From This Front Porch

Around the Farm

We came over east to the farm to help Dad with harvest again this year. We're here for the week but haven't been doing any harvesting yet. It's been too wet following showers through the weekend and off and on through the last few days. The men have used this down time to do some mechanic work and maintenance on the machinery in the machine shed.

We got here on Saturday and spend the weekend playing with cousin's Evan and Lana before they left early Monday morning...

Riding bikes and reading comic books is always more fun with cousins...

We found some chokecherries yesterday!

The four wheeler has been getting some good use...

I love this picture. Everyone looks SO intent on the task at hand...

Here are the girls sitting on the idle auger in front of the empty grain bins...

Kyla has been looking for pretty rocks and washing them off...

And even though the harvest has been held up, no one has been bored...

And what have I been doing? Reading the Janette Oke- Love Comes Softly Series, cooking meals, playing with my kids, going 15 miles to town for groceries, taking pictures, enjoying reading everyone's comments on my last post, and I even got to talk to Carin a couple times on the phone. If her poor little man wasn't sick right now they would be here right now and we would be visiting face to face while our kids played their hearts out... but maybe next time!

Is there any other way I would rather spend my summer vacation?

I think not.

And that's the news from this farm.

Keep in touch,

And To Think We Forgot...

One evening a few weeks ago, Randy had to bring Colter into the doctor for some medical attention. Two nights later, some of
our friends said they had noticed Randy driving home from town that evening. They waved but he hadn't seen them. Randy and
I tried and tried to remember why he had gone to town that evening but couldn't remember anything!! As we were driving home
that night it hit us like a bullet! We felt pretty silly for forgetting this so Randy wrote this email to our friends to fill
them in. I still can't believe we totally forgot about this but I guess it was a busy weekend and I guess we were worn out by
the time we talked to them. So since this blog is my memory help these days, I thought I better record it here so we don't
forget again...

Dear (Friend),

Just had to let you know it was me you saw! Here is the story.

I had shown Colter earlier in the week that you could eat wheat. You shell it out and
eat the kernel. I told him NOT TO EAT ANY OTHER PART OF THE WHEAT!
He saved a head and later started to eat the head and a beard got stuck in his throat. I
was at work and Alison couldn't get a hold of me and Colter was in much discomfort having
this barb stuck in his throat so she took him into the doctor. The doctor couldn't see
anything and sent them home. Once I got off work I heard about the whole episode and
Colter was still in much discomfort so I grabbed the flashlight and depressed his tongue
with a spoon and there it was the barb simply stuck to the back of his throat between
and behind his tonsils. The closest medical tool I had, which I have used many times
for medical purposes such as pulling teeth, was a pair of needle nose pliers. I tried to
get to the barb but he wouldn't let me. So I loaded him up in the pickup and brought
him to the doctor that didn't see the barb in the first place. She STILL didn't see
it! I suggested that she better look again because I can! Anyway, she finally
saw it and sent us to a ear nose and throat specialist to have it removed.

The ear nose and throat specialist put on these funny looking glasses with some 2"
long protruding magnifying glass tubes and a head lamp and lurched into Colters mouth for
a peak. "I see it!" he blurted out. "Going to need some help with this one," he
said to his assistant. He grabbed a spray bottle and began to hose down the inside of
Colters mouth with this icky stuff with no prior warning.

If you know Colter, there are times when he can get quite introverted. BOOM just like
that he had enough of this specialist. The specialist tried to reason it though with a
seven year old. "You can get this removed right now for $20 or it'll cost you
$2000 in the emergency room because they'll have to put you under". That by the
way is no way to reason with a seven year old! A father however, understands!

We ended up leaving the specialist and heading home! Sorry I didn't wave. I should
have saw you. I was just thinking about trying to remove this barb one more time before
bringing him to ER. I sat Colter on a chair once at home and he very bravely fought back
gags and let me pluck the barb out with the needle nose pliers.

Happy ending to a busy week and to think that I forgot all about it already.

