I look at spring as our reward for tolerating winter. Springtime here is so vivid, lush and full of life. Winters are difficult for me. Perhaps it is because I am used to the mild CA winters (not including 2022) or the fact that I hate being cold and wet and mud and wind. I LOVE sunshine. Our whole family loves the sun. We are being rewarded so big right now. The green, the plants, the flowers, the colors, the birds and butterflies, the sun, the warmth, the rainstorms, the grass, the baby animals, the blue sky and everything else that comes with spring is out and I am absorbing every single bit of it. Of course now on the stormy, cloudy, cold days (which we are still getting here and there), I am nearly insufferable.
It's been about two months since I last posted. Part of the delay is because my computer has been tied up in the shop, nearly permanently attached to the Glowforge because Eric and I are so busy creating and crafting and woodworking up a storm and partly because by the time I can go grab it in the evening, I am too tired to even walk out there to get it. I haven't wanted to take the time to post only because I am so into my projects. And, of course, part of the delay is because as soon as we started feeling warmth and saw the sunlight, we immediately got to work outside. Our property also needs us after surviving the winter. But I have so many updates and so many projects to share and we have had some really fun times and parties and big happenings, as usual.
Also, Eric had a pretty tragic incident happen and it was one of those things that really makes you think about your own mortality. One of his oldest friends passed away. He was actually two years younger than Eric. We heard from his widow that, unfortunately, he had succumbed to the evil of cancer. It was really hard for Eric but it helped him to be able to attend the funeral. He went to Nebraska for the service and paid his respects to Justin's widow and family. We were thankful that his hometown was close enough to Eric's parents place in southern Iowa so they helped us out a lot by picking him up from the airport, providing a vehicle and letting him stay with them. I know Eric has very fond memories of Justin and will think of him often. They were in the Navy together in Scotland and remained friends for life. Justin even made the trek to CA for Eric's retirement from the Navy.
We are getting ready to meet up with my brother, Jeremy, who will be on our side of the country for a work conference and is able and willing to take a half-day to see us. We are so happy to see him and can't wait till we get to meet up in Chattanooga. We appreciate so much that he can see us on such a quick and busy trip. After that, we are expecting some visitors who we also CANNOT wait to see; Uncle Doug and Auntie Ann. It has been far too long and we are so thrilled and honored that they too are taking the time from a work conference to come visit for a few days. Then swim starts for the summer and we are looking forward to that. Also, we hope to see another favorite family in late summer and have begun planning that trip out here and a few more favorites in the fall. We are dying for my sister-in-law and nieces to come for a visit this year as we miss them terribly so hopefully that works out (say a little prayer it does)-- not to mention my sister, brother-in-law and Mom (GET HERE). I also am beyond excited to meet up with a dear friend, Terri for coffee on her way through TN to NC for a family event. I cannot express how excited I am to see her and just so appreciate that she is taking the time to stop a road-trip to see me. It's all so exciting. Of course, there are so many we want to see and visit with and any of you all are welcome!!! We have a loud, chaotic, wild and messy house that you all should probably come and participate in.
So, here goes. Our life over the past two months has been really great. I am not going to lie- and I'll try to keep the dramatics to a minimum- but GOOD LORD do I miss Callie. Every time I drive in the driveway and come through our gates, I look up expecting to see her laying in her spot on the hill. Missy and Bear are starting to adjust but let me tell you, initially they were very depressed. Especially Bear. It was so sad. He is starting to adjust and is spending more and more time outside and in the shop with us. Missy wants to play and Bear won't play with her. Callie did until the last few weeks she was with us but Bear has zero interest in playing.
