This winter has been LONG & AWFUL

Well, unless you've been on a sabbatical in another country, you know that this winter in Iowa (well, most of the country) has been Long, SNOWY, dreary, nasty, and whatever other negative words you can think of.

We have lost several cows this winter.  I think more than we have lost in the last 3 years combined.  We are not very far ahead in the calf percentages.

So sorry that I haven't been blogging much.

I love ranching & raising cattle so much that its hard to write negative things. : (

We are also working to re-finance the whole ranch.  This takes tons of time & can also be very frustrating!

I'm sure you'll excuse my lack of enthusiasm for blogging.

 A little photo of my little Squeak, "Cowboyin"  This wild buckin horse has been happily buckin him off for about two months.  When his buckin horse gets too rough (meaning he throws himself off too hard & hits his head on the floor or couch) he gets put away in his stall.  I keep handing him a rope (wishing & hoping he'll be a roper) but no such luck.  I think we're destined for a Rough Stock little boy.  I sure can't wait until the weather is nicer & he can start riding 7-Up!

New 'Do

So, y'all have seen the pictures of my baby boy's beautiful hair. I think I mentioned that it is gone!

Here is a great picture of Squeak & Chilli riding the 4-wheeler. (no they didn't go anywhere, but Chilli REALLY wanted to go move some cows, so he hopped on)

Here's the "before" pic. Daddy & Squeak all hairy. See the deal was that Daddy, HAD to get a real haircut, not just a buzz with the clippers & then I would cut Squeak's hair.

Squeak was NOT into the haircut. We had to pull out the binki to hold him a little bit still. Look at the hairdresser's face. He was giving her FITS!

Here's the finished product. I even got a little smile from DADDY!

I will say that he went from the look of an angel to a troublemaker in a couple of snips. But he's back to my little angel again. Man, boys need their haircut ALL the time!

The BOY

Well, you know the first two of my children are girls. And this last Squeaky one has thrown me for a loop many times. This week he has decided NOT to sleep. EVER! And he's not into Sign Language or talking anymore (he did some of both), just SCREAMING.
He stopped screaming to eat the last Thin Mint. He found it by crawling on TOP of the table, and fishing through 2 boxes of cookies. (Darn mamas, for using the bathroom anyways)

Then, I let him clean out the "throw everything in here out of the truck bag"

Bullets & fencing pliers! Daddy's boy!

Then he promptly LOADED his diaper. Which I could hear from the laundry room. DEFINATELY Daddy's boy!!

Addicts! We're All Addicts

Yup! I admit it, I have a problem! I'm back on the "Sauce". No, people, I'm not an Alcoholic. I'm a DrPepperAholic! I'm seriously addicted to it, AGAIN. You see, I've given up this wonderful juice, 3 times, easily.

Yup, 3 children, 3 separate periods without Dr. Pepper. Each time, as soon as I discovered I was pregnant, I happily (well maybe not with a smile on my face) gave up my habit. At one point late in Squeak's Pregnancy, I was getting a checkup, & my Midwife asked if I still drank any pop. My pre-schooler answered, "Yes, but Daddy always drinks all of it after she gets only two drinks". Yup, he HELPED me not drink my Dr Pepper.

And now, (NO I'M Not Pregnant!) just over a year after my Squeaky one was born, I'm up to at least 3 cans a day, with more, much more if we go out to eat. Crap! Not good! I wake up and I NEED a DrPepper. I'm upset and I NEED a Dr Pepper. Huff! That's it! I'm quitting AGAIN!

While I'm at it, I'm OUTING some other people I know that are Addicts.

The cows are addicted..............to the premium ALFALFA. They will MOOO, and MOOO, and Beller and SCREAM at you until you feed them. BTW, these are the "pets" in the barn who have "special" babies. Wether they are Great babies, or sick babies, they are special mamas. So, we give in, and feed them a little Alfalfa so we can talk without the screaming. But, they are being weaned! No more Alfalfa for you! You will eat regular hay outside the barn. And you will like it! Or, you will at least tolerate it untill the grass is really green.

