The Crafty Dragon's Lair

By the by, I haven't been around much...

2011-12-31T03:49:00.000-07:00

And there've been multiple reasons for that. Part of it is school, of course. That kept me pretty busy, but it was worth it--I got 4 A's and an A- this semester, and now I'm applying for what the college calls its "Fresh Start option." Basically, I get to boost my GPA by having the GPAs from 2 semesters wiped out. The grades are still there, but the poor grades no longer count against me. The really nice thing is that one semester will be gone entirely, and the other will now count as a 4.0, since I get to keep the A from that semester.

The other reason I've been away is that Dave went to the hospital in October with really bad pneumonia, and came out with a few other, really damn scary things, the scariest being congestive heart failure. The doctors told him that the right side of his heart (which is the back side, in case y'all didn't know--I didn't) was enlarged to about the size of a football. They also told him that they just don't see that size heart in a living patient, and that he'd be lucky to make it to Thanksgiving. He's got a post about it on his blog, here.

...I'm really scared, y'all. I'm not ready to be without Dave. Don't get me wrong, I can do anything that needs to be done. But I don't think I can be the center of the family that he is. And I know that without him, every day I'll just be going through the motions, waiting until it's my turn. I know that might sound corny, or stupid, or whatever, but yeah, that's pretty much how it'll be. Everything will be...hollow.

But for now, we're making Plans, with a capital P. We're going to be applying for our passports within the next couple of weeks, because we have Very Important People to go meet. We're planning to go see our friends Flora and Rowenna in Scotland--probably after I graduate from college, so not this summer but next! And then we need to go to Australia to see Nettie and Sarah, and have them show us how to avoid the drop bears. :-) And somewhere in there, we need to go see Dave's brother Bill in Sweden. I figure we might as well get as much mileage out of those passports as we can! lol

Anyway, I should probably head to bed, since it's nearly 4 a.m. Hopefully this next year I'll check in more often.

Oh, hey, I didn't wait so long this time!

2011-08-30T15:23:00.000-06:00

Just over a month between posts this time around, woohoo!

So, what's new, you ask? Not a whole lot. Oldest son Daniel is living out at oldest daughter Rachele's place now, Kaila has moved back in with us, Jake is due home from overseas any time now, Matt is looking for a new place, and Heather started 8th grade last week. Oh, and my oldest grandson, Aidan, is 9 today! :-)

Heather is enjoying school so far, which is good. We're planning on doing a birthday party of some kind in a few weeks (yes, I know her birthday was on the 16th) so that she can invite friends from school. She wants to have it at the roller stating rink, which reminds me, I need to call them and check on prices! Should be a good time, though!

Rachele, Kaila, and I all start back to school next Wednesday. Rachele hasn't had much of a break, since she's been taking classes all summer. She had a couple that were prerequisites for classes she wanted to take this fall, but weren't offered in the fall, so she took them over the summer instead. I have to say, I don't think I'd want to do that for most classes, because they're so condensed during the summer session. The spring and fall semesters are 14 weeks long, but summer classes are only 6 to 8 weeks. And I'm not sure, but I think some of them are as short as 3 or 4 weeks long! That said, I may take one or two of my English classes next summer, to free up space during the year for my minor classes. Hard to believe that I may only have 4 more semesters of college! Depends on me getting all of my required credits in, though, including the ones I need for my minor.

I'm not entirely sure which classes Kaila's taking, with the exception of a basic drawing class. And that one she was originally going to take from a certain professor that I'd had in the past and seriously dislike. I don't like his style of art, and I don't like how he grades his students. He very much gives the impression that if someone's art isn't exactly like his, then it isn't worthy of a good grade. I'm not the only person who feels this way about him, evidently, considering that quite a few students who'd had him previously urged Kaila to take the class from another professor. Art is not Kaila's strong point (she knows this), but she wants to learn the techniques and have fun with it, and a class with this particular professor would be anything but fun. As for her other classes, I know she's still working on her Human Services degree.

My classes this semester are: Advanced Brit Lit II, French I (hope I do better this time around than I did before!), Creative Writing, Grammar, and Biology 101. And the only reason I'm taking Biology is because I have to have a life science for my major. Fortunately, I don't have to take a lab, since I took the Astronomy lab last semester. I did enough dissecting when I took Biology in high school. Or Life Science in junior high; I can't really remember which. But after I finish Biology, then the only general education classes I'll have to take are my foreign language ones, which are covered by French this semester and next, and some other language next year. Unfortunately, they no longer offer any language for two years with the exception of Spanish, which I don't want to take (interestingly, Heather got signed up for Spanish, which she didn't select as an elective). So, since I have to take 2 years of a foreign language, I'm going to take French this year, and probably Arabic next year. My only other option would be German, but Arabic sounds interesting. :-) So, hopefully the professor teaching that will still be there, or if not, then hopefully someone teaching another interesting language will be.

So, I think that's all that's new around here. One of these days I'll get around to sharing photos from my trip to Denver, and the wedding I went to in Red Lodge (one of Dave's cousins got married, and it was just a perfect day!), along with random other things I've taken pictures of. OH! Also, I finally figured out where Dennis the Dragon and Norman the Knight (from my story blog) are going! I'll be writing that up soon, I promise!

Really bad at this blogging thing...

2011-07-22T14:54:00.000-06:00

Wow. It's been just over 5 months since my last post. Sorry about that. Also, my last post might not make a whole lot of sense, but that's because I deleted the post immediately prior to that. If you haven't read it, don't worry about it--suffice it to say that I was venting about something that was bothering me and I unintentionally hurt someone's feelings in the process, which was certainly not my intention. And rather than leave the post up for others to see when they read *this* post, I thought it best to remove the other one.

Okay, now that that's out of the way...
I finished last semester with a 4.0! Holy smokes, a 4.0! I am quite amazed at myself, actually. :-) The new semester starts around the 8th of September, and I'm looking forward to going back. One of the things I have to do is decide on a minor--why is that, anyway? Why can't people just do their major and call it good? I'm sure it has something to do with having a backup plan if you don't get a job utilizing your major, but still. Anyhow, I will probably minor in art, since that was my major before, and I enjoy it, even if I'm not fantastic at it. I'm still keeping an eye out for internships--there still aren't any that specifically focus on English. I'll probably have to go in and talk to someone at the college about helping me find one that'll work for me.

Dave's still trying to find a work from home job through NTI. He's gotten some training done, and he's working on learning Microsoft Office. Just have to keep our fingers crossed, I guess.

Other than that, there's really not a whole lot going on. I'm trying to get (and keep!) the house clean, and get rid of stuff we don't need. We might possibly get to go camping this summer, but I'm not counting on it. I do still want to go wandering around Riverfront Park--I may do that this next week. Oh, and I'm thinking of taking Zumba classes--looks like a fun way to lose some weight! :-)

Guess that's all for now. Have a good one, y'all!

Now that I've gotten the whining out of my system...

2011-02-19T20:57:00.000-07:00

Thinks are actually going pretty well. I've got decent grades in my classes again this semester (As again for the most part, possibly a B or two). I'm watching for internships at school, but there are only four at the moment, and they're looking for people who want careers in media and public relations--not exactly what I'm going for.

I'm still doing really well with not drinking a lot of soda (one of my resolutions). I actually still have more than half of the 24-pack that I got last month. :-) Haven't been walking the dog, though--it's still been too cold most days. And I haven't started working out yet--don't know why I keep putting that off.

I really need for interesting things to happen around here, so I can write about them. I'm sure y'all are tired of hearing me whine...lol Maybe if it warms up again soon, I'll head over to Riverfront Park and see if I can take some interesting pictures. :-) Also, if anyone has any ideas for something to write about, I'm all ears!

Oh, one thing I do have to share next time--the conclusion to the Gingerbread Murder Mystery!

Deep thoughts this week...

2011-01-27T09:19:00.000-07:00

Warning: this post kind of makes me sound heartless and unfeeling, but I'm really not.

My sociology class and my geography class actually tied in together this week. Pretty interesting stuff, actually--at least to me.

In geography, the professor was talking about the "maquiladoras," or assembly plants built by American companies on the Mexican side of the border. In these plants (she was telling us about auto plants specifically), an auto worker makes about $10 a day. A worker doing the same job in the U.S. would be getting paid about $200 a day. So, understandably, the auto companies would build the plants in Mexico and hire Mexican workers--it saves the company money, they don't have to pay the same (if any) taxes, workman's comp. laws are different, etc., etc. Also understandably, a Mexican worker with any skill would definitely see the advantage in coming across the river (which apparently is only about knee-deep at most) and getting a job here in the U.S. (I should note that I am not at all opposed to immigration, I just think that people who want to live here need to do so legally--and I think that should actually pertain to any country in the world.) Now, I would feel bad for the Mexicans making $10 a day, except for the fact that the professor then went on to say that, especially in interior Mexico, that's actually a pretty good wage. To me, that means that they're living fairly well and are able to buy the things they need, which is good.

So, on to sociology. Yesterday the professor was discussing how capitalism originated, and told us that a German sociologist named Max Weber did a study in communities across Europe, and what he found was that capitalism started up in communities that were primarily Protestant, rather than Catholic. Basically, these Protestant communities believed in predetermination or predestination, and believed that if you were successful at an endeavor, that meant that that was a sign that you were following your calling. And when people were a little bit successful, they tended to look around and see people who were more successful, and they wanted that, so they'd reinvest in their business, and if they were more successful themselves, then that was further evidence that they were following their calling. And they'd look around and see people who were still more successful, so they'd reinvest, and become more successful themselves, and so on. So capitalism, Weber found, stemmed from a religion.

What I found interesting was that besides Mexico, a lot of the other countries that my geography professor talked about where wages are lower are primarily Catholic, or have had a great deal of Catholic influence. Now, this is just my impression after a few weeks, and we've only really talked about North America, Central America, and the very beginning of South America, so I could be wrong. She's also briefly mentioned a few places in Africa, but I seem to remember that there's a good bit of Catholic influence there, too.

And I find myself wondering at what point do we (the more successful countries) stop trying to take care of the rest of the world? I mean, there are places that receive aid from richer nations in the form of money, food, and other goods, but the government officials don't distribute the materials fairly, so the majority of their own people still suffer. And in some countries the governments are corrupt, and the people know it, but can't or won't do anything about it. And then you have situations where a powerful country is asked to help a weaker one to set up a new government, and then the weaker country turns out to be worse off than before the powerful one helped (I'm thinking that's what happened when Saddam Hussein came to power, but I have to look that up to make sure). Is there ever a time when the powerful countries--the ones with the money and the resources--should look at the weaker ones and say, "Sorry, you're on your own. We've tried to help you but you refuse to help yourselves, so there's nothing more we can do"? I definitely don't think the weaker countries should be taken advantage of, but I also don't think that they should always just be handed everything they need--I don't think it helps them, in the long run, to develop as a nation. I think it makes them too dependent on outside help.

It's January again...

2011-01-17T16:33:00.000-07:00

I really should start posting more often, otherwise, why have a blog?

Most of you probably already know that I finished the fall semester at college with straight As, something I've never done before--yay me! Spring semester started last Wednesday--I'm taking Intro to Sociology, Intro to Language, Intro to Astronomy (plus the lab), Geography of World Regions, and British Lit. I. Most of them seem pretty interesting, though my geography professor might drive me insane--her political views are completely opposite of mine.

As far as resolutions...obviously I didn't fulfill mine about posting here more often, so I'm at least going to try for one a week, since I made a whopping TEN posts last year. *sigh* I didn't manage to lose the 20 pounds I wanted to, but I think I did manage to lose a few. At least I didn't gain any, which is good. :-) One thing I've decided is that I'm going to cut waaaaaaaaaay back on the Mountain Dew--I was drinking a liter of the stuff almost every day, so I've decided to just drink one can of it a day, which gets rid of 3/4 of the calories (roughly). So far, I've done really well with that. :-) I'm also planning on taking Tex for walks again--I don't think I've done that since we moved here, because we've got a fenced yard, and we can just turn him loose out there. I may wait until it warms up again, or at least until I get my coat fixed (walking in the cold wind with a coat that doesn't zip is NOT my idea of a good time). Another thing I may do is take advantage of the fact that I'm paying to access all of the buildings at the college, and *actually* access the gym...lol They have a pool there, too, but if I go there, it will probably be during the least busy times, at least until I get in better shape (wouldn't want to scare anyone off! lol)

I told Dave that this year I want to go driving to parts of Montana that we haven't been to before, and take pictures. I keep seeing the beautiful pictures that Flora, Rowenna, Nettie, Sarah, and Acci post, and I realize that mine are kind of boring since there's nothing new to share.

