5 Question Friday

1. What's the oldest piece of clothing in your closet?

Really? The very oldest....I may have to run and look.  My wardrobe is PATHETIC!!! 

Wow..I see 2 things...and they are old!  Like 1995 old!!!  How do I know, you ask?  I bought those items with my hard earned nanny cash back in the days of living on Long Island.
And I...um..still wear one out.  As in outside of the house;to church, to the movies NOT "out on the town" as in prowling, whoopin' it up.  Just to clarify in case you were confused? 
   


Would you be surprise to learn they're both for my upper half?   

I know,  SURPRISE...not really. 
That's what child bearing did to me..oh and chip mint ice cream....and dark chocolate....and aging. 
So is life, I'm not losing sleep over it.

2. How many random blog readers have you met?

I tend to stalk more than comment.  BUT on occasion, when I read a post I can truly relate with, I throw out a comment.

      

3. Do you let your kids stay up till midnight on New Years Eve? (Or, if you don't have kiddos yet, did you get to stay up until midnight as a child?)

We have let the kiddos stay up until midnight the last couple of years.  Read here on how our New Year's celebrations have changed.

http://davisherd.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-years.html

4. What are the gas prices where you live?

$3.03. 

5. What is one resolution that you know you should do but are too afraid to try?

Nothing crazy....but I would like to be a non soda drinker and give up most sweets. I just CAN'T give up that one can of pop a day!  But maybe I will try again?  

GIFTS

This time of year it's all too easy to become wrapped up in the did I spend enough or what I want part of the Christmas holiday. As a mother of 3 children I've struggled with if it is best for them to each have the same number of gifts to open or more fair to have the same amount of total money spent on them; regardless, of the number of packages?

As I've done my best to teach my boys it's better to give than to receive and the reason for the season I've also decided to not solely focus on the gifts under the tree but the gifts from the heart that we often look over.

Honestly, I can recall very few of the gifts I have opened over the years. When I think back to Christmas' past I see the most heartwarming gifts were not wrapped packages at all. The things that bring true joy to my heart are the Christmas Day hugs from a brother or sister, the laughter of an aging parent/grandparent and the wondrous expressions/giggles of the children.

Here is to hoping you receive an abundance of heartwarming gifts this holiday season!

5 Question Friday

1. What's the best Christmas present you've ever received?

Dad decided one BIG gift was the way to do Christmas approximately five years ago.  BIG it was! He flew my family of 5 and my siblings along with their fams to Miami where we boarded a big ole' cruise ship. Cruise we did.....what a blast!! My kids STILL talk about it!!   

2. Worst/Funniest White Elephant gift ever receive

Surprisingly I have never been part of a White Elephant gift exchange but I do remember being a teen and unwrapping a festive Scottish Terrier sweater vest from my grandma.  I'm pretty sure I didn't sound legit with my, "Thank you, Grandma. I LOVE IT!"  

**Sweater vests really didn't "rock it" with my banana clips........     

3. Is your Christmas tree plain and simple (white lights and matching ornaments) or is it wild and crazy (colored lights with lots of ornaments collected over the years)?

 Wild, crazy and this year leaning forward.  We're just hoping it doesn't crash before the BIG day. 

4. "How" do you iron your clothes? The old fashioned iron/ironing board way, the shower, back in the dryer, etc.

 Simple!

I DO NOT iron!

5. How much baking do you do for Christmas and what are your "must make" items? (I'm looking for recipes here, peeps...)

 Party mix, sugar cookies, peppermint bark, caramels, fudge, pretzels dipped in white chocolate and decorated with sprinkles, swedish oatmeal cookies and every Christmas morning......monkey bread.

Table Talk

Another round of table talk.

Last night Lil' Cowpoke told the story of how he saved his friend from being kissed by a girl at recess.

Really, I thought.  You're in second grade!

Me: What were your teachers doing?

Lil' Cowpoke: Looking the other way.
"Girlfriend" was pushing "smoochy girl" toward "friend" and I slid my hand in like this(handshake form).....just in time to save him from being kissed!

Me: So, did "smoochy girl" kiss your hand then?

Lil' Cowpoke: Yep, NO! NO! My GLOVE, my GLOVE!  I had my gloves on!

Laughter........much laughter!

I love Columbia!

Over the past couple of weeks I've been digging for winter coats, gloves, and hats.  It's that time of year again in the heartland. Besides the tough Carhartt coat that is needed for the daily chore routine here on the farm I've chosen to invest in the Columbia coat for my cowpoke as school coats (life off the farm coats) because of their warmth and durability. I've justified spending a little more moo-lah on the quality item because with 3 cowpoke I can often pass them on down the line getting the goody out of the sweet investment.
Last year Dexter's not so old Columbia(1.5 years) coat blew the zipper.  He was beginning to out grow the coat and it was the dead of winter.  A new Columbia coat was purchased for him and the broken one was thrown into storage.  When I came across the broken zippered parka this year I considered pitching it, or attempting to put a new zipper in....the coat was in perfect condition otherwise.  The job appeared to be above my sewing abilities so before tossing it I decided to send Columbia an email. 

