Wet....

Wow, it is wet outside, lots of rain all day yesturday. Now the basement has flooded... and since I cleaned it there was nothing to stop water from getting to the good side of the basement... Just when I was supposed to be having dinner down there Saturday... Just my luck.

It's only 12 days until Christmas, and I have yet to make a cookie... wierd!

Warm up

Well, the snow is shrinking.... the roads are clearing and at 8:48pm it's still 42 out with a wind chill of 35... Supposed to be in the 30's and 40's all next week with a chance of rain...

On another note, I spent pretty much all day in the basement again. I've almost got it all cleaned out and organized. I'd like to slap some paint on the walls and floor in January. It's the icky side I'm talking about. We;'ve gotten rid of a lot of junk. It looks so much bigger!! Some people do spring cleaning... I do winter cleaning. I've actually had lots of asthma problems.. which started when I got pneumonia, maybe when the basement is done, my lungs will function normally... I keep having dreams that I'm purring, it's just my lungs rattleing... I haven't had asthma issues in years, close to 14 anyway. I hope to get the "good" side of the basement decorated for the Holidays. We have friends coming over next Saturday to celebrate Christmas early. I will be cooking a BIG turkey dinner. Since I didn't get to on Thanksgiving, and I enjoy it, they will reap the benefits of that. We plan to have dinner down by the fireplace. I can't wait!!

Winter Weather Update

This is what it looks like in the neighborhood. The sun is trying to poke out now, at least at times. The roads are terrible. I ran into town and almost got stuck more than once! Not including in the driveway.

The temps were around 17 with wind chills around 2...

More winter weather

WINTER STORM WARNING in effect for :
Allegan, MI





CURRENT CONDITIONS
15° F
Feels Like: 2° F

We have another snow day. Too bad it was a busy day for Santa's Secret Shop. Plus the Christmas program is scheduled for tomorrow. I'm sort of glad there is no school today. I think I will go to the Dr. The glands in my neck are so swollen and sore, I can barely swallow my morning Diet Coke... That's a problem. Advil doesn't even touch the pain involved and I have a Christmas party tomorrow and a shopping trip Saturday... I MUST get well!!!

Winter Wonderland

CURRENT CONDITIONS

16° F
Feels Like: 4° F

Does anyone miss this?? Winter has arrived!! The kids are loving it!! They had a snow day Friday... as did 240 other schools, And I think today is worse than Friday, although, we didn't have freezing rain first, like on Friday. Our current Lake Effect snow warning is in effect until 5am... Bring it on! Friday is supposed to be our next day without any snow. Although, it's supposed to slow down. As long as Saturday is nice.. I'm going shopping with a friend of mine all day, a little snow won't stop us though.

I have my Cranes Christmas party tonight. I have to take a dish to pass, so I think I will take Taco dip, since I have all the ingredients for that... Better go make it while I still have a few minutes left on my lunch hour.

Thanksgiving

Well, our Thanksgiving was pretty uneventful. We went to my Sister-In-Law, Sue's house, ate with Mimi & Papa, Sue, Criag & Thomas. It wasn't like my Mom used to make, which according to my sister, is just like I make. But it was o.k. We didn't stay long. It was such a beautiful day, Doug wanted to get home and clean out the gutters. I did talk to Laura on the phone. She has a couple of girls she used to work with visiting, so she was having a good time.

Yesterday was a beautiful day!! It got around 60. Great for all the shoppers! I did get to Kohls. I had Ryan with me. Bradley was hunting with Papa and Doug was at work. The line for the checkout by the Mens dept. went all the way back into the boys/home sections way in the back, they other check out wrapped around past customer service. So basically what this meant is, I stood in line for close to an hour to save $100. Was it worth it?? You bet it was! Ryan stood right there with me holding stuff. He was SO good!!! He never complained, he didn't ask for everything in sight, he didn't whine.... what a trooper!! We had also been to Walmart, but they were out of what I wanted, and there he held my hand and was awesome!! Luckily we didn't have to stand in line there. Then we came home and Bradley was already home. He got cold hunting. I then laid on the couch since a nasty cold was coming on. ( I avoided it as long as possible, all the boys in my house have had it, then Nancy at work had it last week) Doug called later to say he was getting off work at 4pm, so I could go to Target and get what I need to. They of course were out of most of what I wanted, but I did get one thing on the list and saved $40. I couldn't believe how warm it was yesterday. The kids played outside pretty much most of the day. It's supposed to be a lot like that today too. Close to 60 and sunny. I have to work on my grocery list today, do laundry and dig out Christmas decorations. I do have my lights up outside and my tree up, upstairs. It's been tough for me to get into the "Christmas Spirit" the last few years, so I sort of have to force myself to do all this. The kids love it!!

Halloween

Here are my Bat and my Pirate.. Ryan said he was a "candy bat" as opposed to a fruit bat I guess! ;-)

Zoo

I realized, I never posted about our trip to the zoo... or did I ? I never posted pictures anyway. We went to the zoo in September. It was a beautiful day. It was the Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek. Doug's sister was doing a craft show in Turkeyville, not too far past Battle Creek, so we decided we would go to the zoo and then the craft show. These pictures were from the Giraffe exhibit. You could buy 6 biscuits for $1 so the kids each got 3, as you can see, they come right up to you. The kids LOVED it!!! I highly reccomend this place. it is a large spread out zoo, with a lot of walking involved, but well worth it. The tongues on the giraffe's were slimy!! We had a great day.... we also fogged the house for fleas the same day ( thanks to our flea infested kittens. )

Have to work at Cranes today. But I have to bake or make should I say, some no bake cookies for the PTO bake sale tonight during P/T conferences. We also have Ryan's conference at 5:30 pm and then Brad's is at 6:45. busy day.

I guess I'd better get to my work!

