Ok...8 random things. Each time this meme gets to me, it gets a little harder. So I decided to write specifically to my blogging buddies since they don't get the pleasure of my personality up close. This will try to help you understand what type of whacked personality writes this. As you are reading this, the "amens" you hear are from those that have to put up with me daily.

1. I am a tad bit sarcastic. Even my kids are constantly asking if I'm serious. I don't enjoy humor that hurts others and I really don't enjoy bathroom type humor, but give me something that makes me laugh and think and I love it. But, on the other hand...I have five fingers. Hee Hee

2. I don't show emotion easily. Forgive me, but I probably will not cry with you. I will not send you sappy cards on how much you mean to me. If something is wrong with me, you probably will not know about it. But if I know about something troubling you, I will help you in any way I can. I will pray for you. I will try to solve it, if at all possible. I care. Y0u just won't get that feeling from me. People will let you know that I am heartless. Only a few that know me, know that I do have a small heart in here somewhere and it does beat every now and then.

3. I don't need daily interaction with people. I could be content living my life on my own, doing my thing. God has given me a wonderful family. I love them a lot. They keep me involved with other people. But I do crave alone time. A lot.

4. I listen to a wide variety of music. I have introduced the kids to Billy Joel, country radio, accapella, praise and worship, and my latest favorite is TobyMac. Some of my kids have complained it's a little too hip hop for them.

5. I would love to get rid of my tv. I watch it, but I think my house would have a much better feel if it didn't have a tv. But I would hate to get rid of my computer.

6. My favorite stores to shop in are book stores, and stores like Office Max. I have never had a need to go into Abercrombie, Old Navy, Christopher Banks, etc. I don't really care about clothes. But books, school supplies, and electronics. That's my passion.

7. I have a picture drawn of the tattoo I wanted to get for my 30th birthday (last year). I didn't want just any tattoo, but just this one. It has 3 vines coming out of a rock. 4 butterflies on/around it. The 3 vines are Me, Knight, and God. The butterflies had patterns in their wings with my kids' initials. The rock, Christ. It was going to be down my spine (the full length), where no one could see it. Knight HATES tattoos, therefore it's still a picture on my wall.

8. I dream. All the time. I never wake refreshed because of the lives I live when I'm asleep. I have learned to control my dreams at times, to make the outcome what I want it to be. My most hated dream is when I am dreaming that I'm sleeping and can't wake up. I can't get those around me to understand that I need help. They keep checking on me, but I can't move to let them know that I need them to yell, scream, hit me, something to wake me up. I'm paralyzed until they help. I hate that dream.

There is a peek into my psychosis. Anyone have a therapist they would recommend? Thanks Amy for the tag and the challenge.

I have been tagged for the 8 Random things about me meme. I do plan on doing it, I am still thinking about what to reveal to all of my adoring fans (yeah, right!).

Anyway, just wanted to say congrats to Keri. Her baby girl made her appearance yesterday in time for the fireworks. This little firecracker is already adored by these 4 kids over here and they haven't even seen her yet.

Hope all had a blessed independence day. We had a good time playing on the river. So much so that I am saddle sore from the jet ski. With all the boats, the waves were great and you could get airborne pretty often. I will admit that mom lives the lifestyle I wish I could. Boat, jet ski, river. What more can a person ask for?

We have a miracle on Main Street. I don't think it would have been much of a miracle if I was diligent about keeping my yard weed free, but I have a hatred for gardening and it shows.

It's not that I don't love the look of a well taken care of piece of property. My neighbor is an excellent gardener and I get to enjoy his work every day. I love his yard.

But for me, I don't enjoy getting dirt under my nails, my yard was a rental house for 25 years so no one has done anything to the yard in a long time and it would be a lot of work, and I really don't know a lot about plants and gardening.

When I first moved it, I just let everything grow the first year so I knew what was here (we moved in Feb). The second year I tried to make it look decent. I have evil bushes that grow fast and you can't kill these things. I also have boxwood elder trees that grow fast and you can't kill those either. I've tried. For years. I also have raspberry bushes that grow in my front yard. I have tried to transplant these babies every year. They never make it. They just keep coming back in the front yard.

A couple times a summer I go around my house and cut down the bushes, boxwood elder trees, and any really tall weeds that don't grow where I mow. There was this thing that was growing next to my house. Right next to the house. It got tall fast. For some reason I was fascinated. It looked familiar. Knight told me it was a thistle. I didn't argue but I didn't agree. I knew I needed to see it mature just to satisfy my curiosity. Then a couple of days ago (before it actually bloomed) it dawned on me what it was.

A sunflower.

We cannot figure out where this thing came from. The only thing I can think of is a bird dropped a seed. We don't eat or buy sunflower seeds. We have never grown sunflowers. I am just looking at it as a surprise gift from the Lord who can make me smile with a wayward flower.

Toni at Special K is having a contest! Do you want to win a $50 gift certificate for Splat Designs to get a blog template, just for you?? I know that I would love one! I hope to win.

We got in late last night from visiting family. Had to be up early to go working before church, teach children's church, work a little more, then came home. Knight and I are both tired. I fell asleep for about 30 min earlier today. Knight laid down on the couch, announced how much he wishes he could sleep during the day like I can, and fell right to sleep.


Now I'm in the mood to shop. I'm not in the mood to spend money, go anywhere, or actually get out of the lazy boy, and I don't need anything but I feel like shopping. So for your viewing delight, and because Jen is amazed at what I can find to blog about, I will give you some things I can safely say I will not be shopping or even ebaying for. Ever.


1.Security Briefs--It's made from a genuine pair of men's underwear, and comes complete with revolting stains. Built into the front of the briefs is a secret compartment with a Velcro fastener. Inside, you can hide your money, passports, and jewelry along with your dignity if you buy this item.
















2.Internet Urinal--Shopping, gaming, chat rooms, cyber-dating - the internet is such an addictive and time-consuming force, who's got time to go? With the Internet Urinal, you'll never have to leave your computer again. Imagine the freedom - destroy your opponents on network Quake without taking a break; drink as many cans of Jolt as you want and still be able to make that last important trade before the market closes.


















3.Fake Silk Marijuana Plant--Our 4 foot plants are large enough to fit nicely and noticeably into a vacant corner. They will provide color and vibrancy that is needed in every living and working environment. The 4 foot silk marijuana plant comes with 4 realistic looking buds, an attractive basket container, and moss to cover the base of the marijuana plant



















4. Does this really need explanation??? The only thing I can say is that is one brave dad, and one hungry baby. I think this kid is going to be pretty messed up growing up.




















5.Bird Travel Carrier--A hands-free, vest-style carrier for small and medium size birds. It employs the famous PetPocket® design features including padded shoulder straps and even weight distribution, mesh fabric and quality construction.




















