Bottles of Wine and Barbed Wire...

So, I've been staring at a blank page for like an hour while also staring at Jimmy Kimmel's face on my television.  He is looking good with a beard.  Oh.  Hey...  My ADD is in full effect tonight and it has nothing to do with the fact that I'm on my third glass of wine, which for those of you that know me, know that is the equivalent of an entire bottle.  Don't be judgy.  I'm on holiday.  And stuff like this happens on holiday..

I seem to have developed a pattern of only blogging at the beginning or end of a semester.  I have one final next Wednesday, then I'm done until January.  AND I graduate in May.  What the what!?  Sometimes I want to kick myself for not finishing school a long time ago, but the truth is that up until maybe a year ago, I had absolutely no clue what I wanted to be when I grew up.  It was like adult purgatory.  Which is an extremely uneasy feeling.  Now that I have chosen my path I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Although I graduate in May, my intentions are to attend another University and after 3 semesters I will do my student teaching and then I'll have my BS in Ag Ed. Then more than likely I will press on and go for my Master's.  Because, why not?  I love what I am doing.  Like, absolutely love! I'm good at it, and it makes me seriously happy to wake up every morning to learn more about, and I absolutely cannot wait to teach it. It's super crazy looking back on all the things you didn't do in your life...the things you are always questioning while looking back on them, or wondering why they didn't happen.  Eventually, everything falls into place right where it is supposed to be, and then looking back it is crystal clear as to why those things are happening now, but didn't then.  Funny how that happens...  Tis a reason for everything..you just have to be patient I guess, and just let things fall into the right place..at the right time..  :-)

Ya'll!  My bestie moved.  What the heck.  It was bad enough that for the last 7-8-9 years she was like 800 miles away, but now she is like 2000+ miles away into a different time zone.  Which seriously sucks.  It does help that I never sleep so we get to chat a lot at night.  Before she moved we would always text first thing in the morning.  Now, I wake up in the morning, and I'm looking at my clock like hmmm..ok, she basically just went to sleep so now I have to wait half the day for her day to even begin.  Knowing for months leading up to the move we rarely talked about it (the move).  They weren't getting stationed where they wanted to be, so it was bad.  Lots of tension there.....It was something that rarely got brought up even though we all knew it was looming in the corners and was coming fast.  Bad.  Sad.  I was worried about them, I was worried that I would feel so far away from them that it was like she was in another country.  But, of course it doesn't.  We picked up right where we left off like we always do, and are excited to plan my trip to visit in the Spring.  It sucks when people you care about move far away.  Like why can't I go too?  If you have to, then so should I.  I can teach Ag anywhere!  On her road trip from Texas to Washington she sent me so many wonderful pictures.  I definitely traveled vicariously through them. Plus, she sent me spoons from just about every stop.  I love spoons!!  You know.  Like a little old lady with a spoon collection hanging on the wall.  Yep, that's me. I'm like a little old lady.  If someone goes on a trip and asks me what I would like...I want a spoon...a Christmas ornament and a bottle of wine. I'm easy to please. Please and thanks.  I can't wait to explore and be all touristy and stuff with one of my favorite people.  <3

All of my girls are laying now.
I think a day or two after my last blog Cora started laying her beautiful blue eggs.

and big shocker...she's still my favorite!  She is just so pretty and she absolutely adores me!  She constantly want so know where I am and what I'm doing.  I used this picture in a presentation I had to do in Animal Science where I had to discuss Poultry.  So basically...she's famous now.

Agnes got all hormonal and went broody on me a month or so back. I so wish I could have gotten my hands on some fertile eggs for her to hatch, but I don't need any more chickens than I have at the moment.  A lot of chicken keepers try to stop their girls from going broody because they stop laying during this time, or because they don't eat and drink like they should because their instincts are to protect their nest.  I read many articles on how to "break the broody" and then I decided, you know what..if this is what her body wants to do, then we are just going to roll with it.  We got her out of the box often just so she would move around and free range a bit, but we never prevented her from laying on her nest.  She would let us take her out of the box without a fight, but it wasn't too long before she disappeared and was right back on her nest.  We figured it would be about 21 days of broodiness and that was spot on.  Poor girl,  She wanted to be a Mama so bad.  So instead, I just let her be Winston's other Mama.  He doesn't seem to mind.  She can herd him in like cattle.  Those two are something else!

