I kept thinking today was Sunday

Right up til I left the house to go get propane for making dinner...then it finally dawned on me that it really was Monday! Man alive!

This morning Belle woke up whining just about 6:30...and it wasn't the kind you can ignore...she was full on whining like we were torturing her. Howie got up and took her out and stayed up with her while letting me sleep! I so needed it too! By 9:30 tho, he was tired and wanted to sleep again, so he got me up to be with all the little ones. The kids hadn't been fed yet, so I got right on that and we had breakfast.

I was doing good at reading Belle's signs and got her out plenty of times....Howie had issues this morning apparently...but if he watched her  instead of the tv he'd clue in more...just sayin. At least her poop is back to solid now! I'm still gonna give the pumpkin since I have the whole can, and it doesn't hurt them...plus it helps Snickers eat hers right away instead of grazing.

Jake was up about 10:30 and hit the road within 15 minutes of waking as he needed to go deal with his dog again. The kids were already outside and puppy was napping...what a nice break!!! I put on Rookie Blue and grabbed my knitting! Almost an unheard of thing for daylight hours!!! It didn't last long tho as Sam came in thirsty and she wanted to sit with me and watch a movie. So I put on Dora and we sat together...til Belle needed to go out that is.

Howie was up about 12:30 and I made us all lunch...Jake wasn't back yet, but it wasn't too long after that he showed up. He'd already eaten at his house, so that took care of that! Howie went outside to mow the lawn, and the kids were already outside playing, so Jake and I worked on his football profile in the website he's using. We've had a devil of a time uploading his highlight reel from last season...and even today we couldn't figure it out, and ended up putting it all in an envelope and he'll mail it off tomorrow. So about 4 I finally headed into town to get propane for the bbq for dinner...plus I had a nifty little coupon for Ben....can't let that go to waste...especially since they're so rare to find!

The place we normally go to for propane was closed...I'd missed it by a half hour!! Bummer!!! So I find another gas station that does propane and go in to ask about getting a fill up...its just there for decoration apparently as they had no one to pump it for me! How frustrating! So I had to do the exchange thing at Freddy's. Finally got home about 5:30 and we started dinner.

After I bathed the filthy kids and we put them to bed. My chores weren't done yet tho, I still had to make Howie's lunch for tomorrow...and coffee...and breakfast...I finally sat down just after 9 to relax! I can't even remember what Howie was watching, oh, some comedy show on CMT, which wasn't that funny, or we were too tired to think it was funny, either way, I waited patiently for him to go to bed so I could watch the B'ette!

Ahh the B'ette....Ashley, Ashley, Ashley....I think you're too young for this...and therefore easily swayed...by good looks, charm, ego, sad stories,  you name it!  But having a first date pretending to be an engaged couple who goes to a chapel in Vegas is in poor taste!! William was a good sport, but I'm sure he was freaking out on the inside!!!! The group date with the Jabbawockeez was fabulous! They had to work for that date! But Bentley!?!?! Come on girl! You can't tell by his body language that he's an asshole (pardon my french) and you think you're falling in love with him already!?!?! PUHLEEZE!!!!!!  And Jeff, dude, the mask has GOT to come off....I'm starting to think you'll look better with it ON! Seriously! And to the guys who didn't get a rose while mask man did, don't get pissy, it is what it is! OY!

I started skirt #6 yesterday and am already on the 2nd layer of it...I'm getting faster at the pattern and I'm getting better at knowing how much yarn I'll need to cast on that number of stitches! Whew!

Til next time...God bless!

Freddy Fast Fingers strikes again!!

This morning Belle made a few noises at 6:30 but settled herself til 7:30 when she really started whining to go out...Howie got up with her since he was heading to work anyways....DJ got up and came into bed with me, but when he heard Howie talking to Belle he got out of bed and went to them.  While he was in the shower, the kids came in to tell me Belle pooped in  the living room and it was "nasty"...they were SO right!! Liquid poop is not anyone's idea of fun dog poop....not that dog poop is fun to begin with! UGH!!!!

Howie left for work and we ate our breakfast....after which I then put DJ in the bath since he got home too late for one last nite. While he was in soaking off the grime, I got Sam dressed...when we walked into her room, there was yet another glorious mess of liquid poop!!!! At which point I raise my voice and say "THIS IS WHY YOU NEED TO KEEP YOUR DOOR CLOSED AT ALL TIMES!!" I sure hope she gets it! DOUBLE UGH!!! I deal with it and spray febreeze over it but neglected to open the window...rookie mistake too! Sorry SamSam!

Even tho we were all up at 7:30, and I bathed DJ...we still couldn't get out of the house to get to church in time! Drop Sam off at her class and DJ and I head in...found the row reserved for late arrivals, boy, that fit us perfectly! ha! I even had a chuckle when I read that. DJ was an absolute BEAR this morning too! As soon as Pastor Dan started talking he ate his fruit snacks as per usual...then he needed to pee, and since I'm tired of him interrupting the sermon for me, I told him he could go on his own and he started making a big stink about it...til I told him I had fig newtons for him, then he quickly went and came back! Imagine that! Then he started kicking the back of the chair in front of him, thankfully there was no one sitting in it, but that's not the point. I grabbed his knee and squeezed and he let out the biggest yelp which instantly made me go red in the face and just stare straight ahead!!!!! OY!!! Mercifully, he fell asleep and I was able to enjoy the rest of the service!

Then on the way home we stop at Freddy's to return the movie and to get some pumpkin for the puppy's loose bowels. We get the pumpkin and check out, then wait in line for the movie return. Now, let me set this up for ya, there's the Redbox movie machine, beside that is the lotto machine (does lotto AND scratchers) and then beside that is one of those coin changer machines. There's someone on the movie machine...and a little old lady in one of those motorized carts at the lotto machine (with some guy also on a motorized cart, and equally old!) and no one at the coinstar machine. As I'm flipping thru the movie selections, I suddenly hear the old lady yell at me, "You owe me 10.00!" At which point I look over and go "what?"  She points at the tickets being dispensed and says "you owe me 10.00, I didn't want those" and I'm still clueless to what she's saying...then she points at DJ and says, "He hit the buttons and I don't want tickets I want lotto and you owe me 10.00!"  YIKES!!!!!!  I then flag down an employee and ask if there's a way to put the tickets back in the machine and give the lady her money back (I'm not buying them, I don't have the cash on me to do so) and she goes and asks someone in the know...that person comes over and says "no, sorry, that's not possible" Now, while we're all standing there trying to figure this out, another gentleman comes up and waits for the lotto machine...asks what's going on and says he'll buy the 10.00 of tickets...WHEW crisis averted!! Freddy Fast Fingers strikes again!! OH he got a tongue lashing from me!!

We got home and released the pup from her crate, took her potty and tried the pumpkin...she gobbled it up!! I then spent the rest of the day alternating between laundry and running Belle outside....she's getting more curious and adventurous...and making me chase her all over the place! Tomorrow she's getting some leash training! Howie finally got home from work about 4 and then Jake showed back up about 5 and the bbq ran out of propane mid-dinner about 6, we finally ate about 7 and then about 8 Howie and Jake took off to go feed his dog at his mom's house. Then about 9 I finally got the kids in bed and sat down for a bit. About 10 the boys came home and we put Little Fockers on to watch. About 11 Howie went to bed cuz he thought the movie was dumb. And while I don't agree, I don't disagree either! Its par with the other two, and funny to watch the whole story play out. Now, its just gone on 1 and I'm heading to bed with a tired out pup...who's TOTALLY gonna be my awesome foot warmer dog for winter...she loves just laying at my feet!!!

Til next time...God bless!

Quick run down of the day

DJ woke up at 6 which woke Belle up, and I thought she'd ignore it all, WRONG!! She was up! And started whining.

I get up (was hoping Howie would get up with her, but that wasn't happening) and take her out to potty...Snickers comes with us and takes off on me outside. Come back in and she starts eating her left over dinner with gusto...I wait til she's done at which point Snickers is back...we head back into the bedroom and she starts WHINING badly!! Didn't want to be back in the crate at all! Howie then gets up, DJ joins him and I try to get a couple more hours sleep. Which is impossible with children coming in to tell me that Belle pooped in the living room..and then again a second time...finally at 8:30 I get up.

No one's eaten, so I make us all ('cept for Jake as he's still sleeping soundly!) breakfast and then the kids get dressed. Day two of potty training isn't going so well, I'm either minutes late on the clock, or she's not giving off clues she needs to go...OR I'm just not picking up on her clues and need to figure them out.

The boys leave for a football combine thing down south about 11 and its just me and Sam, who's pissed she got left behind. So I put on a movie, and it just so happens Hotel For Dogs is on, she wants to watch it and we both fall asleep! I wake up about an hour later and get up, she keeps on sleeping. I finally wake her at 1 and realize she's peed the couch...LOVELY!!!! So instead of making lunch, I make her a bath and get her cleaned up.

After lunch we wear the puppy out so she'll nap while we're gone in the crate...then head out shopping. I have this lovely coupon for Ben for Memorial Day weekend and so we picked out some new rhinestones with our coupon...coloured ones! We also hit up Freddy's and pick up the last of the flyer sales before heading for home.

Get home and run Belle out right away...then find out from Howie that they won't be home for dinner at all, since the combine thing was running really late! He'd originally thought they'd be done at 2:30ish...ha! So Sam and I forge ourselves some dinner....while we're eating there's a knock at the door....Michaela has come over to play with Belle...who's more than happy to play with anyone!

