Nov. 12, 2009 - Mouse in the House
One day, as we were innocently watching some tv, a nasty smell started wafting into our noses. My hubby said it smelled like death. All I knew was that it stunk. For about a week we searched the house for the smell. My hubby actually went down to the basement and cleaned and still didn't find the smell. Finally, I turned the couch over because I was convinced there was a dead mouse in the couch. I smelled all over the couch, didn't find the source, but then, out of a strange hunch, I smelled the outlet. There it was! The outlet stunk! That's when I remembered about a month previous to that, we were sitting in the frontroom and heard scratching in the walls. UGH! There was a dead mouse somewhere in our walls! What were we supposed to do? My hubby wanted to start tearing apart the walls - which I couldn't really blame him since the smell was just awful. We tried to wait it out for a little while. We were hoping it would go away. No such luck. Finally, hubby started surgery on our house. Thankfully, the other side of the wall that the smell was coming from was the basement stairs. So we didn't have to rip apart a wall that could actually be seen.
And this is some of what hubby found:
Creepy. Obviously, this isn't the first time this had happened. Unfortunatly, he still didn't find the source of the smell. And we are still living with it. It is definitly not as strong as before, but it's still there. I need to write a book about everything you need to know about before you move to the country.
Nov. 12, 2009 - Holding Back Tears of Joy
"They are still waiting on approval from her local orphan court that would allow her to stay here after the program on a longer visit until the adoption goes through :>"
I asked what this meant. Does it mean she will stay with us permanently instead of returning back to Latvia after Christmas? The answer was:
"YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But no final answer yet :>"
I asked isn't this unusual. This seems like God. I have never heard of them doing this before. The answer was:
"It won’t affect the trips to Latvia , just allow her to remain with you under custody agreement until you take first trip to Latvia . She won’t go 2nd trip as she is under 12. And 3rd trip she and one parent have to go for visa interview and embassy stuff.
HIGHLY unusual!"
WOW!!! I am stunned. I am shocked. Have you ever prayed and seen the impossible before. I am stunned and shocked. We are getting our prayers answers. Please don't stop giving, though. You, facebook friends, is who God is using to do this. Our pastor said it wasn't in their "budget" to help this orphan. If your heart is moved, please do help with the finances. Also, please continue to pray. I was told the trip is very hard on her. Remember she can't unfold her legs. They must be hurting pretty bad. Her feet and hands grow curled. My husband has excellent insurance so she will be well taken care of by my husband's insurance. We will love on her and teach her who Jesus Christ is...God bless all of you for having a heart to care!!!
Nov. 12, 2009 - ~YUM!
Cooler weather began to roll in yesterday and it brought with it a mood....... The mood for soup. Just love the Fall weather and soup! So an hour or so before Hubby arrived back home I began the making of the Salmon Chowder. Oh how I love thee!!!
It's sprinkling and a bit on the dark side as I type this morning. I love it when the rain rolls through and I love the crisp weather that meandered down during the night. Lovely, lovely, lovely! Time for cocoa and marshmallows 
And although the weather has been cooler, we're continuing with the smoothie tradition. This morning I added walnuts to Hubby's smoothie. I've decided that seeds and nuts are just too jam- packed with nutrients to ignore them in the smoothies any longer. I also added a handful of from the garden salad to the smoothie since we were out of spinach
So our newest smoothie creation goes something like this:
*Aprox 2 cups frozen peaches
*Lrg handful of garden lettuce
*1/2 a banana
*2 tsp spirulina powder
*2 tsp JUST barley
*2+ TBsp walnuts
*1/2 cup apple juice
*1/2 cup water
*honey to taste
And this morning, when I mix up the childrens smoothies, I'll add a small green pepper to the whirl as well. I've got a few extra from the garden that we haven't used and it should do nothing to the taste of the smoothie. Do nothing to the taste, but surely adding to the nutrients!
Have a great day! Gotta go make the morning smoothies......
Nov. 10, 2009 - It's...A...Girl
...cow that is...
We welcomed little Daisy Lee into our farm family this morning.
Ironically, we've enjoyed sunshine and warm temperatures here for the last week or two. Gorgeous weather to birth in a field if you happen to be a cow. I talked with Clarabelle extensively over the past 2 weeks about how perfect a time it was to have her calf. She listened attentively and then waited until tropical storm remnants blew in from the gulf coast and decided it was her time to shine.
Not that I'm criticizing her choice of dates...at least she gave birth ON her due date...I've not been that timely in awhile with my babies.
