Happy New Year!

I truly hope everyone has done their end of year preparing and are ready for a new year.  I have tried my best.  I avoided a few chores and did some others but all in all I feel I'm pretty ready.  Yesterday the kids got in the mood to help me with chores at the day care.  I was half in shock when three of them asked me if they could help.  I happily said yes and happily rewarded their efforts with Smarties!  For the end of the year in blogging for me I thought I would share a trick the Miss Katie Bug likes to do.  She has trained me well I tell you.  We mainly play this way when I am in the kitchen cooking and can't use my hands.  She's such a smarty!  My friend Melia was over this past weekend for some catch-up girl time.  We had a blast together and she got a kick out of Kate doing this.  Love to all and Happy New Year!

 



A Tribute to My Friends

You may think it is a little late in the year to be planting bulbs, but in Tennessee, it's still ok.  Heck I haven't even planted my garlic yet!  I ran across some crocus bulbs on clearance at WalMart a few weeks ago and had an idea for our little beloved pet cemetary.  I had the idea a couple of years ago while planting bulbs on Miss Pepper's grave.  I made a P out of crocus... P standing for Pepper.  The second spring the flowers cam up I could really see the P for Pepper blooming in all it's glory.  I just loved it.  So when I saw the bulbs on sale I grabbed them.  I bought purple for Dottie's grave and white for Sipsey's.  The last few weekends it has been too wet or too cold to be out digging in the dirt.  This Saturday, however, was perfect.  And it truly only took me about twenty minutes.  I also had bought some coral colored tulips for them too so I planted them as well.

 

I simply cleared away the leaves, and took my hand shovel and hoe to dig out a simple letter shape.  Crocus only have to be two inches in the ground so I didn't do any major digging here.  I finished up Dottie's "D" and that's when I was discovered.  I heard leaves rustling and looked up to see my chickens running toward me, Miss (Mr) Kitty walking in the tree line up a log and Katie Bug standing there with her frisbee in her mouth.  I kept tossing the frisbee for Kate while I started Sipsey's "S" and the chickens decided they would kick around and help me dig too.  Every time I found a worm I would call Pepper's name (the chicken, not the dog) and she would come running to eat what I had found.  She's trusts me so much.  Miss Kitty just laid on the log watching the circus unfold. 

 

 I really love the fact that even after the wooden crosses are rotted away, some, if not all of the bulbs I lovingly placed in the ground for my lost friends will still come up in their honor.  I really hope someone will do the same for me one day.  I can't wait until spring to see the floral letters appear!

 

 

 

 

Sipsey Maye Alabama Brown

 

Miss Pepper Jean Brown

 

Dottie Girl

 

 

Our sweet girls.

I didn't start bawling until I started adding pictures of them... way to go Laurie!

Katie Bug at the Creek

My niece Kristen and I took some time out last Saturday to play in the creek and took Miss Kate along with us.  Kate has been to the creek and through it on the four wheeler but hasn't played in the creek before.  At first she wasn't sure about getting the the water and ran along side the creek.  After I squatted down and she came to me realizing that it was ok... it was on!

 

I love her looking at me.  So cute.



Sweet Kate Update

Oh our sweet little girl.  Katie Bird is growing like a weed!  I reckon they all do.  When we got her at seven weeks old she weighed three and a half pounds.  Friday, at ten weeks old, she was almost twelve pounds.  Not bad for just three weeks.  She also started going to work with Shaun and riding in his truck with him more.  She enjoys being a working girl!  On the job site, she got to meet and hang out with her buddy Opie who is a few weeks older than her, so she got to play a lot too.  Our friends also brought him over to play over the weekend.  Even though he is bigger than her she holds her own.  Must be from all her brothers and sisters.  She actually put herself to bed in her crate Saturday.  What a cutie. 

 

This is her first morning going with Shaun.

She must have got pretty comfortable in the truck.  By Thursday she was jumping from the front to backseat and looking out the windows.  Queen of the truck!

She gets along very well with the chickens.  She pecks right along with them.

Under cover Gardner and Katie Bug.

This is Opie.  Handsome fella huh?

Mean girl!  jk

Check out the karate chop from Opie.



Sweet Kate Update

I tell you what, this dog is probably going to be smarter than us!  Our sweet puppy, Thelma Kate (my furry friends have always had multiple names), is so smart and sweet.  She is still napping like a baby but her playing is getting more and more energetic and let me tell you... the girl is fast!  We will run and run in the yard and when I stop fast and say "heel" she does and waits for me to give her the command to go again.  She responds to her name now except when it is time to go somewhere like when it is time to go home from the day care and she doesn't want to leave.  Bless her heart.  She'll get the hang of how things go.  She also noticed a robin in the yard and went after it.  I think her eyesight is getting to where she can see further and further and tune in on certain things.  She follows us around like a good girl and goes outside by herself.  She stays on or around the porch.  She definitely knows she is home.  Her legs are getting long and her little paws are getting bigger.  She also has such fun with the day care kids in playing with them and helping them do little chores like putting up their nap pillows and blankets.  We gave her her nine week shots today and she was so good to let us.  It seems like she has been with us longer than just two weeks.  She is such a good girl and we are so lucky to have her.  The perfect little addition to our family and farm.

 

Sleepy baby.  She is going to outgrow this bed fast.

 She likes when she is finally allowed to wake them up.

 Helping with chores... kind of.

 Lovin.

 Sweetheart.  I love the water on her furry lips in this picture.

 Sharing a bit of breakfast.

 Waiting patiently.

 Raring up wanting another bite of Shaun's biscuit.

 Sometimes she sleeps with my boots on the front porch.



She's Home!

Well... our new puppy has finally come to live with us!  We picked her up Friday evening and our hearts are just filled with all of her sweetness!  She slept all night, except when we woke her up to go outside, for three nights now.  She plays, eats, sleeps, plays, eats and sleeps some more, just like she is supposed to.  She is so smart it seems even for a seven week old pup.  When she plays, she will fetch and bring it back to you and follows us around the farm and even helped us plant the garden yesterday although she mainly helped from the shade.  She is so incredibly spoiled and fits right in with us, however Miss Kitty isn't as thrilled as we are but she'll come around.  And Tommy, our house cat, says she can stay. 

 

 

sleeping

bucking

jumping

running

loving

resting