Finally, some pictures!



Christmas this year has been wonderful!  We spoiled our kids rotten.  I think it's allowed every 5 years or so.  And since we were in the position to spoil ours (and 5+ angel-tree kids, too), I jumped at the chance.  I figure I can buy my kids' affection every so often.  Or maybe I'm reminding them that I really do love them and thanking them for not giving up on me while Popeye's been MIA.
They loved every minute of it, too.  As did I.
I loved watching their eyes light up and get all excited when they realized they got what they had been asking for for the past 3 years!  And the best part is that Santa did NOT deliver those gifts.  He gave chocolate coal in the stockings and a rinky-dink toy.  Hee hee hee.
Anyway.  Life has been an adventure this year.  I'm looking forward to next year.
Popeye got a new camera for work.  A really nice Nikon.  It's what took a majority of the below pics.  And the upper-ups at work told him to play with it as much as he wants.  So you can be expecting a lot more pictures this coming year!  Nice.
Anyway.  Here's wishing you a happy and safe new year! 
We've got "First Night" here in our little town.  The community goes all out to celebrate the upcoming new year.  They officially open the ice skating rink for the kids, have hot cocoa, polar bear plunge in the fishing pond (Popeye said he's gonna do it) and a few other fun activities.  We'll be participating in that, drinking some hot drinks, and then some sparkling cider and watching "The A Team" later that night after the munchkins go to bed.  I'm excited to take some pics of Popeye in the pond (and I'll be sure to have the van warm and running for when he gets out).
Enjoy my collage creations below!  I just downloaded Picasa onto my computer and am loving how to play with it!

Some of our snow fun includes sledding at the park, building snowmen and breaking the icicles off the roof.  The one Popeye is breaking down almost reached the ground!  I made a makeshift hill for the kids to slide down when I couldn't get to the park with the little ones.  Thor never went down it, he just liked to push his cars down on the sled.




These are some of the gifts I received for Christmas.  Reebok Shape Ups, Pride & Prejudice piano sheet music, a jewelry box, a plethora of chick flicks (and a couple non chick ones), some bubble bath, how to play the guitar cd rom and my coveted guitar with new D'Addario strings.  I'm digging ALL of them!!!



Here are some pics of Christmas.  Popeye got a bass guitar, Grand Duchess loves her new pony, Princess Monkey Eyes is in love with her new 'Do (Thanks be to Grand Duchess for the wig.).  Optimus Prime got himself a camera and Mr. Fantastic got a Nintendo DS that he's now married to.  The pic of Thor tearing into his gift is a Thomas the train set.

Merry Christmas to all my family and friends - even if you are a lurker!
Popeye made it home safe and sound last night and today we're cleaning, baking & wrapping!  The kids are chomping at the bit to open their jammies and gifts from grandma and grandpa.  I'm really excited, too!
I already got a gift in my inbox.  One that is going to make me work out a little harder and eat a little better. 

I hope you all enjoy this holiday season.  A seaon of joy, laughter & remembering the birth of our Savior. 
have a wonderful day, everyone!

Merry Christmas and if I don't blog for another week, happy new year, too!!!!

I had a HUGE meltdown yesterday.  I've never melted like that before. Ever. I'm talking butter on a frying pan turned on high type of melt.  It wasn't pretty.
After shoveling 8-10 inches of wet snow off my driveway, I got ready for church and called up a friend to pick me & the munchkins up since I knew the van would get stuck.  We headed out the door at a quarter to 11.  Popeye had his truck warming up and was leaving right behind us for another week. Sigh.
Thor was out of religious character that day, jumping on the pew and waving his nursery craft in everyone's personal space.  He, Grand Duchess and I spent sacrament meeting in the foyer. Again.
When we got home Mr Fantastic tried beating his siblings at least 4 times and by 6:30 I was done. After Thor ran in to tell me Optimus Prime hit him, I called for the two older boys to come to me.  And then Mr. Fantastic did it.  He set me over my edge.
He smirked.
And quicker than he could even think to wipe that smirk away, I had him by the collar pushed up against my doorway.  It was all I could do at that moment because every fiber of my being wanted to smack his handsome little smile. I gritted my teeth and through a clenched jaw, told them both to get on their jammies and go to their room.  And DON'T come out.
And then I commenced getting the other kids into jammies and into bed.  Yes, it was too early.  But they knew that Mom was about to kill someone and no one wanted to be that someone.
And then my dad called.  And I cried.  And cried.  And then he got my mom on the phone.  And I cried some more.  And she told me to quit my pity party (the nerve!) and began helping me make a plan of action.
I went to bed feeling a little better but still wanted Popeye home.
When I woke up this morning 5 more inches of fresh, wet snow had landed themselves across my porch, steps, long driveway and sidewalk.  So out I went to shovel it all off (my OCD is starting to show, isn't it?) and left the older kids to get the younger ones fed.
I got us all off to school and as I was leaving the school parking lot, I lost momentum going up the hill (because of that long line of cars in front of me) and I got stuck.  Luckily, I slid to the side a little so cars were able to go around me. (Our town refuses to plow - a HUGE drawback.)
I cried again.  This time to my Heavenly Father.  I can't do this.  I can't do this alone.  And within 30 seconds 3 people were there to help me, one of them being the same lady who took me to church yesterday.  They managed to maneuver my van to a point that I could go back down the hill and try again.  And it worked.  And I am so thankful.
so I came home, cleaned a bit and then rearranged that mold-free room to accomodate 2, possibly 3 boys.  Tomorrow I'll pick up a couple or box springs from the local furniture store and get the room finished so that personal space will totally be available to them!
And I just thought of this and thought I'd share with you all...  People have said to me, "Call me whenever you need ANYTHING".  Uh huh.  Yeah.  I should do that.  However, it has been my experience (today - twice) that when I do, they can't help.  I know people can't be waiting around for me to call for help.  I guess I just really hope they feel bad that they won't, I mean, can't follow through on their offer.  (And that's my pity party self coming through.)
Anyway.  I guess that's it.  Pizza's ready.  (Loveliness of Popeye being gone is that the kids can live off of chicken nuggets, cold cereal & pizza for dinner and I've redeemed myself as best mother in the world.

Today is a monumentous day for Popeye and I.  After being in debt for over 11 years, I am happy to say we are completely debt free.
No car payment.
No credit cards.
No collectors.
No mortgage.
No medical bills.
It's. All. Gone.
And I feel liberated!!!!
There's a reason why the prophet has told us to get out of debt.  I know the stresses of having these debts have caused me (at the expense of my children sometimes) to become depressed, anxious, and irritable.
No more.
Not only can those stresses be shed, but I assume that the emotional eating I did because of it, thus adding the extra pounds, can be shed, too!  (There were a lot of commas in that sentence.)
I am So. Happy!  And I live so far away from dear friends that I can't even celebrate properly with a "Burning of the Bills" Party!  So not fair!

Anyway.  Merry Christmas!  Because this, by far, will be my best Christmas EVER!!!!

Popeye isn't coming home this weekend.
I miss him.
(Insert huge frowny, pouty face here.)

So I did the craft fair the week before Thanksgiving.  Oh. My. Goodness.  The orders came swarming in and ever since then my fingers have been busy making little (and big) hats for the people of my town. 
And this afternoon I went to make phone calls to let people know their orders are ready & wouldn't you know it, I gave the wrong order to someone on Friday. And in the little bag that had the cute little owl hat was the order form.  And the cute little bag that has the cute little owl hat and the order form are now in the hands of the gift recipient.  In Utah.
I have no clue who ordered that hat originally.  But they already paid for it.  And I feel sick about it.  I hope that they call me and ask where the hat is so that I can give them the one I will make tonight after I finish writing this post.
I feel horrible about it.  Not just because it's already been paid for and it is needed by Christmas - but I feel bad because I got "the feeling" that I should check the bag before it left the city.  And I didn't.  Grrrr.

A low-down before my fingers get back to work....

