tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74919057821347062912024-03-13T22:23:17.511-05:00Wild Rose PasturesJanicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02436858141037595318noreply@blogger.comBlogger147125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491905782134706291.post-41035008306784205402019-12-07T23:21:00.000-06:002019-12-07T23:21:47.018-06:00Country living and simple quilt projects<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Because it's beautiful and makes me happy, I'm starting this post with a sunrise. One of the things about living in midwest farm country is that sunrises and sunsets are often dramatic and colorful and simply beautiful, writ large on an unbroken canvas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Also being a farm, farm kids sometimes find unusual fun. Ryan got a load of rock delivered and the kids promptly decided to sled down it like snow. It didn't destroy the sled or the kids, by some miracle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Also by some strange miracle, we actually have a church near us that has a barn dance in October. Here we are in a friends' barn, in the picture I believe it's "The Hokey Pokey". They also played some line dancing country, some swing, some rock/pop, etc. It was a potluck and was lovely.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We also have two new small, furry additions to the family! They appeared on the farm and have been tamed and brought in. This is Jinx. Her original name was Misty, but it just doesn't suit her. She's a kitten, so it's not like she responds to her name anyway.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And this is Altair. Yes, in this picture he's lounging in a liter box. I don't know why. I guess he finds it comfy?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've also managed to get a little quilting done. This is a twin-sized scrap quilt I made from what I had sitting around in my scrap box. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We also had a secret Santa exchange at work, so I made a quick reversible table runner.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02436858141037595318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491905782134706291.post-70496071896440553672019-09-22T16:06:00.001-05:002019-09-22T16:06:58.998-05:00Dahlias, slippers, and steak fry<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The attempt to revive my blog continues! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Fall is always a busy time on the farm, Ryan took two cows to the locker this last week and we have a batch of chickens out on the pasture along with our Thanksgiving turkeys. Weather has been good this fall for all of them; honestly with climate change it's getting harder and harder to raise poultry in the summer. June is hot more often than not anymore. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm literally watching this little guy out my window as I type this up, as he wobbles around on new legs from being born this morning. It's a rainy day to enter the world, little calf!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The dahlias have been awesome this year, we ordered some bulbs from <a href="https://oldhousegardens.com/" target="_blank">Old House Gardens</a> and they've done beautifully. Dahlias are annuals here, although you can try to dig them up and replant them. I know Ryan will try. In the meantime, I've ordered some for next year already. ;-)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Under my needle this last week I finished a pair of slippers for H, which she's been begging for since July and I haven't wanted to tackle. I used <a href="https://laurenefabrications.blogspot.com/2013/04/kimono-slipper-tutorial.html?m=1" target="_blank">this pattern</a>, which was ok. I shortened it by 1.5" in both pieces to change it to a size 4 for her.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I lined them in minky, which makes them super soft inside, but I think is part of why I had trouble getting them to fit together. The minky is so thick I probably should make the top piece a bit larger to accommodate the bulk. The pattern is also a bit wonky, but is nice for how well it finishes seams. I'm also continuing to quilt the lake-and-sky quilt, which is super slow going. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As it's early fall now, the kids had an impromptu dance session on the driveway while I sat in an Adirondack chair and watched the sunset. Simply lovely.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I also took the following pic when some friends and their kids were over Saturday afternoon last weekend:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I adore this picture because those three boys are sons of these three (oh so young-looking!) handsome guys:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Can you match the kid to the dad? None of the three are actually in the same order in both pictures! This is something I never had growing up - lifelong friends starting in elementary school, and I think it's completely awesome. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Yesterday Ryan and I went to the Polk County Democrat Steak Fry. I've heard there were over 12,000 people there, and I believe it. It was crazy. I think all of the major democratic presidential candidates were there, as well as most of the "minor" ones. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you look closely, you might be able to see a podium in the background of that photo, in front of the giant Iowa flag! I don't have a candidate I'm supporting at this point, I really haven't made up my mind. There were a couple candidates (minor ones) that I'm definitely not supporting after hearing them yesterday. A couple were a total mess! Those ominous-looking rain clouds you see definitely did open up and pour right at the end of the event and on the last candidate speaking - poor guy. Based on the crowd reaction, I think the caucus in Iowa will come down to between Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg, but we will see. Iowa's famous for last-minute momentum. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The steak was surprisingly good, even if it didn't come from our farm!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02436858141037595318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491905782134706291.post-2856669330639123412019-09-10T20:31:00.000-05:002019-09-10T20:32:39.927-05:00Reconnecting<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Someone I mentor has been gently encouraging me to reconnect with this blog, so here is my feeble attempt to do so. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUwyrt9Cdk-ryzhw_JcjDddpCfxVpWaeiyiMLSYhic66W321xE4Q6ZnWTQSE67Duv9zeq9Bf8JupWP_roWyxPUcZecKTAUMStAuq-MiRaVkxQRgbZx9clIqueXDnj5X24GwyNhAB2Q1Hc/s1600/IMG_0939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="1600" height="95" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUwyrt9Cdk-ryzhw_JcjDddpCfxVpWaeiyiMLSYhic66W321xE4Q6ZnWTQSE67Duv9zeq9Bf8JupWP_roWyxPUcZecKTAUMStAuq-MiRaVkxQRgbZx9clIqueXDnj5X24GwyNhAB2Q1Hc/s400/IMG_0939.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The farm is going fairly well, we have about 30 head of cattle now and have stabilized at raising about 180 chickens a year and 50 turkeys. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUxdE3U1obzTnXZDol5UOk2OFPnPmpdP0iDKL11fWuuS04c-0epKzmiHxwg91iD0RG1z98FAEMhtzTyciK0D3YJPFLWbIzdTQi22l10qBfmdCxzhGupQN5Ll3wA9eN2e_eE8auf4mSEN0/s1600/IMG_1339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUxdE3U1obzTnXZDol5UOk2OFPnPmpdP0iDKL11fWuuS04c-0epKzmiHxwg91iD0RG1z98FAEMhtzTyciK0D3YJPFLWbIzdTQi22l10qBfmdCxzhGupQN5Ll3wA9eN2e_eE8auf4mSEN0/s400/IMG_1339.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">That may or may not be about to change as our poultry locker is shutting down after this season and we're not sure what we'll do about it. A new locker is opening up near Omaha, but at about twice the price as the current one. Regulations in this state are deeply unfriendly toward small poultry lockers, and federally inspected lockers require that you bring 5,000 birds at once (yeah, that's not happening!). Those are definitely owned by Big Ag.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I do continue to quilt, here is what is currently "under my needle" and in progress. It's a large quilt, which I am attempting to quilt to a level I am comfortable sending it to a show. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioyogpimMHOhrf1vFBnXXMPgpPC05gBlUiOHHx6MafU7Pf-RdFy46DOktXMv1JmnNWCjb8sl4pwzlnc-ycDSplLH6NQvdQRc6MCyVhDUG1d2cLlT6hVvdgP5yTcS07T7HQFKhMAd0x-GY/s1600/IMG_1325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioyogpimMHOhrf1vFBnXXMPgpPC05gBlUiOHHx6MafU7Pf-RdFy46DOktXMv1JmnNWCjb8sl4pwzlnc-ycDSplLH6NQvdQRc6MCyVhDUG1d2cLlT6hVvdgP5yTcS07T7HQFKhMAd0x-GY/s320/IMG_1325.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I've also finished a few others since my last post, of course. Here is a scrappy baby quilt...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ8AdEaQEOQfWe8Vs3gr3OnGh4RX2foCcNXoWLWZTrAcXfnz54R37cCb9PUxdozzvRkTe5ABQWcNQIt-M06y4eeYg9PGXul0zQiNG0jpRiOTnq_gUFNoVd0qzkVWASvKTUIA9I6gukz8E/s1600/IMG_1145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ8AdEaQEOQfWe8Vs3gr3OnGh4RX2foCcNXoWLWZTrAcXfnz54R37cCb9PUxdozzvRkTe5ABQWcNQIt-M06y4eeYg9PGXul0zQiNG0jpRiOTnq_gUFNoVd0qzkVWASvKTUIA9I6gukz8E/s320/IMG_1145.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">...that I made from the scraps of our new bed quilt. I hand-quilted the center of this one, so it took forever. I've been working on it since 2008 and finished it in 2018.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinAYHi-wCL_RWIch0YrnyLES1RrXMOUuQLHMfwZrCo99PUbj6GxVdG8FyM073FkAPAVZrKSgNjejGRLlonNhYFJDVLZWZq1hImH0tw2vEQ3cJdIrsfAaXd15hweUgsxYTcjdlGL2y96wQ/s1600/IMG_8599.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinAYHi-wCL_RWIch0YrnyLES1RrXMOUuQLHMfwZrCo99PUbj6GxVdG8FyM073FkAPAVZrKSgNjejGRLlonNhYFJDVLZWZq1hImH0tw2vEQ3cJdIrsfAaXd15hweUgsxYTcjdlGL2y96wQ/s400/IMG_8599.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I made a charity quilt for <a href="http://www.cradlingnewlife.org/" target="_blank">Cradling New Life</a> (love the power line fabric!!)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgnfRYj9dm-jS7V63fpOwWhXaXwSKLu2a9ru9_RJX5KfuhRQ_HVLw1PCmvO7aXkQPZLbiL_LJVNqaRHqT20bqzgndW1El9eIr0DLP5aTE_UfiUoxAqZcDZlVR3GaLctCgBbWLhqhJdiU/s1600/IMG_E8853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1590" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgnfRYj9dm-jS7V63fpOwWhXaXwSKLu2a9ru9_RJX5KfuhRQ_HVLw1PCmvO7aXkQPZLbiL_LJVNqaRHqT20bqzgndW1El9eIr0DLP5aTE_UfiUoxAqZcDZlVR3GaLctCgBbWLhqhJdiU/s400/IMG_E8853.JPG" width="397" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And finished up a hand applique project I call "boil the ocean", inspired by a trip to Hawaii (also started in 2008, I think!). </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFMxlmS1ZCDvvTYZ4dZOXEpQ-Isj-Z6TPBtuqBk_ddnVvs3uO1ZFdaYNmkfu98_48QN8yNsZfJGPTJ1um2tM2pnHm4ErMlBxilRbJtQjvOGevRczdkjwH6eOv0e7h97J4PAEwvvxbBg2Y/s1600/IMG_9640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFMxlmS1ZCDvvTYZ4dZOXEpQ-Isj-Z6TPBtuqBk_ddnVvs3uO1ZFdaYNmkfu98_48QN8yNsZfJGPTJ1um2tM2pnHm4ErMlBxilRbJtQjvOGevRczdkjwH6eOv0e7h97J4PAEwvvxbBg2Y/s400/IMG_9640.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I made a couple of denim quilts for gifts and to auction off for Ryan's campaign fundraiser:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGyGJHkB2iqIkeqAOgwYEAQg0zkmNta_1Ltqvgd10Pq_fbOuXFpcF0jzkYzom0iMGzfaUH2CAzyeQOq5_p8WxKlN48_qPmDmxizmzKmJyJwfY__DCldM0uMlVZrj_ggK6jbn5mjkpXbaY/s1600/IMG_9657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGyGJHkB2iqIkeqAOgwYEAQg0zkmNta_1Ltqvgd10Pq_fbOuXFpcF0jzkYzom0iMGzfaUH2CAzyeQOq5_p8WxKlN48_qPmDmxizmzKmJyJwfY__DCldM0uMlVZrj_ggK6jbn5mjkpXbaY/s320/IMG_9657.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgapBkKreA_RW-2zNmqiW4okC_DF2R2uTfwwIMC9UcdXRqd9s1kyScGh-jJGcuJMVOsoIxQBzQ4gjrpfFHhxT5OxfEzeKYEEHZS0v5Rmf1SYYsHKWxuzOzhpRDXIIGt7OYG9_rNhl-jmj4/s1600/IMG_0073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgapBkKreA_RW-2zNmqiW4okC_DF2R2uTfwwIMC9UcdXRqd9s1kyScGh-jJGcuJMVOsoIxQBzQ4gjrpfFHhxT5OxfEzeKYEEHZS0v5Rmf1SYYsHKWxuzOzhpRDXIIGt7OYG9_rNhl-jmj4/s320/IMG_0073.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And I participated in my first <a href="https://quiltville.com/index.html" target="_blank">Quiltville</a> Mystery Quilt by Bonnie Hunter (if you're looking for a positive, uplifting daily blog, hers is the BEST!), this is "Good Fortune". Not my usual style, but a lot of fun. The mystery aspect with weekly pieces to complete kept me going.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi31aFBW0Dddcm64w-S3dkkT7meiMsCOv6YiJXXsdB2pH1EcjVtlXSBAbxYcBainBC3qD-XJd4wOs-9dvShd1Qpv2RQpbOnCqESd0d-Z_6nZyEQ0rPOx0YHirYrXr9DISk8n1qwQ279APQ/s1600/IMG_0545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi31aFBW0Dddcm64w-S3dkkT7meiMsCOv6YiJXXsdB2pH1EcjVtlXSBAbxYcBainBC3qD-XJd4wOs-9dvShd1Qpv2RQpbOnCqESd0d-Z_6nZyEQ0rPOx0YHirYrXr9DISk8n1qwQ279APQ/s400/IMG_0545.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I completed a whole cloth silk quilt, which is a lot of lessons learned. I designed this pattern for my sister-in-law's wedding quilt, but that one was too busy to see the pattern. I have some red silk I'd like to remake this on, and do it better. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFpjGSplTdHR0ncmlap0xMQb-rUY3U7M9IMUZCbwE2gsHMiHt5C_Rmhh8kZq-yul7hl5TFFi6ZVjCSh9pB53h3eSQgRCSmIL-b5jIt209ngsdrlKofbeSzDmpOKRYmWOk7MEiCKNMTdqA/s1600/IMG_0551.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFpjGSplTdHR0ncmlap0xMQb-rUY3U7M9IMUZCbwE2gsHMiHt5C_Rmhh8kZq-yul7hl5TFFi6ZVjCSh9pB53h3eSQgRCSmIL-b5jIt209ngsdrlKofbeSzDmpOKRYmWOk7MEiCKNMTdqA/s400/IMG_0551.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Last, I've participated in the last two <a href="https://cherrywoodfabrics.bigcartel.com/challenges" target="_blank">Cherrywood Challenges</a>, themed "Prince" and "Bob Ross". I've made it into both tours of quilts, but not yet won a prize. That's my next goal, we will see what the theme is this year.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj790BWX979J2tv0yMjAmTJQN99INklEHNsjk9fSnacxVMjVh5uXQctjOv7Dsqyhk7nAW5M0UWfRO-oYVSRQJIdFE7G9TnxYc4K7f-TAUQHqZ8jD_A6qHW_HZ39A6_xGncUkhTCuT71bgs/s1600/IMG_0934.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj790BWX979J2tv0yMjAmTJQN99INklEHNsjk9fSnacxVMjVh5uXQctjOv7Dsqyhk7nAW5M0UWfRO-oYVSRQJIdFE7G9TnxYc4K7f-TAUQHqZ8jD_A6qHW_HZ39A6_xGncUkhTCuT71bgs/s320/IMG_0934.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Family life is going ok, it doesn't ever seem to slow down. Ryan didn't win his campaign, he's currently contemplating when and how and where he will try again. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYjECmeQCpNcMEbarXxhr77OAGTrdKipdM7ZY5Ir99-1VqZoJxp12ee-DDrNbzg_6_RiX5VHyOwWpn1KqNZHI7srFXWiSMdZBURyCYjwYKvgNOCH6HXBoV09s421vUrqujFNMlkvUFcPU/s1600/IMG_0713.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="426" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYjECmeQCpNcMEbarXxhr77OAGTrdKipdM7ZY5Ir99-1VqZoJxp12ee-DDrNbzg_6_RiX5VHyOwWpn1KqNZHI7srFXWiSMdZBURyCYjwYKvgNOCH6HXBoV09s421vUrqujFNMlkvUFcPU/s400/IMG_0713.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">He fairly promptly picked up a "part time" job as the general manager of the <a href="https://iowafood.coop/" target="_blank">Iowa Food Cooperative</a>, which is not <i>quite</i> as all-consuming as a political campaign, but not far off. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAyVn6It3XplgOvp1lH9h0FF2Qd8Y2EJV45u8gQ5LYS7Fet8XTU9wLi2l5fqReinjEnTqjk75ur-1DqAEFvCThP0fNUPSq1YKoi6OuY4PA9omfXLD4idFlEUChNwQzCd_V-rkTqnTNN7Q/s1600/IMG_0135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAyVn6It3XplgOvp1lH9h0FF2Qd8Y2EJV45u8gQ5LYS7Fet8XTU9wLi2l5fqReinjEnTqjk75ur-1DqAEFvCThP0fNUPSq1YKoi6OuY4PA9omfXLD4idFlEUChNwQzCd_V-rkTqnTNN7Q/s400/IMG_0135.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We continue to ballroom dance, mostly at <a href="https://www.redfriars.com/" target="_blank">Red Friar's</a> in Ames through the winter as our standing date night.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5zElsXYJiIVGTAOPOo8-U5zVIhOWgvwNB6Y4AGKOcXTlZiotyDi7IZvewAEHh9xMG3P1UV0AL_sB5d4kxqHydteQFnaIO3ztsBVWFecz-VJ7jkYzWPiwMYS78fBQsqfU4cRAU6HTisM/s1600/IMG_0481.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5zElsXYJiIVGTAOPOo8-U5zVIhOWgvwNB6Y4AGKOcXTlZiotyDi7IZvewAEHh9xMG3P1UV0AL_sB5d4kxqHydteQFnaIO3ztsBVWFecz-VJ7jkYzWPiwMYS78fBQsqfU4cRAU6HTisM/s400/IMG_0481.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The kids also keep growing, H went to her first year at <a href="https://www.clearwatercamp.org/" target="_blank">Clearwater Camp</a> solo </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">before we joined her at family camp. I swear she wasn't this unhappy at camp, I just timed my only pictures before leaving very poorly.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6PFO6qLQ542ceayWTY3F1d1T-o01p1ZlM2iFt2VTYp90vWblgawtH1UdG7v9H8x4FwT-N-VdKVdM6V6PG5rlQq1eZQQgDkavRsdkPm2KEtKifg83HwuPOVoJYZ7R8SC2KknLwm8-cU0Q/s1600/IMG_1080.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6PFO6qLQ542ceayWTY3F1d1T-o01p1ZlM2iFt2VTYp90vWblgawtH1UdG7v9H8x4FwT-N-VdKVdM6V6PG5rlQq1eZQQgDkavRsdkPm2KEtKifg83HwuPOVoJYZ7R8SC2KknLwm8-cU0Q/s400/IMG_1080.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Z is more able to enjoy the Northwoods every year. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5VDsMDT-2tQh5AfMqugMIJnVtTK2C51H3bopA7r7gKBwPxWST7XtnxGSTa8-6gyFkRlfGt92JNJJ6FkbkGPIM1bCO7nuL4sNEJkVxF5Ma1Vg3hgcXARaWDTFq4XYTmqglf-ENbtDY5w4/s1600/IMG_1163.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5VDsMDT-2tQh5AfMqugMIJnVtTK2C51H3bopA7r7gKBwPxWST7XtnxGSTa8-6gyFkRlfGt92JNJJ6FkbkGPIM1bCO7nuL4sNEJkVxF5Ma1Vg3hgcXARaWDTFq4XYTmqglf-ENbtDY5w4/s400/IMG_1163.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Ryan's brother also got married this summer in Vermont, to a lovely woman who suits him well. This pic is Ryan's dad, sister, brother, and Ryan. Apparently I didn't get a good pic with the lovely bride!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDu2Pj778_PzZpQrBxibImSKSRwoTX2h9bg4TPHHf7N3EeDUC37ukpBqWiPfyqTRHPXrAwT_oZ985fKdYhEeg3Rd-wP1UR1UuVXMLqZgQkBnN46fzko1AjSt2bHXuwqGhKvGowPryk0jQ/s1600/IMG_1043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDu2Pj778_PzZpQrBxibImSKSRwoTX2h9bg4TPHHf7N3EeDUC37ukpBqWiPfyqTRHPXrAwT_oZ985fKdYhEeg3Rd-wP1UR1UuVXMLqZgQkBnN46fzko1AjSt2bHXuwqGhKvGowPryk0jQ/s400/IMG_1043.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And the kids started taking on more of the farm chores this summer as well (yay!). </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6wVMuEWH7RAQ9Qq4wryn4JbpzPkchcabj0cp7jbMYMJkQsKM5tib6xi2ELQ3tALEWo0dp7rpJi086wmEXcIu8kjVEuAdpeucUECy4UK48DOYQBBz0xRtzVWYcJqHet3C9haU90jHuEKM/s1600/IMG_0591.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6wVMuEWH7RAQ9Qq4wryn4JbpzPkchcabj0cp7jbMYMJkQsKM5tib6xi2ELQ3tALEWo0dp7rpJi086wmEXcIu8kjVEuAdpeucUECy4UK48DOYQBBz0xRtzVWYcJqHet3C9haU90jHuEKM/s400/IMG_0591.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I think that's all the news that's fit to print for now!</span>Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02436858141037595318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491905782134706291.post-2875760764094054862017-12-31T16:29:00.003-06:002017-12-31T16:30:52.866-06:002017 in summary - picture heavy!<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Strap in, this is going to be a big post! My life went totally off the rails in March when I got my second promotion in 6 months to a Director job. It's demanding and crazy and I love it. But it means things like blogging took a serious nose dive. So I'll try to put this in some sections and you can skim past anything that doesn't interest you. ;-)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Farm</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The farm had a decent year this year, the only major weather event was that it was dry. That means hay prices are really high and Ryan is scrambling to find some that's not ridiculous.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkVCIOc7O3sCi3-Ml8n8CWzt0EuXygQuxxbkrL2IMMRHdN4VVEettMJqEtlTL5DH_ST_lfgkZSB_kVFR3-Kmd8jEsy42chnQjy_8Hi0EFucD51wL-NSuluHg5o_y0UyvvYB6AH_qKvpQ/s1600/IMG_7683.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkVCIOc7O3sCi3-Ml8n8CWzt0EuXygQuxxbkrL2IMMRHdN4VVEettMJqEtlTL5DH_ST_lfgkZSB_kVFR3-Kmd8jEsy42chnQjy_8Hi0EFucD51wL-NSuluHg5o_y0UyvvYB6AH_qKvpQ/s400/IMG_7683.JPG" width="300" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We also had a major hailstorm in June like nothing we've seen before. It was like someone was firing a machine gun against the side of the house. Between the house and barn it did about $40,000 worth of damage and we're still working on getting that fixed (insurance covered it). It even dented the metal roof of the house, which is supposed to be able to handle "class 4 hail" (whatever that means). Here's a picture of my lilies right after the storm:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYKoeQA9KKaewS9bZFtkz7I5HvULb0O3aCWEstMafC0we_dSq9H04bghNX3yDDbZbZ685docfHAGrg-FUDVcyFeG9ol6a0AN03vq5qkJ8bbnJ_n1jNUq7aNxYU-uT7qWnmiTRANN_Aus8/s1600/IMG_7329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYKoeQA9KKaewS9bZFtkz7I5HvULb0O3aCWEstMafC0we_dSq9H04bghNX3yDDbZbZ685docfHAGrg-FUDVcyFeG9ol6a0AN03vq5qkJ8bbnJ_n1jNUq7aNxYU-uT7qWnmiTRANN_Aus8/s400/IMG_7329.JPG" width="300" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But our beef and chicken are still awesome and I can occasionally convince Ryan that we can eat some of it instead of selling it all! ;-)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nKeWxTHHdk9ICUJrOLKpRIqQROrElr3o5GqgSK0hPEib9vEIb4G6HnJ7hUfNR_wa5l53c7iYCaBrCu2NJBYw47TzGBSeBfnlu_Q98m58TZ-CDBTAZtwJLdnZeo95rBDJuNGHV2bLTQA/s1600/IMG_7203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nKeWxTHHdk9ICUJrOLKpRIqQROrElr3o5GqgSK0hPEib9vEIb4G6HnJ7hUfNR_wa5l53c7iYCaBrCu2NJBYw47TzGBSeBfnlu_Q98m58TZ-CDBTAZtwJLdnZeo95rBDJuNGHV2bLTQA/s400/IMG_7203.JPG" width="300" /></a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Quilts</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I have still made time for quilting because it's vital to my well-being to do so! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I made this one for a fundraiser for my son's school, if you look at the quilting it is a "deconstructed pocketwatch". It is about 40" x 50" or so</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAM4vWs6icGScMQ5Dz8ok8NigvubkbruPuGN_w_AquCxOPec0B_MlrGTiTDDpVnE-k-uefcdo-6LZe_L51VvI5p0Czl5rWwgiG59xdMDjmI-SwaTKLJjyiOsJm5HF8Y2-MUak6LLAX6LQ/s1600/IMG_7076-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAM4vWs6icGScMQ5Dz8ok8NigvubkbruPuGN_w_AquCxOPec0B_MlrGTiTDDpVnE-k-uefcdo-6LZe_L51VvI5p0Czl5rWwgiG59xdMDjmI-SwaTKLJjyiOsJm5HF8Y2-MUak6LLAX6LQ/s400/IMG_7076-1.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_dGrFBd1UoP03MqrxcbNFp4JIlCYqCE5VTwptg64z9t8rRvnf0bBUWyD1DIYIgjumrEsdxhlMwSyA3viWaCc_5bOQmJ568eZCioX9IKcIch4vyAmTT8_6zdmpILt3cT9EMAaJT4yB7o/s1600/0B24E383-CA8B-4F61-A5E2-A1F362C99640.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_dGrFBd1UoP03MqrxcbNFp4JIlCYqCE5VTwptg64z9t8rRvnf0bBUWyD1DIYIgjumrEsdxhlMwSyA3viWaCc_5bOQmJ568eZCioX9IKcIch4vyAmTT8_6zdmpILt3cT9EMAaJT4yB7o/s400/0B24E383-CA8B-4F61-A5E2-A1F362C99640.JPG" width="225" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My modern quilt guild issued a paint chip challenge, which is where you draw three paint chip colors out of a hat and have to design a quilt using those colors (we could add white and black). So here is what I designed, which I really like but Ryan is not a fan. It is a modern take on waves crashing on a rocky beach, like the ones you find in the NW, like in Oregon. It is smaller, about 3 feet square.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQEPtDRSRFfZ_4F9scDwNMQe9baZbeHIT6KFvJgmZCRg5dJoojW5At7_YS8kUioaEOkEWBxrEx6djsw4sztmOHgTT9kPOkP3UwKtGNs_lc-AH7q76ytpRHxNWUrcZmhUEL5iXufn_y5IQ/s1600/IMG_7114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQEPtDRSRFfZ_4F9scDwNMQe9baZbeHIT6KFvJgmZCRg5dJoojW5At7_YS8kUioaEOkEWBxrEx6djsw4sztmOHgTT9kPOkP3UwKtGNs_lc-AH7q76ytpRHxNWUrcZmhUEL5iXufn_y5IQ/s400/IMG_7114.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">There was also a Riley Blake challenge, which is where they sent me some fabrics to make a quilt out of. I liked the fabrics, but this quilt ended up way too busy. It's very small, about 30" square. It needed more places for they eye to "rest". </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSSlt5z-oSCRK_ECCvnh7N0oEzY8gt8Mc6QoZP0-ZXuDC_JUYwglWvuGrPQ_2rUtuEvKq0D3Desx5wsuddPIIoYhJ6cYUJbw7dUdTlRzVCP-3HoZScInfzKM0UhAiZ10AiLQV5m78L3Q/s1600/IMG_7194-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSSlt5z-oSCRK_ECCvnh7N0oEzY8gt8Mc6QoZP0-ZXuDC_JUYwglWvuGrPQ_2rUtuEvKq0D3Desx5wsuddPIIoYhJ6cYUJbw7dUdTlRzVCP-3HoZScInfzKM0UhAiZ10AiLQV5m78L3Q/s400/IMG_7194-1.