The Inadvertent Farmer

Not Me Monday Outdoor Shower in November Brrrrr!

If you have read my blog for very long you know that kids that live on a farm tend to get outrageously muddy and filthy.  Mine are no exception...

But although they may get dirty they are oh so careful to not get my house dirty or muddy.

No they would never leave muddy hand prints on the door...

Or the knob...

Or the window...

Certainly not the patio...they must have been walking on their hands!

Certainly my small children would never ever paint the dog with mud...

Sorry Sugar.

Being that its November and quite cold out I would never ever strip my kids of their muddy clothing outside and put them in our outdoor shower...

 
 

You know I would certainly do it in the heat of the summer months due to faces like this...

But never at Thanksgiving time because it is too cold and they would certainly not like it one bit, no my kids aren't that crazy!

I did not smile as steam rose from them while they danced in the shower...in November...when it was in the 40's!

Wait what is that I see in the mist?

Is that a camel I see in the distance?

Hey Gizmo...want a shower?

No I do not give my kids showers outdoors in the late fall while a camel watched them...no that would just be too weird. 

Even for me!

 
 

Come see what else we are not doing today!

 

I can also be found today at Not Dabbling in Normal where I share why remodeling is a family affair!

Silent Saturday November Photos

Welcome to another addition of 'Silent Saturday'

The day when all is silent here on the blog, no poems, no stories, not random musings...

Nope nothing but peace and quiet.

Shhhhhhh....

Can you hear that?

Yes I can be still...

Sometimes...

Once every seven days on Saturday.

All the photos were taken this month...

Thus the 'November Photos' in the title...not very original but to the point.

I could have titled it 'November Nonsense' or something silly like that but I didn't think of it until I had already typed in the title...and frankly I was to lazy to go up and change it...

Ok, I'll shut up now...

Pears on the kitchen counter hanging with their friend the banana...

My mom's red maple... 

Sunrise over the valley...view from the back porch

November Rose...still hanging in and and setting buds!  

 
Food for the garden! 

I hope you are all having a tremendous weekend.  Enjoy the left overs and the football games and the shopping...

Just don't forget to come back and visit me now and then, 'cause I get lonely.

Oh yeah, I have 5 kids and a camel...scratch the lonely part.

Come back and visit anyway...the more the merrier!

 

Cheers!  Kim, the inadvertent farmer

 

 

An Ode to Black Friday...

The alarm clock is ringing, I look at the time

Hubby rolls over..."Have you lost your mind?"

I stretch and I yawn as I crawl out of bed

I shake my head slowly...I know what's ahead.

I dress rather quickly no shower I take.

For I'm in a hurry...I know what's at stake.

I drive down my road that's yet to see dawn.

I roll down my window... still can't help but yawn.

I arrive at the lot most spots have been taken

By my fellow shoppers their sanity forsaken

They're hauling out tv's, blenders and such

That's not why I'm here...those don't interest me much

I get swept with the crowd to the back of the store

My eye on the prize...I want nothing more.

No pillows, no cd's, no tuners for me

I have come for one thing...that one thing is key

I finally spot the prize that I seek.

Without this one thing my future is bleak.

I know what you're thinkin' her heads full of rocks

She went through all this for...half price on socks!

When you have 5 dear children...and a sock monster too

There is nothing but this for a mother to do!

 

So I have gotten my socks, my mission complete

I go home again...my husband to greet

I see you've got socks and you did it again

Yes I have, it is done, its all over...amen!

 

I crawl back in bed and snuggle down deep

To dream of matched pairs on little kid feet!

 

 

Practicing Thankfulness...

It is so easy this time of year to make lists of things we are thankful for.

Our health, family, home, country...

Thankfulness at Thanksgiving come easily and in abundance, as it should.

Yesterday my littlest kid came into the house...my newly cleaned house mind you.

He was yelling for me to come look at something.

When I rounded the corner there he was smiling his huge two year old smile...

He was also covered from head to toe in mud.

He had left little tiny muddy boot tracks through the breezeway, past the laundry room, past the pantry, and into the middle of our family room. The doorknobs were covered with mud and there were a row of hand prints along the wall

There he stood grinning at me...

I would love to say that I knelt beside him and asked what he had made for me.

But I yelled something about not being in the house with muddy boots, scooped him up and took him outside all the while lecturing about clean floors and muddy footprints...

When I put him down on the back patio his smile was gone.

