Summer Fun!

Whew!! Where has the summer gone?!? Seems like just last week I was getting the kids ready to be done with the school year, and here it is AUGUST! Jeepers!! This summer has been so full of fun stuff so far! Friends, fun, and renovation!! We've had a few cook outs here with friends, a few trips to the beach, and lots of time spent in the bathroom...he he he Today had to be the BEST day at the beach though. Derrick and I went down to Ray's so Bub could sleep today. The last few times I've taken Derrick swimming, he's been TERRIFIED of being in the water on his own, even with a life jacket on! Every time he's gotten better, but today he did simply wonderful! Ray's was a bit windy, enough so that there were good size waves making their way to shore. He held my hand walking into the lake, and wasn't quite sure what to do about the first few waves that rolled across his legs. As we got out further and the waves inched higher up on him, I showed him how to jump up with the waves. He tried the first few times still holding on to my hand, and then let go and went on his own! We spent TWO HOURS jumping the "wabes"! Towards the end he got brave enough to try floating on his back by himself, and dunking his face in the water by himself! These are GIANT steps for him in terms of swimming! For those who were wondering, YES, he was wearing a life jacket LOL We also tried playing with his inflatable basketball & hoop that are meant for water play, but between the waves and the wind, that proved to be quite a challenge, but LOTS of fun! I'm SO proud of my little guy for all of his hard work learning how to swim!

Derrick had a blast in early July spending a week with Neenee and Papa in Oshkosh, and now is eagerly looking forward to spending some time with Grampa Mike and Gramma Roxy at the farm this weekend. Between swimming, basketball, and going to the farm, he's been talking nonstop about one of those three topics! He misses his brothers like crazy, and he knows they're in "Norf Caroleena" (Carolina) with their "nisters" (sisters), cuz I don't think he'd grasp the idea of them having a different father than Bubba at this point in his life. Talin has proven where Bubba stands in his life though. He has a bunny at his father's house that he named Junior, after BUB'S favorite Nascar racer, and he left a message on the machine last weekend saying he was "Talin Roth-Neitge." All I could do is smile...I love the way that kid thinks sometimes! LOL While Jesse may be their father, Bub is truly Talin & Trey's dad.

The bathroom is coming along in slow, small steps. We have the majority of the walls torn out, just a small bit left behind the tub to pull out. We have the vanity bought and here, but no counter top or faucets for it yet. We have the vanity light up and working, but no mirror/medicine cabinet bought yet...even though we're pretty sure we have one picked out. We have the toilet, tub, shower fixtures, and shower wall surround picked out, though not bought yet, but we DO have the two recessed lights that are going above the tub installed and working, as well as the exhaust fan. We're going to sheetrock and paint the walls that aren't covered by the surround, and to tile the floor. We've found colors for the walls and tiles that we both like, but more than likely won't know until all of the fixtures are in what we're going with for sure. We're going to need a smaller window, but at least it will be able to be seen now, and not hidden by a shower curtain and practically useless by any standard. This week/end will hopefully see the insulation up on the ceiling, and potentially the ceiling itself up. Wouldn't that be awesome?!?

More to come when I have a sec to hop on here and write! Hope everyone is enjoing a fantastic summer!!

MAY?!?!?

April kinda snuck by me, not quite sure how it's May already, but somehow it is. April started off with a trip to MN with my friend Rhonda, for an appointment with a dietary specialist for her two youngest kids' dietary needs. Their father managed to find his way there...boy did he look like crap! LOL OMG!! I love going to this stuff with her because I always learn something and it makes it easier for me to understand her when she talks about it. And I feel better about watching them for her cuz I have a pretty good idea of a lot of things they can eat, a lot of things they can't eat, and I usually have something around for them just in case ;o)

Trey's Swim Team banquet was....interesting. Next year I'll be sure to have more than one alcoholic beverage, and only one kid to keep track of while there LOL Then came the birthday parties for Bub's nephews that was cancelled due to a storm that was 100% sure to hit and never did. So much for 100%! Remind me to be a meterologist when I grow up, cuz then I can be absolutely dead wrong at my job and still know it's waiting for me in the morning! LOL

We took some time to go through the kids' rooms for the first of two times this year. It never ceases to amaze me how much CRAP we haul out of their rooms every time we do this!! This year we got a 39 gallon garbage bag STUFFED full of I don't even wanna know what!! I think I'm gonna boycott kids playing with toys and just put foam on their walls, air mattresses on their floors, and call it entertainment for the young 'uns! LOL

My sister's birthday came around, and she's finally what most people consider in her "late 20s," she's 27!! Ha ha Blondie...had to do it to ya LOL We also had the triple birthday party at the farm for Bub's dad, sister and brother. That's always nice to go to and see everyone. Bub had to work that night so he didn't get a ton of sleep that day, but he did okay :o)

Then came Talin's field trip to the State Park with his class. I chaperoned this since I'd chaperoned most of Trey's field trips when he was that age, too. Oh, and I love this field trip cuz we're outside all day long and I always learn something from the very knowledgeable woman who leads the tour. Not to mention it was a perfect day for that trip...we were treated to a warm, sunny, nature-filled day!

Then came the rescheduled birthday parties for Bub's nephews. Due to his work schedule he wasn't able to go, but his mom & step-dad came here Friday night, spent the night, and we followed them to the party while Bub slept during the day. Oh, and we made home-made EGG ROLLS!! These are my F-A-V-O-R-I-T-E food in the whole world, and have been for a VERY long time! The birthday party was a lot of fun...it was nice to see my sister-in-law, her husband and play with the boys. Derrick had a bit of a cold that day and wasn't his usual self, but did well and slept all the way home.

