i want to be a farmer

i did not watch the super bowl tonight,
but thanks to twitter i had a pretty good idea what was happening -
especially when it came to commercials.

so if for some crazy reason you haven't seen this...

and you should also watch this...

i have spent most of my life in small kansas towns,
and i wouldn't have it any other way.
good night. 

t-ball

since i posted about ben's swimming class,
i thought i should share a few more pictures from his t-ball clinic.
his last "practice" was last tuesday.
not only was it HOT it was also WINDY.
and you know - we do live in "western" kansas,
so i think we all felt like we were covered with a nice layer of dirt and sand when we left the fields.
 
i think ben enjoyed looking for rocks and inspecting the dirt as much as any of it!

he is also wearing his "cowboy hat" - guess we'd better find him a real one!

pretty sure jake is trying to get ben's attention in this one.

 and this is how ben spent the last 10 minutes of practice...

he was done.

orange blossom special

well, maybe not quite yet. :)

ben had is summer fiddle concert last week.
he really seemed on enjoy being "on stage".
the evening was gorgeous and everyone had a wonderful time!

keeping my grass green

so after the post from yesterday,
i am feeling much more hopeful, happy and thankful.
this brings me to something that's often on my mind -
the grass is always greener.
i am totally guilty of letting my mind wander to other lawns.
but it's time to focus on my own turf.

tonight i am thankful for..

my husband returning home from a four day work trip.  i've missed him dearly, and so have ben & julia.  we are super happy to have dad home again!

our two children sleeping peacefully in their room, under our roof.

taking julia to the doctor today.  i thought it might just be me suspecting things and worrying too much, but turns out she does have an ear infection.  we've got her medicine going and we are looking forward to our "happier" julia returning soon.

late nights spent drafting/drawing that help provide for our family and help us work on some big goals. 

staying up late to make sure a certain someone's new angry bird shirt is washed and ready to wear to story time at the library tomorrow - a surprise gift from dad for ben.  you should have seen that boy smile!

a small home.  i can barely cannot even keep this one cleaned & decorated the way i would like - why would i want something better?  space is highly overrated. 

my laundry room in the basement.  walking the stairs is good for my health (and all the dirty laundry piles are out-of-sight).

living in a small town. 

limited choices for shopping and dining in our small town.  this makes sticking to a budget much easier!

pinterest.

all of our wonderful family & friends.

tomorrow is thursday - my favorite day of the week!

clean sheets on our bed and a great book calling my name.  good night.

close to the country

as i've mentioned we live in a small town -
not as small as the one i was raised in (around 1200), but still small by most standards.
even though we don't live in the country like we hope to one day,
we are lucky enough to be just a few minutes from country roads, open fields and kansas skies.

last sunday we headed out to the country and visited a friend who also happens to raise goats.
it was a little cooler and windier than we were anticipating,
but still fun - especially for ben.

there were baby goats everywhere!

ben thought they were great and spent quite a bit of time trying to catch them,
but he seemed to be a little better at herding.

there were other animals too.
here is my favorite picture of the day...

but i think these might be ben's favorites...

i know it's not for everyone, but we are happy we live close to the country.
and maybe even closer to it down the road...

power naps and a picnic table

oh, friday at last!

we're looking forward to a weekend at home with some small town events, 

and hopefully finding the time (and energy) to complete our bathroom project.  

speaking of finding the time, i've still got a big list of things i am working to complete before baby arrives but this last week i've napped for 45 minutes each day. 
i read ben his nap time stories and then lay down for a recharge. 
the guilt of napping has become less and less each day. 
and the funny part is i've woken up at 2pm each day - just need that 30-45 minutes. 
it's making all the difference in my energy level to make it through the day. 
especially for a night owl like me.

and look what we brought home for FREE last night!!!

i couldn't believe it when i stepped out to get the clothes off the line after dinner last night,
and this picnic table was sitting out across the street behind our neighbors house with a FREE sign on it. 
i quickly asked (shouted) at jake to come outside. 
there were plenty of cars were driving by and checking it out - i figured we had to move fast!
jake quickly walked across the street and looked it over.
not perfect, but usable for now and easily updated with new paint on the frame and new lumber.
another project to add to the list for next spring.  :)
jake stayed with the picnic table while ben and i asked a neighbor to come help carry it back to our house. 
a few minutes later we had a our own picnic table.

