Thursday, May 31, 2012

On the quilting homefront


On the quilting homefront I have been busy.  I just got this sweet quilt back from Cindy the quilter last week.  I love how it turned out.  This quilt was started in 2006 or 2007 as a statewide friendship block project.  I received a bunch of blocks, and then of course I had to make 1374 (just an exaggerated guess) more blocks to make it queen sized, added a few borders, and walaa, 5 years later it is finished! 


Well, not completely finished.  I am not the best at getting my quilts bound, so lets see how long it takes to bind this one!  I do have great plans for this one on my bed this summer, so maybe that will happen sooner than I think!


I love the all over circle pattern the quilter put in this quilt.  The front looks fantastic, and so does the back!



I did get this quilt bound yesterday.  Hooray!  It is just a lap/throw quilt I finished this winter when I was on a finishing kick.  With the baby coming soon, I have felt an urgency to get a few unfinished projects wrapped up!


This sweet thing is almost finished.  It is the secret quilt for my mother in law.  Shhhhh!  I need to applique a few bird beaks on it, and add one more border to the outside and it will be complete!  Hooray!  Then of course, off to the quilter.  I am not sure what poor soul I will ask to quilt this one for me - that rickrack is going to be a beast!


I posted a picture of a quilt top that Kelsey whipped together a few weekend ago.  Well, it has been off to the quilter as well, and I think it turned out so cute!  The backing is of course MINKY, because Kelsey wanted something soft and snuggly.  The quilting pattern is just an all over cute butterfly design.



It turned out so lovely.  The pinks are so pretty and feminine!  I guess I am getting ready to add another estrogen-filled little girl to our household!

Now that May is nearly over, I need to get all these projects wrapped up so we can enjoy more of summertime!  Tomorrow is the girls' last day of school.  They can not wait!  I can't either.  What a great summer we are going to have!  Goodbye May, you were beautiful and wonderful to us!




Monday, May 28, 2012

Conversation with my 10 year old Kelsey today on our drive home:
Kelsey - "So mom, its a pretty important decision whoever I decide to marry, right?"
me - "Yes, probably the most important decision you will ever make."
Kelsey - "Well then, I guess I need to spend ALOT of time with ALOT of boys, so I can start eliminating."
 
Her thinking cracks me up!




Friday, May 25, 2012

Lee Family Farm

There is a family many states away that live in this house, the Lee family.  I have never met them, and I really don't know them.  I do know that they lost their father months ago in the horrible tornadoes that raged through the Southern States, and that the large handful of children that belong to this home are taken care of well by their amazing mother. 
I follow a blog that I enjoy reading, and the blog author recently did a post on visiting the Lee Family Farm.  I invite you to read it.


One of the pictures on the blog post made me fall in love - the picture of the girls' bedroom that is upstairs.  I am not sure if it is the pregnancy hormones or the rainy day today that is making me feel all sentimental, but I love this picture.  I can just imagine 4 lovely daughters climbing into these deliciously simple beds at night and snuggling in together.  In my mind, there is no bickering or complaining or fighting as this happens of course!  Real life tells me this is a dream, but maybe the Lee family girls can all get into bed without all the drama bedtime brings us here!


Anyway, enjoy your visit to the Lee Family Farm!
There are plenty of other pictures to adore as well!




Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Kendal turns 7!


Kendal turned 7 years old today.  Wow, what an exciting 7 years it has been!  I remember when I was pregnant with her, I couldn't imagine loving another child as much as I already loved Kelsey.  I didn't think there was enough love in me to go around.  Boy, was I wrong!  She came into our family and I loved her just as much and there was plenty of love to go around.  Funny how that works!


These pictures are when she was 6 months old.  What a little tank and sweetheart she was!  Kelsey was so happy to be a big sister, and just loved on her as much as Kendal would let her.  Which in reality, wasn't that much!


She had a great day at school today.  She woke up to 7 balloons and promptly gave Kelsey the yellow one and a blue one to Emmitt.  She is a sweet girl and we love her so much.  I took treats to her class today, she got to go to the Principal's office for a treat, and her wonderful 1st grade class and teacher made a nice big fuss about her birthday.  When she got home from school, we had cake and ice cream and she finally got to open her presents.


We then loaded up and went for a bike ride down Provo Canyon.  I was the pick-up mom and loved watching the joy and happiness in my family's faces as they enjoyed a wonderful afternoon together.  It was great for Kendal's birthday to fall on a Tuesday, because Matt was able to play with us today after he did his herd work in the morning for a few cattlemen.


Matt said Emmitt's little legs made about 20,000 revolutions with his little pedals, and we figure they rode about 5 miles.  They loved it and the trail is beautiful right now.   The afternoon was perfect.  Well, almost.  Kelsey ran over a monster thorn and got a flat tire for the last 1/2 mile or so of the trail.  It was a good family party for Kendal's birthday.  We try to only have 'friend parties' every few years and really focus on our family most years for birthdays.  Our families are the most important people in our lives, and we should learn to love and foster those relationships as much as possible.



After our bike ride, we went out to dinner at a local cafe that Kendal loves.  It was a wonderful day for my wonderful little girl who is growing up so quickly.  Happy birthday Kendal!






Monday, May 21, 2012

Large and in charge update!


