03.29.2010 I miss my boy!

I'm sure there are moms out there that can relate. And plenty that are still changing diapers and wiping snotty noses - for you - you may want to tune out now.

I miss my boy. The firstborn. The one that went off to college, then California. The one i can't hug. The one i can't sit and talk with - or watch stupid videos with. Or clutch the side door panels while he is driving. I miss my boy. And though most days i busy myself with work and running our business, picking up my youngest from Kindergarten, taking sis to riding lessons... my heart aches for my other boy. The one all grown up and far away.



You see people, it is inevetiable. They grow up, go off to college and leave their mommas. That first one. My boy. The one who recited as a 4yr old "I possess a great deal of knowledge" and then went on to prove that it was true.

But i can remember the fun times and hold onto that. The times we went to Christian concerts together. He was never ashamed to be with his mom. And i guess i can laugh at the times i was mistaken for his girlfriend..."Dude! That's my MOM!" he would say and we would laugh! Or him telling me "you can't wear THAT!" so i wouldn't look too young or hip (...or now that i think about it - maybe stupid?)LOL



They leave a little hole when they go. But we aren't allowed to let on that is the case. We have to let them "fly" or "make their own way". At least the hole manages to get filled up (or at least temporarily "plugged") when they call. Just a phone call from my little man and it makes my world spin right again. Luckily for me he tries every few days. Most days i am right.in.the.middle.of.something so i am bummed we can't just chat. I won't lie .. it's not the same as having him right there. It does still feel good though when he calls for no particular reason. That makes this momma smile.



And they grow up SO FAST. One minute they are in braces, the next they are growing a mustache and strange facial hair. But hold this true to your heart..

BOYS LOVE THEIR MOMMA's. (No matter what)

I can still remember in 2nd grade when my son told me he would never stop giving me hugs when i dropped him off for school. I told him someday he would be embarassed and wouldn't because of his friends/peer pressure. He just smiled and laughed it off, "No momma, I will always love you and let you hug me NO MATTER WHAT".



And he still does. I love you and miss you Erick.

Now don't forget to visit!

03.23.2010 Praying for Jedidiah

It's no secret i follow quite a few blogs (a few more than i have listed). One blog that i follow daily, Kelly's Korner, also has a prayer blog. There is a small child named Jedidiah that has a rare and agressive form of cancer. It just breaks my heart to see this little boy and know the tough road this family has ahead for them.

Would you mind praying for their family with me? You can visit their Blog yourself and read their story. They live in a very small town, kind of like i do. They had an awesome prayer circle the other night with a great turnout. I am a huge believer in the power of prayer. I have seen with my own eyes the miracles that can happen. I have prayed with dear friends for one of our friends' husband (Kurt) that was diagnosed with cancer. He was cured.

For now, i will continue to lift this little boy up in prayer. I pray for the family and that God will provide the strength they will need to help them through the treatments. I pray that he will give Lori (Jedidiah's Mom) peace. The family are believers - he is a Pastor. A little more prayer from me (us) can't hurt!

I have added his button to my blog, and you can head over to her blog and get one for yourself!

03.21.2010 How do you like the new Diggs?

The ever creative Masto Mama has pulled off yet another of her stunning Blog Makeovers! There aren't enough beautiful adjectives to decribe her talent!

I am so very happy with our new "Makeover". Out with the old boring blog - in with the more personal and cute digital designs.

Carla is very talented and has her own famous blog where she details her journey of living with joy through her family's very difficult circumstances. Maybe you've seen my button on my blog before about "Praying for Gavin". Well not only Gavin but his sister and Mom also suffer with this debilitating disease in different forms / stages. You can check out her personal Blog right here at Masto Mama . I am truly inspired by her strength and spirit throughout the trials this disease puts in front of her.

She handles it all -which is being a full time nurse 24/7 and 365 days a year, plus she homeschools, and designs blogs!!! Wow! I thought i did alot. She is amazing. I might even add that her kids may be cuter than my kids if that is possible..LOL

If you like my new blog design you should seriously consider heading over to her Blog Design site where she does fabulous work with very little actual meddling by incaple boring and uncreative ( is that even a word? ) blog folks such as myself. Or you could just click the button on the left sidebar, cuz that's just as easy and it's cute too!

