Gardening Happiness

Basil! Love the Smell of it

One of my favorite things to do when I have time is Garden. I had an amazing garden two years ago and wish for it back. Last year with my Brain surgery coming up from my tumor I was too weak to even have one. Now I am cured! Stronger and Healthier! Today was a day with two of some of my favorite people in the world and really a feat in my head of the recovery I have had!

We definitely aren’t going big. Especially since we moved we don’t have time to till and make a huge garden. I mean its already the end of May and the growing season here isn’t that long. Most years my tomato grow big and delicious but never are able to really turn red before the first frost.

 

After planting. Love getting dirty

No longer will that happen! NO! NO! NO! We have a greenhouse at this new house and they will blossom and flourish there and turn million shades of red. Take that frost! Ok I have to admit though that we have 20 tomato plants so really I should start thinking of more salsa recipes right? I mean there is only 6 of usJ I kind of went a little crazy.

Jason getting ready to plant all the Tomato plants

In front of our house we put cabbage, Brussel sprouts, broccoli, kale, and cauliflower. YUM! They are just little plants now but will become big, delicious and dinner at some point. My good friend Helen supplies us with organic yummy starts for us to garden. I didn’t have a greenhouse till a week ago so she helped me out. She is an amazing gardener that I look up too and sometimes wish I could go to her house, drink coffee, look over her garden and secretly pretend its mine. Love ya Helen!

Jason with some more herbs

We also have a bunch of herbs to cook with that we are setting up in the green house too. Basil (love that smell of basil), rosemary, thyme, etc. I can’t wait!

Cassie planting Kale and Cabbage

This was just the small start of our gardening this summer. I of course have gone crazy in my head and will be getting more. I need to plant green beans, lettuce, zucchini, radish and spinach! YUM!

Cassie passing us more dirt

My favorite time with gardening besides the sun and the smell of fresh herbs was working with Cassie and Jason. They are such great help and not worried about getting dirty at all. Love them! We only have one week before all four of my teenagers go to their other parent’s house for the summer. We are trying to do as much as possible with them. Jack and Jason will be at their moms for half the summer and Cassie and Josh at their dads. I miss them already and they aren’t even gone yet. I am thankful that they will have fun with their other parent however. It’s just so weird going from 4 noisy, fun teenagers to a quiet house. Ryan says it’s just another Honeymoon for us but I still feel the piece of my heart missing when they are all gone.

So sad but first time I saw a baby Chipmonk

Ok, Ok back to happiness before I put myself into a motherly pout. It was fun gardening with two of my kids. I laughed because Cassie is such a particular gardener. She has a method. Jason is more of the gardener that waits for instruction the whole time. He did save me from the baby chipmunk that we found however. So sad it wasn’t aliveL  I think this is the first time Jason has planted tomatoes. He likes the smell of the garden too. I told him he was meant to do this then. Cassie is so meticulous that it just helps the garden look that much better. Love these two! Out of the four of my kids Cassie and Jason are my quiet ones that are more chill. Jackson and Joshua are definitely my more active children that are all over the place and always bored.

Yep..another tomato plant Jason

I have already looked at the garden like 500 times since we planted it. I swear its growing already ha! I think my favorite part of putting it in was the love from my kids and the smell of the veggies that will come! Summer is here! Bring on the good cooking and Veggies!

 

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Proud of my daughter

I am always proud of my teenagers. There is always something they are doing in school, in sports, at home or at work on the ranch that makes me proud. Today is my daughter’s day though. It was Academic Awards Night and Cassie did VERY well. Hard work in studying really pays off.

 

She got awarded Honors from the Senate, the State legislature and from the school. She also obtained the Biology Award for her class and a Math Award.  Cassie also got Honors for having over a 3.5 (she has a 4.0) for all the semesters. I am really proud of her.

 

I loved hearing her teachers say that she strived for excellence and would even take a test that was a low A over to score higher. I know as the years go by school will get harder but she is constantly working at that. Her goal is Valedictorian of her class in two years. Go Cassie! If you put your mind to it…you can do it!

 

 

Our Crazy Week!!

How much can you pack into a week? With four teenagers and moving from one Ranch to the other….You can pack a lot in. I might actually sleep a little while I write this blog to catch up ha. ZZZZZ…okay back! I am awake. What was I saying again? Oh yes! We had a crazy fun week.

 We have had two baseball games with Jason. They won both games and he was able to steal home. I love watching him play especially because he enjoys it so much.

