Unrelated to farming in every way

Uh... I'm gonna tell you about it and I'm not afraid. Random thoughts from me. Like always.

• I was going to tell you about how I don't believe where music has gone. It Angers me. Sometimes I want to throw things at the TV (I'm looking at you NBC for your hookup with Pitbull on Tuesday).
• Speaking of NBC... The Voice. We all knew Javier was going to win when we saw the previews for the show. Yes, before the show even aired... He definitely had the most talent and is probably a better musician than some of the judges.
• I'm feeling very opinionated today.
• I think Tabasco sauce smells gross. 
• Stoneyfield yogurt tastes better than Yoplait.
• C.L.B is back!!!! We are very happy and can't wait to see him Saturday!
• My daughter is the most gorgeous little girl ever. 
• I need a haircut. 
• I need to make something delicious with the giant zucchini I have. 

This is morphing into a to do list now. It has to end.
See you tomorrow... if we're still friends after you read this. 
Mama

The one where I talk in Random

What can I say today that could seem half way interesting? Anyone have any ideas? I could tell you that I baked a pie yesterday and there's only 1/3 of it left. I have promised T that I'll finish it off before he gets home tonight. The kids are going to help me and it's good for them... It's a squash pie, so they are getting their vegetables (coated in sugar).

Other things I did yesterday... I cleaned and re-organized the bathroom. It's not easy sharing a tiny bathroom with 4 other people. Thankfully 3 of them don't have much and they manage to share one shelf in our tiny medicine cabinet. (Hopefully we will have the master bath completed before they become teenagers.) I have also figured out that I only use a very small amount of make-up and other body stuff. I have never been so organized. Having a tiny bathroom to split between five people keeps me from buying new body washes, shampoo and conditioner until we literally only have one more wash left in the bottles. There's no extra stuff laying around and I'm not really afraid we're going to run out and not have anything to bathe with. I have no problem using the baby's soap. The only thing there is an abundance of is, of course, "bath tissue" otherwise known as "Where's the toilet paper?" No one should ever ask me that question again.

Enough with the bathroom though. I tend to ramble when I'm alone at 7am. (Let us observe this rare moment.)

I'm not sure if I've used this picture before. It looks serene. (Am I the only one that thinks the trees are wearing tutus?) Let's see if I can find some more scenic pictures for you.

This is not our place. Occasionally we drive down back roads and take pictures and talk about what we'd do if we won the lottery (that we don't play). It's one of our favorite past times.

Waking up on the beach and watching the sunrise... One of my favorite memories. Listening to Ryan Bingham while packing up the tent and making egg toast for breakfast.

Being away from civilization, cell phone towers and forgetting our worries for two days was incredible. Priceless. For everything else there's.... MasterCard.
This may be the most random post I've written.
Thanks for letting me reminisce.
Mama

I took too long and got distracted

It's so quiet right now. I don't think it's ever this quiet (other than when we are sleeping). I don't know how long I have until the kids wake up so I will get some pictures up before I get distracted.

If you have wondered what kind of sheep we have these are Dorper. They don't grow a big coat (that has to be sheared) and are best suited for our climate.

Here they are hiding behind the feeder. You can also see the nice shadow of our electric pole.

While I was taking pictures of the sheep the rest of the family was jumping on the trampoline. No, I just remembered, they were playing with a grasshopper. On the trampoline. And when I say playing I actually mean that T was putting it on the boys shirts and telling them not to be scared of it. It didn't work... they are too much like their Mama.

We also played cowboys without guns (because guns on a trampoline are Dangerous). Then the four year old suggested we pretend to be farm animals. He said he would be the zebra. (Clearly he has watched the movie Stripes too many times.) So I said that I'd be an elephant and was informed I couldn't because "elephants don't live on farms" (but sometimes zebras do). D told me I could be a racing horse and Ry would be a goat. (Obviously we couldn't figure out farm animals on our own... although he was still a zebra.)
I love his imagination.
Mama

Our Weekend (The Short Version)

What a weekend we had. T worked on the fence Saturday while I took the kids to a family reunion. We had a great time (at the reunion) while T sizzled in the heat. Sunday I went grocery shopping while T worked on the fence some more. By the time I got back home we were ready to move the sheep. We had to make some adjustments with the fence and then we were finally done. With the fence. We moved a feeder down from the barn (it was so much fun!) and then we sat down and watched them. They are right in front of the house now. This morning we woke up and watched the sheep graze while we ate our breakfast.

