Friday, May 30, 2008

Grad Party!

In between the thunderstorms we are popping over to a neighbor's HS graduation dinner party for their daughter, Robbie! I was supposed to be in Pendleton tonight, but the weather blog kept showing Thunderstorms...I've sat outside in storms before. No fun, especially when the commute is one and 1/2 hours - one way! Instead, I am joining my family.

We get together with this group of friends every Christmas, swapping homes to host the dinner and festivities. Hard to believe our little Robbie is graduating.. It really does seem like just yesterday when she and her younger brother came trick or treating! One of the only 5 we get each year.

So, off we go! Party is in 1 hour, lambs need to be fed again and my dryer is calling! It is working again!

Thursday, May 29, 2008

The Dryer - Day 3



Star Log: 9:44am. Thursday, May 29th...

I'm calling this Day 3 of 'no worky dryer'.. since, on Tuesday I broke it (cleaning gum out of the drum!), Wednesday I opened it (after heavy duty research), and today, is Stage II of Repairs & Maintenance Research...

Last night I got home about 8:30 pm from my trip to Boise, and this is what I came home to - the photos above! No fixy. More research...

Today's 'extra' task:

How does the loose found doomahicky that the dryer belt goes onto actually get assembled with the loose belt found dangling around the drum????

Answer (from today's research):
The doomahicky name: Idler Pulley

And, the belt gets wound through it, and onto another funky part, and around the drum... and the pulley itself gets put into some slots on the bottom of the dryer case a ma jig...

I am so darn proud of myself!

But - I am 30 minutes late on the 9:30 lamb feeding! And still in my jammies!

Gotta go!

RAK from Jacqueline!

Two Beauties from Jacqueline!
I put the quarter in the photo for scale

The above photos are of two very special gifts I received in this week's mail from Jacqueline, a lovely artist and friend who lives in France... How exciting to get a package from France! Jacqueline is one of my 2Pea friends, who also plays at the Hero Arts Blog Challenges. Her art is so beautiful!

These delicate beauties have multiple layers of art on them.. Exquisite! The long bookmark has a delicate clip with a butterfly attached... This will make a lovely bedside bookmark...

Jacqueline live in a beautiful area of France. She often posts photos of the vineyards, or wisteria, or cherry blossoms! Her surroundings must inspire her gorgeous art!

Thank you Jacqueline!

And, here is Jacqueline's Craft Nest blog for your viewing pleasure!

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Dryer Woes and Teasers

Well.. I broke my dryer yesterday.

I was cleaning gum out of it (men folk)... and went to spin the drum, and 'bang'! Since I am left handed, I spun the wrong way!

Now my dryer does not spin... and my DH won't fix it unless I take it apart for him.. Hmm.. If I wanted to do everything by myself I would not have gotten a husband, silly! (as in things I would love to say, but don't!)...

C$(P! So, been doing some online research on how to take apart a Kenmore Series 80 Electric Dryer..(need all those words - I found out). I'm there... but dang, my day is wasting away (wish I was in Margarita ville instead)!

It's 9 am.
Have to feed lambs again at 9:30 am
Gotta leave for Boise (yep, hooking up the sausage man again!) at 12:30!
And, have a little boy home from school... Dang those allergies/colds/runny nose things!

So my friendly reader(s), once again you will have to wait until 'later' for all my fun photos and shares!

Here is the growing list of teasers:
  • Mothers Day Card I sent out (I did not photo the bracelet - assuming all landed safely!)
  • Hero Arts Background Cards (2)
  • Birthday Flowers Photos
  • Silly Things My Kids Have Said recently
  • Spy Photos - Kid Stuff
  • Beautiful Gifts from Jacqueline!
  • RAK Winner! (COULD BE YOU!)
  • RAKs I recently received!
So there! You have to wait!

And, yes, it is raining again!

More Lambs!

Hi all.
I posted more photos at the Sexton Ranches - The Ranch Round Up blog. If you are interested, go take a peek!

More coming soon!

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Weather Report for May 21st

Well, I've got the wood stove going again (and yes, I did start the fire)! (Good thing it runs like a champ whereas the central heating system needs some serious servicing).. It is now 44 degrees, and it's 7pm. Stew is on the stove, and dinner is waiting for my husband who is out irrigating.

Crazy weather. After near 90 degrees over the weekend, here we are with coldness again. Rain.

The power was out for 3 hours this morning due to a lightening strike. I love my Thunderstorms, but not when they cause fires or problems... sigh.

