looking through the shutter...

Australia Day 2012

2012-01-26T22:55:00.013-06:00

We were looking forward to a day at the beach bbq'ing and relaxing, but mother nature had other plans. It has been raining all week and most of the Australia Day events around us were cancelled. No fireworks or live bands due to rain. We made the best of it at the house though...

David grilled up some great "OZ" shaped burgers....

We had all the traditional Australian fix'ins -lettuce, tomato, cheese, bacon, pickles, grilled onions, fried eggs, avocado, beets and pineapple - YUM, YUM!!!

Allie played the Australian National Anthem on her trumpet while we attempted to sing - We are not the best singers.... :)

It was a nice way to spend the day even with the rain

HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY EVERYONE!

End of Summer

2012-01-23T00:01:00.002-06:00

Today was the first day of Year 6 for Allie and Year 11 for Emily.

Allie has grown a lot taller since July when they started school here in Australia - Emily on the other hand seems to be done growing! :)

A Special Thanks to Aunt Jannene for showing up early (in her PJ's) to French Braid Allie's hair!

Summer Fun

2012-01-20T21:41:00.000-06:00

David took Allie for her first motorcycle ride in Australia on Friday. They went to Wellington Point for lunch and ice cream. It was a great way to spend the last day of summer vacation.

Happy Birthday Sandi

2011-12-30T00:01:00.001-06:00

Happy 54th Birthday Sandi

Hope you had a great day!

I love you!

Christmas Week 2011

2011-12-29T03:06:00.000-06:00

We decorated the tree with our Texas ornaments but it didn't seem quite like Christmas because of the heat..... That and not having Amanda with us! :(

David made the best of it with a few good old German Beers!

We had Christmas lunch at David's sister's house. Jannene went all out - with Prawn (shrimp) cocktails, pork, ham, lamb shanks, roasted veggies and a range of deserts - Lemon meringue pie, pecan pie, Emily's award winning carrot cake and traditional Australian Christmas pudding.

Ashlee, Jannene and David

After so much wonderful food we hooked up the Wii (Santa gave Emily & Allie) and burned off a few calories. Emily, Uncle Mark and Allie had a blast at Just Dance.

The next day we walked 5 minutes down to the jetty for a little fishing.

We got all set up and wouldn't you know it, a storm came in. We didn't catch any fish but I'm sure we will at some point since the water is so close.

All David has talked about since we moved is how much he wants to catch either mud or sand crabs. They are super expensive and are really good eating. So for Christmas I gave David two crab pots. They are the perfect size to take out on the kayak. He and Allie set them out and we went back the next day to check... We weren't expecting to catch anything but we caught seven total - nothing that we could keep as you can't keep females and the males we caught were too small. Oh well, we had a great time and look forward to one day catching some keepers!

Allie caught one that was missing it's claws so she was able to hold it for a few photos.

The following day we headed to Movie World for a few hours of fun. Allie got chosen to be in a 'movie' during the stunt show.

Filming....

On the big screen... Her line was "They're stealing our car!"....

We had a nice surprise in the mail box when we got home... This great Christmas Ornament from Markus, Constanze, Julius and Vivian - Thanks so much guys!!!

Our first Christmas in Australia was definitely different but fun and special in an entirely new way.

Christmas Eve baking

2011-12-23T13:00:00.000-06:00

Before:

After:

YUMMY!!!

Typical December day...

2011-12-11T04:28:00.001-06:00

I am still not comfortable using words like December, Christmas, Hot and the Beach in the same sentence! It is the 10th of December and it is stinking hot instead of freezing cold. I wonder how many years it will take before I can start to associate heat and Christmas??

Emily and Allie may be having the same issues with Christmas but they are loving the pool. This past weekend Allie had two friends over to swim and officially kick off the summer holidays!

They swam and swam and swam...

The next day we all jumped in the car for a few hours at the beach. David took the new, smaller kayak to try out in the surf.

The Surf Life Saving (Lifeguards) were on patrol and the girls wanted a photo with them but were too afraid to ask so I snapped this one as they drove past....

Can't relax on the beach without a cold one! And yes you can have bottles on the beach here...

Even though it was overcast and not great weather we had a lot of fun anyway. I look for many more fun days at the beach.

Movie World Australia

2011-12-01T04:18:00.004-06:00

Tony, Renee, Sam and Dawn gave David, Emily, Allie (a.k.a. Alex) and I season passes to Movie World, Sea World and White Water World as an early Christmas gift. Now we can go as often as we want from now until June 2012.

David had a training class and Emily had to work so Allie and I took the short 45 min drive to Movie World for some Mom and Daughter time.

We took a pick-nic lunch and ate between the many shows and rides.

Allie loved the Stunt Driver show the best but we didn't get any photos of it - We did get this one of Scooby Doo though!

Trick or Treat Aussie Style

2011-10-31T04:00:00.002-05:00

Well our first Halloween in Australia did not disappoint. Allie and Emily took their little cousins on their very first trick or treating outing ever. The little ones loved it! They ran from house to house and were so excited at all the candy.

Silly little girls - Front row - Abby the Bunny, Ashley the Fairy, Georjia the Super Girl Witch, back row - "Sandy & Danny" from Grease!

They made a really cute 60's couple.

Up to the first house, EVER!

They had a great time and loved it - they were already talking about next year!

Pic Nic With the Whales

2011-10-25T05:36:00.000-05:00

There is the neatest park close to the house - it has all the normal playground swings, monkey bars and sand boxes but it also has whales! They shoot water from their blow holes and are great for the kids to climb on. Alex (aka Allie) and two of her little cousins; Abby & Ashley had a great day cooling off while David, Jannene (David's sister) and I had a relaxing pic nic on the grass.

Doesn't he look relaxed?

Stuff, stuff and more stuff!

2011-09-21T22:55:00.001-05:00

Our stuff finally arrived!!

It is so nice to have our stuff but I totally forgot how much stuff we actually have! We have a lot of stuff and not a lot of room to put all of it. This house is nice but a little small.

Here has what we have been up to over the past few weeks...

We have been super busy - David getting all our stuff unpacked and organized, the kids with school and I started a new job. It is really weird to not work at Dell. I was there almost 11 years and I find myself actually missing it. Well just a little.... :)

Emily got her "L's" - her learners permit. She has to drive for 100 hours with these magnetic L stickers on the car - then she graduates to her "P" - provisional plates. She will have to drive for a long time with them... They have strong rules for new drivers here. She is not too happy about that but I sure am!

Mother's Day is the same day here as in the States, but Father's Day is not. It was Father's day here a few weeks ago and the girls and I got David a new iPod touch. He will be able to plug it into the car radio and listen to KASE 101... He misses country music more than you can imagine. Actually I do too!

The girls are on two week holiday from school and so all David brought them into the City on Tuesday. They rode the City Cat (water ferry) in and met me after work. We went for dinner along the river and then watched a laser light show that was going on that night. It was a lot of fun and something new for the girls.

Allie had a great surprise this week... She got mail! She never gets mail so she was SUPER excited
to find a package from the US with stuff in it for her! Ethan and Austin each sent her a card that they made for her. They drew cute little animals on them (kangaroos and koalas) and wrote that hey missed her. It was so sweet - so sweet that the rest of us (David included) got a little choked up over it.

Thanks Ethan and Austin for your sweet cards - we loved them. And thank you Lisa for the handmade sun glass case. I will think of you every time I get my sunnies out! We miss and love you guys lots!

Hopefully I will find more time to post things now that life is feeling more normal. We miss all our family & friends, but we are loving it here. It is really a new adventure!

