Note the switch in pj's? He got some awesome new tractor pj's that he had to wear "NOW!"
And the highlight of the day...
Slime egg from the dollar store. The Prairie Kid is easy to please. : )
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Present Fun
We had a great Christmas. Here are some pictures of our little family's morning at home...
Note the switch in pj's? He got some awesome new tractor pj's that he had to wear "NOW!"
And the highlight of the day...
Slime egg from the dollar store. The Prairie Kid is easy to please. : )
Note the switch in pj's? He got some awesome new tractor pj's that he had to wear "NOW!"And the highlight of the day...Slime egg from the dollar store. The Prairie Kid is easy to please. : )
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Is It Spring?
You might think so after the cleaning that went on this past week. Since there will be remodeling starting in our bathroom this week, the storage room next to our bathroom had to be emptied. The wall that the bathroom and storage room share is going to be knocked out and moved into the storage room a little ways to make room for a new shower.
Last Thursday I came home from Moms Together just exhausted. When I got home, all I wanted to do was lay around and watch movies. The Prairie Daddy was upstairs bang-clanging away in the bathroom removing tile from the walls. We thought we'd save the tile but after he pulled that tub surround out that I showed you in the demolition post he thought it would be best to pull more of the bathroom out to make sure we weren't missing any more damaged wall. He also decided to check the plumbing; good thing, the pipes were rusted out and ready to break!
Given that The Prairie Daddy was upstairs working hard, and the fact that watching movies with the bang-clanging and drilling going on would not work, I decided to begin working on the storage room.
And the next thing I knew...I was working on the upstairs bookshelf, and then the guest room closest, and then the guest room dressers, and then the laundry room storage...
Six and a half hours later I had cleaned out, re-organized and sorted all of these spaces. The kitchen was COVERED in giveaways and the trash to be hauled out was appalling. It was so cleansing though...although I don't want a project like that again for another, well, never.
I couldn't hardly believe how MUCH stuff we had that we will never miss. How MUCH junk we had sitting in boxes. Wow.
So, when Spring rolls around and it is time to think cleaning, I will get to sit back and watch a movie. : )
Last Thursday I came home from Moms Together just exhausted. When I got home, all I wanted to do was lay around and watch movies. The Prairie Daddy was upstairs bang-clanging away in the bathroom removing tile from the walls. We thought we'd save the tile but after he pulled that tub surround out that I showed you in the demolition post he thought it would be best to pull more of the bathroom out to make sure we weren't missing any more damaged wall. He also decided to check the plumbing; good thing, the pipes were rusted out and ready to break!
Given that The Prairie Daddy was upstairs working hard, and the fact that watching movies with the bang-clanging and drilling going on would not work, I decided to begin working on the storage room.
And the next thing I knew...I was working on the upstairs bookshelf, and then the guest room closest, and then the guest room dressers, and then the laundry room storage...
Six and a half hours later I had cleaned out, re-organized and sorted all of these spaces. The kitchen was COVERED in giveaways and the trash to be hauled out was appalling. It was so cleansing though...although I don't want a project like that again for another, well, never.
I couldn't hardly believe how MUCH stuff we had that we will never miss. How MUCH junk we had sitting in boxes. Wow.
So, when Spring rolls around and it is time to think cleaning, I will get to sit back and watch a movie. : )
Monday, November 29, 2010
Christmas Is Coming
I may not enjoy pulling out the boxes of decorations until a couple of weeks after Thanksgiving but I sure do enjoy CHRISTMAS BAKING!!! This week at Moms Together we'll have our annual Christmas Cookie Exchange. Each mom who wants to participate will bring 4 dozen of Christmas cookies. We'll set them all out on a table and with empty containers in hand we'll circle the table grabbing equal amounts of Christmas cookie goodness until everything is divvied out.
I got to spend some good time in the kitchen today and got a double batch of ginger cookies with icing and embellishments and a double batch of chocolate dipped crunchy peanut butter balls finished.
The Prairie Daddy is hosting his men's Bible study at our house tonight so we kept some of the goodies out of the freezer for their treats.
