It's leap day, that extra day in February that makes my son's birthday next month a whole day further away. HAHAHA
That is all we can talk about lately. His birthday, what he is going to do, what he wants, who he wants to invite, what kind of party he should have, can he invite girls, etc.
He seriously gets on our Amazon account every few days to drool over his wish list and add more things.
Not like it is hard to know what interests my boy. Plain and simply, it's
L E G O S
Always has been. Forever shall be. His newest adoration is NINJAGO Legos. Pretty much Ninja fighters with all kinds of cool weapons and fighting palaces, yadda yadda.
I learned the hard way last night at KMart that there is a WHOLE NEW type of Legos out there - the Dinosaur Legos. (If ever 2 things did NOT go together it is that!) We had a minor meltdown when I wouldn't buy him all the sets RIGHT.THAT.MINUTE so he could scratch that itch.
It is hilarious. It is Jurrasic Park for Legos. The same jeeps, velociraptors from the movie are now in boxed sets. I guess this fulfills all parts of the boys imaginations. No need to build cities then get out your dinosaur toys to crash them down. Now those ever so smart Lego people found a way to combine those things the boys love into one set. First was the blocks, then Star wars, then pirates, then Ninjas, now Dino's. I don't think it is ever posssible for my son to move past his "Lego phase".
It is as ingrained in him as eating.
He loves nothing more than making "creations" and playing for hours.
Mommy of course hopes this translates into some sort of engineer or other fulfilling career choice where he will continue to do what we loves involving building and creating. It is either that... or the next Justin Beiber.
For now we just indulge in his creative side and let him go wild "wishing" on his Amazon Wish List. He was up bright and early adding more things. Craziness. I guess when athe birthday does roll around i can just point people HERE.
So Happy Leap Day to all of you - I have a party to plan so I better get to it!!!
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
02.28.2012 I have a "STUFF" Problem
Busy busy today trying to get pictures uploaded and a whole gaggle of stuff listed on eBay. This stems from my need to actually clean out our storage unit downtown that we continue to pay monthly for that is currently home to more "stuff" than I can believe.
I guess when you don't ever visit your "stuff" if is out of sight - out of mind!
Anyway, I did some good ol' fashioned math (i know not my strong suit but...) at the beginning of this year and with a few small calculations have found that I have paid upwards of *gasp* $10,000. to store this stuff.
Let me just say for the record (and to myself) that there is not a single thing, and doubtfully not even an accumulated net worth of stuff in there at the TEN THOUSAND DOLLAR value mark.
It's sickening really.
So in January, when taking my Christmas "stuff" to that dear ol' storage...I paused to take in the enormity of the space. The items carefully boxed and stored there on large industrial/wherehouse racks that are 8 feet deep and over 12 feet tall. All shelves FILLED neatly with boxes and boxes of stuff. Most stuff being in there for the entire 8 years we have had this storage (and embarassingly at least 2 other storage units simultaneously). I truly had little idea what was in alot of the boxes. I grabbed no less than 12 plastic see-thru bins living on only ONE of the many shelves and loaded them into my Suburban.
Want to guess what was in those bins?
BABY CLOTHES.
Most of them adorable baby girl clothes. More than two bins alone were full had BRAND NEW baby clothes, with tags, NEVER EVEN WORN. There were so many outfits all in the same size group it was mystifying. Not to mention near impossible that ONE baby girl could actually wear all those clothes - as fast as babies grow. Shoes, blankets, bibs, you name it.
My daughter just turned TEN. TEN YEARS OLD.
I have a goal. It is a lofty goal....but one i will pursue with determination.
I have given myself until the end of Summer (August 30-ish) to have this storage completely empty. Those 12 bins are a start.
I have already sorted and gave away two Large Moving boxes FULL of stuff to Charity. I then proceeded to enter and price a whole 'nother gaggle of items for the upcoming Consignment sale that i participate in twice a year. (That is where we recycle all of our clothes/toys/shoes, etc. we have outgrown/don't wear or don't like by selling them and buy someone elses outgrown clothes...thereby saving this mommy oodles of money and eliminating the excess stuff problem)Then lastly, I have about 4-5 bins worth of BRAND SPANKING NEW clothes and shoes and stuff that are Ebay worthy. Gymboree, Carters, Big Name brand stuff I can sell. (Thus hopefully helping with our current financial crisis on some level)That way I feel like the storing thing is somehow getting paid back.