• On a Friday night I sent Columbia an email.
• Columbia responded Monday.
• I mailed the coat and all parts(detachable hood) off for inspection....no receipt.
• Sat back to wait...could possibly take four weeks.
• They had the coat back to me within 2 weeks-new zipper in place!  It's like a brand new coat!

I LOVE COLUMBIA!

I love Columbia because they stand behind their products.
I love Columbia because they are made in Portland, Oregon-USA!

5 Question Friday

1. Do you have a go to song that always puts you in a good mood?

I have a few... I LOVE Francessca Battistelli I'm Letting Go or Toby Mac Get Back Up or Brandon Heath Give Me Your Eyes or the all time favorite.....Bryan Adams Summer of 69.

2. Are you a real Christmas tree kinda person or do you go with a real fake one?

I'm ALL about a fake one.  Only because that is all I know. Honestly, I do not remember ever having a real tree? But I do buy a real Christmas wreath.  Does that count?      

3. What are you thankful for?

Everyday. Faith. Family. Friends. Health. Shelter. Freedom.  This list could go forever......

4. Which fashion fad from the past do you wish you could wear today?

I used to LOVE my banana clips....such an effortless hairdo.
   

5. Do you wait until the "low fuel" light comes on before you fill up the gas tank?

Everytime!  It TOTALLY frustrates me hubby.  So sorry.  But I like to make the trip worth it. Do you buy a half a bottle of pop?  Exactly! 

I did scare myself the other day, however.  I didn't even realize the "low fuel light" was on. It's SO the "NORM" for me. When I DID happen to NOTICE the little orange light my little screen read: DTE 9 miles.  Luckily I was less than 3 miles from the gas station.  I've driven many miles watching that thing count down....so far I've always made it to the station before the dreaded DTE O miles! Whew.....CrAzY I Know!  

On my nitestand

Last week as I wandered through the Christian bookstore this novel jumped into my hands. Although my intentions were shopping for others I KNEW I could not put this book back on the shelf. 

Now, I sit here at my computer and attempt to share the novel with you in my own words. I'm struggling and can not come close to describing the plot the way the author does.  So, I have decided to cheat....is this legal?

Perhaps you will feel as compelled to read the book as I did? You SHOULD put it on your 2011 Christmas wishlist, don't you think?

Nobody’s Child by Austin Boyd        

Unprecedented choices never intended by heaven . . . unintended consequences never before seen on earth
Brace yourself for this gripping introduction to The Pandora Files—a new series of biotech suspense novels by award-winning techno-thriller author Austin Boyd.
Experience the trials of Laura Ann McGehee—Determined to honor her father’s dying request, the young West Virginia woman will do whatever it takes to save the family farm, including using the one remaining financial resource she has—her body.
Meet Sophia McQuistion—Thanks to the unusual sacrifice of a woman she has never met, she carries the child she could never conceive. Walk in the shoes of Ian Stewart—In Laura Ann’s time of need, he’s more than just a close friend. He is a source of grace, a man who loves Laura Ann through her many trials.
When unusual circumstances place Sophia’s baby in Laura Ann’s care, Laura Ann is now the virgin mother of her own biological son. The media call him “Nobody’s Child.” But somebody wants him badly enough to steal the baby. What price will a mother pay to save her only son?
Weaving together bioethics and faith, Nobody’s Child dramatizes a future that is already upon us with consequences we can no longer avoid.

BO

Dexter's new friend.

 BO, a mini Australian Shepard.

Kid Comedian

Have you ever seen one of these? 

Yes, it's a fart noise maker! A push of a button will grant you the fart sound you desire. For example: Power fart, Juicy fart, Ripper etc. In a house full of boys you can only imagine the belly laughs these small toys, along with there special sounds, can produce. 

The other morning DW walked through the house dressed for school, he stopped, squatted, and produced an "Up Tight" fart.

Then he dropped onto the floor in hysterics!  Between his Wrangler jeans and Hanes underwear he had placed the Flarp Noise Maker.  The squatting had pulled his jeans tight over his hind-end and activated the flarp fart noise maker.

Whose boys is this?  

The kids a comedian!  He loves to make people laugh. 

This morning, as I type,  I'm thankful he did not think to take the toy to school and try the stunt....atleast not yet.

blogging

I hate it that I haven't been blogging routinely.  I love to blog...and read blogs.  As any mother might imagine it isn't that I haven't had anything to blog about either....quite the opposite.

• Homework and kid comedian are keeping us entertained in the evenings.
• Our new farm friend BO is demanding our time, too.
• Last minute yard work and bee winterizing have been a priority on the warm days.
• Ideas for Christmas gifting have been hot on my mind.
• As well as the planning of the first Davis Herd Colorado Ski Adventure this January.

Tune back in for the specifics.

STATE CHAMPS

Saturday, the middle school cross country team headed to the big one: The Iowa Middle School State Cross Country Meet. I wanted to share the accomplishments of my boy(on right) and his 7th grade teammates.

Can you see the plaque? 

