They Are My Enemy

***WARNING! TAKE CAUTION: This post contains pictures of a disgusting snake and also a fierce scorpion. Shield your eyes or come back tomorrow to see pictures of pretty things.***

Did anyone have one of "those days" yesterday? I did. It was a Monday I won't soon forget and not for good reasons. The good thing is that the kids weren't around for the two events. Now, this was not seriously life threatening. (Although if I were allergic to stinging creatures or T wasn't quick with his snake killing skills it could have been life threatening.)

Yesterday started out normal enough except T had to take my usual mode of transportation to work and was leaving at a later time. He was loading up some tools when he calls me and says he needs the (pellet) gun in a whispered urgency I could not ignore. So, being the quick-reacting, dutiful wife I am, I grab the gun and tin of pellets and ran out the door (barefoot-but not pregnant-I will not be a stereotype!) not even knowing where he is. I assume he's at the tool shed (he is) and hand over our weapon of choice. I'm thinking there's a rat or other small rodent type creature hiding out in the shed from the way T is standing guard at the door. I'm not really concerned until he says that there's a den of SNAKES curled up in there. I immediately hoped he was joking (but he's not one to joke about snakes) and ask what kind they are. He says he thinks they are chicken snakes (also known at rat snakes) and fires a couple shots at them. You may be wondering why we are shooting it instead of getting a garden hoe and chopping it in half. Well, these snakes were behind a large item in the back corner of the shed under a shelf. T did have a long handled garden spade that he was using to get them to move around. We (actually I just stood and watched, T did all the work) finally got the first snake out of the shed. Now, it wasn't anaconda sized or anything, but for a chicken snake it was quite large and I know because we only killed about 13 of them last summer. In one month. (Such sweet memories.) T hacked it up and then started after the other snake. They were so big curled up around each other we thought there were more, however it was just two. (Thankfully, I might add.) He killed the other one too, but I didn't get to see it. I had to finish getting my three kids dressed so I could go grocery shopping. On the way out I stopped to show the boys the snake and take some pictures. (Sensitive eyes turn away. Or peek through your fingers which you are holding over your eyes.)

These snakes aren't deadly, however snake bites of any kind are dangerous. Snakes carry an immense amount of bacteria in their mouths and a bite can create quite an infection.

And because it's not enough to kill a couple of snakes in the morning, a scorpion decided to attack my middle toe while I was trying to enjoy a movie with my sweetheart last night. I had thrown out a blanket on the floor (because I can't just lay down on the rug like a normal person) and we were sprawled out watching George Clooney make a gun out of various car parts and other seemingly random items. It was near the end of this movie (while I was telling T how I thought it would end) that I got up to do something very important (probably find the remote, I can't remember) and lied back down in the same exact spot I got up from. Approximately 11 seconds later I felt one of the worse pains I have ever felt in my entire life (please remember I have given birth to 3 babies). I exerted a scream that T later told me "turned his blood cold." He thought for a split second I saw something in the movie that he missed and then the next thought was that something terrible had happened to me. Strangely enough, the first question he asked was if a scorpion had stung me (they aren't common in our house). I was busy trying to get away from the floor and turn on the light while wondering what had tried to cut my middle toe off. I said yes, maybe it was, while proceeding to asses the condition of my toe, which was burning and stinging with immense pain and felt like it was swelling to four times its size. T spotted the terrible offender on the blanket and starting beating it to death with a plastic snack cup the kids had left on the floor. Then, knowing what had afflicted such pain to me, I realized my toe was not going to fall off and I wasn't going to die I limped to the kitchen and put a paste of baking soda on my toe. (Great home remedy, by the way, for any insect stings: baking soda and water paste.) The darn thing got me twice. It's incredibly difficult to describe the pain but I'll tell you what I told T. (T has never been stung.) It was what I would imagine a whip of a thousand knives lit on fire would feel like. The initial sting was absolutely shocking. The second sting felt as I described. Intense pain. I am no sissy girl when it comes to pain. T can vouch for that, too. Needles don't bother me, fire ants are just a nuisance at this point (they are called FIRE ants because their stings are like microscopic camp fires being injected into your body) and as I've already said, I've given birth three times. It probably wasn't as bad as childbirth but it was the next best thing I've had the pleasure of experiencing. Or worse thing, however you want to put it. All scorpion stings are probably not the same. Last summer one stung me through my pants and while it did sting it didn't last long nor was it very intense. This one got me good. The pain lasted only about an hour (then I went to sleep) and my toe feels fine this morning. T said he knew it was a scorpion from the way I screamed. He said his friend got stung by one last winter and reacted the same way. He couldn't describe the pain adaquetly either. There's nothing to compare it too. 

