Cabin Weekend

Friday afternoon, we loaded up the tractor & our clothes & headed out for the cabin. We arrived in town after a beautiful, scenic drive through the mountains. The leaves on the trees are gorgeous. We decided to eat at the Leslie Cafe. Friday night is Mexican night so we were excited about that. After dinner, we drove to Mountain View to the church camp to help my parents load some furniture they were taking back home. We visited with them, loaded up the 4-wheeler my dad brought up for the boys & with a quick stop at Sonic, we were on our way back to the cabin. It was Halloween night & some goofballs egged our vehicle from a wooded area in the middle of nowhere. Tom & Clay wanted to stop & go back & get them, but I told them we didn't have a gun & that I would really rather shoot them if we were to go back...so we trudged on. Once we made it back to the cabin, we were able to rest for a while & get ready for a full day of work on Saturday.

Saturday morning, Tom & I drove into town to the hardware store to pick up some galvanized sheet metal that we are going to put on the ceiling downstairs in the cabin & a few other things. We then came back & started clearing out an area to the left of the driveway. It seemed to be visiting day at the cabins because all of our neighbors came to visit as well as the guy who sold us the land. So Tom visited...while I worked. Hmm what's wrong with that? I told him that's why my muscles are so sore, b/c he talked while I worked. :) We did have a tractor mishap....that was scary. The engine was revving & the kill switch would not work. Green liquid & black smoke were shooting out everywhere. After a call to Barry, the tractor guru, we were able to get it to stop. And one of the talking visitors was a mechanic so he looked at the tractor...so I guess that was good. It seems the hydraulics pump went out! YIKES...it was scary...I was thinking...It's gonna blow up! It's gonna burn up the engine! Tom was quite alarmed too...to say the least!

We have a problem with wasps. They have entered the cabin by the hundreds. We've resorted to sucking them up alive with the shop vac. That's fun. Or I step on them just a little to maim them & let them die a slow painful death. Yes, I am mean.

We were able to get a lot done. I told mom that I feel like I'm trying to rake the forest. I wonder if there is an end to that? For some reason...I think not. I wish all of you could see the cabin from when we first started and the progress we've made. It's like...we could have our own reality TV show..."trick my cabin" or something like that! Until next time...

Final Cross-Country Meet

Thursday night, we had our final cross-country meet out at Camp Robinson. It was an all-conference meet between Pulaski & Faulkner Counties. Chandler & Clay both ran the elementary race (ages 12-under). Chandler took the 1st place medal in that race which was 1 mile. Clay ran well & never gave up. I was extremely proud of him for giving it all he had. Chandler decided that he wanted to run the Jr. High race too. He took the 2nd place medal in that race. This race was 1.5 miles. A young guy from Faulkner won that race...wow...he could run and he was fast! After that race, Chandler decided that he wanted to run in the Sr. High race too (that's the glory of homeschooling, there aren't many restrictions regarding that sort of thing...if you feel you can do it...then by all means try!) Of course I would have been dying at this point, but he was ready to go. The Sr. High race was a 5K or 3.2 miles. Chandler came in 6th place in that race. Wow, I'm tired just thinking about it, but he did really well. I'm convinced Clay will get faster the more he runs, but you guys know Clay, he was there for his friends. He and his friend were running together, & he wouldn't leave his friend. I suppose that's a good character quality to have huh?

I've included the team photo so you wouldn't think that there were only 6 kids running (LOL). The team is a good size & not all students were present for this meet. The boys are ready for track & field in the spring!

During this political season let's be reminded of these wise words....

"You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot build character & courage by taking away men's initiative and independence.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could & should do for themselves."

Abraham Lincoln

Fun @ the Cabin

A quick trip to the cabin gave the boys time to finish off the fire works Dan gave them. Thanks Dan, we loved it! We worked all Friday afternoon on clearing some thorn-infested areas (which I'm sure Tom will share about later) & built a huge bon fire. We roasted marshmallows & tried to quote Hamilton "Ham" Porter from The Sandlot on the proper way to make a 'smore. We saw several falling stars & watched a buck travel alongside the property into the woods. It was a fun & relaxing. However I am really tired after 2 long days of hard work. I have a blister on my hand...I told Tom I didn't think Princesses got blisters. He said, well maybe you're not a princess. I said...I am pretty sure I am & you're wrong.! (LOL)

Pumpkin Patch

Today we went to Collins Orchards in Conway to the Pumpkin Patch with Enrichment Academy. It was a beautiful fall day. Extremely cold to start off then as the sun broke through the clouds, it warmed up & it was terrific. We got a brief introduction to pumpkins, then we were off on the hay ride. The kids were able to pick 2 pumpkins, & they enjoyed looking through the field. Afterward, we had a picnic lunch & the kids jumped over the bales of hay. I think that was probably the highlight of the day! We even took home a few "Big" pumpkins & some muscadines for Tom!

Force Baseball

On the way home from the birthday celebration, we stopped off in Cordova to join Chandler's baseball team. We kept in contact with them throughout the weekend to see how they were playing, & we made it to the tournament just in time for lunch with everyone and the championship game. We beat the Memphis Travelers 8-1. Chandler had a great hit his first time up to bat & for the first time in his life played the outfield. He loved it. He said this was the most relaxing game he's played. There are a wide variety of boys on this team with lots of awesome talent. We're looking forward to getting to know the new teammates & their parents.

100 Years Old

This past weekend, we traveled to Tennessee to celebrate Tom's grandfather's 100th birthday! How amazing. I cannot imagine living for 100 years... Seventeen presidents, several wars, the Great Depression and countless other celebrations and tragedies nationally and personally. On the way home we discussed how many times a persons heart would beat in that length of time. We calculated about 53 million times. Unbelievable! It was a fun weekend.

The grandsons were chosen to be the celebrity escort & went to the nursing home to pick him up. He was transported to the civic center via a police escort, lights, sirens, & the whole 9-yards. Grandpawpaw was a celebrity & had the paparazzi (family & friends) waiting for him as he arrived. Photo flashes were everywhere! Tom & Barry said that the feeling of driving up with all of those people standing there waiting was exciting for them. So I can only imagine what the guest of honor must have thought & felt. He walked into the building as far as he possibly could which was quite a distance for a 100 year old man. Then he was wheeled the final stretch in his chariot. He was honored & celebrated. What a legacy. At the end of it all, the crowd moved outside to release 100 balloons in his honor!

Three hours, 2 full sheet cakes, 20+ gallons of punch, 7+ pots of coffee, 2+ cheese balls, 3+ chicken salad molds, countless boxes of crackers later; all the guest were gone, the place was cleaned, our clothes were changed, and we headed to the family park for dinner, a bonfire, & fireworks with Sonya & Dan to celebrate their wedding, which was held earlier in the day. It was a perfect fall day for all of the celebrations, and it was wonderful to see all of the family. ~st