Life is a Highway Full of Adventure....

...and you just never know where it may lead you. 

Today began with us hitting the road for Fort Callhoun and our annual Alpaca Farm Day excursion. We just love these animals!  They are so incredibly soft and have such fun personalities. We've been learning quite a bit about them over the past couple of years and hope to have some in the near future. Their fleece makes amazingly soft and warm fiber to be turned into all sorts of fun things...our favorites being socks, mittens, and scarves. Spun in their natural colors or dyed a rainbow of rich colors, the yarn it gets spun into is just a dream to work with for any project you care to make. They are sweet, gentle animals and would be so much fun to have a herd of our own to tend each day. 

On our way to the alpaca farm, I took a double take and couldn't believe my eyes. There in a pasture, right alongside a few other animals was, of all things, A CAMEL. I kid you not. So to be sure I hadn't lost what little shred of sanity I have left, on our way home, we back tracked to find that camel. Sure enough, there he was, relaxing and enjoying this beautiful fall morning in Nebraska. We pulled over, off toward the ditch, to snap some pictures when the farmer happened to come along and invite us over. Yes, again, only in Nebraska:). He was such a nice man with an incredible life story. It turns out that his animals are pretty much all rescues in one way or another and he has a heart for not only saving them, but using them to help at risk youth as well. So there we were, spending a very pleasant hour and a half unexpectedly in a pasture surrounded by not only Zar the camel (whom Farmer has had since he was a month old and is now 4 years old), but a zonkey named Murphy, Dexter the big ol' paint horse, a small size bull named Bernie that has the temperament of a Labrador, a gorgeous jersey cow named Malcolm, a lamb, and two pot bellied pigs. Across the pasture were two mini donkeys and two mini paint ponies, and farmer even has a wolf (which we didn't have the opportunity to meet). Can you even imagine????  Seriously, you have no idea what fun it is to walk through a pasture with a camel, zonkey, and paint pony flanking you, and a jersey cow, a gentle bull, and a lamb following on your heels!!!  Yes, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven!!!  I was more than happy to jump outta that truck, into a muddy road ditch full of weeds and burrs sticking into my sweater and leggings the rest of the day for a chance to get up close and personal with a camel!!!

We made it back to Lincoln just in time for the JDRF One Walk, something we've participated in every year for the past eleven years. Gracie is in her tenth year as a youth ambassador for JDRF and our annual walk is a highlight for her. 

As you can imagine, I've got some tired girls around here tonight. It's been a full day, but one stuffed with the things memories are made of. These are the days I cherish. 

A Veterinarian In The Making...Maybe

That critter up there is Phoenix the Frog. He's been part of our family for over a decade. I never know where he's going to pop up, but he's never far. Gracie LOVES this goofy frog. She bought him at a yard sale when she was a toddler and he offered her a lot of comfort In the early days after her diagnosis with Type 1 Diabetes. He was the perfect size to fit in her little hand, his bead filled body offering stress relief as she would squeeze him each time she was faced with something difficult and at times painful. As you can plainly see, he is well loved :)

Time has taken its toll on Phoenix...his color is rubbing off and somewhere along the line he's gotten a couple cuts in his back (I'm thinking a curious kitten claw, the most likely cause), but Gracie still loves him dearly. I found him on my desk the last couple days, along with an odd assortment of "stuff" that many would assume to be trash. Knowing my daughter's heart the way I do, however, I didn't disturb any of it and just observed what was going on with this goofy frog while he was in her homemade ER. I watched as she gingerly tended to the cuts on his back. She has made casts out of wet napkins that dry in a perfect mold of her little friends shape. She's made different types of bandages. She's even constructed some sort of (for lack of a better description) sling with rubber bands, a clip, and a foam circle from my Nike insole (the piece that fills the spot I put my Nike Tracker in my shoe). If you look closely, you see that she even has a toy syringe that I assume she is using to clean his wounds as well as administer antibiotics to her little friend. 

I love to see her heart for all of God's critters. She is so gentle and loving towards them all and works to better the lives of any that are in unfortunate circumstances. She was a born rescuer. Yes, that means she (and all her sister...and yes, her parents too) tends to bring home every critter that crosses her path, be it for a moment or a lifetime. God wired her this way; He gave her a nurturing heart. Watching her care for her toy frog makes me smile and truly makes my own heart happy. I mean, if she puts so much love and care into a toy frog, you can only imagine the care and love she puts into real live, living breathing critters as well. 

