A Day at the Park

Yesterday Little Cowpoke and I went to the park. Since we live in the middle of no where we had to drive 25 minutes to get to the park. But it was well worth it. At this park they have an alligator exhibit. So cool. That was the first place we went. Little Cowpoke was amazed at the three large gators in the pool, Thibadeaux, Bodreaux, and the girl (I can't remember her name). Plus there is a 150 year old turtle. He was so ugly he was cute!!!

Here he is coming up for air. He had been under the water for three hours!! WOW!! He just crawled up Thibadeaux's back and stuck his head out of the water. Lane was so impressed!! His eyes were so big. He was so excited. Then the very nice lady at the desk asked if Little Cowpoke would like to hold a baby alligator!! AH, YES!!! This was so neat. She got out a baby girl gator named Jolie. They all have French names. Cajuns are French. So they are Cajun alligators with Cajun names. Little Cowpoke was so excited. He touched Jolie's legs and the nice lady told him all about her. Then he was able to hold it!!! He as so proud of himself. He was so gentle and Jolie didn't move a bit. Now I wouldn't touch it, but Little Cowpoke is so brave. Give me the hebe geebies!!! She is a good baby alligator. Little Cowpoke was talking soft because she was a baby alligator. So sweet.

After the alligators we ventured over the the playground. It was the first day the playground was open and Little Cowpoke was really the first one on the play stuff. How neat!! He loved this thing. It's a lady bug that bounces back and forth. Then there was this grass hopper. Little Cowpoke kept calling it a choo choo train. So I just smiled and agreed. I actually rode in the front of the grass hopper and Little Cowpoke rode in the back. He thought that was fantastic. There was a bumble bee which was tones of fun too!!!

After about an hour and a half of playing we were walking out when we saw this!! This crazy man sitting on the ground hand feeding this goose. I was amazed. I walked over and asked him if he ever saw America's Funniest Home Videos when the geese chase people all over. He just laughed. This goose seem perfectly friendly. This guy really wasn't crazy I just get a bit nervous when beaks get that close to me. I am a chicken!! This crazy man was actually really nice. He shared his two loaves of bread with Little Cowpoke. Little Cowpoke has never fed ducks before. He was so excited. The threw the bread and tried to pet the ducks.

There were lots of different ducks. This one has a really great hair style. It is a tuff that just sits on top of its head. Little Cowpoke thought this was funny. He would say, Stick UP!! I have never seen a duck with such a poof!!

Of coarse what would feeding the ducks be with out a good chase? It seems like they are used to people chasing them. Little Cowpoke loved this part. Actually he loved it all.

When the bread was all gone, it was nice just to stand next to the nice goose and watch the other ducks swim away. It really was a perfect day. But what would the end of the day be like with out on final chase of the ducks. Run!!! As we were getting into the truck we saw this unlikely pair. They were just walking next to each other for an afternoon stroll. He looks like he might wear the pants in the family. They didn't want their picture taken I had to walk fast and hide behind another car to sneak this one in. Chickens really creep me out. I do not like their feet. Such bony and funny looking feet. Then they have like these nails, oh, I just to not like them.

All in all it was a fantastic day. It was all Little Cowpoke would talk about the rest of yesterday and today. It is a really fun park, so if you pass through here you must stop here and see the alligators, play on the new playground, and feed the ducks. Too much fun.

Just a heads up I am going to show you all some awesome bows I just got. They are not for me they are for my Cowpokete. She has some beautiful bows that we got the other day. But that is a whole different post! You all come back now ya hear!!

Are You Ready for Some Football?

Anyone else singing Hank Williams? In case you are lost he sings the Monday night football song. Anywho.....Mr. Cowboy has been winning things off the radio like crazy. He was trying to get us tickets to the Blake Shelton concert. He qualified three times, but no tickets. Then he won tickets to the McNeese State University Football game. Plus cool tailgate party tickets. That is the thing down here. To go to the game early and go to the tailgate party and eat BBQ and drink and be loud. We got the BBQ and being loud part down pretty well. Mr. Cowboy ate ribs from Texas Road House. It is crazy how many people park their campers there!! We got there and a lady from the Alumni Association was giving out free signs, so we grabbed some of those and headed to the stands. I was so excited. I had just told Mr. Cowboy how I really wanted to go to a football game, and look what he does for me!!

Here I am holding my sign. I was so excited. I think I was the only one in the stands not wearing blue or yellow. The fans here are so great. They really get into their college football. It makes it really exciting and fun when everyone is jumping up and down and yelling and having a good time!!