Popeye is gone.  He'll be in the academy for the next 12 weeks - until the first week of March.  He's been gone one week and already my sanity is leaving.  I've been trying to do something fun with the kids each day to enjoy them (and the season).  Most days they're just interested in going sledding.  The huge city park hill is right behind our house - which makes it convenient for me to send the older kids sledding & then calling them in at night.  We've built snowmen and piled up snow against the back brick wall in the backyard.  Thor's been having fun pushing his toys on sleds down that one.  We've also read some Christmas books, had hot cocoa by tree-light & sang Christmas carols.  Tonight was supposed to be filled with cookie making but in my need to try and think of the name on that order form, time slipped away & the kids let Grand Duchess destroy my bedroom - thus causing everyone to go to bed early & me to have a headache.
So here I sit, wanting to blog and spend all night on the computer but knowing that I should get a decent night's sleep and head to my room.
Hmmm - the mold issue in the basement is taken care of and the contractor comes back tomorrow to finish hanging the paneling over the drywall.  I'm glad to be able to use that area now.
We've got our ward Christmas party this Friday and tomorrow and Wednesday are our days to surprise our 12 days of Christmas recipients!  We're doing it as a group so that the recipients won't know who it is getting them!  And it's easier on the baking and pocketbook!
I think that's about it.  I hear the kids aren't quite asleep yet.  In fact, I hear too much coming from that room.  I better go put the fear back into them.
'Night all!  I'll try to check in a little more regularly. 

retirement's gonna suck

Popeye's been unemployed since the beginning of October.  What does that mean?  It means he's been home All. Day. Long. for the past month and a half.

Don't get me wrong.  I love the man.  But boy, we are starting to get on each other's nerves. (this is not just my point of view - he stated the very thing to me just 2 days ago.) It's a good thing he's starting his career all over again, thus prolonging retirement another 20 years (maybe 25, I don't know).

We don't have a whole lot to talk about while we're alone because we already know what's going on during the day with the happenings of the munchkins.  And when it comes to tv watching - all bets are off, we have to watch his show.

Oh Miss Austen, how I miss you!!! 
Is it bad that I'm somewhat counting down the days to his departure (and not like, "Oh how I'll miss you" either)?  I know I WILL miss him while he's gone and I'm sure he'll miss me, too. 
Just right now, the 29th can't come fast enough.

A chilly, eventful day!

The wonderful state of Wyoming supplied the National Christmas Tree this year.  A 65 footer!  So the whole elementary school got onto buses and drove down to Triangle Park (aptly named because it is, in fact, in the shape of a triangle) and stood out in the 20 degree weather waiting for the tree's arrival.  Popeye, Thor, Grand Duchess and myself went down there as well!  I forgot gloves for all of us so I wrapped Thor's fingers in his scarf, while the rest of us put ours in our pockets.
The main drag down our town was shut down for the better part of an hour while everyone lined up to look through a plexiglass window with a hole cut out to see the tip of the tree that had a few strands of colored lights lit up for effect.  Some people reached in to touch it - but not I.  Then people walked down the side of the trailer to sign the side of it.  Luckily, I was pretty close to the beginning of the line and got some good pics and prime signage space!
Popeye was getting grumpy because Grand Duchess was so cold.  So we didn't stay to hear the speeches presented. 
We then went home and I plopped the munchkins onto the radiator to warm up their outsides while Popeye made hot cocoa to warm their insides!  I love having radiators in the house!!!!
After we warmed up, I took the kids over to someone's house for playgroup.  Most of the ladies there are in the 3rd Ward (I'm in the 2nd) - but it was nice getting to know them anyway.  They all convinced me that I should totally set up a stand at the craft fair next week.  Grand Duchess was sporting her new hat that I created last night.  Her little Owl Hat was quite a Hoot!  (I'm so funny.)
After lunch we went to the high school to watch the fourth graders present a musical concert for all the veterans.  It was nice.  Some nice poems and great songs.  The CD wasn't working properly so half the time it was too soft or too loud - but the message was clear - THANK YOU VETERANS!!!
Here are some pics of today's activities for your viewing pleasure!

Today.
Today I am supposed to get my internet up and running.  This will be the last time (hopefully) that I have to blog from our local library.
I am SO. DANG. EXCITED.

Yesterday I ordered from Bountiful Baskets.  I'm pretty stoked about it.  Here's how it works.  Go to the site and look at the orders.  You always have to order at least one basket.  But then you can order extras, too.  In each basket is all kinds of produce.  And then the extras are specialty breads, ethnic packs (this week was italian with eggplant, fresh herbs, zucchini and other yummy stuff), and sometimes they have large boxes of fruit or veggies.  Last time it was green beans and this time it's apples.  Anyway.  I jumped on board with it because our little grocery store doesn't have a very good selection of produce. (Can you believe that when asked if they have eggplant the store clerk asked, "What's that?")  So it will come on Saturday morning and I can hardly wait to eat up my 5 loaves of 9-grain wheat bread, yummy rolls and delicious eggplant.  I don't think eggplant will be in my italian meal, though.  I hear tempura calling my name!

We're enjoying it here so far.  It hasn't snowed yet, but I expect it to any day now.  The air is getting colder and the kids are finding themselves needing coats more frequently.  But it's nice living right next to the park and being able to send the kids out the back door to play on the playground. 

Another bit of news - and I want honest feedback on this - the 4th grade here runs a craft fair every year to help fund their annual Yosemite trip.  I was thinking of selling my hats.  The not-so-nearby VoldeMart sells the most yummy array of Sugar n' Cream Cones.  There's at least 30 colors!!!  I drool everytime I go there.  So I was thinking of maybe buying a bunch of those cones of color and setting up a table at the craft fair to let people pick and choose their colors and patterns of hats (since most of my hats right now fit Grand Duchess and aren't much bigger).  What d'ya think of that?  The table costs $20 but I'm pretty sure all that I sell comes into my own pocket....  It's a debate in my mind...

Well - story hour is about to start and Popeye will be here with the kids in a minute. 
I promise my next post will be more inspiring or interesting - or maybe even spur more drama.  Who knows.

Yesterday I walked into Murdoch's.  I have never been in there before - but have always wanted to.  So I made Popeye and the two littlest ones follow me around while my inner cowgirl started coming out!
I know what I want for Christmas now!  YEEHAW!

Sleep - where art thou?

It's 4:00 in the morning.  Strike that - 4:01.  I can't sleep.  I close on my house tomorrow and need to have everything packed into the truck by tomorrow evening.
Suckish.
Just thought I'd let you know.
I'm really tired.
Oh yeah - and we got our family pics taken! Super job Jenni - like always!  You can go here to see the album!  I can't wait to get my order!

I have the right to Brag

It's the end of the school quarter.  We're moving in a week and lucky me - I got to meet with the teachers before we left.
Princess Monkey Eyes is still allowed to attend kindergarten. She's reading some sight words and sounding others out.  She's average.  Not great, but not to worry about, either.
Optimus Prime will be kidnapped by his teacher on the last day of school next week - she warned me.  He is her stellar student, pulling out straight O's this first quarter.  Okay, he got one S - but that's because it was a group grade and the others pulled him down (or so I've been told). So I'm counting it as an O.
Mr. Fantastic pulled out all the stops with his grades - pulling a nearly B+ up to an A and counting it in with the rest of the A's.  Straight A's Baby!

I'm one of those parents who knows how to reward my children the way they want to be rewarded.  I've finally figured out that money goes a LONG way with the kids.  Promises of ice cream or Mc Donald's is not going to cut it with these kids.  Alright, I'll face it.  They've figured out how to get me to cater to them.  Whatever.  I admit it.  I have to pay my children money to get good grades and be nice to each other (but that's another post entirely). 
So I busted out the wallet and gave each kid fifty cents per A (or O) that they got.  No money for any other letter grade.  Except if they get an F or a U/N, they have to pay ME!  Anyway.  They each got $3.  And they are all SO EXCITED about it.
So, good job kids!  With a new school coming, I hope they continue with the grades they're getting.

Exchange Alert!!!

