Melissa and Lori have TOO much fun!!!!!

Today I went on a road trip with neighbor Melissa. We headed out to the Mohrfield Holstein dispersal in Pleasant Plain, OH. Of course, it isn't easy for mothers to put their households in order enough to get away for a day. Case in point.....our original time of departure was 6:30 am, but a frantic phone call from Melissa at 6:45 pushed that back to 7:20. My crew was happy with that because there was time to make hot breakfast instead of the planned cold cereal.

Safely on the road with our coffee in hand, off we went....I am not sure we ever stopped talking. What fun to share a fun day with a good friend. We covered every subject we could and then some! Cell phone calls from our hubbies were the only interruption from our nonstop brainstorming on how to change the world.

This was not a quick trip either and due to our late departure we actually arrived an hour into the sale. Never fear though, there were still plenty of pretty cows and heifers to watch and imagine them on our own farms. I was hoping to pick up a 2007 heifer for Suzanna to add to her little (2 head) herd, and Melissa was on a mission for a specific cow family. We were shot down, however, as the prices were a bit over our budgets. But that really didn't matter, we were out to have fun as well.....and we accomplished that.

As we arrived home, the plotting was underway for our next adventure....not too soon or our families might never let us out together again. Thanks for all the fun Melissa!!!!!

I have lost the title......

of "Mom of the Year". Not that I ever had a shot at it, but after today.....it is long gone.

The kids have their Harvest Parties today, and two were to bring Apple Cider.....so nice that Glei's have recovered from their devastating fire enough to be back in the cider making business....and the third child volunteered cupcakes. No big deal. I ran over to the orchard yesterday afternoon to pick up 4 gallons of yummy cider (one more for a piano recital tonight and we need some of our own). I considered the fact that I still needed to make the cupcakes and planned to get them done after we got home from Piano/Violin lessons.

Upon arrival home, I set about to finish up Thomas' costume. He and Kathryn get to dress in their costumes to play at their recital. He wanted to be an Indian and I had it sewn together, just needed to get the sleeve and slack length right. I measured his head to make his headband. His older sister informed him that he looked like a peacock when we tried it on. She is SOOOOO funny.....

From that project I drifted on to Betsy Ross, which is Suzanna's costume for a school program on Tuesday night. It will also double for her Halloween costume. She has a dress rehearsal on Monday, so it needs to be finished by then. I got a nice start on it, but started getting tired about 11pm and headed for bed.

Not until I got to the kitchen this morning did I remember the Harvest Party cupcakes. OH BUMMER!!!!!! So I dropped the kids off, ran to the grocery store to buy cupcakes and dropped them off at the school along with any hopes of Mom of the Year. Martha failed!!!!!!

Dating....

Hubby and I went out on a date last night. In typical Thomas fashion, he only heard half the conversation, and wondered where "we" were going to eat dinner. I explained to him that it was a date and asked him if he knew what a date was. He replied, "something only two people get to do", and slumped his shoulders as he went on with his chores. He was planning on heading to a restaurant in Jonesville called Chicago Water Grill. This is a very nice restaurant, that we have taken the kids to a couple times for very special occasions, like my dads 60th birthday and parents 40th wedding anniversary. Well, Thomas likes the place, especially what he calls the dessert trailer. They do flaming desserts at this place with a traveling stove. The kids saw it done three years ago and it has left a lasting impression.

We took them to Grandpa Bob and Grandma Ellen's and headed to Chicago Water Grill for a very pleasant dinner. I am not sure how long it had been since we were out on a date, but it had been awhile.

Unfortunately, hubby thinks there may have been some sort of shell fish in his chicken fettuccine Alfredo and he had a slight allergic reaction. He is very allergic to shell fish. We found this out on our first fancy date back on Valentines Day 1987. We went to a restaurant in Lansing called Jim's Tiffany Place and had Prime Rib and Crab Legs for two. Shortly after the dinner ended, I was asking girls in my dorm where the closet emergency room to the MSU campus was. Mike's throat was tightening up and he was breaking out in hives. The hospital took this very serious and treated him immediately. They suggested that he take me to McDonald's for dates from then on.

