Camp in Autumn

Believe it or not, I actually had the *ENTIRE* day off on Monday! No babies, no pizzas and wings, just me and the Code-Man! We took a trip down to Mooers, where we helped Pa get his garage in a box set up. We had a wonderful lunch thanks to the McDonald's Drive-Thru, then we went on to camp to close up for the season. Unfortunately due to the summer's circumstances, we did not have much of a chance to stay at our camp this summer. Hopefully, things will be different next year.
The campgrounds this time of year is gorgeous! There is a beautiful blanket of freshly fallen leaves in all different colors, and it is so quiet and peaceful down there that it just draws me like a magnet. We took Brodie with us-along with her lifetime companion, her tennis ball. We got everything packed up and then we took a nice walk in the sunny peaceful afternoon air. And I, of course, took some pictures!
My favorite thing to do is to take pics of people/pets walking away from me..and this one really hit me cause Cody is so BIG and I love how Brodie is looking up at him!

Brodie has to be THE most photogenic dog on the planet..and she actually lives up to her name here, Brodie Blue!
Of course, the only reason she sits still for photos at all is because we hold her tennis ball next to the camera!
This one melted my heart! I *LOVE* my camera!
Another one of Miss Blue...notice she is sporting her new yellow/green John Deere collar...she finally demolished her green/yellow one!
That concludes our pictorial of our day at camp! I feel like I missed out on so much this year not being down there... Have a lovely Wednesday everyone!

Mother's Day 2010

Guess what??
Turkeys apparently like the snow...Pete finally got one today..

Mom and Cody were less than cooperative with their giggles and blinks today while I was trying to get a cute photo of them...


Fortunately, Cody did a better job with a pic of me and Mom! This one is a scrapbook page, for sure!! Stay tuned!

Back to reality tomorrow!
**Keri**

Spring on the English River...

Well, I have had my new camera for over a week now, and I gotta tell ya, I love it as much as I thought I would! The weather was gorgeous yesterday, and we were all crazy with getting stuff done. Here are a few pics from the last few days:
Our resident Canadian Geese couple that lives on our river bank. We just love to watch them raise their babies! Thank you, Kodak 26x zoom!!


And speaking of babies, what do you think of these two little pieces of heaven? Just look at those eyes!!


Here are a couple shots of my daffodils..they are going *crazy* these last few days..they are just so gorgeous-so many different colors and sizes. I take dozens of pictures of my daffodils every spring-this year is no different..I will spare you the pain of looking at them all-these are a few of my favorites! LOL



Humphrey and Hawkeye were *more* than excited to get outside for a snack yesterday...I swear, they have gotten SO BIG just in the last couple weeks! Their yoke barely fits any more, and we have to get a new one now! We do our best to make sure they are not bothered *at all* by our touch. Cody sits on them, we man handle their heads and horns, play with their legs, etc. Peter thought he would bug them yesterday while they ate..they weren't phased by him in the least!

Hoping for another nice day full of photo taking! Honey the dog has been here with us for a week-she is Kent's dog. But she won't sit still long enough to get her picture taken. SO...we are gonna try again today, as she goes home tomorrow afternoon. We will miss her!!

Have a blessed Sunday!

**Keri**

3 Generations of Farmers

So, I had this *GREAT* idea about a month back...of course, I thought it was great, but try getting 4 human beings of the MALE persuasion to pose for a photograph..HA!! Well, I thought, they can't get away at Easter...and Peter and Cody have to do what I say...Daddy? Mom can handle him...he has to do what she says...Kent? I just bugged him to death til he did what I wanted just to shut me up! Since Cody started taking Ag in school and joined FFA, he has had some very pleased relatives in his father, uncle, and pa. Daddy was in FFA back when NACS was Ellenburg Central School, so his coat is 50+ years old. Peter and Kent were in FFA back in the 80's. And of course, your FFA coat is something you NEVER part with...right up there with a wedding gown, prom dress, and scout uniforms! I thought it would be such a great idea to get a pic of the 4 of them together, all with their jackets! Of course, 3 of them had to hold their jackets as they are a bit bigger now than they were in the past, but they all cooperated very nicely and look at the cute photo I got! Daddy had bragging rights cause he had so many medals on his coat, then Kent pointed out the fact that you are only supposed to have a small amount of them displayed on the outside of your jacket-the rest have to be hidden on the inside...They were like 4 kids! I have some FFA scrapbooking goodies on the way to me from Ebay, so look for a scrapbook page soon!

