Fruit Fly Mania...

 

Fruit flies, gnats...whatever you want to call them are taking over our house.

At first, I thought it was just us.  I try and keep a fairly clean house, but you've heard me say this before, with kids, a dog, and living on a farm that is a difficult job.

We always have fruit sitting on the counter so I started putting it in the fridge thinking that would solve the problem, but it didn't.

 

Then I saw a story on the news and realized that everyone around these parts is having a fruit fly infestation!  Whew!  So it's not just us, but we still have to deal with the pesky little boogers! 

 

One of my friends poured wine and vinegar (I believe that was the solution) in  a bowl and the gnats flocked to it and drowned!  That sounded like a grand idea, but being preggers and all, I don't have any wine(well, I do have some homemade stuff that I am waiting to enjoy after the baby) in the house and if I did, I wouldn't want to waste it on these obnoxious critters!  So, I was listening to the radio yesterday and they shared a tip from the wonderful world of Pinterest.

 

 

All you have to do is put some fruit in the bottom of a jar.  Put waxed paper over the top and secure with a rubber band.  Then poke holes in the top.  The gnats will fly in, but they can't get back out!

 

 

Now we have this fabulous concoction on our counter top.  The girls think it's pretty cool and the number of gnats that we have collected since yesterday is amazing yet disgusting. 

After giving Mel her sausage links and ketchup this morning, I decided to fill a jar with ketchup.  The poor girl couldn't eat fast enough for the annoying things.  Anywho, the girls and I have our own little science experiment going on... 

Which will attract more?  The apples or the ketchup?

 

Either way, I'm glad I'm not the only one battling these pesky things....it's all over Facebook and the web!

Pictures of the Girls...

I like to take the girls yearly pictures in the summertime.  Close to the start of school.  Don't get me wrong.  I take their pictures all the time, but this time we try to be more formal about it.... actual posing, combed hair, clean faces.  All the other times during the year, they could be donning dirty faces, marker on body parts, crazy hair, you get the point.  The process actually went fairly well.  I threatened asked Brad if he would help, but one day I decided to do it and the girls were actually excited about it so I didn't have to enlist Brad for which he is very thankful!

 

 

I didn't try very hard to get a picture of them together, therefore I didn't get a decent shot.  I know I will have to work extra hard to get one when the baby arrives, so why worry about it now?

 

Below are my faves...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This picture screams "freedom"... 

And no, I don't always let my kids run down the road.  Occassionally you may see me doing it while trying to escape, but not my kids!;0)

Haircuttin' B...

I recently handed the clippers over to the next generation!

B has started cutting Brad's hair.  It's a fairly easy job, really.  It's just one length.  No guard.  Buzz cut.  

She does the best she can, and then I "touch up."

 

 

Brad looks a little worried, doesn't he? 

Concentration... 

I think he wants me to stop taking pictures and take over... 

Nah.  I'd rather take pictures.

 

 

At this point, I either threaten to leave it the way it is or I threaten to give him a mowhawk and hide the clippers.  Sometimes I pretend to shave off one eyebrow, but B was all business.  No joking for her!

Not too bad if I do say so myself! 

 

Harvest Time...

Harvest officially started for us last Thursday.  It is early this year, but has been much anticipated.  Everyone has been concerned about the yields because of the drought, and you can always estimate what they will be, but you never really know until the combine rolls through the fields.

 

Some fields have surprised us in a good way while others have surprised us in a not so good way.  The yields are definitely the topic of conversation among farmers.  However, after hearing some farmers talk, we have a lot to be thankful for.  As Brad says, "It is what it is." 

The start of harvest always brings on the "harvest widow" title for me.  Brad does a great job helping with the kids, when he can, but this is the time of year when he is gone early in the morning and gets home late at night.  He tries to make it home in time to help with the bedtime routine.  But this time of year leaves me as the main person for:sports running, school decisions, argument settling, appointment maker, bill payer, and much more.  Oh and we have to squeeze in there the delivery of a baby!  Whose idea was it to conceive a child that would be born in harvest season??? ;0)  Like I tell the girls, "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit!"   But such is the life we choose and love!

 

All in all, harvest seems to be going smoothly.   The plan is to switch to beans next week.

 I love this picture except for the telephone box!  Who decided to put that there?...

Happy harvest everyone!  Have a great weekend!

Puddle Jumpers...

 

It's been pretty dry around here...like most of the country.  We have been lucky enough to receive some pretty substantial rain totals in the last few weeks to help with the drought issue.  It's a little too late to help the crops, but we'll take what we can get.

 

The girls love to jump in puddles and they haven't had that opportunity this summer.  I guess you could say the summer went out with a bang because they actually had some puddles to jump in Labor Day weekend.

 

I didn't realize how humid it was until I attempted to take the first picture....

B has boots.  Mel is barefoot.  She would be naked, if given that option so the lack of shoes is no biggie... 

 

 

 

 

Cheap entertainment... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After all the fun was over, they went to the shop to "help" Brad on the combine. 

We started harvesting on Thursday.  So far the yields have been somewhat surprising.  I'm sure we'll have good fields and bad fields, but as Brad says, "We'll take what we can get." 

 

Happy Monday everyone!!