tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-169652022011-12-26T16:49:59.271-05:00Travel, Crafting, Cooking, Farming adventures for all.Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.comBlogger1931100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-60046912009143462802011-12-26T16:49:00.000-05:002011-12-26T16:49:59.280-05:00

Mom's dog Molly had a couple of lumps and since she was licking the one until it was sore looking she ended up going to the vet. The vet cut out both lumps and sent them for evaluation. One came back benign and the other cancerous, but they think they got it all. So here she is in all her annoyed presence. If you can click on the picture to see it bigger, there are two big ugly stitch lines. One

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-10463993361604066942011-12-02T13:22:00.000-05:002011-12-02T13:22:49.963-05:00

I have shown you pictures of our firewood getting stored, probably enough to cause boredom, but wood collection and storage is a very large part of our life on the farm. We use it to heat the house almost entirely - that might seem strange to people outside this area, and even some who live around here - but, we like it because it is a green renewable resource and free for the labor.  Ok, mostly

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-37098713638280551352011-12-02T11:30:00.001-05:002011-12-02T11:31:36.456-05:00

November was full of baking. Here are some of the best products of the month. When you take this... and this... and do this to it (yes cheating I know)... you can get some of this! Then you do this... and this...                                             and put them in pans like this...You can get these!This is bread that makes wonderful sandwiches and toast.Just enough chew

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-35200735170591395272011-11-14T23:44:00.000-05:002011-11-14T23:44:23.161-05:00

Winter is coming so there are some thing that need to be done around the farm.The goats have added a whole new layer of projects that need work.One is finishing the goat house.There is intention to get sawmill lumber siding put up on the walls.Until that is ready I probably should get out there and put a coat of paint on it.Another project has been this hay feeder.Made out of old bed rails and

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-18750019138160427202011-10-30T18:55:00.000-04:002011-10-30T18:55:56.925-04:00

When Uncle Tommy and Aunt Joyce decided to move to town they bought a house in a nice neighborhood.The only problem was a group of five cruddy trees that were between their new house and the neighbor.The neighbor said he didn't like them either, so cut them down.FabHub and his brothers are pretty efficient when it comes to getting rid of trees.They started cutting at about 1030 in the morning. 

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-59351170457561921142011-10-09T12:28:00.000-04:002011-10-09T12:28:22.858-04:00

Sometimes work can get strange.Because we are sort of in between contracts at the office these daysI volunteered to work an inventory project in California for a new contract on an Air Force base.This was an odd arrangement, but interesting to say the least.As I post these photos of the trip I notice they seem to fit my state of mind lately.So, don't read too much into it. I am just thinking out

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-84532062768388729102011-10-01T10:16:00.002-04:002011-10-03T18:31:26.917-04:00

The girls need a boyfriend come January. Meet Tyson. He was named by the former owners. There went my plans for sticking with flower names. FabHub wasn't real happy with the "Sweet William" plan I had anyway. So Tyson it is.He is a full blooded 6 month old Boer. The girls are going to like this guy when we put them together in January. The girls will be a year old then and Spring baby goats are

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-42450239847222958792011-08-26T07:48:00.000-04:002011-08-26T07:48:02.923-04:00

The sunflowers are all seeding. The bees have been busyBut even on a misty day the sun can finally come through. The grape vine was (and is again) full. So that this pot of grapesbecomesthis awesome juice. The goat house is getting a roof. More coming this weekend.Come back later.

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-72057856494246095692011-08-14T16:27:00.002-04:002011-08-16T08:38:17.828-04:00

 The girls are still living in the woods.Daisy Sweetpea Tulip VioletShe is hard to photograph since she is always running toward me looking for snacks. This is the beginning of their new house.Sweetpea and Violet are doing some taste testing.  FabHub made some progress on the goat house this afternoon.I told him the poplar wood floor was too pretty to use for a goat house floor.He agreed, but

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-19030305886966870572011-08-14T16:04:00.000-04:002011-08-14T16:04:07.951-04:00

The difference from last week's photo doesn't show much height change, but... August 9they started blooming, which means they will stay looking East.Since I usually get these pictures in the afternoon all my pictures have been taken from the West sideto make sure the sun didn't interfere. Like with this one.I put the sun directly behind the bloom to get a real sunny flower. So this morning,

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-88778954239550671852011-08-06T08:10:00.003-04:002011-08-06T08:14:24.322-04:00

Uncle Brad asked Mom for Grandma's cinnamon roll recipe that you punch down several times and let rise overnight and then bake in the morning. Mom found the recipe in a cookbook that seems to be an antique from the Northwest Iowa olden days. It turns out they are called "Overnight Buns" aka "5 o'clock Rolls" as Mom remembers them being called in Grandma's house for many years. The instructions

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-75266389273169596852011-08-05T14:38:00.001-04:002011-08-05T14:43:00.688-04:00

Another accomplishment for the summer.Remember the big pile of firewood? That needed to end up in the new wood shed? IT DID! See the wheel barrow and the 18 or 19 sticks of wood stacked right above it?I stacked those. Well, I did. Not my fault he did most of that when I wasn't even home.:)While I was "helping" FabHub stack the newly split firewoodhe decided the biggest piece needed some chainsaw

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-80874447026971804632011-08-02T07:43:00.000-04:002011-08-02T07:43:34.923-04:00

July 23Aug 1Water Us Please!I did by the way.