It reads...2A STATE CHAMPS!!!  

5 question friday

1. What is your go to comfort food or sweet?

Semi-sweet chocolate chips!  A heaping handful of them; occasionally mixed with a scoop of mixed nuts. 

2. What is the most romantic place you've ever been to?

Hmmm, I'm fortunate to have been a few places with my sweetie but I loved our anniversary trip to Hermann, MO.  It's a tiny treasure here in the Midwest.

3. What is your favorite thing about fall/Halloween?

COLORS but I love everything about fall.  The harvest, the open fields, the changing leaves on the trees, mums, pumpkins and crock pot suppers. 

4. How would you spend 24 hours alone? 
Good books, good movies, good food......Honestly, I'd probably go nuts! 

5. Does you husband bring you flowers? Are you the bring-me-flowers type of girl?

Not normally.....I'm of the mentality the anything that's going to die in a day or 2 isn't worth the $$.....however, a box of junior mints?  I KNOW you love me....thats showin' me some love, baby.

DW and clean teeth

My conversation with DW before bedtime.

Mom: DW have you brushed your teeth tonight?  It's almost time for bed.

DW:  I did already.

Mom: DW, I don't think you've brushed them tonight....are you sure?

DW: Yes, Mom. In the shower.

Mom: You took your toothbrush into the shower?  I'm thinking...WOW, he's really growing up. That's being organized!

DW: No but I did brush my teeth! I'm SOOO tired that when I was in the shower I just faced the water and did this AHHHHHHHH ( mouth open wide). See Mom, my teeth are clean. ( BIG cheese smile)

How could i argue with that? We will shoot for using the brush with toothpaste in the a.m.  

jet engines and rocket boosters

 During the last couple of weeks, in science class, Dex was challenged to build a moving vehicle powered by a balloon.  Unfortunately I did not take a picture of his awesome design but found a photo to give you an idea. 

After much trial and error Dex powered his final car with 2 straws and a balloon. It did look very similar to this one.  He was the champion designer in 7th grade with his car traveling over 10 meters.

To finish the project he had to compile a paper about the process of building the car and what possibly could have been done to make the car perform better.

 Hmmm. 

At the supper table he informed us that question stumped him. 

"So, he said, I wrote the first thing that came to my mind. A jet powered engine with rocket boosters." 

  

Dad erupted with laughter.  I, on the hand, wondered if his teacher would find the humor in his answer.

**He claims to have asked the teacher and she said that answer would be fine. Where were those teachers when I was in school?

buttered popcorn

Last night as I strolled down to feed my a bees a little extra sugar water I was stunned to catch a strong whiff of buttered popcorn.  Never having smelled the distinct smell of buttered popcorn in the open outdoors my mind was racing. 

Is the smell the scent of a fall weed? Are my bees sick, infested?

Unsure of the exact source of the buttered popcorn smell I moved forward with my head tilted back, nostrils in the air, and flailing.  I inhaled the flowering weeds.

Aha-Choo! Nope, not coming from the weeds. 
It's the beehive, I KNOW it's the beehive!

For your enjoyment I will tell you at this point my nose is touching the beehive. No lie! I'm being embarrassingly honest here. My beak is smashed right up to the backside of the wooden high rise.

THE BEEHIVE smells like buttered popcorn....What in the World??
CRAP-O-LA!! 
Here I've been worried about aiding their survival through the winter. It's nearly fall! And, it's my STRONG hive, the honey producers, the gals who NEEDED the high rise!

Determined to save my bees and conquer this buttered popcorn smell I sat down at the computer ready to research.  I jumped on my favorite bee websites, blogs, and was filled with relief to discover that the buttered popcorn smell was the scent of a fall honey flow.  Hallelujah!!  Specifically it is the smell of honey produced from fall flowers like Goldenrod and Aster.  I have yet to peek in at their hard work. I'm super excited to do so. I'm hoping for a golden surprise. Maybe enough capped honey for one last extraction?

mutton bustin

This summer Dawson found a new event to enter at many of the rodeos we attended.  He never feared when mounting up on a wild, woolly, often times stinky, sheep.  He couldn't wait to settle down onto the middle of  their back and for the gate to fly open...those bleating sheep feared him. Or  so HE thought. For 8 short seconds he felt tough, indestructible, and like every young cowboys hero, Lane Frost.

He gives the "outside boys" and the chute gate flies open.

The woolly gives him "the ride of his life".  He stays centered, fingers dug in, and holds on tight.

He makes the 8 second whistle, his dismount isn't pretty, but my little cowpoke is cowboy tough. He jumps up and high tails his Wrangler butt out of the arena.  

IRCA Finals

This past weekend middleman spent his weekend competing in his first Iowa Rodeo Cowboys Association Finals.  He was the youngest cowboy, at 10 years old, competing at the 3 day rodeo.  In his event, Breakaway Calf Roping, he was the only guy 2 catch all 3 calves.  His consistency in the arena earned him the average win for the weekend, and a brand new shiny trophy buckle. 

