There IS a method to my madness

So we all remember the post about how I shamelessly & un-apologetically wanted to steal a little black stuffed kitty from Cole right?! http://thefarmingmcafees.blogspot.com/2009/10/being-cooped-up-in-houseboat-brings-out.html

Cole finally sent the little black stuffed kitty to the island of unused toys. And to protect the innocent, I will NOT reveal how I obtained him. But I wanted to share with you what I had in store for him & prove to you that I'm not some random kleptomaniac. Isn't he too cute for words?! I have him sitting on my monitor at work.And I found this sign at Kroger a few weeks ago. I found it hilarious because I have somewhat of a reputation of being, uh, er, "witch-like". I know, I know - you're in shock & awe. But it's true. I can be a real hard ass. But this cute little sign was like $10 & I was like nu-uh, I'm not paying $10 for that. When we stopped at Kroger the other night, it was on sale for $4.50. Oh yea - I'm all about a sale. (By the way, this is the other little black kitty I stole fair & square - that Cole didn't find...) See, I had a plan ALL along. I wanted to put the cute sign on my wall & when Cole got the cute kitties, it made the picture complete. 'Cuz ya'll know that witches have their black cats, & who can forget my loyal & faithful steeds Sparky & Sonny...who are also black. Coincidence?! I think not...
Disclaimer: No children were harmed in the making of this post. I have also told Cole's mother that if he suddenly wakes up one day & decides that he can't live without the little stuffed black kitty, that I will return him...until I get the chance to reposses him - again. Please don't judge...

Playing dress up

The motorcycle gang had a Halloween party last night. It was a costume party & typically I don't like costume parties. I'm not creative enough to think of a costume, PLUS I'm too cheap to spend the money on one.

Brad was able to borrow a costume from a friend he works with. He was a chubby Playboy Playmate. And he was popular with this crowd. It even came with a tail. It was WAY funnier without the t-shirt & leggings he wore underneath, but sadly it was too cold for him to go without them. Brad got lotsa action with his new found chest.
There are lots of big personalities in the motorcycle gang. And ya know that I have a kinda big personality. But their personalities overpower mine. I don't know any of them REAL well, so I just kinda stand aside by myself. And of course, I had to be Brad's personal photographer. He was a big hit.
When I walked into the house, I was kinda looking down not making eye contact with anyone. They were all drinking & in costume so I wanted to ease my way into it. Then I heard a familiar voice say, "Hey!". I recognized the voice, but when I looked up, I was like "Oh My God!" It was my brother. Dressed as Bruno. And - he looked pretty good!

Jeremy & Hannah.
I went as myself - er, I mean a witch. Told ya I wasn't very creative. I just bought a hat, painted my nails black & had dark eye makeup.

Brad found another use for his costume besides getting lotsa action. A drink holder.

And since Brad was drinking & I wasn't - I finally got to drive his truck!

Brad's new(est) toy

I've told you stories of motorcycles & mustangs... And now I have another story to tell. A story about a boy & his truck. And it's touching... and you may cry.

So ya'll know about Brad's toys. His "hobbies" -if you will -expensive hobbies. But this new toy...THIS is the one I'M most excited about. Because it benefits me too...

Brad's been wanting a truck. And not just any 'ole pick up truck. He had a whole list of things he wanted his truck to come with - diesel, duramax w/ allison transmission... just to name a few. Did you think any different?! Tsk, tsk. (But in the spirit of full disclosure - he wanted a truck he could also use on the farm...) So my car will be paid off next month -and being the wonderful wifey I am, I told him he could get a truck & we'd trade out 1 car payment for another. (What? Save the money you say? Oh no - I believe in the American way - I owe, I owe...) So he had his budget & off to cyber space he went to shop 'til he dropped. Of course the truck HE wanted was in short supply. They were hard to find used. But he came across this little gem on Autotrader.com. (God Bless the internet). He called around to people we knew in the truck business. He called his friends. They all thought it was a good deal. So we went Wednesday night to test drive & look it over.
And ya'll know I love an argument. So I got to deal with the salesman guy. So I did my best to channel the Al Brown (that's my dad - you'd just have to know him to understand) negotiating skills. I didn't do as good of a job as he would've. Because MY dad walks outta the dealership if they don't give him what they want. But I knew B-rad would be heart broken, so I kept my happy bootie in the chair. And we made the deal.

