Playing catch up in Blog-land #1 Kiley Halloween

Kiley dressed as Minnie Mouse for Halloween 2011. Weather was nice, so her costume wasn't covered with a coat.

Steve and Aunt Leslie took her around to some neighbor's and friends houses. I stayed home to give candy out to our Trick or Treat-ers.

When they got home, Kiley took over giving candy out to other kids. She had a blast.

A couple times she even went out on the porch and hugged the little/r than her. It was so much fun watching her this year, and hearing her tell everyone Happy Halloween.

Matter of fact, she still tells people Happy Halloween when we are out to eat or shopping. We taught her Happy Thanksgiving, but she stuck with Happy Turkey Day...........gobble gobble gobble..........Aren't 2 year olds just the neatest start to little individuals. I think we are for sure going to keep her...........:)

House lighting

We put lights up on the house again this year. More than last year, but less than years ago.
We live on a corner, so the street side of the house gets lights around each window, the side of the house which faces our side yard, Steve didn't put lights around the windows. He said he would if I wanted them, but since it was late season putting them up, I am OK without them this year.

The winds have loosened some of them along the peeks. Weather has been so weird again this year. Having 50 and 60's temps for day highs, and tonight as I type this, it's 58° outside now. I was out a bit ago, watching the clouds float across the sky. Bright white puffs on an indigo skyline.


Wish my camera would take night pictures.
Things have slowed down, with the rains that we have had. Makes for not being able to work outside. Guess spring will be our catch up time with what didn't get done.
Very much in the mood for Christmas, and spoiling all the kids with many gifts.

Thanksgiving 2011

It's Thanksgiving day, 2011. How time has flown by.

I seem to have lost track of blogging. So much to do, so little time to do it in.

My days have been filled with catching up on all that needed done. Summer didn't allow much working outside in the heat. We were blessed with an abundance of produce from the garden all the way up thru the end of Oct.. All of which I put up for winter use, and we will enjoy some of it today, as I prepare our Thanksgiving meal.

I hit another deer this fall, this time with the 4x4 truck. Another new front bumper. I am thinking, maybe an investment into a brush guard for at least the 4x4, since it's the one I drive back and forth to the farm. Santa may bring one for Steve this year.

We started putting up a shed, didn't have it done yet, wind took off the roof, so we have been trying to get it back on. Time isn't on our side this fall. The rains come which we so desperately needed this summer. Wind and more wind kept us from being able to work on it, as well as daylight hours with Steve off work.

I've done my best to keep up with yard clean-up and splitting wood, as Steve has brought it home not split and as the log splitter is here hooked to the C, I am able to split and stack on porch all that I can lift and handle. Then when Steve gets home, he has a pile to finish up.

Life with a 2 year old underfoot, well..............she's sure a good little helper.

I am so thankful for our family being close and being together another Thanksgiving. I am thankful also for God helping my brother get well so fast. So glad he is home and getting around again after his stroke. We have lost so many to strokes in our family, medicine has come along way today in stopping the damage of suffering one now days. I thank God for all he has blessed us with. Thankful also for holding us close during the times of loss of our family, friends, and acquaintances this year. There have been many this year.

Most of all, I am thankful for God speaking to me clearly as time goes by. Please Lord, show me how to use this gift.

To anyone who might read this, Have a great Thanksgiving. Hug you family and cherish each moment with them.

God, Hear my prayer.

Dear God,
I talk with you often, and love the way I feel afterwards. I'm sure we laugh together, with some to the thoughts that go thru my head. Of course you know each and every one, and I pray you forgive me for many of them.
Tonight, I sit here with a heavy heart. Many prayers have gone up to you, and I hope they are continuing to be piled on your stack of prayers you receive every minute. Tonight Lord, I'd like to ask you, Would you please sit with my brother, talk to him, let him really feel your presents, enter his heart and fill him with your blessings, help heal him, and help him to come home to his family soon. He's alone there right now, just the nurses to watch over him, this would be a great time to whisper some words of love and encouragement for his ears only. Please let his stroke be a mild one, and help him to recover fast. He's always been strong for everyone he knows, and now he needs our strength, but isn't sure how to reach out to us and let us help. He's a good man, Lord, had it hard at times, pride always kept him going. Relying on you when things were tough, and you always come thru for him and his family.
I ask you tonight Dear Father, please heal him, and if it's his time to go, please don't let him suffer for long days and nights. But we would like more time with him here with us on earth, if you see fit to leave him healing. Either way, it's in your hands Lord. Please hold him tight, and make him better, whether it's here on earth or in heaven. In Jesus' name I pray, AMEN

Been Busy

Summer is on the way out of here, Fall is on the way in.