Oh.. When the power went out it was 3:30 am. That meant getting up at 5am, and cooking our breakfast with the camping gear, warming lamb bottles over the propane stoves, and having lanterns and oil lambs going until the power came back on. School was not canceled, seems it was just in our area.

I'm glad we had the heat over the weekend. Otherwise I really would have been depressed with this cold snap. Right now it's just a reprieve from the heat, and lawn mowing and gardening!

Catch you all later. Gotta throw more wood on.

Indy Fever - Oh I've Got It, and BAD!

Indiana Jones - The Crystal Skull
(AKA, Come to Mama, Indy Baby)

Any other gals out there having a serious Jones about Indy Jones? Oh man...
The first film hit the big screen in 1981! GADS!!! I was only 19! I was doomed.. The hat, the adventures, the whip, the brain, the twisted smile and the unavailability.. Yep. Serious Hard to Get issues with that man! Not a communicator. Off he goes. To work, again. See ya when I see ya, babe.

My crush with Indy is still beating strong. But, real or not, he is hitting the big screen again, tomorrow night! Not here in podunkville, but out near all you big city girls... Lucky. Throw him kisses for me, will ya?

My summer highlight will be to see him on the big screen once again. I don't care that he has aged 27 years! So have I!

I have to blame (NOT George Lucas) Steven Spielberg and his partners in crime for why I fell head over heals in love with my husband. Deep down inside my subconscious workings I wanted an Indy. And I got one. The hat! The Adventures! The Brain! The twisted Smile! Yep. The light bulb came on last night while our little family was watching Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Arc (my son got it for his recent birthday) - right there in our cozy living room...it hit me.

There was a great profile shot of my man on film. Dang. That guy looks like my husband! Dang! He acts like him too! And, come to think of it, he too is a workaholic!

Sigh...

Guess I have some issues!

Indy! Wait for me baby!

Monday, May 19, 2008

Promised Photos - Lambs, Birthdays, Spring Program

The Raiders of the Lost Arc - Plus a Lamb!
For the party 'we' had four challenges the 'raiders' had to accomplish before I gave them the clue to find the hidden arc treasure. They were in teams of 2, and they had to help each other:
  1. Swing the farthest on a rope over the snake pit (garden hose)
  2. Untie the bow on the rope swing, above the snake pit
  3. Walk blind folded forward and backward on a log over the bottomless pit (log on the grass)
Those 3 challenges were plenty - since we timed or measured the distances for each group. Then, each team got their clues and off the went! The girls won! The Arc had something for everyone, but the girls split the 'big prize' - Cube world. A set of 2.
Oh. and whenever we go out into the yard, the lambs come running to find us! We now have 6 bummer lambs that are being bottle fed.

Two of the Bottle Lambs - Hanging at the Front Door!
And, ignore those dandelions... I have some serious work to do!

Spring Program!
Jake is the cutie pie looking at the camera
Sami is the cutie in back - hair up!


Sami singing in front!
Keep in mind that Sami does not like being in the limelight.
She is somewhat a shy girl (furthest on the right) - unlike her ever so aggressive mother!
See her cute outfit? I am sure it's from Grandma Grace. Sami adores this outfit!


I still need to share my Birthday flowers from my sister Paula, and a few cards! Phew!

*** MY 200TH POST! *** RAKS & Shared Goodies!

WOW. Either I talk too much, or time flies when you write about it!

This is my 200th post, and to celebrate I would like to do several things:

  1. Offer up a RAK (Random Act of Kindness)
  2. Share with you my favorite places to visit
  3. Post about what has been going on 'lately'!

1. RAK(S):
Thank you everyone for visiting my little place! I have to say, this would not have happened had my sweet pea friend DAWN not talked me into it. So - I am going to send DAWN a RAK! And, not only that, I have to thank SANDY, another sweet pea, who made my awesome Banner! So, SANDY will be getting a RAK! And, that leaves the rest of you! So, everyone, leave a post and I will randomly pick a winner who will receive a special gift (a surprise!) from my crafty room! Meaning - something made... Tee Hee!

