Daddy

I blogged this picture first because it is my favorite. These pictures are not all in order, just pictures from when Frank was home. There were over 1000 pictures, so you just get a few... This photo compliments of Tad.

This is my brood in the zoo, we spent an afternoon here and in the museum. The zoo is the nicest we have ever been too and Frank loves zoos and has been to many. This one has a lot of acreage for the animals to roam free on, they can leave their cages and go outside. They are less caged than most zoo animals.

Mm, mm, mmm.... I like this picture, the hat, the jeans, the boots, oh the man...

My favorite snake! I wont let my son own one but he fascinates me! Why is he white? I haven't found out yet. I assume he is an albino python. I have seen quite a few pythons, and never one this color.

Um, me. Frank took the picture, I do love this hat! A girl can get so much more done with the right boots and hat!

Nathalie coming out out of the crawl tunnels, you crawl in and come up in a glassed in area and you are INSIDE the bear cage. It is neat, there were black bears, one sleeping nearby.

Frank and Nathalie in the glass cage, Tad is on his way in, they all 3 fit in here!

Tad's favorite animals, just like Franks- the BIG cats. Tad likes the lions best. I think Tads mane is quite cute too!

Putting up the pool, it is filling but still fun to play in especially if you are short. This is one of the many jobs made easier by Frank being home. Once you have the flat spot, you can use it the next yr but the first yr is a lot of work. He tilled the spot and then we leveled, and then some friends came over and they tilled/leveled more with us!

The lighting in this picture is beautiful, look up to the left/top of the picture. It was a pretty night. The kids missed jumping on the trampoline more than any other game/playing that Frank did when he was home. The few mo before he deployed, they were out there almost every night jumping. He jumped almost every night while home! He is pretending to kick someone here.

Nathalie helping with the portable chicken coop, this is good for temporary housing for a chicken(s), rooster, or small chickens not ready to be free range or move in with the big ones. We are using it now for our hens and roosters until I get the large one built. We did get rid of a lot of cats, or rather Frank did (in a nice way) but there is still one lurking and plenty of other predators. We can have the chickens out during day when we are out there, but they need to go in to safety at night. Frank helped us build this and cover it in chicken wire to have a safe place for now.

Making dart guns out of CPVC... these were FUN. (NOT) I am actually neither way about them, my 3 children, er, husband and 2 children enjoyed them thoroughly.

This is a picture I missed, him working with us. Here he is mending an extension cord. Which was run over because of me not paying attention... To his credit, he has taught the children and myself how to mend and he also doesnt complain when we cut them. Again.

Another chicken coop picture, sorry for poor order but blogger/my computer have been having trouble this wk so I am wanting to give you lots of pictures, but I didnt bother with order. I was just pleased it worked!

Tad riding a dirt bike for the first time, he fell of at first quite a bit but he got the hang of it. It belongs to some friends of ours, their whole family rides and they spent the day with us. Nathalie got to ride with Eric (their daddy) but was not interested in, nor ready, to ride on her own.

Tilling the spot for the pool, I had to take a lot of pictures and anyone who knows him knows he worked a lot by choice so there are pictures working, pictures playing with the kids, pictures with beer and pictures kissing me. Thats about it...

Nathalie asked Frank to have a birthday party early with cake bc mommy doesnt make good cake, and she chose decorate her own piece my what a mess! He bought twirly candles and made a cake and we sang and had a party 2 mo early. It was fun for her and a great memory.

So there are a lot more, and I have many more posts to put on later this wk. I am behind on posts, because of technical difficulties. I have pictures of all the things we built, fixed and made while Frank was home and I will post those, followed by a post on new chickens and new goats!

Daddy was home

I havent blogged in so long I forgot my password. Truly. I had to log in again 4 times. I havent had to do that EVER. I was about to start a whole new blog over it.

Where have I been? Enjoying my husband! He was home for 2 wks on leave from Iraq. He has left us now, we took him to the airport monday morning. We left at 3:30 a.m. and dropped him off in Kansas City and then drove the 2.5 hrs home. It was solemn.

We had a wonderful time while he was here, I didnt take nearly as many pictures or videos as you would expect as I was just too busy enjoying him! We did a number of things, completed many projects and had a lot of fun. We built a new lean too in the fence that was finished, made a new 10x6 ft sliding door for the front of the barn, the old one had been screwed into place with scraps of plyboard and 2x4 by me as it was falling apart...

I got a new compressor, yes its mine, it is my self proclaimed mothers day present. I could have had anything I wanted-anyone who knows my husband knows that, I wanted my husband and I got him the day before. That was perfection. The compressor, well that was icing. I needed a small compressor because I cannot move the large one. This one can go WITH me into the barn yard(s) so that I have use of the nail gun, pneumatic scissors (borrowed-I NEED A PR OF THESE THEY ARE SO COOL!) etc.

We did a lot of other projects including putting up the pool and working in the gardens. We went to the zoo, went to the movies, ate junk food, hung out and generally had a wonderful time working and playing. I am glad he came, I am sad he is gone and I am grateful we have only a few more months before he is home. I do have a lot of pictures and would have taken pictures of projects today but it is raining so that must wait.

