Poppins Has a Birthday

We shared a delicious meal and a fun time of Pin the Tail on the Donkey.

The Girl enjoyed taking her turn after three spins around.

Anders gave Branch last-minute advice on how to play the game well.

Pretty close, Branch!

Don't tell Anders, but Josiah turned the donkey on his side while Anders was taking his three spins around. Kind of throws off the game, ya know?

Now Josiah is suspicious about what the boys have done on his turn.

Even Poppins gave it a whirl. The boys turned the chair backwards, though, and he wasn't quite sure what was going on.

Now he had it figured out!

They really enojoyed this special time with their Daddy, and he was such a good sport through it all. Happy Birthday, Poppins! You're the best husband and father ever!

This is the donkey that Stennes quickly sketched, that everyone poked and prodded, that stood patiently and without complaint, that grinned happily through it all, that gave the kids such fun in the house that Poppins built.

Running in Circles

ChubChub colored pictures this week to decorate Mean Ol' Mama's bedroom. She was very excited...[...ahem...]. Branch and The Girl weeded the back garden and dumped the weeds down in the pig pen. We were given 2 more piglets, for a grand total of 3 pigs. Bacon!

Watch out for this little guy! He's a serious warrior.

A friend gave Mean Ol' Mama a bowlful of Himalayan salt, and she was blessed to purchase this grinder new for $1.00. The salt is very "salty" and said to contain high amounts of beneficial trace minerals.

Josiah had been asking for a cello for a while, so we tracked one down for him. He has many instruments to practice now.

Two of Mean Ol' Mama's favorite chicks holding their favorite chicks...

Teresa cooked 6 rabbits for supper the other night. The boys really enjoyed that meal.

We've had friends/company this past week and enjoyed every minute of it. These folks are very special to us.

We're trying to get back in a groove now that the Fair projects have been delivered as of Saturday afternoon. This week's plan:

1. major schoolwork

2. 4H projects due October 1st

3. multiple speeches to memorize

4. a few performances coming up

5. new chore list

6. we'll try, anyway...
7. Third World menu with a bit more meat

Busy Days Again

Poppins enjoyed a game of animal matching with the "littles". He's such a great guy. Branch and The Girl finished their second book of Greek. They were very excited.

They tore the pages off the metal binder for recycling. It was a fun job to celebrate their accomplishment.

The Girl hosted A Trip to the Shore tea party. Unfortunately, one of her little friends had to attend a funeral, and the other couldn't come until later. We still had a great time, though, and the food was yummy!

peach boats a-float a sea of blue Jello

savory pastry puffs

pimento-and-cheese sandwiches

a selection of pirate's goodies

beach scene cupcakes with hidden "fish" swimming inside. quite cute.

The girls enjoyed the selection of nibbles.

Afterwards, they made leis of colorful flowers.

Friday-on-Monday class was fun this week. After all the readings, Greek & Latin, the kids played a geography game.

Branch asked The Girl to help him act out a clue (she was a sled dog being "mushed").

Stennes has been very busy working on Mama's Throne, a chair of Cherry, Black Walnut, and Osage Orange. It's going to be very beautiful. Mean Ol' Mama can't wait.

Josiah has also been working on Mean Ol' Mama's Pottery Shelf. She already has big plans for displays.

Just being together...

Anders has been working on Forestry information and cutting out stencils for his mini-booth entry in the Fair.

shhhh...

ChubChub has been spending time doing 30-minute activities, such as puzzles. The change of pace keeps him happy and busy throughout our school day.

He's a sweetie, and so clever, too.

Josiah placed First in the district Forestry Judging competition. We were very proud.

Anders has been busy with his mini-booth project DO count your chickens BEFORE they hatch! Obviously, he's doing a project on egg incubation. The photo shows him checking eggs for fertilization.

shhh....

shhh again...

30-minutes of quiet reading...

Gotta look cool to wash clothes, ladies.

Josiah took this beautiful photo.

Gotta look cool to show off your puppies, too.

We had out-of-town company Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Talk about fun, fun, fun! The kids really had a good time, and the adults caught up on old times and too much food!

Sisters on Swing

Playing "Spoons"

Another family from out-of-state came on Sunday/Monday. They are very special to us.

Good Friends in God's Family