Sunday, Sunday

Last night, I ended up driving over to the property at 9:45pm to make sure Jeremy and Curt were still alive!!  They were finishing up plowing the back field.  Curt had to hold a flashlight on the plow so they could tell what was going on!  They finally got home at 11pm.  This next weekend, he has two more fields to plow, weather permitting.  We are planning on two of those fields to be corn and 1 of them hay next year! 

Today was kind of a lazy day as well.  The older I get, the less energy I have after working a full week, especially with overtime...  I wish we only lived 10 minutes from work like the "good old days":)  I used to jump right out of bed in the morning when I woke up, but anymore, I kind of lay there, sometimes dozing, thinking about getting up and getting on the treadmill, but then get out of bed and have to rush rush rush to get everyone fed, dressed and ready to be out the door for church!!  Left Lyndsay home with Daddy this morning because she was having tummy issues which led to bathroom issues..haha, poor girl!  Luckily she didn't have to go while I was gone (for Jeremy, anyway...LOL)!  I was hoping dinner would be done and the house clean when I got home, but no such luck:)  So, I  made fish and shrimp with rice for dinner after going out and brushing down the horse and goat!  Chip the goat has been so much friendlier this year!  The kids are still scared of her because she acts like she's going to head-butt them, and they don't want to get hurt.  Most of the time, she's just pretending and enjoys it as a game.  She runs up to me when I walk out there and rubs on my legs, enjoys having me scratch her back.  She gets so "fluffy" and fat in the winter with her winter coat!  Just stayed around home tonight to make everyone rest and stay healthy cuz momma works 5 days this week!!  I ordered our Christmas cards, spent time on the computer, got out my nativity set, hung garland in the kitchen, and am now getting ready to vacuum the upstairs since the kitchen is under control for the third time today:)  I think I also have more laundry to fold...sigh:p  I was going to do some baking, but then I eat it all and that's not so good!  Apple pie sounds soooo good right now!  Thinking I'll get my jammies on and relax and watch some tv for the rest of the night and maybe even get to sleep by 9 or so....maybe there will be an apple pie commercial of some kind, LOL!  Sweet dreams everyone!

Thankful!!!

Wow!  I have neglected this blog because of facebook and just being busy!!  A lot of time has gone by!  We ended up moving into our farmhouse on May 7th, 2011!  I LOVE IT!!  It is all completely remodeled except for our master bathroom which we hope to finish on our Christmas break this year!!  I love everything about it, the rooms, the colors we picked, etc!!  We have the animals out here in the winter and moved the horse and goat down to the pasture at the property this summer!  One of our horses (Gent) died last winter from colic, I believe - terrible, terrible time, poor Brooke!!  I had picked up a nice quarter horse mare (Sweetie) a year ago for free.  Just need to get her into training so she doesn't try and buck everyone off that rides her!  The few times I've been on her, she's very comfortable, just stubborn because she hasn't been ridden much, just used as a broodmare for 5 years!   She and the goat get along, just barely...lol.  The goat just LOVED our other horse:( 

We did go back to work in February of 2011.  Been working ever since, praise the Lord!  We have been on 4 10 hour shifts there since June of 2011!  I do not like this kind of shift, usually ends up being 11 hours!  Jeremy and I started a life changing diet/exercise experience in April of this year and we get up at 2:45am, get to work at 4:30 after an hour drive, exercise (I run on treadmill, Jeremy does eleptical, then lift weights), start work at 6am, then get out at 4:30/5:30 and get home around 7pm.  Thank goodness, after the first of the year, they've decided to go back to 8 hour schedule, which will more than likely be 9 hours daily..!!  Bummer is, no more 3 day weekends, and might have to work some Saturdays, but we will be home with the kids 2 to 3 hours more each night which is GREAT!!  May be able to get into bed a little earlier, too:)  Jeremy has lost 25 pounds and I've lost 20 and we both feel great!!  Our cholesterol has come waaaay down, blood pressure good, etc. 

This year, we baled and sold a lot of hay!!  Curt was a BIG help!!  He is such a great young man!  He is always with Jeremy, helping him out!! He has enjoyed the income he makes from baling hay and making hay deliveries, etc.!!  We appreciate him!  We also planted around 5 acres of corn and harvested around 350 bushel from that - the deer probably ate another 100 bushel:)  We planted a big garden and did LOTS of canning!  I canned beans, tomatoes, salsa, (corn last year), pickles, potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, jalepenos....lots of goodies downstairs we've been enjoying!!  We even planted popcorn this year and that's been yummy! 

