The other day, the kids were playing under my desk (Adina calls it her house), and had all her dishes spread out all over the place. They brought me a plate of "food" (actually, just the dishes with make-believe food and drinks on/in them). Clarence told me everything he'd made for me: chicken noodle soup with carrots, meat and noodles, there was meat on the plate, and he'd given me apple juice and milk to drink.
He sat down beside me on the couch and said:
I'm not hungry.
Me: Oh, you're not, how come?
C: Oh, I just had a beer.
Me: You what?
C: I just had a beer.
(It was all very nonchalant....totally not what I was expecting out of that conversation....but it sure made me laugh!)
____________________
Yesterday, he was talking about hauling bales...
C:I'm hauling bales to Danny's (Lyberg).
Me: Oh, you're hauling to Danny's?
C: No, he gave me some corn bales.
Me: Oh, I see...
C: I helped him haul hay and he gave me a load of bales.
This conversation also made me smile; Matt had helped my cousin Erik haul a bunch of corn bales last week, and his payment for it was a load of corn bales to take home. Clarence sure doesn't miss a beat!
_________________________
We were saying prayers one night, and had finished our usual "Now I lay me....". We were on to our next section, where we ask God to bless all our family, and then name everyone. Adina has finally decided to start participating in prayers. She folded her hands, bowed her head right down to the blankets, and started repeating names after me.
Me: God bless Mark, Nathan, Mike, Mark, Nikki, Harley...
Adina: Mar, Nath, Mike, Mark, Dikki, Harley, all my hens,
Me: Grandpa Bob, Grandma Carmen
Adina: All my hens, Mom! All my hens.
Me: Oh yes, and all Adina's friends: Payton, Anna, Esther, and everyone else.
Then she was satisfied. And it sure was cute. :)
Friday, December 14, 2012
'Tis The Season
It's one of my favorite times of the year!
Yesterday I was home with the kids, and we had such a fun day together. While Clarence was off at preschool for the morning, Adina and I made a couple different kinds of cookies. They were new recipes I'd found in Taste of Home. One I like - it's got crushed candy canes in the cookie and is topped with a chocolate or candycane kiss; the other is ok...not my favorite, that's for sure. It's got cream cheese in it, with chopped Andes mints. Matt likes them, so I guess they're ok. He'd tell me if they were gross.
After Clarence came home, he went out with Matt to feed cows. He loves it and thrives on being able to help. While they were outside, I layed Adina down for her nap and was able to clean the house up pretty well. Yay! It always makes me feel good to find the floor again. :)
Bob and Carmen called in the afternoon and said they were coming over to visit. So I got supper in the oven, then the kids and I decorated the Christmas tree. We'd gone to "Grandpa Lowell's Ranch" tree grove to cut our tree a couple nights ago, but just hadn't had a chance to do it yet. After we got the lights on and before I'd even started with the ornaments, Clarence had gone around the downstairs and shut off all the lights. He loves having just the Christmas tree lights on - just like me!
Bob and Carmen brought Adina a present - a new Christmas dress...it's absolutely adorable! They stayed for supper and we all had a nice visit together...Grandpa Bob even got a little crazy with Clarence and Adina and started chasing them around the house with Clarence's new little dart gun. The kids loved the game.
This weekend (tomorrow), we're going to my aunt and uncle's, Loren and Jana, house for our Younggren Christmas. I'm really excited to start celebrating and enjoy the season. We always have a $20 gift exchange and it's always interesting to see what everyone decides to bring for it. I'm still trying to think of something good....I need to do a little searching and thinking today.
We've had another busy month up until now - we were all sick around the week of/after Thanskgiving with the flu and head colds, so we're just getting over our stuffy noses now. The kids and Matt had flu shots, as well, so we're all trying to prevent getting sick with our new baby coming. The doctor cornered me last week when I had a checkup and wouldn't let me leave until she'd given me a flu and whooping cough shot (DTaP). I guess it's all for the good of me and the baby, but I really didn't want to have a shot. Oh well.
I've been subbing quite a bit, as well as my piano lessons. I've also been doing a bunch of sewing projects for Christmas presents. I can't wait to show everyone what I've made and finally finish them!
We spent Thanskgiving at Mom's house, then the next day, we went to Roseau and had brunch with Matt's grandma Jeanette and family. We had fun visiting with everyone.
We've also been busy with the cows - the calves have been weaned, the steers and heifers are separated, they've been vaccinated, the cows have been vaccinated and preg-checked, and the bulls have been pulled (off the main herd and put with fall-calving cows). We've made a lot of progress as far as that goes...
As far as the house goes....
Matt's been working like crazy. He's got sheetrock up in almost all the rooms in the addition. The entry is ready for wainscoating on the bottom half of the wall, as well as wood on the ceiling. The bedroom is ready for wood on the ceiling and floors...He's working on the office now and the laundry room. I'm getting so anxious, but trying to stay patient. It's such a hard job! :)
Sorry for the total randomness of this blog post; I'm just writing about things as I think of them. For a closing, I'll share some pictures from Thanksgiving. Actually, they'll be the next post. Now that I know how easy it is to share pics from shutterfly, I'll be doing that more often.
Enjoy your Holidays!
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Flying By
Wow, has time flown since I last wrote on here.
I'm now 30 weeks along and a few days. I'm having the baby in just two short months! Wow...I can hardly believe it. Until then, I want to cherish the wonderful seasons coming up.
Sunday the 18th is Clarence's 4th Birthday. We're celebrating Saturday night, the 17th with a party at dad's cabin. That's where Clarence requested we have it. He loves being at the cabin with everyone.
Just the other day, we were talking about his birthday. He told me, "Mom, the dads be outside talking, the kids play and watch movies in the basement, and the moms stay in the kitchen and cook the food." Really, Clarence, you've got it all figured out, don't you? That's how it always works...it's just funny that an almost 4-year old is perceptive enough to realize it!
Tonight we're going over to clean at the cabin and get everything ready. I made buns for it last night, and I'll make most of the other food on Saturday morning.
We had a fun couple weekends hunting...even though we didn't shoot a thing. We all saw a lot of does, fawns and small bucks, but none of us had a doe tag, so we just sat and waited for a big head-mounter to come along. Didn't happen, though. Maybe next year, I guess. Clarence went out opening morning with Matt. He lasted about a half an hour total...he was cold about 10 minutes after they got to their spot, then Matt told him to walk back to the pickup and wait for him there. Instead of walking quietly, Clarence would turn around and yell, "Coming, Dad?", then walk a little while longer, "Come on, Dad!". Needless to say, Matt just brought him back to Grandma Juli at the cabin, since he knew his chances of actually seeing deer with his little hunter were next to nothing.
I'm thankful I have a husband who's willing to at least make the effort, though. It meant a lot to Clarence.
I've been subbing a whole bunch this month. I'm getting tired and ready to just stay home with my family and get ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I want to help feed cows, cut/load wood (I only load it...I'm not too handy with a chainsaw), and bake Christmas cookies with my little helpers.
I feel like I get so far behind at home when I sub all week long. I neglect the house, only wash enough clothes to get us by so we have something clean to wear, make the most simple meals I can think of, and fall asleep exhausted with the kids at their bedtime, only to start it all ove the next day. Thankfully, I got a bug this morning and picked up and cleaned the floors pretty well so the house looks more presentable. If nothing else, it makes me feel better.
Anyway, I've just been rambling, but we've been so busy running here and there, hunting, feeding cows, and everything else, that I haven't written in almost a month. Hope it doesn't take me that long to write again!
See ya!
I'm now 30 weeks along and a few days. I'm having the baby in just two short months! Wow...I can hardly believe it. Until then, I want to cherish the wonderful seasons coming up.
Sunday the 18th is Clarence's 4th Birthday. We're celebrating Saturday night, the 17th with a party at dad's cabin. That's where Clarence requested we have it. He loves being at the cabin with everyone.
Just the other day, we were talking about his birthday. He told me, "Mom, the dads be outside talking, the kids play and watch movies in the basement, and the moms stay in the kitchen and cook the food." Really, Clarence, you've got it all figured out, don't you? That's how it always works...it's just funny that an almost 4-year old is perceptive enough to realize it!
Tonight we're going over to clean at the cabin and get everything ready. I made buns for it last night, and I'll make most of the other food on Saturday morning.
We had a fun couple weekends hunting...even though we didn't shoot a thing. We all saw a lot of does, fawns and small bucks, but none of us had a doe tag, so we just sat and waited for a big head-mounter to come along. Didn't happen, though. Maybe next year, I guess. Clarence went out opening morning with Matt. He lasted about a half an hour total...he was cold about 10 minutes after they got to their spot, then Matt told him to walk back to the pickup and wait for him there. Instead of walking quietly, Clarence would turn around and yell, "Coming, Dad?", then walk a little while longer, "Come on, Dad!". Needless to say, Matt just brought him back to Grandma Juli at the cabin, since he knew his chances of actually seeing deer with his little hunter were next to nothing.
I'm thankful I have a husband who's willing to at least make the effort, though. It meant a lot to Clarence.
I've been subbing a whole bunch this month. I'm getting tired and ready to just stay home with my family and get ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I want to help feed cows, cut/load wood (I only load it...I'm not too handy with a chainsaw), and bake Christmas cookies with my little helpers.
I feel like I get so far behind at home when I sub all week long. I neglect the house, only wash enough clothes to get us by so we have something clean to wear, make the most simple meals I can think of, and fall asleep exhausted with the kids at their bedtime, only to start it all ove the next day. Thankfully, I got a bug this morning and picked up and cleaned the floors pretty well so the house looks more presentable. If nothing else, it makes me feel better.
Anyway, I've just been rambling, but we've been so busy running here and there, hunting, feeding cows, and everything else, that I haven't written in almost a month. Hope it doesn't take me that long to write again!
See ya!
Saturday, October 27, 2012
10 things
#1 - I had a baby appointment this last Monday. I will be 28 weeks tomorrow (Sunday). Yay! I am now at the point where I can start going to appts. every 2 weeks, but she told me everything's fine so if I want to space them out more for now, I can. Baby's doing well....moving a lot. Clarence was patient enough to wait for a kick the other day. He thought that was pretty cool. Adina just pretends like she's feeling for it, but she's too impatient.
#2 - My doctor is due with twins Feb. 9th (I'm due Jan 20th)...I'm hoping she'll be around still when I have my baby...I really want her to do my c-section! I've set a date the week before my due date, but for now, I'll just keep it a secret...it's fun to be surprised when babies show up out of the blue, don't you think?
#3 - Clarence still loves school. He likes when Matt picks him up after school so he can come home and get work done, though. I think he worries the farm can't make progress without him when he's at the babysitter. He's really into watching cowboy movies lately. His new favorite is a John Wayne movie, "The Cowboys". He talks about bringing his cows to Belle Fousche all the time. He'll load his cows and horses in his big semi and say he's bringing them to Belle Fousche. You can tell he's seen the movie a couple of times!
#4 - Adina's doing great as well. She now loves having her hair done...we do braids and pony tails with barettes to hold her bangs back. She looks so grown up with her hair done. The only time she takes her hair out is if she's mad at me...like it's supposed to bother me or something. She's definitely going through her "terrible twos" these days, though. Or maybe it's just because she's a girl, I don't know, but her mood changes almost instantly. She'll be happy and cheerful one minute and screaming if she doesn't get her way the next. She's really been testing my patience level...:) Most of the time I handle it well, though, and leave her alone and let her get over her tantrums by herself. She's getting a lot better at doing that.
She's also big into makeup, perfume, and pins. Grandma Carmen sent her home with a box full of pins she wore to work in the '80's. Adina's a huge fan. We decorate her whole shirt with weird little pins, and then do photo shoots. She also loves having her picture taken...I say smile, she does, then wants to see each picture as we take them.
#5 - Matt's been working hard, as usual...he's been working on putting up a new fence on some land we have north of our house. He wants to put the cows out there to fall graze this next week. The kids and I have been helping some, but he's done a lot of the work himself this last week. He's also been continuing to work on my house...thanks, hun!, and feed cows, etc. Clarence tries to make sure he helps feed cows every day...it's important to him to be involved.
#6 - The kids and I made sugar cookies last Sunday. We used Halloween cookie cutters: a bat, an owl, and a pumpkin. Then, we frosted them and put candy corn and sprinkles on them. The kids had so much fun with the sprinkles and eating the frosting. We have a lot of randomly sprinkled cookies, but they're so, so cute! And we had such a fun afternoon doing that together. It's one of my favorite memories from when I was little - doing the same thing with my mom.
#7 - Mark and Andrea are here today to help put up soffit and fascia on the house and to start the siding on the addition. Yay! I'm so excited, I can hardly stand it. I can't wait to get the addition closed in better so that we can use the back door as our main entrance, even if it's only stud walls. I'm going to lock the front door and have a real living room again! Yippee!
#8 - Clarence and Adina spent the night at Grandma Juli and Grandpa Lowell's house last night. On the way there, Adina talked about "riding Hico" (Chico) the whole time...she's obsessed with Chico. (I think it's definitely time for me to look for a nice old horse for the kids!) Clarence talked about going to the farm with Grandpa Lowell to drive his little pickup around the shop and the farm. He was so excited to be going there. I called Mom's house this morning and Clarence answered the phone - it really surprised me! He did so well talking to me, though. He told me they're making cookies this morning with Grandma. They love getting to help bake in the kitchen. Adina talked to me, too. She was pretty excited, so I couldn't understand everything she was talking about, but I got that she slept well, she's making cookies, and she's been drinking chocolate milk. :)
#9 - I'm excited for snow. And Christmas. I love this time of year so much...I wish it lasted longer. :)
#10 - I'm going to be subbing a lot between now and Thanksgiving...better to sub now than after Christmas when I'll want to be home with my kids and the new baby!
