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...see!!!
No, not a flower. I got a new camera! We finally replaced the one that died while we were in Washington, D.C. a few years back. It's been a long wait, and I'm having so much fun with the new one. We went to a Civil War re-enactment this weekend... ...which apparently I can't show you because it won't load. (Must be too much data? sigh) But from high on the hill, I got great, up-close shots. I can't wait to use it on our trip to see Scout at the end of the week. Yep, heard from Scout last night. He's tired, but seems to be doing fine. Once they settle in, I'm confident he will have a blast. |
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Today's the day. Scout is headed out on his Service Troop adventure. And it's already been an adventure! Last night Scout got everything packed in his backpack and all last minute items laid out. He was checking and double-checking. He didn't want anything to go wrong in the morning. DH's alarm was to go off at 4am and they were to meet the rest of the troop at 5:45am to load the bus. At 5:30am DH woke up. Yep--late. We aren't sure if DH didn't turn on the alarm--he's sure he did--or if he turned it off and went back to sleep. I didn't hear it, but that's not unusual. I rarely hear DH's alarm in the morning. They got out the door pretty quickly, but Scout is--understandibly--rattled. He forgot his glasses case and toiletries on his desk. I realized after they'd been gone about 15 minutes, so DH has decided to stop and buy new. The troop called and they have determined a rondezvous spot. I'm praying for safe travel and peace for DH and Scout. What a way to start! The upside--it's a beautiful-looking morning. |
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Scout has joined a Service Troop. This troop comes together every year in the late winter to prep for serving at one of the coolest historical sites in the state. They go for an entire week and serve as guides, work detail (whatever is requested by the fort) and run the flag raising and lowering each day. They sleep on site in barracks. Scout is studying his history and learning how to handle the French flag (his assignment). What is so cool to me and DH about this is that Scout is doing this on his own. No one else in his Troop is going. Scout knew no one when they went to the first meeting. DH is not going on this trip. Scout is paying for half of the expenses. He really wants to do this. The practices are an hour and 15 minutes away on a Wednesday evening. Scout had to give up going to Youth Group every other week to do this. (That was almost a deal breaker for him; Scout loves his Youth Group.) But with the promise of a view like this:
Scout can't wait to go. DH, PinkOne and I are taking the opportunity to go see Scout "do his thing" and explore. (Scout will arrive on Sunday and leave on a Saturday.) We will go up and check out the sights on Friday and follow the bus back down on Saturday. Scout has already requested the camera go with him. He should have some awesome shots when he gets home. Hopefully he will let me post one then. |
Tonight I got to go on a date with my favorite guy in uniform. Scout uniform, that is. Hubby was recognized at the local council dinner tonight as a volunteer of the year. DH loves working with the scouts, but it was really nice to see all his hard work recognized. He got a certificate and a cool patch to wear on his uniform. The best part for me--this patch just hangs from the pocket button. No sewing!!  |
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Unbelievably Gorgeous Today! I have to keep reminding myself that it is only April 18th. It WILL get cold again before Spring really settles in around here. So while I held myself back from going too crazy in the garden, PinkOne and I did accomplish quite a lot today. We cleaned out the veggie garden, turned over and amended the soil, planted peas and built a trellis for the peas to climb up. The trellis was pretty easy to make--I'm hoping it is sturdy enough. We lashed together bamboo and made a rope "mesh". The rope is bright pink, of course. (There were no dissenting voices while shopping today; Scout and DH are on a backpacking weekend. This is the first year I'll be trying the "multiple plantings in the same place" idea. (I'm sure there is a fancy word for that, but I can't think of what it is.) Probably because it's the first year I've had my act together in April? Yeah, that's probably why. After next weekend we will be planting lettuce and Swiss Chard. I know I'm a bit behind on starting seedlings in the house (baby steps on having my act together), but I'm planting some tomatoes and beans tomorrow anyway. I usually plant my beans directly in the garden but the bunnies--wild ones, not our buddies--didn't give the poor things any chance to grow last year. I'm hoping by using transplants the bunnies won't be so anxious to nibble. Plus I dug out a roll of chicken wire to put around the edges of my garden. That should stop 'em, right?! I also cleaned out the flower beds a few weeks ago so I am itching to plant flowers. The flowers were so beautiful at Home Depot and Lowe's today. (Yes, we went to both. I didn't buy enough bamboo poles at Home Depot and Lowe's is closer to home, so our second trip was there. Note: Home Depot is cheaper!) It was really very cruel of them to have all those beautiful flowers out there begging to go home. Tomorrow will cure that though so I hear. |
