Happy Thanksgiving

It's hard to believe that tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  Where has the year gone?  I'm already feeling the pressure of not having enough done in the way of Christmas gifts.  I think I have Kaylen all but done.  Kelton is a struggle for me.  All he wants is Skylanders Giants which is great but I learned last year not to do single theme gifts.  Kaylen insisted on all things Barbie and then by June, was done with it.  I want a variety of things to hit a variety of interests.

And yes, I noticed that I titled this Thanksgiving but am focusing on Christmas. 

I've never been hugely into Thanksgiving.  It's a holiday that, in my opinion, should be moved to somewhere else on the calendar.  It gets the short end of the stick and honestly, I could do without it.  Then people wouldn't get all cranky and snotty when they learn I decorate for Christmas as soon as the Halloween decorations come down.

The kids are with Dakota for Thanksgiving this year.  I will confess that I'm not a fan of holidays when it comes to splitting time, nor dealing with it as a blended family.  It's chaotic and depressing and sad and I am finding the joy of the season hard to capture.  I want to.  But I don't feel it.  Haven't in...oh...say about three years now.  Thinking of Christmas morning makes me want to cry.  It isn't the way it was supposed to be and my traditions and things I think are important, are not shared ideals of Stephanie and Andrew.  What gives?  Which traditions trump because they can't co-exist just by the very nature of the holiday.

I don't think  passing out presents immediately and ripping everything open in less than 5 minutes is acceptable.  They do.  Last year, when we finally had our joint Christmas celebration, it was a struggle for me, and for my two as we tried to understand their ways.  But then, I'm finding lots of things with a blended family a struggle to find compromise.  I just don't want to feel like I am giving up things that are important to me.  You know?  And I don't want Stephanie to feel like like she is giving up things that are important to her.

And then there is Dakota and Vicki.  Where does everything and everyone fit in this year?  Last year, I felt awkward having Vicki at Christmas morning.  I'm just going to say it - even though I wanted to be the bigger person and be ok with it, I felt like an outsider in my own home with my children.  But it was the deal we made at the onset: the kids would always wake up on Christmas morning in their beds where ever they lived with me and Dakota (and whoever she was with) would be welcome to join us for the gift opening.  And I don't want the kids to wake up anywhere else but with me.  And Kelton must feel the same as he said today "I don't really care if they come (for Christmas morning) or not since I know we will see them later.  I just know I want to be home when I wake up."

How does that play with another child?  In another house?

I don't know.  And I'm rambling.  All these things are starting to keep me awake at night.  Again.  Tis the season for endless stress, I guess.

Sometimes I wish I could just fast forward but then again, I don't.  Because I want the kids to enjoy every minute of it.  Even if I don't.

Ugh.

But hey - Happy Thanksgiving everyone.  I hope you who are with family and friends enjoy the heck out of the day.

New Shoes

I am a Sketchers kinda girl.  Easy to find, models don't change much year to year.  White leather.  Pretty easy and don't forget, mostly affordable.

Stephanie is a tennis shoe hound.  I am not sure I even know how many pairs of shoes she owns.  She changes them throughout the day.  The comfort of her feet is critical to her well being.  I say rock on. 

For me?  I just put my feet in my shoes and don't really think about them again until my shoes come off at the other end of the day.

I'm easy like that.

But lately, my back issues (syringomyelia) has given way to hip problems and nerve issues that shoes seem to increase or decrease.  So Stephanie took me to the Fit Right NW store in town and had them run me through their walking diagnostic test and from there they determined the type of show I needed.

*Ahem*  *cough cough* 

Waaaaaay too much money later, I was the proud owner of a pair of Ghost GXT shoes.  They were AWESOME!  For the first two weeks.  Then I noticed a squeak, an uncomfortable feeling inside started to develop.  Huh.  Weird.  I took them back to the store (because honestly?  For the kind of money I wanted shoes that would STAY amazing.  You know?

