Wordless Wednesday...Spring Break Play

We are having Spring Break this week but someone forgot to tell that to the weather!

But Hamp has got to play in his rain boots...

It's Here AGAIN!

After another 365 days, it's back...

That day that I never could wait for as a child...

But have started to dread the older I get.

The dread is not because I find myself another year alive, but that I'm another year for being a child!

Yes, today is my birthday!

The day I came into this world after much conviencing from my Daddy!

You see my mother, if it had been up to her, would never of had children.  Now, don't misunderstand me, I have the BEST Moma in the world!  She is just not the "mothering" type, the one you liked having tons of kids running around.  Now, my Daddy probably would have had a house full kids!

I had the best childhood...

And every birthday brings me further and further from those carefree, fun days!

The smells, the faces, the memories are starting to fade oh so slowly with each passing birthday...

But I always remember what my Grannymom use to say about a birthday...

Don't hide it, embrase it!

You are one year older than you were the year before so tell 'em all how old  you are!!

Yes, my dear friends, I have been a member of the 40 club for the past year...

And proud of it!!

For my birthday, I would like it if you all could take a few moments to Vote for my blog at TopMommyBlogs!

Thanks for the present!

The Over Roosting Rooster

Our little white rooster, Whitey or Fred--he answers to both, has been being an over eager rooster.

Let's just say that he KNOWS he's king of the chicken pen!

Let's just call him "Whitey Cassanova"!

Well, my poor hens are showing the proof of his "roosting" on thier backs by the loss of their feathers.  I don't think they call him "Cassanova"...

I told Hubby that something HAD to be done...

us girls have got to stick together you know...

I would be so embrassed if I had a bare butt all the time, wouldn't you?

So after a half an hour of chasing, we caught Whitey and took him to our friend Jeff.

Hubby and Jeff getting Whitey ready for a spur trim.

Jeff and Hubby working together, trimmed up Whitey's spur. 

If you look real close you can see Jeff holding Whitey's spur.  It's a big one!

The spur is a like an extra sharp toenail that roosters have to fight for their hens.  These spurs are sharp and when the roosters are "roosting" on thier hens, they end up scratching the hens feathers off.

Look at Whitey's right foot.  The spur is just above his four toes.  It's a lot smaller now!

Now Whitey is back to being "Cassanova" and I know I heard the hens say...

"Thank You!"

Wordless Wednesday...Dirty Working Boy

What happens when little boy goes to work with Daddy...

Do you think he looks like his Daddy?

It's amazing what soap and water can do...

Ever Wonder Where All That Stuff in the Toilet Goes?

May I start the post by saying...

If you have city or county sewage (that's where you pay for sewage on your water bill)...

Please, go hug your toilet!!

Now let me explain my reasoning behind this...

We live in the county (ie...country).

We don't have a sewer line we can tap into...

We have a septic tank...

a crap holder...

a (please cover the children's eyes and ears here) shit holder...

a BIG tank in the ground that you never see until you smell it!!

Yes, be thankful if you don't have to have a septic tank...

because this is what will happen to your back yard if you start to smell it...

It will become a mud hole because your husband can't remember where he buried it!

You need to hug the meter-reader guy every month he comes to read your sewage usage...

You need to kiss that sewage bill every month so you don't have to find this...

We are close, aren't we?

I don't show just anybody my septic tank!

But there it is!!

It has caused my back yard to go from a beautiful yard of green grass, to a yard of red mud!

You never worry about where that stuff in the toilet goes until you smell that smell...and you wish you had city sewage...

Hubby says he's got it fixed....we'll see...

St. Patty's Day Concert Fun

wwOn St. Patty's Day, Grandmoma and I went to see a FABULOUS concert!  It was the 5th in the Northeast Georgia Community Concert Series.

Now, since it was St. Patrick's Day, I wore my green to the concert.

But my friend Connie decided to take it to another level...

She has really come out of her shell lately!

