What's wrong with a little make believe...

I will not name names but...  a grouchy little fly on the wall recently told me that I am living in a happy go lucky little word, wanting everything to be perfect, with my little house on the prairie home that will never hold the dozen kids of my dreams, and playing  my "make believe farm."  So... in response to that... what is wrong with a little make believe.  For those who don't know me personally and only know me as a blogger, let me for the record be truthful of the size of my little hillbilly farm... It was built in 1906, it is two bedrooms, small yes,  the yard is no more than a 1/2 acre at best, I rent, I don't own, my shower water never gets hot enough, my dirt is so full of rocks, I may be dead before I plant my first vegetable seed, I have no money to build a chicken coop, let alone buy the chickens to put in it... need I continue.  But in my eyes, in my little make believe world... It is the perfect house, with the most perfect living room window.  A window that has had families gathering in front of it and looking out for 103 years.  It is a home that exudes happiness when you only just look at it.  It is a place that calls out to my heart and says, here is your little piece of heaven, your home sweet home.  A place to bake cookies with Caillou, a place for Jasper to take his first steps. A place to hold family home evenings, and teach my children morals and standards to live by.  The perfect little home to someday welcome a new little baby home.  A home with tall enough ceilings to build triple bunkbeds and hold a couple more of the little babies I desire so dearly.  A home, that is small but full of love and little ones running around, is far better than a mansion void of love and children.  There are two trees out front perfect for a hammock, a shady nook to the side of the house for a picnic table.  The yard is plenty big for a chicken coop and yard, swingset, and good old garden and pumpkin patch.  With each rock I dig up, and with every flower I plant I can see my little dream becoming a reality.   Maybe it is all just make believe, perhaps the veggies will never grow, or the cats will eat my chickens, maybe adding one more baby to the house will make me feel so cramped that I can't turn around without bumping into someone...maybe maybe maybe.  Maybe the landlord will raise the rent and I will have to move, or maybe we will live here forever, maybe this house will hold my dozen little blessing, maybe the veggies will grow, and maybe, just maybe there is a happily ever after. So... In conclusion I say... what is wrong with a little make believe.  Is it really make believe, or is it making the most out of what God has given me.  Is it all imaginary or is it me choosing to look at the sunny side of things. So for now, I will continue to reside at my little make believe farm, and not stop imagining all it can and will be because it makes me happy.

I am a farmerette...

Caillou building a snowman in our front yard.  A very kind man, by the name of Doug, pulled up with his truck full of snow, and offered it to my boys to play with!  Caillou was delighted!

A homegrown bouquet from my garden...

The house for my feral cats that I towed along with my two children from the feed store all the way home.  I was the entertainment along main street that day.

Pretty colors to brighten up the farm!

Okay, the honeymoon has been lovely but it is time to get back to blogging!

Daddy came home after 8 long weeks of trucking, he was quite missed...  and so all digging, rock moving, planting, and chicken coop building was put on hold for some lovey dovey, kissy smoochie time.  My lips were chapped from kissing, and the weeds out back were growing taller!  So... today we worked on the yard.  We raked, hoed, and put up a small fence, which will house the rose bushes that I plan on receiving from my children for Valentine's day, Mother's Day and so forth... hint, hint Daddy if you are reading this.  We also set forth working on fencing off the little chicken yard.  I have decided that the dear chickens will need a yard of their own, so they will not eat all my fruits and vegetables from the big garden that will be growing soon.  Still no chickens, nor  a coop, but plans, big plans.  We will finish fencing off their yard over the next few days, and hopefully a coop will come next.  Today I began hoeing around to soften up the dirt and discovered many stepping stones making a path buried beneath 3-4 inches of dirt.  I wonder who made this little path, where it lead to, what was growing around it.  Living in a house aged 103, I am sure it has a plentiful past!  I can hardly wait to get outside tomorrow and see how many more stepping stones I can dig up.  I plan to reuse them to make my own little path.  The yard really doesn't look like much yet, but I can see it all, with every weed I pull, and every pile of dirt and rocks I move, I can see what my little farm will become.  I had become so independent while daddy was away, that it felt weird to be getting help in the yard today.  His training is complete, but he is still waiting to get his own truck, so I will have his help for a while longer.  However, man or no man home, I still will retain my post as farmerette of this farm!

Blogging Hiatus...

On account of Daddy coming home tomorrow... I will be abandoning my blog for awhile!  Stay tuned for Christmas pictures and more!!

Meow...

