Ahhhh...November

Well, another October has come and gone.  I am a huge fan of the month, but to be completely honest - I really don't like Halloween.  I know that just sounds awful.  It's not because I think it's some kind of terrible worship of the occult, but it is just crazy.  I've spent so many years having to carve multiple pumpkins (since the kids were too little be handling knives), make multiple candy runs (since we can't help ourselves and we break into the trick or treat candy days before), and even though I have a lovely Mother-in-law that helps the little ones figure out costumes, someone has a come-apart every Halloween night trying to figure out a last minute costume.

This year was a little different.  All of the kids carved their own pumpkins.  I still had to clean out Lottie's since she can't handle the slimy pumpkin guts.  Overall, pumpkin carving was much easier this year, but only five jack-o-lanterns on the porch makes me a little sad.....

Here's the kids with their creations -

They did a great job! 

Not only was Halloween different when it came to pumpkin carving, it was also the first year that we just stayed home.  Steven went trick or treating with a friend, Herman didn't want to go alone, and Maren had a friend party in the basement.  The older girls got home from basketball tryouts and were more than content to eat party pizza and sit around the table.  We had no trick or treaters come to the house and we actually forgot to light our jack-o-lanterns.  Sounds pretty lame, eh?  Lame, maybe, but more relaxing and enjoyable for sure.  I will miss raiding the kids Halloween candy bags for the next week or so, but hey, I don't need it.  I have 120 of the "world's finest" chocolate bars in the house for some school science fund raiser.  By the way, need any more chocolate?

Aside from Halloween, October has been filled with basketball tournaments, family vacation to Washington, and putting the yard to bed.  All good things, but November means snow flurries, sweater weather, and Thanksgiving - yum, turkey!!  It also means that the kids can't get too mad at me for listening to Christmas music - not that I haven't already, but I now can without shame.

Ahhhhh....November!!

Finally Fall

My least favorite months are August and September.  August is just way too hot.  Plus we are so busy with fair and getting ready to go back to school that everyone ends up grumpy.  Now September has a cruel sense of humor.  With the tease of kids in school, fall sports, and cooler nights, September just taunts me with the thought of fall, but then hits me with the reality of days in the upper 80's.  I so love the cooler, sweatshirt weather of fall, that the summer lingering heat just makes me angry.  You think I would know better and just take September for the unstable weather month that it is, but I always hold out hope for a good hard freeze, putting the garden to bed, and the lawnmower away.

Monday was the first real day that it truly felt like fall to me.  The sky was overcast (my personal favorite) and I was content to work inside freezing the remainder of the beans that we'd picked from the garden over the weekend.  So I started my chore with a pleasant demeanor.  This slowly faded, as standing on my feet for three hours seemed to get a little mundane.  I took a break, sat down at my computer and noticed a message from my good friend, Paulette.  A bunch of us "sisters" have a trip planned in November to visit Paulie in Portland.  I simply cannot wait!  She wanted to inform us that a great band, The Devil Makes Three, was going to be in town the same weekend that we were and wondered if we were interested in seeing them.

I searched them on the internet, fell in love with their sound, and spent the next few hours snipping beans and listening to everything I could find on youtube.  Their sound is county/bluegrass/folk like. It certainly has hometown feel that added to that "fall in the air" feeling. Thanks for sharing Paulette!  You can check out one of their tunes here!

I am so excited to reunite with all my lovely friends and see this awesome band.  So see ya September, October you can hurry along, I am looking forward to November and the good times to be had!!

A Farewell to Summer

 It's been awhile since I last posted.....a long while.  You see, summer for us is not the laid back, lemonade sipping, sitting on the porch time it is for some.  Summer on the farm is up at 5:30 a.m., pipe moving, thistle digging, sweating, fence moving, cow milking long days.  My job is to support all of the work going on and those doing it.  So, my blogging had to go on hiatus until some of the summer work had ceased.  Now with the kids in school and all of us on some sort of schedule, I can get back to blogging.  I thought I would just share some photos of the highlights of our summer.

What's more fun than jumping with a friend?

July 24th fireworks

Cousin Tate on the Gator

Grandpa's canal floating expedition

Pipe on the pastures

Fonnesbeck family reunion @ Saratoga Springs Wyoming

Family camp out @ Bloomington Lake - beautiful indian paint brush

Breakfast in the wilderness

Bloomington Lake

Summer is definitely one of our busiest times, but it's the time we learn to work together to accomplish big things.  It's the time we make memories together. It's when we see the best and the worst of each other and learn to appreciate our differences.  It's long.  It's hot.  But, I also wouldn't trade it for anything......well, except for a beautiful fall!  

Those Friends of Mine

The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.  ~Elisabeth Foley

The past few days have been glorious!!  I was blessed to spend some time with my K-3rd grade best friend.  Her and her two kids had spent some time in Yellowstone and took a detour on their way home to come and visit me and mine.  Being together again was so easy and fun.  It was like time had stood still - other than we have a few wrinkles and more stories to tell, it seemed the same.  Strange how there are those people that you feel close to no matter how close or far apart you are literally. 