Thankfully with the ending of summer, the heat has left us also. Drought conditions still, but good news, we got rain last Friday. Home received an inch and half, farm got just under an inch.

I have been canning and freezing all my produce from my garden.

List of canning done: Tomatoes - sauce, juice, pizza sauce, sloppy joe sauce, and spaghetti sauce.

Frenched green beans

Mock apple pie filling, apple butter, raspberry jam, strawberry jam.

Sweet pickle relish.

Dill pickles.

Into freezer I added: sweet corn and summer squash (shredded, chopped, diced and sliced)

Now that cool weather has come here to my area, I have gotten some of those outside things done, which I didn't do, with the heat of summer.

Also, we are building a shed at the farm. It's been hit and miss, as Steve works all day, and we work on it in the evenings and weekends. Sides and back is up. Now we are working on getting the roof on it. We had 4 more post holes to dig, when the post hole digger broke down, so the guy's dug 4 foot deep holes by hand for those last 4, and the ground was hard like concrete from no rain.

During the day, while Steve is at work, I am cutting tall weeds along the ditch and tree lines of our little corner where eventually it will be yard. Still have sticks and limbs and a couple willow trees to clean up, from spring/early summer storms. Now's the time to get to them and pile them up for a fall hot dog roast/hayride in October/November weather permitting at Halloween.

I'm sure I have forgotten to add things, as my time has been limited on computer with being gone, and coming home late, getting supper and then getting things done around the house so the next day I can head out again. So looking forward to only having one place to take care of, instead of the 2.

August things.

Ending the month of August with some pictures of Kiley's 2nd birthday.

Yes the little K-ster is growing up fast.

She was the best little party person. She went around to each person, several times in fact, and talked and played with us all. She said her Thank yous, and blew out her own candle.

She loved present she got.

Opened them all by herself, and exclaimed over each one.

She entertained us all with her new microphone, and shared her rides with her Dad.

They even had a race, her on her new Quad and Daddy on the older Jeep.

Kiley won the race, as Dad's rides battery was low.

She looked at every card, and just had a blast of a day for her big 2nd birthday.

She loved her new table and chair set, making use of it to open her presents.

Her new wheels.

I will have to post the pictures of the race and how she graciously ended her win.

Kiley turns 2

The big day is here. Aug. 21, 2011, Kiley turns 2 years old.

She gets to celebrate with a huge party with family and friends.
There will be cake and ice cream, and many many presents to open.

She can tell you how old she is. Can't do the two fingers, she ends up just getting both hands sideways with open fingers stretched out.

But she can say "two", when asked how old she is.

Kiley, hon, you make this Grandma very proud. I hope one day when you look back on this blog, as a journal by me, you feel the love I have for you in every picture I post and word I write.

I can't leave Grandpa out, for he is so proud of you also. As all the family is proud you were sent from God to join our family.

So on your 2nd Birthday, May God Bless you with many many happy years, and many many birthdays to celebrate.

Happy 2nd Birthday Kiley Nicole.

Love you babydoll, Grandma and Grandpa.

Another batch of veggies.

Been so busy with gardening, harvesting and putting up what I pick and bring home, then keeping up with house work, babysitting, keeping up with my landscape and flower garden at the house, mowing of yard in town, pull area, and farm, doing odd and end crafts, sewing projects, laundry done, company, test pulling, running errands, beating the heat, and reading in my spare time (reading is done when I visit the little girls room), well, summer has been busy.

Zoo Trip on July 29, 2011

Dave and Kiley's first trip to St. Louis Zoo.

Free admission.
Took our own water.
Lunch cost $40.00 for 2 cheeseburgers, 1 chicken strip container of 3, 2 orders of cheese fries, 4 soda's.
Walked all around the zoo, no ride on the train. :(
One bite on the finger for Kiley by a duck, she grabbed Dave's hand and wouldn't let him near the fence afterwards.
Visit to the penguin house with air so cool you could see your breath was my highlight. Watching the look and joy in the eyes of granddaughter and hearing her laugh and point and tell us the sound the animal she saw makes, just priceless.
Plans are made already to visit in the late fall, coat weather, or in the winter with snow on the ground.
Total for the day, not a dollar could buy this memory from any one of us. Steve, I, Melanie, Dave and Kiley had a blast. It was hot, humid, miserable at times, but worth every pop of sweat out of our pores to spend the day at the Zoo together.

Quiet House

Wow, oh WOW..........July 15th was last entry. I sure have some catching up to do.

Summer is winding down, finally the heat broke, and we are now enjoying natural/normal summer temps. FINALLY

I've been blessed with a very hardy garden thru the heat wave. God saw that my vegetables continued to grow and produce. Thank You GOD!!!







