You Say Skunk," He Says "Stunk." You Say "Duck," He Says "Dunk."

My three-year-old and I do a lot of visiting while we are in the car, during meals, and when we are hanging out.  He says the darndest things.  Some of these are too good to not share...

In L's mind, "granola" equals canola, and "peanuts" equals donuts.   So, he asked me, "Mom, are there donuts in this canola bar?"

"Mom, can you get me glasses so I can read better?"  Instead, he is learning to read the "hard" way, like the rest of us had to, by memorizing the alphabet, writing letters, and rhyming.  We've been practicing letters and the sounds they make.....and apparently we are watching too much TV, because he said, "Mom! 'Nationwide is on your side' rhymes with k-k-k-Bat!"  (Just shake your head and don't try to figure out his logic.)

"Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, bake yers hands."

[Singing] "This girl is on.........How does it go again? Oh, FIRE!"  [Discouraged]  "I'm not a very good singer!" (Because remembering the lyrics is a very crucial part to becoming a phenomenal singer.)

He plays on the "monkey barns" on his "swing sec."


Every time he hears a car horn, he says, "Ugggghhh!  Those girls are honking at me again!"

He attended Vacation Bible School this summer and was given a hula hoop to take home.  At VBS, he learned how to pronounce King Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar and all about who they were, but he calls his new toy a "whoop-dee-whoop."

L went to his first dentist appointment and was given a bag of goodies.  It is also soon hunting season, and he recently learned what camouflage is.  So, he's been asking, "Mom, where's my camo-floss?"


"Mom, how come you don't always wear ponies and bunnies in your hair like Shawnda does?"  (For the record, I wear my hair in a ponytail or a bun quite often.)

"Did you know Gus has a Transformer that can trans?!?!"  (Not "transform," just "trans.")



L tripped and fell at the bowling alley.  His head landed right on the nosing of a step, and caused a pretty nasty bump and black eye.  We often talk about our eye color, but when I told him, "I like your blue eyes," he said, "Don't you mean my black eye?!"

He looks pretty tough lately with buzzed hair and a black eye.



Did You Get Your Hairs Cut?

L took it upon himself to cut his own hair last week.  He said it was because "it was sticking up."  After I finally noticed the two chunks of hair missing from the top of his head, we had a life lesson about how only grown-ups can use those sharp scissors, and only the lady at the "haircut store" can cut his hair.

Please pardon the picture quality.  It was taken with my cell phone.

 

L had to carry on with this crazy 'do for a couple days until the next time we went to The Big City.  Everywhere we went, he had to explain why his hair looked so weird.  Hopefully he was just embarrassed enough to learn his lesson.

When I took L to get his hair fixed, the only successful option was to buzz it.  I was kind of making a big deal about it- you know, taking pictures and such.  We got in the car after the humbling haircut, and I was talking to him in the rear-view mirror about how different he looked.  Then, he somberly says, "Mom, put the mirror up. I don't want to look in it anymore. I just want to be what I beeeed.... Long hair."

Trying not to laugh, but feeling sorry for him at the same time, I told him he looked good and this is what happens when kids cut their own hair.  Crisis averted; L is fine with the way he looks and now this story can be recorded in his baby book.





Tell me this is something that EVERY kid does, right?  Like a right of passage?  My opinion is that at least he didn't cut somebody ELSE's hair (like I did when I was a his age).  And at least he's a boy so he can easily pull off the buzz cut.  Please share your childhood hair-cutting catastrophe stories!

A City Girl's Description of Beet Harvest

It is October, which for us means sugar beet harvest.  The quickest way I can describe sugar beet harvest is by showing you this video. 

 

 

What do you think?!  It's "a classic" from Sesame Street.  You can thank me later when you have that song stuck in your head for weeks straight.

 

Sugar beets are planted in the spring and given lots of TLC all summer long until October 1st when the 24-hour-a-day "beet campaign" (beet harvest) officially begins.

 

My husband, his dad, plus approximately 10 other hired men (or women) work around the clock to harvest the beets.....as long as the weather is good.  Too warm, and the beets could rot when piled up.  Too cold, and the beets could freeze.  Too rainy, and the trucks can't get in and out of the fields because of the mud.

