A Historical Anatomy Lesson...

Tylen and I were having our customary cuddle up in bed yesterday morning. He was telling me how were so lucky God made us they way he did. Girls dont get to stand up to pee, because they dont have pee pees. Duh. When I mentioned how I feel that is a little unfair, he proceeded to tell me that boys may have pee pees, but girls get to wear dresses and have long hair and have babies. Still not quite right I told him. The smart child replied with... "Well way back in the 1970's girls had pee pees." This floored me but I kept quiet which is how the funniest things get said. "Yeah in the 1970's girls had pee pees and babies. But if they had to pee when they were getting a baby, they just had to hold it in..."

I want to know... hold what in? The pee or the baby?

Apparently we girls were not good at holding either in because God took away our pee pees.

Now, I need to find someone who was around way back in the 1970's to find out if this information is true. That may be hard to do, to hear Tylen tell it, the dinosaurs were also around then and I dont know a single person who knows a dinosaur.

Help Wanted....

Looking for 1 or 2 good people to drive this jeep, love this jeep, and wash this jeep on occasion. Packer fans need not apply: you will be turned down based on color clothing you are wearing. I am not sorry.

On Saturday we are going to clean her up and put her up for sale. I know I know, how could I possibly let a piece of art like this go? but sometimes a girl just has to do things she doesn't really want to in order to get something she wants.(ie a new car...) Marky poo is going to lessen the blow for me by taking me out to a Chinese buffet and hes going to let me ogle Harrison Ford for a couple of hours. That might do the trick...

One of the girls at work asked to switch shifts with me this weekend, so that I will have Saturday off from work, but will work double shift on Sunday...(overtime pay he he) So I will have a whole day with my family. Were going on a date! Indiana Jones here I come....

Evening Visitors

The other night I kept hearing a little squeaking sound. It was driving me crazy... I kept saying what is that dang noise... Eventually I looked out the window...

A new visitor to our house. It was really hard to get his picture. He was so terribly camera shy. He would show himself... then if I moved for the camera, hed fly away again.

So I snuck upstairs and waited. I got his picture through the window. so its kind of blurry. He is an oriel (sp?) Everyone knows this type of bird likes to eat oranges and grape jelly. So thats what I gave for him. He brought his girlfriend over for a dinner date. So I left out some more for the next evening meal....
A thief got it first! This little squirell thinks he is our friend. He comes awfully close to Tylen James when hes out there playing. I wonder if its safe to let that squirel keep coming around?

Before and Now...

This is the photo that caused some controversy here on this blog. It was wondered why I would allow such an awful photo of myself to be seen by anyone much less such a public forum. Well, it was bad judgement at the time, but now I wanted to use it to show what a difference a few weeks can make. Here I was, fat... crabby, tired... etc but now...

here I am a little less fat, a little less crabby and still tired...lol!
But today I am logging in at nearly 30 pounds lighter than when the first photo was taken. For the first time in a long time... my boobs stick out further than my belly! And those jeans have not seen the light of day in nearly 2 years! They are one size smaller than my usual! I have lost 22 pounds in the last 2 weeks. I know how unsafe that has to be, but its ok because I didn't really do anything to lose that weight. So when I say, I have been working my butt off.. its true! literally!

A Gift!!!

Dana sent me a wonderful pick me up today! It is the journal that she hand bound herself! The book is absolutely perfect for a journal of any kind. The pages are all blank, no lines, so that you can put drawings or whatever between theses pages. Dana not only put the book together but she also textured and dyed to paper used to make the cover of the book. She is very talented and I am such a lucky girl to be the recipient of such a wonderful gift! If your interested in learning just how she made this book check out her Calicocat Press blog.
Dana also sent a lovely card with the book. Also handmade. With a kind message inside. Dana, your very talented...

Many thanks Dana! I positively love this journal! It was very kind and generous of you to send it my way...

Things are shaping up.

The sun is shining. The wind has died down. Its 49 degrees. But, at least the frost is gone. Luckily for me, I was slow getting my tomato and pepper plants in the ground. So they should be good to go.

