A day in the life...

Yes, I Am...

2008-10-21T07:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am still alive.
Yes, I am a slacker.
Yes, it is true that I've abandoned my blog for several weeks.
Yes, I am the mother of two very young and very energetic children.
Yes, I am an animal lover currently caring for two dogs, three cats and a zillion fish.
Yes, I am quickly becoming addicted to quilting.
Yes, I am already addicted to Facebook.

Ok, now that I have all of that out of the way, I will post some pictures of our recent trip to Eastern Kentucky - Red River Gorge, Natural Bridge area. We had an AWESOME time! It was really the first vacation where we all had a wonderful "family" experience. The kids are old enough now to basically not need Mommy carry them everywhere, etc. They played together alot... it was just pure bliss. Here are a few pictures... most of them are geocaching related... only because I've already taken the time to minimize the size a bit... Notice the smoke in the background of a couple of the pictures. This is from the wildfire that was burning the first few days that we were there.

This is Round 1 of the pictures. Blogger seems to be bogged down a bit right now... I'll have to upload the others another time.

Enjoy the pictures...

Happy Birthday, Doggies!

2008-09-24T08:27:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we attended a Great Pyrenees birthday party hosted by a wonderful couple... in honor of their Pyr's birthday. Unfortunately, their "little girl" had been spooked by an earlier thunderstorm and wouldn't come out to attend the festivities in her honor. The rest of the people and their canine buddies had a wonderful time.

It was really awesome to look around and see so many of these beautiful creatures that had been adopted from the Indy Great Pyrenees Rescue group. John and Jane do such a great job helping to save these awesome animals and to pair them up with forever families. There will surely be an extra-special place for them when they cross over the Rainbow Bridge. Can you imagine all of the animals that will be there waiting to greet them? They have touched the lives of so many!

Here are some pictures of the event...

As Promised...

2008-09-18T06:38:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pictures from our weekend trip to Ohio. Unfortunately, I didn't wind up getting any wind damage pictures. However, the pictures below pretty much capture the rest of the big hitters from our visit... Enjoy!

The newest member of the family... Isn't he sweet? Kinda makes me want another baby. Wait! Snap out of it!!!!

Various members of the family rockin' out! Obviously, it was a hit with the the younger and older generations. This game was SO much fun. I think that Doug is contemplating getting a Wii now.

The big mulch fire that we saw on the way home. The picture really doesn't do it justice. This thing was nearly as big as our yard! If you look closely, you can see the aerial ladder shooting water onto the flames.

Oh, and Reason #4

2008-09-15T17:14:00.001-07:00

How could I forget this reason?!? See, I really did need a big old shot of caffeine earlier...

4. Baby Samuel - We got to meet our newest nephew! He was such a good baby... I heard him only whimper once the whole time we were around him. I guess growing up with 8 siblings kind of makes you immune to the commotion going on around you.

Doug is working late tonight. Perhaps when he gets home, I can have him download pictures from the weekend... Stay tuned.

Need Caffeine... Now!

2008-09-15T08:26:00.000-07:00

Oh boy, it's one of those days... I am SO tired. It's nearly noon, and I feel like it is either 4:00 a.m. and I need to go back to bed... or it is 11:30 p.m. and I need to go to bed for the night.

We had a really nice, but tiring weekend. Saturday started out as usual with the kiddos swimming lessons. We came home for a quick lunch and headed off to Ohio... dropping Shasta at doggie daycare on the way. Poor doggie... Anyway, we got over to Doug's mom's house and enjoyed a nice dinner with them. Doug stayed up late watching Ohio State get pummeled by USC... I went to bed "early" with the kids... early meaning 10:30 or so.

Yesterday, both of Doug's sisters came over to his mom's house for a get together. Several of the "crazy cousins" were there, too. James played with one of his cousins nearly non-stop the whole time. It was so sweet to watch the two of them play together. The cousins that were Amanda's age didn't make it... but, she was still able to have fun.

Three big things made the day very memorable:
1. The reason we got together - One of our nephews is getting ready to leave for military training at the Great Lakes Naval Center in a few days. It was kind of like a little "good luck and farewell" get-together for him.
2. Hurricane Ike - even though we were in Central Ohio, it felt like Ike was going to literally blow us away. One house in their neighborhood lost nearly all of its siding on one side... Unbelievable! There were toys, patio furniture cushions, trash cans... you name it, it was flying by the windows. Several times the lights flickered but never did stay off.
3. Rock Band - Oh boy! This was FUN! I had played Guitar Hero at the neighbors house before, but this was kicking it up a notch. There was a drummer, a lead guitar and a bass guitar. Another option was to have a singer, but they had forgotten the microphone at home. I had so much fun... Doug even tried it this time, and he loved it, too!

Because of the high winds (some topped out in the high 70 m.p.h. range!), we wound up staying much later than we usually do. I think that we left around 8:00 p.m. or so. On the way out, I noticed a bunch of smoke and a huge... and I mean HUGE orange glow in the sky. Doug and I went back and forth on if we should check it out or not. After changing our minds two or three times, we decided to try and find out what it was. It was a gigantic mulch fire in a nearby city. I found a blurb about it online this morning and it said that it had been burning all day yesterday... wonder if they ever got it out?

Driving home was odd... especially in Ohio. There were several tree limbs, leaves and other items littering the shoulders of the roads. Even driving on the interstate was surreal at times. Most of the road was normal, but at times, we would encounter exits that had NO lights at all... even areas where there were hotels, restaurants and gas stations. I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like to live in an area that took a direct hit from a storm like this...

So, today we went and picked up Shasta. We're just trying to get through so that we can get a good night's rest tonight and try to be a bit more coherent tomorrow. Whew...

Funny!

2008-08-28T05:30:00.000-07:00

I read this on one of my homeschooling groups this morning. It had me laughing so hard... Perhaps you'll get a good laugh, too. Here are some great answers for the question, "What? No school today?!?" The kids and I haven't really been asked this yet, but I'm sure that as they get older, we'll have to answer it... I'll keep these in mind...

~~~~~~

10. Well normally yes, but this time of year I need help with the planting and plowing.

9. Goodness, no!!! I graduated 18 years ago, but thanks for the compliment!

8. No, we homeschool. We're just out to pick up a bag of pork rinds and some Mountain Dew, then we gotta hurry home to catch our soaps.

7. What?! Where did you guys come from?! I thought I told you to stay at school! I'm sorry. This happens all the time. (sigh)

6. There isn't? Why, you'd think we'd see more kids out then, don't you?

5. We're on a field trip studying human nature's intrusive and assumptive tactics of displaying ignorance and implied superiority. Thanks for the peek!

4. On our planet we have different methods of education. (Shhh! No, I didn't give it away... keep your antennae down!)

3. Oh my goodness! I thought that today was Saturday...come on kids, hurry!

2. Noooooope. Me 'n Bubba jes' learns 'em at home. Werks reel good!

1. "What? No Bingo today?"

~~~~~~

Yes, It's Me...

2008-08-17T07:30:00.001-07:00

I'm still here. The whole thing with Friday's Feast being out of commission has really messed up my forced plan to blog at least once a week... I've been busy, of course, and my blogging has suffered. What a bummer.

Here is the Cliff Notes version of what we've been up to:
http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
  State Fair a couple of times
  Rode the Fair Train once
  A two-night's stay at Caribbean Cove - what a blast!
  Our pond now has water, tadpoles and goldfish... along with a few plants
  Doug is leaving for a week in Sweden... today!
  Amanda has a couple of teeth that are a wee bit loose
  James is doing great with his potty training
  Started Kindergarten (homeschooling!!) with Amanda and have found that James is much more interested in learning along with her this year - yahoo!!
  Went Geocaching yesterday with our awesome neighbors and had a blast
  Went to an inspiring, yet heartbreaking memorial to a wonderful lady that lost her battle with breast cancer

Ok. That is about it in a nutshell. Perhaps I can get around to posting some pictures soon. Sorry that my blog has really fallen off lately. I'll try to get it back on track soon...

Odds and Ends

2008-07-25T06:17:00.000-07:00

Well, there is still no "official" Friday's Feast this week. I read that the chef has been having some virus issues with her computer. Bummer... I really look forward to doing those little quizzes each Friday. It gives me something fun to look forward to as I wake up.

The sweet corn has come in around here. The kids and I drove up to a local farmer's market place the other day and got a dozen ears. Oh, are they yummy!! The neighbor's chicken has been enjoying it as well. Every time that we cook some to eat, the kids insist that we cut some off of the cob for little Meg.

On Sunday, Amanda and Shasta participated in the pet parade at the fair. It was so much fun... We had given a bit of thought about it before, but it wasn't until Miss B called and filled us in on the details that we decided to go for it... of course, that was about 15 minutes before we needed to leave. We dressed Amanda up in one of her favorite dresses and put a big matching ribbon around Shasta's neck. They both looked so "pretty in pink". They won Reserve Champion in their class! Amanda was so excited. She talked about it for days and days. Here are a couple of pictures of the girls:

And, here are some of the other participants:

Last night, I attended my first quilting class at a local quilt shop. It was a blast! I am so excited about it. I was able to get a lot of cutting done for my project... but, I do still have some homework to do. I guess that I have to get through the weekend first.

Gotta go for now... Doug's mom and her husband are coming over tomorrow. We'll be having James' birthday party on Sunday. The house doesn't look ready for visitors yet. Hope that I can make some progress today... a LOT of progress!

Fun on the Farm

2008-07-18T08:57:00.000-07:00

The kids and I had a great time yesterday at our local county fair. Farm Fun Adventure Day was held yesterday. You can read more about it here. A photographer from the paper took some pictures of the kiddos working on their craft. I haven't seen the paper today, so I don't know if it made the final edit or not... It was very hot, but the kids hung in there like troopers. As a matter of fact, after refueling with some milk and cookies, we headed back out into the sweltering heat for another couple of hours. We watched part of the 4-H Dog Show and went back through a few of the animal barns. I think that they had the most fun looking at the chickens. Since we have become so acquainted with our neighbor's chickens, it was fun to compare and contrast the different breeds.

On a somewhat related note, here are some pictures from earlier this month when we went up and picked cherries at Mom and Dad's house. The cherry pie that I baked was deemed "the best cherry pie" that Doug had ever had! And, of course, I had to include a picture of Shasta sleeping off all of her busy activity. Shouldn't I be the one sleeping on the couch after baking that pie?

Enjoy...

The Graduate

2008-07-15T06:22:00.000-07:00

We have an "official" graduate of the local PetSmart's Beginner training class! Last night, Shasta passed her final exam with flying colors. She then was able to participate in the graduation parade, complete with Pomp and Circumstance playing over the loudspeaker, around the store. She received a certificate and a gift (a big bag of doggie bone treats)... and, the best part was when she was able to put on the mortar board and pose for a few pictures. Here they are... don't laugh too hard.

Shasta with her graduation present:

Donning the mortar board:

Shasta's "official" graduation photo:

Hawk's "official" graduation photo:

It's Friday - Wahoo!!

2008-07-11T05:39:00.001-07:00

Time for a Friday's Feast. There wasn't one last week because of the birthday of our Great Nation! I'm sure that all two readers of my blog really missed it. LOL! Here is this week's feast. Enjoy!

Appetizer:
When was the last time you had your hair cut/trimmed? Saturday, June 7th... yes, of this year. As a side note... I just LOVE to have my hair done. The whole experience is just so relaxing... having someone else wash it, dry it... Oh, I love it! It's one of my very few indulgences these days.

Soup:
Name one thing you miss about being a child. I miss the stress-free lifestyle - no worries, all fun and playtime! I am still able to play with my kiddos and read books and play outside... just like being a kid. But, when all of that ends, I still have the adult responsibilities of running a house and keeping things going for the family.

Salad:
Pick one: butter, margarine, olive oil. Olive oil for certain... gotta stick with that since I'm on the "healthy" kick right now.

Main Course:
If you could learn another language, which one would you pick, and why? I think that I would have to say Spanish. Why? Well, I would be able to fluently sing along with the Wiggles when they sing "Ensalada de Fruit de Fresca". And, I would be able to understand what the waiters are saying when we go to the authentic Mexican restaurants around here. If on the other hand, I could pick two new languages, the other one would have to be Italian, due to my Italian heritage. When I was little, my grandmother tried to teach me a few words in Italian... none of them really stuck. Well, maybe a couple... grazie, ciao...

Dessert:
Finish this sentence: In 5 years I expect to be… in pretty much the same place that I am now. The kiddos will be 10 and almost 8. I will still be staying at home... tending to them and all the critters. I will be 43... I guess that right now, I am in a pretty secure and non-changing life phase, which is perfectly ok by me.

Catching Up

2008-07-11T05:24:00.000-07:00

Wow! I'm not sure where the time has gone. Apparently, I haven't posted a new entry since June 30th... Well, I know for certain that we have been extremely busy... Not sure where to start.

We had a splendid Fourth of July weekend. On the Fourth, we spent some time with two awesome families. We had a lunchtime cookout with my friend, Lowell, and his family. We hadn't seen them for probably close to a year. Well, Doug sees Lowell every week at golf... but, anyway. We went over, had a great meal and got to visit and catch up a lot. The kids had a fun time playing together, also, James was in seventh heaven, as he was the only boy. At one point, the girls picked him up and were carrying him around. He loved it! Later that day, we met up with our neighbors and went to our local parade... then back home to chat and sit around the campfire... and then off to our local fireworks (which were a huge bust).

On the fifth, we hosted a cookout at our place. Mendi, Dean and Anzie were in town, so they were able to attend along with Dean's Mom. My Mom and Dad came... and our aforementioned neighbors came over also. It was a house full! But, boy was it fun. We really do need to host get-togethers more often. At nightfall, the neighbor boys put on quite a fireworks display for us. It was the end to a wonderful celebration.

Our new neighbors moved in on the fifth. We've talked with the mom and daughter a couple of times. They seem like very nice folks. I thank God for bringing us nice neighbors. I know that he had a hand in it, since the mom is a Methodist minister. LOL!

The past week has been one of ups and downs. Mom went to her doctor for a checkup and got a good report... However, she had to do an overnight oxygen test, and it seems as though it didn't go as well as she had thought... She'll find out more today when she goes in for another test - this one a walking/oxygen test.

Darwin the duck flew the coop early in the week. We were all saddened by his disappearance. We all kind of expected him to leave sometime, just not so soon. Well, yesterday morning we received a call from the neighbors... and Darwin had returned! He spent the day sleeping in his pool. He must have had quite the adventure. As if that part of the story (his departure and return) wasn't neat enough... there is more to it! Our neighbor was at work yesterday and was chatting with her previous boss. She told him the whole story about Darwin's adventure. When she got done, he looked at her and said, "Your duck has been at my house." This man has a home on a large pond not far from where we live. He has a flock of ducks... and the last couple of days, there had been one extra. Low and behold, when he went home for lunch yesterday, he did a head count... and the extra duck wasn't there anymore. Miss B (our neighbor) and her sons banded Darwin last evening so that if he did fly away to her boss's home again, they would be able to tell for sure. As we were over there visiting last night, Darwin enjoyed some fresh worms and double-impatiens blooms from James and Amanda. After his snack, he took a bath in his pool... and all of a sudden hopped out, looked around, stretched his legs... and took off flying to the East (where the boss lives). It will be interesting to get a follow-up report to see if Darwin arrived there... It was a bittersweet event to see him fly off... kinda sad, but really kinda cool. Amanda was able to see him depart. I think that it helped her put all the pieces together, too...

I called the "Call Before You Dig" folks yesterday. They should be arriving any day to spray-paint nice little dots all over our backyard. As soon as that gets taken care of, Doug can begin digging the big hole for our little pond! I'm sure that he's excited about that...

Chilly Day

2008-06-30T06:39:00.001-07:00

It really feels like Fall outside this morning... or maybe Spring. Either way, it doesn't feel like the first day of July is tomorrow. It's kind of nice. It is only 65 degrees (at 9:45 a.m.) and is only supposed to get into the mid-70s.

We had a great weekend. We spent a lot of time outside... playing, mowing, picking cherries at Mom and Dad's. I just love the fact that the kids are old enough to run around the yard and burn off energy. It's also great to be able to share the great outdoors and all of the wonders in it with them.

The Japanese Beetles have appeared. They have taken up residence in our "weed garden" - the garden that we never planted... or weeded this year. At least they are eating the weeds and not the other "good" stuff. We have been plucking them off into glasses of water and feeding them to our neighbor's chicken. They are like nice little crunchy snacks for her. It's great! We eliminate the beetles; she gets an enjoyable snack.

Amanda has been wanting to get some Fourth of July decorations. Yesterday, we headed over to JoAnn and picked up some neat stuff. As we were turning into the parking lot, we spotted a couple walking a dog. Amanda, being the social butterfly, proudly yells, "HI!" out of the truck window. She's so funny. She has definitely come out of her shy shell.

Well, today will be filled with loads of laundry and a trip to the grocery store. Shasta has her 6th training class tonight. I think that we will be the only family there... should be a pretty quick class.

Friday's Feast

2008-06-27T11:39:00.000-07:00

I had a lovely time with my neighbor last night. We went to a local bookstore that has a nice coffee shoppe inside of it. We were able to chat the night away... I didn't get home until a bit after 11:00 p.m. It's so nice to have finally found someone to "escape" with and talk about "mom" stuff...

Not sure what this weekend holds. I'd like to continue getting some yardwork done. We are slowly but surely chipping away at the mulch pile. I have one more area to week (not counting the vegetable gardens). I also would like to start working on clearing some of the area behind our fence into the woods. Doug did a first pass a few weeks ago with weed killer. It looks pretty nice. Now, we need to do a bit more clearing and mulch spreading back there.

Amanda has talked Doug into creating a little pond in our backyard, too. That will be an awesome addition to our area. I still would like to eventually tear down our small storage shed, build a pergola there... and have the pond nearby (with a small waterfall). It would make a lovely place to relax.

Lots of possibilities...

It's time for this week's feast... enjoy!

Appetizer:
What is the weather like today where you live? Today the highs are to be in the high 80's... although right now (2:45 p.m.), it is only 80. It's humid. There is a chance of storms later. Pretty much your typical Indiana summer day.

Soup:
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how career-minded are you? I've got to say 1. Right now, I have no desire to work outside of the home. Even though I complain sometimes, I am totally committed to the fact that my responsibilities are here with my family. My focus right now is on raising our children to know what truly is important in life...

Salad:
What type of window coverings do you have in your home? Blinds, curtains, shutters, etc.? Oh gosh. I guess that we have "all of the above". We have shutters on the outside of the house, but they are purely decorative... not functional at all. We have blinds on most of our windows and close them at night. We have curtains on most of the windows, too... but, again they are purely decorative. We really don't close them.

Main Course:
Name something that instantly cheers you up. Oh, this is easy... When either of my children tell me that they love me.

Dessert:
How many times do you hit the snooze button on a typical morning? Oh, another easy one. Zero! Because I don't set an alarm. If by chance, I do have to set an alarm to get up for an early doctor's appointment or something, I get up immediately when the alarm goes off. I don't want it to drone on forever and wake up other sleeping beauties in the house.