We just booked a trip to Hawaii for January. This time of year isn't going to be easy on swimsuit prep. Good thing my tankinis are loose around the waist! ; )
I got to spend some good time in the kitchen today and got a double batch of ginger cookies with icing and embellishments and a double batch of chocolate dipped crunchy peanut butter balls finished.
The Prairie Daddy is hosting his men's Bible study at our house tonight so we kept some of the goodies out of the freezer for their treats.
We just booked a trip to Hawaii for January. This time of year isn't going to be easy on swimsuit prep. Good thing my tankinis are loose around the waist! ; )
Demolition Central
At the beginning of the month The Prairie Daddy went on a "thinking spree" of what things could be done on the house. We have two bathrooms that were not installed well by whomever installed them long before we bought the ranch. Also, there are some windows that could use some replacing. We've been talking about this and that, picking out shower surrounds, figuring out how to save here and there, ordering items, and working with our builder friend who will do the work.
The Prairie Daddy decided today was the day to begin demolition...I'm not sure I am really all that ready for pieces of the house to be torn up but it's too late now! At least he was in the upstairs bathroom that we don't use. Hopefully by the time we have guests again it will be all spruced up!
It was a good thing that he decided to do this however, because as you can see the wall behind the surround was missing tiles and in pretty bad shape. Now we can prepare for the full extent of what needs to be done.
The Prairie Daddy decided today was the day to begin demolition...I'm not sure I am really all that ready for pieces of the house to be torn up but it's too late now! At least he was in the upstairs bathroom that we don't use. Hopefully by the time we have guests again it will be all spruced up!
It was a good thing that he decided to do this however, because as you can see the wall behind the surround was missing tiles and in pretty bad shape. Now we can prepare for the full extent of what needs to be done.
Thankful For Thanksgiving
The Thanksgiving break was oh so good for our family. We had been so busy beforehand that we noticed The Prairie Kid having some separation anxiety that we thought might be a by-product. I thought that a quiet weekend together would be just the right medicine. I think it was. Although, we might have had a little TOO much down time...we were a little on the silly side. We played games, watched movies, played toys, tickled, told stories, watching The Prairie Kid's baby video, read, took a drive, cuddled, and tried each others' clothes on...
It was a great five days together. I do think it was time to get The Prairie Kid back to school. He has a new excess of energy and volume now that he is a Kindergartner. I think the structure of his school day does him wonders. I also needed to get back to some form of responsibility and routine. Too much laying around is not a good thing. : ) And, I think I'll keep my pajamas for myself.
It was a great five days together. I do think it was time to get The Prairie Kid back to school. He has a new excess of energy and volume now that he is a Kindergartner. I think the structure of his school day does him wonders. I also needed to get back to some form of responsibility and routine. Too much laying around is not a good thing. : ) And, I think I'll keep my pajamas for myself.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Carrying On Tradition
When I was growing up my parent's had a special tradition for good report cards. Instead of money or toys we would get dressed up and go to a fancy restaurant to celebrate. I have fond memories of creme brulee and multiple pieces of flatware.
The Prairie Kid got his first report card. I shared our family tradition with The Prairie Daddy and we decided to give it a try. So today we sat The Prairie Kid down at the kitchen table with his report card. We explained to him that he did a great job and we wanted to honor his hard work and celebrate. We told him there was a special restaurant he hadn't been to and we could get dressed up and go tonight.
I wasn't sure if this would be something he would get excited about but was pleased to find out that he was. He joyfully got dressed up, as did The Prairie Daddy and myself. We ventured to town and had a lovely dinner at one of the nicer restaurants.
We started out with a Shirley Temple. He thought that was pretty special. We had a fish taco appetizer and split a Caesar salad and some French onion soup. For our entrees we shared a buffalo meatloaf with goat cheese mashed potatoes and a mixed veggie side (this was The Prairie Kid's choice) and a seafood bouillabaisse. And at the end, we topped it all off with a flourless chocolate torte with raspberry sauce and...creme brulee.
Way to go Prairie Kid, keep up the good work!