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-48909042251288805792011-07-31T21:24:00.000-04:002011-07-31T21:24:37.533-04:00

So what did FabHub build this time?He started on Monday.First he brought in a load of fresh cut lumber. Then he and BIL set some posts and did some framing. On Tuesday he added a wall, and half of the back. On Wednesday he added the interior wall and the rest of the outside walls.On Thursday he went and bought the roof tin. Friday he put on the roofand started stacking the wood on the inside. 

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-34252625395689374482011-07-23T16:26:00.000-04:002011-07-23T16:26:03.736-04:00

After all the blogs I have posted recently I just realized I hadn't put up the Sunflower growth post from last weekend yet. So I figured I can just combine it with the latest update.This is from July 18th.  And this is July 23rd.These things are getting monstrous. There really is corn in there too. This pic is from the 18th, but in the one from the 23rd you can see some tassels.This is my

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-3878083661421240552011-07-21T19:06:00.003-04:002011-07-22T07:51:07.032-04:00

After we left Dave's ceremony Mom and I headed to Iowa for the main event of the trip.Not that we aren't proud of Dave,but there was a baby waiting to be born and we wanted to be there.So we headed up the road and were very happy to see this sign. Then we stopped at an Iowa Welcome Center.And found this family waiting for us.On another part of the trip we got to see how the landscape is changing

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-54374578143316594982011-07-21T18:19:00.000-04:002011-07-21T18:19:14.125-04:00

So finally I made it back online. Things have been busy outside around here lately. There is a wood shed being built, luckily we are all good people who won't need to be taken out there for a whippin'.Speaking of good people.This is my brother Dave.He was ordained as a Deacon in his Missouri church while we were there.He has pretty much been a good guy ever since I quit being mean to him when we

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-59754643681447358232011-07-17T09:57:00.001-04:002011-07-17T10:05:43.516-04:00

I have lots of stuff to post about our trip to Missouri and Iowa, but I had to start with some of my favorites.I had so much fun playing with Garrett on this trip.He doesn't stand still for pictures very well though.Here is Garrett and Dad on the Elmo couch.Yes, if you look closely he has a black eye, both of them actually, and a bump on his head. Garrett is 100% boy all day every day.They are

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-84179416949775704282011-07-11T11:59:00.000-04:002011-07-11T11:59:35.697-04:00

 Mom and I headed to Missouri to see David ordained as a Deacon in his church and to Iowa to meet the newest Cutest Nephew in the World. Right now the original CNW is helping me with the blog. He likes the pictures of the horses and Nana. So will see how long this lasts. Okay all the pictures are loaded and he is bored so off he went. On Friday we were driving down the road in Illinois and saw

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-55265024105958587022011-07-07T20:06:00.000-04:002011-07-07T20:06:23.221-04:00

I am a bit early with the sunflower update this week, but since I will be in Missouri for most of the weekend I thought I better get this out now.This was the first week, about June 14. Then the next update from June 22. This is June 30. And this is July 7!!! They ate the scarecrow! This is Violet and the girls - Sweet Pea, Tulip, and Daisy.They want to know if you have any cookies, cheerios, or

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-15287944052205985692011-07-02T10:44:00.000-04:002011-07-02T10:44:31.483-04:00

I think I might know who has been eating my carrot tops. They have babies somewhere, but the babies can't jump the woven wire fence.So the does graze the driveway and take a break.Wish they could mow that a little better and leave my garden alone.

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-66145507379463690162011-07-02T10:35:00.000-04:002011-07-02T10:35:29.191-04:00

There are some new girls on the farm. Meet Daisy and Sweet Pea. They fit in pretty well.The oddball of the group is Rosebud.She is an old goat that FabHub bought at the market. She is pretty friendly and has been around people a lot, but...She is pretty skinny and might have more health issues than we know. I am hoping that good food and socialization might help her out.She likes being taller

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-60725390192721300252011-07-02T10:07:00.003-04:002011-07-02T21:39:41.804-04:00

Sunflower and Corn updatePic from June 22 Pic from June 30The Corn and Scarecrow are disappearing! In other news.Something with big pointy feet has been eating the tops of one of the carrot beds. This is from the "dead" bed that has balance issues.Nothing grew in it last year.Not even weeds.This year I added some fertilizer and tried again. Luckily the other carrot bed doesn't have those

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-83941998219291419982011-06-25T10:27:00.000-04:002011-06-25T10:27:47.666-04:00

This isn't a primer on how to install electric fence. It is a suggestion to the Wives and Family of the fence installer for what farm gadgets should be included in the budget. There are two things that have become essential to the happiness of our home in regards to the pain that can be inflicted by the process of installing electric fence.This is the first of them. It is called a High Tensile

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-50035279863978779232011-06-25T09:13:00.000-04:002011-06-25T09:13:43.700-04:00

Last week I took a picture of my little metal scarecrow and the Sunflower and Corn bed. Hmmm. I also got a new camera this week.Old pictures above.New pictures below.I think I need to look at the settings.Until then...Look at what happened in the last week!They exploded out of the ground. I can't wait until next week's update! The marigolds and tomatoes are pretty happy too.There are more

