Guineas for dinner

Last night, two of our guineas made the executive decision not to go into the barn. Perhaps they were out dating or something. They are not smart. They dont realize that their 4th member was out only 1 night and he/she was thoroughly eaten. Feathers and down were left behind in a rather messy pile.

So this morning I went out and let the chickens (who may be dumb but willingly go in at night) and one guinea out of the barn. They spend their sunny hrs pecking at the ground and being aggravated by goats and cats. The one poor guinea raised such a fuss looking for her friends!(yes she is a female, they call differently). As I walked back to the house, nona started at something and I looked, I mean she starts at an empty feed bag but I looked, and there is a near frozen guinea! I mean really, his tail feathers are frozen on his butt! He ruffled up a bit when nona budged him and he began to slowly travel to the barn and regained his voice as he went and called to the girl guinea. I laughed at laughed at his frozen butt!

I am amazed he made it a night out, I really am. I wish I could say he was "smart" enough to go into the barn tonight but I doubt it. He may, but the other may not and it wont be sense but chance.

My grammie said yesterday how she worried about me going out in the cold doing chores alone. I love the cold so so much! I waited years to live where it is cold and sunny (germany for 2.5 yrs, rained for 2 of them and was cold.) I wear wool out and many layers and I feel nice and cozy unless watering bc that is a gloveless job. I have waited all summer for the cold and love it love it now! Especially alone in the early mornings while my children snooze in a warm house and the sun is in the east casting pink and purple and orange. I love this prairie and her cold, cold wind and happy sun that casts its light and heat through the cold as if it is happy to be here with the wind. Kansas is lovely, to all of you who have been told otherwise, me included. Its just lovely to people like me. Dont move here, you wont like it because you are predisposed not to and plus, I like it underpopulated.

Nephews diapers

2 flannel outer/bamboo inner and bamboo soaker diapers-these are the same size/same pattern. The right one is obviously prewashed!

The picture below has bamboo diapers that have inner, outer and soaker from bamboo and because it its thicker, the diapers are slightly larger from it.


Okay, I have many more pictures of these diapers but my internet is so cruddy I cant make it upload anymore! My phone wont work today either bc it works off the internet. These are some of my sisters diapers.

This is the diaper package I mailed to my sister, she will need many more for newborn size but this is her start so she can see some over thanksgiving holiday. She is due in April with their first born, a little boy name Niklas Alexander (spelling???). Her husband (John) is swedish and that is the spelling (I think) for the swedish version of Nicholas.

Diaper package includes (though we are lacking the REST of the pretty pictures showing them), batman wipes, 4 diaper covers-1 with gussets which is good for nightime, 3 bamboo french terry fitted diapers, 8 flannel print diapers though they are otherwise all bamboo. This is only 11 changes. I have more wipes, more fitted diapers and covers cut out and I am going to make several newborn all in ones, though many people say all in ones dont do as well until size small. Might as well find out!

Slips of the tongue

"In this magazine there is an outfit from carrots of the pyrobean." Tad, looking at a medival spam snail mail magazine.

"Carrots of the pyrobean? Dont you mean pirates of the carribean?" Nathalie

"Oh! I cant believe I said that!!!" Tad

(Nathalie burps loudly, well enough to put most men to shame)

"Nathalie I have asked you not to do that at the table, you can cover your mouth and close it! It isnt ladylike." Me

"Yeah I am not allowed to either Nathalie, it isnt ladylike when I do it either." Tad. Both nathalie and I look at him and he looks at us, then puts his head in his hands and says, "What is wrong with my mouth today??? I am not a lady!" He needs male influence... Maybe I should find a wrestling match for him to attend or get him into boxing or something.

Daddy dinner

I have had a hard time uploading these, I had to do it one picture at a time! I had a hard day today, seemed like I was constantly busy and wasnt with the kids. This evening they seemed a bit bummed, we had to go to the grocery store so I had them pick a "daddy dinner."


They picked eggs, sausage and tator tots and as you see, they largly made dinner. Tad did the eggs, she did sausage and I put the tator tots in the oven.



This is the first time Nathalie has "cooked." She was pleased and said, it was easier than kneading bread!


Then of course because it was daddy dinner, we needed a movie to go with it. We watched Avatar re-runs which Daddy likes.


Here they are with their plates.


And whats a daddy dinner without ice cream? No Nathalie didnt eat all of that and Tad wanted mint chocolate chip because he remembered eating it with daddy once a long time ago when we lived in our tennessee apartment (duplex-and he was 2!) so we bought a big container of it bc there was no little one.


And then we needed to have a recreation of the clemintine book cover, she can stand on one hand (her head isnt on the floor but then again its a drawing) with her finger and feet on the doorframe.


Here is Tad helping Nathalie with that task.

Some of tonights conversation:

"Daddy likes to help you in the kitchen, but he hates dishes. Why does he help you?" Tad asked.