Yesterday was my last day at the restaurant. It was kind of sad, but mostly a relief to be working only one job again. For now. We had an exciting weekend at the restaurant. On Saturday, I nearly burned the place down. I started a fire in the deep fryer... I wasn't thinking and turned the thing on before I put in the oil... And in case any of you were wondering, that is not a smart move. On Monday, someone hit one of the gas pumps and nearly knocked it over. We didn't notice it right away, so we had to check the video surveillance system and try to remember who the people were. We did figure it out and my boss went to their home to talk to them, but they were not answering the door, so we had to call the sheriff.
My boss gave me a really nice parting bonus and let me know that if the day comes that I need a job, I am to feel free to call him. That's nice to know. But hopefully we have made the right choice for us and I will be going on to become a real full fledged nurse one day.

Well that's all I got for now. I hope you all have a wonderful day!

WTF!!!

Today is the day after Memorial day for crying out loud! Can someone please tell me why in the world I have to scrape my car windows before I can go to town?!? This is totally insane!

Does this kind of thing only happen here in Minnesota? Or is just in my neck of the woods? Ok, maybe its not as bad as the picture shows but still, frost after memorial day???

Its in the ground!!

Yeah! we were able to plant all those vegetables I mentioned this morning. Tylen and I worked and worked and worked to get it done. At one point it started to rain, but it was over before we even decided to go inside. Now the sky has cleared up and it looks as if the thunderstorms are going to miss us. So Marky poo is out watering the garden. I didn't take any photos because I figure every one knows what dirt looks like. :) Tuesday morning before work, I will run and get the tomato and green pepper plants and plant them wed morning. Then I will sit back and watch them grow. I had planned on ten rows, so Marky poo tilled it a little larger today so that he can go between the rows with his tiller. Its about 25' x 30". BIG! I hope it all grows... but I'm especially hoping for a good cucumber and tomato season this year. Keep your fingers crossed.
I'm feeling especially proud of us this evening. For a bunch of city slickers were doing all right. We've got the garden now, there are chickens running around in the yard...(and ducks and geese) And I finally have time to practice with my new bow...(thanks dad!)
Tomorrow morning I am working my last shift at the restaurant. It has been our busiest day of the year for the last 4 years... I hope to tomorrow is no different. And I hope I am in tip top form. I want to go out in style... I am going to miss the place. I made a lot of friends through there. I also have volunteered to work the afternoon shift at the nursing home. Double pay tomorrow! YEAH!
Have a happy and safe Memorial Day. Ill talk to you on Tuesday.

Aah Spring!!!

Finally its here! There was no frost on the cars this morning. Its a beautiful 62 degrees. Its really really here this time! Marky Poo spent his day off yesterday tilling up my new garden spot! Its going to be so nice. And big compared the garden I had the other year... I missed out last year due to the new house projects, but Ill make up for it this year! So this afternoon after I get off work, my little farmer and I are going to plant most of the garden. We plan to plant peas, green beans, rutabagas, carrots, onions, cucumbers, and radishes today. I will go to town to buy tomato and green pepper plants, and some corn seeds... I'll also be able to post a photo of it tonight. Its way bigger than the last one. And in a much sunnier spot! Have a wonderful day all!

Princess Livie Belle

This is my favorite almost 3 year old. She is such a smart kid. This child has a larger vocabulary than any other 2 year old I have ever met. She will be celebrating her 3rd birthday in just a few short weeks. I can hardly wait to see what her third year will bring for her and all of us who love her. I am thinking that now is the time to bring this little girl to come and stay with me for a little while. I would teach her all the things her mother is neglecting to do... like, how to chase chickens. And how to get really really dirty in the muddy ditches.
How to hunt down a wild thing. Skin it or defeather it or whatever it is you do with dead wild things.
How about it Livie Belle... wanna come to Aunty Rellas house to learn how to wear green camo and go hunting??? Please?

"I dont think so Rella."

Kindergarten Graduation!

