Cold Pizza for Breakfast

Christmas Lists...

2011-11-15T17:41:00.000-08:00

This poor neglected blog. Anyway I thought it would be a good place to put Xmas lists for this year {click on copy not the images to go to sites}:

Me:
This clump of wool for needlefelting:

This needle felting tool from Amazon - Bri has a free shipping code for Amazon I think. Here's a text link if the image below doesn't show up: Clover Pen Style Needle Felting Tool

Lowe's Gift card.

1 or 2 thin-ish sterling silver toe ring size 4. Nothing to bulky, just like a thicker gauge wire - solid piece/soldered, not the kind that are open in the back or adjustable. I miss mine. :(
Something like THIS would work but I think Amazon has some too. Hammered or shiny - doesn't matter which. But must be sterling. :) {otherwise it turns my toe colors}

This set of felting needles:

Stitch markers for knitting:

Hello Kitty

Shroomies from overseas {2-4 weeks shipping time}:

Jer:
TShirts XL Plain colored or printed. No white. :)
Jeans - size to be determined... He usually gets them from Wmart {Faded Glory}
Socks - regular socks with a heel, not tube socks.
Ummm... Can't think of anything else right now besides a fully stocked shop. lol. I'll see if I can find something else to list too.

My store below for Mady

2010-12-27T17:58:00.000-08:00

*********************************************************************
Until I figure out how to edit the store below... the books that have been purchased for her are:
The Three Snow Bears
Corduroy
Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy
*********************************************************************
Okay, after trying to figure out how to post the proper links in a post... I've created a store of books that Madysen likes instead. It's in the post following this one. There is one book I can't recommend buying through Amazon and it's Children of the Forest. If you click on the title you can see what I wrote about it {then click the back button to go back to viewing them all}. It's just that it's a mini version of the book. The link will take you to another site that sells the full size version of the book. But if you don't want to go to the trouble then just don't worry about that one and choose from the others. :)
These are already linked to my acct.
Just click on one of the links under the image, and it will take you to a place you can put it into your cart - not unlike Amazon itself. Then you can use the back button on your browser to get back to the full list of books {my "store"}. Then you are done... say you want 1 book. After you click to put it in your cart you can proceed to check out. If you want 2 books just add the first book to your cart, hit your back button {or if there is a "continue shopping" button you can use that} to return to the full list, find another and add to your cart then proceed to check out.
Same as Amazon. For this Amazon is just being hosted on my site. :)
Hope this helps!

Books Mady likes

2010-12-27T15:15:00.000-08:00

2010-09-29T16:29:00.000-07:00

Donating through a Chip-In

2010-05-18T16:21:00.000-07:00

Before you donate to a chip in be sure the thing is legit.

Click the ChipIn button and a new page should open.
This page is a paypal page.

1st on the left you need to put in how much you wish to donate and then hit update. Don't forget to hit the update link.

If you have a PayPal Acct. then just log into it, through the Log Into My PayPal Acct. button and follow the steps, but if you don't have an acct...

Fill in the info that it asks for & click Agree & Creat Acct. at the bottom.

I can't go further b/c I have a paypal acct. and don't wish to create another one. If you have any probs email me.

We had visitors!

2010-05-07T14:28:00.000-07:00

It was so nice to see Hallie again and meet her beautiful family! Our history goes back about 20 years when Hallie & her parents {Kathy & Stephen} lived across the street from us in Cali. My girls were 4 & 5 years old, or thereabouts, when we moved there - Hallie is a few years older than the girls and was a much loved friend & playmate who later babysat my girls a bit.
Kathy & Stephen tearfully left Cali around 1993 for Missouri - and we surprisingly followed in '94, choosing a town about an hour from where they lived unfortunately. We didn't see them as often as we'd have liked but we stayed in touch. Then in 2001 they moved to... Alaska - where Hallie started a family of her own, while Kathy & Stephen migrated to Germany and then back to their home state of PA over the next several years. Meanwhile Hallie, Jason & their 2 girls, & furkids, left their beloved Alaska for Texas. Now they will be moving to Washington state but took a road trip to visit friends and relatives before the transition that precedes their big move to the west coast... and that's how we received the pleasure of their company for about a day and a half after 9 years. :)

Jer took J & R for a walk on the damn and over our small creek, we fed the fishies of course, and I showed the girls where Mady's fairy friends come to leave her gifts {and she leaves them flowers}. We visited until late hours and got caught up. We talked of knitting and unschooling. Gosh it was good to have them here. lol
J and R are adorable, Karma is beautiful, and Jason is a sweetheart. And, of course, we love Hallie like she were one of our own.
And they came with gifts! lol. They brought the cutest little knit cupcakes for Mady's kitchen, a parachute guy that Mady will love, and the cutest little crayon roll {I'm printing off some color pages for her now}. Needless to say Mady LOVED the girls! and it was so neat to see them playing together as Hal and my girls so often did.
Thankfully Bri and Kayleigh were able to come out after work for several hours as well, to visit. They just grow up too darn fast.
It was such a joy to have them here and only wish the time we had was longer. Hopefully it won't be 9 years until we see them again!
{Photo credits to Hallie: The girls - Bri's kid Otto was out running amuck w/ the boys so missed the photo. And feeding the fishies.}
Safe travels kids!

Tutorial :. Facebook 101.:

2010-04-06T13:10:00.000-07:00

Today I'm going to show you some of the features of Facebook. It really is a great way to keep connected with people you know, & even meet some people you don't - altho' I don't have to tell you to be careful with the later!
I'll go through some of the privacy settings later - it really is as secure as anything on the web but as with anything online: if you'd hate to have someone read what you write someday; don't write it. Nothing online is 100% full-proof secure.
And on with the tutorial! Click photos to make them larger & readable - they will open in a new window. :)

After signing up and all that, the page above should be what you see only with your info, of course. The 1st thing you can do: fill out your info {pick & choose what you want to fill in} & add friends. {See G below}
A - The NEWS FEED section is where you end up after logging in. This may or may not be where you want to be. I rarely stay on this part of the page. It annoys me b/c it shows you EVERYTHING your FBFriends do. When they join another page or friend a person it tells you & I usually don't care what they do. Now, on occasion, I'll see that someone has become a fan of the "Be Nice to People" fan page {more on fan pages later}, or something that I might want to also be a fan of so it's not all bad but I usually don't stay here.
B - But since we are here there are 2 options in which to view this section: Top News or Most Recent. Top News will show you "news" {news = status updates that your friends have sent out.} that is from your FBFriends Facebook thinks you'd be most interested in seeing based on comments you've made. If you commented on a lot of posts made by JimmyWhoVille then his posts will surely show up in Top News. While 'Most Recent' shows you posts in chronological order which is usually what I would rather see.
C - Home / Profile / Account = The home page is my screen shot above. Shows you what all your friends are doing. It's your Facebook HomeBase. Profile is your page - your info/personality/stuff. If a FBFriend were to click on your name {ie: from a post you made} this is what they would see. If a stranger searched for you they would only see what you allowed them to see based on your privacy settings {more on that later}. So what you see while logged in is in all likelyhood NOT what a stranger would see. So don't panic. Account has more options under the word {click or hoover over it} for seeing your settings and logging out etc.
D - Another link to get to your Profile page.
E - Friends is another way to view what your FBFriends are doing. More on that further down.
F - Requests being made of you. You can see who may want to be your friend as well as Fan Pages that have been suggested {that you may or may not like} by your FBFriends. This section will also contain things that your FBFriends may send you; gifts, tokens, parts used to play games. You can ignore, block, or say no to any of these things easily. Just open the requests section {'View All' to the right of the word REQUESTS} and deal with them at your leisure.
G - You can use the search at the top to find people that you know. Facebook will also take the info that you entered {where you work, school etc. if you entered it} & suggest friends for you b/c they are helpful like that. You don't have to friend anyone that they suggest and if you get tired of seeing the same faces staring at you just click the X to the right of the faces/info and a new face will appear if there is one in the system that they think you might like. Or just ignore that section all together, which is what I usually do.
WRITE WHATEVER HERE - where you can put in whatever you wish... How much you love your coffee/dog/significant other/the weather, or something important that you are doing. Want to aim your words at a specific person? Write this in that space: @Person's Name then write your message. {that will alert that person that he/she has been mentioned in a post} AND if you want it to go to ONLY that person, just below where you just wrote is a lock - click on the triangle next to it and you'll have choices about who will be able to see that particular post. Choose 'customize' &, in the case of who can view it, choose 'specific person' & write in the person you wish only to see it {it will show you choices based on your input - you can type in more than one person}, or choose people you don't wish to be able to view it. Then click 'save', and then 'share' when you done writing.
H - This, of course, is all your FBFriends & what they are doing that is so important that they just must let all their FBFriends know. lol. It goes without saying {unless you perhaps have a tight knit group and no strangers in your FBFriends list} never say when you will be out of town & the like.

Okay, the FRIENDS screen. Click on the Friends link mentioned in E in the section above & this is what you will see. Of course if you've not yet added friends it will be kinda blank but... once you add friends this is what you should have. It will also show you if you have any friend requests & you can choose to add them or not {I don't have any right now so it's not showing them}. You can send anyone requesting your friendship a message saying "do I know you?" if you aren't sure. This center section is just showing what has changed for your FBFriends lately. If they changed their avatar/profile photo for instance, or contact/relationship info. Which I usually don't care about so... moving on...
a - Message link is on all the screens and tells you if someone has sent you a PM {private message}. Just click on it and it will show you something that sorta looks like email and you can reply to them. This is what many are using instead of email. Of course no one can PM you unless they are your FBFriend. If someone has sent out a message and copied it to several people, in your reply make sure it's not going to everyone that it was originally copied to, unless that's okay with you. It's pretty apparent when this happens. People generally don't send forwards/spam & the like on Facebook so you are pretty safe from that.
b - Status Updates - another way to view what your FBFriends have posted. The great thing about this link is that it doesn't include info about who your FBFriends have joined/friended with. The bad thing is it doesn't include any photos that they may have attached to their posts. However, you can go to see photos that your FBFriends have posted by clicking the PHOTOS link above the Status Update link.
c - Friends & Family - when you add someone as a friend you can put them in a category like well, Friends & Family, Co-workers, People from School, etc. You can see here I have a "group" called Raw under F&Fam & if I were to click 'more' there would be more "groups" that I have created. When I click a category then only posts from my FBFriends in the specifically named groups show up for me. Since I have eleventy-million FBFriends this is a handy way for me to see posts from people I actually know. :) If you don't have a ton of FBFriends then it's not so much an issue to categorize people.
d - To see photos that people have posted as mentioned above.
e - Chat. By default this is set to be ON. It will let you know when your FBFriends are online & if you want to chat w/ them you can do that. Or click it and turn it off & they won't know when you are online & you won't know when they are.
Note: This view is read-only & you can't post your own status update from here. You'll have to go up to Status Updates & click on 'Update Status' or go back to the Home page/Profile page to do that.
And my last screen shot for now {whew!}
Welcome to ~~your~~ my Profile! I hardly come here b/c really everything ~~you~~ I need is on the HOME page. But, if you do go to your Profile here are a few tips.
z - You can post a status here - and it will go out to your FBFriends same as if you'd posted it from the Home page. The same options for customizing {the lock pic} are here as are on your Home page.
y - Use these options for attaching things to your post/status update. These are also on your Home page.
x - Click on these options & it will show you posts that your FBFriends have posted directly to your Wall {which is what the page you are looking at is called}. These also show up on your Home page. I clicked on 'Just Friends' & saw a post from someone that I'd not seen before... but I have a lot of 'friends' & it's impossible for me to read everything that is posted - you probably won't miss such posts if you don't have as many FBFriends.
v - Every post, whether it's on your Profile or Home page, has these options under it. If someone posts a photo/video/link there will usually be an additional link SHARE that you can click on to add whatever was posted to your own status stream & share with your FBFriends/readers.
HEART - to make a heart just do shift+, and a 3 {shift+comma which makes the 'less than' character, and 3 smooshed together} - when it posts these characters will be replaced w/ the cute heart right side up. :)

That's it for now. Whew that was long! :)
PAX,

We're gonna have to have a house warming!

2010-03-21T17:57:00.000-07:00

Congrats on your new home dad & mom!
Yes, my dad & mom are moving to MO! lol. I remember how they used to call it "misery" - but I think that was because we were so far away more than a description of the state. While it's far from perfect here, it isn't miserable... South Dakota was miserable! :)
And now dad & mom will be joining us here... sometime. lol. They visited in Feb. & purchased a house! Jer & I had been looking at homes for a month or so when we came across this home on 5 acres - plenty of room for the motorhome. It's a lovely home, as you can see in the pics, and only about 15 min. from us & 10 min. from Kayleigh, Rob, & Mady. It's still 45 min. from Bri but... she comes into town frequently.
They don't plan to move into it until summer 2011 but mom said she packed a box today - yay! lol. and they've been going through their accumulation of stuff bit by bit. The plan is to move a truck load this summer/fall, and then move the rest in phase II.
I know moving here will be difficult; they will be gaining us, and the great grandbaby but will loose their frequent visits with their grandsons Evan & Ethan... a plus is that the boys are older now and can travel out here to see us, & when they get a little older they can fly out by themselves if they need to - and they can stay connected over the internet. Everything is a trade-off & we will be very happy to have them here! Yay!
{Rest of the pics are on flickr}

Costa Rica Baby!

2010-03-21T15:47:00.000-07:00

Ah Costa Rica...

The only Latin American country we have to compare it with is Belize. And in many ways CR is quite different... Traffic for one. lol. This trip Jer was a bit stressed because of all the driving & the chaotic way everyone drives. It was a lot different than the golf cart crowd that we'd found on Ambergris Caye! Driving is a new sport to Ticos & while it seems quite crazy & dangerous at first you soon learn there is a method to the madness, that everyone really is paying attention, & you calm down a bit. The first evening, when we arrived at Sally & Hal's, all Jer wanted was a beer! {we also got yummy before dinner cookies thanks to Sally & Hal's son Ryan!} After that initial immersion things were better. It was still a lot of driving tho' over mountains & in small lanes on curvy roads, & one-way bridges with trucks & buses.
We very rarely found ourselves going over 80kph/50mph tho' & that helped. There was also zero roadkill on the roads which was very nice - I'm guessing because of the slower speeds & respect for the wildlife that resides there.

I'd met Sally online somehow about a year or more ago, I don't even remember how I came across her blog, but I'm glad I did. Former Key West residents they now reside in CR with their 2 sons Ryan & Mo, & Winston their dog, in a large house on a hill in Escazu just outside of San Jose. Lovely lovely people who are a joy to be around. And boy can Hal cook! We stayed with them 3 nights and every night was a pleasure.