 Joshua turned 15! I still can’t believe I have a 15 year old that is 6’2’’. He is by far the tallest in our household. He has outgrown Ryan and I by the time he was 14 ha! I still can’t believe he is already 15. He had a great time with his friends the weekend before with a slumber party. He was beyond excited when he got his present of his headphones that he has been wanting forever. On his ACTUAL birthday we were moving and let me tell you he used that to his advantage ha! Plus that got all the kids more snacks and soda which we don’t normally have in the house. The other kids were grateful for that too. Right now is the only time of the year that I have a 17, 16, 15 and then 14 year old. At different times of the year it ends up being two 17 year olds and two 15 year olds. That’s what happens when you have an amazing blended family.

 Side note! Four teenagers. In just one week we will have a Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior. What was I ever thinking? In four years it’s going to be so quiet. I am SO NOT looking forward to that.

 Then we had the FFA event. Future Farmers of America where Cassie and Joshua both won awards. It was a nice Tri tip Dinner and seeing what they have been doing this year. It was a good event. Jackson was in FFA last year and Jason is in 4H this year. It will be interesting which kids decide to do it next year. Joshua won his Greenhand Degree and Parliamentary Procedure Career Development Event Award. Cassie received her Chapter FFA degree. I was very proud of those two.

 The kids had a field trip couple hours away to an Aquatics Center also. They had a lot of fun with their friends. Pretty neat to be a small school so everyone could all go. Love how they do this at the end of the year.

 Then on top of all of this we were moving. Yep! We moved a whole house of stuff from one ranch to another. I am so grateful for my husband and kids. I have to give extra kudos to my oldest Jackson because he really used a lot of strength. We got a HUGE U-Haul, loaded it in one day and unloaded it the next.  Then had to bring all the animals up also. It was just the 6 of us and Jackson’s good friend Mateo.  Thankfully it was a three day weekend. We were all beat. The kids set up their rooms and I worked on the rest of the house while also feeding them every 5 minutes it seemed. You know teenagers get…they are NEVER full.

 I absolutely love this house. Love Love Love it! Its beautiful inside and out but the views are glorious for as far as the eye can see. This was one crazy week! Next week is even more. 8^th grade trip, Baseball games, Academic Awards Ceremony, Ortho Appointments and Maybe a Bull riding event if the double header gets done in time. Oh and did I mention Finals and Graduations? Man this time of year is crazy busy but its so worth it. I really should stop beating myself up for not blogging this week huh? Now that we are all set up in the new house I will be more on top of it. Its hard to blog when your stuff is in a box. J

Take me out to the Ball game

Ahh...Baseball Season has started for the 13-15 year olds! Their first game was last night and man oh man was the weather wet! The Game continues though and off to play in the rain they did! Our youngest, Jason, is on the team. Its pretty exciting to us because he is the one baseball player in the house.

Rainy Wet Day to Play

We love going to Baseball games. Sitting with your friends, eating sunflower seeds, having the teens ask every few seconds for a drink or something (ok don't love that part ha) and watching our kid on the field. What could be better.

The fact that we have four teens means that every season someone is into one sport or another. If its a home game we all go as a family. Its important to us that the whole family cheers on whomever is playing so they know they are supported . The teens love it anyways because their friends are there too doing the same.With so many kids though we don't normally get to the away games (most of them are more than 2 hours away).

This game no one knew about till the night before. We don't have our uniforms yet so that is why the kids aren't matching ha! It was rainy and cold too. Jason is the one is the camouflage long shirt and baseball pants.

Getting Ready for his Money Shot

We will have a few more Baseball Games until Summer when Jason goes to his moms for a month. He will be missing a few but being at his moms is more important. The life of a blended family. As of next year though he will be in high school and not miss any because its during school.

I was so proud of my kid. He did a great job! When he was up to bat he hit it hard and was able to run to second base. With all the mud we kind of laughed because it looked like he was running slow from getting stuck. I got a video of it!!! Was so proud! Screaming along the way. Man I love watching my four kids have fun!

Ball! Good Eye Jason!!

I think sports are important. Its good for the body but good for teamwork too. The kids would say its good because they are with their friends, their parents are cheering them on and they got pizza because it was late on the way home.

The season has started! Keep taking me out to the Ball Game!

Prom! The Roaring Twenties

Its that time of year again. PROM SEASON. This is our third year doing Prom and when I think about all four of my kids I still have 4 more Proms to go. That's Craziness.

Siblings Hope and Thomas with Siblings Jackson and Cassie

This year the theme was The Roaring 20's which I thought was nice and elegant. The Junior Class puts on the Prom each year. They pick the theme, decorate and get everything ready for it. Everyone did a great job. The set looked Amazing and the kids had a lot of fun. Since my oldest is a Junior this year that means we have 4 more proms to go.

This year only two out of the three kids that were in High School went. Jackson and Cassie decided to go with friends. Joshua said he "wanted to stay home, rent a tux and watch the notebook by himself". Ha! That kid cracks me up.

