Taking a Long Weekend

Although most people took a 3-day weekend last weekend, our family decided to wait until this weekend.  We are off to Dallas for a gaming conference...known as A-Kon.  I suppose if you have any interest in this type of thing it would be quite exciting.  Actually, Amanda and Katy have been planning this for some time and the rest of us just decided to come along for the ride.  It worked out perfect as Christina's school had a trip planned for Six Flags this weekend as well.  The boys and I will most likely spend our time wandering around some of the 'free' sights we find in the Big City!

Of course, we could not leave town with a little excitement first.  

Today, is traditionally the feast of Corpus Christi...a day set aside to remember the belief in the Eucharist as the Body and Blood...Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The idea is that we should celebrate this everyday, especially on the days we attend Mass; however, if we look back to the Apostolic days, this was soon after the Holy Spirit came down upon the Apostles at Pentecost.  The Apostles were not fearful upon this transformation of spirit and remembered that Jesus told them to bless the bread and wine as was done on that fateful night of the Last Supper (also a Thursday) and consume His Body and Blood.  If we truly believe this (look back to John 6) then we should glorify at the thought of this presence in the Eucharist.  "Every knee shall bend and every tongue confess." (Romans 14:11)  

One of the many traditions to honor the Eucharist on this feast day in Europe is to decorate various floral arrangements at altars around town.  The community then processes around to the altars praying together.  These altars are created by the maidens in the town.  

Every year we have tried to do this in the many churches we have attended but it just did not seem to work out.  This year we were determined to make it happen.  We knew we would be out of town so we purchased fake petals from the local craft store (normally real petals are used but we feared they would wilt before Sunday) and designed a simple picture representing the Eucharist.  Amanda and Christina formed the design on the floor in front of the altar, as the rest of us prayed.  They did a great job!

We left the church for the house so we could grab a quick bite to eat before going into town for our wildlife meeting.  

Then we went home to pick up the puppies.  We had decided to leave the puppies with Katy's grandmother for the weekend.  This was a hard decision but we had no way of caring for the puppies at night as the hotel did not allow pets.  We picked up Katy and left the puppies in short time as we were trying to get to Dallas in time for the girls to check into the convention.  

So now we are in our hotel with the weekend ahead of us!  Looking forward to this time away.

Memorial Day Weekend

So...the long holiday weekend has begun!  We look forward to the holiday and hopefully the end of our school year next week!

Saturday

We started out with a trip to the cemetery to place flags on the graves of veterans.  We do this every year with the VFW group.  I think this is very important to honor the veterans lost during and after service for our country.

For our family it is not just the placing of the flag but also calling out the name of each veteran remembered.  We were able to honor and commemorate the service of over 60 veterans today.  This is just a small fraction of over 1000 graves that were marked today by the VFW throughout our county.  It is our small way of saying thanks to the veterans.

We would have stayed longer but we has to return home to help with some yard work.  As it was, we arrived just as our neighbor was finishing the mowing of the property.  Everything was looking so nice, we were motivated to gather up some tools and trim back some of the hedges around the house!  It is so muggy today that we were only able to work a short time.  I hope to do more as the weekend continues...maybe start out earlier in the day or wait until later in the evening!

Sunday

Today we went to our little church in the woods.  We have an old cemetery on the church grounds dating with grave sites dating back over 100 years!  Each year we have a dedication and remembrance for all the veterans lost, especially those who died during wars.  We also had a special breakfast (actually this is the first year for breakfast...we usually have a potluck dinner) for everyone with special honor for the veterans.

During Mass, prayers were dedicated to those who served (past, present and future) as well.  I thought  Deacon Billy did a wonderful job of remembering the veterans...speaking of honor and respect...as today was also a day of celebration of the Trinity.  He talked of the importance of faith in all walks of life...and living up to the creed...our beliefs...our profession of faith...that should rule our every step in life.

The boys were right there assisting Fr. Joseph and Deacon Billy...so thankful for their opportunity to celebrate the military.  They were there to help Father in the blessing of the cemetery and knew to stand quietly at attention as the flag was raised and then slowly lowered to half mast, as well as recite the American Pledge.

Monday

We woke up early this morning to pick up Christina upon her return from Branson.  The two youngest in our crew decided this would be a good day to wash the sheets and couch cushions!  So this morning started out with a mix of fun!  We did not let us ruin our day...we just used the extra time to make a good breakfast before going about the rest of the day.