I had hoped it was just a glitch.  So they special ordered me another pair (they didn't have any in stock).  While they were working on their end, I looked around the shop.  Fancy stuff.  So much gear for running (and is it wrong that I thought, ever so briefly, about buying the stickers for your car that have the miles you have run?  Hee hee.  A runner I am not, and never will be but the general population doesn't need to know that and they could look at me in awe when they see my 26.2 mile sticker.  Yeah right.).  I didn't see any of the fancy salomon s lab items but there was so much stuff crammed in a small store.  Who knew?  It actually made me wish, for a brief second, that I could (and wanted to) run.

Anyway.....they ordered the new shoes.  They came in.  I was thrilled beyond reason.  And then yesterday, eight days in, the same issues started to present themselves.  Clearly, this is not the right show for me.

So now I need to go back and try again with a different pair.  Which sucks.  Because these are cool.  They are black, which means I can wear them and pretend I'm dressed up more than tennis shoes usually allow, and personally, I think that's kind of cool.  I'm not a brightly colored shoe kind of girl.  And right now?  I'm kinda missing my Sketchers.

But I'm sure I will eventually find a good pair that will work and help ease the pain I have.

What? Can you amplify that a bit more? Oh wait - please don't.

Kelton is into music these days.  Specifically rap.  Yes, I said rap.  I'm not sure how this happened but I can tell you that I will be very, very happy when he outgrows this phase.  Of course, he isn't as bad as Andrew.  Suffice it to say that I am really, really glad they don't have a MXR amplifier.  Not that I don't think it's great that they are enhancing their love of music and musical ability...it's just that I don't have a need to hear it 24/7.  If you know what I mean.

There have been a few little charming ditties for which I had to put my foot down.  Oh my gosh.  Totally inappropriate.  Totally offensive.

Yea YouTube.  Or....you know, not.

So back to the amplifier.  I'm really, really greatful they don't have an amazing piece of equipment to broadcast their new found interest.

And here's to hoping this phase ends as quickly as it started.

Cheers!

Manic Tuesday

What a day it has been.  And it isn't even 11:30am yet.

Got the kids up, ready for school, and delivered to their classrooms.  Back home to do morning chores and make breakfast for Stephanie and me.  Today is our second year anniversary so we enjoyed a little extra time together before heading off for our days.

First I had a phone call about heading up the school book fair next year.  Then I had three kittens to get to the vet (and now I have several slices on my hands and arms from not so happy about being caught and tossed into a carrier kittens.).  Shots, deworming and a new dx of ear mites later.....I brought everyone back to the house.  Waiting in the driveway were the electricians I hired to replace the main bathroom ceiling fan and wiring.  The fan hadn't been working for the past couple years which didn't have any ill effects with one, sometimes two showers a day but with with five of us showering....well....it was time to fix it.

While the guys were hard at work, I received a call from our pet sitter cancelling this weekend due to health complications on her end.  So now I am trying to figure out another way to get the pets taken care of for two nights so we can take the kids and go to the beach this weekend.  I am *this* close to working it out.  It will cost more but I so don't want to disappoint the kids - especially Kelton.  Plus, I am looking forward to getting out of dodge and breathing in some fresh sea air.

I have a lot of irons in the fire, so to speak.  But I can tell you that the on thing I don't have to worry about right now is working on  cd replication here.  Truth is, I haven't touched a CD in a long time.  DVD's every now and again but CD's?  Nope.

Ok - I'm off to contact the local kennel.  I've never put a dog in a kennel before...I'm a bit apprehensive about it but it sure would be nice if it were a viable alternative.

It's always something....that's for sure. :)

Coming Undone

To say it's been a bit of an emotional few weeks is kind of like saying we have had a tiny bit of rain.  And, in case you are wondering, we have had a very, very wet and chilly few weeks. 

The upshot of it all is that I made my last trip to the house I called home for ten plus years.  The house I magically transformed into a loving, nurturing home for my two babies.  The home where my babies rolled over, sat up, learned to crawl, learned to walk and run.  The home to where I brought Kaylen, fresh from the hospital, to forever be Kelton's baby sister.  The home that was the entire world, entire universe for my children and me for their entire lives.

