The power of cell phones.................

With the ability of cell phones to send pictures just as quickly as they are taken, Ben and I rarely feel like we're not included in family events even though we're hours away.



What's even better is that as soon as we receive them in the phone, the photos are quickly and easily uploaded to all sorts of places like my facebook page and now blog!

What's a little bit of time.....

Time has left me nothing inspiring to write about lately. Too busy to stop and breathe, enjoy the blessings God has given us and write them down. But I am thankful today for time.

Ben and I got to spend time together today. After spending a week on the road, Ben was finally able to keep close to home for the weekend.....leaving me very excited when he informed me last night that he had nothing on the agenda today except to spend time together.

Its rare these days that we have the time to devote an entire day to each other, given our new responsibilities. To just get in the car and drive, using the windshield time to catch up with each other was a true blessing.

I love that we got to devote a little bit of time together today. Even if the 24 hours is almost up and we have many commitments to tend too tomorrow.

MMMoment

I love my new job. Not that I didn't love my old one, but being around these kids is where I was meant to be! I've been meaning to post for a few weeks, because I had a semi-brilliant idea to share with you some of my favorite parts of my job in a segment called

Melt my Heart Moments


I want to share quick little blurbs about the heart-warming things I hear from my kids, all 85 of them. Here's moment #1.

I was struggling, not feeling like I was connecting to my students - because I was trying really hard to gain their respect, lay down the law, an establish myself as their teacher. It is all part of the process, and I understand that - but it hurt my heart all the same. Two weeks into school, a very sweet 8th grader comes into my classroom - the first one in fact. He's always the first one, because he likes to visit before the rest of the kids get there. He proceeds to say, "Mrs. Williams', I need to ask you something. Can I call you Mrs. W?" I couldn't help but laugh, smile and say "Thanks for asking, you sure can!" He proceeds, "Okay!" and sets down. We go on through class and end the day. The next morning I'm met in the hallway with a hug and a "G'morning Mrs. W" from the same young man. A hug! Two weeks into school! You couldn't wipe the smile off my face.

Lesson: Hugs make a difference, give them away freely and frequently.

What a hiatus we took!

Finally, after the last few months - we've started to settle in back down in KANSAS and get in a rhythm of life.

Here's a quick update, in case your wondering:

1. We moved at the beginning of August. Back to Kansas, in Hutchinson, to be exact.

2. I got a teaching job in Haven, just 15 miles south of Hutchinson. I'm in charge of the FFA program and teach 5 high schools ag classes and one middle school ag class each day.

3. We sold our house in North Dakota, the papers were signed and we got our check on September 1st.

4. We've had houseguests - sleeping on the floor. We haven't got our bedrooms fully set up yet.

5. I haven't even had time to make a trip home. Or to see my puppy. Hopefully soon.

6. In addition to teaching classes, I also have to TAKE classes to get a teaching license. Which leaves little time for supper, dishes and laundry. But I'm not complaining.

Anyway, I should return to my online meeting/training that I'm supposed to be diligently watching. I promise to update again soon!

Babe, we got grubs.

We've been hustling and bustling lately, getting ready for the big move. But, just like Ben and I, the homestead place seems to slowly breaking down........................let me tell you about a few 'joys' of homeownership' we've faced in the last month. I hope you laugh.

First, I (Corineah) broke the lawnmower - for good. Like its not coming back to life. No new battery will save it. No sweet-talking will convince her to come back for one more try. Really, its been a work in progress......which stinks now that I have to PUSH mow the whole lawn. I guess the owners manuel is quite clear about what will happen if you run the mower out of oil. Oops.

We got a new push lawn mower. I hate it. Not only does it take 3 times as long to mow the yard, I can't zoom around like the crazy nascar driver I aspire to be. Fortunately, Ben feels bad about making me mow the whole yard by myself and has come to my rescue.

We got grubs. The white ones. The kind that can kill your yard. That kind. We treated them. You know this pesticide license I got when I became an extension agent is the best $75 the county ever paid for :) Now the robins and barn-swallows hate us. Just ask them.

The flourescent light in our entry way can't decide if it wants to burn out or not. Not a big deal. But - a realtor did break the back screen door when she was showing the house earlier this summer. She blamed a faulty door install. We told her she had to hang onto the door when there was 45 mph winds. She paid for the new door.

We've donated everything that is possible to donate in our house. Even a couple of things I was sure we'd go to the grave with. For instance, Ben's quesadilla maker. Along with a corona lamp from college and an old comforter - I think we gave away every last shred of stuff he brought into the marriage. That's kindof sad - no bachelor items anymore.

