Boys Birthdays

My little boys are 7 and 9 now. Doesn't seem possible. They are getting so big!

I really wanted to do birthday parties for the boys this year. They have lots of friends and I thought it would be fun. I even picked up stuff, here and there, for a camping party. But no, they just wanted cash instead. Well, maybe next year.

Jax had been saving all his money to buy a gun. When he added his birthday money he had just enough. His daddy took him straight to Academy to get it. I requested a picture and this is all I got.Of course we cooked them their favorite meals and I made them a special dessert. Jax didn't want me to take any pictures but Brooks let me!
Brooks spent 20.00 on a blow dart gun but is saving the rest. He isn't sure what he wants yet. He did get an extra 5.00 because he lost his very first tooth on his birthday. He was so excited!

Blessings!

Seems like the last week and a half has been full of little blessings that make me smile!

Last weekend we had lots of company. Justin and Allison and kids came over Saturday night. We cooked a great dinner and stayed up until 2 A.M. playing poker and playing music from the 90's! It was a blast!

Sunday afternoon they came back and the Stout's came over. Matt got us a pool with his discount AND delivered AND helped set it up! For that gesture, we fed his family, very well!

Justin loves to cook, so he went to the store and cooked us up a feast! We had crab legs on the grill, pork chops, boudin, deer burgers, corn on the grill and TONS of stuff to go with it! Rabbits have eaten EVERY single bud off of my watermelon and cantaloupe since I planted them! Somehow, finally, 2 survived! Jax and I are incredibly excited about it!

This may seem weird to some, but not only did I get the pressure sprayer that I have always wanted, but Chris got the chainsaw he has always wanted! I also got 10% off of them both for being honest! The manager saw my loaded cart at the checkout and said he would help me out to the truck. When the girl at the checkout gave me my total I told her that it was way off. I told her she must have forgotten something! I saw her scan the pressure sprayer but it must not have registered because it was not on the total. The manager said to give me 10% off for being honest! Yeah! Then we all got to work, big time! The kids didn't even fight one time while helping! That is a blessing right there!


We even gave the dogs baths and haircuts! That saved a bunch of $$$$$$!!!!!
(There were no extra hands for taking a picture of Brinklee, sorry)

Last but not least, our "air conditioner blessing!" Let me tell you, I was angry, but blessed!

So we got a "home warranty" when we bought out house! They act like it is some great thing! NO, it is worthless! Completely worthless! (I just hit that exclamation point really hard. I must still have some real pent up anger toward this!)

One of our outside air units went out and I called our "home warranty" people. They scheduled for THEIR guy to come look at it. I don't even get to pick my repair company?!?! That is a crock right there. So the guy immediately got the air back on. He said he replaced the capacitor but it wouldn't last very long. Maybe only hours, the unit was stressed and I needed a new one. He said it would be 1650.00 for the cheapest unit. Well, I called the air company's office to find out what the total cost is. They couldn't tell me right away. Finally, they said my portion is 1650.00 and the warranty is paying 1800.00. Something seemed fishy to me. I got online to try to get an idea of what it should cost. Sure enough it was high. Our friend Justin said to call one of his friends that has his own heat/air business. The guy even lives in our neighborhood. So he stopped by on his way home and told us the unit was completely fine. He said that capacitors go out all the time and it may run for 5 more years. He said that if it does go out he can replace it with a better unit than I was quoted and for only 1500.00! He wouldn't even let us pay him for stopping by! I just can't help but think about how many people get ripped off this way! Especially, desperate for air conditioning!

Oh, I know I am leaving out several things, but I did just remember one more! HEB had my favorite pears for 5 pounds for 5 dollars! :) :) :)

On the downside, my girls weekend got cancelled, cough, cough, rescheduled! Right????

Oh, and my kids are fighting like crazy! And Brinklee is NOT potty trained!

The good definitely outweighs the bad though!

Have a blessed week everyone!!!!!

Sure to be a hit!

We had Bierocks in Kansas and they were fantastic. I had to find the recipe! I did and they turned out great. I, of coarse, used deer meat. You may think, cabbage, yuck????? Just trust me!

Here is the recipe: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1727,131183-251196,00.html

*tips......add some extra sugar to the dough mix (like a 1/3 cup) and use a thermometer for the yeast (I used my meat thermometer) and next time I am going to use whole wheat flour!

I think there are tons of things you could put in the dough. I am going to try taco meat and cheese next!

We have tons of tomatoes from the garden and I made this with a bunch of them. SO, SO, SO good! Chris couldn't get enough! He and Justin were at the bar, each with forks, eating out of the container when Allison and I came home from bunco. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/marinated-tomatoes-recipe/index.html

Tats and Turks 2011

A couple of weeks ago we went for the first annual, "Tats and Turks" in Kansas!

Our friends, Tom and Jacque, are shooting footage for their upcoming show called, "Tom McMillan's Wild Life!" Their first show should air sometime in September on GAC.