We're officially old pros at this, I guess, now that this is our second calf and we've been enjoying our first calf, T-Bone, at the dinner table for about a week now, but it still seems pretty fun and exciting. If you like birth stories and want to review T-Bone's story...I actually live-blogged his birth...here, here, here, here, and here . I didn't have time to do any blogging this go-round. We were sitting at the table after breakfast getting ready to do some school work when Joshy looked out the window and saw Clarabelle in the back of the pasture moving differently that she normally does...he said, "I think Clarabelle's having her calf." I quickly went out (with Susie, Sammy and Becca) to check it out, but while she seemed a little uncomfortable, nothing visible was happening. I went back inside and about 30 minutes later I put Becca down for a nap and went out without little ones to see...i walked halfway across the pasture when I realized I was looking at hooves and a head emerging...I turned around and ran back inside to alert everyone...the kids ran to the neighbor's house who wanted to witness the event and I quickly called and cancelled Julia's flute practice and was back outside in less than 5 minutes...well, every momma knows alot can happen in 5 minutes...if it's the right 5 minutes...about 3 contractions and a birth. So, I missed it...when I arrived on the scene Clarabelle was cleaning up her calf...in the rain...
Again, I'm not going to criticize a momma in labor...much...'cuz Clarabelle is an excellent momma...but she did decide to give birth right adjacent to a manure pile. Poor Daisy Lee flopped around alot trying to find her legs...right on top of the manure pile...in the driving rain...covered with all of the gunk associated with birth...it was downright lovely. I almost felt bad for all of the stuff that poor Clarabelle had to lick off her girl.
Anyway, after an hour or so, the rain was picking up and Daisy still hadn't stood, so we got smart...with T-Bone, Brittany and I carried the 50-lb. calf into the barn from the far-end of the pasture. Julia had the bright idea of putting Daisy in the Radio Flyer wagon and pulling her to the barn...it worked beautifully...
Once in the barn, we were able to hold her up to get her a feeding. Once she drank a little from her momma, she was able to stand if we stood her up. Another 2 hours later when we checked on them again, she was standing on her own and even trying to frolick...though she usually frolicked and then flopped to the ground...but at least she was trying.
So much fun! Just in case you missed my insinuation about T-Bone earlier in this post, I'll say it again so I have it on record, too...we had T-Bone processed last week...and now we have a freezer FULL of meat. The kids were very excited about it. Sammy has been going around telling everyone that T-Bone's MEAT and we're going to eat him. Thankfully, due to our name for him, most people simply agree with the 3-year-old that, yes, indeed, T-Bone steak is "meat" and are even a bit impressed that a 3-year-old has such advanced tastes to be a steak connoisseur.
Nov. 10, 2009 - ~Homemade
Homemade bread........
This is what happens to homemade bread when the baby opens the door during the baking process
Twas yummy lathered with homemade honey butter too!
Then there was the homemade laundry detergent....... It's been 6 months since we've made laundry detergent. 3.00 goes a L-O-N-G way in homemade! Yes that's .50 per month! Amazing......
And then - the homemade veggies from the garden......
We harvested three days worth of lettuce, 1 radish, and 3 green peppers. Last nights salad was YUMMY!
One of my favorite 'down-time' activities is to blog search and see what others are doing that's homemade. There's something so fulfilling about making instead of buying.......
Have a wonderful day!
Nov. 9, 2009 - ~Here I go speaking my mind again!
This morning I woke up, stumbled into the kitchen and began preparing the morning coffee. It was 5:30. Then I focused my attention on what to serve hubby for breakfast..... The chickens gave us two fresh eggs, so I grilled up some toast and scrambled the eggs for hubby. And during the dutiful event my mind was processing....processing.
The first round of thoughts began by way of a verse:
"She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family...." That was a comforting thought considering what was taking place in my kitchen.
After that the thoughts continued on..... comparing recent events and happenings with scripture and God's view of things. "If a man does not work, he does not eat..." was another. And I thought of how easily we become dependent on people, our sights off the Lord, and become slaves....
"Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?"
So here's the deal. The 'guvment' don't take care of me and mine. Reason being, I'm not looking to 'the man' for provision. I'm looking to God and the way I see it he's doing a mighty fine job. Gary and I have seen some hard times. We've been there done that. We made lots of mistakes and LEARNED from them. Our parents never instilled in us the ethic of take what you can. My mother worked HARD. She was a single mother that supported me on her own and NEVER took a government handout to help. I was not blessed with free medical or dental, but then again I was never cursed blessed with a mentality that would handicap me for the rest of my life.
Things were different in days gone by. Families took care of each other. Grandparents lived debt free, instilled the same values into their children, and everyone lived well by obeying the rules of the Bible. Granny would have 10 or 12 children to help take care of her and even in her old age lived in peace and safety. Things were different before we looked to 'the man' to take care of us and I believe the start of that downward spiral took place during the great depression.
