It's not always easy....

Well, a good friend of mine said something about it's not always easy to do the "right thing" and she is SO VERY right.
I had rescued a GSD that was six months old back in March of this year. We named him Liam, and soon after Bear (Lab/Newfoundland) and Honey (all mutt) were also adopted into our family because they needed rescuing too. This past Tuesday (on the 3rd) my MIL came and picked Liam and my DH up and took Liam to the local animal shelter where he will remain in quarantine for a few more days (10 total) because he suddenly got very agressive towards our Bear and when I pulled him away from Bear he turned and sank two teeth into my leg. It came as a GREAT shock to me. It broke my heart. But, I can not have a dog that has so many issues that we can't help him over come and that I can't trust.
Bear and Honey are making up for my loss admirably. Bear is SO goofy. He truly is our goofy newfie. :) He will lie down at my feet or on the floor beside my bed or follow me around and Honey will come up for loving and pets and sometimes try to get into my lap. Bear is happier because he gets to run all over the back yard free, off the leash, and we have found he does not run, he gallops. He's SO big. I'd say he weighs at least around 90 pounds now.
What broke my heart really was our son. He asked if when the dog got adopted we could know who adopted him and visit him. That made the ache in my chest so much more unbearable! I explained that we would not know who adopted him (I did not tell him the part about IF he was deemed adoptable) but that we needed to pray that whoever did adopt him really knew a lot of ways to get dogs over different things and could deal with a GSD that had massive issues and that he would be their only dog.
The whole atmosphere of the house has changed. It feels less tense, less like a prison, less dark. I actually feel as if a huge burden has been lifted off of my shoulders. We all took it hard in different ways. But Honey ... well, the cats LIKE her, and I am sure that we can get Bear to understand that the cats are off limits. That will just take some training and time. So, soon, the cats and dogs (we've two of each now) can roam the house in freedom except for when I have students here. And then, well, that depends on the parents and kids. I know that there are at least a couple families that are fine with the dogs being out.
We are slowly starting to work towards getting the house back to some semblance of normalcy. Lessons in math or reading or phonics, history, grammar and spelling... Need to give the three kiddoes their music lessons tomorrow. Cleaning house, reclaiming the house from the mess that we've let it become while we were under the gloomy days.
One day, the Lord will bless us with a large house big enough for some big dogs, and we'll have Bear and Honey and a couple Great Pyrenese. Maybe even a full Newfoundland! :) Besides the Dexter cows and the chickens and sheep that I dream of.

Rain Rain go away....

We've truly had enough!
And it has let up thank the Lord. Otherwise I'd be getting a bit worried that we might have to swim instead of walk to Walmart for stuff!
And we can't swim....
But other than that things are going pretty good.
Car has a new fuel intake line that does NOT leak, I have a new student starting tomorrow at 9:30 am and can't wait to meet him, and we got math and reading and phonics done for ALL three kids, I sent off a partial payment for a bill, I have to deposit a check from a student to help cover that but it will get deposited later, and the house is looking lots neater as I go thru stuff and get rid of stuff or find homes for stuff either here or elsewhere! Later on I'll start reviewing history with the kids (we do that together) and then there's be a family read aloud (more from Little house in the big woods, getting neart the end!) and do a few other things.
I feel horrid, but it's because of a toothache and allergy yuck. I've a headache.
I canceled one family's lessons today and we agreed to have them over on Friday as she was not sure if her kids weren't catching something too.
I have a student at 5:15 and I hate to cancel on him as he missed last week due to his big brother being sick. He is a rather quiet calm child to teach, so maybe I can get through that one half hour? I can pray, because I really hate to cancel and make him go two weeks without a lesson....
Ok, off I go to see what else I can get done in a day with the windows open, a breeze blowing, the A/C off, and the sun trying to peek out....:)

That time of year again!!!!

well, it is that time of year again... FALL! I LOVE fall. I love the scents, colors, changing weather (from TOO HOT to breath to oh it's getting cooler!)... I can wear my favorite colors without feeling like I'm going to roast, and without getting strange looks from people!

Liam, our shepherd, is a year old now. We have no clue how old Bear (Newfie/Lab) and Honey (Lab/Shep/Rat Terrior) are but they are all healthy and happy and get along great. Bear is big enoug that he can reach the back of the counters if he so chooses to. I need to try and save up for a kit from the Dogfather (dogfather.tv I think) and collars/leashes for all three. They all would be really good dogs if I could just train them better. Bear does not like it when the kids are outside and he can't see them. He'll stand looking out the window and start barking. I feel safer with these three around. :) This neighborhood is ok, it's quiet and peaceful for the most part, but... I feel safer with them around. Liam will prowl the house at night as if making rounds, and so will Bear on occasion. right now Honey is in her crate at night but she is getting house broken so... sometime soon....

