Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Surprise!

Hello, F.O.T.E.'s,
Well, I don't mean to cause anyone to have an infarction, but here's another update on The Flock.
Let's see...to catch you up...Hmmm....well, we have left The South and are getting settled back into The Big City in the Midwest. Oh, ok...it's Kansas City. There, I said it. It's not as if anyone is really expecting me to ever post again anyway, so I could probably list my Social Security number and bank account number here and be perfectly safe. But, I think our hometown is probably enough info. :-)
So, yeah. We're back in KC. We have an awesome church here ( www.hopefamilyfellowship.org ) and just felt like this is "Home." We are planning on buying a house next year, Lord willing. (!!) Home ownership is a somewhat scary concept to me, but I'm anxious to give it a whirl. After 20 years, I'd say it's about time to settle down. (LOL) (by the time we buy a house next year, The Ram and I will have been married 20 years! How time flies...)
We and the Lambies are all excited to be reconnecting with our dear friends here, although we do miss being closer to family. We really don't mind the drive, though, so we expect to visit often.
Lioness' garden actually made the move with us. She had planted veggies and herbs in containers, so it was pretty easy to move them. She had a pretty good year of learning about gardening, and we're expecting even better results next year.
Lovable will be turning 12 in a few weeks! I can hardly believe it. Wow. She is a great helper and does a good job with Lil Miss H, who can be a handful. This is Lovable's first year doing Bible Quiz. She memorizes pretty well and is diligent in studying.
Musical is also Quizzing this year, as a junior quizzer. So far she "LOVES" quizzing! She had such a good time at her first practice last week. I suspect there may be the tiniest bit of competitiveness in her. ;-) That girl has a limitless supply of energy and really keeps me on my toes!
Tater is the sweetest little guy. We were walking into Target yesterday and he grabbed my hand. He gazed up at me and said, "Mommy, I'm not holding your hand because we're in a parking lot, I'm just holding your hand because I love you so much!" He is all boy, too, and is delighted to have just purchased a huge glass "diamond" from Hobby Lobby to go into his "Spy Gear." (He likes to perch the diamond on a pillow and wait for the Bad Guy to try to steal it.)
Lil Miss H is 2 now...will be 3 in a couple months. We joke sometimes that she is like the "Little girl with the curl in the middle of her forehead." She's generally a fun, bubbly sweetie, but when she gets over-tired...Wow. She can shatter glass with her scream. We're staying in an apartment temporarily (until our rental home is ready for us) and I'm sure our neighbors will be glad to have some peace and quiet. lol
I have just had oral surgery to remove a cracked molar. I was very concerned about the anesthesia, as I had a bad reaction in the past. This time, though, it came off without a hitch, and my jaw, though still sore, is healing well.
The Ram, bless him, is again braving the KC traffic to get to work each day. I pray every morning that he will be safe. It really is a jungle out there! I think he's settling back in pretty well, though, and the girls and I will be able to pamper him from the kitchen again soon. (The apartment kitchen is pretty sparse.)
Well, I hear Lil Miss H washing her hands in the bathroom...This will never end until someone comes and informs her that she's washed them long enough, so I must go now. Keep an eye out--you never know when another post from The Ewe might show up!
Y'all keep your wool dry,
The Ewe

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Skoolie News

Hello, Friends of the Ewe,
Well, we've had a lot of rain here...and the occasional tornado warning. Those warnings send us into the "Tornado Closet," which used to be The Ram's and my clothes closet. Our clothes are still in there, but the room also houses bottled water, extra diapers, canned soup, etc. We tidy in there every time we have a warning.
Some of you may have read of our new venture: the r.b. (recreational bus). Indeed, the Man Trip to retrieve it ended May 3rd. It was supposed to end May 2nd, but, well...you know how that goes. On the 2nd, the Lambs and I drove up to IL to meet the conquering heroes, GrandRam, Ram and Tater Tot. The girls wanted to ride with The Men in Moby (r.b.) from IL down here to AL, as kind of a "get to know you" cruise, lol.
Anyway, we stopped to fuel near Ft. Campbell, KY--our old stomping grounds. When The Ram cranked up the bus after the refuel, it ran a few minutes, then sputtered out. Nothing the men did would coax that bus to start up again. We prayed. Fiddled around. Tinkered. Prayed. Called a few folks. Nothing.
So, The Ram suggested the only sensible option for 2 a.m. Go to sleep. Those of us who were still awake at that time prowled around and found spots to claim, then curled up like puppies for a few hours' shut eye. The truckstop's sign provided a night light for us. The Ram and GrandRam each made trips into the store to buy blankets, as the temp was pretty cool that night. Somehow, everyone else found things to cover up with.
Early the next morning, everyone began to rouse and stumble into the truckstop to go to the bathroom. Then, we got biscuits from the Wendy's there and had a nice breakfast. Oh, and the coffee was pretty yummy. We grown ups appreciated the warmth it brought after the chilly night.
The Ram asked a cashier for a recommendation for a mechanic. He called him and the mechanic arrived a bit later. After trying a couple different parts, they found the troublemaker. Soon, Moby was up and running again.
So, our first overnight in the r.b. was *not* planned, but fun anyway. In our experience, camping always brings the unexpected. This time, the camping *was* the unexpected, lol!
We had initally decided to take Moby waaaay down South for Memorial Day weekend, but changed our minds after The Ram drove it into town last week to try to get it licensed. It was 85 degrees outside, and who knows how hot inside. With my hyperthyroidism, that's just plain too hot. So, we'll get the air conditioning situation worked out, then replan the Maiden Voyage. We are planning to spend an overnight this weekend at a park nearby. (The Lambs were terribly disappointed to not take Moby on Memorial Day.)
We feel very blessed to have been given this opportunity to watch the Lord work as we travel in the bus. We're anticipating a lot of memories being made in the Big, Blue Bus.
Must run for now. I'll tell you about The Man Trip next time.
Y'all keep your wool dry,
The Ewe

