Potluck Ponderings

It is the end of another family birthday...Joe's 38 th . Plans were completely up in the air until last night. Emily has been talking for weeks about wanting to throw him a surprise party. I'm pretty sure she was inspired by one we attended last month. It's just hard to plan a party and invite friends when you don't know if the honoree will be there or not...and really, is 38 one of the big ones? We ended up staying at home grilling steaks and have a scrumptious salad (and apple pie and butter pecan icecream with Splenda!!)...the kids loved the celebration, even if it was small, the most important folks were there. Nate told everyone we saw today that "it's my Daddy's Happy Birthday". He's saying his birthday is in " ocober " and he'll be "tree". A new cuisinart coffee pot came to live at our house in honor of Daddy's birthday...one of those that has a second reservoir to keep your coffee hot and dispenses a cup

Hubby's home. It was a long week while he was traveling to Michigan for work. The Kids and I ventured out for a perfect day at the park & lunch with Granma on Monday, cheerleading practice on Tuesday, Girlscouts on Wednesday, a slumber party with Aunt Judi on Thursday and Fun Gym (today) Friday. The rain has put a damper on our camping plans for the weekend but, Emily will now not miss her cheerleading at the first basketball game. And I might get to see the new Nicolas Sparks movie...Nights in Rodanthe...it's been a long time since "chick-flick' time has come my way... I was tagged by Jennifer http://jenndare.blogspot.com/ ... Here are the rules: 1. Post the rules on your blog 2. Write six random things about yourself 3. Tag six people at the end of your blog 4. If you are tagged, just do it and pass the tag along Six random things about me... 1. I hate it when medical drama shows get the details wrong...I get really annoyed when they allow a character

Our CHES group took a field trip to Deep River Cattle Farm. http://www.deeprivercattle.com/ smithfamilyfarm@gmail.com The Smith's are a local home school family that has a farm on the deep river in Moore County. They moved from Fayetteville 2 and a half years ago to start a grass fed beef business to sell healthy lean beef as an alternative to local feedlot hormone/steroid injected beef. They also added pastured chickens (which looked so healthy and clean compared to the chickens on the trucks I see going down the road!) I was immediately interested in this healthier alternative. I grew up with a beef in the freezer every year. A cow would be bought at the market, grain & grass fed to grow it (including many spring days I spent in the barn helping to bottle feed the baby calves) even bred with a bull to have a baby. But the slaughtering in the fall was as much a part of life as any of the process...It was just what happened. I have often thought that meat was a whol

Who would have thought a two-year old would just take off like that? Our homeschooling group has a monthly skating event, and we got to go today. Emily and Nate had a blast. 2 hours of skating, skate rental, a drink, a piece of pizza for snack...all for $6! Awesome deal! Anyway, I kept my regular shoes on...it's been a few years since I was on skates (maybe...uuhh...20..) and I walked Memmie around the rink once and then she was off with some other girls her age. She held on wall to wall and everytime I looked up, she looked like a new pony with legs flying every where. She was determined and did not give up! she was staying up more than not by the end of the session. I walked Nate around the rink twice and he said, "I do it myself" and he scooted himself around and barely even fell down. He'll be racing around the rink in a couple of months. It was a great way to tire out children...the rink wasn't new, but it was clean and the staff was nice.

Emily's girlscout Brownie troop was invited to visit our local radio station and record the pledge of allegiance and the school lunch menu for the week. Lots of giggling girls in a radio station...fun!

I really can't believe it's been five weeks since my last post...it's really just a symptom of the current status of life. I've been getting lots of "other" work done, though. I seemed to have lost myself lately in the homeschooling-housework-planning homeschooling-cooking/planning nutritious meals-trying to get back to a running program-reading some great books-good coffee cycle of life..I do have to admit, I'm feeling a bit like a bear getting ready for hibernation...I've withdrawn a bit without really meaning to. Love me anyway! So many things have come and gone...some sweet moments in the midst of what's beginning to feel like normal life with the same old question..."where are we going to end up?" It just seems hard sometimes to keep giving the same answers to the same old questions...and honestly, we really just don't know. The house is officially off the market, and for now that's really all we're sure about. ((sigh)) I