 Below is a photo of Jax roping his first calf in 3.9 seconds   

random summer photos

 Jax and Dewey burning off some stink after a few too many hours in the truck on the rodeo trail.

The dog is a Wire Hair Fox Terrier for those of you wondering....

What kind of a dog is THAT?

No, he aint crossed with no poodle! That there is a fighting question and if you look away he's liable to pee on your leg just for thinking such a thing.

Sharing of the chair with not 1 or 2 but 3  rodeo friends.  It's cute now, but oh how it will make my tummy churn in a few more years.   Notice, boy, girl, boy, girl.  I'm NOT ready for the dating years.   

 

Outlaw, Bronc and Cowboy are ready to hoot and holler for their calf roping dads. Just in case you are wondering we, cowboy lovin' mama's, didn't name are kids Outlaw, Bronc and Cowboy...but the nick names fit.  

 

This summer the boys have spent many hours on Snowballs back.  Dex took this picture one day while in the saddle. I love it and wanted to share.

D cross country

They are off.

Last week D competed in his first cross country meet. It was a smoldering 96* were they pounded the  pavement for 1.8 miles. He finished 10th in the middle school boys division with 5 or 6 schools competeing. It was awesome!      

GO D!

5 Question Friday

1. Shoes in the house - yay or nay?

Preferably nay.  Only because you never know what the cowpoke have stomped through. 

2. What do you call them- flip flops, slippers, thongs, etc?

I call them flip flops...but growing up my dad always called them go-aheads. Why? Have you ever tried to walk/run backwards in them? DONT! 

3. What song are you almost embarrassed to admit you know all the lyrics to? 
Oh geez, REALLY? Funky Cold Madina, Girls Just Want to Have Fun and Raspberry Beret. I only had to list 1. Do those songs scream 80's?

4. What is the best quality to have in a friend?
honest, loyal, positive, fun!  I'm blessed to have some quality sistahs!  

5. Do you know what you want for Christmas?
EEK. A Christmas question.  Please peoples!!  It's 95* here in the desert midwest. haha...I know the midwest is not a desert state.  As the cowpoke have grown older it has become more important for me to remind them what CHRISTmas is about not what's under the tree.   But I do love watching their faces Christmas morning:)  

quiet

Yesterday evening the hubs and I took 30 minutes for ourselves.  Just the two of us.  We went for a drive, slipped away for a little quiet time. A break from the rowdy, energized cowpoke that we created.  As we cruised down the road, listening to the wind whip through the windows, I had a simple thought.

Here, right now, in this moment we are seeking a few minutes of piece and quiet.  In a blink of an eye, a few short years, we will be taking a drive because of the quiet.........I was ready to head back home.  

mixin' it up

The Davis Herd cowpoke are mixin' it up a little...kickin' off their Wranglers and cowboy boots, laying their hats down.
In an effort to motivate people to start moving, a local business has organized a great little run for our small rural community. It's open to all ages & athletes of varying abilities.

The 2 younger cowpoke ran the 1 mile and did GREAT! Honestly, I was amazed to see them round the corner and finish in the top 10. The photo is of the start of the 1 mile group.

Dex, the cross country professional, ran the 5K. He's come along way with his running. Watch out for him, he has caught the running bug!   

5 Question Friday

I picked this up off a blog I frequently tune into and thought I would give it a try.  5 Question Friday.  Lets see how long I stick with it
.  

1. Did you make any fun purchases this week?

Fun purchases?  After breaking the bank with school enrollment money, lunch money , football registration money and cross country t-shirt money I did go all out and purchase a small bag of dark chocolate covered almonds.  And I ain't tellin' where I stashed' em.  No-sir-e!  They're ALL mine!  Just the thought of those hidden indulgences makes me smile.
 

2. If you could go to any musical concert, what would it be?

Hmmmm I haven't been to a concert in years. Do I really have to pick just one?  I'm STILL a Bon Jovi fan(does that date me) but listening to The Zac Brown Band with my a** in the sand and a cold drink in my hand sounds fun and young and fun!  WAIT!! Elton John!!!

3. What is your least fav/ most fav house chore?

Least favorite, without a doubt, toilets!!!  Do you have boys? Then you KNOW what I'm talkin' about!  If you're boyless, let me explain: cleaning toilets used by boys=scrubbing floors, walls, trash cans AND toilet!  No joke! 

Favortie: Laundry!  Yep, I can get'er done!  What you wore today may be clean by morning. But, your clean clothes may hang on the drying rack for a week or set in a mountainous pile....but they'll be clean:)    

4. Would you prefer new appliances or clothes?

I WANT a new oven but I NEED new clothes! 

Seriuosly, shoping for clothes stinks. I try on clothes at one store and the muffin top hangs over, the butt crack creeps out.  And, I forbid to show any amount of butt crack or expose my under-roos. Yes, I STILL wear cotton panties.  I'm out on the butt floss. I will never get used to having anything between those cheeks! The other problem I have when shopping for new clothes, that I oh so need, is I walk out feeling like one of those cute ole' church ladies from the next store. How old am I?  

Middle-age motherhood dilemas.....

