Bethany & Brody

Summer Is Still Here!

2011-08-17T16:28:00.004-05:00

Summer has been busy around here. This coming weekend is the first time all summer we have had a "free" weekend, yet we still have 2 weddings, a hog roast, a trail ride, and a few other odds and ends that we have been invited to. Who knows what, if anything, we will do. I am definitely ready for the slow down that fall brings. In no particular order are a few pictures from this summer.

Cody and Mom working on her truck installing a new exhaust.

Brody riding his horse, Hoss Moe.

Brody at the Clark County Fair. He even made the front page of the local paper!

Early summer meal outside. This was shortly before he gave our dog the first bite of his supper. Directly off his fork. He then proceeded to take the next bite himself before I could respond!

Happy Mother's Day, Grandma Great!

June 2011 Flooding - there "should" be beans there.....

My dear friend, Kim, treated Brody to ice cream.

Cody wanted to take the kids fishing. What an experience!

This is how you sleep in the summer before your mom turns the air on in your house!

Relaxing in the porch swing at my folks.

God Made a Farmer

2011-06-23T10:11:00.002-05:00

Our local state senator, Brian Munzlinger, shared this today. I thought it was an awesome tribute to farmers. Please take a couple minutes to watch it and share.

God Made a Farmer

Horses, Hams, and Hot Days

2011-06-06T13:09:00.003-05:00

We have been pretty busy around Poverty Knob building fence, cleaning closets, hamming it up for the camera, and playing outside. Here's a few pictures from the last month or so.

AFTER Sunrise Easter Services at Church. We were both being silly!

Mother's Day was spent riding mules with my mama. Brody and his little mule, Maybe.

Rear view - Finally got fence put up and horses turned out. Love this view anytime!

We went camping Memorial Day weekend at Athen's State Park. Brody and I took a walk and found LOTS of snails. Note: He got excited about the picture and isn't exactly pointing at the snail. It's to the right of his finger.

Brody riding his horse, Hoss Moe! Thanks, Christy, for loaning us a horse while we are on the search for one!

This is what naptime looks like when your mama hasn't turned the air on and you've been playing hard all day!

Cowboys, Wallpaper, and Spiced Plum

2011-03-29T13:08:00.003-05:00

I've been wanting to do some painting in the new house since I bought the place, but didn't want to take the time before I actually moved in. Over the last 3-4 months, I have been picking up paint colors from home improvement stores, looking online, and trying any other avenue I can to figure out what I want to do. However, I have been stuck on the idea of having one orange-ish accent wall in my living room after seeing some pictures of an old college friend's home. Last week, I finally took my favorite of the color schemes to the local hardware store to see what I could come up with. I ended up walking out with a gallon of "spiced plum." Mind you, it is NOT what it sounds like.

Before we could start painting the living room and kitchen (all one big open room, basically), we had to remove some wallpaper border. This wasn't a HUGE ordeal, but the entertainment center is incredibly heavy. Cody and I couldn't get it moved at all, so we just made do with what we had. It was used alot over the weekend as a seat or ladder. It is also currently hiding my sandals that fell off my feet as I was touching up the corner.

Here is my "spiced plum" wall. I LOVE it! The rest of the living room and kitchen will be a tan color called "coastal sand." I like it so much, I am thinking about painting something else in the house the same color, but I'm not sure what.......
My favorite cowboy was quite the helper over the weekend. Grandma came over Saturday to help paint, but mostly to entertain Brody. I caught him watching Food Network on Sunday after church. I love the hands in the pockets and the cowboy boot slippers he is wearing.

Shingles!

2011-03-16T16:24:00.003-05:00

And not the kind that go on your house! Brody was sick all weekend, however, I never thought much of it since some bug has been going around again. I had also noticed on Friday night that he had a little scab-looking spot on his upper arm. I figured someone at daycare scratched him but kids play and he's bound to come home with a bump or scrape, so once again, I wasn't worried about it. Today, Dusty brought him to my office and showed me his arm. What I thought looked like dry skin on Monday night now looked like more of a rash working from his shoulder towards his elbow. Dusty took him to the nurse practitioner at the hospital and they suggested he go see the dermatologist. After multiple calls back and forth to me at work, the health department, and each other, the dermatologist determined that he probably has shingles or a cold sore of the skin. However, you treat both the same. What turned into a trip for a rash of some sort, has turned out to be quite an adventure for Dusty, Brody, and myself today! The doctor said start using the medicine immediately and keep him away from babies and pregnant women for 48 hours, soooo....looks like Brody can go back to the babysitter on Monday!

Why I love Fort Madison Community Hospital: Dusty left my office at 1:30 and by 3:30 had driven 45 minutes to Ft. Madison; seen the nurse practitioner; seen a dermatologist; and was headed to the pharmacy with a prescription. That's pretty darn good for 2 hours worth of time! If we would have gone to the local doctor, he would have probably still been in the doctor's office and been referred to a dermatologist to see sometime next week. This just reaffirms my decision to not use our local doctors anymore. Traveling to Ft. Madison means it is a little more expensive with gas and the doctor is usually a little higher priced, BUT it means that we are out less time of sitting and waiting which is worth a LOT with a 2 year old! Oh yeah. The hospital system has an efficient billing system that doesn't charge you late fees before they have even submitted the bill to your insurance company. That means less hassle and lower blood pressure on my part because I don't have to haggle and argue with the doctor's office. It's a win-win situation as far as I am concerned!

Website Help Needed!

2011-03-16T10:17:00.002-05:00

The Clark County Mule Festival is by far the largest event in Clark County every year. It is held on the 3rd full weekend of September every year at the Clark County Fairgrounds. As our event has grown, we have added a website that contains "most" of the pertinent information regarding the Mule Festival. It can be found at www.clarkcountymulefestival.com.

I am looking for someone who would be willing to update our website2-4 times per year. Approximate timing on this would be:

Shortly after the Mule Festival with the results of events (copy and paste the article I email to you); next year's dates; photos of the weekend; any other changes or additions
January - new officer results and picture
Possibly 1-2 times more throughout the year as we make changes

I don't forsee this as being more than 10 hours total per year to devote to updating the website. It is already a functioning website, however, like with any event website, needs updates. We are willing to pay someone to do it, however, we won't pay outlandish fees.

If you know of anyone who would be interested in doing this, or have suggestions, please email me at bethanyidavis@hotmail dot com. If you know of someone who needs experience for a class or a start-up business, we would also be interested in that. Our website needs updated soon!

In a Slump...

2011-03-15T14:00:00.002-05:00

It seems like over the last few days, several tragedies have struck. The earthquake and tsunami in Japan is probably what everyone has been hearing about the most. On a local level, we have had some tragic accidents, as well. An older gentleman that so many people knew and loved had a fatal one-vehicle accident Saturday night on the highway next to my old house. Unfortunately, the accident wasn't discovered until Sunday morning. I've been wondering if I would have heard the wreck if I was still living there or if I would have been able to do anything even if I "would" have heard it happen. All the while, I am ever so grateful that I don't live on the highway anymore. Last night, there was another wreck about 15 miles north of here that claimed the lives of 2 young men when they hit head-on. Ironically, I talked to one of them for the first time in years about 10 days ago. Today, a semi pulling a drill collided with a car about 5 miles from my office. I know that Air Evac was called in, but I don't know much more than that.

I guess they say bad things happen in "3's." I hope that our "quota" has been met for awhile. If you are of the praying type, please keep these families, as well as many others who are in need, in your thoughts and prayers.

Facebook

2011-03-11T08:15:00.002-06:00

For those of you who are friends of mine on Facebook, you may have noticed that you can't find me on there anymore. I usually don't adhere to the thought of giving up something for Lent, but this year, I decided that I wanted to. I realized I spend WAY too much time devoted to Facebook and "creeping" on other people's profiles. Yep. I am one of those. I check it at work. I check it at home. I check it on a Friday night when I am looking for something to do. Am I a Facebook addict? I don't know, but if I am, I don't want to admit to it. I've decided that I can be a much more productive person if I give up Facebook for awhile. Besides that, spring is getting close (didn't I mention that in a previous post?!?!), and we will be spending more time outside in the garden, building fence, and playing. That means I don't have time to devote to a "hobby" that is so bad for my eyesight (too much screen time). I had to break down and get glasses this year, so that statement hits close to home, too.

I'm not saying I won't be back to Facebook, however, I've got a 2 1/2 year old little boy that is growing up before my eyes and I don't want to miss any of it. Now don't get me wrong. It's not like I ignore Brody and spend every waking second with my eyes glued to a computer. However, I could spend that time reading a book; cleaning (ummm...maybe....); letting my feet get to know my treadmill better (probably the best idea yet!); or a multitude of other things. Basically, I have used Facebook as an outlet for my boredom. So now I need to find other ways to ease my boredom and be more productive. I doubt I give up Facebook completely, but I highly doubt you will see me there until after Easter. Until then, you can always call, text, or email me!

Weather, Challenge, and Other Nonsense

2011-03-08T12:18:00.005-06:00

I walked outside this morning and could have swore it was already in the 50s! Boy, was I sorely disappointed when I got in the truck and it showed 35 degrees! Either way, the snow has melted. The geese are headed north. Robins are everywhere! People are starting to talk about their flowers trying to poke through, also. All this leads me to believe - we are in for ONE MORE weather surprise before spring......

On Saturday morning, I went to Aldi's and spent about $25 on veggies and some yogurt for Brody's breakfast. I also went to Wal-mart to spend my life savings. I found out later, that someone far away is attempting to spend the Tri-State area's life savings! Apparently, several businesses in Keokuk got hacked. For those of us who used a debit card, we are now watching our accounts like mad men. So far, so good. The sad thing is, they had two chances to get mine, as I bought the bulk of my purchases, got down the road, and realized I had forgot two important things. Sooo....back I went to use my debit card. Again. Did I mention that Wal-Mart employees knew of this and were advised to NOT mention it to customers?!?! Oh yeah....back to the Challenge. We have had a few meals out (courtesy of someone else), but have still had pretty healthy meals. Last night, I made chicken stir-fry. I'm thinking Wednesday night, we will take Pizza Hut to Grandma's house (since she was sick last week), and then settle in for a few days of eating leftovers.

About 2 weeks ago, I had some problems with my truck. Basically, too much technology. To make a long story short, I took the old exhaust off and put a new exhaust on. Actually, I was a spectator for the most part. I did pretty good at being the "tool gopher" and "scrap remover," though! I filled up last night and did the calculations on the first full tank I've run through it. I've already increased my average by 3 miles per gallon! Not too shabby when fuel is at $3.75 a gallon!

Since spring will eventually be here, I've decided to spend some time getting to know my old friend, the treadmill, again. I did pretty good last week and was getting about an hour in over two sessions. This week, not so good. I think my body is also gunning for warmer weather and more sunshine. My cousin's wife and I have decided to do a weight-loss challenge over 60 days. As I told her, the weight doesn't really bother me, as I've been the same weight since my freshman year of high school. I just want to be in better shape and have some definition to my muscles. Well, I think I have muscles in there.....

Brody decided to dress himself one weekend recently.
Notice the sandals, John Deere bib, and belt buckle.

A dear friend bought this fire truck at my Grandpa's sale in 2000. At Christmas this year, he gave it to me. I think it was possibly my Dad's toy. And no, Brody does not get to play with it. He was just inspecting it that night!

Inventory

2011-03-01T09:59:00.005-06:00

My last post was about the 30 day challenge I am doing to clean out my pantry and freezer. On Saturday morning, I emptied the pantry and the freezer part of my fridge. I found the following:

10+ cans of various types of beans
3 bags of brown rice
2 bags of red kidney beans
3 boxes of cold cereal
2 boxes of instant oatmeal
2 jars of peanut butter
2.5 gal of juice PLUS 8 cans of frozen concentrate
3 boxes of assorted crackers + 2 boxes of animal crackers
5 packages of frozen brats
Various other canned, box and frozen goods

This doesn't include the deep freeze I have in the garage that I have yet to be brave enough to dig through. Off the top of my head, I know there are several roasts, multiple packages of pumpkin puree, 1 or 2 honey hams, and possibly some sweet corn and green beans.

So far, we have came up with several easy meals, including the following:

Steamed tilapia and veggies
Garlic butter shrimp with butter noodles
Taquitos and canned pineapple
Cheese quesadillas and baked potatoes with bean dip
Spaghetti and garlic bread

I have even re-purposed some of these meals. I cooked some brown rice and added it to the tilapia and veggies for lunch Monday. There were alot of butter noodles (spaghetti noodles thrown with butter, parsley, and garlic) leftover, so I dug the shrimp out and put the noodles in with the spaghetti. The bean dip was perfect for dipping veggies into for a snack, also.

Several people have told me they had the same problem with their pantry and out-of-control grocery bills, so they went to a monthly meal planner. I'm very seriously thinking about adopting this policy. I'm sure there will be a little more effort that goes into this, rather than cruising the aisles of the grocery store at 5 pm deciding what I will cook for supper. However, I'm sure it will be well worth it when I can cut my grocery bill in half. I have hardly ever bought more than 1 gallon of milk at a time, but when I stopped to think about it, there is no reason why I can't. Brody and I go through a gallon of milk in a week or less and usually the sell-by date is 2 weeks out or more. I stopped by last night and bought 2 gallons, so that should make it easier to stay out of the store for awhile, also!

