The secret is out

Wow, it's June and I've been quiet for a really long time. Why? I've been keeping a secret and since this blog is linked from my facebook page I couldn't share until I was ready for everyone on facebook to know. Thought we are not annoucing on facebook we have told everyone who shouldn't find out via the internet.

Jason and I are going to have a baby. I'm at 11 weeks and due on Christmas which Jason's family finds a little funny because this cutie was due on Christmas last year.

Between her (the 27th) and Jason's dad (the 23rd) our child will have birthday buddies to celebrate with. (I'm very thankful for this because it's hard to have birthdays that close to Christmas) We are not going to find out what we are having but I have quite a collection of generic items that are on my to make list. Be prepared for lots of baby related crafts for a while.

Since my last post things have been very busy. Jason's littlest brother got married and we discovered that we have a young Marilyn in the family. Who could blame her though it was really hot that weekend.

My sister-in-law's father was given a cancer free diagnosis then ended up in the hospital where they found more cancer and was given 2 weeks to live. It was a crazy three weeks, where we did anything we could to help and took care of the kids so that she could be with him the last few days. He died the morning after Derek's wedding. Our entire family traveled to celebrate his life. The kids can always find a way to keep us smiling even though the hardest times in life.

 

When June hits so do the long days on the farm. If I'm lucky I get to see Jason before dark.

Yep that's him. Last week was the rush to get the beans planted and before that the corn. Now they are working on getting the combines and trucks ready for harvest.  Area farmers are hoping for an average yeild because there are a lot of sad looking fields this year. Jason hasn't even gone to see what ours looks like but he is not very optimistic. Hopefully he will be pleasently surprised. If you live in the Midwest be prepared for combines and lots of truck traffic in the next couple of weeks. 

More Combine Pictures

Here is what the combine looks like in the daylight.

More Fires

This summer has been a rough one on the farm equipment. In July, Jason's brother D had a tractor burn while trying to bail hay, about a week later D was working ground and had a brake freeze up and catch fire on that tractor. He manage to quickly get that fire put out. Two weeks ago, Jason had an electrical fire in his tractor as he was trying to plant wheat. He walked away with a few minor burns and a hat that will never be the same. Today as Jason was trying to fix the drill his brother D was again calling the fire department. 

Bean harvest is officially over for us. D was just finishing up when he noticed the fire. Unfortionately the last load never made it to the truck which is also a blessing because the fire started on the auger side of the combine and we could have lost a semi and new trailer. The fire department arrived in time to salvage the header. To costs approximately $350,000 to purchase a brand new combine so Jason will have to start searching the classifieds for a good used replacement. 

Tonight I finished this card to send to my cousin who is in love with Hello Kitty. When I spotted the SVG file online I knew that I needed to make a Halloween card for her.

Beautiful Morning

This morning since I was wide awake at 5:00 AM (why?) I decided to ride out to the pastures with Jason to check on the cows. We leave here in the dark so that we can arrive at the first pasture at first light to catch the cows before they start seeking the shade. This morning there was a real unsually fog but when the sun came up it was beautiful.

Unfotionately the picture doesn't quite do it justice. I'm glad that I got up this morning.

This is a sunflower that Jason brough home to brighten my day.

I finally had a chance to work again this weekend. I started by totally rearranging my craft room.

This is my one of my latest layouts. I've also been working dilegently on my first "girl" afghan and can finally say that the end is near. Six more rounds and I am done! Hopefully one of my sister-in-laws will have a girl. If not I have a "boy" afghan started with a second set of yarn purchased. Check back soon for afghan pictures!

Rough Day

My day went pretty well today considering the motherboard was out on my compter at work but by noon
my problem was fixed.

My husband's day was just getting interesting.  In typical summer fashion, Jason gets up at the crack of dawn twice a week to go check the cattle in the various pastures. This morning was one of those mornings when his alarms goes of way to early.  During his rounds he finds that one of the pastures has a gate down and all of their cows are now in with the neighbors... the problem is that the cows are sold and they are about to be shipped out. So sometime soon they have to round up all the cows in both pastures and sort them. Sounds easy right? Unfortionately I can't show you this particular pasture... it is super hilly with rocky knobs and random rock cliffs.  Not exactly the terrain that you would think of when you think central Kansas. If you've seen the Flint Hills you might be able to picutre it... take about 5 sqaure miles of the Flint Hills and crunch it together until if fights into a 2 mile area. That is how hilly and rocky this pasture is. It might also be considered by some non-farming types to be a "hunter's paradise." Let me translate.... really overgrown with trees and plum brush.  Though the views from this pasutre are amazing....  Sometime between now and the end of August the have to round up apporixmately 200 cattle from approximately 320 acres. Did I mention it's been 100 degrees for the last two and a half weeks and it's not even August yet.