Anyhow, we finished watching the movie and I did a good job predicting the ending. I told T I was glad I was stung and not the kids. Especially our sweet baby Rose. Not that I would rather have the boys get stung, but you know, she's the baby. Scorpions are just so creepy. Also, they got a mention in the Bible being described pretty much as Satan's buddies. I curse you evil scorpion.

"And he said to them, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.'" Luke 10:18-19

Power to the Tramplers,

Mama

Update via Pictures

 

 I am going to have an abundance of cherry tomatoes soon. That's not a complaint...it's joy.

 We have already started picking some jalapenos. They are much hotter than we expected (and we like hot). We just have the one plant, but it has at least 20 peppers on it.

Already enjoying these sweet bells, too.

Here's one of our heifers. (Bovine lesson: A heifer has not had a calf, whereas a cow has.)

 

This is our friend's horse. She has been very camera shy lately. 

Here's my Starry Night Viola. Isn't it gorgeous?

By the time I got around to potting it I thought it was just about dead. It sprung back to life and put out a bunch of new growth. What a pleasant surprise!

Look, such a rare sight! I bet you've never seen Petunias before.

My Lantana. I planted this in the ground (of all places) and it seems to be doing well. I amended the heck out of the soil though.

Biggest surprise of all. Zinnias. I'm not sure if someone happened upon my blog and saw the lamest looking Zinnias ever and said a prayer for them, but they are looking mighty healthy now.

Remember? What a terrible sight.

After. Maybe the collective inch of rain over the past two weeks helped. It also looks like the bugs have been leaving them alone. 

I have my Goddaughters here today so I'm sure I'll have some stories for you Monday. Have a wonderful and fantastic Memorial Day weekend. (It's not just about backyard parties.)

Mama

Wednesday of Few Words

The re arranging in Lil' Rose's room is complete. At least for this week. I left a few things out that I will need when I get to watch my Goddaughters on Friday. I am super excited! Now if I could get everything else I've started finished....

In the meantime here are some random pictures:

Opossum dog. Or is it Possum? What's the difference? Anyhow, that's her nickname.

Trace. He's our barn cat. He comes up to the back porch in the evening to meow at me if he's hungry. I have seen him hunting creatures in our neighbor's field while I'm headed to town. Lorie thinks she's his mother. I think he's a miniature cat...if there's such a thing. 

I just think this child is adorable. This was during a night out celebrating my father-in-law's birthday. She was dunking fried green beans in ranch. (Always delicious!)

Purty Mama. I call her that sometimes although she has no official name.

This cardinal was flirting with his girlfriend. I didn't even notice she was sitting on the other branch until last night. Can you spot her?

I'm still busy-busy,

Mama

Randomness vol. 2

I'm sure I could go back and read the last post I wrote, but I am barely keeping my eyes open as it. This weekend was another "pedal to the metal" weekend. Saturday we got some home improvements done...almost. We have some trim work left but otherwise our project is working out quite well. I found some paint for our kitchen and dining room. It's called Summer Song and yes, it's yellow. I love bright kitchens! Two houses ago I painted a kitchen yellow and white and absolutely loved it.

We were at Lowes this weekend meandering through the flooring department and saw these interlocking foam tiles. T said we should put them in the boys' room since they are boys and like to randomly start tackling each other. So after I finally took off my "I like traditional flooring" hat we bought some. I'm glad we did. The boys love it! It's also great because we've been thinking about getting them bunk beds to give them more room to play. (We are taking back the playroom since they refuse to keep their toys in it.) I'm a little worried about the top bunk. I mean not about the bed itself but the way my children might use it. I'm sure it'll be a pirate ship, airplane, fort, mountain... but I'm worried about them falling off. I'm a little less worried now that we have this floor though. It would cushion the fall. A little.

