Kitchen curtains!

Dad finished up my rooster curtain rod brackets last night. They are awesome, aren't they? I'm so happy to finally have my kitchen curtains hung up!!

Being secretary...

I started working on it over the weekend, and the last 2 days have been consumed with finishing a big project for the team penning club. I can't imagine how the former secretary was able to do this job while holding down a full-time job! I certainly can see why she gave it up. I put together 2 double-sided pages of information to send to each of our members and sponsors - that's almost 200 envelopes to label, stamp & stuff. All that printing meant babysitting the printer for hours and hours and hours on end because Lord forbid it should mess up in the middle of a job, then the rest of them will be ruined! You don't want to know how many times that has happened in the past. The postmaster was surprised to see that some of the addresses were handwritten, and wanted to know if I had put them into a database for next time. I told him that they were already in the database, but the printer was sick of doing labels and when they still wouldn't print properly after the second run-through, I decided it would take less time to just write them myself! It was only a couple dozen, not a big deal. Oh well. At least I'm finished...thank goodness...now I can go back to the rest of my life!

Adventures in the big city...

Yesterday afternoon we headed into Auburn for the evening. We went to Lowe's for materials for the curtain rod brackets that Dad is making for me. Then, we ate supper at Pizza Hut, always a favorite with the boys. Our waitress was great and really had fun with them - she even gave them balloons! After supper Dad & the boys went to Game Stop, their FAVORITE store - and a favorite with lots of other kids and their fathers. I was the only mother there! Even the adults were having fun checking out all the cool video games and equipment. Meanwhile, I shopped at Fashion Bug and Pet Quarters. I got both doggies Santa hats. They don't like wearing them, but as long as they will wear them long enough for me to take their photos I'll be happy. They're wicked cute!!

I can't wait to hang my kitchen curtains from the brackets that Dad is making. He designed them himself and has spent hours making them perfect. They are shaped like roosters! That is certainly the theme in my kitchen, so they will fit right in....

Bringing in the tree....

I dug out the Santa hats this morning and we had some FUN!!

This morning we went down the hill and cut down our Christmas tree. We took Lily down so that she could pull it up for us. Our youngest lassoed the tree and I dallied the rope around the horn of her saddle, holding the end of the rope taught, but away from her so that if she freaked out I could drop the rope and it would come undone. She didn't freak though! She just dug in and pulled!! What a good girl! It was a pretty heavy tree - Dad can attest to that since he had to maneuver it a bit and he complained. ;-)

All duded up...

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

What a wonderful day. We started cooking at 6 this morning and the meal came together very well. Everything was YUMMY!! WAY more food than I had even anticipated. I still can't believe that we filled our table - that's over 10 feet of food! (That doesn't include snacks & desserts!) And that we all had at least a little bit of everything. The kiddos got to sit at their own table this year, and we sat 10 adults at the big table. My parents, my husband's parents, my brother, his wife & their 3 children & my sister-in-law's parents were all here. It was a great group and I think that everyone really enjoyed themselves. My youngest nephew said the Grace this year. We know that God doesn't need a translator but the rest of us could have used one! And his mother commented that you needed a baseball glove to 'catch' it as it flew by!! His grace defined "short & sweet", but he got the job done. WAY too CUTE!!

We had the turkey, of course, with Bell's Stuffing & gravy, Daisy's Rolls & Scalloped Potatoes; Mom helped with the boiled onions & Candied Sweet Potatoes; and my mother-in-law brought Broccoli Casserole, carrots, cranberry sauce, peas & squash. Dad brought his famous Clam Dip for chips and Monterrey Jack cheese with veggies in it & crackers to put it on. My sister-in-law & her mom brought bread to dip in dressing, a veggie tray and crackers with cream cheese & hot pepper jelly. We thoroughly enjoyed the boys' fudge & crunch bars that they made yesterday. Addictive! My mother outdid herself with pies! She made Apple, Blueberry, Cherry, Mincemeat & Rhubarb Cream, all served with vanilla ice cream!! WOW!!!! (Did I forget anything?)

We were concerned about getting all the baking done when the turkey would be monopolizing the oven all morning. So, yesterday afternoon my husband bought a roaster. It worked PERFECTLY! The turkey was out of the way, in the pantry cooking away, while I was making rolls, scalloped potatoes and candied sweet potatoes in the oven. We used Martha Stewart's Herb Rubbed Turkey with White Wine Gravy recipe. It was extremely tasty - she has yet to steer me wrong. (Yes, I know not all of you are fans, but I don't care!)