Koinonia Day 2011

2011-08-19T17:44:00.008-05:00

For the past few weeks Alex has been learning about refugees at school. The lessons have focused on four countries - Vanuatu, Burundi, Sudan & Japan. Yes, Japan - many people are considered to be refugees within their own country so that is why Japan is included. (This was also news to me!)

Koinonia Day was the culmination of all the hard work. Each child from Prep (Kinder) through year 6 got to dress up like someone from one of the four countries. Alex, (BTW, Allie is now called Alex - new school new name I guess)...Alex chose Japan. She chose Japan because she is studying Japanese as her foreign language. She is doing quite well and can write quite a few of the letters / characters correctly. Pretty good for a little girl from Texas!

I think we did quite well considering we are still living out of a suitcase!! :)

Allie and her friends - Dressed up as refugees from Japan and Vanuatua.

Ode to stuff....

2011-08-02T20:54:00.013-05:00

Never did I think I would miss my “stuff” so much… After living out of a suitcase for over two months I REALLY do miss my stuff!

I miss (my back misses) MY huge, soft king sized bed the most!! Sleeping on the floor is not so bad, it is getting up off the floor that is the bad part!

We are making due with a few borrowed / recycled items….. David's brother is letting us use his grill. It is not quite what we are accustomed to, even though it is a Weber!

Using the box that our new sandwich maker came in as my bed side table...

The owners of the house gave us a gift card to buy some plants so the house would feel more like "home". I love the tree and pot that we picked out for the patio. Once we buy we can plant it in the ground and use the pot for another plant. Life without a dryer is an adjustment as well.... I can't forget to wash the girls school uniforms and then quickly throw them into the dryer... Do you know how long a wool skirt takes to line dry?

Our container hit Sydney on Friday… Anybody have any connections in the Australian Customs Dept that can help speed up that process? If not, then we will be lucky to have our “stuff” by the end of August!

I'm a real soccer Mom now....

2011-07-27T18:00:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday was Allie's first soccer game. She has never played before but signed up through school.
She is playing defence, and actually doing quite well considering.

She even "took out" her first player... The one about to kick the ball... Didn't get that on film though... :(

She is having a lot of fun and the games don't start until 8AM - Not 5:30 AM like swim team!!

Breaking Dawn Part 1

2011-07-19T06:40:00.001-05:00

I can't wait! It looks so good!

First day of school in OZ

2011-07-12T07:11:00.004-05:00

The girls started to school today... They didn't get the long summer vacation they are use to but they will have another break in 10 weeks.

Don't they look cute in their uniforms? Amazing how much faster they can get ready in the mornings now! HAHA

What a change from just a little over two years ago.... 2008!!!

UPDATE: They both had a WONDERFUL first day. Each of them made lots of friends and could not stop talking about all the fun things they did during the day. I hope the "new" does not wear off too fast.

Home Sweet Home!

2011-07-04T17:00:00.009-05:00

After a lot of looking we finally found a house that is going to be perfect for us! We move in on Monday. I say move in but it will really be more like "camping" as our container won't be here for another 3+ weeks.

The view from the street

The back patio - lots of space for entertaining

The kitchen. Much bigger than an RV kitchen. I can't wait to bake cookies, cakes etc... and NOT burn the bottoms. :)

The breakfast or TV room

And the very best part of all - THE POOL!!!

Give us a month or two and we will be ready for house guests, so pack your bags.

Typical Sunday in Australia

2011-07-03T00:00:00.004-05:00

Today we spent the afternoon doing what most people in Australia do on the weekends.... BBQ'ing at the park or beach. You grab your pick-nic-basket, swig by the butcher shop and spend the day eating, relaxing and playing.

The parks here all have electric BBQ's for everyone to use. You just push a button, wait a few minutes for them to heat up and a bbq lunch is just a short time away. It makes it really easy since you don't have to bring along charcoal or a gas grill.

This is one of the MANY parks that are within a 5 min drive of where we are living.

Emily and Allie did most of the cooking....

And man they were some GREAT burger!

Allie found a spinning thing at the park and she didn't want to get off of it. I am surprised she kept her lunch down, but she did.

This shot is for Jared... do you miss it??? Ice cold Tooheys New!!!

The weather was pretty warm for a winter day and we mad the most of it - one of many more to come.

Our "First" Car

2011-06-20T09:08:00.010-05:00

We made our first "big" purchase as Australian residents....

A Toyota Kluger...

Note the steering wheel on the right side of the car....

Not too shabby for a "first" car!!! :)

Inner Space

2011-06-01T09:27:00.003-05:00

Allie, Amanda and I spent a fun day at Inner Space Caverns in Georgetown a few days before we left for Australia. It was really fun to spend the day together. Emily had other plans... :)

It was really good for these two to "bond" a little right before we left.

Lady In Red

2011-03-07T18:40:00.013-06:00

I've never seen you looking so lovely as you did tonight, I've never seen you shine so bright...you were amazing!!! Courtesy of Chris De Burgh ..... :)

Emily went to a military ball in Houston with her good friend Jack. He asked her to be his "date" in September of last year - which was great because she needed time to find the perfect dress.

After a lot of looking she found a pattern that she loved and had my Mom make it for her. It turned out fantastic and she looked absolutely beautiful in it!!!!

Emily, Jack, Jen & Paul

Monster Trucks

2011-03-04T18:31:00.006-06:00

I know it is really “red-neck” but we had a great time!! It is definitely one of the things that you just have to do at least once in your life… just so you can say you have!

Snow Day (A little late!)

2011-02-12T12:51:00.000-06:00

Here are some photos from the snow we got a few weeks ago. We did not get as much as last year but we still had fun in it and got a day off from school!

We all had fun playing in the snow....

Man Agro has grown a lot since last year.

The snow is nice, but I am glad we only get it every once in a while and it does not stick around too long. I can't wait for summer weather! :)

Happy 100th Birthday Edna Anderson

2011-02-06T17:43:00.007-06:00

David's grandmother turned 100 years old on Friday. The family threw her a big party to celebrate.

She received a special letter from the Governor General of Australia.

Edna and her four kids

Front row: Gwenda, Edna (Birthday girl) Doug

Back row: Sam (David's dad) and Delma

She also received a special honor - A birthday letter from the Queen of England!!

Happy Brithday Gran! We miss you!!!

Allie's New Year's Eve Tribute

2011-01-11T21:21:00.003-06:00

Check out what Allie did on New Year's Eve.

Pepsi Refresh Program in "Our" Community

2011-01-06T22:47:00.006-06:00

You may have heard of the Pepsi Refresh Program - Where Pepsi is giving away money to support "Refresh" projects in communities across the county. The money is awarded to the top two ideas in various categories based on popular vote.

What you may NOT know is that a great idea in Florence, Texas is in the running for the $250K and needs your vote.

Check out the link below to register and then vote once daily until the end - Jan 31th.

Florence R.U.G or text 105460 to pepsi (73774).

The center would be a huge access to this little community and your vote cost you nothing.

Worth the wait!!!

2010-12-03T12:00:00.002-06:00

I know it has been months since my last post. I have been so busy, had computer issues and lots of excuses but I am back - I promise. I will try to post once a week if we have anything exciting going on.... :)

This week was the Williamson County Livestock Show and Youth Fair. We took the the RV to the fair grounds and made an event of it. Allie showed her little girl goat - Ginger Spice, and placed 5th in her class. This is very impressive considering she has not really been that into working her this year! She placed high enough to make the sale and will auction off Ginger on Saturday. Hopefully she will bring in a bit of money.

Emily & Allie both entered items into the Youth Fair. Allie entered candy and two jewelry items that she made during the summer with the help of Mrs. Carr. She won "Grand Champion" with her candy and one of her jewelry items.

