Saturday, June 28, 2008

Random Thoughts

I think it should be a given, that if KC is going to play an audio book on his computer, and then immediately fall asleep in the chair, leaving ME as the only one listening, that he should choose a book that might possibly interest me, rather than a book on the strengths and weaknesses of the Lincoln administration. BO-ring. No wonder he fell asleep.

I found some really weird looking things in the munchkin's hair and panicked and called my friend at 9:30, b/c she used to work in a daycare and knows these things. I think we have ruled out the possibility of lice and determined it is probably hairspray buildup that isn't getting washed out of her hair with the baby shampoo that I've been using, however I am now itching from head to toe with the thought of it. Thank heavens for good friends. Even if her hubby answered the phone in a whisper and I was sure that I had called after the kids were all asleep. EEEK. Her hubby and my hubby are SO two peas in a pod when it comes to their *evil and mischievous* streaks. LOL.

The attic is *very* *warm* in the summer, but if I have to start working at night, I will get this job finished. After a few hours up there this morning, there is some definite progress. Coming downstairs and not having the gumption to take anything else up there today wasn't progress, but we'll just have to keep doing it a little at a time.

We were going to grill out tonight, but it came a thunderstorm about 4:30. Now I'm kinda glad b/c I pulled out some frozen ravioli for supper and it was SO good.

It is so very irritating to me when the munchkin asks me for something and then after I'm out of the picture (like when I go to the shower), asks her daddy for it, and he, not knowing that I had said no, lets her have it....and then for me to *TRY* not to make a big deal about it, being that it's late and it's more important for the house to stay peaceful if possible. *grrr*

It is cracking me up to look over at the hubby next to me. He's all reclined out and the white cat is up on his chest and the black one is on his lap, using the white one's rear end for a pillow. ROFL!!! Too bad I'm too lazy to go get the camera.

I never did remember to call my mom today. SORRY MOM! I thought of it several times and went to get the phone and got sidetracked every single time. Next thing I knew it was like....late. Anywho, to answer your question, the respite care we're supposed to do next week is for that little boy that I had to turn down a couple of weeks ago. I figure we can handle one week, especially since he'll be going to school 3 of the 6 days we'll have him, so it will really only be the evenings. I'll try to remember to call you tomorrow, in case you don't get a chance to read this. *grin*

It's 10:30....I'm going to bed now.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Thoughts on Clutter

I've kinda gotten into the "cleaning out" frame of mind lately, as I have a pile of yard sale stuff junking up the garage, that is prodding me to get organized and get it out of there. I decided (after multiple hints from my dear hubby about how TERRIBLE the garage looked), that I would work on getting it organized and cleaned out.

While most of the stuff in the garage (most) is already organized and just sitting there waiting for a semi-permanent home in storage (ya know, like the totes of winter clothes that are packed away for the summer, the totes of camping gear, and those sorts of things), there is no storage place ready for those things. We have room in the basement, but we need to level out the dirt down there and put some gravel down to keep things cleaner, plus KC has been working on building some pallets to stack stuff on to keep things from getting damaged since it is still just a very large crawlspace. So, suffice it to say, the stuff in the garage may be sitting there for awhile unless we come up with an alternate solution.

So on Thursday, I decided to go up to the attic and see what I could do up there, b/c I'm sure I could probably get enough room to store the totes of clothing and camping gear for the time being, and MAYBE even get enough space to park at least ONE car in our TWO car garage. LOL.

My main goal in the attic is to clear out stuff that is not needed and either trash it or yard sale it, and then label what's left so that it's not a foraging effort every time we need that elusive item that we stuck up there last summer.

The attic was a fairly easy thing, b/c generally speaking, if it's been up there for two years and I haven't missed it yet, it's not too difficult to toss. And it's gotten me in a mood to clear out and organize the rest of the house, too.

So as I was at the library today, this book on the New Releases shelf caught my eye. It's called Downsizing Your Home With Style. Although it's more for folks who are moving into a smaller home, it was very interesting. I should know. I sat here and read the whole thing tonight. (LOL) For one thing, it's written in a very conversational tone and for another, it's very to the point. Don't need it? Get rid of it. *grin* Needless to say, it added much fuel to my "get organized" fire.

One thing it mentioned about clearing the clutter in your home was that often times we don't classify clutter as "clutter" b/c we're just used to it being there, consequently, when we tidy up, we just tidy around it as part of our house, even though it really has no purpose, just because it's there and we're used to it. This is SO true. I could list several things in our house right this minute that could fall under this classification, and my goal is to change that.

After reading this, it occurred to me, that this could apply spiritually, as well. When I do spiritual housecleaning, do I go around a certain bad attitude toward a person or situation, just because it's always been there and I'm used to it? When I'm dusting my spiritual house, do I have to dust over that habit that has always been there and I'm used to it?

While I'm cleaning out the clutter that keeps me from feeling peaceful in my literal house, God help me not to hang on to clutter that disturbs the peaceful feeling in my spiritual house.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

There.

That's better. I feel like this design suits "me" better than the last effort. It's not quite the summery effect I had in mind, but the summery effect just isn't me...or at least I haven't found something that is summery that feels right yet. LOL. Anywho, it's a little darker than it has been, though...does it hurt your eyes too much to read the words?

One moment please, while I go update the credits and obtain a screenshot to put in this post for future reference. *grin*
Okay...there we go. All done. Off to do more time-wasting activities....teehehe....