Our itinerary included one night at the base of Volcan Arenal, the most active volcano around, as well as Manuel Antonio.

We started at Arenal - up the curvy mountain roads & through several small towns finally brought us to the coolest mountain we'd ever seen. On the side we came in on it was all green & alive, but eventually we were brought around to the "active side" which is all grey with ash. The Volcano Gods must have liked us because the day of our arrival was clear & we could see the top of the volcano easily - even seeing it spitting out smoke which led to the realization that all the clouds that we had seen earlier around it's peak weren't entirely clouds at all. While waiting for check-in time we strolled the grounds & gardens, which are lovely with flowers & plants... and a waterfall! It was a wonderful easy walk until... the stairs down to the falls. Evil stairs. Oh going down was easy - coming back up kicked my butt tho'. lol. The waterfall was beautiful & worth the exertion... but the coke afterwards was the best Coke. ever. :)
We spent the next hour or so watching the mountain belch out rocks & make thunderous sounds. We would later learn that the rocks hurling down the mountain were about the size of a car on average. No wonder they made so much noise! In a video on my Flickr account you can see them coming down the volcano making "footprints" in the ash. Really something to see! We also had our first close encounter with a few Coatimundi! Such cute critters, they are compared with our raccoon.

The next day was rainy & the clouds were very low... so low that the volcano disappeared entirely for the day. We later found out that that is common & we were lucky to see it on our first day. Arenal has a guided walk every morning at 8.30 that is very informative about the area {which used to be a cattle ranch until the volcano started acting up & scientists started hanging out in the vicinity} & the volcano which had it's last large eruption in 1964.

Day 3 in CR saw us heading down the mountain back to our Home Base at Sally & Hal's, first stopping to do a little souvenir shopping in La Fortuna. That night we were treated to a wonderful dinner of home made pizza & other goodness, a good night's sleep, a wonderful breakfast & we were soon setting our GPS for the coast. Back into the mountains {CR is basically all mountains so to get anywhere you must go through them} we went until we finally saw the beautiful ocean. Just above the town of Quepos tucked in the mountains are lots of little places to stay & eat... we stayed at the Mono Azul Hotel {the Blue Monkey} & had a very nice time there. Now several people had warned me that tourists don't come to CR for the food. We, however, found the food to be fabulous! And at Mono Azul that held true... great pizza, as well as the typical fare of pinto gallo {rice & beans}. It's very easy to be a vegetarian/pescetarian in CR.

Day 4 we headed out to the beach & Manuel Antonio Park & scored a great guide, Miguel*. If we hadn't had him with us we would have not seen as many critters as we did - there was also a family of 3 from Kansas City of all places in our little group as well as a couple from Germany. He pointed out most of the animals that are in my flickr album & we were able to snap photos through his scope; the falcon with the deadly coral snake, a rainbow grasshopper, flowers that eat insects, strange & unusual insects, the sloths, & the mischievous monkeys... The beach here is beautiful & uncrowded. The weather is HOT & humid being as close to the equator as it is. If you are contemplating a trip to CR prepare for this - it's not the beach weather I was used to experiencing on the Cali coast. We stayed 2 lovely nights in the Manuel Antonio area & then were off to head to Jaco - a surf town where we had fish tacos at the Taco Bar & shopped. Cute eclectic town & if not for the weather I wouldn't have minded hanging out there longer.

Much too soon our time in CR was just about up & we meandered back down the hill back to Sally & Hal's... & prepared to catch the plane back to the US the next morning.

Hal cooked up some wild salmon burgers, snap pea salad with strawberries & sprouted lentils, guacamole, and a wonderful crusty bread. We never went to bed hungry there! Each morning we spent with them we were awoken by the sounds of Hal in the kitchen working his magic. We threatened to bring him home with us.

The plane ride back was uneventful except for missing our connection in Houston - but that wasn't a huge deal... and meant we didn't have to run through the airport as we had had to do to make our connection to CR.
And then, all too soon, it was over & we were back in a world of swirling snow & below freezing temps. Pretty in it's own way but a far cry from the tropical paradise we'd just left behind... where 70* found people {cough:Sally:cough lol} in sweatshirts because they were freezing! lol.

For the rest of the photos please head over to my flikr acct. If you don't have permission to view or can't log in email me & I'll send you a link.

While reading the web...

2010-03-19T11:38:00.000-07:00

I thought this was so funny! I have been reading the adventures of a large family as they travel parts of the US in a Travel Trailer - they are from Montana & really had never been to the Ocean so this isn't surprising that they didn't know what these were either but {This was taken in NV}... I thought it funny.
{I hope they never see this post & think I'm making fun of them; I'm not. I'm enjoying their blog. lol}
We had to pull of to check out these strange trees! We still haven't looked up what kind they are, but they were really neat. No worries on anything eating them into extinction - they were hard, sharp, and pokey - but really cool looking!

I also just realized that my Costa Rica post, that I put here a month or more ago, never actually posted here {along with a few other posts... hmmmm}... I'll have to figure that out and repost them soon!

Happy Birthday to a wonderful Dad+G'pa!

2009-08-02T11:46:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday dad! I wish I could be there - maybe one of these days. Hope you have a wonderful day :: We'll be thinking of you! ::
Love you!!

Today I am...

2009-08-02T11:36:00.000-07:00

... reading blogs. I need some book recommendations...

... watching Weeds on my laptop. Season1. Can you say way behind. lol. {I think they are currently on S05 or 06}

... drinking water. Trying to drink more of it.

... making progress on the laundry. again.

... waiting for Bri to return from Ohio.

... wondering how the heck it got to be August already.

... wanting to be there for dad's birthday tomorrow but can't.

... needing to sew Madysen's curtains.

Happy Birthday to me! :)

2009-07-26T01:33:00.000-07:00

Another year has gone by and many will ask 'what did you do?' + 'what did everyone get you?' lol. And I might say 'nothing' + 'a few things' which won't be completely true really. I've received tangible things that mean a lot to me; mom + dad sent me a lovely card + CD that made me cry + I got several nice tops from them when they were here {she knows I don't buy things for myself like that. lol}, Rhonda + fam sent me a card - Bri is getting veggie rolls from the most $$ restaurant in town on Monday (she has a coupon of course!). lol. They really are yummy. Bri + Jer got me a Shark Hand Vac thing which is great! {no, seriously - I underestimated how much Haku hair would be all over everything when I decided to let him be inside much of the time. Imagine that. lol.} + I'll get to see Kayleigh, Mady, + Rob on Thursday. All are appreciated and loved.
But the most treasured gifts are the gifts I receive every day I am allowed to wake up in the morning. {okay, afternoon!} The blessings of family. My mom calls frequently, Kayleigh calls me on some of her breaks at work + on her way home from work (+ we text often) and I love that! Bri is here of course + does things that I greatly appreciate, like stopping by to pick up things here and there on her way home from work for example, + helping me focus on getting this straightened up around here. Not to mention the countless hours she spends finding deals + coupons for us, her, + Kayleigh. Sometimes I talk at Mady on the phone. :) She's such a joy, I can't even tell you! And knowing that I can drive 30 min. and see her is priceless! Jer... puts up with me. lol. I'm not *that* difficult but I have my moments. :) No matter what he's here offering support and love - all these years.
Some people may be far away geographically, but I'm surrounded by love all the time just the same. Every day. And that's the most blessed and treasured gift I could ever ask for.
I love you all tremendously!

Mady's first piggie tails!

2009-07-09T11:07:00.001-07:00

I've been waiting forever to be able to put pig-tails in Madysen's hair and on the 4th of July someone finally did! Yay! lol. We weren't able to attend the annual 4th of July shin-dig over at Rob & Kayleigh's b/c of Bri's surgery recovery, but Kayleigh sent me these pictures. Rob's sister, Ryan, put these cute little piggy tails in Mady's hair for her. :) Also, last year Madysen fell asleep before the fireworks (she was only 6 months old) but this year Kayleigh says she loved them! This could be good or bad depending since I don't think that girl fears anything. lol.

RIP Elroy

2009-07-09T09:13:00.000-07:00

Sadly, Kayleigh, Rob & Madysen lost their dog Elroy the other day. Elroy was a Red Tick Hound that they'd rescued from the pound several months ago... the day before he was to be put down by the pound actually. Over the 4th of July weekend Elroy became lethargic and wasn't eating. At the vet the prognosis wasn't good: he had a twisted intestine/stomach and massive infection. They could have operated but these things tend to reoccur. So, the hard decision was made to let him go. To be in peace.
Kayleigh & Rob gave him a wonderful several months that he wouldn't have otherwise had. :)
Elroy was laid to rest on Rob's dad's property with other critters that went before him.
I'm not going to copy the Rainbow Bridge poem here because it always makes me cry (you've been warned.) but click on the link to go there if you wish.

A win and an update

2009-07-02T20:02:00.000-07:00

The above goodie... I won one! When Rhonda was here she was asking me a bit about giveaways and she was saying that it seems that I win a lot of things... but in relation to the amount of giveaways that I enter (and the time it takes) I don't win that many of them. Just every now and then. This little goodie is a photo back up USB device. I believe I just plug it in and it will locate all the photos on my hard drive and copy them to the USB back up automatically. No fussing. Very cool & this will be perfect for me to keep all those photos of Madysen backed up and safe! Thanks to Dee over at Two of a Kind Working on a Full House!

Many of you I'm in touch with over email or Facebook... but I think there are a few of you who are just readers of this blog. Brianna had a few sinus procedures + her tonsils removed a few days ago. She's doing as well as can be expected for such painful procedures. We are 3 days post-op and are hoping for more dramatic improvement in the days ahead. She's still in a lot of pain and taking pain meds every 4 hours. It's very difficult for her to eat, as you might imagine, & I think this impacts her recovery too. Hopefully soon she'll be able to eat more easily.

Everyone else is doing well. Kayleigh has been doing a fab job in her new job and her boss is giving her some new responsibilities soon - that will shake things up a bit and keep her from getting too bored. lol. We are quite proud of her! Going to school, keeping up with Madysen, and holding down a job. Rob is great with watching Madysen while Kayleigh is at work.

Jerry is looking into taking a Welding program at our Community College. He needs to go in and see which classes are available but he'll either start in late Aug. or (more likely) in January 2010. He's always wanted to weld so this will be good for him... I'm excited that he will finally be doing something for him after all these years.

I think that's all for now. :)
Happy + safe 4th of July everyone!

Welcome Goldie!

2009-06-21T16:03:00.000-07:00

Mom has been wanting to rescue a small doggie for awhile now - Just waiting for the right fur-kid, and today Goldie was welcomed to the family by mom, dad, and Chris & Gypsy (Rhonda's 2 fur-kids mom & dad are babysitting)! 2-year old Goldie is a Chihuahua mix who was found roaming the streets. Mom says she's holding her own with Rhonda's much larger doggies and likes to cuddle. Perfect. :)

What a nice weekend!

2009-06-15T22:51:00.000-07:00

An eventful weekend for us anyway. More so than usual. Jer's birfday is today (Happy Birthday hon!! Love you!) but we celebrated Sunday by gathering the masses and heading over to Colton's Steakhouse for some grub. Good food and company. We were going to BBQ but it was supposed to rain so we changed our minds; of course it didn't rain all day. That's okay tho'.
Saturday Kayleigh brought Miss M to us for the weekend. Rob has been doing some septic work at the house and she had to go to work so... yay! :) She's so much fun. We gave her back to them on Sunday at lunch. I'll try and post some new pics/video on flickr soon. The little Princess has her Children's Mercy Dr. appt. this thursday to see if she's a candidate for tubes... so keep that in prayers and happy thoughts that the docs will decide on the right course of action for her. She's had several ear infections as did Kayleigh when she was a baby; we don't want Madysen to go through the troubles that Kayleigh did because of not being able to hear well in those early years.
Speaking of rain... we've been getting storms almost daily (much to Haku's horror!) or nightly as the case is usually... hard to sleep with a fairly good size dog hyperventilating over your head. But we love a good storm even if he doesn't.
Lets see... my garden is coming along. I'll have to get some pics... I have 2 tomato plants I'm not sure will make it but have 4 others that are doing fine, along with zucchini, and green peppers and my cilantro is trying to make a comeback from last year. If this year goes well next year I'll have a lot more! It's a gradual thing.

Bri went to the ENT today and her Rooto-Rooter face surgery is on the 30th of June! Pretty fast and she's pretty nervous, as is expected... but they will open up her sinus' a bit, remove scar tissue (chronic sinus infections), reduce terbinites, straighten her slightly deviated septum, AND remove her beat up tonsils. It's that last one that will be troublesome after the fact... but she'll get lots of ice cream and we'll keep her in slushies. Should be fine and hopefully this will make years of being ill a distant memory. She is also going to get allergy drops (like shots only not) and that will hopefully get her asthma managed. Yay! The doc is a different doc that fixed Kayleigh's deviated septum about 3 years ago, but he's in the same practice and really a nice guy far as we can tell lol. (Kayleigh's doc moved from the area)
I think that about updates you on the randomness around here. And it's late and I need to get to bed so... take care everyone and 'night!

Time flies too fast...

2009-05-19T21:19:00.001-07:00

Dad & Mom came for their second vacation here at the homestead in the woods... Brought here by their new HUGE motorhome. lol. It was quite the sight getting it onto the motorhome pad in the dark. Madysen was here with me watching it with big eyes; I think she thought the mothership had landed. Kayleigh and Rob were sweet to let Madysen stay with us the first several days (and the last several) that dad & mom were here. That time with her I know was extra precious to them. She loved being in the motorhome climbing around and playing with the huge froggie that lives on the dash - she has a similar one of her own. She had a lot of fun with them making lots of wonderful memories.
We all had a wonderful time being together, even tho' Sedalia isn't exactly a jumping place. We managed to go into town for lunch/dinner a few times, and spent a really nice day over at Rob & Kayleigh's and visited with Jo & Jerry too.
I told them they just needed to park the motorhome up there and stay put instead of going back home... but dad is still working, and mom has her things to do back home, and Rhonda, Dean, & the boys are there... So we have to share. It was such a nice visit tho' and, as always, hard to say goodbye.
Now they are hanging out at mom's cousin's for a day or two, in TX, before heading home. I plan on going back to Cali sometime very soon to visit, and flying back home more often than I've been doing. I look forward to that.
Things have resumed here, as they will for mom & dad when they finally arrive back home... but I miss you.
Love you both bunches! Thanks for coming out. :)

Brianna gets to keep her pretty little head! :)

2009-05-19T20:16:00.000-07:00

A report after the ENT appointment today...