She didn't ask me to write any of this, or even put in a mention i might add, but I am just soooo tickled pink at how it turned out. Even Hubby was impressed, and lets just say he could care less about all the "blog stuff" but he thought it was cool nonetheless.

Happy Weekend to all of you! Be back soon.

03.20.2010 We Survived it!

The next time i get the GREAT IDEA to hold a joint birthday party...please slap me!

Sis didn't get her Birthday PARTY last month because of the throws of construction (not to mention lack of funds) so we decided that when Bubba had his Birthday party she could have hers. Two birds with one stone. 1 day of cleanup as opposed to two. So i went for it. I survived it too! (With a whole lotta help from April i might add...so thanks girlfriend!)

The kids had SO.MUCH.FUN! There were 13 kids here (which included ours) ranging from age 4 to age 10. There was no fighting, no whining, no complaining. It was a beautiful day (sunny, breezy and about 50 degrees) We did crafts, ate rainbow cupcakes, played outside on the PLAYSET and of course did presents.

I tried to make it special for each child in their own way - each got to pick their cake (or in Bubba's case-cupcake style). They each got their own pinata~, and their goodie bags were different for their friends. They each picked out a gift for their sibling, and it was very special for each of them. Bubba, well Bubba had 1/3 as many "friends" that could make it and less presents, but i think mom & dad saved the day with our present.

Now, before i get scolded...we were gonna make him wait until he was 7 or 8yrs old for this certain present he got. But we have a road trip in the near future, and this momma needs her sanity. Plus he "steals" his sisters all the time when i pick him up from Kindergarten and she is not there to protest! And honestly - he's pretty good at it. I'm thinking those 9-10 hours in the car will include at least 2-3 hours of peace. It's worth it's weight in gold in my opinion. Can you guess what he got?


I love the REAL moments caught on camera! This is him saying "Seriously?! You got me a DS?!!" He was truly shocked and thought he would have to live out the next 2 years drooling over his sisters metallic pink one.

The kids all loved the crafts! The boys painted wooden snakes.

The girls decorated flower pots with jewels, glitter glue, and pom-poms.

J, K, Bubba, and C enjoyed playing out back!

Sis is looking more and more like her Momma don't you agree???... Except that dark hair - i only try that in the winter!

Sis really enjoyed the cake - she can only have ice cream cakes since frosting always makes her sick!

Bubba got his special Rainbow cupcakes - Auntie April slaved to make them with only basic instructions from me!

Once all the guests left -we all took turns riding the 4-wheelers. Aunite April & Donnie brought theirs and we had ours. Here Donnie was taking Sis & Colton at one time. Couldn't have helmets on for the picture LOL! We just rode & rode around our property. Sis & I on one and Donnie & Colton on the other - raced and raced.

We were all tuckered and out by 9pm! There was a little mess to clean up on Sunday but not too bad! Thank you to April & Jacque who saved my sanity by helping with watching the chaos and cleaning up after 13 rowdies. Cuz that will be the last time for a long time. =)

03.18.2010 Happy Birthday Bubba!!

It's so indescribable. The feelings you have when say - your oldest goes off to college. Or days like today - when your youngest is SIX. Six is huge. It's Kindergarten, it's doing things like dressing themselves, or pouring their own cereal and milk. My BABY is SIX. I can hardly believe it.

As we speak he is assembling some Lego's he got for his Birthday. All by HIMSELF. Step by step going through the instructions BY HIMSELF. Nevermind that the box says ages 7-14. He's a Lego Fan, and doesn't need me. HE DOESN'T NEED ME he insists. That is the part that makes my BABY turning six so hard. But you gotta love him!

People often ask how this little man got the name Bubba. I'll tell you how. He was a FAT little roly poly with fat little fat rolls on his fat thighs. And had a big Bubba head. He ate like a chow hound and got fatter and fatter. And he was just "BUBBA". (Nevermind the numerous ear infections, bouts of pneumonia and allergies to just about everything a short time later that caused him numerous hospital visits and he lost ALL THAT BABY FAT!) He was a sick little boy.