6. Quantum Sleeper--For the paranoid person, just make sure you're not claustrophobic. "The Quantum Sleeper Unit is a high-level security system designed for maximum protection in various hostile environments Quantum Sleepers can also be fitted to provide protection from destructive forces of nature such as tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes and floods. The Quantum Sleeper is the ultimate in protection, entertainment and communications, “ ALL ROLLED UP IN ONE”. "And it's bulletproof!

Sixty six years. Today Knights grandparents are celebrating 66 years of marital bliss. I cannot wrap my brain around that. I know it's not that strange. In fact both of my grandparents are still married to their original spouses as well.

We are going down to help them celebrate later today. We have not seen as much of the family as we would like so it should be a good time. We haven't seen our cousins for way too long. For some it's been a couple years. That is sad since most or all are still within a 2 hour drive. Not sure who all will be there.

On caterpillar watch--Esther has made her chrysalis. We checked on her this morning and she was still hanging. An hour later when we went back, she was already done. So much for watching nature at work. The other caterpillar attached itself to the top of the bug barn and then died a day later. I guess that's something else the kids had to learn.

Time to get ready for Grandmas. Hope you all are looking forward to great things in July!

I have proof that I don't need to feel flattered but Knight telling me he loves my cooking. It should make me feel good. At times I have felt pretty adequate in the kitchen.

Until last night.

We went last night to do some merchandising but before that he wanted to run to the grocery store that had Gatorade on sale. The man loves his Gatorade. If he finds it for a dollar for a 32oz he thinks he's doing well. This store has had it cheaper yet. I should have known better from past experience how much he would get. Thankfully he had cash so he was limited to only buying 23 bottles.

Anyway...before that we stopped at Culver's for a bite of ice cream. 1 scoop sundae comes with 2 toppings of your choice. This man has never ordered a sundae from Culver's before. The first thing he saw that looked good was raspberries. But he couldn't just have one topping. No, that would have been wasteful. So he looks at the menu again. Then he spots it. It is his favorite. Reese's pieces. That is what he chose to have for a second topping.

He couldn't figure out why I was gagging watching him eat a raspberry and Reese's pieces sundae. He said it was good. He tried to convince me that they probably sold plenty of that combo everyday.

I don't think I should be flattered that he likes my cooking. Look at what he is willing to eat. Maybe I'm just a food snob.

In other news Esther the caterpillar has gotten huge! Last week when we got her she was less than 1/2 inch. Now it's about 2 inches and she eats tons. We went to find more milkweed for her and found another one. We are waiting to bring it to it's new home.

I like to consider myself the queen of lazy. Not that I don't ever do anything, but I will take shortcuts, or make shortcuts if at all possible.

I also have not been secretive about this gift. At all.

So when I was just being me, I was surprised to find that Knight found it so amusing he made a comment "if only the blogging community could see you now"

To honor him, I will tattle on myself.

We decided to finally open some college IRA's for the kids. We have been needing to get this done, but have never taken the time to actually go and do it. So Knight found out how much is a minimum for each kid to start with, how much they can put in at one time, etc and we were going to go over and set it up.

Sounds easy enough, right?

First, Knight was the one who got the info. I have a couple questions, major pms, and I need to move some money around so we can just write out a check to open the accounts. We generally keep that kind of money in savings, instead of checking.

I take care of the money thing. Just a couple of clicks of the mouse, look for the checkbook (does anyone actually write checks anymore? Seriously, I actually write maybe 5 a month, and that is totalling all 3 accounts), grab the checkbook and the money part is taken care of.

Then I get to thinking I will probably need their social security numbers. I don't know about you, but I don't have my kids numbers memorized. But I do know where to find them quickly. It is in the closet located behind the schools computer desk. This closet is pure storage with the exception of holding our tv that is behind the mirror. But the folder I need is within sight, about 4 feet back.

This is where I get lazy.

I really don't want to move the entire computer desk, with computer, just to get this folder. But I can't reach it. At least not with my hands. And I can't crawl under the desk because of the design of the desk. What to do...what to do. For some reason I will never know, a spatula thing is sitting next to the desk. (Humph! So that's where it went to.) You know those stupid egg-flipper-over spatulas that nobody needs, or would ever buy. Yeah...Knight thought it'd be great (I don't have trouble flippin my eggs unless I'm using this) so we have one.

Anyway...I figure I can just reach in, grab the folder, bypass the moving of the desk. Perfect. So as I'm reaching in, Knight sees this and can't believe I would go to such lengths. So here I am to let my blogging world know that I truly am lazy. I needed something to blog about anyway. But I just thought I'd share.

By the way, it DID work. I retrieved the folder within seconds, got my info and off we went. We got there and the financial guy was gone for the day but that is beside the point.

Here... Maybe the picture of the Worlds Ugliest Dog will help Keri have that baby!!! Just trying to help you out!

By the way, this dog won 3 years in a row. He died so now there is a new Worlds Ugliest Dog.

J-Bird is going to be fine. I did end up taking him in because the nurse line said to go. I figured it would just come out eventually. What do I know. When I brought him in guess what they said. It would come out in about 3 days. He seems excited to be on "poop watch". Yeah, he's a boy.

Rara is feeling too well. Yesterday we went on a long walk with a friend hoping to go into labor and Rara was offering to give piggy back rides. She doesn't understand why she can't do some of these things.

In other news...

We have added to our family. We have kidnapped her and have kept her confined in a very small room. She doesn't make any noise, but she is a real picky eater. We have named her Esther. It's Esther because she will eventually be part of a monarchy but she looks nothing like a queen right now. Right now she's a lowly, humble....monarch caterpillar.

She is the tiniest thing. She does seem to be growing very fast. Our only problem is finding milkweed. There doesn't seem to be an abundance of it, and that is the only thing they eat. We will keep you updated on her progress to the chrysalis (cocoon) and into a butterfly.

Things are getting back to normal around here. Rara keeps asking to go to the park. I did convince her that a bike ride was not the best idea in the world.

It seems to me that the other kids are determined to get me back to the ER though. Desti and her wrist is healing up fine, but we did get one call while in the hospital that she was wrestling with a cousin and twisted it again. J-Bird just came down and let me know he accidently swallowed a magnetix. WHAT??? You are six! Why did you have one in your mouth.

In doing a search on magnetix so I could have a link I found out that all of the sets have been recalled. WHY have I not heard about this??? To quote:

To date, CPSC and Mega Brands are aware of one death, one aspiration and 27
intestinal injuries. Emergency surgical intervention was needed in all but one
case. At least 1,500 incidents of magnets separating from the building pieces
have been reported. ... If a child swallows more than one tiny powerful magnet
detached from the plastic building pieces or one such magnet and a metallic
object, the objects can attract to each other inside the intestines and cause
perforations and/or blockage, which can be fatal, if not treated immediately

.

