Special Request

We are home…and George’s stubborn streak has ended. He is finally drinking on his own, without being forced.

One nurse thought that if she just stayed by his side and constantly forced him to drink, he would eventually give in once he realized she wasn’t going anywhere. She had me leave for a bit. When I came back, she said, “North Dakota stubborn is different from South Dakota stubborn. I gave in before he did.” Yeah, I’m gonna have my hands full…but that’s a good thing.

Remember the little boy I asked you to pray for? Today is a very important day. He NEEDS to breathe on his own. Please, please say a prayer for him and his family.

That’s all for now.

Oh, and the pilot from the crash? He’s gonna be OK. You see…prayers do get answered!

Ag Book of the YEAR!!!

Howdy, all! If you’ve been following my blog, you’ll remember that in May I did an Ag Book of the Day theme, where I picked a book a day to feature…it coincided with my sons’ school reading program. It was an amazing month, and there were great books featured.

And now, I’ve found our latest treasure, and I’m sure it’ll soon be yours as well! And if you’re lucky, you’ll win one of the signed copies I’m giving away!!!

Here it is:

A family favorite!

 
Levi’s Lost Calf, by Amanda Radke, illustrated by Michelle Weber. We received our copies on Saturday, and we’ve already read it 15 times!!! The boys LOVE the colorful artwork and all the animals involved. The story is a simple, yet completely realistic farm story…a little boy is helping on the farm, and realizes one of his favorite calves is missing, so he takes his trusty horse and goes to find it!
 
Not only does the book have a GREAT story, but it also includes a great cowboy recipe, and vocabulary words to help those that may not be familiar with ranch lingo…how cool is that?
 
I’ve seen some really good farm books for kids, but this is one of the best! I highly recommend it, and if you leave a comment on this post, you’ll be signed up to win a copy, signed by Amanda Radke herself!!!
 
This is Amanda’s first book (and I’m hoping for many more to come!), and the artwork by Michelle Weber is breathtaking, as beautiful as it is captivating! So be sure to get your copy soon, you don’t want to miss out!
 
To enter in the contest, just leave a comment on this post. For extra entries, subsribe to my blog and follow me on twitter (wagfarms or Cows_Life)…let me know if you already do those things, it’ll still count as an entry! I’ll have a random number selected from random.org to pick my winner!
 
Good luck…I’ll draw TWO lucky winners on Friday, August 19!
 
*I better add that, although I was given the copies of the book, the opinions expressed are my own, and don’t reflect anyone else, but me, myself and I. Although, I still think it’s a super-cool, absolutely fantastic, out-of-this-world ag book, you can buy a copy yourself and decide on your own. But trust me, it’s great! 😉

Where’s My Relaxing Summer???

I remember when I was a girl (hey now, don’t laugh, it wasn’t THAT long ago!), summer break from school was a relaxing time. We played, slept in, stayed up late, whatever we wanted to do. We went fishing, took drives to check fields and worked in the garden.

Where is that summer now?

Yesterday started off as a Tuesday, and ended as a Monday. We have 20 days until school starts, and so many things to pack into our “summer” that I almost wish school would start now! (Almost, I said almost.)

In the last few weeks, George has battled yet again another case of strep. We were referred to an Ear, Nose, Throat specialist, who promptly decided on Monday that he needed to have his tonsils, adenoids removed and tubes in his ears…and the sooner, the better. Which means Tuesday. So then we need to have a pre-op history and physical done. Which could only be scheduled yesterday.

With George’s OTC, illnesses are taken very seriously. Two of his strep infections have landed him a stay in the hospital. Both times he had seizures, both times he ended up on high doses of antibiotics, both times I had the bejeebers scared out of me. According to the ENT, removing George’s tonsils and adenoids will improve his snoring/lack of sleeping habit and will greatly decrease his chance of getting strep. Yay! He also failed the tympanogram. Meaning there is fluid in his ears and his ear drum is not moving much. So we will also be getting tubes.

Tubes/tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy…sounds like a fun day, eh? Oh well, as long as it makes things better in the long run, I’m all for it.

But to get back to yesterday.

