"Dash it all, [Pooh bear] IS the project!"

My dear friend Christina is having a giveaway for this spoon rest over at her blog, The Haven Enterprises.  It was handmade by her husband.  You can enter by clicking here.  Check out their shop while you're there - so many wonderful, handmade heirloom quality wooden items with scripture on them.

Christina and her family visited with us this past winter.  It was enjoyable in spite of the fact that all our kids were terribly sick and we struggled too.  (Swine flu!)  As we talked about all the challenges and rewards of being mom's, Christina said that there was an exchange in a Winnie the Pooh book that she took to heart.  Gopher complains about Pooh bear messing everything up but Owl reminds him that Pooh bear is the most important thing.  Sort of like how our kids can get in the way of everything we have to do but we have to remember - THEY are what is most important.

I later found the exact quote - it is from Winnie-the-Pooh and the Honey Tree:

Gopher: First thing to be done is to get rid of that bear.
       He's gumming up the whole project.

Owl: Dash it all, he IS the project!

I ended up typing the quote into a document and adding pictures and hung one on a kitchen cabinet as a reminder.  I send one to my friend too.  Frank liked it so much he asked me to print one out for him and he made copies at school and gave it to the teachers to remind them that their students were the "project."  

I wanted to make this available as a printable for anyone interested, but I can't figure out how!  So if you'd like a PDF, just ask me and I'll e-mail it to you.  (And if you know an easy way to make a PDF printable available on blogger, please tell me!  The directions I found online all made my head swim.)  

Last month, I shared in a post about a homeschool course I was blessed to be asked to take part of online, and to give my feedback to.  The course is called Bloom: A Journey to Joy (and Sanity) for Homeschool Moms.  I found the course very, very helpful.  The course is now available to anyone online, and if you sign anytime through Wednesday, August 6, you can use this coupon code for $10 off enrollment:  $10OFFLAUNCH . See a description of the course here: http://www.vibranthomeschooling.com/pages/bloom   (And yes - I'm the "Lisa" pictured and quoted from on that page.)

Our guinea fowl are almost all grown up.  They have turned out to be very interesting to observe.  They tend to stay in a tight flock.  If one bird gets separated, it screams and they shriek back and forth until all are reunited again.  They like to roost high in trees and to walk around on top of the goat shed.

Their coop is part of the goat shed so they all hang out together.  The goats don't seem to mind.  Especially since guineas are great at eating ticks.

The guineas are odd looking yet they do have really neat feathers.  I just LOVE their polka dots!

A few evenings ago, Tabby and I were talking about how amazed we were that we had not lost any of the 8 guineas.  We then walked outside.  Exhaust Pipe came running up to me, happily wagging his tail, and dropped a ... dead guinea ... at my feet.  Oh no.

Did he kill her?  We don't know.  We're pretty positive Lucia wasn't the murderer this time.  Tabby strongly suspects the other puppy - Sherlotta.  But we don't know!   Is this the face of a guinea murderer?

Exhaust Pipe

Most sadly of all - both puppies are now on probation.  If there are any more murders here at "Death Acres", and we don't know who did it, then both puppies are most likely going to have to find new homes.  And that will break my heart.  I just love Exhaust Pipe and think he is going to make an excellent dog once he gets out of "teenage puppy" stage.  But ... if he's a chicken/guinea killer, then I know he can't stay.  :(

Only God knows who the culprit is:

"Are not two sparrows [or 1 guinea!] sold for a penny?  Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care." - Matthew 10:29