We have been busy with outside projects and as I mentioned, we are already getting some color and picking flowers! We decided to put in a new pool because the cost of the frame for the other one was literally nearly the same price as buying a whole new pool (in fact, we already sold the filter and that has made it about even). We got a rectangular one this time ands it is a few thousand gallons bigger. Hopefully this one lasts longer because we are done with above ground pools after this. We filled it with our well and that took about three days and the water was gross. But after just a few chemicals and one day, it cleared right up! The pool is ready to go! The kids are so excited and cannot wait to swim. Excluding Tristan, each of the kids have jumped into the freezing cold water and swam for a few minutes. We are in a bit of a cold spell here again and our mornings are in the high 30's and low 40's. Daytime temps reach into the low 60's some of the days but it feels so stinkin' cold to me. Anyway, they want to swim each day and even get into their swimsuits even though it is too cold to swim. We had to dig more of the yard out to put the new pool in and thankfully already had all of the sand we needed leftover from the last time we did this. So, cost was minimal. We plan to build a deck around the whole pool eventually but for now, one short end is getting a deck and two ladders. the other end is getting a large box for floats and toys that Eric will build. All of the dirt we dug out has been utilized to fill in a huge hole in our friends' yard from where they took their pool out. While Eric and the kids worked on the pool one day, I decided to pull out the gazebo that I bought on clearance over the winter and build it. The only thing I needed help with was the very top because I couldn't hold it up and attach it at the same time so Lily helped me. Eric helped me lift the cover over it as well. It's big and tall. I love the mosquito netting. Our back yard is coming together. I also bought a new hammock for the stand and have sat on it for approximately 5 minutes while the kids have already put in a few hours each on it. Lol.
 |
| The sides worried me until the pool filled and they pushed out where they were supposed to be. |
 |
| The wind picked up to 40 & 50 mph gusts just as Eric and Tristan finished assembling the pool. Of course it wanted to pick up and blow away so we had to anchor it to the tractor and the fence. |
 |
| This is for the Flan Fam. He found a dirt clod in the shape of Texas. |
 |
| Bear Bear is quite social now. |
 |
| The sun was burning my retinas. I was happy to have that "problem" that day. |
Here are some more pictures of the progression of spring and animal photos and videos. We have/had an injured horse. Patch came up limping one evening and by the next morning was REALLY favoring his left front leg and hoof. We still don't know exactly what was wrong with him because as soon as the vet drove up, he wouldn't let us anywhere near him. He is much improved, however, and she suspected it was an abscess in his hoof. Also, some of our fruit trees have fruit on them this year and we are really excited. We had the silo filled with three tons of grain for the cows and we have had several fires in the fire pit. We are enjoying the warmth to the fullest. Gramps and I took a day trip to Cherokee, North Carolina and had a really good time. We went to figure out some tribal stuff which was a bust because the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the Cherokee Tribe are totally separate so we went to the casino to lunch and gambled for about 30 minutes or so. I won all of our money back and we left. On the way home, we saw three elk grazing on the side of the road. It was cool. The bull was a big boy. We've been letting the horses out to graze the property and they did well for about two weeks. One evening Harrison and Aurora decided the grass was greener and went around the corner of our property and up the back side of the neighbors. Eric walked them home on the road while I followed behind in the car to block them. Now they're back in the pastures again. We plan to fence the property lines that are open ASAP so they have more land to graze. We planted more orchard trees because we lost two to the cows and we planted more blueberry bushes.
 |
| Our farrier, Chantay. She's the coolest. |
 |
| Our vet tech. They come out every-other month now to sedate two of the horses for their trims. |
 |
| Violet. I adore her. |
We also had our very first tornado warning and it just happened to be while Eric was away in Iowa/Nebraska. I was scared to death for a minute but sleep won out (and the weather calmed down). Also, it ended up not even turning into a funnel cloud so it was all good but better safe than sorry.
Easter was so much fun for our family. The Casner Family came over and we had a really great time together- as always. The kids dyed eggs the night before and made some dipped pretzel treats. We egg hunted, made deviled eggs, sat and visited, ate and watched the kids play. Next year we have decided to add some extras to the festivities to include; an adult egg hunt and games. The Friday before, we got to go to the twins' school for a small Easter celebration and egg hunt. It was great. I baked cupcakes for the class. Easter baskets were different this year with regard to having older kids. In keeping with tradition and keeping the belief alive for the little ones, we continue to do Easter baskets for all. Tristan did not dye eggs nor hunt this year, however. Also, instead of filling the eggs with junk or candy, we made tokens to turn in for favorite snacks and drinks. It was a hit. Emery and Ivy got to cash in and take their loot home with them and our kids collected their loot and had snack bags that have lasted until about this week. I also did a few gummy type snacks, money and toys.
