Lessons Learned.

Looks harmless, doesn't it?

Well, it has been awhile since I last posted.  There has been quite a lot going on.  I find it amazing how quickly the weeks can pass and things can change.

Just after my last blog post, I strained my back.  This sounds rather benign unless you have ever experienced a strained back.  I don't think I have physically hurt that bad since giving birth.  So, I spent many days in bed resting.  This sounds very nice except for the fact that it was the week of First Monday and we had just made plans to expand our retail location in Tyler and there was much work to be done.  However, God never wastes anything and I learned a lot of lessons through it all.

First of all,  I am hard headed and don't listen like I should.  This is really not a new concept, I have known this about myself for quite some time, but I never really suffered any harsh consequences for it.  If anything, because I will push myself and accomplish a lot in a short period of time, I have been rewarded by people giving me praise and more responsibility.  But, not listening to the Holy Spirit is sin.  The Holy Spirit is the third member of the God-head.  Being third on the list does not make him any less God.  His unctions are not just good suggestions, they are instructions from the throne of God.  So, just before I lifted and moved the antique door, that little voice said "Don't pick up that door".  My next thought was, "I will be careful, its not that heavy."  No, it was not that heavy but I disobeyed and this time there were consequences.  By the end of the day I could not hardly walk around.  You know the next crazy and stupid thing I did next?  The very next morning I woke up with no pain whatsoever.  I couldn't believe it.  Then the small voice said "lets do your quiet time." I thought no, I am going to take care of a few things and come back to it.  Within 20 minutes I was back in the bed.  See how hard-headed I am, I could have ended it right there by being obedient and I refused.  So, it has taken 4 weeks, three visits to the Chiropractor and I still have to be careful.

Please do not take from this that anytime you hurt or have something happen that God is behind it.  He gave me plenty of time to change on my own and plenty of warnings that I had to change.  The great thing is that regardless of the source of your hardship, God will use it for your good.

This leads me to the second lesson learned.  Tony has been telling me for ages to stop lifting the doors and to make the kids more involved with meal preparation and household duties.  I have resisted for many reasons, sometimes as a mom it is just easier to do it yourself.  Furthermore, I have taught them all to cook and felt that they were well equipped to manage their own households.  Hence my thought processes to basically blowing Tony off.  Well, God had plenty of time to talk with me those first 48 hours, I wasn't going anywhere.  He made it clear that He had been speaking though Tony and I wouldn't listen to either of them.

Once God got done with the correction of my ways, He began to speak to me about the new season we are entering.  There is going to be a lot going on and a lot of expansion.  It is imperative that I be quick to listen and obey for my sake and the sake of my family.  He loves me and He disciplines the ones He loves.  I am so thankful.  Time management is one of those things I love, I can work the time and always squeeze in more.
However, there is only so much energy available- not just in a day but in a week, month, year- so if I burn up all my resources doing things that He is either telling me to delegate or just leave alone (like heavy antique doors) I will not be able to finish the race He has set before me.

This week begins our new meal schedule.  I did the grocery shopping with a plan in mind that was based on what each kid can cook and likes to cook.  So, each one has a night that they do dinner.  Ironically, Jonathan the youngest has two nights because he can cook so many different things.  Seriously, last week he mixed up hamburger meat and spices and made hamburgers all by himself.  Those were some of the best burgers I have ever had.  He can grill pork chops, make spaghetti, steaks, fried potatoes with Eckridge sausage, steaks and pretty much anything else with a recipe.  He made cornbread for the stew and it was good.  I am sure he had a little help clarifying the directions.  Not too bad for an eleven year old.  The girls are not so crazy about cooking, they seem to like 3 meals a day and someone who does their laundry.  Oh well, things are changing anyway.  In the long run, they will be thankful.

Change...

“Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back everything is different….” - C.S. Lewis, Prince Caspian

Often in being a stay at home mother, the statement above is so true.  Especially when you are in the middle of the preschool years.  I mean, of course no day is the same- one day someone flushes the metal model airplanes down the toilet, the next day the child manages to cut holes in the sofa, red fingernail polish is dumped in the carpet, Sharpie pens are used to autograph the coffee table, and the list goes on.  However, the sameness comes from the fact that you have to repeat yourself 452 times a day, answer 1000 questions per day that many would consider useless, and each day you wake up to feed, bathe, dress, change diapers, and clean up countless messes. All seems to be an endless merry go round. But then you look back and everything is different.

As Cheyenne has finished her senior year and is preparing to start college full-time, it has caused me to do a lot of looking back and seeing how everything is different.  Different in a good way.  No child can stay a child forever and I certainly don't want a 36 year old living in my basement ( I don't have a basement, but you get the idea) but yet, the family is changing - entering a new era in our journey.

