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Elk Hunting Part III

So this weekend MacKenzie is gone with her grandparents and that leaves Wayne and I free to do whatever. Well we woke up and decided to do NOTHING! Boy that was nice :) We watched a movie on TV had some coffee and breakfast in bed. Then nap time for me and Wayne decided to play X-Box. Just a little before noon, Wayne's brother Glenn called. They had gone hunting that morning and his wife, Jeannie shot and killed 2 HUGE ELK on their ranch in Grizzly. So that is where we were headed. I told Wayne that I was hungry and needed to eat before we left. Wayne informed me that we would get something to eat on the way. OK! Even better :) So we ate on the way. And by the time we got there, all of the work was done. They were gutted and skinned and they were just ready to hose them off. It was a weird story how Jeannie ended up shooting two- but since she only had 1 tag (which is normal) and Glenn's was for first season and it's now second- they ended up calling Rod and Brent (who never found the one from Thurs) and Brent tagged "the ugly" one. Wayne and I stayed there for the majority of the day and visited. We don't make it out to Grizzly very often- because it is out of the way and quite a drive! It was a nice day with our nieces, Jaycee 7, Janna almost 6, and nephew Jebb 3 1/2.

Elk Hunting Part II

Ok...so after we went to the ridge, we stopped at the in-laws' house, just to talk about or trip full of nothing and because it's on the way home. We stayed for about 1 1/2 hours then we had to leave because it was almost time for MacKenzie to get off the bus. Just as we were getting ready to leave, we noticed that all 200 head of cattle down below the house were in a virtual stampede. It was really weird, they were running in all sorts of directions. FIL got the binocs and was looking to see what had startled them. Didn't see anything so he decided to head down below...there may be a coyote so he grabbed a gun. We left about the same time as him.

Wayne and I got home before the bus. So we came up to the house and he decided he was going to blade the driveway since it was soft from all the rain and there are a TON of washboards all over the road. He gets in the tractor and heads to his folks' house 'cause that is where the blade is. I go down and get Mac and then we come back up to the house. Just as we get in, the phone is ringing. Caller ID says it's the in-laws. Wayne's dad was all excited and I could hardly understand what he was saying- something like this, "Hey, where's Wayne?" Me, "In a tractor on the way to your house to get the blade." Him, "Well you's better get down here NOW! I just shot an Elk and I need Wayne's help in getting it." Me, "Are you serious, or just pulling my leg?" Him, "No, I did! There's a herd of 150 down there! So hurry up!" Me, "Ok, I'll call Wayne and we'l l be right over." So I call Wayne and he says to hurry up and get in the truck and he'll meet us in the driveway...btw make sure the gun is still in the truck.

Ok, we hurry out. We get there and meet up with FIL, 2 nephews in a truck and MIL in her own rig. FIL tells Wayne where they are and that he is taking the boys down and dropping them off so they can hunt, then he will get the tractor with loader on and go get his Spike Elk. Wayne nearly kicks me out of the truck...just then MacKenzie wanted to go with him. She almost threw a FIT because he wasn't going to let her go. She didn't have any winter clothes on. Luckily my heavy stuff was all still in the truck from our earlier trip. So Mac gets to go! I get in the car with MIL and go back up to the house. Wayne and Mac go a different way to where the elk are supposed to be. On the way, Wayne calls his brother Rod. Rod and Brent (his son) meet Wayne and Mac at the gate on the high-way. They go their separate ways. During the ride over, Wayne is telling Mac all the rules about hunting...don't walk in front of the gun, don't walk on ____ side because the shell casing comes out and it will conk you on the head, don't stomp on bugs, don't make any noise, etc! They immediately spot this elk sitting down between 2 trees. They sneak up on it and Wayne takes the shot from 300-350 yards. He got it. They walk up to the elk, and as MacKenzie says, "It's legs were still moving, but dad says that's the reflexes- but just in case so it didn't jump up and stomp me, he shot it one more time in the neck." Funny girl!

Wayne calls MIL and me at her house. I got a 5 point! Can you come down and get MacKenzie? So we go down there just about the time Wayne and Mac get back to the gate. Wayne was worried that Mac would be sick and not handle it well when they were gutting it. So she leaves with gma, but Wayne wants me to stay. I was like, ummm...I am pregnant and I DON'T HANDLE THIS STUFF WELL!!! But I stayed because he wanted me to. So we drive through the sagebrush, rocks, juniper trees and whatever else could make it bumpy and we make it to the elk. At that time Matthew meets up with us. Thank you Jesus! Now I don't have to help :) I take Wayne's pic then I go back down to the truck where I am out of the way of the sounds and smells. Matthew said that Brent shot and hit, but it didn't take the elk down, so Tyler, Rod and Brent are looking for his elk. Anyway...this story goes on FOREVER! But we got Wayne's elk and FIL's up to the shop and they hung them from 2 different tractor loaders.

