Just a few pics...

It really is to hot to do much but hide out inside.   I did get a few pics.   I may do another post later with more of what different kids are up to.  These seem to be youngest Grand daughter for the most part.  

This was my Bible Buddy this morning.  He climbed up on my lap as I was journaling and parked where you see him.   He is a cuddle bug!

Grand daughter is mobile, not walking but she isn't 8 months old yet!   What she is doing is pulling up everywhere!   Some of her favorite pull up things are dogs.   She loves the dogs and they seem to love her.  I missed the pic. of her crawling under the rat terrier, or him dropping his toy in front of her and moving it just as she would grab it, then drop it again. 

Then she pulled up on my foot stool where there just happened to be a tiny kitten sleeping.  A SOFT kitten.   She loved the feel....

 And the taste!  

Just after she finished tasting this ear she decided to pull the whole cat off the stool and went backwards with a boom.    A few tears and she was back to chasing critters.

Stir Fry and other strange ways to eat Veggies

I am the first to admit my kids are not "normal". They are already well down the path of healthy eating. I am laughing at the meals they are cooking around here.

The other night I did chicken fajitas for supper. I wanted more green in mine so I grilled some with just onions and peppers. This was for them.  While it was cooking I chopped some cabbage zucchini, spinach and who knows what else to go with the peppers onions and chicken. I ended up with almost as big a pot of it as the plain. It was a good thing since MINE got ate! The next day for lunch I doctored up the rest with the same assortment of veggies. It got ate also.

Last night I had the kids chopping onions, okra, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, mushrooms, to make a gumbo type stuff. Again I had a huge pot when they got finished chopping. It cooked down to about 1/2 pot. I had maybe a serving left after we all ate. Meat was some wonderful BBQ chicken 13 yo did.

Today for lunch 11 yo decided to make a stir fry for her, 10 yo and 8 yo grand daughter. They all helped. It had zucchini, onions, mushrooms, okra, cabbage, spinach, broccoli and I'm not sure what else.   She seasoned it with the kitchen cabinet.  I know curry was one of the seasonings she used.   They scarfed it down.

She is making more for supper tonight!!!!  I didn't try any at lunch so I can check it out tonight.

Like I said not normal kids.

We have had grand daughter here a lot and another little girl who is 9.   The 9 yo went home today and she was excited to tell her mom all the foods she ate and LIKED! Cabbage, spinach, okra and I don't know what else she didn't "like", but found out she does.  One thing they beg for is quesidieas which I require to have a healthy helping of chopped spinach in.   They love them!  They will ask for them!  Just add cheddar cheese to a tortilla then a hand full of fresh chopped spinach.  Grill and enjoy.  Personally I want onions and peppers in mine, but not everyone does.  Wonder if mom will even believe her?

Kids think it is fun being creative. I encourage them to experiment. They do know we have to eat our experiments even with they don't taste that great.

Grand kids

Life just keeps going on around here.   Today we had a house full.  I had to get a picture of grand son's new shoes.   If you can't tell they are heels!  He navagates well in them.   He also fights over them well!

 Then a picture of Freckles and grand baby.  Grand baby LOVES the dogs, but this is her pick.  She pulls ears and tries to stand on her.  Some times dog takes her business else where, but usually she just puts up with it.  

I really liked this picture.   She is just over 7 months old now.   A very busy little girl.

This and That

Life keeps plugging along at a super sonic speed.   I am shocked to see the year half over.   Where did the first have go?  What did we do?  I do know that we have all enjoyed the rains this spring.  We were blessed with another inch yesterday evening/last night. After last year everyone appreciates rain so much more.  Even the kids give thanks often as we count our blessings, GREEN is counted often as a blessing.  Our pond filled to just under running over last night.  We have a chance of rain again today.   Last night the rain came hard and fast with lots of run off and little soaking in.   Today I hope we get more and it soaks.  That will make the road interesting, but I can deal with interesting.  

