It is hard to believe how quickly this year is going! My time to type this is very limited. We'll see how many typos I leave! LOL!
Clint and I are very happy the situation with the family member is over. We are focusing on our family and our farmette. Spring is a very busy time of year for us!
Critter chores have kept us moving. We have cleaned out the animal shelters, clipped hair, given them supplements, shots, and vermicide, trimmed hooves and nails, combed hair, washed bowls and houses, etc. We still need to repair fencing, build a new shelter for the horse, sow pasture seed, build a chicken coop, etc. Our to do lists are longer than our days right now.
The men folk have been building raised beds in our garden to make working there easier. Clint cut down trees on our place. Joshua and Caleb limbed them. Then, Clint drug them into place with the truck. They also cut old tires to use as planters. Caleb and Joshua filled the new beds with dirt.
I've planted summer squash, zucchini, radishes, spinach, collards, kale, green peppers, pumpkin, so far. I also planted millet for our pet birds. I have done that before, and it worked well to produce a multitude of sprays. We have a lot more to plant, like the rows of sunflowers everyone enjoys year to year. As usual, my rows are not straight. Stringing a line on sticks to get a straight row was not in the time budget, but food for my family is growing!
Clint was asked to go to China again due to an issue the company's plant is having there. He refused, so they gave it to the next man. It would have been for at least three weeks which he feels is too long to be away from our family.
I am getting my energy back from the very heavy blood loss I experienced when I miscarried the twins. I am still tireder than normal, but that should resolve itself in the next few weeks. After I get the garden in, I will prepare the schedule for homeschool and purchase the curriculum needed.
Blogger has changed their publishing format at the same time our blog outgrew the allotted space for photos. I am having to learn how to work within Blogger's new set up and how to publish photos stored in a different location. I don't get that much time to look at it, so it's taking me a little longer to learn the new way.
Brandon is doing so well in his classes that his instructor has recommended he sit for a certification exam that he wasn't suppose to take until the end of his course next spring! His instructor believes he can pass it already! Brandon has passed the pretests with high grades. He plans to sit for the certification soon. His class schedule changes every five weeks. I have enjoyed this last round of classes because he has been home every day around lunch time!
Amanda is enjoying her lessons in the cosmetology college. The course is fast paced with a good mix of book learning followed by hours of hands on learning. In her first month, she has learned about facials, waxing, manicures, braids, cornrows, finger waves, coloring, and more. She informed us chemistry is a big part of cosmetology! She was a bit horrified to learn previous use of a certain chemical followed by the use of another specific chemical months later can result in damaged hair and hair loss. She also learned sodium hydroxide (lye) is used on hair. She has experience working with that from our soap making. I miss seeing her during the day, but am so happy she is enjoying herself.
Joshua, Caleb, and Bethany have enjoyed their long break from school to enjoy the milder weather, but know their "free days" are numbered. We plan to start back to homeschool soon, but it will be half days for a while. We hope to start the school year with an amazing field trip. We will see how God works that out for us.
Emily and Hannah are growing so quickly. I miss the days of babies in the house already. These two young ladies follow me every where and are becoming a big help in many ways. Emily will officially start kindergarten this year. That means I will be teaching Hannah too, because she insists on doing what every one else is doing. I want to work a lot of hands on projects into the lessons next year.
Thank you for your prayers for our family. We pray for all who come here.
