The kids are loving it!!!

As I sit here and try to struggle to fall asleep...again...my kids are having the time of their lives! Check it out!

Fiddle De Dee!

Well the kids met up with grandma and grandpa just fine. Tylen didnt even really notice when we separated. He kissed me good bye and jumped in the car without a second thought. He's got plans! Big plans. And they dont include me. I was a little bummed...but when I realized I could do anything I want to now...I went to the casino! And I won 55 bucks! But, now Im home. Alone. In this great big house... And Ive got plans too! Tonight, Im gonna go upstairs... jump in the jacuzzi add some bubbles... and maybe just maybe I will put in my favorite movie tonight. Gone with the Wind. No one who lives here lets me watch it...so... I also ordered a pizza from pizza hut...the way I like it...not Tylens way...not markypoos way. MY way. So Im gonna eat it... "As God as my witness I shall never go hungry again!"

G'Night All!

Packing up...

Not once, but twice I have had to apprehend Tylen James in the front yard with grocery bags full of clothes and toys. Hes in a hurry. Ready to get the show on the road. If I would have let him packed what he wanted... he'd be going North with 8 pairs of underwear and a duck. Luckily for all of you, Ive got my act together and he'll be bringing along a life jacket and ibuprofen! Danika is an old pro at packing, shes so good at it, shes not even gonna start til tomorrow morning! I think for those of you who have placed bids on the betting board on how long Tylen is going to last, you might want to rethink your bets, hes on a mission to stay the whole time. Theres no way he wants to miss the Fourth of July celebration or the FREE hotdogs! Just please make sure he wears his glasses. If he goes too long without them, he gets headaches when he puts them back on. He hasn't quite gotten the hang of the bifocals... they mess with his head.
They are both so excited... But I think Tylen is more so. He has just this morning learned that grandma is my mom. Hes thrilled at the idea of checking her out good now that he knows I was in her tummy. He has always known that grandpa is my dad, but he never knew that grandma and grandpa got married...
I'm kinda excited to see what he does with that new found information.LOL!

Who's Raising Who Here???

When I was a young newly pregnant woman... I had visions of cuddling and rocking, hugging and kissing my baby. All the time. That's all I wanted to do. Cuddle up with my little baby. Then Danika Leigh was born, and all she wanted to do was be totally independent. She was not by any means a cuddler. She wanted me to carry her so she could see the world...instead of rocking to sleep with me, she wanted to stretch out and be on her own. If she was going somewhere with out me, I often had to chase her down and steal a kiss from her. At the time, it was heartbreaking for me to think she didn't need me for anything good like hugs and kisses.

But, as we both grew, I realized how lucky I was that she was so independent. That's a good quality. And I was unbelievably proud of her. She was raising me. Not the other way around and I think she did a good job. I became independant and strong... because of her. And then Tylen James made his appearance.

Man! That boy was a cuddler. That's all he wanted to do. All the time. Cuddle with his momma. For the first two years of his life at any given hour in the night you could find he and I rocking and cuddling and eating bottles.. I'm not joking even a little here... every hour on the hour. All that rocking and cuddling and kissing really threw me for a loop. To tell the truth it was exhausting and I worried about him more than a little. I was terrified I was raising a Mommas Boy. He was so different from his sister I didn't know what to do with him. So, I cuddled and kissed and rocked. What else is a momma supposed to do?

Now, hes been called a mommas boy. And he doesn't mind. And I don't mind. There have been times he would go into a full fledged panic attack at just the thought of being away from me. (Those were the times I worried.) And now... my baby is about to fly the coop. Hes going to Par-tay at grandmas house for a few days. And I am the one in the midst of a full fledged panic attack.

Ive been told I worry too much. That may be. Ok I know thats true. I know the kids are going to have a wonderful time. But... whos going to tuck me in at night?!?

Better than the Beach!!!

What do you get when you mix 3 boys and a sprinkler? Then, Throw in a little sun...
And dont forget the superhero popsicles...

A fun day. Who needs the beach?

Meet Cleo...

