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I am still here. Swimming, but here. :)
We have had so much rain that it isn't even funny. We had a flash flood warning the other night and our road was closed for a while. That was exciting. We went to town yesterday and saw all the damage. Amazing! I have to honest, I have often ignored flash flood warnings, but no more! This was truly impressive.
My poor chickens are developing webbed feet and I could have sworn I heard a quack this morning. It is hard to keep their pen dry when NOTHING is dry.
My yard is needing to be mowed but we can't because the lawn mower will sink.
My garden needs to be weeded but I can't because *I* sink!
I am ready for some sunshine.
On the job front, my hubby was hired at a fast food place and was supposed to start yesterday. However, we are passing a stomach thing around and he was vomiting yesterday, so he didn't go. Now he starts Monday. Which actually works better for him because he has 2 more job interviews between now and then. We are hoping he gets one of those other jobs. He really doesn't want to flip burgers.
Our homeschool year is winding down. I am not sure how many more days we have, but I don't think it is long. I will have to check my records. We *were* looking at finally buying Switched On Schoolhouse for the boys for next year, until that other job turned out to be a scam. :( We still desperately want it, but it just so expensive! They have been doing the demo disk and LOVE LOVE LOVE it. They have watched our neighbor do his and are beyond excited about the possibility of getting our own. We haven't told them that the odds are a little slimmer now that Dad doesn't have a job again.
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We wound up not being able to butcher chickens on Saturday due to rain. I'm starting to worry that we may need to look into building an ark and changing our names to Noah and family. My poor chickens are learning to swim out there, I'm afraid.
Anyway, because today is the only day in the foreseable future with no call for rain, this is the day! We pulled the Cornish Crosses off to themselves and are witholding food. My hubby has a job interview at 11 and about 9 more applications to return and when he gets home we will do the deed. Whoohoo! Fresh chicken on the menu!! |
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I am totally bummed to be writing this. My hubby's new job turned out to be a total scam. They said it was presenting fire safety to companies and offering their products to help stay within OSHA codes. It was supposedly a salaried position with benefits. NOT SO! When it came time for the last day of training they piled it on thick. They were supposed to go door to door to residences, supposed to go to a church until they'd sold to everyone there then switch churches (SO not what church is about in this family!!!), and it was 100% commission based with NO benefits!
I am looking into filing a report with the Better Business Bureau. We spent a week driving to Nashville every single day and the whole time he was being lied to. Very frustrating.
Now he has to find a job TODAY. Our house payment is due, the phone and electric bills are due, etc etc etc.
Sadly, he woke up ill this morning. His stomach is just rolling. He is still going to go look for a job, but he is pale and obviously not feeling well. :(
Please say a prayer for us. |
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This week has just been nuts. I haven't been home long enough to get anything accomplished. It is very frustrating. My hubby has had to go to Nashville every day this week for his new job training. He asked me to ride along for the past 2 days, since training was only an hour long. Of course I agreed. I love spending time with my man. ;)
So, here is the rundown of our week thus far, along with the plans for today...
Mon--C's allergy shots in the AM, then lunch and grocery shopping with ILs, then to a friend's for dinner.
Tues--Nashville with hubby, then family movie night.
Wed--Nashville with hubby, then to ILs.
Today--C's allergy shots this AM, then to a nearby town with ILs to deal with their renters. (Who haven't paid rent in 2-3 months and are going to be given an eviction notice today.)
We are all just worn out. My laundry is piling high. I've managed to stay on top of the dishes for the most part, but they are starting to pile a little as well. I hate this. Even the crew is begging us to stay home. Soon, soon. |
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I love getting up early in the country! The dogs were going nuts this morning so I peeked out the window, expecting there to be a dog walking through the yard or something.
This is some dog! ;) Actually, there were 2 of these, but one ran off. This one actually came closer when I stepped outside and took his pic! We both just stood there staring at each other a while and he eventually just sauntered off. Wild!
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This kills me. It is the second story like that in a week. Unreal. This one hits close to home. Well, not really *my* home, but my parents and sister live in Alaska. My mother has often sent my kids little gadgets from this town. Sad. Very sad. |
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My hubby started a new job yesterday. If it works out as well as we hope, we will be buying Switched on Schoolhouse for next year! WHOOHOOO! We have been wanting it for a couple of years now, but just haven't been able to afford it.
