You know what? Drive through “zoos” make a LOT of sense in the blazing hot summer time! Why, you may ask? Well, if you’ve ever gone to see the animals and walked and walked and walked all around a zoo, all the while pouring sweat and trying your derndest to keep yourself from getting dehydrated,

[...CLICK for more article goodness!---->] Lazy 5 Ranch

You know what? Drive through “zoos” make a LOT of sense in the blazing hot summer time! Why, you may ask? Well, if you’ve ever gone to see the animals and walked and walked and walked all around a zoo, all the while pouring sweat and trying your derndest to keep yourself from getting dehydrated, then you know what I’m sayin’. We didn’t have to deal with that here because for a good part of the time we were there, we were riding around in our nice air conditioned truck to see the animals. Ah. For the last part, we got out and walked through the petting zoo – and then let the kids play on the playground that looked like a set of WAY cool pirate ships!

The first thing we noticed when we pulled through the area [just after noticing the big large signs that told us "ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK!". All I could think of was Jurassic Park, for Jake's sake!!], there were all these Emus that came straight up to us at the truck. So great, hubby and myself are both already thinking about dinosaur parks gone wrong when we see these HUGE HONKIN’ BIRDS tromping our way! We just barely got our windows rolled up in time. I’m pretty sure that they were going to give us the motherload of mega hen pecks. Actually, no, I bet [in retrospect] that they just wanted to eat…[us?]…some food from our buckets. They are used to this thing, afterall, and know that when they see vehicles roll in – it means Chow Down Time, of course! I was kinda intimidated by these creatures, but I also thought it was so cool to see them up so close! Really, I preferred to have the glass between us, and so did Corey, for that matter. At one point, an Emu came out of nowhere on his side and freaked the living snozzburgers outta him! This the result after that moment:

Heh heh, yeeeeeah buddy. See that? That is a nervous laugh of relief at not having his eyeballs jammed with a huge beak, and ending with a slight bow of embarrassment over it all. I know him pretty good.

There were so many animals to see! In fact, Lazy 5 boasts having over 750 different species ‘n varieties ‘n crazies.

Now, I want you to notice something: how can you tell the diff between Veteran Visitors to the park and Newbies? Well, check this out:

NO FEAR. Yeah, these people have NO-THING between them and the animals. I’m sure they were looking at us and thinking that we were waaaaaaaay too uptight when we would roll up the windows as [larger] animals approached us and our yelps of fear! I looked at them and thought “Wow! Such…courage!” They were literally feeding the zebras from their HANDS. Yes, their bare hands. Just for the record, this is the one group of animals that the lady at the front desk said NOT to handfeed. She had said that we could buy buckets of feed and distribute them to most of the animals except a few…and ended with “But whatever you do, don’t feed the Zebras! I know for sure that they will bite you! Don’t do it!”

So, I loved watching these people interact with the giraffes and zebras. I lived vicariously through them as they petted the zebras and stroked their manes. Secretly, I wished that one of these people would do something random and crazy – like – suddenly jump on the back of one of the zebras and ride ‘em around the park, hoopin’ and hollerin’. Wouldn’t that be fun? I mean, if they didn’t bite you and all?

What else did I love? The buffalo. I don’t know why exactly, but I have always liked buffalo. I can remember being a little girl and my Mom and Dad taking our fam to go see some while we lived out in Oklahoma. I can also remember how hot it was and the burnt brown grass between my toes. Good times!

I also loved the long horned steer-cow-friend things. I think they are actually called Watusi cattle. Aren’t they so cool in the big huddle? And just what are they discussing, I wonder? What’s the big secret?

And in case you thought it was only the males who are the proud owners of those big, big horns, think again! A Daddy Long Horn Steer can’t do THIS:

Then we got out and walked around some to see the rest of the animals at the Ranch. There was this neat-O camel that seemed to love people. He freaked me out when he came right up to the fence and showed his teeth. Um….are you going to SPIT? Are you trying to scare us away? What the crap?!?