It was a little touch and go at first. We weren't sure he was going to hang around. His mother is a stray and she has raised her kittens outdoors. Taught them to hunt and to hide and to climb trees. Just like a proper mother should. So we brought him home to our great outdoors and he was so scared. Just shaking away. So Markypoo allowed the kids to bring the kitten inside for the first night only. So he slept with the kids and played with the kids. When we brought him outside the next day...he ran from the kids.
And didn't come back all day or night. I sat outside and called for him. "Here kitty kitty... come back kitty. " Finally he did. But every time I went back into the house, the kitten would disappear. again. He acted this way for 2 days. Finally... Hes home for good. He found a safe place to hide when the chickens come near him. He found a tree to climb when other kids are around. Life is good for little Cleo. We are happy to have him.

Oil changes...

If theres one thing I really hate to do its getting an oil change. I dont know why, I dont actually have to do anything. Just drive and hang out, have a cupa joe. You know a relaxation kinda thing. I despise it. It sort of works in my favor most times. Markypoo will get so tired of waiting for me to do it, he'll take the car in himself. Or... he offers to pay for it if I will do it soon. For the last 2 years or so, he absolutely forbids me to take my car North when I go to visit my family. He says, go have fun but your not driving your car... take mine. And I will not under any circumstances take his car, so he leaves me with no choice but to call Mike... I explain to Mike that Mark wont let me leave unless he works his magic. He does, and I go. Its all good. Until the next time.

Well today, seeing as I have all these car troubles, I call up trusty mike and I say "Long time no see Mike, you still doing your car stuff?" He says "Yup... you going North?" I say "Yeah, how did you know that?" Then justs plain bursts out in the biggest belly laugh I may ever have heard.

Whats up with that!?!

Bad news...

I got up this morning after a nice restful peaceful sleep. The whole bed was all for ME! Got ready for work, woke up Danibelle and tried to leave for work. My car wouldnt start. The battery was dead. Here I am a thousand miles from no where and no car. And no Markypoo. he never seems to be around when I need him. Whats up with that!?! I had to call in to work. I called Markypoo and cried...my car wont start... He said -no kidding-" get my charger from my deal and charge the battery. Gotta go." Ok...what the heck is a deal!?! And how do I work it? Oh I had so many questions and no one to answer them. After about an hour of searching... the deal turned out to be the old run down pick up. I did find the charger and I thought I had it all hooked up and working. The car did start. Joy! I did it. All by myself. So I left my car running for about half an hour and then put away the charger. Again, I got ready to go to work. The car wont start again! So now I dont dare recharge it and take it to work. How will I get home? Crap. Tomarrow I am supposed to pick up two of Tylens buddies to come over and hang out here, but with no car how will I do that? I sure hope it is just that I need a new battery, otherwise I will have to cancel our trip North on monday... Keep your fingers crossed. I am going to call our mechanic Mike later today with a whole lot of car troubles... the jeep needs a new water pump. And battery troubles aside... Marky poo said I cant go North until I get two new tires on my car and an oil change. Mikes gonna be busy.

Guess what ran into me...

Ok... chicken recipe aside...(I'll get to that a little later....) I drove Marky Poo to work this morning. Something ran into me... dented my car a little. A deer! I told Marky Poo I wanted a junker car to drive around these parts cuz there are SO many deer... It was only a matter of time before I nailed one. I didnt even see the poor thing coming. Just jumped up out of the ditch and landed on the side of my car. Fortunately though, the deer was able to get up and run off, and my car was just dented a little bit. I dont even have to see it since it is on the passenger side rear door. Lucky Lucky Lucky.

Marky poo is gone for the rest of the week, and I would be excited if I werent so bloomin tired! The whole bed all to myself!!! I cant wait til bedtime! My work called and asked me to work in the morning instead of night, I quickly agreed to that since I was a bit worried leaving the kids home alone late at night. Especially now that there is a big wild bear on the loose. (not even kidding a little)

Yesterday the new kitten and one of our ducks went missing. I was so sure the bear (AKA in this household anyway... Bosco) ate them. But miracle of miracles, they both showed up safe and sound this morning. But having that chicken coop right outside the house makes me nervous that Bosco will show up one evening, probably just as I am running to the door after a night shift of work. Marky Poo wants to go on a bear hunt this fall. Not I.