The thing that sticks out to me is this- I have no regrets.  Choosing to stay home was an easy decision, I never wanted to do anything but get married and have babies.  Staying a stay-a-home mom was not easy.  It is hard.  Living on one income is not easy, but God always provided and I am grateful to Tony for allowing me the privilege of being home with our kids.  He worked A LOT of overtime to make that happen.

Not to toot my own horn, but I am an intelligent person.  So, I would find myself doing these same mundane chores that would have to be done the next day like every day thinking "I am smart and could be doing something way more important than cleaning Koo-laid up for the 100th time answering questions like "I spilled milk in the kitchen, do you want me to clean it up?"   I would like to say I was Christ-like in my answer, but I replied, "No don't worry about it, we have fairies that run around at night cleaning up the house."  The next thought I had was "Whoever said there was no such thing as stupid questions never had children." However, looking back those things were the most important things.  It is in the little things each day that we show the love of Christ to our children.  We model God to our kids in the way we live at home when no one is looking.

I stayed the course (not without a lot of encouragement & help from my husband).  Now, 19 years later I look back and I am so glad I did.  I have no regrets.  I was the one at the field days at school, I was there when they said their first words, I saw their first steps, if they were sick at school I was the one who picked them up. I was there.  Thank God, I was there.  When we decided to home-school, I was now there every minute guiding and choosing what my children were taught. I do know how blessed I have been and am to have the opportunity to get to be at home.  I loved waking up in the morning and not having to be anywhere so I got to lay in the bed and look into the face of my baby smiling at me with a toothless grin and lots of slobber.

I couldn't be more happy and proud of the person that Cheyenne is.  I am glad that for better or for worse (lets face it, it wasn't all roses)  when she thinks back over her childhood, I was present.  Parenting is a journey, a long journey and if we want our children to have the best start and the skills to be successful, we have to begin with the end in mind.

A Bonifide Bookworm

She didn't even bother to make her bed before falling asleep 

with her books piled all around.

To a stranger it would seem very odd to hear me say, "If you don't do your chores, I am going to take away your books."  After all, most parents must threaten punishment to get their kids to read not the reverse. Sierra, however, loves books.  Truly loves books, enough so that gift cards to Half Price Books and Amazon are her favorite things to receive as gifts.  She comes by it honest, I love to read as well.  Her older sister, Savannah, is a passionate bookworm, too.  It was to Savannah that I first made the threat to take away her books and a friend of Cheyenne's who was visiting, looked over at her and said, "That is just weird."

Each year during our school days the kids use poetry or famous speeches as copy work.  It is the premise that in copying really good literature, poetry and speeches that a child will  "pick up" good writing, grammar, and speech patterns.  I have seen this to be the case with mine and the kids find this a much more interesting process than workbooks filled with disconnected nouns and parts of speech.  Of course, as a child enters the older grades the study of grammar and speech becomes more focused and advanced.  But I see no good reason to turn children off to language in the written form before they have had a chance to develop a love of good literature.

Last year both Sierra and Jonathan copied from Emily Dickinson.  I have loved Emily Dickinson since I did my senior research paper on her. It felt like visiting and old friend as I read through her poems choosing those that I thought the kids would enjoy. This year, Jonathan is copying poetry having to do with Texas History, mainly the Texas Revolution.  Sierra requested to keep doing Emily Dickinson, it seems she has grown found of her as well.  She told me that Emily had written her favorite poem, funny enough it was entitled "A Book".  Sierra is also recording her copy work in a spiral with one of her favorite books on the cover: The Hunger Games.

A Book, by Emily Dickinson

There is no frigate like a book
To take us lands away,
Nor any coursers like a page
Of prancing poetry.
This traverse may the poorest take
Without the oppress of toll;
How frugal is the chariot
That bears a human soul!

Homeschool Year 2012/13- Here we come!

Huntsville State Park- a really great stay!

You know I am just amazed at the amount of laundry that a camping trip can generate!  That is what I have been doing today, that and washing the dishes out of the camping bin.  For every good time, there is a certain amount of work that goes into it.  As every mother knows, this is why we need a day off when we get back from vacation!  I wouldn't have it any other way.

We have been having a good time around here.  A little traveling, lotta sun, and a whole lotta fun!  I love my bunch and I love traveling and camping with them. After picking Savannah up in Galveston after Sea Camp, we played on the beach and went to Kemah then spent a few days at Huntsville State Park. There was so much done in this one week, that it will take several blogs to do it justice.