Bradley

Wow, can you believe it... Bradley turned 11 years old on Sunday. I feel like a bad mom.. we didn't get him anything... except, I did take him shopping and got him a new hat, gloves and jammies... but it's not the same as a present. He is also going to have a party... I sort of thought that would be enough... He wants to go to the Lost City for laser tag, it's not cheap, so isn't that enough? I still have to set a date for it though. October's been very busy so it'll have to be in November. Ryan is getting a party this year too. His will be here at home, 2 hours MAX!! yikes.... I'm exhausted just thinking about it. Actually... I think I'm just plain tired. I do love the look of fall though, The colors have been beautiful. Except for the snow that covered them and the ground this morning.

This will be my last week at Cranes. I will sort of miss it, but then again, I'm glad I'll have my Thursday and Fridays' back. The first Thurs & Friday I have off, I'll be working at the office for Nancy , who is going on a cruise. Just on Thursday though. The office will be closed on Friday the 3rd ( Ryan's birthday) Dr.s wife is having surgery that day. She has breast cancer, so keep her in your prayers!!! It's been pretty tough the last couple weeks. We are a very close office, so she's got a great support group, especially with friends and neighbors and all of us.

New additions

Well, we are always trying to update/replace things in the house.This month it was under cabinet lighting.. we still have the other side of the kitchen to do. and the new light/fan in the dining room.. .It was really hard gettting rid of the only chandeler I've ever known in the dining room. Laura gave it her 2 thumbs up, and she's my toughest critic when it comes to doing things to the house. There is always so much to do, and so little time and money. I am still having a really hard time balancing my 2 jobs plus PTO plus home. I am working hard at keeping Bradley on track with his school work. He just sometimes doesn't get it. I spent a week's worth of homelinks with him on math. Then spent a night studying everything we (yes we) had learned that week for the test the next day. When I help him study for a test, he gets 5 extra credit points. Lucky for him, I helped him study.. that didn't help him pass the test, the extra credit points saved him from failing it... I.... I mean we... Okay, he should of done WAY better on it!!! I did go over every question he got wrong and we learned how to get them right.... I hope it stuck this time. Report cards come home this week....

Beautiful Area

I have to admit, I really do take this area for granted!! There is nothing better than picking apples with your kids 3 minutes from your home. I also love working at Cranes. I dish up soups and chili, make sandwhiches ( non grilled) and sloppy joes and salads. I am glad it's not my "real" job, but for the fall, it's really fun. It's also going to be my Christmas money this year. It is definatley something I would do again next fall. I'm exhausted, but it's a good exhausted. I'm REALLY glad I don't work weekends!

Cats update

Smokey is back to being an indoor/outdoor cat, okay, mostly out, but she's very happy to not be caged anymore.... I sure do worry about her!!!
Shadow got fixed on Friday.. he did very well. He had to be caged for the night, so he wouldn't hurt himself and so Tiger would leave him alone. He's back to himself, he never complained except when he was in the cage the following morning, and he was seperated from his sister. Speaking of his sister, Tiger cried all the way home from the vet, I think she thought Shadow was still there, she was not happy until she could see him again... how sweet.

Okay, I'm off to bed, these PTO/Dentist office/Cranes jobs are kicking my butt!!! I'm beat!! Goodnight!

Happy Birthday

I just want to wish Mr. Lutz a happy birthday ( as I write this it's a day early, but tomorrow I may not get to my computer!) So Happy Birthday!!!!

PTO

We held our Officer Elections at our PTO meeting this evening. I will remain as the PTO president for another year. I am trying something new. Organization! Let's hope it works. Between my Dentist office job, and my kitchen job at Cranes it's hard to find the time to get in to the school. Come November, I'll be down to my regular Dentist office job.

Fleas

How do you get rid of fleas?? I've never in my life had to deal with a flea infestation... These poor kittens, came with fleas... We have sprayed furniture, rugs ect. and bathed kitties, I put frontline on them the day they were 8 weeks old.... just over 2 weeks later, we had fleas again, the vet said we had an infestation... so we again put frontline on all cats ( $50 worth twice in 2 weeks) and then we fogged the house.... I have since seen 2 fleas... Do I need to call an exterminator?? UGH!! Anybody who knows me well, knows I can't stand bugs... dirt.. germs... ICK!!!