My baby is growing up. He graduated from kindergarten last week. He received a diploma, sang a song. But he did not get the green mohawk he said he had to have for graduation. I of course was going to allow it if he was sure that's what he wanted. I told him think about it for a few days.
he thought about it. And kept asking if he was going to be able to get it for graduation. He and 2 of his buddies wanted to do it.

I found someone who would do the awful haircut. The green was definitely going to be temporary. So Tylen and I told Markypoo Tylen was getting his hair cut. Markypoo just scratched his head and said "Do farmers have mohawks mom? I thought they all had farmer hair cuts."

So that's what kind of haircut my little duck farmer got for his kindergarten graduation. (personally I would have preferred the mohawk...)

Say Cheese!!!

Why is it every time I let the camera be pointed in my direction, I have my eyes closed or my mouth open? Sometimes it is both...

Well, anyway, this is me off to work this afternoon... signifigantly lighter in weight and hair color than I was when I started this job. I think Ill keep it.

The kids and I were out working hard yesterday. At least I thougt we were. Until I checked out Tylens pants...
Of course I made him empty his pockets in a hurry. The child was complaing he was working too hard.

We were picking rocks out of what will eventually be our beautiful yard. The idea was to put them into the back of a pickup truck to haul out to the woods to pile up and save for later... He didnt quite get the idea.
"These rocks are all mine...." He can have them. Just not in my house.

Tag! Im it!

Dana at Calicocat press tagged me. I have been putting it off until I had some time to sit and think... but that might take forever so now I am gonna give it a go!

The rules of the game are as follows:
1. Link back to the person that tagged you.
2. Post these rules on your blog.
3. Share six unimportant things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your entry.

Rule number one is taken care of... and now rule number two... See theres nothing to it.
Rule number three is a little tougher but lets see what I can come up with...

1. I am a terrible housekeeper. I always have been I do not make my bed in the mornings... I bribe my daughter to do it for me. I pay her a buck, unless shes moody. but Ill go no higher than three bucks.
2. I secretly want to be a runner. I used to be. Now I am just too plain lazy to do it. And lets face it, there are scary wild things in our woods, I would hate to come across one or more of them on my runs.
3. I vomit when ever some one else does with in sight of me. This includes my children's vomiting as well. Sad I know, but I have apparently inherited a weak stomach from a certain parent in my life.
4. I wish I lived in the little house on the prairie days. But I would certainly have to work on my housekeeping skills before that could happen.
5. I love the smell of barbecue. I would rather smell the grill going than cook the food on it.
6. I plan my life around reality tv. Although I am much better than I used to be. I only watch a couple... few of them...
And now for the hardest rule of all. I do not know 6 people to tag. but Ill do what I can...
The tag goes to Jettie, and Melissa. Thats the best I can do...
Thanks, Dana for inviting me to play along.

This is one photo I put up on my other blog . I added a quote that I think is especially fitting. It got me to thinking, and I felt I wanted to share the story behind it. I don't write anything of my own on Sullis Nature so I am going to share it here.
I met my mother in law when I was pregnant with Tylen James. She was very ill. Recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer and given a "shelf life" of 2 years. In recent years Marky Poo had not been home too often to visit with his mother. She encouraged me to encourage him to move back home. I did. We did. And if I ever regretted that choice, a visit with Evie (my mother in law) made me realize what a good choice it was too come here. If it wasn't for her, I would have went running back to the city at least a hundred times.
Evie has shown me the real purpose of living. She has taught me to enjoy every minute of every day. Never once have I heard that woman complain. She has gone through every cancer treatment available. She has become sick from chemo. She has denied anymore treatments, because they "slow her down" her cancer has spread to 6 different areas and she knows there is no fixing her. She lives every moment of every day with a drive to fit in all that she can. I admire her immensely.
About 3 years ago... 3 years after her "expiration date" She came over to my house and took my kids to the cemetery down the road. There was an invasion of that pink flower. The maintenance men were going to destroy them. She and the kids dug up some and we planted them in a rock garden at the end of my drive way. I also planted some other flowers. Over the years, my black thumb has killed every plant in that garden except the pink cemetery flowers. Even now, that garden has not been cleaned out since we planted them. I see those flowers every day and remember the day Evie and the kids came walking down the gravel road. Dirt on their knees and hands. Big smiles on all their faces.
Those flowers like Evie have beaten all the odds. And today are flourishing. So I just want to say:
Thank you Evie for this awesome life you have shown me. And the lesson you have taught me with these flowers.