Since being home, I have been catching up on house work (see above) and getting ready for school to start.  Homeschooling is a wonderful part of our lives.  I love that fact that I get to choose subjects based on the interests of my kids and then we get to take trips to study what we are studying in person.  So many subjects are brought into play in the study of one subject.  I am really excited about the Texas History Unit this fall.  By picking up books at the library, we are reading.  Reports will be written, using language and wrtiting skills, and documentaries will be ordered from Netflix.  Then we will travel to a state park near San Antonio so we can go see the Alamo.  In planning the trip, the kids will participate using maps (geography) and have to put together a budget for the trip- everyday use of math- all these subjects are pulled in while we study Texas History and this helps all that good information and knowledge stick.  Children were never meant to learn in tiny boxes, the mind was wired to mesh all the information together.

Another year and a lot of good fun is on the way. We kick off "officially" on Monday.  Unofficially, we homeschool 24/7 all year long. It was quite odd, however, printing up the lessons plans and such.  I have for the past years multiplied everything by four, now I am multiplying by three as Cheyenne has graduated.  Wow, that is so strange.  And yet, it is a relief!  It seems so much easier to just have three, then next year I will only plan for two.  Life is changing big time.  These milestones come no matter what, might as will celebrate them!

Oh How I HATE Snakes

Nasty Chicken snake killed in the hen house

I suppose everyone has at least one irrational fear, mine is snakes.  Now I understand that given the fact that some snakes are poisonous and can make you terribly sick if not dead, some might not consider a fear of snakes irrational.  But, if you had ever witnessed my reactions to ANY snake you would agree, my fear is irrational.  Irrational and hysterical to any onlookers.

This spring and summer have been extremely difficult for my nerves.  A loose count puts us at having killed or seen over 15 snakes.  Now, most of these have been non-venomous rat and chicken snakes.  Not deadly, the chicks, eggs, and chickens would, however; consider these guys deadly, but not us humans.  Unless you count the damage that you do to your self trying to get away.  The last chicken snake was killed last night with a egg in its mouth while attempting to strangle the chicken that it had wrapped up in its coils.  Man, I am glad that my husband and my kids will handle these things.

This snake is over 5 &1/2 feet long.

Yes, you read that right.  My kids kill snakes and I let them.  Cheyenne is the one most commonly running after the offender with a gun, but Savannah has killed her share.  Jonathan has got his licks in too, under the supervision of his father- I am not that hysterical. With this many snakes trying to live on our farm, there is plenty of shooting to go around.  Most of the snakes in the chicken house have been huge.  The copperheads that have been seen or killed have been considerably smaller-but they are the dangerous ones. The sheer size of rat and chicken snakes will scare the devil out of lots of people.

Cheyenne, my snake killer

But even the tiniest snakes can send me packing.  While cleaning up a junk pile, Tony found a tiny garden snake.  He caught it for Jonathan, who loves snakes and always wants to bring them inside.  I have let him a couple of times but they always escape and that is another story all together.  So, Jonathan has the little fellow in his hand and turned around.  In doing so when her turned his hand was pointing towards to me with its little snake head facing right at me.  Its crazy, but my chest seized up and my breathing stopped while my heart rate went crazy.  This is what makes me say this fear is irrational, the snake was harmless and tiny but it still scared me spit-less.

The kids still laugh at the memory of when a racer came out of wood pile and hit me in the leg.  I yelped and ran across the paddock (leaving my children alone with the thing I fear the most).  They all laughed at me while Cheyenne ran to the house to get a gun.  The snake went under an old Bronco we had.  Now all the children are squatted  down peering under the Bronco ready to shoot the snake on site.  However, no one considered what buck shot and a gas tank would do when combined and I had to put a stop to the snake hunt.  Alas, the snake lived to hunt another day.  I still maintain that my response was completely sane and with the bounds of normal behavior.

I once again abandoned my child to a snake just this morning.  Cheyenne and I were cleaning up the milking parlor.  She was standing inside the parlor moving bead board and I was just outside moving trash to the burn box.  I stepped inside and grabbed a folded up tarp.  Sliding the tarp underneath a table several feet away revealed a large copperhead in the corner.  I yelped and and managed to shout "snake" as I jumped over the milking stand into the alley of the barn.  This left Cheyenne in the milking parlor with the snake in between her and the exit and she still wasn't even certain where the snake was.  It didn't take her long to locate it and she then sprinted to the house for a gun.  I remained in the alley, watching.  She returned quickly and after a lot poking about she located the varmint and blew a whole in the thing.  We were both jittery after that and  it was hard to concentrate on our work.  We did manage to get the milking parlor cleaned up and the lumber brought up to the house.  Just another day on the farm.

