The Peace never lasts for long...

I had such a peaceful morning. I took it slow, did some housework, browsed online for more information regarding the trip to Seattle, got some chili cooking in the crock pot, picked up Leah from kindergarten, and we came home to finish some chores, then we dug out a pattern to make some felt cupcakes.
I had everything already that we needed in the craft supplies, Lulu loves cupcakes in any shape or form, so it was really fun including her in the making, even though she couldn't sew, she stuffed the cupcake for me as I made the 'whipped cream'.

It turned out really cute, although, I see the flaws, and next time will make some adjustments to the pattern. We got the pattern at the $1 simplicity pattern sale @ Joann's Fabrics last weekend. I was able to grab 10 great patterns for costumes, dresses, skirts, felt food, and organizers for the kids rooms. I love to sew.

However, as the day progressed, and the other 3 kids arrived home from school, my peaceful day turned sour. The P.D.Q. decided to hit the Boy on his shoulder with the remote control because he had stuck his tongue out at her as he walked by the couch. I swatted her one, sent her to her room, cooincidentally the Boy and Lulu went to thier rooms to play and shortly thereafter I hear a scream from Lulu & the Boy had hit her for some ridiculous reason I cannot recall, Mommy Memory loss. All I do know is, I will not allow them to hit eachother! I 'pank, and I will never stop. If they are risking their safety, or just being plain mean, and nasty, disobeying me, they get a good 'pank. And, he knew it was coming, he took it like a Man, which kinda made me a little more angry, seeing him hide the tears. I mean, I wonder if he felt it?
Then, my slow cooked chili dinner, nice hot fresh from the oven cornbread...was turned away by all 4 kids. I thought it tasted great, a wonderful winters eve meal. But, all they ate was the cornbread. Bleh on them! The Boy did mention that it would've been a great meal for his friend that plays football because it had a lot of protein the beans and meat! That's my Handsome!
The evening ended better with swim lessons for small ones, and a quick trip to ColdStone for a free sample treat as a reward for trying thier hardest. Lulu has dramatically improved in the water with only the promise of icecream ;)

Monsters in my Heater Vent

The Boy has recently become terribly frightened by any noise that he hears in his room @ bedtime. He has a night light, but he still insists the bathroom light be left on too. I refuse to do this.
About 10 minutes after I put him to bed, he is back up running down the hall to my bedroom begging to stay up or sleep with Mom & Dad. I have taken the vent off the heater to show him that nothing is there. I have explained that when the heater kicks on it will create a noise, but he still insists that there is a monster in there trying to get out & get him!
So, the last two nights, we put him to bed around 8:30, and by 10:30pm we have checked on him only to find that he somehow escaped to his sisters room & is already fast asleep. The first night he was even crafty enough to strategically place the pillows just right to make it appear as if he were still in his own bed. Smart little guy!
I just don't know what to do. He has no reason to be scared. It's all in his imagination. I have never had any of the girls continue to be scared past the age of 4 or 5. Lulu goes to bed so easily. This Boy is making me crazy @ bedtime!

Sweet 16 in Seattle?

My Big Girl is turning 16 next June & I am planning a road trip for her & I to Seattle. I have always wanted to go there, and rather than spend hundreds on a ridiculous sweet 16 party, I thought it would be great to get her out of town and to a place she might not see otherwise at the age of 16.
I have some ideas of what we may do, and see, but I am really not sure what all there is to see & do.
I found this great site... Thing to See and Do in Seattle . It has many great places to go with prices and description, as well as a link to the site for the attraction. My main concern is finding a decently priced hotel though. I want to give her a memorable experience. I am planning on it only being her & I, possibly another friend or two, Grandma maybe. Not sure. But, I want to be able to have fun & be spontaneous with my Big Girl! She is growing up so fast!
Almost Sweet Sixteen...I can't believe it!