Our Little Hillbilly Farm is full of furry little friends.  Five of them to be exact.  That stray little cat I welcomed in, stayed here for two nights; she darted out the door and returned with her little family, a husband, two children, and feline friend.  Hungry, bedraggled, and forlorn, I couldn't turn away the fluffy orphans.  This mother cat came to me, and trusted me enough to bring her family to me for help.  They all cuddle up on the porch, and twice a day they congregate for meal time.  All are timid except the mama cat.  For now I am feeding them.  Next we will see about spaying and neutering them.  I am not sure how this will work with my chickens, the chickens will have to learn to peck at the cats if they start any mischief!

Best cookies ever!!!!

In our home, cookies are baked and eaten on a very frequent basis!  Cookies are not a treat, they are a necessity. This is my chocolate chip cookie recipe..

cream together 1 stick of margarine, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar

add one large egg, followed by two teaspoons of vanilla,

dissolve 1/2 tsp of baking soda in 1 tsp hot water, add,

toss in 1/4 tsp of salt

1  1/2 cups flour,

and get ready...

an entire bag of chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes

This will make between 12-18 good sized cookies, if you want more double the recipe, just remember not to skimp on the chocolate chips.  You can also use m&m's in place of the chocolate chips.

Counting with Caillou....

1.   The number of minutes it takes for Caillou to get into trouble

2.  The Number of eggs Caillou tried to fry on my hardwood floors today.

3.  The number of times Caillou hit Daddy's car with the hammer before I could stop him.

4.  The number of cats Caillou chases all over the yard.

5.  How many hours we are away from bedtime.

6.  The number of cookies Caillou snuck and ate while I was nursing Jasper.

7.  The number of times today Caillou has bitten me.

8.  The number of Christmas ornaments remaining on my tree.

9.  The number of times that crazy boy has hugged me today.

10.  The amount of rocks Caillou has brought inside today.

11.  The number of hours Caillou will sleep before this all happens again.

12.  The number of children I plan on having.

quote of the day for the weary mother....  "come what may, and love it"

Farmgirl and loving it...

There is much to do on our little hillbilly farm.  The dumpster was at last taken away today, so now there is nothing in my way of digging, moving, and more digging!  Today I hung our good old tire swing, which we made from a tire we found at our little thrift store.  I shimmied up the tree to anchor the rope to a branch, and didn't shimmy back down with quite as much ease.  I thought for sure I was going to be stuck in that tree forever.  Tonight we opened our front door, and in walked a little gray cat.  Amused by her personable nature, I humored her and allowed her entry.  Typically, I am not a cat person, but there was just something about this sweet little cat, who showed up on my doorstep, I just couldn't turn her away.  Then she sealed the deal when she snuggled up to rowdy old Caillou.  So... off to K-mart we went, way past baby bed-time and sought out a litter box, litter, cat food and such.  So we now have a new tenant at the little hillbilly farm,  I guess that is what I get for living in such a darn cute house...  everyone wants to move in!  

Life in a shoe...

"What is the meaning of Life?"

For me... It is snuggling up to a tiny baby, holding their hand in yours, singing a song to calm down an ornery toddler.  Trying to comfort a crying sick baby and screaming, tired toddler, half of me wanting to run away, but the other half honored and in awe that God entrusted me with the ability to nurture and care for these two precious blessings.  The meaning of life can be found in the little things each and every day.  Reading a book to my babies, laying down with them, hearing and watching them drift off to peaceful slumber.  Seeing my little one with arms folded and eyes closed waiting to bless his food... wrapping up my baby in a homemade blanket... Playing with my boys in the yard, admiring beautiful flowers, so perfect, each distinctly unique, a tapestry of colors woven into the garden, Knowing that only the hand of God could have created such beauty, only to see a toddler size 9 sneaker trampling it to the ground petals flying wildly.   If I take a second to compose myself from the biting and screaming, spit up and time outs... frustration and chaos, and look at things from an eternal perspective....  what drives me nuts today, I will miss tomorrow.  Someday the house will be quiet and empty, my clothes won't be spotted or smell of regurgitated cheez-its and milk, my arms will be free of bite marks, my ears will not be ringing from screaming and wailing.  And I will miss it all.  So, each morning when I awake, I will not hide from the chaos that is otherwise known as my life,  I will embrace it, dive in, and relish each moment of it... occasionally yelling, no!  Don't!  Stop! Time-out!  So I guess to make a long story short... for me the meaning of life is being a mother. Babies are blessings.  When it comes down to the choice of being able to afford to put my kids in soccer or ballet, or being able to welcome another little life into this world....  call me crazy, but I will choose life.  One might say that you have to be rich to have a big family,  I think you have to have faith to have a big family and everything else will fall into place, and the blessings (children) are more precious than any riches.  When I am dead and gone, it won't matter how much money I had in my bank account, what size my jeans were, or if I ever got to go on a cruise or a fancy vacation, what will matter is my faith and my family.   So, with faith, I put the size of my family in God's hands... 