Once she goes home I settle Sam with a banana and a movie while I hop in the shower. Then she and I sit and snuggle thru an episode of Caillou before I tuck her into bed. I then called to get an ETA on the boys and they're almost home, so I make Howie a salad and his lunch and wait for them to get home. It was well after 9 at this point. I get DJ ready for bed (he was a filthy chattering boy) and Jake hops in the shower to head out for the nite (guess he's not going to church with us) and Howie eats.  Just as I'm about to take Belle out, she'd already pooped. Get DJ in bed, listen to his tales, tuck him in....hug Jake good bye and tell him to behave and send him on his way. Then I painstakingly sort thru 750 multi-coloured 4mm rhinestones and separate them by colour groups. What a chore!! I then stand up and say out loud, gonna take Belle potty...I look over and she's shitting all over the dog bed in the living room...and since it's a food change, its also a poop change, lovely diarrhea! Oh it made me gag to clean that crap up!

Of course Howie's JUST gone to bed, and I'm sure he was laughing at me....so I clean it up, wash my hands for the 39865739th time today...finally settle in and watch the movie I rented...No Strings Attached...what a great movie!!! Lots of HA moments that I might have been a little loud on...but it was funny!!! I won't get into detail on Ashton's butt...but that Demi sure is a lucky gal!! :D Good chick flick for sure!!!

The last potty has been done and she's snoozing at my feet, so I'm off to bed!! Lord willing DJ will sleep in past 6 what with going to bed at almost 10pm!

Til next time...God bless!

And they call it puppy love

Today I got to sleep in since its Friday....I did wake when the kids came in to get Howie, but easily went back to sleep with no trouble! I was up tho before Howie came to get me, guess I'd gotten enough sleep. Gave me plenty of time to make us breakfast...the kids had already eaten...and were dressed! I sure do love Friday mornings! Guess they'll be coming to an end too once school starts.

From the time I got up today the kids started asking if it was time to go get Northern Belle....I'd decided to wait til after lunch...that way we could play with her for a couple hours, have her nap while we ran an errand, and then play with her for another couple hours and then it would be the kids' bed time and so on...but that didn't stop them from taking turns asking me every 5 minutes! Sheesh!!!

FINALLY it was lunch time....and they were doing good about eating til half way thru, at which point I was done and got up and said I was going to get Northern Belle and they had to stay here and eat their lunch. Oh the crying that happened!!! Begging "please mummy, no, don't go yet!!!"  It was funny! DJ hustled buns and ate quick...Sam then asked for help with her carrots and we were off! It wasn't til we were outside that I realized Larry was chopping wood again, so he stopped and walked us to his place to get her. Then he carried her back here and put her down in our driveway...she started shaking then. Poor thing. I scooped her up (ALL the kids were outside) and brought her in the house...perfect plan too since DJ and Sam were outside...that way it was just, Belle and Snickers.

Snickers started drooling the instant Belle came in the house....and giving me the stink eye. Man, was she pissed at me! She'd still come over to me, and let me pet her, but if Belle tried going near her, no way! Never barked, or growled at Belle, just ignored her and drooled worse than either of my kids in teething stage! The cats were no where to be found...ha!

I tried taking Belle out for potty, but it was too distracting out there, and Mike had the weed whacker going and she got gun shy...but that sure didn't stop her from coming in and relieving herself...darn it! I scolded her and told her no and picked up her stinky poop. The kids came in with me after we first tried the potty thing. So I had the timing right, just not the location!!! Snickers went outside and that let the kids have a good time getting acquainted with Belle...who was good with them til the moved too quickly or yelled too loudly, then she was in my lap!

She crashed for a nap just after 4, and at 4:30 I moved her to the crate in my room as we were heading out for an hour. Not one whine or whimper, she just curled up with the two teddies in there and went back to sleep. When we got back however, she was crying for me. I got her out and took outside right away and got that potty!!! Almost as exciting as teaching the kids...lol She didn't want a treat tho, just looked away from it...gonna have to pick up some puppy treats as opposed to Snickers treats.

Jake came for dinner (he's staying the weekend) and while we ate, so did the dogs...she got a little nervous eating with us, and kept thinking we were gonna take it away....and I'm sure she's not used to having ALL the food for herself since she was sharing with 7 other pups. She didn't eat half of what I put down for her, but that's okay. Snickers ate most of hers, and then I'd see Belle pick up a piece and play with it in the living room til it softened and then she ate it. Cute!  Exactly 20 minutes after dinner I took her out again and got another successful potty from her...YAY!!!!  Came back in and everyone played with her a bit before the kids went to bed.

Now, normally, once the kids are in bed, the cats come out...Jasper came out til he saw Belle and then hightailed it back to the end of the hall by the gate on our door, just in case he needed to hide behind it. Belle could care less tho. Howie came home and she was all about loving him up...so sweet! Then we sat down and picked out a movie on netflix...Restrepo...total guy movie/documentary all about Afghanistan...they both fell asleep half way thru it, so I woke Howie and shut the movie down. Of course it was then too late for me to start a movie that I'd want to watch...dangnabit! Instead I took Belle out again and got another potty from her...this is so awesome for first day!

Then I watched Friday Night Lights and enjoyed it...no knitting as I'd finished up skirt 5 (save for elastic as I have none) and didn't feel like starting another one tonite. Plus I had Jasper on my lap and he needed some loving with Belle at my feet.

My post last nite got cut off thanks to losing Internet on the computer....but I did watch So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) and saw some serious talent!! Thankfully they showcased that talent rather and the idiots (and I say that nicely as I can neither dance well, nor am I an idiot who thinks she can!) who can't dance! There was this one dude tho who must have been named after someone in Shrek...but I don't think Shrek has been out long enough yet...this kid's name was D'onQue...which would be the french pronunciation for what?....DONKEY!!! Seriously!! Who names their kid this!?!? OY!

Til next time...God bless!

Last Puppy Free day!

And yet, it wasn't!

This morning I had the extreme pleasure of getting up with the kids right when they woke up as Howie had just gotten into bed minutes before. And then, I had the wonderful task of keeping them quiet while he slept. Do you sense the sarcasm here?? While I thoroughly enjoyed the bed to myself (I don't think I moved one muscle the entire time!) the kicker is that keeping the kids quiet on a grey, no neighbours home day, isn't fun! After breakfast they each chose a movie...DJ picked Bambi, and Sam chose Barney...they were surprisingly good for Bambi, but the sitting quietly part got old for them by the time Barney came on. Can't say as I blame them! I was getting antsy too!

An hour before we were supposed to wake him, he came strolling down the hall. Finally the ban was lifted...and the lunatics went wild!!!! That saying, "the natives grew restless" really is true!! We talked about our day and what was in store for it...since there was no plans really. So after Howie bbq'd us some burgers for lunch, he headed outside to work on splitting wood, and the kids then did the in and out thing.  While they were mostly out, I got busy getting the crate in position for Belle's arrival tomorrow....and vacuuming every square inch so she can't find things to chew on, eat and later upheave. I picked up everything she's not allowed to have and sorted thru it...namely my knitting stuff! The crate fit perfectly next to my night table, Snickers will have to shift, but she's pretty good about that sort of thing....I hope! I did the new position for today, so she can get one nite sans puppy to figure it out.

About 4 I grabbed a shower to get ready for my Avon meeting in town...and Sam came into my BAWLING that Daddy said she was too little to go for a bike ride on the hill by herself...and I agree with him wholeheartedly...so I looked at the clock and told her I'd take her. Well, that made her day!! She then became my personal cheer leader urging me to get dressed faster! lol  While we headed out the door, Howie hopped in the shower to clean up after working outside. The sun did make an appearance today, but not long enough, or warm enough! 

Off we went to the top of our street...which is where Belle is...and the boys had already been in to see her (D, K and DJ) and while we were there, Larry asked if we'd mind all the puppies so he could clean out the kennel. If you've never done this...its impossible NOT to smile when watching 8 puppies all roly poly and falling everywhere chasing 4 kids around. It was hilarious!!!! I kept counting them to make sure we didn't lose one...and only ever came up with 7...one was under the shed, sneaky guy! Belle came right to me too...oh that was awesome!! Of course I bent down to pet her and got mauled by 3 other pups wanting attention! At one point Larry was on the ground with a couple, and they knocked him over, he then had 6 pups climbing all over his face, chewing his glasses, knocking his hat off, and pullint at his hair...oh it was a sight!!! Quite funny too! One of them scared Sam...she must have had something in her shoe, so she sat down to take it off, and when she did one of the pups came up and put its paws on her shoulders and scared her...she came running to me with her shoe in her hand crying the whole way. Rounding them up was a chore too! That's when we found the 8th one under the shed.

We bid our goodbyes and headed for home before the big drops of rain came down...it got dark fast! I then changed coats (mine smelled like puppy) and grabbed my purse and headed off for town. Met with Michaela and went into the restaurant to get settled. The meeting was good...and lotsa freebies for me this time too!! LOVE that!

Til next time...God bless!

"I made a decision actually"

This morning I was pleasantly surprised when we all woke up, albeit in the same bed, at 8:30!! I am treasuring these sleep ins since I know that school is right around the corner!! Sure makes homeschooling more appealing! After breakfast we missed the knock at the door...and I got a message from my neighbour that K and C were at the door and no one answered....so she sent them back over!

Well, last nite I'd had Howie get the dog kennel out of the garage so I could clean it up and get it ready for Belle's arrival on Friday. I'd forgotten about it this morning, and when I came out of the bedroom I found this:

Then they switched to this...

Then when K and C came over, they all took turns being the "doggy"...

You don't even wanna know how tempted I was to let them all crawl in there, lock it and go for a nap! BUT like yesterday, I'm a responsible adult! LOL  That and they went outside to watch Larry chop more wood.

They all had lunch here, pizza again, and then when we were done, I shooed the boys home so my two could concentrate on  getting themselves ready to go to the dentist. I have to say, I'm VERY glad I'm the one taking them to these appointments as Howie's a scaredy cat about going...these two, are just like me, "let's GO!!" and they enjoy it! In fact, not one tear, and Sam didn't call to have me in the room with her while her teeth were cleaned. THAT'S impressive!!! I did sneak in at the end tho while the dentist was in there doing the check up...counting Sam's teeth and pointing out DJ's potential cavity. Such good kids!!  Now, when it comes time for a filling or something major, I may say the opposite...we'll see! I can remember many times yelling for my mom to come hold my hand....then again, I never lost a tooth naturally, they were all yanked out the minute they were loose, or so it felt like!