Thursday Thirteen: Digital Scrappy Links

After having been asked at least 3 times in the last 2 weeks where I get all my digital goodness, I have been contemplating just collecting my favorite links and posting them. Well, yesterday I hit the mother-lode, plus today is Thursday and I've got thirteen of these links and that will be a perfect Thursday Thirteen....SO....I'm sharing. *grin*

Shabby Princess (these are some of my very favorites)
Two Peas In A Bucket - Freebies (you have to sign up for the community to access the downloads, but they are so worth it!)
Digi Divas Designs (I don't think these are updated, but what is already there is pretty good)
Digital Freebies (I think these come out every Friday)
Oscraps (I think this is another one that you have to sign up to get the freebies)
Peppermint Creative (This is another personal favorite. One freebie released monthly, and each new release makes the previous one disappear, so you have to grab them when they come out each month....these downloads work like you are buying them, you put them in your cart and checkout but your total is $0.00....and if you're up for spending some dough, they have some great kits that are a little MORE than $0.00, too)
Gotta Pixel (just found this one this morning and you have to join this one as well, to access the freebies, but it looks like one I'm gonna be joining really soon. LOL!)
Scrap Orchard (oooh, another new one for me....not sure if this one requires signing up or not, but it looks like some more good stuff)
Digital Scrapbooking Freebies (mmmmmmm....yummy)
Squidoo Digital Scrapbook Lens (Quite a few of these new links I found were from her list, and she also has quite a bit of information down below those freebie links as well)
Scrapmatters Blog (Tuesday challenges with template freebies, and it looks like they may have lots of other similar kinds of things going on....)
Digital Scrapbooking Tutorials (a great place to learn how to use the freebies you download, or to create some of your own....*grin*)

And finally.....the mother lode

DigiFree ---- it's a blog that searches all over the web and finds all the freebies from that day....EVERY DAY. OH MY! It's incredible....check it out!

I'll try to go back and add all these links to the sidebar later, but for now.....=)

Enjoy!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

A Few Pics...

So I think someone asked me in the comments on one of my last posts where we went this past weekend, after I mentioned that about my dream and not wanting to wake the kids cuz we were in a hotel room. Anyway, the answer to that question is: OHIO. We went up to visit with friends (and KC's grandma) and it was a full weekend. We left at 4:30am on Friday and got to the motel room sometime around 11:30. That part was sweet. And the kids did go back to sleep for about 2 hours in the car after we left. That was sweet, too. They did really good being that K-man was a bit sickly for most of the trip. Anyways, we came back on Sunday afternoon and got home around 8:30pm, which really isn't too bad either.

It was (with a few little exceptions) a pretty fun weekend. I got to see my old friend from way back when and meet the last two kids that she had since the last time I saw her (2 years ago...yikes). Her oldest one is only a week younger than Munchkin, so they really hit it off when they finally got to meet. *grin* Anyways, that part was great b/c usually when we go to Ohio, we just get to see a lot of KC's old friends. You know how when you get married, you sorta pick up friends by default b/c they were your significant other's friends? Not that that is a bad thing, that's just how it is. *grin* Some of our best friends happened that way! LOL.

ANYWHO. So here's just a few pictures from the weekend....

I'll start with a really good one of us that I took while passing time at GG's (that's what the kids call KC's grandma)..... Isn't that just gorgeous? I never did get a good one of us....one or both of us looked hungover in every shot. OH WELL.

Here's the kids being all sweet as we were going to the car to leave the hotel on Saturday morning (or maybe it was afternoon....whatever...it was sweet)


Come on, you know you want to say it....AWWWWWW! LOL!!!!

And this is Munchkin and her new best friend, "Kenz." What's really funny is, I look at this picture and I see her mommy and me. Course, her mommy and I were a few years older than this when we first met and got to be friends, but still. It's great. I wish we lived closer so they could hang out more often.

Here's a couple of pictures of Sis Karen Wilks' children's program....it was great.



And back at GG's....it's munchkin with her GG....

And then you have the big girl attitude and a matching little one....LOL......no more pictures I guess....
Oh and one last one....GG is making banana bread to send home with us. YUM.

And there you have it.

Well, it's kinda late and my dear hubby is already konked out on the couch beside me, so I guess I'm gonna close up shop for today.

Later!

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Ten on Tuesday: Favorite Inventions

10 Inventions that have made life easier....from the beginning of time to now...

This is going to be tough, but I'm just going to name the first ten things that make MY life easier without overanalyzing it too much. LOL.

1. The wheel. Can you imagine life without THAT?
2. Wireless highspeed internet. Oh dear heavens. I am so addicted. LOL.
3. DR PEPPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IS there another way to handle stress?
4. Laptop computers.
5. Portable DVD players to occupy the kids on long car trips....wow. Yeah.
6. Digital cameras and digital scrapbooking. What a timesaver!
7. Free Blogs.
8. Adobe Photoshop...another one I would have a hard time surviving without....LOL
9. Washing machines. Ya know, if I might over analyze for a moment, I could probably live without the microwave and just use the stove or grill to cook with (although I wouldn't really WANT to live without the microwave), but if I had to wash the clothes by hand.....OH MY. How did they do it?
10. Swimming pools. One could swim in the lake, but the idea of clear water in your backyard....how brilliant. Speaking of that, I would like to HAVE that invention in my backyard....????

Sunday, June 22, 2008

On a Lighter Note

Funny from last night:
I had just drifted off to sleep and found myself in this nightmare where I was outside of the house (not sure whose) and for some reason -- this is really strange -- K-man was outside with me only he was a puppy and I was walking him. LOL. I'm not sure if I dreamed this b/c someone asked me the other day how my pups were doing or what. LOL. Anywho, so we're outside and it's dark, and I'm waiting for him to do his business when I look up this hill to the woods and see four huge green eyes and hear some major growling. So I call K-man, the puppy, quietly to me and get him to the door to the house and just as I've almost got him to safety, he catches sight of the giant cats and takes off barking toward them. Now I know he's a puppy and he's no match for those cats and you know how in those dreams you want to do something or even scream and you can't get anything out????? Well, I was trying my best and I finally got out (in my dream) a long, "NOOOOooooooooooooo, noooo, noooooooo" when suddenly I get this elbow in the ribs and a "HONEY. Wake up."

"Huh? What? Oh. I was dreaming."

"Yeah. No kidding. I thought one of the kids was getting sick. You were going 'ehh, ehhhh, eeeeehhhhhhhhhhhhh, ehhhhhhh, ehhhhhhh' and then I realized it was you."

"Oh. Sorry. I was screaming....." And then I proceeded to tell him my dream. And then of course, he laughed at me. And I got tickled b/c I could hear myself just grunting/moaning when in my dream I was desperately trying to scream as loud as I could.

