Chicken and Dumplings

Emily wanted to hear about things we ate growing up and this is my all time favorite. My mom made the best homemade chicken and dumplings. Then my sister Paula ran a close second when Mom refused. They are a real pain in the rear end, but they are GREAT!!! We are having chicken and dumplings tonight. Yes, Mom made them because I am ashamed to say that at 42, I still don't know how. Don't know how to make homemade biscuits either. There are some benefits to having your mom live with you. Chicken and dumplings is one of them!!!

Speaking of Mom, she is a blessing most of the time. She either keeps me laughing or in tears. She is becoming more and more like a child. We allowed her to keep this little stray dog that wandered up, in the house none the less. I bathed her and got rid of the fleas and she's a good dog. Mom has named her Baby. I can't tell you how many times she has sang this today:

How much is that doggie in the window,
the one with the waggly tail.
How much is that doggie in the window,
That doggie is not for sale.

Then she looks at Baby and says, "No, your not for sale are you Baby!!" I have laughed and laughed. She even called my brother to tell him that she has a puppy. It is hard watching the roles reverse, but sometimes it is really funny!

Blessings,
Kim

I Love Fall

This weather makes me so happy. I love the cool breeze and hearing the wind in the trees. That sound is so calming to me!! Even though it is the season that things are dying out, the freshness and crispness of the air is refreshing to me. Oh and I am so blessed to live on land with lots of trees, love the colors of fall.

Last night we went and had a bonfire with some friends. We roasted hot dogs and made smores!!! Yummy!! The kids played and played and played. It was such an enjoyable evening. Mom enjoyed it too. For those of you who don't know me, my 75 year old mom lives with me. We just drag her around wherever we go. She usually loves it.

Also, anyone who knows us, knows that we seem to attract stray dogs at our house. We just gained a momma dog this summer that was pregnant. We helped birth the puppies and it was great. Then they kept growing and we couldn't give them away. Finally had to take them to the Humane Society which broke my heart. But, they all had happy homes within a few days. Yet another female dog has wandered up. Well, my mom has become quite attached to it and wants to keep it. As Jimmy said last night, that battle was lost quickly. I guess we are going to keep her for Mom. She sat and held her under her blanket last night in front of the bonfire and just talked and talked to her. This could be a blessing if the dog will listen. She loves to talk and it is usually about the same subjects over and over.

I hope everyone enjoys this weather like I am.

Kim

Our Mini Vacation

Thank you all for welcoming me to the world of blogging. It has taken me a while to get back, only because of my KHAOS. I decided I need to set some goals for blogging if I am going to get anything done. I love the tickers, and have spent way too much time trying to find the perfect one. I want to tell you all about the State Fair. I want to organize the placements of my children with their goats and post them for the season. They will love that. I want to post pictures, and don't have a clue. Maybe my sweet husband can help me. Now, I have told you the things I want to share and I am going to try to get started.



We left last Wednesday and drove to Summit, MS. That is just south of Jackson. One of my dearest friends lives there and we went to visit her. I can remember when I met her, I babysat her toddler and infant. Now the toddler is a freshman in college and the infant is driving. It was so good to see them and how they have grown physically and in the Lord. I am so proud of them!! It was great being able to visit with the whole family.



Then we drove back to Jackson on Friday morning for the MS State Fair and Livestock Show. The resting was over and the work began. Someone had to be continually holding Gracie or she had to be in her stroller. She has started crawling and pulling up, so needless to say she was not too happy about being contained for two days! After only a few hours being there, I twisted my ankle and was pretty much out of commission. The goats had to be washed first. Then we blow their hair dry before we clip it. After the clipping, they get a goat pedicure. Just kidding, we have to trim their hooves. Then we have to get the kids cleaned up and dressed. Ryan and Ben both placed in their classes. I will post the placements later with all of the others. After showing one goat on Friday, they were off to another competition or two. First they did Goat Bowl Quiz. They are on teams of two and they compete against other teams to answer questions correctly. The boys had both studied for this for two weeks. Ben's team came in 3rd place!!!! This was a nice break because it was inside an air conditioned building. Back to the barn for judging competition. This teaches the kids decision making skills and giving reasons to back up their reasons. This is an independent activity. They learned a lot from this, I hope!! We finally got to the hotel about 8:30. Back up and going at 5:30. Ben shows his goat on Saturday.



Saturday afternoon and the children finally get to go to the fair. They spent more time deciding what to ride than they did standing in line!!! This fair is much cleaner and nicer than the one we have in Verona. After a fun afternoon at the fair we head home and arrive in about 9:00 pm. It was great to be home and back in church on Sunday morning.

Catching Up and State Fair

That's pretty funny!!! I never catch up! Does anyone? Come on, make me feel good! I know there is at least one more person out there besides me.

We will be leaving for State Fair in Jackson tomorrow. We are so excited because we get to go a couple of days early and visit with some friends that we don't get to see very often. That kind of catching up is FUN!!

Friday we will be going to show our goats, Pharoah and Cleopatra. Ryan will be showing Cleo on Friday in the Commercial Meat Goat Doe Show. Ben will be showing Pharoah Saturday in the Junior Market Goat Show. This is our first year to be involved in 4-H and we are really enjoying it. It is a lot of hard work, but fun too. The children have all done well in the little county shows, but I am afraid that we will be in for a rude awakening at State Fair. There will be many more goats and more experience also. I will post the results when we return.



Off to try to CATCH UP for now!!

Have a great day!
Kim