After George’s pre-op appointment, we needed to get Big Bro’s new glasses. On our way to that appointment, Scooter started crying that his ear hurt so bad that he couldn’t move his head. Thankfully, there’s a FastCare clinic next to the eye doctor. We stopped in and found out the Scooter has swimmer’s ear. Figures. There’s only four days left of the pool being open.

So…after some running around, three doctor’s appointments, we met with Grandma B. at “Donald’s” for supper. We don’t eat out very often, so I wasn’t used to ordering for George off the Golden Arches menu. What do you get a child who can’t eat most of the menu?

I asked the manager (who happened to be the one waiting on me) if I could order a hamburger Happy Meal, minus the meat. I explained to him the situation, and he promptly went to the kitchen and made sure it was made right. Bun, check; ketchup, check; pickles, onions, mustard; check, check, check. The manager also threw in extra apple dippers, just to be nice. As I brought his meal to him, George was the happiest little boy around. He had the same thing as his brothers…and enjoyed every bite! I actually tear up, just thinking about it.

Sometimes, it’s just the little things in life that make your day.

Not a Mommy Blogger

Now, before you go off, accusing me of lying and thinking that I’m discounting a HUGE portion of the blog-o-sphere…let me explain. I’m not sure Mommy Bloggers exist.

What?!?

Yeah, that’s right…there’s no such thing as a Mommy Blogger. That term ranks up there with Big Foot, Toothfairy and Santa (just don’t tell my boys!). Why? Well, it’s simple. When you’re a mom, there’s no way you’re writing just about the cutesy-precious things your children do…and there’s no way you’re just writing about how many diapers you change. Being a Mom is so much more than that.

Last week, I had an online conversation with a friend of mine. She’s actually partially responsible for the creation of this blog in the first place! Let’s just say that she gave me that final push to get this blog started.

Anyway, we were talking blog stuff and the Mommy Blogger title came up. And again, I’m not sure such a thing exists. You see, when you’re a mom and you’re writing about your kids, it’s not just your kids that you’re writing about. Do I have you confused yet?

You write about society, you write about coping skills, you write about recipes. You share cleaning tips, you ask for advice and you share humor and entertainment. You write about education, you write about the future, you write about the past. You explain the simplest of life’s lessons, you share photos of the world and you pass on travel tips. There isn’t a piece of the pie that you don’t touch at some point in time. And all of that information can be translated into different realms.

Read about how a mother convinces a three-year-old that it’s their idea to take a nap. That same reasoning can be used to deal with the most difficult of customers in the retail world. Don’t think so? Trust me, I’ve done it.

Explain to a 7-year-old why our cows don’t make the milk that we drink, but they make the hamburger we eat. Then use that same conversation to base your ag education off of…trust me, a 7-year-old will ask you every hard-nosed question most reporters would think of!

Yes, in every essence of the term, I am a Mommy Blogger. Yet, I’m not. Actually, I’m more of a Farmmy Blogger.

When you come in to my blog, you will read about my children, my farm and my view points. You will learn about cattle, about crops and about life. You will hopefully laugh a lot, cry a little, but come back for more. And I will do the same.

Talk about a complicated answer to a simple question, eh?

Now ask me if I’m Republican or Democrat. 😉

Something for the future

I was reflecting on the past week, and something came to mind that I wanted to put down in my blog, so that someday Big Bro can look back and remember the impact that one little statement had on me.

As we were preparing for the Buy’N Show at the county fair (remember, the Reserve Champion ribbon that he didn’t want to compete for?), Big Bro had to fill out a form for the emcee to use to make a narrative for the Style Show part of the competition.

One question was: “Where would you like to go someday? Or where would you like to visit or vacation?”

His response caught me a bit off guard.

Big Bro asked if he could write, “Nowhere.” I asked, “Why?”

He replied, “I have everything I want right here…why would I need to go anywhere?”

Yeah, I had to wipe tears from my eyes, too.

The best gift that my son could give me...reminding me that everything I could ever want is still right here.

Back to Business

Well, we’ve spent the last few days cleaning up, tearing down and getting ready for life to resume some normalcy.

In the excitement of it all, I forgot to give a wrap up on our fair happenings! This was our first year as a 4-H family and the boys enjoyed sharing their projects and watching others, as well.

Scooter is now a kitchen safety expert!

