A Miracle  

Posted by ~Jill

hey everyone!!!!

 Jill here with some exciting news!!!
Today I had my first ever interview for a job at 
Enchanted Springs Ranch, located in Boerne, TX
86 acres of rolling hills and trees and 2 spring fed creeks full of fish, turtles and
water moccassins... yeah ;) 
E.S.Ranch also has an authentic old west town, popular with movies makers and people wanting a western wedding. Miss Paula, (my new boss) Took me on a tour of the buildings and out into the fields to visit all the animals. Buffalo, Longhorns, Axis & Chinese Water deer, zebras,turkeys,  a peacock,and even 2 reindeer!  I was imediately adopted by Pepper, Miss Paula's red Heeler. since tourist season has not yet started, I will be working only part time to learn the ropes. I'm so excited about this new opportunity! There is also a possiblity that I might be able to set up a leather shop there, and either sell to the ranch, or give them a comission of my sales.


So, thats about it, my people, I will post some pictures when I can.
Thank you all so much for your prayers, I cannot tell you how much it means to me 
to know that you care.

Love to all,
~Jill



2 opinions »

Nik's Log Homes: Custom Built for You!  

Posted by ~Jill

2 Fridays ago we had our monthly hymn sing with a few families from BCA. (Boerne Christian Assembly) Some of the little boys discovered the giant basket of Lincoln logs... This is Josiah Hyslop and his log home I built.


Ah, I dearly love a cottage, complete with 2 horses of course! This is the house I built for myself :) I was Josiah's nearest neighbor. He had my little cowboy dude over for some burgers. MMMMM!!

Behold Isobella Grady, infant phenomenon! Someone gave her a violin,and I grabbed a camera!
Josiah is my little buddy <3 onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJzsLSCnRRUV5LvAngabtBpkBdw4KbR2H_8RaEbRyjJzSNL6cdoTp2_lsOYI2GYSVcroOnCEIueCAJy5niDtUTq9_1_47DQweC1SJ0t3sGesUEx1GtyCh03IegXRs0PvHvsUzXk-Mxow/s1600-h/IMG_7380.JPG">And this little one is Gracianna Hope Hyslop. I held her when she was a newborn :) I can't believe how much these precious ones grow :'(

So, there's a post 2 weeks late :)

laters!
~Jill


1 opinions »

THE SCARY PIE  

Posted by ~Jill

So, I dug myself into a nice huge crater the size of Alaska a few days ago by telling my Grampa during his hospital visit "If you're good for the doctor, when we get home I'll make you a strawberry rhubarb pie!" That is his favorite kind. My word!!! I don't bake pies!!! Unless sorely provoked... The last pie I made was also a strawberry rhubarb pie, and that was in September 2 years ago, after my Grampa had major cancer surgery.

Rule NO. 1
If all else fails, Grandfathers can always be persuaded with pie... Actually any guy can (I think...)

LOL! Anyways, yeah! So, the only problem with telling my Grampa that, was that I forgot rhubarb actually has a growing season... which starts around July...
And it happens to be April.

Instructions for use:
Put foot in mouth. Bite down hard.

Rule No.2
NEVER... I mean ALWAYS check to make sure pie filling of choice is in season before offering it to a man.

So, Annick's free spirit brain begins to spin "how in the world am I going to get out of this mess..." Here I promised my Grampa something that isn't even growing yet. That is really bad! it will break his heart if he doesn't get it.

Weyall....
I started wondering if it was possible to substitute something for the rhubarb, that was similar in taste, texture, etc.

(snicker)Heh heh heh... Guess what I came up with?

Yep, CELERY!!!!!
Peeled really well, boiled in lemon juice with a few strawberries, until it turns pinkish... then drained and mixed with the strawberries and some sugar. Tada!!!! It really does look &taste like rhubarb... I think (not that I really know)

So, the humor of the situation is that my Grampa is legally blind. So, I'm hoping he won't be able to tell the difference between rhubarb and what-annick-decided-to-put-in-the-pie. Yes.

Now, I'm just hoping that my Grampa will just eat the pie and say "It's good..." Just like usual. What I'm dreading is this " why does the pie taste weird?"

