Well....

We've had a small setback in the department of chicken hatching....specifically the case of the missing chicken eggs.

My contact at the farmer's market sold both dozen to someone else before I got there. The feed store where we are renting the incubator did not have the eggs either. So we've got the incubator, but no eggs. It's not a big deal since school is almost out, they'll let me keep the incubator for a little longer than just the 21 days. They say 5 days after hatching they'd like it back.

So plan B is to get the incubator warming up tomorrow, go pick up the eggs from the feed store and meet up with my farmer's market gal on Saturday in Orange.

Let's hope things work out well. I've got someone who would like to keep a chick or two, and of course that got me thinking. Maybe I could sell them and recoup my costs. Hmmmm.... we'll see....

Exciting Days Ahead!

Tomorrow is the day that we pick up our fertile chicken eggs and our incubator (or Eggy Baker as my sweet girl calls it). We are off on a little adventure of hatching chicken eggs.

I'm excited because I'm only slightly obsessed with chickens right now. My sister was able to talk her husband into getting chickens and a coop, so why haven't I? I can't blame him totally, but since I know he's an animal lover, I'm hoping that seeing these adorable little chicks in about 21 days will help him change his mind.

Of course, there's the issue of sex. Now stop that! I'm talking about a hen or a rooster. We can't have a rooster where we live, and I'm ok with that. The only problem is that, not being an expert, I'll have no idea if we've hatched a hen or a roo until about 4 months down the road.

So if I can convince him, we'll most likely have to order some. I've got my heart set on a particular breed - the Delaware. It's supposed to be a quiet, friendly, docile bird and they lay brown eggs. As a plus, they are somewhat rare.

My father-in-law suggested that the kids raise a bird and show them in the Orange County Fair. I thought that was a great idea, but one thing at a time. This whole conversation started me into a flurry of research on how to do something like this. Though I've never been in 4-H, I might look into it for my kids.

We'll see how it goes. We are almost done with our homeschool year at Spirit Academy and we really enjoy it there. There are things about it that I wouldn't choose, but the benefits far outweigh the downsides. We plan to return next year as well.

I've got some light lesson plans for the summer, mostly focused on improving reading skills, handwriting, and math (this is to get us caught up for the next year in Singapore Math - the whole elementary is doing this).

I'm also going to be focusing on trying to cull through things in our house that we no longer use. Tonight we spent sometime in the garage and that was great. Lots of stuff to drop off at our local christian thrift store. It feels good, though there's a long way to go.

On a less exciting note, we are about to enter the month that our 4th baby was due to be born. We lost our baby at 17 weeks gestation and have grieved this for some time. Some days are good, others not so much. I thought that it would be just around the due date that would be difficult, but being as we are almost a month away and I'm thinking of our loss so often, I can see it will be a challenge to keep my thoughts captive and focused on Christ.

So we'll just keep moving forward. We've got a busy day tomorrow and I'm really looking forward to watching the kids'response to all of this!

Hey Mom....

...you know on Star Wars...what's that guy's name again....Dark Tater?

I love that boy of mine!

Are you keeping up with the news?

Every 2 year old needs to be up on the latest before really kicking off their day, don't you think?

The good old days

I was going through a box of trims and other sewing items that was given to me by my mother. In it was an adorable little package of white bias tape with a black crocheted edge - so tiny and sweet. I was thinking of how lovely this would look on a fancy baby bib. I was looking at the packaging more and saw a little blurb on the back

Does your child sew?
Send 3 labels and 15 cents to cover the postage and handling for a generous package of clippings of Wright's Trims suitable for trimming doll's clothes. Include your zip code.

There are so many things that I find adorable about this. First of all, the fact that children used to learn how to sew. Second, of course, the fact that they gave it away to loyal customers. And third, they needed to remind you to include your zip code.

Some days, I feel like I long for a time I never really knew. I would love to have a more simple life, but it seems that these are not simple times. In fact, the only way I can think of to truly escape the craziness is to move way out in the middle of nowhere. I'm thankful for all the progress that humans have made, I know I benefit from progress daily. I guess I wish it didn't come with such a hefty price tag: loss of true face-to-face relationships and focusing so much on the outside world instead of our homes.

I'm thankful God is still working on me and I pray He never stops. This is Good Friday and I can't help but think about what God gave up for me. What will I give up for my family? Personal space, private time, putting those craft projects aside, cleaning when I'd rather be FBing. Focus today on your salvation and the price that was paid. If you are unsure of your salvation, I would encourage you to find a Bible, read the book of John, and find someone who seems to have a happiness about them that can not always be explained. You can experience the most amazing gift - and it's waiting for you today.

Can we do it?

We are considering not putting the kids in Spirit Academy next year due to financial constraints. I'm guessing that means that I'd be homeschooling completely on my own. I prayed today - Lord, can we do it? My answer: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

So the answer is no - we can't do it, but God can. I've known from the beginning that this was going to be a growing process for me as much as for the kids.

On another note, I'm so proud of my big girl. We had many discussions about a child that has been consistently mean to her. We talked about praying for that child and even writing a kind note to let the child know that her feelings were hurt. Tonight, she told me that she thought it would be a good idea to invite the child to her birthday party so that she could let them know how much she loved them. That's her plan, not mine. Made me smile.

Still Recovering from this weekend!

Well, I had a great weekend with the Orange County Tres Dias community. I served on the music team, which was a first for me. I just love singing and I was thankful for the opportunity to grow in this area.

The Boy gave us quite a scare when he was having trouble with his ankles. Thankfully he is fine now. Long story, but it's over.

I'm still trying to work on cleaning out our house. Got quite a bit done today and still have quite a bit more to go.

These last few days have been so beautiful and warm. I'm enjoying them so much and am so tired by the end of the day. The older I get, the longer it takes me to recover from working these weekends. It's worth it!