When the wife responds…

Posted on December 5, 2012 by wagfarms

I have a ton of stuff to get you all caught up on, but I have to share my little story first.

Last night, as I was reading through our emails (they sometimes pile up a mile high, you know?), I caught a message from Boss Man’s friend, who just so happens to be an equipment dealer. He was getting Mark some information regarding the upgrade that they talked about for our payloader (it’s a machine that Mark uses to clean the manure out of the cattle lots, move junk, sometimes snow, etc.).

Well, an upgrade was all news to me. We have a ton of house projects that we need to work on, but I didn’t know that he was thinking about changing some of the equipment. And, truthfully, it’s not real surprising, since I’m usually the last to know! 🙂

I apparently was feeling pretty cheeky last night, because I decided to pay my dear hubby back by replying to the email. And this is what I wrote:

After consulting with my beautiful wife, I've decided that to
spend more money on farm equipment is futile. I shall spend
the rest of my days trying to please her exquisite tastes,
flying to the corners of the world, taking trips abroad, and
showing her the seven wonders of the world...of which, she is
the eighth. Sorry, but I will no longer have time for trivial
things, such as cattle, hunting or just wasting time away
visiting with others.

I followed with:

Yeah, well, I guess I’ll pass this message on to Mark. 😉

Lesson of the day: Perhaps we should discuss major purchases…you never know who will respond to the email!

Banana Sushi

Posted on September 19, 2012 by wagfarms

Banana what??? That’s right – banana sushi. And it was super simple and the kids thought it was delicious! All it took was to peruse a little Pinterest, come up with a few ideas, adjust it to what we needed and voila! A new treat for EJ’s kindergarten class.

I paired it up with sliced strawberries, sliced apples and sliced summer sausage, making it a healthy, hefty snack for a room full of little ones. Take that, new school food rules!

Here’s the simple recipe, along with photo instructions…fool proof, I promise you!

Banana Sushi

Ingredients:

bananas
bread (I used honey wheat…a whole grain, you know)
honey

To start with, take two slices of bread and cut off the crust.

Remove the crust from the bread and lay them side by side.

Flatten together with a rolling pin, to make one big, flat slice of bread.

One giant squished piece of bread.

Add a healthy dose of honey…or just a little, whatever your taste.

Add honey to your bread.

Peel a banana. If it’s too curved, you can always just use your hands to “straighten” it a bit. In fact, I found the bananas very easy to manipulate into a straight shape…it was just a tad messy.

Next, just roll your bread around the banana, pat the ends together to seal, and cut into slices. It’ll look a little “sushi”-ish. And taste yummy! (If you like bananas and honey.)

Finished product…and yummy!

Craziness

Posted on August 29, 2012 by wagfarms

Sorry about the Wordless Wednesday post yesterday. It wasn’t until last night that I realized that it was only Tuesday. I think my brain is broken.

It’s been a long week already, and it’s only Wednesday (I just had to correct myself from saying it’s Tuesday…brain is still broke.)

Scooter is loving football. He is so excited about learning more about the game and figuring out his strengths/weaknesses. We’ve had quite a few giggles and chuckles over the whole process.

When we were signing up for football, and received his jersey, pads and helmet, the coach asked Scooter what number he would like. There wasn’t a lot to choose from, but Scooter first picked the number 4. Coach made a comment that someone his size should have a bigger number…so Scooter went with 84. Ha!

Another funny memory that will keep me in stitches for months happened Monday afternoon. My mom and dad were returning from vacation and we were waiting at their house to welcome them home. Scooter was at practice, but was adamant that I needed to boil his mouth guard.

Yep, that’s me, in my cheerleading glory. We didn’t do stunts, wear short skirts or anything like that. We supported our team, got the crowd yelling and were able to ride a bus and get into games free! I loved it all!

