Friday, March 12, 2010

Cat Photo Contest, Boo-hoo!

Well, I've waited anxiously all week for the semi-finalist to be announced for the cat photo contest that I entered. A group was announced on each day of this week, Monday-Friday. Every morning I would run to my computer and check to see if I had made the semi's. Most mornings the semi's weren't posted yet, so I would have to check back every hour to see if one of my beautiful kitties would make the cut. Each day I would check, giddy with anticipation and each day my heart was crushed into the chicken coop poopy litter with disappointment, because my kitties were not getting the respect that I think is due to them!

Now that the last group has been announced I have come to terms with the fact that I am a loser, I feel a great sense of relief. I can move on with my life and stop centering it around this stupid cat photo contest! Me and my kitties are moving forward, upward, onward...

If you want to see the photos that were chosen for the semi-finals here are the links:







I might post links to the finalist and the winners when they are announced and I might not. Like I said it's time to move on and post a chicken recipe or a yummy dessert recipe or talk about how bad the food you are eating is (you know, that gross, bad, disgusting chicken and beef you get from the store) or go harass the cows or maybe take more pictures of my kitties...

I don't know...

what to do, what to do???

Anyway, I'm over it, I think!

Don't have pity for me, my friends! I really am not bitter or full of sour grapes over this. If you don't know me, I do tend to have a dry sense of humor!


Don't tell me we have to take more pictures?!



The End

Monday, March 8, 2010

Latest News on the Cat Photo Contest

Thank you everyone who voted on my photos for the contest! You helped me narrow down my decisions on which ones to enter.

Here are the ones I entered:


"The Kiss"
Received 7 of your votes


"5 Sisters"
Received 10 of your votes


"Camille's Frosty Morning"
Received 3 of your votes


"Camille's Snowy Morning"
Received 5 of your votes



Here is a link to the contest. Group #1 was posted today and I didn't make it! Boo-hoo!! I wonder if she even saw my picture of Camille kissing her chicken??

Pioneer Woman Photography

Here is the schedule of when the semi-finalist will be posted:

Monday: Group 1
Tuesday: Group 2
Wednesday: Group 3
Thursday: Group 4
Friday: Finalists from each group will be posted
Sunday: Winners (and prizes) announced!



So I have three more chances.

I really did think that I had a good chance with "The Kiss" since it is so unique. But there are thousands and thousands of entries!

I'll keep you posted if I actually do make the semi-finals. Wish me luck!!

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Today's Parade, Country Style

On Thursday, some guy, Dan the Man didn't get his name exactly, stopped by our house to let us know that he were going to be driving (as in cattle drive, you city sillies, not driving them in trucks!) 600 of his cattle up our road to their pasture about 7 miles south of our place. He wanted to see what sort of obstacles he might encounter on the way and thought that he might have a little trouble with our calves wanting to join up with his cows as they drove them past our place. He said he could send a couple of riders (you know... cowboys on horses) ahead of the drive and keep our calves back when the cattle went on by. Dan the Man told him that would be mighty right fine with him.

Anyway, I was talking to my sister on the phone this morning when they started to come down the road. I told her abruptly that I had to go, the cattle were here.

Well this is what I meant sis! Didn't mean to hangup on you so fast, but I wanted to get out there to make sure our calves stayed put and didn't cause any problems.

I was still in my pajamas when Dan the Man was yelling at me to tell me that they were headed up the road. I slammed down the phone and had just enough time to throw on a pair of socks, jeans, boots and a coat. I still had half my jammies on as I headed out the door. Oh well, that's how we do things here out in the middle of nowhere. I figured I was safe, I surely wasn't going to be taking off my coat for any reason. Beside, you see people wearing their jammies in town all the time, especially at Wal-Mart. I also said a quick prayer that went something like this... "Dear Lord, don't let anything happen to me while I am half dressed in my jammies. Please don't let anything happen that would involve the paramedics or me being rushed off to the hospital the way I am dressed for I would be eternally embarrassed if you put me in that kind of a predicament!" With that being said, I threw my camera around my neck as I sped out the door.

