Laughter is The Best Medicine

Bill and I should be the healthiest people alive if that is a true statement. This afternoon I heard our six year old belting out an oldies tune, or so I thought. It goes like this, "b b b bbq... b b b bbq... I wanna m m m marry you." Can you tell that he was hungry?? Our 8 year old had a review in math on telling time this week. The question above said, "What time is it?" There were three clocks below and three marks...he filled in the blanks with these words, "I don't know." These a just a few of the happenings at the Frederick Ranch today. We have been busy and will stay busy for a tad here. We are finishing up our basement under the garage, and making it a playroom for the kiddos & parents...I am going to attempt to beat my husband at ping pong. We have our special meetings here this weekend and company coming and going, which is always exciting. We have a piano recital tonight for the three oldest kiddos. It is the last day of gun season for whitetail deer, and then back to bow season...it really doesn't matter it is still hunting season which is wonderful in someone's book. We have one in the freezer and hopefully two more will follow. Better quit now, like you all wanted to know about the butchering in the Frederick House.

Saturday Morning

This was our scenery out our front windows this past Saturday morning. Yes, it is bow season our gun season doesn't start until this coming Saturday - so we will see if he or for that matter she shows up for the party. All for now folks...we are scrambling with lots of stuff on our to do list.

Words from a six year old today...

W: I wanna be a bird mom. M: Really, why? W: A parrot in fact. M: Wow, okay...?? W: But I can't. Because when Jesus comes back I wanna go along with him for the ride. That is how we are starting off our Monday. Hope you all have a great week.

Mantel II

Another fireplace mantel completed for now. We NEED to get this fireplace completed and the desks/bookcases installed, but with hunting season upon us EVERYTHING is on hold...but we are not going to complain.

Be Nice to your mother...

I just love having little sayings around the house, hiding in little nooks and crannies...they bring smiles to faces when found. This one has been in my laundry room for a little bit now and every time someone mentions a sign they read, this one is pointed out...it fits in. No, I haven't done it yet, however I have threatened to.

Fireplace Mantel

I have been struggling a long time with what to do with this area...this is what we have so far. It was a bit irritating to come home with a beautiful mirror to only find out it was too big, then to start measuring pictures and realize that this size is a bit difficult to find. What a great day to finish it, election day!! Otherwise we are attempting to get things in order for chilly weather. Yesterday all the beds where changed to flannel sheets and extra blankets, the porch now has the wood rack on it full of wood and the fireplaces are cleaned out and one already toasty warm. The family room was rearranged and deep cleaned...wow I am continually amazed at how much dirt and dust we have in a house with no carpet!! All for now, as I mentioned it is election day and I have to head out to vote. Thanks for stopping by.

Fall is Upon Us

Here are the sights close to home. We have been super busy. We made a fast trip to MI the beginning of this month for Bill's grandfathers funeral. He was an awesome grandfather and will be truly missed. Fall is upon us and guess what...I don't have any leaves to rake, unlike our last house. And NO I am not complaining at all. Deer season has started, however the hunter in the house has been too busy so far he hasn't been in the woods. As you can see, he doesn't even need to leave the house. I know that this is oh so boring, but I hope to get more on here soon.

The Life of a Turtle here on the Ranch.

If you are a turtle, just stay out of sight. This is what happens to every single one these cool creatures that are found (with the exception on snapping turtles). They get set up on the porch and after awhile they start to poke their head out, they then decide it is okay to bolt...they bolt right OFF the porch and land on their back. They are pretty amazing creatures and they know they must stretch and turn their necks to flip themselves over and they need to do this fast.

A Fall Lunch

Fall is here, so that means the menu consists of Apples, Chili, Pumpkin, Soup ... YUM. So today I served the kiddos this for lunch:

We grilled it on the Panni Maker I found on Craigslist (Brand New in the box) from Williams Sonoma for $15.00

The result

All it includes is bread, butter, cheese (I used munster) and apples sliced thin.

"Just run and get my glasses!"

