tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69481706037012560902012-01-30T07:16:48.931-08:00The Hobbs HomesteadMandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.comBlogger531100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-18403409131646576672011-06-19T07:00:00.001-07:002011-06-19T07:00:59.846-07:00

It is going so fast! And I have no idea how it got so big. Hmmmm... General timeline of this past week- Monday: block retaining wall, block on north wall, posts up Tuesday: interior walls, begin loft floor, cedar tree post Wednesday: loft floor Thursday: 1st ridgebeam and rafters Friday: 2nd ridgebeam and rafters Framing should be done sometime next week, then as long as our

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-5381237145393205622011-06-13T13:36:00.001-07:002011-06-13T13:36:16.396-07:00

Although concrete has a high embodied energy ( http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embodied_energy ) and we considered a few other options, but obviously, we decided to use it, anyway. One option would have been to use a concrete mixture with a high percentage of fly ash, which is a waste product of burning coal. It would be nice to recycle this waste rather than add to landfills and produce new

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-46309423573094030992011-06-10T19:32:00.001-07:002011-06-10T19:32:05.727-07:00

Practicing photography, gathering eggs, exploring the creek with friends, making pottery with clay from the land, lounging in the shade on hot days, building skills, digging, trying to get catapulted, watching how concrete gets made, getting squirted by cement truck hoses, making thier marks. Again, sorry about the sideways pics.Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.0

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-38341209834196481812011-06-10T12:18:00.001-07:002011-06-10T19:54:57.497-07:00

We had lots of things happening around here! My dad is a retired electrician so he is helping us to do our wiring. We laid the conduit, or pipe that the wiring goes through, that goes under the slab. It was very cool to work with my dad and hear stories of his working days. David worked on our plumbing that needed to go under the slab also. We designed the floorplan so that the kitchen

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-78115388588735662642011-06-08T08:11:00.001-07:002011-06-08T08:12:00.559-07:00

So, we are sitting in our outdoor kitchen visting with a friend when we see this (first picture) under out cook table. A baby chick? None of our hens have been sitting on a nest. They all sleep in their henhouse. Could a fertilized egg have hatched all by itself in the heat, hidden in the woods? No, it is a wild turkey! I thought a turkey chick should be bigger than this, but we googled pics

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-56244294624364505712011-06-08T04:24:00.001-07:002011-06-08T04:24:32.582-07:00

The last few weeks, we have been gathering materials and furnishings for the barn. Craigslist, the ReStore and clearance sections of local stores have been our friends lately. We left all of our appliances as a condition of sale with our house. 9'9" countertop with stainless sink, faucet and 2 extra counter pieces (CL) 60 Propane stove/oven (CL)

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-59858797531074731542011-06-05T21:29:00.001-07:002011-06-05T21:29:09.403-07:00

Blogging Glitches: Since I am blogging from a tablet, I am not able to arrange pics within the text. I hope you will be able to figure out which pics go with which explanations, but if its not clear, of course feel free to ask. Unfortunately, I also don't know how to rotate pics within the blog. They look fine in my picture gallery, but in the blog- sideways. So, I apologize for making you

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-35376241781463469042011-06-02T09:19:00.001-07:002011-06-02T09:19:59.548-07:00

On our way..., the temperature drops about 15 degrees as we walk into the trees- into the path Pa cut for us, ahhhhhhh!, Brother and his "science exhibit"Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.9

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-42548409108100339742011-05-30T08:42:00.001-07:002011-05-30T08:42:54.065-07:00

If you didnt notice, those were very old posts that the blog decided to send to everyone. I'm sorry!Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.9

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-22196800425342330712011-04-25T06:30:00.000-07:002011-04-25T06:30:12.703-07:00

We have a contract on the house, as of last week! We are moving this Thursday-stuff into storage, us into PaPa's 5th wheel trailer on the land! Barn building will start shortly! Oh, and we now have a tractor and bees in a hive! Just wanted to let everyone know, and I will catch up later since Lent is over and I am now frantically packing! If I had time to take a picture of me running around

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-28468354512605760402011-04-25T06:00:00.000-07:002011-04-24T09:37:33.855-07:00

The start of my ambitious 5000 sq ft FREE garden, Free T posts (returned from a PaPa we gave some to a few years ago)The garden is currenty fenced with fishing line (that PaPa gave us.) It is an experiment in deer behavior :)  I read a letter in BackHome Magazine about a woman who used this method and believes the deer run into the line and are confused by it and stay away. We have also