Last year I ordered the demo disk, but then we wound up not being able to purchase it after all, so I just tucked it away. This year we moved and one of our neighbors homeschools using it. That got us all fired up about it again. We watched him do a lesson or two and the crew was so jealous.
But now that DH has this new job, it looks like a real possibility. So I dug out the demo disk from last year and installed it. Oh my goodness! My children fight over the computer now! There are only a few lessons for each subject, but they don't care. They do the lessons then play the games over and over. They are just eating it up.
This morning I downloaded the placement test so we'll know what levels to order. Sadly, that isn't as fun as the actual curric. Oh well. The sooner we get through it, the sooner we can order.
I can seriously see us starting our next school year as soon as the order arrives. I can also seriously see at least S finishing the whole school year by Christmas. Wouldn't it be a hoot if he had to get the next grade for Christmas?? :) |
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My garden is finally planted. I started seeds some time ago, and I'm afraid most of them have died. I planted them anyway, just in case. But I also planted seeds directly. I hope we at least get *something* this year. I've never had a garden in my life, so I'm not going to keep high expectations.
Pooh is settling in very well. She and Olivia are thick as thieves. She is going to need some training, though. She is enchanted by my chickens. She tries to paw at them through the fencing. The fencing isn't very strong so I know she could go through it with little effort. She doesn't want to eat them, I don't think. It is just a matter of wanting to play with them. After I call her down a few times she is content to lay next to the pen and watch them. I'm terrified she is going to go through the fence as she gets bigger, though.
She also saw me digging in the garden yesterday and decided to help. sigh.
Last night my hubby brought Olivia back inside. We had put her out because of the boys' allergies. She barks all night long, however, so he decided that it would be best to bring her back in, so as not to disturb the neighbors. Besides, we all missed her terribly! It was such a comfort to wake up this morning and feel her against my legs. :)
Yesterday as my hubby did the last bit of tilling in the garden, he killed our first snake of the year. Now I freak out everytime I go down there. *shudder* He looked it up online and it is not poisonous, thank goodness. But still, just the thought of a snake makes my skin crawl. |
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I'm sorry I haven't been updating here like I should. I seem to be blogging more on my other blog. I am trying to cut down computer time and focus more on home and family.
We had company this weekend. It was so nice and refreshing to spend time with fellow Christians. We sang and sang and sang. My throat was sore, even! It was a blast. Our children had never met and they hit it off wonderfully. Peas in a pod! The kids are all plotting when we should get together again. They live about 3 hours away from us. sigh.
They brought us a new baby. She is 3 months old and is 1/2 American Bulldog and 1/2 Siberian Husky. She is beautiful. :)
My hubby got a new job. Praise God!! He will start this Thursday. Yay, income! Whoohooo! ;)
I finished knitting my socks. I am so excited! I made them for use with my work boots because they rub my heels. I was hoping that thicker socks would help. They do! It is wonderful. At the moment, those boots are my chicken coop boots. So I put those socks on twice a day when I go feed and water my chicks. Love it! Now I have a few other projects in the works.
My sister is expecting a new blessing this autumn. (Yay!!) I want to make something for him/her. So here is my question, what is a good yarn to use for baby items? Does it matter?
I'm also going to start making dishcloths. What kind of yarn does one need for that?
My time is spent. I need to get breakfast eaten. School starts in 30 minutes. I hope everyone had a blessed Easter . |
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This has been a wild week around here! I don't even remember everything that has gone on. I just know we haven't been home one single day this week.
We went to Fort Donelson on Wednesday. That was so interesting! The crew had a ball. There is an eagle nesting ground and we got to see one up close and personal as it swooped in for dinner. We were standing at the riverbank looking at cannons. It was incredible. That shining white head was unmistakable. After we finished the tour we returned back to the river front to picnic and the eagle was hunting again. What a beautiful site to enjoy over dinner!
The next day was allergy testing for the crew. It was horrible. I was in tears most of the day. The crew is allergic to....well....everything. We have to put our beloved pets outside. (which had C hysterical in the doc's office) To make matters even worse, C has to start allergy shots in 2 weeks! sigh.
