Here's another project in the works.

A baby afghan of Lion Brand Homespun.

At the rate I'm going, the baby will need a wedding gift instead.

Sock Progress

My cousin Jan sent me some wonderful "Sock It To Me" yarn last summer. I started these "Socks 101" socks.

Here's the progress on the first sock. I'm a little slow because of having to support the family while Virgil's in school.

I should have more time when school's out to finish these.

I'm trying to get progress bars to show on my blog.

Check out Jan's blog at www.theworkofherhands.blogspot.com

Plowing

Have pictures--will post!
Here, Virgil plows the garden with a tractor borrowed from the neighbor. The garden's about the size of a football field. Hopefully, we can get it all planted. Then, hopefully, we can keep the deer from eating everything.

Mowing

Josiah decided to mow the fields today.
Doesn't it just remind you of Green Acres?

Easter Photo

I just have to post this Easter portrait of myself with my little nieces--Sarah and Rachel.

The Pond is Full!

Even though the water is still pretty muddy, Josiah tried to get in, but it was very cold. However, he did throw the dog in. She swam out very fast, shook, and rolled in the grass. I think she was really grateful for the spring bath.

Fire!

The gas line men started a fire with a spark from their pipe cutter. The whole fire department had to come out to make sure it was extinguished. Josiah rests on the four-wheeler after the ordeal. He helped put it out with some jugs of water. I was busily trying to string hoses together to spray the roof. Nothing like a dry run to make you see how unprepared you are for disaster. When I tried to call 911, the dispatcher told me I had the wrong number! Then when the fire department came, they said they had trouble finding our farm because we don't have our address on the mailbox.

Josiah Digs

Josiah decided to dig a hole today, and asked where I wanted one.

I told him I would like a pond at the spring.

He dug 2 hours and hit bedrock. I hope it holds water.

Maybe we'll have ducks.

Kylie Colors Easter Eggs

My little grandaughter spent the week with me. She was very busy sewing, painting, and cleaning.

Unschooling Quotes

I browse the Radical Christian Unschoolers discussion board so you don't have to.
Here's some favorite quotes from recent discussions:

' I think for some reason when we begin to *homeschool*, that whole word carries connotations of forcing our kids into perfect little *homeschool* molds, so the world will applaud and praise our "products", which I've begun to see is steeped in pride and pleasing man. '

'Date: Wed, 08 Mar 2006 23:28:22 -0000 From: "Lynn Coalson" <lynnatbeach@bellsouth.net> Subject: I am getting it!
Hi Everybody, Well, you all know from the rather long intro I wrote several weeks ago, that we are transitioning from unit studies into Unschooling. I am SO excited I just want to share this with someone who really "Gets It!" OK, so while we've been deschooling from a unit study co-op, I have been in the reading and researching mode, which gave Jenny time to just breathe, and be.And play!I was so busy schooling her she didn't have time to just play!Even though our homeschool was a fun and happy experience most of the time, we were too busy for play. The Lord showed me a long time ago that Jenny works through her life lessons through play.Oh Lord- I repent for all the times I have interrupted the serious work of her play to do some frivolous school stuff!I cringe when i think of all the times I missed it, because of my busy agenda. ouch! Well, God opened the eyes of my heart and guess what I saw?? He showed me how Jenny is developing her own ways of dealing with
the challenges of dyslexia- through play. Her own ways-ie His way. I mentioned before that she has been on this roller blade choreography thing lately.Well, she was recently put into a more advanced ballet class. This means she has to execute longer combinations of choreography.This is a big challenge for her. While cleaning up the yard one evening, after a day of roller blade "performances", I came upon the white board and markers she left next to a tree . On the white board she had drawn a diagram of our street where she rollerblades, complete with trees, storm drains, and other landmarks. By each landmark was a picture and a word like twirl, arabesque, etc. She had drawn her choreography in pictures. She drew it in the way her brain sees it ; in the way she can best learn it! By playing, she was developing ways to memorize longer sequences.Cool huh! There's more! I set aside the math book where she'd been "learning" fractions fractions and more fractions. ugh She's been playing with a wooden geometric puzzle where you arrange little colored triangles into a quilt like pattern-there is no one way to do this-you can make countless patterns. She has also been playing with magnetix -litle magnetic bars and marbles you connect to make shapes.And baking! Measuring and reducing the recipies because there are only 3 of us home now. Yesterday- she decided she wanted to complete her math book. So she wrote out daily assignments for herself, for the entire month. My first thought was "Oh no, we just failed unschooling" Or could it be that maybe, all the "playing" with parts of a whole, and connecting those little magnetix , attached a new meaning and connection to the math book fractions? My prayer is and hopefully will remain"Oh Lord, keep me diligent and alert-don't let me miss your plan, by being too busy with my plan!"
Lynn '