Randy

Does anyone else have any stories about the crazy things their kids have done? Or about the crazy things YOU have done, like
using a needle nose pliers to removes something from your 7 year old's throat, or forgetting that you had to go to 3 doctors in
1 day and then instead had to administer the medical treatment yourself? Leave us a comment and make us smile, or at least
reassure us that we are not alone on this journey of parenthood! ;)

Have a great week!

Beauty In the Badlands (reposted from August 5, 2008)

Anything in any way beautiful derives its beauty from itself and asks nothing beyond itself.
Praise is no part of it, for nothing is made worse or better by praise.

~Marcus Aurelius

For every beauty there is an eye somewhere to see it.
For every truth there is an ear somewhere to hear it.
For every love there is a heart somewhere to receive it.
~Ivan Panin

Oh What a Beautiful Morning...

This was WAY too much FUN!

About this song: My Mom used to sing this song to my sister, brother and I when we were little (remember Mom?). Now I often sing it to my kids in the morning to wake them up or cheer them or myself up. I was excited to find a recording of it on an old tape in the Thrift Store the other day so now I know all the lyrics. Then I found it on the computer too. What a cute song! (click play on my playlist in the left column to hear the song)

Enjoy...

19 of 52: Little Riders

This little dirt bike got delivered to our house one day last week. It needed a little work to get it running right and then Randy mowed a long path in the pasture and we all had to take a ride...

Maya gets a ride...

Here I am* taking my turn around...

Here is a video of Colter last Saturday morning on the bike. He rode the bike most of the day Saturday.

On Monday and Tuesday evening the kids would take turns riding and then snapping beans when it wasn't their turn. The bike has turned out to be a great "motivational" tool! ;) That's okay with me...

From this dirt bike Mom,

Hosted by Forever In Blue Jeans

*52 Weeks is a year long challenge for YOU to be in a picture once a week for 52 weeks. We are always the ones behind the camera, this is YOUR chance to get out in front and be in the pictures with our family. We are glad you are joining this challenge. More importantly your family will really enjoy having you in the picture. Thanks for playing along! Oh, you can just jump in now with 1 of 52, you're not getting off that easy! Now go take a picture!

Pickin' Time

We've been picken' and diggin' and shellin' and snappin' and washin' and blanchin' and freezin' and cookin' and eatin' from the garden lately...

It's was a cool day last Friday when we spent the morning pickin' and shellin' peas...

Creamed Potatoes, Carrots & Peas for lunch on Sunday...

and Raspberry Sauce on ice cream for dessert.

Recipe at Country Kitchen Recipes...

And now it ALL needs pickin' again!

Dawning of a New Day

You have to have the darkness for the dawn to come. ~Author Uknown

Flowers For Friday

Yes, I know the last flower is a weed. It's growing up around the chicken coop and I thought it was so pretty but soon realized it takes over very quickly and is taking over my strawberries in the garden. Randy hates it and says it is really hard to get rid of. He is declaring war on them now!

But this post is not about war. This post is about flowers. Aren't they pretty, even the last one?

Have a great weekend!
Alison

18 of 52: Another Year Older

Yesterday was my 33rd Birthday so here I am* with the kids right before I enjoyed a slice of cheesecake with raspberry sauce. Yum!

For supper last night we grilled this...

This is a very simple recipe but so very delicious! Just what I choose for my own birthday dinner. Head on over to

Country Kitchen Recipes
for grilling instruction.

Thanks for all the birthday wishes and encouragement for the coming year!
Alison

Hosted by Forever in Blue Jeans

Garden Progress- August 5, 2009

I can't believe it's been a month since I posted anything about the garden. I took these pictures this morning and as you can see I have some berries to pick! I am loving the zinnia's right now just like Amy and the sunflowers are just beginning to open up. Lots to look forward too!

Happy Wednesday to all,
Alison

My New Toy!

This is what I woke up to this morning! All set up and ready to go... still lots to learn! ;)

What a surprise! (I had NO idea, NOT a clue!!!)

Thankyou Randy!

Love, Your Wife :)

Time on The Edge

These are especially for Uncle Ryan and Cousin Lane...