Punkins' world....SUNSHINE, seeds and no more drought!

[punkin]

Back from Pigeon Forge, yea! We had a great time. The weather was really cold, highs in the 30's and pretty windy.

We took the boys, or young men (17, 17, & 16) to Nascar Speedpark. The park has really gotten stict about bumping and spinning others out, so it wasn't as much fun as it used to be.

And, WOW! How do ya'll with 3 or more kids ever afford to go out to eat? I know when they are little you can split, share or get free meals, but as teenagers, whew! I'm glad I don't have to pay for them all the time. We did eat snacks and had the hotel breakfast both days but, man can they eat. But, no regrets. This was our gift to them and us.

Today, I am catching up on laundry. It's really cloudy so I am having to use my dryer alot more than I want.

It is also Andy's (DS) 18th birthday today. He wanted his favorite cake - pineapple upside down cake. I smeared the butter and brown sugar in the skillet and poured in the cake batter, forgetting to put the pineapples in first. Silly mistakes like that make me made at myself. So I made another, the right way. The first will probably get some chocolate icing on it. Anyway, he'll have 2 birthday cakes.

 

[punkin]

Well, I'm not quite sure what I have gotten myself into.

Remember that my DS just started homeschooling for his senior year, right? His 2 best friends (brothers) started the same time. Their parents are seperated and they spend most evenings with us. They eat with us and we all share good "family" time together.

Yesterday, their dad called and asked me if I would help him with a problem. That being the boys are soooo far behind in their work. Both of the parents work and really have no time to make the boys do their lessons. Like my son, they won't do it on their own. He ask that since the boys were here so much anyway, could they bring their work over and do "school" time with Andy. I said OK since I'm here anyway.

So, today they are coming at 9 am. The 3 of them will do their work together. I hope they understand that they need to make this commitment to work, plus no to waste my time.

They are good boys in need of direction and discipline. I hope I can provide that for them.

Say a prayer of patience and guidance for me.

 

[FarmerChick]

WOW punkin that is really sweet of you to tackle their schoolwork at your home!

you know what, they will do well with you cause they sound like they love your home environment.....and that will make them apply themselves!

kids gravitate toward good home environments...hmm..you might not ever get rid of them..HA HA HA...but that is a good thing! You are helping them and they get along good with your DS so all should be fine!

OUCH on the cake! LOL--that is one of Tony's favs!
YUMMO

 

[MorelCabin]

Those boys are so lucky to have someone like you Punkin:>) May the Lord bless all your endeavors with them and make you a true Blessing to thier lives, and thiers to you. Just enjoy it and know that you are doing God's work and planting seeds:>)

 

[punkin]

FC & MC, thanks for the encouragement. I hate to see kids suffer because of some of the parent's decisions. I told DH that we better have front row seats at both their weddings. That is if they ever find someone other than their cars and 4-wheelers.

Their first day went pretty good. I think they just need someone to make sure they do it. They completed all their work except for my DS. That's OK, though because he isn't behind.

I got 2 loaves of yummy french bread baked. Had 1 tonight with baked spaghetti. I know, too many carbs. The second went into the freezer.

Did a couple of loads of laundry and had to use the dryer. I hung up the good stuff and combined the rest into 1 drying time.

I made a bunch of "Get Well" & "Thinking of You" cards today. I'm going to take them to Bible study Monday. We always take prayer requests, so I thought we could sign cards and send them out - just to let them know that we care.

It rained 2 1/2" inches today, about 5" total from yesterday. One of the chicken runs was a muddy mess, so DH put down a thick layer of hay. I don't want them to develop any feet problems.

I've got to get in the Christmas spirit. I haven't even gotten my tree up yet or bought the first gift. Our families decided pretty much on just buying for the kids. We have 7 in all: ages 4-19.

Gotta take Cocoa back to the vet tomorrow to get her stitches out. She is doing great. Can't really even tell if she misses that hind leg or not. Runs and still jumps like the dickens.

 

[keljonma]

Sounds like the first day working with your son's friends went well, punkin!

And you baked bread too! Nothing makes the house seem like home like fresh bread coming out of the oven, IMO!

I think this is a wonderful idea that you are making cards for people! Our church is starting a cards ministry later this month, after the holidays. This month we will be making birthday cards. My sisters' church already has a ministry like this that meets once a quarter to make cards.

Our prayer chain sends out cards on Monday to all the people listed in the prayer closet in the bulletin on Sunday. The prayer chain is about 25 or 30 people, and we take turns sending out the cards. Our cards are pretty generic - a faint drawing of the church on the outside with praying hands over-imposed on the drawing. Then the inside is blank, and is filled in specifically for the person/people prayed for.

We pass a home of a three-legged golden lab on our way into town. That dog gets along really well and can run pretty darn fast too! I'm sure Cocoa will be fine.

 

[PamsPride]

That is really nice that you can do that for the boys Punkin! I am sure it make a profound difference on their lives because someone cares!

 

[2dream]

I am sure those boys really enjoy being at your house. And at this time it sounds like they need what you have to offer.
Enjoy the moment. I so miss all the young people who use to gather at my house when my children were teenagers. I think I miss their teenage years more than their younger years.

All my childrens friends showed up to eat. I think I was the only Mom on the friend circuit that actually cooked and baked. Those boys can eat you out of a weeks worth of groceries in an hours time. LOL

 

[lorihadams]

You are so sweet to do that and help those kids. I know what you mean about the eating too...the other day my 3 1/2 yr old ate THREE peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. I am gonna hate to see what it is like when he gets to be a teenager!

Oh, and you'll have to give me your bread recipe! I made my second loaf of bread yesterday and it was actually edible! Things are lookin' up!!!

Have a good day darling!

Lori

 

[punkin]

Got some goodies today at great prices.

Made my first Christmas purchase (yep, I'm behind). Got a Kodak Easy Share Digital Camera from Staples.com for $39.99 after a $50 rebate. Free shipping, too. It has 8.2 megapixels and 3x optical zoom. That is my great neice's gift. We are only buying for kids this year.

For me:
I got a 2 yr old upright 19 cubit foot freezer for $150. It's in great shape. My other 2 are full, and if one goes out I can transfer to another one.

Also, an old wood cookstove for another $150. It has 4 eyes (if that's what you call them) and all the pieces (covers, handles, etc.) are intact. It just needs to be spiffed up a bit. That is going to be the start of my canning kitchen. I need somewhere to really ramp up the quantity of canning I want to do. Plus, I can do it with free wood.

I've been doing some research on how to can new potatoes. My dad always has a bumper crop. By canning them, we can use the ones from the garden and not have to buy them.