It was a good thing I couldn't get the scream out though, b/c seeing as how we were in a hotel room and not only were our kids in the same room, but I'm sure the neighboring rooms wouldn't have particularly enjoyed me screaming bloody murder at 12:30am. Teeehehehe. But it sure was funny. And I was glad he woke me up before the green eyes got my puppy. WEIRD. LOL.

.......................

By the way, thanks for the happy thoughts, today was much better....=) I feel much more positive about it now. Between venting and your thoughts/prayers, I think I shall manage to contain my frustration. Much obliged. *grin* OH yeah, and I think being back home might be helping a little, too. *smiles*

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Just a little vent

I think I'm getting an ulcer. I hate tension, and I hate confrontation. UGH. It's quite an unpleasant situation, and I just needed to vent for a moment. Sorry.

I really can't go into detail b/c....well....you know.....people read this blog. LOL. But really. I am overdue for a post and it's late, so I just thought a quick let off of some steam would kill two birds with one stone. A post and to (hopefully) keep me from exploding on anyone. And maybe later I'll go let out a larger amount of steam on the private blog, but like I said...it's late tonight and I need some rest....another key point in keeping me from....well.....you know.

Thanks for listening. =)

Later!

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Withdrawal

I am having some serious cravings for several things right this minute. I'm not sure why, all I know is I would ALMOST drive all the way into town to get a Dr Pepper right this minute. Of course, I'm not going to spend the gas, but.....wait a MINUTE.

I think I have a 12 pack that I bought to have for the yard sale that I didn't end up doing last week....I think...I think I stashed them in the cooler in the garage so I wouldn't be tempted to drink them. OH MY. OH THE TEMPTATION! It is huge. But if I break open that 12 pack, I won't just drink one. Oh my. Oh my.

I must resist. I have not had a Dr. Pepper since last weekend. I am doing swell. Must resist.

The other craving is definitely out.....cuz I don't have time to drive all the way down to the library today or tomorrow. But I might have to go next week before Friday b/c I have NO fun reading material. *SIGH* Not that I have time to read anyways. I have a ton of things I need to work on.

But after my morning....I really could use some "fixes."

K-man had a temp last night and it kept going up during the night and I just alternated between tylenol and motrin, so I took him to the doc at 9:40 this morning. At 10:40, we were still sitting in the waiting room. At 11, we finally saw the doctor. He does NOT have strep, just a small viral infection that is going around, and the doctor said there would be no problem in having him out and about, just to give him the tylenol/motrin if his fever went up a bit.

The unfortunate thing is that I thought we would only be gone for no more than an hour or so, so I didn't take the diaper bag, just threw a couple of diapers in my purse.

So. I had nothing for snack. I had no toys. I had no drinks. N.O.T.H.I.N.G. Well, after I left there, I had to run by DSS for a moment to pick up a paper....got there and the folks I needed were out of the office, so I had to wait for them to find somebody to get me the paper.

Again.....I had two hungry kids and it is now their naptime and they have had neither snack OR lunch and I still have to go to walmart to pick up another bottle of motrin along with other essentials (you know...like diapers for home....the last ones were for school and dummy me didn't think to buy for both at the same time....now THAT would be thinking ahead).

I get out of DSS, run by and get the kids some chicken nuggets and then hit walmart. I spent kaboodles of money. Kitty litter, cat food, diapers, shampoo, air fresheners,.....well, you know...stuff adds up fast. The GOOD news is that I SAVED $25.00 by using coupons. So I did really good since I bought things that we NEEDED for the house and family and I spent less than I would have if I'd bought the things we NEEDED without the coupons. Yay, me. *grin*

Anyways, then we came home and I laid the kids down. They're still sleeping, thank goodness. By the time we left wallyworld, K-man was in tears.....poor thing. Munchkin does really good even without a nap.

Oh speaking of my really good kids, while we were in the waiting room at the doctor's office, and my two kids were behaving like little angels and sitting quietly on their seats with no toys or anything to play with for a whole hour, I couldn't help but appreciate the way that our kids have learned to behave. Particularly since the seats next to us were occupied by a mother with her four children (ages infant to around 8). I was in shock. I tried not to stare, but I couldn't help but hear most of it. Her older two were out of control, she kept telling them to sit down, and I kept wondering why she allowed them to ignore her and not do anything about the fact that they weren't listening. The next one was about 3 and he was arguing with her (loudly), calling her names, telling her SHE was grounded, throwing himself on the floor, running back and forth and climbing on the tables, dumping his toys in the floor and refusing to pick them up. She would say, if you don't pick those toys up, you're going to get in trouble. Or if you don't sit down, you're gonna be grounded. Well, he never sat down. And SHE picked the toys up. And the baby? Well, it was the only one that wasn't climbing the walls, but it sure had a set of lungs.

Munchkin says to me, "That's not how we're supposed to act!" I tried not to judge, b/c our kids used to be like that....well, not exactly, but I told myself that maybe they weren't really her kids. But even if they weren't her kids, surely she could have done SOMETHING.....or at least stop telling them that she was going to do something and then not follow through....it's no wonder they didn't believe her.....I didn't even know her, and I didn't believe her. I just wanted to tell her, LOOK, why aren't you taking away those gameboys or giving them some kind of consequences....or pick up that 3 year old and hold him in your lap.....or just do what you're saying you're gonna do, for pete's sake. Anyway....all that to say that I'm really thankful for the progress our children have made. I'm also thankful that we have stuck to our guns and been consistent with disciplines so that when we say something, our children know how it's gonna be.

Yesterday when I took K-man to his play therapy, we were sitting in the waiting room there for him to be called back for his session and he was his usual sweet self. When I had to get after him or asked him to do something, he would listen. Well, after they took him back, the people sitting across from me asked me how old he was, and I said "2" and they were like, "He is such a well-behaved child!" I said, "He does really good." and I thought....wow. How cool that someone noticed and made an effort to say something.

Now at one point, he would not sit still for anything and he was one of those kids that would be trying to climb the walls. And sometimes, he still has those moments, but he's a kid and every kid is going to have moments. Hey...I'm an adult and I still have moments. LOL. But anywho, they both know that when I say that's enough and stop, they better listen or they'll have to deal with the consequences. And that's the main thing. There is no way I could live with letting them run the house like that poor woman today. Whew.

