I have no idea if this current once-a-week blog trend will continue, but it's the best I can do for now. Life is just way too busy at the moment. I'm really hoping it will slow down a little, but so far, not so much.

Last Saturday was great fun for us. My long-time buddy Ty and his wife Tanya and their three kids came to see us when they were in town for a wedding. We had a great time hanging out watching some football. I can't believe we have six kids between us. Life takes some crazy turns. Their intent was to leave after the LSU/Kentucky game, but none of us had any idea that it would last 4 1/2 hours! What a crazy fun game that was to watch. They got home later than they had planned, but there was no way to leave without knowing the turnout.

Obviously, being ranked in college football this year is the kiss of death. Poor South Florida. I was really kind of rooting for them. How bizarre would it have been for Kentucky and South Florida to play in the national championship game?! Perhaps this year will FINALLY convince some of the powers that be to seriously consider moving to playoffs. It's just ridiculous this way.

Our first week of homeschooling has gone really well. We took Monday and Tuesday off for Fall Break along with the rest of the county. So Wednesday was our first day. It was a little hectic, just trying to figure out some kind of routine. Bryant is not so sure that he is ready to share me all day with his big bro and sis, but he's going to have to get over it. His eyes are blue, but they sure seem green right now!

Yesterday we joined the BBC homeschooling group for a field trip. We went to Traveller's Rest, the plantation home of Judge John Overton back in the early 1800's. I didn't know it before yesterday, but Judge Overton was a close personal friend of Andrew Jackson, and also served as his campaign manager. It was fascinating to walk through his house and realize that just a couple hundred years ago, a former president of the USA was hanging out there quite a bit. It's hard to get your brain around those kinds of things.

Yesterday was Trade Day, so there were all kinds of folks there doing colonial crafts, such as long-hunting, doll-making, spinning and lace-making, just to name a few. You can't tell by the looks on their faces in this pic, but the kids were quite taken with this potter. He was extremely engaging, and it's just amazing to watch the clay take shape under a skillful hand. It was a great time for me to reflect on how I'm like that clay and the Lord is ever shaping and molding me into His will. I have so many imperfections, but He's able to just smooth and blend my mistakes into a work of art. One day I'll be a masterpiece, but I think we'll have to wait for Heaven to see that come to be!

Here Bradley is trying his hand at grinding corn. The stick didn't reach all the way around, so it was a little difficult, but he gave it a good shot.

The last thing we did was pick out baby pumpkins. There were tables set up for painting them. Bradley painted a mean and scary face on his. Bailey's was very pretty, but she ended up wiping it off and leaving it plain. So now her original pumpkin has a baby sister and they both sleep in bed with her at night. Again I say, we must get a pet.

Politics this week has been pretty amusing, what I've been able to watch of it. If you aren't aware, Rush Limbaugh auctioned off the letter that Harry Reid and 41 other Democrats sent to the president of ClearChannel asking for him to be reprimanded for his comments about "phony soldiers." Rush offered to match the winning bid and tried to get Harry Reid to do the same. The auction ended today at a little over $2 million. So over $4 million is now going to the Marine Corps - Law Enforcement Fund, a charity that offers college scholarships to kids who lose a parent in the line of duty. What an amazing chess move this was. Absolutely brilliant!

But Harry Reid went to the floor of the Senate today and actually tried to share the credit for this. He made a HUGE fool out of himself by saying how great this was, and that he never thought a letter from the Senate would raise that kind of money. He was encouraging people to bid on it. I can't believe that he is that stupid. Does he not realize that people were paying for proof of the absolute absurd incompetency of the Democrats in the Senate? What a blithering idiot. I'm truly astounded at his ignorance. But it's also made for a pretty good laugh.

On a not-so-funny note, during the SCHIP debate yesterday, Rep. Pete Stark from California made the following statement: "You don't have money to fund the war or children. But you're going to spend it to blow up innocent people if we can get enough kids to grow old enough for you to send to Iraq to get their heads blown off for the President's amusement." House Republican Leader John Boehner called for a retraction and apology to the President, but I'm unaware of one being issued. I would be shocked if one came.

There's lots of other stuff going on, but I just haven't had much time to investigate. Hopefully we will get in a rhythm soon and things will slow down a bit. I was thinking this morning about what I would be doing if the kids were in school. I thought about it for a couple of minutes, and realized that it really didn't matter. I am so happy we decided to do this. Already I feel so much more in tune with my kids after just three days. Morning are SO much more relaxed.

We are going to have hard days, no doubt. But for now, I'm sure we made the right choice. And I'm so grateful the Lord has given me this opportunity.