Spring!

Our Maddy Daddy week was a huge success!

It's hard to believe how fast these kids grow up and how fast they change.

It seems like Maddy has gone from being a little girl to a young lady in seconds flat,

while Wyatt is still a goofy blabbering boy.

Mike finished the bathroom this week and it is FABULOUS!

This was his first "remodeling" job and he took it from a bathroom in peril to a shiny new room.

I am so proud of him :)

Spring has finally come to the farm! The trees are in bloom and the sun is shinning. It is going to be in the high 70's today and I couldn't be happier.

So, I am going outside to enjoy the day now.

We moved the baby ducks from the brooding room to the big coop yesterday and I need to go check them.

The donkeys are losing their winter coat and need a good brushing.

Pearl will want to tag along and inspect things on the outside of the barnyard.

life is good :)

***UPDATE***

They came back from town with a jackhammer and these...

Week In Review

Well it's been a busy week here on the Trailer Parks Farm!

Mike has been busy working on the deck, even through yesterdays snow and rain.

Lucky #6 certainly is a trooper, and he does great work too!

Wyatt, much against his wishes, but after accepting a twenty dollar bribe unwillingly gave in to a hair cut last night. We are pleased to report that he does have ears and a forehead.

Here he is, clean cut and pissed off.

I decided to get busy on Tiffany's rug this week.

Here is the process so far.

From sheet to strips to sewn strips to ball0sheet.

One more sack to sew and I start crocheting.

My Sister sent me a care package of my FAVORITE products!!

Melaleuca makes the BEST soap products I have ever used in my whole entire life and thats NO lie.

After using them I can't go back to using anything else.

So that's SIX dish soaps, a bar soap, shampoo (the best) liquid mint hand soap and a candle!

Really, there is no way to describe to you how wonderful these products are, you just have to try them yourself.

Thanks Julie :)

Then, yesterday in the mail came a gift from my BBF MamaHut, AKA Buddhas Mountain Momma (rings like a John Denver song doesn't it!) Margarita foot cream, body lotion and a special top secret ingredient hand scrub AND one of her wonderful made by her on the mountain heaven scented reed diffusers!

How lucky am I!!!

Very lucky thats how!

K, I have a rug to make.

Ciao'

I'm Baaaack....

Okokokokok....
I know, I've been slacking.
I haven't even been around to read my usuals.
I'm trying to catch up though :).

Here's what's been going on.

Mike has finished demolishing the deck.
It looks amazing.
He has done such a good job so far, I can't wait to see the finished project.



We have been cleaning the yards, replanting tree's and bushes and just tending to general maintenance after a somewhat nasty winter.

I have also been struggling with Maisy New Dog.
I am totally not the get a pet don't keep a pet kind a girl, but poor Maisy is giving me the fits.
She has turned our somewhat mindful well behaved group of mutts into an out of control pack.
Chaos has reigned since the day she arrived.
She is completely unresponsive to her name, even with a treat in your hand and full pockets.
We can not call her off of anything, chickens, goats etc...
Once she starts to run theres NO stopping her.
Mike and I followed her through the pasture for an hour this week trying to get her back on the right side of the fence.
My fear is, she will get in with the donkeys and be stomped, or worse yet, get out on the road and be hit.
So, here's my dilemma.
Do we find her a new home (remember, she is already a two time used dog) or deal with it?
We have tried working with her on the basics, sit, stay, come...... nothing, nada, no go.
What does one do when faced with a bad dog dilemma?

Home Remidies

This list was sent to me by my iSpouse/Brother-in Law.
When my Sister is home, he's my Brother-in-law, when she's gone he's my iSpouse.
That means I email or iChat him every day and remind him to take out the garbage and feed the cat.

AMAZING SIMPLE HOME REMEDIES:


1. AVOID CUTTING YOURSELF WHEN SLICING VEGETABLES BY GETTING SOMEONE ELSE TO HOLD THE VEGETABLES WHILE YOU CHOP.


2. AVOID ARGUMENTS WITH THE FEMALES ABOUT LIFTING THE TOILET SEAT BY USING THE SINK.


3. FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE SUFFERERS ~ SIMPLY CUT YOURSELF AND BLEED FOR A FEW MINUTES, THUS REDUCING THE PRESSURE ON YOUR VEINS. REMEMBER TO USE A TIMER.


4. A MOUSE TRAP PLACED ON TOP OF YOUR ALARM CLOCK WILL PREVENT YOU FROM ROLLING OVER AND GOING BACK TO SLEEP AFTER YOU HIT THE SNOOZE BUTTON.


5. IF YOU HAVE A BAD COUGH, TAKE A LARGE DOSE OF LAXATIVES. THEN YOU'LL BE AFRAID TO COUGH.


6. YOU ONLY NEED TWO TOOLS IN LIFE - WD-40 AND DUCT TAPE. IF IT DOESN'T MOVE AND SHOULD, USE THE WD-40. IF IT SHOULDN'T MOVE AND DOES, USE THE DUCT TAPE.


