Temporary Trail

Any opportunity to use the tractor, translates into a fun day for Mr. Fixit!  Eventually we are planning to have an actual poured, concrete sidewalk.  However, until then, these stones are now our temporary walkway.  The stones were a cast off from a construction project.

Mr. Fixit leveled the dirt in front of our deck -- on the east side -- and then began piecing the stones together to form a trail.  He used levels and shovels and added dirt beneath the stones to keep them even.  Hopefully, the trail will stand up to a good rain.  Oh, he also used a piece of pvc pipe (which you see here) to channel the water away from the deck.  I am thinking this is the perfect way to keep the water OUT of our basement!

Anyway, come on over, because at the end of the trail is a welcome mat, and, of course, our front door!

Family Pic

After submitting items for the family history page for our summer family reunion, I received an email requesting a family picture.  Hmmmmm, we don't have one of those yet -- but I thought, who says it needs to be fancy, right?  So, I packed the camera and thought, an after-church shot would be the perfect solution!

Our good friends Lady Di and "W" were wonderful photographers and baby-focusers!  Here is the shot that I forwarded on for the family history book.  I think this will be the perfect piece for the history pages!

Hanging with Aunt "B"

Aunt "B" -- I truly believe -- is a Baby Whisperer!  Babies just relax and take naps in her arms.  It is like magic!  Baby "K" sure does love his Aunt "B," as you can see.  He is chillin' and taking a little cat nap.  I often wish that Aunt "B" lived just a little closer, so that we could go visit her a bit more often!

Garage Mahal

The carport is currently undergoing a transformation into a garage!  Concrete was poured last summer when the addition construction began.  Now, the garage is really starting to take shape!

Mr. Fixit and his construction buddy, RW, worked a day to frame it in.  It is easy to tell now where the doors will be and where the walls will be.  A bit of OSB board will need to be applied, some additional tin and some flashing to completely transform the space.  Oh, and of course, garage doors!

In the meantime, here is where we are at in the process.  I am quite excited to get the building closed off because I simply do not enjoy sharing this space with birds, bees and cats.  The welcome mat is out for people though!

Camera Play

Mr. Fixit and Neice #2 found my camera.  It is obvious that they found my camera, because I discovered pictures like these the next day.  I think this is quite the funny shot of Mr. Fixit!  So, I thought this picture would be a perfect blog post =).

The two camera culprits took this photo as they were chillin' on a Sunday night visit.  The weather was perfect for a little porch sittin,' and summertime chattin'!  I love the days of summer, and wish that my work schedule was not quite so intense, so that we could have more moments like these.  Hope your summer is splendid!

Garage Deck

Building has began, once again!  Mr. Fixit constructed a small deck inside the garage.  The deck is on the west wall of the garage. The deck has a step along the entire length, which makes it easy to access the deep freeze, the door and the outside deck.

There is a small railing on the north side.  The east side will remain open, because of the step.  All in all, I quite like it a lot!  Progress has been speeding along on some outdoor construction projects.  I have fallen behind in picture taking and blogging.  So my apologies!  Enjoy this photo of Mr. Fixit's handiwork - oh, and feel free to come and visit - to try it out for yourself!

A Visit with Grandma "F"

Sunday was a warm day, but a perfect day to go for a visit!  Baby "K's" last visit with Grandma "F" was at his Baptism.  That was over six weeks ago already!  Time flies!  Grandma "F" felt the same way.

She cooked us a delicious lunch of roast beef, green beans, potatoes, gravy, jello, rolls and peach pie.  It was extremely yummy to say the least!  Baby "K" played on the floor while we enjoyed every bite.  Then Grandma "F" had a chance to chatter with Baby "K" and rock with him a bit too.

The day flew by, and we look forward to our next visit in several weeks with Grandma "F!"  Who knows what Baby "K" might be able to do by then!

Decked Out

The deck on the east of our house receive a little accessorizing by Mr. Fixit!  The railings have been added along the south side and east side.  The wood is currently drying, and will someday, receive a stain to match the deck itself.

