Taking me a long time to get something gathered up for my Dairy Agenda Today blog, I finally got around to what I wanted to post, something that wasn’t too personal, too mother-ish, too condescending, too preachy, just something that everyone would want to read about(it took copious amounts of graham crackers dipped in melted chocolate) and I finally thought I would just put up a bunch of pictures and then the site went down so now I can’t post there so I’ll post here instead!  This blog has become such a step-child!  Isn’t that awful! 

Anyway, Luke and JW have a game today at Jackson Christian.  Sarah had a tournament last weekend and they did rather well.  They were first in the Silver division.  Today I have to bed the barn before I head to town and get some lunchmeat for subs for the boys before they go to their game.  Then I’ve got to vote for the schoolboard, which is a joke…not going there!  And then I’ve got Bible study then back for dinner before the game.  Why am I still sitting here?????

Here are a couple of pictures for you.

It’s a beautiful morning here on the Knolltop!  And I’ve got some good news.

For those who hadn’t heard, I’ll start at the beginning.  During basketball season, Luke took a hard fall and hurt his knee.  Like I always do when the kids complain, I just say, hmmmm….keep an eye on it, and usually it goes away.  But this time Luke kept telling me his knee hurt and it wasn’t until he told JW that he couldn’t go “catch” him early one morning because it killed him to squat, that I stood up and took action. 

I made an appointment with the doctor, we were sent to the Orthopedic surgeon and after X-rays and an MRI, we sat and waited for Dr. Anderson to come in and tell us the news.  I was prepared for the worst but Luke and his father weren’t.  You see, his first game of the season was that afternoon at 4 pm and Luke thought he would suit up and squat behind that plate, frame those pitches and be just fine.  But when Dr. Anderson said, no baseball, put this brace on and keep it on for 4-6 weeks, the real pain and anguish of sitting out for a season of his absolute favorite sport was written all over his face.  I wanted to jump up and hug him as his face got red and his eyes began to water.  But I remained in my seat and prayed instead.

That was a very dark day for this 17 year old.  But God was just beginning His work.  As I shared this news with my small group and asked them to pray, those warriors went boldly to the throne of God on Luke’s behalf and quietly they remained steadfast in their prayers for the next three weeks. 

As the season started, JW was also disappointed that he younger brother wouldn’t be catching him.  Instead he would be taking over the catching duties for the other pitchers during practice and even donned the catchers gear for a game or two.  JW garnered a deep respect for those catchers and the work they do while Luke garnered a deeper respect for the ability just to play the game.  He stood on the sidelines and cheered on his team.  And when they came in from the huddle, I watched his stiff legged kid pat his teammates on the back and pick them up when they were down…waiting and wondering when or if he would get in the game.

Yesterday we went to the doctor again for a check up.  Luke climbed in the back seat of the truck with his baseball gear that had been gathering dust for the last three weeks.  There was a game that afternoon and Luke was sure he would be dressing for it while I had again, prepared myself to hear that he would be in that brace for another three weeks.  I tried to warn Luke that he might not hear good news, but my warning fell on deaf ears.

We entered the exam room and Dr. Anderson came in shortly after we arrived.  He took the brace off and examined Luke.  Bending his leg, pressing on his kneecap, asking if anything hurt.  Before, Luke would whince in pain, now nothing hurt.  The doctor kept asking, “Does this hurt? Does this hurt? What about this?” And Luke’s answer was always ‘No.’  I watched his face carefully for any indications of pain, there were none.

Then the doctor said what Luke wanted to hear and what I wasn’t prepared for, “You’re good to go!”  I asked, “So if he wanted to play this afternoon in his baseball game, he could?”  And he said yes.  I kept giving him scenarios and he kept reassuring me that as long as Luke began slow and did certain exercises, he would be fine… he was healed!

Luke walked out on cloud nine and was all smiles.  As we dropped him off at school and I walked him into the office to give them the doctor’s note, I told Luke, “You know this is God’s answer to prayer, don’t you? There have been a lot of people praying for you the last three weeks, especially all those ladies at my Bible study and God did this for you.  He’s given you the desire of your heart.”

A small grin came over Luke’s face and he said quietly, “Yeah, I know.”

Because of this injury, Luke’s desire to play baseball is stronger than ever.  This morning I came in from milking and he had already been up, run four miles and was showered and ready for school.  It’s amazing how God appears front and center when we encounter a setback.  He’s always there, ready and waiting for us to come and ask for help….and then he provides it….the perfect kind of help we need!

Last Saturday evening, JW took off in my dad’s truck and picked up Leah for the prom.  JW is not a conventional prom goer.  He picked out his own tux, no help from no one, he didn’t want to eat with all the other people, (they went to her prom, a different school,) he wanted to eat alone. And they didn’t spend big bucks at a fancy restaurant, instead they went to Culvers.  Yes, that’s right, the home of the butter burger.  I didn’t not teach him to be so unconventional, he got it all from his father. 

So when I went to Leah’s home to take pictures of the prom couple, he was goofing off and making faces and she was trying to get him to behave.  I was standing a little ways away, but with my zoom lens, I was able to capture the moment.  You know, when he was putting up the peace sign and then she was asking him, gently to put it down and then had to take his hand and push it down. 

But of course, that didn’t stop the strong-willed JW.  He snuck his peace sign in, unbeknownst to Leah.  He’s 18 but reminds me of when he was 3!

And then I finally got some nice pictures.  They had a great time proming it up! Leah said she it was the best prom night ever.  She is a sweetie to say the least!

When I came in from the barn this morning I came in the south door and I walked past the magnolia tree and smelled the sweetest fragrance!  After a long, cold winter that is such a welcome sign of spring.