Yeah, yesterday I posted about Halloween.  Let's just skip Thanksgiving and talk about Christmas, okay?
Just found out that there's an ornament exchange a-happenin'!!!  SOOO fun!
You should get in on it.  Ornaments are precious.  Each one that I hang on my tree has significance. Every year we get one that's symbolic for the family and then individual ones for each of the kids - symbolic of that year for them as well. 
For example: the year Mr. Fantastic lost his hearing we got a pewter "ILY" (that's the hand forming the universal 'I Love You' sign) hanging inside a pewter wreath. Of course they have their "baby's first year" ornaments.  There's the glass baby grand piano symbolizing when I got mine. There's a little cottage for the first year we owned a home...  you get the picture.  And I'm sure you all have similar traditions!
So - get in on this one.  You can hang the ornament on your tree to symbolize the friendships you've made through the blogosphere!!!
Go here and shoot Carrie an email (the address is on her post).  And spread the word!
Merry Christmas!

It's Halloween season.  Our favorite - scratch that - POPEYE'S favorite holiday of the year.  I was just reminded by how gross Halloween can become when I took a swig of my water bottle from yesterday. Evidently it has been sitting here for a day - and multiple little mouths have taken drinks from it.
Eew.
We'll be moving during Halloween and the kids are super disappointed that they won't be dressing up this year. I'm a little relieved because then I don't have to get creative or spend money.
Popeye wishes that we were in a house yesterday so that he could decorate for the spookiest night of the year.
I'm just stoked that I'll be somewhere in time for Christmas decorations to come out!
That was all very sporatic, I think.
Sorry.  Life is sporatic these days and I think I've found a house to move into.  We'll know more by the end of this week. Sweet!
That's about it.  My house is pretty pathetic right now.
yesterday Popeye and I cleaned out/packed the garage the rest of the way - so it's ready to move. Perfect. And we have the elder's quorum lined up to move the piano next Tuesday. And load up the moving truck which isn't a moving truck at all. It's a HUGE BIG RIG!  Our friend owns a trucking company and has agreed to move us for a fee. The fee would be the same as us getting a U-haul but we won't have to pay for gas for the truck. Nice. AND it will fit all our stuff in it - including the Blazer. So I'm relieved for that.
Anyhow. Things are moving along and within 2 weeks we'll be Wyoming-bound!
My camera broke. So I have no pictures.  But the Navy ball is in 1 month & if I lose 15 pounds by then (possible? yeah. Probable? maybe.) I get a new camera.  So it's crunch time - literally. My abs are on fire this morning!
Once I get my new camera I'll post lots and lots of pictures.

Anyway. better go over to the title company to make sure all my ducks are in a row so we can close earlier - hopefully next week.

happy fall, everyone!  It's starting to feel like it!

Popeye won't stop poking me.
Mr. Fantastic wants to tell me things.
Grand Duchess keeps pressing a button on the monitor making the color-scheme thingy pop up. (Dinosaur monitor in use since the monitor on my laptop is busted.)
Boxes everywhere.
Thor is probably trying to figure out how to get the m&m's off the shelf in my bedroom.

yeah - really productive day here.

Old is a state of mind, right?

This morning I got out of bed.
I know, off to a great start already!  And while I was brushing my teeth I looked in the mirror.
I've learned to look past a majority of the sleepy, wrinkle lines and dark circles to my hair.  And wouldn't you know it - I found a BRIGHT GRAY HAIR right in the middle of my head!  (My first, if you can't tell.)
I promptly plucked it out to make sure it was actually gray and not just the light reflecting weirdly off of a blonde strand. Yep, it was gray.
But yay me, I didn't crawl back into bed - as much as my graying head wanted to.
Now, what color should I go this time?  Stay brown or shoot for some red.  It is fall now, so perhaps some cooler colors might be fun!
And a new cut, too.  Popeye is digging my hair getting longer.  Me? Not so much.  In fact, I loathe my long hair so much that it is a constant thought for me throughout the day.  I should just cut it.  I've made myself a couple of cute hats that a cute little cut would look so great under with the flips coming up over the bottom of the brim. 
Yep.  I think I'll do it.
Suggestions on a style are welcome - but keep in mind that it has to be fairly easy to manage. And I have wavy hair - so no football helmet styles. 
What about this one?

The length is good.  I have some bangs already so those won't be an issue.  Yeah, I kinda like this one.
Thoughts?

The Seventh Sense

There are six senses.
Sight.
Touch.
Sound.
Taste.
Smell.
Mother's Intuition.

Well, my precious Thor (coming up on 4 years old now) has another sense.  It is the sense of sweets.  That boy can be anywhere and know when someone is secretively delving into her secret stash of sanity savers.
Case in point:
This past Thursday I went to my relief society self-reliance class.  We were shooting guns all night (I did well considering the last time I shot a gun was mine and Popeye's second date).  I had hired a sitter to come be with the kids and before relieving her of her duties, swung by Safeway to pick up some Haagen Dazs ice cream. (Mmmmmm.)
When all was said and done - sitter gone & kids in bed (presumably sleeping), I got out my ice cream and put in "Return to Me".  Not 3 minutes later that boy was at my side wanting to know if I had ice cream.  He was supposed to be sleeping!!!! I checked!
Oh, it gets better.
I lovingly told him to get into bed and that it was my treat (he had a fudgcicle earlier) and he obeyed. (Shocker.)
I didn't eat all of my ice cream.  I wanted to save some for the next morning's breakfast. So I put it in the freezer all snuggled behind the frozen veggies and ice trays.

The next morning I went to get milk for cereal and what would happen to be there on the shelf next to last night's pizza?  Yeah, my ice cream.
When asking the kids, they all denied having snuck any of it.  Even Popeye adamantly proclaimed he wasn't the culprit.  And I checked for lie dots.  Princess Monkey Eyes was telling the truth - she looked me straight in the eye, no blinking.  I got to Thor. 
Me: "Thor, did you eat some of my ice cream last night?"
Thor: "No. It wasn't me."
Me: "Thor, I'm going to look in your eyes for lie dots.  Did you take some of my ice cream?"
Thor: (Covering his eyes with his chubby little fingers) "No."

I laughed so hard.  That little imp had woken up IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, snuck to the kitchen and ate some ice cream!!!  I would've never known it if he had put it back where he got it.

And the good parent that I am - I hugged him.  Asked him if he thought it was yummy like I did.  Kissed him and told him to ask next time.

Obviously my sixth sense of mother's intuition needs some fine tuning.  I should ask him for pointers on how to fine tune senses like that.  He's the master!

Mooooove over 10 virgins, we've got a new parable in town.

Yesterday Popeye was at work.  He sent me several texts getting more and more perplexed because there was a cow on the interstate.  (Yes, I know how that sounds.  Where else would you hear of a cow on the interstate than in the middle of nowhere, USA?)
Anyway.  He texted me a little while later telling me that the cow became smart and got back into the pasture.

Evidently, the cow got out of the pasture, which runs parallel to the interstate.  Popeye drove up and down that area, trying to find the hole in the fence.  Nothin'. He looked at the gate - it seemed pretty solid.  So he couldn't figure out where that cow belonged.  He would chase it down off the interstate back towards the fence and the cow wouldn't go back in the way it got out.
So Popeye thought to himself, "I've prayed for stranger things."  So he prayed that Heavenly Father would make the cow smart and remember how it got back in.  Then he got the distinct impression to "Go".  So Popeye left.  He came upon a couple of houses, thinking that they were the ranchers, but they weren't.  Then he thought, "Heavenly Father is going to pick up that cow and put it over the fence.  I'm missing it!"  So he turned around to see God's hand in action.
When he got back, the cow was still there, on the wrong side of the fence.  Popeye looked up the hill and saw a small herd come down over the ridge to this cow.  They conversed with each other over the fence.  The lone cow seemed perplexed because he knew he wanted to be with his buddies but couldn't find his way back.  He'd go up towards the interstate, Popeye would chase him back, the cows would talk and it repeated.
The group of cows finally gave up and walked away.
Popeye prayed again, "Heavenly Father, please make this cow smart.  It needs to get back to where it can be safe.  If he doesn't go over there, I'll have to shoot it." 
So what happens?  The cow runs down the hill, puts his nose under the fence post and pops up the gate and walks back in.