After a great meal, we sat down for an unbelievable show with a cappella singing group called Chapter 6.

These 6 guys made this St. Patty's Day one to remember!

They were absolutely FABULOUS!!

Thier music ranged from gospel to musiclas to pop to just plain fun!

They really got the audience into the show...

I really thought Joann and Inez were going to take these cuties home!!

As they went through the concert, they shared their story of how they became a group and most importantly, their faith jounery.  They made no bones about how blessed they were to be able to share their talents.  They definitely put God first in their lives on and off the stage!

Check out this YouTube clip to get an idea how great they are...

This is one of the best all around concerts that I have been to in a long time!  And one that I would definitely recommend to everyone!

Not only did Chapter 6 give a great concert but they were wonderful to meet and greet after the concert!

I can't wait to have them come back to Toccoa!!

One of My Favorite Spring Trees

This is probably one of my favorite trees!

If not my favorite tree, at least my favorite species...

This is my Magnolia stellata.

Magnolia stellata or commonly known as the Star Magnolia.

There are over 500 varies of Magnolia, most being native to Asia.  The oldest found seed to be sprouted and grown was a variety of Magnolia that was over 100 million years old!

The variety and beauty of this species fascinates me...

Star Magnolia are known for their star-like blooms in early spring.

The Star Magnolia is a great small shrub tree that doesn't get much higher than 10 to 20 feet.  It has an almost oval shape and needs very little pruning.  If you must prune, do so after blooming.

They like deep, organic soils and may need a little protection from late winter frost.  Putting thick organic mulch in early fall and early spring will help to keep the Star Magnolia healthy and happy.

The most attractive feature of the Magnolia stellata is its blooms!  The blooms are a milky white color in the shape of a star with 10 to 12 thin linear petals attached at the center of the bloom.  It will start blooming as young as one or two years old.

But what makes them truly spectacular is that the Star magnolia blooms in the late winter early spring, usually with the daffodils and before it puts on leaves.  It can be breath-taking to see a grown tree in full bloom in the early spring just before anything else is putting on leaves!  It is a sweet little tree that truly shines in any landscape!



Even though the buds have some purple, the bloom opens up to a pure, creamy white.



Let me know if you have a favorite tree, shrub, or flower that you would like me to do a feature on!

The New Frigerator

My old refrigerator died.

Not a quick death...

But a slow, deliberate death!

On it's last few days, I had to put everything in the refrigerator compartment in the freezer compartment.  Thank goodness I have a chest freezer or I would have lost everything in my refrigerator freezer!

I'm trying to eat everything in the refrigerator before it all goes bad.

In doing this, I end up eating something that had gone bad.

You don't want to know how I found out...

Let's just say it was like having food poisoning, just not as bad...

Well, after waiting 2 LONG weeks, my new refrigerator came!

The delivery crew got my old one out and the new one in, in less than 15 minutes!!  They were the nicest and best delivery crew I have ever seen!

Now, I have all the room I need with extra to spare!

And this refrigerator WORKS!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all my "groupies"!

Don't forget to wear your green and hunt for your four leaf clover!!

Wordless Wednesday...The Faces of Knox

Knox at a rare day out at Burger King...

I think he liked it!

They're Here...

Sunday, as we were getting ready for church the phone rang...

On the other end of the phone was a man from the post office.  He was calling to tell us that he had a shipment for us...

Our chickens were here!!

I had to play handbells in the late service and needed to leave for practice.  Hubby was going to have to go...

Without me, but with BOTH boys!!

(They were too excited for church!)

Thank goodness Saturday we had gotten the brooder ready.  All Hubby and the boys had to do was put the chicks in the brooder and fill up the waterer and feeders.

Are they not the cutest things??

We'll be keeping them in the brooder for the next 4 weeks and then we'll move them out to the pasture.  Hopefully by August we'll be in the fresh pastured egg business!

Hamp is loving watching after our new chicks too!

