Sunday, December 26, 2010

Aaah, Christmas

Merry Christmas!

We had a wonderful Christmas weekend.
I hope you all did as well.

Caden put out the cookies and milk for Santa this year and completely on his own added a note of Thanks. Pretty cute.

The kids waiting very patiently for Daddy'O to get the video camera set up.

Dad's favorite gift. I took the kids to the mall and got it done Friday.

I absolutely love it!

We had completely decided against getting a puppy for the kids -long story, but Colton's girlfriend ended up bringing this pup over on Christmas afternoon. She did say that she'd take her back home if we really didn't want her and of course all the kids wanted her, so she is here to stay. No name yet, but a few Cinderella - call her Cinder or Ella, Black Friday - Friday, Black Diamond - Di, Chewy, Nevada and Alabama are in the running.



Krissy came over and we put on the best feast! I tell ya we gals can really cook!

The table was so loaded with food we couldn't put it all on! Pass the dish and back to the kitchen counter it went. I love having Krissy for holidays! It's like having family here. We visit, bitch, complain, giggle, rag on the kids/each other and in general totally enjoy ourselves!


This afternoon I took the kids into town to do a little ice skating.



Our good friends joined us too.


Chyann and Caden skating together.



Then biting the ice!



Caden bounces right back up, but



Chyann has got to fix her hair and make sure her new phone wasn't damaged in the fall. Jeez.




Can you believe that she wants to cut all those lovely locks off again?
She is just beautiful.




Got to talk to all my family members on Christmas too.

I sure loved that.

My Daddy also said Happy Birthday - in six months.

Apparently he can only remember my Birthday is exactly six months from Christmas.

He even commented that he can't believe I'm gonna be sooo old (40, yikes). I told him I couldn't believe how old that will make him!

Back to the grind tomorrow, but at least it's another short week!

Thursday, December 23, 2010

My nephew , secret Santa and more

Wow!

I can't believe it's been so long since I've blogged!

Busy time of year for us, as I'm sure it is for everyone.

My nephew Cody, is going home to his family, my brothers, for Christmas tonight.
He has been in Afghanistan and is done with his tour now.
The kid is 19 and it's hard for me to fathom that he has been there, as a soldier, when I can only see him in my minds eye as this cute little curly haired blond baby with the blue eyes.
So, happy that he has made it home in one piece.

We have been Secret Santa'd.
Who, knew what an impression that would make on me.
I opened this very ordinary looking Christmas card last night and got a bit choked up.
Someone.
Someone I don't know who -- completely anonymously,
sent us a letter saying a couple in our town wanted to help make our holiday extra special by being a secret Santa. They gave us a gift card to our local market!
What a thoughtful, nice, gift.
And I have absolutely no idea who would do this.
So, Thank you, whoever you are.

The kids have been out of school for Christmas break since the 22nd.
So far no one has done much other than sleep in and play in the snow.
Which is fine, for now.. Next week they will get cracking on rooms/basement and those other projects I've got lined up for them.

Tomorrow I'm finishing the last of my shopping. Me and about half the state I'm sure.
I am hoping to get an early start and be home by noon for a nap.
That is probably wishful thinking, but right now it's sounds like a reasonable plan.

Toodles, for now.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

This years Christmas Card..

Due to increasing age, forgetfulness, people getting impatient when their picture is being taken, and my decreasing ability to send cards on time here is my card to cover every holiday.


Happy freaking Everything!


Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Horse play...

Love to watch the horses when they play.

Went to Chyann and Cadens' school Christmas programs yesterday afternoon and last night.

They were wonderful as usual :)

Sure was nice to work early and have the evening to be with the family.

Still cold here. I think it was only -15 this morning and the forecast is for more snow when it warms up today. Lovely.

Happy hump day!

Monday, December 13, 2010

Big Snow

Well, that was fun!

As you've probably heard, we had a big ol' storm here in the mid-west over the weekend.

Boy was it a whopper!

I heard we got about 18" of snow.
Kind of hard to tell with all the drifts in my opinion.

All the horses were in the barn for over 24 hrs.
They were all frisky when we let them out yesterday.

4' drift in front of the shed, at the bend in the driveway.

Buried hot tub.

4" snow drifts all the way around the pool.


The back porch, there is a table under all that snow. The Hubby used the snow blower to clear this off.