Vacation

Well, things are finally starting to slow down enough for me to be able to write about vacation. We had a GREAT time, this was our first real family vacation. We left on Saturday and went to Mt. Pleasant, we stayed there for 2 days/nights with Doug's sister, Debbie.. free lodging, free food, free babysitting.... The Inn also has a pool, so the kids were happy. We then took off Monday morning and headed North to WhitefishPoint... where we went to the Shipwreck museum, the kids LOVED it, we also toured the lighthouse, which is still a working lighthouse.. and then we walked out to the beach where the kids walked around in Lake Superior... yes, it was cold. After that, we then when back into Paradise to find our Lower Falls state park campground.. where we made camp , The grounds where nice, when it finally got quiet, you could hear the lower falls all night... Doug got up once to use the bathroom, he thought it would be a piece of cake getting there and back , since they were lit up... what he didnt' think about was the campsites weren't,... the only reason he found our campsite was from the anti theft red blinking light in the Jeep... He woke me up after I had just Finally gotten to sleep,.. I was sooooooo cold!!! I shivered pretty much the rest of the night. We got up early, showered and made a fire to get warm, and then started breakfast... the kids slept for awhile... We then started to pack up , while we were packing, I was begging to stay in a hotel, Doug said if he got me in a hotel, he'd never be able to get me out... ( Have I mentioned, I don't like dirt?) After we left the campground, we went to the Upper Taquamenon Falls... It was beautiful, the kids loved it. After we left there. we headed toward Sault Ste. Marie ( Michigan) where we went on the Soo Locks boat tour.. it was great! The kids LOVED it!! Ryan was a little concerned when he found out we had left not only Michigan, but also the USA... We went through the American lock the first time, and on the way back , we went through the Canadian pleasure lock... it's too small for freighters.. Bradley saw "Candadian " Geese... in Canada ... he thought that was cool.. After the boat tour we headed South , towards Mackinaw City... It was very windy that day, but sunny and beautiful. On the way, Doug decided, we should find a hotel room for the nght, since it was so windy... ( He was worn out..) So I remembered Mary Pat form work had just stayed at the Comfort Suites with her girl scouts and there was an indoor water park there.. So I went to see if they had a room available.. All they had was a King Suite but would bring in a rollaway bed and reduce the price.. The price was awsome, so I was thrilled... #1 the price , #2 I was staying in a hotel. Then as I was getting the room reserved, they had a suite open up with 2 king beds and 2 queen beds also with a seperate sitting area with a sleeper sofa and a coffee maker, fridge & micro... they also had a hot breakfast every morning... So after I got the room, I went back to the car and told Doug about the great deal I got... so Doug said, did you get it for 2 nights?? Of course I didn't , I thought I was going to have to sleep in a tent again... so I quickly went in and got the room for a second night.... I was THIRLLED to say the least. That was a great place for the kids to unwind after lots of riding.. so we went that evening after supper. Then we got up the next morning and caught the ferry to Mackinac Island with our bikes and spent a good 4-5 hours there riding all over, checking out the butterfly house ect. it was sooooo much fun, I took lots of really good pictures... Then back to the hotel, we orderd pizza in and then back to the water park for hours of fun.. These boys are water boys. The next morning, we checked out and headed towards home , after stopping at a park and getting a few more pictures of the Bridge.. we went home via US 31.. the scenic view... when we got to Traverse City, we stopped at a mini golf place so the kids could play golf, and they could get out of the car and stretch thier legs and run off some energy, worked like a charm, they were geeked!!! Then towards home. We never hit any rain the whole week we were gone, until we got into Muskegon, where it got darker and darker as we approched.. Ryan fell asleep, so he missed the heavy downpours and the thunder & lightening, it rained the rest of the way home. The kitties were so happy to see us!! They even had the nerve to grow while we were gone! The rest of the vacation consisted of sleeping in our own beds.. and getting a couple new storm doors for the house. It was nice and we had a great time!

Smokey update

Smokey is still really unhappy... She doesn't like needing to use a litter box, she doesn't like the kittens having the run of the house, when she can't and she doens't like being in a cage all the time.... She also doesn't like being in pain. Apparently she may have fallen off something, that's how the Vet thinks she broke her back. The kittens love to hang out near her, Hopefully someday she'll quit growling and hissing when they are near... She does at least lay down now while growling.

First day of school

It's hard to belive it's the first day of school. The kids both got up really well, I'm sure this won't last long!! ;-) They were very excited to be going to the new school, How exciting, all the hard work to get the bond passed is starting to pay off!! My baby's are growing up... :-( How does this happen so quickly??

Smokey....

Smokey isn't having a very good month!!! She wasn't around very much all day yesturday, but then last night she wandered home, Bradley said she was walking very cautiously, we called her to our bedroom window (her door) and she didn't jump up, so Bradley went outside to get her... When he brought her into our room, she kept walking wierd, I thought she was just worried she was going to see a kitten... Then at bedtime, she was still walking wierd, and not laying normally... then she slept on our bed all night long, right up against me, and when she'd move, she'd cry... so I had to give in and call the Vet on a Sunday morning, I told her how she was acting and so Dr. Nykamp in Hamilton, said to meet her at the clinic in 1/2 an hour.... I was there.... After a complete exam, and having her temp taking, and checking for dehydration... she was on her way for x-rays... Smokey, broke her back... down near her tail... just one spot, and not too bad.... There are a couple of ways to fix it... #1 Surgery, this runs $700-$900 .. #2 Pain medication and keeping her down for a month... cost... just the pain meds... Dr. Nykamp suggested #2 she said Cat's heal fairly quickly and it is the most cost effective... Smokey is now living in a large dog cage, with her litter box and her food and water dishes and a comfy place to lay... She is so uncomfortable... I gave her the pain meds around 6:30 this evening after her shot wore off and right now, she is resting well. This is going to be tough for an in and outdoor cat... who doesn't generally use a litter box... or stay inside, let alone in a cage... She will also have no choice except to get used to the kittens... Dr. Nykamp said she's probably going to feel like she's being punished because of the kittens... Poor Smokey!!! I really do hope she and the kittens learn to get along during this ordeal... She'll be stuck in here until October 3rd at least.... Nothing like having a big huge dog cage in our bedroom... Let's hope for a speedy recovery!!! and no surgery ( because Doug would NEVER let me spend that on a cat , besides, that's our down payment for Bradley's braces....)

It's a boy!!!

I took the kitties to the vet yesturday.... Shadow, is a boy, He will be getting fixed on the 29th of September...
The kittens are already getting so big, I will have to get some more pictures of them before they are too big.

Smokey

This is just a short post to let you know, that we were leaving for vacation last Saturday, and guess who showed up for the first time since Wednesday.... SMOKEY!!!! I was soooooooooooo happy to see her!!! I felt bad though, cuz we left soon after... and she's still around, she actually came in for awhile last night and slept with us and was purring and rubbing up against us!!! It feeels great!! Thank you God for answering our prayers!!! The kitties have also not let us out of thier sight since we got home last night. More on our trip and pictures when I catch up on laundry and unpacking!! We had a GREAT time!!!

Broken Heart

My heart is broken. We haven't seen Smokey since Wednesday afternoon... I feel so sad... It's my fault she left, she hated these kittens... She was the BEST cat I've ever had, great hunter, really good kitty, never got on the counters, didnt' need a litter box... she loved us and we loved her... I keep hoping she'll just walk up , we call her and nothing.... I filled her food dish in the garage lasts night... not a piece was gone.... What a horrible way to start vacation. Bradley was feeling the hurt yesturday, and I'm sure it'll be worse today, she LOVED him and vise versa... This stinks... Smokey come home!! We love you!!

