I'm a mom. I have 2 sons: Drew, who is my favorite, and Nick, who is also my favorite. My husband, Andy, is a police officer. I take lots of pictures, and I like to think that they're good. I scrapbook. Oh, and I also work full time in a veterinary diagnostic laboratory. Currently my biggest desire is to find land available and build a house far out in the country, no neighbors nearby, with space for a herd of cattle and a big veggie garden.
Monday, August 20, 2007
New Digs
Well, I really did intend to post both places for awhile. At least a week or two. But overwhelming response has led me to go ahead and move myself to the other site. I guess more folks were having issues than I thought!
This blog isn't going anywhere. It will be here as long as Blogger will keep it around. But all content, minus a post or comment here and there, has been moved on over.
So please, change your bookmarks or feed reader subscription to Life's Little Adventures, the Wordpress edition!
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This blog isn't going anywhere. It will be here as long as Blogger will keep it around. But all content, minus a post or comment here and there, has been moved on over.
So please, change your bookmarks or feed reader subscription to Life's Little Adventures, the Wordpress edition!
Who Do You Blog For?
Perhaps the question shouldn't be "who do you blog for?". Perhaps it should be "why do you blog?", or "who knows about your blog?", or "what do you get out of blogging?".
For some reason I've been thinking about this a fair bit lately. I read several blogs regularly and even more of them sporadically, and it seems everyone is in this for different reasons. What are yours?
Me, well, I started the blog primarily to keep my family and Andy's up to date on the boys. My family is a few hours away--just far enough to make it inconvenient to visit very often. And Andy's parents moved away to Phoenix, which is about 25 hours from here by car. Since they've moved we've seen them once. Also, I have good friends that live far away. So, one day during a slow time at work, and after seeing a magazine article about blogging, I sat down and wrote a quick introductory post. Then I called my mom and told her about it, and e-mailed everyone that I thought might be interested.
For awhile I wrote a post every few days. All the posts were about the boys because, after all, that's what this was about. Right? While I was beginning my blog, I also browsed around and began reading a few other blogs regularly. I didn't comment or anything, just lurked around. But one day, a post that Ann Adams wrote just cried out for me to say something. I left a comment, and the neatest thing happened. She visited my blog and left me a comment! Until then, I'd had no comments from anyone but my mom and my aunt, who have since started blogs of their own. It was such a nice feeling!
I began cruising around the blogosphere, leaving little comments everywhere I went. Some folks visited me and left comments, others didn't. No biggie--I was having a blast! And somewhere in there, I began posting more often. Pretty soon it was nearly every day. The other big change was that I quit talking about the boys every post, and began to share some of my thoughts and feelings. It was so nice to just get those thoughts out of my head and into reality, and it was even nicer when even just one person commented with a virtual hug or an "I understand, I've been there."
I love my blog. Sometimes I struggle with what I want it to be. There are times when I'm angry or upset and I debate whether I want to post about that or not, because just as there are nice people hanging out on the internets, there are mean people who derive great satisfaction in posting the perfect nasty anonymous comment. Sometimes I'll notice I've posted 8 straight posts about the boys and figure I'd better make a change before ya'll get bored. Sometimes I'll ramble about myself for several posts before remembering that perhaps the grandparents would like to hear about the kids. It's a balance, I guess.
I notice that many people with blogs don't tell their families about them. Then they come online and rant and rave about their mom or their mother-in-law or their sister or whoever else is driving them crazy. Now, I'm not complaining--sometimes those posts are hilarious, sometimes they're very sad and I want to offer support, and sometimes (but not so often, OK, guys? remember, everyone, my family rocks!) I can totally relate. I always wonder, though, don't you worry that one day they'll find your blog? Wouldn't that be awful?
Something else I wonder about is how much to write about the boys. They're not babies any longer, and while I still think they're adorable and wonderful and small, one of these days they may not appreciate me posting all kinds of things about them on the internet. Not that I'll stop writing about them, necessarily, but perhaps I'll have to change the tone. Wouldn't it be awful if, when they are 12 or so, a classmate ran across the blog and read about potty training and pacifiers in the archives, and the temper tantrum they threw in Wal-Mart just the other day?
Well, that certainly was a disjointed jumble of thoughts. Hopefully you made some sense out of what I'm saying, at least. So, tell me about your blogging philosophy. I'd like to know how you do things at your place!
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Photo Sunday #46: An Important Announcement
Starting today I am going to double-post for awhile both here and at the Wordpress blog, because many people are complaining that they're not able to load this site. I am reluctant to give up my cute customized template, but if people can't read what I'm writing or see the photos I'm posting, I guess there's not much point in doing it. After a bit of double-posting, during which time I hope to completely figure out the Wordpress site, I'll probably stop posting here and just post there.
So, if you're unable to see photos here, or you cannot load the site but can read through an rss reader, try the Wordpress site. And let me know what you think of it, OK?
Life's Little Adventures on Wordpress
So, if you're unable to see photos here, or you cannot load the site but can read through an rss reader, try the Wordpress site. And let me know what you think of it, OK?