It’s spring break around here so I’ve been trying to keep the kids busy with jobs.  I just sent Jake and his buddy out to put down some mulch while Sarah is folding laundry.  She twisted her ankle last night at volleyball practice and so she’s hobbling around.  She can still do dishes and fold clothes, so it’s all good!  Does that sound like a compassionate mom or what? NOT! 

Seriously, I do hope she gets better, we are going to the New York Spring Carrousel in Syracuse to cover the dairy show for Dairy Agenda Today and I would hate to have her hobbling around there.  Sarah is the only one who has never been to a major dairy show, so I think this will be a lot of fun for her.

Well, lots more to do, so I’d better get back to it!  I haven’t even blogged on my Dairy Agenda Today blog yet!

Yep, it’s the slacker from the Knolltop! I’m back….here on a sunny, warmer Knolltop!!!

I’m not going to bother with what’s happened in the last month, pretty much business as usual…but I do have a blessing today. A gal from my small group from church came out today and is doing my housework! How blessed am I?????????????

Sheri Bean showed up while I was bedding the barn and started in helping out there and then we came to the house and she hasn’t stopped yet! Oh my heavens is this wonderful or what????

So I’m working away in my office while she whistles away in my dining room dusting stuff in my jelly cupboard that hasn’t been dusted since I moved it in 8 years ago!

Okay, now for a basketball update. Luke will play districts Wednesday night and I hope they win, although they haven’t been too successful this year.

And while at our favorite ice cream place, the Udder Side, the owner mentioned my blog….I had no idea he read this blog…so I’m hoping if I mention it again, that wonderful place to get the best ice cream creations called “Creamations” he might give me a discount????? HA!

Back to work!

JW is at it again with marketing goodies for his Senior Trip.

And this is what he left on my stove after his entrepreneurial chocolate fest!

Monday he bought the molds and chocolate and made some samples to take to school. Tuesday he took his pretty packages of goodies and handed them out, took the orders and sold $96 worth of chocolates!

With the pretty boxes and bags his Nana sent up from Georgia, he melted his chocolate, put them in molds, stuck them in the freezer, tapped them out of the molds and put them in some fancy boxes and bags.

This morning he took a laundry basket full of bags and boxes to deliver at school. I’m amazed at how a little packaging can take ordinary chocolate…and I mean ORDINARY…we’re not talking Dove or Cadbury….ORDINARY chocolate and make it into something people will buy. Just amazing!

What a wonderful night we had enjoying watching our kids. I’m sorry if I sound like I’m bragging, but they are pretty much the center of our world right now, so they get top billing!

The game didn’t turn out like we wanted, they lost by a point. After the game, the jazz band played for the first set of music for the dance, so we stayed and watched that. I discovered that kids haven’t changed much over the years. They bascially pay $5.00 to get into a gym where loud music is playing so they can mingle with their friends. I think I could make a lot of money if I turned up my radio and invited them to my house to hang out and talk. And then I could sell them pizza by the slice and make even more. I think I’ve been missing the boat.

We only have one game this week and on Saturday Jake has his first official game while the boys head to Ft Wayne to a baseball camp where four major league scouts will be looking at the prospects. JW and Luke know they will not be looked at very seriously, but when they get done, they can say they tried out for a major league scouts! They are really looking forward to it!

My dryer continues to work nicely while my washer still needs some adjustment, but I am still able to wash clothes so the kids don’t go around with a cloud of dirt and dust looking like “Pig Pen” on Peanuts. Although with as much cologne as Jake has been spraying on, he will never smell bad again. I had some Mary Kay Men’s cologne and Jake discovered it while he was looking for acne medicine after one of his classmates (a girl) discovered a lone pimple on his face. She told him he needed some acne medicine. She even made him write it down on a piece of paper. He pulled the little wadded up piece of scrap paper out of his pocket and showed me. I showed him what he could use and while showing him, he found the men’s cologne and proceeded to douse himself with it. Yesterday afternoon JW and I were sitting on the loveseat watching Sarah Plain and Tall and all of a sudden we got a big wiff of his cologne. I guess he thinks he needs to re-apply it every so often throughout the day.

Anyway, Jake is smelling pretty good these days.

It’s a mild, cloudy morning on the Knolltop! Good morning!

Another game tonight, we will head to Camden for the big radio game….yep, it will be on the radio.

I’ve run out of time…have to go bed the barn.. oh yeah… God answered our prayers on my dryer….my brother found one on Craig’s list for me, my mom called and told me about it, my dad sent the money down for it and now I have a new(used) dryer AND washer, that needs a minor repair…but we’re getting it fixed. God is so good! THanks for prayer!

I have to hand it to Luke, he is good at tieing a tie. He’s quick and smooth. Jake hasn’t mastered it yet and he came to me the night before asking if I would tie his tie. I looked at him and said, “I can’t tie a tie, you’ll have to ask Daddy or one of the boys.” They were busy so a disgruntled Jake sat and tried to master the art of tieing a tie. Watching him in frustration, Sarah piped up and said, “Jake, give it to me, I’ll do it.” When she got done I asked how she knew how to tie a tie? She said she learned it from watching her big brothers do it over and over again. And then she reminded me that it wasn’t that hard of a thing to master. Of course I disagree.

Luke started again last night and had quite a few points and they almost beat Bellevue but fell short. What a bummer.

Now I’ve got to make a few phone calls and write another column!

Okay, as I did spell check it highlighted “tieing” and it doesn’t have an alternative spelling for it, isn’t that a word? Am I making it up? OH my heaven’s some one please come to my rescue!