Summer at the ranch

Wow... It's been a long time.  I haven't had time to blog much this year.  Life happens and I don't always take the time to write it down.  I'm sure most of you are like that too.  And there's always Facebook.  That's much easier to write down a few sentences and post a few pics. 

So, I had a few minutes this quite Sunday morning and thought I'd update things around here.  Had quite a few changes around here.  In January, I fell and broke my ankle...  I got to sit around the house while Ben was out in the cold feeding everyday.  We had some wonderful help from the local church and my neighbors brought over food and called and sent cards.  It's so nice to live in a small community.  We are many miles from our family, but I feel I have ties here now.

We were flooded in a lot this spring, thanks to all the above normal moisture.  Our road washed out too.  I was stuck here for 15 days..  Ben could get out but it was tricky.  Our spring was spent with lots of mud and rain.  Which was nice, for awhile.

Then Uncle Joe came, my brother.  He's here for the summer helping us out. 

The boys are sure happy he's here!  

The cattle all got branded, a week or so late, but they got done.  Like I said, it was a wet spring.  The pasture roads are washed in places, there are water holes that you have to drive around and creeks are up.  It was a long branding this spring, we are all glad it is done!

We got into the hay meadows late due to all the moisture, but wow do we have some hay!  Of course we've been stuck a lot..

In this picture...  Ben got the Case and MoCo stuck on the far right.  Called Joe to bring the JD 4440 down to pull him out... That tractor got stuck, so out came the D6 Cat.  I took this from the house, Sheldon and I had a good view of all the action!


Now summer is in full swing, actually there is a feel of fall in the air, just a little.  It is starting to be cool off in the evenings a lot faster and get dark sooner.  We've had some warm temps, nothing unusual, but it sure beats the heat to cool off in the water.  We cleaned this tank out this spring and now it's a great pool!

 

Sheldon is getting so big..  runs after everyone and always wants to be where the action is.  He's had a fun summer with his older brothers and sister.  This fall, Payne will start school and will be gone for 4 days a week.  It's going to be awfully quite around here. 

So, here's the short and condensed update and I hope to be blogging more.  In a few short weeks we are off to Iowa to visit family then school starts.  Never a dull moment, that's for sure!

Spring is sprung

Wow, it's been awhile since I posted anything!  These past few months I've only had time to sit and the puter and check stuff, not do any typing.  Having a baby on my lap makes it hard to type!  Sheldon is old enough ( and big enough) to do some sitting and he's been loving that, trying to get over and crawl too.  Just had his 6 mo. check and he is 19 lbs... yeah, my arms can feel that!

We've had so much going on here, 2nd place in the state of MT AAU wrestling Yay Camron!  Lost bunches of teeth Addy's 1st, all of Sheldon's milestones, Payne's first wrestling tourney and 3rd place medal..  A birthday Camron's 8 now, Easter, last day of Kindergarten, Grandma Feinberg's visit with cousin Kevin, a dance recital, and soccer.  I just can't get a picture or sit down to write about each and every activity! 

here's Camron (2nd)

And the ranch activities,  we've been calving, and while I don't have that much to do with it all, I'm still out driving around in the cake truck.  We've quit the old cows for the year.  The heifers still need it.  Ben had 275 to do and we've got about 15 left.  Here in a few short weeks we'll be branding and then I'll been even more busy, I'll try to get in with pictures and all.  My mom is coming out to help keep track of the kiddos while I'm baking and cooking and heading to the corrals to feed all the hungry cowboys.  It will be nice for here because she's never seen Montana when it's green.  It's so beautiful right now.  Seeing all the green just transforms this place and even tho we feel like it's been winter for ever we know it's spring and time to change the seasons.

Feeding cows

So, this post is about what I do everyday in the winter. Most of my readers have no idea what goes on out here, and by most of my readers I mean the family memebers who stop by. They are back in Iowa with their snow and canclled school days and a crazy/awesome football season and now are gearing up for the U of Iowa wrestling.

Here in Montana it's been snowy and cold, like -25 below with the wind, cold and we've got around 6 inches of snow on the ground right now. We send our kids to school by God, just with a few more layers! Drifts some where around a foot. The wind really blew for a few days there. Of course temps have come up the past few days, 20 degrees feels like a heat wave after those -20 days. But cows gotta eat, everyday no matter what and here's a few pictures

To start off, here's the cake bin. Cake is a feed supplement for the cows. It comes in a pellet, about the size of your finger, and just as round. The cows love it, it's full of corn and protein and keeps them warm and fat. A semi comes and fills the bin about every week, 40 tons, and I feed it out, about 3 lbs per cow 4, if it's real cold.

I back in under the bin and turn the wheel and it opens up underneath and drops the cake in my truck like this.

When I'm full I drive off to find the cows. They are usually waiting for us and stand around looking at me till I start feeding.

I just drive around in ever increasing circles making sure everyone has room for cake. This bull is under the door where the cake bangs out. A conveyer is under the hopper and the door lifts open and the cows come running when they hear that sound.