Head over to see my friend Sharlene at Rockin' Chair Reflections.  She mentioned me in her lastest post!!

Ash Wednesdy

Wednesday night, we went to church as normal but after our regular supper we took part in the beginning of the Lenten Season. 

We had Ash Wednesday Services. 

This is the forty days before the death and resurection of Jesus Chirst.  It's a great time to look back and reflect on how we are living our lives. 

Do we need to think more of others than ourselves?

Do we spend more time on the computer or in front of the TV than with our families?

Are we the good stewards of the Earth that God wants us to be? 

Many of us use Lent as a time to give up something like chocolate, sweets, sugar, Facebook, coffee, Twitter, soft drinks. 

But I think we have lost the meaning of why we "fast" from the things we enjoy during the Lenten season.  When we make the decision to fast during lent, we also need to take the time to redirect our lives.  We need to redirect our lives in the direction that we need to go to be closer to God.  Being closer to God will also bring us closer to our families and those we charish the most.

Are we the person God put us on the Earth to be?

Are we heading toward the purpose that God has set for us?

Are we being good stewards to the world God put us in?

Are we being the examples God needs us to be?

Lent is not just the time to give up but the time to reflect up.  Reflect on our family, our lives and our walk with our God.  I challenge you to make this Lenten season a time for you to reflect and redirect your life into the life that is meanigful for you and those you come in contact with everyday! 

Happy Lent!

Wordless Wednesdy...The Cupcake

My so-called friend, Taleshia, gave Hamp a cupcake the other day.

This is the results...

(By the way, Taleshia is still my friend, but she better be glad she doesn't have a little one! LOL!)

Needing Some Bloggers to Help

I need some help from my "groupies"!!

I have some new poll questions that I would like to have as many people as possible to answer.

I'm debating some upcoming posts, and the feedback I get from these poll questions will help me norrow down these posts.

Please take a minute or two to answer the poll questions on the right side.

Thanks for the HELP!!

Made in America

I ran this post last week and was floored at the little amount of comments I recieved.  I thought I would rerun it.  I feel this is a really important issue that each one of us can help change and if we ALL do this, we can make a HUGE impact!  Will you join in?

Look at the computer you are using and find where it was manufactured...

I will make a guess that 99% of them are NOT made in America.

Look at the lamps in your living room or bedroom...

I bet they aren't made in America either!

I know all of us know someone who has lost a job or have lost a job ourselves.  If you could help yourself or someone else get a job by simple buying American products would you?

ABC News has been doing an eye opening series called Made in America.  This has been an eye opening series for me and I think it would be eye opening for all of you!

ABC News states that if every American spends $64.00 a year on American made products...

We could together put 200,000 Americans to work!

Wow!

Now that's not all the people that need jobs, but what do you think if we each spend a little more in a year???

You, Me, and everyone else CAN make a difference in this lagging economy!!

Wow!

It would require a change in how many of us shop.  But what if that small change could put us and our neighbors to work!!

Wow!

Just think...

If we started asking for American made products, don't you think that stores would start buying American made products!

Just think...

If we started looking and buying American made products, the prices for these will go down because the demand will go up!

Just think...

If we started questioning why our favorite stores are not buying American, these stores would start questioning their manufactures for American made products.

Wow!

This is something that won't happen over night...

It may mean paying a little more for an item...

We can make a difference and put our neighbors to work...

BUT IT MEANS WE ALL NEED TO WORK TOGETHER

We need to...

ALL BUY AMERICAN!!!

My family and I are going to take on a challenge that I want to challenge everyone that reads this...

We are going to look at everything we buy...

We are going to buy American made products in our favorite stores...

We are going to ask for American products when we don't see them...

We are going to search on the web for alternative American products where possible...

We are going to put Americans back to work!!

Wow!

Will you join us?

Will you help put Americans back to work?

Will you and your family take the challenge??