Mr. Cowboy was hungry. He only got a taste of the ribs at the tailgate party. He got one plate with three ribs on it then they threw the rest away!! We were late, like always. Oh well. So what do you buy at a football game to eat? Hot dog, pretzel? Nope a giant turkey leg!! He loved it!!
Now here we are. I think I embarrassed Mr. Cowboy with this shot. I wanted a picture of us together but did not want the stands behind us. So, what do you do? Stand up and turn around for the snap shot. Mr. Cowboy took the picture. He has longer arms than I do. He did a fantastic job!! Did I mention I was really excited?

Now this is how you can tell I was a band geek in high school. I took more pictures of the band than the game!! Plus I was having camera trouble. When I turn my flash off all my pictures get fuzzy. Oh I want a new camera so badly!! But the band here was playing a song that I played in high school. I have to admit that my high school band was lots better than this college one. We were bigger and 100 times louder and we marched better. Oh we were great!! So I am a band geek. But it was great listening to the band and watching the kickers dance.
Then they all lined up and the guy cheerleaders, or call leaders, I don't know what they are called. Grabbed these huge flags and ran with them. It was so cool!! I asked Mr. Cowboy if he thought those boys got made fun of, and he said Probably not, they look kinda big. He was right, they were big boys!!

Here is the team!! Go Cowboys!! They creamed the other team 48 to 16. It was a great game. The Cowboys are a good football team. They are hoping to make it to the playoffs this year. It was a really fun night. It even got a bit chilly, just like a football game night should. It was a fantastic night.

I did a scrapbook page yesterday. This is what I am thankful for. Most people do their kids and their family, so I wanted to be different. This is my house. That was a FEMA camper. We lived in one of those 24 foot long camper for a year, and it was not fun. So I am very grateful for our house and our space!! You can find the credits here.

Now for the moment you all have been waiting for, Cajun 101!!! Here are some common sayings here in cajun country.

"Are you going to get down." What they are trying to say is, "Are you getting our of the car"

"Doe Doe" What this means is "Nap"

"Awe Sha Bee Bee" What this means is "What a cute baby" or "Poor Baby" The spelling here may be totally wrong. I am not cajun so I have no idea how to spell it, but that is how it sounds.

"Mud Dogs" this is "Crawfish or Crayfish"

"Come See" This means "Come over here"

Now you all go out and talk with your new found cajun tongue. I know you will all try it out!! It is fun and your friends and family will be amazed at your new found language. Have a great day and y'all come back now ya hear!!

Scrapping, Soccor, and Smiles

It has been a long time since I have scrapped a page. So I got off my duff and decided to get on it. So here are three that I have recently done. Sometimes it takes me a while to get my mojo back. I have a mojo? It sounds like a name for a pet ferret!! Anyway here is one:

Big Cowpoke is a real handsome cowboy. See it's all that black cowboy hat. I am telling ya, that everyone must have one. It even makes him look cool in his blazer!! You can find the credits for this page HERE.

Now this layout is a secret. It still isn't posted on my scrapbook site yet!!! So, shhhhhh, don't tell anyone. It is for an upcoming designer spotlight challenge over at Oscraps. It is going to be great!! I'll give you a hint.......it is about passing somthing on. Credits for this page coming soon to an Ocraps Gallery near you!!

Here is another one. It is our dear family. See how we are all not looking at the camera. We just can not seem to get things together!! It seems like there is always one picture that one of us is looking away. Mr. Cowboy sure looks good to me though!! Something about the tie!! I love it, and if you add the black cowboy hat.....oh melt me like butter!!! This was done with a great freebie kit over at Oscraps. It's this weeks desinger spotlight. You can find the layout's credits HERE.

Now onto Soccer. This was Big Cowpokes first year in soccer. Yes cowboys wear other shoes besides boots. Soccer is the perfect sport for every small boy that has energy. What small boy does not have energy? These games are for an hour at a time and Big Cowpoke can sure run, a lot!!! They played 6 games. Their team, The Clash, was 0 and 6. We did not win a single game. But there were some close ones. Clayton was a real go getter. He would get in there and snatch the ball from everyone. He even made a goal once for the other team. He was so excited!!

Here he is trying to encourage one of his teammates to get after the ball. Sometimes Big Cowpoke would be the only one going for the ball. It was funny to watch all the kids run after the ball like busy bumble bees!!

This is my favorite!! A bit out of focus, but man the pose!! The legs and arms, you just can not beat that!! He loved to kick the ball in. Such joys!!! The season went by so fast!!