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I was blessed with a new nephew this year, so I made him an I-spy quilt. This one is about 50 x 60".</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifEk2byYilcueHAy1Gru8dB2HlMiyeN_TWzHxc3xhUJPNgg4DqaRy5cCGTpAZK7KWL9Z-GyWkoyFffXFdDkGfvJyF5-jJSS1ij7iOKe7ChoO_nQ4g-i0oG2sP6XYqNzG9BW9HQFRuyKfc/s1600/IMG_7290-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifEk2byYilcueHAy1Gru8dB2HlMiyeN_TWzHxc3xhUJPNgg4DqaRy5cCGTpAZK7KWL9Z-GyWkoyFffXFdDkGfvJyF5-jJSS1ij7iOKe7ChoO_nQ4g-i0oG2sP6XYqNzG9BW9HQFRuyKfc/s400/IMG_7290-1.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This one might have been my favorite quilt this year. I made it to benefit the United Way at work and a co-worker bought it. It's a decent sized wall-hanging, about 45x55". </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_Y6NJIxDIF2iV00M0gi0VsVZh-1_fs-HubWlf79Hh5zWk0wJs33FQWaqBMiSOlGPj40NuE2MqY5OTfQT_UiuFIM_yGyeFeNfld-tDXcfTppHZB21HFEDEMR9OzK02lNs-1KH6b2RTcM/s1600/IMG_7778.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_Y6NJIxDIF2iV00M0gi0VsVZh-1_fs-HubWlf79Hh5zWk0wJs33FQWaqBMiSOlGPj40NuE2MqY5OTfQT_UiuFIM_yGyeFeNfld-tDXcfTppHZB21HFEDEMR9OzK02lNs-1KH6b2RTcM/s400/IMG_7778.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This one is a pattern from Gudrun Erla using her strip ruler. I intended it for our bed originally, but Ryan said it was too busy so I finished it differently and gave it to my stepdad. It is queen sized. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgujouTK67kczj-SmV4eFZSfdq_zbdNFSAasFSeRQ1mJjfgZ6qas-ag6p295aMPvzcK3nNTZykZqNyaSlqUKOltF-tJslbG79CGSecaYj2D6q6Y-78YdwlgTcpeMvqqxX4uzRzoyI8U54k/s1600/IMG_7791-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgujouTK67kczj-SmV4eFZSfdq_zbdNFSAasFSeRQ1mJjfgZ6qas-ag6p295aMPvzcK3nNTZykZqNyaSlqUKOltF-tJslbG79CGSecaYj2D6q6Y-78YdwlgTcpeMvqqxX4uzRzoyI8U54k/s400/IMG_7791-1.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I also made another little baby quilt with boats on it, but it doesn't have a destination. There's a strip of minky fabric down the center that is super soft.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy6MdB9NZxBkRy3QFCFMF7xrrJJk_USw225JKdrzZRTRzWG8EK3ac9pf_RB07B6gdoBklbhczhQzPpdD-z5puO13_IB51v3_8q9YBydNxiUzi6p2wquHyPuAcZ2FQ-ebUr4Uxg6kqcmB4/s1600/IMG_8080-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy6MdB9NZxBkRy3QFCFMF7xrrJJk_USw225JKdrzZRTRzWG8EK3ac9pf_RB07B6gdoBklbhczhQzPpdD-z5puO13_IB51v3_8q9YBydNxiUzi6p2wquHyPuAcZ2FQ-ebUr4Uxg6kqcmB4/s400/IMG_8080-1.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This last quilt was created for my main quilt guild challenge, which was called "Pretty Pink Petals." The quilt had to be 30"x40", have a pieced background, have applique, and have pink flowers. So this is my quilt "Pretty Pink Pedals." Ha!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWobnAY-wwrx7BQjvlUYsVakOGqe0S699d2XABm1am33UAo2PvK15hngxZNgXm_K5g4hisbIU-8Ok_PStbtcbvt6p4EOv4HiWJajHm7AXR09bnNvjBB4GXgPxltbAoUri469U0kIZ34Lg/s1600/IMG_8286-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWobnAY-wwrx7BQjvlUYsVakOGqe0S699d2XABm1am33UAo2PvK15hngxZNgXm_K5g4hisbIU-8Ok_PStbtcbvt6p4EOv4HiWJajHm7AXR09bnNvjBB4GXgPxltbAoUri469U0kIZ34Lg/s400/IMG_8286-1.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Another member of my household also finished her first real quilt! She did most of the work, including the rotary cutting (closely supervised), piecing, and all of the quilting! So so proud!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8VlTjTyj5nIrw6eR4SSuQNCPWLroberIAaJLoY8L72Hd0haxOaHY1Lw32allk2UQgIbRgvWD4vBxsOUZi1X3ZNCymgK3s4C-yZQmkIW3wi2kxAOjb63Hpwmf1kkYoWHm_vUkvS35E9nk/s1600/IMG_8268-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8VlTjTyj5nIrw6eR4SSuQNCPWLroberIAaJLoY8L72Hd0haxOaHY1Lw32allk2UQgIbRgvWD4vBxsOUZi1X3ZNCymgK3s4C-yZQmkIW3wi2kxAOjb63Hpwmf1kkYoWHm_vUkvS35E9nk/s400/IMG_8268-1.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Family</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So that brings us to family goings-on. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Z loves Lego, and here he's playing with them at the science center. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1V5dJ0IE1dQQcRlnzTFfDM3IH21zs71KxDyjrPdtCN6xTrFvAmZVGAE4AITU-ZjhAhNPyP3PWe9yQa2hQSHRag70ERO9l0MPDrH468Upy2b9DM_CYv0Y-LP3I1lL59s5i9XSsnUPbzoY/s1600/IMG_7282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1V5dJ0IE1dQQcRlnzTFfDM3IH21zs71KxDyjrPdtCN6xTrFvAmZVGAE4AITU-ZjhAhNPyP3PWe9yQa2hQSHRag70ERO9l0MPDrH468Upy2b9DM_CYv0Y-LP3I1lL59s5i9XSsnUPbzoY/s400/IMG_7282.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Ryan and I went to Sunset at the Vineyard at Penoach Winery several times over the summer; it's probably my favorite Friday night activity!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihW663bhODmNJnxKR4D_s3rk-SfICGhulP39qDRgRGJZHa-_R9ZlOEN1FcW71GmWawtUPyPH77kUkdtm-kRqDx17IEXTvXjSiDagYyYyZBU7EUsKBjWtkM2ozcTiwkTtJTfeYO8afM6Eg/s1600/IMG_7522.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihW663bhODmNJnxKR4D_s3rk-SfICGhulP39qDRgRGJZHa-_R9ZlOEN1FcW71GmWawtUPyPH77kUkdtm-kRqDx17IEXTvXjSiDagYyYyZBU7EUsKBjWtkM2ozcTiwkTtJTfeYO8afM6Eg/s400/IMG_7522.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This was also the first year I took Z to family camp with us, which he thoroughly enjoyed.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVF0qR_lG4Zqr9SmGl8o3YvwgPlYrC3LlMOALZZEOl35LTTtlap8BHh__DxvXqdHsg9i-UCA_YUHuUpiqxiVIPpqIIrJkI4brzTKw2ga-xgQTDwnwuSIjiA8hc_iX74KGMz9YZMNqlsFw/s1600/IMG_7637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVF0qR_lG4Zqr9SmGl8o3YvwgPlYrC3LlMOALZZEOl35LTTtlap8BHh__DxvXqdHsg9i-UCA_YUHuUpiqxiVIPpqIIrJkI4brzTKw2ga-xgQTDwnwuSIjiA8hc_iX74KGMz9YZMNqlsFw/s400/IMG_7637.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And of course we saw the eclipse. We drove down to the middle of nowhere Missouri to watch it in the line of totality, and it was 100% worth the 4-hour drive!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And I have two big kids in school, with their obligatory "first day" picture:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">H loves being a farm girl more and more each day. She's started collecting eggs with daddy sometimes and here she is being a quintessential farm girl, including night gown and muck boots. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> Here are the kids at halloween. I had Mario and Wonder Woman. I made Mario's overalls, but the Wonder Woman dress was purchased (I made the bracers). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Lastly, the biggest impact on family life was that Ryan decided to run for the Iowa House of Representatives in Des Moines. He announced in August and hasn't hit high gear quite yet for campaigning, but has been working on some of the behind-the-scenes framework and attending lots of local meetings and events. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigScFYzzlFGqteboXw1jU4P2S88P90wPg84x7e9ATIRzV2HJ1sN0pxM7D3q0AuzqwLDdXfDEfeNxGSnOs_HzRmGBw8wcmsOF9ydFlS9-SjvXYnHXuvPQq3oX-bnlUo1qUU0USvo4W9xoI/s1600/IMG_7897.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigScFYzzlFGqteboXw1jU4P2S88P90wPg84x7e9ATIRzV2HJ1sN0pxM7D3q0AuzqwLDdXfDEfeNxGSnOs_HzRmGBw8wcmsOF9ydFlS9-SjvXYnHXuvPQq3oX-bnlUo1qUU0USvo4W9xoI/s400/IMG_7897.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We hope you have a great new year, I look forward to what 2018 will bring!</span></div>
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Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02436858141037595318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491905782134706291.post-3505022701909569522017-02-16T23:17:00.000-06:002017-02-16T23:17:28.164-06:00New eggs, laundry stand, and Luna<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYAfB66Pg2JS0dDUYYM9uTquQU-0HbkBbyJZJvzdbg0GzQxIN9dFHblyBE447k_bC1zlOVCLxU15p6F6CSERGjx4CbPSIFiRpAG_ra2rCbT_H9Avm2SOPBZpGdQLyindOsljuQn-F6YTw/s1600/IMG_7018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYAfB66Pg2JS0dDUYYM9uTquQU-0HbkBbyJZJvzdbg0GzQxIN9dFHblyBE447k_bC1zlOVCLxU15p6F6CSERGjx4CbPSIFiRpAG_ra2rCbT_H9Avm2SOPBZpGdQLyindOsljuQn-F6YTw/s400/IMG_7018.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's fully winter here, except that this year the world mostly forgot to do winter. The expected high tomorrow is over 60 degrees, and it's <i>February</i>! So strange. We've had less than a foot of snow all winter so far.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Nevertheless, we've had winter activities. In farm news, our laying hens started laying and have been producing about fifteen dozen eggs a week. Hooray!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXQT_J73gdyX9SjkTfnTuqyaTI1PUOaN_e6USkhhSgp2lDTcfOuqUfIak1dbf96lOyVTwDFnzr6VYkFb8Nf7Stk5B60WVS46w76wsGg8SIDmr-BYtUCoWsT5N1RBmyHCa_pUFXcKkoJd0/s1600/IMG_6725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXQT_J73gdyX9SjkTfnTuqyaTI1PUOaN_e6USkhhSgp2lDTcfOuqUfIak1dbf96lOyVTwDFnzr6VYkFb8Nf7Stk5B60WVS46w76wsGg8SIDmr-BYtUCoWsT5N1RBmyHCa_pUFXcKkoJd0/s400/IMG_6725.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sometimes Ryan gets a little help sorting and cleaning them all.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinJIxpjgHWgHGxjrOdDaS9FLEAsjfupPqSPRRYw7Z8WLSrylXGlPprdb-9qLziT0sfHfbR71jXMtpPR2B5_d6mRBiucOY7yAVINgijuJcTzKCLQALINZAEOxOOmTyQmuyzsC2vgSnf5J8/s1600/IMG_6809.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinJIxpjgHWgHGxjrOdDaS9FLEAsjfupPqSPRRYw7Z8WLSrylXGlPprdb-9qLziT0sfHfbR71jXMtpPR2B5_d6mRBiucOY7yAVINgijuJcTzKCLQALINZAEOxOOmTyQmuyzsC2vgSnf5J8/s400/IMG_6809.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For the house, we built a stand for the washer and dryer. It was a nice weekend project, and I really like the result. Before:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDV4fE1lhzH2fD_JCr-sJx-rubx30OP9M6ByfNbcy1NhwQhCor9HsjySllUJsWmDkE_JXSC6NWPoQ7q0QsAbHN8sgywv9Lh6nRAKu6YR2lIvJ5GJkC5gySqs1j_s5LU9PxuSS_2qUfAak/s1600/IMG_6947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDV4fE1lhzH2fD_JCr-sJx-rubx30OP9M6ByfNbcy1NhwQhCor9HsjySllUJsWmDkE_JXSC6NWPoQ7q0QsAbHN8sgywv9Lh6nRAKu6YR2lIvJ5GJkC5gySqs1j_s5LU9PxuSS_2qUfAak/s400/IMG_6947.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In progress:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV-CmRdk1LgX8ubt068tG6LYCshFGIoj5vTrZHYIX2rBz8p3BASSibBYrjzEsCAr1mTMn9z_FXx1C0HQW6S1UkdjCrry8BI0yWi6YIjFF0iGgGQyUKXGttSEg94jIDXDl-Rruh8N5JKNs/s1600/IMG_6946.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV-CmRdk1LgX8ubt068tG6LYCshFGIoj5vTrZHYIX2rBz8p3BASSibBYrjzEsCAr1mTMn9z_FXx1C0HQW6S1UkdjCrry8BI0yWi6YIjFF0iGgGQyUKXGttSEg94jIDXDl-Rruh8N5JKNs/s400/IMG_6946.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF1c_62_7_ue6Q3zVrh_pV3u5qQ-0h9G46_lMQ_WwNgOBnllU2dtd7Zv5f2ZSFldnwz-8bYCDad7-57q7hPpU9RuZDeRgYRYDoRyIiY2mKfkaUc60IXk6E48NbIX0UjSNX4T1Usb-vDPQ/s1600/IMG_6952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF1c_62_7_ue6Q3zVrh_pV3u5qQ-0h9G46_lMQ_WwNgOBnllU2dtd7Zv5f2ZSFldnwz-8bYCDad7-57q7hPpU9RuZDeRgYRYDoRyIiY2mKfkaUc60IXk6E48NbIX0UjSNX4T1Usb-vDPQ/s400/IMG_6952.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I especially love the space underneath that fits our laundry baskets.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I also want to show that we've not only kept an orchid alive in the window of our bathroom shower, but we got it to <i>rebloom</i>!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For quilting, I've done a few smaller projects. First, we didn't have Christmas stockings for the kids, so I made some for our kids and also our nieces and nephew.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">They were fun to make, the one farthest back in this picture is mine that my grandmother made me long ago; I used it as a template.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I also made a denim quilt with regular quilting cotton in between the denim, which I love. It looks like stained glass and is very comfy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A fellow farmer friend of ours had a baby (shout out to <a href="http://www.prairiesedgeiowa.com/" target="_blank">Prairie's Edge Farm</a>!) and I had a small quilt in progress, so I finished it for her and sent it off.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It ended up "busier" than I would have liked, but it will work. I backed it with super soft fuzzy fabric.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">H did some sewing of her own, and made an Elsa dress for her doll. Maybe not a "beginner" project, but she was persistent and willing to take direction and help from me and she did a nice job.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In family news we're attempting yet another dog. The border collie decided to herd a car, so she didn't make it. We installed invisible fence and adopted a Great Pyrenees. Here she is the day we adopted her, two months old.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We've named her Luna and she's going to be quite a bit bigger than this. She was born in September, so she still has a lot of growing to do. Here she is chewing on a stick:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In family life, H and I took our annual ski trip again in December.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">She got to the point that she was going down real hills (instead of the learning hills for kids) and went down about 7 different slopes up about 4 different lifts at Breckenridge. Go girl, go!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02436858141037595318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491905782134706291.post-6588465430065829882016-11-27T20:17:00.000-06:002016-11-27T20:17:18.728-06:00New placemats, costumes, and completed hearth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As usual, life got away from me and so did the Fall. We had a very long warm Fall here, which is unusual but was generally welcome. Ryan has been starting the chicken building by pouring a concrete pad, I believe more on that can be found on <a href="http://beginningiowafarmer.blogspot.com/2016/11/ready-set-pour-chicken-house-phase-one.html" target="_blank">his blog</a>. He brought me in for some of the two-person work, like leveling out the top of the wet concrete.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> I hadn't ever done that before, it was interesting to do! Just add it to my list of "Skills I never thought I would have."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The 6-month-old calves tend to come investigate every time we're out there, they're very curious what we're doing in the hay lot. There was another one in the following picture as well, but I couldn't capture them all in the same shot. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In September we went to the Apple Festival at <a href="http://www.penoach.com/" target="_blank">Penoach Winery</a> and tended a booth for the business. It was an OK day, but I'm not sure if we will do it again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">With Thanksgiving over recently, I was proud to get my turkey boiled down for stock already! I took a picture, primarily for posterity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In sewing/quilting news, I went to upload pictures and discovered I've completed more than I thought I had in the last few months. I sewed myself a new laptop bag for work because the one I had was worn out and the one I could get from my company was just less interesting to me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I lined it with some pretty pink fabric and edgestitched it in pink as well to add a personal and feminine touch.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I also finished a quilt from the scraps of my lone star Christmas quilt that is serving as a seasonal throw on my couch.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRxCR8zfjTstBkkK-hvw6LH9VIFYWyNAZFH6P7De8SLSlT2T2uR5JAyIvH5TmL1tztrM_iH5sBjEV54jJnFBFdN1pIvng0mJZyDSHdvQAplY-Zlo-uYcKzDQJ5PM3jw6R1O1NmA0izkJE/s1600/IMG_6525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRxCR8zfjTstBkkK-hvw6LH9VIFYWyNAZFH6P7De8SLSlT2T2uR5JAyIvH5TmL1tztrM_iH5sBjEV54jJnFBFdN1pIvng0mJZyDSHdvQAplY-Zlo-uYcKzDQJ5PM3jw6R1O1NmA0izkJE/s400/IMG_6525.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Also in quilting, I replaced the placemats that I made 6 years ago, and this time I made 16 of them!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">They're a bit of a modern aesthetic and I also made matching napkins and a table runner.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Lastly, it was Halloween season and for the first year I really did it justice (in my opinion). H wanted to be Tinkerbell, which means she needed wings in addition to her costume. Here is the picture I found online that I used to base the wings on:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I did some work with a couple of wire coat hangers to get the basic shape:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Then I got some white tights and stretched them over the frame:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Then I tightened them up and sewed it in place, and attached some elastic:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The last step was to draw the swirly patterns on the back with silver puff paint that I had on hand.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I also made some shoe covers out of fleece and big white pom-poms. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I picked fleece because I don't have to hem it and it has a bit of stretch to it. I also made both kids' costumes out of fleece. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Z wanted to be Mario (the kid loves Mariokart if I haven't already mentioned it) so we bought the hat and the red sweatshirt and I made the overalls out of--you guessed it--more fleece. His mustache is a piece of felt taped on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ryan decided to also get into the fun with his blue Carhartts and a hat of his own. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">H has shown an interest in sewing, so she is sewing an Elsa dress from the movie Frozen for one of her dolls (with heavy help). I'm trying to get her to do as much on her own as she can, so here she is cutting out the pattern.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I also finished the hearth project that was mentioned a <a href="http://wildrosepastures.blogspot.com/2016/07/hearth-and-garden-growth.html" target="_blank">couple of blog posts back</a>, and it looks awesome. I'm not sure when it will get a wood stove, but it will at some point.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've been working a lot more than previously and took this mirror selfie on a business trip, so I thought I'd include it on this blog since I usually post about Ryan's work and not my own! ;-)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The kids are doing well in school, Z is enjoying Montessori. His spatial reasoning is especially good. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I also failed to post first-day-of-school pictures, so here are some:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We all hope you have a happy early winter season, perhaps I'll get another post in before Christmas!</span>Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02436858141037595318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491905782134706291.post-64058740004214048812016-08-20T16:40:00.000-05:002016-08-20T16:40:23.887-05:00End-of-summer gardens, creatures, and outings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It has been a fairly dry summer at the farm, much to Ryan's chagrin. Pretty much every storm that has come through has petered out right at our farm and then fired back up once it's past us. For example, last night there was heavy flooding about 10 miles east of us in Des Moines, but we got 0.3" of rain, which is amazing! Farmers really do live and die by rainfall amounts, we pretty much never miss the weather on the 10:00 evening news! There have been some truly lovely sunsets, though.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There have also been a couple of nice rainbows.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEineCbagNcI3IRlciErRW62fTewiMH-E_MHPf5f8SyXBnhren9HskFe5vICyv9S4T4JXgnZT4Ka1PrB1WxXV0SRpX4crTbuktLUea19htsOr-d_uAM3WDEqALG327siINWNxeRz9DL97FY/s1600/IMG_6269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEineCbagNcI3IRlciErRW62fTewiMH-E_MHPf5f8SyXBnhren9HskFe5vICyv9S4T4JXgnZT4Ka1PrB1WxXV0SRpX4crTbuktLUea19htsOr-d_uAM3WDEqALG327siINWNxeRz9DL97FY/s400/IMG_6269.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We had a turkey that didn't get out of some of the rain a couple of weeks ago, and a cold wet turkey is not likely to survive. So we brought it into the garage to warm up and dry off. This is almost the only thing my hair dryer ever does!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The turkey made a full recovery once we had her dried off and we were able to take her back to the flock.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I also told you I would update you on my garden, so I took a picture of my garden this morning. "Horribly neglected" is somehow insufficient as a description...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrncKmd20W119zXTJAR_1dXhCDItjY4kaBonUQDDHj0v0OyaQ8HHTLgqh1fNcbcjcHjQBkFx7CYP5KRAOXymLKPuIh7xSEKHY6qkuDEVwGsK4brE8Jyn6vqeUZJXCfuUoz0aF0jQVqkY/s1600/IMG_6424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrncKmd20W119zXTJAR_1dXhCDItjY4kaBonUQDDHj0v0OyaQ8HHTLgqh1fNcbcjcHjQBkFx7CYP5KRAOXymLKPuIh7xSEKHY6qkuDEVwGsK4brE8Jyn6vqeUZJXCfuUoz0aF0jQVqkY/s400/IMG_6424.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The yellow cherry tomatoes decided to go nuts, and I did a bad job of harvesting my radishes (they are off to the left of the picture, out of sight). It's still a more successful garden than any I've ever had, so I will continue to get better at this garden thing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My morning glories did grow well up my back porch, this is the first year that some of the variegated variety have shown up!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I took a picture of a very large garden spider hanging out by our pumpkins (which are not in the garden)--she's a beauty, but didn't feel like posing for me.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMCK1cg8VhqNlnF5lo7SLfbXQXll7QPeXv_RMQ-UMlwUeyInBBnlPJwUQCoYOdoNkL9BFhQkoxXa2XOL_5angnnXPvTze1pf_AHHiBTJYAyxRAkC8K96fFyJ4iYlTZfASWm4Ou5IHFoA/s1600/IMG_6426.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMCK1cg8VhqNlnF5lo7SLfbXQXll7QPeXv_RMQ-UMlwUeyInBBnlPJwUQCoYOdoNkL9BFhQkoxXa2XOL_5angnnXPvTze1pf_AHHiBTJYAyxRAkC8K96fFyJ4iYlTZfASWm4Ou5IHFoA/s400/IMG_6426.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Also in critter news we adopted a puppy. This is our fifth attempt at a dog since starting a farm (with varying types of failure), but is our first attempt at a puppy. She's a border collie mix, we think mixed with rat terrier since she is not shaggy enough to be pure border collie. She's very smart, but also very puppy-like and we've been working on house training and getting her to not herd the children around. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We took the kids to <a href="http://www.lhf.org/" target="_blank">Living History Farms</a> a couple of weeks ago, where they got to see some of how people used to farm. They aren't quite old enough to really make the connections and see how things are the same and how they are different from those farms to ours. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">t the fair this year the kids were old enough to start playing more, including the tunnel of squash (?) that they put up near the agriculture building. Here they are running out of the tunnel:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFiIZ-ulPzKvwT26rE5FgS57lhlL-GpG1o1RReTnjzXnnlmtdy8P9LNN6FtzTKKEbq3qiTWY8eYj3oF3o7P_sixL-e2wTAHHqA3Z0wh7MWMdVZPmh6SutNY2GGvRIhzlX_K5-_ac6RhXo/s1600/IMG_6335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFiIZ-ulPzKvwT26rE5FgS57lhlL-GpG1o1RReTnjzXnnlmtdy8P9LNN6FtzTKKEbq3qiTWY8eYj3oF3o7P_sixL-e2wTAHHqA3Z0wh7MWMdVZPmh6SutNY2GGvRIhzlX_K5-_ac6RhXo/s400/IMG_6335.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm biased, but I think those are pretty good pictures of both of them!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">H and I just got back from our annual trip to <a href="http://www.clearwatercamp.org/" target="_blank">Clearwater Camp</a>'s family camp, where we had a great time! The weather was just perfect.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMy7X7MnDstmhDAVGEWboFC0ddco0AeCXrisSgKDy5NEs6FFTO56IitkIce6mjyr7cauby2fU12rsepMgegZ3Xyu5PnTNh5KuBqmWvXzGjTHJ6IWo2I5sSGhvd7bEJPH9AmvcLCbD8Os/s1600/IMG_6398.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMy7X7MnDstmhDAVGEWboFC0ddco0AeCXrisSgKDy5NEs6FFTO56IitkIce6mjyr7cauby2fU12rsepMgegZ3Xyu5PnTNh5KuBqmWvXzGjTHJ6IWo2I5sSGhvd7bEJPH9AmvcLCbD8Os/s400/IMG_6398.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We did some fishing, here I caught H right at the moment she had touched the fish and is currently saying "Eww!"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUi9VyyJo07mB-qGHAqrT8FGzFKD5Z6F3DS1lUBc12PHwc4zzvdJ4GAX-jSj0G4ztOq9jWtXqgsOOtvZ9Q7-bEH13lcHegUgF5EKIF5KHbVGzRJZ2J5Pra4Tg_zEEi_16ok4IqZDqo_bM/s1600/IMG_6341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUi9VyyJo07mB-qGHAqrT8FGzFKD5Z6F3DS1lUBc12PHwc4zzvdJ4GAX-jSj0G4ztOq9jWtXqgsOOtvZ9Q7-bEH13lcHegUgF5EKIF5KHbVGzRJZ2J5Pra4Tg_zEEi_16ok4IqZDqo_bM/s400/IMG_6341.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And we also tried archery for the first time, with some help from a counselor.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha8OIFZrdRO9GpFHoEf4x-9wau4exbkJWsOUwPF2Nm4dMF8TSkTRwSZg5HKFgZ929vL1jDNJ9oBw5EY2XZa8dEUOUSBIikW5CYSuS-072xuCbf4_eEAnuA0NA2NLMLrkRh-3FAAyoYQH8/s1600/IMG_6380.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha8OIFZrdRO9GpFHoEf4x-9wau4exbkJWsOUwPF2Nm4dMF8TSkTRwSZg5HKFgZ929vL1jDNJ9oBw5EY2XZa8dEUOUSBIikW5CYSuS-072xuCbf4_eEAnuA0NA2NLMLrkRh-3FAAyoYQH8/s400/IMG_6380.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">'Til next year, beautiful North Woods!</span></div>
