Coloring Week! CHF Week #1 Challenge

I'm Reaching for the Stars!

I've been coloring in my 'free' time... It's the current's week challenge at the CHF Big Ol' Honkin' 5 week challenge going on! Tee Hee!

The special 'this week's challenge' gallery is getting busy! Lots of beautiful goodies in there!

Of course, this means, for me, I am not doing any other of my favorite challenges (Hero Arts, Caardvarks, 2Peas)... not until I get the CHF 'project of the week' done and under wraps!

Focus. Focus. Focus.

All I can share right now, is that I have been playing with trees, and coloring with them with different colors to see which ones I like...

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Life At the Ranch:

It's been absolutely gorgeous! Summer is here!

I am such a California girl. I love my sunshine.. And water... Oh the combo package!

Heaven.

But, summers fly by!

My 'free' time is very sparse right now! Serious 'busy' going on!

My Report: Day 1 At the New Job:
I woke at 4am and was so darn excited!
I am one lucky lucky lucky gal.
I went for a walk... did some work at the ranch, and went to my new job. I am working there 20+ hours a week.
This is the place where I taught my recent scrapbook/altered art classes. Yippee!

My boss asked for my 'perfect' schedule.. and then she adjusted everyone's schedules around it... (note to self - give boss lady a big fat kiss - or box of chocolates! And, some goodies for co-workers for being so accommodating of new chick on the block!)...

Oh my gosh.. Just typing it makes me want to cry! She is so awesome!!!!!!! ( I'm also tired from all the awesomeness going on!)...


How on earth does anyone work a full-time job? And be a mom, wife, house-cleaner, gardener, etc. etc.??? Granted, my lifestyle is a little skewed.. and my 'jobs' are not your run of the mill jobs, either! Like yesterday... Seven hours at my new job (it's actually our local scrapbook/copy/ship/mail store - and let me tell ya, we were heavy on the shipping and lifting thing! Crud. I never sat down. And lunch is only 30 minutes. I'm going to be napping on my lunch minutes!) .. I went to my job AFTER I put in a few at the ranch... (I 'herded' a cow and three calves out of my yard, made lamb milk, started laundry, cleaned the kitchen.. prepped a ranch deposit... stuff like that...)

My Dogs Were Barking when I got home!!!! But they are happy dogs!

Too bad the dogs didn't get to park (rhymes with bark) until about 8pm!

I got to cook dinner, clean the kitchen again, mix lamb milk, etc. etc...

But I did get to bed at a decent hour...

Because I had to get up at 4am to do the Chicken Run again! That's what I'm calling it! My Tuesday Chicken Run!

Tee hee!

So Wednesday's Line up you ask? Work at the day job until 2:30 pm; then do the local Farmers Market (I have one hour between the two) until 6:30 pm. Home at 8pm...

It's crazy - but for those of you that think I'm insane, it's just during the summer...I promise!

Then, the markets will slow down and I can as well.

Hey! Maybe I'll loose some poundage with all this stuff!

Hmm....

Cornish Heritage Farms Summer Stamp Star Design Challenge!!

OK all my stamping pals!

Starting Monday, June 29th, the good peeps at Cornish Heritage Farms are having a 5 week long design challenge.

Each week a new challenge is posted. (The challenges are posted now, but you can only load one project per challenge, to the correct special gallery)...

Each week one lucky person will win, and get $50 in shopping bucks! That's five winners!

At the end, one winner will be selected to be their guest designer for September! AND that lucky person will be using all the new stamps released for that month! Swoony swoon swoon!!!

AND, every single person that entered every single week, will get a 25% discount on their orders after the contest has ended!!!

YIPPEEE!!!!!!!!! We are all winners!!!!

I'm in! Are you?
Here, let me link you up:
Here's a link to the place with all the info: Farm Fresh Blog
This is the place where all the goodies are available for sale: Cornish Heritage Farms
And, here is where you can find the message boards, gallery, etc.

Hope to see you playing!!!!

A Week In Review - (In Crazy Land!)