So now what do I do?? And how selfish am I that I'm thinking..."Man, I don't want to go through this again"

We're home! As both of us were discouraged last night, Rara was even more so this morning. They woke her up to draw blood. During that she was just getting to the end of her tolerance and was crying very easy. She was very quiet, tears filling her eyes all morning

Until the surgeon came in and said she could go home. While the surgeon was in the room she was still ignoring everyone but me. Ask her a question and you know that you are not in the same room with her. When she realized that she could go home she totally changed. That great personality came back. She was joking, laughing, making faces.

She's home and doing great. Moving a tad slow, but has already tested out the new sidewalk chalk, played, and has walked up and down the stairs on her own a couple times.

Can you hear her sigh of relief?

I am always amazed watching how God encourages me when I need it the most. I have had a rougher night. We are tired but can't sleep. Rara is having trouble sleeping. She fell asleep about 1:30am last night, up about 7:30am. No nap today and it's after 11pm and we are still up. I'm emotional, she's emotional.

Her IV was hurting her and gave out. So they had to move it to the other hand. They tried unsuccessfully in the arm, and then moved to her hand. She is starting to really cry when they do things to her. Her brave front is turning to tears. She is SO tired of this and just said "I just want to go home."

Oh, honey! So do I. I just want you home, with everyone else and we can walk away from all these people poking and prodding.

I'm discouraged. I don't want to see anyone. I don't feel like talking. I just need to write. But before I do I check bloglines. This is one of the newly posted:

This Is What I Need Right Now
There is nothing--no circumstance, no trouble, no testing--that can ever touch me until, first of all, it has gone past God and past Christ right through to me. If it has come that far, it has come with a great purpose, which I may not understand at the moment. But as I refuse to become panicky, as I lift up my eyes to Him and accept it as coming from the throne of God for some great purpose of blessing to my own heart, no sorrow will ever disturb me, no circumstance will cause me to fret, for I shall rest in the joy of what my Lord is--that is the rest of victory!

Yes Lord. I'm listening. This is for purpose and I will still choose to trust you.

I know that compared to so many, this is not a major trial. I know nothing of true worry for your kid. But for me, in this trial right now, I am struggling to choose to trust him. I know that he is in control. I know that I can do nothing.

Please pray for strength for her and me. Please know that we know she is loved and prayed for, even though I'm not necessarily calling, or even answering the phone at times. Nothing personal. I just need to cowboy up right now, not get even more down. I am surviving. She is unbelievably strong. Just please don't ask me how I'm doing. I'm on auto-pilot and I am ok. I will not wallow.

I do appreciate you all that have commented or called. This is how I deal with things. Thanks for listening. Happy Fathers day to all (possibly another post on that later)

We have had visitors. Rara now has new crayons, books, dolls, chalk, bears, night lights, and color books. She has had her hair done, toes painted and has been waited on hand and foot.

Medically things are going well. She has been up and walking, all of the "systems" are back working and therefore she is back on solid food. She was able to order her wish list of foods, mac and cheese, applesauce, and strawberry milkshake. She ate what she could although it wasn't much.

Tonight I finally saw my sign that she's starting to feel fine. Hannah Montana was starting on Disney channel and she sang along with the start of the show. For her not to have any music for a couple days, you know she was feeling poor.

Now she's getting a song back into her heart. It feels good to have her coming back.

Paradise. How quickly that can shatter and you find yourself fighting the tears, trying to look like you are SURE everything is going to be ok, sitting and praying like you have never prayed before. And I thought today would be normal.

Rara wasn't feeling real hot last night. We had company and she went and laid down on the couch. She slept on the floor in the living room while we slept on the couch. I was just praying, "Lord, help her not be sick on Monday so she can go to camp, and don't have the other girls get sick either."

I woke up at 7 to her throwing up. Bummer. I hope this doesn't spread. She goes back to sleep, I have my devotions, spend some time with the Lord, and then check out the blogs. Desti gets up. Her thumb is hurting yet. Well, they said if it didn't start getting better in a couple days I need to bring her back in. It's only been 36 hours but it is Friday. Camp is on Monday. There is a birthday party for my niece tomorrow. I don't really have the time to wait too much longer to find out if it's going to get better on it's own, or if it's really broke. So I bring her into the clinic.

They look at me like I'm nuts for bringing her back in. I try to explain that I just want to make sure she is ok before I am dealing with ER again. We are out of the clinic and on with our day in no time.

A quick stop for a gift for the birthday party, meet Knight for breakfast and I'm back home. Today I am going to hit the laundry hard. We have been gone all week and the house is looking pretty rough. Rara's stomach is still bothering her but we are getting the house looking decent again. I head out to put more clothes on the line, clean up the yard a bit and go back inside. I am met with "Rara wants you"

She is crying. Her belly hurts. This is my child that doesn't complain. And she is screaming. She can't quite figure out how to let me know how bad it hurts so she tries to describe it. "It feels like I'm having a baby! OWWWWW!"

The call to urgent care is met by "We can fit you in at 2:20. Ummm, waiting 1.5 hours. Yeah, no thanks. This feels more serious than that. ER here we come.

They admit us and we wait. And wait. And wait. Tick...tick...TICK! People, don't you know that this is my CHILD. She is not acting right. Stop being so nonchalant and get urgent! NOW! We got the ER a little after 1. At 4:30 they have finally decided that it IS appendicitis and they are going to do surgery. Surgery will be in an hour, home tomorrow. No big deal.

Yeah. Tell that to someone else. This is MY CHILD! Fix her but I still don't trust you. I am reminding myself all of her protection comes from the Lord anyway. Nobody can fix her or harm her without the Lord.

"Yes, Lord. Truly, I do trust YOU with her life. But I am not ready to say goodbye. Lord, I have a peace that you are with her, but I don't have a peace that I will be with her here on earth again. Lord, you know my will, but please help me line up my will with yours. I am CHOOSING to trust you."

At 6:15 she goes into surgery. A LONG 45 minutes later the surgeon comes in. She made it out of surgery. The appendix did rupture. There is a possibility of more complications. If everything goes ok we will come home on Monday. She is feeling ok. We have gotten her up walking already. She is getting her fill of Disney channel.

It will again be paradise but this time I know how easily it could all fade.

Thursday Thirteen

It's almost summer (technically anyway) so here are my favorite things about this time of year (not in any particular order)

1. Sitting by the pool, watching my kids get better at swimming and diving. I bring a book. In the last couple of days I have gotten a total of 3 pages read.

2. Mommsons have put up the shade tent and that is a sign that the strawberries are almost ready!! Pick your own or go buy a bucket. Yummy!

3. I can feed my kids something like fruit salsa, strawberry/ rhubarb crisp, or just fresh fruit and call it a meal. Yummy and nutritious.

4. Watching the plants grow and slowly turn into food. The raspberries are looking nice this year. I just need to remember to water them.

