Today was hair day!

Today was the day to redo L's hair.  I try to get a style to stretch over 2 weeks and sometimes it makes it even longer.  I took out her previous style yesterday, washed and conditioned her hair.  Put it in big braids to stretch the curls and then did this style this afternoon.  It took about an hour and she was not happy by the end (note to self: right before nap is not hair time).  It is one continual two-stranded rope twist starting just above her left ear and looping all around her head into a little bun.  It is great protection for her hair and makes getting her swim cap on very easy.  I can add a flower for decoration!  I'm hoping to make this one last till next friday!  We'll see.

I clearly need to finish my yard work.  Oops!  HA!

She wouldn't look at me and smile.  But she liked sitting in front of our pretty purple flowers!

Strawberry Time! Strawberry Time!

Well, now that its June and we are out of school, I think it is safe to say it is officially summer.  We've been to the pool, we've swam in the pond (I haven't yet I guess), and yesterday the kids played slip n slide at a friends house.

For me, though, one of the biggest "steps" to it actually being summer is strawberry season.  I love strawberry season.  And so do the kids.  They don't even complain about the picking part.  HA!  And we enjoy the "fruits" of labor all year long.  Well, as long as it lasts.  

The kids helped pick these 2 flats of berries at our local strawberry patch.  And they are still smiling.

 There aren't more pictures of us picking (although I wanted them) because the kids are the "slacker police" and will call you out on it-loudly.  One year my dad came with us and ran into someone he knew (which isn't hard) and the kids STILL get on to him about what a terrible berry picker he is cause he runs his mouth too much.  :)

2 flats = 26.5 lbs of berries.  Nom nom nom.

First batch of strawberry jam!  I love the color when you make strawberry jam!

Berries in the dehydrator....you can not fathom how good this makes the house smell...but it doesn't yield much so I don't plan to do it again but I'm glad I tried it!

Some of what all those berries yielded.  On the left-jam, on the right-sliced berries in syrup, and in the center dehydrated berries.  (yes they are sitting on my floor-it is less cluttered than my kitchen counter-don't judge)

From all the berries we picked, we yielded 10 pints of jam, 1 pint of dehydrated berries, and 6 pints of sliced berries in syrup.  Plus plenty to eat fresh and bake with for a while.  On my list for next year, a raised strawberry bed.  It is gonna happen!

The way to win a girl's heart (whether she be 3 or 33) :)

My mom (known as nanny) stopped by this morning as she was heading out and this conversation happened....

L: Nanny, go wif you.
Nanny:  "No honey. I have too many stops today.  I'll buy you some mac n cheese"
L:  I LOVE YOU TOO, NAN.


Mac n cheese is clearly the answer to all our problems.  :)

Mini Vacation #1

This year instead of one big long vacation, we are doing several little mini vacations....and we had a chance to do the first one a few weeks ago.

We took all the kids to Medieval Times.  We also stayed in a hotel with a pool.  What more does a family need for a little get away?  Oh yeah, hotel also had a really nice hot breakfast.  :)

Everyone had such a great great time!  The food was phenomenal and our serf was totally great with the kids   "dragonblood soup for you sir"  or "Here's your baby dragon....it tastes a lot like chicken."  The boys loved eating with their hands.  I wasn't sure L was going to eat cause she LOVED the horses.  LOVED them.  It was a perfect mini vacation.  I didn't get many pictures (cause I was eating with my hands too).  But I got a couple.

Ready to head in.

waiting for them to unlock the gates

So excited!  yay

All the kids got swords and shields....I tried to get L to get a princess hat but she wanted a sword and shield like her brothers.  I have a feeling she is going to be a tomboy  ;)

Announcing the start of the games.

bring on the horses

bring on the knights

bring on the food

We wear green crowns because we are in the section of the green knight...

presentation of the knights....and time to put the camera away.  :)

Our family is growing......

Meet Betty and Lois.  (l-r).  Our newest "kids"....they are so cute and fun and friendly....and LOUD!  :)  These are a dairy breed so hopefully by next spring we'll have more babies and fresh milk.  I'm sure goat milk will take some adjustment but I'm excited about it.  :)

And "Bacon"....he is also friendly and the kids love chatting with him cause he always snorts back.  But they also know his name determines his destiny....I am sure some people think that is cruel or mean but so many have no awareness of where our food comes from.  Unless a person is 100% vegetarian then everyone eats animals that started out as cute little babies...and many times not in the 5 star lifestyle our animals grow in.  ;)   

And our ducks....One is Donald and another is Aflack but I don't know which ones...the rest are probably named too but I don't know what.  We are looking forward to seeing how many males and females we got here and trying duck eggs....and then hopefully having duck babies....we will not be butchering these cause duck meat is icky....and I'm sure it's similar to butchering chickens which is a job I loathe.... :)

The kids were bummed when they figured out this kiddie pool wasn't for them.
But the ducks LOVE it!  And the kids literally sit out there and watch them play.  Who needs tv?
HA

We also got our garden in.  And they helped a little.  :)

I love spring.  It is such a time of possibilities.  I am always excited to garden and I pray this year that the garden is successful.  I've planted zucchini, cukes, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, brussel sprouts, green beans, peas, cantelope and watermelon.  Fingers crossed.

Back to work I go!  :D  Happy spring to everyone!

SPRING!

Its Spring....kinda.  We had to have the heat on the last couple nights.  But the temp is above freezing.