Here is the link for the bean dip I made. I modified the recipe to suit the ingredients I had (pinto beans; lemon juice from a bottle; no coriander, onion, lime zest, or tomato paste) and it turned out wonderful! I spread it on my cheese quesadillas and my baked potato (I'm weird), and dipped green peppers in it.

Challenge

2011-02-25T08:34:00.003-06:00

Because of the impending storm we were to have last night, and the fact that I was already running short on milk, I stopped by the grocery store last night. I came home with some canned goods, brown rice, juice, milk, bananas, and some frozen fruit and veggies. When I went to the pantry to put away the canned goods, I thought, "Geesh. There's alot of stuff in here." Then I went to the freezer. Same thing. Lots of stuff. Did I mention I also have a deep freeze in the garage? Yep. You guessed it. Same scenario. Lots of stuff. I began thinking about all the money I spend every week going to the grocery store to "get the necessities." This usually entails a few duplicated items I've got at home already that I forget about because of all the other stuff I've got in there. After mulling it over for awhile and sleeping on it, I'm challenging myself to avoid the grocery store for the next 30 days and use up some of the stuff I've got in my freezer and pantry. Now I can't avoid the store completely. There are actual "necessities" that may need to be replenished over that time period. These include perishables such as milk, bread, eggs, and maybe a few fruits and veggies. I say "a few fruits and veggies" because I do have some canned and frozen, but not probably not enough to last us 30 days. I know I'll have to get more milk. Between Brody and I, a gallon won't last a week. I've got no reason to buy any meat, though. I have brats, roast, hamburger, chicken breast, fish, shrimp, and a couple hams in the freezer. If I dig, there are probably even a few steaks in there! We also have lots of beans, pasta, cereal, and random assortments of other pantry staples. Personal hygiene and cleaning supplies will still be needed, so don't send me hate mail or give me dirty looks if I go to Dollar General or somewhere else for these things, either.

Now don't get me wrong. Brody and I won't be living on Ramen noodles for a week if we get down to the end and I can't scrounge up enough stuff to make a healthy meal. I just want to clean out some of the excess we have stored up over the last year or more. That actually kind of sounds gross. Storing food for over a year? Ugh. I guess it's not like I've been storing a glass of milk on the counter for over a year, though.

So, do I have anyone else out there who will join me in this challenge so we can share recipes for random things and hold each other accountable? Like I said, I'm not going to avoid the grocery store completely. Props to you if you can avoid buying ANYTHING from the store for 30 days, though! I'm pretty sure we can make it 30 days, however, anything more than 2-3 weeks that will help clean up some excess is a pretty successful effort if you ask me!

Oh yeah. If you have any good recipes, please let me know. I'll try and keep a daily commentary on what we are doing for meals (or at least every few days) on here and Facebook.

It's Been Awhile...

2011-02-03T16:47:00.003-06:00

It has been awhile since I last posted. I don't feel terrible about it, though, as alot of my friends have also been lax on new posts, also. So here is a quick rundown...

Brody turned 2 in September and we had a little family get-together at the house for him. My friend, Amy, made the most incredible Thomas the Train cake for him. Brody talked about it for a month! Here he is waiting so patiently to blow the candles out while we sing to him.

In September, I closed on a little piece of property I like to call "mine." Well....I guess the bank owns it. I just get to live there for a nice yearly payment! Brody and I are thrilled to be off the highway and right in the middle of all our family. We have 20 acres to ourselves and the best neighbors ever!

Brody was a scarecrow at Halloween this year and had a blast!

This is what happens when you tell your boss you are snowed in for a second day. The state highway crews refused to run their V-plow down the blacktop in front of my house, so my boss and his dad scooped me and all my neighbors out.

Headed to a neighbor's house just south of me. The county V-plow made it through this. About 1/4 mile further, it was another 2-3 feet taller.

Summer 2010

2010-08-27T10:30:00.005-05:00

This summer has been terribly busy and I have not kept up well with updating the blog. Here are a few highlights since my last update:

My dear friend, Lesley, and I at her baby shower Memorial Day weekend. Greg and Lesley welcomed Tyler into the world July 13.

Brody and Papa Milton reading a Father's Day card.

My 10 year class reunion in June with some of my good friends from high school.

I asked Brody to help me set the table. He had the plates and silverware on there, but he was entertaining himself while I finished cooking.

Mom and I broke down 30 minutes from home along the 4-lane with 3 head of horses in the trailer. While we waited for Dad, we got the lawn chairs out, propped our feet up, and caught up on some reading. In 4 hours, we had 1 guy stop to offer assistance.

Brody LOVED the sprinkler this summer!

Grant's Farm

2010-05-18T14:39:00.004-05:00

Brody and I invited Mom to go to Grant's Farm on Saturday before Mother's Day. We left on Friday night right after work and then spent most of the day Saturday at Grant's Farm.

Brody was so glad to get out of the truck by the time we made it to the hotel. It took him about an hour to wind down!

Me, Brody, and Mom outside the Clydesdale stables.

Brody trying to get one of the bottle goats to leave him alone.

I guess Brody decided the goats were the right size to sit on...

...but the goat wasn't thrilled about this!

He was fascinated all day by poop. Horse poop, goat poop. Ugh!

I love the look on Brody's face when he was trying to feed the camel!

He was so tired by the time we made it to watch the elephant show. All he wanted was his plug and his dog.

We passed a load of Mercedes Benz cars & SUVs that were for the 71st PGA Championship Colorado Golf Club. They all said "Official Vehicle" on the back glass, too.

Brody sacked out on the way home.

April is....GONE!!!!

2010-04-30T09:58:00.007-05:00

I can't believe April is the same as gone already! We have been busy and I keep forgetting to put pictures up of everything we've been doing! Here are a few of the highlights!

Brody and Grandma Becki coloring Easter eggs.

Brody and his cousins, Olivia and Will Plant. The boys were not purposely dressed to match.

Chris and Brody walking to the truck. Brody was excited because they were talking about turkeys and gobbling. I think he might be a turkey hunter some day!

Brody worked to get up on the "tractor" and then got down immediately and picked up my sweatshirt that had blown to the ground. He had to get it for me before he could continue driving the "tractor." He is quite the little helper!

Walking in true "farmer style." Eyes to the ground and with a determined step.

Helping plant garden.

Farmer Brody not in a good mood first thing in the morning. I missed the shot of him with both hands in his pockets like the timeless picture of the two little boys that says "You been farming long?"

Eric's First Spring Turkey this year. He always finds a neat place to take pictures with his game.

Riding my sister's horse, Cricket, for the first time in a year. Mom has about 10 horses/mules, but due to various ailments, she is down to 2 that can be ridden, including Cricket!

Brody playing with my saddle after I was done riding.

Eric and I went mushroom hunting the other night. I was about to cross a ditch and said, "Dad and Grandpa, I'd sure like to find a nice mess of mushrooms." I crossed the ditch and took about 3 steps and then started laughing. I didn't know which way to turn to start picking! I finally got Eric to come help me pick. After about 20 minutes, we went to Grandma's and weighed them. We had picked 10 lbs of mushrooms!

Brody getting ready to leave the house this morning. Right before we left, he decided he wanted to wear his yellow mud boots instead. Why did I buy him tennis shoes?

Solo Mule Ride

2010-04-01T13:17:00.003-05:00

When you go to Grandma's house, to ride mules, you have to do chores first. Namely, feed the bottle baby. Brody wasn't real sure about it, but he gave it a try.

Helping Grandma with the bottle baby.

"All gone. Now what?" Brody then took the bottle and tried to find another goat to drink out of it. When that failed, he threw it on the ground.

Looking for one to ride, I think.

Going to get Maybe ready, but the cats on top of the stalls kept Brody pretty entertained, too.

Grandma, Maybe, and Brody. Brody was still talking about the cats above the stalls sleeping.

Oliver completely ignoring Brody.

Brody about fell off trying to lean down to point at his "yuck boots."

"Ok. Time to go. Get this door open!"

Brody wasn't afraid of riding at all. In fact, he would only hold on with one hand because the other hand was too busy pointing at everything else!

Hanging Out

2010-04-01T13:05:00.002-05:00

Brody and I have got to hang out alot here recently. Sometimes with friends. Sometimes with family. Sometimes just by ourselves.

Brody had to try on Sidney's pink shoes. I think this made Sidney's dad laugh and Brody's dad cringe...

Brianna, Sidney, and Brody watching something REALLY good on tv.

Grandma Jan came over for spaghetti one night and read some books to Brody. I'm not sure who enjoyed it more!

Brody got a toy tractor magazine from our friend, Brian. He sat on the floor one afternoon for about an hour looking at it saying "Tractor. Tractor!"

I found an old suitcase that Brody loves to play in/on.

Updates

2010-02-12T10:39:00.003-06:00

It's been a little crazy around here since I last posted, so here's a brief rundown of what has happened since about Christmas.

Brody is growing up and talking so much more. He is extremely interested in reading. He loves tractors, trucks, and boots, and if it doesn't deal with that, he won't have much time for it.
Between Christmas and New Year's, I got to meet up with one of my dearest friends, Lesley Meier. Since she lives in Oklahoma now, we don't get to see each other very much, but it's always great fun to catch up with her. She also kind of slid one over on me that I wasn't expecting. I hope I'm not letting the cat out of the bag, but her and Greg are expecting! I am so excited for them!
Brody and I got to spend some time with my sister, who came home from Colorado for 3 weeks. We hadn't seen her since September, so it was definitely good to see her.
My Grandpa Bourgeois was diagnosed with cancer right after the first of the year. It caught all of us off guard. He passed away 2 short weeks later on January 22. As strange as it is to say, we were all thankful in a way that it happened so quick. Grandpa did not want to suffer. We were all able to spend some time with him and many of us were with Grandpa as he passed away. We will miss him alot, but we know he is in a better place and finally reunited with his fishing buddy, my dad.
Brody has been sick a few times this winter. He's had ear infection (twice), bronchitis, and the scoots. Not to mention the runny nose and cough stuff, too. I feel so bad for him when he is sick because he doesn't understand what is going on and he can't tell me where it hurts. Usually, he just ends up cuddled up with me in the chair watching tv and snuggling under a warm blanket.
Last weekend, we celebrated my cousin, Josh's marriage. He was married in Hawaii before Christmas and had the reception back here. He married an awesome girl and we are very lucky to have Nikki as the latest addition to our family.
Oh yeah. And we have had snow. And more snow. And did I mention snow?!?! Usually I don't mind winter, but this winter has seemed to drag on forever. Usually in February we don't have this much snow. This is more like December weather, it seems. I'm wondering - is there an end in sight?

Grandpa Bourgeois

2010-01-19T09:35:00.003-06:00

My Grandpa Bourgeois has been very sick recently and his health is rapidly failing him. I hadn't posted anything on my blog for awhile, so I thought today would be a good day to share some pictures of him over the last couple years. Most of you don't know him, but if you could take a few minutes and say a prayer for him and keep him in your thoughts, my family and I would greatly appreciate it.

June 2008: Grandpa and I after our boat ride on the Mississippi and Fox River flood waters. Grandpa and I got into trouble from Grandma over this. I was about 6 months pregnant!

June 2008: Grandpa in the other boat taking in all the damage from the flood waters.

August 2008: Western Illinois Threshers - Grandpa and I parading Grandpa-Great's John Deere A.

August 2009: Western Illinois Threshers - Grandpa and Brody relaxing in the Raffle Building
September 2009: Grandpa watching the great-grandkids playing at Brody's birthday party.

Grandpa - we all love you so much and wish you were home and well.
We are trying our hardest to stay strong for you!

Santa has BOOTS!

2010-01-05T15:49:00.004-06:00

Santa made a special visit to our house a few days before Christmas. Brody was not real happy about this strange guy in a red suit in our house, though.

It was kind of ok to be this close, as long as I was sitting there, too.

Eventually, Brody realized that Santa had "BOOTS!"

Brody wanted his boots on, then, so Santa held Brody and I put them on. As soon as they were on, though, he wanted down. There wasn't any sticking around to check this guy out!

Oh, but wait! Santa also has candy!

Santa tried to hold onto the candy just a tad bit long so I could get a picture. Brody was getting a little upset about this, but I got a picture and Brody got the candy.

Maybe next year, things will go a little better and Brody won't be near as frightened by Santa.

The Christmas Tree Excursion

2009-12-07T14:36:00.005-06:00

Eric and I decided that on Sunday, we were going to get the Christmas tree. I wanted a cedar tree, as this is Brody's first year of being "mobile" and I thought this might be a good way to keep him out of the tree. By the time Eric got done hunting and Brody had a nap, it was about 1 pm. We had quite the time on our excursion!

Brody playing in his bathrobe and pajamas while we waited for Eric to come get us after hunting.

Deep in thought.

And we are off!

Eric cutting down the FIRST tree.

Brody looking for the perfect tree.

The SECOND tree. The first one wasn't as good as we thought once we got it out in the open, so we cut the top out of a nicer, taller one!

Brody's "ride"

Eric and Brody having a discussion about the sunglasses.