Back story: Bri went to another ENT about a year ago and he told her her nose was fine, and that she had Vocal Cord Dysfunction and that's why her meds for her asthma weren't working. She was never happy with that or him. But didn't know what to do... everyplace she went just gave her a drug or something and sent her away. She was very extremely frustrated.
She always feels sick, her allergies aren't managed. She keeps getting sinus infections. Her throat is always swollen. Her Lymph Nodes are always swollen and working to fight something; I just could never figure out what.

So... we go today. It's not Kayleigh's doc, Dr. Mc, the guy that undeviated her septum. It's his partner, Dr. H, which is fine, he's nice.

He looks in her nose (mildly deviated septum, prob from the bike accident in '06)... Looks in her throat. Wow. Says her tonsils are toast. They are chronically swollen, a bumpy mess. (They will come out at some point). Now we have the missing piece of that puzzle; why her Lymph Nodes are working overtime... real or imaginary, they are trying to fix the tonsils.
Looked at her allergy report from a year or so ago that she brought... most all grasses and trees are +. Lots of allergies. He's going to redo the tests and go from there. He's getting her a CAT scan of her sinus' to see exactly what they are looking like and if her deviated septum is a problem, if there is scar tissue or weirdness in her sinus'.
He gives a rolls-his-eyes look when I mention the Vocal Cord Dysfunction the dumb ass ENT Dx-ed her with previously. Apparently Dr. H hears that a lot and it's usually wrong. Very wrong.
He listens to her.

He tells her that there are a lot of problems here, but that she's not alone... it won't be fixed overnight. He can't give her a med, send her on her way and everything will be okay. It will take time and some procedures. But they will get there and get her managed b/c right now she's out of control. She said she just about cried when he said these things. She is so happy that someone finally found the problems. Someone is willing to be proactive and get things moving to get her better - she isn't just going crazy. That there is hope. Yay!

So... she has the CAT near the beginning of June. Then we go back and get her allergy tests done, then that day he'll read the allergy tests and the CAT and we will make a plan. A plan to get her well. :) All in all, a very good day.
So... stay tuned.

PS on the title. I told her if the Docs in this practice couldn't help her then all was lost and we'd just have to loose the head. :) I'm glad Dr. H came through. lol.
Oh, and we aren't sure how much her insurance-that-sucks will pay for all this so there is a paypal donation button at the bottom... just kidding. sorta. :)

A Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T08:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day!
Well... I have some pics but need to get them off the camera & upload them.
Needless to say we had a lovely time with my parents here. I can't remember the last Mother's Day we were together so this one was special. Of course we also got to be with Kayleigh and with Brianna (she has a fur-son Otto and other kid-critters). It was funny that before they arrived mom mentioned she wanted me to help with an apron she was making me... she didn't know that I'd planned on sewing her one for Xmas but had never gotten around to figuring out how I wanted to make it exactly. So we commenced the apron making. :) She did one for me, and I did one for her with the pattern/fabric that she'd brought, and then her pattern helped me transform old curtains into the apron that I'd wanted her to have - one that had hummingbirds on it (our family bird). :) I don't remember ever really sewing with my mom so that was fun!
We also went out to lunch on Saturday to a Mexican place with Kayleigh, Rob, Madysen, Bri, & Jer.
So basically Mother's Day rocked. :) Love you mom!! (dad too of course!)

A Very Mary Tote

2009-04-10T11:26:00.000-07:00

Many of you know that I enter contests all over the blogverse... and every great once in a while I even win. :) One very kind lady named MaryAnn has a lovely site which hosts a contest every friday - so if you are so inclined to throw your hat in for the lovely things she gives away please join me! - just wait until NEXT friday; the current gift tags she's giving away are mine. ;)
Anyway... the wonderful tote bag you see above was the Friday Giveaway a few weeks (okay a month or so ago) and I won it! It's crafted from vintage pillow cases and I loves it. (Bri loves it too)
I will probably use it as a library tote - it will come as no surprise to those of you that know me - that when I venture forth into town and hit the library, and even tho' that library lacks many titles that I would like, that there is much checking out of books.
Of course, right now I'm banned from said library because a certain semi-large white doggie decided to try and consume the most recent Stephanie Plum novel... so need to get over there and pay for the replacement... but we won't dwell on that.
Thank you Very Mary for being so kind & generous with your stash of fabulous things. And if you, readers, happen not to win... Very Mary has an Etsy site with more very lovely things.

::image is property of VeryMary b/c my camera is in Vegas with my people::

Co-Sleeping or why we needed a larger bed ...

2009-04-05T12:45:00.000-07:00

(I sleep on the flower pillow to the left of Haku) - Now there is plenty of room for everyone! :)
::click for larger pic::

yay!!!

2009-03-18T18:40:00.001-07:00

I just won 100 swagbucks! Soooo cool. :) That's redeemable for a tad over $10. in Amazon cards. Yay! (once again, I'm easily amused)... What's swagbucks? It's a search engine that randomly pays you "swagbucks" to search - something we all do anyway. Usually I get like a swagbuck a day, and I was just complaining and boom! I get 100. Anyway, you can trade in your swagbucks for gift cards or stuff. The most economical thing to do is get Amazon gift certificates with them (45 swagbucks gets you $5. - but it doesn't take that long to get 45 swagbucks).

So... if you'd like to sign up - here's a link: LINK - just click (right click & choose "open in another window/tab", sign up, then when you search log into your swagbucks site and search away!
(disclaimer: If you sign up w/ my link I get points when you get points.)

Happy searching! :)

The tri-annual recap...

2009-03-11T22:07:00.000-07:00

It appears that I've been neglecting you all. again. Shocking I know. :)
Well... we are boring people whatcanIsay? Lets see if I can dredge something up for your amusement... you *are* easily amused right? Because if you aren't then there is really nothing for you to see here and you should probably just move along to the next blog on your list. :)

(there are new pics on the flickr site - be sure to log in to see them or you'll only see ratties and dogs. lol. I've got some Mady video to upload too when our ISP will allow it.)

So...
Kayleigh has been working at the Hab Center in Marshall on saturdays and sundays. It's a bit of a drive but she goes past our house and that means we get to watch Madysen and Kayleigh even sleeps over on saturday night so... it's all good! She wasn't sure what to think of it at first but it's growing on her (as is the paycheck) so it's working for now. She'll be finishing up this semester of school in May and will start summer's semester the first of June (telling you that in case I don't get back here between now and then. lol.) I think that will almost finish up her school except for a few specialized things. We are very proud of her for all her hard work and for being such a good mommy!

Madysen is growing by leaps and bounds. She's nearly running, into everything, and has a mouthful of teeth. Eats most things given to her, loves pizza, likes Diego, Dora, and the guy that does those OxyClean commercials. lol. She charms everyone she meets and is a very happy baby. She's had a few ear infections and recently has had fluid trapped behind her eardrum. She is on Claritin to hopefully clear that up. If that doesn't work she goes to a specialist for possible tubes. So keep that in prayers and good thoughts please. Other than that she's very healthy and just perfect!

Bri is still the weary traveler - her commute from here to work is just under an hour, but she's sucking it up for now since she is unable to find an acceptable rental arrangement for herself and the zoo. Her Rattie, Harold, had his eye removed about a month or so ago and is doing fab. He looks much better w/o a big red bulge protruding from his eye socket. :) He's a trouper. Bri is so good at taking care of all her critters - it's her thing. She is hoping to travel to Costa Rica sometime within the next few years to a sloth sanctuary to volunteer. I'm proud of her and her interests of helping the less fortunate, whether they be animals or people she's quite compasionate. And she's fab at getting the deals at Walgreens! This month has been great as the 24 Huggies diapers sitting on the bunny cage, encroaching on Siesta's siesta space, can attest to. :)

Jer should get his management assignment in the next week... he's pretty sure he'll be outside with the flowers and shrubs. :) I am thrilled with his work ethic but just hope that the stress doesn't do him in. Retail can be dumb and without common sense.

Me... I'm hanging out, love watching the kid, taking care of our pups (well, one is Bri's)... practicing my well-honed procrastination skills... saving the world...

In our future... Mom and Dad visiting in May, some summer BBQing, a trip to Mexico late in the year - possibly for Dia De Los Muertos... Life is good. :) (Thanks hon for making it so!)

Happy Birthday baby!!

2009-01-07T17:36:00.000-08:00

It doesn't seem that long ago that I made a post just like this one... but, indeed, a year has gone by again and it's time to say a great big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my baby. It's been a year of growth and excitement for all of us. And now my youngest turns 22. ouch! lol. We had a wonderful impromptu late dinner at The Ivory Grille last night and I have a few pics I'll put on flickr later on but Kayleigh just sent me the pic you see above - beautiful flowers from Rob. I thought that was so sweet of him (she got chocolate too!)... so nice that I thought I'd showcase them here and put ours on flickr. :)
Yes, it's been an eventful year with your moving out, and Madysen's arrival and everything in between. And we love you more and more... as always more than words can say! Happy Birthday baby!

Meet my parent's new ride. :)

2009-01-03T20:44:00.000-08:00

My folks have long been vacation travel people... when I was small we started out with a camper on a truck. Many trips to Northern Cali and other locals were made in that camper, as well as trips to the drive-in where we watched the movie in our pj's from the comfort of the top bunk over the truck cab. When we outgrew that they bought a small motorhome and have upgraded a time or two but today they are bringing home a new beastie from the AZ desert... the Adventurer - or the Big Green Frog (which has a toad in tow. lol.) This one is actually a foot shorter than their "old" rig but is wider in body and has two pop-outs for tons of space. Now, my question is why they didn't start out big when we kids were still home (and could enjoy such a coach) and then size down???
Anyway, Congrats on the new ride!!

2008-12-21T21:13:00.000-08:00

Well... I'm afraid it's that time... a time we honestly weren't sure would ever happen, and we hoped it wouldn't. We thought she'd outlive all of us just for spite. There were times in past years that we weren't sure she'd make it but she always did. She was actually extremely healthy then, especially for being 13+ years old and 12 or so pounds. She was a ~~lovely cat~~ ... actually she often was called the span of satan, more often just called beast. lol. The names applied mostly when she was younger, but the name stuck even in recent years and was used when she was insistent that she be fed NOW. In her younger days she'd bite your ankles as you strode by her. That was fun. :) One time we had a friend come in and feed her while we were gone for like a month... that friend quickly learned to come into the house armed with a broom to protect her lower limbs. lol. Hannah didn't like being left apparently.
She's now 15.5 years old. She had oral surgery in August I think it was... had a toof removed and they checked out the mass that had grown recently on her cheek. They deemed the mass to be, in all probablility, cancerous. She's not been the same since the surgery unfortunately. Now she won't hardly eat and is disoriented at times. I have to bring her up and down the stairs to the cat box. She can't see as her eyes no longer dialate... due to the mass? Dunno. She's lost a lot of weight. It's sad to see my fiesty girl like this. She's had an interesting life; from living in trees and on top of out buildings (with a dog below that would have loved to have her for lunch), to being the pampered and spoiled girl we know and love. We'll miss you Hannah.

one of those weird things... (amended)

2008-12-16T18:51:00.000-08:00

Things you've already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven't done and don't want to - leave in plain font
1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii. It was fab.
5. Watched a meteor shower. Several.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland/world - Land. a lot.
8. Climbed a mountain. Not that I recall. altho' the hubster recalls a mountain being climbed... I'm thinking it was a hill as I *think* I'd remember an actual mountain. but maybe not.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo (in the shower).
11. Bungee jumped. ummmm no.
12. Visited Paris. I hear it's beautiful but not on my list. not sure why.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch. Knitting, + other things.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning. I don't think so...I'd know if I had, right?
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty. can you even do that?
18. Grown your own vegetables. cucumbers, green peppers. more next summer hopefully.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight. maybe... the memory dims.
22. Hitchhiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill.
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a Marathon. not a runner. unless being chased. with a weapon.
28. Ridden a Gondola in Venice. would love to see Venice but I hear the gondolas are very $$.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset. that would be the later. morning person notsomuch.
31. Hit a home run. i don't recall ever hitting anything with a bat.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David.
41. Sung karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling. snorkeling in Belize.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud. I don't remember but can't imagine that I didn't as a kid.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater. lots. in my pjs in our camper.
55. Been in a movie.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business. a few but I'm bad with follow through.
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia. would love to!
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Gotten flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma.
65. Gone sky diving. NFW.
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.
67. Bounced a check. Well the bank did it for me.
68. Flown in a helicopter. I'd prob get motion sickness big time. not pretty.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy. a stuffed doggie + things made by my grandma.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten Caviar. ick
72. Pieced a quilt. Started one.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London.
77. Broken a bone. ankle. on my first run down snowskiing.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle. well, dad had a bike. I'm sure it wasn't speeding but it was moving.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book.
81. Visited the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car. we actually won a truck and got a new car instead.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper. singing carols at a nursing home (girl scouts), and for a job shadowing type thing for school. those are the ones I recall.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating. pescetarian here. when we snorkeled in Belize our diver guide dude killed fish while we looked at the pretties and that was lunch. it was the best.
88. Had chickenpox. nope.
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury. lol
91. Met someone famous. Briefly me the orig. Darth Vader, saw ... his name escapes me... at Burbank Airport. (there's a post here somewhere.) lol
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby. two of my favorite people.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a law suit. does small claims count?
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee. + a wasp last month. ouch.

Wow that was long. lol. Not very many italic-ed items there. hmmmmm.
Maybe we could add (all in italics)...
swim with wild dolphins.
see the US government pull it's head out + find some common sense.
travel all over. (I'm random shut up)
see my dh happy happy happy and doing something he loves.
winter over somewhere without snow.

Employee of the Month

2008-12-10T21:23:00.000-08:00

Congratulations honey!!
Yes, Jer finally made EotM! I say "finally" because I think he's been up for it every month since he's been at Lowes. It's a goofy thing because it's employee voted on so really has nothing to do with anything - if it was totally based on performance, of course, he'd get it every month. Seriously.
And what will he get for this dubious honor? Not much really... his pic on the plaque near the bathrooms. lol. A parking space closer to the doors? But we are proud of him none-the-less. He's not running the co. yet, but give him time.
He's been going to Manager training... It's down at the store at the Lake but he's not been able to enjoy the area. They even eat lunch in the store; probably afraid if they let anyone out they won't come back. lol.

First snow of Winter '09

2008-11-30T20:23:00.000-08:00

Bri's been cracking the whip

2008-11-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

We've been trying to get rid of things we don't use for about a year now, and I'm finally beginning to see some progress thanks to Brianna. She's been cracking the whip on me to get things posted to our little buy/sell board and she's been fielding the emails of potential buyers AND meeting up with people to make the sales. She's quite the little organizer. lol.
So... this past weekend we did some of this...