And now he's the proud, PROUD owner of a 2005 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Duramax. And you may be asking, "so why does this benefit you?" Well, this means MY explorer gets a break from pulling the boat. A break from pulling the motorcycle trailer. A break from being our main transportation vehicle. And ya'll know I like anything that's good for my Explorer.
Brad's already putting it to good use. He took off work Thursday to combine soybeans & he got stuck in the field...thus he had to use the 4 wheel drive to get himself out. AND he got to use it to pull the bean head to another field. Exciting stuff, people...

Being cooped up in a houseboat brings out the worst in me

The houseboats have to be moved from the state dock where we stay for the summer to another dock in the winter. Brad & I went down Friday night to help move the boat the next day. Brian & Lora were coming down Saturday, however their kids were already there. So we were all cooped up together. In the houseboat. For the night. Unable to go anywhere. Because it was freezing outside.

So what do YOU think brothers do when they can't escape each other?! They fought for a few minutes. Then they decided on teamwork.Then Brady told Cole that he stunk.The adults had items to keep them occupied. Stanley surfed the 'net.

Brad & Derik watched Skylab cartoons.

Then we started playing with Brady & Derik's Ipod touches.

And of course, we had a happy helper to show us how to play the games.

Brad has an issue with burping. He says it's because of the medicine he takes for his acid reflux. I say it's to annoy me. So Brad was burping & I was rolling my eyes & Cole said, "Uncle Brad - I love you --- 'cuz you burp just like me." Ahh-what a role model!

And you may be asking yourself? Isn't there a 3rd nephew somewhere? Yes, there is. But he was perhaps the smartest of us all. He went to bed.
The next day the whole dock was getting ready for the big Halloween par-tay that was going to last all day. These people went.all.out. Haunted Houseboat, games (for kids AND adults), trick-or-treating, scavenger hunts, prizes for the best decorated boat.

Ann, Cole & Brady worked on the goodie bags for the kids...and dogs.

Cole showed me this box of candy because it had a black cat on it. And I have black cats. He was SO excited about showing me this black cat. Later in the day he had gotten a little goodie bag that had a cute little stuffed black cat in it. I said, "Oh, Cole! Can I have this black cat?!" Crickets... "C'mon, Cole. You KNOW I have black cats!" Crickets... "Please Cole, can I have that cat?!" He said, "Nah..." More on that story later...

Saturday was a little chilly outside, but Derik is a hard core fisherman.

Some of the decorated boats.

A boat that sits a spot over from Brian & Lora's at the state dock caught fire this past week. And nothing could be done (which I don't understand 'cuz it was sitting on more water than it could ever need), so the dock master untied it & pushed it out into the lake away from the other boats to let it burn.

After we got their boat moved, we ate supper & then it was time to get Cole ready for trick-or-treating. He was a cowboy/sheriff. And this is his pose when I said, "look mean."

Then Ann painted a mustache on him.

Then he said, "Listen here, little lady. Quit trying to steal my little black stuffed cat."

By far, the funniest costume - & I think it's so funny because it's an older couple wearing it! The ending to the little stuffed black cat story. So Cole & I fought about this darn thing all day. I kept wanting it & he would take it back. Now, if I had just kept my mouth shut - he would've laid it down & not ever thought another thing about it. So I told Lora when he got home with it & it went to the island of unused toys, I told her to take it & bring it to me. (In case you were wondering - no, I have no shame...) While we were eating dinner, Cole was outside so I took the cat & hid it from him so I could take it home. Brad said, "Stealing from our 7 year old nephew? You should be ashamed!" Uh - nope, I'm not! Before we left, I went to get my kitty that I stole fair & square from my nephew. It was gone. At first I blamed Brad & Brian & thought THEY stole the kitty I stole first to mess with me. Nope, it was gone. So I told Lora again when he brought it home & dropped it, to get it for me.

