Feeling Fall-ish

I am sitting here in a hotel room in beautiful western Pennsylvania with three less than pleasant chicklets. It appears that they are in need of some serious playtime. Being cooped up in a car and hotel rooms for the past week is starting to lose just a tad bit of its charm. Thankfully, there is a park nearby where I can "run 'em" before we pack up for the long ride home this afternoon.


I am enjoying a little high speed internet before we return to the farm and it's far less than stellar internet. I've said it before, but I cannot fathom how we can put a man on the moon and yet I cannot get high speed internet on my ol' farmstead.

As you can see, I took the opportunity to "decorate" my blog for fall. I am not all that pleased with the look, but I don't have time mess with it anymore right now and I'll be changing it soon again for the holidays anyway.  My blog look just seemed too "summery" for me and I wanted to celebrate fall alittle.

Fall is by far my favorite season of the year. It's partly because my birthday and anniversary are in the fall, but it's more than that. I love the colors of the season ... the reds, golds and oranges that only God's paintbrush can master. I love the smells of fall ... the apples and the pumpkin spice .... oh, the pumpkin spice! The cooler temps are right up my alley too! I am a sweater and jeans girl all the way. 

I think one of the things that makes fall so special is it's shortness. Before I know it, it's time for boots and mittens and all I'm left with is sweet memories 'til next year. 

Hope you are enjoying fall wherever you are ... I know I am :)

Am I Coming or Going?

This is one of those weeks where even though I'm having fun, I'll be glad when it's all over.  Seriously, I don't know whether I am going or coming ... and the truth is ... it's both.

Last weekend we were in Indianapolis for the Crossroads of America National Poultry Show. I've got lots to share about that and I will, I promise. It's just that we made a quick stop home for a few days and I have a pile of laundry to get through before we are off again to tag along with the Geek on a business trip. I'll post more about our jaunts when we get home.

Here's a peek at the chicklets all decked out in their Halloween outfits. Just in case you can't tell, the Munchkin was a Glamorous Witch, Boy Wonder channeled his inner Cowboy and the Little Prince did his best impersonation of a cow. We had fun, but we missed our "tradition" of sharing the holiday with my sister and brother-in-law. We know change is inevitable, but it just wasn't all that fun for any of us. We loved the little town where they use to live and decided that next year we're going back there to trick or treat. It won't be the same without them, but at least we can keep up part of the tradition.

A Little Confession

I read alot.  I am not picky, books, magazines, pamphlets, the back of cereal boxes ... I love the written word.  I don't limit myself to printed media only, either.  In fact, reading blogs is one of my favorite things to do.  I have several that I try to read daily.  They are written by women who, like me, write about their faith, family and lives.  These ladies put their daily ups and downs into words with a flair that has garnered them a large number of loyal readers who regularly comment on their blogs, myself included.

I have a little confession to make.  At risk of sounding like a baby ... I had begun to wonder why  they get all the glory and I am lucky if I have even one or two regular readers.  What do they have that I don't?  Why can't I open up my blog and see several comments waiting for me?   Why can't people tell me I had put into words just what they had been thinking?  Why can't I get me some of that bloggy-love?  How come they get it and not me???  

Yeah,  you could say I was a teensy weensy bit jealous.  Pretty sad, eh?  I know I needed to put on my big girl pants and just get over it, but it was hard not to be a little envious.  Thank goodness, God is bigger than my petty jealousy.  He saw where I was headed and put these words from Galatians on my heart.

  Don't compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.

Galatians 6:5

The Message

Is that spot on to what I was feeling or what?  (He never ceases to amaze me how He does that!)  I am not an published author or a prolific artist  like some of the bloggers whose work I read.  I am a stay at home mom from the Midwest whose circle of influence is quite frankly not all that big.   While it's true I may not possess the power to impress the world, God has blessed me with the opportunity to share my stories here on this little ol' blog.   Maybe what I have to say will resonate with my small audience --- maybe it won't --- but God's Word assures me that's not something I need to worry about.  I just have to do my "creative best" with what I have and God will take care of the rest.