Now, I was a football cheerleader when I was in high school. I love football and everything that goes with it, but I don’t know the ins and outs of how the guys get from street clothes to full gear. This is all new to me…including a mouth guard. So I thought, maybe the boiling was to disinfect.

I was wrong.

I boiled Scooter’s mouth guard at my parents’ house and fished it out of the water, realizing that something wasn’t quite right. It was kinda funky looking, and a tad bit misshapen…and now had weird marks on it from the tongs. Hmmm…where did I go wrong? (To defend myself, the mouth guard did NOT come with instructions, or if it did, Scooter tossed them as soon as he opened the bag.)

My mother comforted me by saying, “Don’t you know anything!” And then proceeded to explain to me the purpose for boiling the mouth guard and the proper procedure. I was too busy rolling on the floor laughing to take in most of the lecture, but I got the point.

I screwed up. And it was funny. I have no problem laughing at myself.

When Scooter returned from practice, we re-boiled the mouth guard and fit it to his mouth. Tragedy averted. Laughs enjoyed.

When I reported my lesson on Facebook, one handy tip was shared, and I’ll pass it on to you: when you are finished with boiling the mouth guard and have it shaped as needed, when cooling it, use a flavored beverage (Dr. Pepper was suggested), so the mouth guard doesn’t taste just like nasty rubber. We’ll be trying that…

Next time.

Sizzlin’ Summer Saturday – First Car Show

Posted on August 26, 2012 by wagfarms

Boss Man made a new purchase this spring…just a little something to add to his pickup collection. (Yes, my husband collects pickups. Someday I’ll do a post on them, or at least most of them. I’m not sure he’ll ever let me find all of them.)

Yesterday we took it to our first car show. It was called Sizzlin’ Summer Nights in a town just 60 miles south of us. It was our version of a date night, and it was a ton of fun! Plus Boss Man was able to spend an evening talking to complete strangers (and a few people we knew) about his truck. He was in heaven!

Here’s the pics…starting with our favorite (and second-place winner for the People’s Choice award!):

Boss Man’s new baby, a ’76 Ford with custom paint job. Ask him about it sometime, he’ll tell you all about it…just make sure you have the time.

This is what the side looks like a little closer. It’s even more amazing in person. No decals, just paint.

I’d love to have one like this someday…or at least this color scheme. Such a beauty!

Snap On Tools were there…and so was there OCC custom-made chopper. Nice.

Another great ride…all the time and work, hard to imagine.

The chrome across the street was polished so nicely, I was able to snap a pic of our truck in the bumper!

Back to School – 3 Down, 1 to Go

Posted on August 21, 2012 by wagfarms

Our third child starts kindergarten today. Or at least that’s the plan. He has a way of deciding for himself whether or not he’ll follow through with my ideas, so I’ll wait to see if I get a phone call today letting me know that he’s had enough.

Scooter (yes, he’s only 8) in his football gear, surrounded by his biggest fans!

It’s crazy to think about. Big Bro is 10, George is now 3…I have been changing diapers for 10 years in a row (hoping that changes here shortly, but still end up changing him once or twice a day). And now I only have one child at home.

Ready to go!

So what will I do with my time? It should be pretty easy, right? Perhaps a nap or two, finish writing that book I’ve been talking about? Organize my house so that I can be on the Tour of Homes? Or just make it through each day.

EJ, ready for his first day of kindergarten.

You see, the last one left is the one that makes the rest all look like walks in the park. Yes, the force is strong in that one…strong indeed.

He’s the one that tried to put bubble solution in his Dad’s C-PAP machine yesterday afternoon. (I stopped him…through a fit of the giggles. The images were priceless!) He’s the one that dropped a bucket full of toads in my kitchen. He’s the one that put his jelly sandwich in the microwave for 20 minutes. (Don’t worry, I caught it only 3 minutes into it…but beyond salvage.)

I had to walk EJ to the bus…he wasn’t so sure about it once it stopped in the yard.

It’ll be 2 years before George is old enough for kindergarten. I’ll start praying for the teachers now.