We came home and DJ went straight next door to play...Sam wanted to go too, but didn't like that her feet were getting wet from the grass...so she came in to change into boots, and decided to stay in with me. It wasn't long after that Howie came home from work and went to bed. He's gotta work tonite, and he slept so crappy last nite! So to keep things quiet Sam and I put on a Barney dvd and laid low. DJ came home about 5 and joined us picking his own dvd to watch. After dinner he had to go to the bathroom as I was cleaning up the kitchen, and he calls me and says "I made a decision actually..." to which I reply "oh yeah? What's that?" and he says "I'll wipe my bum during the day, and you wipe it at nite okay?" I couldn't help but laugh at his logic!! And help him of course...rascal!

Dinner was casual, in that we left overs...and added to it, triscuits with mushroom mousse...don't tell the kids it wasn't cream cheese!!! They GOBBLED them up!!! So yummy! Patiently they waited for the time to go wake Daddy up, and that was right before book time. Then once they were in bed, we started watching Idol. I'd done extremely well staying off any social media before seeing the results myself! So I was pleasantly surprised that Scotty won...even tho I voted for Lauren! They both have done fantastic! That and WAY more teenaged girls vote than boys...so it was a given! lol  But seriously, do we REALLY need TWO hours of crap beforehand!?!?! TWO HOURS!!!!!! And Lady GagGag is NOT family entertainment...she's just outright stupidity! Neither is watching JLo shake her booty....but at least we've been watching her all season. And what she sees in Marc, I'll never know!

Howie left for work before the results were in, and I have yet to call him and tell him....I will when I get in bed....the big glorious bed ALL to myself again!!!!! Hey, its nice once in a while! I also watched the finales of Modern Family, which had me crackin up! and Cougar Town, I could handle it being an hour long show every week! and Happy Endings, which unfortunately got the axe and won't be back, so it wasn't a season finale, it was a series finale...boo! 

Til next time...God bless!

What any responsible adult would do!

This morning the kids were up just after 8, which was pleasant...and I had them riled up before breakfast with news that K and C were coming over for the morning to play. And today, they all played SO incredibly well together! At one point they were in Sam's room and I opened the door to check on them, DJ was in the rocking chair, the other three sitting on the bed, and the hopscotch mat was out. SO cute! Then later on, the living room looked a bit like an infirmary, DJ and Sam with pillows and blankets, K under the entertainment tower, he'd blocked himself in with the kids chairs, and C walkin around  checking on everyone. Made me chuckle.

About noon I sent the boys home as I needed to run and do the pizza run and the book drop...DJ got told he could stay  behind, which upset Sam a bit until I told her we were going to the bank and that she'd get a sucker! She calmed right down after that! Once she got it, she opened it right away, and actually did really good with this one, this is the longest she's sucked on it...she hasn't figured out how to bite it, and I hope she doesn't!

After we dropped everything off, we headed for home and I made us lunch. DJ had already eaten next door, and I got a full report from K on what he ate, it was cute. When we got home our neighbour from up the street (Belle's grandpa?) was here splitting logs...he'd stopped by yesterday to see if it was alright for him to come during the day. Sam was enthralled to watch from the back deck...Snickers wasn't too pleased with the noise of it all...but once he stopped, she ventured out to say hi.

About 2:30 I had a dilemma....nap while all the kids were outside playing, or plant the garden!!! The nap was winning as Thursday is wide open!! But then I checked the weather, and its supposed to rain the next 9 days...grrrrrrrr. So I did what any responsible adult would do...go plant the garden!! Glad I did too...feels good to have it done! The starts I bought were very informative...in that the pumpkins needs a raised bed, and the cucumbers like hills....so I did just that! I need a few more tomato stands for the peppers and squash, you can train them to grow up and save room in the garden. And Howie needs to fashion me something trellis like for the peas when they grow. I tried a few new things...asparagus and corn, as well as the peppers...but the rest is old hat from last year. Here's hoping for a bountiful year!

After dinner we bathed the kids...Sam in the bath, and DJ in the shower....then Howie had one since he was wet from helping DJ, and once I got the kids settled with their ice cream, I went and had one! All four of us clean in under an hour...amazing! It CAN be done! Good to know! Then I brushed their teeth and we tucked them in!

My plan then was to watch Idol....but the hockey game was one....and the Canucks were down by one...this house has been divided with this series in the playoffs. While Howie's a Canuck fan, he likes the Sharks better. So now that they won, in a rather tense game!!, he'll be cheering WITH me instead of against me! What a game tho!! He went to bed after and I had my pick of what to watch. I chose Idol, and hit record on DWTS results since I'd rather skip commercials altogether!  Lauren was AMAZING tonite! Truly! She got my vote...about 10 times too! Gotta love redial!

Then I watched the season finale of Glee...I just love the original songs!!!! Bummed they didn't place in Nationals...even tho its a tv show, I wasn't expecting that really. THEN I finally watched DWTS...when Chelsea got 3rd place, I thought for sure that Kirstie had it in the bag!! I really did!! I was shocked, but pleasantly surprised, that Hines won!!! Any one of the 3 tonite deserved to win, so it really didn't matter to me!!

With the hockey game on I didn't get to my knitting early tonite....that was really too tense to sit and knit to...but I did get the top layer done on skirt 5, and got all the stitches on one needle ready for joining tomorrow nite. Howie then scared the crap outta me by coming out of the bedroom...he can't sleep...so he's reading on the couch as I type, and I'm gonna go hog the bed all to myself! I didn't get to watch The Voice tonite...far too much on tv tonite! And its not at the 'reality' part yet, so its all good!

Til next time...God bless!

Monday Mornings Bite!!!

This morning I woke up in a kid sandwich...and started sweating til one, or both, got out of the bed. It was 8, so that wasn't too terrible!! At 8:30 Sam was callin for me in the bathroom...and she had a dry one! YAY!!! That hasn't happened in a long time!! She wanted me to get dressed right away, yet climbed into the bed with me to giggle and chat! Love these moments!!

After breakfast I made them both wait til 10 to go next door and see if anyone could play. I don't even think Sam got outside before DJ was back in saying K had chores to do, and when he was done he'd come over to play. Well, my plan was to leave at 11 to go do books at the shed, but we were delayed of course, and it wasn't til 11:45 that we headed out...I dropped something off next door and K ended up coming with us after all. Both kids were very happy to have him tag along to watch a movie in the truck while I worked on the books.

When we got home an hour or so later I got right into making lunch. Sam cracked me up! She wanted a cheese pizza...so I thought I'd make her one on a tortilla....she was happy with that choice. I get the cheese out, ask if she wants olives, she jumped up and down and said "YES", so I got those out. I asked if she wanted sauce on the pizza...and she said no. So I say her to "so, you want a quesadilla then?" and she says "Yes, cheese pizza"  Cracked me up! She ate it all up too!! DJ had his standard Cubano sandwich....me, I had the trusty old salad! lol

After lunch I was getting the kitchen cleaned up when my phone rang...it was the lady who I'd called to do acrylic nails on me, and she wasn't ready for me to be her client yet. I don't want tips...I want sculpted nails like what I had years ago! Tips annoy me and feel cheap. This lady hadn't done them in a long time, so she practiced over the weekend and isn't ready for me, so we rescheduled for two weeks. Which meant my afternoon just freed up!! The sun was playing peek-a-boo with us, but never did show up for long. The boys next door came over to play, so I sent them all downstairs to play. I debated going out and getting the garden planted, but wasn't really in the "mood" to do that....plus I had plans to meet up a new client and deliver her order to her. Shortly after 4 I called to the kids to get in the truck, they were outside playing well, and we headed off to Sultan. Well, wouldn't ya know it, we got caught at a light waiting to go left...across the street the train tracks signal was going off...and one by one we saw maintenance vehicles cruise along...they were spaced about a minute apart...and they kept on coming. Fortunately I was right at the gas station's driveway, and popped in there and cut across to the highway. Yes, I cheated the system, but man it was taking SO long!! We did enjoy watching a truck drive backwards on the tracks...that was interesting.

We got home seconds before Howie did, and DJ took off to play with the boys while Sam came in with us...she had to pee...and then she forgot about going out to play. Instead she played with us in the living room...and Howie at one point said to her "you would have liked being and only child" and she looks at him and says "yeah" HA!!!!! She had no clue what he was saying, but agreed with him anyways...wonder where she learned that from!!?!?!

After dinner the kids begged to go back outside, and Howie said yes much to my surprise! I think he just wanted to watch the end of the hockey game in peace...but that's just a guess. They did, however, come back in for their vanilla ice cream that they watched me make in the vitamix. Howie then surprised them again telling them they could go back out...but the boys had gone in, so they came in and got jammies on and went to bed.

We then settled in to watch DWTS and eat our own bowls of ice cream. Now, I'm really torn as to who I want to win. Chelsea is FANTASTIC...truly!! She's got some natural talent for sure!! And Hines, being the only male left standing has shown his growth for sure!!! Kirstie, has owned it!! She has definitely grown leaps and bounds!! The lifts she and Maks pulled off tonite were amazing!! And for a woman who's 60 to be doing a cartwheel on the dance floor in HEELS truly deserves that mirror ball! I can't do one and I'm 30 years younger *snicker*  If I was a votin woman, Kirstie would have gotten my vote hands down!!! Gonna be close!

