tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4326281475868758832024-03-13T00:44:45.671-04:00Montgomery MusingsThe Montgomery Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01536201110171622688noreply@blogger.comBlogger401125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-432628147586875883.post-87907511326079762402015-05-08T09:58:00.001-04:002015-05-08T09:58:46.870-04:00Almost four years have gone by...I had almost forgotten about my blog...I thought about it the other day randomly because I wondered if I could still find it and retrieve my thoughts from the girls' younger years. Today I got an email that some random company had posted a comment on the blog and it led me back. Thankfully I still have the email address active so I was able to just pop right back on. Phew!<br />
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Facebook is where I spend more time now...posting things from time to time but I am glad to have this back. Maybe I will keep up with this more...simply to journal. Or maybe I should actually journal. We'll see :-)The Montgomery Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01536201110171622688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-432628147586875883.post-12611081014800484392011-06-23T11:46:00.000-04:002011-06-23T11:46:48.270-04:00Blogs that go away...and other thoughtsI don't read many blogs from people I don't know but there were two that I just got sucked into the stories in the lives of these people. And now they are gone. One last post and then: poof. <br />
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It's like reading a book and wanting the author to write more, although they probably won't and I find myself wondering if I could write the next book. Only it's not the same because I know (well, I'm pretty sure) that these were real stories from real life and now they have moved on to a new chapter of their lives and it doesn't include blogging, or at least not where they were blogging before. I think maybe that is what makes blogs so interesting to "thumb through". They are real stories of real people. We get to anonymously (if we want to) come into their lives for a short chapter or two, maybe even just a sentence. <br />
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It is a curious place...the blogosphere. I don't participate as much as I want to, but then, I have always seen myself as more of a reader than a leader. I have thoughts but then they are so quickly replaced by something else. Like right now...I have a conference call in 15 minutes to talk about the Focus on Goats conference that will be at UW-Platteville in October. Looking at the time has taken away what slight hold I had on a thought that I wanted to put down. So maybe you'll get to learn a little about goats next time :-)The Montgomery Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01536201110171622688noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-432628147586875883.post-88597605850387316492011-06-08T15:04:00.001-04:002011-06-08T15:04:00.161-04:00Faculty College: Signature PedagogiesWhat I learned at Faculty College:<br />
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There are a lot of interesting people teaching in Wisconsin. And by interesting I don't necessarily mean it as a good thing. Man! Universities are liberal places.<br />
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I learned that I don't have a clue what the humanities people are talking about.<br />
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I learned that I don't have a clue what the social scientists are talking about.<br />
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I learned that there are educational psychologists. They are interesting to talk to.<br />
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I learned that there is a lady in Wisconsin studying horse breeds in Cuba. She is a woman studies professor.<br />
Weird.<br />
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I learned that historians are goofy. Well, some of them :-) In a good way, too.<br />
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I learned that getting my cheesemaker's license fascinated people.<br />
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I learned that UW-Richland Center was once Wisconsin State University Platteville...not sure of that history but I am totally curious (EEEK...I have been married to a history buff for too long :-) )<br />
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I learned that even a group of faculty will act like a group of students: there are those that say nothing, those that raise their hands, and those that talk and never stop.<br />
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Overall it was fun and I think that we already are teaching in our signature pedagogy quite well. I might even find room for a publication in the area of SoTL someday (if I can figure out what it means!).The Montgomery Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01536201110171622688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-432628147586875883.post-3496659924976772102011-06-07T16:34:00.000-04:002011-06-07T16:34:07.960-04:00Multi-Tasking x10I am grateful that the girls are old enough to play upstairs by themselves so I can get some work done.<br />
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- Calling the folks at Valley Ag to find out about Dairy Comp for my next PACCE project and addition to the Dairy Cattle Management class I now have to teach<br />
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- Finding local cheesemakers to visit for a grant I wrote and to network for the dairy products plant here in the future<br />
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- Finding local farms to visit for both the Dairy Cattle Management and Small Ruminant/Equine Management courses I am teaching<br />
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- Coming up with SWEET assignments for those two classes<br />
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- Figuring out what paperwork the IRS really needs<br />
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- Trying to figure out who will watch my kids while I am in New Orleans in July (any takers?)<br />
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- Waiting (impatiently) to hear back about a project proposal I submitted so that project can get underway ASAP<br />
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- Wondering what to have for supper<br />