So we had a nice evening together, but it had an unfortunate end. He took some benadryl and went to bed. It was all it took to make him feel better. Kinda thinking McDonald's is in my future again.

Let the tourguide do the tour......

I dropped the kids off at school this morning, and those were my final words to them as they got out of the car. Why??? Well, today is field trip day and they are headed to the Calder Dairy Farm near Monroe, Mi. This is a working dairy farm that processes their own milk for old fashioned home delivery in the Detroit area, as well as other products like ice cream and yogurt. The kids will be seeing where the calves grow up, how a cow is milked and how that milk becomes the products people purchase at their local grocery store. This is a great thing for schoolkids to see and after having gone to this farm with Suzanna 3 years ago, I know they do a great job promoting agriculture and especially the dairy industry.

Considering my kids have dairy heifers on the farm, a dairy farm just up the road, went to Mooville this past summer, and have been to other dairy related activities, you would think this would be a boring trip. But going with your best friends from school makes it something special. Hopefully, my kids won't try to answer all the questions first and my fingers are crossed that they don't take over the tour and run the place by the end of the day. They were very excited about going and each had $5 to spend at the gift store. I begged Thomas to buy something other than candy, but I can almost bet that is what catches his eye.

I will report back later on the results of this tour.

Weekend fun.....

We are back from a quick weekend at my brothers place outside Indianapolis. This was a long overdue visit, since it had been a little over 8 years since we had been to their house. Lest you think my brother and I have been feuding for all those years, never fear. Brother and sister-in-law have a cabin in the woods behind my parents place and are there at least once a month. So the thought of driving 3.5 hours with three kids in the car hasn't been a motivation to get there. But they have built a brand new home and we really wanted to get down and see it. The kids were on a three day weekend and it seemed like a great time to go. An added bonus was that the Junior League of Indianapolis was having a fundraiser which was an American Girl fashion show. I have two huge American Girl fans in the house, so Aunt Cindy ordered tickets.

We didn't get to their place until after dark Friday night and got the nickle tour. What a beautiful home they have built. They sit back off the road on a hill. It is a prairie style so it seems to blend in with the land. The interior is wonderful too. They have some timbers in the great room and kitchen.....and oh, man what a kitchen. I have told you before I am "Martha" in the kitchen and this one had to have been designed with Martha in mind. That 8 burner stove was perfect.







Saturday came and it was off to tea with the American Girls. I took a picture of the girls afterward. Kathryn borrowed Aunt Cindy's doll, since she doesn't have one of her own yet. Suzanna is holding her Josephina doll which she purchased with her chicken money from last years project.






I hadn't mentioned that Emma went too. Terry and Cindy have a collie dog named Sapphire. The two dogs love each other and had a great time all weekend playing and attacking each other. They stayed in the garage while we were at the Tea. When we got back, Sapphire came out of the garage as soon as the door opened, but no Emma. We all got a little concerned, until we got into the garage and saw where Emma was waiting at. She was sitting in Cindy's Mercedes convertible. Doesn't she look like she belongs......Cindy wasn't nearly as amused as I was, but did take this picture for me.


We went out to dinner at Logan's Saturday night. The kids loved eating peanuts and throwing the shucks on the floor. They would have stayed up all night, but we made them go to bed.

Up for breakfast on Sunday and since there it has been so warm, we went to Cindy's sisters and the kids spent about three hours playing in their pool. It isn't normal to have 90s in October, but we will enjoy it while we can. Soon enough we will be getting our wood burner up and running.

It was hard to leave Sunday night, but daddy had to be at work Monday morning. So with some tears and sadness we hit the road for home, promising it won't be 8 years before we head their way again.

Hauling Horses

is not one of my favorite parts of horse ownership. I am a nervous wreck until we get to our destination in one piece. My latest hauling trip just confirmed that I DO NOT like hauling horses. I hauled Storm up to the trainers yesterday, which was an eventful ride. She was not real happy with the accommodations I guess, since she made her presence known for the first half of the ride. Every few miles, she shifted around in the trailer and I could feel the trailer moving. And then at one stop sign, I had to wait for a few minutes of road construction. She really got to banging around there. Thankfully, she finally began to settle down about a half hour into the ride. We made it safely to Mason and she came off the trailer like a lady. Boy was she a sweaty mess.

