Merry Christmas

Well, it is Christmas Eve here on the farm and I must say that we are certainly enjoying the warm weather that we are having. It was a very brisk morning at 29 degrees but the high today is to be in the lower 40's and for this time of year in Indiana - that is fabulous! It is supposed to be almost 50 degrees tomorrow and although, I love a nice light snowfall for Christmas, I must say that I am thankful that we won't have one tomorrow.
It really just doesn't seem like Christmas here for some reason. I have my tree up and I have done the cards and cookies, but for some reason I just am not in the Christmas mood. I was thinking yesterday that I will be glad to have the tree down, but I was so excited when I put it up. I am not sure of what is going on, but I just can't seem to find the spirit that I normally have.
However, I know that we all need to remember the real reason for the excitment and that is Christ! I actually wrote an article on Triond this morning about the political way of saying Merry Christmas and why I choose to still say Merry Christmas. I don't care who knows that I am a Christian and that I am not ashamed to share my love for Christ with others. I don't mind someone saying Happy Holidays or Season's Greetings, but I love to hear people say Merry Christmas!
To all my readers, I want to wish you all the warmest of holidays and I hope that you all have a very Merry Christmas! I am looking forward to sharing the day with family and friends. My daughter ( who recently lost her job) has found work babysitting and I am thankful for that. God is Good! He always provides and so it is hard to not share the day with His name as He is the reason that we celebrate on Dec. 25th.

Beginning to look like Christmas

Well, it's beginning to look like Christmas on the farm here. The lights, tree, and snowmen decorations are up. With a touch of snow a week ago, it made it seem more like Christmas instead of the 60 degree temperatures that we had been having.

My daughter and I attended a workshop at the local library last week to make ornaments and handmade cards, which we really enjoyed! We have decided that next year all of our cards will be handmade. If you don't currently go to your local library, I would suggest that you go and take advantage of all the programs and interesting things that they offer. We really enjoy the programs that ours offer.

Homeschooling always seems to lack during the month of December due to the business of the month, but so far we are on track well. I have planned more fun lessons and things that do not take as much time. Today we made paper snowflakes, looked at what happened today in history, took an evaluation test for math and word building, wrote our Christmas list, studied some division, and read a book that we are attempting to finish. We also have a December calendar of activities that only take a few minutes to do and today was to calculate how much your full name was worth by using a 27 cents for each consonant and 53 cents for each vowel. It made for interesting math and a quick language arts review.

It seems that the kitchen will be a busy place tomorrow and the next day as I plan to do some holiday baking and I have apples that need to be made into apple butter. I may freeze them and use the applesauce that I have. Plus, I have blackberries that need to be made into a pie for my husband. I know that one day soon the family will be asking for sugar cookies so I guess I should do them too.

I wish all of you the happiest of holiday seasons and I hope that your preparations are going well. Try to remember as you are busy planning for that spectacular Christmas morning, to relax and enjoy the wonder of the lit tree, the sparkle in a child's eye when they see a decoration, the wonder you felt as a child on Christmas morning and the real reason that we celebrate!

Listia Auction Site

For anyone who likes to shop online and is interested in getting items free sometimes, here is a great auction site that I use. Many of the sellers offer items with free shipping and everything is bought with credits that you accumulate so the item is free. Check it out and if you use this link to sign up, you will get credits and help me as well. Thanks,

more free stuff on Listia

Time for Thanks

All Americans know that Thanksgiving is a day to give thanks, but just what should we be thankful for. First, we need to be thankful that we have the freedom of religion in our country. We are free to worship where, when and how we want. Many countries do not have this same freedom.

Secondly, we need to be thankful that we live in a country that is ran as a democracy. We may not always agree with the way that it is being ran, but we also need to remember that as voters we put the lawmakers into place. We should be thankful in the fact that we know that our leadership can change within a few years.

We need to be thankful for the education system that we have in our country. It may not be the best and many may see many problems with it, but we should still be thankful that we have one. Our education is an important step in our lives. We are free to continue our education above what the public standard is if we feel the need to.

We should be thankful for the friends and families that we have near and dear to us. I have many friends, but few that are really a part of me and my family. Those are the friends that we seem to never leave no matter how long we are apart. I have a few of those friends and a couple that I consider closer to me than my family.

Whatever it is that you are thankful for, be sure to give that Thanks to God on this special day. Also, consider telling someone thanks for all that they do for you.

Dr. Conrad Murray Guilty and other thoughts

Dr. Conrad Murray, doctor to pop king Michael Jackson, has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Michael. Unfortunately, this does not bring the star back, but it does give his family some closure in his death and some justice for Michael. Doctors of these stars need to realize that drugs are drugs and can cause death and that they are going to be held liable for their decisions in writing and administering drugs to their patients.

Another news event happening right now that seems to be talked about on every news report that I see is the Penn State sex abuse case. It seems that there might have been a coverup going on within the ranks of the football coaching staff while young boys were being abused by one of the members of the coaching staff. How sad it is that adults might have known that these boys were being molested and no one reported it.

The Today Show on NBC is now airing the 10th anniversary of "Where in the World is Matt Laurer?" This mini part of the show has Matt traveling to unknown destinations that the show will give clues to where he will be the next day. Today he was in Walvis Bay, Naimbia- a desert area in Africa. I have to say that it seemed like a great place to visit as exotic animals are running free and the landscape was absolutely breathtaking! Mountains, oceans, desert sands all add to the beauty of the area.

Hallmark Channel has begun hosting their holiday open house which means that they are showing holiday movies each weekend between now and the Christmas countdown that they do each year. Bravo to the Hallmark Channel for realizing that some of us really do enjoy the holiday movies enough to watch them before the holiday season is in full gear. I actually can sit and enjoy them now versus the busy holiday season.

I just read about a Washington State mom who claims that her two year old son is missing from a car that she left him in along the road while she walked for help after their car ran out of gas. Now, what mother would leave a 2 year old child in a car by themselves when she is walking for help? I really do not believe that this woman is telling the truth. I just pray that this child will be found safe. Why do people feel that our children can just be taken and destroyed like a piece of property? Children are a blessing and deserve the best that we can give them.

Fall on the Farm

Fall is upon us and the beautiful Autumn leaves are so pretty to look at but it also reminds me that winter is not far away. It seems as Denver is getting snow today and weather forecasters are saying a winter storm. I do not look forward to those days and I do not look forward to cold, snowy days except for the opportunity to build a fire in the new wood stove that we purchased last week to replace the one that we had.

The stove that we had done a wonderful job of heating the front of the home and it was such a blessing last winter in helping to keep the heat bills under control. However, it was not big enough to heat the entire home and we knew that it would be nicer to have a larger one that would heat the entire house. The new one will do just that.

We live in a wooded area and so we do not have to buy wood, which is an added blessing for us. I am thankful that God gives us the natural resources to heat our home without having to pay the outrageous prices that the electric and gas companies charge in the winter. My husband does need a new chainsaw and I would like to buy him one for Christmas but I am not sure that I will be able too. I am hoping that my writing at Triond and Associated Content will help pay for it, but I certainly need more views before that will happen.

Fall brings many jobs to the farm and in preparing the animals and homestead for winter we are reminded just how thankful we are for where we are in life. My husband will leave next week for two weeks for work out of state and the income from that will be enough to allow us to have a nice Christmas and not add a lot of added stress to us. He will also be able to leave again in January to aid us in making ends meet during the worst of the winter season. Isn't God Great?

The weather is perfect for riding and I am sure that we will do some more next week as it is supposed to be up in the high 60's most of the week. A trail ride with the leaves in full color will be just the perfect photo opportunity and the perfect way to enjoy the rest of this season as we quickly approach the one season of the year that I dislike the most- winter!

I hope that all of the home schoolers out there have a chance to enjoy the fall weather and colors and possibly enjoy a field trip to take advantage of the weather we will soon be wishing for.