Oh brother... This is going to be bad... Perhaps I should not give up my day job. For real!!!!

Guess I'll tell you later what happened ;)

Until then,
Don't fall off the edge of your chair!!

~Jill (I'll post a picture of the scary pie later...)

3 opinions »

Now that I'm here...  

Posted by ~Jill

Greetings, my fellow Americans :)

Just a few lines to let y'all know that I've arrived all safe and sound here in sunny Arizona. Its good to be here, both to see my grandparents, and to help them out with projects around the house, cook, bake, clean, fix the garbage disposal, etc. 
So far today, I was up until 2 am coughing ( sudden allergies for the first time here on this earth, thanks to something or other in TX...) After waking up somewhat grumpy and definatly exhausted, I went running even though I was still half asleep ( that's always entertaining ;)... )
Had breakfast, then tried to sleep for an hour or so outside in the sunshine... that was nice :) Made lunch, went to the library got a really good book by Chuck Norris (YEAH!!!!)  Came home, read for an hour and then made a martini.And now I'm making dinner... Or waiting for it to finish :) Hungry? Come on over !  We are having sweet potato fries, my special green beans  (yes the recipe is  a secret) and chicken sausages. I might make some biscuits or something, we'll see. Well, that's about all for now, we'll see what pans out later :) Be blessed my friends :)


OH, and I KNOW you were wondering about the martini... Don't worry, it was for my Grampa, I can't stomach the stuff ;)

Miss you all so much :'(,
~Jill

2 opinions »

Spell-Binding stories  

Posted by ~Jill

At church after our "pot providence" meal we cooool girls, Ellen, Natasha, Trina, Clara, Jill, Delaney, Larissa and I were sitting in a circle on the ground telling stories. They begged me to tell a few of mine, and so I did! But I wanted to hear some of theirs as well :)

Apparently we drew a little bit of attention, from ppl thinking we were having too much fun, or so I found out later... Around 3:30, We and the DeLa's were invited to the Rugloski's house for some dinner and fellowship.
Heres what I tried not to hog...

This is Hannah, the latest 'Rug' edition :) She's such a cutie <3 >After eating, and me going outside with the little ones to play school (now there's a story there) We had a time of Bible study and singing :)


This is John, my little buddy for the night. He was kind enough to take me on a night time tour of their property, with  his ultra-cool, handy-dandy  emergency spotlight! And trust me, it was a good thing He had that, because I am deathly afraid of the alligators that prowl around their backyard. ( They look like dogs, but they are for REAL!!! Alligators... I think...)
A late night game of Bluff, A new game for me, but hilarious!! I still love Spoons the best!!!! John was sitting on my lap, and is a hilarious bluff team mate, because he could never bluff! It always showed on his face!! We laughed so hard!!! John also showed me his giant pet tiger, which I was thrilled to be allowed to pet!!! Silent James also had a tiger, and showed it to me as well :)

This shy young cowboy James was quite the handsome dude, but wouldn't talk to me at all... Even after I played with him and pushed him on the swing. But he did let me give him a brownie, and he let me go on the night tour with him and John, so I guess that's a start!

We started our game of "school" during the later part of the afternoon. Lol! at least it wasn't orphanage... Anyways I was the teacher, and I had a class of rowdy but lovable students. Kathryn, John, Phillip & James. In the space of half an hour, we not only had school, but we also had lunch, a field trip to Wal Mart, recess, several hair-raising bus rides, a tour of a chicken coop, and to top it all off, we nearly got lost on the prairie coming back from the coop, and almost lost a few students!!! I tell you, it was quite a journey!!! But in the end, all was well! And so we had a wonderful evening, in which I made some new little friends, And I hope to see them all on Sundays in the future, where we will have some more grand times!!

1 opinions »

A picture is worth 1000 words...  

Posted by ~Jill


But if you still want me to tell you 50 things about myself, then of course I will...

