Douglas county fair

Once in a while you just gotta take a day off and go to a county fair!  

We had a good time watching our cousins show their steers this morning.  

They all did a great job!  

We of course, had to look at everything else too!   Everywhere I looked Preston was petting goats.  After we looked at all the critters, Preston proclaimed that goats are his favorite animal. 

Saige was also happy to see her favorite animal....a zebra!  I worried about trying to get her out of the petting zoo.  She lost interest in everything else when she discovered she could pet a zebra! 

Personally, I liked the camel!  

We all liked the snow cones!  It was a fun morning! 

Thursday fun

All of the big kids had to work early today which meant the little guys went to work with me.   They actually enjoy spending the morning in town sometimes.  Today we had to bring the kitten because she seems to want to eat every hour or so.  They had fun playing at the park with Aunt Amy and her daycare kids and they checked out some new books.  Harper has really gotten into the hidden picture books lately.  It kept her busy for a very long time. 

This afternoon my friend Adreinne came over to swim at the city pool with us. It was fun to see her and the kids had fun playing with her boy.  I was laughing about how Saige refused to take off her new arm floaties even when we were completely done with swimming.  I guess that was a good use of 50 cents!  

The early shift at Brookside starts before the sun comes up.  When the big girls get home from working that shift they are exhausted.  Trying to catch a little sleep is next to impossible here.   Either because of the kids.  Or because of the dog!

There is only one kitten left alive.  Quincy has tried really hard but they were just so small.  I did have a moment of panic when I saw Saige had found another baby.   This time it was a baby bunny!  I don't exactly know how she found it but I do think Blitz and the pigs were somehow involved.  Grandma was here so we could borrow grandpas horn cutting tool before the fair.  She was kind enough to turn the baby loose down the road for us....away from Blitz who seems to have a knack for finding stuff.  She doesn't kill it but she does like to play!   

The kitten has been named Tina although  I am unclear on what serial killer it was that Quincy named her after.  She is loud and seems to eat well.  Madison gave her a bath today and she is now much cleaner and softer too!   

Summer stuff

Mower problems seem to be excessive this year.   Between the push mower, the riding mower and the weed wacker, poor Jim had been spending an excessive amount of time between the garage and the parts store.  

Mallory bought herself a new car this weekend.  Colin bought her old Honda.  Our insurance people think we are crazy. She is super excited about it.  The only problem is that goats love cars.  Their lives have been threatened.  

Cameron has a Saturday job as a gardener.  I am starting to love him working with these people.  This was the best sweet corn I have had in a long time!  He also brought home purple potatoes which taste like normal potatoes but are more beautiful.  

We have reached the point in summer where I try to get the kids in for physicals, eye exams and teeth cleanings.  This week Harper got her kindergarten glasses!  She is happy because her old pair was so bad she could hardly see through the scratches.  I was happy because this pair has extra springs so they actually fold out, which I hope means less stretching and breaking. 

Harper always lets Blitz in.  Blitz knows that Harper has no control over her and I often find them cuddled together on the couch.  Harper and Blitz both know that dogs aren't supposed to be on furniture....and as soon as I walked in the living room Harper blurted out "Blitz is not sitting on the couch."   Oh.  Ok.  Carry on then.  I think it is funny how Blitz looks like she is laughing at me.  

Quincy catches critters.  All. The.  Time.  This was the biggest toad I have ever seen. He has been released back into the wild. I am thankful she wasn't with me this morning when I left for work and there was a huge black snake across our driveway! 

A basket of kitties

Quincy went out to do chores this morning and reported that Ray had her kittens.  Ray was nowhere to be found however and the kittens were near the pigs.  The kittens hadn't been cleaned and they were all tangled up with their umbilical cords and weeds.  It took us a while to get them cleaned up and cut free.   

It was obvious that Ray is not going to take care of them and with her last baby dying, the kids were really upset.  And so after a long family discussion, we decided that Quincy, Preston, Harper and Saige can try to raise them.  This came with a promise that they will be given away when they are old enough. 