Hope you're having a super weekend! And month!
#2 - My doctor is due with twins Feb. 9th (I'm due Jan 20th)...I'm hoping she'll be around still when I have my baby...I really want her to do my c-section! I've set a date the week before my due date, but for now, I'll just keep it a secret...it's fun to be surprised when babies show up out of the blue, don't you think?
#3 - Clarence still loves school. He likes when Matt picks him up after school so he can come home and get work done, though. I think he worries the farm can't make progress without him when he's at the babysitter. He's really into watching cowboy movies lately. His new favorite is a John Wayne movie, "The Cowboys". He talks about bringing his cows to Belle Fousche all the time. He'll load his cows and horses in his big semi and say he's bringing them to Belle Fousche. You can tell he's seen the movie a couple of times!
#4 - Adina's doing great as well. She now loves having her hair done...we do braids and pony tails with barettes to hold her bangs back. She looks so grown up with her hair done. The only time she takes her hair out is if she's mad at me...like it's supposed to bother me or something. She's definitely going through her "terrible twos" these days, though. Or maybe it's just because she's a girl, I don't know, but her mood changes almost instantly. She'll be happy and cheerful one minute and screaming if she doesn't get her way the next. She's really been testing my patience level...:) Most of the time I handle it well, though, and leave her alone and let her get over her tantrums by herself. She's getting a lot better at doing that.
She's also big into makeup, perfume, and pins. Grandma Carmen sent her home with a box full of pins she wore to work in the '80's. Adina's a huge fan. We decorate her whole shirt with weird little pins, and then do photo shoots. She also loves having her picture taken...I say smile, she does, then wants to see each picture as we take them.
#5 - Matt's been working hard, as usual...he's been working on putting up a new fence on some land we have north of our house. He wants to put the cows out there to fall graze this next week. The kids and I have been helping some, but he's done a lot of the work himself this last week. He's also been continuing to work on my house...thanks, hun!, and feed cows, etc. Clarence tries to make sure he helps feed cows every day...it's important to him to be involved.
#6 - The kids and I made sugar cookies last Sunday. We used Halloween cookie cutters: a bat, an owl, and a pumpkin. Then, we frosted them and put candy corn and sprinkles on them. The kids had so much fun with the sprinkles and eating the frosting. We have a lot of randomly sprinkled cookies, but they're so, so cute! And we had such a fun afternoon doing that together. It's one of my favorite memories from when I was little - doing the same thing with my mom.
#7 - Mark and Andrea are here today to help put up soffit and fascia on the house and to start the siding on the addition. Yay! I'm so excited, I can hardly stand it. I can't wait to get the addition closed in better so that we can use the back door as our main entrance, even if it's only stud walls. I'm going to lock the front door and have a real living room again! Yippee!
#8 - Clarence and Adina spent the night at Grandma Juli and Grandpa Lowell's house last night. On the way there, Adina talked about "riding Hico" (Chico) the whole time...she's obsessed with Chico. (I think it's definitely time for me to look for a nice old horse for the kids!) Clarence talked about going to the farm with Grandpa Lowell to drive his little pickup around the shop and the farm. He was so excited to be going there. I called Mom's house this morning and Clarence answered the phone - it really surprised me! He did so well talking to me, though. He told me they're making cookies this morning with Grandma. They love getting to help bake in the kitchen. Adina talked to me, too. She was pretty excited, so I couldn't understand everything she was talking about, but I got that she slept well, she's making cookies, and she's been drinking chocolate milk. :)
#9 - I'm excited for snow. And Christmas. I love this time of year so much...I wish it lasted longer. :)
#10 - I'm going to be subbing a lot between now and Thanksgiving...better to sub now than after Christmas when I'll want to be home with my kids and the new baby!
Hope you're having a super weekend! And month!
Friday, October 12, 2012
Progress!
Well, I'm subbing today; right now, I'm watching a study hall class...2 seniors. The teacher I'm subbing for left me her computer, so here I sit, writing my post. If I wasn't doing this, I'd be reading a new John Grisham book I found in the library, or planning Clarence's birthday party menu.
Anyway, the kids are home with Matt today. The babysitter called yesterday and said one of her girls had a fever, and it was our choice if we wanted to risk bringing the kids in or not. Matt said it was no bother for the kids to stay home with him, so they're all hanging out at home today. Or in the tractor. Or in the pasture fencing. Something, I guess. Matt told me they were going fencing. I wonder how it's going for him?
I helped bundle them up before I left this morning; Clarence in his 1-piece insulated carhartt coveralls and Adina in old "work" snowpants and a coat Matt found for her. They were so cute, and they'll be all set for their morning of working outside with their nice warm clothes on.
The kids are really good to entertain themselves when we're out fencing. Too bad I don't have my camera with...I took pictures the other day when we were out, and they're just so cute running on all the cow trails all over the pasture. The fresh air sure wears them out...Adina got cold, so we cuddled on the 4-wheeler, I put her feet in my coat and held her, and she was sleeping by 11:45. She slept almost three hours that day....how's that for a good way to wear a kid out? It's always a struggle to actually get out the door to go fencing, but once we're out working, it's so nice to be accomplishing something and doing it all together. We love all staying home and working together.
________________
We (I should say Matt) have also been busy working on the addition. After the power went out last Thursday, he decided since it was too snowy and yucky outside, he'd stay in and start wiring the addition. I'm so pumped about all his progress.
Since Thursday, he has:
It's so handy having a husband who can do almost anything!
________________________
Clarence is loving school...yesterday I picked him up and he'd just gotten back from riding around town in the fire truck. I think it was pretty fun for him. He and his cousin Tucker get along really well now....they used to fight a lot..... I'm thinking they've both just matured and realized they like each others' company. They both ride the same bus, and Clarence always tells me he has played with Tucker at school.
Well, one of these days I'll try and get an updated picture of my kids on here....I tried getting one from fb, but it didn't work. I'll try soon.
Have a fabulous weekend!
Anyway, the kids are home with Matt today. The babysitter called yesterday and said one of her girls had a fever, and it was our choice if we wanted to risk bringing the kids in or not. Matt said it was no bother for the kids to stay home with him, so they're all hanging out at home today. Or in the tractor. Or in the pasture fencing. Something, I guess. Matt told me they were going fencing. I wonder how it's going for him?
I helped bundle them up before I left this morning; Clarence in his 1-piece insulated carhartt coveralls and Adina in old "work" snowpants and a coat Matt found for her. They were so cute, and they'll be all set for their morning of working outside with their nice warm clothes on.
The kids are really good to entertain themselves when we're out fencing. Too bad I don't have my camera with...I took pictures the other day when we were out, and they're just so cute running on all the cow trails all over the pasture. The fresh air sure wears them out...Adina got cold, so we cuddled on the 4-wheeler, I put her feet in my coat and held her, and she was sleeping by 11:45. She slept almost three hours that day....how's that for a good way to wear a kid out? It's always a struggle to actually get out the door to go fencing, but once we're out working, it's so nice to be accomplishing something and doing it all together. We love all staying home and working together.
________________
We (I should say Matt) have also been busy working on the addition. After the power went out last Thursday, he decided since it was too snowy and yucky outside, he'd stay in and start wiring the addition. I'm so pumped about all his progress.
Since Thursday, he has:
- put lights in every room but the bathroom,
- put up all the closets we're going to need,
- put in nearly all the outlets,
- put in the remaining three windows,
- put in closet doors,
- and built the walls over the basement stairs.
It's so handy having a husband who can do almost anything!
________________________
Clarence is loving school...yesterday I picked him up and he'd just gotten back from riding around town in the fire truck. I think it was pretty fun for him. He and his cousin Tucker get along really well now....they used to fight a lot..... I'm thinking they've both just matured and realized they like each others' company. They both ride the same bus, and Clarence always tells me he has played with Tucker at school.
Well, one of these days I'll try and get an updated picture of my kids on here....I tried getting one from fb, but it didn't work. I'll try soon.
Have a fabulous weekend!
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Fun Fabulous Fall!
I absolutely love fall.
I love the cool mornings.
I love the changing leaves.
I love playing outside with my kids.
I love pumpkins and gourds and seeing everyone's decorations.
I love that it freezes and I'm allowed to let my garden go.....all I have to do now is pick the underground stuff.
It's just a wonderful time of year; I only wish fall lasted three months instead of the hot summer. That's just me, though.
Today's a bit warmer than it has been lately. We're making good use of the weather outside; we started cross-fencing a pasture by our house. (Cross-fencing is just dividing the large pasture into smaller pastures so that we can rotate our cows next year...it helps prolong the life of the grass.) We've been digging holes for railroad ties this morning. Now the kids are napping. They were so tired; they sort of cried and whined their whole way through lunch. I was glad to send them off to bed; they were sleeping within minutes.
We've also been busy with many other things this month...or at least Matt is every day....I help when I can or he really needs assistance. He's been combining beans and fixing machinery; we've been hauling manure and hauling cows home together. I'm so glad all the cows are home now. It's so nice to know we only have one pasture to go and check and that if we need to give them a bale here and there, we don't have to spend half a day bringing hay down to my pasture.
Clarence has enjoyed his first two weeks of preschool...(It's only been 4 half-days, but he loves it!). He rides the bus now with cousin Tucker. He's picked up about 7:50. He gets to school, they play, then go eat breakfast as a class, then come back and brush their teeth. Then they get to make projects, play in the gym or outside, and read books. He really loves school; he's always asking me when the bus is coming again to get him for "cool". Of course, as soon as he gets any free moments, he's working on his pen. He recently moved it over by the horse pen, and has moved the panels around to make a chute. He's decided it's going to be a calf pen for the little calves. He's just constantly working on it to perfect its usefulness, I guess. :) He even has a bale of nice green alfalfa spread around the pen.....what he's expecting to come and eat it, I'm not sure.
He spent the night at Nikki's on Thursday. He noticed all the leaves in her yard and told her, "You need clean you yard up." So they went out and taked for a bit. They made a big pile of leaves, and Clarence pointed to the raked part, "That look so nice." He's such a little perfectionist! It makes me laugh!
Adina's having fun at home with me while Clarence is gone at school. We just hang out and get a little bit of work done, then it's time to go and pick him up. People keep asking her if she wants to ride the bus, and she replies, "maybe yater"...meaning that she's really not ready yet. "Maybe Yater" is her answer for when she doesn't get to do something today, tomorrow, or for a while. She understands that "maybe later" is a ways away, so that's how she responds. She's into playing with her Barbie, Ariel, putting on lip gloss, brushing her hair, and wrapping up her babies lately. She's also really into training her kitties, too. She loves playing "out-hide baby hihees". I love listening to her talk. We can really have a pretty full conversation these days, which is nice for me...I understand better what she wants.
I started teaching piano lessons in St. Vincent last week. I've got 20 students up there. I'm hoping it'll be a good year with everyone willing to practice and move along in their books. :) I'll also be teaching some lessons in Lancaster on Monday evenings, but I'm really glad I split the days up...it would get to be such a long day if I hadn't. I'm not really sure how things will work after the baby comes and I decide to teach again...I guess I'll just cross that bridge when I come to it. Just pray that it'll all work out ok, I guess.
Well, hope you're enjoying our fabulous fall! Pray that we get some rain soon....it's so dry everywhere!
I love the cool mornings.
I love the changing leaves.
I love playing outside with my kids.
I love pumpkins and gourds and seeing everyone's decorations.
I love that it freezes and I'm allowed to let my garden go.....all I have to do now is pick the underground stuff.
It's just a wonderful time of year; I only wish fall lasted three months instead of the hot summer. That's just me, though.
Today's a bit warmer than it has been lately. We're making good use of the weather outside; we started cross-fencing a pasture by our house. (Cross-fencing is just dividing the large pasture into smaller pastures so that we can rotate our cows next year...it helps prolong the life of the grass.) We've been digging holes for railroad ties this morning. Now the kids are napping. They were so tired; they sort of cried and whined their whole way through lunch. I was glad to send them off to bed; they were sleeping within minutes.
We've also been busy with many other things this month...or at least Matt is every day....I help when I can or he really needs assistance. He's been combining beans and fixing machinery; we've been hauling manure and hauling cows home together. I'm so glad all the cows are home now. It's so nice to know we only have one pasture to go and check and that if we need to give them a bale here and there, we don't have to spend half a day bringing hay down to my pasture.
Clarence has enjoyed his first two weeks of preschool...(It's only been 4 half-days, but he loves it!). He rides the bus now with cousin Tucker. He's picked up about 7:50. He gets to school, they play, then go eat breakfast as a class, then come back and brush their teeth. Then they get to make projects, play in the gym or outside, and read books. He really loves school; he's always asking me when the bus is coming again to get him for "cool". Of course, as soon as he gets any free moments, he's working on his pen. He recently moved it over by the horse pen, and has moved the panels around to make a chute. He's decided it's going to be a calf pen for the little calves. He's just constantly working on it to perfect its usefulness, I guess. :) He even has a bale of nice green alfalfa spread around the pen.....what he's expecting to come and eat it, I'm not sure.
He spent the night at Nikki's on Thursday. He noticed all the leaves in her yard and told her, "You need clean you yard up." So they went out and taked for a bit. They made a big pile of leaves, and Clarence pointed to the raked part, "That look so nice." He's such a little perfectionist! It makes me laugh!
