Our Photo Shoot

So all last week I planned to spend several hours taking photos of and with Tate. Thinking it would be tons of fun, we haven't really broken out the camera he got for Christmas. And the weather was awful, it was cold, dreary, cloudy, misty, etc.. But here are a few great shots out of the 150 I took. And at some point I'll remember to bring Tate's camera so that you can see what photos he took!

Standing in the ditch in front of the neighbors wheat field!!! On a nice pretty day I thought it would be beautiful...instead you the fog in the background!

Just as handsome as his daddy.

Taking picture of the cows.

Happy with what he got!

And shutting the gate, as he does so well...because we were tired of the awful weather. We then retreated to the barn to see what would stand still.

Check out the critters, as we found many in our short time taking pictures.

Down the Drain

Tana and I take a shower together… a lot. We’re talking each and every morning. And it truly is great bonding time together. But she has this odd little habit that really bothers me. I shed and just assume that my hair will safely travel down the drain. There would be nothing more disgusting than making a pile of hair to throw away later. Well, while Tana quietly plays in the floor of the shower, she catches the wad of hair and saves it…telling me that it cannot go down the drain. It’s a mess!!!! So after she hands this wad back to me, I wait until she is occupied with something else…and let it wash down the drain after all.


PS..check out food, we made soup last night and we ate it together!! Very tasty!!!

Mommas and Babies

Over the next several weeks our lives will be devoted to mommas and babies..the four legged kind. While I know every cows name, their dam and sire and just what they looked like as a calf...Ryan knows ear tags. And even though I love them, talk to them and feed them extra...they are his pets...herd too. Cows that have given birth for years on their own in the woods behind my grandparents house..are not required to spend the night in a pen and have a good look over before being turned out. What can I say, we value each animal and it's not that we love, cherish and are proud of them...but they are dollar signs and every calf they have are as well!!!

Look under the food page, I've been doing menu planning again for weeks at a time (although I was caught in the grocery store the other day and the unnamed person could not believe I took enough time to write it all out). What can I say, you save time and money by planning ahead. And I'm all about rinsing and re-rinsing out soap bottles the get the last goodie out of them!!!!

The Wind

The other day Ryan and I were talking about how thankful we were to live in the Texas Panhandle and that besides tornado's there were very few other natural/weather disasters in our area. But I stand corrected because we often have hurricanes force winds with or without rain, sleet, snow, hail, and today would be dirt! The one day I actually fix my hair (or attempted too and now you'd never know that I only half way did it!).

We have a new calf...Bubba's first of this year. Last year about the time I started this blog I wrote about him being five for five on heifer calves and so far this year he is one for .... I'd have to count, there are many more calves out of him yet to come! And we have lots of heifers calving this year and pray for ease. As Ryan's story of the calf he had to pull two Fridays ago, was the he worked much harder than that heifer did!!! You gotta love it. But every year we look forward to the babies, they run and jump and play, and most importantly often have little white wet noses from their momma's milk!

Leftovers For Lunch

Today I cooked three pieces of bacon and piled that on top of the last bowl of beer soup. Oh so delicious!!!!! New recipes for the weekend and I'm very excited. Great steaks thawing now, will marinate tonight and grill tomorrow...or that's my plan at least!

She Eats Cake

but not chocolate or vanilla...cattle CAKE!!!! Tana has acquired a taste for the stuff. Must have something to do with how much time we spend feeding, or gently placing a cube of cake in a mouth. Tana must take a bite of every piece in her bucket before giving them to a patiently waiting cow. Now I'm sure this is not the best habit to allow and she's good at hiding it well, and most certainly when I see her doing it she must remove it from her mouth and give it to a cow. Also knowing that this routine has grown, she is now limited on the amount of cake she gets in HER bucket!! Too funny.

We've been having some moments and will work to improve our morning habits. Tana is going to become more patient...I'm going to spend more time with her, and play with her more in the evenings!!! And we'll see where that goes!

Oh and check out the food page...I make Beer Soup last night in honor of St. Patrick's Day, and it's great!

Look Who's Driving

Tana got to help her daddy feed last night!!! And she loved every minute. She loves to feed the animals...only problem is before she feeds the cows cake...she takes a bite of every piece. Hum, doesn't seem to be having an effect on her!

Much more on the blog and new pictures too!!!!

Difference in Taste Buds

I do not consider myself a picky eater, neither is Ryan...our children yes, my cousin Andy, yes. But there are some days I read featured recipes and think who would want to eat that. And yes, I know even my own family does that with me. So today I find it interesting to see the difference in taste buds among people. And where do our taste buds develop from anyway. It can't be a regional thing, because my cousin Andy was supposed to eat the same thing I grew up eating...he just had a drawer on his side of the table. Just kidding, I'm not certain he ever hid anything, but it sure sounded good!

