Wednesday, August 31, 2011

GIVE AWAY ENDS TONIGHT....ENTER NOW


I am offering you a chance to win, a handmade apron and matching pot holder...Lovely little book called "A Cup of Friendship"...and a little bag of Fairy Bait..
Pop over to the original post to find out how to enter
http://kelsie74.blogspot.com/2011/08/magical-give-away-august-2011.html

Blessings Kelsie

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Tour Guide Sara

Since this week has been all about lil Sara, I thought it only fitting she should be your guide this week and show you some of her favorite things in the garden...
Gotta love the girls sense of style as she stands in front of the porch...
Notice the white builder sand is still present in this spot...because a certain little 3yr old princess loves to dig right here...She is not going to be so happy when I finally add a paved pathway there.

She loves to help water the potted plants too..Something mummy has been neglecting lately..

And you know she just loves all the butterflies that visit...

Sometimes we will be sitting in the living room and see these giant beauties pass the window and she will go running outside to watch them flit around the flowers...

Actually this is exactly how we ended up outside for today's tour.

Under one of the big old pecan tree's is our "wash tub" with the angel statue..Sara loves to watch the squirrels run up and down the tree and the pretty Cardinals that visit the bird feeder on the other side of the tree...

Because her favorite color is pink, you know she just loves these fluffy full flower heads
(Yes Darla I have forgotten the name already lol)

She also loves the Everlastings because they look like big fluffy paper stars...

But her one of her very favorites is the hibiscus...She loves the huge red blooms and is always sad when she finds them spent and drooping and ask's..."What 'appened 'ere?"

Please stop by and enter my give away...
Ends Midnight 31st of Aug 2001


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Fertilizer Friday @ http://www.tootsietime.com/

Monday, August 29, 2011

Pre-op photo Daddy and Sara

Is this not the cutest photo ever of a girl and her Daddy??...
Please excuse the blur it was taken with my not very smart phone.
She was fine with the hat but refused to change out of her lifeguard shirt...Can you see the glazed eyes??...they had already give her some thing to knock her out and it was starting to kick in.

Recovery is going good though I am told the worst is yet to come.. Day 5 to 7 when the scabs come off and it gets more painful...I am kept busy trying to push that 32oz of fluid and keeping her entertained in a way that will not put her at risk of bashing herself/face on anything...That alone is a full time job...She is eating pretty good, mainly pancakes and bread...and LOTS of Popsicles.

I am exhausted and would love a good old fashion Nana nap...I am such a bad mummy and wish her pain meds would make her sleepy, instead they seem to give her energy.

Please keep us in your prayers.
Blessings Kelsie



Saturday, August 27, 2011

Sara is home and recovering

Just wanted to let yall know that Lil Sara is out of hospital and we are working on her recovery...She is currently sitting on the couch eating mini pancakes and drinking Gatorade...(what else would she be drinking? Her surgery was done at Shands at UF, home of the Gators lol)

The discharge papers say she must drink a minimum of 32oz of fluid a day if she is refusing food...that seems to be A LOT of fluid for such a small person.

I did take a super cute post surgery pic of Sara and Daddy with her in her totally cute surgical hat but alas it is on my phone and I have as yet to work out how I am going to get it off of it.

Some of the sweet ladies from church have already been by to drop off meal for us and had some others from our church family surprise us to sit with us and pray with us in the surgery waiting room on Thursday...Feeling truly blessed as the hand of God has guided us through as a family.

Thank each and everyone of you that sent words of support and prayers this week.
Love and Blessings Kelsie





Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Sara's Surgery is Tomorrow

Tomorrow is Lil Sara's surgery, please keep us in your prayers over the next few days...Obviously I will be MIA from Blogland during this time...I am nervous but excited to see my baby finally be able to breath while she sleeps...and all the other lovely positives that come with a child that can actually get restful slumber.

Here she is eating her afternoon snack on her first day of "Head Start" yesterday...I just wish the surgery did not mean that she would miss so much school..

For those of you that missed it the sleep study and results post can be found
http://kelsie74.blogspot.com/2011/06/sleep-study-results.html

Blessings Kelsie

Everlasting Flower -

Last week I posted a photo of the everlasting flower bud (or at least the flower closed for the day)...and got lots of comments and inquires about it...So today I since I finally manage to catch it open with my camera handy, I thought I would share some more photos and TRY addressing some of the questions..