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- Listening to the washing machine rock uncontrollably (I should go fix that...) <br />
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- Determining what day is the best to go to Fromagination in Madison to work on my network :-) (and try the cheeses!)<br />
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- Discovering that I put too much on my plate for the summer...August is coming too fast already!The Montgomery Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01536201110171622688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-432628147586875883.post-12581527122760458942011-04-28T00:16:00.000-04:002011-04-28T00:16:44.625-04:00An Award!Today I won an award :-) I have to admit that it was almost a fluke thing because, while I had been planning on putting the application together for a few months, I didn't actually write anything down for the application until about the day it was due! At the time I figured that I might be the only one applying so it was better to send my quick thoughts than nothing at all.<br />
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The award is to support some of the research I want to do into the possibilities of community engagement with my animal science students. It is easy for engineering or construction or business students to find a community partner that needs help solving a problem, thereby giving the students real-world, hands-on experience. It is an entirely different matter to find these partners in animal science. That just isn't the way the industry works.<br />
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From the first day that I started my job, I heard about PACCE. That stands for Pioneer Academic Center for Community Engagement and I wanted to be involved. I just didn't know how. I talked and asked and bugged for suggestions and I kept pestering the dairy farm manager. So last year he gave me an idea: the cowbrush. I believe I put a link on that story on Facebook, but here it is again: <a href="http://www2.uwplatt.edu/news/2010/11/17/uw-platteville-pioneer-farm-installs-swinging-cow-brush-to-improve-health-and-happiness-of-cows/">UWP Cowbrush</a>. That was a fun project and for my Dairy Products class this semester, there are students making yogurt. The most popular is Pioneer Pumpkin Pie, but there are also Chocolate-covered Strawberry, Strawberry Cheesecake, Smores, Cow Pie, Dirt Cup, Chocolate-covered Cherry, and even one more unusual: Goat Milk Honey Crunch. It was a fun run but now I am already thinking about the next project: getting a milk pasteurizer on the farm.<br />
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I enjoy getting the students involved in more than just the mundane lectures. I am also looking forward to tweaking my lectures to add more pizazz but MAN does that take time! I can't do real justice to all five/six classes each year and so I focus on one at a time. <br />
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There is more...I want to put it down...my brain is constantly full of it. It is exciting and fun and I am loving how God is using the short time I was in Oklahoma to work interesting things here in Wisconsin. I often thought "Why am I even here!" but then I figured that if I had chosen the University of Alberta, that I wouldn't have had as much time for family (and so no husband, kids, Georgia, Georgia friends, etc.) so that alone is a huge blessing and God-send. But now to see that that time in OK even benefited my future in my career, well, that is overwhelming. In other words, it is a "God thing".<br />
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More on the exciting adventure of Tera in Dairy Science-land later...The Montgomery Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01536201110171622688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-432628147586875883.post-30530214586807878822010-11-19T12:09:00.000-05:002010-11-19T12:09:00.405-05:00I learned something newIt's fun, learning new things. A few days ago I attempted to do something that I learned about at a conference in August. I wanted to give my students MORE. They were complaining that I didn't fully explain something that was a large part of the last exam so I wanted to explain it again, but I couldn't really take class time to do it.<br />
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So I tried Jing.<br />
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Jing is so cool. It is free. You download it and then it can capture up to a 5 minute video on the screen. On the screen you can do anything. You can open a website, you can draw pictures, whatever. And you can narrate. I don't even need any extra equipment, it just picks up audio from the microphone that is SOMEWHERE in or on my laptop (I don't have a clue where). Then you can transfer the narrated video to a website, give someone the website address and BAM! The students have a mini-lecture of the stuff they didn't understand in class. <br />
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Totally awesome. <br />
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I don't know if it will help their grades, but I am doing my part and learning too. I might have fun with this for personal use also. Ooooh, the possibilities :-)The Montgomery Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01536201110171622688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-432628147586875883.post-91880540128032364942010-11-17T23:09:00.000-05:002010-11-18T00:16:25.110-05:00Once again, my camera is brokeThis is what I get for buying a cheap camera. But then again, if my camera was broke and I had bought an expensive camera, I would be sad and out some money. So I come again to the decision of what to do about a camera. I am starting to go insane not being able to take pictures of my constantly changing children. But we are about due for a phone upgrade and some of the phones have 8gig cameras. Pretty nice. And we don't have a lot of money for a NICE camera (like the ones I like that Kacie and Jawan and Jodi and Melissa have). It would be great to just HAVE one even if it is only a $75 one from Walmart. So I don't know if I should miss out on more moments while I wait to save money to buy a nice camera and in January get a phone with a decent camera in it (not that I am getting the phone for the camera but the phone I want happens to come with the decent camera) or do I ask for an early Christmas gift so that I can capture my young ones precious moments? Decisions, decisions.The Montgomery Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01536201110171622688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-432628147586875883.post-5399195218756307032010-10-19T22:54:00.000-04:002010-10-19T22:54:08.423-04:00Blog? What blog?I like to blog and I like to read other people's blogs but I just haven't gotten to do a whole lot of either lately. Second year into my job and my advisee numbers have gone from 19 to 45...and counting. I just got another student today who came to my office and asked if I would be his advisor when he switched from Ag Business to Animal Science.<br />
