04.25.2010 A "Jumpin" Week

Things were busy around the ol' homestead this week. So much going on, not to mention it was "Earth Week" so we didn't watch TV, Blog, etc. I'm glad that is all over and I'm back to the civilized world.

Work has been busy, training our new gal at the office, and for me working on loans and such. Had Horse lessons as usual as well as last weekend's Horse show. We had a MAJOR ant infestation - and the bug spray people say this is the "year of the ants". Not anything i wanted to hear...as my Honey does not allow any type of spray poison. Lets just suffice to say that "natural methods" dont work nearly as effective! But now that they cant crawl right in (cuz there is moulding) it's better. We also had a friend come into town (Ken who made this house a possibility for us) and my son moved to the Reno area, we had an Early out, and i was up till Midnight w/ my friend April tagging items for the upcoming Kids Closet consignment sale. Wow do i have alot of kids clothes/ stuff to get rid of! It was worth it and i tagged over $700 worth of stuff. Now if it all sells i can do a happy dance.

This weekend was good in that the house was clean (for at least an hour). Grandpa came in on Friday so that means more house progress! Sis, sang with her Worship Team from school (Ensemble) at a local church Sunday morning and did great! As of Sunday morning both the entry closets now have doors and we got some much needed Baseboard Trim up around the front entry way. Then just when i might get a shelf or two, or some closet rods - the belt in his saw broke. After 10 years?! Today, Sunday of all days! That means a trip to Missoula (an hour away) bcuz in our small town nothing is open on Sunday. Good news, the horse trailer full of garbage went with them - bcuz the dump IS open on Sunday. So that will be dumped, a new belt procured...and maybe just maybe by midnight we will have a place to hang the coats and shelves for some "stuff"!!

The best news of all is that we are going out of town real soon - and i can already practically smell the beach and feel the pull of the ocean. Not to mention get to spend a Mother's day with ALL my kids and MY mom (and sister who is also a Mom). It will be very special. I can't wait! I get to meet my nearly 6mo. old niece for the 1st time and love on her big sister too! And did i mention the beach?! We will be there every day. It's just what these old batteries need. Recharged. Hallelujah!

So thats the run down of all that is new and exciting. No wait! I got some very exciting stuff started on Thursday - but thats for a whole 'nother post at a later time since it's likely 3-4 months away. Stay tuned.

I'll leave you with the kiddo's Saturday fun. And yes, they ARE all wearing footie pajamas and beanies! It was downright COLD outside.




Bummer! This was the best pic of all and i chopped their heads off!

04.15.2010 Tired but Hopeful

So, first off, i am tired! Why? Bcuz last night while loving my dog i found yet another tick! Ughhhhh. He hadn't rooted yet, so i went to get a napkin or something, and by the time i got back - it was GONE.

Yep, GONE. Which meant it probably hopped off and landed on my bed, or Lord knows where! I could not sleep. I kept itching. I had the creepy crawler feeling. There was NO WAY i was sleeping in my bed. So what's a girl to do?

Search the internet at 11pm, what else?!

I found a "miracle product" that had over a hundred testimonials - and believe you me - i read every.single.one! For $90 bucks this stuff is gonna change my life. Let's hope so. I bought it hook, line, sinker. Then as soon as the doggie place opened this morning i was there getting the flea/tick stuff you put on the back of their necks, a "tick puller" (...who even knew those existed?) and making appts for my dogs to be shaved down. I want to SEE these beasts, not have it be a surprise! We actually shave Shadow every year anyway (it's called the "puppy cut") and he looks so stinkin' handsome and young! I bought him some hip/joint pain stuff disquised as peanut butter bone cookies too. It's the momma guilt. He actually had another tick last night but i couldn't bring myself to take care of it knowing the other tick was on the loose somewhere in my bedroom.

But tonite when i get home...different story. I am gonna erradicate those things and laugh as they fall off dead from my poor animals! At least that is my hope!

In other news it seems my neice has inhereited the shoe gene, so now i can have a new hobby of keeping her shoed in style!

And one final bit of news - my baby started T-Ball last night. His first practice. I'm a bad momma cuz my camera was at home and i HATE cell phone pics so i have no evidence, but believe me when i tell you, it was H.I.L.A.R.I.O.U.S! No daisies to pick but he did pick his nose quite a bit and stand there while the ball went by. Apparently he thought the other minions next to him should go run after it? We will be working on that. He did however get his turn at bat - and hit the ball each of the 3 times. I was impressed since many of the other kids typically missed at least 1 time trying to make contact with the ball on that tee. Ah, organized sports. I can smell the hotdogs now. FUN.

04.14.2010 Oh the SHOES!!!!!

Ok, so i admit. I am a recovering "Shoe Aholic". That is a true disease, and should be taken SERIOUSLY. And i mean really seriously!

