Greenwood County Fashion Week: Cowdog Edition

Although we are hidden out here in the Flint Hills, we do have internet and I do occasionally peruse the happenings that occur outside our little world.  I have noticed some media outlets reporting on multiple 'fashion weeks' going on throughout the world - New York, Paris, Milan, etc.  I thought perhaps we should join in on the fun, too.  

Behold:

I give you one of the looks from our Spring/Summer cowdog collection.  Loopie is both edgy and modern with a touch of 1990's nostalgia as seen in her hair tie knot.  

And now for the Paul Harvey "The Rest of the Story".  Loopie got into a tussle with a coyote a few weeks back and tore a pretty significant hole in her side.  There was such a hole that I couldn't even find enough skin to stitch back together.  (Stitching with fabric I absolutely loathe.  Suturing animals is an entirely different matter.)  It healed rather well for about a week before she repeated the entire process and reopened her would to its original size.  I finally bit the bullet and took her to the vet for proper medical care.  

After her side was shaved, bandaged and wrapped it was recommended that I add another barrier to keep Loop from tearing everything off too quickly.  Thus one of my most beloved high school softball shirts was donated to the cause.  That's how much I love Loopie.  

Although Loop will likely die of embarrassment if she ever learns of this, I simply couldn't resist sharing my superior fashion talents with the rest of the world. Eat your heart out, Naomi, Kendall and Gigi.  

Genetics

More than once we have heard comments that our boys look quite a bit alike.  I mean, the odds are in our favor, seeing as how they share the same mom and dad.  I happened to have my camera out today for a moment and snapped a few, quick pictures of them.  

Sure enough, there are definitely some similarities.  I especially see it in their eyes and noses.  I'll have to wade through some of Kenyon's baby pictures and post some side-by-sides of them.  

They are also fairly well matched when it comes to growth.  Kenyon was 0.5 ounces heavier than John at birth and thus far John has followed the same pattern on the growth chart as Kenyon, too.  I remember when John was born, the nurses placed him on my chest and let him rest for a few moments.  They then lovingly asked if I would like to let him nurse before they took him away to record his height and weight.  My left brain took over and I informed them to take him away, right away.  I wanted to get an empty weight recorded on him - so I could accurately compare him to Kenyon.  Mama likes science.

Why, yes, we did have spaghetti for lunch.  Why do you ask?

In other news... John has learned how to roll.  I now find that I lose him fairly easily as he never stays in one place any longer. 

Whew.  I get exhausted just watching him.

New Diaper Bag

I've been in the market for a diaper bag for several months now.  I decided that if I'm going to be a professional, full-time mom I could at least treat myself to a nice looking diaper bag.  (Why do I need a nice looking diaper bag if I refuse to put on makeup, fix my hair and wear 'town clothes' like the rest of society?  Good question, but that's not germane to our discussion today.) 

Behold, my new diaper bag:

I cannot say enough wonderful things about this bag and the business I purchased it from, Charlie 7.

I found Charlie 7 on Facebook, and they also have a business page on Etsy that shows a variety of different types, styles and materials to completely customize your own bag.  The owner, Karen, was wonderful to work with and humored me when I wasn't able to coordinate fabrics quite to my liking.  (I'm the woodworker, not the quilter, in my family.  Red oak and cherry lumber?  Boom.  Good combo.  Fabrics?  Not a clue.)  She gave me several helpful suggestions and steered me towards the bag that would best fit my needs.  

What are my needs, you ask?  In my initial email I specifically told her: 

I am needing a diaper bag that someday can transition to an everyday bag. I love leather you include on your bags, especially the flap and bottom. We ranch in the flint hills of Kansas, so it needs to be tough, durable and not show dirt. It must be able to withstand going to the pasture and processing barn. I like fabrics that are ranchy/Aztec/western/rustic, which I saw on some of your bags and loved. I prefer structure on a bag versus a 'floppy' bag (I hope that makes sense). And a few pockets would be helpful as well. A changing pad isn't really necessary as I have one from my current diaper bag. I hope this gives you a bit of direction.

Karen at Charlie 7 created a perfect bag for me. She even included a handwritten thank-you note in one of the pockets which was just icing on the cake for me. Who does that? Wonderful small business owners, that's who.

Please go check out her work - you will love it!