After each loss, I mean game, the team would all huddle up. To say what, I am not sure, but the coach looks like she is in deep thought. Or she is getting a hang nail!! I am not sure which one. But none the less the whole team was pretty good sports about not winning a single game.

Now while at the soccer games Cowpokete looked her best!! She loves her hair bows. It is funny to me how many people still asked me, What is his name? Let me give anyone out there a small tip. Ready? If the baby has a bow on it's head, it is a girl. If there is no bow and the baby has on blue, it is safe to say, him. Otherwise say, Oh what a sweet baby what's it's name? That way you won't get it wrong!!

Ms. Cowpokete started smiling!! It is so cute when they do that!! I just love it. Big Cowpoke tries to be silly to make her laugh. A lot of times she ends up crying. But he tries. She will get it someday!

Now here is Ms. Thang with her pink horsey slippers. Every cowpokete should have a pair. These small pink beauties come complete with pink bow and some bling! Love it! Girls are so much fun.Here is a bit closer look. Aren't the the cutest slippers ever? Well now that I have written a novel I should probably stop while ahead. But com back soon. Next I am going to do a How to!! How to speak/understand cajun. What I have learned since moving to the south. Plus another scrapbook page!! Y'all com back now ya hear!!

Picking Up Hay

When you have horses and cows there is just one thing that you have to have, hay. Now, if you don't own 2500 acres to make your own then you can cut it and bale it yourself. But if you live on a small farm then you have to go out and pick it up yourself, somewhere else. Now in Louisiana the grass grows really fast. So, here we can get about three cuttings. This is the third cutting that we are getting. We get a call from they people who cut and bale it, and we get the truck and trailer ready and go. This time around we only pick up 100 bales. That is a small amount. But hopefully we won't need any more. We have more stashed in our barn. The first thing we do is find a driver!!!

This is our Driver. He is 11 years old. He tried to help toss the hay but his muscles weren't ready to toss the hay up on the trailer. The bale hit the wheel well and almost knocked him over, so we made him the driver. He said, Wow look at all these buttons!!! That made me nervous!! But he did well, it's just a straight line!!!These are the Cowpokes. They are too little to help out with tossing or driving so they sit in the bed of the truck!! They love it. Big Cowpoke just yelled the entire time, I want to help, let me help. He has a big heart. We love him.

On the other hand Little Cowpoke does not mind riding in the back at all. He loves his Gatorade. It did end up all over the tool box, but boys will be boys. Little Cowpoke is just too darn cute!!

Then when Big Cowpoke isn't looking he sneaks some of his drink. Maybe no one will notice. Where is Big Cowpoke?


Now this is what we are up against. It looks a bit intimidating, but I think it is way fun. Paw Paw will go in front of us and make a double stack so we can go faster!! He is so helpful!!!
Then with our trusty driver we start loading up the hay. It is really easy when the hay is just one or two levels. Then my muscles start giving out on me when the stack is four high. I did just have a baby!!!This is Big K. He is so quick, so fast that he is able to take breaks. Or maybe the Driver is just going a bit slow?? Humm........ he is only 11.

Mr. Cowboy is the "Stacker". We toss all the bales of hay to him and then he stacks them. He has an important job. If they are not stacked right we might loose a bale when drive home. See the happy look on his face? He just loves me to take his pictures!!What a great job Mr. Cowboy!! This is about how tall the bales get when my muscles give out. I used to be stronger. I need to carry my kids more. Work those arm muscles more. See how much he loves his picture taken? He is saying, Put down the camera and pick up some hay. He doesn't need my help. He has Big K and Paw Paw. They loaded up 100 bales in less than 40 minutes. Team work. It was fun, dusty, and hot. Gotta love it. Now those are some big gloves for some big muscles. This is my nephew helping his Paw Paw pick up 50 bales. They have race horses. I love his race horses. I love it when they don't run fast and then I get to train them and jump them and sell them. Ahhh........love it. But that is it. That is all there is to it. All you need is a truck, trailer, some muscles, a driver, a stacker, some loaders, and a lot of allergy medicine.

Sinful Delights

I am in love. With cowboys, horses, my children, and Blue Bell Ice Cream!!! Oh it's sweetness. The many flavors of the sinfully delicious desert. I could eat about three bowls a day. But not wanting too large of hips I try to restrain myself, to just one, maybe two bowls. I am now in a Birthday Cake mood. It is chocolate brownie, with chocolate fudge swirls, and sprinkles, all mixed with a delicious vanilla ice cream. Oh it is wonderful!! I do not know of a better ice cream.

Just look at the textures. The chocolate fudge swirls!! Oh it is Divine. Now Mr. Cowboy loves the cookie dough ice cream which is good, but I love this one.

