December Daily - Day 8 Tuesday

Woke to MINUS 5 degrees...today on the 8th. Tuesday.

(Woke to 3 degrees yesterday.. Dang, yesterday was warm!)...

My early am chores:

1. First, got the woodstove going... toasty warm in the house!

2. Went to get 1/2 and 1/2 for my first cup of joe.. Noticed a 'leak' in the kitchen fridge...bottom shelf. Meat not sealed correctly...juice leaked under glass above the veggie drawers. Got to clean the fridge at 5:30am... before that first cup!! Something is not right in the world...

3. Made french toast for kids.

4. Lots of water to be hauled. Filled buckets filled in laundry room, then hauled outside to chickens, dogs. Spilled some on the steps from laundry room to garage... Cheese...

5. Filled 'backup' bunny water bottles so darling daughter has less to do. Save a step? She normally brings in the cold ones, and defrosts them then fills them and goes back out... Tick. Tock.

6. Bunny cages covered with blankets. In the barn. Their water was frozen.. They must be too!

7. A cat got in the house (thanks small son) and got on top of the kitchen window sill and helped herself to scraps (doggy compost) - she made a mess. Greasy yucky mess... Had to break out the windex, clean clean clean. Sigh...

8. Husband hit the road at 7am, won't be back until late...real late. He is taking meat to the sausage man in Mackie, Idaho. Six hour drive one way. Someone has to do his chores!

9. Laundry room smells like diesel. Husband drenched himself in Diesel yesterday (ranch accident) - nearly killed himself - he was under the diesel ranch tank, and unplugged it to drain it... was only to be the 'sludge' at the bottom. The Diesel people had filled the tank, without permission, so gallons of fuel covered him - while he was trying to plug it again with bare hands... Cold fuel. Bare hands... layers of clothing. In one eye, too. His hands hurt from the temperature, and no doubt toxic stuff. The diesel people will be hearing from me today... the washing machine has been going and going - trying to get two loads of fuel covered clothes de-stinked.

10. Scheduled a conference call for next week. Second job stuff... Or, was it third job?

11. Dinner plans changed - scratching the slow cooked meal of lamb shanks for pizza.

12. It's only 8:45 am... but needed 'someone' to talk to!!!!

Please Lord... I'm exhausted... My cup is already full! Or is it 'fuel'?

Off to the elf job I go...

Thanks for listening... Or is it 'tanks'?

(running on 'empty' over here! Just a little punchy - lack of sleep and got fumes!!!)

The good news? The sun is shining... My little piece of heaven...

Moxie Fab - Christmas In the Old Country #2

Happy Holidays
Supplies:
Card Stock: Stampin' Up
Patterned Paper: Heidi Grace Designs
Whimsical House with Trees Image: Cricut Joys of the Season Cartridge
Sentiment: Hero Arts Sparkle Clear Holiday Messages
Copic Markers
Ribbons, hemp: Stampin' Up
Toothpick - my kitchen stash!
Button: my embelli stash

Here is another card for the current challenge at the Moxie Fab Blog - Christmas in the Old Country . Some of the inspiration that Cath shared includes gnomes. When I saw this cute image on the Joys of the Season Cartiridge I thought of Gnome Homes!!!

And.. I actually did these cards last Sunday.. Just adding the final touches!

Thanks for looking!

Moxie Fab - Christmas In the Old Country #1

Inspiration - A Hallmark Ornament

(Image from Hallmark Keepsake Ornament Online Catalog)

I have always loved the Old World Christmas Polar Bears
The ones with wreaths around their necks,
and children riding their backs.
They just seem so peaceful, and sweet, and
capture the loving spirit of Christmas.
My favorite? A Mary Engelbreit image -
one of her classic Christmas Cards! I couldn't find it online, though.
So you must use your imagination!

My Card - Polar Bear With Wreath
Supplies:
Card Stock: Stampin' Up
Patterned Paper: Swell Noel - K & Company
Polar Bear Image - Cricut Image - Joys of the Season Cartridge
Wreath stamped with Hero Arts Sparkle Clear Holiday Messages
Copic Pens
Spica Pen - For my sentiment
Making Memories Star Pin
Ribbon: Stampin' Up
White Card Stock: Stampin' Up

this card is for the latest challenge over at the Moxie Fab World is Christmas in the Old Country.

Please go visit the Moxie Fab World and see all the gorgeous inspiration and the beautiful work that other people have made.. My favorites are the 'cutting' of mirror images... Works of Art!

Thanks for looking!

December Daily - Day 5 09- Bad Cats!

The week before Thanksgiving we got 100 new chicks
Barred Rock (excuse the dirty box!)

.And we also got 25 America's - The ones that lay blue eggs

Our Summer Kitten Crop
You know where this is going, don't you???