Oh, and can you see Duke (the horse in the back). He's addicted too! That's why he's in a separate pen, cause he will chase the cows, to get to the good stuff!

And 7-Up! He's addicted too! He has started screaming if he doesn't get enough Hay. Asking 7-up if he needs more alfalfa, is like asking a crack addict if he needs another hit (or whatever you call it).

Chilli is addicted to....The couch! And Snuggling the girls! Wait, he's supposed to be an AGGRESSIVE, Protective MEAN cow-dog! He is, but he loves to roll & snuggle on his back with the girls too. This is a picture of Lola, but you get the idea, girls playing and rolling around with ...GASP! CowDogs. Huh, I tell ya, we need to get these dogs to remember their place. Working Cows!

Uh, oh! Nevermind. Cause Chilli & Rosie sleep in the bed WITH ME! I can't have cold toes, so ..... they get to stay. And I love to watch the girls & Squeak play with the dogs!!

And Squeak! He's addicted to his BINKI! EEEK! Really addicted! When he was a BABY (can you hear me whining?) he would not take a binki (I din't give him one at first because I was nursing). In January, (when he was over a year old) he found one at the bottom of the toybox. And he hasn't let it go since then! Uh, Oh Well. I think I'll let him keep it for a while. He's just too cute to deny.

And, I KNOW!!! He needs a haircut! But, he's my BABY (enough with the whining!)

We're all addicts! What are you addicted to???

Bag Tag

Just a cute TIRED picture of Squeak, cause I had my camera out. (The girls were in bed)



Well, RanchDivaRachel tagged me for this. And its easy and doesn't require many brain cells to be awake, so here we go.

1. Post a picture of whatever bag you are using today.And I am guessing that you have to post the contents of your bag too....
2. Tell us how much it cost. This is a no-judgment zone -- there will be no ridiculing or eye rolling here. And, if there is a story to go along with how you obtained it, I'd love to hear it.
3. Then tag some friends.




















A little bacwards in the picture order, so these are the contents of my bag at the END of my day today.
My book, for any waits that I have. A scarf for my neck (I always wear one this time of year).
An empty (ICKY) sippy cup.

A diaper that didn't get used.

Knife, Nail files and polish (DUH, doesn't every working cowgirl have both of these in their possession at all times :-) )

And, at least 50 rounds of Ammo (I cleaned it out of the backseat floorboard of the pickup, so the girls wouldn't step on it) No, Farmgirl, I haven't tried the new Hornady Lever Revolution, but Honey LOVES it! But the rest are half spent, half good 243 rounds for the Coyotes that may mistakenly pass through our pastures.




















This is how simple the contents of my bag started for the day.
Breakfast - Protein bar and a DrPepper (and a spare). Oh woe is me, I've fallen of the wagon and again rely on that wonderful liquid to survive the day.
Knife
Nail Files and Polish
Two Diapers
Hair Brush (J's brand is on the back, and she wanted to make sure I said it was hers)
A single Squeaky Shoe. I had to find the other one before I left for the day.




















My bag of the day is my "Pot Bag". As many of you know I have a little one that is..... thinking..... adding.....15 months old (WOW! My baby is growing so fast!). So, I usually have a bag, rather than a purse. I prefer a bag over a "Diaper Bag" for my days. I can fit more of my stuff in a bag, and then I have more room for the days' requirements.

Where did I buy my bag? At a craft fair. We call it the "Pot Bag" because the booth smelled rather peculiar, and the bag stank for a week until I washed it. Lets just say the guy was REALLY nice, and his bags we sewn very well, or I wouldn't have stood in the aroma for long enough to buy the bag (I was pregnant with Squeak when I bought it). I think I paid about $70 for it. But, it is really sturdy, and does have some great inside pockets, and its reversible.

Now for the tagging.

Abby

Tattooed Mama

Heather