I know snakes play a vital role in our ecosystem.  For this reason, I have reigned in my reactions enough that I can leave the garden snakes alone.  Correction, I haven't reigned in my reactions, I just don't go get someone to kill the thing.  I move to another job in garden leaving the snake to do its business.  We do kill those snakes posing harm to our chickens and poisonous snakes in the areas where people must work.  As for the woods, snakes are free to roam and do their thing and I won't go looking for them.

Snake testicles- In case you ever wondered.

On an interesting side note.  Jonathan had the snake from last night laid out on the porch.  I noticed these purplish little glands on its belly.  I asked, "What are these?"  Jonathan replied, "His testicles, Mom."  Me, " I didn't know snakes had testicles."  To this obviously stupid statement Jonathan replies, " How else are they going to reproduce?"  Well, yeah, I just never thought about it, much less saw snake testicles.  Homeschooling  happens every which away around here.

For the love of Salsa!

Me & Cheyenne (drinking bubbly apple juice)

Cheyenne and I share a lot of things.  For instance, neither one of us can hide our feelings very well, what we think is telegraphed on our faces, we love taking care of our animals, we are strong willed, and we love babies.  Also, we share a love of really good Salsa.  Mexican food makes us happy and we like a little heat.  She is her mother's daughter, with just enough of her daddy mixed in to mellow her out in a nice way.

She has been making some noise about needing to make salsa with our bountiful harvest of tomatoes.  Apparently, Cheyenne has not thought that using the tomatoes to make tomato sauce was a very wise use of those beautiful ‘maters.  A love of spaghetti is not something we share.  So, I surfed the internet for a recipe and found one that was simple and looked promising. And yesterday we got busy over some tomatoes, hot peppers, and cilantro.

The recipe was simple and we followed it up until we tasted the salsa, then we went to tinkering.  Cheyenne is really good about making notes as she improvises so we were able to recreate the same flavor this morning, as we already needed more.

Below is the recipe- our rendition, not the one from the internet.  Before putting everything in the food processor, we cored the tomatoes and scored the other ends and dropped them into boiling water for about a minute.  The tomatoes are in the boiling water just long enough for the skin to start to curl.  Then the peeling just slips off, chop the tomatoes roughly and toss in the processor.  The longer you run the food processor the finer the salsa, so if you like chunky then just pulse a few times.  Also, for thicker salsa use paste tomatoes such as roma or Illini Gold.

Cheyenne’s Fresh Salsa

2-3 medium tomatoes, stems and peelings removed (see above)

½  onion coarsely chopped

2- fish peppers seeds removed- unless you want to up the heat then leave the seeds in. (if you don’t have fish peppers, jalapeno or any other hot pepper will work.

Juice of one lime

1 cup cilantro

1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)

½ tsp of cumin

Put tomatoes, peppers & onions in food processor and pulse for about 2 minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse till you are happy with the consistency.  Taste- if too hot add more tomatoes, if not hot enough, add more peppers.

Let set in the refrigerator for one hour to let the flavors blend- if you can wait that long, we just eat right out of the blender bowl. 

ENJOY!

You think you know someone...

You know, you think you know someone.  You live with a person for 19 years and they can still surprise you.  In this instance, I even carried this person in my womb and I didn't see it coming.

In the Ross household, we have shown a lot of animals.  We wash them, comb them, give them haircuts, blow dry their hair, polish their hooves- sounds ridiculous, I know.  But, we have a lot of fun doing it.  Then the kids lead them around the ring, let the judges take a good hard look, make the animals stand pretty and hope to take home a blue ribbon and a buckle.  So, showing animals is something quite in our comfort zone- showing people however, that is certainly not in our comfort zone.

To say I was surprised when Cheyenne announced that she wanted to compete in the Miss Van Zandt County beauty pageant would be an understatement.  If you have ever seen Cheyenne, you know she certainly is beautiful, but she has never been a girlie girl.  Riding horses, swinging on vines, playing volleyball, these are things that she is drawn to, she even has a  lamb for a running buddy. So, surprised I was.

To be honest, I did not really take her serious at first.  I thought it would pass as a novel idea that flitted through her head and then on to something else.  But it did not.  So, I then said, "Sure, but I am not doing the paperwork and you will have to pay the entry fee."  Boy, I am supportive, I tell you.  Now, if you have ever dealt with Cheyenne once she gets determined she is determined.  All of her life she has had a will of granite.  As time went on and she handled all the paperwork, got her pictures in order, and paid the fee.  It was then I saw that she meant to enter this pageant and she intended to win.  Why not, it won't do you much good to compete if you plan to lose.