Adina's having fun at home with me while Clarence is gone at school. We just hang out and get a little bit of work done, then it's time to go and pick him up. People keep asking her if she wants to ride the bus, and she replies, "maybe yater"...meaning that she's really not ready yet. "Maybe Yater" is her answer for when she doesn't get to do something today, tomorrow, or for a while. She understands that "maybe later" is a ways away, so that's how she responds. She's into playing with her Barbie, Ariel, putting on lip gloss, brushing her hair, and wrapping up her babies lately. She's also really into training her kitties, too. She loves playing "out-hide baby hihees". I love listening to her talk. We can really have a pretty full conversation these days, which is nice for me...I understand better what she wants.
I started teaching piano lessons in St. Vincent last week. I've got 20 students up there. I'm hoping it'll be a good year with everyone willing to practice and move along in their books. :) I'll also be teaching some lessons in Lancaster on Monday evenings, but I'm really glad I split the days up...it would get to be such a long day if I hadn't. I'm not really sure how things will work after the baby comes and I decide to teach again...I guess I'll just cross that bridge when I come to it. Just pray that it'll all work out ok, I guess.
Well, hope you're enjoying our fabulous fall! Pray that we get some rain soon....it's so dry everywhere!
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Excitement
It's been a good start to the week.
Sunday began with our first day of Sunday School. All went well, and the kids had so much fun. After church, Mom and Nikki each took a kid. Matt and I went and had lunch with Pat and Laverne (the people we bought our farm from), then came home and canned tomatoes and spaghetti sauce. Yay for having a helper who was willing to peel tons of tomatoes. He literally saved me hours. Thanks, Matt. :)
The kids were so excited when they got home that night because Grandma Juli had let them borrow "Gunsmoke". It's all they've been watching since they got it. And they love it! It's black and white, but it's all they request. It makes me laugh. Matt loves it, too. He'll find any excuse to come in and watch a movie with the kids before bed. :)
Clarence started out yesterday by being privileged enough to ride in the corn chopper with Donald Burton. Donald and his crew came out yesterday and chopped our corn. Clarence was lucky enough to get to ride for three hours in the corn chopper. I asked him how many rows he did. He held up his hands, and said, "Five, five, five, five, five rows." (That's a lot, I'm thinking.) I wonder what he and Donald talked about? Any guesses?
I'm guessing farming, cows, haying, chopping corn, etc. Anything and everything that could have to do with the farm. Donald even gave him pop and candy. What a lucky boy!
Tonight he had his pre-school open house. We went to the school, found his room, his cubby, his nametag, his locker, and met his new teacher. He had a lot of fun (and Adina had fun tagging along). We read a book together, then had a snack, then went outside to play with the other kids. I know he's going to have a great time at preschool.
Today we spent a few hours cleaning up our toy room. It was a disaster, to say the least. Anyway, now we can easily walk in the door, through that room, and go right into the kitchen, rather than going around the long way. It's lovely.
Adina found so many cool toys she had forgotten about. She found one of my grandma's old purses full of dishes Nikki, Amanda, Savannah and I used to play with at Grandma's house. She added her own little collection to the purse, threw it around her neck (that's how she carries it), and has walked around with it on all afternoon. This morning she even picked 8 tomatoes and added to her purse and random collection. Thankfully Clarence told me about them so I could take them out before she squished them and made a large, disgusting mess.
That's all the excitement I have...not as much as I thought, but it's all fun, anyway.
Oh, one more. The baby's been moving for the last two weeks, and it's so much fun to experience it again! Now I can even feel it on the outside sometimes. I'm excited for when the kids will actually be able to feel it. It won't be long now! I'm 21 weeks along right now. Baby's due January 20th, although I'm sure I'll have my c-section the week before...I'm kinda shooting for Jan. 15th, which is my brother's birthday.That would be fun!
Hope you're having a super day and week! And yay for cooler weather!
Sunday began with our first day of Sunday School. All went well, and the kids had so much fun. After church, Mom and Nikki each took a kid. Matt and I went and had lunch with Pat and Laverne (the people we bought our farm from), then came home and canned tomatoes and spaghetti sauce. Yay for having a helper who was willing to peel tons of tomatoes. He literally saved me hours. Thanks, Matt. :)
The kids were so excited when they got home that night because Grandma Juli had let them borrow "Gunsmoke". It's all they've been watching since they got it. And they love it! It's black and white, but it's all they request. It makes me laugh. Matt loves it, too. He'll find any excuse to come in and watch a movie with the kids before bed. :)
Clarence started out yesterday by being privileged enough to ride in the corn chopper with Donald Burton. Donald and his crew came out yesterday and chopped our corn. Clarence was lucky enough to get to ride for three hours in the corn chopper. I asked him how many rows he did. He held up his hands, and said, "Five, five, five, five, five rows." (That's a lot, I'm thinking.) I wonder what he and Donald talked about? Any guesses?
I'm guessing farming, cows, haying, chopping corn, etc. Anything and everything that could have to do with the farm. Donald even gave him pop and candy. What a lucky boy!
Tonight he had his pre-school open house. We went to the school, found his room, his cubby, his nametag, his locker, and met his new teacher. He had a lot of fun (and Adina had fun tagging along). We read a book together, then had a snack, then went outside to play with the other kids. I know he's going to have a great time at preschool.
Today we spent a few hours cleaning up our toy room. It was a disaster, to say the least. Anyway, now we can easily walk in the door, through that room, and go right into the kitchen, rather than going around the long way. It's lovely.
Adina found so many cool toys she had forgotten about. She found one of my grandma's old purses full of dishes Nikki, Amanda, Savannah and I used to play with at Grandma's house. She added her own little collection to the purse, threw it around her neck (that's how she carries it), and has walked around with it on all afternoon. This morning she even picked 8 tomatoes and added to her purse and random collection. Thankfully Clarence told me about them so I could take them out before she squished them and made a large, disgusting mess.
That's all the excitement I have...not as much as I thought, but it's all fun, anyway.
Oh, one more. The baby's been moving for the last two weeks, and it's so much fun to experience it again! Now I can even feel it on the outside sometimes. I'm excited for when the kids will actually be able to feel it. It won't be long now! I'm 21 weeks along right now. Baby's due January 20th, although I'm sure I'll have my c-section the week before...I'm kinda shooting for Jan. 15th, which is my brother's birthday.That would be fun!
Hope you're having a super day and week! And yay for cooler weather!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Clarence's Daily/Weekly/Monthly and Adina's new obsession
Here's what I can remember from some funny things my sweet little boy has said recently. He continually cracks me up with his conversations, his addiction/obsession with the farm, and his love of helping his dad and grandpa.
C: Grampa Lowell? You got any minner and salt blocks? I need some. Bye.
(This was his imaginary phone conversation with my dad in the car one day.)
_________
C: Mom, you need get those matoes out of my wagon. I need to haul 'nure.
Me: Can we just leave them in there until I'm ready to use them?
C: Okay, but I need to haul 'nure. Morrow you can get them out.
Me: Ok....(but I'll leave them in there as long as he forgets about them.)
____________________
Last week, we found Clarence at the foot of the deck with two chairs turned over on their sides, the cushions for the chairs on the ground, a garbage can, and the wagon, all in a circle.
Me: What are you doing, Clarence?
C: Going camping, Auntie Mary's fair.
Me: You are at the State Fair?
C: Yeah, camping. Dina, lay down and sleep. (Then he lays down with her on the cushions and they pretend they're sleeping and camping.)
Later on, I saw he had Ruby in his "pen."
Me: Clarence, be nice to Ruby.
C: She's my heifer, I need to load her in the trailer (his wagon).
Me: Ok, but if she wants to get out, make sure you let her. You have to be nice.
C: I be nice.
.......
After Matt got home and saw his mess, he said:
Matt: Clarence, come with me; I have some panels you can have and you can make a real pen instead of making a mess right here.
C: Ok... (He's so excited about the possibility of real panels!)
Matt: (Goes to the barn, comes out with six sheep panels.) Will these work? Where do you want me to set them up?
C: Mom! I got panels!
Me: Set them up by the sandbox.
C: Yeah!
Minutes later, after Matt had the pen all set up, Clarence had a rope around Ruby's neck and was leading her over to the pen.
Me: What are you doing, Clarence?
C: I need to get this black pig in the pen.
Me: Oh, now you have a black pig named Ruby?
C: Yep.
From this poing on, Clarence has spent countless hours at his pen, opening gates, getting dogfood to lure the puppies and Ruby in, bringing the baby kitties out there, etc. He's obsessed...it's his own little pen to do whatever he wants with (as long as he's nice to the animals).
________________________
Adina's been really busy lately. Her black cat, Regan, had kittens about four weeks ago. She's been faithfully petting and training those five cute kitties ever since.
She begs to go outside to see them. She'll pet them, wrap them in blankets, carry them around in buckets (nicely), and feed them. She absolutely loves them! And, I'm so thrilled that we now have nine TAME cats right out my front door. Oh, and I forgot to mention that Rocks, the gray cat who had kittens in May or June is going to have another batch any day now. I'm so excited..........
Anyone need any tame kittens?
Adina's a great cat-tamer! She's taught them a lot of tricks! And they are eating catfood already.
________________________
We've had such a fun, busy summer. I can't believe school's already started and we're back into having schedules to live by. Clarence starts three-year old preschool on Sept. 18th. He has it Tuesday and Thursday mornings every week. He's really excited about it - the fun things they get to do and seeing his friends a couple times a week. It's hard for me to know he's already old enough to be at school a little bit, and that he'll be riding the bus!
We have two pastures north of our house that have ponds in them. Dry ponds. We had to bring the cows home from those pastures this last week...we even had them dug out - 8 feet down, with only mud and dry dirt coming out...no water. We've been checking one of the ponds, and thankfully there is water coming back into it slowly from an underground spring. This might allow us to bring the cows back up to those pastures in a couple weeks. Hopefully! Please pray we (and all the other dry areas around us) get rain and plenty of snow this winter. If we don't, it'll be hard to feed the cows next summer. Kind of a scary thought.
Well, off to do something productive before my 'nure spreading helper, Clarence, wakes up from his nap. Adina's at her friend Payton's house today, because she's a difficult little girl to entertain in the tractor for an entire day. Plus, she's so excited to go and play with her friends, that it's fun for me to bring her there because I know she'll have tons of fun. It's all Clarence ever dreams of, though. An endless amount of farm work to do. He sits and talks to me about working his cows, feeding them oats, combining his beans, combining his sunflowers, etc., all of which is imaginary or has to do with his toy cows in the house. He's a funny and interesting little boy!
C: Grampa Lowell? You got any minner and salt blocks? I need some. Bye.
(This was his imaginary phone conversation with my dad in the car one day.)
_________
C: Mom, you need get those matoes out of my wagon. I need to haul 'nure.
Me: Can we just leave them in there until I'm ready to use them?
C: Okay, but I need to haul 'nure. Morrow you can get them out.
Me: Ok....(but I'll leave them in there as long as he forgets about them.)
____________________
Last week, we found Clarence at the foot of the deck with two chairs turned over on their sides, the cushions for the chairs on the ground, a garbage can, and the wagon, all in a circle.
Me: What are you doing, Clarence?
C: Going camping, Auntie Mary's fair.
Me: You are at the State Fair?
C: Yeah, camping. Dina, lay down and sleep. (Then he lays down with her on the cushions and they pretend they're sleeping and camping.)
Later on, I saw he had Ruby in his "pen."
Me: Clarence, be nice to Ruby.
C: She's my heifer, I need to load her in the trailer (his wagon).
Me: Ok, but if she wants to get out, make sure you let her. You have to be nice.
C: I be nice.
.......
After Matt got home and saw his mess, he said:
Matt: Clarence, come with me; I have some panels you can have and you can make a real pen instead of making a mess right here.
C: Ok... (He's so excited about the possibility of real panels!)
Matt: (Goes to the barn, comes out with six sheep panels.) Will these work? Where do you want me to set them up?
C: Mom! I got panels!
Me: Set them up by the sandbox.
C: Yeah!
Minutes later, after Matt had the pen all set up, Clarence had a rope around Ruby's neck and was leading her over to the pen.
Me: What are you doing, Clarence?
C: I need to get this black pig in the pen.
Me: Oh, now you have a black pig named Ruby?
C: Yep.
From this poing on, Clarence has spent countless hours at his pen, opening gates, getting dogfood to lure the puppies and Ruby in, bringing the baby kitties out there, etc. He's obsessed...it's his own little pen to do whatever he wants with (as long as he's nice to the animals).
________________________
Adina's been really busy lately. Her black cat, Regan, had kittens about four weeks ago. She's been faithfully petting and training those five cute kitties ever since.
She begs to go outside to see them. She'll pet them, wrap them in blankets, carry them around in buckets (nicely), and feed them. She absolutely loves them! And, I'm so thrilled that we now have nine TAME cats right out my front door. Oh, and I forgot to mention that Rocks, the gray cat who had kittens in May or June is going to have another batch any day now. I'm so excited..........
Anyone need any tame kittens?
Adina's a great cat-tamer! She's taught them a lot of tricks! And they are eating catfood already.
________________________
We've had such a fun, busy summer. I can't believe school's already started and we're back into having schedules to live by. Clarence starts three-year old preschool on Sept. 18th. He has it Tuesday and Thursday mornings every week. He's really excited about it - the fun things they get to do and seeing his friends a couple times a week. It's hard for me to know he's already old enough to be at school a little bit, and that he'll be riding the bus!
We have two pastures north of our house that have ponds in them. Dry ponds. We had to bring the cows home from those pastures this last week...we even had them dug out - 8 feet down, with only mud and dry dirt coming out...no water. We've been checking one of the ponds, and thankfully there is water coming back into it slowly from an underground spring. This might allow us to bring the cows back up to those pastures in a couple weeks. Hopefully! Please pray we (and all the other dry areas around us) get rain and plenty of snow this winter. If we don't, it'll be hard to feed the cows next summer. Kind of a scary thought.