One my last stop, I stood in the silence of the emptiness and I promise you, I could hear the echos of laughter, I could see them dancing their silly dances to their silly songs together in the kitchen while I cleaned up dinners night after night after night.  I heard them in their bedrooms.  Saw them laying under the branches of the Christmas tree, looking up at the lights.  Saw them splashing in the pool in the backyard.  Kicking through the leaves in the front yard, making giant piles and then jumping in them....squealing in delight.  I could see Kaylen having her tea parties than she had every. single. day. for a good year when she was two.

I could see the swing set being built, heard the happy voices of 5 year old Kelton and 2 year old Kaylen as they eagerly waited to be able to slide on the slide and swing "up to the trees".  I can see them running out the door into the dark of night, dressed in boots and coats, to play when the project was finally completely.  It was past their bedtimes but they had waited all day and I couldn't deny them.  I could hear Kaylen's amazing laugh as I pushed her in her orange airplane swing.

Every direction I turned I was hit with memories.  The tears flowed fast and furiously.  The emotions ran the full spectrum.  Anger welled up at all that was lost for my children....for me.  Heart ache over things that were, that never will be again and dreams that both lived and died within those walls.

A new family has rented it and will be moving in this weekend.  Small children to fill the house with sounds and magic.  New children to sleep and play in my children's rooms.  A dog who will romp and play in the yard.  It absolutely breaks my heart.  I thought I would live in that house well past the children being grown. 

But...it isn't to be.  Wasn't meant to be, some would say.  I don't know.  All I know is it isn't and, in the end, there wasn't anything I could do about it.

Yesterday, three years to the month of being told I no longer had a relationship, my "divorce" became final.  I signed off on the house and will be removed from the title.  Everything is cleaned up.  Lose ends tied up.  The irony of Washington approving Marriage Equality in the same 24 hours period of finalizing of my divorce is not lost on me. 

My partner-based relationship with Dakota has been long over.  It is the home I built with, and for, my children, that I grieve for intensely.

And at the same time, I have a wonderful woman who loves me, and whom I love, deeply.  I share her home, we share our children, we are building a future - and one day I'm sure this house will feel more like my home than it does right now.  I still struggle with feeling like a visitor.  It's my doing, nothing Stephanie does or doesn't do.  She is understanding as I go through whatever wild ride my emotions takes me on.  Thank God for that.  She gave me pretty much free range on putting the house together, merging all of our things, decorating.  She is building me a closet so I can have more space, she lovingly put in the new floors, she encouraged, and helped me, paint.  She tries so hard and yet at times I still feel like a visitor.  That's my stuff though.  Me, being disoriented.  Me, afraid of failing again, of disappointing again, of being told my dreams, goals and desires aren't good enough. 

I have realized that I come with *a lot* of baggage.  Fear.  Trust issues.  Insecurities about being enough, doing enough.  None of it is founded in my reality with Stephanie.  It's me.  It's my past.  It's what I am currently bringing to the table.  Stuff I need to figure out how to make peace with.  How to quiet the voices in my head.  How to still the panic and anxiety I seem to have now and again.

The children are happy and adjusting well.  For that I am grateful.  As for me?  I have some things to work out for myself.  I need to get to a place where I feel like I am enough.  What I do is enough.  I need to find areas where I feel like I have some control so I can stop feeling wildly out of control.  After years of being on my own with the children, I struggle to include others in our circle even though it is what I so very much want.  I'm used to it being me and them.  It's been the three us as a primary unit for the better part of seven years (since Dakota started law school back in July of 2005 and, consequently, spent very little time with the kids and me.  Little compared to the amount of time the three of us were on our own together.). 

I don't know.  I'm doing the best I can.  I go back and forth between being great and feeling like I'm coming undone.  I guess that's mostly normal though given the monumental changes over the past while.  Yeah - normal.  I'm going to hold on to that. 

Normal, considering everything.

Shoes Shoes Shoes

Shoes. Twelve pair, to be exact.

That is how many pairs of shoes Miss. Kaylen has had since May. Yes. This past May. You know, not even 6 months ago. We should all be so lucky.

And of those thirteen pair only one was not purchased by me. My sister bought Kaylen a $1.00 pair of peace logo flip flops when we were up visiting in July. All the others though? *sigh* The girl and her shoes. A never ending saga.

