Busy Week

This week is busy. I have 6 cases of peaches that all have to be canned when they get ripe, and they better get that way before Thursday. We canned 19 quarts today, but one didn't seal. I did the only thing you can when you have a jar not seal. I made biscutes and had fresh canned peaches, butter and biscutes! Memories! My mom always did that. It is the treat of canning getting to have fresh peach perserves that aren't even really perserves, just didn't can, or to much for the jar, but not enough for another jar.

We are leaving on Friday to go on a long weekend. First night is Sandhills State Park, http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/monahans_sandhills/ . We are going to get there late, set up camp and crash. Then in the cool of the morning play a while. Check out time isn't until 2 pm. After collecting lots of sand we will shower and head out for Ft. Davis State Park, http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/davis_mountains/ .

One of the fun things we want to do there is go to the McDonald's Observatory Star Party Sat. night. http://mcdonaldobservatory.org/visitors/programs/#starpartypass We did this years ago with the big boys. It was a LOT of fun. That time it was after Thanksgiving and SOOOOO cold doing it, but well worth it to look through the different telescopes they had set up. One was on Saturn, and you could COUNT the rings. One was on the moon.

We are staying 2 nights at Ft. Davis. I also want to do the fort. I think we can hike from the park to the fort, not sure. Not sure I am up to the hike either. I know dh would be more than happy to pick us up at the Fort though.

Back to this week. We have 3 more cases of peaches to can, packing to do, groceries to buy, and therapy on Thursday. I had thought about doing town today and Thursday, but peaches needed doing and then I did not want to go to town after lunch. I really have to do what I want before lunch or I turn into a pumpkin. Today I was pumpkin bread before I could leave for town. I just revised my list and decided I can pack groceries for camping Friday morning. I will get my clothes packed and the part of the list I can done before then. Put the slides in and over all be ready to go Friday when dh says he is ready. I think I will pull the camper to town and let him take over. SURELY I can do that! I seldom pull the camper so I don't like to. I need to learn.

It does help I have a camper list of stuff we need to put in for a trip. I just print it off. Each trip I tweak it a bit. It is more a pull the list, but it still has to be done. Each child is responsible for their on clothes. IF they leave stuff out oh well. It WAS on the list. That applies to me too.

I did get the automatic waterer fixed for the chicks this morning. Well dh got the bucket fixed I just plugged it in to the waterer. All DIL or son will need to do is feed them and maybe fill the bucket with water once. They can milk if they want. I know my son knows how. I try to make it as easy as possible for who ever does our zoo.

Guess I better get back to accomplishing stuff around here.

Our 4th!

Dh had the 3rd off. Yea! Since he isn't suppose to be on the skid loader for 6 months after his back surgery I get to do that playing. Dh rented a grubber for the skid loader this weekend to attack the over growth of mesquite that we are dealing with.

I started at about 6:30 Friday morning on the skid loader, taking time out to milk I worked until about 11 am. Then worked around here and napped even. About 7 pm I started again and worked until 9:30. Today I wasn't that good. I didn't get started until about 7, and worked to 11 with milking then off and on until about 2. I do not have the energy to go back at attack it again.

This is the skid loader with the grubber attached.


Notice the V shape, you have to catch EACH tree in that V below ground level. Mesquite has a knot a few inches below the surface. You have to cut the root below that or it will grow back.

I'm not even trying to take out big ones, I like my big trees. I do try to take out the ones smaller than my arm.

Each dirt mound you see is at least one and usually several mesquites I uprooted.

Just to give you an idea of what a HUGE job this is. Remember each tree has to be caught in the V and uprooted.

You can see done in the foreground and to do further back.

Dh started framing out the door and window in the educational center (garage). Then after that he started working on the electric drops. Today he worked on cooling his sea container. Ds helped him yesterday with some of these projects off and on. Today he helped him with this sorta major project. When you consider it was over 100 today working in the sea container was HOT before they got the hole cut it was just hot after.