I think that's all for my rambly post today. I'll try to come up with something better next time! :-)

Rest in peace, Grandma...

2010-12-12T13:17:00.002-07:00

My grandma died this morning.

And I'm sad because she was a woman I loved dearly, even though I only got to see her for a few days every three years or so, between moves. But those were always good days.

And I'm sad because she was a woman that I didn't get to know well enough, and now I won't have the chance. The last time I saw her was in 1998, while I was pregnant. My older kids all at least got to meet her, but Heather never will. And that's a shame.

I never got to ask my grandma to tell me stories about what my mom and aunts and uncles were like growing up, or what it was like raising her family alone, or even what the world was like then. And my mom doesn't seem to like to talk about it much.

I do know that Grandma was a neat lady. She loved her family, and was always happy to see me. I've been told she was stubborn, which means that all the rest of us come by it honestly. She always had strawberries in her freezer. She'd gone up on the mountain and picked them herself, then she'd soak them overnight in sugar and water and then freeze them in pint- and quart-sized containers. Every time I saw her, those strawberries were the first thing I asked for, and she always had some. She also dipped snuff, and had a spittoon close by her chair. She had a plastic cup in it so she could just toss the cup instead of having to wash the spittoon.

I loved the smell of her house. I can't even describe it, I just know that it was a good smell. And I remember she used to have an antelope head on the wall, and a fox skin in a closet. And I remember the first time I saw her teeth in a glass in the bathroom, and was surprised that Grandma could take her teeth out... And she had this old Singer sewing machine, the treadle kind, and I always thought that was so cool, but I never saw her use it. My grandma used to make beautiful quilts--she pieced them by hand, and then quilted them by hand, too--she never used a machine to do it. Before moving here in 1990, Grandma showed me how to applique some pieces for a quilt she was working on, and I did all the pieces for one square while we were staying there. Then for Christmas that year, she sent me the finished quilt, and she'd put my square in one of the corners so I'd know which one I'd done. I remember contests in her yard between my cousins and me, to see how far we could spit watermelon seeds. I remember one year I threw a boomerang, and it ended up on her roof...I never did get that boomerang back.

I'm so sad for the lost opportunities. I wanted so much to visit with her again, and never had the money to go visit. And now I'll never have that chance again.

Myrtle Huskins Griffith
November 17, 1918-December 12, 2010
Grandma, I love you.

A Christmas Mystery

2010-11-30T09:51:00.001-07:00

It looked like a normal day in the Gingerbread neighborhood at first.

But wait! Something appears to be wrong! What's that Snowman hiding?? And there are Gummi Bears everywhere! What's going on here??

It looks like something terrible has happened! There are signs of a struggle everywhere!

Oh no! There's a dead Gingerbread Man! Why is the Snowman hiding the body??

The Gingerbread Man was beheaded, and his hand was cut off! Who would do such a thing?

And someone has put a Gummi Bear over the front door like some kind of sick Christmas wreath/decoration! (Not to mention the one decorating the top of the Christmas tree!)

And there are two dead Gummi Bears in the yard!

Notice the "Santa Bear" stuck in the chimney. Victim? Or murderer?

And this one! Why would a green Gummi Bear wear a green fez? No self-respecting Bear would wear a fez that matches its own coloring! Unless it has something to hide. . .

Those orange Gummi Bears on the top of the roof. . .are they sleeping? Or dead??

And what about the Bear at the end of the sidewalk? He's playing with a ball, like nothing unusual has happened. I think he Knows Something, but he's not talking. None of them are.

I'm starting to feel like Scrooge...

2010-11-28T17:52:00.000-07:00

No, not Scrooge McDuck, Ebenezer Scrooge. (Though Scrooge McDuck has some pretty nifty spats, and lots of cool gadgets...but we're not talking about Ducktales here.)

We had Thanksgiving dinner at Dave's folks' place this year, and it was okay. Everyone got together and we had good food. But I kinda just wanted to be at home having a somewhat less crazy day. (And now I kinda feel bad about saying that because at least some of my family is going to read this and have their feelings hurt, which isn't what I mean at all.) I think for Christmas we're planning on just doing a quiet day at home, which is good.

But the thing is, I'm not really looking forward to Christmas, and I haven't for several years now. I'm not working, so we don't have any extra money to buy presents. And I know it's not about presents, but it kinda is. And it seems like such a hassle to go and get out the decorations, but at least they're not out in the garage this year, which is good, because I don't think I could get in to the garage at the moment, since someone has decided that Billings, MT needs to have a ton of snow dumped on it. Ugh.

I'm hoping that I'll get more into the Christmas spirit soon. I can't seem to remember what exactly it is that I like about this time of year, though. I've only got a couple of weeks left of school for the semester (and I have another research paper that I'm really supposed to be working on right now...), followed by a month off. (I'm really looking forward to that!) Maybe then it'll start to get better.

Anyway...yeah, I'm not feeling very Christmas-y. I've got Christmas music playing in the background, but it doesn't seem to be helping yet.

Things I have learned so far...

2010-10-23T00:21:00.001-06:00

Believe it or not, I have actually learned some things this semester!

I have learned that in MLA format for papers, there is now only one space between the end of one sentence and the beginning of the next. What's up with that?! When in the world did that change, and why? (Note that I do not follow that rule here. lol)

I have learned that Alexander Hamilton got us out of helping France during their Revolutionary War on a technicality! I kid you not. Apparently, when France signed the Treaty of Amity and Commerce and the Treaty of Alliance with us in 1778, they signed them with the colonies, not with the United States, therefore, we were no longer bound by those treaties. Nice, huh? Sheesh.

I have learned (today!) that Krishna, even though he teaches that people should control themselves and their desires, apparently was himself a rather lusty god, who not only had multiple arms but multiple, well, bits of male genitalia, which he could use independently of each other. One of my classmates (a friend of Rachele's, actually) posed the question of whether or not Krishna was like Stitch (they're both blue, after all), and could retract or extend his arms and male bits at will. This, naturally, put me into a giggling fit for the remainder of class today...lol

I have been learning that the "global warming catastrophe" is crap. Dave's been going on about this for a year or so, and when my Research Writing professor asked us to come up with a topic for our research paper, that was, naturally, the first thing that came to mind. Then I started doing research. There are actually a LOT of papers on the subject. And the thing is, climate skeptics don't deny that the planet is getting warmer--what they deny is that this is necessarily man-made, or catastrophic. The paper I'm currently reading shows that as recently as the 12th century, temperatures in China were as much as 1C higher than they are at present. Not only that, but some evidence is suggesting that currently, much of the planet is greener (as in more plants, not the green-saving-energy kind of way) than it has been previously.

And I've also learned that I'm really not fond of writing essays or taking tests, though my grades so far seem to show that I'm fairly decent at both--so far, I have almost all As! How's that for awesome?

Next week I go to meet with my advisor (a different lady this time, as my previous one is dealing with the English majors with the teaching option), and so I am trying to figure out which classes I want to take. I know I want to take Intro to Astronomy (with the lab!), and I'm thinking of taking Intro to Sociology. There's a Geography class that sounds interesting as well, though that may wait until next semester. Then I want to take two of my required English courses, so I'm thinking of going with Intro to Language (which is evidently a linguistics class and fairly difficult, oh joy.) and Literary Criticism. Those four classes will give me 13 credits, and I can't decide if I want to take another class or not. Meh, I'll figure it out.

Oh, and on a somewhat related note: Heather is doing phenomenally well back in public school--she has As and Bs in her classes, and she hasn't gotten in trouble for anything other than not turning in assignments right at the beginning of the year, which has gotten taken care of now. Hooray!

So...now that I have updated everyone, I should probably get back to my homework...lol Have a good one, and I'll talk to y'all later! :-)

What in the world have I gotten myself into???

2010-09-27T17:26:00.001-06:00

So, some of y'all know that I'm back in college, after a hiatus of fifteen years. And it's pretty cool so far, even though Heather says it's weird to hear me talking about having homework...lol And I'm enjoying my classes, and feeling like I'm learning something, so that's all good.

But I'm having a hard time staying focused (the lure of the internet is strong! lol), and it's not always easy keeping up with the homework assignments. And it's only the third week of classes!! And I keep thinking that I should be working, too...but then I think, "But when would I do my homework? And when would I sleep? Or do laundry? Or clean?" And I think to myself that I haven't written papers in years, and things have changed. After all, I'd never even heard of APA or MLA formats until recently! How in the world can I possibly do this?

And the only answer I can come up with is, "Because I need to. I need to do something with my life so that if I'm working in retail when I'm 65, it's because I want to, not because I have to." And I love to read, and finding mistakes in what I'm reading drives me absolutely bonkers, so being an editor actually makes sense. I just hope no one ever wants me to write anything meaningful, because I'm not that great a writer myself. I can edit wonderfully, but being eloquent on paper? (Or, y'know, on a computer screen...) Not so much.

I hope that I can do well in school, and that I'll be able to keep up with my classes. I suppose a good start would be getting off of here, and getting back to my World Lit essay... ;-)

Talk to y'all later!

Camping photodump!

2010-07-22T11:35:00.001-06:00

Okay, so I know I'm a day or two late, but at least I'm not months late this time! ;-) These are some of my favorite photos from my trip to the mountains. (In no particular order.)

I just can't get over how much bluer the sky is there than here. I love it!

I had a lot of fun playing with the black and white setting on the camera. :)

Isabel enjoyed making s'mores for the first time!

We saw this momma sage grouse several times, and she always acted like she owned the road! lol

We had an elephant stampede through our camp...

and we were stalked by a panther!

Back from a trip to the creek for some water.

Tex spent a lot of time laying in the sun. I sometimes think he's part cat! lol

Dave made a peach cobbler--it was yummy!!

Daniel and Isabel. Love this photo of them!

This was taken between storms one day. It had rained for an hour or so, and stopped just before sunset, so these clouds had an amazing pink glow. After the sun had gone completely and the clouds went back to gray, it started raining again--and rained most of the night.

Wild roses.

I don't know what these are, but they're all over the place!

Phoebe came camping with us, and spent a lot of time hanging around various areas of the trailer. :-)

We visited our waterfall again this year. The haze effect was caused by all the spray hitting the camera lens.

Okay, I think that's probably enough for today. I'll save some for another day when I don't have very much to say. ;-)

Home from the mountains...

2010-07-18T23:56:00.001-06:00

I got to go camping this year, for nearly two weeks! (Nearly missed out entirely last year--I think I only got a couple of weekends, and that's never nearly enough time!) The weather was beautiful, and I hiked up to the waterfall again (hard to believe it was two years ago that I went there the first time!)--Heather was with me again, and this time Kaila and my niece Angela came along. Heather and Angela had a great time playing on the rocks near the fall, and I managed to get drenched by the spray from it--which felt fantastic after hiking in the sun! lol

We saw some momma sage grouse with babies a few times--it was really fun to watch the moms slowly step out to the road, watching for traffic, and then watching the babies start dashing out around her. They'd start crossing, and the mom would take her time, making sure they got across safely. Most of the time, people driving on the road would stop and wait for them, but yesterday we found one grouse that had been hit. :( I went and looked around the area for babies, but didn't find any, so either they were being VERY quiet, or the dead one was a male or a female without babies. (I'm kind of hoping for either of the latter, actually.)

Heather and I spent some time playing in the water, but I guess I've gotten to be kind of chicken lately, because the water is just too cold for me to go in past my waist, and even that's pushing it! lol Heather, on the other hand, must be part trout, because she has no problem getting soaked from head to tailfin...er, toe, rather. ;-)

I truly think that I enjoy camping so much because I can get away from so much of the stress and drama of everyday life. I go to the mountains, and the only things I really have to worry about are making sure there's firewood and water. Dave does most of the cooking, I try to keep camp looking semi-neat at least, and the rest of the time, I just relax and enjoy the sounds of the forest. The creek is a constant rush in the background, and there are always birds (grouse, robins, meadowlarks, and sandhill cranes--this year was the first time we've ever seen those!), squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, deer, and even the occasional bear. Sunrises and sunsets are always beautiful, and at night the sky is alive with more stars than I ever see at home. It's just amazing to see!