She outgrew her Crocs and needed a new pair in May. The straps on those broke in July so I ordered a new pair. That's two pair.

She still needed a "real" pair of shoes in May but we ended up failing miserably because of sensory issues and bought a pair of Keene's. (bye bye waaaay too much money). She wore them a lot but alas, she outgrew those and in August, I bought her another pair. We're up to four pair.

For school I bought a pink pair of Ked-type shoes, a green pair of Ked-like shoes, and black dress shoes. That brings us up to seven pairs of shoes.

For soccer, I bought cleats. Three weeks later, she melted down because they were too tight (ah yes - sensory issue meltdown in full force. It was oh so much fun.). We went shopping for another pair. Those she wore all season though I am 100% positive they will not fit come spring.

What are we up to now? Nine.

Today she came home and her Crocs strap had broken beyond repair (it broke a while ago but I glued it and babied it along.). She and I went online and after a PAINFUL experience with not having the style she liked in the right size....she finally agreed to a pair. It will take two weeks to get them. That makes ten pair of shoes.

She welled up with tears. Her other shoes simply will not do and she doesn't know how she will deal with it for two weeks. *sigh* Did I mention that she has MAJOR sensory issues with shoes?? Always has.

Off to Fred Meyer we went because Stephanie had noticed last week that they carried Crocs. And Crocs, by their very nature, are roomy enough to limit issues with fit and can be worn a long time...as long as we stay with the basic style and not get the fancy Mary Jane strap kind which, apparently, do NOT stand the test of time.

After being SURE the style of Crocs Fred Meyer carries wouldn't do and fighting back tears in the aisle (as a very tired mommy is on the verge of a mental breakdown, too), she tried on the fuzzy style Crocs.....and loved them. Of course.

And that is how we end up at pair number Eleven.

Add to that the peace flip flops from my sister and we have a mind blowing TWELVE pairs of shoes in less than six months.

Poor Kelton....he has only had four pairs of shoes in the same time span. And one of those pair are his "stay at school gym shoes". The real difference though is Kelton's four pairs of shoes will likely last him through the school year. I wish I could say that about Miss. Kaylen.

Meanwhile, my tennis shoes are two years old and starting to look like it. And suddenly......I feel like my mother who used to complain constantly about having to go without buying new underwear in order to keep the five of us in clothing. *sigh*

Life comes full circle. As it always does.

Happy Halloween

My little goblins are dressed up and ready to go Trick or Treating. First time ever that I won't be going out with them. :(

I'm sure they will have a great time!

An Interesting Few Days

Kaylen arrived home from school Tuesday happy and excited. She had faced her fears and ridden the bus alone - without Kelton - for the first time. (Kelton had stayed after school for a Science Olympiad training session.) I met Kaylen at the end of the road and walked with her back down to the house. She chatted my ear off the entire way. She couldnt' wait until the next time Kelton stayed late at school because she had SO much fun without him. It was all girls on the back of the bus. Blah blah blah. So, so happy she was.

Fast forward an hour. I'm getting ready to go get Kelton and asked if she wanted to go or stay home with Stephanie. "Stay home." came a small, weak response. "I'm cold." The house was chilly so I put a big fluffy blanket on her, kissed her and went on my way. By the time I got back, 20 minutes later, she was completely under a blanket playing on the iPad. I couldn't even tell she was there, except the lump moved when I called her name.

A half hour later, she came to me complaining of being cold. She looked sad. Not the bubbly girl I had chatted with on the way down the road not even 90 minutes earlier. Hmmmmmmm. Mommy alarm bells started going off. Was she getting sick? I changed her into a fleece sweatshirt and had her put on her shoes. Dakota was minutes away from arriving to take them for her Tuesday visit. Kaylen was getting grumpier by the second. I needed to take her temperature but just then, Dakota arrived.

I alerted her to Kaylen's status and said "I think she might be getting sick. I was going to take her temperature but I haven't had time." Kaylen, of course, said "NO I'M NOT!" Off the three of them went.

