Pickin' Grass Seed

My man, on Sundays is the best looking, best smelling man I know. He is the image of anything but a farmer, well that is until you see is boots.

Monday through Saturday is a completely different story. His clothes smell nothing like the man I can’t get close enough to in church. If I could enclose a stractch and sniff you would totally agree. The first time my family meet Steven, they asked if I was sure that he was a farmer ‘cause he looked like a pretty boy in his hot pink Hilfiger (yes Isaid HOT PINK) and starched Wrangler.

For the last few weeks, they have tried to pick grass seed- our new sources of income since we have stopped growing tobacco. However, this past year the rain has caused pure havoc on the seeds. While waiting out the rain, they have spent numerous hours mechanizing on the mean green grass seed eating machines.

Despite the aggrevation, he still pursues the fields as though the bounty is plentiful. Last week, I had the privilege of helping them (Murrell, Robert, David and Steven) relocate to the next field of seeds. Steven has mentioned on several occasions that all of my posts are about my side of the family. So, I decided to do a post on the Hines Brothers men. The partnership originated with two brothers, Murrell and Robert and Murrell’s two sons- - hence Hines Brothers. Steven later bought into the partnership right after we married. They have dibbled and dabbled in almost everything except making moonshine. Come to think of it, Derrick makes homemade blueberry wine. Okay maybe they have been involved in everything.

Back to my original reason for the post, Steven asked me to come to the field and being his work truck, then take him back to the barn to get the semi-truck. When we first started dating it amazed me that Steven could drive a semi truck. I’ll never forget my first ride in the big honker. I was terrified the entire ride. Steven had commented on the rats that occupied the cab. My mind could only think “where I could go if the rat got on me or even worse what if a snake sneaked up on me and slithered upon my feet”. Needless to say, I could barely enjoy the time alone with my honey. Since then I have learned to sit Indian style or better yet only ride with my honey-love if we haul the seeds in the comfort of our truck.

Back to the story—

We load all the kids in the truck.

We stopped at the barn to get Steven’s truck when I noticed the barnyard full of combines. We searched high and low for Steven when Charlee spotted him—so she thought it was actually David. It amazes me the resemblance between all of them. As we peeked around the other machines we soon found our dad. Unfortunately the men have spent more time it seems like repairing the equipment than actually using it.
Part of the convoy proceeded to the grass field- 3 combines, 2 pick ups, 1 semi and a truck load of children. As we drove down the on lane road, I thought-- I hope we don’t meet anyone along the way. The road is very tight and has he most beautiful canopy. It wasn’t long before we meet a car. they pulled over and patiently waited for the band of farm machinery to pass.

You would never know by the excitement, that everyone in the truck was farm kids. Dillon commented that when he gets out of high school he wants to work on the farm. His dad manages one of the BIGGEST farms in Alachua, plus they live on a small farm. He said “I wish Uncle Steven would let me ride with him”. I replied “yeah I wish he’d let me ride some time”, then Charlee chirped in “your too old to ride with dad”. As kid I loved to go the fields and watch my dad and brothers harvesting peanuts, baling hay picking soybeans, that was, until I got old enough to help out.

When we arrived at the hay field, David immediately began picking. Then Steven arrived he cleared a small area to park the semi. As we headed out the gate we noticed Murrell coming with the semi. We all laughed as he cleared his path into the field knocking over small trees and bushes.
Murrell rode back to the barn with us and the adventure was over.

Here's one of our grass pickers that doesn't need repairing.

Charlee's Night Time Routine

The other night we were sitting around my in laws table, it was getting late when the following conversation went down.

Mom: Let’s go home and go to bed.

Charlee: Can we watch Kai Lan?

Katie: I don’t like that show!!

Charlee gives Katie the evil eye.

Mom: It’s a good show. Last night, they talked about overcoming our fears and it helped Charlee sleep in her bed ALL night long.

Katie: Well, she is Foreignese.

Charlee: No, she’s not.

Mom: Actually, I think she might be Chinese.

Whining Charlee: No she’s not foreignese.

Mom: You're right Charlee, she is Chinese. (Trying to prevent a temper tantrum)

Charlee: Yeah Katie, she doesn’t have 4 knees.

