Piknic has been such a great help to me. They’ve made it easy to edit my pics and make them look interesting.

Now what am I going to do?

Anyone have any suggestions for another EASY editing site?

I don’t do a lot of photography, but I do enjoy it, and really enjoy editing them.

Please, give me some suggestions!

Thanks,

hi-d

They were picked up today and taken to a new home. He was a dear sweet man who was very happy to have them. His were all “gotten” by something recently and his wife was buying these for him for his birthday.

I hope they work out for him.

And like my dad said, “as a parting gift”, they all left me an egg this morning!

Peace in hi-d’s henhouse at last!

hi-d

I still let my chickens out to free-range every day, even in the rain! They love it.

{My RIR’s}

My only problem with them lately, is that after introducing 6 new birds into the flock, and waiting the expected week of “adjustment”, they are still not really getting along to well.

The Golden Laced Wyandotte are beautiful birds, just mean. And the other three “mixed” birds are so scared that they pretty much stay hunkered down in the coop until the rest of them leave to free-range, and then they can come out of hiding to eat and drink. I hate that for them.

{the mean girls}

Most of all, I hate that my original Rhoad Island Red girls get chased around and pecked on by the Wyandottes (aka: mean girls), and I’m ready to just take those mean girls out and ring their necks.

Today, I’ve seen some slight signs that they are MAYBE getting used to each other, but my little RIR’s still run from the Wyandotts if they come close.

The only exception to all of this mayhem, is the single Buff Orpington from my original four hens. I’ve always said she was dumb as a rock, but, at least she is big… and she can go where she wants – when she wants. Everyone leaves her alone or accepts her scratching for grub along with them. She really is something to see. So big and beautiful. Dumb… but maybe she’s faking it. She sure seems to know how to get along with others!

{“Bonnie” my Buff Orpington}

The mean girls are actually laying eggs, so it’s all the more hard to want to get rid of them. Am I going to have the same problem with any other hens I bring in to replace them?

{Henrietta, who follows me around!}

These things I just don’t know.

And it frustrates me.

I lay awake and think of ways to make it work out for all of them…

but in the morning,

I’m still at a loss.

For now… I wait… and watch. I’ve told myself, that if by the end of this week things aren’t considerably better… they will have to go. (the mean girls that is.)

Ahmi kitty’s leg has healed, and she is no longer limping. Yaaay! We still don’t know what the problem was. After x-rays and a thorough exam, the doc couldn’t detect anything wrong. Although, just a while ago I witnessed her going after some squirrels again. So, it’s only a matter of time before she gets into trouble again. She has brought us two shrews, 4 lizards and countless large bugs lately. And she’s bound and determined to bring us a squirrel! A hunter is just who she is!

She’s just so cute!

Homeschooling is going well lately. We’ve gotten a lot done and I’m very proud of the boys for their positive attitudes. They seem to like the new schedule, and, for the most part, don’t give me much “heck” about what’s expected of them.

JJ has been cooking with me everyday (as one of his classes) and although I sometimes wonder about his “passion” for it, he has been learning a lot of new techniques. And he is so funny that we usually have a great time.

He made homemade pasta sauce today for lunch. We roasted the veggies, and meanwhile, let the sauce cook down for a while. Then added the roasted veggies & processed with an immersion blender. (I love those things!) It was a bit on the spicy-hot side for me… but a big hit with all the boys.

After I discovered that little canning jars work on the blender, the boys have been making lots of healthy blender drinks for themselves. They actually asked me to get TWO bunches of bananas the last time I went to the store! I love it because they can blend and drink out of the same container – and I don’t have to clean the big’ole glass blender container AND glasses every time. NICE.

{Harrison added the umbrella for your viewing pleasure! “Because it’s a special drink!”}

Gerrit got his eyes checked last week, and I am ashamed to say that he desperately needed glasses! The poor kid. He’s been saying that he thought he needed them for quite some time, but I just kept putting it off. Now I feel bad that I waited so long. He really did need them!

