Baking

This weekend I decided to try something new.....

So I baked (this isn't the new part, it's actually becoming a regular activity -- not sure if that is a good thing)

The new part is that I baked CINNAMON ROLLS! I was so excited. Who doesn't love cinnamon rolls? However, what I did not know about these goodies is the amount of work they are...

It ended up being a two-day project, and my kitchen is still suffering the mess. But, Chaney and I ( and a few others -- the recipe makes 6-7 pans worth) are fully enjoying the effort.

Here are a few photos of my messy-but-delicious adventure:

lots of sugar is key!! 

gotta roll it nice and tight

yum yum yum ( I may have eaten a few of these uncooked treats)

first batch in the oven

 

lookin' good...but is missing something....

Hello maple Icing!

I think he liked them....

messy messy messy

gettin ready for winter...

The last couple nights it has reached 27* outside...we feel winter coming on. Usually I am ready for winter, I like the change in season and change in routine....but this is what scares me....

We live like 25 minutes from where this sign is posted....which also happens to be about  2 min from the Continental Divide. 

I've never experienced such cold...but ready or not...it's coming.

Bowen Update/Scattered thoughts

• Chaney is finally done with hay season. This is a big relief for both of us. He was very ready to be done sitting in the tractor and dealing with equipment. (round bales aren't his favorite either) I'm not sure how many bales he ended up with, but I think it was close to 700. And he was outside swathing, raking (Paul -the old man who lives up here helped with this part) baling, loading and stacking hay. This has been about a month long process. Thankful he is done. Now he is on to fixing, building, tearing apart and rebuilding corrals and other fence. 
• Tuesday I fly home to be with my family and hopefully be there when my baby sister decides to enter the world! :) I am so excited to go home and see my family and help out with whatever I can. Hopefully I will get to watch my All-Star brother play some football. He is the starting Quarterback for the Crook County Cowboys and I want to be in the stands whoopin and hollerin for my brother!! He is awesome and I can't wait to see him in action. I am also very much looking forward to spending some much needed time with my crazy sister...we enjoy laughing...A LOT!! And I could use a good tearing jerking laugh with my sissy who is now in high school...she needs help on a paper too! yay for helping my sister learn!! And of course I can't wait to see Roo. That boy is too dang cute. Oh and I can't forget Luke or Esther either. Those two hoodlums are getting so big and they are just too funny...just thinking about them makes me laugh. And I am definitely happy I'll be seeing my mom and dad soon too!! They are the best parents ever!
• Lately I have been in the baking mood....okay....truth is....I am always in the baking mood. It's so much fun. I love it, but sometimes I have to restrain....my hips and thighs DON'T love it...Or maybe they do and that's why they hold on to those goodies.....hmmmm. Anyways, I have made mocha brownies and french breakfast puffs (thanks to pioneer woman - her cook book is THE BEST) I also made Yummy lemon bars (thanks to MarCya Mooney) I never used to be much into cooking or baking but I am starting to enjoy it and it's especially fun when you are married to a man who is ALWAYS hungry and therefore loves to eat! it's much more fun cooking for other people. ( I also cook actual meals, you know the kind with meat and potatoes. just so you know )
• As most of you are already aware, Chaney and I are easily entertained and spend our evenings watching movies, laughing at our dogs and watching our wind monitor...It got up to 29mph yesterday!! New record. We don't have TV or newspaper so that was big news for us. haha

Well I think that is about it. Nothing too exciting going on up here. Just trying to get ready for the cold weather. It was 27* last night....although I am looking forward to seeing big snow, I am not quite ready for the cold it brings with it :(

Oh and I almost forgot, since it's starting to cool off the bears are getting ready for winter and will be coming down off the mountain in preparation for hibernation. Which is why the other night our "neighbor" (he also lives on the ranch) informed us that a big black bear went by his place and was headed our direction. So I am on red alert, always keeping an eye out and a camera handy!! I'll let ya know if I see one!

Hair do days.

Chaney has this "annual" thing where he feels like he needs to shave his head. Typically this is a springtime event, however the wedding put a hold on the whole "head shave", Thankfully! haha. Since we've been married Chaney has been determined to have me shave his head before it gets cold outside. So this week I finally went to Missoula and bought some clippers and scissors... I wanted to try cutting it first (see if someday I can be his personal hair dresser)....

Here are some pictures to document our evening experiments:


BEFORE....

My first time cutting boy's hair...

SHAVED!

This boy had LOTS of hair...

Well, all I can say is, its a good thing he wanted to have it shaved....I would have shaved it either way. Luckily  he has lots of hair and it grows fast....I can practice lots! haha!

Weekend with Family

Ok so I was going to blog about the wonderful weekend I had with my family but I just kept thinking that my mom wrote it out perfectly....so check out her blog.... click here ......to hear about our awesome weekend with them in our Montana home.