On the way home, Ann called me. She said, "I found the kitty. When Cole came in from trick-or-treating, we were taking off his costume & the kitty was in his pocket!" Curses!!! That stealthy cowboy/sheriff IS a worthy opponent!

Impromptu closet cleaning

Last night I was in the office working on official jewelry business. Brad had come home from the barn & I noticed he stayed in the bedroom longer than normal. And he was quiet. Too quiet. When I finally got up to go check it out, I saw clothes flying out of our closet & onto the floor. Um, that can't be good. You know I can't lie to you. I'm not a "neat freak". I'm not a "clutter-free zone freak". Don't get me wrong, I try to keep my clutter neat (does that make sense?!) I stack it nice & neatly, but I do have stuff laying around. (Brad says, "Why are you taking all those pics? Everyone's gonna think we're pack rats." But, WE'RE not, just he is... :) Our closet is the least of my worries. No one goes in our room, plus the closet has a door I can close!

So Brad likes to wear hooded sweatshirts to work & to work on the farm. The top shelf of our closet was horrendous with his clothes, hats, socks, etc. that he either a) couldn't wear (holes, didn't fit) or b) he "didn't like how they fit". Hmph!
Since we went straight from summer to winter this past week, Brad was on the quest for his "perfect hooded sweatshirt". It's a blue one that's like that under armour stuff, but not as expensive. Clear as mud? He loves it. It's his fav-o-rite. But alas, the "kinda like under armour blue hoodie" eluded him. So he started ripping out everything.single.thing in the top of the closet to find it.

On his quest, he found some oldies but goodies he'd forgotten about. Like his snow boarding toboggan. Let me just tell ya, this thing cost like $35 bucks. And I wasn't with him when he bought it. Does that surprise you? 'Cuz I would've totally said nu-uh.

Then he found his old boating hat. This is him turning around to moon me 'cuz I was taking too many pics. Be VERY glad I clicked the pic before he got turned around...

Here's my Goldilocks now, telling me how this hoodie's sleeves are too short. Goldilocks? Get it?

Then we had a pile of "clothes we're not gonna wear & we're gonna take to the barn & make rags outta them".

And, you may be wondering, "Did you ever find the elusive 'kinda like under armour blue hoodie' in the closet?" Uh, no we did not. But we did find it a little bit later. I saw the sleeve sticking out of the bottom of the pile of clothes he has on the floor on his side of the dresser.

So, we went through the impromptu closet cleaning for nothing... but it really does look better - for now. It won't last long. Trust me, I throw a fit every time I clean off the dresser in our bedroom & tell him "We're not letting this dresser get so messy EVER AGAIN & I mean it!" Yea- famous last words...

The monstrosity is complete

The construction on the bin is finally complete & the boys are already putting it to good use.

Putting on the roof.

Everything moved really quickly. I went over the day after the roof pics, & they had it completed & 4 of the rings done.

The next day, 8 of the 9 rings were done.

This is the finished product.

It dwarfs all our other bins. And it's even about 4 feet lower into the ground than the others!The new bin holds 50,000 bushels. We have 7 other bins that hold anywhere from 7500-20,000 bushels each. The reason we needed to build a bin this year is due to the (hopeful) good yields we should have. (The recent rain may change some of that because a couple of our fields were under water...). But here's how it works: Some Grand Poobah somewhere sets the prices of corn, beans, etc. When you sell it, you sell it for what the Grand Poobah says. It's supply & demand. Right now, corn supply is pretty good because farmers are combining so the price is lower. Most don't have the storage capacity that we have, so they have no choice but to sell. And they have to sell at the lower prices. We are able to hold onto ours until - lets say- February when no one else has anything to sell & maybe the price will be higher. Hopefully with the yields this year, the new monstrosity should pay for itself fairly quickly.