Do you know what happens when you tell a six year old, "Run and get my glasses that are in the van." I do...first hand. This took place on Sunday morning at a church convention. The story goes like this...Dad and four kiddos are all dressed and have left the tent, so mom is getting dressed when I hear some sort of ruckus. I then hear a little bit of sniffling and a van door open and close, followed by, "Mom, um I need you." I look out and see a little boy standing there with his dad's glasses in his hand and a worried look. I ask him what is wrong and he responds with, "Um mom, dad told me to run and get his glasses from the van and look what happened." I look down and on his BRAND NEW Gap dress pants (I just took the tags off them 10 minutes before this) are mud and grass marks that are about 7 inches long on each leg. I sigh very deeply and tell him just to hold on a second. I think I did a quick prayer for patience at this point and then made sure I was fully dressed before I went on the war path. So the only thing I can think of is to have him change to yesterdays pants...which come to find out would match, however had honey on them from the piece of bread soaked with honey the day before. So out comes the water and a cloth to clean up the pants...and then we start our journey to find Dad. On the way to find dad I did some talking to this six year old and attempted to tell him that he didn't need to run, "Well, Dad told me to RUN AND GET HIS GLASSES" he responds. I am thinking, as I am stomping up to find Mr. Dad and speak to him about this when I notice that I don't have to say a single word...not a single word. I must have given him an evil look though, he asked about 10 minutes later why I looked irked...I mentioned about what happened and tried not to make too much of a big deal about his NEW pants being totally ruined, I did mention to him that he may want to put on his glasses though. I turned away and smirked...yes it only took him about 2 minutes to get all of the smears and fingerprints off of both lenses and as for me I am being haunted by those stinkin pants which have been washed at least 8 times and soaked at least 3 hours and they STILL have stain marks on them. I did hear later dad trying to explain what he actually meant. So as I start to pack for our full convention, I will be packing extra pants, stain stickS and maybe I will sneak in an extra pair of glasses (or maybe not).

We did make someone's day today...

I had an agenda today and it was to get some errands done and be home by noon...we were late by an hour. That is okay though, we had lots to do and we got it all done. We were at our last stop which was the grand ole supermarket that has high fluting people around, but has an awesome selection of hot peppers which I was in the market for...we are making and canning salsa here. As we head towards the front of the store I hear the one of the older boys say to the youngest, "Remember the time when we used to take our arms out of our sleeves and put them back in criss cross?" I take a deep breath and say (since I remember those times very very clearly) "If someone gets stuck, I would not help them." We are now at the front of the store and guess what...the youngest is struggling...with what I don't know and I really am not wanting to look...so I DO NOT look, UNTIL I notice an older man staring at us with a smirk on his face...uh oh. I turn to follow is gaze and it is at the youngest son, who was so easily influenced by his older brothers. This is what the man saw (sorry I have to describe it in words, since I didn't have my camera with me): a little boy who is now very shy, since he has gathered an audience, with his left arm in his right arm sleeve and his right arm in his left arm sleeve and through the struggle to get out of this, his collar of his shirt is now halfway down his left arm...guess what he is stuck! And being the wonderful mom that I am...I start to laugh...really laugh, I mean what else was there to do. The older man went around us and then stopped, he came back and made some sort of comment about us have so much fun at the supermarket. That was the Wacky Wonderful Wednesday that we had.

"When I become Dumb."

With the purchase that was made yesterday, I believe that a visit to the ER or chiro will happen to one of us in the Frederick Family very soon. A certain boy was influenced by his cousin to get a rip-stick...it was something that we couldn't live without. So early this morning I am in my usual spot on the front porch with my coffee in hand when out comes this boy with the new toy. I ask him if he had a good night and did he really sleep with this thing that he was clutching on so tightly...his reply was, "Yes, I slept well and the rip-stick is an awesome pillow." He then decides that the driveway has too many stones in it, so starts to sweep it and clear it off. He then turns towards me and states very seriously, "Mom, when I become dumb...you know like put my brains on a shelf...you know like some teenagers do...I am going to rip stick from the top of our hill to the bottom." Some of you know that we live in a valley and our driveway is quite steep, so I guess he sees that as a challenge...and of course I see that as something very dumb. So if this does happen, I just hope that I am not in my usual spot on the front porch, and if I am I just hope that my coffee is extra rich and hot that day. A Terrific Tuesday is wished to you, from the Terrifying Frederick Zoo.

