5 for Friday

This week .....
#1
G and his Boy Scout troop went on a 10 miles bike ride. G was a bit nervous about this since the older Boy Scouts were invited but as it turned out he had a BLAST. Half of the group stopped on the first 5 mile loop but G was all in for another loop!
#2
As you know my Air Conditioner was out all week, which was really fine UNTIL I needed to look good when I was going somewhere. I had a PEO meeting on Tuesday, not only a meeting but a luncheon before! The meal was wonderful and atmosphere was great, but getting ready was a HOT MESS. You know the kind of mess where you're trying to get your hair dry, and the humidity won't let you and then you're sweating because your HOT curling your hair. I finally just had to give up and let it be.
#3
Farmer Bob cut, raked, and baled the hay this week much to G's delight!
#4
The day after the hay was baled G came in yelling that he found a rattle Snake. I stopped him asked where?
G ~ "at the edge of the field, right by the yard"
Me ~ "I don't think we have rattle Snakes around here. Why would you think it was a rattle snake?"
G ~ "cuz it had it's tail up shaking"
Me ~ "was it making a rattle sound."
G ~ "no, but when they're small they don't make noise."
Me ~ "was it small"
G ~ "well, no but it's a rattle snake! Where's dad?"
I guess the conversation wasn't going the way he wanted with me.
After a few minutes outside he came running back in and said, "well, it's dead now"
Me ~ "how did you do that?"
G ~ "I hacked it's head off!"
Me ~ " With what? You're grandma would be proud of you"
G ~ " The shovel. Now I'm going to show it to dad (who was in the basement)!"
Me ~"WAIT, you're not bring THAT thing in the house!"
G paused to think...... "ah, I wasn't"
After putting on the basement concrete, and having hubby look at it, it was a Bull Snake. We have alot of those! Well, not alot (not like the snake house that was on the news this week) but we do have Bull Snakes around.
When I asked G how he got the snake to the concrete, he replied ... I carried it! but of course he had gloves on ....My good winter gloves were found by the basement door!?!?
#5
This evening Hubby called when he was almost home to say this was just up the road!

G and I jumped in the car driving to meet one of

G's idols!

G in Heaven, chatting with Reed Timmer

of DiscoveryChannel's Storm Chaser

Reed told him that he was scared of storms

when he was his age too! Then he started

studying the storms.

G checking out the Denominator!

These were the clouds they were watching,

but Reed told me that they were weakening,

but more would pop up over night, being just

strong thunder storms. BUT this area needs

to watchful on Monday. Things could be active

on Monday. This little tidbit we're not sharing

with G!

Lfie on Thursday

**up at 6:15am
**out the door by 6:50
I don't know what happened there, but I'm sure I can blame it on a very sleepy G!
G has been enjoying some late nights this week!
**working out with lead legs by 7:20am
man these legs didn't want to move this morning.
I blame it on the fact that I've always taken Thursdays off, but the swim coach didn't want to take Thursday off this year!
**Noon ~it's sprinkling while I'm sitting in the chair at the beauty shop (does anyone call it that anymore?) telling Mandy to just shave my head! For some reason this year this super fine hair of which I have tons of is a mess! I tell her what and where the problems are and she works her magic. I love her!

12:40 ~ G and I head to Applebees for lunch. I have the ever yummy Oriental grilled Chicken salad while he chooses Mac and Cheese, which I reject and tell him to try again! He then orders a steak!

1:30 ~ we head to the 'farm store' to look for some work/hiking boots for G. No luck!

We head back home to chill! and yes it's chilly, raining and cloudy. G actually opts for a blanket while we read scriptures.

THEN the phone call that I'd been waiting for! The AC repair man! Our AC has been out for the past week! After several visits (some late at night) they finally figured out the problem and then had to order the part! Yeah, there have been some sultry nights around here! along with some dang HOT days (hence some of the frustration with my wild hair). There were also some great and beautiful days (high in the 70's). BUT really if I can't sleep well, it's not good!

We had grilled chicken thighs, with roasted Asparagus and corn on the cob for supper!

OH and I ordered G some work/hiking boots from Kohl's for $20 that a double good thing!

Half Wall and Two and a Half Men

I have this odd wall. Well it's odd to decorate. It's a fairly large span of wall but it's in two rooms, my dining room and my living room! The two rooms are split by a half wall on that wall. It's just odd either way.