Exotic Animals Loose In Ohio

About 50 exotic animals were apparently turned loose last night in rural Eastern Ohio by their owner who subsequently shot himself. Owner, Terry Thompson, was found dead in his home and the animal cages were opened and fences around the property left open for these animals to roam free.

Unfortunately, officials are saying that about 30-35 of these animals have been killed due to their danger to the public. It seems so unfair to these animals after being held in cages by this gentleman that they are suffering for doing nothing wrong except roaming as their natural instinct guides them to do.

Yes, I realize that lions, tigers, grizzly bears, and black bears are a risk to the public, but I also think that there could be ways to subdue these animals other than killing them and relocating them to zoos or other nature preserves to be cared for. I am not sure of how long these animals have been in the possession of this gentleman, but they are scared and unsure of what is happening.

Residents and travelers are being advised to stay in their homes and cars and not to approach these animals if they happen to see them. These are adults animals and are dangerous! Anyone who sees one of these should call 9-1-1 immediately!

Zoo officials have joined the search for these animals and hopefully, some of these can be tranquilized and saved. Officials need to also consider looking at the laws that are in place across the United States for individuals who want to own these types of animals. I am not against someone having these kinds of animals, but there needs to be some kind of monoriting of the conditions and care that the animals are in and are receiving.

Farm Report- Home schooling options

Living here on the funny farm, you just never know what the day will bring. As a home school family, I believe that every day can be a learning experience and kids do not just learn by studying a book. I believe that every day experiences can teach them more than most books can. If they are seeing it in person, then they know it is factual because they are living it. I also believe that learning things as a family can be more rewarding than just two of us sitting in a classroom type setting and studying it.

Friday was one of those days that we took our learning outside for a little while and although we were sidetracked from our book work, we learned something together. We have been losing chickens and ducks and thought that coyotes were the culprits. However, my husband thought that he would set some smaller animal non kill traps that might allow us to find out if the issue was something else. After catching three cats and one of the puppies and a chicken, he finally caught a culprit. On Thursday morning, he had caught an opossum. Anyone who lives on a farm knows that these can kill the small animals so we called a friend of ours who keeps these near his home and he took it. On Friday morning, he had caught a large raccoon.

Seriously, this raccoon probably weighed close to 40 pounds and was one of the largest raccoons that I have ever seen. I am adding a photo of it in the cage, but I am not sure that the size really shows. Anyway, since our daughter has seen photos of raccoons, but never really seen one up close, I was interested in seeing how it would react to us being near him. Well, at first, he was very aggressive and she got the opportunity to hear him growl and bite at anything that went near the cage. Finally, after my husband took a stick and began to rub it against him in a petting motion, he began to calm down a little. He was still not happy about being in the cage and not happy about us watching him. We got to watch him move sticks with his front paws, eat, and sleep as well as just to watch his reactions to different sounds. This could very well have been what has been eating our flock, so we knew he could not be set free here, but we knew that the park might like him and my husband talked to someone to take him and turn him out. The biggest lesson is that this is a wild animal and no matter how cute he may be, he will be aggressive when he needs to be because it is his nature.

This report is actually covering two weeks as I never finished this last week and got it onto the site. This week we had an impromptu picnic and field trip to a McCormick’s Creek State Park to do a nature study and do some hiking. We were thrilled to have found a small waterfall that had an informative sign and recording that told of how the falls came to be since the land was formed during the Ice Age. It was interesting to see and hear about the history of the falls. We also got to see some good examples of the asexual reproduction of fungus that we have talked about in science the past couple of weeks.

We also watched how a caterpillar was getting around on the ground which led to a discussion about how different animals can develop and move. The nature center is very elaborate and gave us many hands- on exhibits to learn more about the nature within the park and the history of the park. Several exhibits explaining the Ice Age was there as well and led to some discussion as to what animals lived then versus now.

As you can see home schooling gives us great opportunities to learn both in and out of the classroom. It is a nice break to take an unplanned trip to learn a little more about what we have studied in a book. Reading and math as well as science can be found in many things that are parts of our every day life.
Farm life can be an interesting lifestyle if you want it to be and can be a great learning experience. Sometimes I feel that my daughter learns more by doing than by just reading and discussing it. There are so many ways that a child can learn and it is nice to be able to have the opportunity to explore those ways of learning.

Summer - Where art thou?

Last Friday when we left for our Labor Day camping trip it was 100 degrees and we were all wondering if the heat was ever going to end as it has been such a hot summer with very little rain most of the months of July and August. We do not like to ride the horses when it is so hot as it is hard on them and not the most favorable conditions for us either. Knowing that fall is around the corner is always a wonderful way to think of the trails taking a beautiful turn as the leaves begin to change into rustic, bright colors before they fall from the trees.

Saturday was yet another day that the temperature climbed to around 100 degrees and we debated on even lighting a camp fire, but who wants to cook at camp without a fire. The evening brought some rain and cooler temperatures. Sunday was cooler as was Monday and it seemed as though there might be a cooler air moving in and settling upon us.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday have reminded us that we really do not mind the warm air and sunshine. After being 100 plus degrees for a few days, the 49 degrees that I woke to on Tuesdaymorning seemed really cold. The winds have been blowing at about 20-30 mph each day and with no sun in sight and temperatures running in the lower to mid 60's, it has proved to be cooler and more fall or winter like that what we would like for it to be. Even being inside feels cold, until you step outside. I actually have wondered if it is time to pull out sweatshirts and our slightly warmer clothes to avoid being cold when we are out.

Knowing that this is a short reprive from the heat and that the temperatures will rebound shortly, I am trying to adjust to such a rapid and rather large drop in temperatures and enjoy the fall weather without complaining as snow will soon be falling.

Labor Day Weekend

Well, the last holiday weekend of summer is upon us and with that brings thoughts of winter, snow and cold but as I am typing this it is currently almost 100 degrees in Indiana with high humidity. It seems as though this summer has plagued us with high temps and no rain. Many places in the midwest and southwest have suffered with the same problems during the summer so we can only hope that the winter brings the same above normal temperatures as well.

We will be spending the weekend with friends at the Double Y Saddle Club this weekend while my mother and my in-laws are here at home caring for the hobby farm. We will be doing some horseback riding and some buggy driving over the weekend. I am looking forward to do some cooking outside and just relaxing. Although, I am taking the laptop as I plan to do some work as well.

I will be traveling a little too as my daughter has two birthday parties to go to as well this weekend. It seems as though the work and the running errands never ends. I guess that it the life of a home school mom.

I wish you all a safe and healthy Labor Day weekend. Spend some time with your family and enjoy the weekend!!

Earthquakes and Hurricanes

This week the weather seems to be really chaotic and many places are being effected and no one truly knows why the weather is as crazy as it has been all year. Extreme heat has been an issue in many states this year and while some states are doing fine with precipitaion and others are seemingly facing a drought.

Hurricane Irene is beginning to hit the islands of the Bahamas and as a category three hurricane, is set to hit the United States eastern coast tomorrow. The United States Navy is even beginning to require some of their ships to leave port so that they are not there if the storm hits. This storm could hit North Carolina as a category 4 hurricane, which could really do some great damage if it hits that hard. Residents in those areas should take precautions to protect their homes, but after seeing the damage that New Orleans suffered a few years ago, they should not try to ride this storm out.

The East Coast of the United States was hit earlier this week with a 5.9 magnitude earthquake in a small town in Virginia, but the effects were felt along the coast. Last night, the suffered from an aftershock that was over 4.0 magnitude. These are the largest quakes and aftershocks ever felt along this coastline and so it does have people wondering what is coming next.

Mother Nature seems to be badgering the East Coast now after a summer where it seems that she has completely suffered from dementia and not remembering what the weather is to be like in many areas of the United States. We all need to pray for the families that these weather events are happening to.

Birthday Party Choices

I have been writing for Associated Content, which is now owned by Yahoo, for a couple of years now and I would like to begin sharing some of my writings with all of you. Please look at this article to read about birthday party options for kids.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/rss/custom_514550_Birthday+Party+Options+for+Kids+In+Indianapolis%2C+Indiana__article_7_.xml

Thanks for your time in taking a look at this article!

