Wednesday, January 27, 2010

old farmer's advice

i stumbled across this online today and thought i'd share. since i'm a country bumpkin and all.

...Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.

...Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

...A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.

...Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.

...Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.

...Forgive your enemies; it messes up their heads.

...Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.

...It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.

...You cannot unsay a cruel word.

...Every path has a few puddles.

...When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

...The best sermons are lived, not preached.

...Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway.

...Don't judge folks by their relatives.

...Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

...Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.

...Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't bothering you none.

...Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.

...If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.

...Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

...The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'.

...Always drink upstream from the herd.

...Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.

...Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.

...If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

and then it was december

or...

"diary of a snow day"

5:03 a.m. --both cell phones ring. j hops out of bed to answer his, then returns to bed, but not before turning off his alarm clock. this can only mean one thing people--

today is a snow day.

5:15 a.m. --let the dog outside. she pretends to pee amidst the blowing snow and darts back into the house faster than i have ever seen her move. i return to bed and bury myself underneath the covers.

5:29 a.m. --lay awake, trying to decide what i will do with my day. remember that i had to dvr the biggest loser season finale last night and get really excited. yep. that's the first thing i'll do. i silently sing the theme song "what have you done today..." and smile to myself.

5:46 a.m. --decide that if i can't fall back asleep (damnit carrie! this is what you secretly hope for nearly every morning, take advantage!!) i will get up and make some coffee.

8:01 a.m. --must have fallen back asleep. i finally get up for good, make coffee and decide to announce to the world via facebook and twitter that snow days are a really big deal.

8:16 a.m. --j gets out of bed. we watch the morning news, drink coffee, and cuddle with the dog. she. is. in. heaven. we make some french toast english muffins, stare outside, and then walk downstairs to check e-mail.

9:18 a.m. --decide that there is much more to do today than sit in front of the computer. off it goes. and so do i...

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

summer SUMMER summer

i suppose it is about time that i jot down a few updates! summer is quickly fading (ironically, it is just now that we are finally started to experience hot summer weather!) and school is just around the corner.

since our part time summer school jobs ended over a month ago, there have been several projects to keep us busy around the house. our backyard now proudly boasts a 12 x 20 "barn style" shed and our garden has finally started to produce green beans, scallions, sweet corn, carrots, and pumpkins. Hopefully this week's summer heat will ripen our five tomato plants...we've been staring at hundreds of little greenies for what seems like forever!

inside the house, i did a little work on a spare basement bedroom. it was the last room in our house that remained unpainted since moving in, and it was in desperate need of a facelift. so, i dug out my left over paint cans and after changing my mind five times (is anyone suprised, really?) decided to paint one blue accent wall, surrounded by my all time favorite color--"ostrich feather" (a super light and fresh grey). after getting everything cleaned up, j and i decided to move all of our office furniture downstairs and create a new office for ourselves. it ended up working out really well, and now all of his chicago bear memorabilia has a home. perhaps i'll post a photo later! right now, though, i'm too busy playing around on our new internet connection! it is so much nicer than the spotty reception we were, ahem, borrowing earlier.

aside from all of this, the best part of the summer so far, has been the ability to come and go as i please! honestly, no one has it better than me when it comes to june, july and august! i cannot ever remember feeling as relaxed and at peace as i am right now...

it is bliss!

oh, and i cannot forget the enjoyable moments we have spent with friends and family over the past few weeks. a wedding in sioux falls, a day trip to the waterpark with our adorable nephew, a delicious breakfast at the orchard, garage saling with mom and dad, wii bowling with the inlaws, dinners with friends on the deck, and, more than anything, the opportunity to spend a lot of quality time together. i am grateful for this, because now that football is underway, those times are going to become fewer and far between.

















what has been the best part of your summer?

Sunday, July 19, 2009

paps...please!




{published in the chetek alert, july 2009}

Sunday, July 12, 2009

anniversary alfresco


j and i celebrated our anniversary on tuesday, june 16. this picture was taken on our deck, right before i stood up too quickly and nearly dropped the entire cake! if you look closely, you can see two candles placed on the top of our sam's club carrot cake (pink for me, blue for him), in celebration of two years of marriage. i know, i'm a dork like that. more than anything i think i was just excited to find them in my kitchen drawer and thought i would put them to good use! can't remember what dinner consisted of this year (so far we've always just celebrated at home)...but what was exciting was the chance to eat outside on our new patio set. it's quickly becoming one of my favorite places to be!

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

a quick pic...






...from a bad blogger! here is brooke and I at a shower for our friend, angie {taken in white bear lake, at the end of june}.

it's hard to believe we have been friends for over TWENTY YEARS. yes, you read that right. twenty years, folks. we're growing up!

life is beautiful. and i wouldn't have it any other way...