I do have a bone to pick with my family, however: Why didn't someone tell me to go change my shirt? I clash with the tablecloth!! (and I could have loaned my sister-in-law a different colored shirt too!) ;-) Pretty poor planning, now that I look at the photos....Although you did look very nice, J. I love those chocolate colored pants!

Somehow, the boys had room for supper tonight. For a special treat, we let them roast hotdogs & marshmallows in the fireplace. What fun! Of course, Daisy wanted to help...

Is it done yet?

Snow...

I don't care what the weatherman is predicting - a few scattered showers? - I'm seeing more snow!! Yesterday we got about an inch. I HAD to take pictures of Daisy - it was the first time she had seen that white stuff!! She thought it was pretty darn tasty! ;-) This morning it is gently falling again. So pretty....

We got our living room curtains!! They're AWESOME!! A bit more curtain than I had originally thought that I wanted, but I LOVE them. I hadn't intended on completely covering the window like this, but it looks great and makes the room feel finished. We bought them from Rod's Western Palace - my favorite Western shop.

The horses much prefer snow to rain. It blankets their backs and keeps them warm, whereas the rain just runs over them and chills, especially miserable if it's windy. After I took these pictures, they took off running and playing. This kind of snow (sorta sticky) actually improves the footing and they love it!

Last night our oldest son made supper ALL by himself!! He has been rereading his favorite books - the Nate the Great series. In each book, Nate eats pancakes by the plateful - they're his favorite food. Apparently, in "Nate the Great and the Case of the Fleeing Fang", the author finally provides the recipe. Very simple, from scratch, YUMMY pancakes! You should have seen the look on our son's face when he took his first bite and realized that HE had done it!! He couldn't have been prouder.

For months the boys have been talking about making their favorite treats for Thanksgiving. This afternoon they got home early from school, so they got to cooking! The youngest made Peanut Butter Crunch Bars & the oldest made Chocolate Never-Fail Fudge (from the Fluff container.). YUMMY!!!!

Look at our big girl....

Daisy is growing up so fast!! She weighs over 50 pounds already! We have started lighting a fire in the fireplace most evenings. She immediately staked her claim to the rug in front of it! That's where you can find her. When she's not on the furniture, that is. We're trying to break her of that habit 'cause it won't be long before she'll be too big, but once in a while when she thinks we're not paying attention she'll climb up on the couch. Or, one of the boys will sneak her up under a quilt - they spoil her tremendously. We've discovered that she's not really a dog though, because aren't dogs carnivores? Daisy is an omnivore! (Actually, I think all Labs are.) She'll eat ANYTHING - fruit, veggie, whatever. We have to really watch her because we're always so afraid that something will go down the hatch that shouldn't. She's so funny when she picks up something that's not her toy. She'll come up to you with a sheepish expression on her face and a little waggle of her tail. It's a compulsion with her to pick up any toy, sock or shoe that is left unattended. She just can't help herself!

One of our boys' best friends is heading to Florida with his family for 2 weeks. Last night they brought over their 2 guinea pigs, 3 noles (lizards), 1 tree frog & a cage full of crickets - to feed the amphibians. We're used to tending piggies, having 2 of our own, but the green things are weird. Cool, though!! To water them, you sprinkle the leaves in their cage and they will come out of hiding to drink. I still haven't seen the frog though. He's too good at hiding. Aly is certain that we brought in the cage full of crickets JUST for her. She spent all night watching them and occasionally batting at the side of the tank!! Dad loves listening to them - he says it makes him feel like it's summer. Maybe we've found the answer to his 'Winter Blues'!

Frustrating....

The plan for yesterday morning was to quickly finish editing the team penning newsletter, print it and pop it in the mail. Of course, nothing ever works out the way you plan! By lunchtime I was just finishing up. I had gotten it all done, the envelopes were addresses & sealed and we were going to head for the post office, when I received an e-mail that one of the items that I was announcing wasn't finalized yet!! Back to the drawing board....ARRRGGGHH!!!!

While I was redoing all my work, Dad was out working on the mares' fence line and we'll be able to finish it easily this morning. We are extending their pasture out behind the house, just for the winter, so that they can share a heated water tub with the geldings. This will also give them the opportunity to meet the boys and learn to get along with them on the other side of the fence, before we put them together. Hopefully it will prevent some of the fighting that will occur when they are pastured together in a month. We want to run only one heated water tub this winter - they cost a fortune in electricity!

After lunch we ran into town to get some groceries, visit the library, buy some grain & drop off a stool sample at the vet's office. They called us a short while later to let us know that Daisy is now worm free! Yeah!!