We lost the tree on the highway. Eric had to run back and get it off the road. He kept hollering as I was taking pictures. He finally got close enough I could hear him over the truck and my laughter..."Quit taking pictures!" He was laughing pretty good, too, about the whole ordeal!

This is after Eric cut about 6" off the bottom. He had to cut some more off the bottom and then some off the top, too.

Hopefully, Brody and I will get the tree decorated tonight. I will put some more pictures up then. This should be an exciting Christmas and I can't wait! We got our first snow this morning and should get some more this week the way it sounds!

The Last Nice Day of November

2009-12-07T13:44:00.003-06:00

Brody and I spent one of the last "nice" days of the year outside playing for awhile. Grandpa Steve was cutting beans behind the house, too, so we didn't get to stay out as long as I had hoped. The Asian Beetles were attacking pretty bad as he got closer to the house cutting beans.

Brody getting out of the wagon and watching "Papa tractor."

"Papa tractor" aka Grandpa in the combine

Busy, busy, busy.

"Papa wait for me!"

Shorts and boots. He loves his boots!

Nikki's Bridal Shower

2009-12-07T13:30:00.002-06:00

My cousin Josh is getting married in about a week in Hawaii. Unfortunately, Brody and I will be staying home and awaiting the pictures of the grand event! We were able to attend a bridal shower thrown for Nikki on November 7 at Lula Belle's in Hannibal, though. It was a very nice time and they received lots of gifts.

Nikki and her two grandmothers-to-be.

Nikki, her future mother-in-law, and future sister-in-law.

Ladies Ride

2009-12-04T10:54:00.002-06:00

Every year on Columbus Day, Mom tries to get the ladies together for a trail ride somewhere. This year, she decided she wanted to go to Mark Twain Lake. It's close to home, but has great trails. Mom and another lady camped all weekend. I found a babysitter for Brody and hauled down to meet those two, as well as another lady. Although there were only four of us, we had a great day. The weather was great (even though we all had extra layers on) and the company was better!

Me and Mary Kay

Mary Kay, me, and Jennifer having lunch and discussing our critters.

Me, Jennifer, and Mary Kay in front of the cabin.

One of these days, we will get someone else to take the pictures besides Mom!

National FFA Convention

2009-12-02T13:07:00.004-06:00

My sister, Ashton, was receiving her American FFA Degree in Indianapolis, Indiana at the National FFA Convention. Mom, Dad, Milton, Doris, Brody and I packed into the van on Friday morning and headed towards Indiana. We got there Friday evening and took the scenic route through the airport parking lots. Saturday morning, we got up around 4 am and hopped a bus headed for the Convention Center. We did quite a bit of walking to get where we needed to be, too. We got to see a few things, but the trade show was already done.

Brody and Grandpa checking out the Green Streak pulling tractor.

I'm pretty sure she's wrapped around his little finger and he doesn't even know it yet!

Grandpa and Brody discussing how the tractor operates.

Brody digging his fingernails into Grandpa's scalp while he checks out the view from above.

Our crew: me, Mom, Doris, Ashton, Milton, Dad, and Brody.

So tired.

Aunt Ashton and Brody had to check out the escalator and the upstairs while we were waiting on our bus back to the hotel.

They rolled this tractor out the front doors of the Marriott hotel in downtown Indianapolis.

Old Settler's Day

2009-10-16T16:07:00.002-05:00

Old Settler's Day in Kahoka was September 26. Brody was in the baby contest, but didn't place, even though he's the cutest baby I have EVER seen! Later, we drove Grandpa Bourgeois' 1931 Ford Model T truck through the parade. Brody wouldn't wave at anyone, but he clapped the whole time!

Hanging out with dad waiting for the baby contest to start.

Brody and Jackson Steele plotting something.

Grandma Jan and Brody on the BWH waiting for the parade to begin.

Brody and me in Grandpa's truck before the parade.

Lunch on the go! Good thing Grandpa doesn't mind a few crumbs in his old truck!

Brody's Birthday!

2009-10-16T15:25:00.004-05:00

Brody turned 1 on September 8, 2009. We had a small party for him with just family at the house on September 7, 2009.

Erika, Avery and Brody in the wagon.

Grandpa, Miranda holding Will, Olivia and Grandma Jan.

Grandma, Aunt Dee, and Dennis

Aidan, Jeremy, Chris, and Hank

Most of the Bourgeois grandkids.

Brody's cakes I made.

Brody enjoying his cake!

Grandma Becki and Brody opening presents.

Aunt Dee, Dennis, Chris, Will, and Dena.

Grandpa Steve recording.

One of my favorite pictures of the night - Brody and Jeremy discussing the balloons flying away.

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie...

2009-09-15T09:25:00.003-05:00

...but what about sleeping coyotes? This guy was sunning himself on a bale right across the highway from where I work. He watched some of the cars go by and then laid his head back down for a nap. Most people driving by would never have seen him because he blended in so well with the sun-bleached bale. However, he was only about 100' from the highway, if that.

Brody's New Wagon

2009-09-08T10:45:00.006-05:00

Grandma Becki got Brody a wagon for his birthday. She came over Saturday night to put it together at my house so we could use it on Sunday at Old Thresher's in Mt. Pleasant. Brody was right in the middle of all of it and watching every bolt and nut being put in place.

Playing with the sideboards.

Helping put the wheels on.

Being a daredevil and standing up in the wagon.

Time for a drink.

Hard work!

He loved being pulled around the house in it. When I stopped, he got mad!

This is the only picture I took of Brody at Mt. Pleasant this weekend. He had a blast! He got to ride with Danny on the Indiana again and screamed like I was beating him when I took him off of it. He loved watching all the tractors go by as they lined up for the parade.

Busy as Bees!

2009-08-25T10:50:00.004-05:00

Brody and I have been pretty busy the last few weeks and it doesn't get much better until October! This past weekend is probably going to be the last unplanned weekend I will see for awhile so I figured I better get a few things done around the house. Here are a few pictures I took with my phone. They are not the best quality, but they are still pretty good for a phone.

It was time to get out some "new" toys. This is Brody's first tractor. Santa brought it for him at Christmas. He kept trying to figure out the steering wheel on it.

Brody and Hank. Hank was being a guard dog. The next picture shows what he treed. He made sure to stay between it and Brody the whole time, even after I shot it.

Big old groundhog Hank treed in the backyard. At first I thought it was a coon because it was so thick I couldn't see up in the tree very well. I didn't know for sure what it was until Hank drug it out from under the tree after it was dead.

Brody getting a cat nap in at 7:30 this morning.

My truck after I partially debadged it and washed and waxed it this weekend.

Time Does Not Heal All Wounds...

2009-08-21T09:19:00.003-05:00

Two years ago today, my life got turned upside down when my Dad passed away totally unexpectedly. I was also dealing with some other major issues in my life at the time, which thankfully, he never knew about. The next few months, I pretty much ran on autopilot. The first year without Dad was extremely rough. This year has not been much easier. They say time heals all wounds, however, I don't think this wound will ever be completely healed. Nothing in life is guaranteed. Remember to tell your loved ones how much they mean to you as often as you can. You never know when your last chance is.

Love you and miss you lots Dad!

Summer Time!

2009-08-18T11:55:00.004-05:00

I had a few pictures on my phone of Brody this summer and all he has been "in" to!

Brody's first ear of corn. He wasn't real sure about how to get it to his mouth, so he went to the ear of corn! The next time he had corn on the cob, he knew what to do, though!

Brody sitting on my horse, Arty.

I love the look on his face! Too bad it is the WRONG color tractor! Thanks to the Buckert's for trying to corrupt my child with Case!

Here we go...MUCH better! Uncle Wendel and Brody checking out Grandpa's JD 1020.

Brody did NOT want to get off!

He figured out the toilet paper roll. Notice about half a roll of paper laying on the floor! And when he turned around, he smiled so big! He was so proud of his accomplishment!

Western Illinois Threshers 2009

2009-08-10T13:38:00.006-05:00

Western Illinois Threshers in Hamilton, IL was this past weekend. Brody and I had a great time and got to see some old friends, as well as make a few new ones.

Thursday night, Brody found a girlfriend and they were inseparable. Lisa Bolton was more than happy to entertain Brody while I helped a little in the raffle building.

Danny Buckert and Brody on the Indiana. Brody leaped towards Danny when he reached for him and really enjoyed riding. I think Danny kind of liked taking Brody for a ride, too!

Grandma Jan and Brody in the raffle building playing with "Aunt Karen's" markers.

Brody and his Great-Grandpa Bourgeois taking a break.

Grandpa parading his 1931 Model A pickup.

Grandpa making a second trip through, only this time on a 1936 Model A that his father bought brand new in the spring of 1937.

Me on Grandpa's 1964 1020. This was the last tractor that my Great-Grandpa (Brody's great-great grandpa) Bourgeois bought. It was sold in the 80s and Grandpa finally got it bought back this last fall. He repainted the tractor by himself, except for the hood, which he hired done. He is very proud to have this tractor back in the family and I was very proud to parade it both days.

Kids games on Sunday. My cousin, Jeremy, giving his son, Aiden, instructions on how to find the money in the straw.

Aiden searching hard for that money!

Grandpa and Avery watching Aiden.

Jeremy and Aiden parading the A on Sunday.

A very good family friend, Larry Holmes, on his Minneapolis-Moline. I don't remember all the details, but this is a VERY rare tractor.

My step-brother, Chris, parading my Dad's B.

My step-mom, Jan, parading my Dad's BWH. It was the feature tractor in 2008.

Another good friend, Kyle Buckert, assisting a friend, Carly, while she parades Buckert Farms BO.

Pictures to come soon....

2009-08-06T08:23:00.003-05:00

So I realized today that it has been almost a month since my last post. I thought I would stick a little note up to apologize for that! Sorry! We have been busy around our place. Gardening, going to the fair, doing Mom's chores while she is on vacation, playing, a family reunion, and now...getting ready for Western Illinois Threshers. Brody and I will be headed over tomorrow to visit with everyone and see the sites and just have a grand old time. I promise next week I will post pictures of this weekend, as well as a couple others from the last month.

Oh yeah...hard to believe, but Brody will be 11 months old on Saturday, August 8th. Where has the time gone? That means only 1 more month until he turns 1!!! He is making hot laps around my coffee table at night and will attempt to stay standing without holding on to anything. He has yet to attempt any steps without assistance, but will push around the dining room chairs that are on rollers and anything else that will move. He also uses me for a jungle gym at night. I lay down on the floor and he crawls all over me or sits on my back waiting to "ride the horse." Usually by the time he is ready to go to bed, we are both worn out!

Play Time!

2009-07-07T14:49:00.004-05:00

Brody and I had a lot of fun playing Sunday and Monday night. Here are some pictures of him entertaining me and himself. Who needs a tv anyhow?!?!

Brody was determined this coat needed to be on the floor for him to play with, rather than on the back of the chair!

He has discovered the OTHER purpose of a laundry basket. The first time, he fell in it. Then it became a game!

This was a somewhat purposeful move.

Trying to pull himself a little further in.

Almost there!

Getting closer!

Now for the fun part!

"Hey Mom! Glad you folded all these clothes so I would have something soft to stand on!"

Getting brave...only one hand needed.

For several years, I would always go out to a bar for my birthday. Now that Brody's here, I am content to stay home and enjoy all the time I can with him. After Brody was done playing in the basket, we went to Mom's house and she grilled pork steaks, portobello mushrooms, yellow squash, and zucchini. She also had cucumbers and onions and baked potatoes. It was definitely a feast! She had also made a Texas sheet cake from scratch that she had brought over for me to take to work Monday morning. I brought that back and she had made brownies for Dad. Needless to say, we never made it to dessert! It was probably one of the most enjoyable birthdays I have had in a long time.

Brody's First Haircut

2009-07-07T14:24:00.003-05:00

Brody is almost 10 months old now and his hair was starting to hang over his ears. His "comb-over" would get in his eyes, too. Although I wasn't ready to tackle this "landmark," it was becoming a necessity. My Aunt Dee owns the Harbor Hairbender in Oqauwka, IL and I had asked if she would give him his first haircut. We don't get up there much, so I thought this would be a good way to spend part of our Fourth of July weekend, too. She also has blueberries and I was excited to pick some of those for blueberry muffins!

Brody wasn't real excited about our trip. He did wake up just as we were getting into Burlington to eat lunch and do a little shopping.

Aunt Dee and Brody before the haircut.

Mommy and Brody after the haircut! He was such a little trooper. He sat very well and even let Aunt Dee use the clippers around his ears.

Brody and his favorite hair stylist, Great Aunt Dee! He is such a little ham!

After the haircut and a snack and some playtime for Brody, we went out to pick blueberries. I threw a blanket on the ground and let Brody play in the shade. He did okay for awhile, but then I got behind a couple bushes and he couldn't see me. He was also tired, which didn't help. After spending some time running back and forth between Brody and the blueberries, we decided to call it a day. Aunt Dee fixed a wonderful supper that was very quick and easy. Following is the basic recipe:

Frozen bread dough (thawed and left to rise)
Meat (chicken, sausage, etc.)
Veggies (potatoes, peppers, onions, etc.)
Shredded cheese
Egg
Seasonings to taste

After the bread dough has thawed and been allowed to rise, roll it out fairly thin. Cook meat (she used chicken) and veggies (she used potatoes, green peppers, and onions) together in a skillet. Season with salt and pepper and any other seasonings you like. Place bread dough on a cookie sheet and place cooked meat and veggies along one edge. Mix up shredded cheese and egg(s) and pour mixture over the meat and veggies. Fold over dough to form a pocket around the filling. Seal edges. Bake at 400 for about 30-45 minutes.

