Sunday Tidbits

I'll bet you didn't know that we have polar bears in these parts, 

that come right up to the kitchen window, huh?

We do.  Here's the proof!

(That's a shameless piece of sausage hanging out of his mouth.)

Not really, it's just Zeke the dog! :)

And he loves to come get some lovin'...and snacks.

And lovin'. Lots of loving!

Elsewhere:

The scooters, bikes, big-wheels, and all other outdoor paraphernalia, have come out of

hibernation and are in full use, once again!  Hooray!

(Nick told me once that when skinny jeans start to make you look 

like an ice cream cone, it's time to stop wearing them.  Almost there!)

Spring is here!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend too!

Now, let's hunker down and get set for a productive week, okie dokie?!

Sunday on our Homestead [chickens, kitty-cats, and a big scary dog]

What a splendidly beautiful December day it was today!

And we took full advantage niceness.

And by we, I really mean all the ones who did outdoor chores,

hence, no photos of the younger quad of children.

Our kitty cat, Dino, disappeared for a few days...

and we thought for sure he had become brunch for a coyote or two.

Wahhhh.

But, no!  He showed up today, all hungry and happy to see us.  And we were equally as happy.

And the chickens were loving getting out of their coop, where they're been cooped up!

The temps really dropped low recently, and I'm here to tell you that these

feathered females do not like the coldness one bit.

But they sure loved today!

Lunchtime!

Remember back when I told you my suspicions of Zeke giving one of my hens a heart attack,

but I had zero evidence except a dead chicken buried in my mulch?

Well, looky here:

He didn't hurt THIS one...but he sure did scare the dickens out of her.

And this concludes my investigation of the Poultry Murder Mystery.

Poor Zeke, he really needs a friend.

"Midge, are you okay under there?"

This is Betty, my teeny tiny feather-footed hen.  She's the sweetest little thing.

And can she ever FLY.  When Zeke heads towards her, she just takes off up into the nearest tree.

Awesome!  Way to go, Betty!

Oh, and we had loads of fun when one of our lateral lines got clogged and sewer

water backed up into our basement (AGAIN).  Grossssss.

So glad I have a handy-man husband who can fix such things.

And look, here he is dressed up as a tree riding a tractor. Hahaha.

That's Nick supervising the project.

Manly men doing manly chores.

I love that.

And that concludes the bulk of the excitement for this Sunday on our homestead!

 I hope you all enjoyed your day of rest as well!

zeke's important job

When I walk down to get our mail,

Zeke assumes he has a job to do as well.

When he hits the end of our driveway,

he takes off running.

Because his job, as he sees it, is to make sure all the cattle across the street

stay far away from the fence.

Because, you know, that's important.

Yes.

 

Here's what he's thinking:

Who do you bovines think you are, hoovering around by this fence!

Now get away from here this instant!

And so they do.

In no time at all, Zeke herds them all far away from the fence line.

And as he is making his way back to our side of the road,

the cattle quickly make their way back also.

Don't even look at me.  

I get no respect, I tell you!

And that's what happens each and EVERY time I walk down to get the mail.

With Zeke.

The End.

spring snowy-snow! {LOVE}

Listen, I'm as ready for spring as the next gal.

But I gotta tell ya,

I think we are fools if we don't bask in the beauty of what God has 

blanketed on us (again and again!).

I went outside to take care of my chickens and couldn't help but

have a smile plastered on my face.

Truly, it's a wintery masterpiece outside that only our 

Creator could have orchestrated.

Let's enjoy it!!!

Here's a pictorial of my trek:

Zeke.

My big ol' kitty-cat polar bear!

I wish I could have captured on video the fun he was having in the snow.

It was so hilarious.

He loves it so much! 

He chased the cats all around the yard, and up the snow-laden tree.

See?

Sweet little Dino, up the tree!

Our property is well-guarded by this fella.

If you stop by for a visit, 

be ready for a hearty-hello from our FRIENDLY Kansas-Arctic canine!

(But don't be fooled, he'll take your arm off if you threaten any of his flock (the cats, chickens, and US!)

Thank you, Jesus, for the GORGEOUS snow, the moisture it brings,

and the way it slows us down to a family-friendly pace.

wanna-be cowboy

I will do the drawing for the
Show Hope t-shirt giveaway
later today,
so you still have time to get in on it!

Read HERE to find out more.