Kids are doing great!  Amber got married August 25th to Casey Cole and is living in Grand Rapids!!  They knew each other from college and she came home December 2010 due to financial reasons and she and Casey reconnected through facebook in March 2011.  They are enjoying married life and active in church there!  We enjoyed having them home for Thanksgiving!!  Brooke is busy working and has gone to Delta, taking a class or two each semester.  She works at the Bavarian Inn in the bakery downstairs!  She moved out this July and is doing good, seeing a special someone for 6 months now!  I miss my girls, but it is fun seeing them as young ladies and out on their own.  Curt is now 16 and quite the young man!  He works out after school each day on the treadmill and weights - very dedicated!  He is doing well in school and like I said earlier, works hard right alongside Jeremy and is always willing to help - every three months he scrubs the bathroom walls and ceilings for me with bleach:)  He also feeds and cares for the outside animals for us - even my horse - cleaning the stall as well!  He also cares for the kids after school until we get home from work!  Isaac is now 10 and loves school, computer games, etc.  He is a jokester as well!  He asked for an underwater camera for Christmas, he wants to be an oceanographer:)  Very smart boy, too!!  He doesn't like to work though, LOL!  We are working on that, he has inherited some of Curt's chores now that Curt is doing other things!!  Erin is still my drama queen, but is getting better at getting a hold of her emotions the older she gets (now 7!!).  She loves school, her friends and just about everything!  This girl has an excitement and enthusiasm that is just contagious!!  I wish I could bottle it up and sell it, I'd be rich:)  She cracks me up!  She loves to help me cleaning, laundry, etc.  Give her a list of chores and she's the first to complete it and was excited about it!!  Lyndsay is almost 5 and still as cute as ever!  She cut her hair AGAIN, very close to the scalp about a month ago and now looks like she has a mullet, haha!!  When it grows out some more, I will probably get the rest chopped off to the chin to make it look better...sigh!  She did it right before school pictures!!!  She loves school and is so smart!!  She didn't look forward to naptime but now it's her favorite time:)  She's reading and writing all the time at home!!  She's cute in that she says some words backwords, like seat car (car seat), paper toilet (toilet paper), and recently pooper party (party pooper)...lol!  Dyslexic maybe?  Erin reads books to her at bedtime til Erin falls asleep - Lyndsay rarely falls asleep, she's usually the last in the household to give up:)  She still sneaks into our bed a few times in the night, lately I've been so tired, I don't even know until my alarm goes off in the morning and my right arm is fast asleep or aching!!

This year, we did a couple of NEW things.  In May, we traded in our old camper in on a new Motor Home!!  It was hard... we bought that camper in May the year Danielle died and had made a lot of memories together in it, but it was time...  We decided instead of buying a new camper and having to buy a newer Suburban to pull that camper in the next year or 2 (ours is getting old and having issues), we would go the motor home route and are soooo glad we did!!  We don't have to stop to go potty 50 times on trips, we can eat lunch on the road, play games at the table, get drinks when needed!!  Wonderful!!  We also took a first time EVER, huge vacation on our July two week shutdown to DISNEY!!!!!  It was fabulous!!!  We all went but Amber:(  Spent 7 days, 8 nights at the campground at Disney and 2 water parks!!  We had so much fun, it was a trip of a lifetime!!  The last day, we were getting ready to close up and leave and Lyndsay had tears in her eyes.  I asked her what was wrong and she asked "do we have to go on anymore rides today??"  LOL!  They were exhausted!!  We spent 2 days after, relaxing in a campground in St. Augustine right on the intercoastal waters with the ocean across the road from the campground.  Saw all kinds of marine life (jellyfish, crabs, flounder, dolphins, shark, manitee, sea turtles, etc.), very cool!!  We did quite a bit more camping this year than we have in the past, around farming, gardening, etc.  Did most of it close to home, but tried to have more fun!! 

This is getting long, so I guess I will close for now and add more later!!  We were able to go to Bronner's today, just love going and looking around, then to get groceries.  Jeremy is plowing the fields in the dark, with Curt handling a flash light being his guide for the plow.  I should be cleaning house, but decided to get on here while listening to the kids playing...  God has been good!!  I have a lot to be thankful for!!

What a year so far...