It's Been a Blur, and a Brrrrrr

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind.  Actually, I should probably stop saying that because time never really seems to slow and allow us to catch our breath hardly ever anymore.  In addition to all our normal activities - feeding (both cattle and kids), walks to check cattle, cooking and laundry (with my new soap!) I've also taken up the 'hobby' of grant writing.  We'll see in the upcoming weeks and months if anything pans out and our proposals have been accepted.  *Fingers crossed*

I managed to take my camera along on one of our chilly walks last week.  We can handle the cold, but when the wind picks up and blows 30 miles an hour I have no problem dashing down to the grain bins and back to the house and calling our little 300 hundred yard dash our physical activity for the day.

Here's Wes.  Here's Wesley's shadow.

Click to enlarge.  This one just absolutely warms my heart.

When John rides in the stroller on long days he wears a onsie, long pants, two pairs of socks, heavy coat, thermal baby bag (from my childhood), a stocking cap and heavy blanket over the top.  By the time I unwrapped the poor kiddo he was a pile of sweat.  Sweaty except for his cheeks, nose and one eye left out in the elements. 

This is why we can never take him to a professional photographer.  This is what we get when we say 'cheese'.
Definitely not the picture perfect poses I've seen so many children do. 

How To Rope

Roping's purty easy,

there's not a whole lot to it.

Since you asked me really nicely,

I'll show you how I do it.

 

First you gotta pick your rope -

This one here's a poly.

And don't do this in the house,

R'else you'll tick off Mommy.

I always like to build my coils....

I do this part REALFAST.

After that I swing my loop

and then I throw it last.

A Review: Norwex Laundry Soap

Within the past year I have become acquainted with the Norwex brand of cleaning products.  Have you heard of them?  If not, you should.  They are pretty awesome.  

My friend Stephanie is a Norwex independent sales consultant.  Recently, she ran a promotion and asked for guinea pigs willing to try Norwex products for free, as long as we agreed to write a review of the product.  She had me at free.  My favorite four letter F word (now that I'm out of college and a mother).  

Here's the long and the short of their laundry detergent: I love it.

She sent me a little, quart size plastic baggie of detergent.  There couldn't have been more than 1 cup of detergent in the baggie.  I made a mental note that I would write a review as soon as the detergent had been all used up.  Problem is, I'm still working on using that little bag.  I use one TEASPOON of detergent per load to get my clothes clean.  That's right, folks.  Teaspoon.  The littlest scoop in your kitchen utensils.  

I have used this powder on darks and could not detect any fading or residue left behind like I feel sometimes happens when using a powder.  Also, I feel like the detergent did a great job on Wesley's dirty work jeans.  I must admit, though, that I cheated on the super-sized load of work jeans and I put in two teaspoons of detergent.  Whew.  Glad I got that off my chest. 

Overall I have been nothing but pleased with this product and would highly recommend it to others.  To place an order, please look Steph up on Facebook:  Stephanie Huser: Norwex Independent Sales Consultant.  

Over the past few months I have ordered other products from her, including: a dusting mitt, window cleaning cloth and enviro cloth (for general cleaning).  

Company coming over in 30 minutes?  I grab my handy-dandy dusting mitt and do a quick once-over on all my bookshelves.  I'm not sure why I feel the need to have my furniture dusted when there is a sink full of dirty dishes in the kitchen, but there are my priorities.  Wood > food. 

The window cleaning cloth has restored my faith in the entire cleaning process.  All those conversations I normally have in my head as I grumble about stupid cleaning tasks like cleaning mirrors and windows are gone.  Why am I doing this if no one can tell the difference afterwards?  Which is worse - a clean window with streaks or a dirty window with rain spots?  The window cleaning cloth + water = magic.  No spots, no streaks.

The enviro cloth is a great general cleaning rag for counter tops and table tops I've found.  Yes, there are still times when I bust out paper towels and bleach after cutting chicken and some drops fall off the cutting board, but in between those times this is the cloth I reach for. 

There you have it, folks.  Norwex - good stuff. (I'm in the process of trademarking that phrase so don't y'all steal it.)  

I Swear There Were Cattle Involved

We moved cattle one day last week when there was a bitter cold wind blowing outside.

See?  Cattle.

But let's get to the important stuff.  My co-pilot. 

My apologies for the odd shadow across his forehead.
It's from his shade screen across the back window of the pickup. 

Poor Kenyon wasn't in the cold for a terribly long time, but it was enough to freeze his face into a smile of sorts.  Well, that's what we're going with.  It's amazing how similar a smile and a grimace from the cold can look at times.  It's all in perspective.