Tara and Tater's Egg-cellent Adventure!

Well, Aidan and I had quite the adventure today! It actually started last night when Evan found the first chicken egg near our hen house. He put it in the fridge. Today Aidan and I found a second one. Just before snack time!!! Here are the two eggs we've found so far:

Aidan got to crack his first eggs:

Here's Aidan scrambling the eggs: And frying them up:
And here's the final product! Scrambled eggs fresh from the farm with cheese. What a treat!

Trouble with the kids

Goat kids that is. We came home from grocery shopping to find all three goats in Jim's garage. Leaving three of the kids (children, not goats) in the van, I started to corral the kids (goats, not children) back into the pasture. They'd escaped from a 10 inch high opening under the gate. So, I wrangled the kids (children, not goats) into the house, put Avery down for a nap and plugged the boys in to a movie. Then I headed back outside and worked for about an hour adding some wire fencing to the bottom of the fence that exists. While I was doing that, Aidan decided to help Toby with a box of fruit snacks. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, while I was building a fence for the kids (goats) the kids (children) were inside eating an entire box of fruit snacks (remember, I'd just gotten back from the grocery store). And, being the resourceful child that he is, Aidan was using a scissors to open each package! And, yes, they ate the entire box. And while no children or goats were hurt in this endeavor, I was. I'm full of scratches from the ends of the wire fencing I used. And the fence had to be built in a patch of stinging nettles. And less good ol' Mrs. B (my dear third grade teacher) is reading this and having a heart attack from all the sentences starting with the word "and" I shall now go clean up wrappers from 10 packages of fruit snacks. The end. :)

Edited to add: And when children eat almost an entire box of fruit snacks it does intersting things to their insides...I'll leave the coloring of the contents of the diaper of the youngest boy up to your imagination...

New Kids On The Block

No, this post does not have the intention of bringing back memories like NKOTB, acid washed jeans, leggings or even of big hair!! And I had pictures of all these things, but the links weren't to good things, so just pretend here. I am merely announcing that we are the proud "renters" of these little guys! These three goats (get it, kids, baby goats, kids??? I crack me up!) are on loan to us to clear out our WAY overgrown pasture. Then, next spring when things thaw out we are going to get a few sheep to help keep it down (and provide the boys with valuable learning experiences and stuff).















Oh, and we also got four big black chickens. Pretty soon they'll be providing brown eggs for us! Provided of course that we keep them provided with food and water!



And that is the excitement for our day! :)

News Flash

Vacuum cleaners do not like to suck up little green plastic army men.

Thought you'd like to know.

America's Got Evan

Evan and I have been watching America's Got Talent this summer. He definitely has an opinion on styles of music and various acts he likes and doesn't like! He figured out pretty quickly that Sharon would like just about anyone and that Piers wouldn't. He commented on song and singing styles, on dances, and even on people who weren't being modest in their costume choices (YEAH!). We cheered when good acts got sent through and we cheered when bad acts got sent on. This Tuesday was the finale. We enjoyed all the entertainment and the suspense of who would walk away with a million dollars. The suspense was a little higher than I think the NBC producers intended in our neck of the world because several times the show was interrupted by severe weather warnings! The most fun part for me was realizing that my little boy was growing up. One of the final four contestants was Julienne Irwin. She's 14 and an up and coming country music singer. Evan's comment as she was singing in the finale? "She's so cute, I could watch her all night." :) I guess my little boy is growing up!

Dinner!

Sweet Potatoes:

Sweeter Pota-toes:

Business Idea

I was wandering through downtown yesterday, just getting a feel for my new town. I stopped in several little "touristy gift" sort of shops and came to a conclusion. I could possibly have a little side business here! I have enjoyed beading, making baby shoes and could also make some other little baby items to sell at some of these shops. I'm in the "thinking seriously about it" phase of the idea. What sort of name do you think I should use in my business? I'm thinking something like "Avery's Acres" "Country Kids" "Country Crafts" or something cutsy like that. Well, what do you think? How do I know how to price things? What if I get too many orders and end up not being able to keep up with the rest of my life??? :)

And for your viewing pleasure this morning, here's a fresh shot of the three lil'uns. Evan didn't want his picture taken because he doesn't "smile very well". Notice that they are wearing long sleeves and long pants. In the middle of August. Weird! And yes, I do believe that Aidan's feet are really as big as they are appearing! That kid has grown like a little weed this summer!

The Stupid Tax

This week I've been paying the "stupid tax". This is a random amount of money paid to various people or organizations as a result of a stupid decision. Jim and I coined the phrase after he unknowingly tripped a safety valve on a furnace, causing it to go out in the middle of January. Stupid tax: $74. Lesson learned: don't try to save money on gas by turning down the pilot light on the heater.

