I Have No Idea What To Title This Post...

I'm tired.
I'm incredibly tired. (Could be the contraband wine I'm drinking. Tim doesn't drink alcohol anymore so I hide a bottle in the back of the fridge, and when he is at a meeting, I have a glass. Only one ~ ok, only a half. I'm a lightweight.)

Tim is at yet ~ another ~ school board meeting. (Monday night was the Crawdad Festival Meeting. Yep, he's the chairmen of that. Nope, he's not busy.)
The boys are sleeping.
Ashley is camping. With boys. (And chaperones.) In the White Mountains. We've had rain the last 3 days ~ I bet she has had snow. Silly girl didn't pack her heavy jacket. Oh the lessons we learn as teenagers...
The house is blissfully quiet.

Why am I so enjoying this peace? Because:
a. I have three boys. (Did I mention that they are all three and under?)
b. My three boys have loud voices. (OK - only 2 of them are loud, but the 3rd just screams.)
c. Construction has started!

So, the footings have been dug, the stem walls poured, the wall chiseled out. Tim says by August we will be moving furniture and kids around. Does anyone want to start a betting pool on when the addition will actually be finished? I want in!

The addition will add three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a new and improved laundry room, and a family room. Before you get all excited ~ yes, it is cool that we are doing this, but it isn't HUGE! The bedrooms are average sized, and the family room is slightly smaller than my master bedroom. (Although, my master bedroom is pretty big.) I'm mostly excited because by adding a laundry room to the back of the house, I can enlarge my kitchen by knocking down two walls. Yippee! The kitchen phase isn't scheduled for another year or so though. OK - and the state of the economy will play a role in that phase as well. Tim works construction. Off time is good ~ in short spurts. It means he can work on the house, but with all good things there comes a bad. No construction jobs means limited income. You do the math.

I do have construction photos. I'll try to get them posted.
Later though.
I'm going to enjoy this blissfully sinful glass (1/2 glass) of red wine. I know I have a few pieces of dark chocolate around here somewhere...

I Have 2251 New Email Messages

Did you send me an email during the last few weeks?
Did you want a response back?
Hmmm....
I'll see what I can do about that.
Was the message you sent urgent?
Call my cell phone.

Is my blog current?
Why should my emails be current?

Be patient.
I don't have any real legitimate reason.

Spring Fever. That's it.

Fair Week ~ Thursday

Gramps with the Littles. I think we must have been in between shows.

Thursday was the Heifer Show.

This is T. entering the show ring with his heifer. (I don't think he names his cows.) He and Ashley have been competing against each other for a long time. He is the one who gave her the nickname, Little Roth. She still goes by that... They get a little competitive with each other. It is all in good competition though ~ they respect each other's animals.

Coral usually likes to make an entrance. Could be because she spent the last three days in a pen with little kids looking at her. Nice shirt Ashley. Guess we need to buy you a longer one that will stay tucked in.

"Judge, This is your class."

Ashley took Coral, her big, fat cow. She doesn't have her own baby, but she loves her nephew, Whisper. Coral HATES children ~ especially small children in strollers. Coral bent panels last year attempting to attack a child. Why do we still haul this "Big Mama" to the fair? Well, honestly, Ashley LOVES her, and she loves Ashley. Coral does AWESOME in the show ring. Secretly, I think she is too fat, but she is definitely a beauty of a cow.

Can you read her mind?

"When will this be over? I'm hot and tired."

Setting up the cow...

Talking to the judge...

The judge will ask a series of questions to determine the knowledge that the showman has. Ashley has a lot of knowledge about cows.

"Ideally, how old should a heifer be when she delivers her first calf?"

"Why is this heifer so fat, and without a calf at her side?"

Only one of these questions was a legitimate question...the other was rhetorical.

"Come on judge. Is that all you have?"

We also hauled Breezy (Sister) and her bull calf, Whisper, to the fair. Judges love to see that your breeding projects are actually breeding and producing. Breezy and Whisper did so well. Whisper was a little freaked out by the show ring, but seemed to like the people. Breezy, who has done well in previous years in the ring, was a little nervous this year.

Chey brought in Whisper for Ashley.

Ashley took first place for Breeding Showmanship.

Congrats, Ashley!

Fair Week ~ Wednesday

Here is our lovely, Ashley, sitting in the bleachers talking with friends and fellow showmen. I always take pictures of her wearing her show number. I don't know why. I love the look on her face here. She is happy. She also looks a little mischievous.

