raccoon and a long night!

Well, it is now 11:22 PM
at about 9:30 tonight, i heard Merlin barking outside. It was different from his normal bark. More, worried.
I went out on the back porch to see what was wrong. There stood a massive raccoon. This is the first time I have really seen one up close and personal. I, being the strong woman I am, turned and ran into the house! Merlin, my coon dog...ran behind me.

Mark and I have spent the last couple of hours chasing it around the yard, trying to get it to go away into someone else's yard. one that would not have a terrified basset hound barking at the backdoor trying to get in. Big baby!

Well,that didn't go well. And, just to let you know...If you need a animal control officer at night, he will not come! We called and they said call back in the morning. We got so tired of hearing Merlin freaking out that Mark went back out and tried to get him to go in his dog house. To Marks surprise, There was the raccoon, in the dog house!

We decided to put a cardboard box over the opening, bungee cord it in and take him down to the creek by our house. He is now in a happy home, away from our home!

wonderful hubby!!

I enjoy a clean house..I just dont enjoy cleaning it!
Over the last few years I have gotten good at keeping my livingroom and kitchen and dinningroom clean. I like to keep the kids rooms clean so that hasn't been a messy issue. My big down fall is our master bedroom. By the time I have cleaned all day two loads of dishes, three plus loads of laundry..Im pooped and all I want to do is climb into bed. Not up to cleaning our bedroom. No one see's it so who cares? My hubby cares so that should be more then enough to get me cleaning!

So, today I dove in. I first off made the bed. so I could fold the 15 loads of laundry on it. Mark walked in and said "oh, It looks so good in here." Bless his little heart! He is too good to me!!! I had stuff everywhere and he chose to focus on the one thing I had done right! Love that man!! And it really got me incouraged to clean the rest of our room. It now looks clean and wonderful!!

going for a walk.

Yesterday I took the kids on a walk. It was nice for about the first five seconds. I got halfway around the block and thought I was gonna die! If you know where my house is, you will know that it is halfway, in the middle of the block. lol
So really I got to the end of my driveway and thought I was gonna die. I was pushing a double stroller so I will use that as my excuse for being so tired. not the fact that I am totally out of shape.

I got this sudden burst of athletic energy from a comment I received a few days ago. I was asked for the second time in two months...by the same person both times if I was pregnant. yep, that was a low moment for me. I politely said no, the person then said that she couldn't tell because of my big tummy. HA! one must laugh to keep from crying. so...HAHAHA....HA
Yes, I have had two children so things around that area are...different. But not big or fat.
I have over the last few days been trying very hard to not take it to heart or personally. but,  its hard. so here is my venting about it. I can move on. :)

Ugh...the outdoors.

I am not the biggest outdoors person. I am a poser. I have my north face stuff and my chacos but that's about as far as it goes. I don't mind camping as long as there is a restroom withing walking distance. I would not mind the outdoors if it were not for bugs. I HATE BUGS!

I do however like to garden. well, that's not totally true, I like to plant flowers and water them. I don't like the work it takes to get the garden ready. I plant in barrels so I do not have to mess with...the ground.

We decided Sunday afternoon to plant some flowers. So to me this meant pulling out my barrels and putting flowers in them. This to Mark meant cleaning out the flower beds that had been neglected in the past and plant things in the dreaded ground...with my own two hands.

We, were outside for about three hours and as my husband got in there and got dirty and got it done. I happily checked on the kids while they were napping, used the restroom about 8 times and got about 4 glasses of tea. :) I must say, I make a wonderful "supervisor". After we were done, the ground looked wonderful. I am very proud of my flower beds and all the work "we" put into them!

Flow Masters=ear plugs

My husband bought himself a jeep cherokee about 3 weeks ago now. I am so happy that he enjoys it. He has so much fun planning what he is going to do to it. He has already done something pretty big to it. He has added flow masters. its a muffler...i guess?
All I know is that it is very loud. It is so loud that it scares big momma (my mini van). It sets my alarm off when it is running in the drive way. Poor big momma. She is to old to have the whipper snapper beside her...bless her autoheart!


Well, About a week ago, my cousin Alicia was in town. We decided we were going to meet at the local tea room for lunch. Mark said he would "watch" the kids (they were napping) :)
I decided I would dress up, I even curled my hair, and wore my pearls.

I had no idea that while Mark was out that morning, he had flow masters put on the jeep.

So, as I was headed out to big momma, Mark said I should drive the jeep, I could feel "young again". since when am I old? Anyway....
I said ok, He said to be prepared, I would turn heads by driving it. HA! so now I'm old AND need a jeep to turn heads!
back to the story...
I got into it, started it and almost had a heart attack! That thing is so loud!! I went on my way. I thought I might get pulled over by the police, because I was disturbing the peace! I parked as far from the restaurant as I could. flow masters and tea rooms do not mix! Had a wonderful lunch and then hopped back in the noisy beast to head home.

No one checked out the old woman in the jeep until I got to the last stop light. The 60ish year old man in the truck next to me smiled, his ever so sexy toothless smile at me.
I have never been so happy for a red light to turn green! I got home and got out, gave my boring old mini van a pat as I walked into the house.

I have not driven the noisy beast since. I can not handle the noise or the "attention" I get from driving it! :)

who would have thought my 3 year old would have plastic surgery before me?!

Tomorrow morning, Luke will be having surgery to fix his lip. It has healed ,but with a lump in it. It makes it hard for him to speak and it just really bothers him.

I had to give him a bath tonight with some pink soap they gave me at the hospital during his pre op
He thought it was so fun, I guess that's a good thing. He really has no idea what is about to come.
I'm so ready for it to be fixed and to have him happy again!

He has been eating anything he wants for the last few days. After tomorrow its back to soup for two weeks. ugh... He didn't find that fun the first time around so I'm thinking he will be just as bummed this time.

I am having to really put all my faith in my heavenly father. I am not a peaceful soul by nature, He is teaching me.
Please keep him and us in your prayers in the next couple of weeks.

yard sales...hobby or addiction?

I'm not sure about the answer to this, I am beginning to think it might be the latter I'm afraid.
I get up at 6:30 am. Get dressed and head out pocket full of change, to find amazing deals on others peoples well loved stuff.
 I have found some wonderful finds at yard sales. I can not think of any at the moment, but i have! I find lots for the kids.

I love pulling up to the yard and seeing everything laid out before me ( I do not dig in boxes..yuck)  I guess it is a addiction, I would totally be willing to knock someone out to get that item for 25cents! Just joking...maybe.


There are some yard sales though, that I must say, should not be had. I call these "drive by's"
you know the ones, they look nasty. Dishes that look like they have never been washed, clothes that lay in a pile on the ground. ugh....these are always the ones that we drive 15 miles outside of town for!


BUT, the draw will always be there for me. The hope that I will find something amazing...well at least to me.