I'm glad I threw my camera around my neck. I might be getting addicted to this photography thing.

Heck, who am I fooling... I'm glad I live out here! What city dweller is gonna get to see a parade like this today?

I'm eternally thankful I didn't have to go to the hospital the way I was dressed!

Our calves behaved themselves and didn't cause any problems. Thank you babies, that could have been bad if you had misbehaved. The calves were very curious about the horses, they hadn't ever been around these things! And look, the humans are riding them!

Here is a movie I made of the whole shin-dig. Then I posted the photos again if you wanted a better look at them. Enjoy!!

NOTE: If you haven't looked at the previous post, please do. I need help deciding on which photos to enter in a cat photo contest! Thanks!!!







As always, for a full screen view of the photo, click on it. Hit your browsers back button to return to the blog.













Our calves watching their cattle go by.





Thought I'd snap a picture while I was down in the trees.















Adios and good luck with the rest of the drive!



My favorite shot of the day!


The End


Friday, March 5, 2010

Cat Photo Contest, I Need Your Help!!

Okay people, I need your help.

I'm entering my first photo contest and need your help choosing which pictures to enter.

It is a Cat Photo Contest and I think these are my best cat photos.

Obviously, Camille is my favorite model. She is just so beautiful. What can I say?

I can't enter all these photos and need to narrow it down to four. Yikes!!!

That's where you come in. I have numbered each photo and need you to list your four favorites in order of your liking.

I'll let you know which one's I enter and wish me luck, there will be thousands, and I mean thousands of entries.

NOTICE: To view a full size of the photo, click on the photo and then hit your browser's back button to return to the blog!!



Photo #1
Camille, notice how she is holding up one paw!



Photo #2
Camille



Photo #2A
My dear friend Beth, graciously "photoshopped" this picture for me and removed the shadow!
Thank you Beth!!! You're the BEST!
Camille



Photo #3
Camille



Photo #4
Camille. This one is done in color around Camille and black and white in the background.



Photo #5
Camille, I like that she is watching something to the left, probably a bird.



Photo #6
Titled "The Kiss"
Camille and her chicken!



Photo #7
Camille, again!



Photo #8
Sammy, wanting to head back into the house!


Photo #9
Sammy



Photo #10
Sammy, focal black and white, notice her pink nose!



Photo #11
Sammy



Photo #12
Tatee-boy, Tator-tot, Tatum, he da man!



Photo #13
Bridgette, NOT enjoying the snow! Look at the expression!



Photo #14
Tyler, the old man, now 19 years old!



Photo #15
Chloe, better known as Squeakers!



Photo #16
Titled "5 Sisters"
Camille, Sammy, Leona, Chloe, and Bridgette



Photo #17
Well look, it's Camille again!



Photo #18
Camille yet again, black and white



Photo #19
Camille, one last time, so soft!



Well, there you have them. Remember, vote for your four favorite. List them by their numbers and feel free to elaborate why you like the ones you chose!

I can enter one every day until Sunday so let me know as soon as you know!

Thanks a bunch!!

Thursday, March 4, 2010

An Oldie but a Goody... "Poop Soup"

In my last post I told you I had some stories waiting "in the wings" that I would share with you. Here is one such story.

Let me set the stage for you.

This happened almost 11 years ago. Crazy it was that long ago! Where does the time go?

When Dan the Man and I moved back to Nebraska, we originally had intended on working full time at my piano tuning and rebuilding business. We needed to go look at a couple of pianos that were out of town. Since the boys were still too small to be left home alone, we all went on this outing. Those were the days, back when our kids actually wanted to go places with us! Those days when all four of the could fit in the back seat of the pickup truck. Back when they had books and Gameboys to pass the time traveling.

Seems like eons ago when they were that small. Sometimes I find myself missing those days... but them I remember what it was like with four little boys, endless loads of laundry and hungry mouths to feed, stomachs that never seemed to get full, dirty little bodies from head to toe...

... and stories like this!