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-62085480655448371992011-06-18T12:07:00.002-04:002011-06-18T12:08:31.230-04:00

My garden is coming along nicely this year.This is my pea bed. I haven't tried them before. The vines are pretty well loaded. I had beans crawling up string in here last year.Now I have horizontal lines running between the end poles to give the peas something to hang onto while keeping them off the ground. This is the first real mess of peas I picked.I need to figure out the best time to pick

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-8240840944431788562011-06-18T11:10:00.000-04:002011-06-18T11:10:30.222-04:00

Our of the six pastures we have available for the cows to graze four of them are saved during the spring for hay. To feed the cows through the winter we need about 500 round bales. We also need a bunch of square bales for the goats and other various reasons that don't require full round bales sometimes.The BIL owns four of the fields and we borrow another from a neighbor.This ridge is part of

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-15940627168854680812011-06-12T12:38:00.001-04:002011-06-12T12:39:42.279-04:00

One of the guys at work mentioned Jaffa Cakes.They sounded pretty good so I decided to make some.The recipe is really easy.Sponge cake (eggs, sugar, flour - and a lot of whipping)Orange MarmaladeChocolateHow could that get messed up?It didn't. Very tasty indeed. Though I could do better.Lessons learned.The cakes could be thinner.I made three different batches, but was only considering the cake,

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-22699011821448307132011-06-11T19:46:00.000-04:002011-06-11T19:46:12.065-04:00

Last weekend FabHub and I made a road trip up to PA to see his nephew graduate. He has wanted to do this for a long time and now he is going to be a police officer.He didn't know we were coming so that made it even more fun. We met his parents at their house and then road with them, his Grandma, and an Aunt to the ceremony. The whole ceremony was pretty good, lots of inside jokes about the

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-14637781825065079132011-05-27T13:47:00.000-04:002011-05-27T13:47:25.764-04:00

Well, the trip is over and I didn't get nearly as much done on my projects as I had hoped.That must mean I was busy.And that isn't a bad thing.

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-43543147724054614842011-05-27T13:43:00.000-04:002011-05-27T13:43:04.317-04:00

Look what showed up while I was gone! New farm equipment.Meet Tulip and Violet. They are Nubian/Boer crosses according to the seller.  That cross seems to be a bit heavy on the Nubian side, but they sure are pretty.We got them to clean out the briers, multi-floral roses, and any other weed they choose to eat. BIL has his own little goat herd. They are doing some good work on this hillside. These

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-87102326127703723172011-05-01T16:39:00.000-04:002011-05-01T16:39:19.701-04:00

I forgot one project!Mom had a couple of raised bed kits. So she and I put them together.Then I cut down one of those tomato ladders that I made several years ago so that it was more useful.Mom planted cherry tomatoes on one side and cucumbers on the other so they can climb the frame.There is also broccoli and regular tomatoes planted. Yes it is in the front yard. That is the spot that gets the

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-44685663883011897422011-05-01T16:30:00.001-04:002011-05-01T16:30:40.856-04:00

Finally.Two months ago I knew I would be traveling for business purposes.Finally I have arrived at the destination.Wish us luck on success for the work proposal. Since I brought my craft stuff along to entertain myself in the hotel, I thought it would be a good idea to share the before pictures of my projects.That way we can see how much I got done before I leave.This is Faux Fabulous. Along with

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-27760886265085147422011-04-25T12:38:00.001-04:002011-04-25T17:38:09.462-04:00

So do you think Mom checks my blog when she is working while we are at her house?Happy Birthday. No, she is not expecting this today. We weren't either.Funny how hanging a simple door gets difficult when the hinges are wrong.Good news, the house is well constructed under the door frame.There are more changes to show you later.I need to go hold a level or something. I am back and here is the

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-51127670158145479172011-03-22T20:07:00.000-04:002011-03-22T20:07:40.402-04:00

My Faux Fabulous project is growing a foot to go along with that toe.This project is being done on 25 count Luguna 1 thread over 1 square. My other project is this birth announcement for the new Jackson baby. I had a 50/50 shot on boy or girl when I started. Hence the flowers to go along with the soon to be cute animals.Turns out there will be another boy in the house.He will like it anyway. Or

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-30594456666130758432011-03-22T19:42:00.001-04:002011-03-22T20:14:10.928-04:00

One of FabHub's latest projects is using a subsoiler to loosen up the bottom of the pasture.It is an experiment to see if that helps with grass hay production.It looks messy, but when it rained the day after he did this the water pretty much stayed in the field. When it rains quite a bit our driveway tends to get washed out as the water from the field runs across it. That didn't happen this time

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-7101607467815372812011-03-11T11:05:00.002-05:002011-03-11T11:14:51.788-05:00

FabHub decided he needed to rearrange the top of the hill.It was hard to get around with the hay and cattle trailers.The loading chute was set up awkwardly.The head chute didn't quite work.The corral needed adjustment.So we called in the heavy equipment.This is where the old loading chute and corral were located.Sorry, I missed that picture.Now all of that dirt is gone and some trees were removed

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-3064052907458946792011-03-09T18:50:00.000-05:002011-03-09T18:50:53.773-05:00

I made a Faux Toe.And have a long way to go.

