Mother Hen...

I think Jake in a previous life was a Mother...he's such a worry wort! If the chicks are up and about and peeping he has to sit right there with them until they settle down. He's definitely a family man...We've noticed at night if one of us is missing Jake is NOT happy!! He wants his family home and settled in for the night before he'll relax...Someone suggested we should get Jake a puppy...hmmm....NOT!! LOL...he'll have to make do with us and the chicks for now!

Treasure...

A TREASURE!!!!

(paper by jencropable, Layout template - PaisleePress, Heart - SueCummings)

ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

14 days with out a cigarette and boy today was a big HUGE test for me!!

They don't lie when they say your Nicoderm CQ patch is only good for 24 hrs!!!!!!!!

I used my last one yesterday...meaning the one I put on yesterday morning ran out this morning and I had to wait for the paycheck today to get some more, Yikes!! On top of that I was also out of my favorite gum, YIKES!! And then I was in an office where there are smokers, ARGH!!! I so wanted a cigarette and was looking, lol...But you know what I did it!! I stood my ground!!

I am also thankful to my husband...he knew I was going CRAZY!! He gave me a big hug and looked me straight in the eye and told me "You've gone 2 weeks without one, you can go an hour and you will be fine!"....Whew...it was NOT easy but I did it!!

I am NOT fine but I managed!! 8 more weeks to go with the patch and I am hoping by that time (with the lower increment patches) I will be fine!! I noticed I've saved as much money as it cost to buy 2 weeks worth of patches, lol...so much for saving money right now, sigh!! But I know in the long run the savings will be there. Now to just get through the hard part...

I CAN DO THIS!! YES I CAN!!

Now off to bed for a little nap and recharge my batteries, lol....Y'all have a good day!

Yikes...Jake loves the Peeps!

When I left this morning to take Michael to school I didn't think anything of the chicks and Jake...He's been leaving them alone!

Well when I got back to the house, UH OH!! Jake had the lid off the pen and was being nosey...He got chewed out and sent to his bed and I cleaned the mess up...I noticed that Jake had about 4 of his toys next to the chicks pen...At the time I thought it was strange but didn't think anything about it...that is until tonight...

I watched Jake grab one of his softballs and take off with it...Then he came back and got another one...hmmm...What is that crazy dog doing...I got up and looked and started laughing...Jake wants the chicks to play...he keeps taking his toys over to their pen...He dropped one ball on top of the pen and then looked at the chicks..."Want to play?"....

Poor dog...he just wants to play!!

Swine Flu article

This article was sent to me by a friend and is an excellant article.

If you have the time please read it and also read a few of the comments at the bottom of the article...

Special Alert: The Swine Flu Pandemic - Fact or Fiction?

Welcome home Peeps ~ Digital layout

Wanted to do a quick digi layout of Michael and his chicks!

(Papers are from jencropable.com, Chick is from mrsmooshka.blogspot.com)

Peeps!

A few weeks ago Michael's school had a spring fling and we went to it. They had a silent auction and we bid on some of the items. One of the items I bid on was 6 chicks, tub, feeder, waterer, and feed...Fred and I have been wanting to get some chickens and this was the perfect opportunity to give it a go...Michael's cousin had a dyed chick at Easter (I hate the companies that do that) and we were going to bring it home but another cousin had chickens so I let her have it. That was a mistake...Michael had thought the dyed chick was his and when he found out I had given it away he was NOT happy with me...So another reason for me bidding on the chicks...Well I won the bid. One of the teachers had the eggs in an incubator and they were waiting for the chicks to hatch...This morning the teacher told me the chicks were ready. We decided to wait until after school and let Michael pick them out....

Here is Michael picking out his chicks, he was so excited! I hope he did a good job and picked out hens instead of roosters, Ekkk!

Welcome home Peeps!

The one with stripes is mine, Michael picked it out just for me! Aren't I special?

Michael petting one of the chicks.

Jake is introduced to the chicks! So far so good!

Kit Cat got sprayed with the water bottle for walking on the top of the pen and hasn't bothered the chicks since. All seems well, except Michael wants to hold and pet them constantly and then go watch tv and it's getting tiresome having to wash our hands continuously...sigh! Hopefully the newness will wear off soon and the chicks will grow and they can go outside...This weekend we are going to build a movable 'A' frame coop...It won't be snake proof, no coop is, so hopefully the Rat snake won't make another appearance!


On Another note:

When I went to go get Michael this afternoon this is what I came upon, Ugh!