I went to the doc today.  I have 5 weeks until this little precious thing lets me bend over without getting heartburn for the rest of the day and allows me to paint my own toenails again!  (thanks Kelsey!)  The Dr said all is well and looks well - easy for him to say!  No, but I really do feel well.  I worked too hard in the yard today and will hopefully sleep well tonight, but that is okay. 
I look at pictures of myself like this one taken yesterday after church, and I think "Boy, is that what I really look like?  I look miserable!"  I do feel pretty dang good.  I feel better than I look, that is for sure!  I must admit that with the heat and garden planting and weeding today, I did feel pretty lousy this evening.  The gorgeous weather will only continue, so I need to be happy about that and enjoy this wonderful May.  
There is still so much to be completed before this babe comes to us, I better just toughen up and get busy!  If you see me soon, just remember that I do feel better than my appearance may lead you to believe!





Sunday, May 20, 2012

Working Calves at the Ranch, 2012


Matt got off work early on Friday and we headed south to the ranch to work cows.  We pitched our tent at the ranch and crawled into our sleeping bags for the night.  I slept on the cot.  It was fabulous!  The kids love to go camping, but they were a little wary about camping at the ranch.  Kendal said she wanted to camp in the quakies.  I guess that will have to wait until real summertime, as there is still snow in the quaking aspen!

Sorry April, just too cute not to capture!

Saturday morning we woke up and got busy.  Mark and Em cooked a gorgeous breakfast and I loved every bite.  By 8:00 am, we were setting up for the day and getting ready to work calves.  Working calves with the Cranes means branding, vaccinating, ear tagging, ear notching to check for BVD, a few 'cheerios' for some of the ones that won't remain bull calves, and just checking for general good health.  Matt also ultrasounded a bunch of the first year heifers to see who was pregnant and who wasn't.  The mother cows were also worked which means ear tags and ivermectin pour on, plus a few absesses lanced and other nasty things taken care of!


The kids were wonderful help.  Kelsey is not the kind of gal that LOVES helping dad at the ranch, but she had a ball and was so helpful.  She loves playing and working with her cousins.


Emmitt and Larry were sent on an errand to the trucks for something.  You can see our green dome tent (it looks like it is on the back of Mark's truck!) and Mark and Emiko's trailer where we spent the night.


Matt ultrasounding heifers to check for pregnancy.



Emmitt and Ayden enjoying fruit snacks in the morning.



April, Emiko, and Kelsey getting our tables all set up.




One of Kelsey's jobs was being the 'lube girl.'  Not the best title, but very important to her dad as he ultrasounded the heifers.  She is smiling with her jug of lube!




Working the all the calves was enjoyable compared to the mother cows.  They are smaller and much easier to run through the chutes, and not quite as ornery as those mothers!


Matt and Mark take a tiny little ear notch out of each calves' ear to send off to the diagnostic lab to check them for a disease called BVD, Bovine Viral Diarrhea or something like that.  It keeps the herd healthy to get rid of the sick ones.  That was another one of Kelsey's jobs.  She kept track of each ear notch in baggies marked with the calves' tag number.


Judd and April are great kids.  They help out at the farm and ranch every day doing whatever needs to be done.  Here they are pushing calves down the chute with their little brother Larry in the very back.


And I must apologize for this one of Larry, but it is another one I just couldn't help!  His chaps and little wrangler behind taking care of business was so cute!





Emiko's dad came to help as well and is also my uncle Alton.  Long story, but Emiko and I are first cousins and we happened to marry brothers.  Crazy I know!  He is a laid back kind of guy like my dad (they are brothers) and it was fun to have his help.  He has a good sense of humor that kept the Crane boys nice and mild!



More April, Judd, and Larry.  It was great having their help with the calves.



Kelsey collecting BVD ear notch samples.


When they cut the calves out from their mothers, I stayed far away.  I have been kicked a few times by an ornery old gal, and I didn't need that happening right now with being as large as a house and as fast as tar.  Emiko broke her finger earlier this spring already by an ornery mother cow and I really don't need anything to happen!



While we were busy with the calves, Larry and Emmitt took advantage of the run off from the irrigation water.  They found these blue tubs that Mark and Matt use for mineral supplements for the cows, packed them up to the water, and then tried to float the water.  It wasn't really deep enough, so they rocked and rocked them to get some motion going.  They were so dang cute!  Kendal and Ayden kept busy most of the day playing their little bodies out as well.  All the kids wore their irrigation boots, and for some reason Kendal LOVES mud, so she was as happy as a little pig for most of the day!  I just realized that I didn't get any pictures of Kendal.  I guess that means she had a great day playing hard and far away from me and the camera!





Please forgive this picture as well, but I had to document that I was there and somewhat useful  I stayed on the OUTSIDE of the shoot with the poker sticks to help push the larger calves, or loaded the tag guns for Mark.  I don't realize how hideous I look to others until I see pictures of myself.  I had no idea my tummy was hanging out all day between my pants and shirt (the white little strip).  I can't see that part of my body, so I just think all is well!  WRONG!


Larry and Mike in the chutes having a little break between cows.


My sweet Matt.  He works hard at the ranch and loves doing what he does.  Thank goodness he loves it, because it is a dirty, hot, rough job!


This is Emmitt after a few hours in the water and mud.  He was soaked, and so were his socks and both pairs of boots I packed for him.  It was such a nice weather day though, he dried out pretty quick.


Emiko pushing the bigger calves.  She is a good woman to work her normal job, and then work at the farm doing whatever needs to be done as well.




When they were separating and cutting out the mother cows, Mike was showing Larry how to rope and it was the cutest thing.  Larry almost caught one and was so excited.  I am glad he didn't catch one, because that old gal would have drug him around a bit because Larry is the die hard type of kid that wouldn't let go of the rope!


It was a good day.  We finished up around 6:00 or 7:00 and got home all dirty, stinky, and tired around 11:00 pm.  The kids slept great Saturday night.  So did I.  So did Matt. 




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