Prayers needed for Sugarland Fans

Last night tragedy struck the Indiana State Fair and the country duo, Sugarland as a huge gust of wind collapsed the stage onto fans awaiting the appearance of Sugarland. 46 injured and 5 killed are the latest statistics that I have heard. It is a sad day for many families and they need our prayers.

Luckily, Sugarland was not on stage as it would have been a much sadder day for country music if they had been. Sara Bareilles had just left the stage and Sugarland had not taken the stage yet, when this happened.

Meterologists are saying that the National Weather Service had issued a severe thunderstorm warning just a few minutes before and announcements had been made to tell concert goers where to go if there was an evacuation put into place. In just a matter of minutes, the stage collapsed on to the group of fans in an area closest to the stage known as "the sugar pit". Many fans were taken to local area hospitals to be treated for a variety of injuries.

Please pray for the families who have lost loved ones as well as the injured and all who witnessed the entire tragedy!

New Pony

My husband done some trading and got a new pony this week. He is an 8 or 9 year old paint horse and has flaxen on his mane and tail. He is such a gorgeous pony and I was thrilled when I seen him even though I do not like paint horses normally. He looks like he has had highlights in his hair. He is just a really neat color with a beautiful mane and tail. I decided that I wanted him to have a really neat and cool name and "Sir Fancy Pants" came to mind. My family thinks I am crazy to name him that.

He rides fairly well, but he is a little stubborn and he is a follower. He will ride well if there is a horse in front of him or if he has someone walking beside him. However, he is scared of eveything it seems and he seems very nervous. I hope to break him a little more and teach him to ride better. I want to take him when we go to the park and ride.

If anyone has any suggestions on things that I can do to help him learn to trust me a little more, I would certainly appreciate the ideas as I believe that he has been mistreated in the past.

Puppies, Colts, and Friends

It has been a few days since I wrote on here and I must say that is not from lack of things to talk about, but just lack of time. I have not even had time to do the writing that pays me fairly well so this has certainly been on the back burner.
Our new puppies are doing well and have began to open their eyes. If anyone is looking for a new puppy and doesn't mind having a mixed breed puppy, I will be giving some away soon. I may keep one of them so that it can grow with Bridget, but for the most part, they will be given to good homes.
I also hope to start training the colt this week to learn to walk on a lead rope. It should have already been done but I just haven't had the time. I will try to get better at finding a schedule and keeping it.
We made some new friends at the fair and we are looking forward to continuing some of those friendships into the new year and hopefully, we will be at many future shows with them.

Ready For Week to Begin

As the fair has wound down and is now over, we are rested and ready for a new week of activities to begin. Bridget done well in her first year of 4-H and I am proud of the young lady that she was during all of the competitions, even when showing in temperatures over 100 degrees with a heat index of 120.
She won 6th place in her sloppy showmanship competition and she won a hoof pick for that class. For the week, she ended up with 1 blue ribbon, 4 red ribbons, 2 white ribbons and the hoof pick as well as many new friends and a lot of experience. She also ended the week with many hours of fun behind her and many learning experiences.
It was fun but hot! With Indiana seeing some of the hottest weather in several years, we were troopers for being in the heat and humidity all day long. However, it was time to sit and enjoy time together and I actually miss going each day. We worked on our tans or burns, whichever the case might be. We met new people and learned a lot about showing that we didn't know. Overall, it was an exciting week! I am glad it is over, but already looking forward to next year!
Now, it is time to begin to get curriculum and lesson plans ready for the fall and the new school year. I am excited about her learning this year as she has progressed so much over the summer in her reading. Her math skills have also improved this year and I am finally seeing much needed progress in her skills! She has worked hard and continues to strive to improve each day.
It is also time for appointments. We all have eye doctor appointments this week and we are in the process of getting physicals and dental checkups as well. I am sure that at least a couple of us are going to need glasses.
I hope to include more recipes and lesson ideas for the next few weeks so keep stopping by and learning new things about our lives!

Bridget didn't place in the costume contest last night at the fair, but she had fun! It was absolutely amazing to see the imagination that these kids had with their costumes! If anyone ever has a chance to see one of these shows, it is certainly a beautiful competition and these kids pour their hearts into the competition.

In her class, the winner had her horse dressed as a rocking horse. The second place winner was a John Deere Tractor and farmer and third place went to a beautiful horse that was dressed as a poodle and the girl riding had a poodle skirt on. Other honorable mentions were Fred Flintstone and Dino, an elf in the forest, and a convict who had her horse shackled.

Bridget had dressed as Lady Liberty and the horse was patriotic, but she really didn't deserve to place as the others were a lot better thought out and planned. It was fun and we learned that we really need to step up the game when we enter this competition next year.

It has been a hot week with heat index temperatures hitting over 105 degrees and she will be doing her fun show today with a heat index possibly hitting 115 degrees. The temperatures were hot but the costumes that these kids done were even hotter!

Hot Day But Two Ribbons

Yesterday was an absolutely toasty day! As we stood in the sun to watch the horse show at the fair, we realized just how hot it truly was. I felt cooked inside by the time I left the fairgrounds yesterday evening.
My daughter was in her first show a little after 10 a.m. and it was a halter class. She knew what she needed to do and she done it for the most part. She missed turning for the judge one time, but she done well. As names were called, I was in tears after she wasn't called by fourth place as I knew she was going to get higher than that. She got third and I was thrilled with her!!
Her next class was novice showmanship and she was a little nervous about it as she had a pattern that she had to remember but it was easy. After what seemed like hours of keeping her as cool as we could considering she was in a jacket and a long sleeve shirt, she entered the arena and walked to the judge, after inspection she was supposed to do a complete circle andtro to her next marker , but she forgot the turn there. At the next marker, she done her turn but she was supposed to back her horse five steps, but she didn't. I knew she realized what she had done but she went on, which I was proud of. After all that, she got third place with this show also. How thrilling!
We both came home hot, sunburnt, hot, and very tired, but so proud of her!!

Another Ribbon

Bridget got a blue ribbon on her rabbit last night! I am so proud of her!! She has a beautiful blue registered English Spot rabbit named Dorthea. She shows her chicken today. It is going to be a busy day as we have the poultry show, the horse to be hauled to the fair, stall to decorate, and the parade today. Plus feeding the rabbit and cleaning the cage.
Hope you all have a great day!

4-H in full force

Well, fair time is upon us and all the 4-H projects are going full force at the moment. Yesterday, Bridget turned in a dog poster and a horse poster and won red ribbons on both of them. She was very excited as this is her first year in 4-H and so she was not expecting to do as well as others.
Today we have her Creating With A Mix project due. It has been an early morning for us as we got up at 5:30 so that we could make her cake fresh today. I am hoping that it brings a blue ribbon home, but if not we will be happy with what she does get.
I will try to give a daily update here for the next few days, but not sure how next week will be as we will be at the fair most days. If you are near the area, stop by the Johnson County Fairgrounds and look for us at or near the horse barns.

Reminder of God's Grace

Yesterday, God got my attention. I have been so overwhelmed with all the work that we have to do this week to get ready for the fair and how we are so short of time before projects are due. Plus, my husband is working out of town and may be gone longer than we thought so he won't be here to help and I was complaining that I could not find time to get here and update my blog. Suddenly, the phone rang which I grumbled about.
It was my daughter's best friend, who I just adore like she was my own. She was crying and I could not imagine what she was going to say next. Her grandmother , who lived with her family, had passed away in her sleep. What? She had just driven her to the library the day before! What? She had just talked to me about going to the horse show next Sunday to watch the girls. How could it be? Her husband was in worse shape healthwise than she was- was it true?
Then I thought of the verse in the Bible that states that man knows not the day or hour that he will be chosen to go to his Heavenly home. God spoke volumes to me! He reminded me that He is in control and that we need to be ready at any time.
The next time you wake up late or not feeling great because of staying up too late, be thankful that you woke up at all!

