Thank you to all of you who commented about what you’d like to hear at a women in ag event! I have to speak at one in a couple of months in Ohio and I just wanted to know what women wanted to hear. I know what I want, but that doesn’t always line up with everyone else! So thank you so much. And Threecollie….I’m right there with you!

Now for the fun….Frank Robinson, that awesome cattle photographer with a beautiful bald head sent me a couple of pictures of some kids in Canada. On the day he took these shots it was -16 without a windchill. Although Frank grew up in Canada he now resides in the land of fruits and nuts….sunny California. Yes, where it’s warm! Oh, how I’d love to be there right now.

Aren’t they cute with that noble dog who is tolerating them very well.

I have no idea what the cow is…I know that disappoints all the Holstein breeders, but the kids are cute!

The boys have a game tonight and today is filled with lots of stuff to do. But the dishes are done! Have a great day!

It’s an icy morning here on the Knolltop! So icy the kids don’t have school!

Okay….I’ve got a favor to ask the farmwives who read this blog. I don’t care what age or stage of life you’re in….whether you used to be a farm wife, you are currently a farm wife, you work full time on the farm, work full time off the farm…whatever. I want to know what you want. If you were to attend a one day conference for women in agriculture, what are the top three things you’d like to hear about? I”m not going to lead you in any way, I want all this to originate with YOU!

So, either email me or comment here on the blog, I want to hear from YOU!!!

Better slip back out to the barn. Two more heifer calves born. One more to go and then we’re through with calves for a little bit!

It’s another cold one here on the knolltop. The kids were all moving a little slow this morning but I was able to get some hot oatmeal into them before they walked out the door for a day in the trenches.

Went to a girls basketball game last night….vastly different than any boys game, that’s for sure. But fun to cheer on the home team!

I’m headed back to the barn before I head to town for Bible study with my good friend Angie.

Have a great one!

It’s a sunny morning here on the Knolltop. Cold, but sunny!

We are back to a somewhat normal schedule today. I know, normal is only the setting on a dryer, but we are as close to that as we can get.

So, does anyone have any new year’s resolutions? I don’t, but thought you might. I was perusing some blogs yesterday and saw that I’m not the only woman purging. This farm wife from Illinois who blogs, “at home with the farmer’s wife showed pictures on her blog of stuff that came out of her walk in closet. It was so gratifying to see another woman with overloaded closets! It just made my day! She’s got a cool blog anyway, but this was especially nice to see.

Well, it’s time for the barn again….gotta go! We’re back on the tight schedule, no more just laying around and letting things go, we actually have to work again! Have a wonderful Monday!

It’s sunny and 25 here on the Knolltop!

I was busy with the post-holiday clean up yesterday so I forgot to post here!

So, yes, we are sad that MSU lost to Georgia, but I can’t think of a better team to lose to than my husband’s alma mater. So the family is still whole, no divorce lawyers have been contacted and life as we know it will continue here on the Knolltop. I hear a huge sigh of relief from everyone!

The report from the knee patient is good. I talked with him last night and he sounded great. Having been through it already he knew what he had to do and how it was going to feel, so he’s getting through this go ’round so much better! Thank you for praying!

Well, my desk is in disaray, so now I’m going to spend the rest of the day cleaning my office so I feel like working on Monday morning!

It’s cold here on the knolltop this morning.

We spent last evening with some friends, gorging ourselves on good food. She had every kind of dip known to man with all the trimmings of a holiday buffet. It was great! Of course, I ate too much and was miserable the rest of the evening.

Today we will spend the day eating all that kind of stuff again…only we will be getting exercise as we jump up and down at all the touchdowns MSU will make while they skunk Georgia! (I hope)

It’s a calm morning here on the Knolltop. The weather is normal, not too hot, not too cold…just right.

