Wow, that was a long nap!

Whoa, hey, hello there. Where am I? I feel like Rumpelstiltskin just waking up after a 4 month nap. So what's been happening? Well, let's see. NOTHING! HA!

Actually, it's been pretty low-key. Of course we've had 4 birthday parties, a new dog, Christmas, New Years, a KU football bowl victory, and a lot of snow since I blogged last. OH, and my hair has gotten longer. Other than that, it's been bidness as usual.

So, here are fun things that gave me joy since last time...well, not EVERYTHING that gave me joy, but some of the little ones:

1. Hair bands with attached scarves. My new favorite thing!!!!!
2. The double-dipper crockpot. It's small, it's divided and I'm loving it!
3. I've taught Murdock how to sit. Now if I could just get my kids (and husband) to do that!
4. Plato's Closet. A consignment store that's hip, cheap, fun and frivolous. Much like myself.
5. My heated seat. (In my CAR you dummy.) I stilllllllll love it.
6. My son's humor. Don't even ask.
7. Oh, I know, the new Red Box at McD's! How cool is that? Except they're always out of the movie I want. But who cares....it's only a dollar! And I can get the BIG AND TASTY while I'm at it.
8. The use of both hands. Just because.
9. Old songs from high school....like "I love Rock and Roll" (put another dime in the jukebox baby!!!!) Woo!
10. And last but not least, bright colors.

Well, blogging is like exercise. You have to ease yourself into it after being inactive for a long time. So as not to strain myself, I am now logging out. Enjoy. And maybe I'll blog again soon....don't give up!

Question: Do rabbits really like carrots? Eight ball says: Only dipped in ranch.

tGif (or, OH HAPPY DAY!)

I have some things that I'm very excited about! One of them is a band I just discovered. Note the terminology there..."I" just discovered. I say this because they've apparently been around since at least the early '90s....I'm just now discovering them. They are called the NEWSBOYS. Their newest album is GO. I just downloaded it yesterday and haven't stopped listening to it. It's basically Christian rock with a dance beat. Funny thing is, it's REALLY GOOD. What I mean by that is I can be very snobbish when it comes to music classified as Christian rock because it's either mediocre in quality, OR, the message is the same in every song...not that I'm saying the message is boring, but the same message in every song just isn't fresh. Well, NEWSBOYS is fresh! And the lyrics are really good. It's a Euro beat and well, as geekish as it sounds, I'm all about the Euro. Maybe it's my skin tone and hair color, who knows.

Okay, the second thing I'm excited about is a book I'm reading. Lots of you will again scream "geek" because IRONICALLY, just as I got interested in this book, Oprah put it on her list and is discussing it on her Friday show with the author. Trust me, PURE coincidence. I'm not one to follow Oprah's book list. I can pick out books on my own thank you. But I have to agree with her on this one. It's called Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. It's her memoir of self discovery and it really is fun to read. It's not holier than thou by any stretch of the imagination. It's very real, very true, and very good reading.

There are lots of other things I'm excited about like starting yoga again, eating lunch with friends, the beautiful weather lately, but in particular MY MOONROOF! I have a long laundry list of dreams for my life. And oddly enough, one of them was to have a moonroof. It's the little things I guess. But it brings me lots of joy, especially lately. I don't go a minute in my car (unless it's raining) when it isn't open. And when it's raining, I still leave the cover off just so I can see the rain hit the window. It's one of the funnest things ever. I'm thankful for it every day. I know, I'm a nerd.

Speaking of dreams....here are a few that I have had since I was old enough to start writing them down:

Visiting Hawaii
Visiting Germany
Writing a book
Learning guitar
Owning a studio
Having a moonroof (check)
Living in a different culture (preferably a more simple one)
Fly in a hot air balloon
Adopt a foreign child
Dye my hair like red.
Get a tattoo
Do something worthwhile (legacy thing)
Be a lifelong student
Meet as many different people as humanly possible before I die
And the list goes on, and on, and on.....