With the seasonal change has come a WHIRLWIND of activities.  I can just barely keep my eyes from not spinning.  This means that I have sadly neglected this blog and those who read it.   I am going to try to tell some stories from the last few months in the next week.

But today I found a blog post that struck a chord with me....so read this one since I've dropped the ball in my little corner of the blogosphere.  It is called simply "I am a birth mother."  I still cannot fathom the strength of a birth mother.  Sure, there are times simply being a mother is hard.  But to be a mother from afar seems unfathomable to me.

For the record, in our home we do not use the words birth mother because L's first mom did much more than give birth to her.  We use the phrase "first mom."  I think it is more fitting for our situation.  :)

So. Totally true story....

A recent facebook status says I wish I were a comedian so I could say "well, at least I've got new material" about certain life experiences.  (or something like that but I'm too lazy to go back and look).  Seriously, sometimes it's like, Really?  I can not even believe this got so ridiculous....I'm not half as gifted at writing as I am at telling stories (which I think I tell an awesome funny story - don't correct me if I'm wrong, I don't wanna know).  But this is what happened.

It all started with a queen size box spring that we no longer are using....I really just wanted it not leaning against my library wall any longer....so I posted it for sale OBO on facebook (true sign of desperation)

And a random, strange (although I wasn't aware HOW strange at this point) woman (lets call her Susie-not her real name) private messaged me and said something like "This is rather forward of me but a friend (lets call her Jane) of mine just lost everything in a house fire and really could use a queen sized box spring.  Would you donate it?"  I said "SURE! As long as she can come pick it up."  Little did I know what can of worms I was opening.

Jane doesn't have a car.  Fine.  Susie's keys are locked in her truck.  Sorry bout that.  Just let me know when you work it out.  I will be home all week.

This afternoon I get a phone call with the caller ID blocked.  Does anyone answer those?  I don't.  Then I get a screaming text (I know she's screaming because it is ALL CAPS) that she is coming somewhere near my house tonight and can get the box spring.  At this point, I don't know if this is Susie or Jane but whatever I want the stupid thing out of my library.  Then she asks me to meet her somewhere with the box spring.  Um, no.  Meet her at DQ so she can follow me to my house.  Um, strike two.  Meet her at the highway.  Not really likely.... I text her and say my house is not that hard to find....and give her directions.  (for the record after you turn off the highway it is 2 turns- one of them at a t road and our house is the last on our road)

We text for a while and then she asks to call.  Fine. I now discover this is Susie and not Jane. She is apparently meeting someone about a couch.  Fine.  She doesn't know where they live.  Fine.  She tells me their names.  Ok?  She says "I'm a Christian and in the church so I don't talk bad about people but I think these people are shady."  and then proceeds to talk bad about them.  She, of course, doesn't have the gas money to drive all the way up here if the couch is going to fall thru.  She is a single mom.  Somehow I feel like I am supposed to have an answer or do something about the couch.  I have no idea who the couch people are.  I do not care.  I finally try to bring the conversation back to something that makes me think she is going to get this box spring by saying "I am not really sure what you want from me.  I have a box spring that I am more than willing to give you.  I do not know anything about a couch or who is trying to give you a couch.  I just need to know if you are going to get this box spring."  "Yes, but (what a BIG BUT) I have a panic disorder and it is triggered when I'm driving somewhere unfamiliar.  So I'm not sure if I can find your house."  Wow!  Now I am not making fun of panic disorders or those who suffer from them.   But that right there is a red flag.

She is coming to town at 4:15 to meet someone at Dairy Queen and and old lady (her words) for one thing or another.  And then she will come here.  Fine.  I call my mom because I don't want her here without backup and I discovered the King is working late.  I expect her to call at 4:15 and be here around 4:30.  

At 4:20 I haven't heard from her.  So I text her.  Oh, she is coming but she decided to eat some supper then she is going to go look at the couch and then she'd try to make it.  I tell her that this won't work.  I have to leave at 5:30.  She replies with "I thought you were going to be home all evening."  About ready to blow a gasket I text her that "My evening plans have changed.  I was trying to roll with the punches and as she was supposed to be here by 5, I didn't think my plans for the evening were her business."

After 5 I text again.  "Are you close?"  She replies "I am going to call.  You need to answer"  Well, alright then bossy britches (notice the R- it is there).  So I answer and she puts someone else on the phone who is helping her.  I KNOW this person.  She was trying to help lead her to my house but Susie didn't know who she was trying to find so my acquaintance wasn't able to help her much.  (I think I might see some of her problems finding people-I gave her my address and directions TWICE - She contacted me via facebook more than once).  She tells me where they are.  THREE DOORS FROM MY HOUSE!  She was fine.  She just needed to KEEP GOING.  I walk to the end of my drive and wave cause I CAN SEE THEM.  As she pulls in (in her nearly new Dodge Ram Quad Cab and I feel less sorry for this single mom with no gas money) she says "We had SUCH a hard time finding your house."  I just pinch my lips and nod.  My dad and I load the box spring.  She watches and tries to chat.  She has 11 cats and a puppy in her home.  That's all I need to know.  I leave her standing in my drive and hope she can find her way to the couch (which is in no way likely to fit in her truck).  And I think to myself....

1.  God gives us all different gifts, and maybe, just maybe, if you have a panic disorder triggered by driving in unfamiliar places, you should not offer to drive to unfamiliar places to pick up random things like box springs for your friends.  I think that might not be your gift.

and

2.  Next time I think I'll let Aiden use the box spring for target practice.

and

3.  I wonder if Tim Hawkins needs an opening act.  sigh.