Mia Piggy

We are babysitting a guinea pig for a friend for about a month. The kids are thrilled with her and want to add one to our zoo! I don't think that will happen but you never know, the kids can usually talk me into it after a while. Well Brooke left Ashlyn to watch the guinea pig and we all know what happens next. The guinea pig is missing. We started looking for her and it didn't take long before we found her in Ashlyn's room. Thank goodness she is the size of a small cat so she can't hide like Hammy can. So she is found and all is well. Back to my laundry!

Dirty Days of Summer

It is the dirty days of summer for sure around here! My washing machine works from the time I wake up till the time I go to bed most of the week lately because my kids look like this at the end of the day. Sometimes they look like this 2 or 3 times before the day is over. We haven't had rain in a couple of weeks so everything is dry and dusty so just taking care of the animals makes us look like we have been ranching a 100 acre farm all day! I have to say that this time of the year really gets to me but at least it doesn't last long before the good weather starts to come. I am sure the horses and chickens will be happy when that day comes also.

Chickens and Bugs

So everyone sit back and get a laugh out of this one! The kids show the chickens at the fair and we are working with the chickens and Ashlyn because this is her first year showing. Well I was looking closely at one of the chickens thinking they really need a bath. Yes the chickens get a bath! Well I suddenly seen something moving and sure enough it was bugs! So what do I do? i run like a mad woman into the house, jump on the computer to find out what they are and what to do about them. I find out that they are LICE! I quickly found out that they have to be dusted with seven dust and everything must be cleaned and dusted with seven dust. I rushed out the door to get seven dust because I can't sleep at night knowing those nasty things are crawling around out there. I came home and Tony started digging out the coop as I made the assmbly line of chickens on the deck. I was freaked out, the kids were amazed and Tony was probably thinking he should run for his life. We got everyone dusted, pens cleaned, all hay removed, pens dusted and waterers and feeders bleached just as it was getting dark. So now I am just sitting back and dreading Wednesday because I have to do it all over again ever 3 days for 14 days! SO everyone think of me this week because I am on my own because Brooke is off to camp tomorrow till Friday.

Moving up!

This week Ashlyn has started riding on her own. This is such a hugh step in our life. This means that both horses are no longer just useless! They both have a meaning in life and that is to make my kids happy, in turn makes me happy because they just cost so darn much to just sit in the yard and do nothing. Brooke has had to go back to riding Kitty (on the left) because Willow is the babysitter pony for Ashlyn. I don't think Brooke is all that happy with it but she will just have to adjust. Kitty knows that she can just take Brooke for a ride instead of Brooke taking her for a ride! I just told her she will have to learn to get through the ruff spots because this is it on the horse buying!

Ashlyn is having a blast riding on her own but makes me very nervous. She is certainly a dare devil. She is not ready to ride on her own in the open by herself but she is doing very good in the pen.

Ashlyn's story

Today we had to run a few errands such as the feed store, the chiropractor and petsmart. Petsmart is in Daytona and that was our last stop and we headed home. Ashlyn decides she has to pee. I told her "we are on our way home now". She says "but I really have to go". This happens alot and most of the time we are usually out doing horse stuff and she just pees in a stall or in the horse trailer. We sound like true hillbilly's now! Anyway I told her " I can't just pull over and let you pee on the side of I-95"! She says, "but I really have to go". I say " Well Ashlyn your just going to have to hold it or your going to pee in your pants". So what does my darling five year old do? She just pees in her pants! She takes me so literally. She was quiet for a little while and I said "Ashlyn, did you pee your pants?" and she said "well, yes!" She seemed kind of proud of her self to tell you the truth. She showed mommy what happens when you don't pull over and pee!

Hammy Hunter

Well the search was on last night for the escapee Hammy. When the sun went down, the Hammy Hunter put on his head light and went to searching. He found evidence in Ashlyn's closet so he knew he was close. He turned off his light and stood quietly listening for the little rodent. He heard movement, flicked on his light and there she was all the way on the top shelf of the closet!Don't ask how she got there but she was fast moving trying to escape being caught. He captured her and put her in her Hammy palace. I am sure she is planning her next escape as we speak!

The Search

So do you see a problem with this picture of the hamster cage? Well I will tell you, THE HAMSTER IS MISSING! We woke up this more and everything was going as planned until we went in to brush Ashlyn's teeth and noticed that there is no hamster in the hamster cage. She had broke the latch on top and hit the road. The kids were so upset , not that the hamster was gone but that she had chewed up all the silly band bracelets that were on the counter. Hammy had managed to fall into the garbage can, crawl to the top and bail out. She is now loose in the house and nowhere to be found. For those of you who don't know this, this will be Hammy's 4th escape. The first time was tramatic for me. I was so upset that a furry little rodent was loose in my house that I went outside, cried, had a nervous breakdown and told Tony I was going to move out until the hamster was found. I went to a friends house and visited until Tony, the hammy hunter, found hammy and put her back into her cage. I now am used to the little rodent and will just wait till her furry little body runs across the floor tonight to get her. In the mean time we are cleaning the house looking for her. I guess that is the only good thing that has come of this whole thing! I guess the hammy hunter will be called to his job again tonight! Well I hope you enjoyed my first post and for sure there will be more just like this to come. There is never a dull moment in this house.