Sunday we went to a graduation party. These people definitely knew how to throw a party! They had a bouncy house for the kids (Ry got his lip busted in it), a DJ for karaoke, a projector set up for the kids to watch a movie outside, and of course good food. It was great for me since I am a people watcher... lots of interesting people there. The lovely lady that graduated (from the University of Texas at Austin) studied Hebrew. She had some interesting things to say about the translation of some Old Testament stories from the Bible. It made me want to learn to read Hebrew. I don't think that's going to happen.

Monday was... Monday. It started like any other day but this time my early morning cup of coffee was followed by me having an anxiety packed hour or two over something I'm not ready to reveal on here. This was followed with a trip to the grocery store where I bought a new fancy trashcan. Then I moved around Rose's furniture so I can give her a nice play area in her room. Needless to say, it really frustrated me and I'll be back in there shortly to continue the self torture. (I, surprisingly, am not the one in this family that enjoys furniture rearranging.) Speaking of frustration and self torture...are there any places out there that have bunk beds as cheap as Ikea? I really don't want to go in there. I'd have them ship it but the shipping is over $100 and I'm really trying to be frugal with this.

My time is up here. I have hungry children staring at me...let's put our brave faces on.
Mama

It Could Be Worse

OK, because I've been sort of busy and not busy at the same time I've got a list for you. Not a "To Do" list; just a list of what went down over the last couple of days.

• Our water line malfunctioned. We T tried to fix it, but for some reason we didn't have pipe or glue from the last time this happened. 
• Drove into town to get needed materials. Got home and the shower broke. As in we couldn't shut it off at the faucet and water was spraying all over the place. (I was so delighted.)
• I ran outside and turned the water off. (I was very brave.)
• Out of all the random faucet/plumbing materials we have out here...we didn't have part to "cap" the shower line. (I don't know what I'm talking about, T will probably read this and tell me all the correct terms tonight.)
• Thursday I didn't have running water in the house. However, the little yellow house next door has it's own water line and I filled up some water jugs over there and took a break from laundry and washing dishes. (I thought about the PBS show I watched about the women walking like 15 miles just to get water and I was very grateful for living where I do. I didn't complain.)
• Thursday night we went back to town and got the appropriate fittings or whatever they are called. Everything worked!! We could shower! Wash dishes! and so forth. 

• I had an Epic Fail in culinary creation. I tried to make homemade mozzarella sticks (you know, breaded and crunchy and gooey) Here's what I pulled out of the oven

 The breading was perfectly crunchy. Um, the cheese just melted through it onto the pan. 

• I still ate the breading and peeled the cheese off the pan, rolled it up and dipped it in marinara. It would have been excellent if the ingredients would have stayed together.

•  I need to make some banana bread.

•  Completely unrelated to farming: I'm thinking about my hair...should I get bangs?

 I seem to have a very tiny head...as one size fits all is still too big. I'm just trying to cover up my forehead so it seems to be working.

• I've been listening to Lyle Lovett albums on iTunes. In one minute bursts. Apparently iTunes decided to extend the preview time to 1/3 of the song instead of 30 seconds. iLike. (Please note that's an original thought. If it already exists I don't know anything about it. I'm sure no one else has thought of that.)
• Tonight I'm making Firecracker Shrimp. I will also be preparing something non shrimpy and non spicy for the children. Probably pasta, thanks for asking.
• I have been informed that someone has run out of undies which means I've got to catch up on the laundry. I have a sink full of dishes to avoid, too. Shh... it'll be alright. 

I hope our weekend goes without hitch. Or epic fail. I hope yours does too.
Mama

Visions of Farming

I've got to keep up with the housework sometimes. Here are some pictures I took yesterday specifically for you! While I went about my chores (haha) I took a few shots of what I see on a daily basis. 

I 

Gettin' after that scratch!

Beautiful eggs

Very excited horses (looking for carrots)...being disappointed

My attempt at being crafty and re-purposing things with spray paint.

I tried to get some good shots of the cows, but I spooked them a little and they were concerned about the camera. I'll try to do better next time.

