I got a picture of him trying to hide behind some trees. Let's play "Where is the steer?" He is definately a better hider than I am a seeker.

 My friend that I have known for 22 years called me today to say her mother had passed away early this morning. Please pray for my friend Rhonda and her family. Her mother hadn't been ill and so it was a shock (aneurysm).

 I guess that is all for now. I will write more later.

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I'll start out by wishing my father a happy Father's Day. I hope you had a wonderful day and that you know that we are thinking of you. We love you very much!!!

When we came home from church today Little Gus (steer) was grazing out in the open with our goats. After seeing us he went back into hiding. I wanted to get a better picture of him so I went for a walk and when I got close enough to see him he ran away. I have alot of mesquite trees on my property so he can hide pretty good for a guy his size. I hope you enjoy the ducks, yard, and flowers pictures because I don't think Gus (short for Angus)will be posing for pictures anytime soon.

I finished all the things I needed to get ready for the beginning of the next school year. We will be using My Father's World for geography, Bible, art, music, and science. We are using Rod & Staff for math and English grammar. We are going to use Sequential Spelling for spelling and Writing Strands for writing. The two little ones will be using Pathway for reading and the others will read lots of different books and do book reports. I am actually very excited to start. Our first official day of school is September 7th because we are going on vacation for the month of August.

It is so hot out right now. There are so many bugs because of all the rain we have had. Did I mention how much I hate the bugs. Well, that it all for right now. I will write more later.

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I would post a couple more pictures but he is not cooperating. This is our new calf. Our new baby weighs in at 440lbs. He is cute in a big sort of way. In a year or so he will be delicious!! We have been trying to bond with him but I think he is the shy (fast) type.

Anyways...just wanted to share a little about our day. I will write more soon.

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My son painted our porch dark gray today. I like it alot. I think the darker color will help it to look cleaner (dreaming here!). The girls and I cleaned out under all their beds and in their closets. We have to keep toys in buckets under the beds to have enough storage room. What a dusty mess that was. We are finished and I think it was a success.

We are busy getting ready for my parents' visit. We are so excited for them to come and stay a month.

 I have to go I have pizza in the oven and I do not want it to burn. I will write more later.

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Our cats hiding from the rain.

Alot of rain fell in a short amount of time.

This is the first time out pond (tank) has ever been full. I can see it from the house.

Doesn't our dock look great with water around it?   

We are so excited about all this rain. I am sure there will be more bugs than I can imagine.

We had another storm about a half hour ago and got very heavy rain. Praise God!

Well, I need to go switch some laundry. I will write soon.

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Today was church and the service was great. We had one of our missionaries from China (who our church body sent) here for a visit. She updated us on all that is going on in their lives. It always seems to put everything in my life in perspective.

After church we came home and just relaxed. It wasn't long before the rain started pouring down. The kids put on a movie and I worked on some school planning stuff for next year. Overall it was a wonderfully relaxing day.

Tomorrow is the nursing home Bible study and school. We have a couple of weeks of school left and then we will be ready for our break.

I am off to read The Five Little Peppers to my little girls before their bedtime. I will write more later.    

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I have been really lazy about blogging but know that it is the best way for everyone far away to keep up with our goings on here. Alot of the same has been happening around here.

Kittens....everywhere! Our mama cats have had kittens. They are adorable but there are quite alot of them. My sister has adopted 8 of them and I am letting my kids keep some. The kittens that are left are too young to be adopted yet but I am looking for new homes for them. I need to get the mama cats fixed so this doesn't happen again.

We are almost done with our official school year. We are going to spend the next couple of weeks finishing up some things that need to be finished and then we will call it a year.

I have been very busy shopping for school books for next year. I have found some wonderful used deals so far. I love to shop and plan but using all the stuff isn't as much fun.

Tomorrow we are going to my sister's house to sew.

Well, that is it for now. I will write more later.

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We started school early because we were going to Caleb's baseball game at 5:30. The kids were so excited to go to the game that they were not really focused on school. We ended up finishing but it was a bit rough.

I went out for a little while to get the kid's Easter stuff and grab a sandwich. When I came home I could really smell smoke in the air and the wind had picked up. My friend called to say that there were 4-5 wildfires in various counties around us. During this my daughter ran in the house to tell me Felicity had her baby. At that moment I couldn't imagine who Felicity was   . Oh... Felicity... she is one of our goats. She is one year old this month and I didn't think she was even close to being ready to have her baby (kid). It is super small but absolutely adorable. Mama and baby  (Faith) are both doing wonderful. 

