I found a new favorite saying yesterday. Here it is:

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." ~ Dr. Seuss

Very true isn't it. Really made me think.

.......Like A Chicken With It's Head Cut Off!!!

Yes, this is really a chicken with it's head cut off! You all know the old saying, "Running around like a chicken with their head cut off". Well, that's me today!! LOL Yes, I guess this is a bit graphic and morbid. lol That's me though.....get to the point, always!!

If any of you read my first blog you'll have an idea of what today is going to be like. I have to register two kids at the high school, do the banking, go to Costco and GI Joes, pick up a bike at the bike shop, go to Bi Mart, drive to Junction City to pick up the boat, & then go grocery shopping! LOL I'm tired just thinking about it! LOL Oh, and then work on packing for our camping trip. We are leaving tomorrow....I can't wait!!! Paradise, here I come!!!

This weekend should be interesting. The beginning of it anyway. The reverse in my husband's truck went out and my truck is still "in the shop". I asked him how I was supposed to put the boat in the water if the truck couldn't go into reverse. Do you know what my husband informed me to do? LOL He said, "Use GRAVITY"!!! LOL Ok, gravity here I come!! LOL

The Dash....

"The Dash" by Linda Ellis
I read of a reverend who stood to speakat the funeral of his friend.He referred to the dateon her tombstonefrom the beginning... to the end.He noted that first came the date of her birthand spoke of the date with tearsbut he said what mattered most of allwas the dash between those years.For that dash represents all the timethat she spent alive on earth, andnow only those who loved her knowwhat that little line is worth.For it matters not how much we own;the cars, the house, the cash.What matters is how we lived and lovedand how we spend our dash.So think about this long and hard,Are there things you'd like to change?For you never know how much time is leftYou could be at "dash mid-range"If we could just slow down enoughto consider what's true and real,and always try to understandthe way other people feel, andbe less quick to anger,show appreciation moreand love the people in our life likewe've never loved before.If we treat each other with respect,more often wear a smileremembering that this special dashmight only last a little while.So when your eulogy is being readwith your life's actions to rehash...would you be pleased with the things they sayabout how you spent your dash?

This is one of my favorite poems. I think it speaks for itself why it's one of my favs. I hope you love it too.

Carrots, Eggs & Coffee beans & Weeble Wobbles....

Carrots, Eggs & Coffee beans

A certain daughter complained to her father about her life and how things have been so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and she wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed that just as one problem was solved another arose.Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen, filled three pots with water and placed the fire on high. Soon the three pots came to a boil. In one he placed carrots, in the other he placed eggs, and in the last he placed ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.The daughter sucked her teeth and impatiently wondered what he was trying to do. She had problems, and he was making this strange concoction. In half an hour he walked over to the oven and turned down the fire. He pulled the carrots out and placed them in the bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in the bowl. Then he ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.Turning to her he asked. "Darling what do you see?" Smartly, she replied. "Carrots, eggs, and coffee."He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and breakit. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiledegg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Her face frowned from the strength of the coffee.Humbly, she asked. "What does it mean Father?"He explained. "Each of them faced the same adversity,212 degrees of boiling water. However each reacted differently.""The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. But after goingthrough boiling water, it softened and became weak.""The egg was fragile. A thin outer shell protected a liquid center. Butafter sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.""The coffee beans are unique however. After they were in the boiling water, it became stronger and richer.""Which are you," he asked his daughter. When adversity knocks on your door,how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?Are you the carrot that seems hard, but with the smallest amount of pain,adversity, heat you wilt and become soft with no strength?Are you the egg, which starts off with a malleable heart? A fluid spirit. But after a death, a breakup, a divorce, alayoff you became hardened and stiff. Your shell looks the same, but youare so bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and heart, internally.Or are you like the coffee bean? The bean does not get its peak flavorand robust until it reaches 212 degrees Fahrenheit. When the water getsthe hottest, it just tastes better. When things are there worst, you getbetter. When people talk the most, your praises increase. When the houris the darkest, trials are their greatest, your worshipelevates to another level. How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?
AUTHOR UNKNOWN
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but notin despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.II Corinthians 4:8-9


I just found this online. It's just what I needed to see today too! I've had a really hard time with my 3 boys the last few months & sometimes I feel like I'm at the end of my rope. I'm ready to walk out the door and not look back. I can't see what's in the future. Who knows, I may be a carrot by the time these boys are done with me. LOL Right now though I have to be coffee. I need to be stronger and come out of it better than I was when I started.