A little early perhaps but we haven't had a tree up in many years. This is a fiber optic tree, the dolls were sent to me from Russia, before the fall of Communism I think, by my Ukrainian penpals. I love them.

Some of this...
This NOEL hanging I believe was done by my Aunt Diana. I want to put it in a frame someday. And the basket holds more ornaments. The cars on the table are, of course, Jer's collection. He has several Hallmark old car ornaments from my mom and as Christmas product sales approach we might get another table top tree to hang them on. I like the idea of little themed trees. :)

And this...
The star on the mantle was a catalyst for the change. I won the barn star here and here. I love it! The fireplace is pretty monochromatic but that's okay. I might paint the star black later. There are candles in the fireplace box.

And then we did this...
This area was a big change. Previously housed the file cabinet and just stuff. Now it's a cute little sitting area. The chair is a freebie that Brianna claimed at first site. Cute!

And this...

And then we did this because we were tired!

Oh! And then I found this...
Madysen can have it when she's a bit bigger - what's left of it after so many kids have owned it. lol

So... that's your tour for now. I'm going to be putting a wreath together this week (after I get to some knitting that has to be sent out soon) and if that works out I'll take some pics. Now that I have my camera working again... yay!

Hmmmmm...

2008-11-18T09:01:00.000-08:00

Well I've been chastised once again by several people for my absence here... it doesn't seem like 2 months since I last posted. I've been moderately busy knitting for others (hats mostly) & the normal stuff like too much time on the compy lol. Everyone else has been way busy with their normal stuff -
☆ Kayleigh with Madysen who had her first ear infection at 9 months recently. Kayleigh also has been job shadowing this semester & loving it... she's been to the vet & watched a spay & neuter, her old orthodontist whose office is completely computerized, the state run Hab Center for developmentally disabled people, a doctor's office... there was something else but it was quite a nice assortment.
☆ Bri's time is taken up with working & critter care. She's been doing some networking & internet tech-ing for her office as they move into the 21st century & recently got a raise for being there for a year. She still likes it there but isn't looking forward to the winter driving that's in her future as her commute is an hour each way.
☆ Jer will start Manager Training in the near future. I told him when he started that he'll be running the company within a year - I was a bit off but he's not been there quite a year yet so he's still got some time. :) He's not sure he wants the extra responsibility but he just can't seem to stay away from that Manager thing. lol. We live very frugally but he says he's just thankful to have a job; Kayleigh has been putting in some applications & getting nowhere (thankfully in my opinion. lol), Rob's dad is getting laid off in Dec. due to company cutbacks and outsourcing, & I saw a guy, not unlike Jer, getting an application at Sonic yesterday. Times are definitely going to get interesting.
☆ Madysen has been working on her fourth tooth & "talks" all the time. I'll try & upload some new video & photos on the flickr site. Sometimes my ISP allows me to do that & sometimes not. I just received my new camera battery so will be taking photos again!
☆ Haku & Otto are in the house more since it's gotten cold. That wasn't really the plan but when some "neighbors" brought Otto home the other day from a mile+ away... we can't let him run free outside any more. And it was 27 degrees when I went to bed last night so they've been sleeping with Brianna. They are good boys & we've been working on PTing Otto.
☆ Hannah is still wonky after her tooth extraction last month. She doesn't like to come downstairs & I have to turn her food into soup for her to eat it. Doc didn't know what the mass is on her cheek but suspects it to be cancerous. So we take one day at a time & when she has more bad days than good we'll see that she's not in any pain. She's 15 now...
☆ Siesta is still her darling most of the time self. Except when she gets bored. lol.
I think that updates you... all 3 of you. lol.

I do intend to keep this blog - I just don't know how often I'll be updating it. Since I do keep in touch with nearly everyone who reads it, there isn't much posted here that is new to you. So, I'm not sure of it's purpose yet. But I'll figure something out. :)

First Toof!

2008-09-03T15:46:00.001-07:00

The verdict on her heart...

2008-09-03T13:50:00.000-07:00

is what we all hoped and prayed for... she is perfect in every way. :) Kayleigh and I took Madysen to Children's Mercy this morning (and got lost of course, but we made it right at 9:00) in KC and they did an EKG which was completely normal, then, since her Ped here at home, had thought her heart looked enlarged, they did an echo to see what was really going on (it shows flow and function) and everything looks just fine. She still has the extra artery within the heart that babies have in the womb, but those go away on their own - in the pic it's the little pen mark below the red artery w/ the 3 artery offshoots at the top). Her still having that artery is completely normal for her size (even if it might not be normal for her age) and doc said it was "teeny tiny". It's cool that they go by the baby's size at Children's Mercy and not baby's actual age. So... will return in about 20 months to see if the PIDA is gone; he fully expects it to be.
Oh, and on another note, doc really couldn't comment on her wheezing since it didn't seem at all heart related to him, but Kayleigh says that the frequency of her episodes has gone down recently as has the severity... so hopefully she is outgrowing those.
Yay! :)
And now she's sleeping... :)

Of toothbrushes & shopping bags...

2008-08-04T19:29:00.000-07:00

Recently a blog that I frequent had a blog carnival of giveaways. This is where tons of bloggers give away something. All at the same time. (and ea. blog has a link to their giveaway on one mothership blog so it's easy to enter whichever ones you want.) This creates good webbie traffic for the sites that participate. So... I went forth and signed up for the things that I was interested in. The mothership blog that hosts the list of links does this several times a year & last time I don't think I won anything. This year, so far, I've won 2 things. :)
From Ginny I won a cool toothbrush. What makes *this* toothbrush cool you might ask? Well, I'll tell ya. These unique toothbrushes are made by the company Recycline. The toothbrush handle is made from 100% recycled plastics. They have a partnership with Stonyfield Farm, so they are actually using yogurt cups to make the handle. The packaging is also a reusable carrying case. When it is time to replace the toothbrush I can send the toothbrush & case back to Preserve using their postage-paid label to be re-processed into plastic lumber for picnic tables, boardwalks and decks!! Love it! All companies everywhere should have such symbiotic relationships with other companies.
The 2nd goodie is a cool crocheted mesh bag by Wakanda! I've got a few patterns to knit or crochet such a thing but... I've never taken the time to do it. I also need to get my butt in gear & sew some bags which would be extremely helpful since I would like to get away from the plastic shopping bags. This crocheted bag will be the first step. The catalyst if you will. :)
Thanks to Ginny & Wakanda for the great items - hope you generated tons of traffic for your fab blogs!

Kayleigh's Kloset gets a face lift

2008-07-27T19:06:00.000-07:00

Many of you don't know but... Kayleigh & I have a blogsite where we make things for photographers of children & babies. Things like flower hats, tutus, snuggler blankets & I'm working on some knit hats. Stuff like that. Well the blogsite is pretty unorganized still but it LOOKS AWESOME thanks to Aquapoppy Designs!
She so generously had a contest on her design blog recently and I was one of the winners. I gave her some random info of what I liked (because you know how I am!) and she totally ran with it & did a fabulous job & we LOVE it. Now I've got to get in there and clean up all the content and make it more user friendly but... it looks awes... well you can check it out for yourself. Just remember, don't blame the jumbled content on her. That's all me. & I'll get to it.
Thanks so much Chelsea!

Happy anniversary of my 22nd birthday - to me!

2008-07-27T18:52:00.000-07:00

For my birthday yesterday we went to town - now when I go to town I like to make it worth it :) ... so we did some more "shopping" - everytime we bought 3 bags of diapers we earned $1.80 & free diapers. :) We did that 4 times I think so 12 more diapers for Mady. Then we hit wmart with my $53.65 in coupons, & a huge score back at wgreens on more diapers & more shampoo where we actually came up with a neg. 1.43 and had to get some gum & ended up paying .43 - & there is $3. in rebates in there... so it was all more than free! The checker even said we were smart shoppers. lol.
Then we went to starbucks - and got 3 drinks, and a toffee bar for free. (registered gift card perk, & a freebie mailer b/c of the registered card, + balance on my card thx to mom & dad!)
We had lunch at the Mediterranean place that I love (had to pay for that!) & got 2 free DVDs to watch (courtesy of redbox)...
So, close to free shopping & entertainment, having my 3 girls & hubbster all together, and being sung Happy Birthday to (via phone) by mom, dad & then by my sister & her two darling boys, + several lovely cards + even a cheque or two... = Great day! :)
*if you click on the mosaic it will transport you to flickr for more new photos*

We Scored!!

2008-07-27T18:33:00.000-07:00

Having only 2 national chain stores (Wm and Wgreens) has certainly put a crimp in our couponing for food items. We do, however, get decent deals on HBA items every now and then. :) Like friday. and yesterday. Behold the stuff!

Walgreens #1: (a 12 pack of coke missed the photo shoot) $64.19 before coupons. $6.05 after coupons + a MIR of $5.49 and she got a $5. register reward coupon to use on next purchase. So... All free and we actually made almost $5. :) The take was 3 diapers, 6 shampoo/conditioners, 3 knee-hi hose for work, 1 bug repel, a scrubber thingy, & 2 of Bri's shavers which are quite pricey otherwise.
Walgreens #2: $17.97 before coupons. $3.20 after coupons. (this was for 3 diapers. It should have produced a $5.RR but didn't but still a good deal.)
Walmart: $29.83 before coupons. $10.83 after coupons (the dog food alone was almost $12.) + she has a $3.24 mail in rebate so... about $7. for: Haku's food of choice, 10 Powerades, 2 S.Beach drink thingys, lg. V8 drink, & a box of cereal.
Bri did all this after work one day. It's so nice to have a personal shopper. :)

Garden update from mid July 2008

2008-07-27T18:02:00.000-07:00

Well, it seems that most people here in the mid-west are having garden troubles; not just me. At least I'd like to think that - misery loves company and all. I know Jer is usually bringing home lots of tomatoes from his mom's house by now but she's got very little, and that's the story I hear from others.
I did have a nice green pepper on my red pepper plant (see evidence left) until an un-beaver nabbed it. I still do have zucchini - this one is small and I don't think it's grown much actually... but there are three more, one of which has gotten a lot larger. Not sure what's up with the other runts. They are all on different plants too. Dunno.
Maybe next year will be better.

Excuse the dust...

2008-07-10T14:32:00.000-07:00

I'm (obviously) reworking my little blog... but for now I need to go and play with Mady... :) ... so the header will have to wait.
Someone should rewrite that poem to bring it up to the hi-tech age... you know the one that says washing and cleaning can wait 'til tomorrow, something something and ends with Babies don't keep. lol. Sub some of the words for words like Twittering, Blogging, Goggling, Code writing...
Anyway, like I said, I'm off for some Mady time.
Later. :)

RAOKs

2008-07-03T16:32:00.000-07:00

Bri just got RAOK-ed. lol. She's had a not so great day. Had to leave a homeless kitty behind at Walgreen's (I put out an sos on freecycle so hopefully someone will go and get him)... and was just really tired. And as she was paying for her purchases a gentleman paid for her items! He said when he woke up today he said he was going to do a Random Act of Kindness so he did. Maybe he felt a bit sorry for the tired looking girl buying mayo, a coke, and chocolate. :)
Big blessings to that man.

Meet Haku!

2008-06-19T16:30:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week we had another stray hanging around... and hanging around... and... on the fourth day of him being here off and on Jer couldn't take those beautiful brown eyes staring at him any longer, came in the house, and told me to find some doggie food. lol. That night he was searching for a suitable name.
Haku is a Yellow Lab - we thought maybe mixed with a Golden Retriever, but now we aren't so sure about that part. He's still a puppy (altho' stands 20 inches tall and is 50lbs. and has huge hands) and is quite rambunctious. He does well with sit - for a minute and then plops down on his back because he REALLY knows that we only tell him to "sit" so we can scratch his tummy. That's what he lives for.
So far he's barked at a deer, and a heron - but hasn't tried to chase either. I tell him NO and he stops. Hopefully he won't bother them because we think the deer that is on the property now has a fawn with her. Not to mention that we love seeing them and would hate for Haku to scare them off. She just stared at him while he was barking and then went on her way... not really scared so maybe that's a good sign.
Haku now has a stylish brown collar with matching Pirates of the Caribbean nametag. :)
He doesn't jump up, and caught on to basic commands very quickly leading me to believe he was previously trained a bit.
His name is from several Anime, but one in particular is a favorite of ours: Spirited Away. In this film Haku is a water (river) spirit in the form of a white dragon. Labs like water, and the dragon resembled our Haku so it stuck. (Haa-coo)
He is definately a man's doggie - choosing Jer over me when given the choice. Never would we have thought we'd pick a Lab as a pet, but when they do the choosing all bets are off.
Now I'm working to get Haku and Siesta aquainted... she isn't terrified of him any more but I have a long way to go with the two of them. Also Haku is afraid of loud and will take off up the drive way if confronted with loud sounds... the lawnmower was the loud yesterday. Today it's thunder. In fact as I write this it's pouring rain and thundering and he ~~is missing~~ is back, but didn't like it one bit (I went to the top and called him and he came bounding back and about bowled me over)... ~~I have no doubt he will find his way back, I just hope he's not tooo freaked as it's been storming for about an hour. And it's beginning to get dark.~~ (Hope his therapy later isn't too expensive.)
He's living outside (which makes the cats pretty happy) and hopefully will get along well with Bri's doggie, Otto, who will be joining her here this coming week probably. Maybe Otto can convince him that loud isn't that bad.
Anyway, that's the scoop on our new family member. There will be pics on flickr shortly.

Behold... the garden!

2008-06-11T14:00:00.000-07:00

This is our trial garden. We have zucchini and an artichoke plant that has since been moved per the request of the zucchini who was actively pushing it out... so artichoke has moved in with the green bell peppers in the other blue house. Then we have a cilantro plant - it's growing but getting long on top and I'm not sure what it's doing... have to wait and see. BUT the garden is doing very well! Yay! (I know nothing about growing plants.)
Next year... our garden will expand to the area in the other pic - that is if this little trial garden produces goodies for us. And in light of the most recent tomato thing... I think it's an important thing, growing our own veggies. I mean sheesh.

I won cuteness!

2008-06-09T18:37:00.000-07:00

Many of you know that I sign up for all sorts of give-aways in the blogosphere (and there are many!) and I rarely win... but this past week I actually won one!
Liz over at Pink Lemonade hosted a give-away featuring the cute little shop Oopsie Dazie. She makes the cutest hairclips and accessories. And I won three! Yep, that's them pictured ~~above~~ to the left. I'll save the smaller two for Mady but I'm keeping that cool ponytail holder - it will come in handy this summer. Our temps are already in the high 80's which is a bit early for here.
Anyway... Thanks Liz and Oopsie Dazie!