Ben runs the tractor. We stay right with each other through out the morning. We try to time it so we aren't waiting on each other at the gates. He coes out first in the morning and that way the cows are usually gathered up by the time I get there. He doesn't have to wait on the cows like I do. They take their time with the hay, the cake is gone as fast as they can gobble it up. The straglers miss out sometimes.

This here below is our biggest pasture. When Ben has them all strung out at the hay it makes an impressive picture.

Gotta check the water tanks too. Chop the ice out and make sure the overflows are working.

Our sometimes cow dog Daisy
"Don't come out my gate!"

I call her Bessie.

1 cow out of 900+ and she is the only one that will eat cake from my hand. Here she is trying to see if my camera tastes as good.

"Where's my cake?!"

My ever present helpers

There you have a day in the life of Reilly.

Happy Birthday Adaline!

So, It's been a week since Miss Thang's birthday and here are the pics from the Princess party. Her official day is the 13th and we had the party with Grandma here before she left. It turned out to be a week long celebration almost. With taking treats to school on another day too.
She decided to go with the Miss Monster cake. Which was fine with me, it was easy to decorate! I think she just wanted to use the straws and marshmallows.

I had to include this picture, she's been wanting a clock in the worst way. She even drew one on a piece of paper and hung it on her wall. I've put it away with the story written down so I can show her when she's older. That way I can tell her how deprived she was growing up being the only girl! I know she doesn't look very happy but this was the top gift along with her Barbie computer.

Of course we had to bring birthday treats to school. I'm so thankful she only has 4 classmates. These 6 used up all of my creativity!

So Happy Birthday to our one and only little girl, Addy Lu!

He's here!

Ok, just turn your head to the side for this first one. I didn't realize the camera was turned and it's to late to go change the pic now. Just tilt to the right... There now you can see him!

Sheldon Dean Reilly was born Tuesday, November 3rd at 11:16 am. After a long, long labor, 2, count em' 2 trips to the hospital.. And a wonderful epidural :)

He weighed in at 7 lbs. 14 oz 20 in long.

Healthy and with all this fingers and toes.

Everyone was excited to see him and hold him. They tried kissing and mauling him the whole way home!

Addy wasn't too happy when she heard she had a new brother. She really had her heart set on a sister. When Ben told them the news, she cried the whole way home from the bus stop he said! But was soon calmed down when she was told Grandma White was coming for a few days to visit.

I asked her on the way home if Sheldon was ok, even tho he wasn't a girl and she said he was. She thought he was cute and we could keep him. (whew!)

Payne is just happy to be my new helper!

Ben's mom came today and will stay and help us all get adjusted to a new little one around here. So I'll check back in when I can. Just wanted to get this out while the babe is sleeping. I'm sure it's one of the fleeting free moments I will have for awhile!

Nesting

Only a few weeks till baby is here so I've been nesting a little. All tho not the typical house cleaning but the hurry up and get all my projects done, letters sent out, sewing and mending done kind of nesting. I found this tutorial here at SewMuchAdo for rag edge receiving blankets. They worked up really quick and I made blankets and burp cloths for myself and my pen pal in Italy who is expecting the same time as me. I can't show you her blanket yet, I'm sending it out today so I'll get it posted when she gets it. Here are the ones for me.

And I'm not giving anything away here! We really don't know what we are having but I have been leaning more towards pink and purple things. Just in case, I found this fabric in the remnant bin and will make another blanket so I can be prepared either way.

This one I will just sew and tie together. The rag edge is nice but I now have little pieces of string all over my pantry and clothes from washing and shaking out the ones I made!

Here is what my pen pal sent to me. I love the cream fabric and red stitching. The little blankie is so soft, it's like touching air. I didn't have a coming home outfit so I'm glad she sent this!
(wow, those wrinkles are really bad :-o Don't judge me. I do have an iron, I just don't like to use it for everything!)

Here is a sling I bought from a Farmgirl Sister at Mary Janes on ETSY

BebeBella She found the perfect fabric and made it up quickly. Even sent instructions and a pattern so I could make a bigger one as the baby grows.

So, are you baby'd out yet? I am. I'm ready for this little one to get here.

Happy 4 to Payne!

Where does the time go?!? I was just remembering that I started this blog around this same time last year for Payne's 3rd birthday and now he's 4!

He has grown into such a wonderful little guy this past year. Always my helper in the kitchen
Just a goof to have around, always laughing and with a smile on his face

Always trying to get in there and do what the big kids do. And so serious when there is a big chore to be done!

I try to make cut up cakes for the kids. Let them pick out what they want and colors and such.. This year we had lots of choices. First it was a dragon, then it was a horse. Those I could try to do, I mean I would have figured it out some way. Then he decided upon Diego, there was no way I could do that one! So Dairy Queen to the rescue! lol He was very excited and this morning told me in an amazed voice that his cake had ice cream in it. !!

