My Newest "JStaffordDesigns" Item

This is my latest "design" for my Etsy shop. I just wanted to share it on my blog as well. I am asking $30 for it. Jeff just loved this wine rack! He said it is one of the best things I have created. That's my Law-Dog for ya...so supportive and adorable!

A Chicken Summer Day!

Oh my goodness...it's a chicken and rooster update! What can I say, that I haven't already said? My chickens and Marty the rooster are fabulous! I enjoy seeing them everyday. I am counting down the days to their egg production to start up. Can't wait! Lets see, will it be July? August? Or do I have to wait until September, gosh darn it?! Only time will tell. They are all big and fluffy, and just plain adorable. Marty is loud and such a little stud. He does rule the roost! I love listening to them chat with one another, especially when it's time to settle in for the night. They make the funniest sounds!

So it's warm and very windy out. The wind has been blowing for the past few days, and we are under a red flag warning. What we so desperatly need is RAIN. MONSOON RAIN. The fire danger is super high and very much a threat. So please rain...happen soon!

I am happy it's the weekend. Love it when Jeff gets to be home. We will be hanging out, nothing too crazy. Have to show the rental house later today, yet again. I have showed it to five different people (and talked to a dozen more), and no such takers, as of now. That house needs to be rented out PRONTO.

That's all I have to say, for now.

A Snazzy Father's Day Weekend

Okay, so I know I don't have a lot of pictures of the weekend; and some family are missing from them...hello Kent, Mom Stafford, and Sabreena! I don't know what happened. Well they were all there as well.  It was a weekend, of much needed rest and "letting down." There was no stress, no drama; just good conversations, good food, and great family. We arrived in Crestline Friday night, and stayed until Monday morning. We even went to Dad and Mom Stafford's church on Sunday, which was really nice. You could see the people there are all close and supportive of one another. After church, we had Mark, Paula and Sabreena come up for a BBQ. Matt arrived earlier in the morning, so he could join us at church. The weather was fantastic, and we all did what we do, visit and eat, and ride around the steam engine, of course!

It's The Watering Hole! Oh My.

So, here we go. This may be the same male elk, but this is the second time in a week; with an elk STANDING IN our pond. Not simply standing around the edges, and drinking. No. Lets get our whole 1000 lb. body and wade in our pond. Thanks. We knew this could be a possibility. With the birds and squirrels there all the time; it was only a matter of time the elk would find it as well. It is a cool sight, but it also makes us a bit nervous...MEANING, we don't want the elk to puncture our pond lining, and let the leaking start. So far, we are okay. I whistled at this elk, and he just looked up at me. Not frightened at all. What a handsome, solo guy (for now).

Real Estate Agent, J. Stafford. How May I help You?

Today I had to clean one of our rental homes. It was tons of fun. Like, what I always want to do with my free time. I had my job cut out for me, but you know what people? I totally accomplished it, and this house looks awesome once again! We had Stanley Steamer clean and deodorize the carpets (the best decision EVER)! I took care of the rest. The kids were with me, but they didn't help. They just were loud and didn't want to listen. But you figure...their day was just as long, having to wait for their Mommy to finish up! I started cleaning at 9:00am and finished at 6:00pm. It was a long day, but thank God I got it all done! Jeff showed up after his workday, and helped out with some repairs and filling up the tank with water. I had the "fast-food" diet all day. From morning to dinner. That's what happens. I feel gross now. Oh well. So everybody...YOU INTERESTED IN THIS HOUSE? You answered YES? Fanfreakin'tastic. It can be yours to own or to rent. At one snazzy of a deal. A 3 Br/ 2 Bath, 1241 sq. ft., 2008 manufactured home, on an acre of land. Beautiful view of Bill Williams Mountain, in Williams...it's in the neighborhood we used to live in, before moving over to Parks. Come on, you know you want to live here. Don't lie.

Unbelievable, Yet True. I Know.

As some of you already know, we do not have a well with water. It came up dry, and we went down 400ft. Patch (the drill guy), did say there were signs of some "seepage" at level 104-108ft. Patch did do a camera test, and did find that moisture. You never know, maybe one day, water could find it's way and fill up that bad boy.

So moving on...Kent had his last day of first grade today! Summer break time! Come August 13th, he goes to second grade, and our little Samantha heads to kindergarten. What in the world. My baby will be going to kindergarten. But lets not worry about that, right now!

Jeff has been oh so super busy with work. Jeff  hired an assistant manager, to help him out; because he has been solo for months. That will help out tremendously...as in...Jeff can take some days off here or there, and maybe a vacation at some point? Well yes please.

Chickens and rooster are all doing well. Big and loud and adorable. Marty is crowing all the time, and I love it. I do believe he is actually communicationg with us. When he hears me or one of the other family memebers, he starts to crow. What a cutie, that Marty is!

Oh Lord, Hear Our Water Prayer!

It's happening, all over again. If you all recall...we tried for a well, here on our property, a few years ago; and it turned up dry, and our egos wounded. Well, we have been blessed to get to have a scientific water test done, five different areas, to see if and/or, water exists on our property. Three out of the five testing holes showed water and "repeatability." That's a good thing. So we settled on water site, three. It shows the most promising water read outs. We located a different drill company (a local one); got our permits, and ready to start the drilling process. Patch (the owner) arrived today with his big rig and supply truck, that also holds 2,000 gal. of water. We were amazed and shocked with how fast they made it down our hill, to the back of our property,(as you can see, with me taking a picture of the "butt" of the rig). It was an extremely tight fit to get both rigs back there; but they did it successfully. Thanks to Jeff, prepping the area, ahead of time...clearing out boulders, trees, stumps, etc. Patch and his guys set it up, and started with a little drill hole, to mark the area, and start of this great adventure! They all come back Monday, to start the serious drilling part, and so on each day, until we reach a conclusion IF we indeed have water. Now, this has been on our minds for a very long time. VERY. I ask that you all say a prayer for us, and for the men doing the hard work, to locate water on our property. Like I said, we feel very blessed that we are even able to do this again; and we know what ever happens, is God's will. This is an exciting time, but also a little nerve racking! Of course, I will give updates with our "hopes for water" drilling days.