A little update on our Zoo

Here it is the end of July and I am finally doing little update. I have made a promise to myself to accomplish a lot this summer and lets just say that updating this was one of them and I am not doing a very good job. Maybe in the near near future I will be able to get some updates on here, however I thought I would share an Non-Fiction Frederick Story. The Saga of the Missing Golf Ball: It all started on a Muggy Monday Morning, when a certain six year old boy took a golf ball and threw it across the driveway. The ball just so happened to land in a hole...as a result this was said to me, “Guess I lost my golf ball with a shrug of his shoulders.” Well, it wasn’t something to be lost; so he decides to look for it. He goes over to this hole and looks and wonders aloud maybe a baby woodchuck in down there (this hole is only about 3” in diameter) so I assured him probably not. So he pokes it with a stick and out come some tickle bugs, then he breathes deeply and says, “Boy those tickle bugs now have a huge ball in their house, I wonder what they are going to think when they see a huge hand come down their hole into their house?” A little bit later he thinks that their might be wasps or hornets there, but since he sees none he decides it is just a tickle bug home. He then comes up to me and says, “Mom, I would really like to put my hand down that hole and get my ball, but I just remember I have peed down that hole. Now it was awhile back, so it is probably all dried up by now.” I tell him to go ahead, since I wouldn’t be doing it and his shoulders slump and he walks away. He then comes back and tells me that since I haven’t done anything to get the golf ball it is probably way way way down the hole now and it will continue to travel if I don’t stop it. So, I tell him that maybe is brothers have a way to possibly get it out. His eyes twinkle as he runs into the house, a minute later he is back with his oldest brother telling him about his golf ball. His oldest brother is scratching his head not believing the part of how is ball mysteriously got thrown into such a small hole, but willing to help his brother in need...my heart at this point is thrilled to know that there is some kindness deep within us. WELL, he pokes the hole with a stick and realizes nothing is coming out and nothing feels too odd, SO he takes his hand and reaches on in...pulls his hand out suddenly and says in a very loud voice, “YUK there is something slimy in there and NO I didn’t feel the golf ball are you sure it is in there?” His younger brother replies with a smirk and twinkle in his eye, “Yes, the golf ball is in there. I have peed in that hole not too long ago, but I think it should be dry by now.” Psst...the golf ball is still missing.
 Have a wonderful Monday folks.

Update on the BIG Brute

Yes he still lives here and yes he still thinks he is the big cheese...he is the BIG SMELLY CHEESE...take it from us two cats.

The brute killed another opossum and left it decay in the sun in the front yard. Yesterday the vulchers came, boy we were thrilled....we thought that the end was here for the smelly thing...NOT...the brute chased the thing off twice and the proceeded to roll himself in it. Opossum Cologne is something that is NOT recommended for anyone to buy for Valentine's Day. The lady of the house has been suffering through this opossum thing and she just about hit the roof yesterday when he came trotting up thinking he was just a fine smelling purebred...boy it was funny to watch his ego take a nose dive when she gave the mutt a talking to...ha ha.

We will bet that this will never happen good ole smelly...but hey there are still rules when this happens. We are hoping deep down that these rules (1. It has to be bitter cold, 2. We have to stay on a lap in one chair & 3. Only in the morning) we can do away with and we can own the place soon...

Hard Boiled Farm Fresh Eggs

Don't know if any of you have had this hassle before or not, but it is very hard to peel hard boiled eggs when they are fresh. Well, I found a solution and I am thrilled.

These eggs pictured were less than 48 hours old, I put them in my pressure cooker, in my steamer basket and had them on low pressure for 6 minutes with a natural release...PERFECT...now that I mastered that skill I will have to figure out what I am going to do with hard boiled eggs ... no one likes them here. I tried egg salad today and two of the four kiddos took seconds the other two, well lets just say they did the bite - drink - and swallow method.

All for now, gotta run and get some science done before I start supper which is some freshly ground venison in spaghetti.

Garage is (almost) Complete.