Now we are being faced with more severe weather. We had unbelievable hail earlier today. My mom keeps reminding me that there are no thunderstorms or tornadoes in Alaska. I'm starting to think I'm ready to move up there. UGH.
I think we will cave in and have "Spring Break" next week. We have company coming the latter part of the week and we want to be able to enjoy them without "doing school". So, we will just take off the whole week. The crew deserves it, after this wild week! |
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We have our first chicklet trauma. One of our Cornish Crosses seems to have a broken leg.
He was fine when I was out there this afternoon, but when I went back to feed them dinner he was hobbling. He seemed to be getting around alright, just limping about.
We plan on processing in about 2 weeks or so anyway. So here are my questions...
1) Any chance he will be ok to wait the 2 weeks to process? 2) If something happens and he dies before we process, is he ok to go ahead and eat? 3) Should we go ahead and process him now?
I wanted to allow them time to get a bit bigger, they are now 5 1/2 weeks. |
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It's all about attitude. I have seen it this morning for sure. I was up early, feeling good, basking in the springtime. Then, sure enough, Satan hit me with nonsense.
I have been sitting here thinking over all the wonderful things that have happened this morning, when Satan started pointing out all BAD that has happened this morning.
I emailed my friends with a wonderful praise report of my day......but made a mistake in it and had to email them again with a correction.
I made a big breakfast for my crew......but forgot to turn off the burner on the stove. *duh*
I made that big breakfast and a pot of coffee.......but my hubby left to go see a friend from church and didn't eat with us.
And on and on.
So, I'm turning the tables.
I emailed my friends with a wonderful praise report of my day.....and they will laugh with me over my stupid mistake.
I made a big breakfast for my crew......and I realized the stove was on before anything caught fire.
I made that big breakfast and a pot of coffee.....but my husband follows God's leadings and when he was led to go visit a lonely old man this morning, he dropped everything and did it. I am sure they will both get a blessing from it.
I could let Satan steal my joy this morning, but I am chosing to be happy and keep my focus on my blessings. |
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Yep, that's me! I'm one happy chicklet momma.
I was a nervous wreck about my babies last night. It was all I could do to keep from checking on them at 2 AM. But I didn't. I was a good girl.
At 6 AM I was up and at 'em. I went to let them out, feed them, and do a headcount. They were all present and accounted for. No one was any the worse for wear. In fact, they were quite happy to see me. (Or was that the food??)
It was so precious; because it was still a bit chilly at that time of morning, they'd eat a bit, then run back under the lamp, then back out the feeder, back in to the lamp, out, in, etc. Too cute, let me tell ya!
They just seem as happy as can be out there. In fact, my whole family is being sucked in. We even moved our lawn chairs out by their pen so we can just sit and watch them. We call it "Chick TV". ;) |
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It looks like my chicklets will be moving out today! I'm excited, happy, and scared, all at the same time. The coop itself isn't actually finished. But we have some empty metal drums that we plan on using as burning barrels and DH is out there getting one cleaned out and prepped to be a temporary coop! He got the pen finished yesterday. We need to borrow IL's truck so we can get more wood for the coop, but they are busy all day today. So, this is going to be our "in a pinch" temporary coop. Why are we suddenly in such a hurry? Because I was greeted with this when I went to feed and water them this morning...
They live in that tub. The tall hamper was pushed up to the side when they got big enough to get out. Now it looks like they can get out of that too! Gulp.
They have been outside playing in the pen all day today. They are LOVING it. :)
My babies are growing up. *sniff* |
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My hubby has gone out of town. He left on Tuesday afternoon and will return tomorrow afternoon. I am pleased that he has the opportunity to spend these few days with fellow men of God, but I sure do miss him. Aside from the fact that I am quite fond of him and miss spending time with him, I also am quite tired of doing all the things he does around here.
I covered the whole lumberjack thing earlier. My sweet hubby was sure to give me a huge stack of wood because, as luck would have it, winter has decided to visit again. We had been having beautiful spring weather and hadn't had a fire in days. But noooooo, as soon as the fire builder decides to go out of town, the temps dropped off and we have had a chance of snow all week!
I also don't enjoy sleeping in my big old bed all by myself. I miss those big strong arms around me. And when the screech owl decided to make itself known around midnight last night, I sure missed having my hubby here. It was loud and I wasn't sure what it was. (Yes, yes, I know. Homesteading mommas shouldn't freak out about these things. I'm learning.)