Life's Little Adventures on Wordpress
The boys riding their bikes at the farm
My tree in the evening light
Hot Summer Sunset (104 on this day)
Friday, August 17, 2007
You Win Some, You Lose Some
Yesterday when I pulled in at the sitter's house to pick up the boys, my truck had smoke rolling out from under the hood. Lots of smoke. Lots of white, smelly smoke. That's never good, is it?
I'll omit all the details of the 2 hours that followed, but I will tell you that it was enough to give me a major headache. I did end up driving it to my friends house to have him look at it, and then home with the A/C turned off (104 here yesterday, people!) because it was blowing hot air, and because it smoked less with it turned off. There were rumors that it was the compressor, the radiator, or possibly the alternator after 2 different people looked at it.
Fortunately for me, my next door neighbor is a mechanic. And he's a nice guy. He came over and looked at the truck and within a minute told me I had a hole in the condenser and all my freon had leaked out. The freon was burning off on the hot engine parts, and that was causing the smelly smoke. How did I get a hole in the condenser? I have not a clue. But there it is, about as big around as an inkpen and clear as day. He says I could have run over a stick or a rock or hit a bird...any of those things could do it. I don't remember hitting anything, but obviously I did.
My neighbor (whose shop is behind his house) took the truck. He went to town and got the part and had it fixed for me by 10:00 last night. He replaced the condenser, refilled the freon and charged the system, and, since he already was in there, changed the oil and filter and rotated the tires. Isn't that great?
So, even though I'm out a few hundred dollars that I didn't really have just laying around waiting to be spent, I didn't have to deal with the hassle of taking the car to an unknown mechanic. Not to mention finding a ride to and from the mechanic to drop off and pick up the truck. And I wasn't charged for the oil change and tire rotation except for the oil and filter, so I won't be spending that money here in a few weeks when it was due.
I guess that's not a bad deal, all things considered.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
It's a Mystery
What's a mystery, you ask? It's a mystery when I will have reliable internet service at home. Ever since New Wave took over from Charter, I can never be sure there will be a connection. I understand that there are issues associated with the changeover, and they've been very nice and eager to help, and they've credited me for every day that I haven't had continuous service, but still... I want my internet back!
So anyway, I can't do the post by the boys until I can post from home, and until I can be assured of a connection I'm posting from work. So, keep holding for that. It's coming, I promise, because I love the idea.
My birthday yesterday was nice. I spent a good portion of the day on the phone, which made me feel very loved. My parents called, twice. Both of my brothers called. My far-away best friends Mike and Jeff called, and Annie even remembered to call. My local buddies Mark and Mandy called, too. Well, actually, Mark called but Mandy stopped by the house with new scrapbooking supplies and a birthday card. Wasn't that nice? I got several e-cards and a few happy birthday e-mails. And today they had break goodies at work for all the August birthdays, and the boss man made no-bake cookies special for me because I love them.
Andy and the boys got me a tiny little cake from the Kroger bakery. It was yummy. They got me a CD and a video game (Yes, a video game. Spyro the Dragon. I guess moms need to have fun, too... I believe the boys chose that gift themselves.) and a little camouflage stool to take with me when I go out into the woods with my camera. Oh, and flowers. They got me flowers. Mums and a little ivy-looking plant. And, Nicky agreed to pose for pictures for me. He never, ever agrees, but he said he would because it was my birthday. That one above is my favorite--he was trying to make his "mean face" but was laughing too much to be able to accomplish the frown.
It's nice to know that I have people that love me. People I'm related to and friends I've known for years and some blogging buddies that I've never actually met. Thank you, everyone. You made it a great day.
So anyway, I can't do the post by the boys until I can post from home, and until I can be assured of a connection I'm posting from work. So, keep holding for that. It's coming, I promise, because I love the idea.
My birthday yesterday was nice. I spent a good portion of the day on the phone, which made me feel very loved. My parents called, twice. Both of my brothers called. My far-away best friends Mike and Jeff called, and Annie even remembered to call. My local buddies Mark and Mandy called, too. Well, actually, Mark called but Mandy stopped by the house with new scrapbooking supplies and a birthday card. Wasn't that nice? I got several e-cards and a few happy birthday e-mails. And today they had break goodies at work for all the August birthdays, and the boss man made no-bake cookies special for me because I love them.
Andy and the boys got me a tiny little cake from the Kroger bakery. It was yummy. They got me a CD and a video game (Yes, a video game. Spyro the Dragon. I guess moms need to have fun, too... I believe the boys chose that gift themselves.) and a little camouflage stool to take with me when I go out into the woods with my camera. Oh, and flowers. They got me flowers. Mums and a little ivy-looking plant. And, Nicky agreed to pose for pictures for me. He never, ever agrees, but he said he would because it was my birthday. That one above is my favorite--he was trying to make his "mean face" but was laughing too much to be able to accomplish the frown.
It's nice to know that I have people that love me. People I'm related to and friends I've known for years and some blogging buddies that I've never actually met. Thank you, everyone. You made it a great day.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Someone's Having a Birthday!
It's me! I'm having the birthday! Yippee!
Do I sound like a little kid? I do? Probably because I feel like one on my birthday. I know that as you grow up and get older birthdays aren't supposed to be exciting anymore, and I guess it's not as exciting as it was when I was, say, 8. But it's still fun.