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Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02436858141037595318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491905782134706291.post-2302447145073052432016-07-07T19:15:00.000-05:002016-07-07T19:15:30.009-05:00Hearth and Garden Growth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On Father's Day, Ryan pulled Father's Day privilege and insisted I work on a house project that wasn't on my priority list but was on his. So I worked on the hearth in our living room. We purchased the slate a couple months ago and sorted it for the pieces we liked best.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkoytSzDZi9vDw0bKDTcFVgwLvHzzFeNO46S_5Ciz3NMLh5tg3uY0ABeLuQyulXN0OCHDh_zeqQMnmjOoRwqBYYtaRTAsEaEv_53wj6HdFd_HR4g3So6ZGRxeMW4U01b8a072oflH0RT8/s1600/IMG_6042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkoytSzDZi9vDw0bKDTcFVgwLvHzzFeNO46S_5Ciz3NMLh5tg3uY0ABeLuQyulXN0OCHDh_zeqQMnmjOoRwqBYYtaRTAsEaEv_53wj6HdFd_HR4g3So6ZGRxeMW4U01b8a072oflH0RT8/s400/IMG_6042.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here it is after putting on the cementboard:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And we discovered that the hearth was just a little larger than would be an even distribution with the tiles, so Ryan came up with another pattern. I like it better than just a standard grid!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzwB32YCt198oXQiO9_G7YbOX5LhW3ZYsZlGzJa0J9oHMUZd7XkoKMgkyda3qMLU9-9yLCrvaqAz1bYtJULrkLV9VJfhN2ypL2hzwYPC4_GOOVy0XuRpvfLU7r3Cufm-U64u-rf3TGlMA/s1600/IMG_6072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzwB32YCt198oXQiO9_G7YbOX5LhW3ZYsZlGzJa0J9oHMUZd7XkoKMgkyda3qMLU9-9yLCrvaqAz1bYtJULrkLV9VJfhN2ypL2hzwYPC4_GOOVy0XuRpvfLU7r3Cufm-U64u-rf3TGlMA/s400/IMG_6072.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's still waiting for grout, but I'll get there soon. It's also waiting for our custom dragon tile, which will be here in a couple months.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My garden is looking well. I planted all of the seeds we had of varying ages, so of course all of the rows next to eachother came up instead of something logical, like every other row. But the rows that came up look pretty good! Here it is a couple weeks ago:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijvaVThiZZbGWkLnBMjNbb_beoMFioBwJy0aiAL7o6tGNxhpJb8CUVwpZsN14ErcWM5_IlAGQpzdh-iBN58B23OyUgOHWe52MgKRD1pNFAOIdZzXhDnzPSTW4vkOio8HlAoYi31_mikW0/s1600/IMG_6086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijvaVThiZZbGWkLnBMjNbb_beoMFioBwJy0aiAL7o6tGNxhpJb8CUVwpZsN14ErcWM5_IlAGQpzdh-iBN58B23OyUgOHWe52MgKRD1pNFAOIdZzXhDnzPSTW4vkOio8HlAoYi31_mikW0/s400/IMG_6086.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And here it is tonight, the watermelon is growing nicely on the left. And yes, the radish on the right has totally gone to seed. I don't like to eat radishes, they're just satisfying to plant because they grow so quickly. The chickens are also looking at me through the garden fence, can you spot them?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh91YBtEI7ViFrW30XZq0SU7UZmDa_EnbXPPqY1HuLO68Yv9uiCUY7vH6zRoexBLcWbhqeGEIkf29fnSBxEnU48K14mojQbxP0pSMz9wJ4otlCgheRXoAs57WnNo1IRF_RR0R1PL4j2wTI/s1600/IMG_6140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh91YBtEI7ViFrW30XZq0SU7UZmDa_EnbXPPqY1HuLO68Yv9uiCUY7vH6zRoexBLcWbhqeGEIkf29fnSBxEnU48K14mojQbxP0pSMz9wJ4otlCgheRXoAs57WnNo1IRF_RR0R1PL4j2wTI/s400/IMG_6140.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's lily season, so my new double tiger lilies are blooming. Aren't these cool?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHgDMnPcSLqegHdf2peTb29fZeAGvNTDCWOWUpG7u7OI_4RXvH3EMVn3sTWVxTPu8gCADnysSJ2Fx3IT5ZQEBjBoG_7-HfVzwhp4r6aROeA_CSBpiBCXzJHi5oO_FYFNwRtFKqwnBoB4Y/s1600/IMG_6112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHgDMnPcSLqegHdf2peTb29fZeAGvNTDCWOWUpG7u7OI_4RXvH3EMVn3sTWVxTPu8gCADnysSJ2Fx3IT5ZQEBjBoG_7-HfVzwhp4r6aROeA_CSBpiBCXzJHi5oO_FYFNwRtFKqwnBoB4Y/s400/IMG_6112.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Also a plant (but not in the garden), we're indefinitely babysitting my mom's jasmine plant. If she ever decides to reclaim it, I'm going to have to get my own. This thing smells divine and is super happy in my house. It had almost 200 blooms on it a couple days ago (the blooms only last one day)!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioXetXUYsro35TsspDxsc8QxqcViDI1_dMB47vR5D_odhP5-yzwTb89PZs6e8N1NiVEvv4lw7ZcsLp3HGymDZj6tFBP6LD_Qd_4LPuFMpMVaiZSvWriKZ65RU5wbKfV8JrfCVPG72PES0/s1600/IMG_6115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioXetXUYsro35TsspDxsc8QxqcViDI1_dMB47vR5D_odhP5-yzwTb89PZs6e8N1NiVEvv4lw7ZcsLp3HGymDZj6tFBP6LD_Qd_4LPuFMpMVaiZSvWriKZ65RU5wbKfV8JrfCVPG72PES0/s400/IMG_6115.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In farm news, on the way home from the locker we stopped to eat dinner. I took a picture because this is a classic farmer park job. Five spots for the win!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgui1tOhDmIJKJK8mhw36xURz9z8RgSTfim1832RAaZSvKdSJFQZ_OVSsp226MOFl7aT5IC1shMbX5Ao4WP9wG9zpOD7tbI8d1t_pV-sl1hj1Jl1XqhK1WBlFTZ4CAFou3ZUaaRiWkzMA/s1600/IMG_6061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgui1tOhDmIJKJK8mhw36xURz9z8RgSTfim1832RAaZSvKdSJFQZ_OVSsp226MOFl7aT5IC1shMbX5Ao4WP9wG9zpOD7tbI8d1t_pV-sl1hj1Jl1XqhK1WBlFTZ4CAFou3ZUaaRiWkzMA/s400/IMG_6061.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And here the kids are "helping" daddy with the morning chores.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLmiULA0Q_XpgJWcgVZGHCF0fPYfyZX_ZSdu7K2OVyv9Mb_JWxpjVEDMv4VMkuHgozTa5s9QVTA6hTeQq3KsKisudvbY17Lgwu0VY6Ft-nZQj3dPpkjvMStIU2FkFiT3bt4B8NtBMk38Y/s1600/IMG_6068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLmiULA0Q_XpgJWcgVZGHCF0fPYfyZX_ZSdu7K2OVyv9Mb_JWxpjVEDMv4VMkuHgozTa5s9QVTA6hTeQq3KsKisudvbY17Lgwu0VY6Ft-nZQj3dPpkjvMStIU2FkFiT3bt4B8NtBMk38Y/s400/IMG_6068.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And Daddy and Z are surveying the landscape:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3u0Vz5cJPazc2azxDh0Hh9BL-6GXgHWoKwxkCDuCofxxLuTi6I2T34RlbLHj-KxwG0xlMRpluI_v2o0cOB82wAm9sxL0tpz4xCkYHEcb9DO7xe4f9v_TBtIpG2Qb-Djl3zD7tuR4eIqU/s1600/IMG_6106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3u0Vz5cJPazc2azxDh0Hh9BL-6GXgHWoKwxkCDuCofxxLuTi6I2T34RlbLHj-KxwG0xlMRpluI_v2o0cOB82wAm9sxL0tpz4xCkYHEcb9DO7xe4f9v_TBtIpG2Qb-Djl3zD7tuR4eIqU/s400/IMG_6106.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Until next time, enjoy the summer!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhodGFRZjpi5uBRUvkfqHn98-Vfj9qSSuDzERz1updoOM-Uhw4fDi8_j2o8W6AlvqNNb0MWbAUYD-Kbw_286d5XfGS55Moc5TlwXm95pTgnTYcZdwUrAhcK86SgA18-_QoZz7Cu_-1jKHU/s1600/IMG_6132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhodGFRZjpi5uBRUvkfqHn98-Vfj9qSSuDzERz1updoOM-Uhw4fDi8_j2o8W6AlvqNNb0MWbAUYD-Kbw_286d5XfGS55Moc5TlwXm95pTgnTYcZdwUrAhcK86SgA18-_QoZz7Cu_-1jKHU/s400/IMG_6132.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02436858141037595318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491905782134706291.post-60783734802189435592016-06-04T15:51:00.001-05:002016-06-04T15:54:16.883-05:00Spring goings on, bird quilt, and Christmas Lone Star quilt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Things are going well in our neck of the woods, it has been much warmer out, after a very long, cool, dry spring. When I was working on staining the windows to our bedroom, this was my view. I had the window open (because of the fumes) and I'm pretty sure the cows were trying to figure out what I was doing:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimsd35PSoU2dinnGmdhdQCVceI-6afGhvG5W6by_WGtY8Bd0u2_qMdGjN9cE-NWLgeidCv8CRErbHqW4QPXKPfdsMGshGwjmIZzoxcfhLifB51jwjaRq_6LJW8mRBZPNELGpr74hKUzqM/s1600/IMG_5795.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimsd35PSoU2dinnGmdhdQCVceI-6afGhvG5W6by_WGtY8Bd0u2_qMdGjN9cE-NWLgeidCv8CRErbHqW4QPXKPfdsMGshGwjmIZzoxcfhLifB51jwjaRq_6LJW8mRBZPNELGpr74hKUzqM/s400/IMG_5795.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The new calves have also been chasing one another around the farm, here the four youngest played their own version of cow tag:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UA-VyXi4FHSy9JwXVrouDAkF-s6yypSTTteoELgBepqeKvLua6x3tVubZLZgBS_J6JZUcYmR6_OFi9dWi2LguN82anLao3QcK1Zgy-iQ0ORI778ja4OYO6oVV9WBJVXgPxKmxQ80T_0/s1600/IMG_5728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UA-VyXi4FHSy9JwXVrouDAkF-s6yypSTTteoELgBepqeKvLua6x3tVubZLZgBS_J6JZUcYmR6_OFi9dWi2LguN82anLao3QcK1Zgy-iQ0ORI778ja4OYO6oVV9WBJVXgPxKmxQ80T_0/s400/IMG_5728.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Back in March, Ryan spent a lot of time chainsawing the scrubby timber out of our pastures and spent most of that month burning piles. Our pastures are now starting to look like someone cares about them again after more than ten years of neglect.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2z4GRcwdxWGuMBaGw-6mc3zyKSBXdz0b_ZOTi6X3iOExNhcJffmu9rgmlv3-NudcVvE3WOhR9hbdzB6r48-TgAnMn9_FxhjecYqNqOkrrY9Lly9JVhKcwwtKrNm28nBrKhN01I3W5zEY/s1600/IMG_5506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2z4GRcwdxWGuMBaGw-6mc3zyKSBXdz0b_ZOTi6X3iOExNhcJffmu9rgmlv3-NudcVvE3WOhR9hbdzB6r48-TgAnMn9_FxhjecYqNqOkrrY9Lly9JVhKcwwtKrNm28nBrKhN01I3W5zEY/s400/IMG_5506.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Ryan's also been trying to run a water line past our building, which means digging in the cow's area. The one in this picture is watching him dig raptly.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidDEgWV3Zt6NXhfYlsJt-FsXYR1LjOOMTdd1q1YMCn3UoZkn-xOw5MInoOIu7vcLiiRZfu8q0EY2HDoqkV9HbeZnqfV5CQ5kssbryyiG9vjOPtRcb0M094DIelscI-Idr4JJJQ8oseEAk/s1600/IMG_5741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidDEgWV3Zt6NXhfYlsJt-FsXYR1LjOOMTdd1q1YMCn3UoZkn-xOw5MInoOIu7vcLiiRZfu8q0EY2HDoqkV9HbeZnqfV5CQ5kssbryyiG9vjOPtRcb0M094DIelscI-Idr4JJJQ8oseEAk/s400/IMG_5741.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It's been a rough spring for chickens, we had an illness or bad ventilation or something and we lost about half of them. They are also growing very slowly, so we are going to have to miss our June deliveries. :-( Hopefully we'll be back on track soon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Taking a walk the other day, I also took a picture of our house from the back side, so I thought I would post that too. The fence in the foreground between the trees marks the eastern edge of our property line.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGpS0Fv5Ree8m5J7Ek140ylQcAWPA0BUvx49ForiFvDrACtGKrXc1WaGd-5z8prwU0s9fu5MQQdzGAKi_fEv7VUVgIr7HgGAQ8X_czrreM6OKUoZ10nKaP6zJpenWb-H19QQX9BYjaeJ8/s1600/IMG_5966.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGpS0Fv5Ree8m5J7Ek140ylQcAWPA0BUvx49ForiFvDrACtGKrXc1WaGd-5z8prwU0s9fu5MQQdzGAKi_fEv7VUVgIr7HgGAQ8X_czrreM6OKUoZ10nKaP6zJpenWb-H19QQX9BYjaeJ8/s400/IMG_5966.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The garden is also filling in nicely, here are our lilies and roses next to some violas. Ryan has done a very good job of starting and cultivating the garden, it looks great.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm7k2XbKJnbwE7XXiS8SXEao6BBl8CGCdxymLygRKCZ7xM0lURZ_SmHBzbqdP87-vL6rTVBkxh7ZKTaqLJGy5E2eLb3BOVm3eQtvhDMu-izsafYCuBZhg6QDVrtjaWpx5h9K4IN7GlgNs/s1600/IMG_5964.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm7k2XbKJnbwE7XXiS8SXEao6BBl8CGCdxymLygRKCZ7xM0lURZ_SmHBzbqdP87-vL6rTVBkxh7ZKTaqLJGy5E2eLb3BOVm3eQtvhDMu-izsafYCuBZhg6QDVrtjaWpx5h9K4IN7GlgNs/s400/IMG_5964.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I also got a garden planted, here is what it looked like on May 15th. It now has a few things growing in it, but a raccoon got into it and seems to have eaten all the carrots. Many of the seeds were also very old, so were not viable (which I expected). </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnf8EopOv2-18azwe85zmfEJbtwCi0CBGv6skWef_GDtAnQldWRBgZhfkqkDjD1FNs2PVhErc6KO5uGyCqbkzqkL_jzaZiIFMIbKMsRZ6nsV6hQvL67pmvvTDjgL_Z8le0_thUgoz6M8Q/s1600/IMG_5910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnf8EopOv2-18azwe85zmfEJbtwCi0CBGv6skWef_GDtAnQldWRBgZhfkqkDjD1FNs2PVhErc6KO5uGyCqbkzqkL_jzaZiIFMIbKMsRZ6nsV6hQvL67pmvvTDjgL_Z8le0_thUgoz6M8Q/s400/IMG_5910.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In quilting news, one of the nice things about posting infrequently is that I get more done in the interim. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I call this one Murmuration Minuend. A murmuration is a group of starlings, and a minuend is a quantity from which another is subtracted (so in 5-2=3, 5 is a minuend). </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIdTCRSI4Vvwofxb5O4QKnr1wDJQIaAf8ovWL07XJ6AdewtYioLrv8kHgYbZGrGB-D4LvVeRgkSlm0Saa-NOFm4WdTUCRHi8aO5iJkK2eneNertk5hqC8KUx8UZK7JemlEg2J-OMSZTcg/s1600/IMG_5412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIdTCRSI4Vvwofxb5O4QKnr1wDJQIaAf8ovWL07XJ6AdewtYioLrv8kHgYbZGrGB-D4LvVeRgkSlm0Saa-NOFm4WdTUCRHi8aO5iJkK2eneNertk5hqC8KUx8UZK7JemlEg2J-OMSZTcg/s400/IMG_5412.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It was not inspired by the poem <a href="http://www.best-poems.net/mary_oliver/starlings_in_winter.html" target="_blank">"Starlings in Winter" by Mary Oliver</a>, but that poem does capture my thoughts very well. This is a modern quilt style and I have entered it in quilt shows and hope to find out soon if it makes it in. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I also finished my Christmas lone star quilt, which I started when I was pregnant with Z. I named it Christmas Star-light after a starlight mint.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDYm6Xer6-sqGaTrJ2oVvKpQ267C738L-Qxrge8h-n30aZndJ-irq3g8XUryux_GHcphOhwaEcKIqD0vg75f8fWNsZd3_PcCbZcn-dthEMQjRRiPhvilUQEfsYdiOw0eA2HH8aPwy_dYo/s1600/IMG_5971.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDYm6Xer6-sqGaTrJ2oVvKpQ267C738L-Qxrge8h-n30aZndJ-irq3g8XUryux_GHcphOhwaEcKIqD0vg75f8fWNsZd3_PcCbZcn-dthEMQjRRiPhvilUQEfsYdiOw0eA2HH8aPwy_dYo/s400/IMG_5971.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The construction on this quilt is not amazing, but it will do. I think a Lone Star quilt is on the bucket list of many quilters, myself included, but I can now say I've attempted one. I might try to do another someday and do the construction more carefully, we'll see. In the meantime, I'll hang this one at Christmastime.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Recently my 18-year-old sewing machine has been showing signs of dying, piece by piece. So my father gave me an early Birthday/Christmas present and bought me a new one. It's a Bernina and I'm thrilled with it. It has a lot of features I've been drooling over for a while, but it also feels almost exactly like my old Bernina to sew with. I haven't decided what I'm doing with the old one; perhaps I'll pull it out when H is ready to sew. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Speaking of H sewing, she and I actually had a little sewing session earlier this spring.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiflx9dCiIcDHL2uYy14y5UzuDAYwc3vOZ7We69EW5LGXLRt7QAKqgUM5ETZmTE6fe5ax2PkNOod3JLq4DjOu_fEYHDEUueH-cbf9N81JlIBOJjWwu2-eVXV5_iZ_uHQhwAGtX_0rpdwpo/s1600/IMG_5669.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiflx9dCiIcDHL2uYy14y5UzuDAYwc3vOZ7We69EW5LGXLRt7QAKqgUM5ETZmTE6fe5ax2PkNOod3JLq4DjOu_fEYHDEUueH-cbf9N81JlIBOJjWwu2-eVXV5_iZ_uHQhwAGtX_0rpdwpo/s400/IMG_5669.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">She made a small blanket and pillows out of couple fat quarters and loved it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">H also insisted that we participate in Earth Day this year, so we did so by going and collecting garbage out of our ditches. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYIcxNLuqrlRBgThznr3zw75jZqcDoYGfQpXqtalP3N239v62BPd_UN52-U5px-PxXYacq5DFOxWXiiHhbOizieNoI3bmnh0XTCK-OkWPOBAG_wmuycpvM8Va6c-ELuZ5J9DWhVYNiz2w/s1600/IMG_5769.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYIcxNLuqrlRBgThznr3zw75jZqcDoYGfQpXqtalP3N239v62BPd_UN52-U5px-PxXYacq5DFOxWXiiHhbOizieNoI3bmnh0XTCK-OkWPOBAG_wmuycpvM8Va6c-ELuZ5J9DWhVYNiz2w/s400/IMG_5769.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">H has also started losing teeth, but so far she just lost the one. No other loose ones yet!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS44T7qngcMtL6mB9ScpAqPlAJB_VP8levUYt08TuZmkSo2dNd0rnoNNtU4emOQ27PYhD4RIIUiY-HPWprVsUUrIJRrH6h_J9mpEPspAVpgKPAvRtnFhLSMiQhvXfFPXlZrOzWt6OIsJQ/s1600/IMG_5799.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS44T7qngcMtL6mB9ScpAqPlAJB_VP8levUYt08TuZmkSo2dNd0rnoNNtU4emOQ27PYhD4RIIUiY-HPWprVsUUrIJRrH6h_J9mpEPspAVpgKPAvRtnFhLSMiQhvXfFPXlZrOzWt6OIsJQ/s400/IMG_5799.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">One of Z's favorite activities recently is making cookies with daddy. They do it about once a week, although I think in this picture he may have been helping make a cake for the birthday of a friend of ours instead.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Z26x0ki0BjiAvOGTC_YaOxskBNj4gex_dgGPqkhYBXF4PhrTfSc6roBjRDdubqkq0d_OLr8kX15dugcBED9_e9vqmJCKpr-55u6RmYWrxz0MvL21EaY42McBVAQ8Vm1MM0VX81viK8Y/s1600/IMG_5804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Z26x0ki0BjiAvOGTC_YaOxskBNj4gex_dgGPqkhYBXF4PhrTfSc6roBjRDdubqkq0d_OLr8kX15dugcBED9_e9vqmJCKpr-55u6RmYWrxz0MvL21EaY42McBVAQ8Vm1MM0VX81viK8Y/s400/IMG_5804.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Ryan and I have been dancing at the Red Friar's Dance Club in Ames as a monthly date night; it's been very helpful for us to have a night out once a month through the winter. I bought the dress I'm wearing in this picture when I took a trip to Singapore in February to visit my Dad, who is a professor there for a couple of years.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8t-moh7yKjM2cLd6AKU1bv1Zj69slhtOICranfQP6asckAiSyP6TRT_NfyGPmNt-doiOGAZ7oerBOlkIcEYEJdAdMw8RtGv7hjXI90v6xIdxxYOtJdTsj_KgR66GePrbss6cje12o2X0/s1600/IMG_5541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8t-moh7yKjM2cLd6AKU1bv1Zj69slhtOICranfQP6asckAiSyP6TRT_NfyGPmNt-doiOGAZ7oerBOlkIcEYEJdAdMw8RtGv7hjXI90v6xIdxxYOtJdTsj_KgR66GePrbss6cje12o2X0/s400/IMG_5541.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I'll leave you with these pictures of H, this is her on Friday at her last day of school:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbLdydODZuYr7fztKrOpM34gHIkoRAKtp5uwUxSTJb4QzB0AeD4QuhYfacta7s67bl6FZkNm3jhmZxKNfxNIK57-mpgWfH-yrXTZD79q28ZUOfcueEysx7Jd0TN55pVXse9WAXClGabdA/s1600/IMG_5983.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbLdydODZuYr7fztKrOpM34gHIkoRAKtp5uwUxSTJb4QzB0AeD4QuhYfacta7s67bl6FZkNm3jhmZxKNfxNIK57-mpgWfH-yrXTZD79q28ZUOfcueEysx7Jd0TN55pVXse9WAXClGabdA/s400/IMG_5983.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As a point of comparison, here she is on the first day again:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkuXMLF5niIOKwl_4mN0xXGgHvt0ubyY8IUxQsgwFdebu4W8HzqYMy3GvuX2Br6iqGr8qFDrLgX_R8Jpr4rYE5yPkLVL0vqt8UmYc2wNBxNNSQxebg_KsRvgPxJsGsd8tAW9dUxRwnzA/s1600/IMG_4488.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkuXMLF5niIOKwl_4mN0xXGgHvt0ubyY8IUxQsgwFdebu4W8HzqYMy3GvuX2Br6iqGr8qFDrLgX_R8Jpr4rYE5yPkLVL0vqt8UmYc2wNBxNNSQxebg_KsRvgPxJsGsd8tAW9dUxRwnzA/s400/IMG_4488.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02436858141037595318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491905782134706291.post-9040308026741629612016-02-10T00:02:00.001-06:002016-02-10T09:12:27.746-06:00Long update: Stuck, little sewing projects, winter goings-on<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Fair warning: this is going to be a long catch-up post, and is likely to be scattered. I'm on a business trip and have access to internet, which is a rarity. My workplace blocks this blog site (for good reason), so I just have to have extended access to unbridled internet to update it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">First, farm news. In early November Ryan was working on our drainage behind the house and into a kind of a creek we have there, and got stuck. And by stuck, I mean really stuck:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3NNrgf9V_fYdrS_GnJh0BarMw5UELpoPGYMicNn-psjDrSVEtCO18tBx9ysgxIjma_MCi3HK85uAwxwbKv86BLDNmlS21E6qbJmRqlsxqMmgxb0Cz3Frq7EDBgWBfMSgK-Bq9w7IzXvM/s1600/IMG_5054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3NNrgf9V_fYdrS_GnJh0BarMw5UELpoPGYMicNn-psjDrSVEtCO18tBx9ysgxIjma_MCi3HK85uAwxwbKv86BLDNmlS21E6qbJmRqlsxqMmgxb0Cz3Frq7EDBgWBfMSgK-Bq9w7IzXvM/s400/IMG_5054.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">We ended up calling a neighbor to pull him out of all of the muck, the truck just wasn't even beginning to cut it. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">He had a little helper working back there too (on a different day, a little farther up the slope):</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRMMz8-jGybpqGiQllU1UkOxPUURdqDLheEJGCrHeBNGI4j7KkBL32-RjfwWsMh1oPd1VtmW5JjdT9yRQBUAHmi7tzL00nz_xBt0Zo0DK27HUyYnuR4DzUB3MbnTGzcO0HfAqcDgL8Hc/s1600/IMG_5059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRMMz8-jGybpqGiQllU1UkOxPUURdqDLheEJGCrHeBNGI4j7KkBL32-RjfwWsMh1oPd1VtmW5JjdT9yRQBUAHmi7tzL00nz_xBt0Zo0DK27HUyYnuR4DzUB3MbnTGzcO0HfAqcDgL8Hc/s400/IMG_5059.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Speaking of little helpers, I had one come with me on turkey deliveries too.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSy2u9aKtRQkb5ZHjJNrTZ-dd65Jyv5A0vDr-YMoURqKq35UuHsFx39atktoaZaI0FGI42DwG8xf7H3mF2yKOmV5X8zG4hL8QbrrfWyuL6JeXy-nLqWemzvVaaRaaZQCfbElN9j25wX3c/s1600/IMG_5077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSy2u9aKtRQkb5ZHjJNrTZ-dd65Jyv5A0vDr-YMoURqKq35UuHsFx39atktoaZaI0FGI42DwG8xf7H3mF2yKOmV5X8zG4hL8QbrrfWyuL6JeXy-nLqWemzvVaaRaaZQCfbElN9j25wX3c/s400/IMG_5077.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">We ended up doing Ames turkey deliveries amidst fresh snow, and at that point in the season snow was still a fun novelty!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Last Saturday we did our business taxes, and only filed for a $200 loss for the business this year! That is awesome and means we're getting much closer to profitability. Without writing off our mileage and our depreciation, we did make about $6000 last year. Total sales are around $18,000 and were about 40% beef, 35% chicken, and 25% turkey. I usually like to tell you all how we are doing as a business, partially because I think it's easy to lose sight of the fact that we are a business. I feel like the business had a good year overall, and I'm optimistic as we settle into our new location.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">For my sewing, I mostly worked on a bunch of little projects. First up, Ryan needed a new Dopp kit. He threw out his old one when he opened it up to pack it for a trip and found it covered in mold inside and out. I did some googling to find a tutorial, and sewed something up:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMTfaeNVGdsfgJlWSgyYcJtX6XB0NU7jRBMenByZTw-oxU77DN5yw2naVFECwig4Ku5mslraQ5AeNkDiP9sz1rwOESEvEY_ZcFmqojpjB4sJiuolpAGyzqKpaqaAyJx5-qqse1z-4kJ3U/s1600/IMG_4744.