Thursday, December 31, 2009

I wish I had a picture for this post.....

but unfortunately, getting one would have likely ended up with me having a head injury. Mike needed some help yesterday getting up a cow who is due to calve soon. I went out on the tractor with him and Abby, our Aussie. Mike was in the driver's seat, Abby sat on the ledge behind him and I sat on one arm of the seat. Yeah, we're all about togetherness. Anyway, I hadn't realized just how deep the ruts have already gotten. You see, we got 2 inches of rain BEFORE it froze and snowed. The ground is still quite soft in spots. As we were driving along I was reminded of a trip to Worlds of Fun. I must've been about 12 or 13 when my parents took me and two friends to Worlds of Fun for a vacation one summer. There was a ride where you drove this miniture car around a track. The track had a rail in it so that you couldn't get too far off to one side or the other. That's exactly what the ruts are like in our pasture. You can't forge a new path, because the mud will keep you going where it wills. Mike did get out of the ruts at a low spot, but that's just the time that the tought of a serious head injury entered my mind. I wonder just whose idea the car at Worlds of Fun was? Could it be a former farm kid who had to help his dad one too many times?

Then today, I was happily cleaning the house and getting ready for a party the boys are having even as I type this. I was actually running a bit ahead of schedule when Mike came to the house. "Could I get your help for a second?" Sounds innocent enough, doesn't it? Yeah, well, let me warn you....it never is. He wanted to get a bull out of one pasture and put him in another. He also wanted to turn several cow calf pairs out with said bull. Still sounds easy enough, doesn't it? The cows aren't used to coming to the lot for corn. Thus, when Mike walked out to the pasture with a pail of corn, they just looked at him. One or two even turned and walked the opposite direction. They certainly weren't the brightest ones and so we felt the need to tell them so. We finally got everyone headed the right direction and through the first gate. We didn't think we'd have to close that gate. We were wrong. And we were wrong because of one little rebellious calf who decided he'd go the opposite direction of everyone else, then cry loudly because he couldn't find his mommy. Yes, I told the calf just how stupid he was too. We finally get tehm all in and that's when I realize what our biggest problem is going to be. Quite a few of the calves don't have tags. Without a tag, it's very hard to match momma to baby. LOVELY. We finally finished our work and I came back to the house. Just how long did this "second" last? I figured it out. It lasted 7200 seconds or 120 minutes or 2 hours. Hmm....who exactly needs to learn the lesson here? Is it that my husband has no sense of how long a second is or is it that I feel the need to drop whatever it is I'm doing and go off on these adventures with him? I'll let you decide.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

The latest debate at our house....

I LOVE the view out our living room windows. I despise curtains. Thus, to this point, we've not had any curtains, much to the dismay of the rest of my family. So, I have finally come to a solution that should satisfy all of us. I just need the guys to build me a cornice board to hide the ugly hardware for the window treatments. And now to the latest debate. I took the paint swatch to the store with me and went through every curtain available. Keep in mind our living room (as is much of the rest of the house) is rather rustic feeling. I found a lovely rust color that plays off the cedar ceiling and trimwork and then I found a rather humdrum wheat color. You obviously know which way I'm leaning. I have hung both colors up for a vote tonight. I have a feeling hum drum is going to win out. Hmphf....We shall see.

Friday, November 6, 2009

I did something tonight I didn't want to....

a lady who used to be in my Sunday school class lost her little girl this week to complications from leukemia. Tonight was her visitation. I cannot begin to put into words how desperately I wish there were not the need for a visitation or funeral service for a sweet little 5 year old girl. My heart is literally broken for this family. I cannot imagine the pain this loss has caused them. And yet....

We know that Maddie is in Heaven now playing and singing with Jesus. No more chemo, no more hospital visits, no more painful sticks. How wonderful it must be for her.

I was reminded of two other funerals as I was waiting in the line to give her mom a hug. One was a flashback of just a couple of years ago to Mike's sister's funeral. I still miss Liz terribly at times. I still don't know what God's plan is there but I still trust that He has one and that it's a good one. He doesn't need my input to make a good plan. Trust me, He's reminded me of that more often than not. The other funeral took me back several more years to my freshman year in high school, 1986. A good friend of mine died from leukemia that spring. We had gone to school together from Kindergarten on. Our little community was rocked and left hurting. I didn't understand what Heather had done that God would punish her so. You see, I didn'thave a faith in Christ at that point and didn't realize that she wasn't being punished, but rewarded.

