every animal in my neighborhood? I can certainly try:) I have 4 squirrels who come daily to eat from the feeder, not to mention all the birds that eat their leftovers. I also feed 5 cats...3 of my own and 2 that are strays. I have not yet begun to feed the animals pictured...only because they don't live in my neighborhood and more specifically do not live in Iowa ( but I would if they did).
We are entering into a balmy week...today was actually in the 20's!!! I can't wait for it to hit 40 degrees later in the week!!
We went to visit Jesse's dad in the nursing home yesterday on his birthday. He has Parkinson's Disease and Parkinson's induced dementia. He just turned 72. It is sad to see someone that young so incapacitated. We brought him a sandwich and shake from McD's and he loved that. He is very rigid and has a hard time even sitting up in bed.
We are working on our budget for 2010 and it will be a strict one. We are trying to get our Suburban paid off and a reaff agreement left over after the bankruptcy will be paid off this year, also. We are hoping to buy a larger house but it may not be feasible this year. We've cut out any excess and pray that we can stick to it and be disciplined.
This cookbook is a very entertaining read. Full of fun recipes that really "won't kill you!" and that are actually quite delicious. Ann Hodgman has a hysterical narrative to go along with the recipes. I've used and read this many times and am about ready for a new copy.
A true story about an incredible woman and her family who staked a claim on the North Dakota prairie......one review on the back says "Any whining yuppie who thinks a rough day of work means spending 12 hours in front of a spreadsheet needs to read this book." These people worked hard! The narrative is charming, with lots of fun descriptions of authentic Norwegian foods and customs.
Today we ventured over to Grandma and Grandpa's house (about 10 miles away, up and down hills...through the woods...etc. etc. you get the picture) in sub zero weather. There were large drifts blocking the roads and the wind gusts were high....stupid! Once we got to mom's it was nice and cozy with a roaring fire. We enjoyed a turkey dinner, stuffing, vegetables, mashed potatoes and gravy. Plus homemade apple and peach pies! Yum! Totally worth it! We also played a rousing game of Phase 10 and watched Matilda and Pippi Longstocking with the kids. Jesse was coming off of 4 very hard nights..working outside in freezing weather and is ready for a break. Everything was dandy until we decided to leave. We hit a huge snowdrift at the end of Mom's road (gravel country road) and got stuck. Colton treked back to the house and brought back 2 snow shovels, which he and Jesse put to good use. They froze their feet off . A nice guy in a pickup pulled us out with a heavy duty chain after much scooping. It took mucho effort and small steps but they finally got the beast out( to hearty cheers)! So we are home and happy to be here. The corn stove is going and we are ready to hibernate for the next few days!!!
Colton will be graduating from High School in June and turn 18 in July...our first homeschool graduate. He started his homeschool career in the 8th grade in Florida and plans to continue working on his novel while taking an electrician apprentice course. He wants to be a writer, but will have something to fall back on. Hopefully he can take some writing classes as well.
I am heading up our Woman's Ministry at church...Christian Woman's Fellowship. I will be coordinating various ministries that the ladies at our church do....an Agape Banquet in Feb, Ladies Tea in March, Easter Breakfast, College and Military care boxes, VBS, Woman's Retreat in the Fall, and various Christmas activities.
We will continue homeschooling until the end of May and then take a summer break..plan on getting another pool pass so the kids can enjoy the city pool all summer. I probably will put Katie in swimming lessons again. She improved so much last year.
If we can pay off our loans we may look at buying a bigger house...if not we will use our tax refund to enclose our porch, perhaps.
Jesse and I will celebrate 20 years of marriage in July! We don't have any big celebration plans...may save that for our 25th.
Mostly I hope to continue in the Word and draw closer to my Lord. I want to walk with Him every day and rely on Him more and more. He is the reason for life, the reason for everything and I want to give glory to Him in all that I do. I am so thankful for another year!
I am a sahm of 9, a devoted follower of Jesus,wife to Jesse (24 years) who homeschools, loves to read, take walks, grow flowers and study the Bible and current events.
