"It's not just good, it's Formal Anniversary Good" - Caleb

43 years of marriage - WOW!! And so we contemplate, how can we celebrate with the grandparents for the many years of commitment to one another? Another gift certificate seems so impersonal. Tim had a great idea this year. He suggested we serve Grandma and Grandaddy a Formal Anniversary Dinner - including all the members of our family. First we printed off a "formal" invitation and the kids hand-delivered it to them. Caleb and Anna Blair sported a sandwich advertisement (which they had just learned about in school after reading Homer Price) - where they wrote their own invitation on a piece of cardboard that hung over their shoulders with another piece down their backs. Caleb added the catchy slogan that sports the title of this blog...just to be silly. We named it the First Annual Formal Anniversary Dinner.

On December 23, the actual anniversary date, Grandma and Grandaddy arrived to be greeted by Ruth and Leah with a "Welcome to our restaurant. May I take your coat? Please be seated." After being seated, we served them on our china a candlelight meal. As I cooked and served their plates, the kids rotated clearing off one course from the other, keeping their "needs met" and bringing them new plates. Our menu was sparkling grape juice with bacon wrapped water chestnuts in a sauce for an appetizer, followed by french onion soup, then spinach orange salad. For the main course, Tim grilled marinated sirloin steaks and I added broccoli walnut saute with twice baked potatoes and french bread. For dessert we served blackberry pie a la mode with coffee. (sounds good, huh?)

We had a super time serving them and seeing them enjoy their meal. And to think that not one piece of china was broken! YIPPEE! The only concern Tim and I had was keeping Josiah out of the way and occupied elsewhere. Well, that didn't work. Right in the midst of our hustle and bustle around the kitchen, we happened to notice that Josiah had pulled up a chair right in the middle of the honored couple and was eating off their plates. Thankfully Grandma and Grandaddy in their true grandparent form loved every minute of this "oversight from the kitchen" and insisted he remain as their guest. I'm sure most customers wouldn't appreciate our Little Booger as much as they did.

Following the meal, the kids serenaded them with Christmas carols - one of which they choreographed. Then Anna Blair played 2 piano pieces for them. Last we invited them to join us for a movie of Facing the Giants after Grandma shared her wedding album and wedding stories with us.

What a special time we had and now we can't wait for April to roll around so Nonie and Pops get their turn. If we can just give them a hint of the huge amount of appreciation we feel for the rich, Christian heritage they have given us, we have succeeded. Who wants a quiet, romantic evening in a strange restaurant on their anniversary when they can be served and serenaded by five beautiful Fish kids?? And tipping is refused!!

Gingerbread House

It's nothing to enter into a contest with, but we were quite proud of our gingerbread house we made today.
I split the kids into shifts of 2 to help decorate.

If I had a dime for every time I heard "Can we snitch some?".....

Yeah! We finished. It will be dessert tonight. That means you have to eat ALL your supper. *Moan*

Can you tell my kids don't get sweets too often??

Home School Transformation

I wouldn't say that Tim and I are obsessed with cleanliness but we both love a clean house that is neat and orderly. "Everything has a place" is my motto. BUT, that can be near impossible with 5 little ones who constantly forget to pick up after themselves. I wish I had taken a BEFORE photo of our schoolroom to show you the huge transformation you see in these photos! I forgot. Maybe it was because I was too embarrassed for you to see how cluttered it was. Maybe I have just lost too many braincells in my pregnancy. But the AFTER photos are what really matters!!

Our school room is above the 3 car garage and it is wonderful. We love the space and I keep lots of the toys in that room to keep the younger ones well occupied while I educate the others. Storage has been an issue. Things just looked unsightly and it was way too easy to junk up. Unfortunately it's big messes that can make the wicked mother come out of me. Ask my poor children. I overlook it for so long and then explode and go on this cleaning/trashing rampage while I rant and rave over how frustrating messes and clutter are to me. I know. It's shameful. I am not proud of it and I try to do better. My sweet husband shares in my frustrations and so he has been planning for over a year to correct our need for storage in school.

Three weeks ago we conducted school on the porch or on the kitchen bar while the workers came to build built-ins around 3 of the 4 walls of our classroom. One wall became a huge bookshelf. One became cabinets. The last has a bench seat and then 5 desk/computer nooks. After one week of construction, another week it was painted. Then we worked hard to get the carpet fixed and everything in it's new "home". I was dreaming about where to put the math manipulatives and how to file the books. Should I come up with some kind of Dewy Decimal system? Maybe a card check out file? While the kids were anxious to pick out what desk would be theirs and how they might clutter it up with drawn pictures, Pez dispensers and Halloween erasers that didn't really erase!

Here's our new classroom and while others may be out on Christmas break this week, the Fish kids and their mother can't wait to conduct class in our new school room. Who needs a break anyway? As long as you put things back where you found them, right?

