Meet Pork Chop

Pork Chop is here - and yes - that's his name! For tonight - he's in the dog cage in the garage, but boy - does he stink. The kids are working hard to get his pig pen ready by tomorrow and they've got a full day's worth of work to do. I think we're actually getting two pigs. One of Lucas' friends isn't allowed to keep a pig, so we're keeping it in our pen. BUT - they're supposed to share the work and take turns feeding and stuff. I just think that his friend's mom is smarter than me! LOL.

Here is a picture of Lucas and his friend Ethan putting in the posts for the pig pen.... Luckily - we had the woods behind our house cleared of old brush. They can put in a pig pen and I won't have to see it from the back porch!

High School Project!

Lucas has joined Vo-Tech this year. He is still able to take all his pre-college classes but instead of taking chorus or band - he's decided to join in the Ag classes. I was fine with this. I had no problems with it. We live around a lot of farms and he loves helping out with hay and feeding and tinkering with the tractors, so it makes sense. UNTIL....... (ha ha)

I found out he has to do an Ag project this year. His project: raising a pig.....

In my backyard!!!!!!

He's starting to design the pig pen, the feeding trough and is even planning on making a little house to keep Porker (he's pre-named) out of the sun.

He's promised to feed him and water him and take care of him. I'm told I will have to do nothing, although I'm pretty sure I heard that before. The plan is - in December, Porker's going to auction. But - if it doesn't - we may be having a ham for Christmas..... ha ha

Tournament Results

Sadly, we did not come in first in the Mt. Union tournament. But - we did come in third overall and played against some teams that were very, very good. I'm very proud of the Fulton County team - they just ROCKED!

These were Michael's last little league games ever. Next year, he wants to play in the jr. high team and may even try out for the travelling team. He went out on a high note - on his last time up to bad - he hit a home run. GOOD JOB Michael - we are very proud of you.

Football helmet fittings began Monday and we will be picking up uniforms this weekend.

On to our next sports season......................

We Won Again!!!

In the McConnellsburg tournament, the Fulton County All Stars took first place again. Congratulations to the kids - you're doing a wonderful job. One more tournament left to go......

Congratulations Fulton County All Stars

The Fulton County All Star Little League Team won the Mercersburg Tournament Championship. They went undeafeated throughout the tournament and won the champion 13-0 after their pitcher pitched a no-hitter. Congratulations to all! Two more tournaments left..... Keep up the hard work.

Happy Father's Day

Track Pictures

Here's a picture of Lucas throwing shotput. His furthest throw has been 45' 7", which is really good for high school - especially a tenth grader.

I *LOVE* this picture! He's spinning around and throwing the discus. His feet are off the ground! His longest throw so far is 137'. At the last track meet, he threw a really off-center throw! He almost - yes - almost - hit a bright shiny red corvette!

At one of the track meets, he was asked to throw javelin for his team since a few kids were out. He did it, but had never even practiced throwing javelin before. When he was done, he came over to us - laughed and said - "I tried, but even the girls beat me!"

I *like* my pretend brake!

Lucas is doing much better in his driving, but now he's mad at me. He's gotten a little more comfortable driving and now will speed up too fast or cut corners too sharply. I then have to slam on the pretend brakes located in the passenger footwell. Lucas thinks I use the fake brake way too often - LOL.

I tell him that many times it's either slam a fake brake or scream in abject terror, but he says he's not buying it.

By the time he gets his real license, I may have a hole stomped in the floor and my fingerprints permanently indented in the side door handle. No wonder parents of teenagers have gray hair.

First Fish in Trout Season

Trout season started Saturday! The kids camped out at a nearby stream with their friends and the friends' parents. Michael was the first to catch a trout. He brought it home, but accidentally left it in the back of the truck with his fishing pole, so we threw it away this morning (it was kinda gross).

The driving is getting a LITTLE better

Lucas is settling down a little - he's not bouncing off the walls like he was when he first got his permit. But - we've still got issues with stop signs. If he doesn't try to run right through them - he'll slow down to about 5 mph about 30 feet ahead of time. He'll creep closer, slow down a little, then creep even closer, then slow down a little, etc. until he actually gets there.

I don't even say anything, because I know this will go away as he gets more comfortable with driving.

He's also getting pretty good at staying in his own lane. Which is a WONDERFUL thing - especially when mom is in the car freaking out.

I know THIS for sure - DAD can be the one to take him on the interstate - I'll stick to back country roads.

I'm SO Scared - LOL

A statement from today's terrifying drive home.....

I let Lucas drive home from track practice. He almost missed a stop sign today and you want to know what his excuse was?

"Oh Mom - I'm sorry - I was looking at that dog over there!"

My hands are cramped from clenching them, my eye is still twitching and I'm not sure I can handle six more months of this.

The Streets (AND SIDEWALKS) aren't safe anymore

Oh NO! My 16 year son just passed his permit test. He's now allowed to drive. Beware the hormonally-challenged teen is behind the wheel.......

Mexican Style Chicken Dish

We made this recipe last week and it was soooo good! Not only that - but it's high in protein and fiber as well as being low in fat.

Ingredients:
1 small onion - chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
About 1 1/2 to 2 pounds raw chicken - cut into bite sized cubes
1 tsp cumin (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
1 can black beans - rinsed and drained
1 cup chicken broth
About 8 ounces of salsa - we like the *HOT*
15 corn tortillas - cut into small strips
1 cup shredded cheese - like monterey jack or cheddar
Sour cream and additional salsa to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Sautee onion, garlic and chicken until chicken is cooked through. I added a little olive oil to the pan to prevent sticking.
Add in cumin, salt and pepper
Pour the chicken mixture into a dish, add the beans and set aside
Add broth and salsa to the pan and bring to a boil.
Let simmer for 5 minutes

Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray.
Layer half the tortillas on the bottom of the pan.
Add half the chicken/bean mixture.
Layer the rest of the tortilla strips and then add remaining chicken.
Pour salsa/broth over the top of it all.
Top with cheese
Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Top with sour cream and salsa if desired.

Basketball Foul Shots

Basketball has started. During the game, Michael (number 10) got fouled by the opposite team. He got two free shots. I was able to capture both shots - with the ball in the air. I kind of held my breath during both shots because he sometimes does really well and sometimes misses by a mile! Well - he made both shots! I was so excited and glad I got it caught on film.

Michael made a total of 8 points in the game, but they still didn't win. The other team was very good and just outplayed us.

Winter Storm Pictures

We recently got a pretty decent winter storm. The temperature has been hovering near zero, so the ice and snow are staying. As we drove over the mountain, I noticed the ice and snow were just a little thicker, so we pulled over for a close up of the weeds on the side of the road.

In this picture, the ice is so heavy that the trees are literally bending over in half.