I'm sure this is a thrilling recount of our weekend. I'm leaving a lot of fascinating details out (we had frozen pizzas for dinner on Saturday), but you aren't missing much. It was a long weekend. I'm actually glad it's over (just don't tell T). I'll post some pictures tomorrow. At least now we can focus on the million other projects we have.

I have a monstrous pile of clothes waiting for me and children to care for. My coffee is waiting, too.

It was something, although not much,
Mama

Friday Randomness

Random pictures today, as I promised. But first some exciting news about what I did over the past couple of days. Wednesday I got impulsive and rearranged the living room. It's really not like me to go moving furniture around, however I just couldn't take the set up anymore! I cleaned out my storage ottoman. Completely. All it holds now are two blankets. T asked what my next project would be and I answered honestly with, "I don't know. I just do things sporadically." So yesterday I started on our bedroom. We have this huge entertainment center that my sister gave us... it resides in our bedroom. I started cleaning it out with the thought of moving it to the old playroom. I am trying to make that a "library/music" room now. I can dream.

Alright, now the main event.

You know we live in the country so deer sightings shouldn't be a big deal. Wrong. At least on our property. T hasn't seen deer out here in a long, long time. We saw two (by chance) last year near the back of the property and then last week (the day I had that ridiculous picture taken) I saw one near the house. Wednesday morning I happened to glance out the kitchen window while refilling a sippy cup and saw another deer. Obviously. Was that too much of an explanation for a deer photo?

D was showing me how he could fall over. This resulted in the boys running around and then doing a count down to falling over. Wonderful entertainment.

Rose was carefully grooming the dog. She would pick up some dirt and grass and place it lovingly on his back. He was great sport and really couldn't care less.

The odd couple. We really weren't sure if our dog would get along with the cat when we initially brought him home. One morning I looked out on the porch and the dog had the cat around the neck and was dragging him around. At first I thought she was trying to um, end his life... after a second though we saw that she was repeatedly trying to keep him on her bed. She is extremely protective of her "baby". She rarely lets our other dog play with him. She still drags him around on occasion.

And finally, my culinary talents. I have been in a rut when it comes to making supper so at least once a week I fix burgers. I'm told that I've gotten really good at it and I have to stop a certain person from eating more than he should... I enjoy them a lot and have eaten more than my share at times, too. I like jalapenos and ranch dressing on mine. T prefers habaneros and ketchup.

The beef is key. It is from one of our bulls... and No, I'm not sad. It was Delicious.

Mama

What I watched last night and Sheep

I meant to write this post last night, but instead I watched some guy on PBS (my favorite channel) try to sell/trade a jade carving, tea and fish. Well, we decided that we are moving to Japan to run a fishing boat. I already know someone who lived in Japan for a while though I have never really talked much about it with him. He might be able to give us some insight... Oh, you know I'm Joking, right? We aren't moving anywhere. (I'm sure one of you just had a near panic attack because you know we get some Ideas and Act on them.) Be assured we are Not Moving. To Japan.

I have been taking pictures all week and I'm hoping Blogger is in a cooperating mood this morning. Pictures are the point of this post today (although I'm sure you found my PBS watching riveting... I'm currently tuned into Sesame Street).

I'm so glad it worked! Here be our sheep. They loved seeing us. The boys were practicing their herding skills and are pretty good.

Mama didn't dress her boy for sheep herding this day. He made sure he had his hat on before we walked out the door. And Crocs.

My babies were petting this baby and he would occasionally BAAAHHH for his mommy. I love this.

I have a variety of pictures left and I think I'll do a separate post for them tomorrow. I'll give you some clues... "Doe a dear, a female dear", odd couples, my spectacular culinary skills, how to fall on trampolines (as demonstrated by a four year old) and Rose. See, that assortment just doesn't fit in here. It needs it's own randomness kind of post.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to pretend to be Maria von Trapp the rest of today (Singing Included),
Mama

RAIN and my post hole diggin'

First off, it's RAINING!! We are very happy about that around here. I've been slacking on waking up at 5am but today we got up at 5:30 and had our coffee while listening to thunder and rain. It's a beautiful thing. I was a little worried I'd never see rain again... that's just how bad/dry it is here.

(Ok, I have tried several times to upload some pictures of the enormous cracks in the ground, but for some reason it's not working.)