I went out with my friend Kayte that night while Bub was working and my mother-in-law kept the kids in line. Man did we have a BLAST!! I don't remember the last time before then that we closed down the bar and wound up at Perkin's to get a bite to eat before heading home! I didn't hit the sheets until 3:30 AM!! I was up by 9 that morning too, and stayed up the rest of the day. I was tired by bed time that night though!! LOL Still wonder how in the world I managed to do that as much as I did back when I was younger!! LOL

Yep, that was April...not busy, not quiet, just active enough to kinda slip by me unnoticed. May promises to keep me a little busier it looks like! Trey has a music program this week, I work this weekend, next weekend is Talin's 7th birthday, the week after that Bub's sister graduates from high school and it's my dad's birthday over Memorial Day weekend, and then it's JUNE! HO-LEE MOLEY!! LOL I swear I'm gonna blog more often than once a month from now on, K? LOL Thanks for stickin with me!!

Quiet Times

Oh my gosh...how did a month fly by!? Well, in reading my last blog (I had to see where I left off!) I see that I left off with the baptism and my week off from work. So, I'll start with Saturday!


Saturday morning was a busy morning here for us, as Trey & Talin were getting ready to spend the week in Cadott with their father as he was here from North Carolina visiting his family during Easter. Trey & Talin were off from school the whole week, so I know they enjoyed spending more time than they're used to with him at Easter, especially since it didn't work out for their father to meet me for his visit with them at Thanksgiving OR Christmas breaks. I liked that I didn't have to drive to Indiana ;o) About an hour before I was going to bring them into Cadott, I figured I'd better look through their overnight bags to see what they packed for clothes. Good thing I did!! So while we were trying to get enough of everything packed up for them, it hit me....we can't find ANYTHING in their room because there's SO MUCH CRAP!! Their closet wasn't useable...the clothes were hung, but the floor was littered with other clothes that had fallen off the hooks, toys, papers, and goodness knows what else!! Now, I'd already been bitten by the Spring Cleaning bug and was more than eager to dig in, so this became my first mission. We got the closet walkable again, and their bags packed correctly this time, and headed out!! Two down, one to go! LOL


Sunday was the baptism. The church we needed to be at starts an hour and a half later than our regular church does, so one would think that this would be a piece of cake to get to on time, right? WRONG! I woke up at 8, which is sleeping in for me, so I was already behind...great way to start the day! After a quick shower and blow-drying my hair, I decided that Rhonda and my attempt at dying my hair blonde the night before still wasn't to my liking, as the color turned out not to be blonde, but closer to a strawberry-blonde/caramel color. Luckily I had another box of dye around, but thoughts of my hair falling out in clumps as I walked to the front of the church haunted me, so I called Kayte since I KNEW she'd know!! After being assured I wouldn't be bald if I added another box of dye to my hair, I quick brushed out my hair and slopped box #2 on, let it set for the alotted half hour, and picked out the clothes Derrick and I were going to wear before showering AGAIN!. Then I HAD to make sure that the color turned out, so I once again got out my handy dandy hair dryer. Much better!! So I was all ready to go...but there was the issue of Derrick. I don't think he could have been less cooperative than he was that morning!!


After the hair color fiasco, I went to get Derrick dressed and ready to go. We only had half an hour to get to the church by that point...but how hard is dressing a toddler?? Apparently, it's hard on days when you NEED to be to church on time! LOL The first outfit I picked out while my hair was soaking in box #2 was too small on him, so I took it off and went to get a different one. While I was gone, he got himself dressed in the first outfit again!! UGH!! So I had to fight to get those clothes off of him, and get the other clothes on him. He tried to get himself undressed again, but then I suggested maybe he should eat breakfast and watch Dora (his favorite TV program right now). That worked for a little bit. Then I tried to get his nice shoes on him. Nope, he wanted his boots. Snow boots and church clothes at a foreign church for a baptism...ummm....no. So that was a struggle. Coat...where's his coat? Got that...okay good. Think I could get that on him?? He thought if his coat was on he wasn't going to get to watch Dora anymore...I mean Heaven forbid we leave before it's done, especially considering he's seen it 639 times before!!


At 10:25 AM, I finally had him ready to go, under protest and only by the power of bribery of gum after he was in the truck, to the church that typically is about a 3 to 5 minute drive away. Today though, I got stuck behind a driver who decided that they needed to go about 10 miles an hour and come to almost a complete stop at every intersection, even if there was no stop sign! And when I got to one of the intersections that typically there's NO traffic at, I might as well have watched the Macy's Christmas parade!! So, we arrived to the baptism at the church a couple of minutes late. I felt so bad for Rhonda...I was sure she was sweating bowling balls when I wasn't there on time!! Of course, by the time we got to the church, Derrick had magically transformed into the happy little guy he usually is, giving no hint of the drama that had taken place beforehand. The rest of the day was wonderful...Bub even came to the party after the baptism when he was done with work :o)


We went home, and I started making lists of supplies I needed to spring clean the house during the week, making lists of what I wanted to do in each room, and started cleaning things up so I had some of it done before I dug in the next day. Of course I spent a lot of time with Derrick since his brothers weren't around, and we got in some really good mommy/baby time, which was nice :o)


Then came Monday morning. Derrick went to daycare, and I got started on the house. The living room and den were first on my list. After 13 hours of busting my behind, my living room and den were cleaner than they'd been in quite awhile!! Walls were dusted and wiped down, windows were cleaned, the TV center was cleaned and organized, drapes were washed and rehung, blankets were washed and refolded, furniture was vacuumed and scrubbed where it needed, wall hangings were cleaned and rehung, and as much clutter as humanly possible was disposed of...YAY! One entire garbage bag full of papers and junk was hauled out of my living room and den! Feeling pretty good about the fact that I cleaned TWO rooms in a day, I figured I'd have MORE than enough time to clean the rest of the rooms (kitchen, our bedroom, dining room and front entry way) before the weekend was up. As you know already, I am an IDIOT!