We made it to the VFW for the memorial service later today.  All seven children...9 months to almost 20 years old...made it to the service.  Why do I make such a big deal about this?  Because the thought of our children not understanding the importance of this holiday saddens me.  I hate that this day has just become about BBQ and a day of work.  The men and women of the military fought too hard to ignore their sacrifice.

I hate to be so annoying about this but when I go to these events and only see a handful of people it is upsetting.  I wish more people would realize the importance of the memorial events.  It is important to honor those fallen but also to honor those who are still with us.  Believe me...they notice and wonder if they will be remembered when they are gone!

A couple of years ago, we took a road trip that brought us to Washington DC and back...among the many adventures of that trip was a visit to the war memorials.  Christina was on that trip with us also and she was moved to write down her thoughts.  A few days ago we were reminded of that experience and we pulled out the journal we wrote during that trip to find her passage.  After reading it, Christina and I decided to re-work her words into a free verse poem.  I think this says it best and I am proud to share it with you.  This is what she wrote:

For Love of the Troops 

(upon viewing the memorials in DC during the summer 2010)

For the tears shed

For the loved ones at war

The screams in the middle of the night

For their mommies and daddies

For the loved ones lost

For the unknowns

For those trying to cope with hope

That their love will be strong enough

To bring their loved ones home again

The burning feeling inside knowing

There are many each day in war

Looking at the marble wall

Praying for every name as a tear is shed

Depressed fear is burning so strong

Fear for the brave who strongly love us

Knowing that destiny takes over

Pleading for no more tears

For they have lived a happy life

They are appreciated day by day

For their love of a nation

Remembered night after night

For their love of life

In spite of their memory

Bringing confusing feelings

 sadness and happiness

We care

We love

The Troops

Van Update

After our fun afternoon with out A/C in the van...our home away from home...I decided the best thing to do was go in first thing in the morning.  I was already waking up at 5am to take Christina to the school to meet the Branson bus (I hope we can update you on this trip when she returns...maybe we will have guest blogger <WINK>).  So, I decided to take the trek back to the dealer in the hopes that I could get it fixed before the children even knew I was gone.  Well, I had Zaira with me thankfully...because it took a lot longer to get the van fixed.

SIDE NOTE:  I love little Zaira...I have not taken a lot of time to brag on her sweetness as much as I would like.  She was so sweet...slept through the drive to drop off Christina and then to the next town to get to the dealer.  Since we arrived early, I decided to move to the seat beside her while we waited for the dealership to open.  Just as I began to drift off to sleep, Zaira woke up and decided to gently tap me on the arm to 'wake' me.  She just had the sweetest smile on her face!  Such a trooper!

So...as I mentioned...the repair took much longer than expected...mainly because we turned out to NOT be first in line to have our vehicle checked out.  After an hour wait without seeing my vehicle move, I spoke to a manager and then another hour of waiting...to find out that the problem was a plastic bag!  An odd coincidence...to have the bag end up in the vent system right after the van was serviced.  I guess I am just thankful it was not any thing more than that!

We left for home with A/C blaring as it is obviously starting to heat up in our neck of the woods!  I will never forget how much we appreciate this modern day convenience!  Praise God for air conditioners!!!!

From Nature to Broadway!

We spent our morning having our van serviced...only to have more trouble after we left.  We did not let it take us down as we had a busy day ahead of us.

We enjoyed an afternoon with our 4H group learning about pond management for our contest...see other blog for details.  And then helped to prepare a children's event for the museum.  Today's event had a focus on our woodland wonders!  We set up two art crafts, an outside activity, and snacks (of course!).  We finished just in time to pick up Christina and bring her back to the museum for the event.

It is always a joy to help the museum.  Today...All of the children enjoyed helping to weed the flower beds around the museum...with the guidance of our dear friend Mr. Johnny!  Henry helped teach the group how to make origami animals.  He is a pro at making origami swans thanks to Amanda's interest in this art.  They also made bunnies.  I was in charge of the pine cone bird feeders.  I was glad to teach some of what we learned from Ms. Ruth just a few days ago!

And...leave it to Henry to find an interesting picture of nature.  He was asked to take pictures of the children taking the suet bird feeders to hang on the trees.  Instead, he found a hawk feasting on its dinner...I am sure a little mouse if you look real close!