Camping Preparations

Well, there is a lot of camping preparations going on in our household right now. We have borrowed a new horse trailer from a friend to see if we like it better than ours and so it was delivered here yesterday. He mentioned that it might need a little cleaning and how right he was.

I guess it is not really dirty, but it has been sitting all winter and it is in need of a spring clean. I will be washing down walls and counter tops as well as cleaning the floor and vacumming the bench seat covers today. I hope to mop the floor as well as it is a tile floor in the living quarters of it.

I also have to pack the food that we will be taking and I will also have to be packing clothes that we intend to wear. I normally have all our stuff as far as cooking supplies and other needed items in our trailer as we use it often in the summer. I keep a lot of ours in totes so it should be easy to move over into this one once it is cleaned.

I think that since the inside of this one is much larger than ours, it will be a better trip. We will actually have a table inside that we can use for playing games should it rain and we will also have more room to move around in. In our trailer, you can barely turn around, so this is better.

I am hoping that after this camping trip my husband will decide to either redo our trailer or he will decide to just buy this one as I believe that it is going to be for sale. I am planning to enjoy this trip , but first I must get off of here and get to work so for now, I am signing off and I hope to be back with a full fun filled weekend report next week.

Have a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July! Let Freedom Ring!!

4-H Create A Mix Project

As many of you know, my youngest daughter is signed up for several 4-H projects this year and one of them is a foods project. She had to take cake mix or some kind of mix and make something else out of it. She decided upon advice from her sister's boyfriend to make a Mountain Dew cake. This was the first time she had ever made this type of cake as well as the first bundt cake that she had ever made. For the most part, I will say she did well. It is a little darker on top than I would prefer and it is not quite even on the top,but for her first time I am quite proud of her.
The other projects are going well and we do have ideas for how the posters will look when we are finished with them. For the most part she is doing all of the work on her own as I will just be doing a few photos of her and her dog.
She is a busy girl as she is doing 6 projects for her first year. I am anxious to share with all of you how she does. We hope for at least one blue ribbon!

Content

As I was writing on another site today, I wrote something without giving much thought to what i was saying and then proofreading it, I realize how important what I had said was. It was a discussion about television remotes and how no one gets up to change the channels anymore and yet, we can get irritated if we have to change the channel with the remote to see something else.
I had commented that I grew up without a remote television and that I get irritated as my husband is constantly changing the channels or going to the guide to see what else is on as it is so convient with that remote. I also noted that I grew up without a washer and dryer so that I knew the hardship of doing laundry by hand and that I tried to always be thankful that I no longer have to do that and try not to complain about the laundry. Wow! Being thankful for laundry, I would never have thought that I would say that.
I personally really do not like doing the laundry as it is one of those chores that is required to be done almost daily in our home. However, after reading that comment that I made, I realized that I can't complain as I have a machine that really does the work for me. All I have to do is pour detergent and softner in and add the clothes. Then I move them to the dryer and then I fold them or hang them up. What do I have to complain about? Nothing when it comes to this subject at all.
I must add that I am thankful that God allows us to have these moments that we learn something so small to be thankful for and that He gives us the ability to be thankful. What are you truly thankful for today?

Life on the Funny Farm

Another week has whizzed by on the farm and I really do not know where so many hours go. Although, I know that we do a lot in the time we are awake, it seems that there are just not enough hours in the day. We have gotten many things accomplished this week that really needed to be done.

The barn that we have on a friends' property really needed to be cleaned up after we moved several horses from there this week and I am proud to say that Bridget and I have managed to get one stall cleaned out. We have put lime down and we will finish working in there this next week. That was a feat all on it's own. Plus, we cleaned all of the water troughs this week as well.

Vanilla, our colt from last spring, is learning quickly that we expect certain behavior out of her and she is slowly beginning to respect us and trust us. I believe that we will be putting a blanket on her several times next week and then I will be putting a saddle on her before much longer to see how she is going to act with it. Although, she is way to little to be ridden yet, it will be fun to begin the process that will eventually lead to that.

The new colt that was born Memorial Day is growing daily and is beginning to really pay attention to his surroundings. I am anxious to get him to the other barn to begin to do some work with him as well. I doubt that we keep him, but it will still be fun to do some of the beginning training with him.

The county fair is coming up quickly and we are busy planning projects and getting animals weighed in and so forth for the shows. Bridget is showing poultry, rabbits, as well as horse and pony this year. She is also going to enter two posters for horse class and dog class and she is doing a food project in create a mix. It is going to be a busy week and I hope that she enjoys it and wins some ribbons as I know she will be proud to show off.

In youth group, she is getting ready for a trip to Kings Island. This is always an exciting trip for the kids and will be here first time there so I am sure that she will enjoy it tremendously! I am not big on roller coasters so we usually do not go places like this as a family.

The Fourth of July is bringing a camping trip for us. We will be going camping at the local state park to spend five or six days with great friends and the horses. We will be doing lots of trail riding and eating a lot of good food! Good food, good friends = good times!

As a home school family, we are always finding time to read and since we are still working on some school, we are still working on finishing our language arts program which is based on studying literature that involves horses. We are currently reading, "Mustang, Wild Spirit of the West". We are really enjoying the book and the activities that come along with it. One of her activities this week was to draw a herd of horses, which she did do although she is not an artist.

I am finishing the series of chocolate mysteries that I have been reading this summer by JoAnne Carl. I am currently reading the " Chocolate Cupid Killings" . If you enjoy chocolate and mysteries, you really should read this series of books. I have also read the story of the Duggars, a family that is featured on the Discovery Channel. With many children in one household, some people might wonder how Michele and Jim-Bob Duggar keep their sanity, but they do it quite well and seem to really understand the important of family working together.

On Sunday , we celebrated Father's Day with my husband by spending the whole day together as a family. Tomorrow (Friday) we will celebrate his birthday, which is usually not a big deal as we try not to do much for the adult birthdays. We will probably do a cookout on Saturday with my oldest daughter as she will work all day tomorrow and not be able to spend the day with her dad.

My motivation for the week has been to keep Bridget motivated and upbeat with her reading skills improving as we work on those skills each day. I am sure that she is improving and will be back on track soon. She just seems to burn out when doing school and once she takes a short break then things seem to click again.

My wish for the week is that you are all blessed with good health and riches, whether it be material or spiritual riches.

French Onion Meatloaf

My husband loves french onion soup, which amazes me as he is a very picky eater. He also loves french onion dip with his Ruffles. Recently, we were at a small Amish grocery store and found a powdered french onion dip mix that you add to one 8 ounce container of sour cream to make chip dip with. On the front of the package, was a suggestion to add 1/2 cup of the powder to meatloaf.
Deciding that I would try it, I mixed up my meatloaf with 1 1/2 pounds of ground round with 3 eggs, some breadcrumbs, and about 1/2 cup of chopped onions along with my tomato sauce. Once this was mixed together, I decided to add the french onion powder to the mix as it suggested.
The result was a very moist and tasty meatloaf. The French Onion meatloaf was an excellent new recipe for us and something we will certainly be eating more of. It adds so much flavoring to the meatloaf and my husband said that it was like eating a bowl of soup.
I was also thinking that I might try the Hidden Valley Ranch dip mix next time as well. We eat it on pork chops that we grill and so I think that it would make a nice addition to the meatloaf as well.

New Goals

I have been thinking about the writing that I do online and I have decided that I need to make some new changes and set some new goals for myself. It seems as though I neglect this blog and so I am going to add it to my list of everyday goals. It is not hard to come on here and at least post something to this blog and I am hoping to add some recipes, like I suggested several times. My new goal for here is to be here daily and to add at least two recipes a week.
I must say that the farm is doing well and we enjoy the time with the animals. We have been downsizing horses as it seemed that we were ending up with too many. We now have two colts and although one is almost a year old, it is still taking up time to train.
I hope that all of you who read this will leave me a comment as to what I can do to stay motivated and how you motivate yourself to meet goals.