My children are having issues as well. My 10 year old is getting some weird attitude thing going on. Not sure if it is because Dad is gone and he is the main disciplinarian, or if it is because Dad is gone and S feels like he has to step into the "man of the house" shoes.
Meal time is crazy without my hubby here. I don't know, it just seems silly to fix a big fancy meal for just the three of us. The first night I made spaghetti and we ate in front of the TV, watching a movie. (Which we do every Tuesday night, anyway) Last night we grabbed fast food on the way home from church.
School is off track. We have been spending the day time with Grandma, since Grandad went with Dad and she is all alone. That is fine, but our schedule is out of whack now. In fact, they wanted to spend the night with Grandma tonight (since Grandma got a new cat today!), so I made them take their math sheets to finish up over there.
So, Hubby comes home tomorrow. And I will be so glad to see him. Things just aren't right when he is gone. |
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Here are some pics of my chicks. They are 3 and a half weeks now.
This is a Red Sex Link. All of the pics are in this order: 4 days old, 1 week 4 days old 2 weeks 3 days old, 3 weeks 4 days old
This is a Barred Plymouth Rock.
Here is the Amerucuana. See her green legs in the last pic? She will also lay blue/green eggs. Too cool!
Here is the last batch. This is a Cornish Cross. These are the ones my aunt calls Godzilla Chickens. These are the meat breed.
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We are still plugging along. I'm sorry I haven't updated here in a while. I'm keeping busy over at TheHomeCast and keeping my other blog updated with my chicklet diary.
On the homeschool front, we discovered that we are going to have restart cursive with C. I don't know if it is related to his possible dyslexia or not, but we just realized that he can't read cursive at all. He has no idea what he is writing, he merely copies what he sees. (It appears he is a great artist, in my opinion, he does a great job of copying it...) So, today I will sit with him and again go over the basics of cursive and relate each letter to its cursive form.
We were highly blessed this weekend. We were supposed to get all of that severe weather that rocked the midwest, but we got nothing. Only a few showers here and there. The temps were ridiculously high. It actually hit 90 on my front porch yesterday. This is very very odd. Especially as we didn't get any storms! God is so good to me.
I am in a funk today. I just learned that a dear old man of God was called home last night. Kieth Frieze was a wonderful preacher and great friend. Please remember his family in prayer. |
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Thank you to everyone who responded about dyslexia. I got some very helpful links and information and will keep you updated. We haven't done a lot with it just yet, still in the researching, trying to figure out how to go about this, kind of stage. And no, to whomever asked...he is not left-handed. Why do you ask?
Now for our exciting news!
We have 10 baby chicklets! We are so very excited. C doesn't like "outside" things so much. He would much rather stay inside and play video games. So when he became infected with "Chicken Fever" and said he wanted to raise them for his 4-H project, we jumped on it! (Keep in mind that he hasn't even joined 4-H yet....LOL) We got them Saturday evening, so they are still very new to us. We are having a ball. We can just sit and stare at them for ages at a time. The crew says they are watching "Chick TV" Gotta love it! |
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About a year ago I was doing some research and found some surprising information on dyslexia. I had always assumed dyslexia was only where letters were written backwards, trouble reading because of it, etc. Well, as it turns out, I was wrong. There are MANY other symptoms. And what totally shocked me was that my younger son C, seemed to have several of them. I mentioned this to my hubby, who didn't seem concerned in the least. So I just dropped it. (Leaving my handy little dyslexia folder in my favorites, just in case)
Sure enough, now that my hubby is so much more hands-on involved in our day-to-day homeschool, he is noticing little things with C. C still writes several letters and numbers backwards. Yesterday, DH caught him writing "s" for 2, and "d" for 6. C is in 3rd grade, this shouldn't be an issue anymore. So, DH came and asked about dyslexia.
I clicked open my handy-dandy favorites and opened some info for him. We found a site that has an online dyslexia assessment, but also a site that says there is no one test for dyslexia. So, now what? We both did the online assessment (to get two perspectives) and both times he tested in the "Moderate" range on every aspect but one. And it was "Severe"!
So, here is my question. Do you have a dyslexic child? How do you know? What do you do to help? We don't know where to go from here. |
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