Monday
Practicing for the 4H Foods Breakfast Contest

Daily
Meet Litte June, Big June, Lola and Little Lola
A few Days of Prep....
In order to make sour dough pancakes for the 4H Foods contest,
we had to 'wake up' the starter dough 'hooch' that has been hiding in
the depths of the refrigerator.
Sour Dough pancakes are a winter thing here. And Dick is the chef.
The winter is the only time he has time!
So, my job, was to wake the girls (Lola, and Stella - who committed suicide, and now our newest batch - June). Stella's container broke during the wake-up call. So she got tossed.
So June was born. Now, that the contest is over, Lola and June have little clones
for 'emergencies'. No more suicides allowed.
Anway, for about a week, I had to feed them every 12 hours, and get pancake lessons underway!
All this for 4H...
Boy oh boy. What's worse? Feeding lambs or sourdough?
Both during one season is enough to drive you crazy!

Wednesday
At the 4H Foods Contest - Getting Grilled by the Judge
Sami and Jake had their first contest at 8am.
They cooked their breakfast - served it - cleaned up -
within the 2 hour time frame.
They were the most organized, most professional,
and most 'together' of all the contests...
Happy mommy, happy mommy, happy mommy.
Rumor has it.... They got Grand Champion!

The Chef's in Action

Sami Later, at 1:00 pm - Doing the Make it With a Mix Contest
Here she is remaking her peanut butter chocolate bars!
These babies have been getting gobbled up each night
with ice-cream!
I have gained at least 5 lbs.
She rocked!!!!!!!!

Back To Breakfast - Lots of stuff here!
We only had 1 casualty.
One of my cowboy juice glasses got broken.
Oh well.
A great sacrifice.

Their Set Table, with the Food

Thursday
My goofball family
Serious goofs. Enlarge the photo.
I dare you.
Jake is 'flipped over'.

Friday
Jake jammin' with some street musicians at the Pendleton
Farmer's Market

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This past week was a doozy.

I left you one week ago with our Father's Day events. That was last Sunday!

On Monday:
We had to practice for all the 4H contests the kids were in. The kids had to make their breakast (sourdough pancakes, bacon, juice, strawberries) and set the table, and clean.

On Tuesday:
I woke at 4am. Helped Dick load chickens, and I left at 5am. With 25 chickens. I drove them to New Plymouth, Idaho, to get processed. Joy. Oh! Then I got to pickup 100 baby chicks in Caldwell, Idaho. They peeped the whole way home - 2 hours, in the cab of the pickup. I tried to share their songs with my sis on the phone but for some reason when I chatted, they got real peepless! Little stinkers. Got home in the afternoon. Started packing all the 4H boxes for the contests. Went back to town to get more supplies for the ranch and contests. Sami made her poster.

On Wednesday: This Was the Most Stressful Day of the Week!
Woke at 4 am. Again. Loaded up all the 4H boxes. Printed out recipes, did the cost conversions, etc. Got the kids up at 6am for chores. We hit the road at 7:15 am. First contest: 8 am until 10 am. 2nd contest: 11 am. Third contest: 1pm.

Let me tell you. Those kids did so so so good! They were so doggone tired after their breakfast (it was the hardest event) - that I had to sweet talk them into hanging in there - they were ready to call it quits! I told them the rest would be easy, and a trip to the park with fancy cold drinks sure helped!!!

We got home late. And we all took naps until 5pm!!!

Thursday:
My Town Day. And it just so happens I got a job offer!

Friday:
Pendleton Market
And, I accepted the job!

Saturday:
La Grande Market

Sunday:
Yard Work.
4H Meeting.

And here I am!

I have lots and lots to share with you!

My new job... I will tell you about it in another post! The highlights are: I get to wear jeans, T-Shirts, order scrapbook supplies, teach crafty classes, and help the business grow.. Again, those are the highlights! OH! And my boss is just like me - she has a husband who thinks she is super woman, and she puts family and her kid's events first, and she is totally willing and understanding to work around my crazy schedule.. if it's a school event, ranch event, farmers market, or WHAT EVA... And I will be making more money than my last stuffy job!!!! Yippeee!!!!!!!!

And, starting tomorrow, I am also participating in a 5-Week Summer Stamp Star Design Challenge! Deets coming in another post!!!! Yippeee!!!!

