Maple buds

Grace took this picture of the maple buds last time we were down at Jessica’s.

Today has been a very beautiful day here with lots of sunshine. Temperatures are in the upper 50’s and the wind has finally laid down. Very nice. We had planned on going to the Horn’s today after school but Grace is getting a sore throat. So we decided not to go. Hopefully, it is nothing serious and we can go over there on Thursday. That’s the plan anyway.

I have found a new curriculum for school and was wondering if any of you all were familar with it. It is http://www.clp.org/christian_light_education It seems pretty good and I am thinking of going with it for math especially. Their teacher books have the solutions to the problems, not just the answers. I need that especially now as we are getting into geometry and alegbra.

I think I will go enjoy some of this sunshine. Enjoy your day and God bless.

February 27, 2012 5

Another Update

It is Tuesday evening and we are home for the night. The project is getting closer and closer to being finished. Yesterday, we hung all the walls. Today we got everything mudded and tomorrow we will sand and texture the ceiling and then the drywall part will be done. After that, we have a place in front of the sink to fix, possibly replacing the sink and sink cabinet. Then the new floor will go down. YEAH!

And now some pictures of SPRING! Jessica’s temperatures are much warmer than ours. Down where she lives, there are many signs of spring. Her daffodils are just ready to bloom. On the road down to her house, we see lots and lots of daffodils already blooming. We are like kids in a candy shop, looking for them, trying to be the first one to spot them.

The maple tree in her yard is full of buds.

The onion grass is huge.

Dandelions are already starting to bloom. I thought you all should know that while I’m there its not all work. There are flowers to enjoy, warmer temperatures and, of course, GRANDBABIES! I have a blessed life.

Well, I better get busy. I had hoped to catch up on what’s been happening in everyone else life but it is late and I still have much to get done. Enjoy your day and God bless.

February 14, 2012 6

Grace and Sam

Grace and Sam are pretty big buddies. She is usually his watcher and Julie has Daniel. As you can see, Sam must be barricaded away from the construction zone. He is just a little bit too much help.

He looks a little sad, don’t he?

The electrical is all done and the ceiling is hung. Monday we will hang the walls and start putting the mud on (hopefully). After that, the new floor goes down. Hubby will be building her a pantry to go beside her new stove.

The boys were very happy when they were allowed inside the construction zone to help. They worked very hard pulling up the old tile. Daniel would pull it up with his special tool and Sam would carry it to the trash. Very good helpers.

Temperatures here are very cold. Wind gusts of about 40 mph with an actual temperature of 13 degrees, putting the wind chill below zero. Our wood stove has been working hard keeping us nice and warm inside though. I hope you all have a great weekend and stay warm. God bless.

February 11, 2012 5

Monday

Today has been chilly here in Floyd. Wind gusts of 30-40 mph with temperatures in the mid 20’s. We let our chickens out every evening so they can scratch and peck. Well, this evening they just wanted to come up on the back porch and hide from the wind. We all laughed and said soon they would be wanting to come in the house.

Other than cold, today has been a nice day. We started school back today. After a 3 week break, I thought it would be difficult to get going again but it went well. We had a nice visit with Jess and the kids yesterday. David needed to work on his book and so Jess brought the kids up to play at MawMaw’s house for a while. We were sitting around talking and Daniel looks at me and says “MawMaw, we need to go cook something”. He dearly loves to help cook so we decided we needed to make chocolate chips cookies.

Well, I guess that’s about it. I need to go put more wood on the fire. Enjoy your evening and God bless.

January 2, 2012 5

A Beautiful Sunrise

Hubby took this picture for me this morning. I thought you all might like it. It was very beautiful. Today has been a gorgeous day here in Floyd. Temperatures have been in the low 50’s. Lots of sunshine!! Amazing. Need I say, I LOVE it.

Not a lot going on here other than just enjoying this warm weather. I have finished another apron and have started another one. I need to get a few supplies though before I do any more. I plan on going into our little town tomorrow. I want to go to Schoolhouse Fabrics. I think I have mentioned it before. It is an old 3 story school house that has been converted into a fabric store. 3 levels of material and any thing else a person might need for sewing.

Tonight’s supper is chicken alfredo with homemade garlic breadsticks. We are having homemade cinnamon rolls for dessert, thanks for the idea , Cary Ann. I hope you all have a great evening and God bless.

December 30, 2011 5

Wednesday

Today has been a good day here in Floyd. The girls and I decided it was definitely time to put up the Christmas tree. We had lots of fun. We put on some Christmas music and got busy. They decorated the gingerbread house. Then we put up the tree, the nativity, and a few other decorations. Simple, nothing too complex. Temperatures here have been much warmer than normal. I like that.

