Frost on the pumpkin...

I woke up to FROST this morning! Crap. No matter what I can do, I can not stop the winter surge that is upon us. I really love this kind of weather, but it brings hints of what is too come! My family is planning a big halloween party this year and all I can think about is Halloween 1991. Does anyone remember that year? We woke up to like 3 feet of snow that one day? Is this going to be a repeat year? Maybe I should keep all my decorations in the basement...Where the farmers almanac... I should check it out.
I can officially say goodbye to my tomatoes. Without even harvesting one ripe one. How sad. Next year I am going to skip the organic tomatoes...Miracle grow, here I come!

Politics...

Ok. I am not usually a politcs kinda gal, but I have been getting increasingly more interested in this campaign as it is going to be a history setting election, and I love being part of history and all. Recently I heard that Obama does not believe in the Pledge of Allegience. What exactly does this mean? I was told he would not cover his heart during the National Anthem. I was told he removed the American Flag from his private plane. Now, these things disturb me a bit. He is asking for my vote to make him our president, our leader. How can a man who does not honor Americas traditions be the answer for our country? Well, my awesome sister can dig up any information asked of her. This is what she found for me:

At first, I thought this photo was all I needed to make a point with a certain Obama girl, but like any uniformed citizen should do, I realized, this is a highly coveted position for both Obama and Mcain of course we are going to see stuff pitting one against the other. So I read a little further down this site. The above photo isnt the only one there. Sometimes I stand in the exact position he is in the photo instead of my hand over my heart. So go ahead, check out the site and tell me... Does he not believe in the Pledge of Allegience. And, should it even matter if he does or not?

Sorry honey...

Danibelle was invited to her best friends sweet sixteen party. The plan is to take 15 friends, go spend the night at a hotel, and watch scary movies all night long.
I told her she could only go if her father, stepfather and uncle Adam all agreed to let her. She thought I was being unfair. I once told Danibelle, that if she was going to do something she could not do in front of those people or myself (I am the most lenient of the bunch) she probably should not be doing it. She says I am being unfair. And I am the only mother of the 15 kids who has a problem with the idea of chosing a hotel 75 miles from home, and I am the only mother who has a problem with the idea of it being a boy/girl sleep over. So heres my letter of apology to Miss Danibelle...

Dearest Danibelle...

I am sorry you can not go to your best friends party. You are welcome to throw her a surprise sleepover party at our house. If it that important to you the boys can come here too, but they will leave at midnight. And you can stay up all night with the movies.

Reasons you can not go
1. Your giddiness over the whole idea makes me suspicious.
2. I may trust you, but I have not one little speck of trust for boys over the age of 10.
3. I dont understand why you have to travel all the way to Bemidji to watch scary videos.
4. I will never allow a sleepover with boys involved until you are 36. Scratch that... 46.
5. I am not old enough to become a grandmother.
and finally I can not let you go because, honey, your mother is "old fashioned and suspicious."
I am also a "nerd" a dweeb, a dork whatever you chose to call me... I am.And thats ok, because baby, Come monday after the party you will be one too. If I am the only mother that has a problem with this, the rest of your high school years are really going to suck. I cant imagine being the only kid in school who is not allowed to spend the night with boys... Maybe its time we talked a little about home schooling... huh?
Love always... Mommy Dearest

Not Me Monday!

I just love MckMamas blog, and I check in everyday to see how she and Stellan are doing. This week MckMama is hosting a Not Me Monday. Check it out, its the funniest thing Ive seen all week!

So now its my turn to share with all you lucky folks all the things I Did Not do ...

1. I DID NOT do a million things around the house this weekend just so I could avoid studying for my big anatomy test tomarrow. I love to learn and would never shirk responsibility like that.

2. I DID NOT shamelessly laugh when Markypoo called me on his cell phone to come out and rescue him when he got stranded on top of the new woodstove. I would never do such a thing as that. I also DID NOT bring my children to the window to laugh with me, that would be so wrong.