Okay, enough about camping (for now, anyway--I still have pictures to share! lol)--I have other good news! I got my financial aid approved for school! Huzzah! So, since I'm registered already, I think all I have to do now is find out which books I need so that I can start looking for them on sale somewhere. I've never figured out why college textbooks are so ridiculously expensive!

School starts September 8--that's just under two months away! I can't believe I'm going back to school after so long. I'm excited and nervous all at the same time. Part of getting the financial aid was the condition that I pass all of my classes, and get my GPA up to at least a C average. I know I can do that, but I'm nervous all the same. I hope that an English major isn't a stupid way to go, or that editing isn't a stupid profession to go into. I worry too much, I'm sure...lol

Okay, I think that's about enough of my rambling. I'll do a photo post tomorrow after I've downloaded the pictures from the camera. :-)

New baby!!

2010-05-29T18:19:00.000-06:00

On Mother's Day, Rachele started having contractions, which were about a month early. But the doctors thought they might have miscalculated her due date, so they weren't too worried about it. When Rachele went in to be checked out, though, the nurses said that yes, she was in labor, just not enough in labor. So for the last 19 or 20 days, Rachele has been having contractions, and anytime they were really bad, she'd go in to the hospital, only to have the nurses scoff and tell her she was having "stomach cramps"...as if she'd never had a kid before and didn't know what contractions felt like. Sheesh.

Anyhow, last night the contractions were really strong, so Rachele and Tree went yet again to the hospital, and this time they admitted her! Things progressed very quickly, and at about 3:12 a.m. today, Bran Cormack Pambrun was born. Rachele and Tree plan to call him Cormack, though Dave and I really like Bran. I have a feeling the poor kid is going to be confused about his name for a while...lol

And, just in case you haven't gotten tired of seeing his picture on Facebook, I'll share a few here. :-) (Sorry, they're not in chronological order...oh, well. :-) )

Iris was very disappointed that Bran was a boy. She very badly wanted to have a little sister. But she still wanted to hold the baby, and seemed to warm up to him pretty well. :)

This is when Bran was just a few minutes old--he still had the baby goop on him! One thing I noticed today is that he's got really long fingers and toes--he's gonna be a little monkey for sure! :-)

Here's Rachele and Bran just after he was born. She looks pretty tired, but she's so happy he's finally here!

Tree sure is a proud daddy. :-)

Bran being weighed. He's just over 7 pounds, and definitely a boy! Not real happy about being on the scale, though...lol

Here's Aidan with Bran--proud big brother!

I don't care what people say, that looks like a smile to me!

This is Daniel with Bran. He thought he was going to break the baby...lol I've never figured out why guys always think that.

Okay, I think that's enough for now. Hopefully I'll be able to get more pictures of him soon and get them posted. Talk to y'all soon!

Hmm, isn't this where I'm supposed to write stuff?

2010-05-08T18:39:00.000-06:00

So....yeah, that whole "updating more often" thing kinda didn't work so well, did it? *sigh* But I'm back, and ready to give it another shot!

I have started paying the school back and now only owe them $89, and I'm registered for classes this fall! I'll be taking World Literature Survey, College Writing II, Intro To Public Speaking, and American History I. Next spring, I'm planning on taking Astronomy for one of my sciences. I'm not sure what else I want to take, for sure, but since I'm going to be working toward an English degree (so I can hopefully go into editing), I'll be taking a LOT of English classes over the next couple of years. I've also applied for financial aid, and so far it looks like I'll be eligible for enough grants to cover my tuition and books--I just have to wait to find out if it's been approved for sure.

Still working with the Census. I'm a crew leader for the Non-Response Follow Up operation, which means my crew visits households that didn't mail their census questionnaires back, or else didn't send them back on time. So far, most people have been very cooperative, which is a pleasant surprise! This operation is scheduled to end in mid-July--at least, as far as I know for now, but it could change at any time. I don't know if they'll keep me on afterward, but if not, I'll probably go to the temp agency I worked for last summer, and see if they've got anything for me. Hopefully by that time, Dave will be working from home, and I won't have to stress about working very much while I'm going to school.

Speaking of Dave, he goes in for surgery next Thursday. His right hand has been giving him some problems for a few months, and has gotten progressively worse. It's numb on the outer side, and he can't spread the fingers apart. He's got very little strength in his fingers, and has lost muscle mass in the area between his thumb and forefinger. He went in for some X-rays, and apparently his ulnar nerve is impinged. So when he goes in next week, they're going to shift that nerve out from behind the elbow and use the tissue in his arm to create a sort of pocket to hold the nerve in place, and they're going to do the same thing in his wrist. It's an outpatient surgery, so he'll be coming home the same day, but will have a brace on his arm for about a week or so. After that comes off, he'll have physical therapy for a few weeks to strengthen his hand. Meanwhile, I brought home a stress ball yesterday so that he can start working that hand and try to regain at least some of that lost muscle mass.

Our son Daniel is apparently engaged....again. It's funny--his one year anniversary would have been next Friday. I haven't heard much about this girl. I know her name, what her job is, that she has 2 kids, and that Dave knows her parents from his folks' church. Daniel has been dating her for a whopping three weeks, and just moved in with her yesterday. I found out today (not from him, but by poking around her page a bit, since I could see that he'd commented there) that the wedding is July 31st. I don't plan to say anything to him, because I figure it's his job to tell me, if he even wants me to know. I don't think I can congratulate him, though. I think he's moving way too quickly. They don't even know each other. She doesn't know anything about him, except the act that he puts on while he's first dating someone. The thing is, he can be kind of a jerk at times, and he's very impatient. And he hasn't figured out that when a girl says "I don't want to talk about it right now," she really doesn't. He doesn't know how to allow a girl the space she needs to be able to think about things.

Ugh. I guess what I'm really trying to say is that I just wish he would take his time so the two of them could get to know each other. I really do want him to be happy, but I'm afraid he'll end up hurting another young lady, her kids, and his own daughter.

I've been finding recipes on this recipe site, and have found some pretty tasty ones. I want to make something like these chicken wings, but I'd rather use the sauce on something with more meat to it! lol

Oh--I finally got my birth certificate, so as soon as we get the money back together, we're going to apply for our passports!!!! Just one step closer to our trip to Scotland! :-)

Also, Rachele is apparently further along in her pregnancy than we thought--Tree called me today to say that she could be having her baby anytime in the next few days! Looks like I'll have to go pick up some more yarn on payday this week so I can make a blanket for her. We still don't know what she's having, so her blanket will probably be in purples, blues, and white.

I think I've gotten everyone caught up on what's been going on around here, so I'll go for now. I think I'm going to just have to make a point of posting at least something on here every week. Happy Mother's Day to all of my mom friends!

New Year's Resolutions...

2010-01-08T23:04:00.000-07:00

First and foremost, I resolve to update this blog a little more often! Sheesh...October, I posted last? (I would say I've been busy, but that's only partly true. Mostly it's that I didn't think I had anything worthwhile to say.)

I resolve to lose at least 20 pounds--I'll be doing a workout video, walking every day (hopefully, anyhow), drinking more water and making sure I eat healthy foods.

I still owe a little bit of money to one of the colleges here, so I resolve to get that paid off, and look into getting a degree--probably in business, possibly business management or human resources.

Last but not least, I resolve to get any handmade Christmas presents done and mailed in PLENTY of time for Christmas! lol (One of these years, it'll happen, I swear! ;-) )

Photo dump next time, honest!! G'night for now, y'all. *hugs*

Smelling the flowers...

2009-10-25T17:58:00.000-06:00

So, I noticed something today--my youngest daughter, Heather, made a cute little foam flowerpot in church this morning. And after showing it to me, she promptly smelled it, even though it couldn't possibly smell like a flower. And I realized that, no matter where she is, or what she's doing, she has to smell every flower, whether it's real or not. It's kind of cute, and a good reminder to me to slow down a bit, and use my imagination a bit more! :-)

As far as how everything else is going since my last post...

My son Daniel is going through a divorce, after being married for about 3 months. Unfortunately, they had issues that they just couldn't get past. It's really incredibly sad to me, because up until the time they got married, they seemed very happy together.

I went back to work for a while at the Census, first as a clerk, then as an enumerator (this time locating various types of group quarters--convents, prisons, group homes, etc.), and then as a clerk again, checking in all the work that the enumerators had done. They're out of work again at the office, though, until close to the end of November. Since I just can't wait that long to be working again, I'm looking for other places to apply at, one of them being the DMV (department of motor vehicles, just in case anyone reading this doesn't know what DMV stands for), and one being at a check-cashing place.

Dave is working on being able to work from home, which would be awesome--he has been so frustrated with not being able to work. It has made him feel pretty useless, which I can completely understand. I'd love to be able to work from home, but that's not going to happen for a while.

My oldest daughter, Rachele, found out recently that she's pregnant, and possibly with twins. Every so often, I think I would like to have another kid...and then realize that, no, really, I'm good with having grandkids! lol Seriously, though, I hope Rachele has a safe pregnancy, without all the complications that she's had the last couple of times.

Last night, Iris (Rachele's 3 year old daugher) woke up from a nap that she'd taken on my bed, and said to Rachele, rather indignantly, "Mommy, someone peed in my pants!" Rachele came out of the room laughing, and told us about it, so when Iris came out, I asked her, "Iris, who peed in your pants?" She then informed me that the fish did it! Evidently, she'd had a dream about the fish that she'd seen at the Chinese restaurant where we had lunch yesterday. lol

Oh, and today, I learned how people make fancy marbles. :-)
Later tonight, I'm going to do a photo post--I'll possibly have pictures of Daniel's wedding (because, well, I want to share some of them), some of me that I took (because I was bored and someone let me play with the camera), and some others that I just want to share. So there. :-)

Where am I going?

2009-07-30T11:37:00.000-06:00

As you probably know, I was working for the Census for a while, then after work ran out, I was unemployed for about a month. I started working for a temp agency about 2 weeks ago, and am currently a greeter and "ups" counter at a car dealership. Basically, I greet customers who come onto the lot, make sure a salesperson helps them, and then I make sure the salesperson enters the customer's information into the computer. It's interesting work, and quiet, especially compared to home! lol And I'm getting paid $9.00 an hour to stand around most of the day. :)

The thing is, I'm looking for a permanent full time job. The dealership is fun for now, and the guys are all nice, but it's not what I want to do long-term. I've gotten discouraged about putting in applications, because I'm either not hearing back, or getting the "thanks, but no thanks," or the job isn't what I thought it would be. I applied at Kohl's about 2 1/2 weeks ago, and hadn't called to check on it, because the lady I interviewed with said it would be about 2 weeks before I heard back. So yesterday I called, and they hadn't even called my references yet! The guy I spoke to said that he would do that and call me back this Friday after 5. We'll see, I guess.

I also just applied at Hobby Lobby for a co-manager position. I think I could do a pretty good job at it, except that after looking more closely, I have to have previous management experience. So I doubt I will even get an email from them.

I just want to be able to do something with my life. I don't want to be stuck as a cashier forever, but that's all I really have experience with, and can't seem to get further ahead than that.

My Trip To Riverfront Park...

2009-05-23T12:14:00.000-06:00

And my trip to Jackson, Wyoming, in which my car felt the need to introduce itself to a guardrail. More on that in a bit. Be patient. : )

Back in early March, I think it was, we had some really great weather for a week or so, so I decided to take Heather to Riverfront Park, which is more of a nature-type park than a play park, about 2 miles from our house. There's a decent size lake there, picnic tables, barbecue grills, a bunch of trails through the trees, and of course, the Yellowstone River flows alongside the park and through the lakes there. There are a bunch of Canada geese that live there just about year-round, and we always take a little bit of bread to feed them.

This guy got close enough to touch.

After we ran out of bread, we went walking along one of the trails to see what we could see.