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMTfaeNVGdsfgJlWSgyYcJtX6XB0NU7jRBMenByZTw-oxU77DN5yw2naVFECwig4Ku5mslraQ5AeNkDiP9sz1rwOESEvEY_ZcFmqojpjB4sJiuolpAGyzqKpaqaAyJx5-qqse1z-4kJ3U/s400/IMG_4744.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">The purple bag on the left is my Dopp kit (purchased from Target). That sad, mopey creation on the right was my first attempt. Not so much a win. So I thought about it, changed some dimensions, and tried again:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8CJur35MYhC-AqE2AXZBeKWBHQsZdEwYheKgTqG98zTpOpBRzDDA3mqq-mDzs9MG9TsFvW2zmZRWjK5wi6nNZDBfumMWwshxFezaMFax48I6rvH0MeWL-02DP71LTbSZM7dtbUn7Ghg/s1600/IMG_5060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8CJur35MYhC-AqE2AXZBeKWBHQsZdEwYheKgTqG98zTpOpBRzDDA3mqq-mDzs9MG9TsFvW2zmZRWjK5wi6nNZDBfumMWwshxFezaMFax48I6rvH0MeWL-02DP71LTbSZM7dtbUn7Ghg/s400/IMG_5060.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Much improved. This one actually looks like something and functions (and doesn't make Ryan cringe when he looks at it). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I also made some table runners, here is one example:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">The pattern is "Triangle Frenzy" if you're curious; it's easy and fun and involves cutting striped fabric into 60 degree triangles. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">For whatever reason, I also seem to know a lot of people having babies right now, so I made another small baby quilt, this one is about 3 ft square.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">It was inspired by a pattern called Hugs and Kisses by Tamarack Shack, but I didn't quite get it right. Ah well, it's done and when it comes to baby quilts, done is definitely better than perfect. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">On the house front, we've continued to work on all of the finishing projects. We almost got the outside painted before it got too cold to work outside, so this picture doesn't have all of the trim done and I do know it. Sigh. I blame Iowa winters.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I do like the color a lot, and I will get the rest of the exterior done when it warms up again!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Recently I've been consumed with tiling our master bathroom surround. This was an all-consuming project and I am SO glad to have it done. We actually took our first shower in it this morning, so that made today a good day for me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Most of the tile is just basic 6" off-white tile, but my one luxury here was these beautiful heron tiles from a company called <a href="http://earthsongtiles.com/" target="_blank">Earthsong Tiles</a> in Canada. It's a couple that does them by hand out of their home, and I just love them. Here's a closer look:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I also had a little helper working on cleaning grout with me a few days ago, she did a nice job helping!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">My last house/crafting item doesn't classify well so it's going to go here. When my grandmother died a couple of years ago, I inherited a piece of needlepoint from my great grandmother. It's floated around my house in a horrendously ugly frame since then:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">My apologies if this frame is your style, but it's certainly not mine. So I had it reframed and it's found a place in our bedroom.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I also had them frame it a little tighter to get rid of some of the awkward space around the embroidery, and I'm very happy with how it turned out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">The kids are doing very well, and are happy and healthy. When fall color first started, we made some window decorations using clear contact paper.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">The kids were much more into this than I expected, with H making houses and flowers and Z making storms and monsters (can you find them below? Some imagination required). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Then in October we took a family trip to Disneyland with my dad, stepmom, brother, and sister-in-law. It was a great trip and it was nice to all go somewhere together. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">For Halloween we had a cowboy and a princess. Not a lot of creativity here, I'm hoping they forgive me when they're older. There was a lot going on in October.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">For Christmas, we did our traditional tree hunt, which meant trekking into the pasture and chopping one down. It definitely had a very seedy look to it, but it worked! (and there's my ham of a daughter being a camera hog.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">H and I also took a ski trip in December where she had her first skiing experience. Here we are all ready to go:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">And here she is at the end of her first day, tired but you can see the satisfaction and accomplishment in her face. She enjoyed it and did well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">And since this blog has been a little heavy on my daughter, we'll finish up with some pics of my son. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Z sandwich - Daddy, Z, Nermal!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">And Daddy indulged him with a motorized toy train engine for his train track. It's like heaven for him. Those of you who know us well know that I have a general "no batteries" rule in my house for toys because all of their noises and lights drive me up the wall. I hereby pin this one on my husband and maintain that I'm still trying to hold the rule...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">And finally, the last few days he's been sick and on Saturday morning we persuaded him to take a morning nap in our bed. We lured him in with cuddles and let him fall asleep, where I couldn't resist taking a pic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Sleep well, little one!</span>Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02436858141037595318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491905782134706291.post-61768471065114201692015-09-26T14:43:00.000-05:002015-09-26T14:43:16.594-05:00Kindergartener, Trim staining, and Disappearing 4 patch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Since my last post, I put a kindergartener on the school bus. I'm really not broken up about it; she is ready and likes school. I never rode the bus (I lived too close to school), so it's very nice to just put her on the bus in the morning (at 7 AM!!) and know that she'll get there. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We had an old post on the farm that had rotted off and was holding a gate, so Ryan pulled it. After doing so, we determined it was almost entirely hollow; I know this is insect damage, but I'm not sure what kind. I think it's kind of pretty, in an I'm-glad-it's-in-my-pasture-and-not-my-house kind of way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And here Ryan and our friend Jared are rehanging the gate on the other post on the other side. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the house, I've been doing a lot of sanding and staining. We're using light stain, so there isn't usually a big contrast between our before and after. Stairs before:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Stairs after:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've also been finishing and setting up more closets, here is my closet. It's the largest closet I have ever had, and it's just the right size without being overlarge. Of course, because it's bigger than anything I've had, it's not very full and in the bottom right if you think you see quilting materials, you're totally right.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In other farm news, we had a day where the turkeys managed to break out. They've been growing pretty well this year, which is a blessing. Here Ryan works on putting them back in their paddock. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We also attended <a href="http://www.penoach.com/" target="_blank">Penoach Winery's</a> Apple Festival a couple of weekends ago to sell some meat and H enjoyed the wagon rides they were having. She spent hours all morning riding the wagon and chatting up the drivers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We tried to take some cows to the sale barn but after chasing them for over 2 hours, we failed. There is one cow in particular (she's old and wily) that we want to sell, but we were unable to catch her. I think we need some cowboys and lassos. In the meantime, Z and I hung out and took selfies. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is after Ryan lifted him over the gate:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I did finish a quilt for a friend of mine who is having a baby in March, the pattern is just a simple disappearing four patch made with all of my novelty animal prints (I apparently have way too many of those).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">At a school rally, H picked up some truly ridiculous glasses. She's judging you right now:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha2iDc6oKtPUqKVNJ0SIaRdvX1TGaLn3G8515IFj4KTls7CeU_Pi98VL7b0ByUteF34wISIaSSVdfDcy_ttUzcWGQSw38qmFKTW2zoQIyKzS-JzUdpbVm-71q4u0y0BgMCC7CVsUagO28/s1600/IMG_4638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha2iDc6oKtPUqKVNJ0SIaRdvX1TGaLn3G8515IFj4KTls7CeU_Pi98VL7b0ByUteF34wISIaSSVdfDcy_ttUzcWGQSw38qmFKTW2zoQIyKzS-JzUdpbVm-71q4u0y0BgMCC7CVsUagO28/s400/IMG_4638.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And I will leave you with this beautiful sunrise from a few days ago. The weather is currently at the perfect time of the year that early fall brings us in Iowa.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2TlsHNB1J0gXrAhQDU0gVrDVb8vkmgzyfSHShVEVUeZnfjnejU8MM0MsvNiuXNaocKKzNzwn8JCwo3vq66E1u1uO956es4Jca4YBlLDuKTXIYsRAvCkYZtnu_i_hOJRAxuZ0SiiMayMY/s1600/IMG_4635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2TlsHNB1J0gXrAhQDU0gVrDVb8vkmgzyfSHShVEVUeZnfjnejU8MM0MsvNiuXNaocKKzNzwn8JCwo3vq66E1u1uO956es4Jca4YBlLDuKTXIYsRAvCkYZtnu_i_hOJRAxuZ0SiiMayMY/s400/IMG_4635.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02436858141037595318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491905782134706291.post-29323751859425114722015-07-25T16:22:00.000-05:002015-07-25T16:22:26.939-05:00Closet, Green Boy Quilt, and Jenga<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As is typical every few months, the tractor died. This time it died down the road from our place about a half a mile while moving hay. It appears to have been due to junk in the fuel line, but I did remember to take a picture this time. It's a measure of how far we've come since moving to the country that I just brought Ryan the truck, he chained up the tractor, and I drove the truck while he steered the tractor back to the house with a minimum of fuss. Then he was able to clear the fuel lines without a lot of trouble and get her running again. All of that seems small, but there was a time when it would have been a big deal!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqDtcXty21GvEM9Ox-0hu4tv6EnSaAxVMDKA0QbA1k0jNS8bxXLMMMr9ePSSB07B8pS0yNN_z-aiY3sKNlvNjk6Hie7TJBvsfyIVxrbMGjunvyIpE_v8KAzOLwtERSU802ftV9VIvsRM/s1600/IMG_4269.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqDtcXty21GvEM9Ox-0hu4tv6EnSaAxVMDKA0QbA1k0jNS8bxXLMMMr9ePSSB07B8pS0yNN_z-aiY3sKNlvNjk6Hie7TJBvsfyIVxrbMGjunvyIpE_v8KAzOLwtERSU802ftV9VIvsRM/s400/IMG_4269.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Adjusting to the new house is going well, it's kind of nice we are close to the cattle when they are in some pastures. One morning I woke up to this outside our window; all of the calves were just hanging out in the sunrise.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn_TeUvK4_p2GotVAxKjT2uE9MEQJ9OpsG7_cudrIkYq-w1-94fUrd4fbub1z7uRhXY3xfE_DxAopc2liylPHrooaJH4zQoxROQDbFWkyKyuknuCuN-VDpVpyGxeIxL9rXkVVXw7Gdqsk/s1600/IMG_4271.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn_TeUvK4_p2GotVAxKjT2uE9MEQJ9OpsG7_cudrIkYq-w1-94fUrd4fbub1z7uRhXY3xfE_DxAopc2liylPHrooaJH4zQoxROQDbFWkyKyuknuCuN-VDpVpyGxeIxL9rXkVVXw7Gdqsk/s400/IMG_4271.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Obviously I took that picture through the screen on the window, sorry about that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As for the house itself, we've continued to work on small tasks. Here is H's closet with some shelves hung on the wall. I still have one more bar to hang to the right of the shelves, but I think it will serve her well. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1T9MIFd9-0FuTUnPNbjH2yqDhbUibG3cbHe0HthcknlLrlDN2oJEfNpU9agr1OhO9ZNKeheA_-c7rhu-ZzjuVPs-LYZqExgM2ZL12uv5MmvO-HsXrXDOL1xmDNrdQN6kDycxbw2-4FCU/s1600/IMG_4259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1T9MIFd9-0FuTUnPNbjH2yqDhbUibG3cbHe0HthcknlLrlDN2oJEfNpU9agr1OhO9ZNKeheA_-c7rhu-ZzjuVPs-LYZqExgM2ZL12uv5MmvO-HsXrXDOL1xmDNrdQN6kDycxbw2-4FCU/s400/IMG_4259.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We also got the last retaining wall done, next will be the deck. We have that scheduled for early-mid August, so we will see how that goes!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRAkuY7inUpO6PWioH_jYMoOVpIuoC_bJPwY6T45G8KAfiHYsWXhS6Mac0sIvhT6IP4wrw9IkKXYCpkfDI0rWU1sPuSLoAABu0cIkJsj2NtbXSy8yQPf5EBgKgNbWkDzF9X-0knUHQPsE/s1600/IMG_4260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRAkuY7inUpO6PWioH_jYMoOVpIuoC_bJPwY6T45G8KAfiHYsWXhS6Mac0sIvhT6IP4wrw9IkKXYCpkfDI0rWU1sPuSLoAABu0cIkJsj2NtbXSy8yQPf5EBgKgNbWkDzF9X-0knUHQPsE/s400/IMG_4260.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ryan also had an interesting adventure one day last week. So marijuana is a weed in Iowa. Not the kind you can smoke or make hemp out of, but its more boring cousin. It grows 7 feet tall all across our property where the soil was disturbed (which is most of the property) and we didn't get it mowed while it was still 1-2 feet tall. It's relatively resistant to any kind of herbicide (and if we spray it, other things around it tend to also die), and the stalks are also fairly thick and hard to cut. So Ryan was contemplating buying a machete. Then he thought about the sword his mother gave him for an 18th birthday present. While I thought this sounded fairly crazy, he sent me evidence that the crazy idea of cutting down the weed with a sword actually worked:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4s-Jt-l4h3Id3ePD6vQDHN0PCEmXyughYLWqxVEYRWjjdS_o6ZA1Z8HWEphzjGmWabDTV6utvGpmTD2a2Sw-TevHVC8cG4W7DV7PY7ym0w0L9kWoG_Qcarm9AEhotaZLlICftv6tdcws/s1600/IMG_4276.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4s-Jt-l4h3Id3ePD6vQDHN0PCEmXyughYLWqxVEYRWjjdS_o6ZA1Z8HWEphzjGmWabDTV6utvGpmTD2a2Sw-TevHVC8cG4W7DV7PY7ym0w0L9kWoG_Qcarm9AEhotaZLlICftv6tdcws/s400/IMG_4276.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On the quilting front, I finished the quilt for my new nephew (Ryan's sister's son) who was born in March. It was inspired by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/173355540/snowflake-baby-girl-quilt-toddler-quilt?ref=listing-shop-header-3" target="_blank">"Snowflake Baby Girl Quilt" by MelissaHevey on Etsy</a>. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoL2b-HjJ5voRYy-DMZm8KfMEAx93OTv8jMxHVFcAsxNwjEUU3nn9REHBtai7PehnhhdDCyq_3AEErLqybZz9X1C1BVY7uubsPTS_ilb2SaJpKuUVbCYhtTYbatoE2xldZifHFLWeI_qE/s1600/IMG_4247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoL2b-HjJ5voRYy-DMZm8KfMEAx93OTv8jMxHVFcAsxNwjEUU3nn9REHBtai7PehnhhdDCyq_3AEErLqybZz9X1C1BVY7uubsPTS_ilb2SaJpKuUVbCYhtTYbatoE2xldZifHFLWeI_qE/s400/IMG_4247.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here's the back, pieced with scraps:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipYY31Uybop3DMOrTJWfrWMQFccf0dnAZryzfu4T_15mnaSRhJdRP1pSfIbKuhuZq4zoQnvsUcer0FHOMBSi10T2L67j-KhBVkQdA61iUJKiZjV0kuxBcK1nIpQ5XJU_dNKeIBNZeFzq8/s1600/IMG_4249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipYY31Uybop3DMOrTJWfrWMQFccf0dnAZryzfu4T_15mnaSRhJdRP1pSfIbKuhuZq4zoQnvsUcer0FHOMBSi10T2L67j-KhBVkQdA61iUJKiZjV0kuxBcK1nIpQ5XJU_dNKeIBNZeFzq8/s400/IMG_4249.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And a detail with the tag. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrVlcRdPcmv7gX5HPmh3TLMsjWC8DmTB6ke5eCnnIhhCFBhpM6znvRpyIq2K_vP7GhG4qguMGkSXmnKVKOvJwD_qOJRGvrY5g_QV_fACgpez3L0aKKT3G54hx5NIUQrxseSZdJSzXlEQ4/s1600/IMG_4253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrVlcRdPcmv7gX5HPmh3TLMsjWC8DmTB6ke5eCnnIhhCFBhpM6znvRpyIq2K_vP7GhG4qguMGkSXmnKVKOvJwD_qOJRGvrY5g_QV_fACgpez3L0aKKT3G54hx5NIUQrxseSZdJSzXlEQ4/s400/IMG_4253.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The kids are doing well, here they are playing in the sandbox:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmGRWYsTSmmIbZUr2KQIbJ6l15qt78cv8-WHzqO6w7p3v4nHV818LFKNzS3RXwbZaotqcXckhHS4-VRvaMWHICSvTv02r8xfDtF166wc_S_CDE6XZUME-h1xEpJzTQYlqwhbW_gc5H2Xo/s1600/IMG_4288.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmGRWYsTSmmIbZUr2KQIbJ6l15qt78cv8-WHzqO6w7p3v4nHV818LFKNzS3RXwbZaotqcXckhHS4-VRvaMWHICSvTv02r8xfDtF166wc_S_CDE6XZUME-h1xEpJzTQYlqwhbW_gc5H2Xo/s400/IMG_4288.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ryan's dad reads to Z (Cowpoke Clyde and Dirty Dawg - that book is so fun. We love it and read it a lot).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPozncv1fzCGv3g8gEnewE8TJVsPq6oWhq0hg8QJ_DwxNOrYQUiBNSNGxQcSh4HApE5BcV5P54ddZaepggpO2V8djw7RazC65aqQ3iif_Dfa8m_bHMPL-De3Az3zCkwoyenpv3YJ2Mmm4/s1600/IMG_4286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPozncv1fzCGv3g8gEnewE8TJVsPq6oWhq0hg8QJ_DwxNOrYQUiBNSNGxQcSh4HApE5BcV5P54ddZaepggpO2V8djw7RazC65aqQ3iif_Dfa8m_bHMPL-De3Az3zCkwoyenpv3YJ2Mmm4/s400/IMG_4286.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Z plays (as always) with things with wheels. That is a car on top of a tractor that is pulling a manure spreader (he calls it a trailer) that is carrying another two or three trucks.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgknWK287KCiSIeLb-Ds_c4xtlgf0vw_gmhvDkevC0basZODK7f2-wNS46zbqjKEF5I3rL5Iig20v0MF5ki3-KTS0fwpO1HawQrMWsC2R2sPjR1m2GD-09lk_5NKX0SyoIL20j0Uo5Lxfo/s1600/IMG_4277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgknWK287KCiSIeLb-Ds_c4xtlgf0vw_gmhvDkevC0basZODK7f2-wNS46zbqjKEF5I3rL5Iig20v0MF5ki3-KTS0fwpO1HawQrMWsC2R2sPjR1m2GD-09lk_5NKX0SyoIL20j0Uo5Lxfo/s400/IMG_4277.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And last night we went to Sunset in the Vineyard at <a href="http://www.penoach.com/" target="_blank">Penoach Winery</a>. It was a beautiful night with great music, and we enjoyed playing Giant Jenga that they had set up. The band is behind me while I take this picture. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvIL720ezzmLVTRZ3p7W5Xx_rMKvqiZofyIGENXGjPS_4tgFgktbbNpRhUGMHXgTqZRi9mb8qlAlK_QJs-EfWQP15G0uC1poS7knGrcdBI1uNH68eL8szC_wjCREN787gn9UjGzNIi1kM/s1600/IMG_4313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvIL720ezzmLVTRZ3p7W5Xx_rMKvqiZofyIGENXGjPS_4tgFgktbbNpRhUGMHXgTqZRi9mb8qlAlK_QJs-EfWQP15G0uC1poS7knGrcdBI1uNH68eL8szC_wjCREN787gn9UjGzNIi1kM/s400/IMG_4313.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And then, of course, the inevitable always happens at the end of Jenga....</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3odIzWTXAoyEe44Brp-t7nQOUvMdavmtd2-fEWMRcr43C9qoYhOvzvmzDE-eknaGJ5IyaMKkpeEm1Xj_KHWWj_iDuALy1H8RWBbVRd14AFb7cVp49mnGghztMUnCgkuSBJEOo_61xxcQ/s1600/IMG_4319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3odIzWTXAoyEe44Brp-t7nQOUvMdavmtd2-fEWMRcr43C9qoYhOvzvmzDE-eknaGJ5IyaMKkpeEm1Xj_KHWWj_iDuALy1H8RWBbVRd14AFb7cVp49mnGghztMUnCgkuSBJEOo_61xxcQ/s400/IMG_4319.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02436858141037595318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491905782134706291.post-55715522849691407652015-06-28T16:35:00.000-05:002015-06-28T16:35:08.213-05:00Concrete, Grading, and Field Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">House changes are definitely more subtle now, the latest is getting the grading done around the house and putting in our concrete. It's very nice to have the use of our front door now and it's also helping a lot with the mud.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIiYAjjHfCF0T6EsO_neuw6qWI2GFcyRCPQ02MEW5XluyM5e7XWTwaNM3VBrkE9RkzPi4_Y32F9h5Qf-6FeS88JKrlg1EXexLaR9CMiuF8z0TSM_OcPVJ5BtGBbRLSBj9kJVWRfujI85Y/s1600/IMG_4197.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIiYAjjHfCF0T6EsO_neuw6qWI2GFcyRCPQ02MEW5XluyM5e7XWTwaNM3VBrkE9RkzPi4_Y32F9h5Qf-6FeS88JKrlg1EXexLaR9CMiuF8z0TSM_OcPVJ5BtGBbRLSBj9kJVWRfujI85Y/s400/IMG_4197.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here H is modeling one of our retaining walls, which was part of the grading work.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdk7sIeS20sYRZldijeAegzYXKwBMDCpTDvyinB9it9Fgv2-j4kOLD84CaSziua_KknVTDIskN6Am_n8fBbsZ_28J1cJjGijXgKSO9y2TZrXqtaH2TuQarQpJd884Hff5mLoVh8PuGdZ8/s1600/IMG_4132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdk7sIeS20sYRZldijeAegzYXKwBMDCpTDvyinB9it9Fgv2-j4kOLD84CaSziua_KknVTDIskN6Am_n8fBbsZ_28J1cJjGijXgKSO9y2TZrXqtaH2TuQarQpJd884Hff5mLoVh8PuGdZ8/s400/IMG_4132.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here Z enjoys the freshly poured concrete ramp out front.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJ0Gpu6KnMZD0gestFbSnjZL18LygMu5Y7hJyGQFvYS753smtHit9XB_Cw2L_YTfbwUvho-dz0m3QwvFgwPN3HeH_eRrbhZ2e1xzNJln5hKboj9gQhUGqzXqwiJdLrQ-KoBh7lw-mcLc/s1600/IMG_4195.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJ0Gpu6KnMZD0gestFbSnjZL18LygMu5Y7hJyGQFvYS753smtHit9XB_Cw2L_YTfbwUvho-dz0m3QwvFgwPN3HeH_eRrbhZ2e1xzNJln5hKboj9gQhUGqzXqwiJdLrQ-KoBh7lw-mcLc/s400/IMG_4195.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We've also been working on the trim in our house, here is trim with the quarter round we installed on it. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUHEy61yA96AadcOCYSIQv9B6jk5QZ_8PMXGWyahtYabeBvIpQtRWJCAQw8i2XtrvDpuh9AjT0CrHSA9Jc26wac70mKZQ0QkJsX65KoelCs53wB3YgbKd-9ACJyovG1h30npEES4v4HlA/s1600/IMG_4154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUHEy61yA96AadcOCYSIQv9B6jk5QZ_8PMXGWyahtYabeBvIpQtRWJCAQw8i2XtrvDpuh9AjT0CrHSA9Jc26wac70mKZQ0QkJsX65KoelCs53wB3YgbKd-9ACJyovG1h30npEES4v4HlA/s400/IMG_4154.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We also are at the beginning of our production season, so here Ryan is rolling up some polyline in front of our chicken tractors. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1gaoZ3KXImQOwB-UrU7koovS_uaOy3dIeKiI93j2VDZzvmP_znhumR2Yz-LzX8wzP2cTCU_TuMv-rsEjl9CisNPgj4k1B2t4u-I_-uojUIwCaW01xmMOGNQsFLnfU5zMAoh4mG19hZec/s1600/IMG_4166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1gaoZ3KXImQOwB-UrU7koovS_uaOy3dIeKiI93j2VDZzvmP_znhumR2Yz-LzX8wzP2cTCU_TuMv-rsEjl9CisNPgj4k1B2t4u-I_-uojUIwCaW01xmMOGNQsFLnfU5zMAoh4mG19hZec/s400/IMG_4166.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I was helping gather posts for him.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTY2JXCN9DdNydUxZeIz_vQmpZbiNKzh9U8ArE0HATdsGmOhNFSbd_2_ThAJtXK1cawtoHhLVEV-j4GJU0VUJoiVOeezFVCdmvzEfZl6m1whkwktyDgUdYKgiqB5v9TM6vYH9_6ApHotY/s1600/IMG_4173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTY2JXCN9DdNydUxZeIz_vQmpZbiNKzh9U8ArE0HATdsGmOhNFSbd_2_ThAJtXK1cawtoHhLVEV-j4GJU0VUJoiVOeezFVCdmvzEfZl6m1whkwktyDgUdYKgiqB5v9TM6vYH9_6ApHotY/s400/IMG_4173.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Z and H were out there "helping" too.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdvNaalxsZ4X7dz_z76UBTq8Fu3hbbDprKc9NuGJVpIWPrn_BQs1crSW1x6gg2rn67NUTeCeXRpMwYeYrfCbAkYNaRneyvvsJh7xsfVNEzM13Qwpblz31CP1m5dkpqr7Cpz_L205jmD2I/s1600/IMG_4170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdvNaalxsZ4X7dz_z76UBTq8Fu3hbbDprKc9NuGJVpIWPrn_BQs1crSW1x6gg2rn67NUTeCeXRpMwYeYrfCbAkYNaRneyvvsJh7xsfVNEzM13Qwpblz31CP1m5dkpqr7Cpz_L205jmD2I/s400/IMG_4170.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The other major event around here is that yesterday we hosted a <a href="http://practicalfarmers.org/news-events/events/field-days/" target="_blank">Practical Farmers of Iowa field day</a> on high tensile fence building. We had a little over twenty attendees come to learn about building fence and eat lunch at our new farm!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWl-AFhXX0A7kaBTWOGMNct5EHPAs5xYib7xQkOXcVonLFHCQDIa_yRs0zHbjhnh4Zqy1MWOz43-Rv2zZDMqRM9cnDI3q7WW79S_ISpXCUwbF9wHwQEyeL_R7hYrTGhLnu3r5yHxZ03Vg/s1600/IMG_4215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWl-AFhXX0A7kaBTWOGMNct5EHPAs5xYib7xQkOXcVonLFHCQDIa_yRs0zHbjhnh4Zqy1MWOz43-Rv2zZDMqRM9cnDI3q7WW79S_ISpXCUwbF9wHwQEyeL_R7hYrTGhLnu3r5yHxZ03Vg/s400/IMG_4215.