Corey wanted a pic of me with the dangerous camel. He thought it was funny that I was questioning the camel’s intentions, and I think that was payback for my records of his little Emu incident. Look at my face. I am freaked out but trying to smile through it. After we had been standing there for a few minutes, it finally dawned on me what this beast was up to! I wanted to see if my thoughts were right, so I grabbed a big handful of feed and threw it through the fence and straight into his open mouth. Chomp chomp chomp! YEP! He wanted me to feed him! We repeated that over and over again, and he was a happy camel. That was hilarious! Smart boy!

On somewhat of a sidenote, do you love this fence? I certainly do! It has that honest, rustic appeal that would go great with our farmhouse. Corey: you can SO build this. Go for it.

Now, I am no goat expert, but I do believe this Nanny is about to pop with two Kiddos. Don’t cha’ think?

And she wanted us to feed her – a LOT. Only an appetite that large can mean she’s feeding 3 right now instead of just 1. By the way, do you see her smiling at you in this pic? She is, I promise! Look close. She’s happy to get some more food is all. And she liked my shirt. Goats like shirts for dinner, I’ve heard.

The only kind of animals that I missed that I didn’t see were monkeys. I guess that’s okay, though, since we brought our own! Please don’t judge us on this one pic alone! I can totally recognize [yet adore] the imperfections of this picture. Our oldest doesn’t normally smile that way, but he was cheezin’ his way through these types of shot. And our youngest boy specifically told us “I really don’t like pictures!!” Gianna, age 3, however, DOES like having her picture made…and Sarie, age 1.5, usually does, too. She refuses to keep any sort of hair bow, clip or tie on her head and so now her hair is all in her eyes. It’s the perfect time for her to not see where she’s going and trip and fall down since her foot is coming out of her sandal! As we speak, I am currently trying to convince hubby that Sarie could use a little trim. We shall see! Anyway, all of our babies loved the drive through and next time, we will have to see about doing the wagon ride.

There were soooo many more animals that we got to run in fear from, and feed, and pet – but to share all of those pics would make this post extremely long. If it suits me, I just might have to make a second post. Maybe or maybe not. There are no promises, folks. However, let me leave you with this thought: if you are in the Charlotte, NC area and would love to drive through a Ranch to see all of these creatures, then definitely make the trip out. We all had a great time!

Growing older: totally mandatory and it sure beats the only other option, doesn’t it?

When you were a child and someone asked how old you were, did your answer ever sound like this?: “Well, I’m turning ELEVEN on my next birthday, which is 4 and a half months from next Tuesday!!!!” It’s interesting how most folks

[...CLICK for more article goodness!---->] Why I’ve Actually Looked FORWARD to Turning 30!

Growing older: totally mandatory and it sure beats the only other option, doesn’t it?

When you were a child and someone asked how old you were, did your answer ever sound like this?: “Well, I’m turning ELEVEN on my next birthday, which is 4 and a half months from next Tuesday!!!!” It’s interesting how most folks change that tune after they reach – say – 18 or 21 or so. At that point, you are supposed to start talking crap about your upcoming birthday. “Maaan! I can’t BELIEVE that I’m about to be thirty-TWO on my next birthday! That is just crazy. I should still be 18 or somethin’.”

You don’t know this, but for most of my life – I have feared aging. When I say ‘fear’, I mean totally-break-down-in-tears-and-lose-it-with-panic-attacks kind of a fear. Isn’t that crazy? I can remember being a little girl – like 5 years old – and looking at old people with white hair, wrinkles, veins showing through skin and being freaked out. It upset me to see them barely able to move and and I felt SO sad and SO sorry for them that I could barely stand it! I used to have visions of my parents getting that old – dad with a long, grey beard and mom with glasses on – and would bawl my eyes out. Yes, I was a sensitive child.

As I got older, it got worse. In general, I really looked forward to all of the YOUNG milestone birthdays [13, 16, 18, 21] but at the same time, I knew that I was inching closer and closer to the end. So I’d be panicked about it at the same time. It didn’t help any that seemingly everyone I knew [females especially] began to dread their upcoming birthdays, year after year, and would complain about growing older. “Please don’t remind me!” and “Ugh!! I’m turning into an old woman!!” are two common phrases for them, right?