It's another girl!!!!

As you guessed by the title... we adopted 2 kitties instead of just the one! We got Tiger on Friday and by Saturday morning, Doug had decided we could get Tigers sister... her name is Shadow... they are so much fun to watch together... Smokey is STILL upset!!! I've heard it will take close to a month for her to come around. I feel really guilty for doing this to Smokey.

Picture #1 Tiger
Picture #2 Shadow
Picture #3 Smokey... NOT HAPPY!!

Shadow is too funny.. she gets ahold of her little toy mouse and hangs on to it and growls... she's got her hunting instincts kicking in... and then when you pick her up and cuddle she purrs.. she's a sweety too, she curled up on me last night and went to sleep, Tiger was stretched out next to me. She's not as cuddly .... yet.

Kids started VBS last night, they had a great time!! 3 more nights, this is Ryan's first year to go, I hope he was good...

It's a girl

Ryan named her Tiger, she is 5 weeks old today....

Site Meter

I successfully added a site meter today! Thanks for the advice!!

Not posting enough

Obviously I haven't been posting enough , sort of like a friend of mine ;-) I will try to solve that problem! I think now that I have a new computer and camera, it will make it easier.. Or at least less time consuming since the new puter is MUCH faster.. And the camera, I can actually get some pictures posted more often. I know that makes me not seem so far away from far away friends when I see pictures all the time!

Doug & I got a nasty tummy bug over the weekend. Doug started with it Sunday about 2:30 AM... Good thing I was really nice to him and got him whatever he needed and kept the kids either out of the house or quit so he could sleep once he was able to, because by 11:15pm that same night, I had it... This was something I haven't had in years!!! I wouldn't even wish this on my Mother In Law.. And some of you know how I feel about her ( And with her babysitting everyday that I work, that relationship has NOT gotten any better!!) Doug missed Monday from work, which was good, he took care of the kids.. And then I was also home Tuesday, I was so drained, So I worked a whole day this week.. Kids loved it. Especially since we were in a heat wave, they were able to spend more time in the pool. I am feeling MUCH better now and hope the kids don't get it!!

The heat wave has broken with a bang, we are getting lots of storms, nothing to major right here , but south of us was getting hammered last night. We are again under a T-storm watch today. I am glad the 100+ heat index is gone since Doug doesn't have air at work! I just saw the radar a nasty line is coming right up towards us.. I love stormy rainy days in the Summer, it's a day I can get all the laundry done and the house spotless without feeling guilty about not being outside with the kids.

Our new addition will be here tomorrow at 4pm... I think the kids want to name her Sassy.. It's a character name from the Homeward Bound movies. The kitty is 5 weeks old tomorrow, but is eating food and the Mommy is done with the kittens. I am REALLY hoping Smokey handles this well, she's very territorial, but she's gotten new dishes and a new bed and tons of attention... So hopefully she'll be fine and she wont' try to eat the kitty.. We keep telling her she's getting a little sister.. Think she understands?? We don't see her in the house much in the Summer. The kitties "foster" Mom has to bring them over when her youngest son isn't home, because he has some "issues" and he doesn't want them to go anywhere, he wants to keep them all, so this is the easiest way. Lets all hope for a smooth transition.

We are planning our vacation. We are going the 3rd week in August. My boss will be off that week, so Doug took vacation that week too. We will leave on Saturday and stay in Mt. Pleasant for a couple days with Doug's sister, free food and free lodging and free babysitting. Then we will head North. We have to go to the Shipwreck museum in Whitefish Point, Bradley is really into shipwrecks of the Great Lakes, so he's pretty excited, we will also see Taquamenon Falls while up there, and whatever else we can find to see, especially if it's free... And then we are going to the Soo... For the Soo Lock Boat tours. We've been to the Locks many times over the past 15 years but never on the boat tour, the kids will really like it, and then probably stay up there somewhere off the beaten path that's cheap with no fancy amenities... We're on a tight budget!! Then we will go back South and Take a Ferry out to Mackinac Island, We are taking our own bikes and a couple small coolers full of beverages... You know, like bottled water that we wouldn't have to pay $5 each for! ( Seems like the ones I get from sans club come out to about .15 each, big savings) And then we can explore the Island on our own time without having to get bikes back at a certain time, hard to rush with kids and what's the point, They'll get to see more than just the main parts like we did when we were there 2 years ago. Then Ryan had his cast and couldn't ride a bike So we hit a couple gift shops and called it good... This is the year to explore, he's 6 instead of 4 and Brad is 10 instead of 8, Great ages for stuff like this! Brad has learned so much about Michigan this past school year, that he'll really get into it this time. Those are the main things we plan on doing, We'll also have to get dippen dots in Mackinaw City.. And I also have another gift shop I have to hit there to find a candle I got there last year, I hope they still have them!! Or something similar. Bradley also has been working this summer, so he's got his own spending money this year! Not sure how long we'll stay up there, but even if we find a beach ( gee think we can find one of those in Michigan??) and spend a day, the kids will love it! It's all about summer vacation memories!! I'll also take lots of pictures.. My memory card will hold just over 900... I think that should be enough... I hope :-)

I guess on that note, I'd better run and get my house all nice and clean, I've got my second load of laundry in the washer... And a tub/shower calling out to be cleaned!! I'll try to be better and post more!!

Ever wonder

Have you ever wondered if anyone reads your blog... Do I just not post enough to get comments??

Work ect....