He was staring at his boots and telling me how sorry he was.

He looked at me with tears in his eyes and whispered that he had made something for me.

Ohhh little man what have I done?

I looked at those little eyes filled with tears and reached out to embrace the muddy mess that was my child.  Of course I will come see what you have made for me...

We walked to where he had obviously been playing and there was a mud mountain covered with the last of the wildflowers from our field.  It also had sticks and leaves and rocks adorning it...beautiful!

Me made mountain for you mama...pwetty mountain...BIG mountain.  You wike it?

I love it baby, thank you.

You wike fwowers on it? 

Yes they are just beautiful.

Me wuv you mama!

I love you to little man.

So I'm reminding my self with this post... I need to practice thankfulness today.

It is not about the food, it is not about the perfect house.

No it is about small things like mud mountains covered with flowers that are the things I need to remember to be thankful for. 

Soon enough he will be grown up and gone...

And then I will very much miss those tiny little mud prints on my floor.

Putting my Garden to Bed a Poem

 

 
 
 

My garden is sleepy so I've put it to bed.

The squash has been gathered, the pole beans are dead.

The tomatoes are gone, the sweet peppers are too

I've put down the mulch nothing's left there to do

So goodbye dear garden, I'll think of you often

Your beauty and bounty will not be forgotten

I'll see you in spring when all things are new.

So rest my dear garden under a blanket of...

Fresh camel poo!

 

 

 

I get no respect!

Not Me Monday You're Benched!

Standing at the sink one day, minding my own business...

Doing the never ending, boring, thankless job of washing dishes...no I am not bitter.

When I did not hear my children screaming and squealing from my bedroom.

My children only use their inside voices in our home...

As I wondered (ran) back to see what the little angels were up to,

I  did not walk in to find this...

That would not be my 21 year old very mature and reserved son with a bench atop his back...

Topped off by two small and very happy children going for a ride!

And just to be clear...that is not my un-made bed in the background.

I always make my bed.

I of course did not go and get my camera instead of finishing the all important task of doing dishes!

 

Come find out what we are not doing today!

Adoption instead of Abortion

Ok...this has been swirling around in my head for days now. Bumping against the edges of my brain and bouncing back again, like a pinball machine.

I have written this post and deleted it many times in my mind...

Going all moral, political, opinionated here on the farm blog is just not my thing. Its not what I do...its not what I'm comfortable with.

But it will not let me rest, I have some things to say and I hope someone will stick around to listen...

As you know from this last week's posts that I am a mother that has lost children and have been a mother lucky enough to adopt a child, a wonderful little girl.

I look at my sweet daughter and know all to well if it wasn't for the steadfast belief in life of her birth mother she could have very easily ended up as an abortion statistic.

My Sweet Girl had a less than 1% chance of ever being given voluntarily up for adoption...

less than 1%!

and the stats are dropping...before 1973 it was 8.7% and now it is .9%

I want to know...

How can this be?

There are so many wonderful families praying and desperately hoping for a child...willing to spend a small fortune, have every aspect of their lives examined by strangers all to have a child to love, to nurture, to raise as their own.

How is it possible that a woman would possibly think that her baby is better off dead than adopted?

I have heard all the arguments that there are against giving birth and then adopting...

 What if I give up a child to be adopted and he's abused?

I would dare say that with the rigorous screening process of adoptive parents, the hoops we have to go through, the background checks, the home visits, that the chances of a child being abused in an adoptive home are less than a biological home where you get pregnant, have a baby, take it home...no social worker no background check at all.  I am not saying it never happens but what I am saying is it is not very likely...

I could not have a child out there and not know where she was or how she was doing.

A birth mom gets to choose among many families that have all been screened by an agency or government.  They get to choose the age, race, family make up,the hobbies, the location, the religion of the home her child will be raised in.  She can choose an open adoption if she likes, one in which she gets updates or contact with the child.  This seems to negate that argument.

I do not want to go through the physical changes of pregnancy and the pain of labor and delivery.

Having delivered 6 children myself I understand this argument.  But I also know that aborting a child comes with its own unique pain that will last a lifetime.  Pregnancy and delivery pain are temporary...the other is not. 

I don't want to go through the disapproval of my family and the embarrassment of being pregnant...abortion is just easier, no one knows that way.