5. Actually feeling like I have the time for helping others the way I want. I want to be available all the time, but I do have to keep my priorities a little more in check during the school year so we are taking the time to learn.

6. Camp. I'm not talking about camping. I'm talking about sending the three girls to camp next week and having J-Bird all to myself for a whole week.

7. The river. Mom lives on a river, has a nice boat, and there is a sandbar down river that is like a little private island. You can only get there by boat. Sitting on the boat at the sandbar chatting while the kids play feels like Margaritaville.

8. Planning out the next school year. I know it sounds crazy, but I am already looking forward to the fall and opening up our school year. We need our break, but we are ready to get back to it by the time August comes around.

9. Having the windows open all the time. The price you pay for no air conditioning is you need to have the windows open, but after being shut in all winter, I love to hear most of the sounds the open windows bring.

10. Garage sales. I normally don't shop at them or have them, but it is nice to have something you can do if you so choose. Sometimes it's nice to be able to shop and browse and if you actually find something, it's not that expensive.

11. This is new, but Knight wearing shorts. I nearly made him buy some shorts for work. He reluctantly tried them on, not knowing if he would like them, but I was able to say he did like wearing shorts. It kept him cooler, and I like the look.

12. Sandals. What's to say? I'm lazy and I like it when I don't have to tie my shoes. My feet don't get hot. Easy on, easy off.

13. Skiing. I have really enjoyed watching the kids get good at skiing. We also like tubing. Fun in a boat. Who wouldn't love it?

On a side note--For those who saw her fall, we are still unsure on what is wrong with Desti. I took her into the ER last night because she fell off the monkey bars and landed on a rock that wedged into her skin. The x-rays looked fine, but they put her in a splint just in case. I'm supposed to watch it, and if the pain doesn't subside in a couple days I'm to take her back in. She is still in pain today when we take the splint off and she has full range of motion. Hopefully it's better for camp next week.

Happy Thursday all!

It has been beautiful weather and we have spent our days at the pool. Rara is getting very good at her diving. She is so good at diving and not so great at swimming. She can swim but not good enough to pass a test for the deep end. J-Bird is trying to learn to dive also. This year has been fun at the pool. Not totally worry-free but I am able to relax some and read a book.

The kids have been also going to VBS in town. They need more kids. Monday my four went with two of their church friends that live in town (the church we go to is not in town). When the kids came home, they let us know that 8 kids were there. Yesterday only the younger of the friends went so they were down to 7. If anyone wants to have their K-6 grade kids come, I'm sure they would welcome it.

Happy Wednesday!!

Sunday Spotlight...



I decided once again to contribute in the Sunday Spotlight. The Livesay Family Blog has been a very interesting read for me. It can be a cute little mom blog. It can be a hiliarious, laugh-out-loud blog. But usually it's a tough read. It is a missionary families blog. They are in the process of adopting their 6th child, and pregnant with number 7! What I love about this blog is that it is REAL. It can be heartbreaking to read. It is filled with beautiful pictures of Haiti, along with truth about how these missionaries are feeling, how they are handling all of the poverty, starvation, and death that surrounds them everyday. They posted this to learn more about Haiti. Sometimes reality is easy to see, but if I keep myself ignorant, I can never grow. Here is a quote from their "blog disclaimer"

We have learned that a handful of missionaries to Haiti, both past and
present are reading the blog. We kind of wish they wouldn’t. That puts imagined
pressure on to have the “right” opinion on the things we see or experience
here.So - I am tossing up another post to clear my conscience and clarify our
position.Here is the thing … sometimes in our journey with the Lord we are at
mountain top places, sometimes we are in deep valleys. Most of the time we feel
God’s perfect peace and provision. But, I am just a normal flake like everyone
else, so sometimes I have days and even multiple days where something that
happens leaves me saying “WHERE ARE YOU GOD????”I would rather have a blog where
I am able to say I am having a day of struggle and of little faith than to lie
and pretend to have it all figured out all the time.I don’t.Something about
people who are all wrapped up nice, and act like they don't struggle, just seems
icky to me. It's not true anyway, they must be faking it.There are tons of
missionaries here that are way smarter and a bunch more faithful than us. They
might totally disagree with some of our thoughts on Haiti and her people. For
example, my thoughts on pride and honesty problems here might offend some,
conversely they might seem understated to others. Someone with ten years of
missionary service will see things differently than I do as a rookie. And that's
okay.

I spent the day yesterday with two of my friends painting. D had build a room for her son in the basement and had painted the bottom of the wall brown, the top white and had a self adhesive border to put up. The border would not stick on the textured wall, no matter how much extra adhesive they put on it. It was a camo border so we told her that she should paint it. Since we opened our mouths, we had to volunteered to help. We taped, made an outline and painted all day. We were very proud of ourselves. We were just thrilled with how it turned out. Our husbands (Knight and Keri's hubby came down for supper) on the other hand responded with--"Yep, looks good." I don't think they understood how much work and thought it takes to make a realistic looking camo without making it look like a pattern. We did use an overhead projector so we could have a rough idea of what we should have where. And poor Keri is ready to have her baby any day. Can you believe she is smiling in the picture. This is the touchup at 9:30pm. We had to take a couple breaks for lunch and supper so the day was longer than we expected it to take, but I am thrilled with the result. The kids played outside most of the day and so far we have only had to pull of 3 ticks off of the kids. They pulled more while they were there, but the three ticks were found after we were home. Good times, good friends, wonderful adult conversation. I am truely blessed.

The kids have been grumpy lately. I have been told that us moms set the tone for our house. I can't tell if they are grumpy since I am grumpy or if I am grumpy because they are grumpy. So during a search on different punishments I have found some creative ideas...

Ducking Stool
1748: One pound and ten shillings cost "to make up a proper ducking stool" to punish scolds and nagging women.
A ducking stool was a seat attached to a long pole mounted on a support. A scold or nagging woman, on the order of the borough court, would be strapped to the stool and ducked in the waters of the Fergus.

Drunkard's cloak. It was a punishment for public drunkenness; the name of it is somewhat misleading. The flaw in the name comes from the fact that the cloak is less a cloak and more a barrel. The drunk was forced to don a barrel and wander through town while the villagers jeer at him. Holes were cut in the barrel for the person's hands and head, causing it to become like a heavy, awkward shirt.

The Brank aka Bride's scold. The brank was a punishment enacted on women who gossiped or spoke too freely. It was a large iron framework placed on the head of the offender, forming a type of cage. There was a metal strip on the brank that fit into the mouth and was either sharpened to a point or covered with spikes so that any movement of the tongue was certain to cause severe injuries to the mouth. The woman was then led by a city official through the streets of town by a chain, then usually tied to a whipping post or pillory to stand in view of the cruel and verbally abusive public.

All of these are for adults. Do you think in the culture where these were acceptable they were complaining about people spanking there kids or people tried to bolster a child's self esteem??? If only my kids were afraid of public ridicule for fighting with each other.....