Well, off to do something productive before my 'nure spreading helper, Clarence, wakes up from his nap. Adina's at her friend Payton's house today, because she's a difficult little girl to entertain in the tractor for an entire day. Plus, she's so excited to go and play with her friends, that it's fun for me to bring her there because I know she'll have tons of fun. It's all Clarence ever dreams of, though. An endless amount of farm work to do. He sits and talks to me about working his cows, feeding them oats, combining his beans, combining his sunflowers, etc., all of which is imaginary or has to do with his toy cows in the house. He's a funny and interesting little boy!
Thursday, August 9, 2012
I Wonder Where This Is Going...
I've got an itch I can't scratch....
It all started a couple weeks ago when a guest speaker came to church with his drawings. His sermon was about letting go of old programs that are "dead", being open to change and new ideas, and to focus our lives on what gives us life instead of what drains us. If there is something in our lives that is continually draining us, we need to think of a way to change it and either let go of it or change, then find things that give us life and go with them.
Then, I started a book called "7" by Jen Hatmaker. If you've never read it, read it. I'll highlight a little, or maybe a lot, since I'm obsessed. She's a Christian writer, and the book is about her 7-month fast on seven different things. For a month at a time, she focuses on one thing: clothes, shopping, waste, food, possessions, media or stress. Then, those single focuses are broken down by seven again: seven items of clothing, seven kinds of food, seven types of media, seven places to shop, seven ways to reduce waste, and I don't know about stress because I'm not there yet. Every "month" hits me hard....I spend way too much on food, clothing, in front of the computer/tv, random items to buy "just because", etc.
I just finished the "waste" month.
Here's a quote from the book: "I keep thinking about our obsession with health. Our kids have been immunized, checked, prodded, measured, tested, and examined since the day they were born. Cuts get antibacterial creme and bandaids. Twisted ankles get ice. Strep throats get antibiotics. We fuel our bodies with good food, drinking enough water and milk to keep the wheels on.....
Why? Because God gave us spectacular bodies, and we value them.
But as certainly as God created man in His image, He first created the earth. With the same care He designed sixty thousand miles of blood vessels in the human body, He also crafted hydrangeas and freshwater rapids and hummingbirds. He balanced healthy ecosystems with precision and established climates and beauty. He integrated colors and smells and sounds that would astound humanity. The details He included while designing the earth are so extraordinary, it is no wonder He spent five of the six days of creation on it.
So why don't we care for the earth anywhere near to the degree we do our bodies? Why don't we fuss and examine and steward creation with the same tenacity? Why aren't we refusing complicity in the ravaging of our planet? Why aren't we determined to stop pillaging the earth's resources like savages? Why do we mock environmentalists and undermine their passion for conservation? Do we think ourselves so superior to the rest of creation that we are willing to deplete the earth to supply our luxuries? If so, we may bery well be the last generation who gets that prerogative."
I've been thinking this over and over and over. How can I be a better steward of the earth?
I can recycle.
I can plant a garden.
I can conserve my trips to town.
I can plant trees.
So, not only do I want to be more green, I want to be a better spender, very watchful of where every penny goes, then give the money I would have otherwise spent on myself to those who actually need things. This book drills over and over that Jesus wants us to help the poor, needy, the orphans, the homeless, all those who can't help themselves. What are we doing spending all this money on ourselves? And what is God going to say to us when we meet him if that is all we ever do?
AHHHH!
Anyway...I feel like I need to change some directions of my life right now. I'm not helping the needy in any way that I can think of, and I want to. I am not a green person, either, and I want to be a good steward of the earth. I need to start recycling...that's something major I can do right away. I have to tell myself "no" when I want to buy something "just because".
Well, enough of my rant for now....
See ya!
It all started a couple weeks ago when a guest speaker came to church with his drawings. His sermon was about letting go of old programs that are "dead", being open to change and new ideas, and to focus our lives on what gives us life instead of what drains us. If there is something in our lives that is continually draining us, we need to think of a way to change it and either let go of it or change, then find things that give us life and go with them.
Then, I started a book called "7" by Jen Hatmaker. If you've never read it, read it. I'll highlight a little, or maybe a lot, since I'm obsessed. She's a Christian writer, and the book is about her 7-month fast on seven different things. For a month at a time, she focuses on one thing: clothes, shopping, waste, food, possessions, media or stress. Then, those single focuses are broken down by seven again: seven items of clothing, seven kinds of food, seven types of media, seven places to shop, seven ways to reduce waste, and I don't know about stress because I'm not there yet. Every "month" hits me hard....I spend way too much on food, clothing, in front of the computer/tv, random items to buy "just because", etc.
I just finished the "waste" month.
Here's a quote from the book: "I keep thinking about our obsession with health. Our kids have been immunized, checked, prodded, measured, tested, and examined since the day they were born. Cuts get antibacterial creme and bandaids. Twisted ankles get ice. Strep throats get antibiotics. We fuel our bodies with good food, drinking enough water and milk to keep the wheels on.....
Why? Because God gave us spectacular bodies, and we value them.
But as certainly as God created man in His image, He first created the earth. With the same care He designed sixty thousand miles of blood vessels in the human body, He also crafted hydrangeas and freshwater rapids and hummingbirds. He balanced healthy ecosystems with precision and established climates and beauty. He integrated colors and smells and sounds that would astound humanity. The details He included while designing the earth are so extraordinary, it is no wonder He spent five of the six days of creation on it.
So why don't we care for the earth anywhere near to the degree we do our bodies? Why don't we fuss and examine and steward creation with the same tenacity? Why aren't we refusing complicity in the ravaging of our planet? Why aren't we determined to stop pillaging the earth's resources like savages? Why do we mock environmentalists and undermine their passion for conservation? Do we think ourselves so superior to the rest of creation that we are willing to deplete the earth to supply our luxuries? If so, we may bery well be the last generation who gets that prerogative."
I've been thinking this over and over and over. How can I be a better steward of the earth?
I can recycle.
I can plant a garden.
I can conserve my trips to town.
I can plant trees.
So, not only do I want to be more green, I want to be a better spender, very watchful of where every penny goes, then give the money I would have otherwise spent on myself to those who actually need things. This book drills over and over that Jesus wants us to help the poor, needy, the orphans, the homeless, all those who can't help themselves. What are we doing spending all this money on ourselves? And what is God going to say to us when we meet him if that is all we ever do?
AHHHH!
Anyway...I feel like I need to change some directions of my life right now. I'm not helping the needy in any way that I can think of, and I want to. I am not a green person, either, and I want to be a good steward of the earth. I need to start recycling...that's something major I can do right away. I have to tell myself "no" when I want to buy something "just because".
Well, enough of my rant for now....
See ya!
Friday, July 6, 2012
I've had fun, and I'm excited
Fun things we've done recently:
- Attended the rodeo in Greenbush a week ago...it was a beautiful evening, the kids were so good, and it was fun to hang out as a family. Clarence loved it - he's a farm kid through and through. He watched most of the events with wide eyes and interest. Adina, on the other hand, was only happy with treats and freezies.
- On the 4th, we went to Warroad. Matt's mom's cousin has an old, beautiful house up there where we went for lunch and to visit with their family. Then, we took the kids up town for all the festivities. They had all those jumpy game-things set up, and the kids could play all afternoon/evening. They had tons of fun. We ate yummy gyros for supper, and then brought the kids to the huge playground they have to play some more. The kids were sure tired. We were going to head home before the fireworks, but Clarence wanted to stay. So we stayed; he listened for a few minutes, then decided they were scary or too noisy and went and sat in the car. When the fireworks were over and we put our chairs away, we found Clarence asleep in his seat. Guess he was tired, too. :)
- The Kittson County Fair (see my previous post)...our exhibits and visiting with people, and fair food, and the grandstand events, and letting the kids go on rides, and watching Matt in the lumberjack show, and staying over (maybe), etc.
- Watching Mary show her steer in Roseau the week after.
- Camping with some good friends the week after the fair - a 4-day camping trip with the family, about 3 or 4 hours from home. It's going to be so much fun!
- The recent rain we've had this week to help the pastures, hayfields, and crp grow a little more. Thank You, God!
Our Fair List
Well, the Kittson County Fair is right around the corner, starting next Thursday. I'm getting really excited. The fair is one of the highlights of my summer. Having grown up on the farm and in 4-H, I always had tons of things to get ready. I'd bring a lead heifer, a cow/calf pair, a horse, and a bunch of other projects for the exhibit building. Now with small kids, my preparations have changed slightly, but I'm anxiously awaiting the day (kindof.....I'm excited, but don't want time to pass too quickly, either) when Clarence and Adina are in 4-H and we have tons of projects to be working on for the summer. I'm going to be baking next week with the kids so they can enter some things in open class. Matt and I were also thinking they could bring in some garden veggies or hay/corn/oats, etc. So, we'll see what next week brings. I have a lot of stuff to get ready before then. I think we're going to bring my brother's camper and stay at the fair. I think it will be easier to nap the kids right there and let them sleep there than run the 20 miles back and forth once or twice a day. We'll see how it goes, I guess.
Here's what I know we're bringing for sure:
Division B
Lot 1. Steer calf, 2-8 months
Jacki Przekwas
Lot
Since both Matt and I grew up bringing so many animals to the fair, we're excited for the day when we can bring show animals again. I think it's a wonderful experience for kids; it's one of my greatest memories - bringing animals to the fair, then winning trips to the state fair. It'll be a chance for us to get back into the swing of things...I know we'll both love it! :)
If you're bored next week, stop by the fair! (July 12th-15th)
Here's what I know we're bringing for sure:
Clarence Przekwas
Division B
Class 12
Lots
- Female: 3 Years and Over
6. Grade cow, 3 years and over with calf to be pen shown.
Class 18
Division K
Class 7
Lots
- Baked cookies
- Baked bars
9. Chocolate chip cookies
Adina Przekwas
Division B
Class 12
Lots
- Female:2 years and under 3
- Grade cow, 2 years and under 3 with calf to be pen shown.
- Best 2 Females, all bred and owned by exhibitor
Jacki Przekwas
Division K
Class 1
Lots
- Buns – white
- buns – dark
- rolls – caramel
- rolls – cinnamon
- rolls – orange
- rolls – any other
- cinnamon bread
- loaf of bread – oatmeal
11. loaf of bread – white
Class 3
25. Any other bars
Since both Matt and I grew up bringing so many animals to the fair, we're excited for the day when we can bring show animals again. I think it's a wonderful experience for kids; it's one of my greatest memories - bringing animals to the fair, then winning trips to the state fair. It'll be a chance for us to get back into the swing of things...I know we'll both love it! :)
If you're bored next week, stop by the fair! (July 12th-15th)
Thursday, June 28, 2012
The Home Front
It's been a busy month. The last couple of weeks have just flown by.
We've started haying, which totally consumes our life once it starts. On top of that, Matt's been AI-ing heifers, too. Today he'll be working on breeding most of the heifers we have at home. He did a few yesterday and a few this morning, but most of them will be ready by this evening, I think. We also put bulls out last night. They always get so riled up when we bring them into the yard and put them in small spaces...they snorted and mooed and fought all afternoon. I'm surprised they didn't break through any fences. I like watching the bulls, but I don't like to help with the bulls. They always seem ornery and huge and scary to me. I'm really no help for Matt when it comes to working with the bulls.
We're also just doing the daily/weekly yard work - keeping everything mowed, picking up toys, and working in the garden. I'm pretty excited about my garden right now. Everything's looking really nice. I watered it on Monday, and it seems to have grown inches since then. The watering and the heat have really helped.
The kids are having fun outside...most waking hours of every day are spent outside. They go with us and help whenever we're on the go, and they like swimming in their little pool, naked, every chance they get. Yesterday Adina rewarded me with a surprise...I let her go naked a little too long. She pooped and peed on the floor. It was gross. I'm really glad we have hard-wood floors instead of carpet downstairs. That would have been even more disgusting. Eeww.
Matt's little sister Mary had surgery last week on her jaw. She had an underbite and had it fixed; her bottom jaw was shaved, and they added other things to extend her upper jaw outward. She looks like a totally different person. Sunday evening, we went over to visit her and when we saw her, we all just looked at her. It was hard not to. Her face was still swollen, and she couldn't talk much at all. We saw her again on Tuesday, and she seemed way more comfortable with everything; she could talk way better, laugh better, eat better, etc., and the swelling had gone down some on her face. I'm glad she's doing so well; I just hope the next 7 or so weeks go by quickly for her so she can eat real food again. Get well soon, Mary!
This weekend, it's heritage days in Lancaster. There will be lots of fun things going on. We also hope to go to a rodeo in Greenbush on Saturday. I play organ on Sunday, and then I'm not sure what we're going to be doing. Probably just the usual - haying, working, etc. because we are hoping to go camping somewhere next week over the 4th.
Hope you're month is going great!
We've started haying, which totally consumes our life once it starts. On top of that, Matt's been AI-ing heifers, too. Today he'll be working on breeding most of the heifers we have at home. He did a few yesterday and a few this morning, but most of them will be ready by this evening, I think. We also put bulls out last night. They always get so riled up when we bring them into the yard and put them in small spaces...they snorted and mooed and fought all afternoon. I'm surprised they didn't break through any fences. I like watching the bulls, but I don't like to help with the bulls. They always seem ornery and huge and scary to me. I'm really no help for Matt when it comes to working with the bulls.
We're also just doing the daily/weekly yard work - keeping everything mowed, picking up toys, and working in the garden. I'm pretty excited about my garden right now. Everything's looking really nice. I watered it on Monday, and it seems to have grown inches since then. The watering and the heat have really helped.