I know I've learned a lot about kids the last few years. I'm 35 years old & I've been a mom since I was 19 but just the last few years I've really understood how to interact with groups of kids, kids that aren't mine, kids that can challenge you. I've always loved my kids ofcourse and my friend's/families kids because I'd get close to them and really know them but I've never been a huge kid lover in general. Strangers kids....ya they bugged me. LOL Now I'm caring more about those kids I don't know. I want to help where I can. I was a cubmaster for a year & actually ended up loving the job. I really gave 110% of myself to the pack and I got so much in return from those kidos. It makes my heart smile to think of them even today.

I find myself wanting to become a teacher but I'm not sure I can do it. College makes me nervous. I hate tests and I always feel like I'm not smart enough to join the college people. LOL My own thoughts are what gets me in trouble here I guess. Not sure why I think I'm so dumb. LOL I know when I put my mind to it I can ace anything.

You know those weeble wobble people we played with as kids? That's how I feel sometimes with my kids. I may fall over but I don't fall down. I just keep standing up and going against the odds.

I'm lucky to.....I have some great friends that have been very supportive of me during this time. If you all are ready this.....Thank you!!!

Yesterday I had a phone call from an old friend of mine here in town. Somebody had called the state and reported their house being too messy.....ok dirty. I rushed right over there ofcourse. She was a nervous wreck. She thought for sure the state was going to take her daughter away. Yes, her house was that bad. We stayed in the front lawn until everybody showed up. There were 3 different people from 3 different agency's. My friend and her husband were pretty upset over the whole thing. The lady from the Child protective place said that she wouldn't take their daughter from them at this time but that the girl wasn't allowed in the house at all. Not even an inch. We told them who the girl would be with. Gave them a list of names....mine included. They just bought a house and are in the process of moving so once moved she can stay in their new home ofcourse. It'll be a few more weeks. Until then they are going to be bouncing her around between friends and family. She's 14 and has a good attitude about this so I'm sure she'll be fine. I just wanted to make all this go away for her yesterday. I felt very bad for her. She's a pretty tough cookie. She's beat cancer and a few other major operations in her lifetime. She keeps bouncing back. Please say a prayer for them.

Knock knock..Who's there.....Apple...Apple Who?

We moved into this house in October of '05. My daughter has hated her room since the first night she slept in it. It's a nice room. We painted it purple for her & bought her a new bed/night stand set from JC Penny's. She still hated the room. We'd find her sleeping on the couch or in our bed in the mornings. We do live near a busy road and at one point she said it was the headlights passing that would freak her out at night so I put up heavier curtains. She said that was great! That lasted just a few nights and then guess what.....she still hated the room. It's like she just can't get comfortable in it. It freaks her out.

Almost two weeks ago she started telling me that somebody was knocking at her window at night. She refused to sleep in there. We asked all the boys here if they were knocking on her window trying to scare her or something and they all swore they weren't doing it. I had a hard time believing that some stranger would just come and knock on her window at night and then leave. But you never know.

Last night was her first night home in a week. She'd been visiting my folks. She did sleep in her bed but it took some doing. She didn't want to sleep in there at all but she finally did. About 4 am this morning I got up to use the little girls room & then sat at my desk for a bit to get my vitamins I forgot to take at bed time.

Well, that's when I heard the "knock". Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam. Then after a few seconds I heard it again. Bam, bam, bam, bam. With my fuzzy 4 am brain I figured out who was knocking at my daughter's room! Apples!!! Yes, apples!! There's a HUGE apple tree outside of my daughters room and they are falling right now. Some are just tooooo high for us to pick. Anyway, the apples were dropping and bouncing across the roof!! I just had to laugh!!

I told her and the rest of the family today and everybody was relieved that Mom had solved the mystery of the, "Night Time Window Knocking"!!

Tonight, my daughter went to bed with no problems!!

Hmmmm......

You ever have those moments when you feel like sitting down and typing something but you just can't seem to figure out what to type about? LOL I'm having that problem right now.
I think I'm just going to end up rambling!
I had a pretty normal day. Took the kids to do some errands. Went to the Dollar Tree & Costco & spent too much money! LOL Yes, even at the Dollar Tree I can spend too much money!