 

Back in the field, the process goes as follows:  A tractor pulling a 'rotobeater' (or 'topper') first cuts the leaves off, as shown in the beginning of the video.  Another tractor pulling the 'lifter' follows that.  The lifter grabs the beets from the ground.  It has a conveyer which brings the beets through a 'ferris-wheel' to knock off some of the mud or dirt and eventually fills a truck with beets.

 

The trucks haul the beets either straight to the sugar plant or to a 'piler' (piling station), depending on how far away the field is from the plant.  There is a plant in our nearby town, so our trucks transport to both the plant or to a piler.  Sometimes, there can be a long wait at the piler when the trucks are backed up, so truck drivers often bring something to pass the time, such as a smartphone, a book to read, or they could learn how to play the trumpet like my cousin did!

 

Ever since I have lived here, we have hosted my dad, uncles, cousins, friends and friends-of-friends at our house who have come to help during beet harvest.  My husband and our guests are often scheduled to work the night shift, which means they sleep during the day.  Have you ever tried to keep two kiddos quiet in the middle of the day while they are cooped in the house?  Not an easy feat!

 

If the weather cooperates and there are minimal break-downs, we could finish harvesting beets in two weeks.  Last year, however, beet harvest started out with a couple 70-degree days, which meant it was too warm to dig.  Just a day later, winter entered with a BANG and an ice storm hit the area.  The fields became too sloppy and the root temperature of the beets was too cold.  Much of the county did not have power for a few days, including us.

 

You could say we consider this storm a blessing in disguise for our family, because one year ago today our lil' sugar beet, Reed, was born and his daddy got to have some time off work to be at the hospital.  When we returned home with our new baby, the weather continued to be disgusting for much of October and November, so unfortunately some of our beets never made it out of the field.  Last year was considered a worst case scenario.

 

But so far this season, there was only a 12-hour delay on the first day due to high temps, and harvest has been going strong ever since.  [Knock on wood.]  Let's pray that it continues to go smoothly and safely!
 

 

If you ever have the chance to drive past a sugar plant and take in the distinct odor, I will tell you the same thing J told me years ago- "That's the smell of money!"

 

One last plug from this farm wife:  When given the choice at your grocery store, show us some love by purchasing the sugar that looks like this:

 

A Place To Count Our Pennies That Didn't Cost Very Many

Current home office

Our home office is 8'x6'.  There isn't a lot of room to work with, but this room works hard for our family.  We had to make this compact space functional with lots of storage, display, and counter space. 

 

 

It looked like this when we first moved in:

 

I actually really loved the fun fabric on the original drapes, but years of direct sunlight caused it to fade. 

 

The room slowly got new carpet and paint, but we lived with it like this for awhile until we couldn't take it any longer:

(I'm so embarrassed.)

As you can see, we needed more countertop space.  After scoping out the sheds on our farmyard, I suggested we use an old tabletop covered in chipped paint that I found in one of them.  J agreed, so he cut it to fit wall-to-wall in the office and varnished it.  Cost=$0.

The rustic-looking tabletop is supported by a file cabinet on both ends.  A self-employed farmer and a designer who works part of the time from home need A LOT of file storage!

J assembled the white shelf with plywood and corbels leftover from previous projects.  Cost=$0.  It's coated in Muralo white paint, which wears like an oil-based paint but cleans up with soap and water.  I always keep a gallon on hand, and I would recommend it for any interior shelving, trim and furniture.  Ask your truly for more information. :)

 

 

We replaced the drapes with this:

Just kidding!  This was a custom-made upholstered valance that was doomed for the dumpster at the store where I work.  My heart hurt a little bit when I thought of it being thrown in the trash.  I asked if I could have it, and they were happy to give it away.  Cost=$0.  With $24 worth of new fabric, a staple gun, and a husband-to-hang-it, the new window treatment livens up the room and doesn't make paying bills in there so bad.

The big frame was given to us from the in-laws and the "S" was painted by me.  Cost=$0.

 

Now, spending time in our office doesn't make me mind working from home one bit!

Handy

A bolt on the lawn mower broke off while mowing today (a breakdown I did NOT cause), and afterward the steering did not work properly.  I diagnosed the problem, found the part, and fixed it all by myself, then continued to finish mowing. All while working on my tan.  BOOM!