He chose to start off with contacts and has been very diligent with them. He’s my (almost) OCD child, so he is great about washing his hands and taking care of the contacts. He is getting used to sticking his fingers in his eyes, and say’s it’s worth the trouble to be able to see so good after they’re in!

This past Friday, I had the pleasure of joining some other ladies on our Truly Christmas Committee to present the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) with a check for three thousand dollars! What a good feeling that was! We had a great turn out this year for our Truly Christmas event and since we raised the price of the dinner by five dollars a plate, we actually made money this year! We have had the same price for 13 years without an increase.

Well, I can’t believe that I’m out of time already, but I must get back to work and start some dinner. The boys turn into scary monsters if not fed regularly!

Hugs,

hi-d

In the meantime, here are some recent photos I’ve taken.

Tang. Soaking up some winter sun. “Sunning” is Tang’s favorite pastime.

I love this one of Lulu! She looks like she is licking her chops after eating one of these birds! (But she didn’t eat a bird.)

And my hens. They love roaming around the yard eating all the bugs they can get!

This last week I received 6 more hens. Two different ladies gave me their three hens that weren’t laying. I am going to see if they start laying for me – but if not – hahhhm. *gllllk*

It is quite interesting the dynamics that are going on in the chicken coop. They are staying in their original groups for the time being. The three Golden Laced Wyandotte’s are sticking together (and are a little mean to the other girls. They are now dubbed the “mean girls”.)

Then the rag-tag three that are an unknown breed are sticking to themselves and not even coming out of the coop. (I got them out today so they could soak up some winter sun – but they didn’t peck around at all. They get pecked on by the mean girls, so they stayed in the pen – even though the door was open for “free-range time”.) They are a sad bunch.

And then there are my original four (above) that are wondering who all these invaders are. I don’t think they are too fond of the arrangements yet. They are getting chased by the “mean girls” too, and it makes me sad.

Hopefully they will all settle down in a few days and get along. And hopefully most of the new six birds will start a lay’en!

Hope you all have a good week.

hi-d

Friends are such a vital part of our lives. Back when we were in high school it seemed that the amount of friends was the most important thing. You were “popular” if you had lots of friends. And if you were popular, you had value. There MUST be something good about you… look at all the people who “like” you! At least that’s what I always thought… and never quite achieved.

Well, as time goes on and you “mature”, you begin to realize that it’s not at all in the amount. It is in the depth of those friendships that really matters.

A few “good friends” outweigh the “many”… easily. I just wish I could have known that back then.

Now… as I sit and reflect on the friends in my life, I am so grateful for those that have stuck with me, and accepted me just the way I am, through thick and thin. I am grateful for you.

There are those that uplift me and inspire me. Those that are always ready with a hug, a laugh, a smile. Some that are able to point out my “errors” without condemnation, and some that are great listeners. Those that can agree to disagree, and those that are just for hanging out and having fun with. Some, and this number is very small, that I can pour my heart and soul out to, and I know that they aren’t going anywhere. They love me in spite of myself.

Yes, I am grateful for friends. Thank you friends.

I have made some friends through this blog too, and feel as though I know you personally. What I wouldn’t give to be able to spend an afternoon with you!

But my best and most trusted friend is Jesus. No matter how bad I mess up, no matter how awful I’ve been, no matter how far I’ve strayed, no matter what my messed up self is going through… He is there waiting for me to talk to, to lean on.

I am grateful for that Friend the most.

What kind of life I would be living without knowing that I am going to be okay – no matter what comes my way – I just can’t imagine.

I used to think that talking about “Jesus” was corny. But when you get to a certain age, you just don’t seem to be bothered about what others think as much. I like this age for that reason.

I KNOW what He has done in my life, and I am glad that He didn’t give up on me.

He still has His work cut out for Him, but I live in the peace that I am not in the driver’s seat! That is oddly refreshing to me (since I love to drive so much!). As long as I let him LEAD me through this life, I will be okay. I CAN’T DO IT BY MYSLEF! And I am so happy that I don’t have to.