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-83702237218184809412011-02-27T18:01:00.003-05:002011-02-27T18:08:18.814-05:00

Yikes! Yes I need to use the daylight lamp when taking pictures.This is the restart of the birth announcement for the second child of K and S. I didn't like the original fabric so I started over.We should find out if this is for a niece or a nephew this week.I can't wait!This is my other project.It is a Heaven and Earth Design called Faux Fabulous.It isn't a full wall-to-wall design like a lot of

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-90870664946104171262011-02-27T17:09:00.002-05:002011-03-11T11:17:28.638-05:00

It was beautiful out today so I went out looking for signs of spring.The first thing I found was this very pale crocus mixed in with leaves for hyacinths and tulips.  Then I found some chrysanthemums starting to green up.  The daffodils are thick again. I separated them a couple of years ago. There are a bunch of tulips in this bed too. We shall see if they survived the moles and squirrels. Then

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-47282602494475830272011-02-16T14:22:00.005-05:002011-02-27T17:11:18.479-05:00

I saw a blog where someone had added tabs to the top of their page. I thought that was awesome since I share so many varieties of subjects on this site. So I have added the feature here.The newest blog is always under Home and the newest of each subject is first under each tab. Yay!

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-50139555743985132832011-02-06T07:26:00.001-05:002011-02-20T13:34:02.724-05:00

I finally got started on the Birth Announcement.Can you tell what pattern it is yet?I know, probably not and since this is a gift that is the secret for a while.I am sure some of you CCS fans out there can see where I have already done some "frogging" (rip it, rip it out). I got started and then realized I needed to move the whole thing to the left five spaces. The pattern is intended for 28

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-4794586486439490152011-01-30T21:06:00.002-05:002011-02-20T13:34:02.725-05:00

Back in 1992 I was in a craft shop with Mom and FabHub.I wasn't really thrilled to be there.I didn't DO crafts.Then I found this counted cross stitch pattern of my favorite classic car.I said "I can do that."They laughed.I said "No really, I can do that."So they bought the pattern, fabric, and floss and said "Do it then."And I did.Then I went to the local needlework shop and found some more

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-51246780586399107052011-01-08T11:08:00.002-05:002011-03-11T11:14:03.559-05:00

To finish up our trip to Iowa I have a few more pictures to share. The evening before we left Uncle Billy, otherwise known as Bibby, found some spare change in his pockets and wallet I think, so he and Garrett took a sit on the floor to feed the pig.As you can see that is one of his favorite activities.Another of his favorite fun things is to read.He loves to pretend and has quite a supply in his

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-75307258659574180932010-12-25T22:49:00.001-05:002011-02-20T13:34:02.726-05:00

Look at what we found! The World's Cutest Nephew! Not biased at all are we?We arrived at my sister's just after Mom was picked up at the airport. She was still all smiley and not putting Garrett down for a minute.I didn't have my coat off yet when I took the first picture. He didn't quite know who I was yet.Later on that afternoon we all got our first Christmas present from Sis and her Hubby.

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-24889168354245779082010-12-25T22:12:00.001-05:002011-02-20T13:34:02.727-05:00

We left Thursday morning on our road trip to see the World's Cutest Nephew in Iowa.Along the way we went through Cincinnati and saw Reds stadium. yippee? There really wasn't much else to see on the first day. We stopped in Urbana, IL for the night because we don't like traveling those really long distances all at once anymore.The next day after a quick stop at the local Walmart to find an 18T

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-87159967000335378262010-12-13T20:49:00.001-05:002011-02-20T13:40:04.639-05:00

The basement project has taken another leap forward this month. If you recall last year we covered the block walls with insulation and drywall and added a wall to separate the exterior door from the main room.This year FabHub took advantage of his first snow day of the year to get started on the laminate floor in our family room area. Then this weekend and today's snow day finished this part of

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-17285252797742056792010-12-05T18:53:00.001-05:002011-02-20T13:34:02.728-05:00

My newest baking adventure recipe comes from allrecipes.com and is named Cake Balls.There are hundreds of reviews of the recipe on the site.A lot of them talk about how hard it is to make these things, but also how good they are.Sounds like a challenge to me.Lots of the reviews tell ways to modify the recipe to make the process easier.I picked a few ideas that seemed to make sense and went

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-26952554191696192832010-12-05T18:10:00.002-05:002011-03-11T11:18:46.641-05:00

 When you are a bird in winter you and dinner is offered -You need to be cautious and look for danger before grabbing a snack.  Then sometimes you have to work a little bit to get the snack - tippy toes might be required. Selecting the right piece is also very important. But in the end... for all the trouble... the effort is worth the snack.

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-60224321909367787892010-12-05T13:48:00.003-05:002011-03-11T11:12:19.703-05:00

Just in case you missed it. The ManTech Christmas party started just like other years. Snowy with expectations of more snow. This was an accident we had to wait for along the way to Glade Springs. The party was fun. Not too much craziness. Then in the morning the snowmen were wearing extra hats and coats. The roads were pretty clear all the way home. Let's do it again next year!