Still praying for Lauren

Just an update on the Lauren Spierer case in Bloomington, Indiana. friends and family are still concerned about the whereabouts of this special young lady. She has been missing since early the morning of June 3,2011 and someone needs to come forward and tell where she is. Her family, friends, and multitudes of searchers have combed the streets, woods, and places throughout the town that she could be,but to no avail. Her mother and father are heartbroken and deserve to know where their daughter is.
Police have video surveilllance now of a vehicle that they are considering could have something to do with the case, whether the person was involved or just thought that they seen something. They announced today that they were enhancing the video in hopes that someone might recognize the car or cars.
It is sad to think that in a college town students are not safe to walk alone, but with the way the world is these days, it is not ever safe to be alone. I would recommend that any parent that has a child away at college discuss this case with the child and stress to them how important it is to always be in pairs whereever they go.
I am still praying that someone will step forward and help solve this case and I pray daily for her safe return, but as the days slowly creep by I am sure that we are dealing with more than just a young girl appearing out of nowhere. Keep praying for Lauren Spierer and her family!

Missing Indiana University Student

For a week now, many people have been searching the town of Bloomington, Indiana for missing Indiana University student , Lauren Spierer. Spierer was last seen early on the morning of June 3 with a male acquaintance near her apartment near the IU campus.

Lauren is a fashion design student who was fun and full of life according to family and friends. She is from New York and just completed her sophomore year at the college. Her parents arrived in Indiana on Saturday June 4, 2011 to search for their daughter. Friends, college students, police, and volunteers from all over have been searching the Bloomington area as well as expanding searches out into other parts of the state near the IU campus for any signs of Lauren.

Lauren is 4'11" tall and weighs about 90 pounds. She is blonde haired as well. She was last seen wearing black leggings and a white top. Anyone with any information should contant America's Most Wanted or the Bloomington Police Department. Searches are being done at 11 a.m., 2 p.m., and 5:30 p.m. each day beginning on College Avenue near the Smallwood Plaza apartments where Lauren lived.

For a photo and information concerning this case, please click here. Please help find this beautiful young woman who has so much living to do and so much to offer the world. Her parents are doing all they can to bring her home and we should do what we can. If you have a blog, Facebook page, or Twitter page - Please post information about her there! The more that her photo is out there and the information is out there, the better the chances of finding her!

Not forgotten

Well, I have neglected my blog recently. I really had not forgotten that I had it but I have just been busy with many other sites and projects and just have been neglecting it. However, after a week of many ups and downs, I have decided that I just need to set myself a new goal to be here each day and work on it. I have decided that I want to make some changes or even begin a new blog so I am going to ask for some opinions. I am thinking about starting a blog on country cooking and was wondering if I should use this blog or start a new one. What do you think?

Also, was wondering how I can drive more traffic to my blog? If you have any ideas, please tell me. I am needing to find ways to drive more traffic to many of the articles that I write online and am hoping that somone here in cyber world can aid me in what I need to do.

Time4Learning Review

As many of you know, I am a homeschool mom that is very busy due to the caring of the home and many of the animals that we have here on the farm. I have homeschooled for 7 years and there are days that I throughly enjoy it and there are other days that I find that it is one of the most challenging things that I have ever done in my life.
Recently I decided that I would try a website that I had many other parents talk about helping their children. Time4Learning.com The site is a really bright and inteactive site and does have age appropriate lessons for the child. Being that my daughter struggles with math and reading, I was hoping that the site would be exactly what she needed to help her with learning the things that I am struggling with teaching her. I signed her up at grade level though and was surprised at some of the work that she was given.
She had many activities to choose from in basic subjects such as math, language arts, science and social studies. However, I really felt that the subjects were too hard for her and that she was not as interested in the activities as I thought that she would be. The subjects were well covered within the site but I felt as though it just was not what we needed. If a child can work well independently, then the site could be an added part of a homeschool curriculum or can be used for the majority of their home school day. However, if your child doesn't work well alone, then it might be that you are spending as much time here as the child and not learning as nearly as much as you would with another program.
Time4Learning is a great program for those students who do not need a lot of adult supervision, but it doesn't seem to aid in the struggling child's curriculum. Challenging a child is one thing, but struggling to make it work can be too much of a challenge.

Mad! Still Mad! Even Madder!

Mad! Still mad! Even madder! Those are the feelings that I have had since Saturday evening when we were headed to another town to a benefit for a young family with some very large medical bills and an ill child, when some young girl decided to make a left turn in front of us when we were literally less than two car lengths from her. I drove a large car -1995 Buick Roadmaster and we had our head lights on as it had rained some and was cloudy but she didn't see us according to what she told the officer taking the report.
I was mad at the scene and I was not a pleasant person to either her or the poor man who tried to help me because I was limping. I was too mad and was concentrated on getting my daughter and her friend taken care of before anyone worried about me. I was mad when I seen how damaged my car was and I was mad that she had been so careless. She could have literally told what color our jackets were we were so close to her.
After being checked by the paramedics and being told that we were all okay for the most part, I was relieved that the kids were not hurt, but still mad at the other driver. By the time we were home, I was still mad at her for ruining our evening and my daughter's sleepover.
The next morning when I took another look at my car, I was still mad at the other driver for not paying more attention to what was going on in front of her. Seriously, how can you not see a large blue car in front of you? How could you turn and risk your life and the life of another person or family? What if one of my kids would have been hurt of worst yet, killed? What if I would have had to call my daughter's friends' parents and tell them that their daughter that was in my care was seriously hurt due to someone else's neglect- or worse yet dead?
The more I pondered on the subject, the madder I got. Finally after a day or two, I realize that I am even madder now than I was before. She has left me without any way of going anywhere and she took a chance of injuring or killing two precious young ladies or myself or my husband. That is stupidity at its' finest, if anyone wants my opinion on it. UGH!!
I am thankful that we are all fine and I am thankful that no one was seriously hurt. I do not know how I would have handled myself if someone would have been injured!!

New Farm Animals

We have some new animals here on the farm. We purchased some guineas and baby turkeys last week. The turkeys are just babies and were just a few days old when we got them, but the guineas are older.
The guineas are going to make good "watch dogs" as they like to make a lot of noise. Everytime we walk out into the yard they tend to make noise and let us know that they are watching. I have heard that they keep the prey animals away from the chickens and stuff and that is why I decided we needed them. Living with woods surrounding the property makes the farm a nearby meal for coyotes.
The turkeys are going to be a 4-H project for Bridget. She will also be showing a pony or horse as well as rabbits, chickens, and possibly her dog. She is going to be very active when fair season arrives and I am sure we will spend a lot of time there.
Wishing everyone a good week.

