Christmas cookies at Grandpa and Yaya's

Looking pretty good so far....

Looking a little rougher...most all counter space is filled.

Little hands...so cute (for awhile ;)

Going down hill...blobs of frosting on the counter, floor, clothes, faces.

Only the beginning of the dishes...next day and I am still cleaning.  Notice the cement bowls to the left of the sink, I will comment on those later (after I finish cleaning this disaster).

Trying for grandma of the year again. I am not very successful as usual.  We had the kids (6, 4 and 2) spend the night and planned to make christmas cookies, crafts, snowmen...read books, take bubble baths, get happy meals, watch Christmas movies. It was all going well until Ivey (the 6 yr old) told me I was getting kinda bossy.  Oh well, I will try again next year.

Blogggggs!

I have been looking at other peoples blogs and I have confirmed what I knew all along...yes I am a loser. What the heck? How do they do all that cool stuff on the sidelines and get people to advertise on their blogs. Do I have to do political rants? Cause I can! Maybe some inappropriate language? Can't do that..my kinds would ground me. How about some nude pictures....hahahahhh, we would have people poking their eyes out by the dozens. I could talk about my dysfunctional family, but I'm sure you all have one of those ;)  Maybe I could get a psychiatrist to do an ad. If you're reading this, you may need one. Anywhooo, I guess I will just keep writing what I know about and all the interesting things that happen in my life. 

Next post...making cement bowls! See...now that is interesting stuff huh?

Christmas is coming...

Just pondering the twelve days of Christmas and came up with my own little song...don't be trying to steel this! I know you can relate ;)
                                                                                                                                                              

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a big stinky artificial tree.

On the second day of Christmas..My true love gave to me, two (bad) attitudes and a big stinky artificial tree.

On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me....Three needy children, two (bad) attitudes and a big stinky artificial tree.

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...four non-working strings of Christmas lights, three needy children, two (bad) attitudes and a big stinky artificial tree.

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, five boxes of greenery, four non-working strings of lights, three needy children, two (bad) attitudes and a big stinky artificial tree.

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...Six trips to town, five boxes of greenery, four non-working strings of lights, three needy children, two (bad) attitudes and a big stinky artificial tree.

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me... Seven frozen hoses, six trips to town, five boxes of greenery, four non-working strings of lights, three needy children, two (bad) attitudes and a big stinky artificial tree.

On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, eight maids a working (but not for me), Seven frozen hoses, six trips to town, five boxes of greenery, four non-working strings of lights, three needy children, two (bad) attitudes and a big stinky artificial tree.

On the ninth day of  Christmas my true love gave to me, nine recipes ruined, eight maids a working (but not for me), Seven frozen hoses, six trips to town, five boxes of greenery, four non-working strings of lights, three needy children, two (bad) attitudes and a big stinky artificial tree.

On the tenth day  of  Christmas my true love gave to me, ten muddy paws, nine recipes ruined, eight maids a working (but not for me), Seven frozen hoses, six trips to town, five boxes of greenery, four non-working strings of lights, three needy children, two (bad) attitudes and a big stinky artificial tree.

On the eleventh day of  Christmas my true love gave to me, eleven Stuarts sleeping, ten muddy paws, nine recipes ruined, eight maids a working (but not for me), Seven frozen hoses, six trips to town, five boxes of greenery, four non-working strings of lights, three needy children, two (bad) attitudes and a big stinky artificial tree.

On the Twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, twelve unfinished projects, eleven Stuarts sleeping, ten muddy paws, nine recipes ruined, eight maids a working (but not for me), Seven frozen hoses, six trips to town, five boxes of greenery, four non-working strings of lights, three needy children, two (bad) attitudes and a big stinky artificial tree.

Don't get me wrong..I love Christmas, I love decorating and I am very blessed even with all my "issues".   Merry Christmas!

Here is proof that I really do get into the Christmas Spirit!!!

The Dish!

So, I washed, scrubbed, soaped and it looked pretty good. Then....I put it in the dishwasher and this is what came out. All the red is completely gone, the green is now blue. But on a brighter note, the silver sharpie is the definitely a winner. It lasted through all the tests! I guess that if you hand washed your dish or cup or whatever, it would hold up just fine...but if you get a little vigorous in your cleaning (I don't really have a problem with that :) you may want to stick with the metallic markers.  Now I need to find out if they are food safe or if I eat out of my pretty dish will I die??? or worse yet, if I give it to you as a gift...will YOU die???

