beans and corn and tomatoes and cucumbers and zucchini and lettuce and carrots and potatoes OH MY!!!

Holy crap, people we gots ourselves a huge garden! That doesn't include the watermelon, 2 different types of pumpkins, cantaloupe, and squash that aren't ready yet.

We've been picking cucumbers just about twice a week and I have almost 20 containers of refrigerator pickles to freeze and that doesn't count a bunch we ate ourselves and gave to family. Chad ate so many, he thinks he got gout. Super fun!

I've given up on the green beans. Only got 3 packs frozen, but managed to give a ton away so not a total loss.

We dig potatoes any time we need them. Our supper the other night was all straight off the farm...rump roast from the beef we raise, potatoes and carrots from our garden and pickles that I made. I thought that was pretty awesome.

We froze sweet corn yesterday, but only ended up with 3-4 dozen ears since the raccoons got 3/4 of our sweet corn patch :( Kinda pissed about that one, so we've got a live trap that we're going to set to see what we can catch. I use the term 'live trap' loosely because Chad isn't really a catch-and-release kinda guy, especially when it comes to coon.

I really enjoy the garden and will have one next year for sure. I'll probably make some adjustments, less beans, more potatoes...we'll see.

The boys are doing good. Alex has some kind of virus and is covered head-to-toe with red spots. Not chicken pox, but I guess it is contagious so we'll see how many of us succumb to the spots. Just another day on the farm!

before and after

He finally agreed to a hair cut the other night, probably mostly because his dad and brother were getting one. OMG! he looks like a little man now and also a lot like Jack. I know it's a little hard to see his after shot with the green jacket hanging in the background, but let me tell you he looks super cute!

There was quite the aftermath of the storm the other night. The 'wind' (I almost wonder if it wasn't something a little more powerful) took a huge limb out of our birch tree in the back yard an blew down/up-rooted 5 trees out in the pasture. Some cows got out into the corn field, but Chad got them all back in and we did a little cleaning up and fencing, but there is still a lot of trees to clean up. Know anyone that wants some really nice hickory? It seems like if you get one good, easy day on the farm, you're punished with 4 bad ones. No one was hurt and we didn't lose any animals, so I guess it wasn't all that bad.

hot and stormy

Holy heat wave, Batman! It was soooo hot here today. Like when you step outside and it feels like someone kicked you in the face and your glasses fog up when you step out of the air conditioning and you can literally drink the air around you. Yuck. Of course we had t-ball, weeding and beans to pick today. You can almost feel the skin cancer forming.

Shifting gears...

We had some major storms happening tonight. We lost a huge chunk of one of the birch trees in the back yard and the oats that the hubs wanted to cut tomorrow (if it didn't rain) are flat as a pancake. Crap. It's like the universe is out to sabotage his hay. Maybe next year!

Chad finally got a grain truck. He's been looking for something for a long time and pickings are pretty slim in our price range for something halfways decent, but he got a good deal on a quad-axle dump truck at an auction on Tues. Now all he has to do is learn how to drive it!

The boys are rambunctious as ever. Benny is walking now. He's been taking a few steps for a few weeks now but just lately has really taken off. He is growing so fast. I miss my itty bitty baby, but I am happy to be done with that stage now. I just sold $180 of baby stuff tonight and it feels good to be moving on to the next chapter.

Jack is doing great with t-ball and soccer. I LOVE watching him play soccer. He's pretty good! He runs the whole time and gets right in there to dig the ball out! He is so awesome. Tonight we were leaving Grama H's house and he told her to let him know if she needs any weeding done because "I'm kind of a good weeder." He loves to get right in there and help me weed the flowers and the garden. He's a good green bean picker, too.

Alex has the curliest hair on the planet right now. It's been over 5 months since his last hair cut and he refuses to let me touch his curls. He has to get that from his father. It is so cute and it's not a fight I want to pick, so curls it is. Love my boys. Love 'em, love 'em, love 'em!!!

this one's for all the mommies and daddies out there...

