Time for a pool?

I haven't bought Kirsten a pool this summer. So she's been improvising & making her own little pool out of the dogs water bowl.

Adjusting to Country Life

We moved about 3 weeks ago. I'm slowly adjusting to life in the country. I'm loving the sunsets and the way it's so quiet out here. There are a few things that I'm NOT loving. Mostly, the snakes.

Anyone can tell you, I'm terrified of spiders. Up until a few days ago I would have told you that I wasn't scared of snakes. I certainly don't like them, but I wasn't scared of them. Turns out, I wasn't scared of them because I was never really around them. Snakes in aquariums are fine, they are contained. Snakes hiding beside your car, slithering past you in the pasture, and popping up while you are mowing are not okay! So far, we've seen six snakes and killed two. I'm sure I won't be able to keep count after a few months.

This morning our neighbor was grazing his calves on our pasture. He had about 60 cows out there and I needed to move some things down by the pond. I stuck my pistol in my back pocket and headed down for the pond. I just knew I would see a snake. But I made it to the pond and back safely. So I decided to plant some flowers in front of the house. I had my shovel in one hand and my gun in my pocket. As I was walking between my house & my car (under the carport) I nearly stepped in a snake! It was a 5 foot black rat snake. Nothing poisonous, but an ugly, scary snake nonetheless. I scared the snake as much as it scared me. I panicked! I ran away screaming like a sissy girl. The snake, probably extremely scared by my girlie screams, crawled under the house to hide. Fabulous.

So now I have a snake under my house. I know that the snake could have been living under the house this whole time, but now that I know it's there I am terrified! In my mind, I'm certain that the snake is going to sneak into the house, wind up on my bed or Kirsten's bed and kill us in our sleep. I'm sure of it. Irrational, yes, but it doesn't stop me from thinking it! I've been banging around the house all morning, hoping it will go back to the pasture and leave me alone.

As for the rest of my "adjusting", everything else is going fine. It's a little lonely out here. Friends don't pop in to say hello & that's something I miss. But seeing the smile on my little daughters face when she gets to see the cows, run outside, and go fishing is worth giving up the "city life". (not that we even really lived in a big city)

I'll just make sure to keep my boots on, keep my gun read, and have a shovel ready for the next time I see a pesky snake.

Bedtime Songs

When I was a little girl, I remember my parents rocking me to sleep every night. They sang me bedtime songs like Rock-a-bye baby & Hush Little Baby.

Now that I have my own little girl she also wants me to sing songs to her before bed. Her requests: Oklahoma & Henry the VIII. I can't make these things up.

What songs do you sing your little ones before bed?

Clear Spring Road

My husband and I have been looking at houses for the past three and a half years (since we got married). He's not much of a "city guy" and I'm not much a "country girl". I'd say I grew up in a small town (15,000ish people). He'd say that he grew up in a small town (2,000ish people).

We live in my small town. It's where we met. I was working at the courthouse. He was working at the jail. Ahhh, love at first sight. You know how it goes.

Anyway. After years of looking at houses out in the country, we have tried every way we know to find a compromise on where to live. I prefer to be closer to town, but on the outskirts of town, close enough to get to the store in about 5 minutes. He's perfectly fine with being an hour from the store.

He needs horses and animals. Our daughter NEEDS a pig (so she thinks). I need a safe place that I won't be worried about burglars or tornadoes. After all, we do live in Oklahoma.

Back to my story. It seemed like we could find a perfect house, but the land wouldn't be good, or the area wouldn't feel "right". Or we could find great land with a crummy house. Good price, poor house. Or the an amazing house& land, but ridiculous price!

So, three and a half years later, we made a compromise. It's 20 minutes from my home town, about 10 minutes from a grocery store, 3 minutes from a convenient store, and plenty of land for our (soon to be) horses & the pig.

The house was small, but the area was safe, the land was pretty, and it had two stocked ponds. So, my husband was sold on the stocked ponds and the rest is history. Our closing date is about a month away and so far, every thing is going smoothly.

This is the house, a little 3 bedroom house on a long dirt road. We are the only house on the road (that's not my car)

This is the back of the house

This is the storm cellar. Evidentally I have to go in there during bad weather. Terrifying, right? It's very clean, but I don't know that I will be able to go down there. Thankfully, I have the best mother in the world. She will help me put lights in it & probably a storm radio. Plus, she will make sure there aren't any spiders down there.

This is the barn and one of the ponds (it's the smaller pond, but still much bigger than it looks here).

So, life will soon be very different for us. I'm very excited. Also wondering how we will take care of 15 1/2 acres, since I only have a push mower as of now.

If you are keeping track, I need a tractor, 3 horses, and a pig.

While I was doing laundry...

Do you ever start doing your husbands' laundry and end with thoughts of what happened to these clothes?

I found this shirt and all sorts of questions came to me.

Did he set himself on fire at work last night and not tell me about it?

Did he fall into a vat of acid?

Was he attacked by someone with a cigarette?

What happened to these jeans?! Surely he would want to throw them away (but I was wrong, he's going to keep them). Should I sew them up? Was he attacked in prison? (hehe. ewwww...)

Hogs, Sisters & Cupcakes

It's been a whirlwind since Paul got home from the rig. We've been going non-stop! I love it!

One of the great things about marrying into a BIG family is that there are always people around. I only have one brother, so it's nice having tons of sister-in-laws, brother-in-laws and new cousins around.

Saturday we met up with some of Pauls' family. First we went to a friends house and killed a hog they had caught. (I'll spare you the pictures of that!) But here's a picture of the momma hog and her babies. We caught two of the babies and are keeping them to fatten them up. Tomorrow we are going to our cousins house to build those little hoggies a pen.

After the slaughter, we headed to my in-laws to smoke the hog. In our family, we turn it into a day long event. It's so much fun! ALL of the kids are just running around like wild animals and the adults sit in their lawn chairs and spend the entire day outside. I'm sure we all look like a bunch of rednecks. I actually turned into a redneck yesterday, well, atleast my neck did turn red. I thought I was turning red because I'd had a beer, but turns out I was just getting sunburnt. (One drink of alcohol will turn my fair skin fire red!)

The kids had some jello snacks, and evidently mine was raised by wolves and forgot how to use silverware. Hands work just as good, right?

By marrying Paul, I gained five sisters and one brother. So we've got a big family. Big Christmas gatherings and big birthday gatherings! This is my sister-in-law Bridgett. She's a month older than me. So she'll get to turn 30 before I will. =)

This is the best part about having lots of family, the kids! After dinner, the kids were hyped up and all started climbing on the Jeep. Don't worry, the keys weren't in it!

Lastly, today we went to another cousins 1st birthday party. Here's Miss Kirsten scarfing down a cupcake. Her face is still stained blue.

Trip to see the Pioneer Woman

On Valentine's Day, Ree Drummond was in Dallas, so Paul took me shopping, to an early dinner, and then off to meet Ree!

To our surprise, Marlboro Man was there too! (This is Pioneer Womans' husband)