The Power of Ketchup

I am a big advocate of "Eat what is given to you or don't eat at all." When people have my kids over and tell me what they are serving to eat and will ask, "Is that o.k.? Will your kids eat that?" I tell them that if they don't, they go hungry. I guess it's because as a young married, I hosted several large gatherings at my house where I provided all of the food. I would spend hours and hours in my kitchen (which I love - I don't want to sound like I'm complaining) all to have someone ask me if there are onions in my casserole because they don't like onions. Or once a girl called to see if I had used Campbell condensed soup in my recipe because those didn't settle well with her. Another time someone called beforehand to ask what the menu was so she could see if she needed to bring her own food or not. These were grown adults!! All I can say is SHAME ON YOUR MOTHERS!!

So once I became a mother, I decided my grown adult child would NOT be the ones asking about the soup or onions! I understand we all have preferences and that is fine and you can be discreet if onions would really make you gag. So at our house, you eat what you are served. You are NOT permitted to tell us if you like it or not. If you don't like it, you MUST take a bite or 2 anyway. I will say my hard work has paid off. Caleb was the worst eater as a toddler and we had many, many, many table battles which I dreaded. BUT....now that boy eats anything and everything. I rejoice each summer when I see him pick a green bell pepper straight from the garden and take a big bite out of it like it's an apple.

So here we go again. I just noticed that my almost 2 year old is beginning to be picky at suppertime and loves to grab crackers between meals. Meal time boot camp began this week. Thursday night Tim and I had a Christmas dinner social to attend so the kids had macaroni and cheese with tuna salad and baby carrots for supper. Sounds pretty kid friendly? Josiah wouldn't touch it. I even shoveled one bite of the tuna and noodles in his mouth and he screamed and spit it out. I put it in the fridge and pulled it out for breakfast with water. He said "No thank you" (in Josiah language) and so he went hungry. About 11:00 he got really cranky....hmmmm....wonder why? He kept begging for a snack. So I got out the tuna and mac-n-cheese with water and he wouldn't have anything to do with it. Supper rolls around and he's as whiny as all get out. I call in reinforcements. Tim sits him down with his meal (which had been warmed up 3 times in the microwave - yummy!) and a bottle of ketchup. I'm not a ketchup fan but everyone else in our house is. I guess that's because the 3rd ingredient is high fructose corn syrup. He dumps ketchup on the macaroni and tuna, stirs it up and in 5 minutes Josiah had cleaned his plate and was a big fan of macaroni and cheese and tuna fish. I don't get it. It sounds pretty gross to me. It was a big mealtime event in our house for all the kids. Lots of cheers and clapping going on. But I feel confident that Josiah will be a grown man one day and won't be calling the hostess in advance about the onions. Score: Josiah zero! Mommy and Daddy one!

Ruth called me in the room on Friday and said I needed to get my camera and take her picture. I asked why and she said, "Because I look wheely cute!" So there you have it. What a cutie!! Please notice her Dallas Cowboys tatoo on her arm. She's her Daddy's girl.

12-12 Then and Now

This was taken 4 yrs. ago after my surgery. I have a pretty yucky looking scar still.

He's not a sissy - just practicing being a good big brother! Shh! Don't tell Tim!
Snow baby


Snowman named Tommy

Our first big snow of the season!

backyard view

I spent the first half of my school days in Louisiana where it snowed once in the 7 years we lived there. It was just flurries too, but the schools got out because most kids had never seen snow in their lives. Then we lived in Memphis where we usually got flurries each year, but maybe every 2-3 years we got a snow that stuck and you could play in it. Since moving to middle TN 6 yrs. ago, it has snowed several times every year and we've always had at least one, if not more, good snows to play in. Who would have thought that just 3 hrs. east of Memphis it would get so much more snow? My kids love it and it's been a great memory maker for us.

So when I blogged yesterday about should homeschoolers get a snow day, I intended it as a rhetorical question. Of course we would have school - we stay put either way. But after several of you responded that of course we should have a day off, I started feeling like a slave driver. I consider myself laid back yet task driven. Is that an oxymoron? I got out my lesson plan book, counted out how many days we've had school, how many more we have to go, considering time off when Six arrives, and decided.... OK OK OK, kids win! We had a snow day today.

The kids had snowball fights, built 2 snowmen, got pulled around on the sled by the 4-wheeler, and had a super time. I spent the morning cooking 4 recipes of cookies and 2 batches of Chex Mix (for Sunday School teacher gifts) and washing wet clothes, wiping up tracked in snow, and serving hot cocoa. It was all a joy to see them having so much fun. As of now, the snow is almost totally melted, the house is fairly cleaned, supper's in the crock pot and I think we'll settle down to reading some good books in front of the wood burning stove.