While on our way up the highway, I had to chuckle. There is a small town rural high school right beside the road. In the parking lot, there must have been 15 tractors parked. I suspect they had a "drive your tractor to school" day. What fun!!!!!! There were all sorts and types, from a couple shiny John Deeres, to some very much dressed for work that looked like Farmalls. I wish I would have had my camera with me. It would have been worth stopping in to get a picture.

I hauled the two weanlings back and I never knew there was a load on the trailer. Much more relaxing ride. I enjoyed some time with both foals last night. They are very different personalities, but overall both wanted my time and attention.

Well, laundry and chores call.

Door To Door Sales......

Tuesday night, hubby and I were at the barn, contemplating where all our critters would be spending the winter months. Everyone needs a space that gets them inside some shelter if the weather is nasty. A car came up our driveway during our discussion and neither of us recognized the driver. I looked at hubby and said "we aren't buying anything!"

The gentleman got out, smiled and told us we have a nice ranch. What a laugh....we are a horse/4-H critter operation. There is nothing "ranchie" about our place. He held out a piece of paper for us to see. It was an aerial photo of our farm. I have always loved that type of picture. My dad has the one from the family farm which was done in the early 70's and I still enjoy looking at. We purchased an 8x10 aerial photo back in the early days of being at our current location. I have had the thought in the back of my mind that it would be nice to get an updated one. See the one we have was taken when we still lived in a single-wide mobile home. We now have our "dream house" which is a big white ranch style house sitting up on our hill.

So obviously this salesman piqued my interest. I let him start his pitch....but quickly jumped ahead in the story to "what's the price". He chatted up the idea that they add green grass where the fields were and spruce up the front yard which was pathetic thanks to the drought we had been under for the summer. I again asked for a price. He then told us about the custom framing that they have done by the Amish. That was all nice...BUT WHAT IS THE PRICE FOR AN 8X10????? Finally he answered me, and I know I need to take pilot lessons. For a simple, framed 11x14, they wanted $199.00!!!!!!!!

I am not sure whether hubby or I hit cheap first, but the conversation was over. I politely told him that was way out of our budget. He offered just the picture, without framing for $99.00. I again said too much. His final offer was the small 4x6 print he had in his hand, with no retouching and the letter "C" framed in the middle of it for only $10. We turned him down a third time and he returned to his car.

What a tough business to be in, and I am sure we weren't the only ones on the road that turned him down!!

Making Mincemeat......

I checked out my garden last evening, in anticipation of getting a batch of green tomato mincement going. To my surprise, there were many ripe tomatoes there as well. I think I will be canning up some more tomatoes as well. We have had really warm weather for the past couple weeks, and that makes for ripe tomatoes. Normally, we are waiting for the first frost.

So I am getting into the kitchen to make a batch or two of mincemeat to can up. I have a recipe for fruitcake which calls for mincemeat. To buy the stuff out of the grocery store is nearly $5.00 a jar. I can make it cheaper. So off to the kitchen I go.

Back on schedule....

Wow does it feel good too! We actually ate supper together, and it wasn't pizza, and it was balanced. Last night was the first Monday night we have done that since May. We had dog 4-H or softball games every Monday night. The kids actually got their music practice in and their homework done with time to be goofy and play. What a nice evening.

It was much easier getting up this morning, maybe I am getting that sleep I lost last week caught back up. Laundry is on the agenda, along with the usual office work and house work....like I said, we are back on schedule.

Fairweek Wrap-up

WE SURVIVED!!!!!!

That is the most important announcement. We all seem to have stuffy noses, but no worse for the week we spent at the fair.



So here is a review of the week in pictures......


We will start with a picture of Suzanna at the poultry show. Poultry, if you don't do the showmanship class, is about as simple as it can be. We purchased 8 chicks at the end of July. They are fed, and fed, and fed.


The birds Suzanna took to the fair weighed about 5 pounds each. The kids bring them into the fair, put them in a cage and at judging time, stand by their cages and wait for the judge to come look at their birds. The birds are graded and the kids receive either A, B or C ribbons. Suzanna's received an A ribbon.