 |
| Do you see where someone (Nolan) took frosting? |
 |
| New swim trunks! |
 |
| Easter gifts from Aunt Leslie and Uncle Brian!! 💜💙 |
 |
| Emery LOVES hard-boiled eggs. She must have eaten about eight of them after the hunt. |
Projects... Here are pictures of a bunch of things Eric and I have been working on. Scott ordered an entry table and bench for their house and Ivann has been ordering closing gifts for clients and charcuterie boards. Jess has been ordering gifts and different things for her home and of course I am making things for our home. OH!! Also! We have a booth at our local farmers market each Saturday morning and have been selling things like crazy and are beginning to get a lot of custom orders. I have orders for a local horse ranch and we are getting to know the new owners very well. They offer lessons/training and we are planning to have Lily take lessons from her. Eric is building four tables at the moment and has more people talking with him about other furniture and projects.
 |
| Eric built this chess board for Nico. He's been wanting his own for months and months. It's ash and cherry woods. |
 |
| A serving tray that I am IN LOVE with. I have actual feelings for this tray. |
 |
| These are a HUGE hit. |
 |
| We were getting these kits from home depot because they weren't doing in-person classes anymore (they are again) and Eric stock-piled them. Well, Nolan is quite the little craftsman and wanted to build them all in one day. Eric conceded to building two; a shadow box picture frame and a toss game. Lily built a blimp. |
 |
| Nico's chess board with finish on it. |
 |
| I had some wood scraps and pieces that I used as spacers for certain projects. Well, the kids were asking for tic-tac-toe so I made them boards. Nico wanted jellyfish and sharks as the pieces. I ended up making two so they don't fight over them. |
 |
| I'm able to engrave sentimental things onto wood (or whatever material) and decided to do my grandmas recipes. The copies have to be pretty good to print without blemishes but this one turned out fantastic. I am making them for several others as well and have some custom orders now of birthday cards (from a woman's father who recently passed away) and more recipes. |
 |
| This was a tag from a gift bag and from some flowers that my grandma gave to Lily the year she passed away. She's been saving them so I engraved them onto wood for her to hang in her room. |
 |
| My dad asked me to engrave his rifle. He wanted a bear on one side and the paw on the other. I actually created this image myself because I didn't want to buy something. He loves it and took it to the gun store and showed it off. Lol. I didn't photograph the other side. |
 |
| Our first farmers market booth. We are right on the water. It's beautiful. |
St. Patricks Day... Our kids love holidays. They set traps for the leprechaun in hopes of keeping one for a pet. When asked what Nolan would do with a leprechaun should he catch one, he replied with "eat it!" Lol. The leprechaun left a mess in the kitchen and bathrooms and dyed their milk green again. He set off all the traps and wasn't caught. It was a fun day. Sierra and the girls came and spent the night and we had a lot of fun, as always. Scott works long, late hours so sometimes he stays home to sleep.
Nico's Birthday... Well, our passionate and intense little boy has turned 10 years old. We are celebrating this coming weekend and he has been invited to stay over at his favorite place ever (in TN); Ivann and Andrea's. He has requested a piñata since we generally don't allow them after the kids are about 12. He wants chocolate cake and I plan to add cheesecake to the menu since Eric is on a low sugar (actually no sugar) diet and it's my favorite. This boy.... this intense little grown-up of a 10 year old kid. He is such a challenge and so intense and so stubborn at times but dang, do we love him. He is so smart and special and really good at projects. He thrives with a job and loves one-on-one time. In fact, he attends the farmers market with us each week and is very helpful. He is a great swimmer, hard worker (when it is something he wants really badly), expert builder, great bike rider, has wicked engineering skills and is so sensitive and sweet at times. He loves his family very much and his love language is gifts, words of affirmation and more gifts. Oh, and snacks. I Thank God every day for this boy and I am certain he was put in our life to teach us something. We needed him as much as he needed us. I'll post photos of his party on the next post. For Nico's birthday dinner (the day of), he requested shrimp, bell peppers, noodles and baked beans. I have never cooked shrimp before as it is not something I eat so I gave it a go and everyone loved it. He also got to break a board at jiu jitsu that evening. He punched it and it broke into four pieces. He was thrilled. Lily was impressed.