Tuesday was kitchen day. Should be a piece of cake seeing as how the kitchen is only about as big as our living room, and I'd cleaned TWO rooms on a MONDAY! After another full day of cleaning, organizing, sorting, tossing, and wondering how we all managed to survive living in this cesspool with our relative health still intact, I was only HALF done with the kitchen by day's end!! So, my original confidence was deflated to practically nothing. Wednesday found me working on the kitchen yet again, and the realization that our bedroom was going to have to wait for a different week was readily apparent. But, after I was done spring cleaning the kitchen, I would have happily eaten just about anything off of my floor...before the dogs walked all over it that is!


Thursday I began the most daunting task on my list...the dreaded DINING ROOM....AHHHHH!! Well, as much as cleaning this room sucked, and for being so small and still taking me TWO DAYS to sort through and clean, and another two days to paint with my friend Rhonda, I can't say I'm disappointed in the outcome. Other than needing some different flooring and trim, and a new door, we LOVE it!! We moved the toy box that had been substituting for a crap catcher up into Derrick's room where it is now serving its intended purpose of keeping toys off of the floor to keep us adults from tripping over them and breaking our necks. We decided to move some of the furniture around after I was ALL done cleaning it on Friday, and then Saturday came the FUN part...PAINTING!! My friend Rhonda loves this stuff, so she came over happily to help with the stuff I hate...detailing around the trim. Give me a roller baby...and show me a wall!! LOL It took the two of us about three hours to put the first coat on. Since that definitely deserved a reward, I treated us to dinner at the Fill-Inn Station. Great eats!! Then we came back and got started on round two. Wow...what a difference!! Our dining room went from shades of pastel puke green and white to a rich deep red color....LOOOOOVE it!! Bubba put the curtains and rods up Sunday evening, after the paint was SURE to be dry, and it has been wonderful sitting in there ever since!

Sunday I took time to clean out the front entry way and load the truck up with all the crap that had been sitting there collecting dust and taking up space, making our entry way virtually unuseable. I cleaned out the closet, organized the clothes in there, tossed out enough shoes to make Nike look like a flea market, and contemplated marketing spider webs as the newest stuffing substance since my broom was starting to look like a rectangular sheep. Seeing as it was Easter, a call to family was in line, so I called everyone to wish them a Happy Easter while I was cleaning. Then later we went to Bub's granparents' house for supper, and I went to pick the boys up from their visit with their father. They had a good time, but were happy to be going home. And they were SHOCKED by the changes in the house when the walked in...YAY!! Monday brought us back to reality. The kids went back to school. I went back to work. But I was glad not to have so much to think about while I was working, that's for sure!!

I'M FREE!! (Kind Of!!)

It’s 11:27 PM on Saturday night, March 14, and I couldn’t be happier!! I have all of next week off, and I’m so PSYCHED!! The last time I had any substantial amount of time off from work was when Derrick was born 3-1/2 years ago, and while I wasn’t at my place of employment working, I certainly wasn’t relaxing!! Between Derrick in the hospital, getting married, Derrick coming home from the hospital, doctor visits, and just basic infant care all by itself, relaxation wasn’t exactly on the "To Do" list at that point. Not that it really is this time around either, but at least the OPTION is available should I care to indulge myself a little bit...and I just might!!

Before all that relaxing though, I have plans to whip this place into shape. I won’t have the kids underfoot to get in my way, Bub will be either working or sleeping most of the time, and Derrick will have a TON more fun at daycare playing with his friends than he will staying home watching mommy clean house. And when I say clean, I mean CLEAN!! Walls are getting wiped down, lights and fans are getting cleaned, appliances are being washed up, cupboards & closets are being organized and sorted through, floors are getting scrubbed. I plan on tackling one room a day...the kitchen, living room and our bedroom (the kids’ rooms go through this twice a year...once in the summer and once closer to Christmas).

Then comes my Everest...my mission...THE DINING ROOM!! Bub and I have picked a color we want to paint the walls, a color we want to paint the ceiling, we have chosen the flooring we hope to put in, we found some baseboard trim we both like, and I have my eye out for some curtains and lights that will pull the whole thing together. If things go as planned, and they probably won’t...because do they ever?? LOL...I should have the dining room done in three to four days. The only thing left to do in there then will be to replace the exterior door, and that will happen when the weather is a little warmer than 35 to 40 degrees on a GOOD day LOL I can’t WAIT to see it once it’s all done...I’ll be sure to post before and after pics!!

The other big thing is that I will be a Godmother again on Sunday to my friend’s baby boy...and I’m super excuted for that!! My other friend’s sister, who I wrote about in my last blog, is doing REMARKABLY better, though she’ll likely still be in the hospital for awhile yet while she continues healing and regaining her strength. Thank you to everyone who prayed for them!! Ummmm....no big plans for Easter this year...probably just church and then maybe brunch or something. Of course we’ll have baskets for the kids though But yeah, my big hope is to have this place weeded out and whipped into shape, and the dining room’s face lift done before returning to work on the 24th. Wish me luck!!