My only other concern- other than the fact that I had NO idea what to expect and what to do- was that although Cheyenne has certainly been blessed in the beauty department, charm was not something she was given in excess, she really wasn't given it in moderation.  Speech came early, she could speak in complete sentences by the time she was 18 months old, by the time she was two she could argue with the best adults.  The little old ladies that attended the little country church with us took great delight in telling her just how pretty she was every Sunday morning, to which the little 24 month old would reply, "Don't talk to me".  As you can imagine, I was horrified.  Maybe it was because she was so tiny or so cute or both, the little old ladies would cackle with laughter and do it again the next week.  I followed along behind like some sort of press agent trying to manage the damage cooing things like "I am so sorry, we are working on that..."  And we did  and I guess it paid off, she no longer offends the elderly and is thought of quite highly by those grown-ups in her life.  Even so, the idea of Cheyenne parading by the judges smiling and charming them was just a bit foreign to me.  This kid had never given a hoot about what people thought of her.  People disagreeing with her or not liking her never phased her, she just assumed (assumes) they must be idiots.  Now this is something I am so grateful for in a teenager dealing with peer pressure, but raising a toddler who viewed me the same way was quite a challenge.

I have never been one to tell my kids they can't do something that they haven't tried and I wasn't about to tell her anything like that this time.  We just went full steam ahead.  I must say that I was so surprised by just how much fun we had.  We found the perfect evening wear dress with no trouble at all.  The only thing giving Cheyenne a cause to pause was the talent category.  Now, she is certainly very talented, but we didn't really think the judges would enjoy watching her castrate a bull calf or dehorn a baby goat.  Archery came to mind, she is a really good shot.  Once again she handled it all and made arrangements getting the go ahead for a sharp shooting exhibit.  We wrapped a target in black cloth, pinned balloons to it, and she shot them perfectly.  The night of practice I watched her and decided that she need a cute camo kind of outfit.  So, back to Tyler for one more shopping trip.  This was much more trouble to find than the evening wear- go figure.  but at last we found the right outfit.  I am not a gal who loves to shop and neither is Cheyenne, we were both glad to have the last outfit bought.  Still, we were having more fun than I ever imagined and I was getting to focus on her alone.  I loved every minute.

Looking lovely for her interview

Pageant night finally arrived. Cheyenne was really excited, we all were.  Now, I have spoke to some fairly large groups of people and I never get really nervous.  But, having my kid up on stage being examined by people who don't know them and bunches of people looking on, that made me sick to my stomach.  But, there was no need.  She did great with the western wear, all smiles and charming like there was no tomorrow. It was the talent part, though, that was really impressive.  Not only did she exude power as she drew her bough back and let it fly, she looked beautiful doing it!  I was so proud I could have popped!

The next day was the interview and evening wear.  Windy's closet was the best shop for her business outfit.  She looked great in her outfit and we spent a lot of time on her hair.  After the interview we did her hair and she put on her lovely dress.  Again, looking at her I was so proud I could bust.

Evening wear

I think Browning could use a new model

Once all the events were done there was nothing to do but wait for the judges.  I can't even describe the joy and exuberant yelling that went on when Cheyenne was crowned.  Not only did she win the crown she also won the talent competition.  Celebrating was only natural and the whole crowd of us went to Ochoa's- Cheyenne's favorite.  A lot of our family came to watch, I am very grateful for all their support.

You just never know what your kids have in them unless you let them try.  I can't say just how proud I am of her.  Now, it won't be long and she will head off to college.  I am so glad for the time we had together getting ready for the pageant.  Pageants are not over for us, Savannah plans to compete next year and I am really excited. I t would be so great if Cheyenne could crown her sister as the next Miss Van Zandt County!

 

Catching Up...

Well, it has been several weeks since I posted anything.  We have had a really busy month filled with lots of great things and a lot of work.  I have been thinking that I needed to get all the news posted in chronological order, but that seemed too forced and boring and I was getting farther behind and feeling defeated.  So, I decided to pick up today and fill in with the other things in story form.

Katie Mae Preston is the cutest 7 year-old in the world.  She just happens to be my niece and a cracker-jack soccer player.  We had the best time watching her play soccer tonight.  Katie has a sister, Rylie Grace, who is the cutest 5 year-old in the world.  Rylie didn't play soccer this year, but we had a good time watching her be herself tonight.  All the girls played hard and ran and ran and ran.  Katie plays defender most of the time and is very good.  In the game of soccer you run more than probably any other sport, those who play have the thighs to prove it.  Given that fact, it is odd to me that they make the jerseys out of polyester.  Polyester does not breathe and is hot.  However, it looks great for years. 

My sister, Sunny, had a birthday today.  Her birthday fell close to Easter this year, but her birth fell on Easter Sunday.  Because of the way the calender works, it has yet to happen again.  Sunny Bunny was her nickname for awhile given her birth date.