Well, then I had a spiritual experience that totally rocked my world. This is not an ad for religion, as anyone who knows me well enough knows that I actually loathe religion. The experience that I had was totally real and totally awesome – and God made Himself very real to me [for the record, our family believes that being in tune with God does not equal religion. there is a difference]. Anyway, it also left me with complete peace, something that I had heard about all my life but really didn’t think existed. From that peace stems such a deep joy and gratitude inside of me…just thankful for everyday life. I may not always act like it, but every single day that I wake up to a new day, I am wholly thankful. ‘Tis true! All of it contributes to confidence in who I am today and what I’m supposed to be tomorrow, and helps me have a positive attitude – which is great for anyone to have, right? I feel that all of that can help keep an old gal like myself young ‘n kickin’!

So the honest truth is that I have been anticipating and looking forward to my 30th birthday, which is today, by the way. I have been about 99% excited and about 1% nervous. There is a teeny, teeny, tiny, minute part of me that is still barely squeaking out “But what about those wrinkles and grey hair that are sure to come?”. So – I will cross that bridge when I get to it. For now, it really doesn’t phase me that bad and I see myself aging gracefully and accepting life’s changes as they happen. To me, this makes more sense than trying to deny it and fight it tooth and nail. Ultimately, I’m trying to be flexible and flow with my life as it happens.

If you are at a point to where you still dread your yearly birthday and look at it as a bad thing, then I want to urge you to reconsider your approach. Try seeing the good in it instead and then you will look forward to it. It might even help you have a more positive outlook on life. Heck, you might even enthusiastically start bragging to people about how old you are turning on your next birthday! So next, I’m looking forward to 35 – and <gulp!> – even 40!! Okay, so it’s a good thing that I have 10 years to get used to that idea!

Does it truly get any more charming than this? – - Than to dine off of innocent pastel colored ceramics, all made by the talented hands of Jeanette Zeis? Zeis runs a shop on Etsy called Vessels and Wares, where she sells lots of handthrown pottery – anything from plates to hanging planters, to mugs

[...CLICK for more article goodness!---->] Lovely Handmade Pottery: by Jeanette Zeis

Does it truly get any more charming than this? – - Than to dine off of innocent pastel colored ceramics, all made by the talented hands of Jeanette Zeis? Zeis runs a shop on Etsy called Vessels and Wares, where she sells lots of handthrown pottery – anything from plates to hanging planters, to mugs and single cupcake stands. You will love to know that it is all food-safe, lead-free and dishwasher-safe.

Can you handle all of these scalloped edges? Oh my. I would love to have an entire set with each piece a different color. It would be the perfect touch for a garden party or a bridal luncheon.

And speaking of weddings, wouldn’t this make a beautiful wedding or anniversary gift? What I love are the personal touches. Have the happy couple’s names hand written into the side of the cake stand. Add in some hand carved touches. It is perfection. If you are bride, consider registering with Zeis’ shop instead of getting something mass produced.

Jeanette also has a blog where you can keep up with some of her latest happnens’, so be sure to check her out here: http://vesselsandwares.blogspot.com/

And to get your hands on some of her lovely pottery, head over to her Etsy shop here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/vesselsandwares

Last year on June 19, I decided to dive into blogging and have had a great time using this site as an outlet for my creativity and crazy ideas. Currently, I have two thoughts about this:

1. Wow! It’s been a whole year already?!?

and

2. Dang, it’s only been a year? Feels like ages!

Thanks for sticking

[...CLICK for more article goodness!---->] Happy [late] 1st Bloggiversary [to moi!]

Last year on June 19, I decided to dive into blogging and have had a great time using this site as an outlet for my creativity and crazy ideas. Currently, I have two thoughts about this:

1. Wow! It’s been a whole year already?!?

and

2. Dang, it’s only been a year? Feels like ages!

Thanks for sticking with me so far, and I hope you’ll continue on as I move forward. Now, let’s eat a virtual cake and ice cream! Cheers, peeps!

pic source:  ashley | lempiala

When hubby’s uncle suddenly died, we made the last minute decision to load up the fam and take a road trip to Oklahoma. That whole ordeal can be quite the doozy, even with 4 little fairly well-behaved monkeys like

[...CLICK for more article goodness!---->] No Ducklings :-( To say that we’ve had a lot going on around here would be – - an understatement.