Back in the spring I grabbed a packet of seeds called *fill in the blank* (Everlastings) I planted them in trays inside like all my other seeds...eventually transplanting them into the garden about March or April I guess...then forgot about them...Until last week.


Well I thought and even told a few ppl they were called Helichrysum...but now I am not so sure...I think they might have been the Asters...Unfortunately all my carefully places name tags become
toys for a certain little princess, making it a fun guessing game to what I actually planted.

This is what Flowerinfo.org had to say about the Everlastings
http://flowerinfo.org/everlasting-flowers


I do know when I see the seeds in the store this coming season I will be sure and grab a bunch of packets.


Blessings Kelsie


Sharing today at:
Outdoor Wednesday @ http://www.asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/
Cottage Flora Thursday @ http://fishtailcottage.blogspot.com/
Fertilizer Friday @ http://www.tootsietime.com/

Monday, August 22, 2011

Where the wild things are...

The other evening I was out taking a walk with lil Sara along the road in front of our property...Going no where special just enjoying the cool breeze that could be a promise or could be a tease that fall is on it's way...As we reached the northern driveway that leads to the family cemetery (yes we really do have one of our own)...I was delighted to see some passion flowers that had not yet closed for the night...These vines grow under the power lines in the old fence line amongst all the bramble so we know they are courtesy of the birds.

So as fast as a 3yr old wearing flip-flops on the wrong feet can, we ran back to the house for my "big camera" (Nikon 990)..Due to the fading light as the sun was trying to sink behind the trees, I switch my menu settings, light meter to "cloudy"..my focus to "Spot" and then hit the macro setting on the quick buttons and turned off the flash....These were the results.

I included a couple of other sweet wild flowers that were growing close by in the ditch..

Can anyone tell me what kinda caterpillar this is?
And please don't say Orange Spiked Punk like someone I will not mention already has lol.

Not sure if I am brave enough to try eating the fruit as they do not seem to change color, just fall from the vine large and green and then rot into the ground...I would however like to transplant some along my back garden fence because they are truly gorgeous flowers.

Blessings Kelsie

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Saturday, August 20, 2011

That is a load of pooh....

This is what 5 cubic feet of cow poop looks like...
The tarp is to help it decompose a little faster...
This is what it looks like from a distance....If you look closely you can see where hubby tilled the outer boarder of what will become the fall veggie garden...We already brought some of our seed from Jenkins feed and seed store in Chiefland...They sell the seed by the weight so it is much more cost efficient than buying the small packets from Wal-mart...better quality seed too :)

Hubby got Silver Queen Corn, which if we want to have any for Thanksgiving we better get the seed into the flats this weekend some time....I grabbed spinach and English peas...but also plan to grow broccoli, collie-flower and what ever herbs I can lay my hands on.

Hubby also started removing the 20 something years of leaf build up off of an old outbuilding we need to pull down...Here Sara is showing you what lovely rich compost it had turned into....this deliciousness will also go into the garden..

Though if I have my way, it will be used in my flower beds.

Have you started planning or preparing your fall veggie gardens yet?

Blessings Kelsie

Sharing today at:
Preparedness Challange #22 @ http://networkedblogs.com/lUJVS


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Friday, August 19, 2011

Todays TO-DO Lists...


Today I have:
Made the beds
Got child up, dressed and to Daycare.
Put my camera batteries on to charge (hence the no new photos on the blog today)
Made phone calls
Answered Emails
Did the laundry
Cleaned out the fridge and done the dishes
Feed the chicken (see cleaned out fridge)
Feed and watered cockatiels
Posted doll for sale
And had lunch while I got my daily does of The Lumberjack's Wife...Need a good chuckle, you have to read this gals blog




Now I need to:
Pick 2 boxes of pears
Transplant Rosemary plant into a pot.
Cut fresh basil and rosemary to take with us
Then I will need to:
Get a quick shower (because I am going to need it after picking pears in this heat)
Be at the Daycare no later than 2.45pm for Head-start orientation and meet Sara's new teacher (Yup Monday morning my baby will officially start "school")
Come home meet hubby, load up with the pears and herbs to head on out to the farm to see the goats...Today will be Sara's last chance to go before her surgery next week.

Blessings Kelsie

Please stop by and enter my give away...

