Golden 10...

That's the name of the game we were just playing for nearly 2 hours.... We play it with Rook cards and the object of the game is to not get points (which you get whenever you get a red card in a trick) and also to capture the yellow (or golden) #10 card, as that will deduct 10 points from your score! I thought it was pretty fun, but Mom didn't like it so well and finally went to bed. :) The remaining 4 of us ended the game with pretty close scores. Fun times!

This was a busy day.... Dad went to Napoleon for supplies and he and the boys spent most of the day working on fixing my car! Hooray!!! We also played the literal game of "Who owes who what?" and tried to get squared up again.

Mom and I cleaned the house (and the turkeys' house/box) and also doctored our first kid of the year, although he ended up not making it. :( In a way, we're glad as we will have more milk this way. Also, 2 of my turkeys that were runty and didn't seem to get going died, but the 15 others are looking very well and are now doing their best to discover what is on the other side of the box!

I did quite a bit of cooking/baking today. I made a cherry cheesecake (first mixed up a batch of graham crackers for the crust and also made sweetened condensed milk); a batch of buns; and a double batch of tortillas for the tacos we had for supper. Yummy!

It was so nice to all be on the farm together today. Tomorrow, we invited 2 families to come over for the afternoon/supper, but it sounds like only 1 will be able to make it now.

I will close with a quote we read today:

"Aspire to inspire before you expire!"

The 17 baby turkeys are all doing well...

...and so are we:

Dad and Andrew cleaned grain.

Mom and Jacob worked on school/things around the farm.

I baked bread this morning and worked at the nursing home this afternoon/evening.

The cows and goats consumed their hay, grain and water.

The dogs and cats ate their dog/cat food and drank fresh milk.

The chickens and 2 big turkeys roamed the farm yard, in search of ticks and the like.

And, the fish blew bubbles. :)

I imagine God saying, "And it was very good"....and I agree!

"Supper's done and the dishes washed...

...nothin' left but a piece of---cream puff!"

Yes, Mother, after having wanted to do so all her married life, finally made cream puffs for the first time today. :) Served with whipped cream and sliced strawberries, they were mighty good!

The guys worked on farm equipment today mainly. Mother worked around the house and I wasn't feeling too well, so rested and finished reading "Chosen", a book written by a young lady I know from right here in ND!

That was our day, in a nutshell.

Interesting tidbits of information...

Tonight, I have several things of possible interest that I'd like to share with you all. As it is not early and I need to get to bed soonish, I'll just post them as facts and not write a lot about each issue.

• I spent all day caring for Johanna and Tracy Jo---the 2 little girls I nanny for
• Andrew bought another car yesterday---a Stratus that needs a new motor
• Dad and Andrew have several days of grain cleaning left
• Our 15 Bronze baby turkeys are coming tomorrow!
• Mom and Jacob went gopher hunting today
• MaryAnna Balyeat is my new Prairie-Days-website-host-partner.........Visit the new website HERE and see if you can find all the members of our family in the header photo (there are also many new pictures in the album to scroll through).
• I have several political links I'd like to share---having to do with what took place at the Republican convention this last weekend:
• http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/356057/----Protests don’t affect outcome of delegate slate at ND GOP convention
• http://sayanythingblog.com/entry/video-former-ndgop-chairman-calls-national-delegate-selection-favoring-mitt-romney-a-railroad-job/---Video: Former NDGOP Chairman Calls National Delegate Selection Favoring Mitt Romney “A Railroad Job”
• http://sayanythingblog.com/entry/national-delegate-nomination-process-dissolves-into-chaos-at-ndgop-convention/---National Delegate Nomination Process Dissolves Into Chaos At NDGOP Convention
• The following video is a short interview done with the young woman who wished to voice some unfinished business way at the end of the convention. She was not given the floor to speak and had her microphone promptly cut... How unfair is that? (As a side note, you can see me in the background---in the blue top and cream skirt. :) )

• Finally, here's a photo to help with the stress that I may have just inflicted on anyone who just read the above articles and listened to the interview: ;)
• 

In God, we can still trust. Of course, with that trust comes the responsibility on our part to act according to what we believe is right in God's eyes.

