The Great White Hunter...

...has been out playing today.



















Wait, no, wrong picture. That was a paint ball thing......


Today he woke up bright dark and early to meet up with a couple friends to obtain the perfect poor innocent creature to slaughter tasty meal kill deer to take down in a sportsmanlike fashion. He found one! He found a seven point and took it down brutally murdered rendered it lifeless "with a head shot on a dead run."*

Good job, honey. What's for dinner???

*direct quote from the GWH himself.

The Man From Outer Space

This should be fun, right? .... Mom... Why are you laughing?? WHAT are they going to do to me???
























Holding still is harder than I thought!
























Mom, you and me... We are going to have a talk OUTSIDE when this is done!!
























WHAT is Grandma doing to me?!?! And why does she get a helper?!?!
























Are we done yet??
























Check out the (tied for) first place winner!! Grandma rocks!!


















Oh yeah, whatever happened to his prize?? I so wanted that mug!! It would have made coffee in the morning that much better.

Working Man

I am so proud of this boy. He looks forward to the weekends when he can head off with his Daddy and help on a roof. Fear not, he is safe. The roof is very close to flat. I'd give you pitch numbers, but I don't have a clue what they are and I am a little shady on what they mean.... Anyway, here is The Boy...

...getting the gun ready...



















...lining up the shingles...



















...and taking the shot...



















What a GREAT worker!!

Breaking in the brand new tires

It was a cold and rainy evening. We bundled up and piled into the truck to make the 45 minute trip to E-City to have dinner with our friends. One tenth of a mile down the road, J realized that he had left the CD he wanted our friends to here, so we turned around. Keep in mind, it had been raining all day and we live on a dirt road that in normal rainy conditions washes out. Also keep this information towards the front of your mind: A ditch for a new water line had just been dug, the line lay and the ditch recovered about two weeks prior. So, taking a moment and using a little common sense, what do YOU suppose that recently dug out area looked like (and more importantly, felt like??) Well, as we were driving up our road towards our house, J noticed that there was quite a section washed out and - perhaps - he could "pack it down" so it wouldn't be as washed out. HA HA HA HA HA. So we are cruising up our road at around 20 mph and SUDDENLY are at a dead stop. The truck was at an angle perhaps comparable to the Leaning Tower of Pisa.... or worse. I found myself looking at the grass if I looked out my window and at the top of a VERY tall pine tree if I looked out J's window.

Cousins were called to point and laugh bring up their tractor and tow us out. Even the tractor needed some help.Eventually I had to stop taking pictures so I could be a pusher.

He left a crater in the road

and decided that we were rather dirty

so we made a quick stop at the carwash before resuming our journey to our dinner date. *sigh*















And people ask me if I ever get board being "stuck" up on this hill away from "civilization."

No, not really. In ten years I haven't had the chance.......

Rebuttal

This morning I received an email notification that I had two new comments on a post from way back in March of this year that dealt with my reaction to the HPV vaccine. Wow! How cool!! So, being the curious sort, I followed the persons profile and checked out her blog. And discovered that I am the subject of her most recent post. Yikes! As I was reading, I realized that my point was totally missed. And, just in case millions (ha ha) of people stop by here because of her link to me, I thought perhaps I should lay my thoughts out. So, I am posting the comment that I left on this mom's post. I am not trying to start or fuel fires, I just want to make sure I am not misunderstood. :)