Just me and God :)

After yesterday's adventures, and me not being a rookie homeschool mom;), I thought it wise to let the girls get a little extra sleep this morning. Frankly, they were wound tighter than spring loaded STP cars last night and couldn't wind down till late...and I'm not one who chooses to poke a sleeping bear. This gave me a little extra time to spend with God this morning. What an awesome treat for a Monday :) 

I caught up on my scripture writing journal; I'd slipped over the weekend, spent time praying over friends and family....then my little 2 minute homeschool moms devotion. Don't ever think for a moment God doesn't know your heart and mind. This morning's devo hit on something I've been thinking about for weeks.

As parents, we are always quick to teach our kiddos to be true to their word; keep their promises. But do we always set the best example or do we excuse and justify ourselves?  There's a fine line sometimes, between keeping a promise and rewarding "bad" behavior. 

Last week I told Gracie I'd take her to Walmart when we were finished with our lessons...the time came. I told the girls to scoop litter boxes while I finished something before we went, then it happened....I looked into their bathroom and saw they hadn't done their chores at all, for days, like they eluded to with every "uh huh" they offered up when asked if their chores were done. Yes, there are consequences for not holding up your responsibilities and then giving the impression you had....but in this case, I was wrong. I was angry and felt justified in breaking my promise to take her to Walmart. You see, I went and did the shopping, ALONE, while they stayed home (with dad) to actually do the chores they'd neglected for days. My promise was contingent on "when we finish our lessons" period, nothing more. I changed the rules. What did that teach my girls?  Yes, they did learn to get their chores done or there are consequences, BUT, one of those consequences should not be a broken promise from Mom. I should have handled things differently, better. And, God being amazing, all-knowing, gracious, and merciful such as He is, gently showed me today that He knows I've been pondering this very thing for awhile now and gave me some extra time this morning to speak directly to me. And, he allowed me these few extra  quiet moments with just Him and I to come to terms with my own ponderings and struggles. He answered my questions, and put it all to rest. We serve an AWESOME God, whom loves each of us in a very real and personal way!

Apple Jack Festival

We spent the day in Nebraska City, enjoying some old fashioned fun today. Visiting all three Apple orchards, enjoying caramel apples, a little treasure huntin at the flea market, vintage cars, apple cobble with homemade ice cream, a few local history lessons, all topped off with bringing home a couple dozen fresh baked apple donuts made for an awesome autumn day. Ironically enough, the cider apples we trekked there to get, were nowhere to be had, so we need to go back to the orchard next 

weekend to get a few bushels. After all, it's about time to get our cider press going :) 

Where's Gracie?

My annual day of indulgence...

I look forward to this every September...the Beth Moore simulcast. An all day event spent in worship and scripture under the teaching of Beth Moore...from my home :)

Seriously, could it get any better than that for an introvert????  I don't think so. 

I love women's events and have been blessed to attend Women of Faith several times. It's energizing, fun, gripping, and exhausting. Being able to attend via simulcast is an awesome option, especially when there's not an event close by. I've taken part in this one for the past several years and LOVE IT!  I set aside the day to spend with God and just leave my heart and soul open and vulnerable to Him with as few distractions as possible. Thankfully, my family loves me enough to allow me this time each year and they giggle and shake their heads at my traditions that I uphold when the day arrives. 

It all starts with a bit of prep work ahead of time...get my office/studio cleaned up and all the school work that has scattered around during the week put away where it belongs. Clear my desk and work table. Fluff the sofa pillows and make sure a couple quilts are nearby to curl up with. Choose just the right journal to take notes. Order the Living Proof event tee shirt. And most importantly, make sure my coffee pods and creamer is fully stocked:). The morning of the simulcast, starts out with a very non-healthy breakfast choice which requires a donut run. This is 1) an indulgent choice for me and 2) helps make the morning less of a hassle for the rest of the family. Craig being the supportive and encouraging husband he is, was prepared to make pancakes, bacon, and eggs...I told him to go ahead with the bacon but forget the rest. I mean, come on, does it get any more indulgent than donuts and bacon on a Saturday morning??? 😍😍😍