Elk Hunting Part I

So, it is Thursday and Elk Season ends on Sunday. Wayne has a Land-owner tag, which means he HAS to hunt on our property...i.e., on any of our farms here "in town" LOL or out on our 2800 acre ranch near Ashwood. Well all year we have not seen much over here on the irrigated ground. So Wayne decides he wants to go out to the ridge- the name of our ranch there is called "Blizzard Ridge." Well I kind of wanted to go with him...not that I wanted to hunt, but it is really pretty out there and I love riding quads through the grounds. So we got 2 quads loaded, packed a lunch, got the gun, binocs, warm weather gear- and we were off. It is an hour drive up there- so we got there around noon. Unloaded the quads and off we were.

Little did I know that Wayne was going to park at a different gate rather than the main one and I was going to have to ride up a STEEEEEEP hill! OMGoodness I thought I was going to kill him...now wait to hear the end of the story when we leave! :) We rode, and rode, and rode. Saw some tracks, lots of elk poop (and plenty of cow), found some horn sheds- but saw NOTHING! Oh wait, we saw 4 chuckers (birds) and a herd of about 30 Antelope. Very cool as they ran right in front of us when we were on our quads on the way out! Did I mention that we REALLY needed cold weather gear?? BURRRRR! I was dressed REALLY WARM, but there is absolutely no way to get your face 100% covered and still be able to breathe! So my face from the nose to the eyebrows felt like a big ice cube. I took some pics of how bundled up I was- I will post them after this- as they are on my puter and I am right now on hubby's. It was raining/snowing and the wind was gusting about 40 mph. I now know why we call it "Blizzard Ridge."

Ok, so we made it all the way over almost to the gate I thought we were going to go in. Wayne said, "Do you want to go out the gate and ride down the road to where the truck is parked, or do you want to stay on the ranch and ride back?" To me, it didn't matter and that was my answer to him. When I heard him mumble something about a "shortcut" I should have gone with my instincts! We basically made our own trail over some ROCKY and hilly ground. Then what felt like an hour later we started a descent. We finally get to this spot and Wayne stops and yells to me, "This might be a little steep, so use both front and back brakes and take it easy." Ok, duh. Holy smokes! When I crested over the 90% downgrade (ok, maybe not that much, but it was STEEP) I almost peed myself! Mind you, I am on my quad that DOES NOT have 4WD and is little compared to the one Wayne is on. I see him in front of me bouncing down the hill almost crashing into trees and big boulders and I am literally terrified, but I know there is no other way unless I turn around. Big Pep talk now...self talking, "You can do it. Just take a deep breath. Go slow. Stay calm. Wayne wouldn't make you do something you weren't capable of." Ok, I'm feeling slightly confident. I start my descent. Holy CRAP! Am I really doing this? Oh man, I can't slow down! AHHH, the tree is in my way and I can't steer around it! WHEH, that was close...oh man, look at those rocks. CRIPES these brakes are not working as well as they should...STOP...STOP...STOP...STOPPPPPP!!!! Ok, I am stopped and I say a quick little prayer like this, "Dear Jesus Christ, please help me make it down the rest of this hill. I am not sure I can do it alone...but I know you can! So please don't let me wreck and kill myself and my unborn baby. Thank you Jesus." Well, it must have worked, because I made it. Then I started crying. From here we had to ride about 1 mile to the truck via the road. So I went in front as Wayne closed the gate. I cried on the way to the truck and thanked God the whole way.

When DH returned I told him I did not appreciate that and I was terrified and could have really hurt myself and/or the baby. He knew this was coming. He said he got turned around and didn't end up going where he thought he was. GRRRRR! Anyway, I finally laughed because I had already cried and told him next time I was making my own trail! And get this, at the beginning of the trip when we parked the truck and were unloading the quads I told him, "I can't ride any hard trails and I need to keep it safe, not like we used to ride, I have our baby in my belly- so there is more than just me to consider here." MEN!!!!

