Reservations...

Today I made plans to spend nearly 11 hours on a Amtrak train tomorrow...yeah! Seems I get to drive a truck and camper home on Saturday, maybe Sunday...through Chicago...again yeah! Are you reading my true excitement?

Now, if I had like a 5 hour layover in Chicago and I got to shop for a few hours...now that would be YEAH! I tried to talk my son into doing the trip. His Dad however disagreed with me. He thinks we'd have to call him stumpy after the trip cause he would eat all his fingernails down and his fingers most the way off if he got too nervous driving through there with the trailer. He drove to the Mackinac Bridge fine...but no go with the Dad. But he is fine sending me??? Where are my 3 brothers??? Ok...enough venting. Honor thy mother and father...and my husband, right!

One thing to look forward to, the train station is very close to the Chicago Board of Trade. I may go there and see the people with whom we trade our commodities. Great group of people. One is a very good friend. He and his wife had a little one a few months ago, I hope to see him and at least see some pictures of the little one. They live in Rockford, so there is no chance to see her and the baby. Maybe I can get lunch out of one of the people too, cause my train doesn't leave out of Chicago till 2:15

So today...it is laundry, more laundry, tidying up the house, maybe a big pot of soup. I feel as though I barely hit the ground here and I'm off again.

At least Katie will be here holding the fort down. She will make sure those boys are fed, and things get done. She is more of a drill sargent then I am at times! :)

Hey, maybe I can get like 3 weeks of bible study done, then I wouldn't have to worry if I miss a day when we are in the heat of harvest.

Thanks for letting me vent for those who read my postings.

Stay warm and be blessed! =)

There's no place like Home!

Well, we are back after our whirlwind tour south to the All American Quarter Horse Congress. Katie went there to compete with the Calhoun County horse bowl team. She originally was with the other team and won regionals, but the this team did better at State. So Katie was the alternate to this team going to Congress. But, nice thing is she was put in to compete in all rounds. She didn't buzz in at first, but in their last round of competition, she buzzed in twice and answered correctly both times. One of her questions was one she learned from her Apologia Biology class from last year. Funny thing was, no one else on her team knew the answer and even said they couldn't believe she buzzed in and that she knew! She was so excited. With horse bowl, if you buzz in, you have to be quite sure you know the answer...cause if you get it wrong it takes points away from your team. So, at times, it is intimidating to even attempt an answer.

We left for Columbus on Sunday evening at 8:30 at night. I had made reservations in Lima, OH. We got there about 11 p.m. The next day we got up and headed off to Columbus. Our morning consisted of shopping at the Polaris Shopping Center. We found this mall a few years ago. It is huge with a Saks Fifth Avenue on one end and a Sears on the other with every store known to man in between, or so it seems. We found some fun things, then ate lunch at a restaurant called Molly Woo's (People compare it to a P.F. Chang) After lunch we headed off to our hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn, the same place we stayed last year. We kicked off our shoes for a few minutes then headed off to Congress to shop. If you have never been to Congress there is every tack, roping, reining, bedding, stalls, watering devices, western jewelery, western knick-knack store you can think of is represented there at Congress with the hopes of you wanting to make a purchase. We looked around for a while then went back and relaxed at the hotel for a while.

The next day we had to be at Congress at 7:45. Since they didn't make it all the way to the end of the competition because of their loss, we decided to head home. We hit the road around 3, stopped in Fort Wayne for gas and to eat dinner and was home around 8:45.

Today...Erik went to Jackson, but Katie did not. She had told her teachers that she would not be there today and had gotten her homework. I went to Bible Study then out for my Weekly Dose of Bosserd Family Farms. Cutting corn stalks, having pictures taken...it's a long story! :) The kids are leaving shortly for Craft Photographic Gallery, for their school pictures with the Flash group. Erik's last year!

Blessings for a good day!

Finally Friday!

What a week we have had. At times this week I truly didn't know if we were coming or going. Giving a quick overview of the some of the things we had going this week were: making centerpieces, making several desserts, attending meetings, bible study, schooling, errands, birthday dinners, senior pictures, appointments...whew! And that list doesn't even hit it all. We are so looking forward to relaxing and attending a pig roast tomorrow with friends.

The weatherman states that the current front should break, so tomorrow we too may be able to run more beans...and that is a good thing!

Have a safe weekend and be blessed~

Birthday Fun!

Hi all...We are celebrating Doug's birthday today. His first gift was that the weather was going to hold out and we will be able to Combine more beans today. Second, he received breakfast in bed. (That is our family tradition we started years ago for birthdays) He then opened a package we got him...a huge bag of Peanut M & M's (his favorite!), an omelet pan, and a new spatula for the omelet pan. Yesterday, when we were making omelets, we found the pan we use is not sufficient, so for fun we purchased the pan for him to use.