Friday Farm Report

It has been a couple of weeks since I have written this regular report, but with the cold and the ice that we have been having there just hasn't been a lot going on. The weather has finally broke and it has been nice here the past few days, except for the mud! It seems that everywhere is mud and the soft mud that allows you to sink.
Both my husband and I have had a mud experience this week that ended up with so not terrific results and I feel that I need to share them. First, I drive a rear-wheel drive car, which is not good on any kind of wet, snow-covered, icy road or in the mud. I really need a 4 wheel drive before next winter if I intend to remain in the country as we live on a non-maintained county road which can be snow covered or ice covered for many days until the weather breaks and it melts. Anyway, this week I went to the barn (about 3 miles away where we keep some of our horses) and fed for the first time in awhile as my husband usually does the feeding in the winter there. As I returned home, I was pulling into our drive and tried to miss a rut in the mud and the back of the car hit some mud and I started to slide and slid into a ditch where I was now officially stuck! Stuck in the mud with tennis shoes on - UGH!! My husband was home luckily and got me out.
Yesterday, he decided that he could use this little machine ( almost a backhoe- trencher combination) to move a round bale of hay into the pasture here at home and as he began moving it he made some marks in my backyard and down to the pasture gate. After getting the bale into the feeder, he attempted to climb a small hill to get back out of the field and realized that he was stuck. Getting a friend to help him get it out involved bringing the 4 wheel drive truck that my husband owns into my back yard , which lead to horrible ruts in my yard as the wheels and truck were attempting to sink into the mud and being that the truck needed to pull the other machine out there was some spinning involved which I must say destroyed all the yard around it. The entire back of my house now looks as though we live in a mud pit designed for a mud bog. All this mess during my usual Thursday outing to the library. UGH!!
We are still operating a flea market booth where we sell horse tack and miscellaneous items so we went to an auction last night and I must say that I did not find a lot of good finds, but I did find a few things . I love sales and I love auctions, but I also always set a limit on my spending and I stick with it. I did buy a couple of box lots for the flea market booth for a dollar or two a piece, but my best find was a Keurig coffeemaker and a Choco-latte machine for $4.00 each. I was concerned that they might not work, but upon returning home, they both work perfectly and I believe that they are possibly both brand new. I was thrilled!
My husband bought two new chickens for $7.00. I do not know what they are, but they are rare he said and Bridget will use them for 4-H this year as well. All in all, we done quite well with our purchases and we have some new merchandise for the flea markets as well as some new items for the house.
Well, school is needing to be done, laundry is in, and the house is screaming to be cleaned from the mud and mess we have made this week so I better get off of here and begin to do something that is on the long list of household chores for the day. Until next week, have a great week and ya'll come back now!

The Schedule

Well, my schedule is always changing it seems. I had many plans for today, but that has all changed as my husband has to take a quick trip to a factory in KY to work on a machine and pick up 2 pieces of a steel, so I am taking a road trip with him. My daughter is not feeling well so she misses the home school skate that we planned to go to and she will be home. She will be doing some school work and then we will finish when I get home or we will do some tomorrow. Thank God for allowing us to home school as our schedule can be so hectic.

Hope everyone has a great day!

my day

BRR! It is cold outside. Our temperature this morning is in the single digits with close to double digits below zero windchills. I believe I just heard that it is -9 degrees F outside right now with the wind chill. Dangerous weather for adults, kids, and animals. I am thankful that they are saying warmer weather is headed our way and I am sure that the animals are as well.

I am headed to work today. I have taken a part time job at a local restaurant and I will be doing some kitchen prep work today. I really don't want to do it, but I will take what I can right now. I guess I better get off of here and get some work done before I go and go start the car so it can heat up before I have to leave.

Hope everyone has a good day! May God Bless you and yours!

Busy Day

It looks as though today is going to be another very busy day in my house. As I was making out the to-do list yesterday, I realized that there are just not enough hours in the day to do the things that I plan. I have to cut back, but where I can make those cuts I really don't know.

Today's list looks like this:
School ( usually takes about 4 hours)
Fix Lunch ( 1 hour with cleanup)
Vacuum and dust living room
File papers for new sales booth
Find some books for next weeks school lessons
Pick up clutter from dining room
Pay bills
Cook dinner and do cleanup
4-H meeting
Write blog entry
Write articles for Triond
Write articles for Associated Content
Redesign school area a little bit

Plus the daily chores of feeding animals and all the farm life. UGH! I guess I will keep my head up and go back into a prayer that God gets me through the day. Until tomorrow!

Super Bowl

Well, the big game is over and although the weather wreaked havoc on the state of Texas earlier in the week, the game proceed and the Green Bay Packers hold the football title, Super Bowl Champions. Now we look forward to Indianapolis hosting this fabulous event and we will wait to see how the Colts home state handles the weather and the preparations that go into such a big event.

Onto other things, the weather forecast is beginning to improve maybe for us. It seems that the next few days will be extremely cold with highs in the teens, but I see forecasts that are showing that it could be 42 degrees by Sunday. That will be a tropical heatwave compared to what the weather has been.

My daughter made it home safely from the youth convention, Dare 2 Share, in Columbus, Ohio this weekend. The group ended up staying an extra night so that they could travel home safely. I am thankful for adult chaperones who realize that traveling in snow after dark is not the wisest thing to do with a group of young people to care for. It seems as though God truly worked miracles in these young peoples lives and made some major impacts for some of them during this event. Even the adults who attended with them said that it was just a miracle to see so many young people worshipping God and being touched by Him.

Life on the farm will hopefully slow up a little this week. Bridget and I will be studying birds in science this week. She will be watching birds daily as well as reading about them, learning how to identify them and she will end the week by making two bird feeders to put in the yard to hopefully, draw more birds into the yard. As we live in a wooded area, we tend to see several birds anyway and we keep several birdfeeders here anyway. I personally enjoy the woodpeckers that we see in the spring the most.

I will share more as the week goes on. For now, laundry needs to be done, menu for the week needs finished and we need to do some school for the day. Once all of that is done, I need to do some online writing for Associated Content so that I can keep some spending money rolling in. Hope you all have a great day!

Surviving The Storm

Well, as yet another winter storm has hit the central Indiana area, I am happy to say that we have survived the worst of the storm and we are out of the danger for a few days. Making preparations for these types of storms when you live in an area that you know road crews won't reach for a few days is always a challenge and I did not do as well this time.

Being that we have dealt with so much snow this winter, I went out with preparing for a snow storm, although we were predicted to get an ice storm. I got supplies but I didn't get Ice Melt or batteries. These would be important items to have in the midst of a major ice storm, but I didn't think of either of them. Luckily, we have a generator and we didn't need the flashlights as we were fortunate enough to not lose power throughout the storm. As many of our county residents are without power and could be until tomorrow resulting in 3-4 days of no electricity.

Weather forecasters are saying that we will see more snow on Saturday and that we could see another accumulating snow on Monday or Tuesday of next week. I guess we will just have to hunker down and be sure to have plenty of things to occupy our time so that cabin fever doesn't settle in too much.

Prayers for all of the people throughout the country who are having worst winter weather than we are. It seems that many states are being hammered with crazy weather and really cold temperatures so we are lucky in the fact that we have a roof over our heads and that we are not cold or hungry.

Winter Storm

Well, another winter storm has hit central Indiana and this one maybe the worst that we have seen this year. Many parts of central Indiana are under travel advisories are being issued and even one county, Shelby, has issued a travel emergency. Travel conditions are hazardous and are not expected to get better for a few days as they weather is to worsen throughout the day.

It seems that much of the state is under a layer of ice and that effects travel and the power throughout the state. Many power outages are being reported this morning and news casters are saying that we could see greater outages and that some electric customers could be without power for several days. Making preparations for that kind of an outage can be difficult.

Weather is a big concern when colleges and universities are cancelling classes and the many central Indiana government agencies are closing as well. A funeral procession for a fallen officer, David Moore, has also been cancelled today due to the weather conditions being too dangerous for the people who would be lined along the processional route.

Travel delays could be a major issue over the next few days as the ice and snow continues for a couple of days here. Many airlines will be seeing delays and even cancellations as air travel is not safe in this kind of ice. There are likely to be many snow emergencies issued as well and interstate travel is hazardous and accidents are closing area interstates as well.

Northern Indiana could be reeling from blizzard type conditions later today and with 1/2 inch of ice in central Indiana and with a prediction of up to a foot of snow in northern Indiana, the entire state could see a state of emergency later today and tomorrow.

Some southern parts of Indiana could be lucky enough that the temperatures will get above freezing and that would allow the ice to accumulate lesser amounts of precipitation. This would be a great help to the many road crews who are out trying to keep the road travel as safe as possible. Wind is going to be an issue tomorrow and with power lines having a coating of ice when the winds start, the conditions could worsen quickly. Be aware if you happen to travel through Indiana in the next couple of days.