You Just Never Know

Well this week has certainly started out interesting, that's for sure!! Sunday was my best friend Rhonda's birthday. She turned 29, and swears she's done aging LOL There's been a virus making the rounds here, and I wasn't feeling the greatest, and even after talking to her for over an hour that day, and seeing her briefly to give her some clothes I found for the kids on clearance, I still didn't remember until late afternoon time!! That's proof right there that I wasn't feeling well...I'm usually right on top of the birthday thing!! LOL Sounds like she had a good day though, and that's a great start to the last go-round of the turbublent 20s! LOL

The other werid thing that happened this week was, that same day, AFTER I'd realized it was Rhonda's birthday and called to tell her what an idiot I am for forgetting LOL was that my best friend Kayte called me frantic, telling me that her sister was in the hospital. After listening to the situation, I went up to sit with her for a few hours. When we went in to see her sister, it was really strange for me. Not seeing her in the condition she's in, but not being intimidated or scared of what I saw. Of course my heart ached for her and I immediately wished there was something, anything I could do, but of course I'm helpless, and I hate that feeling. But at least I wasn't scared or intimidated. I was calm and, most importantly to me, able to be a support to Kayte. For those of you who are the praying type, if you feel so inclined to keep their family & friends in your prayers of healing, I know they would all appreciate it.

This weekend is probably Trey's last swim meet. I've looked at the qualifying times for the meet next weekend, the state meet, and he's a good 10 seconds off the mark for any of his individual or relay events. I'm sure next year he'll have a better chance of making it to state, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. He's already expressed a desire to be on the team again next fall, so I'm happy to be able to know that so we can start working towards helping him be on the team again. He's really enjoyed it, and his swimming skills have improved significantly!

Otherwise not a whole lot new. Just trying to hold on tight while this virus makes its way through the house again. I work the rest of this week, all of next week, and then I have an ENTIRE WEEK OFF!! There's only been one other time I've had a paid "vacation," and that was when I was on maternity leave after Derrick was born. That wasn't much of a vacation though, cuz we were going to the hospital every day for the first 19 days, and we got married somewhere in there too LOL I was only off for six weeks before I had to go back to work, and a lot of that was just run, run run!! This time around I'm going to RELAX, even if it's just a little bit!! We were supposed to go visit a friend, that was the original plan, but since she's not talking to us I guess that's not gonna happen. That's okay though...it'll give me a chance to get some spring cleaning done around here, and spend some quality time with my guys...definite bonus!!

I'll post again soon...have a great one!!

Warmer Weather and Higher Spirits

These last couple of days have been SOOOOO nice weather-wise!! At least, compared to the last few weeks that have been so bitterly cold and miserable. The sound of snow melting is music to my ears!! I even walked around for awhile yesterday with no coat on which, for me, is a big thing since I H-A-T-E being cold.

Otherwise not a whole lot new went on this week. Talin stayed healthy all week this week...yay!! We go to the doctor to get his ankle checked tomorrow morning. Our taxes were deposited this week, and so we used most of that to pay off some bills. I can't wait for the day when we can take that sucker and do something fun with ALL of it!! Just once I'd like to be able to do that...just once!!

Bub became certified at work this week in his department, so he'll begin working the shift he was hired for next weekend, as well as working the required overtime every week. Hopefully things go smoothly for him during this transition. He saw his doctor Friday for a check-up on things, and all seems to be going well...YAY!!

We haven't done a whole lot more with the bathroom project this week. Tossed around a few ideas about things, but nothing much else. Hopefully one day this week or next weekend we'll be able to go out and look again and start making some decisions. A friend of mine & her husband gave their bathroom a face lift, and when I saw that it inspired me to keep pressing on, so I'm really looking forward to getting this project off the ground and start turning our crud cave into a relaxing retreat. I'm also hoping to have the dining room's face lift, not complete remodel but at least an updated look, done before this Christmas. Some different paint, flooring, curtains and trim, and some updated lighting and that room should be done, at least temporarily!!

For now though, I should get back to cleaning up what's still here. Happy Sunday to everyone, hope your week is wonderful!!

My Kid Has Triple-A!!

Well, like the title says, as of right now my 6 year old has triple A's...Adderall for ADHD, amoxicillin for strep, and his ankle is broken!! This poor kid has really been through the ringer the last couple of weeks. Tal & I had influenza at the beginning of February. He went to school for one day and started complaining of a headache that night. His temp was back for another two days. At that point they had a 5 day break from school, and he recovered fully, resuming school last Wednesday.

During that break, on Monday, he was walking up the stairs when his ankle "snapped." This snap was loud enough for Trey to hear it across the room. He cried and told me it hurt, and was limping on it the rest of the night. I looked at it Monday night and sure enough, the thing was swollen up and bruised. So we propped it up on a tiger for the night and I gave him some ibuprofen to help with the pain overnight. Tuesday morning he was still limping, it was still swollen and bruised, and I figured he'd probably better stay off it at school during recess and gym for the rest of the week. BUT...I know that my assessment of this situation, and the fact that my kid is limping with a wrapped, swollen, bruised ankle is not enough to convince the folks at school that he really should probably take it easy on it, so I made an appointment with a doctor, so I could send a note with Talin to school from someone who knows about these kinds of things, since it's so obvious that even I, as his mother, could never have figured out that he needs to stay off it for a bit.

At the doctor's office we went in, he showed the nurse his ankle, he showed the doctor his ankle, we had x-rays done of his ankle, and we looked at the x-rays of his ankle. The doctor couldn't quite tell if the tendon had pulled a small piece of bone away from his ankle, or if it was just how his bone was formed. The radiologist couldn't tell either. We got his note though, and was told it was probably a sprain, and just to wrap, ice and elevate. Talin's pediatrician looked at these x-rays four days later and was able to tell that Talin's ankle tendon had indeed pulled a piece of bone away, and thus the ankle was in fact broken, and extended his no recess/gym note until Feb 25. Great money saver there...otherwise I'd have had to take him in every week!!