The kids are having fun outside...most waking hours of every day are spent outside. They go with us and help whenever we're on the go, and they like swimming in their little pool, naked, every chance they get. Yesterday Adina rewarded me with a surprise...I let her go naked a little too long. She pooped and peed on the floor. It was gross. I'm really glad we have hard-wood floors instead of carpet downstairs. That would have been even more disgusting. Eeww.
Matt's little sister Mary had surgery last week on her jaw. She had an underbite and had it fixed; her bottom jaw was shaved, and they added other things to extend her upper jaw outward. She looks like a totally different person. Sunday evening, we went over to visit her and when we saw her, we all just looked at her. It was hard not to. Her face was still swollen, and she couldn't talk much at all. We saw her again on Tuesday, and she seemed way more comfortable with everything; she could talk way better, laugh better, eat better, etc., and the swelling had gone down some on her face. I'm glad she's doing so well; I just hope the next 7 or so weeks go by quickly for her so she can eat real food again. Get well soon, Mary!
This weekend, it's heritage days in Lancaster. There will be lots of fun things going on. We also hope to go to a rodeo in Greenbush on Saturday. I play organ on Sunday, and then I'm not sure what we're going to be doing. Probably just the usual - haying, working, etc. because we are hoping to go camping somewhere next week over the 4th.
Hope you're month is going great!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
The Clarence Daily
Yesterday, I walked into the kitchen and noticed about 15 of Clarence's toy animals on the floor.
Me: Clarence, can you come and pick up your animals in here?
C: No, Mom, those animals are in Roseau.
Me: You hauled your animals over to Roseau?
C: Yeah, I brought them to Roseau County.
(He decided he needed to bring some of his animals to "Roseau County" because Matt brought 3 cow/calf pairs over to his parents' house a couple weeks ago. Now, in Clarence's mind, he's doing the same thing - bringing his animals over to Grandpa Bob's for the summer.)
Today: (The animals are now out of my kitchen)
C: Mom, I'm hauling all those animals to Roseau. (He's loading a whole bunch of them into his big semi.)
Me: Don't you want them anymore? Should we bring them over and give them to Harley?
C: No, they're going to Roseau County.
Me: Are you going to have Grandpa Bob take care of them for the summer?
C: Yeah, I'll bring those home next summer....(he means in the fall...he just has how he talks about time confused)
He comes up with such cute little ideas. I love watching him and trying to figure out what he's doing.
Me: Clarence, can you come and pick up your animals in here?
C: No, Mom, those animals are in Roseau.
Me: You hauled your animals over to Roseau?
C: Yeah, I brought them to Roseau County.
(He decided he needed to bring some of his animals to "Roseau County" because Matt brought 3 cow/calf pairs over to his parents' house a couple weeks ago. Now, in Clarence's mind, he's doing the same thing - bringing his animals over to Grandpa Bob's for the summer.)
Today: (The animals are now out of my kitchen)
C: Mom, I'm hauling all those animals to Roseau. (He's loading a whole bunch of them into his big semi.)
Me: Don't you want them anymore? Should we bring them over and give them to Harley?
C: No, they're going to Roseau County.
Me: Are you going to have Grandpa Bob take care of them for the summer?
C: Yeah, I'll bring those home next summer....(he means in the fall...he just has how he talks about time confused)
He comes up with such cute little ideas. I love watching him and trying to figure out what he's doing.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Two Fun-Filled, Busy Weeks
June 5th - We celebrated Adina's 2nd birthday at the cabin. Many of my relatives came, along with Grandma Carmen, Grandpa Bob, Great-grandma Jeanette, Auntie Mary, and Uncle Mark from Roseau. Everyone had a great time visiting, eating, and watching Matt and the kids have water fights with water baloons and squirt guns. It was a perfect night to have a party - warm weather and no bugs!
June 6th and 7th - I spent the days buying food to prepare for VBS, which was starting Sunday, June 10th. I brought food out to Lake Bronson, set the tables up, etc.
June 8th - I went to the fairgrounds to help my cousin, Savannah, set up the building for her reception. We decorated all morning. It was beautiful! That evening, we had wedding rehearsal and the groom's supper. It was fun visiting and getting ready for the wedding.
June 9th - Wedding day for Savannah and Evan. I was a bridesmaid; Matt was a handsome usher. My kids stayed home until about 2:30p.m. with my cousin Bailey. She brought them in when pictures were about to start.
We (the girls) were up early getting our hair done and watching others get theirs done. Mine only took about an hour and a half. It was fun, though. Then we headed to the church to get Savannah ready and hang out until our pictures started. The day was very relaxed, laid back, and so fun to be a part of. The reception and dance were held at the fairgrounds, and it was a perfect spot, because it was kind of warm out, so people were free to be inside or outside of the building and not be in the street like they would be if the dance had been at the city hall.
Auntie Mary came over during the reception and hung out with us to help with the kids and take them home after they'd danced for a little bit. It was nice to have a sitter and not worry about the kids all night. That left Matt and I free to dance the night away. :)
June 10th, 11th, and 12th - The kids and I spent the three days out at Galilee Bible Camp at Lake Bronson taking in Vacation Bible School. (Matt came in the evenings and we slept in a cabin at the camp.) Nikki and I were in charge of making all the snacks and meals for the kids at bible school. We spent our days chasing our kids and making food. It was so much fun, though. By the end, Clarence was loving his class and everything he got to do at Bible School. He liked everything except going in the water on the paddle boats. He wanted nothiing to do with that. He'd wear a life jacket and wait on the dock, but he was afraid if he got in a boat, someone was going to push him into the water. (Too much scaring from his dad, I think.) In the evenings, we'd make supper, play games, and have a bonfire. The kids (Clarence, Adina, and Anna) had so much fun playing together. Clarence is already excited about next year.
June 13th, 14th, and 15th - We didn't start cutting hay yet because the weather said there was a chance every day. We didn't get any rain until Saturday, though. Matt could've started cutting last week, but oh well....he actually didn't even have the right parts for the mower conditioner yet anyways. We spent the days cleaning up the yard. With our house project and everything, the yard was put on the back burner. We mowed the lawn, weeded the garden, picked up the yard, put winter machinery away, etc. The yard looks way better now than it did last week. We still have some raking to do, but that'll give me something to do today.... :)
Friday the 15th, we headed to Kick'n Up Kountry in Karlstad for the evening. My mom watched my kids and their cousing Harley so Nikki, Mark, Nathan and us could go enjoy the evening. It was a lot of fun! The Bellamy Brothers were my favorite - I knew almost every one of their songs. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was good, too, but I only knew like four or five of their songs. Then there was a dance afterwards, so we stayed at that for a while. It was late when we picked the kids up, but thankfully they slept in a little Saturday morning. :)
June 16th - my birthday. I'm now 26. My mom and Clarence picked strawberries and made me a strawberry pie for my cake. It was delicious! My day was spent relaxing mostly; in the evening, we went to a birthday party for my second cousin, Jadyn. It was fun watching all the kids play together.
June 17th - Father's Day. We went to church, then came home and took a nap. Matt wasn't feeling well, though, after that; he was all congested. We ended up going to Roseau in the evening, then coming home late last night. It was fun to visit, but I'm kinda tired today. :)
Today, the 18th - Tucker and McCall (my cousin's kids) are here for the day. So far, it's 9 a.m., and Clarence is still sleeping...he was tired from our late night last night. Adina's been playing really well with the kids. I'm sure most of the day will be spent playing outside. The kids will have a blast together!
See Ya!
June 6th and 7th - I spent the days buying food to prepare for VBS, which was starting Sunday, June 10th. I brought food out to Lake Bronson, set the tables up, etc.
June 8th - I went to the fairgrounds to help my cousin, Savannah, set up the building for her reception. We decorated all morning. It was beautiful! That evening, we had wedding rehearsal and the groom's supper. It was fun visiting and getting ready for the wedding.
June 9th - Wedding day for Savannah and Evan. I was a bridesmaid; Matt was a handsome usher. My kids stayed home until about 2:30p.m. with my cousin Bailey. She brought them in when pictures were about to start.
We (the girls) were up early getting our hair done and watching others get theirs done. Mine only took about an hour and a half. It was fun, though. Then we headed to the church to get Savannah ready and hang out until our pictures started. The day was very relaxed, laid back, and so fun to be a part of. The reception and dance were held at the fairgrounds, and it was a perfect spot, because it was kind of warm out, so people were free to be inside or outside of the building and not be in the street like they would be if the dance had been at the city hall.
Auntie Mary came over during the reception and hung out with us to help with the kids and take them home after they'd danced for a little bit. It was nice to have a sitter and not worry about the kids all night. That left Matt and I free to dance the night away. :)
June 10th, 11th, and 12th - The kids and I spent the three days out at Galilee Bible Camp at Lake Bronson taking in Vacation Bible School. (Matt came in the evenings and we slept in a cabin at the camp.) Nikki and I were in charge of making all the snacks and meals for the kids at bible school. We spent our days chasing our kids and making food. It was so much fun, though. By the end, Clarence was loving his class and everything he got to do at Bible School. He liked everything except going in the water on the paddle boats. He wanted nothiing to do with that. He'd wear a life jacket and wait on the dock, but he was afraid if he got in a boat, someone was going to push him into the water. (Too much scaring from his dad, I think.) In the evenings, we'd make supper, play games, and have a bonfire. The kids (Clarence, Adina, and Anna) had so much fun playing together. Clarence is already excited about next year.
June 13th, 14th, and 15th - We didn't start cutting hay yet because the weather said there was a chance every day. We didn't get any rain until Saturday, though. Matt could've started cutting last week, but oh well....he actually didn't even have the right parts for the mower conditioner yet anyways. We spent the days cleaning up the yard. With our house project and everything, the yard was put on the back burner. We mowed the lawn, weeded the garden, picked up the yard, put winter machinery away, etc. The yard looks way better now than it did last week. We still have some raking to do, but that'll give me something to do today.... :)
Friday the 15th, we headed to Kick'n Up Kountry in Karlstad for the evening. My mom watched my kids and their cousing Harley so Nikki, Mark, Nathan and us could go enjoy the evening. It was a lot of fun! The Bellamy Brothers were my favorite - I knew almost every one of their songs. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was good, too, but I only knew like four or five of their songs. Then there was a dance afterwards, so we stayed at that for a while. It was late when we picked the kids up, but thankfully they slept in a little Saturday morning. :)
June 16th - my birthday. I'm now 26. My mom and Clarence picked strawberries and made me a strawberry pie for my cake. It was delicious! My day was spent relaxing mostly; in the evening, we went to a birthday party for my second cousin, Jadyn. It was fun watching all the kids play together.
June 17th - Father's Day. We went to church, then came home and took a nap. Matt wasn't feeling well, though, after that; he was all congested. We ended up going to Roseau in the evening, then coming home late last night. It was fun to visit, but I'm kinda tired today. :)
Today, the 18th - Tucker and McCall (my cousin's kids) are here for the day. So far, it's 9 a.m., and Clarence is still sleeping...he was tired from our late night last night. Adina's been playing really well with the kids. I'm sure most of the day will be spent playing outside. The kids will have a blast together!
See Ya!
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Living Life
We've been so busy these last couple of weeks. I think about going on the computer, then think of 700 other things that I need to do. I also haven't been feeling very inspired to write lately, so sorry. Here's what we've been doing, though.
1. Matt was seeding and finished all the fields with no significant breakdowns.
2. The cows got out. Like three or four times.
3. We've been hauling cow/calf pairs out to pasture. We've done about 170 pairs so far (I think)....at least 50 more to go.
Hauling pairs is fun....most of the time. Matt and I walk the pairs up together, or he manages to do it by himself if I'm busy with the kids. Then we get them into the barn and into the chute. We give shots, write down cow numbers, which pasture they're going to, make sure each cow has an eartag in each ear, and load them up. We do the same for the calves - make sure they match up with the cows, give them shots, and load them up. Clarence has really gotten good at herding the calves. He'll work on getting them into the chute while Matt switches trailers. Usually he can get them all in by himself. It's really so cute to watch. He'll chase them around, yelling, "C'mon, calves, get in the chute, calves...." in a drawly cowboy voice. It makes me smile every time. Then, once everything's loaded up, we head to whichever pasture the cows are going to. Most of the pastures are close to home, but my pasture is 13 miles away, so it usually takes about an hour to make a load. (Just so you know, when we haul pairs out, we get 11 cows in Matt's big trailer and 11 calves in my little trailer. If we use just the big trailer, we can do about 8 pairs....it's slow going, but every cow off the farm is progress!)
4. Mark P. came over two weeks ago and started my addition. He and Matt have: put in subfloors; put up the walls; put plywood on the outside walls; put the rafters on; put the plywood on the rafters; and are shingling the roof today and tomorrow. They've made a lot of progress in the last two weeks, considering everything else we've had going on.
5. Baby Harley was baptized. Matt and I are the proud godparents. We love him so much!
6. We celebrated my Grandma Muriel's 80th birthday a few weekends ago. We had a lot of fun visiting everyone and helping her celebrate. We had pie and coffee with her friends at the Caribou Grill; the next day, we served coffee hour at her church, then had a potluck at her house after church. It was a fun, busy weekend.
7. Ruby had two puppies. A boy and a girl. She's such a good mommy. They look like fat, solid little logs. They don't have their eyes open yet, but I'm thinking that'll come soon. They'll be two weeks old on Friday. Clarence loves them so much. He makes sure he goes and visits them a few times a day. I love to watch him with the puppies - it's the only time he's really and truly GENTLE!