My husband once (in love) required me to throw away/donate TWO (2) pairs of shoes for each new pair I bought. And it was PAINFUL. *wink* Anyway, i think at the time it was more about the fact that i took up about 3/4 of the walk-in closet that was the size of a small bedroom . I had shoes for every outfit and it was bordering on Imelda Marcos proportions. (if you don't know who that is or the story - then that analogy just wont make any sense to you)

Then we decided to move to MT - and well the 4 extra large moving trucks just couldn't take them all. I downsized so much, with so much whining that i threw a mini fit and insisted i would just be barefoot and pregnant all the time so it wouldn't matter.

These days...when i look back it is almost comical. I COVETED those shoes! Each and every pair was special. I was IDOLIZING shoes!!! Now, don't get me wrong, i don't profess to be cured. I am a RECOVERING Shoe-Aholic but not cured. I still love me some cute shoes. But the Lord kinda cured me of my shoe fettish when he brought me to my knees financially. Food trumps shoes.

Where was i going with this? Oh, the kids!!!

My darling Diva daughter somehow inherited the shoe-loving gene. She has many pairs. I could easily buy HER the shoes instead of me cuz kids need shoes. The bad part is i am the same size and thus my shoes LAST - that little girl is GROWING and thus it is like standing outside with $20 bills in my fist and letting them fly away.

This past weekend in her whining about having to clean her room, she just started throwing pairs of shoes into the hallway. Rather than put them away - she decided to "clean house" so to speak. Her father, i think was encouraging her...though i can't prove that. And, seriously, when she was done "purging" of all the shoes that no longer fit (sadly, about 75% of them-PLEASE stop growing!) or that she just never would wear/didn't like - we had a mini shoe store right there in the hallway. I still can't bring myself to move them. 5 days later they are still there. All the homeless shoes, casted aside like moldy leftovers from the fridge.

It hurt. Therefore i know i am indeed NOT cured, and it's another thing i must work on!

The good news is that Momma got her a new pair of $10.00 tennis shoes at WalMart that she absolutely LOVES. YAY for the $10 shoes. I was sure she was going to hate them or they would have some kind of style defect that would make them "absolutely unacceptable"! I even bought the same kind (different color) in the next size up (clearanced) at a whopping $5. WOO-HOO. The best part of this story is that Summer is almost here (hopefully) so that girl will wear nothing but FLIP-FLOPS for an entire 3 month period. (Thanks to Karen for introducing my then 5yr old to the concept of Flip-Flops, thus requiring that i buy them in every possible color each year) At least old Navy usually has Flip-Flops for $5 or less!

No more drama until school starts again and we repeat the shopping drama that requires me to buy 5 or more different "types" of shoes (boots, dress, flats, sneakers,snow boots, etc.) to make it through fall/winter.

But i digress again! Well Kelly @ Kelly's Korner, bless her heart, had the audacity to do a post on shoes today. And to top it off they had the most adorable and PERFECT shoes for my boy as well. They met all the criteria dear Bubba loves. 1.) Camoflauge 2.) Velcro (gotta love the velcro so mommies are not constantly tying shoes!) Speaking of that - have you ever noticed that the Velcro shoes for little boys are all kinds of hideousness?!!! Seriously. Then there were THESE.....



AHHHHH the shoes. I admit it, i ran over to the link for these and bought them before i could feel any remorse about how much they cost and how many pairs of UGLY KMart/WalMart velcro shoes i could buy for the price of this ONE pair. The redeeming part was that for each pair of shoes you purchase they provide a child in another country a pair of shoes. It made my heart smile thinking about a kid in India or Africa wairing some velcro camoflauge shoes like Bubba! Then my rationalizing brain said - well Missie- with shipping, this pair of shoes only actually cost $22 since the other $22 is going to another kids' pair.

I'm RECOVERING, not cured..................
*stop laughing Lynnette!

04.10.2010 The Pantry

Ok so let me start with ...sadly NO.. it is not finished. (like most things around here) but it is workable. My swinging saloon doors were delivered on Tuesday so hopefully there will be doors up before summer. I'm going to attempt to refrain from any comments about "The King of 75%" at this point, because i am so very thankful at least this much got done.

We first unloaded the junk that has been piled in there for the last 3 months. I've had all my food and stuff on 2 rolling racks - and it was a challenge to find ANYTHING. See exhibit "A' below.



Are you feeling my pain? There were two of these, the animals food containers, the garbage can, and all kinds of "stuff" jammed in there.



I didn't get the true "before" picture bcuz i was busy w/ laundry downstairs but at this point they put down the baseboard and the first row of cleats for the shelving.