The reason we'd gone back to the doctor four days later is because on Thursday, the day after he'd started going back to school from break after recovering from the flu and being boisterously healthy for the previous two days, he woke up with a fever and a sore throat. Fine...it was probably another virus. So Thursday, Valentine's Day and the day his class was having their party for the holiday, he stayed home. Friday was the same...he had a fever and a sore throat. I felt around in his neck and I think all of his lymph nodes were the size of bowling balls. I thought about this in my head....six years old, sick for four days, healthy for 1-1/2, sick for two more days, healthy for three days at home and one day at school, sick for two days after being exposed to a cesspool of crap at school for one day, breaks ankle walking up stairs without goofing off (for ONCE!), huge-ass lymph nodes...it could only be one thing...LEUKEMIA!! So I have myself convinced that my kid has this awful thing, make an appointment with his pediatrician to have him checked out (I didn't state specifically I thought he had leukemia, just that I was concerned about the previously-mentioned pattern of events), and brought him in. His doctor had looked over all his notes, listened to what I had to say, checked him out and gave me the news....Talin likely has....strep. Yep, strep. So we went and had his tonsils tickled, and lo and behold it comes back positive. Whew!! Amoxicillin for a week twice a day...very doable!!

So Talin is my high-maintenance child at the moment. That's okay, he's been pretty easy so far, so I guess he's entitled to a little extra attention every now and then ;o)

In other news, Bub and I began our latest and greatest endeavor so far...remodeling the bathroom completely. Ceiling, walls, floor, fixtures lighting...everything is getting redone. Neither of us can stand the mold hole that currently exists, and so today we spent a couple of hours at Menard's looking over things and picking out things we liked. We realized we have a lot of the same ideas, and a lot of very different ideas, so this should prove to be interesting!! LOL There were a lot of things we really liked, a lot of things we didn't like, a lot of things we loved that probably wouldn't fit in our bedroom let alone our bathroom, and a few things we couldn't figure out who would even consider looking at them...like vomit-looking counters! In any case, we're both looking at different things too...he's looking at the financial practicality and ease of installation of things. I'm looking at "How do I turn this crap corner into a room I won't mind locking myself into on a regular basis?" LOL But, we have a good start on ideas, and realistic prices to look at, and that helps a TON! Looking forward to getting this bad boy conquered and moving on to the dining room!!! LOL

The Good Things

Like so many people, I often find myself complaining about all of the negative things around me, the frustrating things my kids do, the things I wish were different...the list is miles long I'm sure LOL Today is my husband's birthday, and in honor of that I'd like to take a moment to reflect on the things that made him "The One" for me :o)

First off, he's older than me LOL A primary requirement for me in any dating field. I've had lousy luck dating men my age and younger. To me, he is a handsome man with a tender smile and deep eyes that seem to be a one-way track straight to his soul. I love that he's a big man, I feel safe and protected when he's around, not to mention he's wonderful to cuddle with ;o) All of you muscular men out there...you're fantastic to look at, and I give you tons of credit for being able to maintain your physique, but there's just something about my guy that makes me melt into him. I love his eyes...the way they give EVERYTHING away LOL Every time I look into them there's always something there...a question, a concern, happiness, laughter, sadness, frustration, that "look" that's just for me...they're truly the windows to his soul, and about as transparent as any glass you'll ever look through.


I love his heart...how he sees people and wants to help, but there are times logic kicks in and says they'd do better helping themselves. He's got such a soft spot for kids (unless ours have acted up...then the soft spot kinda goes away LOL) and it's adorable to see him with them. I remember the first time I brought Talin to visit as a newborn baby (before we were dating), I was visiting his sister, and Trey was 2-1/2 years old. Trey saw Bub putting some chocolate milk away and asked me if he could have some. I told him it wasn't mine so he had to ask Bubba since it was his. Trey asked, Bub asked me if it was okay, I okayed it, and Bub shared his chocolate milk. Trey looked like he won the lottery...it was so cute!!

I remember how vigilant he was over Derrick while he was in the hospital, and how he still brags that he got to hold him before I did LOL He was so supportive of me during that time when we were both uncertain of what was to come, but he never let me think for one second that anything bad was going to happen. In fact, he was a major factor that our wedding even happened 11 days after Derrick was born LOL He convinced me to leave the hospital and finish the details that needed to be done, and even though I knew he was right it was still hard for both of us to be happy when we were so worried at the same time. He drove me to the hospital every day since I couldn't drive myself at that point, stayed the whole time with Derrick & me, and sometimes even left to get the other two and bring them to the hospital before bringing me home. I can't believe how big he looks...or how little babies look...when he holds them. Yes, he's not afraid to hold a baby LOL

He also has a big heart for animals. Me and my crazy ideas for pets, we've had three parakeets who have all left us, and one in particular that he got very attatched to that he spent a lot of time with and trained very well. We still miss Shiloh. The night one of the others died, he figured it must have been a heart attack, and the tenderness and sadness in his eyes was undeniable. We have two dogs who we adopted from shelters, and two cats, and he pets every one of them, scratches their ears, and even lets our 70 pound lab love on him since all of the rest of us are just kinda swallowed up if he tries it on us LOL