The windows on our house are "almond" colored, he hasn't found one yet so no window. Where as I think window! Who cares what color. It will be nice when done.

The sea container runs North and South. This window is in the north end. Our wind blows from the south, so it should cool the sea container a lot when we are trying to work/organize it. DH has plans of putting an AC in this window later.

This is what I am proud of! Notice the electrical plugs and computers all set up and ready for school Monday.

We still have a LOT of work, and the electric is only run on the North wall, for this stuff. DH needed some things he "forgot" the other day. He also got the overhead lights done. I can't wait to get the windows and doors done. :) Then it will start to feel more like a room.

Having a 2 year old

I had the pleasure of keeping my grandson from Monday morning early until late Wed. afternoon. I admit I did use it as sorta gage to am I up to being mom to a 2 or 3 or 4 yo., (or all three.) After three wonderful days here or some things I learned, or taught my grandson.

Roley poley's are fun to play with! They roll up in a ball and can be picked up then. (type of bug).

Having a 2 yo messes up your quite time, but sure gives you lots of fun time early of a morning when others are resting. We had a great time cuddling and just praying together as we enjoyed the morning and I had coffee.


Helping granola chase cows on the ranger is FUN! Climbing on the ranger while she milks is fun, until you get stuck and have to be rescued because your high centered from the front seat to the bed.

Chasing ducks in the barn is fun! Both for him and for us to watch as the ducks avoid him. Not sure the ducks saw the humor. They quickly found the hole under the fence.

My girls all want to be mommy so I didn't have to many training pant/pull up accidents to deal with.

I have the greatest, happiest grandson so my comparing him to any children we might adopt may not be fair in how good they are and how easy they are to deal with.

It wasn't exhausting. I have to give God credit for enabling me in many ways that I have struggled in the past. I do have so much more energy that I did when my boys were young.

On Tue. we spent the day at a friends. Grand son's day started a little before 6. He finally crashed on my shoulder about 2:30 for a nap. He hadn't been fussy or grouchy at all. Just played and played and played. I picked him up and he snuggled so I stood and rocked him a couple of minutes while I continued to visit. He puddled against me and lights out! He slept over an hour, but not a long nap considering how tired he was. He did have an early bed time!

Wed. he was a bit tired and by 11:00 nothing suited him so I went and laid down with him. He fussed about 30 seconds and in less than 5 minutes was sound asleep for a nice nap. That afternoon he needed another nap as all he wanted was "Outside", and puddled in a heap since it was muddy and he wasn't allowed. I didn't even lay down with him that time.

He was glad to see mommy and daddy when they got home. Had to show mommy what he was doing on the porch. Playing like he was a puppy. He was more than happy this morning to abandon mommy to go with us to the post office to get baby chicks.

Since my "experiment" was such a success I did send my dh an email yesterday titled, "Think Bus" with a fwd from our case worker on some more children needing homes. His reply, "Are you hung up on GIRLS? MJ will go nuts!!!!!!!" Did I mention that this little sibling group had an 8 yo boy, which is the "perfect" age for MJ to be a big brother too, and three little sisters for everyone! Little being the key, 2, 3, 4! Everyone at the house except MJ got a laugh out of that. I tried to explain how well he would be prepared for being a husband after being in a home with 6 girls. Don't think he was impressed.

As to what is happening with the sibling group of 5? We have no clue! We are still wanting them, but more so wanting any child or children that God wants us to have. I have emailed their case worker asking to be kept in the loop, but no reply. I have offered to squeak to who ever she thinks would help get this done faster. So we wait and continue to prepare for more children. We pray for them and pray for those others seeking homes that God takes them to the perfect home for each group. That is all we can do.

This weekend we will work on the educational center more. I am hoping to move school out there by Monday. That may be just a dream, but dh DOES have a 3 day weekend to get stuff done.

Garden

Well more like bugs IN the garden!

This really isn't a creature from outer space or the depth of the ocean,

It is a fennel bloom.