So, let's not get discouraged or be worried about where our once (very) great, republic Country is now headed, but instead, concentrate on the good----in this case, the very many more active, fighting-for-freedom, honor, love, and truth type of delegates that showed up this year than showed up 4 years ago!

....and the Revolution keeps growing!

Short post...

This will be short, as I'm heading for bed early so as to be able to wake up early, feeling refreshed. Andrew cleaned grain all day until about 6:00, when he finished the job he was working on; folded up; and came home to shower quick and head for Bismarck to get in on the Ron Paul meeting/planning with other district heads and campaign leaders..... Jacob and I had all his things ironed and packed for him (plus some supper) so he could head out the door as fast as possible.

Dad is still out cleaning....

Mom finished working up a field, but then had a blooper when she was bringing the tractor and disc back into the yard and knocked over the mailbox. Jacob and I set up a temporary box so we can still get our mail while trying to figure out a better plan for how to mount it.

It's been a full day.

Please join us in praying for God's will to be done tomorrow and the following day at the ND GOP (Republican) convention! There are many important decisions that will be made there, decisions that will affect the Country we live in.

Wha'da ya' know...

I'm actually postin' pictures for a change. :)

I took this one quite a while back, while Jacob was teaching Mom how to farm on his farming simulator. She said it was harder to combine there than it is in real life. Hmmmm....

It was so lovely outside today, just sunny enough to bring out a few gophers even. Jacob and I were home alone, so on our cow-checking spin around the pasture, we spotted 3 gophers and he and I each shot 1. The 3rd one was too smart and stayed down in its hole after seeing us approaching!
While looking for newborns (we found 1 new baby and 1 in the process of being born), we came across 2 cows in the far South part of the pasture, just standing there. When we got closer, I saw a calf head sticking out of the ground! Hmmmm...
Apparently, the said calf fell or slipped into the hole backwards and was very snugly stuck there. I wish I'd thought to take a picture of him there, but alas, it was not until after I'd pulled it out and set it free that I thought about the camera I had tucked in my pocket! I did get a picture of the hole (about 3 feet deep) however, which we filled with rocks later. I'm guessing it was a badger hole?

The baby was pretty stiff at first, but did get to walking better by the time we moved on. He was pretty hungry too! There they go:

I stopped the pickup while on this hill to pick...

...some crocuses! Maybe it's time to put the snowmen away? ;)

Dad and Andrew cleaned grain all day again, arriving home late in the evening, Andrew just in time to get in on the 2nd half of a conference call regarding the GOP convention that is taking place the next 3 days here in ND. Mom was gone in Bismarck most of the day, so that left Jacob and I to do the chores, laundry, dishes, bread-baking and fruit-pizza-making, and the trampoline bouncing!

It was a good day and I thank God for the loveliness of it all...

I'll be home tomorrow!

I'm so excited. :) I've been gone so much lately... Mom is going to Bismarck and asked if I wanted to go along, but on my one day that I have to be home in the middle of a month of working away from home, all I want to do is STAY AT HOME!!! Maybe I'll bake some bread, or fruit pizza or something? I'll probably clean my fish aquarium. I could put "Order garden seeds" on the list...... I know I won't be sleeping in, as I told Andrew I'll milk his cow in the morning, as he got home late tonight from cleaning grain and is leaving bright and early in the morning again to clean some more. Dad had/has the same schedule. Life is never dull. I praise the Lord for that!

We're home!

;)

I was just 'sittin all day...

...for the 2 little neighbor girls, that is. I enjoyed it! I decided to log-in to my G-mail account while the girls were napping, so as to send Andrew an e-mail to see how his grain-cleaning job was going in all this wind. The e-mail took quite some time to write, however, as I was holding sleeping baby Tracey Jo in one arm and typing with only one hand. :)

Dad hauled 3 loads of hay home.

Mom wasn't feeling well, so took it easy.

Andrew cleaned grain all day.

Jacob fixed fence and fed cows. He and Dad also went down to Titan in Kintyre for their annual appreciation meal....

'twas a busy day!

Just got home from workin'...

...and, I'd best get to bed....