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And, Oh My, did they have FUN!! The girls did really well--they received 4 honors including first overall for their division (Cool trophy!). They were all so giddy tonight at class the teachers had a hard time keeping them focused. They can't wait to go to the next competition. (Which is the first weekend of May.) What a production. The hair and makeup alone can give a mom a breakdown. They all have to match. I finally gave up and had another mom do PinkOne's eyeshadow when we got there. (And yes, I followed the written instructions and my diagram and still couldn't get it quite right. Seriously, I have three sheets of instructions and pictures. The smiles are priceless! The big ribbon and the three pins they each got are pretty cool too. lol |
And we practiced a couple times during the week beforehand.) But after watching for several hours, I do see the difference between groups that are so "picky" and groups that are not. |
Yesterday we loaded up Scout's new bunny--Hannah--and went to her first Rabbit Show. But we had a mishap. As Scout was getting the cage from the van, a loud noise spooked the bunny. She is a jumper, and she jumped straight up in her cage with such force that the latch on the side broke loose. The bottom of the cage fell to the ground...with the bunny in it. Hannah hopped out and took off. Scout caught her two cars down and brought her in. At first check, she looked fine. But when Scout put her on the table for judging, she wouldn't pose for the judge. The judge couldn't get her to sit still at all. When he flipped her over, he said he thought she had a couple broken toes. Scout was so upset; this is his baby. At second look, it does seem like Hannah broke the two middle toes on her hind foot. We left the show and got her home. We were able to purchase a new cage setup at the show, so Scout settled Hannah in her new home. She was the prettiest little castor doe out there on the table! We are praying she heals fine.
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Yep, the baby is eleven today! Cupcakes were had with the homeschool group this afternoon and with the practice crew at church tonight. Phone calls, cards and emails came in to wish her well. She is much loved and very blessed. |
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We went out to our science day at the Nature Zoo and learned about Mudpuppies/salamanders. We did tramp around along the river with the Expert Nature Guy, but there weren't any mudpuppies in the traps. So no "real" pictures like requested--sorry. But I have this one for those of you who have never seen them.
They are kinda cool creatures. I don't want to touch one--slimy--but looking at one up close while the Expert Nature Guy holds it would be cool. Here's a link if you are inclined to learn more: http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu (Just type in mudpuppy for the search.) The best news of the day though--no one fell into the icy, swift river. (I thought a few of the kids were trying to though. Luckily not my kids. I would have to kill them. |
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Scout is FINALLY feeling better. We've had NO water in the basement during the monsoons that have hit for the last couple days. (Not really, but sure feels like it.) But we are still waiting for some of the new cement to cure. I've painted the laundry room and started to move some stuff back in there. Pink One helped DH run a couple new electrical outlets, and Scout helped with insulation, drywall and paneling. He's gotten pretty good with a hammer! Tomorrow we are headed for our local science outing. Spring isn't REALLY here yet, and it's going to be in the teens tonight with a high around freezing tomorrow. But here is what was in the email I received from the facilitator today:
Yep, going out anyway. Of course if we waited for nice weather, we'd never do ANYTHING. Guess I better go search Mudpuppies or Waterdogs so I know what we are looking for tomorrow. And then I better find our boots. |
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The basement is done!!! (Happy, happy, joy, joy!) Well, the basement GUYS are done anyway. And I have the Guaranteed for Life certificate to prove that I will never have that water in my basement again. Now we wait a week for the cement to "cure" and then we can put it all back together. Since we have everything out of the basement and all the walls torn apart, DH and I decided NOW is a good time to add the extra electrical outlets we've always wanted and paint the laundry room walls. It does make LOGICAL sense, but sheesh! Hopefully that won't cost too much in time and money. Since the kids took those electricity science classes last year, they both want to help Dad add the electrical. The kids and I will be hitting the books pretty hard this week--and trying not to trip over the items stacked in our livingroom--so we can loosen up a bit the week after. I figure laying tile, cleaning carpets and re-glueing said carpet, washing down walls, painting walls, and touching up paint are all good life skills to have. That will be our curriculum for the following week. |