Happy Happy Wednesday!
Mama

Waking up at 5AM

To be honest, it's a challenge. To be honest again, I snoozed until 5:22. That's when our alarm/music shuts off. I made a special morning music mix that plays 22 minutes encouraging me to stay asleep. When I first made the mix I thought it would be so nice to wake up to...turns out it's also really nice to fall asleep to. I digress. I got up and made T some breakfast (he made the coffee, yeah!) and we got to sit and talk UNinterrupted for about 90 minutes. It was so nice. I really like waking up early and getting a nice caffeine surge before the kiddos wake up. I've conducted a very unofficial experiment with myself and waking  up early. The days I get up early are so much better than when I sleep late enough that the kids try to crawl in bed with me. Snuggle time is fine but when there's whining involved at such an early hour it doesn't go over well. It puts me on edge, makes me cringe, sets a tone for the rest of the day that only goes downhill. Waking up early definitely has it's benefits. I feel calm, cool and collected. The whining doesn't boil my blood instantly. I have more patience. I also have found I am more compassionate towards them when they are in a sulky, upset-by-every-little-thing-kind of mood. I also get more accomplished in the way of housework.

Here they come now. Marching their way through the living room. One of them is still sleepy and crawls  up in my lap. One of them grabs his milk and crawls up in the big chair in the living room. Rose stares me down while in her high chair. I have to go make them some breakfast. Then I'm off to the grocery store. Again.

More coffee please,
Mama

Party Animals

It was another busy weekend around here. I'm sure one day we will get to lock the gate and turn the phones off but it seems like something always comes up and prevents that from happening. Saturday started out really nice (it ended pretty nicely, too) but somewhere near noon things went crazy. I won't go into details, but just so you know we got it worked out and are now better people because of it.
Friday (if you could have just seen how many times I tried to type Friday you'd be wondering if I needed a brain scan) we went on our date. It was really nice to get out and have someone else cook and clean up the dishes. We rented a movie and I can't tell you if it was any good because halfway through it I fell asleep. (It probably wasn't great if I couldn't persuade myself to stay awake for it.)

I'm not sure what took place appoxamently 40 weeks before the end of April and beginning of May but I'm a bit partied out. We celebrated my father-in-law's birthday Saturday night and then Sunday we went to our Goddaughter's 3rd birthday party. Three out of the last four weekends have been party themed. Oh my gosh, it's not ending! I just remembered that this coming weekend we are halfway committed to attending a graduation party. Graduation has nothing to do with the 40 weeks thing but the 7 birthdays that are clumped together have everything to do with the 40 weeks.

I am getting interrupted at the rate of every 6 words I type so I am sure this is a delightful post to be reading. I could've typed this last night but I was too tired. I am still too tired to be doing this and distracted. If there was a counter thing for how many words I've misspelled and a contest I'd be the winner. Of misspelled words. I just can't get my finders fingers working prpeloy properly. That is just an example. It has taken me at least 30 minutes (holy guacamole!! I can not get my brain and fingers to cooperate!) to type this post. I obviously need to go do something else. Right now.

I'm going to have a little pep talk with myself,
Mama

Date Night & Pics of L.R.

Crazy, I know. T and I don't get to go out a lot without the kids, so since I have a Chili's gift card burning a hole in my pocket we're going out! (Thanks H!) I called up my Mama yesterday (after she had called me half a dozen times to keep me updated on the weather) and asked if she'd be so kind to watch the kids while I went on a date with my guy. As I'm sure you've already guessed, she said yes. I'm so excited y'all. If I'm not mistaken I think the last time we went somewhere just the two of us was... the time I passed out and nearly cracked my skull open. (You can read about that here.) I may be lying about it being so long since we've been out, but it certainly feels like it has been.

Blogger had some issues yesterday which prevented me from getting this post up this morning. I couldn't even sign in to do anything. I almost decided to not post anything today. Lucky you, I got so much accomplished this morning (and Blogger was back to normal) that I figured I'd go ahead and tell about my exciting date night plans. Oh, and I also wanted to share some pictures of Lil' Rose. (That's her rapper name.)

She knows where her milk, strawberries and cheese sticks hide out. Unfortunately we are out of strawberries and cheese sticks. She was not happy. She is standing inside the fridge and very proud about it.

 A little while later she decided she would be fine if I'd agree we could have beef for dinner. I did and she was so excited that she had to go change her clothes and get in her pretend car.