They ended up calling to cancel the baseball game and we stayed home. The kids were disappointed but we worked on our deer lapbooks and that seemed to ease some of their pain. They are loving this study so far.

No more kittens have been born yet but Kiley's cat looks like she will pop at any moment.

Tomorrow we will be going grocery shopping in the morning and to my sister's house for dinner and to color some eggs. She is leaving on Monday and I am going to miss her and the kids.

I guess that is all for now. I will write more later. 

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Monday we went to the nursing home for our Bible study. It was nice to see everyone. Everyone was in good spirits and quite a few of the residents were there. My nephew is teaching so well and everyone there loves him. After the study we visited with my sister and her family for a little while and then headed home because I wasn't feeling well. We had done school in the morning so we were able to enjoy the rest of the day.

Yesterday we stayed home and I was able to get alot of things done. I did most of the laundry and deep cleaned my bathroom. We had a good day of school. We started a unit study (lap book) on deer. The kids are loving it. They are getting to use scissors and glue and that is always a good thing in their opinion. When we are done I will post a picture of the lapbook.

Today was a beautiful day. Actually, it was a very hot day. After the two youngest girls were done with school they went out and played in the sprinklers. Before long everyone was out there enjoying either the water or the sunshine.

I cleaned out my kitchen food cabinets and pantry. I was able to get organized and see how desperately I need to go grocery shopping. I will probably go to the store tomorrow during the day. Caleb (my nephew) has a baseball game tomorrow that we are going to.

Our kittens are doing great.

Well, that is it for now. I will write more soon. Bye!

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We went to church today at the church we went to for the first year or so after moving here. We had been trying other churches since September or October and never felt right about any of them. It felt really good to be back and see all of our friends. We are finished looking for another church and plan to stay put (God willing).

We start back to school tomorrow. We are going to start a lapbook about deer for science. This will be our first lapbook but it seems like fun. We are still reading When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit about a family that must escape Germany because of the Nazis. That is all that we are doing that is new.

Yesterday my daughter's cat had three kittens. They are absolutely adorable and the kids are thrilled. Anybody want a kitten???? 

Today is my mom's birthday. Happy Birthday Mom!!!!!! We love you and miss you (Dad too).

Nothing new around here. I will write more later.          

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Nicholas and Emily passed the test to get their driver's permits. Hooray!!!! I think they are both very relieved to be done with that part of the class and are both ready to start driving. I am so proud of both of them.

This is our week off from school and I have been thoroughly enjoying it. We have been keeping busy getting our house in order.  I moved the girl's bedroom around and reorganized it. I also did a deep cleaning in my room. I still need to go through some of the girls things but we are pretty much done for now.

Today I spent most of the day planning our last 8 weeks of school. I can not believe that school is almost out for the year. This is the first year that I am taking off a long amount of time in the summer and I am really looking forward to it. I still need to figure out some things for next year but I can't decide what curriculum I should go with. I am thinking of going to the homeschool conference that is in May but I am not sure I want to do that yet either. 

Three of our cats are about to pop. What does a person do with so many kittens? I guess I will be happy to have them in the summer when all the mice  and rats are wandering around here.     

I think that is all that is going on around here. I will write more soon.     

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Today I went to my sister's house and we went to Trade Days to find some bargains. It has been closed since November for their winter break and we have been looking forward to the opening for awhile. Afterwards we went to lunch at the local Mexican food restaurant where three of her kids work. The rest of the day was spent hanging around and visiting.

The weather is so crazy out here. It was sunny and warm yesterday and today it was in the 40's. The kids had coats, gloves, and scarves on when they went outside to play. Yesterday my kids were playing with water outside.

Tomorrow we will go to town for a couple of groceries. That is all that is going on around here. I will write more later.         

Here is the beautiful bowl and pitcher that I found today at Trade Days. It is in my livingroom now but I hope to include it in my girls' room when I redo it.

I got this teacup for $0.50, the red candle holder for $0.25, and the brass set for $4.00. I need to pick up some candles and display them in my home.

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Above is a picture of our newest baby (Sarah) with her mom (Stacy).