God certainly knows the number of our days. He also knows the good plans He has for those who love Him. I just pray He has easier plans for me.

Monday, October 26, 2009

The birthday celebrations are over for another year.

No, we didn't plan our boys having their birthdays only a week apart when we were having children. We had our families over for desserts yesterday to celebrate. It was fun to watch 4 generations playing around together. Brock had a great time bouncing on the exercise ball then bouncing the exercise ball on the stuffed rabbit. Adrianna enjoyed all the attention she got. Phoebe enjoyed eating ice cream cake, skittles and kit kats then tried to figure out how to burn off all the sugar she ingested. Sabine and Tia enjoyed thier Rock Band tutorial given by Chris and Jesse. Not sure if I mentioned we got Jesse the Rock Band game for the Play Station for his birthday. It has been fun for everyone. Of course, my head may not agree when they have friends over to play it this weekend. LOL.

Now that the birthdays have passed I'm turning my attention to the next items on the list.....a cattle show and sale, Thanksgiving and another cattle sale. We start and end the month of November with sales and throw in a Thanksgiving celebration here for Mike's family in the middle of it.

Today Mike discovered the bananas that I had gotten last week. Three were left and just a tick beyond their prime. I turned them into banana muffins for them to enjoy tonight. I have no idea what I'm fixing for supper, but I know they're going to have good dessert. LOL.

Friday, October 23, 2009

My little baby boy.

It's been 15 years ago since I had this wonderful "little" boy. I was at the hospital at this time hearing that I wasn't contracting (they didn't know yet that I was having gall stone attacks that had been happening since June) but they would go ahead and hook me up to pitocin since I was 14 days overdue. Dr. Jones joking asked me if I could deliver this baby in time for him to make it to his church picnic. The nurses got me hooked up to the pit at 8 am and at 8:05 Mike reminded them we needed an epidural. Dr. Jones came back in at 8:15 just as I was having a contraction and ordered it for me. Sometimes in the face of extreme danger, men just give in. Jesse was born at 11:30 am just as our pastor, Fred Branco, was praying for us in church. Jesse entered the world at a whopping 8# 14oz and 21 1/2 inches long. Dr. Jones assured me that by going over his due date he had actually lost weight. For that, I was thankful. I don't remember if there was a full moon or just what the issue was (maybe we had a really cold January) but the nursery was full of babies. Since Jesse was my 2nd baby and I hadn't had any complications, the nurses asked that I keep him in my room as much as possible. He was such a good baby that it really wasn't an issue. Maybe the fact that we were watching the Chicago Bears pregame on TV while I was in labor is why he loves the Bears so much. The nurses kept trying to wrap him in this little recieving blanket and his feet kept popping out the end. I think you can see his feet in every one of the pictures of everyone holding him at the hospital. Chris got to hold him at the hospital sitting in a bean bag chair. It was so amazing to watch them bond and become brothers and friends in that instant. And to watch my Daddy hold him brought so much joy. My Dad just doesn't like to hold babies. They're too small for him to feel comfortable with. Not Jesse, he was big enough for Daddy's comfort zone and they shared the same outer foot bone curve. And, as Jesse pointed out when he was about 6, they were born on the same day. Not the same date but the 23rd is both of their birthdays.

Today, Jesse is the tallest member of our family. His feet still stick out from the blankets. He's quickly becoming the man of God that He had planned all along. He went on a mission trip this summer to North Dakota and worked with Kindergarteners. I have to think of the movie "Kindergarten Cop" when I imagine that scene. He had a great time and hopefully was a good influence on those kiddos. Jesse is a sophomore in high school and will have his mandatory classes finished this year. I don't know which direction his future will pull him, but I do know it's a bright one.

Happy birthday, Jesse.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Time flys....