There's a muskrat living in here somewhere. We keep seeing him poke his head out of the water, but he didn't stay out long enough to catch him with the camera.

This is the top of one of the cottonwoods that grow all over the place here, but mostly I was taking a picture of the sky. It was just incredibly blue that day, with no clouds anywhere.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Heather. She had just stepped out of a break in the trees, and the sunlight was kind of hazy around her. I thought it was kind of ethereal. : )

I'm going to add a few other pics that I liked, in no particular order, but were also seen on our walk in the woods.

View of the lake from the bridge--I liked how well the trees and sky were reflected.

A bird's nest in a tree.

A dried berry of some sort. There were a bunch of these on bushes all over the park, but this one stood out for me because it was the only one in that area.

I'm pretty sure this is another view of the lake where the muskrat lives. Or it might be another lake. Same park, though.

................................
Okay, now for my trip to Wyoming. (See? Told you I'd tell you about it!)
Towards the end of March, I was asked to go to Dubois, Wyoming and Jackson, Wyoming to train some new crew leaders. (I was still a recruiting assistant at the time, and didn't know I would be giving me the same training shortly after my return.) Actually, what I was doing was training them to take fingerprints--they would get the rest of their training from someone else.

Anyhow, I headed out, and after being on the road for about 45 minutes, I managed to wreck the car. The road had been dry up to that point, so I was driving the speed limit, but I came across a curve in the road that had a small patch of ice on it. The car slid (by the way, I HATE anti-lock brakes), I corrected it, ended up going waaaaaaaay over to the left (thereby freaking out not only myself, but also the driver and passenger in the oncoming pickup truck), corrected it again, and was then introduced to the ONE AND ONLY piece of guardrail on that stretch of road. The bumper was pretty well mangled, as seen below:

After calling Dave and apologizing profusely for wrecking his car, and calming down a bit, I continued into Wyoming. The drive was pretty uneventful, but I ran into more snow:

As a matter of fact, I got stuck in Thermopolis for a night because the pass was closed and I couldn't get to Dubois until the next day. But they did open the pass up late that night, and the next morning I headed out bright and early.

Believe it or not, on the other side of the pass, the roads looked like this:

After doing my training class, I continued on to Jackson. Lots more snow on the way:

See that orange pole? It's attached to the top of one of those green poles that you see along the side of the road. That's how deep the snow was right there.

And this is more of the snow.

The weather cleared just a bit, and I managed to take one picture of some of the stores there in Jackson before it got nasty again. All of the stores in that square looked like that--I love the river rock facing.

So, I spent a night in Jackson, then headed back to Dubois for the next night, and there I saw the giant Jackalope. I took pictures!

What're you lookin' at?

And a more normal sized specimen:

After spending the night in Dubois, I drove back home. I stopped in Cody for about an hour and visited the Buffalo Bill museum. I took a couple of pictures there, but I think I'll save those for a photodump post.

I think that's about it for today. The next post will be of my son's wedding! (Why yes, that was a week and a half ago, what's your point? lol)

Have a good one!

Hmm...long time, no post...

2009-05-07T18:26:00.000-06:00

Sorry about that. There's actually been a lot of stuff going on, I just didn't get around to posting here.

First things first, I suppose. My son moved out just after Easter--and it was a fight to get him to stay that long. Things are certainly quieter around here with just Dave and Heather in the house with me.

Also, at the end of March I started working as a crew leader for the census. I've had about 10 people under me, and it's been interesting, to say the least. I've been in charge of approving their payroll and making assignments, and also I've been doing address canvassing myself. The canvassing work is cool--we have hand held computers with maps and address lists for the different areas, and our job is to make sure that all the addresses are located correctly on the maps, and to make sure that all addresses are listed correctly; for example, if an address is a home, a group-type home, uninhabitable, or if it doesn't exist. We also have to add, delete, or rename streets if what is actually on the ground doesn't match what's in the computer. It might sound kind of boring, but it really is interesting to see more of my town and state.

In April, I got to go with Dave to meet up with John (a friend from the Museum of Hoaxes) and his family in Fairmont Hot Springs. It was a lot of fun--they're great folks! I had crocheted a small mushroom and hedgehog for John's daughter Sydney--it was a hit! : ) I suppose now would be a good time for some pictures...

First, I want to introduce Phoebe! John brought her for me, and I know that Dave's posted a picture of her already, but I haven't, so you get to see her again--so there! lol

Sydney and her new friend...cute, yes?

Anne, Sydney, hedgehog, and John

This was actually taken on Friday, before heading to Phillipsburg to visit the sapphire mine. I wish we'd managed to get one that included all five of us!

This is a post in front of The Sapphire Gallery. There were several of these, and I thought they looked pretty cool.

These are just a few of the very cool gemstone carvings that could be bought at The Sapphire Gallery. There were carvings ranging from really tiny--under an inch--to really big--a foot or so tall for some really neat obelisks. You'll just have to take my word for it, though, because I didn't manage to get pictures of those.

John, Anne, and Sydney looking for raw sapphires. At this place, the people who work there wash and sift the gravel for you, and then you go through and pick out the raw sapphires. Raw sapphires (at least these ones) look like blue-green bits of broken glass that have had the edges smoothed out. I will get some pictures of ours and post them another time.

This is from The Sweet Palace, which is a candy store next door to the sapphire place. Both sides are lined with bins of candy sold by the pound, and there is also an old-fashioned taffy-pulling machine (don't know if I got a picture of that or not) and a TON of custom chocolates. One of them (that I didn't get a picture of, and should have) is called Miracle Max's Magic Pill (or something like that). I thought that was pretty cool!

On the other side of the store there were a bunch of toys and puppets. Notice the dragon in the front there? He was about a foot and a half tall, and cost something like $69!!!! Yeesh!

Candy bins on the other side of the store...

Closer view of the candy jars...

This is the counter of the restaurant across the street where we had lunch. It's supposed to look like an old-fashioned soda shoppe. They had some great little hamburgers served on a skewer, and shakes made with ice cream (as opposed to a mix).

These safes were in just about every building. Dave was saying they're a holdover from when Phillipsburg was a mining town and everyone had to lock up the gems, gold, and silver. I just thought they looked really cool. All of them are painted like this, but with each business's own logo on it.

And, on our way back to the hotel, Dave and I found the road to Wisdom. We did not take that road...

Okay, I think this is long enough for today. Next time will have my trip with Heather to Riverfront park and my trip to Wyoming, in which I wrecked the car and encountered a giant Jackalope!

This is not an awesome parenting moment...

2009-02-19T22:45:00.000-07:00

I came home from the store this evening to find out that my 16 (almost 17) year old son has supposedly been leasing an apartment with his girlfriend for the last two months.

To say that I'm surprised is an understatement. I'm pissed, hurt, shocked...all at once. For the last year he's been hanging out with this girl--it started out that she was his tutor for school. And while she was hanging out with him, she told him about a guy she was dating who wasn't very kind to her. Naturally, my son, being the generally decent guy he is, wanted her to get away from the jerk. And he told us over and over that he was "done with her drama" because she kept going back to the other guy. Finally she left him for good, and started dating my son. She's 18, by the way, and a freshman in college.

So for the last few months he's been dating her. And we've tried to set some ground rules. "If she's going to be in your room, your door has to remain OPEN. Not an inch or so, but all the way open." It got shut a little more each time she was over, and only grudgingly reopened when we said something to him. "It's a school night, you must be in by 11:00." Somehow that got pushed further and further back every time they went somewhere. "Do something with your time other than hang out with her. Don't cut your other friends out of your life. Have some balance." Yeah, that didn't happen either.

He was nominated for Youth of the Year for our county again, and won. Third year in a row. We were very proud of him. He went to the State competition, and won. Again, we were very proud of him. But we were also trying to move into a new house, and the help we got from him was scant, and extremely grudgingly given. We chalked it up to him being upset that we were moving in the first place, and not having a say in the choosing of the house, or even whether we would move. What he doesn't seem to understand is that the heads of the household (his dad and I) make the decisions that we think best for the family, and when it comes to moving, not a single one of the kids has had any say in the matter.

He has told us that if he ever needs anything, he has "important people" and "contacts" who will help him out. People like our lieutenant-governor, and state senators. That's all well and good, but those are busy people. And, what, we're not "important people" to him? We won't be there if he needs something? Or are we just not good enough, or is he embarrassed to be part of our family? I really think that's a lot of what it is. And, oh, that hurts. It's very hard for me not to take that personally.

He thinks we don't understand him. And in a way, he's right. I don't understand why someone would want to get out of a house and away from a family that has done nothing but love and encourage him to the best of our ability. Yeah, we probably dropped the ball by not enforcing the rules of the house. We could have just not allowed her to come over. But we knew that if they weren't at home, they would be somewhere else. And we were trying not to fight with him. Maybe we should have. I don't know. All I know is that I feel like I've failed somehow, somewhere along the line, because so far, each and every one of my older kids (with the exception of Kaila, my middle daughter) has wanted to move out as soon as they physically could. And if I try to keep him here, he'll just run away, and yes, we'd call the police to bring him back, but he'd leave again, and do we really want to force him to stay here against his will? Is it even worth it?

The thing that kills me the most is that I feel that I have very little worth to him. After all, I'm only his stepmother. Every time he calls, he asks to talk to his dad. Even when it's something that I could easily answer or solve. There was one exception. Today he called and asked me to bring something to his work, without asking for Dave first. Nice to know I'm good for something, I guess. Sometimes I wonder if I made a huge mistake, because it really feels like I'm not appreciated, and I feel as if the kids would have been better off without me, like maybe they would have turned out better or something. But even through the times when they've upset me the most, I could look at them and think, "Even so, they're good kids, and hopefully I've helped them to be that way." It's hard to think that tonight, but hopefully soon.

And this has turned into a really long post, so I will go for now.

Cute and tiny...and Odd and huge...

2009-02-14T20:44:00.000-07:00

So...whilst driving yesterday, I saw a triceratops. No, really, I did!

And today I took a picture of Gizmo, my chinchilla. I also took a video of his bath, but the lighting was crappy, and I don't think it'll show on here.

I'll have to try again in a couple of days. I'll take his bathtub into the kitchen where there's a lot of daylight and let him go crazy in it. :)

Yeah, this is kind of a lame post. Sorry about that.

Just to keep y'all posted, I'm still waiting to hear about the supervisory position I applied for. I should hear something one way or the other by the 20th of this month. As soon as I know, I'll let you guys know. :)

In other news, I'm working on unpacking boxes and getting pictures hung up. Soon as we do that, we can start on the boxes in the garage. I think I'm going to be unpacking for a looong time...lol

Oh, and my son Daniel is getting married May 14th! I'm excited for him, can you tell? ;-)

And now I think I'm going to go for the evening. Not a lot to say, really, this time around. I'll post again later on.

*Hugs* and g'night, y'all!

Snow post...

2009-01-15T21:06:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know I said I'd post this a while ago, but I just didn't get to it before now. Anyhow, while driving for work, I've taken a few pictures (well, more than a few, but I promise I won't share all of them!) This is mostly going to be a photodump, unless I really thing something needs an explanation.

Without further ado, I give you snow:

(Squirrels!)

And I was going to upload a video, but apparently the one I have is too big, so I'm going to try putting it on Photobucket. If I manage to post it there, I'll add the link here.

This, that, and the other thing...

2008-12-27T18:11:00.000-07:00

Not much going on, really. I did start my job with the Census Bureau, and so far it's been fun mostly, but also a little frustrating. Fun because I've met some really nice people, and driven to some cute little towns. Frustrating because I've had very little luck getting people to come in for testing. I'm thinking it's mostly because of Christmas and people trying to just concentrate on getting through that. I know hunting season played a big part in it as well. *sigh* But it still feels like I'm not doing my job as well as I could be.

One cool thing--in the last couple of weeks, I have seen THREE bald eagles in my travels! I'd never seen any in the wild before, so this was pretty awesome! Beautiful birds, I think. I've also been noticing a lot of hawks in the area, which I hadn't before.

