San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo

OK, saving the best for last. This will catch me up. A couple of weeks ago. Mom, Bub, and Sissy took the steers to the San Antonio Livestock Show and Rodeo. Both showed and Sissy took 2ND place in weight class with her steer. YEA!!!!
Here Bub practices setting up his steer in the ring.

Bub and his steer at San Antonio.

Going into the ring.

Sissy sitting on her steer before she shows.

Sissy showing at San Antonio. See 2ND place ribbon hanging out her back pocket?

Winning in San Antonio means making the sale. See the big S?

A winner and her steer.

Clan Daniel (at least part of it) at the Alamo.

Clan Daniel on the river walk in San Antonio.

Sissy before the sale begins.

Sissy after the sale, realizing she has seen her steer for the last time.

The Winner!!!!

Last weekend in February

OK, it's been so long I seem to be posting backwards so bear with me. This is an update on our weekend here at the home place. It was a beautiful weekend and we really should have been working in the garden but we are so far behind we took advantage to do some old jobs. Our horse barn is finally finished. Exclusively built by Dad, Bub and Papa.
Halfway through the last wall.

Bub on the roof. He was very good at this and very helpful through the whole process. I hope he is learning to do for himself through all this.

Me taking a break. Bub takes a good pic!

The boy climbing around.

Tongue always out when nailing. I think it's a requirement.

Mom helps the girls wash the dogs.

Sister helps with the drying.

Sissy did the bulk of the work.

Lazy loafers after a long day. At least their clean.

Heaven help us!

Sissy also helped with the dishes.

Pretty girlie's in matching PJ's ready for bed!

Blizzard 2010

Well, as seems to be the norm with my blog these days, I am really behind. Clan Daniel has been very busy of late and I am getting further and further behind. This weekend was beautiful and it is really giving me spring fever, but I still need to post these pics of the Texas blizzard 2010. This is a pic of our fire pit. Totally covered in snow.
I thought this was a cool pic.

The home place. Really pretty in the spring and covered in snow.

My gorgeous gals on a big snowball.

Snowball fight - country style!

Here is something you don't get to do too often in the Pearl- shovel snow!

Something else you don't get to do in Texas too much is ride down snowy hills. The Mrs. gives it a go.

We don't usually worry about drifts either.

Texas kids rarely see this much snow. We have to do it all. Including snow men.

7 1/2 inches. We got another 2 inches about a week later.

Dad has to take a turn.

Sissy rides down!

Knee deep!

Horses still gotta eat.

Sister goes down the hill.

I think the animals could do without the snow.

Climbing on the hay.

The old home place.

Ft. Worth Stock Show

Last week clan Daniel spent two great days at the Ft. Worth stock show. What were we doing you ask? We were showing Bub and Sissy's steers! We had a blast! The whipper-snappers have been working/raising these two particular steers since late summer. They have shown at a couple of smaller shows and now at Ft. Worth.
What do the kids do between shows? Lay around on bovine!
Here Bub is inside the ring showing his steer. He did a great job setting up for the judge and handling his steer.
A lot of work goes in to getting these guys ready to show. Bub is brushing his steer after a bath and blow-dry.
This is Bub showing again. He competed with 75 other competitors just in his weight class.
He didn't place or make the sale but he did a fantastic job!
Here Sissy shows her steer. Ain't she purty?
Notice the pink show stick...
She's setting her steer up here. Sissy also missed placing and the sale but she too did a great job.
There is a lot of down time at a stock show, so what is a cowgirl to do when there is nothing else going on? Why pose for pics with other cowgirls and cows of course.

Next is San Antonio next week! Wish us luck.

How I spent my New Year weekend!

You know, if how I spent the first weekend of 2010 is any indication as to what's in store for the rest of the year, clan Daniel is in for a very productive year.

Starting in August our lives were turned upside down. Bub began football season and I helped coach the team. Three nights a week (I know, we're nuts) practice and games on Saturday. Usually right in the middle of the day which wreaks havoc on getting things done. If they were away games we would sometimes drive up to two hours one way to get there. Bubs team made the playoffs which took us all the way to the start of deer season. With deer season comes an every weekend getaway to Bakersfield with a full week at Thanksgiving. Then we go into full holiday swing. It's a busy time of year.

Needless to say, I have been neglecting some of the routine maintenance around the old homestead. I decided that this weekend, since I would have three days off, I would forgo deer hunting the last weekend of the season (sacrificial I know) and get some stuff done around here! I started out with an easy one even though I have neglected it far too long. Our ice maker has not worked in quite a long while and since Nannie just lives across the pasture, and since Bub is so good at running over and stealing (uh, err, um borrowing - yea that's it) it was easy to let this particular chore slide. Anyway, that was my first job. Actually it was my second. When you live in the Pearl your first job is always to make a list of all you want to do and a list of all you will need and then drive into town for the shopping. With that out of the way. Ice maker works!
I was also lucky enough to have to replace the kitchen faucet. As with most jobs around here I ran into an additional problem. The cold water shut-off under the sink was leaking so I had the added joy of crawling under the sink into a very small and cramped cabinet to replace that. Job done!

This is loads of fun. The Mrs. is always there to help me out with all sorts of questions of what I'm doing and why. I make up the answers as best I can.

This is the new kitchen faucet. We are not sure that we like it. (when I say we I mean the Mrs.) So we (this one is all me) may take it out and go get another one. Lucky me! This way I get to go back under the sink! Anything for my baby!

The really fun job was the leak in the water line in the yard. It had been there for a couple of months so it was good and muddy. Oh, and it rained New Years Eve. Let me tell you this was a fun one. I know that there is a God because He shows Himself to me in so many ways. This weekend was no different. He showed me why he did not create me to be a plumber. Because I'm not very good at it! God is good...all the time!

This is really the fun part. Laying in the wet mud on my belly working in a muddy hole! AHH the joys of home ownership! You know what the worst part of this whole deal is? Look at that bald spot! I mean for Pete's sake! Where did my hair go? And what's left up there is turning gray! I don't understand. The Mrs. tells me all the time that I obsess over my balding but at this rate I'm gonna run out up there!

Speaking of the Mrs. this is how she spent her weekend. She says it's supervision. Really? I mean she actually moved that chair so that she could watch me wallow in the mud. She really loves me. She made me take this pic from a long way off because she says she looks bad. She looks well rested to me!

After working around the place the last two days I was able to use my new Weber grill to cook supper! I was very excited to get this from the whipper-snappers for Christmas! We've got a nice gas grill but I really love cooking over charcoal. Ain't it purty? Y'all come over and I'll cook you something good!