The Prairie Kid got his first report card. I shared our family tradition with The Prairie Daddy and we decided to give it a try. So today we sat The Prairie Kid down at the kitchen table with his report card. We explained to him that he did a great job and we wanted to honor his hard work and celebrate. We told him there was a special restaurant he hadn't been to and we could get dressed up and go tonight.
I wasn't sure if this would be something he would get excited about but was pleased to find out that he was. He joyfully got dressed up, as did The Prairie Daddy and myself. We ventured to town and had a lovely dinner at one of the nicer restaurants.
We started out with a Shirley Temple. He thought that was pretty special. We had a fish taco appetizer and split a Caesar salad and some French onion soup. For our entrees we shared a buffalo meatloaf with goat cheese mashed potatoes and a mixed veggie side (this was The Prairie Kid's choice) and a seafood bouillabaisse. And at the end, we topped it all off with a flourless chocolate torte with raspberry sauce and...creme brulee.
Way to go Prairie Kid, keep up the good work! Fat Chance
There is a massive surge of testosterone and aggression that is automatically released in my child's body every time he sees his older cousins. He goes full force ahead with fists and wrestles, grunts and growls. For some reason this not-quite-four-feet, 45 pounder thinks he can take a college football player and a 2nd degree black belt Tae Kwon Do champion. Seriously?
Here he is attempting to overtake the Tae Kwon Do champion on Thanksgiving...
No amount of turkey or pumpkin pie was going to help that little squirt have a chance.
Here he is attempting to overtake the Tae Kwon Do champion on Thanksgiving...
No amount of turkey or pumpkin pie was going to help that little squirt have a chance.
Sayonara
The Hero Cousin thought it was fun to win this GIANORMOUS monkey at the fair for The Prairie Kid last summer. What he didn't realize is the space Gianormo took up and the little awful styrofoam-ish beads that would come pouring out of his poorly sewn neck seam.
We managed to tape the seam shut and get away with telling The Prairie Kid that the monkey was hurt and unusable. He sat in the corner of The Prairie Kid's room until...the sweet day before Thanksgiving when he was found a new home (along with a whole bag of other toys that we picked out to give away). Hallelujah!
I did get one picture for The Prairie Kid with "leaky neck Gianormo."
So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu. I'd say we'll miss you but that wouldn't be the truth. Adios.
We managed to tape the seam shut and get away with telling The Prairie Kid that the monkey was hurt and unusable. He sat in the corner of The Prairie Kid's room until...the sweet day before Thanksgiving when he was found a new home (along with a whole bag of other toys that we picked out to give away). Hallelujah!
I did get one picture for The Prairie Kid with "leaky neck Gianormo."
So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu. I'd say we'll miss you but that wouldn't be the truth. Adios.
First Real Sleepover
Just Not Quite Sure
I am unloading pics from the camera tonight and just can't quite figure out what to think...
For sure we have constant, built-in entertainment. There's no doubt about that.
For sure we have constant, built-in entertainment. There's no doubt about that.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Half My Life
Sixteen years ago tonight it was my turn to sleep next to the hospital bed that my dying father lay in the middle of our family room. I remember that night vividly. In the wee hours of the morning my mom woke me and told me to finish sleeping before school in my own room. She was awake and could take watch.
Little did I know that just a couple short hours later she would be waking me to tell me that my dad was gone.
It is hard for me to believe that it has been sixteen years. I was just a vulnerable sixteen years old at the time. What a brutal thing for a sixteen year old girl to have to go through.
I miss my dad. I am thankful for the time I had with him.
Little did I know that just a couple short hours later she would be waking me to tell me that my dad was gone.
It is hard for me to believe that it has been sixteen years. I was just a vulnerable sixteen years old at the time. What a brutal thing for a sixteen year old girl to have to go through.
I miss my dad. I am thankful for the time I had with him.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Tricky Treat
The Pirate Kid got to go trick-or-treating at his auntie's houses yesterday before our Harvest Party at church. We had 2 auntie's houses and an "adopted" auntie's house to go to. Here he is at the first auntie's house.