Last year Emily won "Reserve Champion" with her Carrot Cake so she really wanted to take first place with something this year. She entered an item in each of the Cake, Pie and Bread divisions trying to increase her chances of winning. Boy did it work!! - She took "Grand Champion" in both the Cake and Bread divisions and "Reserve Champion" in the Pie division.

So in case you didn't get that = Out of six entries into the fair the girls brought home one 2nd place (Reserve) and four 1st place (Grand) ribbons!!! Pretty good for only the second year.

We are still at the show and have the auction tomorrow so I don't have photos to post just yet - but will add them soon so keep checking back!

Beerfest 2010

2010-08-02T21:19:00.000-05:00

What a great time! No other way to put it....

We had great Food - from the yummy homemade pretzels and cheese sauce that Constanze and Markus made to the absolutely awesome brisket David smoked everything was wonderful.

Easy there, don't spill....

We did lots of relaxing and drinking ice cold beer...

There were lots of dogs - they all got along fine but tried to kill the chickens!

What a great success the first ever Anderson Beerfest was!

We are not the only ones building

2010-07-08T09:46:00.016-05:00

Paul & Jen have made some real progress on building their house and barn. Thought I would share it with you.

Setting up the forms....

Pouring the slab for the barn & house...

And erecting the barn between rain showers.

Can't wait to see it when it is all done!

Celebrating July 4th with Family & Friends

2010-07-06T18:30:00.016-05:00

Camping and the 4th seem to go hand and hand for us...for a lot of us actually!

This year makes the 4th year in a row we have celebrated the 4th with Jared & Felisha and the 3rd year in a row to be with Markus, Constanze, Eric & Lisa. Look how much everyone has changed - 2009 & 2008

This year was extra special because Shayne, Gallant, Easton, my sister (Sandi) and Amanda's boyfriend Arron celebrated with us. Everyone came out to our land for lots of yummy food and fireworks. As always - we had a wonderful, stress free time with everyone.

Thanks, but we don't need any help gathering the eggs...

2010-07-02T17:42:00.014-05:00

Last Saturday we spent the afternoon at Vivian's 5th birthday party. As always it was so much fun we didn't want to leave.... We had dinner with them and stayed very late.... When we lived across the street that was not a big deal but now that we have a 45 minute drive and a bunch of animals to care for when we get home it can make for a really late night. Last Saturday we had no idea how late it would actually be once we got to bed....

As soon as we got home the girls ran off to get ready for bed while David and I started to feed. I realized I still needed to get the eggs and asked David to go with me because I was scared there might be a snake in the chicken house. I had no reason to think that but I must have had a feeling because sure enough there was one in there!!!!!!!!!!

He had already chowed down on most of the eggs, including one of my ceramic ones and was eyeing my baby chicks! After I just about knocked David down running away, he grabbed the snakes tail and killed it.

I could not get to bed after that... thinking about that snake in there with my babies! It really scares me... and what do you know there was another one two days later.

I am afraid we are just starting the battle with the snakes..... But with David as my "snake hunter" I am sure we will WIN!!

June was a busy month...

2010-06-30T23:50:00.002-05:00

I have been very bad at keeping up to date on my posts. Here is June in a nut shell...

The first weekend in June was very busy with the Indy race in Dallas and Graduation in Cedar Park...

Danaka Patrick - "Go Daddy"

Looks like David, Markus, Jared, Felisha and Connor had a great time.

Graduation was LONG... over three hours long! It was exciting and sad all at the same time. It is hard to believe that Amanda will be going off to college in less than two months. They grow up so fast!

We celebrated Amanda's big day by having a BBQ party at Grannie Eloise's house. We had great food and got to visit with a lot of folks we had not seen in a while.

June is a big birthday month for us - David (4th), Amanda (19th) and Allie (22nd). We didn't get to really celebrate them like we usually do - David's was in Dallas for the Indy race on his and Amanda spent most of her day with her friends - Guess that is what happens when you turn 18~ Allie was at horse camp on hers. We did have everyone together that night for steak, baked potatoes and salad - Allie's favorite meal.

Allie was so glad to have all four of her sister's with her at one time..... but Easton stole the spotlight... he is such a cutie! He is in every photo and Allie wanted to hold him the entire time.

Allie wearing her new shirt from Emily and holding her nephew, Easton. What a great Aunt she is going to be.

Don't you dare call him "Grandpa".... He is really starting to like the little guy!

Look out HEB; you may have some competition coming your way!

2010-05-27T10:42:00.000-05:00

It is official, I am an egg producer now!

I sold my first dozen eggs today to a lady at my work. I have given quite a few away to family and friends, but it was nice to actually get some cash in return.

She was very eager to get her hands on these precious little things. And evidentially, they charge $4.00 a dozen at the farmers market for farm fresh eggs!!!!!!! Maybe I need to get another 200 hens and quit my job.

Siding

2010-05-26T22:00:00.000-05:00

After a few days of hard work the siding is moving right along… David and I have finished the front, one side and almost the back. Next will come caulk and paint - can’t stand the yellow color!

Isn't it super cute!!!

Won’t be long until we are hanging out and watching the “game” in there!

Easton has arrived

2010-05-18T10:27:00.003-05:00

After a long labor he finally arrived - 7 lb, 14 ozs and 21 inches long.

Easton and Shayne

He was having a hard time breathing and went to the nursery so we weren't about to hold him yet. Hopefully we will get to really soon.

Senior Picture Time!

2010-05-03T22:22:00.000-05:00

David took Amanda's senior pictures on Sunday... here is a pre-view...

The Scarlet "hand off"

2010-05-02T19:39:00.016-05:00

Sunday afternoon, Erica, Grace and Carter brought Scarlet to live with us.

Erica made me this wonderful egg gathering apron to remind me of them each day when I gather eggs. I just love the egg material!

The drop off was going well until it was time to say goodbye - Grace didn't want to leave. Erica reassured her that Scarlet would have a wonderful home here, be very happy with the other chickens and that she could come visit her again soon.

As Erica quickly loaded the emotional Grace into the car, Allie and I found the sweetest little "Thank you" note I have ever received.

Don't worry Grace, we are taking super good care of Scarlet for you.

After just one day here, Scarlet is already having a ball with her new "big brothers and sisters."

Car #20

2010-05-01T18:37:00.013-05:00

Allie has been waiting for Saturday, May 1st for quite a while. Not only was it the "kids day" at Home Depot but it was also the day that the Home Depot race was to be on display at our Home Depot.

Skye was here for the day and got to go with us. Both girls had a great time at the "kids day" where sky made a planter and Allie made this wooden replica of Joey Logano's race car.

Allie just happen to wear her Joe Logano shirt - What a coincidence!

After our morning at Home Depot the girls got to ride Cutter a little.

Yet another mouth too feed!

2010-04-27T09:49:00.018-05:00

I have my chickens, the girls have their goats and now David has his horse!

Cutter is a beautiful, wonderful spirited, sweet horse. He has been living with our friends Sue & Jason for the last few years. Becasue they were not able to take him to New Mexico we bought him from them. He has not been ridden a lot in the last year but he is doing really well. He is getting really spoiled and seems to like all the attention we are giving him.

Eric & Lisa and Markus & Constanze came out last Sunday for a short visit and to see Cutter. The kids loved playing with all the animals.

I wonder what these two were pondering....

David giving "pony rides."

The chicks are hatching...

2010-04-19T23:14:00.001-05:00

Check out Eric's blog to see the first of the three chicks, "Scarlett," hatching. Come on you other two - we can't wait to see you!