Life sure has unexpected twists and turns. Just when you think all is going well... we got a call 9pm or so January 26th that my dad was on his way to Covenant Saginaw from the hospital in Cadillac... We arrived about the same time he did (11pm) and were told it wasn't very good at all by the doctor. He had a severe tear and brain bleed, causing a hematoma about the size of a tennis ball near the brain stem. We went in to see dad, he was on a ventilator and unresponsive. I won't go into many details, but he spent the next 12 days in the hospital, pretty much in the same condition, never really responding... So, on February 6th, we let Dad go to heaven. What a day. This has been just as hard as losing Danielle almost 8 years ago. Our hearts ache so much! I know we will adjust with time, but we miss Danielle just as much as we did the day she died and it will be the same with my Dad. He was a good dad, grandpa, husband and friend... We sit here and say, it's so hard to believe he isn't here on this earth anymore... We've looked through hundreds of pictures the last week and a half and it's amazing all the memories come flooding back! So, I will miss you Dad, but never good bye, only see you later!

New Year!!

I can't believe it's 2011 already! Time sure does fly by! We got laid off from Truck and Bus December 23rd and have been making leaps and bounds of progress on the farmhouse. We were honestly hoping to have moved in by now, but ended up tearing out the kit/dr floor and joists and the upper floor in that area (the boys' room upstairs) same thing! So, there are new floor joists and sub floor up and downstairs in half of the house as well. The insulation is almost done except for ceiling and 2 walls on the second floor and the electrical downstairs is done! Plumbing was one of the first things done as well! We have been heating the basement with a small propane heater to keep the pipes from freezing! When working over there, we installed a fireplace in the master bedroom temporarily to keep us warm! Works out great! So, progress is happening... the sooner we can move in the better. Drywall is next then paint and cupboards and flooring. We ended up making the study room downstairs into a bedroom for Amber. She stayed home from college this semester to work and save money for tuition. So, it will be her bedroom until we put a bathroom in. So, 5 bedrooms and one bathroom, which will be interesting! It's going to be wonderful having all of the room!

We are hoping to get called back to work at Orion in February or March according to the rumor mill! I feel busier when I'm off work! But, thankfully the laundry is done, we get more homecooked meals and the house is clean mostly:) Lyndsay likes it too:) The kids are doing great in school! Erin asks how many days til school and Isaac asks how many days til a day off! Too funny! Brooke now has a boyfriend who is a very nice young man! She has had a few rough days driving in the snowy weather... One accident (thankfully no one was hurt - she got a broken nose and black eyes, the dog is scared to death of going in the van now...), the van was taken out of commission, but the Lord provided us with a new one at a good price! So, hopefully by the time I go back to work, the bad weather will be over. I am SOOO ready for spring right now, but not the mud!

Quick update, I know, but I am off to prep for dinner! In the baking mode, too.... yummy! Take care and I'll try and post pictures soon!

It's been too long!

Wow - time flies when you are seriously busy! We've been working close to 11 hours a day at Flint Truck and Bus since May/June... It's a tough plant to work at - the jobs are much harder and more loaded than Orion was but also only runs 31 trucks and hour vs 70 cars an hour! So, we are exhausted most of the time. Our shift starts 5pm and we get out a few minutes before 4am... We have been working Fridays as well so 50-55 hours per week. We get home and into bed by 5am. I wake up at 7am to help kids with getting ready for school, if needed, then back to bed until Lyndsay wakes me up at 9:30 or so. I will lay on the couch while she watches Dora and doze off and on til 10:30 OR 11am... Then we only have a few hours until we have to get ready, pack lunches for work. The kids get home at 3:40pm and we hear all about their day before leaving at 4pm for work. This has been even more difficult since they started school, not seeing them is very very hard! I decided not to homeschool again this year because we were put on this shift (as a temp employee, we cannot bump to first), and I wouldn't have enough time during the day to spend on schooling... The kids are enjoying being back in school, anyway and doing well! Orion Assembly will hopefully be calling us back to work come Jan/Feb and we will be back on first shift then which will be wonderful!

