We won the Showmanship Award in 4-H. I showed sheep, hogs, rabbits and horses and my favorite was horses with sheep being a close second!Giving a young friend a ride. Candy was the daughter of a dear friend of my mom’s.These last pictures were taken at Lake Yenrougis by my high school science and photography teacher, Bud Seip. He also photographed my wedding!
Every girl should have a horse! I’m sure I’ve shared a picture or two of this old man before but I came across these pictures again and had to share. The first two were of Cherokee before we got him and I love that I have them now! I was around 10 when he came to live with us and I had wanted him for oh so long. When the girl who owned him decided to sell him as she was going away to college my dad and mom surprised me with him. And he was my best friend from that point on! I loved him dearly and still miss him after all these years. There’s nothing like the friendship of a good horse.
I have been busy stitching orders and am having a difficult time keeping up. So busy in fact that I’ve had to start saying no. It’s hard for me to say no but I realize that I just have to. It’s not fair to a customer to have to wait for weeks and weeks for something they’ve purchased and it causes way too much stress on my end. I promised Joe when I started selling my cupboard keeps that if it started to interfere with family life then I would stop. Well, it had gotton to that point where I felt I should be stitching all the time to get orders done. That alone interferes with family time because if I have to be stitching all the time I can’t be involved in other things. It also interferes in that if I’m constantly worrying about not getting my stitching done then I’m not able to enjoy other things. So, I’ve started to say no. I still have a ways to go in doing that but I’ve gotten much better! So, I’m still stitching lots of orders, but I’ve also put a limit to how many orders I will take, and I’ve started to say no. I’m so very flattered that so many people out there want something that I have made to display in their homes. It’s an amazing feeling. I can only hope that some of my humble little stitches bring joy to others. I can’t imagine not picking up a needle and thread on an almost daily basis and to know that I’m making something that others actually want and enjoy just makes the process even sweeter!
I planned an impromptu get together last Sunday. Drew had been begging to go on a Mule ride and I was thinking a wiener roast would be fun so I convinced Joe that we should drive the Mule to Dad and Mom’s and have a wiener roast in the timber.
Uncle Drew and Bayah relaxing in the back of the Mule.
The day was beautiful with warm temps and sunny skies. I contacted Abby to see if they would like to join us and let Dad and Mom know we were going to be using their timber. They had originally planned to be gone but decided to change their plans and join us.
My favorite place to be.
It ended up being such a fun time. We ate hot dogs and chips and pumpkin bars. Some played corn hole, some sat and enjoyed the afternoon. Drew gave Bayah rides on the Mule and the kids had fun climing the bluff and exploring the timber. Then we had s’mores before heading home.
Joe and Jeremy are accomplished at roasting hot dogs!If corn hole is being played, Braxton will be playing!The kids love to climb the sandstone bluff
We had spent the weekend getting things done around the house and finishing up the chicken coop. Joe knew he had to be gone this week for work so was focused on that. I just wanted us to have a few hours of relaxation time, being with family and enjoying the beautiful fall weather. It was nice to just spend a few hours enjoying each others company and enjoying the beautiful fall day.
Long story here! Earlier this spring I got caught up in buying baby chicks. I knew we were needing a few more as some of our original flock is getting old and they aren’t laying anymore. But, I got a little out of hand and ended up with more chicks than our little coop could hold. Who could blame me, those little chicks are just so darn cute! And there were so many different kinds to choose from! And everywhere we went there were these little babies needing to be brought home! Unfortunately, about the time we were looking to buy or build a new coop, the price of lumber skyrocketed and we were not sure what we were going to do. Then Joe’s brother came to the rescue. He had this little building that he had originally built to be a playhouse for his girls. Well, he never got around to finishing it, the girls are grown and have families of their own, and he really just needed the building to be gone.
So off to Coon Rapids we went, Joe, Don and my dad tore the building down into pieces, and we hauled it home. Then Joe and Drew got to work. I couldn’t for the life of me see what Joe saw as far as how he was going to put this back together and attach it to his shop but I knew he knew what he was doing. He put the walls back together and changed the roofline. Then he moved the whole thing to the side of the shop. Drew loved that part – he was the one who got to drive the 4-wheeler and pull the building!
Then the work began. We used as much lumber as we could salvage from our woodpile but had to purchase windows, flooring and steel. But even at that, it didn’t cost us a fraction of what a new building would have cost.