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Off to the city we go....A tale of woe and suffering

Today took a trip into the "big city" of Gainesville FL for Sara's Pre-Op appointment...Since it is at Shand's and we are driving from our little town 35+miles away, (that is 35miles until we reach the city limits of Gainesville, the hospital is on the other side of the city still) this required us leaving the house before I have had my full morning quota of coffee...

We circle the parking garage 3 times, each time cussing the guy that parked his scooter in a full car bay instead of 10feet away in the designated scooter bays....As we near the elevator the 3rd time Sara is informing us she really needs to poop !!!...So I tell hubby to stop the car and he can just meet us inside the hospital...flash him the map to show him where we will be and bail out with my child in tow....

So we make it inside the hospital and with the help of a lovely staff member pointing us in the correct direction (the silly map was no clear AT ALL) we manage to check-in on time AND avoid a Code Brown...So we return to the waiting room, I collect the paper work I am required to fill out (don't you love how each place has the same paper work for you to fill out even though your MED file has supposedly been sent to them??...

I rush to get it filled out since we check-in with no minutes to spare before our appointment and there is only 2 other ppl in the waiting room when I arrived and one has already been called back...wow surely we will be in and out in no time...

By this time hubby has arrived though via the same un-required detour myself and the child had taken (btw this is code for getting lost due to bad map)...and we sit, and we try to keep a 3yr old in check and out of trouble...and we sit, and we sit...AN HOUR after our appointment time we are called back...We talk to the nurse, as she goes over the form...She checks Sara's weight since I am a bad mother and did not know that information about my growing 3yr old off of my head...Listens to her chest...tells us we will meet the Anesthesiologist the day of the surgery and we are good to go...

WHAT?? I missed coffee, drove over an hour, sat in a waiting room for an hour and we just have a "chat" with the nurse....OH and best part we got to pay $4 to park the car so we could do this...

At some point, I think in the waiting room my head has begun to pound from a slowly creeping head-ache and perhaps the noise level of the TV that was playing.

So to save the day we make the super wise decision to eat at the food court at the mall and then allow Sara to go play in the kiddy playground...BEFORE we enter the mall, my child whom is telling us for the 20kazillionth time she does not want lunch she wants the "park" (play area) is informed she WILL sit and wait nicely while I eat or no park today...She made us proud and did sit thru lunch patiently as a 3yr old can....But by now the noise level of the food court is forcing my brain to want to explode out of my left eye socket....and we have not even made it to the play area yet.

Good news is Sara had lots of fun and made a little friend in the play area...

No the friend was not the Gator...but another little girl about her age...so cute to watch them running around holding hands playing and chatting together, just like they had known each other all their lives lol.

Then Sara got a little tired...and grouchy...and my head was still pounding...not a single shop in the mall sells anything for head pain...time to restock my purse I guess..
Our final stop in the mall was to take Sara for her first ever visit to the Build-A-Bear workshop, and get her a little friend to take to hospital with her next week...Look how proud she is...

She choose a "Smallfry" little gray cat and the cutest blue and white, Tshirt and shorts outfit and then named her "Sissy" after her big sister who lives in Orlando and she misses very much.

We finally escaped the mall at 3pm with one last stop to make at Home Depot for some roses that were "rumored" to be just $2 each on sale...but alas they were not there...not sure if they ever were there ...By now I am seeing double and I do think part of my brains oozed out of my ears from Sara's over tired whining that had started to grate on my nerves like nails on a chalk board...

I slept most of the way home...Thank goodness hubby was driving....and am just so glad we took the time so spend today in the city...It reminds me why I love Our Country Home so much...

Ok,I think I am done whining for the day.

Blessings Kelsie


Tuesday, August 16, 2011

While Out Watering...

I snapped a few photos with my small camera while
watering Sunday night...
Almost done...Pink Knock-out Rose..

I just love my Vincas...So perfectly simple in design but so stunning en-mass and close-up

And the variety of colors is so fun...

Lock on my suitcase planter and some marigold buds.

Partly open "Everlastings"...I never seem to have my camera with me when they are fully open.

The Black-eye Susan still displaying strong...

A Zinna is such a delight with it's 2 "flowers" in one...

And it would not be watering time in the garden without a little mud monsters help.

Blessings Kelsie

Don't forget to check-out and enter my Give-away...

Yall give me so much, I wanted to return the love.