The countdown is on…

Posted on July 10, 2012 by wagfarms

Two days left until 4-H judging. We’re working on finishing up final touches, making sure the boys remember the steps to take their projects from beginning to end (the only downfall to starting projects early, making sure they remember them!). It’s been a crazy few weeks, but oh, so worth it!

Big Bro wasn’t happy with some of his photos that he was going to show at the fair, so he took some new ones yesterday. I really like his eye for the unusual, yet it’s the stuff that’s around us all the time. They may not judge as well as some dynamic photos, but I want him to explore what’s important to him…and that’s all that matters:

Big Bro and his cousins have turned an old grain bin into a “museum,” where they put things that they’ve collected around the farm.

I’m sure Grandma and Grandpa remember these.

Sometimes a boys best friend isn’t his dog…but the cat that thinks he’s a dog.

EJ posing with their kitty. I don’t think Big Bro realizes how great he framed this photo.

Fair Week!

Posted on July 9, 2012 by wagfarms

It’s almost over, the craziness that is the county fair. I never understood how busy it could be, but now my boys are in 4-H…and I’m a fair board member. (Well, or at least I work on fair publicity, and some logistics.)

So, what are the boys up to? Well, we’ve been working on projects for months, so that it was not a crazy mad-dash to the end…and it kind of worked, but kind of didn’t. I don’t think it matters what you try to prepare for, sometimes you just end up flying by the seat of your pants.

For example, the Big Bro entered some veggies…and yet, with the weather conditions, we don’t have much to show for it, even with watering. But a few things did work out, like our dinosaur planters.

Big Bro loved getting these ready for the fair!

And a pillow made out of bandanas:

Big Bro told me that sewing wasn’t his thing…and then after the project he said, “Well, you didn’t tell me it was fun!” 😉 I can’t tell him ALL the secrets!

I just need to make it through this week…make…it…through.

Is it Sunday yet?

WW – Just Some Fun

Posted on May 23, 2012 by wagfarms

Boys will be boys…and I love it when they are! (Most times)

Trying on an old band uniform hat.

I think I’m stuck, Mom!

On the road again!

Eat my dust!

I caught the big boys playing pirates…love their imaginations!

They call me Speed!

4-H Project – Dinosaur Gardening

Posted on May 17, 2012 by wagfarms

Pinterest. It’s my new best friend. And as a 4-H mom, the ideas there are endless!

The county fair is a few months away, but we’re gearing up and getting projects out of the way early…I know, crazy idea, right???

So here’s our first completed project. And as long as the dog leaves it alone, we’ll be good to go!

Dinosaur Pots

1) We found these two dinosaur toys at the 4-H rummage sale on Saturday…cool coincidence! They are pretty well the perfect size, but it wouldn’t hurt if we could find a few bigger ones as well.

Cutting through the plastic was a little tough. But we poked a hole to start, then used a snips to work around.

2) Cut a hole in the top of the dinosaur. Big enough to plant in, but not so big that you can’t keep dirt inside.

Make sure to add drain holes in the underbelly, and down the tail.

3) Be sure to add drain holes in the bottom!

Get dirty!

4) Fill the tail with dirt. Get it damp, so that the dirt really fills it. You don’t want any air pockets killing off your new plants!

Final step…water well!

5) Pick plant of your choice (but make sure it will fit) and plant it in the new pot. Water well. (We went to our local garden center and looked around, asking the horticulturalist for advice…he did suggest moss roses, since they are smaller to begin with and will grow just about anywhere!)

6) Enjoy!

Cool planters that even little boys will love!

I love it! And can’t wait to see what we come up with next!

WW – Time Outside

Posted on May 2, 2012 by wagfarms

The weather has warmed up again, and it finally quit raining long enough for the boys to enjoy some time outside. Last night was great, and although I didn’t get any pictures, even Boss Man took the time to play some ball with the boys. It made my heart sing!