J-Bird graduates from Bible Buddies today. J-Bell entered that class in November 1998. Since then I have had a child in the class and after today I will never again have a child that fits the 3-K criteria. This will be the only year that all my kids are in Kidsquest on Wed. Then J-Bell will go off with the teens next year! I love that they are growing but this is happening too fast!

I'm also gathering a list of songs I want to put on my MP3. Is iTunes the best site to get them from? Anyone have any suggestions? What are the top 100 Christian songs? Who has really good versions of really great songs (like Jars of Clay-- Nothing but the Blood). I have about 50 songs that I have on my play lists on Finetune.com but I would like some new stuff too.

Now I'm off to make a couple cakes for graduation tonight! Hope you all are having a great day.

My busy week is over, the house pretty much cleaned back up (at least the parts that I see!), the cornrows are gone, and I am officially another year older.

Wednesday I was out and about with my new hair-do and I couldn't help but notice the looks and the second glances I was getting walking around with cornrows. I know that I could have pretended that everyone had just finally noticed that I am hot, but reality was slapping me back in place and I just felt out of place in a town where I don't think I have ever seen cornrows on anyone. Maybe I just don't notice.

So I drove my PMSing self and all the kids to my friends to help her set up her garage sale. I knew that I should have refused because she is moving to Texas in the fall and she has the nerve to actually take her kids with her! I made myself take the high road and help anyway. I have been hearing that us moms set the tone for our homes and so I have been working on not showing my PMS as clearly as my family tends to see it, so I took a few deep breaths and made it through the afternoon helping her with all 7 kids (hers and mine) running into the garage every 10 seconds giving a play by play.

I give myself a thumbs up for coming to the realization that I don't really have PMS, it's just that one week a month my family decides to hide their true selves and turn into these evil trolls set out to destroy my happy little world I created. I wish I had realized this years ago when I have been blaming me and my hormones all this time. I should have known it was not my fault. PMS is gone now and everyone is back to normal.

So my birthday comes around. J-Bird decided to play the mama's boy/ youngest kid part and give me a kiss for my birthday. I don't mean the chocolate one. Nope, no candy for me. A quick peck on the lips, a "happy birthday mom" and things are taken care of on his end. J-Bell gave me some coupons totaling 3 free hours of her cleaning her room. Knight got me a MP3. Now, if I could just figure the thing out. I have been wanting one, but have never really messed with one before.

We had company today. Including my family there was a total of 7 adults, 13 kids. The town has an annual parade and since we live on the parade route we have a cookout. After most of the company left we still had 8 kids running around but I set the timer for 20 minutes, told them all to speed clean and if they get the house put back together before 20 minutes I would make them homemade caramel corn. Under 15 and they would get me to play a game with them too. The house was cleaned back up in 13 minutes flat.

See why it's paradise???

The cornrows are in and the reviews are mixed. I have heard "slap me some skin!", I have been told they look good. I do have to say that I did get an education into the world of cornrows.

When my sister made the appointment they told her 2 1/2 hours for my hair and to get her hair colored it would be 2 hours. It is the Professional Hair Design School so there is a major discount since we are what the students are learning and practicing on.

I soon figured out that it was not going to be a mere 2 1/2 hours, (boy was I naive!). By the time my sister was done with her 2 hour dye job and was getting toward the half way mark. The total time was 4 1/2 hours of someone yanking on my hair. My kids hate it with the exception of Rara who says it's not too bad. Dad and one of my dad's employees who knows the family thinks that I look like Bo Derek. My dad's wife says I should take it our NOW because it makes my head look fat.

I am not going to keep it in too long. It is itchy, driving me nuts that I can't wash my hair well, and tighter feeling than I expected but I will go to church with it in anyway. At least it is Wacky Wednesday for the kids so I can just say I dressed up for it. Knight is undecided on what he thinks or wants to be kind. He thinks I should leave it in for up to a week, but he doesn't like the feel of this compared to my normal hair.

Live and learn. I am glad I did it once and I have to thank Gina for that! So here are the picts...

This weekend was nice. Sunday at church we had a service for three of our young men being deployed to Iraq. Beautiful service, lots of prayer for them and their families. Monday we went out and watched a softball tournament, played a little then went to a grill out at a friends. It was a really good time. J-Bird was able to have some "testosterone time" as their were boys to play with. (He's the one in the middle) Overall a great weekend.

Today I am off to get my hair done with my sister. She's getting her hair colored and I'm getting corn rows done. Knight has wanted to see me in corn rows so she is making it happen. I don't know how long I will dare keep it in, but I'll get pictures!

What did He die For

Freedom has a enormous price. It's not pretty. But if we fail to learn from our history we are doomed to repeat it.
Thinking of the troops now and those who's price will not be forgotten by me.

He came into my life when I was around 11. He was one that was always ready for some fun. He was always smiling, ready to entertain "the troops" of my sisters and I. My oldest sister met him at the bowling alley on Fort Lewis. He was a GI and she was engaged at the time. As it turned out, not for long. His name was Ken. He eventually became my brother in law.

He came into my life at the perfect time. Soon my parents split up, my dad moved to Korea, and chaos took over our house. Literally.

I know that Ken didn't add a calming effect to the family. He was an only child who never made us younger kids feel like he didn't want us around. We were his sisters. He was our brother. I had always wanted a big brother and this one I didn't fight with. He taught us things and gave us experiences that I will always treasure but would have made my mom (and probably my sister, his wife) flip out.

He taught us about green beer on St. Patricks day. He taught us what off roading was. He lied to my sister and told her that he was taking me and Gina to the movies for my 13th birthday and took me to the waterfront where all the other GI's hung out. Really, he taught me how to party. He also included his friends but he made it very clear to them that "his sisters" were off limits and castration would be in order if they chose to break that (no matter how much WE liked his friends!) We felt safe, loved, and included.

When Gina and I ran away we called him. And when mom discovered we were gone he lied to her to give us time to figure out what we wanted to do. Then he convinced us to go home. He would tell me how important school was, help with homework, and try to convince me that boring things like the cotton gin were important things to learn. I still know that Ely Whitney invented the cotton gin because of that argument! It's funny, because I'm now teaching the same stuff to my kids and loving history.

Eventually he got out of the Army (joined the reserves instead) and they moved to SC. They had two beautiful kids together before things didn't work out for their marriage. My sister got tired of the party attitude. After 9/11 he rejoined the Army and became stationed in Germany. Then he was deployed to Iraq.

He was injured. Saw horrible things but made it through 2 tours before they sent him home to Germany. He came back and spent some time with the kids (not really kids, but teens) before going home. Three months later he was taken from this earth. His physical body buried at Arlington, on his daughters 16th birthday.