Quote of the Day: "It's always fun until someone does it to Mom." --The Ewe

Saturday, April 18, 2009

School Bus

Hello, F.O.T.E.'s,
Hope this finds you well. The weather here in AL can't decide whether to be Spring or Winter. Today, it's Spring. And beautiful.
You know, when the weather turns warmer, a lot of folks begin to think about traveling. I guess our Flock is no different. Last week, I clicked over to one of my favorite blogs. I was surprised to find out that family was selling their school bus, which they had converted to an r.v.
Now, we had read their blog a couple years ago, and noted the progress on their bus. It caused us to keep our eyes peeled for any school bus *we* could buy and convert. We had planned on buying a 5th wheel a few years back, but just couldn't bear the thought of plunking down 10,000 hard earned dollars on something we would only get to use periodically. So, we held on to our money and decided the school bus idea would be better for us--cheaper (by far) and bigger, to hold our plus sized family. The only school-bus-turned-recreational vehicle problem was that I *knew* we did not have the time needed to complete such an enormous project. I feared that we would buy a bus and--months...years? later, still have a school bus sitting in the driveway, raising the ire of the neighbors.
Enter http://jeubfamily.com/bus/ . Behold! The very bus that began our "skoolie" (kitschy name for buses converted to r.v.'s) quest was for sale! At a bargain price. Ah, the perfect solution!
So...we bought it. The Ram and GrandRam and TaterTot will leave in a couple weeks to pick up the bus. They'll drive it home on (what we're referring to as) the Man Trip. Tater can hardly wait to be on the open road, in the skoolie, eating vienna sausages, Spam, squirt cheese and hard boiled eggs. LOL Probably need some root beer, too.
I can't help but feel that we have just embarked on another adventure. I'll keep you updated.
Must run...I've got about a dozen bags of Amish Friendship Bread starter that are demanding my attention. Y'all keep your wool dry,
The Ewe

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

A Sad Day

Hello, F.O.T.E.'s,
The Ewe is a bit down today. I learned late yesterday afternoon of the death of a dear lady, Jane B. I only knew her a short time, while in a writing class, but she really touched my life. She was battling cancer even then--a year ago--when I met her. She was such a good writer and I was amazed at the amount of research she had done. She and her husband were raising their grandson.
After we left The Big City and came here, Down South, I kept up with Jane via her blog. She had beautiful pictures of her garden posted there; her wisteria was gorgeous. Along with her lovely flowers, though, she posted snippets of her life with cancer. I will admit that I never believed she'd die soon. She seemed so full of ideas and plans for the future--not the least of which was caring for her grandson. I know she agonized at the idea of her boy growing up without her. I guess I thought that since she wanted to live so much, well, surely she would. As if we get to choose that.
Well, last week she went to be with Jesus. I am comforted at the fact that she is no longer in pain...no longer sick from chemo, no longer worried about the future. Still, I feel that we humans have lost a real gem.
I'm still reading through her blog today--so glad it hasn't been removed. I'm reading it with more fervor now, knowing I need to glean from it as much as I can.
I read a post of hers where she was talking about needing to get some family recipes written down, as they were pivotal to her family's Christmas celebration. I hope she got that done.
Reminds me to put a little fire under myself to do the same--not that I plan on going anywhere for a long time! But, time marches on.
If you're familiar with "FlyLady," you know that Wednesday is "Anti-Procrastination Day." I'm thinking maybe every day should be Anti-Procrastination Day. Who knows how many Wednesdays we have left?
Sigh...Ok...I hope I haven't bummed you out. I am feeling pretty bummed out today, but also so blessed to have met Jane.
I need to get busy.
Y'all keep your wool dry,
The Ewe

Monday, March 30, 2009

Surprise!

Hello, F.O.T.E.'s,
I bet you thought I'd never blog again, didn't you? Well, you just never can tell, can you? LOL
I want to tell you about a story my mother used to tell. It is true--or at least, based on a true story.
Evidently, one of Mama's brothers had been caught smoking cigarettes. I believe he was in about junior high, at the time. Papa (that is, my Grandfather) had told the offender that if he caught him smoking again, he would "set his rear end on fire." (Now, though I was certainly an exemplary child, I have, indeed, heard that phrase and know that it means that a spanking or switching is about to be handed out.)
As you can guess, Papa discovered his son out behind the barn one day--smoking a cigarette. Being true to his word, Papa administered a couple switches to the dungareed behind of my uncle, not knowing that Uncle had stashed his matches in that very pocket. Both men were astonished when Uncle's rear end started smoking! Evidently, the friction from the correction met up with a match head and, well...Papa really *did* set Uncle's rear end on fire!
From my understanding, the spanking ended there and the two set about extinguishing that back pocket.
I also understand that Uncle never did smoke again. In either way.
Well, The Ewe must run. I'm AWOL from the kitchen, with dinner time rapidly approaching. I'll surprise you again, sometime. :-)
Y'all keep your wool dry,
The Ewe