Oh but the "after" picture is fabulous! I still have a bit to go but it was 11pm and i was exhausted and my organizing brain would no longer function so the top right and shelf below that didnt get done. Ready?????..................



I could only get 1/2 of it in bcuz of the shape, there is quite a bit more not in the picture on the left and right. Ahhh! That big area on the left you cant see-well that is not done. It will have a large area with a countertop where i can put my Kitchenaid mixer, toaster, etc. We also have to finish the shelves for all my cookbooks. But as honey told me "thats gonna have to wait".

They have 3 more closets to finish and some last minute stuff downstairs so the drywaller can finish the taping on Monday. If all goes well he should have all the texture done by the end of the week and we can paint next weekend. Then order carpet and the doors and Voila! done. Then just the "little things" like light fixtures and baseboard and stuff.

Then maybe someday if the stars align we can finish our master bathroom. Ah, but one day at a time....I HAVE A PANTRY!!!! YIPPEE!!!!

04.10.2010 PATCHES in COLOR

Another not so great cell phone pic - but it was Easter Morning and i couldn't resisit!

I finally got some real pictures of cute lil' Patches - our newest family member. Gotta love the super colorful beach towel! He can't hop around because of the floors - he just slides - so we usually put down dome towels and let him roam around. Sis is getting really good at creating a little obstacle course with tunnels and baskets with lots of toys and towels. He L.O.V.E.S. it!!!






I think i'll take a rest now



Hmmm do i smell cat??



So stinkin' cute!

He is super soft, like the velveteen rabbit, and loves to snuggle with me. He is very therapeutic, an instant sress reliever.

But man oh man does he have claws! We all have bunny scratches, and should have stock in Neosporin at this point. Gonna look into giving him a trim.

04.10.2010 A little "Catch Up"

Easter was wonderful this year. Relaxing, Fun, Yummy, Tiring, and Special. Not a bad weekend in my book. Sorry it took so long to post. Though we had a great time celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus - i didn't get all crazy mom on my kids this year. There are no pictures of my kids dressed in special Easter outfits. For the first time EVER i let them be kids. No pressure. Wear whatever you want. Sis did not even match - which ALL MY SISTERS can attest to - is not something i could EVER let happen. I'm letting go though. It feels great. So without further ado - the Easter Weekend highlights....SATURDAY................


A school family sponsored the Easter Story - here they are listening to "Peter" tell of how Jesus said three times he would deny him.


The kids all listening intently

The Three crosses

Afterwards they had an Easter egg hunt in the orchard where we pick apples each year. They broke it out by age group, and all the kids had a great time.


On Easter we had Supper and an Egg Hunt at Jack/Suzie's. After supper the kids got their empty baskets and did a quick pose for us. Please don't pay any attention to the navy tights with the black skirt. Or Bubba's shirt 2 sizes too big he just HAD to wear. I let it go then, but just seeing them now in photos...uhhhh...deep breaths...ok.

Sis running to find all 50 of her eggs. All the kids had their own "territories" where we hid 50 eggs per kid. Only 2 of Sis' eggs were in plain sight so it too a WHILE for her! Bubba was actually the first of the three kids to find all 50.


Bubba doing good so far. They had 5 REAL hard boiled eggs, so we wanted them to of course find those first.

Donnie & I hid sisters eggs - here she is pleading for me to give her some "hints"


She had about 46 here - and was getting worn out. We had to play "hotter/colder" on her remaining 4 eggs.



They all had a great time! Now the kids have enough candy to last until Halloween!

04.09.2010 A Compassion Cause Friday

Well you all know how much Compassional Int'l means to me. They change lives - one impoverished child at a time! Did you also know they save families?

Did you know that they offer help to mothers and infants so they can SURVIVE the overwhelming odds against them? The statistics are staggering. So many babies that don't make it. You can read about Compassion's mission and the Child Survival Program right on their website. It's a great cause helping so many. Saving lives. Educating moms. Helping families learn to care for their children. Things we often take for granted, here...in the USA, where water is clean, diseases are rare due to standard/mandatory immunizations, and the food is plentiful. Compassion helps out where that is not the case. Where real change in the name of Jesus can happen.

1 person, like you, can make a difference to a child - or many children. You can help a mother/infant. Just little ol you! I know you can...i did. All the blessings we each receive...can you bless another family? Can you spare even ONE ($1) DOLLAR? If you can - that ONE DOLLAR can make a world of difference.

If you need further incentive - a FIVE DOLLAR ($5.00) donation can enter you to win a brand spankin new iPad from McMama. You can read all about that HERE. Five dollars? Can YOU? It's one less Mocha. It's Taco Bell vs. a sit down lunch. And that Bean burrito you got vs. the fancy salad - well....it made a difference. But you have to hurry. Those babies and moms need YOUR help right away. (And the contest for the iPad wifi ends at Midnight EST TONITE) So do it. Follow the directions and comment. Follow her link and be entered to win in the drawing for the iPad.