See that guy looking right at you?
That's Tommy
You want to remember that little scoundrel

So, if I did a December Daily Album.. this is the type of stuff I would have to write...

(Here, Let's pretend it's a daily journal..I'll share the entire day with you!)

December Daily - Day 5

Morning Temp: 20 degrees! Yeah! 15 degrees warmer than yesterday! But the outside faucets are still frozen.. rats... It's also breezy.. which makes it really minus 5. Brrrrrr...

Jake and I had a date today.. Jake being my 10 year old son. What type of date, you ask? Well, he helped me run to town and go to the Livestock Supply Store to get - lacerators... Uh huh.. The things to make bull calves into he/she calves - or steers.

Then, we did meat inventory... It was VERY cold in the deep freeze! I had to come out about 3 times to warm up my frozen fingers... and yes I was wearing insulated gloves! Good ones!

Then, the date really began! We went to our favorite bookstore, followed by Chinese Food for lunch, then grocery shopping... The bookstore was the best part. We love it there. We know the owner - and Jake said he wanted to stay all day! She said he could!! It was cute... she told me if I wanted to go grocery shopping alone Jake could stay.. but I made him come anyway...

But.. before all that...
We had one of those 'what on earth can happen next' mornings...

You see.. our sweet kitty Pumpkin gave birth to 6 sweet kittens over the summer... Adorable little buggers.. and it was planned... yes, planned kittens - only on a ranch! We need barn cats. They 'disappear' due to predator owls, coyotes, who knows...

So, now we have 6. One was given to our hired hand, Ramon, to keep mice away at his house. And, the kids informed me that that kitty, Boots, ran a way. Humf. Perhaps Boots wasn't getting food/love/attention? Crazy...

Then, 2 other kitties are to go to our Hay Barn down at the headquarters, and two are to go to a neighbor who has the same problem - keeping kitties...

Which, leaves 1 or 2 kittens... I count 1. The kids for some reason thought we would be keeping two kitties... We have to work on some math figures..

So, recently the kitties learned to hunt. Oh they are good little mousers! I could see them from my big windows. They go out in the fields - pouncing. Super good little carnivores.

We don't want to move them to the barns until they are big enough to fend for themselves. Be bigger kitties.

Well, apparently, that day is today. It's the 'so you think you're a big kitty' move day...

Why?

Well this morning when Dick went out to the Brown Shed to do his chores... where the bunnies, kitties, chicks and chickens have been living in harmony - the harmonious living arrangements had come to an end.

Dick found feathers in each Chick Box! These are big boxes... With about 25 or so chicks each.. We HAD 125 chicks....

And he found one of the kittens - a favorite -Tommy - with feathers in his mouth - in one of the boxes.

AND, apparently one of the kittens had decided the boxes also made great um - potty rooms...

Math: We are now missing 9 chicks.

I cant help but visualize one of the Sylvester and Tweety cartoon episodes where that darn cat has the chick in his mouth and a puff of feathers is in the air - before Granny whops him on his putty tat head.

Not sure what Dick did, but I do know that Tommy is going to the barn.

MATH: Started with 6 kittens - Ramons - Tommy = 4

MATH: 2 more are leaving tomorrow - to our neighbors.

Hmm.. That does leave 2 kittens!

Sigh... This new math really gets to me...

And there you have it. Just another day in ranch land - and math 101.

Uh Oh... Super Cute Stuff Being Released!

Any of you dabble in PaperTrey stamps, inks, papers, ribbons or buttons?

I always have a wish list, but just have not made the ultimate purchase...

I just saw a sneak of what's ahead...

And, I think I'm toast!

Too darn cute!

Here, take a peak: Day One Sneak

Cute, cute, cute, cute!!!!!!

Jenn's Blog Candy! Check it Out!!!

Jenn's Favorite Things
Blog Candy

One of my talented friends, Jenn, of the Hero Arts group, and POD Design Team and Caardvark's Design Team is giving away a ton of new goodies that are favorite things - to celebrate her blog! Check those goodies out! She has Hero Arts and POD all together, along with fun embellishments and a few of her own creations..

So. Are you tempted?

I was!


Go read all about it over at her blog.

Sami's Bunnies! Just in Time for Christmas!

Sami's First Bunny Customer!
With one of the bunnies

See? Gentle Little Things!

Five Girl Bunnies

The End(s)!

Sami is selling bunnies!

Here is the info... (she made the flier herself)....

Dutch Bunnies for sale!!!

Just In Time for Christmas!

Make perfect presents for the holidays. Also great for 4-H projects! If you are interested in these adorable creatures, call Sami (note: I deleted the phone number. If you are interested, email Andi:))

We have 4 that are ten weeks old (two boys, two girls), and 5 that are seven weeks old (all girls!).

Parents are pedigreed.

Cost: $17 each. HOLIDAY SPECIAL: 2^ND BUNNY ½ OFF!!