End of Summer Harvest!

The wheat is cut and the Ortman's are cleaning up the machines! They officially finished cutting around Moundridge on Thursday and Shaun finished at Canton yesterday. Now off to plant the fall row crops, which will hopefully not interfer with our October jeeping trip to Cassville, MO. We missed it last year, and I really don't want to miss it again. We shall see! Here are a few pics from the week...

Loading the grain cart.

Unloading on the go.

Cutting the wheat.

Shoveling up the spilt wheat (1 of 2 piles!)

My New Purchase!

On Saturday I went with my family to Walnut, IA for their annual Antique Flea Market. The whole town becomes a giant Antique store, with every street filled with vendors (and LOTS of people). I had told Shaun I was going to come home with some piece of antique furniture- and I did! I don't know if that would be the case if he would have been there with me. He wasn't all too thrilled about spending the money I did on it. (He thinks that money could of been spent on something more worthwhile- like toy tractors or combines!) Anyways, here's a picture of the new furniture. It's still in Topeka, waiting to be sanded and repainted.

So I need your help, it was originally painted gray, but I kind of like the cream color on it right now. What color do you think it should be painted? It will be going in my dining room, where one wall is sage green and the other wall is like a toffee brown.

First Day of Harvest

Harvest has started! What more can I say?

Update: Ortman Bed & Breakfast

Woohoo! We've survived the house guests this weekend! The first round (of 10) arrived on Friday night around 11. After 2 basketball games, the boys were all very smelly and needed showers. They took over the basement and we just tried to stay out of there! There first game Saturday morning was at 9 o'clock and I decided I'd make the trip to Hillsboro with them.They won that game and didn't have to play until 5:45. So, everyone loaded back up and came back to the Ortman B & B. A few of them went to Wichita and the others vegged in the basement. My aunt and I got to work on Baby Shower invites and figure out what we need for the shower.

Shortly after my aunt and the boys left, my parents arrived. They decided to stay the night instead of driving a couple more hours. So we headed to El Cerrito in Hesston for dinner and then came back to the house. They are now gone, and it's very quiet around our house. Most of the laundry is done and I still have a fairly clean house, and I have NO IDEA what to do!

Ortman Bed & Breakfast

This weekend our house will once again become a Bed & Breakfast. I'm thinking we have a future in this business, but I think we're going to have to take some business classes, because right now we're not charging and if we keep this up, it won't be very profitable! :)

My cousin is playing in a MAYB basketball tournament on Friday and Saturday in Hillsboro, and instead of the team and parents having to find a hotel, we said they could stay here. So tomorrow night, we are opening our doors to my aunt and cousin, 6 of his teammates and a mom and a 2 year old girl. Yikes! Lots of people (and stinky highschool boys) for 2 bathrooms! I just wish they would have drawn Moundridge as their tournament location, sure would of been an easier drive for them.

I'm usually up for having people over, because it's the only motivation I have to clean my house! If we go a couple of weeks without having people over, my projects (scrapbooking and quilting) seem to take over the house, and since I think I have ADD, I never finish one thing before starting another. For example, there are currently 3 quilting projects sitting on the couch just waiting their turn to be finished.

From the Ortman Bed & Breakfast, have a great weekend!

VBS (and kitties)!

Tomorrow is our last day of Vacation Bible School in Moundridge. We've had a great week and the kids are really enjoying it. Today, I could tell that the kids are wearing down just a little, as they were quiet at one moment in the classroom! We had 19 kids the first day and 22 every other day. Here are a few pics from the week.

Making their picture frames...

Singing during our opening time

Leaping on the lily pads... "Jump, Jump, Pharoah is a Grump!"

I finally took pictures of the kittens this week, and they still don't all have names. They are very playful and I even splurged on some toys for them this week! This kitten is one of my favorites- I love the markings on the nose. He is also the biggest one and is getting very heavy. He makes about 3 of our little runt (which I'm trying to "bottle feed" and get back to health). Mama cat keeps taking the babies across the road on hunting trips (I'm not sure if she's trying to lose them or what, but she comes back by herself and leaves the kittens to fend for themselves going across Dutch Ave.). I sure hope a couple of these kittens make it and stick around.

Down on the Dock at Crocodile Dock!

VBS is here! Today was our first day of VBS in Moundridge. We had over 100 kids and 19 of those were in my Rocky's Preschool Playhouse group. Yikes! Did they ever keep me on my toes! I love how Group arranges their programs, with the opening and closing sing-a-longs, Bible stories, crafts, games, and Chadder's theater and once again, I'm enjoying Crocodile Dock! I am very thankful to be having the preschool class in my own room, as I know where everything is and I'm not too afraid of making messes and cleaning up after myself. I would really feel bad if I was invading someone else's place. I need to pull some ideas out of my hat to fill in those gaps of time. Three hours is a long time with 19 wiggly, bouncy, chatty, crazy 3, 4, and 5 year olds. Tomorrow (if it's not raining), we may venture to Black Kettle Park to kill a little time.

I am a little disappointed that I am not able to be at Topeka Baptist to help with VBS this year, but I think I might have my fill after this week. I know you guys are having a great time!

Please pray for the kids involved in VBS (both here and elsewhere), the workers and the community they are involved in. When children and adults get excited about God, you never know what's going to happen!