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Then the Dean of the College came in, shut the door, and talked to me about dairy goats and the future of a research center in Platteville. I get to be a faculty champion...whatever that is.<br />
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I am trying to convince some people to raise funds for a dairy products lab. That might include me becoming a licensed cheesemaker! Cool :-)<br />
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I had to put together information to convince the faculty to keep me around another year. I was ranked above normal in all categories and have passed the first round of "should we keep her". I am not worried :-)<br />
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I have put together a grant to get a cowbrush installed at our dairy facility. When we get it, I'll post pictures and video so you know what I am talking about :-)<br />
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I presented a talk about year round lactation at a goat conference held on campus and the next day went to support the club I advise, Pioneer Dairy Club, with their annual cow sale. It was fun, but hectic.<br />
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This weekend I get to go spend some time with my sisters and my mom in our new annual tradition. Get to see Hairspray and eat some really good food and go shopping! Woo hoo!<br />
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Ankica had a rough week two weeks ago when she had a slew of doctor's appointment, general anesthesia and an MRI to tell us that she is fine neurologically and just needs some physical therapy to get her leg muscles stretched out well. A blessing for sure.<br />
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My girls are wonderful and sweet and I cherish every day with them. Julia was here for a week in September and is coming in less than two weeks for an extended weekend. Then we get her at Christmas. She is doing so well in school! Yay!<br />
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So, I'm busy, but rather in love with my life currently. I am still here...still reading about your life...still wanting to tell you about mine :-) I'll try to do better, but no promises!The Montgomery Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01536201110171622688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-432628147586875883.post-69511724508836690392010-09-06T07:54:00.007-04:002010-09-06T07:54:00.495-04:00My love...rockin' it!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwXLSOvJbHsqLwWffPCGFbD9D2yHPJnkFv9l-Eosy2u2lfXUzXi1SEgz1A327Ko-jpEClkfN1VUZrDKXWPdDw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwi9C4lwpiEh4P8VdIXxHuzmNk4_6eJKPN-WuaHqWlPKm5fD6ewb5cFkHgK8NBRxiIqtb1nqnz1udPt7EHqPA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>The Montgomery Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01536201110171622688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-432628147586875883.post-90181622878454708382010-09-04T19:49:00.000-04:002010-09-04T19:49:00.402-04:00Beautiful sunsets...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TIE1bOlKLNI/AAAAAAAAB38/iFplCK9drAM/s1600/IMG_1662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TIE1bOlKLNI/AAAAAAAAB38/iFplCK9drAM/s320/IMG_1662.JPG" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TIE1d43ZKnI/AAAAAAAAB4E/z1RxWn1RQRw/s1600/IMG_1665.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TIE1d43ZKnI/AAAAAAAAB4E/z1RxWn1RQRw/s320/IMG_1665.JPG" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TIE1i8HwTqI/AAAAAAAAB4M/k5ueIhTD-b8/s1600/IMG_1725.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TIE1i8HwTqI/AAAAAAAAB4M/k5ueIhTD-b8/s320/IMG_1725.JPG" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TIE1j6bU39I/AAAAAAAAB4U/_WnbonoxyDA/s1600/IMG_1726.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TIE1j6bU39I/AAAAAAAAB4U/_WnbonoxyDA/s320/IMG_1726.JPG" /></a></div>The Montgomery Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01536201110171622688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-432628147586875883.post-60542689753083910962010-09-03T13:49:00.000-04:002010-09-03T13:49:27.681-04:00Flashback FridayToday we aren't going very far back...just the beginning of the summer. I finally found the camera cord and was downloading pictures. I found this one and realized I couldn't tell at first: Is this Ankica or Lillian? What do you think?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TIE09FkyXNI/AAAAAAAAB30/LgqtRPiUrBc/s1600/IMG_1731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TIE09FkyXNI/AAAAAAAAB30/LgqtRPiUrBc/s320/IMG_1731.JPG" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TIE064xfSsI/AAAAAAAAB3s/hTaSEJ-6XSc/s1600/IMG_1729.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TIE064xfSsI/AAAAAAAAB3s/hTaSEJ-6XSc/s320/IMG_1729.JPG" /></a></div>The Montgomery Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01536201110171622688noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-432628147586875883.post-53426962044387335582010-08-16T14:05:00.000-04:002010-08-16T14:05:04.858-04:00Flashback Friday (a little late)We were celebrating my Aunt Becky's 50th birthday, which was a blast! We went swimming in the lake and Lillian got brave enough to start jumping into the water. We swam across the lake like old times and it was just really nice to hang out with my aunts and uncles again while having my sisters and their families and my family there. The reason I wanted to move back to Wisconsin...for my girls to have a chance to make the kind of memories that I treasure.<br />
