Around and About

Isn't this a discouraging sight? Just how many lentils can be spilled on the floor in one place? And Mean Ol' Mama ain't got no one else to blame but...[GULP!!!]... herself ! Waaah-waaah! These photos of the raised beds/boats on the side of the house show how nicely our little gardens are growing. We can pretty well pick a little something to eat every meal of every day. Yummy and fresh!

Yesterday we enjoyed two good meetings, first with Haitians and then with Hispanics. The weather was wonderfully cool, and we had a nice time at both places.

ChubChub and these two fellows were full of gigles and silly smiles.

ChubChub "stole" some chess pieces from the game and gave Mo'M his best scary face. Shivers!

How many monkeys can fit on one sofa? Anders and ChubChub enjoyed a game of "Trouble" (how appropriate) while Branch and Poppins checked out real estate on-line.

This week looks good for catching up on schoolwork and busy stuff around the house. We'll see...

IN THE NEWS!!!

http://bainbridgega.com/news/publish/article_8399.shtml

Are we behind, or so far ahead that we can't see anyone else?

Stennes has been making leather belts and holsters. He does lovely work, and his hobby is a source of suprise and respect for many people who see his work.

ChubChub has finished his first official season as a soccer player. He and his teammates had a good time, and the adults thoroughly enjoyed watching their 5-year-old antics on the field. You can only imagine...

The Girl brought Mean Ol' Mama a lettuce leaf basil from her herb garden, which was promptly filled with zucchini-fried rice and happily gobbled up!

You would think that being on break from the College would give Mo'M more time for posting, but she has been going through the house, top to bottom, with a very critical eye. Many items, clothes, books, etc. have found new homes, and she's quite pleased to discover that there are surfaces that look lovely with nothing on them! Nothing but dust, that is....[sigh...]. More postings with pictures to come soon!

Slow Going...

Branch and The Girl are in serious contemplation about their math. They're in the same book, doing the same lessons, so a little peer pressure is good for both of them. During a break, The Girl helped ChubChub with one of his books. Notice both tongues hanging out? They must be concentrating...

ChubChub has enjoyed our new chicks. All 225 of them. Yep, you read that right. 225. It's a long story.

ChubChub and The Girl enjoyed dyeing Easter eggs with two of their friends. A bit messy, but fun for all.

Mean Ol' Mama celebrated 41 years of life-as-we-know-it-on-Earth. She received many special gifts, including the one below. Lots of exciting surprises!

Her birthday is also her anniversary, and Poppins wanted to know what she wanted in celebration. Her request? Take everyone to the store and let everyone choose his favorite HUGE bag of cereal! Did you read the word HUGE? We're still eating cereal, and the kids are experiencing the "diminishing marginal utility" effect first hand. Yes, it's an economics term, but it also applies to food: it may be tasty at first, but the appeal wears off quickly after the 15th bowlful. HUGE bags, mind you. We had a lot of fun choosing, but the children understand even more clearly now why we eat the way we normally do!

Soccer games are steady and exciting to watch...

Doing schoolwork here and there; finishing up at the College for the semester; thinking too many thoughts about better organization within the home; enjoying the weather; trying to balance too many spinning plates...

Life in 32 photos (give or take a few!)

Mean Ol' Mama made a beautiful Chai Pound Cake, but her fusion-inspired dessert didn't want to come out of its pan. It was delicious nevertheless... On a sadder note, one of Mo'M's college students passed away after a long-term fight with cancer. She was in tears for a while remembering his positive attitude in the classroom. She and The Girl attended his visitation and brought his family one of his essays, which they read at his funeral.

The Girl was excited to catch up on quite a bit of her Spanish Practica/Gramatica/Ortografia/Fonetica books, and she headed to the recycle bin with a big grin.

ChubChub is coming along nicely in his reading, and he read these five "real" books so he could take a photo to show you.

However, he struggled a bit when it came to the letter "X"; both he and Mean Ol' Mama wiped off drops of drool as he over-emphasized the sound, trying to get it out correctly.

Doesn't Josiah look so sweet and peaceful as he works on his Algebra? He's tired from working in the fields over at the U-Pick. How can you tell he's been working? Just check out his legs in the photos below...

His socks didn't reach over the tops of his boots, and dirt inevitably finds its way through.

Anders is peaceful as well as he works on math review, but check out his hands.

Yes, he did wash up, but field dirt is stubborn...

The boys spent the day at the Joseph Jones Ecological Research Center.

Meanwhile, Poppins took Mo'M, The Girl and ChubChub to a local auction. He bid on a few things, and two of his purchases were for Mo'M...

Books! Surprise! These are two really nice cookbooks that she chose and hoped to win in the bidding.

The kids are enjoying their soccer games. ChubChub is quite the sport.Anders has been designated the "intimidator" for his team because of his size; he's supposed to make the opponent (who will be running his way) feel unsure about trying to get the ball past Anders!

Branch and The Girl are on the same team, which is nice. The weather has almost warmed up enough to swim outdoors. Almost!

The boys put together a bulletin board promoting 4H for the UGA Extension office in Tifton. This counts towards upcoming portfolio competitions.

The Poultry Judging team came in 9th out of 18 teams. Doesn't seem like a very good score, but they're better than last year, and they certainly learned a lot and had a great time!

The older boys went away Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to the east coast of Georgia for their annual bird identification competition. The water and weather were both chilly, but they couldn't help trying to swim. They climbed a tree in tandem...

They visited Light-Horse Harry Lee's gravesite...

They enjoyed observing the wild horses on Cumberland Island...

They had itchy "gun" fingers when they saw the wild turkeys on the island...

They visited the ruins of the Carnegie mansion...

They held down a limb...

Over on St. Simons Island, they visited the statue of John Wesley...They visited the Methodist church that the Wesley brothers founded...

They visited the lighthouse...

And after a 24-hour bird sighting trek across the state of Georgia, they won first place for the most money raised, first place in the high school division, and GRAND CHAMPIONS over all the divisions! Incredible!

Quick News Flash!

http://bainbridgega.com/news/publish/041111youth4h.shtml