The New Preteen Drama Queen

Drew is 10. She is an amazing girl. I love her very much. She is a tomboy. She is an incredible soccer player. She is very intelligent. She is a successful student & loved by her teachers, always. Never gets in trouble at school, which is a huge difference from my last Preteen Drama Queen. However, she is 10. She is nearing the teen years rapidly. I now give her the title of Preteen Drama Queen, because she has earned it recently.
Hormones are at thier peak. I am very sure that she will be meeting "Auntie Flow" very soon. I am also very sure that she will be the twin to Kara, from Dan in Real Life when it comes to expressing herself in these preteen/teen years to come. I think I am gonna have my hands full.
She has always been pretty intense. At the age of 2, she threw 'exorcist'-like tantrums over taking a nap. At the age of 4, she balled her head off when we told her she was getting another baby brother/sister. At the age of 5, she would cry a river over my putting pretty ponytails in her hair, missing the bus over pleading for me to take them out. She lacks the ability to calm herself down.
I blame D. I blame D because...when Drew was a baby, D worked all dayshifts. I had to sleep on the couch with her, always holding her, to keep her quiet so he could sleep. I was never able to let her cry it out, for fear of waking D. He is a BEAR. I think this directly relates to her personality/behaviour. She never learned to calm herself, I always ran to pick her up quickly and calm her. I really hate myself for that.
Drew is a great kid, though. She doesn't really get into trouble. She is busy with soccer, friends, and she loves to make things. I just don't usually have to get on to her. Until the past few weeks. She was grounded for a week recently.
All of my kids are very rarely in trouble at this point. It's been very comforting to know that they get it, they are all old enough to know better. It's nice not having a troublesome toddler running around anymore. But, honestly, a preteen drama queen is so much more stressfull for me than a toddler.
I just can't stand the pleading, dramatic fits, and crying over not getting to play with a friend after just spending a couple hours with another friend. The constant need to be with a friend, or doing/going. The constant bickering with her little brother. The yelling at her little sister for coming in her room. The tears roll instant, the fits are like a 2 yo. It just makes me wanna cringe & hide, but I have to stand up firm & unwavering. I have to be strong. Be consistent. Be a mind reader. Be one step ahead.
It really doesn't get easier as they get older. It gets much harder. I would have to say 10 is the worst for a girl. It's an inbetween, an awkward stage. The verge of puberty, middle school. The desire for increased independence from Mom & Dad. The NEED to be with a friend every minute of every day. The demands to do only what they want to do, with no regard for anyone else. It's a very self-centered state that she is in right now, and it's so hard to deal with on a daily basis. I want to lock her up and throw away the key for atleast 2 years.

Why can't she BE like she LOOKS in this picture I found. Calm, collected...


Lord, Help Me. I fear I may harm this girl in her preteen years.

Lost & Found

I have to share this. It's not everyday you recover and long lost or stolen item. Especially in todays world. Especially an electronic item. Especially an Ipod stolen @ school.
My Big Girl had a horrible run with ipods the past 2 years. In 2008 she asked for a yellow ipod for christmas. It was a big deal for her. I gave in and 'Santa' granted her wish. She loved it! But, it kept breaking, and freezing. So, she had it replaced with a new one under the 1 year warrantee, paying $40 shipping. When she got that one, she might have had it for a couple weeks before it was engulfed in hairspray that had leaked out in her purse, frying the new Ipod. 2 Ipods=History...
At this point, I forced her to earn the money herself if she ever wanted another. About that time, the newest 5th generation with video Ipod was released. So, ofcourse, being a teen, she wanted video on her new Ipod! She babysat, and saved the money to buy it. She special ordered it in metallic yellow, with the engraving on the back of:
'Take a look at yourself
and make a change"
...and after having recieved it, she programmed in the lock code 1958...Michael Jackson's birth year. She's an MJ freak. However, these clues were magical!
I was browsing craigslist for used Ipods,(Drew wants one for xmas, but she's not too responsible, so we figured used was a better option for her)when I found a listing for an 8gb gold Ipod nano, simple title. I took a look.

Gosh.Golly.Gee. It sure looked a lot like my Girls Ipod. I ran thru the description match, and decided I would email and ask the boy selling this Ipod, what does the engraving say? He never responded by morning, so with pressure from D & My Dad, I called the police station to see if I could even get them to help me out. It's been months since her Ipod was stolen.
They took my report seriously, took my detailed description of the engraving, lock code, the boy's name, cell #, etc...and went to the school, confiscated the Ipod from him with the Boy admitting only that he FOUND IT ON THE FLOOR IN THE HALL. Stating it MUST have fallen out of my Big Girl's Purse. However, he is still being charged with theft of personal property. That'll teach him. Don't mess with me & mine!

Orange Rocks!

I am entering this picture for the I Heart Faces contest-Orange theme this week, because I just love the look on her face, the power in her kick, and the motion of the orange ball flying away! Her Team was undeafeated this fall season.