2. FAVORITE PLACES TO VISIT
A.) My 'sweet pea' friends and I met on the 2Peas in a Bucket Stamping Board! This is one of my all time favorite places to chat about stamping, post our work, and participate in challenges. I learned 'most everything I know' from my friends at 2peas.. meaning, they taught me how to stamp! And, soon my friends (Sandy & Dawn along with a few other talented folks!) will be hosting the 2nd Annual World Wide Stamping Event at 2 Peas! Starting June 14th.. So mark your calendars and play with us!
B.) My other favorite place is the Hero Arts Blog & Flickr Group! Oh my... Each week a challenge is posted, and each day new tutorials are posted at the blog! I am getting addicted to this place... and it's all because of Jennifer McGuire- one of the hosts and artists (recognize her? She has that cool monthly column in Creating Keepsakes? How to use stuff you already have in new ways??? She rocks!)... Anyway, Jennifer is also one of the Garden Girls at 2peas, and she hangs out at the stamping board too! It's all connected.. But, Hero Arts has some real cool new stamps! So addicting...
C.) Favorite Art Blogs: I have quite a few on my blog roll. And they are addicting... Here are five faves (and in no particular order) to share with you (in addition to the ones mentioned above):
Ali Edwards - She has been posting some great ideas these last 2 weeks! Mainly, fast and east 'keeping it real' work.. Love her stuff. Love her motto.. Capture & Create..
Kim Hughes - What I love about her posts is she includes tips! Fun. And, what I love about Kim is her cool stamp designs! She designs for Cornish Heritage Farms... Adorable stuff... and a pea!
Jacqueline's Craft Nest - Jacqueline is my favorite 'shabby vintage collage' artist! She is wonderful! Go visit her place! Another pea!
Nancy James - Vintage Papers
Nancy does the BEST heritage work! I love the goodies she shares about her family.. Check out her latest pub work in Somerset magazine on her blog... just amazing!!! She is also a pea..
Godelieve - Stamping Matilda
Godeleive is one of the peas that I have learned TONS from! She is very generous with her tutorials and art! Check out her amazing goodies!

I could go on and on and hope I did not offend anyone by not mentioning your blog as well! I also have my favorite food blogs (Noble Pig, Pioneer Woman, Kitchen Tart), favorite quilt blog (Karen), favorite technique blogs, favorite stamp artist and manufacturer blogs, etc... Believe me the list is long!!! But, I have to stop somewhere!

3. WHAT'S HAPPENING!
Oh dear.. I do owe you photos... I am now feeding 6 bummer lambs every 4 hours... Jake had his awesome Birthday party yesterday, I received a beautiful bouquet of flowers from my little sis and I have been running crazy!!! So, photos coming!

So, with that, don't forget to leave a comment if you would like to be entered into the RAK drawing!
Thanks again for reading my random thoughts!

Friday, May 16, 2008

Blink! Time is Flying! And, 8,000!

Oh boy.. The 'sun' has finally arrived (gonna hit 88 today) and therefore, our lives seem to be running on 'E' for excitement, F' for Fast and 'C' for Crazy!!!! Once that sun heats things up, stuff grows fast out here on the ranch and we chase grass with the livestock (to eat it), and water (to grow more!) or the lawn mower (to tame it!)... So, we are all in a tither, a fluster and a bit punchy from long days! I told you May was crazy!

OH! And we have tons of lambs being born!!! Lots of babies! At dusk night you can here babies and mamas 'talking' to get paired up for the night, frogs, barking dogs, the occasional rooster, and now that the moon is getting full - all sorts of late night chatter! Yep. It's a circus out there!

Here's a quick line up of What's Happening At the Ranch!

  1. This morning after chores I pulled weeds for 1/2 hour.. All before 7:30 am! Can you tell? Heck no!
  2. The kids had their Spring Program last night at school. Super Cuteness! (photos later)
  3. I have a Market this afternoon/tonight (Pendleton). Leave at 12:30 pm
  4. I have another Market tomorrow (La Grande)
  5. Jake's Birthday is tomorrow - he is turning 9! Stressing with this one.. I ordered his gifts 'next day' on Tuesday... It's now Friday and they sure haven't arrived 'next day'! Give George Lucas a big kick for me, will you????? I did the Indiana Jones Legos..He's messing with my plans...
  6. Sami is debuting her face painting business at tomorrow's market - which means mommy has to get 'her' organized. (Note: Take photos! - For Later!)
  7. Jake's party is Sunday - Uh, I am so not ready. But I did get the invites done! 10 kids.
  8. I am hosting a treasure hunt 'Raiders of the Lost Lego's - and need to devise a hunt! ACK! I'm thinking that I'll put the little varmints in teams, have the teams go out, and the first team back with the loot, divvies up the loot.. Just like real treasure hunters! ... And they can duke it out, right? OK, Probably not a good idea... Tears would get involved. But my treasure hunting mommy side thinks it would be fun!!! Probably need to think this one out better.... (Photos Later!)
  9. The chicks got moved out of the garage, outside along with their chicky house - I'm watching those three cats who are watching those chicks.. (photos later)
  10. The lambs that were in the laundry room are now in a nice big ol box in the garage! Hurray! I've got my laundry room back!!!!! (photos later!)
And that is just the short list.