 

Since Scooter is only 7, he’s a Cloverbud, which means that he can show projects, but he only gets participation ribbons. There’s no competition for him. It was GREAT for him to receive nothing but praise and suggestions for future years. I only wish I would have had the foresight to do the same thing for Big Bro…but he still did a SUPERB job!

Gak, Gluk, slimy stuff...whatever you want to call it, Scooter made it.

 

Big Bro took nine projects to the fair…including: two fishing lures, one pop-can lamp, three photo projects, two dog projects and one bug display. He received six blue ribbons and three reds! I was so proud of him!!!

Big Bro was researching all the different jobs that "working" dogs do...he thought it was so cool!

 

On top of that, Big Bro tried the consumer choices competition and received a third-place ribbon.

Then, on Sunday, Big Bro and Scooter had both volunteered to participate in the Style Show. Scooter showed off his tee-ball uniform in the Have ‘n Show (just a show with clothes you already have…no judging) and Big Bro showed a school outfit he picked out in the Buy ‘n Show.

Big Bro and his Buy 'n Show school outfit...lookin' sharp!

 

Big Bro was interviewed by two judges on the price of the outfit, uses, how to care for it, whether it was a smart purchase, etc. He was nervous about participating because he was the only boy, but once he warmed up, he did great. When it came time for the judging and the ribbons, we were both surprised when he was named the Reserve Champion! Talk about a happy boy!!!

So, in all, the fair was so much fun and such a great experience! The boys are already talking about next year…and I couldn’t be happier.

I did see one amazing booth at the fair that I really wish more people would have been able to experience:

This display on North Dakota ROCKED!!!

 

This “North Dakota Feeds the World” display was absolutely amazing. It had actual crops growing, commodities available to view, information, great pictures, etc., etc. The only problem was that it was only set up for Thursday afternoon/evening. And that means that not a lot of non-ag people were able to view it. I’m hoping that we can get it back in the area soon…and I’m looking into it. If you see it in your area, be sure to check it out. You won’t regret it!!!

First fair as 4-H family!

How’s that for a tongue twister?!?

Yep, our first-time ever being official 4-H’ers is in the books. And I’m so proud of my boys!

Scooter is a Cloverbud, so whatever project he took to the fair, he received a participation ribbon. I love that he gets the chance to go through the process with no pressure on performing to a high-standard, etc. It was GREAT!

Ask him about kitchen safety…and he’ll talk your ear off; ask him about taking nature walks…and he’ll tell you all about seeing a toad; ask him about using his senses outdoors…and he’ll tell you how much our puppy stinks right now. Isn’t that great? (Well, except for the stinky puppy bit.)

Big Bro took nine static exhibits to the fair…and he brought home six blue ribbons and three reds! He was so proud of himself…and I was even more proud, because I know that he did all of the work by himself. I can’t wait to see how they grow in the next year.

One of his exhibits was a photo enlargement. Here it is:

Big Bro's photo exhibit...but not enlarged.

 

 

He also did a photo exhibit that told a story about his brother playing outside:

I LOVE this picture that Big Bro took of EJ.

 

 

And then, just some cool landscape photos:

An old bus, that was turned into a camper, that was crashed, that was purchased by my husband, that was salvaged for its engine, that's now sitting on our farm, that's now used as a giant fort by my boys.

 

 

 

 

And he also taught our puppy (Miss Maggie May) how to sit, which was one of his projects:

Miss Maggie May is super smart...but Big Bro did a GREAT job teaching her to sit!

 

 

The Dickey County Fair continues through Sunday…so stay tuned for more updates!

Wordless Wednesday – Mini-veggies

As I’ve mentioned in the past, I’ve been working hard on getting our garden to make it through the year. You see, it’s not just because I like vegetables, or I think we’re the only ones who can grow a tomato right, or I don’t like getting vegetables from my store or anything like that.

It’s much more simple…I want to provide for my son.

George’s condition? George’s diagnosis? George’s illness? Hmmm…what do I call it…let’s just go with OTC. George’s OTC will not allow us to provide him with the wonderfully delicious beef that the rest of our family gets from the farm. And he never will be able to enjoy it…at least not much. George is limited to 10-12 grams of protein per DAY…and well, that just isn’t much in the scheme of things. And meat is basically out of his realm of menu options. Completely.

