Leap year!

Because my birthday only come every 4 years, this is my shameless post to get birthday wishes! I have over 100 readers a week (probably the same people over and over again), and I expect everyone of you to tell me HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Ok... I'm JUST KIDDING! But I am a big fan of birthdays!

Several issues for advice now:

Kali is apparently a klepto and lacks little impulse control! (Some of you are probably thinking duh, about the impulse control!) Anyway, this week she told the teacher that this pink bracelet was hers... the teacher sent it home in a back w/a note and I was supposed to tell the teacher if it was Kalis... Kali threw the note away and hid the bracelet in her backpack... big sis told on her... we wrote a note to the teacher that had to be signed and brought back... Kali didn't bring the note back, but said her teacher just didn't give it to her... I walked her in to school today and found the note in Kali's locker... the teacher had never seen it. Also in the locker was a jacket that Kali had worn home a while ago that she said a friend had let her borrow that apparently came from the lost and found... I guess lost and found to her means she found it! Anyway, on top of all of this, on Wednesday night, she peeled the paint off of the church wall while she was sitting in time out. I didn't even notice it and the music minister called me to rat her out! Robert thinks she should paint the church wall again... and she had to spend the afternoon yesterday picking up dog poop... but I'm not exactly sure what punishment would be best for all of this. She has really been struggling in school and I'm beginning to think that the testing in a few weeks is going to show ADD, which might take care of some of this, but AuGGGGHHH!!!

Oh, and I weighed in yesterday... I've lost 17.6 pounds! I'm quite proud, but I'm guessing my 3 days of bd celebration might cut into next weeks weight loss!

Oh... and if you are a man you should stop reading now... I need some serious prayers lifted... I went for my pap last week and the results came back as mild dysplasia... I went for a biopsy yesterday and the cells were in the exact same place that I had difficulties with when I was 18. It took many, many procedures and tons of money to take care of this last time... not to mention the pain... just pray that all of this will be manageable and that I won't stress myself out thinking about it! Besides worrying about the chance that the tests could come back cancerous or something, it puts me in a 'I'm a sorry person' kind-of mood. For anyone who knows anything about me, you know that I was quite the wild child as a teen and waiting until marriage wasn't exactly on my list of priorities. One of the consequences of those days was this situation at 18... and it is hard not to sit and question everything about myself at 32 just because it is back... 14 yrs ago there was no diagnosis of HPV... and that is what the cause of most abnormal paps these days are... but it is no less frustrating that to a certain respect I brought this on myself! Anyway, I know I have been forgiven... so this isn't a woah is me kind-of thing... it just frustrates me!

Anyway... thanks for the prayers and bd wishes and any advice on Kali would be much appreciated!

My afternoon...

When you get out of the car and you hear a hissing noise, it is probably not a good sign. When we got home from school today, I opened the door to hear a hiss... not a snake hiss... more like tire losing air hiss. I felt around and found that my tire was losing air. This is what it looked like 5 min later. I called Rt and he told me to get the bars from under the seat and roll my tire down... um, yeah honey.

These are the bars...

This is the hole...

This is how the bars go together....

And if you turn them counterclockwise...this is what comes down from the bottom of the car...

Now, how in the world would I have figured that out stranded on the side of the road??? The same way I did today... on the phone with my husband! I wish there was a way to record the conversation... put the pole with the square end in the round hole... you should feel a cone, slide the pole into the cone... the square will lock into the bottom of the cone... turn the poles counterclockwise and the tire will come down! I got that far and then I took a look at the very tiny jack and felt the 30 mph winds and said, "Honey, will you please come change this?"

Hope your day was better!

A new week begins...

Every Sunday night I have the same thought... my weekend needs one more day! This weekend was packed full of places to be and things to do which means that I got absolutely no rest time. Friday night was softball tryouts for the girls and then dinner at the mall. Saturday brought a day of cleaning (YUCK!) by the girls and I (which really means me cleaning and the girls spending the day in trouble) while Rt trimmed trees for my parents. He got home at 3:30 and we turned around and left for our Sunday school party at 5:30. And of course today brought church and then I decided to go shopping... I basically was gone from 9am this morning until 9pm tonight between church, shopping, and church! After I got home there was dittos to get ready (as much as I said I wasn't going to do it, I just couldn't not go to the sale). Now it is 11pm, and I really should be in bed...