Fowl Fun

2008-06-25T05:24:00.000-07:00

Our neighbors are just the best! They have two teenage boys... and serve as an adopted "uncle and aunt" to our two kiddos. They have the best critters, too. Snakes. Frogs. Turtles. Fish. A cat. Chickens. A duck. The kids just love to go over and visit. The mom in the family promises me that they don't mind. I just don't want to become a nuisance.

Anyway, we really enjoy visiting on Tuesdays which are Doug's golf nights. Last night, we had our weekly visit... and, here are some of our pictures. As you can tell, it was a blast! I just love the one of Darwin the Duck hopping out of the water to get a worm out of Amanda's hand!!

Enjoy...

Ok, I Give...

2008-06-20T05:38:00.001-07:00

More continued excitement... almost more than I can handle.

On a good note, Mom is home from the hospital. She finally got to come home late Tuesday night. She is still on oxygen, but at least she is in the comfort of home. That makes a huge difference.

While Mom was in the hospital, Dad arrived home one evening (Sunday, I think), to find that a large tree next to their garage had been struck by lightning. The lightning had also come into the house and had at least one of their outlets in the garage smoking. When everything settled, they had to have a few circuits replaced... and a component on their stove replaced. At least Dad wasn't home and standing in his normal "storm watching" position... at the garage door... right by that very tree.

I finally gave in and went to the doctor yesterday for my poison ivy. The first few spots were starting to dry up, but new spots were still appearing... and driving me nuts. I got a nice steroid shot in the bum. Amanda wouldn't watch, but James did. After he saw that I got a Shrek donkey band-aid, he said, "Bubby, too!" Needless to say, he didn't take a needle for his desire to have a cool band-aid.

While we were at the doctor, Mallory escaped again. She somehow popped half of the bottom of the screen in the laundry room out. Amanda was devastated when we discovered it. The kids and I walked around the neighborhood, alerting everyone that we could find. For those that we couldn't find, we stuffed "lost" flyers in their mailboxes. Then, we drove around and stuffed some more in mailboxes on the other side of the woods behind our house. While we were out driving around, the neighbor boy spotted her at the edge of the woods behind his house. We all walked around back there calling for her and clanking the cereal bowl (since she likes to have milk out of cereal bowls...). Well, we didn't spot her again. We kept calling for her throughout the day and evening. We kept praying that she would appear again (shortly!) like she did the last time she got out. We did another search right before bedtime... to no avail. I woke up about 2:00 a.m. and thought that I should open the door and give a call for her. I did... and, heard that lovely jingle of her tags!! She ran up to the door and was safely in our home. Whew! I guess that she won't have "window privileges" again... Darn cat.

On a cool note, I discovered some oak tree saplings while finally finishing up the front yard last night. Doug and James transplanted one of them into a blank area in our front yard. It will certainly be fun to watch it grow up to be big and strong (I hope!) as James grows up to be big and strong. I can just imagine looking back and saying, "Oh, I remember when you and your daddy planted that tree... It was just before you turned 3 years old. It seems like only yesterday."

Mimi, Dean and Anzie are due into town today! Yeah!! They have had a couple of showings on their house already, and it sounds like one couple is wanting to make an offer. Awesome!

Have a great day and weekend... Here is Friday's Feast!

Appetizer:
If you could live on another continent for 1 year, which one would you choose? I think that I would have to select Australia. I've never been there, but I have heard that it is just absolutely beautiful. I know that they have some great beaches and surfing... so, how could you go wrong?

Soup:
Which browser do you use to surf the Internet? I use Firefox. My husband has set up our family computer to run in Linux... and selected Firefox to be our browser. I have no problems with it... seems to work great for me.

Salad:
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), how much do you know about the history of your country? Wow... there always seems to be one question each week that stumps me. This is the one for this week's feast. Honestly, I really didn't enjoy history when I was a younger student. I think that I've learned more in the last few years though from visiting museums and reading with the kiddos. I guess that I'd have to say 6... Surely this number will improve as the kiddos get older and we continue our learning experience together.

Main Course:
Finish this sentence: Love is… This question makes me think of Snoopy back in the 70's. Wasn't there a time when he was used on t-shirts and the like with that phrase? Need to go look that up...

Well, to get on with the question, I guess that I would have to say:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4

Dessert:
Have you ever been in or near a tornado? No, but it is one of my greatest fears. When I was young and impressionable, my mom was usually home with us in the evenings along, as my dad worked the late shift. One summer I think that we had Tornado Warnings at least once a week. I'm not sure how many times we had to hide in the closets. That whole experience really formed my fear of tornados. The last few years, Doug has worked to bring me back the other way. I'm not as scared as I was, but still get uneasy when severe weather is in the area...

More Family Excitement...

2008-06-13T04:49:00.000-07:00

Well, we received a call last night that Mom had been admitted to the hospital. She had been fighting a nasty cold basically ever since Grandpa's funeral. She got it a couple of days after it... and has been dealing with it ever since. She finally broke down and went in to see the doctor and was quickly diagnosed with pneumonia. So, she'll be spending a few days in the hospital receiving antibiotics and much needed rest. The kids made her all kinds of "get well" artwork that I'll be delivering later today.

It's raining here... again. Our yard is beginning to look like a hayfield. I'm not sure when I'll get the chance to give it some attention.

I am starting to break out in poison ivy. I haven't had a bad case of it since Amanda was a wee little baby. I guess that I'm overdue. I was pulling weeds back in the butterfly garden and apparently got into some p.i. there. Yuck. This won't be fun. So far, I've noticed itching on my neck, my right arm and my belly... Somehow, I wound up with a nice itchy patch inside of my belly button. That took talent...

For now, here is this week's feast:

Appetizer:
Do you consider yourself to be an optimist or a pessimist? I am definitely an optimist! I always try to have a positive outlook on things... although every now and then I slip. I always try to have a smile on my face and look on the bright side.

Soup:
What is your favorite color of ink to write with? Without a doubt BLACK. I think that it looks so much more clean and crisp... and it's easier to read than blue. Love the black ink!!

Salad:
How often do you get a manicure or pedicure? Do you do them yourself or go to a salon and pay for them? I had my first "official" (read - one that I paid for) manicure this past winter. My neighbor and I went to a salon and had our nails done. It was fun. I would love to have a pedicure sometime... haven't done it yet. As for painting my nails on my own, I do paint my toes quite often. Amanda (and James!) like to have their nails done. Right now, they are into having me paint dots over their base color. It's fun. I usually don't get a chance to paint my fingernails, because I don't sit still long enough for them to dry. However, I did paint my left pinkie last night to show Amanda the color of the polish that I just bought for her... a nice light purple color.

Main Course:
Have you ever won anything online? If so, what was it? Oh wow... I don't think that I've ever won anything online. I see where some blogs have giveaways and stuff... but, I've never won anything.

Dessert:
In which room in your house do you keep your home computer? We keep our computer in the Family Room. We used to keep it in the den... but the den became the guest room... and, then it became James' room. We moved it out here when Amanda was just a baby. It's nice to have it here, because if someone is on the computer playing Suduko (Doug!!!!), he can still be with the rest of the family. LOL!

A Few Pictures

2008-06-12T06:29:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've posted any pictures... I actually had a few free moments to edit some. Of course, now James is literally climbing on my head. Ok, now I'm safe. He discovered the bug finger puppets that he and Amanda got last night at summer reading club... Whew!

Anyway, here are a few recent pictures. I know that I still need to go back and do Round 2 of Doug's birthday which was back in April... and I need to continue my "every car that I've ever had" series, too. When will things slow down so that I can get back on track???

To the pictures...

James and Amanda working on hard a painting project... birdhouses to put in our woods!

Amanda and James taking a break while playing on the playset at Uncle Dave and Aunt Shari's house in Ohio:

The kiddos doing all kinds of fun things while their cousin, Anzie visited... watching Thomas, making brownies with Aunt Mimi and going on a ride in the wagon.

Purple Monster and Digging Dog

2008-06-11T14:32:00.000-07:00

Amanda apparently had a bad dream last night that somehow involved a purple monster. She wouldn't tell me at first why she was scared today, but I could tell that something was wrong. She was following me around like a little shadow (more than normal...), and she wanted to cuddle... all morning. Finally, I got her to admit to a nightmare... then she finally gave up some details. Poor thing. If I leave the room for a second or two, she gets a little frantic looking for me. Hopefully, she can have a happy, peaceful rest tonight and forget the purple guy.

I just discovered that Shasta has dug up and destroyed our chili pepper plant. I planted all of our veggies in pots this year to try and give them a chance of survival. We set them in and around our "normal" garden area... Looks like we'll be relocating them to an "outside of the fence" location this evening. Drat.

The kids are into the Wiggles now. Honestly, I like them, too. Their songs are very catchy... the characters are quite funny - especially Captain Feathersword. Last night, the kiddos picked out the Wiggles Safari DVD at the library. It is great!! The late, great Steve Irwin is in it with his wife and daughter. It's a bit eerie watching him... but, he is so awesome... so energetic and in love with what he does. Of course, the animals are super, too...

Oh, the other day I had an appointment with the dietician at the doctor's office. Nothing like meeting with her two months after receiving my flunking numbers on my bloodwork. Anyway, it seems as though I am doing nearly everything correctly on my new and improved diet. Of course, I have blips here and there... like eating two frozen pods of chocolate chip cookie dough today... oops. But, overall, things are great. I still need to bump up the exercise... The best news came when I stepped onto the scales. I have lost 16 pounds in two months!! I was ecstatic!!! No wonder my pants are falling off - literally!

Gotta run for now. Doug is due home soon. We're cooking chicken fajitas on the grill for dinner - can't wait!!

Monday's Feast?

2008-06-09T06:12:00.001-07:00

The Friday's Feast chef had been on vacation for a couple of weeks, so there had been no feast. I got out of the "groove" and forgot to do last week's feast on Friday... So, here it is now a couple of days late. Enjoy...

Appetizer:
When you drink soda/pop/coke, do you prefer to drink it from the bottle, a can, or after pouring it into a cup? If the can is cold, I usually drink it straight from the can. If it's warm, I'll pour it over a nice heap of ice in a glass.

Soup:
What television show are you willing to stay up late to watch? Hmmmm. It has to be pretty good for me to even watch it in the first place... Lately, all that I've been watching is the "create" channel, and we watch that in the afternoon. Boy, I can't imagine what would keep me up late. Maybe a special music concert on PBS or something... Maybe an IndyCar race...

Salad:
Name one person, place, or thing you think of as brilliant. The person that invented air conditioning!!! It has been unbelievable hot and humid here the last few days. Yesterday, I had sweat rolling down my face while I was sitting on my bum, using my trowel to put dirt into flower pots. What a wonderful treat it was to seek refuge in our nice 71-degree house...

Main Course:
Would you be willing to work 4 10-hour days instead of 5 8-hour days in order to save gas? Sure. Not only would it save gas, but it would be pretty cool to have an extra day "off" every week! Of course, being a full-time mommy I never get any time off. On the plus side, I can sleep in however late the kids do and stay in my jammies until lunch!

Dessert:
If you were a superhero, what would you call yourself? Wonder Woman. She was my favorite superhero when I was growing up. I even had a latch-hook pillow of her!! As for today, I amaze myself at the things that I am able to do in a given day, while constantly being on call as a referee, doctor, teacher, head chef, maid, grounds keeper and CFO of the house... Hence, Wonder Woman.

Jumpin' Jellybeans... It's June!

2008-06-02T11:56:00.001-07:00

I have NO earthly idea where the month of May went. It totally evaporated into thin air, I guess. We were very busy last month... lots going on. I guess that just kept me pre-occupied, and I didn't realize that the month was slipping by so quickly.

I'm doing good. The funeral for Grandpa was very nice. There were tons of people there! He obviously touched a lot of peoples' lives while he was here. The day was just perfect... blue skies, comfortable temperatures. My Grandma is hanging in there. The day of the funeral, she was very confused and messed up at times. I think that since the stress of everything is lessening a bit, she is doing better. Thanks to my loyal readers (both of you - LOL!) that left comments. Your thoughtfulness really does help.

The house next door has all but sold. Today, there was a gaggle of people over there while the inspection was being done. Hope that it went well. I can't imagine that there was anything major wrong with the house. The previous neighbors took great care of the place. The buyers seem like very nice people. I've talked with them... they came over asking a few questions about the neighborhood. She is an associate pastor with a Methodist church. He is an attorney for a town not too far from here...

I'm tired. I need about two or three more days to recuperate, I think. Yesterday was spent outside in the nice HOT weather. I pulled and clipped weeds that had grown up the chain-link fence. That was a treat. Ugh! I had Doug spray some weed/grass killer there so we shouldn't have to worry about that again... at least for a few months. Then, I mowed the front yard. Boy, it looks really nice right now...

Well, gotta run. Some sort of plea for help just came from the playroom...

Memories

2008-05-27T08:11:00.001-07:00

This is one of my favorite pictures of me and my grandparents. It was taken in late July 2005 at my cousin Brad's wedding. I think that both Grandpa and Grandma look just beautiful in it... It was such a happy day and such a happy time of my life, too. James would arrive just a few days later...

I have so many wonderful memories of my Grandpa. He was such a fun Grandpa! I spent the night at Grandpa and Grandma's house many times as a child. It was always an awesome treat. They had a large yard... a great old pair of swings... lots of animals (a dog named Bowser, many barn cats, pigs)... I got to ride to the grain elevator with Grandpa in the huge grain trucks. Oh, what fun that was! As if that wasn't special enough, he would always treat me with a Chocola. To be young again...

Other memories that I have of spending the night there include "green" bread and grapefruit juice. Living on a farm, days always began early. Breakfasts were always yummy and included grapefruit juice. I think that might be where I acquired my love of tart things. Grandpa was such a teaser... they always had Roman Meal wheat bread, which somehow we lovingly referred to as "green" bread. It was kept in a special drawer with a really cool slide top that you had to open once the drawer was opened.

When Mom went into labor with Mendi, Grandpa came to pick me up at Mom and Dad's in the big grain truck. He took me back to their house. I'm not sure who had the idea... probably Grandpa... but, I hid in Uncle Jeff's closet to "scare" him when he got back from school that day. I'm sure that part of that visit, like so many others, included riding around the garage on the pedal tractor. I can still almost close my eyes and remember doing that. So much fun...

On one of my birthdays, Grandpa brought me a HUGE jar of dill pickles. He knew how much I loved them and got the biggest jar he could find. I'm not sure how big it was... maybe a gallon?!?! To a little girl, it seemed like it was as big as half of the refrigerator!

Thanksgiving and Christmas get-togethers for that side of our family took place at their house. We would eat a nice meal, open presents... and Grandpa would crack out his Polaroid camera to snap some pictures of us all. Oh, I smile when I think of that Polaroid...

Grandpa never officially retired from farming. Sure, there was a point when the day-to-day operations were handed off to Uncle Jeff... but, Grandpa was always there helping out in any way possible. I think that he even helped out a bit in the fields until the last couple of years. Unless there was a "special occasion", he would always wear overalls. After they stopped raising pigs, the farm seemed so "empty". The farm wasn't empty for long, though. A few goats now call the pig area home. They are so funny... so neat to be able to take the kids there to see them.

In the last few years, it was hard for Grandpa to walk around the grounds. He got a golf cart to ride around in. He loved to take it all over and back to the woods... just riding around enjoying the land that he lived on for so many years. He once told me about the time that he helped his father clear off the land just south of their home... it had never been cleared before. That truly amazes me. They had to work so hard... with horses, bare hands and tools that are so much more primitive than anything that we could even imagine today.

Grandpa had his chair... the chair that he always sat in. It was positioned so that he could see out the big picture window and look across the fields across the road. He also liked to monitor who was coming down the road and coming to visit. We often would talk about the deer that he would see over in the fields... and I would tell him about the deer that we would occasionally get in our back yard. I dread the next time I go to the house and see his empty chair...

There are so many other thoughts that have surfaced in my mind over the past few days. It's funny how sometimes things get shuffled around and buried under the day-to-day junk that rises to the top... I could go on writing more and more... The big white recliner that they used to have that Grandpa would lay back and lift us up like airplanes on... the fact that they didn't have air conditioning until just a few years ago... leaving their house on summer evening, thinking that we were going to get sucked up by a tornado before making it to my other grandparent's house... Oh boy...

As I have said before, Grandpa was such a hard worker. He also knew how to have fun. He was a teaser... he was a prankster, especially in his very young years. He loved to play cards. He just overall enjoyed life. Mentally, he was sharp as a tack until the last year or so. He could recall stories from his youth like they had happened just days ago. I always enjoyed to hear him tell his stories, and I would try as hard as possible to etch them into my mind. Unfortunately, I don't have the awesome memory capacity like he did... He really did have several health issues in the last few years of his life, but as my mom has commented, he rarely complained. He was strong until the end... and, he is truly someone that I admire. I will always smile when I think back about him... always.

Farewell, Grandpa...

2008-05-26T11:30:00.000-07:00

Last evening, I received sad news. My grandfather passed away. He was 93 years old. We all knew that his health was rapidly deteriorating, but to hear that he was gone really did break my heart.

My grandpa was such a spunky man. Such a strong man. He farmed the land... worked with his hands. To see him in the last few months was to know that his body was tired. Now he is no longer suffering and is at peace.

Those of us that are still here will grieve and remember him... remember the funny stories that he would tell - stories of his youth, the changes that he saw in his lifetime. We will move on and look forward to the day that we are all reunited again.

I love you, Grandpa.

Fresh Feast

2008-05-16T06:32:00.000-07:00

Ok... trying to get back in the groove here. I know that I still need to post pictures of Part II of Doug's birthday. And, now I need to put up some "report" of our trip to Georgia, too. We had fun... it was hot, busy and crazy. We were able to geocache a bit, and we hit several parks to play. So much more to tell... it will have to be later.

For now, here is today's feast. Enjoy!

Appetizer:
What is the nearest big city to your home? Indianapolis, IN. We are in full swing for the month of May... It's time for the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing"... the Indianapolis 500. I've been there several times. Believe me, it is quite a spectacle!

Soup:
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how well do you keep secrets? I'd have to say 9. Sure, there are times when I might let something slip, but for the most part, I am a very trustworthy secret-keeper. I don't keep secrets from my husband... unless it's a surprise for him. I don't think that secrets (big or small) in a marriage are good at all.

Salad:
Describe your hair (color, texture, length). Blonde with added highlights... thick... shoulder length, layered. I would love to have it shorter, but Doug isn't a fan of short hair. I've got it just about as short as it can go without ridicule from him.

Main Course:
What kind of driver are you? Courteous? Aggressive? Slow? I tend to drive a bit more quickly than the posted speed limits... especially when we are on a long roadtrip. I wouldn't say that I am aggressive, but I am very defensive... always looking out for the other guys. I would consider myself a courteous driver... no need to be a jerk... why not help someone else out?

Dessert:
When was the last time you had a really bad week? I don't know that I've had a really bad week for a long time. I've had stressful weeks... tiring weeks. Probably the last time that I had one of those weeks was a couple of months ago when Doug was working tons of overtime - during the work week and the weekends. That pretty much stunk...

Leftovers... a late feast

2008-05-16T06:00:00.001-07:00

We were in Augusta, GA last week visiting Mendi and her gang. I totally forgot to do Friday's Feast last Friday... So, here is last week's set of questions.

