Monday, December 29, 2008

The Holidays

Belle playing with Ben and Nikko (Ben's cousin) in the snow.
Carrizozo snow the day after Christmas. About 20 miles outside of town the snow just disappeared. That was nice for our drive home!

Amber and Benjaman. It was so good to see you!




Here we are this Christmas.


Ben's snowman 12-16-08 with the neighbor boys.



Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Monday, December 8, 2008

Belle

Well, after Belle's stint in the county jail Bo put pieces of busted up concrete in the holes in the fence. He thought he had it all done, then we found one spot that needed more concrete. Belle snuck out before we could fill that hole. She got hit on the interstate and amazingly she survived! She's got a dislocated hip and an air pocket beneath her lungs and heart. She also has a few scrapes and lacerations that received a few staples. We just can't beleive she survived! She spent the night on the side of the interstate before we found her. The vet put her hip back in place, but is worried that it might not stay because it was out for so long that the tendons might have stretched too much to hold it in the proper place. So her leg is tied up and she's not supposed to walk unassisted for 7-10 days. How in the world are we supposed to keep this border collie down for that amount of time?! We are borrowing a cage from a friend and that will have to be her new home. She's already trying to hobble around on 3 legs. I took her outside this morning and laid her by the horse so she could eat with him. We are thankful that she's alive and are praying for a speedy, uneventful recovery!

Afghan

I finished another afghan. This is a shell stitch and is super easy even with all the color changes. It took me about 3 months.


Chickens

We're finally getting eggs! Right now I'm getting between 8 and 11 eggs a day. I have 16 new layers, but I don't know if they will all start laying this fall. Usually production drops in the winter because the number of hours of daylight tell a chicken what time of year to lay and when to go broody so she can raise chicks. A chicken lays an egg about every 25 hours unless something upsets her or she's sick. Chickens are born with all the eggs they will lay for their entire life. Once a chicken starts to lay there are always eggs in various stages of growth inside her!
I haven't posted pictures or the chickens in so long! The one standing tall is my rooster. The jury is still out about whether he gets to live or not. He attacks Ben every chance he gets and he attacked the neighbor boy. I'm trying really hard to tame him because I want the chickens to be able to hatch eggs this fall and raise chicks themselves. The chickens spend hours everyday on the back porch huddled up against the glass door. Sometimes they even peck at the door! I sure enjoy watching them run around the yard!

Thursday, November 13, 2008

These are all my plants. I spent half the day Saturday re-potting them all!
Cactus - ?
Croton

Boston Fern

Dieffenbachia
Dracaena
Kalanchoe


Ivy - English, I think


Spearhead vine - ?



Parlour palm


Peace Lily

Golden Pothos

Rubber Plant
Snake Plant or Mother-in-laws tongue

Spider Plant

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

She's home!

One of our neighbor's flagged us down as we were coming home from searching and putting out flyers. Apparently, the dog catcher followed Belle home and took her from our driveway. Our neighbor was telling him that she belongs at our house and has a pet door. The dc took her anyway. I guess she wouldn't let anyone get close enough to her to scan her micro chip so we weren't contacted. So she spent the night in doggy jail and was covered in poop. I had to shampoo her 3 times and let her soak. I got it all off, but she still has an aroma. Oh well, we're just glad she's home safe.
Here she is after her bath.

Lost

Okay, I'm starting feel beat down now. Belle disappeared. She was gone when we got home from Jiu Jitsu last night. Now, she does like to roam a bit, but she's usually not gone more than 2 hours. Bo and I drove all over last night looking for her. I've posted an add on Craigs list and emailed the local volunteer lost/found pet guy. Ben and I will go put up posters today. I'm glad she's micro-chipped. I just hope she shows up somewhere.



Jeremy's death was so senseless and now Belle's gone. It seems senseless too. I'm not trying to compare Belle to Jeremy. It's just one more knock down. Our family is hurting so badly already. Belle loved Jeremy, she would jump right up into his arms. She'd sleep on his bed and he let her. Something has to look up soon.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

In Loving Memory



 



In Loving Memory



 



 



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Jeremy Conklin, May 26,
1991 to October 15, 2008



 



WE
LOVE YOU JEREMY!



 



href="http://lagronefuneralchapels.com/services.asp?locid=11&page=odetail&id=6612">LaGrone
Funeral Chapel



 



 



Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Friday, August 15, 2008

Weekly Report 8/11/08 to 8/15/08 - First Week of School



Benjaman started
6th grade this year.  In our
school district that is middle school. 
This was our first week of school. 
It turns out it was a bad week to start because we had a playdate with
friends who just back from Alaska, 2 doctor’s and 1 dentist appointments.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> 
Plus we’ve been watching the Olympics every
night after football practice.  Needless
to say we didn’t get everything on the schedule accomplished.style="mso-spacerun: yes">  I decided to be flexible and move some of
the work to next week.  Even so we had
school one night until 10:30 and 2 nights until 9:30 because we finished up
after football practice.  Maybe if I
didn’t let Benjaman take so many reading breaks we’d get more done during the
day.  We’re calling it a week though and
realize that next week will be better.  I’m also going to be smarter about playdates and appointments.