So how can we liken this parable to us today?

Sometimes we get on the wrong side of the fence.  We get into danger's way and can't seem to find our way back to the right side.  No matter how much coaxing we get from our loved ones and leaders of the church on the right side, it takes Divine intervention to let us in.  (Divine intervention meaning, the atonement and repentance.)  Only then, can we return to safety and security.

Good story, huh? Yeah, I thought so too.  So now when you see a cow, you'll remember the parable of the cow.  :)

School starts this week.
Tonight I took Mr. Fantastic to his school to attend the "open house" and got all the papers that I needed - yada yada yada.  We all know how open houses go.  You all get shuffled like cattle into the gym so the principal can give her shpeel and then you get herded to the classrooms (like cattle again) just to fill out the necessary paperwork.  And then you have to get herded through the lines of "don't for get to buy this" and "booster club" and "lunch money account" etc...

Can I just say, "MOOOOO".

Gee whiz.

So we came home, and I threw all the kids into the van (thanks New Friend for holding down the fort so I wouldn't have to MOOO with 5 kids in tow) and headed out to the Cowgirl's place for a campfire w/ others from our ward.

It was a fine night.  Good food.  Plenty of conversation.  Lots of room for the kids to run.  (I had no idea where mine were half the time - I'm just glad no one was hurt.)  Mr. Fantastic had it rough.  I'm still trying to figure him out.  I'd love to be a fly on the wall while he interacts with his friends so that I can see where the problem really lies.  See, Mr. Fantastic seems, to me, to be able to interact with his friends just fine.  He laughs and plays and runs, etc...  But then he comes to me later saying his friends were ignoring him and saying mean things.
Hmmm.  While some of it may be true - a lot of the time he leaves out the part where he has done something to instigate such behavior. For example: Mr. Fantastic tells me that his sister is saying mean things.  He forgets to tell me that he told her she isn't as cute as Grand Duchess (he's right, by the way) and has hurt her feelings.  So I'm wondering if tonight's scenario isn't just a little bit different than what he has eluded to.
He asked me to call the mothers and talk with them about it.
I'm more than willing to do it, too, I want to help him be a better friend and individual.  But something inside of me is a little anxious.
Perhaps because this is all too familiar ground for me.  My subconscious is telling me that whatever those mothers say to me about him, it is reflecting on me.  Am I ready for that kind of criticism?  I'm not sure.
So I'll have to sleep on it.
However, on the way home we had a nice little chat about our actions and attitudes and how sometimes we say things in jest but others see it as snottiness.  He and I are both going to be working on that.

Anyhow.  So all in all, Mr. Fantastic struggles.

Popeye is in WA for the week.  We miss him terribly.
Open House for Optimus Prime and Thor tomorrow night.
Wednesday starts school for the 2 older and Princess Monkey Eyes starts her kindergarten assessment on Thursday.
Friday she gets to meet her teacher - she is so excited!
Wednesday afternoon some girlies and I are heading south to take the little ones swimming while the older ones are in school.  It's an indoor swimming pool with an outdoor mini waterpark.  Tres Fun!
And Friday night I'll head back to my parents' house because Popeye flies in Saturday morning.
Which also happens to be Optimus Prime's 8th birthday!!!
Sunday brings family to our little town for his baptism.

Oy vay.  What a busy week.

Oh yeah.  And there's a for sale sign in our yard.  Wanna buy a house? 

I'm really tired and missing Popeye.  This single parent thing sucks.  New Friend, I don't know how you do it!

Peace Out!

mm-mmm good

Grand Duchess has always been vocal.
But now the fun is REALLY starting with her actually trying to pronounce words.
Some of my (understandable) favorites are:
"Eeer Gow" = Here you go.
"Eee A Poo" - Peek a boo.
"Uppppp" = Up.  (That multiple 'P' is pronouced as a spitting thing.)
"Peese" = Please.
"A too" = Thank you.
and my favorite
"Mm-mmm" = used to say no.  "Do you love daddy?" "Mm-mmm."  "Ready for bed?" "Mm-mmm."

Obviously in order to understand her one has to be looking at her and trying to figure out her circumstances.
Still.
I love it!

Conversation between HRH and Thor just after his dead toenail fell off.

Thor: Owieeee. Owieeee.
HRH: (In an attempt to lighten the mood) Thor, it's looking good now, nice and clean.  Almost good enough to eat.
Thor: I don't want to eat my toenail.

Okay.

Heavenly Father has a sense of Humor too

What do David Burnett, Arie Van De Graff, and Jeremy Lamb have in common? They are all Mormon Authors or better yet, cartoonists. Some of you may have even read their stuff. I know I have. All 3 authors (cartoonists) write and illustrate the silly side of being mormon. Yes, they make fun of and laugh at the silly things that go on in wards and stakes throught the world. For we are "Peculiar people". Has anybody read any of the works by these authors? David Burnett is best known for his work , " And it came to Laughs" and "Laughter day Saints". Arie Van De Graff is best known for his work "Mormon Life" and Jeremy Lamb is best known for his work, "The Missionary Chronicles". What is your reactions when you have read one of these books? "ha ha ha, Hoo hoo hoo, hee hee hee, that is so true". "I knew a bishop like that" "I had a home teacher like that once". We are engaged in these books because we can relate. We have all been in a ward where something was just plain and simply funny! I believe a modern day Prophet once said, "life should be enjoyed, not endured" . Aww, such fine words of counsel. Why do we laugh at cartoons or movies that make fun of or better yet identify the funny things that go on in the church? Why are we not offended by these movies or books? Because they are Fiction? or are they? Most of what a cartoonist or writer writes, they have often experienced at one point in their life.  Do these movies or books degrade the Priesthood or the Church etc? No. They simply illustrate that God has a sense of humor too. Then why would he allow such books to be published and sold in Desseret Book? We, after all, have all been created in his image. That doesnt mean just physically that means the whole 9 yards. Looks, spirit, and sense of humor.  It was by the power of the Priesthood that the world was created and everything on and in it. Ah ha ! Proof Heavenly Father has a sense of Humor. If it was by the power of the Priesthood that all things were created, then that proves Heavenly Father has a sense of humor. You can not help look at a Platypus and wonder "what in the world was going on there" Left over animal parts? All things on earth were created for our enjoyment. The platypus was obviously created for us to laugh at. So that proves that Heavenly Father has a sense of humor as well as everything we are taught that He is.

My point to this post is, why do we take everything so serious? A loving God wants us to enjoy life and laugh. I can't help but think that during the grand council in Heaven that there wasn't a little bit of joking and laughing etc. I just can't see my Heavenly Father as having a dry sense of humor or no humor at all. All that being said. Why can't we find humor in the events of our own ward? Why does it offend others when we want to share those silly moments with others? Are the Authors of the books I have mentioned earlier shunned from their ward or stake because they have drawn a cartoon illustrating a funny event that most likely had taken place in their ward, stake, or mission? Why does a funny event that happened in a local ward draw so much contention?  The Author of the original post " The Mormon Campaign trail" was going through a trial where her faith and testimony was shaken and found humor in a certain event for which she nor I have ever been apart of. We never knew how a future bishop was called or selected. Being a trained observer (police officer) I have observed a situation or incident that seemed out of the ordinary and brought that to the attention of my companion to cheer her up. She thought the situation was humorous and decided to post that incident on her Blog (this one) yet it has caused so much greif and rumors and tempers to flair. We, by no way, were "Mocking God" . We were trying to get through a difficult time where our testimony was shaken due to what we saw at the time was unanswered prayers or blessings. We were by no way meaning to make fun of or belittle the brethren who we thought were acting out of their normal characteristics. From a trained observer's point of view, it looked like a Campaign for a presidential race.  The original post was not meant to bring anybody down , but was suppose to lift other up with a little sense of humor to illustrate that Church is a fun place to be. There is so much excitement and humor. In a world full of evil, violence, pornography,where else are we going to find joy and humor? In our own Ward. We have all done something funny or embarassing. I know I have. Why cant we laugh at those things?  Heavenly Father has a sense of Humor Too. Nobody was being put down or mocked. It was the situation that was funny and by no means were we looking to make fun of or belittle or offend. Elder Bednar in a talk has said, We can only offend ourselves. I love and value the priesthood. I will sustain any of the brethren in the ward who might be called to bishop or any other calling for that matter. Again as Gordon B Hinkley has said, Life should be enjoyed not just endured. I feel sorry for those that found offense in the "Mormon Campaign trail" . We should all look for the funny things in life. Some of God's greatest blessings come from the silly things that we do. So why is it ok for producers or writers to make a movie or books poking fun of being an RM or a Singles Ward, but so offensive when we look for the same silliness in our own wards. We need to lighten up.