2nd opinion

Lulu has had 2 vision screening tests this fall. Once with her vaccination appt. @ the doctors office, and once @ school. Both have shown that she has 20/30 vision on the left, and 20/40 vision on the right. I am not sure what to think abt this, but the Dr. suggested I have her looked at by an Opthamologist with the first test results. I chose to hold off to see what the school vision screening would show.
I have web searched to find any further information, or suggestions. I suppose also looking for something that tells me that these numbers don't matter. But, I keep finding information that leads to having Lulu see the eye doc.
This makes me sad. I don't want my Sweet Little Lulu to have to wear glasses!
She reads all the time, has never had any trouble in school, or with her eyes. She never complains of her eye bugging her, or a headache. She is very successful with her school work, and reading. I am confused.
It's my responsibility to make sure she is cared for properly, medically. But, I am so hesitant to take her to the Opthamologist. I don't want to jump the gun, maybe waiting for 1st grades eye screen would be better? Hmmm...

That's MY Rule & I'm stickin' to it!

Drew is grounded. She received this judgement tuesday evening after a short bout of defiance. That's not the only thing that earned her a week of house arrest. It was also a few other things leading up to that night over 2 weeks time.
Strike 1: I found an apple in the bathroom garbage. A whole, new, shiny, red apple. An apple I had just bought 2 days before @ a rate of 1.79/dozen. I mean, this apple was GIGANTIC. I had place it in her lunch box the prior day. So, when she got home from school I asked her about it. She said it was too big, and she couldn't finish it, so she threw it away. I had to giggle. Why? Well, cuz it was a lie. The apple had no sign of being bitten, no bruises, no punctured skin. I inspected this apple thorougly, you see, to try to understand it's purpose for being in the garbage at all. So, we revisited my rule about NOT throwing away food that you can't finish, it must be brought home and replaced to the fridge, or saved for the next days lunch.
Strike 2: D had given her $10 to take to a post Soccer Pizza Party. She paid for some pizza, games, drink...she was supposed to return the change to D. He asked her for it, she said it was in her jeans, a total of $2, and would get it out the following day. D worked, so after school, I asked her abt the $. She denied having change. I reminded her that she had told her Dad that there was indeed $2 change, so WHERE DID IT GO? She ho-hummed around for a bit, before she finally admitted that she used it to buy drinks at school. But, that doesn't make sense cuz I send cold lunch and always pack a drink. So, after further probing, she finally admitted that she actually paid a charge for drinks she purchased cuz she didn't like the drinks I send. Hmmmm, this was reminding me of the apple. She was throwing away drinks to get a different one at school.
Strike 3,4...5: Incessant, persistent, aggressive behaviour toward her Brother & I. Raging hormones in a pre-teen body, presenting themselves in a demon-like state.

So, the last straw was blatant defiance toward me, in front of her Grandparents.
I grounded her for a week, you see, simply to ensure it included a weekend. A weekend that included a very much awaited Birthday Party Sleepover she had been invited to. An event that she screamed thru dramatic sobs & streaming tears was 'SUPPOSED TO BE THE BESTEST PARTY EVER!' So, you see, I knew THIS was the time to stick to my word. Her tantrum lasted a few hours. It was pitiful. Disgusting. But, necessary to endure. Necessary to follow thru & not give in to the noise & distrubance for MY sanity sake.
Yesterday was the party. I arrived home from grocery shopping to a re-newed dramatization of her NEED to go to this party. I held strong. Maintained the punishment. She sobbed for about an hour, pleading that if I let her go, she would be good forever. Statements like this make me smile & giggle under my breath, so pathetic. I wasn't giving in. NO. See, if I gave in at this point, then next time, it will be even worse & she will not have learned a thing! This is my job. To make her miserable. I simply told her, "I didn't get what I want (respect, obedience, truth)...so, you don't get what YOU want (a fabulous sleepover party, friends, cake...)"
Today, she is much more obedient. It definitely tested me, but it has taught her.

Sugar Snaps

Give me a little SUN, one Little Lulu, and a few balloons...

Rainbows & Balloons

Today is such an amazingly beautiful day! I love it. The sun shining ever so brightly thru all the windows, reminding me that I haven't dusted in awhile...
The reflections of this big, beautiful sunshine randomly placed tiny rainbows on my walls and kitchen flooring. Little Lulu noticed right away and ran around counting them. Ofcourse, my scientific little Man had to ask why they were there, and so we had a quick lesson in prisms/reflection of light before running of to school this morning.
You just never know what a day may bring.;)
These blue skies are filling my mind with happy thoughts, and big ideas. A few of those ideas include: a huge, colorful balloon bouquet, a camera, and a huge field of green. A park. A picnic...the ocean & sand.
I just feel like smiling today. With pink lipstick on.