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Many moons ago...my dad me, my Aunt Becky, my sister Jodi, my cousin Amy, and my Uncle Glen watching someone jumping in...not sure who :-) One of the many summers that the whole family took a week long vacation together. I think this was Kusel Lake in Wisconsin. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TGl86btwS2I/AAAAAAAAB3c/LAcJDdo4rVk/s1600/playing+in+the+water+at+Kusel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TGl86btwS2I/AAAAAAAAB3c/LAcJDdo4rVk/s400/playing+in+the+water+at+Kusel.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Nowadays my immediate family (parents and sisters) is big enough to do the annual vacation so it is nice to spend time like we did this weekend with the rest of my Mom's family. As soon as I find my camera cord, I will upload pictures and video...I hope!The Montgomery Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01536201110171622688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-432628147586875883.post-86660199083762619282010-08-11T10:35:00.000-04:002010-08-11T10:35:08.368-04:00CrazinessFour girls in our house = craziness. We have my nieces visiting for a few days and, amazingly, even after spending a week with each other on vacation, the cousins are all getting along and playing happily. I have never been so grateful for a toy room in my life! They are sad that Julia can't be joining them but I know that the level of competition and jealousy is down because she is not here (everyone vies for Katy's attention :-) )<br />
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Now if I could just find the motivation to accomplish the things I need to do before Friday, I will be a happy camper.The Montgomery Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01536201110171622688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-432628147586875883.post-9504905710987025622010-07-30T21:07:00.000-04:002010-07-30T21:07:13.542-04:00Flashback Friday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TFN2IC_s-1I/AAAAAAAAB3U/k2vXlj7-h8Q/s1600/Heidi_6+yrs+old_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TFN2IC_s-1I/AAAAAAAAB3U/k2vXlj7-h8Q/s400/Heidi_6+yrs+old_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>My little sister, Heidi, at her 6th birthday party.<br />
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I stuck up for this kid to the point where I rode in the front of the bus with her during her entire year of kindergarten because I did not want her to get picked on like I did when I was little. I will defend her to the death if I have to...I would for any of my sisters. Isn't she a bug? She still is...even though she will be 30 in less than a year! Where does the time go? <br />
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My paternal grandpa is in the background...birthdays were always a big deal in our family because I had the immense fortune of growing up within 20 miles of both sides of my family. The Montgomery Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01536201110171622688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-432628147586875883.post-32855519628040169992010-07-23T12:21:00.000-04:002010-07-23T12:21:02.053-04:00Flashback Fridays<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TEmzE0RN2vI/AAAAAAAAB3E/rcUlA0Uha4w/s1600/grandma+%26+oma+mother%27s+day+1992.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TEmzE0RN2vI/AAAAAAAAB3E/rcUlA0Uha4w/s320/grandma+%26+oma+mother%27s+day+1992.jpg" /></a></div>My grandma and my Oma (great-grandmother) Mother's Day in the early 90's. Two very important women in my life and when I was going through scanning pictures for my mom, I just found myself reminiscing about all of the Sundays when we would go and get donuts after church and then visit with everyone at the nursing home. I don't think Oma was really involved in all of the conversations much, especially at the end (she lived to be over 100) but I believe she knew we were all there because of her and she was comforted by that.<br />
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Just think. Ankica and Lillian would not be here if not for my Oma....or other ancestors for that matter, but I remember this one well :-) Strong female genes on my mom's side of the family...both great-grandmothers lived to 100+ and my other great-grandmother lived in her own house until she died. I hope I can leave a legacy like they did for me and my sisters. <br />
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Thank you, Oma, for your faith and your strength. I need to find out more about her and get it written down...I want my girls to know about her and what a great woman of God she was.<br />
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Enjoy your weekend!The Montgomery Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01536201110171622688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-432628147586875883.post-81967476354700845432010-07-16T11:01:00.000-04:002010-07-16T11:01:59.222-04:00Flashback Fridays<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TEBz6QGpeaI/AAAAAAAAB28/jxIc8gApg8c/s1600/Heidi+%26+Tera+as+clowns+1989.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TEBz6QGpeaI/AAAAAAAAB28/jxIc8gApg8c/s400/Heidi+%26+Tera+as+clowns+1989.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>My sister, Heidi, is in the background watching me get my clown make-up on. I don't really remember how we got into the clown gig, but we dressed up for a parade one year. I know that my grandfather loved to dress up and act the clown so I suspect it had something to do with him :-) This was the summer of 1989. The shorts were homemade and NOT part of the clown outfit :-) Oh yeah...stylin'!The Montgomery Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01536201110171622688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-432628147586875883.post-43170904365398831062010-07-11T16:29:00.000-04:002010-07-11T16:29:32.934-04:00The start of Flashback Fridays...on Sunday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TDooUwhYjNI/AAAAAAAAB2w/VY1GM30nHIY/s1600/Tera+%26+Amy+Students+of+the+Month+11-86.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TDooUwhYjNI/AAAAAAAAB2w/VY1GM30nHIY/s400/Tera+%26+Amy+Students+of+the+Month+11-86.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>I am scanning pictures for my mom and thinking that maybe a Flashback Friday might be fun for the blog. I still want to start my What is it Wednesdays back up but I haven't found anything good yet. I am working on that.<br />