Farm Life

Life on the farm has been so blessed the past few weeks. We have received so many unexpected surprises and blessings and this is my chance to say that I praise God for the way that He is working in my life. I am so thankful that next week at this time Bridget will be with the youth group at the Dare 2 Share un tour convention and I pray that the blessings that she brings back will be able to be shared with all of you here. She is extemely excited about going and she seems to be sure that she will continue to work on getting friends to chuch as well. I pray that God shows her just what he is wanting from her life.

The animals are doing fine surviving the crazy and cold weather that we have been having. It seems that we may be in the path for another major winter storm this coming week, but prayers are going up that it misses us and the people on the eastern coast of the United States who have already seen a lot of snow this season.

Thinking of spring, which is only a little over 50 days away and the garden will need to be planted and the weeds will need to be pulled and the flower beds and herb gardens will need to be taken care of as well. It seems that life here is always busy but always a blessing in some form. For now there is cooking and laundry to be completed and firewood to be cut and stacked. Heating our home with wood stove has certainly aided in keeping utility bills lower and at a price that so far we have been able to afford.

Well, that is enough for today. I pray that you will stop by the funny farm again and catch up with our family. We will be attending our first 4-H meeting for the year on Monday evening so I am sure that there will be news to share about that too.

Woke Up By a Ringing Phone

Well, my morning started out completely different today than I had expected. Knowing that there is yet another winter storm headed our way, I had planned to make a quick trip to the store today as well as to make a stop at the post office to change my brother's address and make a stop at the library so that books would not be late. Plus, we needed to get wood stacked onto the porch so we don't have to trod through the snow in order to bring it in tomorrow. However, a ringing phone changed my entire day.
My oldest daughter works in a restaurant and at 6:45 this morning to ask me to come to work as no one showed up in either the kitchen or the dishroom. Well, I am not an employee there, but I can always use the extra money so I told her that I would be there shortly. I hurried to get ready and to line things out at home as my youngest daughter goes to youth group on Wednesday nights with a friend and they pick her up around 1:30 p.m. and I needed to make sure that her school work was ready for her as I home school and I usually do lessons with her.
Finally, I made my plans for the day at home and headed out the door. I arrived at the restaurant to find that I would be in the dish room, which I didn't mind. It was an interesting day as I learned my way around the dish room and kitchen on a day that I intended to be at the store and library.
After working about 7 hours, I left there and went to do the errands that I had intended to do before that ringing phone. It is amazing how such a small device can change the course of the whole day. It is also amazing that I managed to accomplish everything that was on my to do list and still go do someone else's job.

Trip

My daughter wants to go with the church on a mission field trip to Cincinnati, Ohio in a couple of weeks and the convention is called the Dare2Share. It is geared towards teens and young adults and the youth group is going. She had told me about it and said that if she could not afford to go they would get her a sponsor, so I had her ask for a sponsor as the trip was going to be over $100 and I was not sure that we could do that. Last night I found out that the church didn't find a sponsor and that she has to pay for it tomorrow night. Well, I am disappointed to say that I do not think that she is going to be able to go as I don't think that we will have the money for it.
I feel sad for her as I would have worked harder to try to get the money had she not been told that she would have a sponsor. She was really excited about the trip and wanted to go and now feels that she is less than the other kids who are going to have the opportunity to go.
For a young person to want to do something like this so badly and yet she can't, just makes me feel that I am not fulfilling my responsibility as a parent. I am working on trying to get some money, but I am not sure.

A Day of Honor- Martin Luther King

Today as we honor one of the most influential men in American History, I am made even more aware of the huge strides we have made in equality since MLK's famous speech. HOwever, I am well aware that the blacks in this country suffered for a great many years.
My daughter and I are studying the Civil War right now and we recently studied slavery in the United States. She asked how people thought that it was right to own another human being- that comes from a 14 year old and yet, there are still many men and women who believe that slavery should not have been abolished. Makes me wonder how some people see things so clearly and others are so naive.
Today is a good day of reflection for our history and for our country. Imagine someone telling Martin Luther King that we would have a black President in 2011, he would have been so pleased and yet, he would have never said that he was sure it would be. Yet, here we are with history being made by yet another black man _ President Barack Obama. It shows that one person and their beliefs can made a huge diffence if they get their voice out there and fight for what they believed.
One thing that I also think of is that Martin Luther King would never have gone to the violence that some resort to in order to think that thier point will be made. The shooter in Arizona, the mastermind of the Sept.11 attacks, the Oklahoma bombings all thought that violence was the answer and they might have gotten much more attention if they would have stepped forward and spoke of their beliefs and tried to change the way people looked at a subject. It is a lesson learned for all of us.
As I am listening to the news, I am finding that there seems to be plenty of talk about the Golden Globe Awards and the fashions that were worn, but not much talk about this holiday or the man behind it- maybe that shows what is most important in society today, which makes me sad! If we expose our children to more history, they would understand more as to what politics was designed for to start with and possibly know more about the people who have changed our world.

Early Morning Thoughts

As I sit here this morning enjoying my tea and thinking about the day ahead, I realize just how important my quiet time is to me. It seems that the day begins with hustle and bustle as I attempt to get things prepared for meals, teach my daughter, aid my husband in chores around here, clean the house, and try to find time to write online which is currently my job. From the time it starts till the end of the day, it is hard to find time to sit and just think.
We are dealing with a situation right now with a friend being wrongly accused of animal cruelty and it seems to be taking a lot of our time. He is a wonderful horseman and is currently fighting charges that the county brought on him several years ago and is winning and now they have charged him with 9 new counts. He is an middle aged man who has dealt with horses all of his life and he is not in the best of health, but he makes do and he lives for horses. No one should have the right to take that away from him.
I know nothing about the case in the past, but on this case I know they are wrong. They have said that he was not feeding the horses or caring for them and that is a lie! We were taking him to feed at least every other day and they had plenty of hay and access to a creek to drink from. Most days he was feeding 50 pounds of feed a day plus the hay plus they were in a field where they could get some foliage. Shelter might have been an issue, but horses are designed to stay outside and their bodies are designed to adjust to the cold. Maybe we need to put shelters in the western United States where wild horses roam free so that they can get out of the cold. What a thought?
Congress woman Gabby Giffords seems to be improving much faster than I imagined that she would as they say she is communicating with her hands and that she has opened her eyes and moved her arms and legs. What a blessing that is for her family! Whatever drives this woman to survive this horrible attack, I am thankful that she has the strong will to overcome such a life threatening injury. Praise God!!!
Until tomorrow, thanks for reading and remember to be thankful for the quiet moments in your day!

More Snow Coming

Just watched the weather so I must be a glutten for punishment. With at least four or five inches of snow already on the ground and cold temperatures all around, it seems that I would not want to hear any more. I was hoping for some warmer temperatures in the near future and instead I hear of another winter storm moving in for the weekend.
Central Indiana is being forecast to have a rain snow mix on Friday night and Saturday morning and then snow on Sunday. Will the winter weather ever end this year? We are above average in our snowfall by about double. It would not be as bad if we were to have a week or two between snowstorms, but it seems that they are coming back to back. Plus, I just seen another large area of precipitation moving into the West Coast and that is sure to make its way here just as we are cleaning up for the one that is predicted for the weekend.
The horses here look beautiful when covered with a slight layer of snow, but it would be nice if it were warm enough and dry enough to go out to enjoy them just a little bit. Looking at them out of the window is just not enough, but I do not like the cold and I try not to go out anymore than I have too.
We heard last night on our local news that 49 out of the 50 states now have snow. I guess Florida is the only place right now to go to avoid the snow and I personally do not care much for Florida. I guess I will have to deal with the cold and snow and maybe spring will be here soon.

16 Years and never good weather

Yes, I know I live in the Midwestern United States and I know that I chose one of the worst months to get married, but it would be nice to have one year of decent weather for out anniversary. My husband and I were married 16 years ago last night and if weather for the future could have been predicted by the weather we had at that time.