I know when I was little it seemed like the years would just drag along taking forever to roll around to the next great event in my life. Maybe that's why time seems to fly now....I'm blessed with one great event after another. Let's see how I can do on an update...
Mike's still laid off. Mixed rumors about possible return dates or IF he will return at all. We're starting to look for some other options at this point. We've broke and sold more calves this year than ever, so that's definately a plus. The fat cattle market is down though and that's a minus. God does wonderfully at keeping us balanced.
Chris turned 17 yesterday. THUD. When he and Mike are outside walking across the yard it's hard to tell the difference. Mike commented last night that it seems like it was just yesterday that we were going to the North Callaway Homecoming Game. Yes, I know, it's been 22 years since that first homecoming. Chris has babysat my great niece a couple of times (less than 1/2 an hour each time) and it is so fun to watch him talk to her and feed her. He's gonna make a great dad someday in the future. He and Jesse are very much best friends. They get along so well and can have so much fun in even the most boring situation. Yes, it does make school interesting at times. Chris in going to the vo tech for an ag class this year. He seems to enjoy it and is doing awesome in there. They've switched from studying FFA to beef animals. Can you say cruising?
Jesse will be 15 next Friday. He's studying for his learner's permit and is so ready to drive us where ever we desire. Never thought I'd have one chauffeur much less two. Last weekend there was a Jason Aldean concert in Columbia that Jesse desperately wanted to go to. I checked early on and couldn't find any good seats at a decent price. Turned out he got some great seats on Friday for himself, Chris, and two friends for the same money I would've had to spend on nosebleed seats. Go figure. They all had an awesome time. I'm glad they were able to do and treat each other as a birthday gift.
Me...hmm....I now have a part time job at the children's library in Mexico. I get about 8 hours one week and about 15 the other. It's enough to cover the cell phone bill and groceries so that's good. I spent a lot of hours this August trying to get our website for the cattle up and going. Now it looks like I may actually be able to enjoy web design. I'm considering picking up a class or two here and there so that I might be able to turn that into a career in the future. We'll just have to see. I'm also working at trying to figure out what to make everyone for Christmas. And I need to work at the flowers for my parents 50th anniversary this coming January.
Life's an adventure here. We never know what the next day is going to hold and I feel as if God gets a good chuckle out of my plans each day. His are so much better if I'll just let go of what I want or think I need.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

The fairs are behind us as is the summer.

This has definately been a different summer than normal for us. Mike got laid off work April 24th and hasn't been called back. We don't know when, or if, he will be called back. We looked at it as a great summer vacation for all of us at first. Now that it's time to get back to normal fall stuff, it's a bit odd. LOL. In May we moved into the house, finished up some school work, worked with the calves and got ready for Jr Nationals. In June we went to Murfreesboro, TN for a week for the Chi and Maine Jr. Nationals. Both of the boys had a great time. They finished 4th in the grooming contest and were quite proud of that. Jesse also finished 2nd in the judging, 7th in photography and 9th in stockman's challenge. All in all, a pretty good time. The boys and I took off one afternoon and went to a go cart track near our hotel. We probably shouldn't have spent as much money as we did there, but man did we have an awesome time. One of the go carts I got had the governor off it. BAHAHAHA. I LOVED it as I went speeding by the boys and even ended up lapping them. They were not as amused and decided we had to race again. In the end everyone won one race. Just so you know, I won by the most though. I think I missed my true calling and should have been a racer. The rest of June was spent doing hay when it wasn't raining. July came and the boys headed to North Dakota (Bismark area) for a mission trip with our youth group and 3 other youth groups. Jesse taught 5 and 6 year olds in VBS and Chris did rec. Both had a great time and arrived home the morning of our county fair's beef show. We worked them hard there and they crashed into bed that night. August brought a county fair and the state fair and a first for Chris. He went today for his first ever class in a public school. He's taking Ag Science I at the vo-tech in town.

So, I don't know where the summer went, but I do know where we went over the summer.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Sorry I left you hanging.....

We did get moved. Ahh....this house is really the first place that's felt like home from the second we moved in. I cannot tell you how thrilled I am. The boys have been busy and are gearing up to be even busier the rest of the summer. We leave Monday for the National Jr. Heifer Show in Murfreesboro, TN. Mike and I were last there 20 years ago and while we're there this time, we'll celebrate our 19th anniversary. If the saying "Time flies when you're having fun," is true then I must be having a blast!

I got the boys pictures for the photography contest printed off today. Unfortunately one of Chris's favorite pictures is trapped on a computer that I cannot get into due to a password. I thought I had it burned onto a cd but I cannot find it there either. ARGH. I tried to recapture it off of my facebook account, but it's not good enough quality there to reprint into an 8X10. Double Argh! And with moving, I am out of ideas that I can accomplish in 3 days. I so wish I could find that one for him because it is a special shot. Jesse got some good pics this year too. He's not quite as into the photography of cattle as Chris. He took as many shots of the dogs as he did the calves. Too bad he didn't get both in one shot.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

We have a moving day.....