Yes, our male goat is in lockdown. A couple of days ago a neighbor I haven't met before, because he isn't quite our next door neighbor, came to tell me that my goats were on the highway the other day. He said they have been eating on his property since sometime last year (I knew they were going somewhere) and that they are now ruining a small brick wall in his front yard when they jump over it. He was wonderful about the entire ordeal and I praise God for that.  

Here are our first litlle twins that were born in January. They are very bad and are actually out of the barn that they are supposed to be in. They can barely squeeze through so I am letting them enjoy their freedon while they can. Goats start very young with their bad behavior.

This is my school area/hallway. I am showing you the new paint job. I still need to hang some things on the walls to make it more homey but I am still hunting for the right things. 

This is from the other angle.

Today was a beautiful day. The weather was in the high 70's with a wind advisory. I was doing laundry and so the wind was welcome over here. I am actually still doing laundry because I decided to change all the beds since the wind was drying my clothes so quickly.

Nicholas worked in my yard for awhile today and fixed all the shrubs and plants the goats had ruined. My yard looks beautiful.

The kids are all outside playing baseball. I have the windows open to enjoy the fresh air and I can hear them playing together. What a beautiful sound!  

I guess that is all for now. Dad and Mom I hope you know that this entry is to let you know that I do love you and if I do not blog enough I hope you know that I do think about you both all the time. I love you and miss you more than you can imagine. I can't wait for your visit. I will call soon!!! I love you!!!! 

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We have had rain all day. Praise God!! Boy did we need it. This is the most rain we have had in awhile. It has also been really cold. It was 80 yesterday and the high was in the 30's today. I am not complaining at all, we have been thoroghly enjoying the pitter patter all day.

Nick and I painted the rest of my hall/school area today. Well, not really all of it because we still need some second coates in some areas and the trim still needs doing but we got the big parts done. I need to go to the hardware store tomorrow to pick up another roller to finish the doors and then I should be ready to organize all my stuff. I am kind of dreading the organizing part because I really don't know where to begin because I plan on keeping most of my school stuff but I need a better system of where to put it all.

We did school today and it went well. My new books are waiting for me to get them from the post office but it was too wet and cold to go today. I also need to copy and plan the next couple of weeks but I need to wait until I straighten the painting mess up first. Thankfully, I have enought set aside to keep us busy until I can copy what needs copying.

Yesterday we went to my sister's house for a visit. She is also busy painting and doing other projects around her house. 

I guess that is about it around here. I will write more later.  

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Nicholas and Emily (his cousin) started driver's ed class yesterday. They have two more classes and then they get to take the test for their driver's permit. It is scary and exciting all at the same time.

Yesterday our goat had her baby. She had a tiny girl that we named her Sarah. The little kid has a weak leg that we hope will work itself right soon. She was able to stand on it better today than yesterday so we are hopeful.

Today was another really hot day but it is supposed to cool down in the next couple of days and I am looking forward to it. We are also supposed to get some much needed rain sometime this week.

Tomorrow is our fourth week of school for this sixth week period. We are still chugging along with everything. Last week I ordered Kiley and Kelsey their next math workbooks. I love getting school books in the mail. 

I started painting my homeschool area/hall and it is looking good. I picked a lighter green off of the same card that I got my livingroom color from. I really like it so far. When I am done I will post a picture. I hope to be done this week sometime.

I guess that is it for now. I will write more later.   

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What have we been up too? Hmmm...not much new happening around here. I could say that I wish I had something exciting to blog about but that would be a lie because I really am happy that all is well and the same around here.

We went grocery shopping today. I have started shopping three times a month (every ten days) and I think I like it this way. I was originally shopping monthly but that wasn't working so I tried weekly and that seemed a little much. I will keep you updated on what seems to work best for us as I continue to tweak our grocery routine. I had my sister pick up a case (80 pounds) of hamburger from Sam's for me on Sunday. I broke it down into 32- 2.5 lb chubs. My freezer is now full and I am very happy about it. I wonder when hamburger became one of the highlights of my life ?

Nicholas is starting his driver's ed class on Saturday. He is very excited. After a couple of classes he will have his permit and be able to drive with me in the car. I am both very excited and very scared. I can't believe that my son is almost a driver. Where does time go?     