I finally found why God made fennel. So that the black swallow tailed butterflies have a place to be caterpillars.

How many caterpillars can you spot in this picture of my fennel?


I saved this for last just for my DIL. She LOVES spiders so!

It'a Monday!

My Monday started early, about 5. My son is hauling a load of sheep to UT. He talked his wife into going with him. I get to baby sit!!!!! :) So we switched kids. They took MN to town with them at a few minutes after 5 to help her other brother sort his buying over the weekend. While I spent the early morning with my grandson... alone since all the others were still napping. This is God getting me back in the swing of things for when we get the 5! It was a wonderful time. I read my Bible to him as he played and sat with me.

I had two learning experiences I want to share. Soap making and roasting green chilies. I discovered how to make soap easier. I have my zote grated already. So I divided it into thirds. I added this to my vita mix, then added enough hot water to have it about 1/2 full. Once the zote was blended well with the vita mix still running I added 1/3 cup of soda and borax. Then dumped it in my 5 gallon bucket. I used my sprayer to rinse the vita mix out and repeated it until I had done it three times. Then I rinsed and used the sprayer to finish filling the 5 gallon bucket. If anything it is mixed better and thicker than it usually is.

Last night I picked several green chilies. I am out of frozen green chilies. So I put them in my cast iron skillets. I had just enough to cover the bottom in two of them. Then I put them in the oven on broil. Soon the whole house smelled wonderfully like roasted chili. After they were well roasted with me stirring along I put them in a covered sauce pan to hold the heat in and sweat them. They look just like the ones you buy! I can freeze them in zip locks for what ever. I had one this morning in eggs!

I have another sick child today! He made it down at 8 am, in night clothes. We went to the barn did chores, made a loop on the back side in the ranger and came back. He came back down stairs with shoes in hand. Doesn't understand why he is "sick". He tried everything to make be believe he was ready earlier. NOT! He even tried to tell me he was reading the chore list..... it had to be last weeks since I hadn't printed this weeks yet. Which was nice I just took him and MN off the list for today, and they get a LOT more tomorrow while the other two have almost none tomorrow.

Plans for today aren't very solid. We were going to get wheat from a friend but that got changed until tomorrow. MJ should count his blessings that it got changed. He wouldn't have been happy in PJ's on a friends couch! Yes, I would do that.

My baby chicks aren't doing to well. They were just to long in shipping. We have lost 13. I called and they are shipping 1/2 as many again. I would rather of not lost any. I hope these don't take as long since it is a holiday weekend! I have discovered that T loves the chicks. She spends lots of time watching them.

Off to see what I can do besides laundry. That is 1/2 done for today already!

First you spend the Money

Then you prepare.......

Then you wait...........

Then you wait another day............

and still ANOTHER day............

Finally!

They arrive! 50 baby chicks! Only one day late!

You peek in the box to see all the rainbow of colors........

Time to put them in the pen!

Success! Only about 3 weak ones that may not make it! For three days shipping in 100+ degree weather the were in great shape!

What kind you ask? 25 assorted pullets and 25 assorted bantams.

I love bantams, can't resist ordering them!

Accomplishment!

I AM embarrassed to show you this. This was our garage June 1.
this is the south door.


This is the North door.



After less than a month of hard work. We have THIS!



This is the South side. The yellow shelving is pallet rack. I will be leaving it where it it is. The bottom shelf is boxes I still need to organize. The top two racks are crafts/sewing stuff organized.



Few from inside the North door. The pallet rack in the middle still needs to be removed. It will be on the North wall.



Few from the South door. The right pallet rack will be moved, while the left one is IN PLACE!

View straight from the North door to the kitchen door. The wall on the right will have 2 pallet racks on it, the one on the left and one more. This will be the computer area.

View of the North wall. It still has a few things left to move. The boxes will be used to pack school room stuff to lug out here.

Quite an accomplishment if I do say so myself! We have lots left to do, but it is easy to see we have done a LOT.