I miss him. I thank God that I let him know how much I still cared and how much he touched my life when I still had a chance. He is still my brother.

I have been thinking about memorial day and all the sacrifices so many have made so I am able to live the life I choose. I grew up an AF brat and know well the emotions of my dad going away for weeks, months, and years. I know the toll it took on mom to be a married single-parent. I know the troops sacrifice their time, their family, and potentially their health and life. Thanks to all who make that sacrifice for me and my family. We are praying for the troops and their families.

A friend came over yesterday so I could make a swim suit for her daughter. Her daughter is uncomfortable with how immodest swimsuits are and she likes the way the swimsuits I make look and feel and yet are modest.

Knight would like me to start an Internet business selling them. I am unsure if this would be a good way to make some money.

This is Rara's newest swimsuit that I made in Jan. The skirt ended up a little short but I have fixed that in swimsuits made since then. I have made these with and without sleeves and with and without the skirt so I could give people the choice those plus choice of fabric if I would actually have a website otherwise I could just make them and put them on eBay. Opinions??? Prices??? I am really torn on what to do.

Driving around yesterday doing erands the kids and I got into a conversation about snow, rain and the drought summers we have experienced for the last few summers.

We have seen the crops dry up, useless. We've seen the maple leaves turn color in August for lack of rain. We have only had to mow our grass maybe a total of 5 times for the summer. It has been bad.

I let them know that some of the farmers were going to loose their farms if we had another bad summer like we've had. As we were driving we looked at the freshly plowed fields and you could tell that even the dirt was way too dry. There have been rumors of rain in the past couple of weeks but it always seems to miss us or just sprinkle a little.

As we drove around in the sunshine J-Bell decides to pray for rain. I have seen God prove himself to my children through their prayers and thought "I guess it will rain soon."

We finish up, get home and I start working on the front porch putting new intertubes in the bikes. Within an hour of coming home we get rain. Not a quiet drizzle, a downpour that causes the road to have two rivers running by our house, and the kids taking all their treasures in the basement in case a tornado forms in the storm. The storm let up, but the rain did not. This morning it is still raining.

I love to watch the Lord become more and more real to my kids.

There is a heritage museum in our area that has items and buildings of the past from around the area to show us all how "they" used to live. As a final activity for school we went and learned. We hadn't been there in a couple years and the kids had a better appreciation this time. We ran out of time to see it all but the people there offered us passes to come back this summer and finish the tour.


We were all surprised at the size of the homestead cabins. They were tiny! This one room cabin housed a family of 9.

J-Bell is standing in the middle of it. To save some room the boys slept in the attic. To get there, they went outsice and up the ladder on the side of the house. I have heard that WI winters were worse than they are now. I can't imagine sending the boys out in the snow to sleep in the attic.

The kids also learned what a chamber pot was. They were not impressed and really grossed out with the idea of someone having to clean it. Even potty training, we put the kid seat on the toilet so no one had to clean out the potty chair.

They also were not impressed with the bathtubs.

The highlight was the jail and the stocks. The kids love being locked up in jail and then having their picture taken while in the stocks. Am I raising little convicts????

I'm back! After getting back into town and being reprimanded for not updating the blog in so long, here I am with my story of our overnight date!

On Sunday Knight called my dad and asked if he and his wife could take our kids overnight so we could go to the Twin Cities in MN for a date. They rearranged their schedules last minute so they could have the kids. I am so thankful for their willingness to have our kids and that they make us feel like they are happy to do it. Thanks guys!

We booked a room in a hotel that has theme rooms. I had this idea of surprising Knight by going there a year ago but I never did it. They have a deal that for $99 they pick the room. It saves some good money and you still get the theme room. You don't find out what room until you get there but still fun.

They gave us the "Eastern Winds" room. Oriental decorations, a Buddha statue, a whirlpool tub that was HUGE, and a mirror surrounded bed. Overall, not bad. A little tacky. Put the suitcase in front of the fat little man and he can't stare at us anymore. The only thing that was really not my thing was the mirrors. Who wants to roll over in the morning, look up, and see themselves. Yeah, I know other people may enjoy the mirror thing. I am not one that needs to be reminded of my "fluff" while in bed.

For dinner we went out for pizza. Take a quick little trip in the same suburb, add a "highway" that splits from the road and a couple that misses the sign and you end up driving through two more suburbs before going back and finding where we missed the turn. We drove, semi lost for a while, but had no pressing things to do, kids in the back asking where we are, and we saw housing complexes you don't see in these parts. We do find the place and it is well worth the drive. Best deep dish I have had. Ever. If you are in the Cities, find a Divannis Pizza. You will not be disappointed.

In the morning I was awakened by the bath running and the TV coming on. Knight had let me sleep in, at least according to him. I joined the bath, we talked about what we wanted to do. Then the electricity dies. We are in a room with no windows, designed like a cave in a bath so deep you have to crawl on the side of the tub to be able to get down. No stepping gently onto the floor, and no stairs to the tub. Just a two and a half foot high, 18 inch wide tiled wall that I have to get out of in the dark. We get out, get dressed, and figure out what to do. There were a few stores to hit but we were taking our time. Still no electricity. As we go to check our we are able to listen to some woman (she was no lady) demanding a refund because she cannot get ready for the day without electricity. I am sure the hot water still works at least for a little while. But what do I know. We say nothing and the clerk gives us a coupon for $20 off next time.

As we drive out of the parking lot, I look at the clock for the first time. It's 8:30am. I am not a morning person and I am thinking to myself...what do you mean you let me sleep in????

We shopped a little, and found this candy store where we picked up some for the kids. They had dried bugs there. Crickets and larvae. Real bugs. They also had suckers with these little gems in them. Apparently I am naive because I ask what you are supposed to do when you get down to the bug. Eat it. The boxes of dried bugs are really for eating too. Some lady goes into this particular store and buys them out every couple of weeks so she has some for her salads. It adds protein. The bugs is their number 1 seller at the store. Not chocolate. Not Jelly Belly. Bugs. Why not just add chicken to your salad to get protein???

At breakfast Knight noticed the multiple shades of my hair. He had asked me to stop dying a year ago. It was very much two different colors but not in the beautiful highlight way. Think roots. Big time. After looking for a while all he says is "you can dye it if you want." I hear, "Oh, I now see why you dye it. You are right, your natural color is not the best on you. I also see those grey intruders you have talked about. Cover it. All of it. Please!"

We pick up the kids, visit for a while, get home, and then I run out and get hair dye. My hair is back to boxed perfection, we are home, and I have caught up on the blogs.

I'm back. Paradise.

Thursday Thirteen...