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November 1986...I was student of the month in middle school and much to my dismay (at the time), my cousin Amy earned the honor the same month.The Montgomery Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01536201110171622688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-432628147586875883.post-62432785704166999582010-07-09T11:22:00.001-04:002010-07-09T11:22:00.142-04:00In an effort to blog more...Once upon a time, way back when we lived in Columbus, we stopped at Barnes & Noble and we looked at the journal section....we LOVE the journal section. Here I found a journal that encouraged mom's to write down their legacy to their children. What happened at this time? What did you feel about this? I liked the idea but I didn't like the journal so I bought that journal for the ideas and another journal that was blank to write in.<br />
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I haven't started the process. I want to, I just haven't started yet.<br />
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So I thought maybe I would type it out on the blog first and then write it later...something about having a hand-written journal to read appeals to me and maybe the girls will find it interesting some day. Turns out Julia has a journal to read when she gets older...something Loran kept when he was overseas for her. I think that is totally cool...weird for me in a way...but cool for Julia.<br />
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Maybe I'll start the process soon...or maybe I should figure out how to more effectively teach my Intro to Dairy Science class. July is going by so fast already! You'll be the first to know what my decision is. I might share with you either way :-) I know I have friends who always like to hear about cows :-)The Montgomery Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01536201110171622688noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-432628147586875883.post-67425719030836833032010-07-09T07:11:00.001-04:002010-07-09T07:11:00.456-04:00I love to leave the light on in the kitchenI have a memory of my grandmother leaving the light on in the kitchen. Sometimes it was the stove light after supper and sometimes it was the light by the water dispenser in the fridge when we went to bed. But there was always a light on in the kitchen so we could see our way around. <br />
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Tonight, because of the humidity I suppose, two banks of lights didn't work but I wanted to finish the dishes after the girls went to bed so I turned on the rarely used light above the sink. Mostly it is rarely used because the light switch is in an inconvenient spot, but as soon as I turned it on, I was reminded of my grandmother. She passed away when I was a senior in high school. I remember how I felt that day. We knew it was coming but I was devastated. She was the first grandparent I lost and it was just a roller coaster of emotions at that time in my life.<br />
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So I think I will leave little lights on in the kitchen more often...it reminds me of times in my life that were simpler and very special. These memories are why I needed to come back home to Wisconsin...so my girls could have sleepovers at Grandpa and Grandma's house and have memories lodged so deep into their beings that simple things become profound and wonderful. The Montgomery Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01536201110171622688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-432628147586875883.post-91818596062306760322010-07-08T15:56:00.003-04:002010-07-08T16:10:38.799-04:00No pictures? Sorry, just my thoughtsI came to the realization today that I don't blog if I don't have pictures or videos...and yet I read people's blogs all the time that don't have pictures or videos all the time, just because I like to read what they write. So why don't I write just to write? I suppose because I don't find myself as fascinating as those people whose words I admire or I don't think I am as interesting as my kids (who are adorable enough to cause a stranger to tell me that if my husband and I make kids like these we should consider making more...I'm with him on that).<br /><br />So last night it rained. We were watching Avatar because I wanted to see it. I wanted to see the graphics that people raved about and I generally don't care what political agenda there may or may not be in a movie. I liked the movie overall...I just pretended that I had never heard anything about the supposed agenda. We watched the movie upstairs on the smaller screen so that we could be with the girls who fell asleep not long after supper, both of whom admitted to me that they were tired and asked if they could please lay down on the couch (which is SO much better than falling asleep at the table :-) ) As we watched the movie, it rained hard. It rattled the big windows upstairs but I was glad because I really don't like watering my flowers or my garden...I really prefer God to do that for me. <br /><br />As we were getting ready for bed, I let the dogs out and as they moved out into the darkness to do their thing, I heard the rain hitting the corn...it was a great sound. As I sit here I can see the corn out in the back and it is beautiful blowing in the breeze. A few weeks ago, Loran complained about the farm-type smells one evening and found myself a little miffed because there is a part of me that LIKES that smell because of what it means. It means farming, which I love, it is part of my family's past, which I treasure, it means that we are in Wisconsin again, which continues to make me happy on a daily basis. It reminds me of the good things in life. I can't wait until we can have our "farm" that will have mostly a few horses, but maybe a few other critters as the girls start to see the benefit of farming. It might be fun to bale our own hay or have an alternating field of corn and soybeans.The Montgomery Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01536201110171622688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-432628147586875883.post-62700540527631623362010-07-06T10:27:00.003-04:002010-07-06T10:56:23.731-04:00How we spent the weekendFriday: Worked on cleaning the house and enjoyed a great meal and watched the first two Twilight movies in preparation...<br /><br />Saturday: Loran does guitar lessons in the morning and I clean...his last guitar lesson was at home so the girl could babysit while we went to watch Eclipse. Loran and I really enjoyed it...better than the first two for sure! Then we just hung out at home...it was nice!