Yesterday I was out tending to the animals and decided to work on digging some holes for our fence... People, if you have never grabbed a post hole digger and tried, you know, digging some holes it's pretty tough work. I just want you to appreciate those people in your life (maybe your ancestors, I don't know) that manually dig holes for fences instead of using a powered auger. I certainly have watched others, but until yesterday (with my son watching) I didn't know. It is demanding working. Exhausting. (Actually, I did know that just not from personal experience.) The holes were already started so I was just making them deeper. I was out there for about 40 minutes (don't roll your eyes, it was also 4 in the afternoon during the hottest part of the day) and it's not something I would look forward to doing again. It did make me feel good about myself though. There's just something about doing the work yourself, putting all your energy and sweat into it that gives you a wonderful feeling. I don't know if you get what I'm trying to say.

The rain just stopped. The kids are all awake. I have to make arrangements for a bull, do a load of laundry, eat something... the usual.

I'm glad T had to use the 4WD to get out of the driveway,
Mama

The Sheep Are Back

Well you know how we are around here. Totally prepared for anything. We were supposed to have our fence up for the sheep and, well, it hasn't been finished. We were also putting our backyard fence up... everything just takes longer around here. The pens at the barn are holding the sheep. By some miracle there is actually grass in them. My brother-in-law and sister brought them out last night. (And I remembered to grab the camera while hauling buckets of water up for them.)

Here they are waiting to get out of the trailer after their long journey of approximately 4 miles.

 

Opening of the gate!

Tonight will be filled with fence building and repairing. I'm really looking forward to it! 

See y'all tomorrow,

Mama

Monday will be Monday

The wisdom just flows from my fingertips, does it not? By now you know what Monday holds for me, right? Or maybe you just found this super popular blog and feel a little out of the loop. I'll let you in on this Monday secret of mine. It's no secret. Monday brings three days worth of laundry and scatters it across my house. As much as I have tried to keep up some system for dirty clothes it never fails to have about 4 mountainous piles of dirty laundry waiting for me. We all have clothes hampers in our rooms. Unfortunately those hampers are usually filled with clothes that need mending or if it's the kid's hamper it's full of blankets. If I would just power on and wash those things they could use their hamper. (I think I'm trying to convince myself to do this. Today.) I tend to have such great expectations for myself on Mondays. Usually I get pretty disappointed because I will get half the laundry folded, get interrupted and leave the room, find something else that needs doing and at the end of the day those clothes are still waiting. It's a terrible cycle of laundry procrastination. I am never caught up. Never. Even when we have moved I had dirty laundry in the hampers waiting to be washed in a new house. (Someone tell me I'm not the only one.)
I can't believe I've written so much about laundry. I do apologize... if you've made it this far you may be a best friend I didn't know I had. Perhaps you loathe laundry as much as I do. Virtual high-five!

The rest of you probably just woke up with a keyboard imprint on your cheek.

  If I completely lost you please come back by tomorrow. I'm just suffering from the weekend is over syndrome. I am also (obviously) afflicted by laundry-itis. It's fairly common in mothers around the world. Now that I really think about I have it pretty good. I don't have to go to the river and wash our clothes or get out the wash board. I guess I'm thankful I have the conveniences I do and the clothes we have. There are mothers that wish they had this "problem". So, in retrospect, I am so glad I'm washing laundry today. It fills me with joy!

Mama

Daddy

 To my kids... from Mama
This day is about Daddy. He'll be there when you need him. He'll give you that extra boost, lift or encouragement you need. You may not always know you need it. He will be real with you. He will tell you his honest opinion. Even if it makes you mad. He will love you no matter what you do. No matter what you say. No matter how far away you may go.
You can always come to him. For a hug. To talk. To simply sit with him. You can make his day just by giving him a smile.
Every little thing he does is for you. YOU. When he wakes up early to go to work, when he gets home after you are asleep, when he makes you hot chocolate with marshmallows, reads your favorite books (repeatedly), saves the last pudding cup for you (even though it's butterscotch which is his favorite)... It's all for you.
He remembers the day you were born. He held you and looked at your tiny self and loved you. He loved you without knowing you. He knew he would love you before you were even conceived. You will not understand this depth of love. Not until you have a child one day will you comprehend it. It will startle you. Amaze you. Then you will know how your Daddy felt when he held you for the first time. I hope you can experience this.
Daddy loves you. He always puts you first.

Happy Father's Day...
Mama

Randomness vol. 3

Rose had her check up yesterday and was declared "PERFECT"! (Totally rocked my world)

She was scarfing down animal crackers and didn't care who was looking.

