Seventy Years....

My Dad turned 70 on July 30th. Sure doesn't seem like he should be that old. We are very blessed to have him in our lives. He still does a lot of farming and tending to cattle. Him and my mom have put in a large garden that they share with family and friends in our community.
In his 70 years he has seen so many changes. I have had the opportunity in the past to go back to Texas to where he was raised and go back in time with him to the days of his childhood through his memories. There were lots of hard times but lots of laughs, too.
We are a very close~knit family and for that I am so VERY Thankful....I'm glad Danny and I both live near our parents.



Well the temperatures have remained in the triple digits with no end in sight! So our niece Melanie decided to jump in!



Sloan is a lil' fish...he loves going under!



He jumps in over and over and dog paddles back.





Catching a ride with cousin Mel.



Megan and Maggie.


Mandy Jo


Jaxson our great~nephew....Sloan calls him his lil' buddy!



Two lil' buddies enjoying watermelon from PaPa Bob and Grandma Sue's garden!

I sure hope each and everyone of you enjoyed your weekend.....be sure to tell those in your life that you love them!

Happy Trails....Ginger

Nearing the Finish Line!

After several late nights and lots of work we are getting closer to having one big project done. We have decided we are VERY GOOD at starting projects and terrible at finishing....so we are working on finishing projects!





So I ran the saw and yes it was off in this photo. I took wood shop in High School for 4 years and was even the teacher's aid the last year. I have also helped my dad over the years with working with wood and actually I do enjoy it!



I got the thumbs up from Danny as the boards all came together for the framework. We are enclosing a small room to put our washer and dryer in and part of it will be used to store the tables and chairs we have for our family functions. With the really high ceilings I should even have storage for the Christmas decorations.




We trimmed out all the doors and windows. Still need to paint the doors.




The outside of the small room is almost complete on the outside wall. We still need to add the wood above the door and do the trim work. We are going to add insulation in the walls to help sound proof it....maybe the overalls won't bang so loud!



We still have lots of hummers and they do enjoy the cool, sweet drinks from the feeders.

The spaces for Frank Bielec's class here the last of September are starting to fill up. If your interested in attending please email me and I will send you all the information.

Happy Trails.....Ginger

Coming Soon....Happy Trails Oxford Punch Rug Camp

We are so happy to be able to announce that Frank Bielec (Mosey n' Me) that loveable and talented guy that once was on Trading Spaces will be teaching a class right here on the farm September 29th, 30th, and October 1st, 2011.



He has a heart of gold that shines through in all he does. Besides being an extremely talented artist he has a sense of humor that will keep you smiling long after you have gone home.

It's one class that you can take and you will go home with finished projects ready to enjoy! There will be a limited number of students so if you are interested please contact me through email located on the right hand side of this blog....just look for the cows!





Oxford Punch looks very much like a hooked rug but is very fast. It can be done with yarn and wool strips.



These are just a couple of projects I have made in the past. You can make small items all the way up to large rugs with this technique.

I'm so excited for fall to come....I counting down the weeks!

Happy Trails.....Ginger

The Winner is...

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway of the little fall Jack hooked mat. The winner is Doris. She doesn't have a blog but she does some amazing needle punched pieces you can find her on ebay here
Congratulations Doris!!!!

Well we had another busy weekend with too much excitement. Danny was cutting a hay field for a neighbor when his cutter set the dry field on fire....needless to say it was quite a ordeal. Four fire departments and 7 hours later it was safe to call it out. No homes or buildings were destroyed and the neighbor was actually glad to have a lot of brush gone. It's been so dry in Oklahoma we are in desperate need of rain. The hay cutting is finished for the year although another neighbor had asked to have part of their field cut it's just too risky!




Happy Trails....Ginger

Goofy Cake Recipe

Goofy Cake
1/2 c. margarine, melted
1 lb. powdered sugar
1/2 c. flaked coconut
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 box yellow cake mix (not the kind with pudding added)
3 eggs
1/2 c. chopped pecans


Combine margarine, cake mix and 1 egg. Stir together until dry ingredients are moist.

Pat mixture into bottom of a well greased 15x10 jellyroll pan.

Beat remaining 2 eggs lightly, then beat in cream cheese and powdered sugar. Stir in coconut and nuts. Pour this mixture in the pan over the crust, spreading evenly. Bake at 325 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into bars.


I sent most of them to work but did refrigerate a few. Sloan even liked them and they were even better cold! I also saw a recipe for chocolate ones may have to try that next! Be sure and have someone to share them with they are pretty rich and it makes a lot!!!!