I try to enjoy my simulcast day in as much the same way as I would if I were actually attending the event itself, only there are perks to being home. I can curl up on the sofa with a cute companion and warm quilt, I can spread out my Bible and journal on my desk for all my note taking, my beverage supply is unlimited (and the ladies room is only steps away;). That said, if you were a fly on my wall, you'd see that I indeed join in as though I were there....yes, you'd see (and God help you, hear) me singing along during worship with my hands lifted in praise. When Beth asks us to repeat after her, I repeat after her...out loud. I laugh out loud and at times you might see tears. None of that seems too indulgent, right?

Well, here's where my sweet husband started cracking up.... If you go to any event like this, of course you're going to have a yummy (probably not the healthiest) lunch, and of course you're bound to do a little shopping on the concourse. Of course I make that part of my annual tradition as well....during our lunch break I have enough time to drive thru Slim Chicken (and swap out fried pickles in place of fries:). This is literally the ONLY time I ever eat there. And, to be honest, the only reason I do is because of the fried pickles. From there I "shop the concourse" aka Family Christian Store. The best thing about that is 1) I don't have to fight any crowds and 2) I always have a great coupon. Yeah, when Craig heard that I "shop the concourse" he nearly spit out his coffee from laughing. 

Alrighty, there ya'll have it...my day of indulgence. I know, I know...I'm living on the wild side, eating donuts and bacon and fried pickles, singing praises to God out loud in my office with my hands raised to Him, and "shopping the concourse".  What can I say? I'm a mom... This is as wild as it gets 🙃

No, I did not eat all that for breakfast :)

This year's shirt is a cute baseball style :)

My little companion, Annie Girl

Gotta have a Diet Cherry Coke to keep going :)

Way too much food, but that's ok...Craig is upstairs watching football and will gladly eat what I don't ;)

The fruits of my shopping :)

Told ya'll there'd be plenty left for Craig to enjoy :)

Isn't she adorable?

All I Need To Know, I Learned In Kindergarten....

 

Remember when that little book took the best seller list by storm so many years ago?  I'll be honest with you, I've not ever actually read it, but I've seen many little gems from it that make me smile...and they are poignately true. 

Our second week of this new school year was a bit bumpy with tired girls and crabby attitudes. But, as with everything in life, we adjust and keep on keeping on ;)  By Tuesday, I'm not gonna lie, it felt like (and I was wishing) it was Friday....seriously, it was only Tuesday!!!  And, I could tell before the girls were really even moving around too much that our day was already heading off the rails.  There wasn't enough caffeine on this planet to help this homeschool mom get things going in the right direction and I could see that right off. So, being an expert at rolling with the punches, I decided the best course of action was to flip-flop our schedule for the day. Craig was heading out of state and Sarah was working that morning anyway....so I told the girls to hurry up and get ready, we were going to go on a field trip. Yeah, this was more of the fun kind rather than the educational kind, but it still opened up lots of discussion on several topics which led to lots of research on a few things later on, so in this case we'll count it (plus, we did do our lessons that afternoon, so it's not like we skipped out of school). I took the girls to see Pete's Dragon...yup, highly educational;). And, since we went to an early morning showing during the week, we had the theater all to ourselves. Totally awesome!!!  It was a great movie; much better than the version I saw at their age. And, we did take the opportunity to learn about the logging industry afterward, along with a short study of dragons...in the Bible (yes, you read that right:).

We made it thru Tuesday, and when we all dropped into bed, it still felt like it should've been Friday, so I was sorely disappointed to wake up the next morning and find that it was....wednesday🙃

This was just one of "those" weeks. The kind that you make it thru, then you look back and realize there were several smiles and giggles along the way.  Lessons were a struggle this week because, frankly, this year is a bit more difficult as I'm making the girls stretch a bit more than they'd like. I'm not asking them to do the impossible, I'm just asking them to "grow" and sometimes that's just not much fun. Today, Hannah made a comment that I think pretty much sums it all up (at least their side of things;) "Why can't we just learn everything we need to learn in kindergarten when it's fun and easy?"  Then of course she had to add her solution to these sticky days "I think we should just be able to watch videos of other people doing crafts and then make what they've made". Alrighty then, there ya'll have it...the ideal society from an 11 year old's perspective is an artisan society and there would be no need for spelling or math 😉

Gracie's infamous red pen I'm only "allowed" to use to write 100% on her assignments :)

To help Hannah with her spelling words, she made her own flash cards. It's an organizational trick that seems to work well with my two dyslexics. 

