FInaly Done!!

after two long months of feeding zuze three times a day he is finally eating hard food! I cant wait to completely wean him off milk. although he is fun and cute, he was becoming a pain in the ass. Once he is fully on hard food i can start looking for my next pet ;)

chazz

What's on TV?

In my spare time I love to watch television series. I watch a variety of genres from horror to drama. A few series that are my top favorites are American Horror Story, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, and The Office. I love the suspense that each series brings to the table and the ability to discuss each episode and premieres with coworkers or friends is fantastic. I definitely recommend the listed shows!

The End

Thank you all for visiting our blog and learning about our lives. We appreciate your interest and we hope you all feel like you know us a little bit better.

- Chazz, Ryan, Cheryl, Joyce (from left to right)

Snow-Kittens

Onyx and Jet experienced snow for the first time. I love to throw animals in the snow. They never seem to like it much. I wonder why? Onyx is the one who loves to try and sneak outside. He's the one who gets locked in the bathroom when we have groceries to bring in. Jet is curious about what's outside but she is very cautious about stepping out the door. Once she gets out, she explores for a minute or two and then goes back to the door to be let in.

Onyx getting ready to run under the porch where we can't reach him.

Jet is a little bit scared of the outdoors.

But she's checking things out anyways.

Jets not happy about being thrown in the snow.

- Joyce

Well it is already eight in the morning, i have spent the last two hours chasing animals through the pasture. For whatever reason the three pigs found a way out of their pen. Although i am sure they enjoyed running a muck around the farm it was time to get them back where they belonged. _- What a way to start the day!


chazz

Fergus Lima Bean

I have a green tree frog named Fergus L. Bean. My friend Kim caught him peeping in the ladies shower room twice when we went camping together. The second time, she captured him for me. He changes colors depending on the time of day. Usually he is pale white during the day and gets darker as it gets closer to night time. When I wake up around 2AM for work, he is bright green. I am sure he doesn't like it much in a cage so when the weather gets better, I will be releasing him at the campgrounds he grew up in. Part of the reason is because Onyx likes to terrorize Fergus. Onyx will bat at the cage until it gets tipped over or knocked onto the ground. Fergus has gotten loose this way before but he is always more than happy to have us put him back in his cage. He knows it's much safer in there. It's wild watching him eat. Fergus makes eating look so violent! He gobbles up mealworms so fast that if you blink, you would miss it.

-Joyce 

A Cat Crash

My boyfriends 9 year old niece, Phoebe, saw my blog and she wanted to surprise me with a post so she took the pictures herself and wrote up a small piece for me to post for our class on her behalf. She's a really smart girl (straight A's on her report card every time) and she loves our kittens. Phoebe even plays Scattergories with us after dinner! The kittens look forward to people coming over to visit however sometimes Phoebe's little brother, Phoenix, will unintentionally scare them. :D Jet and Onyx are usually tuckered out before Phoebe and Phoenix leave after Sunday dinner. It's a good thing. These kittens have too much energy and need someone who can tire them out! :)


A Cat Crash by Phoebe

Now, Jet and Onyx don't crash into the wall in this post (but they do). This kind of crash is a car crash, and I think Jet caused it. But it might have been someone else.

"I didn't do it!"

 "Ummm... Bye!"

Quack Quack!

Much like my friend Chazz, I own a few 'farm' animals! I wish I could say I have four ducks, but unfortunately two did not make it due to forest animals digging under our fences. Two are survivors and they are going strong. They aren't so friendly to our cat or dog, but to us humans, they are very sweet. We live near a river so they love the occasional walks to the stream during the summer time. Quack!
-Ryan

Young Love

Some people say high school relationships never last, but what about middle school relationships? I fell in love with a special girl by the name of Jaice. We have been together for over 5 years, March 4th being our 5 year anniversary. Jaice and I grew up together and became very close. We make each other happy and that's all that matters. We even graduated high school together, as seen to the right. Class of 2012!

Bobbikins - Endless Pit

Bobbi is a beautiful cat that I have grown to love. We had her since she was a kitten and much like my dog Emma, she like 3 years of age. She loves to have her neck/head scratched, but mostly loves kitty food. She eats about 3-4 times per day, and still is in healthy condition (where does it all go!) She loves to play with string and wrestle footsies under the blanket. She is also an advanced hunter of birds and small creatures!