12-12 is a day to remember and thank God in our house. Four years ago this year we were watching a Dallas game and during half time decided to take a quick and SLOW 4-wheeler ride on the path in our woods. A freak accident happened as we stopped on a stump, tilted sideways and SLOWLY tipped over. I reached to grab Leah (who was only 18 mths. old) to stop her from tumbling on the ground but didn't catch myself. I did one good flip down the hill, and broke my humorous bone. It was the beginning of 2 difficult months for us as I was hospitalized, had a plate and screws put in my arm, and couldn't use my right arm/hand for 6 weeks, nor drive a vehicle. I think I forgot to mention that I was 7 months pregnant with Ruth. Looking back, we have much to be thankful for. So each Dec. 12, we remember that accident and praise God for having his strong hand in our lives during that time. I didn't even mention the house fire we had 2 weeks later on Christmas Eve, did I? He is good and today we not only thank HIM for this great snow day but also for protecting and providing for us over the years.

Let It Snow! Let it Snow!

What a surprise after cold, yucky rainy weather for 3 straight days to turn into snow and actually cover everything!! The question is, should homeschooled kids get a snow day??? :)

Six in Six

Tomorrow I will be 34 weeks pregnant, so in 6 weeks we should be expecting Six to arrive. Here is a photo that we took today. Anna Blair wanted to be in the photo with a ball in her tummy. Tim watched as Caleb took the photo and said he hoped that that photo wouldn't be an omen of what was to come. I second that!!! No Father of the Bride Part 2 for sure! Last week I read this: A Russian woman holds the record for having the most children. Between 1725 and 1765, she was pregnant 27 times and had 69 children. I always did great in math, but this sentence really stumps me. Amazing - can you imagine how many folks told her in the grocery, "Boy, do you have your hands full?"

My little sis did her monthly pregnancy photos last year and requested that I do the same for her. I haven't been consistent with the monthly thing. I think this is the 4th I've taken. Granted I am not a size 2 with a grapefruit sized belly either. I'm closer to 40 now than 30. And as my OB said with my last pregnancy when I was convinced I must be having twins, I am older and more stretched out. Gee thanks! I am swollen! Picture the Michelin Man with a monster truck tire in the mid section. My shoes are tight. My pregnancy CZ wedding ring is even tight! (If you don't know what CZ stands for, sorry. I'm too embarrassed to type it out and tell you that is what I'm wearing in these swollen days.) I have carpal tunnel in my right hand due to swelling. I've been told my face looks fat. But you know, if that is the only complaint I have, then I'm doing pretty good. I am blessed. I sleep like a log (and snore too much according to Tim), I am exercising at 5:45 every morning and I can still tie my shoes by myself and shave my legs!

I am down to the "every other week" check ups now. My last assignment was to get off sugars (Did she have a clue what she was asking of me???) and eat high protein with lots of leafy greens. It's Christmas season!!!! So as I serve up puddings, cakes, cookies and egg nog to my family, I am enjoying a big bowl of spinach topped with sprinkled cheese. This too shall pass, huh?

I have this fetish about not wanting our children to have an overly common name. I don't know why I feel so strongly about this, but I've always made an issue of it. We even changed our name for Caleb at the very last minute when I found out it was in the top 10 used that year. Tim doesn't understand this and I can't explain it well. I guess I enjoyed being the only Cassie in my class and usually in my entire school. There was never any confusion. That being said, I checked to see how common the names are that we are considering. The boy name has recently gained popularity and is in the top 40 now. Of the 2 girl names, one is in the top 130 and the other isn't listed in the top million when it's used as a double name. I guess I can deal with those. With a last name like Fish, I agree with Tim, we must be a bit considerate and not choose something too off the wall. Our system has been a Bible name for first name and a family name for middle name. Even the pets have followed this system. I am the only one with a pagan name as my parents heard my name in their Greek mythology class. I'm sure I'm a goddess or something good like that.

And last, I have an announcement to make. It is a girl....well at least that is what Ruth (3) tells us. When we first announced our pregnancy at 12 weeks, Ruth said I had a boy and a girl in my tummy. She was very emphatic about this and told others as if it were fact. Once I had to explain to a lady at church that it was only in Ruth's World that these twins existed. I did get a bit nervous as time went on and she wouldn't let up on the idea. My 20 week ultrasound declared she was wrong and so I made her put that notion to rest. Next she settled on it's a girl. She has told everyone it is a girl and talks about her baby sister very confidently. I told her "Ruth, only 1 person knows what our baby is and that is GOD!" She assuredly said in reply, "God and ME (and pointed to herself)." There's no changing her mind. Then I had a Hispanic friend of mine confirm Ruth's idea to me as she told me I was having a girl. I looked at her questioningly and she said in Spanish that if it were a boy, my belly would be big, but as she grabbed her rear end and slapped it, she said mine was clearly a girl because my bottom was "Mas Grande!" For those who don't know Spanish that means "Very Big!" Tim said in an offensive manner, "Is that acceptable to say in her culture because that is NOT acceptable to say in ours!" So that's the big joke as I slap by booty every few days and say "Mas Grande!" Like I said, I'm swollen all over. Weight Watchers can help me with that much later.