This Post was written by Popeye.

I have 4 drafts in my "edit posts" section of my blog. (after deleting 5 other ones.)

FOUR.

And no, I won't publish them.

I just thought you should know.

And by the way.  I LOVED my trip out west and can't wait to move! 
It was a long drive made even longer by the lovely construction between Cheyenne and Laramie (which took over an hour longer than usual to get from one city to the other).  But my sister's house is lovely.  Well done, Sis!  They built it themselves - it took a long time.  Sister even told me that her husband got chewed up one side and down the other by their neighbor for allowing Sister to get on the roof to help with roofing.  She was 9 months pregnant.  Anyhow.  I'm impressed and it was a wonderful time with her and her cute little family.
We visited a ward out that way.  We drove around and saw the prettiness of the area.  We found some land.  Lots of land, in fact, and are keeping our eyes on it.  We talked a lot - Popeye and I.  Something that doesn't happen a lot with 5 kids running around.  But there were a few times on the trip when kids actually fell asleep or were just so bored off their rockers that they had nothing else to say.  I like talking with Popeye.  He's a smart man.
He taught me something over the weekend.  I posed a question to him - it was pretty serious.  And while I was afraid of what the answer might be, he was pretty gentle with what he had to say.  I love him for that.  He knew what needed to be said but also knew that I'm at a very fragile state in my life right now.  he handled it beautifully.
And now we're home.
The hardwood floors are finished.  And the realtors get called tomorrow.  I'm anxious.

And I want to give a HUGE shout out to my New Friend!  Without her, my house would not have gotten finished.  I would be in an insane asylum, for sure!  Thank you New Friend.  If you haven't met her yet, you should!  She's an amazingly insightful young lady with lots of love and friendship to give!  Oh how I will miss her when I'm gone.  (You know, you're always welcome to visit any time!)

Anyway.  That's it.  That's all I'm writing.  Here's the last of the pics of the floors.  Before they were  a raw, light colored wood.  Now they're not.  :)

Note**

The previous post wasn't intended to belittle anyone.  I didn't even think they were being cocky.  Popeye and I just found it amusing, that's all.  Sheer amusement.  So those of you who may think I'm being judgemental - that wasn't my intent at all.

On to better things.

The Royal Family went to Cheyenne Frontier Days today.  We watched the Thunderbirds fly.  Always Awesome. Always.
Then, because it was military day, we got into the fair for free.  Unfortunately, the tickets for the rides weren't.  So we didn't ride any - much to the Royal Childrens' dismay.  But we ate overpriced pizza and shared overpriced lemonade.  We did a lot of walking and then, as we were leaving, Thor kept telling me he couldn't walk.  So I would remind him that if he couldn't walk, he couldn't have an ice cream cone from Little America.  "I can walk, Mom!" was his cheery reply.  What a guy - anything for sweets.

Now we're home and I REALLY wanted to go see the bull riding at our own little county fair, alas - we are out of money.  Bummer.

Darn overpriced fair food.

Tomorrow I go back to work for one client.  Just one.  And then I go visiting teaching in the afternoon.

Busy days ahead with school closing in and a few long distance trips planned in between now and then.

Until then...

The Mormon Campaign Trail

Have you ever been in a ward where the bishopric is about to change - drastically?  Not just one or two counselors, but the whole clan?
Well, I am in such a ward right now.  Popeye & I couldn't help but chuckle (and laugh hysterically after church was over) watching some of the "presidential candidates" on Sunday.  Shaking hands, going down each aisle - one candidate on one side, the other going down the other side.  Popeye almost lifted up Grand Duchess for a kiss, but he refrained.  He even saw one of them wink and shoot the gun at someone in the back of the chapel.
As I was walking out of the bathroom, One was standing there, almost as if he was waiting for me to exit so he could greet me.  I'm sure it was just a coincidence and bad timing on both our parts, but still.
Whoever the next bishop will be, I'm sure he'll do a fine job.  It's just a funny scenario to watch right now.
And I'm not even going to be around for the outcome!  Popeye will be leaving for a week that day, so I'll be at the airport dropping him off (and picking up a much loved friend). 
Dagnabbit, I was hoping to watch the confetti fall and partake of the celebratory lunch afterward.

Do YOU have Four Ears?

Yesterday we got home from Omaha. Another long, twelve-hour drive with kids in the back.  At least this time we had air conditioning and only 3 of the 5 kiddos.  Princess Monkey Eyes stayed with Cowgirl and Thor stayed with New Friend (who doesn't have a made-up name yet).  Thanks be to them - immensely!

Anyhow.

After getting an x-ray taken of Mr. Fantastic's head, we saw the surgeon. The incision is perfect. There's no swelling whatsoever. It looks awesome.  Then we had a look at those x-rays.  I could see where the surgeon got the elctrodes in. 

See, there are 16 electrodes in a CI.  He got 8 of them in.  And when I say 'in', I mean, they're sitting in the bone growth of his CI.  They're barely in the cochlea.  He couldn't keep drilling through the bone because the corotid artery sits just behind it. And you don't want to go drilling holes in THAT, now do you? That would be bad.  So he got a partial insertion.
We went to get the ear turned on.
They tested all the electrodes.  They all were responsive.  And then they started seeing what could be heard.
Basically, nothin'.  Electrodes one and two were able to produce sound.  But that's it.  There's just too much bone growth in there.  It's too dense.  The sound waves can't push through it enough to get to the auditory nerve.

So what does that mean?  It means he can hear someone saying, "Ba Ba Ba Ba" but he doesn't know what it is.  It means: he won't be able to decipher between SH and SS and CH.  It means that it doesn't benefit him.
It means that his faith has been shaken. It means MY faith has been shaken.  It means that this was a pointless procedure. It means I feel guilty for convincing the insurance company to fork out the money for the surgery.  It means 3+ trips to Omaha = a waste of time and money.  (I say plus after that 3 because we'll be making another one in 3 weeks for a follow up.)

I am so angry.

And I'm so angry because I want to blog about my feelings but know that my blog has been a source for much gossip, I don't feel I can.

So I'm mad.  Really, really mad.  REALLY.

Last night Mr. Fantastic asked me, "Why doesn't it work?"  I didn't have an answer for him.  I told him to ask Heavenly Father.  So as he prayed, I listened.  He prayed (amongst other things), "Why doesn't it work? You told me it would and I believed You."
Talk about yanking your heart out.

I am wondering the same thing, Buddy.

Tuesday Tip

I saw this tip on a link to the "Today Show".  The lady was showing different ways to use scotch tape.
This tip intrigued me, as I have a few pairs of high heels that hurt my feet after awhile.  However, I willingly suffer because high heels make my legs look sexy.

Tape your third and fourth toes together.  This will cause the muscles in the ball of your foot to be more aligned and cause less pain.
I coulda used THAT tip on Sunday...

I'm trying it out next week.

Part 2

I'm going to keep this somewhat brief. Some of you know how things went with Mr. Fantastic's Surgery. But for all you lurkers out there who don't comment and I don't see on a regular basis (i.e. my sisters), this one's for you.

Mr. Fantastic had his surgery on Tuesday morning.  He did really well with the pre-anesthesia.  Got a little sleepy and would wake up enough to say a few words to the doctors and nurses.  When the surgeon came in, Mr. Fantastic asked him to pray with us.  That was really touching.  The Spirit bore witness that all would be well.