ANYWHO.

Well, mother, hope you enjoyed this update. *grin* I'll take your suggestion, to update at least three times a day so that you'll be able to read something new every time you check in, into consideration, however, like I said on the phone....once a day is challenging enough. LOL. When I accomplish that, then maybe I'll think about twice a day. *grin* Oh, and I'll also take into consideration that you are at your computer all day long and occasionally need something to look at to break the boredom, so that I won't think you're being really obsessive....HEHEHEHEE. And I am totally kidding about that. LOVE YOU! *winks*

Catch ya'll later!

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Quickly....before the day is completely gone....

Wow. The last two days just seem to have hours that are running on overdrive. Because I look at the clock and the day is gone and it doesn't seem like it should be that far gone yet.

Anywho, munchkin is at Morg's house today so it's just me, myself, and I. I really need to work on the church newsletter while I've got time to concentrate, but I had to take K-man to his therapy before I could take him to school this morning, so my morning just kinda disappeared and now I'm having trouble getting started.

Hang on...I really need to go turn the water off that is watering the plants and change the laundry from the washer to the dryer.

Kay. I'm back. So. Yesterday I did get a lot accomplished, despite the hours flying away from me in such a way. Let's see.....
  • Got the K-man to school
  • Left the school and ran up to town to pick up another six-pack (of monkey grass....not drinks...HEHEHE) and also had to go by Wallyworld to get K-man more of the pullups. So munchkin and I got back home around 10.
  • Came in and changed into some work clothes and then went out and hacked out 5 more holes for the plants to go the rest of the way down the drive. Hacked b/c it's like diggin in solid rock. *sigh* Got those planted, put the rocks along the edge and then got the mulch down around them. Then went and hooked up the hose with the sprinkler on them so I could water all the monkeygrass without having to make 500 trips up and down the hill with the watering can. Watered all the monkeygrass, and then used the sprinkler to water the flowers around the tree and a few spots in the yard where the new grass hasn't quite completely withered away in the desert sun. LOL.
  • Then I decided to go ahead and water all the flowers on the porch. Got that finished and looked at the porch and decided it was as good a day as any to go get the cleaners and wash the pollen and dirt off the porch. So I went and got sponges for the munchkin and myself and the bottle of Greased Lightning and a bucket with some cleaner to mop with....and of course an old mop. And then we tackled it. I washed the front door....but that made the siding look really dirty, so munchkin started on the bottom siding and I worked on the top and the windows, and when we finished that, the rails needed some work. And then the window boxes that were hanging on the rails. And then we mopped the floor but some of the mud wouldn't come off, so we had to use our sponges.....anywho. The front porch is sparkling now.
  • At that point, I was starting to feel a little hungry so as we were cleaning up, I popped my head in the door to check the clock. OH MY word. I had missed munchkin's lunchtime, and it was time for her to wake up from her nap......only, she was still helping me so she never even laid down. YIKES. And she never once complained of being hungry or sleepy or got whiney or anything. I was incredibly impressed. Guess it was because we were virtually playing in water. *grin*
  • So I run in and we get our wet clothes off and get showered/bathed and then I get her a corndog and realize that I can't put supper in the crockpot b/c I don't have any sauce. UGH. So instead of napping, we run BACK out to the store to pick up the sauce.
  • Come back and I lay her down with a book but no nap since it's late, just quiet time, while I put supper in the crockpot, load the dishwasher, clean the kitchen, sweep the floors, mop the floors, dust, tidy up the house.
  • She gets up after the floor is dry and cleans up her room and then we go get the K-man and I get ready for supper. We had company last night, which was why I mopped the floor. Hehehe. I didn't realize how dingy it was. I've kept up with most everything, but that one kinda slipped away from me b/c if I don't mop it, they don't spill as much stuff. HAH! The moment I mop it, is the moment they drop their drink. LOL.

Yeah. yesterday was busy. Today not so much. I need to be busy....I need to work on the church newsletter. Must make myself do it. Just do it. *GRIN*

Going to do it. now. Or maybe I should get something to eat first.....LOL. Nah. I'm gonna get started.

Later!

Oh wait. (I'm such a good procrastinator) I forgot a couple of things. I filled the birdfeeder on Monday I think....it's been empty for awhile cuz I was tired of feeding the squirrel, but today there were three birds on it. YAY!!!

Oh and a random conversation from yesterday. (You'll appreciate this one, Kel)

Munchkin: Wevi's a boy. Gawwett's a boy. Wait. MOMMY! Why don't Auntie Kewwy have any girls?? She needs a GIRL! And another boy. Auntie Kewwy needs LOTS of chiwwen (children), RIGHT, mommy??????!!!! Two, Fwee, FIVE chiwwen!!!! Right, mommy?

Mommy: Ummmmm.....why don't you just pray about it, huh? ROFL!!!!!!!!!

Monday, June 16, 2008

Ugh.

I tried to do a Monday Messages, but I'm just not feeling it today. I typed about 5 different first lines and just scratched them all and gave up. Today was busy....unpacking, laundry, cleaning house....all from being gone for the weekend.....whew. Total catchup.

Got a little extra tutor time in this afternoon since Morgs didn't have to leave right away, I made her do an extra lesson. Hehe. Slavedriver me. She did good...we worked about 3.5 hours and got through the going over of last weeks missed problems and then did four new lessons. So that's progress.

While we were working this afternoon, I got another call from DSS. A six year old little boy. I asked for more information, and he sounds like he's coming from a very similar situation, with a lot of the same issues, that bouncer had when he first came to stay with us. While I am up to that kind of a challenge, he has some other issues that the bouncer DIDN'T have, that would make it problematic for this kid to stay with us. Nothing really serious, or anything that we wouldn't be able to deal with, I'm sure, just some problems with violence (hitting, etc) that would be an issue b/c he would have to share a room with K-man who has had the same tendencies. I really don't want any major brawls, plus, K-man's came a long way in that area, and I don't want to trigger regression there. And then the other issue is that the other boy would be a considerable amount bigger than K-man and he doesn't have any younger siblings, so I would constantly be afraid he might actually hurt K-man, and that is totally not an option. Anyways, I had to say no, b/c the kids who are here now, come first. I think we're ready for another one, but it will have to be the RIGHT one. And until we are asked to take that right one, we'll just have to keep saying no. I hate that, b/c I'd take them all if I could. But I just can't.