<br /><br />Sunday: A few weeks ago, Loran was mowing the lawn and hit something. It killed the mower. We didn't pay much for it in the first place so fixing it seemed to be a bit out of the question. So after getting up awfully early to get to church for him to practice for the worship team, we went to Lowe's to look at new mowers. The awesome saleswoman told us about a deal...a mower that needed to be repaired that was a top of the line John Deere push-mower that we could get for a little over half the price and it was still covered by the warranties! We snapped up the deal and when we got home we started mowing lawn. Loran did the front lawn and the neighbor's lawn and I did the backyard...WE LOVE MO, the new mower! I made beans, cucumbers and potato salad and homemade ice cream cake and grilled hamburgers from the town's meat market.<br /><br />It rained but when it stopped we figured we'd head into Platteville for the fireworks. Because there was another storm moving in, they lit off the fireworks before it was even really dark. We sort of saw two as we were driving in and missed the rest. Luckily I had sparklers at home so we were outside when we noticed that somewhere in Belmont there were about 10 fireworks being lit off. So we saw some :-) I keep reminding Ankica that Homecoming will have lots in October. She remains unconvinced.<br /><br />Monday: We had a lazy morning...we read a little and started to clean and organize. There were still boxes to unpack! I organized my pantry closet and parts of the kitchen finally. Loran took off two baseboard heaters so that we could put our free bookshelves up and unpack our books. After that, I unpacked the books and he cut out pieces for a shelf he is making for the girls. Then we relaxed and enjoyed our "completed" living room and read. As much as I missed spending time with my family, it was a busy, productive, and wonderful weekend at home.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;">View as we walk up the stairs from our room...because the shelves match the white walls it make it look like a second floor of a library or old bookstore...just what we want!<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TDNAcfRKDAI/AAAAAAAAB1g/kT2dv_-wTt0/s1600/IMG_1652.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TDNAcfRKDAI/AAAAAAAAB1g/kT2dv_-wTt0/s320/IMG_1652.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490803228868742146" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">This is a hutch/cabinet thing that we got from the landlords when they moved out and down-sized. It has books in it right now but I hope to have dishes to put in it someday :-) <br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TDNAc-Uk1pI/AAAAAAAAB1o/C3kZE3A5TBo/s1600/IMG_1653.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TDNAc-Uk1pI/AAAAAAAAB1o/C3kZE3A5TBo/s320/IMG_1653.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490803237204579986" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Our living room with the couch and sofa that we trading our lawn-mowing services for...super comfortable and "pre-catted" (some scratches but perfect for our house).<br /></span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TDNAeRtTcyI/AAAAAAAAB2A/O2UL7T8k6Go/s1600/IMG_1656.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TDNAeRtTcyI/AAAAAAAAB2A/O2UL7T8k6Go/s320/IMG_1656.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490803259588440866" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The bookshelves with most of our books. Most of them are science fiction. Three and half of the shelves are written or co-written by Anne McCaffrey. Loran has John Ringo and Orson Scott Card. I also have Elizabeth Moon and Mercedes Lackey. We also have a shelf of "required reading" classics (literature and poetry) and some science books and the rest are political and history books. Our Bible commentaries and other books on religion are in the hutch at the top of the stairs.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> I love our library :-)<br /><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TDNAd0ZrFjI/AAAAAAAAB14/mEp4rLwgtWg/s1600/IMG_1655.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TDNAd0ZrFjI/AAAAAAAAB14/mEp4rLwgtWg/s320/IMG_1655.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490803251721475634" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Our piano that we got in trade for our digital piano because we had room and they were moving to a smaller house. I feel a little bad because she was a piano performance major but I have already taught Ankica to find the "C"'s on the piano and I am planning on taking lessons again once school starts up again. For now it holds our family pictures quite nicely :-)</span><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TDNAdWBqweI/AAAAAAAAB1w/nEgfTTCVUtA/s1600/IMG_1654.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TDNAdWBqweI/AAAAAAAAB1w/nEgfTTCVUtA/s320/IMG_1654.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490803243567727074" border="0" /></a>The Montgomery Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01536201110171622688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-432628147586875883.post-48840033683194507372010-06-26T11:48:00.008-04:002010-06-26T13:22:41.380-04:00One year here...where has the time gone?We are now entering our second year in our house in Wisconsin. We are quickly moving into the "we've lived longer in this house that we don't yet own than in the one we DO own" phase of our lives (sort of like when people realize that they have spent more of their lives together than they have apart...)<br /><br />Anyway, I dug up the pictures from our deck as the seasons have changed over this year in THIS house and some of the pictures over a few seasons at the OTHER house. Quite a difference, don't you think? The funny thing about the first pictures is that I never set out to take a picture of each season...it was just so nice to HAVE seasons again that we found ourselves taking pictures of the beauty of change.<br /><br />June 2009...first days here...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCYsuv5y4iI/AAAAAAAABzI/FHeDixARpm8/s1600/IMG_0949.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCYsuv5y4iI/AAAAAAAABzI/FHeDixARpm8/s320/IMG_0949.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487122377642009122" border="0" /></a>Bad storms rolling through in July 2009<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCYsvH4yHfI/AAAAAAAABzQ/0FrEMz4H3tQ/s1600/IMG_1053.