Tom is Blake S's best friend, and he encouraged him to do this show. Tom is hilarious and the two of them together are a riot! Just wait! Funny, Funny stuff!

So there was a camera crew up and running most of the time we were there. Day and Night! It was annoying, but you kind of just get used to them.

First mission of the trip, turkey hunting. The tattoo guy, Justin, had never hunted before. Tom took him the first morning and he killed. All on camera! I hear they got some good stuff! He definitely was quite a trip!

Bev, Miranda's mom, was out with Jacque, trying to kill one with the other camera guys. It was Bev's first turkey hunt too, and they wanted her to kill for the show, but it just didn't happen.

Meanwhile, Chris and I were hunting together, and about an hour and a half after we got out of the truck, I got my first ever turkey.

It was such a memorable hunt. He and I immediately heard one gobble, but just one. We started walking toward the bird. He was answering back to every call. Problem was, he was on someone else's land and wouldn't come to us. After about 30 minutes of calling back and forth, we took off and walked a BIG circle. We just left him alone. By the time we got back, he had come looking for us. We set down and Chris called one last time and he came strutting over the hill. I didn't know what to do though, Chris was way behind me. I wasn't sure when to pull the trigger. After just a second, I heard him whisper, "kill him!" AND I did! It was awesome! It was such a special moment for us! Those are priceless days!

Oh, and I killed the biggest one of the season from McMillan Outfitters! Whoo hoo!!! It had a 10 1/2 inch beard and 1 1/4 inch spurs! The turkey hunting continued after that first morning, but with no success. The wind really picked up. Rick, Bev, Chris and Mark went home turkey less!

So the other part of the trip, tattoos! Tom got his first ever tattoo for the show. I am still not really sure what it was he got. It was like an Indian symbol that meant.......something. I don't remember. Don't ask me.

Jacque was pushing for me to get one, but I just don't know of anything I need tattooed on my body! She got a rose on her foot. It is cute, but I don't want one!

Honestly, Chris and I aren't big tattoo people, but Chris thought he wanted to do something cool in honor of his Dad. He thought a lot about it. He decided to do a shed antler, which symbolizes "loss." Tom, who can draw anything, drew up one, and it was perfect!

We both hesitated for just a second before he started, only because of the boys. Will they think they need one too?????? Well, we told them that when they are 34 they have our permission to get a tasteful one. They have to wait until they are 34 though. They said okay!

We both really like it! I think it is hot! Really hot in fact!

Brinklee

Here they are! Two happy campers. There is a reason God made puppies cute! We got her a week ago today. It has been a long week! I am so tired!

The first night she cried about every two hours and I had to get up to take her out to potty. The second and following nights she didn't make a peep until 6:00. Thanks goodness! She did potty in her crate a couple of nights though. Oh well, I can clean that up easily! Sleep is good!

Camo would NOT leave her alone for one second the first couple of days. Therefore, I couldn't crate them together. I thought I was going to go crazy! Finally, he has settled down some. It is just like having kids though. He has toys he never plays with, but takes them from her when she has them. He even brings them to the living room so she can't get them. I have her blocked out of there to protect the carpet.

Potty training is not fun!!!!!! I know that there is an end in sight though! Seriously, she pees every 10 minutes and I am not kidding! GROW bladder GROW!!

Brooks' Kindergarten Graduation

My little boy is not a kindergartner anymore. It makes me kind of sad. He is getting so big! Here he is with his BEST friend Stran. They are inseparable. The principal calls them #1 and #2

Here is a video of him getting his certificate. Hope that you can tell it is him. I was using my phone, of course.

Baseball

Baseball is over for a little while! Whew, maybe I can get caught up on housework and yard work now!

Brooks's team didn't have an end of season tournament, but Jax's team entered a big metro tournament this past weekend. They finished 3rd.

Jax's team went undefeated all season, so it was so fun to watch them play some great teams. It was stressful though! Very stressful! During one game, the score was tied, the bases were loaded, two outs with Jax up to bat! Jax smashed the first pitch and hit one of his teammates as he took off to run! It was an out! So upsetting! He made up for it in the next game with a home run!

I know this is just the beginning! We have many, many stressful baseball seasons ahead of us! Jax's team is going to stay together and play in the select division. They will play in a few tournaments this summer and play in the fall league too!

Meet Brinklee

So a couple of years ago we promised the boys they could each get a dog after we got our house sold and we got moved. I thought one big dog might satisfy them. Not! Brooks reminded us frequently that he wants his own dog. Chris said, " Momma, a promise is a promise!"

We debated on what kind of dog to get. Maybe a little one? Na! We decided to go with what we already knew. We knew if we got another one from the same place, that she would most likely be just like her brother. He is an amazing dog!!

So here she is. We get to pick her up the first of June! She is in Brinkley, Arkansas, hence the name. Can't wait! Seriously, it is kind of sick how excited I am. Brooks is counting down the days. He is so ready to snuggle her while he can! She will get big fast.

