Life in Pictures

A year and a half later our chickens are finally moved out of their temporary coop and living large like proper farm animals.  Columbus was the foreman on the new chicken coop project and had a complete workforce of younger brothers and sisters as his support team.  I'm in awe, and love, with the end result.....it was truly a team effort.

My Mother's Day present was a vintage egg sign to compliment my bee sign from a special friend.

It's hard to tell who loves the new nesting boxes more - the chickens or the little people who excitedly go looking for eggs several times a day.  I'd think that would get tired of finding eggs, but they don't. 

JoJo with his chicken.  The shelf under the perch is to provide a poop free zone for the ducks to sleep at night.

My Mother's Day breakfast, compliments of Columbus.

Starting the garden addition.

Just a couple of garden shots.  We've planted this whole area and we still have more to plant.

Mother's Day dinner....because all I really wanted was some good red meat.  A nice piece of steak is never complete without some sauteed mushrooms, shrimp, loaded mashed potatoes and a green veggie.  And yeah.....I went back for seconds :)

I bought a Doppler so that I could check on Mud Pie's heartbeat...oh, in case you missed it a Dear Reader, herdog, called new baby Mud Pie and I just kind of fell in love with it, so instead of little bean, or some other cutesy and overused baby name....Mud Pie it is.  So, I can't check on Mud Pie without a slew of little sized people joining me and wanting to check on their own heartbeats, so now it's a (lengthy) family affair of making sure we all are alive and well with beating hearts.

My Man got the fittings for the 500 gallon rain water barrel.  Right now we just have gravity fed on a garden hose for the garden, animals and kiddie pool, but the plan is to have another 12 volt pump and some filtration so that we can also use the water for laundry and showers.  Exciting stuff :)

Lawnmower rides.  It may not mow grass anymore, but it is still usable for hauling with the garden trailer and fun times with a big brother.

 

Sugar King couldn't resist marking a tub of new margarine with his name.....which I found funny in a silly way.

In light of the feuding neighbors and the constant septic check threat we decided to get the grey water drain finished.  It's still not legal, I'm sure, but it is better than it was before.

All buried.  We mulling around the idea of making a wetlands at the end of the drain.

Ebay inventory.  Now that it is spring it is yard sale season and My Man has been hauling home vintage radio tubes by the box load.  Here his little charges are helping him cull the profitable tubes from the trash.

The end result of one man and ten kids fishing all.day.long.  So, it wasn't enough for dinner - we fried it up and everyone got a bite.  A huge fresh fish haul would have been nice, but just a day all alone was pretty good too.  Hopefully next time they will have better luck.

The yard looks more and more like a lumber yard. 

The first red strawberry from our berry patch.  This berry has been loving checked on, and rechecked on, daily for the last week while little people watch in amazement and eagerly await a taste.

I couldn't resist.  Normally I walk right through the front of Walmart without giving their front displays a second glance, but these....these beautiful red Superman capes, I saw them and I could so clearly see two feral five year olds beaming from ear to ear....I just couldn't resist.

What happens when you're a little one and not strong enough to fight your way out of the clutches of an older brother.

My little bee keeper in the making.

I know not all of you follow Mystic Mud on Facebook - here is some of what you missed:

I really loved this picture of my bees.  You can see the larva in the comb....so amazing

We've put the goats to work and have them helping with grass and brush management.

These two just make me laugh - the beautiful snack I prepared.....

and then the aftermath......

Doing Better

In hindsight my last post seems a little unfair, like I caused concern when I merely meant to excuse myself from blogging duties for a bit.  I underestimated the love and support of our dear readers, and I apologize.  It wasn't my intent to cause alarm.  Monday was a long day, after a long week, for several reasons, and I was very aware that it had been a week since I last posted and so I felt like I should say something when maybe nothing would have been better.

At any rate, life has settled a bit. 