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-16288592043999964512011-03-28T09:27:00.000-07:002011-03-28T09:29:15.010-07:00

I got the seeding done just before the heavy rains that we had a few weeks ago, hoping it would help the seed set, but not wash it away. We seeded everywhere, but seeded the eroded gullies heavily with this hope. We headed out March 12 to check out the progress of the new grass and clovers.  It looks green.... ... but as we get closer, we realize it is not what we planted. Weeds don't bother

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-7692975802304173182011-03-24T08:40:00.000-07:002011-03-24T09:03:03.989-07:00

The Hobbs men have been hard at work planning our next home! Instead of depending on a central heat and air system, we are putting our trust in passive solar design (and wood stove). Passive solar design: In passive solar building design, windows, walls, and floors are made to collect, store, and distribute solar energy in the form of heat in the winter and reject solar heat in the summer.

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-79996425776200430492011-03-20T15:17:00.000-07:002011-03-24T08:01:25.130-07:00

One of the first steps we took to prepare our land for our homestead was to begin to build up our soil. The majority of the acres have been row cropped conventionally with corn and soybeans, so they are surely full of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and GMO residue. Yum! Besides that, when you leave soil exposed between crops, there is nothing to keep the soil from washing away, which is what

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-40829505786953136092011-02-28T20:19:00.000-08:002011-02-28T20:19:40.883-08:00

Note the new timeline on the right hand side of your screen - see what's been happening on the land and what we are doing to prepare for our new life. Soon after we bought our land, JD found this blog while looking for info on post-and-beam barn construction. He thought I would like it, and he was right. I read this guys 3 years of posts in about 2 days, including one stretch until 2am.  It 

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-25631740717916584452010-11-23T06:08:00.000-08:002011-03-01T07:49:06.423-08:00

After literally years of dreaming about, planning and looking for a farm, my husband took an uncharacteristic, yet impressive leap. JD found out about a land auction on Friday night, checked it out early Saturday morning, and by 11am, without me even seeing it (not even a photo!) he had bid on and won nearly 17 acres of farmland in Lascassas, TN. He got an incredible deal- paying half of what we

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-40031750649880621472009-10-08T10:28:00.000-07:002009-10-08T10:28:00.487-07:00

The second half of the education plan for 2009 includes ballet, soccer, speech and keepers, but I'm going to split them up into individual posts.BalletSisti was really most interested in ballet, but of course wanted her sister to do it with her. ReRe said before they started that she would do it, but she didn't want to be in any shows. "I'm just not that kind of girl." Sisti piped up, "Well, I am

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-61249971405220165352009-10-02T18:54:00.000-07:002009-10-02T18:54:00.163-07:00

I have no idea how long it takes most kids to lean to ride a bike once the raining wheels come off. but ReRe surprised me! Since she is the oldest, we had never done this before, but I was expecting several tries, some falls- you know. That's just the picture I had in my head, I guess. I thought it best for Daddy to take off the training wheels and teach her. It just seems like a "Dad" thing to

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-54908717336067367812009-09-27T19:48:00.001-07:002009-09-29T21:03:41.099-07:00

While Daddy was home for his last 10 days before depolyment, we spent 4 of this days at the lake: This is the view from our bedroom- you can just see the lake past the trees.The kids finally got into the "treasure box" (Daddy's toy box from when he was a kid.) They have been asking about this for about a year- since they learned it was still around.The big kids got to go for a ride! Observed

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-47550662043467583542009-09-25T13:00:00.000-07:002009-09-26T12:09:50.450-07:00

*written Sept 23- it has taken me this long to get the pics on here*Today was the day. Our last day with Daddy before his deployment to Iraq with the Marine Corp Reserves. On the way to the airport this afternoon, we were talking about what we were going to do when we got home to make ourselves feel better. A sheet in the living room floor with popcorn and a movie was suggested. I then asked

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-40479434771766962362009-09-05T04:00:00.000-07:002009-09-05T04:00:02.201-07:00

I started recording our plans for this year of education, but it became so long that I decided to split it into two posts.Of course, these activities are not meant to be the whole of the children's education for this year. There are an endless number of teaching moments that happen throughout the day, plus the learning and development that happens when they do chores, play, pretend and explore in

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-79438976140331145972009-09-01T04:00:00.000-07:002009-09-01T04:00:07.292-07:00

The girls have been going through a phase of being scared. They watched the movie The Ghost and Mr. Chicken with Don Knotts and silly me, I thought they would love Don Knotts like I do, but instead, they are now terrified to enter another room alone. They are now constantly asking Brother to go ahead of them to turn on lights, or accompany them into the next room.Brother just came to me,"Mommy,

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-56710462185011470572009-08-30T04:00:00.000-07:002009-08-31T09:26:39.530-07:00

I am squealing like a little girl! I am writing this minutes after I found on my doorstep, the kit for my new class the Holistic Wellness Professional Course with Vintage Remedies School of Natural Health. You may think I'm crazy taking on more at this time in our lives, but I think I have done some good reasoning, but maybe it's just because I want to and I'm trying to justify it. You tell me.