We're down to setting the television on a dining room chair because we gave away the entertainment center. Hope Mom and Dad are ready for the schnanigans they are about to drive into. But in case I forget, thanks for coming to our rescue Mom and Dad. We owe you. BIG.

This house selling thing is for the birds.....

I'm not sure why I'm discouraged before we have even really begun. I think its because it seems to be the one big obstacle to us moving back home.

We've had a few lookers, but for one reason or another we've not met the new family who wants to take over our dream house. I promise to even throw in the puppy.

We do have the listing posted on MLS, which is where people who are working with realtors can find home information. We hope that pulls in some bites.

Ben says I need patience, I think he's probably right. Patience has never been my strong suit, but I'm working on my faith.

Regardless, we could use some prayers if you have any to spare.

Wheatland, ND Home for Sale

Wheatland, ND Home for Sale, a set on Flickr.

Unfortunately, about the time we are ready for our big reveal of the house, we're putting it back on the market. This is the photos we took for the listing we are putting together. We truly love this house/property and cannot believe we are going to have to say goodbye....but we are committed to making the move closer to family. In the long run - we know we are making the best decision. (And we are very excited to be home!) Hopefully we can make another home ours soon!

In honor of my new playlist.....

I know many people have been checking the blog for an important announcement - but you'll have to wait a few more days....but in the meantime.

In honor of my new playlist, I wanted to share with you one of my favorite artists new songs....it just happens to be my new ringtone.





I'd take her new album "Hundred More Years" if anyone thinks I deserve a small gift. Hint Hint Ben!

P.S. If the video doesn't work - visit this site.

Meat Mythcrushers

I seem to rarely find time to talk about the industry I'm so passionate about.....but Ben forwarded me a tool/talking piece I cannot help but share.

Visit, www.meatmythcrushers.com to see what I'm talking about. I know my ag-rovate friends will find this particularly interesting as we continue to get the message out there about safe food production, healthy lifestyles and showcasing the family farms that make it all possible.

The work is a collaborative effort between the American Dietetic Association, American Meat Science Association, Am. Veterinary Medical Assoc., Council for Ag. Science & Technology, and Institute of Food Technologists. Kudos to those organizations for providing a united front! And share with any producer or consumer you think will benefit!

Softy....that's my nickname.

I love my pets. I let them run over me (figuratively and literally). The both sleep in bed with us and I cannot stand the thought of them experiencing physical discomfort......BUT............. We've had to enforce some tough parenting in the last few days. After Baxter ripped the second sump pump hose out of the house in three days - we decided (mostly Ben, but I think he probably has some merit to the argument) that something HAD to be done. You see, from my perspective - its not really Baxter's fault that he plays with things like hoses and sticks while he's home by himself during the work day. He is still a puppy. BUT - we did just sink a small fortune into renovating the house and can't afford the substantial water damage that would occur if water was allowed to constantly cycle right back into the basis for hours on end. And we really enjoy having a nice yard without being covered in garbage and sticks all over. So..........we spent yesterday afternoon building a dog house. A really nice dog pen. And we even put a couple of straw bales in there for shelter. He got accustomed to it for a few hours last night, and will spend the day there today. But my heart did hurt this morning when we pulled away and his big, beautiful dark eyes were staring at me as he just sat and watched us drive away. I hope he stayed warm.

Godsey Livestock Sale

As we look forward to moving past all this water - I wanted to spend some time telling you all about a couple of trips Ben and I took recently. In late March we were able to go back to Kansas for a few days to help my family put on their first stand-alone club lamb/show pig sale. The sale was a culmination of all the hard work my parents/siblings/cousins/aunts/uncles/grandparents had put in over the winter to provide quality projects for the upcoming 4-H show season. The event was planned with much precision and pride - and we were happy we could come home to be a part of the celebration. Here are a few pictures of the set-up of the facility my uncle let us borrow. It turned out to be a dreary, rainy day - but all the better for us because we were packed inside this nice dry "show-barn". One of the neatest parts of the sale occurred when a sleugh of boys picked up the sale ring, moved it quickly outside and set up a small arena for the 'parade' of pigs. This gave my brother a chance to discuss each pen of hogs to the bidders to explain the pedigrees, the prospect he saw in each hog and give everyone a chance to see the animal move around on concrete. I thought this was very thoughtful of the needs and concerns of the bidders to be able to see each animal individually - since many of them weren't able to come to the farm before the sale to see the animals in their normal housing. At the conclusion of the parade, the boys moved the sale ring back inside with the same effortless motion. Anyway - I couldn't find room to maneuver around once the sale got started but there was a packed house - YEAH! for the family.....and lambs and hogs got sent all over the state (and a few surrounding states). But for my brother, the fun really begins now that the sale is over. He (and my dad) enjoys visiting with the families about feeding decisions and how to develop the animal into a good project for 4-Hers. They also equally enjoy the successes and failures the kids/families endure over the next couple of months in route to their county fairs. Because sometimes more is learned in the failures of the project than the show-ring successes.