8. Matt's brother, Mike, came home for a visit. He'll be up until Friday. He came last week and helped put the rafters up and visit with his brothers. Sunday, we went to Roseau to celebrate a whole bunch of birthdays and visit the family.
9. Matt turned 26 on Sunday. He's getting old. :)
10. Today when we got home from hauling out our load of cows, Clarence hopped out of the pickup to hurry and get on with life. Adina was going to follow him, but instead she nose-dived and hit the road with her face. Half of her face is red and a little puffy, but thankfully, that's all that she was hurt. She really scared me; she landed only a few inches from a huge rock in the road that would've really hurt her, I think.
11. Clarence has been busy bringing sticks and wood scraps to our new fire pit down by the river. He has a new love for bonfires. He'll sit and gather wood for an hour and haul it down for the fire. Tonight, he and Uncle Mark are going to camp out in Mark's tent after we have a fun little bonfire.
Clarence is also my 'official egg gatherer'. He takes this job very seriously. About 7 times a day, he'll come find me with a big grin on his face, and hold up his hands, show me the eggs and say, "I found more eggs, Mom." He loves that job....I'm very thankful for that, because I don't love that job! :)
12. It froze here last night. My two whiskey barrels full of flowers are withered and wilted. I think I need to make another trip to the greenhouse.
Hope you've been doing swell. :)
1. Matt was seeding and finished all the fields with no significant breakdowns.
2. The cows got out. Like three or four times.
3. We've been hauling cow/calf pairs out to pasture. We've done about 170 pairs so far (I think)....at least 50 more to go.
Hauling pairs is fun....most of the time. Matt and I walk the pairs up together, or he manages to do it by himself if I'm busy with the kids. Then we get them into the barn and into the chute. We give shots, write down cow numbers, which pasture they're going to, make sure each cow has an eartag in each ear, and load them up. We do the same for the calves - make sure they match up with the cows, give them shots, and load them up. Clarence has really gotten good at herding the calves. He'll work on getting them into the chute while Matt switches trailers. Usually he can get them all in by himself. It's really so cute to watch. He'll chase them around, yelling, "C'mon, calves, get in the chute, calves...." in a drawly cowboy voice. It makes me smile every time. Then, once everything's loaded up, we head to whichever pasture the cows are going to. Most of the pastures are close to home, but my pasture is 13 miles away, so it usually takes about an hour to make a load. (Just so you know, when we haul pairs out, we get 11 cows in Matt's big trailer and 11 calves in my little trailer. If we use just the big trailer, we can do about 8 pairs....it's slow going, but every cow off the farm is progress!)
4. Mark P. came over two weeks ago and started my addition. He and Matt have: put in subfloors; put up the walls; put plywood on the outside walls; put the rafters on; put the plywood on the rafters; and are shingling the roof today and tomorrow. They've made a lot of progress in the last two weeks, considering everything else we've had going on.
5. Baby Harley was baptized. Matt and I are the proud godparents. We love him so much!
6. We celebrated my Grandma Muriel's 80th birthday a few weekends ago. We had a lot of fun visiting everyone and helping her celebrate. We had pie and coffee with her friends at the Caribou Grill; the next day, we served coffee hour at her church, then had a potluck at her house after church. It was a fun, busy weekend.
7. Ruby had two puppies. A boy and a girl. She's such a good mommy. They look like fat, solid little logs. They don't have their eyes open yet, but I'm thinking that'll come soon. They'll be two weeks old on Friday. Clarence loves them so much. He makes sure he goes and visits them a few times a day. I love to watch him with the puppies - it's the only time he's really and truly GENTLE!
8. Matt's brother, Mike, came home for a visit. He'll be up until Friday. He came last week and helped put the rafters up and visit with his brothers. Sunday, we went to Roseau to celebrate a whole bunch of birthdays and visit the family.
9. Matt turned 26 on Sunday. He's getting old. :)
10. Today when we got home from hauling out our load of cows, Clarence hopped out of the pickup to hurry and get on with life. Adina was going to follow him, but instead she nose-dived and hit the road with her face. Half of her face is red and a little puffy, but thankfully, that's all that she was hurt. She really scared me; she landed only a few inches from a huge rock in the road that would've really hurt her, I think.
11. Clarence has been busy bringing sticks and wood scraps to our new fire pit down by the river. He has a new love for bonfires. He'll sit and gather wood for an hour and haul it down for the fire. Tonight, he and Uncle Mark are going to camp out in Mark's tent after we have a fun little bonfire.
Clarence is also my 'official egg gatherer'. He takes this job very seriously. About 7 times a day, he'll come find me with a big grin on his face, and hold up his hands, show me the eggs and say, "I found more eggs, Mom." He loves that job....I'm very thankful for that, because I don't love that job! :)
12. It froze here last night. My two whiskey barrels full of flowers are withered and wilted. I think I need to make another trip to the greenhouse.
Hope you've been doing swell. :)
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Yesterday: Clarence's Daily
This was our conversation on the way home from the farm we went to to pick up the seed tender, semi, and chisel plow. Matt took Adina home in the semi. I took Clarence home with me in the tractor. It was great one-on-one time for each of us.
C: That pasture have weeds, Mom?
Me: Yep.
C: Cows no yike weeds, Mom.
Me: I'm sure they'll just eat around them.
C: (silent for 1/4 mile, until we reach the next pasture) Any weeds in that pasture, Mom. (Meaning there are no weeds.)
Me: Okay.
C: Cows yike that pasture,Mom.
C: Any cows in that pasture, Mom?
Me: I don't know - the fence doesn't look very good - probably not.
C: Weeds in that pasture, Mom.
Me: I know.
C: Cows no yike weeds.
Me: Don't they?
C: No. They just yike grass.
Me: Oh, I see. (There's no point in arguing with a three-year old!)
(We're driving on, past pasture after pasture...the ever-observant Clarence sitting right beside me taking EVERYTHING in)
C: Mom, cattails!
Me: Yep, I see them.
C: Weeds in that pasture, Mom!
Me: Yep.
C: Cows no yike weeds, Mom.
Me: I know. I'm sure they'll just eat around those weeds. There's green grass growing underneath, see?
C: Yah, but cows no yike the old grass.
C: Mom, cows no in that pasture. Weeds in that pasture. Trees in that pasture. Cows no yike weeds and trees.
Me: Cows don't mind the trees, Clarence. Remember down at the Vagle pasture? There's a lot of trees there. I'm sure the cows just eat all the grass in the trees, too.
C: Oh.
(I won't keep writing our never-ending conversation - but this is what we talked about for a good 40 minutes in the tractor....)
C: Mom, I see cows.
Me: Those are Danny Lyberg's cows.
C: Danny Yiberg's cows?
Me: Yep.
C: His cows no yike weeds.
Me: I know, Clarence.
(Driving down the road some more.)
C: Mom, more cows! Those Danny Yiberg's cows?
Me: Yep, those are his.
C: Weeds in that pasture, Mom?
Me: Yep, probably, but I'm sure the cows just eat around them.
C: Mom, wooornge cows (orangeish/reddish cows)!
Me: I see them.
C: I yove woornge cows.
Me: I know.
C: Weeds in that pasture, Mom.
Me: Yes, Clarence, I see them.
C: Cows no yike weeds.
Just so all of you know, according to Clarence, COWS DON'T LIKE WEEDS! I learned a lot driving in the tractor with him yesterday, as I'm sure you have by reading this! He's a "rancher" through and through!
C: That pasture have weeds, Mom?
Me: Yep.
C: Cows no yike weeds, Mom.
Me: I'm sure they'll just eat around them.
C: (silent for 1/4 mile, until we reach the next pasture) Any weeds in that pasture, Mom. (Meaning there are no weeds.)
Me: Okay.
C: Cows yike that pasture,Mom.
C: Any cows in that pasture, Mom?
Me: I don't know - the fence doesn't look very good - probably not.
C: Weeds in that pasture, Mom.
Me: I know.
C: Cows no yike weeds.
Me: Don't they?
C: No. They just yike grass.
Me: Oh, I see. (There's no point in arguing with a three-year old!)
(We're driving on, past pasture after pasture...the ever-observant Clarence sitting right beside me taking EVERYTHING in)
C: Mom, cattails!
Me: Yep, I see them.
C: Weeds in that pasture, Mom!
Me: Yep.
C: Cows no yike weeds, Mom.
Me: I know. I'm sure they'll just eat around those weeds. There's green grass growing underneath, see?
C: Yah, but cows no yike the old grass.
C: Mom, cows no in that pasture. Weeds in that pasture. Trees in that pasture. Cows no yike weeds and trees.
Me: Cows don't mind the trees, Clarence. Remember down at the Vagle pasture? There's a lot of trees there. I'm sure the cows just eat all the grass in the trees, too.
C: Oh.
(I won't keep writing our never-ending conversation - but this is what we talked about for a good 40 minutes in the tractor....)
C: Mom, I see cows.
Me: Those are Danny Lyberg's cows.
C: Danny Yiberg's cows?
Me: Yep.
C: His cows no yike weeds.
Me: I know, Clarence.
(Driving down the road some more.)
C: Mom, more cows! Those Danny Yiberg's cows?
Me: Yep, those are his.
C: Weeds in that pasture, Mom?
Me: Yep, probably, but I'm sure the cows just eat around them.
C: Mom, wooornge cows (orangeish/reddish cows)!
Me: I see them.
C: I yove woornge cows.
Me: I know.
C: Weeds in that pasture, Mom.
Me: Yes, Clarence, I see them.
C: Cows no yike weeds.
Just so all of you know, according to Clarence, COWS DON'T LIKE WEEDS! I learned a lot driving in the tractor with him yesterday, as I'm sure you have by reading this! He's a "rancher" through and through!
So Little Time
So much to do, so little time.
That saying is so true! Matt's been seeding this week. So far, things are going well. He finished seeding corn this morning. We're seeding corn to feed our calves this winter. We'll grind it this fall and haul it into the yard, then pack it in a huge pile and feed it to our calves all winter. If the crop turns out well, though, we might combine some and stick it in the bin and bale the stalks. That's what we did last year. We're hoping to chop it for silage this year, though, because we've heard there might be a limited supply of beet pulp we'll have access to.
Anyway, Matt's going to start seeding soybeans this afternoon. Then the oats in a couple days. The kids and I were going to get up and head into Hallock this morning to go get garden seeds at the greenhouse. However, Clarence kept telling me how cold he was during breakfast; I took his temperature and he had a 101 fever. So I put in "Little House" for a bit. Then he was up and wanting to go outside. We went out to feed cows instead of actually playing. That way he can sit still in the tractor instead of running around. It took a while, but we successfully completed feeding the cows. I say successfully because we managed to finish without a SINGLE cow getting out!
Now the kids are napping. I'm hoping Clarence might be feeling a little better when he wakes up and we can head to the greenhouse then. We'll see, I guess.
Yesterday was quite cold, so the kids and I spent most of the morning in the house. I brought totes and totes up to the attic to store. It's not really a fun job. Most of the time, I gradually add more and more things into Clarence's room, then I decide I've had enough, and I deal with it. The thing about dealing with all the stuff is: I have to climb up a ladder in Clarence's closet, lift up a huge, heavy door, then one-by-one lift totes over my head and climb the ladder and bring it into the attic. Not to mention the fact that I had help. It took a little while, but we accomplished everything. We hauled about five totes, the high chair, and some random Christmas decorations I found in the bottom of Clarence's closet up there. Hopefully I won't have to repeat that for a while. :)
Then in the afternoon, we all hopped in the tractor with Matt for "family farming time". It was so much fun. :)
I'm kind of kidding...it was kinda fun, but long and hard to sit beside Matt on the wheel well holding a jumping child and trying not to knock the other one over (who was standing by the window).
We went up to a guy's farm about 10 miles north of us; Matt and his dad have bought some of this guy's equipment, so we're slowly trying to get it back to our house. Well, yesterday Matt wanted to get the seed tender so he can use it with the soybeans rather than filling the drills with 5-gallon buckets (like he's done the four previous years we've lived here). So the kids and I went with so I could drive the tractor home with a chisel plow and Matt could drive our semi home with the seed tender. The kids were very good and very cooperative.
My next post will be Clarence's daily from yesterday. It's about all the pastures we drive by going there and coming home.
Hope you're enjoying this splendid day!
That saying is so true! Matt's been seeding this week. So far, things are going well. He finished seeding corn this morning. We're seeding corn to feed our calves this winter. We'll grind it this fall and haul it into the yard, then pack it in a huge pile and feed it to our calves all winter. If the crop turns out well, though, we might combine some and stick it in the bin and bale the stalks. That's what we did last year. We're hoping to chop it for silage this year, though, because we've heard there might be a limited supply of beet pulp we'll have access to.
Anyway, Matt's going to start seeding soybeans this afternoon. Then the oats in a couple days. The kids and I were going to get up and head into Hallock this morning to go get garden seeds at the greenhouse. However, Clarence kept telling me how cold he was during breakfast; I took his temperature and he had a 101 fever. So I put in "Little House" for a bit. Then he was up and wanting to go outside. We went out to feed cows instead of actually playing. That way he can sit still in the tractor instead of running around. It took a while, but we successfully completed feeding the cows. I say successfully because we managed to finish without a SINGLE cow getting out!
Now the kids are napping. I'm hoping Clarence might be feeling a little better when he wakes up and we can head to the greenhouse then. We'll see, I guess.