NASCAR!!!!!!!

2010-04-19T15:17:00.000-05:00

A little late on this post... This was two weeks ago -

Thursday after school we loaded up the RV and headed to Fort Worth for a weekend of food, fun and racing....

Sue and Jason are moving to Albuquerque, New Mexico and asked us if we wanted to use their in-field camping spot for the NASCAR race at the Texas Motor Speedway. We could not pass that up - there is a 10 year waiting list to get these spots!

We had a great spot just after turn two... If you taped the race go back and see if you can spot our boxing kangaroo flag in the infield.

This is a special photo David took - it shows the Boxing Kangaroo flag and Marcos Ambrose (#27) - the only Australian NASCAR driver.

We rented "kangaroo tv" (no kidding that is really the name) for the kids so they could watch the race on a small tv screen and tune into the drivers talking to the pit crew. Actually it was really cool to hear the drivers talking as the cars zip past you.

It rained Saturday and Sunday but we stayed on Monday and got to see the race.

I am a Jeff Gordon fan (#24) while David and Emily root for Jimmy Johnson (#48) and Allie likes Joey Logano (#20) the Home Depot Car. It was a great time - would have been better if Jeff Gordon had won!

I could not resist....

2010-04-14T06:00:00.003-05:00

I spied it at the checkout stand at Tractor Supply and just had to try it...

I really like Grandpa's comment...

"If ya got dry lips, put chicken poop on 'em so you won't lick 'em!"

Some much needed, super dooper space for the girls

2010-04-09T20:50:00.000-05:00

I have been bugging David to help me build a new chicken house for a few months now. I just wanted something a bit bigger than the chick box we built when the chickens were small. Now that the girls are laying they really need more space and some nice nesting boxes for their precious eggs.

As always, David has totally out done himself on this project. Not only is the new place super cute, but it has plenty of nesting boxes, roosting and storage space. In fact there is room for at least another 15 chickens! :)

As with ever project David does, appearance is as important as functionality. I think it is super cute!

Tender and Annie trying out their new roosting space

Tender checking out the new nesting boxes... Hopefully she will start to lay her eggs in them and not all over the yard like she does now.

Thank you so much for all your hard work David - I know the girls are going to love their new house as much as I do!!!

The Easter Bunny brought what???

2010-04-06T21:03:00.003-05:00

The Easter Bunny took full advantage of us living in the country this year and brought the girls these adorable mallard ducks.

They will get along great with the chickens and will love swimming the the tank once they are a little bigger. Until then, they will be hanging out in the "chick box" since the "girls" moved into their brand new, super dooper chicken house David built them.

Erica's "Operation Chicken Hatch"... exciting news!

2010-04-06T09:43:00.008-05:00

I LOVE my chickens. I really do! They are very therapeutic to me. When I am stressed, I can sit and watch them scratching around for a few minutes and I feel much more at easy. Sort of smelling the roses I guess. So when a friend wanted to hatch a few chicks in her homemade incubator, I was very excited. Erica lives in town and can't keep the chicks so they will be coming to live with us a few days after they arrive.

Because our rooster actually turned out to be a hen (it stared laying eggs!). I sweet talked a neighbor out of three fertile eggs for Erica to hatch. The science of hatching eggs can be very complicated and I could not have hand picked anyone more diligent for the job if I had tried. Erica has done TONS of research and is updating the progress on her blog every few days.

Today, Erica has some great news just 8 days into the process. I won't spoil it for her by telling you, but I will let you read for yourself! Operation Chicken Hatch - day 8

Emily turns 15

2010-04-01T22:14:00.000-05:00

My little girl is growing up so fast. It seems like just the other day she was just learning to walk. Now she is talking about taking driver's ed and what kind of car she wants.... I just want to cry!!!!!

For the past few years Emily has wanted to spend her birthday having a nice dinner with her family instead of having a party. The past two years she has picked The Olive Garden but this year she opted for The Saltgrass Steakhouse.

Day trip to Aggieland

2010-03-28T11:28:00.045-05:00

Allie is trying out for the meat judging team at her school. The team will compete against other schools at area competitions. Meat Judging is just that, the judging (grading) of meat. The kids look at pig, beef and lamb carcases/cuts of meat and judge the quality based on set criteria. As part of her training she and some of her classmates got to go to Texas A&M University for a clinic this past Saturday. The Meat Science program at Texas A&M University is ranked #1 in the nation by Meat and Poultry Magazine for their training and research in meat science.

Emily and I went along so we could spend a few hours checking out the campus. She had never been so she really loved it. It has really grown since I was there in 1990. She would ask me where something was and I really had to think... :)

The famous "Dixie Chicken"

Em just had to take a photo with this sigh. Eli L. Whitely is the author of the FFA Creed. Emily won first place in "creed speaking" back in November.

Love where the "poop" goes! :)

We went to the Bonfire Memorial. It was pretty amazing. A very fitting memorial for the Aggie's that lost their lives.

Christopher Breen and Jeremy Frampton both died in the bonfire accident. They were classmates with our friend, Stu McMullen. Stu holds a charity bonfire every hear in their honor. David and I were one of the sponsors for it this past year.

We also got to visit with Mom & Dad and my cousins that were showing their goats in the county fair. It was a packed day - but we had a great time.
It was a very busy day - But we had a GREAT time!!

Spring Break Camping

2010-03-17T23:38:00.004-05:00

We spent the first few days of spring break camping with the usual crowd. We had a great time and the weather was WONDERFUL. We went to Pecan Park in San Marcos and did not have any issues with the owners this time. Yea!!!

In case you can't tell, we have a lot of fun together!

Puppies anyone?

2010-03-08T13:00:00.000-06:00

If you are looking for lab puppies look no farther...

Emily and Amanda's Grandmother's dog, Chica, had a litter on Sunday. There are four boys and two girls. Chocolate, Black and Yellow.

Emily happened to be spending the night during the big event and got to help deliver them. What a great experience for her!

Allie was super anxious to see them so we went over Sunday for a visit.

Let me know if you want one.... :)

Getting ready for Easter??

2010-03-03T21:57:00.000-06:00

Maybe it was the snow last week, or maybe the "girls" just know it is getting close to Easter, but they got busy and laid two little blue/green egg yesterday!

Won't be long now until we have them coming on a regular basis and I can share. :)

From 70 and sunny to snowing like crazy in just a few hours!!!!

2010-02-23T17:35:00.020-06:00

That is truly Texas weather for ya! No wonder we are always fighting off a cold.

Man it really came down here today! It is actually still falling as I type this. I have never seen it snow like this before. The flakes have been huge, some looked like big cotton balls falling from the sky. Here are some cool shots of how it looks here….

The fire pit does not look very warm at the moment.....

Amazing what a difference being out of the city a few miles makes!!!

Very productive week / weekend indeed!

2010-02-22T22:00:00.011-06:00

Because the weather finally cleared up a bit last weekend David got started framing the roof on the building.

It looked like this a week ago

He worked at it Sun – Friday and got all the framing done. It was really a lot for him to do alone but he was a trooper and did not ask for any help.

Saturday came and so did the helpers. All our great friends pitched in – Paul, Jen, Markus and Eric! They really put in some long hours both Saturday and Sunday and by the end of the weekend the plywood and tar were in place!

David spent Monday wrapping the building in “Tyvek” plastic, just in time for another weather change tomorrow.

Thanks so much to ALL of you.

It is so wonderful to have great friends!!!!

What fun a tree and a little wood can be…

2010-02-13T16:33:00.000-06:00

Allie has wanted a tree house or fort for as long as I can remember. She and David starting building one together on the first nice weekend we have had since New Year’s Eve!