a place to eat outside - had our first picnic today.

a place to do projects/crafts outside - already thinking about pumpkin carving.

a place to pot plants - need to go get some mums and pansies.

and many other backyard daydreams.

for now it will stay "as is" but we do hope to freshen it up one of these days.

tonight i had dinner ready a little early so ben and i could head to the local high school football game.
it was the first time ben had gone to one, and we had a lot of fun.
jake stayed home to work on the bathroom, but ben and i met up with friends.
the kids ran around, we visited, and ate popcorn and m&ms.
a great small town friday night.

the county fair

last night we visited the county fair 

it was still HOT but we had fun

(no idea who the lady in the picture is - she just snuck in)

looked at the animals

rode some rides

including ben's first roller coaster

i thought it he would love it or hate it -

so when i saw him quite upset exiting the ride with dad i feared the worst

but he was upset because he couldn't stay on and go again!

 so we forgot about the rides by going for a nice, cold sno-cone treat

and a quick stop to look at the big tractor

 and yes, for those of you who haven't heard -

we are expecting a baby girl in november and we are super excited! 

~ more about baby soon ~

enjoy the weekend!

a little quilt block project i entered in the fair -

my second year to participate

and even though i've never made an actual quilt i really enjoy designing,

and sewing a block from the guidelines and fabric given in a purchased packet from our local extension office

i should have taken a photo of all the entries - 

it's amazing how each person comes up with something totally unique

populus deltoides

What is Populus deltoides you ask?  Well, it's the Latin name for the Cottonwood Tree, which also happens to be the State Tree of Kansas.  And why am I using Latin?  Well, how often do I get a chance to use my limited knowledge of Latin I learned in college?  Not very often.  :) 

Many people might disagree with me, but I find cottonwoods to be beautiful trees. They are not an ornamental tree to place in your front yard or display in a botanical garden, but across the Kansas landscape they are spectacular.  The leaves are a gorgeous green, and they shimmer in the wind.  And when the Kansas winds blow, the leaves shake and make the most wonderful rustling sound.  In the fall, the leaves turn a lovely color of yellow and sparkle in the sunlight.  A little difficult to capture in a picture (at least with my camera), but I did attempt to this afternoon.

Ben woke from his nap a little early, so we hopped in the car with juice, pretzels and jackets, and headed for a drive in the country.  Standing outside, listening to the leaves move in the wind, and watching the last of the yellow leaves shimmer before falling to the ground was truly peaceful.

 

It's also appropriate that I'm writing about cottonwood trees because they helped me create my shop name - the cotton tree.  I have lived in Kansas my whole life, and I love it.  But it's taken me a while to realize that.  In fact, as a teenager my plan was to be a successful architect on the east coast.  Obviously that isn't the path I have taken!  When I decided to open an Etsy shop last year, I was having a tough time coming up with a name that I liked and wasn't already taken.  I wanted a name that meant something to me and represented the products I was making and selling.  Eventually I decided upon the cotton tree.  It was everything I loved - sewing with cotton fabrics, living in Kansas, enjoying the outdoors, and living in a small town - simply put.  And guess what?  The name was available.  Perfect! 

I hope to continue to share more about me, my shop and the blog in the future.  

It's fun to share a little "history".

turkey dinner baskets

 Our church is having their annual Turkey Dinner this Sunday.  Yum! There is also a Country Store at the dinner where gift baskets and products can be purchased through silent auction.  I thought it would be fun to make a couple of baskets with items from the cotton tree shop for the Country Store.
 

Each basket includes four items...

Baby Bib

Burp Cloth

Toddler Bib

Washcloth

I think they turned out looking great!

Now I'm thinking about making some for the shop.

I almost forgot to introduce you to my new assistant...

 

He is very helpful. :)

Hope you are having a lovely week!