Maybe it was a plane or boat. I'm not sure, but shortly after this picture was taken she had a rollover. She toppled backwards and bumped her head and started crying like the end of the world. I scooped her up and was sitting on the floor with her in my lap and while she was still crying she pushed me away and crawled right back into that box. Only then was she happy. She lives on the edge. I'm serious, she is very bold. She literally laughs in the face of danger. I'll have to post a video of her jumping from the ottoman to my chair. She thinks it's hilarious. At least T will have someone to ride roller coasters with.

My time is up. Have an awesome Friday (I am),
Mama

Wind

We had a little wind Tuesday night. By a little I mean it was gusting at probably 30 miles per hour or more. Although when I checked the weather (when I started hearing the shingles blowing across the roof) it was only supposed to be between 10 and 15 miles per hour. I beg to differ. Anyhow, Wednesday morning T calls me and asks if I could "please check on the yellow house because I think the roof blew off of it." Being the most excellent wife I am I immediately ran next door and was actually happy to find the roof was still there, but the wind had blown the tin back so it looked much worse. T was also glad to hear this because now he can just hammer it back or whatever he's going to do.

Later in the day I went to tend to my chickens and here's what I saw.

Not exactly what I was expecting to see. Obviously. Those are the horses standing next to the tree on the bottom left. It was a pretty big tree and I'm glad it wasn't near the house or barn. I took D for a walk with me to take some pictures since he's 4 and is working himself out of naps while the other two were (supposedly) napping.

After they realized we didn't bring them any carrots they went on about their business and ignored us. It's always nice to see the horses though. I find it very relaxing.

On our way back to the house I noticed something a little out of place in the pasture. Can you spot it?

Yes, that's a piece of tin. I don't know where it came from and though it was behind the coop I didn't spot any missing pieces there. As I was waiting for this picture to upload I realized it's probably pretty dangerous to have a piece of tin blowing across your pasture. I think I'll go pick that up and drag it back to the house now. I will also pick up my swing that blew over and I was already inside before I thought to take a picture of it.

Before I do that here's a nice picture of my blue plumbago. All my plants survived the wind so far. (In case you were on edge worrying about them.)

With that I will bid you farewell and lots of happiness until next time,
Mama

Box O' Books

I've noticed I have a little habit of buying books ONCE a year. Well, it's more like one month out of the year I feel like we need new reading material. It's usually for the kids. Since they are getting older the little one word per page board books are, um, too babyish for them. There are a few negatives about this little habit.

• I already have a million books (and really should go through them and donate them or something).
• Sometimes they're expensive (which is why I buy them at least 40% off once a year) 
• I have an addiction to paper and this doesn't help
• I've tried audiobooks and it doesn't work for me. I have serious issues with distractions. Plus, audiobooks tend to be more expensive than print. At least with the books I'm interested in.

I want my kids to learn to read and love books like I do. In my defense I always enjoy the books I buy for myself or T. I enjoy almost all the books I buy for the kids. I'm pretty picky when it comes to what I buy them. Mainly because they can't read yet and T or I will have to read to them and we don't want to torture ourselves.

This morning I saw a box sitting in the drive and knew what it was. Books! I came inside tore open the box and read the books I got for the kids right away. I could not read my book right away since it's just a short 547 pages. I know I will love it though. Sometimes it's just a given.

The books I got for the kids were Dinosaur A-Z  (For kids who really love dinosaurs!) and Charlie the Ranch Dog. The boys immediately went through the dinosaur book asking all sorts of questions about them. It's really helpful that the book has the pronunciation for the names. Because seriously you try pronouncing Euoplocephalus (say my name: YOU-oh-plo-SEF-ah-lus). Or this one, Janenschia (say: yah-NEN-chee-ah) I would have said: JAN-ins-CHEE-ah  and would have been wrong: Ruh-on-GUH. Sorry. Moving along...the book is pretty cool and has all kinds of facts about the dinosaurs and really great pictures. It's also helpful for learning those fun ABCs.
As for the Charlie book; I really like the illustrations. I read it to the kids and they really enjoyed seeing what Charlie and Suzie (his little doggie friend) were up to. Those two stay busy chasing cows out of the yard, napping, fishing and napping some more.

What did I get myself? Streets of Laredo. It's the sequel to Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. I have the DVD and watched it several times but what I'm hoping to discover with the book is why/how Lorena and Pea Eye got together. Will it remain a mystery? I guess I'll have to read it to find out. I, for one, never would have imagined them together. I thought she'd finally marry Dish. I would be Ruh-on-GUH.

