Tuesday, December 7, 2010

One of "Those" Days

Yesterday I picked up Landon from his dad and then went shopping.  I had to get some groceries and I wanted to get some craft supplies for the kids to make some Christmas decorations.  Sawyer decided to throw a huge embarrassing tantrum throughout Walmart because he wanted the toy from the McDonald's Big Kids meal he and Landon shared.  I told him he couldn't have it because he was throwing such a big fit, which of course, added fuel to the tantrum fire.  I would have loved to just grab all the kids and leave but I live 25 miles from town and going home and coming back later just isn't an option for me.  We got home a little later than I had planned and it was already getting dark.  I got all the kids in the house and situated.  A gate up for Danica and the boys each a drink and a snack.  I went outside to get chores done.  I got on the 4-wheeler to take it down to the creek so I could open up the ice with the splitting maul so the cattle and ponies could drink.  I got just inside the pasture and the 4-wheeler died.  I got it started a few more times but it wouldn't run long enough to get it to move.  Frustrated, I left it there.  I walked back to the house and hooked up the hose to the outside faucet.  Mind you it's -200 degrees Fahrenheit with the windchill and my fingers can barely get the the hose threaded on the faucet.  After finally getting it screwed together I turned on the faucet to discover that the faucet was froze and the water wouldn't run. GREAT!  I brought the hose in the house and hooked it up to the kitchen sink and started running hot water out it for the animals.  I did the pigs first.  While the water was filling up I went in the garage to get them a bag of feed.  As I pulled a 50lb bag out of the old metal stock tank we have them stored in the bag caught on an edge and ripped open.  I spilled a good 15lbs on the ground before I realized what was happening.  I finished feeding and watering the rest of the animals without incident.  After turning off the hose in the house I have to drain all the water out of it or it will freeze and it won't run the next day. I was frustrated and cold and I didn't do a thorough job so as I type the hose is on the kitchen floor thawing.

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And the 4-wheeler?  Its going to freeze in the pasture til Ryan gets home to deal with it.  That'll teach it to mess with me, hmmph.

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Sunday, December 5, 2010

Almost Vertical

Danica has been working on pulling herself up for the last week.  She stands bent over on the step between the playroom and the living room and on the bottom shelf of the coffee table.  Yesterday she pulled herself up to her knees on Ryan's legs trying to get to his beer can.  (She has a fascination with any sort of beverage can.  Ryan is sure it is a sign of a future obsession with shiny things.)

This morning I brought down a tote of Christmas decorations and Danica continued to add merit to Ryan's shiny things theory.

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She's still working on the balance part.

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Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Why is there a knot in this yarn?

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Mystery Solved....

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Please excuse my dirty carpet...shampooing it is on my endless list of things to do :)

Quality Papa Time

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Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Hunting Season Twenty-Ten

When I was little I remember taking turns in the stand with dad during hunting season.  I don't think he ever shot a deer with one of us with him.  Too much talking and foot swinging to get a deer to come within a mile of his stand.  By the time I turned 12 I couldn't wait to go through hunter's safety and be able to hunt by myself.  I hunted for 9 years before I shot my first deer.  It was a 5 point buck..not a trophy by any means but I was very proud.  Honestly, I hunt for venison.  Those big trophy bucks are that big because they're older and older deer have tougher venison.  I don't mind shooting does and younger bucks.  They taste better.

The last 4 years I haven't hunted as aggressively as I did when I was younger.  I have 3 kids now and it's difficult to find a babysitter to come over at 5am when you're getting ready to head to the stand before light.  Let alone the physical limitations during the hunting seasons I was pregnant. I thought I was going to have a heart attack walking in the knee high snow out to my stand when I was pregnant with Landon.  When I finally got out there I almost didn't fit through the hole under the stand to get in it. That was the only day I hunted that year.  He was born a month later.  This year was the first year I was going to be able to really hunt an enjoy myself and the outdoors.  I had my little sister and brother staying with us to watch Danica and Sawyer.  Ryan and I got up at 5:15am.  We bundled up and I made us each a turkey sandwich to hold us over til we got in for breakfast.  It was 12 degrees and snowing when we got in the truck and headed over to the family farm.  We loaded our guns and started our 45 acre hike out to the stand.  Trying to keep up with Ryan and his jolly green giant legs always leaves me out of breath.  Our stand sits right over the Jump River which runs through the property.  Ryan shot 3 deer out of that stand opening morning 3 years ago so I was pretty confident we'd get some shooting.  We knew the deer were moving.  We seen 5 just on our drive over.  Ryan was facing north watching up river and I was facing south watching down river.
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We sat about an hour when a doe came out to the edge of the river right across from me.  It was just dark enough that I could hardly tell if it was a deer or if it was just my eyes playing tricks with the shadows. I couldn't tell if she was big enough to shoot or if I should wait for another.  There was a tree in Ryan's line of view and by the time I decided to take a shot she turned around and ran off.  I was so mad at myself for waiting as long as I did.  About an hour and a half later I heard Ryan put his gun up real fast and click his safety off.   I turned to see where he was aiming and by the time I found the deer he was already firing.  I saw the deer fall in the trees in front of me.  I knew it was dead.  We waited about 20 minutes to see if anything else came along.  I was going to stay in the stand while Ryan walked back out and across the bridge to find the deer.  That way if he kicked any deer up I'd still have a chance to shoot. Ryan had just climbed down the first rung of the ladder when I seen a deer coming through the trees to the place I had seen the doe that morning. I told Ryan to stop and as the deer came out I took my shot.  I missed completely but the deer stopped and looked around trying to figure out where the shot had come from.  I took a second shot and hit it.  As Ryan and I climbed out of the stand we heard it get up and move some. We walked out together and then back down the other side of the river across from our stand.  We found blood from both our deer right away.  We found Ryan's doe first and then my buck. I was using a borrowed gun and hadn't shot it in advance and I shot low.  Ryan finished it off with his pistol.  Ryan gutted both deer and his mom brought the 4-wheeler out to us so we could get the deer back to the truck.

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Thursday, November 18, 2010

Who kidnapped my baby....

and replaced him with this little man?!....


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Monday, November 15, 2010

Can I just say...

..how beautiful our property is with a fresh coat of snow.

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