What about you, o' faithful reader or two?  Do you ever suffer from a bout of "blog envy" or am I the only one who caves to the green-eyed monster of jealousy every now and then?  Please share.  It gets lonely talking to myself sometimes.

Envy is the art of counting the other fellow's blessings instead of your own.

Harold Coffin

Smitten with Knittin'

"Really, all you need to become a good knitter are wool, needles, hands, and slightly below-average intelligence. Of course, superior intelligence, such as yours and mine, is an advantage."

Elizabeth Zimmerman

My niece and I are taking knitting lessons at a local yarn shop.  I didn't want to at first.  I could think of a hundred excuses why now was not a good time to learn how to knit.  Money's tight, we only have one car, the house is a mess, my butt's too big ... you get the drift.  But then I remembered my birthday challenge to myself, specifically pushing myself to try new things and finding more time for me.  I said yes and I am so glad I did.  
 
Do you knit or crochet?  I taught myself to crochet several years ago, but never really got into it until now.   This time around,  I have discovered that knitting is more than just a piece of string and a couple of pointy sticks. I have found that when I sit down and knit, the load of stress upon my shoulders starts to lighten.  There's something magic about the steady repetion of stiches that soothes me. ***
 

"In the rhythm of the needles, there is music for the soul."

Unknown

 
I've also found that the lessons are so much more than just a few woman gathered around a table armed with patterns, needles and bunch of yarn.  These sessions are a safe haven where women  can share their ups and downs of life with one another.  A place where someone will really listen to your stories and laugh (or cry) with you.  There is a camaraderie there that forms so quickly and so naturally, I've never experienced anything like it before in my life. 
 

"Properly practiced, knitting soothes the troubled spirit, and it doesn't hurt the untroubled spirit, either."

Elizabeth Zimmerman

***  I should note, that at this point when I drop a stitch or knit when I shoulda purled, (as I have far too many times ... grrrr!) the whole relaxation thingy sorta flies out the window.  I am trying hard to learn to just let go and enjoy the act of knitting and accept that sometimes things don't go as you plan.  Sometimes you can fix things, but sometimes you just have to make a new beginning ... wow, another one of those metaphors for life :) 

Hanging on 'til Naptime

It has been one of "those" weeks.  Every mother has 'em and if you don't... well you must be either in serious denial or just plain freakin' June Cleaver. 

I love my chicklets.  I really do, but this has been one of those weeks where I sometimes question my decision to become a mother. 

“Mothers of teenagers know why animals eat their young”

Unknown

Oh, I always come back to the "yes, my life is fuller because of them" and "yes, they are a blessing"  and all that jazz, but a teensy weensy part of me daydreams about what life would be like with a little less mess, a little less noise and in the case of this week ... a lot less sassy-ness. 

I swear that Boy Wonder has (as one friend described her own son) been taken over by an alien life form.  He is at  times, nearly impossible to live with. 

"I'm right behind teenagers who are tired of being harassed by their dumb parents! Take a stand now! Move out of home, find work and pay your own way - while you're still clever enough and know everything."

Unknown

He has always been a handful, but puberty has really ignited a monster within.  Actually, he kind of vacillates between decent human being and raging beast, sometimes within seconds.  It catches me so off guard, despite my best efforts I lose my cool.  I hear myself and I think, "This Mama Hen needs to take a little time out."

The problem with disciplining a teenager is that in no time at all you begin to sound like one yourself.

Unknown

Anyone else going through this?  Any suggestions on how to handle the not so glorious teenage years?  I once read that this phase of child rearing is like riding the rapids on a river.  You're in a raft and you're all gonna make it out alive (hopefully) but you've got a lot of rough water to get through.  You gotta just hold on and paddle and pray it's all over soon.