Cali 2008

2008-05-17T20:34:00.001-07:00

Hi from sunny and warm Cali!
We are having a great time seeing everyone. Had tons of people over today - people I'd not seen in years. It was so great of them to come from far and farther to see us Madysen... The two winners in the farthest distance traveled were Uncle Gene who came from Vegas (about 5 hours) and Aunt Colette & Uncle Wendall who came from Reno (abotu 9 hours?). We were so appreciative of everyone who took the time to come out. I've got pics and will upload them to flickr in the next week or so when I get them all sorted out and off the 3-4 cameras that we've all been flashing in Mady's face. :)
And I have some of the beach too. Upon arrival here we headed for Malibu. It was very windy there and Miss M was not happy so we left and went south to the more protected Santa Monica. We'd never been in the little Aquarium under the pier so we paid our $2. per person and went in... really neat. Just a small little building with local critters; little sharks with gnarly little faces, jellys, critters that you'd find in tide pools (we could even touch them!), other fishies, an octopus, shark egg sacks, some really big crabs, and Kayleigh's favorite - the eels. I have some pics and video to post. Madysen really liked the fishies too. The Carousel was closed (and we noticed it is always closed on Tuesdays, which explains why we never get to see it since we always fly in on a Tuesday) but we managed to eat some good food at the little place on the pier that I like to get clam chowder at.
Last night we had a really nice dinner at the Cascades Golf Course with another bunch of people for mom & dad's early Anniversary dinner. It was really a nice place and had a very pretty waterfall outside where Ethan & Evan caught ~~frogs~~toads and rolled down a grassy hill. I bet they slept well!
Mady's been doing really well with all the different people - she has been getting a bit cranky when she gets tired tho'. Today Donna (my cousin), and Dean (my brother in law) got her to sleep quite a bit. Yay! lol.
Tomorrow we go to Nico's with Janette and her crew and my sister and hers. Yay chips & salsa!!
More to come... oh, there's a video of Ethan and Evan w/ Mady on flickr. It's private, but if you need a special link to view it lmk and I'll get one sent to you.

Miss Little Britches can...

2008-05-08T16:07:00.000-07:00

now roll over from back to tummy! Yay Madysen! (video coming... give me a week or so)
:: I was going to put a pic here but it won't upload - will try later. ::
OH! and we get Madysen Saturday and part of Sunday too while her mommy & daddy go visit with friends in Jeff City. Then Monday will be spent getting last minute things together, and Tuesday we fly to Cali for the big meeting of the relatives event and the dipping Miss M's cute little toes in the Ocean for the very first time! Yay!

New Princess video

2008-05-07T09:12:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I was recently told by my readership (mom, her friend Carol, & my friend Teri lol) that I needed to post something... like a new video. So... enjoy. :)
(She wasn't in a talking mood tho'... so mostly you hear me. lol.)

Untitled from robin knotts on Vimeo.

The Madysen Movie

2008-03-23T20:41:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Madysen's Aunt Brianna for uploading this for me!

Test pattern report for Charlene

2008-03-03T15:58:00.001-08:00

I recently had the pleasure of test knitting another pattern for Charlene of WiggleBunz. (I test knit her skirtie pattern a bit ago) Now, as these photos show, I did a sucky job of measuring. lol. Madysen wasn't accessible when I began so I just pulled some numbers from another pattern (a knit pattern) and there-in lies my problem. I'm pretty sure Charlene said that there will be some sizing average numbers in the finished pattern so that others won't do what I did. Anyway, once you get your numbers plugged into the formulas in the pattern you are good to go - and that's easy easy even for math challenged individuals such as myself (I know there are a lot of us out there) - don't be scared, trust me, it's easy and simple addition, subtraction and multiplication.
So, obviously this is way too big for the wee Miss M - and actually I didn't intend it to fit her small 7lb-ish frame right now, I intended for her to grow into it - but I'll admit I was hoping that'd be within this calendar year. lol. As I said the over bigness is the fault of the numbers I plugged in and not the fault of this fantastic pattern.
So - the pattern itself: EASY. No problem whatsoever. Even if you are a beginning crocheter you should have no problemo with this pattern. Even the gusset was trouble free. I wish knitting woolies was so easy; what with all the short-rows, gussets and such... Crocheting these features into a woolie is sooooo much easier and very forgiving of mistakes!
Some people might question the effectiveness of a crocheted woolie to do it's job over cloth diapers but from everything I've heard they often do a better job than the knitted woolies. Yes, the knitting process results in a denser fabric structure but the crochet stitches are thicker and therefor hold more lanolin and do a better woolie job - People say they love knitted woolies for daytime use, but use the bulletproof crocheted woolies for night-time.
So there you have it. Charlene does a fab job on these patterns. They are easy to read, well written, and come out beautifully. And if you have questions all you have to do is email her or join her yahoo group - she supports all her patterns.
Thanks Charlene for letting me test again!

I'm getting bigger!

2008-03-03T14:54:00.000-08:00

I haven't (and don't intend to in the future) put photos of Miss M on the blog for all of blogland to see but seeing as this pic is a bit blurry, and my internet is trugging along slowly tonight and I don't see it being able to handle flikr right now (which is where all the other pics are stored in privacy)... Here is Miss M so that you can see how big she is getting!
At birth she weighed in at 5lbs. 13oz.
Leaving hospital 5 days later: 5lbs. 7oz.
First check up at 2weeks: 6lbs. 3oz.

Wanna take bets on what she'll weigh at her 2 month appointment in about 3 weeks? lol. Lotsa love and lotsa mamma's milk and now she has a belly, and a bit of a double chin. lol. I know this is really a terrible pic. She was flailing around, and the light was terrible... Can't wait to see what she weighs now. Oh, she's still little but... she's definitely growing into those long fingers and feet.

All hail - Princess Madysen has arrived!

2008-01-25T18:48:00.000-08:00

As anyone who knows us now knows... the Princess is here! It was a rather eventful delivery unfortunately but mommy & baby are doing great (so is daddy!) & might get to go home tomorrow. It sounds like I'll be on hand to take pics of the home going which is cool. :)
Kayleigh just called & said that they took Madysen out of her warming tray bed (in case one of the tens of people who read this actually doesn't know, she's been in the NICU since birth on Tuesday the 22nd) & was in a regular bassinet all swaddled up. She still has her OxySat and heart rate monitors hooked up but she's just made so much progress! Kayleigh is going to be exclusively feeding her from now on (they will wake her even at night) b/c Madysen was gagging/spitting up the supplemental formula they were giving her. She wanted her mommy instead. (she doesn't gag & spit that up & latches right on now & just sucks away.) So, they make a great team.
She is a deep little sleeper tho' so Kayleigh is going to have to wake her to eat I think.
Kayleigh is doing fabulous too - only taking a few approved pain meds a day (strong tylenol). I noticed today she was getting up & down & walking better than yesterday & Doc says she is healing well. Of course, she'd love to have Madysen in with her all the time, or at least more often, but with Mady's monitors that's not possible. They may end up taking a small monitor home too as Kayleigh says that when Madysen lays flat on her back she has a sleep apnea type episode, which is by no means rare and probably expected what with everything her little lungs have gone through. (she has a reclining hammock at home so won't be flat) Everyone is really pleased with her progress, her new found interest in the boobie bar, & her 'output'. Yes, dirty diapers are now discussed regularly and noted. lol.
We are just so proud of both Kayleigh + Madysen (+ Rob too - he's been terrific & can't wait to get them home & settled into their new family routines which I have no doubt includes lots and lots of snuggle time).
Congrats guys! We just think she's the most precious little girl in the whole world!
(photos on flikr are private. if I've missed sending you a link to view them please email me!)

The Mei Tai is done!

2008-01-17T18:20:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm coming to the end of the things I needed to get made before Rowdy arrives. There are still many things to make as she grows (diapers, covers, etc.) but the pre-arrival things are about done. :)
This MeiTai took me a bit to do - there are lots of pieces and steps so I kept putting it off then going back to it. (remember, queen of procrastination here!) But it's done and she loves it. All the fabric was purchased when I bummed along on a trip Jer made to Jeff City recently, and he so nicely agreed to take me to the Joann's fabric store AND to Red Lobster! What a guy! Anyway, the decorative panel in the front of this carrier is interchangable through the magic that is Velcro. So I chose this flame fabric for Robbie, and a neat green/black batik print for Kayleigh (not shown). I think it really came out well and, of course, will fit better when Rowdy decides to actually show herself. This will be way nicer for Kayleigh, Robbie, and Rowdy not only around the house, but when they go somewhere too - nicer than Rowdy being stuck in a heavy seat carrier all by herself when they are out and about. Yay! :)

The kids' similar homes

2008-01-15T21:03:00.000-08:00

I finally found the images of the kids' houses! I have a better one of Robbie's house (left) but this will have to do b/c I can't find the other one. So... Their homes are basically mirror images of eachother. There are some differences but... the structure is the same. Robbie's is missing the windows at the top, but gained the windows on one of the sides. He also has a front porch and screened in side porch.
Shane has a garage off to the right of the pic; Robbie's garage (on the left side) is now a laundry room and he has a seperate garage further left. Retro is king so they are definately in style. :) I don't know how many of these types of homes there are in town but it's funny how both girls ended up in one.

On another note: for those of you who I've not touched base with yet, we are still waiting for Rowdy. Seems she's decided that she likes it where she is and is staying put for now. Her due date was yesterday, however, if she doesn't make a grand entrance this week then on the 21st she will be forced (by induction) to join our little party on the outside of the womb. So, stay tuned. :) Either way we'll have a Rowdy munchkin early this coming week!! I think Kayleigh and Robbie are more than ready for some snuggle time with the little princess.

Happy Birthday!!

2008-01-07T10:36:00.000-08:00

21 years ago you came into the world fairly quietly. From then on you were more inclined to watch and do things fairly quietly rather than in a noisy way. You were that way before you were born too. As soon as you arrived we couldn't imagine life without you (or your sister). You've kept us hopping at times but that sentiment has never changed. Your dad and I are very proud of you and your going to make a fantastic mommy! Happy Birthday Baby! We love you more than words can say.

So Silent Hill-ish 'round here

2007-12-20T20:07:00.000-08:00

fog sucks. (yeh, the movie did too altho' the book was pretty good.)... for some reason we had fog this morning and tonight. Now I don't mind it when I'm home, but I had to drive in it this evening and it wasn't fun. at. all. 35mph on the freeway (mostly w/ my flashers on hoping that would give other motorists a bit better chance to not plow into me through the soup), side of the road not visible at all... not sure where I was in relation to my turnoffs (one of which isn't marked well even on a good day) much of the way, missed the first turn, then the second, found a way to get to the southbound lanes, actually made my turn and then just carefully limped my way home but omg! I've only been in one fog that was this bad and it was back home... only it was a sand storm. Yucko. Jer should be coming home around midnight and I left a message on his cell about how bad it was and that he should just think about staying in the 'Burg if it was still bad.
Anyway, I went over to Kayleigh and Robbie's to do some shopping with Kayleigh and hang. I can't for the life of me find the pics of their house. I'll keep looking! If all else fails I'll take some on Christmas.
Stay safe everyone!

My goodies arrived!

2007-12-14T08:13:00.001-08:00

Good afternoon from the pretty much frozen mid-west. Not only did we recieve a box each (full of goodies of course!) from Jer's sister and her family, and my mom and dad but... I received my contest winnings cuteness from Happy Panda! You might remember that I won a random drawing, lest you think that I had to actually perform some feat of excellence or intelligence to win!, over at Laura Williams' Musings. This box did not have an easy time getting to me here in the frozen mid-west. You see, my driveway is a small hill inclined thing and we burrow at the bottom of said incline... which means while the postperson could easily travel down said driveway (hopefully without continuing on into the pond, altho' that is frozen solid right now too), he/she would not be able to get back up and out without the assistance of a tow-truck and even then ... maybe not. Further mucking things up was the fact that, while Jer had the foresight to put his van at the top of the hill that is our driveway, I did not have that same foresight for my car... which was stuck down here near the house until yesterday. when my wonderful hubster moved it to the top for me. in case Kayleigh should call and need something. or go into labor early. or something.
So... a note was left telling me that my box of Happy Panda was here but could not reach me, I wrote a note back saying that I could not reach reach it being stuck as well, and a compromise was reached whereby my postperson put HPbox in a lg. trash bag and left it behind our little fence in the woods for pick up when Jer arrived home. :) You see this box was supposed to be signed for in the presence of the postperson, otherwise it would have been left in the woods on the first day of arrival. living in the rural frozen mid-west means some rules don't apply to us.
Now, I know you are wondering what is in this amazing box of goodness. Well, first off a very cute cute plush panda that Rowdy will love! (Unless I decide to keep it!) and several t's in different sizes for Rowdy and her parents... most with cute little panda designs on them. And a cute pair of black yoga pants and a darling baby hat - all in yummy & soft 100% tag-free cotton. Even the basket is nice - lined with velvet and all.
So if you are looking for a cute little gift for a special someone - head on over to Happy Panda and check out the goods. Tell them I sent ya. (Thanks Laura and Happy Panda Baby!)

Jer's toy

2007-12-09T19:38:00.001-08:00

After the chop

I've not mentioned Jer much on this ol' blog b/c well... he basically works and sleeps. :( But a month or so ago he did get his project car back from the chop shop and I'd not done a post on it so... here it is after the chop (you can see it before on the flickr site (just click on the pic)... Spotlight on his toy. :)
He has always wanted a chopped Merc. Low and mean looking. But those are very pricey since everyone else seems to covet them as well... so he started looking for something else that he'd like just as much and along came this Chevy 210. But it needed a little something, or a little less of something rather. It had to be chopped. So... chopped it was. Now he still has to find someone to cut the windshield glass for him and I'm not entirely sure what all he will do to his baby, but I can tell you it isn't going to be a high shine show car. This will be a drivable probably flat black fun machine. He's upholstered the seats in Mexican blankets and has further customizations rolling around in his head. More photos are on flickr - just tap the badge on the left menu and find the set marked Jer's 210.

See my pretty fall trees in the background? They were pretty for such a short time. (sigh) It's now freakin' cold and snow covered outside. So further work on the 210 will have to wait 'til it's warmer (but mosty b/c of that job thing) .

And in critter news, Hannah is sick. I think it's her teeth again - she seems to do this yearly. I've given her some antib's that I had so hopefully that will work one again. I know I've nicknamed her Spawn of Satan (a nick she deserves and works hard at btw) but... I still care about her and it makes me sad to see her sick - and she is like 14 years old or thereabouts. Prayers and happy thoughts for her please. Thanks. (and while you're at the prayer thing: send a little warmer weather thoughts too!)

Holy crap it's snowing!!

