"HP" update

Here is what I have so far!!! Subject to change!!! This is my first draft.

My personal commandments:

1. Always be AMY!!

2. Say what I mean... Mean what I say.

3. Act exactly how I want to feel.

4. Be more flexible.

5. I am in control of my life.

6. Find fun everywhere I can!!

7. Speak with confidence... no matter what, or who.

8. Take time for "me"... and relax.

9. Dont take it personally.

10. Make time for excercise and always eat healthy.

Happiness Project

I have decided to begin my own "Happiness Project".

I will spend the next few months setting up my goals and my own personal commandments. Setting my goals into action. Committing to resolutions and sticking with them. Finding insperations and the secrets to adulthood!!
I am actually pretty excited about this!!

I have come to realize that ther are still so many things that I want to experience and accomplish. And well, it isnt just going to happen sitting back and waiting!!

My first big step is committing to my diet. I have been doing good with the calories side of things... and I will admit, "My Fitness Pal" and my "pals" on there have been great!! Since starting less than a week ago... I am down a pound.
Now... to make sure I do the excercise side of things! I am signing up for my belly dancing classes! I am soooo excited about that. I am sure I will make an ass out of myself... but I dont care. I will imbrace my jiggly, foolish self and have a good time with it!

So keep checking out my blogs for my "HP Updates"!! I will be finalizing my personal commandments in the upcoming days and sharing them!

Now, I dont want ppl to misunderstand what is happening here. My first and most important personal commandment is "To always be Amy"
So if ppl are reading and hoping that this in some way was going to change who I am... WRONG!!! ;-)

OK... that is really all I have time for tonite. I have to go and get animals in for the nite and rotate eggs and all those other nite time "procedures" I have...LOL

More on this later!

HOT!

I can not believe how hot it got yesterday!!! WOW!!

Things have been hectic, as usual, around here. We surely wouldnt have it any other way... LOL

Stacy spent the weekend putting down our new hardwood bedroom floor! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!!! Of course, it made the ugly wall paper look even worse... so Britt and I ripped it down! :-) Yesterday, while down in Harrisburg for PSSA tests... I ran to Home Depot and had paint mixed. I opted for the master bedroom color I had in my old house... I really liked that green. I also picked a nice trim color that should really accent the floor!

I am even more irritated over my mother lately. Having to see her around every turn SUCKS!!! Plus knowing she is trying to leach off my grandparents makes me want to PUKE! GET A JOB ALREADY! Ah, wont even go there.

Courtney has been up to her usual self lately... It has been "painful" around here in regards to her... to say the least. I am not sure what is going to happen with her as the year comes to the end... but I do know I cant continue like this for much longer.
I have to focus more attention on Nathan lately. His ADD and learning disabilities have been taking alot of energy... from me. I started putting together his lessons... and printing everything on blue paper. The blue paper has really helped... and I am noticing blue letters on white paper dont make much of a difference. Such a learning process for ME! LOL!!
I just want him to succeed... even if I have to give up hours on my weekends to put together his week of courses and work. Small price to pay in the big picture!
Now to find a better way to do vocabulary... but I think I dug up some ideas. Will give it a try once I have some time to sort it out.

Stacy and I have been going back and forth lately about our future goals and how to obtain them. This is going to get interesting! LOL!! But, in the end... I KNOW we will be where we want to be! :-)
I am sure it will piss some ppl off in the process... but I dont really care.

We are still hatching duckling!! Filling orders as they pop out! LOL!!
I think more privacy fence is in our future! The neighbors are still having issues staying out of OUR space... even tho we made damn sure we dont touch THEIR space!! Unbelievable that a 6 ft privacy fence isnt enough to keep the crazy out!!! I will be updating the look of our fence sometime in the near future. ;-) I want to fence in the upper yard next... so I know my ducks and bunnies are safe. I just dont trust them... plus they have weird rodents living in their falling down garage up there!

Oh... more things have been added to CL!!
The extra bronco seats we have will FINALLY find a new home!! I want to clear shit out of here!

OK... I guess that sums up life around here.

I am ready for a little bit of rain... all of the wild fires we have been having are sad and scary!! Plus it will be motivation to get some things done IN the house!!

Another home school day in the books

(I started this alot earlier today... Just never got it finished or posted)

We finally finished up the school day. We had a lot on the schedule today... so it took a bit longer than usual. PLUS, Nathan visited Grandma Sarah... and his Dad says candy at Grandma Sarah's is a-ok...GRRR!!! I guess he forgets what Nathan is like on artificial colors!!!! Lucky me... day from hell!

Seriously, no one could ever understand all I go through with these kids. Constantly researching and reading up on things to do and try... to help in some way.