Sadly, my garage is FULL of more stuff and I can't just move it from there to here. It is a sad state of affairs that my house is nearly 4000 sq. feet and I have no place to put all that stuff.
I have a STUFF PROBLEM.
Just because mine is put away in furniture, on shelves, in closets or stacked neatly makes me no different than those people on shows like "Hoarders" who have mountains of "STUFF". The key is to just let go.
I don't want to raise little hoarders. My hubby and I both have the same problem in differing degrees. Mine stems from Sentimental issues...his from a "value" standpoint. He can't possibly throw it away because he paid $ "xyz" amount for it.
So we KEEP it. This is CRAZY behavior. And the bottom line is it is COSTLY behavior as well.
So I am admitting I have a stuff problem. That is the first step right? Admission I have a problem. So I am taking steps to rectify that problem. As fast as my little hands can type and box and get rid of. If I didn't need the money I think I would just rent a HUGE truck and load it and drop it all off at the Thrift Store.
That would definately be liberating.
So if you wonder what I am up to....it's "stuff" these days.
I guess when you don't ever visit your "stuff" if is out of sight - out of mind!
Anyway, I did some good ol' fashioned math (i know not my strong suit but...) at the beginning of this year and with a few small calculations have found that I have paid upwards of *gasp* $10,000. to store this stuff.
Let me just say for the record (and to myself) that there is not a single thing, and doubtfully not even an accumulated net worth of stuff in there at the TEN THOUSAND DOLLAR value mark.
It's sickening really.
So in January, when taking my Christmas "stuff" to that dear ol' storage...I paused to take in the enormity of the space. The items carefully boxed and stored there on large industrial/wherehouse racks that are 8 feet deep and over 12 feet tall. All shelves FILLED neatly with boxes and boxes of stuff. Most stuff being in there for the entire 8 years we have had this storage (and embarassingly at least 2 other storage units simultaneously). I truly had little idea what was in alot of the boxes. I grabbed no less than 12 plastic see-thru bins living on only ONE of the many shelves and loaded them into my Suburban.
Want to guess what was in those bins?
BABY CLOTHES.
Most of them adorable baby girl clothes. More than two bins alone were full had BRAND NEW baby clothes, with tags, NEVER EVEN WORN. There were so many outfits all in the same size group it was mystifying. Not to mention near impossible that ONE baby girl could actually wear all those clothes - as fast as babies grow. Shoes, blankets, bibs, you name it.
My daughter just turned TEN. TEN YEARS OLD.
I have a goal. It is a lofty goal....but one i will pursue with determination.
I have given myself until the end of Summer (August 30-ish) to have this storage completely empty. Those 12 bins are a start.
I have already sorted and gave away two Large Moving boxes FULL of stuff to Charity. I then proceeded to enter and price a whole 'nother gaggle of items for the upcoming Consignment sale that i participate in twice a year. (That is where we recycle all of our clothes/toys/shoes, etc. we have outgrown/don't wear or don't like by selling them and buy someone elses outgrown clothes...thereby saving this mommy oodles of money and eliminating the excess stuff problem)Then lastly, I have about 4-5 bins worth of BRAND SPANKING NEW clothes and shoes and stuff that are Ebay worthy. Gymboree, Carters, Big Name brand stuff I can sell. (Thus hopefully helping with our current financial crisis on some level)That way I feel like the storing thing is somehow getting paid back.
Sadly, my garage is FULL of more stuff and I can't just move it from there to here. It is a sad state of affairs that my house is nearly 4000 sq. feet and I have no place to put all that stuff.
I have a STUFF PROBLEM.
Just because mine is put away in furniture, on shelves, in closets or stacked neatly makes me no different than those people on shows like "Hoarders" who have mountains of "STUFF". The key is to just let go.
I don't want to raise little hoarders. My hubby and I both have the same problem in differing degrees. Mine stems from Sentimental issues...his from a "value" standpoint. He can't possibly throw it away because he paid $ "xyz" amount for it.