We are sooo close, but a couple of months away...does that make ANY sense?? Here is the scoop:
*The gutters were delivered today.
*We hope the electrician will be here within the next couple of days to hook up the garage door opener and finish downstairs.
*It was highly recommended that we wait until spring to get the front of the garage done (i.e. the stone around the garage door).
*It was HIGHLY recommended also that we wait until spring to actually put our vechicles in the garage. If any of you know Bill, this is truly killing him. He can't stand having a garage and not being able to park in it (especially when he has to scrape his windshield in the morning), however he understands that it is for the best. (You see our slab was poured during cold weather and since the slab is above a playroom it is kinda important to make sure it has cured fully.)

So as I wrote it is almost complete, until then we have plenty of other things that are keeping us busy.

A Boring Bug Solution

At least this time that we have piles and piles of dirt I have a washer & dryer and I don't have to go to the laudermat. The tonka trucks and tractors came out, dirt was moved and fun was had. Did you know a dirt pile is just like a snow pile? No, I didn't either, but now I do. I also know that when one slides down a hill in their jeans that holes are made and jeans are ruined. But a simple pile of sand, dirt or pebbles will keep away the boring bug (believe me that bug doesn't visit too much around this area). We are beginning to have a pile inside now, which is in the dryer.

Signs & Pictures

A new addition to our house...I just love these type of pictures. Now when times get heated (which happens quite often it seems) and somewhat out of hand we will take a walk to this sign and find a solution.

Meow...

Yes, it is us again. Bad news, no one came forward and bought the dumb dog...here we thought we could at least have the wool pulled over someone's eyes.

A lot has happened lately with the dumb mutt. First of all,have we ever told you how irrating it is that he comes and steals our mice and birds we so skillfully hunt? Have we ever told you that he comes up to the house attempting to impress our owners with his kill of the day? (duh you nitwit...the lady of the house HATES opposums - dead OR alive; in fact she HATES them soo much that she will make sure they are dead by shooting it before she goes to bury it in the stream or wood chuck hole in the back.)

Well, thankfully the owners have seen that they NEED to cage him up at night; which means we get the RUN of the property then. He whines and looks like he is going to cry as he is taken to his pen with a rather HUGE house, oh we just sit back feeling sorry for him and start our party.

The goof ball thinks that he is part cat also:

Not only does he chase us everywhere, but he jumps on our rather small house and eats our food. We know that he would have rather been a cat, I mean who wouldn't want to be a cat...really? We just kindly remind him daily he was born a dog...ha ha ha.

This past Sept. he got hot spots, boy did he stink and he was grouchy!! YUK! He came back from the vets looking rather funny, since he had to get shaved in those areas that caused such a stink. So a change of food was done and then he decided he liked the vets so much that a couple of weeks ago he went ahead and got himself infested with mange. How in the world could nitwit do that you ask? Well, he thinks he owns this ranch and walks where ever he likes...rubs up against trees and in tall grass where a fox with mange has been and BINGO he has mange. We don't even want to think how much that vet bill was, but we will tell you that without his tab at the vets we could be eating some mighty fine fish and tasty treats.

One more thing, have we ever told you that the nitwit doesn't know how to wag, yes we said WAG his tail? No, he can't wag the tail...ready for this...he circles his tail. Yep, you got it...his tail goes in circles like a clock when he is suppose to be wagging it back and forth.

So, who wouldn't want a cute dimwit dog. He doesn't have mange any longer, no hot spots and can get himself in positions that he wonders how he got there...but hey he can be somewhat cute depending on your taste...any takers??

Whew...a long time it has been.

What can I say, I have been SUPER busy. So that means that I am staying out of trouble...NOT!!

Well, it is hunting season here and the only lucky hunter is our dear daughter...she asked her brother if she could borrow his sling shot and stick that he whittled into a spear to go hunting. Mind you he wasn't feeling the best that day long ago, so he stayed home and she went out.

