Ten Things

Hello.

I've missed you. Where have you been? Did you miss me? What've you been up to? How's your summer? Did you have a good fourth of July? Are you sad to see school supplies lurking in the aisles of Wal-Mart and Target? I close my eyes when I'm in those stores and venture down those aisles. I've also started covering my ears and singing, "blah, blah, blah", when people say crazy things like, "It won't be long until school starts."

Please don't say that around me.

Anyway, back to it.

Here are ten things that have kept me away from you.

1. Testing new hairdos and fashion accessories.

Beauty takes time and effort. 

2. DIY Projects. 

I am not crafty. I have no desire to be crafty but when the blind on our bathroom window broke and fell on my head, it was time to get crafty. I was scared I would make a mess but I ventured out. I made a no sew curtain. 

Cute don't you think? I love it. I did it. I'm brave like that.

3. Quality Family Time.

Okay, so I didn't actually take them fishing. Farmer Boy did. I don't do worms and fish guts.

However, I did ask for the summer off from my job so I could be with the kids. They said "Yes," I said "See you in the Fall."

I love being home with the kids. It is work. At first I forgot about feeding them and having to drive them everywhere but I'm starting to figure it out. Now it's dealing with, "I'm bored." 

Ignoring that one works best for me.

4. Getting to the BOTTOM of things.

They actually figured out the problem and fixed it. I wish I knew who broke the mower. Wasn't me. I was just mowing through the swings, got caught in the ropes and went air born for a second. I'm sure that had nothing to do with it.

6. Watching real-life Transformations. 

She transforms from sweet girl to mean, lean, pitching machine. It's amazing really.

Most of June was spent at softball games. I complain about bleacher bum but honestly I love the game and I love watching her play it.

7. Farm Supervisory Duties.

We built a fence on the west side of our barn. It was a weed patch and Farmer Boy decided to put our goats to work. He'd build it, they'd eat. It worked out well. The girls have also been able to let their County Fair pigs outside to get some exercise so they will woo the judges this coming week.

Someone had to supervise this project. They asked me. I said yes.

8.  Party Planning and Cupcake Baking.

Ms. Lizzy had a birthday. We weren't sure how a party would fit in with her softball schedule and the vacation and driver's education schedules of her friends, but we got it done.

We also made these fabulous tasting cupcakes. I made the cupcakes and the frosting, while Lizzy prepared the dipping chocolate, washed the strawberries and dipped. They were a hit.

Here's where we found the recipe. I love that Lizzy found this recipe and the author of this site is a girl named Lizzy. She seems to be a curly girl too. It was like icing on a cupcake.

9. Exercise Schedules.

I like a schedule. Summer messes with my schedule so I came up with a new one thanks to my friend Tanya. I was watching a softball game (imagine that), chatting about exercise, and Tanya told me she had been running to the gym, doing seven strength exercises, and then running home. She told me that she does that every other day and on her off day she rests. 

Well.

Loved that idea. I started doing the same. 

The night before my workout I put together a strength workout with the help of Oxygen magazine. I get up the next morning at 5:45 a.m. and try to be on the road by 6:00 a.m. I write out my workout in my spiral notebook and tuck it in my fanny pack to run. Arriving at the gym at 6:30 a.m. seems to be a good time. The gym is not busy, I can find a corner and I can do my thing.  

My off day is my yoga day. I put out my mat on the sidewalk, grab my book and get it done. 

I love it. Schedules are good things.

10. Saying goodbye to Farm Friends.

 This is Morpheus the goat.

He belongs to Will. We had other goats but he's the one that stayed. He baas. He eats weeds. He looks good in red. He gets excited when Will comes out to refill his water bucket.

These are the girl's show pigs.

They love when we spray them with the hose.

They love being outside in our new penned area.

They scratch themselves on the pens but they love it when we scratch them.

They have nice piggie bottoms.

They got loaded up this morning to head to the County Fair.

From the fair they go directly to the market.

Do you understand what that means?

Don't think about it too long. It might make you sad.

Morpheus doesn't go off to market but he won't be coming back home to Will.

After the fair he will have a different home.

Goodbye fair piggies.

The girls will take good care of you at the fair.

Goodbye Morphie. We're going to miss you. Thanks for eating all of our weeds.

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Thanks for sticking with me this long.

It's time for goodbye.

It may be a while before I come back here but I will come back.

Hope you are having a fabulous summer.

Soak it all up. Take lots of pictures. Leave a comment and tell me what you're up to.

Miss you.

Take care.