Life today

Things I am happy about;

Mary Janes Farmgirl forum.
Harvest Swap
Halloween Costumes
My new issue of Victoria-yes, finally back again
My pregnant baby-belly. So cute.
Beautiful weather
Friends
Family
Toby Mac Music

Things I am not happy about today;

My mom is not happy with me.
I hurt her feelings.
18 accupuncture needles in me.
TMJ, thus the 18 needles.
My daughters horse hates our new baby percheron.
scraping frost off my truck window, with a scraper that only makes small scratches.

THE END of my list.
Have a wonderful day!
Tomorrow I am gutting the garden, it's ALL gone now, except the cosmos, which I will leave.
Talk to you later!

a long time gone

Well it's been a while, I will do what I can to get everyone caught up over the next little while.
Our family has been going thru some huge challenges. We have also had time to think and grow, and time to celebrate the new baby coming. We are due, in the spring, with number 7. Those of you who knew us as a family with 8 children will start to realise that might have something to do with our challenges lately. I will have to go into that later. I want to stay on a positive topic tonight. For my family, so you know, if it's a girl, it will be Chloe, if it's a boy it will be Lliam. So, all my cousins can beware of those names! (Just kidding!)
If you wonder what we have been doing, we are almost done with the new bathroom. We took place in our first living history encampment. We bought a new horse, he is a percheron, named Leo and he is 4months old. A black and white roan. We have been making applesauce, baking new recipies, and searching for the perfect new sewing machine. After using my mothers since I was 7, it died, or is on vacation, don't know yet. I have about 35 sewing projects backed up. I have to find a new one or fix the old one soon!

Adoption updates!

Hello everyone, I wanted to say for the record, how things are going. I have come to realize there are more people wondering how things are going, than I even know. Spring and Rebeckah, formerly Lovetta and Princess, have been with us for almost one year now. I tell everyone that adoption is more like bumper cars, than the roller coaster it is always being compared to. You are zooming along then, crash! There is a problem. Also, like bumper cars, the crash is soon over, and usually with no apparent damage, even though we take a step back to re-evaluate our situation. There have been many bumps to our adoption car, but I have to say that overall, our family is good, our "adjustments" have gone well so far, and under no circumstances do we regret our girls coming home. WE LOVE HAVING THEM HERE!!!!
The accomplishments they are responsible for over the last 10 months are just wonderful,things like ballet and dance lessons, singing on stage at our church, trips across country, horseback riding, PAYING SUMMER JOBS!! These are just the ones I have time to mention. Some more important things, they are really learning what a family is about, and they are showing much love and respect. They are helpful around the house, they follow our rules. These things might sound small to some of you, but I bet they don't if you have a teen at your house! I really want to post a few photos, to show you our happy moments lately, but the internet is down on the computer with the photos. If I can I wil add them later

Living History

Hear Ye, Hear Ye! We just spent a great morning in the land of the Senecas. We went to trade for our authentic costume stuff that we need to gather for the history program we are in. So far we have made old fashioned home made ice cream, sewed (by hand!) authentic dresses and shirts, and learned the drop spindle, hearth cooking, heirloom gardening. (Organically, of course!) THe projects that the children have been involved in have spun off into other areas of their lives, we decorated journals, now we are selling them, and trading them in the mail. WE LOVE MAIL ART!!! I hope this might inspire one family out there to try learning by living it. You could read about the things our ancestors used to eat, and the thing they used to wear, but if you taste apples and rasins cooked in brown sugar over a smokey fire, you can step into the past! It remembers a lot better that way.

Praying for Bears

We are back from the trip to Tennessee. As you can imagine, I will be posting some great photos. The children had a great time and their Aunt Donna and U. Miah packed the week so full that we ran out of time for everything. We celebrated Rebeckahs Birthday at the Rainforest cafe in Nashville. I will post the pic of her, when they came out with her surprise birthday cake. We also did hiking in the smokey mountains, Dean was happy with how well everyone could keep up on their "Chimney tops" climb. It didn't work out for Micah to make the whole climb, although I think she could have, so Rebeckah and Donna sat with her near the river and I bouldered around until the hikers came back. The children had been wishing to see a bear the whole time, and had even been praying for it to happen. Once we came up on a sighting, but when we asked people said it was already gone. Everyone was pretty dissappointed, but even when we thought our trip was over, driving out of the mountains to go back to our hotel, and leave for home the next day...don't you know a cute little bear jumped right in front of our truck and went lopping off the other side. Everyone got to see him, and of course we jumped out and watched until he was out of sight. It was better than just a bear sighting, it was a close encounter!!!

This is us!

Here we are at Easter, the children are all happy, because they don't get candy otherwise! I just wanted you all to see the whole family updated!

Here he is, our beautiful purple martin. He is in the bird house my family gave me on Mother's day. The picture is next to our garden, and I will post pics of that next time. Also of our new baby, a jack russel named Spiney. We took the children to PA this last weekend, it's always the biggest challenge, when you farm, to get away. By the time you have your farm help lined up, and everything done enough to leave, plus packing up 8 children, it's better to just stay home!! And yet, I think I have some gypsy blood in me, because I keep doing that to myself over and over. Dean never ever plans a trip, he would just stay here, year after year, with the grass growing under his feet. He is nice to me though, and every once in a while, he helps me take off on some mad adventure that I have cooked up! Pretty soon, we are going to visit Tennessee. I dream of France and Scotland, but I think that the Smokey Mnts. are more realistic!!!!!