You know, God knows...you have a child growing within your body.  There is a unique, one of a kind human being in there...not just an extension of your body like a lung or a kidney. There will never be a child just like this ever again and this tiny baby is depending on you for its very life.  Yes abortion may in some ways be easier but life is not always about what is easy it is about what is right.  It is about being a stronger person than you thought you could be. It is about not always thinking of yourself but of someone else.  It is about giving someone one a gift that no one else can give...giving life to another living soul.

I am not here to debate pro life or pro choice...what I am really here to do is advocate for adoption. It just seems to me that it is the best solution all around.

A parent that cannot or does not want to raise a child doesn't have to...

A parent who wants a child to raise gets to...

And most importantly

A child gets to live.

A child who will get to experience life with all it laughter and tears, its sorrows and joys...all the wondrous things that life has to offer.

A win, win, win situation!

Why deviate so far from gardening and camels and such?

Why put up a post that covers a topic that is a lightening rod for controversy?

It is as simple as wanting to touch the heart of just one person, one confused or scared pregnant woman.  If I could get one mom to at least consider adoption for her unborn child.  Then I will have accomplished what I set out to do when I wrote this post...

I cannot look at my sweet girl and do any less.

 

Silent Saturday Out of the Blue!

Well I have used just too many words this week...I am sure that your ears are tired.

So with your ears in mind I will take pity on you and make this Silent Saturday post nearly...but not quite wordless.

Because wordless is just not in my vocabulary...

Can wordless be in a vocabulary since it is without words?

Hmmm something to ponder...

Our valley just before sunrise enveloped in fog...this is the view from my back porch.  Glad those are trees and not skyscrapers!

 

One of my favorite vintage canning jars...why do they not make canning jars blue any more?

Blueberries...my favorite!

Little girl loving life at the ocean!

My sister's garden is prettier than mine.

Bumbler on Blue...

And last but not least my very favorite thing to come out of the blue...

Peeeeek...

Aaaa...

Boo!

Thanks to all of you that hung out with me this week...I made it through and it was in part because of all of you and your support and kind words...thank you.

I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed weekend.

Kim... the inadvertent farmer

Let's Celebrate Adoption Day!

Tomorrow November 21st is the 10th annual National Adoption Day.

This is the day we celebrate with those of us lucky enough to have been touched by this miracle.  It is also a day that nationally the courts are thrown open to finalize many adoptions especially from the foster care system. Taking kids from temporary homes to forever homes.

This is a day we have a big party for the lucky kids and the even luckier parents that have come together to form a new families all across our country...Yippee!

 

So without further ado...

Meet my Sweet Girl

She is the lone princess in a world of frogs...

 The fluffy pink cloud in a sky of blue...

A rose among 4 rowdy and thorny brothers!

The one that brings more words, tears, smiles, kisses, drama, giggles, ruffles, and sweetness to our lives than any other!

 

 Sweet Girl was adopted at birth.  She came to us through what would be described as circumstances that only God could arrange. 

As our first three sons grew older we had often talked about adoption. Yet we never took a step to pursue it formally.  My faithful husband believed that if God had a baby for us He would let us know.  I actually thought he was crazy...baby's don't just fall out of the sky, you have to go and find one, that's how it works.  He disagreed.

I had resigned myself to having only three children...

Until God did exactly what my husband said He would do...He had a baby for us.

The specific circumstances behind Sweet Girl's birth and adoption are quite amazing. But these details are not for me to share here.  This is her story to tell, not mine...so for now I will just say that God is wonderful and gracious.

We were thrilled to be receiving this gift and must admit that later when we learned that our baby was a girl we were over the moon with excitement!

A girl! A sweet little pink bundle of joy was to be ours...

The wait was excruciating!

After bearing three children I knew that the last month was the hardest but until you wait for your adopted child to be born you have no idea how hard waiting is...seriously it almost did me in!

You know God has a plan...but what if something changes?  Could I bear it? 

That is where my faithful husband stepped in and calmed my frazzled nerves and reassured me that God had it all under control. That I should have more faith...and patience!

I remember the phone call from the adoption agency so clearly..."She's in labor early, can you get a plane tonight? Hurry..."

I remember being so excited, and scared, and excited.  I threw some clothes in a bag, called the travel agency and boarded a plane to meet my new daughter.  My husband stayed behind with our sons.  I had only flown twice in my life and certainly never alone, across country.

On the runway in Nashville Tennessee waiting to take off for the last leg of my journey I got a phone call from the adoption agency.