Decisions

Now the Mother of all school age children, I find that things are busier than ever. I remember thinking, "Once they all get into school, it won't be so crazy, it will calm down." But, rather, the complete opposite.
Life has become so hectic, confusing. I have my own desires to do things now, and am struggling with the decision of either following thru with it, or stacking it on that shelf, like many other things I have in the past, to keep my focus on the children, keep up, on top of, be aware, alert...for them, about them, concerning them.
I love being a Mother. But, I need to explore other parts of Me that I have submerged for the past 15 years. Emotions, needs, desires, interests. Do I try to explore? Or submit.
I wanted to try out for Roller Derby after seeing an amazing Derby Bout just before Halloween. I loved it! I love to Roller Skate. So, I went to the new skater day. I did my best to learn a few tricks, but during a relay at the end, lost my balance, and fell directly on my rear end on concrete flooring. I was so humiliated. A feeling I despise. A feeling I don't feel. Ever. Confidence lost. Fear intruded. I just got out of therapy last spring...wth am I thinking? was all I could tell myself over and over and over in my head. It was a real mind f*ck. Do I continue, cuz I really, really want to, or stop, be 'safe'. Don't take the risk, for the risk is not mine to take? I'm so confused.

Apple Cupcakes

This was the most fun cupcake I have ever made!

The Great Outdoors

Our Annual trip to Central Oregon. What an adventure it is now that the small ones have grown into such BIG little kids. It truly is a necessary thing to camp with your kids no matter how busy you might find yourself to be. It is so important for them to see & appreciate nature, the sheer beauty of the trees and lakes. I absolutely LOVE it!
D had worked the Boy up for this trip, he was so wound up & ready to go once we got there to fish, hunt, kill ANYTHING. He had D going from sun up til sun down with demands of fishing every water way, hunting coyote, and killing a porcupine. He insisted on wearing Camoflauge, so he used his army costume I made for halloween, a camo tee D got @ walmart, a hat he found @ BiMart with a badger target on the front & fake blood splatter on the back. He used his school backpack, which was camo, that I had just gotten at the outlets. He was ready to HUNT WITH DAD. That is, until one night when D brought out the predator call at dark during marshmallow roasting & sounded it, sparking a response from a coyote which spooked the Boy and had him rapidly withdrawing his bravery front. He got so upset, repeating "I'm not ready! Dad..stop! I'm not ready!" He didn't sleep too well that night. But, when it came to fishing...that Boy did nothing but speak, eat & DREAM fishing.
On day 2, D took him out to place a digital tree camera in the woods. He wanted to catch some deer or other critters in the cam. Ended up, after 2 nights of leaving the cam up, they retrieved it only to find of 12 pics taken, 10 are of D's face setting it up or taking it down, with 2 that were blank, maybe a chipmunk in the brush.
Boy tried his hand at making a spear by trying very hard to whittle the end of a long stick he found with his little pocket knife. He worked at it awhile, didn't get far, but was satisfied enough to practice throwing his 'spear' at a target D placed on a tree for him.
Day 4 Boy finally caught a fish at Twin Lakes. D actually hooked it, but let the Boy reel it in. He was so proud. When they arrived back at camp, he came marching over with 2 fish on the string saying..."I wonder what's for dinner tonight!?" He showed everyone, even the dog. My Mom cooked the fish up for him and, ofcourse, we ALL had to taste his fish & comment on how delicious it was. And, soooo delicious, it was! MY BOY caught it!
Day 5, he caught another, and he was so proud. The look on a Boy's face when he has a freshly caught fish in his hand...priceless. Pure pride. Absolutely heartfelt.
When he was fishing off the bank once, a teen boy was getting out of the water & the Boy asked "Catch anthing?" The teen boy said, "Nope, but I had a few bites." Next thing I knew this boy was rigging up my sons line for him with the same thing he had on his, he said "I just want to help him get a few bites." It was so incredible seeing someone do that for my Boy. He was so happy.
D also took the boy out with his hunting blind on day 5 to wait for some coyotes. No luck. No porcupines to bat to death, no badgers. But, he did work with Boy on shooting his BB gun at an empty milk jug. To which I must brag...MY BOY is an amazing aim & straight shot. Yeah, I got me a little outdoors man. Master Caster when it comes to fishing too. I'm not bragging...just telling the absolute truth. Really.
On the last day, I took him to fish off the bank. My Dad had rigged up a spinner on his line. No bait. 'Fish Juice', so he told me Papa put on his hook. As we approached the bank, an elderly Man was bringing his boat in, and had a big Brown & Rainbow trout in his boat. He proceeded to tell Beau that he lost an even bigger one out in the water, far from where we were fishing. Boy was rather upset, but the Man assured him he had the right gear. He liked that, fished awhile before another Man fly fishing from his boat, immediately caught a fish. This had the boy a little more disgruntled. Quite the competitive little guy. He then attempted to 'fly' fish with his little rod, I had to giggle & tell him his couldn't do that with his rod, to which he replied, "Why not?" A short but later a big eagle swooped down near up and grabbed a fish right out of the water, his face pinched up and he lost his cool "EVERYBODY IS GETTIN' A FISH BUT ME!" and nearly started to cry. But, Big Boy's don't cry. It made me giggle some more. What goes through their little minds? I had to put a stop to his casting at one point or he would never stop, he did not like this and said, "I am just gonna tell Dad that you need more sleep!"
When it was time to leave, the day we had to return home, He just could not comprehend WHY we needed to go home. He started to cry. Almost made me cry. He said, " I just want to stay here forever!"
Boy. I get you. I get it. I love that you love nature. I love that you have so much passion for the outdoors. I love that you caught some fish, and shared with everyone. I love that you bonded with Daddy and Grandpa on a whole new level. I LOVE YOU, BOY!