Before

Allie makeing the first cut…

After - Pretty fancy hua?

The first of many days of pretend - No cell phones, no video games - The best kind of fun!

4th grade science fair

2010-02-12T17:45:00.003-06:00

Allie and three of her classmates did a volcano science project for the 4th grade science fair. They did a great job, learned a lot and had fun doing it.

I really love Allie's new school - the kids do the traditional projects that we did each year at BHC, but here the kids do them at school and not at home. This is to ensure the kids are actually doing the work and not the parents. It worked really good for Allie as she had to work with her team to do the research and get the project done on time.

Great Job Allie!

Amanda's new ride

2010-02-03T10:51:00.004-06:00

Amanda’s grand am was a great “starter car” but was really starting to have problems. Because I am an over protective (and a bit paranoid) Mom, I was getting worried about her driving it back and forth to college.

David spent days checking out every car dealership between Georgetown and San Marcos looking for the best deal. We wanted something she could afford that was safe and good on gas – he found her a Nissan Versa.

It is really cute and has some nice features that her grand am did not. And the best part is her payment is VERY LOW considering it is a brand new car.

Hopefully it will get her safely though college and into the work force before she even has to think about replacing it.

I will add photos of her actual car in a day or too - when it is not raining.

Congratulations Amanda - Drive Safe!!!

Puppy Breath

2010-01-30T07:43:00.000-06:00

Don't you just love that smell??

We have the cutest addition to the family. His name is Aggro, short for aggravation and very Australian. He has a very playful personality and is very smart.

He is pretty photogenic too!

Go Bobcats!!!!!

2010-01-25T10:43:00.021-06:00

Amanda received her official acceptance letter in the mail a few days ago. We are very excited that she will be attending Texas State University in San Marcos this fall.

San Marcos is far enough away for her to have her space but close enough she can come home often.

Senior Project

2010-01-22T07:41:00.003-06:00

Amanda is working on her senior project and had to make a video as part of it. Her topic is adoption. Check out her video here...

You may see someone you know.

As Seen on TV

2010-01-12T21:00:00.007-06:00

I am sure you have seen the infomercials’ for them. The blanket with Sleeves – The Snuggie.

When Markus turned 40 in late November Eric & Lisa gave him a snuggie. We all had a good laugh and that was the last I thought of it. That was until last week when I received a belated birthday gift from Eric & Lisa. You guessed it – a snuggie of my very own.
You laugh, but Amanda and Allie LOVE it. They have even been fighting over using it.

Thanks to everyone for all my birthday gifts, cards and wishes. You all have made my 40th a very special one.

Christmas & New Years

2010-01-09T12:59:00.017-06:00

I have not been very good at keeping things up to date on the blog... Here is what we were up to over Christmas & New Years:

Christmas we spent the day opening gifts, playing with toys and eating good food. Constanze & Markus and Paul & Jenn spent the day with us.

We ate outside even in the cold weather.

Can't have Christmas dinner without Christmas Crackers!

New Years Eve Eric & Lisa and Markus & Constanze came out for a few days. It was a lot of fun but it was very cold and windy. We did get to know a lot about Lisa on New Year Eve though... You will need to ask Lisa about that one.

It was so cold and windy that we got creative trying to keep warm. We turned the BBQ into a fire pit and brought it into the new building we are building.

We even cooked dinner in the "bathroom" and they were the best burgers ever!

Eric set off some wonderful fireworks.

We all had fun riding on the dirt bike the girls got for Christmas.

Isn't she cute all bundled up!

A Nice Surprise

2009-12-20T10:00:00.003-06:00

Thanks to a lot of hard work and planning from some sneaky folks I was given a great surprise party on Saturday. It was held at Markus & Contanze's home and was very nice. Eric & Lisa, Jared & Felisha and Paul & Jen were all there to wish me a Happy Birthday. Amanda and Emily were even in on it... tricking me to think Amanda was working etc...

It was so nice of all of you to do this for me. It really shows what great friends & family I have. I am truly blessed.

Now if my "wish" to win the lotto will only come true! :)

My 40th Birthday

2009-12-18T22:00:00.005-06:00

Well today I turned 40 and surprisingly I don't feel different. Not even a little bit! I expected to feel something, but nope nothing! I guess that is really proof that you are only as old as you feel and age is just a number.

I got this beautiful Magnolia tree from David (which is not an easy find in December.) I can't wait to get it planted so it will bloom soon!

I had a great day filled with lots of relaxing, cards, gifts, text messages & phone calls all wishing me well. It was one of the best birthday's I have ever had.

Train ride to the North Pole

2009-12-13T19:00:00.000-06:00

After three years of trying to get tickets I was finally successful in booking us on the North Pole Flyer. The key is to do it early!!!!! I booked us in August and that was ALMOST too late.

The North Pole Flyer is the train that leaves from Cedar Park and goes to the North Pole (Bertram really). If you are considering a ride I hear they will start selling the tickets in January this year. It is really worth the extra money to ride in the Executive Car (EC) . It is very intimate and cozy and you have complimentary drinks & snacks. If you spend the extra money for it and you won't be disappointed.

The conductor came by "punching" tickets....

We were visited by Santa & Mrs. Clause. We sang Christmas Carols and read "The North Pole Flyer" story. It was amazingly similar to the Polar Express! :)

We had some great family time that helped get us in the Christmas spirit.

We Have Walls....

2009-12-13T17:00:00.002-06:00

Sunday morning we had a really nice, but empty slab.... Then David, Markus & Eric got busy.

Thanks to all their hard work we are well on our way to having a building complete with another bathroom, a much needed washer & dryer and a LOT of additional living space!!!

In no time the first wall went up!

So you see Vivian....

Allie got in on the action too.

"Coffee" break

Measure twice, cut once

All walls were standing and square before 5 PM!!!!

Thanks again Markus & Eric for your great help!!!!

County Show and FFA Banquet

2009-12-11T22:19:00.002-06:00

The week after Thanksgiving was filled with activities from county stock show. Both girls had their goat to show but Emily helped out with showing chickens and entered some of the youth fair events as well.

Both goats placed 12th in their division which is not that bad but we thought they should have done better. Hopefully the Major show in March will be better!

Allie did a wonderful job in the ring. She handled her goat with ease and had no problems with him at all. I was very proud of her.

Emily got excellent ribbons for her photo entries but she took us all by surprise and won Reserve Grand Champion with her Carrot Cake. She did it all on her own with a little coaching from Grannie. Both girls will be entering more in the youth fair next year as there are so many categories they can choose from.

This past Thursday was the FFA Banquet. Emily had to say the FFA creed in front of the entire audience (about 250 people). She did it flawlessly and did not even seem nervous. She received certificates for her achievement thus far this year - quite a lot of them actually....

Allie got a certificate for showing her goat in the county fair as well. She wants to have more next year so she is already thinking about what projects she can do.

The girls have really thrived in FFA & 4H. I am so very glad we took on this challenging yet exciting adventure as a family!

Lazy days... so lazy I didn't even want to blog!

2009-11-30T17:09:00.000-06:00

We had a WONDERFUL, relaxing Thanksgiving week. It was so nice to just do whatever we wanted when ever we wanted... We spent the week with some great friends and had a great time. Can't wait to do it again next year.

We didn't go to the coast like we normally do at Thanksgiving. This year we spent it at lake Georgetown. The weather was weird but we made the best of it and really had fun.

Paul & Shan (a new Friend from Dallas) each fried a turkey. We had all the traditional fixing and lots of yummy desert! We all ate way too much as the food was so good.

Sue brought fancy table cloths, candles and napkin rings. We were really rough'n it! Really the only hard part was cooking everything in the tiny little ovens!