Ok...Breathe again...

Its over.

My crazy tiresome week has finally come to a close. I logged in at both jobs a total of 76 hours! Thats like 2 full time jobs. It was tough being away from Tylen James all those nights this week. But he and I survived and spent the evening cuddling up on the chair, the couch and finally in bed reading stories. He is sound asleep and I am close to following him. I should have stuck to my guns and quit the restaraunt as soon as I started this NA/R business. But I doubted myself. I worried I would fail at this new job, and be stuck without a job. That was plain silly, because first of all, I wasnt going to fail. And secondly, maybe I could have talked my boss into hiring me back if I needed him to.

I have only one more shift at the restaraunt. That will be next monday. Memorial day. Typically our busiest day of the year. But I believe we broke that long standing record yesterday. And I performed at less than my best. So my big ego has gotten in the way, again, and I insisted I work Memorial Day. I need to go out on the top. I am a good cook. I am quick. Yesterday I wasnt as quick as I could have been, I Will be on monday. Also, I will be pretending that everyone that comes in to the restaraunt came in just to enjoy one last meal cooked by me. I am officially retireing from that line of work. Of course they are coming to see me...right? LOL! See I said I had a big ego. But wait... it gets worse...

I had a very emotional week at my new job. Besides it being extremely hard on my family, It was hard on me first of all to be away from home. and... I went from being the best for the last 10 years (cooking at 2 restaraunts) to being a fumbling, scared new girl at the nursing home. It was hard to take. But I am happy to report things are going well. Last night one of the residents started saying her prayers before I left the room (she is nearly deaf and didnt know that I was there) she was thanking God for me and my kindness. It was an awesome pat on the back. It made the whole messy week worthwhile.

So now I am off, going to get a good nights sleep. I will be back in top form tomarrow, Just in time for a day off! Good night all and Thank you kindly for all your nice words.

Great News!!

First of all the most wonderful thing any mother could hear is how much her family needs her, and I appreciate that greatly. But... they all {with the exception of maybe danibelle} have been having such a hard time with me working so many afternoon shifts. Tylen absolutely can not have a good night without a kiss from me. Danibelle has been taking on so many of my responsibilities she may be all grown up before I know it, and Marky poo... I dont even know where to begin about him. I think maybe he is taking it the hardest of all. Which would be sweet if he were like 7 instead of 47. I have been contimplating giving up on the nursing home all together and staying at my dead end restaraunt job. But instead today, on my day off from all jobs except catching up, the nursing home called me and asked me if I would be interested in switching to the day shift! I havent discussed this much with marky poo. I did mention it the other night, but only in passing. I will talk it over with him tonight, but I think this may be a solution to the turmoil that has been going on at home. I took this job so that Mark would be able to take a less physical job, probably with less money. If I made more, then he could make less... But only 2 weeks in and we are all at each others throats, and no one is happy. So maybe we've got our priorities in the wrong order. And maybe, just maybe this is our chance to fix it. This may put of nursing school a bit, but there are so many opportunities within the nursing home I could take a lot of the nursing classes through the nursing home. Definately a topic for the dinner table tonight...

On another note... Tylen is outside working on his biceps. He has suddenly developed an interest in bulking up. LOL! (if you dont see the humor in this scroll down a couple of posts)

Violated!!!

I intended yesterday afternoon to be a relaxing, self pampering experience... I made an appointment to have my hair done just the way I wanted to for the last few years... I was going to get some blonde highlights... and have my last bad haircut fixed.
Instead I was, inverted, stacked, teased, and processed for 3 hours!!!