-Ryan

Emma - The Cutest Pain in the Butt

Approximately 3 years ago, I was blessed with the opportunity of adopting a cockapoo (cockerspaniel/poodle mix). She was not a cheap puppy, but the joy she brings my entire family is priceless. She is a sweet dog, but very stubborn and playful. After a hard day's work, she will be the first one to greet you home!




-Ryan

Jonny and Rocco our two big jersey cows. Johnny is to the right, Rocco to the left. They try to play and have fun, but i think they forget how big they are. ;)

- Chazz

FREEDOM

This video is a true representation of what life means to me as an American.

- Cheryl

MY LOYAL FRIEND
Max came into our lives as a tiny ball of fur. He soon went from being scared and timid to realizing he was the center attraction in everything we did. My youngest daughter, Ashley and he developed an inseparable bond.

Ashley would refer to Max as her little brother. They did everything together.

Max would make us laugh, worry us when he ran away, and has always been included in our family plans. During difficult times, Max was always a comfort, with unconditional love and devotion to share.

Max stills looks for Ashley, although, she has moved out now. As the years have passed, he has slowed down a lot. He is almost blind now. I don't mind caring for him, as he has brought us so much love and attention. He has enriched our lives. Max has truly been an old faithful friend.

-Cheryl

Beginning with the Letter "S," Board-Game.

Scattergories. 

Sold in every store that sells board-games. 

How is it played? Good question! Someone rolls a dice with most of the letters of the alphabet on the faces of the dice. Then you start the timer and you go down a pre-determined list of categories  The list will tell you what kind of word to come up with. For instance, if the letter is "G" and the category is "state" then you can either write down "Georgia" or "grumpy." It helps you to score points if you are creative. The next category down that list could be "Color" so then you would have to come up with a color that begins with the letter "G." You could put "green" but there's a good chance that someone else will be writing "green," so you could put down "golden mustard." Obscure words and things are usually the way to go. Sure, it's easy to think of the word now but when you are sitting with a group of people and there's a timer buzzing away and you need to think of 12 things to write down in different categories that all begin with the letter "J," you're going to have a hard time. Scoring depends on your word. If someone else use the same word, your answers cancel each other out and neither of you get a point for the word. If you make a unique word, you get one point. If you use two words and both begin with the same letter, you get two. Three words with the same letter, 3 points, and so on and so forth. You can string many words together such as "red fire hydrants" for "things found at a park" beginning with the letter "R." You still only get one point for that though. I like coming up with all these different things so I really enjoy the game! Like most other games, it's more fun if you play with more people.  :D

-Joyce

I Have Words and I Have Friends...

I have words and I have friends. So I combined the two and as a result, I play the game "Words With Friends." :)

If you've never played the game and you like word games, you need to give it a try. It's basically Scrabble but you play at your own pace. This game is very addictive to me. Between school and Warcraft though, I don't play it as much as I used to but when the weekends roll around, I am constantly playing the game at work during my breaks.

-Joyce.

friends in the barn yard

zuze's friends in the barn yard. Anabell,wooly and chuck belong to the kids. luckily  i dont have to feed them three times a day ;D.

chazz

The Grandpuppies

These are my Grand-puppies - Cambria & Coheed

 They do most of the things humans do

 They celebrate holidays

 Cammie and Coco are a part of my life. Many plans usually include them. They are ready for any occasion with a closet full of clothes.

This is what Life is all about

This is my 1st born daughter - Jeanine & her husband Jerry

This is my baby - Ashley

My girls are the greatest gift in my life. I am so proud of them, they are both grown and out on their own. I miss the fun, crazy times when they were home.

A Loaf of Kitty and a Cat Purse

Jet and Onyx both have very different personalities but they get along great and often influence each other in ways that would make you want to rip your hair out. Onyx likes small spaces. He's the sneaky one of the two. He sneaks downstairs to scare the bunny. He sneaks onto counters to try and attack the frog. He sneaks outside as the front door is opening. He also LOVES to sneak into tight compartments for a cat-nap.