I know he answered my prayers for all the hard work I put into my garden. I am grateful and have thanked him over and over.
It amazes me the people who pray for help, but then don't do their part in helping God answer those prayers.

Sorry no more soap box in this journal post.




Sadly, I only got 25 ears of sweet corn off my over 100 plants. Guess you could say, I fed the raccoons, fattening them up for winter, ya know. They had a hay day in my sweet corn patch. Glad they enjoyed it, I enjoyed the little they left for me.








As you can see, I had a table full at times, of my veggies as they ripened. They were good also as we eat them at our meals. Sure has saved $$ money on the ole' grocery bill.

Best thing is, can't beat the homegrown taste better than to harvest and eat what your own hands have tended.








My cantaloupe was/is the sweetest tasting cantaloupe I have ever had. I have many more in my garden ripening, and will ripen over the next few weeks. By the looks of the little melons growing, I should have cantaloupe til frost. Yipppeeee............

Sweeet corn season, YUM

A co-worker/friend of Steve's gave us sweet corn from his field. First batch I did, I got 5 bags of corn for the freezer, plus we ate corn for supper that night.

The second batch of corn Steve went out and picked with him, I got 15 bags of corn to put in the freezer.

My corn is coming ready slowly, but the darn raccoon critters are feasting on it every night for their supper.

So glad I got what I did put in the freezer out of the friends planting this year. Last year, my corn mostly go destroyed by summer storm. This year the storm tried, but most of it stood up, or continued to lean and produce anyway.

Field corn mostly is up, some of the end rows got broken off, but just above the ear, so we are hoping they go ahead and fill out.

Yellow, Red and Green

It's been a very hot July for most of the USA in 2011. The first half of the month, we got rain in our area, lots of rain. One storm dumped it so fast, it ran off and didn't sink in the ground, and I was able to work in the garden 2 days later.

My sunflowers make me happy as wander around the garden, they are the first things which greet me as I enter thru the gate.

Tomatoes tastes so good on BLT's fresh sliced still warm from the garden.

My pumpkins are turning orange. They are the little sugar pumpkins for making bread and pies and any other way pumpkin is enjoyed. I don't like pumpkin soups, so for our house, we will have plenty of pies and bread.

I am going to attempt some pumpkin butter, as I love apple butter, it may end up being very similar.

Cherry tomatoes are booming, I think I can pick them all that's ripe, and by the time I get the rest of my produce picked, the weeds hoed, and the grass pulled along the fence when needed, I can walk by those cherry tomato plants have at least another dozen ripe.

Cucumbers, tomatoes, summer squash, green peppers come home with me every visit. So the family enjoys lots of salads and summer squash cooked in different ways. Of course like many new dishes, some were a bust. lol

July 15 Pictures of garden and update of storm damage.

My garden will survive the storm of 7/12/11.

I had to rescue some plants from the the mud, but they look like they will be fine now.

Most, not all, my corn is standing up. Others are leaning over, but will continue to grow.

Once the ears are ready to harvest, I will take the whole stalk out when I harvest it, so those laying on the ground and over into the other corn won't be a problem navigating the rows.

I worked in the garden Friday morning for 5 hours, getting it weeded, tomatoes tied to panels, picking green beans, summer squash, cucumbers, green peppers, and tomatoes, tied sunflowers to the fence, removing broken off leaves and stems, pulling plants out of the mud, and removing corn tops out of corn rows from the wind during the storm.

I still have so much to do, grass and weeds are growing along the outer side of the fence, and I need to get them before they get too big. Seems like this year has been hard to keep up with those area's, but having a toddler around when I use the weed whacker, isn't a good thing. She tends to want to help me. I do let her work in the garden pulling weeds, til she starts on the plants too.

Kiley has this fixation on flowers. She has to pick every one she sees. I don't mind a couple, but I would like some to draw in the bee's and butterflies to my garden.

I am disappointed that my strawberries didn't flower and bloom at all. This being the first year for them, I guess maybe they weren't suppose to. They sure are producing some nice runner plants. Hope to fill in where the other 23 plants didn't grow that I planted. Maybe next year I will have fruit from them.

My pumpkins and cantaloupe are showing I have some work cut out for me this fall when they are ready to eat/harvest. I sure hope my family is ready for pumpkin bread, pies and cookies this fall.

And fresh cantaloupe for breakfast every morning as well as the all day snacks will be going on too.

So glad the storm didn't do all that much damage after I assessed it days later. Field corn is standing up too, after taking the brunt of the wind and heavy heavy rain. Whewwww.........

7/12/11 Farm scenes after storm

Another no need for words blog post.