with their kids, etc. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm sure some people take me the wrong way. I can remember one particular instance, when I said to a mom, "really you only school two hours a day, now I don't feel so bad." I'm sure I looked happy. I have an inability to hide anything I am feeling. And I just hope she didn't take me wrong. It's not that I'm thinking, "All right, you do an awful job, I feel superior!" I'm just thinking, "Here is this mom that I really respect, with respectful, obviously smart kids who read really well, and she seems to have it all together, but in reality she is just spending two hours a day on actual schoolwork. Maybe I didn't totally drop the ball this last year." Well, here is a picture for all of you. I wish I would have thought of taking this picture before I did. My seven and nine year old were away at Day Camp today, and my four year old got some special attention. However, in the middle of that special attention, I did get on the internet and wasn't paying the greatest attention to the progress she was making on her art project. That is until she came to me with globs of paint all over her hands and said, "look at me Mommy". A picture of her hands would have been a priceless picture. The table I take a picture of here, was taken after I already started to clean it up. THIS is my reality of daily homeschooling:   I would encourage you, to share your reality of daily homeschooling. If other moms are like me, it will encourage them. If you read this and decide to share something today, drop me a link, so we can hear about your struggles and joys too. --Cathy

Your Thoughts (1) :: Post A Thought! :: Permanent Link

• July 5, 2008 - Happy Day After Fourth Of July

The Fourth Of July Happy Day After The Fourth Of July. We've been going like crazy lately - enjoying our summer. Here are some pictures from last night's Fourth Of July celebration. Our Fireworks Display On Our Farm The Bookworm (aka Natalie) reading in the dark. Here she is exposed by the flash. It's really hard to get these closer up night shots focused right because I can't see to focus until the second after I take the shot. Roasting Hot Dogs Rachel watching the fireworks from inside. The loud noises really bothered her. What We've Been Up To Here are some older pics below from the last week or so: My Husband's On The Tractor. My husband's friend Jon is on the hay trailer. Haying Pic #2. Black Walnut Log Being Milled Farm Fun Under The Trees Natalie's Silhouette

Your Thoughts (0) :: Post A Thought! :: Permanent Link

• July 3, 2008 - Strawberries, Strawberries

Strawberries, Strawberries From Our Garden Yes! We got a bumper crop of strawberries this year, with more to come. The work of the last couple of years is starting to pay off.

Your Thoughts (2) :: Post A Thought! :: Permanent Link

• July 3, 2008 - Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday - Thankful For My Husband's Safety Well, we have been up to a lot actually. But, I want to start today with a cool testimony about God's providence. My husband has been doing a lot of haying - to put up hay for the cattle for the Fall, Winter, Spring. His brakes were partially failing after the second day of haying. So, he had a friend mechanic replace his front brakes. He never had him look at his back brakes. Well, Jon, my husband, (along with his crew of 3 others) got 35 ton of grass/clover hay up in the barn during those two days. But, Jon wanted 5-10 ton of plain grass hay up in the barn as well. So, this was the third hay day (well fourth if you count the day Jon unloaded 5 ton of hay by hand). He was getting up at four in the morning (which is real early for us, we usually get up at eight or even nine). He woke up at 2:30 in the morning and prayed as he figured God was waking him up to pray. He kept feeling God tell him to pray for the safety of his haying team. This morning as Jon went to pick up the haying team, his back brakes completely failed and lost all hydraulic pressure. Once he looked at the brakes - there was nothing left of them - no brake pad, the hydraulic thingy totally burst, and the rotor thingy was totally worn away. If that had happened when he had a trailer full of hay, it could have been bad. Here are some pics. The first three are the bad brakes, the fourth is the new brake being installed.

Your Thoughts (0) :: Post A Thought! :: Permanent Link

• June 25, 2008 - Small Egg Big Egg

What I've Been Up To Lately and The Small Egg I haven't added many interesting entries to my blog lately. I have been suffering from a lack of creativity and spontaneity lately I think. Also, I have been working. Our babysitter got done with school for the year and then she was leaving  for well over a  month - so I worked three days in a row. I like the forward momentum that our business is taking. And, I really like to see how my husband is leading our team and how our team is really blossoming together. But, my heart is really home with the girls. It's funny people are always commenting when I mention I have three or four girls (depending on how I'm counting that day - if Mariah is with us or not). They say, "whoa, you have your hands full." I suppose I do the same to the mom at homeschooling co-op that has five or six kids, or more. But, more and more, I just think, "yes, isn't it wonderful". There are days...I had an evening the other night. I have a four year old, almost five year old, that is still struggling with potty issues and is just learning things at a slower pace than what I would expect, and sometimes when these issues hit, on top of some chaos of the evening, then I feel like the world's worst Mom. Well, not really, not the worst Mom...but certainly not like a Proverbs 31 woman, if you know what I mean. I feel mad and frustrated and short-tempered. Those days are short lived, lately, however. And, for all the slowly my heart has turned towards my children, my home, and my husband - I love it - it is the most fulfilling thing. It's not the only thing. There are other things I need, but I love this life I lead. Small Egg Big Egg So tonight when I was gone to my sewing class, my Natalie brought in the eggs. She found three big eggs and one small egg. This egg has the look of a Pullet egg (an egg from a young Hen). And, we do have Pullets. But they are inside in their crate still - not out in the Chicken Coop. This egg must simply be an anomaly? Here is the egg:

