Oliver, our newest farm member!

When I was walking through the cow yard just checking everyone out the other day I saw something that I wasn’t for sure I knew what I was looking at. Have you ever done that? I mean I knew it was a little calf but I wasn’t so sure why there was a little calf hanging out with the cows. The size of the calves that we have should be so much bigger that this little guy. 

Which cow was so pregnant that I didn’t know that she was going to deliver a calf? And when I say deliver a calf I should really be saying  ‘delivered a calf’! 

And the mystery cow was Audrey. 

She wasn’t leaving that new little calf for anything when I was trying to get closer to bet a closer look at him and I’m just saying that he is very very cute! OK, sure I say that about all the calves don’t I – but he is sooooo cute! Take a look

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He’s got kind of burly hair and he has a light tan with a white face. Yup – Pretty Cute!

Well Kyle and Kelcie were still here while the calf was born and Kelcie named him Oliver. Love the name and I just love this little calf.  

 

 

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What should we do tonight?

When Daryl asked me what we had planned for tonight I literally had to stop and think about it. I got to thinking about what we’ve been doing these last couple of months and came up with the list below. 

For the past 12 weeks this is what’s been happening in our life

  • Bridal shower for around 100  guests in the Roadhouse at our farm
  • Kyle flew home for William’s Bachelor party 
  • Bachelorette party in La Crosse Wis. for Jude
  • Went to a baby shower for a friend
  • Went to a friends son’s wedding
  • Went out to dinner with Ma for Mother’s Day
  • Went to a couple of High School Graduation parties
  • Went to a Retirement Party for a friend
  • Started and completed our walking trail  in our town all by volunteer help  (which is awesome!) 
  • Planted our farm crops
  • Bailed the first crop of hay
  • Kyle & Kelcie flew home for the wedding
  • Hosted Rehearsal Supper for around 60 guests in the Roadhouse
  • William & Jude’s Wedding !! 🙂
  • Hosted Opening Gifts at the farm in the Roadhouse
  • Was a Vendor is a 2 day market for soap in Hawkeye 
  • Went to my Brother in Law’s Mother’s wake
  • Went to an Anniversary/Graduation Party
  • Kyle & Kelcie flew home for 10 days
  • Set up soap display for a vendor market in Postville
  • Set up the Historical Display for the upcoming Irish Fest in our town
  • Ran in a 5k
  • Did volunteer work at the Irish Fest, Friday & Saturday
  • Had a bunch of house guests for the weekend of the Irish Fest
  • Was able to get in some golfing on Ladies Day
  • Have a new store selling my soap and made first delivery to them in Elkader
  • Had all the Kuehner’s over for a day with activities and fireworks
  • Took Kyle and Kelcie back to the airport in Minneapolis and William & Jude went to Ames
  • And still supported our jobs in town

So do you know what I’m going to do tonight? I think I’m going to take a long hot bath and then order some soap supplies. I think it’s going to be a busy summer!! 

 

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Kids are heading back home

We got a little later start this morning because after everyone left last night from the party we ended up staying up pretty late sitting around the bon fire. But with bacon frying this morning and the option of getting some coffee, the house seemed to gradually once again come alive. 

We knew the we needed to head to Minneapolis right after dinner with Kyle & Kelcie to get them to the airport and William and Jude needed to get back to Ames for the coming week, so the day was cut short by making sure that everyone was organized and had all their cords and stuff that they needed to bring back with them. 

But before everyone headed off in a million directions, I had to take a quick picture of the boys on our front porch.

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Yup, this makes my heart very happy 🙂

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Kuehner Fun Day 2017!

It’s the annual Kuehner Fun Day today and the weather looks like it’s going to be great! There was a chance of showers later so I’m just hoping that it holds out for our party. 

And how did the day go? Well it went very well even if I say so myself !  

The kids were all running around the yard either playing on the trampoline or in the house by the kitchen table making posters to hand out to the Aunts & Uncles. Some of the kids were playing basketball and there was another group playing bags.

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And there was even some just chillin’DSCN9519

The weather did turn pretty wet for awhile but then we all moved into the Roadhouse and had some good laughs with the ‘inside’ games! 

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And the part of the day that I seem to like the most is when the whole farm comes alive with kids running, someone is usually half sleeping on the hammock under the trees, and there’s a group of people sitting on the porch. It’s just really a nice day!  