Sorry for the boring post... I thought I would come up with some poetic commentary on life... but my brain is too tired! Hope everyone had a good weekend! Oh, and spell check works now!

Nothing new to say...

Not a lot happening in our lives right now... everyone is well at this moment (knock on wood) and the only drama is whether or not I am going to FORCE Megs to sign up for softball tomorrow! I know she needs physical activity and I thought softball would be fun! Little did I know it would cause 3 days of tears! Now I have to decide what will be worse... to let her sit on her butt or to force her to play something she thinks she will stink at! UGH! The joys of parenting!

Dittos for Kiddos is in a couple of weeks, but all the stuff has to be entered by Sunday night. I haven't done spring dittos in about 3 yrs, because I simply do not have the time to get it all done! This semester isn't much different, except that I want the money to put away for Mexico spending money! I'm just not sure that stressing myself out trying to get it all done is worth it! Decisions, decisions!

Is anyone watching American Idol??? Who is your fave??? I'm watching the male show from earlier this week (I DVR the episodes so I can skip all the talking!) and hope to watch the female show and tonights episode before bed... that is if I can stay awake!


EDIT: And I only thought there was nothing interesting in my life... I went to change out the laundry and saw a freakin' skunk hangin' outside... I put the dogs up in the bedroom, warned the kids, got the pistol out of the gun cabinet, and opened the door... Rt's pistol is all fancified and I couldn't figure out how to turn on the lazer and the light... I unloaded the stinkin' clip and still got to see the backside of the skunk walk away... I can only hope I injured the smelly creature so he doesn't come back! I sent Rt a text and I bet he is laughing his butt off in class! I'm just guessing here... but I imagine I will be taking some shooting lessons from my hubs this weekend! I NEED TO MOVE BACK TO TOWN!!!!!

Another day, another illness...

Megs came home from a sleepover yesterday telling us she didn't feel so great... before I knew it she was complaining of a fever and a sore throat... I got the flashlight and looked in her throat to find that nice white spots that every parent dreads! Strep! YUCK! She is starting to feel better, but only after managing to throw up on both the floor and the couch! Kali threw the biggest hissy ever about not wanting to go to school because Megs got to stay home! I think I need a calgon day... Back to disinfecting I go...

We have PUPPIES!

Wednesday brought no sleep to my weary self... Daphne (Rts dog) paced and paced, hid under beds, and whimpered and whined! She was quite a handful! We determined that she was going into labor, but what exactly were we supposed to do about that??? She refused to go outside this morning so Rt locked her in our bathroom! I just couldn't stand it... so I came home at lunch and low and behold there Daphne was in my bedroom floor with 8 little puppies! Did you catch that part... my bedroom floor... on the carpet... yuck! Oh well... I already shampoed it all out! So I guess it's ok!

This little white one is my favorite. Look at his ears stickin' all out like Yoda! The rest of the pups have ears that lay down! Anyway, I'll try not to get too attached... but the odds are slim!



Anyway, they'll be ready to give away in 8 wks... if anyone wants one!

What time of day are you?

Found this on Sarah's blog...



I like the description better than the picture, but it makes sense!

You are the time of day when everyone is making plans for the night, but there's still an element of mystery about what exactly will happen. You are the moment when your hair looks just right and you're calling or texting friends to make last-minute arrangements about where and when you'll get together. Your time of day is full of possibilities. You're still not sure who might show up, and the night is full of electricity and hope. You are ready for anything, and excited about making the most of whatever (or whoever) crosses your path.

Positive Thinking...

I am attempting to work on my attitude toward life... I have become so cynical and questioning of the happenings around me and people's motives. I went to the bookstore today and bought these cute little books that include bible verses, inspirational quotations, and essays for saying thanks, giving comfort, sharing God's love, and friendship. I decided that if nothing else, reading something positive throughout my day might aid in a more positive view on life... and who knows, occasionally it might give me something to blog about when I have nothing to add!

Here are a few quotes that I found interesting today...