The reslut: {Warning, you may want to put on your darkest pair of shades...}

Innocent little guy...

Actual dinner table conversation from Wed. May 14, 2008...
(we were talking about the season finale of survivor that I missed.)

Tylen: "I wanted James to win. That's my second name."
Me: "Ooh me too. He has big muscles."
Tylen: "That's what girls like mom. Sexy girls. Like Danika. My stister is a sexy girl"

At this point... Danika was giggling uncontrollably. Mark had this "I'm so proud of him" look on his face. And I was turning blue from lack of oxygen...I literally choked on my dinner.

So don't let his cute little face fool you, hes not as innocent as he looks.

Launching a new blog...

I have decided to start another blog. I wanted to combine a couple of my hobbies, so I started http://sullisnaturephotos.blogspot.com/ It is some of the nature photos I have been taking combined with some great quotes. I like to call it a Quoto blog. (he he) so, please click on the link and check it out. I hope you like it. Here is a little preview of what Ive been doing:

"Change can be so constant you dont even feel the difference until there is one." ~from the movie Life as a House

If the link doesnt work, you can view my profile and scroll down to the bottom. You can get to the new blog that way its called Sullis Nature.

Chicken Run.....

I wen to town this morning to run my errands and came home to find....
The chickens had escaped! And the ducks, and the geese! But dont worry, I wasnt too much of a "sissy" to round em all up. wheww... hard work!

Boo Ya!!!

I scored a day off! They felt sorry for me at the restaraunt... so Im home today. This week I will be training in my replacement. Im looking forward to that.
Looks like its going to be a rainy day today. I have some errands to run then I can come home and play with the computer. Ive got some new photos I would like to add. So in the words of one of my favorite men...
I'll be back.

Happy Mothers Day!!!

Happy mothers day to all my favorite moms! This year I will not be with my kids or marky poo... so they planned a big surprise for me for when I got home from work tonight. It was really nice.
I have been working double shifts the last couple days, and will again tomarrow... So Dani cleaned up the house!!! (They even mopped the floors!) Tylen made me a couple of cards, Marky poo went to town and bought me a new set of pots and pans! and for those of you who havent fainted yet... he also bought me flowers! Yes you read that right... Marky poo bought me FLOWERS!
So that old saying about dogs is definately a lie... You CAN teach an old dog new tricks! LOL!
I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Im NOT Crazy!!

For the last 4 or 5 days, every time I go outside to the burn barrel or the chicken coop, or whatever, I hear noises in the woods. Like there is something watching me. This has been royally freaking me out, because deep down, I am a huge chicken. Scared of my own shadow... I know its probably coming as a big shocker to most of you, but I am really scared of the woods. And of frogs, and of the dark... all three which are really abundant here. Anyway, back to my story. So when I hear these noises to the right of me, I stop and stare and look really hard for the bear I am sure is waiting there to eat me... The noise stops, and I hear it to the left of me. As everyone knows off to my left is a giant cougar that is stalking me... so I whip around to stop and stare... then I hear the noise behind me... Crap! that's where the rattle snakes are... but by this time I'm pretty pissed off at whatever is making the noise... So I do what anyone would do... I run for the house calling for my mommy... (who by the way, never answers...)

So today. I run out to the car and I heard those noises all over the place. I stopped dead in my tracks frantically looking for the source of the noise (read: the quickest route to safety) And there they were... 3 wild turkeys hanging out by the tire swing...and a few more running for the woods!

So, The moral of this story...when you think your surrounded by wild things... your probably right.
LOL!!!

Too tired!!!

Ok Im bushed. Big time. Cant sleep though, gotta unwind. And eat. Im starvin Marvin! I am really glad that I put in my notice at the restaraunt. I am not cut out for double duty days any more. I worked this morning at the restaraunt. (where I splashed hot grease from the deep fryer all over my hand.) Then I went to the nursing center...(No accidents there...luckily) and this was only the first of many many days this month where I have to work both jobs. This is a far cry from being the stay at home mom I wanted to be...
Good night all...

