Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Too late to turn back now

Jer checking it out.
Drew "helping" Jay with an equipment shed...

Work is progressing on the new house. The foundation is complete and the outside frame walls are coming tomorrow. The next week or so change will come quickly. Framing goes up quickly, but the inside works takes more time. I am both excited and sobered as my time in my "old" home grows shorter. So much living has happened here. Familiar does feel safe. Change brings adventure and new life.
Jer is done with school. We visited the school in Indiana today and Jer seemed pleased. The kids were all pleasant, plus they had sundaes as a treat after lunch. A bonus Jer did not mind.
We rode the horses until dark. Jer was showing me a few new tricks. I was "jumping" the pony over like three inch poles. Except for feeling like I was falling off; it was fun. In a super scary kind of way. Only peed myself once. ha. ha.
Time for sleep. Up too late. Oh, Dory was bred again this Saturday past. We will know if it works in another week and a half or so.
God is stepping a few sin areas. Ouch, but the knife is kind.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

More Pics

KalebDrew Allen
Kaleb
Drew Allen

From the weekend in Ohio

Jer n Jasper Mia and Rose



Monday, May 19, 2008

Family Allen Kimmel

Home At Last Still at the hospital
Check out the four inch drool drip hanging from his chin
Reach for the stars
I had the honor and privilage of traveling to the city, Pittsburgh, with Allen and Stacey to pick Drew Allen from the hospital. Kaleb went with us and gets the baby of the year award. Never have I experienced a year old wee one be so good for such long tedious day. I mean it was exciting and fun for us grown ups, but to be sitting in a stoller or car seat for ten plus hours, sheww. Today I was a very proud and happy grandma, proud of the grown kids and the tickled to pieces by the wee ones. God's Grace abounded and His Joy rose high.

Friday, May 16, 2008

New Kimmel Kid


Allen and Stacy welcomed their newest son into the world early Tuesday morning. Drew Allen Michael Kimmel is a small 6lb 5oz rooming in at Magee Woman's Hospital in Pittsburgh. He has to stay until at least Monday, so far he has done real well. He was taken off the IV today. Allen says he is good. He and Stacey have been staying in Pittsburgh and Bev has Kaleb.

No, I have not been down to see him, and yes, I feel like a shmuck. I have been so tired this week I can hardly do what I need to let alone make a trip to the City. I had to go to Jer's school today, take the cat to the vet, nap...oh and eat at Bruno's. I will post a picture as soon as I have one.


The picture above is an older one but is of the first two Kimmel grand kids. Cute huh?

Ben is doing OK, going house hunting this weekend. Ned is in Cleveland and then off to Kentucky to visit the Caldwell extended family. He will be gone about six days or so. On Monday he begins his internship with David Altrogge. Seems like my family is growing bigger and better every day. Jer only has a few more days of school. I need an answer as to where to send him to school next year. I visited Seeds of Faith, the new Christian school in Indiana on Thursday. We love the folks at his current school though, and it is cheaper, and he has a bus pick him up at the front door. But, at Seeds of Faith, Debbie Caldwell would be his Middle School teacher with grades 6, 7, and 8 in one class. He would be with older kids instead of younger.

OK, off to sleep for me.
Oh, and my filly is doing well in Uniontown, but no fluids have been ordered for her yet. Tomorrow I am going to Ohio to see Mia, my other filly and see when I can bring her home.

Jer is snoring on my shoulder and my hand is falling asleep. Agghh! My family is growing.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Happy Mother's Day


I am so very glad to be a mom. I am also very blessed to have had a great mom, and a great mother-in-law. I am sad and miss them this time of year, but I am reminded that our time apart is only temporary. My mom has been gone almost seventeen years. I am tempted to grieve over all she has missed in my children's lives. Ned was only four, Jer not even a thought, Randy years from finding our home. So many adventures have come and gone; rejoicing and deep grieving. Still the Savior who prepared in advance a room for my mother, has held my heart and my home in His Hand. From her mansion in the sky it is my hope that she with the rest of the cloud of witnesses is able to look down and smile as I finish raising my kids and continue along the Road of Life laid before me.