Random happenings... We are homesteading the heck out of this place. We butchered a cow and a meat bird and have a freezer full of meat. The meat bird, we ate the night of and everyone really liked it. I don't care for smoked chicken. I'm getting picky again I think... 🤷. Adding all of the meat to the freezer required a total freezer clean out and rearranging.
 |
| I ordered a bunch of (fake) succulents for some pots that refuse to allow real plants to survive and some indoor pots that I got for easter. I stuffed them with moss and filled them with the succulents and hot glued them in. I like the pop of color and the fact that I don't have to keep these alive. I just have to keep my kids out of them (who knew they'd be such a hot commodity)? |
 |
| I still have to clean the front porch from winter and will probably pressure wash it in the next few weeks. |
 |
| Time to paint this little table too! |
 |
| We HAD one running 4-wheeler. The twins have been dying to ride again and now are able to. Since this picture was snapped, the starter has burned up again and needs replaced. We have added it to the list. |
 |
| This is our meat bird. It was BIG. |
 |
| I FINALLY gave myself a pedicure (Lily too). |
 |
| My Easter gifts. |
 |
| Eric plucked the bird while I cleaned stalls. I elected to not participate- as much as I like to think of myself as a homesteader.... |
 |
| The twins were soooooooo into it. |
 |
| Eric added a side sliding door to the silo so we don't waste feed. Nico feeds the cows most days so we needed to make it as easy as possible. |
 |
| Prior to Callie's passing, she had leaked a bit (a ton) on our living room rug. I kept smelling the odor and could not for the life of me figure out where it was coming from. Finally, I lifted the rug and saw the disaster. I took it outside and hung it from the fence for far too long. Finally, on an 80 degree day, I pulled it down, pressure washed, bleached and steam cleaned it. It's now the pad for our new rug. |
 |
| The twins cannot be around when we pull the pressure washer out or they think of 970 things to pressure wash. Well, I was discovered so all of the bikes got pressure washed. |
 |
| Nolan's muscles. |
 |
| Harlan's muscles. |
 |
| Eric has decided to completely rebuild the Camry's motor and put new steering column stuff (see how technical I am?) in and new struts. It has since been parked in the garage and hopefully in the next three months will be completed. Nolan is his assistant. |
 |
| Taco cups. Jess shared this recipe with us and it was a hit. Nolan was my assistant. |
 |
| Millie missed Eric so much while he was in Iowa that she snuggled up to his (hideous) crocs. |
 |
| The first night Eric was away, I let the twins sleep with me. It was a late night coming home from the airport so we all crawled in and promptly passed out. |
 |
| We went to a street fair and car show in downtown Kingston a few weeks ago. I was so much fun. They always have so many things for the kids. |
 |
| The boy to the left is Tristans new buddy, Jayden. He Introduced himself to Tristan that day and they've talked on the phone and FaceTimed several times since. |
 |
| Emery joined volleyball. We have tried to make it to every game but we have missed two. It is so much fun to watch her on a team sport and I also love watching how she improves each week. I love volleyball a lot so I'm especially into it. We all went to her first game then the street fair after and it was a nice day. |
 |
| One rainy day, we started teaching Tristan how to play Rummy. It's my favorite and I think he is hooked because he has asked to play many times since then. |
 |
| Harlan had a very minor little scratch on his face and needed a bandaid. Well, he refused to take the bandaid off for several days and had a reaction. He needed a picture to convince him not to put a new bandaid on top. |
 |
| Park days... |
 |
| Nolan insisted on buying a slinky. He LOVES this dang thing. |
 |
| Homemade dog food. |
 |
| I cannot tell you how furious and ashamed Buttercup was to have her hair like this. Lily and Emery did it and we had to ask them to take it out two days later because she was SERIOUSLY upset. |
 |
| Grease splashed out of a pan and burned Eric. These burns were so deep that they are STILL healing. |
 |
| I was proud of myself because I grilled chicken for the kids while Eric was out of town. Normally it's a crock-pot or casserole meal. |
 |
| Homemade bread... |
 |
| Rosita snuggled up on my lap during school. |
 |
| Nolan already lost 2 teeth!!! AND, the new ones are already coming in. Harlan has a loose tooth right now, too!!! |
 |
| Farm kid. |
 |
| Wrestling time. ALWAYS. |
 |
| Now on daddy. |
 |
Just the sweetest and most heartwarming gift box from one of my best girlfriends, Jess! I love it so much.
 |
Oh... we have an emerging bike rider (no training wheels)!
 |
Nico got two perplexus balls for his birthday and they are different from one another. He has both of them with him at all times and now Lily wants one too. They really are super cool.