Debra had the idea that I should get the boys to write my birthday post. I love the idea! However, they were already in bed by the time I got her comment, and I won't see them until this evening, so perhaps I'll get them to write a post another day. Soon. Look for that, OK? In the meantime...
I am 33 years old. I was born August 15, 1974, to a mother who was in a (medically) drug-induced sleep after many hours of labor and a father who was in the parking lot moving the car. I believe the only people that actually witnessed my birth were the hospital personnel! But that's alright--I don't remember it, anyway. I was Mom and Dad's first child. Boy, were they in for a treat!
My mom really wanted a little girl. You know, for pink dresses and dolls and girly kind of stuff. That lasted, ummmm, until I could make my own decisions. I'm not a pink dress and doll kind of girl, really. I'd be better described as a tomboy. It served me well for life in the country--I was happiest with the animals or roaming the fields and woods. I was never afraid to get dirty, and did farm chores from an early age. When I was a teenager, my dad was interviewed for the employee spotlight section of his company newsletter. In it, he referred to me as his first born son. Yes, he did. I still have the newsletter somewhere.
I did well in school without much effort. If I had really tried I probably could have done even better. I didn't do as well in college without much effort--it took my first semester and a GPA I'd never, ever seen before to teach me that I wasn't as brilliant as I figured I was. After that I applied myself and did well. I graduated from college in 1996 with a degree in agriculture, and after a few months at home I landed the job I have now and moved 2 hours from my parents and into an apartment that I shared with no one but a cat named Sally. I married Andy 3 years later, I was nearly finished with a masters degree 2 years after that when I found out I was pregnant with Drew. No more school for me! 2 more years and Nicholas came along, and now, well, here I am.
I have a good life. I have a good husband and 2 wonderful little boys. I have a job that pays the bills and a nice home and a nice vehicle and food in my pantry. I have a great, supportive family, and a handful of really good friends.
And I'm only 33.
Just think of how wonderful my life will be in 33 more years if I keep on going like this!
Do I sound like a little kid? I do? Probably because I feel like one on my birthday. I know that as you grow up and get older birthdays aren't supposed to be exciting anymore, and I guess it's not as exciting as it was when I was, say, 8. But it's still fun.
Debra had the idea that I should get the boys to write my birthday post. I love the idea! However, they were already in bed by the time I got her comment, and I won't see them until this evening, so perhaps I'll get them to write a post another day. Soon. Look for that, OK? In the meantime...
I am 33 years old. I was born August 15, 1974, to a mother who was in a (medically) drug-induced sleep after many hours of labor and a father who was in the parking lot moving the car. I believe the only people that actually witnessed my birth were the hospital personnel! But that's alright--I don't remember it, anyway. I was Mom and Dad's first child. Boy, were they in for a treat!
My mom really wanted a little girl. You know, for pink dresses and dolls and girly kind of stuff. That lasted, ummmm, until I could make my own decisions. I'm not a pink dress and doll kind of girl, really. I'd be better described as a tomboy. It served me well for life in the country--I was happiest with the animals or roaming the fields and woods. I was never afraid to get dirty, and did farm chores from an early age. When I was a teenager, my dad was interviewed for the employee spotlight section of his company newsletter. In it, he referred to me as his first born son. Yes, he did. I still have the newsletter somewhere.
I did well in school without much effort. If I had really tried I probably could have done even better. I didn't do as well in college without much effort--it took my first semester and a GPA I'd never, ever seen before to teach me that I wasn't as brilliant as I figured I was. After that I applied myself and did well. I graduated from college in 1996 with a degree in agriculture, and after a few months at home I landed the job I have now and moved 2 hours from my parents and into an apartment that I shared with no one but a cat named Sally. I married Andy 3 years later, I was nearly finished with a masters degree 2 years after that when I found out I was pregnant with Drew. No more school for me! 2 more years and Nicholas came along, and now, well, here I am.
I have a good life. I have a good husband and 2 wonderful little boys. I have a job that pays the bills and a nice home and a nice vehicle and food in my pantry. I have a great, supportive family, and a handful of really good friends.
And I'm only 33.
Just think of how wonderful my life will be in 33 more years if I keep on going like this!
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Just For Fun
Just a fun little video of the boys playing. They have a little bit of energy, don't you think? It's not uncommon for my house to sound like that for HOURS when they're getting along. Paper airplanes are all the latest rage with them--I can't make enough of them. Too bad I'm not very good at it, huh?
I really don't have much to say today. Tomorrow, though, is a very special day in our household...it's my birthday! I'll be 33. I keep telling the boys I'm turning 25, but they correct me every time. Unfortunately, they think I'm turning 43, and they tell that to everyone we see. *sigh* I wonder if I should write a special birthday post for myself? Or perhaps I should get someone to guest post for me? Any ideas? What do you guys think I should do?
I really don't have much to say today. Tomorrow, though, is a very special day in our household...it's my birthday! I'll be 33. I keep telling the boys I'm turning 25, but they correct me every time. Unfortunately, they think I'm turning 43, and they tell that to everyone we see. *sigh* I wonder if I should write a special birthday post for myself? Or perhaps I should get someone to guest post for me? Any ideas? What do you guys think I should do?