We had a great time visiting with lots of our family on Easter.  It seems crazy that there were only 3 kids to hunt eggs.  For years there were throngs of kiddos to participate.  I guess that is what happens when one generation waits till later in life to get married and have babies, then they only have one or two kids- the numbers just decrease.  I did my part- four kids is an ample contribution to the Easter Egg Hunt of course those four are now too old for hunting eggs. 

Now for the week ahead.  McKinney is coming up and we have plants to purchase.  The bunnies are growing like mad and will soon be weaned from their mothers.  Sierra has sold some already and we have several more folks coming to look at them.  I guess that the bunnies that are ready will go with us to McKinney.  Spring is moving quickly and we are enjoying ourselves.

Hot Springs 2012

In 2004, our family vacation was to Arkansas.  Hot Springs was the second stop on that journey, Crater of Diamonds was the first stop- it was awesome.  While in Hot Springs, we stayed at the Arlington Hotel.  We were smitten and have wanted to go back ever since.

The Arlington Hotel as viewed from our hike.

So, this past week we skipped town for a mini-vacation before our busy season with the nursery really gets rolling.  The older two were so excited when we told them we were going and began to tell the younger two how great this trip was going to be.  It was pleasantly surprising to see how much they remembered and what they remembered.  Jonathan was 3 and Sierra was 5, so understandably they didn’t remember a whole lot.  However, once there one of the younger two would say, “Oh, I remember that, that was here?”

We didn't even try not to look like tourists.  This is on the main street.

The Arlington Hotel is a landmark in Hot Springs, in his day Al Capone was a frequent guest.  The hotel still has that feel of a bygone era- one gentleman we met described Hot Springs as “the town that time forgot”- that pretty much sums it up.  I found out about this place from my good friends and former employers who took their kiddos there on vacation. Kids from both families believe the pool at this hotel to be second to none.  After all, how cool is a double decker pool hanging off the side of a mountain?!  The hot tub was great too, and heated by the hot springs.

They go together like peas and carrots. 

We left Friday morning and reached Hot Springs by afternoon.  The first order of business after check-in is always to swim.  That we did, well some of us swam, those with all of our faculties just sat in the hot tub.  Then we dressed for dinner.  It was great fun getting dressed up and walking down the busy street to a really nice Italian place for a wonderful dinner.  Everything we wanted to do was in walking distance, even the national park is across the street.

The upper level  of a really cool pool.

Of all the hot tubs I have been in, this is my favorite!

Beautiful Ladies and a beautiful meal.

On Saturday after a really good breakfast at Granny’s Kitchen, we set out to find the old fellow blowing glass in Santa’s Workshop.  Tony and I could remember finding him near the Alligator Farm- another attraction that is fantastic for the family- but that was about all the details we could recall.  As we headed to the alligator farm, we passed Dryden pottery.  We stopped in and took in the really fine art of clay pottery going on there.  We choose a lovely vase as our souvenir and asked the grandson of the founder about the glass blower.  I am sad to report that Old Bill, as he was called, had passed away and his shop was no more.  We were pretty bummed, Savannah and Sierra had planned to get their keepsakes at his shop.  Old Bill will never know that his handmade ornaments go on our tree every year and his picture is in our scrapbook- he lives on.  He was Savannah’s favorite memory from the first trip.  To be some one’s favorite memory would, in my opinion, be a sign of a life well spent.

The World's Largest Wheel-thrown Vase by Dryden

With the task of finding the glass blower completed, however sadly, we set off to see the rest of the shops.  Lunch was simple burgers and fries and then, more swimming.  I must have given birth to 4 tadpoles, because they could live in the water.  When the swimming was finished, Tony, Sierra, Jonathan and I went hiking.  Seeing the hot springs running out of the mountain into little pools was a wonder.  The water coming out averages 140 degrees.  Jonathan is a rock hound and he had a ball finding many crystals along the paths.  His backpack was considerably heavier on the return hike.  The views from the top of the mountain were incredible.

The rock hound

With all the hiking and swimming, we had worked up quite an appetite.  Papa John’s delivered pizza for the kids and Tony and I headed out for dinner alone.  There are certainly some perks to traveling with older kids.  We had a wonderful dinner at The Porterhouse.  The last time we came, we enjoyed a date night as well, but that was because we had brought along our cousin, Stephanie, who was an awesome nanny!  Our nephew, Stephen was with us, too.  All those kids prompted many a person to ask “Are all those yours?”

Sunday was time to head home.  We were ready and sad at the same time.  I was a bit grumpy.  Our sleep had been interrupted due to a fraternity booking a lot of rooms.  It seems pie beta stupid had some pressing business to attend to at very early/late hours.  Anyway, it was a great trip overall.  If you are looking for a family friendly vacation spot, Hot Springs tops my list.  No need to worry about frat parties in the summer- they only come out at spring break!