We finished in time to have our own quick bite to eat...oh the van was getting so hot and the loud noise when we turned the A/C on was terrible!  I pray that we can get the van back in to be fixed tomorrow!

We decided the best thing to do was get Christina to a cool place to stay nice for her concert...we headed to the school...an hour early but not a lot of options in 90+ degree weather.  I am so glad that we got to the school and got settled before we melted ...LOL!

As far as the performance...Great job Christina!!!!  I was so proud of her and the rest of the choir!  I can see why they are looking forward to performing on stage in Branson.

We enjoyed a wonderful evening of Broadway music, including two solo performances by the seniors in the group.  I think every especially enjoyed the tango music..."Hernando's Hideaway"...that included a wonderful dance routine by the entire group!  I wish we had been able to film that performance.  Also the beautiful rendition of "Seasons of Love" and "Defying Gravity" were amazing!

Not to forget the younger group...especially since we had the joy of knowing several of them from various events (namely...Megan!...who we had not seen in ages!)...we really enjoyed the way they sang "Over the Rainbow" and "I Won't Grow Up!"  Great job all around!

We were so happy to give Christina a bouquet of flowers for her great performance.  She was so happy with the small bouquet and took many pictures with them on our way home from the show.

We also enjoyed a quick stop at our favorite drive in for milkshakes!  A nice treat to end a great day!

Simple Machines

I could not be more proud of Christina today!  She turned in her final project for Physics today!  We learned a lot about simple machines and how to create a chain reaction from a single action over the last two weeks.  She tried several different ways to make this happen and persevered through trial and error to make it work.

The idea is based on Rube Goldberg Project, which uses the six basic simple machines to create a process with a specific goal.  Christina was asked to use the following simple machines:

• Inclined Plane
• Wheel and Axle
• Screw
• Pulley
• Lever
• Wedge

AND...she was asked to either turn on/off a switch OR raise a flag...OR fill a container.  She originally thought she would fill a glass with ice and Dr. Pepper (surprise! surprise!) but she never could quite get the process to work and we were running out of time.  She did try several different configurations without success but continued to try.  Finally, she decided to try a different goal of raising a flag.

This was a good idea and she took it above and beyond the simple flag raising by creating a patriotic theme, which included reciting the American Pledge as her finale!  She decorated the surrounding area with patriotic fans and had the boys recite the pledge with her in the background.  Amanda had the special job of starting the process and Katy encouraged her to "get it done!"  I got the job of filming the entire process which was also a big part of the assignment (to make a music video).

After the initial filming took place, we realized the video was way to short (it needed to be 2 minutes and we only had 30 seconds!)...SO...Christina and Amanda went back to the set up and filmed each simple machine separately.  This helped with the length of the video and was a good idea any way because it allowed each step to be highlighted in slow motion.

In walks the film editor expert in the group.  Katy showed Christina how to use a movie editing program that would allow her to create a video...adding music and pauses in order to hear her recite the pledge...also it allowed her to put the film in slow motion for the separate process steps.  I am not much on heavy metal music but I think the song was a great choice for this video and really set the tone for the entire video.

She was not done after this was complete!  Christina still had to type up a machine analysis to show the different types of energy and motions were used in the process.  I had flashbacks to my college years and was thankful I did not need to help her very much to get this part done.  All that potential energy in my brain does not transfer to kinetic energy as quick as it once did!  LOL!

We had a lot of fun and the boys learned a lot in the process.  I realized one more reason why we homeschool...so I don't have to stress out about deadlines and grades (although I do set them...I can be more lenient with our schedule.  I worried about her turning in the project...formatting and including all the parts...all day!  It really is not due until next week but she has other things happening this week (more on that later!) so we wanted to get it done.  So...I told her to show her teacher and see if she needed to change anything.

I don't know why I worried...the teacher loved it!  She watched the video and loved it!  So...great job, Christina!  Another class complete and only nine more days until school is done for the year!

If you want to see the video...take a look at my Facebook!

Puppy Love Second Time Around

So, we thought we were going to obtain our second puppy from Beulah's siblings.  This was not to be the case as these puppies were all given away.  I hope they all went to good homes!

Then we had a friend with puppies that were the same kind of mix so we asked for them to let us choose from the litter.  Then the storm came last week and in the attempt to keep her puppies safe, the "momma" dog hid the puppies.  The litter was down by half...then my friend's husband gave the remaining puppies away while she was gone!  I guess he did not know about our plans!  That's OK...it just was not meant to be that we have a puppy from that litter.