I hope you all have a wonderful Friday and even more wonderful weekend!
Question today: Will I learn something new today? 8-ball says: MOST DEFINITELY!

Hi d ho Neighbor!

Yessirree Bob. It is National Talk Like a Pirate day! It's also Sarcastic Wednesday. Of course you can combine the two as I have and make it Talk Like a Sarcastic Pirate day. Be creative.

I'm giddy because it's my Friday. Nothing puts you in a good mood like knowing you're off work the next two days. Not for any good reason either. But for all you working moms out there you'll understand...it's so I can clean my house while my kids and husband are not in it. I can crank up the music, open the windows and have at it. Feels good to be a gangsta!

Football is in full force. It's pretty fun actually. The games that is. Practice sux. Three nights a week for 1.5 hours gets pretty old fast. Travis's practice pants had blood all over them from an aggravated wart on his hand, but I didn't have time to wash them for last night's practice. It worked out just fine because it was muddy...mud covered the blood, we're all good. Tonight I'll need to wash them. Ya think?

I've been doing some more mural painting. In my "free" time. Just so you all know, time really isn't "free". Einstein was right. Time = money.

Well, I really have nothing to say today. Just thought I'd pop in for a visit. Have a great day and be as sarcastic and piratey as you want. It's your right!

Aaaargh!

Question:
Will I get my house clean tomorrow?
Eight ball says:
Yes. [probably with the help of the Cap'n!]

Top Ten Reasons I Love My Dog!

10. She never complains about what I feed her (even though she eats the same thing every single day)!
9. She never talks back or sasses me. Better yet, she can't talk!
8. She doesn't whine about what kind of socks she has to wear. She likes chewing on all socks equally.
7. She doesn't gripe at me when I'm brushing her hair and tell me I'm doing it wrong.
6. She runs to me whenever I call her name, instead of screaming "WHAT?!!!"
5. If I don't give her water in her favorite dish, she'll drink it anyway.
4. Picking things up off the floor is a game, not a chore.
3. Even when she's having a bad day she loves me and kisses me.
2. If I give her a treat, she doesn't beg for something more, or something bigger.
1. She makes me feel missed when I get home from work.

Here's to all of you with loyal dogs and grouchy kids/spouses/mailmen...give your dog a hug today! (I guarantee they won't complain that you're messing up their hair!)

Margaritas and Mysterio!

Friday night I celebrated with our cousin Stephanie in Overland Park for her last day of working at Dillards! After eleven years, she's taking a job in Lawrence with LMH! So it was a night of chips and salsa, and those frozen drinks that we dare not speak of. My drug of choice. Tequila makes me crazy. But you all knew that didn't you?

And the Mysterio part? Well, Travis is currently obsessed with wresting. The dress up fake kind. His fave star is Rey Mysterio of Mexico. So my brother Dusty fixed the kids up with their very own Mysterio masks straight from the market in Mexico. But I first must tell you that Brett, who wouldn't take his mask off for the first 48 hours, ran outside one morning, completely naked, except for the mask of course, to pee by the tree. You can only imagine what our neighbors think of us. Oh well, makes for good small town gossip! Enjoy the pics.

Do margaritas and masks go together? 8 ball says: Sometimes! GRrrrrrrrrr

County Fair Results

I promised pics from the fair, and by golly, I will deliver! This string of photos doesn't come close to giving justice to the week we endured in 100-plus degree weather. We spent most days at the fairgrounds from about 7 a.m. until 10 p.m., going home just long enough to crash in the AC and take a short snooze. We had to keep the cattle watered, the rabbit cooled off and the pigs from croaking. Ironic, considering we sold the pigs at auction. But we all know they went to the big pig farm in the sky! The entire family took part in the week's events. Jim stopped farming for 5 days (a feat that deserves a medal in itself!), I took the week off of work, and the kids scooped poo and judged livestock. All in all it was a very tiring, but rewarding time. Brett isn't quite old enough to join 4H yet, but he raised a calf all the same, and entered acrylic painting in open class and ended up getting a red ribbon! Not bad for a five year old going up against adults in the same category! I've given birth to the next Michelangelo!!!!!!!!