Cassie went to her friends house to get ready and had their dinner there before going to Prom. Jackson decided to go to the Prom dinner for the Valley with friends and then go to Prom.

The guys

The Girls

It was a fun night of just dancing and hanging with friends. Jack was happy to not have to wear a tux since he didn't ask anyone to prom this year. It was a good evening. I cant believe next year I will have four going to prom. That's going to be an expensive one~! They had fun. I cant wait till next year when all four kids go!

 Thank you Jamie at Picture this Photography for the Amazing Prom Pictures too. She always does an amazing job at our Graduation and Family pictures also!

Cassie and BFF Amber

Hope, Jackson and Thomas

Cassie

Jackson and Thomas

Why we are Moving?

When your husband runs 3 ranches there is A LOT of driving involved for everything. Work, School, Shopping etc. I guess I should give some background. We used to live in a house off of the Ranches so we would be closer to the schools. When that house sold all three Ranch houses we were renting out so we ended up having to rent ourselves till a lease ended. We knew that God was doing this for some reason or another. When we first moved to Big Valley the main house was open. Its an amazing house on 3000 acres with streams and beauty all around. Its deafening silent though out there. You hear every sound, every coyote howl, every russel of a tree. Since we came from the city we thought our kids would go crazy out there since the internet is horrible and there is land for miles around. We had spent summers out there when Ryan was working before we made the move to Big Valley. We all loved it but it was SUCH a BIG change.

God knew though. He put us in a huge house with five bedrooms that was three stories high. It was an amazing house that I could see my grandkids come to. ** like in 20 years lol!** God had other plans though. Things happened at work and the house was sold. We moved to a small  3 bedroom house that is cramped. All three of our boys share the Master bedroom. This was needed though. It brought our family closer and this last year has been great. Its right next to one of the main ranches so we were able to work it easy and have our animals close.

After all this learning and growing the Main house opened up. 2 years ago we wouldn't of dreamed of living there. This year its the right time. We now have more drivers in the house so that's helpful. Now a 40 minute drive just to drop off the kids at school and then come home would be hard but Jack can drive the kids to school. Its one of the main ranches so Ryan is there a lot especially during winter. It has a lot of history for us too.

For the Horses

The Main House

This house Ryan's mother used to run as a fishing lodge many years ago. Ryan even worked as a fishing guide when he was still a teen at this house. Jacksons first Halloween was at this house 17 years ago. Its the best size house for us all. Still only three bedrooms and two full baths BUT its much larger... has a game room and a big pantry which we need with four teens. It also has a bunk house next to the Main house and plenty of room for our animals. The kids will love the bunk house when their friends come for sleepovers as they will of course be living in the Main house with us any other time.

Shop and Tractor Area

Inside of Bunk House

We are excited to move. Its a blessing and we wont be moving again for a very long time. Ryan said he feels like God was slowly trying to get us back to this house. It was where we were meant to be. Now the kids want to move there and don't think about how far it is......because EVERYTHING is far:) 70 miles to the nearest Starbucks! Its a place that is peaceful and beautiful. Just look at the view out the living room window. Tell me that isn't Gods Country?

My cup of coffee view

Our animals will be closer and love it. We have the room we need for Tractors, Animals, Trucks, Teens and a garden:) I have to start packing as we will be moving in the next months. Its going to be a big project.....but its home.

OUR home......3,000 acres to tend too and we will love every single moment of that. Fresh air and Beauty for miles. I cant wait till we move. For now....I wish I could just click my heels and have everything over there ha! We have to wait for our renters to move out and then we will move in. I am counting down the days. Now the important question...Does anyone have some boxes I could borrow?

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Scrapbooking Help

I am new at the Scrapbooking thing! I need help!! So I went out and went a little crazy in the past couple months knowing we were going on a Family Cruise and wanted to Scrapbook our adventure when we got home. I have tons of stuff....probably need more though ha! You know how scrapbooking goes right? You ALWAYS need something MORE!

This blog today however isn't to help you on scrapbooking... I know, I know I am selfish! Its for You to help ME! All you scrapbookers out there I need your help. Where do I find the best stuff online to buy that isn't expensive? Where do I find ideas on how to make my pages better? What tips do I need to know to scrapbook. What do I REALLY need to have or know to Scrapbook? Help me viewers!! :)

I will forever love you!!

Here is what I have so far....and to me it looks juvenile but I guess that's okay. I am picking up pictures today so I will be able to really start soon. I am a mom of four teens and live on a Ranch out in the middle of no where with my awesome hubby. When I am bored which isn't often I would like to Scrapbook our adventures.

Again, I will love you forever. That's gotta be something right?

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