Some photo updates...

Liz graduated with her Master's Degree in Activism and Political Leadership so we had a mini party at her house. Her request was that it be a working party, so there were branches being cut off trees, windows being washed, faucet replaced, roof work, tilling the garden, ....
And then of course.... Poor Gary's Pizza, Mom's cheesecake, DQ cake, chocolate... you get the picture :)
Saturday, Shawn and I were at Jay and Sarah's wedding.....
Mr. and Mrs. Jason Lindula
The cake
Randy
Mark
The groom's father and step-mother: Dan and Mauri

Sunday, we had a little BBQ - Tristan and Shawn
Whisker rub

Laurie and Tristan

Monday, my cat hauled out her kittens. She had then a while ago, but kept them in hiding. There are 3 of them.
Other work that didn't involve photos: planting of trees, lawn work, all that fun stuff!!!

here is #2

We spent our 44th anniversary at a Grandparents' Day in Randolph. There were a lot of activities. Here Cole is participating in one of them.
Jade with her 4th Grade class doing the recorder song. Turn the world around.
Pansies in or window box

Grandpa made a reel for hose so we can get water to our garden before the lawn watering system is turned on.Grandpa made 4 bluebird houses. The one on the right is occupied.44 years doesn't seem so much until you see it in flowers! This is from Charlie and Jen. It is beautiful. I had to joke about the red and white. You can see we've had some good years and perhaps some not as good!

-grandma does this look okay?

sorry so late grandma! but here is #1

quilt for baby shower started on a friday and completed on the next friday!
Charlie 40 and Jen 30
Cake at Randall's. Other pictures didn't turn out that good to post on the blog.
Pete
Sandra and Ruth

Pete with his momBirthday balloonnieces and nephewsKari and RuthTom and Steph

Life at my house...

We are saying "Farewell" to the white mare. She will be going to a new home tonight. Someone borrowed her last summer and the girl really liked her, so she is going to take her forever starting tonight. She really is a good girl, we just don't do horses...
My new addition to Admiral Acres. I got a donkey. He is so sweet and hasn't (as of yet) escaped. Hopefully he won't try. He was well loved by his former owner, but due to health reasons, she was moving. I got the honor of taking "Bucky". He loves his carrots and is very sweet!
We have ducks nesting. The picture above only shows one duck, but there really is 2 of them there. I think they are sharing a nest as they will switch spots. Not sure how many eggs they are laying on, but it's a lot! It took me a long time to find them, but now can throw them corn every day.
This girl made her next next to the corn feeder. I found her accidently, when I stepped on a board, which sort of made her nest jump and she reacted. Now, we have moved bales from around her and I'm obsessed with making sure her next is undisturbed.

We have a goose that is laying eggs too, but everytime I go out there, there is no nest. She lays out there and the others watch out for her, but then "nothing". I've puzzled over this, but got my answer last night. She was on the nest, the others were watching out for her. Then, she leaves, in the field with the others and in comes a big crow, takes the egg, and leaves with it. Guess I have to build some sort of pen to put them in for laying so that the eggs have a chance of surving a day for me to get them.

I got an incubator and we plan to try incubate some turkey and duck eggs. Being as they are the same humidity, temperature, and amount of days, I'm going to do them together. Hope to get that started tonight and see how many hatch in 28 days or so.

If anyone wants some eggs - we have a lot of them. We have been getting 32-35 eggs per day. Yesterday got a new record of 40 chicken eggs. Thankfully, we are able to sell them all. We won't keep them in our fridge for more than a week and sell them. We haven't thrown them away and I don't yet have a freezer full of chiffon cakes.

Hope things are going well for everyone. Hope to see a post from those of you that haven't posted in a while!
Heather

I think I should probably be cleaning something, but ...

Just a little fun on a Sunday

A bit of our life...

Lori Vonada and Troy Johnson were married on Saturday. The girls let me catch a couple pictures before they left for the wedding. They have a lot of fun together... Jalen, Denise's boyfriend, was a groomsman. He just moved here from Arizona. We are enjoying getting to know him.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday dear Laurie,
Happy Birthday to you!