SO...we really wanted to have two puppies close to the same age.  We knew with our lack of animals that we needed to have a pair to keep them close to home while we were gone.  Animals just seem to do better if there are more than one.  A lot of trouble to have two puppies but in the long run it will be better for them.

That is when I finally made the chose to go to a breeder.  I have always loved Aussies and wanted to find a good dog that would be a good partner for Beulah.  I had actually been in contact with a breeder for the last year, and I had watched her puppies via the internet.  I knew this breeder had good puppies that were groomed and kept healthy.  So, I knew where to go and was excited to find that she had two puppies left from her latest litter.  What made it even easier was that she only had one male.

After making arrangements with the breeder to meet us at a halfway point, we were off!  I even convinced Amanda to stay awake through the morning to go with us!  Of course Christina would have loved to take off from school to join us, but I forced her to go to school and told her she would have something to look forward to doing when she got home.

AND...of course it was love at first sight!  We all were so excited to find our second puppy.  Lord Hank...as he was quickly dubbed...is a perfect match for our home.  He is also well behaved...waiting to pee after we made it to a halfway point home...even crossing his legs at one point it seemed.  He is also a good traveler...he perked right up after his pit stop but never left Amanda's lap to look out the window.

He met Beulah and they spent some time figuring out who is boss.  We are not quite sure who will be the lead dog but it looks like it might be Beulah.  However, we did make the mistake of not having a second food dish...which will be remedied soon...so that was a time when Hank refused to give up his spot.  The funniest part was when Hank tried to lay on the dog bed.  Beulah did not even like the thing but when she saw Hank on it, she decided it was the best thing ever!  Beulah laid on the bed and Hank decided he was going to have it, so he sat on top of her!  Beulah...not to be outdone...took a nip at Hank's bottom...he jumped so high!  However, in the end...Beulah tired of the game...gave up the bed to Hank.  I think I will try to get a new bed for her also.

So all are happy...looking forward to obedience training through the summer.

Prom Number Two!

It is hard to believe we did not have the prom experience with Amanda when she was in high school and now we have has two in less than two weeks!

I missed the prep before hand because of our trip to Lego Fest.  However, I heard all about the fun.  Th biggest difference this time was the prom dress fitting...Christina has to have her dress altered at the last minute.  It is a good thing Amanda works at a dress shop!  All was good and dress was worn without any difficulty.  However,  because of this...the girls had to meet me in town to take pictures.

After all the cool days we have had...today ended up being a hot humid day (high temp in the 90's!) so the girls did not want to take a lot of pictures.

The theme for Christina's prom was a masquerade so the girls all had masks they created.  The masks were very creative and matched their personalities well.

We did have a special gift for Christina.  Amanda made a corsage for her to match her dress.  Also, we bought a crown for her to wear.  First, she had to be crowned queen of Alunia (our children have an imaginary world on our property!), which she had hinted to be a part of the fun earlier in the month.  It was a lot of fun and a nice surprise for her.

I still want to take better pictures of all the girls in their dresses.  Maybe next week we can get them dressed up again and have a real photo session.  So, I will try to update the blog post then.

Now...I stay awake and pray that they get home safe.  They hope to go to prom and then make the proverbial trip to IHOP before coming home.

Lego Mania (I mean Fest!)

So...I did something very out of character for me...I set myself up to go into a crowded noisy room full of germs and potential hazards!  That's right...we went to the annual Lego Fest in Houston!  We had never gone before but the boys have begged year after year so I decided to treat them to this adventure for a late Easter gift.  We had it planned long ago and had the tickets put in their Eater baskets...maybe for a way to force the event on me.

I really should not be so negative but really I do not like going into crowded areas and take the chance of losing one of my children!  As you all know...our family has no problem with going on adventures. However, the thought of telling a police officer the description of one of my children has always been a dreaded nightmare!  I can only think of a few times when I have taken the children to an even like this without Michael's help.

In walks my hero...my brother...Nathan...OK...I really thought to treat him and my nephew Karson to the adventure and I will admit it was partly so I would not need to do it alone.  I was so glad to know that Karson has been counting down the days for the past month!  It was really nice to have this fun with them.