It was so fun to get to know her kids.  For city kids, they seemed to fit right in on the farm.  They loved driving the ranger.  Here's Maren with MacKenzie getting ready for take off!

LeAnn made some new friends with the baby calves.  

J.P. even got a chance to drive!

We ended our visit with lunch in the park.  It will probably be marked as the best time I had all summer.  I love that we haven't really talked in a few years, but we just pick up where we left off.  We still share our secrets, laugh, and listen.  It truly felt like I was 8 again and I had run down the street to spend a few hours with my best friend - all except I wouldn't expect us to get out the disco dancing dresses and put on a show!

It was kind of sad to say goodbye to LeAnn.  I am so happy that through technology it's much easier to keep up with each other.  I hope she knows that I am still just a few doors down... proverbially anyway!  

Lucky as I am, my sadness couldn't stay too long because it was only hours and one of my Jr. High pals showed up.  Tammy is an amazing woman.  She moved away from our home town shortly after Jr. High to Pennsylvania.  I was so excited when a few years back, she friended me on facebook.  We've shared a lovely friendship over the past few years.  She truly inspires me and probably feels like she also "fixes" me.  You see, she is a neuro-psychologist.  She is so accomplished and so lovely.  She did visit me once a few years ago.  It was so fun that I was super excited that she made time to hang out with me while in Idaho!  

We spent the evening at dinner together with our husbands and another classmate, Nathan, and his wife Linae.  We ate good food, definitely had some good laughs, and made some good memories.  I feel so lucky and blessed for all of my friends near and far......I just wish some weren't so far away.

For some reason, I foresee a vacation in my future......

Trailer Tuesday - Meet Gigi!!

This is Gigi - formerly referred to as The Red Lion.  Her previous name was given to her by the men who used to take her out on hunting expeditions.  Since she is going to receive a makeover, I felt like a new name was in order.  I now call her, Gigi, in honor of my Grandma Hedvig, who was the original owner....along with my Grandpa Weldon.  All of Grandma Hedvig's great grandchildren called her G.G. - for great grandma.  

Gigi's seen some better days.  Her once vibrant red paint has now turned orange and almost non-existent.  Her inside has some water damage and is in need of refinishing.  Since she's been in my care, I have wanted to give her a little T.L.C.  The time has come!

Here's an example of the water damage that needs sanding and refinishing - a daunting task, for sure!

I've removed the cupboard and drawer fronts for refinishing.  I'll put them back on after I sand her down and give her a  new coat of stain and finish!

Love the white appliances!  Along with the sunny yellow countertops and red trim, she will be bright and happy before long.........or probably longer than I wish!

I pulled out the old red carpet.  It was filled with years of dirt and straw from hunting trips and fair excursions!  I am super excited to blog about my progress and see the fruits of my labors.  

In Honor of Hannah

Yesterday was my girl, Hannah's, birthday!  She is our second born and was our tiniest baby.  She was born a few weeks early and has been determined from the start.  She has always been determined to make her own decisions, work hard, make us laugh, and never wear makeup.

From a young age, she's always loved animals.  During fair time, she's her dad's right hand man, choosing what cows to take to the fair and getting them ready. 

 She's fun-loving and crazy......although, unless you know her, it's hard to get her to show it!

She also loves basketball.  Even in the heat of the summer, she will spend an hour or two every evening working on her shot.  Her work ethic is incredible.

She still loves showing her cows!

She's still pretty crazy!!

One thing is certain......we love her and are so happy she is part of our family!  

Happy birthday sweet girl!!

Feeling a Little Old

Over the last month, two of my high school classmates have lost a parent.  I can't imagine the pain they must be feeling.  I spent a good portion of the day thinking about how fortunate I am that both my parents and my in-laws are still alive and also that we live so close to both of them.  What a blessing it is for my children to be able to make memories with their grandparents.

It's also been hard to wrap my brain around the fact that I could lose a parent at any time.  It seems like yesterday, they were the ones following me to my activities, now I am the one running around and  chasing my kids to this activity or that.  When was that torch passed?  In my rush to keep up with the kids, I guess I missed it.  Time is precious.  I hope that I am making the most of it.......

As I drove up to the mortuary to give my condolences, I thought about how quickly time flies and how many things can change in such a short amount of time.  A feeling of sadness came over me mourning the loss of time I will never get back....  

This feeling didn't last for long.  I arrived home to dinner on the table and the air filled with laughter.  My mood brightened.  In a more jovial way, I was once again reminded that I am no youngster.  As we were sitting around the table, listening to some 50's music I had turned on, my kids started singing along.  The song Mr. Sandman came on.  At it's conclusion, Hannah turned to me and asked, "Why does she want Mr. Sandman to bring her a drink?".  I thought I was going to die laughing.  Only moments later, Maren came out during My Boyfriend's Back.  I was cleaning up the kitchen when her words caught my ear...."hey, my boyfriend's fat, oh yeah now, my boyfriend's fat".  I guess the generation gap is effective both ways - I can't understand their music and they can't understand mine.  That's okay because we all sat around laughing together and at each other.  These are the memories that are really worth making before time runs out!