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-49098489945397009352009-08-28T06:14:00.000-07:002009-08-30T03:03:13.051-07:00

Brother woke me up the other morning tapping my back."Mommy, I want to see my mouth bone.""Your mouth bone?""Yeah.""Well, do you want to look in the mirror? You can look in your mouth, but you can't see your bone.""No," he's already thought about this, "I want a doctor to cut it open and take it out so I can hold it and keep it. Then I will put it back in."

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-82624377340273484752009-08-24T04:00:00.000-07:002009-08-23T21:52:59.967-07:00

Sigh. Yes, it must be true, but it doesn't feel like that long ago. Seven (yes, 7!!!) years ago today ReRe turned the world upside down for her Daddy and me.She amazes me and fills me with pride every day with her passion for life and learning. She says she wants to know everything- like what air is made out of. I tried to explain molecules, but she later told her grandmother that she didn't

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-51109906517578139052009-08-10T09:45:00.000-07:002009-08-19T21:59:10.071-07:00

I really meant to blog while in California, but it just didn't happen. Limited internet resources made it difficult and I think just told myself that I had enough on my plate at that time. I'm sure you agree. We have had an amazing adventure! We were not ready to say goodbye yet on July 8th (when we originally planned to come home) so we changed our flights to stay until the 29th. Two and a half

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-11326421017848402402009-05-13T08:33:00.000-07:002009-05-13T08:33:00.216-07:00

Falls Mill, located in Belvedere, TN on the banks of Factory Creek, is one of my new favorite places in the whole world. We were there in early April. It had been raining so the stream was very full, and the sky was cloudy, but it was still a beautiful day. My pics do not do it justice, and I didn't take enough- you can see a few better ones at their site here.The kids saw how the water flows

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-4624044339018268972009-05-09T21:08:00.000-07:002009-05-11T17:27:21.572-07:00

Last time I visited this topic, (loooong time ago, I know) I was about to make changes. We are becoming less structured and I'm seeing so much progress, it is amazing.I believe God created us with a natural curiosity. We were made to study the world around us in order to live. But in our modern society, there is an attitude that learning (ie. school) is boring. We think when we get out of school

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-73490176097777969492009-05-07T05:01:00.000-07:002009-05-06T13:07:14.857-07:00

My first attempt at a video on my blog..... Brother loves to sing!

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-72657709645139524432009-05-06T04:46:00.000-07:002009-05-06T13:06:27.784-07:00

So Easter was a little different without Daddy, but holidays without Daddy are something we will need to get used to for the coming year.It is kind of a mission of mine to celebrate holidays for the reason intended, rather than what our secular society has made them into. Christ's resurrection has nothing to do with bunnies or colored eggs, so why would we do that? I feel it detracts from what we

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-38205908950064606202009-05-01T17:58:00.001-07:002009-05-02T21:14:06.391-07:00

....back to where we started from! Daddy and I met near Camp Pendleton, CA when he was an active duty Marine and I was a year out of high-school. Well, as of now, and for approximately the next year, Daddy is again an active duty Marine. His reserve unit will be training at Pendleton this summer for a deployment. That's all he'll let me say on the internet.Two months away from home with 4 kids-

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-77321786439621738522009-04-23T13:45:00.000-07:002009-04-23T13:45:00.666-07:00

Meet our breakfast beverage! This is our green smoothie better known as Snoozie.RJ looked in his cup the first time I made this and said "Eww. Yucky." and handed it back to me. He refused to even taste it until the second day when he realized how the girls were reacting.This is what we put in our snoozies. I am totally guessing at the amounts in an effort to be able to share a recipe. 1 or 2

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-49670562522968125552009-04-21T15:31:00.000-07:002009-04-21T15:31:00.385-07:00