We did have fun also...only a few times when I felt like we were crowded and I only felt creeped out by the germ issue when the boys covered themselves in Lego's while visiting the massive pile at the center of the stadium.  We all stayed together and enjoyed seeing the creations as well as make a few of our own.

I think the most interesting part of the day was the presentation by the master builder.  He told the group how he got started building and then stuck with it.  He did have the benefit of having a father who was also a master builder; however, with only seven in the country...he must be pretty good on his own account.  We was great with the children.  He told them there are three lessons that all master builders must learn:

• Interlocking bricks to avoid breakage.
• Sideways building (better known as SNOT...studs not on top) to enhance the model with smooth sides.
• Balance to create a sense of symmetry for the model and to allow for more stability.

When we left, I asked what the boys loved the most.  They told me they loved playing and building.  I think the next time they get the idea of going to one of these events, I will take them to the store and let them each choose a set to take home.  I would come out ahead in monetary value and sanity (not to mention wear and tear on my vehicle).  Besides we already have our own big pile of Lego's so we would not need to take the chance of exposing ourselves to everyone else's germs and noise.

Karson and our boys did love the race car building.  I wish I had a picture of them racing their Lego cars.

It was an experience and I am thankful for the memories we will be able to share later.  No regrets just lessons learned!  The best lesson of the day...the Lego motto:

"The best is never too good!"

Holy Spirit of Wisdom

I had a rough day today...but I knew it was coming.  I will not go in to details...I only bring it to this blog because in spite of the hardship, I know God was with me.  I cannot help but think of St. Paul and how he persevered through hardships because of his love of Christ and zeal in spreading the Good News.

Yesterday, I was sent an email with a link to a prayer book meant to help with focused prayer.  It was a simple book..only one page for each day of the week that held a prayer focused on various aspects of weakness.  I set this booklet aside to pray each day; however, I did not have time (so terrible to use that as an excuse) for it this morning.  I decided to take it with me in the hopes that I would be able to pray later in the day.

Just after a crazy morning of bureaucratic red tape that sent me to several government offices around own...and just before the real doozy of the day...I found time for that moment of prayer.  Here is what I read for the focus of the day:

Today I pray for the gift of an open heart.
Loving God, let me not drift into rash judgments and criticisms.
Give me your long view of life.
Let me rejoice in the good and hope for change in the less good.
Today I will practice an open heart towards these beloved children of yours.
Hold them in your love.
I ask for the gift of patience with people who annoy me.
Let me shut my mouth when I am with them and open my ears.
Let me hear their pain and offer healing.
Holy Spirit of wisdom, help me see with the eyes of my heart.

Now...I know that God gave me that message especially today.  I am just thankful that I have next week to try it again.  May God forgive me for not responding as I should and help me to try again.

God is good all the time...all the time God is good!

Smokey the Bear at the Reservation

We gave a special talk today at the Alabama-Coushatta Reservation Headstart.  We talked about snakes and preservation of our forests.

We really enjoyed the young ones as they were so interested in learning and were thrilled by the visit from Smokey the Bear.

Amanda and Henry were settled in their talk about snakes with David.  When they talk about the venomous snakes of Texas, they use a red-tailed boa (from Columbia) to show the usual signs that are related to venomous snakes because it has the typical features (triangular shaped head, cat eye slit) without having the danger of harming the children.

The children are also introduced to snakes that are non-venomous that are helpful to our habitat.  This time we had Casper the Friendly Snake, which is a rat snake native to Texas.  Casper is an interesting snake because it is leusicistic...meaning it lacks most (but not all) its pigmentation.  One characteristic common in this type of pigmentation is the blue eyes...it really is a beautiful snake!

While Amanda nad Henry were playing with snakes, Brendan, Zaira and I were given the special task of taking Smokey the Bear to each of the classrooms.  I read the story about how Smokey the Bear became a part of the US Forestry Service (a must read if you have not heard this true story) and then in came the famous bear!  I then introduced the children and gave them an opportunity to talk to him and take pictures.  Most of the children were happy to see him but there were a few who chose to stay back!  One boy was so excited and could hardly wait his turn until he had the opportunity and then lost his nerve...LOL!...he was so brave as he waved to Smokey as he left the room!

Sean and Edward were able to help with the outside activity.  They worked with the Forest Service to show their equipment and play some games!  They had so much fun and were so helpful!