Hi, thanks for visiting my page... I think I should clear a couple things up because it sounds like you may have missed my point. :)
We have not chosen to homeschool because of a vaccine... We HAVE chosen to teach our children at home to give them a better education - to give them one-on-one attention because there are many schools out there where kids get lost in the cracks, despite most teacher's best efforts to not let that happen.
We have also chosen to homeschool because we want that Christian base to their education, but what is available is almost an hour away and will cost THOUSANDS of dollars per year. I was sent to that particular school growing up. I don't really have a problem with it at all... It was a good education and there was the Christian base. However I don't have the money to spend nor do I want to submit my kids to two hours on the road alone 180 days per year.
We are trying to raise them to the best of our ability with a strong faith and one that they will hopefully hold on to and not walk away from... for a time or *forever*. Teaching them at home comes into play here. But, if they ever do stray, I will still love them and stand by their sides.... God's love is unconditional. Shouldn't ours be as well? We homeschool our kids because there are some things in public schools that we would rather not have our kids presented with AT THIS TIME. For instance, our son would be getting "sex ed" soon, and we would rather that he get the Biblical perspective as well as "this is how our body works" and not the "here are some condoms, if you ever need an abortion, let us know, your parents never need to find out if you don't want them to" perspective that public schools give.
Another GREAT perk to homeschooling is that their friends in public school are on the bus at 8:00 (or earlier), school at 8:30, school lets out at 3:30, they arrive home at 4:00 (or later), homework 'til dinner time, possibly more homework after dinner, have an hour or two of free time, then head to bed. Get up the next morning and do it all over again. However (here is the perk), our kids get up early, get their work done - school and homework all rolled into one - and have the rest of the day as "free time".
THOSE are some of the reasons that we homeschool. As far as my reaction to the vaccination, everyone has the right to choose as they feel led on this point. To be honest, yes, I do feel that this may send the wrong message to our kids just as passing out condoms does. But that is just my personal opinion. My actual PROBLEMS per say with the HPV vaccine is that in some states it is becoming mandatory. I disagree with that. That is where my comment about being glad we homeschool came into play. If New York were to mandate this vaccine, we would not be under it because of the fact that they are not in public schools. I just have a hard time with the government telling me that I MUST take something. It seems to me that it is taking some of my freedom away. It should be our choice, and if it turns out that it was the wrong one, then it should be my fault. But I should not be forced to give it to her. Also, this vaccine isn't thoroughly tested yet. What are the side effects? How long does it even last? Would I be putting my daughter in *possible* danger to negative side effects to only have her protected for ten years? HPV is not something that has had a ton of research. Those are my concerns. That is where I stand on that issue and on the homeschooling issues. I hope that clears up any confusion.

Baby It's Cold Outside......

I really can't stay - Baby it's cold outside
I've got to go away - Baby it's cold outside
This evening has been - Been hoping that you'd drop in
So very nice - I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice
My mother will start to worry - Beautiful, what's your hurry
My father will be pacing the floor - Listen to the fireplace roar
So really I'd better scurry - Beautiful, please don't hurry
well Maybe just a half a drink more - Put some music on while I pour

The neighbors might think - Baby, it's bad out there
Say, what's in this drink - No cabs to be had out there
I wish I knew how - Your eyes are like starlight now
To break this spell - I'll take your hat, your hair looks swell
I ought to say no, no, no, sir - Mind if I move a little closer
At least I'm gonna say that I tried - What's the sense in hurting my pride
I really can't stay - Baby don't hold out
Ahh, but it's cold outside

C'mon baby

I simply must go - Baby, it's cold outside
The answer is no - Ooh baby, it's cold outside
This welcome has been - I'm lucky that you dropped in
So nice and warm -- Look out the window at that storm
My sister will be suspicious - Man, your lips look so delicious
My brother will be there at the door - Waves upon a tropical shore
My maiden aunt's mind is vicious - Gosh your lips look delicious
Well maybe just a half a drink more - Never such a blizzard before

I've got to go home - Oh, baby, you'll freeze out there
Say, lend me your comb - It's up to your knees out there
You've really been grand - Your eyes are like starlight now
But don't you see - How can you do this thing to me
There's bound to be talk tomorrow - Making my life long sorrow
At least there will be plenty implied - If you caught pneumonia and died
I really can't stay - Get over that old out
Ahh, but it's cold outside

Baby it's cold outside....

~Frank Loesser

Hey, guess what?? It's SNOWING!!

Coming Soon

AKA "Yes, I am Still Alive"

I know, I've been awful. I've heard. Even J has told me that if he knew I was going to be a once a month blogger, he would have done it. (Insert maniacal laughter here. He really does not get along with computers.) Trust me, it hasn't been that I have not had anything post worthy... I have PLENTY of material.... It is just that every time I sit at the computer and thing about starting one of the many posts I could do, I get all tired out and my head starts pounding just at the thought of the amount of time that each post will take. *sigh* So, since I have been thoroughly, lovingly, gently prodded and reminded, COMING SOON:

What NOT to do with brand new tires.

How we spent our Halloween

The Man From Outer Space

and more.....

While you wait, I am going to study for my test that I have tonight.