Oh, I would like to know who exactly ordered winter for here. >:-( I am NOT impressed with all the snow we've gotten. It's freakin' cold! (Though it is very pretty if it isn't on the road...) Which reminds me--I need to do a couple (at least) "snow posts" for those who don't get to share it with me. I've been taking a bunch of pictures while out and about (tomorrow I plan to go to a park near here and try to get some good black and white ones), and also took a short video that I wanted to put up. I'm thinking that I'll have to do what Boo does and do a "photodump."

One last thing...looks like we'll be able to start moving in to the new house as of the first of the year. We'll have a week to do any painting or things like that, and then we'll start moving our stuff. The downside: so far, I have packed--1 large box of clothes, 6 boxes of videotapes, and 3 or 4 boxes of breakables. We haven't even started sorting the other stuff we have! I think this might be a good time to start panicking! Seriously, though, if anyone wants to come and help us move, I will pay you in home cooked meals. They won't be fancy, but they'll be pretty tasty, and that's all that really matters, right? :)

Okay, I think that's all for now. I will most likely download pictures to the computer later on and see about getting some good ones posted on here. Sorry this was kind of short, but I thought I ought to get at least one more on here before the end of the year...lol

Y'all take care, and I hope everyone had a good Christmas, and hope y'all have a great start to the new year!

Trick or Treat! (the costumes and decorations)

2008-11-02T10:18:00.000-07:00

Now that we had carved and decorated our jack-o'-lanterns, it was time for us to get into costume.

My other granddaughter, Isabel, came over the day before Halloween--she was a cat this year.

Her soon-to-be stepsister, Jordan, came over as well, dressed as a unicorn.
Aren't they sweet?

Tree went as a corporate vampire this year...

Accompanied by Rachele in fairy guise.

And here's Aidan, as Darth Vader. He was heartbroken that he couldn't wear his Spiderman costume anymore (he outgrew it), but it got some use anyway--Iris was Spidergirl, but somehow we didn't manage to get pictures of her on our camera. I'll have to fix that!

Heather went as a leopard. Dave did a pretty good job on her makeup. : )

Here's Heather outside, next to our witch's table. Looks like one of the finished painted pumpkins also made it into the picture. : )

Here's me, in my "enchantress" costume. I really like that cloak! It's actually pretty warm, which means I don't need a coat--a bonus when Halloween night is kind of chilly most years.

And this is me with Heather and Aidan at Mom & Dad's place. It's tradition that every year we go to Dave's folks' so they can get pictures of our costumes. Plus we get as much candy as we want! : )

I almost forgot about my niece, Angela--she was (I think, but don't quote me) a goth angel. Very cute, I think! : )

I didn't get very many pictures of Halloween decorations, simply because there weren't many displays worthy of note. However, there was one place that really did up their yard:

There was another really cool house, with some pretty spooky lighting, and scary...not scarecrows, but I guess you'd call them dummies...they were done up in costumes (one was the guy from Scream, one was Freddy, and I don't remember the other one), but one was an actual person. Last year it was the Scream outfit that had a person inside, this year it was Freddy. Anyhow, generally all is quiet while the kids ring the doorbell and get their candy, but when they leave, the guy in costume jumps at the kids to scare them. Heather remembered the place from last year and wasn't sure she wanted to go up to the door, but it wasn't too bad. : )

This year was a nice change, weather-wise. It really isn't unusual for it to be raining, windy, or snowing on Halloween, and is almost always really cold. We have to find or make costumes that can be worn over cold-weather clothes! But it was in the low 70s early in the day, and it only dropped to the 50s that night. The kids came home with a ton of candy, and combined it with the candy they'd gotten two days before from trick or treating up at the college. I think they've all got 5 or 10 pounds each!

Okay, this has gotten quite long enough. I'll check back in in a day or two--I'll have to tell you about my new job then!

Trick or Treat! (the pumpkins)

2008-11-02T09:05:00.000-07:00

So...Friday was Halloween, and
we celebrated by carving (and painting) pumpkins, and dressing up in costumes to beg for candy in the surrounding neighborhoods. : )

Here's Dave, with his favorite carving knife. Heather looks a little worried, there...lol

Here's Heather, scooping out pumpkin guts...

Deciding on how his face is going to look...

This year was the first year that Heather got to carve her pumpkin (pretty much) by herself.

And the finished jack-o'-lantern! Heather thought he needed some paint as a finishing touch.

Meanwhile, Rachele was getting her kids set to paint their pumpkins.

Iris had fun painting hers. : )

Aidan's pumpkin is full of personality! : )

And, oh, yes, we mustn't forget about the pumpkin-goop
tossing, or....

the paint smearing! Dave did the goop tossing, and Tree did the paint smearing. I think Rachele is plotting revenge at some point soon...lol

For some reason, people insist on taking pictures of me, too, so here I am cleaning out my pumpkin...

Carving the pumpkin....

It looks better when it's lit up!

See, what'd I tell you? Pretty spiffy, no?

And really, I think that's enough pictures for this post. I'm going to do a separate one for the costumes and decorations.

Yes, today...sheesh...

Hold the phone!

2008-10-22T20:31:00.000-06:00

Oh, my gosh! I got the Census Bureau job after all! The good one, the one I applied for! I've got to call the lady from the regional office in Denver tomorrow to get all the details straightened out. So far, all I know is that it pays $12.50 an hour, with 58.5 cents/mile for travel. : ) I can't stop grinning!

The only downside is that I don't think I'll be able to give my boss a full two weeks' notice that I'm leaving. I have to have 40 hours of training for the new job, and I think (not sure, though) that I'm supposed to start in about a week and a half....eesh. I think my boss at Hobby Lobby is going to have kittens when I tell him I'm leaving.

But I'm still so excited! And, okay, a little scared because this is so different from anything I've ever done before. But I can do this!

I'll post again when I know more about the job. Have a good evening, everyone! : )

A new house...

2008-10-18T20:32:00.000-06:00

Okay, first things first, though. The Census Bureau finally contacted me last Friday, but I wasn't able to call them back until Tuesday this week. After talking with someone at the office, it turned out that I didn't get the Recruiting Assistant job I had wanted. They were willing to offer me one of several clerk positions, but I'm not going to take it. The major reason is that they are only paying clerks $8.25 an hour, which is what I'm making now, and since I've been with Hobby Lobby for a year, I'm due for a raise pretty soon. I had been hoping that I would be making more with the Census Bureau, so that I could maybe set some aside. If I was to take this job now, there wouldn't be any extra money, plus there's no guarantee that the job would last longer than a year. So come Christmas time next year, I'd be looking for another job. Thanks for all the good wishes though! : )

And now for the actual subject of this post! Yes, I'm sure you're all so excited! lol

So...our landlord told us early last week that we needed to get the house clean because he was having an appraiser come to inspect it so that he could refinance it. He said it would need to be in the next couple of weeks, which, theoretically, would give us plenty of time.

Uh-huh. Things didn't work out like that. The appraiser called on Thursday, and wanted to come check out the house on Saturday. Dave politely told him that he'd been sick, and could we please reschedule for Monday. This was no problem, and we spent the weekend cleaning furiously. It's good that the house is clean, but it just reminds me how much junk we really have.

But I digress. Our landlord (Mark) told us that he would buy a house that we could buy from him, as a contract for deed. Naturally we were very excited, since we've been talking about moving to a small town or at least to a smaller house for a while now. Mark told us about a couple of houses, and I went to look at them a couple of days ago.

The first house I don't have pictures of, but it was definitely LITTLE! lol It was built in 1930, and I think it was meant for a family of very skinny giants. Seriously! I went into the kitchen, and the cabinets were so tall that when I stood on my tiptoes and stretched my hand up, I could reach the front of the third shelf. And there were FOUR shelves! AND a smaller cabinet above that! Every cabinet in the place was the same way...and it was just very very tiny. Not quite right for us, I think.

The second house I went and looked at, I fell in love with. I took Dave with me tonight to see it, and we took pictures this time. I'll give you a bit of a walk-through, though the pics aren't that great.

This is taken from outside the front door. The first thing you walk into is a mud room, where you can leave your outdoor stuff and muddy shoes and such. Then there's the door into the main house. The lady in the doorway is the realtor, and the girl lives in the house currently.

This is a picture of one side of the mud room--there are windows like that all the way around. That's actually true of the whole house--there are windows everywhere, which makes it very light and airy.

This is the living room, which is actually a pretty good size, I think. There is a loveseat over on the left side of the picture, and over on the right is where there's a couch. I didn't manage to get it in the picture. (I said they weren't very good pictures...lol)

This is part of the living room, also. I lovelovelove those built in shelves--I already know I'm going to fill them up with all my knicknacks! lol We're debating whether we're going to keep our table and put it here, or get a breakfast nook to put in the kitchen. I really hate to get rid of the table we have now, because it's actually big enough for everyone to sit around, but if there isn't room for it.....*sigh*

This is the bathroom--mostly the bathroom cabinets. I gotta say, it fascinates me, how much storage this house really has. Someone built cabinets and storage nooks everywhere--it's great! Anyhow, the bathtub and shower are over there on the right, and that brown cabinet is above the toilet.

This is the laundry room, which is just off the bathroom. It's not very big, but there's a dresser in the room for storage (I've no idea if that's staying, but I'll worry about that later). That door on the left goes to a storage area that connects to the kitchen, but just on the other side is an upright freezer. I figure that's where we'll put ours.

This is only one view of the kitchen, but I didn't take more than this one. I wanted to show off the window, and the green counters. Dave doesn't like them, but I kind of do. I'm thinking a bluer green might be better, though.

This is the doorway to the master bedroom. It's not huge, but I think it's big enough for us. And the best thing is that it's on the main floor, which means that Dave doesn't have to worry about going up or down stairs. This is a major bonus!

Okay, this is one of my favorite things about the house. This tiny door goes to a storage room right above the master bedroom. I'm right next to the door, and my head is brushing the ceiling. Walking through that door makes me feel like Alice in Wonderland--it's great! I don't think Matt will like having his room upstairs, though--he's over 6 feet tall, and he'll have to duck every time he walks through the hallway! lol

This is the inside of the storage room. It's been insulated, but there's no sheetrock or anything else on the ceiling. I'm thinking this would make a great craft room for me! : )

This is the front of the closet in what would probably be Heather's room. Currently there's no bar for hanging clothers, but that can be fixed easily enough. I like the idea of hanging curtains in front, instead of having doors.

This is the same room. Heather's arm is over there on the right, the rest of her is attached, don't worry--it's just not in the picture...(yes, that was silly) Anyhow, the room is smaller than the one she has now, but I think it will be okay for her.

This is the closet in the other upstairs bedroom. And Dave, of course. :) Notice the built-in storage on the other side? Very cool!

Okay, this is one of the trees on the property. It's perfect for a treehouse! We've never had a treehouse tree before! And it even has a tire swing--every kid needs a tire swing!

And this is one of the garden patches outside--this one is on the left side of the mud room. Currently it is occupied by garden gnomes, but I don't know if the will choose to move with the family that lives in the house.

Oh, and I promised Netti a picture of snow. This is the remnants of the snowfall we had last week, taken from my driveway (that's my front yard). Next time it snows, I will take better pictures, I promise!

Okay, that's all for now. Sorry this was so long. Keep your fingers crossed that everything goes well with getting this house--I'm very excited about it!

G'night everyone!

But it isn't even Halloween....

2008-10-11T14:54:00.000-06:00

And there is snow on the ground. And it is still snowing. AND (get this) they're saying something about the possibility of another 8 to 12 inches of this stuff! Oh, man.... :(

I'm not ready for the snow. I've resigned myself to the fact that Halloween here is almost always cold, rainy, windy, or snowy...or sometimes all of the above. But it's only the 11th of October, for heaven's sake! Much too early to have to break out the snow shovel.

There hasn't been a whole lot going on around here, which is why I haven't posted anything. I'm still waiting to hear something definite from the Census Bureau. Although someone from the Denver office called me at work yesterday, and left a message to call her back. Of course I was very excited, and called as soon as I got the message--but I didn't get the message until 2 because I was closing last night, and I guess they had already left for the day, since I got their machine every time I tried calling. Guess I'll be calling on Monday. (I hope they were calling to tell me that I got the job, and not to say, sorry, they don't need me...)