Sunday was the rabbit show, and I forgot to take the camera along, so there will be no pictures of that day. Thomas showed Daisy in PeeWee showmanship, then Suzanna showed her in showmanship and in the breeder doe class. The heifers came in on Sunday as well.


Monday was one of two kitchen days for our club. Each club is asked to work at least one shift in the 4-H dining hall. Although many people complain about it, I find it a lot of fun. Might be the "Martha Stewart" in me.....as I got to stand in front of the 10 burner stove in the kitchen and help make food. It is a great chance to stand in one spot and see a lot of people you haven't seen since last year as well.



Moving on to Tuesday.....Dairy Show Day. That is a early morning wake-up call. We were at the barn by 5:30 to get the heifers washed. Not easy when you are half asleep and the lighting isn't great.....(talked to the electrician about that). Then it is stay close to the stalls so that the heifers stay clean!! This is Suzanna in her showmanship class, where she placed third.














On to Suzanna and Rhoda in their class. They placed 4th.












This is a favorite picture of mine from the whole week. The smile on Suzanna's face shows how much fun the day was. This is what it should be all about!



Suzanna played her violin at the Women's Congress program in the afternoon. The Women's Congress was founded over 100 years ago and the program is an hour or so long each afternoon. Originally it was for ladies to go to while the men were at the harness races. They get a wide variety of talent in for each day. While we were there there were piano solos, a ballet dancer, singers and a skit. Very neat experience, and something that I had never gone to before.





Wednesday was our second day at the 4-H kitchen. This is the major fund raising arm for the 4-H Council and with those funds, they supply scholarships to attend camps, the Washington, DC trip and other awards. They also provide car/driver and walk-in passes for the 4-Her's to use to get into the fair all week.





That evening was the "Five Dollar Show" as the kids have called it for years. This is the PeeWee Dairy Show and each kid that leads a dairy animal in the "show" gets a ribbon and $5 when they are done. Believe me, my kids have that money spent three different ways before the fair even starts. They also hold the always hilarious "Barnyard Olympics". Nothing like having to dig up pints of milk from the dirt in the arena and see who can chug them the fastest, or how about running a hose through one leg of each teammates jeans? The team that won all had shorts on, by the way. Then there is the traditional wheelbarrow race, when the team members are the wheelbarrows. We also have our dairy products sale, which is our Dairy Leaders fund raiser in order to provide funds for the kids involved in the dairy program.





Thursday was Kathryn's day. She showed Emma in obedience class. Anyone who knows Kathryn, know she would rather not be the center of attention. And if you know our dog, she is a typical Springer Spaniel, who loves to be "springy". Put the two of them together and this is what you get.... an adorable team who came in second in their class.




The part of the show Kathryn loves the most is the costume class. She decided they would be Tinkerbell and Peter Pan. Momma got the sewing machine going and this was the result. The dog even kept the hat on and in the end, they were named Best in Class!!!!



Friday was our fun day. In the afternoon, we were off to the midway to ride rides with friends. They had a great time and wore the dads out long before they were done with the rides. An evening of junk food capped off the fun. Thomas and Daddy took in some of the tractor pulls, while the girls and I checked out the displays in the buildings.



Saturday brought the dairy judging contest for Suzanna and lots of down time, which you need by that point in the week. We ate pizza with the dairy group, found out the judging scores and that our club won the Herdsmanship Award for the week. That means our kids kept their area in the barn the neatest. We cruised the fairgrounds one more time Saturday night to make sure we saw everything we needed to see. The cattle were loaded up by the neighbors at 10pm and we called it a night.



Sunday came and it is a depressing sight to see the changes that come to the fairgrounds overnight. All the rides are taken down and packed up, many all ready are heading for a different event. Many displays are packed up and long gone too. Daddy had to take down all the temporary lights and unhook stuff too. We packed up the camper, picked up our exhibits and were home by noon.



I have nearly caught the laundry up, got to Wal-Mart to restock the cupboards and we made it to church last night. Bedtime felt good when we got there.



And that sums up a week in our lives. You work hard to get there and it is over too quickly...and you are looking forward to next year.