What a week!! Nancy at work is on vacation this week, she is enjoying the Indian River area, which is beautiful, lots of lakes and Inland waterways.. So, I am covering for her all week. Yesterday was CRAZY!!! Mondays are usually pretty crazy, but we were all off last week, which made it a little more crazy, But guess what , I survived!! I really can do that job!! It is pretty tough with one person and yesterday there was only 1 hygienist, today there will be 2.… I will be leaving 45 minutes early today, but will be starting 1-½ hrs early. I am going up to Bradley’s camp to see their skits they do for the parents. I will also get to see his camp, I’ll be sure to take the camera!! I’m really hoping it doesn’t’ rain today, although, we need it. Looks like the camp got storms Sunday evening.. Bradley got there Sunday afternoon, he comes home Wednesday afternoon
Sunday evening Doug, Ryan and I went to Saugatuck. We fed the ducks near the Gazebo, Geese showed up too, they are pesky and rude creatures… After that we walked the docks and checked out the boats then we went to Kiwanis and Ryan got some Blue Moon Ice cream, Then we went to the park where Ryan played for awhile, then we were off to Oval Beach, where it was beautiful, although windy. Ryan loves to play in the sand. It was a fun night.
The kittens are all up and moving around, they are starting to bat at each other , won’t be too long before they are eating and we can go get one. There are 3 boys and 2 girls. We want a girl. Smokey needs a sister, even though, she probably won’t think so, lets hope that transition goes well!!

He's flying

Well, I got a new toy.. I finally got a digital camera , Okay, I confess, I also got a new computer! Yahoo!!!! So I have to post this picture of Ryan swimming yesturday. He is all over the pool this year with no floaties at all. It's amazing to see a 6 year old swimming like he does!! He spends more time swimming underwater than above.
I'm sure with this camera, you'll be seeing a lot more pictures. Especially when we get a new addition to the family, in about a month..... Smokey is getting a new sibling. Doug finally said we could get another kitty!!

What was I thinking??

Oh my what was I thinking?? I must of had a weak moment. Bradley asked to have a friend stay the night the other day... Vincent... of course, I said Yes.. we love Vince, great kid... Then he also wanted Matthew to stay the night... sure why not, great kid too! Then he asks if Ryan can stay too ( not brother Ryan) sure... that would be fine, all great kids.. I forget, they are boys, 2 boys are loud, 3 very loud, 4 can get a pretty good headache.... well, Then Ryan ( my Ryan which we'll call "little Ryan" ) asks if his friend Zachary can come over... I said.... hmmm.... Dad said, Sure! Zachary is the little brother of Ryan. So Little Ryan and Zachary come up with a plan, Zachary is going to stay the night too... Dad said, Sure!! You have to understand what these "little" boys are like... a good word... a polite word..... Active, that's the word! Active, they both go 100 mph all day long from the minute thier eyes open, till the finally crash at the end of the day.... This should be an intresting night. I am having the bigger guys sleeping in the basement, we'll start a fire in the fireplace to get it all toasty warm and then we'll put in a movie and they can all fall asleep.... I will do the same for the little ones, but minus the fireplace, since they'll be in Ryan's room. I have everything I could need for breakfast in the morning, Krispie Kremes... french toast, eggs.. pancakes, sausage, bacon... alll that really unhealthy great way to start your day food. But, I sort of forgot the Little Caesars Pizza's for supper... what was I thinking.... So now we need to figure out what to make, how much pizza can 6 boys eat??? Scary thought!!!!!!!!!!! Guess I'd better get on that!
Wish me luck!!! I hope Doug gets home soon and doesn't get a fire call tonight!!!!

Mothers Day

Another Mothers Day has come and gone. Doug and the boys left Saturday to go shopping for Mothers Day, and I was leaving to go shopping for groceries and Doug needed some new shoes. So just as I was leaving, the boys called, from the fire station, Doug got a fire call just as they had turned up 58th Street, so I went to pick up the boys. Needless to say, they didn't shop and I didn't get groceries. I did get to Kohls and got Doug a new pair of shoes. We ran out of time in the day, Doug and I had plans to go out with some friends and our sitter was going to be over at 3:45. We went to the Olive Garden for dinner, good thing we got there early there was a large prom crowd. After dinner we wandered the mall, got Bradley and Matthew some baseball socks to match thier uniforms, thier first game is Thursday. After that we rode around for awhile, and ended up at the Krispie Kreme store... too bad I was feeling a little icky, car sickness from being in the back seat kicked in, how embarrassing!! I did move to the front, drank some water and then felt better. I told Doug yesturday that if I had felt better, we would of gotton 2 doz doughnuts!! We got home before 11pm. The kids were sound asleep. Lucas did a good job as usual. Then there was yesturday we missed the Pancake Breakfast at the gun club.. I was up and ready , but Doug decided it would take too long to get everyone ready and out the door in a reasonable amount of time , so it was NOT my fault we didn't make it, I was ready! ;-) We had doughnuts for breakfast. Then Doug and the boys decided to try the shopping thing again.. They left and then I left too, to get groceries and pick up my layaway at Meijers. When I got a case of Chlorine and my layaway at Meijers, I pretty much ran out of room in my cart, so I got a few other things that I know are a lot cheaper at Meijers than Family Fare and left, As I was on my way to Meijers, Doug called and asked if I wanted to meet them at Pizza Hut for lunch ... So I went the other direction and got there first. I ordered drinks, breadsticks and pizza before they even got there, that was a smart thing to do, less time waiting! After lunch I made it to Family Fare and bought groceries. When I got home the kids and Dad took me out to the car to get my present out of the truck. I got a stainless steel firebowl. I'd been wanting some sort of fire thingie for the patio!! I was VERY excited, they all did good. I guess they looked at fountains too, but they were twice as much!! I was thrilled with the fire bowl!! I then did laundry all day and cleaned the kids rooms. The meaning of Mothers Day has changed for me over the last few years, it went from My doing things nice for my Mom, to me being the Mom.. wierd huh?? Doug bought his mom some lilies.... All in all, it was a GREAT Mothers Day .. Thank you boys!!
Today Bradley is home from school sick. His allergies have been really bad the last few weeks, and now he's running a fever and coughing like crazy, his chest hurts when he coughs too... He's got baseball practice tonight and when I said if he stays home he'll miss practice, he didn't care... That's how I knew he really doesn't feel good. Poor kid. At least he doesn't have the tummy bug that Ryan had 2 weeks ago that last 5 days!!!! That was nasty. I guess I'd better get back to more laundy, I will utilize this day I must be at home.