Easter Weekend Re-cap...

What a quick weekend it was! The weather was gorgeous, and that just added to the great holiday weekend! It was busy, as usual-errands to run, chores to get caught up on..I found myself cleaning the chicken coop at 6:00 pm last night, Easter night! Duty calls, right?
Friday was a great day, I actually had a bit of time to myself, and I spent is outside reading a great book! After a trip to Plattsburgh for groceries on Saturday morning, the "boys" got the "boys" out...Pete, Cody, and Brock, got out their respective oxen teams out of the barn for some fresh air. Red and Jacob were happy to be out with Brock, as were Hawkeye and Humphrey with Cody. It was *very* warm that day, so they weren't pushed too hard..
Here is Cody with his team:

Both teams together for size comparison:

Humphrey gettin' a little lovin'!

I gotta say, this whole oxen training/commands thing is SO hard to get my mind around...I just stand there and take pictures..it really drives me NUTS when I don't know how to do something, and this situation fits the bill for sure!

Apparently, Easter is not what it used to be at the LaClair house. I had to DRAG my 14 year old out of bed at 9 am yesterday, and MAKE him look at his Easter basket...you would think the candy would be a BIT tempting!

Here's to a great week-thanks for dropping in!

**Keri**

Our latest oxen excursion...

Happy Friday and a TGIF to everyone! Boy, will this week ever end? Thought I would share a few photos from our latest outing with the oxen. Humphrey and Hawkeye have been suffering from cabin fever, and boy, were they wild when they got outside last weekend! Running, jumping, kicking and romping-it was quite a sight! They have grown so much over the winter, we were unsure if their yoke would even fit. It ended up still fitting, but with no extra room to spare. It is gonna be time to upgrade very soon!

Considering they have been in the barn all winter, they did calm down pretty fast, and they did pretty good with their commands and just walking along together in their yoke. They took a walk up the road, and came back to the house. They were exhausted by the time they made it back to the yard. They immediately started eating the snowbank!

Have a great day!

**Keri**

Puppy Love...

Remember when I said on Facebook that I was gonna scrapbook on Sunday? I did get it done, just not until Monday! I was kind of "stuck" as to what to do with the title...I wanted it in a circle, but I couldn't get the letters stamped evenly. Then I found these "Thickers" letter stickers at Michael's and knew they were perfect! Much easier to position, too! This is a photo that I took the first day we brought Brodie home. She was so tiny back then! And yes, this was in Cody's "long hair" stage, 3 years ago. I had the photo printed at www.scrapbookpictures.com where you can add all kinds of borders and enhancements. I get a LOT of my photos printed there...they have a ton of sizes to choose from, 3 different finishes, and a million different combinations of borders...I just love this picture!! I do believe this was the one and only day Brodie was remotely calm....

Here is a close up of the letters..yep, they *are* glittery! And the sticker in the center had such a cute saying on it...They are from a whole sheet of doggie stickers from the lovely Lisa Renea ! See? I am using them! Love em, LR! I framed the white cardstock circle with a round chipboard ring from Stampin' Up!. Patterned cardstock is My Mind's Eye, solid cardstock is from SU! Letters are Thickers and other stickers are from 7 Gypsies.

The last shot just shows another close up of some of the other stickers from the sheet that I used. I added little "bullets" by each saying, using the extra stickers from the letter sticker package. I think they were periods or colons or some such.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my latest creation! I have a whole stack of photos and ideas brewing in my brain, so hopefully, more to come!!

**Keri**

3 Pack

Look at this! I finished another scrapbook layout!! Two in a week, miracles happen!
I took this pic of the boys when we took them bowling after Christmas. It was perfect! All smiling, no goofy faces or tongues sticking out, just perfect! The boys have been in school together since Kindergarten, and are quite the threesome. They all have very similar hobbies and have always gotten along very well. They are all very good kids-polite, and always willing to help out.