A friend of ours came by and did the driveway for us.


Sure enjoyed our Saturday though. Watching movies, napping and one aborted snow machine ride (snow was too fluffy, we kept getting stuck).

Sunday was all about moving that snow. With the wind blowing it was very cold.
Looks like the kids will have school today. They were sure hoping for a snow-day.
A lot of schools in the area are closed due to the wind chill factor.

Stay warm.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Sunsets, puppies, snow and more

Somehow it's Sunday again.

It's been another busy week.
Saw this sunset the other night and ran out to get some shots of it.

Absolutely lovely!

The Hubby's quest for a puppy for Chyann has more become a quest for a family puppy since Chyann has got it into her head that her Daddy wants this new puppy to be Casey's replacement.

So, Colton's girlfriend has a Chihuahua and mini-dachshund mix puppies
(same kind Casey is)
and we went over to look at them.

There are 3 black with a little brown and white females (that look just like Casey did when she was a pup).



A very sweet brown male that Caden wanted soo bad (that little guy was already spoken for though).

An adorable gray and white female that I thought was the cutest.



And this little guy, you can barely see the little freckles on his nose, but they are there.

And would you look at those fun spots. Colton was there when the pups were born and named this one Snoopy.



Pretty cute little buggers.

Anyhow.. they are only five weeks old and we shall see what happens.
I know we don't need anymore poopers and pee'ers in my house.

Winter has arrived here in the form of snow. Yesterday morning when I went out to start the van for work I ended up also sweeping off about 3 inches of freshly fallen snow. Just what I wanted to do - drive to work on a Saturday in the dark on unplowed country roads. I credit my Alaskan driving skills to getting me there in one piece as all the crazy WI drivers were out trying to run themselves and me into the ditch!

Chyann has recovered from her ear infections, thankfully and has declared that she WILL NOT miss anymore school because making up all that homework was a pain. I think that is wishful thinking as I know she will be missing at least three weeks in Feb when she has her operation.

Caden and his buddies at school have been banned from playing football on recess due to being excessively rough (tackeling) for two weeks. That is a huge thing for him and his buds as they LOVE to play football.

Colton and his band have been booked to play a big venue in Milwaukee in Feburary!

They are sooo EXCITED!!

For the longest time The Hubby and I didn't think the boys even had a name for the band, but they just didn't want to tell us what it was. When we finally found out the name we were appaled. No I wont even tell you the name.

So, now they have this big concert at a well known venue. I told Colton that they will NEVER go far with that kind of a band name and that I had actually told a few friends the name and they all agreed - bad name.

Colton passed this info onto the band members and it looks like they are all in agreement to change to name!! I can't tell you how happy I am to hear this!

Last I heard the new name was going to be Orchard Wardens, which I really like.
I have no idea what it means or even if it has any significance to anything.

I'm going to do some Christmas baking today and maybe help load wood into the basement.

Happy Sunday to you:)



Monday, November 29, 2010

A whole bunch of...


Random stuff...

Worked 6 hrs yesterday.
Came home and took a nap.

Went into work late today because Chyann has double ear infections.

It is raining like crazy outside.
Supposed to turn into snow sometime tonight.

I am missing my Mother like crazy.

I have no Christmas spirit, yet..

I watched the new Alice in wonderland this morning and enjoyed it.

Mandatory OT at work now, min 10hrs a week.

My cell phone really sucks the battery down when I use the mp3 function on it.

I've decided I like Reddog beer. Cheap, but tasty.

I died my hair and don't like it. Might do a post about that.

They are getting rid of Internet usage at work after Jan 1st.

The Hubby wants to get Chyann a new puppy.

The calves are now weaned.

Their mama's are looking good.

I want my eldest son to get motivated about college.

I want to win the lottery.

I am discouraged with blogging.

I need a new couch.

I want a windsurf board!

I am irritated that the corn next door hasn't been harvested yet.

and that is all, for now.
Good night.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

What?! It's Saturday!


Three days off in a row!
I'm loving it!!

Woke up this morning and for a brief moment thought I was late for work, but soon remembered that It was only Saturday and I was off.

Sure is a chilly one out there today.
Only about 7*, but oh soo sunny it hurts your eyes!

Didn't do much yesterday.
Watched a lot of the James Bond 48 hour movie marathon.
Was quite nice to camp on the couch and do nothing.
Oh, well I did do one load of clothes, but that probably doesn't count cuz they are still in the dryer needing to be folded.