                               so Heavenly Father... please keep the babies coming! AMEN!                                                                 

Preferred Parking...

I am quite the regular guest at a little taco shop in my town.  I go several times a week and never deviate from my usual order... chicken flauta with rice and beans.  They know us in there by name and are so nice.  They don't mind Caillou's noisiness, and always turn on KPBS for him.  We now live in walking distance to our beloved taco shop.  No need to drive, load up the wagon, and we are off, we even have a spot reserved for us right out front to park!

Country Boy...

Caillou has been keeping very very busy on his new little farm!  From painting, to digging, to moving rocks, pushing the wagon, moving the hose, pushing his play lawnmower, having wagon rides, climbing, jumping in puddles, and even eating worms, Caillou has been keeping himself quite busy.

My brother and I...

They love each other so much!

Silly Boy...

Caillou, Caillou, Caillou, what more can I say.  He has a personality that just doesn't end.  He is always up to something, into something, or being scolded for something.  He is crazy, he is sweet, he is naughty as all heck, he is funny, he is grouchy, he is loving,  he is an elmo addict, a story book reader, cookie eater... He is a biter, a screamer, a thrower of toys,  He is wonderful and wild all at the same time.  I can't stay mad at him for long.  He is full of life and he is living every second of it to the fullest.  I can't imagine my world without him...well I can, it would be quiet and boring.

My Darling little Jasper

Jasper has been such a blessing to our little family.  I can't imagine for one moment life without him.  I love him so much.  He is so happy and always has a smile for me.  I love snuggling him. It makes my heart melt when he looks up at me from nursing with his big toothless grin and coos...  I know he is saying I love you!  During November he rolled over for the first time.  He loves being able to maneuver himself around a bit more.  He also had rice cereal for the first time, he really enjoys it.  Jasper has settled into our new little home easily.  He is very content to be outside all day with me while I work on the yard.  He really likes his swing.  Today, Caillou sweetly brought him a collection of rocks and dirt and laid it next to him as he was napping in our little red wagon.  

Here is a taste of what you will find on my other blog...

Crispy towels and sun bleached whites...

Today my clothesline went into the ground.  I found the sunniest spot in my yard, and papa put it up for me while I was changing the babies diapers!  My dirt here is so good, it took less than 5 minutes to dig the hole.  I love the feel and smell of clothes hung out on the line.  It's funny, when I was a kid, I hated bringing clothes in off the clothesline,  I remember I would just yank the clothes down, sending broken clothespins flying to their death on the lawn.  Now as a grown up, I dearly love my clothesline.  I can't say that I am looking forward to a trip to the laundromat to wash the clothes with 2 boys under 2, but I do look forward to seeing baby sweaters, quilts, and aprons hanging out on the line.

The Ballad of Boo-bah... from Caillou and Jasper

Our Boo-Bah is the greatest... kind, gentle, and sweet...

Her house is cozy, country, and always very neat...

She has a great big loving heart, and a great big snuggly hug...

Our Boo-bah gives us nice soft sweaters to keep us warm and snug...

Our Boo-bah likes to play with us, and get us lovely toys...

Our Boo-bah means the world to us, we are glad we're Grandma's boys...

She makes us num num cookies, and the best tuna sandwich in town,

Our Boo-bah makes us laugh and giggle, she is so much better than a clown...

Boo-bah really loves us, and we adore her too...

Boo-bah is the greatest, we love her through and through! 

xoxo Caillou and Jasper

The daily diet of a toddler...

Today Caillou consumed...

Grape Juice

French toast and banana's with maple syrup

m&m's ... he tried to share one with a preying mantis

apple juice

rootbeer, dropped it on the ground before he got any though!

two worms... which he dug out of the garden all by himself

quesadilla, guacamole, rice, and beans,

water...water...water....

a nibble of hershey pie

nearly an entire can of vegetable soup

more banana....

and at last more water

I guess working in the yard all day makes a toddler hungry!

My little house on the prairie home...

We are no longer backyardless!  In fact we have an abundance of dirt, rocks, grass, and trees to have fun in!  We have been moving into our new little home, which I have been calling "my little house on the prairie home."  The inside of the house is pretty well set, with the exception of hanging pictures and finding a spot for my deep freezer, which houses meat I don't cook, and cookies that don't stay in there long enough to get frozen!  Today, the boys and I took a break from working on the inside of the house and moved some rocks!  We have lots of small rocks and gravel in our backyard.  We are moving the rocks to make room for our great big fruit and veggie garden, chicken coop, swing set, and clothesline, and putting the rocks to better use by making a little old country driveway.  We moved 4 red wagons full of rocks today!  We will be back out tomorrow working on our little hillbilly farm!