Mr. Fantastic went into surgery around 9:00 a.m. and Popeye and I headed to IHOP for breakfast.  Danish Crepes - delish!!!  We went to Home Depot and bought some trim for the stairs that mysteriously got broken in our absence and then went and got some yarn from Hancock Fabric.  After that we headed to Barnes and Noble and then Target to get Mr. Fantastic a little something.  More browsing took place than anything - but it's nice to just go INTO stores that you don't have nearby.

We got several calls from the OR Nurse saying things like, "All is looking good," "We're starting to drill.", "There's been a complication."  Yep - you read that one right.  The Dr. couldn't get past the bone growth in Mr. Fantastic's inner ear.  He'd still try but a full insertion was out.  Now he's going for a partial.

After some fervent praying on our part, and another phone call from the Dr, my wishes were not to be granted.  A partial insertion was all Mr. Fantastic was going to get.  However, amazingly enough, The Dr. told me that he was about to pull out all together because he couldn't get any of the electrodes to bend the way he needed them to.  So he almost didn't get anything in.  And then at the last second the thought came to him to turn the device.  When he did, the electrodes slipped right in.  7 of them.  So they tested them and they were all responsive.
The Dr. closed up and Mr. Fantastic went to Recovery.

We were discharged later that afternoon and stayed one more night at the Ronald McDonald house just in case.
Now we're home.  He's taken his 'head wrap' off and is getting used to having something else in his head.  He says it's squishy.  Well, it's not bone anymore so - there you go.

(That's a tattoo on his neck, in case you were wondering.  He sure does know where to place 'em! And we've since decorated his headband with signatures and drawings.)

We head back on Tuesday for X-rays, meeting with The Dr. and flipping the switch.  It will be the moment of truth. :)

Oh yeah.  And on the way home, Popeye got a call from Wyoming Highway Patrol.  He got his conditional job offer.  His psychological exam is on Thursday the 22nd.  He passes that and he's got the job for sure.  I just pray that the psychologist doesn't deem him a potential alcoholic again because of his lack of alcohol consumption.  Some people!  Sheesh!

Mr. Fantastic update

This past Tuesday Popeye and I gathered our royal family into our royal carriage and made the trip to Omaha, NE for Mr. Fantastic's pre-operation appointment with the surgeon.
We were staying in Lincoln with a friend and on Wednesday we were planning on spending the day together doing something fun.
On our way there, Popeye got a call from work wanting him to come in. Little did we know that our little town was on a tornado alert and the winds were so bad that it blew a train off of its tracks!   Luckily for us, we were almost to Lincoln and didn't have to turn around.

Wednesday met us with gloomy skies (the aftermath of our storm) and the waterpark trip was deemed out.  The royal children were very disappointed.  We decided to head to the Omaha zoo and that seemed to perk up most of the kids since they've never been to a zoo that took longer than 45 minutes to see everything.  Thor still was not happy.
Needless to say, we got rained on and there was thunder and lightning - but it was still warm.  We had been debating on still going to the waterpark even though rain was in the forecast.  Luckily, we didn't.  With the lightning we would've gotten kicked out and no refund.  Phew.
So we spent the day in Omaha.  Had dinner.  Did a little shoe shopping for Popeye.  Bought souvies for the kiddos.  I want those Sketcher Shape-ups badly, but couldn't muster paying $110 for them.
Went back to Lincoln and cleaned my friend's house for her.  She's trying to sell her house, too, and was leaving for vacay in the morning so I got my groove on and busted it out.  Dusted her light fixtures and cleaned her kitchen.  She had been busy all day, I just finished it off for her.
The next morning we all got out the door by 8:30 as planned - mopping our way out of the house.
We left for Omaha and went up to the Winter Quarters Temple Visitor's Center. We toured that and watched a short video about the Mormon Pioneers.  The kids enjoyed dressing up like pioneers and trying their hand at pulling a handcart.  We then went to meet with the doctor.
He looked younger than I remember.  I remember watching his hands as he typed on his computer and thought of how skilled he must be.  He told me he's performed over 600 CI surgeries.  All of which have never had the facial paralysis or loss of tastebuds side-effect.  (Knock on wood.)  He reminded me that with the bone growth inside Mr. Fantastic's cochlea, a "full insertion" will be rare.  What that means is: the CI has 16 electrodes that attach to the auditory nerve.  A full insertion will be all 16 of those electrodes getting attached.  He knows he can get a partial insertion - but won't know how much until he gets in there.
As we were chatting, I told him that Mr. Fantastic hosted a family fast this past week.  That we all were fasting and praying for a successful surgery.
He looked me in the eye and told me, "I believe in God.  I wouldn't be as successful as I am without Him."  His eyes were misty, as were mine.  In that moment, I knew that Heavenly Father would deliver.
We finished the meeting and left.
15 minutes.
We drove 12+ hours to meet for 15 minutes.  And while there was bickering and fighting and teasing all the way home, it really was worth it.
I realized I needed to talk with the doctor and have the Spirit testify to me that he is in Good Hands.  That both he and Mr. Fantastic are in good hands.  I left Omaha peaceful with Mr. Fantastic's decision.

We arrived home to a house that was still standing and the roof still intact.  No flooding in the basement.  No destroyed flowerbeds.  Granted, Popeye's nemesis is back - the dreaded kitchen sink - but it could be so much more worse.
Tomorrow is Sunday and I'll be fasting once again.  This time, instead of fasting and praying for Mr. Fantastic to be able to hear completely, I'll be fasting for a full insertion.  I desperately want the doctor to go in there and say, "Oh my Goodness.  His cochlea is clear.  Let's do this!"  I want to be one of those stories.  You know the ones: 'My so & so had cancer.  We had a family fast and the next day it was gone...'  I want that.  An x-ray that says there's bone growth and then it's gone.  Miracle.
But this whole process in and of itself is a miracle.  And I am blessed.
Monday we leave for Omaha again.  A new friend is staying with the 4 younger munchkins. I love her.
We check in at 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday for surgery.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Pictures

I have finally uploaded photos from my phone and thought I'd post some.  Some of these are from the branding party (taken by Jenni) a month ago.  You can find more of Jenni's fabulous work (and see more of the branding photos) over at Applegreen Photography.

Yesterday the city workers were doing something with the water lines on our street.  They ended up opening up the hydrant across from our house and the kids had the most wonderful time trying to stay standing in that mad blast of water!  They finally gave up and played in the street.

That's me, on the top and there's Popeye on the bottom.  Mmmm, mmm - he's so hot.

There he is again.  And that's Princess Monkey Eyes on branding day.  I love her curls.

Popeye bought Princess Monkey Eyes and I new cowgirl hats for the branding.  I totally dig mine!

There's Grand Duchess with a light saber - she's growing so fast and wants to be a part of the action. The other pic is of Princess Monkey Eyes, her friend and Thor out at the ranch.  We were feeding the calf, Daffy, that day and the kids were chasing it and then it would turn around and chase them back.  It was so funny to watch!

I need to get a new camera.  Mr. Fantastic is having surgery in two weeks and I need to take pics of that process for him.  I should post more pics of the boys - but they just aren't as cute as the girls.  :)  Okay, that's not totally true - I just rarely take pictures of them.

Really quick...maybe

here's the latest.

We had major hail damage on the north side of our house and garage. Holes in the siding and a busted roof. Needless to say - the house STILL is not on the market.
Last week it was unbearably hot but Popeye and I got the siding removed and reinstalled in 100+ degree weather on the garage.  Looks good.  Tomorrow I'll let him remove the siding from the house while I paint the garage to match and install the trim.

Mr. Fantastic has his surgery scheduled for July 13th so we're counting down the days to when we'll start making the long, numerous trips to Omaha for all that is entailed in that.  Pre-operation appointments, operation and then turning the thing on.  After that we'll have to go quarterly for adjustments.  It's a 6 hour drive, one way.  So not fun.  I'm thinking a DVD player for the van will be a must-buy within the next few weeks.