Then the Bachelorette aired its first episode of the season....oh my stars they're getting nutjobs applying these days! Tim and his drunken self...sad! I'd be ashamed to be his mama! Very glad Ashley put him in the limo before the nite was even done! And the guy from WA didn't make it past first round...but had me laughing when he said "she was the one"...PUHLEEZE!!! You just met her! lol The masked stranger, I get what he's doing, but in the preview clips, he's sleeping in it, and wearing it 24/7...yeah, not cool. I get the whole first nite thing, but to carry it on is just too much. And Bentley...knowing what she knew about him BEFORE he even came out of the limo would make me want to put him back in the limo and be done with that drama nonsense! Glad I'm not single!!! Sheesh!

While all this was going on on my screen, I was struggling at the needles...seems I'd twisted last nite's efforts and had to frog it...then for the life of me, I couldn't cast on the right amount properly. Either had too much yarn, or not enough...quite frustrating! Finally got it sorted and was extra careful not to get it twisted again....we're golden now! Whew!

Til next time...God bless!

I'm gettin old!

This morning the kids woke me up about 20 to 9 as Sam needed help in the bathroom...Howie was already gone on an errand and due back shortly. Since Sam didn't like the Power Rangers on tv, she and I snuggled in my bed and chatted. Once that show was over she went back out, and I called Howie to see where he was...he was in the driveway!! So I got up and put a robe on to go out and make breakfast. The kids wanted cereal and got right to it...especially cuz they both poured their own milk and didn't spill one drop!

After breakfast I hopped in the shower to get ready for church after getting Sam's dress on her and her hair done...she prefers it half up/down...that way its off her face, and yet still long like Apunzel! *rolls eyes* At least she lets me do it and its not wild! As we're getting in the truck Howie decides not to go to church but to go straight to Bonney Lake to watch Jake at a college football combine...and it was a two hour drive one way, if he left after church he'd miss a lot of it. So the kids and I left him to pack up his lunch and go.

After church we hit the dollar store, and Albertsons...DJ got to pick out his birthday party decor and its a little mixed up....we've got a sports themed banner and napkins with monster trucks blowers and loot bags....crazy kid! We also got the cups for his birthday dessert....he's getting excited!!  We finally got home about 1:30 and made lunch once the stuff was put away. Since we had a bbq to attend this afternoon, we kept lunch light...just in case it was an "eat right away" bbq. The bbq was put on by the Gleaners, a kind of  get-to-know-others-in-the-group shindig. It was at a park, so that right there had the kids excited!

We took my neighbour, also a fellow gleaner, and the kids were silent on the way to the park. So silent that SamSam fell asleep!! DJ had already had a nap in church....snoring and everything!  So, I gently woke Sam up, and she could see the creative playground, that definitely softened the blow of a cat nap. And her friend Aliya was there, she was excited to see her. We headed over to the pavilion we were at and I set up my chair while the kids went and played. Sure would have been nice to have some sun... I then did the bathroom scope and found it CLEAR ACROSS THE MASSIVE PARK!!!!!  Cuz, a three year old can hold it that long right!?!?! It must have been a half mile away!!!!! No joke! And wouldn't ya know it, she comes running up to me saying "I gotta pee, I gotta pee!!" and off we went. She was such a trooper tho, not one dribble!!!! YAY SAM!!!!

About 6 we headed for home...Howie was already home relaxing, and we'd been eating all afternoon, so the kids weren't hungry. Instead, we went up to see Northern Belle. We asked if we could see her, and Larry says "I'll do ya one better...wanna take her H-O-M-E?"  Oh my heart flipped!!!! I called Howie to see if he was ready, and he wasn't. We haven't even gotten the crate down from the shelf in the garage...nor cleaned out the area where it'll be (at least where I think it'll be) so we declined and played with her for a bit. I was in shock at how big she's gotten in the last two weeks!!! Almost double the size!! They sure lose their newborn-ness quicker than human babies! She still snuggled me good, and when I put her down she went right for my ankles...crazy pup! The kids enjoyed playing with her too! Just adorable!!!! 

When we got home the kids got in their pj's and got ready for bed...and with it being so early, they were on their beds reading stories with us shortly after 8! A record of late!! The hours at the park did the trick and they were out like a light quickly! Howie had a the Billboard Awards on, and so I sat and watched it with him. I should have changed channels once the country stuff was over. The rest of it was just garbage and trashy noise to me! Not to mention their choice in outfits! Gimme a country singer ANY day!!!!! Cee Lo must have been channeling Elton John again...he had more rhinestones on his outfit than Dolly ever had in the 80's!! And I do NOT like Beyonce's newest song....blech!! I'm just gettin old damnit!

I was so tired from this weekend I couldn't knit! I did fold laundry and finally sewed up the massive hold in DJ's pj pants in the crotch...no more peek a boo penis! Now I'm ready to head in...lunch is made, coffees prepped, dishwasher is running...just gotta get Snickers back in and that's that!

Til next time...God bless!

I don't think its at all fair

That I get banned from going to a place I've never been too just because Howie knows I'll fall in love with it!! That'd be like me banning him from going to Cabela's....not gonna happen!!!

So where did he forbid me to go??

A nursery....not too far from here...that according to their website, looks AMAZING!!!!

This morning Howie got me up earlier than a normal sleep in for me, as he was off to get a yard of topsoil for my garden...today was the day!!!! Even tho its dirt, I was VERY excited! I'd found a place on craigslist that had it for 15/yd, which is fantastic! Why on earth (get it?) did I buy bags of topsoil before!?!?! Its highway robbery!

Anyway, the place I sent him to was closed...so he had me search online to find a place closer to home and send him the info. I found this place, Pine Creek Nursery, and sent him the info after verifying that they did indeed have topsoil and they took debit. DONE! He was home shortly after that and had a truck bed full of dirt! Beautiful dark brown dirt! He came in the house and told me "You're never allowed to go there!" HA! He said it was amazing just walking around it...makes me wanna go even more now! You know, just to get the creative juices flowing! They also have gravel by the yard, but that'll have to wait til next year.

Since today was also an Avon day for me, I got ready to head out and made lunches for me and Howie before leaving. When I left, Howie and both kids were shoveling dirt...him off the truck, and the kids in the garden...they were "helping" him. Perfect! I got outta there before I got too involved in watching this gorgeous earth go into my space.

I got my stuff done about 5 and headed back for Monroe, only to stop at Freddy's and do the grocery shopping before the ads change tomorrow...and I needed gas desperately! I finally got home about 6:30 and Howie had the bbq heated and put the steaks on to grill....I got the cold stuff put away and got the cauliflower ready to steam. Then went and got the rest of the stuff from the truck to put away. Howie was of no help to me as he'd tweaked his back in the last couple shovel-fuls of dirt...not a happy camper! Poor guy! At least it wasn't raining out and the kids were outside for most of the day!

In fact, as soon as his last mouthful was swallowed, DJ was back out there with the boys playing. Sam was ticked at me for not letting her go too...especially when DJ came in and asked if he could have an ice cream sandwich....oh the tears she produced!!! Rootbeer calmed some of it down, but she still copped an attitude with me. I put a stop to that right away and got her in the bath....her nails were FILTHY!!! Even the scrub brush wasn't doing the trick, so I had to clean them with my nails, she didn't care for that much. Dirty boy was next....I swear, his feet will not be clean til September at this rate!!!

Once they were in bed I sat down for the first time today...it was after 9!!! Howie was watching some show on Sawfish in Australia...and went to bed as soon as it was done. So I watched the episode of Army Wives from last week and then watched a Lifetime movie I'd dvr'd at some point. Enjoyed it, but it was predictable...easy to knit to! lol Now, I gotta go make a lunch for Howie to take tomorrow before I hit the sack!

Til next time...God bless!

Making new tracks!

This morning I was awoken by Howie after some pretty wonderful sleep!! Been a while since I've slept so deeply and uninterrupted!! I didn't even hear the kids wake up, and I'm told DJ was up at 6:30 and SamSam was up at 7...if ya ask me, I think they're too excited to wake up when they know it's Daddy at home, but that's just a wild guess. In any case, Howie was in a hurry and wanted to make a stop before work so I didn't have time to make our usual breakfast, not even an egg mcmuffin, which DJ had requested, so he went off to work with a bar in hand.

Wasn't long after we were done eating that the doorbell rang...only it wasn't the boys next door, it was my Avon delivery....which I brought in and started sorting right away. After 44 campaigns, it still feels like Christmas when I open those boxes and start checking stuff out! I got a bunch of goody bag stuff for DJ's party...for which he is super excited for!! He keeps asking me if certain kids are coming to his party so he can see them....so sweet!

It was another GORGEOUS day today, and the kids were out about 9:15 playing...I put sunscreen on them this time since Sam was baring more skin...DJ's got Howie's colouring and is forever tanned, but Sam got mine and she's pasty white, so I was worried for her. Once she gets a base, I won't be so worried....and she's already showing some colour on her face and arms....she's just so beautiful!!

The kids had another picnic on the back deck while I ate inside and enjoyed listening to them. About 2 I was finally ready to head out and get some Avoning done...and this time I had no clue where I was going really...new customer in a new place I've never driven to...thank God for Blackberry and its Maps app...saved my bacon! Sam fell asleep on the way to Bothell, and while I was in chatting with the client, DJ fell asleep too, so when I got back in the truck it was heaven!! :D This was a good thing it was so quiet as I had NO clue how to get from where I was to where I needed to go, but thanks to the map app I got there with no harm done! They both woke up just as I was pulling into the driveway of my Hearing Center...and they needed to pee, so they came in with me and used the facilities...while I was chatting with my client, they were the most wonderful children!! I turned around and they were sitting quietly on the chairs waiting for me to be done. Truly awesome!

We got back in the truck and headed to costco to do the grocery shopping. Now, I'm one who shops with a list and I don't typically stray from it, but these memory foam bath mats caught my eye and I took one down and stood on it...PURE HEAVEN!!!! Made by the makers of Memory Foam, the bed, I got one!!! When we finally got home after making one last delivery on the way home, I put it on the kitchen floor in front of the sink just to put it somewhere and Samantha stepped on it and was instantly in love! She then laid down on it and was snuggling it...hahahaha, yes, I took a picture!! Cracked me right up!! Then while I'm making dinner they're both sitting on it and playing with their cars, it was their safe island...DJ even said we needed this in the living room! Y'know, come to think of it, memory foam carpet isn't a bad idea....