5. Miracle Whip or Mayo?

Mayo!  Don't even try to fool me with the sweet stuff! Give me the "mayo challenge" I 'll call the sweet stuff out every time!

monkey tails

Do you ever snack on this old treat?  I think I can remember buying this healthy snack at my favorite childhood amusement park.  I'm not sure if I enjoy them because of my younger years, or because they are chocolate and banana! OR, maybe it's because monkey tails are appropriately named to fit into my daily life....which can be a zoo? Anyway, try them sometime.

6 bananas peeled & cut in half
insert popsicle stick
dip in orange juice
freeze on pizza pan(30 minutes)

melt 1 good cup of chocolate chips with 1 TB shortening

dip frozen bananas in melted chocolate
return to pizza pan, return to freezer

resist 30 more minutes, if you can.

TIP:  Hide 1 or 2 monkey tails in a baggie in the freezer under the frozen veggies for yourself! Once discovered they quickly disappear! 

taming the cranky cussin cowpoke

I think the first week of school is wearing my 8 year old out.  He seems to melt about 7:30. Or should i say explode?  The  last two evenings have been a challenge.  The fella goes 110 all day, right up until the moment. Last night the moment proved to be around 7:30 when the crankster came out and the cuss words started flying.  You know them, the D word, the S word, and the H word.  I'm not sure if he used them in frustration, or to sound cool, but I'm told they roll right off his 8 year tongue.  Of course, he has yet to try this in front of his parents, but while interacting with his bros he will shout them out.  Oldest child takes it upon himself to discipline...this, undoubtedly, fuels the blazin' fire!

So, in an effort to tame the cranky cussin' lil' cowpoke,  I marched the cranky cusser up the stairs to his bedroom where he had to stand with his nose in the corner.  This led to cryin' and complaining which inevitably landed him in his cozy bed.

Honestly, I think that's right where cranky cussin' cowpoke wanted to be.  Once his head hit the pillow it wasn't 30 seconds before he was sound asleep.

Now, say cranky cussin' cowpoke 10 times as fast as you can ;-)   

boys

The boys made their return to prison school yesterday.  Although they were eagerly up and ready for the big yellow bus they would do and say anything to convince you otherwise. (see above)

Dex entered 7th grade and had very little to comment about at  the end of his first day.  His latest joy has been participating in cross country.  During his last time trial, of roughly 3 miles, he finished just over 22 minutes.  Whoa!  This Mama thinks that's smokin' fast!!!

Jax entered 5th grade, he is now an official middle schooler.  He claims to have mastered opening his locker. Although, when practicing, it was a task that gave him a great amount of frustration.  Because of this newly accomplished skill Jax informed us that going to his locker is his favorite part of the day...and lunch is his favorite class.  Wait! Is lunch really considered a class?  Jax also thinks the school could do away with physical education as his journey between classes to and from his locker is enough exercise.  So he says.

Daws climbed the stairs to the second floor of DC Elementary.  His second grade classroom is on the upper level.  Huge thrill!!!  He also gets to play on the upper playground durning recess, another huge thrill!  Along with these super thrills came a sliver of disappointment as Dawson started his 2nd grade year.  Three of his bestest buddies moved away this summer.  This had DW feeling a little lonely gearing up for day 1.  Never fear!  As Daws ran through the house door after school he shouted...Got a new friend.......ANOTHER DAWSON!

the processs

Introducing.....the honeybee gals.

Meet Hive West and Hive East. As you can see Hive East has excelled in productivity and created quite a high rise for living accommodations.

As one might guess, all of my extracted honey has been taken from the East Hive, where there appears to be a surplus of honey. Because I'm working solo I have no photos of the actual removal. It involves,smoke-lots of smoke, heavy lifting(who knew honey could weigh so much),

mucho praying, hoping 98% of the little darlings stay at their home, and rushing the capped comb into the house without getting the entire 60,000 family members buzzin' m-a-d! I was fortunate to only bring 4 bees into the house, but for every bee came 10 flies. So is life on the farm:) I DID not get stung on extraction day, but did find my arms sticky to the elbows along with a smudge of honey through my right eyebrow...good bye salon eyebrow waxing;)

The capped honeycomb.

Honey beeing extracted.

The finished product.

6 frames=17 small bottles & 8 medium bottles

18 frames to go......Would you like honey for your biscuits friends?

out with the old, maybe?

We finally upgraded the 13 year old dinosaur. I'm loving the new sleek, portable laptop. However,I still do not have all of the updated software mastered. Honestly, I'm finding blogging rather frustrating. I compose on the new machine but post from the dinosaur. My new laptop seems to have an error with javascript. Also, I can't seem to figure out how to add my photos to the post either. Do not give up on me! I'm determined to master this new machine. I'm hoping after I click on the publish post botton, this post will be there for all of you to read???? Here goes nothing.......

oodles and oodles of honey

Yesterday, after an early a.m. bike ride, I suited up to rob my bees of their delicious sweet sticky golden stuff. It was a hot endeavour but the payoff was superb. I couldn't be more happy with how hard the little gals have worked. I've harvested honey from 6 frames of an 8 frame hive and bottled oodles and oodles of honey. I honestly can't believe how much honey I have! Pictures will come.

carnivores at the county fair

This past week the boys have been busy showing at the county fair. They've had success and disappointments but overall a grand fair experience. Our 3 legged canine finished 2nd in the agility competition and he and JX won reserve showmanship. DX and our painted pony also took home the reserve showmanship award, in the 4H horse show. We spent evenings with family indulging in fair food and rode rides with cousins and friends until we didn't feel quite right. BUT the highlight of the fair came when we pulled back into the fairgrounds on Sunday and DW noticed the rides had been disassembled and packed onto semi trucks ready for transport to the next county fair.