By age 4 the Lord blessed us by making him WELL. No more ear infections, no more food allergies, no more pneumonia. My little snuggle muffin that i constantly cradled and rocked to health in my arms became better. Became Independent. Didn't need his Momma. He became a little bit defiant. A little bit bossy. Temper Tantrums became the norm. His hearing loss makes his "inside voice" non-existent. We struggle with the new normal that is our independent little man. He is still our Bubba and will always be.

He is our .............Dirt Stomping, Camo Wearing, Lego Creating, Heart Song Singing, Candy Loving, Big Eyed Bubba who LOVES
-Bubble Baths
-Vanilla ice cream
-Banana Splits
-Bionicles
-Cap'nCrunch
-Veggie Tales
-God
-Snuggling
-Taunting his Sister
-CheetzaNeetsa Pizza (Pizza/Cookie Lunchable)
-Vegetables
-His Family
-Praise & Worship Music
-Cowboy Boots
-Vanilla Yogurt
-Moms Homemade French Toast
-Digging and Exploring in the Backyard
-Bathrobe Wearing
-Movie Watching (Robin Hood, Eight Legged Freaks, Jurrasic Park, Ice Age, Clone Wars,and Backyardigans are current favorites)

He sings to the beat of his own "Heart Song" as we say. And he sings everything. We love that most about our little man. And i wouldn't trade it for the world!

Happy Birthday Bubba.


We brought you home..


How did you get so fat? Love those chubby rolls!


So Stinkin' Cute

Never one to pass up DESSERT - you have a sweet tooth like your daddy!


Your second hospitalization - but you were on the mend!


Much Better Dessert choice!

My ever so curious boy - you love tide pools!

A boy and his Lego's shall never be parted. You can play FOR HOURS with the basic ones!

Those eyes. Mamma always says yes to. I love you Bubba Boy!

03.17.2010 H.I.L.A.R.I.O.U.S. - The Perks of Being a Fan

I can't stop laughing. You see, i follow quite a few blogs. My husband is not so approving. I have a daily "ritual" (which i wish i could come up with a better word - but i can't right now cuz i am laughing so hard). But i get the kiddies off to school, come to work, and first things first - hit all my favorite Blogs for my latest fix -or- "spiritual shadowing"/"Blog Stalking". (I prefer Spiritual Shadowing since a good many of the Blogs i follow are fine upstanding Christian Mommies) which i think should be Trademarked! (Thanks Angie) Or as my sis Lynnette would call it "Blog Stalking". But the best part is being a part of someone else's world. To get to see glimpses. To get ideas. Parenting tips. Spiritual Guidance. Lot's of reasons really.

Well this Fall/Winter i happened upon a really great Blog that took me to the place i love so much - HAWAII and some really great girls (Connie & Sandy are their alter ego's) named Cerina and Brooklyn. They were missionaries that had served in the Frozen Tundra of Minnesota and headed out for Hawaii on a new mission...to feel the warmth of the sand on their feet and embrace the colors and culture of all Hawaii has to offer (and forget all about the cold/snowy Minnesota! (Or really - have an awesome extended vacation) Little did they know lil' ol' me would happen upon their blog and answer their challenge of unvailing who us stalkers really were. And i happened to think they were "H.I.L.A.R.I.O.U.S." as i told them.

And as much as i wish i could go back to my annual Hawaiian vacations - having kids changed all that. So i tried to live vicariously through these great girls. Their blog is awesome. They have spark! I love their adventures they did at reader's requests...and me? Well i am a SuperFan with her own song - i've never heard my name in a song - so if you have 7-10 minutes, pause my music at the bottom and watch this "HILARIOUS" Video on their blog! Thanks Connie & Sandy - you make this Montana Mom so proud!

03.16.2010 A new addition to our "HERD"

No i am not pregnant.

Now on to the happy news! Our family got a bunny last night. It was inevitable. For 2 years Sis has begged and begged. She has whined each year when we go to the county fair and she see's all the cuties. But she, and we, were not ready for a bunny! But i think, dear ones, now it was time.

We happened to be in our local feed store buying doggie toys, and checking out electrical fence wire. They had 1 left. There were 10 last week, and last night only ONE. He was adorable. My heart ached for him but i didn't let on. The feed store is one of daddy's clients, so he happened to be there as well. So we begged - and hubby was so good to say yes. (I think he was more surprised that i was ready to say yes)

The first question i got (from multiple sisters) is whether this was the Katie (our missing cat) replacement. The answer is NO. We still hope - and pray daily that she will find her way back to us. It's merely us settling in our new place. We want it to be homey, with lots of love, lots of animals, and our little piece of farm life if you will. Animals require more care, more time. That's what we want too.