Honestly I have always liked to entertain old wives tales when it comes to guessing the gender of our baby. You know, basketball boy, football girl; fast heart rate girl, slow heart rate boy; belly boy, booty girl (as we just learned was fact), and the list goes on. Also with Tim and I, when we have a boys name and no girls name, it is a girl. When we have a girls name and no boys name, it is a boy. So we must be having a girl. Who needs ultrasounds?? We have a fast heart rate, I have a big rear end, I am football shaped and we haven't decided on a girls name. So now you all know. The secret is out.

She Did It!!!

Caleb and Anna Blair at their program
Ruth - next to a very expressive boy who kept waving at his Mom

Leah at the Christmas program

Ruth (front row), Leah (top row)

This may be no big deal to most folks, but today was a big deal in the Fish house. At Community Bible Study the kids had their yearly Christmas program. The first year, Leah wouldn't participate at all and I had to go relieve her teacher of her as she screamed in the hallway (slap at my pride!). The second year, Leah stood on the stage with a scowl on her face, not opening her mouth one bit. The third year, Leah sang (YEAH!) while Ruth sat on the front step, hovered by her teacher coaxing her to do her motions and sing. She just kept her hands in her mouth the entire performance. So this year as we invited grandparents to attend and were getting ready this a.m., I did my annual forceful pep talk. It goes like this "It would make Mommy and Daddy and your grandparents so happy to see you doing your motions and singing like all the other kids in your class. We would be so proud of you and you would make Jesus happy too." Then after getting the usual "I don't want to go! I don't want to sing! (whine!)" Then my talk would then move to "Mommy said you better sing and do your motions and smile sweetly. You will obey Mommy. Whoever in our house does a good job will get a treat when we get home. You better do good or I'd hate to see you with no treat." See the progression? It doesn't always work.

So I expected to see Ruth doing her normal mouth zipped routine this a.m. but I was so pleasantly shocked to see both Leah (5) and Ruth (3) sing and do all they were expected to do. It didn't even bother me that their face looked like they were in pain the entire time. They did it - that's all that mattered to me!!! So as we drove home, I am frantically thinking of what kind of "prize" I can come up with since all their teachers gave them candy as a Christmas gift. Guess my idea of leftover Halloween candy as a prize went out the window.

Cookie dough was the prize and was well received by all. And just as a side note, my older 2 never had trouble getting up and doing the routine as instructed. Caleb even told me he had a speaking part that he wouldn't share with me as it was a surprise. I was impressed, thinking he had memorized something without my assistance. His lines were at the close of the show, "Runners.....Ready, Set, Go!" No wonder he didn't need my help. Whoo - hoo! What a proud Mommy I am today!

Sitting in Vain

These photos are from our first batch of newborns last spring.

What? You want another chicken story? Well, have I got just the story for you!! 3 weeks ago as we counted the chickens in at night, we were missing one. Caleb found her in the soffit (Tim taught me that word - it's like she was sitting in the covered gutter of the coop) and she was sitting on a ton of eggs. Now according to the internet, a bantam hen can only sit on about 8-10 eggs at a time. For those who don't know, a bantam hen is like the chiuawua (sp?) of chickens and that's what we have. But this determined mama was sitting on 21 eggs!! They were flowing out from under her and not all were covered by her but she was rotating them to keep them warm. We put it on the calendar and anticipated 21 baby chicks to be hand gathered out of the gutter in 21 days. We checked on her daily and brought her food and water. The day for the babies to hatch would have been this week. On Sunday we saw she wasn't sitting on them. We assumed she needed to stretch maybe. Then Monday she wasn't there either. Her eggs seemed frozen since the temps had gotten down to 23 degrees. I frantically searched the chicken blogs to find if anyone had posted about what to do with eggs when a mama quits sitting right near hatching time. Nothing!! We felt sad as I had Anna Blair crawl up there to bring each one down. Our guess was that she had just gotten too cold in the gutter and gave up on sitting after all those days. We took the eggs in a dark room with a flashlight to view the inside (not really wanting to crack open a dead baby chick myself). We went through all 21 eggs and not a single one showed any baby inside. So then we proceeded to crack them open - all just plain old eggs. So that poor mama hen sat on 21 eggs in the cold gutter for almost 3 weeks and not a single one was fertilized!!! No wonder she gave up. Aren't you glad you're not a chicken??

If I were a cussin' girl....