Beautiful Day

Won't be long and the roses and iris will be putting on a show!

Today was just beautiful.  The temps were perfect the sun was gorgeous and the wind was reasonable!  Needles to say, we spent a lot of time outside.

As spring is coming on, a new to-do list emerges.  Tony got the lawn mower and tiller tuned up a ready to go and I got some mowing done.  With such a mild winter, there were all kinds of clover and such growing like crazy in the garden areas.  I like to let them go as long as I can since the bees and bugs like them, however, with it being so warm the plants were already going to seed.  I love the way the gardens look with all the open spaces neatly mowed.  Now I just have to get the clover cleaned up and out of the garden boxes.  Out of six boxes, I have cleaned out three and I did get the herb garden cleaned out, too.  I was tickled pink to see how many herbs were still with me and growing strong.

Savannah and Sierra spent a lot of time reading their books out on a blanket in the sun.  Jonathan helped Tony with the mower and such and lit the burn pile.  I am so grateful for the rain over the past weeks.  Jonathan was going through withdrawals over the summer since he couldn't burn anything for months.  Cheyenne went with me to Athens to update our booth at Winnie and Tallulah's.  We had a great lunch at McAlister's deli.  She had to work inside on college work once we got home so she didn't get to spend as much time outside as the rest of us.

 As it happens, dinner was late.  Once the temps warm up, dinner gets later and later.  We simply don't come in until the sun goes down.  Yes, that means that in the middle of the summer we don't eat until 9pm.  I always come up with a new "plan" to fix this, but the fact is we like being outside and that is all there is to it.  We know the winter is over when dinner is late and I have perpetually dirty knees.  Let the good times roll!

Ripped in 30

Well, I wouldn't exactly call my body ripped, but it is certainly different!  Part of my fast this January was to give up 30 minutes of sleep each weekday morning to exercise.  I have known for a while that it was time to take better care of myself.  This past Friday marked the 30 day marker.

Thanks to my sister Windy, I found out about Jillian Micheals "Ripped in 30".  I must say that I am very impressed with how thoroughly she can kick my butt in 20 minutes/day. (I know mom, we don't say "butt")  I am a firm believer in her now.  I am also really impressed with the folks that would go on Biggest Loser and give that woman full access to them.  She gets results no doubt.

I plan for this to be a lifestyle change.  I have met the first goal, one month down. However, I don't plan on stopping.  I love gardening with my 81 year old grandmother and I want to garden with my grandkids and nieces when I am that old.  So, it begins today to be healthy for the end years.

I hadn't blogged about this because I hate to throw things out there and then not deliver.  In the past, I could have found a thousand reasons in 30 days to "justify" not completing this.  5:30 am comes early and I did not want to crawl out from under the warm covers, but every time I did I was proud of me.  When week four came around, it was hard.  I felt the worst of all the weeks.  But, when Friday came and I finished that workout, I was proud of me.

A belly button ring has always been something that I have wanted.  By the time I had the guts to get one, I had given birth to 4 babies and by belly was in no condition to be host to a belly button ring.  I have always said that if I got my belly back I would get one.  I never really believed that this would ever be a reality.  However, thanks to Jillian Micheals, it just might be.  September 29th will be my 40th birthday.  My long term goal is to work out consistently until then and on my birthday my reward will be the belly button ring.  But for now, we will just take it one 30 day bite at a time.  For now I am going to do the "Ripped in 30" again.  Then I plan on getting her "Yoga Meltdown"  I really like yoga and if she can results with yoga like she can with the other, I am excited. 

One thing I liked about this workout, is that each week was different.  You don't do the same exercises twice.  For those that loose interest in things quickly like I do, this is awesome.  Now, in the first week- Jillian says that when the push-ups are gone they are gone forever.  She lied.  The push-ups came back each week in varied and evil forms, but because of the strength you built the week before, you can do it!  She is also very fond of the plank.  Again, I was surprised with how quickly I built strength.  Given the almost immediate results, I was motivated to keep going.  Each Friday that came, I was walking around in a different body.  The scale changed slightly, but my physique changed considerably.  Experts tell you to weigh daily, but I did not.  I found that if I looked at the scale, it became all about the number.  If the number did not change I got discouraged.  By waiting till Friday to weigh, the changes in my body had convinced me that this was working.  I did not need the scale to change to be happy.  I have gotten a chest lift and a lift in my backside with no surgery!  I highly recommend Jillian Micheals "Ripped in 30".