Back to Work

Well, I guess the boss came back from St. John... Time to get back to reality. As I was ironing yesturday, I said to Doug , I was going to quit my job... He said, "okay" easy for him to say.. No more extras and a VERY small food budgets.. does that sound like fun... NO!!! But it was a nice thought. I do miss being home for my kids all the time. But I really like my job. I like working with the people I work with.. I love seeing all the patients all the time. I actually feel happier when I'm at work than when I'm not working. But then I feel guilty when I'm working and things aren't going well at home.. ie; homework, grades ect. How do people do it that work full time?? I've got baseball season just starting and all but 1 of Bradley's games are on Tuesday at 6pm... I work until 6pm on Tuesdays which generally means, 6:30/7:00 when I finally get out of the office... if the game is away, I will miss Brad's game.. I don't like this, so I'm going to be checking into that today, we'll see what happens. Doug took the "new" to us car to work today. It is getting a new windshield. It still needs some tweaking, but it's on the road, so we can give Gladys back to Ed & Laura, since Steph is taking her driving test this week. I now have the Jeep, that makes me VERY happy!!
On that note, I'd better get to work, I need to run to the store to get a money order for my ebay win.. call me wierd, but I don't like personal account info on payment methods, so a MO is the way to go for me! ;-)
Happy May-Day

Read a thon

Picture of Ryan at the schools Read a Thon the end of March, it was Pajama day too.

Earth Day planting

Can never have too many trees in one yard right?

Alone

Wow, I actually feel alone for the first time ever. I mean really alone. My sister left this morning. She is moving to Arizona. Not like we spent every moment of our lives together or anything, but if she was sick and needed to go to the Hospital, I took her, then I would get her some groceries and get her medicine for her... who's going to do that now? I feel like I no longer have that close family unit... I have Aunt's and Uncles and cousins around, but nothing like a Parent or a sibling... I have inlaws, but they are NOT my parents or close family. I really didn't think it would bother me this much, she drove me nuts most of the time, but she was still my sister. Everyone I work with thought I should talk her out of moving. Her job of the last 16 years was elimanated, there is a guy in Arizona... ( long odd story, he's new divorced and has a girlfriend) So she decided, since she hates winter, and drier air is better for her asthma and allergy issues, and this guy lives there... she would sell her house and move... Welll, her house sold within a month and now she's on her way. I was NOT going to discourage her... When ever we came up with an idea, of what we wanted to do with our lives... Our mom would discourage us.... don't get my wrong, I loved my Mom ( yes she drove me nuts and we didn't always have a good relationship, but she was still my Mom and had some good qualities) We were shot down so many times or had our hopes squashed. So there was NO way I was about to do that to my sister. She's a grown up, she can make her own decisions. Who knows, there could be some awsome opportunities out there for her. Plus, we'll have a warm place to go visit. But it's so odd, she won't be here anymore.... This is really bothering me...... Doug and I have to go up to her "former" house tonight and bring home everything she didn't take with her. Then I'll be having a big garage sale, she called it her donation to the Bale family Florida fund, for next Spring. She's also going to send me $$ for my troubles of having to do that for her... I told her she didn't have to do that.. that's what sisters do for eachother.
I guess, I should stop whining, and get on with my day, jump in the shower keep doing laundry and get some junk together for the dumpster at my sisters house and then go up there and start working.

Spring Break

The kids and I are on Spring Break... it's a lot of "together" time for us! ha ha The kids are at eachother constantly!! Oh well, we do have things to keep us busy and break up the day. We go to JoAnn's to check on Sneakers kitty and let her out after petting her for a bit, then we go to Nancy's to let her dogs out and sit over there for a bit to give them attention.... We also have to go to the Post Office to get JoAnn's mail and then at 3pm we take off for South Haven to pick up Ben... Nancy's oldest son from work... he is without his license until June.
We have had our first injury of the week, Ryan and Elijah from across the street decided to play a game which involved thowing rocks at eachother.... Apparently Ryan made up the game, but Elijah started it, did Ryan not know Elijah can throw really well?? Anyway, Ryan came home crying and bleeding.... You also have to realize, when Ryan sees blood ( his own anyway) he FREAKS!!! so he was hysterical for awhile. I got a popsicle and sat on the couch with him for awhile, "Poppy" Elijah's grandpa came over to see if Ryan was okay... Ryans lip looks terrible today, One of my boys seems to have an injury at all times..... Bradley just got the splint off his finger after spraining it really bad... 2 weeks ago we were off to the hospital for an x-ray of his hand.... lucky for him it wasn't broken... since Baseball is right around the corner!!
I guess on that note, I'd better run for now, I have hungry kids that just got up a little bit ago... The sun is out, the sky is blue... beautiful weather if your flying today... but it's 38 so far, and only going to get another 10 degrees warmer today... warmer is on the way next week!!! Hopefully to stay!!

Spring is NOT in the air!