So this morning I will head to the kitchen and continue on...... I have grain that needs to be ground today. We'll have fresh baked bread for lunch. Soon, I'll head out to the garden and harvest some lettuce, peppers, and a radish or two. That will make a mighty-fine organic salad. I was able to dust the shelves in the living room this past weekend and today will organize the troops to dust the dining room. There's laundry to wash, dry, and fold, and I have to mix up some homemade laundry detergent. There's work to be done and I'm not going to sit on my rear complaining, hoping the guardian angel of complacency will show up and grant a wish.
I'm geared up, as you can tell, so our biblicl knowledge will include truths about laziness and wisdom. The children will love it! They love when Momma gets fired up and teaches them truth. I'll speak loud and bold and strong, because that's what I do when I get fired up. Tell me my husband should be doing that and I'll tell you I am his help meet. He's out bringing home the bacon while I fry it up in a pan. God is good and we live life as a team. Jo will live life beside me, preparing at least half the food that is prepared and Bub will finish the huge amount of yard work he's been doing in between his filming adventures. The littles will dust and sweep and I will pray that they learn good work ethic and the wisdom of organization. There are improvements that have to be made in these areas and sometimes I am at a loss for what to do and how to do it. But there is one consolation...... we press on!
Philippians 3:14
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Nov. 8, 2009 - FIAR Field Trip
Our Five in a Row group studied Madeline this month. To go along with our study, I decided to coordinate a field trip to our local kids' science museum. They have an exhibit right now called Grossology~The Impolite Science of the Human Body. I wasn't sure what to expect. It was a little boy's dream come true and my girls loved it, too.
Did you ever want to know the science behind a sneeze? Well, this exhibit not only explained the process but then the giant nose you stand inside of sneezes on you!!!
This lovely fellow explained all about allergies, sniffles, colds and anything else that can cause you to have a runny nose. Yes, his nose ran frequently! See what I mean about a little boy's dream....
The kids spent lots of time at the life-size Operation game. Remember that game? What a concrete way to learn where all the body parts go. It didn't hurt their eye-hand coordination either.
The girls could have stayed in the digestive system playground all day. Yes, they crawled through the whole digestive system. The joke of where they came out of the digestive tract was not lost on them either. Yucky!!
The skin climbing wall was loads of fun too. While they climbed along, they were supposed to guess if they were climbing over a pimple or mole or hair follicle.
I did not take pictures of all the things to smell. Really gross things to smell. Aren't you glad this is not a scratch and sniff blog? LOL! Somehow I missed pictures of the statue that you crank up and make burp or the tooting machine. We will have to go back when it is less crowded. The exhibit just overwhelmed us and lots of the school groups were there, so we finally had to leave. All in all, it was a really cool and gross exhibit. Hey, IT"S GROSSOLOGY!
Blessings,
Dawn
Nov. 8, 2009 - A New Adventure for Our Family
We are in the process of adopting Kate from Latvia. She is a handicap girl who dresses herself with her teeth. She will be visiting us during Christmas. The orphanage doesn't want her any longer. They were putting her through training courses to learn "independent living" so they could ship her out. She is only ten years old. How do you live independently when you can only use your mouth to dress yourself, let alone use the bathroom? Her fate is certain death if she stays. The orphanage complained that she was too much for them to lift any longer. Our hearts hurt for Kate. If you would like to help us adopt her, send a check in care of Kate to :
Open Door Adoption
PHONE: (229) 228-6339 EMAIL: opendoor@rose.net
P.O. Box 4 218 E. Jackson Street
Thomasville, GA 31799
Thanks!!
This is a picture of her at eight years old. She is now ten years old.
Nov. 8, 2009 - ~The Theatre and FILM
The girls and I were able to attend the Cinderella show on Saturday. Some friends of ours were in the show, one playing the lead role of Christopher, and the group did quite an impressive job!
These were taken before we left.
And this photo was taken at intermission.
Other friends have recently been involved in a faith based film project as well. I wish I had photographs, but I do not. Jamice headed out for some hands on experience and soon found himself very much involved. They were scheduled to put him behind the camera on Saturday working as a Cinematographer and he's made some local connections as well. He has many upcoming adventures, and his knowledge of film - the in's and out's of everything, just floors me. It's passion I tell ya! Whatever ye do, do it to the glory of God!
Nov. 6, 2009 - The Problem with Pinatas
True Story:
Mom: "Jerry, please don't swing that stick at Louis." (NOTE: Loius is our cat.)
Jerry: "But if I hit him maybe he will break open and candy will come out."
Two Words - "Run Louis!"
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