Rockhound Champs!!!

Kale with his team's trophy and his individual trophy.














Sunday was the big PeeWee and Midget tournament to end the baseball season. The boys look forward to this big day all season long. All the teams are from local towns and so the players pretty much know all the other players because they all go to school together. You can imagine the competitiveness this day brings to the boys.



Both teams played very well and provided some great games to watch. The other highlight of this tournament is that there is a swimming pool about 250 yards from the baseball field. Between games the boys head over to swim and play around to cool off while their sisters pretty much stay in the pool the whole day. It really couldn't be any better of a situation!


Both our teams came out the Champs and took home two HUGE trophies and also individual trophies as well. Very Cool!! I was so proud of the boys and their coach for all their hard work all summer.







PeeWee's
(Kale is standing in the back, the third player from the right)


















Midget's
(Trevor helped coach, he has on the white shirt)









Tonight the boys and the girls teams head to the pool to celebrate the end of yet another good year of ball games.


The kids are all done but my ladies team is in the second week of our tournament and Trevor's team will be starting their tournament this week. So, just a few more days of ball diamonds and then in a short while it will be football fields and volleyball courts.

My Personal Sanctuary

Girls...you have to get yourself one of these!! I absolutely love my little gazebo. It's not the biggest one they sell but not the smallest one either. It is so nice to go and just sit and look at a magazine, read a book, take a nap, or just sit and do nothing but have a cold beverage or a hot coffee. There's something so quaint about it that makes it very relaxing. The screen keeps the bugs out and it stays nice and shady (which is a huge necessity with the 90+ weather temps we've been having).


This is my second one. Last year I had one too but a nasty wind storm pretty much destroyed it. I was working in the field driving the tractor and it was heavy on my mind that my gazebo may be in jeopardy with such strong gusts of wind, but farmers just don't understand that harvest should be shut down for awhile to run home and tie down the gazebo. When I did get home that night I found my gazebo toppled over in a pile. I sat and cried because I knew it was ruined. I know - what a baby! But I loved my quiet times in my sanctuary. I had it tied down and staked down but the wind was just too much. This year it's tied even better and that baby isn't going anywhere.

I didn't know if Trevor was going to "let" me have another one or not but when I found this one on clearance I gave him my best "puppy dog eyes" and begged. Last year I set it up all on my own - how? I still have no idea how I managed to do it by myself. I guess I was just determined. This year Trevor helped me, which was good, I don't think I could have done this one on my own.

A little outdoor furniture and some plants to make it comfy cozy and your set. Awwwh....RELAXATION. I have a grape vine and a new perrenial flowerbed that I started last year behind it that makes for a pretty view. I admit though, I definitely haven't spent enough time in it yet this year. After this week both kids will be done with ball games and hopefully I'll have more evenings to spend at home. Of course then there's wheat harvest which we started yesterday......... Oh, sooner or later I'll find some quality time to hang out in my sanctuary.

What Have We Been Up To You Ask ?????

A little of this and a little of that......

Both kids qualified for State in the pedal tractor pull...

Triathlon!!

At the starting line....

heading out around the buoy....

(Kale has on the white shirt)

running hard to the finish line ....

Second Place!!!

A job well done.

Gave three of these to a nice family...YAY!!!

PARADE!

Waiting patiently for the candy...

Here come the boys...finally.

Swing hard Slugger!!

Swimming lessons test.....

Both kids passed - YAHOO!!

Went to Mpls to visit the in-laws....

played a little put-put...

shot some trap....

Kale shot trap for the first time and hit one...Atta Boy!!

Miss You Much!

My blogging break needs to continue another week. The kids have one more week of swimming lessons - which I don't get home until noon. When we get home it's off to the farm or catch up on things at home before heading out to ball games in the evening. My head is spinning in circles (more than usual) and I just haven't made the time to sit at the computer lately. I miss you all so much and can't wait for a rainy day to catch up. Speaking of rain - the crops could sure use some. The fields still look really good but a nice inch or two would really help the plants produce a bountiful crop.

How about this - school starts in about six weeks. YIKES!!! Oh, where did this summer go to? School supplies are out already too. I'm thinking of letting my kids just skip this whole year - think the State would mind? Just kidding! The other day, I was ready to send them to summer school! It turned out to be nothing that a spanking spoon couldn't handle.

Ever get to that point during the summer when the flower beds get a little neglected? I'm there. I feel like those stupid weeds just start reproducing the moment I pull one of their dear friends. Thank the Lord for my little roto-tiller. Trevor bought me one of these little buggers that I can get in and around my plants after my accident a few years ago. It's been a real help. I'm so far behind in pinching off the dead blooms on some of my flowers - do they make a tool that does that for ya? I've learned that really helps the plants bloom longer. Oh, and if that dog digs one more hole, and kills one more plant in my flower beds....well, I don't know what I'll do....I guess I'll just go buy more to replace them (the family would kill me if I killed that dog).....dumb dog!!!(actually it's a really good hunting dog and I am the one that bought it for Trevor so it's my own fault).

We moved the calves over to our place since we have the "perfect" little pasture for them. These are the calves that for some reason or another had to be taken from their moms and bottle fed. We have six of them. They are all eating on their own now except one that is still on a bottle. Kale's a BIG help with these buggers. He's pretty responsible with feeding them grain and making sure they have water.

Okay, now I'm just babbling on and I really need to get off this thing and get busy. I'll try to get pictures down-loaded off the camera and post some of the happenings in our lives lately. Oh, did I mention Kale and Danny got 2nd place in the Triathalon!!!!(more later on that).

I hope you are all having a great summer, getting some sunshine and enjoying family times. I miss you all so much - more than you know. You have all been such a great inspiration to me and have kept me going in life in ways you'll never know. It hasn't been an easy year for me - but thanks for the kind words you all share. They help me keep my head above the water.

Happy 4th of July!!

I hope you all have a great week and weekend. Enjoy some fireworks, take in a parade, catch a ballgame, have a picnic, splash in some water and enjoy time with family and friends. We'll be doing these things and a little more.