Hope you find some new reading material for yourself this summer,
Mama

Tamale Angel

What are Monday's for around here? Usually it's a trip to the grocery store or me staring into a cup of coffee avoiding the housework that piled up over the weekend. This Monday was different in just a couple of ways... I actually went to H.E.B. before noon! I was packing up the groceries when a lady walked up to me and asked if I wanted to buy some tamales. Under normal circumstances I would have politely declined but she caught me off guard! I heard myself asking how much? And then saying that I'd take a dozen. Then she hurried off to wherever she was hiding them while I started sweating. (It was hot and I just bought tamales from a stranger in the parking lot.) When I finally got all the kids strapped into their seats she reappeared with hot, delicious smelling tamales. I paid her...I wonder how this all looked on the security cameras. It was only tamales! I swear! Anyhow, T was working about 10 minutes away from there and I called him up to tell him I was bringing him tamales for lunch. When I got out to where he was working (with my dad) the inevitable question was asked. "So, where'd you get these?" I had some 'fessing up to do. Both T and my dad were surprised that I bought tamales from a complete stranger in the parking lot of H.E.B. It's just not like me, you know. They stopped and ate some and my dad said they were the best tamales ever and did I get the woman's name and number? Well, no, I didn't. I didn't think about it until I was already gone. This led to another trip back into town to see if she was still there. I must have looked like some psycho as I drove down every aisle in the parking lot staring at everyone. She was not there. I even drove over to the WalMart to check if she went there. Nope. Is it possible she was a Tamale Angel? She did seem to just appear  out of nowhere. Wherever she is I want her to know those tamales she makes at home and decided to sell for the first time are amazing. Next time write your name and number on the bag! I want more and I don't know if I'll ever see you again.

In other news I'm filling up the kiddie pool and planting my flowers today. And right now I need to clean up the kitchen and put the clothes in dryer. I know, so very exciting!

All the kids are napping which means I better get something accomplished.
Mama

Dear Mom

Happy Mother's Day to all the mother's that read or stumble upon this little blog. As a mother myself I really appreciate everything my Mom did for me. It's really something coming to the realization that Mom just wanted what was best for me. She wasn't trying to keep me from being happy, she wasn't trying to ruin my life, she had been there. She had lived her own version of being a teenager. I don't know a whole lot about it, but I'm guessing it really wasn't a whole lot different from me being a teenager. I hope she knows that I am now grateful that she was strict and pretty unwavering in her decisions. It kept me out of more trouble than she knows. I can only imagine what could have happened if I had parents who didn't care who my friends were or didn't mind where I went after school. Back then I had to call my parents to let them know I made it my destination and I'll call you when I leave. I had better be home in a reasonable amount of time after that call, too. I'm not saying I never screwed up and lied to them. I was not the perfect child they remember. (although that's pretty awesome) I think they are proud of the adult I've become. Their parenting style is different than mine. I don't think I will be as strict as they were, but I'm also not going to be my child's best friend. I anticipate them saying I don't understand what it's like, I'm old and things have changed, I'm mean or unfair. I will hope I know during those times that I'm doing the right thing. I hope my Mom knows she did the right thing.

Thanks for not letting me go to those parties, sleepovers, long trips for choir with hotel rooms and boys. I am pretty sure I would have gotten in trouble at some point. The trouble I did get into seems pretty minor compared to the trouble I could have gotten into. Thanks for not being my best friend while I was growing up. Thanks for being such a close friend now that I have grown up.Thanks for sacrificing things that you may have wanted for things that I wanted. Thanks for making me clean my room. Thanks for hanging up the "bad letters" from my friends on the fridge so I knew I was not going to get away with anything. Thanks for caring about how I felt when that girl said I was waiting for a flood with my high water jeans. Thanks for making all those dresses that made it so hard for me to say that I wanted a store bought dress. Thanks for being patient with me. Thanks for giving me life. Thanks for loving me through it all. I love you, too.

I Betcha Didn't Know...