What Sarah Means

You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong. You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know. You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person.

What's" Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

A day off!

I haven't worked on my kitchen in a long time so Today is the day! I am off to town to buy the paint... I am hoping to get a lot done today. I am also having company for dinner tonight and I should make something good...but what? Hmm... I am relieved to be having normal everyday worries again. This kind of stuff I can handle! ;)

O.K. Breathe...

I passed.

This will get your heart pumping....

Be sure to maximize this before playing it! the icon is on the lower right hand side of the box, next to the speaker icon. Have a great adventure!
http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1438490562

Ok, ok, Ill get back to work now....

This is my cousin Jerime and his better half Brittany. They just announced that they are expecting thier first child! How exciting. Best wishes to you both!!!

I was playing around with my photostudio (instead of studying I know...) I thought I could make this photo larger, but when I pulled it up on blogger, it stayed pretty small.

Ok. Im going back to work now. I think.

You Oughta Be in Pictures!!!

I found this cool website through a long list of wonderful bloggers. I cant remember exactly how as it was the middle of the night... and none of them were my regular blogs. But isnt this neat!?! Have a great day everyone!!

Oh Gosh...I forgot to put in the link. Here it is. http://www.shadowfire.de/warholizer

Now you can make your own Andy Warhol artwork.

This is it...

The big day. Test out at 4:30 pm... Gives me all day to study.....Or worry. Whichever.

Duck Farming..

Duck farming is really hard work. First you gotta feed them all the time. Then when it finally quits snowing, you have to move their house... so they can be in the fenced area with the chickens. See how brave Mr. T is? That's one big duck hes got there.
After you do all that work with the (really stinky) ducks... if your a good duck farmer that is...you check on your sisters chickens to make sure they have water. Cuz' sometimes she forgets.

Good News!!

We are not dead! I was having a terrible time finding the pulse on Markypoo, Danibelle, and Tylen James. But they do have one. Whew...what a relief.
Yesterday was my last day of class. This is kinda wierd to me, but... I have not taken the certification test yet, (I will take it on monday afternoon) but I can work as a CNA until I fail the test... Strange. So I am starting work today as a CNA but Im not really a CNA. If I fail the test on monday, I can not go back to work until I retake the test and pass. It seems really wierd to me. But what do I know.
I did put in my final notice at the restaraunt. (So I really really hope I pass that test...lol.) My last day of work at the restaraunt will be may 29th. I have really mixed feelings about that. I am excited to be moving on. and up. But I really like alot of the people there. I will miss them. Alot.

Time flies...

Here is one of the chickens on the first day we got them. just a tiny cute little thing...
Same batch of chickens 4 short weeks later....definately not tiny and not so cute either.

PSSST........

See these great looking Garlic Biscuits? They are really yummy, my family loves when I labor over my hot oven all day to make these little babies. They are great with any meal, but at my home we prefer them with spaghetti, or lasagna... that sort of a dinner. I served these with manacotti at Danis Birthday dinner. I will divulge my secret recipe to you today only... so you better get yourself a pen and paper so that you can preserve it for your families forever...

Step 1: Open 2 cans of the blue Pillsbury dinner roll packages.

Step 2: Separate and put in a cake pan.

Step 3: Melt 1 stick butter (not margarine as it is one step away from being plastic...yuck!)

Step 4: Pour melted butter over biscuits.

Step 5: Sprinkle garlic salt over the tops of biscuits.

Step 6: When you serve these fluffy buttery biscuits, you must always, always stretch out your arms to your sides and say with gusto.... TADA!

Taking a break...

I absolutely positively refuse to go any further! I have things to do, a life to live and a massive test to study for. So the ugly wall paper mess I made in the kitchen is going to have to stay until Tuesday. I am not going to scrape one more piece off until then. I have to study... I have to learn things... I have to find a living human being to take his pulse on, because apparently no one in this house has a pulse...Ive looked and just cant find one.Tomarrow is my last class. We are going to do a mock test out. I am only worried about one part of the test....