He's very loyal and does what he can for his family and friends, be it listen, talk some sense into them, help them out or be there for them. I recall two years in a row when I worked in the office, he brought a former co-worker of mine some things for Valentine's Day since she was single and he didn't want her to feel lonely, as most of the rest of us were married or had significant others. It was important to him that she didn't feel left out since he knew what that felt like. He's stuck by me, even when I've made dumb decisions (like I ever do that! LOL), made him mad, and there's probably countless other things. He always comes back and loves me anyway :o)

He's intelligent with a good sense of logic. In the fall of 2005, at 32 years old, he enrolled himself into the tech college here, and in May of 2007 he graduated, on time, in two years, with his associates degree in computer networking and a 3.1 GPA, while maintaining part time employment throughout his schooling to help provide for me and our three boys. He provided for all of us to the best of his ability while doing his best to fulfil his dream of getting an IT degree, and to achieve our family's future goals and dreams. He installed our water heater when it puked. He's primed the furnace I don't know how many times LOL He does a lot of the work on our cars...oil changes, pulley changes, belts and hoses, lots of different things. He was even patient enough to show me how to do an oil change last year, or at least the basics anyway ;o) He's looking forward to passing all of that knowledge and much more on to our little guys as they grow.

He's helpful around the house and with the kids, and gives me a break when I need it. This past weekend I was down hardcore for three days with a viral illness, and so was Talin. Bub wasn't feeling 100% himself since he has a sinus infection, he was maybe about 50% or 60%, but he made sure that all of us were taken care of. He made me countless cups of tea, served us hot, healthy meals (yes, that includes chicken noodle soup! LOL) including veggies (even broccoli one night!!), and made sure we were comfy and got meds if we needed them. He's got the same sense of humor that I do most of the time. He can have a romantic side sometimes. He's almost always thinking of his family. He's tender and tactful, but not afraid to speak his mind when he sees something that isn't right.

Happy birthday hun...you're a wonderful man, a devoted husband and father, a loyal friend, a steadfast companion, and I'm thankful every day that you picked me to be your wife ;o) Now and forever, you're my soule mate :ox

The Great, The Good, And The Ugh!!

THE GREAT: Yesterday Trey had his first BIG swim meet. Divisionals was held in Black River Falls, and it is a qualifying meet, meaning he needed to place in the top six in any of his events in order to go on to Conference next weekend in Stevens Point. Individually Trey did extraordinarily well...he took time off from his 50 free, a TON of time...nearly 30 seconds...off his 100 free, and added a fraction of a second onto his 50 back, but he was really tired by then so I can't say I blame him!! He didn't place in the top six individually, but BOTH of his relays...his 200 Medley Relay with him swimming back stroke, and his 200 free relay, both qualified for Conference next week...YAY!! In his 200 free relay, he was second in the relay. When he dove in, his relay was in last place by almost half a pool length. When he got out, they were caught up, neck and neck with the team that was in 5th place. Their relay still came in last, but that's okay....they made it!! On top of that, I'm nearly finished with the baby afaghan I've been crocheting, thanks to having time during that meet to work on it!! LOL

THE GOOD: Today Trey is getting his first Bible presented to him in church. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be there to see it, which is The UGH!!. My parents brought him to church with them today so he could participate in the ceremony with the rest of the third-graders, which is wonderful of them. Bubba has been sick for the last week, and finally went into the doctor yesterday and was told he has a sinus infection and started on antibiotics to treat it. He's on the road to recovery...YAY!!

THE UGH!!: All of us except for Trey have been sick with something!! Bubba and Talin have it the worst...Bub with the aforementioned sinus infection, Talin with something yet to be determined by the doctor later this morning. High fevers, headaches, a sore throat and queasy tummy have plagued him for the last three days. I hope it's something simple like strep or the flu...and not something super-yucky like purtussis (aka whooping cough) or pneumonia. Tylenol Cold & Cough help him stay comfortable, but yesterday the lowest his temp got was 102. Yep...you read that right, 102. This morning he was at 103.3...Yikes!! Derrick has had a cold, and I think Bub shared his sinus infection with me...so I'm going to have that checked today when I take Talin in. I hope it's just a miserable, awful cold and I'll be better in the next couple of days. Gotta love winter in Wisconsin...UGH!!! So today I'll be running to Wal-Mart to pick up juices and liquids for people to consume. I like tea when I'm sick, the kids like Jell-O and freezies. Bub's choices change constantly LOL I just wanna stay in bed :o(

Hope everyone else is WAY healthier than we are!! I'm looking forward to Trey's meet next weekend, and will write again when there's more to tell!! Take care!!

Hello 29!!

Yep, today I turn the big 2-9, the jumpin off place of 30. I know for some people this age is a big deal...in fact a friend of mine told me that one of her co-workers had a major depression after turning 30. I just don't understand the issue of age. I've never been ashamed of how old I am. I'm not THAT old...but I certainly look my age. I choose to look at myself and realize I'm not old, I don't feel old, I'm just wiser and more experienced than I was 10 years ago, and that's a good thing! I'm going to get older, which means I'm still alive and not dead...what a blessing!! I suppose my body is entitled to show its age considering what I've put it through...playing as a kid, depression as a teen, late night partying with friends in my early 20's, three kids, my thyroid retiring, even just living in Wisconsin and adjusting every year between sweltering hot and subzero freezing cold takes its toll. Okay body, you're entitled to sag a bit, develop a crinkle, crease or stretch mark here and there...you're holding me in so I can stay here and be a part of the lives of those close to me. And those lines that will start showing on my face...they'll come from laughing at the funny things that I'll experience, crying over the painful ones, worrying about my kids or loved ones; they'll serve as a map into my past created by the experiences life weathers me with. Okay, I can handle that too.

