Worker Bees

Memorial Day was busy for us. We worked like dogs.

We mowed, Brent ran the weed-whacker, I weeded the flower beds and added Preen (first time I've ever used the stuff), fed the baby lamb with a bottle 4 times, did the chores, raked the yard (since the grass was so long from MORE rain,) and finished the chair project I've been wanting to finish for a couple weeks.

We were tired, and SORE, and treated ourselves to a night out to eat since we were too tired to grill like every other American probably did yesterday.

We also went to visit my grandparents, and had a good couple of hours with them.

BUT, the project I wanted to show you is finally done.

A couple of weeks ago at a 50% off Goodwill sale, I picked up this rocking chair for the porch for $7.50.

Yeah, it needed work. It was badly faded, and needed some TLC.

So, I got out my favorite can of espresso spray paint and went to town.

I used a shower curtain from Walmart that I got on clearance a couple months ago. I heard somewhere that someone did this for an outdoor cushion. Since shower curtains are good for showers, why wouldn't they be good for outdoor furniture?

Both of the covers for the chair were slip covers, so I just used the old as my pattern and came up with one that fit.

Maybe not the prettiest chair you've ever seen, but it works on the porch, AND it's pretty comfortable!

Oh, and by the way, as a side note: My most favorite of flowers is blooming. In fact, while I was weeding my flower beds, I saw it, and screamed out with delight. (really, it happened.) Peonies. Beautiful. That's all I'm gonna say.


Hope you all had a very beautiful and productive, and meditative weekend.

Truth Thursday....A night off.

We had a baseball AND softball game cancelled tonight due to rain. (3 inches in 2 days.) I have to say...I was RELIEVED! (but I feel like we're living in Seattle or something...don't get me wrong, I've always wanted to visit...but I once heard the quote, "It rains 9 months out of the year in Seattle!")

So, because of the cancellations, I have a night off, and since it's raining, I have a good reason to cuddle up and check on my to-do list for summer, (Our last day of school is tomorrow!) (dancin' a little jig right now.) and read some of my favorite magazines.

My creative juices have been flowing lately, with no where to go and no time to do it in. I plan on hittin' up my craft/decorating binder for some ideas.
It's time to change stuff up again. Evan needs a room redo. His has been neglected for so long now, and at the age of 10, it's time to "teen" it up a bit.



I saw this on pinterest.com and liked the pendant valances above the window.



I thought if I couldn't find any pendants anywhere for a reasonable price, I would take some of his old t-shirts and make my own.



He's also very much into baseball, so I thought I'd somehow put his favorite (same as his b-day and what's on his uniform this year) #12 up on the wall.

(courtesy pottery barn teen mag.)



I also have some picture frames to paint, Living Room curtains to sew, tissue flowers to construct for Grace's room



an outdoor chair from a 50% off Goodwill sale to transform, and much, much more.



I also might need to reconstruct some damage that was done to my garden last night at 2am. (Not from a storm or anything...but from some cows... this only happens in the country...)

You see, our amish neighbor's cows got out again...and traveled down the road to our house and proceeded to wake our dog, and cause her to have a barking frenzy. They also cut 2 of our new trees in half, stomped through our newly planted corn, ate a lot of our onions, trampled some of my strawberries, tender watermelon, peppers, and tomatoes. Since it's so wet, and our garden is so soggy, their hoof impressions are totally obvious!



If I would've had all my faculties at 2am, I would've went out and scared them off only to save my garden and trees.



Makes me mad. Really mad.



So, as Memorial Day approaches, my wheels are spinnin' and I have much to do. I can't wait.



Really.



Stacey at asortoffairytale (link to her post in my sidebar) and I have something cooked up, and we're planning to show you soon, so keep watchin'.

Best purchase EVAH!

While I'm in the middle of baking cookies for teachers (last week of school gifts), preparing my grocery list for tomorrow night, and getting final teacher thank you's around, I thought I'd share my most favorite kid purchase to date.

No joke.

Kept my two, boy and girl, 13 mo. difference in ages, at your throat most of the time, playful, yet drives me sometimes crazy, kids busy for 3 hours.

Really.

Couldn't believe it myself.

You see, the weather here in Northern Indiana has been less than ideal lately. It has been a rainy, cool spring, and Sunday was pretty steamy. We were getting ready to get hit by another storm, and the humidity level was rising. (NOT a good hair day for me today...natural curly/wavy hair DOES NOT do well in this type of weather.) (I felt like bozo the clown at my cousin's graduation open house today...but that's beside the point!)

Back to the point.

I haven't seen my kids this excited in a long time.

Evan carried the box around Target the whole time we were shopping.

So, we got home, had to do chores before we set it up, and then got down to business.

Now, it DOES NOT look like the front of the package. It's not that pretty. And until we figured it out, the water rising up over the side in a graceful arch while you slide, was not as high as it showed on the box.

First instruction was to wet the slide before sliding.

I'm not sure what Grace thought she was doing, but I guess KICKING the water all over it was her idea of getting it wet.

(Please also excuse my children's abnormally white bodies. It's been a cool, wet spring people!)

Evan wasted NO TIME in getting right down to business. (also excuse our very long grass. It was soon taken care of after this picture was taken.)

Running as far and as fast as you could TO the slide was the goal.

Unbridled laughter was heard from the Yoder backyard for miles around.