I will add that I am so extremely blessed by every person in my family. I have a unique and special relationship with all of them. And for that I am beyond thankful. I know not everyone even knows their parents or siblings and I have had the unique upbringing of living with BOTH my parents who have been married for 21 years. And with my 6 beautiful and crazy brothers and sisters. They have helped shape who I am today and I wouldn't trade a single moment with any of them. I savor the memories I've made with them and plan to make many many more.

I can't thank God enough for my wonderful, crazy, big, Jesus-Loving, family!! They are the best! 

So I haven't had much to blog about lately...Chaney has just been fixing fence. Puttin up hay and taking care of the cows. While I have been organizing the house and tending to my other wifely duties...cooking. cleaning. etc. But the last two days I have been getting ready for....MY FAMILY TO COME VISIT!!! I am so pumped to see them and to show them where I am living. It's important to me that they get to see it all and be a part of what I am doing up here. plus....I LOVE THEM!!! They are on their way right now and I can't wait. It will be chaos from tonight til Sunday. It's a tad quiet up here sometimes. It will be good to have some familiar faces in my house! YAY!!! :)

H.U.M.B.L.E.D.

Well....Yesterday was just one of those days that you gotta look back at and laugh. But remember and learn from.

The day started out well. It was cloudy and calm outside and as the day went on the sun was shining and it was looking like it would be a great day.

Chaney and I headed out in the gator to see if we could sneak up on a bull with hoof-rot and give him a shot. We got close enough to only give him 5cc's. We were gonna have to bring him in.

So off we went to set up some panels and open gates in the "Working corrals" (they need some work before they will really be good for working...Chaney has a lot of fixing up to do out here).

After setting up the pens we decided to just move all the cows. So we caught and saddled our horses and headed up the hill. The cows haven't been moved a whole lot so they haven't figured out that moving in a group in the same direction makes it easier for everyone.

They split up into two groups and headed through the forest. Chaney and I each followed a group into the trees where you can't see 10 feet in front of you. Both our herds kept splitting up but we couldn't see them anyways. Eventually we got them out of the trees into the meadow and gathered them back into one group. From there we just needed to push them up the fence line into the next meadow. Well they had other plans and again two separate groups. Chaney took the larger herd and I headed after the others. My half decided to go through the swampy aspen forest though. My horse and I kept getting stuck and would have to turn and try another way. Eventually we couldn't go any further so we ran back to the meadow hoping to meet up with our cows on the other side. Luckily we did push them all the way through.

Once we made it to our final destination, Chaney and I realized our bull didn't make it back with us. He was hanging out in the woods with another 8 pair. However, there was a calf who needed a shot. So being the "Incredible" roper I am I offered to get him caught so we could do some doctoring.

Thinkin' I was some sort of hot shot was my first mistake. Not roping for about a year was probably my second one. But the third was most costly (I'll tell you about it in a minute)

I chased the gimpy little calf around several times. This is how it went: miss. miss again. OOps caught some sage brush. "Whoa Dillon". Miss. roped the dirt. At this point I was a little....upset...So I decided this would be my last shot.

The calf was running low on fuel, and I was low on patience. I snuck up on the calf and as he bolted Dillon ( my dad's athletic paint horse) and I followed in close behind. We ran right up on him and as I threw my rope Dillon and I noticed we were in the middle of a big, deep, thick swamp. The calf was stuck and tired and Dillon couldn't move ahead. He ended up falling over on his right side, dumping me and all my pride in the mushy grass. water. and mud. With me on the ground Dillon could get out. So he got up and took off. Leaving me and the wore out sick calf behind, wet and humbled.

Chaney showed up about that time and we got the calf his shot, drug out of the mud and our ropes picked up. When we were done, I started walking towards the barn, knowing Dillon would probably be there with the other horses. It's about a mile and half away ( I think). Chaney offered me his horse but I knew I needed to have a chat with God and thank him for humbling me. After walking about half a mile I tripped over a dirt clod, still needed some humbling. By the end of my walk, I had been pissed, cried, laughed, admired God's handiwork and caught my breath.

When we got back (Chaney met me part way with the gator) I was embarrassed. I don't handle humbling very well and I wasn't very nice to my beyond loving husband.

Once we got in the house, I was humbled enough to apologize and laugh at myself for all that had just happened.

That evening, I made some apple pie stuff. I was so proud of my baking skills. But when I checked on it I noticed a small fire in the oven and a LOT of smoke!!!  The pie turned out fine, but I had to laugh at how quickly I could get back on my high horse.

So.....after all that.....I have learned first how hard it is to be humbled. And second, it's only God trying to teach me that I cannot do anything on my own. Not even walk back to the house, without falling down.

He is my rock. My strength. My savior. My king. My hope and I will rejoice in that. God is my creator and without Him I can do nothing on my own.