Onyx in a purse.

"Get that camera out of my face. I'm trying to nap here."

Onyx in a bread basket.

"What did you wake me up for this time?! 

Can't a kitten nap in a bread basket in peace?!"

- Joyce

A Kittens Daily Chores

Jet really likes to help. She likes to help sweep the floor.

"You missed a spot."

She likes to help with the dishes.

"You want ALL these dishes washed?!"

She also likes to help with laundry.

"First you fold the sock like so... Then you twirl it around..."

She helps us get bottles of water and sometimes she tries to help us open the bottles by biting holes in the water bottles.

"How many did you want again?"

Onyx mostly likes to help us finish our bread crusts whereas Jet likes to eat vegetables. She loves zucchini. Hard to believe, huh? Onyx prefers his crusts plain and toasted but he finds a hint of mayo acceptable on his crusts.

"Nom nom nom..."

Most of all, they both love to help clean tables and they usually do it together.

"What do you mean you were saving those crumbs?!"

They do more work around the house in a day than your average child probably does in a month and I don't even have to give them allowance as an incentive!

- Joyce

Soft Kitty, Warm Kitty...

Soft kitty, 
Warm kitty,
Little ball of fur.
Happy kitty,
Sleepy kitty,
Purr, purr, purr.

You have already met two of my children, Jet and Onyx. They both spent all day sleeping after playing with my 4 year old, kind-of nephew. He raced cars around a track with the kittens. They chased the cars around and around and eventually fell asleep from kitty-play-exhaustion. Unfortunately, Onyx woke up as I got closer to take a photo so I was only able to get a photo of Jet sleeping in the track.

Jet asleep after a hard days play.

-Joyce.

10 Health Benefits to Chocolate

1.   Chocolate decreases Stroke risk
2.   Chocolate boosts Heart health.
3.   Chocolate fills you up.
4.   Chocolate may fight diabetes - small study done in 2005.
5.   Chocolate protects your skin - antioxidants.
6.   Chocolate can quiet coughs - theobromine reduces activity.
7.   Chocolate boosts your mood.
8.   Chocolate improves blood flow - anti-clotting properties.
9.   Chocolate improves Vision - increases blood flow to the retina.
10. Chocolate may make you smarter - increases alertness.

-Cheryl

My Role-Playing Life

Okay. The title of this post sounds bad, right? I assure you, it's not what you think. Give me a chance to explain. Most of my free-time is spent playing an MMORPG. That stands for massively multiplayer online role-playing game for the non-gamers out there. I'm sure you've all heard of Warcraft before. World of Warcraft (WoW) is truly massive. There are so many parts of the game that can keep you occupied for hours, days, months and even years. There is truly something in the game for everyone who likes games. It's been said that it's one of the most addictive games out there and I can attest to that. Most days, I don't even want to put the game down to go to bed. They should make a WoW-Anonymous group for those who have a problem. :)

- Night Elf Hunter, Joyce.

"he dropped me off in the middle of the night with a five dollar bill"

Stories Archive | StoryCorps:http://storycorps.org/listen/bryan-and-michael-wilmoth/

This was a very powerful story, Bryan's childhood may have been difficult but it made him and his family stronger. It helps me to hear stories like this. It shows me that even the darkest scenarios can have a sliver lining even if you cant see them yet.

chazzman

I Love Lucy

This is Lucy's Famous Chocolate scene from the I Love Lucy show, a TV series from the 1950's.

I would have liked to have this job!

-Cheryl

The History of Chocolate

The history of chocolate began in Mesoamerica. Chocolate can be traced back to pre-olmec people dating back to 1900BC. Chocolate played a special role in both Maya and Aztec royal and religious events. Europeans sweetened and lightened it by adding refined sugar and milk. For hundreds of years, the chocolate making process remained unchanged. When the Industrial Revolution arrived, many changes occurred that brought the hard, sweet candy to life. When the revolution cooled down, companies began advertising many of the chocolate treats seen today. People began consuming chocolate worldwide.

Where does chocolate come from?
Chocolate comes from cut ripe cacao bean pods from the cacao tree. They are split open, scraping out the pulp, and then ground into a powder after drying. 

- Cheryl