3. I DID NOT make macaroni and cheese for dinner just so I wouldnt have to listen to Tylen James whine. I never give in to whiners.

4. I DID NOT eat half of a German Apple cake all by myself just because it was there in the fridge tempting me. That would reverse all the weight Ive lost this week in one or two sittings. Shameful, Just shameful (for other people who did something like that."

and
5. I absolutely DID NOT lose my temper with Danibelle and her cell phone. I most certainly DID NOT calmly take it from her hands, and gently place it under the tire of my car, And I NO WAY, NO HOW, DID NOT put my car in reverse and drive over that cell phone. Thats just plain crazy. I would never do something like that... Not me!

Beautiful Day!!!

Today is absolutely georgeous! It is 65 degrees, the wind is blowing just a little... perfect for deer hunting... But, I will not dwell on what could have been...

I am the queen of procrastination. Instead of studying for my dreaded Anatomy test on Monday. ( A test that I do not even have the foggiest clue on) I kept busy. On Wed. My wonderful MIL invited me to go along and pick some apples. I brought home not 1 but 2 5 gallon pails full. So today, I was peeling, coring, chopping, and freezing them to be used later, because heaven knows I have way too much to do. I cant bake anything today! Gotta Study!!

Then, I had Danika help me unload the antique dresser Evie gave me last week... but the poor thing had been sitting in an abandoned house for nearly 20 years... It was filthy! So it needed to be cleaned right away. I had decided I would put it in my entry way, I thought that would be a great place to showcase its beautiful mirror. So, I drug out the old boot box bench seat thing that was in there, and realized when I painted that room... I didnt paint behind the box.So, I had the cleaned up dresser sitting in the yard where it could get rained on tonight, so I had to do the only logical thing. I painted the entry way. I didnt have any of the paint I had used on it last year, so I mixed a couple of colors of paint I had laying around here and redid the room. All the while thinking "I dont have time for this crap... Gotta study!"

But... when I hauled the old dresser in, and put the mirror back on it... I tried to dress it up a bit, but it needed more than what I have. So I ran down to the local craft shop and checked out what they had. And found a couple, few things to use. It sure looks nice now. I do need to refinish the thing, but I cant today. Gotta study!

Now, Marky poo and Danibelle wanna go hunting. Its grouse season and Danika so far is the big fat winner around here with one grouse. I cant let her show me up can I? but...

I gotta study!!!

Just a quick note...

Heres something really quick before I head out the door...

I did not ruin Tylen James' life. Whew... I was worried all day he would be super mad at me, for letting the bus driver see me waiting to see the kids off yesterday morning. But all was forgotten when I got home last night. Im sure it is because Tylen just loves me soo much... it has nothing to do with the 50 new Yugi O cards I was holding...Nope, nothing at all. Im fairly sure a mere bribe would never work with that big boy...

P.S. I just scored 100% on a math test!!! Me... Math... who knew!?!?

A Three pointer...

This week has been filled with bad news. One thing after another for us. But... this morning I went to check my grades for this last (not so good, in fact pretty horrible) essay that I wrote to be due this last tuesday. I learned that I am a whole week ahead!!! So... I may have time to change it!! Holy Hannah! I am so thrilled.

On other news, You all know I planned on going bow hunting this week. Well I was on my cell phone the other day saying how I sure hope to see a deer (I was talking about todays planned hunt.) and no sooner did that come out of my mouth a deer jumped into the road! Yes, I hit him. I didn's want to... I just did. I broke all of his legs. He didnt die. It was a 3 point buck(?) or a spike buck. I dont really know what it would be called. One spike had a good sized fork. Anyway, I was standing on the side of the road with my hazards flashing and I didnt know what to do... I didnt want to just leave it there suffering, and I dont carry anything in the car to kill a deer. (unless it is rifle season) Luckily for me... a state vehicle inspector stopped and called in the highway patrol. I didnt stay until he got there. But I am sure he took care of it.

He kind of looked like this deer, exept on his left side, the antler was just a spike. And yes, he was wearing velvet...