Also, today and possibly tomorrow we're going to be in a cleaning frenzy here at the house. Our landlord wants to have the house refinanced, so naturally it must be inspected inside and out. Which means it must be spotless top to bottom. The guy wanted to come today, but Dave told him that he was sick (which he is) and talked him into coming on Monday afternoon instead. I think we're going to need a miracle...

And I've been thinking lately about doing a bucket list--I saw several from you fine folks on your own blogs, and thought I might share mine. I'm pretty sure I can come up with 34 things I want to do before I die. That's for another post, though--right now, it's time to go and clean. Um, yay?

Hope y'all have a good weekend! If you get the chance, take a look at Heather's Bookanook (if you feel like it, anyhow)--also at The Crafty Dragon's Creations, I have a countdown to Christmas, just in case you weren't panicking yet about buying and/or making gifts! :) So long for now!

Woohoo!

2008-09-02T17:50:00.000-06:00

So I took my test for the Census Bureau job today...I got 100%! How cool is that?! My mom was testing for the Admin Assistant job and scored a 97%. I thought that was funny, since we took the same test--the questions were just in a different order. : ) Anyhow, the ladies giving the test said that they very rarely saw scores that good, and that they would be seeing us. Sounds promising, I think! And I think that I'll be hearing from them pretty soon, because they're opening the local office around the first of October, and whoever they hire has to have 40 hours of training before they start. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Oh, and you know how kids say the funniest stuff sometimes? Here is a conversation between Dave and Heather on our way up to the mountains this past Saturday:

Heather: Oh, horses! I want the black one!

Dave: I want the green one.

H: There is no green horse, Dad. (sounding very exasperated)

D: Well, wouldn't it be cool to genetically engineer colored horses? Then you could have blue or green or whatever color you like.

H: Everyone wishes that, Dad, but it's just not possible. (sounding like she's explaining to someone much younger than her 10 years) So I'm just going to spray-paint them, and then I can have lots of colors!

D: But, you know, spray-paint isn't very good for their skin.

H: Yes, that's why I'm going to spray it from far away, so it doesn't get to their skin.

Me: giggling silently while taking notes so I can post that conversation on here...

I feel like crap...

2008-08-24T07:35:00.000-06:00

I've developed some sort of nasty bug. I have a sore throat, a fever, and a stuffy nose. Normally I don't take cold medicine, but I have been the last two days. Turns out I've been taking double what I'm supposed to, which would explain the upset stomach it's been giving me. *sigh* On top of that, it's "that time" so of course I feel all icky from that, too.

Okay, on to better stuff. Last Saturday was my daughter Heather's birthday. I can't believe she's 10 already! Dave and I bought her a new bike, and we've had a hard time getting her off of it! : ) My mom gave her a copy of Mary Poppins, which she's watched about half a dozen times already. A lady I work with gave her a couple of porcelain dolls--Heather just loves them!

I should probably post some pics, but right now I just don't feel like it. I'll probably get to it this afternoon sometime.

Also, I'm applying for a job with the Census Bureau. The position is Recruiting Assistant, and I would be responsible for making sure that there are enough people to do the census, setting appointments, making sure there are testing facilities available, and handing out flyers at job fairs, etc. There are a couple of other things, too, but that's the bulk of it. I take the test and turn in my application on the 2nd of Sept., and after that, they'll either schedule me for an interview, or not. There's only one of those positions available, and I'm sure there will be a lot of people applying for it, so wish me luck! The nice thing about it is that it pays about $12.50 an hour, and I think I can do some of it from home!

We're getting ready to start the new school year with Heather, and we're trying to think of ways to make book reports more enjoyable for her. She's never had to do an actual report, just sheets every week asking about the characters, settings, stuff like that, which was a lead-in to book reports. She hated doing those, and I can't say that I really blamed her, because it was the same questions every week, although it involved only a little writing every day.

Anyway, the issue isn't reading--she LOVES to read! The issue is getting her to tell someone about the book. I was talking to Dave, and I thought it would be a neat idea for her to start a book review blog. She could do a little bit every day about what she's reading, or just do a review/report when she finished a book. Then, hopefully, she could get responses with constructive criticism on the report. Just an idea I had.

Okay, that's about all I've got for now. I'm going to be helping Dave with the trailer later today so he can go camping with our middle son and Heather this week. I'll be going up next Friday evening. I'll also try to get back on here later today to post some pics, and maybe write the next chapter in my story.

Have a great day!

R.I.P. Tim...

2008-07-30T21:16:00.000-06:00

My brother-in-law Tim died today. He went in for gastric bypass surgery last week and there were problems following it. He had a clot get to his lungs, which gave him pneumonia. He was put in ICU so they could monitor him. The docs put in screens to block any other clots, but the screens kept failing and had to be replaced. They couldn't give Tim any blood thinners to break up the clots because it was so soon after the surgery. However, they had started him on Coumadin (a blood thinner) yesterday (enough time had passed) and it seemed to be working really well. They were going to move him out of ICU tomorrow. But something went wrong. A clot got past the screen and they think it went to his brain. They haven't done an autopsy yet, though Dave is pretty sure they will. Papa (Dave's dad) said he died almost instantly, which is good, I guess.

Tim's son Mick was there this afternoon, as was Jim, the third of Dave's siblings. Jim was actually driving back home to NC when he got the call, so he turned around and headed back to PA.

I only got to meet Tim a few times because he lived so far away, but I liked him a lot. He was a lot like Dave, which stands to reason, doesn't it? : ) He was a good man with a ready smile and a great sense of humor. And he made a killer cheesecake! He would have been 52 this Christmas Eve. He had a son named Michael (known as Mick, who has a son named Gannon), and a daughter named Ashley. Tim was the oldest of Dave's brothers, followed by John (who lives next door to us), Jim (lives in NC), Bill (lives in Sweden), and finally, Dave.

I wish I could have known Tim better. I'll miss him, though.

Home again...

2008-07-28T19:34:00.000-06:00

I got home yesterday evening. I so wanted to stay up in the mountains! It's so peaceful up there, away from everything. I had a great relaxing nine days, but would have gladly stayed at least nine more... : )

I didn't go and do a whole lot, but I did take a lot of pictures. Somewhere between 800 and 1000, according to Dave. I promise I won't post all of them, and I won't put too many in any one post. This one has pictures of a hiking trip that Heather and I took on Thursday last week. It was just a short hike (1/2 mile or so), but there was a great little waterfall at the end of the trail.

This is Heather during the hike, about two-thirds of the way up the trail. She was pretty worn out, but decided to keep going. Good thing, too, because I wasn't going back until I found the waterfall! : )

This is one of the first glimpses of the stream that comes from the waterfall. Heather had said "For all we know, the waterfall might have dried up!" I told her that, no, if the waterfall had dried up, then the stream would have dried up, too. When we saw this stream, I said "See? That proves it's not dried up!" lol

And here's the waterfall! That's the first time I'd ever been up close to a fall. It was so beautiful! The mist from the fall felt really good after the hike. I can't describe adequately how neat I thought it was.

This is Heather pointing out the fall and saying how cool it looked. She was glad we didn't turn around and go back before we made it here. : )

And this is me. I thought Dave would like a picture of me up there, so I let Heather take a few. This was the best one, I thought.

This is a picture I took of the moss and other greenery growing on the rock wall to the left of the waterfall. If you look closely at roughly the center of the picture, you'll see what almost looks like an alien face in the stone. I thought it was really neat!

Anyhow, that's a few of my favorite pictures of that hike. There are quite a few more, but I may share them another time. I'll see what other fun things I can find for my next post. Have a good one, and I'll catch you later!

Camping, camping, camping!

2008-07-18T23:45:00.001-06:00

So, um, as you may have guessed, I am going camping! Yay! If I could, I would live there...except that I really do enjoy having people around most of the time. Not that I go visit anyone, but I like seeing that there are people there, if you get what I mean.

Anyhow, I will be going first thing in the morning, and will return on the 27th, as late as I can possibly make it, and still have time for a shower when I get in...lol

Wanted to let y'all know I'll be thinking of ya (well, at least sometimes!), and I'll post pictures when I come back. I'm sure Dave will on his blog, as well.

Y'all take care! Try to stay out of trouble while I'm gone, huh? :)

Hurt...

2008-07-11T21:35:00.000-06:00

Isn't it amazing how the people that say they love you are often the ones who hurt you the most?

My mom's birthday was last Friday, and I bought her a copy of October Sky (the novel, not the movie, about the farmer who wanted to build his own spacecraft about the time that Sputnik was going up). Her reaction then was "What in the world made you think I would like that?" She hadn't seen the movie, or any of the ads for it, but vaguely knew about it once I gave her a brief description. She said she would read it, but sounded pretty doubtful that she would enjoy it. I bought it for her because I thought she might like something a little different than what she's been reading (romance novels, because they're cheap and throwaways) and I don't know what books by her favorite authors she has or hasn't read anymore.

Apparently I screwed up, though, because a week later she still hasn't started to read the book and asked me again tonight why I thought she would like it.

So now I am sitting here, in tears, feeling like I've somehow disappointed her yet again (won't go into other stuff right now), and wondering if I'll ever be able to please the woman.

Sorry about the pity party. I'll try not to let it happen again.

Hope y'all have a better day.

New pictures!

2008-07-01T11:27:00.000-06:00

Okay, I have to post some pics of Keagan 2.0--he's sans oxygen cords now! Ain't he cute?
Oh, that's my youngest son Matt holding the baby--I don't have any real good pictures of him lately, so I'll have to get some.

And did I mention that we got a new camera? Better than half-price at Kmart, on clearance! (Man, I love sales!) Anyhow, we've been playing with it for the last couple of days. Got some pictures of our critters (the cat is Patches, the dog is Tex), plus some flowers that I saw while walking on Sunday. The two pictures of the rose are actually the same flower in different light.

And this is a picture of the end of a sunset. Didn't get all the awesome colors because I was out too late, but this was still pretty. I was standing on one corner and zoomed in towards the park across the street. I'm going to be trying to get some other sunsets pretty soon, plus fireworks this Friday should be cool too!

I can't wait to be able to take the camera camping! There's some really great views up there! Not to mention all the critters! :)

Anyhow, I'm off for today. Hope y'all have a good one!

Be careful what you wish for...

2008-06-19T20:27:00.000-06:00

You just might get it!

I've been getting new jewelry items at work (very cool stuff, most of it), but no new layout to tell me where exactly it's supposed to go. So for the last 4 weeks or so I've been asking "is it here yet?" The answer has always been "nope, not yet"--until this week. It came in on Monday, but I couldn't start on it until after I had all this week's freight put away and the order done.

Got that stuff done and got to look at the new layout. I just about fainted on the spot! The packet was about an inch and a half thick (most of it new labels), but the worst part is that everything is moving! I kid you not, I mean everything! So I now have 3 carts full of stuff that is moving further down the aisle, and big empty holes that I need to fill in. And I think it needs to be done by the end of next week. (Or that's when they would like it done, anyway.) No pressure.

'Scuse me while I hide somewhere.....yeep!

On a side note, Tree and Rachele had to go out of town today. Tree's dad died yesterday, of (as yet to me) unknown causes. So they are going to be with his mom until the funeral on Monday--they have to be back by Tuesday night due to an appointment that Rachele has on Wednesday.

Guess that's all for now. If I think of anything else, I'm sure I'll add it later.

Have a good one!

New news...

2008-06-04T23:54:00.000-06:00

Okay, first things first: Tiny has been home for about a week and a half, and is doing wonderfully well! He's gaining almost an ounce a day. Tree says that when he eats, you can almost see him getting fatter! lol I promise to get some pics on here soon! He does still have the oxygen and monitor, but doesn't need very much oxygen, which is good. He gets lots of cuddles from everyone around. Rachele says he's still pretty quiet, except when he's wet--then he lets EVERYONE know about it! lol (One of the best parts about being a grandma--I don't have to change diapers if I don't want to!)

My son Jake is going to be graduating from Basic training on the 13th of this month. I'm really proud of him. He wasn't sure he would make it through, or that he would give up on it. I think it's been good for him, though. I hear the same maturity in his voice that I heard in my brother's when he was in, and also in my son Daniel's when he was in it. It may be hard, but they have to be. They have to make sure that their soldiers aren't going to break at a crucial moment. The only thing that scares me is Jake's MOS, which is forward observer--which is another way of saying scout. That means that Jake has more likelihood of being called into active duty (he's Nat'l Guard) sooner rather than later. I've already had one son in Iraq, and I worried about him the whole time. It was pretty much God watching out for him that kept him alive over there. I can only pray that He'll do the same for Jake. One thing I do NOT want is a couple of soldiers presenting me with a flag.