Our time in the mobile home is coming to a close. I will miss living here on the property, but won't miss the mobile home very much:) Made some nice memories here, though! We could've stayed here longer if we were building, but with all that has happened this past year with our job stability, etc., we decided we will wait until we are able to build with funds out of our pockets so our motto now is save, save, save! We just bought (closed Oct 1st) on an old farmhouse 1 1/2 miles down the road from our property with 4 1/2 more acres. It was a foreclosure so you guessed it, there is lots of work to be done before we can move in... It is a 5 bedroom house with 1546 square feet which will be the biggest house I've ever lived in! We are making it into 4 bedroom house for now! The upstairs was mostly gutted and we've been working on gutting the rest. Then, hubby will check the electrical, have duct work installed, the insulate and drywall the rooms. Carpet will be last! Downstairs, we will make the main living area into a master bedroom, the extra bedroom downstairs will be a study/computer room for now - we may make a second bathroom out of it eventually. The kitchen will be getting new cupboards and new flooring downstairs as well - my mother in law (who used to work as a kitchen designer) has come up with some beautiful kitchen plans for us! Jeremy had to replace 2 old, outdated and broken windows in the basement - had dirt washed in, etc. that had to be cleaned out as well. Poured the rest of the cement and remortar'd the stone around the new frames today. The house has vinyl siding and newer vinyl windows as well. I can't wait for all of the space!!! There is a family room that was added on with sliding doors going out to a huge deck out back that we will use as our living room! The rail trail runs right at the back of the 4.5 acres - we went for walk down it today - just beautiful with the colors in full swing! We will be able to keep our animal (horse, goat, chickens and dogs) there as well - few outbuildings that aren't the prettiest, but will make due for now - might build a small barn next year to replace them... The horse will still go out back here in the summer for pasture. We bought a goat a month ago - her name is Chip and she is soooo cute! She things she is a dog - wants to come in the house and will put her front legs on the storm door looking in, calling for us "maaaaaaaa"... she loves loves loves the kids - especially Brooke! She gets into the vehicles when we are trying to leave so we'll have to put her in her stall so she won't get run over or follow us! The kids get a big kick out of her! I'd like to get one more... So, we plan on staying in the farmhouse until we build here. It will be so convenient just being down the road (already is), instead of 35 minutes away! Jeremy can come down here and work on building the new house when we decide the time is right!

Amber has been back at college since the third weekend in August. She is getting homesick lately! She has been working to pay towards her tuition and keeping busy with studying, classes, and friends (of course!). Brooke is a senior this year - having fun, I hope! She is such a help to us while we are working this shift - she gets everyone fed and ready for bed at night during the week. Some mornings, I don't get awakened by anyone - she gets all ready for school as well to let mom sleep... What a great young lady, I appreciate her more than she knows:) Lyndsay loves her so much - she even sleeps with her at night. Brooke puts her in her own bed and Lyndsay "sneaks" into Brooke's bed during the night cuz mamma isn't home! Curt is growing taller everyday! He's been a big help around here - takes care of the chickens, moved a lot of dirt at the farmhouse to help Jeremy with the basement windows, fixed the landscaping when he was done... He's liking being back in school even though it took a few weeks! Isaac is enjoying school as well - has stories to tell me everyday! He's waiting patiently to carve some pumpkins this Friday coming up! He helped with the fire today, burning lathe board we tore out of the house and kept busy removing nails up there, toO! Erin is still my drama queen! Curt turned 14 in September and Erin turned 5 Oct 4th. She is learning (I hope) to control her emotions more and more. She melts down very easily, but the next minute will melt my heart:) She just came in to my room saying she feels sick, so she is laying on the couch, closer to our room! Lyndsay is a stinker! Still a sweetheart, but if she's quiet, watch out! Draws on herself, cuts her hair, you name it, she will try and do it! Not a good combo when I'm trying to get a few more Z's in on the couch in the morning! She loves Dora and we are working on potty training - she wore big girl panties all day today and no accidents, Praise the Lord! She is so stinking cute - we are enjoying every minute as we have with all the kids - especially at this age!

Anyway, that is a fast update - didn't check to see the last time I posted. We are still working as temps (was summer help to begin with). They laid off 20 of us last week, but Jeremy and I missed that layoff, praise the Lord! Rumor has it we might be there until the end of the year with hunting season upon us! That is great for us - gives us savings and money to work on the house and help Amber with college as well! God is so good - he takes care of things in the neatest ways! Example - when we put an offer on this farmhouse, my husband told the realtor what he wanted to offer (30K) - asking price was 35,350K. Realtor says, make full price, place is hot and could end up in a bidding war. Looked online, price was just lowered to 32,500 - hubby said go ahead and do full price then. The realtor called us the next morning and said - you won't believe this - the bank just lowered the price to $30,000!!!! See - the Master is in control! I could name so many more things that have happened - we are just so thankful and blessed! I will try and post pictures in the near future!

Christine

July already?