We are in the beginning process of exploring an issue with one of the kids.  We knew that there were issues there, but last week they unexpectedly presented themselves in a new light and it was....well, unexpected.  Really, that is all there is to say about it right now.  I really don't have any new answers and right now we are just waiting for test results and our next appointment (which isn't for over a month), and rather than publicly speculate I am going to silently wait for (hopefully) more concrete answers.  There is no reason to worry - everything will be fine and no one is dying or anything like that. 

In the middle of all of that the crazy fighting neighbors (who Sugar King re-named the Catfields and McHiltons....I thought that was rather cleaver!!) are at it again.  They just can't leave each other alone, or rather one of them can't leave the other alone, but along with their latest drama came a renewed threat of a septic inspection.  It was just bad timing, and frankly, we are getting pretty sick and tired of the threat.  I'm half ready to call the septic inspector myself and invite him over just to get it out of the way and remove the threat.  I wouldn't, but it is an interesting idea. 

Hopefully this post will put your lovely minds and hearts to rest, and I do apologize, again.  I've thought of all of the loving and supportive comments left for us many times during the last few days and they've lifted my spirits and reminded me of the wonderful group of people who follow our story.  Your love and support is priceless, and honestly, I had no idea there was so much of it.  I am sincerely touched.   Peace and love to all of you.

When There Are No Words

Its been a week since I last blogged, and with reason.  Things have happened and right now my heart is heavy, my thoughts burdened, and I can find no public words for these private things, nor can I find a way to pretend that they are not there and write as if all is well.   My first priorities in life are always as a wife and mother and right now that is where my focus is.  I am okay, the baby is okay, My Man is okay and generally speaking the kids are okay.  I'll be back when I can.

Adding to the Clan....Lucky #11

I'm not one to beat around the bush.  I've got ten kids and too little time for that sort of thing.  If something needs to be said - I generally say it in as few words as possible, and when it comes to our announcements - they've become rather short and sweet, because, well....generally there are mixed responses and so now I just kind of always hold my breath when I say the words..........

I'm Pregnant!

 

 

 

If you could see me right now - you would see that I am smiling big and you might even say that I was glowing, because yeah, despite every reason not to have another baby - we are, and we're good with that, more than good actually - we're ecstatically excited.

 

The details - I'm eleven weeks along (I waited until I was 11 weeks pregnant with #11 to tell you....get it!?...lol!!)  I've been to the doctor and I've had an ultra sound....we even got to see our new little beans heart beating :) 

 

I feel good.  I haven't had much morning sickness (which is normal for me) but I am often exhausted by the end of the day.  A lot of nights I put the kids to bed and then go to bed myself.  I'm still a little bit shocked that it happened.  I had given up on thinking that we would have anymore, so this baby comes as a most welcome surprise. 

 

I don't care if it's a boy or a girl.....I'm rooting for healthy, but Rose will be devastated if it's not a little girl.  She really, really wanted a sister last time and when we found it was a boy she cried, like real tears, so I hope for her sake that we are having a girl this time...and I'd be lying if I didn't admit that it's been six years since I shopped for baby girl pink and that sounds kind of nice :)

 

Final thoughts - Love doesn't divide, it multiplies

 

 



Lunch With My Girl

I woke up with a horrible pinch in my back yesterday.  It caused the kind of pain that just doesn't go away no matter what position you are in.  My Man asked me if my chiropractor was open on Saturday and when I said no he took it upon himself to call and find a massage place that was open.  He made me an appointment and sent me on my way.  The Rose came with me and because it was just she and I  - she declared it a girls day.

She waited patiently while I got my massage and when we got back in the car she excitedly asked what now?  I said I didn't know, that I thought that she had a plan for girls day!?  No, she didn't - she would have to think about it, and so we headed to the Dollar Store for some dog collars.  We wandered up and down the isles and picked up a couple of other things that we needed and before we headed to the checkout stand I asked if she had seen anything that she wanted?  Not really, she said, it's all pretty junky.  Yeah, I replied, I know. 