Now we shall see if they survive.  

Gone fishin'

Last week, our one and only neighbor told me it was completely fine for us to use their pond.  He said they had never fished it and had no idea if there were even any fish in there.  

I mentioned it to Jim and the kids.  They had to know.  Are there fish in that pond?  It was eating Quincy up.  

Tonight they got the answer!   They caught quite a few.  They had a good time too!   

It is quite an adventure to get to the pond....lots of walking through brush.  This is one of the times I am thankful that Jim loves to fish! 

Critters

Blitz has one ear that she sticks up.  It makes her look comical. 

The kittens are sweet.  The outdoor kitten has a terrible eye.  I have treated and treated it without any success.  She may end up as a one eyed cat.  The girls love her though.  

I have done a bad job of taking photos of the hogs.  Colin's hog looks great.  Preston's hog looks ok but may be a bit light.  And Quincy's hog I don't feel has grown worth a poo this summer.  Not for lack of trying on her part!   Quincy is fine with finishing feeding her out and keeping her for our freezer.  She is sad though, because she wanted to use part of her pig check to buy everyone world's of fun tickets!  Ha!  

You might notice Quincy's clothes in the above photo.  The original hog pen has been so muddy and never dries completely.  Tonight we moved them into a dry pen....but while trying to move them, Quincy wiped out in the pig stank.  We threw these clothes away.  We have lost quite a few outfits this summer to the pigs.  Luckily so far, nothing good has been lost!  

Apples and adventures

A friend called to ask if we would like a few apples.   I was delighted and quickly made plans to run pick them up.  The kids were excited because we got a brand new Apple peeler.  (Our old one died during Apple season last year)!  

A few apples turned out to be literally 2 bushels.  We are thankful to Nanette and Gerald for thinking of us, as well as for doing the actual picking before we arrived!  The little ones helped me get started.  We peeled and sliced one bushel today.  It took the better part of the afternoon, but they had fun!   

We got 8 jars of Apple pie filling, and our house smells like heaven because we have Apple butter cooking in the crockpot. Mallory has to work an early shift tomorrow and is hoping it will be done for breakfast!   We also had an apple crisp for dinner, but it was gone before I took a photo!  Tomorrow we will be attempting a few more jars of Apple pie filling and some Apple sauce.  The kids love Apple sauce, but I have never made it before.  

Cameron is away at FBLA camp.  He was so excited about it!  It looks like he was working hard!  

And because we strive to be crazy cat people, today we took in this little beauty. Her name is Dagmar Overbye.  Last week, I accidentally ran over Teddy.  The kids were crushed.  We got Rader as a sort of sorry please forgive me cat.  The same day we got Rader, Jodi got a kitty too.  Unfortunately, Jodi couldn't keep hers.  I told her she could stay here and I am hoping we don't have any more mishaps. 

Just a little Saturday randomness

Colin and Preston were off early this morning to work at the fairgrounds.  Afterward, they came home to get their golf clubs for a quick round with a friend of Colin's who is home for the weekend. 

 It amuses me that Totes still allows her babies to nurse.  They are the roughest nursers I have ever seen.  I find it funny when she gets tired of them and jumps over their heads.  

Chocolate is not an attractive kitty, but when she got sick this week, the girls nursed her back to health.   We have had a bad streak with cats lately.  Luckily, she is feeling better and had been returned outside with her momma. 

We spend a ton of time sitting by the pool.  This moth held my attention for a long time the other evening as it was using its antennae.   

I am so happy that Colin built me another picnic table so that Blitz had a place to lay.   

Colin and Cameron have been working a ton of hours at the ranch. One day a big storm blew up, and I got a text from Colin telling me that a little rain doesn't stop Cameron! 

Rader has settled in pretty well.  He is not a big snuggler, but he does a nice job of tolerating the kids.   He is pretty active and does a lot of funny stuff, making us all laugh. 

He had also claimed Colin's shoe as his own.