We always decorate for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. This year we decided to "run" into Lifeway to pre-order the movies Fireproof and Prince Caspian. There is NO "running in" to any store on Black Friday, so we found out. We walked in about 9 a.m. and our mouths nearly dropped to see the lines of people all the way toward the back at each register. Quickly Tim said, "I've got Josiah and will get in line. Get what we need and bring it up here." So I took the other 4, raced through the people, grabbed what we wanted, gave Tim directions on pre-ordering, took Josiah and went outside with the 5 kiddos. I let them run in the grass median until Tim came out. Whew! It could have been worse. Off to Home Depot for the tree. Thankfully no huge lines there and we were heading home.

Last year we decided to attack some 80% off Christmas sales and get a ton of vine wreaths and boxes of outdoor lights. 2008 would be our first year to hang lights outside. We started early and wrapped the wreaths with lights, figured out how many extension cords to buy on Friday and felt fairly prepared for decorating. Friday Tim spent hours outside, crawling through attic windows, nailing window frames, plugging in cords, hiding extension cords, the works. And after all his efforts, he thought the wreaths looked puny on our double windows and the red lights looked purple. Those thoughts were just before the fuse blew - and not just once. Grandaddy came down to help analyze our situation and move plugs from one outlet to another. After much frustration, the problem seemed to be fixed.

In the meantime, the kids were anxiously awaiting for me to put up the lights on our tree so that they could put up ornaments. I put 2 new strands (from our post season 2007 sale) at the top and they did super. Then I put 2 older but still good strands at the bottom. Of course I was smart and plugged them in first to make sure they all worked. Looked great. Then I strung them up, plugged them in and had 2 huge black out sections. This went on for 2 hours as I strung and restrung and tried to test each stinkin' bulb. I didn't dare ask Tim to come help me after noticing his outdoor situation.

The conclusion to all this wordiness is that we have our Christmas tree up and lit (don't look too closely or you might see some jerry riggin'). We have outdoor lights that have not been lit for the past 2 nights because when Tim used his saw in the basement, we had another black out. But you know, although this might be our last year to ever hang outdoor lights, the kids were so excited when we first plugged them in (before the first fuse blew) that they marched up and down the driveway screaming "Three cheers for Daddy! Hip Hip Hooray!" Purple lights, puny wreaths and black out sections don't matter around here - Daddy is still king!

Sorry to not have any beautiful photos to post of our lights - maybe some other time when they are actually all lit. Don't hold your breath!

Different Traditions

About 3 years ago, Christmas really bothered Tim and me. We noticed that after all the hooplah of gift opening, the kids seemed greedy and ungrateful. We had done Christmas Eve with the Fish side, Christmas morning with our family, Christmas afternoon with the Payne side and it just seemed gift overload. That year I read an article from Focus on the Family and the writer said he had the same issue with his kids, so they decided to try to spread out the gift giving. They give Thanksgiving gifts. At first I didn't go for that being a traditional girl myself, but after much thought I mentioned trying it the next year to Tim. Two years ago we gave our family gifts on Thanksgiving Day. For Christmas they received stocking stuffers from us and gifts from other family members. We shared with the kids why we were doing this and how our desire was not only to ward off the "gimmees" but to spend Christmas morning focusing on the real reason we celebrate - Jesus' birth. It's proven to be a good thing for our family. Caleb and Anna Blair begin saving and pondering what they will buy each family member at the beginning of October. How nice for me to get much of my shopping done early too. This year Tim and I decided not to get gifts for each other and then only get each child one gift (Josiah did get several small things instead). Each girl got a special doll - an Itty Bitty Baby from American Girls or one of the twins from American Girl. Caleb got a Lego Mars Mission set. We went around sharing what we were thankful for, focusing on the qualities of members of our family. (Leah was thankful that Ruth matches her clothes so well - either she goes with all one color or she goes with all colorful, floral, stripes mixed and matched.)

For Thanksgiving meal we enjoyed both sets of parents coming to our house and my grandfather too. We had a nice meal which we all tried to keep small and simple but somehow it turned out to be tons of food. The point was to not spend forever in the kitchen and I think we did that. Delicious too! Then we all enjoyed watching Dallas cream the Seahawks. Even though the family was small, it was a reminder to me of how much I am blessed to have both sets of parents live in the same town. Another huge blessing is that both sets of parents enjoy to spend time together with all of us. I know that is not a common thing for most families and it sure makes things pleasant when holidays come around.

Big Day in the Fish House

back porch supper table
back porch sitting area

Ruth in Leah's taxi

Anna Blair with our children's pastor

Caleb getting baptised

Well today was a big day for Caleb and Anna Blair. They both decided just recently that they wanted to be baptised. Both of them prayed for receive Christ as their Savior a while back (age 5 for both) and just recently we've talked a lot about obeying God through baptism. Last week they attended an informational meeting about it for kids in our church and today was the big day. They had 3 out of 4 of their grandparents in attendance which made it more special too. Anna Blair tends to be very shy and nervous in new situations. When Caleb told her he was going to be baptised, she said she didn't want to get up in front of the church. So Caleb in his bold, big brother fashion said, "Fine. That just means that later you'll have to do it all alone." That was enough convincing. When they were interviewed by our children's pastor, Caleb raised his hand and asked "Could I go first for Anna Blair's sake?" I thought it was very sweet of him. There was only one other lady who was being baptized this a.m. You can barely see the top of their heads in the photos.