Back in the car I asked if she had thought of anything to do for girls day?  No, she hadn't.  We need some man-litter I said, we could go get that?  Okay, she replied and it was at that point that it became pretty apparent that we both really sucked at doing this girls day thing.  I started driving, but I kept driving right past where we get our man-litter.  I was getting a little hungry and figured maybe something to eat would be nice.  I wasn't exactly sure where to go, but fast food didn't seem right for girls day.  A nice cup of hot tea on our rainy girls day Saturday sounded nice.  Up ahead I saw a Cracker Barrel and that seemed decent enough.  I thought that The Rose would get a kick out of being served. 

We went in and were seated and right away our waitress wanted to know what we wanted to drink, but she didn't know that it's been years since we'd been in a Cracker Barrel and so we would need another minute for even that part of our order.  I asked Rose what she wanted to drink and she just sat and blankly looked at me, so I started reading her the choices.....hot tea, iced tea, lemonade, Coke, chocolate mil......she cut me off and excitedly said chocolate milk, we never get chocolate milk! 

We placed our drink order and then turned to the menu for our food choices.  When I asked her what she wanted she pointed to a big stack of steaming hot pancakes.  I asked you want pancakes? and she shook her head yes and then slid her finger down the rest of the menu and stopped at the bottom of the page at a big bowl of ice cream and said and that too.

I repeated it all back to her - you're going to have chocolate milk, pancakes and ice cream?  Yes, she said, it sounds like it would all go together good.  I didn't argue with her - it was girls day, after all.  I followed her lead and ordered what sounded good to me too - without regard for nutrition.  When I placed our order I resisted my urge to explain to the waitress that we don't normally eat like this, but that it was girls day and a special exception. 

Our food came and The Rose happily dove into her pancakes.  She made quick work of them while nibbling on bacon between bites and washing it all down with sips of chocolate milk.  I alternated between watching her enjoy her food and watching the other people in the restaurant.  There was a young couple straight ahead who avoided looking at each other, with her nervously bouncing her foot, and were in and out faster than anyone else there.  And then there was the older couple to our right.  She typed away on her phone while he picked wax out of his ears until he got bored with that and pulled out his phone.  Occasionally they would glance at the top of the head of the other before they diverted their full attention back to the little screens in the palms of their hands.  I found it most curious that they took the time to lower their heads and thank God for their food before they ate but that they had neglected to even acknowledge each other or their time together right there in that moment and on that day.  I understood why they thanked God, but I didn't understand why they weren't openly thankful for each other and the time that they had together.  I wondered how they had been sucked into this life of electronics where screens take precedence over real people sitting before us.  I wondered if maybe they had been married long enough that there just wasn't anything more to say - it had all already been said, or if maybe they were just in a slow and peaceful place and to them reading those little screens and ignoring each other wasn't much different than them sitting at home at their own dining room table and reading the newspaper while they silently sat together.  I wondered if I was too quick and harsh in my judgement?  I wondered if God would have rathered that they took the time to look each other in the eye and talk with each other than to have thanked him?

She cleaned her plate and sat smiling and then pried the lid off of her chocolate milk so that she could slurp down the last few drops that the straw couldn't reach.  I ordered her ice cream and she made of pile of her trash while she waited.  A single piece of bacon still sat on her plate and I imagined that we would take it with us, but when her ice cream came she ate double fisted and alternated between it and the bacon.  She left nothing unfinished, unless maybe you count the fact that she didn't actually lick the ice cream bowl clean.  Upon her last bite she bounced up, satisfied and ready to go. 

 

Full and eager to go back to the mountaintop and boast of the wonderfulness of Cracker Barrel, she was more than willing to stop for gas and then get back on the freeway.  We played her favorite song over and over until she said that she couldn't sing anymore and then we rode the rest of the way home in silence.  She thanked me as we pulled into the driveway.....I guess we figured out that good food and a long visit at Cracker Barrel is the way to go for girls day.