"She's here, she's perfect...5 pounds 13 ounces...hurry!"

I burst into tears right there in my window seat or the plane.  Then proceeded to tell everyone that would listen that I had a daughter, she had just been born and I was on my way to meet her!

I got to the hospital very late that night...way past visiting hours...but with some pleading on my part and a very kind nurse I got to peek at my new daughter.  Oh she was so little laying there in the bassinet.  I couldn't wait to get my hands on her, but alas I did have to wait to the next day.

I went to the hospital early the next morning and spent that day and the next getting to know Sweet Girl's birth mom and extended family. They had all come to meet the baby and say goodbye to her before I took her home.  It was lovely if not a bit surreal...I was taking their baby with me to raise yet they were gracious and kind.

I must stop right here and mention that this tiny child was surrounded by so many that loved her.  There was joy, this child was not a secret, not an embarrassment, she was loved and celebrated.  I admit that I do not know if I could have been a selfless as these people...

And while we are being completely honest here I must admit that I was also worried...worried that I would not love this little one in the same way I loved my sons whom I had carried and loved before they were even born.  What if I never formed that same attachment?  Does one's heart know the difference between a child that is adopted and one that you give birth to?

After a tearful goodbye in the hospital I left with the baby to go back to my hotel.  I spent the rest of the day just holding this tiny new human.  I counted toes, caressed cheeks, and stroked hair.  I rocked, and walked, and nursed (yes I nursed her but it is a long story for another time).  I talked to her and sang to her and prayed for both of us.

I prayed that I would love this child with all my heart, be a good mother to her and raise her to love the Lord.

After a sleepless night with a fussy baby I sat on the end of the bed just as the sun was rising and looked down at my new daughter.  It was at that moment I knew that I fallen in love with her.  I was completely and utterly in love with this little girl...it was then that I knew that a mother's heart makes so distinction between an adopted child and a birthed child...none.

She was my daughter, I loved her, and we were in it for the long haul!

Fast forward a few weeks and we finally flew home to meet the rest of the family, all fall in love, and live happily ever after...well except for the whole camel thing!

So happy Adoption Day my Sweet Girl...I will love you forever and always, mom

So now dear readers...do you have any adoption stories to share?  We sure would love to hear them!

Thank You and I'm so Sorry and Adoption

I was completely overwhelmed and touched by the kind words left here and via email yesterday.

I'm not sure what to say besides a heartfelt and sincere thank you

And in return I must say how sad it makes me that so many of you have gone through your own heartbreak and loss...and guilt.

Maybe someday we can all sit down in heaven with our children and babies and laugh together while watch our children play with one another where there is never any sickness or death. 

This is a heartfelt wish of mine...

I must admit I am wiped out emotionally as I always am the day after the twins' birthday.  One cannot cry so many tears without consequence and because I have I have run out of tears...

I am switching gears here...

Tomorrow in honor of my Sweet Girl that God has blessed us with through the miracle of adoption we will be celebrating National Adoption Day here at the farm.

Please join me, we would love to have you!

Loss of a Child and Forgiveness

The birthdays of our children are usually a celebration.  I time to get together, throw a party, give gifts, and talk about how that child has enriched and brighten our lives.

Today is my daughters' birthday...

Faith Elizabeth and Hope Katherine were born 6 years ago today.

Today is the day I got to meet them for the first time...

It is also the day I had to say goodbye to them.

My sweet twin daughters were born still...

This day should have been the say they began their lives here on earth.  Instead it is the day I kissed them goodbye and handed them to a stranger to prepare for burial.

It is the day more than any other I am haunted by the thoughts of 'what if'

What if they had lived...

What if I had known...

What if I had done something differently...

Could we have saved them?

My daughters died from Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome.  They had blood vessels that interconnected in their shared placenta.  Faith got too much blood and Hope not enough.  We did not find this out until a 22 week ultrasound that they had it and they were already gone. 

My first ultra-sounds the girls were doing somersaults and kicking each other.  Doing water ballet inside my belly.

My last ultrasound they were so still...I thought at first they were sleeping.  Then I saw Hope's arm waving slowly back and forth ( I didn't know at the time it was just floating in the amniotic fluid and moving when I did).  I was so relieved.  Then I watched the faces of the technicians and there wasn't the usual happy chatter instead they kept looking at each other and never at me or my husband.  They let me get dressed and said my doctor would call me...that was it.  Truly as I look back on it I know why I didn't ask them how everything looked...I knew but didn't want to hear the words.