Your Thoughts (2) :: Post A Thought! :: Permanent Link

• June 17, 2008 - Baby Milestones

Two Baby Milestones Baby Wiggle Monster progressed past two baby milestones in the last 24 hours. Yesterday, she went from laying on her tummy to sitting up - on her own. This morning, she crawled forward a couple of inches. Milestones are funny things, because really development is so incremental. Take crawling: First she pushes up on her hands on her tummy. Then she holds herself up higher. Then she rocks on her tummy. Then she gets on her hands and knees. Then she scoots backwards on her hands and knees. Finally she goes forward.     And of course she still has to figure out how to cover much distance. Nevertheless, the time is coming soon, when she will crawl all over the place and get into everything. So amazing.

Your Thoughts (0) :: Post A Thought! :: Permanent Link

• June 16, 2008 - Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day We had a great Father's Day weekend. We started Father's Day on Saturday with a hike to Silverstar Mountain. Well, we didn't really go all the way to the top, there were big snow drifts in the way. On Sunday we did church, Chinese for lunch, a trip to the park, and we came home and did cards and gifts in the afternoon. Here is a picture from the evening that I thought was especially touching.

Your Thoughts (1) :: Post A Thought! :: Permanent Link

• June 14, 2008 - Today is beautiful

Today the weather is beautiful and the three oldest girls are playing around outside. My stepdaughter, Bike Rider, 9, learned to ride her two wheel bike last weekend, and now suddenly she is very good at it. I am hoping she inspires her younger sister, Art Girl, 7. Such a milestone. The weather, as in most of the country, has been pretty dismal. Rain, rain, rain, and cold. But, finally it looks like summer is coming. I am excited. Gardens and swimming and camps and outings and hiking. The girls are excited as well.

Your Thoughts (0) :: Post A Thought! :: Permanent Link

• June 13, 2008 - Here Is The Baby Dress I Made

New Dress I finished a dress for my baby. It called for a zipper, which I'm sure I didn't do quite right. And, it called for bias tape, which I didn't like the look of - so I used the fabric for this instead. Alright for a beginner though. Here is the dress on the baby. Isn't she cute? I made her a hat too, but I tried to do it without a pattern and didn't put enough ease into it (so the hat is tight). Here is the dress from the back. The baby actually turned around while I was taking her picture, and I thought, "how perfect."

Your Thoughts (2) :: Post A Thought! :: Permanent Link

• June 12, 2008 - Jam & Rice

Tuesday and Wednesday Tuesday we picked up our first Azure order. I got some grain, some raw honey, and some miscellaneous things. Azure is a company that sells organic and health conscious food. If you order over $40 and you have the stuff delivered to a drop point (you have to be on one of their shipping routes) whose total order is over $400, then the shipping is free. Most prices are much better than Wild Oats or Fred Meyer. Anyhow, I've been a little intimidated about placing an order and I was glad that I'd done it. Now, I just have to start making the bread! In the latter half of Tuesday is Art Girl's violin lesson. So, later that day we went into town to her lesson and then went shopping. We went to the Learning Palace and got some wall posters, stickers, and a number line. We also went to a neat gardening store, that carries gardening supplies I like. I got some stakes for my tomatoes, some gloves, two hand shovels, and a warming tray to help my seedlings grow. I've looked everywhere for some cantaloupe and watermelon starts this year and haven't found any, so I decided I'd try to start my own again. I was unsuccessful in the past, but I didn't have a warming tray. Last year we found starts and with the help of some rocks and a little plastic row cover material (to make the plants warmer), we actually managed to finish a couple watermelon and cantaloupes. Wish me luck (blessings) this year! Wednesday, I got a babysitter and went to work with my husband the last half of the day. I got a lot done, updating a lot of dead links on our business website, tweaking the order of products and the product thumbnails, and just generally working on web content. I used to do a lot more of this kind of work. We used to take the kids with us to work, but now with three sometimes four kids, it's too crazy with them there to get anything done. Just before Wiggle Monster was born we hired someone that (among other things) could update web content and do basic Photoshop work. That has worked out well and I've been able to concentrate on being a homeschooling Mommy. There are always those things, however, you can't usually hire someone to do as a business owner. And, since my husband is more of a business management and accounting type, sometimes it's necessary to put in a few hours. I'm thankful for a good babysitter I can trust. Today So we were busy the last two days and I didn't get a chance to post. But I have two pictures from today. Here they are: "Mom, can you open the jam?" Hungry, my middle daughter, age 4, is very tactile. So, I got a restaurant table bussing tub from the local Cash 'N Carry and some rice. And, here she is above playing away.

Your Thoughts (1) :: Post A Thought! :: Permanent Link