1. That I "write" blog posts in my head while I clean the kitchen. I do it while I feed our chickens, too.

2. They are too deep to actually write.

3. I'm afraid of posting pictures of my family on the Internet.

4. I also don't use their real names (they didn't ask to be in my blog and I'm sure one day they will ask me to stop mentioning them in my blog) Did you really think T, Little Rose, Ry Guy and D-Man are the names on their birth certificates?

5. I've noticed a underlying theme in the blogs I follow and wonder if a higher being is trying to tell me something.

6. I may be trying to tell myself something.

7. Little Rose likes to throw things she doesn't want. For example: this morning's cinnamon toast, the wrong sippy cup, animal crackers, glasses that are sitting on the table between the living room chairs (drinking glasses not spectacles), Hot Wheels cars- at her brothers...the list goes on.

8. I'm making enchiladas for supper.

9. Number 8 wasn't that extraordinary... do you ever say extra ordinary? I bet you do now

10. When I laugh out loud reading other people's blogs I wonder if anyone has done that with mine. And then I think there's nothing really laugh out loud funny here. I'll work on it.

11. Writing posts unrelated to "adventures in farming" makes me feel like I've deceived some of you. When my farming adventures pick up I'll let you know; until then please enjoy other random things I post.

12. This list is getting out of hand. I betcha didn't know that one!

Mama

You're Invited!

I don't have a post for today. I have laundry to catch up on. However, if you have some spare time and possibly some spare change please click on the "I Support" page.

 And please spread it around... like a wildfire in a drought. 
Mama

Garden Pictures (As Promised)

Here are a few glorious pictures.

Jalapeno

Bell Pepper

Roma Tomato

Basil

Yellow Squash (see the baby?)

Early Girl Tomato

Zinnia. Pathetic.

Lantana and Petunia

Rondo Beard Tongue

That last one has an interesting name. If anyone knows why it's named Rondo Beard Tongue please leave a comment and let me know. Or I could look it up myself. I do know they attract hummingbirds. The lantana attracts butterflies. The zinnias attract grasshoppers. I'm sure you noticed the destruction of leaves in that picture (since it's the only thing I see).

Rejoice! My garden grows!
Mama

Randomness Part ?

A lovely cold front blew in Sunday afternoon. I honestly can't remember ever having a high of 57 degrees in May. In Texas. I lost (misplaced) Little Rose's right Croc and still haven't found it. I have looked high and low, side to side, above and under and there's no sign of it. She loves wearing those shoes and so she has been begging me to "Shoe, shoe" her other foot. I'm sorry, Darlin', I don't know why your other shoe decided to leave us. If you happen to see it could you please let us know?

 

I managed to buy some perennials (on sale for us people that procrastinate) on Saturday. Hopefully I will get them in the ground in timely manner. Side note: Have I mentioned the zinnias I have growing? I planted them from seed and danced with pure joy when I saw they sprouted. I'm not sure what happened because they are supposed to be around a foot tall. Mine are more like 4 inches tall and have the most pathetic blooms I have ever seen. I will take a picture of them later to show you. I will also take pictures of the beautiful flowers I am going to plant when I'm done with other important things like feeding my kids lunch and making sure we have clean undies to wear. Vegetable pictures too? Of course, I'll snap some pictures of them too. They are amazing. We ate our first picked veggie last night. A jalapeno. It was hotter than we expected.

Have a beautiful kind of day,

Mama

The Saturday Party

I made approximately 14 hamburgers, toasted just as many buns, baked and iced the cake, decorated, cleaned and woke up the birthday boy early (from a lengthy nap) to celebrate his third birthday. We all enjoyed it and I managed to keep my sanity after a reality check from T early in the afternoon. Let's just say...I'm no longer allowed to plan parties. (I have a tendacy to Totally. Freak. Out.)

I think the party really got going when we moved outside to let the kids play on the trampoline. My niece was the only other child here and had never been on a trampoline (like me!). Of course she is only a year old (same as Little Rose) and I gotta say, she loved it!

We played catch (my sister has quite an arm) and talked while the kids played. Then it was time for everyone to go home and we had 3 kids to bathe and read bedtime stories too. Ry's favorite birthday card was a Cars card that lit up and played music. He had to have it when he went to sleep. He has it now for his nap, too. He loves it. I bet it wasn't planned that the card would be the major attention grabber.

He had a great time. That's really all I care about. Simple things are sometimes the best.
Like that chocolate cake I'm about to go eat.
Mama