I had to hurry up and turn around and take the long route to school, very frustrating...I talked to our landlord this afternoon and he had 2 and 3/10ths of an inch of rain in his rain gauge, cool! You can see what all that rain did...over filled the creeks and rivers!! Michael wanted to go see what the road looked like on our way home so I took him and got some photos too! Two people drove down past the road closed sign while we were there and then turned around and left...Guess they don't believe the sign when it says road closed, I was hoping they wouldn't attempt to drive across the bridge...it amazes me sometimes how stupid people are too. A few years back I saw a couple drive right onto a flooded bridge and have to be rescued!

It's been a long day and I am off to bed!

I need some help moving something?

We are expecting some new little members to the family this afternoon and I was working on a pen for them. I had just finished up and was taking care of my tools when I glanced out the kitchen window and YeeOww...

I see this hanging from the back gate, cool!!

I take off running for the camera and tear outside and around the house...and he's in the grass and slithering away into the pasture...So I open the gate and start following and taking photos...Well dog gone it the camera isn't working and I am getting frustrated!! Grrr...

Then all of a sudden the camera shutter clicks, double Grrr...I had it on timer from yesterday evening....lol...

So I've got the camera and I'm clicking away taking photos...The snake stops...and I am frustrated as I have the Macro lens on the camera and I can't get a good shot and I honestly don't want to get closer to him, lol...

Ya think this is close enough? Well he thought so too and took off back towards the yard and house, ekkk....

He's on the run and I'm giving him some space....

He makes it to Ebony's old dog house and curls up and goes into the defensive mode...another words strike mode...I stand my ground and keep snapping way with the camera...He could have found a better place to hold up, lol...Hard to take photos when you only have a 3-4 inch opening in which to see your subject...sigh!!

Finally the snake relaxes and calms down...Yea! I decide to run back in the house and grab the tripod and telephoto zoom....

Isn't he a beauty....

It is a Texas Rat snake and harmless...well that is if you are bigger than he is...if you were a bird or rodent you could say bye-bye as you'd be breakfast, lunch or dinner!! I'm so glad I saw him...I've actually been looking for snakes to photograph as I am really getting tired of flowers...Nice to have something to break up the monotony...I'm not to pleased that he is here at the house...it's not going to work out well with our new family members that will be arriving this afternoon, sigh....(Photos and story on our new family members later)....So does anyone have one of them snake pincher thingys and a pillow case so our nice friendly Rat Snake can go somewhere else? LOL...Just thought I'd ask!!

And just to let y'all know...My Husband thinks I am a crazy idiot with a camera, lol...He hates snakes and the only good snake to him is a dead snake...Even though I explain to him that this little (5ft) Rat Snake eats the bad snakes!! Good thing he doesn't read my blog as what he doesn't know won't hurt him...Now lets just hope Mr. Rat snake moves on before he is spotted and gets to eat lead for dinner instead of a juicy rodent! Yikes!!

A Turkey in the drive...

I was sitting here at my desk today and happened to look out the window and saw a Turkey in the driveway....He was too far away for a decent photo so I just sat here and watched him. He was wandering all over the place and finally starting moving closer to the house. I got the camera ready but knew if I went outside and tried to get closer to him he'd run, they're shy birds! It was time to go get Michael so I took the camera on the off chance I'd get a photo of him from the truck...NOT!! I never saw him while I drove down the driveway...lol

But I did see this cactus in bloom growing out from the bottom of an Oak tree and thought it was cool...the butterflies liked it too! But I was in a bit of a hurry so I didn't have time to wander over and try for some butterfly photos, sigh!!

Then I saw the African (Brahma) cow, lol...Mooo!

Then Wowsers...we had a storm come in later in the evening!! Wind, Rain, Lightning...Severe Thunderstorm warnings...Tornado spotted in Yorktown, about 15 miles as the crow flies...it was nasty but we got some much needed rain...I don't have a clue as to how much though as the rain gauge got blown over, grr...My guess is at least 2 inches, maybe more...Yea!


The sun peeked out for a bit after the storm and I hurried outside as my time was limited...and so was the light...I managed the above photo of a rose covered in rain...then the wind picked up again!!! I was so looking forward to playing with raindrops but it wasn't meant to be...I really would like to get some Macro shots but this darn wind is killing me!!
So that was my day in photos...

Blooms and Bugs on April 26th...

If you know me you know I can't go over to my in-laws ranch without taking photos of flowers...lol...I got a bit carried away but there were just so many pretty ones I had to share...

The roses were beautiful...

Mums

After we got done moving cows. We tried to catch a calf that we missed and as I was walking through the pasture I saw so many different types of wildflowers, ugh! So as soon as we were finished with the cows and escaped calf I grabbed the camera and headed out for some photo therapy...

Aster (wildflower)

Skullcap family possibly?

A closer view...isn't it beautiful?

Not sure what this is...maybe White Milkwort?

Again not sure what this is...possibly praire sandbur?

The wind was blowing and I really had a hard time getting clear crisp photos!