Ok. I promised a chicken recipe. I dont know why I did that since I rarely use recipes but Ill give it my best shot. Marky poo and Evie loved it.

first... mix up a couple of eggs and milk in a bowl.

then mix another bowl with flour and different seasonings. I used some crap that you have to grind as you go... no fun. and garlic, and parsley and a little cajun seasoning. Oh yeah, and some sage.

then dip chicken in egg mixture, then flour and fry til golden brown.

Then bake in oven at 350 degrees for about 30 - 45 minutes (or when ever your unexpected company finally leaves...)

it was really easy and pretty good, (to toot my own horn a little)

But the secret to really good chicken is to use fresh never frozen totally organic chicken.

Marky Poo...

He got the call today at work... He will be going out of town tomarrow... out of town, out of state even. Hes all bummed out, so to cheer him up, I am going to fix him his most favorite dinner of all. Fried Chicken. I am going to be trying out a new never used before recipe. I have invited Evie over for dinner tonight as well... So tomarrow, if the chicken turns out really well, I will post the recipe for you.

I almost feel really sorry for him. Hes been working so hard for the last four years to give us the house of our, no scratch that, MY dreams. He got us the house, and accidentally fell in love with it too and he is as much(probably more) a homebody as I am... It drives him nuts to think of us out here alone without him. He worries that his yard will suffer, and the house will stop working... Its a tough situation because the more I reassure him we will be fine, the sadder he feels. If I tell him we are going to miss him terribly, then he worries more. Theres nothing I can do to lessen his worries, so on that note...

We knew this was coming for a long time, since his company won the bid on this job last winter... That is why I cant believe I am not more prepared for this... I have been waiting on this call all spring. I have plans. Big plans. Marky poo forbid me to do anymore home remodeling jobs... So the only question I have is... What the heck color should I paint this?

Adoption!!!

This is the newest member of our family. As Tylen James puts it... "We are almost like a real farm now..." Meet... well we dont have a name for him yet. But the kids want to leave that up to you. So Im going to put up a poll and invite you all to please help us choose a name.
Look at those eyes... looks like make up. Hes kind of scared of us, we actually went to pick himup the day before and the kids scared him and his brother into a pipe. It took hours for the mother cat to get them out... So last night the owner planned an ambush and we were able to bring this cute fur ball home. So, right now hes outside, thinking about climbing a tree. We are leaving him get his bearings. I hope he will still be here next time I go out...

Happy Birthday to you...

Happy Birthday to you...

Happy Birthday Dear Mom...

Happy Birthday to you...

Happy Happy birthday mom. I hope you enjoyed your day. We were all thinking of you today and wishing only the best for you.

We all love you lots.

From, Your most favorite daughter EVER!

How Does Your Garden Grow???

With a little bit of hope... and a lot of luck... It just may grow...

With Peas...





And Tomatoes...


And Green Beans...

And Cucumbers...





Its a lot of work weeding a garden this size...I tried to enlist some help. These were the only applicants. They are cheap labor, work for scratch... Now if only I can teach them the difference between weeds and vegetables...

And We're off!

Danika passed her drivers permit test. So we went driving yesterday... I didn't get a chance to take any photos because I was too busy holding on! I kid.. I kid... She did a very good job. Tylen James was more than a little scared, he was worried Dani would drive into a lake or swamp and you know, cars don't float. When she finished taking the test, I knew right away that she passed it by the expression on her face. She cant hide anything because her face is so expressive... And she is so emotional. LOL! I wish I knew the right words to describe her excitement over driving. I drove back from town and when we got to our gravel road I pulled over and told her to drive us home... she looked like she may hyperventilate from the excitement... when we made it home I had her back the car down the drive way, and she had a little difficulty with that, so I told her to drive forward and try to back down again... when finally she shut the car off she burst into tears... I was concerned because I was careful not to yell at her while she was driving (I remember that oh too well!) I said "Honey...whats wrong? Nobody backs up perfectly their first time... its ok. You ll get it..." You know all that stuff good supportive moms should say... She said, (with huge tears running out of her eyes...) "I'm not crying I'm laughing".