Appetizer:
When someone smiles at you, do you smile back? Absolutely! Most of the time, I feel like I am the one smiling at the other person first.

Soup:
Describe the flooring in your home. Do you have carpet, hardwood, vinyl, a mix? We've got it all! Hardwood floors in the entry and dining room... Ceramic tile in the hall bath... Vinyl in the master bath, laundry room and kitchen... and carpeting everywhere else.

Salad:
Write a sentence with only 5 words, but all of the words have to start with the first letter of your first name. Sally suddenly sang silly songs.

Main Course:
Do you know anyone whose life has been touched by adoption? I know several families that have adopted children. One of my best friends from college and his wife have two beautiful girls that they adopted from China. They all couldn't be happier!

Dessert:
Name 2 blue things. My children's eyes... the ocean... I could go on and on. I love blue!

May Showers

2008-05-02T05:49:00.000-07:00

Wait... isn't it supposed to be May Flowers? Anyway, it is a nice Spring morning here in our little corner of the world. There is a light rain falling... it makes everything appear that much greener. The freshly mown lawn is looking awesome this morning. I love color outside! No drab brown and white winter for me...

It's already Friday. Time for another feast. Pull up a chair and enjoy!

Appetizer:
What was your favorite cartoon when you were a child? Honestly, I didn't watch too many cartoons as a wee one... I would have to say that my favorite would have to be the Pink Panther, though. Loved the music... loved the pink cat.

Soup:
Pretend you are about to get a new pet. Which animal would you pick, and what would you name it? Oh boy... If we were to get another pet, it would have to be another Great Pyrenees from our local rescue. We have already received such joy from our "little" Shasta. She is so sweet... so loving... Ok, sometimes she can be a bit of a handful, but she really is chilling out overall. As for a name... we would probably stick with the name that he/she comes with.

Salad:
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy getting all dressed up for a special occasion? Oh, a 10 for sure! I love to get dressed up! I just don't really have the opportunity to do it. I loved to go to proms and dances when I was in school... so much fun! What a difference a few (ok, a lot of) years make. Now, I don't even wear makeup and have a wash and wear hairstyle.

Main Course:
What kind of music do you listen to while you drive? Well, it totally depends on my mood... and my passengers. Most of the time that the kids are with me, we listen to Thomas the Tank Engine songs. I'm glad that they are catchy and fun to sing along with. If I am by myself or if I can convince the kids to break away from Thomas, we listen to smooth jazz (usually Euge Groove) or classic rock.

Dessert:
When was the last time you bought a clock? And in which room did you put it? The last time I bought a clock was about a year ago. I got a digital, red LED display alarm clock for James' room. It's pretty basic... but, it does have the super-big numbers so that I can actually read it in the middle of the night, if necessary.

Birthday Celebration, Part I

2008-04-30T06:28:00.000-07:00

Whew... I am still recovering from the last couple of weekends. We have all had a blast celebrating Doug's 40th birthday! The "official" birthday was this past Sunday, but we've been celebrating for over a week.

Two weekends ago, the kids and I took Doug downtown to Indy for an overnight adventure. I was brave and decided to board Shasta at a local doggie daycare place. She did great... Anyway, on the first weekend of the celebration, we stayed overnight at the Crowne Plaza Union Station. I reserved a room that was actually in an old coach car. The kids thought this was the most awesome thing that they had ever seen. We stayed in the Benjamin Harrison car...

Shortly after we checked in, we walked over to the Spaghetti Factory. We love to eat there and haven't done so in a very long time. I think that made the food taste even that much better... either that or it was the first "really bad" meal that I've eaten since going on my diet. We were seated in the trolley car at the restaurant and again, the kids thought that was way neat! After dinner, we walked through the Circle Center Mall. It was fun to just watch people. There were lots of "kids" dressed up for the prom. Amanda and I enjoyed seeing the beautiful dresses.

We walked back to the hotel, and I called the concierge to get information about carriage rides. About a half an hour later, we were riding around downtown in the carriage, listening to the clip, clop of big hooves. We all really enjoyed this. We left the hotel, headed north and then around the circle... then finally back to the hotel. It was a bit chilly, so we all enjoyed cuddling under the warm blankets... Our horse's name was Blue... even though he was black.

The kids had fun showing us all of their swimming skills in the hotel pool after we returned. They are both getting SO good! Amanda can basically "rocket" swim under the water all by herself. They both jump in and climb out all by themselves... Amazing.

We were all extremely tired by the time bedtime rolled around. I don't think that it took anyone much more than five minutes to be out...

In the morning, Doug walked around and snapped some pictures before the rest of us awoke. Actually, a train passing overhead woke Amanda and I up. She wanted to know if I had "heard the vibration". Cute. I think that she thought at first it was an earthquake since we've all been talking about that recently. Here are a couple of his pictures... One of a train and one of the new stadium that they are building. It is HUGE!

After checking out, we headed over to the Indianapolis Zoo. We had a great time... the crowds were very minimal. We were able to see several of the animals. We even petted some sharks! The lemur group had four babies - SO sweet! We actually didn't get to see them all, but one of them was sure putting on a show!! It has to be a boy... The kids thoroughly enjoyed playing in the play area at the zoo. You would think that this was the best thing since sliced bread... I'm not sure how much time we spent there.

We picked up Shasta on the way home. She had done great there and was totally worn out. I think that she slept the better part of the next day and a half. We were all happy to get home... and recuperate.

Feast Time

2008-04-25T08:18:00.000-07:00

First, let me say that it is a beautiful day here today! It is supposed to reach 80!! I am contemplating planting a tree with the kids to celebrate Arbor Day. The only trouble is, I'm not sure where we would plant it. I need to give this a little thought and perhaps visit the local garden store for some advice.

The trip for Doug's birthday last weekend was a blast! We had so much fun... all of us. More on this later. Pictures, too!!

For now, here is the Feast...

Appetizer:
Name something you would categorize as weird. Ok. When I first read this, the thing that popped into my head was an image of someone with a strange haircut and/or haircolor. Like spiked hair that is red... white... purple. Not sure why. I'm all for personal expression and creativity, but that is what popped in... No offense to anyone who may have their hair styled like that.

Soup:
What color was the last piece of food you ate? Brown. I just had a couple of pieces of leftover chicken... moments ago. Doug grilled some chicken breasts and tenders on the grill a couple of nights ago. They were YUMMY! I had a bit of our homemade bbq sauce with them as well.

Salad:
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy being alone? 1. You know, I have little "fantasies" I will call them where I am alone, sitting in the shade or a comfy chair, reading a great book. But, when it comes down to it, when I am truly alone, I don't know what to do with myself. On the rare occasion that I am at home by myself, I never relax. I clean... I do dishes... I surf on the internet and burn the time... I guess that I truly am the happiest when I am surrounded by my family or friends.

Main Course:
Fill in the blank: I will _________ vote for ___________ in _______. Wow, is this a loaded question, or what!?! I will eventually vote for competitors in a TV Show competition. I have never done it up to this point, but I think it would be fun to express my opinion through voting. I was oh, so close to voting for Helio on Dancing With the Stars last season... but, I never did it. I guess that he didn't need my votes anyway...

Dessert:
Describe your sleeping habits. I usually go to bed around 10:30 p.m. and get up around 7:30 or 8:00 a.m. I must admit that I still sleep with my little boy (who is not quite so little anymore) cuddled up next to me. There is just something about waking up, looking over and seeing that little precious person sleeping away so soundly.

Feastage!

2008-04-18T06:07:00.000-07:00

Wow. These were hard for me... especially after last night (see previous post...)

Appetizer:
Name a color you find soothing. The first color that popped into my head for this question was Lavender. I guess not only does the color soothe me, but I think about the scent of Lavender also... which is very relaxing to me.

Soup:
Using 20 or less words, describe your first driving experience. I first "drove" our riding lawnmower. Learned basic steering. Worked lots on my summer tans!

Salad:
What material is your favorite item of clothing made out of? The touch, the fell of cotton... During the winter, I practically live in my cotton flannel pj/lounge pants. They are so warm and fuzzy and soft. Of course, they're not so comfy in the hot, humid summer days...

Main Course:
Who is a great singer or musician who, if they were to come to your town for a concert, you would spend the night outside waiting for tickets to see? While I really, really enjoy live music, I can't see myself spending the night outside waiting for tickets. Maybe if I could be guaranteed front row seats or something... if that were the case, I guess that Robert Plant would be up there... so would Phil Collins... Diana Krall, too.

Dessert:
What is the most frequent letter of the alphabet in your whole name (first, middle, maiden, last, etc.)? This is a three-way tie. In my entire name (first + last + maiden + last), there are 3 a's, 3 n's and 3 e's. Boy, I had to really concentrate on figuring this one out. Fun, but challenging for my sleep-deprived brain...

Have a wonderful weekend! I'll be sure to post on how the "celebration" went!!

Where do I Start???

2008-04-18T05:47:00.000-07:00

Oh boy, it has been a very interesting 24 hours or so to say the very least... Yesterday, I took Amanda back to the dentist to have some more sugar bugs (a.k.a. cavities) removed from her teeth. She did great! I'm totally blown away by how calm she is there... Of course, it is a huge bonus that the dentist and all of her assistants are totally sweet and very gentle. Anyway, we have one more trip next week to get one more fixed, and she will be taken care of until October. Whew!

While we were at Mom and Dad's after the dentist appointment, they got a call from Mendi. Nothing unusual about that... but, the subject matter of the call was quite a shock. In three months, Dean will no longer be employed by his current employer. I don't know the entire story, but there is a good chance that they will be moving back to Indiana... which is a huge WAHOO!!!!!! While I am really excited about that, there is something that is unsettling about it to me. I think that it is just the amount of stress that Mendi (and the rest of them) must be under... and will be under to have to sell the house, move and get other jobs lined up. This caused me to be off-kilter the rest of the night...

We got back home, played outside, had dinner and discovered that a few things needed to be run back to the library. I volunteered to drive the things back over to the library... and when I got back, the kiddos were starting to shut down for the day. Amanda was really tired. We got her all ready for bed, and as I was shutting windows in the house, I discovered that one of the screens in the playroom had popped out. My mind went into overload... OH NO! I hadn't seen Mallory (Amanda's cat) for awhile... I was just certain that she must have escaped. Luckily, none of the other critters had escaped, as we were able to easily verify their presence.

After searching the house up and down, we gave into the fact that Mallory must be outside. Of course, by now it is nearly 10 or 10:30. I'm outside roaming around our house and the neighbor's house with a flashlight, certain that I'll either get shot at or arrested. Thankfully, neither happened. I searched. Doug searched. We called. We shook her cat food bowl. We clanked a spoon in a bowl (she likes to lick up my milk after I finish my cereal). I drove around searching aimlessly... Finally, at around 12:30 a.m. I dropped into bed.

Sleep didn't come easily, but I did eventually fall asleep. I woke up a couple of times through the night and checked the cat food and sheet that I had left on the front porch. No Mallory.

I was startled out of my sleep at about 5:30 a.m. by the bed and hutch doors moving around. Earthquake? No way! Sure enough, that is what it was!!! Here is the link to read about it:
Earthquake rattles Indiana this morning

Well, I woke up. Looked at the clock. Thought to myself, "Hmmm. Must've been an earthquake. I need to try and remember this when I wake up later..." Somehow, I was able to go back to sleep for about another hour.

About 6:30 a.m., I started the search mission all over again. I started spreading the word to neighbors that I bumped into. Did the drive around the "country block" again. I was certain that I had spotted Mallory at a home down the road a bit... but, it turned out to be "Bill" instead. I scared the kids in the family, who wanted to know if "that lady is taking our cat!?!?!" I returned home... empty handed. Amanda was still asleep...

About an hour later, the neighborhood cat, Buttons, came around. For a split second, I thought that the black tail that went past the door was Mallory, but no... I went out to ask Buttons if she had seen Mallory. About the same time, Shasta and I both spotted MALLORY! Shasta started to chase her, and I thought, "Great, I found her, now she is going to run away again. Geesh." But, she ran into our garage, where I was able to snap her up and take her inside... while Amanda was still sleeping. Thank you, God in Heaven!

So, that has been what's been happening around here. Now, we need to regroup and start getting things ready for Doug's surprise weekend!!!!

Stay tuned for Friday's Feast in a bit...

Substitute Feast

2008-04-11T08:35:00.000-07:00

Well, since the regular chef at Friday's Feast took the day off, one of the other folks that regularly participates, came up with her own list of questions. I've decided to use hers for today... Here it is!

Appetizer:
What is your favorite vacation spot in the United States? Oh man, do I have to pick just one?!? I'm going to cheat and list two or three... Ok, for the mountains, I really enjoy going down to the Smokies. This place is special to me. Doug and I have had some really nice vacations, just the two of us, there. And, we have also shared some awesome recent vacations with my entire family. For a beach vacation, I just LOVE the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We have spent several vacations there... I think that we were there for 10 consecutive summer trips. It's such a great place - especially the part that we stay in. Not commercialized and very relaxing. For the ultimate splurge, I would have to say that Maui would take the cake. Doug and I spent a little over a week there before having children. It is beautiful! A true paradise...

Soup:
If someone else (friend, co-worker, family) brings up a religious or political topic, how likely are you to join the conversation, on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 = not likely, 10=very likely). Hmmm. I would have to say that it would depend a bit on the exact subject matter. While I do have strong beliefs, I often don't think too quickly on my feet to be able to defend my stance. I guess that I would have to answer a 4 on this one...

Salad:
What song do you listen to when you feel very sad? I don't think that I have a particular song to cheer me up if I get sad. Honestly, I really don't get sad very often.

Main Course:
Someone you really admire is coming over for a home-cooked dinner. What do you serve him/her? I think that I would go with an Italian dinner... probably salad, garlic bread, lasagna and a nice red wine. I'd have to top it off with Tiramusu for desert! Yummy!!

Dessert:
If the only form of transportation left in the world is by animal (horse, mule, camel, etc), where would you live? I would live way out in the country. I would just love to do this... even in today's world. I get so frustrated by all of the hustle and bustle of the current lifestyles around here. It seems like everyone is always on the go, always running late, always trying to impress someone else. I would just love to get away from it all and enjoy the beauty and peacefulness of the land.

Beautiful Friday Morning!

2008-04-11T06:27:00.000-07:00

It is an absolutely beautiful Friday morning. We had some rain through the night... and, it just made everything green up that much more. The sun is shining and it is already 61 degrees. Can it get any better? I'm thinking of taking the kiddos over to the park later this afternoon. They are having a presentation on reptiles and amphibians... I think that we'll give it a go!

Until then, here is my feast!

Oh man... I just went to get this week's questions and here is what I found!
"Sorry, everyone - I need a week off from cooking up the feast. Feel free to fry up your own fritters this week. I’ll be back on April 18th!"

What to do... I'll have to give this one some thought...

Shasta Daisy

2008-04-08T06:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the kids and I went out to get some pansies for the flower pots on our front porch. Amanda had also wanted to look for some Zinnia seeds. Not just any Zinnia seeds, but seeds that grow to produce beautiful greenish-white flowers. The first place we went to didn't have the seeds, so we had to try somewhere else. While looking for the seeds, I discovered a packet of seeds for Shasta Daisies. I'd never heard of such a flower. How appropriate... and, of course, the Shasta Daisy flowers are white. Perhaps this is how Shasta got her name.

When I googled Shasta Daisy this morning, the above picture was the first thing that came back. I had to chuckle, as the same could be said about our canine version of Shasta. We are certainly trying to turn a bit of a troublesome "weed" into a beautiful "flower". I think that we are making progress... and falling more in love with her each day.

Weekend in Ohio

2008-04-07T07:41:00.000-07:00

We got back last evening around 9 p.m. from our Ohio weekend adventure. We wound up leaving on Friday afternoon... really early evening. It was nice to have the drive behind us and be able to sleep in a little bit on Saturday morning.

We visited with one of Doug's friends from high school and his family on Saturday afternoon. His youngest son was celebrating his third birthday, so we were a part of the celebration. I tried to stick to my diet this weekend, but it was hard... with pizza, birthday cake and ice cream. I just tried to eat in moderation. The kids had a great time playing with Rob's kids. And, everyone was healthy! A miracle with that many kids involved!!

Later on Saturday, we went over to Doug's dad's house to visit with him. We had more pizza there - yum!! My idea of a fun day :) After a nice visit, we returned to Doug's mom's house and pretty much all crashed. Well, I take that back... Amanda helped Grandma decorate the annual bunny cake. I think that they did a great job!

Sunday was the big "family get-together" day at Doug's mom's. We got up and had breakfast... and almost immediately after that Amanda was begging to do something "fun". So, we loaded up the gang, including Russ, and headed out to do a couple of geocaches. We were successful in both hunts and wound up spending some quality time at a playground. The kids wore themselves out... the dog wore herself out... and Russ snapped a few pictures. Here are a couple:

The entire family was there at the gathering... all 15 of Amanda and James' cousins (first and second) on that side of the family were there. Rest assured there were plenty of antics going on. I'm surprised that the house was still standing when we all left. Both of Doug's sister and their husbands were there... and so were both of Doug's cousins on that side of the family. We had a very nice time. The weather was just perfect. It's always nice to see everyone... we just really don't get the chance to get the whole gang together very often. Usually it's only on Thanksgiving, Christmas and sometime around Easter.

Well, for today, it is back to the normal grind. So far, I've been trying to catch back up on laundry. We've also had our morning painting session... not sure what is on tap for later today, but it is supposed to be near 70! We'll be outside playing for certain!

Feast Away...

2008-04-04T05:32:00.000-07:00

Another week has passed. We've been able to get outside to play, do some Spring clean-up, wear the kids out... you know. This weekend, we are off to visit with Doug's family. It should be fun... but tiring. Since we don't get over there too often, it is like a whirlwind tour of family and friends. I guess that we'll all sleep well... at least, we should.

I'd type more, but James it trying to take over the keyboard. Actually, it is pretty cool, because he is telling me all of the letters! Anyway, I should go for now... enjoy the feast...

Appetizer:
Invent a new flower; give it a name and describe it. My new flower is called the Giant Lilacinth. It is a cross between a lilac and a hyacinth with blooms that tower an amazing 12 inches tall. The fragrance from this amazing flower will make you think that you have passed through the pearly gates indeed... as it is the scent of a lilac multiplied by that of the hyacinth. The blooms on the flower can be purple, white, pink or the more rare pale yellow.

Soup:
Name someone whom you think has a wonderful voice. Ok, I'm going to break this into a two-part answer... One answer for speaking voice; one answer for singing voice. First, the speaking voice. I have recently discovered Simply Ming on PBS. It is a cooking show hosted by Chef Ming Tsai. He has got the kind of voice that I could listen to for hours on end... very smooth, well articulated. I don't know, there is just something about it. Now, the singing voice. Without a doubt, my favorite singing voice belongs to Diana Krall, a lady that specializes in the jazz genre. Not only is she beautiful, but her voice in itself is just awesome. Smooth, sultry... Check out some of her music sometime... I don't think that you will be disappointed.

Salad:
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how clean do you keep your car? In my previous life (before kiddos), I could have answered pretty high on this one. But, now the cars just don't get the attention that they used to. I think that we still keep them cleaner than the average person, so I would have to say 7. A couple of weeks ago, I discovered that Amanda really likes to help me wash the truck. Perhaps there is hope that we'll be able to start keeping them cleaner in the near future. Of course, the inside of the truck has tons of white, fluffy dog fur. That's a whole other chapter...