Wow, it's spring, and it seems to be snowing.... just a little, will it ever end??? The forcast for the end of next week doesn't look to bad, lower to mid 50's. I told Doug it looks like Hot tub weather. Everyone I work with is leaving next week for Florida for Spring Break, so I will be taking care of 2 cats, 2 dogs and 2 hot tubs, and giving a 20 year old with no license at the moment a ride home from work everyday.... Who will then take over caring for 2 dogs and 1 cat.... since he lives with them! The neighbors hot tub is up and running too, so we may need to check on that from time to time too! ;-) We are going to take the kids to see Ice Age 2 also during that week...
After Spring Break we will work for close to 2 weeks, then we will be off again for another week and a half. I'll be broke the month of April.
I had to take Bradley to the hospital today to get an xray of his pinky finger on his right hand, we thought it might be broken... lucky for him, it's just a bad sprain, although they hurt really bad, but now it wont' affect Baseball. He has to keep it splinted for about a week and take motrin for the pain and swelling, hopefully it will feel better soon!!!
Tonight we have to go to the school for the weigh in for the Pinewood Derby tomorrow.. the boys are so excited. Ryan even has a car for the open class!!!

Guess I'd better finish supper!!

Still around

I really am still around. Things have been very busy this past month. Between work, homework, school functions.... You get the picture.
Brad was home from school yesturday, I seriously think he had a case of "The NASCAR race was rained out andis now on Monday at 11am, so my throat hurts and so does my ear" He really did have a low fever on Sunday and looked really nasty, so maybe just lounging around for a day did him some good.
I was off work today and yesturday, Boss went to Florida to see his mother, he actually never got to see her. In her care facility, there was some sort of virus or something, so they wouldn't let anyone in the place... he is NOT a happy camper... work should be fun tomorrow... at least he was in warmth!! In another week I'll be off for another week, then I'll work 2 then I'm off another week... that's not good, what is good, the freezer is full... both of them!! I think we'll be okay.
Guess I'd better run, I have a few more things I need to get done before I go to bed! Just wanted to say Hi!!

Mid Winter Break

The kids are off school today. It's their mid winter break. They ended up getting a 4 day weekend out of it since they had a snow day on Friday, Ryan actually got a 5 day weekend since he was home Thursday with Pink Eye. I got Ryan's teacher 3 large cans of Lysol, Strep, an intestinel thing and pink eye is hanging out in thier classroom... So far we've had it all but the strep ( we did have it at Christmas time, does that count?) Ryan's pink eye decided to move into his other eye on Saturday, it looked worse than the first one. Needless to say, now the first eye is looking nasty again....
Bradley had his Blue & Gold ceremony Saturday night. He is now considered a Webelos 2, Brad is geeked about that. Next year at the ceremony he will become a Boy Scout. He loves being in Scouts, he is learning and doing so many cool things!! He is with a large group of kids and his leader Dave is awsome with the boys. Dave's son Matthew is one of Brad's best friends, in fact Brad stayed the night over there last night. We love to get together with Dave & Denise to play cards. They also have a daughter Sarah who is a little older than Ryan. Ryan and Sarah were in Speech therapy together a few years ago. It's nice to have all kids get along so well when we get together!
Sunday was the Daytona 500 guess what Doug did.... sat downstairs in front of the fireplace all afternoon..... I am starting a honey do list for him.... there are SO many things that need to be done around here, it's driving me crazy!!!
It is a beautiful sunny day it's in the mid 20's.

Winter is back!!

Wow, winter is back, it is a chilly 18 degrees and it's snowing, a pretty snowfall. We got a couple of inches over night. Doug got called to an accident this morning around 5am, so I knew it must be slippery. There were no school delays though, bummer... I would of liked another hour or 2 of sleep! ha ha.
More on hopeing to not forget Bradley at Webelos. Last week, Doug took Bradley to his den meeting, Then he never came back home, I just assumed he was there or just hanging out at the Fire Dept until it was time to get him.... around 8pm I was thinking, why arent' they home yet??? Then at 8:15 Denise ( Den leaders wife) called and asked if she should bring Bradley home.... I said, He's still there??!!! I totally forgot that Doug had his fire meeting that night! I felt so stupid... Doug went out and picked him up, since his meeting was done by then! What kind of terrible parents are we??!!!! Dave & Denise thought it was funny, the kids were thrilled! Lucky for us Dave & Denise are good friends of ours too! Last night Doug took Bradley, then didn't come back home, at 7:30 I called him and asked if he'd picked him up..... he had!!
Ryan is home sick again today... I have to see if Mimi will come over and watch Ryan so I can take Bradley to the Dr. ( sounds mixed up doesn't it) Ryan's got an intestinal thing going on, he seems to feel fine, until he cramps up and has to go NOW.... So I won't send him to school until it's over. Brad has had pain on his left side for a couple of weeks, so I made this appt. last Tuesday. I'm sure it's nothing. I also have to stop at KnR and pay for my "new" car... Then we can start buying parts and fixing it. I can't wait to get it!!!

Glad the sun was out

Well, it was a really cold day today, but the sun was out, which is a good thing, It was four years ago today that #1 One of my bestest friends became a mom for the first time and #2 I lost my mom..... The Olympics is odd for me this year... Last time I watched the Winter Olympics, my Mom was alive for the opening ceremonies and for the closing ceremonies... she was not. It's hard to belive that 4 years have gone by, and I still feel the hurt so vividly... I really miss my parents.
Ryan was also home from school today sick, and it doesn't look like he's going to be going tomorrow either, so that brings me to another dilema... Brad has a Dr.s appt. for some pain he's had for a couple of weeks on his left side, and Ryan won't be at school and can't leave the house.... I need my Mommy!!! Doug is NOT very helpful in situations like this!!
Guess I'll go back downstairs and sit by the fire.... Hope we don't forget to pick up Bradley at Webelos tonight!!.....