Ooookay, that was a little more serious than I expected to get.

On the subject of being a radiology tech: Not sure I'll be able to do that. The school itself wouldn't be much of a problem, but the time factor might. I'd have to do regular classes (prerequisites) for a year first, then apply for the radiology program. They only take 16 applicants every year, so you have to have VERY good grades. Then it's two years (solid, no summer break) of classes and working at the hospital to get the hands-on training. I don't think I'd be able to do that and still work even part-time. Unfortunately, we don't have a place here that would pay me to go to school and learn this stuff. So I'm going to look into some other options. I'll keep y'all posted.

And now for the fun thing: If you look to your right, under my profile, you'll see some cute little dragon eggs. If you click on them, you can help them hatch. And if you would like dragons of your own, you can go here: http://dragcave.ath.cx/ You'll have to start an account, but boy, it's a lot of fun!

Okay, I'm off for now. Have a good evening...or something, since it's midnight!

Counting down...

2008-05-20T01:18:00.000-06:00

Tiny gets to come home on Friday! He's up to 5 lbs., 9 oz. as of yesterday evening, but I didn't ask Rachele what he's at today. Probably not more than an ounce or two more than that. He will have to have oxygen at least for a while when he comes home, but hopefully it won't be for too long. Rachele and Tree are, of course, VERY excited! Rachele's been having a bit of a hard time reconciling not being pregnant and not having the baby here with her. And only seeing him a couple of times a day for an hour or so each time just doesn't quite cut it.

Anyhow, that's all for now, just wanted to post that quick update. On an unrelated note, I'm planning to make some phone calls tomorrow to see what all I need to do to get started on a radiology degree. It's a major change from working retail, but I think it'll be a good one. Wish me luck, folks!

Just to check in....

2008-05-10T22:25:00.000-06:00

Haven't posted in a while, so I guess I should catch you all up.
A couple of weeks ago, I got to hold Tiny for the first time--I was almost afraid of breaking him, he seems so fragile. He's gaining weight fast now, he's up to 4 lbs, 10 oz! He's also been moved out of the incubator and into a regular bassinet, which means that he can regulate his own body temperature. Oh, and apparently he has a "super-power"--the ability to produce really smelly (the kind that can knock you over) diapers! lol

I'm looking forward to spring making its full appearance here, because I want to do some work in our yard and make it look nice. I've got some hostas and a bleeding heart that I want to plant, and I want to pick up at least one rose bush, as well as a raspberry bush and a blackberry bush. I've got some shrubs I need to trim before they try to take over the yard, and I want to get more stepping stones--right now the path only goes about four feet from the front gate! : )

A while back I posted that I was thinking about getting a different job. Well, I'm less stressed about my job now--it seems that either less stuff is getting stolen (which was my main frustration), or else I'm just more relaxed about it. But I still need to be making about twice what I am, which isn't going to happen in retail. Not here, anyhow--by the way, I'm only making $8 an hour, which is sad, considering that I could go to work at just about any fast-food place (eww--been there, done that, don't want to anymore) and make $8.50 to start. Bleah. So I'm toying with the idea of learning to be an ultrasound tech. Just have to figure out how to pay for it...

On a more fun note, last weekend, Dave, Heather, Tex, and I went to Riverfront Park. That's an undeveloped park just a couple of miles from our house. There are a couple of lakes there, and always a bunch of Canada geese and some ducks there. Heather and I fed the ducks and geese, and then I wanted to go for a walk on some of the trails. She didn't want to, though--she just wanted to wander around by the main lake with Tex, so off I went by myself.

I saw (and heard!) a bunch of red-winged blackbirds, a muskrat swimming in the smaller lake, and a beaver's lodge (but no beaver). There was a HUGE cottonwood that the beavers had tried to chew down, but apparently gave up on. It looked like an axe had been taken to it, and it leaned a bit, but didn't seem to be in any danger of falling down. Also there were a couple of places where tree branches came all the way to the ground and made "caves." I can't remember now if the trees were dead or not, but hopefully not, because those would look cool all leafy and green! I wish I'd had more time to go walking around, but we had to get home and finish cooking dinner. Next time I'll try to make sure I've got a camera so that I can put some pictures up.

Okay, I think that's all for now. I've really got to get out and do some stuff so this blog isn't so boring...lol Have a good one, folks!

Check out my other blogs...

2008-04-22T23:34:00.001-06:00

Yeah, that's a pretty shameless plug. But seriously, go check them out! : ) I have pictures up on #2, and the beginning of a story on #3 (it's Chapter one of a multi-chaptered story, you might want to catch the beginning so you know what's going on! lol)

Oh, and there are new pictures of Tiny, with clothes on! He looks, as Rachele put it, like a proper baby now!

Look at the size of those feet! He's going to be one tall kid!

Aww, so sweet.... : )

Can't wait for him to come home! He's gaining about an ounce a day right now, but he needs to be able to maintain his body temperature, which should be easier once he's got some fat on those bones of his. I'm kind of jealous, since I can't hold him yet. But since he only gets to be held once a day, I guess I'll leave that for his mom and dad...lol

In other news...not much new to report, actually. My daughter Kaila is moving back up here in about a month. Tuition is being raised in NC, where she is currently attending college, to a point where she won't be able to afford it unless she gets a full time job, which doesn't exactly leave much time for school and studying. So she's transferring to the local college here. I told her she can't have her room back, since we already gave it to her youngest brother...lol Actually, she's going to move in with her grandparents for a while, I think, to give her a chance to save for an apartment of her own, and to continue easing her out of living with family. None of the kids really like the quiet of their own places, they like the chaos that is our house. They seem to thrive on it. Me, I am looking forward to the day when the house has only Dave and I in it. Then, the next day, it will be all crazy and hectic again! : ) Ah, well, I love my family!

My middle son, Jake, is in boot camp and pretty homesick. He's nervous about the fact that his hands are shaky and they're learning advanced lifesaving techniques and how to put IVs in each other. He's worried that he'll miss the vein. Dave had a pretty good talk with him, he said. I just want to hug him and tell him it'll be okay. And this isn't even the hardest stuff yet! *sigh* It's hard to watch your kids grow up. Especially when you can't be right there with them.

Okay, that's all for now. Have a good evening!

A new blog?...or two?....

2008-04-19T23:56:00.000-06:00

I'm thinking of starting a second (and maybe a third) blog. I was thinking maybe I would start one for my jewelry and crochet projects, that way folks who are reading this one don't have to look at my stuff if they don't want to, and folks who just want to check out my projects could just go to that one and not read my ramblings if they weren't so inclined.

I was also thinking that maybe the third blog might be sort of a "story corner." Back when I first started crocheting, I found a pattern for a crocheted dragon (so cute!) and a pattern for a doll. I thought, "Wouldn't it be great if I made the dragon, (and named him Dennis), and made the doll to look like a knight (and named him Norman), and wrote a story about their adventures together?" Well, I never did make the toys, but I did start writing their story. I think it would be kind of neat to try and finish it. Also, Dave used to tell the kids "Carrot Queen stories," which he had made up for them when they were little. I may have to get him to tell them to me so I can post them somewhere. : )

Anyway, so that's my pondering for today. I'll probably go and dig out my Dennis and Norman story tomorrow and start that blog, at least. Geez, like I need yet another thing to occupy my time...lol

Oh, before I forget, Tiny is up to 3 lbs., 2 oz.! That's half a pound over his birthweight! Woohoo!

Okay, bye for now! Have a good....whatever time of day it is for you! : )

This is only a test...

2008-04-08T23:31:00.000-06:00

While necro-surfing over at the MoH forum, I found a link to a pretty neat personality test. It's called a "Kingdomality Test," and checks your personality to see how you would fit into a medieval kingdom, and how it would compare to a corporate kingdom today. Here is the link:

http://www.cmi-lmi.com/kingdomality.html

That takes you to the front page, and you click on the image and go from there. I got the Dreamer-Minstrel. I think that's pretty close to how I am, but I may go back and re-take the test later and see if it comes up with anything different.

I think the main reason I'm looking for something different, job-wise, is that I really would like to have a job that would actually mean something. I would most love to own my own craft store, but I don't want it to be a huge business, because I really don't want to be a manager. Unfortunately, I have no business-running skills. I'm going to see if our local adult education center has classes on business management, or business ownership. And while I know that's also retail, it would be my retail business. Mostly I want to get out of debt, be able to save money for when I retire (no, I don't want to still be working at 70 or so, thanks all the same), possibly own a home, and maybe do some travelling. There are lots of places in this world I'd like to see someday. And if I could save money to pass on to my kids, that would be cool, too. The two most important things in that list are getting out of debt and saving for retirement.

Ah, well. Deep thoughts in such a shallow pond...lol Take the test if you want, and have a great evening, day, whatever! : )

Update on Tiny, and maybe a decision to make...

2008-04-08T00:18:00.000-06:00

Just to let you guys know, Tiny is almost back to his birth weight (about half an ounce shy, is all) and is doing pretty well. He is eating pretty well, which is a good sign. I think I have some new pics of him hiding in the puter somewhere, let me take a look...

Yup, there he is! Eyes open and everything! The best part is that when Rachele and Tree hold him, Tiny doesn't even need his oxygen--it literally gets so high, they have to shut it off! Way to go, Tiny!

Okay, now for the decision I may be making...

I think I may need to find another job. : ( I want to find a job that will actually go somewhere. Plus, the local high school kids come in and rob us blind. It's depressing, especially since I can't do anything about it unless I actually catch them at it. A couple of weeks ago, someone made off with several hundred dollars' worth of sterling silver jewelry findings. I know this isn't my stuff, and I'm not responsible for the losses, but still....*sigh*

So, I think I need to find a new job that isn't related to retail. And I need to get some job skills, so I can acquire said new job. Any ideas?

More pics of the baby!

2008-03-31T23:22:00.000-06:00

Boy, y'all are really going to get tired of this kid! lol Anyhow, I talked to Berlyn, and realized that there might be some confusion for some of the members of the crochetlist that might take a look here, since they know (of) Berlyn by her actual name, which is Rachele. She said it was okay for me to put her real name on here, so that's how I'm going to be calling her!

So, anyway, here are some more pics of Tiny for you guys to look at!

Here's Tree holding Tiny for the first time!

My grandson...

2008-03-30T22:07:00.001-06:00

And here is a picture of my new grandbaby:

He's soooo tiny! He is only 15 inches long, and I posted his weight earlier. He is doing well, though. He seems so out of proportion...his head, hands, and feet are so big compared to the rest of him! I think his official nickname will end up being "Tiny." My youngest daughter wants to call him "Tiny Tim," and Berlyn has said that's okay. : )

Book tag also...

2008-03-30T11:30:00.000-06:00

Mouse tagged me, so I'm playing along! : )

Okay, the first book to hand is Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George.

Page 123 (funny, haven't gotten this far yet!), third sentence is:
Tobin winked at me as I approached, and I rolled my eyes by way of reply.

And the next 5 sentences are:
"Your Highness." I curtsied, my eyes downcast. When I raised them, I found that Luka had gotten to his feet and was grinning at me.
"Creel." He gave me a polite bow, clearly amused at my overly formal greeting. "I wanted to know how you were getting on here in Mistress Derda's fine establishment."
"I am enjoying my work very much," I said, hoping that he didn't notice how red and pricked my fingertips were.

And so now I tag Neo, Tah, Accipiter, OppieJoe, and LaMa.

Hmmm, all guys...lol

Meatloaf

2008-03-30T10:40:00.000-06:00

Okay, someone was asking me how I make my meatloaf, which my kids LOVE (though they may be a little biased! lol), so I figured I'd put it on here for anyone who cares to try it. Mind you, the measurements are not exact, but more approximations. Oh, and remember, I'm cooking for an army, so the recipe makes a BIG meatloaf!