Wow - time flies when you are having fun! Jeremy started work 2 weeks ago now and is loving being employed again - especially when the first paycheck came today:) It's fun working with him again - especially cuz he drives and I can catch a catnap on the way to and from work at times:) The nights are looonnng! I get no sleep again which is normal when I am working - especially second/third shift! Rumors are flying that we won't get laid off until after hunting season which would be great! It is a double edged sword for me - I love being home and job stability so we can keep the home is great, too. Lyndsay is talking more and more clearly everyday - growing up way too fast! We were working on colors this morning! The garden is growing, just picked some green beans, cucumbers, and zuchinni today - yummy! We've been working on fencing in the horse pasture as well. It's been so hot this week! We gave up on the fence posts Wednesday after 8 of them and took the kids to the beach before we went to work, instead! Amber, Brooke and Curt went to a Loons game tonight with the youth group from church. We are relaxing, watching a movie and may work on fencing in a few more hours - cooler then! I need a nap anyway! The next 2 weeks we are working fridays (OT day) so it's going to be long! I will try and post some pics later - have a great weekend! Erin just had me knock on her head and informed me she doesn't have any brains in there and neither does Isaac! Funny - they have me wondering at times...

Another week gone...

Time sure flies by:) I worked Friday - supposed to be 10 hours, but got sent home after 8 due to parts problems or something. So, I got a little more sleep! Friday morning, around 10am, I was laying in bed with a pillow over my head, seeing if I could get a little more sleep when my husband came in and lifted the pillow up, put a piece of paper/letter in front of my face - a temporary job offer for Truck and Bus in Flint!!! He is to start this Monday:) YIPPEE and Praise the Lord! I told him I can't wait for him to be as miserable as I am! Don't get me wrong, I am thankful to be working, but oh, so TIRED! This shift is hard for me to get used to. But, this week was better! I believe they'll be laying the group I came in with off the second week in August. Just in time to get ready for school again!

The summer is flying by! In the mornings, the girls go outside with Daddy so mom can get some sleep and it's so sweet to see them out there with him! Lyndsay will go out there in her PJ's and mud boots! This morning, she went out there in her sundress and princess shoes. I went to check on her and 4 of the hens were following her - too cure! Daddy gets a lot more attention now that mom's been working!

Wednesday we had the broiler chickens butchered. We started with 107 and ended up with 66:( That was in part thanks to the dog! Oh well, the experience is invaluable - right? Jeremy, Brooke and Curt ended up bagging them all and weighing each one. They ranged from 5lbs to 10lbs! Nice birds!

Hubby's been busy mowing (he also mowed the pasture) after putting new spindles, blades, etc. on the mowing deck - the rocks are torture on our lawn mower out here. No matter how many times we go over the area, rocks keep popping up! He is always doing something in the garden - tilling, weeding, fertilizing, watering! Definitely the biggest garden we've had to date! He fertilized and put roundup on the corn out back as well. Next, the hay fields need fertilizer! Looking into a moisture tester for the hay to insure the dryness before baling. We hope to make some money from this venture! Half of the time, he's not in from working outside when I call on my lunch at 10pm!

Today, we had an open house to go to. I hung a few loads of laundry on the line today, cleaned house a bit more, watched the kids playing with some friends who came to get some chickens, then supper, and too tired to go see the fireworks at some dear friends' house tonight - really missed the fellowship, but knew the kids would fall asleep on the way there after getting a lot of fresh air today! Saturday nights, it's easier to get the kids bathed and in bed early to make sunday mornings go easier! Tomorrow is church, then a birthday bash for an 80 year old Great Uncle! Then, Monday monday again! So, have a great Lord's Day!

Hay is done... just in time:)