Addy told me last night before bed that if Dairy Queen has a princess cake, she'll have that. I may have started a new thing with the store bought cakes.. lol

Happy Birthday Payne!

Flamingos, Cherries and Hot Peppers, Oh my!

I like quilts.

I like to cuddle up with one, look at them, touch them, wonder who made them and for whom.. I hate to see them in the thrift shop, they seem so abandoned to me. You know they were made by someone and given with love and I could never give mine up. I especially like the ones that are made just for me by my grandma and aunts. This one below is one of them. My Aunt Leggs just sent this one out for the new babe. Don't you just love the flamingos?! And what about those cherries, the whole back is just the cherries. My poor child will be cross eyed! I can just see a little baby trying to pick the cherries. :) To quote from her letter... "Heck with that pastel pink and blue and those baby designs...how about some flamingos and hot peppers!" I can't wait to get the crib up and put the quilt in. I'll be taking it to the hospital for sure to bring the new one home in.

My other favorite quilt is my graduation quilt. My Grandma makes one for each grandchild with the help of her daughters and daughters-in-law. I treasure mine. It hangs on a quilt rack in my room on my side of the bed so I see it every morning and night. I don't use it anymore because I don't want sticky fingers and dog hair to attack it. But I will take it down every now and then to cuddle up with it and have that connection with my grandma and aunts.

I especially like crazy quilts and that's what I requested from my grandma. I wanted pieces of fabric I could look at and remember the dresses or shirts from my old clothes and others in my family. I have pieces of red velvet from my Aunt Mary's bridesmaids dresses made by a great-great aunt Flossie. I have pieces of a dress my mom made for us to match in. Fabric from a nightgown, dress, and shorts my Aunt Leggs made me, pieces of a jumper grandma made for all the girls when they were in school. I could go on and on... Every piece was part of something once before and now it's all together again to make a quilt for me. I love the FFA jacket too! That was an added surprise, I didn't know you could cut up the National Blue corduroy, but I'm glad my advisor gave up a jacket to the cause and they didn't use mine!

I couldn't decide which picture was better, so you get both!



I admire the attention and detail that goes into every quilt. I could never accomplish that. I like to sew and am trying to learn on my machine by making curtains and bandanna skirts and I may try a few receiving blankets, but I know I will never be able to create a quilt. I am content to make my x's in cross stitch and sew my crooked lines on my machine. I will just enjoy and cherish each one I have. And think of the women who were thinking of me as they sewed.

Aunt Jan, Aunt Mary, Aunt Leggs and my mom

holding babies Ryan, Camron and Mary

4 generations

my mom, grandma, Adaline and me

Still here...

Well, really not a whole lot going on here at the Reilly Ranch. Just a lot of running kiddos back and forth to the bus stop, school activities, shopping trips, doctor appointments, and work. Just not real exciting stuff.

Had a dr. appt earlier this week. Everything looks ok, my amniotic fluid is border line low so doc ordered another ultrasound for my next appointment, just to keep an eye on it. I'm 34 weeks now and ready for this to all be done! lol It's so hard to get normal chores and things done. I feel so heavy and low. I make the kids pick up things from the floor for me. Payne was amazed the other day when I actually picked something up.. He exclaimed "You can bend over!"

Ben is busy over at the feedlot, packing silage. He's not really enjoying the 12 hour days in a tractor driving up and down a silage pile, but at least it's only for a short while. He's been at it for 2 weeks now so it's just me and the kids here. We get on each others nerves pretty easily when we don't have dad around!

He's on his way back home now, isn't needed today, so that means we get to watch the Hawk game on time. Last week I recorded it and the boys got to stay up and watch too.. But Camron just couldn't make it to the last quarter at 11 pm. He crashed. Hawks have been doing good. We'll see how they play today against Penn State. We are 3-0 now. We'll get our black and gold on in a bit to cheer them on!

1st day of School

Ahhh, the First Day of School.

New supplies, new clothes, new pack packs..

Getting back to a routine and seeing old friends again.

This year we have one more off to school. Addy starts Kindergarten and goes 2 days a week. She all ready knows the school, half of her class (there are only 5 including her) and her teacher. That's the fun of a small school. She's excited to go and ride the bus. She gets to learn new things and use all her new Disney Princess gear.

Not to be left out, Payne had to have a picture taken too. He still has 2 more years till he can start school. Yesterday was strange to just have one at home. We ran a few errands and got to visit and he got to play with all the toys and and be my constant companion. We'll see how tomorrow goes.

Wet day project

What do you do when it's to wet to work outside? Play of course! Dad and the kids were tired of being inside, well.. Mom was tired of Dad and the kids being inside. So up to the shop to build stuff. Such fun!

What is it??

A table?

A bench?
A kiddie bar?

A massage table?

Nope, a roping dummy!!

Every cowkid needs one. It's such a fun way to spend the summer evening.

Here, just like this

Payne does it the easy way.

Maybe it will be a bench after all...