My week in pictures - May 22 to 28

So excited to find a desk this past week on CL that will work for both my sewing and scrapbooking.

Austin attached an LED light under the top shelf which will be perfect and for sewing in the evenings or overcast days when the lighting isn't as good.

 

Austin's helmet didn't fit quite right so after some online research and a trip to Lowes, I was ready to start. I used a foam work mat about 1/4" thick for around the inside base. 

For the gap in front of the chin I used spandex fabric and warm and natural batting rolled up for the filler.

I attached it with velcro on both edges so he can still access the tab when he is wearing the helmet. 

I decided this year it'd be fun to try at least one new recipe a month. 

 Chicken Pot Pie in the crockpot.

I was going to use mom's recipe for biscuits but I needed a recipe that used lard so Pinterest was my friend once again.

Working on a log cabin lap quilt. It is a super easy and fun pattern. I only had to cut out the first square of each block and then sew one side to the strip. When you get to the end, you just have to cut the strip between the blocks and another part of your block is finished. It saves so much time compared to cutting each piece separately before sewing.

One finished block. I'm making 25 and then will add a border around the edge.

 Austin had an old motorcycle tire to drop off so I was able to see where he use to work and meet several of his coworkers.

 After we heading out to the farm where Austin's sister works and we picked up a flat of fresh strawberries. They were so juicy and packed with flavour! One of the many awesome things about OR is the abundance of fresh fruit.

Date night. Snack foods and a movie. :) 

My week in pictures - May 15 to 21

Pressure washed the motorcycle trailer. The moss grows like crazy on stuff here but it came off fairly easy with the pressure washer and looks so much better. 

Made several blankets and a few burp cloths for a friend from church who just had a baby. 

Watched my neighbour's horses while they were away. Fed them in the mornings and put them out to pasture in the afternoon. Brought back so many memories of when I had horses - the smell of hay, worn halters with a strong horse scent, gentle nickers...

 

Austin needed to replace the back tire on his motorcycle so he did that one evening. I mostly kept him company and watched as he swiftly moved through each step of the process. :) 

 

Bradley and Erin

So, there always seems to be a whirlwind of activity happening in my life from farm work to family stuff and a whole wide range in between but, at present, most exciting is that sister has met a guy from FL! They met in Feb down there and Bradley just drove up here the end of May for a few weeks to visit again and meet the rest of the family.

Due to rain keeping them out of the fields in Davidson, they came over to my place for a few days. My yard/farm received several improvements thanks to the both of them. I always have a "To Do" list about a mile long so picked what I really wanted done and a few ones that would be difficult to accomplish myself.

 Staining my deck

 Before

 After

 They replaced the bench boards so they look really nice now.  I'm going to let them weather for a while before staining.

 Love the stain colour! 

 I had just gotten a chainsaw so they went along the edge of the yard and cleaned it up so it looks much nicer and is easier to mow around too now. 

 I must have taken at least 10 loads of branches away with the tractor!

Shelves in my barn garage. Yay! 

 Erin and Bradley =D

They did more work as well but also managed to get a few relaxing moments in. :) A couple evenings I started a campfire and we had a hot dog and marshmallow roast. Weather was nice, no mosquitoes, and a full pitcher of sweet tea (a staple for southerners :))...what more could you ask for, right?! ;) Here's to hoping they come back again! :D

Happy Birthday, Naomi!

 Today marks the birthday of a very special friend - Naomi. I'm sitting here trying to describe our friendship which is difficult as it would take about 5 blog posts just to get started. Our friendship began 15 years ago when we met at a church down in MT and our first conversation took place while walking through an old cemetery. Despite the dark sounding beginning, our friendship has blossomed through the years to where it feels she isn't just a friend but a sister as well. :)

We've been through a lot together. We've exchanged countless letters and phone calls. Despite long stretches between visits sometimes, we've always been able to take right up where we've left off the next visit. We are almost always on the same page on any discussion (exception for "Alice in Wonderland" - lol!).

Naomi is a friend that is always been there; ready to listen, give advice, pray, and encourage. I've been so blessed by her friendship and look forward to many more years of being best friends. Love you, girl!!

 At Naomi's wedding Sept 2011. I was thrilled to be her maid of honour.

Back in 2008. Fun memories!

 \

Excavation work

Last week I was able to get an excavator in to dig out and properly slope the west side of my barn. Now the water should run south past the back of my barn and keep water from coming in when the snow melts and when it rains. It looks like a mess right now but hopefully I can get grass seeded this coming week if the weather cooperates.