As I sat in my car to go home I clutched my belly and cried out to God that this please not be happening...not to my babies.  My precious girls that were already so loved and cherished.  Not to my heart...I could not stand to lose them.  Please not before I had ever even gotten to hold them, or nurse them, or sing them a lullaby.

Please God not my children...

One hour later my doctor called...I could tell by my husbands voice what he had had to say.

I covered my ears and ran from the room.  He found me slumped against a wall holding my swollen belly telling him no, please no...

There are treatments and laser surgery that can be done to save some of these babies.  I never got a chance to try them because I didn't know.  I didn't hear the signals that my body was sending, well I heard but thought that maybe this was typical with twins. 

I also in normal fashion for me, did not want to be an alarmist.  I did not want to call the doctor and complain with every ache and pain.  Little did I know that these aches and pains were all associated with something that could and did harm my girls.  I had a feeling something wasn't right but failed to act on it...I should have gone to the doctor at the first signs of swelling, the first bit of pain.  I should have sat right there in the office until someone saw me.  I should have been a better advocate for myself and my children.

Mother's guilt is powerful. I don't blame God, I don't blame the doctor.  No even after six years I have never forgiven myself.  I was their mom and I let them die...

Why do I share this with you?

I share this as a warning that God gave us mother's a wonderful intuition.  It is something that we need to listen to.  We need to get over our need to not bother people.  If you feel something isn't right either with a pregnancy or something else...call your doctor.  If people tell you you are overreacting...who cares?  It is your body and in the case of a pregnancy it could be the health or even the life of your unborn child.

Do I know that if I had been diagnosed earlier that we could have saved our girls?  No, many twins die each year even after their parents have exhausted all the treatment methods for this horrible disease.

But today when I visit my girls at the cemetery I could have gone knowing that we at least tried everything we could to save them.  Instead I go wondering

What if...

 

Unlike last year's post on the girls' birthday I will keep the comments open in hopes to share any conversations that may start in hopes of reaching as many as possible with support and encouragement to be their own best advocate.  Also feel free to email me if you have any questions or comments you don't want published here. 

For more information on Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome contact the TTTS Foundation.  It was founded my a mother in 1989 who lost one of her twins to TTTS.  It is a wealth of information that all women pregnant with twins should take a look at.  They have the signs to look for as well as treatment options, doctors, and support groups.

 

Flowers Friends and Feeding your Soul

It has been stormy here for days, rain and wind and endless gray.

As I sat down to write this post I was feeling rather dismal.  Not my usual happy perky self.

While I was going through some older pictures I ran across some of my summer flowers.  I must say there is nothing like a bright sunny flower to bring you out of your doldrums.

As I edited these pictures I was thinking of the friends that were coming over later for our bi-weekly get together of moms with young kids.  Friends are very much like flowers...

 

As a wife, mom, and farmer I have jobs to do around here that when done well give me great satisfaction.  Even laundry and dishes have their own reward when done.

Most things I do have a tangible purpose to them, a specific and concrete reason they need to be done.

The need to connect with friends and others that I have things in common with is less so.  Getting together with my friends does not get my house clean or my garden weeded.  It even keeps me from these very important tasks.

Yet I need to remember as a woman and mom that feeding my soul and making connections with others is something that I must do...something that God has designed me to do.

My life is like my garden.  Most of my garden is planted in vegetables and fruits that feed my body and that of my family.  They are practical, nutritious and necessary. 

The flowers in my garden are like the friends in my life.  They are there to make my life richer and more beautiful...to make me smile, listen when I grumble and complain, shed a tear with me when I am broken hearted...

Yes my life would be much less without them...thank you.

 

Even the prickly ones are cherished...and you know who you are!

So your assignment for today is connect with someone...give an old friend a call, go join a friend for coffee.  Go feed your soul people!

 

Note...just as I finished typing this post the sun came out.  I think it gonna be a beautiful day!

Mot My Kids Monday Hide and Seek!

Hide and seek...one of the alltime best games of childhood.

My kids were playing the other day.

1,2,3,4,5....10!  Ready or not here I come!

Sweet Girl under the dining room table...normal

Baby Boy giggling under a blanket on the couch...typical

Number two, 21 year old son curled up on my kitchen counter...a little weird!