After our fun morning, we had a nice lunch with David (from Friends of the Forest) and his daughter and grandchildren...along with all the others who worked with the presentations.  It was nice to enjoy a meal with this group of nature lovers!

I look forward to working with the reservation in the future!  Thanks for letting us enjoy the reservation and the great group of children at the Head Start school.

A Sad Day for Our Apiary

After our trip to the apiary to check our bees a few days ago, Marie and Roger came out to inspect our hives.

We first went out to our 'demon' hive and had it re-queened.  This meant being brave (thank you Roger!) and opening the hive in order to find the old queen and then replacing her with a new queen that Roger provided.  It turned out to not be as bad as the past couple of visits (although Roger was stung several times and had to put on his dreaded net).  We found the queen after several attempts and (sadly) had to dispose of her.  We will need to check this hive in 3 weeks to assure that the hive is doing well with the new queen.

All said and done, it was not too bad of an experience.  In fact, we found out that these bees do make good honey!  Roger decided there was too much bur comb on one of the frames so he removed this.  It was full of honey so we were able to harvest about a small pint for our troubles.

Then we went to our 'ghost' hive, and we found that the hive was diminished to nothing as suspected.  It was so sad to open the box to find that we could actually count the bees!  That is not normal and we knew that this meant the hive was not going to recover, especially when there was no evidence of a queen.  Roger said even taking brood from another hive and re-queening the hive would not help.  The hardest part for us was not knowing if we could have done something different.  This most likely happened in the last 4-6 weeks because the wax moths had already setting into the comb.  Roger did tell us that we probably would not have been able to save it when we noticed the problem at the earlier inspection either.  It just happens and we will just have to learn to watch for signs for our other hives.

Since we were opening hives, Roger decided to check our 'friendly' hive as well.  When we first opened the top we were surprised to see ants had invaded...not the case just a few days before!  I think I must have turned ashen because Roger said not to get upset...it would be OK!  Sure enough...upon closer inspection the ants were only at the top and had not entered the hive itself.

However, Roger did get a little concerned about the number of bees in the hive.  He decided to look deep into the hive, in spite of the obvious evidence of honey stores in the top supers.  That is when he discovered the tell-tale signs of swarming.  Sometime in the last three weeks our hive swarmed and we lost our queen!  I was so upset because we knew we needed to split this hive but put it off last year.  We thought we would do it after the honey flow this summer.

Roger told us that we obviously had a strong hive because they had already re-queened and there was already new brood.  That was a good thing but still disappointing to see that we could have prevented this from happening.

I still think we are so blessed to have this friendly hive.  I can tell you there is a huge difference in the demeanor of these hives.  The boys and I are so glad we had this friendly hive first because if we had started out with the 'demon' hive, then we might not be beekeepers today.  God is good and knew our needs.  We are looking forward to an amazing harvest in July!

Happy Momma Day!

I was starting to wonder if we were going to celebrate Mother's Day at our house this year.  I woke up and made breakfast and got the boys ready for Mass...and not much was said about it being a special day.  In fact, it was one of those mornings when I was lucky (and graced) enough to get the boys out the door with clothes on...now would be the time to mention that Brendan actually did not make it out the door with shoes on...LOL!

One of the things I struggle with is my 'grown' children not going to Mass with us.  I cannot force them to go and choose to pray fro them to see the importance.  However, I mentioned that it would be nice if I had a pew full of children on Mother's Day.  I must admit I was a little disappointed when we headed down the driveway minus three beautiful young ladies.

I was so surprised that soon after I gathered the boys into our pew I found Amanda, Christina, and Katy dressed in their Sunday best!  I was so happy... the best gift ever!  I really like being able to praise God with all my children surrounding me!  I wish I had a picture but will always have this memory to hold deep in my heart.

Father also spoke of the importance of names and the respect we are to give them.  So he had each of us call the names of our mother during the prayers for continues health.

Then the girls surprised me by taking me to get Chinese take-out.  AND to their surprise...my meal turned out to be free thanks to the generosity of Panda Cafe who had a special for moms!  Very good food at a reasonable price!

Once we had our dinner, I was presented with a wonderful smelling candle that is now set on my desk. I am a sucker for a nice candle.

Then I even had a phone call from Michael.  Along with a phone call to my mom.

It was a great day!  And just because I love my children and think they are all such sweet cuties...I will share my latest group shot of them all...Christina and Katie included because I love them so much!

