Firefighter Festival

Yes, I'm good lately at disappearing, aren't I?

But with good reason.....

This past weekend was our local firefighter's festival. It started with the parade Friday night and moved onto a kiddie tractor pull, games and fireworks Saturday night.

The kids had every intention of riding on the ladder truck from CFD where Todd is a volunteer, however, when you are called out on a house fire 3 hours before the parade starts, that sort of nixes that idea.

But the kids and I had fun at the parade. Lots of candy was caught. The entire parade was about a mile long. Lots and lots of firetrucks (from 6 different departments - all volunteer) all blowing their sirens, horns and who knows what else.

I thought for a while there I would need new eardrums, but they have sufficiently recovered.

Saturday morning found me out in the garden at 7:00 in the morning. With temperatures in the 90's, I needed to get out there and do it early. I was out there until about 9:30 - 10:00. But I can now see my tomatoes. We had to replant the green beans, beets and squash - either the weeds/grass or the torrential rains we've been having did them in. No pictures of my garden yet - I still have the peppers to weed:)

Saturday night we went up to the fireworks. Todd's pager goes off - house fire in a neighboring town calling for LOTS of help. His fire chief calls - can you go direct to the fire - they need help bad. So we head back to our house in my truck so that Todd can get his truck with lights and sirens and his fire gear. Let's put it this way - we thought my truck had something in the fuel line - it keeps hesitating and racing every once in a while. As fast as he went to get back to our house - all the carbon is blown clean out of the engine. Todd got his truck and his gear, and the kids and I turned around and headed back to the fireworks, eat ice cream and meet back up with friends. Since Mr. Lactose Intolerance was not with us - we each had the biggest cones we could get.

Off to work and to catch up later today on everyone's lives! Have a great day

Kris

Peace

Jessie's been at 4-H sewing camp for the last 3 days so both kids have been at a friends house (one one hand, it's great having friends for both kids that are the same age as Jessie and Tyler and are also brother and sister....on the other hand - you get 4 kids at the same time). I would drop them off at 7:30 a.m. - go to work until 2, go get Jessie and her friend at 4 at camp, swing by and pick up Tyler and drop off Blair, and rush home to dinner.

So my trusty babysitter has not been here until today. I went and picked Tyler up at 10 (both kids spent the night at a friends' house last night) and picked up the babysitter and her brother who came to play with Tyler for the day.

Somehow, when I walked in the door at 5:00, it seemed much better when she had been here for the day and vacuumed my house, dusted, cleaned the kitchen and folded the 8 loads of laundry for me.

I think I'm getting spoiled:)

Now I'm off to go sit on my swing and enjoy the breeze. Oh....she cooked dinner for us too for tonight..........

Kiss A Fish

Yes, that is my 2 1/2 year old niece kissing the fish she caught when we went fishing. Ugh.

We've been doing LOTS of fishing lately. The kids, their cousins, their cousins cousins. Good thing all these kids get along. 7 kids, 8 adults.

And Jessie caught a BIG catfish. With Daddy's help - her lightweight pole just handled it.

The first night, all the kids caught 2-3 bluegill each (and the catfish). And it's been that way every time since.

Of course, they all want to catch catfish now.

Thank you for all the birthday wishes. It was a fun day, filled with yarn shopping, fishing and a cookout. I did catch 2 fish myself. But I didn't bait the hook or take the fish off. Between Jessie, Tyler and I - we kept Todd busy baiting our hooks and removing the fish. So much so, the guys left at 10:00 that night to go catfish fishing and were out until 1:30.

rem

My Herb Garden

Is coming along rather nicely I should say. I finally got it mulched last Sunday – it does not have enough mulch to suit me but….it is a start. I need some great big rocks to put in here to liven things up, as well as a flag and a couple other decorations.


Now I need to find a good dehydrator to preserve this bounty. Cooking with homegrown herbs is so much better than the stuff you pay 2 arms and a leg for from the store.

37

I cannot believe another year has gone by. Or that I am 37 today. I certainly don’t feel like it. Which is probably a good thing, right? Come to think of it, I cannot believe that I have 2 kids who are 9 and 6.

I have never put a picture of myself on this space. Which Todd pointed out to me a few weeks ago. Come to think of it, there aren’t many pictures of me around the house period. Is that because I am the one that is usually taking the pictures?

But, in honor of today, here’s a picture:




Do you know how hard it is to get a good picture of yourself? Especially me, who cannot be outside without sunglasses. After having Lasik surgery 8 years ago, the light just kills my eyes.




But there you go.



Wait - here's a better one, and this is how I ALWAYS look if I am outside. Which I normally am.





Kris

Inspiration

Way back when, before I even started this little space, I was the queen of lurkers. Bet you all didn’t know that, did you? I would find a blog, and it would take me months to work up the courage to post a comment. I was thinking we wouldn’t have anything in common, you know? And blah…blah…blah…. And just so you know, I still have about 150 blogs that I follow on a daily basis that I never leave a comment on.


But I envied one blogger with her knitting – Katie is a knitting machine folks. She turns out sweaters like most of us turn out dinner. And does it all with 3 young kids, chickens, a fabulous house and yard to maintain as well. And now she is on to quilts. Well, one of her recent posts – 13 months of sweaters – inspired me to start knitting a sweater. Me, who has never ever knit anything harder than a scarf or a washcloth.



One of the sweaters that she knit last summer, Flo, well, I fell in love with it and I started looking and found the deconstructed jacket from Lionbrand. Sounded easy – a rectangle with 2 armholes and sleeves. After a few emails to my Mom, who is also an experienced knitter (mainly to get her promise that when I get the 3 pieces done, she will sew them together for me), I ordered the yarn and dived right in.

After having to start over (after being 8 inches into it) because it was rolling incessantly and changing the pattern a tiny little bit, I think I have it figured out. We'll see how it goes when I get to the armholes:) We’ll see how I feel about this in a few days, but right now, this could be fun while I’m sitting out in the sun watching the kids play who knows what….

Kris

BALING HAY

Todd had to work late Monday night, so we had a friend of ours come and bale the hay up in great big round bales.

There is nothing better than a field of bales waiting to be moved to the barn.

I learned how to drive the skidloader on Sunday when I was mulching flowerbeds but…..I did not volunteer myself to move bales for him.

Right now, I like seeing them sit in the field. Maybe if he is working late still by Friday, I’ll move them for him. Maybe.

Then again, if I move them, will that give me one more job to do?

I’ll have to think on that one…..

Also, Thank you ladies for joining my PIF. I'll be in touch....

Kris