The Weather Today!

We are expecting severe weather today in Elkton, Virginia. Heavy rains and high winds. It's the price we have to pay for such a beautiful day we had yesterday. The sun shined and it was warm. The kids played and had a great day. It was a lovely break from the bitter cold week. The cold is coming again. I am hoping that this time won't be so bad.

I have so much to do. I have been looking at a blog for organizing the home. Oh the ideas! I can't wait to do some of these. I have decided to do the stove room into 3 sections of shelves with lots of tub cubbies. We need the organization for all the school supplies. I will have lots to keep me busy once we get started.

The kids are doing well in school. We seem to be staying on target, which I am glad. I have not decided when we are taking our spring break yet. I am thinking maybe the end of March so I can get my birthday off. :) I always give the kids their birthday off. I love being a Home Educator! We do what WE want! :)

Cassia is growing so fast. She is almost crawling. She gets up on her hands and knees and rocks. She has started to explore and it's so fun to watch her. she will be 6 months old on the 9th of February! I am amazed and saddened how fast the time is going. I am trying to enjoy every day.

Well that's it for now. I hope everyone who reads this is having a blessed day!

It's far too cold!

It has been so cold this week. I will be so very glad to see next week get here with 50f temps. It will seem like a heat wave! I have had a hard time getting the house warm today. I was finally seemingly winning the battle when Jasper came home and turned the heater down! What in the world!!! I just went back and turned it back up! lol I am not going to freeze! Neither is the babies!
We had a little snow this morning, and are expecting 2" tomorrow. Well, Cassia is awake! Gotta run!

FWD:

Light snow this morning
~*P@m*~

Cold and Colds

That is what we have here in Elkton, Virginia. Tonight's low is supposed to be 15 and the high tomorrow 24! I am sure the woodstove will be running hot tonight! Samuel is sick with some sort of cold or maybe even the flu. He has a Dr appointment set for the morning. He said his throat hurts so bad, I do not want him to have strep throat. Hopefully he won't. I have to go cook supper so I have to end this. Hopefully soon I can blog!

NO Snow!

What a huge disappointment! IF we get snow it won't be much at all. It went further south. :( I was so hoping for a foot of the white stuff!

Snow In The Forecast!

One thing my niece Cortney has said she hoped to see was a big snow! It looks like her wish is going to come true! The weather forecast is as follows: Winter Storm Watch URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC 250 PM EST WED JAN 16 2013 VAZ026-027-029-030-039-040-170400- /O.CON.KLWX.WS.A.0001.130117T1200Z-130118T0300Z/ ROCKINGHAM-SHENANDOAH-PAGE-WARREN-MADISON-RAPPAHANNOCK- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...HARRISONBURG...FRONT ROYAL...WASHINGTON 250 PM EST WED JAN 16 2013 ...WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING... * PRECIPITATION TYPE...SNOW...POSSIBLY HEAVY AT TIMES. * ACCUMULATIONS...IN EXCESS OF 5 INCHES POSSIBLE. * TIMING...SNOW MAY MIX WITH RAIN AT THE ONSET THURSDAY MORNING... BEFORE CHANGING TO SNOW LATER THURSDAY MORNING. SNOW WILL END LATE THURSDAY EVENING. SNOW MAY BE HEAVY DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. * TEMPERATURES...LOWER 30S. * WINDS...NORTHWEST 5 TO 10 MPH. * IMPACTS...ROADS MAY BECOME SNOW COVERED. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECAST FOR POSSIBLE UPDATES FOR THIS STORM SYSTEM. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECAST FOR POSSIBLE UPDATES FOR THIS STORM SYSTEM.

Settling In

    Our home is going through some adjustments lately. We got custody of our niece on November 29, 2012. We had Cassia in August so it has been a lot to get used to around here. Over all it's going great. I have been trying very hard to get some sort of schedule going that will work for us. With school in session and those new schedules, it makes for busy days.
    Today I worked on my livingroom. it had gotten into a shambles from the holidays. Today I took down Christmas decor and dusted. it looks nice in here. Then I cooked supper and now I am blogging lol In between doing that there was school, toddlers and nursing going on! I am pretty worn out!
     Cassia has dozed off, Carl is in time out, Bella-Grace is rolling in the floor, While Samuel, Rebecca, and Cortney are upstairs being crazy! The house is very much alive!

Oh my, look what my adopted son made for me!

Elkton, Virginia, Bald Eagle!