2007-12-06T09:53:00.000-08:00

Sorry. I wasn't expecting it. I am sitting here waiting for my tea to finish steeping and looked up out my pretty much clean (thanks hon!) windows out over the pond and... it's freakin snowing. I don't mind the snow I guess, since I don't have to go anywhere mostly. :) And it has been cold out; barely 30 degrees - I just surprised me. So it might as well do something pretty. I guess. But, ya know. I kinda am really over the whole snow thing. but I'd probably miss it if we didn't have it... unless I was on a beach with the sea lapping at my toes, palm trees and a cute little umbrella drink. nah, probably wouldn't miss the snow.

Today is my nephew Ethan's 6th birthday!! Happy Birfday Ethan! Love you!!!

... as you were.

Various Tuesday Ramblings...

2007-12-04T21:50:00.001-08:00

Okay, you know the previous post where I mentioned that Happy Panda Contest on Laura's blog? Scroll down, I'll wait. Yeh, that one. I WON! I'll take a pic when it gets here. It's a gift basket full of cute panda t's, pair of yoga-type pants, and a cool panda stuffed bear. Yay! Of course Rowdy gets most of it. lol.

Speaking of which, Robbie finally got the house loan situated. He's been working his butt off trying to get that in place - he'd been working with the wrong person apparently because after the run around that person #1 gave him for months, person #2 had keys in hand in about 2 weeks. So yesterday they took some stuff over and they are also moving Kayleigh and Rowdy in. :( This means we are officially empty nesters over here - something I've been whining about to anyone who will listen. I do understand that we are only 30 min. away from the kids (and a bit less even from Brianna and Shane) but still. And yes, I'll take some sharp cheese with my whine thank you very much.
I do understand Robbie wanting to take care of the girls (and he gets major props for that), and I do understand Kayleigh wanting to get used to the idea and practice of being a family before Rowdy gets here and complicates things a bit more... and Robbie has worked so very hard, and so has Kayleigh in different ways. But, yeh, where's my cheese?????

Bri continues to like her job. She's been feeling a bit ill lately - with the weather getting colder her asthma and chronic sinus issues rear their ugly little heads. But the job is going well so that's a major plus. Her health insurance isn't turning out to be as good as the previous jobs' but... the other job was so stressful for her.

I'll try and get the pics posted tomorrow, but it's funny, the girls both are living in homes that are very similar. Just this side of identical really - a few floorplan differences and Robbie's home has some additions built. Both built in the early to mid '60's and very retro. I wonder how many homes there are like that in our area - I know of 3 but there may be more.

I hope to do a photo session with Kayleigh soon - preggo pics. Of course with her on the other side of town now that may be a bit more difficult but I'll just be persistent.
It's freezing in the living room so I think I'm going to bed where a pre-heated electric blanket waits for me. :)

DIY Holiday Ideas

2007-11-28T21:35:00.000-08:00

While people are looking for ways to make the holidays less commercialized they are at the very same time pondering the big question... what WOULD so-and-so really like? Well here are some ideas to copy or at least get the creativeness off to a good start:
The DIY Holidays 2007 Flickr Photo Pool has all sorts of crafty goodness.
A new blog that was brought to my attention recently (like I really needed a new blog to read. lol) was Embrace Create. Lots of crafting going on over there and I've only quickly looked at the first page!
If you've been following the tutorials over at Handmade Holidays (link on the menu to the left. Big blue box) you don't want to miss the Handmade Holidays Flickr Pool to see what others have been creating using the tutorials. That's one thing I love about Ravelry - seeing what many people do with the same pattern.

If you want to take a break from crafting and enter a contest or two... head over to Laura Williams Musings and enter to win a great Limited Edition Happy Panda Holiday Gift Basket. Enter before 03 December 2007.
Also... Love gift certificates? Check out the Teeny Manolo Sweepstakes for a chance to win Amazon dot com gift certificates. Enter before 07 December 2007.
And Kayleigh needs a baby sling (hint hint) so check out A Mom In Red High Heels and win her one k? Enter before midnight 05 December 2007. She's been looking at a different kind but it's good to have several style options. :)

I hope everyone has more of a handle on their gift-giving this year than I do!

First Snow

2007-11-21T14:28:00.000-08:00

The snow isn't showing up well in this pic, but it is indeed snowing! Now as long as it doesn't stick and/or create a frozen road thing I'm good. As I told my mom the other day; it's pretty, but I am SO over the snow thing. :)
Blessings and Happy-ness for everyone this weekend of Thanksgiving.

* now i've got to go out in said snow and bring tp in from the car *

It's getting cold here and...

2007-11-15T21:34:00.001-08:00

Beautiful stormy skies

I'm thinkin' that I'd rather be here instead.

so much to do...

2007-11-14T18:13:00.000-08:00

and so little time. Rowdy will arrive in approx. 9 weeks. Of course that doesn't seem possible (from my vantage point anyway!). I've got a list of things a mile long that I want to get made for the munchkin but of course some can wait until she is a bit older than a newborn to enjoy them. lol. This weekend will be a diaper making weekend. I know I said that about last weekend, and that didn't happen, but maybe typing it here will be magic and will make it so. :) I am relearning to knit - a faster way and that is going well so that will help a lot.
And we don't work tomorrow so that will also help... anyone got any magic dust I can be sprinkled with that will allow me to use my time in a more productive way let me know. I could use it!

I'm finally reading the last Harry Potter book. I always put off reading these because when I'm done with the books the story is over. I hate that. So I put off reading them so that I always keep the antici-pation (RHPS ref. sorry. lol) going. But I'm now knee deep in it and it's good... so I'm off to knit or crochet and read. Cuz I'm a mult-talented multi-tasker and all that. :)

The toy problem

2007-11-13T19:50:00.000-08:00

Now that it's apparent that we can no longer, as a society, trust our government to regulate much of what comes into this country (we never should have been so lax in this regard anyway)... we need to take it upon ourselves to not only research where our food, and clothing might be coming from (and the conditions under which it might be manufactured) but where the toys we put in our children's ~~mouths~~ reach are coming from as well.
I think we also need to re-evaluate the amount of toys that we give our kids while we are at it. The biggest complaint that I hear is, "the kids have so many toys but they never play with half of them." - I'll readily admit to falling somewhat into this trap as well when my kids were small.
But I think we need to think quality instead of quantity.
I'll add some more websites later but here are a few you might find helpful:
FatBrain Toys
Look to Etsy for handmade goodness.
Heirloom Wooden Toys
Hazelnut Kids

Legos tops the list of toys that kids actually play with, along with kitchen sets (there are some beautiful unpainted wood sets avail. these days. They cost more than the bright ugly plastic ones but will last forever). And of course there is the old stand bys: pots and pans and cardboard boxes. :)

I'm not knocking China per se... The US did, after all, choose them to manufacture the products we have been purchasing. It's past time to use that purchasing power to send a message that we won't condone toxic products coming in contact with our kids. A little research before purchasing is all it takes.
I'm just sayin'...

And here's a quick link for what fruit and veggies are best to get organic:
Organic Dirty Dozen

Christmas Gift Ideas Carnival

2007-11-12T10:24:00.000-08:00

Don't Try This At Home has a great idea - she's hosting a Christmas shopping ideas Carnival. Everyone participating is posting at least 5 non-runofthemill items that would make cool gifts. Things somewhat unique and not-from-insertDiscountStoreOfYourChoiceHere-ish.
But let me preface with this for my family: This has nothing really to do with my personal Christmas list. :) Really. Just b/c I think something is cool doesn't mean I have to own it. I've been there and done that and well, lets just say I'm out of the phase of buying something just for the sake of buying something. I have to NEED something before I put it on my list. And it still only will go on my list if I can't make due with something else or create it from something I have sitting around. My motto these days is re-use, re-purpose, and then re-cycle... before purchasing. :)

So... that said, onward with the carnival!
1. These rings are fab. I don't care for sparklies and the "mother rings" w/ gemstones ect... but I <3 these.
2. shim + sons has such simple cool stuff. I wish I could make my house look like hers.
3. these crocheted food patterns are sooooo cool. And the crafter and kid on your list would love them.
4. Ugly Dolls are of course awesome.
5. cute tutus + flower hats for kids (great for those photo sessions!).

Need more ideas for those you love? Head over to Chili's blog for the links to all the participants - and for more ideas! Happy Shopping!

Yeh, I got nothin'

2007-11-10T15:57:00.001-08:00

One of our raccoons

Well, I got virtually nothing done that I'd wanted to do today for a variety of reasons. So... I'm going to leave you with this incredibly cute little guy.
Talk amongst yourselves and maybe I'll have something interesting to post tomorrow. maybe.

The Rowdy Report

2007-11-09T13:43:00.000-08:00

Kayleigh and Rowdy went to the doc a few days ago, and everything is still on track and progressing nicely... a little too nicely in one aspect actually. lol. While in the beginning it was hard for Kayleigh to gain anything, in the past two weeks she has now gained a bit too much. lol. Too much fast food and poptarts I think. :) So we headed to the store to get better snacks. Other than that... Rowdy's head is down and she is doing just fine. Yay! Only 10 more weeks to go - I can hardly believe it! Everything is falling into place: Supplies are being gathered, cute things are being knitted, crocheted, and sewed, and R should have the house in the next week or so. I'm hopeful that at some point in the near future she will be moving around so much that I can get video of Kayleigh's tummy jumping and moving around like something out of Alien. If I can get that I'll post it of course. :)
I'll combine this pic with the past tummy pics and post it at flickr later on. It's fun to see the tummy progression!

Also posting a few photos of the baby shower last week over at flickr. Thank to R's mom and sister for hosting that! They got many cute items - clothing and otherwise - lots of pink in the room! If Rowdy surprises us by being a boy... they are in trouble. lol.

blogger hungry

2007-11-08T21:50:00.000-08:00

Okay, I'll have to edit this later... blogger totally ate my post for today. lol. I had this thing all prepared with a photo and everything (gasp!) and poof! blogger ate it.
I'm having trouble with gmail this evening too so hopefully they get this squared away but for now I'm going to bed.
'night!

Holidays are coming...

2007-11-07T16:56:00.000-08:00

whether we are ready or not. Sew Mama Sew has begun her daily tutorial for those of you creating Christmas gifts. I think there is something for just about everyone on your list there!

I've noticed a few people coming here from Ravelry - Just wanted to say hello to them. Please leave a comment if you are so inclined. I've just learned to knit Continental like... yesterday! (my understanding is that people in Europe have been knitting this way forever) I chose a SheepySack to practice this method on since the gauge isn't tremendously important and it's basically all knit and only purls on the ribbing. I'll tackle purls in Continental later! By the time I get through the entire length of the SheepySack I should be ready for them. Already I'm already knitting quite a bit faster than with the 'regular' method. I have soooo many things on my to-knit list that I had to do something to speed things up. And who knows, maybe someday I'll make something that isn't baby sized! If you have no idea what I'm talking about go to this link (I think that will work) - that's sorta what I'm doing. With my own little variation. And Ravelry? It's a community of crocheters and knitters. It's a notebook where you can stash your patterns, notes, and other information and never forget where you put it... it's always there and ready for you. There is a waiting list to get in (it's still in Beta I believe) but once you get in there is lots to see and do and put on to-knit lists! Some patterns are free, some require you to purchase the book/pattern but it's always cool to see what 8 people did with the same pattern. There's some talented people there. Check out Ravelry and add me, cokelush, to your friends list when you get there. :)

Allsorts Advent calendar

2007-11-06T16:39:00.001-08:00

I stalk many blogs and this is one of my favs. Allsorts. - she always has something fresh in the making it seems. And this Advent Calendar is no exception. A bit out of the ordinary and just simply cute. and check out her bedroom! nice!

name the Raccoon

2007-11-05T17:35:00.001-08:00

I'm having trouble with the video but... this is one of our raccoons. There are actually four but this one is one that comes up to eat almost nightly. There is another one that is a bit nicer than this one but I don't have a pic yet. (and the other two head for the garage when I come outside with food or without)
So we need two names please.
The raccoon pictured is mischevious and ornery. When he latches onto the food he doesn't want to give up his spot for anything.
The other raccoon is a bit nicer but similar. This one will waddle up to me when I talk to him/her and just look up at me with those eyes ... you know the ones... like Boots in Shrek .... but you just know there is an alt motive.
But they are so freakin cute.

So... discus amongst yourselves and when you have a name or two please comment. :)

PS - I'd like something a bit more thoughtful than Bandit or Zorro. :)

Thanks!

Sally - if you happen to read this: what's the Spanish word for Raccoon?

baby shower day

2007-11-04T19:26:00.000-08:00

Today was baby shower day! It was a nice shower and very kind of R's mom and sister to do so much to host it. I will try and have photos up tonight but I have to get Jer something to eat (he's due home any min.) and he'll be soooo tired. He worked 72 hours this week poor guy. But anyway, KL received many cute cute (and soft and cuddly) things for Rowdy. Lots of cute little sleepers and some cute little stuffed toys... They had a cake and R's sister made a neat diaper cake. I'd never seen one in person before and it was really cute! There was a yummy cracker dip and some sandwiches... very nice day.
Gotta go but I'll be back with some pics!

So not showing this to Hannah

2007-11-03T16:34:00.000-07:00

... she does everything but the baseball bat. don't want to give her any ideas.
Wake-Up

Add to My Profile | More Videos

I WON!

2007-11-02T16:37:00.000-07:00

Yes, I won something! Yay! I am always entering the many contests floating around the bloggyverse and today I was notified by Dawn at Barefoot Blogs that I'd won her contest. :) So the humble ~~casa~~ blog will be getting a new header! Can't wait to see what she comes up with.
Thanks Dawn!

I know yesterday I mentioned the naming of the raccoons and all but... I don't have the pics off my camera yet and on the computer so I'm going to save that for ~~tomorrow~~ later this week.

For the knitters out there... I have indeed been knitting altho' I can't say what I've been working on because it's a Christmas gift for someone who reads here every now and then. If you are on Ravelry (my ID is cokelush) please feel free to add me. I did manage to get the fingerless gloves finished but oddly enough one is a row or three longer than the other. To fix that situation I've decided to make another set to match what I have now and then switch so that I have two sets that actually match each other in size. Did that even make sense? :) Then one set will be mine and one set Kayleigh's. But first I have to finish the pizzas for Atsuko's daughter for a Craftster swap. She's made me some neat things in trade. Altho' I can't show you that either because ... well the same reason I can't show you what I was knitting today! :P

Happy Día de los Muertos!

2007-11-01T14:47:00.000-07:00

Welcome to November 1st and the first day of the NaMoBo... thing. (there's a link on the left menu if you have no clue what I'm talking about.) - Today is also Día de los Muertos. I like this holiday better than our Memorial Day, somehow Dia de los Muertos seems more festive with their little shrines and sugar skulls and all... and they also really celebrate the lives of their loved one's who've gone uptown (as my g'ma used to say). How many of us can say that on Memorial Day in the midst of our BBQ and beer? Take some time to think of your loved ones today and tomorrow.