Well except that this is my unique, creative, fun loving son, so for him...totally normal and totally ok!

I found you!  Giggle, giggle...you are so funny!  Can I hide up there next time?

As a mom 5 times over I have learned that saying 'not my kid' is totally silly because just when you think they will not surpirse you with something strange and new...

Well you know!

Join us at Not Me Monday!

 I'm also over at Not Dabbling in Normal today bragging about my Bell Peppers!  I also have a great inexpensive season extending tip.

Always take your Camera!

Every time I drive down our road to get the mail and pass this I say to myself.

Ughhh I forgot my camera again...drat!

So when I went for the mail the other day...our mailboxes are down the hill across the creek in case you were wondering.

If you weren't...well hmmm not quite sure what to do about that.

Anyway as I stood by my mailbox, which was full of bills and toy catalogs,  here is what my camera saw...

 
This is an old maple tree with wonderful dark bark and crimson finely toothed leaves.  There was a low hanging fog in the background and this wonderful stark white fence that my elderly neighbor built decades ago, which has white lights along it for Christmas, which I love.  Anyway I went to get the mail and remembered my camera and I love this shot.

So if you learn nothing else here ever...well besides how camel poo is good for cucumbers or how easy it is to roast peppers on the bbq or how the Humane Society can stock your whole farm...besides those very important thing   No you must learn this my dear friends...

Always, always take your camera.

You just never know what you might capture!

 

 

Gizmo the Camel has a Fan Club

Yep...you read the title correctly

It all went like this...

You know everyone comes here to see me.  Just look at your stats...aren't your days with me featured your biggest traffic days?

 I think it is just because you are such an oddity...weird actually..like the sideshow at the circus

Are you saying I'm something like the bearded lady?

Yes, just not as pretty.

 It is because I am so charming and devastatingly handsome that people flock here...if you ask me.

I don't recall asking you, frankly

I think I need a fan club.

A WHAT?

You heard me

Are you serious?

It only seems right that you make a way for all your readers to bypass all the drivel about kids and gardens and that silly goat. Yes they should be able to link to just me...all Gimzo all the time.  We'll call it Gizmo's World...Camel Tales!

Ohhh my!

Yes you need to get on that right away!

Well?

Well what?

What are you waiting for...my fans await!

Ughhhhh.

Gizmo?

Yes?

You see that in my sidebar?

Excellent!  It is my very own button and link to my very own page!

Do you like it?

Yes but...

But what?

I think it ought to be bigger.

Gizmo?

What?

Shut Up!

Friday the 13th Funnies

 

Its Friday the 13th...not a big deal

Superstitions are silly...none of them real

But I woke up this morning my computer was dead...

So I posted this post on the spare one instead.

No pictures has it, no graphics...no fun

No critters, no camel...not even a one!

So I sit here and stare at all this blank space...

Just words with no pictures I'll never embrace!

Its Friday the 13th and the sun's not yet risen

Yet its banished me to this words only prison...

 

So please visit later and do not despair

I'll surely be back with some pictures to share!

I'll give you a hint, he's his own biggest fan.

Taking over this blog is his devious plan!

 

Pear Tree on Fire

When you walk through my bedroom door...

If you can look past the un-made bed...

The socks on the floor...

The kids books strewn about...

You will see this...

I have three Cleveland Pear Trees just outside our sitting room window.

They are the first thing you see if you look out. When most trees have already dropped their leaves these are just starting their show.

Like fire right outside my window!

 

Beautiful tree...but what is that in the corner of her room?

 

Yes that is a surf board in the corner of our room...

I am married to a surfer...one that thinks his surf board is just about the coolest thing to decorate with.  He hauled it all the way back from Kauai, he thinks its awesome there in the corner.

I must say I have to agree...

There is just something about a man that can ride a wave while looking cool doing it.

Me?  Do I surf?  Hahahaha, no way, nadda, not gonna happen.  I take care of critters and kids neither which require risking life and limb on a board surrounded by the ocean while watching for sharks!

My hubby is a cool surfer dude...I'm a hick.  A match made in heaven!

Shaka!

 

Now go and enjoy the last the Autumn's fiery show! 

And remember it isn't just the trees that are on fire this time of year!

 

 

Thank You

 

Thank You

My dad was a veteran of the Korean War...

My Grandpa was a veteran of the World War.

My sister's only child just joined the Marines.