He thinks he's so clever... : )
But she didn't answer the door...she hollered for us to just come in.
He got a whole bag of treats from her. Gotta love aunties!
He thinks he's so clever... : )
But she didn't answer the door...she hollered for us to just come in.He got a whole bag of treats from her. Gotta love aunties!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Filling A Tag
The Prairie Daddy was hoping to have time before the deer season was up to fill his mule deer tag. Tomorrow is the last day. We were able to go out late this afternoon and he shot a doe. The Prairie Kid thought it was all great. I enjoy us getting to go out hunting as a family.
Checking out the doe
Two proud hunters
Getting ready to gut
Watching The Prairie Daddy gut the doe
Holding The Prairie Daddy's yucky gloves!
About That Virus
I called our Internet support tech at the trusty local phone company. When I told him what my computer was saying he told me that it was a virus. I knew that I had gotten it when I clicked the darn pumpkin carving picture.
I don't think I've ever had a virus on a computer before. This one snuck past our Norton Antivirus and actually shut it down. I cannot even open it up, nor get online. (Thankfully, the laptop is still up and running).
The tech had me download a malware software to a flash drive on the laptop and we're hoping it removes the virus. Unfortunately, the first attempt failed. : ( I am trying again and then if that doesn't work I'll have to give the ol' tech another phone call.
Meanwhile, we're filling the house with the smell of savory roasted pumpkin seeds. I love the Internet; I would have never known to put butter, garlic, Worcestershire and salt on the seeds. Yum!
I don't think I've ever had a virus on a computer before. This one snuck past our Norton Antivirus and actually shut it down. I cannot even open it up, nor get online. (Thankfully, the laptop is still up and running).
The tech had me download a malware software to a flash drive on the laptop and we're hoping it removes the virus. Unfortunately, the first attempt failed. : ( I am trying again and then if that doesn't work I'll have to give the ol' tech another phone call.
Meanwhile, we're filling the house with the smell of savory roasted pumpkin seeds. I love the Internet; I would have never known to put butter, garlic, Worcestershire and salt on the seeds. Yum!
Cucurbita pepo
Aka "Pumpkin." It was the focus of the morning.
We started out getting the dining room table ready.
Then, we talked about what we wanted to carve on the pumpkin (when I say "we," I mean The Prairie Kid dictates what I will carve on his pumpkin.)
He started out wanting a wolf. I Googled "Wolf Pumpkin Carving" and hit Images. We found some very complicated pictures, so I added the word "simple." All of the sudden, The Prairie Kid changed his mind to kitten. So we Googled "Simple Cat Pumpkin Carving" and he picked the picture he liked and I was willing to attempt.
And when I clicked the photo, something strange happened to my computer.
I had to reboot and then the Internet no longer worked. So, we got out the laptop and tried from there. It worked fine.
Here it is all finished...I was too busy working to take pics of the process
And here it is in the dark...
We started out getting the dining room table ready.
Then, we talked about what we wanted to carve on the pumpkin (when I say "we," I mean The Prairie Kid dictates what I will carve on his pumpkin.)
He started out wanting a wolf. I Googled "Wolf Pumpkin Carving" and hit Images. We found some very complicated pictures, so I added the word "simple." All of the sudden, The Prairie Kid changed his mind to kitten. So we Googled "Simple Cat Pumpkin Carving" and he picked the picture he liked and I was willing to attempt.
And when I clicked the photo, something strange happened to my computer.
I had to reboot and then the Internet no longer worked. So, we got out the laptop and tried from there. It worked fine.
The laptop has the picture of the cat in this photo behind The Prairie Kid with his pumpkin
Here it is all finished...I was too busy working to take pics of the process
And here it is in the dark...
Friday, October 29, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
One And Only
Today was the Kindergarten Halloween party at The Prairie Kid's school. I found out that this school only has Halloween parties for Kindergartners. I am so thankful that I was able to go in this afternoon for his party. I was sad to think this was it for elementary Halloween fun. I have such fond memories of dressing up at school every year.
It was so much fun to see him in his costume. We didn't do the full-blown costume yet...that will be tomorrow and Sunday.