The up-coming weeks look very full! Here's a quick peek into my current schedule:

Today: Worked as a CNA at the Napoleon nursing home
Tomorrow: Be a nanny/babysitter to "My" 2 little neighbor girls
Tuesday: Babysit out at Helen's Daycare in the morning, then CNA at NCC
Wednesday: CNA work
Thursday: Babysit out at Helen's Daycare all day, then head for Jamestown
Friday-Saturday: Attend/help at annual Homeschool Conference in Jamestown
Sunday: Nanny enjoyment/work
Monday-Wednesday: CNA busyness again
Thursday: DAY OFF---meaning, catch up on things at home :)
Friday-Sunday: attend state GOP convention
Monday: CNA
Tuesday: Nanny
Wednesday: CNA
Thursday: Nanny........

Well, at least I shouldn't be bored! I wonder when the last time was that I was what I just said? ;)

Clean house---check.

Feast (chicken enchiladas, broccoli salad, & fruit pizza) prepared---check.
Flax sold---check.
Cow milked---check.
Laundry finished---check.
More turkey poults ordered---check.
Lovely weather enjoyed---check.
Small painting project finished---check.
Andrew home for the weekend---check.

Good day?---check!

The grain cleaning will begin tomorrow!

They had thought it would be today, but alas, the cleaners needed a bit more work than the guys had anticipated and they are even now still out there fixing them!

Mom and I had a productive day, doing laundry (I saw a robin while hanging out a load on the wash-line!); clearing off the garden; I baked bread; Jacob took his C.A.T. test; we did some Spring cleanup around the yard; Dad, Jacob and I chased the bulls back in and fixed the fence up good; and several other odd jobs, like washing the windows..... It was a good day!

As it was a quite, peaceful day...

...I don't really have anything to post about...

We chored; showered; ate; sang; talked; listened; played; ate; chored; watched; prayed, and that was about it. :)

We were all gone!

Andrew left early this morning to catch a ride (in Steele) to Fargo to help the Ron Paul supporters at that area's district endorsing convention. I believe he's spending the night there too....

I went to work in town....

My parents and brother, Jacob went to Bismarck----to look at something Jacob wanted to buy and so Mother could go to the chiropractor again. Oh yes, they also sold some more beef to a family up there. I'm not sure what else they all did?....

Thankfully, God and our dogs kept an eye on the farm and all was well when we returned (those of us that returned, that is). :) I'm looking forward to a day at home tomorrow!!!

Thirty days hath September...

Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November.
All the rest have 31,
Except the second one alone,
Which has but 28 days
'til leap year makes it 29!


I never realized how many different versions of this little memory-poem there were until I searched for "Leap Day" tonight.... Here are just a very few of them---some of them making no sense at all! :


Version 88
Thirty days hath Septober,
April, June, and No Wonder,
All the rest have peanut butter,
Except my grandmother,
She has a little red tricycle.


Version 89

30 days hath September
April, June, and November
Excepting February
When comes the time
Every Leap Year gives it twenty-nine


Version 85
30 Days hath September,
April, June and November
All the rest have 31,
except February which has 28,
until Leap Year gives it 29

Version 86
30 days hast September,
April, June and November
All the rest have 31
Except February it has 28

Version 87
Thirty days hath September
April June and no wonder
all the rest have 31
except grandma
and she drives a Buick

Version 82
Thirty days hath September,
April, June and dull November
All the rest have 31
Excepting February 1 in 4
February then has one day more.

Version 83
Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November
All the rest have thirty-one
All except the second one
Which alone has twenty-nine
When comes Leap Year in it's time

Version 84
Thirty days has September
April, June, and November
All the rest have thirty-one
Not February, it's a different one
It has twenty-eight, that's fine
A Leap Year makes it twenty-nine



ANYWAY, happy Leap Day! :) What did you do with this "Extra" day? I worked at the nursing home for most of it. It took me a while getting home too, as I decided to try taking the gravel road home, but when I got about a mile down it, the wheel tracks I'd been following disappeared, and all I saw was snow (it snowed approx. 4 inches yesterday). SO, I decided to back up until I was at the farm yard I'd just passed, back into their driveway and turn around, taking the longer but safer way home! As I was nearly at Kintyre, Mother called me to make sure I was alright.... It's nice to be worried about sometimes. :)

Blizzard warnings again are in the air...