Well, we baled 219 bales today. Brooke and I handled the trailer and stacking at first while Jeremy made sure the tractor and baler were all working properly and didn't need any more adjustments! Then, I got to drive the tractor (but I think it was hotter in there than outside), while Jeremy and Brooke loaded the first trailer. Halfway through, we hit a bump (wasn't even going that fast) and off went a bunch of hay and Brooke. She's fine - just hit her leg on the corner of the hay wagon on the way down. But, she got right back up and helped restack everything! While trying to help, Lyndsay says "potty". I checked her and she didn't even have a pull up on - when did she take that off??? So, we had to trudge all the way back to Dad's house and get her a pullup, take off the wet shorts, make sure the insides of her rubber boots weren't wet and leave her in Curt's care in the shade, playing with toys at the picnic table! We had already taken a break for lunch, so when we loaded the first wagon with 109 bales, we took it home, put it in the barn, got the neighbor's wagon, left Curt and Brooke at home cuz they went to their Dad's this weekend, and headed back with me driving and Jeremy loading the trailer. We took a much faster pace and finished around 7:45pm with 219 bales total. Not too bad for 4 acres! Our 15 here at the property that we planted this spring should be ready to bale for the third cutting this year. They say you can get 100 bales per acre per year so that should be interesting! Hard work, but rewarding! We have fun working together, bruises and all! Builds character, I hope:) We came home, took clothes off the line, put another load up, got cleaned up and went to dinner! Lyndsay fell asleep on the way there and slept all through dinner and is now sleeping in her bed! Hope she doesn't wake up in the middle of the night starving! So, now I am off to put a boy to bed that doesn't like to sleep alone when Curt is gone... poor Isaac! I let him sleep with Erin and Missy when Brooke and Curt are gone! So, off to 3 open houses tomorrow and hopefully the rain will be gone before I leave the house! Have a great Saturday!

Hay time...

Wow - got to work yesterday and they sent us right back home - bad engine sensors so it may take a few days to straighten it out. They cancelled today's overtime so I have a 4 day weekend and have to call Sunday to find out if we even report on Monday! WOW!! So, today I have already hung a load of clothes on the line, chased Lyndsay around outside and just finished listening to an Abeka Webinar for homeschooling either streamline or DVD this next schoolyear - still trying to decide what to do! Decisions, decisions... Now off to bale hay! Here we go!!!

Been awhile...

Sorry, with facebook, I tend to neglect my blog somewhat! A lot has happened in the last 2 months. We've been working hard, cleaning up the outside somewhat, cleaning out the barn, getting ready for the horse to come home, raising chickens, etc. We had a campout here Memorial weekend - relatives came and camped out here with us - spent 2 days at the Otter Lake beach, got a tan, had lots of good food and fun! Brought Gent home from the boarding stable that thursday night - he's doing great! I thought he'd be nervous and upset he didn't have any horses here, but he loves it! We are now turning him out in his temporary pasture for most of the day - had to do it gradually so his belly would adjust to the rich clover out there! His real pasture is still growing - coming in great and we will probably start fencing that in soon! The broiler chicks are ready to butcher - will be doing that next week. We will do some of our own as well as get some done at the butcher's. We hav 70+ left! The neighbor watched our puppy one day - she'd go up to the chicken barn, come out with a chicken and it ended up half eaten and buried behind the trailer in the septic field. Then, she'd go up and get another... BAD DOG! I followed her out with a belt one morning... Now she can't just run around outside to her heart's content - we have to watch her! Once the chickens are in the freezer, we'll see if she'll behave and leave the laying chickens alone! She's been a real good dog other than that and chewing up a few things in the house she shouldn't... I have been called to work at the truck and bus plant in Flint for the summer as a temporary worker for vacation fill-in... It's not fun, but I am thankful for the work. My sub-pay will last longer now which is a blessing! I miss being at home, though and the kids miss me! I am working second/third shift. 5pm - 3am, so I don't get home til 3:45am and am having a hard time getting enough sleep. Not easy for a morning person to adjust to being a night person. Some nights I feel as if I am sleep walking through work:( Hopefully it will get better! We are really enjoying living on the property now instead of just camping out here on the weekends! All of the comforts of home, at home:) Just got my clothesline up a few weeks ago - thanks hubby! I love hanging clothes out to dry and seeing them blowing in the breeze!

Isaac just had his 8th birthday! Hard to believe -where has the time gone? Lyndsay is talking a lot now! She tries to repeat everything we say and I really need to potty train this girl! She may just do it herself if I wait long enough! She'll take the #2 diapers off right away herself if I don't get to her fast enough and tonight she threw the whole diaper into the toilet instead of just emptying it in there:( Atleast I caught it before she flushed it! Erin loves to wear the same clothes over and over everyday. Somedays I'll catch her hiding them in the linen closet in the bathroom at bathtime... some nights she'll put her pj's on over her clothes! What a nut! Brooke is still working at the horse barn even though our horse is at home. She's getting paid to feed and let horses out every morning and some cleaning a few days a week. Curt is busy - we are almost done with school! He's sitting in the rocking chair right now with Lyndsay on his lap watching Toy Story:) Amber is home for the summer, staying in our camper so she has her own space. Seems strange to me not having her in here with us, but my baby is growing up! She is madly looking for a job - put in over 30 applications so far. Praying for a job for her! Jeremy is keeping busy upkeeping everything and taking care of the garden, fixing things, projects... A few weeks ago, he disappeared to help the neighbor and when I walked outside later, he was rinsing off with the hose and said he'd just help birth his first calf:) He had to get right in there and put a chain around the legs and guide the baby out while the neighbor pulled... yuck! Attaboy!