It's Friday - WOO HOO! Giving feels good. So give.

04.06.2010 Goosebumps and Praises

Today is awesome already! Nevermind me who is still not feeling 100% or the grey skies awaiting more snow to fall...it's a great day.

I guess you wanna know why i say that. Well as i sit here with little tears in my eyes - i have to tell you to pop on over to Jedidiah's blog. Remember the boy i was praying for with Stage 4 Cancer? - Well he started his 1st chemo treatment - and well you just have to go over and read for yourself. Within a few paragraphs i had goosebumps, then tears - you'll see why.

What are you waiting for...go! Oh you are back already? Well Praise be to God!

Nothing like a miracle to make a yucky day great. I'll be watching for a rainbow today.

p.s. Hoping to post some Easter pics - but this news was bigger than our silly Egg Hunt so i'll do that a little later. I think i'll be singing all day =)

04.03.2010 Facebook

Ok, so after a 4 month hiatus i am BACK ON !!!! Facebook that is.

In all seriousness, i have NO CLUE how to operate it. It is torturous! There are all these apps, friend requests, wall stuff? Games? Ughhh. Unless you sit at your computer all day long studying it...i think it should be a college required course or adult education thing. I'm not 18 (well i was 20 years ago!) so it doesn't come naturally.

Anyone know how to be a fan (like of a business) on Facebook? For the life of me i can't figure it out.

I'm not discouraged though! I actually find it funny, and a challenge! If anyone has any tips - please share in the comments. I will not let it defeat me ... LOL!

So in other non-related news, we are heading out for an Easter Story and egg hunt in a few minutes. Tomorrow it's Easter Brunch and more Easter Egg hunts at a friends house. I have not gotten ANYTHING yet for the kiddos...so it's off to Missoula for me a bit later for the Costco run and mad dash to get basket items.

Tonite we will read the real Easter Story about Christ's Resurrection. It's not a holiday about Peeps and Jellybeans and stuffed animals - and as a parent i need to make sure the kiddo's get that. We chose to reflect on that. So Happy Easter to you, and however you celebrate this Holiday (or Holyday). Blessings to you!

04.01.2010 Ewwwwww

Ick it's a tick. Seriously. In all of my adult life i have never seen one - either on a dog or in person. I've lived in Montana 6yrs now and never encountered one.

That all changed last night.

I was loving on Shadow - my corgi/springer spaniel mix doggie and felt a bump. I pulled back some furr and there was this brown thing. It didn't even register at first. Then i let out a little screeech and did what any sane person would do...

I grabbed my cellphone and called my hubby.

Oh, not what you expected? Like i said. No experience with ticks. I got great text advice from my sister (google it) and DeRell tells me i should do the match thing. After some serious google research and varying opinions on the best method - i opted for Vaseline to "smother it" and deprive it of oxygen thus causing it to back out. I'm not sure if it backed all the way out (and apparently it is bad to leave it in there) but i thought so. Afterall, I've never seen the head. So with tweezers in hand i turned it 360 and pulled it out promtly flushing it down the toilet. I would have taken a picture - but honestly it was all i could do just to do "the procedure".

I also flushed the toilet TWO times after the critter went down.

JUST INCASE.

I didn't want it to come alive and attach itself to my rear on a subsequent trip to the restroom. I kept picturing that. Not pretty.

Shadow was no worse for wear. I promptly cleaned it with Rubbing Alchohol. That is supposed to kill it too, so i figured it there was any bits of it left in there i would be covered, plus it won't get infected.

My other dog waited patiently outside the bathroom door. For his turn? I think he thought something special was going on in the closed bathroom...like a treat just for Shadow...and he was missing out on the action. When i opened the door (tweezers still in hand) i think he changed his mind. He hightailed it down the hall as fast as he could.

Which by the way, is hilarious to watch dogs on wood (ok....laminate) floors try to get up and go. It's like a cartoon or something!

I would be happy if NEVER AGAIN IN MY ADULT LIFE i have to set my eyes on one of these!! I even did a full body inspection on the other dog (and cat) to make sure there wasn't any more.

For inquiring minds, i actually had to look it up because there are ALOT of species of ticks. It is a Female Deer Tick incase you need to know. I was loving the fact that we see deer EVERY DAY out here, until now. Those varmits carry these things around? Again. Ick!

Oh, and by the way -- this IS NOT an April Fools Joke - as it just donned on me that it is in fact April Fools Day. Oh how i wish it was. Enjoy.