Here she is with her prize...a chipmunk. What can I say...awesome shot! Now, there was a bit of disappointment and disbelief from brother and then shock that sis would get something with HIS sling shot and spear. So out to the woods he went and then he came back with this to say, "Well, she SCARED everything when she came back, there isn't a thing moving in there." So there you have it...good thing that we aren't waiting for any hunters to get any BIG game here...we would starve.
Poor Bill has been really really busy and hunting wasn't as necessary as other things...so maybe in January he will bring home some meat. Now, don't be feeling too sorry for him...he has gotten out and he did see a decent amount. (It goes like this: if he is going to shoot a big buck-he sees does, if he is going to shoot does-he sees button bucks and little does and when he is ready to finally go hunting to get some food and not be picky something comes up and he can't go...so the Fredericks might be hunting chipmunks and other little creatures for their dinner table this year.

Mean Mom Award Received...Once Again.

Every year around this time I receive this award and this year wasn't any different. It is all about Halloween...No, the kiddos did not go trick or treating, no they did not dress up and no I don't have any candy in the house calling my name and YES I am a mean mom.

I just hear tons of stories from parents about this night of hassle from spending mucho $$ on costumes, to nasty weather, to hyper/sick kids, to left over candy a week later...this is what we came up with to win me the Mean Mom Award...We made a deal with the kiddos...No trick or treating and the following week we go to a local Target/Walmart and pick out their own bag of candy or fruit snacks AND they get $5.00 a piece to spend any way their little heart desires.

Sorry if you were looking for pictures of the kiddos in the costumes and bags of candy...you won't find that here. But gotta run now, since that bag of candy is calling their name and that money is burning a hole in the pockets of some.

Update from the Fredericks.

At the end of Sept. we went on our Annual Fall Camping Trip...what a BLAST. We pack everything, except the kitchen sink and head out. We ended up this year at Poe Valley, PA; we ended up there last year also. This year we had 14 adults and 18 kids, had a grand time and are wondering if there is any way we can plan a Spring Camping Trip.

We then had Bill's folks come on in for a week. We kept them busy with outside projects. Don't know if you remember the many many (8) to be exact out buildings that are here...well two of them are fixed and (almost) like new again...the other 6 will be taken down hopefully within the next couple of months.

This was leaning one way and needed new doors on the front.

This one needed a new roof.

You want more News...okay...hole is dug for the attached garage. The footers were laid today and we are getting really excited. In fact, we can't wait, but wait we will and in the end it will pay off. Here is a look at the progress.

New Additions

Yes, you see we just needed to have some more activity here. They arrived in a little box...about 12" x 9", with holes in the box and a lot of chirping coming out of the box.

They were soo cute, but now they are ugly and one day after Dec. 12 they will be yummy. What is it you ask...well here are their names: BBQ, Roast, Grilled, Thigh, Drumstick, Marinated, Nuget, Kabob, Teriyaki, Buffalo Wings, Fried, Rostisserie, Cordon Bleu, Szechwan, Kiev, Sweet and Sour.

They are amazing at eating, sleeping and p_____...that is why they are growing fast. This is an often scene, them asleep with their head in the food dish.

Where do I Start?

What have we been doing you ask, well a whole bunch of nothing stuff. Looking back, it seems that the last month as been SUPER busy and SUPER fun and a wee bit depressing (that summer is done).