I am proud of my family's contribution to the freedom of this great country and would like to formally thank them and every other service man and woman. Those willing to fight and die so that my children and I can live in peace and unprecedented freedom...you have my utmost gratitude.

For those of you that have gone to war and given so much please accept my thanks and my respect for your service and sacrifice.

A single day is not enough to adequately honor what you have given...

That is why this flag hangs in our family room.

It reminds us every day to remember and pray for our country...

And for those that have served, fought, and died for her.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts...

 
  
 
 Thank You!

Note...our flag had been turned since these pictures, a nice marine pointed out that is was not hanging properly.

 

My glamorous life...

Yesterday I admitted that my life was not let us say...typical.

Today I am going to prove that although it may be slightly unusual it is indeed glamorous!

First there is the fancy schmancy car I drive around here.  Meet my 1972 3/4 ton Chevy pickup truck!  I love this truck...seriously I do.  It can haul gravel and manure like nobody's business.  Today she is hauling brush.  Yes I know, you can hardly stand the excitement of it all...

We enter the pasture through our lovely gate...the one that the camel bent the heck out of by leaning over.  Yes thank you Gizmo!

 
 

Baby Boy and I take the bumpy ride to the bottom of the field where the burn pile is...the one that we keep saying we're going to burn.  We started it 10 years ago.  Right now it is just a very slowly decomposing compost pile.

All the while we are dressed in the newest designer farm-wear...Carharts and muck boots!

As I start unloading brush Baby Boy jumps into the truck in a panic and starts yelling and pointing at something.  Does he see a bear?  Maybe a cougar?

What is is wrong baby?

 

Ohhhh I see.

He is not a fan of Gizmo except from a distance. Notice the little girl hiding behind the tree?  Yep even brave Sweet Girl is a little wary when our 1500 pound pet is near...go figure.

 

"Camel get me"

"No sweetie, he is just hoping we have a treat for him"

"Go way Dizmo...no tweat for you."

"You'll be safe up on the top of the truck."

"Dizmo...me bigger en you...HA HA!"

 

 Hey big guy!

Don't big guy me...where are the treats?

I've got some nice tender leaves and shoots over here for you.

BRUSH...you've brought me brush?  What no apples? No yummy oats?  Just old sticks...hrmmfff!

Come on...you'll love it! 

I don't know...it smells kinda funny.

 

Ok fine you big baby...I'll feed it to you.

Of course you will...you are wrapped around my little finger...so to speak.

Notice to those reading...those are the latest gloves straight from Paris, really they are.  All those with any fashion sense at all wear rubberized teal gloves...really!

This isn't too bad I suppose.

 

I told you that you would like it...you need to trust me.

 

Trust is earned...aren't you the one that entices me with grain and then shaves my neck?

 

Ummmm...well...yes that would be me.

 

You see my point then?

 

I suppose I do...

 

Note to readers...again...check out the shadow in the above picture.  Yes that is me feeding a camel with one hand while taking a picture with the other, now that is glamorous!

 

Meanwhile Baby Boys had decided to come down and join me in the bed of the truck.  He is busy picking leaves off and tossing them over the side for Gizmo..

 

That is nice of you to feed the camel sweetie

 

Me nice to Dizmo.

 

Here Dizmo...you wike weaf?  Yummy weaf. 

 

Mama...Dizmo eat wike this.

 

I love it when he makes camel faces!

 

But wait where is Sweet Girl?

 

Oh yeah...

 

 

She's doing her Laura Ingalls impression!

 

So as our little adventure ends, we pile back into our beloved old truck.  Take the bumpy ride up the hill and through the bent gate.

 

Back to the rest of our glamorous life!

 

Let's see, there's manure to be shoveled, dishes to be done, laundry to be folded, bread to be made...

 

Yep, just call me the Queen of all things sophisticated and edgy!

 

Bye now...all come back, ya hear?

 

(giggle...I always wanted to say that!)

 

 

 

This is my life it is NOT normal

Every person has their own life.

To that person their life seems normal, it fits them...it is comfortable.

There are parts of my life that are not as normal as others...I homeschool, I am a vegan, I have 5 kids 21 year apart, and only one husband through it all!

But these things are normal for me.

But once in a while I will catch glimpses of my life from another perspective, usually through the lens of my camera and I will have to pause and admit that my life is NOT normal at all...

This is not normal for a middle class white girl of Irish descent...