Anyways, that was a bit of blathering. In other news, tonight, we planted another 12 plants of monkeygrass and mulched around them down that side of the drive that we didn't get finished. I still have to go tomorrow and get another three plants to finish up that side though....but then that side will be finished and all the unsightly weed control fabric will be covered up. *grin* Wooooohooo!

And speaking of that hard work we did....it was cooler after the sun went down, but not THAT cool, so I REALLY need to go take a shower. I got on here b/c KC was in the shower but now it's almost bedtime and I still feel grubby....so I'm going to go wash the grubby off. *grin*

Later!

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Father's Day

I couldn't decide what to title this post. So here are several alternate titles, just b/c I hate to think of titles and not use them: "He Cried." "Picture Overload" "Did You Miss Me" "Total Withdrawal".....well, obviously I was not having a problem coming up with a title tonight. Anywho.
So here is the famous picture that made his eyes get a teeny bit damp:

I think (MAYBE) you can click on it to see it bigger if you can't read the poem. Poem is one I found on the internet by googling "Daddy's Girl Poems" or something like that.






And then the next picture (I hope it is next...blogger uploads pictures REALLY STRANGE sometimes) is the actual gift...I framed it for him. It turned out very nice. Judging by his reaction, I think he liked it. *grin*

Oh yeah, and pardon the pitiful pictures....I didn't bother taking good pictures of all my projects.

Then there's the Father's Day cards I made for each of the grand-dad's and then the "Top Dad" card for KC.





And one of the wooden handprint pieces that I helped the kids do for the grandpa's.














And now for the picture overload:
We went to both of the parents for a few hours each for Father's Day...well, we beat my inlaws home and while we were waiting around, had some fun with my camera. Until the battery died. Then we contented ourselves to go let the munchkin lock us out of their house while we sat on the front porch swing. LOL. Fun afternoon. *grin*
She was singing and I could NOT get her to stop....she'd say "cheese" and then go right back to singing, so when the camera actually clicked, her mouth was open. ARGH. And we won't even talk about K-man. He is in total defiant stage and would not cooperate for much of anything today, much less photographs. Oh well....I can't post them here anyways.

This is the look I get when I tell her to stop singing.....

AND THEN....you have mommy and daddy through the four-year-old's eyes.

A couple of interesting things to note about this picture....

1. We were ducking to try to get in range of the viewfinder....and she still cut off our heads.

2. Mommy has REALLY long arms.

Then Daddy got hold of the camera....for two last pictures and then it died. And here are the last moments before the death of the battery....

Okay. That's it for picture overload. So are you overloaded? Oh yeah, and did you miss me? We went away to campmeeting, a couple of hours away from home, for the weekend, so I checked my mail Friday morning, and then left my computer at home and didn't even use KC's to check my mail while we were gone. I went almost 2 whole days with NO internet connection. *BIG GOOGLY EYES OF WONDER HERE*

Anywho. Speaking of withdrawals, I have had three. Dr. Peppers. Since last Monday. Count them. One on Friday night, one this morning, and one tonight. All three of those were absolutely necessary. Friday night we stopped and I got a combo and I absolutely refuse to pay for a drink and get water instead. So if I get a combo, I'm getting a drink. Then this morning, well.....K-man had an absolute breakdown while we were checking out of the hotel, which involved him falling to the floor and screaming and refusing to get up (all over the fact that he didn't get to push BOTH buttons in the elevator and had to give munchkin a turn....of all the nerve), and we of course had our hands full b/c we were taking all our stuff back to the car, so I couldn't pick him up.....so I just refused to let go of his hand, and pretty much had to drag him, screaming and crying the whole way, to the car. And then we had to ride halfway to church with him screaming in the car..... Yeah. I NEEDED that Dr. Pepper. And tonight....the combo problem again. Oh well. I think I'm doing pretty good.

It was kinda funny though, this afternoon on the ride home, KC says to me, "Honey, I guess a lot of people from campmeeting must read your blog, cuz a bunch of people kept asking me questions about things that I don't think they'd have known about otherwise." LOL!

I don't really think that many people read here, it might have been from Ringo, cuz there was a lot on there, but news has a way of travelling without anyone reading it on here. *GRIN*

Naughty me, didn't take any pictures over there either. I saw a bunch of people with cameras and saw a lot of flashes, but I don't know if any of those people have anywhere they post their pictures online or not. Oh well.

Other than a few little meltdowns, the kids did remarkably well for sitting through 12 hours of church (5 services) over a span of 2 days....I was pretty impressed.

Well, I think this might be a book now, so I'm gonna hop off.

Later!

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Dear Me.

Ya'd think after awhile I wouldn't even bother making plans. Things ALWAYS seem to happen.

Today? In the middle of my "to do" list, the munchkin tosses her cookies, therewith rearranging all my plans. *sigh*

Other than the fact that she threw up, she doesn't seem ill, and I'm not sure how much of her sick is really sick or just trying to see what she can get out of it. Particularly since her "sickness" comes and goes depending on if she's getting to do what she wants to do or not. LOL. Quite interesting.

I tried to work it out so I could run out and get K-man's medicine and a couple of other things that I needed to pick up for Father's Day without having to take the munchkin out of the house, just in case, but I couldn't really work anything out. I waited as long as I could to see if I could work something else out, then I just packed her in the car with her puke-bucket and ran up to the pharmacy in town.

Then I had to run in Wallyworld and it was 5:01 as I was parking, and I needed to be back at the school to pick up K-man by 5:30. I deserve a medal for this one...i was in and out of there in 11 minutes. That was including parking, running in with a four year old, selecting (or attempting to select) 4 items that were in 4 different departments, running back to the checkout, checking out the 3 items I found, running back to the car with four year old, getting back in and back out of the parking lot to the stoplight. 11 minutes. Yes. I'm proud of me, too. *GRIN*

Well, anyways. That's about all the excitement of my day....gotta run and take care of a diaper....again....and then jammies and bedtime for the monkeys. Later!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Need Some Visuals?