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...for the count! He was fine until Sunday morning (what's with that? I got sick last Sunday morning!) but woke with a yucky tummy and a fever. He still has the fever today and now his nose is stuffed up and his throat is sore. He's got the aching head and the chills too. Fun stuff. Is it spring yet? I really need to open this house up and air it out for a few hours/days. Oh, that's right; darn groundhog saw his shadow. Snow coming tomorrow night. Supposedly we'll see 3 to 4 inches, but it's been so "warm"--I'm sure they were using the term warm loosely!--that the snow isn't supposed to stick. Scout would like to see some more snow "stick", but since he isn't feeling well I'd be the one shoveling. So I'd like to see the snow DISAPPEAR before it hits the ground! (It wouldn't be able to melt that way either. Melt=water=BAD!) |
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...just doing my rounds before heading to bed and WATER in the basement. Again. This is getting old. Thankfully, the basement guys are coming next Friday to fix the situation. And collect lots of dollars to do it, of course. But we had to have a record high yesterday--with all that snow on the ground--and today lots of RAIN. Snows almost all gone today too. DH stayed home today fearing that we'd have water in the basement. We both were resigned to it, in fact. But no water all day. NOW we have water. DH is sleeping away and I'm going to leave him there for a bit. I've got the shop vac running and I guess I'll pull some paneling off the walls. Has to come down his weekend anyway. Sigh. But tomorrow is supposed to get colder again and snow flurries will fall. Snow again Saturday too, I hear. Gotta love it. Hopefully, this will be my last night of sucking gallons of water out of my basement--EVER. |
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Well yes, we did have a blast with little Miss A. But does she pack a punch! PinkOne and I came down with the flu thankyouverymuch this weekend. PinkOne started late Saturday night and I joined her early Sunday morning. Why am I blaming such a cute little one like Miss A? Well, her mom has taken to calling her Typhoid A-e. Seems that everyone in her path recently has come down with the flu. Now I'm not really blaming anyone--it is flu season afterall. And DH did have the flu a week prior to me and PinkOne. BUT--he did play with Miss A at bible study the day before he came down with it......... I'm still trying to get back on my feet 100%, but each day is a bit better than the last. PinkOne on the other hand was rarin' to go Monday evening at dance class. Gotta love the resiliency of the young! |
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Miss A came to stay with us yesterday while her Mommy taught art classes at her brother's school. Miss A is a busy 11-month-old, drooling, crawling, pulling-up-to-stand, smiling girl. She loves books--YES!--and her favorite at the moment is called Peek-A-Who?. She especially loves the last page with the "mirror" in it; what a girl! LOL I'd forgotten how busy 11-month-olds are. But there's nothing like sitting in the rocker with a baby snuggled up for a story before naptime. Although it's a close second to see your 14-year-old son break down and hold the baby. For those of you who know Scout, this will be as much of a surprise to you as it was to me. He was pretty hesitant at first, but Miss A adores him and he finally gave in and picked her up. She wanted to sit in Scout's lap and have HIM give her her bottle. Yes, she disrupted our school time but the life lessons were priceless! And the good news--she will be back again for the next several Fridays. I think next week PinkOne needs to learn how to change a diaper. |
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Yep, still cleaning out the basement. We are moving into the "move the bins to the garage" phase. The kids can help with that part and I expect to be totally cleaned out by the end of the week. The "craft/storage room" is a wonder. Everything is in its proper bin and labeled. It looks awesome! I can't believe how much space is actually in that little area. I love just standing in the middle and looking at all the cool stuff in the bins. I find myself thinking of cool things I can create with it all. But I'm also a little embarrassed by how many supplies I have. I'm pondering a craft venture. I used to have a craft business and did craft shows. But I don't really want to jump back into the show circuit at this point in life for a couple reasons. One, the kids' schedules are so crazy and two, you have to have a LOT of product made up front. Lots of product up front means investing lots of money. I don't have lots of money to invest in anything right now--see post about basement?--and I also don't have a lot of time to invest getting all that product created. We've chatted about creating a business for the family. I'm thinking this would be a great learning tool/experience for the kids. A little extra money each month would be a huge blessing too. I'm intrigued by etsy.com. It looks relatively easy to start up a website, and inexpensive. I don't have to have a lot of product right away, but can post items as I/we make them. I can see what sells and what doesn't and create more items accordingly. That part is always fascinating to me. Anyone have any suggestions/advice/cautions for me? I'd welcome them all. |