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video Hosting
Monday, August 13, 2007
Things I Learned This Weekend
From Drew, I learned that people don't come in the standard black/white colors that we hear so commonly. He informed me on Saturday that is friend Carl is brown, not black. I asked him what color he was, then, and he said he's peach. Further discussion revealed that there are light brown people, dark brown people, light peach people, and dark peach people. Interesting.
From Nick, I learned that our kitchen chairs are 90 feet tall. Yes, 90 feet tall. I asked him how he came up with that number, and he sat down and began pointing to random points on the legs of one of the chairs. He moved upward while counting (and he can only count to 25 reliably, the rest is hit or miss) and when he reached 90 he said "See?! 90 feet!".
From Jordan (neighbor boy), I learned that we have rattlesnakes in the vicinity. He showed up on the doorstep on Saturday with a baby snake (dead) and asked for help in identifying it. He thought it may be a baby copperhead. A 10 minute internet and textbook search revealed that no, it wasn't a baby copperhead, it was a baby rattlesnake. Nice.
From both boys, I learned that I shouldn't always trust them alone. I needed to take a shower yesterday afternoon after mowing the lawn, and Andy was at work. They are 4 and 6--certainly they can be trusted alone for 10 minutes while I clean up, right? As I was showering, I could hear them laughing, and I was happy that they were getting along and playing nicely. When I came out of the bathroom I discovered what was making them laugh so hard--they were taking turns spitting mouthfuls of Pepsi at one another. Yeah. I guess I should be glad they were in the kitchen and not in a carpeted area, but still... What a sticky mess!
Did you learn anything new this weekend?
From Nick, I learned that our kitchen chairs are 90 feet tall. Yes, 90 feet tall. I asked him how he came up with that number, and he sat down and began pointing to random points on the legs of one of the chairs. He moved upward while counting (and he can only count to 25 reliably, the rest is hit or miss) and when he reached 90 he said "See?! 90 feet!".
From Jordan (neighbor boy), I learned that we have rattlesnakes in the vicinity. He showed up on the doorstep on Saturday with a baby snake (dead) and asked for help in identifying it. He thought it may be a baby copperhead. A 10 minute internet and textbook search revealed that no, it wasn't a baby copperhead, it was a baby rattlesnake. Nice.
From both boys, I learned that I shouldn't always trust them alone. I needed to take a shower yesterday afternoon after mowing the lawn, and Andy was at work. They are 4 and 6--certainly they can be trusted alone for 10 minutes while I clean up, right? As I was showering, I could hear them laughing, and I was happy that they were getting along and playing nicely. When I came out of the bathroom I discovered what was making them laugh so hard--they were taking turns spitting mouthfuls of Pepsi at one another. Yeah. I guess I should be glad they were in the kitchen and not in a carpeted area, but still... What a sticky mess!
Did you learn anything new this weekend?
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Photo Sunday #45: The "I Can't Think of An Edition" Edition
Note that he is actually ENJOYING himself, though his body language might state otherwise...
He was enjoying himself, too...
Andy teaching the boys gun safety, using plastic AirSoft pistols. They shoot plastic pellets instead of metal bb's. As interested in hunting and shooting as these boys are, not to mention the fact that we have guns in the house, we figured they'd best get the safety and basics down as soon as possible. Don't worry, you could shoot someone point blank with those guns and it wouldn't hurt as much a bee sting. They're safe. And when they're not in use, they're locked in the gun cabinet with the real ones.
A baby wren I found in the front yard. I was talking to my mom on the phone when I saw it and actually cut our conversation short to get the camera and take it's picture. Sorry, Mom!
A cow, obviously. I like it's markings.
Johnson Grass silhouetted by the sunset. I liked this photo alright even though I wouldn't consider it one of my best, so I added it to my Flickr page. It's gotten rave reviews. I'm surprised--some that I thought were much nicer were practically ignored. Goes to show you that photography is totally subjective!
Friday, August 10, 2007
New Toy
First off, let me say that I am not bragging. Not at all. Ever since that one anonymous comment I'm always a little hesitant to share anything with you guys that involves self-indulgent spending. I know I shouldn't be, I know I shouldn't allow a cowardly stranger to affect me like that, but that's just the way it is. However, I've solved the self-indulgent spending issue, so now I'm going to share.
I got a new camera! Yay! Actually, I got it almost 2 weeks ago. If you've seen the quality of my photos go down some, that's why. I've been trying to figure out how to use it. It's a bit more complicated than the Rebel.
The story goes like this:
My buddy Jason (who took our family photos and who is a professional wedding photographer) purchased a new camera a few months ago. He bought a Canon EOS 1D. It's quite the camera. He loves it. But he found he wasn't using his other camera much at all, so he offered to sell it to me. For cheap. Really cheap. Including a nice lens (one that was on my wish list, even!), and a battery grip. I talked it over with Andy, and for the price we decided we couldn't pass it up. We pulled the $$ out of the equity account and I had a new camera--a Canon EOS 20D. It's only slightly used, and I know Jason took excellent care of it. I LOVE it.