Aster family

I was laying on the ground trying to catch this little red beetle...every time I got close to the bloom he would disappear underneath the petals...my patience finally paid off...

This is what I saw while chasing the calf and I so wanted a photo of it...it doesn't grow over by us but I had seen it in a pasture years ago near New Davy...when I spotted it I knew I had to come back and get a photo...it's a type of Milkweed called Antelope horn...

A closer view, isn't it sweet?

While I was going through the photos on the computer I laughed...
if you look closely you can see a Goldenrod spider...
another "where's Waldo" photo...
I never saw the spider while I was taking photos!!

I didn't have much time for photos but enjoyed the photos I managed to capture...quiet a few new wildflowers that I had not seen before...now time to do some research and find out exactly what they are...

Michael posing in the Wildflowers....

We had to go over to my in-laws ranch Sunday to help move cows.

The wildflowers were absolutely gorgeous in the ditch near the ranch and I managed to get Michael to pose for me...well kind of sort of...

This is Michael! Cheesy grin and all this is our Boy!

This is Michael in March 2004 sitting for his first wildflower photo shoot...

I had to put this up to compare to this years, lol....7 months old and already ignoring Momma!!

Five years old and Squinty eyed...

Oh sheesh, now I get the tongue!!
That is what I get for asking Michael to pose...lol...our silly boy!

But he didn't have a problem picking wildflowers and giving them to Grammy!!

~Happy Birthday Grammy~ He can be a sweet-heart!


As we were leaving I saw this little Inca dove sitting on the bird bath, they're such sweet little birds and I loved this photo!

A few flowers from the yard...

I took these photos last Friday while I was walking around the yard...

I thought they were pretty enough to share!

Sunflower

Texas Dandelion


Plumbago

Herbertia (Iris Family)

It's been frustrating for me lately as the wind just won't stop! When it's windy out it's impossible to get a decent photo of the flowers that are popping up all over!

Hmmm? Surprise Birthday Party for MOM?

He's the MAN and he can't lie to his wife either!!

Here's the rest of the story...last Monday my dear sweet Husband (snort*snort) told me they were having a Surprise Birthday Party for his Mom...Her Birthday is right next to mine, Yea!! But my Husband has a problem, he can't lie to me!! And he honestly didn't...But when I told him Michael and I had plans and I was going to book a hotel room for Friday night at the beach and Michael and I were going, the dear sweet husband threw a fit!!

Hmmm something smells fishy here...I told him that Michael and I would spend Sunday with Grammy Criste, which is her true birthday and I doubt she would have a fit about us missing the party...as she knows my Birthday is/was Saturday and I like to go and do things...So when Fred threw a fit and got all huffy I knew something was up...I even tried to get Helen to tell me what was going on, but she never broke, lol...you are a good girl Helen!!

Me and Helen...She never broke!!

Finally to make peace I told Fred that Michael and I would not go to the beach Friday night, sigh!! Come Friday evening I was ready and NOT too happy...Michael was ready but Fred was dinking around, sigh!! I told him Michael and I were hungry so lets go...we can get there early and order drinks and an appetizer...Well Fred began to argue with me that we were suppose to be there right at 6:30...no earlier...hmmm?

Okay I now know that they are having this party/dinner for Criste and me to celebrate our birthdays...I asked him out-right are y'all having a Party for me and your Mother...he can't lie...he got a big HUGE shit-eating grin and turned away from me...So the truth is out...LOL...I then preceded to call Helen as we were leaving the house...since I knew what was up I wanted to see if she was still going to play the part of clueless? She did, lol...and her, Matt and Ashley were a bit late and got there right when we did, ha ha ha...Games up!! It's the thought that counts and I so appreciate what everyone did for me and Criste, we had a great time and a great birthday celebration with Family and Friends!!

The Party is on and we have taken over the room!!

The Cake...it's so cute! Thank you Diana you did a GREAT job!



Birthday Girls celebrating!!
(On a seperate note those are not our drinks everyone threw their empties in front of us!! LOL)
Okay so I admit the Margarita Criste is holding is mine...How she got my Margartia I don't have a clue!!


Mariachi's

Okay we don't know who this WOMAN is, she crashed the Party!!

...but she sure is having a Good time!!

Okay Okay...I'll admit we do know her but we try not to admit it!! Thanks Angie for the laughs, you are just too funny!!

Thank you Everyone....I had a really GREAT time and so enjoyed celebrating with everyone!!

~ Hugs and Love ~

If you go to my flickr site you can see the rest of the photos...Click here! I want to thank Fred, Diana and Helen for taking some great photos...I do appreciate and love all the photos!!

Cheers to y'all!

I promise more photos are definitely on the way....In the mean time sit down and share a birthday toast with me!