And, now for a big commercial announcement:

My dear ever so faithful friendly readers! My next post will be my 200th - and 'somehow' my reader hits passed 8,000 recently! I was watching it earlier this week and it was close, now we are at 8,100! So, with that, I will be posting a fun giveaway - next week... along with all the photos... OK? So I guess that was just a tease!!

Sorry.. But gotta run!
Thanks for reading and enjoying the days with me!

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Critters! The Bummer Lambs Go Exploring

Jake Feeding Timmy
A bummer lamb is a lamb that gets separated from its mom, or it's mom rejects it.
The kids 'love' having bummer lambs. What they really love, is the 'idea' of having a lamb, not necessarily all the bells and whistles of taking care of one! I guess that's what moms are for! (Come to think of it, I know some mom's who aren't very good at bells and whistles either.)

Timmy & Layla - Their Big Day Out!
These guys are a hoot! They had a blast running amok. Lambs are fun to watch when they 'run'. It's more like jump hop run, jump hop run, jump hop run.

Lambs Meet Dog
I had to tie Lefty up. He was getting a little too curious!

No Likey Dog!
Oh, but Lefty would like some lamb! Isn't that right, Pal?
Lefty got into trouble this morning. He was left untied all night and he tore the seat up on Dick's Quad. Bad Dog.

If it's not one thing running loose in the yard it's another!
The chickens are free, too. They are in heaven now that they can poke around in the grass and around the trees (without being harassed by the puppies).

Recap:
Today I let the bummer lambs out for 3 hours. They are allowed out when it is 60 degrees and above. Big day for them. They reside in a box in the laundry room and have escaped a few times... As a matter of fact, we left the door open last night, and we were too loud during dinner, and they decided they needed to join us! Two lambs came running into the great room... Gads. Yuck. Livestock on the carpet!

They are now back in the box. They had their 2:30 pm feeding, and are taking a nap. Soon the kids will be home and we will do our 'routine'. Homework, chores, dinner, lamb feeding, bedtime.

That's our life!

I did get 2 hours of mowing in today. That would be the North side of the house. I do the yard in sections, otherwise I want to scream bloody murder at the massive amount of lawn the previous owner thought was 'delightful' to have! I am in no hurry to water it either. As long as it is green, I am fine. No need to go for record heights and all that.

This is the brighter side of a late Spring!

Birthday Recap - Sugar Overload!

My Ever So Decadent Gift Basket
Dick, Sami and Jake all came out wearing party hats! How fun is that? I was given one as well. See those chocolate truffles? Dick & I buy these for each other for our special days. Yummy.
That bottle of wine? 'CSM' - from Gillstrap Brothers in Cove, Oregon.


Wine Test. My Cooking wine is the one farthest on the left.
The rest tasted like vinegar.
Cathy of the Noble Pig is probably cringing right now!


My Birthday Cake Candles!
Notice those itty bitty pink stubs? Jake was in charge of pyrotechnics. Why his father leaves him alone with matches is beyond me! I know those candles were full! (Note to Self: Need to purchase 7,8,9,and 0 big numbers.. We stopped at 6!)


The birthday recap.
My family is just too darn funny... My DH 'left' about 2pm to go to town and run errands... He did not return until 6pm. However, he did take the grocery list - and since he only does this perhaps twice a year, I felt 'lucky'. Translation: No trip to town for me! Yeah! Saves an hour just in driving time!

So, after a day of feeding the bummer lambs every four hours, some housework, then dealing with the kids homework, I turned to making dinner... just another day in paradise.

We had 'highly processed white starchy carbohydrates' - the kids favorite! AKA, spaghetti made with lamb garlic/rosemary sausage... YUM! I also cooked with wine - since it was a special occasion. One glass of Burgundy. When I was almost to the bottom of my glass, my DH brought out two more bottles of wine for a taste test. When in Rome...

And, I made a garlic/butter/fresh Italian parsley/Motzerrella Cheese/roma tomato covered French Bread. Another family favorite!