Travis's results:

Reserve Champion-
Swine showmanship

Purple Ribbon-
Swine showmanship

Blue Ribbons-
*Bucket Calf
*Market hog/crossbred
*arts/crafts
Acrylic painting of a bull
Mexican metal art hanging piece
Arrowhead necklace
*Woodworking/footstool
*Rocketry
*Crops/soybeans

Red Ribbon-
*Crops/corn

Plus special awards in Round Robin Showmanship, where he had to show a pig, steer, dairy cow, sheep. And a 3rd place award in swine carcass. Plus participation awards in livestock judging.


Tracy's Results:

Champion-
Rabbit/Californian breed class

Reserve Champion-
Cooking for fun/tea party basket

Purple Ribbons-
*Cooking for fun
* Cooking/Chocolate White Chocolate cookies

Blue Ribbons-
*Rabbit/white fur class
*Bucket Calf
*Cooking/fudge button candy
*Arts/crafts
Magnets
Handpainted letters to hang on the wall
*Sewing
Pillowcase
Nightgown

Red Ribbons-
*Arts/crafts
Decorated flip flops
*Cooking
Snickerdoodles
Strawberry Jam
Blueberry jam
*Sewing/skirt
*Crops
corn
soybeans
*Swine showmanship
*Swine hampshire class

Plus special memorial award for encouragement in sewing, participation in livestock and consumer judging.

Million dollar question:
Will I start projects with the kids for next year's fair BEFORE July?
8 ball says:
ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!!

GREAT SUCCESS!

Okay, I'm back! I have so much to catch you up on. I have to tell you that my summer has been beyond hectic and pretty maniacal. I literally felt like one of the crash test dummies by mid-August. And I pretty much looked like one too. I finally feel like the pressure has deflated and I have time to commit to the blog. Whew.

So, let's start with the beginning of school. Ahhh, new school supplies, groomed hair, shiny sneakers, and happy children. Well, NOT SO MUCH! Two of my 3 kids were happy to start school this year. But STITCH...aka BRETT decided that school was not in the stars for him. He started kindergarten under the sign of Hades. The first few days were pure evil. I've attached pics to prove it. Day one. There were tears, there was screaming, there was kicking....and that was just me! No, seriously, it's no fun for a mom to try prying her child off the floorboard of the car in front of other happy, smiling, stupid parents walking by while your kid is screaming "I don't CARE if it's against the law, I'm NOT going to school!!!!!!" I'll admit to you now that I am no longer opposed to expensive bribes to save face in front of those parents. Especially in the form of Excellion, a red transformer. Good guy, fights Megatron. Day 2. Rides the bus to school under the oath that I will pick him up myself after school lets out, but declares school is "worser than ever" when I pick him up and that he has no intention of going back. Day 3. Hides behind a tree in the yard and does not get on the bus. I have to drag him to school where he says there is "nothing on earth that will make him want to go to school", "school is evil", "the big kid that sits at my table picks his nose and eats it and it makes me sick to my stomach". Though I can't argue with that last one, I'm running out of ideas to make him go to school. Day 4. By some act of God that can only be declared as a miracle (or the fact that the babysitter promised a trip to McDonalds) Brett boards the bus, holding his sister's hand and waves at me from the window. Do I cry? Do I run to the neighbor's and shout for joy? Do I collapse and praise all that is holy? Or do I just call my husband and say, "Great Success, Shake and Bake baby, Shake and Bake!!!!!!" Little does he realize that on Thursday he starts ALL DAY kindergarten. I think I'll just let that one be a surprise!

Question for the day:
Will I have to resort to yet another bribe before the end of the week?
8-Ball says:
MOST DEFINITELY!