The girls have been in it all summer. They love it and I love it. Choring is so much easier now. And gathering eggs is so much easier. And it will be so nice this winter to be able to go inside a building to chore and the girls won’t have to go outside if they don’t want to as I their feed and water will be inside. I loved the little prefab coop we originally had. It served its purpose well. And we still use it to house a chicken that the others pick on. But this big coop is just perfect. And then, over the weekend, Joe did this:
He added this sweet little porch. I just love it! It is so darn cute! I am so blessed to have a husband who knows me and what will make me happy! I love my silly chickens, I love having eggs to give to others and I love my sweet little chicken coop. And so do my chickens!
That’s Eloise in white! And I think Matthew the Rooster is to the left. They aren’t all named but there’s always those few special souls that stand out from the crowd!
While camping with family my super duper crafty talented cousin Brandi at Lake Darling she brought out this simple little game for the kids to play. Such a sweet little craft – painted rocks in a drawstring bag with the tic tac toe board right on the bag! So of course I had to march right home and make one for myself!
Brandi did hers with Xs and Os, which I loved. But Drew and I decided to do ours a little differently and we painted fun little ladybugs in blue and red. a Sharpie to draw the board on the bag and you’re all set. When you’re done playing you pop those little rocks into the bag and pull the string tight and off you go! Brandi keeps hers in her camper and I’m thinking I will make another set just for that purpose. Maybe paint trees and owls or something campy like that. And another bag for the car to have on hand whenever we need to wait on something, like when we were waiting on an oil change the other day, or at a restaurant. And of course a bag to keep in the house because – well, just because!
Then Drew asked if I could make one for his friends who are brothers only do ladybugs and spiders. And so of course I couldn’t say no!
Dad and Mom on the right, us, Jeremy and Abby on the left. Uncle Jerry was down a couple of spots and Skip and Brandi were a little ways up the hill.
Another Houseal Family Get Together is in the books. We had the most beautiful fall weather this year and camping at Lake Darling is always a great experience. We camped Thursday through Sunday together with Dad and Mom, Jeremy and Abby, Skip and Brandi, and Uncle Jerry. Then on Saturday everybody else came for the day. I took lots and lots of pictures and still didn’t get pictures of everyone. And we didn’t get a group picture this year. Oh well, hopefully next year we’ll remember. I love that we try to do this every year!
I found a rock at our campsite! Thanks Brandi!Joe and Uncle Jerry heading out on a trail. I drove them to the other side of the lake and dropped them off. I’m hoping to walk this trail yet this year. We walked at least one trail each day and the kids brought their scooters along.I wonder what Bayah and Great Grandma are discussing?Brandi brought her paint supplies and rocks along and lots of rocks were painted and hid around the park. So much fun!Boys rolling down hills!There was lots of corn hole played. Uncle Jerry and Jeremy won the tournament on Saturday!Grandpa and Bayah may or may not have hid under the table to eat candy before we ate lunch!An early morning walk before everyone before anyone else was up.Boys fascinated with motors.Dad and Joe – wonder what they were discussin?Skip and JeremyDad, Me and JoeBraxton and DrewMom and Uncle Donnie (Mom’s baby brother)Abby and Uncle JerryMom and Uncle Terry – Mom’s younger brotherUncle Jerry. He’s not a Houseal but he’s always invited and I love that he camps with us too! He’s Dad’s brother-in-law.Noah and Braxton (Braxton LOVED playing corn hole!)We had morning fires and evening fires – lots of wood was burned over the weekend!
We who live in quiet places have the opportunity to become acquainted with ourselves, to think our own thoughts and live our own lives in a way that is not possible for those keeping up with the crowd.
By Laura Ingalls Wilder
I’ve walked this lane so very many times and in all season. By myself, with family, and with many different dogs throughout the years, a cat or two, herding sheep, leading a horse, riding a horse . . .
We had a hectic couple of weeks again. A family camping trip (post to come), Joe was under the weather, babysitting the grandkids, helping Dad and Mom. I was starting to get overwhelmed again. Then this morning, while we were at Dad and Mom’s, I stole away for a walk down to the timber.
Look at that view!
This little timber has been my happy place for oh so many years. Just a quick walk through the trees and I always feels so much better. Now that there is no livestock down here, the trees and grasses and wildflowers are taking over again and that makes my heart happy!
The beans are turning and look so pretty.Follow the path.
I love the above quote by Laura Ingalls Wilder and I’m working more and more towards living in a quiet place. I want to just be home and have my handful of acres be my quiet place where I don’t have to worry about keeping up with the crowd. And of course, I’ll head over to the timber too when I need to really unwind!
My tree – I always have to visit this majestic old cottonwood. Even dead trees are beautiful.
