Good thing I'm right-handed.

Surgery recap: A couple days before surgery I felt a pop in my wrist and and after the initial soreness, the bump had gone down. I was told to show the surgeon before they hooked me up to anything, just in case I had broke up part of the cyst and to see if I would still need surgery. After they took be back to get prepped I had to wait for an hour and a half just to see the surgeon before they could start anything. Keep in mind that I hadn't eaten since 9:30 pm the night before, and it was now almost 2:00. After he came and checked it out, we decided to go on with surgery. I was then hooked up to an IV and given some "sleepy meds." Then they gave me a numbing shot in my armpit; that was weird. I couldn't feel my left arm from my bicep down. The nurse asked me if I felt like I had a couple cocktails, and I informed him that I didn't know because I'm not 21. As I started to feel a little loopy I would giggle at everything. They started wheeling me into surgery and I asked if I could watch, the nurse told me that I couldn't because they didn't want me trying it in my garage. (I don't know if this really happened, but I think I remember it.) One nurse was from the Aurora area and I asked her what her last name was, she kind of avoided the question, so I asked her 2 more times. She told me, but I can't remember what she said. The next thing I know, I'm waking up in recovery and my arm is already in a splint. I think they tried showing me the cyst that they extracted (I had asked to see it) but I can't remember what it looked like because I was still half asleep. I'm pretty bummed about that. I asked why my fingers were colored and I didn't listen for the answer. My arm was still numb so I felt pretty good. After they brought James back I started to feel nauseas from the anesthesia. Just about lost it. I was soon able to wiggle my fingers and I quoted Princess Bride, "You just wiggled your finger. That's wonderful!" Then we left and the numbing started to wear off. I was in quite a bit of pain that first night. I went to bed at 8:00 and by 10, when James came to bed, I had woke up 7 times. My pain meds weren't keeping up and I was miserable. By 11:00 I moved to the couch to try and change position and not keep James up all night. I was waking up constantly because of the pain. Finally, by 2:00 I had fallen asleep and slept until 7:00. We had arrangements for Trevin the rest of the week, so I laid in bed and watched Netflix for hours. (Just go ahead and judge me.)

Post-surgery report:

I'm doing much better the last few days and get to wear this life-saving splint. It prevents me from moving my wrist. Last night, by reaction, I tried catching a ball that was thrown in my direction and I bent my wrist in the splint. It was terribly painful. I think I'll keep this thing on for the next 7 months, because I don't want to feel that again. I've been adjusting pretty well to life, I've only got stuck in 2 shirts, so that happened. I have to apply a new band-aid every day to the incision, but that's really it. I have 4 stitches that will come out on October 2nd. I've been spoiled by friends and family this past week. Meals, babysitting, prayers, and more meals. They've made it way too easy on me. So THANKS!!! 

These ladies brought us an awesome meal and then joined us for an evening of much-needed social hour, (along with their husbands!)

James and I had tickets to go to the Husker game this past Saturday, and we weren't going to let a lame wrist stop us from going!

So I wore a long-sleeve shirt because it was new and I didn't think it was going to be that hot. Well check out that awesome tan-line above. 

James recently went dove hunting with some buddies and ended up with a few birds. He grilled them up and we had them for supper one night. I was certainly nervous to try it because I've never had dove before and I had no idea what to expect. According to Jase Robertson, "Doves are the filet mignon of the sky." So I guess that I was more than curious. (And to answer your question, Yes. We watch every episode of Duck Dynasty. And then we watch them again. It is the only show that James thinks is worth watching.)

I was shocked at how good the dove tasted. I know most of it was my husband's cooking skills, but I was very impressed. I told him he could go dove hunting anytime he wanted, as long as he makes it for supper. :)  Trevin didn't get any, not that we didn't try, but because he won't stick anything in his mouth that isn't fruit or sweets.


Farm life is moving along as normal. Harvest is just around the corner and the crops are looking great. We've finished up irrigating and I tried to help out when I could.

We also went to Husker Harvest Days (Trevin and my first time!) It poured on us, but it was still a good time. :)

I'm not going to lie, George has gotten us through the last few days...

Healing up, growing on the farm...

