10/18/07

The first picture today is of Steve, my Daddy, the kids and me eating our icecream at the fair last Saturday night. This is the kind of icecream that is a rectangle block dipped in chocolate and nuts with a cherry on top. Wesley and Mikayla were sharing theirs because they never eat a whole one and we aren't going to waste one! Actually, Wesley just wanted the chocolate so Mikayla ate most of it herself. I'll be getting another one this Saturday. lol

The second picture is of the display of honey that is brought in around our state. I love how honey looks with light shining through it. I just think it is a beautiful color. I continue to learn more and more about God's creation and how He made bees as I teach my students each year. This year I learned that the honeybee makes their hive to be a hexagon for each section. I KNEW that but had never really THOUGHT about it before. I had a devotion on it. The Creation Scientists commented that God had the honeybee to make hexagons for each section and there is no wasted space in the hive. Every part can be used. Isn't it neat how God is big in the big things and the little things!!!??

We had rain today! I knew it was in the forecast but was shocked when I saw it. It isn't that I didn't think we'd get any... it was more of the fact that we haven't had it in so long I was amazed to watch it fall. I would truly call it "liquid sunshine" today. We didn't get a large amount but it is better than nothing. I was so thankful for it I had my students get up and we went outside under the awning to our building. I let them hold their hands out and feel the rain and then I prayed and thanked the Lord for what He was sending us. After I prayed I decided they needed to run in the rain for a minute so I took them to another area of the awning where they could run out and back under more quickly. They had a blast doing it. It brought tears to my eyes as I thanked the Lord.

Daddy has been saying all along that we wouldn't be getting rain for a while because the moon was "on its back." When it would be in the crescent stage the crescent part looked like it was holding in the water. Even when we had been forecasted as possibly having rain we haven't had it during those times. Well, Sunday night it turned on its side. I called Daddy and he saw it, too. He said the rain would definitely come this time and it did. Farmers wisdom is what I like to call it. :)

I was so tired when I got home today that I was doing good to take out the trash and wash a load of clothes. When I was giving the kids their practice spelling test I fell asleep between words again and actually started "dreaming" and began to speak out loud what I was saying in the dream instead of the next spelling word! The kids looked at me kind of funny... Mikayla read to me but I have no clue what she read. Thankfully, Steve got home earlier tonight and heard Wesley read. That is a good thing. I passed out in the recliner for a while just to get enough energy to get through the rest of the evening. I hate feeling THAT exhausted.

Tomorrow is Friday and I am so thankful for that. :)

I am now off to fold clothes upon clothes that have piled up throughout the week because I haven't had time to fold them. (Wonder why??? Could it be the papers I grade each night??) Actually, no papers to grade tonight (YEHAW!) so I will just fold those clothes and dry a few more then fold them, too. :) Have a great one!

10/16/07

Back to the grind today with a regular day of school. It was busy but fun and the kids got to paint... which is ALWAYS fun. :)

Speaking of fun, I am coloring my hair at the moment while watching my son vaccuum... He didn't get around to it yesterday afternoon because his room had become a disaster area in the process of him trying to "clean" it before we went to the fair on Saturday. He was funny last night because he told Steve "Tomorrow is going to be tough. I have to do my sentences and read for homework, get my hair cut, vaccuum and finish cleaning, hang up clothes, eat supper and get ready for bed.... There just won't be enough time..." HA... Welcome to life, my son....

Thought I'd show some more pics from the fair. These pics today are from the antique tractor tent. We always go in there and see the old tractors. We have lots of traditions when we go. lol I tried to upload a few more but there were some technical difficulties so I'll try some more later on. Wesley "drooled" over all of the tractors. He was so excited when he saw a John Deere he could stand in front of so I could take his picture. They only had one John Deere in the antique tractor tent this year. That was a bit of a bummer.

Well, off to eat some supper, get this color out of my hair, put some kids to bed and..... GRADE PAPERS. That was a shock to you, wasn't it? he hee... Have a great evening!

10/15/07

The fair was GREAT! We stayed all day and had the best time. I can't wait to do it again this coming Saturday. :)

I took this first picture as the sun was beginning to set that day. I got a little distracted and almost lost my family as they kept walking and I stopped to do this. My brother made sure I knew where they were but they are so used to me stopping and photographing something. lol I liked the lighting and the reflections on the building off the windows.

Well... my photograph won nothing, which I expected, as did my peanut brittle. My scrapbook pages, though.... they both got first place!! I was quite tickled over that. I didn't expect both of them to place let alone blue ribbons!! It was a nice surprise. I put both pictures of the pages to show you.

My brother did QUITE well! He had entered tons of stuff and received 6 first place, 4 second place, 2 third place and one sixth place. He had entered baked goods, preserves/jams/jellies, produce from his garden and candies. Most all of his stuff had a ribbon on it. We were so happy for him! Wesley won third place on his honey muffins... and how he did, I'll never know. lol He had put too much flour in them and my brother had to add a bit more milk to balance that out. Poor Mikayla, who loves to cook and has never won anything, was out of luck again! We were so hoping Mikayla would be the one who had the ribbon. It was wild when we saw it was Wesley instead. lol We told her she did a great job with entering, though, and should be proud of herself.