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCYsvH4yHfI/AAAAAAAABzQ/0FrEMz4H3tQ/s320/IMG_1053.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487122384080215538" border="0" /></a>October 2009<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCYsvVNnZMI/AAAAAAAABzY/rawE3TACuQo/s1600/IMG_1232.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCYsvVNnZMI/AAAAAAAABzY/rawE3TACuQo/s320/IMG_1232.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487122387657254082" border="0" /></a>Christmas Day 2009<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCYsvplVn1I/AAAAAAAABzg/XMzsTWlWN9g/s1600/IMG_1409.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCYsvplVn1I/AAAAAAAABzg/XMzsTWlWN9g/s320/IMG_1409.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487122393125461842" border="0" /></a>March 2010<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCYswROlBpI/AAAAAAAABzo/i4o4n_SFlog/s1600/IMG_1518.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCYswROlBpI/AAAAAAAABzo/i4o4n_SFlog/s320/IMG_1518.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487122403767420562" border="0" /></a>June 2010<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCYw11ctrzI/AAAAAAAABzw/miRMRghjNz4/s1600/IMG_1635.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCYw11ctrzI/AAAAAAAABzw/miRMRghjNz4/s320/IMG_1635.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487126897436241714" border="0" /></a>June 26th, 2010...a year later...corn this year, soybeans last year :-)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCYw20Heb9I/AAAAAAAABz4/jSGUwTmdOzA/s1600/IMG_1643.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCYw20Heb9I/AAAAAAAABz4/jSGUwTmdOzA/s320/IMG_1643.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487126914258595794" border="0" /></a>April 2008...our first house, in Georgia<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCY0SxFyeoI/AAAAAAAAB0A/qNN7r_GlzOQ/s1600/IM003301.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCY0SxFyeoI/AAAAAAAAB0A/qNN7r_GlzOQ/s320/IM003301.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487130693017434754" border="0" /></a>May 2008, in the pool already!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCY0TUzebNI/AAAAAAAAB0I/I7YVvHxDv7A/s1600/IM003345.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCY0TUzebNI/AAAAAAAAB0I/I7YVvHxDv7A/s320/IM003345.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487130702604299474" border="0" /></a>Still in the pool in June<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCY0TxH3V5I/AAAAAAAAB0Q/KijvO_RRlBU/s1600/IM003403.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCY0TxH3V5I/AAAAAAAAB0Q/KijvO_RRlBU/s320/IM003403.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487130710206011282" border="0" /></a>and July of course<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCY0UIgS_sI/AAAAAAAAB0Y/42rJsOA3gZQ/s1600/IM003554.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCY0UIgS_sI/AAAAAAAAB0Y/42rJsOA3gZQ/s320/IM003554.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487130716482502338" border="0" /></a>Too hot for outside in August but September we ate outside a lot...and the pool suffered :-(<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCY0UkoeoTI/AAAAAAAAB0g/7CQ-uuvdHIc/s1600/IM004061.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCY0UkoeoTI/AAAAAAAAB0g/7CQ-uuvdHIc/s320/IM004061.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487130724033012018" border="0" /></a>Middle of October...beautiful weather...notice the lack of jackets on my children...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCY1EtwApPI/AAAAAAAAB0o/TQKW3-GN_4A/s1600/IM004142.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCY1EtwApPI/AAAAAAAAB0o/TQKW3-GN_4A/s320/IM004142.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487131551114241266" border="0" /></a>Beginning of December...very green...definitely not white...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCY1FVUL0II/AAAAAAAAB0w/AV2a_3NCekI/s1600/IMG_0194.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCY1FVUL0II/AAAAAAAAB0w/AV2a_3NCekI/s320/IMG_0194.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487131561734951042" border="0" /></a>This picture was taken at the beginning of January! Not in Wisconsin :-)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCY1F9swT3I/AAAAAAAAB04/K8rvV1ibdFw/s1600/IMG_0473.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCY1F9swT3I/AAAAAAAAB04/K8rvV1ibdFw/s320/IMG_0473.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487131572575424370" border="0" /></a>So the one time it snowed in Georgia while I lived there, I wasn't even present for it! But I didn't get photo evidence for future proof :-) That was at the end of Feb/beginning of March.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCY1G8ZsBiI/AAAAAAAAB1A/N4pnppDe1f4/s1600/IMG_0580.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCY1G8ZsBiI/AAAAAAAAB1A/N4pnppDe1f4/s320/IMG_0580.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487131589406885410" border="0" /></a>Beginning of April...i don't even remember what he needed to do that got him so messy :-)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCY1HaKX3KI/AAAAAAAAB1I/Mi8Ttnp3-Zs/s1600/IMG_0640.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCY1HaKX3KI/AAAAAAAAB1I/Mi8Ttnp3-Zs/s320/IMG_0640.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487131597395713186" border="0" /></a>The girls were playing inside but you can see how beautiful it was outside in May of 2009...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCY1ZEKzN_I/AAAAAAAAB1Q/8c29wMSW_nM/s1600/IMG_0760.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCY1ZEKzN_I/AAAAAAAAB1Q/8c29wMSW_nM/s320/IMG_0760.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487131900729571314" border="0" /></a>Beginning of June 2009, right before we moved...probably the last time Loran mowed the yard...we mow every week here...there we probably mowed once every two or three weeks :-)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCY1ZrsOIfI/AAAAAAAAB1Y/ov7IytfEex8/s1600/IMG_0879.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aSC757OA0hQ/TCY1ZrsOIfI/AAAAAAAAB1Y/ov7IytfEex8/s320/IMG_0879.