Floors, Flies, and Football

To continue with my last post's theme, I'm going to tell you what happened next in my embarrassing life. It was about 4 days after my 'house project day' from hell, and I decided to mow our lawn. I usually mow when Trevin is down for a nap but this particular day, it wasn't working out right so he rode along. We just got a brand-spanking new Hustler mower. Like it's maybe a month old. And that baby can fly. It goes so fast and I love it. Anyways, I was given specific instructions to "Be careful and don't drive too fast." James has zero faith in my self-control when it comes to mowing. I mean, they make full throttle for a reason, right?! So I was mowing along, with Trevin on my lap, and I slowed down to drive in between the power pole and the guide-wire. I looked to make sure I cleared the guide-wire, and kept driving. Well, I didn't clear it. Next thing I know, the front end of the mower is off the ground and the wire shoots back and the front end smacks down. It freaked me out, so I stopped and hopped off for a second to regain composure and make sure Trevin was ok. I got back on and finished mowing without giving it much more thought. When I finished, I opened the door to the house and it was hot, and dark. Weird. So I went to the fridge for a drink and no light there. The power was out. PANIC. I felt so terrible for doing this to James AGAIN. (A little more back story: James had a pretty awful week himself. A pivot crashed into a tractor, another pivot broke down, his 4-wheeler died for good, he ran into his Dad's 4-wheeler, and the axle on a trailer busted. Along with a million things that needed to get done that week.) I called James, no answer, and sent him a text saying, "Please call me, it's a semi-emergency." He came home and ended up calling the power company and they all worked on it for over 2 hours. We were all happy to have to have the week over with when Sunday rolled around... But now I'm known as "pole bender" according to my father-in-law. So that happened.

So now that you think rather poorly of me, I need to make some stuff up that will impress you. I canned some salsa and tomatoes... I actually did. Our garden is over-flowing and I can hardly keep up.

For my long-time followers, you'll know that we've been in the process of re-modeling the entryway. So we got our door, but they sent the wrong window for it. We managed to get this, uh, unique, star window instead... We removed it because, "Y'all, we ain't from Texas!" Our window is on the right.

James put in the new door and we eventually got the window swapped out. Check it out. 

AND the floors are finished! We hired out, so it was very little work for us! Next will be the trim and putting in the bench/shelving unit. Finally making progress...

About a year ago, I started feeling pain in my wrist off and on. I would have it one day and then not for another couple weeks. It felt almost like a sprain, so I just kept ignoring it. The last two months or so the pain has been more constant and I've stopped using it for some things. I noticed a lump on my wrist and wondered if it was maybe scar tissue from a previous injury. I would feel pain in it when I pushed the shopping cart, opened a push door, or carried bags in my hand. And I couldn't crawl on the floor and play with Trevin. To be honest, that was the one thing that put it over the edge for me. If I am unable to get on the floor and play with him, something needs to be done.  So a couple weeks back I went in and had it checked out. They were pretty sure that it was a cyst and sent me for X-rays, just to make sure it wasn't something more serious.  Then I was sent to a specialist to talk about surgery, and it turns out that the cyst is sitting right on my tendons and that's why I'm having issues with it. I'm scheduled for surgery next week (Sept 18th.) It's a pretty basic and routine surgery so nothing too alarming. BUT I am concerned about the recovery. I'll have stitches in for a couple weeks and a splint to limit movement. This means tending to Trevin with one arm. Folks, I would have a hard enough time chasing him if I had 3 arms, but one?! Could be interesting. If you think to pray for me in that time, it would be mightily appreciated. 

Trevin Tales:

• He is officially obsessed with dipping. Fries in ketchup, meat in BBQ sauce, vegetables in ranch... (Who am I kidding, I can't get him to eat vegetables...) He has started to tip his sippy cup upside down and pour milk/juice/water onto his tray and then dip whatever he's eating. Funny, but messy. 
• While we were putting in the new door an entire colony of flies moved in. We've been battling them for days and just can't seem to put an end to them. Trevin has taken interest in the insects and he crawls onto the ottoman by the window and will watch them. He has started to catch them. He pinches them in his fingers and comes over to me with his hand out. The first couple times I couldn't tell what it was, so I took it from him. Sometimes a dead fly drops into my hand and sometimes a live one flies right out of my hand. Either way, he's pretty amazing, I mean, I can't even get those suckers with a swatter! I'm just glad that he's bringing them to me and not eating them... (that I know of...)
• Trevin has known how to flush the toilet for a while now, but he's kind of just obeyed. (Weird, right?) Well he seems to have forgot what "obey" means. One evening I was cleaning up supper and James was trying to get back out the door to finish some irrigating. We had a quick conversation about plans for the following day and James suddenly realized that Trevin was not in the room, we walked to the bathroom and saw Trevin throw his shirt in the toilet and start swirling it with his hand. Freak out moment occurred and then I noticed that the tank of the toilet was still running, meaning someone had flushed in the last minute. And of course Trevin's shorts were no where to be found... James had to fish them out and we weren't too thrilled about this accomplishment. 