So we KEEP it. This is CRAZY behavior. And the bottom line is it is COSTLY behavior as well.
So I am admitting I have a stuff problem. That is the first step right? Admission I have a problem. So I am taking steps to rectify that problem. As fast as my little hands can type and box and get rid of. If I didn't need the money I think I would just rent a HUGE truck and load it and drop it all off at the Thrift Store.
That would definately be liberating.
So if you wonder what I am up to....it's "stuff" these days.
Monday, February 27, 2012
02.27.2012 Oh McMissie Has a Farm......
I'm sure I have mentioned a few (or five hundred) times that we have ourselves a mini-farm on our hands. It just seems to have evolved naturally. When one has the room, why not fill the Inn?
Take 1 city girl, 1 country boy, procreate 2 small children and move them to the country before "city life" warps their little minds...and this is exactly what happens.
I laugh at the "I will NEVER" statements I have uttered far too often in my life. Like when I moved to Montana and said with pride "I will NEVER decorate my house in anything WESTERN or COWBOY or whatever, that is so Hokey". Also the whole "I will NEVER shovel horse sh*t" has been said once or twice. (I said both of these phrases to my sisters on more than one occasion). I am sure to their complete surprise it took only about 5 years before that cowboy comfortable hit me like a sledge hammer. Not to mention that being a city girl in a rural area goes about as well as 3 inch heels in a snowstorm, so one is forced to adapt rather quickly. ....but getting back to my point...........
When we bought this here piece of Homestead (wow that is really me...the newborn hick talking) we were excited our dogs would have room to roam and play. That quickly evolved to adding a couple more cats. It is very important to have "mouser's" when you live in the country for obvious reasons. My cats do an excellent job of bringing me no less than 1 dead critter as a present each and every day. Then we were so kind as to allow an older gentleman to bring his 4 horses to live on our property (a temporary situation that has turned permanent somehow). Then came (and went) the rabbit. A couple of Goldfishes from the county fair that became Sushi for our cats...then a "friend's" dog(s) and cat. Oh wow, then came 2 MORE horses (ours this time) that actually live at my neighbors house down the road since the only fencing we have holds in that other guys horses. (I know..i know.. what is wrong with this picture you say?!!) Then in September I figured my brood was complete when I got the next horse ACE (for those that lost count - we now have 3 horses, and 4 that are not ours but are on our property). Oh thats not all. Lose a dog, gain a dog. The number of animals don't dwindle - they are always increasing.
Another great perk of country life is becoming a full fledged 4H member. For those of you (city folk) unfamiliar...it is a wonderful organization that has far reaching programs into all avenues of agriculture and country life. My daughter is now an aspiring Shepherd. Yes, you heard that right. She is not only a member of 4H, but will be getting her sheep/lamb (in about 2 months) which she will feed, care for and "train" if you will, to ultimately enter that fine specimin in the local County Fair in hopes of winning a ribbon! Also to ultimately sell said sheep at the same fair in the "market" category where some nice person buys the sheep in order to slaughter and eat it. The circle of life is well demonstrated in 4H!! She learns to budget all her (parents) money spent and keep logs of the care and cost involved in raising an animal. Then after it sells, re-invest in another animal next year or keep funds for college or whatnot. It is a study in real life accounting 101 as well as sh*t shoveling and leading a poor lamb around in hopes of "training" it before fair time.
I shouldn't, and am not complaining by any means. Mainly because we don't have the critter yet and also because they poop tiny little balls into nice tiny piles that can be cleaned up rather easily.
...Is it just me, or can you totally see the sheep talking???... "BAH RAM U" to my other animals just like in the movie Babe? (If you haven't seen the movie NEVERMIND you totally will be lost on that reference) If you have seen the movie I know you are totally busting a gut right now. But I digress once again...
The real point (if i ever have one of those) of my rambling is that our farm has already expanded by yet another critter prior to the whole sheep thing. Unbelievable I know!!!
Our newest member is this gal.....drum roll please.............
Another one of those phrases that is currently biting me is "I will NEVER have a smelly RODENT in my house". It seems ma and pa gave in over this weekend and allowed our daughter (the budding 4H wonderkid) to get a..*gasp*..Guinea Pig.