In other news that I find most interesting I continue to read and to play with supplements for dealing with D10's attitude, his oppositional defiant disorder,(ODD).  This is his biggest issue.  It is such a layering of ODD, ADHD and RAD.  What is what in it.  How do you deal with the layered mix of issues best.   Some feel medication, but for me that is a last resort.   We have obtained some help with the homeopathic meds.  In reading and researching I stumbled across some info that really fit him.  People with magnesium defeciencys exibit many of the issues I deal with daily with D10.  They are moody, they are argumentive.  So I decided to add magnesium to his diet.  I ordered Calm, from Amazon.  The ratings were wonderful and in looking at reviews so many described my son.  It came in last Wed.  I gave him some Wed night.  Then again Thur. morning.  He seemed more content with life and his choices, which had been stinking and the consequences that brought about.   By Sunday dh ask who the kid in the kitchen was?  He was putting up dishes in a timely manor.  MN has even jokenly (sorta) complained she can't find reason to argue with him, and he isn't arguing back like before.   It is like all the ODD has been wiped away.  He does wrong, he is a kid, that isn't what I am saying.  He doesn't go out of his way to do wrong. In the past he lived to make people mad.  That isn't happening at all.  He is also more touchable.   Even last week if you walked by and rubbed his shoulder or hair he would pull away and you would get the look.  Now he seems to LIKE that touch.  

On the adoption front I am in love!   I ask for prayers that the three children I am in love with find their way into our home.   I seldom have kids effect my heart strings the way these have.   I have been overly pro active.  I sent a case worker a "Meet the Jones" picture book.  I have contacted her and our case worker and said I want!  I now have to pray and wait.  I ask that those that feel led pray also that doors be opened, hearts guided and familes made.   I pray it is our family for these three, but more importaintly I pray they are quickly put in their God ordained family. 

Potatoes Gathered.... sorta...

Yesterday I decided to harvest our potatoes.   Remember we did them in tires.   I was really bummed, they didn't do well at all.  We got very few potatoes.  I think they made, but for some strange reason in W. Texas they stayed so wet they rotted.   What I did find was an amazing worm bed.  Kids harvested and harvested earthworms to start a worm bed.  

Just as we were getting started I heard words that moms dread, "KITTENS!!!!"  Yep, there were only three, thank You God, kittens.  Mama is one of ours, we knew she had kittens and we even knew where they were until she moved them.  I really thought, (hoped) that something had gotten them since they were far from the house, in an old abandoned deer blind that had last been the home of several years worth of barn owls.   Nope, we now have three kittens in the house trying to make pets out of them instead of wild feral cats.   Good news is that they look the part Siamese, or in one case just flat strange.   I really wish the strange one would stay that color but I am guessing that the strange one will become black over time, but for now he is full of spit and vinigar and all tom cat. 

 This is the female.  Seems a friend just posted on fb today she is wanting a female. 

 Spit and Vinigar trying to whip Pepper through the cage. 

 Trying to get a picture that showes his color, it really as an almost blue cast.

Blessed!

Yesterday we had a BBQ.  Dh decided we needed to cook ribs the night before, so I text son and dil and let them know and a couple of others.  Then yesterday morning MJ who is 15 build a fire in the bbq pit.  MN got beans on to cook and doctored up the bbq sauce with some guidance from me.  T and MJ cooked ribs along with D13 and MN off and on.  D13 made the yard look nice with the weed eater.  He likes to weed eat!  

Late afternoon saw family arriving.  We ate and kids swam and ate and hung out and fellowships and ate and ate and well we at a LOT of ribs!   The pot of beans which I wish MN knew how she seasoned were wonderful and gone before the evening was.

I didn't get the camera out, just took a few pics on my phone. 

Ribbs and watermellon make for clean faces.

D13, with a rib face!  He is getting so tall and grown up.

Stephen helping MN on her donkey.   She is just now starting to ride her.   She did really well.

Hanging out on the porch watching kids swim and just visiting. 

Granola found a exercise tram. garage saling yesterday.  It is now a wonderful bouncy toy for the littles.

I realized after everyone left that all of my children except 1 were there and all of my grand children except 1 were there.  I really don't know when the last time this happened.  I was highly blessed!   We had fun!