May Day!

Happy May Day!!! As spring slowly marches in, I am so thankful for the budding trees greening up our landscape and the gravel roads finally drying up from the ever soaking rains of the past couple of weeks. I am getting excited to have baby chicks in just a couple of weeks too. So much to look forward to for the summer.

My list of forward thinking events:

1. A possible mad scientist party?       
2. Jae's birthday
3. Hannah attending summer camp for the first time
4. County fair  
5. Arranging a trip to Hawaii for my mom and me (I hope!)
6. Sierra beginning kindergarten in August
7. Jae's trip to Washington, DC in June and hopefully Asbury Camp
8. Chicken raising  
9. Hannah's 8th birthday in August
10. State Fair in July -- concert maybe?
11. Attending the ND Ladies Run in July (motorcycle rally)
12. Possible trip to Sturgis in August    

Hang on! It'll be a wild ride for the next few months. They'll certainly fly by. Oh, I also forgot to add that I'll be mowing lawn somewhere in between all of these events. : )

On a roll...

"Social Networking" Quilt Project

I think I'm on a roll! I have all of these new projects I'm wanting to start. The newest one (since yesterday anyway) is to attempt to make this awesome quilt! At a random stop at the 3 Sisters Quilt Shop in New Rockford, ND, I found this completely amazing quilt pattern. They had a sample right above (sly salespeople, they are) the patter kit, and so I simply had to have it. I love the blacks and greens with wording throughout the print. I'm a word lover, so this is just so cool. I am an extremely slow quilter/sewer since I don't do it nearly often enough. Don't expect a completed picture anytime soon. By the time this is finished, it may no longer be en vogue, but I'll see what I can accomplish.

Too Fast!

Whew! My days go by way too fast, mostly because of all of the chasing to town I have to do. Sometimes I really wish we lived within the city limits so that a minor activity like piano lessons wouldn't have to seem like such a big deal. But, we all know that kids grow up way too fast, life goes by way too fast, and so I'll keep taxi driving and fetching my girls. Someday, I may very well miss this. Maybe not until I hit about 75 years old, but that is still "someday".

In any case, my other girls (aka chickens) will not be arriving until around the first week in June! The orders were full, and so I must wait. The good thing is that my school schedules will slow down enough to enable time to build the coop properly. I am hoping the garden planting will happen this year as well. I truly want healthy, fresh food for me and my family. So many times the IDEA of things is so much easier than the actually getting it to happen. With proper planning and work, hopefully my huge ideas will be more of a reality.

Oops, almost late for piano. See y'all later!

Ready or not....!

I've always had a hankering for adventure, even if it seems to be more in my mind than what actually happens with my body. However, I once upon a time told myself that I must try something new every year (until I die, of course) in order to keep my adventures moving.

Well...cymbal roll...this year's "new" thing is:

I am ordering chickens. Chickens! This may seem like to no big deal to some and completely crazy and stupid to others (my husband being on that latter list). I have to give my man credit. Even though he thinks I'm nuts in so many regards, especially where my love of animals is concerned, he really comes along for the ride many times. I guess he knows that I'm just independent enough that even if he doesn't give a complete thumbs up to my ideas, I'll do them anyway. So...he might as well help me out so the whole thing can be handled "right".

The thing is, I've had ducks. They're really cute and sort of neat to have around the yard, but my dogs always wanted to eat them. They couldn't just roam free like I had envisioned in my Narnia world. I know, my dogs will still want to eat chickens; however, I also want to eat chickens (I did not eat the ducks -- they flew away to a paradise somewhere else.). I also want to eat their eggs and enjoy the wholesomeness and healthiness of farm fresh eggs. Note, I will NOT be the one to butcher the chickens which are to come. My heart is too weak for that sort of activity, but I am sure a neighbor around here somewhere will be willing to help out. I am sort of counting on that. Otherwise, we may just have egg laying chickens forever. : ) So, the plan is to put up a small coop area with a nesting box for just a couple of the girls. Then, toward the end of summer, a group of about 10 to 15 will be freezer bound and just a couple will be our named girls to keep for eggs.

MY girls have already expressed the names they'll give to our new babies once they come. They have been warned not to name any that may meet an end in our freezer. You cannot eat what you have named as the saying goes. If there isn't a saying like that, there should be!

So...I am now logging off of this site to get my very first chicken order placed. Wish me luck! I'll post pictures of my adventure for this year. Cluck, cluck!

One of the types of girls I hope to have wandering my coop soon.

Type #2 of planned chickens. I really am getting excited for this!!!!

Dream come true!

The picture is of my NEW motorcycle!!! How exciting!!! My husband surprised me at my birthday party (also a surprise) with this awesome gift. I was completely unsuspecting of everything. Now just to pay for it....Yikes! : )

Snow....

More snow....ugh! I even checked flight prices to get the heck out of ND, but, alas, the price is too high. They were all from $480 and up. I was hoping for one of those cheap Allegiant Air flights of $29 one way to Phoenix and then booking two seats, one for me and another for Michelle. I guess I'll be putting up with the snow. Pooh.

Slow down!

Woah!!! Finally to Sunday night. The last week was so busy with concerts, work, Christmas parties, weddings, etc. that I am really hoping that this week is a chance to slow down a bit for some relaxation.

The wedding of Carissa and Jake was very nice this weekend. A big congrats to them!!! They seem very happy and are so cute together. It was great to see some Kansas friends and just to visit with Shauna and Telli again. I miss my friends so much sometimes!!!

Now, off to the new week. Work, work, then off for a couple of days....then Christmas!!! : ) Yippee! I'm excited for the weekend's activities.

I'm here again!

Can you believe I have written so many days in a row? Wow!

Hannah's concert was cute tonight. I'm gearing up for a crazy, busy week to follow. Hopefully our Saturday night will be relaxing as we go to a friend's wedding and hang out at a hotel in Fargo. It'll be fun to go away again.

Happy Monday night all!

Mmm good!

I finally did a wee bit of baking for the season. First off I mixed up the sugar cookie dough, which is refrigerating as I write. Then I made a pumpking roll, part of which we have already eaten! Now I have to motivate myself to get off my chair to roll out those sugar cookies and bake them. I think my energy is waning. I need to finish some sewing and do my week's lesson plans too. So...I don't think I'll get everything done, but I'd best be off and away.

I hope everyone's weekend was great. Christmas concert tomorrow! Yippee for the season! Hannah's practicing right beside me, so I've got a sneak preview of the big event. Kids get so excited for their concerts that it's just motivating. She also gets to wear a new dress that her Grandma Johnson and aunt Lisa bought for her. We haven't seen it yet, but she's excited to get something fancy and new. : )

Weekend

Hannah made her teacher ornaments and dipped spoons. I hope these are decent enough gifts for everyone. It almost seems a bit cheap, but I got coffee mugs for all the teachers and had Hannah make a homemade ornament and dip a spoon in chocolate to include with the mug for coffee. I may have to buy some Starbucks Via packets to include with them. I'm not sure yet. Hmmm....

I'd like to tackle cookie making tomorrow. I just don't like that the little girls want to help and end up making my job even messier and longer. I know, I know. It's how they learn. But...I need more patience! : ) I would really like to have some spritz cookies and soft sugar cookies though, so I'll have to get busy.