We had basketball games last night. While Sarah and I stayed home and milked, Bobby went to Luke’s game and they lost in double overtime….what a bummer. Luke was so disgusted, but soon got over it. JW’s team lost big to Hillsdale, a much bigger school than North Adams. JW played a good game though. Three fouls…..that’s par for him.

My brother, sister in law and two nephews make the trip down for both games, that was so nice for them to come. I told my brother it was a real sacrifice for an athletic director to spend his vacation time sitting in bleachers watching basketball! He replied that it was very different because he was watching his nephews and he didn’t have to deal with any problems…he could just watch the game. It was fun to sit and visit with them and to listen to my nephews jabber about stuff.

Today they both have games and I think I’ll be able to watch both of them today!

Prayer request: My dad has his other knee replaced today, if you could pray for him…I sure would appreciate it!

It’s a beautiful sunny morning here on the Knolltop. Cold, but sunny!

After we had ice on Friday, it warmed up into the 50s on Saturday and all the snow and ice melted! Now we’re back to bare ground and that’s just fine with me.

Yesterday we celebrated Christmas with my family at my brother’s home. My sister-in-law is the hostesses of all hostesses. Yes her house is decorated so beautifully, she is clever with everything she does and the food on the buffet was not only delicious it was presented beautifully as well. But the thing that makes here the best hostess??? We started with snacks and dessert first and then she brought out the stuff that was slightly good for us! I loved it! So we loaded up on cheesecake, pumpkin pie and sweetrolls and then ate the ham and shrimp….oh it was good!

Basketball tournaments for the next two days…better get busy!

Here’s what built up on our van since 6:30 am this morning.

After morning chores, Luke decided to put on his hockey skates and play hockey on the road.

JW has no skates, so he just slides around trying to trip Luke up.

There is ice on the window here in my office. It’s an ice storm at the moment…but we will soon have rain and I’m hearing it will be in the sixties tomorrow! This is very strange weather we’re having on the Knolltop.

Yesterday was a very unusual Christmas for the Knolltop. Usually we get our chores done in a hurry so we can celebrate the day. Not yesterday. The main pipe from the well pit to the barn sprung a leak late Christmas Eve. They let it leak in the barn so the cows could have a drink and then shut the water off while they made preparations to fix it Christmas morning. One call to our farm savior, the neighbor Mr. Mike from Knolltop Morgans, also the resident electrician and Jack of all Trades, had just the part we needed to make another part for the pipe. Interrupting his Christmas morning wasn’t in either of our plans but with the cows without water Christmas had to wait on the Knolltop. Late morning Mr. Mike, Bobby, JW and Luke finally got the pipe fixed and the cows had water….Christmas could begin!

We were opening presents at noon and all of us commented on how strange that was. But I’m sure we weren’t the only farm family across the nation who had troubles on Christmas Day. With the weather acting so strange there were bound to be other malfunctions that didn’t look at the calendar before they malfunctioned.

So now I’ll share a few pictures of the day before Christmas when I had everyone in the act of baking and then Christmas Day.

I had JW and Luke slaving away on Christmas Eve, baking and baking and baking. They tried to sneak away, after they ate their fill of peanut butter balls and were too full to roll anymore. But I got the whip out and gave them 50 lashes and they stayed until the bitter end!

The pecan turtles were done and ready for chocolate…but I ran out, so we had naked turtles.

The pies were baked and the sweetrolls with the burned side down. Yes, I burned the sweetrolls…time got away from me! But we had yummy punch, in the popcorn bowl, Sarah broke my punch bowl last Christmas…no, she didn’t throw it at Jake in a rage of anger….just an accident.

The table was all set for Christmas dinner, don’t mind the wrinkled tablecloth….my mother is cringing right now at a wrinkled tablecloth, but the day was getting away from me, plus I was out of starch!

After all the opening of gifts the living room pretty much stayed like this until I put the hammer down and the elves started cleaning up.

And that was our Christmas day! Now it’s time to have Christmas with the rest of the family up north!