When hubby’s uncle suddenly died, we made the last minute decision to load up the fam and take a road trip to Oklahoma. That whole ordeal can be quite the doozy, even with 4 little fairly well-behaved monkeys like we’ve got. We do it all screen-free, too, folks. Yes, let me translate: anywhere from 16 hours to 20 hours in the truck with 3 children in the 3rd row, parent and baby in the second row, and the other parent driving – - and we use nothing but books, toys, food and creativity [and gasoline] to get us there. AND we arrive with our good sanity still intact. So that is PROOF that it can be done! [Be encouraged!] Anyway, it is tough/an adventure to make it all happen. I chose to see it as an adventure. We made it in time – the evening before the funeral, and we got to spend several days there with the family before heading back. We were gone for 10 days. The last time that we had gone out of town like that was nearly 3 years ago, so this was definitely a trip for us.

While we were gone, the animals were fed by my sister, and she did her best to water the gardens but we still lost several [okay, a LOT] of plants in the process since we didn’t pay her ask her to do anything extra: weeding, extra attention to certain vulnerable plants, etc. You are going to think I am nuts, and I probably am, but when I came back and saw the homestead here, I was a.) ecstatic that none of our chickens and ducks were dead, and b.) literally in tears that we lost a couple of rows in our garden, our expensive grape plants were totally dead and all of my seedling flowers had bitten the dust. Oh, and my new hanging baskets that were full of flowers had also mostly died out. I’m telling you…I was depressed over this! Not to mention, our son found some kittens that had died [and it totally freaked him out because they had started to, um, decompose]…and shortly after us returning home, the second set of ducklings-on-the-way were seized and eaten by what appears to have been a demon possessed raccoon.

*Sigh! You read that right. Remember when I wrote a while back about how Margaret Hatcher was expecting again? Yeah, well, she did a fabulous job with her nest. I mean, she faithfully sat on all of the eggs [I think there were about 13] for WEEKS! She sat through the wind, rain and sun…and would only get up to eat, drink and have diarrhea. What? Gross? Well, I saw her, okay? That’s what it looked and sounded like, if you can imagine a duck with diarrhea. Okay, so maybe she didn’t literally have the nasties, but she would have to go bad after all that setting and staring at the ground for most of the hours in a day. Here and there, I think she would notice when an unfertilized egg would start to go bad – and so she’d bust it open. Maybe she even ate the yolk from it, too. I watched her do that some, and then continue to sit. Then one day, we found a duckling still in an egg – and it didn’t make it. I don’t know what went wrong, but these sorta things happen a lot with hatching. I know, I know…it doesn’t make it any easier for the Momma Duck. The story just gets sadder. Not long after that, I went out one morning and found Margaret gone from her nest. It looked as though she had poked around through every egg and finally noticed that not a single one that was left was even fertilized! Oh my! Now…I am by no means a duck expert, but it seems like she would have known a lot sooner that most all of her eggs were unfertilized. Or am I wrong? I just question her setting on them for so long before figuring it out. We were all so sad over that because we had begun to prepare for more baby ducks and were eagerly awaiting their hatching.

And – you just read the other part of this story. Both Daisy and Margaret started new nests after we got home, but when they got off to take a break one late afternoon, a raccoon came and snatched up all of the eggs. I found the remains over on the opposite, far side of the yard. NOT PRETTY. So that’s it for now with the ducklings scenario. I’m not sure if what will happen next. We still really want both girls to hatch new ducklings this year!

Ah, but back to the yard sitchy. I have to say that this is all not so much my sister’s fault as it is…um…no one’s? It was impossible to have planned to suddenly go out of town like we did, and there was really no time for me to prepare my plants for me to be gone so much. I just hate that they missed me so bad that they dried up and spirited away!

So now you know where I’ve been. Gone and back again…and sad and upset over the loss of a family member…and then to come home to see how much we’ve lost around the homestead. It’s certainly a setback, but the only two choices we have are to either give up [which ultimately is no fun for anyone] or to pick our mess up off the floor and start all over again. Let’s go with option #2! That means we need to get busy!