Happy Trails....Ginger

Baking, Playing, and Hooking

I've been planning for Frank Bielec to come here in September to teach a oxford punch class and so I've been working on making a list of lunches and snacks to serve. So thought we better try a sample or two. This one is called Goofy Cake and it turned out really good just a lil' on the rich side!



Danny and I sampled a piece but the rest will make it's way to work tomorrow to share with the guys.



I'm going to have to get me a bean bag if this playing on the floor keeps up! Ferdinand the Bull is just about to be up to some mischief...for some reason that onery ol' bull likes to tear up the barns.



Another small mat finished hooking just needs steamed and bound. It was another busy day filled to the brim with a lil' of this and that! Hope your enjoying your week. If you want to sign up for the giveaway see the previous post or click on the pic at the right hand top of this blog.

Happy Trails.....Ginger

A Simple Giveaway To Say Thank You!

It's been quite a long time since I had a giveaway. So many of you stop by to just say hello, leave a kind word, and take a peek into our life here on our little farm.

So if you would like to have a chance at this little hooked mat of Jack admiring the Autumn moon plus a few more little goodies just leave a note on this post and I'll get you entered. If you don't have a blog just leave an address so if your a winner I can let you know.

I'll pick a winner on Monday July 18th.

Happy Trails....Ginger

A Very Serious Question

Started a new little project...and it's just about done!



So a certain lil' boy is very curious about the calves getting a drink. He wants to know if he can get a bucket and try milking one....I think not these aren't dairy cows but try explaining that to a 3 year old! He has lots of questions about how to go about doing this.



I don't think this Momma is all too keen on him trying either! The explanation is just not good enough for him. Have you ever milked a cow....yes I've tried it and it's not as easy as it looks. Really ~~~ I would just as soon buy my milk already in the carton!

Happy Trails....Ginger

Santa Claus and A Mudslide

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas and hooking on Santa and his reindeer. Everything around here is beginning to look like toast...burnt, crunchy toast. I've gave up on the flowers and just hoping to keep the trees alive.



Mud would be a welcome sight....so what do you do? Well went to Lowe's and bought some floor paint. Looks like Hershey's syrup but it's called Mudslide.



I actually did finish up painting the room and it looks so much more cozy with a dark floor. Next we will be adding a little room in one corner to move the washer and dryer into and a place to store all the chairs and tables for our gatherings.

Then we need to add the trim and do some insulating in the attic portion. After that we will add in a fireplace area. A little at a time but it's getting there!



With the extreme heat the grasshoppers have invaded. I've just about gave up on the garden.



Well would you look one of the mini pumpkins did make it! Is it too early to start thinking of fall and cool, crisp evenings? It's my absolute favorite time of year.



Big cantelopes are still hanging on.



The sunflowers are thriving in this heat. I do enjoy their beautiful blooms.



The crape myrtles are showing their blooms as well....so see there is beauty bursting through despite this drought.

So look for the small blessings and enjoy what is before you. The simple things in life add up in life and it will rain again once more here on the Oklahoma prairie and when it does I will savor that old familiar smell.

Happy Trails....Ginger

Keeping Busy and Beating This Heat!

It's been scorching hot and that is no lie. We are in an extreme heat wave. It's just miserable. I did mow the yard last night just to straighten things up a bit and it looked like a big dirt cloud following me.

So what to do with time spent indoors....Sloan is content with playing, watching movies, and having a book read to him. In between and late into the evenings I've been working on oxford punching, rug hooking, embroidery, applique, and painting.


I drew up the chick setting on her nest this afternoon and with my trusty oxford punch she was done in just a couple of hours.














This rug was peeking out from my UFO stack calling to me. It's a pattern by Star Rug Company and it's back on the frame and I'm wanting to finish it up to enjoy this winter....ahh for a winter's day!


I did finish up another hooked rug just need to get it bound. I'm still working on having a giveaway....just need to finish up a thing or two.

Time to head back to the frame and pull a few loops.

Happy Trails....Ginger

Summer Day On The Farm

Finished pulling the last loop on this rug...yes it's after 1:00 am. My eyes are tired and it's about time to go find a soft pillow. I looked up and the last green loop of grass was pulled just wish I could say that for all the weeds that have sprouted up in the flowerbeds!



Oh and I couldn't have got it done without the good ole' specs. They are the weakest ones you can get but they sure do take the strain off the eyes.

I want to make sure and give Frank Bielec (yes he is the guy from Trading Spaces) credit for drawing this one of a kind rug just for me!

Happy Trails....Ginger