WEDNESDAY .... only one short week from today we are moving!!!!!

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

What a difference a week makes.....

I haven't had a chance to update pictures but boy have we made progress!!!!

Last week Mike took off for Wednesday and Thursday and had a holiday on Friday. That gave us 4 solid days to work on the house from early morning to late night. I think I figured that we put in between 50 and 60 hours in those 4 days! Yes, we were exhausted and yes, we ate more quick fix and take food than I would've liked, but we mad a lot of progress. My Daddy and Mike's Dad came up and helped us out quite a bit.

Here's our list of what was accomplished, room by room:

Jesse's room: baseboards stained and installed and bifold closet doors stained and installed.

Chris's room: baseboards stained and installed and the little lights in his closet rigged up so they go off when he shuts the door and the closet doors installed and stained.

Boys' bathroom: baseboards stained and installed, vanity top installed, plumbing for vanity shifted a bit and vanity set into place.

Office: laminate flooring installed, baseboards stained and installed.

Livingroom: walls touched up, trim installed along ceiling, header board stoned and baseboard stained and installed.

Entry: baseboard and door trim stained and installed, tiled laid and grouted.

Dining room: laminate laid, light installed, baseboard stained and installed.

Kitchen: All cabinets installed, sink hole cut for cedar countertop, laminate counters set, laminate floor installed, microwave/rangehood installed, dishwasher purchased, and baseboards stained and installed.

Back entry: Laminate installed.

Laundry room: Laundry sink installed.

Our bedroom: Baseboard stained and installed.

So, we're nearly there. Today the boys and I stoned the breakfast bar. It looks good and I'm so glad we're done with that big project. Hopefully I'll walk around tonight with the camera and get some pics for everyone. Then again, you can come on over and check it out too......just a suggestion.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

It's been awhile....

I got a message from Mylene, my sister, yesterday saying I needed to update my blog. It's mostly going to be updates on the house since that's about all we've been accomplishing. I do have a few pictures to share showing the progress. If anyone wants to help us, Mike's taking vacation time starting Wednesday this week and will be off until next Monday. Of course, Sunday is off limits as we're celebrating Easter with Mike's family.

The picture to the right and top is of our kitchen cabinets. I just set them out the other day to see what they'd look like. Mike and I got about 1/2 of all the base cabinets set Monday night. We'll work at adding wall cabinets later this week.



The picture to the right is of the header board above the breakfast bar area seperating the kitchen and livingroom. We're ready to do the other side Wednesday morning.












The picture to the left is of Chris's bedroom door. We're staining the doors all this pecan color.












To the left is our bedroom siding all completed thanks to Dad and Jesse. I did get the trim around the window done on Sunday and it looks great! The boxes are the kitchen cabinets and our bathroom vanity.



This is a close up of Chris's ceiling fan. He and Mike hung that Thursday night.






And to the right is a close up of Jesse's fan. It was also hung on Thursday night.






The boys' bathroom. I really think the colors came together when I hung the shower curtain.

This is a close up of the boys' vanity/sink/ faucet. Notice the dark colored fixture that shouldn't show as much dirt as those shiny fixtures. Yes, the bathroom was made to be used by males. LOL.

There are more pictures to share, but for now I need to get moving. I have a bottle calf to feed, need to go to Columbia for more supplies for the house, help Jesse plan his talk on making a first aid kit for the 4-H center and do some work on the clipping and fitting clinic our 4-H club is hosting later this month.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Colors......

I used to love the variety of colors available to me in the big box of crayons. Even when the boys were little I'd buy the 256 color pack and we'd have a ball coloring together. Well, picking colors for the house has brought that love affair with color to an end. Abruptly.

I went through a whole pile of sage greens before I found the right shades for our kitchen and dining room. Mike liked the darker one enough to use it on our one painted wall in our bedroom. I also went through a pile of tans to find the boys bathroom color. And yet another pile of light browns for our bathroom. I went through a ton of burgandys trying to find the right one for our dining room and office. No such luck. I decided to look at blues. Found one that might work but wasn't sure it was what I wanted in the dining room. One of Mike's aunts suggested an orange (pumpkin or honey). Ummmm...we're just not orange people. Finally I picked out a cottage white. Just a tick off white for the time being. I basically surrendered at the paint counter and gave up. I told Mike he had to pick the color for the media room as it's the "man cave". They've decided to decorate it in a sports bar theme. I said a charcoal and silvery grey would be very nice up there. I was thinking it would be very neutral and could go with the variety of colors. His response? "Not Raider colors." Oh gee whiz. So he started sorting through the 5 million color chips at Home Depot Friday night. We got there about 8:15 and closed the place down. They literally locked the doors behind us. LOL. But he found his color. And we had to get a tinted primer to get it dark enough. So, what's the color you ask?