And while we are thinking of family and friends...
With Christmas almost upon us it's once again time to think about gift giving... and I'm once again very behind. Sew Mama Sew has a great little thing going this year; she's featuring a different gift tutorial every day in November. So... if you are on my gift giving list and want something off her list - let me know. :) There's a button to her site over on the left menu.

Check back tomorrow for more interesting stuff... I think I'll put up a few pics and maybe a video and let you all (yes, all ten of you!) ... name my raccoon. Actually there are a few of them. So be thinking of something better than Zorro or Bandit and come see them tomorrow. right here.

Longies review

2007-10-21T09:17:00.001-07:00

Longies Front

This is another pattern I was testing... this time for Melanie at Handcrafted Treasures.
These longies were different than the other longies that I've got started in that they are knit from the legs up instead of the waist down. I'll have to do the other pattern to see if I have a preference.
The pattern for these is very versatile - It allows you to knit longies or capris and several options for leg cuffs and waists.
It was pretty simple to knit and the parts that I screwed up on were b/c of my inexperience and not the fault of the pattern. You can see my short row dimples in the butt... I don't think I did them quite right. lol. And I ended up with a few holes but they were easily stitched together. Again, none of this was the fault of the pattern. I did the grafting stitch with no problem and was amazed! lol.

Another cool thing is that Melanie has some tutorials up on her site for the special stitches like the short rows. Unfortunately I was unable to watch them when I needed to b/c of my internet service... hence the dimples. The next pair I'm sure will come out more visually pleasing.

This is my first pair of longies and there are many more in my future. :)
Thanks Melanie for letting me test this pattern, even tho' it took me longer than I would have liked it to to get them done.
They are still a bit of a wip as I'm going to add a picot trim to the legs and an Icord drawstring... when I get more red yarn.

Lion's Brand Wool.

The skirtie report...

2007-10-13T10:16:00.001-07:00

Skirtie Front

The skirtie is done! I was testing this pattern for it's designer, Charlene (Hi Charlene!) and it's fab. At first glance it looks a bit daunting because of the math involved, but just plug in the numbers you are asked for and press on. It works. It's a lovely pattern and Kayleigh loves it. The really really cool thing is the custom-ness of the pattern. The math that was balked at at first is the very thing that makes this pattern so cool and customizable. and really the math is simple +, - , and x. Nothing difficult like algebra. and if it was I'd just have given it to Kayleigh to figure out. :)
No, easy easy. and cute!

Now I'll have to make a top of some sort to go with it. The "if you give a mouse a cookie" effect. (if you've not read that children's book do so. It's cute.)

More pics on flickr. Just click the pic to go there - you might have to scroll down a bit or go to the "knit/crochet" or "baby (Rowdy)" sets off the main page.

Oh and the brown blob on the right side of the skirt? Ran out of a hank of green... maybe I'll embroider a flower there. or not. Rowdy won't notice. :)

Thanks Charlene for letting me test your pattern and let me know when the pattern is avail. and I'll link you.

Various updates...

2007-10-06T18:01:00.000-07:00

1. Brianna is blogging on her myspace acct. There is a link directly to it over on the left menu bar. Go check it out. :) We may occasionally overlap posts, her and I, but for the most part her blog will be stuff you won't find here. They have a new critter (!) - but gave away 2. lol.
There are photos of her new project car there too.
I don't see where you can sub and be notified when she has a new post so I'll try and make a little note on here when she has something new so you'll know to head over there and stay up-to-date. :)

2. I dubbed this weekend "Diaper Making Weekend". So far today I've finished 6 (three smalls and three newborns). Want to do more tomorrow and/or possibly some knitting on a soaker or two to wear over the diapers.

3. Kayleigh got in at an OD/MD team (father/son I think) OB/Family Practice office so she'll be switching OB's. :) We had been talking about the difference in OD and MD's and she really likes her Allergy/Plastic Surgeon (he's an OD) so... the search for one here in town commenced. One was found but it seemed they weren't taking any new patients. But she called anyway and ... they said they would take her. This will be great because Rowdy will be able to then have the same Dr.
(there are 3 different OD links in the text above if you are interested in learning more about the MD/DO difference.) She'll go to her appt. this tuesday with her current doc since she had an ultrasound done a few weeks ago, then switch over to the new one.
Funny thing is Brianna is starting to go there also for her sinus/allergy issues also. We happened to run into her there on friday. lol.

4. Oddly enough I think those 3 things update you. lol. Nothing but excitement around here you know! lol.

Locks of Love

2007-09-24T11:09:00.001-07:00

After several unhappy hair cutting experiences over the years Bri had pretty much decided to just let her hair grow forever. But recently she'd decided that it had gotten a bit out of hand I guess and she hacked some off. lol. The resulting hank will be donated to Locks of Love.
She says she misses the curls that her longer hair had but it's a time saver in the showering dept. :)

This blog has been lacking in Brianna things but, rest assured, she is alive and well. She is very busy with work, her critters (including Shane), and trying to keep the house up. Being an adult often is a bit over-rated. lol. She has been looking for a new job that will be a better match with her Office Admin degree... plus she is a bit tired of taking care of people's computer problems. Her, Shane, and the menagerie are doing well tho'. She's also been playing with her Galaxie, Maude. I'll have to get a pic of it for you all to see. It's quite unique... just like our girl.

It's a...

2007-09-17T15:01:00.001-07:00

PROBABLY! The little muchkin wasn't being very cooperative. Stayed all rolled up at first, then later stretched out but determined not to show off... but the tech said that she didn't see anything that would indicate a boy and by other clues that she saw it looks to be a girl! Surely to be one of the most spoiled girls in the county! Of course in the motorhead sector the baby version didn't matter - child will be a motorhead whether a boy or girl. lol.
But they are having a girl! Yay!!!
(the above sentiment would have been the same if the outcome had been a boy. lol.)

Maybe she'll have another ultrasound later and we'll confirm that. At any rate it was fun watching Rowdy kick around in there. :)

Compare-ing bellys. and stuff.

2007-09-13T15:14:00.001-07:00

I made a comparison pic. - yay me. :) I think it's cute.
She has been feeling flutterings for several weeks and now feels an occasional more forceful kick. Can't wait until we can feel kicks and jabs too!

Oh, and Jer got a job. :) I wish he'd have been happier being unemployed but I guess it's just not in him. So he may start the end of September being a super for a battery making company over by the base. At least now he's :) - so I'm happy.

Kayleigh and I have been working every day, and while we are home by 3 most of the time the early mornings and driving really gets to us by the time friday comes around. Here it is 5pm and I'm thinking about what I need to do to get to bed around 7. Sad. and. pathetic. We are working locally tomorrow and the gear is already set up (we worked there today too) so at least tomorrow will be a bit easier in that regard.

AND our hot and humid weather has cooled a bit. This makes me very happy! Very. Happy!

Have a good weekend everyone!
Oh, and remember, clicking the images makes them larger and I think there are a few other new images on the flickr site - get there by clicking on a recent image or by clicking on the flickr badge to the left.

::21weeks::

2007-09-13T14:58:00.001-07:00

I told KL that I wouldn't post bare belly pics on the blog... but I wanted you to be able to see how much Rowdy is growing!
We should be able to find out monday what version Rowdy is - as long as he/she is cooperating that day. So stay tuned!

I couldn't make this up

2007-08-21T17:27:00.000-07:00

I don't usually take these types of "quizes" but... just for fun and because I was a wee bit bored (altho' not from lack of things that need to be done... just in case one was to think that I was a bit of a neat-freak... which if one knew me at all... the thought would leave them rolling on the floor laughing... but. anyway.) - Kayleigh left to go see R. (Mom, in case you recall a small part of our conversation earlier; she did change her top before leaving. lol.) so... I'm bored while I wait for my Udon Noodle Soup to cook. So... I took the "what kind of flower are you" test. The questions of which had nothing to do with flowers and I'm wondering if I took again with the same answers if it would randomly come up with a different flower... but I'm not that bored. yet. Those of you who know I'm not a neat-freak also know that I don't do anything at all with anything using the word "morning" unless under great distress. Which is going to happen here shortly. unfortunately.

I am a
Morning Glory

What Flower
Are You?

More show and tell

2007-08-20T20:34:00.001-07:00

Diapers

And while I'm on the crafting for Rowdy theme... ~~a few of you~~ my mom has been wanting to see the cloth diapers that I've been working on. So... here ya go! These all are actually from the same pattern (except the sheep one back right - that's from a pattern made from a disposable and I don't think I like it... but will lyk for sure in Jan) which is kinda strange since the two in the front are definately smaller than the two in the back. I think I've attributed that to the amount of pull I gave the elastic when I sewed them. The black in the front is a skeleton fabric that we all love (same as the blanket that I made), and the plaid one is one of Jer's lumberjack shirts that I confiscated. The three in the back are left over flannel from the burp cloths. Various softness for the insides of course (flannel or fleece).
So there you have it... only a gob more to go. lol. They really do work up fairly quickly now. I had most of the 2 front ones cut out already so I did those 2 tonight. Didn't take long. Yay! I think I need to get Kayleigh crafting tho'. OH you should see the DARLING felt mascot book we just got from Japan!!!! Such cuteness!! I'll show you that later.
Anyways, that's some of what I did this weekend and today.
You are now returned to your regularly scheduled web surfing.

(remember: photos get a bit larger if you click on 'em... but it will take you to my flickr pg. Right click & open in a new window if you wanna stay here.)

This alien looking thing is...

2007-08-20T20:27:00.001-07:00

Knit bib

A bib. I was asked to test a pattern for a lady who was creating some knit patterns for resale... and while mine didn't turn out much like the pattern it was fun and fairly quick. Mine turning out not so much like the pattern, btw, was no fault of the pattern maker but rather my lack of knitting skills. lol. But it will still work as a bib. It's just a little wonky.
I'll probably try another one... after I do Rowdy's longies (which I should be doing now) and Kayleigh's fingerless gloves that I promised her... and the bazillion other things that I want to make. :)

Kayleigh & Rowdy at 14 weeks

2007-07-18T15:36:00.001-07:00

Finally... a babybelly pic. :)
14 weeks worth - not much yet but she's normally pretty thin. So cute!

Day three of having our beloved internet back and we are thrust into FAPhell. sigh. My punishment, I suppose, for doing very little laundry and no dishes yesterday... instead choosing to read a few blogs (one of which had many photos)... and well, here we are. So, some laundry is getting done, Kayleigh is off to an aerobics class with Brianna (yes, you read that right!) and any surfing is progressing very very slowly. Painfully slow in fact. But at 1am we should be redeemed and back to normal.

I think we have Kayleigh pretty much ready to leave on friday for her float trip with R. It's kinda like sending your kid off to camp... lol. They get older but you don't stop worrying about them when they are out and about. I know R will take good care of her & Rowdy tho'. Hopefully she'll return with awesome pics - there are beautiful things to see in our mid-west area.

Tomorrow Kayleigh and I are off to Inde to meet with Nathan and find cool (hopefully hip as well as cool temp-wise) spots to shoot during our workshop this coming week, & scope out a restaurant or two. Always fun to meet people I only know from online, and of course, see our buddy Nathan again.

There's a beeping sound coming from ... somewhere... driving me crazy. must go and find...

... and the heavens parted ...

2007-07-16T15:44:00.000-07:00

and Patrick showed up on my doorstep in his YELLOW truck with... wait for it... ... it's worth it I promise... MY NEW AND WORKING TRANSMITTER!!!!
That's right, you heard me correctly... we have hi-speed internet once again. (hear the angels singing??) And a YIPPEEEE was heard round the world. And a YAY or two as well. just. because.

And what have we been doing while doing our time in dial-up hell one might ask? For nearly 2 freakin' months? Well... dishes, laundry, we are actually working on Kayleigh's baby book (well one of them) of photographs... yes, her and I, have been scrappin'! Astounding. We are nearing the completion of book #1 (well, I'll add journaling later along with some embellishments, maybe...) but the images are out of the hateful and ugly magnetic pages and onto cute pages and that's what counts. So some useful things have been accomplished. Can I get a YAY?

I've still got bibs to finish and diapers to sew... blogs to catch up on reading... now with our hi-speed back the options are limited only by FAPhell (Fair Access Policy that states we can only download/look at so many megabytes of data per 24 hour period... damn dictators).

Yeppers... another contest!

2007-06-06T20:34:00.002-07:00

Seems most of what I blog is contest related... some of the contests require the enter-er to post a link to the contest on their blog, and this is one of those. However, you can enter even if you don't have a blog so... if you want to try your hand at winning a SIX month trial of Netflix head on over to 5 minutes for mom and post a comment. I don't mind sharing the chances of winning. :)

3?

2007-06-05T16:48:00.001-07:00

I do a few online surveys (only a few are worth the time) and one is updating my info... where it asks how many are in your household my automatic answer is 4... but now I have to pause and say... 3. :(
She calls almost every day (and we email alot), and Shane called today. :) But I still miss her.

Contest over at The Wooden Porch

2007-06-05T14:38:00.001-07:00

Want a $25. gift certificate for JoAnne's Fabric? You can go ahead and head over to The Wooden Porch and leave a comment to be entered... but the gc is mine. :) But you can still go on over there if ya want.

Since we have several months left over on our Hughesnet contract we are going to make the best of it for now. I was on the phone with tech support for 1.5 hours late last night... and I admit the 3 guys I talked to there were VERY nice and tried to be helpful. And the dumb thing IS working right now... but I expect it to go down again tonight like it does every night. They are sending someone out to look at the transmitter actually. So sometimes I'll be on and sometimes I'll be on dial up. Hughesnet policy still sucks, but their tech support doesn't suck so much. So far.

I'm still trying to get wedding pics uploaded to my flickr site - Bri is going to get me copies of her photos this week. Uploading isn't going so well.

Jer is on a decent shift... 3pm to midnight with weekends off. Yay! We went to see Pirates sunday and, despite what I'd read, it was fab. Loved it. I'd read it was confusing etc... but I didn't find it to be. Maybe I'm just special or something. :) Anyways, Jer still isn't home much in that he gets up, eats and then has to leave, but at least he gets a decent night's sleep. And that's something he wasn't getting on the graveyard shift.

Have I ever said how much I like Sirus' Alt Nation music channel... but how much I dislike Madison the after 5pm dj? Ugh. She just came on. She's horrible.

Awwwwww... I've got kitties sleeping beside me and every now and then they stretch. So freakin cute. Which is what gets me through the times they are being evil (Hannah) and mischievious (When Siesta knocks stuff off the ledge to get me to feed her). I still hold by my belief that cats are really aliens.