Starbucks next to her Christmas tree, with music, is the way Sarah schools best. 

Change is HARD....

Growing = Change and change is never easy even when it's the opportunity of a lifetime. God brought the Warner and Osborne family to us (or us to them, I'm not sure which;) in the spring of 2015. Something as simple as some homeschool group riding lessons to see if the girls would really like it was all it took to connect the hearts of our two families, especially our daughters. Between our two families we have 9 daughters (and a lone son, poor boy;) and they have all just clicked as though they're one big family...they've become our horse family and we love them dearly. Like all families, there comes a time when kids spread their wings and leave the nest...it's that time for Shawnea and Sierra. 

These two girls are heading out for an apportunity of a lifetime. They'll be working students at a farm in Minnesota, breaking warm blood babies, working around the barn, and growing and stretching further under the instruction of a new trainer. Shawnea and Sierra are amazing young women. At only 18 and (almost) 17, they've achieved success in the show ring that riders (hunters & jumpers) much older than they still strive to achieve. I've watched them not only work hard while riding and jumping in the ring, but also in and around the barn. They listen and accept instruction, which is what helps make them great equestrians. Then, I have had the privilege of watching them on the other end, as the instructors. They're awesome. Always gentle, yet pushing their students just enough, and offering them the benefits of the same great training they've had. It's such an amazing circle. I watch them with Gracie and Hannah and never cease to smile. Their gentle correction in the ring and then the fun in the barn or yard. There's never a shortage of laughter:)

I just LOVE these two girls, we all do, and honestly, I happily count them as My own. They are going to be so greatly missed. We can't wait till they get back home for Christmas, even if it is just for a visit before continuing on this amazing journey. We promise to spoil Piggy for you, Sierra;)

She Did It Again...

For a second weekend in a row, sweet Gracie showed. To be honest, we weren't all that certain what this weekend was going to hold because she had come down with a little stomach bug on Thursday. By Saturday she was feeling pretty much like herself but still didn't really want to risk eating much, however, she gave the go ahead that she planned to give it her best today. 

She and Daddy did very well and she improved in a couple of classes from last weekend. Thankfully there weren't any funky low blood sugars to contend with this weekend :)  She rode hard and came home exhausted. I have a sneaky suspicion it may be slow starting tomorrow morning ;)  

Love Notes and Introverts....

What does that picture up there make you want to do?  For most people, it causes them to want to go get the bottle of windex and a rag and clean it;). But, not for me or my family. You see, we are all "note leavers". We leave notes for each other. It might be a reminder, a shopping list, directions, Craig knows that I need pictures if he's sending me to the hardware store and so he sends me with a post-it note with a hand drawn diagram and a description written in language I'll understand (yes, I guarentee he will include the word "thingy" at least once because that's my language;). But most of all we leave each other love notes. 

The girls leave Craig and I notes and pictures at our computers and on our pillows. I'll leave them notes in their school books and on their phones. The bathroom mirrors have been the location of some of the most epic love notes ever (think giant post-it note art or retro Marilyn Monroe lipstick love notes).  It doesn't really matter where or what, it's just always nice when you see that your child or spouse or sister was thinking about you and let you know it.  

We are all introverts by nature. Some of us are more outgoing than the others, but indeed we are still a family of homebodies. We are also a family of predominately females, which means, introverts or not, we still have a lot of words to expend throughout our days. Texting one another and leaving notes is how we get those words out, love on each other, and still manage to not get so overwhelmed with "communication" due to our introverted natures. My little tribe gets this because, well, because we are all very much alike and use to our quirkiness. Trust me, there's no shortage of talking and laughter in this house, but combined with life outside of these walls, it can become too much and we can all end up on sensory overload. 