Oh.

Really Really Bad Day...

UGH! Thats about the only word that I can use to describe this awful day. I start my shift at the nursing home at 6 am. Thats kinda early. The first thing we do, is wake up a resident and bring him or her to the bathroom, then we get them cleaned up and dressed for the day. I did that with resident number 1 and all went well. He shares a bathroom with resident 2 so I went over and started with resident 2.

I got him up and walking about 5 to 8 feet away from his bed, bathroom and easy chair he screamed with pain. His legs buckled and he started to fall. I was standing behind him holding on to his gait belt (what we use to help lift and guide the resident) So as he started to fall backwards, I bent my knees into a sort of sitting position but I was standing. Anyway, he landed softly on my knees and I was able to lower him to the floor without hurting either one of us. I got him into a laying position and hollered for a nurse.

He checked out ok so we got him up into his wheel chair and then on the toilet. Then I was on my own again. I could hardly control the tears rolling down my face... I was shaking so badly I couldnt button his buttons. Resident 2 even commented on the bad cold I had because I was sniffing so badly. I was terrified getting him up from the toilet, but I needed to get him to his easy chair. We managed just fine. Resident 2 used his own strength to stand and to sit, both times. just as I got him situated Resident 1's personal alarm sounded and I ran to help him.

Some residents should not walk on their own but they do anyway so we fasten an alarm to let us know where help is needed FAST! I ran into his room and found him laying on the floor! He had gotten up on his own and fell. Again, I got him into a safe position on the floor and yelled for more help. I couldn't even talk when the nurse came in. You would have thought it was I who fell. Resident 1 was just fine. We are not even sure he fell to the floor, or was just crawling around looking for something. I checked my watch while I was waiting on the nurse. It was only 6:30. So, there were no falls when I was around all the time I have been at the nursing home, today 2 in 30 minutes! I checked on resident 2 a little later in the morning, the right side of his face had gone slack. The nurse checked him over again, and thought maybe he had a stroke. The doctor was going to check on him later. He hadn't been there by the time I left.

Uff-Da! Im glad to be home.

I'm not sure I'm cut out for this job.

I have tomarrow off, and I have high hopes for the day. Tylen James has a guest spending the night. Nothing can cheer you up like to highly imaginative 6 year old boys... We are gonna start off with an early morning nature walk. Then off to take Danikas drivers permit test... High hopes Baby...

Battle of the Bulge!!!

This morning I did my weigh in. It was a 2 week weigh in and I was hoping for another set of big numbers... My last two weeks was a 22 pound loss, I liked that. This one was only 5 pounds. But... Imagine my surprise when I (just for kicks...) tried on a pair of jeans that were 2 sizes smaller than my regular size, and they fit!!! I'm so thrilled! I recently started wearing a pedometer when I go to work. I was sure I was walking 10 miles a day at least, but, that was a slight exaggeration. I am averaging 7 miles a sift. Most of it at a brisk pace. So, I went from a job I basically stood in the same place and nibbled for 7 hours straight, to practically running 7 miles in an eight hour shift, with no time to stop to nibble. That's how I am losing this weight. I say keep it coming. But, It seems I need to add some toning exercises...my tummy is still bulging. Alot. But, I'm going to do it. I can see my collar bone again and I do have a small waist line... I am going to go all the way and hopefully win my battle with the bulge!

While I was growing up, I always dreamed of one day owning my own fabulous house.
It would have brand new carpet on the floor...not that shaggy crap. It would have shutters on the outside of the house, and it would have a very large kitchen. One where my 6 kids would help me bake cupcakes and cookies... family and friends would enter my home through the kitchen door and sit and have coffee at all hours of the day... A gathering place that doubled as a work space... The ideal kitchen for moms everywhere.