I was very naughty and didn't take very many pictures on Saturday, but here are a couple from the first party. This was the only one I took pictures at.....LOL. Oops.


Then there is the gardening stuff....
The first picture in this set is the tomatoes and cucumber plants that I transplanted to a bigger planter this morning so that maybe they will keep growing and eventually give us some tommy toes and cucumbers....hopefully.
Second picture is the cucumber plants I planted in the ground below the back porch. I worked really hard and mixed potting soil with the original dirt and broke up the ground to make a really deep hole and added plant food and everything, so hopefully the red clay will not hinder their growth....and hopefully getting about half a day less of the "scorching, desert sun" will keep them from withering too much.



Third picture is the sunflowers....some of them aren't doing so hot. LOL. I need to find some stakes for them.




















THEN....there's the plant disaster: I planted these two planters at exactly the same time, with exactly the same plants, and placed them both at the bottom of the steps.....so why does one look absolutely deathly, while the other is flourishing.....????











The lillies finally bloomed....I was beginning to wonder.







And a couple of the recent projects that we actually COMPLETED. LOL!

The front beds....

(all the flowers are on the steps because it was coming a storm with RAIN last night, so KC decided to save us some water and put the flowers out where they could get some of it. *grin*)


And the flower bed with the gazillion and one flowers in it....so far I think all gazillion might be doing okay....hehehe. Thank GOODNESS....that was a LOT of planting...I'd hate for it to have been in vain! HAH.

THEN.....THERE'S THE ROCK. You wouldn't think we had a long driveway or anything....but SHEEEEEEESH. As you can see, the mulch/lights/monkeygrass stuff isn't quite completed yet. It's cuz those monkeygrass plants are like planting in solid rock and takes FOREVER to do those.

And there's the gigantic rock there at the bottom that nearly killed me. LOL. It looks good though. Except for the two little solar lights that I had to pull out and poke in the ground there out of the way to lay the rocks....so we haven't placed them back in a good spot yet.

Okay...that's all I've got for that stuff today.

Saturday, June 07, 2008

E.X.H.A.U.S.T.E.D.

I don't know about everyone else that was busy today at all the parties, but I'm wore out! We got the kids home and I gave them their Saturday night baths and put them into bed, and they were both out like within ten minutes. That was so lovely. I love the nights when I don't have to fight with them to get them to go to sleep. LOL.



Well, I'm feeling pretty positive right now, so I think I'm gonna do a positive post. *grin* Well, okay, so the other side of the picture is still in shouting distance, and I'm sure I could quite easily find some negatives, but I think tonight will be positive. *grin*

Ten Positives -- Day: Extra Credit (LOL)

1. I slept in til 8:30 this morning and it felt SO nice.


2. M came last night and he and KC moved the monstrosity that was my scrapbooking desk to M&K's house for the time being. They needed a desk, and we needed the space for a dresser since the desk was being used to stack Munchkin's clothes on it. So now they have a desk and we have the space to put the dresser upstairs again.


3. M helped KC move the heavy dresser out of the crawlspace and bring it upstairs before he left last night, so it's all set up in Munchkin's room now.


4. After I got up this morning, I cleaned all the dust and cobwebs off of it and put all the drawers in and everything.


5. Went to the first party at 11 for Baby G, who is now THREE...OW! My goodness, it was hot. There was a bunch of folks that came out, and I was especially glad to see Jules and Lori again. Of course, I saw Jules the other night, but I never get a chance to chat with Lori, so it was cool.


6. We left there a little early, which worked out well, b/c it gave me time to get the kids home and laid down for naps while I went to party number two by myself. It was a baby shower for my neighbor's daughter (who also lived next door up until several months ago). That one lasted a little longer than I expected (2 til....well, I left at 4), but they played some baby games and then opened presents and I didn't feel comfortable enough, since most of the people were strangers, to just leave in the middle....LOL. Anyways, the next 2 parties were combined and started at 4, so we were about an hour late to that, by the time I got home, changed my shirt (again.....it was REALLY hot today), and got the kids ready and in the car and got down there.


7. Played volleyball and a little badminton...that was fun...didn't really help the crick in my neck much, but at least as long as I didn't stop moving, I didn't really notice it so much.


8. The only miserable thing left from my few days of "sick" is just that ol' crick. So at least I was able to enjoy the day without being miserable, for the most part.


9. I got my exercise on the volleyball court. That should last me at LEAST six weeks....maybe eight. LOL!!! Just kiddin.


10. I only drank ONE cup of Dr. Pepper and ONE cup of Wild Cherry Pepsi between all four parties....the rest of the stuff I drank was non-caffeinated...go me. LOL.





Anyways....all in all, it was a pretty good day....maybe a little busier than the average Saturday, but still fun. Especially when our team won that last game of volleyball...hehehe.

Off to bed now...gotta get some rest for tomorrow.

Friday, June 06, 2008

Sick

Wow, I was so tired last night that I didn't even get on my computer or anything and I went to bed at 10:30. I think it might have had something to do with being kinda yucky feeling yesterday but anyways. I don't get sick days anymore, so I've just been trying to ignore the fact that I just want to go back to bed REALLY BAD, and just keep on doing stuff that needs to be done.

It wouldn't be so bad, except this morning, I woke up with a crick in my neck (in addition to the queasy stomach and sore throat) that a hot shower and three advil has barely helped. And it's one of those kind of sore necks that even holding perfectly still hurts, not just when you turn it a certain way. *SIGH* Positive: I have a neck to hurt. If I didn't have a neck, I'd be in pretty sad shape. LOL. Positive: The three advil and hot shower DID help a teeny tiny bit....even if it only knocked it down from excruciating to just very painful. Positive: I woke up before the kids got up this morning so I was able to take a semi peaceful (if somewhat painful) hot shower and get dressed before they were up and bouncing off the walls.