Last Friday I bought a blow-up pool for the boys. I figured it was $18 and would buy me lots of kid entertainment. Plus, hey, I could always dry it and put it away and use it next year! First installment of stupid tax: $18 on a blow-up pool plus 3 hours of work in blowing the dang thing up. A moment of panic when I noticed the cats eying the pool...nope. They have not managed to pop it yet. Toby bit a hole in one of the three sections, so it doesn't go quite as deep, but that isn't the point here. We got a second installment of the stupid tax last night when I paid a doctor $45 to diagnose Aidan with swimmers' ear. Then another stupid tax bill arrived at the pharmacy when I had to pay $35 for ear drops for said swimmers' ear. So, I'm up to $98 on a blow up pool, 3 hours to blow the dang thing up, 2 hours at the doctor's office with four kids thank-you-very-much and 2 wakings up in the night to administer ibuprofen before I relented and took Aidan in to the doc. All for a couple of days of them splashing around and causing me extra laundry in clothes (not just swimming trunks, but entire sets of clothes) and towels. Next time, I'm spending $5 on a sprinkler and telling them to run through it in their unders!

Oh, and just so you feel more sorry for me, I've smashed at least a dozen crickets in my house today. And they're just the brave ones who are venturing out, that doesn't include the several I hear hiding in the walls. Weenies. They make a crunchy sound when you squish them, but it's better than their "crick-ey" sound when they crick!

Monday night

I really wish I could say that I have some phenomenal blogging material, but at this time, I'm not sure what that would be! The kids are doing well. Evan and Jim are gearing up to go back to school. We're having a "farm consultation" tomorrow with a friend of mine to see what we need to do or buy to have goats on the farm. Aidan and Toby are three and two and good at it! Avery has figured out how to roll over onto her tummy, but not back onto her back. Since she won't sleep on her tummy I have taken to buckling her into her car seat to sleep. She can't flip over that way! She has gone from sleeping 10-12 hours a night to waking up 2-3 times for Mommy Milk. Yikes! So, maybe that's why I'm living in a fog!
I made 4 pair of the little baby booties Friday night for a baby shower on Saturday morning. Since I bought cheap pinking shears, my wrist is still killing me from all the cutting I had to do. Hummmm....Nothin' much! Oh, in the interest of full disclosure, I have installed a stat counter. So, I do know that people are reading my blog! I appreciate all the readers I have!

Good Kid Award!

One quick off topic note before I start with the awards for the day. We did not know any of the victims of the Minneapolis bridge collapse. I was a little nervous for a few friends, but all of our friends and family in the Minneapolis area are well. Praise God for that and His blessings on the families of those lost and still missing.



I would like to give the Good Kid Award to Evan, Aidan, Toby and Avery! Monday we had a full day of errands. We left our house at 8:30 and didn't get back until 2:00. We hit the grocery store, a friend's house for lunch (while I ran a quick errand to K-mart) and then we all went to Walmart. There was no fussing, no fighting and no yelling on anyone's part (myself included!). We ended up with a week's worth of groceries for a family of six, prescriptions for the month, and school supplies for second grade. Evan even commented that night that I was being really patient with them (yeah for Mommy!) As a result, the kids were rewarded with a trip to Oxbow Park yesterday including a picnic lunch. Yet again they were superbly well behaved. I've always told the kids that if they're good at a certain place it makes me want to take them back there again. As I was complimenting them on their behavior in the van on the way home Aidan asked, "do you want to take us back there again, Mom?" I do, Aidan. I do.

Quick update

Well, a few weeks ago we thought one of the guinea hens had gone on to that big field in the sky. We even found what we'd thought was a guinea hen skeleton and some feathers, so we WERE pretty sure! When we got home from church on Sunday we were surprised to see all 6 of the hens back out in the yard! We wondered what in the world had happened! Jim went over to investigate and that's when things got interesting. They started screeching to beat all. One charged at him and chased him around for a minute. Then he saw a line of "keets", baby guinea hens, running along one of the buildings! So, turns out that one wasn't killed, but was "brooding" or nesting for the past few weeks. So now we have all 6 guinea fowl (they're obviously not all hens!) and a pile of baby keets. What on earth have we gotten ourselves into???

Cute Kid Quote:
Toby (2) was chatting with a dinner guest and told him that there was a cricket over there by the wall. "What's he doing?" "He's cricket-ing" was Toby's definition of the noise of the cricket!

We Have A Winner

I wanted to wait until I had contacted my winner for the little shoes. Ashley from MA has won the handmade shoes! Congratulations on your little bundle, Ashley! Enjoy!

Blogland giveaway!