Shawna's Killer Meatloaf

5 lbs ground beef
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 10 oz (? not the tiny can, not the really big can) can tomato sauce
1 10 oz can diced tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
3 eggs
enough crackers or bread crumbs to absorb the moisture and hold it together (I normally end up using 2 to 3 sleeves of crackers)
Ketchup or tomato sauce to cover the top of the loaf before it goes in the oven
Shredded cheese for the top

Mix together everything but the shredded cheese and ketchup for the top. Put it in a casserole dish (you'll need a good-sized one), then spread ketchup or tomato sauce over the whole top.
Put the meatloaf in the oven at 350 (sorry, I don't have a degree key, and it's in Farenheit, for those of you who use Celsius) for about 70 minutes, depending on your oven. When you can cut into the center of the meatloaf and it's not really gooey, pull it out, top with shredded cheese, and put back in the oven for about 5 more minutes--long enough for the cheese to melt.
Serve with mashed potatoes, and whatever other sides you like with your meatloaf.
Serves: A LOT!

Like I said, the measurements aren't exact, but I know that last night I used 2 cans of the cheese soup and it was pretty gooey--I had to use a whole box of crackers to keep it from being too moist. If you use just the one can, and it seems too dry, you can add a little more tomato sauce to the meat.
Hope you try it and like it. If you do, feel free to leave a comment!

New baby!

2008-03-30T10:35:00.000-06:00

At 5:09 a.m. today, Berlyn delivered her little boy by C-section. He is 2 lbs, 10 oz., and about 11 weeks premature, but otherwise healthy! : ) He is already breathing mostly on his own, and will probably be off the respirator by the end of the week. Then, once he is feeding well and gets to a certain weight, he will get to come home...probably within a couple weeks of his due date.

I will be going up to see him and Berlyn later today, most likely, and will probably post more about him later. Berlyn is doing well, except for being sore from having herself cut open and having stitches, etc.

Stuff...

2008-03-24T23:01:00.000-06:00

I was going to write a whole long serious post about "what if"...but, really, I've had a lot of serious type posts on here, and no one is responding to them. I don't know if that means no one is reading them, or if I'm just depressing them, and they're going out and committing some kind of ritual suicide somewhere in the wilds of Iowa or someplace! : ) Honestly, I'm not sure which I wish for more....or less, rather...lol
I've decided that I need to do some serious cleaning. I can no longer find all of my jewelry stuff--and considering that I want to sell jewelry I make, that's not a good thing! I think that I need to enlist the help of some friendly brownies (no, not the ones who sell cookies) or house-elves.
A bit of an update on Berlyn: She is doing okay, but she has to go in for monitoring of the baby every day. Baby is doing well, lungs are developing just fine, as is the diaphragm--he apparently has the hiccups a lot--especially when Berlyn is trying to do kick counts...lol
Dave is also doing well, all things considered. He's been having a few high-pain days, but other than that, he's okay.
And as for the rest of the crew, my middle son (he's 17!!) has just signed up for the National Guard. He's going to go in for training as a firefighter, and he ships out for basic on April 1st. I'm proud of him, but I can't help but be worried about him. I know there's the chance of him being deployed somewhere, but there's also the fact that when he gets home from basic, it will be right in the middle of fire season here, and I'm sure that he'll be called on to help put those out. Scary stuff...
My middle daughter is in college, but is trying to decide if she should come home and finish her degree here. I'd like it if she could stick it out where she is, but it's her choice to make.
My oldest son is looking for a job, and enjoying spending time with his daughter.
My youngest daughter is doing great in homeschool! We're still having a tough time getting her to write, though!
Okay, this has gotten long again. : ) I'm going to go for now, and check back later. Don't know how much later...lol
Y'all have a great evening!

Bummed out...

2008-03-18T23:56:00.000-06:00

The jewelry only sold for $7.95, plus $6.50 for S&H. The materials cost me almost $20, plus my time. Guess it's only worth $14.45. : ( At least this time, anyhow. Apparently I posted it wrong, so there weren't many people who could look at it. I'll remember to do it right the next time. Also I will remember to put a reserve price on anything I sell! The guy who won got a STEAL!!! Ah, well, lessons learned, I suppose....
Y'all have a good evening!

Time flies...

2008-03-17T21:34:00.000-06:00

When you're having fun...or something like that, anyway! : )
Not a whole lot going on. My eBay auction isn't going as well as I'd hoped. Then again, I messed up a little and only posted it under "Crafts, Handcrafted Jewelry," which isn't the main jewelry section (I've since changed it so it's in both categories now, though), so it didn't get as much attention as it could have. It's only got about a day left, and I don't think it'll go for much more (if any!) than it's at right now. *sigh* Oh, well.
Oh! My youngest son, who is nearly 16, has won Youth of The Year (for the second year in a row!) is getting ready for the State competition being held this next weekend (the 28th and 29th). He didn't win State last year, but I think he's got a pretty good chance this year. Unfortunately, I can't afford to miss the time from work, so I won't be able to go. It'll be just him, his dad, and maybe both of his older brothers.
Anywho.....that's about it for now. Like I said, not a whole lot going on right now. If anyone's reading this, hope I didn't bore you too much! : )
Y'all have a good evening!

Yay! I'm officially a seller!

2008-03-12T02:05:00.000-06:00

Dave and I sat down tonight and listed my jewelry set on eBay. Woohoo! I am officially a seller. You should be able to find it listed under thecraftydragon. Dave's pretty sure I'll be able to sell the stuff I make, and for a lot more than I think I'll be able to. We shall see. I kind of hope so--it would be pretty darn cool if other people love my jewelry as much as I do! : )
Oh, just to let you all know, Berlyn is home from the hospital--came home Monday. There isn't a whole lot they could do except keep her still and moniter her temperature and stuff like that, which she can do at home. So, she's attempting to rest while putting together a website about high-risk pregnancies and writing articles for eHow.com (you can look her up under Berlyn if you want to go take a look).
Dave is still bruised from his fall at the store last week, but is doing a bit better. Slow going, it's hard for him to recuperate from stuff like that.
Our youngest has been giving him fits lately--we're homeschooling her (well, Dave is mostly) and she really hates math and anything where she has to write.
Everyone's been enjoying having the new dog around--he's a rat terrier, and has lots of energy! He's also such a puppy, even though he's almost a year old. He's very smart, learns fast, and wants to play most of the day. He's still learning not to be freaked out about the many and various noises around our house (believe me, there are a ton of those!), as well as all the strange people who come in and out of the house. Can't expect much more than that, we've only had him for two weeks, and I'm sure that he'll get used to the craziness pretty quickly.
Nothing new about me or work, except I found out that I've got another reset in my jewelry department (that's the third one in 2 weeks!), but it shouldn't be too big a deal. Other than that, only 2 days until payday and the weekend, which I have off! Woohoo!!
Y'all have a great evening! (Night, day, whatever....)

No eBay tonight...

2008-03-10T23:33:00.000-06:00

*sigh* DH asked me to please wait until tomorrow to post my jewelry so he can help me write up the "ad." So I guess I will wait. I'm just impatient, and would really like to get these on there. But Dave says he can do a really good write-up on these. We shall see. : )
Night all!

Grrr, argh and stuff!

2008-03-10T23:10:00.000-06:00

I've been trying for two evenings to post a slideshow from Photobucket to my blog, with no luck. Anybody know how to fix this? I'm about to start cussing at this thing, and it's not the puter's fault!
Anyhow, here is the link to my slideshow at Photobucket, which I did manage to save okay.
http://s247.photobucket.com/albums/gg151/Thecraftydragon1/?action=view&current=f29c3ec4.pbw
The link works, so if you want to take a look, you can. Now I think I'm going to try and post these on eBay, and then I'm most likely going to call it a night.
Y'all have a good evening!

Decisions, decisions...and grumbles about work

2008-03-08T23:03:00.000-07:00

I am such a procrastinator! I have several projects I should be doing, as well as housework that needs to get done, and I don't wanna! : ) I think tomorrow I am going to make a few more jewelry items, and then get started on the dress Berlyn wants me to make for her daughter. The only thing is that she wants it done for Easter if at all possible. Yeep! That's two weeks away! Holy buckets, that's not much time!
Oh, wait, she says that if I can't get it done by Easter, that's okay, because there are so many pretty, fluffy little girls' dresses at the store and she wants one of those too. So if I can't get the crocheted dress done, she will buy one, and then I can get the dress made in time for the munchkin's birthday (2 already!). If I do get it done, then she will buy a dress for the birthday instead. How's that for a convoluted sentence? ; )
Work was not a lot of fun today. We had a couple people call in, so I got stuck at the cash register for about half my day. There are some days when I wouldn't mind so much, but it seems like whenever I'm away from my area for any length of time, more stuff gets stolen. Today I think it was almost 40 dollars' worth of jewelry findings--mostly the sterling silver stuff. I know it's not my fault, and there's nothing I can really do to stop it, but it's frustrating beyond all belief! I just don't understand why people feel the need to steal. I know the teenagers do it just because they can, and can get away with it, but what about the adults? What kind of example are they setting for their kids?
Not to mention those people who make a mess and leave it for the employees to clean up. I'm sorry, I'm not your maid, darn it! My mom taught me something: "If you're not going to buy it, keep your flippin' (yep, her words) hands off of it!" And I think more people ought to follow that rule. Or at least put things away neatly when they're done looking/feeling/whatever. I totally understand that sometimes you just have to get a "feel" for what you (maybe) want to buy, and that's okay. But for the love of Pete ask someone before you randomly open stuff and then leave a pile of plastic wrappers and paper backings all over the place! The employees are much more likely to do a neat job of opening, not to mention closing everything up again should you decide against buying said item, and then it won't look like it's been through a warzone, or else had half its stuff stolen, and the next person might actually buy it.
Can you tell that really bugs me?
Ah, well...nuff said. Let's move on. I won't mention this again, I promise.
Anyhow.......I think that's it for tonight. Sorry about the rant. I'll post pics tomorrow (maybe?) of any jewelry I make. And I'm also going to (hopefully) get them posted on eBay, so you'll have to go check there and see what I've got. Then you'll have to let me know what you think!
Y'all have a good evening!

Random chit-chat

2008-03-07T23:24:00.000-07:00

Okay, if you'll look to your right (no, silly, on the screen!) you'll notice that I've added some links to a few other blogs, as well as a place filled with people as kooky as I am--some are kookier! : )
Work was, well, work. Not a fantastic evening, but not a bad one, either. I ended up going home early, though, because my oldest daughter had to make a trip to the hospital. Looks like she'll be there over the weekend. Pregnancy complications are so much fun, aren't they? : ( Anyhow, dh (dear hubby if you didn't already know) wasn't up to watching her two older kidlets--he's got chronic pain and fell at the store today, so was spending the evening trying not to hurt. Not much fun. : (
Have to go to work in the morning. I really miss having weekends off. But at least I get every other one off, and every Sunday as well, so it's not all bad. Not sure what I'll be doing tomorrow, but I do know it will involve rearranging something! lol
No other plans for the rest of the weekend, besides trying to get some cleaning done, if I can ever drag myself off the computer! ; ) I'm having way too much fun with it lately! But I guess that's all for tonight. I'm going to go for now, read some email, nothing special.
Y'all have a good evening!

My first blog...I'm turning into such a nerd...

2008-03-07T11:45:00.000-07:00

Well, I have officially started a blog. My kids would say it's about darn time I joined the rest of the world...lol There really isn't all that much going on in my world that's of tons of interest to anyone else, but if you're reading this and feel like leaving a comment, feel free.
About me: I'm married to the guy whose 5 kids I babysat, and we have since had a girl of our own. I've been married for nearly 13 years now. My kids range in age from 23 to 9, and I have 3 grandkids with one more on the way. Despite that, I still refuse to ever grow up! : )
I'm a sci-fi/fantasy fan, mostly books and movies. My favorite series currently is The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan.
I spend my free time crocheting and making jewelry. I'm going to try to sell some of my jewelry on eBay. We'll see how that goes. I eventually plan to get some pictures posted here of the things I've made, works in progress (or as the crochet list calls them, WIPs), as well as me and my family.
I guess that's all for now. I'll probably come back with random whinings about work and laughs about the various antics of my kids.
Y'all have a great day!