Love ya.
Wish we could do lunch!

Can you tell I am loving life?????

Our Father's Day Picnic

Morning Sun Kissing the Apple Tree

5 am - Morning Sun
View of the East

The Sun Hitting the House

Cherry Pie!
Finally found cherries at yesterday's Farmers Market in La Grande
(I've been searching!)

Sami and Jake
Practicing their fancy Napkin Folds
(Preparing for this week's 4H Foods Contest!)

Our Father's Day Picnic

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Our Father's Day tradition is to take a picnic down to the Warm Springs Creek and have a lovely, lazy, enjoyable sunny feast. A few dogs come along to join us, and after our lunch the kids play in the creek catching tadpoles or other treasures while Dick takes a short nap before returning to work...

But not this year!

We woke to a gorgeous peak of sun.

Just a peak.

And it rained most of the day. It was cold! And wet!

But that did not stop us!

We still made our feast (4 hours in the kitchen to make lamb bbq ribs, potato salad, a cherry pie, and a new dessert Sami tried out for this week's 4H Cooking Contest).

We are still stuffed.

And, we wore summer clothes for the 'effect'. I am back in my warm toasty clothes!!!

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The latest project?

We have lots of work to do to practice for the 4H Foods Contest that is this Wednesday! ACK! The first contest is at 8:00 am, breakfast. Crudola. AFTER we feed the lambs and all the other chores, we have to somehow get to town (17 miles away, with all the food stuff, by 8:00 am!)...



So far we have practiced: Setting a table, measuring, loading and unloading foods in the oven, and Sami did one of her recipes.

Thank YOU Northridge Media!!! Big Shot

Woah? What's This?
A Big Shot and Lots of Dies!
And extra goodies!!!
Thanks Tammy!!!!!

This is the inside of the Box
It had to sit like this for a week until Sami & I could play!
Yep. Tonight was play night!

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A big box arrived exactly a week ago!

I didn't get to open it until Saturday...

Oh my! Check out all the goodies that were in that one Box! Tons of stuff!

So so so fun! My gosh... Sami and I just started playing about an hour ago. Those embossing plates are fun!!!!!! And my gosh those cutting dies really cut!



So where did this box of goodness come from, you ask?

This is from my huge big win on the ever so generous Simply Handmade Blog. That's a link to the post that announced my big win!

Love it!

What a machine!

And Thank you again, Northridge Media!

Seasons of a Boy - Mini Album

Front

Spring

Summer

Fall

Winter

I created the above little mini album last weekend for Jen Gallacher's 'Make Mine Mini' Week 1 Class on the 2Peas Education Board.


Instead of 7 days in a week, I did the season's of a boy...

Supplies: K&Co Raw Chipboard Album, Ranger Distress Inks, Prima 'Dude Collection' papers, rubons, epoxy stickers and ribbon; 2peas 'Old Type'font; Dymo Sticker maker; Uniball White Pen; SU scallop punch.

Thanks for looking!!!

Layout - She is Home

She Is Home - With Nature
Layout for this week's Hero Arts 'DieCut' Challenge
Diecuts used: Cricut cartridges Home Accents and Graphically Speaking
The 'home', 'nature', butterflies and large parenthesis are all diecuts

Stamps: Hero Arts & Cornish Heritage Farms

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I'm finally sharing a layout made with the assistance of my new Cricut Expression...

Believe me, it's getting lots of usage.. or shall we say, practice! I now have a folder full of all sorts of fun diecuts that Sami and I have been making...

Latest News from the Ranch:
Phew! I am dragging my knuckles over here! It's Sunday, 5:45 pm.. And I am still in my jammies... Thank goodness for rainy days following a hectic 'market run'!

Three nights in a row I did not get home until about 10:30 pm...and then to bed at 11 pm. And, it is finally showing.

It's been raining for days! Yep. At the markets, too.

My Canopy is in the garage, waiting for some sunshine so it can dry out!

And, last night I taught a scrap altered class (Dad Clock)... in addition to the Crop Til You Drop (I lasted until 10pm)...

So, tonight is lamb stew, and some good mindless TV!

Thanks for the visit!
Hope you have sunshine!!