The railings (and entire deck) was constructed from treated lumber - which, by the way, is quite heavy!  It is wet when you purchase it, and water actually squirts out as Mr. Fixit screws pieces together.  Quite amazing!

So, Mr. Fixit is back to his project list - thank goodness - and Baby "K" is getting a bit better in the nap department, which makes project progress go much faster!

Grain Call

Remember the "Seven Summer Guests?"  They are still hanging out, and enjoying the delicious pasture buffet.  However, as summer progresses, we tend to receive less rain, which causes the grass growth to slow down.  Plus, the heifers need just a little bit more food options to grow them into healthy mamas!

Over the weekend a special grain delivery was made!  Mr. Fixit's bro (owner of the heifers) brought some cracked corn down for the girls. Mmmmmm - yummy!  They both worked quickly, along with cousin "AL" to move the grain from the feed truck to our trailer storage.

In this picture, Mr. Fixit, is moving the grain into the corners of the trailer as the auger is pumping the grain from the truck.  This grain will be enough to feed the heifers through the early part of October, when they will journey back to their home pasture.  Mr. Fixit stores the grain in the trailer to protect it from mice, cats and other critters.  We are now set to feed it, by the bucketful, to our pasture guests!

Three Months

Baby "K" reached the three month mark about a week ago, and this Mama has been busy with work and baby care!  Lots has been happening, and many changes have occurred.  So, I will provide you a little update as to what is new in Baby "K's" world:

Baby "K" is settled at Sweet "J's" for daycare.  He really is starting to interact with the kids too!  He rolled over - for the first time - shortly before he hit his 3 month mark.  He can hold both hands together, and is starting to reach for objects.  Baby "K" has moved into stage 2 diapers.  He is cooing/talking more and crying a little less.  He tries to sit when he is lounging in his bouncy seat and during his bath.

We are excited to see him learning so much!  He is starting to figure out how to put his hands under him and getting into the crawling position.  I told Mr. Fixit that we need to get serious about house baby proofing, as I think crawling will come sooner than we think!

Camp Style

Camp is a four day, over night experience for kids age 8-13.  This is a fun time!  Kids get away from home, hang out with friends, do all types of outdoor activities (my favorite is canoes) and make memories to last a life time.  This, without a doubt, is my favorite part of my youth development career - camp!

We (adult agents) spend many hours planning activities, working on transportation details, housing arrangements, food, counselor training and countless other details that the untrained observer may not even notice.  Trust me -- it is all significant!

We had spectacular weather this year, and always make a few more memories than we wish to keep - but I am chalking this one up to a success!  We look forward to another year of memories in 2012!

Summer Camp

I am getting ready to transfer my piles of stuff (camp supplies) to boxes, for transport to camp.  Every year I think - I will not need to take this much stuff next year, right?  Nope - I think I actually take more stuff each year!

This pic is of my "brain box."  The last-minute-need-to-have-with-me-all-the-time stuff.  I wait until the last possible minute to pack it because, well, once I get it packed someone comes into my office with a question about something.  That something, ultimately, is always at the bottom of the box.  So, in my 13 years of experience, I have decided that this is the last box to pack!

Today I will be joined by 28 Teen Counselors for our training adventure.  Tomorrow my 110 campers will arrive.  The weather looks delightful for many outdoor adventures. =)

Kitty & Cousin

Neice #2 popped over for a quick visit with Sister #3.  They were waiting for Neice #1 to finish softball practice.  Mr. Fixit made the mistake of telling her about the new kittens down in the shed.  Well, let's just say that this little one had an instant friend!

Neice #2 loves animals - and I hope that she will someday choose a career working with animals.  She will be fantastic!  Until then, watch out baby animals -- because this smiling girl will give you lots of love!  She just might hug and kiss you until you fall asleep in her arms!