The truth of the Gospel is intended to free us to love God and others with our whole heart. (John Eldredge)

No matter how crazy or nutty your life seemed, God can make something strong and good out of it. He can help you grow wide branches for others to use as shelter. (Barbara Johnson)

If you won't fill your heart with gratitude, the devil will fill it with something else. (Marie T. Freeman)

We long to find someone who has been where we've been, who shares our fragile skies, who sees our sunsets with the same shades of blue. (Beth Moore)

Vacation...

Have you every felt like you needed a vacation from your vacation? I had an awesome weekend with my friends at the lakehouse... I'm not even sure I can put it all into words. It is awesome to have a group of people that you can be brutally honest with and know that they are still going to love you. I have had one or two friends like that along that way, but never a group of people that I would trust with my life. I'll post pictures when they get emailed to me...

Although we didn't intend on shopping, we ended up at Northeast mall so that we could go bra searching. After trying on every bra type in Fredericks of Hollywood we ended up at Victoria Secret. Let's just say that although the bras are entirely tooooo expensive, I FINALLY found one that fit perfectly! This may seem like a small feat, but I have been searching and searching for the perfect bra since Target redesigned my favorite one about a year ago. Anyway, I am not so excited about the cost of each one... but if I had gone there in the beginning I might not have bought the 5 others that just went in the trash can! You would think that designers would try harder to design bras that actually fit the average woman... especially since there are so many of us! Maybe we should go on bra strike... um, nevermind...

I started Weight Watchers on Jan 7th and when I went in on Feb 7th I had lost 11.6 pounds. (I probably gained them all back this weekend!) It hasn't been all that difficult to stick to... there are lots of resources available and that helps! My goal is to lose 50 pounds before we go to Mexico in May... at this rate I might just do it! YEAH!

Thanks a bunches...

Thanks f0r the comments on the previous post... they were uplifting! Brandi is praying that the rest of my week goes better... so I'm helping that prayer along a little... I leave after lunch Friday to go to my cousin's lakehouse for a time of R & R with some of my favorite people! No kids... no husbands... no real plans... that is exactly what the dr ordered, in my opinion! While I am gone, my family can continue the 14 loads of laundry that are in the kitchen floor, continue to check heads, and take care of the puppies that are going to come any day now! I am not going to worry about it one bit... Hope everyone has a good weekend!

God or Devil???

If you have read my blog in the last month, you know that there are things coming at me from all sides... I mean, just this week we've had a skunk, throw up, and lice and it's only Wednesday! Here's my question of the day: How do you know when it is God not giving you more than you can handle vs. the devil trying to get in your way? Any insight here would be awesome!

SKUNK!!!!

So... do you know what happens when a little white shihtzu runs into a big ole skunk???? The little white shihtzu comes into the house with a big yellow stain of spray upon his forehead! AUGH! Did you also know that there is nothing you can do about it when the spray is upon said dog's forehead because his eyes are so buggy that the usual remedies could blind him???? I NEED TO MOVE BACK TO THE CITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok, now that that is out... short of running to the store to buy a douche (which is one of the remedies I read that is safe for the face) I have tried just about everything else that we could think of. Just so you know, tomato sauce doesn't work... neither does dog shampoo... or baking soda... or kitchen soap! I wonder if the dog groomer could get this smell out tomorrow???? UGH! Good thing I'm leaving town this weekend and won't be stuck in the house with the smells! Know any good real estate agents????

Oh my... what a day...

Kali's head had been all itchy for quite a few days ... being the great mom that I am, I chalked it up to dry skin (which we all have) and put it out of my mind. Well, this morning, she was laying in my bed scratching her head like crazy and Rt says "People are going to think she has bugs if she keeps scratching like that" (do you hear the dum, dum, dum music yet?). Yep, we did a little exam and found bugs... a lot of bugs... icky little lice!

Then to top things off, I sent Megs to school (after thoroughly checking her out) only to have the nurse call and hour later to tell me that she had thrown-up and was pale like a sheet! So, I had to run and get her! I am almost positive that her episode was from taking her tamiflu on an empty stomach as I felt much the same way before I ate breakfast!

So, now, I am home again (remember, I spent several days last week taking care of the fam with the flu) disinfecting my house again (did that this weekend to kill the flu bug) with children who aren't really sick and don't think they need to be stuck in the house! Can you say Calgon take me way????

ps... spellcheck isn't working, sorry if there are any mess ups...