Last month we had planned for a weekend of special days, well wouldn't you know we are ALL packed up and ready to go Friday night (which was my b-day) and in the middle of the night I got the stomach flu. Plans were cancelled and little hearts (big ones too) were hurt. There were really sad faces all weekend long. The not-so-funny thing was that I was preaching to the kiddos that if they didn't settle down and get their sleep they would be getting sick and we wouldn't go...well, I guess I didn't settle down. So ten days later we were on our way to our 4 day wonderful weekend. We used a different tent this year, one that was canvas and is used in one of the many re-enactments that take place here in the history filled state of Maryland. (It looks like a tee-pee, and has a ton of room, compared to our 6 person tent.)
So while away, Irene decided to come visit. We were a bit worried as to what was happening at home, however we didn't want to leave where we were...does that make sense? So a couple of phone calls later we learn that our basement isn't flooded, however our driveway and front yard look like a war zone...whew we lucked out. However some weren't soo lucky, we have some dear friends that got home to about 2 inches of water in their all fixed up basement and another who had a mature oak tree fall on their home and had to leave their home in the middle of the storm that dumped 6 1/2 inches of rain...we lucked out and Irene wasn't too nasty to us.
We then had a week to unpack, pick up sticks and get ready for school. We had some friends from PA sneek down for the Labor Day weekend and give us some wonderful news about their new addition that should arrive sometime in March and then Tuesday came. The first day of school, all four are in school now and depending on the day the day the either have the best teacher or the worst, but we are having fun and enjoying it so far...yes, I know that we are only on day six.
The day after Labor day, Lee decided to come visit us. Lees sure can be a hassle and this one sure was. From Monday evening to Friday he dumped 13 1/2 inches of rain on us and messed EVERYTHING up. Trees down, roads flooded, houses flooded, ... once again we were lucky. This time we were home and I could keep an eye on everything...I can't wait till we get our garage on....
Garage you say, yep we are still under contruction. You see, we all knew that we were putting on a garage so there was a large hole left at the side of our house and the land slopes toward our basement right there, since we were going to get the garage built pretty quickly...well winter came and spring the builder was busy and one thing after another and now we are finding a new builder to build the garage. We have one estimate in and two coming in within the next week and we hope to have a garage by winter.
So the contruction of the garage will mean more moving of dirt and hopefully our final stage (with the exception of the tearing down of the old sheds/barns) so we have a landscaper coming in with some plans on Saturday for our front flower gardens and a little bit of our back yard.
Yesterday I caulked and painted the shoe molding in the living room, so with the exception of the fire place and the trim in that room, we are done...YES...FINALLY...there is a closet there we hope to make into a chair closet and then put a bench and coat hooks up on the wall behind that front door...and we have to figure out what we are doing with that wood stove...but really we are done with that room, we can bring in furniture and start to use the room...YIPPEE!!!
Through the past two weeks I have been fighting my cell phone company...grrrrr...I wasn't getting service and when I am expected to pay for service and they don't give me service I get irked...so after about 5+ hours fighting with the company they finally realized that either I wasn't going to give up or that I had a point and cancelled my contract with no cancellation fee...so I then had to spend more time setting up a new contract with a new company, which come to find out didn't give me coverage in our house, so a week later I was back setting up with a different company and so far all is going well.
We are truly enjoying the cool fall mornings and there are some here that are getting ready for a very important season that starts in 2 days and goes for 3 1/2 months.
In a nutshell this has been the happenings here on the Frederick Ranch for the last couple of weeks (month) and will have more to come soon...I hear the kiddos rising and my day has started...

A message from the Frederick Cats.

Yeessss, you see the folks here were a little bit desperate for a dog or something. We come to find out that they finally realized that he wasn't fixed, so they spent mucho money on getting him fixed; in our humble opinion he still is messed up BIG TIME. We could've told them right away something wasn't right with him, but they probably wouldn't have listened. So he comes home from getting fixed and thinks he owns the place....HA HA...think again

ha ha...we are still laughing about the "Cone of Shame" he had to wear. We personally think that he should have to wear that thing non stop, it would save our owners a lot of trouble. You see that "Cone of Shame" would have prevented the dummy goof ball from going into the culvert. Yes, we said the culvert. The owners got concerned as to where he was, WHO CARES where he is! So they go around calling and calling for him and he whines back; they check the out buildings and finally realize he is under the drive in the culvert. What a dummy, we think they took his brains out when they fixed him, oh wait he didn't have any to begin with...dumb dog. You see he is just a floppy doopy dog, his feet are soo big that they make him trip, his tail is so long he knocks everything down when he wags it (which is all of the time) and he does NOT know how to eat or drink. We are trying to figure out what was going on in the brains of our owners to buy another dog. They say he is suppose to be three times the size he is now...ummm...duh...do they realize that he will be at least 150 pounds? Do they realize what a huge pest he will become? He reveals us while hunting birds, he eats our animals that we half kill and totally grosses out our owners, and now there is talk about building this awfully large manision dog house so he will have shelter for the upcoming contruction project and winter. So as the weather is steamy hot and we are attempting to cool off on the nice stone patio, we have come to realize how lucky us cats are. That big floppy doopy dog is super HOT in that long coat (the owners keep saying they are so happy he isn't in the house); well duh, the house should be for us cats and us cats only!! (Now to convince our owners of that.)