I don't even really feel like being on here now and I've still got stuff to do, so I should go....I just wanted to hop on since I didn't blog yesterday. Oh yeah, and I didn't blog yesterday because I spent the morning flying around the house and cleaning up and catching up laundry so that I could go to the town down the road with my friend, K, and then meet up with the girls from church for Girls Night Out at dinnertime. So it was kinda a busy day....on top of not feeling great. But I did get all the stuff for the parties on Saturday. Birthday, Baby Shower, Graduation, Birthday. LOL....Obviously tomorrow will be another busy day. I hope I am feeling better by then. =) Otherwise it's gonna be a miserable day. *sigh* Positive: We have lots of friends who invite us to their parties. Positive: I have lots of friends to do shopping and errands and girls nights with. Positive: The house is in fairly decent shape and most of the laundry is caught up so if I absolutely MUST lay down, it won't be the end of the world. LOL.

Okeydokey. I'm going now. Got to go make some cards for all the parties tomorrow.

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Wednesday

Ah. The final positive. I don't know if this little deal thing has made me a person who is more enjoyable to be around, but it's been interesting anyways (what's really interesting is that this is Wednesday and my hubby has already fell asleep in the recliner beside me -- without posting his positive list again....ahem. LOL). The only problem is I have felt at times this week that the negative that is the other side of the picture is just being bottled up and I'm going to have to vent somewhere or else it will explode and it won't be pretty. LOL. *sigh*

Oh well anyways.

10 Positives - Day 7

1. I got another load of rock laid in the ditch today, after we got back from taking K-man to his play therapy. One side of the driveway is COMPLETE! The rock I got today was much bigger sized and I had enough to put it in the holes on both ends of the drain that goes under the drive. So that's a big job that is out of the way for the ditch on the side that we haven't done yet. Now just to do the smaller rock on the unfinished side. And MAN was it hot today! We got out and did the rock from 11:45-1....yeah....I know. Terrible time of day to do it, and we were sure sweatin it, but I wanted to get it done with and I told Munchkin if we could get it done quick, we could get in her wading pool when we got done. Well. SHE could get in her wading pool. I kinda don't fit. So after we did the rock, I sat on the deck and let the hose run down my back while I read a book and she played in her pool. LOL.
2. Like I said, we played in the water today. That will be number 2.
3. Church was another good service.
4. Today's devotion was really good. I especially liked this thought, "I realized that God is always speaking, I just did not hear Him because I was not tuned in to His voice. For example, when we turn off our radio, the signal is still being sent out, we just cannot hear it because we have chosen not to listen. Hearing God’s voice is a conscious choice, and in order to hear Him, I had to be tuned in and listening for Him to speak." Interesting analogy and very true.

Okay....I think we're going to switch to big picture positives....LOL

5. I have a good husband.
6. I have a heavenly father who loves me like I am His only child and who sent His only son to die for me b/c He loved me that much.
7. I have been blessed with an earthly father and mother who have always been there for me and who loved me like I was their only girl. Oh wait....I WAS their only girl. LOL.
8. We've been blessed with good kids.
9. We are able to live one one income so that I can stay home to take care of our family.
10. Um....yeah. I'm stuck. Oh I KNOW. This is the end of the deal and I MADE IT! That's positive!

Hehe. Goodnight now.

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Ten on Tuesday: Positives

Actually, the official ten on tuesday is not to do positives, but I'm skipping the actual tuesday ten today.

So....Ten Positives - Day 6

1. I took time to draw with chalk on the driveway with the kids tonight. We drew around each other laying down and made a little crowd of chalk people on the driveway. Munchkin tried to trace me, but she made my chalk body look like a round ball with legs, so I traced myself inside her round ball. LOL. Maybe another day I'll take pictures, but KC washed them off when I brought the kids in for bath.
2. Munchkin and I went up and ate lunch with KC on his lunch break and then went to Wallyworld together. (Yeah, I know....isn't that romantical? LOL. NOT. Had to buy more grass-seed. And toothpaste. And pullups. Life is so unromantic....hehee)
3. I found two different ABC movies at the thrift store. We're working on a collection....more for mommy's sake than the kids....cuz while they wouldn't mind watching the same thing over and over, mommy gets tired of listening to it. LOL.
4. An old friend of mine (Directed Paths) that I don't see much of these days stopped in this evening and visited for a little while....that was sooo nice. We don't get to spend much time together these days but it was cool to get to chat for awhile. Hope her hubby didn't get upset for her being home late. *GRIN*
5. The munchkin let me sleep in this morning....all the way til 7:45...wow! *GRIN*
6. KC grilled chicken out for supper tonight....mmm.
7. The kids played together very nicely for a good half hour at least without fighting. Hey...progress. Baby steps.
8. I got the stupid coupons clipped and the expired ones weeded out. I despise that little chore and I always put it off until I have a massive stack of coupons to look through, but now the stack is gone and it wasn't even a big stack this week. YAY.
9. We (okay, mostly KC) straightened up the garage tonight.....eek...it was in terrible shape again.....it's like our big junkroom b/c we have no room to store anything. Anyways, it looks much better. Still needs cleaning out but that will be a massive job and we can't really do that until we get room to put the stuff.
10. Grass is coming up majorly across the yard.....hallelujah!!! It's now visible in more than one spot and is covering some of the bare spots that we have tried and tried and tried to get grass to grow on....so the topsoil is working. YAY! I'm so glad...cuz that was a lot of work and I'm glad it wasn't all for nothing! hehehe. I didn't go get any more rocks or anything today b/c I was out running errands and stuff. I don't know if I'll do any tomorrow or not, but anyways, the yard is looking really nice.

Alright. That's ten....and only one more day and then I can go back to my normally negative self. LOL. NOT. I'm kidding....I'll go back to my BALANCED self. HEHEHEHE.

Anyways, I'm tired from all the running today so I'm gonna hop off here and get to bed. Can't believe it's almost 11. Yike.

Later!

Monday, June 02, 2008

One Huge *SIGH* and a few Monday Messages

Well. I am so not feeling very positive today. Munchkin drove me absolutely crazy today, my feet are killing me from crawling over the steep part of the bank next to the driveway laying rocks this afternoon, and I have a crick in my neck. SO. I think today will be a mostly "big picture" sort of positive list, instead of a daily "right this minute" sort of positive list. ROFL!!!!