My summer ride

Lucas Stories

Although his toy box is filled with trucks, tractors, balls and hockey sticks, Lucas still knows how to play with dolls, kitchen stuff and princesses. The one he always points out and calls by name is "Princerella." You know? The one with the glass slipper!







Here he is shaving just like Daddy





 

During the holiday season, we enjoyed listening to Christmas music in the car. One day said, "Mom, let's sing the Spanish Christmas song: 'Pah-lease Mom and Dad....Please Mom and Dad!" (Insert those words as you sing 'Feliz Navidad' in your head, and you'll know where he was coming from!)

 

 

This morning, I said, "Lucas, look at the trees- they're all white and frosty!" He replied, "Oh, like on cake?"  I realized he thought I said 'frosting' and not 'frosty.'

 

 



He loves it when we give him "piggy-bank rides."

 

 

He says "to-yesterday," which actually makes a lot of sense when the alternatives are 'TOday' and 'TOmorrow.'

 

 

If he could watch movies all day, he'd be in heaven. His latest favorite is Wreck-It Ralph, but he used to call it Rock and Roll since the two phrases apparently sound similar.  Another favorite is "Despicable MOMMA" or "Despicable YOU."  I figured he calls it that because when I would say "Lucas, do you want to watch Despicable Me?" he thought I was referring to myself.

 

He had Jason and I rolling on the floor laughing one time when he meant to say "Are they theirs?" but couldn't figure out how to phrase it. Instead, it came out, "Are them thems?  Are them theys?  Is theirs thems?  Are these thems?"

 

My heart melts when he compliments me: "Nice dress, Mom!" and "Cool paint, Mom!"


The other day, he nicely asked, "Mom, can you turn the light on for me? It's too ghosty in there." (It was dark in the bathroom.)



I don’t ever want to forget how he makes me smileJ



 



 

He doesn't like Spiderman at all





 

Mooooooo

Besides adjusting to life with double the amount of children, our winter has been all about "The Ranch."

 

The Ranch:

A place about 30 miles away from our farmyard near a state park in northwest Minnesota.  A place that has been in the family for 30+ years, which we recently acquired.  A place where a couple hundred head of cattle, a few horses, and dogs reside.  A place in rockier soil where farming is a bit trickier than the fertile Red River Valley land.  A place that is managed by a friend that the kids like to call "Cowboy Dan" who lets them help feed the horses and gives them ear tags of their very own.  A place where my man occupies his deer stand after harvest in the fall.  A place that I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot more of in the future.

 

And so begins a whole new set of adventures.

 

The fact that my husband knows more about artificial insemination, labor/birth, nursing, and all the terminology that goes along with it than I ever will is not news to me.  These are all things he learned while working at The Ranch when he was growing up.

 

It is also not news to me that just like us, the cows have to eat every day, too.  So, I will not protest when Jason is spending his days at The Ranch during farming's off-season.

 

What will be new to me is getting up-close-and-personal with farm animals as I have never done in my life.  And soon a season called "Calving" will be added to our calendar.  I am not quite sure how long those days and nights will be, but ask me in a couple months when we are in the thick of it.

 

How is it being a rancher's wife so far?

 

So far, it has been fun, because I have gotten to assist in re-doing the bunkhouse!

When I say "assist" I mean:

· selecting all of the interior finishes and fixtures including cabinetry, flooring, wainscoting, paint, lighting, faucets

· accompany my husband on numerous trips to "Bee-nards" (as Lucas calls it)

· acheiving a feeling of 'rustic elegance' (Think antler chandeliers.) You know, a place where even us women wouldn't mind resting our heads if absolutely necessary

· being frugal as much as my champagne-taste-on-a-beer-budget-orientated mind will allow

That is such a typical designer-turned-farmwife response, isn't it?!  I am not doing any of that demolition, installation, electrical, plumbing, or messy work.  Just the decorating part.

 

The goal is that after this winter, the bunkhouse at The Ranch will be a cozy, little cabin where the guys can stay during calving and hunting season.  I am already daydreaming about my boys staying out there when they go hunting with Daddy.  I can hardly wait to show you before-and-after photos!

So God Made a Farmer