Life Today...

                                     Of course part of my heart is in this lovely place today...

Dave is texting me off and on and we did finally get to chat on the phone last evening. The weather has gotten beautiful there and I'm so happy for them! They had a day touring the island on golf carts yesterday. Dave told Jordan they want to do some fishing and lobster spearing today sometime! He made it clear to Jordan that he is getting things set up for him to do a fun fishing trip there this winter!

We are all super excited (yet a tad nervous) to spend three weeks out of our winter touring this Country!


Yesterday was an all day cleaning day! Rachel Ann swept up tons and tons of stink bugs!! I cleaned out drawers in the afternoon while the kids played outside. We went to my dads last evening for a fun campfire night. It was a great way to spend an evening! Thanks mom and dad for the invite!!

We have a lovely Saturday here today. It has been feeling like summer is here again the past days,  I have yet to give in to the temptation to turn the air conditioner back on but more afternoons like yesterdays might change that. The kids are planning a water balloon toss with Ash and Tina later!:)

Javon is loving his school days! Yesterday he had show and tell day and it was "insects week"  Rachel Ann went out in the yard with him before I took him to school yesterday morning to see if they could find a "Praying Mantis" Sure enough, there was again one at what we call the "Praying Mantis" corner of our yard. We have so many of these insects in this area and the boys even counted three egg sacks in one bush alone! I think we will be leaving them there for Springs warmth to hatch out though instead of bringing them indoors like we did last year! That did not work so well!...:)

Jonathan and Marilyn are also on the Belize tour. The kids are at home with a sitter and they are enjoying extra time with my kids this week! It's so nice that the kids still get to hang out with best friends without ever leaving the property!... I have captured these this morning...Up at the barn...

I'm having a harder time keeping tabs on the two younger girls! Jenika and Martina will spend as much time together as they are allowed!! I had to go after them one school day this week because they were just not showing up after school!

I found them at the creek drenched from the water! It was a hot afternoon so I'm sure the water felt so good, but I have been over this with Jenika before. She is to come home right after school to say hello to me, grab a snack and then maybe she can go outside to play with Tina for a little while. I don't like when she don't show up with the boys after school.

Today I walked out to the hut where they said they would be playing and they were not there... Jordan and Ashley went on a search for them... They were found down yonder in the woods by a creek (could have figured at the water on this hot day!) They had no idea that it was the first day of hunting season and the neighbors might want to be hunting exactly where they decided to stop and play!

They are now playing here...:) On our property...  You can see them a little bit... Let me get closer...:)

                         Cracking walnuts in the cool shade of the trees...:)

I love that Jenika has a girl cousin and friend to hangout with! Martina is her best friend and even though she gets mad at her at times they have a blast together! Jen was so mad at Tina the other evening! She even had to cry about it! Jenika had caught a field mouse out in the field!! She brought it in to her hamster cage (which has long been empty). I told her "no way!" Not in the house! She seemed to think it was just like a hamster but just with a tail!

This MOUSE was running the cage like crazy! It was trying to get out for a long time! Martina came to the back porch for a look and she happened to be holding it when it slipped away!! Jenika was heartbroken!  I wasn't sure if I wanted to celebrate or comfort her broken heart!?? She was upset at Tina for a little while but soon she forgot about it and was again her best friend...:)

Justin is back!! I picked him up at school about an hour ago! I have so been enjoying his hiking stories!! He is sore and tired but he loved it! He said the long hike yesterday was 17 miles and hilly and hard. They had some rain during the night so they needed to get up and resituate the sleeping quarters! He said the rain on the tin roof (after they were again settled under a shelter) was nice and he was soon asleep again after the disruption! The food they ate was heated over a campfire and everything was carried in these backpacks...

I asked him if he ate the protein bar I had stuck in and he said..."Yes it was good and I was wishing for more of them!" Love him!!

The first thing he wanted to do when he got home was to eat a huge sub then take a hot bath in my tub!! I told it's to warm for a hot bath but he was to sore to care! He has bites all over the place and scrape marks where he was carrying his pack!

It was a great adventure for him and the guys in his class! Thank you so much Mr. Chad for planning this trip!!

We are happy to have Justin home again!

I got out for an eight mile run this morning. It was sunny and to warm by the time I came down the home stretch! I drag in the heat... I guess I need to work on this!

This was my refuel...

Bed of greens, tomatoes, avocado, shredded cheese, over light egg, and a drizzle of the new balsamic! It added a unique flavor to the dish but it was good.  I can tell I will have fun experimenting!

I was planning to bake some pumpkin whoopie pies for the freezer, for next weeks lunches, but it is just to warm to start the oven today! I think I'll cut out some dresses instead.

Next week will be so busy with the grape juice coming! I again have 100 gallons ordered! It will be ready to put in jars and seal next week. I normally make two days out of this job! We are also in charge of the communion lunch at church next Sunday so that will keep me stepping next week to!

 Breath and don't look ahead right?? I'm much better with the "minute by minute" motto!:)
Yet still, I like to have planned ahead and to be prepared, or geared maybe...~!? "like for a crazy week" Things just seem to go smoother for me when I have them carefully planned out, yet I want to change this in some ways and be more of a "Go with the Flow" "and be OK with it" type of person,  Gods plans are not always our plans so I need to be OK with life as an adventurous journey!:) I'm working on this and being tested at times...:)

 

Have a blessed Saturday...