Beginning on Friday Tim and I decided to work round the clock to finish our back porch that we have intended to work on for months now. I have been working on sewing sunbrella panels and cushions. I ordered the pillow inserts and they arrived on Friday so after supper we began hanging all of the hardware. It was freezing cold out there! The pillow forms came in 4 huge boxes and believe it or not, those boxes were pure entertainment to our 5 kids for 3 solid hours. We didn't hear a peep out of them. I gave them scissors, Sharpie pens and packaging tape and they were in hog heaven. Tim told them, "I know what you're getting for Christmas....BOXES!" So why do we buy toys again? So in the end there are 3 taxis and 1 house complete with a mailbox that has a working flag. The taxis have well-constructed locks on the doors too. And where does Josiah fit into all this creativity. He was like King Tut - waiting in the taxi line for his ride around the house. He is still learning what it means to take turns though. And the good part for Tim and me is that our porch is complete!! YEAH! We have a big mushroom shaped heater out there and when the curtains are closed, it is so nice and toasty. We might even do some homeschooling out there.

Robot by Caleb

Here's the robot that Caleb created last week. Nonie (my mom) suggested we take a picture before he was completed so you could actually see what things he was made out of. I thought it was pretty creative of him. Notice how the matchbox on his chest is hiding an army man.

21 AGAIN

Leah, Anna Blair and Ruth showing their new skirts.
Myself, Susan and Melissa - Bryan College suitmates
This is the view I have when I wash dishes. For some reason, it takes me a while to wash my dishes. Isn't it spectacular? The dots on the levy are my kids fishing. Country living is the life for me!

This has been a busy week for our family. I try not to do many social things without the kids mainly because my priority at this stage of my life is to Tim and my 5 sweet kiddos. This is also because daily life goes topsy-turvy when Mommy is out socializing. I don't feel deprived by any means and often I prefer to stay put. But this was a week of socializing and although there were crazy moments in our home due to it, I enjoyed the time with the girls that I received.

Monday night I had supper with 5 other girls from our Community Group at a Carribean restaurant and we had a great time. Grandma fed the family and Tim had all 5 kids sound asleep when I returned. AHHH!! Thursday I left 5 kids with Grandaddy and Tim so I could go to Nashville to meet up with 2 girlfriends from college. It had been about a year since I'd seen them both and I valued our lunch together. It's hard to find close friends whom you just pick up with where you left off no matter how long your time apart had been. These friendships I cherish!

Friday was Tim's birthday. Tim would rather me ignore his birthdays and pretend they never came, but when you have kids that don't understand why Daddy didn't get toys and balloons for his birthday, it's hard to overlook a simple cake and a few gifts. We did gifts and homemade cards at breakfast and had Grandaddy join us for supper. I prepared brisket, twice baked potatoes, corn on the cob and strawberry salad with the famous Payne's Oreo Cookie Ice Cream cake. Tim told the kids he was 21 years old. Funny how that number keeps coming around every Nov. 14th. He really is too young to have almost 6 kids.

Saturday Tim took Caleb and Anna Blair to a meeting for children at church to discuss what it means to get baptized. I think the date for Caleb and Anna Blair's baptism will be the 23rd of this month. While he was gone, I whipped up 3 peasant skirts for the girls to match. They love to match outfits and I try to have 2-3 matching ones for them every year. AB was invited to a birthday party at Build A Bear that late afternoon. After all of us dropped her off at the mall, I quickly remembered why it is I hate malls and shopping on the weekends. Looking around at the teen hang-out groups, it also made me remember why I will NOT let our kids hang out at the mall on the weekends. YIKES! When you homeschool, getting invited to kid birthday parties are few and far between so they are a HUGE deal to my kids. AB had a super time and came home with a koala bear dressed in a karate outfit. The father of the birthday girl told us this a.m. over and over how she was the most polite little girl he'd ever met. YEAH! - Way to go, AB!! Maybe she'll get invited again next year. HA!

Caleb spent much of the weekend working on a new project which I will post another day this week. It's quite impressive and doesn't involve humungous acorns this time. And after 9 years of having babies in our home, I broke down and bought our first baby gate. Much to my pediatricians disappointment, I have never invested in baby safe equipment. I guess it is because my philosophy is to train them to obey and keep their fingers out of plugs, away from chemical cabinets (which in our house are non-toxic anyway) and learn on their own how to go up and down the stairs. This baby gate was for our 12 year old son, Amos. After paying to have all the carpets cleaned (mostly from his accidents), we are determined to enjoy their natural color for as long as possible. Sorry Aim, when Mommy leaves from now on, you'll have to stay on the hard wood to relax. I'm sure I'll start finding black dog hair on my bed and couch mysteriously now!