Since Howie works late on Fridays, I started bed prep about 10 to 8, and was pleased when I looked again and it was 8:30 when I was tucking Sam in...not too shabby! And even with their naps, they went to bed easily! Of course, that was ruined with the arrival of Daddy....so he did the final tucking in and not another peep from either of them! After Howie was done eating we watched Big Bang Theory's season finale which was quite funny!! Then we watched the two hour season finale of The Mentalist....what a captivating finale!! I was on the edge of my seat...I couldn't even knit for fear of missing something or messing up the skirt! It was that good!!! Whew!  And I was surprised Howie watched the whole two hours with me...he went to bed as soon as it was done tho. And I watched Friday Night Lights...it really sux this is their last season! I like this show even if it is about football! I did pull out the knitting and got some work done on the current skirt...can't sit there ALL nite with idle hands!

Til next time...God bless!

Sunkissed

This morning was NOT a repeat of yesterday....in fact, the kids were up just after 7...and ready to go since the sun was out again for the THIRD day in a row!!!! I could get used to this!!! The kids faces are starting to look kissed by the sun and not so ghostly white!

I made them wait til 9:15 to head out to play...they came back when the boys next door were still eating their breakfast. By 10 they were back out playing and I was enjoying the quiet of the house or rather, the hum of the dishwasher. Even got a half hour chat with  my neighbour in when she came to borrow my steam mop. The four of them had another picnic on the back deck for lunch...they sure are goofy when they sit to eat together. They laugh a lot and its just fun to watch!

While they were outside playing after lunch I went and cleaned my shower and then took one totally uninterrupted!!! What a treat! Even did my make up without anybody bugging at me til the end when Sam wanted it on too! Good thing I know how to fake her out so she 'thinks' she's getting some on her precious face. Just before 3 I gathered the kids up and went into town for nothing...I was supposed to get the Freddy gift cards from DJ's school, but they're not in yet and if I'd called like she told me to, I wouldn't have had to go anywhere. OH well, the kids played on the swings and things at the school and had fun. They're repainting the lines on the roads to our house since its SO nice out and has time to dry, sure looks good with a fresh coat of paint! *as she looks around her house* lol

When we got back the kids stayed out playing and I gathered my stuff together to head out for an Avon vendor nite at a local high school's Night of the Arts...its actually the school I'd LOVE the kids to go to when they're ready for high school. All told I think I handed out 40 or more books, and got the names of about 20...here's hoping I get more customers from it all. Sam had her first "mommy don't leave me" meltdown...guess its her turn now that DJ's past it. She was upset I wasn't going to be there to tuck her in and kiss her goodnite, which I'd do anyways, but she was almost inconsolable when Howie got home from work. I heard they both did great til they were in their pj's and it was just about bed time for them. Awwww

When I got home Howie was finishing up watching The Voice so I got his coffee ready for tomorrow and then sat down with a bowl of cereal...salad for dinner doesn't hold very long. Then we watched the results of Idol...I must say, I'm VERY pleased!!! And the look on Hayley's face blew me away...she fully expected it to be her in the finale...she actually looked upset she wasn't. Humble pie anyone?  And stupid me forgot to record Grey's, so I missed the first half hour which irritated me cuz it was my own damn fault! Thankfully On Demand has it, so I'll watch it tomorrow. Private Practice was good, but that ending does not sit well with me!!! Pete!?!? Come on!!! ARGH!  I also learned that some of the shows I've been watching lately haven't been renewed...even Off the Map...that irks me!! They need to consult with me before they go cancelling shit!  Pardon my french...lol

I started skirt #5 but I'm creating my own pattern....the smallest size on the chart is size 3, so I'm "Missifying" the pattern for size 2...hopefully it works out! This one will be super cute too!!


Til next time...God bless!

Walking on Sunshine!!

Today is day two of sunshine!!!!! We're supposed to hit 70 by Friday...such a welcome change!!!! This morning I was pleased to find no children in bed with me when I woke at 7 to pee...it wasn't long tho til DJ joined me, and went back to sleep...and then Sam came in and went back to sleep...I love my dark room!! Next thing I know, its 9:24 and we're just getting up!! What a treat!

After breakfast the kids go outside to play while I get ready for a coffee/tea date with an Avon customer....as I'm getting Sam in the truck, my neighbour says they can stay behind and play if they want to...well, DJ's all over that, so I give Sam the choice, and she wants to stay too...so off I go with music cranked in the truck by myself!! SWEET!!!!! I got there right at our appointed time and checked to see if she was there...she wasn't, so I went and grabbed the 8 items I needed while there, specifically pull-ups for SamSam and salads for lunch...head back to Starbux and she's still not there. What does etiquette say about being stood up for a coffee date? How long does one stick around?? I got myself an iced chai and caught up on twitter and facebook on my phone before heading out. I did call her on her cell, but no answer, so I left a message that said I'd be waiting 10 minutes more, which ended up being 15, and then was heading back home. I stopped at Ben's just to walk around since I was kidless...but nothing caught  my eye....I have enough yarn on hand to keep doing what I'm doing! Then headed for home since there wasn't anything else I wanted/needed.

Got home and my neighbour had fed the kids pb+j sammies and apples...and they were all happily playing outside...I'm not the only one enjoying this sunshine!! I chatted with Lara for a half hour or more before Sam needed to pee, so she and I headed in...I made my lunch and she snacked on prentzels (where the 'n' came from....) and hummus. Then back out side they went...DJ came in for milk and cookies. They shall sleep well tonite!!! :D

About 3:30 I headed out to the garden to go rock hunting....man there sure are a lot of rocks!!! Once I turn the soil and let it air dry a bit, the rocks start pokin thru, so I collected them and kept digging a bunch more up. My hope is to get some topsoil this weekend and get it planted! I put the plants outside that I bought last weekend so they'd get some sun. No sense killing them before I get 'em planted! The kids were having a ball at the park while I was tending to my rock garden....the two older ones next door took all the younger ones to the swing park. They enjoyed themselves!

Howie got home just as I was making sketti sauce for dinner...and he went right back out to work in the yard...the kids were in and out at this point...and finally it was dinner time to their delight! Afterwards I bathed Samantha and Howie showered DJ, which I had no clue about til clean DJ came into the bathroom looking to get his teeth brushed!! HA! That sure made things quicker for me! And less rushed!!! They even got to bed before 8:30!! Didn't take them long to fall asleep either....gotta love that fresh air!

We then watched a battle on Idol...man, its down to the nitty gritty now! And I'm torn...I'd absolutely LOVE a country strong finale...Scotty and Lauren....but when was the last time we had two females left at the finale? I'm just not a fan of Hayley...never have been....so I want Scotty and Lauren at the end! Should be interesting!!! It was also finale nite for some sitcoms I watch, and thoroughly enjoyed watching them while sewing up the 4th skirt. I should be able to get a pic of Sam in hers tomorrow and post it on facebook.

Til next time...God bless!

Before I was even out of bed

There was a knock at the door!!! I'd already been told the sun was out by my two rambunctious children, and then the knock came!! Apparently K and C were happy the sun was shining too! So they came in and waited while we ate breakfast, and the four of them got along for the most part. By 10, I'd kicked them outside!!! Today was an Avon order day, and the peace was welcomed!!!! I wasn't scrambling this campaign either, kind of a nice feeling!

By noon my order was sent and I was in my contacts...funny story...last nite while getting ready for bed, my left contact jumped ship and went MIA...now, normally, for the last 20 years, I've had coloured contacts and as you can imagine, they're pretty easy to find when one goes AWOL...these ones however, are CLEAR....CRYSTAL CLEAR!!!! Which makes it very difficult to spot in a half lit bathroom cuz its 1 in the morning. AND I've only got one contact in to see out of...so I take the right one out, and put my glasses on...flip the other half of the bathroom lights on and continue my search...very carefully removing anything on the floor that can be removed after thoroughly searching it over.  After five minutes, and I'm at begging prayers at this point, I'm about to give up looking cuz I just can't see it...I look down and there it rests on my left boob! OY!!!!!!!! Talk about panic!

Then this morning, same said contact jumps off my finger while I'm trying to put it in....thankfully I find it within seconds this time....its a conspiracy!!! Why on earth can't they add a tint to these contacts!?!? SO difficult! And I know I'm not the only one to lose/drop them....colour is helpful!

Ok, back to my day....I call the kids over and get them in the truck and off we go to town...it's pizza run day and only one place had some for me to pick up. Yesterday there were no new books, so we left the ones there from last week for another week, so I had no job to do yesterday which was fine by me! We then dropped the majority of them off at the school we normally go to, and then headed for home. DJ wanted me to go to the bank, but I had no business there, he just wanted the lollipop! Rascal!

