Happy Thanksgiving!

From start

To finish

We hope your day is well done. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Let's Talk Food

Food has a very short life in our house. 

Nothing compares though to the speed with which egg nog is consumed. Yet no one ever owns up to being the guilty party that drinks the stuff. It just disappears.  Or so it seems. 

David took matters into his own hands by  posting warnings on the carton. He even named names. 

And just in case the first message was missed, a second was placed here b

John's solution was terrific. Since his dad ordered him to not open the carton, john proceeded to insert a straw into the closed carton to enjoy his favorite holiday treat. I'll give him an A for creativity but it probably wasn't a very smart move. David wasn't amused. 

I don't see the egg nog wars ending any time soon. 

Catching Up

We've been busy. 

Cookies are baked. 

And decorated. 

We baked forty-eight loaves of friendship bread to share. 

Many hours were spent outside Monday enjoying a surprise snow day in November. The kids spent a lot of time playing in the snow. I found them trying to sled down the ramp on the bridge. 

John felt sorry for them and took them to sled on the big hill at the end of our road. They loved it. 

No television has meant lots of reading and playing games. I found some old puzzles the kids have enjoyed solving. 

Sorry and Don't Break The Ice have topped the favorites chart. 

Today has been spent at home enjoying a slower pace before the holiday season gets into full swing this week. 

The World's Shortest Blog Post

I hate snow days. 

The end

Farm Weekend

Grant caught some ducks.

We played with the goats that WILL NOT stay inside the fenced pasture. 

Barbie married Ken.

David hunted deer from the warmth of the kitchen.  See the gun propped in the corner ready to go?

David installed a new set of cabinets in the kitchen to store important things 

like dogs?

Remington was not pleased with his new doghouse. 

I think we will use it to store other things like beekeeping supplies and maple sugaring supplies. 

Rumor has it someone had a birthday. Don't be concerned. It was only a rumor. No birthdays happened this weekend. 

No cakes were consumed.  

No candles were lit. 

Nope.

Not here. 

Goodnight!

Keepin' It Real

Apparently it is trendy to "be real" right now.  I hear this a lot at bible study.  We are supposed to share our "real" struggles...as opposed to our pretend struggles I guess.

I'm kidding.  I get it.  We often hide behind a façade of perfection that isn't a true reflection of who we are.  Today my mission is to dispel any misconceptions about my amazing parenting skills.

PARENTING FAIL
TOP 10 LIST OF THE PAST WEEK

- In order to enjoy an extra twenty minutes of sleep, Grant was given the gift of watching television so I didn't have to play one more game of SORRY with him.  Yes.  I know it's NOvember. My house.  My rules.  Don't judge.

- I happily bought another roll of hem tape for John's ROTC pants since neither of us can get motivated to hem them the right way.  Yeah.  I know it's November and it should have been done two months ago.

- Cookies for breakfast.  Is it really any worse than donuts?  Enough said.

- My kid might be the only one in school still wearing shorts.  He says he runs faster when he wears shorts.  Isn't playing soccer more important than being warm?

- I probably ate the last crescent roll.  Then I let the kids think David ate it.

- Slamming on the brakes is an efficient way to remind passengers that they need to buckle.

- While driving across the Kennedy Bridge, I drove slower because the kids were seeing who could hold their breath the entire distance across the bridge.

- The cat spent most of the day shut in the dark bathroom.  I threw it in there as I was leaving the house. It was getting ready to puke and I didn't want to clean carpet when I got home.

- Laundry maid gets all cash found in the wash.  Did someone really just tip me a $20?  (I justify this one because they get all my money eventually anyway.)

- I paid the kids to rub my back.  (Had to do something with the $20 I found!)

Yes folks.  This is what a week in my life really looks like.  I'm sure you're happy I shared.  You're welcome!


One more happy note....
I made it through the first half of bible study without being kicked out...a feat I consider quite amazing.  I guess I'll have to ramp up my efforts when we start up again in January.

Have a great weekend!!

Ride 'em Cowboy!

The weather was beautiful Monday. David and I took advantage of the warmth and sunshine to sneak in a little playtime at the farm. 

Bella and Romeo were the lucky winners of the "Who's Gonna Get Ridden Today" contest. 

We had a great time. 

David struck a pose when he saw I had the camera pointed at him. Bella posed too. 

What a clown. 

We rode back to the pasture with the steers and had our own little rodeo. 

Sorry if your steaks are tough. We might have "exercised" the steers a bit much. Exercise is good, right?

After we finished pretending to be Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley, we headed back to the horse pasture to work with Snickers, the baby. 

We took turns ponying her alongside our horses in preparation to take her trail riding with us this winter. 

She did well at this for a first try. 

 We briefly saddled her and rode her too.  She's coming right along!  By this time next year, we should have another horse to ride.

 

 

 

 I love pretending to be the farmer's wife. Sometimes I would like to pretend indoors where it is warmer...like in a barn. Barn pad is leveled and waiting. Wood is ordered. Weather permitting, a barn raising of sorts should happen yet this month. Yeah! 

Catching Up

Halloween costumes on and ready to go.

Grace was an Indian girl. Grant was a Pokemon (of course). 

We didn't stay out long. It was so cold! One trip up and down our street was sufficient. 

Little Indian girl counting her treasured treats. 

NO-vember is off to a great start. The bunny has gotten a lot of extra love and attention from grace and grant. 

Is it weird that the kids love putting the rabbit on a leash?  Is it even weirder that you can buy a rabbit leash?

Everyone is doing well. The long silence is due to my neglect and no other reason. Once in a while a blogcation is sort of nice. I'm sure you all get tired of reading about our ups and downs and upside downs too. 

Before I stop I would like to say thank you to those who have served or are currently serving in the armed forces. Your sacrifice and dedication are appreciated.  One day a year does not do justice to the debt of gratitude you are owed, but it must suffice. I'm not sure how anyone could ever truly put a value on the sacrifices made by those who choose to serve. 

Thank you.

Bring On The Zombie Apocalypse!!!!

Does having two freezers full of beef qualify us for the title of preppers?

Butchered four cows. Sold most of it already. This portion guarantees that the carnivores at the zoo will not starve this winter. 

Halloween was very cold. We braved the weather long enough to collect large amounts of candy sufficient to cause significant dental issues for years to come. 

Yeah. 

Pictures later. I've got to go kiss some kids goodnight!

Don't forget to turn back your clocks tonight!!!!