We are expecting house guests just any day now, and the family has been busy preparing for their arrival, in addition to regular everyday busyness. I’ve been working on a few home projects, part of which you see below. Stay tuned to see what happens next around here!

Have a great, new week!

P.S. I still want some new ducklings in my life. If you have any extra, send them my way!

Life is too short to not enjoy it. Our family was reminded of that this past week when one of my mother-in-law’s brothers suddenly died of a heart attack. The family has been mourning his passing and figuring out how to move forward from here. In times like these, I am always humbled…and reminded of

[...CLICK for more article goodness!---->] Family [circa 2010]

Life is too short to not enjoy it. Our family was reminded of that this past week when one of my mother-in-law’s brothers suddenly died of a heart attack. The family has been mourning his passing and figuring out how to move forward from here. In times like these, I am always humbled…and reminded of the many blessings that I take for granted on a regular basis. Sad, but true. None of us – no matter our health, wealth, age or status – are promised tomorrow and I don’t want to be caught not living my life the way it’s meant to be lived. I want to enjoy every single second that I have with the people in my life and create happy memories that we can all look back on one day and say with a smile “Those were the days, right?”. I think that it’s important to have a lot of pictures to help jog those memories, and remember how your family looked through the different stages of life.

We took to the streets for some fun family shots, and here are just a few. My brother-in-law, Jon, landed himself a crash photography course from me. He didn’t even see this coming. Um…he didn’t seem to mind me bossing him around too much “You’ll need to pick up your shutter speed here…” – “Zoom in a bit and just get the top half of my face with the balloons…” – “Could ya run across this busy intersection and take about 200 shots of us doing this?” – “Let me see what you’ve got, because I think it might be too shadowy” – “Keep it balanced-” – “Make sure your focus is nailed”….See? He did a great job! If he wanted to go into photography, then I know he  could do this because he really showed some talent here. I love some of these so much that I am going to get them enlarged and printed up on canvas for our home!

Have a great weekend, okay? Go out and do something fun with the family and have someone take pics to record it. <3

So

[...CLICK for more article goodness!---->] Meet PeeWee Recently, we took a trip to our friends’ farm – Wes and Amy. If they lived closer than 45 minutes from us, I’d be over there bugging them more because I like their company and I like the company that they keep. They have all these animals, especially horses, since Wes is a skilled farrier.

So we got to meet this big dude, and I honestly can’t remember his name. I want to call him Charlie or Buckie or something. Anyway, he kinda intimidated me and wowed me at the same time. I was in love. From a distance. Honestly, the earth quakes slightly when this horsie steps across it. So I was afraid of getting stepped on if I got too close, yet I kept wanting to pet him or ride him or something.

And then some of our babies wanted to jump up there. This is their son Wyatt with our daughter Gianna. I couldn’t tell if Gianna was more impressed with the horse or with Wyatt. She was definitely enjoying it!

The Star was PeeWee, though. He pretty much had us all wishing we could take him home! Just take a gander at him to see what I mean:

See? Ain’t he a cutie? He’s got a LOT of hair, though! I was wanting to braid it all, but didn’t know if he went for that look or not. He’s been eating really well…REALLY well. So homeboy needed to walk off a few pounds and decided to let us tag along for the exercise.

So he geared up…

And backed up…

And – - [WATCH the HAIR, Dude!] Yeah, buddy. We all have Mane Jealousy. Continue!

So Big Wes is taking everyone out yonder for some excersin’! From left to right, it’s their two boys: Wyatt and Little Wes, and then our two boys: Nolan and Ethan. Oh, and it’s Gianna’s head at the bottom of the shot. At first, she was trying to tag along for this first ride but she had to wait her turn.

I have to admit to you that when I saw the boys tromping away rather quickly with PeeWee – and Little Wes was driving – I was kinda iffy about the whole thing. What if PeeWee has Midlife Crisis right there on their long driveway and decides to do something totally crazy? I don’t exactly know what a miniature horse is capable of with ‘going crazy’, but some thoughts did cross my mind about him trying to break free and run away with the cart and our boys on it.

Not PeeWee, though! He was as awesome as he could possibly be!

Yeah, Stud! You are my Prince in a miniature horse cart! Call me!