Our oldest is in cooking mode - every day he wants to make something new. Yesterday afternoon we baked Lemon Squares, and made a hot fudge sauce to put on today's dessert - Mud Pie. YUMMY!! While all that was cooking, I made Beef Stroganoff for supper. I haven't made that in eons....boy, was it good. Everyone pigged out!!

Veterans' Day

Yesterday Dad's parents came up for a visit. When they got here we were just finishing up our fencing project. We fenced the backside of the mares' pasture, took out the last of the metal panels that were there and put them up to extend the geldings' pasture out around their shelter. Then, we moved their temporary fence line to meet it. This greatly increased their area and they immediately started running and playing to show their appreciation. In another month, when Ace's hormones have completely cleared up, we'll put the mares in with them and as long as everyone gets along, they'll share a pasture from now on. We're looking forward to that since it will mean 1/2 the work hauling hay & water! It will also free up the extra pastures to grow grass and then we can rotate them between pastures, allowing the soil to rest periodically.

Sunday we started the day off early with sourdough pancakes. Then we masked off the front door, which opens into the living room and started to paint it. Dad made a trip to the dump. The boys got ready to go, grabbed the flags and headed to the Veterans' Day Parade in full Cub Scout uniforms.

It was nice and sunny with a cold northwest wind as we waited to start. The wind didn't stop the kids from taking off their jackets and gloves that Mom had made them wear. The cub scout pack marched from the school to the veteran's monument behind the general store. There were prayers, speeches, a dedication of new granite benches, and we sung God bless America. Then we said a prayer and headed to the fire department for the flag burning ceremony. The Boy Scouts and American Legion, along with a fireman, demonstrated the proper disposal procedure for a US Flag. They had accumulated 5 years of flags from Veterans' graves in the 7 cemeteries around town. With the crisp cold air and sunshine, you could really see the heat waves. It was impressive for the little scouts and they loved it when the grass caught on fire and the fireman hosed it off.


There was a flock of birds watching from a little fruit tree. The boys tried to sneak up on them to see what they were. The kids got really close. They were Pine Grosbeaks.

Painting the living room & exterior lamp, finally!

We finished painting the living room! Boy, we're getting so efficient! It looks sooooo much better! We love it!! We still need to get the chair rail up, and we're debating a wallpaper border, but even with just the new paint the room is ever so much warmer and cozier....

In the last picture you can see a bell that is suspended from a pink cord. Daisy rings it in order to tell us that she needs to go outside. It works great! Except she always seems to ring it as soon as I get sat down or immersed in a project....

Dad was really concerned that this paint was going to be too dark. It's the color we had to have because it was called 'Wild Horse'! I knew as soon as I poured it into the tray that it was perfect. It looks good enough to eat, like chocolate mousse!!

Dad finally figured out a way to put an exterior light over the front steps! When he removed the alarm box from beside the front door so that I could paint there, he saw that the wires which he needed for the lamp were right there and if he put a hole in the outside wall, he would be able to connect to them. It has been unbelievable to us that no one had ever put a light out there, for safety sake, but we didn't know how in the world to do it. So, last night we ran over to Wal-mart and bought a lamp, which we installed immediately, even though it was FREEZING and DARK out there. We're so excited to finally have light out there! On cloudy nights when there was no moonlight, it was treacherous trying to walk down those steps...

Scout popcorn

This morning Dad is picking up the Scout popcorn in Auburn and then meeting the other parents at school to distribute it to the Scouts that sold it. He'll hopefully be back in time for lunch. We are going to start painting the lower portion of the living room wall.

Here are some pictures of the living room painting in progress:

A few posts ago I mentioned the bookcases in our bedroom. I finally remembered to take a picture of them this morning. Now you can see what a project it was to empty and move them in order to paint behind them.

Remember I said that I needed to get the hibiscus plants back in front of the bedroom windows? On Wednesday I moved them back and one of them is already in blossom! So pretty!! I also started some new plants, washed & debugged others and did some transplanting. I'm sure glad that I took advantage of the mild weather that day and got that project done. Since then it has been bitterly cold every day! Some of those baby plants will be Christmas presents.

I started Clivias, as well as hibiscus. Clivia Miniata is a rare, beautiful and quite valuable plant. I was so fortunate to have received one as a gift many years ago. I purchased my second clivia at an auction. It wasn't in bloom, and noone else knew what it was, so I got it for $5! They only bloom once or twice a year, and not until after they are 3 years old. But, that was a fully mature plant, so I didn't even have to wait long for it to flower the first time. I've kept them happy and they have provided me with many babies to give away over the years. They are spectacular when they are in bloom!!