VA Cross Country teams are going to regionals in Arlington this weekend. Another EARLY morning!

A pile of chicken wings

It was a little hard getting over the bone cracking noises, but we got passed that quickly. Jess was especially impressed by the FDA facility where we had had the chickens slaughtered and processed this morning, because it was a family enterprise and the children were all involved. Jess was glad that she wasn't required to do that as part of her homeschool education!

Cutting and sealing

My sister Brooke and I spent a couple hours in the evening cutting all the chicken into wings, leg quarters and split breasts and then sealed them up for the freezer. I was very tired from a long day, but the work went very quickly with help.

Chicken dinner

Chicken destiny

Jessie and I got up at 5am to load the chickens and drive to 1 1/2 hours to Greenville for processing. FYI, Starbucks is open at 5:30am so that is a good thing.

Tools of the trade

I spent this evening trying to rig up safe transportation for 28 live chickens, and this was the best I could come up with...a rubbermaid tub and an 8ft furniture box. It will do! Jess and I are leaving at 5:30 am tomorrow to transport them to Greenville for processing. I will be glad to have that over with. My sister Brooke is coming over tomorrow night and we are going to cut the chickens up and vaccuum seal them for freezing. I will be a busy day.

What a beautiful (and busy) last couple of days it his has been. The rain has finally stopped, and it has been sunny. It makes me feel as if I should hurry outside and get all the backlog of chores done before the rain starts back up!

Our weekend started Friday night when the whole family, with the exception of Nathan who had worked all day, went to see Where the Wild Things Are. It was an interesting movie and I enjoyed it.

Saturday, Paul and Nate ran a 5k in McKinney. Nate's boys cross country team is going to district next weekend and they need the practice. While they were gone, I took Jessie on a field trip with her Sunday school class to Temple Emmanuel in Dallas. Later that afternoon she had a soccer game in Sherman which her team won. We wound up the day with Halloween activities. Beth and Adam took Jessie trick or treating, she was a vet-wrapped mummy, Savannah went to a church event and a band haunted house with her best friend, and Nate stayed home and ate pizza with us.

Sunday was daylight savings, and would have been an excellent morning to sleep in BUT our doorbell rang at 5:00 am. A neighbor thought our horses were out, but they weren't ours. They live on the property behind us, but the man says they belong to the previous owner. We tracked them in the dark and called the Sheriff's office. They sent out a very nice deputy who made sure they had a place to go and weren't a danger to people driving. I got to see the sun come up!

Jessie went to Sunday School and Savannah went to church with her friend, but the rest of us spent Sunday morning at home for a change. Paul and Jessie helped me plant blackberries. Paul dug the holes, Jess drove the riding lawnmower and trailer with dirt, water and plants; and I kneeled up and down planting the rootings and watering. My back is still killing me! Then a man from Whitewright came to pick up our Dexter bull King. It was an effort to load him, because he got upset by the commotion and broke through the pen, then stuck his head under the fence and lifted two tposts totally out of the ground. We spent all lot of time running back and forth trying to contain him. It took us 1 1/2 hours, and then by sheer luck we got him into the trailer! I was really happy, because this was a much better fate than the sale yard. Paul and I finished up the evening with dinner out, and two magararitas had me totally unconcious....I was EXHAUSTED.

Today is Monday, and Jessie and I finished the last two rows of blackberries. We put in over 100 really good looking plants with lots of roots. I am going to water again on Thursday to give them a good start, and then I think we are looking at chances of rain again next Sunday or Monday. A full week looms ahead with piano lessons, a sports booster meeting, a district cross country meet and a basketball scrimmage.