Happy Momma Moments

May & June were pretty awesome....  and I haven't taken time to share.  

Here you go - in no particular order!

Kind of a rare event to have all four of them at home at once these days...  this was FUN!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

She & Stacy had a very successful shopping trip!

Hanging out watching the Lake.  Peace.

This is where I go in my mind when I need a Calgon moment.

Alecia & M'Lynn enjoyed some relaxation as much as Mom.

6th Grandchild learning in the time honored tradition on G'pa's lap!

I think every frog should be given a boat ride before being released!

#1 son's cheering section at State Trap Shoot.  He tied his PR in the second round! :) 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am sooo proud of the kids and the way the worked together this weekend.

There's a long story involving tears over the health of Ms. Velvet.

I'll spare you the details. 

Just know the kids did awesome.

And we spoil our cows in their old age.

We love 'em like family.

And one gratis puppy photo.

Every morning, immediately after I leave this spot.....

Nope.  Not jealous.  Not at all.....

Oh, Goodness, I do love watching the baby calves!

We have five more expectant mothers to go and we will be done for the year.  

My Hubby will be done watching the cameras through the night when one of our cows is "close".

The girls will be done watching new mommas to make sure all is well with their milk supply.

Oh, and that all of the after-birth things happen correctly with no infection.

And that the calf is doing well - nursing, bodily functions, walking.  You know, the basics. :)

So many big and small steps and tasks that we do without thought.

And we love it.  Truly.

It does, however, consume most of our time.

Moving from maternity pen to birthing pen

from birthing pen to newborn pen

from newborn pen to big kid pen

from big kid pen to breeding pen (just for Momma cows, relax)

from breeding pen to bull exposure pen.

Every move requires that we make sure the water tank is of sufficient size

that there is adequate bunk space for all

Oh, and recalculating what each pen gets for grain and hay and such

many times it means cleaning the pen and re-bedding

We don't always get to time these things for good weather,

sometimes, we don't even get to choose daylight hours!

We're heading into hay making season, now that planting is done.

We can't just spend time on the animals, 

we need to make sure they have something to eat for the whole year.

It is a passion that our family shares and loves.

We bond over building fence and chasing cows

moving hay and cleaning mows

sore muscles and feeding mouths.

So how lucky am I that my family supports me in my new passion?

That they cheer me on in my Norwex adventure that takes time from my farm support staff role?

Pretty Damn Lucky.

And who would ever have thought that one person would be blessed with two careers to love?

Yep, Damn Lucky!

Truly, it is time for SPRING!!

Here they are again, my personal harbinger of Spring.  Love this Pussy Willow tree! Even though our temps are below normal and there are piles of snow here and there, this gives me the assurance we'll see green and lovely again!

Oh the joys of a 20 year sort!!  

This was just one of the treasures we found as we sorted through the accumulation of 20 years in the same home.  We were exhausted at the end of three very long days of opening, sorting, throwing and stowing, however, it was a perverse sort of fun going through all those memories with the kids and hubby.  The feeling of accomplishment when we reduced by more than 3/4 was soooo worth it!  I think, going forward, all of us will be more inclined to really analyse the importance of a "thing" down the road.  Perhaps a photo to capture the moment or accomplishment would suffice? 

 

I rewarded the girls with pedicures when we were all done - they stood alongside me through every hour of every day and didn't complain about their hijacked spring breaks once.

             

Our beloved "golden girls" are aging and I miss having farm fresh eggs - so in the midst of the 20 year sort, we bought some chicks.  They are now happily out in the hen house and growing quickly.  I can't wait for fresh eggs!

And, finally, our other sure indication that Spring has arrived - a new baby calf - complete with protective Momma!.  I love this time of year on the farm!

And what would Spring be without the urge to get into a good deep Spring Clean?!

I am so blessed to be using products that keep our family from coming into contact with toxic chemicals.  And WOW do they save time.  I do ALL the windows in our two story farm house in the time it used to take me to do the one big window in the living room.  No Joke.  

And the wonders of the mop system with Spring Mud make my heart sing!  Muddy paw prints (two legged and four legged!) - POOF! You're outta here!  No stress, just water and Norwex Microfiber.  Love it!

Maybe it's time for an update.....

January 30th 2013 Rocked my world.  Such a simple decision - to join the growing Norwex mission - has blessed me beyond measure in a year.  "Norwex checks all my boxes" is something that often comes out of my mouth when I talk to people. Since I'm a list person, this analogy makes sense in my silly brain.

What does that mean to me? 
* Company core values are something that resonates with me 
* Eliminating toxins in homes is a particular passion of mine - and has been for a long time 
* I can make a difference in our household budget and average about $75/hour. Totally worth my time - and I paid nothing to start.  I've actually never invested any non-Norwex money into my business.
* Recognition. The value of this to me personally surprised me. It feels good to be appreciated and encouraged. It doesn't hurt when they send free stuff, either, does it?!

* Meeting new people - at parties and at training - has been wonderful!

* Absolutely amazing support - Norwex is ready for you to be successful and they provide the tools to make it easy.  Seriously.  EASY.

The plan is to post a little more regularly. Share some of the amazing information that I am learning and what using Norwex can mean to you and your family.  For now, I'll just leave it as "life changing" for me and for my family and encourage you to do some clicking.  :)  

Learn More Here

Life is good at the Knapp Funny Farm