I  like that analogy, but at the same time I don't.  I've always tried to "enjoy" each stage of my kiddos' lives.  I tried to not just look ahead, but be in the moment.  Yes, even with the "terrible twos" ... which I am going through with the Little Prince right now too (Lucky me!)  I don't want to miss Boy Wonder's teenage years and I certainly don't want to be "at war" with him the entire time either. 

Most days I can clearly see the light at the end of the tunnel, but somedays I don't.  There are days  when I just barely have the strength to hang on until nap time.  Today is one of those days.  I won't beat myself up about it, I just wish there was a better way sometimes, you know?

"I'd like to be the ideal mother, but I'm too busy raising my kids."

Unknown

Wordless Wednesday: Neatness Counts

Wordless Wednesday posts are something many bloggers do on Wednesdays (duh!).  The idea behind it is to post a photograph with no words to explain (hence the "wordless" in the title...double duh!).  Occasionally when I am feeling a little less verbose than normal, I play along.  Here's my latest attempt.

I know the title says wordless, but if you know me (which you most likely do if you are reading my blog) ... "wordless" is not exactly in my repertoire.  Perhaps "A Little Less Wordy Wednesday" would be more apropos, but it doesn't have the same catchy ring to it, ya know? Anyway...

As a home school parent, I am sometimes lax on requiring neatness when it comes to assignments from my chicklets.  I expect their work to be legible, but I am pretty lenient.  However, every once in a while I "demand" that their work ... especially their handwriting assignments ... be especially neat.  I mean heaven forbid that someday they have a job at let's say, the local caffiene dealer coffee shop and someone orders a French Vanilla cappucino.  Perhaps they would write the order (which in this case should be FV)  on the cup lid, fill it and hand it over to the customer.  Now if they haven't taken the time to write neatly (as their dear Mama Hen has so patiently taught them), the customer just might get the wrong "message" like I did this morning.

I'm just sayin' ... neatness count sometimes, dontcha agree??

Bragging Rights

I don't know how your weekend was, but mine was for the birds. Literally. Boy Wonder and the Munchkin were in a showmanship competition at a poultry show. Boy Wonder has been doing this for several years now, but this was the Munchkin's first "real" competition. And let me tell you, these things are fierce.

As I you may know, the chicklets are a part of 4H. Like many 4H-ers, they are involved in several projects besides just poultry. In 4H poultry competitions there are kids who know chickens, in fact some who know a whole lot about chickens, but Boy Wonder's ability to retain and "regurgitate" (what seems like) a mind-numbing amount of poultry knowledge usually gives him an edge. "Official" poultry shows are a different story. Alot of the competitors are the children of "hard core" poultry breeders (something the Geek and I are not) and as such have been "marinated" in all things poultry most of their little lives. To even place in the top ten is really an accomplishment for "regular" folks like us.

The Munckin had a bit of "stage jitters" and was feeling like a failure even before the contest began. We gave her the old "it's not whether you win or lose" pep talk and hoped for the best. She was competing in the 5 - 9 year old division, so some of the kids she was up against had been doing this for almost 5 years. She gave it her best shot, but we were sure she didn't place too high and again told her how proud we were of her for trying.

Boy Wonder's competition was even fiercer. Some of his competition had been doing this for almost ten years (twice as long as he's been at it). The kid is a wealth of poultry facts, but he has his weak areas. He knows alot about chickens, but not so much about other types of poultry (i.e. turkeys, ducks, pheasants, etc.) and that's what we felt could cost him in the end at this contest.

When it came time for the awards to be presented, we all thought the kids would get their "participant" ribbons and we'd call it a day. We never expected the Munchkin to claim "First Place Novice Division"!!! Boy Wonders "Third Place Intermediate Division" was the icing on the cake :)

We are planning to attend the "nationals" in Indianapolis at the end of the month. I am sure the competition will be even stiffer, but I think my chicklets are going to be up for the challenge. We've got three weeks to cram their little noggins full of everything poultry. It may be a longshot, but who knows? Like I told the Munchkin last Saturday... even if they do not come home with a trophy, as long as they do their best, they have done something they can definitely be proud of.