I'm very proud of them for all the hard work that went into putting on the sale - the payoffs are definitely well deserved. Each family member contributed in some way to putting on it on - and that is truly what is special about these sorts of events. For us, 4-H has always been one of our favorite ways to spend time as a family - and we hope that as those lambs and pigs leave our family to join another - they enjoy spending as much time as we did together all those years in the barn.

Remember that quilting class I took?

Remember that class? The three weeks and three hours/night quilting class I took? I somehow managed to get the top of the quilt done. And now I'll show you how.........

These were the fabrics I choose. Like many of my friends, I love anything that incorporates turquoise into the mix. To make it even better, I added brown....who doesn't love turqouise and brown?


Many steps were condensed to get to the squares you see here. But basically the meat of the quilt is made up on blocks of either the printed fabric or those pink/turq. blocks we put together. The homework from the first session was to have the strips cut and blocks made. 60 pink/turq. blocks to be exact, along with 60 printed blocks.

Homework from the second session included sewing all the blocks together to construct the face of the quilt. If you can see here, my printed fabric had a definite direction it had to be laid in - because it had a verse written across the fabric. The pink/turq. squares had to be arranged so that each print set of blocks were angling down through the quilt.During the final session we put the border and edging around the center of the quilt. Its not quite as easy as it looks since I had a directionally printed fabric. Thank goodness I had help.

Here's the finished product. I only have to decide what backing fabric I want and how I want to have it quilted. Most likely it will be machine quilted - I don't have the patience to do it myself.

All in all, it wasn't as difficult as I thought. Plus, I learned alot about general sewing techniques that I should have learned several sets of curtains ago. However, the class has created a monster and I'm alittle too excited to find time to start another one.

No happy camper.

I have a very grouchy creature in my home. With good reason......her life has been turned upside down by a 50-lb, balls-to-the-walls terror full of fur and crazy. Bernice has not-so-smoothly come into her own recently finally figuring out a purrrfect day's schedule spread out amongst her nap breaks. But then we pulled a fast one on her.

We brought home this guy......

In not so many words, he's the devil. But we love him.

Baxter joined our family of "B's": Ben, Bernice, and Bossy (me, as Ben so lovingly refers) about a month ago. It was another one of my notorious - "Ben's out of town, so lets do something rebellious I'll regret later" - moments. Less than 12 hours after I saw the add in the paper, I was hauling him home in the passenger seat of my car.

Now he spends his days chewing anything he can find (my new welcome mat, our beloved K-State windsock), eating cat-poop treats and wandering outside our house until we get home in the evening. He sleeps inside at night, but we were quickly made aware that our modest little 1200-ft house is not big enough for all of the crazy he unleashes on a nightly basis. So we've taken to walking him in the evening to wear him out. (I should remind you - we have yet to break the 35 degree weather yet and still have 24" of snow on the ground).

Anyway, we adore him....for the most part, until all hell breaks lose about 8:30 p.m. when we're about to call it a night. And we happily report that Bernice has taken to her own form of retaliation against him, even though she has no claws to do any real damage. But beware of any visitors to our place, she will molest you as soon as you come home, as remind you that she is the queen of the house.

A really great gift...

Ben was presented this art piece from his senior judging team at last week's Little International Agriculturalist of the Year Banquet. It's absolutely beautiful...........plus I can't wait to make it a focal point somewhere in the house.


It's hard to imagine how beautiful it is...so you should click here to see. The poem and photos of the heifers are laser printed on a cow hide and set in a beautiful western frame. This will forever be a reminder of the great students that Ben (and I) have the chance to get to know and grow to love during this adventure. If you remember last year, he received an equally beautiful color pencil print of a hampshire ewe lamb shown by a member of that team that proudly hangs in his office at NDSU. We truly appreciate these sentiments and smile each time we think of a little funny story about the team that year.