I like deep dry red wine, strong cheese, anything spicy (I'm talking the hotter the better), dark chocolate. I don't like anything on my plate to touch and really don't care for many of the chocolates you find in a box. I'd rather cut them in half, see what's inside and decide on eating it or not!!!! Ryan and I eat a lot of the same things, but on the red wine, he says it tastes like dirt. Now I'm curious to know just what he means when he says it tastes like dirt. And now, at almost 27 years old, I will finally pour gravy over my biscuits. I inherited a great trait of dipping my biscuit in gravy, but I think I might be over it. But yes, even when there's not gravy I still cut my biscuit up with a fork. I really don't like eating food with my hands.. And it's not a crazy thing, I just know where my hands have been and the greasyness of foods really grosses me out....ps...I don't like lotion much either!

Anyway, just a thought for today!!!

Spring Cleaning

I think both my house and my body are ready for spring and spring cleaning. I'm ready to be active...well sort of, not on cleaning my house, but working outside. Maybe I can find someone to help me clean the inside!! Closets need to be organized and yes so does my pantry. As we get older we acquire more things, children's clothes get bigger, shoes get larger too, we have more variety of things...and our 925 square foot space is shrinking. We also believe that our dryer is shrinking clothes all of a sudden too!!! As for my body...I desperately need an early spring pedicure and can't wait for flip flops!!! Those people are going to be aphauled at my feet, they are rougher than any sand paper I've ever seen. That might have been too much information! But I love to go barefoot all year long. Last nigth we fed Hamburger and I wore pajama pants, flip flops and t-shirt (of course with a coat, the weather can't make it's mind up yet!).

Tana 3-8-11

She let me blow dry her hair before this pictures, so it's nice and fluffy...and most certainly not brown!!

A Big One

Today is a big one, I've had pictures to post and things to write with so little time to sit down!!!

First, this morning did not start off so well, maybe just a little frustrating...then I sent myself a fax. Who does that? I was testing the new machine and thought how better to see if it goes through, well duh...it was busy, because it was the same line trying to dial and receive. Okay, moving on now.

This was the drawing on the chalkboard a few days ago. Tana wants me to sit and draw for her and I'm often in a hurry or we go from animal to animal, but this one stayed up for a while. Or maybe should couldn't erase it without her stool. Anyway, I originally had the brand on the shoulder, and Ryan erased it and put a big one on the hip. Too funny. It looks like a cow/anteater breed!!!

There are lots of new pictures under family and the ranch that I've been needing to upload, even a new one under food too!!!

This is the nightly scene in the living room. A fire in the wood burning stove with this awesome fan on top that runs off of heat. We do have a small heater that is sometimes turned on in the kids' bedroom, but this is our main source of heat!!!

Hope all is well with everyone else, I have pictures that I want to take and share with you...including Hamburger's extremely long whiskers and chin hair. I noticed them last night while he was sucking down three bottles!!!

You can Relate

Or at least anyone who has a two year old, keeps a two year old or once had one too. There are just some times that are not fun and not every weekend is peaceful or enjoyable. But finally Tana and I had a great weekend with no fits, yelling or anything else. We had fun! That would include brushing Hamburger (Tate wants to know if we can build a small halter so that Tana can lead him around...Hamburger, not Tate!!), we also had to feed him twice a day and she's loving that. She also loves feeding the horses anything she can get her hands on.

We were very productive this weekend and I'll clarify the we part in a minute. Ryan started a project Friday evening and was completely finished on Saturday, even painted. All the tools and the trailers were put back like they belong yesterday. I'm so proud of him and he felt so productive. My part...keeping Tana out of wet paint, away from Ryan while he was welding and off the stairs to the storage area. So what did we do!!! We pulled up all of last year's dead veggies in the garden, mixed the dirt/soil/manure, rearranged pots, added tubs and pet any four legged critter that stood by the fence.

I will be taking an early after picture of the garden. It's after the cleaning, but there's so much left to do and I will be so proud of showing you the final product. I want to track exactly what I plant and what they produce!!!

And...speaking of before and after. My kitchen is a disaster. I have a tiny cabinet for all the pots/pans/casseroles/etc and can't keep it organized, but even worse is the pantry/spice cabinet/mixers/anything else that fits. I'm pretty sure there's a roll of tape and some chalk up there too. I've found containers that will all fit nicely and after labeled turn into a very organized cabinet. So as embarrassing as it is...I will photo the cabinets for all of you to see. While I love to organize and keep things sort of tidy (I have a very small space to work with as well truly live in 960 square feet), and I would rather come to your house and organize than do my own!!!!