Now, my youngest brother has been drooling over DSLR cameras for awhile now. I thought he might like to take the Rebel off my hands. So I offered it to him (kit lens, camera bag, and after-market how-to book included) for the exact price that I paid for the 20D. And if it tells you what kind of deal I got on that fancy new camera, he's paying less for the Rebel than what a used one goes for in the store or on e-bay, and that's what I paid for the 20D that normally costs twice what the Rebel does! If he didn't want it I was just going to sell it on e-bay, but this way he gets a deal and we're all happy. As soon as Doug forks over the cash (and I told him to take his time) I'll put it straight back in the equity account and all is well.
So, I basically upgraded to a professional-level camera for nothing. Well, for a month or two of interest, I guess. Still, a steal if you ask me, especially since I got the battery grip and lens (the lens is worth what I paid for the entire package) included.
Now all that's left is to learn how to use it!
I got a new camera! Yay! Actually, I got it almost 2 weeks ago. If you've seen the quality of my photos go down some, that's why. I've been trying to figure out how to use it. It's a bit more complicated than the Rebel.
The story goes like this:
My buddy Jason (who took our family photos and who is a professional wedding photographer) purchased a new camera a few months ago. He bought a Canon EOS 1D. It's quite the camera. He loves it. But he found he wasn't using his other camera much at all, so he offered to sell it to me. For cheap. Really cheap. Including a nice lens (one that was on my wish list, even!), and a battery grip. I talked it over with Andy, and for the price we decided we couldn't pass it up. We pulled the $$ out of the equity account and I had a new camera--a Canon EOS 20D. It's only slightly used, and I know Jason took excellent care of it. I LOVE it.
Now, my youngest brother has been drooling over DSLR cameras for awhile now. I thought he might like to take the Rebel off my hands. So I offered it to him (kit lens, camera bag, and after-market how-to book included) for the exact price that I paid for the 20D. And if it tells you what kind of deal I got on that fancy new camera, he's paying less for the Rebel than what a used one goes for in the store or on e-bay, and that's what I paid for the 20D that normally costs twice what the Rebel does! If he didn't want it I was just going to sell it on e-bay, but this way he gets a deal and we're all happy. As soon as Doug forks over the cash (and I told him to take his time) I'll put it straight back in the equity account and all is well.
So, I basically upgraded to a professional-level camera for nothing. Well, for a month or two of interest, I guess. Still, a steal if you ask me, especially since I got the battery grip and lens (the lens is worth what I paid for the entire package) included.
Now all that's left is to learn how to use it!
Thursday, August 09, 2007
The Grand Tour
I've mentioned a time or two that we live in a fairly small house. To be exact, it's 996 square feet. I've had one or two inquiries about the house since I've been blogging, so I thought I'd give ya'll a tour. Probably not the most exciting thing to blog about, but hey--the pickins are slim today!
Now, please keep in mind that I did not clean the house before taking these photos. I came home, put our stuff down, and snapped them in about 5 minutes. So, excuse the mess.
Ok. This is our house:
It's cute, isn't it? I fell in love with it after looking at about 40 homes. Andy liked it, but not like I did. It felt like home before I even walked through the front door. Speaking of the front door, this is the view looking in the open door:
That's the living room. Directly to the right of the shot there's an arched doorway leading to the "hallway", which is really a square. This is the view of the hall from the kitchen:
The living room is to the immediate right, that doorway you can see is our bedroom, that's the bathroom straight ahead, and the boys' room is on the left. My mom painted that sunset picture, and there is also a painting that my grandma did hanging in there. To the immediate left is a narrow linen closet.
This is our room:
I took that from the doorway. There are nightstands on either side of the bed, and to the left is a chest of drawers and a small closet.
Here is the bathroom:
Yes, that's it. The only bathroom. No, there's not a linen closet in there. Hey, at least it's easy to keep clean!
Here's the boys' room:
Sorry it's a little blurry. I was standing on a stool in an attempt to get the whole room. On the other side of the aquarium there is the big closet--Drew and Nick share it and their toys live in there, too. On the left, next to where you see the hamster cage there is the small closet--that's where my clothes live. Excuse the mess--their beds never stay neat.
OK, the kitchen:
This is looking in from the back room. To the left of that china cabinet is an arched doorway leading to the hallway. On the immediate left is a shallow pantry and the fridge, which is recessed. On the right is the stove, counter, and sink area.
If you were to enter the house through the back door (the way we ALWAYS come in--the front door is company-only) this is what you would see:
Oh, my. I told you I didn't clean. If you look closely, you'll see most of the mess is shoes. Not dirty, just messy. The boys and I are particularly bad about putting them in their assigned racks, which you can see along the wall there. But Andy does it every other night or so, because it bugs him. You can see the washer and dryer there, and the cabinet holds photography and scrapbooking supplies. Behind the curtain is the only part of the house I'm not showcasing here...it's just a storage area. The cat litter box and water heater are back there, too.
Turn around from where I took the photo of the back room, and this is the view out the back door:
Yes, that's Drew's school.
And this is our deck and backyard:
The carport is behind me.
And, just for kicks, check out the weather posted on my computer screen:
Yep, that says it's 102. My thermometer on the deck reads 105. It also says possible thunderstorms, but there's not a cloud in the sky so we'll see.