Main Course:
How do you feel about poetry? I'm not necessarily a huge fan of poetry and rarely just sit down to read it. However, in homeschooling Amanda I have had the chance to read some in the last few months. Some of it makes no sense to me... the abstract, non-rhyming kind. I guess that I am more of a traditionalist. I like the sing-song, rhyming kind...

Dessert:
What was the last person/place/thing you took a picture of? I had to go check the digital camera to answer this one... The last picture that I took was a picture of Mallory, our black cat. She was enjoying the fresh air and warm sunshine a couple of days ago. I had opened our bedroom window to let some fresh air in... and, she took advantage of it. The lighting was great for a picture, but as soon as she saw the camera, she hopped up into a different position. I still snapped a photo, though. It turned out pretty nice, but needs a bit of photoshopping to darken it up a bit...

First Car

2008-04-02T09:18:00.001-07:00

Ok... several posts ago, I had mentioned doing a blog on all of the cars that I've ever had. "Had" really means that they were my primary "drive". The first car was actually owned by Mom and Dad... they covered the insurance, the gas, the maintenance. I had the privelege of driving it as long as I obeyed the house rules.

The car that I learned to drive in (aside from the wonderful driver's ed car) was a 1978 Buick Regal Limited. It was similar to the one pictured above. However, it was a beautiful shade of light blue... with comfy light blue velour seating. It had an 8-Track tape player. I still remember to this day riding along with the family (before I could drive) and everyone singing along to the Smokey and the Bandit soundtrack... the Oak Ridge Boys... and countless other 70s tunes.

I got to drive this car to school sometimes... not always. If the weather was bad or if I didn't have any special events after school (especially my Junior year), I was relegated to riding the school bus. I remember getting the car stuck in the snow in the driveway... I also remember leaving my boyfriend's house in a huff and spinning the car on some wet leaves. How it didn't hit any mailboxes or trees, I will never know. I remember cruising with my buddy, Angelia, and hitting a huge pothole, thus leaving me a flat tire... only to be discovered late at night when we tried to leave Pizza Hut. Oh boy, I really was excited to call home and get my dad out of bed to tell him that one... And, I also remember getting backed into by a guy (who I later found out was a suspect in a murder case) and having to go home and tell the parents about that one. I vividly recall walking into the house with pieces of the light assembly in my hand to show Mom... hoping to convince her to tell Dad. That didn't work... That turned out to be a learning experience on getting estimates and repairs done on a car.

That car was a great car for our family. It hung in there for many, many years and miles. Dad didn't like to wear his seatbelt, and this one of the first cars that beeped at you if you didn't have your belt fastened. Dad had a metal insert made at work so that he could pop that in and stop the beeping. The bumper started rusting through, so it eventually was held on by a chain... that was a real classy look. But, nonetheless, it was a wonderful car. I still have the hood ornament and one of the wheel covers from it... If I can ever dig up a picture to scan in, I will.

I Went Public

2008-03-29T06:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I decided to post a comment on the "official" Friday's Feast blog. I figured that since I've been participating for a few weeks now, it might be a fun thing to do. I actually had two comments from other feasters... people that I don't know. Woohoo!! It seems that my readership may have just doubled in one day. Kinda cool.

Today looks like it is going to be gorgeous here. The sun is shining so brightly. As a matter of fact, it is shining in my face as I type. Gotta love it!! The kiddos have swimming lessons later this morning. I'm sure that plenty of outside playing will be in order after we get home from that. Amanda has been really funny lately. She is working on learning how to ride her bike again. She has been pretending that she rides through a tunnel and journeys to the Island of Sodor (from the Thomas series). This is similar to how the engines and a few select people can travel to the Island of Sodor on "Thomas and the Magic Railroad". She truly has quite the imagination...

James was a handful all day yesterday. I don't know if he picked up bad habits and attitudes from other kids at our 2 hours of "socialization" at Discovery Station the other day... or if it is just him progressing into another phase of terrible two's... or perhaps another phase of boyhood. He was just non-stop yesterday. Right now, he is still asleep... resting up for another day of excitement. While Amanda was riding her bike yesterday afternoon, James rediscovered that he can go down the slide on the playset by himself. Oh boy!

Doug got our taxes done last night. We are getting quite a hefty refund. Add that to the nice little stimulus rebate we are getting, and our savings account will get a nice boost. Yeah! Thanks, Uncle Sam.

It's Friday!!

2008-03-28T05:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!

Appetizer:
What does the color dark green make you think of? It makes me think of being in the middle of a nice, peaceful, lush forest. Oh, how I wish it were summer and we could be hiking and geocaching somewhere...

Soup:
How many cousins do you have? I have two cousins. My mom only has one brother... and my dad is an only child.

Salad:
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how honest are you? Probably a 9. The only time that I am not honest is when I tell little white lies to not hurt someone's feelings. The rest of the time, honesty is the best policy. Like a previous co-worker used to say, bad news doesn't get any better with time.

Main Course:
Name something that is truly free. Love.

Dessert:
Using the letters in the word SPRING, write a sentence. Sally put Rover inside Ned's garage.

Well, on Sunday, Doug and I celebrate 12 years of wedded bliss. I cannot believe that it has been that long since we were married... Where does the time go? I can honestly say that I am SO happy with him. I can't imagine my life without him and our children. I'm not sure what I did to get such a great guy... I was about to give up hope when we found each other. Happy Anniversary, Doug!

Shasta had her spay surgery yesterday. Poor thing... She doesn't feel the best today, as can be expected. Hopefully, she will just kind of lay low and let herself heal up completely. The vet said that she was still a bit engorged in her female areas, even though her heat cycle was back in late January / early February. He said that perhaps one of her ovaries might have been "misfiring"... whatever that means.

Yesterday, with our "dog free day", the kids and I had a lot of fun. We went to the Discovery Station at Conner Prairie. We all had a blast! There were so many neat things for the kids to explore and play with there. I went ahead and purchased a membership, so we will be able to go back... and go to the outdoor museum as much as we want in the next year. Should be fun!! We also stopped by a local farm supply store to see the baby chicks and ducks... how sweet and fuzzy! I can't wait for our neighbors to get their new baby chicks!

Good Friday

2008-03-21T09:42:00.000-07:00

I was trying to explain to Amanda today about Good Friday and Easter... while still trying to keep in terms that she could understand. I also didn't want to frighten her or cause too much focus on the death part. I instead focused on the hope that we have for eternal life with Jesus in heaven... and on the new life that is starting to emerge around us. Hope that I did ok.

I flunked big time at the doctor on Tuesday. I knew that I would, it was just a matter of how bad. My total cholesterol was 276... bad enough. But, my triglycerides were 397! Of course, that certainly has everything to do with how poorly I have been eating for the last... hmm... 5 years or so. Just this past Sunday, we went to Steak and Shake, and I calculated (post-doctor's appointment) how much my fat grams were in that meal alone - about 76 grams! Yikes!! My new goal, which I have accomplished each day so far, is under 40 grams of fat. Actually, that is pretty easy... so far. I also have to start an exercise program. I'm trying to figure out which activity will work the best for me... and my other responsibilities.

On a lighter note... here is today's Friday's Feast!

Appetizer:
Given the choice, would you prefer to live in the country or in the city? Without one ounce of hesitation - THE COUNTRY!!! I would be perfectly happy out in the middle of nowhere, in a house with my little family. I love the sights, smells and sounds of the country... and just the peace of knowing that all of the unnecessary hustle and bustle are far, far away.

Soup:
Who is the cutest kid you know? Well, of course this is obvious... and, it's a tie. My two little crazies!! They are cute in every facet of the word. They are so cute and precious to look at... say the cutest things... do the cutest things... What did I do before we had them?!? Of course, my beautiful little niece, Anzie, is a very close second!! I miss her! Did I mention that Mom and Dad are going to spend the whole weekend in Georgia with Anzie, Mendi and Dean...

Salad:
Fill in the blank: I couldn’t believe it when I heard ___________. And, this is "hot off the press news", folks! I just found out on Monday. I could believe it when I heard that one of my sisters-in-law is pregnant with her ninth child! Yep, you read that right!! Baby #9 is due in late July. Whew! Say a prayer for her and the rest of the gang, would you?

Main Course:
If you could star in a commercial for one of your favorite products, which one would you want to advertise? Hmmm... gotta think on this one for a second. Ok. I would want to advertise the Python, a tool that helps us clean out our fish tanks. I have really become appreciative of how cool this product is since I've been doing the majority of the fish tank cleaning lately. I remember when I was a little girl, that my parents would have to use buckets to empty out the tanks and rinse the rocks... Ugh. The Python makes it SO much easier and quicker. I'm sure that the target audience for such a product would be pretty narrow... so, there probably wouldn't be any TV commercials... but, maybe some print ads in fish magazines or something.

Dessert:
What type(s) of vitamins and/or supplements do you take on a regular basis? Well, up until Tuesday, I was just taking a Pre-Natal vitamin... No, I'm not pregnant! I have just continued to take that particular vitamin after pregnancy while I was nursing. It's a good vitamin, and I've just continued taking it. On Tuesday, I started taking some BeneFiber (Heart Healthy version), to boost my fiber intake and hopefully help to lower those pesky cholesterol numbers. It's funny, because before Tuesday, I was making fun of Doug for taking his "poop medicine", as I was calling it. Now, I'm doing it, too.

Weekly Feast

2008-03-14T07:06:00.001-07:00

Enjoy...

Appetizer:
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 as highest), how much do you like your own handwriting? 10. I love my handwriting. I know that probably sounds conceited... but, I so. It is very legible and pleasing to the eye. It is kind of a cross between printing and cursive... my own personal creation.

Soup:
Do you prefer baths or showers? For relaxing, I prefer nice, long bubble baths. Unfortunately, I don't get the opportunity for quiet baths anymore. So, I usually go for the quick and efficient shower. If I had my choice, though, it would definitely be a bath.

Salad:
What was the last bad movie you watched? Oh wow... I haven't really even watched many movies for a long time. I am just really not that into them. The last movie that I watched was "Thomas and the Magic Railroad". It really wasn't too bad... I guess that if I find a movie is going to be bad, I cut my losses and turn it off...

Main Course:
Name something you are addicted to and describe how it affects your life. I think that I am addicted to the internet. I check my mail several times a day... and, if I have any amount of free time, I find myself planted right in front of the monitor. Sometimes I am actually trying to learn something or do something productive. However, most of the time, I'm just burning time. I'm sure that once the weather gets better and we are able to be outside more, I will be spending less time on the internet...

Dessert:
Which instrument is your favorite to listen to? I love to listen to the saxophone... particularly while playing smooth jazz. Some of my favorite artists are Euge Groove, Boney James, David Sanborn, and Mindi Abair. We had the opportunity to see Euge in concert last June and it was AWESOME! My dream is to someday be able to go on one of the Smooth Jazz cruises... maybe in 15 or 20 years. Hope that they're still doing them then.

Signs of Spring

2008-03-13T13:19:00.000-07:00

Ok, as if I didn't already have Spring Fever... the last couple of days have really fueled it in a big way. Yesterday, the temperatures were in the mid-50s. Today, I think that they are in the low 60s. It is just beautiful... and, all of the snow is pretty much gone. There are a few piles of ice mainly that are hanging on until the bitter end.

We have noticed several sure signs of Spring in our neighborhood...
1. Robins have arrived.
2. We're able to open our windows and get lots of fresh air in the house.
3. Birds chirping and singing... which we are able to enjoy with the windows open.
4. Chives and Daffodils are popping through the ground.
and, the best sign that Spring is nearly here...
5. We were able to give the truck her Spring bath yesterday! Oh, it was great to get a bucket of suds and go to town. Amanda helped out a ton... James slept through it all.

We've also been getting a lot of outside playtime in. The kids have logged a lot of time swinging. We've been able to walk Shasta up and down our street several times... we even did a nighttime "family" walk last night to see the stars and the moon. James enjoyed my singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star". And, I was brave enough yesterday afternoon to load up everyone and go do a short walk on the Monon. It was great!

It's amazing how much the weather affects my mood...

Sleeping Beauties

2008-03-12T05:50:00.000-07:00

I just went in to check on James and Amanda, and they are both still asleep. Their little bodies haven't yet adjusted to the recent time change. They are both sleeping so peacefully, like little angels... not a care in the world. The next time they are running, jumping, being loud, I will need to force myself to remember these little sleeping beauties... They really are precious.

I've been up since before dawn today. I had to go in and get some blood drawn at the doctor's office. I haven't had my cholesterol checked since before I was pregnant with Amanda. I go back in next week to get the results. That should be pleasant... not. Since I have a history of high cholesterol, I'm certain that I will get a failing report. I've not been eating well - at all. I think that I'm in some sort of denial about what I need to eat. I'll probably get a wake up call about it next Tuesday. Until then, perhaps I should enjoy it while I can... "it" being chocolate, red meat, eggs, cheese, Coke... you know.

We were able to get outside and play yesterday. It was awesome for so many reasons. It was great to get outside and get fresh air... wonderful to hear the birds singing, even the pesky blue jay that was squawking as loudly as he could... great to let the kiddos and the dog burn off some energy... and great to see the beautiful blue sky without having to look through a window. I noticed that my chives are starting to send green shoots of life up from the ground... as are the daffodils (which Shasta is trying to unearth - ugh). We will certainly log more "outdoor" time today.

I have started painting the kitchen cabinets. This is a huge project, but it is going to be SO worth it!! I've got the game cabinet done, and it looks fantastic. Finally....

Oh, and Doug heard back from his interview. It didn't work out. I'm proud of him for going through the interviewing process and giving it a shot. It just wasn't meant to be this time. On a related note, he's been able to leave work by 5:30 for the past week and a half! Yahoo!!

TGIF! Time to Feast!

2008-03-07T06:05:00.000-08:00

Well, we've made it through another week. Doug has been home in the evenings more throughout this week. I am very thankful for that. It is just so nice to have him here... not just to "help with the kids" as he says, but just to have our family all together. Thanks, Doug!

Shasta was supposed to go in for her spay surgery today, but that got canceled. The guy at the Pyr Rescue that was going to take her decided to call it off because of the weather forecast. The vet is down south, and he didn't want to have to brave more snow to get her there and back. I guess that we'll try again in a week or so. I just hope that she doesn't come back into heat again before we get this taken care of...

This morning, we had a beautiful red-bellied woodpecker in our tree outside of the family room window. Up until the time that I looked for an image of this little guy, I thought he was called a red-headed woodpecker... but, he's not. We also had cardinals and a couple of other little birds. I do enjoy watching them at the suet feeders. Here is the red-bellied guy...

I am still looking into the "car history" entry. I might have to pull images off of the web, as I am still waiting for a good photo-editing software...

Ok, time to feast...

Appetizer:
If you could be any current celebrity for one whole week, who would you want to be? This one's easy... Angelina Jolie. Why? Well, jet-setting around the world to better lives for others... and getting to sleep every night with Brad Pitt. Need I say more?

Soup:
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), how much do you enjoy talking on the phone? I guess that it depends who I am talking to... If it is a customer service rep or health insurance person, I would say 1. If it is a good friend or family member, I would say 10. Overall, I guess my average would be 7. I don't mind talking on the phone, but I would much rather be talking to the person face to face.

Salad:
Name a charitable organization to which you have donated (or would like to). I just recently donated some baby stuff to our local Teen MOPS group. I think that this is a great group... providing Christian support for teenage mothers.

Main Course:
What is a food you like so much you could eat it every single day for a month? Actually, there are a few foods that I like so much I could eat every day for a whole month... The first would have to be pizza... pretty much any kind. I really love Pizza King and Ale Emporium pizzas, but I would have no problem eating Pizza Hut, Domino's, Papa Johns... or even a frozen Tombstone. I also love Mexican food... Oh, and that reminds me of another dish - this homemade corn/black bean/onion/lime juice/olive oil concoction that Doug and I discovered over the winter. I could literally eat a whole bowl of it in one sitting! I also love Chinese... When I used to work, the lunch crew actually went to our favorite Chinese restaurant four days in a row (we would have done five, but they were closed on Mondays). Geesh. Can you tell the way to my heart? Food!

Dessert:
Have you or anyone in your family had the flu this year? Oh, yes. We've all had it (see the post from last Friday). We are all SO ready for Spring... open up the windows and let all of the fresh air in!!!!

Hot Eats, Cool Treats... and a Surprise

2008-03-04T07:25:00.000-08:00

The kids did great at their check-ups yesterday (more on that later), so Doug said that we could go out for ice cream to celebrate. He let Amanda select our destination... she decided to go to Dairy Queen. We had just settled in for a nutritional meal of hot dogs, chips, nachos and bbq, when my long-lost work buddy and his family came in! What a great surprise!! We have been talking about getting everyone together for years (literally)... but, it is so hard to do with work, family and the other day-to-day stuff that life likes to throw at you.

Well, anyway it was quite a nice treat to be able to see Dave, Jenny and their kids. It's so funny how you can go years without really getting to visit with someone... and, yet when you finally get to, it's like you just saw them yesterday. I guess that is a sign of true friendship. Thanks for a fun evening, guys :)

Now, back to the doctor's report... Amanda and James both checked out great. They are both healthy and in excellent shape. Amanda weighs a whopping 34 pounds and is 43 inches tall. James is 28 pounds and 3 feet tall. They obviously have inherited Daddy's genes... tall (at least compared to me) and skinny! Amanda had to get three shots and was very brave during the whole ordeal. James lucked out and didn't have to get any. On the way home, one of them really was stinging her. After trying just about everything to get it to stop, a good old nap cured it.

I just found out that Mom and Dad are heading to Augusta for the Easter weekend. I'm jealous.

I read a blog earlier this morning that had a very cool entry. The author listed and had pictures of every car he had ever owned. That was pretty cool... Perhaps I can work on that. It would be fun to document the cars in my history... I'll see what I can come up with...

Feast and Flu Survival

2008-02-29T08:30:00.000-08:00

Whew. It has been a pretty rough week around here. Doug came down with the flu Saturday night / Sunday morning. Amanda and I came down with it on Tuesday... or was it Wednesday? Must have been Tuesday. Anyway, so far James has survived it. I'm so glad to be feeling "alive" again. I have actually showered, paid bills, balanced the checkbook and started a load of laundry... already today! That more than quadruples what I've accomplished in the last few days...

Here is this week's feast:

Appetizer:
Who was the last person you hugged? I'm pretty sure that the last person I hugged was Amanda... when I gave her a goodnight hug last night. Hmmmm. Guess that I need to go hug someone today.

Soup:
Share a beauty or grooming trick or tip with us. I've heard this from a couple of different sources... Brush your hair 100 strokes every night before bed. I think that it is supposed to stimulate hair growth and distribute your natural oils evenly over your hair... or something.

Salad:
What does the color yellow make you think of? Sunshine!!!! This is something that I haven't had nearly enough of lately. Oh, what I wouldn't give for a week at the beach... at a warm beach!