If I go inside they'll follow me to the back door and just wait for me.  I always hear something tapping, and when I go to look out this is what I see.  Hazel likes to knock (peck) on the back door and then pretend she didn't.  She's got jokes.

Wreath week has begun.  Actually it began last week, but I took a break for a few days because of my classes.  I'm basically already over it.  It's so exhausting and I just want a nap.  Plus I'm itchy.  I think I'm allergic.

Since I have to cut so much greenery for the wreaths (a pickup truck load makes maybe four) I tend to have to go to some random places.  One of the best places is along I-24, and just so I don't get spotted by a kidnapper I like to go in the back way..Which consists of climbing over old rusty barbed wire fences....  Wellll, last year I hit the same spot several times and one of those times on my way down the other side of the fence... I snagged my britches.  I remember thinking owww and reaching back to feel for a tear in my pants, but I couldn't tell because I had gloves on. I asked my friend if I had a hole in my pants?  She busted up laughing and couldn't even say anything.  She would stop laughing, try to speak, look at my rear again, and bust out laughing with tears.  I was laughing because she was laughing, and I didn't yet know why she was laughing.  Then I finally felt why she was laughing.  The barbed wire split the rear end of my pants from the very top.  To the very bottom. My entire right cheek was out there for all the kidnappers to see...We were laughing.  Crying.  Hunched over belly laughs...I was trying to cover my rear.  It was freezing cold and I was exposed...So, now..I take a ladder to put over the fence so that I don't get a scar to match the barb scar I currently have on my hiney.  Climbing barbed wire is clearly not my thing..

I'm a little more than half way done..I believe I have 9 left... but I need to hurry up because I'm sure people want their wreaths before Easter.  And I need to shop for Christmas presents.  I can't even tell you the last time I was in a store to buy something other than as needed every day essentials...I'm sure my family would appreciate it if I went to the grocery store.

Thank goodness for the internet...If I was a Transformer my name would definitely be Amazon Prime... That two day shipping will be convenient when I have to buy last minute Christmas gifts.

I love seeing my wreaths on my way in and out of my neighborhood.  They especially look beautiful at night with the spotlight on them.  During the day I have almost ended up in the ditch a few times when I'm leaving the neighborhood.  I can't help but stare..they really are pretty!

Speaking of my neighborhood...It only took ten years but they finally voted us yard of the month!!!  What!!!!!  I about flipped out when I came home Wednesday and the sign was in our yard.  Actually, I jumped out of the car to call Kyle and forgot I left my car running.  I did that once when I was a caller on GMA radio..I think this was before I met Robin Roberts in person, but I had just pulled into my office parking lot and was so excited that I was actually speaking to Robin that I jumped out of my car and forgot that it wasn't in park. Umm, so the first few seconds of our conversation was me freaking out because I was jumping back into my car to stop it and put in park.  Never a dull moment, folks.  We got yard of the month for having the best Fall decor in November.  Those Fall window boxes I did definitely paid off!

Well shoot, I know if Nicole texts me to tell me goodnight that it is way past bedtime, plus the wine is all gone... so I guess that means I should wrap this puppy up..

I hope your Friday is just as amazing as you are!! 

xo

Carrie

Who Needs a Tan Anyway..

Hey ya'll!!  It's been a while.  

I didn't realize since end of April, while, but you know...here I am now to pick up where I left off.  It's hard to believe that summer is almost over.

Blah blah.

I've been cranky the last few days, and I'd like to say it's because school is almost back in session, but in reality I'm seriously annoyed that I don't get to be a stay at home dog Mom forever.  Like for the rest of my life forever.

It's sad, right?!

Recently, I had some surgery and was out of commission for a few weeks.  Prior to surgery, in between freaking out because I was going to be put to sleep, which is odd considering sleeping is one of my favorite things to do..Never mind that I had a giant tumor, and would wake up minus an organ and who knows what else, but instead I was terrified about being put into a deep sleep with a tube down my throat.  Anyway, I was like woohoo I get an entire week off!!  A whole week off of cooking, cleaning, working, everaaything..I wouldn't have to lift a finger unless I wanted to...I'll get to organize my financial statements, pack a few boxes to declutter before we list the house, do a few blogs!  Yassss!!

