Busy Days!

 Okay, I'm playing around with the new format for the blog here, and I have to say that the new features for arranging pictures is fun!  It just goes to show how long it has been since I've really been on here much.

We are still packing up, little by little.  Dale and I are going away for a couple of days for our anniversary this weekend, then after that, some very earnest packing is going to be happening.

Meanwhile I've been poking, prodding, pushing, shoving, and nagging the kids to finish up with their school work for this term.  When someone asks if we are "done" for the year, I never really know what to say.  The short answer is "Yes... and No."  We have filled the required 180 days, but a couple of kids still have some work to do, so according to the state of NY, Yes we are done.  According to this mean Mama, no we aren't, but very, very close.  There are a few loose ends to tie up for sundry children, but we are almost "done", whatever that is.

Over the summer all the children will be studying one thing of interest, just to keep their brains alert.  Elizabeth is working through an Algebra book.  Yes, her choice.  She WANTS to be working in it over the summer.  Oh, and she wants to start chemistry.  This girl must have been dropped when she was a baby.

 Esther is still finishing up a couple of subjects.  She will be doing some math over the summer.  It isn't her favorite subject, but she has recognized that doing a little over the summer to keep it fresh in her mind helps in the upcoming term.  She will also be enjoying baking and knitting, and she has a quilt she started a while back that she wants to work on.

Jerusha and Caleb both have workbooks for their grades to use.  They are made for "in between" such and such grades.  I got them to review what they learned this year.

The other kids haven't really decided what they want to persue.  Benjamin is into mechanics, and Josiah likes art, so we'll see.  Caleb loves to build things, whether it be with Legos, or blocks, or constructing something from the stuff in our recycle bin.  His imagination is wonderful!  Of course, no matter where we are living this summer, we plan on continuing in our music as well.

During the last couple of weeks we had the May Birthday bash on the 26th.  We had quite a group here, and it was a hot day, so we enjoyed splashing and swimming in the creek, then in the evening we had a campfire and toasted marshmellows and ate leftovers from the BBQ earlier that afternoon.


Since the packing schedule hasn't been too bad, I've been trying to finish up the sewing projects mentioned somewhere on here before.  As you can see I finished our church dresses.  :)

My dress is supposed to have a lacy shrug to go with it, but it isn't done yet.  I just blocked the lacy section this morning, and hope to get the ribbing on while we are away.  That is some nice, simple knitting that I can do and relax, and doesn't take much brain work.

I've also completed a quilt that was in my "To Finish" pile before we move.  This is a special quilt for special friend.  The Lord really spoke to me while I was piecing it as to where it should go.  I'm glad to do it, of course!

As if things weren't exciting enough around here, yesterday was quite an "interesting" day here.  During breakfast Esther had commented that it was another boring Monday.  After breakfast I was sitting at the computer doing some home office work, and the kids were behind me doing some music practice.  Suddenly Isaac started crying.  I mean really crying.  I whirled around and he was holding his hand.

He had the antennae from a remote controlled car sticking out of his finger.  I took a look at it, and tried to very gently see if I could ease it out, but the more I so much as touched it the more he screamed.  Then one of  the kids told me the end was curved.  Oh great.

I had Benjamin call Dale, who came home from work.  I got the bleeding stopped, and wrapped his finger (after cutting the car off the anttennae).  We were all just piled into the van when he pulled in.  Off we went to the Urgent Care Center.  Thankfully Isaac must not have been in too much pain as he stopped crying and chattered on the way.

Normally this is the sort of thing I would just take care of myself, but the way this antennae went in was like a fish hook.  I had no idea of what angle it was in.  I didn't know if the wire was curved around a bone or tendon or nothing.  So, I figured and X-ray and tetanus shot wouldn't be out of order.

We were there a long time, but the kids did great.  To make a long story short, they took an X-ray, and were able to get the wire out without having to slice into his finger to dig it out.  No stitches, just wicked cool shiney bandaid.

This coming Sunday and the following the church here has candidates coming in so we will be at another church.  Dale still has some resumes out.  He just got a Q&A packet from one chruch in West Virginia, and another church asked him to send in his doctrinal statement, which is like the next step after the initial contact with the resume.  Things are slowly moving forward, but we are content in God's will and just trying to do whatever is next for us, which basically is preparing to move at this point.

That is the latest update from the Beehive.  I hope you are all well!