Just a normal day -

I am a fan of Ali Edwards - I stumbled upon some of her scrapbooking templates and digital kits and have been hooked ever since. While visiting her blog she referenced one of her favorite quotes from Mary Jean Iron....she goes on to say she recites this to herself quite frequently....

Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so. One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return.

It's funny because what is considered normal today hasn't always been....I remember when there was no soccer, no baseball, no dancing, no cheerleading, no 4H, no Scouts....just work then home to enjoy these little children...

Wow - these days things are so very different. Rarely do we have an evening with 'nothing' on the agenda. Weekends are packed with something the kids are involved in. Dinner? Well, that happens just before bedtime. Tucking them in? Well, most nights that's hollering good night down the stairs before we head up. I honestly think they stay up later than we do, ha!

There is one thing that I consider quality time though. Each morning as Chase and Cierra wait for the school bus we have a few (yes, just a few) minutes to ourselves. Sitting in the car....we still say our morning prayer although it's been adjusted over the years to include new family members....then it's off on the bus with a quick "have a good day, I love you". Probably the only normal part of the day =)

So with all this said, I wish you a wonderfully normal, ordinary day.

Happy Birthday Chase!

It doesn't seem possible that you're 12 today! Being the 'baby', you have definitely grown up fast. I can still remember these days....

I hope you have a wonderful day and dinner tonight. I'm sorry I can't be there to share in the celebration but maybe you'll get two dinners this way =)

Anyway, Happy Birthday Chase - I love you very much!

Little Surprises -

Ronnie and Cierra have been 'in charge' of Butch's goats while he has been away. Saturday was one of those days that every hour was accounted for. Right out of bed he went to feed and found these.....

two of the pygmy momma goats had their babies (or so he thought). One each. He did good and got his camera, taking pictures of each just for me :).

We headed out as planned but were able to check on them shortly after lunch. Hmmm Cierra suddenly realized that one of the momma's really wasn't a momma, haha. She had no 'milk bag' and didn't show any signs of just having a baby plus she wasn't ever thought to be pregnant. Now what? Oh, that would mean that both babies belonged to the other momma. Uh oh...she wanted nothing to do with this one.....so....we have tried everything. Cierra has searched the web but finally caved and bottle fed him. He gobbled down an ounce or so and seems to be full of life! And she knows first hand about bottle feeding baby goats - here's two she does every day
We decided to keep him in with his brother and momma in hopes that she will change her mind and decide to feed him. Who knows but Ronnie and Cierra are doing all they can to help them survive until Butch and Grandma get back home!

Skinny Jeans come in all sizes!

Skinny jeans have become pretty popular lately - there's even 'super' skinny jeans, shew! It did take me a little bit to get used to them and prefer to wear them with flip flops or maybe a little heel. It doesn't matter what shoes I wear, I could never top this fashion statement, ha! I love the little back pockets, too!

It's been a long day!

Yup, the day is here for weigh-in of Cierra and Chase's fair projects. Since they are both still young (just about 8 weeks) we could only get them for weigh-in then had to take back to their momma's. So...that meant getting up at 5:30 this morning, gathering up Chase, Cierra and Austin (we had an extra child for the night) and heading to Boonsboro and Williamsport.

The two of them quickly became friends and cuddled up together. We didn't hear a peep out of them until we took the lamb home first and the poor baby goat was all alone :( Oh well, they will soon be together for a longer time.

Chase's goat weighed 31 pounds...
while Cierra's lamb weighed a whopping 49 pounds. I'm thinking he's gonna big a BIG boy come fair time.The barn is all ready so now we just wait a few weeks while they get weaned then they will come to their new home :)

What is....

6 inches long, 1/4 round and brown, rust & cream colored? This little guy!Ronnie came 'face to face' with him today so decided to bring him home. Ewww! So is it our new pet? I'm not thinking so much so =)

We aren't quite sure if it's a baby corn snake or exactly what type it is. Regardless, it's not staying here, ha!

Picture perfect -

I love old barns and pass this one every time I go to the ballfield. This evening it just seemed to be a perfect photo op with all the yellow flowers lining the road.

Spring or Economy boost?

For the past year or so my route to work has changed. I take what is supposed to be a 'back road' but is really travelled by many, many people each day. This route includes passing by Universal Forest Products which is a plant for treating lumber. When the economy took a turn for the worst the grounds around this building were pretty much empty for a long time. There was little activity and just a handful of cars that appeared to be the 'workers'. Just recently the number of trucks going in and out has increased and many mornings I am actually held up while they make their way into the lumber yard.

I'm not sure if this is a sign of Spring or if maybe the economy is getting a little bit better. Regardless, I'm happy for the many workers that appear to be back on the job!

Trends!

I am all about keeping up with the latest fashion but certainly got a lot of 'heat' about something I changed today!

I have worn my diamond earrings for nearly 7 years. Only those earrings and they come out just for cleaning then go right back in. Well - today Mendie and I decided it was time for a change. Obviously a drastic change because everyone (that knows me well) had something to say =)
And if that wasn't enough, I bought a really cute t-shirt. Somehow I missed the shoulder pads when I picked it up in the store. NO WAY! Are shoulder pads really coming back? Please say it isn't so!! Am I the only one that isn't a fan of 'shoulder pads'?!

Centennial Celebration

Ronnie, Chase and I were honored tonight to be guests of Paul and Cathy Espinosa, representing Frontier Communications at the 2010 Distinguished Citizen Award Dinner. Scouting is celebrating 100 years which was the theme of the dinner. Three local men were recognized for their contributions and spoke of how Scouting has impacted their lives. I was glad Chase was there to here their testimonies! It truly is amazing to see the many generations of Scouts all in one room. While many changes have taken place over the years, it is still very clear that being a Boy Scout can teach our young men many life skills that otherwise they may not have an opportunity to experience. Thanks Paul and Cathy for including us in such a wonderful evening and these very nice mugs to remember the night :)