10 Positives - Day 5

1. I am alive.
2. I have not killed anybody.
3. There is a roof over my head.
4. I have a car to drive.
5. Munchkin is ours forever.
6. The rock down one side of the drive is pretty much finished except for the hole at the bottom.
7. We got through three chapters of Saxon Algebra 1/2 in tutoring today.
8. All my body parts are functioning normally....even the ones that are sore and hurting (well, okay, maybe not my brain, but it's normal for it to NOT be normal....LOL).
9. I have a wonderful hubby who provides for all our needs and most of our wants....and who blogged for the fifth day in a row...*grin*
10. I have been blessed, God's so good to me, precious are His thoughts of you and me. No way I could count them, there's not enough time, so I'll just thank Him for being so kind. God has been good, so good, I have been blessed.

Anyways....on to the Monday Messages:

Dear K-man,
Rock on, little dude. Nice work on keeping the pull-ups clean and dry. And on your drumming....LOL. I can't believe you fell asleep tonight before I could come back and get the books out of your bed and tuck you in. That made me sad and happy all at the same time....happy that you were so sweet just to curl up and fall asleep when you finished reading, and sad that I missed getting to tuck you in. Anyways, see you in the morning, kiddo. And tomorrow? Try to get along with your sister, okeydokey?
Love always,
Mommy


Dear Morgs,
Focus, focus, focus. Get that homework done, missy. Just remember, 8.5 chapters a week so you can get through that book by the end of the summer....you can do it. We can help. EEK. Sorry...got hung in commercialization there for a second. Anyways, what I meant to say was, you can do it!!! If you get through the first couple of weeks and your slavedriver of a tutor can see that you're breezing through the problem sets without any difficulty, she might even give you a break and you'll have less work to do to get through those 8.5 chapters a week. *grin* Love ya, and I know you were in utter misery, but I had fun today. *grin*
See ya in a few,
The Slavedriver Tutor


Dear Steep Driveway,
I'm not a big fan of yours right this minute. Actually, I never have been, but right this minute I'm REALLY not feeling the love. Unfortunately I cannot change you. Is there such a thing as driveway therapy? Seriously, we seem to somehow always end up with steep and irritating driveways, maybe there is some deeper issue at work here. AAHHHH.
Sincerely,
One of the Homeowners


Dear Previous Job,
I find it absolutely disgusting that this whole time I thought I had ten bonus days, I actually only had five. It is very frustrating that you failed to mention, the year that you gave out 10 bonus days in lieu of raises, that employees had to be employed for X number of years in order to qualify for the bonus days, so when everyone else got the bonus days.....little me didn't. I guess that must have been in the fine print somewhere. UGH.
Seriously,
Aggravated


Dear Hubby's cat,
Could you have your hairballs on things OTHER than the articles of clothing I left laying in the floor? I mean, yeah, sure, I should have picked up my clothes, but I was going to wear them again to work in and conserve a little water. But then I go to put them on this morning and YUCK. Thanks a lot. NOT.
Sincerely,
Hubby's wife


Dear Munchkin,
Don't know what you're thinking but all those house rules that have always been in place? Well, they haven't changed. And you're not going to get away with breaking them any more today than any other day. So just a little clue for ya....don't bother trying.
Love ya anyways,
Mommy


Dear Crick in the Neck,
GO AWAY. I do not like you. At all.
Sincerely,
The head above you


Dear blog,
Are you loving those positive lists? If for no other reason, you'd have to appreciate the fact that I've now blogged for at least five days straight. HAHA. Well, that's it for today....so catch ya later!
Sincerely,
Always.Faith

Sunday, June 01, 2008

Quickly....

I must hurry....I just nagged him into doing his list just now and if I don't hurry, he'll beat me tonight. Hah.

10 Positives - Day 4
1. K-man only used TWO pullups today. And no smelly ones today. WAHOO!
2. Church was awesome. Both services were very good.
3. Kids are doing much better than they used to do in church....we only have to take them out a minimum of 12 times now....haha...just kidding. Actually maybe once or twice and some services not at all...it's SO nice to see progress.
4. Heheh....I just sneaked a peek at KC's screen and he is typing that gas is coming down a few cents, so I'm gonna say amen and use that for one of my positives. LOL. Shhh....don't tell him. HAHA.
5. Okay no more sneaking....what next. Um. I made a card for my friend K's birthday today. I was a little late with it, but maybe Dawn will remember to pass it on to her tonight so it won't be completely late. But if it's late, oh well. That's one of the great things about K.....she's very sweet about everything and she wouldn't get mad about it.
6. Hey, there's another positive. My friend, K....she rocks. I don't even know the words to use to describe her or our friendship. I guess "much appreciated" will do for now....until I think of something even more better. LOL. (More better...hahaha....)
7. I'm going to start tutoring Algebra 1/2 for my friend Morgie at church....she's like my little sister....so that's like two positives....but I'll just count it as one. Anyways, yes, math is positive for me. I loved tutoring at the college after I breezed (okay, maybe not exactly breezed, but I did make an A) through the Math 115 class....anyways, at the end of the final class, the instructor asked me to tutor for the next few semesters, so that's saying SOMETHING. Especially given that he was one of those kind of instructors that when you were talking to someone and they asked who your teachers were and you mentioned him, they broke down in tears and said they had to drop or fail his class....hehehe (kidding...sorta). Anyways, I miss doing that, so I'm kinda excited. This tutoring isn't like a job or anything, I'm just happy about getting to hang out with Morgs for a little extra time a week. *grin*
8. We had KFC for lunch. Prices are going up, and we went down one income, therefore we have kinda curbed our eat-out, so it was nice to enjoy some take out.
9. Sunshine....it was pretty out today but not as hot as it has been.
10. EEEK.....KC's on 10. I'm going to be thankful that I'm winning this round and that will make 10 and i'll hit post.....bye

*PHOOEY.....edited to add, he hit publish two seconds before I did, so technically he won that round. LOL. *SIGH*

So....#10......um. I have a really great husband to be competitive with....even when I lose. LOL.

Kay....I'm goin now....I'm all positive'd out and I have a headache, so I don't want to talk any more. LOL!

Later!