I have been known as a germaphobe when it comes to my kitchen, just ask my mother. She rolls her eyes quite frequently at how meticulous I am about cross contamination when I am preparing food. She like to remind me of how people did things 50 years ago (since I am normally so fond of doing things the old-fashioned way.) But I still have a keen awareness about where raw meat or eggs may have

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-7920703780400238732009-04-19T11:36:00.000-07:002009-04-20T07:28:37.459-07:00

I'm trying to catch up, so hopefully you will soon be reading about many more of the trips we have taken over the last few months. Here's a field trip we took in February to the Tennessee Agriculture Museum for a special class on George Washington and what his life was like.ReRe got to grind sugar with a mortar and pestal, and scrape dried corn off of the cob. Sisti got to use the two man saw. We

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-17178665740498320862009-04-14T15:15:00.000-07:002009-05-07T16:51:07.532-07:00

Not counting the tornado and a few really cold days this past week, our weather is beautiful! We've been taking advantage of it the last several weeks:In March, I hired this guy to bring his tractor over and till up additional garden space on the side of the houseBrother is very impressed!Unloading soil for the new garden beds in back (more like- dodging Brother's shovel handle....)Noonie likes

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-48881019337316952902009-03-18T12:13:00.000-07:002009-04-07T14:39:09.196-07:00

I decided on the new title of this blog, Education in Creation, because I feel it reflects a couple of very important elements of our lives, and therefore the basis of this blog. We love learning and we love nature! The title brings these things to my mind:1) We are Christians, and therefore believe that God created everything! Since He created everything, everything we learn is ABOUT His

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-90894133793611492642009-03-14T21:57:00.000-07:002009-04-17T14:53:19.602-07:00

I can't even remember what the argument was about. Sisti was just being a little sister- exerting her individual spirit against her typical big sister by disagreeing. Big Sister, of course, believes it is her responsibility to explain things to Little Sister and force her to see things or do things the "right" way.Me: ReRe, you know she's wrong, you can tell her once then just don't respond. She

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-19680494820797674522009-03-08T20:14:00.000-07:002009-03-08T21:56:41.026-07:00

Our silly chickens have bellies full of worms! They are good for my garden soil, but I'm willing to share. We spent most of this past weekend in the yard in the beautiful 70 degree weather! I prepared beds, set out seedlings of cold-weather-tolerant snap peas and spinach and planted more seeds of those and carrots. I started celery, broccoli, and cabbage seeds while the kids did their own trays

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-51362544680390636712009-03-08T06:26:00.000-07:002009-03-08T06:34:49.771-07:00

I will never make fun of my mother-in-law again for not throwing anything away! She likes to hang on to a lot more "stuff" than I do. But I am now thankful that she is the same way with her email inbox! She still had all of my posts from the old blog! Hooray! I was joking when I asked if anyone saved them- HA!So you may have noticed I have been adding them into this blog with the original dates,

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-21806397912690264792009-02-28T20:12:00.000-08:002009-03-04T05:55:16.614-08:00

To those of you who read my old blog, Growing Green in Tennessee, thanks! It made me feel good to see numbers of hits! But, for those of you who actually missed it enough to tap me on my email shoulder and say, "Ahem, we miss your blog!" thank you more! I loved blogging until I accidentally deleted the blog. No, I can't believe I could actually do that either. I just clicked on the wrong thing,

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-74564163654875771222008-11-22T20:03:00.000-08:002009-04-17T14:52:18.479-07:00

I sat down a few weeks ago to write about my homeschool methods and this is what came out:After reading "School Can Wait" by Raymond Moore, my mother decided to keep me out of school until 2nd grade. I had no curriculum and no scheduled "school time," I was just naturally curious- as nearly all children are if allowed and encouraged to be. I started way ahead of my class, even in a private

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-32317952998736695832008-10-25T19:33:00.000-07:002009-03-05T19:39:52.710-08:00

I am constantly amazed by this friend, who has created her own non-profit organization. It has brought to the front of my mind how important it is to contribute to your community and how anyone can start a project like this (not that you are just anyone, Mandy) but that it just takes one person with the passion and determination to do it. It has made me think about what changes I would like to

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-8299005566336179332008-10-24T19:18:00.000-07:002009-03-08T20:14:00.575-07:00

In some areas of life, living environmentally aware costs you- buying organic over conventional at the grocery store, for one. Luckily there are other ways that that both save the planet and save me money while even saving my family's health.A few weeks ago, I actually gave away a whole box of cleaners (some unopened!) after doing some research on the need for "green cleaning" in articles like

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-77116171847348339512008-10-21T19:09:00.000-07:002009-03-05T19:16:47.428-08:00