I dented up my hood, fender and cracked my headlight. The passenger side door would not open until we pulled out the dented fender. Thats the second deer I have hit in just a few months. So, what do you think? Have I seen all the deer I will this season, or is it a hint I will get my limit???

I can not go today, there is no one home to help me with the dirty work. So, I guess I will just have to study on my day off... bummer

Any Ideas? Anyone???

ok, this must be writers block. I have never run out of ideas before. never. Now I can not for the life of me come up with one. I need to write an illustrative essay of about 500 - 700 words. It should be something I feel strongly about. I need to make a point.
My problem is, I dont feel strongly about much anything. I can always be persuaded to change my mind on most any issue. I do however feel strongly about making sure you close any cupboard door that you may open! but I can not come up with enough words to satisfy.
I need Help! fast. I need to do this today.

Stuck in the past.

I have been hearing alot about the 80's lately. I wonder if that is because things were so simple in that era?
It was so easy to figure out other people. If your bangs reached for heaven you were definately a bodacious babe.

If not, you were a lame dweeb 0 rama.
Simple. You did not have to guess what the motives were of the guy next to you. He wore them right on his sleeve, most likey in one of the 200 zippered pockets in his jacket.

Am I wrong?
Your destiny was predestined for you, If your name was say, dudley... or dexter, you didnt have much hope. I think the name dudleys mom gave him, stopped his hair growth at an early age and he had no hope of ever becoming the totally bad to the bone dude all us gnarly chicks wanted to be seen with.

Instead he had to forge a future built on intelligence. So, unfortunately he was left with no time for partying or hanging at the mall. What a life! Gag me with a spoon, studying was totally grody and the rest of us were too busy having a wicked time playing with aresol cans.

So how ironic is it, that today, I am planning to make a new best friend with a math tutor named Dudley? I plan to go into his office with enthusiasm, and hopefully he wont remember the horrid time people like myself gave him throughout the 80's. I hope to make friends with him right off the bat, without any spazzing on my part.

Ahhh Time Off!

Shh... dont tell anyone... but I scored a few days off!!! I did a little fanagaling, trading and picking up extra shifts the last couple of weeks and whala... 3 days off in a row! I am so pumped! My old boss called and wants me to work a couple days for him, but I have things I need to do, so even though I felt bad, I told him I could not work today. I am still not sure if I can do it on Friday, but we will see... I dont want to. I had to work 10 of 11 days to manage this little break.

****Jettie... do not read any further.....Sorry :( ******

Archery Deer season opens on Saturday, I think I need a little more tweaking with my bow. Ok truthfully, the bow is fine. the bow is awesome! I need a little tweaking. I refuse to take it out with the assumption I will not get anything. (even though more likely, that is what will happen.) I have got to have a plan for when I do shoot something. I do not know how to track a deer, (although I feel confident this is something I can learn as I go) But I absolutely can not do the dirty work. So.. that means every time I go out hunting I have to know who I can call to come out and help me. Mark can not this year, for this season anyway, so I have to find back up before I hit the woods. I am going to get on that today. I have backup for the rifle season because in the general area where I hunt, there are a few hunters that will check in on me at the end of the day to see if I need help. Archery is a whole new ball game and I will be on my own most days... I want to make sure I am totally prepared to bring home the venison.

Also Saturday starts the opening of our grouse season. Mark and Danika are really looking forward to that. I could probably be ok without hunting birds ever. But those two really love it. Therefore, I should set aside some time during this mini vaca to clean out our freezers, get them ready to restock.

I will also be doing approximately 1.26754 ton of homework. Just so that I can spend a day in the woods next week. Its a huge week next week for me in school. Huge! But, getting my first deer with my new bow is going to have to take precidence.

Jettie...if you are still reading this, against my warning... I just wanted to point out I am hunting responsibly. If I cant get a kill on my first shot, I dont take it. I am not going to be shooting an animal I dont plan on eating. Also, managing the deer population in this area is an important tool in preventing alot of car/deer accidents. And, Its so much fun!!! Love ya!