I love living in Virginia. This beautiful guy was less than 2 miles from my house today! Below is some facts on Bald Eagles. There are two subspecies of bald eagles. The "southern" bald eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus leucocephalus, is found in the Gulf States from Texas and Baja California across to South Carolina and Florida, south of 40 degrees north latitude. The "northern" bald eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus alascanus, is found north of 40 degrees north latitude across the entire continent. The largest numbers of northern bald eagles are in the Northwest, especially in Alaska. The "northern" bald eagle is slightly larger than the "southern" bald eagle. Studies have shown that "northern" bald eagles fly into the southern states and Mexico, and the "southern" bald eagles fly north into Canada. Because of these finding, the subspecies of "northern" and "southern" bald eagles has been discontinued in recent literature. Color - Both male and female adult bald eagles have a blackish-brown back and breast; a white head, neck, and tail; and yellow feet and beak. Juvenile bald eagles are a mixture of brown and white; with a black beak in young birds. The adult plumage develops when they are sexually mature. It takes about five years for their head and tail feathers to gradually turn white. The bald eagle is the only eagle confined to North America. There are no other large blackish-brown birds with a white head and tail in North American. Size - A female bald eagle's body length varies from 35 to 37 inches; with a wingspan of 79 to 90 inches. The smaller male bald eagle has a body length of 30 to 34 inches; with a wingspan ranging from 72 to 85 inches. An eagle's average weight is ten to fourteen pounds. Northern birds are significantly larger than their southern relatives. Eagles sit at the top of the food chain, making them more vulnerable to toxic chemicals in the environment, since each link in the food chain tends to concentrate chemicals from the lower link. A bald eagle's lifting power is about 4 pounds. They do not generally feed on chickens or other domestic livestock, but they will make use of available food sources. Bald eagles will take advantage of carrion (dead and decaying flesh). Because of its scavenger image, some people dislike the bald eagle. Other people do not care for powerful and aggressive birds. Still other people object merely on the grounds that it is a bird of prey, which kills other animals for food. Voice - Shrill, high pitched, and twittering are common descriptions used for bald eagle vocalizations. Eagles do not have vocal cords. Sound is produced in the syrinx, a bony chamber located where the trachea divides to go to the lungs. Bald eagle calls may be a way of reinforcing the bond between the male and female, and to warn other eagles and predators that an area is defended. Bald eagle audio. Eyesight - An eagle's eye is almost as large as a human's, but its sharpness is at least four times that of a person with perfect vision. Skeleton - It weighs about half a pound (250 to 300 grams), and is only 5 or 6 percent of its total weight. The feathers weigh twice that much. Eagle bones are light, because they are hollow. The beak, talons, and feathers are made of keratin. eagle skeleton Habitat - Bald eagles live along the coast and on major lakes and rivers where they feed mainly on fish. Longevity (life expectancy) - It's possible for bald eagles in the wild to live longer than thirty years, but the average lifespan is fifteen to twenty years. A captive eagle at West Stephentown, NY lived to be at least 48 years old. Body Temperature - About 106 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius) Eagles do not sweat, so they need to use other cooling methods such as perching in the shade, panting, and holding their wings away from their body. Tolerance to cold temperatures - A bald eagle's skin is protected by feathers lined with down. Their feet are cold resistance, consisting of mostly tendon. The outside of the bill is mostly nonliving material, with little blood supply. Golden eagles are larger than bald eagles in average height and wingspan, but there isn't much difference in average weight. One way to distinguish a golden eagle from an immature bald eagle is leg plumage. A golden eagle's legs are entirely feather covered; an immature bald eagle's lower legs are bare. As seen while in flight, juvenile golden eagles have white patches at the base of the primaries; the tail is white with a distinct dark terminal band. It takes four years to acquire adult plumage. Adult golden eagles are brown with tawny on the back of the head and neck; tail faintly banded. Bald eagles are active during daylight hours (diurnal). Fidelity - Once paired, bald eagles remain together for life. Although, if one dies, the survivor will not hesitate to accept a new mate. The wings and soaring - An eagle's wings are long and broad, making them effective for soaring. To help reduce turbulence as air passes over the end of the wing, the tips of the feathers at the end of the wings are tapered so that when the eagle fully extends its wings, the tips are widely separated.

Happy New Year!

Well it's 2013! I spent a quiet evening at home, while Jasper and the kids went to the church for a dinner. I was keeping Bella Grace and it's hard to keep up with her and Cassia  in a public place. Renee came around 9 and picked BG up, and then my crew came home at 11. We were praying as the new year rolled in.

Today Cortney and Renee are going to the store to find BG some clothes. She has outgrown all her clothes.

I will have to come back later Cassia is crying!