Quick Takes

Welcoming Jen back on this beautiful Friday morning!

1.  

Things are a bit chaotic this morning....and are probably going to stay that way all day!  I need to clean up from breakfast and get myself ready for the day, finish some laundry and eventually pack, get to the post office and mail a stack of bills and thank you cards, run to the store to pick up some last-minute things for the weekend, get the dogs to the doggie hotel, and maybe get the boys to gymnastics practice....and then we're heading out of town.

2.

Why out of town?   Heading to our state's youth convention for the weekend.  I'm giving a workshop - pray for me!   I'm slightly nervous - the topic I am speaking on can become controversial, and I don't want to spend the entire 45 minutes in a debate....I merely want to explain the Church's teaching on something.   Pray for me!

3.

I'm super excited to be going though - the whole family is going, and we're looking at it as a mini vacation.  It's at an oceanside resort about 2 hours away, and we could definitely all use a weekend away right now.  Mike's been working like crazy (it's vacation time for everyone, so they've all been taking turns working extra shifts so everyone gets their vacation), and we've all been a bit stir crazy at home.     Add in poor Rascal #2's seasonal allergies making him a regular old GRUMP, and well.....we could use a break from the routine.

4.

Yesterday was a good day though - it was Mike's birthday, and we had a friend/landscaper-by-trade come by the house and talk through projects with us.  I think we have a plan to start increasing the value of our house via our yard, and I'm super duper excited.  One thing that's *always* bothered us about our house was that was just didn't have the money to really do anything to our yard.  We'd mow it and keep it "clean cut" but that was about it.  Whenever friends were splitting bulbs in their yard, I'd go take whatever they could give me and transplant them to our yard, but, really....what you see now is pretty much what it looked like when it was built.   Our goal this summer is to start projects so that over the next five years, we can work into having the yard that this house deserves.  It's a GREAT house - it deserves a GREAT yard.   (not fancy, country-living kind of yard....just classic family house kind of yard).

5.  

The chickens are growing into their new home.  They're hilarious.  I'm totally turning into the crazy chicken lady.  You can pretty much find me every evening after dinner...enjoying a beer on our back lawn....watching the chickens eat up all of the bugs in the yard.   They're so funny.   I love them.   Best birthday gift EVER.

6.

I need to get moving and packing a lunch to go meet up with our friends.  Does anyone else out there hate packing lunches, or is it just me?   This may or may not have a direct influence on our decision to homeschool.   Just sayin'.

7.

How about a picture to end the day?  Our littlest doggie is also completely fascinated by the chickens.  He hasn't tried to chase them or attack them or anything - I think he's just utterly confused as to WHAT they are.  He managed to get into the coop one day - which resulted in some pecking that he did not enjoy - and that only seems to have fostered his love of our new feathered family members.   The other night, the boys were outside with the chickens while the girls were free-ranging....and I came around the corner to see this:

sorry it's blurry.  I was trying to be quick so he didn't notice me....

Hahaha.  I still can't stop laughing about it.   He needed help to get down, but that hasn't stopped him from climbing back up there every time he's inside and they're out and about.   Silly dog.

Alright - that's all from our neck of the woods today!   Please pray for me tomorrow - and all of the teens and other presenters.   See you next week!