Just in case any one's doing some REALLY early Christmas shopping.

I won't say its because of my new found love of quilting (I won't jump on that boat yet) but I do think that I will be sewing for a LONG time.....so I think its reasonable to ask for this to be added to my Christmas (or birthday because that comes sooner) list.


You can find it here. I would like the 18 x 24 size. Its universal. And totally awesome. Plus I can store it.....since I won't have a designated sewing room any time in the foreseeable future.

Also - I'm starting my sewing wish list. Just so you know.

The new adventure

Last night was my first quilting class. Let's just say, it would have been helpful to know all the appropriate terminology and sewing techiques back when I first started sewing 6 months ago. I sure learned alot, and so did my teacher.

With the encouragement of my co-worker, I signed up for a Beginner 101 Quilting Class at the Quilted Ladybug in Moorhead. It meets for the next three Mondays for 3 hours in the evening and by the time the class is over, I will have pieced together my first quilt! YEAH for me!!!

Unfortunately for Ben, I loved it! He should have known by my ever growing stash of fabric in the office at home. I was in fabric heaven here - and thankfully, almost every receipt from our local grocery store has a 20% off coupon printed on the back.....can't resist a sale!

I can't show you the progress right now, mostly because it took three hours for me to learn how to use all the tools I've accumulated the right way. Who knew my rotary cutter was reversible for a lefty? Or that there is a correct direction the bottom bobbin thread was supposed to go?

This session, I learned how to use my ruler and rotary mat (yes, I know it should be pretty self explanatory BUT I really thought my rotary mat with the lines could double as a ruler......WRONG!) to cut perfect strips. To SUBCUT.....look that one up in Webster's dictionary. And to make both a 9-patch and a 4-patch quilt block with NO sewing pins, and never touching the fabric on the ironing board with my hands!

To make the experience even more like a class........I have homework. Homework. I have to put together 60 4-patch quilt blocks by next Monday's class. Please do not call me on Sunday. I beg you.

We (there are only 2 people in my class, which is good because I require ALOT of personal attention) are being taught out of this book.....I highly recommend it even if you are a veteran sewer/quilter. The book has a lot of pictures, tips and "OH crap moments" that reassure you that you can do it! The back section is even devoted to teaching you how to adjust patterns and how much fabric you should typically purchase for each size of bed.

Anyway, I'm very excited. Eventually, I'll get those centerpieces from our wedding put together into the keep-sake quilt I've been talking about for almost three years. But at the speed of my rotary cutter - it may take another three to just get it done. Stay tuned.

The intended post......

Like I mentioned, one of my favorite personality/character traits that Ben possesses is his loyalty - which includes his loyalty to his personal beliefs and doing what it right......what makes this fact even more admirable is that other people notice and admire it about him as well.

Butler County Community College hosts a blog about all things agriculture put together by students in the Ag Ambassadors club. Once a month or so - the blog features an alumni of the college whom is out in the industry/back on the farm or ranch/or owns a business that exemplifies what Butler hopes to show the current student body are possible career avenues, alumni contacts for potential careers, or "movers and shakers" from the program.

This month, they featured Ben. What an honor, right? See the post here. Butler Agvocates - Butler Alumni: Be True to Yourself.

It was a bit embarrassing for Ben to see all of his accolades posted out there for the world to see - but I think he was even more humbled by the fact that the school recognizes him for his desire to treat people right, teach kids and do the right thing. Which is really truly something to be proud of - which I think he is fully aware.

So, here's a thanks to all that our Butler Community College has done for us - and keep on speaking on behalf of agriculture!

What a nice gesture......this post didn't go where I intended it too...

One of the many things I admire most about Ben is his loyalty - to his family, to his friends, to his beliefs. You could even say I'm proud of him for that character trait. So it makes me even prouder that other people notice it too - you'll see for yourself in a bit....

We've made great strides in trying to keep up with the friendships that we've greated through Ben's judging career..........including most of his former teammates, coaches and even some he judged against. Not only is fun to catch up with them on the rather un-occasional judging trip, livestock show, or wedding - but its also fun to see that so many of these people are the up-and-coming "movers and shakers" in the agriculture and livestock industries.

So, although I didn't have my camera out during the most recent rendevous of his former KState judging team - I hope you can imagine how blessed we felt standing in the yards of the Denver Stock Show in the presence of almost the entire team - no longer teammates - but friends exchanging hugs, compliments, and catching up on each others lives - and discussing the next occasion that will bring us all together.