The cast of characters are as follows:

Boy 1, Nick who was 11 years old
Now serving (in his 4th year) our country in the United States Air Force and stationed in Japan

Boy 2, Colton who was 9 years old
Now about to finish his sophomore year at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City, South Dakota

Boy 3, Chris who was 8 years old
Now about ready to receive his associates degree in Powerline Construction and Maintenance from WNCC in Alliance, Nebraska

Boy 4, Skyler, a mere 6 years old
Now a sophomore at Morril High School

And and Dan the Man along with myself

The Story:

"Poop Soup"

which begins like this...


More piano tuning stories for your enjoyment (or not?) ...

Dear family,

I hope I didn't offend anyone with the headline, but sometimes a certain word is the "key" word and "poop soup" is the key word. I will warn you, that the faint of heart may not want to read this article. But if you are a true
Manville, I have no doubt that you will read on!

It started out as another fun family adventure on a beautiful Saturday morning. Our mission: to look at two pianos and meet a fellow piano technician in Big Springs, NE. After the news article ran in the papers, we have been receiving a few calls from people who have pianos either for sale or for free. The first piano we were going to look at fell into the "free"
category. The guy said he didn't know if it was worth any thing and hoped that he wasn't wasting our time, but he just wanted to get rid of it.

I was a little skeptical when he said that, but figured it was on our way to the other piano
tech's place so why not stop and look. Turns out to be a beautiful piano in pretty decent shape so we tell him we are willing to take the piano off his hands.

I was really anxious to get to our next destination, Oshkosh, NE where a lady awaits our arrival to look at her piano. She wrote us a letter stating that she had a beautiful upright piano (1893) in great condition and with beautiful carvings! She also just wanted to get rid of it and was willing to take $50. I had visions of this piano in my head as being a beauty from this time period where they would carve beautiful heads on the legs and beautiful flowers and things on the music rack. Pianos from this time period can be VERY ornate. We arrive at her house (an old farm house that will not be easy to move a piano out of). My hopes are still high though, because this could be a really unique piano. She leads us to the room where the piano sets. The piano is nothing special and is in horrible shape. It needs tons of work, but I figure for $50, what the heck, it might turn out really nice.

We start planning how we are going to get the piano out of the house and realize it is not going to be an easy task. If we go thorough the living room, we need to watch out for the "soft" spot in the floor and if we go out the side door we'll have to come through the yard... you get the picture. This is not going to be easy. Oh well, we'll deal with it when we come back for the piano.

Next, lunch in Oshkosh at the only diner in town. Actually the only place open in town besides the Texaco across the street. Every one must have decided to eat there because they were pretty full. The kids were starving and so were Danny and I so we decided we would eat there. It took quite a while for the waitress to get to us, so all the boys decided they would all go to the bathroom to kill time while we were waiting for our food. Don't forget there are 5 of them including Danny.

After 45 minutes of hearing "when are they going to bring us our food" and "I think I'm going to die I'm so hungry" and "Don't drink all your drink before your lunch comes..." we finally are served. Within 15 minutes we are ready to hit the road again.

Bathroom time again. One by one the boys are sent back to do their thing. Boy 1 goes and comes back, Boy 2 goes and doesn't come back for quite a while, must be because he is boy 2 doing #2. When boy 2 finally comes back to the table, I decide to take boy 1 and boy 2 out to the truck and wait out there. Danny waits in the diner while boy 3 and boy 4 finish up.

After about 5 or 10 minutes boy 3 finally comes out. I quiz the boy wondering why it is taking so long to go to the bathroom. He informs me that there was a problem with the toilet, but he used the plunger and fixed it. Another 10 minutes pass and I'm still waiting for boy #4 and Danny.

Just as I'm about ready to go back into the restaurant and see what is taking so long, Danny emerges at mach speed with boy #4 almost having to run to keep up with his father. Danny says, "Get in the truck, lets go!" It was just like a scene from a movie where someone has just robbed the bank!

What the heck took you guys so long, I demanded to know as the truck was peeling out of the parking lot. Then I find out the whole truth as to what was taking so long...

Boy 1 went #2 and clogged up the toilet. Instead of telling us, he ignored the problem. Besides it wasn't his problem, he was done.