Ever scratched behind a camel's ear? 

Maybe if I was a middle class girl from the middle east...

But Washington State?  I'm thinkin' not...

No my life is not normal at all...its actually kinda weird!

For those of you wondering what in the world I am doing to get these strange shots...come back tomorrow for the whole glamorous affair.

Sorry, I hate it when I'm watching a show and up pops

To be Continued...

But there you have it, my first ever cliff hanger...

A camel cliff hanger to be exact!

 

End of the Line!

End of the line you say.

What line?

I don't see any line!

What are you talking about?

End of the Line.

No I am not quitting...nor have I killed the camel.

Nothing that dramatic.

I have entered a photo contest called 'The end of the line' over at Gardening Gone Wild

And since I'm a gardener and also am a wild and crazy girl it seemed appropriate!

It is wishful thinking that is would be the end of the line for the above weed but alas it has spewed its tiny seeds all over my garden.  I will not admit that it is because I did not stay on top of the weeds this year...nope not gonna fess up to anything!

This one didn't get by me either...

 

Silent Saturday the Lake edition

Two weeks in a row there has been a theme...man you almost think I was organized or something.

Ok, those of you who visit often can now get back in your chairs!

So I'm not organized I just am at the lake, right now...as you are reading this!

We are all getting some much needed family/nature time.

Here are some of the photos I have taken up there...

 

 

 
 

 

 

And of course there is this...

My resident lake monster...

I'll say "hi" to him for you!

 

  Hope you all are having a marvelous weekend!

Kim...the inadvertent farmer

 

Friday Funnies Blueberry Bread

For those of you here for a blueberry bread recipe you may be a little surprised to learn that it is my two year old that created this one!

Ingredients...One small child, one piece of homemade bread, one blueberry breakfast smoothie, and the secret ingredient?

One mama on the computer not paying very close attention to the goings on down the counter from her!

 Step one...take your homemade bread and place it carefully on your plate.

Step two...take your blueberry breakfast smoothie and pour it over your bread.

 Carefully taste...

Add more smoothie...by foot if need be!

Hold your bread up to the light to check for even consistency and  elasticity

Delicately and with great care eat your newly created treat!

Being careful to keep clean and neat...

And of course remember...

Always chew with your mouth closed!

 

Little House on the Prairie the simple joy!

 

Sweet Girl is completely enamored with Laura Ingalls.  We have read all the books...twice...already.  We own the first three seasons of Little House on the Prairie.  She wants to dress like Laura,  play like Laura, we even made corn husk dolls the other day since she was sure that Laura certainly must have had one!  I did draw the line on making head cheese like Laura...putting the vegan thing aside I just say...ick!

Well the other day she decided to do this...

Anyone?  Look familiar?

 

The simple joys of running through the prairie!

Ahhh, I recognize that little girl running down the hill!

Its Laura...but where is sister Mary?  Where is Jack her dog?

There's Jack!

Come on Jack! 

Aka Sugar our new black lab from the Humane Society...pound dogs rock!

Ahhh a perfect reenactment of this...

 

 

The first three seasons of the Little House on the Prairie tv series has been a wonderful thing to share with my family but especially my daughter.  I remember waiting from week to week for it to come on as a young girl.  It is fun to have something so wholesome to share with Sweet Girl...and even more fun to have it on dvd for instant gratification!

Hey...who let him on the set?

Cut!!! 

 

Sanctuary Garden away from the Chaos

 

My life is anything but calm...it is managed chaos if I was to be perfectly honest.

Unmanaged chaos if I was to be brutally honest, but I'm not going to be...at least not today.

And that is ok.  I love the energy having a big family brings. But there are times that it is nice to visit a place of peace and beauty...a sanctuary from the craziness!

Luckily for me it is next door at my mom's.

She has such a lovely garden, full of roses and flowers and garden art.

As opposed to mine that is strictly about food.

No hers is meant to feed the spirit...

Even her bugs are lovely!

And she only has the beneficial kind...what's up with that?

 Maybe its her picket fence...everything is prettier surrounded by pickets!

Wonder if I could keep the camel in with a sweet little picket fence?

While mine is the tall type for eating...her kale is eye candy all the way!

Even her leaves fall more artistically than mine!

So while I could not live without the utilitarian purpose of my garden...

It is nice to have somewhere to go that only beauty is on the menu!

Thanks mom!

 

Now back to my regularly scheduled life...