I went outside today and found that the kids were playing with our baby goat, Ashley.  She thinks that we are her mommy because we feed her goat milk three times a day.  She hangs out with the big goats now, but still likes to play with us.  This potentially could be a problem in the future when she grows... »

Taking my own advice about staying cool in the summer, my children and I were out in the garden early this morning.  Our objective was to dig up some potatoes and pick whatever else was ready.  Isaac, who is two years old, loves to dig for potatoes.  He squeals with delight with every one he finds.  He thinks that he... »

In my search to find household products without formaldehyde in them, I ran across several websites that discouraged the use of shampoo.  One only wanted people to use water to clean their hair.  I have to say that I was not quite comfortable trying this water-only method.  Several used baking soda and vinegar in many different ways.  Regardless of the... »

Texas might be famous for its love of football, but baseball is America's favorite pastime.  Texans love to play and/or watch this game at all levels.  Our Little League season is over finally.  I say finally for several reasons.  First, we started practicing in February.  The season has been riddled with interruptions.  We had a little over a week off... »

Have you ever wondered what people did before refrigeration?  What about before people canned with pressure cookers?  Can you imagine your life without a freezer?  Have you ever considered how ancient civilizations from all over the world did not just survive, but thrived without our modern conveniences?  Do you ever wonder why people in the United States suffer from such... »

When I first decided to home-school, I did it because I was a teacher in a local high school.  Even way out in rural America, our school was full of problems.  We had gangs, drugs, and a high teenage pregnancy rate to name a few issues that existed.  I remember walking the halls knowing that I did not want my... »

We had a hen who was smaller than the others and hen-pecked.  Chickens can be vicious to one another and she wore her battle scars.  She had lived her whole life bullied and beat up.  Then one day we noticed that she did not come to the coop at night to be shut in and protected by four secure walls. ... »

Years ago a friend of mine was pregnant with her first baby.  As most expectant mothers, she was suffering through morning sickness.  Knowing this, I asked her how she was feeling. She said, "Well, I feel sick, but I just keep remembering what you say." "What I say?" I asked wondering what comment I... »

Summer is here to stay for awhile anyway.  In this part of Texas, we do not have the traditional four seasons.  If you aren't paying attention to the subtle changes in weather, then you only think that we have hot and cold. We experience incredible humidity because of the Gulf of Mexico.  The humidity... »

It seems to me that most people have great ideas from time to time.  One is inspired to lead a different kind of occupation.  One invents a new and improved thingamajig.  Unfortunately, most of these ideas stay ideas.  They are fleeting thoughts and desires for something new and different. Now... »

As we come to the end of our sixth year of homeschooling, I thought I would share my children's favorite books from this year's studies.  They chose both read-alouds and readers that they would recommend to anyone wanting a good read during the summer.  A read-aloud is a book... »

As much as I love the springtime with the revival of nature, pests are also awakening and coming to life.  Three main pests really bother me: mosquitos, june bugs, and ants. When Hurricane Ike blazed through our area late last summer, we were inundated with mosquitos.  Electric service was out in most areas for days if not much longer.  Residents in... »

Last week I told you about how my sons, Clayton and Jake, built a deck for my father while being supervised by him.  Construction 101 must have been a great class.  It really inspired Jake to do another building project. Jake decided to build me... »

I thought that I would announce that I am in the process of putting together an e-book.  Since the diagnosis of wheat allergies in my family, I have trying to convert my old family recipes into wheat-free recipes.  My family has been the guinea pigs in this process and they vote if a recipe is cookbook worthy or not.  Let... »

Years after my husband and I built our house and moved to our homestead, we began to tire of living next to a surprisingly busy dirt road.  In addition, my husband was doing automotive work from home.  Therefore, we were having a steady stream of people popping up at our home at all... »