We have this annual get together because on Daryl’s side we don’t get together at Christmas anymore and if you’re a family both Daryl and I think you should get together at least once a year (or more!) to check in with each other and to make sure that the nephews and nieces grow up knowing each other too. And to have it on our farm means that they will always know that this is where Grandma & Grandpa started the family. 

So as the wagon pulls back into the yard from the hay ride through the country roads and town DSCN9547and with our bellies full once again from eating, we all settle in with blankets and sit by the fire to watch the fireworks display that William puts on. And honestly I think it was one of THE best displays yet this year! 

With the kids all getting tired and ready for bed, and a quick cleaning of the Roadhouse, we all call it a day. 

But before I can fall asleep tonight, I can still see Daryl standing kind of on the side of everyone else in the yard with a small smile on his face just enjoying the whole scenery! 

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So here’s to another successful Kuehner Fun Day!!  

 A couple more pictures from the day….

Our farm from the gravel road while on the hay ride DSCN9551

We stopped off at the new trail in town to check it out! DSCN9555

Just enjoying each other’s company by the bon fire during the day

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And what party is complete without having an egg toss? DSCN9536

 

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Company is coming!

This coming weekend is the annual Kuehner Fun Day at the farm! Whoooohoooo!!

And to make it even more special, this year it falls on Daryl’s folk’s anniversary again. The first year that we had this getogether it was on that day and we even had a special mass for them. Kinda cool right? 

So like I said we’re expecting company this weekend and that means get your list’s ready and make sure that you get the really important stuff done! I’ve come to learn that not everything needs to be done, but the really important stuff should get done. 

With all the rain that we’ve been having lately, it’s been very hard to get the lawn all mowed and trimmed up but somehow that got checked off our list! I think even a couple of the days we were mowing in the light rain – but getting it done was the most important part right? Even the wet ditches got mowed and I never saw a snake or turtle once. Thank goodness for all of us!! 

Another thing to think about was the food for this party. Normally we barbecue every year some hamburgers and hot dogs, but we wanted to do something different this year. So guess what we did? We had the main meat catered. Yup! And guess what else? It’s going to be AWESOME!!! 

So when I heard a funny noise outside tonight and saw the blade on the tractor, it’s always a sure sign that Company is coming and it’s the final touches of the preparation. Now I don’t know if anyone ever notices that the gravel is scraped other than us, but it sure does look good when Daryl has it all done. 

OK I’ve got the food all ready, the Roadhouse has all the tables and chairs set up, the house is somewhat cleaned, and the yard is looking good. I think we’re ready for a party!! 

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Soap and more soap…

It was a busy week for my soap business. See on last Saturday I was in a Vendor show even though I was busy with the Irish Fest that was going on in our town. The person who puts on the show let’s me bring my soap and bath bombs  in and they get set up in the General Store that she has in a corner of her big barn. I’m really lucky that she lets me do that because the barn is about 50 miles from our farm and I couldn’t do both last weekend. It was a good show and earlier this week I went over to pick up my display and the leftover soap.

See I needed that soap to bring along with others that I have to a new shop that is going to start to sell my soap in Elkader Iowa. Whoooohoooo!!!! And the best part is that she seems just as excited to have it to sell as I am to have it in her store!

So with a big tote almost 1/2 full,  off to Elkader I go and finally meet up with the owner at her shop. I hope it goes well for the both of us and all I can say is that I better get making some soap these next couple of weeks!!

And if you are in that part of Northeast Iowa and think to yourself.. ‘Gee I sure wish I had some soap’  – stop in the  Once Was – Primitive, Antiques & Rustic Finds store! It’s right on the corner and for some reason it might be the one that soon has a kind of soapy fragrance that you can smell when you walk by it 🙂 

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It’s a Spa kind of day

It’s that time of the year again when the dogs get loaded up and off to the Vet we go. Not only is this a good time to catch up on their shots, but it’s also a good time for them to get all gussied up for the summer. 

So today was the day! It’s  off to the Vet we go Tuesday. Now all we have to do is to get them in the truck. And wouldn’t you know it, we never thought about putting collars on them until now. See the dogs for some reason can’t keep a collar on them to save their soul! We did eventually find one of Kaiser’s so he at least had one on before we left. That way the girls at the Vet’s office wouldn’t think we were terrible dog owners or something. This way they would only think we’re only half terrible. Humm…maybe I should have Daryl bring in Reno ?? 