That's as far as I got - no salad, no greens, no veggies! The noodles had to sit in water for 'a while' because the kids were having trouble with 'their turn' at feeding the baby lambs and needing some assistance ... After a good lecture of 'these are not my pets, they are yours' along with 'the bottle has to be warm for the babies to take it', followed by 'you have to change the paper in the box - let me repeat - these are not my pets!' - I just about had enough.

Then, we ate. Then I cleaned up. And, then I was just ready to retire..at 7:30pm. I went to brush my teeth and 'the trail boss' stopped me in my tracks. He said 'we need you back out in the living room'. And then, my sweet little family got busy. Sami ran upstairs. Jake was busy in the laundry room. Dick was in his office. These guys are funny!

So, the post dinner celebration included a beautiful gift basket, a gorgeous home made card (made by Sami), a Beautiful Bottle of wine for another day, a German Chocolate Cake, and Ice Cream, and Lit Candles (Jake the fire starter got this job)! Oh. My DH does not like coconut. He, does not know that German Chocolate Cake EQUALS coconut! But it wasn't his birthday, now was it? See? The Snack Gods were definitely working in my favor. My favorite cookies are macaroons but they have not made an appearance in years!

And I lucky?

Sigh.

It just doesn't get better...

Except for the midnight 'bolt' awake and being wide awake for three hours from my sugar induced bloodstream.. Ya know, a gal can get alot of 'processing done' when she justs lies down and thinks! So I made my to do list.

oh man.. wine, carbs, and sugar...Good thing this only comes once a year!

Monday, May 12, 2008

Oh My! What a Day this is Going to Be!!

It's 8:30 am and today is starting out fabulously!

"It's my Birthday!" Yep. Today I am 46. I will take a self portrait later. After I get as beautiful as I can (wrinkles, bags under my bags). As most scrap bookers will attest, we are usually behind the camera instead of in front of it. If I can get one photo in a year, to document my aging process and share with my kids what their momma thought - other than what's for dinner, etc., that would be a great accomplishment.

Ignoring the fact that my toes are still frozen from the morning chores (33 degrees) and the 5:00 am bottle prep for the two lambs in the laundry room, and that the processor called wanting to know where my cut and wrap instructions are for 11 lambs - my day is rocking!

It all starting with Ali's Blog last week. She posted daily about focusing on 'telling the story' when we scrapbook with our photos. Her posts were awesome! She, is a fantastic artist. Well, one day, she did a 'review' of different paper types, and she used some super cool translucent vellum to print her photos, and I was thinking 'dang, that stuff is awesome'!

I clicked on the Paper Mill Store's Blog and they were having a give-a-way. Well, this morning, I found out I am one of the winners! OH MY! THREE reams of paper are being sent -2 separate weights of the translucent vellum and 1 ream of their doublemate cardstock!

How cool is this? If you are a scrap booker, card maker or paper 'lover' you are probably jumping up and down with me! I mean, not 10 sheets of paper, but reams!!!!!!!!! OH my...

OK. See how easy I am to please?

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Mothers Day Recap!

I had an awesome day!!!!!!!!

Stayed in my Jammies until 10
Went plant shopping with my family
Ate Mexican Food and drank 1 Margarita...(more like a bucket!)

THEN we saw President Clinton give a speech at our itty bitty town's courthouse! We just happened to drive by and see the barricades and did a 'whaz up'??? So darn cool! (And no, I am not a Hilary or Bill supporter!)

Then went home and took a napster!

Now, back in my jammies.... tee hee!!!

Happy Mothers Day You'all!!!

My Fifteen Minutes of Fame! And a President on Mother's Day!

So, remember the card I made for the 'Oldest Hero Arts Stamp' challenge? Well! I was one of the winners! Yep. Three of us were selected randomly. The way I read it, is the judges pick all their favorites, then pull three out of the hat, and wella! I was one of the three!

What does this mean? It means my card is up on the 'our recent challenge winners image roll' on the Hero Arts blog! Yep. I have placement right now at a major website's blog! My closest encounter to being published.

Tee hee.

Oh, guess who I saw today?? Former President Clinton. Yep. In flesh and blood. Crazy, eh? There we were, leaving the Mexican Restaurant, after our Mother's Day boogy (plant shopping, the Mexican Food with Margaritas), and we saw the streets blocked off near the courthouse, and lots of men in uniforms! So, we, being the adventurous family that we are, drove right up to the barricades and said 'What's going on'? The officer said, President Clinton is talking.