Main Course:
If you were to make your living as a photographer, what subject would your pictures revolve around? Actually, I love taking pictures... of lots of different types of subject matter. I guess that if I could have my choice, it would have to be "nature" stuff. Doug always laughs at how many "flower" pictures I take... especially in the Spring. I love to take macro mode pictures of the blooms... they're so beautiful. I also love to take pictures while we are hiking... trail shots... overlooks... and the such. So, I guess my short answer would be - nature.

Dessert:
What was the longest book you ever read? I have no idea... It was probably something that I was forced to read in high school or something... surely the paperback mysteries and real-life crime books that I've read as of late wouldn't win a "high page count" contest. I'm sure that any of the hundreds of kiddo books that I've read in the last few years wouldn't win either... I know, lame answer, but I really don't know...

Time to Feast Again

2008-02-22T05:38:00.000-08:00

Wow... with the abbreviated week last week (and this week, too), it is already time for the Friday's Feast! These are always fun for me. I hope that you enjoy them, too. Speaking of "you"... does anyone still even read my blog? If you do, drop me a comment so that I know someone is out there.

Ok... here we go!

Appetizer:
Have you ever played a practical joke on anyone? If so, what did you do and who was your victim? Oh boy. I've been involved in many a practical joke. I've helped mastermind a few (like having the State Police call a co-worker who had altered the expiration date on his temporary license plate)... helped coordinate a few (like when a different co-worker was supposed to meet a financial broker... but, it turned out to be a 30-year surprise birthday party). I used to work with the MASTER of practical jokes. He was the best... But, the one that sticks out in my mind that was 100% my doing was done to Doug on our honeymoon. We were standing at the deck railing on the cruise ship, and I violently gestured out that I had seen a dolphin... or maybe a whale... But, when I did, I pretended that my brand new wedding ring had flown off of my hand, deep into the blue Carribbean. I had already taken my ring off and put it into my pocket. I didn't let Doug go on too long before telling him it was a joke (it was April Fool's Day!).

Soup:
What do your salt and pepper shakers look like? They are kind of "chunky" and are royal blue. They match the flour, sugar, etc. cannisters that sit in our kitchen.

Salad:
Where is the next place you plan to visit (on vacation or business)? We have been talking about this lately... since we just returned from our last vacation (the Smokies). I know that we will be visiting Augusta, GA in May for our niece's 2nd birthday... we might even take a trip down there before May. So, that will more than likely be our next vacation destination.

Main Course:
What kind of lotion or cream do you use to keep your hands from getting too dry? Good question... I've been using a lot of it lately. While we were on vacation, I was totally paranoid that we would all get sick, so I washed my hands TONS. I've been using a bunch of Arbonne Intelligence Body Lotion. It seems to do the trick. If things get way out of hand (so to speak), I use Eucerin Cream.

Dessert:
Make up a dessert, tell us its ingredients, and give it a name. Well, it would have to be something involving chocolate... Ok, take some very rich and gooey made-from-scratch brownies... cut a large square and place it on a plate that has been drizzled with raspberry syrup. Then, put fresh raspberries in more syrup over the top of the brownie... top with a blob of fresh whipped cream. I would call it Chocolate Amore. It's probably been done before... but that's what I've come up with this early in the morning. Two of my favorites...

Have a great weekend!

Late Feast...

2008-02-19T13:56:00.000-08:00

Since we were out of town with NO internet access and little contact with the "real world" last Friday, I was unable to do Friday's Feast then... Here it is, just a few days late. Enjoy!

Appetizer:
Name one thing that is unique about you. Oh boy... I'm thinking... and thinking and thinking. This is tough. There are several things about me that I would consider "rare"... but not totally unique. I guess the combination of these things make me unique! I am a part-Italian, bagpipe-playing, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, animal lover, mother, wife and nature lover... and, I really haven't even played the pipes for quite some time... so, I guess that doesn't count...

Soup:
Fill in the blank: My favorite _________ is __________ but I like _________ too. My favorite season is Summer but I like Spring and Fall, too. I love to be outside in the warm sun. It's great to be able to splash in the water with the kids... tend to the garden... mow the yard. I love it! Spring is fun because you get to open up the windows, hear the birds singing and see flowers start to bloom. Fall is fun because of the beautiful colors, bonfires and camping. I'm not really into Winter. Too cold...

Salad:
What type of wood do you have for your home’s furnishings? We have a little bit of this... and a little bit of that. Our dining room table, chairs and hutch are oak. The furniture in our master bedroom is stained a dark cherry color, but I'm not sure what type of wood it is. The rest of the stuff is kind of a hodge-podge... although it doesn't look as bad as that sounds.

Main Course:
Who do you talk to most often on the phone? Doug. I probably bug him too much during the day. But, it is so nice to hear his voice, especially when he has to work so late. The kids enjoy getting to call Daddy during the day to tell them what they've done, too.

Dessert:
What level of responsibility do you have in your job? I have a TON of responsibility. I am a mommy... a referee... a doctor... a teacher... an entertainer... a cook... a CEO of the household... I am ultimately responsible for the safety, education, feeding of, caring of, etc, etc. for two children, one dog, three cats, and a bazillion gallons of fish. I have much more responsibility here than in any other job that I have ever held. Of course, it is by far the most rewarding, too!

Back to the Flatland

2008-02-19T13:47:00.000-08:00

We had a GREAT time in the Smokies! We arrived on Thursday afternoon... and didn't come home until yesterday. We celebrated Valentine's Day, Mimi's birthday and Amanda's birthday. I made a neat flower-shaped cake for the official celebration. Everyone really enjoyed themselves. The cabin that we stayed in was awesome! We were able to take Shasta along with us. She did really well... It took her a couple of days to get settled into a new home with new "puppy procedures", but overall she did great.

We did some shopping at the outlet mall in Pigeon Forge. As usual, I loaded up on stuff for the kids and managed to get nothing for me or Doug. We spent some time in the National Park... did the Cades Cove loop drive. The kids really had fun running around one of the open fields there... kinda like a scene out of "Little House on the Prairie". It was in the low 60s the day that we did that. We tried to go back a second time to take Mimi and Anzie through, but the road was closed due to trees being down. The last full day that we were there, the winds were horrible. I thought that the cabin was going to blow off the mountain.

Dean and Doug did some geocaching and hiking. The hiked to the top of Mt. LeConte on the super-windy day. Dean said that he felt like Jim Cantore at one point... just about to blow off of the mountain.

We are trying to get things back to normal today. Laundry... running errands... you know how it goes. I only wish that we could have stayed for a few more days. It is just so relaxing and beautiful there... As always, we'll try to get some pictures out here sometime.

Mini-Reunion

2008-02-10T18:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday afternoon I had a wonderful time with two girlfriends from college. One I hadn't seen since the day we graduated... nearly 16 years ago. The three of us met for lunch at Panera - one of my favorite places that I never get to go to anymore. We ate and talked, talked and talked. We finally had to say goodbye... about four hours later. We decided that it would be great to make our get-togethers a monthly event.

I'm trying to switch gears today and start to get things ready for our little trip to the Smokies. I have all of my cake making/decorating supplies stacked up and ready to go. I still need to finish a bit of shopping for various birthdays... and I don't know when I'm going to get it done. I was going to do some yesterday, but after my extended lunch I felt too guilty about leaving my family again last night. It will all work out.

We spent way too much money at Hobbytown on Saturday... but, we have all of the track for our cool HO layout. It has all been put together on the train table. Wow it looks SO neat! I can't wait to move forward more on the project and get some scenery in place. It definitely will be a work of art that evolves over time. For now, we're having fun running freight cars around and through the many switches that are on it. If only I had some photo editing software... I could post some pictures. Drat.

Doug got a call from the company that he submitted his resume to a few weeks ago!! Four of the "top guys" want to talk to him. I'm so excited to see how this works out..

No Feast Today

2008-02-08T07:14:00.000-08:00

Well, the Feast website is having some troubles today... so, no feast. I thought about going back to look at other blogs to find an old "feast" to use. However, when I did that, I found that my answers were tainted by what other people had answered. So, I guess we wait until next week.

Shasta has begun her "short departure" crate training. This is for training her to go into the crate during the day when we have to go somewhere. Yesterday, we did four departures ranging from one to two minutes... and, she did great! At first, she resisted going into her crate... but, by the third time, she ran right to her crate when I told her to "kennel up". Each time when we went back to get her, she was laying down just relaxing and listening to her classical music. We may be on the right track! Woohoo!!

Well, I need to go in search of the Thomas track signal... Have a good weekend.

Wow!

2008-02-03T06:47:00.000-08:00

Ok... I haven't said much about our canine friend, Shasta, lately. Honestly, I can't believe how well things are going. Sure, she has chewed two more leashes while hanging out in the truck... but, aside from that, we are seeing huge improvements!

She has been sleeping all night in her crate since the first day we started the prozac and sleeping medications. That in itself is a miracle. Well, last night when it was time for bed, Doug told her to "kennel up" and she went in there and got into her crate all by herself! Then, this morning after her potty break, she went back into the crate totally on her own! THEN, later this morning when Doug and the kids were playing back in that end of the house, she went back into the crate and laid down... all by herself! WOW... that is all that I can say!

That Was Easy

2008-02-01T08:58:00.000-08:00

Doug is just THE best. I often write on here about how bummed and mad I am that he has to work so much. It's only because I miss having him around here. Well, ok... maybe I want some help with the kiddos, too.

Anyway, the other day he had to go to Staples to get some paper to print his resume on. He got a surprise gift for me while he was there... Here it is:

When you push the button, it proudly says, "That was easy!" We are all having a blast with it. Even when something wasn't easy... like changing the worst, ickiest diaper in the universe... hitting the button makes you laugh and changes your mindset. It is sitting on the corner of the hutch in the dining room, making it easy to access for all who pass by.

Thanks, Doug!

Friday's Feast

2008-02-01T06:08:00.000-08:00

Appetizer:
What is your favorite kind of cereal? Wow, right now I would have to say Frosted Mini Wheats. I like them with a little bit of milk - don't like them soggy! I like the crunchiness and the sweet frosting on one side. Surprisingly, it is one of Amanda's favorites, too.

Soup:
When was the last time you purchased something for your home, what was it, and in which room did it go? Oh boy. I really had to think on this one. I think that the last time we got something big for our home it was one year ago. We got a really nice BIG flat screen TV to watch the Colts in the SuperBowl. It is in our family room... and gets used on a daily basis to watch Thomas and Friends... we watch other things occasionally, too.

Salad:
What is the funniest commercial you’ve ever seen? I just love the Budweiser commercials every year during the SuperBowl. Honestly, the funniest one? I guess it would have to be the one where the Clydesdales are playing football in the field. They call for a review on the play, and a zebra looks into the hooded monitor to review the play.

Main Course:
Make up a name for a company by using a spice and an animal (example: Cinnamon Monkey). the Sage Salamander

Dessert:
Fill in the blank: I haven’t ______ since ______. I haven't had my cholesterol checked since before Amanda was born. I guess that it's probably about time, huh?

Coffee Talk

2008-01-31T10:02:00.000-08:00

I had the best time last night! My neighbor had mentioned going out for some coffee early on in the day... but, I didn't know what time Doug would get home. She said that even if he got home late to consider going. Well, he didn't get home until 8 p.m. I decided to go for it and called her up. We went to Starbuck's and had a wonderful time chatting. As a matter of fact, we lost all track of time. When we finally decided that we should get home, we looked around and we were the only ones in the place. It was three minutes before closing time - 11:00 p.m. We both figured that we would be in the doghouse when we got home, but it was not to be. Her guys were all asleep... and all of my folks were in bed. It is SO nice to have someone to escape with who has been through all of the stuff that I'm going through being a mommy. I only wish that I could help her out with advice on her two teenage boys...

Doug submitted his resume with a local company today. I can't wait to see how that all turns out! It would be wonderful to have him closer to home... with a "normal" work schedule.

We are supposed to be getting a winter storm here in the next 24 hours. Amanda is very excited at the thought of more snow. We went to the grocery this morning and stocked up on all kinds of goodies. The kids had fun "helping" pick out stuff. We got some great stuff because of them - Fruit Loops, Pringles and M & M's. We will be set if we get snowed in!

Shasta has chewed through two more leashes since I last reported. However, she is doing very good at sleeping in her crate at night. I need to call the pet behaviour doctor for a follow-up chat to see what we need to do.

James has had a couple of big boo-boos in the last few days. He and Amanda like to play "trains", running up and down the hallway. A few nights ago, he wiped out and wound up with a bloody mouth. Last night, he bounced his head off of the chair railing and wound up with a big goose-egg, bruise and scuff on his forehead. Amanda didn't want daddy to see it... but, I told her there wasn't much we could do about it... that it wasn't very easily concealed.

Things are good here. It's been a fun day so far. Isn't it amazing how two or three hours "out" can just rejuvinate you?!?

30 Years Ago...

2008-01-26T13:14:00.001-08:00

it was the HUGE Blizzard of 1978. Honestly, I can't believe that it was that long ago, because that makes me nearly 40 years old. Oh well. I remember the blizzard fairly well. I remember that there was snow everywhere. We could go outside and walk on drifts that were several feet tall... maybe four or five. It took my dad forever to shovel out our driveway. We were all stuck at home for days! I also remember that when the snowplow finally cleared our road that it left a gigantic pile of snow at the end of our driveway. We had a lot of fun sliding down it... for weeks. Honestly, I think that it would be wonderful to have another snow event like that. I love the thought of us all getting stuck here for a week or so and not having any opportunity to get out. I know, I'm a sicko... or would that be psycho?

We did a double-round of swimming today. We had the normal classes at noon and make-up classes at 1:00 p.m. Both kids did great. In between classes, we had a little "picnic" of Burger King in the lobby of the swim club. Make-up classes were packed. There were kids and parents everywhere. I'm glad that every week isn't like that.

Doug is home today. But, as I type, he is on a conference call. At least he is home, right?

Friday's Feast

2008-01-25T08:54:00.001-08:00

Ok... I've seen this Friday's Feast thing on a few other blogs. I didn't realize that there was an actual website for it though. Somehow I stumbled upon it over the weekend, and I've been waiting for Friday to arrive. I will try to do the feast every week... that way I will know that I'll at least have one blog each week. We'll see how long that lasts...

Appetizer:
How many times per day do you usually laugh? Oh my... I couldn't even begin to count the times. I generally laugh all day long (off and on, of course). With two preschoolers, three cats and a prozac puppy I HAVE to laugh or I will go insane.

Soup:
What do your sunglasses look like? I don't wear sunglasses. Since becoming a full-time mother, I don't wear my contacts anymore... so, I have to wear my glasses all the time. If I'm going to be outside and it is really sunny, I will sometimes wear a hat (baseball or bucket) to block some of the sun from my eyes.

Salad:
You win a free trip to anywhere on your continent, but you have to travel by train. Where do you go? Without a doubt, I would travel to Montana. The scenery would be beautiful!! We looked into doing this a few years ago when Mendi and Dean were out there. It just wasn't the best option for a family with a 2 1/2 year old.

Main Course:
Name one thing you consider a great quality about living in your town/city. The "outdoor" options. There are several very nice parks and walking/biking trails.

Dessert:
If the sky could be another color, what color do you think would look best? Lavender.

Movin' On

2008-01-24T11:39:00.000-08:00

Well, I am finally making some progress on some stuff. Remember the headboard that I got for Amanda... months ago? Well, I have finally got it primed and ready to paint! I worked really hard yesterday to get it all ready. I had to sand a couple of spots... clean it with TSP... and degloss it. The kids and I did a quick trip to Lowe's to get some Kilz. It took three coats of primer to get all of the black covered up. But, boy does it look nice! I cracked open the pink paint (that I used on the stripes in Amanda's room) to use this morning and it was MOLDY?!? What? I didn't know that paint could mold. Needless to say, we'll be going back to Lowe's later today...

Shasta has had three doses of her puppy prozac. So far, so good. She gobbles the pills right up, as they are "hidden" in yummy pill pockets. The pockets really stink, but I guess that is probably half of what makes them good. I have no idea if this is related to the pills or being in heat, but Shasta seems to have two speeds right now... sleeping and barking. Of course, it was a full moon last night, so that might have something to do with it, too.

On a related note, we got our car seat replacement straps today. Yeah! As soon as Doug gets a free moment, we'll have to get those put in.

I framed a couple of Amanda and James' original masterpieces today. They look SO nice! We hung them in the dining room so that everyone can see them. I am amazed at the artistic talents each of them exhibit... I'll have to take a picture of the pictures. My blog has been very "texty" lately. Sorry that I haven't had any pictures up for awhile. I really need to learn how to format my photos in Linux... Oh yeah, I will do that in my free time...

Super Swimmers

2008-01-19T11:01:00.000-08:00

James has been promoted! He is now a Super Swimmer 2!! Today, he and another little girl were brave and attended their swimming lessons by themselves... without mommies or daddies. It was so cute. James did so well. I could tell that he was a bit tentative, but hung in there. At one point, James and the other little girl had to hold hands and walk around the pool. It was a true Kodak moment... and, of course, I didn't have the camera. Amanda continues to do great, too. I am just amazed at how well she has done with her swimming lessons.

Puppy Prozac and a New Layout

2008-01-19T06:40:00.000-08:00

One of the blogs that I read on a regular basis always has such cool, unique layouts. I discovered yesterday, that there was a link to get free blog templates. What the hey? I thought I would give it a try. Since the temperature here today is a balmy 7 degrees, I selected the barren winter template for now.

We are doing ok. I had a girls' night out last week with my neighbor. We went and got manicures. It was very fun. Can you believe that I had never had a manicure until last Wednesday? How did I survive. LOL! I got a french manicure.... and, it looks really nice. Of course, when Amanda saw it, I had to paint her nails (fingers and toes) just like mine. She is such a cutie.

We've had more issues with Shasta. On Tuesday night, we all went up to Kokomo to have dinner with Doug who was working late - AGAIN. Shasta stayed in the truck while we ate... no problem. Then, the kids and I stopped by Mom and Dad's to say a quick hello and to give Mom a present that we had gotten for her (new ornaments and a topper for her new Christmas tree). Anyway, we were probably inside the house for 30-45 minutes. When I went to load the kiddos up in their car seats, I had found that Shasta had chewed (severed) the harnesses on BOTH car seats. I was not a happy camper... We now have replacement straps ordered. A good buddy of mine from work helped to bail me out by loaning us one of their booster seats for Amanda. We'll be able to take the two "good" straps and use them on James' seat. Geesh. I was SO ready to politely return Shasta to the rescue group! When will it end?

Well, hopefully it will end soon. I have been working with the pet behaviorist (ching) again... and our vet to get Shasta on some puppy prozac... no kidding. I guess that particular medication is good for dogs with separation anxiety. I just hope that it works. Shasta is a GREAT dog unless she feels like we are abandoning her. Duh... that is why we take you everywhere, Shasta! So that you won't feel alone. Oh boy.

And, did I mention that Shasta is in heat, too? She was supposedly spayed before we got her... but, she started bleeding a couple of weeks ago. Low and behold, we took her to the vet and found out that she was going into heat. The hits keep on coming...

Floundering

2008-01-15T10:20:00.000-08:00

I totally feel like I am just going along in my life right now... not in control at all. Doug's job situation is horrible. The kids are insane. I am not liking the cold weather. I feel like I am totally alone right now. Perhaps it is just the mid-winter blues... but, maybe not.

