Strong women

I have been very blessed to have so many strong women in my life to look up to, learn from and occasionally lean on.

My Grandma surprised me today by just dropping by. She is one of my favorite people in the world. And though only a few miles separate us we don't get to see each other as much as we would like. So, it is always a joy to sit for awhile and visit. We complain about the 'men folk' and the trail of dirty dishes and cloths they leave behind. We compare chili sauce recipes. And Grandma tells me of story's about when her kids were little. I love to imagine her as a mother and my Dad, and Aunt, and Uncle as children. My Grandpa is/and was a trucker, and was gone a lot lto while their children were growing up. So Grandma had to go it alone a lot of the time. She tells me of times when Grandpa was away at work and she, with no car and pregnant, would walk the older kids to school. She tells of a time when my Aunt, who had just learned to walk had fallen on the cement steps leading out of the house, and her two front teeth had just come out, Grandma had to 'hold them in' until my Grandpa could make it home (luckily he was working local that day) and they could make it in to the Dr's. She tells me of a time when they would have nothing to eat except macaroni and tomatoes for sometimes weeks, to make ends meet.

There is something magical when I imagine her as not a grandmother but a mother, like me. It makes her more human. More accessible.

Another strong women in my life is my Mother. She also raised four kids with a trucker Hubby.
She is one of my best friends.

I cannot imagine not having my husband here. Sure, he makes a mess and leaves his laundry all over the place...But he is adult companionship. And I would just plain miss him.

My Cousin, who is more like a sister to me then my own sister is, is a strong and successful business women. She is also compassionate and loving, and would do anything for the people that she loves.

My Best friend, who can set up a tee pee and start a fire faster then any man I know.

I can only hope that, having watched these strong women all of my life, some of their selflessness and determination have somehow rubbed off on me. And I am so very grateful to have all of them in my life.

I have been trying to find time to clean the house...before it gets too out of control. Our crazy schedule is still kicking our butts... My daughter fell asleep in the van on the way home from school on Friday...poor kid. Today is no-preschool day. I don't really understand why but apparently they don't conduct preschool on Wednesday...go figure. I am definitly not complaining though! In fact, I am still in my PJ's. And I have no big plans to really go anywhere at all today. I plan on wandering the house all day in my pj's, and gradually picking up all of the toys that get scattered from one end of the house to the other. In fact, my Darling dear hubby has traded me shifts on the 'goat milking' schedule. I now have the night shift!! Let me explain, I am by no means a morning person. And getting four kids up, dressed and fed is enough of a hassle by itself! Now add milking a goat in to the mix...

I don't think I have ever wrote much about the individual personalities of my kids....
My oldest is a rough and tumble boy, who's attention span lasts no longer then the commercials on his beloved TV. I love him dearly, but am sad to announce he has my stubbornness.

Then is my four year old. My leap year girl! She is SO sweet, and dear. She is my little helper, the little mommy. She always helps the little ones when I might not be able to at that exact moment. She will pick up toys and help clean without complaining!!! She is my own little Cinderella... and she is always happy.... I miss her so much when she is at school!

Next is Chuck...(short for Charlotte) She is a mix of Jared and Bella, the older two.
She is two. She is funny and at times very stubborn... and jealous of her little brother. She is still trying to decide if she wants to be a big kid or a baby. She has just recently decided she likes dolls. We now bring baby's everywhere we go.

Markie is the youngest. He is nine months old. He has always been an easy baby, and I think he will be easy going like his bigger sister(thank God!) He is trying to learn how to walk and basically has full run of the house exploring and deconstructing everything in sight.

We have water!

The back pasture area now has water!!! We might be able to actually grow SOMETHING!
When we bought the house, the lady we bought it from said that she had put sprinklers into the pasture....she didden't, and of course we didden't actually look. The garden area has a water spicket, that we(my darling dear) modified into a drip system...but the pasture has been without water and was just dirt and puncture weeds. My neighbor ( bless him!) rented a trencher for the day, and when he was done he sent it over our way. So the digging part was soo much easier then it would have been otherwise...thank god for modern machines.
Maby one day I will have the nice green pasture grass I drempt of when we first bought the house....
The weekend was spent filling in the afore mentioned trench. As well as canning a bushel, or so, of tomatoes so they didden't sit in my kitchen and rot. I will not claim that I enjoy canning. I dont. But I also cannot and will not let them go to waste. I guess there is something to be said for the fealing of accomplishment when you are done with an endless days worth of cutting, chopping, and juggling pots of scalding hot water around. Not to mention, the screaming children that just do not understand WHY they cannot circle my feet as I do this. BUT THEN AFTER i AM FINISHED, I can say " I did this!" And have something tangible (and tasty) to prove it.
That is actually a great accomplishment for me... I have no real talent. I cannot yodel ( wink, wink), I cannot draw, or play any instrument.... All I seem do do well is have cute kids..and I don't think that has as much to do with me as with genetics....But I will take what I can get...