7. IF YOU CAN'T FIX IT WITH A HAMMER, YOU'VE GOT AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM.


DAILY THOUGHT:


SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES - NOT REALLY GOOD FOR ANYTHING BUT THEY BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN PUSHED DOWN THE STAIRS

Under Construction!

Things are changing here on the farm!

Mike is working on taking down the deck and getting ready to rebuild a new one!

Here's a before picture so you can follow along with the progress.

Work in progress.

Here's for all you pig lovers, a close up of Pearl!

That's all for now, but later I'll share some rug love and a step by step how to for anyone who want's to make one of their own.

The List

As anyone who's been here through the summer knows, this has been a season of change.

We lost my Grampy in June and our lives have been shall I say "changed" ever since.

It started out with a barrage of family and friends, and after living in a sedentary space due to ill health on both of my Grammy and Grampy's behalf for the last two years, that was a huge shock to our family's lifestyle.

What had been soft voices and round the clock Judge Judy quickly turned into swimming pools and swinging doors.

What came next was DIY tasks around the farm.

Because of their health issues, my Grandparents had been unable to keep up with normal maintenance, and because of pride, didn't want anyone else doing it for them.

We have taken out forty some trees of varying shape and size.

Let there be light!

We have re-seeded the lawns, pulled weeds, restored flower beds, mended fences, hung gates, moved rock and pruned back years worth of overgrown landscaping.

Inside, we have painted the kitchen, bedroom and utility room.

Rewired and hung new lighting in the kitchen, utility room, living room and bedrooms.

Cleaned and organized storage areas and the garage.

Repaired and or replaced plumbing in four bathrooms and the kitchen.

But here's my favorite part...

Craigslist.

I could spend an entire afternoon walking you around the farm naming off everything that came from "The List," but I won't.

What I will do is give you a sampling just from our most recent project.

                                           The Kitchen

Less than a year old, Frigidaire, white ceramic flat top range. $150.00

Kohler cast iron enamel coated double sink with pull out spray handle faucet. $70.00

White GE dishwasher. $50.00

New white range hood. Free (from the barn)

Three hanging 12 inch diameter white glass globe light fixtures. Free

New five blade Hampton Bay ceiling fan with four fancy lights. $15.00.

Other than new counters, I consider the kitchen redone and updated, including safe new electrical and plumbing

All for less than $300.00.

Beat that Bitches!!

Can you even believe it?

Doesn't this also qualify me as being "green" because we kept all of the above out of landfills?

I think so.

I gotta go... I think Al Gore is calling.

"Sink" Your Teeth Into This..

Mike and I have been talking about replacing the faucet in the kitchen sink.

It's been there since the house was built and starting to show it's age through spots and leaks.

Mike stopped on his way home yesterday to pick up one up, but came in empty handed.

They wanted close to $100.00 for a cheapo one.

Whatever.

I told him to  sit back and watch me do my magic....

I logged on to Craigslist and within five minutes found a cast iron enamel coated double Kohler sink with an uptown faucet on it!

SCORE!

For seventy dollars (less than the cost of a new faucet) we have a beautiful new sink with a fancy faucet.

Sometimes I amaze even myself.

Gizmo isn't doing so well today.

I think he had a stroke yesterday and has been having a hard time, wandering around bumping in to things and  very lethargic.

I am really worried about him, but I'm not going to take him to the vet.

I have read up on doggy strokes and there isn't anything that can be done for him, so I'll just love him and hold him and maybe teach Bart to be his service dog.

I wonder if that means Gizmo could get into a nice restaurant or acquire a better parking spot at the market..

If he has medical reason and a service dog he should get all the perks that go with it.

Wendy and I made up.

We had a roast for dinner.

GET THIS!

I received a message from my shoulder doctor yesterday saying there has been a "family emergency" and my surgery scheduled for October 6th has been moved to October 26.

This is so wrong in so many ways that I'm not even going to go bother listing the reasons.

I will call this morning and cancel and then get on the stick to find another doctor.

I got a postcard yesterday!

From the Farmers Wife who has been on vacation and sent greetings to all her fans who left their address for said correspondence.

I bet the mail lady thinks I'm cool and have friends who travel to all kinds of exotic places.

Last year I got a post card from my Sister while she was in Italy and now I get one from Arkansas, OH, and Wyatt got a package from Afghanistan where his uncle flys a mail plane.

I roll with some real movers and shakers.

Now, go check this out.. The Cutting Edge of Ordinary

Make sure you have already had breakfast because browsing here awhile will make you oober hungry and if your belly isn't full, you may find yourself licking the screen.

I'm not kidding, go have a Pop-Tart or something.

While your there, grab this and get your name in for a give-away!