We walked all over the fair and we were tired when the day was over! We ate lots of wonderful things. You see some of the things we ate on this post.. ha!! The footlong hotdog was my first endeavor and the funnel cake was later on.... but they were both great. This is the only time of year I eat that kind of hotdog. There is just something about the food at the fair though... When we got there and took a big "whiff" of air we loved what we smelled!! :)

Today I had a teacher workday so I was able to get some things done and I don't have papers to grade tonight!! I am so excited but I don't know what to do with myself. ha!! :) Hope you have a wonderful evening.. enjoy these fair pictures!

10/13/07

I took this first shot at the Farmer's Market last weekend. More Fall inspiration!! :)

I must say... this morning, I am in shock!!! As most of you know that have read my blog for a while, I have lost weight this year. During the summer I stayed where I was at the end of school because I wasn't as busy and I didn't exercise. lol Now that school has started back I have seen a difference. When I weighed not long after my surgery I had lost another pound which was making me tickled. I decided to weigh again today just to "see." Well, I have now lost 28 pounds total! I couldn't believe it! I have not been this "thin" since before my children. I don't quite know what to say to myself over that. he hee... I am quite tickled, though, and don't plan on making this a habit of whittling away to nothing (NO chance of that) but I am thinking another 2 pounds will get me to the "30" mark... has a nice ring to it, don't you think????

Of course, today we are going to the State Fair... where there is food all around me. I have willpower but when there are funnel cakes around, icecream with a cherry on top, footlong hotdogs, etc... I will not always resist. lol One day won't make that much of a difference. he hee...

Speaking of the fair... today we will find out how we did on our entries. I really don't believe I'll be sporting any ribbons on my photograph but I have no clue about my pages and peanut brittle. I'll keep you updated on that.

This morning we are trying to lay low because we'll be out at the fair all day after noon. I am having the kids clean their part of the house, I'll work on mine in a few.

Last night was the Homecoming Football game at school. My best friend's daughter was on the court and was in the running for Queen. We were bummed when she didn't win but she surely did look beautiful.

On Thursday night the kids, my brother and I took a "field trip" up to the Vet Hospital where Daddy works. (I originally didn't want to go because I was trying to do homework with the kids and "recover" from a wild day... but I am glad we went!) We got to see the "World's Largest Horse" they use at the fair. He had an abcess on his foot and they were treating him for it before he had to go be stared at for 10 days. lol Daddy wanted us to come out and see it. At first, I didn't think it was "THAT" big, but it was because it was in an open field area of the hospital grounds. When we got closer, and Daddy stood beside it, we realized really quickly that this was a large animal!! It was raised in Amish country and they feed them quite well up there so they can pull the plows and such. Apparently, this guy kept right on growing. He is over 2,400 pounds!! Daddy even got up on him earlier in the day. They took pictures but haven't emailed them to me yet. They had to use a step stool to even get UP on him. Daddy fell off once before he finally got his short legs over the horse. It was too funny. I know at the head of that horse it was over 7 feet tall. His head was huge... It is really hard to see in these pictures but take my word for it!!! The kids got to feed him. The last picture cracks me up. That was when Wesley was trying to feed him. The horse went over the rail and it looks like Wesley is saying "WHOA!"... Mikayla decided she was better off looking at a distance. lol He was a really gentle giant and I was glad we went.

Well, off to clean before we go celebrate being at the fair! I'll post more of that later. :)

10/11/07

Fall is in the air.... FINALLY. We had 90 degree weather earlier this week. I am tired of it, I must say, and am welcoming the change. I am so thankful for the changes God brings to us through the seasons. It is also comforting to know that the seasons may change but the One True God will never change. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

We went to the Farmer's Market this past weekend to get our pumpkins to paint. I enjoyed photographing various fruits/veggies. You know me, any opportunity to take my camera somewhere I am on it! The first picture was one of my favorites. I love photos that gradually get sharper and then fall off again. Enjoy these pictures today from there as well as Wesley and Mikayla's painted pumpkins. (Mikayla's is the first one and Wesley's is the second one.) They were quite comical this year. Instead of just doing the face they both decided to do a face and a "scene" on the back. Interesting to say the least....

My brother and I took our "stuff" to the fair this past weekend. Who knows whether I'll win a thing this year but at least I am participating again. I entered Wesley and Mikayla's feet as my photograph and a couple of scrapbook layouts. Also, for a first, I entered peanut brittle.... made on Tuesday night. My brother made me do it. lol Wesley and Mikayla also entered a food category. Wesley entered honey muffins and Mikayla entered orange/coconut shortbread. Mikayla was so in her element when my brother was helping her with it the other night. (I was in the middle of doing peanut brittle... you know I can only concentrate on one thing when I bake... lol) Wesley did OK but cooking is not his "thing" because he was not fully focused. We think he put in 3 cups of flour instead of 2... That is SO my son. lol

I am looking forward to the fair this weekend. I just love the smells, feel and memories that accompany it all. I know a lot of people hate it but we just love it. lol I am sure I'll be sharing pictures. :)

I have homework to do in a few minutes but wanted to pop on and post since I know it has been a bit of time. I know it doesn't seem like it would take much energy to get on here and type, but trying to THINK after teaching all day is sometimes challenging. It is all I can do to get through the homework and grading papers. Supper is not even in the equation because I just let Steve handle that. lol Earlier this week I was doing flashcards with Mikayla and I FELL ASLEEP while doing them. She had to keep waking me up. I feel today may be the same as my eyelids are quite heavy. Just understand.... 9 1/2 to 10 hour days at school are LONG....

Well, off to do homework... :) Have a great evening!