This week....

This week has been a humdinger of one, that's for sure!  Due to a ear breaking loud thunderstorm, which frightened the dogs immensely, they broke the gate to their fenced in area of the yard.  They have had quite a bit of fun terrorizing the neighbors (we later found out), but they now have a new home...expensive, but sound.  They won't be able to break free, chew it down to the nub or any other sort of destructive thing they have done with the wooden fence.  So far, Bailey hasn't even tried to dig out.  I don't think she will as long as her water dish is full.  We were quite blessed to find a used igloo house for $25.00 on Craigslist, as we needed a second one. There is a silver lining to this...now that we have more yard space and a more secure area from the dogs, we now have a place for chickens!  yeah!!  I can now become a homesteading, garden chic!

If this were the only glitch in the budget, then all would be well (all is still well, we just have no more savings) but, the transmission went out in the truck and Barry's large walk behind mower in two consecutive days!!

Tender Mercies came....we found a good truck, within our price range and we are able to get the mower fixed too. (This is still in the works)

It took the money we had saved to fix our heat source this winter, but, I'm bound and determined to get it fixed too, so it's a beans and rice, rice and beans diet for us and we'll save the money for the gas furnace and build food storage again later next year.

Another tender mercy was that just two weeks ago, I was able to fill our depleted deep freezer with rock bottom prices on ground turkey 40#'s at $1.33 and ~ 10 London Broil roasts for $.1.99 a #.  I also picked up chicken and various pork, also for rock bottom prices.

With all that food we'll be fine and I'll still have warm lovely heat this winter!

 This little lovely girl is growing out of her diapers.  I will be making cloth ones soon and that will mean more dresses.  She grew out of these cute bib overalls so I cut off the bottoms and added a skirt.  Right now I'm working on another one.  ......Ta-dah, I've finished it.  My need to 'create' has been fulfilled for today....take a look...pretty darn cute, if you ask me.

For the past month, the girls and I have been working hard to get ready for school this year.  We're making these planner booklets, Nature Studies books and a copy/dictation book for Delaney.  

I'm also working on lesson plans and schedules.

We've begun getting up at 7:30 am to read scriptures with or without Barry.  After hearing a talk about the importance of family scripture reading,--mostly the importance of consistency (From a quote by Elder Bednar) I've decided that I need to get over my insecurities and desire to only have family scriptures when we are a complete family.  Because of this, family scripture reading was always a hit and miss scenario in our family....now it is not.  

The other morning, as Delaney was reading about the 'corruptness" of the people Delaney kept saying Kaput instead of Corrupt ....we all laughed and enjoyed the moment.  Really, both words could fit quite well.  A corrupt nation is a kaput nation! (or people).

I canned 10 quarts of homemade tomato soup concentrate yesterday.  Mmmmm, it should taste delicious this winter!  

Well, that about covers the past two weeks.  The mowing business is going strong....too strong. The rain keeps coming and is making it hard to keep up with all the customers.  There have been plenty of days that the mowing crew has been rained out.  But, we won't complain.  All this is helping to build $$'s for missions...(if the mowers would stop breaking.)  Every single mower (total of 4) have some sort of issue.  But we really do see the Lords hand in helping us. 

 All is well that ends well...if it isn't well, then it isn't done!