EVERYONE laughs hysterically except Charlee.

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As many of you know, I have struggled desperately to get Charlee out of our bed for several years now.

I have tried everything under the sun and nothing works all the time. Here’s some of the advice I have been given.

Marsha –Give her a CD player and let her listen to stories or music until she goes to sleep. Result – Hollers and complains because she wants to listen to her favorite song again or the headphones continue to fall off her teeny tiny head. Ends with Charlee getting a spanking.

Doctors—reassure her she is okay and let her scream it out. Result: I lose it and spank her for kicking, screaming and throwing a temper tantrum.

Our brilliant school psychologist -- Put her in her bed and don’t say a word. If she gets in your bed during the night put her back in the bed just before she wakes up in the morning so she thinks she spent the entire night in her bed. Where did he get his degree???? Result: What an idiot!!! My kid is a little smarter than that plus she’s a fairly light sleeper.

Tons of others—our kids still sleep in out bed. Result: The need for marriage counseling or divorce lawyer– most men like to sleep with their own wives;~)

Annie—you needed to have moved her out when she was 12 weeks old or two years old. Result: too late advice.

The advice goes on and on.

After we returned home from church camp, I knew something had to be done. And so the adventure would begin. Steven had gone on a trip to Nebraska so I knew he wouldn’t be around to be bothered with the whining, wailing and crying until she went to sleep. Unknowingly, a friend at church, Stephanie gave me the advice that has made the longest running difference in my child’s sleep patterns.

We start the evening off with a good meal, some family quality time (lol). Around 8:30 –9 o’clock, we begin the struggle with bath time and the fight to brush teeth, for most kids this is their favorite time of the evening. Not at our house. To let you know how bad it is, the pediatrician is thinking Charlee may have some sensory issues and is sending us to an occupational therapist. After we have settled down, Charlee then picks 3 books to read. We read the books while I sit or lay in her toddler size bed that is barely big enough for failure to thrive Charlee. At 10, we watch Kai Lan. I am beginning to wonder if this is a mistake.

Out of no where, she starts screaming—“I don’t want to sleep by the window, the monsters are going to get me.” I have not figured out who has taught my child about monsters--- but I will hunt them down and show them what a real monster looks like. After we have the discussion that monsters are not real. I have to get our monster spray out and demonsterize our bedroom.

I spray the windows, under the bed, under the dresser everywhere a monster might lurk. The Mr. Clean man AKA the Monster Man works to keep the monster away during the night while we sleep. Needless to say, either our house is completely free of monsters or it’s the freshest smelling house in the neighborhood. Finally around 11 o’clock she gives in and goes to sleep.

The new thing this week is for Dad to sleep on her side of the bed because he’ll kill the monsters and protect her. I am not exactly sure if we are making any progress but every night she goes to sleep in her bed. Some nights, she sleeps the entire night in her bed . But for the most part, she wakes up about 4 and gets in our bed. I typically lay her back in her bed but on occasion, I am so dead to the world that I don’t even know she's in bed with us. However, the other night the roles were reversed--I got into Charlee's bed during the middle of the night. I rolled over and landed in Charlee's bed on top of her. Steven gently grabbed me and put me back in our bed.

We returned home from church camp on June 24, Charlee’s 5th birthday. Since that night,she has gone to sleep every night since in her bed. It may have cost me a $30 trip to Build a Bear but it was completely worth it.

If you should need some monster spray for your home, it is sold locally at your nearest Hitchcock's, Walmart or Dollar General.

Time Flies

I know, I have not posted anything in a couple of weeks. My camera is on the blitz. On a good note, that means a trip to TARGET.

I hate it. I have lots to write about but no pictures to guide my stories. Plus it is raining cats and dogs, hence we have not had our daily afternoon swims.....yuck. We've had a fast and fantastic summer, celebrated lots of birthdays and did a lot of canning.

Despite my unwillingness, Ashley has set me up an account on Facebook. Like I, have time to manage two blogs, a Facebook, cook 2 meals a day, work 10 days for GCSD, and swim everyday at 2. Something has gotta give. Not to mention, our school board had the nerve to change our school calendar, so we have to go back to school a week earlier---- no comment. I hope you enjoy the remaining weeks of summer---don't forget the sunscreen.