Brody fell asleep before supper and they had company coming over around 6 pm. We left and headed home. It was a fun day and I was glad that we got to see Aunt Dee and Dennis.

Riding at Mark Twain Lake

2009-07-07T14:06:00.003-05:00

Since Monday was my birthday and I needed to work, I decided to take off Friday, July 3rd. We were going to be slow at work and Mom had the day off work, also. We decided we were going to go ride somewhere since we don't get to do that much these days with just the two of us. After much discussion of places to go, we decided to go to Mark Twain Lake and ride the trails. On Mother's Day weekend, I had gone with Mom and another group of people to help clean up a cemetery and some of the trails, so it was nice to be able to ride and just enjoy the day.

Me and my Momma getting ready to head out.

Riding my step-dad's mule, Buck.

Mom and Goldie. This is a molly mule that she bred and raised.

My Two Boys!

2009-07-01T09:09:00.003-05:00

Monday night it was WAY too nice to be inside, so I grabbed an old blanket and threw it on the ground so that Brody and I could play and have a picnic, too. Of course, anytime we are outside, Hank is involved, too! It was quite a challenge keeping Brody and Hank out of the plate of food I had made for Brody's supper, but we managed.

Hank LOVES to play fetch. He thought Brody was going to throw it for him, so he is "assuming the position."

Brody didn't throw the stick, as he thought it was a pretty neat toy. Hank got tired of waiting, so he very gently reached out and took it back from Brody. Brody is trying to get it back.

Hank does really well with Brody. He let Brody crawl all over him and pick at his feet.

I thought this was a really good picture of Hank. Yes...I realize Brody's hair is getting pretty long. It is getting cut this weekend by my aunt.

We went to Grandma Becki's house later and Brody was very insistent that he feed himself. It takes both hands to push the puff in!

3 Sticks and 1 Flat Barn

2009-06-24T11:48:00.003-05:00

Last night we had some pretty bad winds go through Clark County. Luckily, Brody and I were not home and as far as I know, no one was hurt. I barely had any sticks (maybe 3 twigs in the whole yard) or leaves off the trees in my yard, however, this is all that is left of one of the buildings at my house. They used it to park some small equipment in. I'm not real sure if there was anything in there or not. The grass was pretty wet and the field was pretty muddy, so I only walked down the drive to take a couple pictures. If you look closely at the field, you can see a ditch that is being made from all the rain we are receiving. There is a gravel road that runs north at the top of that field and the water is running off of it, down the field, and into the ditch at the bottom of the hill.

This is the east side of the big barn you can see in the other picture. The building that was blown down is on the north side of this barn. This door was shut and it blew hard enough to blow it open, also. From what I can tell, there was no damage to this barn.

Shoeing Day

2009-06-24T11:31:00.002-05:00

When the farrier comes to Mom's house, it's an all day affair. Brody and I usually try to go over and help as much as we can. Sometimes, that isn't much, though!

Brody and Grandma checking out Mom's horse, Arty. The dogs were catching Brody's attention at the time. Arty will usually smell all over him and Brody laughs and giggles.

Brody riding Ashton's dog, Angel, as Mom's dog, Sooner, looks on.

While we were waiting on Eric, Mom sat Brody down in the corn tank. He wasn't real sure about the feeling and kept looking at us to see how he should be responding to it.

Brody finally got interested in the corn. It was really cute watching his little feet wiggle around!

Brody played too hard at Grandma's and finally sacked out. He slept in the stroller for quite awhile until Eric hit the anvil. Luckily, he woke up happy!

Elana's Wedding

2009-06-24T11:03:00.003-05:00

My oldest friend, Elana, got married June 6th in Iowa City. Elana and I went to kindergarten together at Luray (a very small town west of Kahoka). I started going to Black Hawk (in Kahoka) in 1st grade and Elana ended up there, also, in about 5th or 6th grade. We graduated high school together and she eventually moved to Columbia to go to MU and we ended up living together for a couple years. Another good friend and former roommate, Dana, and her husband, were also in attendance at Elana's wedding, so there was NO WAY I could miss out!

Dana and Broderick had planned on saving me a seat at the church. However, when I got the church found in Iowa City, I couldn't find any parking. After about 10 minutes of driving around and talking to Dana on the phone (they had to stop at DQ for a blizzard!), I found a parking garage. Driving a 3/4 ton pickup has its challenges in a bigger town! After realizing that I WOULD fit in the parking garage, I faced the next challenge. Making it around the corners from one up ramp to the next. They were such tight turns that I had to stop and back up in order to make it every time. After Dana and Broderick finally found the garage, I met them at the bottom and rode up to where I was parked. We made it to the church before Elana made it down the aisle, but we had to pass her in the hall to get to the sanctuary!

After the ceremony, we skipped the receiving line and jetted out to make it to the reception before the other guests. Dana and I were in charge of receiving gifts. The reception was held in the University football stadium in one of the press rooms (?) and was just as beautiful as the wedding. Although I had to leave before it was all over with so I could make the 1 1/2 hour drive home to get Brody from Mom's, I had a fabulous time and was so happy to be able to share in Danny and Elana's wonderful day!

Dr. and Mrs. Danny Liu cutting the cake.

BJ, Jennifer, and Hunter Cooper - also good friends from high school.

The 3 Amigos! We had alot of good times together!

Jennifer and I

Elana being a dork!

Brody's Latest Antics

2009-06-01T10:31:00.007-05:00

Sunday night after Brody's bath, he was playing in the living room while I was flipping through a magazine. I noticed earlier that he was getting really good at setting himself up. As I watched him, he crawled over to my picture windows and got himself pulled up to his knees to look out the window at the cars going by. I decided I needed to go get the camera so I would have proof! As I got outside, I saw that Hank was also out in the front yard rolling around in the grass providing Brody with more entertainment. Hank was oblivious to the fact that I was around. He came trotting around the house towards the truck and then spotted me. This is usually what people see Hank look like when they pull in at work or at home. He gets really serious and he was just about to bark at me until he realized I wasn't some random person sneaking up on him!

Brody sitting up and thinking about grabbing the window cranks for leverage.

He has ahold of the window crank and is pulling himself closer.

Ta Da! He is up on his knees where he has a good vantage point of Hank playing outside and the cars going by on the highway. The neighbor was working ground across the road, too, so Brody watched him go back and forth for quite some time, too.

Brody kept going to the window and sitting up on his knees for about 30 minutes last night. I had just about given up taking pictures of him, as I had already shot a bunch of pictures of him doing this trick. When he went towards the far window, I started watching him pretty carefully. I was so glad I had my camera close because I couldn't believe what he did next and I am sure no one else would have, either! Disclaimer: These are not posed pictures. I was sitting in the glider rocker when he did this about 10 feet away. I had nothing to do with it.

He started out just like every other time, so I didn't start taking pictures until he did THIS!

And then he did THIS!!!

Brody STOOD unassisted for about a minute or so and then kind of let himself down to this point. Then his legs and arms must have got tired because he let go and fell over backwards.

Brody hasn't even really crawled yet. He has taken a few "steps" on all fours, but he hasn't got it figured out yet. Is he going to go straight to running everywhere?!?!

Gardening, Cooking, and Shooting

2009-06-01T09:47:00.004-05:00

Friday night I borrowed my aunt's tiller and got a small area tilled up in my garden finally. Saturday morning I went to town and bought 9 tomato plants (3 cherry, 3 regular, and 3 heirlooms). I also bought 9 pepper plants (3 each of red, green, and yellow). As long as I don't forget to water them, the rabbits don't eat them, Hank doesn't dig them up, and the weeds don't overtake them, I should be pretty set for peppers and tomatoes!

This weekend, I decided it was time to clean out the deep freeze. Fresh produce is right around the corner and I need to make some space. I had thawed out a whole ham, some cherries, and some sweet corn. Sunday afternoon I cooked the ham and made cherry crisp. I had planned on just eating off of all this all this week but was really glad when Mom and Dad showed up to see Brody for awhile about the time I was fixing a plate for me and Brody. They had perfect timing for a good meal!

Sunday afternoon Mom called me on the way to take lunch to Dad in the field. She asked me to come over in a little while to shoot her new gun. She has a .38 Special handgun. We set up 2 fiberglass fence posts with some styrofoam and neon targets in the field behind the summer house and stepped off 21 feet. She shot several rounds and then let me take a turn. We went through 2 boxes of shells. I was pretty impressed with Hank, too. He is not gun shy. We did hold our hands over his ears when we were shooting, because it was pretty loud and I didn't want him to have any hearing damage. While I was shooting, I hit the fiberglass fence post and it ripped it out of the ground and sent it flying out into the waterway. Mom was watching Hank's reaction as I was shooting, so she didn't see it. As soon as he saw it flying through the air, he went running after it to "fetch" it! When we picked it up, there was a sliver of the bullet left in it. We also found a bullet laying on the ground by the targets. It was definitely fun and I can't wait to do it again!

Avery's Birthday Party

2009-06-01T09:35:00.002-05:00

On Saturday evening, Brody and I loaded up and went to a birthday party for my cousin Jeremy's youngest boy, Avery. He will turn 3 on June 2. It was beautiful weather and at a beautiful place! Jeremy's brother-in-law was having a hog roast for their friends and family so they just had one big party for everyone at their place WAY out in the country. They live on a hilltop and you can't see ANYONE or anything but trees for miles. I would love to have a place like that someday!

Brody and Jeremy's wife, Miranda hanging out.

Birthday boy Avery. He is ornery, but he gets it honest. After all, he is a Bourgeois!

Jeremy thought Brody needed a party hat, too. Brody really liked the party favors!

They Grow Up So Fast!

2009-05-29T09:25:00.004-05:00

I forgot to bring my camera inside last night, but Brody actually crawled while he was up on all fours! At first I thought I was just seeing things because I was partially preoccupied with other things. Then I started watching a little closer. He made about 3 "steps" forward. He tried it several other times, too. I am guessing that by the end of next week, he will be fully mobile! Oh yeah...and he is really learning how to pull himself up on things. He had the clothes basket against the couch last night and pulled himself up to it. He was on his knees looking into it. Later, he was in the dining room and kept pulling himself up on the bottom rung of the highchair. That wasn't working as well, though, because of the linoleum. He is just growing up so fast! Before long he will be graduating high school!

Ready, Set, GO!!!

2009-05-28T17:03:00.006-05:00

Brody is all over the place these days. He is doing a modified army crawl. His right arm stays crossed in front of him and pulls him forward. The left arm is out to the side for support. The left foot pushes and the right foot just gets pulled along behind. Last night at home, he was into everything and just being funny.

"Hey Momma!"

I don't know what the deal is with the tongue sticking out, but it was in alot of the pictures I took last night.

I got him to lay still beside me for about 10 seconds and then he was off again.

He went over the top of me and ended up behind me. I got this picture taken right before he got a handful of hair. As you can see, he is reaching for it!

This is what I see alot of. Brody scooting away from me. Notice the left foot pushing and the right leg up in the air.

He is fascinated with the knobs on the windows.

Last night I caught him pulling himself up on all fours to get a better look at them.

One of Brody's favorite "toys." A formula can with the scoop inside to rattle. He lays on his back and shakes it gently back and forth and his legs go crazy kicking! It's pretty good entertainment for both of us!
"Ya caught me!" I have the footstool and the boppy pillow sitting in front of the TV cords so that he won't chew on them or pull them out of the wall. Of course, that is his favorite past time!
"One more minute! I'm getting ready to read this book!"
"Ok Mom. I got the book. Now help me sit the rest of the way up!"

House Update

2009-05-28T16:41:00.005-05:00

It's been a couple weeks since I uploaded, or have even taken, any pictures of Mom's house. They haven't got much done due to the lovely weather we have been having. For those of you who don't know...we have received our fair share of rain. Progress has been a little slower than they hoped, I think. Here are a few pictures I took shortly after the house came down. Hopefully I will get over there tonight and get some more taken.

Here is what was left at quitting time the day they started tearing the house down.
The bees were finally gone by the next afternoon. This was all that was left.
Except for the couch that I used to sleep on in the basement and a few other odds and ends.

Dad is standing where the stairs started going up out of the basement.
Mom and Brody are supervising. This picture is from the back door basically, looking towards the barns.

Random Pictures

2009-05-19T12:14:00.002-05:00

These are just a couple random pictures of Brody I had I thought I would post.

Brody and I, along with several other friends and family, helped Mom and Dad move a couple weeks ago. Tim was laying on the kitchen floor in the rent house and Brody crawled over to him. Tim propped him up beside him and then Brody decided he needed help getting a drink of juice.

Brody and Tim hanging out on the kitchen floor.

Brody was pretty tired that evening, but just didn't want to give up.

Outside!! Finally!!

2009-05-13T10:47:00.003-05:00

The temperatures have been fairly pleasant the last several weeks. However, the rain has continued, so Brody and I haven't been able to get out much until recently. We have been making the most of it, though. Clothes on the line, playing fetch with Hank in the evenings, and whatever else we can do to be out and about.