Doug is still having to work some overtime. I am very proud of him, though. He really has stood up to the folks that are asking them to work so much. Of course, those people are really being jerks... no ethics... no concern for people's family. So sad that our culture puts so much emphasis on success in the workplace and not success in one's home. Doug asked me the other day how I felt about moving. Honestly, I'm not too big on the idea. However, I'm not sure what difference it would make if we were doing life here... or doing life in Iowa... Kentucky... just a couple of places he threw out. I just want him to be happy in his job. He isn't sleeping well at night... and looks quite depressed when he heads out the door in the morning. It stinks.

The kids... well, they are just being kids. If I wasn't already so worn down from the Doug situation, I might have more energy to deal with the kiddo stuff. Amanda keeps asking for days that are "funner than fun". I try my best... but, I feel like I'm not quite making the grade. We did go to a local park a week or so ago for a talk on owls. We all loved it!! I think that I got major "fun" points on that day.

So, for now... Well, I'll keep taking it a day at a time. Things could definitely be worse.

Ahhhhh... A Sigh of Relief

2007-12-22T04:27:00.000-08:00

Whew... I think that we made it. Doug is "home for the holidays". His job is really taking a toll on him. The pressure, stress... I feel bad for him. He's had enough of it and told a few folks so. You know that it is bad for him to spout off. Not too much ruffles his feathers. Of course, they wanted him to work next week - he told them no way. Thank you, Doug! Well, enough of that. We won't waste any more time talking about that...

More importantly, Dean, Mendi and Anzie are in town!! Yeah! They arrived very early yesterday morning. The kids and I got to spend some quality time with Mendi and Anzie yesterday. We all had a blast. Oh, how I wish they lived closer to us. It is just so much fun to watch Amanda, James and Anzie play together. I know that they will be great buddies through the years...

The gingerbread house is really coming along. The roof is complete, as is the front of the house. We have a Starburst sidewalk, too. I need to finish the back and two sides of the house... just can't decide how to do it yet. We have two kinds of cookie dough in the fridge. I would love to get those baked today. One kind is the Christmas cut-out kind... the other is a spiral cookie (a recipe that I found in a book from the library). We're also planning on making chocolate no-bake cookies and maybe some cranberry cookies. Doug needs to fire up the Buckeye production as well.

I still have a couple of little things to shop for before the big morning... but, for the most part things are under control. Now, we can just sit back and have FUN!!

Winter Storm Warning!

2007-12-14T12:20:00.001-08:00

Ooooh Yeah, Baby! A winter storm warning has just been issued for our area. This should be good... Hopefully, we'll be able to get in swimming lessons and my hair appointment before it gets too bad tomorrow. I'm really glad that this is going to fall on a weekend... Doug will be here to enjoy it and play with the kids and Shasta in the snow. It would be nice if we could get out and do a final bit of Christmas shopping tonight. The kids also need some snow boots. I bet that the stores will be nuts with everyone stocking up on milk and bread.

The kids (Shasta included) and I went up to have lunch with Doug today. It was fun. We went to McD's... where else? Afterwards, we stopped in to say a quick hello to Grumpa at his work. He was surprised to see us. Grandma didn't want our germs, so we didn't stop to see her.

Holiday Eating Tips

2007-12-13T09:07:00.000-08:00

This advice from my neighbor was in the inbox this morning. It is very funny... I think that I will try to live by it this Christmas season. Life is too short not to. Enjoy!

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it's rare. In fact, it's even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy . Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.

Yeah, yeah... I'm still around

2007-12-12T12:21:00.000-08:00

I'm still here. I'm not sure why I haven't blogged for awhile. I've been busy... but, that is really not a news flash. I'm always busy. We are in pretty good shape for Christmas. Most of the buying and wrapping has been done. There are a few people out there who insist on asking for gift cards and/or cash for gifts. I am not a fan of this (except in a few rare cases). I guess that I should look at it as being easier on us... but, to me it takes the fun out of "gift giving".

The weather here has been strange. We had about four or so inches of snow on the ground about a week ago. Yesterday it was in the fifties most of the day... Today it has been sunny but a bit cooler. I like snow on the ground for Christmas... but that is about it. All other days of the year, I would prefer to be on the beach or to at least have beachlike weather.

Our computer died a couple of weeks ago. Doug resurrected it... and managed to save all of our pictures. Whew! What a techno-geek hero!! That is one downside of digital photography... if you don't do your backups regularly... which we hadn't. I think that our last backup was about one year ago. Suffice it to say that we are all backed up now.

I'm suffering not only from my monthly swing of moods right now, but also my seasonal issues. I don't know why, but I get a bit depressed around Christmas and New Year's. It's not really because of the stress of shopping and get-togethers. I truly enjoy those things. I think that it is just a "marker" of another year gone by... the kids are another year older... you know? Sure, those things actually happen on our birthdays, but in a season where it really is about the kids, I think that it just hits me that we don't have too many times to celebrate all together while they are so young and precious...

Shasta and Mallory are doing good. What sweeties... Shasta got to visit with Santa at Petco the other day. If our scanner gets reconnected to the computer soon, I will scan the picture in and post it. The kids and I were in the pic with her... very cute!

Gotta go for now... Shasta is clanking her empty water bowl. Oops.

New Words!

2007-11-09T04:11:00.000-08:00

James has started to increase his vocabulary! Over the past three or four days, he has added two new words. A few nights ago, he said, "Happy". Last night, he started saying "kee-kee", for kitty. It is so funny to hear him talking. He's been such a quiet guy for so long... and, now he's starting to find his inner voice.

I talked to Dr. Sampson yesterday afternoon. We now have an action plan for getting Shasta to like her crate. I knew thta Dr. Sampson would provide much insight and great details to what we needed to do. I always enjoy talking to him... perhaps it is as much therapy for me as it is for our pets. Anyway, the first two steps are... 1. Wear her out. We need to take her on two 30-40 minute walks each day. Doug will do one before work... I will do one after he gets home. Exercise for us, too! 2. We need to put her in her crate at night and let her cry it out. No talking to her... no soothing her... nothing. We don't do good with tough love on our kids, so this should be rough on us. But, I think that we can get through it.

We are looking forward to this weekend. We really need to finish "winterizing" our yard. I need to plant our garlic and a few tulip bulbs... we need to take the dining tent down... put the table and chairs and hammock in the barn. It should be fun.

I just caught a segment on the morning news about a place in a nearby town that serves "fair food" year-round. Yummy!! Elephant ears, taco in a bag, cotton candy, tenderloins. Ooh. A great idea!

From Tiny Acorns...

2007-11-07T05:17:00.000-08:00

... grow mighty Oaks! Well, last night I had a LONG overdue night out with the "girls". One of our neighbors invited me to go along with her to a local antique store, Acorn Farm. They were having a series of seminars on Fall/Christmas table decorating. I am so inspired! The gal that lead the seminar used to work for Williams-Sonoma... also, I think that she had been a teacher. Anyway, the table settings were out of this world! All of the things that she used, she had gathered from the antique store. She also handed out recipes that would be great to have during the holiday season. I also really enjoyed my visit with Bonnie. It was so nice to have adult mom-to-mom conversation...

On an unrelated note, we think that Shasta suffers from separation anxiety. She has not been doing well when we leave her in her crate. We are doing some research now to see how to work through this... it appears that this is a very common thing. It really makes sense that she would have some issues like this given her recent history. Doug thinks that maybe her first owners crated her during the day... and at night. We will never know. And, we always have Dr. Sampson in our back pocket. He is AMAZING... pricey, but good. I still am in awe that he helped Oscar through his bathroom issues.

The kids and I went to Hobby Lobby yesterday to take care of our crafting needs. We got a few things to paint. We also got some fake pumpkins and gourds, along with a cornucopia. I have been wanting to do something with some Indian corn from the neighbor boy a few weeks ago. So, the cornucopia is a perfect place for it. Looks great! (and that was even before I was inspired by the table lady!) I also splurged and let Amanda and James get some Christmas ornaments for their trees. They both opted for the purple set... they'll look great. I am so excited for the holidays to come... not so excited about the stress of shopping. But, I'm very excited to decorate and see family! Ho! Ho! Ho!!

First Cache

2007-11-05T06:24:00.000-08:00

This weekend was just gorgeous here! The fall colors are certainly at their peak. We enjoyed lots of outside time... some play, some work. We were able to take Shasta to a local park for a walk, and as it turns out, her first cache with the KuhlKachers team. We all had a great time. The only problem was that James was a bit overdue for his nap. Needless to say, we didn't get to hit as many caches as we had planned.

The beauty of Fall:

The KuhlKachers with their newest member:

We also "officially" adopted Shasta yesterday. We had to go over to the "Pyr House" and sign some papers. We also got a lot of great information about grooming. We wound up coming home with our very own Furminator. Those things work like magic! And, the bonus is that they work great on the cats, too.

Mom is suffering from Shingles right now. It is no fun at all. My manager at my previous job suffered through that, and I remember him saying how painful it was. It surely must have been, because Mark was not a person to complain or say anything negative at all. I'm hoping that she has a quick recovery from it... say a prayer for her.

The kids and I are going to try swimming lessons solo today. We are doing our first of two makeup classes from when we were on vacation. It should go ok... James and I have our class first. Amanda's class is right after James'. That should give James and I a chance to change out of our wet stuff and be ready to get Amanda by the time she is done.

Introducing...

2007-11-02T07:42:00.000-07:00

the newest member of our family! Miss Shasta!

We got her Wednesday afternoon... and, everything so far is going well. We had a couple of little accidents, but we seem to be over that for now. Shasta is used to going outside on her own to do her business. Since our fence isn't quite done (they are finishing it as I type!!), we have had to take her out on a leash. Some dogs are shy about this, especially if they have been used to going by themselves.

We did take her on her first outing with us last night. We went over to the house of the folks who run the Pyr rescue. They had 12 dogs there!!! It was unreal. They also have three cats... Anyway, after that we went to PetSmart. Doug was like a proud papa parading her around. Very sweet. She did great with all of the other dogs and people that she met.

Here are a few pictures of her first evening with us.

No Place Like Home

2007-10-29T18:53:00.001-07:00

It is always awesome to be on vacation... especially when it involves sun, sand and... well, what else do you need? Anyway, it is good to be back home. We arrived home this afternoon around 5:30. The drive back seemed long... longer than the drive down, but it was smooth for the most part. I did some driving today. That always helps pass the time. I was making some great time until we hit a stand-still just south of Louisville. We were about 20 cars back when they halted traffic to load a wrecked car onto a flatbed... Everyone remained calm, and we were on our way in about a half-hour.

Mom and Dad are in Augusta now visiting with Dean, Mendi and Anzie. It sounds like they are having fun. Mom baked a praline pumpkin pie today. Yum. I think that they are heading back towards home tomorrow.

The fence folks have marked our yard with a string layout of where the fence will go. It looks like they will be setting the posts on Wednesday. Shasta's foster mommy has been hanging on to her for us. It sounds like there have been several folks interested in her... We go to visit with her on Wednesday evening.

Here are some pictures from the trip...

The beach (looking West) from the end of our boardwalk:

Dolphins! We saw dolphins in the water straight out from the cottage several days. It was just awesome to see them playing... they put on quite the show!

Mom celebrating her birthday with James and Amanda (big James is in the background). Amanda designed the birthday cake, and I decorated it. We even used real seashells on the beach part!

James concentrating very hard on the jigsaw puzzle that we were trying to complete:

Amanda on the beach. She is so photogenic.

A beautiful sunset that Doug and I enjoyed on our "date" night:

The whole gang on the night before we left for home. This was taken on the boardwalk that went from our cottage to the beach:

Long, Long Way From Home

2007-10-22T06:14:00.000-07:00

Well, ok... it isn't really THAT far. But, it sure seemed like it during the drive down here. Of course, we didn't get on the road until far later than I had wanted, but it all worked out alright in the end. Doug had to work late (and then do a bit more work at home on Friday night). He didn't get to bed until about 1 a.m. So, we all slept in, took our time... and finally left home about 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. We made it to Cullman, AL and spent the night there. We stayed at the same hotel as Mom and Dad. That was nice... they were able to see the kids do their swimming stuff in the hotel pool. Yesterday's drive wasn't too bad, either. It seemed like we would never break out of the pines in the Apalocholia Forest. When we did, though, we caught quick sight of the water!

The house that we are staying in... affectionately named "Buns in the Sun"... is very nice. The rooms are painted nice beach colors. There is a boardwalk from the deck out to within a few feet of the water's edge. It's great! Grumpa has his own "bunker" that he can escape to... it is the lower level. You have to go outside to get to it. So, it makes a nice get-away for him to watch t.v., take naps, escape from the screaming kids. It works out pretty nicely. Amanda has already been shell-hunting. It is so fun to watch her and James discover in this part of the land that is so new to them.

Not sure what we will get into today... maybe some geocaching. Right now, it is cloudy... very humid and windy. But, hey, a bad day at the beach beats a normal day anywhere else, right?

By the way, I love this keyboard!!! I am typing on Doug's work computer that he brought. The "s" key works without trouble, and the entire keyboard has a very soft, easy typing feel. Nice.

Disown Me

2007-10-19T08:59:00.000-07:00

I know that my family is going to disown me... not my immediate family... the people that I live with day in and day out. They already know that I am totally nuts with not one sane cell in my body. No, the ones who will disown me are the ones that gave me life, my mom and dad. They have told me and told me that we should wait, wait, wait to add a dog to our family. I have no idea why, but I have had this unending desire to bring yet another beast into our home. So, today I made the appointment to have a fence added to our backyard. They will do it the week that we return from our trip... As for the dog, well, we are in the process of taking care of that, as well. I know, throw all the words at me - stupid, nuts, insane, crazy, overstretched, overcommitted... I know. I have said them all to myself, too. But, I really do think that this is going to work out. Believe me, I have a horrible fear of failure on this one... especially since the last attempt didn't go well. I've researched. I've met the dogs. I've prayed. I've talked to Doug and the kiddos. And, still I have an itch that needs scratched. So, here goes nothing...

This is the girl that we are considering. Here name is Shasta, and we met her at PetFest. She is a "sweetheart baby", her foster mommy says.

Pictures!

2007-10-18T09:52:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from around the house taken with our new camera. I really am getting the hang of using it. It is very similar to our older Canon... but, with a few more bells and whistles. I can't wait to take some photos on our vacation. Come to think of it, I can't wait for vacation! We leave in a couple of days... on Saturday morning. We're not sure what time we are leaving yet, but I would like to head out as early as possible. I'm doing great getting things ready to go. I even cleaned off the kitchen shelf - all of the tins, baskets, bottles - yesterday. Boy, that was long overdue.

I got my hair cut the other day. Doug isn't very pleased with the outcome. It is too short for his liking. Honestly, it is shorter than I would have asked for... but, it just kind of evolved. I really do like it, and I think that it will be very easy to care for. And, of course, it will always grow out. That is what I always tell Doug...

Anyway, here are some pictures... Enjoy!

Mallory working really hard at being the alpha cat in the house:

Buttons, our local neighborhood cat. She is SO sweet:

Doug and Amanda... a self-portrait:

Our pumpkin. I had told Amanda that we could carve it to look like a kitty face. She insisted that it have triangle eyes and a square nose. She's the conservative one of the family...

A couple of pictures of Amanda's "new" room... One with James on the new cat tower:

And, one of the other side of the room:

Great Weekend

2007-10-14T16:19:00.000-07:00

We've had a wonderful weekend!! Doug hasn't had to do too much work. He had to do one thing yesterday morning... which kind of ran into swimming lessons. But, he was able to meet us there and see most of the lessons. Amanda did great again. Her teacher is doing so well interacting with her and teaching her. I'm not sure who enjoys it more... Amanda or her instructor. James did a lot better yesterday also.

I've gotten the yard mowed. I love to mow in the Fall. The grass has returned to its full, lush green state. It always looks so nice after a good cut. Doug trimmed a couple of our trees that were getting a bit out of control. I figured if the one got any lower, I would have to crawl under it while mowing. We enjoyed a nice campfire last night, complete with s'mores. Yum.

The eBay camera arrived on Friday. It doesn't work very well. We are hoping that the return/refund will go smoothly... you never now. On a related note, we went to our local electronics superstore and got a brand new one! It is awesome, baby! Amanda has even been taking pictures and movies with it. She seems to have a knack for it, too. Perhaps Santa will have to bring her her own camera this year... Anyway, here is our new Canon:

So, we've all been playing around with it. The picture are great... the sound on movies is wonderful. I just can't believe how much technology changes in the course of a few years. It's been about 4 1/2 years since we bought our other camera... this one cost about the same and does SO much more... Cool.

We are trying to get in the mode of vacation prep. I actually cleaned both bathrooms today. We've also been working on getting the big fish tanks cleaned up. We gave a trio of fish to one of our neighbors. He is into all kinds of critters... but, especially enjoys fish. He and his brother take care of our brood when we are on vacations. Anyway, we fished out three fish for him. You would have thought we gave him a pot of gold. It's cool when you can make someone's day so easily.

Well, our Pizza King is due to arrive any time. Gotta go for now. I'll try and get some of those new pix out soon!

Finally Fall

2007-10-11T11:03:00.000-07:00

It finally feels like Fall around here. I guess that is why I am baking a pumpkin pie... I'm a little bummed, though. It still has about half the time to bake, and the crust around the top is dark brown. I covered it with foil in hopes that will stop the browning. We'll see. At least I know the filling part is good.

The weather turned a couple of days ago. It was so hot... and, now it is downright cold. I don't think that it even reached 60 degrees yesterday. On a warmer note, I have finalized our vacation reservations for a fall getaway to St. George's Island in Florida. It should be awesome... assuming no hurricanes decide that they want to vacation along with us. We still haven't gotten the digital camera that Doug won on eBay a couple of weeks ago. It really would be nice to have it before we go on our trip. Perhaps I need to e-mail the seller... AGAIN. We've never really gotten hosed on eBay before. Hope this isn't the time.

I'm hoping to get the stripes painted on the West wall of Amanda's room this afternoon. As soon as that wall is done, I'll be moving along to the headboard. I still think that I am leaning towards painting it pink... we'll see.

Gotta go for now...

Field Trip

2007-10-06T05:18:00.000-07:00

The kids and I took a field trip yesterday... literally. My uncle is a farmer, and he is in the middle of his crop harvest for the year. We all went up to his place, and he took us for rides in his combine as he was working in a corn field. It was so much fun. I didn't know if the kids (especially James) would be brave enough to ride in it... but, they both did... and they both loved it! When I was young... about Amanda's age... I would ride with my uncle and often fall asleep. So much fun. The technology on this piece of equipment was absolutely amazing. It is so unbelievable to think about the advances in 90+ years. My grandfather used to have to walk behind a team of horses with a single-blade plow to plow fields...

Speaking of my grandpa and grandma, we stopped by to see them, too. Way too much time passes between my visits with them. My grandma was rather sharp yesterday. Some days she is not really quite in her own mind. Thankfully, I have never witnessed this... at least not to the degree that Mom talks about. Grandpa was really with it, too... although he just looked so tired. It's hard to see him looking so tired and frail. He was always such a big, strong man. Nonetheless, our visit was very nice. The kids did great. I think that it really did grandpa and grandma good to see the little ones.