1. After 21 years, I'm still getting used to ppl calling me Annick. (don't ask me why, but its true...ok you can ask me...)
2.I love to go barefoot, all the time, through mud,rocks, the house...
3.I still love to ride shopping carts around the store.(it's on of the only reasons I go shopping with my mom)Trust me, the best carts to ride are in the IKEA warehouses... IT'S AWESOME!!!!!!
4. Both my Grandpa's were  Lt.s in the ARMY-AIRFORCE: One on the Pacific ocean,and one on the Atlantic. I guess you could say I'm well covered. I'm immensly proud ouf them :)
5. I love to drive and work heavy machinery, tractors, haybines, etc. Skid-steers are my favorite.
6. The one thing that drives me absolutely stark raving mad, is to watch ppl work slowly, or really really lazily. It annoys me out of my mind.
7. I'm saving up for a Ruger 9mm hand gun, and my CCW permit >:)
8. I love to feed ppl. Cook for them whatever, just feed them!!!
9. I like to make really cool stuff out of camo.
10. I wish someone would take me hunting
11.I wish someone would teach me how to weld.
12. I love to work with crazy horses.
13. I like to drive horses
14.I being a farrier, but its money, ok?
15. I smile a lot... but hopefully not to the point of being annoying :)
16. I have blue eyes, but that was a little obvious...
17. I have a ton of nick names, some of which I hate :)
18. I'm really picky about how I make my bed.
19. I love to irish dance, even though I'm really bad at it.
20. Lots of people thing I'm way younger than 21 based on the way I play with kids. (YES!!!!!)
21.  One time I played capture the flag in a swamp. And ran through the swamp up to my waist just so the boys wouldn't get me. and YES I won the game...
22. Sometimes I sleep in my leather shop just because the leather smells so good.
23. I can do a really good Orphan Keeper Lady imitation.
24.I've lived in MI all my life,except for now...
25.I really wish they made guys cologne that smelled like wood smoke... Mmmmm!
26.I really like to get dirty when I'm working. Either outside or under the car...
27. I really like to do cement work. If you haven't tried it, you should!! It's really cool
28.I cannot drive a stick shift :'( No ones ever had the patience to teach me.
29. When I get angry or sad I tend to withdraw into myself, and to other people, it seems like I'm all happy; but I'm really just hiding the pain.
30. My friends come and go as they please. A few stick around. Most leave because I'm just too crazy to tolerate.
31. My favorite way to cook is to go into the fridge or pantry and just make up something yummy :)
32.A few years ago I was really good at baseball and got the nick-name "Power Hitter" Figure it out yourself :)
33. I like to give foot and back massages.
34. Concerning horses, I've been bucked off, reared with, thrown off, trampled on, run over, dragged, etc. But it's never bothered me :)
35. Sometimes I go out to the woods where no one can laugh at me and just dance :)
36.I used to model for an artist. That was not fun...But it was lucrative.
37. I am very easily entertained, and can laugh at pretty much anything.
38. If I want to I  can sit there for the longest time and just totally blank out...No brain waves in the head ...
39. I have never fainted in my entire life, but have always wanted to try it, and see what it feels like :)
40.Sometimes I like to wear long fancy dresses, just because :)
41.One time as I was riding the shopping cart out of Walmart, the manager saw me, and took the time to say that I rode it very well! I was quite pleased :)
42. I'm a really good groom. I really enjoy making horses and dogs look good:)
43.I'm a really good hair stylist. I really enjoy making girls look beautiful for their special days :)
44.I really love to work behind the scenes, or staffing events. That means you get to go through the doors that say "STAFF ONLY" its really cool, and really fun!
45.At weddings when the bride comes down the isle, I always watch the groom... He always looks like I've imagined Jesus to look when we finally get to heaven.
46. I love to go rock climbing, and would like to do it a ton more than I get too :(
47. My favorite time of the day to go running or horseback riding is dawn...It's just so beautiful watching the sun come up, and the mist burning away
48. I'll get up in the middle of the night, on those nights when the moon is so bright its like day, and just enjoy the quiet. You should try it! It's incredible what silence sounds like...
49.I really love to cuddle and give hugs; and the best part about babysitting is when we're watching a movie or reading story, and the kids all huddled up to me :)
50.I can ride my bike with no hands... Most of the time!

Now that you know these 50 things about me, what is your opinion?

4 opinions »

A Few Stories...  

Posted by ~Jill

Hi my people!!!

I have returned to post!!!! Aren't you excited?????! Yeah, sure... Anyways, most of you know I always have  a strange or funny story to tell about my life or soemthing that happened to me.