So, today I'm 29. I'm okay with that...I've earned every second I've been here, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the time I'm blessed to be here :o) Have a great one!!

Make It Worth It

So, I read a blog today that I've been following off of the Because I Said So blog by Dawn Meehan, about 4-1/2 year old Julian Avery, who succumbed to cancer yesterday. It reminded me of the day Derrick was born, being told that his little lungs weren't quite ready to process the air he needed to breathe now that he had fulfilled his goal of being born four weeks early, and that he might need a helicopter ride to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. I remember the fear that he might not make it, the hope that he would, the faith in the Lord that he wouldn't need to go, and how making those calls to friends and family were so different than all the others I'd made with my previous two boys. I look at Derrick now, 3 years old, blonde curls, big green eyes, 35 pounds of mischief wrapped up in a cute package of kissable love, and hope, once again, that I'll always be able to have all three of my goofy monsters around for a very long time, because despite the 3 weeks of daily hospital visits, the 3 swim suits and 3 sets of goggles we've gone through in the last 4 months for swim team, the ripped jeans and the unbearable frustration sometimes, I'll never regret that they're a major part of my life...ever. It's stories like Julian's that make me stop for a minute, look at my life and say "Okay, is it really THAT major? Will this matter in 5 years? In 5 minutes? Can I forgive this?" Of course, I can. I can forgive Trey for being irresponsible with his swim gear, even though it costs a fortune sometimes. I can forgive Talin for being rough on his pants legs and ripping holes in the knees. I can forgive Derrick for killing two fish we just got Friday night in less than 48 hours by giving them too much fish food. (I bet the fish are not too happy with me for that one, huh?) I can forgive my husband, family, friends....because in the end, it's not my opinion that matters anyways...it's God's.

Fly with the angels Julian...and thanks for touching my life. Run painlessly free now that your cancer is gone, and hug the angels and Jesus for me while you're busy being the little kid you didn't get a chance to be here with us. Thanks for bringing the important things back into focus for me.

Gotta Happen

Happy New Year to everyone!! I haven't set any resolutions...I really don't believe that setting a year-long resolution on any particular day of the year is going to motivate anyone to do that particular thing any better, more often or whatever. So, what I've done instead is done some introspection and decided that a few things need to get worked on better this year. So they're really not resolutions, I'm not resolving to do anything, just setting goals that I hope to be able to work on. There is no achievement level, there's no finish line, just stuff to keep an eye on throughout 2008.

1. Punctuality. I'm always late for everything. It's a huge pet peeve of my husband's, and I don't particularly like that trait in myself either. So I'm going to continue to work on that this year.

2. Weight. No, I'm not going on a diet. But sitting here and feeling short of breath because my heart is racing since I gained weight due to over-indulging myself at the six different Christmas parties we had throughout December doesn't make me feel particularly healthy. Thus, I'm going to take care of the one and only body I've been given to live in. I'll probably still be fat at the end of the year, but I'm going to be able to breathe, I'm not going to stay this heavy. It's not good for my heart. I'm not going to kill myself getting thin, but I'm not going to let myself stay on the self-destructive path to drowning myself in body fat either.

3. Organization. I hope to organize the house, little by little, during the next few months, so that when we (hopefully!!) get around to remodeling things, we won't have to clean them first, organize things, get rid of things, remodel whatever we're doing, then sort through and organize everything again. That just sounds like too much extra work on projects that are already going to be...well...gigantic. This goes for my time, too. I really need to figure out how to organize my time better...I don't seem to ever have enough, but looking at it I should have more than I need. Something isn't balancing out here.

4. Finances. I have some ideas I'd like to try this year, like saving $$ for fuel oil through the year instead of scrambling to find $460 like we had to this year. It was a train wreck. I hate waiting for tax season just to "catch up" on everything...I wanna use that money for other stuff, like remodeling the house, newer vehicles, furniture, etc. I've already literally frozen the credit cards...they need to be thawed before they can be used for anything...which should give us plenty of time to figure out if we really need the credit item or not. Hopefully that'll help keep us from sliding back down the slippery slope of debt!

So, those are my goals for this year. I'm not resolving to DO any of them, I'm setting goals, which to me doesn't sound quite as committed as setting a resolution LOL These are all things I want to do, I need to do, and now that they're in writing hopefully it'll be a little easier to see them through!

I Think It's Done, Isn't It?

Holy smokers...it's been two weeks since I wrote on here!! Sure doesn't feel like it!! Thanks to Valerie for making me realize I've been absent...I knew I hadn't written in awhile, but it just didn't seem like it'd been THAT long!!

Well, let's see. We had a Christmas celebration on December 8, at my sister-in-law's apartment building with my husband's mom's family. Then we had another one on December 15, in Spooner, with my mom's family (my parents aren't divorced, just had my mom's side that day) AFTER we'd been at a swim meet from 6:45 AM. We got home at about 9:30 that night from Spooner. I had a doctor's appointment on the 18th, nothing major, just looking into my brain to figure out why I'm such a nut LOL Also had a department meeting that day, so things were a little kabonkers that day too. Then started "Christmas weekend." Saturday night Bub & I went shopping for Christmas presents for everyone. Sunday we had Christmas with my immediate family at my sister's house. The we all got nice things, and brought home a big black plastic bag full of stuff, and leftovers. Monday my two oldest kids had Christmas at their father's mom's house while I worked and Bub took care of Derrick. Then we went and picked the boys up after supper that night. They brought home a big black plastic bag full of stuff. Tuesday we had Christmas at my husband's grandma's house on his dad's side. We brought home a big black bag full of stuff, and leftovers. Wednesday we had Christmas at my husband's dad's house. We brought home a big black bag full of stuff. Seeing a pattern yet? LOL