Brody hanging out in the playpen on the back step.

Look at that grin! I guess the toys were tasty, too!

"I better latch onto these toys so Hank doesn't think he can play fetch with them, too!"

I hope everyone else has been able to enjoy the weather! I managed to get the yard mowed last night, but I was mowing in high gear to try and get done before it started pouring rain. It sprinkled on me the last 30 minutes, but I got it done! I was hoping tonight I could get my garden tilled up and set some tomatoes and peppers out. I am guessing that won't happen, as they are calling for major storms later. This year my garden isn't in a low spot, so maybe I will have better luck! If not, Grandpa said he put in plenty of tomatoes again this year "so the grandkids will have something to eat!"

It's Coming Down!!!

2009-05-06T08:34:00.003-05:00

My Mom and Step-dad have been talking about building a house for about 10 years. Maybe more. This past winter, they really got serious about it. It seemed like every weekend for a couple months, they would make at least one trip to Burlington or Quincy to Lowe's or Home Depot or Menard's or any other home store they could find. Every night they worked on house plans and went through magazines that Mom had been "collecting" over the years with house plans in them. This past weekend, they moved into their "summer house." Brody and I helped as much as we could and they had several friends come help with trucks and trailers, also. Brody and I hosted lunch at our house on Saturday and then we took the leftovers to the "summer house" for supper.

Mom had told me last night that they were going to start tearing down the old house today and were scheduled to be in there around 8:30 or 9. I decided I should run over before I went to work at 8 to take pictures before they started tearing it down. When I got there, this is what I found.
When I called Mom to tell her they had already started, she said, "Seriously?" After asking me the same basic question about 5 times in 5 different ways, she finally realized I was serious and came flying over with her video camera.

If you notice in the first picture, Brock has the door open on the trackhoe. In this picture, it is closed. There is a swarm of bees that lived in the chimney and they were not thrilled when he came "knocking" on their door at 8 am. He is tearing into the living room and dining room wall.

If you look closely at this picture, you can see all the bees swarming around. They were crawling all over the siding, too.There used to be a front porch here. Directly underneath the bucket is an arched doorway that went from the living room into the dining room. To the right of that was the master bedroom.

This is the backside of the house. The farthest window on the left is the master bedroom, then Ashton's room, then the office. The window on the far right is the bathroom. The door goes straight down to the basement or right up into the laundry room.

This is the last I will see of the house. I was pulling out of the driveway headed to work. The bucket is directly over where the front porch and stairs used to be.

Although it is kind of sad to see it go, it was an old house that had lots of problems (leaks in the roof they couldn't find, electrical issues/old wiring, leaking/wet basement, etc.) that would have cost a lot of money to fix and they would still have an old house.

I'm going back out at lunch to see what all has happened and take more pictures. I have seen a couple of Bub's trucks go by this morning hauling off the house. Or what's left of it!

Brody Talking 2

2009-04-27T15:39:00.006-05:00

So I got the first video uploaded correctly, so I thought I would upload the second one, too.

Brody Talking

2009-04-27T15:20:00.005-05:00

Brody was laying on the floor last weekend talking and playing. He is fascinated by my glider rocker and ottoman. I forgot my camera will also take videos! I have never posted a video before, so I am hoping that this works!

Weekend at Brody's

2009-04-20T12:59:00.003-05:00

Brody and I just spent the weekend at home hanging out, napping, playing, and watching tv. We left the house to go eat supper Friday night and Saturday night with friends and to go see Grandma Saturday afternoon for about an hour. Other than that, we were bums and it was NICE!!! Here are some pictures from the weekend.

Brody is VERY fascinated by remotes.

"Mom, do what I do!"

I had to confiscate my hairties and everything else that was on the floor!

Such a happy boy!

Oh what a mess we had with these biscuit things! But he was proud of himself, so that's all the matters!

"Huh. I can put these in my mouth and Mom is ok with it."

Easter at Grandma Jan's

2009-04-14T14:55:00.002-05:00

Sunday after church was over, Brody and I went to my step-mom's house for lunch and to visit with everyone there. We had a great lunch and a good visit, too.

Grandma Jan with her 3 grandkids - Brody, Olivia, and Will.

Brody had just let go of Olivia's hair. Luckily, it didn't seem to bother her too much when he had ahold of it. I don't think these two boys are going to scare her away!

Apparently Brody and I were worn out after lunch. I guess this was the 3rd picture that they took of us. How Brody was able to sleep like this, I have no idea.

Easter at Grandma Krueger's

2009-04-13T17:06:00.002-05:00

Brody and I made it to two Easter dinners yesterday. Our first stop was at my step-mom's house. I didn't have my camera charged when we got there so Jan brought me some prints this morning from that. I haven't got those pictures scanned in yet, though. Here are my pictures from our second stop, which was at my Mom's house.

Brody is almost ready to crawl. Here he was chewing on his bunny and up on his knees and elbows. It won't be too long, as he has been doing this for about 2 weeks now.

Grandma gave him an Easter basket with grass in it and he wasn't real sure about it. He kept looking to her for help.

He finally got all the grass out and had it strung all over him and the floor. As soon as Grandma put it back in the basket, he had it dumped out again!

Trying something new...

2009-04-02T09:44:00.002-05:00

I am one of those people that never bothers to click on an ad on someone's blog unless it is really catchy and is something that I am already interested in. I have hardly ever seen an ad on another blog that is for something that I am already looking into. However, I decided today that I would try putting ads on my blog to see if they would actually make me any money or not. So, please, click through the ads every now and then. I don't think I am going to be able to quit my job because I am making so much money doing this, but it might be enough to treat myself to ice cream!!

Elana's Bridal Shower

2009-03-22T16:34:00.004-05:00

One of my oldest friends, Elana, is getting married in a couple of months and a bridal shower was held for her on Saturday. Elana and I have known each other since we went to kindergarten together at Luray. When my sister was born, I asked my Mom to somehow name her after Elana. That's how she became Ashton Elana. When Elana decided to come to MU for college, she called me and she moved in with Dana and I. Although it's not a very good excuse, we have all three been extremely busy and it had been a year or so since I had seen Elana and about that long since I had seen Dana, also. I was so excited to see them both and be able to get all three of us together for a little while, even if for only a couple hours. A lot has changed since the three of us lived together in Columbia!

Bethany and Brody, Elana, Dana and Merrick

Brody Rolls Over!!

2009-03-20T10:13:00.002-05:00

Brody started rolling over from his back to his belly on March 5th at the babysitter's. On Friday night, March 6th, he was rolling around the living room and rolled into the entertainment center and bumped his head. I think what made him the most upset was the fact that he was stuck! Needless to say, he doesn't stay where you put him now. He is really fascinated by my glider ottoman, too. If I leave him alone very long in the living room, he gets over to it and makes it rock with his feet. It could keep him entertained for hours, I think!

Ashton's Spring Break

2009-03-20T09:53:00.003-05:00

My sister, Ashton, was on Spring Break this week. She is going to school in Colorado and decided to drive home and pull her trailer back so she could get some stuff to take back to put in the house she is renting for the summer. Originally, she was going to be home on Friday evening. She called me early last week and said she was going to be home on Wednesday night, but wanted to surprise Mom and Dad. Brody and I decided we would run interference so she could get in the driveway without them noticing her. Ashton talked to Mom several times throughout the day, and apparently Mom had no clue what was going on. When I pulled in the driveway, Dad was on his way out the door to a church meeting. Ashton and I hoped he would be back before she got there, but it didn't work that way. About 8 pm, Mom and I went in the office to "look at something" on the computer. Ashton had sent me a text saying she was going through Memphis and would let me know when she was coming through the little town a few miles from Mom's house. As Mom and I were sitting there talking in the office, Ashton got in the drive and then knocked on the front door. Mom jumped up wondering "Who could be knocking on the door?" Brody and I followed along behind knowing full well who it was. When Mom opened the door, she turned to me and said, "Is this why you are here tonight?" Gee thanks, Mom! I guess we need to go over more often! Dad came home a little later and was equally surprised to see Ashton there. Of course, the whole time Ashton was home, I barely got the chance to hold Brody, as she had him every chance she could. She hadn't seen him since she was home Valentine's Day weekend.

Brody was getting pretty tired when Ashton got there, so we didn't stay much longer.

"Please give me that!"

We were pretty busy while she was home. Saturday night, we had a surprise 50th birthday party for Mom at Reed's. There were about 25 people that came down to eat supper and birthday cake with us. Mom probably would have had no clue that anything was going on, until Reed's called her to get my phone number and mentioned something "about tonight's reservation." I had to tell her it was something for work for a different night. Then she asked me if I wanted to go eat supper with them. At first I said yes. Then I called back and told her that we were going to eat supper with my grandparents and cousin. I don't think she believed me.

On Sunday night, my cousin and his wife had a wienie roast for their 3 kids and invited Ashton, Brody, and I to come over. It was Brody's first bonfire and he had a pretty good time. Ashton kept him warm by bundling him up in her coat. He was happy!

Ashton had asked before she came back if she could have an "Ashton and Brody Day." So Monday, Brody stayed home from Dena's and played with Ashton. She WORE HIM OUT! At 7 pm, he was ready to go to sleep, but we were still talking and he just was afraid he would miss something. Finally about 8, he couldn't take it anymore and went to sleep. He has recently been staying awake until about 9 pm and then sleeping all night, so I knew he was worn out. He never made a peep all night that night and didn't even need his pacifier!

Ashton had to go back to Colorado on Thursday. We miss her already and can't wait for her to be back again soon! Love you!

My Helper!

2009-03-20T09:33:00.003-05:00

Yesterday morning at 4:30 am, the babysitter sent me a text to say she thought she had strep throat and wasn't going to be able to babysit. No problem. Except I couldn't go back to sleep, then. Brody had been up several times in the middle of the night fussing. As soon as I would go in there and touch him, he would go back to sleep, though. Luckily for me, I have a job where I can take Brody to work with me when I need to. So I had a helper yesterday until about 1:30 pm. He did pretty good for the most part.

I laid a blanket on the floor behind my desk and made a "play area" for Brody. I wasn't planning on having a play area for Brody and Hank, but Hank usually sleeps in this same spot. I guess he thought he needed to take a nap, so he came over and laid down with Brody.

Hank got up and walked away and Brody kept watching him. The flyswatter is a brand new one, so no worries about Brody putting it in his mouth in case you were concerned!

What I Have Noticed...

2009-03-02T12:51:00.002-06:00

It seems lately as though everyone has been extremely busy. All my friend's who have blogs probably are in the same boat I am. They have a few minutes here and there to catch up on everyone else, but haven't had the time to actually sit down and make a new post. So this is my attempt at a new post! But sorry...no pictures. I haven't taken any pictures of Brody in a couple of weeks because my batteries are dead in my camera and I haven't taken the 2 seconds it takes to put them on the charger and recharge them. But at least I have a new post!

Brody Has Teeth!

2009-02-20T10:33:00.004-06:00

Yes...you read that right! Brody has been working on teeth for a week or so now. On Monday, I could feel them through the gums. On Tuesday night, I could really feel them. He finally opened his mouth and kept his tongue out of the way long enough that I could see the two front bottom teeth sticking out through his gums. I can kind of feel some on top, too. He has been slobbering like crazy, too! Although it usually just soaks his sleeves, as his hands are his favorite chew toy.

It's so hard to believe he has gone from this........

to this, in just 5 months!

How could a mother resist either one of these faces?

Brody's First Squash

2009-02-16T10:59:00.004-06:00

I had tried several times to get Brody to eat cereal. The first few times he did ok. However, the next few times, he did not want to have anything to do with it. I was at the grocery store the other night and decided I would go ahead and buy some squash and peas and see if I could get him to eat either one of those. By the time we got home and got the groceries put away, it was too late to attempt what might turn into a huge mess, so I thought I would wait until Saturday. The first bite elicited a strange look. The second bite wasn't too bad, and before I knew it, I had to go back and get more! Brody LOVED the squash! He ate almost a whole container on the first try. And surprisingly enough, it wasn't as big of a mess as I thought.

Before we started the squash.

Brody after the squash. I thought we did pretty good! He was actually cleaner before I took the picture. He decided not to swallow the last bite and spit it out right after I put the spoon in the sink and was grabbing the camera!

My sister was home from Colorado this weekend, so we went to the Bonaparte Retreat for supper on Saturday night. I had a filet mignon and it was probably THE BEST steak I have ever had. I ordered it medium rare and it was cooked to perfection! It was also very reasonably priced. $22 for a steak, baked potato, salad, roll, and drink. I will definitely be going back! Sunday afternoon, we ate an early supper so that Ashton could get back on the train in Ft. Madison at 7 pm and head for Colorado. Before we could eat, Brody decided he was hungry. So Grandma got her chance to feed him some "squish." She has been joking for the last several months that she is gonna get him started on mashed taters and gravy and he just smiles and laughs at her.

"How wide do I gotta open my mouth for you to get it in there?"

Grandpa was in the living room talking and Brody kept trying to look around Grandma to see what he was doing.

"I'm still hungry! Shovel it in faster!"