She didn't even pause for the doctor. She just kept stuffing them in her mouth during her exam. 

We got back to my mom's house and the kids ran around outside. And fought over the swing.

He is way too big for that thing. As he would say, "Ba-diculous".

Then I walked around to the front yard and saw these adorable calves. (They are part of my brother's herd)

The black one (on the right) was born the day before. Both of them were being so playful. We watched them for a good 5 minutes and then they got all tuckered out and took a nap.

Look at those ears! I just wanted to grab him and take him home and keep him for a pet. I don't know what I'd name him though. It's also too early for me to actually think about names. 

What would you name him?

Have a fabulous weekend!

Mama

What I'd rather be doing

Jumping in the lake to cool off. Last year we were invited to go out on the lake Memorial Day weekend. We went, mainly because a lot of our friends were going and because we are a little crazy. I didn't even get in the water.  How lame. It couldn't have been because I am such terrible swimmer. Or there could have been fish swimming alongside me. Or because I couldn't see the bottom. I was just too awesome to get in. I was dedicated to shooing the flies away from the potato salad and burgers while everyone else braved the creepy lake water.

 I was certainly entertained though. Look at those two. They are brothers... how cute. I hope my boys are still hanging out and being totally awesome with they are in their mid twenties.

See that boat cruising into the picture? Yeah, so these strangers were not part of our little group. However, they pulled up right next to our huge rented "party boat" (we had a boat captain or whatever) and tied their boat to ours. I really couldn't believe it. And neither could several of our other passengers... The couple that had rented our boat (I guess they didn't want to cause a ruckus) said it was fine but they weren't allowed to come on board. I still think it's odd.

This was back when I had my other camera. It was a miracle I able to do this good.  We had a really great time. I think I prefer tubing on the river though. No swimming required, I have a tube to hang onto, still creepy water but I can maneuver around most of the large creepy stuff. No effort on my part.

Today, instead of being on the lake or tubing on the river, I'm taking Rose to her pediatrician for a check up. So very exciting! Since I'm going to the big city to do this I'll also be leaving early to browse Target. I'm going to take my camera... can I do that? Take it in Target and take pictures? I'm sure I'll see some things I want. I always do... and I usually come home empty handed. It's better like that.
I'll be back manana (I don't know how to put that thingy over the first N)
Mama

Farm at Sunset

Last night we headed out to check on the cows. It was right after 8pm when we got going. They greeted us at the gate in the back pasture. I forgot to take my camera off of "kids and pets" for the first picture so it's a little dark.

 

Isn't it beautiful?

This here, this is not beautiful. This is drought. We could use some rain. We could use a slow down pour for several days, maybe even a week or two? It's so frustrating to see such lush weeds and brittle brown grass. (I think we could do some shredding...) 

Again, a hard to see picture here. It's of the horses. They were running around kicking up their heels. I always get nervous when they do that. 

So, that was our little trip at sunset. I have the usual things to do today with the hopes that I can get all 4 loads of laundry put away (and wash more laundry),  clean up in the laundry room, get some plants potted, plan out supper, tend to the garden and chickens and horses.

Just for fun here's what I looked like last night. I need to explain my attire first. I went to town yesterday and was wearing jeans with this shirt. When I got home it was a blazing 143 degrees outside so I grabbed the first goofy looking skirt I saw in my closet. Then, because I didn't want to be bit on the ankles by a snake I pulled my boots on. This was all fine until T wanted to take my picture. So, here I am. Keeping it real for y'all. Laugh all you want.

Hilarious, no? At least I have the sense to not walk around in public like this. 

Wait, is the Internet public? Is this blog public? 

Possibly regretting this,

Mama

Bargains make me happy

Over the weekend we went to Lowes. (I know, big surprise!) We went to get some fencing for the backyard and I was going to ignore all the beautiful plants...until we got there. The first thing we heard (we went straight into the garden center) was that all the plants were 50% off and vines were 75% off. The exception was vegetables. Oh my word, I picked a fence out and then ran back to flowers and did a celebratory dance. At that price I could actually afford some really nice plants! I picked out two pink Knockout rosebushes (2 gallon pots), another plumbago, Esparanza (yellow bells), Carolina Jessamine (a beautiful vine) and a Bougainvillaea vine (both already about 3 feet high). I would have paid around $200 for those plants full price. We all know I can't afford that for my "Can I Keep It Alive 2011" experiment. It was a steal for about $45. Since we have black clay for soil and it's very difficult for me to work with I'm going to make a raised bed for the roses and pot the rest of the plants. I'll take some pictures for you while I'm out working and try to post them tomorrow.