"Really????"

So, being the good little Republicans that we are, and always open to listening to all sides (we watched all the debates - our entire family - my kids know who all the candidates are!) we found a parking spot and went and peeked at President Clinton! We 'back packed' the kids so they could see. How awesome! A real president in our poky little itty bitty town! I took photos, but they aren't nearly as good as Bev's!

My friend Bev, of BELLA had a very close encounter. Go check out the Bella Blog for the up close and personal peek!

I tell ya, all the big cheeses go to her store. The Gov, our State Reps, and now, a President! Lucky girl ...

Two Moms One Baby Shower

The Ever so Decedent 5 layer cake!
This poor baby had to wait until 3:30 to get cut! It was killing me!


The Mommies and Their Quilts (Andie is on the left, Maria on the right)

Can you find my sheep? On Andie's quilt it is the third block in the second row.
On Maria's quilt, it is the third block in the first row.

These two mamas are part of our school PTCO team! Awesome mamas, and about 15 -20 years younger than Michelle and I! Michelle is my BFF (Remember? The other ranch mom who has twins?). We are the older moms 'on the team' who tease the younger moms all the time! And, we love it. I found the perfect Mother's Day gift for Michele. It's a cup that reads "No, I wont make 4 dozen cookies, Any more Questions?". It's her new PTCO mug to display proudly at our monthly meetings! (Michelle is always stepping up to the 'baked goods' plate for our school fund raisers!)

We were all in tears when Andie opened her quilt
Andie's mother, Jackie, had submitted several photo blocks for the quilt. The blocks had photos of Andie as a baby, along with lots of photos of Jackie as well as Jackie's mom with young Andie.



Check out this baby sock bouquet!
Stacy, our hostess is our local 'Martha Stewart' of the West!
(I just love that cowhide chair in the back! Her entire house is very western!)
And that's Michelle's arm. Isn't she gorgeous?


The shower was beautiful! Our hostess really went all out with a beautiful custom ordered cake, chocolate fountain and mondo fruit platter, as well as a tasty Mexican style chicken guacamole salad.

The shower started at 1pm. The girls opened their gifts first, games were played, and we ate about oh, 3pm. I'm sure if I was hungry, those poor mamas must have been starving!

I am sure Jackie, Andie's mom was with us in spirit. My heart goes out to Andie and her family. At this time of Mother's Day and a new baby due June 9th.

** This remainder of this post is very emotional! Tissues Required! **

Jackie passed away this past Wednesday. She was a mom that was in all of our lives. Andie is our 'Chili Feed Chair' for our little school, and she and her mom have been our cooks for several years. Jackie is also the sweet mama who I am sure I wrote about earlier. She would sneak special Pepsi concoctions to me while I was manning my raffle booth. She and I share a 'rebel' streak! This year, we found out about Jackie's battle with cancer right before Christmas. Stacy (the baby shower hostess) and Maria (Mama #2) cooked Christmas Dinner for Andie's family. Andie and Jackie were in Boise, at the hospital Christmas Day, and would spent many days there over the winter - driving back and forth through horrid conditions - for various surgeries and treatments.
Jackie had a brain tumor removed Christmas Eve. She had a brave fight, and at this year's February Chili Feed, she was right there with all of us. She was an awesome, beautiful, 'take no prisoners' kind of woman. And, she had a beautiful, close, wonderful relationship with her only child, Andie. They lived within minutes of each other, worked together, and traveled to Mexico with all of Andie's kids and their husbands each spring. This year Jackie made it to Mexico.

I hope that Jackie is playing on the beaches of Mexico now, and enjoying the sun that she loved! Her spirit was a strong one, and she was a Mother to admire.

Happy Mother's Day Jackie. You will be missed by those who loved you, and were touched by your joyful spirit!

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Shearing Days - Photos and How It's Done

Want to see our shearing setup? I posted photos and some text at the our ranch blog.

There are actually 2 posts, so move around and check it out!

Be sure to check out the llama and guard dog post as well!

Gotta run! Time to do chores!

Mothers Day - Murphy's Law Style!

Are you ready for this?????

My last few days have been turned upside down... I have to say, my Pal Murphy showed up, Murphy as in Murphy's Law...