PeeWee even talked Corey into going for a spin! Now…I would have ridden with Corey to have a nice, romantic ride out…but PeeWee can only handle so much weight at one time. It’s not that I’m fat or anything. No. It’s just that, you know, we didn’t want to work him too much. We wanted it to be a relaxing jog for him and all. You know. So Gianna went with Corey because…she’s a little lighter than I am. They had fun having daddy ‘n daughter time together, too.

Ah, but lastly – I decided to hop in the cart and give PeeWee a go. Nervous? Yes. I briefly had visions again of PeeWee suddenly bucking and tearing off through the woods with me in the back getting busted up. Such drama in my mind at times. It scares me.

So when I started out, I went kinda slow and made sure that he listened to my every whim. PeeWee totally behaved himself! If I even just baaaarely pulled the reigns one way or another, it was like he was reading my mind and was already starting to go in that same direction as I pulled. Amazing. I went all the way down, turned him around and came back.

Dare I, though?? On the way back, I decided to see how fast he would go, so I slapped the reigns and yelled “YA YAAA!!” …….. and “YAAA!!” ForGET the nice, relaxing ride for PeeWee! Momma wanted to run it wide open! I can not BEGIN to describe to you how much fun it is to be in a cart behind a miniature horse and have him going wide open down a rustic gravel drive! I was literally coming OFF my seat because the ride was so bumpy! It was so much fun!

See?

I’m pretty sure that I scared the chickens. And speaking of visions, Wes must have envisioned me running PeeWee smack into a fence post with my crazy Indian ya-yas ‘n things! He seemed to look relieved that we made it back in one piece. PeeWee was sweating. Wes and Corey were sweating – just standing there. I thought I was in trouble. Nah, everything was fine! We might not ever get invited back out again, but everything is fine!

So…we want need a miniature horse ‘n cart now.

I’m not here today – I’m actually guest posting [for the first time ever!] over at Sandy’s blog, The Reluctant Entertainer. She’s been in my Links above for a while now, but if for some reason you’ve never checked out her blog before, then you certainly need to get on it – and add it

[...CLICK for more article goodness!---->] Simple Celebrations – on The Reluctant Entertainer

I’m not here today – I’m actually guest posting [for the first time ever!] over at Sandy’s blog, The Reluctant Entertainer. She’s been in my Links above for a while now, but if for some reason you’ve never checked out her blog before, then you certainly need to get on it – and add it to your Reader. She will definitely inspire you to be the best doggone hostess you could possibly be, encouraging a true love for family, home and hospitality.

I will be talking about how our family does simple parties – so be sure to click over and check it out. Don’t be nervous [like me]. Use that Comment button over on her blog to speak to me – and show the love! I will see y’all over there! <3

I had to use up ingredients tonight for pizza toppings, and this turned out to be such a winner that I knew I needed to share with ya! If you would like to see my how-to on making your own pizza, then just CLICK HERE to go to my past post about it.

So really

[...CLICK for more article goodness!---->] Parmesan Artichoke Pizza

I had to use up ingredients tonight for pizza toppings, and this turned out to be such a winner that I knew I needed to share with ya! If you would like to see my how-to on making your own pizza, then just CLICK HERE to go to my past post about it.

So really quick, this is all you need:

• Extra virgin olive oil
• salt crystals [or reg. sea salt], to taste
• fresh ground pepper, to taste
• dried oregano, to taste
• dried basil, to taste
• best grade mozzerella cheese, sliced
• parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• 1 can of artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
• half of white onion, thinly sliced
• mushrooms, sliced

After you’ve prepared your pizza dough on the pan, then pour on 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. Spread the love all around with your fingers, going right up to the edges of the crust. Shake on a little of your herbs and seasonings all over. Then add on your mozz. cheese and parmesan cheese. Last, add on the artichokes, mushrooms and onions. [If you do not like your mushrooms and onions on the soggy side, then it is important to add these toppings on LAST or else they won't crisp up in the oven as good! - Little tip there.]

Make it and love it!!

*I’m sharing this on Tasty Tuesday over at Balancing Beauty & Bedlam. Be sure to check out the other food shtuffs going on there, too!*