Distracted...

Since finding Facebook, I have lost my blogging desires! :( I hope to get back to this soon! I will work on it!

Wordless Wednesday

Proud Momma!

My Teen Drama Queen had a field trip this week to what as called a Teen Maze. My understanding is that the children are guided through a maze of different questions, real life situations, and given the the opportunity to make the 'right' decisions. Depending on the decisions made, some children returned with STD's, GED's vs. Diploma's, or a baby/pregnancy. My dtr returned with a Lei, meaning she made all the RIGHT decisions. I am so pround of her! I feel a little more trusting, and confident that I have taught her well in many ways, and hope that this is a huge example of what she really truly knows to be the right path.
I want nothing more than for my children to finish high school, and graduate without any distractions that might cause them to delay thier plans or dreams. I am feeling quite proud, and justified right now in the decisions I have made, such as not allowing a cell phone, or unsupervised computer/phone use, being sure to meet the parents of other children she wants to spend time with, and being sure to discourage certain relationships at times.
So, right now, I wanna say, 'Ba Ha Ha!' to those parents that have chastised me at times, saying I need to 'relax', give in a little. I think I'm doing just fine, THANKYOU!

Roadside Pic

I drive past this beautiful field everyday. I always wish I had my camera, and today I did. The kids thought I was crazy, and were convinced that I would get arrested for taking this picture, lol. I believe it is a mustard field, and I cannot even begin to tell you how amazing this looks in person, my camera could not even capture the entire field, but I love the contrast of the sky and clouds in this. You can still see how far this field goes. It's just breathtaking, and I wanted to send my kids out stomping through it to get a pic of them in the midst, however, I did not. I think the farmer might frown upon me doing that.

Untitled

If there is one thing that I am realizing as a Mother, Parent...it is that there is no extended family as I once thought there was. You have to rely on yourself, and do the best you can to make your children the priority so that you don't have to rely on anyone else to be there, just in case.
We are all so busy with our lives, and our own problems that we don't spend much time involved with others, and don't take the time to spend with family members as we perhaps should.
I can barely keep up with my home anymore, and I know that that is the least thing to be concerned about when children are involved, they need your attention. But, I feel like I am living in chaos at times.
I feel like once I think I might be catching up with one thing, something fall through, and I fall right back to the starting point again. It never fails. I can't handle it all, although I definitely try my damnest.
I don't know where I'm going with this, or what I might be getting at, but I am just frustrated, and sometimes, I just don't understand things. And, I guess it's not my place to understand, but to tolerate at times. However, sometimes, I get so frustrated that I have to drive my point as hard as I can to be sure that I am understood whether or not I understand, myself.
I'm sure this is making complete and utter nonsense, but it makes sense to me.
I'm just going to do the best to do what I have to do, and move on. I can't waste my precious time, and PRECIOUS, indeed it is...with trivial things.
But, I hope that sometime soon, it will be seen that some things are PRESENTLY much more important, and it is time to see that, time to move on just a little so that the joy can be seen.
There are people in my past that I miss, memories that NEVER fade, they are there, locked in a special spot for special times. If I didn't compartmentalize my mind, I could not function, and I certainly could not give of myself to be a Mother, Wife, Nurse. I guess we all just have to find a way to do that on our own.
Time, it passes quickly, little ones grow so fast, it would be shame to miss those moments that matter most.