We are getting ready for a trip to the grocery store (another big surprise). Also, I am getting the "rip it out and start over" bug. In my kitchen. We don't have any budget for a kitchen makeover so I'm going to be browsing the DIY blogs pretty heavily. To give you an idea of what I want my kitchen to look like here's these:

Sorry, I didn't save the source

 bhg.com It bothers me that the photo isn't "level"

So, open shelving.... what's your opinion of that? And I'm not into the curtain below the sink (no way! I need locks to keep the kids out!) Light blue walls and clean white cabinets with black hardware. No clutter. I am ready to throw a lot of things out. I have some motivation... but I also need follow through. Help me out friends! Give me some ideas down in the comment section or some "I've been there" encouragement. I'd really appreciate it!!

Have a totally terrific Tuesday,
Mama

Look, we went to the park

This weekend we: got fencing for the backyard, more flowers for me, the kids went swimming, ate (a lot), went to the park,  hung out with T's family, watched the Mavericks win (!), finally went to sleep. And now it's Monday morning... complete with messy house from the weekend, piles of clothes waiting to be washed, sink full of dishes and a Mama that needs lots of coffee to make it through.
I think I'll share some park pictures today.

D looking very handsome. He insisted on playing soccer the whole time.

Rose. Look at the freedom she has here. She really took advantage of it.

Ry had to pout for a few minutes...

Thank goodness we stopped at Sonic and got two Route 44 Cherry Limeades.

We were guzzling them the entire time. Especially D. After each kick of the ball he would run over and grab the cup and say, "Hold on, I need a drink cause it's hot out here." 

And it was hot. It was around 95 at 11am. 

This is just... my life. Can I not have one, just one, picture of me with the kids? Rose kept trying to run away, Ry was doing alright and D was only interested in Cherry Limeade. 

Here's the most acceptable photo. I wish I'd taken my glasses off. Notice they are all looking at the camera (it's a challenge) and I'm holding onto Rose and Ry pretty tightly (so they won't run).

This is why we prefer Jason to come out and take our pictures. (He took the pic I use for my profile.) We had been talking about it all weekend and then Sunday night he called T! (Like fate or something.) So we are scheduled for July. I may be asking for some of you ladies for advice on attire. Be prepared.

Here's the ending picture y'all.

This was Mama and Daddy's idea of a cute picture. Well, really we wanted the boys to give Rose a hug. With them all smiling and looking angelic. Rose would not have it. Ry decided to stay out of it but D tried his best. After this we left. The kids were worn out. (That's probably why they didn't want to cooperate for pictures. I'll remember to have them well rested in July.)

I'm a Monday's child,

Mama

Totally Boring (but you asked for it)

Hey y'all. I am happy to report that yesterday I actually got some things accomplished. I baked some brownies for after supper, otherwise called dessert (I might have sampled them pretty heavily before then, though.) I washed two loads of laundry and managed to put away some of it. I cleaned up the kitchen (don't laugh, it takes effort to keep it clean.) I planted a bunch of flowers that my mom dug up out of her garden and gave me. If they die I'm blaming my soil. I did the usual farm chores and even remembered to set out something to thaw for supper. We ate and then watched game 5 of the NBA finals. Actually I only watched half of it. T stayed up and let me know who won. Last night I kept waking up to unclench my jaw. Every so often I do this clenching thing and then suffer the consequences the next day. I've got a headache this morning. As soon as I eat breakfast I'll be taking some medicine.

She shares your boredom

I really wish she'd say something slightly interesting

In addition to my usual tasks I changed up some stuff on here. You'll notice I now have a profile picture, some share buttons at the bottom of the post and a new closing picture. You can also leave me a comment. That's not new, I just thought I'd remind you!

She shares my excitement

She also got all her coolness from me

I hope y'all have an awesome weekend. We've got plans (oh no!) for the park, swimming and maybe some grilling.
Mama
P.S. Look! I totally posted every day this week! (weekends excluded, of course)

Classic "I'm busy post"

Since I woke up late this morning, have some congested children to tend to, have a mountain of laundry to wrangle...I'm posting some pictures from yesterday morning.

Wednesday Morning Sunrise

Charity

Habenero

Who said I couldn't have pretty flowers if I have boys? They inadvertently watered my plumbago for me!

Have a fantastic Thursday,

Mama