So fast forward to about supper time... Jason finishing up discing a field and gets a phone call from his brothers telling him that they are done bailing hay. Great one more thing to have checked of the list when dad gets home from Vegas... except this is what they meant by done...

The tractor had caught fire and burnt.

The fire burnt hot enought to melt glass. This was on top of the tool box right next to the fuel filters

The tred of the tires

Luckily both of boys were okay and they managed to save the bailer and the bailing computer that was in the cab. We don't know exactly what caused the fire but it could have been some hay that had gotten blown up under the cab or it could have been something electrical. Whatever the cause we are thankful that everyone is okay.

I've been busy again and neglecting my blog... but what have I been up to?

Last Friday was Lindsey's Bridal Shower. We had fun hearing how Brett and Lindsey met and how he proposed.

Saturday we tried to start harvest... and after an hour in the field decided that it was still too wet. Jason left for 4-H camp on Sunday and I spent they day with my parents and grandparents celebrating Father's Day.  I spent the first part of the week waiting for the phone call from Jason's brothers say "we are cutting and need supper" but it never came... so I made ice cream. Wednesday, I called my mother-in-law and offered to bring the ice cream to the field.

Here is the combine driver in person... climbing back up after we unclogged the header. Unfortionately that wasn't the only thing clogged but luckily it worked itself out.

The only other incident that happened this year is shown below....

Do you see the difference?

Sunsests are always the best at harvest.... especially with all that extra dust in the air.

Thursday at 4:50 I checked the local news sites like I always do and found this story. Which was very comforting especially when I was headed to the elevator and this is where you wait in line....

In the farm line you drive right up the middle of the elevator and then make a hard right to dump... I have often sat there and wondered what would happen if the whole place exploded or in this case collapsed. But it does lend itself to some very interesting views.

Tonight I have been working on things for Lindsey's Bachelorette party. Here's a little teaser for her. :D

Tomorrow night I will be partying with Lindsey. My cousin Anna and her mom, will be coming up on Tuesday for some scrapbook time and their husbands Eriq and Mike will be joining us for the anually family Fourth of July. Then I'm off to help my other cousin decorate for her wedding which is rapidly approaching on the 10th. Somewhere in there we are planning on squeezing in a firework party with Jason's family. The next few weeks my posts may be few and far between but look for some big posts with lots of pictures.

Entertainment

This weekend has been one full of cheap entertainment. Last night we went to the KSU-Missouri game and had a great time cheering on the Cats!

Today Jason and I went out to help Ryan cut down trees at his house. The first three trees went wonderfully and we had them cut up and ready to split or chip in a little over an hour and a half. The last one was a little more stubborn. Here it is after they had worked on it for a while and had pinched a couple of chain saws...


This picture only shows half the crew... the rest of us were watching at a safe distance at this point. You might ask why they left such a tall stump. They want to play with their other toy... the bull dozer... that and the tree is pretty large and they decided that it would take less time to get it down this way... eventually they did get it to come down. Though they weren't done yet when Jason and I left to go to the farm to do chores.

Things got even more entertaining at the farm... things were pretty normal... fix a developing hole in the fence... open gates for the feed wagon... drain the water hoses for the night... Then Derek and I notice that one of the calves has his leg caught in something. He gets out to investigate and finds a wire wrapped around his hind leg... so he grabs it and pulls hoping that it will come off. Of course it doesn't and the calf is now not happy. So Jason comes over to help... he grabs the calf and tries to pen him down so they can untangle him without getting kicked... the calf really doesn't like this so a struggle ensued... Unfortunately I wasn't thinking quick enough to pull out my camera which is still in my coat pocket.

Jason is trying to tackle the calf and Derek holding on to the wire trying to slow it... Jason finally gets it into a place where it cannot move... not because Jason is strong and overpowers him but because during the fight the calf flopped into a puddle of sludge... Needless to say watching Jason and a calf struggle in the puddle while Derek held on to the calf's "leash" was quite hilarious and Vaughn and I struggle to hold back our laughs. Here is how things turned out.


This picture really doesn't show the extent of Jason's mess but I was glad I was at the farm to witness it.

New Babies...

Spring is just almost here and the farm is starting to show signs of it... The momma cat is pregnant and the latest addition is this little gal...



Okay so she's not exatly a newborn but she's still little and cute and new. Vaughn, my father-in-law saw her at the sale on Monday and couldn't pass her up. She's one year old. She still doesn't have a name... if you have any suggestions please leave them below. She's still skittish in her new surroundings but she's getting better.

Work is starting to pick up thought my list is still really short. Jason is finally able to do somethings without fighting the muck and cold...unfortionately bad weather is predicted again tomorrow.

Jason asked to contribute to the blog tonight.... "Altell sucked but Verizon is even worse." He's working on trying to correct a billing mistake for the truckline.