Normally, we SHOULD be doing our Mothers' Day/My Birthday scheduled events this weekend (our tradition is that my family takes me 'nursery hopping' for garden starts and flowers on Sunday, followed by Mexican food and Margaritas! HEAVEN!), but alas, as said above only Murphy's Law moments instead.. The ugly details are below. Cliff notes are - I am a slave to my children, their critters & my husband instead! Normal life moments..

Here's the down and dirty (note: dd - darling daugher; ds = darling son; dh - darling husband!):
1. DD came down with fever on Thurs. am. Kept her home from school
2. DD woke me at 3:00 am Fri am.. Earache..
kept her home from school again - administered all sorts of homeopathic treatments
3. DD in tears 1:30pm Friday.. drive to town for the second time, to the doc for a $113 office visit (for 10 minutes of his blessed time) and $48 bill for antibiotics... CHING! Oh.. diagnosis.. Two ear infections! Good thing she only has two!
4. DD woke me at 1 am Sat. morning... ear hurts...

ok.. that's kid #1...

Then, here's the other shoe:
1. DH said 'we are shearing Fri, Sat, Sunday'. Shearing sheep - crew from Idaho coming.. We have 300 sheep... so, no 'real' biggy.. we have done this before.. but means no Mothers Day or birthday party for me! (sniff - but gotta wear those big girl panties, right?)
2. DH wants ds (age 8 going on 9) to get off school bus on Fri at headquarters and help shear on Fri.
3. I write note for ds to get dropped off at headquarters (2 miles from our house)
4. I decide to pick up son instead -since coming home from first trip to town about 12:30pm, and follow bus that has my son! Honk Honk! Can't you see me????
5. Get son - and it's a good thing, because son forgot to give note to driver! Typical boy stuff.
6. Pass off son to DH.
7. Son and DH come home at 6pm - with two bummer lambs... one for each kid.
8. feeding time for lambs is 5:30 am; 11:30 am; 3:30 pm, and 7:30 pm..
9. Guess who is feeding lambs when 'kids' can't (sick or helping dh)? Yep. me. SLEEP DEPRIVED from dd's earache and lamb schedule!
10. OH. Forgot to mention: 15 menfolk at my house last at 7pm Fri night for dorky irrigation ditch meeting that goes until 11pm!!! SLEEP DEPRIVED! kids and I are 'hiding' in ds's room until 8:30 pm... dd has to sleep with me, because meeting is too noisy... and as said above dd woke me at 1am...

OH.. supposed to go to baby shower for two moms today at 1pm - but dd does not want me to leave; I have to take ds down to headquarters at 9 to help dad; and uh, gotta feed two bummer lambs at 11:30...
I want a nap - and it is only 8:30 am! (and the weekend is just starting).....
Sigh...

All in all, other than the above, things are great! Really.. My eyes are dry and tired, but other than that - great...

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Think Pink - Hero Arts Style

Pink Card for Hero Arts Challenge and 2Peas Weekly Sketch
(p.s. I have not posted my Mothers' Day card yet -
it looks related, but I know my mom reads my blog - Hi mom!)


This week's challenge over at the Hero Arts Blog
is to create a Pink card to be sent to a very special place (Gilda's Club) that offers services for people and families affected by cancer. We were also given another challenge, to decorate our envelope as well. So, above are my creations! This was a fun and meaningful challenge to participate in. We are all affected by Cancer, and we have all seen what it does to those we love. I also incorporated this week's sketch over at the 2peas stamping board. Godelieve is this week's hostess, one of my favorite artists and teachers!

I have to say, the folks at Hero Arts are definitely my new favorite 'peeps' to learn from, watch and learn about! The blog is hands down a great learning environment, and the other challenge posters are all having fun chatting together and sharing ideas over at Flicker. Last week we found out how Hero Arts started - by a mother, who shared her creativity with her children! I just love a mom who fosters creativity in her children (big wave to Auntie Alice! Don't you have a birthday coming up???)....

And, her son is now the CEO, and the plant is green! As in, lots of environmentally sound practices are used and employed.

OH, and the designers? Hilarious! Talented! And so darn real! The type of people you just think would be cozy hanging out with you - I think the best way to describe them is 'down to earth'! (Just take a peek at today's video - shot in PJ's!)...

As an aside, since I grew up in the Bay Area, it just so happened that my first stamp was a Hero Arts Stamp, and is one of the oldest so far to make an appearance at last weeks challenge (not sure if that is good - or bad)!

Thanks for listening to my rambles.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Cinco de Mayo Goof Balls!


