almost wordless wednesday

It looks like we got some rain, finally. 

I do believe I could have paddled a canoe down our driveway and 

(if the gate hadn't been closed) 

on down our road.

top left/bottom left: 6:30am 

I luckily escaped being struck by lightening multiple times in my attempt to photograph (poorly) the flash flooding event of January 2012

top right: stock tanks should always have water (possibly a mirage?)

bottom right: who needs ankle weights when you can have fifteen pounds of mud on your boots?

Weekend Details

Guten Tag! We had a wonderful weekend. Friday night we went to a rehearsal dinner, even though we were not part of the wedding. The food was yummy and it was nice to hang out with our friends before their wedding the next day. We got home late and surprisingly we all slept in on Saturday morning. It was a rainy/cloudy day. I spent the morning cooking waffles and then grocery shopping and figuring out what dress to wear. I decided on a old classic black dress I've had for years. (I smartly paired it with a cropped sweater since I am prone to freezing.) We packed up the kids and dropped them at my parents house for the evening and started out to the wedding venue. Since we left early (and the Longhorns were playing) we met some friends at a family bar/grill/Chinese restaurant/ice house to watch what we could of the game. When we left the ice house collaboration they had a live "band" playing Celtic music... so walking out was almost like taking a world/culture tour. It was... different.

We made it to the venue with time to spare and this was one of the best weddings I've ever been to. They started serving drinks prior to the reception (a big hit with all the guys) and due to the weather they moved the ceremony inside (to the reception area since there's no chapel) and we unknowingly picked the best table to sit at for watching the processional. I must say Matt and Jessica had told us Friday that they had a surprise that only T and I would understand... it was the music. They played the theme of Lonesome Dove. I think I almost hyperventilated I was so thrilled. The bride walked down the aisle to Canon in D (which made me tear up because I had that at my wedding). The ceremony was short and sweet. One of their friends is an ordained minister and performed the ceremony (very cool). The atmosphere was relaxed and laid back (which is a great reflection of Matt and Jessica) and really beautiful at the same time.

It was a late night! We didn't get home until about 2am. Sunday we got to sleep in again! It was raining (hallelujah!) so we hunkered down and watched football. The kids wanted to "cook" and we don't have a play kitchen so I improvised and drew a stove top on a piece of cardboard, took a small shoe box and turned it into a microwave and gave them a small pot that I was going to throw away. Rose has some tiny stainless pots and some food that she got for her birthday last year. I really want to expand on that for her birthday and Christmas this year. She has a blast cooking and playing with her tea set. They have a little table with two chairs and I gave them some small paper plates to play with, too. One of their specialties was tomato and pea soup. They really get a kick out of that cardboard stove... imagine if I got them a real fake kitchen!

Last night I made pizza (like always), but someone has started requesting three pizzas instead of our usual two. Well, I ran out of pepperoni and didn't have enough mozzarella for another pizza... So, I turned on my thinking cap and remembered I had bought a rotisserie chicken and bbq sauce on Saturday. BBQ chicken pizza was born. I really liked it and am waiting patiently for lunch time so I can eat the last two pieces!

I guess that's it for now. I have some important Internet browsing to do for Christmas. Who knows, maybe it'll spark some decorating spirit in me because I'm sort of surprised at how unmotivated I am to put up a tree this year. I almost just want to throw a construction paper tree up on the wall... classy.

later wonderful friends!

Rain is proof that the drought is making me crazy

I made chili and then it rained on Sunday. (those things are not dependent on each other but the chili was really good.) Beard-O and I found ourselves awake at 6am on Sunday (ah!) and at the same time said That's hail. The hail also woke up the boys and sent them to my bed. Beard-O kindly let them crawl in and then got up and told me he would sleep on the couch so I'd be more comfortable. It was very kind of him. Leaving me smushed between them and "comfortable" while fighting for my own pillow. I digress.

It rained!!! We got a whopping half inch! We asked the boys if they wanted to go play in the rain and splash in the puddles and they were cool with that idea until they opened the door and realized it was actually still raining and they might get wet. So I put some jackets on them and with a little push and shove they were outside. They were a little hesitant at first but eventually decided that it was fun out there (it hasn't rained in forever... they were freaked out) and started running around.

You probably can't really tell, but that is one of the muddiest spots in the yard. I wasn't even worried about that until I couldn't tell the boys apart when I looked out the window because they were both covered in mud. Head to toe. Literally. (please see following photographic evidence that also reveals Mama is a tad bit loosing her mind by allowing and ENcouraging this to take place)

exhibit a: Ry. (note the entire left side of face)

exhibit b: D&Ry trying to come inside

exhibit c: I forgot we'd have to Clean them up after they went mudding

exhitbit d: excited to be told yes, he did have mud on his teeth

So, today I'm washing some muddy clothes. I actually wish I had one of those old time wash boards because there is no way I'm putting those clothes in my washing machine. They had a really good time out there and how often do I let them get that dirty? Almost never... usually that sort of thing happens when I'm not home and Daddy is in charge. Either I'm relaxing a bit or obviously the drought has impacted my mind because I was just so happy that there was mud to play in and I told those boys to please just go play in the mud! It's so fun, you'll love it! And I laughed about it. (although when I was bathing them Beard-O took over because they were trying to touch the walls. I can't have that. Also, he is way better with bath time than I am.)