I wonder if anything will come of them?

I drove to Linton this morning to get Carol's (from FSA) signature on my calf check, then from there, I drove to Napoleon and paid off my operating loan with the a big portion of the money. It feels good to be able to pay your bills, doesn't it? :)

I put gas in Mom's vehicle and bought stamps at the post office, then realized that things had gone so well (I'd allotted plenty of time for possible bad roads) that I had a couple hours to spare before I needed to be working at the nursing home, so I drove home (15 miles) for lunch with my family. They were in the middle of a project when I arrived! They were reupholstering the dining room chairs and the 2 kitchen stools. They look so nice now!!!

Well, I just arrived home a little while ago, showered, and am very much ready to go to sleep, so I shall again say "Good night". We're getting company tomorrow, so Mom and I'll be getting up early to spend some time in the kitchen....

The first real blizzard of the Winter!

There is a storm raging outside, even as I type. We were all very glad to hear that Andrew and the young men he went with (the head ND Ron Paul guys) decided to stay in Dickinson tonight to wait out the storm! They hope to be in Grand Forks tomorrow evening for another endorsing convention there. I'm not sure if Andrew will go along to that one or not? First, they'll have to see if the roads are even passable in the morning!

We spent a quite day at home. I'm so glad I do not need to work in town tomorrow, as there is talk of the storm continuing.............

We sang this hymn this morning and I thought it was a most fitting one for this day.



I praise the Lord for how He has kept us safe through the storms of life!

Taxing work...

Yes, the guys spent most of the afternoon mulling over numbers. It's that time of year again---time to pay the taxes.

Meanwhile, the rest of us cleaned the house; cooked up a big batch of chili---using a new recipe; I made a white cake (from scratch) to go with all the leftover frosting I had from the cake I decorated yesterday; and we worked on the seemingly never-ending laundry.

It was a good, busy day. This evening, Andrew received a call from Jared H. (head of the Ron Paul campaign here in ND), asking him if he'd be willing to ride along to Dickinson tomorrow to help with their district meeting. Andrew agreed to go, but we're not sure what the roads will be like, as "They" are talking snow for this weekend. I guess the Lord will make it clear in the morning whether or not Andrew should go or stay home! God knows best, after all...

A clean house...

.........What a lovely feeling it is to have one!

After most of the cleaning was done, and the feast was prepared (roast with potatoes; freshly made fruit salad with whipped cream; freshly squashed orange juice; and cheesecake for dessert), Mom and I did a little redecorating in the kitchen. :) What fun! I'll try to remember to take a picture of what we did.

Also, this afternoon, one of our neighbors came over with a boxful of cake divider plates that she'd bought recently at an auction. She offered them to me at such a good price that I bought all 21 of them. :)

Let me see... What else went on around here today? Well, Dad hauled a load of hay home. Andrew fixed Jacob's (I guess it's his now) I-pod. I watered all the plants and discovered a bud on one of my dwarf fruit trees! We got our reimbursement check in the mail for the box of old records we received in place of the Pacifica fix-it manuals Andrew had ordered. I attempted to make Sweetened Condensed Milk without dry milk powder, which didn't turn out quite right, so our cheesecake is a bit on the soupy side of things. Mother's been researching the health benefits of "Oil pulling" recently, so she and I did that today. Oh, and we also watched a video/story of two long-time, North Dakotan lovers which can be viewed HERE!

And, I think that's about all.

Oh yes, we did watch a new movie tonight---an old, black and white film from 1941 which we thought would be good, but as it was just dumb, I won't even bother to tell you any more about it!

I've got to get to bed...

...as I've got to get up in the morning early to go babysit at Helen's. I just got home from working at the nursing home a bit ago.

I hear it was a pretty busy day here at home, with Andrew fixing a computer for a guy from Bismarck (he'd been here once before and this time he brought us some Halvah!); Jacob worked on fixing a tire; Dad hauled grain; Mom worked around the house and Andrew sold one of his cars!

Talk more tomorrow evening...