Printing his work on blue pages or in blue ink seems to be helping a lot! Now the problem is getting him to use the blue 'filter' when he has to read out of his text books.
I am also having an issue with out side interferences. Today he insisted on wrapping a blanket around him while doing his work... NEVER again. He just couldnt focus on his work... the blanket was too much of a distraction. So we had a 10 minute ordeal when I told him to go put on socks and a sweat shirt!!
Tomorrow I will make sure he is dressed in a way that is comfy for him temp wise, before he even starts his school day.
It is seriously hard for me to remember ALL of these little bits and pieces of things from day to day.

I cant complain too much... Nathan had a SUPER day yesterday!!! Just wish we could have more days like that.

Courtney's day wasnt that great tho. I picked her up and took her over to the CMU for the Jeremy Project meeting. She is still fighting it every step of the way. But she knows she does not have an option... just wish she would put on a happy face and suck it up! LOL... I guess I ask for too much!!!

After her goal meeting... as I was leaving... I had the unfortunate 'pleasure' of seeing my 'mother'... BLAH BLAH BLAH... Again... I HATE that she is living up here!!!!! And this county is not nearly big enough for the both of us!!!
That is all I am going to say about that topic.

My head is NOT happy with all of the ham intake this week. I am about sick of the migraine!!! It sucks... because I really do love ham... it just doesnt like me one damn bit. Easter is probably about the only time I make ham all year... and boy, I make sure to hit every recipe possible with the left overs! LOL!

Sprocket managed to "steal" my cups that I started my corn in!!! Dirt all over... cups out in the dog yard! He is soooo bad... it is a good thing he is cute!

We should have ducks hatching sometime this week into next week!! I have the broader box all cleaned out and set up... waiting for them!
I also found the "sock diaper" diagram to try with which ever duck will be chosen for our house duck! Hoping my allergies will allow it.

Ok... time to get this day over with!! I need some cuddle time.

Back to "the grind"

Here we are... Easter break is now officially OVER and we are back to school and day to day chores and chaos!
It has been a fairly quiet morning so far. Nathan and Brittany are both hard at work on their lessons and I am taking a moment to blog! LOL!

Yesterday was an eventful day. I listed a bunch of things on CL and FB yard sales. I managed to get the old bathroom vanity sold... and waiting for pick up. If they dont get here soon... I will be moving on to the next person on the list!

We moved the chicks up to the coop yesterday too. We ended up losing 2 since getting them... hoping that will be all we lose!! They really seemed to like the 'freedom' of the coop, compaired to the brooder box! I have the heat lamp up there with them for now.

HoBo climbed on the patio table yesterday and got ahold of Nathan's gum!! Sugar free, of course...which means TOXIC to dogs!! I swear, that dog is going to drive me crazy!!!!
We spent 45 minutes making sure he threw it all back up... what a fun time that was. Although, Nathan was adorable... trying to "talk" HoBo threw it!!! LOL!!!! He LOVES that dog.

I went and spent some time at the old house yesterday. Pulled weeds, raked leaves, planted some pretty flowers. I want to get some paint on the interior walls yet... and fix the 2 broken windows.
I spoke to the realtor yesterday... we some how need to figure out how to take a loss on that house just to 'unload' it. Time to get creative, I guess.
Once that house is gone... we can move foward on other goals!!! :-D I just want to be able to sit back and enjoy more time with my family... and doing things we all love to do! Property up north is so close... I can taste it!!!

I got some signs out yesterday. Time to take the shop up a notch. I think we are in a better place with schooling that I can give up a little more time to my shop!! Already the phone is ringing...which is so exciting!!! 2 little signs made an impact!! I really didnt think it would.
Now to figure out what other day I will devote to the shop. Hmmmmmm....

Today I will be making my ham and green beans! And clearing our some more clutter that has found its way to the corner of our dining room!! BLAH... clutter!!!

I was really shocked that EVERYONE finally got the hint about our thoughts and feelings on CANDY and our kids!!! I am sooooo thankful!!! It sucks being the bad guy and taking the shit and throwing it away. My kids just cant have it. The dyes and preservatives just arent healthy and have a negative affect on them. It isnt fair to them to give them stuff that makes them feel like shit! No brainer... really!!

Ok... time to move on with my day. I have been fighting the war on flies... and I think I am finally getting somewhere...LOL

Hope everyone enjoys the sunny day... while it lasts. We REALLY need the rain!!! I cant believe all of the mountain fires in the area lately!

My Birthday!

Yesterday was an absolutely AMAZING day!!!
I was a bit depressed to start out. The last think I wanted was another birthday! I have so many things I have yet to accomplish... and obviously, time isnt standing still.

Anyway...
Thanks to my awesome kids and hubby... it turned out to be one of my best birthdays yet!!