Our van is fixed. YEAH! Dave, Jess and the kids came up Sunday so Dave could help Hubby work on it. Thanks so much, Dave! Hubby finished getting it all put back together Monday. Monday evening we rode it to the feed store to get chicken feed and everything worked fine. Yesterday, the girls and I rode it to Sam’s. No problems!! I am so glad.

Yesterday, the boys had a terrible stomach virus. They were both very sick. Daniel was hit especially hard. He told his mom he felt like he was living in a bad dream. Today they both seem on the mend. We are all praying no one else gets it. Jess said that baby Sam was calling for his “Maw” when he was sick in the night. You know that just touches my heart. We are hoping to go down Saturday to do Christmas with them. Lots of good food planned.

Well, I guess that’s about all that has been going on here. Enjoy your day and God bless.

December 14, 2011 6

Wednesday

Hello ladies. It has been very cold here in Floyd today. Temperatures have been in the upper 30’s but the wind has made it seem like 20’s. We had snow flurries yesterday but nothing stuck to the ground. This morning was extremely overcast but by late afternoon the sun came out for a little while.

The girls and I worked on school in the morning and then we helped Hubby set up Jessica’s bed. No pictures yet as he has not put the headboard and footboard on. He says we will have to put them on after we take it down to Jess. It would be too big to fit in the van if we put it together here. We are thinking we will take it down to them Saturday, if all goes well.

Yesterday, the girls and I went down to Jessica’s. Sam and Katie had appointments so we went to help. On the way back home, Sam feel asleep. I carried him up to his crib, we ate lunch and then left. Sam was very upset when he woke up and found out MawMaw was gone. Jess had to call me and let him talk to me on the phone.

I hope you all have a great evening. God bless.

November 30, 2011 5

A Splash of Color

My Christmas cactus is blooming. I don’t think it has ever bloomed at Christmas but it’s very pretty no matter when it blooms. I love the bright pink color. It always makes me feel happy when I look at it.

Temperatures here this morning were mid 20’s with a heavy frost. It has warmed up already to low 30’s and the sun is shining. I think it will be a nice day. We will be doing school as usual, then we have some wood to unload. We also need to go into town to get some chicken feed. Thank the Lord, we have once again sold enough eggs to pay for the feed.

Jess and Katie are doing well and big brothers are adjusting nicely to having a little one in the house. Katie seems to be (as of right now) a very content little girl. She sleeps very well at night, 3-4 hrs between bottles. Amazing! David will be going back to work on Thursday. He took a week vacation during Katie’s birth.

Well, it is almost time for school and I have clothes to hang out. Enjoy your day and God bless.

November 8, 2011 5

More Fall Pictures

Here are a few more fall pictures. These was taken last Saturday during our hike at Bottom Creek Gorge.

Fall is such a beautiful time of the year. We have been working on school, cleaning up the garden for fall plowing and working on an afgan. Not a lot going on. Yesterday evening we gave Mr. Rooster away. YEAH! We gave him to a family that wants to hatch baby chicks for their young daughter to take of. He will be so happy.

Yesterday, it was rainy and foggy here. Then the temperatures dropped quite a bit during the night. It was 36 degrees this morning when we got up. The sun is out now though and it looks like it will be a beautiful day. Yesterday, I was reading a blogger friend’s post, http://theboydbunch.wordpress.com/, and she was having crockpot parmesan chicken for supper. I thought that sounded good and I had already planned on having chicken for supper so I looked up a recipe for it. I’m not sure if this is the same recipe she used or not but it was really good. I got my recipe from betty crocker. I did make a few changes.

Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan with Penne Pasta

1 egg, 1/3 cup bread crumbs, 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, 1/2 tsp. italian seasoning, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper, 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast, 1 jar spaghetti sauce, 1/2 cup shredded cheese, 2 2/3 cups penne pasta.

1. Spray crockpot

2. In a small bowl, beat egg until foamy. In another bowl, mix bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Dip chicken into egg, then coat with bread crumb mixture. place in crockpot. Cover chicken with spaghetti sauce.

3. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hrs. (I cooked mine on high for 4 1/2 hrs.)

4. Cook and drain pasta. Serve chicken on top of pasta. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top. (I used mozarella).

Makes 4 servings.

I hope you all enjoy your day and God bless.

October 20, 2011 6

Monday

I wonder what they are doing?

Someone is feeding them. I see a hand behind the tree.

Of course, it is my sweet Julie, who can’t resist feeding cows no matter where she is. We went with Hubby today to help him hang ceilings. The girls went in search of something to do. What do farm girls do when they are bored? Feed cows, of course. We had a nice day, enjoyed a picnic lunch with Hubby, then came home and went to piano lessons. Temperatures here have been nice. Upper 70’s with a nice breeze. Feeling more like fall every day. Enjoy your day and God bless.

August 22, 2011 4