"I hate being couped up! Let me out!"

This is Henrietta. Isn't she so glossy looking? She is really soft.

The fair was a happenin' place last week ~ week before ~ whenever. Yippee...

Wednesday was kicked off with the poultry show! If you are a "city slicker", that translates into..."carry a chicken/rooster/hen into a show ring and pretend you know what you are doing." OK - that was lame...

Ashley showed one of her hens at the fair this year. She has never, in her nine years of showing, showed a hen. (Actually, this is the first year she has even owned a hen.) When she told me she paid her entry fee for this species my first question was, "How do you show a hen?"
Her reply: "I don't know, but I figure I should do something with them."

Translated Meaning: They should earn their keep. For everything there is a reason...

Hmmm...

I'll let the photos speak for themselves. I don't honestly know what she is doing...

She has a number for each species that she shows. Here she is in the Small Stock Barn getting ready to go show. That is her hen, Matilda, in the cage to her left.

There is just something about watching the kids from behind while they contain (attempt to contain) their animals. The kids have to carry their animals to the bleachers to sit and wait until it is their turn to show. This lovely lady, Clementine, escaped a minimum of three times while we were waiting to get started. The kids quietly joke with each other ~ they are suppose to be watching the other classes, but...when you are a senior and you've shown animals...you tend to lose focus. Since Ashley was showing her hen, Clarice, for the first time, she showed as a novice, therefore she showed last.

Good thing Gramps was around. He had a bottle of water and happily shared his drink with Henrietta. She was a thirsty little hen. She drank four capfuls before she was satisfied.

OK - the truth.

1. Ashley hasn't named ANY of her hens.

2. I name her hens to irritate her. It's a "Mom Thing."

3. She would never name her hens any of the names that I randomly selected here. (Did any of you catch on to the fact that this chicken/hen has multiple names?)

I wonder how long it will take before she reads this post and figures out what I have done. Shhhh....no one tell her.

Thursday Night... Migraine and All

Thursday nights are usually my night off. No cooking, no kid responsibilities, and I can go do whatever. My goal for last night was to go to a sewing class.

I recently found out about a group of ladies who gather on Thursday nights at a local church in town, and I thought I would join them.

Sadly/tragically/unfortunately, I had a killer migraine, and after taking four Advil plus my prescription migraine meds ~ I was wiped out. I went straight to bed.

When I went to check my camera this morning, (meeting a friend for lunch with the kiddos ~ want to be sure camera has an empty card) I found the following images on the card. Ashley must have been busy helping dad. Check out her fun evening. These images are Straight Out Of the Camera...

She also helped cook dinner. I think they had chicken and rice. They did good!

I love my family!

They totally ROCK!

Bad Mom Alert!

This... is what I served for breakfast today.

Super healthy, huh?

I also gave them (my kids...well, the boys. Ashley is already at school.) a handful of cereal while I was baking, and they each had yogurt, and milk to drink. Does that counter balance the effects of simple carbs and simple sugars?

Bad, bad, mom...

PS - Verde Valley Fair pictures coming soon... I know, it was two weeks ago... what? Do you seriously think I sit around eating bonbons and watching Gilmore Girls all day? I have three kids aged 3 and under, and a TEENAGER! Enough already... I'll get them...

Wordless Wednesday

Tyler, demonstrating a "front flip." (Yes, we know it is really a summersault ~ but he thinks he is pretty cool...)

Ashley Turned 15 Today!!!

She is so not going to like this photo...

Yikes! She even knows how many more days until she gets her permit.

So, the party preparations weren't quite what I had in mind, but it isn't my birthday,...yet...

Ashley simply wanted me to bake/make her a Reese's Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake, (No biggie. I like baking/making ice cream cakes. They are fun.) but for dinner she didn't want to go out ~ she wanted hamburgers and tater tots. SO ~ we had hamburgers, tater tots, and ice cream cake! Grammy and Gramps came over to sing and eat cake. We even let Tyler have a small piece. None for the littles though...peanut butter is not in their diet yet.

She started the morning out with a nice nutritionally sound breakfast baked by Entemenn's. They make the healthiest cheese danish around. (not for the faint of heart or those on a diet!) OK - now before some of you start bashing me about serving hydrogenated crud to my daughter on her birthday and not eggs/sausage/pancakes/bacon/french toast... SHE LIKES ENTEMENN'S! IT IS HER FAVORITE! I even put a candle in it for her to blow out!