DW exclaimed as he peered out the pickup windows....."Looks like the carnivores are done here"!

Our truck erupted in laughter:)

DW on blind deer

Last week our gravel road was under repair.

An extremely large backhoe worked hours moving mounds of dirt, replacing a tube under the road and clearing out the ditches for better rain runoff. DW was fascinated with the BIG tough machine.

One evening the BIG tough machine was parked along the side of the road, resting for another day. DW and I were traveling down the road, heading home, when a deer darted from the cornfield directly in front of us. He was ruining straight toward the BIG tough machine.

DW: Mom, What if that deer is blind and can't see the backhoe?

Me: Oh, he can see it buddy.

DW: What if he IS blind and can't see?

Me: He can see buddy. Deer aren't blind.

DW: NO MOM! What if he HAS something in his eye and CANT see the backhoe!

Me: OH, Ouch! lol. That will no doubt hurt!

technical difficulties

So the transformation isn't going as planned. I had high hopes of transforming the Herd blog in as little as 30 minutes. I would likes to have said 15 minutes but in attempt to keep it real...30 min.
Days later I'm stuck at the same spot. I'm feeling totally frustrated with this "bleepin' bleep bleep" technology. These frustrations simply prove to me that I still am a "no. 2 lead pencil in a .com world", like my father.
Bonnet pleeeeease.

Hang with me.

transform

Hang with me as I transform the Davis Herd blog. It's not complete, but it's time for bed....I like to follow right behind Mr. Sun.

I'm excited to liven' up my home page and hoping to add a few new features so some of you readers out there can come to know us better.

I'm no Pioneer Woman, but inspired to try:)

Goodnight.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz Until the sun shines again.

What I'm talkin' about...

After reading my last post you may have taken note to everything I am "deep" in.

Well, proof is in the pudding, baby.

But that is NOT pudding. It is a nature made swim hole.


And these are the dirty clothes I am talkin' about. Just a couple items from the many, many , many sets throughout the day.

And the oh so dirty rats, I claim them on most days.

But, when they did this 2 days later and added a half of bottle of dish soap to the slide( no joke) I was ready to sell.

What will you give me?

Just kidding.....I was the same ole' way ;)

DEEP

• We are deep in water, rain water that is.



• We are deep in wet, muddy clothes which means deep in laundry.



• We are deep in 4-H projects, rodeos and summer activities.



• We are deep in a messy house where our walls see us drop in and run out.



• We are not deep in groceries......who can keep up with 3 growing boys?



• We are deep in garden produce....asparagus, rhubarb, lettuce, kohlrabi, onions, radishes and broccoli.



• We are deeply appreciating the extra summer hours to hang with friends.

country brothers

The Herd boys have spent the last few days roaming the range on their trusty steads, Snowball, Oreo and Tiger. These equine friends have had their tails rode off. They venture across streams, through meadows, tie up down at the pond, and stop off at their secret fort. The boys pack lunches, water bottles, and bags of suckers. They walk, race, and occasionally come home pulling a big log. Why? Because they can. They are boys.

My boys sport farmers tans, have bug bites, the occasional tick, dirty finger nails, sweaty backs and more often than not wet muddy jeans. They push each other, wrestle in the grass, spray each other with the hose and knock each other's hats off. I love it. They're great country brothers.

highlight and funnies

The Davis Herd has been in high gear the past month. I wanted to catch you up on a few of the highlights and funnies here on the farm.


The first highlight came after Jaxson won the fastest time of the night in his FIRST IRCA rodeo. He roped that scootin' tootin' calf at the back end of the arena. It was the only catch in the breakaway event durning Sunday evenings competition. This enabled him to fill his pockets with the day money. His time also earned him a 4th place paycheck in the weekend rodeo. It was thrilling.....who would have thought? First rodeo=$$$$.


Then, for those of you who can speak with idioms you may not find this funny. I, however, am not one to roll those silly sayings right off my tongue and it was the first time I had ever heard it.
Therefore I laughed my hind-end off. Dan, as he stared out the sliding glass door, peering west into the horizon, he announced in his hillbilly twang...."herea comes another goose drownin'. BAHAHA, with the downpours we have been having that idiom was perfect.

Lastly, we are doing yet another remodel job. As DX watched them lay the linoleum down he saw they were using an empty cardboard tube to roll out any air pockets. Remembering his "childhood" ,and the good ole' days, he offered them his play-doh roller. FYI: rolling pin. That totally cracked me clear up!