Before when I had to keep pumping out.

Life is short...

Springtime in Saskatchewan

Springtime...there is many signs of its arrival on the prairies.

The almost immediate transformation from the brown, bare landscape to trees budding out, perennials popping up, and dandelions showing their bright, sunshine yellow heads. 

 The smell of freshly mown grass.

Rototilled garden soil

 Farm equipment working up clouds of dust in the fields.

 Passing more farm equipment than regular vehicles on gravel roads.

Learning to take those red warning diamond signs on the sign of the road seriously.

 Trucks end up having two colours: top half colour remains the same but turns into half dirt/dried on mud on the lower part. If you wash it off, it will probably look like this again the next day. Wait for July.

 The beginning of yard maintenance season: mowing, whippersnipping, and hedge trimming.

This past week I got a new JD mower which is awesome. I can now cut all the grass in my yard and around my barn in about 1 1/2 hrs. Before with my small mower it used to take me about 3 1/2 hrs.

 

Happy Spring!  

Friends

I've been blessed with some amazing friends. However, due to living way up north in what could be called the middle of nowhere, not very often do I have friends' travels taking them right by my door. Just recently though, Anne Jisca and her family were able to stop by for a quick visit. It had been three years since we had seen each other last and it was good to talk and catch up with each other. Josiah, Anne Jisca, and their two boys, Korban and Jedidiah, are preparing to move to Africa with mission work. You can find out more about them and the work they'll be doing on their blog: http://meyersonmission.wordpress.com/ . Thanks guys for stopping by! :)

Anne Jisca (on the right) and I.

 

 Jedidiah

Blimey Cow!! =D

Blimey Cow! I look forward to Mondays to see what creative, relevant, and humorous video they've come up with next and posted.

An afternoon in the life of a chicken farmer

Yesterday afternoon:

At my barn to do chores and see water coming in the barn. I had built part of a gravel dam at the front of the barn after I first placed because water was starting to seep in. Things dried up and it seemed okay. So, I decide it would be best to finish building a gravel dam in the barn so I can pump out the water.

Use my Ford farm truck to get gravel and it keeps quitting on me. Like KEEPS quitting on me. It usually quits on me at least once every time I drive it but not this often. And, yes, the tank had fuel in it. =P And, no, I don't like my Ford; we've had a disagreeable relationship from the first time we met. =P

Start up the pumps - all three of them. Pump 1 pumps into the same hole where Pump 2 is placed. Pump 2 pumps out Pump 1's water and also water that is seeping in from underneath the barn shop floor. Pump 3 is outside and pumps water away from the W side of the barn, across the road, and away...hopefully. Sound confusing enough?? Pump 2  gets plugged but I catch it before it over heats too much.

As I'm walking out the door to get more gravel, the red battery light starts flashing on my alarm system. It is almost 4:00 PM...Friday afternoon, need I add. =P I call my neighbour who went to Saskatoon but he has already left. I call Yorkton and the place closes at 5 and isn't open on weekends. I call my brother who thankfully has time and lives closer to Yorkton and he is able to get the battery before closing. While on the phone I hear my truck quit again and remember that I still have Pump 3 running outside and that it probably should be unplugged by now.

After getting things sort of under control and doing chores, I have to go to Yorkton, which is about an hour away, to pick up the battery. Enjoy a quick meal with my brother and his family, grab a few groceries, get a Tim's and head back home again just in time to pump more water and do evening chores.

 I believe that the F in Farming stands for Flexibility. =D Thus ends my exciting day and I get ready for another one to begin bright and early tomorrow.

Thomas Jefferson Quote

 

In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.
Thomas Jefferson

This is Cranford... :D

This sign makes me smile every time I pass by it going back to AB. It is about an hour from where I grew up. Though I've never been there I'm determined to turn at the sign next time and see if I end up at a delightfully similar village. lol. :) Until then I'll keep enjoying small town Saskatchewan up here where I feel like I'm living in a Cranford misnamed. :)

Davidson Farm Pics

Pics from our Davidson farm where I stayed overnight on my way back to AB. Here is the seeding rig.

Graham was hauling something (canola??).

Take me home country roads...

The camper is over here now and Erin is using it as her living quarters for the farming season.

Yes, I had to take another picture of the barn. :D

The jokes about Saskatchewan highways are not unfounded...