Thursday I had off from work and I used a few hours of that day to catch my breath. Then I decided it'd be a grand idea to start relocating my youngest two children's bedrooms; putting the youngest in his own room and the middle in the same room as his older brother, so maybe then he'd wake up and get ready for school better. By the time things were rearranged, cleaned up, vacuumed, picked up, organized, decluttered, and cleaned under, we removed a big black bag full of stuff from their rooms. LOL Bring home four, get rid of one. Sounds about right! LOL Today, my middle guy, Talin, was so eager to finish up this change that he volunteered to finish moving his clothes into his new dresser, and his baby brother's clothes into his new room. Of course I had to go through them and sort them out, pull out the ones that don't fit anymore, etc. There went another big black bag full of stuff. Two down, two to go!! Somehow this has all got to balance out in the end...there's no way we can bring four big bags of stuff into this house and only get rid of two, is there?? LOL

But seriously, we're always so thankful for all of the time, thought and effort everyone in our family spends to make sure we all have a great Christmas. We would have a wonderful Christmas just seeing everyone even if we didn't get gifts...it's nice to be able to be with family at least once a year. We got to meet our newest member of the family, my husband's cousin's baby boy, Mitchel. He's adorable, and amazingly enough my baby clock didn't scream overwhelmingly at me, just kind of a dull yearning that's gone already!! It's incredible...I held a baby, I was around a baby all day, and I didn't leave feeling like I needed another one. Don't get me wrong, I still love babies and kids...there isn't anything I wouldn't do for a child, but I just don't have the feeling of needing another one of my own. Yippee!! Guess that means old age is setting in, huh?

Speaking of old age...another few weeks and I'll be 29 years old; creeping ever closer to that doomsday age...30! Nah, I'm not dreading it really. It's a number...and that's all it is. Like I tell my grandma, it's not how old you are, it's how much life you've lived and how wise it's made you...you're 77 years wise Grandma, not 77 years old! Sometimes that makes her feel better ;o) I mean, she's raised three kids, had three grandkids and now three great-grandkids, lives on her own, is as independent as they come, has lost a husband and never remarried, and is still loving every second of her life most of the time. There's gotta be something to be learned from that.

So, New Years resolution: Not to go more than a week without touching base and making sure you all know I'm alive and kicking! LOL Lord knows that one ought to be busted to smithereens by this time next year! LOL Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and have a safe and happy New Year!!

Near Death Experience

Derrick had a near death experience today. I was just typing along, working like a good little person, when the breaker flipped downstairs. I stopped at the john on my way down (the room that the breaker box is in gives me the willies!!), and the room was promptly re-occupied by my husband while I went downstairs to reset the breaker. I climbed back upstairs with a basket of clean laundry (had forgotten it earlier when I was down there before work), sat down to turn my computer back on and get going back to work. That's when I noticed it. My two diamond rings were MISSING!! All that was left was my gold band. I asked Bub if he'd put them up or seen Derrick with them. He said no, that he was in the bathroom and hadn't heard anything. So I asked Derrick, "Where did you put Mommy's pretties?" I showed him my gold band so he had an idea of what I was talking about. He brought me over to the stove, pointed to the floor and said "Dropped it." So I moved the stove and saw nothing. I sat down and tried to work, but my mind kept bringing me back to needing to find my rings!! Bub said he didn't hear anything, so I figured they HAD to be on the carpeting somewhere. I punched out of work for my lunch break and got down on all fours, looking closely at our (desperately needing to be vacuumed) carpet for any sign of a glimmer, a shimmer, a hint of glint...ANYTHING. Derrick was now on time-out until I found my rings...even if it took a week and a half...he was going to stay THERE! He watched me crawl around on my hands and knees like a handicapped neanderthal for 15 minutes or so. I gave up, I asked him again, "Where did you put Mommy's pretties!!" Okay, I demanded it. He brought me back over to the stove. I had already checked there!! I decided my youngest child wasn't smart enought to realize the difference between what he did with something and the hole in the wall I was ready to make out of sheer anger. I looked. I cried. I cleaned. Then Bub had the idea that when he came out of the bathroom he had seen Derrick standing by the fridge, so maybe they were under there. We moved the fridge, and my brilliant husband's idea paid off...half-way. One of my rings was indeed trapped under the fridge amongst the other prisoners held captive, the magnetized alphabet, tin-foil wrapper balls, all guarded by big, black dust bunnies!! Bub swept the mess up, moved the fridge back and forth a few more times in order to free more debris, and then we decided that my other ring wasn't under there. Well, I figured if one was under the fridge, maybe the other really was under the stove. So we moved the stove half way across the kitchen (we have a small kitchen, so this really is possible), and LO AND BEHOLD A MIRACLE OCCURRED!! My other ring was sitting there, in a pile of fuzz and dust at an angle that I hadn't been able to see the last time I'd moved the stove. HALLELUJAH!! Derrick was allowed out of time out. I hadn't felt that much relief since, well...I'll get back to you on that. Derrick was promptly taught he is NOT to touch Mommy's pretties at all!

My rings now have a new resting place while I work, up all the way on top of my computer armoire where Derrick can't see them, and even more importantly cannot REACH them! This should save me the grief of being insanely angry at myself, and even more angry at him for taking them and losing them. I have never, EVER been as angry at any of my kids for any stunt they've ever pulled as I was at Derrick today. This one is going in the books, folks...and he's getting reminded of this at every major event in his life!! LOL