"I think its because he likes me and he might even think I am cute." Me, and giggle by both kids

"Why do you help him in the shop?" Nathalie

"Um, because I like him and I think he's cute." Me

"OH, well I think he is handsome and I would have married him if you hadnt." Nathalie

"You cant nathalie, thats called incest." Tad

"Nathalie I am glad I am quick on the draw because you are pretty cute yourself." Me

"Well anyways, I talk to daddy every night. His yellow shirt is him for now." Yes, she is still sleeping with the naked mermaid t shirt, last night she commented that it still smelled of him. um, I washed that t shirt... It doesnt smell of him but we WONT tell her that bc it pleases her as it is deeply.

Later:
"our eggs have clear parts like clemintine hates." Tad-clementine is a childrens chapter book we are reading/just finished aloud.

"Yes they do, clementine wouldnt eat them." Me

"I would eat the clear parts even if you called me clementine." Nathalie

"Would you name a child that?" Tad

"No." me

"Why?" Tad

"Because its an orange!" Me

"So. I am going to name my boy Scout Isaac." Tad, these happen to be 2 of my fav names though the scout for a girl.

"Tad, scout is a girl name and Isaac is a boy name." Me

"Oh, so Isaac scout for a boy?" Tad, oh yes this helps to switch it up...

After dinner we played 2 games, read Tads favorite book and finished clementine. It was a nice evening, we miss daddy but its fun to do things he would do.

Comic relief

So I was out in the barn this morning, feeling like a crazy lady bc who purposely sets themselves up to go outside every morning in freezing weather... I broke the ice in the big black trash barrels, milked 2 goats, fed 7 birds (chickens and guineas), petted 4 cats who were sleeping in the feedbarn straw, gave everyone fresh water and then started in with my milk bucket full of 1 gal of fresh milk. I heard a strange noise behind me and saw nona coming out the feed barn with a sour cream container on her nose/mouth! I started laughing of course, she ran up to me for help. This is one of the containers the kids use to scoop out bird grains. There were some grains in the bottom of it I am sure and nona thought she would eat them.

I laughed quite a bit and didnt help her at first, by the time I meant to she got it off with her foot and then she began to stamp on it over and over with both front feet, ran away from it and then back again to stomp it some more. She wasnt able to crush it as it kept popping away from her hoove. I took it back to the feedbarn where she had stolen in from and put it on the shelve to save her from herself.

It was comic relief at 7 am when its cold and frosty and pretty and quiet. Frank would have loved to see her get her face stuck in a cup!

Kansas wind

I may have put this picture up before, but I just love it and for the next 10 mo and 20 days, I wont have new ones with this wonderful man so you will have to see doubles!

My husband has worried, and probably does worry that we wont get out enough while he is gone. Anyone who knows me will know I am happy to stay home for days on end without getting "cabin fever" or in our case, "homestead fever" bc I have to go outside no matter what. As it stands, I like going outside. The children and I do a lot of outdoorsy things here and to make up for him being gone, we do daddy things. Its hard for me to go window shopping, out for ice cream or mexican restaurant but I manage.

Today was a nice day, sunny, not much wind and relativly warm. The kids and I went out to the goat yard (the 2 acre section where the goats roam, has the greenhouse, milk shed, chicken barn, goat barn etc on it) to put the chickens and guineas out. We let them out of the barn during the day, but at night put them up. One of our guineas got loose, and we found a nice sized pile of feathers-this bird was adequately adorned for sure! whereever he is, he doesnt need feathers...I know that skunks, cyotes and other carnivores will off with my birds so bedtime happens in the barn.

We spent about 2 hrs putting down new straw, observing the birds, the guineas do an alarm call if they see anything odd like a cat, or feel a stiff breeze... The goats like to go into the chicken barn while the chickens are in, they are hesitant to wander out at first, and the goats chase them, head butt them and generally rile them until they fly at their heads! We cleaned water dishes, and the kids fed the goats as if the goats couldnt forage alone.

As I leaned on the fence, I thought of my husband worrying that I will be too alone. My children were laughing in the background. My eyes filled with tears for missing him and then in the palm of my hand which was behind my back, I felt a warm nose. Nona (larger goat) edged her head under my arm and she leaned on my hip like she loves to do. She is so warm and kind. She tasted my pocket, my sweater and chewed on my belt for a moment to get my attention. She leaned there until my tears were gone. Then she went off to run and head butt her sister. My children threw grass upon me to intice me to chase them. The guineas made me laugh the way they puff up their feathers and down in anger at being pecked by a fellow bird. All the barn cats perch on the fence. The mailman comes and the kids running screaming to see if we have any fabric packages.

I miss him, and I know he will worry. But Oh I am happy here! I will miss him so, and be so happy to have him back to this home we have made on purpose. Some things just happen in life, some people just are. We are on purpose. And we love it here. I love my Kansas with the wide open spaces and the wind, the big sky and the sunsets. The smells and sounds of the prairie. Kansas and her wind miss him with me and I feel stronger for it.

Just because

Because I love the picture. He is one nice looking man...