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As you would expect, it was exciting and stressful and fun, and Ryan did a great job of teaching and facilitating discussion.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxn7dWZ_m_noW7Lwu23gQWgx_lSHZpCcV2CI5PfGNUyoURQCN3M8_Zvz6Q1Fg8nxZL0wFNidG6srRVZZDl-iMB1zHqk22mVj0LrOW8m-Y6PuLy8q6GLW3UEMvBrT_-9yoJIyWNoEnvwoY/s1600/IMG_4217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxn7dWZ_m_noW7Lwu23gQWgx_lSHZpCcV2CI5PfGNUyoURQCN3M8_Zvz6Q1Fg8nxZL0wFNidG6srRVZZDl-iMB1zHqk22mVj0LrOW8m-Y6PuLy8q6GLW3UEMvBrT_-9yoJIyWNoEnvwoY/s400/IMG_4217.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ryan even managed to shock himself on a line during the workshop that shouldn't have been live. We met some people nearby, even a couple miles away, which was a great way to make connections in a new place.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl0Hal1nPRyLOhNHPsZmdKJQmtPZQYiRekLI0l27p2w8OAUN_buKRsifZGM3yfw91wKwbUOn08ehAy_E_vnR6tw2mQwFUjg9I8VjC6emL7j_J1HX1KQ9OEA9zwTMPC9rx1GM0PVCUvwfU/s1600/IMG_4223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl0Hal1nPRyLOhNHPsZmdKJQmtPZQYiRekLI0l27p2w8OAUN_buKRsifZGM3yfw91wKwbUOn08ehAy_E_vnR6tw2mQwFUjg9I8VjC6emL7j_J1HX1KQ9OEA9zwTMPC9rx1GM0PVCUvwfU/s400/IMG_4223.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The kids are doing well, here Z works with play-doh at the daycare he attends about one day every couple of weeks.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDp_cXjJstpsy62-k8bfNy7VFk0cqwC_8DNuhafNpJ-I1H_kUbO7DD4TcAavkYGlJPtg3wAHIzDPoTCKMdeNhGcKgnsWm-miDCrnO-TwXTVta8bhKoVciEZoPlWZzU3JAHHPmv4gixwno/s1600/IMG_4159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDp_cXjJstpsy62-k8bfNy7VFk0cqwC_8DNuhafNpJ-I1H_kUbO7DD4TcAavkYGlJPtg3wAHIzDPoTCKMdeNhGcKgnsWm-miDCrnO-TwXTVta8bhKoVciEZoPlWZzU3JAHHPmv4gixwno/s400/IMG_4159.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here H found a farm kitty at the farm where we buy our feed, which was a highlight of her day. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1P-AFhv9ERTfXeJRNYzLDtQRhVYBIgmuJ7yeYkdcEVrFB8fkxDzpAiujjmoRJUJzHZya7HCoi6jh3_jAtCRIyRXg4xnNIWZFR9KVxrncyT6BD1N4WAren3sRqBM8d7NFWKc4LTOckyKg/s1600/IMG_4228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1P-AFhv9ERTfXeJRNYzLDtQRhVYBIgmuJ7yeYkdcEVrFB8fkxDzpAiujjmoRJUJzHZya7HCoi6jh3_jAtCRIyRXg4xnNIWZFR9KVxrncyT6BD1N4WAren3sRqBM8d7NFWKc4LTOckyKg/s400/IMG_4228.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Lastly, we have found some pictures of Ryan from when he was just slightly younger than Z. See the resemblance?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDUzUBQeeBMnl5_PGy408Midsiww6xia3XhXHLwtg4RZNjysATZqYD-0_4trZiVzuZiO1e4WfVnqZ3fwLPn-ICD_-l687PlxURw6e3kDLCBR2vKv9WG09iLjZkamOVvmlU_seC462U_TE/s1600/IMG_4153.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDUzUBQeeBMnl5_PGy408Midsiww6xia3XhXHLwtg4RZNjysATZqYD-0_4trZiVzuZiO1e4WfVnqZ3fwLPn-ICD_-l687PlxURw6e3kDLCBR2vKv9WG09iLjZkamOVvmlU_seC462U_TE/s400/IMG_4153.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02436858141037595318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491905782134706291.post-36415215181580939622015-06-03T23:55:00.000-05:002015-06-03T23:55:33.791-05:00Tiling<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So in the month or so since I blogged last, what I've done most is tile. There was a stretch in there that I tiled or installed cementboard for every day for 9 days in a row. As a friend told me, tiling is the quintessential project that you think will take a short time, and instead takes forever. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is the lovely floor tile that is in our mudroom, upstairs bathrooms, and entryway. It's actually the tile they use at Casey's General Store, so I felt like I got a good deal on it, and it's beautiful and durable. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGa4Y84VKfA9r51hBNQ8ZdVz12CHVdlMggrvyf0tFvmXdLo5BqFDzbMUKg26CW7iI1O5rB_9z4340v1wl6q2gBsrh8S7_GfujDOKFSKpQrpdWgPrlR_3bbqnznyuin3a9aXAb_rhFgh8A/s1600/IMG_4063.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGa4Y84VKfA9r51hBNQ8ZdVz12CHVdlMggrvyf0tFvmXdLo5BqFDzbMUKg26CW7iI1O5rB_9z4340v1wl6q2gBsrh8S7_GfujDOKFSKpQrpdWgPrlR_3bbqnznyuin3a9aXAb_rhFgh8A/s400/IMG_4063.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">That picture is the only area of my house where the tile is DONE because I had to put a washer and dryer on top of it. But it is pretty!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My stepdad and I also put up 1/2" cementboard in the shower/bath surrounds (that stuff is the DEVIL. Worst substance to work with EVER. Dusty, hard to cut, fiddly, pain in the butt).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxp-EzgVNpx2yKbEKMqQidAWmhpjObFbc4xmO1OhSYG1PbRhXvWAXRosfFYRwEP2FM4mGv8utfENJTBtYcH2NTFhlIdh4_kx4HJGYqsPka64qfRqbdyQ30sWaHuEZemVAxBHE3bG3qOA/s1600/IMG_4025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxp-EzgVNpx2yKbEKMqQidAWmhpjObFbc4xmO1OhSYG1PbRhXvWAXRosfFYRwEP2FM4mGv8utfENJTBtYcH2NTFhlIdh4_kx4HJGYqsPka64qfRqbdyQ30sWaHuEZemVAxBHE3bG3qOA/s400/IMG_4025.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We also built in some wall niches to hold shampoo and whatnot. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOcodNjb4FchCo-k2KG9Nj2siROLGKOXEnMvv1zqISVy_dadsK2P1E7EdJmOrrE3RX0AW3xvGH_emwopYFSNo-mYV4zrFcvtKJg__tHhaJw_O2PMf9_C4Z1rbnEZymswvZUVSX-IIxyuk/s1600/IMG_4102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOcodNjb4FchCo-k2KG9Nj2siROLGKOXEnMvv1zqISVy_dadsK2P1E7EdJmOrrE3RX0AW3xvGH_emwopYFSNo-mYV4zrFcvtKJg__tHhaJw_O2PMf9_C4Z1rbnEZymswvZUVSX-IIxyuk/s400/IMG_4102.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Then in the kids' bath I covered the seams with fibertape</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOTc-ksrhCPjq7lapcIBNbVp_Ig1JOC6JzEbG60icBsoqGkAQb0xBWjA3n9DcLwtIVtacjRxOzOqc5KPLZRpHsBs76xpqaR3zI02BHXtjrnLTKBVX153uN1_OBy8lm6GQG_Tnr1HvPgcY/s1600/IMG_4058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOTc-ksrhCPjq7lapcIBNbVp_Ig1JOC6JzEbG60icBsoqGkAQb0xBWjA3n9DcLwtIVtacjRxOzOqc5KPLZRpHsBs76xpqaR3zI02BHXtjrnLTKBVX153uN1_OBy8lm6GQG_Tnr1HvPgcY/s400/IMG_4058.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And then painted over the whole shower with RedGuard to waterproof it before tiling. When they say RedGuard is Pepto Bismol pink, they mean it. And it does dry to fire engine red.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz5ylsMxz40ri7c1sp7-d2xYvxfFkQ7r_VdntmdU_orQ-6SLX2K_eavqtFqNn8BEZYS4867LGgTkNSvpBV9Ev6YPGP0qwtgMWEz02xQWfDBZlMfp_3HXDu2PrztOio42UenJDaLPau28U/s1600/IMG_4059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz5ylsMxz40ri7c1sp7-d2xYvxfFkQ7r_VdntmdU_orQ-6SLX2K_eavqtFqNn8BEZYS4867LGgTkNSvpBV9Ev6YPGP0qwtgMWEz02xQWfDBZlMfp_3HXDu2PrztOio42UenJDaLPau28U/s400/IMG_4059.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I have more tile than this on now, but this is what the kids' bath surround looks like. It's mostly off-white with a stripe of blue. I'm just going for simple and classic as much as I can.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPHewKBH_XsZeQtiP7S9ZhOYXoWsvJYc7R06kQdL35ahbGefSMgpDLvYE5O8Cq2dPlAvZDx6WfCQwySSMmiOUNy1dhtVVzeeqx0C2iSkErNN7fON0rMqX_Ed4ZlSzun2zyQuzkvicqKtE/s1600/IMG_4078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPHewKBH_XsZeQtiP7S9ZhOYXoWsvJYc7R06kQdL35ahbGefSMgpDLvYE5O8Cq2dPlAvZDx6WfCQwySSMmiOUNy1dhtVVzeeqx0C2iSkErNN7fON0rMqX_Ed4ZlSzun2zyQuzkvicqKtE/s400/IMG_4078.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We also got our cabinets installed, and really everything else. It's now a functional house and we've been living in it for about two weeks.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpMvx7Hgbk8NA3wASSkY4LeaiIfu-tYFin2PAjFLEjEnGoNJbZ4Z5_vl6_1eQydd6ri0HMqM8_ri6IBVd8W7MSNxmmWbK_5sginYDEClk42KjZBxMoRxrt2eacW4kCwHb81GOYPMO-3PI/s1600/IMG_3999.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpMvx7Hgbk8NA3wASSkY4LeaiIfu-tYFin2PAjFLEjEnGoNJbZ4Z5_vl6_1eQydd6ri0HMqM8_ri6IBVd8W7MSNxmmWbK_5sginYDEClk42KjZBxMoRxrt2eacW4kCwHb81GOYPMO-3PI/s400/IMG_3999.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here it is after countertops</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiDWp_N2fTV4cKCrlgtEh7F0QAg4-d3WpsCWX2ZGP1pWafcsOJFjUYu9RDgBEcVAtm5yvWWe_-j4tjXc1a_9-r6ATa0hUXTxTlhJxYL7HdDJXEXXnIMbj-OpZYAabW8KLIl0xmtnmq-Z4/s1600/IMG_4032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiDWp_N2fTV4cKCrlgtEh7F0QAg4-d3WpsCWX2ZGP1pWafcsOJFjUYu9RDgBEcVAtm5yvWWe_-j4tjXc1a_9-r6ATa0hUXTxTlhJxYL7HdDJXEXXnIMbj-OpZYAabW8KLIl0xmtnmq-Z4/s400/IMG_4032.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Then we got carpet in the bedrooms</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAsXju4Z0FZ3x-SR5JQ8x3BgEjOfc6oOnUqyzaoxoCrQWjDpjuLeyZRaApOrJm4CzpEJsd8n9bJlq5rjjdCxiMskpU1JNncw-BDN-43CkTWnrbVOYOsBjZZH4SLe957Dcz7yTwFqjuksQ/s1600/IMG_4051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAsXju4Z0FZ3x-SR5JQ8x3BgEjOfc6oOnUqyzaoxoCrQWjDpjuLeyZRaApOrJm4CzpEJsd8n9bJlq5rjjdCxiMskpU1JNncw-BDN-43CkTWnrbVOYOsBjZZH4SLe957Dcz7yTwFqjuksQ/s400/IMG_4051.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Even when I wasn't tiling, we were still laying drainage tile for our gutter runoff.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiejnby_zo-1VI46MNaaEdO60PnQFl4yByYjgt_1KZrB5EIfigAByC51rNChEdbVTNSICUCBvRSprSjQ42uDb06flfDYvKyLYqjCrmEvJbONuYi_FXhI_5-y7cz6UoRD_oBQa9o9GcgfFQ/s1600/IMG_4105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiejnby_zo-1VI46MNaaEdO60PnQFl4yByYjgt_1KZrB5EIfigAByC51rNChEdbVTNSICUCBvRSprSjQ42uDb06flfDYvKyLYqjCrmEvJbONuYi_FXhI_5-y7cz6UoRD_oBQa9o9GcgfFQ/s400/IMG_4105.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We've had several mishaps in this process, as you might expect.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Last night the septic alarm went off on our septic system, so we ended up reburying the electrical line. Having a backhoe on the tractor has been the BEST THING EVER while building the house. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYC2nTr5UQN5c5E7sDsHgB5O5xQioKG1pn99eDE3ivNe9ZDy6fzeMBUxbDdDfd2-NTx_yXVfTmvK03BEon7c2nTTA8RwR_qUHnuV3gWAIEL9WDE4LZHZ2sVUC9HQ7wwkbVH9OovcAkbcc/s1600/IMG_4130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYC2nTr5UQN5c5E7sDsHgB5O5xQioKG1pn99eDE3ivNe9ZDy6fzeMBUxbDdDfd2-NTx_yXVfTmvK03BEon7c2nTTA8RwR_qUHnuV3gWAIEL9WDE4LZHZ2sVUC9HQ7wwkbVH9OovcAkbcc/s400/IMG_4130.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We also had issues with the bathroom vanities. We have three bathrooms, and we ended up with three failures on the vanities. The first had a drawer in the wrong place (our pipes come through the floor, the drawer needed the pipes to come through the wall); the second the countertop was too shallow for the cabinet; and the third the countertop was too narrow for the cabinet. Sigh. So after some rearranging, returning, and repurchasing, we finally had three workable bathroom vanities. That was a frustrating day.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCVhlAXZbtb4ZFy4L_pB1UT6sEwIIVqcRZUiYA626gdAU9SQjSWg5dulm3GQ9Y_eIUIFwSkyOFVEg9kSp3bfC-0hfV6BdPxhThYt0VbQ7qFnrVwD5YgTQNx6Wl9yrV5ylHoA9S9aPvGNQ/s1600/IMG_4034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCVhlAXZbtb4ZFy4L_pB1UT6sEwIIVqcRZUiYA626gdAU9SQjSWg5dulm3GQ9Y_eIUIFwSkyOFVEg9kSp3bfC-0hfV6BdPxhThYt0VbQ7qFnrVwD5YgTQNx6Wl9yrV5ylHoA9S9aPvGNQ/s400/IMG_4034.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Then we've had garage door issues. This is one of those things where if you want it done right, you have to do it yourself. The garage doors were built too large (how hard is it, really, to build it the right size?) and I didn't catch it. So we had to add 2x6s to the edges until the garage doors won't gap.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-jLF5doUXAgoadWFLw4yty44Ce-Dh8Z6aJhhU9aVPwe2LFR_ZkBaIp-J52C3w-rtw7LiDnZI_ydPw07au4iRVh83uvAOV_iaWCMsp3z8Lzu_-BfyEPd0KN0eKUurCTQHRB9qXQLCrMc/s1600/IMG_4003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-jLF5doUXAgoadWFLw4yty44Ce-Dh8Z6aJhhU9aVPwe2LFR_ZkBaIp-J52C3w-rtw7LiDnZI_ydPw07au4iRVh83uvAOV_iaWCMsp3z8Lzu_-BfyEPd0KN0eKUurCTQHRB9qXQLCrMc/s400/IMG_4003.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Last, but definitely not least, we have the internet. We specifically sited our house because it was a location where there was DSL internet. We called the phone company, checked maps, and were told it was available. Turns out, that's a lie. The nearest internet lines are 2 miles away, and we are told it would be $6500-$10,000 to hook it up. I'm not giving up yet, though, because in my book internet is a utility like power and water. So we're pursuing options, especially since that hookup would put seven households online. Either way, that's one reason for more intermittent blogging (not that it's an excuse). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the sewing world, I actually did sew something this month. My niece had a birthday, so I made my kids and my nieces superhero capes. They were pretty easy and were a decent toy for the four of them.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWAtKPMXqwU1p7gfGibbVIOxWpWswN7mPToK-9eUfKOn5qgGxR7ZumWP8ZsdiXIBZSoKoIN_NlPodmKLJPgixEMVUMIstuW1f7tY89nSIPx-oFz-oqR6AQsUszpyFVZxPecDHj_QD6gH8/s1600/IMG_3994.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWAtKPMXqwU1p7gfGibbVIOxWpWswN7mPToK-9eUfKOn5qgGxR7ZumWP8ZsdiXIBZSoKoIN_NlPodmKLJPgixEMVUMIstuW1f7tY89nSIPx-oFz-oqR6AQsUszpyFVZxPecDHj_QD6gH8/s400/IMG_3994.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I just used a knit fabric so I wouldn't have to hem (although I did zigzag the edges). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Also on the kid front, H had a birthday earlier in the month.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNABLvcVWBoA69emhnbHN1s7iR29-hmkgHIZEKyIi3HxF0keuyDVvLNv0NhSqIqrq4xpp9v2RO_3ThJ3-2qfqq8Phm5DJ-YYfdouxzo-Gs74aewYwZbZ3VrblSn0Zvorgi2wNR_epMj-0/s1600/IMG_4022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNABLvcVWBoA69emhnbHN1s7iR29-hmkgHIZEKyIi3HxF0keuyDVvLNv0NhSqIqrq4xpp9v2RO_3ThJ3-2qfqq8Phm5DJ-YYfdouxzo-Gs74aewYwZbZ3VrblSn0Zvorgi2wNR_epMj-0/s400/IMG_4022.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">She's doing fairly well with the move and everything, it's been harder that she's out of school now. She does better with the structure of a school day, of course.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I love this picture of her dancing in our new house just after the trim and cabinets were put in. It captures her attitude about everything so well.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPuVfsTjPAKTHLGwPwIUipOsUNGae3rsTj9FphyphenhypheneajNh7pyg3aAHXyHrMm1Q5BWY5upIJ1bPvUAFHh-mO2jm_dbpBd_CsqtZBtSjTW-qaruONt7_-NTi5rntkFDDo6IIZ1DEoPlWNcR5g/s1600/IMG_4009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPuVfsTjPAKTHLGwPwIUipOsUNGae3rsTj9FphyphenhypheneajNh7pyg3aAHXyHrMm1Q5BWY5upIJ1bPvUAFHh-mO2jm_dbpBd_CsqtZBtSjTW-qaruONt7_-NTi5rntkFDDo6IIZ1DEoPlWNcR5g/s400/IMG_4009.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've also been trying to do more fun things with her, both because she's old enough and because I don't want to just be all work and discipline to her. So we went for a mommy-daughter pedicure date on the last day of school. She chose bright blue glitter polish and loved it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We also went for sorbet on a separate occasion. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihmNNugBDWCHyK4ACNx9uFCmjxBcWgoNZvIc5zbaBnclzF50LKLBVl7QFgwSnVJw0MUirESXf-nzOwN7Tm_VTyCTmA-svbFxkSt7ZbUMoEJb3GUKUzunP5p53816ktJqynceh8w8XjWq4/s1600/IMG_4085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihmNNugBDWCHyK4ACNx9uFCmjxBcWgoNZvIc5zbaBnclzF50LKLBVl7QFgwSnVJw0MUirESXf-nzOwN7Tm_VTyCTmA-svbFxkSt7ZbUMoEJb3GUKUzunP5p53816ktJqynceh8w8XjWq4/s400/IMG_4085.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Z is also growing up, we're working on his transition to a big boy bed. We'll also be doing potty training here soon, I think.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqm8mA21wLloMJfy06weV50qUnAArbGJLUGI6SwdlekA-HWc6G8Zgemja5PPdizfCyV_anHRfLIOiLqIjkmf9TpxyvlGRScJKpYaXnnGzAarOV_HH86Gj93oAd9Uy1Hi8lh61yOGWulMg/s1600/IMG_4125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqm8mA21wLloMJfy06weV50qUnAArbGJLUGI6SwdlekA-HWc6G8Zgemja5PPdizfCyV_anHRfLIOiLqIjkmf9TpxyvlGRScJKpYaXnnGzAarOV_HH86Gj93oAd9Uy1Hi8lh61yOGWulMg/s400/IMG_4125.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He really is such a curious and contemplative child, it amazes me. He found our box of magnetic toys and excitedly rushed to put them on the fridge.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxhz0_JebBoGh3aAL6M7kolcPXPgdkauasjhNhKH7P2JqaCmfpPIILl3Ko9tmfL6N-8qy0_WZsSIC61V7Yi4bcYyZWzSMii_bSuTcfxk5k8Iep8cY_wxNRW13sl3M4X_d1p1gr6RIPjt8/s1600/IMG_4106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxhz0_JebBoGh3aAL6M7kolcPXPgdkauasjhNhKH7P2JqaCmfpPIILl3Ko9tmfL6N-8qy0_WZsSIC61V7Yi4bcYyZWzSMii_bSuTcfxk5k8Iep8cY_wxNRW13sl3M4X_d1p1gr6RIPjt8/s400/IMG_4106.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But that wasn't the amazing part. The amazing part was that I told him we were going to go and get in the car. Thirty seconds later he hadn't come out to the car so I went back to check on him. He was hurriedly but carefully taking each magnet back off the fridge and putting it back in the box. He didn't want to leave until it was all "pick up put away".</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7xPBUVsVNMJClwbbO9Dibbf0sgYLj_-8Mw6PLjoHvjUR09Iq6Gk3H8-WYxBJgnCuW08YnCFz4sQeJPiExMczWZXIUktUxwkU3W8lqXEanIMg0x-8qwVdT3eT_GqROpsu6av8lgpaPkD0/s1600/IMG_4112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7xPBUVsVNMJClwbbO9Dibbf0sgYLj_-8Mw6PLjoHvjUR09Iq6Gk3H8-WYxBJgnCuW08YnCFz4sQeJPiExMczWZXIUktUxwkU3W8lqXEanIMg0x-8qwVdT3eT_GqROpsu6av8lgpaPkD0/s400/IMG_4112.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He's not like that with everything (I definitely find toy cars EVERYWHERE), but I couldn't exactly tell him to stop putting things away and come out to the car, now could I? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm still excited about the new house, and as I told Ryan, I'm excited about what we're building on the family farm.</span>Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02436858141037595318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491905782134706291.post-16316415868368164602015-04-18T21:58:00.000-05:002015-04-18T21:58:48.063-05:00Paint and Cementboard<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's been another busy couple of weeks on the farm and the house. First, we have had a couple of calves in the cow herd, which is good news. The herd has so far done well with us only visiting it every few days.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk-ap8K9JMgXmRBC9ggvVRqqTFPIocbfE09VxaI5KWr6rqsNZ5Uwq3-3iLYGG2WgCuCpc5UHheyIIT02pOvRHKG_xQaFxGCOJfTKu3F8F9rKg_JxEI09f7rve2MZwNzl9raMKLCeg-7fE/s1600/IMG_3830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk-ap8K9JMgXmRBC9ggvVRqqTFPIocbfE09VxaI5KWr6rqsNZ5Uwq3-3iLYGG2WgCuCpc5UHheyIIT02pOvRHKG_xQaFxGCOJfTKu3F8F9rKg_JxEI09f7rve2MZwNzl9raMKLCeg-7fE/s1600/IMG_3830.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On the house front, the drywall got all finished up</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjplFwLGk8pldUlMF1xVgOAgY5TcQ5nuyARLKgZM2xs-dmh1-Fo4GdOfm6H46MFhu6J2PSLkmSZlOhWbH0YoU672a71k0u2XZxfx60Urp2SaD0N60g73-0fk5h4MwSOHDIaaQgk9JvMqzY/s1600/IMG_3786.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjplFwLGk8pldUlMF1xVgOAgY5TcQ5nuyARLKgZM2xs-dmh1-Fo4GdOfm6H46MFhu6J2PSLkmSZlOhWbH0YoU672a71k0u2XZxfx60Urp2SaD0N60g73-0fk5h4MwSOHDIaaQgk9JvMqzY/s1600/IMG_3786.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And then it got textured</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHtaB4swwcphQ3ce0qUhNnaUIiRaDzGuWH2mo-c4Ad4gqrj3nELTUwKhN-GbtVktDXk2oxncFZgDWG2kcgZdWe7kt2R_Ug_csfvPj45rXjasMoKQ45bKV7fke5cNHgQIV3GrlXHdlvFKc/s1600/IMG_3867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHtaB4swwcphQ3ce0qUhNnaUIiRaDzGuWH2mo-c4Ad4gqrj3nELTUwKhN-GbtVktDXk2oxncFZgDWG2kcgZdWe7kt2R_Ug_csfvPj45rXjasMoKQ45bKV7fke5cNHgQIV3GrlXHdlvFKc/s1600/IMG_3867.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And then we tested some paint swatches on it</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_er2m1Sw5NL6kXo8hn7hLwsF_z3gffhy7zddMa-b2Kb53Rt6vbU3glqkOkco3Mf_OfzddAQ9daXi4ALCoBYMZ86J4syKObdMvhhHk1KvwazrR1f-ttJJu_kSXO9b8vZWoNbs7j6UUKWI/s1600/IMG_3918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_er2m1Sw5NL6kXo8hn7hLwsF_z3gffhy7zddMa-b2Kb53Rt6vbU3glqkOkco3Mf_OfzddAQ9daXi4ALCoBYMZ86J4syKObdMvhhHk1KvwazrR1f-ttJJu_kSXO9b8vZWoNbs7j6UUKWI/s1600/IMG_3918.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And then we painted it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Mud room:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Living room on right, kitchen on the left:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Living/Dining room and Great Room:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">H's Room:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4pYI-SPP4qVIHQvWecYHN8ckRqaH6q2269gKbF56cgQUNKsjUb0ba3hCd2juPmh3YBn7y0GK6vcOlJa3mqOwipQKg4LF2rY-Xo5zA_rR9ZUdRb5W5vH5uFjcvgtauvT-g5hrmGhYV1s/s1600/IMG_3943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4pYI-SPP4qVIHQvWecYHN8ckRqaH6q2269gKbF56cgQUNKsjUb0ba3hCd2juPmh3YBn7y0GK6vcOlJa3mqOwipQKg4LF2rY-Xo5zA_rR9ZUdRb5W5vH5uFjcvgtauvT-g5hrmGhYV1s/s1600/IMG_3943.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I don't have a great picture of Z's room, it's red and navy blue and tan but the colors didn't show well in my current pics. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We did the whole house in one weekend because the trim wasn't up yet and neither is flooring. This lovely group of weekend warriors totally rocked it:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikxRkec47ycgijR713zGJ9N7hvmH_oRQXXP08fY2s91lnj99bK6lkvMJp4L6u-2ne3DDoujI_OBOalC9qMvkntI-oCq4gYuof827K9zksVkgEPQ9nk9NZIalx1U2ke09XqyEOZ8aHugEA/s1600/IMG_3939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikxRkec47ycgijR713zGJ9N7hvmH_oRQXXP08fY2s91lnj99bK6lkvMJp4L6u-2ne3DDoujI_OBOalC9qMvkntI-oCq4gYuof827K9zksVkgEPQ9nk9NZIalx1U2ke09XqyEOZ8aHugEA/s1600/IMG_3939.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Meanwhile our geothermal was drilled, which I took a picture of because I loved the fact that a piece of Vermeer equipment drilled it. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivWRsnkwjNZ_qxS8YbcLHtxsivvnlEtFbRc7PUEdjYw5DTOk2VU8UBJczKsGtqYYnHJeZuoZ9i-AnELiGLZzgd6KyqR5BTl1NBSm5qFajD8i5aCZ68xpTYb0epSvfCH50oH8-EkSr6gVI/s1600/IMG_3790.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivWRsnkwjNZ_qxS8YbcLHtxsivvnlEtFbRc7PUEdjYw5DTOk2VU8UBJczKsGtqYYnHJeZuoZ9i-AnELiGLZzgd6KyqR5BTl1NBSm5qFajD8i5aCZ68xpTYb0epSvfCH50oH8-EkSr6gVI/s1600/IMG_3790.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The kitchen cabinets were also delivered, but there was a leak in the truck and 6 cabinets were delivered with water damage. This one is the worst:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgej6GbnbDaMOAbmw-5BYD2yzhMq4JhV4op0V17P3FVWzQGHmxQhON6IGa0r70L6BgHIU7EzG2nH1C5lwIPvWTp6Ka0N01vHsRdcPXQxjzaI96AqShozSe2PLY0GT3YbSHMEZC3KbZ2M8I/s1600/IMG_3836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgej6GbnbDaMOAbmw-5BYD2yzhMq4JhV4op0V17P3FVWzQGHmxQhON6IGa0r70L6BgHIU7EzG2nH1C5lwIPvWTp6Ka0N01vHsRdcPXQxjzaI96AqShozSe2PLY0GT3YbSHMEZC3KbZ2M8I/s1600/IMG_3836.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So I rejected those cabinets and new cabinets will get re-delivered later this week.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Then today we worked on installing cementboard in the mudroom so that I can tile over it. God Bless YouTube and the internet for having information on how to do this, otherwise I'm not sure how I would have done it. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHi_-gzJIfl97C4IskeApq_o0P02qSsH5k7Se39SnKI5n8ukGin6H1P6CPO6nvVbuwfqNXxkAzbogKOxNGvQHX5JgJLw7sFddUnoSjlmfTOu1lTSs_ZTQImPaSelwNgRnFeAItwLhAGOE/s1600/IMG_3958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHi_-gzJIfl97C4IskeApq_o0P02qSsH5k7Se39SnKI5n8ukGin6H1P6CPO6nvVbuwfqNXxkAzbogKOxNGvQHX5JgJLw7sFddUnoSjlmfTOu1lTSs_ZTQImPaSelwNgRnFeAItwLhAGOE/s1600/IMG_3958.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And here are the weekend warriors who did this lovely piece of art:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Ra74UIteWDgCbg_vHbLsYeyUejbUWu32Pewj7fA5VKCCgQE2qLKkLff_APcMW9CsDqDc6wQOfv6Ls0wyz4MHNLi1lTecpiaMUeBCH8xCfsI4PdbdbiL-zoR8ktJjuRjiXJPQF4Gp1pE/s1600/IMG_3957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Ra74UIteWDgCbg_vHbLsYeyUejbUWu32Pewj7fA5VKCCgQE2qLKkLff_APcMW9CsDqDc6wQOfv6Ls0wyz4MHNLi1lTecpiaMUeBCH8xCfsI4PdbdbiL-zoR8ktJjuRjiXJPQF4Gp1pE/s1600/IMG_3957.