I've wanted for years to put things on that wall and have tried to do a few things but it just never looked right. I might also add that I have really high ceilings so that just makes the wall look bigger and more empty!

After pondering this wall for a few days, I was sitting in my favorite chair watching Two and a Half Men (late one night) and I noticed (once again) their Art work on the range hood. I knew instantly that I could do the same thing on THAT wall!


I set out to find the right piece of metal work ... found it in no time (one trip to Hobby Lobby) and it was half off! Loved that Part!

It took a couple of weeks for Hubby and I to get it hung. OK I just have to say that man is a geniuses when it comes to hanging things! He measured, measured again, maybe even a 3rd time and them had me measure down and over, hammer in 2 nails, I hit the studs (amazing) and the piece was hung! I love that Man!

I do have to say that he was concerned that it wasn't in the middle of the wall, but if you notice it's centered with the half wall!

Hopefully this is the end of this problem!

A couple of years ago our front door's glass shattered!

the heat between the 2 doors is amazing and we're guessing that the full pain of glass burst!

I was shocked at what to do, I had a gazillion pieces of glass between my front big door and the 'screen' door.

We cleaned up the mess, which took forever. To be honest everytime the wind blew new pieces of tiny glass would appear from no where! I put the full screen in the door and left it. It was freezing in the winter, so I'd put the ever lovely plastic up to keep the wind out. Last Thanksgiving I said this is enough and sent hubby to Home Depot to get a screen door.

I loved it, they put it in over Thanksgiving break.

Only for this to happen during a beautiful spring storm last month.

(This storm was the only one I've ever been in that I heard a "roar" and wondered if I'd better head for the basement. It seems that the front line wind was powerful at 60mph)

Well, I ordered the new glass and closer

($90 because you know wind isn't covered by the warranty)

it came in today

hubby installed it tonight before supper!

Hopefully

THE END!

side note ~ The cat is sitting outside of the window wondering what happened to her hole into the house AND G just bumped (crashed) into the lower window. Seems he's been just bending over and going in/out the hole also!

should have just stuck to my one thing!

I went to the city today to run errands, plain and simple.

My friend called me to ask if she could tag along, she a had couple of errands and then we'd have lunch. Sounded perfect to me!

One of her errands was to Hobby Lobby. There was one thing I'd been wanting to get there, no big deal I'd just run get my thing then I'd tag along with her.

She stuck to her one thing .... I didn't!

I got my one small craft item and then I saw it ......I'd been wanting a black mirror to replace my wood mirror ...they didn't have a black one but a very dark one ...AND at 50% off.... in the cart it went.

I got home worked at getting it up before hubby got home. I worked and worked, stupid screws won't hit the right spots! Ahhh, there it was hung perfectly .... I step back to marvel that the beauty I'd just hung and things went blurry!?!
JUST HOW CAN THIS BE?

The mirror was terrible. As long as I was close up it was fine, but when I stepped back a few steps it was horrible. I left the room, refusing to look at it, but when I did ~ carnival style mirror re-appeared.

I took it down and put the old brown one back up. I'll return it tomorrow.
Should have just stuck to my one item!

November Blessing #13

I am so blessed to live in the country!

I have rarely (maybe can count them on one hand)

complain about living 10 minutes from 'town'.

I love the quiet,

the solitude,

 the beauty,

 the lessons it teaches us

and the wildlife.

G has been watching the corn fields being picked and loved predicting which field would be next, then predicting if they'd stop because of the rain, would they work until dark or turn the combine's lights on so they could continue working. He wanted to know where the corn went, was it still on the cobs or off and what was going to eat such hard corn.

Last night on our (G and I) way home we saw an 8 point buck munching his way through a freshly picked corn field. He was only slightly bothered with us, just enough to walk a bit furthers from the road.

A few weeks ago we saw the most hughest owl I'd ever seen!

It was quite a sight!

Hideous I tell you!

I was awaken at 6:30am by G telling me that the electric tape (the 2000's electric wire) from next door had blown all over our tree. Much to his amazement I didn't care at this early hour. About 15 minutes later he comes in and claims that he's going outside to check it out, that I did care about. I told him that he couldn't go outside and mess with the electrical tape. By this time I'm awake enough to know that the wind hadn't blown in the night, so exactly how could the electric tape be in our tree?!?!