We filled the days with all kids of things. We went bowling, skeet shooting, goat shaving (yes I said shaving) and a bit of beer drinking.

Echo had fun chasing the skeet too!

Em' playing with Spot...

We are very blessed to have our health and such great friends!

FFA Competition

2009-11-14T22:00:00.007-06:00

Saturday Emily went to regional LDE competition representing her school in both Jr. Creed Speaking and as a member of the Jr. Chapter Conducting team.

She competed individually in creed speaking against kids from 17 other schools. She did outstanding and took 1st place!!!!! Her chapter conducting team also took 1st place. She and her teammates are traveling to Blanco, Texas to compete in the area competition on Wednesday.

Christmas on the Farm

2009-11-14T19:45:00.013-06:00

Saturday David had training in Buda all day, Emily was at her LDE competiton (more to come on that later) so Allie and I spent the day together. We went to Belton to a great Christmas event called "Christmas on the Farm". It was free to get in and they had all kinds of things for the kids to do. Allie and I had a great time playing games, making things and generally getting into the Christmas Spirit.

Allie is very glad that we no longer have to "hand pump" water any longer!

We had so much fun together!!!

Happy Veteran's Day

2009-11-11T23:00:00.002-06:00

Since Mom & Dad were here to do the plumbing they stayed an extra night and went to the Veterans program at Allie's school. It was a very nice program. The kids sang and recognized Veterans that had received medals. They gave a flag and certificate to each and every Veteran that was in attendance. Then there was a parade from the school to the Veteran's Memorial where a burning of the flag was done. It was great to be there with my Dad and let him be recognized for his service.

My Dad waiting to get his flag and certificate.

The kids sang a funny song that named all the presidents. They put on masks and danced when they got to the last 5 or 6. Allie got to be George W. Bush. She had a blast dancing and singing.

THANK YOU to ALL VETERANS

100 things about me

2009-11-10T23:59:00.003-06:00

I hear there is a tradition that when you post your 100th post you make it a list about yourself.

See what you did and didn't know about me. Some not so exciting facts.

1. I was in the musical “Oklahoma” …. And I can’t sing!!
2. Red is my favorite color
3. I have a minor in Religion.
4. My first car was a 1966 Ford Mustang.
5. It was red.
6. I am a roller coaster junkie.
7. I am afraid of heights.
8. I have two good friends from high school – Tammy Trent and Tammy Johnson.
9. Tammy Trent and I took a taxi across Houston to go to Astro World when I was 14.
10. I got an awful haircut in 6th grade and cried for a week.
11. My first job was at Golden Fried Chicken – now Golden Chick.
12. I have a weakness for pizza.
13. Math was my worst subject in both high school and college.
14. I HATE peas and tomatoes.
15. I was in a social fraternity in college.
16. I have only been to Las Vegas once.
17. The Wizard of Oz is my favorite movie.
18. I wore a Mickey Mouse watch until I graduated from college.
19. I was Miss Leander.
20. I was in the Miss Texas Pageant representing Williamson County.
21. I wear a size 8 shoe.
22. When I am really, really mad I cry – which makes me mad and I cry more!
23. I was a Blue bird & a Campfire girl when I was little.
24. I had hernia surgery when I was five.
25. I had a weakness for shoes growing up – I took 23 pair on a week long cruise with my sister.
26. My sister is 12 years older than me.
27. When I stared kindergarten she was a freshman at Texas A&M – Whoop!
28. I lived on a farm for a few years – we had cows, pigs, and chickens.
29. I can listen to one conversation and have another at the same time.
30. I broke my ankle in 6th grade during a pep rally.
31. I broke my tail bone in 11th grade during a pep rally.
32. I like country, pop and rock music but NOT rap.
33. John Stamos and Bo Duke were my teenage heartthrobs.
34. I Love the bands KISS, ACDC & Journey.
35. I met Paul Stanley (From KISS) at Six Flaggs in Dallas.
36. My first concert was Billy Squire. I went with Casey Clawson – His mother drove us.
37. I have never been fired. Yet – you never know!
38. I have a short temper.
39. I don’t hold grudges long – except for one!
40. I can remember phone numbers really well.
41. Making this list is harder than I thought it would be.
42. I am a horrible speller.
43. I will turn 40 this year.
44. I don’t manage money well.
45. I love the warm weather.
46. My ideal retirement home is on a beach in Australia.
47. I have passed out three times in my life.
48. I have a VERY sensitive nose.
49. I love rainy days.
50. I like to watch old home movies.
51. I am claustrophobic.
52. I have stepped on two different rattlesnakes in my life.
53. I had a play house with running water as a child.
54. I love to shop on-line.
55. I had a foreign exchange student during high school. Her name was Emma.
56. I had a pen pal from the Army during high school.
57. My comfort food is garlic toast.
58. I have been sick on my birthday at least three times.
59. I still have my tonsils.
60. I am a chronic “list maker”.
61. I hated having a December birthday growing up. I don’t mind now.
62. I was a band “nerd” from 6th to 9th grade.
63. I hate to run.
64. I wanted to be an orthodontist or a teacher growing up.
65. I was a real tom-boy until about the 6th grade. Complete with forts and toy trucks.
66. I was voted most likely to open a dance studio after college.
67. My parents are still married.
68. I was a girl scout leader but never a girl scout.
69. I like to bowl but am not good at it.
70. I did horrible on the SAT.
71. I can’t type very well and never took a typing class.
72. I was in high school when we got our first microwave.
73. My first cell phone was a “bag phone”.
74. I had big 80’s hair in high school.
75. I was a very chubby child from about 9 until 13.
76. I hate being late.
77. I am not a morning person.
78. I don’t read much only because I don’t have time.
79. I like to work out but rarely do.
80. I am still madly in love with my husband!
81. I remember the first time I went to the circus and LOVED it.
82. I loved playing poker with my Dad as a child.
83. I am not a sore loser.
84. My Dad taught me to dance in the kitchen while my Mom cooked dinner.
85. I got hit in the head with a fence post and have a big scar.
86. I still think George Strait is HOT.
87. I sing in the shower and car.
88. I talk to myself and sometime answer too.
89. I have zero nieces or nephews.
90. I have 39 first cousins and countless second.
91. I cry at sad movies.
92. I love living in the country.
93. I would quit my job tomorrow if I won the lotto – with NO notice.
94. I was in UIL story telling in elementary school.
95. I have a tattoo.
96. I have a high school letter jacket.
97. I have never had a surprise party.
98. I drive too fast.
99. I have never been without a job since I was 15.
100. I often have blond moments.

Not too old to do a little hard work....

2009-11-10T23:00:00.008-06:00

Even though my Dad is 76 and my Mom is 75 they spent the day on Tuesday putting in the ground for our apartment / storage building.

David had the form all set up with the fill in place, but had a job and had to leave for most of the day. My parents ran the plumbing for the bathroom (shower, potty and sink) and the washing machine. It was not an easy task but they sure made it look that way!

Thanks so much Mom & Dad - we really appreciate all you do for us!!!!

It will be so nice to have two bathrooms and to not have to go to the laundry mat every week!!!!!!!!! Thanks again Dad & Mom!!

Fun at the "farm"

2009-11-09T06:00:00.011-06:00

Markus and Constanze came out for the weekend. It was a lot of fun. We got to visit, eat good food and let the kids play. It was a nice relaxing weekend.

It started with a little gardening. Allie got a package of bluebonnet seeds from a program at school. They were from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. She and Vivian had a great time planting them. We will have a nice little photo spot once they start to boom next year around Easter.