Oh yes... and it was my birthday yesterday as well. Honestly, it was one of the best birthdays I've had. There really wasn't anything earth-shattering that happened. It was just nice to be around my family... The kids and Doug gave me my gifts before he went to work. Amanda is just so sweet. She had picked out a fall wreath with beautiful "plastic" as she calls them leaves. They are artificial... and, I suppose that they may be somewhat plastic... Anyway, she had seen it and picked it out just for me. Then, we had the field trip... I also had several calls throughout the day from friends and family. Those really touched my heart. One of our neighbors remembered my day and brought me a gift and card. The gift is YUMMY wash and body butter in the lime/coconut flavor from Bath and Body works. Oooh it smells good. Doug had to work late... but, he did meet us at Don Pablo's for dinner. Busy day... but a great one.

Today is set to be another busy one. We have swimming lessons. Then, we are headed to PetFest to meet some Great Pyrs!! I know, I know. We aren't going to adopt one... just meet some and see how the kids do. Later in the day, we are hooking up with the aforementioned neighbors for a little cook-out. Both "dads" in the families love to cook on open fires with their dutch ovens. So, they'll be doing some cooking. Should be awesome!! Oh yeah, and somewhere in there, Doug and the kids still have to bake and decorate my cake!!

Questions, questions

2007-10-03T08:16:00.000-07:00

Amanda is at that stage right now where it is a non-stop barrage of questions... from the time she gets up until the time she goes to sleep. Some of her questions are quite funny - Mommy, why are you vaccuming? I think that she assumed we were going to have visitors since that is about the only time that the vaccum roars to life. I think that she was surprised to hear that the floor was dirty and needed cleaned. Sometimes her questions are repetitive... I think that she has mastered the concept of infinite loop logic. But, I try to remain patient and answer her questions to the best of my ability. I can't help but think if she was in a traditional classroom setting that her questions would get swept under the rug... perhaps even ignored.

Mallory is still doing well. We actually got the 35mm pictures developed last night. Here are a few of our favorites...

Getting ready to take her home from the rescue:

Mallory "helping" Amanda with her schoolwork:

Ooh... that tickles! Mallory giving James some love:

James, James and Mallory. She knows no strangers:

The three "amigos"... well, not yet:

Who loves their new kitty?

Whew... being a cat here is hard work!

New Month... New Outlook...

2007-10-01T10:01:00.000-07:00

Ok, here we are starting another month of 2007. I have no idea where August and September went... They both passed by way too quickly. Fall is officially here now. The days have been aweome lately - very warm days and cool brisk nights. Doug got our firepit built on Saturday. We enjoyed a wonderful campfire on Saturday evening, complete with S'mores! Yummmmmm! We had another fire last night. I could just sit and stare at a fire for hours... literally.

I have started painting Amanda's room. It is looking so great! It is actually turning out like what I had imagined... and, I am so excited about it. We left the lavender paint on as a base, and I am painting pink stripes on it. The stripes (alternating pink and lavender) are about 13 inches wide and go from floor to ceiling. I am over half done. The West and South walls still need to be finished. It shouldn't really take long (theoretically), but it will involve moving some heavy stuff. Right now, I am SO unsettled about one of the stripes. I squished a teeny bug on the paint last night. No big deal, I thought. Well, when I went to clean up the smear today, it left a bit of a different color. I guess that the worst case is that I tape and paint that stripe again. Why do I let these silly little things grate on me?

Mallory is still doing well. She really is roughing up the other cats a bit more than we would like, but I guess that is how the animal world works. The way things are shaking out, it looks like Mallory is going to be #1 in command... followed by Felix... followed by K.C.

Oh, and good news! Doug won a digital camera on eBay last night! Hopefully it will arrive in a couple of days. It is basically like our old one... but more megapixels! Woohoo! Gotta run... have a good day.

I'm Still Here

2007-09-25T05:42:00.000-07:00

Well, I am still here. I can't believe how long it has been since I've posted anything. Sorry to all of my loyal readers... what, are there two of you out there? Anyway, we've been busy as usual... Doug has been working alot still. But, we were able to escape last week to Eastern Kentucky for a very much-deserved vacation. We had no land line, no cell coverage, no computer... It was awesome.

We have also added a new family member. We went from thinking about a huge white dog... to actually getting a little black cat. Quite a change, but much more suited for our family. We used to have three cats... so, it really was no problem adding another one into the mix. Her name is Mallory, and we got her from a lady that runs a shelter called From the Heart Rescue. Mallory is SO sweet!!! She is perfect with the kiddos... it is amazing. She is very patient. Amanda informs me that she has been trying to teach Mallory her colors and numbers. Funny. Here is a picture of Mallory. It was the one that the rescue had on their website. We have been taking pictures with my old 35mm camera, as our digital bit the big one on our trip...

So, anyway we did get several pictures of our vacation before the camera quit. I'll try to get some out later today or in the near future. We are headed up to go to the dentist this morning. Amanda and I both get our pearly whites checked out. Pray for no cavities... for either of us.

Mother's Day Gift

2007-09-06T10:59:00.000-07:00

Well, a few months late, I finally got part of my Mother's Day gift today. For whatever reason the spirit moved me to go by the pair of Crocs that I was due. I had originally commented that I wanted an orange pair... but, the ones that they had really didn't fit well. I wound up with a pair of Peacock ones. Very nice color... I can't think of a color that they wouldn't really go with. Well, there probably is a color, but I don't know that it is one that I would wear on a regular basis. I also splurged and got some Croc Butter for $4.95. The jury is out on if this really works. Amanda is excited to try it. She is washing her Crocs as I type... and washing... and washing...

The kids and I had a very fun trip to the mall. We did the Croc thing... then, we went to a couple of stores (Disney and The Children's Place) just to browse. I won't pay full price and didn't see anything that we couldn't live without. So, the we went to Claire's. Amanda really needed some barettes for her hair. She doesn't always like to wear ponytails, and it seems like her hair is always hanging in her face. We found some cute barettes. We also got some Italian charms for our bracelets. I have no idea if these are still "in" or not, but Amanda and I both like our bracelets, so that is what counts.

Amanda pointed out that she and James had both been very good... so could we please go to the pet store. We went. That place makes me sad. It just seems like it is dirty... more dirty than other pet stores. They did have a book on Great Pyrenees, but I couldn't bring myself to support the place. I need to investigate and do some inter-library loans. Our library doesn't seem to have any breed specific stuff on the Pyrs. I will say that the more I research, the better fit that breed seems to be for us.

I stopped at one of the zillions of jewelry stores to look at their selection of Mother's rings. There was one that I really did like... and, it was within my "bonus" budget. Of course, if there are any April (Doug... diamond) or July (James... ruby) birthdays, there is an extra charge for genuine stones. Nice... But, the ring was very pretty. I will be considering it.

We ate at McDonald's at the food court. That is the first time that I have braved doing that solo. It went surprisingly well. After that, we did a quick (and I mean QUICK) stop at Bath and Body works to get some lotions and bubble bath. I think that this is the first time that I have bought anything there for myself in years! We did another quick stop at Claire's to return the lock and key that James wound up with from the box that he had been playing with when we were there the first time... Then, we hit the road for home.

Speaking of dogs and the library... I checked out "Barney" by Dick Wolfsie the other day. I had it read in under 24 hours. If I had the opportunity, I probably would have finished it in one sitting. Oh my! What a great book. I laughed. I cried. I laughed while I cried. This is a wonderful book about the love and companionship that an animal can provide. Not only did Barney provide this for Dick, but for many people in Central Indiana. I remember when he died. I only wish that I would have watched the daily newscasts that he had been a part of. Sounds like they were a HOOT!

Not much else going on. Need to go check on Amanda and her crocs... Oh, since I haven't posted any pictures lately, I thought that I would put the above picture of my new crocs. Gotta have a little eye candy every now and again...

Bicycle... Bicycle

2007-09-02T18:53:00.000-07:00

To quote the infamous Freddy Mercury, "I want to ride my bicycle... I want to ride my bike." We have been making up for lost time the past few days. Between the hot weather and Doug's horrid work schedule, we really haven't been able to bike much this season. Friday night after dinner, I suggested that we load up and hit the Monon Trail. We did just that... and biked a total of six miles before dusk arrived. Yesterday afternoon, we headed farther south and did six more miles. Tonight, we got a bit of a late start, so we just decided to bike around here. Usually, there is a lot of traffic in our area due to the over-development... but, don't get me started on that. Anyway, tonight there was virtually no traffic. We rode by the rock quarry, but as the kids said, it was asleep. It was perfect biking weather... very enjoyable.

I got the yard mowed... the front yesterday and the back today. It looks so nice and velvety. Spring and Fall yards are the best. So thick, green and soft.

Doug finished the kids' sandbox yesterday. It is quite a hit.

Well... I am tired. I'll probably waste a few minutes surfing before turning in. It will be so nice to have Doug home tomorrow. I'm not sure what we'll get into... but, it will be great to enjoy another awesome day together. The weather is supposed to be a repeat of the last few days. Yippee!

Sadness and Beauty and Smells

2007-08-31T10:11:00.000-07:00

First... Mom and Dad had to have Snickers euthanized yesterday. I haven't talked to them yet... but, I followed the day's events on Mom's survivor web site. It sounds like the time had come. I know that it has been an agonizing week for them. I pray that they will find peace and comfort in knowing that Snickers is now at peace and suffering no longer. Mom wrote that she is finding reminders of Snickers all over the house today. I wrote back that we found Oscar poop for months! LOL!! And, just a couple of weeks ago when I pulled a comforter out of the attic to put on James' bed, we found more Oscar hair. At first, the reminders will make you cry... eventually they will make you laugh and smile about the time that you had here with her. I'm not sure when that transition actually occurs, but it does.

On a related note, I am still investigating the option of adopting a Great Pyrenees dog. Really, the big thing standing in the way of it right now is not having a fence in the backyard. I've been e-mailing back and forth with a lady involved in the GP Rescue group. She's been very helpful... sending documents, answering questions. I just really want to have a dog. That is what it comes down to. I want the kids to have a dog... and I want a dog. We'll see what happens.

It is an absolutely beautiful day. It was in the low 60s this morning when we got up. Right now it is in the low 70s with a nice, light breeze blowing. The sky is so blue... It really feels like fall.

Isn't it funny how certain smells can take you back to a certain moment in time? Yesterday, we were out on our daily "get James to sleep" drive. It was pretty nice, so we had the windows in the truck down. I smelled a smell that reminded me of the first few days of school when I was in elementary... mown grass. But, not freshly mown grass. Grass that has been sitting out in the sun for a day or so. Of course, I can't adequately describe it because it is a smell. Anyway, the elementary that I went to had no air conditioning. So, we would always get this mown grass smell wafting in on the first few weeks of school, when it was still hot.

This morning, I smelled a smell that reminded me of mornings at college. I went in to the bathroom and smelled the fresh air from open windows / shower / soap / shampoo smell mixture. It took me right back to Oakwood Hall... a mere 15 years ago. I mean 15 years! And the elementary school smell was... dare I say 30 years ago!?! How can smells be such triggers to memories?

Gotta run... Amanda needs some cuddle time...

Day 3

2007-08-29T10:47:00.001-07:00

We have officially completed Day 3 of our homeschool adventure. Each day is getting easier than the one before it. I know... it's only been three days... I was so afraid to start, not knowing exactly what to do. But, really we are following the guidelines for our curriculum and supplementing a little here and there. Today, Amanda said the cutest thing. We were learning about Adam and Eve and how they were naughty by eating the apple off of the forbidden tree. I explained to Amanda that we are all bad every now and then, but God still loves us and forgives us. She looked at me and said, "But, Mommy... I only pick the leaves off of trees." So cute... and true. She has never picked fruit off of a tree... forbidden or not.

Snickers is still hanging in there. I'm so glad that Mom and Dad didn't decide to have her put down earlier this week. It is a tough decision... I know that first-hand. It sounds like she really still isn't in discomfort. Of course, we all understand that given the diagnosis, it won't be long... but, every day with our pets is a gift.

The kids and I made "rainbow" crayons today. We melted all of the broken pieces and chunks together... to have recycled crayons that color with surprise colors. They turned out pretty good, but are tending to break into smaller pieces. Really, that works out better, as you get more surface area to color with... hence more colors. Amanda doesn't see it that way though. She sees them as broken again. It all depends on your point of view, I guess.

Doug is starting to have to work more hours again this week... yuk.

Salsa!

2007-08-26T18:11:00.000-07:00

Today was our annual salsa canning day. Doug was a huge help! Even with his help, my feet and legs are just aching like mad. I knew that we had a lot of tomatoes, but had no idea how many until I started cutting them up. We wound up with 30 cups of chopped tomatoes! That translated into 17 pints of salsa. We lost one though... the bottom busted out of the jar when Doug put it in the hot water bath. Wierd. We had never had that happen before. So, now everything is done... we just need to wait 'til a cold Fall evening to crack open a jar and reap the rewards. Right now salsa doesn't even sound very good to me. That is how it usually goes...

It is beautiful outside tonight. There is an awesome full moon shining bright out there. We just got back from a walk with the kids. It is wonderful to be able to stay up late with them... exploring things that otherwise they might not get to enjoy.

Can't wait to crawl under the covers tonight... Yawn.

Snickers Kitty

2007-08-25T11:01:00.000-07:00

We received some sad news yesterday from Mom and Dad. Their cat, Snickers, was diagnosed with a rapid-growing cancer tumor on her jaw. As for now, they decided to bring her home. They'll probably have to have her euthanized soon. So sad... I never really bonded with Snickers. For some reason, she was always more tolerant of Mendi, who always seemed to torture her by holding her until she meowed and meowed. But, nonetheless, she is a beautiful cat and it is sad to know that Mom and Dad will have to make tough decisions soon. It brings back memories of having to say goodbye to Oscar... and Taffy.

Oh a happier note, I am sitting here watching the Indy Air Show on my PC. It's a pretty cool deal. I'm actually listening to a great friend of mine and his buddy commentating the Warbird part of the show. The weather here is pretty iffy, but for now, it is holding out.

KC had her annual check-up at the vet this morning. She did great... checked out just fine.

That's all for now. Gonna watch some of the air show.

Critters and Such

2007-08-24T05:23:00.000-07:00

I fell in love a couple of nights ago... We were out celebrating Doug's rewards from all of the extra work that he's having to do lately. He had called that night and said to pick somewhere "nice" to go eat. I said, "Oh, how about Steak 'n Shake?" Isn't that hilarious? If he had asked me that six or seven years ago, the answer would have been St. Elmo's, Fletchers... maybe Ruth's Chris. Anyway, we wound up at Don Pablo's. It was very good... the kids had fun. James ate a ton of beef, beans and rice. He's such a good eater... While we were there, Doug handed me a card. I opened it up and found a very nice "thank you" for keeping the homefires burning while he's been MIA with his job. Also, he had been given a substantial gift card for his work. He said that I could spend the entire amount on myself. Wow! I have little idea on what to do with it... my kids and family are my life. I really don't have my own life right now. Any ideas?

Anyway, after dinner, we went to a craft store and a couple of pet stores. Inside one of the pet stores, I met a Great Pyrenees young 'un. Oh my... love at first sight. And, it just got better when I petted her and played with her. What a sweet dog. I did some investigating online and found that there are quite a few Pyrs around here that are in the rescue program. Here is one that just looks perfect for us... But, I'm trying to keep my head on straight. I need to wait just a little longer until the kiddos can help out a bit more. Oh, but what a big teddy bear of a dog...

Ok, so a couple of days ago when I turned on the "monster tank" (the 180G), I thought to myself that it felt kind of hot. Other than that, I didn't really think anything of it. I went about my day, doing what I do... playing, reading, dissolving disputes, cleaning, laundry, surfing the computer... I had noticed that one of my favorite fish in that tank was doing a bit of strange swimming, with its head pointing up a bit. While sitting at the computer near the end of the afternoon, I glanced over and there was a dead fish sitting at the bottom of the tank... I got to looking and there was another. I started putting two and two together and checked the thermometer. It was over 96 degrees F in there!?! The fish were literally baking. By the time the dust settled and the tank had been partially drained, cleaned, etc. We had lost six fish (including my favorite) out of that tank. Oh man... that was bad.

Right now, James and Amanda are still asleep. Don't know how long that will last. But, for now, I am enjoying the peace and quiet. Perhaps I should go back and try to sleep some more... I'm not sure what we will get into this weekend. The Blue Angels are in town. I'd like to see them, but I'm not sure if it will work out. There is a media day today for $5. If I'm brave enough, perhaps I'll load up the truck and head over... or not.

Cool Things

2007-08-23T19:02:00.000-07:00

Tonight, I had a couple of really cool things happen... The first was when we were on our way home from the park. It was dusk, and I was just kind of watching the world go by out my window as Doug was driving. I looked at just the right place at just the right time and saw an owl landing in a tree along side the road. It was a pretty big one... probably over a foot tall (the owl, not the tree). I could make out the little tufts on top of his head and everything. It was very awesome.

The second thing happened after we got home. I was trying to get James to go to sleep (which, for the record, didn't work...), when Amanda came in and informed me that she needed to give me a hug and a kiss. She proceeded to do just that and told me that I was her "best friend". What a cute and warm moment. I'm sure that when she is in her teen years, I will not be thought of as her best friend... so, I will savor that title for now.

We have officially made our reservations for a very nice, secluded cabin in Eastern Kentucky. We'll be heading there in mid-September for a few days. Can't wait! It will be nice to get away from here for awhile. The cabin is on a property that has a creek and waterfalls (if there has been enough rain). It is also very remote... you have to park your vehicle and walk about three minutes to get to the actual cabin. Should be an adventure, nonetheless.

Well, time for bed. Yawn...

Blonde Moment

2007-08-21T08:24:00.001-07:00

I've been e-mailing back and forth with a friend who lives in California. I commented to him that I had never really seen the Pacific Ocean except from an airplane while flying to Hawaii a few years ago. He was quick to point out that Hawaii was surrounded by the Pacific Ocean... and henceforth, I had in fact seen the Pacific up close and personal. Oh yeah... I guess so. Perhaps I need to go back for a refresher... or at the least, I need to dig out the pictures from that vacation. It was an awesome trip. I'll never forget it, even if I did forget the Pacific.

On a more solemn note, I did see on the internet where our friend's mother did in fact pass away on Friday. Continued prayers to the whole family for peace and comfort during this difficult time for them. She had lung cancer but was not a smoker - her husband was. This is the second case of this happening that I've heard of in a year or so. The same thing happened to one of Doug's brother-in-law's brother's wife (follow that?). I am just petrified that the same could happen to me, growing up in a house with two smokers. At least I have been "smoke-free" for nearly twenty years.

We've been getting a lot of rain here lately. It's been wonderful! Yesterday, the kids and I were outside when it started to sprinkle. Amanda immediately headed for the door to come inside. James just stood there, looking up, enjoying the drops falling from the sky.

Oh boy... WWIII is breaking out here. Both kids are screaming... pieces of our newest Thomas the Tank Engine layout are falling around the room. Guess I should go. Gee whiz.

We Took the Plunge!

