http://www.pleonast.com/user/mamahastings recent pleonast.com entries by user mamahastings en-us http://www.pleonast.com/user/mamahastings?l=5&entryID=600061 With a 5 year old and soon to be 3 year old, I am very excited about the holidays this year. I, however, have so much I want to do, to celebrate, I have no idea how to fit it all in. Next week we are having 3 gatherings. I am so excited, but there is much work to do. Tonight we brought home 6 more young, BIG, healthy Boer goats. Two, however, will not be around after Wednesday. The goat business is definitely rolling and I can't wait till next Spring, to see our own "kids" born, instead of buying them all from someone else. My husband is amazing, patient, strong, caring, determined, dedicated, loving and somehow seems to get the work of 5 men done on a daily basis. I ADORE him. (I know that was random, but sometimes I just need to yell that kind of thing out.) I can not control myself with that chex "muddy buddy" stuff. I made some last week, when I was in the holiday spirit, and nearly finished the bag by myself (in a very short time.) I am also addicted ... 2008-11-17 http://www.pleonast.com/user/mamahastings?l=5&entryID=594047 I love this month... The Lord has blessed me to celebrate the following this month: - The birth of 2 of my 3 favorite people - My spiritual 21st birthday - The best holiday ever - Cranberries Thank you God! _________________________________________________ I forgot to mention how much I love "falling back!" My body immediately adjusts and I love it. Shooting pumpkins with my Honey was very fun today. Riding the tractor and getting a jump on Christmas lights (while the temperature was 70) was also good. 2008-11-01 http://www.pleonast.com/user/mamahastings?l=5&entryID=586159 We purchased our wood stove last week and one of the best things about it was that we were blessed with two very large boxes as a result. The farmers up the road also dropped off two very adorable barn kittens last week. They were quite wild when they got here, but the girls have done a great job taming them. Well, today I needed to do some "real" cleaning and I took the girls out in the backyard with the boxes and lots of paints and brushes. Ben cut doors and windows out for them. To say that "they enjoyed it" would be an understatement and I enjoyed giving the floors a good scrubbing. A few hours later they came in, covered with paint and headed for a bath. On the way Willow said, in a very matter of fact tone, as if she had just completed an important task, "We painted the kittens." I said, "Oh you did?" She replied "yup." Just as if I had asked if she had fed them. I looked on the back porch and found a very small, dumb... 2008-10-11 http://www.pleonast.com/user/mamahastings?l=5&entryID=582163 GO SEE IT! 2008-10-01 http://www.pleonast.com/user/mamahastings?l=5&entryID=581870 2008-09-30 http://www.pleonast.com/user/mamahastings?l=5&entryID=571542 Tomorrow we are going to go check out one of these. I can't wait. If all works out, I hope to name her "Muppet." 2008-09-05 http://www.pleonast.com/user/mamahastings?l=5&entryID=571301 I have tried to stay away from politics on my blog, but I was really struck by a moment at last nights convention. Did anyone see the moment when the youngest daughter, who was holding the baby in her arms, licked the entire length of her hand and then rubbed it across the babies head to smooth out his hair?!? I about fell off the couch, laughing. Part of me was completely freaked out because of the population of germs that must be on her palms from just walking through the convention hall. I then giggled at the thought of what Mrs. Palin would think when she saw the moment replayed. (I think all of us mothers have had one of those moments, but at a much smaller scale.) However, what overwhelmed me most in that moment was the obvious deep love this little girl had for her baby brother. You could see pure adoration in her little eyes as she looked into his. She wanted to make sure he was taken care of and that everything was "just right." I am sure the older children ha... 2008-09-04 http://www.pleonast.com/user/mamahastings?l=5&entryID=568883 The garden has taught me much this year: -Growing tomatoes to make sauce is really not worth the effort (especially when you can buy them for under $1 a can.) -Plant corn in June if you want it to all come up. -Plant pumpkins late, unless you want them in the middle of summer. -Green beans can be beautiful one day and completely eaten by bugs the next. -God continues to amaze me as I witness His power and wisdom in the cycles of life. All in all, the garden was a great experience. I honestly am glad it is over for now. However, I am sure by spring, I will be scouring the seed magazines for ideas for the next one. I love the sound of the bugs in the country. They seem to aggravate Rosemary, but I find it a happy sound. It sounds like we have our own very large cricket inside. Willow picked up her first violin yesterday and the house is already filled with it's squeaking. She has begged for lessons for the past two years and we finally gave in, to what we hope is ... 2008-08-29 http://www.pleonast.com/user/mamahastings?l=5&entryID=557387 I try not to daily post, but this day can not go by without mention. I can not express how much fun I had with my girls. The funny thing is, it all happened in little West Alexandria, Ohio. We headed out to Heaven's Corner Zoo for our homeschool field trip. I had invited some friends of ours who are not in the group, so all of my kids "local friends" were there. The place blew me away. They are a rescue zoo and do zero advertising. It was quiet and clean, and not "commercial" or flashy. The first thing we saw when we approached was a 12 week old tiger cub, hanging out by the entrance house. On the porch was a young wallaby. Before I knew it, my children ended up petting and playing with both. The place was entirely covered with shade trees and we saw so many of God's amazing creatures. We were no further than four feet from anything including: wolves, wolf cubs, foxes, porcupines, snakes, turtles, crocodiles, monkeys, Russian boars, donkeys, parrots, lynx, ... 2008-08-01 http://www.pleonast.com/user/mamahastings?l=5&entryID=556962 The yellow is almost finished. I am happy and am not tempted to "re-paint," like I usually am after a project. However, without a doubt, the kitchen is the WORST room in the house to paint. Pickle making was fun. I don't think I have ever owned so many pickles at one time. Oh well, if the Lord ever sends another baby, I will be in good shape. Off to another field trip tomorrow. Have I mentioned what a blessing homeschooling is already? There are so many wonderful things I did not expect, such as opportunities with so many people, looking to live for God. Book recomendation: Family Driven Faith by Vodie Baucham Jr. GREAT STUFF! What are you reading? 2008-07-31