Sleepy Saturday


I am doing something I never get to do. Saturday morning and I am lying in my bed drinking coffee, eating a bagel, and reading the online news. Jer did the barn chores. Drew made me a pot of coffee before he left for his morning chores, and I am just being lazy. We were out late last night; taking Dory to Uniontown. My vet Erin has a farm she services down there where the owner Alan Shaffer has 50 of his own mares plus those he breeds for others. He raises Standardbreds; harness racers. But he will keep Dory for the next few weeks and take care of all the breeding stuff that I have been doing. Erin is there three days a week anyway so I will save some on vet bills. I have to pay board for her and that will cost a bit, but in the long run it will be far less stressful for me so that is worth a buck or two. AND there will not be a lot of semen chatter on my end.
My house is progressing; the foundation is complete. When it quits raining Dave will come and begin the framing, which is a very exciting development. I have not been up there as much this week so I do not have any new pictures. I will work on that this weekend.
My baby calf is out in the pasture with his mama and all the other cows. He seems to be doing well. We still have several cows due to calf, but they seem to very far behind the others. A bit aggravating because it is much better if they are all on sort of the same schedule/cycle.
Well, I got a phone call and now I need to get up and get busy. I have a wedding shower and then Hannah's graduation today; thats why I have been lazin around this morning since it will be a no nap day.
This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it.

i

Thursday, May 08, 2008

returning soon local channels

,been sooo tired, that when I lay the laptop on my lap the warm bottom lulls me to sleep. Vic knows. I am in the barn, but I have to get back to work, and run my little helper home. Perhaps later I will get a chance to record this week's heavy musings.

Friday, May 02, 2008

More Cement Blocks

Almost done
Our baby calf is doing better. We may let him and his mama out with the others later this weekend if he continues to improve. He is still weak and somewhat wobbly but is more alert and more active, even evading Drew as he chased after him to administer a shot of antibiotics. Now if that wasn't a sight!
We still have seven cows who should calf, but it may be that at least one maybe two of them are empty. No baby in the belly. Our bull had to be put down earlier this spring and he may have been losing strength as the season progressed last summer. Time will tell. But the grass is all greened up and the girls are all happy munching on God's natural nutrition. Speaking of natural, I have been back to the osteopathic DR I had visited a month ago and got all the scoop from the 28 tubes of blood and gallon of pee. Good and bad. That will have to come when I have at least half a brain. Enough said that I was greatly encouraged but have a pile of supplements to order. Iodine levels, and female hormones are way out of whack. Go figure. Otherwise, I should live to be 100. Has me on expensive antivirals to combat possible source of MS type symptoms. I am so sick of feeling crummy, I would drink....almost anything.
I have been a lazy writer this week. Fatigue and busyness has overwhelmed me a bit. Dory, my filly, is not pregnant. Found that out earlier this afternoon. Very disappointing after all we have been through last year. We were going to try again early next week but I think I am going to wait until her next cycle. I am just not up to the emotion or energy of it all. I want to give her a chance to come into heat on her own too, instead of using hormones. We may have been to eager this first go-round. I have two months or cycles, besides the current one, left in this breeding season; I want to make sure I give her and me the best chance we have. Each attempt, even though I have already paid for the semen, costs several hundred dollars. So the whole ordeal is taxing in a many ways.
Our foundation is almost complete. The block layers hope to finish Monday or Tuesday. Then comes the fun part, watching the frame go up. Thanks to you who have been encouraging and praying for me. All this is very wonderful, but a lot for me to take on all at once. By the time we leave our current home I will have lived in in for almost 23 years. Almost half my life. In some ways all my life. God's Time, His Plan, His Gracious Wisdom.