So we went out last night for the combo celebration of Cinco de Mayo and our 13th Wedding Anniversary.. See what I have to deal with? A bunch of goof balls! My family cracks me up.. I just love this little bunch of characters s that I am surrounded by.

I am one lucky girl.

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Zoe the Llama vs the Puppies

This is Zoe
Zoe is one of our guard llamas. See the sheep in the background? All the Ewes are now nearby our home within 'eyesight'. We are starting to lamb, which means babies!!!

The puppies decided Zoe is too darn close to 'their' home!
Yep. The joys of puppies. They keep sneaking up on Zoe giving him a piece of their mind. This is not a good thing. Zoe has important business to attend to and can't be bothered by pesky little puppies.

Busted! They Heard Me!
I was really hoping to catch Zoe giving the puppies a lesson. Perhaps another day!
P.S. This is the field just south of our yard. Notice the snow in the mountains! Brrr!

Just another day at our place!

Sunday, Again??? Highlights From This Past Week


OH boy... life is definitely getting busier! I thought for sure I had posted more often this last week, but nope..

So, here are a few highlights from the past week:

  1. Sent off a big meat order via 2 day air! That was Monday. Which is also clean the house day.
  2. Rearranged Sami's bedroom - moved the bed, vanity, desk to create a bigger area! Did some deep cleaning in her world of horse figurines, Hannah/Miley, barbies, scrapbook supplies, little girl makeup, little girl fashion accessories and cute clothes, etc. Sigh.. so many signs of little girl becoming bigger girl.. That was Wednesday. When Jake was home sick on day1. He had a day2 as well.
  3. I created a card for this week's Hero Arts Challenge. We were supposed to tell our story and use our oldest Hero Arts stamp - my stamp is from 1983 and so far is the oldest posted! Not sure how that makes me feel.. Old? Oldest? Hmm..
  4. It snowed on May 1st. Yep. Woke to a dusting of snow.
  5. Had a school PTCO meeting, followed by an evening meeting at our home (Irrigation Ditch stuff) along with a sick child.. along with having to run ranch errands.. all in one day.. that was Thursday.
  6. Sami and I did the Boise market yesterday.. My alarm did not go off and I bolted awake at 3:30am. (wakeup time is about then).. Needless to say I was 'awake' the entire day! Amazing! What beautiful weather they had! 74 degrees! But came home to clouds and rain and cold.
  7. Spring is still shy... It rained last night! It's 46 right now. Which means no lawn mowing today. Uh oh. Grass is growing!
  8. Our first lambs were born last night - twins! Unfortunately, since it rained, I don't think they survived. We can see them via binocs from our 'great room' windows. No sign of movement. Jessie the guard dog is hanging out near them and the mama - to keep the darn puppies from pestering them (good guard dog) - and Jessie has been chasing the Llama Zoe (bad guard dog!)..
  9. The puppies have been harassing the sheep/lambs/lama/guard dog - which are all in the field south of our house. So early this am the puppies got moved to kennels and 'the chain'. Prison time.
My plan for today is to start on my Mothers' Day projects. I'm bummed out. The kids spring photos have not come back yet from the school. This always seems to happen when I have a project in mind! The proofs were so good and I wanted to make some super special projects! RATS! Need a plan B!

Now, upcoming this week (since you asked) we have a lot going on! May is our crazy month.. Here is a sneak peak:
  1. Monday: Cinco De Mayo - The Corona Sisters always celebrate across the miles! I have been spying some awesome recipes on Noble Pig's Blog. Margaritas and an awesome salad. I dare you to do the same! YUM! Our CASA is definitely celebrating Mexican style tomorrow night..
  2. Tuesday: 13th Year Wedding Anniversary.. Oh my!
  3. Saturday: Dos Bambinos Baby Shower. More margaritas! Remember the baby quilt squares? This is the partay....
  4. Saturday: MIGHT have to drive to Boise again! Meet the Sausage Man...
  5. Sunday: Mamacita Day! Our annual tradition... Go to the nurseries, buy plants that I get to water for a month in the garage until the frost season passes, and of course, Margaritas!
  6. Monday: My big 46th birthday on the 12th... Yep... Must mean.. more margaritas!
  7. OH! Then Jake's Birthday! May 17th (just margaritas for mommies)...
Oh my... Gonna need my fat pants for the next 2 weeks!
Ole!

2023 December Daily : Monday December 5th

  Monday's Morning Adventure This word keeps showing up for me! Again. Hope.  This is Dukey! This is Carly Sami and Lane's Dirt Road...