Went to some of our friend's house last night for a few hours. Drank some beer and had a nice visit. The kids piled into the hot tub and came out shriveled up like raisins.

Speaking of raisins, I was complaining about how much my poor hands hurt from being on the computer all the time and was worrying that I was developing arthritis. My friend said her Grandmother used this old remedy of gin soaked raisins to help her arthritis and she had recently seen a Dr Oz program with him giving that remedy rave reviews. Guess I'm going to have to get me some gin and give this a try.

No big plans for today, or at least I don't think so and it's back to the grind for me tomorrow.

Friday, November 26, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I know we did!

Good food and Good friends!
What more could I ask for?

We played domino's, uno, pictionary and bop-it.
Lots of laughter!
Plenty of wine...

I am thankful for so many things this year!
Too much to list.

I hope you have been just as blessed.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Oh, Casey!

Could it be true?!
Could you really be "recovering"?!

(can you see the fine layer of ice on the porch?)

Chyann's beloved pup came outside with me this morning and I got the pleasure of seeing her get up and "walk" around some.

Her "walk" is an interesting shuffle/skip/pull, but she is upright and doing it all on her own. She does not do this all the time, but we are seeing it more and more. Very impressive!

Another busy week has gone by.
After being at work 10+ hrs a day I sure don't feel like sitting at the computer when I get home.

The gun deer season opened yesterday, lots of shots heard in our neck of the woods and anywhere you go, there are deer in the back of trucks.

We are missing our rooster and three hens. Don't know what happened to them, maybe whatever got the turkey came back for some chicken. Krissy has recently lost a rooster at her place too. Could be coyotes I guess or the neighbors dog.

This morning we have some freezing rain coating everything. Good day to say home. I'm going to watch football and do some baking. Recharge a bit for the coming week as we origionally were going to be off for Thanksgiving, Fri, Sat and Sun. Now all I'm sure of is Thanksgiving. I'm already scheduled to be there on Sunday. Hopefully no other days will be added.

The kids are already talking about putting the Christmas tree up and I'm like how can it already be that time of year?! A few gals at work are all bragging about how they are already done Christmas shopping and I've barely thought about what I need to get for the kids this year.
Damn, guess I'd better get on the stick!!

Also a VERY Happy Birthday to my sister-in-law up in AK!! AND congratulations to her on completing her BACHELORS degree this week!! I am so proud of you Ebeth!!

Saturday, November 13, 2010

First snow and other stuff

Woke up to some snow this morning.

It's a sloppy mess outside.
Can you see on the pool cover how much it is raining?
Well believe me it was definitely raining!

I was soaked to the bone by the time I was done feeding the animals.

All the horses were wet and dirty.


What a weather change from last weekend when we had temps in the mid 60's.
I suppose winter had to come at some point and at least we have pretty short winters here in WI.

Shoot, it's almost the winter solstice - December 21st! The days will start getting longer and so really spring is just around the corner!
(this is called positive thinking folks!)

Anyhow.. Here are some pictures of Chyann and I riding last weekend.

Chyann is such a natural. Me, not so much, but I do love it.


Doesn't even look like Chyann has a hold of the reins here, does it?

Special thanks to Caden for coming out to take some pictures.


As I sit here to type this post the weather has changed from rain to sleet and now it's snowing big fluffy flakes.

Maybe I wont be going to the grocery store today. I can't stand driving out during the first snow. Seems some folks forget how to drive and are an accident waiting to happen.

Lots of stuff to do here at home anyway. The regular house cleaning and everyone is getting a hair cut too.

Still putting in the OT for work and full nights here so it's been busy.

Happy Saturday!




Monday, November 8, 2010

No work and other such stuff...

Here I am at work and our main computer system has been down for over two hours and no one knows when we'll be back on line. So, for now I'm being paid to surf the net. Oh, and did I mention for one and a half of these hours we've not been working were OT for me? heheh..


Chyann and I had so much fun riding horses yesterday! We had competitions doing barrels, cones, jumps and even a short race or two. We laughed so much my cheeks hurt! Caden even came out with the camera to take some pictures of us. A few were decent, most were half a horse pic or half a head with lots of sky shots. I'll post a few of those soon.