We are currently figuring out options for our housing arrangements. We are allowed to keep the mobile home here for one year (up in Oct) and could keep it here 1 more yr if we were making progress building... But, we can't build when we aren't working... so, maybe a double wide or something that could be considered permanent and they wouldn't kick us out. Seems wierd that they could make us move off our own property, eh? Rules... Another option would be getting a foreclosure close by that we could live in until we build, then rent out after... Praying for God's will to be done. I DO NOT look forward to moving off of the property but if that's what we have to do, so be it!

Well, I need to go to bed and get other into bed so we can get up for church in the morning:) Went to our favorite store tonight - TSC! Had dairy queen and home to rest... Got a lot of mowing done today and hubby weeded the sweet corn til the rain forced him out of the garden! I reclaimed our house - it's clean again - well it was, the kids were playing earlier and there are toys everywhere, but atleast the floors are clean, scrubbed, vacuumed, etc.! Have a great weekend!! God Bless

Erin was NOT happy - she wanted to hold the chicks

Now she's happy!

They guys (Curt helped Jeremy nurse some wet chicks and build the brooders) checking out their handiwork:)

There are 107 broiler chicks in there!

A double, sorry:)

100 broiler chicks in their new brooder

Isaac, Erin and the pup playing after one of the rains...

Lyndsay "I wet, Momma"

Isaac and the pup

Brooke - hard to believe she's 17 today, helping the kids search for eggs... the pup was helping, too. She brings me the eggs the hens lay almost daily and she doesn't break them:) So, the kids had some competition with the easter eggs:)

here are more....

Lyndsay looking for eggs

Isaaac and Erin searching for eggs

Curt and Missy

Love to swing, push Momma!

Enjoying outside! Isaac, Erin, Lyndsay and a buddy

pictures

I will post more pictures tomorrow - it's evening and game time for everyone and the internet connection is dragging:( We had a busy day of school, taking care of the chicks, haircuts for the guys, menards for more supplies, taco bell and now home to play after finishing a few school things... Now I am off to fold laundry for awhile and watch some TV:) Have a great night! Hopefully it isn't too cold in the morning to go for my walk before cleaning the barn!

Gathering sticks to take back to "Bookie"

Daddy and Erin plowing the back field - see her sitting behind/side him???!!

Lyndsay and Missy (and me) following Daddy out back to start plowing!

The boys playing outside!!!

Starting the new chicken barn!

playing outside

the temporary home of the chickens - horse stall

erin playing in the barn

Thunder and Missy

deer outside our bedroom window!

deer outside our bedroom window

Lyndsay got into the frosting on Amber's cake

Erin

Grandma Coe blowing bubbles with the kids.

April is here!

Spring has sprung and so has the rain:( Very very wet here from the past few days of rain! But, the kids have fun no matter what the weather is like - Lyndsay begs to go outside constantly! But, we have to get school done first(usually)... We have 117 chicks we are brooding and 5 turkeys. Jeremy and his brother and a friend built a chicken barn and Jeremy built the brooder inside last night to house the chicks. Had a close call this morning - the air compressor came on during the night and blew the fuse and the brooder lights went out. Thankfully, the chicks kept each other warm enough til we got the lights back on this morning! Amber turned 20 a few weeks ago and tomorrow, Brooke is 17! Where has the time gone! We have had some nice weather - nice enough to get 3 fields plowed! We are planning on planting hay this year and we've been having some fun outside time. Here are some pictures to enjoy! I am trying to do school with the kids in between...

Two posts in two days:)

Boy is it windy out there! I did barn chores this morning and Erin went with me again! She even woke up on her own this morning! She helped quite a bit again! Isaac wanted to go, too but when I tried to wake him up this morning, he rolled over and said he'd stay home with dad... Last night, before going to bed, he says to me "Mom, if you think the rooster is scared of the whip, you are wrong!" and he showed me 2 puncture holes in his knee from the rooster's spurs. Brave boy - he never complained, so momma doctored it up for him and that was that! I came home this morning and went for my walk - the wind helped give me a better workout and helped push me to get home faster:) Now it is raining as well. We were hoping to work on building a chicken coop today for the chickens - their shelter kind of went kerplack in the wind last night! The wind is helping to dry it up out there - rain rain go away! So, no school for us today! Just chilling and thinking what to make for a freezer meal for a couple at church that just had a baby and for our lunch and dinner today! I slept wrong last night and have a kink in my neck today, Lyndsay is hugging me right now, trying to stretch it out for me, I guess:) I wish it would work! I guess I'd better go and let the pup in before she gets too wet and muddy out there!