Here are thirteen things that I want but for various reasons I can't or don't have

1. A tattoo the length of my spine. (I don't have any tatts)

2. A Palm Pilot

3. A MP3 Player

4. A Ski boat

5. A house on the river to ski on

6. Plane tickets (see last Thursday)

7. A landscaped yard (I hate weeding, dirt, and waiting for things to grow. Landscaping is something I don't even attempt)

8. Someone to build me my table that I am going to attempt to build soon

9. The real tools to build this table (so I don't have to make due)

10. A hobby farm

11. A clean house

12. A house with insulation

13. For my kids to stay the ages that they are. They are getting too big too fast. With no teens, no diapers. This stage is perfect.

Look what I found cleaning! It's special not only because it is a $20 but because it is a "small head". I love to show the kids what money looked like when I was a kid. It makes me feel old

It is finally rainy and cold here. Not enough rain, but I can still justify being inside all day cleaning. Well, not all day. J-Bell had a school band concert. You know I wouldn't want to miss that!

So pretty much all day I have holed myself up in the classroom. I am putting away the school books since I won't be needing them anymore this school year (yeah!!!), putting some books away that have gotten out of place, and finishing organizing the library.

My goal is to get through the classroom completely by June 1. That means sorting, organizing, and tackling the closet and file cabinet.

All the pictures are of my 4 bookcases after I donated, threw out, and packed away the ones I don't wish to have available at my fingertips. Picasa even cut off two shelves of one of the bookcases when it made the picture grid.

Can anyone guess what my passion is? I have way too many books and yet if I go to a garage sale or goodwill I find myself going through the books. Yes, I have a problem. So here I am to say, Hi. I'm De, and I'm addicted to books!

You know what makes me proud? Living in Wisconsin. Whenever something in Wisconsin makes national news it is something like this---

ELDERON, Wis. - Around here, it may be tough to pass up anything
deep-fried. Wisconsinites have deep-fried cheese curds, candy bars and
Twinkies. They now have deep-fried livestock testicles, too.
More than 300 people paid $5 for all-you-can-eat goat, lamb and bull testicles Saturday at
the ninth annual Testicle Festival at Mama's Place Bar and Grill in Elderon
in central Wisconsin.
"Once you get over the mental (aspect) of what you're eating, it's just like eating any other food, and it tastes good," Buster Hoffman said.
The event grew every year and now they fry up to 100 pounds of testicles, she said.
"What else can you do in a small town?" Fenske said.
Butch Joubert, 58, likes the parts sandwiched between bread with tartar sauce. They're not so different from regular meatballs also served at the festival, he said.
"After a few beers, you can't really tell the difference," Joubert said.

Or This---

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. - Attempts to duplicate a movie stunt landed one man in the
hospital with burned genitals and another facing criminal charges.
The men
were trying to do a stunt from one of the “Jackass” movies, in which a character
lights his genitals on fire.
Jared W. Anderson, 20, suffered serious burns to
his hands and genitals, according to the criminal complaint. Randell D.
Peterson, 43, who sprayed lighter fluid on Anderson and lit him on fire, was
charged with felony battery and first-degree reckless endangerment Tuesday in
Eau Claire County Court.

Who wouldn't want to stand up proud and say--I'm from Wisconsin!

Happy Mothers Day!

In honor of all of us out there that are mothers I thought I would spotlight Life in a Shoe for my Sunday Spotlight. She is a homeschooling mother of 8! She has a link for Saturday Kid Comedy so people can share kids stories. I really enjoy her blog because it is pretty random.

Have a great Mothers day. I have to go enjoy my cards.

Last night during family devotions I had to laugh when it came time for the kids to pray

J-Bell--"Lord, thank you for the nice weather, even though it was a little too hot... And please help me to stop complaining..." (she was not even noticing she was complaining in her prayer)

J-Bird--"Lord, thanks for the day. And help J-Bell stop being so bossy when she's babysitting..."

Rara found a shortcut so she doesn't have to think about prayer requests..."Lord, help everyone who needs help..."

Desti has now started using this tactic too.

Who couldn't enjoy kids like these?

Thursday Thirteen

13 Countries I would love to visit

1. Italy, (Pompeii, and Rome)

2. Egypt (the Pyramids)

3. Australia (The Outback)

4. Micronesia (Yap)

5. Palau (Koror)

6. Fiji

7. France

8. Germany

9. Greece (I'd like to go back to Crete)

10. Galapagos

11. New Guinea

12. Mexico (Baja)

13. Kenya

Anyone notice I did not say anything about skiing the Alps, being snow bound anywhere. If I want to see a penguin or polar bear I will go to a zoo!

Ok people. Put one hand over your mouse and say with me...

I will not forward emails or post blogs that...

--Have some sob story about a little girl and "every time someone forwards this" the Red Cross is going to take $2 off the hospital bill

--Threaten that now that I've read this I need to re-post it or my account will be canceled. This is the only way to see who still uses this site

--I am not going to believe that anyone will give me a gift certificate just for forwarding an email

--I don't believe luck has anything to do with forwarding emails, no matter how quickly I can click on those 12 friends

--I also don't believe God watches emails to find out who really believes in Him

--I know that the government isn't going to tax my emails no matter how many forwards go out about it

--If you have something to send me, copy and paste it. I don't want to scroll past 156 names on the way to the message

Also, remember it is not a sin to DELETE.

Thank you so much

Thanks you all for your prayers for Gina. I know it means a lot to all of the family. I saw her yesterday and she seemed to be healing will and accepting this new change to her lifestyle. She had Ileostomy surgery and she had known that she may need this eventually because of her health but what started as a test became emergency surgery. A shock to us all. As one of my other sisters put our feelings into words so well, "We are going to get ulcers from all this hospital stuff." This is the 4th hospitalization in the last 16 months for my family. We are hoping to be done talking to hospital staff for a long time.

J-Bird got done with school today. That makes it 2 down and 2 more to go. We should be done with school some time next week. I have heard so many moms dread the end of the school year because that means the kids come home. I look forward to it, so I have more time to actually have fun with them. I have some fun stuff planned this summer and I hope to get a jump start on science.

Now I am off the the library. I need to make copies. Fun, fun. Kids are at the park so I need to pick them up. I promise I will be better and blogging soon and the my post will be a whole lot more interesting than this.

Thinking about my younger years brings a lot of memories. Some I am willing to share and plenty of others I just have to look at my "partner in crime" and we both remember those things y0u hate for your kids to find out. Most of my life I have had that same person as my "partner in crime", Gina. Anyone will tell you that she is the kindest person you will ever meet. She will do anything she can for those she loves. She is honest, hardworking, loyal, sweet. I have also seen her wild side. We have broken into construction sites to look around, crashed parties, sneaking out (don't tell Dad!), and mostly just hung out. Because of our births she is my sister. Because of choice she is my best friend. She had surgery yesterday that will hopefully stop her medical problems. She has been suffering for years and her body has paid the price. Surgery went well, but this will change an aspect of her life forever. She is 33. Hopefully the pros will greatly outweigh the cons. I am so thankful that the Lord gave us doctors that can assist Him in healing her.