Now mind you, it was FREE, came with a huge cage, food, water bottle/accessories, and even a book on how to care for it. It seems our neighbor and classmate of my daughter just isn't spending enough time with the thing. It (the "thing") lost it's mate a month or so ago and is "lonely" and not being played with enough. So they offered it to my girl who then proceeded to BEG like her life depended on it for no less than 5 hours on Sunday until we gave in.
Of course we attached conditions though, as any smart parent would. *smirk*
She has a 2 week trial period in which she must prove #1) That she will clean said rodent cage at least every 3 days or sooner if it begins to smell even the slightest like an animal lives in that cage #2) That she, and only she, is responsible for the feeding of said rodent, #3) That she will spend adequate time keeping the "loneliness" the rodent is experiencing to a minimum by playing with, holding, and talking to it frequently - - since that was the entire reason my bleeding heart/animal loving daughter ended up with it. Should she fail at any of the 3 requirements in the next 2weeks it goes back to it's previous owner or new owner that they may designate.
Shall we start the betting now?
Oh and did ya notice said Rodent is also kinda cute? It doesn't have those red beady albino/vampire eyes...it's eyes are Blue and it is white. It's given name is "Snowflake" and it has some black around it's eye or whatnot. I also was excited to learn that said Rodent has once procreated and given birth, only to EAT it's live young. Yummy. Lets just suffice to say it will not be getting a male "companion" again while in our care. Or any time down the road for that matter. ICK!!
So I thought I would share. Who knew that I would have ACTUAL NEWS since regaining my urges to blog?
Take 1 city girl, 1 country boy, procreate 2 small children and move them to the country before "city life" warps their little minds...and this is exactly what happens.
I laugh at the "I will NEVER" statements I have uttered far too often in my life. Like when I moved to Montana and said with pride "I will NEVER decorate my house in anything WESTERN or COWBOY or whatever, that is so Hokey". Also the whole "I will NEVER shovel horse sh*t" has been said once or twice. (I said both of these phrases to my sisters on more than one occasion). I am sure to their complete surprise it took only about 5 years before that cowboy comfortable hit me like a sledge hammer. Not to mention that being a city girl in a rural area goes about as well as 3 inch heels in a snowstorm, so one is forced to adapt rather quickly. ....but getting back to my point...........
When we bought this here piece of Homestead (wow that is really me...the newborn hick talking) we were excited our dogs would have room to roam and play. That quickly evolved to adding a couple more cats. It is very important to have "mouser's" when you live in the country for obvious reasons. My cats do an excellent job of bringing me no less than 1 dead critter as a present each and every day. Then we were so kind as to allow an older gentleman to bring his 4 horses to live on our property (a temporary situation that has turned permanent somehow). Then came (and went) the rabbit. A couple of Goldfishes from the county fair that became Sushi for our cats...then a "friend's" dog(s) and cat. Oh wow, then came 2 MORE horses (ours this time) that actually live at my neighbors house down the road since the only fencing we have holds in that other guys horses. (I know..i know.. what is wrong with this picture you say?!!) Then in September I figured my brood was complete when I got the next horse ACE (for those that lost count - we now have 3 horses, and 4 that are not ours but are on our property). Oh thats not all. Lose a dog, gain a dog. The number of animals don't dwindle - they are always increasing.
Another great perk of country life is becoming a full fledged 4H member. For those of you (city folk) unfamiliar...it is a wonderful organization that has far reaching programs into all avenues of agriculture and country life. My daughter is now an aspiring Shepherd. Yes, you heard that right. She is not only a member of 4H, but will be getting her sheep/lamb (in about 2 months) which she will feed, care for and "train" if you will, to ultimately enter that fine specimin in the local County Fair in hopes of winning a ribbon! Also to ultimately sell said sheep at the same fair in the "market" category where some nice person buys the sheep in order to slaughter and eat it. The circle of life is well demonstrated in 4H!! She learns to budget all her (parents) money spent and keep logs of the care and cost involved in raising an animal. Then after it sells, re-invest in another animal next year or keep funds for college or whatnot. It is a study in real life accounting 101 as well as sh*t shoveling and leading a poor lamb around in hopes of "training" it before fair time.