Grizzly Bear Visit and some Bees

We had a boring day of school and were enjoying the fact that we were  gong to be done with school for the summer.  Nothing special about the day...well actually we did have our 4H meeting with our Audubon friend come but you can read about that on my other blog.  However, we were already home.

And then...the Grizzly Bear came!  That is...my brother Nathan...dubbed Uncle Grizzly Bear many years ago by Amanda because he is such a big guy...came for a visit.  YAY!!!!  We had not seem him in a while and he had not been to our house in over a year.

Christina was so funny...she HAD to have the house cleaned before he arrived.  I told her Nathan would not care but she would have nothing to do with that idea...a guest was coming and the house needed to look nice!  So she had us all hopping to get it cleaned before he arrived.

I also had to make a dinner instead of the normal leftovers that we would have on Thursday night!  So I made a quick chili and cornbread.  It was ready right as he pulled into the driveway!

He was greeted with hugs by all except Zaira....poor thing was scared of his huge frame.  She never did get over his large size...but can you blame her...at 6'2'' and broad shoulders...he is close to 300 pounds without even trying.  If only we could convince her that he really is a teddy bear!  It really hurt his feelings.  I guess we should have told him to bring her chocolate!  LOL!

We had a good visit over dinner.  We could all tell he was wiped out from the drive, and we had a beekeeper's meeting.  So we left him to rest...left Amanda and Christina home with the younger boys and headed to our meeting.

We enjoyed learning about bees from our group as always.  Everyone was asked to bring a honey dessert and we had a good showing of desserts.  Sean had made a Honey Cake with honey glaze earlier in the day.  Everyone enjoyed it!

Then Ms. Marie shared some of her crafts ideas related to beekeeping...wax candles...message boards using old hive frames and more!

But the best part of the night was our guest "bee keepers!"  Each meeting, our club president asks if there are any guests and usually we do not have anyone...or they are coming from one of the bee schools   with the plan to join the group.  Imagine our surprise when a couple raised their hands...then told us they were at our meeting because they thought they might be beekeepers!

Our president was surprised and asked what they meant. The man told the group that there was a box of bees in their back yard so he thought they had their first hive!  LOL!  Our president did not skip a beat...he asked it they meant a beehive...and the man said no it was just a box that must have bees because when he shook it it buzzed!  Come to find out...they had an old bird house that the bees had taken over.  The couple was very interested in keeping the bees to help them with their garden.  The beekeepers in the room were fascinated by the idea of getting the bees into an actual hive box.  I have no doubt that this couple would be set up with in the week as 'official" beekeepers.

Speaking of helping with bees...I never told our tell about our hive inspections a few days back.  Let me just say that we have no dubbed our hives...Friendly Hive...Ghost Hive...and Demon Hive!  The Friendly Hive is our original hive and it continues to be a good hive.  The Ghost Hive is almost non-existent...and we are going to need to find out what happened with a closer inspection this weekend.  The Demon Hive goes into attack mode with a million bees zooming out to attack if we even get close to the hive!  We need to re-queen this hive, which means finding the queen...which means getting close and personal with this hive!  None of us have had the desire to do this!  So in walks our heroes!  Roger and Marie have offered to help us once again.  We hope to have them over for bee inspection and ice cream on Monday evening.

We got home to find Nathan asleep on the couch so I put the boys to bed.  I got settled into my regular evening routine, when Nathan woke up.  It was nice to have some quiet time to talk to him without distractions.  We talked until I was falling asleep in my chair.  Good time with my brother!  I am so glad he came to visit even though it was for a short time.  And...we are looking forward to seeing him again next weekend (more on that then...but I am looking forward to writing that post!)

It's Puppy Time

As if we had not added enough excitement to our house...we now have the addition of a puppy to fill our days!

I am not complaining...the children really needed a dog.  We have been looking for the perfect puppy (I know...an oxymoron!) for over a year.  In fact, we were hoping to find two puppies because we have heard that it is better that way.

I have always said that if I do not love the dog then we do not get it.  I figure...everyone else would fall in love with any old mutt.  I would need to be the reasonable one and choose a dog that we could actually enjoy for more than the initial puppy days.

So, about a month ago, we were told about a litter of puppies that would be ready to take the first part of May.  We were eager to go visit the puppies but were told to wait until they were weaned.  Yesterday we got the call to come pick our puppies...we were excited to hear that we would have first pick.