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-84785342063446313982010-11-21T20:08:00.001-05:002011-02-20T13:40:04.640-05:00

This weekend we rearranged a bunch of stuff and went to a birthday party for FabHub's 75 year old Aunt Nancy. It was an adventure, and the tale shall not be told here. We also made a bunch of stuff. You might remember a while back FabHub built me an awesome ottoman? He built a couple more this weekend. They have a purpose, not to be related here either. Jake doesn't care about the purpose. He

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-15705385669765005392010-11-21T18:36:00.002-05:002011-02-20T13:34:02.729-05:00

We went to Pennsylvania last weekend to visit our newest niece. Meet Annalise.She has a pretty good place to nap worked out there on FabHub. He looks about ready to go out for the night too. This is her big sister Olivia and Cally the cat. Olivia is loving her kitty. Cally is being pretty patient about wearing her pretty earrings."What are you looking at?" This is Cyclo - and this is the only

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-19424356587300346502010-11-06T18:27:00.001-04:002011-02-20T13:34:02.730-05:00

So one of the nephews decided to get married.His Mom said the reception food would be brought in by family and that I could make something weird if I wanted to.I like to experiment with new recipes whenever I get a chance.This summer's experiment was stuffed peppers and that broccoli salad (the one with raisins, bacon, onion, and slaw dressing) that everybody likes, but I don't see to often

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-74311113499371700952010-10-31T21:14:00.001-04:002011-02-20T13:34:02.730-05:00

FabHub had a two day Algebra conference on a Friday and Saturday in Charleston in October. I happened to have the Friday off, so I went along for the adventure.The conference was held in the Embassy Suites, which is also were we staying. Our room was on the top - 9th floor. It is a long way down from the top of this building. On the Pioneer Woman blog, when she goes on book tours, Ree always

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-62933101358627110442010-10-10T16:13:00.002-04:002011-03-11T11:19:48.059-05:00

FabHub wanted me to take pictures of the flowers since they looked so nice this year. It was so wet this spring and then hot this summer that some of my regular bloomers didn't do anything at all. So these fall flowers are kind of a surprise.I started over by the garden and all of its beautiful marigolds.My tomatoes and beans... well nothing did really good this year, but the garden provided us

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-47430518457893944182010-10-08T11:35:00.008-04:002011-02-20T13:34:02.731-05:00

October finally cooled things off around here, which means it is time to clean out the gardens. I went out to the vegetable garden and found about 15 pounds of red tomatoes waiting to get off the vine. Only about 10 pounds were good for the kitchen, the rest went to the pigs. I also found about 5 pounds of green tomatoes that needed to have something done to them. So I hauled everything up to the

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-47911227206299948132010-09-24T13:17:00.003-04:002011-03-11T11:21:34.585-05:00

So I was driving to work at about 6:30 on Tuesday morning and just as I got to the tree line past Pipestem SP there in the road appeared a whole procession of deer. They were just so calm walking along thinking about whatever it is deer think about when they cross open space like that. I was not so calm at that moment. I slowed down and was about to stop way to quickly when the does kept walking

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-504312144299390152010-09-18T17:09:00.001-04:002011-02-20T13:34:02.732-05:00

Due to the over abundance of potatoes in the family patch this year we decided that canning some of them would be better then letting them go to waste when they aren't eaten by next summer.Last weekend I sliced them up in french fry form and got 20 quarts and dinner out of a 5 gallon bucket.This weekend I sliced them like thick chips and got 14 quarts out of about 3 gallons. I ran out of time or

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-77665370691147990112010-09-10T09:49:00.001-04:002011-02-20T13:40:04.640-05:00

Ever empty out your cupboard to see what was in there?At 6am? Some surprises, but nothing that was moving on its own.Well, there are those mandarin oranges from 2006, but they are in a can.I am thinking the pigs will like them.Now to figure out how to use some of this stuff. AllRecipes.com has an Ingredient feature.I can type in what I have and see what recipes in their database uses them.Should

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-58541659509763061052010-09-04T13:59:00.001-04:002011-03-11T11:16:32.695-05:00

Isn't it just incredible how this  - Can become this - Without having to work hard like this - Yay! Now seriously, anybody want to help clean up? I will share, slices of Apple Upside Down Cake, not FabHub. :)

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-4083888433497435992010-08-28T08:06:00.009-04:002011-02-20T13:34:02.734-05:00

Friday was soup stock day on BRSK Farm.A few years ago my Aunt Rose visited and left us a jar of her home canned soup stock and it was delicious. This summer I asked her for the recipe and she shared with me.I picked tomatoes in the garden and really wanted to use them, but I really didn't want to fight with the lumps and bumps during the skin removal. Now if FabHub were home to do the skin

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-58983329704856189782010-08-23T07:44:00.006-04:002011-02-20T13:34:02.734-05:00

I spent a couple days this week up to my elbows in tomatoes. I had a 5 gallon bucket of Celebrity type tomatoes and another bucket of Roma tomatoes. I also went to a farmer's market to see what they had and bought five pounds of each type and got about three pounds out of my garden, which is coming along slowly thank you very much. I will stick with free tomatoes from now on. Apples on the other

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-66520274841489234842010-08-17T18:57:00.006-04:002011-03-11T11:24:35.378-05:00

We have been busy lately. FabHub is trying to start an annual before the new year starts party here on the farm. We now have year one done. We will be back again next year.The best part of the whole thing was that the basement got finished! Well, mostly. The walls are done, the electricity is hooked up, some of the windows are trimmed out, and the whole place looks wonderful.This is the very nice