You can see the colored sprinkles. Now, you can not taste the sprinkles. I believe they are there for decoration. They add to the small celebration I put on while sitting on the couch watching Oprah and eating my Birthday Cake ice cream!!

Oh, such divinity. If you do not live where Blue Bell Ice Cream is sold, I am so sorry you are missing out on the fun. It is quite wonderful. I do believe it is better than Ben and Jerry's. I know I know that was sinful to say, but I had to say it. But if you do live in the south, then go out and buy you a gallon. You won't regret it at all. Yummy all the way. Then grab a blanket and get comfy on the couch and turn on some Oprah!! You will be able to drift away into paradise. Well, at least for a little while, or until a hot wheels car hits you in they head. (How do 2 year olds have such great aim?)

Tomorrow I am going to catch up on some scrapping and post some pictures of Mr. Cowboy showing off his muscles!! Until then. Y'all come back.

It's Rodeo Time

The Rodeo. It's dirty, dusty, hot, but oh so much fun. We all pack the horse trailer the night before and then hook it up to the truck. Then early the next morning we head out to the barn and feed horses. While the horses eat we head back to the house and feed ourselves and pack our lunches. It is going to be a long day. With the coolers packed and lunches made we head back to the truck and load it up with food and kids. Then we load the horses. Every rodeo we take three horses with us. Kenny, the pony, Pearl, the big old mare, and Fancy, the palomino. Sometimes Fancy is switched with Lady. Lady is Mr. Cowboy's usual mount, but she was sick this week. She has a bad cough. So, then by 10am we are off. We all head out to the High Hope Rodeo. It is a really neat rodeo company. It's all family run and we all volunteer to help out and everyone wins a belt buckle at the end of the year. But the One who has the most points wins a saddle. We are not yet to the saddle winnings, yet. We will get there, soon. The day starts out with roping. Big Cowpokes favorite event. He loves to rope. But I never get pictures of him roping. I will next time. This is Big Cowpoke riding Pearl. It is so amazing to me. She is a really big mare. 16 hands tall. If any of you know how tall that is. She just lets that little boy ride her all over the place. Good girl!! At the beginning of the year Big Cowpoke was so scared to ride he had to have Mr. Cowboy walk around the pattern holding his horse. But now look at them. Riding like the wind. It makes me so proud of his progress.
Just look how happy they are together. He now begs to ride her. They are a good team. She only goes as fast as he asks her to go. They trust each other. A horse like this is hard to find and will never leave our house. She may not be the world's most beautiful thoroughbred, but she sure is good to my cowpokes.

This even is the most fun. It is called Flags. You have two barrels at the end of the arena with buckets on top of them. You ride your horse as fast as you can and drop a "flag" (a small piece of pvc pipe) in one bucket and run to the next barrel. There you grab another "flag" and run as fast as you can home (back to the in gate). This is a timed event. A good time is done in 9 seconds. Mr. Cowboy can do it on Kenny, the pony, in 10 seconds. Wow, that is fast. Big Cowpoke here on Pearl does it in about 25 seconds. They are doing great!!!

Here is Little Cowpoke having his go at the clover leaf barrels. He needs help from Mr. Cowboy. Little Cowpoke's hands cannot reach the reins. If you look close you can see the fashionable belt around Little Cowpoke's waist. That is his "Wienk" a.k.a Blanket". When it is time for the barrels it is also time for Little Cowpokes to take a nap. He insisted on having it with him. Mr. Cowboy tied it there so it wouldn't fall. Little Cowpoke loves to go fast!!!

Speaking of fast!! Go Mr. Cowboy Go!!! This is the horse Fancy. She was out there for the first time ever. She was Mr. Cowboy's back up ride because Lady was sick. Fancy gave it her all. They really did well. Mr. Cowboy likes to go fast!!! The need for speed.

Now this is a serious horse. He goes fast. His rider is The Pink Lady. That is saddle winning material. They are an awesome team. This is where we hope to have Lady, the horse, running next year. It should be a good competition.

Now for some scrapbooking. We are doing an altered/collage challenge over at Oscraps. I am not really good at anything altered. So I went for the collage route. It was a hard page for me. I normally like lots of pictures on a page, but not this one. It is not one of my most favorite pages. But it works. So here it is.


You can find the credits and leave some love, if you like, Here!! I am still semi new in the digi scrap world. I have only been doing it for about six months now. One thing it has done is made me totally obsessed with taking pictures. I love it. I really want a new camera!! I Nikon!! Maybe for Christmas or my birthday!! Or maybe just in my dreams!!