Well, let's give you a few hints first as to the sports teams that will be represented up there. Jesse and Mike are Chicago Bears fans. Chris is a Pittsburg Steelers fan. We all enjoy the St. Louis Cardinals. They enjoy Mizzou sports. So do you see where we're going??????????

I certainly didn't. The color is Behr's Embarcadero. You can look it up. It's a deep purple! Almost an eggplant PURPLE! I didn't even know the man knew the color. The primer is the color of Pepto Bismol. Yep, PINK. Folks, these are colors that have never been in our house. I'm so confused.

But, I have decided to use this decision to my enjoyment. You see, the boys are off working for someone else today. I'm going up to the media room after lunch and painting the primer on the walls. Then, when they get home I'm hoping to get a picture of their reactions when they see pink on the walls of their man cave. LOL. That will bring me great joy. Hopefully I get the picture and can post it here for you.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

So, I'm taking a break.

I've been working hard at the new house for 10 days straight and the old house was showing it, so I've taken today off from the new house. Because of that break I managed to link some pics of the house on here for your enjoyment. We're getting closer and closer which makes me oh so happy. Mike and I have to go after some tile, grout, mortar and faucets tonight. I was hoping we could get the kitchen cabinets this week, but it's not looking too much like that unless we get a chance on Saturday. We'll just have to see how it goes. Anyway, enjoy the pics and feel free to suggest a color for the office and dining room. They're off opposite sides of the entry and need to be the same color. Mike's getting tired of green and tan now, so we need a new hue. I've been suggesting silver and charcoal for the media room, but so far that's all it is....a suggestion. Give us some ideas....we need help. Oh, the media room is to have a sports bar theme.

Pictures of the house.

Photobucket Album

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

A lot of progress....finally!

Whew. Last Friday the drywallers finished up. Woo hoo! We had a vet science/beef field trip on Saturday morning to Circle A Ranch's feedlot facility in Huntsville, MO. They have a feedlot under roof that is 1/2 mile long and will hold up to 5,000 head of cattle at any one time!!!! It was very cool. The kids got a lot of information on new ways of doing things that should help them in the future. On our way home we passed a furniture and flooring store in Moberly that was advertising a sale. Well, that meant I turned us around and headed back to check out their tile. LOL. Mike and I went in and found tile for the boys' bathroom for under $50. It's a little darker at home than it looked in the store, but it's gonna work out nicely. We got some other prices from them but decided we needed to continue the low price hunt a little more. I'm still a bit confused as to how I got to be so frugal. I honestly wasn't always this way. I think my husband has rubbed off on me over the years. Once we got home Saturday, I started taping off the windows in the house so we could get ready to prime it. Have I mentioned the fact that I love natural light and therefore our house has 22 windows in it? The only rooms without windows are the boys bathroom and the laundry room. So, yeah, it took a while.

Sunday we went to church and Sunday school and then home. Mike had to treat a cow who, it seems, was suffering post partum depression. Didn't know that could happen, but since she didn't really have a physical problem (other than not eating and drinking) that's my best guess. Thankfully she's snapping out of it with a little TLC. I went to the home expo in Columbia. The only thing that impressed me at all was that I got a $50 coupon for the Carpet One store. We're heading over there this evening to check out their bargain room and hopefully find tile for the entry and our bathroom. Got home, helped Mike finish taping off the windows and then took Jesse to youth. Chris stayed home again due to bronchitis.

Monday I decided to start priming the house. Only problem was that the painter we borrowed wasn't working. I ended up renting one and since it was costing me by the day, I primed the entire house Monday. I came in and my face was covered with the primer. The boys told me, "Mom, you're a white woman.....a really white woman." It took 7 hours and 38 gallons of primer, but it was finished. I was exhausted and had to spend some time in a hot bath trying to get all that primer off me. Thankfully Chris did the dishes that had piled up and Jesse fixed supper for us. That was a huge blessing.