We packed up the truck and headed up to Sullivan County!! GPS in hand!
It is still a sad sight up that way... since all of the flooding. Some people have made their way back and are rebuilding... some are not, as you can see by all of the torn apart homes and buildings... wrapped with yellow caution tape. So unbelievable how hard they were hit.
We started off with a cemetary cache... our favorite!! Beautiful views from that one. Then we headed UP the mountain... OFF ROAD!! Yes, I LOVE my truck!!!! We ended up on the top of a mountain for cache #2... and finding away around a fence to get to it. LOL!! While we were up there, we decided to pull out our kites!!!! OMG... My kite is sooooo awesome!!!! I had so much fun!!!! My grandfather use to take me kite flying when I was a little girl... he would have been proud had he seen me yesterday...lol!
Once we had enough of that... we headed to cache #3 which was by a lake! There we had our first injurty of the day... that award goes to Nathaniel! He took a nice little slide down a big kill... just ended up with skinned up hands, he was lucky. We did find the cache... which was no where close to being where the clue stated... but it was soooo much fun finding it!!!
Then we decided to take a lunch/dinner break, since it was close to 2. FORKSVILLE GENERAL STORE!!!! I LOVE IT THERE!!! We totally recommend the 'Dirty Jersey Fries'! And shame on us for taking my truck through the covered bridge... we were cutting the weight limit kinda close. Oh, while we were there... I got new stickers for the truck and the car!! :-)
We went after a few other caches after eating... 2 we didnt find, and one we did. And we managed to set up the camera for a nice family shot.
I think we WILL be making another trip to find the Ogres and Trolls cache... but I am thinking that one got washed away in the flooding.
Our trip home landed us at a DQ... and looking at a HUGE full moon!!!

I am sore as hell today... LOL!!! I cant believe how sore my arms are from flying the kite!!!! WOW!!! I knew we were flying in some strong, gusty winds... but holy moly!!!

So, here I am today... reflecting on how much I LOVE my kids and hubby... and truck. How lucky I am to have what I have in my life... And it would appear that I have accomplished a whole hell of alot in my 36 yrs of life!!!

Stacy and I are strongly thinking about our next steps... where the next chapter will take us...
And we are all pretty excited about it!!! :-D

A moment of silence!

Ahhh... do you hear that??? No?!? Well, that is because there is NOTHING to hear at the moment!!! ;-)
The dogs are all laying down... napping. Stacy left with the kids. He and Courtney have hair appts, and after they are heading to the store.
This means I can enjoy some quiet time!!

We are all caught up on school work... and ready to enjoy a few days off for Easter break!
I have been taking full advantage of the awesome weather... and hanging out laundry every day. Today we stopped to get wood to make my new clothes props... my others are SHOT!
I really wanted to get started on clearing out some clutter we have sitting around... just havent gotten to it yet.

The stress level around here has been through the roof lately. I will be sooooo glad when Courtney graduates!!! Geez... you would think it was MY senior year.
I have my mind pretty set on shipping her off to college!! We have talked it over... and found a good program for her. And it will be another one of those "sink or swim" type experiences for her. She will have to put 100% effort into it... and do all that is expected. They will not baby her like the high school does.
I am just so ready to be done with this crap.

I got my hands on some lavendar/white, silver/white, and blue/white Ancona duck eggs!!! I got them in the incubator now! I am pretty excited to see what we end up with, when they hatch. I can guarentee I wont be buying from these ppl again... almost half of my eggs ended up cracked in shipping! They were not packaged well AT ALL!!! I order eggs and have them shipped all the time... this is the first time I have ever gotten a bunch with so much damage. They better hope to God that when I candle them in a week... I have baby ducks growing!!!!!!!
I also switched my 'first to hatch' group of eggs over to my hatching incubator. Yes, it is a bit early for that... but I needed the room in my other incubator!! LOL!
I am to the limit so far this year! So far it appears I will have ALL of them hatching... but, we still have to get through the actual hatching... and we usually lose some then.

We took the kids kite flying again the other day. It was so much fun!! No ticks this time...LOL!! They all got nice, new kites for Easter... yes, I gave them out early. I really have to get caught up on getting pics put on line.

Stacy, Josh and Nathan finished splitting wood yesterday. We are already all ready for next winter! WOW... this is a first!!! I am so proud. Our coal bin is mostly full too... so we are set!

I looked out in the field today... I think it is time to get the kids out picking Dandelions for our next batch of wine. I am determined to make jelly this year too!! THe kids arent real thrilled about picking... but too bad. I swear... they are just too darn spoiled!! Everyone got new hair styles... which wasnt cheap... Soooo... they can get their butts out and pick some weeds for us!!! LOL

Tomorrow is my Birthday. I guess we are going to do some hiking and geocaching. I am up for whatever adventure Stacy comes up with. I just want to be out... enjoying the sun... and not worrying about a damn thing that is going on at our house!!!

I guess I better use this quiet time wisely, and start on next weeks lesson plannning!
And I have to go out and chase our chicks to bring them in. I let them out in the yard during the day... since it has been so nice, and just bring them in over nite when it gets cold. I am hoping to soon get them up in the coop.
It is so unbelievable how far ahead we are this year... since it has been so nice! ALL of my garden plants have sprouted... even my pea bushes are coming up already! I am feeling rather accomplished on the garden end of things.

Well... I hope everyone has an awesome Easter weekend!!