We used to have cereal every morning because that's what I liked- the kids too. On the weekends, Daddy would make bacon and eggs or pancakes or waffles. I'm just not really a "cook breakfast" kind of person. I don't like to take the time in the morning to cook, then have to cleanup, etc. Cereal was just quick and easy.But, with our changing diet, we have been able to change breakfast completely

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-8931012509988385072008-10-19T19:24:00.000-07:002009-03-08T20:09:58.794-07:00

We got a lot of work done in the garden this past weekend. We trimmed and trained the raspberries and blackberries and I vowed not to let the morning glorys take over next year no matter how pretty they look. This was in August:I was unwinding and untangling them from the berries for hours! I will grow them along the side of the deck and railing, but not near the fence or berries- what a pain.

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-52276148400278586742008-10-17T19:29:00.000-07:002009-03-09T20:16:00.702-07:00

We did some descriptive writing yesterday and I love what these girls came up with! I helped by asking questions like: what does he look like? what does he do, like, and say? What do you think of when you think of him? Hope you enjoy!Soft and blackRuns, wiggles, plays, scratchesLittle turned head, glowing eyesGrabs our toes!Sweet, snugglyWild MosesThe EndSilly, wild and loudGoldilocks, blue eyes,

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-63426671725529720662008-10-13T19:45:00.000-07:002009-04-17T14:51:38.132-07:00

Yes, this is very late- we have finished another book since this one- so I will try to catch up! My problem is that I don't work on this blog until I have everything else done (laundry, housework, etc) and that just rarely happens! ha! So The Rag Coat turned out to be my favorite book so far (we actually turned it into 2 weeks because there was so much we wanted to do!) I sobbed through the first

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-46694091401112418272008-10-13T19:39:00.000-07:002009-03-08T14:12:32.455-07:00

Hellooo!! Nice to meetcha!Well we are one step closer to self-sufficiency- our own eggs! This is Colorful, Ellie and Clara- the first of our pets who will earn their keep. We are already doing better than last summer when we bought straight run chickens and ended up with 2 roosters (named Dorothy and Princess.) These ladies have been living in Ama's backyard since early summer waiting for their

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-5318405034098446862008-10-06T19:50:00.000-07:002009-03-08T13:15:06.164-07:00

My in-laws have a sign that says, "If you are lucky enough to be at the lake, you're lucky enough." That's how I feel about Dale Hollow Lake and the home they have built on it. We are so fortunate to have the most gorgeous vacation spot in Tennessee...... and it's free!Coming from California 9 years ago, I heard "lake" and "swimming" and thought "eww" and "redneck." (In my area of California, the

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-33673234191923993802008-10-02T19:57:00.000-07:002009-03-08T20:12:22.582-07:00

NO, I'm not pregnant! Gotcha though, didn't I?Well, Daddy came home a couple of weeks ago with a box! One of his workers found this little guy on the ball fields all alone in Percy Warner Park. We don't think he had ever been handled by humans-he was super skitish. He actually climbed up into the dash of the work truck and they had to take the dash out to catch him! He wouldn't scratch or bite,

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-49989581296291790962008-10-02T19:54:00.000-07:002009-03-05T19:57:23.388-08:00

Despite my laid-back philosophy on learning, I admit I was getting a little worried there, just a little, about ReRe. She is 6 and has had no intrest in reading- even after hanging out with 2 7-year-old friends who would read to her! I wasn't going to push her- I was just waiting for her to want to. I knew she could do it, she just lacked the motivation. Well, I found that motivation - pizza.I

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-19891607975623032092008-10-02T19:52:00.000-07:002009-03-08T13:05:46.391-07:00

ReRe came running into the bathroom while I was in the shower. She had made her own breakfast. "My cereal looks like fall leaves swirling around in snow!" Picture her with her fingers outstretched and hands waving around. She was so excited, she had to take a picture and come show me -in the shower.Is this creativity? I'm not sure.....

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948170603701256090.post-20444029615843483772008-09-24T20:00:00.000-07:002009-03-05T20:02:56.598-08:00

The girls cannot possibly brush their teeth at the same time in the morning. They either fight over who is standing on the stool or who grabbed the toothpaste, or who is one inch too far to one side of the sink.Anyway, neither wanted to be first in the bathroom this morning so Sisti said, "Let's just see who gets there first!" and turned like she was going to run toward the bathroom. ReRe, of

Mandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059085303933324601noreply@blogger.com1