Dinner with some family

Last night we had dinner @ my cousin Vanessa's house. She is a very good cook. She made homemade potato corn chowder. At first when she said that was what she was making, I was like? Eww, that doesn't even sound good. But...Oh my goodness it was YUMMY! It was cooked for a few hours in water (potatoes, carrots, corn, celery, onion, bacon). Then she added some grated cheddar cheese and some condensed milk at the very end and brought it back to a boil. So, it wasn't like an actual chowder where it was a thick milk base...but oh so yummy! Then we had some YUMMY dinner rolls that come from a home bakery that is located about 1/4 mile from my parents' old farm. Wayne and I were in charge of dessert, so we picked up some italian focacia bread and a specialty lemon cake. The bread was yummy...but the cake was WODNERFUL! Not the typical "yellow gel" goop that's usually in the middle of the layers, but a creamy, light frosting that was all over the top and in the layers. The cake wasn't the typical cake either, it was like a pound cake, but lighter in texture/taste, and there were 3 layers...YUMMY stuff!
This picture is Mayzie Kate, my cousin's daughter. She turned 3 in July. She is such a little sweety...although she has her moments, but what toddler doesn't? Because there is such an age difference between her and MacKenzie, sometimes they do not play well together. But I think Mayzie is growing up some, as well as MacKenzie. Mac understands that there are some things that a 3 year old can't do and that she doesn't always understand that is is better to share. And Mayzie is growing up, and wants others to play with her, so she is more willing to allow things to go other directions...instead of what she wants all the time! So these 2 girls did AWESOME :) It made my heart smile that they were having such a good time! They PLAYED everything! When we first got there, Vanessa was babysitting her cousin Conner (14 months). Mac and Mayzie played with him, acting like little mommies! Too cute! Then we he left and we finished dinner, they played grocery store along with house. They went shopping, went home to cook. Took care of their babies...then they were doctors "fixing" the babies. Next it was time for games! They played operation, dora the explorer candy land, hungry hungry hippos, attempted a puzzle, and some others I can't remember right now! Mayzie doesn't know all the rules and doesn't play by them (a typical toddler) but MacKenzie was a good sport and played anyway...she deemed that there DID NOT NEED TO BE A WINNER! Yay Mac! Then the girls played ball for what seemed like FOREVER! That is what this picture is of. Mayzie had her "lollipop" from Halloween! What a silly girl! BTW, that is what she kept telling me about MacKenzie, "Aunt Mandy, MacKenzie is SILLY!" Oh, I almost forgot the funniest part!!!! The girls found a real stethescope. They wanted to hear both of the babies heartbeats...so Vanessa and I obliged. Mayzie would put it on our tummies for like 2 seconds and pronounce, "The baby's eating!" Then we asked her what he was eating. "Ummm, he's eating potatoes and slicing them with his toes!" Remember we had potatoes in our soup? LOL! It was HYSTERICAL! That was my baby boy... Vanessa's (Oliver) was eating "Lemon cake and licking the frosting off his fingers." I forgot just how funny little kids could be!

Halloween 2006

MacKenzie, AKA "Witchy"

With her broom!

My cousin Vanessa's husband, Jeremy...what a goober!

My Aunt Jodie...she was Raggedy Ann

My sewing project from yesterday

I mentioned in my post yesterday that I had been doing a little sewing. Out of the blue, I juse got the urge to make something. So I had this fabric and needed to make a cover for the cushion on the changing table.











This fabric is called "tractor parade." I really like it!












This fabric was some leftover. It is flannel and I used it as a back on another quilt. The front is a panel with a John Deere Tractor. I finished the edges by using the blanket ribbon binding...my first time using it...let me tell you what a PAIN that was.

Anyway...I am WAY TIRED. Just wanted to post. Maybe Halloween pics tomorrow...then I will try to get some pics taken of the 2 John Deere baby quilts that are almost finished...have a ruffle to sew and a back to put on, and then some hand quilting on the other!

The Royal Treatment

Tonight my dear daughter asked me, "Mom, when can I rub your feet?" I was kind of taken aback. I asked her what she meant. Well apparently yesterday during the ultrasound it was said after discovering that we were having a boy, that I deserved "the royal treatment." So that is just what my baby girl wanted to give me! Anyway, I was finishing some sewing that I started today, and she kept asking me, "Mom, are you done yet? And ready to get your feet rubbed?" Too cute. When I was finished, she was johnny on the spot back here with her "tools." I took my socks off, she got some hot pink hand towels, pillows, nail file, lotion, and foot massager. She then proceeded to rub lotion on my right foot. Then she filed the surface of my nails on my big toe and the one next to it...not sure what that was all about?! She then took the massager and rubbed it on the bottom of my foot, around my ankle and on the top of my foot. Then she propped it up on a neck roll pillow. Next, she repeated the steps in the same order on my other foot. While working, she told me that she was going to do this to my feet 2 times a week. She decided on Monday and Wednesday. So she told me that I only got it 1 time this week. When I questioned her and was teasing her that wasn't fair...she decided on Wednesday and Friday. But since this week and next week she doesn't have school on Friday, she said she would do them one time in the morning and one time in the evening! What a little sweetie pie my baby girl is :) I am so in love with her...and hope that a little boy will be just as good?!