Two hours later, right before they were to return, I get a text that says Kaylen has a fever of 100 degrees. *sigh* Chalk one up for Mommy intuition. They arrive home and Kaylen melts when I tell her she won't be able to go to school the next day. I back off and tell her we will decide in the morning. It will probably be ok. Hey - a mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do when a sick child is losing it. I knew good and well that if she really was running a fever, she wouldn't be going to school. I let her believe what she needed to though.

Dakota left and I went about getting Kaylen settled in and changed into pajamas. I took her temperature which came back as 99. She was a whiney, clingy mess. She said she needed to do her reading homework. I told her she didn't have to, which resulted in more tears. Then she looked at me and said "I don't wanna read. I just wanna go to bed." I tucked her in and she fell to sleep immediately.

"Yep." I thought to myself, "Here we go."

I heard her get up at midnight to go to the bathroom. I got up and tucked her back in. I heard her get up at 4am to go to the bathroom. She quietly came into my room and said "Mom. I'm not going to school today. I just threw up a little bit." I asked if she was ok, she said she was and then went back to bed. Stephanie and I stayed awake and talked for a while. I didn't go back to sleep. I got up and got ready, Kelton woke up and got ready. Kaylen slept on.

Around 7, she woke up and came into the living room and asked why I hadn't woken her up. "Because," I said, "You need to sleep." She crawled on the couch and huddled in the corner. I went to put a blanket on her and she said "I'm hot!" I took the blanket off, got the thermometer and lo and behold - her temperature was over 101. I got her comfy, took Kelton to school and then came back. She hadn't moved an inch.

And that's how the rest of the day played out. She didn't talk much, she didn't want to watch TV, or play on the iPad, or eat, or talk. Stephanie and I got some Otter Pops and water down her but mostly, she just layed on the couch. Poor girl. :( I kept Tylenol and Motrin onboard all day and yet every time I took her temperature, it was still over 101. I broke the news about no school the next day. She didn't care.

It was early release so Kelton was home by 1:30. He tried to interact with her but she wouldn't engage. At 2:30, with Mortin still onboard, I took her temperature. 102.5. Well now - this was going in the wrong direction!

I called the school to let them know she wouldn't be in on Thursday and shared the rising temperature information. The secretary said "I think I should tell you that we have had several confirmed cases of strep in the 2nd grade. There are no cases reported in her class but there have been in a couple other classes." I thanked her for the information and hung up - as alarm bells start going off in my head at record speed. The kids have never had strep before - it wasn't even a blip on my radar!

I picked up the phone and called Kaiser. They got a message to her clinic and within 10 minutes, I had a return call. After talking over what had happened in the last 24 hours (and the fact Strep was in the school), they suggested bringing her in for a Rapid Strep Test. I bundled up my lump of a child and off we went.

She was a champ. Didn't whimper when it was time for the throat culture. The nurse told us stories of 12 year olds who had to be held down. One was there just that morning. Kaylen weakly smiled when the nurse told her how strong she was and how brave.

The results took hardly any time at all. The lab tech came out with a pink sheet of paper with the word POSITIVE stamped all over it. Off to the pharmacy we went.

 Because of Kaylen's severe allergy to Keflex, it took quite a while for the pharmacy to research the drugs. They have a standard go to list: First line of defense is Penicillin and the second drug of choice is....Keflex. Ok then. Penicillin, right? WRONG! Penicillin is, apparently, a third generation relation to Keflex. The pharmacist came over to talk with me. It was too close for her comfort and she wasn't inclined to fill it. There was another option: Clindamyacin. The catch? It tasted awful. The pharmacist warned that it was one of the most vial tasted medication out there. She needed liquid because the pill form was huge.

What could I do? We had to do it. The pharmacist told me to give her a popsicle to numb her taste buds, have her take the medicine and then follow up with the rest of the popsicle. I needed to get two doses down her before bedtime.

Thankfully, this is Kaylen. She doesn't like it, but she does it without a fuss. I was a nervous wreck. Two doses were all it took for Keflex to almost kill my daughter. I had to Epi Pen in sight all night. I put her to bed about 20 minutes after her second dose. She was only running a 99 degree temp and declined more Motrin. I checked on her a couple times and then at 10:30, I woke her up and had her show me her tongue and lips. She looked ok. No hives. She felt hot to the touch. I took her temperature, it was 103.9. I got Motrin down her and let her go back to sleep. I felt fairly confident that we were out of the woods for a reaction to the medication.

