Happy Anniversary...Not

Yesterday was the wedding anniversary, not really a great one. Peter and I had lunch at On the Border. Then last night I had a conference for the school board with BOCES. Got home and that...was...it. I did find a new dress for prom on Saturday night.
Broke down and had my hair colored professionally for a change with a cut. So I should look presentable for Saturday night.
Of course it is supposed to be cold and wet tomorrow night. We can really use the moisture but I'm seriously thinking sweatpants and sweater for the dinner. The grass in our pasture is about 1/2 inch tall right now. It needs to get in gear and grow. I went to the farm supply store to buy some grass bales for the horses. Came home with 10 chicks. They were only a dollar apiece for straight run.
We are having pot stickers for supper tonight.
I didn't get up to watch the royal wedding. I watched when Diana and Charles got married. I was in Arkansas with my great-aunt visiting my great-grandpa Petrey.

Friday to do list

1. Put boys on bus, forget to send Easter baskets for the egg hunt at school.
2. Feed the animals, spill half the bag of hen scratch on the ground. I guess it's called scratch for a reason.
3. Take Eliza to get hair cut.
4. Pick up strawberries and angel food cake for Sunday dinner at parents.
5. Finally remember to pick up 2 inch screws for built-in bookcase. Bypass the baby chicks.
6. Arrive to work at pantry, forget lunch, have Pepsi tho, so all is not lost.
7. Pick up meat order at Woolsey's grocery store.
8. Pick up Eliza, forget to tell them to not put bow in hair as she doesn't leave it in.
9. Pick up mail, received property tax notice. Why is it always the same time as income tax?
10. Unload car.
11. Write in blog, wonder if ....
12. Pick up boys
13. Making tilapia for dinner with broccoli and cauliflower with rice. Paula Deen cake for dessert.

A trip to the dentist

Back, when I was a child, I dreaded going to the dentist. I ended up having every one of my baby teeth pulled, they just wouldn't come out. Even today I have a difficult time going to the dentist.
Took Andy to the dentist today to get a filling done. They didn't even have to give him a shot, they do it so differently now. Today's x-rays show that his 12 year molars are about to come through. He's only 9 years old. He's so advanced for his age. Now he doesn't have to go back until August and that's for a cleaning.

Another Snow Day

The superintendent called board members at 5:45 to see if we should close school. Knowing the temp was like one degree and I could hear the north wind battering the house, I readily agreed. So did the other members. No school.
So I spent the day making brownies and revising a Paula Deen casserole, since I didn't have all the ingredients. If it turns out alright I'll post it.
No chicken eggs today but I did find one duck egg. Frozen.
I have been feeding the horses extra rations of hay lately. In addition to their grain ration. This keeps up, they will need a diet in the spring. But they need the hay to generate body heat.
The chihuahuas left yesterday for their new homes. Soon Virginia will have her new house and can take Libby and maybe Lucy, they've been together so long. Which would leave us with three dogs. Danny is on his last days. So that leaves Eliza and Mischka. And...um...a new golden retriever puppy. There was one advertised on Craig's list but I couldn't get a response.

Fire starters Version 2

Last winter I posted about making fire starters. For starting fires in your fireplace. For a reminder- Melt old candles over simmering water. Use a metal bowl you don't really need anymore for the candles. Put dryer lint into each egg cavity in a cardboard egg carton (Styrofoam doesn't work well). The new version involves putting a teaspoon of old dried coffee into each cavity. Pour the melted candle wax over the lint and coffee. Let the wax solidify. Tear apart the egg carton. I usually use two cavities for each attempt at starting a fire. You can also add herbs and spices to add fragrance. Thanks to my mom for providing candles and dryer lint (our lint is too sandy, but what do you expect when we live in Desert). And thanks to Cheryl for suggesting the coffee addition. Cheryl makes her fire starters with coffee and shredded paper instead of lint. She's been shredding the really old papers at the school that we don't need any longer.

Winter Warmth

I have a collection of afghan and quilts that keeps on growing. My grandma W. used to knit. We have a green afghan that she knitted years ago. Alex likes to sleep with it sometimes. There is a brown, orange and white afghan that my other grandmother L. crocheted. I have baby afghans for each of the boys that Grandmas W. and S. knitted and crocheted. Both boys were baptized wrapped in the afghans that Grandma W. knitted them.

Then there is the collection of granny square afghans that my MIL and her sister made together. One for each of the boys someday.

Granny Bonnie, who is bff Magie's mom, made a quilt as a door prize for a Mother's Day drawing at church. I won it. Pastor Randy thought it appropriate that I win it. So did I. It's on the guest room bed. With matching pillow shams.

