Mission Accomplished...Almost

I returned home from celebrating my mom's 70th birthday. We had a great time and I had a chance to relax a bit. I had a surprise luncheon scheduled for my mom on her birthday. There were going to be 17 friends that my mom went to high school with meeting us in Indiana. However due to an ice storm, we had to cancel the trip. The ice storm also caused my brother and his family to remain in their town instead of joining us for her birthday. Had I not gone to Ky, my mom would have been by herself on her birthday. I am so thankful that I was there. I ran to the store (that is one advantage of living in town), and I grabbed some items to cook her a nice dinner and birthday cake. Michael's mom had our children so my mom and I ate dinner and played games all day long. It wasn't a bad day after all. I enjoyed the down time playing games, looking through cookbooks, and going through my dad's pictures. It was a great day. I picked up the kids later in the evening so I still got to spend plenty of time with them too. My brother and his family came the next day and brought the birthday gifts. (All of us kids went in together to get a specific gift that she had wanted). We had cake and ice cream, coffee, and a great game of Dominoes. I was able to end my brother's 6 game winning streak at Dominoes. (YES!!!)



I ended up staying in Ky. a day longer due to the ice storm. While I was there, The Unlikely Homesteader (her link is on our sidebar) posted a funny piece about being from Ky. I identified with almost everything...and I do know how to pronounce Cadiz and I have spent some time there many summers. I too love Lake Barkley, but it ain't the ocean by any stretch of the imagination! My husband made me feel so special while I was away because he missed me. He missed being with me, but he also missed all of the things that I take care of on a daily basis. He took the time to share his heart on this matter. It made me feel so special. I was thankful that he was willing to do my portion so I could go be with my mom.


I was also thankful that all of my plants didn't die in my absence. Michael watered them and took care of everything. He also made a sheep pen that the sheep can come into to eat. The other animals were dominating all of the food and the sheep weren't getting enough. Michael used hog panels to construct a pen that had an opening large enough for the sheep, but too small for all the other animals. By the time the lambs are born, the pigs will have been taken to the butcher so we can have a dry place for lambing. The sheep pen will be enlarged by taking out the panel that separates the hog pen from the sheep feeding pen. This will also give our sheep access to the barn. Michael will be working on the hoops for the beds this upcoming weekend. I am setting my plants out everyday for awhile to harden them off so they will be prepared to go in the raised beds with the hoops. I also need to start some more seeds for other plants. When Michael gets the hoops installed, I plan on planting lettuce too. I sure have missed our fresh lettuce!

grace and peace,
julie