Stephanie checked on her a couple hours later. Still good. Thank God. I was up at 6, and checked on her. All was well and she was cool to the touch. She got up about 45 minutes later and said, in a happy voice, "I feel MUCH better!"

Without meds, her temp was 99.7. Yes, indeed - you ARE much better, Little One!

She is home again today and can return to school tomorrow (as long as her fever doesn't go back up). Kelton is crazy jealous over her being home again and tried like crazy to convince me he was sick. He wasn't - so he is at school. :)

I'm so happy to see her bright eyes again. And Strep? I'd be happy to never, ever see your face again!

Pages

I created these pages in the past two hours. Not bad, if I do say so myself. :) I would love to include photos of Andrew but he is incredibly difficult to get pictures of...I'm prety sure he believes the camera will steal his soul. :) I'm confident that, in time, I will get a few good shots of him. I really like the one of Kaylen and the one of Stephanie and me. The pumpkin one I'm lukewarm on. I may have to play with it again on another day. But still.....not bad. I said I wanted to get back into it and into it I got. :)

Rainy Monday

The rains arrived late yesterday evening and they have been steadily falling ever since.  We all slept with our windows open a little so we could enjoy the sounds.  The kids thought it was so cool and it dawned on me, as they went on and on about how great it was, I had never opened their bedroom windows on a rainy night at the other house.  I wonder why. 

Today was the first day of rain on a school day for this school year.  The tension was thick as Kaylen grappled with having to walk down the road in the rain after school.  I gave her an umbrella but she still isn't liking it.  I guess it IS a lot different than jumping off the bus and running up the driveway to the dry warmth of the house like she has done in years gone by.  That's for sure.

It was a three day weekend for the kiddos.  Friday was a teacher in-service day so the last three days at the house were full of noise, chaos, laughter, arguments, messes everywhere, etc.  Today, after they all were off for the day, I came back and cleaned the house.  It's serene, calm, clean.....quiet.  A nice change - even though I do miss the kids being home.  Still - there is an upside to them being at school.  It's quiet enough that I can hear myself think.  :)

This Friday is Book Fair set up.  It feels surreal to me.  I'm used to book fair being in early March so needless to say, the timeline is kind of messing with me.  Next week is conference week and book fair week.  I am working several mornings at the book fair and then the kids will be out of school for the day at 11:15am.  A whole new mindset.  I'm still not clear on the thoughts behind book fair during conference week but apparently it is because most of the business will come from parents after conferences.  As, as opposed to our last school, kids are encouraged to be in attendance for the conference.  Personally, I think that is odd since it seems to be that the adults will have a difficult time really discussing the child in question.  There are questions I want to ask that I don't want asked in front of them.  Ugh.  Again, it's different here.

Oh- and I don't yet know what day the kids conferences will be.  I'm hoping that info comes home today.

Time for another cup of coffee.....and time to enjoy the quiet.  :)

Scrapping

I'm waaaaaaaaaay out of practice....like three years, give or take.....but I decided to see what I could do in the way of making a page.  I'm definitely rusty but it was fun to get back into the program and create. 

Here's to finding my groove....one of these days.  :)

It's Fall

It's fall....and not much says that more than the leaves, in all sorts of colors, falling from the trees.  Today, on the way home from the pumpkin patch (see below for pictures), we drove down a street and the leaves falling resembled falling snow.  Very pretty. 

Living in the country, I am surrounded by everygreen trees and not many leafy trees.  I love evergreens but this time of years has me wishing for leaves in the yard.  Though honestly?  I'm loving the thought of not having to rake.  :)  So - as with everything, you take the good with the not so good.

Anyway.......autumn is my favorite time of the year.  The colors, the scents, the cool, crisp air, and yes....even the rain.