The weather was beautiful - Markus and Julius took advantage of it and rode out on the bike.

It is amazing how much fun kids (of all kinds) can have on a pile of sand.

Relaxing with a morning coffee

It is so nice to be able to just hang out and enjoy the company of our friends without any drama.

Halloween at the DZ

2009-11-01T22:00:00.003-06:00

Paul & Jenn held their annual Halloween event at the DZ this year.... They had a lot going on and expected to be very busy so we went down to help out. Allie and I checked people in, handed out t-shirts and sold jump tickets. David took photos of the jumpers and the costume party Saturday night. Emily worked hard - Saturday and Sunday loading one of the planes. She and Jack did a great job making sure everyone was accounted for and in place before each plane took off.

Allie taking a little break to do some pumpkin carving.

In addition to the normal tandem and fun jumpers they had a special 50 way event going on. It was really neat to see all 50 landing at once.....

Jenn having fun!

The best costume was this alien.... He was so realistic he scared the crap out of Allie.

Yes this is a costume and not one of the actual jumpers....

Can't have a party without a few drinks

A great time was had by ALL!!!!

Trunk or Treat

2009-10-24T23:00:00.023-05:00

Friday was the Fall Fest at Blockhouse and Allie was invited to go with Vivian & Julius. She was very excited to see some of her old classmates and to do some "trunk or treating".

Vivian was a "Fairy Princess", Julius was a dog named "Dog" (wonder where that came from)and Allie was a "Drama Queen". Not really much of a stretch there! :)

Afterwards we had a nice dinner with Markus and Constanze and the kids spent some time playing.

Man Allie looks a lot like Shayne. Or maybe it is that they both look so much like David.

A sleepy fairy princess!!

Markus smoked brisket and Constanze made the sides. Including her mom's recipe for potato salad - It was so good! I would love the recipe. It was great to catch up as we had not visited in a few weeks.

Saturday night David had a 50th wedding anniversary party to shoot photos for. It was at Chez Zee in Austin. The place was very nice and the event went very well. David's photography business is steadily growing even though we have not done any kind of advertising. It has all been by word of mouth - the best kind!!

Greenhand Day

2009-10-13T20:38:00.005-05:00

The Greenhand Degree is the first degree that you can earn in the high school FFA program. To be a Greenhand you must have recited the National FFA Creed and you must be able to describe and explain the meaning of the FFA emblem and colors. Emily completed her Greenhand degree and celebrated with her classmates by wearing “Greenhand” shirts to school.

Future Farmers of America changed to just FFA in 1989 to reflect the growing diversity of agriculture today. There are over 300 career opportunities in agriculture today.

Emily is doing so well in FFA and really loves it. I am so glad we moved to a school with a strong FFA program. It will really help her with her desire to become a vet.

Photo from the paper so it is not too clear.... front row third from the left

Not too shabby for the 2nd show

2009-10-11T22:53:00.002-05:00

We had our second show on Saturday. It was the "Cedar Park Jackpot" put on by the Cedar Park High school FFA. This show included pigs (98 of them!!) and it went on forever. We arrived at 7:30 and did not leave until almost 6 pm! Both girls had a few issues with getting their goats to walk and brace but overall it was a great show.

Allie got 8th place in the medium weight class (her goat needs to put on more muscle) and Emily got 2nd place in the lighter weight class. These jackpots are a great learning experience for us and help the girls understand what they need to be working on with their goats. Hopefully this is just the beginning to our winning streak!!!

Shingles, and not the kind on your roof

2009-10-08T12:00:00.000-05:00

I just found out that my Dad has shingles. I guess they run in our family or something as my Mom and Emily have both had them in the past.

I looked shingles up on Web MD and found out they are a form of chickenpox and can be contagious to people who have not had chickenpox or the chickenpox vaccine. They are also very painful and can take a long time to clear up.

I hope he gets better soon and is not in too much pain!

Our first goat jackpot

2009-10-02T20:00:00.001-05:00

Today was Emily & Allie's first goat jackpot. We had to be at the show arena by 6AM! I am not completely sure this AG thing is any better than swimming after all!!!

They were both very nervous; as were the goats. This was a first for all four of them! Thanks to a lot of coaching and advise from one of the other FFA members the girls looked great. I am very proud of both of them as they have worked really hard in a very short time training their goats. We still have a ways to go before the big county show in December but today was a huge success. We over came the first-time jitters, learned a lot and neither came in last!

Allie getting ready to go into the ring

Emily getting her goat to Brace

Check out her face.... that makes every bit of work & money worth every bit!

Homecoming 2009

2009-10-02T08:30:00.002-05:00

Because we moved this summer, Emily and Allie both attend new schools in a new district. Amanda wanted to finish up at her old school since this was her last year - Still can't believe she is a SENIOR! Even though they attend schools in different districts homecoming fell on the same day ~Today!!

Amanda was a super sweet big sister and made a mum for both Emily & Allie. She insisted she did not want one of her own, but I could not resist. After all, it is her senior year and this is the last high school mum she will ever get. Amanda's colors are green, black and white while Emily & Allie's are purple & white.

Now we just have to make it thought two football games and two dances....

Shutterbug

2009-09-30T23:24:00.002-05:00

Amanda has developed into quite the photographer. At the end of the school year she competed in the UIL "Vase" competition and won first place. She likes to shoot from a different view point and it really shows in her photos. Here are a couple that I really like!! What about you??

A little Australian ingenuity....

2009-09-29T22:44:00.002-05:00

We have lived on our land for just over 6 weeks now. Thanks to a lot of creativity and hard work (mostly from David) we have made a lot of progress. Here are some photos from the "major" transformations....

Drilling of the well...

David and Chuck putting in the road...

Driving the water truck...

Allie and Mark (Chuck's son) had a great time running (playing on) the roller...

Emily helping cover the new water line...

Running the electric - It works great. It even supports our little "RV Park" when we have friends come over!

Building the goat shelter

Burning the many piles of brush now that the burn ban is lifted!

We still have a LONG way to go but have really make a lot of improvements over the past 6 weeks and it has actually been very enjoyable. This is a journey and we are savoring each and every step along the way!

A Beautiful Sight

2009-09-26T21:49:00.004-05:00

A great shot David took after a rain shower this weekend.

A weekend in the country

2009-09-21T17:00:00.007-05:00

A group of firends (Jared, Felisha, Hayden, Eric, Lisa, Ethan, Austin, Markus, Constance, Julius & Vivian- Whew!!!) came for a visit this weekend. They wanted a little time in the "country".

We spent the day doing all kinds of fun things....

Hanging out the in the goat pen

Shooting the pellet gun (and lots of skeet too)

Cooking & eating yummy food - Thanks Markus & Constance!

Playing with the baby chicks

Riding on the tractor

kicking back a little....

and walking in the "woods"

We always have such a great time with friends. We all get along so well. I can't wait until we do it all again...

More mouths to feed

2009-09-20T21:00:00.001-05:00

The girls have been so excited about school & 4H becasue they are going to get to "show" animals. We chose goats to start out with and got them on Sunday. They are a little skittish, but super cute. Lets hope the judges think so too!

If only they could stay little forever!!!!!!!!!

Dirty good fun

2009-09-18T22:57:00.002-05:00

Oh what fun you can have with a little dirt & 1 inch of rain water!

One of the first things we did at the land was to dig a stock pond. These photos are after the first shower we had - but now the tank is now over half full.... Won't be long now until it will be full and we can stock it with fish.

4 New Family Members

2009-09-15T22:30:00.000-05:00

Our family is growing exponentially!!!