Toni over at Special K Family has started having Spotlight Sundays so I decided it would be fun to join her and let everyone know who in the blogging world I love reading about. I would have put a button up but it is 2am and I don't want to figure it out. Maybe by next Sunday.

For my first Sunday Spotlight I am highlighting Catching Butterflies. This is an adoption blog that has been extremely interesting to me. They have just went to pick up their little girl in China a couple of weeks ago and she is blogging about how Sarah is accepting her new family. It has been a real roller coaster of emotions. I am so thankful she is so honest in how it is going. It has helped me understand better the different ways the Lord forms families.

Thanks Toni for the great idea.

This is what you would have heard if you were at my house this morning...

Desti-Mom, do people really like Reddi whip on waffles?
Me-Yep
D-Can we try it?
M-Sure.

Then Desti, Rara, and J-Bird sit down with their waffles deciding they like syrup better.

Rara and Desti go up to shower and get cleaned up for the day. J-Bird is still looking for more food...

J-Can I have some Reddi Whip?
M-No, we don't need to eat that plain.
J-Can I have a piece of cake then.
M-No. Cake is not something for breakfast. Did you forget that we are trying to make healthier food choices?
J-Oohhh, yaaah. I forgot!
M-We have apples in the fridge...
J (coming back out from the kitchen after looking for a healthier snack) Can I have a Little Debbie snack?

I think I should work harder teaching the food pyramid.

Today I'm wondering...WHY???

*Can you hear the whining yet?*

Why on one of my busiest weeks on the calendar do I get horribly sick?

Why did I take Excedrin migraine last night at 11pm hoping that it would break this stupid fever forgetting that it has caffeine which kept me up until 6am?

Why did Aunt Flo have to wake me up at 7am?

Why did this all have to happen when I am scheduled to run Track and Field night tonight for our final home school group meeting? (*HINT* Grandparents and Aunts welcome *HINT*)

Why did Aunt Flo have to come early while I am still sick, adding insult to injury?

Why does all of this happen on a week that I'm trying to fast from being a grump?

Why????

Because, I need to know that it is not my strength getting me through the days. It's His.

Exodus 15:2 - The Lord is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him.

I was tagged by Toni at In the Midst of this Season for another meme! She has a great writing style and is one of my daily reads.

Here's how it works, I’ll write 10 facts about me and/or habits of mine.- I’ll tag 10 people.- If you’ve been tagged, you do your own list and tag 10 more people. (”No tag backs.”)

1. If I want to develop a habit in my, I use a reward system. My one right now is "No blogging before Bible". This forces me to get into my Bible and Bible study first thing in the morning. I don't break these rules.

2. I will not leave my house without showering even if I just have to run to the store and pick up something for a project that will make me dirty. I shower, go to the store, get dirty, and take another shower. When I am home all day, I may not take a shower until the afternoon or evening but I get one in.

3. I like people, hate crowds. I love to talk, but only to people I know well. I would rather be in a crowd of strangers than in a crowd of friends. Figure that one out.

4. I don't really think more than 6 months into the future. I don't have long term plans and goals. I do have some thoughts into what I want to do when the kids leave, but I don't think very often of that at all.

5. I can not think of one person that I have a grudge against. There have been people that have hurt me, but I don't spend energy into thinking bad about them. This has taken some time.

6. I love to be involved with things but I hate to be a leader. I would much rather help out and nobody know. I don't even want public credit given, ever. I rarely volunteer, but I love to be asked to help.

7. I was born in Brindisi, Italy and have lived in San Antonio, TX-- Crete, Greece-- Panama City, Florida-- Tacoma, WA-- Las Vegas, NV-- and a couple places in WI. We always came back to WI between places so home is my Grandma and Grampas' house. It has this smell. Not of old people, but this totally unique smell in her garage that all of us cousins know well, but Grandma has no idea what we are talking about.

8. I met my husband at a family get together. We are not related in the least, but we do have mutual first cousins.

9. All of my and 3 of Knights grandparents are still alive. My kids know most of their great grandparents, all of their grandparents, all of their cousins, and all of their aunts, and all but one of their uncles. He is now their uncle (married my sister) but they live far enough away that they have not met him yet. We have been truly blessed. They even know a lot of their 2nd cousins and great aunts and uncles.

10. I listen to the radio in the car, but at home I listen to Fine Tune most of the time. At fine tune you make a play list with the songs you pick (45) and they play them at random.

Now I tag...
1. Molly at Doodles from Dahls because she completely ignored a previous tag
2. Kris at Lessons from Kris because she hasn't been assigned much to blog lately
3. Jen at The Work Site because she hasn't been blogging regularly (again)
4. Melody at Slurping Life because I always love to here what she has to say
5. Amy at Laughing Through the Tears because she loves meme's
6. Laura at Busy Bees because she is a new blogger
7. JoGirl at Can we Build it because I love her
8. Desti at Destiny's Discoveries because she is the one mostly devoted to her blog
9. Keri at Plans and Providence because I don't talk to her enough (I need to see if she is still alive)
10. Karen at For Such a Time as Now because I like her blog

Happy Blogging!

Today we went on a spontaneous field trip. One of Knights accounts told him that the Lake Sturgeon were running and we could go see them in a town about 35 minutes from our house. Knight called me and I loaded the kids up and headed out. We didn't know it would be so difficult to find but we did find it.

So we went down this dirt road into the dead end, up a hill, through a field, down a cliff (seriously) to the river. Then we hiked a little ways but we found it.

I have never been to a fish run. It was really neat. The fish were about 4 feet long (at least the ones we saw) and doing their best to get up the rapids. Very cool. There was even a DNR warden handing out fliers on the Sturgeon so we could learn more. I asked her how long it lasts and she said 24 hours. We made it just in time. The really started to slow down by the time we left. I also learned that if you want to take a picture of something under the water you can take a picture through polarized sunglasses. It worked for me. So for the pictures, the brownish one that looks like it has a log in the middle of the picture... that's one of the sturgeon under water.

5 minutes for mom is having a Mothers Day contest. The first one is great. An ipod. Can you believe that? That has been on my wish list forever.

Knight and I broke down and purchased what we thought we would never purchase.

We were planning to go to Action City yesterday because it was supposed to rain. It's expensive but fun. It is hard to spend a lot of money on it because you have nothing but pictures in the end, but we were wanting some family fun.

We decided to give the kids a choice. Action City, or a new family toy. They chose the toy.

So Knight and I went and bought it. Me and the 3 smaller kids spent the afternoon putting it together while Knight and J-Bell loaded truck. Since J-Bell was the one who loaded truck she was the first one who was able to use it.

I had trouble sleeping last night because I am so sore after putting it together but it is worth it. The kids played all evening until bedtime and then were up two hours earlier than normal and back playing.

Wondering what it is yet? It's our new...