George loves his fruit! It's a good thing, since that's about the only thing he can eat a lot of!

 

 

So we go with fruits and vegetables. And since North Dakota isn’t real high on the fruit scale of production, we’re going to do our best on the veggie side. Like these:

These sugar snap peas are just about ready!

 

 

The cucumbers are showing up! Yahoo!!!

 

 

These peppers aren't much yet...but they're getting there!

 

 

Tomato...tomahto...can you say salsa???

Mary, Mary…

Well, after wondering if my garden would pull through the flooding, it’s obvious that it handled it rather well! Yay!

In fact, I spotted my first pea pod already filling…can’t wait for more!

I thought I would take a few pics of my favorite blooms to share with you…enjoy!

The hard, fast rain has compacted the ground a bit, but nothing a little hard work won't help out!

 

 

These spaghetti squash will serve as George's noodles in the upcoming months. Can't wait!!!

 

 

We have a pea pod! Yay!!! Can't wait for the others to set on!

 

 

Cukes, cukes and more cukes. Hubby loves them, and so do the kids!

 

 

The peppers have been the hardest hit, but they're coming around.

 

 

Some of my tomatoes look great, and some look pretty sparse, but this little guy is trying to blossom...giving me hope! My salsa is demanded around this house!

 

 

Hopefully in the next few weeks this patch will be pumping out the produce and my boys will be enjoying my hard work. I won’t lie to you, it’s been a really tough year to do this. But in the end, it’ll all be worth it…

Right?

Bucket list…

Not so long ago, I received a bucket in the mail from Red Hill General Store – in collaboration with the Real Farmwives of America and Friends. Let me say that securing the bucket for MY use, and not the uses of little hands, was my most difficult task!

But, I found it extremely helpful for various projects that I had going on around the farm…including:

A bucket-ful of healthiness!

1) Picking asparagus – This was the PERFECT sized container for picking a supper-sized bunch of asparagus! Add a little water to the bottom, throw in the asparagus, and toss it in the fridge until ready to cook! EJ decided that eating the asparagus raw was way better than waiting for it to cook, but who can blame him?

Pickin' some strawberries!

2) Picking strawberries – Once the rain stopped around here, the strawberries have come on hot and heavy. We’re in charge of the overrun when Grandma and Grandpa are busy, so the bucket has come in handy on those days!

3) Future use – Picking peas, peppers, etc. This will definitely be my go-to tool for picking fresh produce out of my garden…as long as the weather doesn’t get to it first!

4) Watering can – I don’t have a watering can for my flowers around my house. Mostly because I’ve never planted flowers before, so this is my first year. But I’m addicted! So be on the watch, I’m looking for tips, ideas, etc. to get my flowers off on a better foot next year. Not dealing with a new puppy will help out a lot!

5) Rock collector – EJ and Big Bro decided that this bucket was the perfect size for collecting rocks. And although they are right, it definitely is perfect for that, I had to dump their rocks back on the road so I could continue to use my bucket. I have a feeling that I know who will end up with it in the long run!

Sit, Maggie...sit!

6) Treat dish – Big Bro decided to teach Maggie how to sit (and he did a pretty good job!), and he used the bucket to hold her treats while teaching her! The handle was PERFECT! And I do believe we have a little gal who now knows how to sit on command. (Don’t tell Big Bro, but he learned a little about animal care and patience along the way…let’s keep that between you and me, though, OK? In fact, it’s a 4-H project for him!)

7) To be continued…you see, on the farm, everything has many, many uses. A Halloween bucket may become a flower-pot (you’ll see that one in the future), a tire rim may become a ring dike, tin cans become tomato protectors, five gallon buckets become step stools, etc., etc. The possibilities are endless.

I’m sure in the future this bucket will become a valuable tool in many projects. But while I’m using mine, why don’t you head on over to the Red Hill General Store and pick out your own? Or better yet, head over to the Real Housewives of America and Friends page and sign up to win your very own galvanized and embossed bucket!

I’ve shared my ideas…now what will you do with your bucket?

While Red Hill General Store did provide me with a bucket to blog about for this post the pictures, ideas and opinions shared here are my own.