I shouldn't, and am not complaining by any means. Mainly because we don't have the critter yet and also because they poop tiny little balls into nice tiny piles that can be cleaned up rather easily.
...Is it just me, or can you totally see the sheep talking???... "BAH RAM U" to my other animals just like in the movie Babe? (If you haven't seen the movie NEVERMIND you totally will be lost on that reference) If you have seen the movie I know you are totally busting a gut right now. But I digress once again...
The real point (if i ever have one of those) of my rambling is that our farm has already expanded by yet another critter prior to the whole sheep thing. Unbelievable I know!!!
Our newest member is this gal.....drum roll please.............
Another one of those phrases that is currently biting me is "I will NEVER have a smelly RODENT in my house". It seems ma and pa gave in over this weekend and allowed our daughter (the budding 4H wonderkid) to get a..*gasp*..Guinea Pig.
Now mind you, it was FREE, came with a huge cage, food, water bottle/accessories, and even a book on how to care for it. It seems our neighbor and classmate of my daughter just isn't spending enough time with the thing. It (the "thing") lost it's mate a month or so ago and is "lonely" and not being played with enough. So they offered it to my girl who then proceeded to BEG like her life depended on it for no less than 5 hours on Sunday until we gave in.
Of course we attached conditions though, as any smart parent would. *smirk*
She has a 2 week trial period in which she must prove #1) That she will clean said rodent cage at least every 3 days or sooner if it begins to smell even the slightest like an animal lives in that cage #2) That she, and only she, is responsible for the feeding of said rodent, #3) That she will spend adequate time keeping the "loneliness" the rodent is experiencing to a minimum by playing with, holding, and talking to it frequently - - since that was the entire reason my bleeding heart/animal loving daughter ended up with it. Should she fail at any of the 3 requirements in the next 2weeks it goes back to it's previous owner or new owner that they may designate.
Shall we start the betting now?
Oh and did ya notice said Rodent is also kinda cute? It doesn't have those red beady albino/vampire eyes...it's eyes are Blue and it is white. It's given name is "Snowflake" and it has some black around it's eye or whatnot. I also was excited to learn that said Rodent has once procreated and given birth, only to EAT it's live young. Yummy. Lets just suffice to say it will not be getting a male "companion" again while in our care. Or any time down the road for that matter. ICK!!
So I thought I would share. Who knew that I would have ACTUAL NEWS since regaining my urges to blog?
Friday, February 24, 2012
02.24.2012 I'm BAAAAAAACK.
I was locked out of MY OWN blog - hilarious!! I guess when you become a slacker and haven't posted anything since um....well since the first day of school....the blog fairies remove all evidence that you were once a blogger.
Harumphhhhhh!!!
I think the absence is mainly due to my S.A.D. / depression ...........whatever. But when fall/winter starts to go away, and the sun comes out I seem to be able to once again operate. The days are starting to get longer. Despite the 3 inches of snow we got Weds night, it is sunny (albeit windy as heck) and my soul is dancing.
I have a smile on my face that can't be wiped away by looking at dirty dishes, horse poop or piles of laundry. It's been a couple of weeks so I know it's not temporary. All things seem "possible" or at least "Do-able" once again. Thank you LORD for allowing ME back.
Despite my crazy ailments that do not allow me to function in the winter months, I just don't know what to attribute all of my newfound joy to. Personally i KNOW what (Whom) it is. Hard to explain, but things that would cause me extreme anxiety - well they just don't. I have a calming peace that is incredible. While my husband spends many sleepless nights fretting over our latest "situation" I know it will all work out and I have an incredible peace about it. I also thank you Lord for Chai Tea....
I have NEVER been able to tolerate caffeine (soda, coffee, whatever) but I have recently found Chai Tea which has become somewhat of a new indulgence for me. The smell and flavor is music to my tastebuds and strangely I can handle the caffeine without serious jitters or fainting or whatever. Not long after I began to "function" and cope better, I emabarked on my near daily Chai experience, and it has amplified that calming effect (as well as helped me to be a speedy cleaning force around these parts). I am babbling. Probably none of this makes sense...except to me. But the end all / do all is less meds, more happy, and more productivity. I also slept 13 hours last night (due to a near migraine) and that seems to be icing on the very lavish cake. **smile**
But truly, it isn't the Tea - I think it is my guardian angels pulling me out of my slump and setting me back on my feet. Whatever it is...WHOMever it is....I am just happy as all get out to be ALIVE again.