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">No, the kids didn't help. Yes, they did get in the way. They were around for painting weekend too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On a personal note, I took a little ski vacation to Colorado a couple weeks ago. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbE207InC3qNt5ZXLhDnwf5x28j_sky_GvcvQifs0vAc5IO4uLcZpdY8J1LkgMmaKTM8AITHLV5_G3C2PcUvOOqIzF9gXNS4GTYNcwZQNA45QvGnptwFAbS37wugXaKao3QbsYED9OHpM/s1600/IMG_3899.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbE207InC3qNt5ZXLhDnwf5x28j_sky_GvcvQifs0vAc5IO4uLcZpdY8J1LkgMmaKTM8AITHLV5_G3C2PcUvOOqIzF9gXNS4GTYNcwZQNA45QvGnptwFAbS37wugXaKao3QbsYED9OHpM/s1600/IMG_3899.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On the plane, I even spotted our house from the air!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6bjritfilqtDCUS6nLvx5MGbD8cMYuebQqYYS2usIESp4TSszPmZgus47UnK2JNGxgkf8xhqJRXH3GnZUjozi_WyRVx1_mEQZW_syNDd1U65910h-OFqKK4ZZc2LPhWm043j-frpUlRA/s1600/IMG_3869.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6bjritfilqtDCUS6nLvx5MGbD8cMYuebQqYYS2usIESp4TSszPmZgus47UnK2JNGxgkf8xhqJRXH3GnZUjozi_WyRVx1_mEQZW_syNDd1U65910h-OFqKK4ZZc2LPhWm043j-frpUlRA/s1600/IMG_3869.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The road running left to right at the bottom of the picture is our road. Our house is about in the middle, above the road, you can see the dark blue patch that is our pond. We are the house and barn to the right along that road, the neighbor to the left is an older cousin of Ryan's. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's also increasingly difficult to get a picture of the kids where no one is cheesing it up or moving. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAzmzhJsOT_thNy2vuABzMpE_tDDFRbEB6nbrIXLqje9vTpbBW6XBHuCZlN5GqaQOqeGrilHgdstiC8YUKyafaVwrrNeeeWrUbRG7IlH9nzO6LxCocqlEtOHf5occ6kSFoptgEivhDB2k/s1600/IMG_3907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAzmzhJsOT_thNy2vuABzMpE_tDDFRbEB6nbrIXLqje9vTpbBW6XBHuCZlN5GqaQOqeGrilHgdstiC8YUKyafaVwrrNeeeWrUbRG7IlH9nzO6LxCocqlEtOHf5occ6kSFoptgEivhDB2k/s1600/IMG_3907.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here Z is hugging a giant gnome at the Reiman Gardens:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1TX1xwOeJASM8OvE4tkBagGJbdYGkkUslNpFSfz9TJboRpO_Q8IT3km7T3RWHOg0gcWodX0I45UXns20jcYMV0L9HRKLJzcLTvkW0UMZqZKVmFUSa54X1qhfDguYdKFdrp6xOqZMAuuA/s1600/IMG_3821.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1TX1xwOeJASM8OvE4tkBagGJbdYGkkUslNpFSfz9TJboRpO_Q8IT3km7T3RWHOg0gcWodX0I45UXns20jcYMV0L9HRKLJzcLTvkW0UMZqZKVmFUSa54X1qhfDguYdKFdrp6xOqZMAuuA/s1600/IMG_3821.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And H is continuing to work on reading, making good progress.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdGZejfPFf8qCg-_UFwftdTVhuSiDL6vrAINuF6mGjnMxCryh7uXdgAVjSD4jTGf_NWWMrIaEPZ0g9DjucA_rNphqauHGW2wjXIB0PBE29LHiD6-2g8_Zwb2lJgHqkp3oHH5pjC0w4G5k/s1600/IMG_3849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdGZejfPFf8qCg-_UFwftdTVhuSiDL6vrAINuF6mGjnMxCryh7uXdgAVjSD4jTGf_NWWMrIaEPZ0g9DjucA_rNphqauHGW2wjXIB0PBE29LHiD6-2g8_Zwb2lJgHqkp3oHH5pjC0w4G5k/s1600/IMG_3849.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02436858141037595318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491905782134706291.post-38299523058105622202015-03-22T22:06:00.000-05:002015-03-22T22:06:00.545-05:00Insulation and drywall<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Things keep on moving along, in the last two weeks we had spray foam insulation installed in the house. We actually did a sealed option where the attic becomes a semi-conditioned space and is not vented. It's a little different than the "standard" way of doing things, but there are some advantages to it and I think it will work out. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here is the picture of the underside of the roof after being sprayed:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDTAxafPP3fVCVSelcvQzgKWnPLeS7yehqMHOtmEVy7lq4kvkvxWydDLkvLH8L2iFRd-lAwSrrXKnFO6gh9Hrui2bhWHPuIqDd9zMjA569sxf9GbGDFXU8oI8pEWT4MhKp3IMXSUcBQc/s1600/IMG_3738.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDTAxafPP3fVCVSelcvQzgKWnPLeS7yehqMHOtmEVy7lq4kvkvxWydDLkvLH8L2iFRd-lAwSrrXKnFO6gh9Hrui2bhWHPuIqDd9zMjA569sxf9GbGDFXU8oI8pEWT4MhKp3IMXSUcBQc/s1600/IMG_3738.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So then because I had some time (not a lot, but some), my spray foam insulator told me that since I have 2x6 exterior walls, I still had room for fiberglass insulation in addition to the spray foam. When it comes to insulation, more is better! So we took a weekend and our amazing friend Jared came and helped us hang insulation.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9QEdihDrbrcbQ8OmBiHOv4Ro0GblAMuL10Vn2YwQ9Jzydma1MZuyeO8vyGIia6doqHVk2XIhrJb3GH2B_ZSbMJM6-YI3_W9Jo82Fgxa0sA_l-BAssJin0WemU2xugqtlZL4E7Dn6C9f0/s1600/IMG_3745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9QEdihDrbrcbQ8OmBiHOv4Ro0GblAMuL10Vn2YwQ9Jzydma1MZuyeO8vyGIia6doqHVk2XIhrJb3GH2B_ZSbMJM6-YI3_W9Jo82Fgxa0sA_l-BAssJin0WemU2xugqtlZL4E7Dn6C9f0/s1600/IMG_3745.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We didn't get the whole house done before the drywall, but we got the full exposed portion of the basement, the whole west and south walls (the north wall is the garage, so was less crucial because the garage serves as a buffer), and the east wall of the master bedroom. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0syU2KJtJUJJeiMb76koWRIsi5Vv9wE8JCgp-0BA5JujAvf2qdO_G5NiYdYWq11TUeocJmbdO3uaa56ykWncx5TFps5PCmhshq9Imco98RZcswHQn0kRoDtBm5NjTGscbvqhlb4G4pzA/s1600/IMG_3756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0syU2KJtJUJJeiMb76koWRIsi5Vv9wE8JCgp-0BA5JujAvf2qdO_G5NiYdYWq11TUeocJmbdO3uaa56ykWncx5TFps5PCmhshq9Imco98RZcswHQn0kRoDtBm5NjTGscbvqhlb4G4pzA/s1600/IMG_3756.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I will tell you that hanging fiberglass insulation sucks. It is itchy, and cutting it is a pain in the keyster. But I'm hoping it makes our home just that much warmer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So the next step was drywall, which is currently in process. In the category of "things I'm learning about building a house", drywall mud has to be kept warm while drying. I did find a somewhat interesting chart poking around the internet, so it means it does take a while for the mud to dry as it is colder and wetter. Luckily our humidity seems to be hovering around 50% here, and the temps haven't been terrible at night. Either way, our geothermal is going to have to go in very soon (like the end of this week). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I didn't take many pictures of the drywall when I went to check on the house yesterday, but here is Z's room. I knew what the house would look like, and it does, but it still surprised me how different it looks with drywall in it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sorry I haven't taken many pictures of the kids in the last couple of weeks, but Z has really started to reach the age where he can manipulate Duplo blocks. You can't see it in this picture, but trust me his little tongue is sticking out just slightly in concentration.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02436858141037595318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491905782134706291.post-49840746947241035882015-03-08T23:33:00.000-05:002015-03-08T23:33:01.844-05:00Roofing and butterfly rainbow quilt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Well the world (aka my family) is asking for more house pictures and kid pictures and whatnot, so I know I'm overdue (again) for a blog post. Here is the latest pic of our house that I took on Thursday afternoon:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The funny looking dome chimney type things are our sky tubes, which are like round skylights. It helps with leaking and some of the other issues skylights often have to make them round instead of square. So the roofing is all on, that is a steel shake shingle Metro Metal roof in Oak. It really looks like "regular" shingles, I'm happy with it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here's an inside pic, we're rapidly getting to the point where the inside is more interesting than the outside as things start to happen here.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq1crE3oDYxSXLgsvCnAK4TC832Qs-5nkiimfxg8d5o9wTPuvxsgNb1hyVPV5XmH_LdND7yvEYtyqTI9TZuPnovKL5EPx57f5-nk3p4HBLlBuhHvH99sPwyoQTnE66TF9MquitWLy3qLk/s1600/IMG_3712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq1crE3oDYxSXLgsvCnAK4TC832Qs-5nkiimfxg8d5o9wTPuvxsgNb1hyVPV5XmH_LdND7yvEYtyqTI9TZuPnovKL5EPx57f5-nk3p4HBLlBuhHvH99sPwyoQTnE66TF9MquitWLy3qLk/s1600/IMG_3712.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You can see the sun tube in the upper left corner (and the box in the center), there are a total of three of them. As you can kind of see, we have HVAC, plumbing, and electrical rough-ins about done. Next is spray foam insulation on this coming Thursday, and then drywall on the Wednesday after that. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Previous pics of the house between blog posts, in chronological order:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhwxsL1V-pxHejcIz8xTp871IJ1xnNJjsTvfhTINPSHBkZ5q-glAKf7ot73rb3zaM2ZbA_LSEIg0O2znHgo0G7fI0PXo-z83UItrQBF_7szYy9cYzFlfOeWYbdBEVudeX6nt1cRqoSdc/s1600/IMG_3636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhwxsL1V-pxHejcIz8xTp871IJ1xnNJjsTvfhTINPSHBkZ5q-glAKf7ot73rb3zaM2ZbA_LSEIg0O2znHgo0G7fI0PXo-z83UItrQBF_7szYy9cYzFlfOeWYbdBEVudeX6nt1cRqoSdc/s1600/IMG_3636.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Siding about done</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Roofing about done</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwJojdy6Mw6ClsakSUPjXnTfe4YIL4e1p7mQoJKXksdQgle6XHdjJcc8g7N8iz10XOZYux5lnrk9tS_LG1mwjBLEAetBgdaAPr_k-UIzEcWH6TN-HhjWfNnCBA8Hfv5R_ZuDn4pUpZLE/s1600/IMG_3630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwJojdy6Mw6ClsakSUPjXnTfe4YIL4e1p7mQoJKXksdQgle6XHdjJcc8g7N8iz10XOZYux5lnrk9tS_LG1mwjBLEAetBgdaAPr_k-UIzEcWH6TN-HhjWfNnCBA8Hfv5R_ZuDn4pUpZLE/s1600/IMG_3630.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The octagon window on the north wall of the garage. This window has a bit of a story, it is one of the (many) windows I bought when I was an intern at Pella Corp. We've moved it, and all of the other windows, together all over the place and it's come to symbolize the whole window experience. I like it, it's quirky, and I know it's not that unusual to have an octagon window. But my framer didn't want to put it in, and the rafters didn't have the spot for it in the gable where it was supposed to be. Our siding contractor actually put it in for me because I insisted it go in. It doesn't sound like drama now, but trust me, it was. :-)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In sewing and quilting news, I ended up having to redo H's slippers because the previous ones didn't stay on her feet. These have some elastic in them, so they're working better. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf7RvnqwZ2JmlU-Cz_FWBiqx_JH3ZVxkSWo7nGO_zRHh-XH9FVyj2bZtbANMDGCKzLGJHmqIVGKiFK4QkljSxNlX_ttZOlLJi7mJUUepJITqY87k3mM72mCjbnnr8e7YpQ9PXj6GCu_qw/s1600/IMG_3691.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf7RvnqwZ2JmlU-Cz_FWBiqx_JH3ZVxkSWo7nGO_zRHh-XH9FVyj2bZtbANMDGCKzLGJHmqIVGKiFK4QkljSxNlX_ttZOlLJi7mJUUepJITqY87k3mM72mCjbnnr8e7YpQ9PXj6GCu_qw/s1600/IMG_3691.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I also had a quilt retreat, so I was able to make some progress on some projects. I finished a quilt for H's bed, which is very much to her taste. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP-FYwhTkr5K-ityGLpRxKuaVDYApiGhKsQtp1SVMkcS430WTAWiT9X3GOIN8nW74guxG4UBNTc0QkCEoO6rIOFKZYNoetkYvqssqya4VRUjGEYdTXX05mYj069BGYJ9Gz8N4I6LgDuHY/s1600/IMG_3705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP-FYwhTkr5K-ityGLpRxKuaVDYApiGhKsQtp1SVMkcS430WTAWiT9X3GOIN8nW74guxG4UBNTc0QkCEoO6rIOFKZYNoetkYvqssqya4VRUjGEYdTXX05mYj069BGYJ9Gz8N4I6LgDuHY/s1600/IMG_3705.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I actually like how it turned out, it's not as garish as I might have feared. It's very 4-year-old girl, but you're only a little girl once, right?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqjAILSQ5lI1EkpGxe_ngFHXcI0ew6wxK1fgI6ngGbGXVGrGIsBaybo8DeSy-a5I0qaHeO0NJzX1EdrO_xmX0udMGpevSzLZqj7mtfMWLM5oCKzeUpziAM_xzZc0rry4G_82wYgJVIKLA/s1600/IMG_3699.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqjAILSQ5lI1EkpGxe_ngFHXcI0ew6wxK1fgI6ngGbGXVGrGIsBaybo8DeSy-a5I0qaHeO0NJzX1EdrO_xmX0udMGpevSzLZqj7mtfMWLM5oCKzeUpziAM_xzZc0rry4G_82wYgJVIKLA/s1600/IMG_3699.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I quilted in spirals of butterflies, which was pretty fun to quilt and I think will wear well.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH2JmWFdN8WXHFhUQD-gF5N1y4X5oKAZXE1uEDr2ZmncoN1oz2WpNDZsHkgutnf14CvOLhnjQumhCI4Xz6izKvircQonKhVBg9X0XSm8KGEhf6q9LuteoSL45gNunf272NJZUYxbMAZ88/s1600/IMG_3704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH2JmWFdN8WXHFhUQD-gF5N1y4X5oKAZXE1uEDr2ZmncoN1oz2WpNDZsHkgutnf14CvOLhnjQumhCI4Xz6izKvircQonKhVBg9X0XSm8KGEhf6q9LuteoSL45gNunf272NJZUYxbMAZ88/s1600/IMG_3704.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I also finished a smaller art quilt, but I'm not sure if it's really done yet. Here it is in progress without binding and without some lining enhancement I added because some of the colors in the flowers bled when I soaked it to block it:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhnAubaN6hnuwUy5HxyuMsHRw7sjARpOLOqNG0voKxxbBYBh3Xi-CL988sfHNKUJ0EmN9nVcoTGh2SJoFAVPCoH31P06geT7dHHvJ8S-gZOJ8THFRpTMm3t2Q3W3aPzKK8v6f2SmVwKM/s1600/IMG_3688.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhnAubaN6hnuwUy5HxyuMsHRw7sjARpOLOqNG0voKxxbBYBh3Xi-CL988sfHNKUJ0EmN9nVcoTGh2SJoFAVPCoH31P06geT7dHHvJ8S-gZOJ8THFRpTMm3t2Q3W3aPzKK8v6f2SmVwKM/s1600/IMG_3688.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'll post a pic when I decide it's finished as well, the blue you see in the picture washed out because it was just there to mark the design.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On a more personal note, I drove by our old house today and was surprised to see the house still standing, actually. I suspect it will soon be torn down, and all other buildings (and a lot of the trees between them) are already down.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I also received the diploma for my MBA in the mail, which feels good to be done.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYaXVKWpjv6Krb0jfj645FIbccOWCnbMqc2__f187XWQICt8Zht6qhzWc4m-_WhhImUOA_Xutt1gXDMVUle-YmNxQ6FQCbg2B08jfY52LO3QRlHXKI2p3bMzcZPO32RQujpC4DooFIT6E/s1600/IMG_3669.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYaXVKWpjv6Krb0jfj645FIbccOWCnbMqc2__f187XWQICt8Zht6qhzWc4m-_WhhImUOA_Xutt1gXDMVUle-YmNxQ6FQCbg2B08jfY52LO3QRlHXKI2p3bMzcZPO32RQujpC4DooFIT6E/s1600/IMG_3669.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The kids are doing well, both growing all the time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">H at the butterfly garden:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Z looking fabulous (note the shoes):</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Z building a tower (I seem to have more pictures of Z than H this month):</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Z playing with trains:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Four generation picture with Ryan's grandpa and dad (yes, it's an iPhone in Z's hand. Please don't judge me, visiting a nursing home with a two-year-old is a challenge I am happy to use modern technology to alleviate):</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ryan and I also went ballroom dancing last Friday night for a date night and had a fabulous time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And here's what happens when the kids work their way into the picture:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So until next time, I'm glad it's getting warmer out, and good luck with your own happy chaos!</span>Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02436858141037595318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491905782134706291.post-71080934831736839962015-02-08T15:38:00.000-06:002015-02-08T15:39:14.948-06:00Sheathing and Siding<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Time flies when you're building a house (and it also crawls). Since last posted, framing and outside house sheathing are done. Here's the main floor being framed:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And the rafters going up:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Rafters going up, but from a different angle:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And then sheathing and housewrap on:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And windows in:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now they are working on siding, starting with the back of the house. They have the back of the house done (the East wall), were working on the south side today when we stopped by, then will do north and west.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSyF97o31D2PDO0CXhktq_EX-mpGoRfT5S23d33x7IHrE341fvNczlvORnI9BHu6X8GsCmtahIRT3eJfvHIR77ZipH-6o5_UcleYCbmDqoxidwNTyqbkA4Pwhj_6dzHDjYGywoaGgBqjA/s1600/IMG_3566.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSyF97o31D2PDO0CXhktq_EX-mpGoRfT5S23d33x7IHrE341fvNczlvORnI9BHu6X8GsCmtahIRT3eJfvHIR77ZipH-6o5_UcleYCbmDqoxidwNTyqbkA4Pwhj_6dzHDjYGywoaGgBqjA/s1600/IMG_3566.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is primed, but not yet painted. We're putting up composite fiberboard, and it looks nice. Also, our siding guy is Nate from Executive Exteriors and I could not sing his praises loud enough. That guy is AWESOME. Creative, communicative, problem solving, everything I would want in a contractor. If I didn't already have a roofing guy I liked, I would hire him to do my roof too. Highly recommend.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In my last (very short) post, I posted a poem about wanting the tractor to work. So I snapped this picture for you from my car when I followed Ryan to the guy down the road who fixes tractors. It was very snowy and slick, and following a tractor at 10 miles an hour on slippery roads caused me to twice have to back up on a hill, wait for the tractor to clear that hill, and then take the hill at a run in order to get over it. My tires would just lose traction halfway up the hill with no momentum to carry me over, meanwhile two kids in the back are saying, "Mommy, why are we going backward? What happened? Where's Daddy?" and "Tractor! Tractor! Traaaactoooorrr!!!!" (guesses on which kid is which?). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In sewing news I haven't done much, but I did get my sewing machine fixed. When I did, the repairman told me that I have 249 hours on my sewing machine. That's all well and good, but sewing machine motors die at about 250 hours. Sigh. So I'm likely to need a new sewing machine soon, but that will probably wait until we know what kind of house overages and whatnot we are dealing with.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I did also make H a pair of slippers, which she loves but the pattern did not actually work well. I think her feet are too big and they needed to have more structure in them.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8qn0alGMQZUUQK2JyaILDpIE3jwBEXEHMu6YmEszILPoq_JWYRiqlXYi1OXQ7MpyT3nse026uoHIATfGK43hFoaB7Ilh_Bn80T48NEGOs4xy-CU5seAyfHR83laLlV9aPKnxVYWOLRaQ/s1600/IMG_3535.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8qn0alGMQZUUQK2JyaILDpIE3jwBEXEHMu6YmEszILPoq_JWYRiqlXYi1OXQ7MpyT3nse026uoHIATfGK43hFoaB7Ilh_Bn80T48NEGOs4xy-CU5seAyfHR83laLlV9aPKnxVYWOLRaQ/s1600/IMG_3535.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'll have to take a crack at another pair, I think, or modify this pattern to my satisfaction.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Kids are doing well, it was cold and snowy earlier this week but then warmed up. While we did our taxes yesterday, a lovely friend of mine watched them and they got to draw on her driveway with sidewalk chalk.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmkSmP9vsA_A84IPIKNxFHRqEItwWP5SwWzuGJ68PvwuAEqVmWuQYwhHqC7tEvyzd8DtfBl1ejvKA11cxIzjBTPBI7Bh_qLxn85wg6BR3x3SdJZxvDEJo_m6tLzPclMK0BraFhVe9_wsY/s1600/IMG_3588.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmkSmP9vsA_A84IPIKNxFHRqEItwWP5SwWzuGJ68PvwuAEqVmWuQYwhHqC7tEvyzd8DtfBl1ejvKA11cxIzjBTPBI7Bh_qLxn85wg6BR3x3SdJZxvDEJo_m6tLzPclMK0BraFhVe9_wsY/s1600/IMG_3588.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I think it's kind of funny that kids don't really get the connotations that come with chalk outlines, instead to them they are just chalk outlines. This is also something they never really got to do at our old farm as there wasn't much of a driveway, and sidewalk chalk doesn't work on gravel. I'm not sure what kind of driveway we will end up with at the new place. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So until next time, stay warm! Spring is still coming!</span>Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02436858141037595318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491905782134706291.post-30196258938078994072015-01-31T11:28:00.000-06:002015-01-31T11:28:26.116-06:00Poem: A Farmer's Dream<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This morning a poem came to me while I was doing dishes, and I thought I would share it with you. Don't judge my poetry too harshly!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A Farmer's Dream</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I dream of a tractor that works,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">of snow that falls gently.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Of bright sunny days so grass can grow.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I dream of dirt that is soft</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">with life that teems through it,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">and yields to the scoop of my hand.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I dream of breeze-filled Summers</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">and crisp Winter days,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">with long Springs and Falls in-between.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But mostly, I dream,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Of a tractor that works.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02436858141037595318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491905782134706291.post-6511888506951487662015-01-18T22:14:00.001-06:002015-01-18T22:14:07.147-06:00Framing and Holidays<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We finally have framing! Since it's winter here in Iowa (a fact lost on none of us here), things like home construction have a tendency to... stop. Because tools and people don't work well when the temperature is in the single digits. But it warmed back up and now we have progress again! In these pictures, the basement is up but I'm told we have more than that now. I just haven't been out to get more pictures. These were taken Friday.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaetvis_sUsSJCse3bWrbsi_Fw7EmOkrgwAFZOEoovuVF2hp_OlJwMsnQ_y1Brvo8DskxUzRzuqaIJhmrCrlrKRpJB-p_GKaHY7oxxVXmUxGkiSm3MAB739q2SrqWF48_lHD2e0wd1d-Y/s1600/IMG_3483.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaetvis_sUsSJCse3bWrbsi_Fw7EmOkrgwAFZOEoovuVF2hp_OlJwMsnQ_y1Brvo8DskxUzRzuqaIJhmrCrlrKRpJB-p_GKaHY7oxxVXmUxGkiSm3MAB739q2SrqWF48_lHD2e0wd1d-Y/s1600/IMG_3483.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And here we're looking at H's room,</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyiSXqyRmQZHBxkX0wEw309C2bTgoGFS0hlp3Iyqch4OOfn70MUm7HDvup6SQ623kCvA9uHDesyBtenzO0yjClPmlFqKxL9VXC32dPCJSohtoGsUodhh6-bxYFUioKpMKXXAy5aZA3gjI/s1600/IMG_3488.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyiSXqyRmQZHBxkX0wEw309C2bTgoGFS0hlp3Iyqch4OOfn70MUm7HDvup6SQ623kCvA9uHDesyBtenzO0yjClPmlFqKxL9VXC32dPCJSohtoGsUodhh6-bxYFUioKpMKXXAy5aZA3gjI/s1600/IMG_3488.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">and here's a pic taken from a spot where I'm trying to take pictures from somewhat consistently.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGrSNkCDZIgXnDjmIjf8krWBa4rwjV8z_ykwUDAZkhDEv50pDiPkwHs6aiQk3hEXBaMXJRQdU9kd1UOT5OQYvgoFlD3eRX0dzekuAiD9GSanO9Hsm1mKFLIbCll98f0EKxu64PYE_fRbk/s1600/IMG_3484.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGrSNkCDZIgXnDjmIjf8krWBa4rwjV8z_ykwUDAZkhDEv50pDiPkwHs6aiQk3hEXBaMXJRQdU9kd1UOT5OQYvgoFlD3eRX0dzekuAiD9GSanO9Hsm1mKFLIbCll98f0EKxu64PYE_fRbk/s1600/IMG_3484.