I'm done working for the summer.  Oh how I miss some of my clients.  Some of them, not so much, but there are days when I long to make a difference in someone else's life.  I cleaned my house the other day.  Spent 3 hours on the main floor.  Oh how it sparkled and shined.  The kids stayed outside.  They played in the sprinklers. They came in to go potty.  They tracked grassy wetness across my shiny, clean floors.  I told them to turn around and pee outside. 
Needless to say, I think I need therapy - or a summer camp for the kids while the house is on the market.

Popeye's job "search" is going well.  The state trooper doing Popeye's background investigation is optimistic that he'll get the job.  That is, given he doesn't dig up some nasty dirt.  not happenin'.  So that aspect of our life is moving forward.  We're excited and nervous all at the same time.

Everyone else is fine.  It's allergy season so I am not even going to spell-check this or re-read it as my head is throbbing with sinus pressure.  I just took the last Zyrtec and Sudafed today - everything else in my medicine cabinet has expired.  Guess I need to go to the store tomorrow.  Lovely.  I hate asking for Sudafed - I feel like a criminal.  And when I'm all congested like this - I'm sure I look like a criminal, too.

Anyhow.  Popeye gave me a week off a couple of weeks ago.  It was heaven.  I went to my mom and dad's to stay.  Took my sewing machine, yarn, crochet hooks & money.  I read my scriptures each morning without interruption.  I sewed 8 skirts for the girls.  I crocheted one hat for Grand Duchess.  I watch movies galore.  I helped Mom prepare for a catering job that week.  I talked with her and laughed with her and we went to the movies and saw "Letters to Juliet" (which I recommend if you like clean, chick-flick flicks).  I visited with my uncle who came through.  I bought lots of fabric from Hobby Lobby.  I had a wonderful time!  Simply wonderful.
I came home refreshed and ready to be a mom and wife again.  I had been struggling with motherhood and wife-hood for a while.  Not a lot of people know that.  I went home on Thursday morning only to turn around Friday and go back with Popeye and the kids (Stake temple day was the next day).  I helped Mom with her job on Friday night and was hit on by a young man - the cousin of the groom.  He knew I was married with 5 kids and yet he still flirted with me.  While it was a serious ego booster (Who doesn't like to be hit on my an attractive young guy? - Young being the operative word, here) - I am glad I went home the night before to be with my family to help me realize that I really do love each of them.
And for the record, I'm sure it was the tummy-slimming cami and the fake eye-lashes that had him so entranced.

So I'm home.  We've been fishing and camping and having all sorts of "fun". The kids think I clean too much. I think they should clean up after themselves so that we wouldn't have to do so much cleaning.

And now my medicine is kicking in and I must meet my bed with welcome sighs of bliss.

Still Going Strong

Today is June 5, 2010.  Precisely 11 years ago (to the day, too) I married the man of my dreams.
Oh how I wish my scanner was working so I could scan in a couple of pictures from our earlier years. 

Our wedding was beautiful.  We were married in the Denver LDS Temple.  I had a gorgeous wedding dess and Popeye wore a white tux (I wasn't too keen on it, but hey - he had to have say over SOMETHING that day).  My eldest sister said we looked like Audrey Hepburn and Kurt Russell. (Insert picture here...)

We had a luncheon following the ceremony at a country club in Lonetree, CO.  The food was yummy.  The cake?  Not so much.  I'm not a fan of fondant, but that's okay.  It's not always about the cake.

After a brief rest (NOT!) we went to the church where the cultural hall was magically transformed into a tent-like atmosphere.  The food was delicious (even though we didn't get to eat a whole lot).  The cake - absolutely decadent!!!  Oh, I'm salivating now.

And the dancing.  There was lots of it and it was fun!

And we drove away on Popeye's harley.  Sweet.  Sunglasses, leather jackets and our wedding garb.  People were honking and waving as I had my arms wrapped around Popeye's waist.  It was a deliciously warm night. (Insert another picture of us on the harley here...)

And jumping forward 11 years, we're still in love.  Sometimes I don't like the man.  I mean, he can drive me bonkers.  But then he makes up for it - like the flowers on Mother's Day, showering the kids on Saturday night, letting me sleep in when he's going on little or no sleep.  he's an amazing husband and treats me like a queen.  In all 11 years of marriage he has never yelled at me.  Not once.  And the fights are more of the silent type - and they're pretty few, too.

I have thoroughly enjoyed being married.  It's been rough. But it's been good.  We have 5 beautiful, well-mannered (for the most part) children.  We have a home and we have each other.  We are happy.

So tonight I think I should find a sitter to come over so I can take my man on a date.  But maybe we'll just stay in, pop some popcorn and watch Nacho Libre. 

Here are a few photos for your viewing pleasure.

2008 Christmas Photo Shoot - I was preggo with Grand Duchess

February 2009

March 2008 at The Stanley Hotel

I'm just thinking things here - stuff that I presented to Popeye earlier today - and it will probably jump around and be completely incoherent, but whatever. It's my post and that's that.


Here's my latest 'wondering'.  I feel like I'm having an identity crisis.
Yesterday The Royal Family & I headed to a friend's house for a "branding party".  Popeye bought us both boots and hats for the event.  We had a most wonderful time wrestling calves to the ground and pinning them while they got branded, vaccinated and castrated (only the boys, you know).  Anyway.  It was awesome.
That lifestyle is what my inner-most self yearns for.
But then I have this other lifestyle that I yearn for as well.  One that includes neighbors, a fenced yard, trick-or-treating from the front door and walking to school that's a block or two away.
I was looking at my front coat closet this afternoon and noticed something.  All of the shoes.
There's lots of them.  And (oops) a lot of them are mine.
I have my cowgirl boots (still with poo on the bottom that didn't give me blisters) sitting by the front door. 
I have my running shoes that I use for everyday living because of comfort and practicality. (Hey, it's easier to chase after a 3 year old running down the street in those rather than flip flops.)
There are the few pairs of flip flops and ballet flats that I wear when my feet need to breathe and see the sunshine for the few brief moments that I take the trash out or run out to the garage.
I also have my assortment of strappy-sexy sandals and my knee-high stripper boots.
What do they all mean?  Some make me feel attractive and desirable.  Some make me feel motivated.  Some laid back and lazy.  And now the boots - the cowgirl ones, not the stripper ones - make me feel strong and wanting to be outside working.
As I was looking at the shoes and thinking about what they 'mean', I started feeling lonely, confused, frustrated... whatever.  But it made me ask outloud, "Why can I not be happy with myself?  Why am I always trying to change myself to please others?" 
Ever since I can remember I've adapted myself to please others. To fit in. To be accepted.  In the teenage years it was all about the boys.  I had no problem getting dirty, holding snakes, playing football but I also had to be skinny, beautiful and have make up on.  (Hey, it's how I landed Popeye.) I look at pictures of myself when I was 16 and think, "How could I have had such a low self-image?  LOOK at those thighs!  I'd kill for those thighs right now."  But yet, I allowed outside influences to influence ME.
And those outside forces are still working.  Am I trying to be a cowgirl because of the friendships I've made?  Or am I using the friendship to help me develop my inner cowgirliness?  Should I buy my clothes at a certain store to get me into the 'In' crowd? If I get a certain calling will I finally be friends with 'her'?  If I bite my tongue and not say anything, will she like me more?  Why do I let other's opinions of me affect me so much? 
Popeye says that it's because I'm looking for another Milkmaid Supreme and just haven't found her yet. (Not that I'm wanting to replace Milmaid Supreme by any means.  I miss her terribly and wish we lived MUCH closer.)  But Popeye says that I'm yearning for that same relationship.  A completely trusting friendship where I don't have to question loyalties.  I see friendships being made around me and then watch them get torn apart because of deceit or selfishness.  And I watch other friendships that seem to progress and wait with baited breath for them to fall apart.  And when they don't, I'm envious because it wasn't ME that was the progressing one.
I think I'm destined to be a life-time long-distance friend.  I'm pretty good at those.  If I torque my long-distance friends then they can hang up the phone and mull it over until we talk again and all is forgiven.  But here.  Here in Small Townville I must see these friends weekly (sometimes daily) and I'm a lot to take sometimes.  The breaks aren't long enough before feelings can be mended.
Which leads me back to being a cowgirl.  Out in the country you don't have the neighbors right next door.  So seeing them everyday and offending everyday is scarce.  In the country you have chores that surpass the everday laundry, cooking, cleaning. There's cows to be fed, chickens to be fed, eggs to be gathered, gardens to be tended to, fences to be mended, horses to be watered, etc... 
Perhaps this is my answer.  Maybe the cowgirl boots should stay and the stripper boots get put into the back of the closet.  After all, nothing is sexier to a man than a woman who can pull her own weight (and then some) around the farm.

