at the fair yesterday... in between competitions, the 4H children, were able to witness cows giving birth. there were five cows ready to birth at any moment... and when one was ready... all the kids were called in and rounded up to watch. myself included. such a miracle! tommie was in awe. totally engrossed. as were all the children. what a wonderful opportunity to learn about life. the cow above needed help... it was her first birth. hence, the help. two men and one young teenaged girl helped pull. it took maybe a half an hour... and at the end much information was learned about the placenta... which was HUGE! i was happy to be the one... to explain and answer questions about giving birth and how normal it all was. and, how God has such a divine plan in everything... including the umbilical cord of a cow! not to mention, the good farmers helping a helpless animal! after the calf was born, one of the dairy farmers gently slapped the calf and picked it right up and laid it directly in front of it's mom. immediately, the cow licked, prodded and loved on it's little calf. much like i did the second tommie was born. i kissed him immediately... didn't even wait for him to be cleaned up. then i sat up and ate a piece of pizza... i too, felt well enough after giving birth, to walk back down to my room and go home. does this mean i am part cow?

what a great day we experienced!

we've been busy preparing for the 4H livestock competitions...happening at a local fair. tommie is entered in best of breed and showmanship which has 37 steps!, oral questions about anatomy, rabbit diseases and treatments, breeding, and other questions like... normal rabbit temp., percentages and fur qualities. he's also super excited (i'm serious) about his barn duties... where he cleans and waters all the rabbits for 2-hour increments.... while i sit and read a book. this past week, he was required to help paint, wash and set up rabbit cages and stands... below. I went to Goodwill and shopped... while he danced with the paint brush! well.... wouldn't you? (smile, wink, nod!)

the answer to the previous post is....
a lamprey eel!!!

take a guess.... what do you think this is? leave your answer in my comment box!

then, check back tomorrow for the answer...

two freebies worth sharing! click:

national honey board cookbook and

john stossel's educational dvd's

looking for an easy way to squeeze in artist and composer studies? this link has links and the plans are already spelled out for you. it's one of my favorite homeschool message boards... click here: right here!

(snap taken at my cousin's house... lean in and look close...that guy right there, my cousin aaron, has been accepted to new york university film school! soon, he'll be rubbing elbows with spike lee!)

I've never seen this flower... it's called, "the bell's of ireland." i snapped this shot at my cousins home, recently...then went out and bought a plant of my own. it isn't doing nearly as well as this one... so, i'm enjoying the picture instead of the real thing.

Did you know Jane Lambert, owner of Five in a Row has an inspiring homeschool blog? It's the best of the best! Just like their curriculum! Click here and add it to your favorites! HERE!