Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Checking in

Life is seriously kicking my behind. But it's been a memorable summer so.....I'm not going to complain!


Jessie got an excellent for both her sewing and her scrapbooking projects. She is thrilled that she had good comments (and THANK YOU LORD she did not make it to state fair. I could not have done it....).



Jessie also took her 3 beef skillathons and got a 100, 98 and 96%. Tomorrow night she does her pig skillathon.



Jessie was at 4-h camp all last week. Tuesday to Friday on Kelly's Island. Then Tyler was at church camp from this past Sunday to tonight. And on Sunday Jessie was going to spend the night with some good friends and their 22 and 24 year old daughters? Well, the girls were going to Attica NY and wanted Jessie to go. So off she went from Sunday to Tuesday.



I never appreciated until they were gone just how much work they do every day with the animals. And I am so thankful they are home now:)



This weekend I have to work. All weekend long. Friday night through Sunday morning. Although I may skip out of the Sunday part of conference. I'm feeling the crunch to get things done in preparation for State Fair. My parents are keeping the kids this weekend - I'm sure they will have much more fun with Grandma and Grandpa than with me.



Feeder calves are weaned. And Jason has Jessie's calf pretty well broke. We are working on her heifer. We actually have 4 in the barn - whichever is the calmest will get to go to the fair.

This is Huey. So far, he is a big puppy dog. A puppy dog with lots of hair.




Wilbur (the pig) is wilbur. Tonight he weighed 260 lbs. We want him right around 265 so we have to do some adjusting until we load him up and head out next Tuesday. Right now, the plan is that Todd and Jason will haul him down during the middle of the night Tuesday (can't have him stressing in the heat and it's been hot here - 90+ degrees). They will turn right around and come home after getting him bedded down in his pen. Then, at the UNGODLY early hour of sometime between 6 and 7, the 5 of us will head out in the Durango to meet the delivery person with the camper we are renting for the week. And while Todd and the kids are taking care of Wilbur, I will be unpacking the back of the very full Durango and making a grocery run to Aldi's. There's no sense in me buying all of the food we will eat in 5 days by home to drag it all an hour and a half away when there is an Aldi's 1/2 mile from the fairgrounds (if Mapquest is correct).



And Jessie informed me late Sunday afternoon that her jeans, belt and boots no longer fit. So I had to order her a new belt and a couple pairs of jeans. The boots? We are heading out on Monday when I am off to find her a pair. And I still have to sew the buttons and button holes on her 2 show shirts. At least I have them made......although we cheated and went with short sleeved shirts. If it continues to be this hot, I won't let her do the whole long sleeved shirt deal. No sense in giving her a heat stroke, right?



Of course, we come back from State Fair and the kids have a week and 2 days until school starts. I'm seriously looking forward to school starting.


I hope everyone is having a terrific summer!!!! I am visiting all of you, I'm just stealing a minute here and there to catch up with each of you....

Have a great week!
Kris

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

I'm still here.....

.....barely!


Wasn't I the one gloating about we had Jessie's scrapbook project and her sewing project all done weeks ago?

I think I was....at least in my head.

This summer has shot that down in it's entirety. Between baling hay, doing chores, trying to keep up with the garden, flowerbeds and the lawn, and working with all these 4-h project critters, I am SO READY for December to hit. Wait, better make that January when it will definitely be too cold to do anything out in the barn!


We've gotten in from the barn every single night for the past week between 11 p.m. and midnight. And I am a girl that NEEDS a minimum of 8 hours of sleep a night. So 6:00 a.m. is kicking my behind big time. I think I'm living on gas station capucino. At least it's cheap:)
And I still have to sew a button on Jessie's top for the judging tonight. Or rather, I have to spend the time to TEACH her how to sew the button on the back - between getting home at 4:30 p.m., cooking dinner and being at judging by 5:30 p.m. I think McDonalds will win tonight for dinner.....

And I have to pick up some more stickers for her scrapbook, drop both the stickers and her actual scrapbook off at the house on my way from 1 job to the next so she can finish it.

Did I mention that both projects get judged tonight? At the same time?

Let's hope she remembers to take a shower and wash her hair before I get home from work at 4:00!

But this has happened every single night:

And walking 3 pigs one night and giving them baths, and walking the other 2 the next night and giving them baths. If I can find where I put my camera, I'll treat you all to the video of her walking the pig and washing it. She is getting quite good at it and we are no longer rolling around on the barn floor laughing.

1 week until Jessie goes to 4-H camp for 4 days (what am I going to do without her? She is REALLY picking up the slack around here).....2 weeks until Tyler goes to Church Camp for 3 days ......3 weeks until State Fair, 5 weeks until school starts again for us (August 17th)......

Where in the world did summer go?

Edited to add: I'm really not complaining, even though this post sounds awfully whiny. I do love this life that we have chosen and would not dream of telling Jessie (and Tyler) no they cannot do all that they do but....holey moley....i NEED about 30 waking hours in a day for the next month......