Next stop on the real food wagon is peas. Hopefully they won't be very messy, either! I am hoping Brody takes after me, as I do not like to be messy when I am eating.

Random Pictures of Brody

2009-02-16T10:20:00.004-06:00

Here are a few random pictures I have taken of Brody over the last couple of weeks.

I propped Brody up on the couch and he just kept smiling and laughing at me.

Whenever I am cooking in the kitchen, I put Brody in his swing in the doorway so he can watch me, but I can still be hands-free. I looked at him the other night and he was kicked back with his foot on the tray just hanging out! When I put it back under the tray and turned around, he put it back on top of the tray.

As I was getting Brody ready to go one morning, he was all smiles. Luckily the camera was sitting close by, so I snapped a few pictures of him.

Brody all bundled up after a bath. I was letting him enjoy some "free" time and talking to Mom on the phone. I heard him giggle and then realized there was a stream of pee flying through the air!

Kansas City Trip

2009-01-30T15:28:00.003-06:00

So I am way behind. Brody and I went to Kansas City with Mom, Dad, and Ashton January 3-4. We went to see some old friends we used to trail ride with in southern Missouri. Joe and Sondra from southeast Kansas came up, also. I missed getting the camera out until Joe and Sondra and Charlette had already gone home. Here are a few pictures I got, though.

Ginger, Ashton, and Georgie - these two ladies are kind of like Grandmas to Ashton and I

Dad, Brody, and I were taking a little cat-nap. We were worn out and ready to head for home.

Jay - Ginger's husband

New Pictures of Brody!!!

2009-01-30T15:23:00.002-06:00

I called my friend, Nicki, last night and she told me she was very upset that I have not put any new pictures of Brody up lately. Sooo....these are for you, Nicki!

Brody looks a little surprised!

Brody came to work today with me. You can see how much he helped!!!

All Sorts of Excitement!!!

2009-01-28T12:39:00.003-06:00

Where to begin? Yesterday afternoon was a little hectic but very rewarding at the end of the day! Brody went back to the doctor to see how much weight he had gained. In 2 weeks, my little fella had gained 1.5 pounds. He is now 13 lbs. 9 oz. The doctor said that whatever we are doing, we should keep it up, because he is back on track.

I have decided to pick up a bow again and start shooting archery. The last time I pulled a bow back was about 10 years ago. The last time I shot very much was probably about 15 years ago. That means...I was not very old. The league actually started last week, so I have to shoot twice this week to make up for not shooting the first week. Tuesday night, I show a 145 out of 300. Not great, but you have to remember, I have only had about 45 minutes of practice shooting this bow. Tonight, I shot a 158. It's an improvement.

Brody's Doctor's Visit

2009-01-15T09:19:00.002-06:00

Brody went to the doctor on Tuesday for his 4-month checkup. He weighed 12 lbs. 6.8 oz and was 24 3/4" long. The doctor wants to see him back in 2 weeks and for me to increase the formula he is getting, as he would like to see him gain a little more weight. In the last week, I could tell that he was going to start needing more, as he was waking up several times a night to eat. Just in the last 2 nights, I can tell that this has really made a difference, as he is sleeping a little longer and falling asleep a little easier in the evening. This makes his mommy much happier, too!

Update

2009-01-15T09:15:00.002-06:00

Sorry that my blog has blocked you all out for awhile. As many of you may know, I am dealing with a few things in life right now. Apparently there are a few things on my blog that have been taken completely out of their original context. Therefore, I had to block my blog for awhile to keep this from happening. If it ever happens again, you will know ahead of time what the deal is. Please be patient, as I do not intend to keep my friends out of my life!

Hope everyone is having a great day! My car showed -13 degrees at 8 am this morning. That made me want to turn around and go crawl back into bed! I might have if not for the fact that I don't think I could have convinced Brody to go back to sleep!

Brody is 4 months old!!!

2009-01-08T14:41:00.005-06:00

Today marks Brody's 4 month birthday! I can't believe it! Here are a few pictures over the last several months!

Brody at 2 weeks old.

Brody about 5 weeks old.

Brody at 2 months.

Brody about 3 months old.

Brody Rolled Over!!!

2008-12-17T09:44:00.000-06:00

Okay...so I am a couple days late!! Brody rolled over for me on Monday night! He had done it for the babysitter on two different occasions, so I knew it was a matter of time before I would catch him in action. He was laying on the floor in front of the Christmas tree and pushed up to look at it. His little head is still so heavy that I think it threw him off balance more than anything and he rolled over. I started laughing and hollering and clapping. He looked at me like I was crazy! Apparently both times he had done it for Dena, it scared him and he screamed. He didn't hardly even fuss when he rolled over Monday night. The little fella is so long, that when he is laying on his back, he can swing his legs and almost roll over to his belly, too. This morning while I was getting him ready, he about rolled over on the changing table. Good thing there is a ledge to it!

Happy Birthday & Blog Tag

2008-12-17T09:00:00.001-06:00

Happy Birthday, Lesley (I won't tell how old you really are)!!! My nephew, Wyatt, is also 1 year old today! So Happy Birthday to you both! Lesley tagged me in the blog game, so here are seven random things about me that you could care less about, but I am sure you will probably read just the same!

I LOVE snow! I like to go ride the 4-wheeler in the snow. I like to go car-hoodin' in the snow. I like to ride my horse in the snow. I like to ride around on the backroads in the snow. I like to ride in the sleigh (when Mom gets it out) in the snow.
I want a motorcycle. I don't know how to ride one, but I figure if I can ride a bicycle and a 4-wheeler, then the two skills should combine and I can ride a motorcycle. I don't want anything fancy. A street-legal dirt bike would work for me. My Dad had a motorcycle and we rode it alot in the summer. It is such a cool feeling on a warm summer evening.
I have an obsession with shoes. Take that back. I have an obsession with cowboy boots. I am losing track of how many pairs I own. I have 2 pairs of ostrich (black and orange). I have old boots. I have lace-up boots. I have pull-on boots. I really want a pair of crocodile Luccese boots. I like exotic boots. I don't like snakeskin boots, though. Can you say cheesy?
I have a hard time making friends with girls. I guess I am too much of a tomboy. Guys are easier to deal with. No offense girls, but sometimes we have WAY too much drama in our lives. Ever since I was younger, I have always had more friends that are guys than girls. Guys are much less judgmental. I am not saying all girls are this way. If you are a friend of mine, there is a real good chance you are not this way because I can't handle people that are.
I am hooked on Cross Canadian Ragweed and Gary Allan. Anything either one sings, I love! My two favorite songs right now are "Who I Am" by CCR and "California" by Gary Allan. I have seen Gary Allan in concert, but not Cross Canadian Ragweed. They were at the Ft. Madison Rodeo this year and it was cold and raining and I was about to have a baby. I didn't go.
I really like my SUV. It's a 2003 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer. BUT...I am ready to trade it off for a truck. There are so many times when I need a truck. And my Expedition won't pull a gooseneck horse trailer!
If I ever build a house, I am making it big enough I can have at least 2 Christmas trees and a HUGE table. I want to be able to have all my family over for meals during the holidays. I have enough John Deere ornaments and western/cowboy ornaments that I can do 2 whole trees with them alone. Plus I have lots of other ornaments. Maybe I should have 3 Christmas trees then!

So now that you know all this useless information about me, let's see who else has useless info to share!

Ok...so that isn't 7, I realize. However, the other blogs I read all the time have already been tagged. So...that's it.

Brody the Goat-Herder

2008-12-05T10:20:00.001-06:00

Mom wanted us to come over Wednesday night so she could take a few pictures of Brody to put on her Christmas cards. When I got there, Mom had a baby goat in a box in the kitchen. As Mom termed it, "It was a teenage pregnancy." Apparently, the billy came into contact with a very young nanny and Mom was unaware that she was even pregnant until she found the baby and started looking for it's mommy. Mom decided to prop Brody up on some pillows on the couch for pictures, and then we tucked the baby goat up next to him. At first, the goat tried to chew on his clothes. He finally realized that wasn't going to work and then he just snuggled in next to Brody. This picture was so cute because Brody finally put his arm around the goat instead of trying to push him away. He just looks like he is saying "Hurry up! I'm not gonna sit here all day with my arm around this crazy thing!"

Old Furniture

2008-12-04T10:23:00.000-06:00

Before my Dad passed away, he told me that there were a few things that he wanted me to have that had been in the family. After he passed away, I moved them to my house. Here are some pictures of them and a little story behind them.

This is the kitchen cupboard that sat on my Grandma and Grandpa Great's backporch. Dad said it always had a sleigh bell, jar of marbles, ball of string, and pocket ledgers in the drawers. Those things are still in there. He also asked me to not redo it as long as he was alive. However, I don't think I will ever redo it. This is how it was given to me and the paint on it is still in good shape.

This gun cabinet was made by my Grandpa Great for my dad. They owned a farm that had 2 large cedar trees in front of an old house. They cut down the trees and saved the lumber. There were 2 gun cabinets made and my cousin has the other one. It holds the guns upright. This one holds 8 guns.

This desk was also made by my Grandpa Great. He made 2 of them and my Grandpa (his son) has the other one. He called it a "library desk."

I love old furniture. Especially stuff that is handmade or has family history behind it. These pieces will be passed on to Brody (and maybe his brother(s) or sister(s) if there are any!). Oh yeah...and yes I know I wrote "Grandpa Great" instead of "Great Grandpa." However, that is what we called my Grandpa Bourgeois' parents. My cousin Jeremy got that started and it stuck.

Brody's Growing Up On Me!!!

2008-12-04T10:04:00.000-06:00

My little boy is growing up on me so fast! Next thing I know he will be walking and talking and then he will be graduating high school! Here are some pictures of him over the last 3 months. Yes...that's right. He will be 3 months old on Monday!

Brody at 2 weeks old.

This is a picture of my Dad when he was pretty young. I still think Brody resembles him alot.
Brody laughing at Grandma Becki.

Grandma Becki and Brody making faces at each other.

He is just so darn serious sometimes!

Brody had rolled over at the babysitter's earlier this day and I had him laying on his belly hoping to see him do it and have the camera ready. Do you think he would roll over for his momma?

Critters in the Dark

2008-12-03T08:31:00.000-06:00

Last night Hank was barking like crazy as if someone was there. I kept looking out the window and couldn't see anyone, so I finally went outside to see what he was carrying on about. He was over towards the garden. I hollered for him a couple times and he came running. Just as he was getting within about 10 feet of me, I saw something else come running towards me and then stop at the edge of the light. Before I could get a good look, this "something" turned around and ran off. When I first saw it, I thought it was a small fawn, but the more I thought about it, I think it was a fox. Now, I realize that a deer and a fox look nothing alike and are of different sizes. However, when you are not expecting to see anything, and then it only comes to the edge of the light and then runs off as quick as it appeared, you have to give me a break. Needless to say, I was afraid that if it was a fox, that it might have rabies, so Hank got to sleep inside in the warm basement last night. I figured he would whine half the night because he couldn't be upstairs with me. He didn't whine at all and I almost forgot about him this morning, other than I had to get my coat out of the stairwell and he came bounding up the steps.

I can tell I'm getting old...

2008-12-02T09:35:00.000-06:00

Ok...so I looked today and noticed that it has been almost a month since my last post! Wow! Time flies. I must be getting old because I didn't think it had been that long!

Here is my excitement! I got a new vacuum over the weekend and it works wonderfully! I tried it out last night and you would not believe all the junk it picked up out of my carpet! Thank goodness I only have 3 rooms with carpet in them. Yuck! I can't imagine if the whole house was carpeted! I also became an electrician last night! Pretty much the only thing I know about electricity is how to flip the switch and pay the bill. However...I needed a different cord on my dryer and was having no luck finding anyone who would come do it for me, so I took matters into my own hands. Did you see smoke coming from my direction last night? If you did, it was someone else, because I got it changed on my own. It wasn't that hard actually. Then I spent the next 15 minutes turning on the dryer for a minute and then shutting it off and vacuuming up all those stupid ladybugs or Asian beetles or whatever they are. Then I would turn it back on and let them come out of all the little places they were hiding and then suck them up again. Cheap entertainment, I know. This is a sign that I am getting old.

By the way...congrats to Caleb and Nicki! He finally proposed to her! She called me Sunday night to tell me. YEAH!!! And just from the pictures she sent me, he did an excellent job picking out an engagement ring for her, too! I am sure that pictures don't do it justice, though!

Brody is doing great! He weighs 11 lbs 12 oz and is 24" long. He is growing like crazy! He is talking and laughing alot now, too. Especially in the evenings and mornings. He has a hard time waking up in the morning (like his momma), but he is all smiles and laughs once he is awake. This morning on the way to town, he was talking and laughing at Hank. I'm not sure if Hank understood, either, but he was watching him over the back of the seat pretty close. For a long time, everyone was worried about how Hank would react towards Brody, but he likes him and will try to lick him whenever he gets a chance. Brody just laughs whenever I'm not quick enough and Hank does get him. Whenever Brody cries, Hank will go check on him, then come find me wherever I am. He usually has a look like "something is making a weird noise and you need to fix it right away!"

More cute pics of Brody!

2008-11-05T11:45:00.000-06:00

Mom took these pictures about a week ago and I thought they were too cute!