We told the girls we would be able to have more pets when we moved and we are holding true to our promise. We got 4 new mouths to feed today - Baby chicks. They are so cute!! Won't be long until we will have fresh yard eggs for breakfast and maybe a little fried chicken too (Just kidding!).

So far, life in the country is a good life!

This day in 1933.....

2009-09-14T00:01:00.004-05:00

Ed Loris Walker was born. Today my Dad turns 76 years old!!

We have had our ups and downs like all families do, but he has always been there for me. From buying an entire case of peanuts from me when I was a "Campfire girl", to building all the props when I was in Blue Belles, my Dad has been super supportive of me. He taught me the importance of doing things right the first time and always doing my best. He has truly made a positive impact on others during his 76 years on earth.

17 years old in a fox hole in Korea

A rare thing - a school photo

Senator Ron Paul presenting Dad with his Korean War Medals - almost 45 years later

March 2009

Happy Birthday Dad! I Love You!!

2 wonderful weeks at the beach!!!!

2009-08-25T22:13:00.039-05:00

As the end of summer was fast approaching, we loaded up the camper and headed to Port Aransas for 14 relaxing days at the beach.

It was relaxing, but we also had a lot of fun activities to fill our days.... Paul, Jenn, Jack & Skye joined us for all 14 days while Jason, Sue, Brian & Kyle where there for 12. Quite a few others "dropped" in for a few days at a time - Denise & Gegg, Shay & Ash, Simon & Rebecca and Stu & Deanna (Scoother too!).

We played on the beach....

We went horse back riding...

We went deep sea fishing and did quite well as you can see...

This is the first fish Jen has EVER caught!!!

We tried out the kayak...

We even gave a few people a "new look"...

We had a really great time with everyone and can't wait to do it again next year!

We've got mail...

2009-08-24T20:15:00.003-05:00

Or at least a box for mail that is!

After lots of hard work (I have the blisters on my hands to prove it) we have a mail box! I was able to dig the first 6-8 inches and then David had to take over for me. I am just not use to all the physical labor and the heat.

"Red Neck" swimming pool

2009-08-14T20:13:00.000-05:00

Need I say more?

End of Swim Season

2009-07-18T23:43:00.002-05:00

We had our end of season swim team party last week. It was a little sad as it is the last one that we will be a part of as a "Tidal Wave." Since we are moving the girls will not be on the team next year.

Both Emily & Allie had a great season and swam really hard. Thanks to David we have some really great photos from this year!!

So serious, but she won her heat!!

What a cool shot - Not sure if he planned it that way or if it was just luck - either way it is cool!

My special "Emmie"

2009-07-12T18:00:00.011-05:00

We celebrated Emily's 14th birthday in April with a special dinner at the Olive Garden. Because of this, I didn't get any photos to share. :( So here are some of my favorite photos of her instead.

"Day of beauty" at Aunt Debbie's

She had the best costume in the entire play!

About one month old with Grand Ma & Grand Pa

First beach trip - 16 month old with big sister Amanda

Playing dress-up at Grand Ma & Grand Pa's

Striking a pose in OZ!

Man she has changed over the years, but she is still my little "cutie."

I love you Emmie!

Wide open spaces...

2009-06-28T22:31:00.011-05:00

Ok, not exactly wide open but more open than most.....

We purchased 20 acres with our friends Paul & Jen a few weeks ago. I am just now getting the info on the blog.... My bad! :)

We are super excited about it and can't wait to start building our new home. This will be the view from our back porch!

The kids have been busy planning what kind of animals we should get - horses, goats, chickens and a donkey are on the top of the list.

This is where Paul & Jen will build their house.

Our windmill

We spent a few days out there this past week - shredding and having the new road put in.

David & Paul supervising the county's handy work.

....This is going to be such an adventure~

My little baby girl.... NOT

2009-06-19T21:02:00.008-05:00

My little baby turned 17 today! Has she changed a lot since last year???

It is so amazing as it seems like yesterday she was born. She will be all grown up and off at college before long.

She got a Pink Dell Mini - Isn't it cute?? Maybe I need one!

Remember to cherish every moment now, as they will be gone before you know it!!!!!

Memorial weekend

2009-05-26T22:52:00.001-05:00

We had a great Memorial Weekend. We spent it at Lake Georgetown camping with Eric & Lisa and Markus & Constance. My Mom & Dad were with us for two days and Paul & Jen drove up for a quick visit from San Marcos.

We spent time:

Swimming...

roasting marshmallows....

hanging out by the campfire....

and having fun with friends!!!!!

We were not too busy to remember our Veterans though - Thank you to everyone who has served!!

Land of the Free BECAUSE of the Brave!!!!

Junior Prom

2009-05-17T20:56:00.006-05:00

Amanda went to her junior prom on Saturday night. She went with a boy that she has been friends with since kindergarden. They went to dinner at Jardin Corona before the prom and then a group of friends went to eat at IHOP afterwards.

She looked so beautiful!!!!!!

Field Day & Photo Shoot

2009-05-15T17:53:00.010-05:00

Allie had field day at school on Friday. Looks like she had a blast playing some good old-fashioned games!

Friday evening David took a few family photos for our friends Markus & Constance. I think they turned great!! What do you think??

How does your garden grow? Part II

2009-05-14T21:00:00.006-05:00

It has only been about a month since we planted our garden and it is well on it’s way to becoming a “big, healthy” garden. All of the seeds we planted have grown into nice size plants and most are covered in blooms…. A few even have small veggies, - green tomatoes, radish, squash & bell peppers. Soon it will be harvest time and everything will taste so good because we grew it ourselves.

Emily and Allie have both been working hard on the garden. Allie helping me water and Emily pulling weeds. I hope they both learn how enjoyable and relaxing it can be to care for something and watch it grow.

Check back in a few weeks to see the results of all our hard work.

We didn't go splat!!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-27T00:30:00.003-05:00

We headed out for another fun fillws weekend of camping but decided to spice it up a bit this time.... A few of us went skydiving.

The weather did not look like it was going to cooperate Saturday morning as we woke up to rain, but we actually lucked out and were able to skydive after all!!

The weather cleared and the wind died down just in time for our 1 pm check-in at Skydive San Marcos. David, Eric, Jared, Markus & I were all up for the challenge. Felisha, Lisa & all the kids were there cheering us on from the ground.

David was so nervous and really did not want to do it, but he was a real trooper.

We were all a little nervous as we got on our gear and went through instructions with our tandem masters.

The plane was really the scariest part. The anticipation of the door opening and then jumping out really made my stomach a little queasy. But man was it worth it!!! It was amazing! There is really no way to explain how great it was except to say “you’ve got to experience it!”

As it turned out David absolutely LOVED it and wants to do it again soon!!!!

The "gang" right after our jump from 11,500 foot! We all had a blast! Eric, Markus, Me, David & Jared

After the jump we celebrated back at the campground with some great steaks. It was a fun way to celebrate our bravery (or stupidity depending on who you talk to)!

We even had a little visitor that helped himself to some of the leftovers in the trash that night.

Easter 2009

2009-04-14T23:41:00.001-05:00

We spent a few days over Easter weekend at Lake Georgetown. The weather was suppose to be rainy and cold but it actually turned out to be nice. We dyed some eggs, sat by the fire and did a little bit of relaxing!

On Easter Sunday we had lunch with my oldest and dearest friend -Tammy Plante (Trent) and her family. Tammy and I have been friends since 8th grade and have a long vivid history together!! :) We usually get to see each other once or twice a year at her aunt's house in Leander. This was the case on Sunday. We had lunch and an egg hunt. It was great fun but also a little sad as it will be the last get-together. Her aunt, Barbara, is moving to Dallas!