Farmyard Babies

Tyler's preschool teacher (Ranita) is having a baby. And the baby shower is Thursday during class. Yes, I know, that is tomorrow....

After my encounter with the mother's in his class, I didn't feel comfortable just handing them the $30 they wanted from each student to buy her a gift. And Tyler wanted the baby to have a quilt from him.

So....last Friday, I got busy, and made this quilt:

It's smaller than my normal baby quilt (I somehow end up making all quilts huge), but.....I think I'm in love with it. I know Tyler is in love with it. You can't see it in these pictures, and it is too dark to get a really good picture, but I quilted "love Tyler" into the quilting design (which I will try and get another picture of tomorrow). Which he was thrilled with. I should have done the bias binding, but....seeing as how I quilted it after I got home from work today, went to soccer practice with BOTH kids, came home and did chores, and machine stitched the binding down, bias binding was the last thing on my mind! Right now it is in the washer. I'll stay up to put it in the dryer and then I am off to bed!

Ranita's mother saw the quilt today while I was at work (we all go to the same church denomination and she is involved with the district and is in and out of the district office where I work) - she wants me to make a bumper pad and dust ruffle to match. She thinks Ranita will love it.

I certainly am hopeful that she will.

A Quick Finish

Yesterday I cleaned out the barn. At least it is a little more organized now and it's swept. I need Todd to help me move some of the heavy stuff (well, really I don't, but I'll make him feel important. And.....if I show that I can move the heavy stuff, I'll be doing it all the time, right?).

I had to pick Jessie up from school - she was complaining that she had a stomach ache. I'm pretty sure it's the medication she is on - upset stomach and headache is one of the side effects along with decreased appetite - and she did tell me she didn't eat much for lunch as it didn't sound good. So I made her favorite for dinner last night (grilled chicken sandwiches, cole slaw and potatoe wedges cooked on the grill with sour cream and shredded cheese) and sent her to school with some healthy snacks for her to munch on at snack time and on the bus ride home.

So I was out in the barn by myself. Tyler says he got stung by a bee on the hand. But I couldn't see a mark, and by the time Todd got home 2 hours later, he was stung by a bee, a honey bee, a wasp, a yellow jacket and a hornet - all at the same time. So I let him put ice on them and sit outside.

After we watched "24" last night (that is pretty much the only show I will sit down and watch) I put together a baby quilt for Tyler's teacher. I don't know why it is rotated but....you get the idea. She's doing the baby's room in baby farm animals, and I found the farm animal fabric on ebay. This is just 1 corner of it- there are 4 rows of farm animal fabric and 3 rows of 4 patch squares. At least it's going quick - the baby shower is Thursday. I'll quilt it tonight (something simple - maybe circles or a meander) and put the binding on it tomorrow night. Nothing like waiting til the last minute, I know but.....when it's 88 degrees outside, who wants to be inside???

Have a great day everyone!
Kris

Pig heaven

Our whirlwind trip went wonderfully. We could not have asked for better weather (high 80's).

We left Saturday night a little after 6 - pulled into the farm at 9:05 - which included stopping for Wendy's at a drive through. 195 miles down. Much thanks to that trucker we got behind that was moving. ahem.

Sunday morning we were up, had breakfast and out in the field looking at calves. Hopefully, one of these 2 will be coming home with us later this fall:

I tell you though, we were in a polaris wrangler (?) and going straight down and straight up some of those hills - pretty scary. Todd's aunt and uncle live on top of a mountain - no two ways about it - and I guess when you have to get to the bottom, what do you do?

They had a couple calves that needed capturing and ear tagging - so Todd helped his cousin Adam while I drove the wrangler (we won't mention the downed tree I drove over - Adam did tell me it could go over anything). Although I'm glad I was in charge of driving rather than catching calves. This momma was the calmest one. I was laughing too hard while they were getting chased by momma cows to take any pictures of the other ones.

We loaded up piggys about 10:30, and hit the road for home. Another just over 3 hour drive, and we pulled in. Got piggies unloaded, in their respective pens, and headed to Todd's parents to eat dinner and pick up the kids. The kids of course wanted to come right home and see the pigs but I told them I wasn't cooking so they agreed to wait until after we ate.

Tyler is not real thrilled that his pigs didn't want to come right up to him. But they are only 5 weeks old so hopefully they will get friendlier towards him soon. And he wasn't thrilled that they are girl pigs - apparently he wanted boy pigs - but then decided he was cool with it.

Jessie's pigs are a pain in the BUTT! Knocking over their water pan, their feed pan, etc. So we had to quick build the pig waterer as they are into everything.