Spring,spring, beautiful wonderful SPRING!

Oh the joys of warmer weather! I am loving every minute of it and I can honestly say I am honestly enjoying the mud! We celebrate the breeze drying it up as well! Thanks to mud boots, it is manageable and makes for great entertainment for the kids outside! They have been begging to go outside the last few days and I happily oblige! Isaac had fun adventures today following the little brook from the frog pond over to the real teepee on the property next door with the puppy following him. He carries a horse whip with him in case the rooster decides to attack! Erin and Lyndsay are super afraid of the rooster and stay close to momma when outside! I've been walking outside again and hubby goes with me sometimes... unfortunately I am a morning person and he is not. I love the sounds, smells of spring out there! Today was not so rush rush. Had to go into town quite a bit this week - Brooke had stateline practice and left for that yesterday. They did pretty good, I hear... She is going to the horse expo in Lansing tomorrow with a friend from church and then to her dad's. So, this morning, I went and did barn chores without her, but took Erin with me - she did help muck out a few stalls - so cute! The cats were all glad she was there! Then, home to start breakfast and school. Isaac got through fast so he could go outside and Curt and I worked til 4:30pm on his and then I finally went for my walk! I came home and took Erin on another walk around the front field. She wanted to exercise with me! Jeremy and I have been using the Nordictracks in the room in the barn on bad weather days and Erin will go out there with us and run in place the whole time! She is a motivator, for sure! Isaac also pulled out another tooth tonight! Erin is begging me to go out to the freezer in the barn and get the ice cream! Our freezer in the house doesn't freeze it hard for some reason - that and bread dough, everything else is frozen in there! Lyndsay fell asleep early - I have a feeling she'll wake up around 10pm and be ready and raring to go, though:( The guys had haircuts yesterday - Jeremy hadn't had one since Christmas and Curt finally decided with going short again! Yay, I love the nice short cuts!!! He has sooo much hair and it's so thick that if he doesn't get a clipper cut, it just goes POOF after a week! I am so enjoying living here now! I don't have to worry about packing a suitcase every weekend, food, etc! I have all of the comforts of home here now! THIS IS HOME! I love that as I was doing dishes this morning, I could watch the ducks playing in the water puddles out back, there was also a pair of pheasants in the lane out back, strutting around! So cool! Praise the Lord! Puppy, kids, rain, dirt = lots of mud, though:) But, I just keep vacuuming, sweeping and scrubbing away! It will dry up soon enough! We just wear our mud boots to the van and carry our "good" shoes with us! We are looking forward to cleaning up outside now that the weather's getting better and getting the place for the horse scoped out and ready to plow for pasture and corral and barn. We will keep him where he's at for another month or two until we are completely ready for him! This time is going by extremely fast, it seems! Warmer weather and it will go by even faster! Hard to believe time change is tomorrow night already! Brooke keeps busy going to the barn 3 times a week atleast to ride Gent and a few other horses there as well. Tuesday, us "girls" go for haircuts while hubby is at the dentist and then Wednesday we will venture up to my Dad and Teresa's to do some deck fixing for him! Can't wait! Amber is going to be home next weekend for spring break and her birthday! You can tell your kids are turning into young adults when they start asking for practical gifts for their birthday.... appliances, etc:) Hard to believe she is going to be 20 years old - where has the time gone?! I bought a potty chair for Lyndsay and she's used it quite often, I am not pressuring her, just hoping she will "get it" on her own... right now she also has this thing with bugs and there are tons of those red beetles coming from who knows where - everywhere and mostly in our bathroom! So, we have to get them all out of there before she'll go potty! After she's potty trained, no more diapers! Wow... sigh.... Curt is in a size 10 shoe now and I had to buy clothes for him in the men's department cuz he's so tall! The boy is growing like crazy!!! My camera is on the fritz so I haven't been able to take any pictures:( I think we might need a new battery. Gotta get it fixed soon - too much new stuff going on with playing outside, adventures, etc! Gotta go and get the ice cream!!! Have a great weekend everyone!