Sleepy Monday

With the beautiful weather over the weekend we spent a majority of our time outside.

The garden was planted, flowers potted, weeds removed, yards mowed, frogs captured, fish hooked, tents erected and slept in, bare feet exposed, sun tans started, smoothies blended, bicycles tested, RAGBRAI training started, bee hives moved, field planting nearly completed, raccoons trapped, and energy zapped....hello sleepy Monday.

movie

Last night I went to see the movie Soul Surfer. The movie is based on the true and inspiring story of Bethany Hamilton, the young Hawaiian surfer who lost her left arm in a shark attack. It is a MUST SEE movie that made me laugh, cry, pray, dream and believe!

I was so glad to sit amongst great company, my teenager and mama. Her story spoke to each of our hearts. She will inspire you to move mountains!! You CAN do it!
What a beautiful courageous gal, check her out!

http://bethanyhamilton.com/

And, SEE the movie.
Take your gal pals, take your mama, take your sisters and your brothers, take your kids and take your kids' pals.
This IS the movie that your kids SHOULD be watching over and over and over and over and over.

what exactly IS a sugar shower?

In the short 14 days that I've been a beekeeper I've experimented with 3 different ways to feed my bees. All bee colonies need to have a sugar syrup available to them in the spring before the nectar flow comes on. The sugar syrup provides the hard working bees with food, when their food stores are diminished from eating on through the winter. This sugar syrup mixture can also be used to medicate the bees if necessary.

Upon arrival home with my three infant bee colonies I used:
1) a gallon ziplock baggie, laid flat, with an inch slit cut in the top.
2) a quart mason jar with 3 teeny, tiny holes punctured in the lid, inverted, set directly over the bees, implementing the law of physics....invert the mason jar, liquid runs to the bottom, air goes to the top and ta-dah.....your syrup stops leaking.
3)a 2 gallon bucket with a purchased "beekeeping" plug screen, implying the same law of physics.

I believe you can have success with each of these methods if done correctly. You can also kill 10,000 or more bees in a split second if done incorrectly.....which was my fate.

First mistake, after seeing how well the bees were getting along with the baggie, and one slit, I thought more is better! Slit, slit, slit..... Lets allow these ladies to drink.

Days later: Hmmmmm...a few drowned bees which is one of the noted cons of the baggie feeding method. Mistake 2: I think I'll throw out the over slit baggie and place in the new "beekeeping bucket".

Now imagine standing in the pouring down rain, on a blistery cold 50* day. Actually, imagine standing out in a pouring down rain storm, a few thumps of hail, and the wind blowing 40+ miles per hour making it hard for you to stand up.....boo, hoo, hoo. That was the fate of my little ladies. When I inverted the 2 gallon bucket, half full of sugar syrup, the vacum theory didn't take affect. Unbeknownst to me the ladies were being doused in a sugar shower with no where to go, no where to hide....

That my dear friends is a sugar shower...a deadly, please try to avoid if you're a new bee keeper, sugar downpour. Perhaps my sugar syrup was too watery, perhaps I had equipment failure, perhaps that law of physics just doesn't really work....?

Regardless, I have resorted back to using the gallon baggie method, with 1, uno, a single, inch slit in the top of the baggie.

Sugar showers

Unfortunately, as a novice beekeeping hobbyist, I've already sent thousands of little hard working honey bees up into the big blue sky....boo, hoo, hoo.

Week 1
I encountered a rather sluggish colony on Thursday, 1 week to the day after hiving my 3 colonies, and immediately started blaming the no good queen. What was a thriving colony, only 2 days earlier, was now nothing more than a huddled clump of sticky bees. My beginner beekeeping brain understood the huddle to be a survival skill for the bee family to keep warm during these cool spring days but the stickiness threw me? Perhaps they produce a goop when huddled?

Saturday, after making yet another inspection, I found even less bees huddled together, no comb activity and dead bees laying at the bottom of the hive. NOT good! I decided to call my bee keeping mentor and see how to replace this no good queen. It was the queen, right?

During my phone conversation, after explaining my observations, I shuddered to discover his hunch was that I was the no good queen. Boo, hoo, hoo! My spring feeding method was killing this colony causing them a slow death. My little bees were coated in sugar syrup, causing the sticky goop between the bees and slicking back their wings prohibiting them from flying. Could it be???I'm THE Terrible Queen?

I returned to my hive Sunday afternoon, only to discover fewer "sticky" live bees. I picked up numerous gooey little burgers, placed them on the tip of my finger and brought them to the tip of my nose to see all to clearly what had happened. I had doused these poor bees with a sugar shower. Their wings were slicked back, plastered to their thorax, resembling the hairdo of Danny and the T-Bird gang in the movie Grease. They couldn't fly, they couldn't buzz, they couldn't work, they had microscopic sugar clumps stuck to their legs, they were doomed! My mentors assumptions were true.

Lesson Learned:Sugar showers kill bees, especially heavy sugar showers.