So, that's our home. It's small but we like it. We will outgrow it as the boys grow, I'm sure, but for now it's just fine. I hope you enjoyed your tour!
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Now, please keep in mind that I did not clean the house before taking these photos. I came home, put our stuff down, and snapped them in about 5 minutes. So, excuse the mess.
Ok. This is our house:
It's cute, isn't it? I fell in love with it after looking at about 40 homes. Andy liked it, but not like I did. It felt like home before I even walked through the front door. Speaking of the front door, this is the view looking in the open door:
That's the living room. Directly to the right of the shot there's an arched doorway leading to the "hallway", which is really a square. This is the view of the hall from the kitchen:
The living room is to the immediate right, that doorway you can see is our bedroom, that's the bathroom straight ahead, and the boys' room is on the left. My mom painted that sunset picture, and there is also a painting that my grandma did hanging in there. To the immediate left is a narrow linen closet.
This is our room:
I took that from the doorway. There are nightstands on either side of the bed, and to the left is a chest of drawers and a small closet.
Here is the bathroom:
Yes, that's it. The only bathroom. No, there's not a linen closet in there. Hey, at least it's easy to keep clean!
Here's the boys' room:
Sorry it's a little blurry. I was standing on a stool in an attempt to get the whole room. On the other side of the aquarium there is the big closet--Drew and Nick share it and their toys live in there, too. On the left, next to where you see the hamster cage there is the small closet--that's where my clothes live. Excuse the mess--their beds never stay neat.
OK, the kitchen:
This is looking in from the back room. To the left of that china cabinet is an arched doorway leading to the hallway. On the immediate left is a shallow pantry and the fridge, which is recessed. On the right is the stove, counter, and sink area.
If you were to enter the house through the back door (the way we ALWAYS come in--the front door is company-only) this is what you would see:
Oh, my. I told you I didn't clean. If you look closely, you'll see most of the mess is shoes. Not dirty, just messy. The boys and I are particularly bad about putting them in their assigned racks, which you can see along the wall there. But Andy does it every other night or so, because it bugs him. You can see the washer and dryer there, and the cabinet holds photography and scrapbooking supplies. Behind the curtain is the only part of the house I'm not showcasing here...it's just a storage area. The cat litter box and water heater are back there, too.
Turn around from where I took the photo of the back room, and this is the view out the back door:
Yes, that's Drew's school.
And this is our deck and backyard:
The carport is behind me.
And, just for kicks, check out the weather posted on my computer screen:
Yep, that says it's 102. My thermometer on the deck reads 105. It also says possible thunderstorms, but there's not a cloud in the sky so we'll see.
So, that's our home. It's small but we like it. We will outgrow it as the boys grow, I'm sure, but for now it's just fine. I hope you enjoyed your tour!
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
The First Day of 1st Grade
I realize that this makes 2 posts in one day. I'm going to make up for it by not posting tomorrow. I just figured some people out there (mainly the grandparents!) might like to learn about Drew's big day. So...
I'm going to tell you all about Drew's first day just like he told me all about his first day. Are you ready?
Me, getting in the truck on the way home: "Drew, how was your first day of school?"
Drew: "I love first grade it's great I have Mrs. Shemwell and she's nice and I sit by Elisha and behind Taylor and Payton is in my class too! And Joe is in there and Ray Ray, and a new boy named Daniel is in there too and we did Math! We did a new math book and it's big and I like math and we had lunch and played on the playground at recess and it was hot! I'm going to learn to write really good and maybe write like grown-ups and today I wrote B's and Mrs. Shemwell said they are very nice and I have a red folder that I bring home and take back and bring home and take back and it will always have my homework in it and my B's paper is in there now and some math papers too."
Me: "Wow! That sounds like a great day!"
Drew, taking another breath: "But I wasn't finished! We're going to do english and reading and science and math lots of math and we will have music and art and computers I LOVE computers. And Monday is gym and I HAVE to wear tennis shoes on gym day but that's ok because my new shoes for school from Grandma are tennis shoes and they will be fine Mrs. Shemwell said so. Are we almost home? I want to look in my backpack and show you my papers I got a smiley face! Is Daddy home I want to tell him all about first grade and I didn't have to take a rest time like the little kids in Kindergarten and OH! I saw Mrs. Joiner and she remembered me! And Kayla is not in my class and neither is Miranda or Gracie but that's ok because I can eat with them at lunch but Kayla can't be my girlfriend if she's not in my class so maybe Payton will have to be my girlfriend or maybe Taylor but she's taller than me.
And then, there was silence. I guess he ran out of breath!
So, I think he's going to like 1st grade. Nicky enjoyed his day at the sitter's, too. He took new school supplies and workbooks and they have an hour of school each day. What big boys I have. Here are some photos to commemorate the day:
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I'm going to tell you all about Drew's first day just like he told me all about his first day. Are you ready?
Me, getting in the truck on the way home: "Drew, how was your first day of school?"