Ben's former coach has even commented (I'm paraphrasing because I didn't hear it) "That's one of the neat things about your team, you guys genuinely like each other, and have stayed connected."

I also truly agree with Emilie when she said to me during the trip, "We might not see each other often - but we pick right back up in our friendship like we were just on the phone yesterday...."

Even though I wasn't on the team myself - I consider all of these people my dearest of friends - and I love catching up with all the wives (no husbands yet) of the teammates...often joking that we "married-in" to this fraternity of people who spends hours upon hours still "talking livestock" like they were still college kids comparing notes.

What I really started writing this post about I'll just post seperately because I got off on a tangent..but another friendship we've maintained over the years is with Ben's former coach from Butler and his wife....that's another fraternity I'm glad to be apart of - coaches' wives - because there are very few women who understand the travel schedules, the treat it is to be invited on a judging trip, the sly way we sneak in a vacation into a judging job, or the obligation to take notes about the shows the guys judge because we'll spend the ride home discussing the classes.

I'll end this unintented post with a small notes of thanks to all of our friends we've met through the course of his judging career. We truly enjoy and appreciate the small amount of time we get to spend together and look forward to the next trip.

There's more than one use for a doll crib....

I couldn't resist sharing this story.....................

A co-worker of mine gave her 18-month old great-neice a small doll crib as a Christmas gift this past year. What little girl wouldn't love a little dolly bed, right?

We found out that at this little girl's house - the crib isn't used to hold a dolly. It's a bale-feeder for the little girl's collection of toy horses. You see, at Grandma and Grandpa's house - the round bale feeder looks exactly like the crib to the toddler. So the little girl spends time each day lining up each horse in each spacing, so that they all have equal chance to munch on the imaginary hay.

I guess sometime's you never know.

Cattle, Corn and Co-Products -- Feeding Cattle in Nebraska

I wanted to share this video with you all - it was developed by the NE Department of Agriculture, along with the NE Corn Board. If you think a few of these gentlemen are familiar, you are right. All three of those dapper young men were my co-advisors and committee members during graduate school at UNL. Kind of makes me miss Nebraska a little more than usual. Great work these three have done to promote the beef industry in the state.

Christmas crafts..........some day we'll have kids of our own to spoil.

For some bizarre reason, I have a need to torture myself and to subject myself to stress-induced herpes outbreak (just the fever blister, people.) However, with my amazing foresight and a little extra planning - I finished this year's round of home-made gifts for the little girls just after Thanksgiving.

A little extra information: Since my neice was born, I felt the need to give a hand-made gift each year in hopes that she has a little something to remember her auntie and uncle if something, God Forbid, ever happened. To make it even more complicated, I discovered that you should always include all the children in my gift creation, because it will save you from having to re-create it again later.

The first year it was de-coupaged photo frames, last year it was the ballerina inspired tu-tu.....but slowly, the projects have gotten more advanced. This year, since I received my sewing machine as a gift this year from the hubby, I wanted to flex my sewing chops. So, I ventured to the fabric store, coupons in hand, and found a child's apron in the SEWING FOR DUMMIES section. Easy enough right? It took an hour trying to find the perfect coordinating fabric that would suit each of the girls personalities....................

I should back-up and say that we fully intend the girls to use these aprons and not merely store them in the closet. Since I un-knowingly started a Godsey family tradition by decorating sugar cookies for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, this will be a perfect occasion for the girls to be them to use!

This one belongs little Honey. The blue fabric is adorned with small pink chicken-like birds. In all of the girls aprons, I made a few adjustments to the pattern to make them a little more girly...I took some inspiration from the apron Ben bought for me last Christmas. The best thing about these little guys is that there is plenty of room to grow, since I added length to the waist tie.

Kait's is to reflect her more "flamboyent" personality. The whole fabric pattern has sparkles in it. Her pattern was further modified by the addition of a ruffled layer. There are small sparkly buttons and cute cartoon kitties all over her print.

Finally, miss Honey's was a turqouise based pattern with small bugs. Her's is my favorite color combination because of my particular affection for anything turqouise.

As is the usual fashion, I didn't have my camera on during Christmas this year. Hopefully Mom will supply me with some photos of the girls to share with everyone. In the meantime, Ben will be glad I didn't show you the photos with his upper leg as the apron model!

I'll let you know once my sewing machine and I relieve ourselves of our "seperation." It was a much needed break - but I did find lots of cute adult patterns that I'm willng to make people if they buy the fabric and give me a little time!

Cheers!