The Kindergarten classes got to parade their costumes through the entire school. It was fun. They were so cute!
It was so much fun to see him in his costume. We didn't do the full-blown costume yet...that will be tomorrow and Sunday.
The Kindergarten classes got to parade their costumes through the entire school. It was fun. They were so cute!
Oh Yeah, Now I Remember
So I was downloading pictures from my cell phone today and realized there were more fun adventures this October then I mentioned in the previous post. This fall has been the most beautiful fall I can ever remember. Who thought that we would be fishing in 75 degree weather at 5pm in October?
The Prairie Kid and I had a great time one day after school walking (he was actually riding his bike) up to our reservoir and fishing and throwing rocks.
We also had fun entertaining ourselves at home on some occasions.
The Prairie Kid works on drawing and writing sometimes when we're driving. We drive A LOT! His school and my work are 35 miles from the ranch so we spend our fair share of time in the car.
And one day we got to serve at the Fall Festival in the Albertson's parking lot. The Prairie Kid was a trooper while I ran some carnival booths for our church's community serve day.
And after I run him through my crazy schedule he is often pooped out. I love this...my five year old conked out with my iPod!
The Prairie Kid and I had a great time one day after school walking (he was actually riding his bike) up to our reservoir and fishing and throwing rocks.
We also had fun entertaining ourselves at home on some occasions. The Prairie Kid works on drawing and writing sometimes when we're driving. We drive A LOT! His school and my work are 35 miles from the ranch so we spend our fair share of time in the car.
And one day we got to serve at the Fall Festival in the Albertson's parking lot. The Prairie Kid was a trooper while I ran some carnival booths for our church's community serve day.
And after I run him through my crazy schedule he is often pooped out. I love this...my five year old conked out with my iPod!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
What blog?
There went another several weeks of not having much time to blog. Whew! My life is so "seasonal" with stretches of so much to do that I don't know what my name is some of the time. : ) Actually, it isn't THAT bad. I haven't really forgotten my name...which is...um, well, let me see here...
I don't know how I can catch you up on October but I can tell you this...something must have happened this month. Hmmm, what did I do this month? After the fun Homecoming festivities we had a lull in excitement. We did brand but I didn't take any pictures this time. And I did get a stomach virus for a weekend. That was exciting.
Oh! We got to celebrate my wonderful friend Molly's birthday. We surprised her and it was a blast. I don't have any pictures though because we used their camera.
We did have a girl's night last week. That was fun. We had appetizers and dessert and virgin margaritas. I love girl's nights. Here is a picture of our "spread."
Now I'm hungry!
And I took this picture of the sunrise as I was leaving for work one day. I do love the sunrise but I don't like getting up early. I am looking forward to changing our clocks in a week and a half. Sorry, sunrise, you're beautiful but not as beautiful as the back of my eyelids. : )
And this past weekend we had a fun Family Day at the pumpkin patch our youth has at our church. It was a great day. The Prairie Kid and I got to have our photo taken. : )
I don't know how I can catch you up on October but I can tell you this...something must have happened this month. Hmmm, what did I do this month? After the fun Homecoming festivities we had a lull in excitement. We did brand but I didn't take any pictures this time. And I did get a stomach virus for a weekend. That was exciting.
Oh! We got to celebrate my wonderful friend Molly's birthday. We surprised her and it was a blast. I don't have any pictures though because we used their camera.
We did have a girl's night last week. That was fun. We had appetizers and dessert and virgin margaritas. I love girl's nights. Here is a picture of our "spread."
Now I'm hungry!And I took this picture of the sunrise as I was leaving for work one day. I do love the sunrise but I don't like getting up early. I am looking forward to changing our clocks in a week and a half. Sorry, sunrise, you're beautiful but not as beautiful as the back of my eyelids. : )
And this past weekend we had a fun Family Day at the pumpkin patch our youth has at our church. It was a great day. The Prairie Kid and I got to have our photo taken. : )This next few days will be full of fun Halloween activities. I will look forward to hopefully posting those pics before Christmas!
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