Found a car

Well, Doug called me yesturday from work and said he bought a car. It's a 1994 Corsica with around 80,000 miles on it. Not too bad for $250. It needs a new hood, front fender, headlight and windshield and the frame needs to be straightened.... You guessed it, he got his way and finally got a wrecked car. They get a lot of them at work. We're sort of thinking, we will buy this , fix it up and then, when he finds another one, buy it fix it up and sell the first.... Thier value goes up a lot once they are all fixed, and that's what he does for a living. If you do this enough times, you'll get enough money saved up to buy a pretty decent used car with no payment!! Just takes a lot of time and sweat equity. At the moment until we get the "new" car done, we borrowed a car from my brother-in-law. They have one for the kids, but Steph doesn't have her license yet even though she's 16, her parents said she needs LOTS more practice driving before going solo, apparnetly she's tried to kill herself and parents more than once by turning in front of someone!! The car is a definate kid car, the windshield leaks, so it's damp and stinky in there and I need to shovel it out before I take it for a ride today. It's also full of rust... but, at the moment, for the next few weeks, it's transportation.

Supper so early??

Why is it, my husband feels he needs to call me at 7:30am to ask me what I'm making for supper.... and then proceed to tell me how to make it?? I could of gone back to bed, I don't have to be to work until noon.... I work until 5 two nights a week ( which is generally 5:30/45) and 6 one night a week (which is also 30-45 mins. later) I always have one meal planned that is very quick and simple to make, last night, rotisserie chicken from Family Fare and Uncle Ben's ready to cook rice in a pouch and a salad... quick easy.... yummy... Then the other 2 nights, I use my crock pot. Something that doesn't take too long on Tuesday since I can start it later and on the other day, something that takes all day to cook since I start it before I leave at 7:30am and won't be home again until after work ( since I have NO car.... ) we will usually have leftovers one of the nights and then Friday night is Pizza night which is also our family movie night. Weekends, I like to have Doug cook, he loves to cook, so why not right! Well, his mother seems to think since he's cooking on the weekends that I don't cook at all and Poor Dougy has to cook and do everything around here... grrrrr He never mentions that pretty much the rest of the week, he goes to work and then comes home to hold the couch down... after all, he worked all day.... apparently since he doesn't see me leave before him in the morning and I'm usually (except 1 day a week) home before him he doesn't consider that what I'm doing is going to WORK!!! Then I get home and I have to help with homework, finish supper and serve it, then clean it up, then pick up the house , and do laundry, bathe a kid, get them ready for bed, do breathing treatments and drug them up ( allergies have been terrible) then put the kids to bed... then put them to bed again.... adn again.... again.... then get back to the laundry , unload the dishwasher if it's done running and the wow, it's almost 10pm I'm exhausted... But poor Dougy has to do everything..... Apperently the phone call made me a little crabby!!

I'm baaack

Well, I wasn't online for a couple of months, computer issues.... Talk about internet withdrawl. In that amount of time, I had Thanksgiving.... Ryan decided to throw up from Tuesday thru Thursday night, so it was a nice quiet Thanksgiving, I did deliver dinner to my sister, she said it was just like Mom's. Then I had my sugery on Dec. 7th. That went well.... The recovery had been longer than I imagined. I got pretty run down. I also ended up with Strep Throat by the 22nd of December ( thanks to being run down) and then I took Ryan for his regular check up at the Dr. on the 23rd, found out he had Impatigo (sp??) which he gets a lot, and then the Dr. asked if he had a sore throat, I said, not that he's complained about, but Bradley did for about 3 days early that week with no fever though, and that I was at the Dr. the previous day with Strep, so he did a strep culture on Ryan.... it was positive ( he did great for the procedure too!!!) So then since Brad was in the waiting room we got him back and did a culture and his was also positive.... apparently, they don't have to have a fever or act sicker than sick to have strep... 3 antibiotics, 3 office calls and over $100 later, the 3 of us were on the mend for Christmas, no longer contagious after 24 hrs of the meds... which took us to 6pm on Christmas Eve... when we had to be at my Aunt's for the Arnett gathering. Christmas day was another adventure... My sister got here about 9am, breakfast was almost ready. Doug was just setting some food on the table when his fire pager goes off. Fully involved structure fire in Clyde township.... UGH can you imagine losing your house on Christmas day?? How awful! Luckly the people weren't home they were opening gifts with family, very sad. But that delayed us.... We ate without him, I let the kids open thier stockings, Then I let them open one santa gift..... an hour later.... another.... can you imagine trying to keep your kids from opening thier gifts on Christmas morning? We watched Madagascar, that Ryan got in his stocking from Santa... Then we watched Polar Express that Bradley got in his stocking from Santa and I let the boys open the rest of thier Santa gifts ( a total of 8 gifts each approx) Polar Express was almost done when Doug got home. So we opened the rest of the gifts... That's the longest Christmas has ever taken in the house ( meaning since I was a kid) Then I made sandwhiches for the kids and then we started to prepare for Christmas dinner. The Bales were all coming to our house this year. It all went great, I was exhausted.
Since all that, and obviously still being run down, I have caught a nasty cold/sinus thing. not much fun. My tummy now feels pretty icky since last night... I hope it goes away SOON!!! and I get my immune system back! I worked Mon-Thurs this week too and was at the school doing volunteer stuff all day yesturday. I think I need a day to relax and do nothing, but I don't see that happening! I need to do laundry, clean the house and then we have to be at the Saugatuck Fire Dept for a dinner thing tonight. I also have to find time when I feel good to get some groceries. We also have only 1 car which makes life pretty difficult. We got rid of my van. My favorite car.... very sad, but I just couldn't stand being so broke... So away went a huge monthly expense. I've also picked up an extra day at work a week, so that is good, now we just need to find a car that we can pay cash for and come up with some cash... there's always a catch isn't there! Things will be looking up!
You'll never guess what we saw this morning, hanging out under our pine tree in the front yard.... Robins!! You guessed it, It's January and the Robins are in town.... That's almost creepy!! It's supposed to be a balmy 45 today and tomorrow and a chance of rain... I'm thinking it's going to snow like crazy come Spring break!
On that note, I've rambled on long enough for now, I think I have most things caught up, So I will go get started on all my projects for the day..... a nap sounds SO much better!!!