When we got home I had lunch, the kids ate pizza in the truck, but I was hungry. They played outside, but the kids next door had gone into town, so there was no one to play with...and they were begging for a walk, so at 3:30 we set off for our walk, carrots in hand. We also had a tag along...Jessica had gotten home from school and came over to see the kids. We walked a bit faster today than we did last week...and we had the carrots for the horse we see on our walk. Took a bit to find her because she was in the back...but once I started calling to her, she came right away...and faster than last week! She didn't know we had carrots til I gave her one and she chomped away on it! DJ did great giving his to the horse...and Sam did okay, but ended up dropping it in fear...Jessica got too close for my comfort holding it and not letting it go...in the end, 5 carrots were consumed and she was happy! We then continued on our walk and stopped at the swing park for the kids to play. The little girl who's side  yard faces the park came over to play too...her name is Calista...and she's a self proclaimed "nature girl" as she was toting a worm around as her "friend". Then Jessica went hiding behind a tree...I called her back out and she came back to me with a handful of potato bugs crawling all over her. Can I just say, I'm THRILLED my kids aren't into bugs...and that Samantha is far too girly for bugs!!! *shudder*

We came home and found Howie mowing the lawn in the late afternoon sun...such a great day if a bit windy...so I headed in to get the sweet potatoes, sans bugs, in the oven and relax while everyone else was outside. I enjoyed those moments and read my magazine. One by one they all came back in and we had dinner. Before we ate tho, we called my dad as today is his birthday!!! I'd sent a text message and let them know we'd call later...so we did, he answered and we all sang to him. The kids got a kick out of that!  After dinner Howie went back out to do some weed trimming and the kids went out with him. I tidied up the kitchen til Sam came in crying cuz she'd fallen off a fence somewhere....she was okay, just shaken. But that started the pre-bed time meltdowns! I got her in pj's, DJ was in his from before dinner as his clothes were wet, and got their teeth brushed. Howie came in just in time to read DJ a book and help with tucking ins.

They went down easy...and I sat down just before 9 to watch DWTS results show....which I totally called! It was time for Ralph to go...sadly the Karate Kid did not win the match! Valiant effort tho! Now I don't know who I want to win...Chelsea for her accurateness....Hines for his debonairness...or Kirstie for her determination! Tough choice!  Glee was very touching...and actually had me in tears at one point! Wasn't expecting that!  The Voice had me undecided....none of them really stood out to me like last week....and it wasn't that great competition wise. The judges made the right decisions, for the most part, I think Tje sang better than Nakia....bu that's just my opinion. lol 

I got skirt 4 done, just need to do the waistband for it and the tie up...but it was too dark in the living room and my tummy was feeling queasy...still is actually....blah!!

Til next time...God bless!

She melts my heart!!

Samantha has recently embraced her expressions for love and I can't tell you how awesome that is!! For a while there we were getting side hugs and cheek kisses...and she'd have to be reminded to say I love you back to us, which at this age isn't something you're supposed to be dealing with!

This morning I woke up in a lot of pain from my hernia...made walking even difficult! So when breakfast was done, and the kids asked to go next door, I said sure and headed to the couch. But they didn't get to go in, and came back with promises that when K and C were done their breakfast, they would come over. So the three of us watched tv til they did...I was on the couch and the kids were each in a chair. They knew I wasn't feeling well, but this perplexed DJ as I didn't have a fever...lol The boys did come over (after I got a call from next door to see what about me wasn't feeling well lol) and the 4 of them got along famously!!! Today was a good day for the four amigos!! Which was HUGELY helpful to me! They were upstairs watching tv, then they'd go downstairs to play, and back and forth and it was good! No tears, no yelling, nothing!! The boys did go home at one point to go to the bathroom (not sure why they don't use ours...) and they came back for lunch.

Between the 4 of them, they ate an entire Hawaiian pizza!! And shared a bowl of mixed goldfish (the real ones are long gone now!) and drank lots of apple juice! But again, they were getting along SO well!! After lunch they kept on playing, only this time they were bringing toys upstairs from downstairs...and piling them for whatever reason....so when they asked to play xBox I said sure "after you clean this all up!" and the four of them did just that!!! Now, to be fair, I haven't been downstairs to see if they just dumped it all,  or if they put it all away....but still, they did good up here!  The two older boys started playing the games while the two younger ones watched. At this point Sam came to see me and sit with me at the computer. She just kept hugging me and kissing me all over my face, and saying "I just love you SO much" and making up songs about loving me....it completely MELTED me!!! I had tears in my eyes it was just so overwhelming!!!!! What a sweet little girl!! Thank God her manipulating skills haven't set in and she didn't want anything, she was just expressing herself! I loved every second of it too!!!

DJ got a lesson in losing....he lost just about every game to K and wasn't pleased, but I explained that he can't win everything all the time!! And he did okay with that...and kept on playing with K even when he got beat. They bowled, did track, raced cars and danced among other things! All in all, they had fun!! Howie came home from work and they all went running next door! I'd had them here since 10ish, so I was quite happy to have a kid free hour! During which I got dinner prepped and made some Avon calls. A productive hour I'd say! They came back just as we were setting the table.

After dinner I bathed them both and then hopped in the shower while Howie put them to bed! Then came out to watch DWTS...sadly, I think it's Ralph's time to go...Hines outdid himself!! And Chelsea was incredible!! Kirstie has consistently grown in her abilities!! So that leaves Ralph, the underdog, to go home tomorrow nite. The Cha-Cha competition was good too! I rather enjoyed that!  Then I watched season finales of HIMYM, which was good!!! And Mad Love, which is really growing on me! and Mike & Molly, which is super funny!!!! Then Castle...oh my word that had me on the edge of my seat!! Hard to concentrate on knitting when you're that wrapped up in what's going on in the longstanding case! Sheesh the ending about gave me a heart attack!! Now the dreaded 4 month wait to see how it pans out!

Til next time...God bless!

iPods and iPatches

This morning I got to sleep in again....and to be honest, I have no clue what time anyone else got up! I do know that around 8 Howie came and shut the bedroom door so I could have quiet, and the next thing I know, it's 9:30 and time to get up for church! The kids, bless their hearts, wanted egg mcmuffins for breakfast, so they waited til I got up. Sam changed her mind as I was getting the eggs out, and I wasn't in the mood for one, so we had cereal and the boys had the egg mcmuffins. Everyone got dressed, or redressed in DJ's case, and then we headed to church.

Service was good, and DJ actually did fairly well...towards the end he became a bit wiggly, but I think having him sit between Howie and I is doing the trick, that way he's getting attention from both of us whenever he needs it. The baby I made the blanket for was there, and she had it nestled around her...I love that!! Everyone else crowded around Hope, so I didn't get to see her face, this was her church debut!

Since it was raining rather nicely since morning, the afternoon wasn't going to change...which meant yard work would have to wait another weekend...so instead, we focused on the inside of the house!  I had to run books to the shed for a gal who'd asked for them, and I'd forgotten to leave them there for her, so I took Sam with me and DJ stayed behind with Howie to get the vacuums cleaned up. Now, we'd given the kids the old iPod shuffle's for their music...and Howie copied all their discs onto the computer yesterday and set them up...so today, they were extremely anxious to try them out. Sam got my ear buds and DJ got Howie's old ones and they were set! You have never seen anything funnier!!! Honestly!! They both thought they were the cat's meow! And then the YELLING SO I CAN HEAR MYSELF TALK bit started and Howie and were rolling!!!! Then they both started dancing to whatever songs they were listening to...priceless!!!!! Sam had her ear buds in the whole trip to the shed...on the way home, she started singing "Do you know the muffin man" totally out of tune, and off beat to the song...but it was awesome!!!! I even recorded her singing without her knowing.  Just love it!!

When she and I got back we went to WORK!!!!!! Howie as just about done the vacuums, so the kids started cleaning their mess in the living room, and I got busy cleaning the kitchen and getting the dishes loaded. I must say, I absolutely LOVE opening the dishwasher and having it empty...not sure if I unloaded it last nite, or if Howie did it this morning, but man, it put a smile on my face when I saw it empty!! I also tidied up the kids rooms so the vacuum could flow freely, and our room too before Howie got there. I love when he vacuums too!! Before he did the kitchen tho, I cut his hair like he's been begging me to for 2 weeks! Then I mopped the kitchen/dining room and both bathrooms. See...pretty productive day!!

By 5 we were done and Howie was downstairs playing ps2 and I was upstairs putzing around til the kids wanted to watch a "movie" so I put one of their dvr'd shows and the 3 of us laid on the couch together til Howie came up and hijacked the tv for hockey! At which point dinner prep got started. After dinner I took the kids to the shed, again, to do shopping...this time DJ had his iPod on and Sam watched Tangled. Hearing him sing along with his songs is just hilarious too! He doesn't have a clue we can hear him! At least I don't think he knows since he's actually singing along with them! 155 songs should keep them busy for 5 hours or more!! :)  They also got eye patches from the birthday party yesterday, and have been having fun wearing them today saying "Argh Matey!" Crazy kids!

Once everyone was in bed, my next door neighbour came over to watch Survivor with me...WOW what and end to an era!!! I love that Rob won it!! Truly! Before tonite's show, I had no clue who I wanted to win, honestly, but once the Redemption Island part was decided, I knew I wanted him to win it! He really outwitted everyone!! And thoroughly deserved it! However, he did not deserve the Sprint player of the game, that honour should have gone to Matt! *Shrugs* nothing I can do about that tho! I'm also saddened to see that Grant took the game so personally and has refused Rob's friendship...anyone could see it tore Rob up to vote him off. Such a shame!  And David, stealing the spotlight to propose to the other Survivor alum, pitiful! Desperate Housewives was good for a finale...nothing like last year, but who needs all that chaos, tonite was done well!


Til next time...God bless!

Cake showers

Today was a double party day for DJ...he's been excited for this day to come for about 10 days!!! When I woke up at 9:30 I knew I wasn't going to be the one to take him to his Awana party...so I got up and got him dressed to go, and Howie got himself ready to go to take him. Sam and I stayed back and I made us breakfast....the entire time Sam was going on and on about wearing a party dress today! Oh she was incorrigible!! Incessant! So before I hopped in the shower I got her dressed in her butterfly dress with a butterfly necklace and pretty bow in her hair. She was more than happy then and left me alone to get ready.

We got out the door a bit late, and then hit some serious traffic on Hwy 2 due to the swap meet...never seen so many people there for that! Thankfully he was busy playing with his goody bag when I went in to get him. He didn't have pizza face, but his shirt showed signs of his eating it recently...he's such a boy! Before we left I made him pee and wash his hands and tried to get the pizza off his shirt. He was talking non-stop about the party and it was cute!