But, alas... I grew up and reality hit. Hopes and dreams never stay the same. My home has hardwood floors which I absolutely adore! I do have shutters on my house. And I begged my doctor for a tubal ligation during my second pregnancy. And just like the four children I did not have, I do not have a large kitchen.

This was my kitchen when we bought this house. While it is extremely unique, and I did love those upper cupboards... (The bottom ones were horrendous!) I have changed it all... well almost all of it. The wonderful vines and grapes made me feel as if I was being swallowed. I felt like I was always in a rush to get out of the kitchen, kinda claustrophobic. I thought I may be allergic, it made my skin itch.

I was looking for someone with a lot more talent than I to paint a winter mountain scene on the cabinets, but had no luck. So I had to come up with another plan.This process took me a really long time. The cupboards were painted red before this.

I hated the red. Marky poo got really mad at me when he realized I planned to paint the cupboards again... And he absolutely hated the brown on the walls! I told him to be a little more patient, he may like it.

I guess, I ll have to wait until he comes home to find out if he likes it... (He told me I couldn't do anymore redecorating...) LOL! theres at least 4 more rooms I plan to do. I'm just waiting til he goes out of town for work. (sneaky me)

I had to leave this corner cabinet alone because its so so cute... but, it doesn't match to well does it... oh well, I like it. What do you think?

Daisy

This morning, Tylen and I got the call. We could pick up our new pug. She is 5 years old, her name is Daisy. I have been waiting for 3 years to get a pug. Yeah! We went to town and bought 65$ worth of dog stuff. You know, things every girl should have, a bed, new dishes, gemstone studded color, treats... you name it we bought it. The guy calls back and says to meet him at the lake to pick her up. So we rush there all excited to get our new sister... And we waited. The guy called yet again and told us, he wouldnt be bringing her. He had given the dog to another guy, but the guy said he couldnt keep her anymore and to find a new home for her. When my guy went to pick her up, the other guy had changed his mind. Tylen and I are devastated.(and broke) So here is a photo of a pug, but shes not our pug.

Adoption Not looking good...

I dont think I will be adopting anything at this point. The guy was supposed to call me back on Friday and he didnt. So I am assuming I am not going to get her... bummer. Ill give it one more day. just in case... I will show you all a photo of what it is I had hoped to be bringing home tomarrow.
Tylen and I had to cut our date short due to some scary tornado weather. he wasnt having anyfun because he was worrying a tornado would come and take his sister away, so we rushed home with a new movie for him to watch. It was a little close, it touched down about 18 miles from home then wandered on its way away from us. So to make us for us missing out on all our fun, Marky poo is taking us out for chinese food tonight. Tylens favorite. Tylen and I will try again on monday.

No news yet...

On the adoption front that is. I called the guy, but he said hed call me back today. You all had some great guesses as to what I am trying to adopt, someone even came close. And you made me think that maybe we need to get an ostrich. or two. Or maybe a llama. For some reason ostrich and llama seem to go hand in hand in my mind.
On another front, I have a date today with my best guy ever! Hes been missing me while I have been away at night. Hes perfectly fine with me being gone in the morning, but at night its a whole different story. Hes like his daddy that way. I will be working mostly morning shifts now so we thought we should celebrate. We are going to have lunch in town, do a little shopping and maybe we will each buy a new toy. And if I can put him off long enough we may be able to pick up our new family member... heres a little hint:
ITS A GIRL!
Ta ta, have a great day all!

An Impending Adoption...

Im so thrilled by the news I recieved last night. I should have more details a little later, but the wheels have started turning on another adoption in our family! Yeah!! Im just waiting til a decent hour to make the call... what is a decent hour anyway?

Im finished...

Finally I have finished painting that kitchen. Again. I have just spent two of what seemed like the longest days ever painting my kitchen. I think Im going to like it. Danika says that I wont, but what does she know? I will post pictures soon. I have a couple finishing touches left that I plan to get done real soon.