I got a bug about painting the mud room today.

Man, I woke up so sleepy this morning and I can't seem to shake it. It's warm this morning. I have slippers on but I'm a little too warm in them.

A dove has decided that the top of our shelf unit on the back porch will make a fine nest. Her and her mate were courting there yesterday. I scared them off thinking they wouldn't come back to a place where a lady shoo's at them, but she is back this moring coo'ing away. Oh well. I don't mind, but I'm sure the cat will find her eventually.

Speaking of the cat, he brought a fine dead mouse onto the back porch last night before we went to bed, upping his status according to Dan. He now has a use.

I'm thinking of attempting to make a skirt. I'm fairly certain I can do it. And if it comes out well, I'll make a shirt to go with it. I'm gearing up for summer. I don't like what the store in town is selling. It's always too tight, too short, or to heavy. They act as though there are only skinny teens attempting to look like hookers in the town! :( I found a cute pattern for a wrap around skirt, so I think it may be my first attempt.

What else...Oh I better run. I hear the chicks crying for help. The older chickens are mean to them when they are locked in the coop. No where to hide!

I was doing the dishes and realized the sound of baseball video games had stopped. I looked up to find this going on in the driveway. You have no idea how hard it was to make them not look at the camera and be nerds!

An attempt at online conversation

"A civilization in which all men are compelled to agree is not one in which we would care to live." From The Great Conversation - The Next Great Change

I'm reading the first book from The Great Conversation set I got for Christmas. Here's another one,

"Yet there will not be much argument against the proposition that, on the whole, reasonable and intelligent people, even if they confront aggressively unreasonable or stupid people, have a better chance of attaining their end, which in this case is peace, than if they are themselves unreasonable and stupid."

What I'm wondering is, is it too late? Is our nation so ignorant that we have lost the ability to have an intelligent conversation with those we disagree with? Will it be a long hard decline into another Dark Ages and then a slow climb back out before we realize what we have lost? Or can we change things now, educate ourselves and our children now to stop the decline or make the climb back out go more quickly?

So I'm thinkin' I'll wait to get the camera on until Tom gets to third but the this kid hits a wammy out to center field and brings Tom in from second. You can just see it, but he was elated to get a chance to score!

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Tom's New Do

Tom had me use a #1 when I cut his hair on Sunday and THIS is the result.

From Drop Box

It's so soft and rubbable! ;)

Friends, Optometrists, and Baseball

Yesterday was Monday it was a pretty full day!

We had our first official meeting with some of our other homeschool friends. We're trying to get a sort of "class" started that meets at my house for a couple hours each Monday. We aren't sure what you would call it but it is a place to share something you've learned (children and adults alike) have a common snack, play a game, etc. Not like park day where there are so many kids and many distractions and not like a class where there is someone lecturing and directing the ideas. It's a work in progress. This time I shared a cool trick with your eyes that I learned in a biology book. One Mom found a rock that will explode under low heat. And my boys showed off their potato cannon. It was a bit crazy, but I think once we all get used to the idea of having these Monday's all the kids will settle down once the novelty of having friends over or finding new toys they don't have at home wears off.

Nikki had an eye doctor appointment today. It's been a couple years since we had her eye's checked. Luckily, she is persistant about getting this done otherwise I'm not sure if we would get to it before she was 18! :)) She wears contacts so I really should have stayed on top of this. He said there were some blood vessels in her eye that were probably caused by a lack of oxygen. He showed her how she should be cleaning her contacts, gave her a prescription for lenses that have better air flow, and told her not to wear them at night until it cleared up. He gave her a prescription for glasses as well. Poor kid. She seemed pretty shook up that she may have done something wrong. It isn't a big deal and she isn't going blind.

Then there was dinner and a baseball game. Jake's team, the Cubs, was playing the White Sox. His team lost. :( But Jake hit the ball this time and it was a good one. Right over the head of the 3rd baseman and close to the line that the left fielder took some time to run over to it. Got him to second base. And on the next hitter he made it home to score. Sweet! He was pretty stinkin' proud of that. I love having the boys play baseball. It's a lot of running around to practice and games but I have to say I'm pretty proud of them.

From

Oh the pain!

Emotional pain anyway. I realized today that my eldest son is growing up. He's 10 and a half. He's always been my clingon baby. He can't be left alone, needs Mom for everything. The last few times we were on our way to baseball practice he has been cold and silent. Serious. I haven't been able to figure it out. But watching practice today I realized what may be happening. He's catcher this year and it is a stressful job for him. He's good at it. He is a detail man and likes to be the boss of things. But he is also one who needs to do things right the first time and hates to make mistakes. It's a lot of pressure and he is dealing with it just like his Dad, in cold silence. It hurt. He doesn't want a hug after practice. He doesn't joke on the way there or the way home. He was relieved to hear that another boy will be starting catcher for the first game tomorrow. That gave him a bit of a rest.

But there is more. The past few months I realized he doesn't sleep with his mouse any more. It's in a drawer. He doesn't beg me to lay next to him for a bit if I've been laying with his brother. He doesn't want me to brush his teeth, or be in the room when he is getting dressed.

It hurts. He's growing up. I didn't realize it would come so fast. Maybe Jake will grow slower.

Happy Spring!

The weather believes it is still winter though. The night before last, the wind began to blow HARD. Yesterday it was blustery and cool and there were thick clouds. Last night it started to rain after we went to bed. Brrr. It looked like it might snow, but no luck for us.

The stupid dog won't let me sleep past 4am and I'm really getting tired of it! :(

Man we need a doggy door!!

It's a fine Spring day for sure! It's so warm and breezy out and the flying bugs have come with the change in the weather. So we can't leave the door open all day, now what!? We HAVE to get on the doggy door job! Yikes!

What have I done today?
I read for 20 minutes in each of my books I'm studying.
Made breakfast, did a load of laundry, made a new batch of laundry soap, went to the grocery store and the Farmers Market, made a ham and eggs breakfast for my sweet family, filled more of the corn patch, picked up the dog stuff, fed the chickens, fed the dogs, watered my plants, cleaned the back bathroom, made 5 quarts of canned chili, made a big pot of chili to eat today and tomorrow with the left over sausage from spagetti night, made a batch of refried beans with the left over kidney beans from today's chili, vacuumed the living room, watched Cops with Tom, helped Jake buy Blockland online, read my friends blogs, washed the dishes, ate lunch....

The boys went to the movies to see Rango with Grandma Ann. I'm taking a breather and then we are off to baseball practice as soon as they get home!