The paper I used for this layout is from Basic Grey. I loved the colors and had been saving it for something special.

I made the giant "3" and the word "pack" out of chipboard that I had covered with matching paper. I got to try out my new Martha Stewart craft knife on the word "pack"..it worked great!

I used an assortment of cardstock on this page-Stampin Up!, Doodlebug Bazzill, and DCWV. Journaling was simple snippits of cardstock labeled, and stapled...Didn't want to dress it up too much, as it is showcasing three boys! So ribbon was out of the question...I did use some tiny blue fasteners on the corners of one of the cardstock layers, and they look cute!

Thanks for stopping by!

**Keri**

another reason I will be happy when winter is over...

But then again--it will just switch from rabbits back to turkeys... this never ends! Here is Cody with his latest rabbit. There are very few things i am unwilling to cook--I have cooked partridge (Shake n Bake), turkeys, deer, goose, heck, I might even consider bear..keep in mind I am saying COOK..not EAT...but I don't think I can cook a rabbit...seriously!!


But I can't help but be proud at the young man he is growing up to be. So responsible and kind. To people, anyway....
Have a Blessed Friday!
**Keri**

First Rabbit....

Cody had another big first yesterday--his first rabbit! If you want to know the truth, I can't believe he shot it...After having Rocky, the pet rabbit for several years, I never thought he would be able to do it, but he is growing up, and he got it! Thankfully, the rabbit was quite "patient" and sat their until Cody got him with the third shot! Dylan was here this weekend and took the photos so I didn't have to see the creature first hand. I have my limits, and this is one of them. Cody was a gentleman and asked me permission to hunt rabbits ahead of time yesterday, cause he knows how I feel about bunnies, and then he resisted the urge to talk about it for the rest of the afternoon after the deed was done. He did tell me that if there ever was a rabbit to shoot, this one was it--it was UGLY looking and DUMB cause it didn't know enough to run away after the first shot was fired. Gave Cody some good practice!!

Isn't he adorable? (Code-man, of course!)

Regardless of my feelings on the matter, I am so proud of my young man for being so responsible, and considerate, and above all else SO COOL!!

**Keri**

Country Boys..

Here is my latest creation..It had been sitting around half done since last week- I finished it last night-my new printer came in handy!
The title is a line from a song--I *very often* use lines from songs, or even song titles, in my scrapbook layouts..when I heard this line from a song- I knew it described Pete and Cody perfectly...as well as this photo!

Unsure of the brand of paper-I know it came from Michael's. The chipboard "&" is SU! and the red letters are Grungeboard. Ribbon is SU!

Thanks for stopping in!

**Keri**

Snow Buddy

Hello and Happy Monday!! I am so glad to be back to my normal (although chaotic) schedule! I do not do well on my own, with nothing to do. I function best on a schedule. Lord knows I have that with babies in the house!

I did manage to get another scrapbook page done yesterday amongst the bill paying and catching up on chores around the house. This will probably be the last Christmas/Snow related layout for a while, as I am so sick of winter right now!!

Most of the goodies in this layout are from Stampin Up. I think the green chipboard letters are from Walmart. Most of my supplies are quite a few years old, as I was a crazy buyer but not a crazy crafter for some time. Now I have quit buying for the most part, and want to start actually USING those supplies!?

This was a photo from last winter, one of the ones that didn't make the Christmas card cut for last year's card. It was really cute, though-and the black and white went well with this retired DSP Wintergreen from Stampin Up. The chipboard ring is covered with patternened paper, and lifted off the page a bit, with 3-d foam dots.

We are in the process today of getting *someone* to realize he doesn't have to be held while he sleeps...not a fun deal, but necessary in my case, with more than one baby.

Have a great day, and thanks for stopping by!

**Keri**

Frosty Friends...

Here is a scrapbook page I did today, while I watched my soaps. I had this 8x8 inch photo printed at the same time I had the Christmas card photos printed. Patterned paper is from My Mind's Eye, cardstock is SU! Snowflakes are My Mind's Eye and letters are Basic Grey and QK.