I remember that it was slick, icy, snowy, and cold the night we were married. We had been planning to get married at a different time, but I decided that I was tired of waiting and made a last minute decision that we would get married then. We got ready and where married two hours later surrounded by family and the residents of the nursing home where my grandmother was. We wanted her to see the wedding and we decided that it was too slick to bring her home, so we went there. Very slippery and cold trip, but well worth it!

Now 16 years later, we are under a winter storm advisory and it is cold, snowy and we have slick roads. Being that we live in rural area, travel is even more difficult. As we were talking yesterday, I do not ever remember a year that the weather has not been like this on our anniversary. It seems that this must be the worst week of weather that Indiana has and this week seems to be delivering the same results. Would it be too much to ask Mother Nature to hold off one week of bad and extremely cold weather?

Oh Well, I guess we will just continue to enjoy the years even if we don't enjoy the weather. The day was spent as any other day is - cleaning house, doing laundry, preparing meals, home schooling, and work. Maybe we can go to dinner at a later date and maybe we can actually plan to go somewhere warm at some time to celebrate.

Snowy Day

Waking up this morning to a white blanket of newly fallen snow, I realize that it is once again Mother Nature exerting her power over the country. It seems that the weather has gone completely overboard everywhere. Places like Atlanta, Georgia are seeing snow a few times this year which is not a normal situation.
There are winter weather advisories all over the country and snow falling it seems in most of North America. There were over 2000 flights cancelled or delayed yesterday and I am sure that many will follow today with the Midwest being under a weather advisory with the potential for 3-6 inches in most of this area. Omaha, Nebraska was blanketed with snow overnight and now snow is falling in the Ohio River Valley area.
The snow hitting the midwest and the snow hitting the southeast will combine later today to deliver a serious amount of snow into the northeastern United States over the next couple of days with places like New York City possibly getting 12-14 inches of snow and other places forecasted to get 1-3 feet of snow. That is a large, heavy blanket of winter that will be hard to dig out from under and could cause even more serious delays in travel.
For anyone who has to travel, be prepared as I am sure that you will be delayed at some point of your trip. For those of you who do not have to travel, stay inside. Today seems to be a good day for a cup of hot chocolate and snuggled up under a blanket with a good book.

Beginning the Week

I am beginning the week on an organized note and hopefully, I can keep things going in that direction. I am hoping that this year is one that will allow me to be even more organized than I have been and that will start with organizing my own stuff before I try to do the whole house. I rearranged the kitchen some yesterday and I am hoping that it makes a difference.

We are starting home school back today after a long break for the holiday season. I made lesson plans out a week ago or so and we are going to stay on track as much as we can. I believe that we allow life to interfere some times with things that we know we need to do. Of course, I am changing our schedule around today as we were to do a field trip on Wednesday, but we are predicted to get more snow tonight and tomorrow, so I will do the field trip today and do the work on Wednesday that I intended to do today. That is the beautiful thing about home schooling, we can make adjustments and work around things that come up as long as we continue to do the school work each day.

I have our menu planned for this week and have started next week's. I feel that it makes life easier on me if I am a little ahead on planning what I will cook. Then I can make sure that I have meat laid out and I do not have to make plans that day and try to decide. I also have the menu worked around the plans that I have for the day and if it is a busy day, the crock pot comes out and we use it. I find that in the winter time I use it much more than I do any other times.

Please pray for the families of the Arizona shooting victims. This is such a tragedy and the young man who made the decision to carry that gun and shoot those people had a family that is grieving just as much as the other families. I realize that he must have had some major problems and I know that he had a family who loved him also. It is such a shame that young people feel that guns are the answer to so many problems. Politically, we are a country with some serious problems, but we still live in a free country and a land of wealth available. Our leaders have a lot of work ahead of them and we should stand behind them even if we know they are wrong. After all, to err is human and they are human!

Tough Loss for Indianapolis Colts

Today, Indianapolis Colts fans are recovering from a heartbreaking loss to the New York Jets. Struggling with injuries all season long, Peyton Manning and the Colts seemed to have a good chance at making it to round two of the playoffs after Adam Vinatari scored with a field goal kick with about 53 seconds on the clock to give the Colts a 2 point lead. However, Mark Sanchez and the Jets would work their way into field goal range to with a remarkable pass with two seconds on the clock, giving the Jets a chance to win the game. With a field goal of 34 yards, the Jets won the game by 1 point putting an end to the season that Colts fans have seen plenty of losses in.

It has seemed that with many key players out for some or most of the season, even Manning has been off and out of sync. Manning has been plagued with several interception passes this year, which is something you rarely see from him. He has been pressured to pass the ball and it has shown with his stats this season.

Maybe with this loss behind them and time to rest, the Indianapolis Colts will come back strong in the 2011-2012 season and win a Super Bowl in Lucas Oil Stadium next year - home team, home turf could mean a certain win, but we are talking NFL and we all know that the games never turn out as they appear. Good luck to the Colts next season and for now- We are still proud of the outstanding games you have had this year and the hard work that you have done!

Thursday Jan. 6

Well, the weatherman is predicting snow to fall here today. I am thankful that it has given us a break from the crzy weather we had in December. I hope that they are wrong about snow. I would not care if it did not snow any more here this year as it seems that we have had enough.
For some reason, I feel that January makes me think of spring. I was thinking yesterday about what crops we will plant this year and how I want to do some new things to the yard in order to add some beauty to it. I am really not a flower person, but if I could plant some annuals that would just return each year that are as easy as mums, I might be willing to do more. However, I am also anxious to see the birds return to the yard. I have several bird feeders and each spring the ones outside the dining room window bring beautiful birds into our view each morning.
Today is library day at the farm. My daughter and I attend a home school class each Thursday morning and we enjoy the time as it allows us to visit with friends and allows us a few hours doing something different.
Once, we are home then it will be lunch, stack wood, and then cook dinner. I hope to work a little reading into that schedule and I would like to be able to get my three articles written for Associated Content that I try to get finished each day.
Hope you all have a great day!!

Busy Day

Another day is upon us and it seems to filled with plenty to do so I am sure that this will be a short post. As we are winding down our Christmas break from school, I find that it is once again time to start making lesson plans for the upcoming six weeks. Being a home school family, our lessons have to be planned ahead in order to not get too far away from the book learning by lifes ' own learning experiences.
Also, we have been given a washer and dryer by what I am calling my own personal angel for the day. As my washer has been going out and I knew that the budget didn't allow for one anytime soon, I was worried about how I could get one. Recently, talked with a stranger who is moving across country and heard of my situation and is willing to give us a set that they were intending to sell. I praise God for someone who is willing to do such a wonderful thing. It is such a blessing to my family and we will be sure to pass the blessing forward when we can. Isn't God great? Answered prayers remind me each day as to why I put my faith in Him.
Also, there are animals to be feed and writing to be done online plus there are meals to be cooked and housework to be completed. It will be a busy day but a very rewarding day. Praise God for His wonderful works!!

Sad Day on the farm

Today is a sad day on our farm as I have learned that my pet pot-bellied pig Arnold passed away yesterday. I had raised him from a young pig and had only had him a couple of years, but had grown to love him very much. We aren't sure of what killed him or caused his death, but it is a sad day for me on the farm.

Arnold was named after the pig on Green Acres as that is one of my favorite shows. He had been scared of people when I first got him, but now was accustomed to my daughter and I getting in his pen with him and he had learned to allow me to hold him. He had been handfed when he was younger to allow me to be able to interact with him at the time.

Today is my memorial to Arnold and I hope to add a photo of him to this blog today.

Indianapolis Colts Advance

My favorite football team has advanced into the playoffs following a slim win over the Tennessee Titans yesterday at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Colts have a rough season plagued with injuries and so I decided that I would write about them and he is the article that I had published on Triond.

http://sportales.com/football/indianapolis-colts-advance/

New Years Day

Happy New Year to all of you! We spent a wonderful evening with friends last night and played games and ate and just had a lot of fun. We spent the evening with our children and families and it was a nice relaxing entrance into the new year.
I wish everyone a year of peace and prosperity!