Slower pace, more family time - and to enjoy the piece and quiet and BE STILL. Do you know what i mean? I crave that opportunity. If having more animals (bring on the horses!) means i spend more time at home - then bring it on. The peace i have looking out my window..the peace the Lord has placed in my heart is overwhelming. Amidst all the to do's of getting this house completed i have PEACE. And life is good.

And "Patches" is awesome! He's the newest member - an opportunity to help us all slow down and appreciate him. He soft, he's cute, he's cuddly. He's FAMILY.

(I left the camera at my office so all i have is this bad cell phone pic, sorry!)

03.15.2010 The Monkeys Go Wild!

The kids and I got our wish! The playset is complete. Did i just type that? WOW! It was quite the ordeal. If you remember..for a couple years now we have really been wanting tot get the Costco big playset for the kids. It's always been out of our budget reality. Well we found one on Craiglist last month - Honey (and grandpa)drove 4 hrs there, disassembled it, and drove it 4 hours back. So it is used - but the kids got what they wanted and it didn't break the bank. Monkey Bars and all! Which was a sis requirement.

Honey in his OCD ways, had to make sure the area was level first. So he had to get out the rototiller and dig it out then move the dirt back so it would be level in the back. Hilarious. But they raked and dug and made it perfect. The whole deal took less than 3 hours. A whole lot better than the initial retrieving of the set!



See the kids in the back - all their nervouse energy - just WAITING!!!





Yes, that is my boy in his pajamas. Why get dressed when he is comfy & warm?
On a side note..the previous owners painted the chains PINK. Those will be going back to blue as soon as i unpack that royal blue spraypaint i have!



Sis was only dressed bcuz we had to go to the grocery store! She tried out those monkey bars the MINUTE we drove in the driveway. She ran straight to the playset! (so much for helping me unload the groceries!)

We had a nice dinner and our friends over - so Colton got to play on it too. I even turned the "runway lights" that were on the back balcony on so they could play on it as it was getting dark. I even joined in - that rock climbing wall is awesome!

03.14.2010 Why I like 5 things Friday

I like 5 things Friday because if it has to do with a "to do" list it makes me get it out (on paper? LOL) so that i have a goal. Goals are great. And completion of goals are even better!

Guess what happened this weekend? You'll never guess! At least 3 of the 5 things were completed! Woo Hoo! And by 3 i mean 2 items and 2 "1/2" items so that totals three in my mind.

So lets get straight to it, shall we? It's a good thing i put the caveat about the doors (hoping at least 3 would be completed) because that is EXACTLY what happened. Lets just say the 1st of the 3 was SUPER hard - then the next one went ok, then they pooped out. Then after sleeping on it we found out we didn't leave enought gap (?!?) under the doors for air circulation? Me ... well i'll be honest, i wanted as little gap as possible for "aesthetics". C'mon i am a woman! And if we are "truth tellin" here ...lets just say to drown out the sometimes loud whining or screaming children that feel their timeout is unfair. Just being real people.

Well i guess if the gap isn't big enough air cant circulate and pump out and be returned. (the return is in the hallway so if you sleep with the bedroom door closed it works like a vacuum and doesn't pump any heat to that room)

Thankfully that was the guest room. Ouch! Did i say that outloud? Needless to say Grandpa froze his patootie off. Since it is already hung and all trim put in place our only options to fix it were
a.) cut a hole above the door to vent/let air circulate
b.) take off solid wood door and plane/cut some off bottom -or-
c.) make a return someplace else

I opted for C. There is no way in heck i am gonna cut a rectangular hole above my doors and beautiful custom trim to thus draw the eye to this ugly "vent". Also not so much liking the idea of letting amateurs saw on very expensive doors. We then got creative and with some brainstorming decided we could cut a vent thrhough the closet area to the other closet. Liking that. So that's the plan.

Hard to get photos when all the doors/rooms are in a hallway - but basically 3 doors were completed - the guest bedroom, Bubba's Bedroom, and Sis' bedroom.