Once we were back on the road, we headed to Lynnwood for a birthday party for Howie's friend's grandson....he'll be 2 on the 18th and today was party day! My kids were SO eager to give Tylin his present that they picked out last weekend...and they had both been looking forward to it. Thankfully our nice spurt of sunshine held on one more day! Sure was windy tho, but in the sun, it didn't matter!!! Our kids took to Darrell's backyard toys like they'd been coming over every weekend! Lots of toddler activity going on and they fit right in...even if they were the whitest kids at the party!! Man, we need SUN!! As the kids were eating the cake, which they didn't care for with the pineapple chunks in the icing, Samantha sneezed and showered me with blue cake...NOT pretty! And Howie couldn't stop laughing! WHEN will she learn to cover her mouth!?!? Or better yet, not take the bite when you feel a sneeze coming on!!!

About 4 we said our goodbyes and headed for costco to get cereal for the kids....they really do NOT like the Cherrios....and it was on sale at costco, so I'm good with that. Then we hit up Joann's so I could use my two coupons! :) Then Freddy's for the boys to hit the bathroom before we got on the highway for home. Before I even hit the Interstate, all 3 of them were sound asleep!! Snoring away!!! Talk about a nice drive home! Altho, I wished I'd pulled over and joined them for that nap!! But I knew I'd have kids up til midnite if that happened....so I kept on driving!! It was close to 6 when we got home, and I knew dinner wasn't going to happen right away...we were still feeling the fullness of the bbq we just came home from. About 6:30 I got started on french toast...I found some whole wheat raisin bread and baked it in the oven...DELISH!!!! The kids both liked it too! K came over just as we were sitting down, so he came in and waited while we ate....and discovered all the kids new grab bag toys. The pirate eye patches were a HIT! So funny to see them wearing them and saying "Argh matey"

Bed time was later due to the nap too, but they were in bed by 9 at least, not too bad. When I came out of DJ's room Howie had the next episode of The Voice on, the first round of battles...and he was blown away by some of them!! Then, since he'd also napped, we watched an episode of Dexter...I think its starting to grow on me...I just REALLY wish Netflix would put closed captioning on their stuff! It drives me nuts when I can't hear or see what they're talking about....and I can only have it so loud...

After that Howie went downstairs to play on the ps2 and I watched a movie that I really had no clue about but ended up really liking! Easy A...great movie!!! The fact that they referenced to my all time fave movie, Can't Buy Me Love, made it even better in my eyes!!! Just the chick flick I needed tonite! I'd been asked to go to Bingo, but it wasn't til I would have had to leave that Jackie texted to ask me if I was going (I'd completely forgot) and I was too snug in my chair to get up and go, so I passed.

Got the bottom layer of skirt 4 done, and started on the top layer...did the bottom one a wee bit different so that the red layer doesn't show thru when they're joined together....I know, it makes no sense to you, but it does to me!

Til next time...God bless!

I'd forget my head if it wasn't attached!

This morning I woke up far too early to the boy sandwich!!! I've decided I don't like waking up on back...it hurts! I moved DJ to the middle once I saw it was only 5:30....then I had to get up and pee in order to go back to sleep! Then one by one they both left the bed and I swear it was seconds before Howie was waking me up at 9! blah!

Once Howie left for work the kids got dressed to go out and play...while they were eating (they waited for me to eat) there was a knock at the door and K wanted them to come out....so they were out pretty much as soon as Howie left for work. I had the windows open and the tv off...what a fabulous start to the day!!! The sunshine was more than welcome considering its day 2 of sun!! Nice!!

I puttered in the house, got more laundry going, got the dishes loaded that were dirty, and did my Avon emails and got them sent out. Lunch was on the back deck...first picnic at the table for this year!!! We even had K join us for lunch....they were having a blast eating outside! Sam came in to have me help with her carrots, but that's understandable! Hmmm I'm just now wondering what happened to her fork...gonna have to check down on the grass lol. While she was eating DJ came in to tell her that Michaela wanted to paint her nails for her...she finished fast and got back out there!

About 2 I decided we were going into town finally...had a few errands to run, and dog food was of the utmost importance! So I got in the truck and went to the end of the neighbour's drive to pick them up...and they were no where to be found! Rascals!! DJ finally came around and got in the truck. It helped that the neighbours were going on a bike ride, so they were leaving too, which makes DJ feel like he's not missing out. Another few minutes and Sam came around the front too...she thought I'd left without her and was somewhat upset and happy to see me at the same time! We were about to take off when I saw Snickers still out...I swear I put her in the house!! So I put her in the back of the truck and off we went.

I got to the bank first and realized I'd left the cheque to be cashed in the kitchen, so we bypassed the bank...then got to Freddy's when I realized I'd left my triple points coupon at home...and Snickers was going a bit batty in the back of the truck, so we headed home to fix things. Dropped the dog off....picked up the cheque, and juice for the kids, unloaded the trunk of the stuff in it, and checked mail, which was good as there was another cheque in there for me. Both kids fell asleep on the way back home, so I did the bank and the dog food while they slept, and they both woke up as we were pulling into Freddy's....they got their juice and weren't cranky.

I got some veggie starts to get planted in the garden...oh this excites me!!!! We walked around the whole store pretty much...pop was on sale, and when DJ asked if I could get root beer, I said yes and he about fell on the floor he was so excited! Sometimes its the little things for him. When we checked it out I was thrilled to see my 84 dollar bill drop down to 58 thanks to coupons!!! Gotta love that game! BUT I forgot to get a rain check for the spices I wanted, and it wasn't til we were walking out of the store that I remembered that the coupon I'd gone back home for was still sitting on the front passenger seat...OY!! So we head out to unload and grab the coupon, and headed back in to get the "free" item I'd forgotten to grab...as we're walking back to the cashier I realized that that stupid coupon was STILL on the front seat! SO frustrating!!!! Back out we go to get it, and then head to customer service, which was thankfully free of any people so I got seen right away. See what I mean, if my head wasn't attached....lol

When we got home the boys were outside playing, so my two joined them and I unloaded everything and got dinner going...slowly since they were having fun. I called them in for 7 to eat dinner and the boys next door got called in to their house too...so perfect timing. After they were done eating I bathed them both and as I was drying DJ off Howie came home from work...and informed me that Miss Samantha was outside in her pj's....not sure what that was all about, but not impressed! Howie ate while I read a book to the kids, one I'm gonna accidentally lose, as I don't care for its "Last one there is a rotten egg" and the spiteful things it says too...I get that it's a lesson book, but they don't need the lesson on the attitude before the lesson on how its bad! Maybe its just me...who knows.

When I came out from tucking a stalling Samantha into bed Howie was watching The Voice from two weeks ago...and well, its Blake Shelton, so there was no complaints from me! :D I just got out my knitting and started the 4th skirt in as many weeks, I think...and I've got the pattern memorized completely!! Pretty easy! I love easy! Especially when it comes to knitting! I didn't get the elastic done on Sam's skirt yet. Ironically, I got a post card in the mail from the fair about entering items this year...so that's kinda kool the timing of it!

Til next time...God bless!

That's what sisters are for!!

So sorry there was no post from last nite...blogger was down and even tho it said it was only going to be down for an hour at 10pm PST, it was still down at 12:30 am when I went to blog for the day...so I went to bed early! Imagine that! lol

Yesterday I did so much laughing at my kids!!! DJ came in in the morning and we snuggled and chatted about the day...he then asked me if he could have a pet snail....I said no....lol Altho, if he found one outside, I would allow him to have an outdoor pet snail. Then SamSam came in and started quoting Tangled again "Apunzel's mom said 'Great, now I'M the bad guy' " and had me in stitches!! With the right inflections in the quote and everything!

Since the sun was shining they both wanted out of the house as soon as breakfast was over...so I gave them each a bottle of bubbles and sent them out! Didn't take long for the boys next door to come playing too and they were all happy kids! K joined us for lunch and I was treated to more hilarity listening to them 3 of them chat over food.

About 2:30 with the laundry well under way we headed out for walk...the goal was the swing park but we did a round about walk to get there. We stopped on the way to see a horse who came when I started clicking my tongue...I still got the horse charm! She was molting and just loved me rubbing her belly! While we were talkin horse, the neighbours rode by on their bikes...and informed us of the extreme soggy conditions of the swing park...so instead of walking to the park, we kept on walking towards the alpaca pasture...DJ didn't want to go that far, so we turned around and headed for home where he spied Jessica running to the neighbours house. Off he went like a shot!!

I then did some more weeding around the outside of my garden area, they creep under the fence and I wanted them back about 6 inches from the fence, so I got that done while the kids played outside. Having Jessica as an addition to the group certainly changes the dynamics! Since she's been coming over here to play a lot, she was asking if anyone could go over to her house...I said yes, but wanted to wait til Howie got home so I wouldn't have to take Sam and torture her with not staying  since she wasn't invited. Turns out we waited for nothing as she walked with us...I had to promise to push her on the swing when we got back tho. :)

DJ didn't stay long next door...there's only girl toys there....hahaha! SO funny to me!! We did find out that Jessica goes to Cornerstone Academy, which is the other private school in town that we considered...would have been nice to have carpooled...oh well!  After dinner I was going to bathe the kids, but they were having too much fun, and I was beat from gardening.

It was then my sister ruined Idol results for me!!! She posted on fb 3 hours before I needed to know that James was voted off. Yeah, I wasn't happy!! Rascal! I gave her what for too....good thing I love her! So we didn't even bother watching it when the kids were in bed, and I ended up telling Howie the results. Just like Chris Daughtry all over again! But to be honest, his facial tics wouldn't have let him win....and his appearance, namely his teeth, would have hindered him too. Don't get me wrong....I am a James Durbin fan, have been since day one as you know, but this isn't about vocals, its about the package! However, I do NOT like Hayley...her attitude of late has sucked! Like she could care less about the judges' constructive criticism....and her dopey eyes drive me nuts!! Lauren for the win!!!!!! Scotty isn't versatile enough....and he looks like Alfred E. Newman from MAD magazine!!