I am getting very excited about spring. I should already have my potatoes and onions in but I am finding it overwhelming to even think about a garden right now. I am not busy doing much besides life but that still seems to keep me pretty busy. I think I will wait until it is time for peppers and tomotoes and give them a go this year. Part of the problem is that I can't seem to keep our goats and the wild rabbits out of my garden and I'm the rest of the problem . I'll figure this whole homestead thing out one day. 

I just wanted to stop in and ssay hello. I will post pictures soon. Bye!

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I am really alive and well. I have been finding it difficult to make myself blog when not much is really happening here. We have been enjoying some very warm weather around here. Hopefully, we will also get some rain so we will all be out of fire danger.

We have been busy with school. Not much to comment about in this area, which is probably a good thing. Our days have went smoothly and the kids are learning alot.

All of our animals are doing well. The baby goats are growing up way too quickly. Our last pregnant goat should be kidding sometime in the next month. We are always excited about baby goats.

Ncholas is home from his trip. We are thoroughly enjoying him being home. He will start his new distance learning program soon. He is excited to start something new.

I am planning a trip to see my family in August. We are planning to stay a month and I am very excited about it. My niece is going to stay at my house so I do not have to worry about my animals.

That is all for now. I will update soon. I have some pictures from out crazy Valentines party that I need to post soon. Bye!

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Today was a nice day. It was sunny and in the 80's . I hung out three loads of laundry and thoroughly enjoyed the weather. I also raked the yard a bit and watered my plants and trees. We haven't gotten much rain this winter and everything is really dry.

We had a good day of school today. Our year is going really well so far. Two of my girls will be going to the next level (grade) in math soon. There is nothing like finishing a book and knowing that you did 170 days of math to finish it. All the kids are doing excellent.

Nicholas comes home on Saturday. I am still missing him alot but I am trying to share him with his father and my family. I will be happy to have my Food Network partner back, it just isn't the same without him.

I am excited about the beginnings of spring in the air here. I can see green starting to poke its head up everywhere. I am sure my goats can't wait for some fresh grass to eat. Can you believe our baby goats are already a month old? They are still adorable and very sassy.

I guess that is all for now. I just thought I would check in and say hello. I will write more later.  

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Monday was here and is almost gone already. I changed around my livingroom today and gave it a thorough cleaning. It looks good and definately feels good. The amount of dust that was under and behind the furniture was amazing. While I was cleaning the livingroom the girls cleaned there room and straightened their closet.

We skipped school today. This is our last week before break so I really shouldn't have but I felt horrible today. I think I am just overtired from staying up late and not sleeping well with Nick gone. I relaxed for a couple of hours in the afternoon and then forced myself to get up and make dinner. I made homemade pizza with salad for dinner and it was a hit as always. 

Yesterday I went grocery shopping after church. I am trying really hard to stick to a budget but it has been more challenging than I thought it would be. Last month I underestimated some of the catergories and so had to steal from others to just make it through the month. I tried to pad those areas this month. I will let you know how it goes. I definately have enough money but I now need some self control.

Last night we got the long awaited rain we have been praying for. Praise God!!! It woke me up and gave me a heart attack because it was so windy and the rain was so loud. I went online to make sure we weren't in a tornado watch because it seemed like a big storm. When I realized that we were going to live I was able to go back to sleep but it seemed to rain for a long time. I asked the girls what they thought of the storm and none of them even knew it had rained. Typical!

We are going to have a Valentine's party on Saturday for the kids. We are having a 'crazy' theme for the party (crazy hair, clothes, desserts). My kids are so excited and have been so busy making Valentine cards for the party.    

I guess that is really all that is going on around here. I am praying for a better day tomorrow with an abundant amount of motivation. Please pray! 

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Not too much is going on around here. Nicholas is in Vegas visiting his dad and my family. We miss him terribly already and he just left yesterday. We got to see him and my parents on the web-cam this afternoon so that helped a little bit.

Next week is our last week of school before break. I am totally looking forward to some time off. Everything is moving along with our school work and everyone is doing really well but a break is always good. I can't believe how quickly this school year has went by already. I have to start looking into some things for next year soon. I don't have to buy too much because the curriculum we use (Rod & Staff) is non-consumable. I always like to buy something new just for fun and to keep things fresh.

I got tons of laundry done today. It was VERY windy and warm today. The clothes were drying quickly so I was able to keep the lines full all day. Now I have to start ironing    .

Well, I guess that is all for now. I will write more soon. 

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