So i don't get the photographer of the year award - otherwise i wouldn't have a shot of a closet with no door also! And if you like the 1st picture that is the guest bedroom. Perfect if you like to sleep like a penguin. The nice warm color is to invite you in, then apparently now to remind you that you are visiting the Frozen Valley!

We also got the PLAYSET completed (which deserves it own post and comes complete with photos of happy, smiling children!) and 1/2 of the unwanted boxes in the living room unpacked! And about 6 loads of the laundry that has no place to go once it is done. (rugs, sheets, shower curtains, xtra car seat covers....) Oh how i wish my basement was done.

P.S. It is NOT done. Sheetrock is not finished, nor will it be finished Monday. Shocking, i know. But we ARE having a birthday party on Saturday so he better get busy!

03.12.2010 5 Things Friday

It's been a while so i thought i would jump back in with a 5 things Friday.

5 things i am hoping will happen this weekend regarding the house - i should put a p.s. in here....p.s. Grandpa arrives this afternoon. Yippe! So much more gets done when he is here, Hallelujah!


1. Door Jambs and doors hung (there are 9 left since only the bathroom has been done) so i am gonna hope for at least 3 doors to be finished so that not all my dreams are dashed. Plus i am a little sick of the doors laying in the middle of my living room floor.

2. My everlasting PILES of laundry = approximately 12 loads of laundry will finally be complete. (it was 20 loads this time last week, so it is slowly deminishing) All those blankets used for moving, towels used for who knows what in the construction process, myriads of sheets, rugs - rugs - and more rugs,etc.

3. The Play Fort/Swing Set will be assembled. This is a FULL DAY project and we are expecting more snow on Saturday.

4. Have all remaining sheetrock HUNG in basement so taping can ACTUALLY begin on Monday. (could you feel the sarcasm? - it's not pretty)

5. The remaining 12 or so boxes (also sitting in the middle of my living room floor) will be unpacked. These are the "leftover" boxes. I'm sure everyone had those after a move. Boxes full of absolutely non-related items. Stuff that you have no idea where to put it.

Since i am "wishing" - i could add that a couple of entry closets & Hubby's closet be finally completed and maybe the trim put up around my french doors in the master bedroom so my curtain rod could finally be put up. But it is much to ask. And since i am none too handy - i just bark the orders without really having to do the work. My only job is to keep the laundry going, food flowing, and kids from killing one another.

Seriously though..."It's all good!" At least i have a roof over my head. A warm place to lay my head, enough to eat, and enough clothes/items to have that much laundry! And i am blessed with those 2 hellyuns that call me momma. I can't ask for anything more...

...except maybe a Horse. =) I'll leave it at that! Have a GREAT weekend!

03.10.2010 A NEW "DO"

I am done. Done with long hair. I think it may have something to do with the fact that i wear it up in a french twist w/ a clip everyday. I needed something different. I think it also has something to do with feeling OH SO MUCH BETTER lately in general. You know like when you wake up after 5 days of an ugly cold and your head feels cleared up? Thats how i feel about life. It's good. Very good.



Jack was a little annoyed- can you tell?

I was going to go with more blonde highlights - but decided to wait until i get some color first so i dont look like a pasty ghost all the time. =) Hehehe



Apparently there is one wayward alfalfa hair so excuse that.
So here's the new me.....what do you think?

03.09.2010 Say it isn't So!

It's been a rough couple of nights at the ol' homestead. I'm keeping it together mainly bcuz hubby is out of town on business. But it's hard.

Katie is missing.

At first, it was, well she is off "exploring". And the last time one of the cats did that we feared the worst..(hawk, coyote, mountain lion,) only to find out Jack was up in a neighbors tree all night. Happy ending. This time it's Katie. And the story is not so great.