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Yep, still in the basement; but I've made HUGE progress. The kids are back "on" school. I just couldn't stand the thought of them doing nothing for another week. New projects will be assigned tomorrow. PinkOne and Scout are each starting a unit on The Mississippi River. (I got the Friday Freebie download by Soli Deo Gloria Resources.) It's on the Mississippi River and snapping turtles. (And once they are busy working away on their projects, I can get a bit more time in the basement.) PinkOne is going to basically follow the lesson plans and create a lapbook. (She loves those!) She also requested being allowed to read and do a book review on Trixie Belden and the Mystery on the Mississippi River. It's a loose tie-in, I admit LOL, but she loves Trixie Belden--and it's reading! Scout will be doing some of the lesson plan, but also reading Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. I was gathering my books for Huck Finn when our favorite librarian told me we should really do Tom Sawyer FIRST, THEN Huck Finn. So that's what we'll do. I'm still debating whether to have PinkOne read Tom Sawyer also. Any suggestions? She's already read a youth classics version of the story. I see this study possibly spreading into a study of the Civil War. That would be cool since the Scout Troop is talking about doing a family outing/camping trip to Gettysburg for a long weekend. That would be fun! Preparing/praying for more snow here. (Depends on which member of the family you are whether you are preparing or praying |
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This is Hannah. She is a 6-month-old Castor Mini Rex. Scout is hoping to breed her with his bunny Max. She is a beautiful little girl!
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While I take my basement chaos break, the kids aren't doing school. But today was spent watching the Inauguration of Barack Obama. According to Scout that's gotta count for something, right? Right; as long as they write a brief report/journal entry about what they saw and learned today. They will also be finishing up their report (Scout)/lapbook (PinkOne) on the Vikings this week. |
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Yep, we are taking our winter break now. It's not by choice really, but by necessity. See, we had about 120 gallons of water that we pumped--via shop vacs--out of our basement back in September. (Remnants of a hurricane hit our area with a lot of rain.) We--DH--thought the water problem was due to landscaping issues. And, he thought he'd fixed it. Nope. December 27 & 28 we had a rapid thaw. We'd gotten quite a bit of snow and then it got unseasonably warm. Everything melted and then it started to RAIN. Yep, that time it was about 100 gallons of water--pumped via shop vacs. We currently have more snow on the ground than I remember seeing around here in a long time. I don't want to even begin to think about how much water will be in our basement when spring arrives! Now DH is convinced we need to do something--meaning hire someone to "fix it!". We've had three estimates--ouch! All of them agree that they need to jackhammer our basement floor along the walls and put in a drainage system. Doesn't really matter to me which company we hire. This job is expensive and messy. Since our basement is finished, it hurts even more. But we will be doing the demolition part ourselves to save a bit of cash. What does this have to do with not doing school? Well, I have to get everything boxed (I'm putting things in plastic bins) and moved out. Stuff in the basement really should be in plastic bins anyway and it will be so much easier to find things when it is all organized. I've wanted to accomplish this task for years, so I'm trying--really hard--to look at the bright side. Organized storage area. Organized pantry/food storage. Organized craft cubby--this is the biggest problem area. Leftover Creative Memories product organized to sell on eBay. (I deactivated years ago.) Yes, that will be great! I started today and it is overwhelming. But DH says he can already see an improvement. I'm really hoping to finish this by the end of the week, but realistically it will probably drag into next week as well. So Happy Winter Break and Happy Easter Break to my kids. (We'll make up our time during the traditional breaks.) |