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Before this, we had plumbing rough-in and concrete floor poured, as well as some fairly deluxe waterproofing. I don't know if we need waterproofing this deluxe, but I do know that I'd rather do it now than later!!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr68KZFlbrOWfWAmmL4NvmCEjTNQm2sMewjjlplkM5IPCAM8e7qZ0rwgTnCWyrkHmP3l5Non3IVH43d13hoUBGvMNIOI0fJLTeSDZbDt-Iq7HfVyz48MrNBZsQd__chijl0-ZLN0e6iu8/s1600/IMG_3299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr68KZFlbrOWfWAmmL4NvmCEjTNQm2sMewjjlplkM5IPCAM8e7qZ0rwgTnCWyrkHmP3l5Non3IVH43d13hoUBGvMNIOI0fJLTeSDZbDt-Iq7HfVyz48MrNBZsQd__chijl0-ZLN0e6iu8/s1600/IMG_3299.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We also went out and put in some water lines one day, here is a pic taken from my "consistent spot" while Ryan helps hook the water line to the one in the basement before the concrete was poured.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheftytC19LulpVSs3jf27nW0GXcm26AUMHIPS94xv_CmBuOCWW7EmA-QqR8hBslpI_S_wiWvyaf3i32pDnepCSwsBisECIeVjqw35Qsc58EYz-UnZW2YPNY6HDbPgvTuZhAda5eCQgw5g/s1600/IMG_3278.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheftytC19LulpVSs3jf27nW0GXcm26AUMHIPS94xv_CmBuOCWW7EmA-QqR8hBslpI_S_wiWvyaf3i32pDnepCSwsBisECIeVjqw35Qsc58EYz-UnZW2YPNY6HDbPgvTuZhAda5eCQgw5g/s1600/IMG_3278.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And here are some pics of he and I digging trenches.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I spent lots of time working the mini excavator we rented.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifyXo597QsxRUzrgGsOht2iNZZALa1Gd9lf8Oz-Dd0cZZUhDt2hq_00xmpYNSbwlbfq2zyE7A2W87aUetP5Vns4Q_FfOKXka7lEUHB3FX8vJiDZUddr6lnDXPn4eK2loguuSxZqNvdNNQ/s1600/IMG_1235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifyXo597QsxRUzrgGsOht2iNZZALa1Gd9lf8Oz-Dd0cZZUhDt2hq_00xmpYNSbwlbfq2zyE7A2W87aUetP5Vns4Q_FfOKXka7lEUHB3FX8vJiDZUddr6lnDXPn4eK2loguuSxZqNvdNNQ/s1600/IMG_1235.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is actually before we rented the mini ex when Ryan was putting some water lines in the FIRST time. Yes, I say that because we used plastic fittings the first time. Word to the wise: brass is worth the money. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiU-fbQDiAOtU7pxCsIAOhL4LYLztFhsM1NVCQLbxkxf6v5ibp_DFgyGnukvR94N76YfEA692cwhC35JT7U8vXIlHbD4h9gHqiaMmOtcKle65dhBo87NZSA3QsiTS29nj03sZc5KSgxWw/s1600/IMG_3154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiU-fbQDiAOtU7pxCsIAOhL4LYLztFhsM1NVCQLbxkxf6v5ibp_DFgyGnukvR94N76YfEA692cwhC35JT7U8vXIlHbD4h9gHqiaMmOtcKle65dhBo87NZSA3QsiTS29nj03sZc5KSgxWw/s1600/IMG_3154.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here's what my view looked like most of the day we put in water lines.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv41E9Ja3RTRj_NalWIz-eRss8vpvm72j0v3_NS5RvsUHNApw7OlNTealBBROEdt9nOdtccSMQOZ5P32Mr-ce5OTScn7smAAflWo-9S5dATKEzdByAFORzPHoIbg0-j8FTitSs2F189uA/s1600/IMG_3245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv41E9Ja3RTRj_NalWIz-eRss8vpvm72j0v3_NS5RvsUHNApw7OlNTealBBROEdt9nOdtccSMQOZ5P32Mr-ce5OTScn7smAAflWo-9S5dATKEzdByAFORzPHoIbg0-j8FTitSs2F189uA/s1600/IMG_3245.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Nice, straight, smooth trench. We had a funny moment when Ryan was trying to get the pipe to make the turn he's standing in below and couldn't seem to move enough dirt to get a good radius. So he looks at me and says, "I wish there was a lot less dirt right HERE" and I swear not 10 seconds later the trench collapsed in that exact spot. He didn't hit it or anything, it just decided to cut us a break. It was awesome.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghRkt4DRCgcE-XXl14s6ihZCVPYGNDySJLzmzi7HI58oB2ndmGeQ5ehcSQ12JEQKQgqoL8kgE32lmnCpq7FMfMj_eSK3272DG2vV-4Dz16tTMxl4sqV2xW0G3_cVwDMxNxzTgs3gPe8aU/s1600/IMG_3253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghRkt4DRCgcE-XXl14s6ihZCVPYGNDySJLzmzi7HI58oB2ndmGeQ5ehcSQ12JEQKQgqoL8kgE32lmnCpq7FMfMj_eSK3272DG2vV-4Dz16tTMxl4sqV2xW0G3_cVwDMxNxzTgs3gPe8aU/s1600/IMG_3253.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Yes, I realize it looks like I laid down in the dirt and took a picture. I'm standing on the bottom of the trench, you can see root sticking out of the trench walls beside me. So the trench was taller than I am.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LwKxU4ccoCa5sCdstPyxDK64nOJhuQVSFJ89H_2mrwl3SVafF2JKfIBDlM3Rq0N7HTpz_r3bqJ-2YiMf8JDOGoNTt_3pH7nuZJS9diAs4RGAQonJbM0hwbT3zq3zhHxMtN-gvyf6eCE/s1600/IMG_3269.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LwKxU4ccoCa5sCdstPyxDK64nOJhuQVSFJ89H_2mrwl3SVafF2JKfIBDlM3Rq0N7HTpz_r3bqJ-2YiMf8JDOGoNTt_3pH7nuZJS9diAs4RGAQonJbM0hwbT3zq3zhHxMtN-gvyf6eCE/s1600/IMG_3269.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm excited progress is being made on our house, framing is fun because it looks like so much progress so fast. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On the crafting front, I haven't gotten much fully "done" recently. I did finish the quilt top I've been working on and reporting on, I'm just trying to figure out how I'm going to quilt it.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8YXQj68PtQlODTdebsOGX7e0EUiEjk22eUQb3D2Sgz9x7TpEnkkD72xrbikJcCioUAkYE_VpFBLepHkD4hcGsTNPEdBqa__87KZldg71_5sRozW_grxMgSHFeZXmtb2Kha88_Rn8LLrQ/s1600/IMG_3405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8YXQj68PtQlODTdebsOGX7e0EUiEjk22eUQb3D2Sgz9x7TpEnkkD72xrbikJcCioUAkYE_VpFBLepHkD4hcGsTNPEdBqa__87KZldg71_5sRozW_grxMgSHFeZXmtb2Kha88_Rn8LLrQ/s1600/IMG_3405.jpg" height="400" width="326" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I didn't make much for Christmas presents this year, but I did make my brother and sister-in-law some super-awesome hipster Hama (Perler) bead cassette tape coasters.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmGfTqHUFnKdvVlnj0Va_cdDUqRGSx9fuNCQW_Llg6W485Sr9a3SagCc-T1nXPYxkifP-_wLMYDoqCcmDBL2_1VZ98ujet8NsKIw-ZL_TLqmwpZh0jkjBCFePxh7J50xBKs_WwEllAvIY/s1600/IMG_3325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmGfTqHUFnKdvVlnj0Va_cdDUqRGSx9fuNCQW_Llg6W485Sr9a3SagCc-T1nXPYxkifP-_wLMYDoqCcmDBL2_1VZ98ujet8NsKIw-ZL_TLqmwpZh0jkjBCFePxh7J50xBKs_WwEllAvIY/s1600/IMG_3325.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I love how they turned out, I just went off a picture I found on Pinterest and made them slightly larger so they have a chance of fitting a glass. I backed them in felt. My brother isn't really a hipster, but he lives in northern California and is just enough of a hipster that I like to tease him about it. :-)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In family life, since my last blog post we finished moving. Man, that was a huge stress on all of us. We moved not just a house with two young children, but also a farm. And Ryan wanted to save EVERYTHING. I swear, if it was "possibly useful someday", he had to save it. At least the farm stuff is at the new farm and I don't have to move it again. Hopefully not ever. All we have at the house we're living in is a bunch of freezers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here some very wonderful people helped us move the chicken pens. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2isAplRDf3gbJ0UoUXm36yR2uCLcdtXpStmio5UCEVCLRY95dFMeungEJHjqBWIL1_b_ytK4yXyIXK3UUrV8uDGpD6vDIdkW0aslmaCX4-A-hE5vAGdIZgLIiGNyTkVxKihMuBVbTIA/s1600/IMG_3173.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2isAplRDf3gbJ0UoUXm36yR2uCLcdtXpStmio5UCEVCLRY95dFMeungEJHjqBWIL1_b_ytK4yXyIXK3UUrV8uDGpD6vDIdkW0aslmaCX4-A-hE5vAGdIZgLIiGNyTkVxKihMuBVbTIA/s1600/IMG_3173.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And this was the picture I took to say "goodbye" to the old house. The new owner did decide to tear it down, he found the main support beam was cracked. I have mixed feelings about that. I am glad to have it sold and be moving forward, but it was our home for almost 7 years and I did have two babies in it. I'm sure it's a better house in my memory than in reality....</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9hPNFwp_OO3Z1kiDEWM9T-0j7Rm6d8jeC5DWyidw6Zy8AvOZ8-Kh9PZ1p1theV_Q-KX7kHOERvRbqzyvYoaT5uJ5DLw3ePIf0AuQYmy3MZL70pTG-sl872ue7A_IXI0XQo_OmpzbxPv0/s1600/IMG_3260.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9hPNFwp_OO3Z1kiDEWM9T-0j7Rm6d8jeC5DWyidw6Zy8AvOZ8-Kh9PZ1p1theV_Q-KX7kHOERvRbqzyvYoaT5uJ5DLw3ePIf0AuQYmy3MZL70pTG-sl872ue7A_IXI0XQo_OmpzbxPv0/s1600/IMG_3260.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Speaking of my two babies, they continue to grow (as kids do). Here Z passed out, utterly exhausted on our Picket Fence Creamery turkey delivery day. It's actually quite rare that he sleeps in our arms; on plane flights to and from California after Christmas, he never once fell asleep in our arms despite a total lack of a nap. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit5TEVXUyqDueEQcRYXAjNBnVEjqZuYEX-6HDDNH19VXllYdMPiDHBfDApMGga1turuI67uo48-ig_bzFvOfceTpcVkOG7TEL_gODPsR2dJYyJzF1yWsEqRqSa0pdAeqwF0Sg-VOpCSmc/s1600/IMG_3180.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit5TEVXUyqDueEQcRYXAjNBnVEjqZuYEX-6HDDNH19VXllYdMPiDHBfDApMGga1turuI67uo48-ig_bzFvOfceTpcVkOG7TEL_gODPsR2dJYyJzF1yWsEqRqSa0pdAeqwF0Sg-VOpCSmc/s1600/IMG_3180.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He also turned 2 shortly after my last post, I found this idea for a cake on Pinterest (of course) and it was perfect. Chocolate malt balls and chocolate frosting, and I didn't need any cake decorating skills at all. Although cake decorating classes are on my bucket list.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyk52Yzwonfc8wurQ7BtKY4Pvv8osUoPNqQvAkXaUTPzR3hN53j5hvRW1wbBJTbSHBrGB8TLkALpjlXLuggtke_EQFJqJMlrG-BdeqGK_rU9shW6gnjpRjbZ3V5xEahobQ9E5NFXhdMs4/s1600/IMG_3238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyk52Yzwonfc8wurQ7BtKY4Pvv8osUoPNqQvAkXaUTPzR3hN53j5hvRW1wbBJTbSHBrGB8TLkALpjlXLuggtke_EQFJqJMlrG-BdeqGK_rU9shW6gnjpRjbZ3V5xEahobQ9E5NFXhdMs4/s1600/IMG_3238.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Since we also got some snow, I took the somewhat obligatory "younger child watches older child play in the snow" picture.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8B8rqLu4VdD3qSXJ66fyPI37GXp_hS_6iMBKKamYzgr98nZvOyIh-dR0QxvRRXNFyQ09dV7Sj7ZWoDwlBgkvdZNBL9uMtrFgQxZRm1xkncnEn6ZAZPEz3SBCj4XrnMIQC_7M1Bxb3Nvo/s1600/IMG_3464.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8B8rqLu4VdD3qSXJ66fyPI37GXp_hS_6iMBKKamYzgr98nZvOyIh-dR0QxvRRXNFyQ09dV7Sj7ZWoDwlBgkvdZNBL9uMtrFgQxZRm1xkncnEn6ZAZPEz3SBCj4XrnMIQC_7M1Bxb3Nvo/s1600/IMG_3464.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Since we are in Ames over the winter, we decided to get a membership to the Reiman Gardens, which has an indoor butterfly garden along with a conservatory. Z is so far delighted by the butterflies.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9qaGne_GaN3ZbaZP7v4N74rYOtx6EEpTrnnKst2VoLGmHtjTTYKOuPLgwzdn7-opRRwPcl0Xjr6dyK5n75-fajsAqyPQI3RZlqFFr5G1-XsWtOTPhG7Z2TgguU0q2k4a_h0sH8ODUvUQ/s1600/IMG_3342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9qaGne_GaN3ZbaZP7v4N74rYOtx6EEpTrnnKst2VoLGmHtjTTYKOuPLgwzdn7-opRRwPcl0Xjr6dyK5n75-fajsAqyPQI3RZlqFFr5G1-XsWtOTPhG7Z2TgguU0q2k4a_h0sH8ODUvUQ/s1600/IMG_3342.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">H is also doing well, she is getting closer and closer to really reading. She builds words at school, and recently at home with zero supervision made this picture of a prince from a kit from her uncle from Christmas. My favorite part of this, other than the awesome word building skills, is that I think it looks like Weird Al Yankovic.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3myp7Ki5sse6tGvR8ERsvc9j_5MW7aCLq8uzKRz7d9VR2Z4fMbbt_DET1jlqX_zIcLtpvbfZgVnC_u2qCq3wAazubbKBiiBIvPoYdKduq83-nfv2jPapNS2LA7MdXDwKM0YrMnpQwiws/s1600/IMG_3482.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3myp7Ki5sse6tGvR8ERsvc9j_5MW7aCLq8uzKRz7d9VR2Z4fMbbt_DET1jlqX_zIcLtpvbfZgVnC_u2qCq3wAazubbKBiiBIvPoYdKduq83-nfv2jPapNS2LA7MdXDwKM0YrMnpQwiws/s1600/IMG_3482.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">H also got to take over her Daddy's haircut time (he decided he didn't need one, so she asked for one) and completely loved salon time. The stylist even put glitter in her hair, and I think she had as much fun getting her hair done as she did opening Christmas presents.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlmW5JGXbY9COenuvLOq78S4DRmz_Qzp8jABCpQMoWv0ZKmxmRoxp8pqVkKadtgv-MNfQsNqt740QuIzkuHnBpjPUTB7PY2-T4Vk9KkZhrGwyr5gFUG9IreSSYWXlJek1LttvNLdNI_dc/s1600/IMG_3431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlmW5JGXbY9COenuvLOq78S4DRmz_Qzp8jABCpQMoWv0ZKmxmRoxp8pqVkKadtgv-MNfQsNqt740QuIzkuHnBpjPUTB7PY2-T4Vk9KkZhrGwyr5gFUG9IreSSYWXlJek1LttvNLdNI_dc/s1600/IMG_3431.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I also attempted to foster more of a spirit of giving rather than just receiving with her over Christmas this year, so we went to a building workshop at Lowe's where H built Z a train. He adores it, and she enjoyed making it. She's not quite strong or coordinated enough yet to really do a lot of it, but she and I worked together and I think it was helpful that she made him a Christmas present. I know it's no soup kitchen volunteering, but it's a step in the right direction, I hope.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3ZEF_sEag-loKM_655o4_j28lEHlCtxC1WASpIVF2Qhote0k0B9I_y0g4emM_DI0bz9aiH-SinV22rPZxcotd95pfxSj7cgAYNeGWNHtQl4rxSE2dXsDjnauVltpGuWcEmBjPxspy6g/s1600/IMG_3305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3ZEF_sEag-loKM_655o4_j28lEHlCtxC1WASpIVF2Qhote0k0B9I_y0g4emM_DI0bz9aiH-SinV22rPZxcotd95pfxSj7cgAYNeGWNHtQl4rxSE2dXsDjnauVltpGuWcEmBjPxspy6g/s1600/IMG_3305.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">With that, I'll leave you today with a (rare) full family picture. I hope you all have a great 2015!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKrxJSBQLumWlZwgluMfyVzeGarzf5nsRnMYKA-iJwauk7yawIygT6VEMEUYdmUGddAwZq4VTZ9F-NPTYqEHmGSH17-Q6sXu9KlURIpef7u7CUNWFuet-lUQXstn2JctVc7Ei6shyIix0/s1600/IMG_3357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKrxJSBQLumWlZwgluMfyVzeGarzf5nsRnMYKA-iJwauk7yawIygT6VEMEUYdmUGddAwZq4VTZ9F-NPTYqEHmGSH17-Q6sXu9KlURIpef7u7CUNWFuet-lUQXstn2JctVc7Ei6shyIix0/s1600/IMG_3357.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02436858141037595318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491905782134706291.post-64849541149659370292014-11-13T22:19:00.000-06:002014-11-13T22:19:21.364-06:00Basement Walls and Gingerbread<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We have basement walls! They got poured on Monday, right before this massive cold snap we're going through. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPyr2w2KYFkte2L228an0ubMXNYvSiKVsJKWaNz1bjLkB8jrOFiyCUFM3ILR_qJVepz4SCqfXASZtRaSpGsX12CDKy9EogrDjICVWpffEIaB-VscxltH8CpaNpC6ITO4XvCLqqoodfkJA/s1600/IMG_3150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPyr2w2KYFkte2L228an0ubMXNYvSiKVsJKWaNz1bjLkB8jrOFiyCUFM3ILR_qJVepz4SCqfXASZtRaSpGsX12CDKy9EogrDjICVWpffEIaB-VscxltH8CpaNpC6ITO4XvCLqqoodfkJA/s400/IMG_3150.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The black coating is the waterproofing on the outside of the walls, in this picture the front door will be about in the middle of the picture, in the part that is coming toward the viewer. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPyKPCl3zSFnHStaEHE44Yf9YFe1gb0-KxTSEmTShyphenhyphengnpcLczbmiIHKAsj4j6DY-iscnLHRgGPrSP_jVaIARoIuzdoh4yykYEksF-u4PwVub3i2F12Y08FHB0QnJW771o47N5OVEksWss/s1600/IMG_3151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPyKPCl3zSFnHStaEHE44Yf9YFe1gb0-KxTSEmTShyphenhyphengnpcLczbmiIHKAsj4j6DY-iscnLHRgGPrSP_jVaIARoIuzdoh4yykYEksF-u4PwVub3i2F12Y08FHB0QnJW771o47N5OVEksWss/s400/IMG_3151.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And the second picture is looking at the garage on the left. I'm facing east in taking these pictures. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ryan has also been working on putting in water lines, here he's standing in a water line trench, putting in a hydrant.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgrA5kEAFsVTH6BKY_P89uiONsvwtAZK0IuZ6hkHOGi5Fwd38IHYhxqLmhOJnx0VimEgO1-uX8dV0UGfw_4PdatRVQIE1uri1GhFbDPbTy2sQiZjmxnMvHB0ool16OEuj_GAp_CyEPH9k/s1600/IMG_3154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgrA5kEAFsVTH6BKY_P89uiONsvwtAZK0IuZ6hkHOGi5Fwd38IHYhxqLmhOJnx0VimEgO1-uX8dV0UGfw_4PdatRVQIE1uri1GhFbDPbTy2sQiZjmxnMvHB0ool16OEuj_GAp_CyEPH9k/s400/IMG_3154.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This last weekend we also had a very wintery activity and we made gingerbread houses with Grandma and Grandpa.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEBNv0nfewuMoPsf9FdY5__TZIHgt1Fxux3kKvnKcADuMfWmNcwRrBvLhsPUYbCYCDsiDbPd75gjEOx9f5G6ne4_htOoZWePS2ZWwRapgn3vj2tIYfSf56ZUw_v7ANViGN4YbPO_WWmL4/s1600/IMG_3083.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEBNv0nfewuMoPsf9FdY5__TZIHgt1Fxux3kKvnKcADuMfWmNcwRrBvLhsPUYbCYCDsiDbPd75gjEOx9f5G6ne4_htOoZWePS2ZWwRapgn3vj2tIYfSf56ZUw_v7ANViGN4YbPO_WWmL4/s400/IMG_3083.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Z happily played with toy cars while we did.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And then we decorated them, of course.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw-N0HM9liY_aSk8325Jx1EiWNNaJK1IsoZkwjij7l48YKQ1EQaosZ2dG-cItub4AnH1_TUgZXPBPzJogJ_CHSDf1IBhFwWXfxNWCnU-ET7VPaS9Vv32FwE_sVWPPQAvdyjaLQopgGK6Y/s1600/IMG_3132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw-N0HM9liY_aSk8325Jx1EiWNNaJK1IsoZkwjij7l48YKQ1EQaosZ2dG-cItub4AnH1_TUgZXPBPzJogJ_CHSDf1IBhFwWXfxNWCnU-ET7VPaS9Vv32FwE_sVWPPQAvdyjaLQopgGK6Y/s400/IMG_3132.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Little Z turns 2 tomorrow, so since he is otherwise underrepresented in this post, here he is outside Target, very disappointed that the big red ball doesn't move:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZhSgqrrSdhSYqxVfAcYERyC2hWF8sEW6fsgFRgZCtNT_2_-kKy12sGaEWEsV2P2OP5z0g_cjRkD4_db4bqdZi57qDq-lur74JHhcYpKsNwsKMOBxh1DkD73-pUtYzBr7sJK73c-e3fo/s1600/IMG_3040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZhSgqrrSdhSYqxVfAcYERyC2hWF8sEW6fsgFRgZCtNT_2_-kKy12sGaEWEsV2P2OP5z0g_cjRkD4_db4bqdZi57qDq-lur74JHhcYpKsNwsKMOBxh1DkD73-pUtYzBr7sJK73c-e3fo/s400/IMG_3040.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Happy Birthday little man!</span>Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02436858141037595318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491905782134706291.post-58576980433836366152014-11-02T23:33:00.000-06:002014-11-02T23:33:38.514-06:00Poop<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sometimes being a farm wife is about poop. I spent about 4 hours today helping Ryan chase cows onto our trailer, and he took two loads out to the new farm. The third load is on the trailer now to be taken out tomorrow, and we have one more load to go after that. Today I learned that cow poop is a very slippery substance, but I managed to not plant myself in any of it. Ryan did manage to get too close to a cow in the close confines of the trailer and was less lucky. I also came in from one of these herding sessions to a very dirty diaper on my son, hence my revelation. At least the majority of the cattle are moved, but that last load could be a real bear.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit6RJIKlNwgHcQL9UkrKLIXiR62aRvvHsZwxvOrCYAatKELunXoWJkJziZQhMNgvMz4ogD7XieDs4pgYhjFlG1hKiOH6SAfAF66qF4u3hQMgistQYkn86liyd_UoFbOmemesb9CZrNmSQ/s1600/IMG_3036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit6RJIKlNwgHcQL9UkrKLIXiR62aRvvHsZwxvOrCYAatKELunXoWJkJziZQhMNgvMz4ogD7XieDs4pgYhjFlG1hKiOH6SAfAF66qF4u3hQMgistQYkn86liyd_UoFbOmemesb9CZrNmSQ/s1600/IMG_3036.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The other poop-related thing that happened is that we got our septic on-grade lines installed. These are like laterals, but not buried because the new farm's soil is heavy clay without much drainage. We were supposed to have a basement dug on Friday or Saturday, but that didn't actually happen. So here's the picture of the on-grade lines before they get covered with dirt:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmCohdVzzgqkkXoaflVhn6DO18743CC2T4kqzQfhd4jL57InI5OKscFrayz3qdPXrU-07kg7y-ERiJ13DH9XsaHOncOgjUs4G9ZKF7soIc-Bag54O10vAUcCW7CIAj_7YOF0YW6ptQz68/s1600/IMG_3037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmCohdVzzgqkkXoaflVhn6DO18743CC2T4kqzQfhd4jL57InI5OKscFrayz3qdPXrU-07kg7y-ERiJ13DH9XsaHOncOgjUs4G9ZKF7soIc-Bag54O10vAUcCW7CIAj_7YOF0YW6ptQz68/s1600/IMG_3037.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In other farm news, on one of the trips today the cows did this to the trailer lighting wires:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgikPJYmHzTue04gruKGtcGWHWZz_AYA3ls7dzAtJQu0m_XYuVSxkDwOwjvSTatsgtxWUYIYqqM4DCOPxAZcTF-cbstEQor4lAekbXrR0Eja0UdhbKfnQ262_BZ53sfPfA-Qdy64VA-SeA/s1600/IMG_3032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgikPJYmHzTue04gruKGtcGWHWZz_AYA3ls7dzAtJQu0m_XYuVSxkDwOwjvSTatsgtxWUYIYqqM4DCOPxAZcTF-cbstEQor4lAekbXrR0Eja0UdhbKfnQ262_BZ53sfPfA-Qdy64VA-SeA/s1600/IMG_3032.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you remember, our trailer lighting was already <a href="http://wildrosepastures.blogspot.com/2013/10/turkey-loading-and-modern-placemats.html" target="_blank">pretty jury-rigged</a>. So Ryan brought home a new connector and we now have a more sophisticated jury-rigged trailer light set! This time around we had enough slack to run the wires along the top of the trailer, with ny-ties holding it in place and the extra slack wrapped around. It's classy looking.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvOYFW14s8Peoo3amYkxzDhhlWCWdjYS9y8ZulXpIaZvBffYjRtfSDUHbl-FMuWOK2noSQgxoefk6EKiUcQRFF7QrMRoyFZQ-S8WX7ymvkuukwMWBslV2CNnJTea5cgf_uNo0HHpvPhnY/s1600/IMG_3035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvOYFW14s8Peoo3amYkxzDhhlWCWdjYS9y8ZulXpIaZvBffYjRtfSDUHbl-FMuWOK2noSQgxoefk6EKiUcQRFF7QrMRoyFZQ-S8WX7ymvkuukwMWBslV2CNnJTea5cgf_uNo0HHpvPhnY/s1600/IMG_3035.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My caution toward doing my own work on my car is fading a little, at least with some tasks. I know, I know, I'm a mechanical engineer. But still, I don't touch my own car. But when a headlight burned out and was already cracked and yellowed, I decided I was going to replace it myself. It was going to cost me $180 in labor only to have a shop do it, so I turned to YouTube. Love YouTube, so very helpful in telling me where all the fiddly little clips and screws were. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr7NiTutC4kL33SJuxhWcDS4WhCcde74GAwIlJOcpqwUuFjG9pBxGPLARN-URFN1rkvmxqqELRvSJk0D4fklg7ELT3mSesLa01o-CdxZx0ZVRXZjyP2aTvmMSJOP8bRhDFToWQdRYU_Kk/s1600/IMG_2980.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr7NiTutC4kL33SJuxhWcDS4WhCcde74GAwIlJOcpqwUuFjG9pBxGPLARN-URFN1rkvmxqqELRvSJk0D4fklg7ELT3mSesLa01o-CdxZx0ZVRXZjyP2aTvmMSJOP8bRhDFToWQdRYU_Kk/s1600/IMG_2980.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The result is a headlight that now matches the other one (it was always much clearer because Ryan hit a deer and it had been replaced last year) and works! Ha!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOxRKT9p0xECRddk_fAtTOXxg6r48VzxjcOENLwVnqMTKGaqha7u7KGJOyIySwkVY0GyY7WA3LcM0uHqETrT3flMW4JILotduG-8XWkyQdjRN77XCuslXsFHGxOsfzEAv-QZYpcNIer4w/s1600/IMG_2990.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOxRKT9p0xECRddk_fAtTOXxg6r48VzxjcOENLwVnqMTKGaqha7u7KGJOyIySwkVY0GyY7WA3LcM0uHqETrT3flMW4JILotduG-8XWkyQdjRN77XCuslXsFHGxOsfzEAv-QZYpcNIer4w/s1600/IMG_2990.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">No sewing news this time because my machine is in the shop for 3 weeks. :-(</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Halloween was this week, and I apologize for the terrible pictures of my kids. H was Belle, and Z was a cowboy. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZnst8kXqzToZ0g9cPUyLHwlmA6UK-Fdg_MmssGKjD3XcL9zUCTxkj3WntIcl9wm18rwXCzEm1HNqfAijMDyz_TEA54ANJdExoewDrwImVc0FWbBOmrefOyymMb954g-zevcYjSkqmjPs/s1600/IMG_3020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZnst8kXqzToZ0g9cPUyLHwlmA6UK-Fdg_MmssGKjD3XcL9zUCTxkj3WntIcl9wm18rwXCzEm1HNqfAijMDyz_TEA54ANJdExoewDrwImVc0FWbBOmrefOyymMb954g-zevcYjSkqmjPs/s1600/IMG_3020.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">H did fine with the whole trick-or-treat thing, and Ryan even made up a joke for her:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Knock Knock</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Who's there?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A Kid.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A Kid who?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A kid who wants candy!