I got Sam's skirt just about finished...just need to put the elastic in it and have her model it for me. Thank you both Fiona and Paula for offering to make crocheted flowers....I was thinking something more local....Canada and Portugal are a little far away! I don't want it cost anything for the crocheter as I can provide left overs from my yarns and have them match. You're both awesome tho!!! :)

Til next time...God bless!

Tonite Howie got to see the little boy

I've been bragging about!!!

What little boy??

OUR little boy! The one who, when he's not with us, actually is a pretty good kid!! :)

This morning was pretty good...the kids slept til after 8 and it was good! Especially since it was after 2:30 by the time I went to sleep after getting Howie up for work. The sippy in the morning is the trick...and its not interfering with breakfast much, so that's good. Speaking of breakfast...DJ got his cereal ready and was about to pour the milk (the gallon jug is close to empty) when he had to pee, so off he went to take care of business. Miss Samantha, wanting to prove she can do what DJ does, came right up to the counter, on the stool and poured the milk on her own cereal...she got enough milk for the 3 of us in her bowl!!! OOPS!!!!!! So I scooped it out and told DJ he could do it tomorrow. She sure was proud of herself anyway!

About 11 DJ asked to go next door, so I let him...no one answered, so he came right back...and he let me know he listened to me. Since they couldn't play outside thanks to rain, again, I made a fort for them in the living room and they were more than happy with that. We sat and watched Dora together on the chair til lunchtime and then they ate in their fort. To keep Snickers from bugging at them I gave her a ham bone outside on the covered part of the deck....everyone's happy then!!

As we were just finishing the last bites of Sam's lunch Howie came home...kissed us all hello and goodnite and went to take a nap for a couple hours. So, to keep the kids quiet for the most part we put netflix on and checked out the new movies...DJ found one instantly, Curious George 2...done! The three of us snuggled on the couch for a while til Sam decided she wanted to be on a chair instead. Then it was musical couch with mama....why were they always cold when they got under the blanket with me!?!? I was having a hard enough time getting warm all by myself!! Today was the day I wished we had a tanning bed handy....great way to warm up!!!

Finally at 3:30 we all went to wake him up....I'm sure he just loved having all 3 of us on the bed with him too! LOL....so I shooed the kids out and got him moving...so I could crawl into his warm spot fully clothed just to try and warm up!!! It worked too!!! Once my toes thawed out I got up and hopped in the shower for tonite's festivities. When I came out Howie had dinner on the way to the grill and I jumped in for my part, the veggies part...and we ate just after 5 which was good timing. The goal was to be on the road by 6 and we accomplished that with ease!!!!

When we got to the church DJ's class was right there lining up...so I took his coat, made him recite his last and final verse, and we went in to find a place to sit. Within minutes Jake joined us....he came to watch DJ get his award for completing his book. Turns out, he really came to embarrass me by clapping THE LOUDEST when I got my perfect attendance award and my 1 year service pin...such a crazy nut!!!! Where we were sitting we could see DJ, but he didn't see us for the longest time as he was paying attention for the most part. This is the little boy Howie finally got to see...I see it every week when I peek in his class....so it was nice for him to see it too! Sam did well too, once she got a pen and paper to draw on...but once the clapping started, she was all for that! She also wanted to go up and get an award...next year will be her turn. At the end we met up with DJ's teacher and she handed out a goody bag...well, Miss Samantha was not pleased with this turn of events! He got a windmill, candy AND bubbles!!!! So I hung out and waited til she was done handing them out and she had left overs, so I asked for one for Sam....had a very happy girl!! We parted with Jake and went to Freddy's to get salad for lunches. We were still home by 8 with the little pit stop and got the kids ready for bed right away.

Once they were settled we put Idol on....we're down to the final four!!! James came out and set the bar HIGH!!!!!! Especially since that song has been revived by Glee in the last couple years. He does that little screech thing tho that I wish he'd stop doing. Hayley picked an unknown song...yes, she sang with passion, but it didn't connect, at least not with me, or the judges for that matter. Scotty did a FANTASTIC job with the Alan Jackson song!! And Lauren killed the Martina song!!!! It really is down to the nitty gritty now! The second round wasn't so hot for me...maybe it was the Gaga influence...man, she is just ODD!!!!! Beautiful voice, but I prefer not to watch her as she's distracting. I wonder if she consults with clowns for her makeup...oh, wait, I bet clowns are consulting HER!!!!!!! That's it!! lol
So my prediction....it'll be Hayley going home tomorrow....

Survivor was good!!! I love how Rob covered his ass with his comments to Grant in his camera time...its not personal, it's a game! Why he's hanging on to Philip is beyond me!!!! Truly!! Finale is on Sunday and we'll finally learn once and for all if he's for real! I'm also intrigued as to how they're gonna make Redemption Island into one person again instead of 4! This twist on the game is twisted!

I'm just about done the skirt for SamSam...a few more rows on the ribbing, then sew it up and make the tie for it...wish I knew someone I could buy crochet flowers from....I tried looking for them in the store, but they're not available that I could see. They'd make a nice embellishment to the skirts. Maybe I'll hang around the yarn section some day and ask people if they knit or crochet LOL....or I could try eBay or etsy...hmmm, that's an idea!

Til next time...God bless!

Remind me not to do that again

Of course, the next time I need brakes on the truck they'll both be in school...or we won't even have the truck....either way, occupying two young children (they're not toddlers anymore are they?) in a room the size of their bedroom, of which is the "office" of the mechanic, is NOT a fun task!!!

Thank God we had sunshine!!!!

This morning they woke up in turns...just as DJ was getting out of my bed, Sam was wanting to lay with me....she did for a while til she heard there were sippy cups in the fridge, then she was outta there! lol Then they both came back to snuggle with me and find out what our day held. First up was pizza runs and a book drop. But we took our time getting out of the house. I like the non-rushed aspect! DJ tried his hardest to stay behind with the neighbours, but I wasn't biting since I didn't know how long we were going to be gone for.

After the book drop we headed to the post office so I could get some stamps, then over to my Rep's house to drop off her books, and for my lunch time, since eating a salad and driving aren't compatible, I chose to go to the dog park and sit while I ate. The kids were enthralled!!! And want to bring both dogs when Belle is old enough to go! Should be fun! About 1:40 we headed to the mechanic place to get the rear brakes done. Since we'd just eaten, I knew they'd be hungry, so I gave them their juice pack and waited....and waited...and waited to hear "Mama, I have to pee" and then I knew we were safe to leave the building. I knew we had a good hour before she'd say it again. So off we went in search of a playground. We were in a part of town that I'm not overly familiar with, but I did know there was a park (one I swore we wouldn't go back to) nearby, so we headed in the opposite direction.

We walked and talked about what we saw, both kids were FABULOUS about holding my hand and keeping pace. Then we turned the corner and saw it! A park! All by its lonesome...well, not really, it had a groomer on hand at that moment, and we couldn't see exactly how to get to it, so we walked around and found the opening. Once the mower was done he nodded at us and off they went! The sun was gorgeous and I parked my butt on the only bench in the park and watched them run around. They were soon joined by another boy who I'd guess was 2 and they took turns showing off for him. About a half hour later, the class of the preschool we were at came out for recess. Took me a bit to convince my two we needed to leave, so they didn't get confused with the other kids in the class. They were done anyways, it really was a small creative for smaller kids.

We walked back along Main St and looked in windows all the while talking...and DJ announced he was hungry, so we headed back to the repair shop where our cooler was waiting for us. At this point its 3:30 and we're supposedly a half hour away from completion....according to the estimate...not so, we were an hour away. I think they each used the bathroom twice in that time frame....and drank a fair amount of water too since it was SO neat to watch the bubbles in the water cooler go up.

Finally we got our truck back after they took a test drive in it to make sure they worked (cuz THAT would be a bad thing!) and I paid the bill. They were both so excited to head home!!! We'd talked about taking a bike ride when we got home, but DJ in the last 3 minutes of being there totally ruined that by being a brat...and lost the bike ride. Bummed me out too! Going on a bike ride means I might have seen Belle again since that's the route we go...brat! Instead when we got home, his new friend Jessica was playing with the boys next door and he forgot all about the bike ride being taken away. Sam was excited to see another girl too, so off she went!

Howie was inside watching hockey and since he decided we were doing the taco pizza I brought home, I laid on the couch for a few minutes of shut eye. Within 20 minutes DJ had Jessica in the house to show her where he lived, well the inside of it anyways....and then within 10 minutes of that her parents came over to meet us and see where she was playing. She's 6, so she has a little tiny bit more freedom than DJ does at this point. Nice people, and they live up the street on the culdesac...so I'm sure we'll see them more.

After dinner Howie went to bed as he's getting up at 2, and I bathed the kids as they were desperate for one!! Right at the change over of getting Sam out and DJ in I got a call from a new client with an order. So far this campaign, I have 5 orders and 4 of them are new!!!! YES!!!!!!! With that delay and just general silliness at bed time, it only took me til 8:45 to get them in bed with lights out. Not bad...not bad at all!

Since Howie was in bed, that meant I had the remote to myself!! Which thankfully everything was in dvr nicely...I did however flip to the last 15 minutes of DWTS to see who got voted off...which was no surprise to me! I hope he heals well without further injury. Glee was good...I'd just heard Adele sing her song, not sure which one, Rolling In The Deep I think, and then got to hear it again on Glee...with words in front of me on time...nice song. Adele has quite the voice...and I'm just now actually learning more about her after hearing everyone else rave about her. Dang she's young!!! 

The Voice was AWESOME!!!!!! Making the coaches pair the singers up, and having them sing in a battle is quite the concept! That has gotta be tough!! I do, however, think that they all picked the right people to move on. I also love how each judge is trying to be politically correct and then Blake just blurts out random stuff! ha!

Now, its time to go wake Howie and get myself to bed!!!

Til next time...God bless!