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-78328044732695400882010-08-05T17:47:00.008-04:002011-02-20T13:34:02.735-05:00

Over on Chickens in the Road a discussion got started about this new old fangled way of juicing fruits and vegetables. I like a new old gadget so I jumped in feet first and ordered one from Amazon.This thing is officially known as a Steam Juicer. I called it "new old" because it is one of those things that somebody's Grandma brought over from the old country, but somehow never made it on the

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-18690646876404276892010-07-17T14:28:00.005-04:002011-02-20T13:34:02.736-05:00

The fourth day of our West Virginia adventure started unlike the rest of them. This time we got a phone call that informed us that Little Brother had had some sort of fainting episode in the night which left him with a gash on his forehead and in the hospital hooked up to a bunch of machines. They said he seemed to be okay though and we asked for updates and headed out on the road for another

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-79366393147453663582010-07-16T09:20:00.011-04:002011-02-20T13:40:50.940-05:00

Ever been driving around and wonder where you are? We were doing that the other day and all of a sudden this appeared on the side of the road. A giant red push pin marking our location on the map. Ok, not really and we have no idea what it or why it is. And we weren't really lost. TomTom has served us well. Our travel mantra is "Believe in the TomTom." We really have a lot of fun finding new

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-30458954353065726302010-07-15T21:35:00.005-04:002011-02-20T13:40:50.941-05:00

I am way behind on posting, but hang on for this ride.Our Sunday drive on West Virginia back roads took us from Clarksburg to Chester to Wheeling on routes 19, 250, and 2. On this part of our trip we hoped to find some flea markets or antique stores where we could find some unique items, but no luck there.We did find a covered bridge near Hundred, WV. I think it is one of the smallest since it

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-54484628227674928222010-07-11T18:48:00.007-04:002011-02-20T13:40:50.941-05:00

We started out on the second part of our vacation by heading toward Seneca Rocks, WV, which compared to where we live is Eastern West Virginia. We went past White Sulpher Springs and headed up route 92.This part of the state has a lot of flat land backed up by portions of the Appalachian Mountains.There is plenty of land and water for farming and hills to make sure the water runs in the right

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-67571657311579651352010-07-08T07:37:00.005-04:002011-02-20T13:40:50.942-05:00

Uh oh, forgot to post this one. Well, that gives me time to get the next post setup.We are getting ready to leave Georgia, for the time being anyway. During this trip we wandered around the countryside on different errands for ourselves and for Mom. We tried to find interesting things that we haven't found and told you about on previous trips. I had a really hard time finding something though. We

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-81020826378026258012010-07-04T20:56:00.008-04:002011-02-20T13:40:50.942-05:00

The 4th of July in Georgia involved some all American work in the yard, a parade, an antique shop, and some wild animals.We primed, trimmed, dusted, and cleaned our way through the day until about 2pm when we left for Braselton where the town was putting on a festival and parade. The trip to Braselton took a bit longer than necessary because we talked Mom into the adventure of our vacations -

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-51990972190831722872010-07-03T14:44:00.006-04:002011-02-20T13:40:50.943-05:00

We arrived at Mom's a couple days ago. We didn't find anything worth reporting on the way down and then not much happening except getting started on the projects. The first thing we did was trim back some tree branches in the front yard. Now you can actually see the flowers and the truck isn't getting whacked when we park it.FabHub's main project for this trip is to paint the eaves and window

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-51631176551229158982010-07-02T11:02:00.007-04:002011-03-11T11:22:32.930-05:00

We have begun to enjoy vegetable from the garden! Some of them anyway. Some of them are not doing so well. It turns out that when my garden got its last freeze, so did the greenhouse from where we bought the replacement plants. Lesson learned. Thanks guy. The prices were right so we might go back, or I might start all my own stuff next time.This is the first batch from the garden. A nice yellow

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-47401672858317323002010-06-08T21:26:00.008-04:002011-03-11T11:23:10.722-05:00

We made a couple of additions to the garden this weekend. The beans needed something to climb so we added these old clothes line poles that I bought at a yard sale about a dozen years ago. They have been waiting patiently to be used. FabHub attached them to the raised bed frame and then strung cable between them. We had some old burlap like rope so that was used to give the plants something to

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-71997298497313633532010-06-01T20:34:00.006-04:002011-03-11T11:23:47.395-05:00

The garden is enduring another experiment. Last year we knew we were not going to be able to keep up with the garden, so I covered most of it in plastic to keep the weeds from taking over and to kill the weed seeds that I knew were there. This year we decided to cover it up again, but this time with some contractor grade weed block, with mulch on top of it, and switched the whole garden over to

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-45588522918164873952010-03-19T21:16:00.005-04:002011-02-20T13:47:17.508-05:00

I found this picture on my camera when I wanted to post the new baby calf.This is FabHub and his sidekick delivering dinner to the cows. They look like a couple of gangsters don't they.This on the other hand is the real gangster. Her name is Rasberry and she is a bit crazy. She has been running away from people since the day she arrived on the farm. We bought her at the market when she was

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-45789016860742051262010-02-27T14:42:00.006-05:002011-03-11T11:28:07.432-05:00

