Stardate 8:25 am Wednesday

I am sitting in the den. The sun is up and out, the chickies are starting to ask for breakfast, I am sitting on the computer listening to Fox News and the rest of the house is starting to wake.
The news is startling to say the least these days, but under Obama, there have been a lot of shocking news days. I try to stay up to date but I can not let myself lose sleep over all this stuff.
Show season is ramping up which means the percentage of time I spend on costumes is growing. that is ok. I LOVE sewing season! I get a little stressed over the long days and hours, but the amount of creativity that flows is very good for the soul!
The snow is almost gone, Thank God. Mud is still prevalent, but it isn't as bad as a couple of weeks ago. If we hadn't had the ice storm we would have no mud at this point.
I can't wait to have the driveways done. I really have spring fever.
Things are clicking along with all the girls. Jeni is still car shopping, Rakieta is getting ready to graduate, otherwise everyone is status quo.

March, what a month!

The weather this month has been interesting to say the least. We had one day in the 60's and yet it is a low of 7* tonight. This is one March I will not miss.

Personally I am very tired of the slop, wet and cold. Thankfully we are on day 3 of a long sunny streak. I don't know how much more of the dreary cloudy days I could have taken.

This has been a very busy but rewarding weekend. Bridal shower, driving lessons, dinner out with family and lastly, the "Before Easter Easter".

There has been some demonstration trouble in Burkina but I think things are quieting once again. Olga has discovered how great facebook is for keeping in touch. It is great to have day to day contact with her finally. Now to just get Rakieta to get things figured out.
Olga is our Chevosh region Russian girl. We have had an extra twist in this story. Natasha, the girl we actually hosted who went on to be adopted has been reunited with us. It has been great to have a conversation with both girls together.
Having all these girls sure does keep life interesting.

Saturday!

I am sitting in my den where I like to do my morning stuff. It is quiet for the rest of the house and I get to see the sun moving around. Today I am looking at NO SNOW. And no soggy ground...for the most part. Spring has officially commenced and this year it is very welcome. We just finished quite a winter.
So I am about to call Rakieta, do chores, head out to run errands and then begin working like a fiend on costumes for the spring show.
The kitchen is full of chicks. I need to find a larger container since it is still to cool to move them even to an out building.
Continue to pray for Japan and their people and we all need prayers regarding the situation in the middle east.

The World in Crisis

It is amazing how much things can change in a week. Last week I was so full of peace. Life seemed good and carefree. Then in a period of days.........The earthquake in Japan, the impending nuclear meltdown, the escalation of trouble in the middle east.......then there are the problems at home: Jeni's car blew up, my mom made a visit to the hospital, one of our "adopted" girls was not on top of things fast enough and she may be paying dearly in a life changing way. There is just a lot going on.
Hopefully, we have seen the worst of this wave of catastrophe.
On the upside, the weather hit the 60's today. It is beautiful!

It has been a busy week. It doesn't help any that we had freezing rain/sleet all week. It makes all chores that much harder to get done. My baby chicks are doing very well. The chickens are now laying up a storm. I found a new drake for Mrs. Duck so all is pretty well in the barnyard.
I will be spending the day getting my textbooks in order once again.
I already tutor 3 days per week. It is time to make Rakieta work harder on academics once again and I have another girl who was once a host child of ours who was adopted by someone else whose educational experience in America has been less than successful. So what I thought was part of my past I am finding is very much part of my present. That is ok, because I really love teaching.
In other educational news, Michigan is beginning massive educational reform and I am very glad. I will be watching closely to make sure that the cure isn't worse than the problem. What the public schools are doing with Granholm's standards, at least in the rural schools is atrocious and will ruin a generation of kids if it is not cleaned up ASAP!
Family news is all good. we are just all really sick of winter, but other wise, both birth and adopted family is all doing very well.

Balance

Ol' man winter needs some of that, balance. We have been all over the map temperature wise, we are finally getting into the right temp range for March, BUT our nights are still very cold some days. Weird. We woke up to rain, and now it is snowing AGAIN. The rest of the week seems more tame. Thank the Holy Lord.

In spite of the wretched winter we are finishing, seeds are sitting in bags waiting to be planted, trees have been ordered, chicks too, and I will be ready to incubate my own in a few weeks. It feels good to be thinking spring.

The costumes and show preparations are coming along swell. I can't say enough how much I love that barn.

All of our girls, here, there and everywhere, are doing well. Being a parent of adult children takes some getting used to, but honestly, I am just as busy now as ever. And I am definitely not lonely. I always say: Girls never really leave you, they just keep bringing more people home. Very true.

So, lets see: farm on track-check
dance program on track-check
daughters all doing well-check
"stuff" getting reigned in-check

All this =balance. It feels good and I love it!

Rain , part 2

On top of our not all melted snow, we are now to get heavy rain today and tonight. I am grateful for a few things:
1. That we have concrete near the barn now. Otherwise it is just treacherous doing barn chores.
2. That we have no dance classes this weekend. The driveway needs a rest.
3. That rain always means above freezing. I can't take any more snow and cold.
That about covers it. Otherwise the weather sucks. Again.

Upside, I am beginning to work on spring activities and that ALWAYS cheers me up.
Today I am megacoupon shopping. That means lots of supplies like pasta and farmy stuff. I am also winning the battle with the "stuff" that was supposed to go to Burkina on the trip I just took. The "extra room" aka the den will be clutter free by Sunday. Yippee!

Can't Warm Up!

Today started out sunny and calm. Unfortunately, the sun gave way to clouds by lunchtime. The temps are mild-35*, but the humidity must be way up. We can't seem to stay warm. I am not looking forward to the weird weather we will be getting over the next 24 hours. Rain, sleet, more rain and then some snow. It should be a disgusting mess by Monday.
Well, I am off to tutor. I will finish this a little later.

Finally Cooperative Weather!

Well, the sun is shining, the temps are supposed to be in the high 30's and the majority of the snow is melted. Finally manageable outside working conditions. So I shall be a very busy girl today. I am looking forward to it. Over to the barn I go to work on costume and fabric issues. Have a great day all.

And it was a wonderful day! The barn was about 50* and working with the fabrics and costumes was very therapeutic. I love my barn and I missed my fabrics....a lot. I didn't think that was even possible but it was.