My plan was to get the dogs to the vet’s office before work and with the office in the same town I knew that it wouldn’t take too long for me to get to the office. 

Now was the challenge. Will the dogs behave? First up was Reno. She came out of the barn and jumped right into the truck. What a good girl. 

Next was Kaiser. Yea, not so good. He wasn’t going to get in the truck for NOTHING! Finally Daryl picked him up and put him in. Seriously aren’t dogs supposed to like to go on rides? 

Well with Kaiser slobbering all over Daryl when he moved the truck from the barn to the house (which was only a couple of feet!) it was decided that Daryl would drive the truck and I’d follow him with the other vehicle and then we’d switch. See I had to pick up the dogs after work because their spa day was going to be over. 

After all the rain that we got last night, I was  a little nervous on our gravel road heading out because the road was washing out. But I knew that I had to keep going and I was glad to get through the bad spots without any problems. Later today I found out that the county came in and put out a bunch of hazard blocks around the roads by us because of the road washing out.20170622_065007_resized On route to the vet I tried to take a good picture of the 3 of them driving in front of me because honestly it was pretty funny! If you didn’t know that there was 2 dogs in the cab you would have sworn it was 3 people. The picture didn’t turn as well as I had hoped – but you can get the idea 🙂 20170626_171112

Everyone survived the trip and I just figured that once we opened the truck door that they would just take off running. Again first up was Reno. She looked at me and I swear she was almost smiling and jumped down and literally walked herself to the front door of the Vet’s office. I came up to her and opened the door and in she went. 

Now with Kaiser it was a different story! Kaiser put his two paws down on the front seat and wasn’t going to budge!  After a lot of coaxing and with no luck, Daryl finally grabbed the dog under his belly and carried him out of the truck, around the sidewalk, and into the office.  

When the receptionist asked if the vet knew what our dogs needed and I said yes, back to the cages they went. Reno walked right in and as she turned around to look at us as if she knew she was going to get the gold star for the day. Then when we tried to get Kaiser into the cage, again out come his paws and put them on both sides of the cage and locked his legs. He was NOT going to go into the cage willingly.  They had to do the bend the legs and distract him until finally he went in trick and I’m afraid it’s going to be a long day for the Vet’s! 

As the day went on while I was at work I started to think about the question that I was asked if they knew everything that should be done for the dogs and decided to give them a quick call at break to see how it’s going. 

And when I asked exactly that, do you know what they said? They said ‘well…. it’s not going so well’. I was kinda surprised to tell you the truth when they said that and asked what’s the matter? They said one of the dogs wasn’t cooperating and was so scared and could they sedate him? You guessed it. It was Kaiser. I wasn’t too excited about the whole sedation thing and said to call me if they had to do it. They never did call back. Whew! 

As the day went on I did a call them to see how it was going they said ‘oh it’s going really good now!’ That Reno was in the tub getting a bath and there is no worries. Yup, you could see that writing on the wall. She’s still working on the gold star award. 

When I stopped by later to pick them up the first dog out was Reno and I didn’t hardly recognize her. She walked up to me and with this grin on her face she kind of did a walk by and then turned her head I swear and then just looked at me like ‘ I’m so good looking’  It was hilarious! Then I could hear a dog barking in the back and kind of crying and when they brought Kaiser out of course he plowed right into Reno and was heading for the door. I think he was never was so relieved to get out this place! 

They looked and smelled so good and with them both sporting collars now and bandanas,  I decided I should get a picture of them. Unfortunately I was totally unsuccessful at that! 

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I finally just gave up and let them out of the truck. 

 

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Corn Rows

The growing season on the farm can be measured by the corn rows. 

See at first when you first plant the corn you anxiously wait to when you can start to ‘row’ the corn. When I say row the corn, what I mean is that you can literally see the corn up and you see the actual rows of the small corn plants peeking through the dirt. Now sometimes this is good… and well sometimes this is bad. It’s good because you know that your planter monitor was working and it was actually dropping the corn in the field rows. But it can also be bad. The reason that I saw that it can be bad is because if you didn’t drive straight when you were planting the corn, not only will you notice it but I’m telling you that your neighbors and friends will also notice it! 