2007-08-18T12:33:00.000-07:00

Swimming lessons went very well today. Both kiddos did a wonderful job. I was SO proud of Amanda for being so brave. She did a great job for it being her first time. Every time I looked over at her, she was being very attentive and was trying everything that her teacher was asking of her. She even jumped in from the side of the pool! I think that her teacher is going to be super. I could tell that she was gearing the lesson to each child's experience level. With Amanda, she held her up so that her head wouldn't go under water when she jumped in... with another girl, she let her go under. James had a very fun time... lots of singing and playing. He wasn't too fond of trying to lay on his back in the water. Nor was he excited to put the toy balls back into their crate. His favorite part of class was jumping off of the side of the pool wall (while sitting). I just had fun in the water. It was nice and warm.

Below are pictures from class... a "before", a couple of James and me in his class... a couple of Amanda (in the pink and purple swim cap) in her class... and an "after" shot.

This is Amanda's new swimsuit. She decided to wear her other one for class today, though. This one is very cute, and it came with a matching swim skirt.

Here is Amanda showing off some flowers from her garden. I told her to make sure to hold them up so Felix couldn't get them. She look slike the Statue of Liberty with flowers, doesn't she?

Can't I Mow?

2007-08-17T18:12:00.000-07:00

All I wanted to accomplish today was to get the backyard mowed. Well, I got about 1/4 of it done... I guess that it just wasn't in the cards. But, it was such a beautiful night tonight. I just wanted to be outside. What did I do instead? Well, I drove the kids around. We wound up at Michael's tonight. If I had a dime for every mile I've put on the old Beast this week, I would be able to pay for all the gas that it's sucked down. (not quite... but close). At first, I could drive everyone around and get James to take a nap. He's become a bit more immune to it as the week has progressed. It took two tries today.

Doug is working late again. Boy, if he came home and said that for whatever reason he quit/lost his job, etc. I can't say that I would be sad. I know that I sound selfish, but I am just totally tired of this single parent thing. I am totally exhausted... totally alone... totally sad. It has just really worn me out. My neighbor once (recently) told me that I am at the loneliest stage of parenting... and boy is she right. If Doug isn't around, I basically have nobody except for the kids. How sad is that? Don't get me wrong, I love to be with the kids, but I honestly get NO break... ever. And, I have nobody close to me that I could just call up and say, "hey, let's go get a coffee... or go hit the mall... or..." I know that a lot of that is my fault. It's hard to keep contacts with people when you are a mommy (hence, my neighbor's comment). But, my family isn't even close really. Mendi is in GA. Mom and Dad aren't too far away, but really they are involved in their own things (which is totally understandable). This will pass, I'm sure... Just needed to get it off my chest.

Amanda did the sweetest thing last evening. I had loaded up the truck to go get my dinner - a Papa John's pizza. Of course, the two kiddos fell asleep while we were out and about. I brought Amanda in and put her in her bed. Her eyes fluttered open for a brief moment to figure out where she was. At that same time, Doug appeared and poked his head in her door. She sat straight up, eyes wide open and said, "I saw Daddy!!!" Even though I saw him, I told her that she must be hallucinting. She said that she wasn't. He came back in and she was ecstatic. I guess that I'm not the only one who's been wishing him home more often.

Tomorrow is the big day... Swimming lessons for both kiddos! Should be fun :)

This Should be Good

2007-08-16T10:14:00.000-07:00

Wow. I've had lots of random thoughts rolling through my head lately... this blog entry is sure to be a mish-mash of some of them. Prepare yourself...

Mom and Dad leave for Georgia today. I really thought about tailing them down there with the kiddos. Doug has been working insane hours this week... home at 10:15 p.m. on Monday at 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday... and, he was blessed to be able to leave work yesterday at 6:00 p.m. He and I both are getting really sick of it. I just cannot believe that projects can be so poorly managed and lead. I was so lucky when I was working to be able to work on projects with great customers, who were able to give clear requirements. The project teams were staffed with great and capable people who did what they said they would... This project he is on is just a total disaster. I could go on, but enough said.

The other night while trying to get to sleep, I got to thinking about criminals. I don't know why... but, anyway, I was thinking about three people that were in my graduating high school class (or at least started out in it) that have wound up in jail. What leads people to do things that could land them in the slammer? I mean, why would you steal, beat, whatever... your fellow human beings. What went so wrong in these peoples' lives to turn them that way? And, really the three that I am thinking of turned "bad" at an early age. It's really sad. I just think that it is so important to let you kids be kids... surround them with a loving and secure environment... let them know that you love them and will always be there for them. I'm pretty sure that the aforementioned three didn't have that.

While reading a random blog yesterday, I discovered a song. It's country, which I don't listen to normally. This song came on as background music... and it totally stopped me in my tracks. By the end (middle really) of it, I was literally sobbing at the computer. It's called "Let Them Be Little", by Billy Dean. Here are some lyrics from it:

I can remember when you fit in the palm of my hand.
You felt so good in it; no bigger than a minute.
How it amazes me you're changin' with every blink.
Faster than a flower blooms, they grow up all too soon.

So let them be little,
'Cause they're only that way for a while.
Give 'em hope, give them praise,
Give them love every day.
Let 'em cry, let 'em giggle,
Let 'em sleep in the middle,
Oh, but let them be little.

It is so true. Our two are growing up so quickly. If I think about it, it really does sadden me. We will be starting Amanda's preschool year soon. Didn't she just learn how to crawl and say mama and daddy?

The excessive heat is nearly over with. We're supposed to get some storms later that will usher in some cooler air. Saturday is supposed to be great. I hope that we get to enjoy it with Doug...

A good friend of mine is going through a really tough time. Her husband's mother is in her last days with her battle with lung cancer. I pray that their family can get through this difficult time with the peace and strength of God. Their two young boys will be losing their grandmother. I pray for their precious little hearts... I pray for the man that will lose his mother. And, I pray for my friend to be there as a pillar of strength for her family. Peace be with you all. I love you.

Kiss My...

2007-08-08T17:52:00.000-07:00

Well, technically I think it was a donkey. But, anyway, I got some Grade A sugar from the sweetest donkey at the State Fair last night. There were several there enjoying the air conditioned Draft Horse building. We were able to see some sheep, goats, cows and pigs, as well. The kids had a great time... aside from the fact that we felt like we were all literally going to melt. We ran into a guy that I used to work with in the Swine barn. It's funny, we usually run into him on Purdue Day... but, this year we both took the cheap way out and went the night before the fair officially starts. Translated - FREE.

Amanda loved the donkeys. She couldn't get enough of them. There were several mommy/baby combos. Very cute. I'm not sure how many pictures we took of them. Here is one of my favorites.

When we were in the Cattle barn, they announced that all of the animals were released for tie-out. I have no idea what this meant, but apparently, it was a pretty popular deal. There were several folks who immediately started leading their cows out of the barn... to this tie-out thing. We were finally able to cross the cattle line and make it outside ourselves, only to see the following "cow parade." It was quite a sight...

We found an open Elephant Ear stand and had to share one of those. It was hotter than blazes outside... but, the ear still tasted good. The picnic table that we selected for our break was devoid of any air movement. And, again, we thought that we might just melt into oblivion right there... We didn't.

We managed to get back into the infield just in time to see the hot air balloons inflating for the glow. They were all beautiful... however, my two favorites would have to be the Oliver Winery balloon (pictured below) and the Pioneer Seeds balloon. Someday, I would love to go down on opening morning to see the balloon race liftoff. I am certain that would be awesome.

Good, Good Day!

2007-08-06T19:36:00.000-07:00

I was very busy and very productive today. One might think that these go hand in hand, but they don't necessarily around here. I am not sure when the last time was that I got so much accomplished. All of the laundry (except for what we wore today) is caught up. The dishes at one point were caught up. I had all the beds made. I vaccumed the back end of the house and the dining room. We did our weekly trip to the library. I went and enrolled the kiddos in swim lessons. I made a double-batch of pizza dough. I think that Doug thought he was in the wrong house when he arrived home.

After dinner, we loaded up and went shopping. We were on a quest for a tent and a swim cap for Amanda. We had luck with the tent. We got a nice, new, BIG tent for the whole gang to fit comfortably in. There is even room for Doug to get a cot and for the rest of us to have an air mattress and/or sleeping bags. It should be very nice. I can't wait to set it up and try it out! The kids had a blast trying out all of the tents in the store. A few had little doors that kind of looked like cat/dog flaps. The kids found that they could easily fit in and out of those. It was pretty funny.

We got a LOT of rain today! It was wonderful. I think that it rained off and on for about an hour pretty heavily. I checked the rain gauge and it showed 2 inches! Some of that fell last night, too... but, still. That is fantastic! The yard, garden and flowers will definitely be smiling tomorrow.

Well, I am tired for now. Good night.

Sauna Central

2007-08-06T05:40:00.000-07:00

It is SO hot and humid here. We did get some rain overnight, but I think that it only added to the high humidity levels. The raindrops on the windows will probably stay there all day... I did manage to get the yard mowed yesterday. It took nearly all day, off and on. I would mow for awhile, stop and come in for some water, get cooled down and try it again. Parts of the yard were dead and crunchy, other parts were lush and nearly 8 inches tall. We hadn't mowed for a long time...

We had a super time with Dana and her family on Saturday. The caching was great. Her boys just loved it. I think that we did six or seven caches with them (some others on our own on the way there and on the way home). It pushed us over our 600 milestone. After caching, we went back to their home. We had an awesome lunch comprised of all kinds of fresh goodies from their huge garden - YUM! The kids played... I got a preview of the Math-U-See curriculum that she is using for her youngest (very cool). Since it was such a hot day, we cooled down in the pool. We also got to see all of their cool critters - cats, baby kittens, pigs, Salad (the dog), miniature horses... oh, and her oldest boy's caterpilars. Her husband hitched up one of the horses to a cart and took the kids for rides. It was just a perfect day. We all had a wonderful time!

Yesterday was kind of a lazy one. We were all pretty worn out from our big day on Saturday. We didn't make it to church. Doug did tackle all of the dishes, though. And, like I said, I tackled the yard. We did get some things around here accomplished... so much to do, though. There always is.

Last evening, Doug and Amanda played hide 'n seek. This was the first time that she had played, and it was a riot! I would help her get into an awesome place, Doug would coming looking for her... and she would be singing or just give herself up immediately. How funny... One time, Doug was hiding in the shower. I was helping Amanda find him. I was coaxing her to look in the shower, but she wouldn't. I said, "I think that I see some legs in there" (through the frosted glass doors). She looked and said, "No, Mom. I think that it is just dirt." I just rolled. Anyway, they had fun.

Not sure what is on the docket for today... staying cool is a priority.

Picture Time!

2007-08-03T14:07:00.001-07:00

Here are some recent pictures...

Enjoying frozen custard at Culvers. It is SO good, James needed two spoons:

Mom and Dad's DeSoto looking good at Port Tobacco:

James opening his presents. Notice that nearly everything visible is Thomas...

The Cookie Monster Cake:

Enjoying the Cookie Cake and Ice Cream. It's fun to eat and wear!:

James' new tricycle. He has yet to try riding it. For now, he is happy just pushing it around the driveway. Gotta start slow, I guess.

Amanda with a baby carrot from our garden. Of course, she wouldn't eat it. I did. It was very yummy.:

A beautiful butterfly on our butterfly bush. We've had so many different species enjoying it this year.:

TGIF

2007-08-03T12:01:00.000-07:00

Boy, I am so glad that it is Friday... and that it is almost over. The last couple of weeks have just been so tiring. I think that after this weekend, things should drastically slow down.

I got my stitches out this morning. I waited in the waiting room for about 20 minutes. It literally took 20 seconds to have the stitches clipped out. Oh well. The quiet time was nice. The nurse said that everything looked nice and clean. The wound did pop open a bit though at Music Class, as I had to carry James around a lot. So, it's covered back up with a Band-Aid again. I can't believe the number of Band-Aids that we have gone through around here in the last month...

It is very hot here and looks like it will be for quite some time. I've had to water the gardens lately. That has really flared up my wrists. I've given up and started wearing my braces and doing my exercises again. Getting old really stinks... I think that I've said that before.

James had a great two-year check-up the other day. He passed with flying colors. He is now at the 60% for length and up to the 30% for weight. He was so funny while we were waiting for the doctor (geesh, how much time have I spent waiting for doctors the last two weeks... anyway, I digress). James walked over to the door, got up on his tiptoes and starting saying "go!" while reaching for the doorknob. He couldn't reach it that well... So, he found a doorstopper on the wall for where the doorknob hits. He tried pressing that (like the handicap accessible doors at the library) to see if that would open the door. That didn't work either... It did show that he was trying his best to problem solve.

I'm trying to get laundry and dishes caught up this afternoon. Tomorrow is our fun day with Dana and her family - caching, swimming, eating... who knows what else. I would like to try and come up with a nice food item to take. She has planned a feast, and I feel bad just showing up. I need to peruse some recipe books. LOL.

See Spot Go

2007-07-31T08:05:00.000-07:00

The doctor's office just called about the spot that they removed from my arm. The nurse said that it was high grade pre-cancerous. So, it is a good thing that the doctor noticed it... when he was checking out my carpal tunnel problem. Funny how things work out. The nurse said that they did get the entire area removed and that I should be rechecked in six months. Oh, and I need to wear sunscreen. That is the hardest part for me. I grew up in the era of dark tans... it is so hard for me to reprogram myself... I was born to be riding around in a convertible with the radio blasting away... in the warm summer sun. Times change. I guess that I need to, too.

We had a great weekend celebrating James' birthday. I can't believe that he is two already. Russ and Carol came over on Saturday afternoon. We had a fun visit with them. Mom and Dad came down on Sunday afternoon. We had a little party, complete with Cookie Monster cake. I haven't got the pictures downloaded yet... I'll try to do that later today.

The Hits Keep on Coming

2007-07-27T07:13:00.000-07:00

Oh boy... James and I spent some quality time at the Emergency Room last night. He had a close encounter of the coffee table kind when we were just about ready to get him to bed. I'm not really sure how it happened... I think that he just kind of lost his balance and stumbled into it. At first, I thought that he hit his forehead. As soon as I picked him up and turned him around, I saw the blood in his mouth.

We spent some time trying to calm him down. Eventually, he quieted down, nursed and nearly fell asleep. We decided that we should try to take a closer look... and that got him fired up again. He had a small gash on his lower lip... no problem. But, on the inner part of his upper lip, he had an area that had pulled apart. Yuk. We called the doctor on call, and she said that without seeing it, she couldn't feel comfortable telling us a yeah or nay. So, James and I loaded up and headed to the ER.

James was admirably brave throughout the whole ordeal. He was not a fan of getting his blood pressure taken... nor was he pleased when he had to lay on the table for the doctor to examine his mouth. But, aside from that, he was very calm. The ER doctor said that everything should heal quickly on its own... that they rarely stitch up mouth injuries now. So, he got a prescription for some antibiotics to minimize any infection potential. Oh, and he also got the sweetest, softest white bear. I was very impressed with the ER facility... it is a fairly new hospital and I was very pleased with every aspect of it.

So, now we are starting off another day. There really is a lot to be done, but between being tired from the late night and itchy and stiff from the Fifth Disease, I'm not sure how productive I will be today. At a minimum, I need to load everyone up and do a quick trip to the grocery store. Food is really non-negotiable for the weekend... clean house and mowed yard aren't quite as important. We'll get through... somehow we always do.

Hmmmm

2007-07-25T16:42:00.000-07:00

Ok, I am not sure why I pay my doctors big bucks... I think that my neighbor just diagnosed what is wrong with me... and what was wrong with Amanda a few days ago... and what seems to be starting with James. I think that Fifth Disease is making the rounds in our house. Amanda had the mystery rash a week or so ago. I called her doctor. She said not to worry if the rash cleared up by the weekend; it did. My doctor today wasn't sure, but thought that it could have been triggered by the poison ivy. And, today, James has really red cheeks... which my neighbor said is classis Fifth Disease, as is a lacy rash. Hmmmmm.

I did some research on the web after talking with her and sure enough... that is what it looks like. All of the descriptions that I have found match it to a tee. I guess that B (my neighbor) had it earlier this year, too. Strange. It is usually found in kiddos... not aging housewives. LOL. Lucky us.

Under the Knife

2007-07-25T08:27:00.000-07:00

I went under the knife this morning and survived. I had a spot on my left forearm removed. When I went in in May for the carpal tunnel diagnosis, the doctor found a suspicious looking dark spot on my arm. So, today it got cut out. The nurse numbed me up very well... the numbing felt like a series of bee stings. By the time of the procedure, everything was very well numb. I really felt nothing of the cutting... but, still, I felt like I was going to pass out. The doctor was asking me all kinds of questions (to figure out why I have this odd rash). Finally, I had to just say that I wasn't feeling very well. At least I was already laying down. I'm sure that it was pretty much just a psychological deal... kinda like when I try to donate blood. Right, Dave?

Anyway, Doc concluded that my rash and intensely painful joints (ankles, knees, wrists) are both being caused by a secondary reaction to my poison ivy. Great. I feel like I am 90 years old. It hurts to do just about anything... even go up one step from the family room to the dining room. Getting up and down off of the floor is nearly impossible without grimacing. It kinda stinks getting old... at least I know that this is just a temporary condition. I can't imagine having arthritis like this. Yuk. No fun.

We camped out a couple of nights ago again. This time it was much more pleasant... no ATVs riding around all night long. We only heard sounds of the crickets, frogs, cicadas and other critters in the woods. Very peaceful.

I stumbled upon a blog yesterday written by a lady who is adopting a little boy from Guatamala. After reading a few entries and doing a little searching, I found that she had lost her husband in a motorcycle accident. She was also in the accident with him, but survived. This was about a year ago. I'm not sure why, but her story is kind of sticking with me. Perhaps since we nearly lost Dad a few years ago in an accident. You never know when something like that might happen... Of course, it just scares me to death thinking that my children could lose either Doug or me before they are old enough to understand... Just gotta put it in God's hands, I guess.

Monday, Monday

2007-07-23T07:36:00.000-07:00

We made it through another weekend. It was filled with fun and adventure... as usual. We wouldn't have it any other way.

The fair on Friday evening was great. It was a very nice county fair... lots of animals, great 4-H and good fair food. We all had fun. I definitely felt like we were at "home". We saw several people that we knew. I think that most of our street was there. We saw four families there. Funny. I just cannot wait for the kids to be involved in 4-H. I have so many fond memories of my 4-H years. Friends, projects... I learned so much from the projects that I did. I think that Amanda will be able to begin Mini 4-H in a couple of years. Won't be long.

We did some caching on Saturday morning and afternoon. We are only five away from 600 finds!!!

We camped out in the backyard on Saturday night. The weather was perfect for it. Unfortunately, some jerks were riding their ATVs nearly all night. I think that they finally quite around 2 a.m. or so. They weren't super-close to us, but it was such a still night, the sound really carried. On a funny note, we had just all snuggled in when we heard a "meow". Buttons was peeking in the tent, trying to figure out why we were all out there. James was concerned about Buttons being concerned and started saying "uh-oh". So, we all didn't get the most quality rest, but it was still fun.

Yesterday, we went out and bought James a big boy bed. It is a full size... and boy is it comfy! There were lots of zzzzzz's coming out of it last night. LOL.

This week will be busy with preparations for James birthday party. Can't believe that he is just days away from being a two-year old. Wow.