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487131911338729970" border="0" /></a>The Montgomery Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01536201110171622688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-432628147586875883.post-90049677281542756772010-06-08T11:32:00.003-04:002010-06-08T11:39:12.196-04:00Slow going with a lot to doI always have tremendous plans for the summer. I will eat better, move more. I will read a book, do a puzzle, read to the girls more, go to the library (which we did pretty well in Columbus), walk the dogs, plant a garden, organize the house in preparation for busier time.<br /><br />I am so behind in so many areas and it just makes me want to do less. I should be getting more done because Julia is here to play with the girls but I am so overwhelmed by the myriad of small tasks to do that I just don't do any of them. <br /><br />I don't let myself get discouraged like I used to with all of the amazing things that all of my amazing friends are able to accomplish. I try to remind myself that we are all human and I am sure I do good things too :-) But I still think about people I know who would do any of the things on my list better...and then I drag my feet.<br /><br />I need a routine, even for the summer but routines have never been easy for me to stick with. So far this week I have walked two mornings in a row, so that is good. I have managed to keep my flowers alive by watering them every day when it isn't raining. Also good. I have to remember that today is only the 8th of June and some kids are just getting out of school! I have lots of summer left and if I complete one task at a time, I will complete them all. Now for the tough choice...which one to start with?The Montgomery Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01536201110171622688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-432628147586875883.post-4802824082762801942010-05-26T09:17:00.002-04:002010-05-26T09:19:42.052-04:00Orion, the mighty hunter...EWWWW!I had the windows and doors open, hoping there would be a nice breeze. As I am feeding the girls their breakfast, there is a LOUD commotion outside the porch door...and Orion, the mighty hunter, brings in a VERY LIVE BIRD!!!<br />He ran downstairs with it and I spent the next 30 minutes trying to keep him from finishing it off and trying to get it out of the house. Mission accomplished but it has a broken leg. The windows and doors are now closed and the A/C is on. Last year: mice and a frog. This year: a bird and...who knows? Well, I really don't want to know because EVERY time has been when Loran has been gone except the first mouse carcass he placed on the kitchen floor while we were eating last summer.<br /><br />Orion was proud of himself. I am questioning having an indoor/outdoor cat during the spring/summer months.The Montgomery Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01536201110171622688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-432628147586875883.post-23703005177884596252010-05-20T15:26:00.002-04:002010-05-20T15:44:30.818-04:00To Do ListPut the girls down for a nap...it's already 2:30pm...and you know, I just don't feel like it today. Maybe we'll just try an earlier bedtime. Or maybe I'll get lucky and Lillian will climb in my lap in another hour and we can watch cartoons and I can snuggle with her. Yeah, I would like that. I am enjoying this summers off thing. For today.<br /><br />Finish the garden. It's a big pile of dirt and it looks like rain. In fact, the forecast is calling for rain tonight and tomorrow. So I could finish moving the dirt, but then I wouldn't be able to plant anyway because I think I would run out of time. My flowers in the front need the rain so I am really hoping for rain. Besides, I promised Julia that I would let her help me plant. I bought a blueberry bush and a raspberry bush. Plus I have strawberries that will hopefully come out of a hanging basket. And we have apple trees. We will have more fruit in our diet I hope!<br /><br />Finish the laundry. As it is with most people, it is clean, just not folded. It is on my bed. If I don't finish it, it will migrate to the floor. Maybe while the girls are playing in the toy room.<br /><br />Hem and iron the curtains that are the door for Julia's closet. I've been meaning to do that for a long time. Maybe it will start raining soon and then I won't have an excuse to go enjoy the nice day and I'll get a few little things done like those curtains :-)<br /><br />Make supper. Working has made me SO lazy in the kitchen. I used to love to plan and shop and cook, and now I just love to cook so there is no plan and there isn't much food because I don't shop as well as I used to. So when Loran asks what the plan is, I hesitate. He jumps right in with pizza or something we shouldn't have and I agree. Which is why the weight isn't coming off :-) <br /><br />Write an article for AC. I have to write 12 a month and I am trying not to put it off, especially because we are going to be in Virginia at the end of the month. I like to write, even though I am nowhere near the writer that I wish I could be. I just work better under extreme pressure :-)<br /><br />Put my elephant puzzle together. Because I bought it and I love puzzles. And I want to do something fun!<br /><br />Watch one of our Netflix movies. We have had the Curious Case of Benjamin Button since March 1st! And Australia since April 15th! We have watched a few streaming movies with Netflix on the Wii but still...when we put the girls to bed around 9pm and each of those movies is almost 3 hours long, it is hard to want to stay up that late!<br /><br />Scan pictures for Mom. She gave me three boxes. And I really am looking forward to scanning them. But I just need to start. And I am afraid to start because I know I will get sucked into the memories.<br /><br />Organize my recipes. Just needs to get done so that I can get better at the planning thing.<br /><br />Polish up my Intro to Dairy Science class. Somehow I thought I would get that done before Julia gets here. Now I am thinking it might wait until after she goes back in August :-)<br /><br />Put together an Equine Management class for January. I am actually looking forward to this possibility. I did get my undergrad in Equine Science after all. It would be fun to use that knowledge. We'll see what the other profs have to say before I put forth too much effort.<br /><br />Tip of the iceburg, as usual. I have crafts projects and photo albums that want my attention, too.<br /><br />But I got the toy room clean so that the girls can mess it up again. Hey, it keeps them busy!The Montgomery Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01536201110171622688noreply@blogger.com0