Confessions of a wanna-be cowgirl

I've got a new favorite. I'm addicted - hopelessly addicted. My sister, (who, now that I think of it isn't really the type to get addicted to this kind of story), turned me on to the following website: http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/ You have GOT to be kidding me. Go from city girl to country girl? My dream come true, only she did it a lot better than I'll ever be able to. The closest I'll come to wrangling right now is chasing both cats down the stairs because one of them had a "behavioral" accident on my couch.

Which one is it? The Seasick Tabby or Beer-Drinkin' Blackie?:

The world may never know. For now I'm cleaning out the litter box daily so that it's "an inviting place for them to open the floodgates" rather than on my sofa. "Shoot em" says my dad, "lock them in the basement for the remainder of their lives" says my husband. But I can't help it- I love my furballs. One just left my lap to curl up next to me as I type. "purrrrr"

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, The Pioneer Woman or "PW" as she calls her self to save typing time. It's not that I'm jealous, ok I am, I'm lusting after her life. Why can't I get up every morning to go "work" cattle in boots and blue jeans rather than putting on my oh-so-professinal attire and heading off to work?

My oldest sister said PW reminds her of me in an alternate life. I don't think we live alternate lives, I think she's just living the one I've always wanted. I told mom about it, she said: "well, it is kinda like you, andy's a pilot-boy (ok, when did that become the same as cowboy?) and you're a country girl." Mom, when did you start calling me a country girl? Haha, I wish.

I do find it amazing though how I kinda tend to stick out like a sore thumb in my family in that regard. I may not want to spend all day at a regular job, but I will (and once did) get up at dawn to throw on the same clothes I wore yesterday, throw my hair in a ponytail, and head out to spend the day throwing hay, scooping poo, and doing a mirade of other duties one might call kinda gross if you don't have the heart for it. Anyone remember the story CHR's resident farrier shared at my wedding? I won't repeat it. But for those of you that think you know, YOU KNOW.

I've told hubby time and again - our kids will be country kids. He knows I'm serious and agrees with me for the most part (I'm not sure he knows just how serious I am). Step two, Lord willing, in the Heemstra family household (step one being the house we own now) will be a house...with....land. I'm not talking an acre, in the middle of a subdivision, where the lots are large but still mostly landscaped and with zero shade trees. (I hatehatehate clear cutting for new subdivisions and then "replacing" the trees with seedlings(or yearlings, is that just an animal term?)) <--look double parenthesis :) Seriously, what's the point.......except allowing the developer to reshape the land the way they wants so they can get the most lots out of it. Blah, gimme trees!!!!!

So anyways, back to kids. I seriously wanna have about a half dozen of those "hillbilly deluxe" kinda kids, the ones that wear denim with denim, and aren't afraid to step in poop - hey, it happens. Cute outfits - yeah, i like em. But I hope my kids can be less worried about it than I was and just be their cute selves. Listen to me, sounds like I have kids, I just have these:

And this:

Far from a cowboy, but hey, he's my far-from-cowboy and it's not the cowboy I'm lusting after (fine, he's cute ok, read her novel, no man is THAT romantic, uhg) it's the lifestyle. It's something to strive for anyway. I'm not talking about being "that house" on the side of a highway somewhere with two sickly donkeys wandering a trash-strewn lawn and 13 kids with vacant expressions sitting on the porch, and a guard-turkey (sorry Uncle Mike, but it's kinda weird ok?). I'm just saying, I'd rather live simply and have a family that ers (spelling?) on the shall we say less main-stream? side than have a bunch of kids that are dependent on television and the internet (not saying I've never been a little guilty of this, hello Guitar Hero) to determine who they are and what is important to them.

**side bar** I am not saying everyone who lives a life other than the one I'd like to aim for is going to fail, it is just my opinion that for me, and usually for my husband (ok, he's never put as much thought into it as me, but he nods and says "yes dear" alot) this is the way we'd like to raise our kids.

**end side bar**

I have no more to say, except I think I'll go put on my boots (thank goodness I actually own a pair of those--I'm on my way!) and see if the dog wants to play run-away steer so I can rope him.