But dont ask me to catch you up on the last 5-6 months....lets just say as usual too much has changed on this roller coaster ride. As I often joke, I think it is safe to say that about every 3 months something completely life altering takes place in our lives. We take a 180 degree turn and it is something new. You gotta be sharp and hang on tight for what comes next around here. Makes it hard to stay on my toes - especially when i am emotionally "not well"....but I am learning to hand over the reigns because "I can handle all things through Christ who gives me strength". If it weren't for the trials would I ever look UP and acknowledge all that is Good and how much I am truly Blessed? Unfortunately I know that answer has mostly been "Not Likely" too often. I fall then get back up. And He is there to help me up every time. Every.Single.Time. I don't deserve it. But He loves me anyway. It makes me feel that all things are possible, that if I listen for direction I can never fail. I am not in control of my life, and as soon as I loosen the reigns on what I want, the Blessings are poured out in abundance.
So I am going to go basque in the glory of today.
I am Thankful.
I am happy.
I am ALIVE.
I am Blessed.
I am Loved.
It's puppies, kittens and rainbows around here sisters! (family joke)
Harumphhhhhh!!!
I think the absence is mainly due to my S.A.D. / depression ...........whatever. But when fall/winter starts to go away, and the sun comes out I seem to be able to once again operate. The days are starting to get longer. Despite the 3 inches of snow we got Weds night, it is sunny (albeit windy as heck) and my soul is dancing.
I have a smile on my face that can't be wiped away by looking at dirty dishes, horse poop or piles of laundry. It's been a couple of weeks so I know it's not temporary. All things seem "possible" or at least "Do-able" once again. Thank you LORD for allowing ME back.
Despite my crazy ailments that do not allow me to function in the winter months, I just don't know what to attribute all of my newfound joy to. Personally i KNOW what (Whom) it is. Hard to explain, but things that would cause me extreme anxiety - well they just don't. I have a calming peace that is incredible. While my husband spends many sleepless nights fretting over our latest "situation" I know it will all work out and I have an incredible peace about it. I also thank you Lord for Chai Tea....
I have NEVER been able to tolerate caffeine (soda, coffee, whatever) but I have recently found Chai Tea which has become somewhat of a new indulgence for me. The smell and flavor is music to my tastebuds and strangely I can handle the caffeine without serious jitters or fainting or whatever. Not long after I began to "function" and cope better, I emabarked on my near daily Chai experience, and it has amplified that calming effect (as well as helped me to be a speedy cleaning force around these parts). I am babbling. Probably none of this makes sense...except to me. But the end all / do all is less meds, more happy, and more productivity. I also slept 13 hours last night (due to a near migraine) and that seems to be icing on the very lavish cake. **smile**
But truly, it isn't the Tea - I think it is my guardian angels pulling me out of my slump and setting me back on my feet. Whatever it is...WHOMever it is....I am just happy as all get out to be ALIVE again.
But dont ask me to catch you up on the last 5-6 months....lets just say as usual too much has changed on this roller coaster ride. As I often joke, I think it is safe to say that about every 3 months something completely life altering takes place in our lives. We take a 180 degree turn and it is something new. You gotta be sharp and hang on tight for what comes next around here. Makes it hard to stay on my toes - especially when i am emotionally "not well"....but I am learning to hand over the reigns because "I can handle all things through Christ who gives me strength". If it weren't for the trials would I ever look UP and acknowledge all that is Good and how much I am truly Blessed? Unfortunately I know that answer has mostly been "Not Likely" too often. I fall then get back up. And He is there to help me up every time. Every.Single.Time. I don't deserve it. But He loves me anyway. It makes me feel that all things are possible, that if I listen for direction I can never fail. I am not in control of my life, and as soon as I loosen the reigns on what I want, the Blessings are poured out in abundance.
So I am going to go basque in the glory of today.
I am Thankful.
I am happy.
I am ALIVE.
I am Blessed.
I am Loved.
It's puppies, kittens and rainbows around here sisters! (family joke)
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