Jiu Jitsu... We signed Lily up for jiu jitsu and she is loving it. For now, she is in the same class as Nico. When she turns 13 in September (let's take a moment to freak out about that, please), she'll move up to Tristan's class. Also, just last night we received an email from the SiFu and he has invited Tristan to join the competition team. It's invite only and a huge honor. We are very proud of him and feel like this is a big milestone for him. He is so thrilled. It's a bigger time, money and physical commitment but we are eager to see what this will do for Tristan. Also, at the beginning of the month, Tristan belt-tested and advanced to the next belt. He is now an orange belt. Lily was too new so she wasn't able to (we wouldn't have let her so soon anyway) and Nico was in trouble at home so we didn't allow him to test. You have to be showing responsibility, good character, honor, etc. and frankly, he hasn't been. So, as broken hearted as we all were, we had to put our foot down. |
Many of our friends know this but we LOVE Chuck Norris. Especially the jokes. I can't remember who sent this to me but Eric and I LOVED IT!
That about sums up our two months... We have more coming up and are expecting another calf pretty quickly and have some big garden plans and projects to share. Also, Eric will be headed back to Iowa shortly to help his parents move and prep the old house for the new owners.
We just love this time of year and are so appreciative of the beauty surrounding us and our beautiful life. I wish I could share every scene, especially the drive to the twins' school. OH!!!!!!!!!! That reminds me... We registered them for kindergarten. Bittersweet is the perfect definition of how we feel in doing so. I cannot say it often enough but where does the time go? They'll be FIVE shortly too... Good Lord...
Also, I know tax day has technically passed but IF you need someone to do your taxes, I strongly encourage you to call our accountant, Caroline Bol with Accurate Tax in Placerville on Broadway. She is phenomenal. We still use her because we don't have to file state taxes here in TN. She really is fantastic and so sweet. She is an owner of the business, super smart and quick. Call her if you need a tax accountant. Also, the office is so nice and they serve drinks when you go in for your appointment.
Birthday and Anniversary shout-outs!
Happiest Birthday to my sweet friend, Patty! We hope you are fantastic! Miss you tons.
Happiest of Birthdays to one of the greatest women we have the pleasure of calling Aunt; Auntie Ann! We hope your day was spectacular. We cannot wait to see you very soon! We love you.
Happiest Birthday to Brooklyn H! Don't grow up too quickly, keep killing' it in soccer and enjoy college away from home!!!!
Happiest Birthday to Elliott G! You also don't grow up so quickly and stay cool! Have the best day!!
Happy, Happy Birthday to our niece, Madison. Sweet Jesus, you are just about the most precious young lady. We adore you and are dying to see you this year. Have an amazing day and stay sweet. We love you!!!!
Happy Birthday to Kari R. I feel it's been an eternity since we've seen you but the kids still talk about you and miss you. Have a fabulous day! We sure do miss you.
Happy Birthday to my sweet friend, Jonnie. We haven't talked since moving but I definitely think of you all the time and miss our time together. Have a fantastic day!
Happy, Happy Birthday to just about the best person we have the pleasure of loving; Aunt Leslie. I cannot even say enough... We love you beyond measure and hope your day is as special as you are.
Happiest of Birthday to the kids' Auntie and my sister-in-law; Kate! Good Lord do we miss and love you. I am sooooo very thankful you are in our family and think you're the best wife to my brother and mom to your beautiful girls. COME HERE NOW!
Happy, Happy Birthday to our sweet niece, Emery. You are so special to us and we love you beyond measure. We are so thankful we get to be so close to you and watch you grow up into the special young lady you are becoming. Can't wait to celebrate you!
Happy Anniversary to my brother, Jeremy and Sister-in-law, Kate! Have the best day and enjoy one another. We love you both.
Everyone, take care, stay ion touch and keep the updates coming! We are loving everything you all are up to. Come visit. Love to you all.