Drew: "I love first grade it's great I have Mrs. Shemwell and she's nice and I sit by Elisha and behind Taylor and Payton is in my class too! And Joe is in there and Ray Ray, and a new boy named Daniel is in there too and we did Math! We did a new math book and it's big and I like math and we had lunch and played on the playground at recess and it was hot! I'm going to learn to write really good and maybe write like grown-ups and today I wrote B's and Mrs. Shemwell said they are very nice and I have a red folder that I bring home and take back and bring home and take back and it will always have my homework in it and my B's paper is in there now and some math papers too."
Me: "Wow! That sounds like a great day!"
Drew, taking another breath: "But I wasn't finished! We're going to do english and reading and science and math lots of math and we will have music and art and computers I LOVE computers. And Monday is gym and I HAVE to wear tennis shoes on gym day but that's ok because my new shoes for school from Grandma are tennis shoes and they will be fine Mrs. Shemwell said so. Are we almost home? I want to look in my backpack and show you my papers I got a smiley face! Is Daddy home I want to tell him all about first grade and I didn't have to take a rest time like the little kids in Kindergarten and OH! I saw Mrs. Joiner and she remembered me! And Kayla is not in my class and neither is Miranda or Gracie but that's ok because I can eat with them at lunch but Kayla can't be my girlfriend if she's not in my class so maybe Payton will have to be my girlfriend or maybe Taylor but she's taller than me.
And then, there was silence. I guess he ran out of breath!
So, I think he's going to like 1st grade. Nicky enjoyed his day at the sitter's, too. He took new school supplies and workbooks and they have an hour of school each day. What big boys I have. Here are some photos to commemorate the day:
R.I.P. Midnight
Remember our poor, pitiful cat? The one Nicky fell in love with and "adopted" and named Midnight? Well, he is no more.
Yesterday I backed over him with the truck.
Yep, me. I am the bad guy. The killer, as Nicky referred to me. He didn't run out in the road and get hit by a speeding car, he wasn't attacked by a rabid dog or raccoon, and he wasn't sick. As a matter of fact, he was looking pretty good. His hair was growing back in and his sores were all healed up and he'd put on a ton of weight. He was friendly in an annoying kind of way. And the friendliness is what got him killed.
We were leaving yesterday, the boys in the backseat of the truck and me driving. Andy was at work, scheduled to get off in an hour. When we went out the back door, both cats were sitting on the deck. And both cats, as usual, followed us to the truck. Midnight tried to get in. I put him out, and closed the doors. I started the truck, and then talked to the boys for a few minutes going over the rules of behavior for our intended trip.
When I started backing up, I ran up on something. I never dreamed it was an animal, because really--they're supposed to be smarter than that. And I was going very slow. I stopped, because if it was one of the boys toys I didn't want to damage it and I planned on driving back forward off of it. But then I realized what I had done (don't ask why--just believe that I was certain it was a cat. which one I wasn't sure.) and backed on off in a hurry. I backed far enough up to be able to see that it was Midnight, and he wasn't dead yet. Not far from it, though.
I got out of the truck and went to see if I could help him. It was obvious that he was beyond help (again, don't ask what makes me say this. just assume it was bad), so I turned my thoughts to putting him out of his misery. Fortunately for me he died before I had to do anything, but I feel so guilty for his minutes of suffering.
The boys were still in the truck, and while they had a distant view of what was going on they couldn't see too clearly. I am so glad for that. But, because they already knew what I had done there was no getting around the fact that Midnight was dead and it was my fault. Nicky was very upset for about 5 minutes. Drew didn't seem upset at all, and for that I don't know if I should be glad or concerned. But they got over it rather quickly and turned their thoughts to the adventure at hand.
I called Andy and asked him to please clean up the mess in the carport before we got back home. I didn't feel like the boys needed a close-up view, and honestly it made my stomach uneasy to see what I had done. Totally not like me at all, but a fact.
So today Nick has been asking when Midnight is coming back. If we can make him better. If he went to heaven. What I did with the body. Hard questions. *sigh*
Also, today is the first day of school. I know tonight will be busy, so I'm posting this now and I'll do an official "first day of first grade" post tomorrow, complete with pictures.
Yesterday I backed over him with the truck.
Yep, me. I am the bad guy. The killer, as Nicky referred to me. He didn't run out in the road and get hit by a speeding car, he wasn't attacked by a rabid dog or raccoon, and he wasn't sick. As a matter of fact, he was looking pretty good. His hair was growing back in and his sores were all healed up and he'd put on a ton of weight. He was friendly in an annoying kind of way. And the friendliness is what got him killed.
We were leaving yesterday, the boys in the backseat of the truck and me driving. Andy was at work, scheduled to get off in an hour. When we went out the back door, both cats were sitting on the deck. And both cats, as usual, followed us to the truck. Midnight tried to get in. I put him out, and closed the doors. I started the truck, and then talked to the boys for a few minutes going over the rules of behavior for our intended trip.
When I started backing up, I ran up on something. I never dreamed it was an animal, because really--they're supposed to be smarter than that. And I was going very slow. I stopped, because if it was one of the boys toys I didn't want to damage it and I planned on driving back forward off of it. But then I realized what I had done (don't ask why--just believe that I was certain it was a cat. which one I wasn't sure.) and backed on off in a hurry. I backed far enough up to be able to see that it was Midnight, and he wasn't dead yet. Not far from it, though.