Sleepend

By the end of the week I am tired, I tell you!  The combination of work adventures, running here and there and then a still-not-certain-middle-of-the-night feedings cause me to be on the sleepy side by the week's end.  This week was particularly tiring, as I had work stuff each night.

Baby "K" was tired too!  Mr. Fixit could not resist snapping a photo of us during the "final" feeding before Baby "K" went down for the night.  I think he is getting more confident with that camera -- so who knows what shots I may discover on my memory card!!  Enjoy!

Recognition

Seven of my teen program participants were recognized with scholarships to college or for their work in various project areas.  This is the most that have received state recognition since I have began this career.  Quite an amazing process!

The recognition banquet for the winners took place last week.  I was able to round up six of the seven for a quick photo.  Thankfully, plenty of friends were on hand to hold Baby "K" while I snapped some photos.

This is the end of many of these teen's careers in my youth program.  So, it is with pride and sadness that I congratulate them!  They have accomplished much over their 10-12 years, and I will miss them next year.  However, I am excited to see what other great things they will soon do because of their contributions as youth!

Grandma Time

The weekends are great for little getaways - especially when the getaway location is one of the Grandmas!  We spent a couple of days visiting Grandma and Grandpa S.  It was a nice change of scenery, including some time with cousins too!

Grandma S. is holding Baby "K" after he had a short little nap.  By short, I mean 30 minutes.  He was quite the fussbucket that night, since he was in the sleepfighting trend that day.  We did get some smiles before we headed to church though!  That is what was happening when this picture was snapped!

The Guys

Nephew #1 is beyond excited to have a new cousin!  He loves babies, and is ever so careful with them too.  I believe he is wise for his 6 years of age =).  Nephew #1 is particularly excited about this cousin, because it is a boy!  This is his first boy cousin on my side of the family!

I guess that 4 girl cousins may not be as exciting after awhile?  Anyway, he wanted to hold Baby "K" and wrap him in a blanket.  Nephew #1 and his brother, Nephew #2 gathered baby dolls and wrapped them in blankets too.  They insisted on laying these wrapped babies right beside Baby "K."  Pretty cute!

I snapped a photo of the proud cousins hanging out.  I believe Baby "K" may be a bit more mobile on our next visit, and may not quite like to be held still as much!

Chia

I spent the past week hanging out with about 751 teens at a state-wide youth leadership conference.  The focus of the conference is to learn about careers and potential college majors.  I co-taught a class with a fellow youth development co-worker, and we experimented with Chia.

Chia is a grain, but not any ordinary grain.  It is a super grain!  Doesn't that sound like some sorta super hero music should start playing?  Anyway, this grain has excellent fiber and great omega 3 content -- plus a bucketful of more healthy attributes.  The grain absorbs 3 times its weight in water, and makes an excellent fat substitute in baked products.

The teens tried the grain - dried - in yogurt smoothies.  They loved the crunch, and had a healthy snack for the day too!  Did you know that women need about 25 grams of fiber each day, men should have 35 grams of fiber per day?  This is important stuff, I tell ya!

This picture features our class dietician telling some of our adult assistants about Chia benefits.  Mix it in with your fruit spread for a healthy sandwich, put it on ice cream as a crunchy topping or even try it on your salad.  It does not have a taste, but it has a powerful crunch!

Waterlogged

We were in need of some rain - but not quite this much rain - oh my!  Last night the rain began to fall at about 12:45 a.m. and continued until about 4:00 a.m.  That is a lot of rain folks!  The rain fell so fast and heavy, that all three of our ponds are full to overflowing.  Plus, our road has been washed away.

I snapped a quick picture of the pond South of our house this morning.  When our heifers came to pasture three weeks ago, the pond was about 6 inches deep.  Now, as you can see, the pond is near full.  The heifers will definitely be able to get water easily now!

Mr. Fixit said that the fence by the creek had washed out, so he was fixing fence this morning at 5:30.  We did not check the rain gauge, but a neighbor a mile away said he had about 5 inches.  So, my guess is that we had that much too!