We are having our big meal at noon. The menu will consist of the following: Grilled Pork Roast, Potato Supreme, Broccoli Salad, Pine Nut Salad, Asparagus, Baking Powder Biscuits, and Mile High Carrot Cake. All his favorites. Both G & G Geese and his parents are coming over to eat the mid-day meal.

We will no more and get done with dinner, and we will be off to get Erik's senior pictures taken. Erik plans to take his Ford 8N he restored with him for pictures. He has been working on getting it shined up.

Katie has been awesome help with prep work for me today too.

Well...I must run...Blessings on your day all.

Rain...

I admit, I like those days when you can just sit inside and enjoy a gentle rain outside and snuggle up to watch a movie. Or, just doing those inside things you have been avoiding because you have been outside 20 hours a day only to come in to sleep. But this is wearing on me. Just when it looks like we can start running beans again, we are going to be hit with more rain. Maybe God is trying to get us all to slow down, testing our patience...hmmm. I'll have to let you know on that one.

We had such a busy weekend there were times when we didn't know if we were coming or going. We went and got more things to finish the electrical in the bonus room. I know...maybe God wants us to have that room done before the combining gets going full stream?

Yesterday I went to my friend Pam's house and worked. I helped her a little and she helped me alot. She allowed me to pick some gourds and squash out of her field and pick some flowers from her beautiful garden to put together arrangements for the 4-H Awards night, that is tonight. I actually used a cordless drill to make the openings for the flowers. I had a gal that used to run a florist/garden shop come by and look at the drill and then look at me and said, "I made flower arrangements for over 20 years and never once thought of using a cordless screwdriver." She said it very serious. As of now, I still don't know if she really thought it was a good idea or not. I did get compliments on the arrangements from others...so I think Doug's cordless screwdriver idea was good.

Tonight is the awards dessert. Doug and I have a fire meeting meeting. I said I would make a snack for the firefighters, so I might as well get cooking for both events.

We are excited...Erik is getting his senior pictures on Thursday with his Ford 8N. So he needs to work on getting it cleaned up for that. One good thing about a boys senior pictures...very few clothing changes.

Have a blessed day all...

Beans and Rain

Hi all...we received over an inch of rain last night and this morning...so it is a little soggy around here. Last night we ran beans till they got tough. So far we have around 150 acres of beans combined. Doug is very happy with the yield, thus far. We have run both irrigated and non-irrigated.

I made the big Sam's Club run yesterday. I love going there, but as my Dad calls it, instead of Sam's Club, he says it's the $100 Club. It is so hard to get out of there for less than that amount.

I then went to J.C. Penny's and ordered some blinds that I needed for the bonus room I am trying to finish. It seems to be the never ending room.

On my way home yesterday afternoon I got a call from G & G Geese. Seems my brother Gary was over and felt the need for Pizza. Erik was there helping cut wood, and he thought it was a great idea too...so that was to be the order of the day. So much for Pizza Momma...last night it was Pizza Hut. Doug was fine with that, he ate with the auto-steer working after I brought him a semi a little later on, after we unloaded the Sam's Club purchases.

The kids then went off to their 4-H Council Meeting. Not much planned for tonight. Maybe we will do some pond dwelling with friends. Then there is a bonfire after the Harper Creek game at 9 with the small group the kids do some things with in B.C. We will see how the mood and the weather strikes us.

Before I end this...in case I don't blog tomorrow...I must wish my brother Ken the oldest of the Sunday "kids" a Happy 49th Birthday! This is your last year in the 40's...hehehe..LOL...ROFL. Just cause your older doesn't mean you are wiser!! Have a good one big bro.

Enjoy your weekend all...stay safe and be blessed!

October and the First Frost

Hi all...can you believe it is the first of October already and along with that we woke up to our first frost of this season.

Yesterday Katie and I had dental appointments in B.C. @ K.C.C. then we went down to the Hillsdale County Fair.

We had a great time. We saw a lots of friends, some reletives and people who live very nearby that we don't see nearly enough were there. I also ran into a person who trained my A.Q.H.A. horse Mikey that runs his horses in sulkey races. He won his first race yesterday. He invited me and and others to get in the race winning picture. So I may end up on Mr. Eddie's wall of fame. :) We had to leave just as he was running his next race, so I can't tell you the results of that.

Erik went to Jackson for classes. Katie had the day off of Pioneers.

When we got home from the fair...we got a surprise...Doug was running beans. They started in the field behind our house. It always is good to get started, so the bugs can be worked out of the new combine. Maybe I can get a friend, Miss B., to show me how and I will start posting pictures on my blog so you can see our harvest in action.

Today, I am running to get some groceries, and Katie is driving Miss Daisy aka G. Geese to Coldwater to pick up a few things, they always have a great time together. Katie did drive, from Battle Creek to Hillsdale yesterday and did a great job, I still have most of my fingernails. (just kidding!)

Well, I better get going, its going to be a busy day.

God Bless~