Next comes ‘filling in the rows’. Now this one is a good one if you didn’t plant straight and a sure sign that your crop is really taking off. Filling the rows means that the corn has grown so much that you can’t see the ground in between them. And up until now it’s just a habit when you’re driving by the fields to always look at the corn rows to see how it’s growing. Kind of sounds weird I know, but I’m betting more people do this than don’t do it! So with the warm weather last week and a couple of good showers to go along with that, the rows finally filled in late last week by us. 

Soon it’ll be the 4th of July and with that comes the ‘knee high by the 4th of July’ check. This one is pretty self explanatory and with all the advancements in the seeds these past year, you sure hope it’s much higher than your knees! But in a couple of weeks we’ll go out in the fields just like we did when we were kids and stand in the corn rows and take a picture. Even when I’m writing this I can feel myself smile. It seems like no matter what we’re doing, this is a traditional picture that you just have to take.

And finally in the fall when the corn is really drying down and ready to be harvested, you can get a good feeling about how dry the corn might be by looking at the stalks and noticing that you can start to row the corn again.

This process happens every year and stays pretty true every year. So now when you’re by someone who you know isn’t a farmer – just casually say something like ‘man the corn will sure be knee high by the 4th of July and it seems just like yesterday you were able to row them’   🙂 

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What a great weekend!

All the kids have been home for the weekend and we even had a couple extra friends of William’s that stayed with us for our town’s celebration. It’s funny how you can go from just two people in the house to 10 or 11! But that’s a lot of fun if you ask me.  

We used the Roadhouse for the overflow of kids and with the air conditioner on and a lot of blow up mattresses all lined up on the floor  – it worked perfect! 

After a bon fire on Friday night and some games with the kids after it, I knew that I needed to get to bed before I go up the next morning to make breakfast. I ended up frying 4 lbs of bacon and 3 lbs of sausage with about 2 1/2 dozen eggs scrambled – I was a little surprised that they weren’t able to eat it all 🙂

We didn’t see them much after the parade on Saturday until later in the afternoon. Then we had a chance to spend some fun time with them at dance downtown.  

And after church and breakfast on Sunday, when we got home all of the kids friends were gone and we spent a good part of today with our kids. It was a great way to spend Father’s Day! And guess what we did first? Well there was a dead tree that blew down when some wind went through the area and the guys had cut it up and got it moved. Hopefully it’ll work for some summer bon fires this summer. The tree fell perfectly in between two others which made the clean up a little easier. 

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I got the boys and Daryl together before William and Jude had to leave to head back home. It was a fast picture but I really like it. I haven’t seen it so much in the past but I’m starting to see a lot of resemblance in these three guys lately. 

Happy Father’s Day to all the Dad’s out there!

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Our Towns Celebration

It was our town’s annual celebration this weekend and honestly it couldn’t have gone any better on Saturday. 

The weather was overcast which made it perfect for the hour long parade that was going on through Main Street. The sidewalks were packed and it’s such a great feeling when you see that because so many people work so hard for the past 5 years putting this together that it’s so nice when it pays off in the end. 

So like I said the parade went over so well and all the activities during the day kept a good amount of people just hanging out for the afternoon   I Loved it! With our town only of a little over 400 people it takes quite a few of us to pull this weekend celebration off. And this year we’ve even been noticing that we’re drawing people in from Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Rochester MN, and Chicago. And what they all seem to be saying is that the venue for the Irish Fest weekend is so great! OK,  now how cool is that! 18557251_10211543092046358_3594974604079045904_n

But it’s really true that the only way that this works is if everyone helps each other out. I mean that we had 3 or 4 people come up to us while we was volunteering in the Main Tent and said that if we needed their help to just let them know. Now I can’t say if this would happen in a large city or not, but it happens in our town a lot. And seriously $5 per day to see all these great acts? I think that is an unbelievably good deal!!  

The night ended up with a lot of different bands playing in the Main Tent and it was once again a late night for not only our family but also a whole lot of other families! 

Tomorrow morning there is a breakfast after church and then the festivities will be over  for another year. I’m not sure what they are serving for the breakfast but we’ll go to support the church group putting the meal on. 

I’ve added a couple of pictures that Kyle took during the day below. For tons more pictures check out the Lawler Irish Festival Facebook page.

Hope to see you in our town next year! 

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