Fishing Trip to Bonnie Tank

A few weeks ago Justin came up with an idea.  He knew how bad Joshua, Jared, and Jesse have been wanting to go fishing, so he thought it would be fun to take them up to Bonnie Tank for a few days.  We surprised the boys and didn't tell them we were going until the night before.  Jaylon, Hannah, and Kyle came with us, as well as Micah and Micah David.  We all had such a fun time together!

Bonnie Tank

It's actually a pretty decent sized pond.

Our camp site was at one end but the boys did a lot of fishing on the other end.  We brought the four wheeler along so that made it easier to get back and forth.

Justin and the little bitty bass he caught :)

Jesse was up both mornings before all of us.  You didn't even have to ask where he was, everyone knew he was out there fishin' to his hearts content :)

He caught the little bitty bass on the left, released it, casted out again and caught a bigger one!

Redneck fishing at it's finest!

Micah floated out by this log on the inner tube...

He was holding onto the branch with his toes so he didn't float away from his fishing spot!

The boys sat/stood on this log dangling their lines in to catch crappie.

Jared hooked this good sized crawdad by accident

Monday afternoon Justin and I took the quad for a ride.  We saw this snake skin half way in a hole.  The snake must have shed it's skin just as it slithered down it's hole...or out :)

Back at the campsite Monday evening they decided to fish right out from the tents

Our sleeping spots for the two nights we were there.

Justin caught a fish on his line then handed his pole to Micah David so he could reel it in :)

Joshua caught this tiny little bass :)

Nice catch, Jesse!

Tuesday morning everyone left except us and the three boys.  They fished until around 1 in the afternoon before we started the drive home.

Nice bass, Jared!

Justin snagged this Gizzard Shad just before we left.  

(The boys all had damp towels around their necks to keep cool while they were fishing.)

Despite the 100+ degree temperatures during the day, we all had such a fun time fishing.  Even though they didn't catch any huge fish the boys were all happy they got to go.  They probably caught around 50 small bass, sunfish, blue gill, and gizzard shad.  Monday night we cooked the ones that were big enough to keep and they were delicious.

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:: Snapshots ::

You never know what you might find in a pivot while swathing! 

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Old swather blade vs the new.

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Poppy's puppies are getting big!  This one is Uriah's favorite, mine too! :)

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I've been having fun making cards with my new flower die set! 

Thanks Grandmommy!! ;)

Kyle turned 2 at the beginning of June so I made this card for him.  He loves airplanes so I thought it was fitting!  I found the idea off Pinterest and did my best to recreate it. :)

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Joanna and Juliana graduated this year!  Congrats girls!

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I saw these Teriyaki Chicken Pineapple Boats on a fellow blogger's site so I thought I'd give it a try.  They turned out alright for my first try, it's hard to cut a pineapple evenly through the top!! lol  I didn't have sesame seeds so I skipped that step.  If you want to try it here's the recipe with instructional pictures

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I hope you enjoyed these random pictures from the past few weeks!

Have a blessed day!

~Kaitlyn

Sun, Smiles, & Sweet Sentiments

A few days ago I turned 19, which is hard for me to believe!!  

Justin was planning to take off for the day and surprise me but somehow I found out a few days before...oops!  He told me he had something planned for the day but I wasn't exactly sure what it was.  The night before he told me we would be going to Parker Canyon Lake and renting a kayak for the day!  We had the kayak for four hours and had a blast paddling around the lake.  It was definitely a wonderful birthday surprise!!

It was a perfect day for kayaking!

 Enjoying some shade from a tree on shore.

Checking to see if I was helping him paddle... I was busy taking pictures! :D

We were relaxing in the shade when we heard a turkey gobble so we paddled over for a closer look.

We also saw a few baby deer!

We ended the day by having dinner with Joylin and Joanna in Sierra Vista.  Afterwards, Justin and I went shopping for a bit before heading home.  Overall, the day was filled with lots of sun, happy smiles, and many fond memories.  Now it's on to my last year as a teen! 

Farmer: "a person who is outstanding in their field"

For the past month Justin has been working long days on the farm.  There's lots to be done after the hay is cut!  I put together a little video to give you a peak into what it's like baling in southern Arizona.  First all the swathing has to be done, then the hay has to dry for a few days before they can rake and bale it.

(Joshua has been going to work with Justin and raking in the mornings.)

After all the hay is baled it's time to pick the bales up out of the field.

Loading the bales on the truck to take back to the shed.

All stacked in the shed, ready to sell.

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I love this picture!  The fluffy white clouds are just perfect!
(this is a stack of oat bales)

Hauling small rye grass bales out of the field.

Yard Sale Find Turned Into Coffee Table Decor

The coffee table Justin built for me was in need of decorations.

I had wanted to buy a white pitcher to fill with a floral arrangement but I didn't want to spend the $15+ that a new one would cost.  With all the thrifting I do, I was sure I could find one for a fraction of the new price.

While I was back in Pennsylvania going to yard sales with my mom, I found a white pitcher for only a dollar!  

I was thrilled with my find, but it had grapes and vines painted all over it...
Not really what I had in mind for coffee table decor!  

But with a can of white spray paint and a few coats, it looks good as new!!


Thanks to Justin for spray painting it for me!!

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I found a few floral bunches I liked at Hobby Lobby and they were 50% off!