Sharing today at:
Tuesday Garden Party @ http://www.anoregoncottage.com/
Blooming Tuesday @ http://msgreenthumbjean.blogspot.com/
Outdoor Wednesday @ http://www.asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/
Cottage Flora Thursday @ http://fishtailcottage.blogspot.com/
Fertilizer Friday @ http://www.tootsietime.com/



Monday, August 15, 2011

Sara's Room - Pennant Banner

It has been awhile since I had any inside projects to share.
AND since today I FINALLY found a few minutes to make the Pennant Banner for Lil Sara's bedroom and seemed like the perfect quick easy project to share.

I measured and cut out my triangles from a muslin fabric...7 inches across the top and 7.5 inches long and marked out where I want the letters to go....Mixed all purpose glue 50/50 with water..Then lastly because you want the ink as fresh as possible, I printed out my inspiration word "IMAGINE" as a mirror image in my desired font.

I cut each letter out individually, then one at a time paint the glue/water mix on to the letter...Lay it face down onto the pennant, using a damp cloth smooth it out...

Because I am impatient I then ironed the paper dry...

Lift off your paper and TA-DA...the ink has transfered to the fabric..
I went over the outline with a artline pen to get a more defined letter..

After I did all my letters I sewed a 1/4inch channel at the top of each triangle...

Lastly I threaded ribbon thru the channels and then hung the banner on Lil Sara's bedroom wall...

Her room is well on it's way to country chic now

What I have left to-do in Lil Sara's room:
Paint Mirror Frame
Paint Name Artwork Frame
Sew Curtains
Put additional shelving in toy closet
Stencil back of bookcase.


Blessings Kelsie

Please stop by and enter my give away...

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Don't for get my Give-Away

I am offering you a chance to win, a handmade apron and matching pot holder...Lovely little book called "A Cup of Friendship"...and a little bag of Fairy Bait..
Pop over to the original post to find out how to enter
http://kelsie74.blogspot.com/2011/08/magical-give-away-august-2011.html

Blessings Kelsie

Thursday, August 11, 2011

2 Days, 2 Farm Tours

My dear husband has been ever so patient with me the last 2 days...(his days off work)...First on Wed, I drag him to Miracles Happen Ranch to visit Boots our goat and help worm and vaccinate 24 other goats...
Here he is with one of his new friends Lola the donkey...she is so sweet but very loud.

Helping Worm and Vac the goats.

Don't worry I chipped in and helped...I got to try out the super easy goat milking thingie...so much better than by hand :)

Hubby helped too...he held the lil buck Logan's lead so he would stay off of the milking station...And in case you could not guess by looking at him...it was HOT

As I mentioned yesterday, we also purchased our first Doeling while there...Deenie is Hubby's and will be the beginning of his miniature animal breeding empire...Oh and giver of milk.

Here she is from the other side...As you can see the sun was ubber bright and it is hard to photograph white goats that are group together in such conditions...

And lastly @ Miracles Happen Ranch..This is Patches...I was so brave and did not even need a fence between me and him...though declined to grab him and move him away when asked...Hubby came to the rescue and did it instead...(for those reading this that do not know, I am deathly afraid of horses ever since I had one kick me in the face and break my nose at age 13)


So because Wed's heat and humidity was not enough...I made arrangements for us to visit Miss Beth at Double Blessings Farm to check out her lovely sheep...St Croix and Katahdins ( I think...I am tired and my brain is fading quickly)...They are hair sheep though the lambs did look a little wooly until the will molt (rub) it off and look like the older sheep...We were nice enough to include lil Sara on this tour.

Of course we fell in love with the little tri-color gal in the back of this photo..

Then there was the friendly turkey to pet.

and a sweet (so they tell me..see above horse disclaimer) 30yr old mare...Again I am getting tired and forgetting names...Please forgive me Beth

Sara blending in with the young ones.

And even seem to make a new friend of this ewe lamb "Manna"...

We enjoyed our visits so much and today came home with a bunch of young trees to put out in our fields for shade trees (in a couple of yrs) thanks to Miss Beth.

After we got home we had 5 cubic yards of cow poop delivered so we can start prepping the soil for the fall veggie garden...I am so looking forward to a shower and my bed tonight...

Blessings Kelsie



Don't forget to check-out and enter my Give-away...
Yall give me so much, I wanted to return the love.


Sharing today for:
Farm Girl Friday @ http://www.deborahjeansdandelionhouse.blogspot.com/
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