Yesterday was quite cold, so the kids and I spent most of the morning in the house. I brought totes and totes up to the attic to store. It's not really a fun job. Most of the time, I gradually add more and more things into Clarence's room, then I decide I've had enough, and I deal with it. The thing about dealing with all the stuff is: I have to climb up a ladder in Clarence's closet, lift up a huge, heavy door, then one-by-one lift totes over my head and climb the ladder and bring it into the attic. Not to mention the fact that I had help. It took a little while, but we accomplished everything. We hauled about five totes, the high chair, and some random Christmas decorations I found in the bottom of Clarence's closet up there. Hopefully I won't have to repeat that for a while. :)
Then in the afternoon, we all hopped in the tractor with Matt for "family farming time". It was so much fun. :)
I'm kind of kidding...it was kinda fun, but long and hard to sit beside Matt on the wheel well holding a jumping child and trying not to knock the other one over (who was standing by the window).
We went up to a guy's farm about 10 miles north of us; Matt and his dad have bought some of this guy's equipment, so we're slowly trying to get it back to our house. Well, yesterday Matt wanted to get the seed tender so he can use it with the soybeans rather than filling the drills with 5-gallon buckets (like he's done the four previous years we've lived here). So the kids and I went with so I could drive the tractor home with a chisel plow and Matt could drive our semi home with the seed tender. The kids were very good and very cooperative.
My next post will be Clarence's daily from yesterday. It's about all the pastures we drive by going there and coming home.
Hope you're enjoying this splendid day!
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Butter Crunch Cookies
I made these cookies last night. They're truly delicious! I was looking for a new cookie recipe to try, and this one caught my eye. I brought them to church this morning because the "P's" were serving coffee hour.
Butter Crunch Cookies Reci
fa
It's quick and very simple. But don't be scared away by all the butter - it's what makes them nice and crispy! And, the recipe makes a really large batch.
I added chocolate chips for an extra bit of yumminess.
Enjoy!
Butter Crunch Cookies Recipe
Butter Crunch Cookies Reci Ingredients
- 2 cups butter, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups cornflakes, lightly crushed
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- Prep: 15 min. Bake: 10 min./batch
- Yield: 48 Servings
fa
Directions
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in the cornflakes and pecans.
- Roll into 1-in. balls. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks. Yield: about 8 dozen.
Nutritional Facts 1 serving (2 each) equals 153 calories, 9 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 20 mg cholesterol, 171 mg sodium, 17 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 1 g protein.
(photo and recipe courtesy of tasteofhome.com)
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Clarence's Daily
He's been singing a lot lately.
His number one song is Old McDonald.
His words:
Old Donnit had a farm,
Old Donnit had a faaarrrrmmmm,
Old Donnit had a farm.
There's no "E-I-E-I-O" or anything; he just repeats his version over and over.
It's very amusing!
____________________
He's loving his time outside these days. Every morning, and many times throughout the day, he heads to the chicken barn to find the latest egg and bring it to the house for me. He's so helpful!
The other day, we were hauling cows out to pasture, and Clarence got to help with the calves. (By the way, they're babies - he's not in danger.) Matt and I were working the cows, which were all locked in the chute in the barn. Clarence was busy chasing all the calves around the barn over and over. He'd get them locked in the back, then they'd get out, and he'd chase them around all over again. He managed to get them all the way into the chute by himself (I followed to be any assistance if he needed, but he didn't need me). He was so proud of himself! I was proud of him, too. He really wants to be helpful, and that's a way that he can be without getting hurt. :)
He was rewarded with a root beer float that evening, one of his favorite treats.
His number one song is Old McDonald.
His words:
Old Donnit had a farm,
Old Donnit had a faaarrrrmmmm,
Old Donnit had a farm.
There's no "E-I-E-I-O" or anything; he just repeats his version over and over.
It's very amusing!
____________________
He's loving his time outside these days. Every morning, and many times throughout the day, he heads to the chicken barn to find the latest egg and bring it to the house for me. He's so helpful!
The other day, we were hauling cows out to pasture, and Clarence got to help with the calves. (By the way, they're babies - he's not in danger.) Matt and I were working the cows, which were all locked in the chute in the barn. Clarence was busy chasing all the calves around the barn over and over. He'd get them locked in the back, then they'd get out, and he'd chase them around all over again. He managed to get them all the way into the chute by himself (I followed to be any assistance if he needed, but he didn't need me). He was so proud of himself! I was proud of him, too. He really wants to be helpful, and that's a way that he can be without getting hurt. :)
He was rewarded with a root beer float that evening, one of his favorite treats.
Sorry!
I apologize for the huge lack of pictures the last month and a half. My computer's really slow and it takes forever to download pictures, so instead of waiting, I just skip the picture part.
I'm hoping someday I'll get things squared away and get some fun summer pictures up. Until then, hope just writing and the occasional single picture is enough!
I'm hoping someday I'll get things squared away and get some fun summer pictures up. Until then, hope just writing and the occasional single picture is enough!
Friday, May 4, 2012
Rain, Rain, Come Our Way
We went for a drive last night to my pasture over by Lake Bronson. We really want to get the cows hauled out, but there's not really enough grass out there to keep the cows happy very long. So, Matt wants to keep them home a little longer and let the grass grow a little more.
We're in dire need of rain. Last Saturday, the forecast for our area said there was a chance of rain every day this week. The only rain we had was Wednesday, and it was only enough to calm the dust and wet the sidewalk.
The pond out at my pasture was what Matt wanted to check. If there was enough water in it, we'd maybe send the cows out. We drove right up to it; there was a bird standing in the middle of it. A small bird.
We have water tanks out there, but we were hoping not to have to turn them on right away. At least we have them to fall back on, though. I think of other farmers and ranchers in the area who only rely on ponds for their pastures. If we don't get a good dose of rain soon, the crops will be very thirsty, and the ponds are going to get pretty low.
The grass is growing great in my yard, though. It's almost ready to mow. There's even tons of dandelions all over; Clarence likes them, though. He picks them and brings me "flowers". He's a cute boy.
Hope you have a super day!
Pray we get a little rain soon.....the pastures really need it!
We're in dire need of rain. Last Saturday, the forecast for our area said there was a chance of rain every day this week. The only rain we had was Wednesday, and it was only enough to calm the dust and wet the sidewalk.
The pond out at my pasture was what Matt wanted to check. If there was enough water in it, we'd maybe send the cows out. We drove right up to it; there was a bird standing in the middle of it. A small bird.
We have water tanks out there, but we were hoping not to have to turn them on right away. At least we have them to fall back on, though. I think of other farmers and ranchers in the area who only rely on ponds for their pastures. If we don't get a good dose of rain soon, the crops will be very thirsty, and the ponds are going to get pretty low.
The grass is growing great in my yard, though. It's almost ready to mow. There's even tons of dandelions all over; Clarence likes them, though. He picks them and brings me "flowers". He's a cute boy.
Hope you have a super day!
Pray we get a little rain soon.....the pastures really need it!
Night Owl
I saw this saying on pinterest just now. It pretty much describes my life.
And Matt's life.
Only he's better at getting up than me.
I get up with the kids, but I never get up before them, unless I have to sub or teach piano.
I hope to switch this around at some point in my life, hopefully sooner than later. I'd love to be a morning person who wakes up with the sun. That way, I can enjoy some quiet time and coffee BEFORE the kids wake up and liven my day.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
The Vine and the Branches
I was visiting with my friend and pastor, Melodi, again this morning, and we were talking about the text for the Gospel reading on Sunday.
It 's from John 15:1-2, 5-8. 1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this is My father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples."
I loved this text. It's so cut and dry. I just want to encourage anyone who reads this to use the gifts God has given you and live your life for God. Be a living branch on the vine, (one that uses your God-given gifts, is pruned and given more gifts), not one that dies and is burned!
It 's from John 15:1-2, 5-8. 1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this is My father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples."
I loved this text. It's so cut and dry. I just want to encourage anyone who reads this to use the gifts God has given you and live your life for God. Be a living branch on the vine, (one that uses your God-given gifts, is pruned and given more gifts), not one that dies and is burned!
Heading out to Pasture
It's beautiful today. It was beautiful yesterday, too.
I'm kind of tired today, though. Yesterday, Matt MADE me help him run up 30 pairs (cows with their calves) so we can start hauling them out to pasture. Just kidding, he didn't make me. I wanted to. I do enjoy helping with stuff like that. It's good exercise and makes me feel like I've helped accomplish something. Once we run all the pairs up into a pen, we have to run the cows through the chute, give each of them shots and wormer, make sure they have two eartags, and write down which pasture they're headed to. Then, we run all the calves through and do the same thing, making sure we've got all the right babies with their mamas. It's not fun to realize you're out on pasture and have a wrong animal.
The kids were helpful, as always.
Actually, we did most of the running of pairs up during their nap, and just ran in the house and checked on them once in a while. It's easier if we know they're safely sleeping and safe. Once they came outside, I helped Clarence put a square bale of hay into his wagon. He likes to feed cows by hand, so he brought the wagon up to the fence and fed the cows. Adina likes to help him and watch.
Today, we're going to start with the cows as soon as the kids get up. Matt's out working some fields, so as soon as he gets home, we're heading out. Until then, I'd better rest up!
_______________________
I talked to my mom a couple days ago and she told me about a girl at the hospital she works with who tried the Sacred Heart Diet. I looked up the info on it and decided to try it. It's basically just a seven day cleanse. Here' the instructions in case you decide you might like to try it.
__________________
Hope you have a great day! Enjoy the beautiful weather!
I'm kind of tired today, though. Yesterday, Matt MADE me help him run up 30 pairs (cows with their calves) so we can start hauling them out to pasture. Just kidding, he didn't make me. I wanted to. I do enjoy helping with stuff like that. It's good exercise and makes me feel like I've helped accomplish something. Once we run all the pairs up into a pen, we have to run the cows through the chute, give each of them shots and wormer, make sure they have two eartags, and write down which pasture they're headed to. Then, we run all the calves through and do the same thing, making sure we've got all the right babies with their mamas. It's not fun to realize you're out on pasture and have a wrong animal.
The kids were helpful, as always.
Actually, we did most of the running of pairs up during their nap, and just ran in the house and checked on them once in a while. It's easier if we know they're safely sleeping and safe. Once they came outside, I helped Clarence put a square bale of hay into his wagon. He likes to feed cows by hand, so he brought the wagon up to the fence and fed the cows. Adina likes to help him and watch.
Today, we're going to start with the cows as soon as the kids get up. Matt's out working some fields, so as soon as he gets home, we're heading out. Until then, I'd better rest up!
_______________________
I talked to my mom a couple days ago and she told me about a girl at the hospital she works with who tried the Sacred Heart Diet. I looked up the info on it and decided to try it. It's basically just a seven day cleanse. Here' the instructions in case you decide you might like to try it.
Make the Sacred Heart Soup
This recipe is adjustable with some flavor variations such as herbs and spices but consists of:- 2 large tins of canned tomato (stewed, diced or whole plum)
- Beef bullion to taste (a few small envelopes or teaspoons ought to do)
- Dry pack ofchicken noodle soup mix
- Bunch of celery chopped
- Green onions for flavor
- 2 cans of beans
- 1 bell pepper (green, red, orange or yellow)
- 2 lbs. of carrots
- Generous handful of chopped mushrooms
- Verities of vegetables
- 1/2 to 1/4 head of shredded cabbage
- Simmer until vegetables are soft but not squishy.
Step 1
Eat the soup and fruit on day one. Eat only these items but you can eat as much as you want. Drink only from the following list: black coffee, unsweetened juice , black tea and drink plenty of water. Do not add milk or sugar to coffee and tea. Any fruit is allowed except bananas.
Step 2
Eat vegetables and soup on day two. Eat as much soup as you want, drink plenty of water and eat lots of cooked and raw vegetables. Cook baked potato for your dinner with a little bit amount of butter.
Step 3
Enjoy soup and lots of fruit and vegetables on day three. Skip the potato but get yourself with lots of soup and try to drink six to eight glasses of water.
Step 4
Eat at least three bananas on day four and drink as much skim milk as you can. Also, eat the soup.
Step 5
Have a steak or some ground beef on day 5. Eat from ten to twenty ounces of beef. You can also consume skinless chicken or fish if you like as today your body will benefit from protein. Eat tomatoes and don't forget the soup !
Step 6
Today eat meat again with no limit and as well have a bowl of soup. Also eat as much cooked and raw vegetables as you want.
Step 7
Eat steam brown rice on day seven and have some vegetables and soup as well. At the end of day 7, you're all done. You might have lost more than ten pounds. Repeat a regular, healthy diet for at least a few weeks before trying the sacred heart diet again.__________________
Hope you have a great day! Enjoy the beautiful weather!
Saturday, April 28, 2012
The First Month and a Half
I was washing dishes this morning at the cabin, and I started daydreaming.
I daydreamed about my first month and a half of marriage. Matt and I lived at the cabin because the people we bought our farm from still lived on the farm. Therefore, we needed another place to live until we could move into our own house.
Sadly, though, I actually don't remember that much.
I remember being in college. My cousin, Brittany, and I would drive together three days a week. She'd be at my house around 6:30 a.m., and we'd head to G.F., and hour and a half away. It was fun driving together. We had a lot of visiting time. I'd have barely rolled out of bed, gotten dressed, and gathered my things before she showed up. Matt would usually wake up and make my breakfast for me, then help shove me out the door.
From there, I'd be at school all day, and Matt would be working on my huge pasture over by Lake Bronson. He was busy fencing while I read books. He was also working on tearing up the fences at our farm. On the days I didn't have school, we'd come up here to the farm together and work on pulling things up. However, I don't remember helping tons with that, either. I think I was busy with school - or a huge procrastinator (yes, I am one!) to plan my time very well for that.
I also remember washing dishes together. We'd usually do it together, since the cabin has no dishwasher. That is something that's fun to remember. Once we were there, we didn't have something pressing outside that had to be done; we could just spend time together cleaning up and visiting.