Brody is really starting to smile and laugh alot! Babies are so cute when they laugh because it comes from the heart.

Every time I look at this picture, I laugh. The look on his face says, "Don't you even try to take this washcloth off of me!" He even has one hand getting ready to fight me off!

Brody's Pictures

2008-10-31T08:50:00.000-05:00

Here are the pictures I had taken of Brody a few weeks ago. It is hard to believe how much he has changed already! I might be a little biased, but I think he is the most adorable baby ever!

Needing Some Help!

2008-10-17T13:05:00.000-05:00

Well, I noticed today that it has been over a month since I have posted anything new. I will be putting up some new pictures of Brody, but I am waiting on them to come back from the photographer. I should have them Monday or Tuesday, I think. I also have to go back to work on Monday. I am kind of looking forward to it, as it will get me back into a routine and back into the world of adults. I am also kind of sad, too, as Brody will be spending alot of time with someone other than his parents. The good thing about Brody's babysitter is that she is only about a 1/2 mile from where I work and my nephew, Wyatt, also goes there. Oh yeah...and she is a super nice lady!

Here is where I need some help. I LOVE dairy products. Milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc. However, Brody is not liking me eating dairy products (If you need more details than that, email me and I will let you know. Otherwise, use your imagination!). I had never really thought about what all had dairy in it until now. Here is a list of some of the things I can't have besides the obvious - pop-tarts, chicken noodle soup (depends on the brand), bread (some wheat bread is ok), ranch dressing, popcorn with butter, fruit bars (Nutri-Grain, etc.), and the list goes on. Here is what I can have - meat, fruit, and veggies. Don't get me wrong, I love all three of these food groups. However, I am needing some quick ideas for recipes that don't include dairy products. Can you please help? Everytime I look at the recipes online, I run out of time to sort through them and see what really looks good and what I can actually have. For some reason, Brody seems to think he needs my attention! Either email me or place a comment on my blog. I can only eat so many salads! Tonight, we are having a pot roast with carrots, onions, and potatoes. Thanks in advance for your help!

Who does he look like?

2008-09-15T17:42:00.001-05:00

All of the Davis grandkids look quite a bit alike, as the Davis gene is really strong. They all come out with dark hair all over and have a dark complexion. However, I think we have come to an agreement that the Bourgeois side is a little more dominant in Brody. It's kind of odd, but he looks a lot like my Dad. Especially when my Dad didn't have his false teeth in! I guess it is a good thing we named him after Dad! I will try to dig out and post some of my baby pictures and some of Dusty's and we will see what everyone says. Sometimes in babys, it is hard to pick out who they look like, though.

Brody hangin' out at home. 6 days old.

Nap time! 1 day old.
The Davis Family. 1 day old.

The long awaited pictures!!!

2008-09-14T17:39:00.000-05:00

These pictures are a few from the last few days showing off my new little love!

Brody with his first tractor! Well...it used to be mine a long time ago, but that is his hat! We couldn't let him wear anything but John Deere green and yellow!

Mommy's lil' buckaroo! Brody's first horse! Well...he has one standing in the pasture already and a mule at Grandma Becki's, but we didn't bring them in the house! Although...I bet either one of them would probably do it! Apparently my fingernails needed attention. I highly recommend getting an epidural. You have no cares in the world!

Daddy and Brody about 2 hours after he was born. Dusty and I didn't get much of a chance to hold him the day he was born because he was having a few difficulties.
Brody in his sherriff's outfit and first boots getting ready to come home from the hospital.

Here's the full story on Brody's birth.

My contractions started at 10:30 pm on Sunday, September 7th. They were coming about every 10 minutes. I was staying at Mom's house that night, which was a really good thing. I told her she better get prepared, so she went and hopped in the shower and went to bed and I decided I better get a shower, too. After all, who knew when I might get my next chance! Dusty was on a train stopped at Montrose, IA, which is not far from the hospital. About 11:45, I woke Mom up and told her it was time to get on the road. Dusty was hoping that we would have time to pick him up off the train on the way and so was I! We found him along the side of the road in the rain and he jumped in before we had come to a complete stop. We got to the hospital and got in our room. Dusty was pacing back and forth and was white as a sheet! Mom just found a spot to sit down and settled in. She knew it would probably be a long night and had brought a book and some comfy clothes. About 2 am Monday morning, they decided I could get an epidural, but they had to get an IV in me first. Well...they had to poke me 4 times before they finally found a vein that wouldn't blow or roll away from them. I think that was more painful than the contractions! As soon as I got the epidural, I had no pain. It was excellent! Then the waiting game set in. Around 1 pm, the doctor finally decided we needed to get the ball rolling. It was a little scary for awhile, because every time I would push, his heartbeat would fall out to around 70 or 80. She told me that if it got down to 60, we were going to surgery. Apparently that was all it took to scare the daylights out of both of us, because he straightened up and he started handling it better and I got to working a little harder, also. They had told us beforehand that when he was born, it would not be like what you see on tv. The baby would not cry and it would be close to 2 minutes before he did. The reason why, is because of muconium. In other words, he had a bowel movement before he was born and they didn't want him breathing any of that in. Well...they didn't tell us everything that would happen and we were scared to death. All we knew was that the pediatrician was in there and that he wasn't saying anything. After it was all over and done with, one of the nurses told us he was a textbook case for a baby with this problem. As soon as they got him breathing, they took him out of the room and put him under an oxygen tent. I was a little out of it and didn't really understand what was going on. However, Dusty was a nervous wreck running back and forth between the two of us. About 5 pm, they allowed Dusty and I to hold him for a little bit and for me to try and feed him. He was so sleepy, partly because he wasn't getting enough oxygen yet, that he wouldn't eat. They took him back out and left him under the oxygen tent until about 11 pm that night. They had also started him on 48 hours of antibiotics as a precautionary measure around 7 pm. I was up the next morning around 4:30 am and looked in the hallway right outside my door and saw Brody laying there in his cart with the nurses. A good friend from high school, Amber, was working that night and got me in a wheelchair and let me hold him for awhile. To make a long story shorter, everyone made their way back up Tuesday and Wednesday to hold him and get their picture taken with him. They released me on Wednesday and then released him on Thursday around 1 pm. We made it home and have been spending time getting to know each other and showing him off to everyone that comes through. Dusty was going to have to go back to work on Monday, so we decided to take the day off from visitors on Sunday and spend the day with just the 3 of us hanging out. It was nice, as we all got some sleep and Brody was actually awake during the day off and on and slept a lot better that night!

As the next few weeks go on, I will post more pictures of this handsome little guy! Thanks for all the emails and well wishes that you have sent out way over the last week! And for being patient with me as we try to adjust to life at home with Brody!

Brody Wayne Davis has arrived!!!

2008-09-13T12:33:00.001-05:00

Brody Wayne Davis arrived September 8, 2008 at 2:12 pm. He was 9 lbs 3.5 oz and 22 1/2" long. I am sorry I haven't taken the time to upload pictures of him to my computer yet, but if you look on Facebook, my sister has added a few that she took. We had a little scare when he was born and he spent the first night under an oxygen tent and the next 48 hours on antibiotics. That kept us in the hospital until Thursday. Brody is doing well, now and we have finally made it home and are trying to adjust to being awake most of the night! It is quite the adjustment, let me tell you!

The three of us are taking the day tomorrow to rest and relax and be able to spend time with each other before Dusty goes back to work on Monday. So either tomorrow afternoon or Monday, I will get some pictures posted of the lil' feller. We have all decided he looks a lot like my dad.

And the wait continues...

2008-09-05T08:12:00.000-05:00

Well, I had another doctor's appointment yesterday afternoon. She said I have not progressed anymore than last week at this time. That's the bad news. The good news is...if I haven't had this child by my due date, which is September 10th (I know, I know. I have said all along it is the 12th, but this is 2 days closer, which is EXCELLENT!), then she said she will induce me. SOOOO...I have my next appointment on Wednesday, September 10th at 8 am. I guess that is all the news I have for now!

Passing the Time

2008-08-28T10:31:00.000-05:00

Since I still don't have any exciting baby news to tell, other than I am going back to the doctor today, I am going to put up some random pictures from days past.

Dusty digging up an old foundation in front of our house. This was June (?) 2006 right after we bought our house.

Our deep-freeze on our back porch came unplugged and we didn't catch it for several days in the middle of summer. Dusty's brothers and Dad came over to move it. Tim and Dusty are getting something out from under the sink, but Tim had his shirt wrapped around his face to help him avoid the smell. It was pretty rank!

This is the view from west of our house at the edge of our property. We put fence up the following May. The trees at the left of the picture are around the pond.

This is the good picture of Dusty and Hank.
This is 30 seconds before when Hank wouldn't sit still and cooperate. Poor little guy! He was only 2 1/2 months old!! He didn't know any better! Now he does, though!
He's such a good-looking dog! He always knows when I am not having a good day, too. Isn't it weird how dogs know that?
Back in March, our heat went out one day, so Hank and I stayed curled up on the couches under blankets. He looks so cozy!!

If I have any exciting baby news today, I will pass it on. She told me last week after this appointment that I was to not go back to work. So I am going to take the opportunity to take a nap. Hopefully!!

Baby Update!!!

2008-08-25T11:24:00.001-05:00

Well...some exciting news, but not THE news! I got all excited this weekend because I thought I was having contractions. Well...I was, but not when I sat down. So I did alot of walking around and staying active trying to prolong them as much as possible so maybe they would stick around while I was sitting down. But it didn't work. So...I got some peaches put up Sunday and have more getting ready to be worked up. I also got my horse trimmed and Mom rode him for me on Saturday. She hadn't rode my horse in several years. There is definitely an art to riding him. He has his quirks, to say the least.

Dusty has called me two times this morning to see how things are progressing. They are not. At least not that I can tell. Soooo...it looks like I go back to the doctor on Thursday afternoon. Hopefully she can get things moving at a faster pace. Although...I would really like to go to Mt. Pleasant this weekend for Thresher's. And then next weekend is the Ft. Madison Rodeo. I am guessing I won't make it to one of them, so I am hoping that I make it to Thresher's. Yes...I realize that prolongs things, BUT....keep your fingers crossed!!!

Baby Shower!!!

2008-08-12T16:43:00.000-05:00

My sister-in-law, Robin, and my sister, Ashton, had a baby shower for me on Sunday afternoon. I had a really good time and got to see people I don't see very often. Here are a few pictures that were on my camera. I still have to get some from Robin that I forgot to have someone take for me!

Robin got Dusty his own "tool belt" full of baby supplies. She made him take out everything and tell what he would do with it. The rattle was to "keep the dog happy while he changed the baby." There were dust masks, clothespins, diaper rash cream, and all sorts of other goodies in there for him. She actually embarrassed him, which is almost impossible to do!

My Grandma Bourgeois made each one of the grandkids a quilt and gave it to them when they got married. She also made quilts to give to each grandkids' first child. This is the one she made for me. It has Noah's Ark on it.

Here is all the loot we got! This doesn't show the stack of diapers that we got! They had a drawing for a bag of goodies that you were entered into if you brought a package of diapers. This was a great idea and I suggest it as an idea for any baby shower that you are a part of!

While all the girls were at the baby shower, Dusty had all the guys come out to our house and shoot trap. I forgot to take my camera down to the pond, but there were about 15 guys there. When we got done with the shower, several girls came out and shot trap, also. All in all, everyone had fun and it was a beautiful day! Dusty was a little surprised at all the goodies that I brought home.

Baby Bets Update

2008-08-08T10:56:00.001-05:00

Okay...I did more searching and found what I was looking for. Click here and it will take you to a website where you can guess the baby's sex, birthdate, etc. You will have to type in "babydavispoll" for the name of the game. Good luck! If someone gets it exactly right, I will send them a little gift, although I have no idea what I would send them! Someone has to get it right, first!

Baby Bets

2008-08-08T10:33:00.000-05:00

I was going to set up an online betting website where people could guess the sex of the baby, date of birth, etc. However, the one place that I found was going to cost me to let everyone do that. Sorry, folks, but I am not paying to let you guess! If anyone knows of a free website where everyone can post their guesses, let me know. My friend, Tara, had one, but I can't find it now!

Weekend Craziness!

2008-08-08T10:11:00.000-05:00

This should be an exciting weekend! Tonight, I have to do some cleaning and cooking. Hopefully Dusty will get more done on the babies room today while I am at work. It is going to need some time to air out! Tomorrow, we have our birthing class to go to at the hospital. It is an all day affair from 9-4. I am not really sure what to think, even though Robin has told me a little about what will happen. When we get done their, we are headed to Hamilton to the Annual Buckert Hog Roast. That is what I have to do the cooking for tonight. I am making turtle brownies because I can make them ahead of time and they will hold up well in the wonderful August heat! Oh yeah...and I had a coupon for them! And I like them! Sunday my sister and sister-in-law are having a baby shower for me. Dusty and a bunch of the guys are getting together to shoot trap at our house at that time. I can't imagine why they wouldn't want to come in to the shower! I am excited about it! I will get to see people I don't get to visit with on a regular basis! Sunday night, I imagine we will be putting things together and/or away. I think I might have to wait until sometime next week, though, before we will have our house back to normal from the remodeling projects. That's okay...as long as it gets done fairly quickly. We have been under a film of dust since about the middle of May! I hate dusting, but I can't wait to get this stuff gone!