What a Week

As I write this blog today, I am enjoying the warm sunshine at Third Monday Trades Days in McKinney, Texas.  This weather is just beautiful.  I was worried about being cold, but no need to worry.  Folks are out and having a good time.  Tony and I are alone this month because we thought the weather would make any of the kids who came along miserable.  Nope, but we are having a good time.

McKinney was the cap on a very busy week.  Savannah had her interview with the Dallas Zoo for a volunteer position in the Children’s Aquarium at Fair Park.  All went well.  He complimented her on her speaking skills and her easy demeanor and she then told him of her public speaking experience- thank you 4H.  He was impressed, of course.  He then asked about her experience with animals and she proceeded to list our livestock and he said “Wow, so you have a zoo at your house.  He has no idea how right he is!  Again, thank you 4H.  We won’t hear for a couple of weeks, Savannah is set to volunteer in the summer, so they will fill the spring session first and then tend to the summer schedule.

Savannah’s meeting was on Tuesday morning and she went to Renea’s house to make a dress.  I must say I was impressed with her first full blown sewing project.  I am grateful to Sara for helping them do this.  She came back home on Thursday, which means that Jonathan is owed two more days of having her do his chores for him.

Early Wednesday morning, Tony & Cheyenne headed west to Stephenville to pick up the 2012 show lamb.  This is always very exciting for Cheyenne.  She loves the lambs.  With all her experience in dealing with market animals (animals destined for the dinner plate) she understands not getting too attached.  We were all so shocked at the tears she shed last year when her lamb was sold at the Youth Expo Auction.  It was so sad, and to boot, if we had known she wanted the lamb her buyer would have given her back.  She told us that she didn’t say anything because she didn’t know she was so attached.  Sometimes you find your heart in the darndest places.  This year, however, we will make a deal to get the lamb back so Cheyenne can keep and breed her.  

The day was eventful for the two of them.  Long about Weatherford, fluids began spewing out from under the hood.  The limped along for a few miles till they got to the Ford house.  As it turns out, another defect of the 6.0 diesel is that the vibrations split the radiators.  Isn’t that just dandy?  Thankfully, they had the part in stock and Tony was back home by 5:30 that evening.  In the meantime, our trusty extension agent, Tommy Phillips was headed down to get lambs with a few others.  He was kind and picked her up and away they went to pick out the lamb.  

Thursday was less eventful; once Tony and I headed to Athens to decide what vendor space we wanted in Winnie & Tallulah’s- an antique shop on the square- we worked at home.  I had a stack of sewing and painting  to be done to get things ready for my booth in Ye Olde City Antique mall in Tyler.  Once we get back from McKinney we will head there on Monday.

Friday was intended to be a work at home day; however Sierra woke up saying that her neck hurt.  This is not too unusual for her; it seems that when she gets wound up her neck is where her stress goes.  But this day was different; she was in tears in a short time and just got worse.  I made her an appointment with Dr. Tina Ingram.  Tina ran tests and discovered that Sierra had viral meningitis.  It seems that the vaccination that Cheyenne got a few weeks ago had made Cheyenne a carrier or at least contagious. So needless to say, no one else in the family will be getting that vaccination.   Dr. Tina worked her magic and before my eyes Sierra got better.  I could not believe the difference in that kid from when we walked in and when we left.

I told Sierra how happy I was that she was so much better.  I wouldn’t have left for McKinney if she was sick.  She replied, “I know and I have been looking forward to this weekend and I didn’t want it to be ruined.”  You gotta have thick skin if you are going to raise children!  Thankfully, she is fully recovered and enjoying her weekend with the parents out of the house.

Trimmin The Tree

I am really excited about this year's tree.  I have wanted a Nobel Fir for a long time.

As you may have noticed, we don't grow those around here.  Because of this, I have been out-voted for years as to what kind of tree to get.  Each year we take a vote to decide if we will go to a tree farm, cut one down from Grandmother's land, or buy one from a tree lot. 

I do enjoy going to a tree farm to cut one down.  The kids all scurry around looking for the best tree to cut down.  Of course we always think that a tree we saw "right over there" would be the best and then have a dickens of a time finding it again.  Once we have located the tree that will have the privilege of decorating our home for the Christmas season, Tony cuts it down.  The atmosphere at the tree farms is always so great, it's kind of hard to be a grump surrounded by all the trees, decorations, smiles and Santa.

As far as cutting them down from the field....  The event is fun, roaming the field with the kids is definitely  a memory making time.  But, I never like how the tree looks once it is home.  It is either to round, too fat, to tall or too thin.  Maybe I shouldn't put so much emphasis on that part, but it matters to me.

This year, the drought worked in my favor.  Due to how quickly a local tree would dry out, we thought a "foreign" tree would be better.  I love this tree, it is so beautiful!