You've heard the saying "No coffee, no talkie"? Around here, we all get that, only it has nothing to do with coffee. It has to do with personal space, so to speak. For instance, my family knows not to approach me in the morning until I've been up and going for a couple of hours at least. Yes, I'm upright and functioning, I'm probably showered and dressed. But...I'm really not capable of actually uttering anything that even remotely sounds like cohesively strung together words. Seriously, I. JUST. CAN. NOT. DO. IT. I want to, I really do. But I just can't. So...I leave my family notes or send them texts. I tell them good morning and that I love them:). Words my mouth just can't form before about 9am;)  And, they respond with notes and texts of their own. Do you know that I think I have just about every scrap of paper and post-it not that my family has left me any note on?  Knowing that Craig takes the time to draw me a picture of what I need to find at the hardware store means the world to mean. The "I love you mom" notes I find all over the house to brighten up my day. The picture drawn with nail polish. Yes, I save them all. So what about the love note that Gracie started, Hannah continued, and Craig wrote in reverse so I could see "I love you" every time I look in my rear view mirror while he was in Colorado?  Yup, it remains. I'd rather drive a dusty truck with a love note on the window, that makes me smile when the world is weighing me down. Love notes and introverts...these are my people :)

Our First Week of the 2016-17 School Year....

It finally arrived, our first day. Our traditional big back to school breakfast was offered...chocolate chip muffins, scrambled eggs made to order, sausage,  fresh OJ, strawberries, fruit and yogurt 

parfaits topped with granola, iced 

coffee...basically, everyone's favorites. There was only one problem... Nobody was hungry 😂😂😂. Seriously, Hannah, who'd been talking about her back to school breakfast for weeks, barely ate a muffin. Alrighty, we were off to a good start 😉

Next up, the traditional first day pictures....which were met with a chorus of "now?"  "Can't it wait till tomorrow?" "Do I really have to get ACTUALLY dressed, or can I just take it in my pjs?"  Hhhmmmmm....keep in mind, it's like 9:30 and they're acting like its the crack of dawn🙄. 

We finally get settled in and started on our lessons. Just like we have every school day for all these years, we began by saying the pledge of allegiance to our flag, doing a morning devotion and prayer...or so I thought, until this morning, when we finished and I excused Sarah to go do her lessons. The girls start giggling and inform me that I forgot to ACTUALLY SAY OUR PRAYER (both yesterday and today) which I quickly remedied😅. I guess they weren't the only ones needing to wake up a bit more 😂

Our lessons are going great and the girls are proving to be true to form. Hannah made it thru until today without any meltdowns, but I guess her spelling words were just too much to handle..."F A R M" was fine to write 5 times; matter of fact, I guess it was fine to write 50 times...it was the other dozen or so words that put her over the edge today. So, we erased "F A R M" all but the 5 times I'd asked for it to be written and put her spelling aside. She can finish that up tonight while her sisters are at church. Gracie, of course, had a near heart attack when she saw me start to mark a math problem wrong. So instead, I erased the answers of the 2 or 3 she missed and she re-worked them, correctly this time. I asked her, however, why she had me buy a package of very specific red pens...her answer: "So you can write 100% right here on all my assignments".  Oh, of course, my sweet child. Why on earth didn't I think of that 😂

We are doing pioneer studies this year using the Prairie Primer which is based on the Little House on the Prairie books. I've used it in the past with Tess and Sarah for summer studies and loved it, and decided to build our year around it this year for Gracie and Hannah. One thing we learned about today was molasses and how it's processed. Laura Ingalls seemed to have loved molasses as she commented on how tasty it was on top of cornbread and corncakes quite often. Ok, let me just say honestly, some things are just flat out flops and this was one of those things. Thankfully, we didn't spend much time on it, but I think the biggest take away from it was MOLASSES IS NOT VERY TASTY. We had a "pioneer" lunch as though we were traveling across the prairie in our covered wagon. We discussed why we weren't eating freshly prepared foods and how they were preserved. We had corn muffins (admittedly not cooked over a campfire) and we each tried a little molasses on them. We came to the conclusion that butter and honey is MUCH better 😉

All in all our school year is getting off to a good start and as long as I don't try pawning off molasses as a condiment again, I think the girls will happily sit down each day for their lessons 😉

Just in case you're wondering what all is on that plate...beef jerky, dried apples, cornbread, and, of course, molasses ;)