Firstborn Black Son

Well not only is this day Veteran's Day and the birthday of my good friend from high school (Happy Birthday, Whitney!), it is the birthday of our firstborn, black son, Amos. Amos turns 12 today.

I well remember 12 years ago when we took the advice of many friends and discussed getting a puppy before having children - to prepare us for parenting. After much discussion, we decided on a chocolate, female lab. There was clearly a misunderstanding when we met the dog owner of the litter of lab puppies in a gas station parking lot in Millington, TN. She pulled out 5 adorable, 6 week old black lab puppies....all males. I looked at Tim as she mentioned, "Oh no, they are all boys." and gave him my most pitiful look as if to say, "You can't tell me we can't get one because it's not the right gender and color." He read that look quickly and we picked out the calmest one with the smallest paws. We named him Amos, after the prophet in the Old Testament - the beginning of a trend of Bible names in our house.

Amos did prepare us somewhat for parenting. We spent tons of film on him. We spent hours training him. He became my jogging partner. And our patience was tested over and over again with him. He suffered from severe separation anxiety daily and our indoor plants and throw pillows took a beating because of his "disease"....not to mention our carpet! But our love only grew.

I will admit I was the one who emphatically said, "I do NOT want a dog who sits on our furniture and covers us all with hair." But when we tried to sleep and heard that sweet, tiny whimpering from his kennel, how could I resist not putting him in our bed with us to comfort him? Five years later we decided we had had enough of our 70 lb. lab sleeping in our DOUBLE sized (not queen or king) bed with us.

He was very well trained. We didn't have a fence and taught him to stay in our yard. He rang a bell on the doorknob when he needed to go outside. He loved entertaining our company with his many tricks. I will say, he's not as well-trained as he was back then. I've let up as my priorities have shifted. Sometimes I think he's going deaf, other times I think he's ignoring us.

He's a good dog though.

We took Amos to Singapore with us - half way across the world on an airplane. He spent his first month in a concrete jail cell that they called quarantine as Singapore prides itself on being a rabies free country. It was in his cell that he grew a gray beard that has only become more gray with years. Although there were days we regretted bringing him to a huge city to live in a highrise apartment with no grass to roam in, he became such a super companion to our children and babies that we knew we had made a good decision.

As a 12 year old (which is 84 years in people years, I think) he is still very spunky. The vet says that keeping him with lots of siblings and living in the country has contributed to his fountain of youth. He will still play fetch until he physically is about to pass out. He is in super health although an occasional bout with continence issues (hence our carpets were shampooed today). He is faithful, loving, very tolerable of the kids, playful and a super dog to have around. Sad will be the day when he passes on to glory.

I hope Amos enjoys his birthday today. He got a pancake for breakfast from the kids (and we reaped the consequences of that gift through our nasal passages later) and has been sung to many times today. We know why dogs are called Man's Best Friend around our house. Happy 12th Amos!

Wigs, Ink, Clearance and Reproduction Overload

the "bruise"
What dolls!

Grandaddy - what big hair you have!

Hulk and a very short karate kid

Just when you thought that I had begun to write a nice family blog about none other than our family, I continue to post about chickens. Like who really cares about chickens? Especially most of you city folks? Well I never intended for this to be a chicken blog. Up until when I started blogging, our chickens were pretty low key and I had nothing to share about them. But when all of our lost hens show up with baby chicks, well I'm sorry, but that's just something to write about around here. So first we had the 7 on the front porch 3 weeks ago. Then last Friday we had 1 which by the way, died this past Monday. I made the mistake of combining the one teeny baby with the 7 others who were 2 weeks old. As the pecking order goes, she wasn't well received. Then on Wed. we had another 10 hatch. This mama we actually had found sitting way up under our chicken coop - so this was not a total surprise. After much internet research, we decided to lock up babies AND mama for a while. There's so much controversy among chicken folks as to whether you should separate the mama from her children. You'd be surprised at the fiestiness I found on the chicken blogs concerning this issue. I feel torn. So yesterday we set up 2 huge boxes in the basement. One with 7 chicks who are 3 weeks old and their heating lamp. The other with one mama hen and 10 teeny weeny baby chicks and mama to keep them warm. So far, so good. I wonder though when mama will get cabin fever and try to escape the box. They are so so sweet though.