More testing....

I just finished drawing on a dollar store plate with colored sharpies...here is the photo. Just a quick design I did not take much time as I am testing the baking theory. I will put it into a 350 degree for 30 min. then I will wash it, scrub it...put it in the dishwasher (which is not recommended) and see what the results are....stay tuned. This would make a nice gift for someone, a personalized mug, plate, bowl...so many possibilities. Walking to my oven now....;)

Christmas is coming.....

   I am pondering where I will put my tree this year. Its the time of year when I decide that maybe I need to add on to our family room. I am capable of knocking a wall out, I am just not sure if I am capable of adding a new wall. So maybe I will move my china cabinet and put the tree there...not sure where I would move a 1000 lb. cabinet full of china and glass....upstairs maybe :O  I think I will put it in my living room...its tiny and has a piano in it, but I cannot sit in my big squishy chair and gaze at the tree in the evening since it is around the corner from my chair.  Hmmm...guess I will be moving some furniture. 

I have been working on all kinds of projects as my sister is getting our website up and running and needs photos to get us started on the "Sibling Rivalry" debut!  It will be a fun venture for our families. If we sell nothing, we will have lots of great gifts for everyone we know....we will be giving things to strangers!  I have a bit of a problem finishing one project before starting another...I have too many ideas floating around in my ADD brain. I am trying to be organized! Trying!

On a brighter note....I AM DONE CHRISTMAS SHOPPING!!!!!  Until I realize that I have forgotten a long lost relatives gift (like my mom or dad perhaps). Enjoying the reason for the season now.  Sweet baby Jesus :)

Yard Sale Finds...and more projects!

My grandkids :)  I love this frame...not a yard sale find and I did not make it...but I bought it as a pattern and I will make a similar one :)

I painted these stones (and pot of whatever those greens are) on the staircase wall...many many years ago. It was cool at the time...but its time for it to GOOOO!

I made this super cute shelf with lots of cubbies out of old barn wood just laying around the farm.

We bought a piece of farm ground that had an old shed on it...found this treasure inside. I painted the inside with the grey/blue and left the outside original.  It still has the original wire insets in the door and bits and pieces of the old fabric that lined the inside.

 

Tiny piano...$10 bucks...works great. Kids love it! Not sure what I will do with it, probably keep it..help me!

Adorable tiny wicker set....probably keep these too...grrrr

Projects....and stuff.

Cute little yard sale bench and a big ole raggedy ann!

Old window pane I sprayed the back with snow...rubbed out some peep holes and hung a wreath on the latch with a shiny green ribbon.

Old window pane...painted red, added cork covered with black and white fabric and some ribbon!

Shabby old yard sale cabinet with crystal knobs...didn't do anything to it..too cute already ! Fits perfectly in my cabin room.

Not a yard sale find, but just as cool. Has been in my husbands family for many many years and was played by his grandma. I cherish this!

Weekend update...

We (my husband and I) just spent the weekend in McCall Idaho. We went with two other couples who have been friends of ours for about 25 years. We all know each other too well and share way too much (not in a weird way ;), laugh way too much, get indigestion from laughing way too much, eat too much and have way too much fun. We go for long drives, have picnics, play cards, we make "plans", we talk about our dreams and did I mention..EAT? The girls have sung together in a trio called Spontaneous for many years and the boys support us (hahah) and talk about farming and politics and sports...all nonsense. We had a blast and I am very thankful for our fun times in the past and many more fun times in the future. We're funny and we know it!! ;)

A New Review....or two

HAPPY HALLOWEENER!!! HAHAHAHA!!
 So, I tried the hot dogs with spaghetti noodles shoved into them...and guess what??? It is definitely a ***** five star pin!!  The only problem is that you have to cook them for so long to get the noodles cooked thoroughly that your wiener is now pretty big and swollen (eek...but true) and kind of wants to split open, we can't have that!! So I would recommend getting the super skinny noodles for this project.

Sugar cookie dough...with a surprise inside :)

Next, I tried the sugar/rolo cookie.  You simply put a rolo in the center of a ball of sugar cookie dough.

I guess it was ok.  Maybe *** star pin. Nothing spectacular..although it was pretty darned easy! They tasted better when the were cold...FYI

A before and after photo of a yard sale side table....treasure!