Chyann was unsuccessful in talking her Daddy into riding with us. He was pooped from all the wood hauling and took the day off. Although he did play some video games with Caden, which thrilled Caden to no end.

Haven't seen much of Colton lately. He seems to think since he is 18 he should be able to do what he wants, when he wants. I'm thinking a come to Jesus meeting is around the corner for him. Because really, he may be 18, but if he's living under our roof there will be rules to follow! And I don't need "but I'm 18" thrown in my face every time I say something he doesn't like, because no shit I know you're 18! And that's another story completely..................
Where is the parenting manual when you really need it?

Toddles.. Back to surfing the web.. Currently looking for exercises to do at your desk that might help me stay bendy and not get so stiff..

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Nice day to be outside


Last week was long, 10hours of sitting on my arse everyday.

You wouldn't think that would be a hardship, but let me tell you it is.
Your back, neck, shoulders, arms, hands - ok, everything will eventually get sore and then I begin to squirm. Looking for that sweet spot that will relieve the ache and not make another area sore too.

The whole building got new chairs on Friday and hopefully that will help with my aches. The chair is made with all new space age technology to be ergonomically good for you.
All I know at this point is it cups the buns nicely!

Therefor I spent as little time as possible in the house yesterday.
Got the minimal of indoor chores done, talked to the phone while doing those chores to catch up with my Mother and Krissy, then it was outside till dark.


Casey came too. Chyann made her a coat to help keep her warm.

I tell ya she sure loves using her cart. She continues to show improved muscle strength and can a few times a day, get herself into a standing position for minutes at a time, but when she goes to take a step, down she comes.

Chyann gotta love on all the her babies. Scotch is her current favorite, as he is liking to jump as much as she.

I rode Jenny and had so much fun. She has progressed so much since last spring and I am loving that. Hopefully we can keep all the horses ridden throughout the winter. It'll be hard though as Chyann will be unable to ride for about 3-4 months come January due to an operation she is having. More on that later.

Caden had a buddy over and they wanted to take down the sunflower stocks and can we use a hatchet? Sure you can take them down, but not in this lifetime will I let you use a hatchet to do it. Not that I don't trust Caden with one, but the buddy -- I don't think so.
Here is what I'm left with now.




A look from the back pasture South.



Jeez, I sure with the neighbors would hurry up and get this corn harvested! Almost all the corn in our area has been done, but this field and the one across the street. What's up with that?




Caden and Chyann under the willow.




What a pretty boy.


Since we got the basement cleaned and organized last weekend we were able to play pool in the basement. That was a lot of fun!


The Hubby and Colton got a bunch of wood hauled yesterday.

Today I am making some sourdough bread, as that has been my thing here lately, cookies, maybe watch a little football and go riding again. Chyann is trying to talk her Daddy into coming with us - it's been so long since he's ridden she thinks it'll do him good.




Thursday, November 4, 2010

Horse fun

The boys out soaking up the sun.

Chyann riding Scotch.

I didn't get any good pictures of them jumping, but they sure had fun.


Notice the footwear Chyann has on.
A little adjustment there.



Slippers?!
Definitely not approved riding apparel!
And had better not be worn again!

I mean HELLO! you are wearing a hat, gloves and coat!
It's cold out! Not to mention it could be dangerous wearing slippers!








Hope the weather is nice for this weekend.

We've got wood to cut and haul.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Weekend update

It was a wonderfully busy weekend.

Saturday was spend doing all those menial chores that have to be done whether you want to do them or not.

Krissy came over for dinner that night and we sure had fun yakking.

Rode horses with Chyann on Sunday and she discovered that Scotch likes to jump!
She has a complete obstacle course set up to take him through now and he actually looks like he is enjoying himself. He is all prancy, they look great together.


Only saw my eldest son, the Birthday boy, for mere minutes. Just long enough for us to sing Happy Birthday, him to open a present or two and him to change clothes for a Halloween party.


Caden showing Colton how he found and fixed a DC6 model airplane that Colton originally built about seven years ago.




Took Chyann, who didn't dress up for Halloween at all and Caden, the Packer football kid, trick or treating in town for 2hours. The weather was pretty nice, very sunny then turning cold when the sun went down.

Caden got 3 pounds of candy!


Was a nice anniversary for the Hubby and I.



p.s. Colton just called me at work to let me know he voted today! Imagine that..