So on Tuesday as I am homeschooling Caleb and Anna Blair and the 3 younger ones are entertaining themselves in our school room, I spy Josiah picking up a black ink pad and in one fast instant, he takes the lid off, holds it to his ear and says his telephone greeting of "EH?". "NOOOOOO!" I scream as I rush across the room, anticipating his action but being too far and not too fast. Yep, you got it. A huge black cheek and ear. Well the box said "washable" but don't believe it for one second. Tim said, "Can't you put nail polish remover or something on it??" OUCH! I tried a wet wipe, then I tried rubbing alcohal. What happens when black ink begins to fade? It becomes PURPLE!!! Great - now I will have the Dept. of Human Services knocking down my door for that "bruise." Thankfully Grandma then tried make-up remover which seemed to do the trick the next day. A phone? Why would an ink pad have been a phone? It doesn't even have buttons?? Who knows!

So the girls got our attention soon after the ink episode with finding my Mimi's old wigs in our dress up box. It was too funny not to photograph. The wigs were a hit for the day and that evening when Grandma and Grandaddy came down to watch the election results for a while with us, the girls couldn't resist seeing what Grandaddy would look like with brown curly hair. Campbell cousins - we hope you enjoy this picture!!

We let the kids stay up late for election results - not too late but later than usual. I got the 4 kids a blank map of the US with one red and one blue colored pencil. So they had lots of fun filling in the states as they were posted on Fox News. It was hard for the older kids to understand why there was so much red on their paper but yet blue won. What a great opportunity for a lesson in the electoral voting system, huh?

Wednesday I found Halloween costumes for 75% off and couldn't pass them up. Tim asked "What part of the budget did that come out of?" I guess he'll figure it out when I open up pork and beans for supper at the end of the month. Tee - hee. So Caleb got Hulk and the girls got an angel, fairy and purple polka dot witch. So far, I've gotten my money's worth and it's not even Halloween again.

Sleeping With the Enemy

the Dallas cowgirls

The Dallas cowboys

Many of you know that Tim is a die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan. It all began when he was little and they were coined "America's Team." That of course was back when they were winning quite a bit. But Tim is not a fair weather fan. He is a loyal man that will stick with the Cowboys through thick and thin and he's been a devoted fan all of these years, even while living in Singapore.

My passion of football is not quite the same. As a high schooler, football games to me were social hours of standing at the goal posts and flirting and hanging out with friends. As I left the game, I tried to ask someone "Who won?". Then in college it consisted of attending several UT games each year. I enjoyed watching Smokey, the cheerleaders, the fans and occasionally the score board. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know when to scream and when not to scream at a Vols game. My dad did teach me the basics of "you have so many chances to take the football from side A to side B before the other team gets their turn." This was the extent of my football passion.

Upon marrying Tim 13 years ago, this was a passion I tried to share with him. I really did try to understand the importance of NFL Sundays and Monday Night Football. I enjoyed scrapbooking in front of the Dallas games to show Tim my support. I learned quickly not to talk during the game and ask questions. I also learned quickly that when Dallas plays on Sundays at noon, it was very bad for me to chit chat with my friends after the church service.

Times have changed me now. I can talk NFL with the best of them. I know not only the names and some numbers of the Dallas starting line-up, but I know quite a bit about the other NFL teams too - records, players, coaches, strengths, weaknesses, etc. I watch the NFL network with my man and can actually carry on decent, knowledgeable discussions with him pertaining to the season. I impress even myself! Our children too have learned when to wear their Dallas t-shirts to show support of the day's game. Tim believes when we all sport our shirts, it increases the liklihood of a Dallas win.

Well this season isn't going too well. They say that Dallas has the most talented team, yet with coaching issues and many injuries, the boys haven't done well this year. Yesterday was an awfully bad loss to the New York Giants.

Last night as I lie in bed sleeping peacefully, at 2 a.m. I felt a sudden grab and push at my enlarged belly. My instant reflex was to grab my attacker to stop his force and scream "TIM!". Tim immediately woke up and apologized over and over for grabbing me forcefully. I told him that he definately woke up Six who instantly kicked where he was pushed and started fighting back for the next 15-20 minutes. Tim rolled over and apologized more. I then said, "So, did you get him?" thinking to myself that he had dreamed about an intruder in our home, possibly a lion or bear attacking him, or even a fight with a snake. He answered, "I'm too embarrassed to say." I said, "Oh, please, you must tell." He then said in a shy voice, "It was a Washington Redskin." Both of us got so tickled that for the next 15 min. we just kept laughing and laughing. Ok, now his passion has stepped over the lines of healthy obsession. I asked him finally, "Well, did you tackle him?" He said, "I'll never know. You stopped me."

Fun Photos

These are not only our neighbors in Leiper's Fork but friends from Memphis, Buddy and Jennifer, in their costumes. I just had to add this because it makes me laugh so much to look at it. Caleb doing his karate dojo

Anna Blair's purrrrrfectly adorable!

Leah is cheetah girl number 2

Just plain old cute kitty Ruth

Now this face is unheard of from Josiah - he was a bit out of sorts on Tuesday for some reason. Some will be shocked to see tears on his sweet face!