(And as a subnote - I'll be posting about the  branding as soon as I can get my pics uploaded to the computer.  SUPER time! Everyone should do it.)

Busy.

Popeye is leaving for a few days tomorrow.  He has some training for work that he needs to go to.  So I took the week off of my own work to stay home with the kids.  And we all know how I get while Popeye's away.

Today we primed the trim outside the house.  The rain finally let up enough to let us outside.  I hate climbing up ladders, so I had to wait for Popeye to be able to help me.  We got almost the whole house done this morning.  Now we just need a nice coat of white over that primer and the painting outside will be done!  YEAH!
Tonight I'll probably just clean up and get things ready for while he's gone. Hee hee hee.  I don't even think he knows what my plans are while he's gone.

Starting this past Saturday evening, we began potty training Thor.  Up until then he hasn't shown any interest at all, even with the bribe of candy (which he would swim with sharks if it meant a tasty treat).  But he was all for it!
So far so good.  A few accidents but he woke up dry this morning and I'm still feeling optimistic!  I'll continue with it through the week and hopefully he'll be like his big brother, Mr. Fantastic, and be completely trained by the end of the week!

It's been awhile since posting.  I really just wanted to let everyone know I'm still here.  And if you're wondering what I've been up to - check out my side bar and see all the '*DONE*' marks next to my projects.
Estimated date to put the house on the market - May 31.

And now that the cat's somewhat out of the bag (at least Popeye's boss knows), we're looking at switching law enforcement agencies.  So even though we've outgrown the house (hey, we moved into it and it was already outgrown), we'll probably be looking in another state for a house to buy.
So if you know anyone looking for a cute little house, I've got one.
I'll post pictures as soon as we're done with everything so you can see the improvements!

And on that note, time to make dinner and then get the boys to soccer so I can declutter a room or two.

Tuesday Tip!

I was cleaning today for The Party Animal.  I call her The Party Animal because she's this little bitty old lady who always thinks her house is messy.  It's not.  I joke with her that she needs to stop partying so much because I can barely get through my work in my allotted amount of time.

Anyway.  So I was at The Party Animal's house this morning, cleaning her kitchen.  She just bought a new canister of Comet.
I love the stuff.  It works great at getting the scratches out of sinks and tubs.  But today, the stuff came in handy on her formica countertop.  She spilled some coffee and wiped it up - but there was a nice brown ring left in it's place.  Now I know a lot of you drink coffee on a regular basis - so this tip will totally come in handy.  It will also come in handy for Kool-aid spills, berry juice and other such stain-y disasters.
Just sprinkle it on and take one of those green scotch-brite pads and get that stain out.  Then rinse with some water or 409 or whatever...
I am pretty sure that Soft Scrub will work just as well, also.  The jury's still out on which product I like better...  But they're both comparable.

So there you go.  A tip that you all probably have used a bazillion times, but that I just found a new use for today.

(Things are progressing with the house.  Tonight, as soon as the kids go to bed, I'll finish smoothing down the putty on the trim and then, perhaps tomorrow, start painting it.  I've also begun packing things up and lined up a storage unit that I'll start transferring them to tomorrow.  Thanks be to a new friend who just moved here - the movers just brought their stuff and she is graciously giving me a bunch of her UBER NICE moving boxes!  Can't beat that!  On that note - I hear bickering...  Time to go play referee.)

I love Indian Cuisine, but this is too much!

Last week I accepted a job from a local realtor to clean a 3 bedroom apartment.  Not a big deal, right?  I do move-outs all the time.  I went and inspected the property and told the realtor that I'd do the job for no less than $100 but that if it took me longer than 4 hours, I would charge $25/hr after that.
"No problem." Said He.

So today I got busy.  Got over there at 8 o'clock this morning and started moving out whatever the tenant had left behind.  Realtor wanted me to just throw it all away (no biggie since we're renting a dumpster from the landfill right now, I just brought it home).  That took a little bit of time, taking off window coverings and such. 
Now see, I guess I neglected to let you in on a secret.  The previous tenants were from India.  Thus cooking with heavy spices.  And they lived there for over 6 years.  You can only imagine the smell.

Over 20 heavy duty towels, 5 window towels, half a roll of paper towels, 2 garbage bags and FIVE and A HALF HOURS later, I start loading up the van.  Items being discarded include (but are not limited to): kitchen chairs, folding table, vacuum, those styrofoam egg-carton pad thingys, and various stinky window treatments. 

I spent 2 hours alone in a kitchen that is smaller than mine (I thought my kitchen was the smallest ever).  I used a whole bottle of INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH DEGREASER on that kitchen.  And I STILL didn't get all the grease off that range hood.  I wanted to pull out the fridge but it was stuck.  I didn't get behind the stove - I ran out of degreaser.  I washed the floor - twice.  The kitchen was nasty.

The bathroom.  Oh boy.  The buildup of calcium deposits and soap scum would make ANYONE scream!  The first thing I did when I got there was to treat that so when the time came for me to clean the bathroom it would be broken up a bit.  I used two bottles of lime away, half a pumice stone and a whole sheet of drywall screen on the tub, toilet and sink.  I took before and after pics, just in case.  (I wish I had taken before and after pics of the kitchen, but I didn't think about it at the time).  I spent an hour and half in the bathroom.  And it is smaller than mine.

Not only did I spend my time degreasing and de-calciumfying (word?), but I washed all the walls, got ALL the cobwebs, took out the screens and vacuumed them and washed all the windows (inside and out).

After including 15 minutes for trash retrieval/removal, the total charge came to be $143.75!!!
I should have upped my fee given the nastiness of the place.  I just didn't think it would take that long when I first said yes.  I thought it would be a piece of cake job. That I could get through everything quickly with a bit of elbow grease.  Never did I imagine that the build-up was 6 years worth of build-up.

So I proceeded over to Realtor's Office and handed the receptionist the invoice.  I explained that there would definitely need to be a paint job done, carpets cleaned and I advised that the wallpaper be removed from the kitchen because it is harboring the smell of curry and Indian spices.  She said, "Well, Realtor will have to go and inspect it, but he just stepped out.  I'll give you a call when you can come get your check."

WHAT?!?!?!  I am so raging, fuming mad.  No, I did NOT sign up for payment upon adequate inspection.  I want my money.  I just spent my regular day off cleaning up after some slob.  I'm doing the work that they (the tenant and realtor) didn't want to do.  And now I have to wait for payment?
So I called 2 hours later.  Realtor answers the phone and I asked him if he had gone up there yet to look at it. 
"I just got into town from Easter break." (Uh huh.  Either you're lying or Receptionist is lying because she said you had just stepped out....  whatever.) 
Me: "So, what time do you guys close up tonight?"
Him: "Around 5.  But I don't think I'll be able to get up there tonight to look at it. Can I do it first thing tomorrow morning?"
Me: "Well, I'm not very happy about it, but if that's the way it has to be.  I'll be working tomorrow morning, so I'll swing by when I'm done to get my check."

I am SO mad.  SO SO SO MAD.
And I smell like curry and other Indian spices.  And Popeye just started the dishwaasher so a shower is out of the question for a couple of hours.

Wanna see the pics?

Can you see the difference? I might add, the only altering of the photos were just the brightness.  The bathroom is poorly lit, so I brightened them up a bit so you can see them better.

And I've decided that I won't do a job for Realtor again.