Wrinkles Forming

Yesterday I called my mom and told her I could feel wrinkles forming. We all have those kinds of days and yesterday was no exception. So after good lecture from her, I wore my glasses most of today. WOW, how I can see. It’s amazing that we drove over those boogers three years ago.

Ryan and I are into this whole made in America thing. So this probably goes above and beyond the whole idea of just stopping in towns and visiting good restaurants or places that make food products, but also finding homemade items, furniture, etc., Some day, when my dream comes true I will stock a home with as many things as made in the USA!!! Wouldn’t that somehow be considered supporting your neighbors!!!

Soap Box

I try hard most of the time not to get on my soap box, but I have something that is really bothering me. Yes, all sorts of groups must fundraise, otherwise activities/projects or events just wouldn't happen. And recently we had a take home fundraiser (yes, everyone here locally will know what I'm talking about) but who cares at this point. This organization is awarding prizes for the top three sellers in each grade and a pizza party to the top selling class in each grade. I know that we have to often times provide an incentive for youth to get involved. And hey, if you sell the most here's what you win. But the prizes have nothing to do with education and I seriously doubt that an ipod shuffle can be used during class time. Okay, I'll calm down now.


I have surrounded myself...all my life...with very strong women, and I was raised in a very traditional home. As the years have gone by I've learned a ton about homeschooling and the thinking behind it. And even though Tana is not old enough to go to school yet, we are always working on something, last night I wrote out the abc's while Tate was writing his spelling words. Every part of life is a lesson, especially when you live like we do and have lots of responsibilities, and cattle outside every window. Life is school. Yes, Tate has a Leapster2 at our house that he can play in his spare time, which is not very often. And those "games" are educational and deal with puzzles, math, and spelling. I don't feel guilty for this. I do think there are a lot of other modern toys/electronic things that are a waste of time. Tana plays the piano for heaven’s sake and sings along.

We only get 4/5 tv stations on a good day and the antenna has been losing pieces one at a time in the high winds. Will we be sad when it finally crashes, maybe? Maybe not though, because we went without TV for almost a year. It isn't a priority for us. Putting dinner on the table and making sure all the animals are cared for is a priority. We spend little time inside when the weather is nice.

Anyway, I thought the prizes were awful and have nothing to do with education...why not a gift certificate to the next book fair or school supplies for next year. I know these aren't exciting, but I'm not a fan of having to entice kids to do anything, they should do it because it's their responsibility, job, or just the right thing to do.

Okay, we will be back to regular programming later today with details about last night's dinner!!!

Milk Mustache...well sort of

This morning was beautiful!!!! And I promise, I have not done a thing to this picture, it was that pretty this morning on my way to the barn.

And meet 'Hamburger'. He's a sweet little thing. And loves his warm milk that his mother produces twice a day!! (Me being his mother and milk being warm water mixed with powdered milk)

There's just something about the foaming drool that slides down a calf's mouth. And Hamburger can suck on a bottle until it collapses on it itself. Amazing.

Other things in the barn this early: Little Man, wondering why that calf gets fed all the time.

And a crazy eyed barn cat.

Hamburger

Will take pictures tonight or early in the morning of 'Hamburger' our newest critter!! He's a cute one, four legs, big dark eyes, a few white spots on his head, a tail that wags...can you guess? He's our new bottle calf. His mother didn't make it so we are raising him. I think he's already associated me as his mother, which is fine, I'll have a halter on him before long and let Tana drag him around. And his name is very fitting, if you are at all like us...you know where beef comes from and it doesn't grow on plants. We produce beef, we eat beef and we are not attached to our animals, they all have a purpose in life. (Sorry I'll get off my soap box!)

This morning I had to wake Hamburger up. Literally, he was sleeping so hard he never heard me coming. I laid my hand on his back and he jumped up, looked around and then realized I was there with milk. Tana likes him, except when he balls at the cows. They are right next door and some are getting ready to calve themselves, so he thinks one of them is his mother I'm sure!

Funny story: the calf born on New Years day has figured out the other cows are producing milk. She stood a few feet away from Sadie, who is very gentle and the boss of the herd. Anyway, this little heifer got close enough to barely put Sadie's teat in her mouth and flick it around a few times. She wasn't ready to latch on yet, not knowing if Sadie would stand still, so she just played. With a quick turn of her head, Sadie looked at the heifer and she ran off. But I'm sure she'll try to sneak a drink from the other cows too...we have a few community milkers.