• You've all seen the electronic letter boards for little kids? Each letter is on there and they light up and teach you the letter name, sound and how to spell small words. Well we have one. I crack up every time Trevin pulls it out because I'll hear this from across the room, "Welcome to Alphabet Town! Let's spell 'boat'. 'B'" "B" "O" "O" "A" "O" "T" "O" ....He likes to say "O" 

Trevin got his head stuck in the chair and wasn't too impressed that I was taking a picture instead of helping him. Call me a bad mom, I'm just documenting his every embarrassment. It will come in handy some day, I'm sure.

My sister is a senior this year, (I don't want to talk about it..) And I cheered her on at the Pep Rally! Made me miss high school a little. 

Husker football started!!!!!!!! That is all. 

We celebrated my Grandma's birthday (a couple months early) by going to the Lincoln Farmer's Market. When I think Farmer's Market, I just see carrots, turnips, and watermelon. But that's a stereotype that I have dismissed. So many vendors with all sorts of really cool things. I had a great time with my mom, sister, aunts, uncle, and grandparents. 

Here comes fall, growing on the farm...

Just a day in the life, locked in the bathroom.

Let me start by telling you the story of an embarrassing day. The day was yesterday. Trevin and I went to Grand Island for some shopping; nothing like a screaming kid in Wal-Mart. Yeah, that was us. You probably heard us. That wasn't even the most embarrassing part of the day. I think it got third place. While in Grand Island, I purchased some new door knobs for the bathroom doors. I thought that instead of nagging my husband to replace them, I would try and be productive and do it myself. I pulled off the old door knob and when I tried to insert the new parts, some of the screws weren't lining up. So I put the center piece in place and wanted to make sure that the door would latch when closed. Trevin walked out of the bathroom and WITHOUT using any of my brain, I closed the door. Well, guess what? It latched. And I had no knob to turn. I was locked in the bathroom and my 16 month old son was locked out. Talk about panic. I started saying, "Oh no, oh no. OHHH NOO!" I heard Trevin start to whine (Like his scared little innocent whine.) I could see him through the hole and with each second he freaked out a little more, and so did I. I immediately called James. No answer. Called again. No answer. Sent him an emergency text that read, "Call me now!!!!!!!" I tried to calm Trevin down by telling him it was ok. It didn't help. I was half laughing and half crying. (If only he would have been in the bathroom with me, I wouldn't have panicked so much.) He kept giving me a worried look as I peeked my eye through the hole. I tried to think of a plan. My options were kick down the door or jump out the window. I knew that physically I can't kick down a door. Only in my dreams am I that awesome. So I started to look out the window and decided to give James another call. He answered. This was the conversation,

James! I need you to come home right now!

Ok.....

I may have locked myself in the bathroom.

Ok, I'll come in.

And Trevin is on the other side of the door... 

I'll hurry.

He was home within 2 minutes and basically told me to put the door knob peg into the door and turn the handle just like you would normally. Why didn't I think of that? Because I'm a woman. That's why. I'm not being sexist, I'm just stating the truth. We tend to over exaggerate situations of panic and look for the most extreme solution.  Don't try to deny it. Anyways, Trevin and I were reunited and I thanked my husband for being kind and understanding. He didn't laugh at me (to my face), he didn't get mad at me (to my face), and he saved me. You think he's great now? Just wait til you hear what I did next...

Quick side note: I can imagine my Dad's and father-in-law's reactions after hearing this story. Sometimes I feel like such a failure. I mean, I enjoyed school and I did well in all of my classes, but sometimes I suffer majorly in the common sense department. I hope they aren't too embarrassed to call me their daughter.