Sunday night a man came and bought our 16 ft. enclosed trailer. We should be rejoicing - yay we can finish the bathroom. But here's where the story gets bad. Apparently during our hooking up, inspecting process the curious kitty hopped inside. Unbeknownced (sp?) to me i shut all the doors and he was off. He is from Alaska - and in a strange twist of fate his parents live in a neighboring town. We being on the "East"/hill side of the valley - they being on the "West"/mountain side of the valley. It just so happens when i met him at the bank Monday morning i mentioned that my cat was missing and joked it off hahaha i hope she's not in that trailer headed for Alaska. He laughed too and told me no way bcuz he opened it that morning to put some ski's inside and no cat. Well about 12:30 that afternoon he calls me back in a panic. It seems when he opened that trailer again there was in fact a cat in there and she darted out and down the road like someone has shot her. (apparently the 1st time he had opened it that morning she must have been sleeping up in one of the racks).

I hurried up there, walked, hiked, called for her for over an hour before i had to give up. Then i went to Sis' school, picked her up, made fliers to post and we both went out calling for her. You see...it's her cat. The "replacement" cat from when Pixie got run over while we were away on vacation the summer before last. I thought sure Katie would hear her voice and come running. No such chance. It started to rain after an hour - so we headed back to town.

I - trying to be strong for my girl - said most likely the rain will drive her into someone's garage or onto their front porch. They will see her pink sparkly collar and call that number - and in no time we will be picking her up. I hoped. I prayed. No call. Sis was insistant we NOT tell Bubba the whole truth. That she ended up in a trailer and now is missing in the mountains. I told her i would not LIE but if he didn't bring it up we can just let him go on thinking she was just outside playing somewhere or off catching mice in a field. But guess what?

I awoke at 6:30am this mornig to OVER 6 INCHES OF SNOW!! Seriously! We have had 5 days of over 50 degree sunny weather and now this? Puxawtawny Phil does not know how shattered my little girl is going to be to have lost not one but TWO cats within 2 yrs!

Katie does not like rain, and she does NOT know snow. She wouldn't ever step a paw outside when it snowed. And that poor curious little girl went on a trip in a trailer and is now out in the wild somewhere. She barely goes outside people. I am thankful she has claws but she is seriously a pampered cat that rarely uses them.

Please pray for Katie. For her safe return. Please pray for my daughter. She is beside herself with worry and practically refused to leave the house this morning.

I know it's just a cat. But she is FAMILY. We weren't ready to let her go.

03.02.2010 Catch Up???

If you thought that last post about a typical week made your head spin...the last 2 weeks have been even more so.

Praises/Good News! = We are completely moved out of old house. We got a check. I ordered doors and hardware. The concrete was cut and new plumbing put in the basement for bathroom and mudroom. (We thought we wouldn't be able to do this until this summer!) We got a bathtub for bathroom, shower enclosure for mudroom, New shelves up in garage, and Craiglist has become my new BFF.

Speaking of Craigslist - I recently sold our Pool Table, the snowmobiles/trailer, a Dresser, and my Wine/Curio Hutch. We have 2 other items that are sold in "trade" deals so they are still ours until the work is done. I also listed 2 ads in the "wanted" and trade for both a Barn Builder and a Horse for sis. I got responses for BOTH! We will have people coming out for quotes for barn this week and *small world* someone called with a PERFECT horse..and it turns out i actually know them. Also one of the construction guys & i started talking horses too. And some random stranger emailed me a photo of his horse (slightly out of our price range but awesome!) I know we need to finish the house and take a deep breath before embarking on the latest area of our lives (HORSE PEOPLE) but Sis is so excited to start 4H and she LOVES all things horsie. It doesn't hurt that her mommy is madly in love with them too! Bubba can't wait to ride - and i saw some cute tandem/buddy saddles on eBay that you can hook on the back of a saddle for tandem riding. Oooh fun.

Anyway - I'm so very sad that the camera is missing. I take it EVERYWHERE and cannot find it at all. Here's to hope and prayer that it turns up. I do SO want a Digital SLR but there is no way on this Earth that is possible. I checked Costco - i had NO IDEA they cost so much. So there will be no photos for a while.

Ok, maybe one...I'm gonna throw in the horse photo the guy sent me that is trying to sell me his horse. Cuz he is just so stinkin cute! Oh and he has long fuzzy hair bcuz here in the Frozen Wasteland the horses hair grows out in winter then you use a shedding blanket and comb to remove all that come spring and they look all pretty and handsome. Just an FYI for inquiring minds that may think he looks shaggy. It's just his winter "furr coat" LOL. Ain't he the cutest?!!

Look at those EYES - so hard to resist eh?