Cattlemen's Ball 2009

(image taken from Cattlemens.com)

Cattlemen's Ball is a super huge fundraiser for Cancer research here in Nebraska. You can check it out here. This year it was held just a stone's throw from my home town.

I went back to GI town to help out...I ended up spending most of the day with my mom- which is always entertaining. The craziest things always happen when we're together. Which is probably good - because then I have a witness that can corroborate my stories!

Here are some of the highlights from our adventure:

• The area received about 3 inches of rain over night- which made the alfalfa field (the part of the ranch where the festivities were being held) a HUGE mud pit! I mean "black squishy lose your sandals and never see them again" kind of muddy!
• Which made it a little more humorous...seeing all the uppity upps (not you nancy!) in their designer shoes trying to wade through the mud! White capris, tan dress pants...can you even imagine!?
• LOVED the fashion show! Not so much for the fashion...but the kids were so stinkin adorable! They did little diva model poses and had on serious faces. So cute! The last set was modeled completely by local cancer survivors...very touching! Especially when two little boys took their stroll down the catwalk...heartbreaking! Really!
• There was a frog sneaking around under unsuspecting people's chairs during the style show. Which happened to be right by me. So when the show was over...I happened to have a bucket (don't ask)... I tried to catch it. After hopping (the frog and I) through the rows for 15 minutes...I finally got the bucket over it. Then my mom told me to slide a piece of paper underneath, flip it over and then we could take it somewhere and release it. Sounded alot easier than it ended up being. Long story short- there was some screaming, a frog in my face, a bucket flying into the crowd and my mom (and other onlookers) laughing hysterically. I decided to let the frog fend for itself.
  
• I decided to leave early...didn't want to get stuck in a storm coming back home. I did, however, get stuck in the mud trying to leave the parking area. My van tire was almost completely covered and my front end was resting on the ground- possibly even sinking into ground- who really knows! I finally found a nice man in a pick up to help me. He couldn't help but comment on how obvious it was that a woman had caused this mess... no man would have gotten it soooo stuck. I took it like a champ. He pulled me out. I proceeded to get stuck two more times until he finally just drove my van to the road for me. I thanked him and headed home.
  
• My mom wore a black bra under her white volunteer tshirt. Neither of us had realized...really kind of hoping no one else did. Although, really how much worse could we have looked...muddy feet, drizzle/wind blown hair (and not the pretty kind), mud splatters all over the lower halves of our bodies and our faces showed every bit of tired weariness resulting from the day's work. Really!? What difference was a black bra under a white tshirt going to make...right!?
• I saw a man dressed in nice tan slacks and a yellow (I think it was yellow) polo shirt get sprayed with mud after helping a car that got stuck. Sprayed completely! I mean the only part of his front that I could see were his eyes...once he took his glasses off. His wife just looked at him and said "Oh honey! I don't think we can go in there with you looking like that!" I hid my laughter! The husband didn't find it as humorous.
  

Alot of money was raised today for a wonderful cause! If you ever have an opportunity to attend this annual event- please do! You won't regret it! Because even though there was mud up to my waist, foggy drizzly weather and a whole lot of craziness- it was AWESOME!

Summer is a-knocking!

Today was the last day - we had to drag our tired bodies out of bed at 5:45am. In fact, we were a little rebellious and slept in until 6:00am this morning!

Today was last day of trying to find lids to fit plastic ware for lunches. The last day of rushing to the bus stop.

Well- the last day for 3 months anyway!

Our summer is full of exciting adventures...its sad to think we only have 7 summer vacations left with the twins until they graduate. Once your kids become semi-self sufficient, time passes to darn fast!

Happy Last Day of school- kiddos!

A small service

In kindergarten- the kids learn how to grow seeds and the process by which plants grow. Pucca lovingly tended three sunflower seeds in a little paper cup for a week and half. She was soooo excited! And she couldn't wait to plant them in the backyard.

We found the perfect sunny spot and transplanted the three small sunflowers. She checked on them everyday and watered them regularly. Then one day she came in the house- tears rolling down her cheeks.

The sunflowers had died. The world had ended - her poor heart crushed!

As I tried to keep a straight face, I comforted my little darling. Telling her we would plant more seeds and that everything would be fine.

Her sisters also came to her rescue and held an impromptu funeral service for little Zoey and her friends. Kwynn made a tombstone and Kynna provided sisterly comfort.

It was really funny, sweet and touching in a crazy weird sort of way-and it took every ounce of restraint to remain respectful and not giggle through the service! Our neighbors tried not to stare as they watched us from their sun room.

Needless to say- that seemed to do the trick. And the fact we headed to Ace to buy a small planter and some seeds so she could grow some more. Drama. Drama. Drama. Definitely in abundant supply around here!

sleepy head!

This is what I wish I was doing today...all day long!

This weekend was crammed pack nonstop work around the house chaos.

It all started Saturday at 6:45am. I got up, showered, took Ems to the Kennel to get prettied up...she looks so stinkin great and smells pretty good too!

Then I went grocery shopping and was back home before 9am. I then mowed the yard...and learned an incredibly fascinating lesson. The mower doesn't like to mow if it doesn't have gas! Thanks, honey for passing along that valuable bit of information! :)

Then I dug out a bunch of dirt in our front plants along the porch...we had this really pretty almost a blue-ish colored grass in there, but it was too aggressive and wouldn't stay put in the planters. It also looked really bad this year, thin and sparse- so the impatient wench that I am- ripped it all out, dug up all the roots and sprayed weed killer just to be sure. Then I had these empty planters just screaming for something to fill them.

Talked John into going to Lowe's with me and we picked out a some pretty yellow green arboretae bushes and a another trellace for the raspberries. Those things are going crazy! And the June crop is already coming in and looking great! SOOOOOO EXCITING!

While we were there John bought a pole saw...Came home- planted bushes, trimmed trees, filled in patches in the lawn with the blue-green patch filler stuff. Somehow managed to get three loads of laundry and a load of dishes done too!

pfhewwwww- what a day! Makes me even more tired just thinking about it!

Yesterday- Made copies for sunday school lesson, bought new towels for our bathroom (long story), went to church, cleaned out downstairs pantry room, went through all the end of the year papers that come home with kids- sorted and let the kids pick out what would go in their keepsake boxes, softball practice, cleaned bathrooms and dang near passed out at 10pm.

I cannot wait for 9:30...where you will find me curled up sound asleep in my comfy cozy bed dreaming of how fast I want the next three days to fly by!!!