When the sliding was over and the little pool like thing at the end of the slide filled up with water, it became a polly pocket ocean paradise.

Even Evan got in on the action. (I guess if you call throwing his sister's polly pockets high into the air playing.) Oh well, at least there was no fighting.

So, I'd highly recommend this to anyone who has a decent sized yard, and some pretty bored kids. It was a highlight.

I'm sure it will be used more when it gets warmer again.

Totally Random

This week has been filled with meetings, and softball/baseball games, and Field Day at school as well as a 5th Grade Spanish Market.

My head has been flooded with images that I've wanted to capture, but haven't had my camera or haven't had the time. I'll leave you with some images of our hectic week.

Only 5 more days of school. This house couldn't be happier!

The garden has been planted (finally!...Did I say that?), we've had visitors who've come to see our animals, and plans are under way to hook up water and electric to our shed out back.

I've got BIG plans, HUGE plans to accomplish over summer break along with vacations, sports camps, more softball/baseball games, canning and freezing, etc.

Hang in there are wait for me to catch up. I'm hanging on by the tips of my fingernails!

It's safe to say...

It's safe to say....I'm feelin' the farmers pain. Just on a MUCH smaller scale.

I've been itchin' to get the last of my garden planted. But the rain, and the cold weather we've had this spring just don't want to cooperate!

This past Saturday, as Brent was getting the tiller filled with oil, and gassed up, it started to rain. And rain. And rain. We got 4 inches in the course of 24 hours.

So, as my newly purchased vegetables sit in the black container in the garden, waiting for some freshly tilled dirt to bury themselves in, I'm gazing at these...

Some of my most favorite blooms.

They make me feel...well....NOT so BAD.

Hopefully THIS WEEK my veggies will get planted. My peas and lettuce, rhubarb, and onions are getting lonely!

Maybe the rest of you are having more luck with this?????

Prairie Livin'

I went on a field trip with Evan today.

We transported ourselves back to 1836. We visited Conner Prairie near Indianapolis, IN.

Of course as soon as our bus deposited us at the front gate, he and his friends took off running!

Our first stop...can you believe it...was the gift shop. (We only had an hour and a half to see what we wanted before lunch and then an hour and a half presentation.)

After we shopped awhile, and took in all the OVERPRICED "prairie" tokens (which actually had labels saying MADE IN CHINA), we went to the museum.

We saw cannons,

fur,

and wagons. I can't imagine the wagons....transporting everything you owned across country, or wherever you were going.

Once outside we saw the Conner homestead, but couldn't go inside because we were short on time.

We walked right into a barn where animals were roaming freely. Lambs, goats, and even cows. We fell in love with this baby calf.

And then met an oxen outside. Evan told me he was really soft and friendly. I'll take his word for it.

Once in Prairie Town,

we visited the Blacksmith,

and the Inn. We didn't get to go inside many of the places at all, we were so crunched for time. It was pretty disappointing. I would've liked to see inside. Course we were walking around with 5 other boys, and what boy wants to look at decorations and interiors?

After lunch we went with Evan's whole class to a presentation about chores. We sat in the HOTTEST building on the campus I think that also, coincidentally enough, had a fire roaring in the fireplace. No windows open, 23 kids, 14 parents. (Can you imagine our discomfort????)

The kids took turns adding ingredients to make cornbread over the fire, and then they each took a turn churning butter...

which never set up because it was so hot and humid in the room.

Finally they released us to the porch, (literally. We felt like prisoners inside a heat box!) The kids made their own candles, which they dipped into 200 degree boiling wax, and then it was

time to get on the bus and go back home.

We had a good, long, exhausting day. I wish we had more time to tour on our own, but Evan liked it, and rated it #3 on his best field trip list. (Trip to the zoo in first grade got the #1 spot.)

I liked my glimpse of Prairie living. I liked the homemade cornbread and butter, but let's be honest, I don't know what I would do without my central air!

I had a day spent with my son, though, and it was great!

A Mother's Love

Mother's Day turned out to be a beautiful day. Really. It was sunny and warm. A combination that hasn't happened here for a good long while.



After church, we decided to invite our friends over for supper (our first grilling out this year) and a campfire. (Smores made with Reese's instead of chocolate bars...TO DIE FOR!)


We ended up having a kickball showdown and really good food. The mothers (me and my friend) sat on the sidelines and talked and sometimes cheered, and that was enough.

It was a good night.

But let me go back.... I told you last Friday that we had one ewe who had triplets. They were all a little weak, and we weren't sure if they were going to make it or not. Sadly enough, one died, and because Marley our dog licked another one, (and got the dog's scent on it) our ewe won't accept it. She's only feeding the one. So, Grace became a mother overnight.

Much to her joy and dismay.



He really is an adorable little ram, and he follows her everywhere. She named him Bubba. Evan named him Wags (cause his tail wags when he eats).


Brent and Grace are taking turns feeding it with a bottle every couple of hours. He's quite a novelty now, but already it's getting old, and this has to go on for at least a month.


But just look at him!



While this little one attaches himself to Grace, we're hoping he'll learn everything from his buddies in the pasture with him. We all laughed when Brent said, "He'll have to learn to eat grass from the others, because Grace surely isn't gonna show him!"


I don't know...Mothers tend to do a lot for their kids!



Hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day too!