When I finally did rise and shine......I saw it.....We'd been massively TPed. Our home had made it 4 years of High school and not been tped. This time every tree, every bush, even the driveway had been covered.

I suppose G never even thought of toilet paper.

As I pulled out of the drive way (for swim practice) I saw the empty package. These were not armatures these were Professionals. They'd used the good stuff and a big family size!

G was quite upset ... "Mom, I can't believe someone would do this to us, it just makes our house look 'hideous'". Yes that were his exact words .... Hideous. I believe he is seeking revenge more than W.

I'd have pictures but by the time I got home W had taken most of it down.

I seems that we weren't the only house (there were 3 others), but ours was certainly the furthest out!

oh and hubby's only response ... "where was the dog?"

it's finally DONE!

Well I felt like this mess and this smell was never going to get done.

Finally last Saturday late afternoon, the sink was pulled out. They chipped it a couple of times, but not in really obvious places. When we took the old faucet off (it had been one that was all one piece and we were replacing it with one that 4 separate pieces) the scrapping to get the puddy and glue off marked it..... so hubby says, "why don't you just run and get a new sink?" Don't have to tell me twice... .I was gone. As I was running out the door..... "and you might was well just get a new garbage disposal also." Music to my ears .... why couldn't he follow all this up with "and pick out new counter tops, and just throw in a new frig while your there" Ok, that would be extreme and hubby isn't really an extremist!

I rushed since it was Saturday night and I knew my hired help (W) probably had plans. I only went to one place (the closest) and had only one to choose from! Trust me boy did I second guess my choice all the next day. One is not a choice, it's a get the one they have! I don't like Home Depot, it a guy's store, "walk in get want you need and leave" not a woman's store, "pick out what you like best" store.

As I pulled in back home... My hired help was pulling out! I was sinkless for the night! and all the next day.....it was ridiculous and almost pioneerish ... we had to walk all the way to the bathroom to wash our hands or fill a pot! barbaric, I tell you

It's done now, it's beautiful, and wonderful! I love it! I've even caught W just in there running the water ....enjoying his work.

I'd post a picture if the sink wasn't filled with dirty dishes! it's working well!

confession time ~

In this post, I lied! Well, I only lied on the last line.

It seems that the leak wasn't found and it's not cleaned up.

It is organized (and not since there isn't anything under there)

but sitting by the front door!

I have capable men (but I must admit my faith is fading) on the job!

DUST!

This pile of dust (aka pulverized rock)

That's purpose is for leveling out the ground!

but it has found so many other ways to "bless our lives"

Helps us be "King of the Mountain"Helped keep the army's in place!
Helped open a door!

It's EVERYWHERE thanks to all of us

but mainly due to the "king of the Mountain" running in and out.

I saw him undress on the back deck once and

there was a pile of dust that came out of this shorts alone!

I told hubby that I wasn't cleaning or dusting until the last little bit of the pile was gone!

You may cancel your visit for a while!

setting up Labor Day

Now all I need are those hunky workmen

aka W, hubby and I'm sure G

G wanted to stay home from school today just to watch the rock be delievered

UPDATE to add ~ we're building a shed/garage/barn

Just How Can this Be?

Late this afternoon I walked past the front door and noticed, through the big door's window that the glass storm door was shattered. It was all still in the storm door until........... I pulled the big door open. The pressure from pulling the door open caused a bu-zillion pieces of shattered glass to fall inward. This is what I found when most of the pieces had fallen!

We're still not really sure how all this happened.

But it's cleaned up now and the almost long lost screen has been put into the storm door.

WOW! I was going to replace the big door this fall but now I can have both of them replaced!

Aren't I lucky!?!

Who are you and What did you do with W?

We got our new mower last Thursday. W (or should I call him the "Yard Man") mowed on Thursday afternoon and then got up early (early for him) to mowed today.

Today as in Tuesday.

When I mentioned to hubby that W had told me that this was what he was doing, hubby asked, "does the yard need mowing?" that was my same reaction. The answer to both of our questions is a huge "NO!"