I am off to bed early because I have to rise before the farmers tomorrow in order to be at one of their barns to pick up straw before he leaves for the fields. By the way, the farmers rise while it is still nightime. Yes my friend Amanda in California, you can call it morning because is is A.M. However, it is nightime when it is dark out.

Clean Rooms

The children's rooms are clean???? Has that ever happened? Yes of course! There was that one time... No wait. That wasnt it, um, yeah! I remember, that one time back before we moved in when the other people were still living in it, last august? Thats it! Just kidding... Their rooms are often clean but since they were about 2 yrs old and older, I have had to do toy patrol. We end up with too much, and things get mixed. Legos and little animals are the only things safe from this. Everthing else, ends up mixed. Today I removed a huge packing box full of things and a large trash bag full of fabric scraps, paper bits and other junk that are considered "good finds" by Nathalie.

Nathalie doesnt actually sleep in her own room but it is now organized and 50 % more empty than it was earlier today. Her mattress lives downstairs in a spare bedroom now bc spring is tornado season and its easier to have 3 mattresses down there for stormy nights. Her babies are "in bed" here and she is pleased with the clean room though it took a lot of tears from her.

I moved next yrs shoes (on sale so bought early), winter shoes, helmets and several boxes of things like blocks and the life box is the "little" toy box. It has smallish things that dont fit other sets, Nathalie likes this box full of treasures so I let her keep it as long as it closes.

Her desk even has art space! She says this will be less frustrating than the carpeted floor for drawing.

Tad didnt have as much mess because, um, because he isnt Nathalie? She is a messy child, who doesnt mind the mess. He is a slightly messy and hates living in a mess. He has a bottom and top bunk of course and the top is where Nathalie sleeps. She wont sleep alone firstly because of the tornado and secondly because daddy is gone and if Bad Guys come in, Tad will protect her.

Clean sheets, and no clothes hanging out of the drawers! Yes he does use the 3 colored drawers for clothes as well as the under bed drawers. He has a nice dresser my grandad made and so does Nathalie, but the drawers were damaged on his-runners need replacing and havent gotten to that yet!

New clothes

So what do you do when your son gains 10 pounds in 1 yr? Well you sew. Tad has always been able to wear summer clothes more than one yr bc he is not very tall or big. He weighs 58 pounds (2 days ago weight) and weighed 48 last summer same time! So most of his summer shorts went to Manny in Ga. (nearly 6 yr old son of my best friend)
I went through last yrs summer clothes and found plenty of t shirts, some stained, and several skirts/capris and dresses for Nathalie. But shorts, Tad had 2 pr. So the last 2 evenings I have spent a bit of time making him 2 new pr long shorts or 3/4 length pants and 1 pr of nice shorts.


These are loose fit 100 % linen with bamboo waistband garden pants. The longer styling allows him to get less sunburned. I dont like to use a lot of sunscreen, 80 % of Americans are vit D defficient! It is added to cows milk, but we use fresh goats milk.

This was some nice nylon I bought late this winter for 1 $ a yd. I see why now! Hard to work with. The machine kept eating it! But here they are, mock fly, soft stretchy waistband, quick dry long swim shorts. The back pockets are gusseted which are nice for water and they just look neat.

Mr Clean! He says... These shorts are identical to his new blue jeans and his camo pants from same fabric of this winter. He needs a pr that are nice for restaurants or being out and this fabric doesnt show stain easily. He likes real zippers and beltloops which this pr has.

Gusseted pockets...

Nice fancy shorts!

Garden pants

And the trio of my work, about 2.5 hrs from cut to photo. Very comfortable, versatile and easy to make. Now we are not AS lacking in summer clothes! He still needs another pr garden pants and another pr of nice shorts and she needs a new pr capris and 1 more dress.

Why not posting?

Well because I have had nothing to say and havent had any good pictures since the last ones. I am preparing for a visit from my husband in the next few wks and we are just anxious and excited! Very very excited... We can talk of nothing else.

I have had a nice experience with some outdoor cats, I learned that I will not shoot animals even when they really apply pressure to my patience! The outdoor cats, who are not ours, have killed and eaten our chickens! Oh and a guinea, or maybe they ate the first 2 guineas. Who knows. They have to leave but I will not be using moms suggestion (target practice) and so I have to find some other solution. There are no free shelters here in Ks, not where we are. You have to pay money to drop off animals and I dont want to pay 20 $ per cat that are not mine!

Also, I learned that Charlies Naturals cleaner will stop allergy rash. I had a rash on my arm in the barn this morning and I noticed it was moving UP my arm rather quickly. I didnt want to come all the way in so I used the spray bottle of diluted liquid cleaner from charlies, I keep bottles of this EVERYWHERE as it is literally good for everything in the world, and I sprayed my arm down with it. Lots of spray all the way up. I still have the rash but it didnt keep spreading. I am amazed at what this stuff can do! It takes away any odors left from pets, potty or just odor. Urine odors in mattresses. We have carpet, though we will get rid of it ASAP it is in part of the house and this stuff can get out any stain AND its good for the environment! I cannot sing their praises enough, I love their product.