Magnetic Monday -- Art y Pico Award

Arte Y Pico Award

You like me, you really like me! Well at least Wifey does. She stunned me recently when she selected me as one of her five blogs to include in this award.

By the way if you don't already read Wifey, I highly recommend her. She doles out tips on sex, marriage and just life in general and she's a published author.

Here are the rules:


1) Choose 5 blogs that you consider deserving of this award based on creativity, design, interesting material, and overall contribution to the blogger community, regardless of the language.
2) Post the name of the author and a link to his or her blog by so everyone can view it.
3) Each award-winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award.
4) The award-winner and the presenter should post the link of the “Arte Y Pico” blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.
5) Please post these rules.

Picking five bloggers is very hard for me, in fact I kind of hate this because I worry about leaving someone out. Rest assured if I am reading your blog I already like you.

Hummybird Elizabeth @ A Calm in the Chaos
Someone once described her as a kind of Haiko blogger, they are short but to the point, entertaining, sometimes poignant but always a good read.

Katie @ Bird on the Street
I have been reading Katie's blog for a long while, long before the birth of her son, Charlie. She's fun, determined and honest.

Sheila @ Dr. Cason. org
I think i found this blog on twitter, like who's following me? Wow am I glad though because I really enjoy her posts, whether she is talking about being a pediatrician, living on Guam, being a military wife, a mom or just what she likes to eat, she is always inspiring.

Hyper Her @ Hypberbolic Hermitage
Sometimes she shows off her knitting, sometimes what is inspiring her, her garden, a book she read or descriptions of her life in New England. I love it, and count her as friend...

Damselfly @ Growing a Life
Okay I like bugs, but that is not the only reason why I find the Damselfly so interesting. She is funny and entertaining. Oh and she has a secret blog sort of... but I'll make you find it.

Pigs, puppies and tiaras, oh my!

Last week was our county fair. Someone called me die hard because I took the boys out nearly every day. I think they were just remembering the old days. When I was the perennial runner up in the fair queen contest. Seriously, I was supposed to win that year, I was the first runner up the year before. I later learned it was because I didn't use the whole can of spray starch on my jeans, they couldn't actually stand up on their own.

Ohh Dig my rockies? I am on the left there.

4-H was a big part of my life growing up. First broken tooth, first dance, first clandestine make out session, first blue ribbon, first time having a battle of wills with a 2000 pound angry steer. The Fair is the culmination of a year of hard work and fun, we would get to run loose and eat greasy hamburgers from the food stand all week.

Then there are the important things, like signing up for the boot giveway from the local western store "Bennies: The West's most Western Store". I have only been trying to win as long as I could write my name. I also need to get my free flyswatters from the bank booth, stock up on pencils from the Sheriff's Posse booth, because I don't want to actually buy those things for my house.

Did I mention that I was a third generation 4-Her? My grandmother is quite pleased that we plan to make it four generations. My boys, while not old enough for 4-H yet, got to participate in the fair too. While I would love for them to take after me and show steers, that is the only group of animals they don't let the little kids show. Why? I don't know, so we had to settle for pigs and puppies. Luckily we have a 4-H family that is keeping their animals at our place since they live in town and they let they boys show their pigs in the "booster" aka little kid show. All the kids who showed got a blue ribbon and a dollar, you can guess which the kids were more impressed with.

Meeting of the future Eddy County Fair Board

Our friends kid, riding in the horse show, Zach wants to do this next year.

We are thinking of opening a pig wash, they really enjoyed it.

Max taking the pig into the show ring. He forgot which was his by the end.


Zach was all business, look at that showmanship.

Max showing our dog Sgt Pepper, he got fifth place in the Mixed Breed Class. I guess it is hard to get respect when you are a Cocktail Weenie. (Cocker Spaniel+ Stray Weenie Dog)

Zach showed my parents dog, Vidalia Sue a lab mix. He got first in Mixed Breeds and then third overall. Shocked us, we didn't know what we were doing we just showed up.

I'll probably be just as die hard next year, and have to take them out every day, and show more animals. Plus I have to keep trying to win those boots, and I may just lobby to raise the age on the fair queen contests too.

Magnetic Monday -- Dreaming

My sleeping dreams have been very vivid of late. My waking dreams, aspirations and goals are the ones that are fleeting and hard to grasp.

I am on the verge of a big transition. I may have both kids in school soon. We need a second income, what will I do with my time. What dream will I pursue?

Frugal Fridays Find

We all know it is not environmentally friendly to drink bottled water anymore. Besides the possible chemicals leaching out of the plastic, there is the problem of those bottles filling up landfills. Lastly there is the expense, we gripe about the cost of a gasoline, but paying $1.00 a pop out of a soda machine is at least twice as costly as gasoline.

Mary Hunt of Deabt Proof Living recently sent out an article recently urging fellow everyday cheapskates to drink tap water. I admit I am a bit addicted to the taste of my fancy water and have never been happier since we installed a Reverse Osmosis (RO) filtration system in our home. No more hauling five gallon bottles or having it delivered. The cost for as system from our local club warehouse was only about $150.00 and has easily paid for itself. We have an extra tap added to our sink, pictured here, that delivers delicious water every day. If you take a look at your favorite brand of bottled water, it is probably RO water that has been bottled.

My ice cubes are clear, not cloudy, my tea is tasty and our coffee has that extra kick.