Notice the cat (now deceased) and the dust :) 

  I just need to put on another coat of stain and it will be all finished. I like it, I may keep it. This store may be bad for me...real real bad!

Beet Harvest 2012

 Beet harvest is a favorite time of year...the smells, the sounds, the chill in the air. It is also the final crop to come out of the ground. Which means the end of another farm year.  We still have a couple weeks of disking and ground work to put the soil to rest for the winter but it is a much slower pace and not as critical as getting the crops into storage or wherever they may be going.

 

Just some disturbing photos to enjoy :)

Dead gerbil...I tried to revive him

The kitten is cute...the belly, not so cute!

I had a vein stripped...that even disturbs me!

This position could only be cute when performed by a kitten.

Fish eating dead skin....in the AIRPORT! Now, who doesn't want to sit on a pedestal in a busy airport and plunge their feet into a piranha tank?

Abandoned baby racoon's...nasty little buggers!

My really strange sister in law...carsick, drinking a ginger something or other. The only thing we could find in Europe for an upset tummy. She is a little dramatic..hahah

My untitled book..

Now, my book (still working on a name for it) has kind of been on the back burner. I am so busy harvesting sugar beets right now that I just don't have time for everything! (I sure hope..once again..that Stuart does not read this..hahah)  I need to get going on it before I forget even more details of the past few years.  I wanted to have my sons perspective in my book but if I want it done in a timely manner...I may have to finish it by myself..sniff sniff :(  My hope is that my book will reach out to other parents who have had the unfortunate opportunity to deal with a child that has fallen prey to the world of drugs and alcohol.  People often say that they don't understand how a family like ours could go through this.  We raised our children is a loving, christian home and never believed that something like this could effect our family.   Well let me just tell you right now!!! It can happen to anyone, anyplace, anytime! Our society has led our kids to believe that they cannot have fun in life without partaking in theses substances. It has become quite acceptable. The problem is that some are strong enough to move on after trying out this lifestyle and some have already been attacked by addiction. 

We have been humbled and strengthened by what our son has gone through and what we have gone through beside him.

Update....Sibling Rivalry!

So many projects...so little time! These are all things that I am in the process of getting ready to finish up for our store. The golf clubs are not a project :)  Just need to organize a little. Who left those there anyways? Dang kids!

Yes, this used to be a garage...it is now a storage/work area for "creating". My husband loves that the garage looks like this. His dream is to be able to park in here again someday.  For me, the garage is just an extension of my home. I don't like to mess it up by putting cars and pickups in here. That is crazy!

O.k. so we at Sibling Rivalry are a little slow at getting our store up and running, but believe me..there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes (that sounds so mysterious huh?).  My middle sister is working on our website and my oldest sister is...ummm....I don't really know.  But I know she has some great things for our store.  All handmade and very unique. My mom is also busily saving her wares for our store.  I am not sure how she fits into the sibling part...but she has good stuff so we will allow her to "play" with us! I will start posting some before and after pic's on the things that I am working on. So exciting!!

Horror for a Rooster!!

My daughter sent me this very sad tale of a rooster and a bully (aka, my son in law)..


You know how our chickens roam wherever they want to be.  They have an addiction to cat food.  No matter where we put it, they find it.  Well, today Luke (name changed to protect the not-so-innocent) moved it and he was going to just keep chasing them away until they figured out they can't be there.  He kept running outside and chasing them off each time we heard them near the food.  Well, eventually he decided to just go after the rooster since usually he's the leader of the pack. (though he's been an awesome rooster, really nice. We've gone through some mean stupid roosters)  Anyway, he started taking this big stick with him to chase them off.  Well, he went after the rooster and chased it into part of the yard where we'd just watered, and he slipped and fell and he threw his hand with the stick back to try and catch his balance (didn't work LOL) and hit the rooster.  But when he got up, the rooster was seizing and flopping around, and DIED!  OMGosh! LOL  He must have nailed it right at the back of the neck at it's spinal cord!!!  We have been half horrified half cracking up every since it happened...sad because he was a good rooster and we didn't want him dead, hilarious because WHO DOES THAT HAPPEN TO!???!?  I mean, seriously...who else would anything like that ever happen to??!  Luke seems to be struggling with a little PTSD over it.
In a nutshell, we're the Funny Farm



These are for my special son in law Luke (not his real name...remember)....