Ummm. No.

I could barely keep my eyes open for the first week thanks to heavy narcotics that I was taking every four hours on the dot.  Then I tried to go back to work early the next Monday because I felt like they needed me there, and was quickly sent home and told not to return until the next Monday..Don't have to tell me twice.  It's all fun and games until someone loses an organ.  So, now that I am about 90% back to myself I am severely spoiled, and seriously depressed that my stay at home dog Mom days are over. Why?!  Why does it have to end!!  I have tears people, real tears!!  Even Brodie wants to know why!

I keep throwing out random suggestions to my Husband of fabulous ideas that he could be doing to supplement my income so I can stay home.  I can tell some of my genius ideas make his wheels spin, and then poof...it's gone in a flash.  A girl can dream..


The sisters have started laying eggs just in the last few weeks.  We have gathered well over two dozen by now.  It's like Christmas morning every time someone finds an egg.

Hazel is the smallest hen and lays the biggest eggs. She will run with her sisters, but she likes to explore on her own..I guess she is like her mama and marches to the beat of her own drum.  Nothing wrong with that, or talking to trees.  I don't think she gets that from me though..  ;-)  She likes to eat the bugs climbing the trees.

Stella is the only other sister that is laying at the moment.  Her eggs are small right now, but she is proud of them and so are we.  We think they're wonderful! Stella loves to sing the egg song and announce to the whole world and even into outer space that she just layed an egg.  Lord have mercy.  That girl has a set of lungs!!  

My favorite girl, Cora, hasn't started laying yet.  From what I've read, her breed is sometimes a few weeks behind other breeds, so we are just waiting to see what her eggs will look like.  It shouldn't be too much longer now.  Meanwhile, she steals all my kisses!!

We can't leave out Agnes.  She would probably get her feelings hurt if we didn't mention her.

Especially since she likes to be all up in everyone's business.  If something is going on somewhere you better believe she will be right in the middle of it, and if she's not yet, watch out because she will knock you out of the way to put herself right in the middle..usually by charging her way through head first.  She's a hot mess, and the comedian of the bunch.  She gets all of our laughs!

Kyle finished the coop.  All in all we figured it cost us around $500 to build the coop.  We used a lot of recycled materials which made a huge difference in our pockets.  It turned out better than either of us ever imagined, and without having an actual plan or blueprint he really did an outstanding job.

You couldn't buy anything better than this for under $1,500.  Trust me, we looked!  Now that I know what he is capable of I have a list of future projects.  Mostly for our new house.

We have always talked about eventually buying a farm.  Just in the last 6-8 months we have been serious in our search for our future forever farm.   We started out with the intent to buy the farm Kyle grew up on.  The house there was built in the 70's and is just beautiful.  It would only need minimal work to make it last another 30 something years.  While that would be the perfect place, right now we are in a situation where it's out of our hands while his family makes decisions and plans...since they are currently living there.  So. we continue to explore all of our options.  We have looked at so many houses and vacant land near our house and in surrounding counties.  We just haven't found the one.  If we found one that could be "the one" it was either pending or there was something about it that we couldn't overlook.  Like last week I absolutely fell in love with a house and some acreage.  It was everything we wanted on paper.  It was a newer home that was built with old charm, which is exactly what I like..it had just enough acreage and even barns and outbuildings...We went to look at it and the neighbors house was just a short walk across the lawn...way too close and totally disappointing..Not to mention the neighbor didn't look like they enjoyed cutting their grass...So, no biggie...Next!!  We are going to look at one this evening if the rain holds off.  Trey and I are really excited about this one.  We have both had warm fuzzies about it since we stumbled across it two days ago, so I hope it's not too good to be true, because it usually is.

Either way I have faith that we will find exactly what we are looking for one of these days..it's just not something we are willing to rush, or settle on. Even though I really would move tomorrow!!

I seriously can't wait to live in the middle of no where.  It is so exciting to think about and plan for!!

So, that's pretty much my exciting summer in a nut shell. I didn't do very much, and I don't have the tan to prove it.  :-)

xo

Carrie