I still don't like mud on me so I'll be donning a haz-mat suit while pre washing their clothes outside with the water hose. Or I'll just tell everyone to buy them clothes for Christmas. Sort of kidding. (they are growing really fast, though, so not entirely a bad idea.)

Weather and Night Cream ( I'm ready to be 78)

First and foremost: It rained Saturday! We got a whole inch! It made me happy! Also, my Longhorns won and I got to spend the whole day hanging out with Beard-O. (That has been pretty rare lately.) It was a blessed day all around. 

Second, the weather this week makes me smile. (I really hope the weathermen aren't toying with me)

Yeah, those are temperatures in the 60s over night and look at Thursday's and Friday's highs. It almost seems miraculous at this point. This means I will actually be able to go outside without thinking about heatstroke. I might use the giant rake we bought yesterday to clean up the backyard. I mean, I will. Definitely. I will also find some veggie seeds so I can attempt to grow something this fall. I only hope the grasshoppers DIE and don't attack anything else I plant. (they recently found my roses and other potted plants on the deck and devoured them. Have I ever mentioned how much I'd like to put them on the extinct list? (did that make sense? It sort of sounds funny.)

Well, I have lots of important things to do today (we all know I'm talking about laundry) and scour the Internet for my suddenly hard to find night cream. I really miss it and I know it works now that I've been without it for two weeks. And now I'll go put my Dr. Scholls shoes on and eat some prunes.

Have a joyful Monday,
Mama

Rain and a How To by Rose

It rained yesterday!!!! 

Rain drops!!! on roses

um.. rain gauge was a little dirty and had a dead grasshopper in it...

 

only patch of green grass I've seen... due to leaky water hose leading to chicken coop

and now a beautiful child guest posts.... 

How To: make enchiladas of mediocrity while making your mommy's life more exciting. Take note all you children reading this!

First, if you're making the kind with chicken please hand the child the leg so she can scare mommy by shoving it all the way to the back of her throat.

Then, in your nicest screamy voice, demand a tortilla. Now that you've successfully impaired your mother's hearing run to the living room and hide half a tortilla behind the curtains. Your mother loves surprises!!

Make sure you do a taste test for mommy while she is joyously washing up the dishes. She will appreciate your approval on her cheese selection and how you decided to decorate the kitchen floor, a chair and the table with it. And! She won't have any photographic evidence because she's too embarrassed by the amount of dirt and crumbs on the floor.

 When your mother tries to ban you from the kitchen until you are at a more responsible age to help... Raise your eyebrows and slink in your chair while blaming your brothers. This is a crucial step to making your way back into "kitchen circle of trust"

IF blaming your brothers doesn't work... offer to help clean up their mess. This will score you major points. 

Then... you should be right back to this place

These steps can be applied to almost any situation. Just remember to smile during each step... and time your excessive shrieking to just the right moments. You can get almost anything you want because your mommy values her ability to hear. Don't overdo the shrieking, though. It can lead to something we call "selective hearing" which, apparently, isn't limited to men hearing their wives, but also mommies hearing whining and other things they deem annoying.
Have a ball with this! My mommy loves it when I help in the kitchen!!

Have a beautiful Friday,
Rose and Mama

I Might Mention the Weather

It's hot. Dry. Everything is brown and dead. Every once in a while I find some green shoots of grass but they are instantly gobbled up by sheep. I don't like looking outside because it's depressing. And this post is also depressing. The last time it rained was June 22. We received a glorious 1/2 inch. Two weeks ago there was still a bit of green grass in front of our house... no longer.

 

woa

Those are some cute kids though.

I really feel for the farmers and ranchers that are dealing with this. My brother is having to truck hay in from other states to feed his cattle. That gets expensive.

Just about every church sign we pass has some version of "Pray for Rain" spelled out. The governor set aside a day (I think back in April) to pray for rain. 

Those cracks in the ground were 6-8 inches deep. In the beginning of May. They haven't exactly gotten any better. 

I think I'll recruit the children and go out and do a rain dance. It's worth a shot, right?

There's not much here

Can I take a break today? I have nothing to write about. At least nothing of super importance and my battery is dying on the laptop. However, here's a short list of things I'd like:

• RAIN
• More RAIN
• Rain for the grass to grow. 
• Grass to feed my horses, sheep and cows. 
• Rain to fill our stock tanks
• Rain to quench everyone's thirst
• Rain so I know what mud is again and have to mop.
• But really just some RAIN

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