Boy 2 unaware of the problem went ahead and used the toilet and added to the problem. Boy 2 also hasn't learned that you don't need 4 feet of toilet paper to adequately do the job. Flushed and nothing happened except for an unusual amount of water that just about flowed over, but since it didn't, he was safe.

Boy 3 enters this very hazardous situation totally oblivious to the problem and contributes to the cause. Just as he is ready to flush, he realizes there is a problem. But Boy 3 is "Mr. Fix-it" and sees the plunger! He's seen me use it before so he proceeds to stir the toilet and flushes! Not wanting to get in trouble for the mess that is now on the floor, he heads straight out to the truck.

Boy 4 enters the bathroom and has a terrible mess on his hands (and feet.) This boy is so blown away by the predicament and all that he wants to do is just go to the bathroom, but can't decide if he should or not.

By this time Danny is tired of waiting and enters the bathroom to see if a problem is occurring or what. Horrified at what he sees, he tries the plunger but just manages to make poop soup that won't go down and just keeps coming up!

So, quick to think as to what the best solution to the problem is, he thinks to just leave and quickly! (Why can't men/boys just tell someone when there is a problem?) I figure the toilet cops are going to soon be on our tails, but we manage to get out of town before they call the cops on us!

First Lesson learned: Never let all four boys use a cafe restroom assuming that the toilet will hold up to their demands! (Hope I left a big enough tip for the waitress!)

As for the rest of the story, we met the piano tech in Big Springs and boy is he an odd fellow (could be another story with him!) And when we got home, Danny made me promise to call the one lady and tell her that we really didn't want her piano and hoped that she would understand! She did. Second Lesson learned: never take a piano you really don't want! Even if it is only $50!


Here's a picture of the boys that year!


Waiting for the Bus, First Day of School 1999
Skyler, Colton, Chris and Nick


Nick, Chris, Colton and Skyler

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

The Girls Know How to Git-r-Done!

Not too much goin on here at our place. I have several stories in the "wings" waiting to be shared with you and now I'm just trying to catch up on them.

A few months ago, actually it was around the end of November, my neighbor Cori called me and asked me if I could come up and help her process some calves. Her husband was busy in the fields, corn harvest, and she had over 100 calves to do if I remember right. I had a few of my own chores to finish before I could go up, but I told her I'd be there as soon as I could.

We were lucky the weather was nice. By the time I made it up there, Cori and her girls had already got all the calves in the alleyway and had already done almost half of them. They had quite the system going and were quite capable of doing this chore all by themselves. Her daughters really know how to work those cattle! LeAnna and Laura have always been around cattle. Working cattle is the only life that those girls know and you can tell when you are around them. They are extremely hard workers. I think kids that are raised on a farm or ranch are just plain lucky.

I do think that Laura, the youngest, was a tiny bit happy when the "relief" showed up. She had been working really hard and was getting a little bored with her job.

We were branding them, vaccinating and pouring them all in one swoop. You should have seen Cori and LeAnne running their hydraulic shoot and head-catch. They ran the controls like a seasoned fighter-jet pilot, so fast and smooth!

You can see how the whole operation went down in the video. I also added some various pictures of the Country Chicken Girl living her life day by day.

I am one blessed individual living a blessed life here in the middle of nowhere with my wonderful husband and our boys. Oh and the cats, chickens and cattle!

Enjoy!!


Saturday, February 27, 2010

BBQ Chicken Pizza and Getting Your Picky Kids to Eat!

Here's another recipe for ya!

Do you like pizza? How about BBQ chicken?

I adore both so why not combine them?



BBQ CHICKEN PIZZA

(aka BBQ Whitey Pizza or There Once Was a Rooster Named Whitey! Just joking, just joking, settle down, Whitey is still among us. Note: If this makes no sense to you, you need to read the last post.)

Okay, here is another recipe that proves "Sauce is Boss"! You can be lazy and use store bought BBQ Sauce and cheat your family from delicious homemade sauce that says "I love you guys" or you can make this homemade sauce and have your children giving you foot rubs because they love you so much! LOL that would be the day, right! But I'm getting ahead of my self. We need to talk crust first.