Heather and Shawn

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday dear Blayde,
Happy Birthday to you.

Heather and Shawn

Busy, Busy

Yep, we stay busy. Here's fun pics of Tristan & Gary, Shelby, Amber & Nolan

and Tristan walking after the circus. When I bought Shelby I thought they told me

she was a "Herd" dog not a "Bird" dog......She was MIA for about 10 minutes

one day while running the dogs down a trail.....she finally came prancing out

of the woods with this grouse in her mouth! : ) Too bad she doesn't have the

patience to wait for my mice! : )

Have a GREAT day!

Happy Mother's Day

FOR ALL THE MOTHER'S IN THE KUOPPALA CLAN:

Happy Mother's Day

This is for the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, wiping up barf laced with Oscar Mayer wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying, 'It's okay honey, Mommy's here.'

Who have sat in rocking chairs for hours on end soothing crying babies who can't be comforted.

This is for all the mothers who show up at work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains on their blouses and diapers in their purse. For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes. And for all the mothers who DON'T.

This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see. And for the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes.

This is for the mothers whose priceless art collections are hanging on their refrigerator doors. And for all the mothers who froze their buns on metal bleachers at football or soccer games instead of watching from the warmth of their cars. And when their kids asked, 'Did you see me, Mom?' they could say, 'Of course, I wouldn't have missed it for the world,' and mean it.

This is for all the mothers who yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair when they stomp their feet and scream for ice cream before dinner. And for all the mothers who count to ten instead, but realize how child abuse happens.

This is for all the mothers who sat down with their children and explained all about making babies. And for all the (grand)mothers who wanted to, but just couldn't find the words.

This is for all the mothers who go hungry, so their children can eat.

For all the mothers who read 'Goodnight, Moon' twice a night for a year. And then read it again, 'Just one more time.'

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school. And for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead.

This is for all the mothers who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.

This is for every mother whose head turns automatically when a little voice calls 'Mom?' in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home -- or even away at college -- or have their own families.

This is for all the mothers who sent their kids to school with stomach aches, assuring them they'd be JUST FINE once they got there, only to get calls from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up. Right away.

This is for mothers whose children have gone astray, who can't find the words to reach them.

For all the mothers who bite their lips until they bleed when their 14 year olds dye their hair green.

For all the mothers of the victims of recent school shootings, and the others of those who did the shooting. For the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely.

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to be peaceful, and now pray they come home safely from a war.

What makes a good mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips? The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time? Or is it in her heart? Is it the ache she feels when she watches her son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time? The jolt that takes her from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put her hand on the back of a sleeping baby? The panic, years later, that comes again at 2 A.M. when she just wants to hear their key in the door and know they are safe again in her home? Or the need to flee from wherever she is and hug her child when she hears news of a fire, a car accident, a child dying?

The emotions of motherhood are universal and so our thoughts are for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation...And for mature mothers learning to let go. For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers. Single mothers and married mothers. Mothers with money, mothers without. This is for you all... Hang in there. In the end we can only do the best we can. Tell them every day that we love them. And pray and never stop being a mother...

Happy Anniversary

Wishing Mom and Isa a happy anniversary. Wishing you the best not only on your anniversary but the whole year through!

Heather and Shawn

Pete's 40th

We were there. Cousins attending: maternal side: Jen. Paternal side: One of Donald Kako's
daughters and her family and Bernice Hillukka. One gift was 40 pkgs. of Ramon Noodles. I
guess he eats lots of that while trucking. We were the 1st to arrive with Ruth on our ride and
we were dwarfed parked by his Magnum tractor. He has tickets bought and will go to Finland
this summer for suvi's. dk

The sun is shining ....

sad news from phoenix

I don't know if any of you know Amy and Lance Simonson, but today their five year old girl got hit by a car while riding her bike and was killed. (Amy is Ray and Kathy Johnson's girl, and Lance is Daryl and mavis' boy from Cokato) I think Amy and Lance have 6 kids, and she was like the 3rd kid I think. So incredibly sad!! Can't even imagine what they are going through!