I love me some country music!!

Yes... I know, who could possibly like music with songs like "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy"? But I DO!!! I love country music and I have recently rediscovered it. I had taken a hiatus from it because the station I was listening to had gotten a bit over the top for their morning show... I didn't like a lot of the discussions that were occurring. So I went over to The Fish. Now, I like contemporary Christian music too... a lot. But I can't handle Pete and Brenda anymore. They are too corny. So I moseyed (yes, moseyed) back to a different country station and have remembered why I love country music so much. I cannot, let me say it again, cannot, not sing and dance when country music is on. It makes me happy, it makes me want to dance, to swing my hiney and tap my toes. I daydream about being a professional line dancer. I'd wear cowgirl boots and a cowgirl hat.

So that's what is on my mind today folks. I've been listening to it all day at work, I sang to it all the way home last night. And I'm hooked again... Poor Jeff.

Before and After

I love before and after photos... there is something so satisfying about them. (It is assumed here that the after photos are better than the before). I think that is why I love the show "The Biggest Loser" so much, but that is for a different post.

So we've been working on our house. We've been digging, and pulling and painting, and weed whacking, and building and spreading and raking and spraying and so on and so on. We still have lots of plans and projects in the works, but finally, finally, we are ready to show you some of our progress!

So here is the house when we first bought it one year ago:

It looks pretty good... we liked it well enough I suppose... since we bought it! ; )

The color never really bothered me so much, although it always struck me as pretty drab. Nothing to write home about you know? And that bush... look at that mini jungle there, the one growing under the front window. It never occurred to me when we bought the house that it was a hideous beast, just waiting to be tamed. Or torn out. But alas, the projects commenced this spring and things have changed just a bit.

Here is our home today... just moments ago. Unfortunately, the sun decided to hide, so it has a different tint to it than the other, but I think the color comes in clear enough. We love the color, although we've both commented that the dark blue shutters and door don't stand out as much as we would've hoped. Black may have been a better choice. But those things are fairly easy to fix, should we change our minds later. Or should I change my mind later, as Jeff points out I am so apt to do. : )

See the other big change? The beast is gone!! And in its place, a dainty little raised flower bed. We've still got to finish the capstones, but over all you get the idea. It looks really nice against the dark trim work. And it really opens up the front of the house, don't you think? You can't see it well in this picture but we changed the side of the yard there too... to the left of the house:

That tree was back at the side of the house closer to that fence. We liked it, and thought it would look better where you could see it, as a focal point in the yard. we then scalloped the left edge of the lawn and added some greenery and some "hardscape" a.k.a. rocks and Walla! (Or viola for you more sophisticated folk) a better looking lawn than before. There are more plants to plant and things to do, but this will be the general look of things for years to come. At least if I have anything to say about it.

So that is what we've been up to for the last 75 Saturdays... working working working. Jeff is such a slave driver. He gets me out of bed at the crack of dawn and hands me a shovel... "Get to work Woman!" he shouts. And then he hands me my coffee, and I love him again. Ha!

Coming soon... the backyard.

Mom and Normie

So our trip to Great Falls was nice and relaxing... we did a lot of coffee drinking, TV/movie watching, and playing of cards. (I might add that it was exactly what we wanted to do!!!) We didn't take many pictures of that stuff... but we did take some photos of our outing to the Great Falls Heritage center...

I learned to plow.














And Jeff found himself a new friend...


















This was actually the kids room at the Charles M. Russell museum. We were all pretty punchy after spending the day reading a lot of fine print about a lot of old things, so Jeff and I decided to cut loose a bit. We rode some wild broncos... and I squeezed into some child sized chaps... sorry to say the photos of that didn't turn out. Ha! ; )








Overall, it was a wonderful trip. It was great to spend time with Mom and Norm in their home. It makes me miss them so much... but they are happy in Great Falls. And there is nothing I would trade for that.

Thanks for having us... we had a great time.

We love you!!!

Lump Gulch

Aaah, Lump Gulch. The place of my youth. We spent Memorial Day here, despite the cold and a little rain. I really wanted Jeff to see the place that I ran barefoot through the woods, where I fished in the creek, where I have tons and tons of happy childhood memories. Unfortunately, this photo doesn't capture all that is Lump Gulch, but it is a wonderful place, and I am certain that if we lived in Montana, we would spend time here. When I was young, we camped out of the back of our pickup. Joe and Carla (below) hauled up an old school bus, added a wood stove and some cots in the back, and that's where they slept, and where we were able to get in out of the weather. We spent a lot of 4th of July holidays here, panning for gold (okay, the adults did that) and just having a good time. There were always lots of people, and lots of fun.


Meet Joe and Carla. They own Lump Gulch and are my God Parents. They've known my Dad for over 50 years and have always treated me as their daughter. They have three boys who are a few years older than me, and who were happy to torment me as if I was their sister. Aaaah, how sweet! : ) They weren't here that day, so it wasn't quite the same. I am certain I have a memory of them arguing about whether to lose me in the forest or not. I guess they decided not to, as I am here to tell the tale. I was too cute back then to leave in the woods.

And here is a picture of us huddled around the campfire, although I guess you can't really see the campfire. Trust me, it was there! I can see Dad's being a ham again... always the life of the party!

It was a wonderful day. Thanks Jeff, for humoring me!

A Visit with Dad

Our first stop on our trip to The Big Sky country was to see my dad... Hi Dad! Like I mentioned months earlier on my last blog, we did a lot of work around his house... including finishing the baseboard trim. Somehow, all the photos of that are gone... hmmm. I must have deleted them. Anyway, here's some photos of our time there:

Jeff was working hard... Dad, not so much. : ) Just kidding, they both worked their tails off the whole weekend! It was fun to see them get to know each other and work together...

Here is a picture of Dad and I between two of his other favorite girls... I couldn't tell you make, model or years, but they are pretty important to him. Someday, he tells me, they are going to be beautiful restored to original vehicles. Unless he decides to make them hot rods... it changes from time to time!

On our way out of town on Monday, we took a few minutes to stop at the cemetery where my Grandma and Grampa Mortieau are buried... Grampa passed away a few years ago, Grandma was almost a year ago. I had never been to pay my respects... I was happy I got to be there with Dad. I can't imagine what it is like to lose your parents... I hate that thought.

On a cheerier note... we had a great time and can't wait to visit again. Love you Dad! : )