1-7-10 Second Try

Here we go again...this isn't as easy to use as it is to read, this blogland stuff...

Today was a mostly routine school day here, made a little more unusual by all the snow. Everyone was pretty motivated to get their schoolwork done and then get some fresh (COLD) air! They were all out so long that they really didn't spend much time in the shed at all, except Jesse, who was trying to make a snowplow for the 4 wheeler. I think he's hit some roadblocks in his project. Joshua was pretty good, considering his nose ran non-stop and was pretty red all day, and Kaitlyn, Sarah and Jewel are still schnotzing around, but overall I WILL NOT complain. Colds are NOTHING in the big picture of health, and even though they don't feel the best, they still have lots of smiles! Levi worked for Uncle Randy for awhile, helping him unload and sort new pigs; other than that we were all here all day. Oh yes, Jesse took the 4 wheeler to set his beaver trap but got so stuck in the snow that he spent the whole hour and a half he was gone getting unstuck!! He was pretty disgusted when he got back, and we purposed to order new tires for the 4 wheeler tonight...both of us forgot! And, sometime this morning, Jesse reported to me that the furnace room smelled like propane...this is a major crisis in my book!! Called Dad, called Hicksgas, they reassured me that the furnace room (with fire in the woodburner going strong) wasn't going to explode (my heart slowed down then), and had me (Jesse did it) check the outside tank and turn off the valve out there. The gauge showed that the tank was empty, which explained the smell, and after lunch they were out here to refill the tank. Whew, no wonder I'm getting gray.

Precision had their Winter Conference again today so Dad went in a little earlier to work the Registration desk. He's got a pretty good cold brewing so wasn't feeling the hottest. After work, he picked up Levi and dropped him off at Mike's Garage to bring the truck home, and then he continued on to Jerry's office to check on some CIT payroll issues. So we started supper without him again...he wasn't going to eat anyway because he enjoyed (again) the leftover steaks from the conference [smile]. After supper and baths we (some of us) enjoyed some wild wrestling (not me) and then a calm evening in the family room...until I went downstairs and noticed water running out from under the deep-freeze...not a good sign. Upon further investigation I deduced the water (???) was leaking from the sewer pipe which is on the wall behind the freezer. Another bad sign. Dad and Levi found the small leak and patched it up good with duck tape, and now they look forward to having something to do on Saturday in their spare time [haha]. I don't think anyone around here is ever looking for something to do!

Well. Guess it wasn't such a routine day after all. Well...what is routine, anyway??? I met with all the children to go over their school, had no doctor or dentist appointments, got to read awhile with Sarah and Jewel, and had 3 meals for 11 people. I guess that's as routine as it gets sometimes!

Now to try to pop some pictures in here...I do fine with the writing part (just like my journal except I'm typing instead of handwriting) but this picture thing is kind of befuddling...here goes...

Okay, I can get the pictures in and kind of move them around, somewhat, but I can't seem to get them exactly where I'd like them, and I don't yet know how to put captions on them. That'll be another night, as it's long enough for the second try.