Our yard has been snow covered since about December 19 2009. WV does not normally stay snow covered. At least in my neighborhood. So what is the deal already. Ok, I know, everybody out there either has had it worse or has the same complaint. This little frog dude wants to have his say though.Can anyone make it stop? Please? My skin is starting to wrinkle! I decided the birds could use some of the

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-75516312035067262352010-02-14T06:28:00.003-05:002011-02-20T13:47:17.509-05:00

What did he do? FabHub bought himself a new truck. This is what happens when the schools are closed for days on end - he had too much time to think about it. Ended up emailing with a dealer at the Ford store and while I was working went down to "look" at what the guy was offering. He came home owning a truck he hadn't even seen yet since the one he wanted was still in Virginia.Saturday morning we

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-52064910835042150772010-02-11T11:52:00.006-05:002011-03-11T11:30:13.649-05:00

On my way home from work yesterday, the roads kept getting worse and worse. Then I finally made it into the garage and stood there for a minute watching great big wet flakes fall. Again, it was snowing. This morning I got up and looked out to see a bunch more snow. It has been accumulating for days, but when the paths we use every day are filled in again in the morning - ARGH! That gate and the

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-68842126801219604092010-02-07T19:28:00.004-05:002011-03-11T11:29:33.165-05:00

While we are working inside on the basement remodel - one of the neighbors seems to be busy working on his own projects in the yard. This pile of sawdust is at the base of a pine tree in my backyard. Here is the culprit. Mr. Woodpecker has been very busy. Mrs. Woodpecker was watching him when I first went to get the camera, but she must have had some shopping to do - new curtains maybe? Look

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-7518174146984049352010-02-07T18:04:00.005-05:002011-02-20T13:49:44.931-05:00

This winter we have taken on a huge remodeling project in our basement. There are three parts to it. The first was in November when we installed a heat pump to supplement our wood stove. That means if the stove goes out if the temp in the house drops below 55 degrees the heat will kick on so that we don't get up or come home from work to a cold house. So far it hasn't run too much since we have

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-10002747866631311132010-01-03T19:28:00.002-05:002011-02-20T13:47:17.511-05:00

Okay, one more post for today. I have to make a correction to all the winter posts that I have made so far this year. This weather keeps getting better and better, but when Winter makes you dress like this... you know there is real cold out there on the ridge. Most of the purpose for all the clothing is because feeding the cows takes place on an open tractor and 4x4 Gator. The layers really come

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-51727096780467396812010-01-03T18:54:00.004-05:002011-02-20T13:40:50.949-05:00

We had a pretty good Christmas in Georgia. Of everybody, Garrett did the best in the gift department, that would be expected of course. His pile is on the left and his mom's is on the right. Mom likes having her picture taken when Garret is on her lap. FabHub doesn't even mind too much - and he is hard to catch in a lens. He can laugh at himself pretty easily too. He wanted new house shoes for

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-92119934280405847762010-01-03T18:32:00.006-05:002011-02-20T13:54:15.612-05:00

The Holidays in my office aren't really decorated too much - last year I put clings on some windows in our cube space and brought in a poinsetta that I didn't really want to keep at the house.That flower is doing pretty well, it even got some red leaves again this year. I didn't do any of the "proper" poinsetta preparations to make sure that it turned, but there must be the right mix of darkness

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-13413429417678624042009-12-23T16:47:00.005-05:002011-02-20T13:40:50.950-05:00

My netbook doesn't have Java to load pictures on FB, so I will create a Blog to show off my new nephew and some other Christmas adventures. Probably better anyway since I usually like to blabber on.This is Garrett, he is four months old, loves to be hugged on by everybody, and though he is being raised an OSU Cowboy, he tolerates all sports affiliations.We were going to bring him some WVU

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-76060197590718964822009-12-20T19:21:00.008-05:002011-03-11T11:31:07.729-05:00

No matter what the calendar says Winter has arrived. A few weeks ago we thought this was a lot of snow. Turns out we were wrong. This is a lot of snow. These dogs were staying warm in what seemed like cold, snowy weather. Turns out they were in pretty good shape.This is a dog wishing she were warm. The frog has a nice hat on and the house is wearing a pretty thick blanket too. The day it

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-49342914063029430182009-10-04T08:26:00.003-04:002011-02-20T13:40:50.951-05:00

I made my usual buttermilk pancakes for breakfast this morning. Instead of the normal syrup, I warmed up a jar of the new Apple Pie Jam, which didn't have many Jam qualities.It made really good syrup for the pancakes though!

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-39124697291025343632009-10-03T20:33:00.008-04:002011-02-20T13:40:50.951-05:00

The garden produced very little usable produce this year. I didn't give it much opportunity and the blight took most of what it had, but there was one surprise that showed up in August.The plant that this watermelon came from didn't even have many flowers on it, and none of them amounted to anything - or so I thought. FabHub found this watermelon just sitting out there doing nothing but growing.