When I asked W about why he felt the need to mow today. He said, "This mower does so much better when you mow the grass when it's shorter." So he's mowing. Oh, well. I'm sure the newness of the mower will wear off soon enough!

recap in pictures

Just how many of these can I eat before I'm sick?
"Man vs. Wild"

G has been playing Man vs Wild every night as he goes to bed. All week he makes a tent in the living room and sleeps there. FYI ~ Man vs. Wild is a TV show about a man surviving in the wild for 7 days, trying to find his way out to civilization.
I had the thought this past weekend how I should post about how isolating our house is when the hay gets high. We can't see the cars going by on the road, Skipper doesn't leave the yard, it's wonderful. Much to G's delight Farmer Bob started cutting the hay yesterday! G rides with him until he's done at our house.
G and Skipper investigating the newly exposed hay field.

What do these things have in common?

Brushing your teeth, running the dish washer, washing the blankets, washing your hands, getting a drink, going to the bathroom and boiling a couple of eggs.

All things we couldn't do this morning! or at least without a bottle of water. They were working on our water line and had our water turned off. I just wish they would have given us warning I would have got some jugs filled.

I have been trying to not purchase bottled water and hadn't gotten some water for quite a while. Last week when hubby was packing to go out of town he wanted a case of bottled water. He then decided that was too much water and only took a few bottles. This saved us!

The water was only off a few hours but they were the hours that I was trying to get some things done and leave! Or more specifically trying to do all the things at the top!
I would not have made a very good pioneer woman!

Five Fer Friday

1~ When hubby left town I decided that I was going to finish the bathroom. Remember I 'd painted over spring break? Well, I had replaced the lights but hadn't done anything else. That changed this week. I finally found shelves that I liked and put them up. I'm now in search of toothbrush holders ~ I've found some for a whopping $15 a piece but I don't think I'm going that route!

2~ Yesterday G and I went to the dollar show (which is now $2) to see "The Bee Movie". We hadn't seen this yet and really loved it! It was funny for both of us. It is so fun to see a kid movie in a theatre filled with kids (vs. watching it at home).

3~ Yesterday we unpacked the 1966 World Book Encyclopedias from my mom. As we unpacked them W asked what they were. I answered, "oh, you probably don't know what encyclopedias are." W answered with "I know what encyclopedias are but what are these" I told him they were "world books" the end result was he didn't realize that Encyclopedia had been books!

4~ The weather here today is Great. Low humidity, very gentle breeze, and temp in the upper 70's. Couldn't get any better. Last night a storm came through and left us with a perfect rainbow in our back field. We could see the entire thing, even both ends! As you can tell there was a double rainbow for a while. At the time I was taking pictures it was raining steadily in the front yard and doing nothing in the back yard!

5~ G and I had planned to go blueberry picking today since the season opened on Tuesday. When we checked to see the picking report, they were so busy on Tuesday that they were picked out (on the early bushes) until next Tuesday. OH, we'll try next week again.

Blooming Monday

My Azaleas!

~the only one left from the puppy days~

Blooming Monday!

Since my boys had started my deck flowers I went and got more flowers this morning. They were still looking a bit traumatized by the all the handling and re-potting but I'm so excited to watch them "bloom where they're planted". I'll post more pictures when they're looking their best!
I have these plants hanging from my deck railing. There are 3 hangers and I just love them, they are so pretty.





I have a little cactus colony! I love my cactus' in their bright pots. A lot of these little guys have been gifts from my friends, my sons and myself! Some of them have special meaning like the starter plant that my sister in law gave me from hubby's grandma's plant.

I moved these out last week on a wonderfully warm and sunny spring afternoon. A couple of mornings this weekend I thought I'd look out and see them wrapped in their winter coats. I'm sure they were chilly.

First Mow of the Season!

Yeah, this morning was the first mow of the year! It should have been last week but our mower provided a home to mice this winter so they had to be removed and their home turned back into a mower!

Last week while G and I were running errands in town. We went by someone mowing and G asked if we could go home and mow, cuz it smells so good! He'll enjoy coming home this afternoon.

Simple Joy

I love to be home! It's my favorite place. The place that I feel the most comfortable, the place that grounds me, the place that brings me the most joy. I'm a real home body and I love it! I don't think I'd ever have cabin fever, I might run out groceries that would force me out but I just love HOME!
Yesterday I got to stay the majority of the day and all evening, a rare pleasure these days.