2005-02-01 - 10:32 p.m.

January 31, 2005

Quote for the day: A Prayer For My Son Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory�Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, and the meekness of true strength. Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, "I have not lived in vain."
-General Douglas MacArthur

I carefully fill the bucket with corn and make my way to the electric fence all the while all I hear is �BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Very loudly! It echoes in my mind. It can give a person a horrible headache if you�re tired and it�s coming from not just one but over 30 goats and sheep.

I throw over the corn and some hay too and then I walk at a fast past so that lamb chop wont follow me I turn the water on, grab some Alfa and go over the fence walking hurriedly so those goats and sheep don�t see me and try to follow me.

If they see me they cry �BAAAAAAAAAAAAA! Run for me and I have to chase them off cause then I am at the chicken coop by then and I have to turn off the electric there and they know this and try to jump over it once its off and they know, they know!!!!

That there is corn and food in the chicken feeder once in I will have a heck of a time trying to get them out again. Namely the goats! But then if you read my Diary notebook often you know it�s always the goats!

So it�s not just this routine that I have to endure every day which I don�t mind, but it�s the FRICKEN cold lately that has me scowling! This is Texas we don�t get cold so what is this????

If I didn�t have so many things to do I wouldn�t mind it so much. Today I had to go to store I was out of major things. I hated having to bundle up the kids and take them out in the bitter weather.

Son pleaded with me to stay home. He loves to be home. This Sunday it was cold and we all just sat watching the cold wind blow and the rain fall and we were all in our jammies most the day after chores of course and just relaxed playing our favorite games and was cozy and warm in our home.

Cold weather makes me want to hibernate like a bear. This house is a lot more warmer then the other house. I remember days when we huddled in the living room the kids and I had two small heaters on as well trying to keep us warm from the draft of the old house.

We did today �Walk away the pounds with walking & kicking video. I bought it for $10.00 at Walmart. I really liked it and Randy and I did the full 30min.

I guess this is considered her PE and my workout. We laughed trying to keep up; all the while Tommy was on my computer on a new toddler game. We will do it tomorrow too, it seemed like it took forever but it was only 30min.

At the Home and Garden show in San Antonio a couple of weeks ago we bought us a new blender. Not just any old blender but a vitamix! We have been wanting one of these for years ever since we saw them at our first Home and Garden show.

We have been making soups and ice cream with it along with my own recipe shakes. I put in one banana, some crushed ice, a dab of honey, about � of my lactose free fat free milk and 4 small carrots. Its orange but its yummy. Reminds me of an orange Julius drink almost.

Since the first week we have had it I lost all the pounds that I had gained during the holidays. I sure hope it keeps working hehe and I don�t get tired of it.

Well today is a proud day for my husband and I he came home with his yearly evaluation. He did extremely well and we will be getting about the same bonus that he got last year. The bonus is based on the yearly evaluation. Its also a time to determine if he gets a pay raise or not.

He make a 6% increase in his pay for next year which came out to about $4000 more a year. He was the only senior to get this increase so high. I am still baffled after all these years that he gets Christmas bonus of money and bonus and pay raises.

Its not that I don�t think he doesn�t deserve it, he sure does! I guess I am baffled cause working for the library system for years I had never got pay raises so high or yearly bonus I just didn�t know it was done hehehe.

They also increased his disability this year only about $20.00 a month but hey I am not complaining. He deserves that too with all the pain he had to endure with his back this year.

I tell you it�s going to come in handy with our septic tank that we have to redo for $3000.00 ouch! And buy a new tractor, which by the way we are waiting on word on getting a Holland tractor from a local dealer. I should hear from him tomorrow keep your fingers crossed for us.

We are using some cash for this, but mostly credit. It�s a loan for 4years low interest. We want to use the cash for other things like fixing up the roof for our processing center, getting our garden set up and more fence put up.

*Update we got the loan for tractor now he only offered us $900 for old tractor I think we will put it in paper to see if we get more for it instead.

January almost over - Scie Fie Friday