Cowboys and Roosters and...Stuff

Last Friday, my mom and I took the boys to Stuhr Museum's Cowboy Night. There are a few events at the museum that we try to go to every year, and the Cowboy Night is definitely one of them (along with the All Hallow's Eve and Christmas Past and Present). The boys get to play games from the 1890's, help with the quilt that's made by hand every year, listen to music, eat watermelon, make S'mores, and dig through hay for money.

Landon likes to practice his roping skills, and this year, he even got his picture on the front page of the Grand Island Independent! The guy you see laying on the ground is from the newspaper. Good thing he wore his lucky hat - it's my great-uncle's old work hat!

Taylor's favorite part is always the branding irons. They have blocks of wood and half a dozen different branding irons that they let people brand the wood with. Taylor now has three of these blocks, and Landon has two.

Saturday took us to the county fair. We didn't go on any rides (we were there in the afternoon, and the rides don't turn on till evening), but we did go through the barns with all the animals. As soon as we stepped into the rabbit & chicken barn, the roosters started going crazy. I used to help my great-uncle gather eggs when we visited, and when I was about 6 or 7, his rooster decided that there should only be one red-head in the coop. He chased me out, pecking the back of my legs, and I haven't liked roosters since! My mom was having a good time teasing me about the roosters getting out of their cages and ganging up on me. As much as I dislike them, I can still appreciate the pretty ones, like this guy.

Have you ever heard of a chirken? They are some of the ugliest looking creatures. I'm assuming they're a cross between a chicken and a turkey.

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VINTAGE THINGIES THURSDAY

I've decided to participate in Vintage Thingies Thursday sponsored by the Apron Queen. I love vintage things, and have many in my home. Most have come from my grandparents and great-uncle. Below is my vintage cookie jar. My grandpa's uncle used to have a grocery store in Crawford, Nebraska way back when (he had it before WWII, but I'm not sure how long after), and my grandpa worked there for a short time. Uncle Frank's store was the first self-service store in the area. When he closed/sold the store, my grandpa got this beautiful glass jar that has a metal lid with a red knob. Grandma and Grandpa always used it for a cookie jar, and that's what I use it for, now. Too bad I can't keep cookies in it for long!

Also, if you look to the left at the little vase with the berry spray in it, you'll see a vintage crocheted doily underneath. This was made by my great-grandma many years ago. I found it in the very bottom of a drawer and fell in love with the colors - red, gold/yellow, green, and cream.

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Lastly, I leave you with a picture of my hydrangeas. I planted the small bush last year, and it hasn't produced much, but I'm hoping once it gets a good root system, it'll be big and beautiful! I just need to find a good natural bug repelent that won't discolor the flowers. As you can see, some bugs have been munching on the leaves. Last year, I put sprinkled cayan pepper on. It kept the bugs off, but it also left red dots on the flowers!