Albino deer

Last fall, Dan and his father spotted this unknown creature in a hay field behind our machine shed. It was first thought that one of the goats had escaped her premises. Upon a closer look they discovered it to be an albino deer, a protected albino deer. It is illegal to shoot him. A few in the neighborhood have been tracking his move. This winter, with the mass amounts of snow, he was harder to spot. However, this spring, as the grass has grown green, this unique fella is easy to see as he sticks out like a sore thumb. Dex did a little editing of this photo, taken by one of the neighbors mounted motion cameras here on the farm. I thought I would share.

Easter Success

Again this year the bunny stopped by the Davis house.
The boys had to awaken in the wee hours of the morning to hunt the 89 eggs throughout the house. This Easter bunny is serious with her eggs...the cracked empty egg shell symbolic of finding Jesus tomb empty Easter morning.
I giggled as my 13 year old was the first to come from his bedroom, ready to hunt with his game face on. He's still such a kid at heart. DW was next, he made his way to his Easter basket grumbling the entire time about going back to bed. Which didn't happen, imagine? Jax found his way to the couch with his eyes still closed. There he flopped down, slouched back, gave a few groans and moans as he willed his eyes to open.

• Although a couple were slow to start, the hunt was a success. Eggs were All accounted for, which is good when 18 of the eggs were the real deal and had the potential to cause quit a stench if left hidden too long.



• Sunrise Service at Troy Methodist was a success with pews full of people.



• The breakfast following was a success with delicious breakfast casseroles and fellowship.



• Easter dinner at Dads was a success.



• BB target competitions were a success with father and daughter shooting bulls eye...sorry to show you up dear Hubby....



• The day turned out with blue sunny skies, warm temps and NO rain, success!

Facelift

Dear Davis Herd Followers,

I apologize for my lack of & sloppy blogging lately. As I sit and reread I see gigantic spacing issues, misspelled words, lack of words, words in rambled, no meaningful, order. So sorry. I also realize my blog is in dear need of a face left....for cryin' out loud I'm still sporting a Valentine theme:( Someday I do hope to address these issues...that deeply disturb me....but for now I must truck on with other chores. Like washin' dirty, rotten, filthy, muddy laundry and removing the cinnamon rolls from the buzzing oven.

Yes, cinnamon rolls this morning. Why, because I love to spoil when the boys have friends over. Today I'm not outnumbered 4:1 but rather 6:1. No worries, I know what growing boys like, I know what melts their beating hearts....homecookin'. I love whipping up a big breakfast for those growing men.....breakfast pizzas, biscuits and gravy, pancakes, homemade waffles, cinnamon rolls and occasionally homemade doughnuts. So, off I go to join these loud, rambunctious preteens as the table. I will sit amongst bed head, sleep crusted eyes, morning breath yawns and watch them devour food like boys do.

Until there's time....please put up with my blogging short comings....

The Wrangler

Easter Nests

Today I whipped up a batch of Easter Nests. They are always a hit with the Davis Herd. It used to be that the little fingers in the house would assist in the preparation of this scrumptious treat but my boys are growing up...and had better things today this morning.

Like, play basketball and help Dad with fencing.....SeRiOuSlY!
Anyway, I went ahead and prepared the festive goodies and think they look superb if I do say so.

Although there are many variations of this recipe, below is the one that we use.

2 bags of semi-sweet chocolate chips

4 TB creamy peanut butter

1.5-2 bags of chow mein noodles

speckled Runt Easter egg candy(this year)

Melt choc late chip and pb. Stir in chow mein noodles. Scoop onto cookie sheets lined with wax paper. I use a scoop the size of school mashed potatoes. Make a dent in the center of your noodles shaping into a birds nest. Add egg candy of your choice and refrigerate until firm.

Sooo simple chocolate chip-oat cookies

When I'm in a real pinch for a sweet treat or need something quick to bake and take, I always turn to this so simple chocolate-chip cookie recipe. And, the bonus, they REALLY are good! I decided to whip a batch up for this evening..or an after school treat and I guarantee they won't last long. Unless, I stuff a few in a freezer bag and shove them to the back of the freezer, behind the bags of frozen veggies.

1 package yellow cake mix

I've found some real steals on cake mixes lately....the one I used today was $0.69.

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup old fashioned oats

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350*. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Stir together cake mix and baking powder in large bowl. Add oil, eggs and vanilla; beat by hand until well blended. Stir in oats and chocolate chips. Drop by slightly rounded tablespoons, 2 inches apart. Bake 10 minutes or until golden. Do not overbake.

BEE-LEAVE- IT

BEE-LEAVE-IT

The bees have arrived. Neighbor Guy to the north decided to join in my new eccentric hobby. After setting equipment we invited me hubby to come with and assist in the pick up our new farm friends. Hubby wasn't rrrreal sure he wanted to make the trip. But he did. Traveling in the cab of a pickup amongst honey bees didn't seem like the brightest of ideas.

Below is a picture of my new farm friends as they were transported to their new home.

NG is suiting up to assist in hiving my bees.

Here I sit with my new friends, who are hopefully liking their new homes:)