We also watched a lot of movies. The cabin didn't have anything but a tv and vcr/dvd hookup, so we spent many hours watching movies.
I don't even remember how I got homework done - maybe used a memory stick since I didn't have email access at the cabin? I'm thinking so. Then, I'd try and use my time wisely between classes at college to finish papers, etc. However, that whole procrastination thing still interrupted and distracted me from many things I could have worked ahead on.
I remember that Matt's dad would come a lot on the weekends so that he could help fence and fix up the farm. That was really nice, to have all his help. I think it was fun for him to get over and help with the cows again, since it had been a few years since they'd had cows at his house.
And, of course, I remember all the happy bliss that comes with just getting married. But that's all I'll share about that.
It's fun to remember back. We were so busy, just moving through each day, getting the work done that had to be done. I don't really miss it, though. I miss not being in college - I loved all my classes - but I don't miss how the fencing/building corrals/etc. that comes with getting your own new farm and how little we actually ended up seeing each other because we were running in seven directions at once.
Now we enjoy going to the cabin with my family often. It's a fun place to hang out and relax. We can't wait to go again next weekend!
___________________
I daydreamed about my first month and a half of marriage. Matt and I lived at the cabin because the people we bought our farm from still lived on the farm. Therefore, we needed another place to live until we could move into our own house.
Sadly, though, I actually don't remember that much.
I remember being in college. My cousin, Brittany, and I would drive together three days a week. She'd be at my house around 6:30 a.m., and we'd head to G.F., and hour and a half away. It was fun driving together. We had a lot of visiting time. I'd have barely rolled out of bed, gotten dressed, and gathered my things before she showed up. Matt would usually wake up and make my breakfast for me, then help shove me out the door.
From there, I'd be at school all day, and Matt would be working on my huge pasture over by Lake Bronson. He was busy fencing while I read books. He was also working on tearing up the fences at our farm. On the days I didn't have school, we'd come up here to the farm together and work on pulling things up. However, I don't remember helping tons with that, either. I think I was busy with school - or a huge procrastinator (yes, I am one!) to plan my time very well for that.
I also remember washing dishes together. We'd usually do it together, since the cabin has no dishwasher. That is something that's fun to remember. Once we were there, we didn't have something pressing outside that had to be done; we could just spend time together cleaning up and visiting.
We also watched a lot of movies. The cabin didn't have anything but a tv and vcr/dvd hookup, so we spent many hours watching movies.
I don't even remember how I got homework done - maybe used a memory stick since I didn't have email access at the cabin? I'm thinking so. Then, I'd try and use my time wisely between classes at college to finish papers, etc. However, that whole procrastination thing still interrupted and distracted me from many things I could have worked ahead on.
I remember that Matt's dad would come a lot on the weekends so that he could help fence and fix up the farm. That was really nice, to have all his help. I think it was fun for him to get over and help with the cows again, since it had been a few years since they'd had cows at his house.
And, of course, I remember all the happy bliss that comes with just getting married. But that's all I'll share about that.
It's fun to remember back. We were so busy, just moving through each day, getting the work done that had to be done. I don't really miss it, though. I miss not being in college - I loved all my classes - but I don't miss how the fencing/building corrals/etc. that comes with getting your own new farm and how little we actually ended up seeing each other because we were running in seven directions at once.
Now we enjoy going to the cabin with my family often. It's a fun place to hang out and relax. We can't wait to go again next weekend!
___________________
Friday, April 27, 2012
Cabin Night
We're heading to the cabin tonight. It's not that far, really, only about seven or eight miles south of our house.
Still, it's like vacation.
We haven't stayed at the cabin since deer hunting last November. I feel like we've been missing out. The cabin feels so quiet and remote because once we're there, we really don't want to leave.
Clarence has been asking for over a month now if we can go and stay at the cabin. Finally, we just decided that we need to do it, otherwise we won't get there. So, we're headed there tonight. I really can't wait. I'm not really sure how well my kids will sleep - they usually go to bed late and wake up early - but that's ok. We're "vacationing" for the night.
I've been baking all day - muffins, bread, buns, caramel rolls and cinnamon rolls with coffee/maple icing. I'm taking the rolls to the cabin for all of us to have for breakfast (my whole family will be there). It's so fun to sit around, visit, drink coffee and enjoy a yummy breakfast together!
Off I go to pack for the kids and make sure I remember all the food I'm planning to bring.
Sleep tight!
Have a fun weekend!
Still, it's like vacation.
We haven't stayed at the cabin since deer hunting last November. I feel like we've been missing out. The cabin feels so quiet and remote because once we're there, we really don't want to leave.
Clarence has been asking for over a month now if we can go and stay at the cabin. Finally, we just decided that we need to do it, otherwise we won't get there. So, we're headed there tonight. I really can't wait. I'm not really sure how well my kids will sleep - they usually go to bed late and wake up early - but that's ok. We're "vacationing" for the night.
I've been baking all day - muffins, bread, buns, caramel rolls and cinnamon rolls with coffee/maple icing. I'm taking the rolls to the cabin for all of us to have for breakfast (my whole family will be there). It's so fun to sit around, visit, drink coffee and enjoy a yummy breakfast together!
Off I go to pack for the kids and make sure I remember all the food I'm planning to bring.
Sleep tight!
Have a fun weekend!
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
The C & A Daily
This morning we were playing outside....blowing bubbles, chasing balls, chasing cats, cleaning the flower bed, and.......?
The kids got tired of blowing bubbles, so they ran off. I was working in my flower bed pulling the weeds that have popped up before the actual plants...grrr! Once I was close to finishing, I noticed Clarence and Adina were yelling "ha, ha, ha...". I thought nothing of it. They're fine...just being themselves. Once I'd finished, I wandered over by the chicken barn. They were on the outside of the horse fence, the side they're not supposed to be on, because there's a bunch of trees, then a really steep drop off, then the river.
Me: Kids, you need to get away from there.
C & A: (no response)
Me: Kids, come out from there. What are you doing anyway?
C: I feeding the horses. (he's feeding them chick starter...I'm not real sure if it's safe for horses, but they're still alive....let's hope it stays that way.)
Me: Honey, you can't feed that to the horses. They'll get sick.
C: (puts down the sour cream container he was feeding them from and starts chasing the chickens again) Ha, Ha, Ha!
Me: Clarence, don't chase the chickens, that's mean. And don't go over on that side of the fence, or I'll give you a spanking.
C: (oblivious to the fact that I said anything) Ha, Ha, Ha!
Me: Clarence! Leave the chickens alone. You aren't supposed to go over by the fence! Enough!
C: Mom, I sorting those. (duh, Mom! He's talking about the chickens. Do you sort chickens?)
Me: (I started laughing....and tried to get them to find another activity away from the river....we looked for eggs and went to feed the heifers)
________________________________
Adina's in love with our little baby kitties...we have four. Did you know gray cats can have four black baby kitties? We're still a little confused by it, but whatever, I guess. We were hoping for a little more color.
Anyway, Adina loves them. I think she'll be a cat farmer when she grows up. I can see it now - Adina's Cat Ranch...
No, not really. She's more into makeup than cats, but when she's outside, the kitties sure hold her attention.
I was wandering around the yard gathering eggs and picking up garbage (I hate the after-winter garbage that seems to land all over the yard!). I came back up to the deck and here's Adina, one tiny, newborn kitten in her hand, trying quickly to get away from me in case I try to take it away.
I try to explain gently that she can't play with the kitties yet. She doesn't really understand. Then, I look over on one of the deck chairs, and she's put the other three in a little pile on the chair.
The mother cat, Rocks, seems oblivious. She's just laying in the box beside Regan, our other fully-grown cat who's now decided she'd like to be foster-mom to the babies. (The box is like a large computer-paper box - hardly big enough for two grown cats and four newborns.) I tell Adina we need to put the babies back with their mommy.
Then, to divert her attention, we run in the house quick and blow her nose. She blows it and heads straight back out to pet the kitties.
______________________________
We've been staying close to home lately, enjoying the beautiful weather, feeding cows, etc.
Yesterday, the kids and I fed cows while Matt worked fields to get them ready for seeding. I was trying to be nice - sometimes thats' more work than it's worth! We were going through the gate with a load of bales, and cows sneak past my gate man (Clarence), who's not quick enough to stop them...then, some other cows by the fence saw that a few had escaped, so like 7 more jumped the fence.
I was angry. Really angry. At the cows.
We finished feeding, then tried for about an hour to get the cows in by ourselves with the 4-wheeler. That didn't work. Meanwhile, the whole time we were doing this, a cow was calving. I kept watching her, expecting any moment for the baby to pop out...but I was worried, too. The momma kept laying on her side, rocking back and forth and kicking, then got up and walked around, then layed down and did it all over again. I thought she was having trouble.
So, I walked up to her thinking I was brave enough and good enough to chase her up to the calving pen.
She looked at me, then came towards me a little.
I walked quickly to the fence and left her alone.
I'm a chicken. I know it.
I called Matt and told him that I thought a cow was having trouble calving. We went down to pick him up at the field and brought him home. As we drove up to the gate out back, Matt and I both noticed the cow was up and licking her calf. Good one, Jacki! I felt foolish.
Matt didn't think I was foolish, though - he said he'd rather have me be safe than sorry.
Anyway, that's how much fun it is feeding cows by myself with the kids - I enjoy it a lot, but I hate when cows sneak past me/Clarence, or decide they can jump the fence.
____________________________
Have a super day! Please pray it'll rain a little here soon to get the pastures growing...it's time to start hauling cows out, but the grass is coming very slowly.
The kids got tired of blowing bubbles, so they ran off. I was working in my flower bed pulling the weeds that have popped up before the actual plants...grrr! Once I was close to finishing, I noticed Clarence and Adina were yelling "ha, ha, ha...". I thought nothing of it. They're fine...just being themselves. Once I'd finished, I wandered over by the chicken barn. They were on the outside of the horse fence, the side they're not supposed to be on, because there's a bunch of trees, then a really steep drop off, then the river.
Me: Kids, you need to get away from there.
C & A: (no response)
Me: Kids, come out from there. What are you doing anyway?
C: I feeding the horses. (he's feeding them chick starter...I'm not real sure if it's safe for horses, but they're still alive....let's hope it stays that way.)
Me: Honey, you can't feed that to the horses. They'll get sick.
C: (puts down the sour cream container he was feeding them from and starts chasing the chickens again) Ha, Ha, Ha!
Me: Clarence, don't chase the chickens, that's mean. And don't go over on that side of the fence, or I'll give you a spanking.
C: (oblivious to the fact that I said anything) Ha, Ha, Ha!
Me: Clarence! Leave the chickens alone. You aren't supposed to go over by the fence! Enough!
C: Mom, I sorting those. (duh, Mom! He's talking about the chickens. Do you sort chickens?)
Me: (I started laughing....and tried to get them to find another activity away from the river....we looked for eggs and went to feed the heifers)
________________________________
Adina's in love with our little baby kitties...we have four. Did you know gray cats can have four black baby kitties? We're still a little confused by it, but whatever, I guess. We were hoping for a little more color.
Anyway, Adina loves them. I think she'll be a cat farmer when she grows up. I can see it now - Adina's Cat Ranch...
No, not really. She's more into makeup than cats, but when she's outside, the kitties sure hold her attention.
I was wandering around the yard gathering eggs and picking up garbage (I hate the after-winter garbage that seems to land all over the yard!). I came back up to the deck and here's Adina, one tiny, newborn kitten in her hand, trying quickly to get away from me in case I try to take it away.
I try to explain gently that she can't play with the kitties yet. She doesn't really understand. Then, I look over on one of the deck chairs, and she's put the other three in a little pile on the chair.
The mother cat, Rocks, seems oblivious. She's just laying in the box beside Regan, our other fully-grown cat who's now decided she'd like to be foster-mom to the babies. (The box is like a large computer-paper box - hardly big enough for two grown cats and four newborns.) I tell Adina we need to put the babies back with their mommy.
Then, to divert her attention, we run in the house quick and blow her nose. She blows it and heads straight back out to pet the kitties.
______________________________
We've been staying close to home lately, enjoying the beautiful weather, feeding cows, etc.
Yesterday, the kids and I fed cows while Matt worked fields to get them ready for seeding. I was trying to be nice - sometimes thats' more work than it's worth! We were going through the gate with a load of bales, and cows sneak past my gate man (Clarence), who's not quick enough to stop them...then, some other cows by the fence saw that a few had escaped, so like 7 more jumped the fence.
I was angry. Really angry. At the cows.
We finished feeding, then tried for about an hour to get the cows in by ourselves with the 4-wheeler. That didn't work. Meanwhile, the whole time we were doing this, a cow was calving. I kept watching her, expecting any moment for the baby to pop out...but I was worried, too. The momma kept laying on her side, rocking back and forth and kicking, then got up and walked around, then layed down and did it all over again. I thought she was having trouble.
So, I walked up to her thinking I was brave enough and good enough to chase her up to the calving pen.
She looked at me, then came towards me a little.
I walked quickly to the fence and left her alone.
I'm a chicken. I know it.
I called Matt and told him that I thought a cow was having trouble calving. We went down to pick him up at the field and brought him home. As we drove up to the gate out back, Matt and I both noticed the cow was up and licking her calf. Good one, Jacki! I felt foolish.
Matt didn't think I was foolish, though - he said he'd rather have me be safe than sorry.
Anyway, that's how much fun it is feeding cows by myself with the kids - I enjoy it a lot, but I hate when cows sneak past me/Clarence, or decide they can jump the fence.
____________________________
Have a super day! Please pray it'll rain a little here soon to get the pastures growing...it's time to start hauling cows out, but the grass is coming very slowly.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)