Will we need pink........

or will we need blue?

Western Illinois Threshers 2008

2008-08-05T10:47:00.000-05:00

I took off of work last Friday to go to Hamilton, IL for Western Illinois Threshers. Basically, it is a showcase of days gone by in farming. The big deal about this year's event was that my dad's 1941 John Deere BWH was the featured tractor. He was extremely proud of this tractor and had found out a few weeks before he passed away that it was to be the featured tractor this year. John Deere was being showcased this year, so I also took over my John Deere quilt. This quilt was made by my Mom's mother for my Dad's father many years ago. My Grandpa gave it to me in September 2000 before his big antique tractor sale. I decided to keep it, rather than sell it. I am very glad that I did! Here are some pictures from the weekend.

This garden is right outside the Raffle Building where my Dad spent the entire weekend helping sell raffle tickets. The statue of the little boy on the tractor was given to us when Dad passed away and we gave it to them to put in the garden. This year, many people commented on how quiet the raffle building was without Dad. He had a big booming voice that carried across the grounds and he could sell anything!
Grandpa and I thought Dusty should try to get in Grandpa's 1931 Ford truck to see if he could fit in there good enough to drive it. He fit, but it would have been a little cramped for him to get it shifted!
Jan and I paraded the BWH through Saturday and Sunday. It was alot of fun, but very sad, too. I cried both days when they talked about Dad and his tractor.
Here is a front view of the BWH. It is a John Deere B that was made wide (W) and high (H). Notice the offset axles. My Grandpa has done alot of questioning for many years about what exactly they used this tractor for and has yet to get an exact answer. No one really seems to know. There were only 212 (?) of these tractors made. They are fairly rare. If you get on the Internet and look, you will have a hard time finding info on it.
Here is Grandpa getting ready to parade my Uncle Wendell's 1937 John Deere A on Sunday. I got to ride with him on this tractor, although I had to run from one end to the other, as this was only about 10 tractors behind the BWH. This tractor was bought brand new by my Grandpa's father. It originally had steel wheels on it, but Great-Grandpa decided it would turn better with rubber wheels on front and had them switch them before he took it home. I don't know who put the rubber wheels on back. He traded it off, but kept track of where it was. In the late '70s or early '80s, Great-Grandpa told Grandpa where it was and Grandpa bought it for $50. He restored it and then sold it at his tractor sale in September 2000, where Uncle Wendell bought it.
We also took over my Dad's John Deere B, although once it got over there, it decided it wasn't going to be started. We never got to parade it through. These old tractors are a little cantankerous sometimes and a whole lot of work compared to today's models! They are a lot of fun, though!

Sometime when I think about it, I will scan a sale bill in from both of Grandpa's antique tractor sales he has had. The first one was back in the early '80s. He had a little bit of everything, including an Indiana and an International 8-16. The second sale was in 2000 and was almost exclusively John Deere. It was a 2-day sale with literature, toys, etc. on the first day and tractors and parts on the second day. He had a John Deere P, a Waterloo Boy, a Lindeman crawler, and many other tractors that you don't see often. That reminds me...I didn't see a Waterloo Boy at Hamilton. In fact, I don't think I have seen one since Grandpa sold his.

Grandpa's Farmers Market and Priming Windows

2008-07-31T13:04:00.000-05:00

So I have been a little slower at posting some weeks. To be honest, I would like to slow everything down a little bit right now! It seems as though we have been on the run somewhere ever since July 1st. Last night was the first night that I was able to be home all night and work on the new room and nothing else. Mom came over to help me clean and prime the windows. And just so all you worry-warts know...THE A/C WAS ON, THE CEILING FAN WAS ON, AND THE BOX FAN!!! I had plenty of circulation going so don't worry about me breathing in paint fumes! Tonight, Mom is coming back and we are going to prime them again and maybe, just maybe, get the first coat of paint on them. Before I went home last night, I stopped at my grandparent's house. Grandpa had sweet corn, peaches, tomatoes, and cucumbers for me. I felt like I had hit the jackpot! Of course, right when I got home, I put everything away and started on the windows. At 10:30 last night, Mom finally went home and I decided I was too tired to be hungry. This morning, I grabbed a couple peaches on my way out the door to eat for breakfast. WOW!!! They are GREAT!!! Nice and juicy. You want to be outside when you eat them because the juice will run off your elbows!

This will be our first batch of sweet corn that we have had this year and I am really looking forward to it! I think Dusty is, too!

We have had a few peaches left over from last year that my Dad and Jan put up. She was cleaning out the freezer for more space and I was more than happy to help her get rid of those!

I have had a couple of Roma tomatoes from my garden, although they have a hard time making it to the house! I have been brushing them off on my shirt and eating them as I walk back to the house. Dusty hasn't gotten one bite yet this year! Poor guy! Try a little Lawry's Seasoning salt on them after you slice them up. It is an excellent way to eat them!

I hate goats!!!

2008-07-24T08:09:00.001-05:00

Ok...so I don't really HATE goats, but let me tell you what. At 7:30 in the morning, during a nice soaking rain, you don't really want to have to deal with a goat with horns that has it's head stuck in a cattle panel. Good thing it is a nice cool morning, because I left him stand until someone can come along with more patience or with a set of bolt cutters. Don't worry...this is not something to turn over to PETA. He is not hurt. He will not starve. He will not get dehydrated. However, I couldn't get him out like I had the other two goats that have been in the same place for the last two mornings. This little sucker wanted to push directly against where he needed to go no matter what direction I pushed him. LOVELY!!!

Too bad they couldn't stay little like this without their horns!

Thoughts and Prayers

2008-07-18T11:24:00.000-05:00

Please keep my friends, Wade and Johanna, in your prayers. About a month ago, Wade lost his grandma, who he was very close to. Last night, Wade's father passed away.

Summer Activity Schedule

2008-07-17T09:56:00.000-05:00

As I was looking at my mental calendar last night, I started to realize just how much "stuff" we have going on this year. It is probably less than normal, due to a certain arrival due in September, however, it still seems like a lot! Here is a run down:

July 20-26 National High School Finals Rodeo Farmington, NM
My sister, Ashton Krueger, will be cutting for the Iowa High School Rodeo Team. Although I would love to go watch her, I knew I wouldn't be up to a 3-day road trip to get there and I wasn't sure about flying at 32 weeks pregnant. For updates on how she is doing, you can check click on the link above. I believe she rides Tuesday and Thursday.
July 22-27 Clark County Fair Kahoka, MO
You can't go wrong at the local fairs. Good food, good fun, and good times.
July 27 Bourgeois Family Reunion Kahoka, MO
August 1-3 Western Illinois Threshers Hamilton, IL
My dad's John Deere BWH is the featured tractor there this year. He found that out just a few weeks before he passed away last year and was so proud. The picture below isn't Dad's tractor, but it is one just like it. There were not many of these tractors made. The tractor is offset.

August 9 Birthing Class Ft. Madison, IA
Yes, we are doing this all in one day. With Dusty working odd hours, there is no guarantee that he could be there every Saturday for a month.
August 10 Baby Shower Kahoka, MO
August 28-September 1 Midwest Old Threshers Mt. Pleasant, IA
Hopefully we will be able to take Dad's tractors up here, also. Not sure if I will be there or not, but hopefully I will be feeling up to it! This is the biggest antique tractor and car show around. They also have good concerts at night, too.
September 3-6 Tri-State Rodeo Ft. Madison, IA
This is the closest PRCA rodeo around. They are having Cross Canadian Ragweed, Jason Aldean, and .38 Special perform.
September 12 Due Date
The doctor told me that if I haven't had the baby by then, she will be more than happy to induce me on my due date!
September 19-21 Clark County Mule Festival Kahoka, MO
This is Clark County's biggest event and is known as the third largest mule show in the US.
September 27 Old Settler's Day Kahoka, MO
There is a big parade through town and around the square, as well as many other activities.

You got what WHERE?

2008-07-11T10:10:00.000-05:00

Last night, we went to the Lewis Co Fair to watch the truck and combine demo derbies. Well...it was kind of a sad showing. There were 3 combines and 3 trucks. On the plus side, I was able to get my first corndog and lemon shake-up of the year. I always love fairs because of all the good food that you can't really get at any other time. Anyhow...we got home last night and I went out in the garage to check on my kittens. Even though they are in the garage where Hank cannot get, he manages to get them talked into coming out every now and then to play with. He plays a little rough. But that is another story! As I am standing there petting them, Dusty comes running out of the house in a t-shirt and underwear holding a paper towel in his hands. He says, "I have heard of ants in your pants, but I have never heard of a frog in your pants." Being a little confused and caught off guard by this sudden I-don't-know-what-you-want-to-call-it, I must have said, "Huh?" He said, "I felt something in my pants moving around and pulled them down quick. There was a tree frog in there! I don't know how it got there!" Here stands this big guy with no pants on holding a little bitty tree frog in a paper towel waving it around in the air telling me the story! What a sight! The mystery of the tree frog in the pants remains!

Frugal or Cheapskate?

2008-07-10T08:40:00.000-05:00

Ok...like everyone else, I am feeling the crunch from the high price of things. I have been trying to be a bit more frugal in my spending habits, however, sometimes I just feel like a cheapskate. Here are some ways that we, meaning Dusty and I, try to be frugal:

We are doing our own remodeling, with the help of family and friends.
We have a garden this year...although I have yet to get anything out of it.
I try to only go to Wal-Mart once a month for groceries and other items. After all, it is 30 miles away. I get last minute items or "necessities (milk, bread, etc.)" in Kahoka.
I bring my lunch to work most days so I don't have to drive 7 miles home or eat out. I also try to get Dusty to take leftovers to work, but he is pretty picky.
We bought a Ford Escort for Dusty to drive back and forth to work. It has already saved us a bunch in gas. After all, he has been driving to Kansas City for work.
We have taken my step-mom up on helping her clean out her freezer. Wow! That sweet corn and those peaches are EXCELLENT! Maybe not as good as fresh, but they are pretty darn close!!!

Although it doesn't sound like much, I can see that we are saving money. Does anyone else have any good ideas that aren't "out there?" I am obviously not going to walk to work (although I have thought about riding the 4-wheeler) and neither is Dusty. We really can't carpool to work, either. We won't move to town so that we can ride our bicycles everywhere. I tried clipping coupons from the Sunday paper one time and got a BUNCH. For some reason, I never got the Sunday paper again, though! Maybe I will start doing that again! If you have any good, simple ideas, post a comment.

What a WONDERFUL weekend!

2008-07-07T19:09:00.000-05:00

I don't know how everyone else spent their 4th of July weekend, but I didn't do a whole lot that was productive. Thursday night, my cousin and I went to a friend's party. His wife was out of town with his 3 kids and Dusty was on a train, so we went together. It worked well for him, as he could drink and I was the driver. Friday morning, I went to my uncle's house and picked a whole bunch of cherries off his tree. I came home and sat under the shade tree pitting them while Dusty mowed the yard. He also attempted to rid our yard of our little mole that we have. What started out as one hole has now become two holes. Somewhere, Dusty heard that if you put ammonia down the whole, it will get rid of them. I am not sure how, but he went to town and got some ammonia and pie crusts. What a combination! I made my first ever fruit pie on Friday afternoon with the cherries. I decided I wasn't ready to tackle making my own pie crusts, though. We went to Dusty's brother Tim's house to watch the VFW fireworks show. Oh yeah...plus we had our own to shoot. Tim's wife, Robin, was out of town, so Dusty decided that they should take advantage of the fact that I am the sober driver. We went to the big town of Medill, MO to another friend's house where they had karaoke. I was terrified that Dusty or Tim would try to sing for us. Thank goodness they shut it down shortly after we got there! Saturday morning I slept in and so did Dusty. With all the cherries that I picked, I decided I should attempt a cherry crisp, as the pie was going fast between Dusty and I. Especially when you have it for breakfast! The horseshoer came Saturday afternoon and got our three yet-to-be-ridden-this-year horses back in shape. Dusty had to leave to drive to Kansas City that evening, and I went to a co-worker's house for more food and fireworks.

SUNDAY - Sunday was my 26th birthday! Holy Cow! I am getting some age on me! I got up and thought about being productive, but decided I needed a nap before I went to Mom's house for lunch. Mom had fixed a brisket and put some kind of "Texas rub" on it that was EXCELLENT! She cooked it all morning long on the grill. WOW!!! I told her, along with everyone else, that recipe is a keeper! After we got done eating, I drove to Ft. Madison in a hurry to pick up Dusty. He wanted to come spend some time with me on my birthday. We got back and he ate...and I ate some more...and then we went out to his parent's house for awhile. We finally got home around 9 and Dusty went straight to bed, as he hadn't been to sleep since 1:30 pm on Saturday. He got to sleep until about midnight and then he had to get up and drive back to Ft. Madison to head back to Kansas City. I got some pretty neat things for my birthday, but the one thing I am most excited about is something I have wanted for a long time. However, until I got pregnant, I had no reason to justify getting it. Dusty is getting me an oak glider rocker with the glider ottoman! I still have to go pick it out, but I am really excited!!! In case you couldn't tell! As soon as I get it, I will put some pictures of it on my blog. YEAH!!!