Home sweet home...

Hooray we are moving!  It all has happened so fast it is almost like a dream.  We found this little old house on monday, and starting moving in yesterday.  Our new house was built in 1906 and has been fully restored.  It is quite beautiful, with old wood floors that echo as Caillou gallops down the hall.  I have a huge yard!  Plenty of room for pumpkins, strawberries, tomatoes, flowers, chickens, swingsets, clotheslines, and more!  I am very happy about our new little home. 

Potty Break?

While out and about exploring abandoned properties... trespassing? what's that?  We stumbled across this shoddy old potty, where as Caillou exclaimed with glee.... "poo poo!"

Party time...

Caillou will be two soon!  Here is a sneak peek of what I am planning for his party!

High chair strike!!!

On this particular evening, Caillou refused to eat his dinner unless he could eat on top of the deep freezer.  Boy oh boy, I sure do love this quirky kid!

4 months old...

I can hardly believe my sweet little Jasper is already going to be 4 months old tomorrow!  He is growing up way to fast for mommy.  Today he rolled over from his back to his tummy!  Hooray for Jasper!!!  He is so laid back and happy.  Everyone comments on what an easy baby he is.  Honestly, I think a hamster requires more maintenance than my little Jasper!  Jasper is just the most perfectly happy baby ever!  I love to snuggle him close and kiss his fuzzy little head all day long!

Two peas in a pod...

I have said it a zillion times, and I am going to say it again... I LOVE MY BABY BOYS!

Caillou and Jasper are becoming closer every day.  Caillou has been such a good little boy accepting sweet little Jasper into our home.  He has made the transition from being the baby of the house to being the little man around here superbly! He really loves his brother and it is such a wonderful relationship to watch grow.  The other day, Jasper was coughing and Caillou came running to help his little brother.  Caillou had such concern and worry in his eyes for his little brother.  Today they played in the kitchen while I made Caillou's favorite mini meatloaves.  Jasper laid on a quilt, and Caillou dragged it around giving him a ride across the house, they both laughed and smiled at each other.  Caillou rolled Jasper up in the blanket like a burrito and then unrolled him, rolled, unrolled,  again and again,  both boys giggling all the while!  I can just picture them playing about a year from now!  Oh the trouble they will get into.  Jasper is still very mellow and relaxed in comparison to Caillou, however I see a little mischief brewing in the little guy every now and then.

DUH!!!

Okay, so I was having a little trouble scrap booking tonight. Nothing seemed to be sticking to the page.  Could it be that it was because I was using my chapstick instead of a glue stick?!?  So.... is it the prozac???  Or am I always this dumb?

Caillou...Caillou....Caillou.....

I am mischief wearing a smile....

I am a tornado with two little feet,

I am noisy and loud, rowdy and proud,

but momma says I'm precious and sweet!

I am the reason that momma's so tired

and has bite marks up and down both her arms...

I spit out most my food,  get into angry moods,

I stomp and I scream, and I throw many things

but momma just hugs me and sings.

She sings to me songs of I love you's, 

She tells me to try to be good,

 I wiggle and squirm, and don't do what I should,

but momma still loves me anyway!

The Emancipation of a Crawdad...

A couple of weeks ago we got a new pet... Bubba the crawfish.  Well, Bubba turned out to be a rather dirty, foul smelling creature.  Every other day the water in his tank would be brown, and stink of sewage.  Today I decided that Bubba would be happier in the wild, and I would be happier not scrubbing the tank every few days.  Caillou, Jasper, Bubba, and I traveled by stroller to Bubba's new home.  We were stopped briefly by the sign above, but since neither Caillou, nor Jasper, or Bubba could read what it said, I decided why spoil the fun.....

We were quite ceremoniously greeted by dozens of ducks who led the way to Bubba's new home
   Here is where are dear friend Bubba resides, in the pond behind the grocery store full of    homeless ducks and friendly abandoned cows in the pasture behind.  We will be back again       tomorrow to visit our new friends at the pond.

Best Friends

Here is Caillou with his very best buddy, Christopher!!!  His mommy and I met in Lamaze class.  Our boys were born on the same day, in the same hospital, just a few hours apart!!! They have been the best of buds!  Christopher is a sweet and patient friend, who still loves his buddy, even though Caillou has been known to bite him on occasion!