We arrived and found the most adorable of the group and I was convinced we had found our puppy.  Imagine my surprise to find out he was already claimed!  I thought we were the first ones to choose but another person had seen a picture of this puppy and asked they set him aside for her.  Not fair!" I cried....but they stuck to this plan.  I tried to convince them that we were ready to take him home right then and he would have a good home but they said no.

So we looked at the other puppies.  I tried to pick from the others but could not get past the first 'loss.'  I just did not see another puppy I liked as much as that first one.  Then Christina noticed that all the puppies were not accounted for from what she had seen in the pictures.  Sure enough...two of the puppies were hiding under the porch!

Then we saw her...the cutest thing (almost as cute and lovable as her brother!)...as soon as I held her I knew we had found one of the puppies we would take home.  She was so sweet!  The owners also pulled out the most roly-poly puppy ever!  They had named him Willie Nelson and he was cute but not right for us!  So, I tried to convince the owners once more to let us take the original puppy home with his sister.  No budging...so we had to leave with only puppy!  Oh....believe me...there was much wailing as I loading the children in the van!  They were convinced I had done them some injustice by not taking a second puppy home!  However, I just did not have a connection with any of the other puppies available.

We drove away and I told the girls that it was not right to be told we had first pick and then find out their were puppies already spoken for...so Christina asked me to pull over and she would make some phone calls to find out what happened.

As the rest of us waited at an abandoned gas station in the middle of no where, the others started asking what we would name the puppy.  Amanda was trying to convince the boys that she was the namer of all animals, when I looked up and saw the name for our new puppy!  We had stopped directly underneath the sign for the gas station...it was named Beulah's Stop and I decided that Beulah was the perfect name for our sweet new girl puppy!

So...we did eventually head home last night...but with only our sweet Beulah.  We have not given up hope that we will bring her brother pup home at a later time.  However, as of last night he was still taken.

Beulah adjusted well to her new surroundings.  She loves flopping from the porch into the little jungle of vines.  She really does seem to enjoy it and snuggles into the vines and falls asleep.  We have a HUGE doghouse that we placed a blanket from Edward's bed in...she likes that as well.  She slept through the night in her big house...waking up at 5am...lonely, scared and cold.  Not bad for our first night.

She will get used to us...and we hope she has a play mate soon.  Updates will follow!

A Little Tea before Prom

We had the joy of helping Amanda's friend (Katy) prepare for the prom on Saturday.  I really thought our prom days were over but it seems this will be one of two this year.

Although it was interesting listening to the girls giggle as they put on make-up and jewelry along with the pretty dresses (as Amanda and Christina decided to get dressed up just for fun!)...the real joy for me came when Katy's date showed up late.

We decided to go ahead with taking pictures of the girls while we waited for Matt.  The girls were basically all dressed up with no place to go...but they did not mope...they had fun!

We started out on a bridge leading into our woods.  The girls enjoyed dangling their bare feet off the edge.  They were so beautiful in this natural setting.  A perfect spot for these girls who love nature so much!

We continued the 'photo session' in a field beside our house.  More beautiful shots taken here!

The girls are so different in height that we decided a picture on our front steps would be nice to balance out the difference.  This is where the fun really started...one of the girls said...Look...a bird!  The next said...no its a plane!  And the third had to holler out...No...it's Superman!  Of course this led to them wondering where their Superman was!!!!!  LOL!  HE would pay for his lateness later with us posing him for his own photo.

Then Amanda said that it was time for a cup of tea and everyone thought that was a great idea.  Myself...as the photographer could not help but encourage their imagination and washed the very dusty mini set that had not been used in ages.  The girls had the boys move table and chairs out on our porch for a nice outdoor setting.

We could not have planned this better!  The girls had a blast!  I took a ton of pictures!  Matt finally arrived and was posed as their waiter!

We raced Katy and Matt around to all of the planned locations and poses.  Matt was good natured about the entire event but he finally had his limit as the clock showed that prom was already starting!  We rushed them to his car and waved our farewells!

Then the waiting began for me.  I never had to do this so I thought it was kind of funny to be in this position now.  However, Katy and Matt were home just after curfew (due to taking another friend home first!) and had a great time telling us their fun at prom.

This was just the first of the proms...another round in a couple of weeks with Christina.  The girls are already talking about bringing all their friends out to take pictures!  I guess I better starting thinking about how to make the next photo session just as fun!