Changes are brewing

So you may be wondering why I am able to blog during the day whilst I am homeschooling my children? Well, I'm no longer homeschooling. That's right. I offered my beauties up like lambs for the slaughter to this great evil world. The reasons why I will discuss another day. They have been going to public school since January 4th. The first two weeks I laid around the house in a pathetic stupor of mind and body, seeing all the things that I could and should be doing with all my time that was recently and graciously freed up. But, for some strange reason all that I wanted to be doing was home school, even though a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders the second - and I mean that literally - I withdrew them from my schooling and enrolled them into the local school's care. It's disheartening, isn't it? That we always want or pine for the things that we can't have. It is human nature I suppose. Part of that vicious beast that must be tamed by the spirit. I am happy to report though that I have perked up a bit and promptly deep cleaned my house. Not all of it - I'm saving some for later - but I am up and going again. I must say that I miss my kiddos terribly.
While I am confessing I should probably document that we have had many losses on Flunkternut Farm over the past two month. The first were the chickens. Like I said, changes are brewing in this house of shifts and dives, but I'm not going to talk about reasons right now. We had to find new homes for our ladies and were able to find two wonderful places for them to live. Thank you to those who took our beloved birds. The next sacrifice was Jenny May. She is no longer with us. She lives on the family farm of the Brencs, while our neighbors think that she resides in our freezer, ha, ha, ha, ahhhh. Andrew is a retired lawyer from D.C. and Joyce is a midwife. They have five children and their whole family is just wonderful. I loved them the moment I met them and I am so happy that Jenny is in their hands. She wasn't a very good girl for them in the beginning but she has calmed down and is very happy there. And last, but not least, is Little Mister. Unfortunately this is not quite an end like the others have shared. Little Mister got stuck in a mud pit that formed around the feed trough where he was staying. By the time he was found he was completely spent and he let his face fall into the mud, he had given up. Our friend was able to pull him from the pit but Little Mister had been in there for almost twenty four hours. He couldn't stand or walk and the night had been below zero so he started to get a terrible cold. We brought him back here with Jenny May to cheer him up, try to get him better, and keep an eye on him. We kept him for just over two weeks and he seemed to be doing well so we transferred him back to the other property that we were keeping him on. Within the next week he died. Now, for farm people this is not a great loss. One of our friends suggested donating him to the zoo for the lions. I am a city girl through and through and I couldn't do that. So there you have it. Flunkternut Farm is no longer a farm - unless you count my children as animals that occupy space here, which sometimes I do!
Change is not always bad though. I absolutely DON'T miss hauling two fifty five pound buckets of water out to the barn twice a day through the snow, up hill both ways, yadah, yadah. I don't miss milking a cow in the cold and dark. I don't miss mucking a stall in the cold. I don't like being cold. We are moving into new and exciting times here at out abode and we are looking forward to our future. All will be well and settled again soon enough.

Christmas blah-di-dah

I'm pretty sure I've talked about how alarmingly bahumbugish I am about holidays. No, not just Christmas - why should it be so special - but all holidays. Including birthdays and anniversaries. As you can see from some of our birthday celebration pics, they really aren't that fantastic. In fact, the kids and hubby are lucky to get a cake with candles instead of me just tossing some presents their way and saying "You become more of a smart 'A' the older you get but I love ya anyway!" I don't know what my problem is. It probably means I have some deep seeded neuroses or something. I didn't use to be this way though. If you look back in our historical archives we do have quite the array of fantastic parties with much fun had. I think the thing is that I like to party all the time. Why should I wait for a holiday to toss it up? This is not a bad thing, EXCEPT, by the time a holiday comes around - far and few between - I'm partied out. Maybe? Well since we have moved away from home and family there has been no one but ourselves and friends - who visit their families - to commiserate with on these oh so special days. So, long ago, we started a new family tradition, for Thanksgiving and Christmas at least. I cook up a bunch of 'nothin but bad for you' food, spread it all out on the table for grazing animals such as children, get a bunch of new movies for a movie marathon, and order pizza (poor pizza maker having to work on Christmas so I can eat in laziness - I love you). Over the years we have all fallen into this niche and are quite comfortable there.

So this Christmas morning we opened presents...

(My amazing Butterfly Personified found these little patterns in one of her craft books and, without help mind you, knitted me cherries, strawberries, and oranges. A candle has been placed in the center of my fruit bowl - which I don't light! :) - and I proudly display it on my dining table.)

...prepped and laid out all the food... (you go tiger!)

...got to eating and watching movies, and spent the entire weekend in like fashion. I have to say, it was totally awesome!

Something else I was supposed to do ;o

I just have to say again that I hate downloading videos. For some reason the video of Dash and Princess Buttercup didn't work the first time, so I did it again. When I went back to check it, the first one worked! GRRRR. I'll just say it one more time and then I'll be done. I HATE VIDEO CLIPS! But then you can't really blame the clip. It IS an inanimate object and therefore, the problem lies with the downloadER. Yeah, me and technology, not such pals.

Now, to the true point of this post - written so soon after the first two of this day, many of Farmer Bob's family wanted to see pics of the progress that he is making on our house. The poor man has done this mostly on his own. Besides my irrational, but crippling, fear of heights I have been having problems with my back in between my shoulder blade and spine. It finally got bad enough that I went to see a chiropractor. When the x-rays came back they showed that my entire spine is all jacked up. So I have been getting adjustments twice a week for a little more than two months now with strict orders not to lift anything heavier than my purse! He even told me that my coat was almost too heavy and that I might want to consider getting a different one! Whatevah smart guy! I love my coat! AND when you have a two year old, how can you NOT lift him? So I have been doing my best, and so has Farmer Bob. I must say he does do fantastic work. Everything is done on the outside of the house now - new roof, new windows, a new chimney (made from old brick, awesome!), and new siding - except under the front porch and the gutters. Those pics will follow. He is working on the front porch as fast as he can. We would both like him to come out of the cold now :).
I present his fabulous work. Isn't it pretty!?!?!?!?
No, no, I know this little guy isn't very pretty. Farmer Bob found him nestled UNDER the old siding. Chillin` out. Yeah know? It's the perfect home for a bat. He was about the size of a flatish baseball.

Yuck! if you ask me!

NOW here's my surprised girl (you see it? Two eyes and a big mouth? Always happy to see me?). Isn't she pretty!?! This, obviously, is the front of the house.

The side - if you were wanting the grand tour.

The sun room.

The back of the house. Check out that chimney!

The other side - cuz there has to be at least two, right?

And last, but not least, the front again.

Here is a pic of the awesome stairs he poured for the back. We used to have really small ones that formed an ice skating rink in the winter. These are MUCH better! I like em a lot, a lot!

Well there you go, I will try to keep everyone updated. Love all!

Something didn't work?

K, for some reason Dash and Princess Buttercup's performance didn't work. So I'm gonna try again.
TahDah!!!!

It's about time!

Whew it's been a long time since I posted last. I wouldn't let myself post until I put up these movie clips of the kids. But the conundrum is that it takes forever - I'm not such a good waiter - and I hate it. So there you go.
The Primary put on this little talent show, I think last October - bad me! - and the kids each did something. I had other clips that I could have put up but there's that waiting thing again. It was called Primary's Got Talent. Butterfly Personified played 'Fuer Elise' on the piano and Dash and Princess Buttercup sang 'Families can be together forever'.
So, with out MUCH ado - after considerable trial and tribulation ;D - I give you 'Primary's Got Talent'....
TahDah!!!