Saturday, March 2, 2013

Happy March

Three months have passed since I last wrote. We enjoyed Maria and Amari staying with us for a while when she and Zach were finishing the house-buying process. They have moved and are happy to have their own space. They live in Walton, which is a little over 2 hours from us. We miss seeing our sweet granddaughter and always look forward to her visits.

Amari is growing and changing so fast. She is 10 1/2 months old and has been walking for about two weeks. She is such a pleasant little thing and is constantly on the move. She keeps herself busy playing- we just have to contain her in our living room by blocking off the hallway and kitchen with baby gates. Clay installed one for me that has a swing gate, which works great for us when going in and out of the kitchen.

Hannah's basketball season has ended, so our evenings aren't as hectic as they have been all winter.

Our old chocolate Lab, Godiva, is getting pretty feeble. During the day, we keep her locked in the kitchen(vinyl flooring), because she occasionally has accidents. Clay lets her sleep in his bedroom at night. Sometimes she is so achy that he carries her down the stairs. Our family will miss her greatly when her final day comes.

My goal is to get my craft room back in order so that I can work on some projects soon. I'm in love with Pinterest and have plenty of ideas filed away!

Winter is my least favorite season, so I'm glad to see more daylight with each passing day. Spring is on its way!

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Happy New Year

When a friend suggested that I write a blog, I realized when I told her that I do have one, but I hadn't written in a while. I had no idea that a whole year had passed since I posted. 

It has been a very busy and eventful year. The birth of our first granddaughter (April 18th) was an exciting time in 2012. Amari is such a character and has brought us much laughter with her antics! Maria and Zach are very proud parents. 

Clay graduated from Berea College in May and worked for a neighbor installing flooring all summer. In late September, he began working for The Klausing Group in Lexington, a large landscaping company. He has enjoyed his job and is happy to have a year-round job with them. On days when the weather hinders the landscaping work, Clay works for Troy, the floor installer.  The second job sure helps to make a full week's paycheck for him.  Clay is living at home, with his bedroom and "man-cave" aka - former den.  

Hannah continues to do well at school - taking several AP classes which keep her challenged. Basketball season is in full swing and practices and games keep us all busy. 

John's hours at BCTC have been reduced significantly for the spring. He will only be teaching three classes. Maybe he'll learn to cook during his spare time. Those who know him well know I'm kidding. 

I have a great group of students this year. I have enjoyed my Christmas break, but am ready to get back into a regular routine. 

During the last half of 2012, I was faced with some health problems. During the summer I began having trouble with my right leg. After suffering for months, I finally gave in and began taking meds for gout. Thankfully, I got relief from the pain. Then before Thanksgiving, I received news that was quite upsetting - I have diabetes. Diabetes runs rampant in my family, so it wasn't a surprise, but upsetting still. I have tried to make better food choices and have already lost 18 lbs. I plan to continue to fight my battle with food. Wish me luck!


Friday, December 30, 2011

End of 2011

It is hard to believe that it is already the end of 2011! It was a busy year with Hannah's basketball games, school, the farm, and farmers' market activities.

We ended the year with John's knee replacement surgery. The healing process has been steady, but uncomfortable. John has been diligent with his physical therapy and will begin teaching again when his semester begins on January 9th.

We are thankful that Clay and Hannah have helped with the farm chores. On Monday, school starts for Hannah, and Clay has to put in a week of work at the college before his spring semester begins. That means back to farm chores for John. Hopefully, he will tread carefully when he heads to the barn.

Looking to 2012- we have a couple of exciting events happening.

Our first grandchild, a girl, is due on April 10th! Maria is very excited and is feeling better from the bouts of morning sickness she endured. This will be an exciting time for our whole family. We'll try our best not to spoil the tiny one!

The other big event will be Clay's graduation from Berea College in May. We are very proud of his diligence and hard work during the past four years. Clay is excited that the end of college life is near!

My thoughts have run out for now, so I'll close with wishes to everyone for a very happy, healthy new year!

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Loving this Saturday

Today has been a nice day. Beautiful weather, and I've gotten some chores done around the house. A little later, I'll be going to a baseball chili supper where they will have crafters selling items. I'm going to set up a table to sell some of my items. I have a variety of scrabble tile pendants made up, some holiday potpourri mix, Grinch powder, and magic reindeer food. Cross your fingers that I sell some stuff! I'll try to post some pictures a little later.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

A Nice Holiday Weekend

It has been an enjoyable weekend at home. On Thanksgiving evening, after cooking literally ALL DAY, 9 of us feasted on fried turkey, roasted ham, and ALL the trimmings. My favorites this year were the dressing and the pumpkin pie. I believe it was the best pumpkin pie I had ever made.
It was especially nice having all three of my kids at home together. Maria and Zac were here, Clay (Samantha went home to North Carolina), and of course, Hannah. We also had three of Clay`s Berea College friends who came to eat with us. They seemed to enjoy their visit with us. It was nice sharing our Thanksgiving meal with young people who weren`t able to go home for the holiday weekend.

It`s back to school for me tomorrow, but also a big day for our family. Maria has an ultrasound appointment and we might find out if she`ll be having a boy or a girl. I vote GIRL!

Thursday, November 24, 2011

I'm Thankful

Many people have been writing daily thankful thoughts. I knew i wouldn't be disciplined enough to keep up with that, so I'm writing my top 10 list.
I'm thankful ...
1) for my husband and my children.
2) for my mom and dad who raised me in a loving home.
3) for neighbors and friends who always are there when I need them.
4) For friends I've had for years and even though we don't see each other often, we're still friends!
5) for my church families- current and part. They are and have been my brothers and sisters when I haven't had my natural siblings close by.
6) for my school - students and colleagues who are like family to me.
7) for good health.
8) for my home (washer & dryer, dishwasher, electricity, food to eat, hot shower,& a warm bed).
9) for the many freedoms which we take for granted - (freedom to pray and worship; the ability to feel safe in my home and community)
10) for patience - in dealing with all of the above, I have to have patience. Sometimes I fail, but I do try.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to ALL!

Monday, November 14, 2011

Project in the Works

A couple of weeks ago, we successfully rendered our own lard. It was a pretty satisfying project. The lard turned out snowy-white. I haven`t yet used any of it in cooking, but it sure does look pretty in the jars. We stuck it in the freezer to prevent it from going bad.

The project we have in mind is to make and sell homemade soaps. We are looking for sources of soap molds, essential oils, and lye. It seems that lye is a hot commodity because it is used in the making of meth. How sad that people who want to "get back to the basics" hit roadblocks because of those who break the law.

In the next few days, we will be placing orders for our soap making supplies. I'll let you know if our venture is successful or not!

Blessings~
Dorthy