So the bathroom door knob was really embarrassing, but so is the next story. I bought paint to repaint one bedroom that will eventually be Trevin's when he's grown out of the nursery. The room is currently pink and has wallpaper on 2 walls. (I know that everyone just cringed. No one likes to hear the word "wallpaper." Terrifying.) Anyways, last night, I decided that I was going to start removing the wallpaper. I looked up some good tutorials and started wetting the walls with a fabric softener/hot water mix. It took me 1/2 hour to do a 4 inch circle. It was a slow process. But then I discovered that there were multiple layer of...something. I peeled up the next layer to check it out and amazingly, it started pulling up so easily! Foot long pieces at a time! It was a miracle! Except... I was pulling up the sheet rock or something, I'm still a little fuzzy about the details, but I guess I wasn't supposed to touch it. Friends, family, and everybody else, this is bad. Look at what I've done.

James came home and found me demolishing the room, and I could tell from his face that I probably went a little too far. This was the conversation...

I think I messed up. But (insert a long explanation and excuse as to why i just ripped up the wall.)

Well, you might have taken an extra layer off.

So, what do we do?

I think we will just have to re-sheetrock it. 

I'm so sorry.

It's ok, it's not that bad.

(Exaggerated hand gesture and eye roll.) 

It's that bad. I'm sorry.

I've made mistakes too. 

You are being way too nice to me today. 

He then helped me with the rest of the wall and continued to make me feel better about my mistake. He is the nicest man I have ever met. After a day like yesterday, I am happy to sit and blog today. No house projects for me! I think they are putting in our new front door tonight, I'll make sure that I am FAR away from the action.

Oh just eating a little corn...

Let's talk about Trevin. He has picked up a habit. A bad one. He has started biting his fingernails, something that I know way too much about! (If you know anything about me, you'll know that I've been biting my fingernails since I was 2. I've tried to quit twice in my life. My fingernails are so weak now that I can hardly grow them out even if I try. So, I'm still an avid biter.) He doesn't do it everyday, but I catch him a couple times a week. The key is to break the habit, before it's a habit. I've been trying to keep his nails short and I have been trying not to bite when I'm around him.

He's also become quite the social butterfly. He takes the liberty to say hi to random people in the store or at the restaurant. They will then stop and say hi, and he will start telling them a story. He also tells jokes. He will get serious and say something to you, then suddenly cover his mouth with his hand and giggle. It is priceless. You'd be amazed at how long an adult will stand and listen to a gibberish-talking toddler. They all say the same thing to me, "You've got a little talker!" Yes, trust me, I know.

The beginning of August brought Stockham BBQ time!  It is a glorious time of year.




































We had a grand time. I played glow ball Friday night and we enjoyed the BBQ and dance on Saturday.

And of course, lots of pie! I think he ate almost the whole piece. There's fruit in it though, so we're good, right?



















We were also able to help the band sing "The Cover of the Rolling Stones" by Dr Hook. It seems to be Stockham's theme song. I've had the privilege of singing this song with a band on stage 3 times over the years. They were all incredible, but this one was certainly special. If you are bummed that you didn't hear it live, you can go to my facebook page and check it out. It was a highlight of the year. Now a little advice for those of you that have never hopped on stage to sing with the band, when you grab the mic, you can't hear yourself sing. So it usually ends up as just a bunch of yelling into the mic. I can only imagine what the lead singer is hearing in his earpiece.





We've started to really clean out our basement in hopes of construction this winter. James found his dad's old bee keeper suit. Watch out bees, this one's got a sting.

School has officially started for most kids. And I am not one of them. Many people have asked me if it feels weird, and honestly, I think it is just now starting to sink in. No more classes, no more expensive books, no more homework, and no more summer break. I'm on summer break for the rest of my life. Mind blown. So far, I love it! But I do miss the reading. I was constantly reading during school, whether it be text books, research information, or a recreational book for in between classes, I filled my brain. I've noticed that I haven't picked up a book since school let out. So that is definitely on my list for fall and winter. Now for all of you that are reading this, but should be doing homework, just know that your day will come. It will all be worth it. Stay gold, Ponyboy.



 The beloved Christian Resource Center lodge has officially been demolished. There is now a huge hole where the basement will be poured. Quite a change in scenery.

How touching is this?!

 I came across this gem. This was James' 17th birthday. We had been dating 1 month.  We were babies.  I can't believe that 6 years have passed since this picture, so glad this man has been by my side the entire time!

And here's us now!

Receiving forgiveness, growing on the farm...