Hopefully tonight we can get the barn cleaned and organized. It's looking a little full right now since we had to quick empty out another pen for the pigs - Adam thought the little ones wouldn't grow good if they were in with the bigger pair.

Have a great day!
Kris

Friday

Yes I disappeared. I've been reading everyone's blog faithfully, having some good laughs but....

For some reason, this spring seems busier than any other spring.

The start of the week was cold. And rainy. But nonetheless, Wednesday night both kids had soccer. At the same time. 15 miles apart. So I drop Jessie off, and race to Tyler's practice. Only to look ahead down the road and see storm clouds. I no sooner pull in at Tyler's practice and it starts thundering and lightning.

So back to Jessie's practice we go. To sit. Through the 2 hour practice.

This was the view as I was headed back to Jessie's practice. The bright blue sky was ahead of us....and you can see what was in my mirror behind us!

Yesterday I had to go 45 min. away to get a few bags of pig feed that are the same as what the pigs are eating in PA at this point in time. Today I'm checking with our feed store on what they have for the pigs - I'm NOT driving 1 1/2 hours just for special pig feed.

And I finished piecing this table topper, and it's basted and ready for me to practice my hand quilting on the way to and from PA on Sunday:

Tonight I have to go get a friend's pig box so we can haul 4 piggies home from PA safely. Todd is working late today and probably all day tomorrow, so the kids and I will be busy. I'll put them to work bedding the pig pen and cleaning up the barn while I mow the yard. And of course, we have soccer games tomorrow morning.

At least it may finally be warming up here - 78 today and 84 tomorrow - I cannot WAIT! I'm itching to get out in my garden - maybe I'll have to break down and plant some lettuce seeds this weekend.....

Kris

Not very motivated.....

Of course, with doing the whole steer show thing this weekend, plus soccer I am a little behind on the necessities like clean laundry and a clean bathroom.

I've done 7 loads of laundry between yesterday and today, I have about 5 loads folded and put away, and 4 more loads to do. One of these years I will get caught up.

We've had a change of plans for the weekend. APPARENTLY, we need to have Jessie's 4-H pigs in our possession by May 1st. So Todd and I are driving the 3 1/2 hour 1 way trip to PA on Sunday. And his parents are watching the kids for the day. I don't know that I am looking forward to driving 7 hours in a single day but.....I certainly don't want someone from the swine committee showing up May 2nd to see if we have our pigs and them not be here and she get disqualified!

Have a great evening!
Kris

We have created a MONSTER

Jessie showed Oreo for the first time yesterday......and we have definitely created a MONSTER.

Who would have thought it would take 3 adults and 2 kids to get one little girl and one steer into the ring???


But she enjoyed it tremendously. And we (Todd and I) are sooooooo tired!

She showed in 2 classes, the market steer class and the Wayne County born and bred class. She ended up 3rd in her market steer class (out of 7) and 6th in the Wayne County class (out of 10). Not to shabby for her 1st time in the ring.

All we asked her to do was lead him (and hang onto him), keep his head up and scratch his belly and keep him calm. We didn't want her to set him up (getting his feet square so he looks nice) even though she knows how to do that and has been practicing. We thought it's enough for her first show to just hang onto him. Because he can be a butthead. She quickly figured out when she should be setting him up, and got him set up correctly in both classes.

She came out of the ring after the first class wanting to know when the next show was, where it was and if we could go.

I'm just glad she had a good time and didn't come out of the ring saying I'm NEVER showing a steer again.....

2 days...

With 2 days to go until the show, we've been busy, to say the least. Last night Jessie had tutoring until 5:00, then an extra soccer practice from 6-7:30 (her former coach offered to help her out on some kicking problems she is having). So I got out there upon getting home from work and washed and dried Oreo, as he is being clipped tonight.

Him and I survived, and he is clean. When I get done working today, I'm going home to wash him again, dry him again, and then Jason can come work his magic. Lucky Todd - he's either been working or taking a conceal and carry class in the evenings to get his permit. I've already told Todd and Jessie that they are is in charge of the baths for Oreo on Saturday and Sunday (and she was ticked that she wasn't there yesterday to wash him).....

Tonight, Oreo is being clipped, and we are taking one of Jessie's friends to go to my nephew's house to look at rabbits for this little girl.

Isn't the sun a wonderful thing????After 3 days of nonstop rain, we finally saw 61 yesterday and SUN! Today will be 68 and more SUN, tomorrow 72 and lots of SUN and then back in the mid 60s for Sunday.

Amazing how much better a person feels after just being out in the sunlight!