The day she was born he just had to go pick out the stuff for her. He was so cute!!! He picked out her name tag and picked out the font! It was precious. He wanted to make sure it was real "girly!" She is supposed to be this color, a shiny charcoal grey!

The Wedding

Well, Blake and Miranda's wedding was certainly fabulous. I wish I could tell you all about it but that would take forever! AND I wouldn't be able to thoroughly describe it.

I can tell you that it was beautiful, but not in the sense of "decorating!" The preacher, who has known Miranda before she was famous, did a phenomenal job officiating. It was so personal to them and their lives. He spoke the truth to them. Told them what God expects out of two of them and their marriage. He specifically told Blake how to love his wife. It was amazing. Wish I had the audio.

I wish I had a few pictures too, but no phones or cameras allowed. Actually, Miranda called us several weeks ago and asked if we would host one of the chartered buses. The location was top secret and all of the guests were clueless about the location. We had to check names off the list and take cell phones and cameras, to be returned after the reception.

It went smoothly and I don't think the paparazzi got any pictures! I can tell you that Blake and Miranda are truly precious down to earth people. We really love them and their families.

Oh, and Neal McCoy played the reception! He was AMAZING!!!!!!! What a great entertainer!

Garden Success

Our garden has grown rapidly!

Our first home grown "eats!"

We are about to have a bunch of tomatoes! BLT's here we come!

Mother's Day and Camo's Birthday

I really had a great Mother's Day!!! My guys made me breakfast. They went flower shopping with me and helped me work in the yard. To top it all off, I got some great hand made gifts. They are just precious to me!!!!

Here are just a few......

From Jax:

From Brooks:

And my parents flew home a few days ago. Sherry flies in Wednesday, so it is great to get to be with them right around Mother's Day! I love my Momma and my Mother in law!!!!




Sunday was a day for birthday's too. My niece, Gabby, turned 5!!! Hope you had a great day Gabby!!! We miss you!!!!

It was also Camo's first birthday!!!!! We absolutely adore this dog!!! He has been nothing but pure joy for the last 1o months! So much so that we are getting another. More on that soon!!!!

The Garden

Chris and I are beyond excited about our garden. We built the raised boxes and filled them with topsoil and compost. We built a fence around them so the deer don't destroy it. Then our friend Justin drew up a blueprint of where to plant all of the stuff I picked out. He knows a lot about small, raised bed gardens. I can't help myself, I go check the growing progress at least twice a day.

Weeds don't stand a chance Two pots of strawberry plants for Jax. 3 different kinds of tomatoes, zucchini, watermelons, herbs and a couple different peppers

72 corn plants, cucumbers, sweet peas, tomatoes, more peppers and squash 1 Mandarin, 2 blackberries, 1 blueberry and and a clementine that Jax and I started from seed 3 years ago.

I will update as the garden grows!!!! ;)

It is a small world!

First of all, I have to brag on Jax! Baseball is definately in full swing around here! He had a game last night and tonight. He always hits the ball really well but both nights he got a HOMERUN!!!! He is so happy! He was not so thrilled about me trying to take a quick picture though. You can see his AWESOME coach Jason in the background. That guy is so great!!! Jason played college baseball and he loves teaching the kids. They are throddling the competition. It is kind of fun being on a winning team this year.

Now to the "it's a small world part!" I am sitting in the bleachers talking to another mom on our team, and one topic leads to another, when I find out her parents live at Riley Farm. Her parents used to live in Deerwoods. Her cousins are Jason and Patrick Ferguson (twins that were in my class)!!!! Are you kidding me????

Hunting Lease

We finally have a hunting lease. A place we can go to anytime! It is absolutely perfect for us! Chris went last week to check it out with two of the guys that are on it with us. They saw about 200 turkeys while they were there. Since the boys were on spring break we went Thursday and Friday. We had a blast.

The boys shot their guns.

Here we are walking along an old lake bed looking for arrow heads. There have been a lot found here.

We came along a dead snake with nothing left but bones.

Shooting Chris' dad's old pistol.

Camo was so good and had so much fun. He was exhausted though, and slept all the way home!

Finally....

Jax lost one of his top front teeth! He was smiling at us when we picked him up from school last week, and he looked so funny! He said he bit down on his corndog and it came out! It is making him talk funny too!

It has been a month.........

since I posted last!! Sorry!! I have been very busy working inside the house and out. Baseball is in full swing too. I am going to try and post every day this week to catch you all up.

The boys are on spring break this week. We woke up to pouring down rain. It poured for about an hour. Good for the plants but not for puppy feet!!! Naturally, with the boys home all day, I have been cleaning up messes non stop. I had already washed Camo's feet three times today when I let the three of them go outside for a while. I had had about 30 minutes of peace and quiet when I went to check on them. I had heard them giggling and thought I should see what they were doing? I saw Camo covered in mud! It was dripping off of his face! Chris wasn't home to carry him to the shower! He weighs 70 pounds so I can't pick him up anymore. I had a great idea and I ran to the laundry room and grabbed 4 socks that had lost their mate. It worked! AND the boys gave him a shower!