If you are feeling down, sad, and need a little laugh...

CHECK THIS OUT!!!

http://shitmykidsruined.com/

For the days when you think only this sh*t happens to you! Enjoy!

crunchy quiz

I stumbled across this quiz and took it. It tells how "crunchy" you are. Apparently I'm 'pretty crispy'! Who would have thunk it? I got no problems being a bit crispy if it means saving the planet and a little money. I DO however take showers daily (95% of the time), use real deodorant, and never wear patchouli. No one wins when you stink!

I cut my ring finger yesterday so typing is really difficult with the splint that I rigged up for it so it will close up and not keep opening. I thought I needed stitches, but we'll tough it out with butterflies and a band-aid.

Birthday post coming later. Happy 1st Birthday, Ben! Margaritas are on me!

may 3, 2010

My cousin, Lori follows a blog (Ali Edwards) that I have been following since seeing it on her blog. It's very cool and very Lori--all about scrapping and taking photos--documenting things in your life. She has done a week in the life that I didn't do but think it is an awesome idea. I might try it some time in my own low-budget way :)

Anyway, it reminds me to write down what's happening with us right now:

Me and Chad:
-busy time on the farm with planting and calves. He just came in and told me we have a set of twins.
-trying to get the house 'finished' from what we started this winter-paint, trim, finishing floor pieces...
-no more babies for us--Chad made it 'official'
-trying to balance keeping the house up while it's soooo nice outside.
-Chad working way, way too much as usual

Benny:
-is turing ONE in just a few days!! Can't believe it.
-cloth diapering still going strong. Battling the stinkies, but working on it
-still crawling and just starting cruising. No walking yet.
-cut another tooth. One on top and two on bottom
-still a super happy baby. Loves to laugh and play with his brothers.

Jack:
-finishing up his first year in school. He is doing so well there.
-still wants to be just like dad. Even down to wanting to chew the same gum every day.
-learning to ride his bike without training wheels.
-still takes naps and is a little (lot) trying at times
-is quite the little farm helper.

Alex:
-doesn't want his hair cut. It is a little white boy curly fro!
-beats up on Jack a lot. He's kind of a bruiser.
-loves to play video games. He's only THREE!!! I see many nights of him and me watching TV or a movie with a bucket of popcorn :)
-still my cuddler and tells me he loves me every day!

That's my family and I love everything about them (except for having to clean the bathrooms) :)

randomness

We saw a rainbow the other night. We could see both ends. For some reason I posted them backwards, but you get the picture.

Lots of random pictures today. The one with Jack in it he wanted me to take so Nana and Papa Dave could see his house that he built all by himself. He was very proud.

Alex got into the markers and apparently didn't think we'd notice.

I was weeding the rhubarb and broke my nail waaaay down past where a nail should never break so it hurts a little to type but I will press on since it's been almost a month with no update :)

Well, it's official. I am officially a farmer now! We had pull a calf the other night and she was really swollen inside and Chad was having a hard time trying to get her out. So me being the good wife I am, rolled up my sleeves and got elbow-deep up in that! I only gagged twice when the pre-born calf poop was coming out with all the other slime. I told Chad I didn't want to ruin my sweatshirt (I wasn't properly dressed-didn't think I'd be reaching into a cows uterus that evening) and he said he'd buy me a new one. After a half-hour struggle, a little (big, rather) heifer calf was born. Now we have to think of a name for her!

I also had my rummage sale this weekend. Made a little over $450. Not too bad, but I still have a TON of clothes left. Almost all of my 0-3 month and 3-6 month. One lady bought almost all of my 6-9 summer clothes but i still have waaaay to much left. I'm kinda bummed about that. Maybe I'll have to have another one or sell them by the box on-line. We'll see.

I think that's all for now. Not much happens around here. That's probably a good thing.

ETA: Ok, seriously--this is why I don't do this very often. I spaced this out and set up the post nice and it just blobs it all together even after I "fix it". AHAHHHHHH!!!