My eleven year old son & I then spent some time together at The Pottery Place. He is painting a dragon and castle. I'm still working on the same piece you saw in a previous post. I don't think it will ever get done! LOL I started another piece the other day (shame on me). It's really cute. It's like a cookie jar. It's a cute dog sitting & it is wearing a collar with a name tag.
I took a picture of Harley with me and painted it to look like her as much as I could. Turned out really nice. It should be out of the cooker next week. I'll snap a picture of it for you when I get it back. We'll keep her doggy treats in it. I can't wait to get it back!!! If you have kids old enough for painting, taking them to a potter place is a great thing to do with them. You get to paint and talk. I swear my son is usually pretty quiet about some things but once I get him in there he's none stop yaking! Good way to get the kids to open up.

My good friend & I are planning and escape weekend in October! We've been friends since we were in diapers. We know more about each other than we'd like to admit. LOL This last month I've been thinking a lot about her. We've been adults now for about 17 years & we've never just picked up and left together for a fun "girls time". I've done it with other friends but not her. Not sure why. Anyway, I called her last week & told her we should run away & hide for a few days & she was all for it!! I think we are going to head to the coast and play on the beach. We were raised on the beach just a few miles from each other. We go down every now and again to visit our parents but haven't actually played for some time now. Even when I went to the coat last weekend I had to help my grandmother out every day I was there and popped in on some other family members. We decided to head north of where we were raised where there weren't any relatives! LOL My hubby took a week in June with his buddies to go kayak down a river so I think I can take a few days with NO kids and have some fun. LOL

My husband rented a movie tonight....Catty Shack. Can you believe it.....he's never seen Catty Shack before!! LOL I guess OCC is building a bike using the Catty Shack theme so he wanted to see the movie. I was shocked to learn he hadn't seen it before. LOL They didn't have it on DVD so we had to pull out the old VCR.

Tomorrow my daughter comes home from spending the week & my parent's place. I bought some wall stickers for her room so when she gets home we'll decorate! They are really cute...big flowers & butterflies! Perfect for a little girls room!! She called tonight to talk to us. She's really home sick and very ready to come home. I'm missing her too so it'll be great to see her tomorrow!!

The Beach

I'm home from the coast! I had a very nice time too! I was able to see my grandmother & I had a really nice time with her. We were able to chat for hours and I helped her with some things around the house that she was unable to do.

While at the coast I stayed with one of my best friends, "Kathy". We've been good friends for about 20 years now. Wow, that made me feel old! We met when I was 15. She was my Sunday school teacher. LOL I started babysitting for her and we've been friends since! I feel like I've helped raise her girls. We also had a very nice visit. We had lots of time to chat. We also did some errands around town, stopped in on my in-laws, took in a movie, & then went out for a Mexican dinner. Oh it was good!!

Above is a picture of Kathy & her daughter's dog, "Ottie". Smile for the camera Ottie!!
Kathy's daughter & son-in-law stopped by for a visit! It was great to see them!! They are expecting their first baby in March!!!!!
Ottie kicking back after a hard day of.....Ummmmm.....a hard day of......being a dog!??! LOL
Here's a picture of the view from Kathy's house. Some fog was coming in so it's not the greatest picture of the ocean.

My son & I went out for Sunday brunch & watched the surfers. Must have been 30 of them out there today!

It was so nice to get away for the weekend! A great break! Now I'm ready to meet this week head on!!

Josee's Pottery

We picked up Josee's finished pottery today. She was thrilled with the out come!! The plate is the one she made for her best friend's birthday present. The other one is hers because she LOVES horses!! She did a great job!!

Finally...feeling good!

Wow, I'm actually feeling pretty good this morning! The last couple of days have been hard. I've been fighting a pretty bad headache I believe was started by my sinuses. So far so good today! It's nice and sunny out. I love looking out the windows & seeing the fields & trees.

Here's a picture from one of my living room windows. You also see here my husbands '51 Ford panel truck that he is restoring. The engine is done....soon he'll start on the body.

I have to work later today. I'm looking forward to it. It's a chance to get out of the house for awhile!! LOL That's so bad! I work tomorrow morning too but just for a few hours. When I get off work tomorrow I'm hoping to go paint at the pottery place. Josee's items from the other day will be ready for pickup later today! I'm looking forward to seeing the horse and plate she did.