Shannon over at Rocks in my Dryer is hosting a blogland giveaway! Literally hundreds of generous online bloggers are giving away TONS of stuff. Head on over there and sign up to win any of a number of items! I was struggling with what to offer. This morning, inspiration hit! I will be selecting one VERY lucky winner to receive these adorable shoes I just made last night! They are very comfy looking and soft cotton and suede. The main body has little purple flowers and the inside is a small pink floral print. The sole is a faux suede material. I would keep them for my daughter, but she's too skinny for them and they keep falling off her little feet! Hence, they are SLIGHTLY used, she had them on for about a total of 4 hours during which I put them back on about 4 times! So, if you are interested in signing up to win these beauties, please leave a comment. I'll randomly select a winner sometime on Friday. All you have to do is leave a comment, one per customer please and, sorry, but US addresses only. I do have to be able to contact you via email or your blog and you have my word that I won't share your information with anyone. Thanks and good luck!

***The contest is now over and we have a winner! Congratulations going out to Ashley from MA!***

Woo Hoo for Me!

I made a pair of shoes for Avery! :) Here they are! They were really quite easy, just took one short evening. Love them and am excited to make some more. I can take orders if anyone is interested in having a pair made. All reasonable offers will be accepted! :) They're like those little Robeez shoes, very soft and comfy!

And a bonus cute baby picture! :) Don't you just want to eat her up with a spoon?

Pass the overalls, please.

This is me. Tonight. Driving a tractor. Our tractor on our farm. It is actually moving and I am driving it. Whoa. Who'd a thunk???

Farm stuff

Yesterday Jim and Evan took a trip to the Minnesota/Iowa border to go farm stuff-shopping. Their first stop was the home of 78-year-0ld Ron Haugland, grandfather of some of Jim's students. Ron took them around and showed them a few farm stuffs and his methods for modifying and improving old farm stuff. As they were about to leave, Ron said, "Yeah, Roger's a real good son-in-law. 'Course, our politics don't agree. See, I'm a Democrat."

As Jim and Evan drove away, Evan said, "Wow, he's a Democrat." There was contemplative pause, and then he continued. "And we spent all that time with him."

Pictures to come! :)

Works For Me Wednesday

Today's works for me Wednesday is an idea I borrowed from a more seasoned mother. I've made a rotating chore chart for my three boys. There are two circles, one smaller than the other. The outer circle has a job listed and the inner circle lists the names of the kids. Each boy has a different job to do each day. Some people might change the jobs every week or month, but by keeping it a daily change I keep them intersted and excited about the different jobs! Here's a picture of the chart. The mail man has to run out to the mailbox and get the mail (or put outgoing mail into the box). The "Laundry Man" brings laundry down from our upstairs and sorts it into the laundry sorter. The "Odd Jobs Man" does those little jobs that come up and need doing like setting the table or stocking the diaper drawers. All of the jobs are adjustable according to the age of the "Man". Every night after kids go to bed I rotate the name circle one job clockwise. Each morning the kids run down and find out what their job is for the day! Works For ME! Check out Shannon's blog at Rocks in My Dryer for other great ideas!

What I've Learned Today

I'm not sure if I agree or not, but it's fun! I much prefer a double raspberry white mocha, but hey, this is what the computer thought of me. :)

You Are an Espresso

At your best, you are: straight shooting, ambitious, and energetic At your worst, you are: anxious and high strung You drink coffee when: anytime you're not sleeping Your caffeine addiction level: high

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

Bad blogger

Oops. Been a while. We're busy here making some changes here and there. The lady who lived here left a TON of paint in the basement and barn. Jim opened one gallon and it sprung a leak. Since we liked the color he painted our bedroom with it. Yesterday morning. Starting at around 9:00 am. When we had guests coming for his birthday lunch at 11. And of course our house being what it is, I ended up vacuuming a box of cheerios off the floor. Then a half a cup of beta fish food off that same spot on the floor. Maybe I should watch Toby a little better...

We're also discovering a little about asthetics. That gallon of paint that Jim found and used on our bedroom made a world of difference to both of us! It prompted us to figure out a way to get our queen box spring up the stairs. It only resulted in a little demolition of the house, nothing that we can't repair. :)

And, since I don't have a before and after picture of the bedroom, I'll post one of my first home decorating project. The kitchen was in sad shape (which I knew before we bought it, really a step, no, a leap down from my old kitchen). Here is a shot of it:

Pretty bad, huh?

Now here's an after shot:

I added a coat of paint on just the cabinet fronts, some knobs and curtains. you can't see it, but there is also a mason jar of miniature daisies in the windowsill. Pretty darn cute if you ask me! :)

Hummm, cute kid quote for the day??? I know there is one, but I just can't think of what it is. Darn darn darn!

My City Son

Yesterday we drove past a herd of cattle on our way home from church. The following conversation took place:

Mom: Look, boys! Cows!
Evan: Those cows are for sale you know.
Dad: How do you know those are for sale?
Evan: They have tags on their ears!