Two years ago Granny Bonnie made me a poinsettia quilt. This is the one we sleep with. Magie is the one who tied all the strings. I'm sure there's a technical term for the strings but I don't know it. Our house isn't the warmest in the winter when the north wind blows but that quilt does an excellent job of keeping one warm. Or maybe it's the three little dogs who just have to sleep with us. Usually the chihuahuas are under the blanket. Eliza sleeps on top of the quilt. Under her own blanket.

And finally, there are the little quilts that Granny Bonnie made for Alex when he was in preschool for naptime. I've been using those for James and Derek when they come out.

Resolutions by Default

It being only the 5th of the new year, I'm only a few days late for resolutions. Besides, I had to think of something worth trying.

Besides the obvious ones of eating healthier (blew that today by buying a 12 pack of soda) and exercising more (haven't tried the Wii exercise program; maybe next week.) Well, I've been busy. Monday there was no school so boys were home, Tuesday the boys went back to school (happy dance time) and I really don't know what I did that day except clean the living room. Wednesday I was in town. Tomorrow I go get hay and then volunteer at the school, pick up poultry from a friend going out of the poultry business. Friday I go back to town first thing in the am and then to the church for pantry and and some point I need to pick up firewood because Sunday and Monday it's supposed to snow. So, see, I don't have time this week to exercise.

Cleaning the living room on Tuesday is the result of moving the Wii to the family room, smaller tv but not my problem, and banning certain young men from the living room unless they are sitting on the couch watch the big tv. No food or drink allowed. Period. End of discussion. I've gotten tired of having to frantically clean the living room when someone is going to come over. The family room I can just shut the door and ignore the mess.

So one of the resolutions is to keep the living room clean.

Does finishing the horse barn by the end of February count as a resolution. Let's pretend it does. So that makes two specific resolutions.

Making it a threefer, learning a craft comes to mind. I'm currently working on a project for my dad's birthday at the end of the month. Not saying any more about this so he'll be surprised. Let's just say his present this year will be homemade.
By me with a large assist from bff Magie.

Going to make Peter one for Valentine's day. So that's my resolutions, such as they are.

Happy Anniversary

Today, August 1st, is my best friend Magie's wedding anniversary. After church today, we are bringing her three girls over for the day so that she and her husband can go on a date. I have "chores" for the girls to do. But I fear that they will be more interested in playing with baby James. Check out Magie's blog and wish her a happy anniversary. (see Magpie's meadow on the blog list, I haven't figured out how to do links yet or add pictures, I think those details are beyond me)

Pieces of this and that

Lily is still here. Fishing interfered with her leaving for the auction. And there was no auction on Saturday or Monday because of the 4th. Phoebe is here for awhile so we are getting some milk from here. Either the heat is getting to her or she's pregnant but she's only producing about a quart every other day. But she's quite the sweetheart.
When we went fishing on Monday (Peter had the day off) he caught one blue gill. Alex wanted to make a pet of it. The fish didn't survive 24 hours. Alex did find a praying mantis to bring home and put in his bug collector.
We have joined Facebook, mostly to let the boys play the games. We are having difficulty in getting onto Happy Aquarium. Magie says it is because so many people are playing it. So what is a good time to get on?
I found the rest of Alex's birthday bag of presents yesterday. Magie had the boys as I also picked up a desk from my MIL for Andy. Alex has a desk of my grandmother's. So we have those two desks, my grandfather's desk, a secretary from MIL, the boys computer desk (I know it's a little overkill) and the big computer desk. That's an awful lot of desks. And the boys will probably do their homework at the kitchen table. At least until they are a little bit older.
Today we clean house, Thursday Magie's girls are coming over and Friday is pantry day. Saturday I am taking Lily to the auction (really), picking up a pizza and having my parents and maybe my brother over for Alex's birthday. Sunday is church, we are getting closer to the 100 year celebration. Then on Monday I might be taking one or two of Magie's bucks to the Calhan auction. I do not want to take them at the same time as Lily. No that would be a BAD thing.

Change is good

So I made some changes to Green Gates Farm blog. I changed the design. I'm not talented enough to design my own. I added three new blogs to follow. One is Magie's Meadow, she's my bestest friend (yes Mom, I know "bestest" isn't a real word but that's the word Magie and I use.) I also added Carpool Queen and 7000 feet, both pretty awesome blogs and 7000 feet takes place in Colorado, yeah for Colorado. Nothing against the other 49 states, but you have to admit Colorado is pretty awesome. And I wasn't born here, nope, I'm a native Kansas girl.
So there will be some changes going on at the real life Green Gates Farm. We are selling Lily, one of the Boer does at the auction today. She's been butting Heartlee, Baby and Sasha around and they don't have a momma to take care of them. Well, Sasha does but Sage isn't getting up and doesn't acknowledge Sasha as hers anyway.
This next week I'll be gone most of the time helping Magie move to the new farm. and then the following week I'll start redecorating the master bedroom--wallpaper and paint, flooring. Hope to finish it by Alex's birthday on July 10. He will be 7.