 



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Ben workingstyle='color:blue'>



 



Here’s our line
up for 6th grade work:



Saxon Math 6/5



Languague Arts:



Latina Christiana I



Building Spelling Skills book 6



Winston Grammar Basic finish then begin Word Works



Write Source



Social Studies:



Geography – Ultimate Guide to Geography



World History – Story of the World III



American History – A History of US



Science:



Exploring the World Through Botany



Exploring the World Through Zoology



Literature –
Battle of the Books (www.nmbattleofthebooks.com)



Art – Mark Kistler’s
Draw Squad



We also do daily
Bible reading, verse memorization and read from William Bennett’s Book of
Virtues
.  Later in the year we’ll be
doing a comparative world religion study.



 



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Botany-style='color:blue'>This is Benjaman’s first page in his Botany notebook.style="mso-spacerun: yes">  Most of his work this week has been in the
form of worksheets or oral recitation and reading.



 



Monday: Ben
completed his Bible readings, the DVD Latin lesson, completed a Saxon lesson,
began Spelling, wrote Geography terms in his Vocab notebook, and we read part
of The Shadow Thieves by Anne Ursu. 
We also visited with our friends who spent the summer in Alaska and Ben
had Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (www.abqbjj.com).



 



Tuesday:style="mso-spacerun: yes">  Ben completed his Bible readings and a Saxon
lesson before his doctor appointment. 
He had a yearly physical and had to get a chicken pox vaccine
booster.  We were at the dr. office for
over an hour, plus the 1 hour round trip drive, it really ate a whole in our
day.  We did get some reading for the
Battle done though.  After football
practice Ben finished his math lesson. 
I am so proud of him for doing it without complaining.style="mso-spacerun: yes">  It was the second night in a row he was up
after bedtime working on school work.



 



Wednesday:style="mso-spacerun: yes">  Ben completed his Bible readings and part of
a Spelling lesson before we had to leave for my dentist appointment.style="mso-spacerun: yes">  That took forever also!style="mso-spacerun: yes">  I hadn’t been in 2 years so they ended up
taking 17 x-rays!  We got home about an
hour before football so Benjaman just did his first art lesson, which consisted
mostly of terms.  We scrapped the rest
of the schoolwork and just watched the Olympics after football.



 



Thursday:style="mso-spacerun: yes">  No extra appointments!style="mso-spacerun: yes">  Ben completed his Bible readings, a Saxon
lesson, part of a Spelling lesson.  We
did a Latin lesson together.  He started
his Botany notebook and did some grammar and did a writing lesson.



 



Friday:style="mso-spacerun: yes">  I have a dr. appointment, but I have Ben
lined out schoolwork that he can work on independently.style="mso-spacerun: yes">  He completed his Bible readings and we did a
Latin lesson and introduced a new Saxon lesson.  While I’m gone he’ll do his Saxon work, Spelling, Grammar and
Writing.  When I get home we’ll do
American History and read for the Battle.



 



It was a
productive week, even though we had to scrap part of the schedule.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> 



 



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Football – style='color:blue'>Benjaman’s YAFL team is the Bernalillo Spartans (like the
highschool).  They had a scrimmage last
Saturday and I think they learned a lot! 
They have their first game tomorrow. 
Benjaman loves football!  That’s
good since he has practice 4 days a week for 2 hours at a time.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> 
There is a game every Saturday until
October.



 



So, there’s our
first week of school.  So far so good!



 



 



 



 



Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Schoolroom



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Ben’s work area



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Bookshelves, board, supply shelf, Nintendo



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Game Shelf, computer



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Supply Closet



 We just converted a
long bedroom in our house for the schoolroom. 
I try to keep enough room clear in the middle of the room for the Aerobed
in case we have company.  I’m so glad I
only have 1 to homeschool!  Otherwise I’m
afraid I’d go nuts in this small room with more than 1 kid!style="mso-spacerun: yes">  Although I’m glad I have a room dedicated to
homeschooling.  When we were in VA I
hated having to school at the kitchen table and pack up everything at every
meal and find a place for it!



Wordless Wednesday 8-6-08



Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Chickens



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This is my Silver Laced Wyandotte.style="mso-spacerun: yes">  She has always liked to sit on my
shoulder.  When I pick her up she walks
up my arm and settles on my shoulder.  
Today was the last time.



 



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Apparently, my watery allergy eyes were just too much temptation
for her to handle.  I actually got
pecked in the eye.  I don’t think she
did any damage, but her days on my shoulder are through.



 



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This is Roo, my Buff Orpington rooster.style="mso-spacerun: yes">  He’s the only one left and so I’m trying to
make sure he’s friendly.  If he turns
mean then he has to go into the stew pot and we won’t have a roo to fertilize
eggs.  He comes right up to me every
time I go in the pen and I pick him up and hold him.  HE’s never pecked me!



 



WARNING:  GROSS
CHICKEN EGG PICTURES COMING UP.  THOSE
OF YOU WITH WEAK STOMACHS WON’T WANT TO SEE THIS.



 



 



 



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After not laying for about a month this is what Gimpy laid
today.  There was also a normal, but
broken egg under it.  She’s been laying
2 eggs at a time for months; she used to give us double yolk eggs.style="mso-spacerun: yes">  I thought she had quit laying even though
she would go in the nest box every day.



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Benjaman and I wanted to see what was in the “egg” so we
smashed it.  I tried to crack it, but
you see how thick the shell is.  All I
can think of is that Gimpy is at the end of her laying cycle and several eggs
just bonded together and came out at once. 
Pretty gross, huh?