As much as my husband might think that I am “superwoman”… I am NOT.

Everyday starts with the words, “guide me today”. Because I feel like I’m hanging onto the back of a giant rollercoaster most days. Flying around and just hanging on for dear life. Somehow, He gets me through each day. And my goal for this year is that I not just “survive” each day, but “thrive”.

He promises PEACE now. Here. In THIS life.

That is what I want. That is what I want to share with others.

So, as I close this day (of utter chaos)… I pray for peace. Peace through the broken dishes, spilled milk, quarrels, sick pets, piano lessons, attitudes, deadlines, and late nights of studying things I don’t understand. Peace through the pressures of homeschooling, housekeeping, feeding ever-hungry-boys, and piles of laundry.

I found a quote the other day that said “Do less, get more done.”

Sounds good.

But how?

Well, I am going to make a conscious effort to not take on as many extra activities this year. And focus on what I already have on my plate. Maybe I’ll get done some of what I’ve already started.

The most important thing in life lays before me – to parent and teach my boys.

With the encouragement of my friends, the peace from God, and while holding the hand of my best friend Jesus, I head into this year with HOPE.

Hope to thrive, to love, to dream, to create, to mold, to encourage and to have PEACE in the process.

I wish for you the same.

hi-d

I think I am well on my way from climbing out of that funk that I was in for about two months. It was a bad one, and I really hate that place. Doing much better now though, and working on ways to never go back there.

A change in our home school schedule and studying stuff I never got “the first time around” (in high school) took up a good chunk of my vacation days. However, I am very pleased with our new school day, and the boys said that even though it was harder, they are liking the new set up! That made me very happy.

Harrison has another piano recital coming up this Friday evening. Once again, he is not in the least bit nervous. Good for him, but I am!

We had a wonderful time with dear friends this weekend. We celebrated Matt’s birthday a week early (even though I forgot that we were doing that! ) by eating haystacks, watching Ashley WALK (Yes… the little baby girl in my life is walking already. She is SOOOO cute.), play with her big boy cousins and then we played card games after dinner. Had such a great time! We are so lucky to have them back in our neck of the woods for a while.

Then yesterday, we had a visit from our good friends and old neighbors, Sandy and her son Michael. It’s always a good time catching up with them. I miss them being next door SO much.

Haven’t been taking very many photos of the boys lately, but I do have some pictures of birds, the cats, the chickens and our yard that I haven’t yet downloaded from my camera… which will be an indication to some of you that know me well of how busy I really have been. Since I don’t ever leave photos on my camera for very long at all!! Maybe this week I can get to that.

Well, hope you are all doing well and having a good Monday!

Hugs,

hi-d

“The most basic and powerful

way to connect to another person

is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps

the most important thing we ever

give each other is our attention….

A loving silence often has far more

power to heal and to connect than

the most well-intentioned words.”

Rachel Naomi Remen

Thank you, to a couple of friends, who did just that recently – when I desperately needed it.

hi-d

Here’s hoping that all of you find little “joy’s” as we start off this brand new year.

hi-d

I had the pleasure of spending my evening with eight great guys!

Don’t worry Ma… it’s pretend bubbly!

Of course I didn’t get to “hang” with them the whole evening, but enjoyed hearing them make yet another movie or two, and laugh while playing their Splinter Cell game (kind’of like our “hide-&-seek”, but with ninja or military or some other element to it. They are in teams and then try to get the “code” out of whoever they catch… whatever… I don’t know, but they LOVE it and have SO much fun!) I called them up just before midnight for our toast and to say what our New Years Resolutions were.

One boy said, “To be a nicer brother.” Oh, be still my heart!! Sure wish it were one of mine.

Welcome 2012!

Let’s be nice to each other now, k?

hi-d

I am looking forward to new adventure in the upcoming year.

A positive attitude should work… right?

I am wishing all of you a very Happy New Year tonight, and that you have a very blessed year!

Thank you for visiting me here, and giving moral support at times. Wish I could be closer to you all and spend some face to face time with ya!

Hugs,

hi-d