Crazy Daisies (pictures and outfits by Ivy)

Ruby really loves polka-dots (her word for hot-dogs) these days.  She wants to eat a polka-dot.

The legos in her hands? Yes, that's her cell phone.

Man, she acts just like me...

Bet you didn't know picking your nose could look so cool....

Full moon over Georgia

Paris pajamas?

 This is the norm around here.  Are they not just awesome little things?  How did we get so lucky to have these little rays of sunshine in our lives?  I had to share.

Some corners of our house....

This piece has a neat history.  My mom redid it about 20 years ago, and then redid it again this year and gave it to me.  Love it.  Its paint job is beyond words.  Casey found the shed one day during shipping when he was helping a neighbor.

With my neutral phase, I have sometimes wished these were white.  Isn't that stupid?

One of my  favorite things, trouble is I bought it for one house and it hasn't had a great home since.  Might have to design a kitchen around it.

Very heavy

This was mine when I was a little girl, it went all over to college apartments, San Antonio etc.. Now its Ivy's

Ivy's desk....

Love this grey!  This is from my favorite store, Roughrider Antiques

My honey gave this to me for Valentine's!

back porch, simple old board from some old homestead (I bought it :( ) and added hooks, have a two more that are cool,  one of my favorite ideas for a simple home

Hattie's room at one point, she never slept here, then it became Clay's room...I just added it because I liked the pictures of a clean spare room.  This is past not present.

My kitchen a year ago, like it better now, no more TQ.

and this is the reality of our home, that stuff is baby powder

This is Ivy's room again, the only chandy in the house.  Here is to many more chandy's someday.

These are old pics from Christmas past

December 2009 in New Mexico

Dec. 06 Texas

Dec 08 TX

Dec 07 TX

2010 is missing on my computer!!!!  Hope to get one for this year done this weekend.  I guess from 02-05 I had no digital camera.  What a loser!

Redneck Family Event

Boiling the head

washing soda

Hi, this is whats happening around here this evening.  Wow, lots of fun.  I borrowed a cauldron from my mother. (I hope she doesn't really expect it back any time soon, as I have many  ideas tallow, soap etc...)  We are boiling the head of the elk Casey got back in Oct. for a European mount.  We (i mean he) will bleach it out with hydrogen peroxide after we get all the meat boiled off the head.  I am excited about this because of my natural phase of decorating I am in right now.  I like everything muted and monochramatic and bringing the outside in.  For winter I want my house full of pinecones, pine boughs, dried tall grasses and dried up sunflowers.  This is the goal, but first I need to figure out what to do with all my junk, clutter, and mess.  I am trying to pack it way, but it takes some serious dicipline because I also like the stuff.  Anyway, what fun to have a fire going outside.  Makes me feel more connected to my pioneer ancestors.  Oh, and we do enjoy being rednecks!

Pippi La Pu

Love the texture of this photo.  Ivy took it.

My first post was about Pippi getting run over.  Well, she is fine now.  Not quite as ornery and playful as she once was, and she takes a wide birth of vehicles.  Other than that she is back to work herding children. chickens, cats, and what makes her the happiest: cows.  She was born on Cinco de Mayo so she is getting to be a teenaged pup.  We just love her so much, Casey thinks she is the best dog in the world.  Today she was trying to harass the horses though, but they were completely ignoring her.  We were watching them, they didn't even move or flinch.  They are so over her. 

On another note, Ruby fell into the corner of the bench in the kitchen this morning and got a black eye.  Poor, poor little thing.  It breaks my heart to look at her.  She is tough though.  She cried for a minute and took off.  My baby..... She is trying out panties again today.  Ivy is the one who instigated it, so cute.

It seems like its been cold and snowy 4-EVER!

Stepped out the front door and took this shot.  These guys were running around and having a lot of fun.

Have not been out in a while.  Feels like a lot longer than in has actually been.  Looking forward to getting outside for a bible study tom. night.....Someone told me recently kids need to get outside 30 minutes a day regardless of the weather.  That would do me some good as well.  The little girls did not go outside today, not once.   Yesterday we went out for 15 minutes, it was beautiful yesterday.

long days inside include hitting the peanut butter pretty hard

I can't imagine living somewhere where there was snow all winter.  Ew.

Non-stop fire going, very messy had to bring in the shop vac for this thing



The Good About Flies

 an essay by Ivy

    Flies are nasty, but did you know we can't live without them?  Flies eat garbage.  The earth would be

covered in rot if flies were not around to eat it.

    The grossest thing about flies is that they carry disease on their sticky feet.  Houseflies use their sticky feet to climb up walls and across ceilings.  Food sticks to their feet as they fly from thing to thing. 

     The next grossest thing about flies is that they vomit on food to turn it into liquid and then suck it up using their spongy mouthparts.  If you are not grossed out already, for a fly's dinner we are talking about dead animals, rotten food, and garbage.  I know that it is nasty but they are cleaning up the world. 

    Flies lay their eggs on rotten food.  Their eggs hatch into maggots which are nasty.  Have you ever seen maggots?  They chew their rotten meat instead of sucking it up like their parents. 

    I hope I have convinced you that flies  are useful and nasty.  You do not want one on you.  But you do want some to clean up dead stuff around you. 



Where Have all the Cowboys Gone?

Here they are: 

.  Seriously, these guys are the real thing.  Thanksgiving Day 2011

How to Make Homemade Ranch Dressing, by Ivy

Materials:  one pint jar, spoon, milk, mayonnaise, Lawry's Garlic Salt (has to be this brand because of the parsley)

Step One:  Get the pint and put the 1 cup of mayonnaise in it.

Step Two:  Put milk in it and stir them in together. (Adjust to how thick you want it, it will thicken more in fridge.)  You can also use buttermilk.

Step Three:  Add 2-3 teaspoons of Lawry's Garlic Salt and stir them in together and put a little cling wrap on top of the pint.

Step Four:   Use it or put in the fridge.

This is how to make homemade ranch dressing.  It is very good, you should try it.

I should be cleaning, but....

These are from May 2008

Clay, when he was three.  This was when we used to go to the barber for hair cuts.  Nice hair!



I remember this one!  Ivy was pushing spring to come a little early that year. (May 08)



Oh Mighty Hunters!



Check out this get up! Oh and he never used to have his boots on the right feet. So cute.



Some of the boys!  Stran, Uncle Shawn, and Buzz Lightyear!



Daddy, do you remember this swingset uh amm?  Our old house, I loved that back yard...



Clay-bobber!

Sleeping beauty!  This chair is for sale by the way!  The man is not :)!!!

Blast from the past!  My laptop is fixed, so I haven't used it for 3 years, and I found some pictures on it.  Some irrisistable pictures!

What is wrong with this picture?

Children at large.

Do we need to report this to the authorities?

Sugar by Ivy

Sugar

by Ivy

    I like sugar.  It is so soft and white, crunchy, sweet and pretty.  I like sugar because it is yummy on toast (with cinnamon), pie, rice, cakes, cookies, and winter squash. You can make lemonade with lemon juice, water, and sugar.  It is good.  So, that's why I love sugar.  It is sweet and pretty and good.