Here is our birthday girl!



Oh - The hens must realize that this is her birthday...every single hen layed an egg today! This is the first time that all hens have layed eggs. Guess they are big girls too!

Praise Report!

Baby Sedona is on her way home!

She was released from the hospital this morning, and will be traveling with mommy and daddy back home. Thank you Lord for your hand in all of this.

Thanks to all of my amazing friends who prayed for Sedona both with me and at your homes. You guys are awesome!

Please continue to pray for her to have healing, and for her parents to have energy and restful sleep (when they can manage the sleeping part!).

Where Did I Go Wrong?

Oh... on so many levels too!

• Was it when I decided to stop at our local grocery store to pick up jalapenos and peppers to spice up the tomato salsa I made last week? (and ended up buying my second Starbucks coffee for this week?)
  




• Was it this morning, when I decided to empty my refrigerator to check for ripe veggies? (and figure they need to be eaten today or canned? oh great, like I have time for that!)
  




• Was it when I sent my 3 YO out to the chicken coup to dump the rotten veggies? (he wouldn't go in the pen so he dumped the veggies on the ground outside the chicken fence because he was too short to reach over the fence...nice mess to clean up.)
  




• Was it when I looked at my chore chart and realized I needed to change sheets today? (I HATE changing crib sheets! It is a pain!)




• Was it when I decided to use up the last of the oatmeal cookie dough I had saved in the fridge and forgot to set the timer so they burned! (my step dad will love them - gross)

Nope, folks... I want to know where I went wrong with my blackberry preserves/jam/jelly whatever. It hasn't "set" yet. The book/Internet site says I can redo it after a week if it hasn't set. Does it normally take this long? Chime in ladies...I need a little advice.

Staci...about that jar I promised you...

Blackberry Jam!

This is the start of "Hell Week" for us. (aka: Fair Week)

Just to start off the week with craziness, I thought I would make some blackberry preserves with the blackberries I bought at our co-op last weekend. It was fun. It was easy. I hope it all turns out good! I can't wait to try it.

Off to finish loading, cooking, cleaning, preparing to leave for the week. We will be living out of our horse trailing, and doing a little commuting... I love this week....NOT!

I'll post picts of the craziness tonight ~ if I'm awake...

Lots of soccer action this past weekend...Ashley's team took first place at the soccer tournament. Saturday's games were fairly easy ~ 2 wins, 0 losses. Sunday was a little more aggressive on the field. They lost the first game, but came back to win that same team in the championship game in the afternoon. Ashley struggled with shin splints. She had a track meet on Friday evening, and with all of the running from Friday, and the games on Saturday, her body was trying to recover. For Friday's track events, she ran the 300m hurdles, the 800m race, high jump, and...hmmm...can't remember the 4th event. I think she was suppose to run the 800m relay, but I don't remember watching that race. (ooppss...)

More later!

Happy Birthday, Tyler!

Our Little ~ Big boy is growing up! Tyler turned 3 today!

First, we celebrated by going out to breakfast! Yummm! Tyler had macaroni and cheese with galaxy grapes. (The dude in the background is one of Tim's employees. He was with Tim when we called and said, "Breakfast Time!")

Then, we gave Tyler his birthday present from us. Does he look surprised?

He has been asking for a bike for 2 months!

After that, I had some errands to run, and Tyler got to pick up his glasses. Doesn't he look so handsome?

He had his friend birthday party at school. (Mom's, let me tell you ~ it was the easiest, cheapest birthday party ever! I bought ice cream sandwiches and party hats. All of his friends were there to sing to him and give him a special day. I didn't have to clean my house twice ~ once before the party and once after, I didn't have to wonder where I was going to put all of the toys ~ he doesn't need any, and I didn't advertise that it was his birthday for that reason, and I didn't spend a fortune on goody bags, food, planning activities for adults and kids, etc... Think about it ... Just kids ~ just fun ~ no mess at my house. Priceless...)

Tomorrow (Saturday), we will have his family birthday party at a pizza place in a neighboring town. Ashley is playing in a soccer tournament so we will have lunch or dinner at a local pizza joint and celebrate with grandparents and cousins. Fun, Fun, Fun... (My rant: She (Ashley) plays at 9:45 am and then not until 8:15pm. What the heck? We live too far away to just drive home! OK - enough whining.)