The Wedding Report

2007-05-30T12:19:00.000-07:00

Sorry this has taken so long to post - my satellite internet has been mostly down since we returned from Vegas. Very frustrating. I'm going to try to post this from a dial-up account but if the photo doesn't come through just click on over to my flickr acct. and in the set called Us + the girls (or something like that) for the one photo that I have right now!

Onward with the wedding report:
The wedding in Vegas was a smashing success! 19 May was a beautiful day with beautiful people... couldn't ask for more. It really was lovely and Brianna said it was more than how she imagined it. I've only gotten to this one image... the photos from the photographer are here but I've not gotten a copy of them yet from the kids. The Dancing Waters at Bellagio are spectacular. If you've not seen them, and are planning a Vegas trip, be sure to go by and watch - really. We were early to the meeting up place and I spotted the minister pretty easily as he was carrying Brianna's white rose bouquet. :) They did all the paperwork, and we ventured over to one of the lookouts to the Dancing Waters. I think our minister moved some people out of the look out for us. lol. Some photos were taken, then the wedding was underway! I thought I wouldn't cry but of course I did. It was short and sweet... and they were married!!
Afterwards several of us walked the new Bride & Groom to the reception location. On the way people ooohhhed and awwwwed. Her dress wasn't the classic white wedding dress and that drew attention and admirers. Dinner was at the Rainforest Cafe in MGM Grand and it was fab! The wait staff was wonderful and our only complaint was there was just toooo much food. It really was good and the restaurant is fantastic - so many things to look at in the rainforest decor. There was a large waterfall as well as monkeys, elephants, fish tanks... really cool. I wonder if the one out here is as fabulous... have to check that out sometime. :)
Several of my relatives that we rarely see came to celebrate with us and we so appreciated that. So Aunt Diana, Donna & boys, Uncle Gene, Aunt Loriea, Uncle Lloyd & Jerry - thanks!! It was great to see you. (of course mom, dad, Rhonda and her family also... but we see them every now and then! lol. Mucho thanks for hauling us around!) Shane also had his friend Johnny there as well as a couple from Sedalia join him - Jimmy and Charla. It was nice to meet you all!
We all had fun running around Vegas (and had the sore feet to prove it!) - everything is so much farther away than it seems, especially when you are walking! Jerry and Kayleigh got brave and rode the rollercoaster at NYNY that runs outside and around the property. I guess it was quite a wild ride!! The kids really wanted to hit some clubs but Kayleigh won't be 21 until January - and I later heard that Coyote Ugly sucked that night b/c it was just sooooo packed.
Rhonda told us about the Bass Pro Shop having StingRays/BatRays so we took the scenic route there (road construction is fun) and I could have sat and watched them all day they are *that* cool.
Brianna and Shane did some gambling at our hotel, Terribles... I think Brianna came out better there than Shane did but they both had fun.
Had a nice lunch at Hard Rock with mom and dad... Good times.
Now it's back to the real world of jobs and she has the challenge of figuring out what to do with all the stuff from her room that we dumped over at their house before we left for Vegas! (sorry Shane!!) - Kayleigh and I went over to help with that the other day. lol.
They had a celebration here last saturday for those who couldn't come to Vegas with us.
I'll be sending some photos to everyone when we get them - and will post them at flickr. Can't wait to see them!
Congratulations kids! xoxoxoxo

Thursday 13

2007-05-02T21:40:00.000-07:00

Hmmm... new meme I was tagged with... 13 favourite things or 13 whatevers... so, true to form, my 13 things is pretty random. :) - + a bit boring.
1. I love Chai tea. With soy or rice milk.
2. I spend entirely too much time online. This isn't news. to anyone.
3. Jer says if it wasn't for him I'd be the crazy cat lady that everyone hears about but never sees. He's probably right. Maybe. But I'm not telling him that.
4. My favourite job is ... being a mom.
5. My favourite meal is quite possibly chips and salsa from a decent Mexican restaurant. With lots of cilantro - Yum!
6. I don't do mornings. (again, not news. to anyone) I have no problem staying up until 2 or 3am.
7. There are very few places in the US that I want to visit.
8. I don't really care for chocolate, but love bread. A nice garlic bread is mucho better than chocolate any day.
9. I love my cellphone. Jer and I were talking about how $$ our service is but it makes me feel so much better to have it than not to. And it wears a cute frog cover.
10. Obviously I believe that cold pizza is the perfect breakfast food. Altho' just about anything with guacamole on it is a close second.
11. I love knitting + crocheting but get bored with projects easily. I currently have 5 baby afghans that I need to finish.
12. I often have unfinished projects... follow through isn't my strong point.
13. I love to read but have a difficult time finding good books to read. Anyone have any suggestions??

You can get the Thursday13 code here. and see more participants here.
And here.

another contest...

2007-05-01T20:59:00.000-07:00

I've got another contest for you... 5 min. for mom & Best Buy are giving away a 4GB iPod Nano - pink even. Totally cute. As with all of their contests even if you don't have a blog you are welcome to enter just by leaving a comment at 5 min, for mom on the iPod contest page -- just click the banner above. They will be having more Mother's Day giveaways in the next 10 days too.

Not much going on out here... raining alot, our deer family are sighted nearly daily, and we've begun feeding the catfish again. Today about 12 came up... it's hard to tell exactly because they move around and come and go, but between the mass suicide of 2005, and the otter buffet this past winter - we really aren't sure how many or which catfish are left. We see TrainWreck (survivor of the 1st otter attack a few years ago. He is a bit beat up and has only one eye but a terrific appetite) come to eat, and see the albino Albie... but are hoping to also see Stumpy (the fish w/out a tail fin) join the crowd at the table. We didn't feed them last summer very much and I'm enjoying seeing them this year. Yes, our fav catfish are our challenged fish. lol.
Hannah has gotten better... again. After a round of antibiotics she is once again her spawn-of-satan self. (when she's asleep she's an angel)

Anyone out there use Hughesnet for their internet provider? How's that going for you? We are in time-out mode every other day... they throttle us down to less than dial-up speeds when we use more than our share (determined by them) of bandwith by either downloading anything or just viewing webpages. It's really insane. The tag line for Hughesnet is "Broadband Unbound"... curious. How in the world does that make any sense with their policy of basically turning us off every other day? Now some might argue that this is a good thing for internet addicts, kind of an intervention... but I disagree. It just sucks.

Kids have decided on the Rainforest Cafe for their dinner reception in Vegas. Should be fun. So we'll be going to the desert and dining with elephants and tigers and lots of fish. I hear they have an awesome aquarium display of fishies from all over the world. Cool.

Well, the other kid should be home soon so I'm going to go and sign up for the iPod and go be sung to sleep by the rain drumming on our metal roof. :) 'night.

2 Give aways and other ramblings...

2007-04-20T15:50:00.000-07:00

1. Head over to HERE and sign her linky for a chance to win a Philips Digital photo frame. These things are totally cool. You don't even have to have a blog to sign up to win! Really head over there and see. Aside from the contest (and they have them frequently) the 5 minutes for mom gals have a nice blog there. Go. Now.

2. Kayleigh got kicked out of Vicodin world late last week. She was getting dizzy and yucky... a trendy Vicodin addict just is not in her future. She had her splints removed on monday and is a different kid! She's doing fantastic and even drove into town to get her hair trimmed and recolored. I just texted her and she said, "it's awesome! I love it!"... nothing like a new do to renew your spirit. lol. She's out roaming with her friend Mal now.

3. Spring is back!! After chilling temps this past week (to put it mildly) it's back in the 70's which makes me very :). I even mowed some today. The grass was really long and I'm afraid that I hit some stuff in the north 40... which really isn't the north 40... well it IS north but maybe 1.5 and not 40... but it's like ... wild. So I mowed it. I really do ~~sorta~~ understand that our type of mower isn't a mulcher/bush wacker beast type... But anyways, Jer will undoubtedly go over it a bit b/c there are just things I miss. I mow with no pattern or plan... just randomly go here and over here... and then get bored so go over here... and then back here... he of course does it in an ummmm... less random way. But I still love him anyway.

4. Mom, I've not checked out this site yet really but it has some recipe ideas that you might like. GO HERE to look.

5. Yes, I'm here when I should be doing something else... this time it's bills. So I guess I'll go and do them. Yuck. There aren't many of them but still. And the house is now paid off!!! Yay!!! Jer worked really hard to do that and I'm proud of him.

6. ~~Can't think of a six... so off to do those hateful bills.~~ Oh! One more contest. This one is for knitted goodies from a nice lady over at Tea Time Ramblings. Learn more HERE.

7. Now... really... cya!

Vicodin World

2007-04-10T15:40:00.000-07:00

Kayleigh had her nose surgery yesterday and is doing good. By good I mean she's resting a lot and living in Vicodin World. It doesn't completely take the pain away but it's better than not having it. She's weak and tired and hates Vicodin World but... she can move air through *both* sides of her nose now. Yay! :)
For those that I've not contacted yet - her septum was actually broken on the top and all screwed up. No clue how that happened. She has silicon splints in now which are way better than the packing that you see them pull out on those plastic surgery shows on TV... Also on TV they don't show how much it really hurts and how long the initial sleeping drug lasts and totally wears you out. (My spell checker tells me I can't spell anestesia properly, so sleeping drug it is. Course it also tells me that I spelled "yay" wrong... and "monday" too. But I digress...)
She goes to have the splints removed on monday. She does get a little tiny bit stronger every day so I'm sure she'll be up to the drive back to the doctor on monday. If that appointment was today... not so much.
I hate that I have to work tomorrow but I know she'll be fine. I'll leave her with necessities and if she absolutely has to she can wake Jer. She's not been dizzy or anything which is a nice bonus.
I did take a pic when she was out of it and in the recovery room... but I'll not post it here. lol. I don't think she'd like it. I'll do a pic soon tho'... she isn't bruised or anything so there really isn't much to see.
From the "awww how cute" file: Siesta has been sleeping by/on her feet all day (she's on the couch). Oh, and we watched Totoro! Yay! :)

The one where Kayleigh gets a nose job

2007-02-24T20:26:00.000-08:00

I've mentioned to some that we were going to need to schedule some appointments in the near future but hadn't really said what those appointments would be for... well kiddies... they would be for Kayleigh's nose job. lol. Now I know what you're thinking and yes it's true - she has a perfectly fine looking nose. Seriously. BUT it's the inside that's being problematic. She's been having trouble sleeping lately and after taking an aerobics class and actually getting into aerobic breathing mode she noticed that she wasn't doing the breathing part so well. After a visit to our regular doctor, we now have a referral on the way to see an ENT for her Deviated Septum. Not sure if she's had this forever or what... she's not been hit with anything that we know of but that's the diagnosis. Now we just wait for the referal, go see the ENT, get CAT scans, and then schedule the surgery. She always watches those surgery-type shows and would like to film the procedure but I'm doubting that it will be allowed. We'll ask tho'. :)

In bento news... Jer did get bento last night but I forgot to take a pic. Tonight he wasn't blessed with bento and had to take a frozen dinner. I was lazy. :) Besides I don't want him to get tooooo used to it or he'll expect it all the time. :)

Bento!

2007-02-22T21:53:00.000-08:00

Jer and I are trying to eat healthier (doing the go-to-the-freezer-get-the-box less) so... we've gone Bento! if you don't know what bento is do a google search and you'll come up with enough cuteness to make you puke, but in a good way. There's a handy-dandy google search to the left for your searching convience.
Anyways... I made Jer bento to take to work. My first bento creation consists of: brown rice with sesame seeds and green onions, strawberrys/blueberry spears, deviled eggs, mini carrots tied up with a cilantro sprig, and cucumbers that I cut into a cute tulip shape. ^_^ To go with the rice he has broccoli, mushrooms, green peppers, summer squash, zucchini, and onions sauted in olive oil and later drizzled with sesame oil. Also there is a bit of wasabi terriaki sauce and a tub of ranch, with a skull on it to help offset the cute cucumber flowers. Often bentos are housed in cute boxes and have a theme, but I'm starting small.

Not Buying it - Living Simply

2007-01-23T17:28:00.000-08:00

Well, I've been reading. Books. I specify because I'm also a big blog reader and, lets face it, some blogs are just like books. Only online. And actually many blogs I've read are more entertaining and cleverly written than this book -
Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping by Judith Levine. I was interested in the subject of not buying into the "American Way" and purchasing things just because we think we need them when that often just isn't the case. However... I had hoped this would be an account of the authors adventures in not buying. There has to be funny moments in that right? Apparently not. The author is taking the serious route and sprinkles this narrative with facts. statistics. Boring stuff even on a good day. So... since I would like to see how this all turns out for the author I muddle through and skip the parts that I find boring. Read it if you must - Marketing majors or others interested in the economy as such may find it enjoyable. Everyone who knows me knows that I live in a bit of statisticfree land... I know how the economy works I don't need a detailed roadmap. Next time I'll tell you about The Traveler's wife... It's so good I don't want to finish it yet!
And now as I get back to the Gilmore Girls on TV, I leave you with George, who unlike the book, is funny as hell. (even the Gilmores were boring tonight. blech.) (rated PG for language):

My baby is 20!

2007-01-08T13:24:00.000-08:00

Kayleigh had a good 20th birthday; watched movies mostly and ate too much.
We had pizza and rather than cake she choose ice cream and cobbler so we have (still) peach and berry. Yum! That's where the eating too much comes in! She received several thoughtful gifts and cards and spent the day with her friends/family.

Movie reviews for ya (hover over titles for more info):
Little Miss Sunshine (rated R probably.) -- movie I'd not really heard about but what a riot! Alan Arkin steals the show as the grandfather of one of the most dysfunctional families you'll ever see. If you like off-beat stuff this is it. Very likable. I say it's probably rated R because I really don't look anymore, but there was some language in it.
Accepted which was actually pretty funny and something that hasn't been done over and over. Uniqueness is seriously lacking in the movie industry these days so this was kind of a nice twist on being inventive when you not only don't get accepted at the college of your dreams, but any college!
No party is complete without a viewing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show! Some people would be aghast that my girls know and enjoy this movie but we all love it, hovever, they've never had the experience of attending a live midnight showing, which is unfortunate. I experienced it several times in the early 80's and it was so fun! I later went with Jer to a showing in a much larger city (Sacramento) and it was very different than my small-town showing. Sac had managed to make it quite crude and the responses were more often so that you really couldn't even enjoy the movie for what it was. It's a fun diversion and if you are a fan there is some tasty trivia here.
The last movie was The Butterfly Effect 2 - if you saw the first version of this series... it's basically the same stuff different people.
So that's your movie reviews! :)