Carpentry 101

Who ever said carpentry was tough? Yesterday Markypoo had a job to do. He needed to build a 8' x 3.5' x 40" box to lay in the freshly dug trench. The box is made from styrofoam insulation to help protect the hot water pipes coming from the outdoor woodstove into the house. He is unable to do that because he can not balance himself standing with his bum leg. So I mustered every bit of compassion I had and told him "I can do that"

So under his constant watchful eye, I set about learning the art of construction. I called upon my recipe reading skills... "This over hang is 4 to the 1 inches long". I thought Mark knew what he was doing... he didnt. So I had to explain what 4 to the 1 was... "Geez Mark, its common sense...its 4 inches plus the 1 underneath it." duh! Then I called upon my culinary skills... well slicing and dicing, and I cut the foam just the way it needed to be done. Then... I called up my cake decorating skills to place the glue in correct precise curly cues along the narrow edges... I was a building fool.

I kept my sense of humor through out the whole ordeal... singing as I worked "Mom the builder. Can I do it? Yes I can..." And to top it all off, I called upon my seamstress skills to transform my cute pajama pants into cute pajama shorts when I got caulking crap all over on leg. The result, was one perfectly built 40 foot long box! Made by me.

Im gonna go out there when mark is not looking and use my caligraphy skills to sign my work..

Update on Markypoo...

Well, the update isnt really an update as we are still not knowing what exactly is wrong. His leg is getting progressively worse. I think it is a safe bet to say that everyday I can see a change in how his leg is working. The change is not good.
He still has no feeling in his lower leg. That makes it difficult for him to walk, or even put on his slip on shoes. He has fallen a few times now. Once down the stairs. He will be traveling to Fargo by medical van next tuesday for more indepth testing. And his doctors are planning on somekind of back surgery for the next couple of weeks. They just dont know exactly what kind of surgery. Or even if it will correct his problem. Very frustrating!!!

He has been getting really antsy. The weather is perfect to be cutting firewood for his brandnew outdoor wood stove, but he can not even think about it. His Aunt and Uncle sent someone out to our place yesterday while we were both gone to dig the trench we need to hookup that stove. That was really kind of them. Thats one less thing Markypoo has to worry about. What a relief! But, we should have some answers next thursday. Thats what we are hoping anyway.

Go Ahead...Make my Day...

On Wed. I had to take Danibelle to the clinic after school. She wasnt feeling well. So I was being a thoughtful and considerate mother when I picked Tylen up from school as well. He worries alot when things dont go the way they are supposed to and I didnt want him to worry himself sick for the whole1.5 hours he would be on the bus without his sister. I ask him "How was your day?"
his response...

" Great until you showed up."
Stinkin rotten kid!

Back to School!!!

And they are off...

And let me tell you it was a rough night around here last night! First, Tylen was so excited he didnt think he would ever fall asleep. I think it is safe to say, he was more excited last night than he gets on Christmas eve. After he finally did go to sleep so did I. I was pooped! Marky poo woke me up to ask me if the tv was too loud for me... geesh... whoever it was that said there is no such thing as a dumb question should have been here to answer it for him. Then at 12:30 Danibelle was up rumaging through the fridge. She hadnt been to sleep yet. At 3:00 Am my cell phone battery died and it played a little jig to let me know. Since the cell phone is also my alarm clock, I had to get up and charge it, and reset another alarm. Just in case. But all that noise woke up Radar, and he couldnt get back to sleep so he whined and cried and barked until I let him out of his kennel. By that time it was 4 am and Tylen James was wide awake! For the day. I tried to tell him he should take a nap, but he informed me (very politely) that he is a morning boy and "technically it is morning." So we made blueberry muffins together. And now, they are on the bus. Going out into the wide wide world for the first time as a tenth grader and a first grader. Big kids... so big, Tylen James informed me that I was no longer needed to walk him to the bus stop. And that thought alone is what is keeping me from taking a nap... I am no longer needed to walk him to the bus stop.