Thanks for looking!

**Keri**

Play...

You are not gonna believe your eyes, my friends! I completed a scrapbook page last night! This page was originally started at camp, yes, CAMP back the first week of August!! I had about half of it done, but just couldn't figure out exactly what to do next, so I kept coming back to it, then it would get shoved aside for something else (STARS). I finally got that pit I call a craft room cleaned last night, so I thought this would be my opportunity...I got this really cute pic of Cody and Bea last summer, and I knew it would be a perfect match for this paper I had laying around...I mean there is only so much you can do with bicycle paper...and it is so hard to keep the pages -not so- feminine sometimes!...so here it is!!

The flowers are layered die cuts, with large brads in the centers. The letters are that funky Tim Holtz grungeboard. Kind of feels like really thick suede. I painted them, and added rub ons over the paint. The photo was printed at scrapbookpictures.com.
Let me know what you think!!
Have a happy Sunday!
**Keri**

Re-cap!

I know, I know...this poor neglected blog!!
Here is a bit of a catch up...I promise I will try to do better! The good news is, I have been so busy with etsy orders that I haven't had time to devote to the blog!!
Here are a couple of pics from Halloween:
My trick or treats--most of which Cody ate:

My scariest trick or treater EVER!!

And my Peanuts, along with all of our carved pumpkins!!

Peter's 4 pointer::

Sprinkles the Moose, who has moved in next door to our house::

And the latest picture of Cody with Humphrey and Hawkeye...They are growing fast, all three of them!!

Thanks for stopping by!
**Keri**

Happy 14th Birthday, Cody!!

Happy Birthday to my baby boy! He is 14 today! What a difference from 14 years ago, huh? And a few people have told me that he may resemble his father....(HA!) The only thing he got from me is my gift of gab....Happy Birthday, I love you!!

Cody's Pumpkin Patch

Welcome to Cody's Pumpkin Patch! We had a WONDERFUL harvest this year...Pumpkin seeds planted in PURE POO...apparently the early onslaught of rain this summer, coupled with the better weather in late August, did the trick! We planted two different kinds of pumpkins this year. One type was a typical jack-o-lantern with green pumpkins that turned orange. The second type was BIG MAX, and they grew VERY fast, and turned from a pale yellow to orange. This type of pumpkin is often used by growers looking to grow HUGE pumpkins weighing hundreds of pounds...We basically plant and leave...and we had over a dozen pumpkins, most of a *very* substantial weight..the largest one weighed 42 pounds!! We finally had to pick the pumpkins the other night as it was VERY cold and we got a heavy frost.
Here is the sign I painted for the patch--

Here is Cody with the first pumpkin he cut from the vine--

Cody and Brodie in the back of the truck with the entire harvest...Brodie loves to be in the middle of the action! She actually weighs the same amount as the largest pumpkin!

And here is my girl again-she doesn't mind getting her picture taken at all..I think I am gonna scrapbook this one!

So now, we just have to make a point to not let all these pumpkins go to waste, and actually carve them!! I usually plug in one of those foam pumpkins that has a nightlight bulb inside, on Halloween night...Lame, I know...It is hard to get help carving pumpkins when your husband and son are out in a treestand somewhere in the middle of Churubusco!
Have a good night!!
**Keri**

Lake Alice Hike

We had the great priviledge of going on a hike yesterday, to Lake Alice in Chazy. The weather was *picture* perfect. It was a flat hike, lots of wooded trails...
We took our picnic lunch, and headed out with a group from church. We were out for a little over 2 hours, then rounded out the afternoon with a bit of fishing...
Here is a group shot:


Just striking out:

Picture of the lake--see the dragonfly I got??

Cody-*forced* to stand still for 5 seconds...

Right before the boys got away from us and lost us ON PURPOSE...not cool...we were almost lost, we thought THEY were lost...that is what happens when the Moms are looking down and chit chatting instead of paying attention to things ahead of us!

The boys pretending to fall off the foot bridge....so dramatic..

It was a really nice time! We are going to try to get in a few more hikes before winter. Hope everyone has a good week!
New items added to my etsy shop!
**Keri**