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-20193646242412769712009-09-27T20:49:00.005-04:002011-02-20T13:40:50.952-05:00

Completed writing on 3 October. My drafts are sitting too long! Oh well.The last bit of summer has us fixing up the pantry and adding some jars to it. FabHub had planted a Concord Grape vine for his Grandmother when she was living here.Earlier this summer when he checked those grape is looked like they had blighted. There was nothing but shriveled up fruit on it.Then a few weeks ago he walked

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-79452802093147693082009-09-25T20:07:00.002-04:002011-02-20T13:40:50.952-05:00

Looking for a new post? I added a lost post from the 18th of August below the End of the Midwest Adventure. The date wouldn't change and I didn't want to start over. Enjoy!

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-29847583556962323572009-08-28T09:04:00.007-04:002011-02-20T13:40:50.953-05:00

I am finally catching up on my last post of vacation, the book needed an ending or I might have let it go.This should have been posted about the 23rd of July - so only a bit more than a month late! Hey we have been busy - ok not so much. Facebook junk takes way too much time out of my available Blog posting time. I think the farms, farkle, and the mafia are going to have to do without me for a

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-7103545318001185932009-08-18T20:49:00.008-04:002011-02-20T13:51:43.610-05:00

I need to check my own blog every so often. I thought I had posted this already and was going to work on a new one. I found these pictures all ready to go, they just need some text. So I will set it up for you.Some of you know that I live in the woods of West Virginia. FabHub and I have owned this piece of dirt since 1993. In all that time we have not had a Real street address. I posted

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-68850864642982835242009-07-22T19:40:00.011-04:002011-02-20T13:51:43.611-05:00

Finally - since we got back it has been GO GO GO. First my ISP wouldn't let me access Blogger, so I emailed them and magically it started working. Then I had to start working again. Then we had some relatives come in from PA and NY. Then I thought I would get my posts updated.As a recap, on July 11th we were visiting in Missouri. July 12th and 13th were supposed to be spent working our way home

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-44539001464122343722009-07-16T19:58:00.003-04:002011-02-20T13:51:43.611-05:00

Every now and then I look at my blog to see if anyone else has been looking at it. Today I had a surprise. Some of these locations I recognize, but where did all these other people come from? This happened one other time when my running blog was noted on Phedipidations, but I doubt that happened again. Let me know if you have an idea what caused the attention.Glad to see people are interested,

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-40736016953645197472009-07-11T18:25:00.006-04:002011-02-20T13:51:43.612-05:00

July 9, 10 and 11 were spent visiting with family friends in Missouri. Kathy and Larry are friends of my mom from when she and my dad lived in Kansas. After my dad passed away Mom decided that she would join them in a move to Georgia. So she went house shopping and found a nice one. Then she got lucky and found a good job. Now they have moved to Missouri and Mom is in Georgia, but they are still

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-10740321368545800792009-07-11T18:20:00.006-04:002011-02-20T13:51:43.612-05:00

July 7th was spent working on the projects and a bit of shopping. Then on the 8th we went out to breakfast with everybody before Mom and Brother headed off for the KC airport. Mom had an evening flight that turned into a night flight and Brother was her driver before he headed to his house and the end of his vacation. They will both be back to Sister’s house after the baby is born.After we said

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-31765066630881122832009-07-11T16:07:00.009-04:002011-02-20T13:51:43.613-05:00

July 6th started when my aunt left for work and we left to go back to my sister’s house. On our way out of town we had to go past the A&W drive-in with this young man standing outside trying to share a root beer and sandwich with us.I think there used to be more of the family there, but he is the only one left.On the way back to Fort Dodge we stopped at West Bend, Iowa to see the Grotto of the

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-5071689668933369582009-07-10T23:10:00.007-04:002011-02-20T13:51:43.613-05:00

On July 5th we are still in Iowa, but today we are headed for Orange City to visit with Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Great Aunts, Great Uncles, and to see some sights. We started out on the 3 hour trip with this for a view.Oh and a little bit – okay A LOT of this. There were miles and miles of corn surrounded by miles and miles of soybeans. This is one tiny piece of the picture. It becomes

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-2633761681613684252009-07-08T09:40:00.004-04:002011-02-20T13:52:13.746-05:00

July 4th started and finished in Iowa. We are finally staying in one place for a few days.It is 5k day! First thing in the morning we got up had to tell ourselves that running in the rain would not be so bad. It was pouring down rain when we left for Webster City and the Firecracker 5K. It was pouring down rain when we got to the registration site. It was pouring down rain when we walked to the

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-21098980803826050502009-07-07T09:43:00.006-04:002011-02-20T13:51:43.614-05:00

July 3 Started in Bloomington, Minnesota. We took off from the hotel in Minnesota bright and early headed in the direction of my sister’s house in Iowa. Luckily we were on the south side of all the city congestion, so driving south took us away from most of the traffic.Along the way we found a display of T-38’s painted up like the US Air Force Thunderbirds.Then we wound our way over to Blue Earth

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16965202.post-51516761463474406452009-07-04T21:54:00.005-04:002011-02-20T13:51:43.614-05:00

July 2nd started in – well, let’s just say Minnesota. We slept in. Yes there is a 5k in two days and we won’t be running tomorrow morning, but we slept in anyway. Today’s adventure was to ride the Light Rail Train to the Science Museum of Minnesota, which used to be in Minneapolis, I think, and Rice Park to see some bronze Peanuts cartoon characters. Luckily they are on the way to the Museum.So

Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08578679277864538013noreply@blogger.com0