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2zyldCYvv-Qf0-Ut96jHtanAVsHLGfpXzLQ9L26_oBLVpVn6oRSb4-Vhj-M8LzLTK-FF5NAzRrHVF3klIE8qzOkQ7QurE7pfP6FB78xT41qnFb0ZqKGfrNGf2UnEfEwYfYRQU7Cqq_nw/s1600/IMG_3013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2zyldCYvv-Qf0-Ut96jHtanAVsHLGfpXzLQ9L26_oBLVpVn6oRSb4-Vhj-M8LzLTK-FF5NAzRrHVF3klIE8qzOkQ7QurE7pfP6FB78xT41qnFb0ZqKGfrNGf2UnEfEwYfYRQU7Cqq_nw/s1600/IMG_3013.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It went over pretty well and we did have about a half dozen people ask for it. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguLjIpPJqtirZNdWQMvL9JnBzgp7Jei_heZdEMktFJtCErGqO6E6mKxVOUkFlPp8WUCBdkMuRogiMkKXychp7N-XOGivt8bL7ltBmPO1sqQCYIFTIS9OX7nDP-Wmgz1PR8V6KQ5SjxFjg/s1600/IMG_3024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguLjIpPJqtirZNdWQMvL9JnBzgp7Jei_heZdEMktFJtCErGqO6E6mKxVOUkFlPp8WUCBdkMuRogiMkKXychp7N-XOGivt8bL7ltBmPO1sqQCYIFTIS9OX7nDP-Wmgz1PR8V6KQ5SjxFjg/s1600/IMG_3024.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">With Z we mostly focused on "Thank you" and "Bye", he doesn't have the Trick-or-treat down at all. He also pronounces "Bye" with a "D", so was waving and cheerfully yelling "Die!!" at people all night. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">All in all, a pretty good time was had by all, but Z wanted to ride in another kid's red wagon so badly that it was apparently tantrum-worthy.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt1nJx04Tp3LIx3FamFuKpPhmE0ptam0EMp-z7gbh8qW9AkEaOJIh4zCOS9R7EZnMHUw4j30rqsrRZfWyGzklCUTYyAupZF5pw6np7gKgdqOpUlZHGLFnPIlKy0mmCuxf4rGTHzJT5Rcs/s1600/IMG_3021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt1nJx04Tp3LIx3FamFuKpPhmE0ptam0EMp-z7gbh8qW9AkEaOJIh4zCOS9R7EZnMHUw4j30rqsrRZfWyGzklCUTYyAupZF5pw6np7gKgdqOpUlZHGLFnPIlKy0mmCuxf4rGTHzJT5Rcs/s1600/IMG_3021.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02436858141037595318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491905782134706291.post-88486789047301375402014-10-23T22:43:00.000-05:002014-10-23T22:43:26.913-05:00Forward!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifWLTTMFDjHr6CvFgPrxoURlYPTCeB5xAbfwSCR_dwDV_lJVU3nvJTktqWIohk3dM7PEIjoa4QQ1AvR9IdYcCfULxdxUjXgYcuwj-_TiNKMdn_-x-iez5J3vPU_KdRc2ocpfQzAk7sRsU/s1600/IMG_2921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifWLTTMFDjHr6CvFgPrxoURlYPTCeB5xAbfwSCR_dwDV_lJVU3nvJTktqWIohk3dM7PEIjoa4QQ1AvR9IdYcCfULxdxUjXgYcuwj-_TiNKMdn_-x-iez5J3vPU_KdRc2ocpfQzAk7sRsU/s1600/IMG_2921.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The long-awaited post has arrived; we sold our farm. I waited until it actually closed to post this so I wouldn't curse it somehow, but I deposited the check of funds leftover from the sale today and all the paperwork is signed. The new owner is actually letting us rent our place back from him until December 1st, so we get some time to move slowly. We'll live in my parent's house in Ames while we build our new home.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLozcSg7KZc4wqM0USEPGVaZTDmK7im80o8kws9bvbRunm4RoZ7nhRH7bUBET-uzOQRKJsrpvWUIJjmVR-xpv5ypowU_HP7bmy2Tz1G1L6AAKNOV4XlXz5NdXxSP5GNxHEWpbtWz8imY/s1600/IMG_2940.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLozcSg7KZc4wqM0USEPGVaZTDmK7im80o8kws9bvbRunm4RoZ7nhRH7bUBET-uzOQRKJsrpvWUIJjmVR-xpv5ypowU_HP7bmy2Tz1G1L6AAKNOV4XlXz5NdXxSP5GNxHEWpbtWz8imY/s1600/IMG_2940.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'll start posting views of the new place as we build, so here is our "blank slate" as it stands right now. We're basically looking where the front door will be, and we are facing East. Some more pictures taken from the same spot, from north to south:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqS5K0vPxDfQkJr1oK03oU26B2uBMe78i3V0SU_oexk9TxVxmCZZxqDP1gSkmpIUxbra0atrLh9kPcnd9l6uJkGyxV090qDbruAffB6nmH-kiYJUaF1IGbDluXIuMfMl43zZzMlqkdNiM/s1600/IMG_2943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqS5K0vPxDfQkJr1oK03oU26B2uBMe78i3V0SU_oexk9TxVxmCZZxqDP1gSkmpIUxbra0atrLh9kPcnd9l6uJkGyxV090qDbruAffB6nmH-kiYJUaF1IGbDluXIuMfMl43zZzMlqkdNiM/s1600/IMG_2943.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1NxVKWWvrpRMUPS30VTva5k4cdCDwz7kIS3BZS9pO6gqC-7Xssodm80PgIudH_EOSXJqsXcZ6I1nypgUG-_aOoTCTsIjJYOa4V3G0t7cpWftWF8jiqFbXQVd120TYoU2ppYP7fszQRdU/s1600/IMG_2942.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1NxVKWWvrpRMUPS30VTva5k4cdCDwz7kIS3BZS9pO6gqC-7Xssodm80PgIudH_EOSXJqsXcZ6I1nypgUG-_aOoTCTsIjJYOa4V3G0t7cpWftWF8jiqFbXQVd120TYoU2ppYP7fszQRdU/s1600/IMG_2942.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxCBf0XTurYK8e5uV6dV7viN4qQ1HdlT7_PLLOLWCqzR7xm3MAjz1q4gE7tPWQwa0WZq5np70TCHiav894nptlEqbw5Eo4tcSfa18GmUX3Oh_2VQJpP0Bwm9ZqGTx4ST886FnxIYuP5K8/s1600/IMG_2941.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxCBf0XTurYK8e5uV6dV7viN4qQ1HdlT7_PLLOLWCqzR7xm3MAjz1q4gE7tPWQwa0WZq5np70TCHiav894nptlEqbw5Eo4tcSfa18GmUX3Oh_2VQJpP0Bwm9ZqGTx4ST886FnxIYuP5K8/s1600/IMG_2941.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I know it doesn't look like much right now, but starting next Friday I think we'll have a hole! Then we'll fill the hole with a house. Yes, we are building a house over the winter in Iowa. It's crazy, but I think we've already proved there is a lot of crazy going on here. I think we can get the shell of the house in place before winter really sets in, which means we can make progress over the winter. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We also have a ton of work to do on fencing, wiring, water, etc. so we had a work day two weeks ago. Wonderful friends helped build fence:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD3cPl4gYIQS05Qk8hNCnuAVu6UN_AjAxmSinpsH24NJrc7ZMhO3o62qsbCkwBtUIKqql7xUTgzdqQ2aDlp-4YFjLESUgWcez1qrTGA48ljvPvxqAziH0ldkg4VHfbboeeJxD8z6UFBPg/s1600/IMG_2933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD3cPl4gYIQS05Qk8hNCnuAVu6UN_AjAxmSinpsH24NJrc7ZMhO3o62qsbCkwBtUIKqql7xUTgzdqQ2aDlp-4YFjLESUgWcez1qrTGA48ljvPvxqAziH0ldkg4VHfbboeeJxD8z6UFBPg/s1600/IMG_2933.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And wire the building:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKnGAzySV_dG6_R_FPXc9BB7w2y0dSBd0VNARQD2jirrixqnLTLE3t6KMxy5nE3G5GDYe7QCBJezSNF-mQLM_s9C6wgK4YiCFiB1MqLZJA0aa33W4pSh0i_ryYNZ01EhQ6M6yt9PQSirE/s1600/IMG_2927.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKnGAzySV_dG6_R_FPXc9BB7w2y0dSBd0VNARQD2jirrixqnLTLE3t6KMxy5nE3G5GDYe7QCBJezSNF-mQLM_s9C6wgK4YiCFiB1MqLZJA0aa33W4pSh0i_ryYNZ01EhQ6M6yt9PQSirE/s1600/IMG_2927.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There is still a long way to go, but it felt good to get so much done. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRxyImK9OvALrK8TJy4O-emBy9WX1RJ2ngX1BkvnoGkze66fXGU1yAxmdyikL0fHY_H8ywU-5XPnAtzTd15ODY8lrgPcnq3ZPoR8BztEk3yGd4_JAbQEtivTNapYE7qlX1bIthG_mDWnY/s1600/IMG_2971.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRxyImK9OvALrK8TJy4O-emBy9WX1RJ2ngX1BkvnoGkze66fXGU1yAxmdyikL0fHY_H8ywU-5XPnAtzTd15ODY8lrgPcnq3ZPoR8BztEk3yGd4_JAbQEtivTNapYE7qlX1bIthG_mDWnY/s1600/IMG_2971.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We're reaching the point in our farming season where we are taking birds to the locker, getting ready for winter, etc. This is a picture from (chicken) locker day, showing our turkeys and cows hanging out. I actually took it because Ryan is always asking me if I've seen cows, so I was sending him a picture that I had eyes on some cows. Recently they've been challenging fences like crazy, and one bull in particular seems to have lost all respect for electric fence. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On the quilting front, I did a couple of mug rugs for a United Way fundraiser at work, which turned out well. Mug rugs are kind of fun because they're not very big (these are about 7 inches by 12 inches or so) and they sew up quickly. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJQ36eAzBkVEPBwZVfILRM7bBnrUloSfz09G1wFYiUavOdbOLa1GRj7X6gpMD7DdO7tFOcmH8pIAGp-qSsKBmoCdUekCclkagpHgjwJzt19mZEncPL2qEimeOnx-1Nh4SvN7xVyHjYAtw/s1600/IMG_2823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJQ36eAzBkVEPBwZVfILRM7bBnrUloSfz09G1wFYiUavOdbOLa1GRj7X6gpMD7DdO7tFOcmH8pIAGp-qSsKBmoCdUekCclkagpHgjwJzt19mZEncPL2qEimeOnx-1Nh4SvN7xVyHjYAtw/s1600/IMG_2823.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I also finished the quilt top for the one I've been working on, that in my last post I flipped the "sea" on. I got the borders on it during my quilt retreat last weekend.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtW0dNCZ3he3GvojJoN4mE7FZKfiVSdO8YxP5Mnso07whnNqXTh3VDXIaVjXFz4HTIjBwYvBSmeM1FtrbfqBwczf34DDqT84H6HGNFbxgJrYnEIrR2g7a4hMKOVzth3cQ7HVLkV6FHqYg/s1600/IMG_2960.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtW0dNCZ3he3GvojJoN4mE7FZKfiVSdO8YxP5Mnso07whnNqXTh3VDXIaVjXFz4HTIjBwYvBSmeM1FtrbfqBwczf34DDqT84H6HGNFbxgJrYnEIrR2g7a4hMKOVzth3cQ7HVLkV6FHqYg/s1600/IMG_2960.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's 84 inches by 108 inches, and the border is intended to be the night version of the inside. This picture shows the colors closer than the last one I posted. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The kids continue to do well, H still likes school and is a hair's breadth from being able to read. Here she is working on a puzzle.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnWw5bWLk2_OK6EqCIKfmCC8GihglCGBWQncBBRwEpSi6d0_yzYMb0S_526pPFWnP0KJgZDJABLSA2eNHu-2_OnznMP_xdHy8ZDY9Xepjg3ZNj8jDEsZ9LFVsw78XnuHOD2qEOSd4J7sg/s1600/IMG_2969.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnWw5bWLk2_OK6EqCIKfmCC8GihglCGBWQncBBRwEpSi6d0_yzYMb0S_526pPFWnP0KJgZDJABLSA2eNHu-2_OnznMP_xdHy8ZDY9Xepjg3ZNj8jDEsZ9LFVsw78XnuHOD2qEOSd4J7sg/s1600/IMG_2969.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And Z is definitely a toddler, with all the world-exploration tendencies that come with it. Here he checks out the chickens while they were still in the brooder a couple of weeks ago. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieJFnN_EQgk0dPRIVy8aN5d-zQp88dLwic5pRDLF1QIgZgTyzp-ElVz9xSZT_nrv88U4ajWwKsTUy-CKWpFkN4F89Vw8ouN0jZRS8myZyS33q_gY3cj1DpbnBD6gID4S0HObP_GYgQpaQ/s1600/IMG_2844.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieJFnN_EQgk0dPRIVy8aN5d-zQp88dLwic5pRDLF1QIgZgTyzp-ElVz9xSZT_nrv88U4ajWwKsTUy-CKWpFkN4F89Vw8ouN0jZRS8myZyS33q_gY3cj1DpbnBD6gID4S0HObP_GYgQpaQ/s1600/IMG_2844.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> With that, I'm excited and relieved to finally be moving Forward.</span></div>
Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02436858141037595318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491905782134706291.post-37728838673654368732014-09-14T23:03:00.000-05:002014-09-14T23:03:57.093-05:00T-shirt quilt and Camp<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHmGkGLUTeW_VHPWEqEjPCf77XiVng_9Nn_i6p2FE-ufz7-f1y9LsclvzK-B5BtDUxND3VnUAtniRyDJLFb3jvvlwLmRpZCEabzFStCU6Hl-QO-H7H2nhTMgPVBGYD6hcKEVCqTitoEY/s1600/IMG_2765.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHmGkGLUTeW_VHPWEqEjPCf77XiVng_9Nn_i6p2FE-ufz7-f1y9LsclvzK-B5BtDUxND3VnUAtniRyDJLFb3jvvlwLmRpZCEabzFStCU6Hl-QO-H7H2nhTMgPVBGYD6hcKEVCqTitoEY/s1600/IMG_2765.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Fall is starting to roll in here, and with it beautiful sunsets like the one above. I do like fall, it's such a lovely time of year in Iowa. If only winter didn't follow on its heels!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">At our new farm (Ryan is trying to split his time still in order to get some fence built, etc.), the weeds are having a party. They are probably taller than I am and are a mess. Our new farm needs us, but it looks like we're spending another winter of uncertainty where we are as the real estate market winds down. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've been getting a little quilting and sewing done, I finished a t-shirt quilt made out of my college engineering t-shirts (it's a gear in a gear. See it?). </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtHBhqXfRLqGiuKahTFgYGOvi9B7_FunJWPd50-GBaSeq06xptlbO_sJ9AxG_k5R3LAt6Y1Y4rbm7PDhmHcDP6u1W7XgngwxNAMLS-K28oYiaqtjaG3q64410u10neEpd8xgit1BJ9KQw/s1600/IMG_2610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtHBhqXfRLqGiuKahTFgYGOvi9B7_FunJWPd50-GBaSeq06xptlbO_sJ9AxG_k5R3LAt6Y1Y4rbm7PDhmHcDP6u1W7XgngwxNAMLS-K28oYiaqtjaG3q64410u10neEpd8xgit1BJ9KQw/s1600/IMG_2610.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here's a close up of some quilting:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And I entered it in the state fair. No ribbons, which made me a little sad. It apparently came down to the judges not liking my quilting. They gave the blue, red, and honorable mention ribbons all to quilters who used an all-over quilting pattern, some of them computerized. I'm trying to remind myself that there isn't much of a prize in the fair and not to put too much stock in it. However, I'm also remembering that precision in my free motion quilting does need to be tightened up.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcB6Pf0vjaQpMknD_0RNRXv2I5gYC6m9PdOLqCED2kyAiqDPX7fpiAqXjGQ-SRY6T2B0eIBtt0gCOcw3KqNBkI6mSagNo4HAeKRbQz_ExETe91pzlOVe7gRKdPkaPa80TGaGiyCqyN_M4/s1600/IMG_2640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcB6Pf0vjaQpMknD_0RNRXv2I5gYC6m9PdOLqCED2kyAiqDPX7fpiAqXjGQ-SRY6T2B0eIBtt0gCOcw3KqNBkI6mSagNo4HAeKRbQz_ExETe91pzlOVe7gRKdPkaPa80TGaGiyCqyN_M4/s1600/IMG_2640.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">With that in mind, I'm still plugging away at a quilt I intend to enter in shows. I've finished the center, it is supposed to look like sky over a lake. First I had the lake oriented so that it was light at the top and dark at the bottom, like this:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh268GK3jRxFAayjWZDW5hc1lg8NLGjqxAqBr5aNb8eZA19gAZnGHuHYhUDaCWAciEpxVf-YoOr-JhFH3vA45i57uC7bGSLnkXRWa6oQqA68b1aXD2a4JVyrU4RCE2unlkCODHcUEdyPlU/s1600/IMG_2773.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh268GK3jRxFAayjWZDW5hc1lg8NLGjqxAqBr5aNb8eZA19gAZnGHuHYhUDaCWAciEpxVf-YoOr-JhFH3vA45i57uC7bGSLnkXRWa6oQqA68b1aXD2a4JVyrU4RCE2unlkCODHcUEdyPlU/s1600/IMG_2773.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The longer I looked at that, the less I thought it looked like a lake and a sky. I know it depends on the light, and the depth of the lake, and a million different factors as to whether it is light "in the distance" or dark, but I decided it didn't do what I wanted it to do. So I flipped it around and it now looks like this:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAnSMhzq4dk0iGqZfhefUNMQZHaxxwFOpvw8LjZrKvxrnHaERJvxQHXIOTyP7CIWGfPkx83FnOGxi4VBABHU_2houxgpgVV-xNxLV1Y2IWdFyz0MjdMpjpgIyC6KPwfOkQrsvaHt_mYmg/s1600/IMG_2788.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAnSMhzq4dk0iGqZfhefUNMQZHaxxwFOpvw8LjZrKvxrnHaERJvxQHXIOTyP7CIWGfPkx83FnOGxi4VBABHU_2houxgpgVV-xNxLV1Y2IWdFyz0MjdMpjpgIyC6KPwfOkQrsvaHt_mYmg/s1600/IMG_2788.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I like the line this makes between the lake and sky and think it was the right decision. Now I'm working on borders, which are kind of a night scene version of the center. I'm thinking about the quilting on it now, which originally was going to be inspired by MC Escher's "Three Worlds", but now I'm rethinking. Maybe a big sun on the horizon? hmmm. Taking suggestions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My last little project was for my MBA Capstone team (our final project before we get the degree), which as I think I've mentioned is doing consulting work for the Friends of the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge. As such, I created custom fabric with some symbols of the prairie (monarch butterfly, aster, bison, dickcissel) and "TRR" which is our private name for ourselves, "Team Ramrod". I made some bowties for the guys and some flower pins for the girls. Is this whole thing incredibly geeky? Yes. Is it the geekiest thing I've ever done? Probably not (as people who know me and longtime blog readers will know). </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitfpjkLn3pQPKpwFSNo5AanAGInCoPgR0JAODXfIOL6RUAYrLNnASzIlGlrnjrnwGA3gGbv6P9alX83E4hSPDvhxcSpWTYT13apfbuxWUZlwe4wCIvkuKrvxg4zSrpPwCfAJKwSw1yX98/s1600/IMG_2758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitfpjkLn3pQPKpwFSNo5AanAGInCoPgR0JAODXfIOL6RUAYrLNnASzIlGlrnjrnwGA3gGbv6P9alX83E4hSPDvhxcSpWTYT13apfbuxWUZlwe4wCIvkuKrvxg4zSrpPwCfAJKwSw1yX98/s1600/IMG_2758.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I think they're awesome and I love them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On the family side of things, kids continue to grow. I took my daughter to my childhood camp for the first time (<a href="http://www.clearwatercamp.org/" target="_blank">http://www.clearwatercamp.org/</a>) for family camp. It was just her and me for 5 days (including an 11 hour car ride up and back) and it was totally awesome. She did great with the long car ride and completely fell in love with camp. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRKNiYSdMjnF_mVctnvxoqW2W0o8AFaTAoOgT4_MIihD2y-Ta7lU0Ui9zHo1Gg9kaY55aihK_Wtv_qxehCR1Ec2aSAyPt3KhySLa28mNeveZLAh7mL6mWgLPGJF2ahoOWxyLAMHyJz_zQ/s1600/IMG_2714.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRKNiYSdMjnF_mVctnvxoqW2W0o8AFaTAoOgT4_MIihD2y-Ta7lU0Ui9zHo1Gg9kaY55aihK_Wtv_qxehCR1Ec2aSAyPt3KhySLa28mNeveZLAh7mL6mWgLPGJF2ahoOWxyLAMHyJz_zQ/s1600/IMG_2714.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The weather was lovely, and she and I had a great time sleeping in a cabin, swimming in the lake, and doing generally camp-related things. It might have been one of the best vacations I've ever had.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoM8QK4sQNLrk_ysrnoA34wUTGKHqBsAwdJLBE3mWygH7jac0HCUI699773UtsfrhSYboihyphenhyphenQ-hpZRwPEvIfWyNxVW7-e5mUexEFSckYtUfXUxxf-4ohekLfw7joWELER0nUUU_Gbv9NM/s1600/IMG_2665.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoM8QK4sQNLrk_ysrnoA34wUTGKHqBsAwdJLBE3mWygH7jac0HCUI699773UtsfrhSYboihyphenhyphenQ-hpZRwPEvIfWyNxVW7-e5mUexEFSckYtUfXUxxf-4ohekLfw7joWELER0nUUU_Gbv9NM/s1600/IMG_2665.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Within minutes of getting there she was ready to get wet. Her favorite activity, to my surprise, was actually fishing! She caught two fish. She didn't want to hurt the worm, but got over it quickly. It was catch and release, so we didn't eat this guy, but you can see how excited she is.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrzRNuDkaNBWHDcoryTok6RwB8ZXOQF8ViCbuelmjTcwkgWC4c-PkighOkm1Uk0naKs2fA882WDZ98d2C3p74HtAYKxAfsK4y5uiLd30o8ivNHIJFeBFH71spE7esQS0BBPxYHfEoturM/s1600/IMG_2679.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrzRNuDkaNBWHDcoryTok6RwB8ZXOQF8ViCbuelmjTcwkgWC4c-PkighOkm1Uk0naKs2fA882WDZ98d2C3p74HtAYKxAfsK4y5uiLd30o8ivNHIJFeBFH71spE7esQS0BBPxYHfEoturM/s1600/IMG_2679.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm looking forward to going back next year, I'm not sure who among our family will go, but I know H and I will be there with bells on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm noticing that most of the pictures I post of Little Z are of him reading a book, holding a book, or being read to. Well, that is certainly my little scholar's favorite activity.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkSeVSSt_fL5u3OzpMPEDaFF4v2wx4JzA_n3lDbMD9f999PdMwF7e1HchG9jylfNa4ys_-8Ths1AvS0GA_xJ2NGaHcR0hv8ytOQ0zGcFXjgOEPU_zOz2vKqdBc8EtxcgXtBsTCo2JBPGg/s1600/IMG_2739.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkSeVSSt_fL5u3OzpMPEDaFF4v2wx4JzA_n3lDbMD9f999PdMwF7e1HchG9jylfNa4ys_-8Ths1AvS0GA_xJ2NGaHcR0hv8ytOQ0zGcFXjgOEPU_zOz2vKqdBc8EtxcgXtBsTCo2JBPGg/s1600/IMG_2739.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Although sometimes he apparently stops to talk on the phone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Well, it's late and tomorrow is Monday, so good night all!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1q20ypni240NymwEeWubrf7__PDYQEEe289JJ4yJhaTXwPOxR0GvnDcHjSySVgXw85NNbvdWLXZCexe352nenqP16DdBS6oMRJazpLYh2qY-WGL6DrfqzCLEQCK44sjuYMkx0o-yld_A/s1600/IMG_2771.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1q20ypni240NymwEeWubrf7__PDYQEEe289JJ4yJhaTXwPOxR0GvnDcHjSySVgXw85NNbvdWLXZCexe352nenqP16DdBS6oMRJazpLYh2qY-WGL6DrfqzCLEQCK44sjuYMkx0o-yld_A/s1600/IMG_2771.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02436858141037595318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7491905782134706291.post-29332035918358262742014-07-10T22:13:00.001-05:002014-07-10T22:13:20.672-05:00Stuck<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's been quiet on this blog because I'm just tired of being optimistic on it. We're still stuck. We're still in Reasnor, still in our house, I'm still commuting an hour to work, we still just have a driveway and a power pole at our new place, and it feels like life is standing still. I can't tell you how many people over the years look at me and say, "Oh, you have a farm? I've always wanted a little farm, but land is just too expensive." What they apparently actually mean is that they want someone to will them a bunch of cropland for free because I have the cheapest land within an hour drive of Des Moines but still no one wants it, even though we are now down to $209,000 for the house and 40 acres (from our original $245,000). My house is small. People also talk about wanting a smaller house; but faced with the reality of a 900 square foot house (with a 400 sq ft sunroom) they suddenly don't want it. I admit I'm tired of cleaning my house up for people who have THREE small children and somehow think that magically a house that is 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, and 900 square feet will be the one. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> It's been a year since I left Vermeer and a job I loved to take this leap of faith that we were supposed to move to Ryan's family farm. Four seasons. One complete school year. It's very discouraging. Yes, our house is small. But it is not a bad house. When a storm blows 70 mph winds across our roof, I roll over and go back to sleep. If a 70 mph wind hasn't taken out our house in 146 years, it's not going to. And I still feel like our space is well appointed; there isn't anywhere that is a silly use of space. But apparently people who walk through it don't see its potential. I know, #FirstWorldProblems, but I guess if you are the praying type or the good universe energy type or (even better) if you know someone who wants to buy a farm a commutable distance to Grinnell, Pella, and Newton and an hour from Des Moines, let me know.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I don't have much quilting news because I've been working on bigger things. I'm working on quilting a t-shirt quilt for the Iowa State Fair, and I'm also steadily working on the first quilt that I am making to be a show quilt. Here's a glimpse as I was auditioning fabric options; I'm feeling good about it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ryan and I also got a rare date night early in June, even if it was for one of my MBA classes. We checked out the Concert on the Prairie at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It was a good time, we danced barefoot on the grass.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And of course the kids are growing, because that's what they do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">H had a birthday, for which I made an Elsa dress (from Frozen for the uninitiated).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Then she had a dance recital (she is dressed as a monster)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Wow, dance recital. Not sure if we're doing that again. It was a lot for a four-year-old, and frankly very hard on Ryan to have to bring both kids into town (hour drive again) four days in a week for rehearsals and whatnot. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">She also finished up her school year, here she is at the picnic on the last day. Apparently she and this friend of hers are married. He told his mom so, but somehow H neglected to mention it to me...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Z still loves books of all kinds, and trucks. So a book with a truck in it? Pure gold. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And that boy also loves the great outdoors. Even though he only says about three words at the age of 1.5 (Uh oh, Thank you, Hi... not even a Mommy yet), he knows to bring us his shoes, his socks, AND our shoes to go outside. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here he helps Daddy rake the lawn after a mowing of some very long grass.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Perhaps the next time I blog, we will have a closing date!</span>Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02436858141037595318noreply@blogger.com0