And in the meantime, for your viewing pleasure,
here is our resident polar bear, Zeke.
The one for whom we are putting the gate up to keep him on
our property.
Otherwise he wanders off in order to coral all the cattle
in our surrounding area,
that aren't ours.
Farmers don't like that.

And we WILL be adding a fence to connect to the gate,
you sillies.


Zeke,
the wanna-be cowboy.
Have a great Monday, guys!

a little boy and his great big dog

Pretty much 95% of my children are horribly terrified of our
big ol' dog, Zeke.

I really have no idea why.

He's nottin' but a big cuddly teddy bear.
What's to fear?

And just for the record...he doesn't intimidate me in the least.
I call his giant-size bluff.
He might lick you to death, but that's it.
Well, and knock you down doing it.

Anyway, Isaiah has a fascination with him
and wants to get close soooo badly.

So K-man arranged that very thing...

Come on, dude...he's a love machine, really!

Okay, okay...I will take one step closer.

Oh wow, he's really soft...just like you said he was.

It's really quite easy, Isaiah.
Just get in there and give this bear a man-hug.

See?

You've convinced me...
I must...I will.

Ahhh, this is good.

Look at me! Look at me!!

And tomorrow we'll have to start all over again,
rebuilding this confidence.

But it's worth it, wouldn't you say?


Have a fun weekend!

where babies come from

For the two of you who asked about Zeke,
he's got it pretty darn sweet
here on the 'stead.

He and Lucy are still buddies,
although one of them is growing at a much more rapid
rate than the other.

Sorry, that's as still as I could get Zeke to stay for a pic.
I'll try to get a better one later.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Ok so for those you who are blessed (like me) to have
both teens and tots,
you will understand what's been happening as of late
in our house.

Mercy. Be.

So, besides the big boys telling Lucy things such as,

"You're not from China, Lucy...you're from Africa!"
and
"Lucy, go tell mommy that she's annoying you."



Tonight at the dinner table they were telling her where babies
come from.

That's right.

They had "the talk" with her about babies coming
from....

the clothes dryer.

Huh?

"You see, Lucy,"
Nick said in all seriousness,

"when a mommy and daddy want to have a baby,
they put baby clothes in the washing machine.
When the clothes are done washing,
they put them in the dryer
and when the dryer stops, they open it up
and out comes their baby, all dressed and everything."


If labor/adoption were only that easy.




Now I'm dreading more than ever having the real
talk
with her someday.

*Sigh*

And that is just a small sample of what goes on in my house.

Your sympathy is appreciated.
Thank you.

ceasar salad and best buddies

I really don't care for bottled salad dressing.
It's just too salty and corn syrupy.
But I've never dared to try making Ceasar because well,
it just seemed scary to me.

???

Well, I found a super easy recipe and
WOW, did it get rave reviews at my house.
But as good as it was,
I knew that it really needed a key traditional ingredient that the recipe
didn't call for....anchovies.

I put on my shopping list 'anchovy paste' but just couldn't find it
at Wal Mart, to save my life.
Surprising, I know, being that so many chefs shop there
for their culinary needs.
Right.

Anyway, I found it at World Market...$1.99 for a tube.
Score!!
*Doesn't tubed fish sound so yummy?*

I made the dressing again...only this time with the anchovies.
Then I made it again, and again....and again.

My boys,
are *in love* with this dressing.
And I do mean, IN.LOVE.
They both have eaten big Cesar salads every day since Sunday.
As a meal.

Brenden even posted about it on FB.

Isn't that hilarious?

Here's the recipe...
oh, and I suggest you double...or triple it.
Seriously.

1/3 Cup Mayo (yes, REAL mayo)
1/2 tsp. White wine vinegar (I used red)
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
(yes, I know, there are anchovies in W sauce)
1/2 tsp. Lemon juice
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/3 Cup Parmesan cheese
2 Tbl. Water
1 tsp. Anchovy paste (you simply must)

Mix it all together in a small blender-type thingy
and YUMMO...you will be addicted for life.

UPDATE:  I've made this recipe a DOZEN+ times and more often than not,
I don't have anchovy paste.
So please, don't shy away from it if you don't have it either!
It's DELICIOUS either way, trust me.


*~*~*~*~*~*~

The weather here has been G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S, gorgeous!
Lucy and Zeke are lovin' every single second of it.
They are BEST buds.

And it's absolutely no coincidence that I caught Zeke
adoringly glancing at her...he truly loves her
as much as she loves him.

Friends, it's precious.

Speaking of precious...have you ever?

Did I say in a previous post that this girl
is naughty?

I'm just not seein' it.