Now if you have been watching the ABC News reports, you know that there are some products that are no longer made in America.  Maybe if enough of us start asking, these products will start to be manufactured again in the USA.  It won't hurt to try!!



Friday Funnies: The Dancing Mechanic

I ran an errand for my Hubby the other day.

When I got back, this is how I found him...

No.  That's not him with his back to the camera.

All you see are his feet!  He was in that position for almost 30 minutes.

I thought he looked like a ballerina dancing on her head!!

Want to Put People to Work?

Look at the computer you are using and find where it was manufactured...

I will make a guess that 99% of them are NOT made in America.

Look at the lamps in your living room or bedroom...

I bet they aren't made in America either!

I know all of us know someone who has lost a job or have lost a job ourselves.  If you could help yourself or someone else get a job by simple buying American products would you?

ABC News has been doing an eye opening series called Made in America.  This has been an eye opening series for me and I think it would be eye opening for all of you!

ABC News states that if every American spends $64.00 a year on American made products...

We could together put 200,000 Americans to work!

Wow!

Now that's not all the people that need jobs, but what do you think if we each spend a little more in a year???

You, Me, and everyone else CAN make a difference in this lagging economy!!

Wow!

It would require a change in how many of us shop.  But what if that small change could put us and our neighbors to work!!

Wow!

Just think...

If we started asking for American made products, don't you think that stores would start buying American made products!

Just think...

If we started looking and buying American made products, the prices for these will go down because the demand will go up!

Just think...

If we started questioning why our favorite stores are not buying American, these stores would start questioning their manufactures for American made products.

Wow!

This is something that won't happen over night...

It may mean paying a little more for an item...

We can make a difference and put our neighbors to work...

BUT IT MEANS WE ALL NEED TO WORK TOGETHER

We need to...

ALL BUY AMERICAN!!!

My family and I are going to take on a challenge that I want to challenge everyone that reads this...

We are going to look at everything we buy...

We are going to buy American made products in our favorite stores...

We are going to ask for American products when we don't see them...

We are going to search on the web for alternative American products where possible...

We are going to put Americans back to work!!

Wow!

Will you join us?

Will you help put Americans back to work?

Will you and your family take the challenge??

Now if you have been watching the ABC News reports, you know that there are some products that are no longer made in America.  Maybe if enough of us start asking, these products will start to be manufactured again in the USA.  It won't hurt to try!!



Wordless Wednesday...Ready for the Rain

Hamp's ready for the rain!!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Swagbucks and you get the presents!!

Swagbucks (the best place on the web for free stuff) is turning 3, and the celebration they have planned for the week of February 28th is going to be HUGE!

It'll feature...

 a bunch of Swag Codes (one below for my "groupies")...
 a new look and feel for the Swagbucks Blog...
the launch of two new features, one of which will redefine the way you use their search function.

You definitely won't want to miss it, so be sure that you're a Swagger this week for your chance to earn big and be a part of the biggest birthday celebration on the web!

If you are not a Swagger, join now and start getting lots of free stuff!

For the past four months, I have been able to get FREE diapers!

How you ask?

It is as easy searching for my favorite blog...
Frugal Tractor Mom!

I Swagbuck!

Yep! I said Swagbucks...

And it's Swagbucks that have allowed me to earn enough Amazon gift cards to get my diapers for free along with books, cooking supplies, and a few other things.

For my "groupies" that aren't Swagbucking, now's your chance to join!

My friends at Swagbucks are letting my "groupies" who have not joined the Swagging revolution to join and earn not only 30 Swagbucks for joining but an extra 50 Swagbucks!!

That's 80 Swagbucks for my "groupies"!!

Click here to join Swagbucks and type in this code: 3rdBirthday30

Swagbucks.com is a site where you can earn 1,000s of free products for doing the things you do every day. Whether it's searching the web, watching videos, playing games, shopping or more, we've got a way for you to be rewarded with free stuff.

No strings. No gimmicks.

Come see what your missing...