I have all my fall decorations, as well as the halloween decorations, up in the house.  What I don't have, however, are special fall curtains. Until recently, I never even considered it.  Did you know you can find  burlap curtains for sale?  I know!  Me either. But there you have it.

I have only ever thought of burlap as something you use for sack races.  Bags that potatoes used to come in when I was a child.  I never thought of using it as fiber for use in your home.  But I think it's great!  I mean, why not, right? 

Fall. Such a great time of the year.  So many possibilities.  I love thinking of huddling down and doing inside things.  I'm even itching to download some digital scrap book kits and get back to scrapping. 

I better hurry though......Christmas is coming fast which means I only have a couple weeks to really enjoy the fall.

Pumpkin Patch 2012

Despite the threat of rain, we headed off to the pumpkin patch this morning for our annual visit. I love going to BiZi Farms, mainly because it is the place where I have taken Kelton and Kaylen for almost every year of their lives. As it turns out, it is also the place that Stephanie has taken Andrew in his younger years. Kinda nice to have a place like that where we can merge the memories of both groups into one.


Thankfully, the rains held off. We fed the animals in the petting area, we sampled fresh apple juice, got lost, and found, in the corn maze, shot pumpkins, picked out pumpkins, enjoyed hot apple cider and/or hot cocoa, played on the hay pyramid, and played in the corn bin. All in all, a very good time.

More Ramblings

What?  You thought I was done?  Silly you.  :) 

Guess what fun part happens when you put in a change of address at the post office?  You get to sign up for a bunch of mail order catalogs and other fun stuff.  It is a perk....well, if you are someone like me who likes to get catalogs in the mail.  :)

Today I received Pottery Barn.  So. Much. Fun.

I can't really afford to shop there but looking at everything, dreaming and scheming of how I might capture the feel of something for way less money makes me kinda happy.  Sure - I might not be able to get something like boston bedroom furniture but I can look at the way they set up a room and glean some ideas that I cam implement on my own in other ways.  I'm handy that way....making a home and all.

One of my favorite places to go, and not spend much money at all, is Big Lots.  I picked up a few knicky-knacky type things for under $30 and gave several areas a little pick me up.  Making the home I am building with Stephanie more "ours".  Always a good feeling.

I love making a house a home by adding cozy touches.  And I have to say, I think I have done, and continue to do, a really good job in the last six weeks of making this place a home.

Saturday

Did you hear that?  Yeah - I think it was me screaming.  I just spent some time putting together a post and then we had a power flicker and I lost the connection and well.....lost my dang post.  Which is really just the icing on the cake for right now.

Maybe it really is time to contact a raleigh commercial real estate attorney and see what some options are.  :)

Ok ok - that would have made so much more sense if you could read the post I did prior to this one.  You know, the one that is gone into never never land.

*sigh*  It's just been one of those days.

One of those days when I give and do and do and give and it is never enough.  And I'm tired.  I tried to nap but that was a no go with the three kids.  Stephanie, however, can sleep through anything so she is still snoozing away.  I got up, made food, fed them, cleaned up a mess or two, folded laundry, broke up arguments, etc.

It's raining.  My plans for the weekend went up in smoke.  It sucks only having the kids every other weekend because it appears I just lost my chance to go to the pumpkin patch.  Sure, I could drag us all in the rain but then I have to endure the complaining and whining and honestly?  I'm not up for it.

It's been a week of whining and complaining....and standing firm with this kid or that kid.  Dealing with the massive headache that "other people" bring.  Dealing with an actual headache that I've had all freaking week long.

I'm cranky and crabby and tired and overwhelmed.

And tomorrow is soccer.....in the rain.

Just shoot me now.

More Guitar

Are you wondering how many posts I can have about guitars?  Especially when I don't actually play or have a deep love of them?  well wonder now more.  Apparently, the answer is: A LOT.

But what's not to love about the Ibanez Artcore guitar?  No, really.  What's not to love?

I mean SERIOUSLY?  It's red.  That's all I need to know.  :)

Red is an awesome color.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE the color red.  And it makes music.  So right there - it's all good.  :)

My friend, Stella, would probably love this guitar.  Her birthday is Sunday.  I would love to see the look on her face if I could present this to her to celebrate her years on the planet.  Unfortunately, this won't be waiting for her special day b ut I hope what I did send will make her *almost* as happy.