I am working on a quilt for our oldest (she is working on it with me), PJ's for J (our son), and I need to cut out fabric for a skirt and a couple dresses for B (12 YO DD), and a skirt or two for me. One might be a patchwork skirt in browns and green of some suede look material I have. But anything that will work! I think I have enough material to also make J a shirt too...I am hoping so. They all need clothes and I need a couple more skirts. I want to make us all aprons (though the girl's and my aprons will be... more female looking! LOL) for when we cook, clean, etc. Keep our clothes nicer.

I am also getting the kids started in lessons again. Math, reading, hist, grammar on Mon, Wed, and Fri... Math, reading, spelling on Tues andThurs. Chore chart... need to get that done. I am praying for more students because I truly need them. I am behind on a few utilities, desperately trying to get caught up! It's rather scary, and I am trying REALLY hard to fully rely on God.

Sold some ornaments. But I need to sell some more stuff. Will be adding soap (basic BASIC soap for now) to our webpage after we get some bars done .. Might try to do that sometime this week if it keeps staying cool like this. It's been raining since Friday and right now we've got our windows open and I'm sittin here listening to DH snore and the rain pour down. Flooding in several areas was being reported this evening on the news. Praying for my mom and dad and MIL.... MIL's house flooded a few years back when it rained and rained... praying it does NOT do that again...

And now I had better call it a night. I hope to be blogging more, and being more active in a few of the groups I am in... Other groups.. well, I may either just be a lurker or go ahead and say bye (but not craftersamongus and a couple others! Like y'all TOO much! :) hehe)...Night and God bless!

My day of doing nothing

Well today I did nothing...
REALLY!
I canceled my students today (had 2 families and they were very understanding) and tried to fight this cold. Or whatever it is.
Stuffy head, sneezing, just generally not feeling good. No, not the flu! I think it's a head cold trying to happen because of allergies. It's coming on to fall after all. Spring and fall are my favorite times of the year (other than winter!) because the temps are tolerable and I LOVE the smells of fall! Pumpkin pies, cranberries, cider, cookies.... Y'all get the idea! So why is it that fall and spring also bring along allergies for me? NO FAIR!
So I drank hot tea and water and rested. By resting I mean I played on facebook for a while, got to chat with some friends online, took a long nap, played a game on neopets (my kids have signed up on the website, and the game was kinda fun!) and read a bit and looked at what I wa wanting to do in the way of a schedule and for lessons (as in what books we needed, what books we had, and what books I need to print off from the Robinson curriculum CD's I have)and also sat and watched a movie with my kids!
I think I needed the down time and the rest. I do feel better.
Now it's eleven PM and I need to make sure to continue getting the rest that I know I need! So, night y'all!

Opening books time!

I don't like to call what we do as "school" because I only liked the music and art and SOME of the English classes when I was in school. Hated math, history was never exciting except for the one year I had a teacher who loved history and wanted her students to love it too, and science...well, I always got stuck with the dissecting part because I wasn't squamish and didn't want to "hurt my nail job."
So, it's high time we got back into the "groove" of opening math books and the Mystery of History book (vol 1) and grammar and spelling books. Haha. I'm thinking of going ahead and using Mindsprinting for math for one child. I need to get her to take the assessment test and see what she is. I am concerned that she has discalcula just like I do (that is dyslexia with numbers by the way) because she has such a HARD time with math and a hard time memorizing her multiplication facts and the like. I guess this year I need to try and see if I can't teach her some of the short cuts that I learned on my own and try to make math a bit easier for her. The next item on the agenda is to see if our son is matured enough now to start learning more words and learning to read more. I KNOW he knows more than he lets on, but he gets frustrated and I need to learn how to make it "fun".... besides me and his sisters and his daddy reading to him all the time! LOL He LOVES that.
Amid all of that, I need to get some work done in the house, do some sewing, some crocheting, coat the finished ornaments and let them dry so I can SEND them, and also work outside in the garden (if it does not rain). I SO hope it rains actually! We need rain badly. Otherwise I will need to really, REALLY water the tomatos and the watermelon vine and the grapes and the blackberry.... the lavender.... rosemary... roses... LOL Adding more and more to water each year!
Have a BLESSED day and .... let's DANCE for the Lord today! It will improve our moods!

It's all in the sauce!

I hope I am doing this right! LOL But, this looks so interesting!

Crafters helping crafters

http://www.handmadenews.org/article/index.php?id=3491
Joyce is one of the members of a crafters group on yahoo that I am in, and she was diagnosed with tumors in her brain and lungs. She has an Etsy account, and her friends on Etsy got together and are working on trying to get people to come together to buy her merchandise (which is some REALLY beautiful jewelry!) and maybe even buy from some others who are giving certain amounts from each sale to her to help her pay bills and pay for medical treatments.
And, please keep her in your prayers for healing and remission and for the cancer to GO AWAY and never come back!