First story: This happened a few days ago on the way home from 3H, the ranch where we girls volunteer 3x a week. We share our driveway with 5 other houses. It is very narrow, and there is only one lane. What happens when you have 2 way traffic? Well, somebody has to back up until they find a place to pull over and let the other car pass. Now this is not as easy thing... Because there are very few places to pull off the driveway.  Most of the driveway is lined with just barbed wire and trees!!!! Anyways, we were on our way up  the driveway after 3H, and as we rounded the last bend we saw our land lord pulled off to  the side to let us pass. How nice :) Being friendly, I waved my thanks as I drove by. And what did he do in return?????!!!! HE SALUTED ME!!!!
For a few seconds I wasn't sure why... usually ppl just nod or wave in return...And then I colapsed laughing as I realized the reason he had greeted me in this way...

Check out the hat...LOL!!!!! That was the reason... He saw my hat and thought I was in the Service. By this time Al and Trina had also realized why I got a  salute and were laughing as well!


Ok. Next story. This one is a little more serious.
I was in Walmart the other day with my mom, just enjoying the thrill of riding the shopping cart around (yes, I know "how immature") trying not to crash into my mom or other people and as we were going down the shampoo isle a bottle of horse shampoo caught my eye. Can you belive it??!! Horse shampoo at Walmart, I love it!!!  Anyways I got distracted and stopped the cart to look at this shampoo deal, and lost sight of my mom
after a few minutes, I realized she was gone, so I went off to look for her. She was just coming back to get me. Anyways, we went over to the make- up department and she was looking at something while I entertained myself by watching a tube of mascara spin around inside this little case deal. ( Now THAT was entertaining) I must have been paying to much attention, because I suddenly realized that my mom had told me something important, and I had totally missed out on what she had said except for the ".....thats where I'll be" part. A few minutes later, I realized she was gone, and I turned the cart towards the check out area scanning the crowds for signs of my mom.  I knew she hadn't gone far, but I sure get tired of looking at  20 different kinds of black mascara, that all claim to do something cool, So I wanted to find my mom, because I was sure she was having more fun. :) As I stood there behind my cart rocking it back and forth while I scanned the crowds, This  black guy walked by and then stopped and came back. He was wearing cool shoes, and had those cool mirror sunglasses on (inside the store??!! duh...) and he had a bluetooth, too!  Anyways, he came up to me and said out of the blue "Hey, whats your name?"  (And here's where I  was an idiot, I told him.)  "Annick".
Cool dude: "Annick, wow thats pretty... So Annick, are you ok?"
Me (giving him a weird look) "Yes... I'm fine, thanks"
Cool dude: "Uh, are you here with somebody?"
Me: "Yeah, I'm here with my mom..." (thats when I started thinking this guy is weird, and stealthily reach into my purse until my hand closed around my Mossberg hunting knife)
Cool dude: "Oh...really... ok... Um, how old are you?
Me (somewhat smugly) "21"
Upon hearing this, Cool dude looks shocked then does an abrupt turn around and takes off.

Tsk, tsk, tsk... Isn't that just too bad!! And here  I thought he was genuinely interested in my well-being ;)   Apparently, I appeared way younger than I was, and he thougth I was a lost little girl. Man, you should've seen his face!! Priceless! but the next time this happens, I'll be ready. And this is what I'll say:

Cool dude"Hey, whats your name?"  
Me:  "Barfa".
Cool dude: "Barfa, wow thats pretty... So Barfa, are you ok?"
Me (giving him a weird look) "What does it look like to you???!"
Cool dude: "Uh, are you here with somebody?"
Me: "Yeah, I'm here with GOD." (thats when I started thinking this guy is weird, and stealthily reach into my purse until my hand closed around my Mossberg hunting knife)
Cool dude: "Oh...really... ok... Um, how old are you?
Me (somewhat smugly) "Older than you think I am, apparently..."

Once again, I have to thank my bestest adopted brother Collin for him timely gift of that hunting knife... It's quite reassuring :) So thank you, Collin :)

And there you have it my people!!! Another story!!!

Hope this never happens to you,
But laugh away anyway!

4 opinions »