I also make my own pizza crust, it is so easy, there is not an excuse not to, unless you simply don't have time. But there is no excuse for not making the BBQ Sauce. It's easy and you can make it way ahead of time. Like on the weekend, if you work during the week. If you work during the week, this is a perfect recipe for a Saturday afternoon.

This might get lengthy so hold on.

Pizza Dough

I make mine in the bread machine on the dough cycle.

6 ounces water (80 degrees F)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons yeast

Put ingredients in the bread pan in the order they are given. Program your bread machine for the dough cycle. When the dough is done, turn it out on a floured surface and knead it about 1 minute or so, then let rest for 15 minutes.

Roll dough out in a 12 to 14 inch crust. Place on a pizza pan or pizza stone (that's what I use) and bake in a 400 degree oven for 8 minutes.


Now while the crust is rising in the bread machine, you can make the BBQ Sauce. I like this one which is a smokey, sweetish and a little hot. I modified a BBQ sauce I got out of this cookbook that I have and adore called "Top Secret Restaurant Recipes" by Todd Wilbur. The sauce is from Tony Roma's.

Smokey Honey BBQ Sauce

1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup garlic flavored red wine vinegar
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
2 tablespoon Franks Red Hot sauce (more or less depending on how hot you like it)

  1. Combine all the ingredients for the barbecue sauce in a saucepan over high heat. Blend the ingredients with a whisk until smooth.
  2. When the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered.
  3. In 30 to 45 minutes, when the mixture thickens, remove it from the heat. If you overcook it and make the sauce too think, thin it with more vinegar.
This makes more than you'll need for the pizza. You can keep the extra in the refrigerator and use it for another meal. I used mine with left over roast and made BBQ Beef Sandwiches. Oh la, la... so good!

Okay, we've got our crust and our sauce, now it time to make the pizza.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

1/2 cup BBQ Sauce
1/2 cup pizza sauce (someday I'll share the recipe for my homemade pizza sauce!)
1 cup cooked chicken, shredded (farm fresh of course)
Shredded Mozzarella cheese
Shredded Cheddar cheese
1 thinly sliced onion
2 tablespoons butter
And any other toppings you want like black olives, green pepper, diced green chiles...

Spread the combined sauces over the crust. Add as much cheese as you feel you need, use 1/2 mozzarella and 1/2 cheddar. Spread chicken and onions on top of cheese. Then sprinkle, (sprinkle? sounds like we're making sugar cookies!) a little more BBQ sauce over the chicken and top off with a little sprinkle of cheese.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the pizza is hot and bubbling.

Here's a great tip for those of you who have children to feed. This is especially helpful if your little darlings are picky eaters!

When making homemade pizza, divide your dough into four pieces and allow your children to make their own personal pizzas! Kids love to eat what they make and also you need to be teaching them how to prepare meals for themselves or they may never leave the home. Or if you never take the time to teach them any cooking skills, they will live on Kraft Easy Mac and Ramen Noodles for the rest of their lives. Not healthy at all.

I think it is extremely important to teach your kids to cook. If you start young enough, they think it is something fun to do, but if you wait too long, they won't want to do it simply because it is something that you want them to do. So the earlier you start the better!

You do need to set a few rules with these personal pizzas. This also discourages kids from becoming picky eaters.

Rule #1: Do not use more than what is required. Set limits on the cheese and sauce. You want to teach them what is appropriate! Don't let them be wasteful. As my mom use to say, "There are thousands of starving children in this world..."

Rule #2: You have to eat what you make. This discourages them from experiments that they won't eat when it turns out to be a bad idea, like Captain Crunch and Sausage!

Rule #3: They get to clean up their own mess while the pizza is cooking! This teaches them wise time-management and encourages cleanliness in the kitchen.

You can also try this with calzones. Give it a try and let me know what your kids think about it!











Tatee-cakes was sleeping on the couch while I was baking this.

Yummm, Yummm, this Rooster sure makes good pizza!



Who knew that jerk would taste so good!


Just joking, I told you the rooster was still among us!