Tuesday I returned the painter and bought paint and supplies. Apparently the Mexico Wal-Mart can no longer color match. Either their machine is broken or their employee is incompetent. I'll leave that conclusion up to you. I know what I've decided. Came home and touched up the ceiling in the boys bathroom and got the walls mostly painted. We had 4-H last night so I had to stop for that. Mike painted the ceilings in the office, entry, dining room and kitchen. He also got the entry painted. He's not sure he loves the color, but I assured him, it's only paint. We can change it anytime.

We're hoping to get most if not all the house painted this week. It's getting exciting. I'll try to post some pics as we finish rooms.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Interesting non updates....

Mike and I were invited to an Extension Annual Dinner tonight. Good food, good company. The one thing I'm not sure of were the speakers. One spoke about the economic downturn and how it's impacting our area. Ummm.....yes, I have listened to the news and excuse me, but your chart does not back up what you are saying. I have a friend who will tell me I was thinking with a homeschooler brain (never taking any facts/data at face value) and I guess she'd be right. Mike just laughed when I pointed it out to him. I did not ask the speaker why his chart and his words matched up because I was beyond ready to go at that point. The things he told us I could've caught on FOX news in about 5 minutes. THEN they handed the mic over to another guy who whined about state budget cuts. I'm thinking if I have to better manage the money for our family, why shouldn't a government agency at least attempt to do better? He kept encouraging us to contact our government officials. Maybe I'll do just that and ask them to be just as accountable with every dollar they spend as the IRS asks of me. I wonder, is that really what he wanted me to say when I contact them?

On the farm front, we had 4 calves this afternoon. I know a lot of labor and delivery wards that don't see that kind of action. All are healthy and one is definately a show heifer prospect. It seems that she already knows that as she has a cocky little attitude about her. One of the other calves kicked Mike repeatedly while he was trying to give him a vitamin paste. It was pretty funny watching Mike try to stay on top of the calf and the calf trying to kick him off.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to post some pictures of calves and the house and maybe I can even sneak a pic of the boys. They must think they're in the witness relocation program they way they hide from the camera. Maybe the threat of posting baby and toddler pics would be enough to get them to let me take a nice current pic.

Monday, February 23, 2009

The best laid plans....

You know what they say..."The best laid plans go awry." Yep...sure do. I typed out my lovely plan for this week at 2 am today when I could not go back to sleep. By 9 am the plans were out the window already. How pitiful is that? Not even 7 hours and the whole week has gone haywire! A few years ago that would have really bothered me, but now, I don't even care.

We're getting the drywall finished this week. Woo hoo! I get to start priming and painting later this week. I am looking forward to it so much! We picked out and paid for the carpet this week and have some good leads on lower cost tile for the entry and bathrooms. Mike's hoping to work on the plumbing this week, but we're trying to be fluid (pun intended) with our plans.

Right now, Mike, Chris and Jesse are playing Texas Hold 'Em on Facebook. I'm guessing it's bonding time for them. It's halarious for me. We rented the movie "21" a little over a week ago and now these two want to use their math skills to learn to count cards. Should I be concerned? I'm thinking not because they're much too tight to risk losing any of their own money! Chris has spent most of his money this year on a couple of heifers and Jesse just continues to hoard his.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Sharing a few pics....


The Sr. Judging team from Audrain County that placed 3rd at State Contest. Chris is on the far right.

Below is the view out of Mike's and my new bedroom.


Front view of the house. My Dad and a cousin of his and a brother of his milled the cedar for us.


Wow, 3 months have passed.

Where did the time go? I'm not going to try to catch up. Instead I'll just start where we are now. The exterior of the house is done! We have the electrical wiring done and a lot of the plumbing. We'll be testing it this weekend to make sure we don't have any leaks. Insulators are now scheduled for next Tuesday. That's barring any delays. After that we need to get the frame built for the boy's tub then the drywallers can come. I'm guessing that'll be the end of next week or possibly even early the next. The boys are working diligently with their show heifers gearing up for the AGR show on February 7th.

I'm looking forward to the fact that next winter we will be in a toasty home. Many mornings lately it's been in the 50's in our home and takes most of the day to near 68. We've done all we can to up the warmth other than filling the propane tank and running that furnace. We're heating with wood, kerosene and a little electric space heater. So, that's what I look forward to next winter.