Looooong Weekend, but BEAUTIFUL!

Kids had a 4 day weekend, which at times, I dread...to be honest.
But, the weather was amazing for all but one of those days, and it was enjoyable.
Me and D got some yard work done, worked outside all day thursday, got a large portion of weeding done, D burned the yard debris, and mowed. Kids played around us, and helped me weed.
Lulu ran around in her Lilo costume and froggy boots, it was hilarious, made me think of the book, "LADYBUG GIRL", the little girl is named Lulu, and plays in her ladybug costume and ladybug boots, it's so funny!
Anyway, I took some time out to snap some pics, and check on my flowers, see what lived and what died. The other day I had refilled the hummingbird feeder since it seemed they were coming around it, but it was empty. Lulu was standing right next to the flower bed where the hummingbird feeder hangs, and she suddenly began screaming, and running for her life! My eye glued into the camera, I didnt' see why. And, turns out, as the Boy came around the corner and noticed, it was just a hummingbird feeding, but somehow she didn't realize that's what it was, rather than a bee. Crazy girl!

Saturday was soccer day, Drew's team finally won, but I missed it, since D was off, he wanted to watch, and so he took her. Her game was 9am, and the small ones have had a cough, so I kept them home. And, I worked in the afternoon, wasting away a beautiful day...

But, on Sunday, even though D was working, I packed the van up and jetted over to the beach with the kids! Forecast was 63 and clear, my neighbor was so kind as to comment on my choice of activities stating, "63??? That's nothing! You better pack some pants and sweatshirts along!" Yeah, like I don't know to pack extra, plan ahead after 4 kids! I laughed back, and said, "63 is FINE with me!" And, as it turned out, entering the bayfront, temp was at 70, as I parked near the beach, it dropped to 64, but was clear, not a cloud in sight, warm, slight wind, AMAZING! I was so thrilled, I screamed, so pumped, and ready to run out there! We spent a few hours on the beach, exploring, playing in the sand.

The boy found a dead starfish, which he had wanted to find, and asked me all the way to the beach, "If I find a starfish, can I keep it?" Well, my answer was no, since he planned on taking any live starfish home for a pet, but as they were filling thier sand buckets with water from the outgoing tide, I spied a lone starfish up on the dry sand. I hollered at the Boy, and we looked it over, it was upside down, and dried out, so I figured, that one, he can keep, right? Even so, he kept trying to place in the water, and make it come back to life, but it was stiff, and not moving at all. Pure Luck I guess. Crazy, really, that boy is so in love with all things related to water. I just wonder what he will be when he grows up.

Like usual, we went to a little crafters mall, that has a big treasure chest full of 'pirate' treasures that kids can grab a handful of, and the boy grabbed many pirate coins, a few skull rings, and a gold bead neclace, Lulu grabbed 5 'diamond' rings, and some coins, while Drew grabbed small 'crystal' rocks. The Boy wore that neclace, and skull rings the rest of the day, proclaiming..."I'm gonna be a pirate when I grow up! I'm gonna be the captain." I said, "Oh, you mean your gonna drive the ship?" He said, "NO, the cabin boy drives the ship, and the captain sits in the cabin looking at his treasure!" Ofcourse, he makes his own rules about how things really are.

It was such a nice day, I hated to pack up and leave, but daily life pulls me back to the weekly drone of chores. Ugghh!

Redneck Lawn Chair

Just when I think there's nothing left to surprise me with, the boy decided to make his own lawn chair last weekend. He took a sand bucket, flipped it over, an intertube, and beach ball, then ran inside and grabbed his ear things, not sure what to call them, ( D got them for the monster truck show), and then his El Toro Loco hat to cover his face like Daddy does in the summertime. You gotta laugh at the imagination that boy has!