A red guitar.  Seriously cool. 

Kelton James: 5th Grade, Age 10

Kelton...my sweet first born.  Such a great kid.  His curly hair and never ending smile lights up my days.  He is doing so well in school - reading at an almost 9th grade level and excelling at everything else.  Well, except spelling and penmanship.  The spelling is because of his speech issues (third year in speech and doing remarkably well) and penmanship because well......I have no reason.  :)  But it doesn't matter - I love him more than anything.

I look at this picture and seriously cannot believe it.  In my eyes, he is still about 15 months old, toddling all over the place.  But I guess there is no denying it - he is growing into a fine young man.  And I could not be more proud of him.  I love you, Kelton.  You truly are my miracle.

Andrew: 7th Grade, Age 12

Andrew is such a great kid.  Always ready with a joke and a smile.  Loves to play with the other two and to hear all of them laughing together is an amazing sound.  He tries to act tough but is a gentle, sweet kid at heart. 

Kaylen Lane: Second Grade, Age 7

My beautiful daughter.

Look at her hair!  I can't believe how long it has gotten over the past year.  Her hair aside, she is one of the two best things I have ever done in my entire life.  Sweet, caring, kind, loving, generous (to a fault), responsible, driven, imaginative, intelligent, funny, and oh so much more.  Oh how I love this child!

(Kelton's school pictures were taken a week after Kaylen's so hopefully I will be posting his school picture in the next few days.)

Sunday in the Country

Sunday in the fall around here for Stephanie can only mean one thing....football.  At least, when the Seahawks are playing.

Sundays in the fall around here for me?  Finding little things to do to keep me occupied while the football game is on.  :)

Lucky you - today, that means blogging.  :)

Both Kaylen and Andrew had soccer games yesterday so we spent the morning driving into Vancouver to be at Andrew's game at 9am and then racing out to Battleground for Kaylen's 11am game.  Due to Andrew's game running over by...a lot....we missed Kaylen's warm up time and the first couple minutes of her game.  Oh the life of multi-kid sport season.  Next week, we have a game close to home and then another one an hour north.  Since the kids are all at other parent's houses next weekend, we have time to get to both because we don't have to factor in warm up time.  Only 4 more weeks for Kaylen's games and then her season is over.  I think Andrew's schedule is the same but he might have two weeks longer.

Then we can go back to not rushing out of the door first thing Saturday morning.

Yesterday, at Andrew's game, I took a few pictures of the kids with me. Check them out:

I really like this one!

 Yep....silly kids.  :)

So today.  Let's see....what might today hold, you know.....AFTER the football game.  We have the dishwasher that needs to be reinstalled from when we did the kitchen floor a few weeks back.  We had tried to install it a couple times but as it turned out, we needed to replace a part which meant we had to order it and then wait for it to arrive.  It's here now so hopefully, it will be a quick job to get it back in.  Trust me - the novelty of washing dishes by hand for a family of 5 wore off a good long time ago.  The kids, however, have had a good taste of doing dishes which I think can only benefit them in the long run.

Oh - did I tell you that I went to a PWT (People Working Together) meeting at the new school?  It's their equivalent to a PTA or PTO.  Anyway - I volunteered to be on the book fair committee for the October book fair.  I am determined to keep my involvement down this year because I was so burned out by the end of last year....my 4th year running the PTO at Crestline.  It's nice to see a higher number of parent volunteers at the new school but I heard the same thing from many people:  it's always the same group volunteering.  Same issue, different school.  I suppose that's how it is everywhere, though.

Being back in the school means background check reports, which because I knew I was going to get involved on some level, I completed back in June.  Maybe at the next open house, there should be a station set up for easy processing of the background checks.  It could have a banner that reads:  FREE SERVICE:  check background checks here!!  And then, once people have their checks run, you snag them for volunteering.  :)

You know how people can't resist free things.  Two birds, one stone.  I'm all about that. :)

Okee doke - it's half time.  Maybe we can work on the dishwasher and see if we can get it in before the second half of the same.