I got out of the truck and went to see if I could help him. It was obvious that he was beyond help (again, don't ask what makes me say this. just assume it was bad), so I turned my thoughts to putting him out of his misery. Fortunately for me he died before I had to do anything, but I feel so guilty for his minutes of suffering.
The boys were still in the truck, and while they had a distant view of what was going on they couldn't see too clearly. I am so glad for that. But, because they already knew what I had done there was no getting around the fact that Midnight was dead and it was my fault. Nicky was very upset for about 5 minutes. Drew didn't seem upset at all, and for that I don't know if I should be glad or concerned. But they got over it rather quickly and turned their thoughts to the adventure at hand.
I called Andy and asked him to please clean up the mess in the carport before we got back home. I didn't feel like the boys needed a close-up view, and honestly it made my stomach uneasy to see what I had done. Totally not like me at all, but a fact.
So today Nick has been asking when Midnight is coming back. If we can make him better. If he went to heaven. What I did with the body. Hard questions. *sigh*
Also, today is the first day of school. I know tonight will be busy, so I'm posting this now and I'll do an official "first day of first grade" post tomorrow, complete with pictures.
Monday, August 06, 2007
Four Minutes
Friday night around 11 PM, Nicky woke up. I assume he woke up because he was thirsty, because I heard him go to the kitchen and get a drink out of the fridge. Then, instead of going straight back to bed, he came and found me in bed.
I could tell he wasn't really awake. Not quite sleepwalking, but definitely not fully conscious and alert. Of course it was dark, but we leave the light over the stove on in the kitchen all night, so I could see him some. His eyes were half closed, and his walk was really more of a stumble. Because he's addicted to his footie pajamas he was wearing red ones, even though it's the middle of summer. His hair, which was damp when he went to bed, was sticking up in all directions. It was really very cute, and even in my I'm-not-really-awake-I-don't-want-to-be-awake-it's-late-and-I'm-tired-please-go-away-and-leave-me-alone state I recall thinking how adorable he is.
He didn't even speak, he just climbed up on the bed and curled into me like a kitten.
"Nicky, honey, you need to go back to your bed."
"Four minutes, Mom."
"What?"
"I'm just gonna sleep here for four minutes. I love you best friend goodnight."
Well, OK. Four minutes it is.
As much as I love my kids, I don't like sleeping with them. Both of them, but Nick especially, flop around like a fish out of water all night long. Sometimes he ends up on the floor he wiggles so much. And, he's hot. When he's sleeping he just radiates heat, and he sweats. That makes him a very uncomfortable bed partner. Add that to the fact that I almost always sleep alone and am very much used to that, and I knew it would be a long night if he didn't go back to his bed.
So, after four minutes I kind of wiggled him.
"It's been four minutes, buddy. Time to go back to your bed."
No answer.
"Nicky? Four minutes. Back to bed please."
No answer.
So, I waited. And he was still and silent, and I actually fell asleep.
And then, at 3:47, he kicked me in the side of the head. Hard. I had managed to sleep through his nighttime acrobatics, and although I don't know how much he actually had moved altogether, he was now facing the foot of the bed, spread out like a starfish, 2 of the pillows were on the floor, and my blankets were all bunched up around him. And he kicked me. I went from asleep to awake instantly. It hurt.
So, after feeling all around and straining my eyes to see exactly where he was, I got up and carried him back to his bed. He never even moved. And I went back to my bed, blissfully alone.
The boys got up around 6:15 on Saturday morning. I woke up, but didn't get up. I stayed there in bed, all comfy under the covers, listening to them talk while they picked out clothes and got dressed.
"Hey Drew? Guess what? I slept in Mama's bed for four minutes last night! I did!"
I couldn't make out what Drew said in response, but I heard him stomping across to where I was pretending to still be asleep. That didn't matter. He started talking anyway.
"Mom? Mom! Nicky said he slept with you for four minutes last night. Did he? Did he? Really?"
"Yes, Drew. Please let Mama be quiet a little longer."
"But I wanted to sleep with you! Can I sleep in your bed for four minutes tonight?"
I told him he could, if he'd just go watch cartoons for awhile.
Thankfully he forgot all about it by bedtime.
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Photo Sunday #44: Now With Captions!
At the open house on Thursday night, I purchased Drew a school t-shirt. He is so amazingly proud of this $7 shirt. Can't you tell? I promised to get him a long sleeved one once the weather turned colder, and you'd have thought I promised him the moon!
I stopped again on Friday morning to photograph these horses. They looked so peaceful, and the light was soft and diffused and perfect. This is the same field as in the photo I posted last week of the horse in the mist.
Nick fell asleep this afternoon while he was perusing the Cabela's Archery catalog. He was working diligently on his Christmas wish list, folding down page corners and circling things he might like to have. He's got big dreams, that's for sure!
This photo was taken at the same time as the one of the horses. In fact, I simply turned around and snapped this image of the fog sitting just above the soybean field. When I turned back around, the horses had run away, leaving me with no option other than to go on to work.
This Zinnia in my new planter box is such a delicate shade of pink. And it just keeps getting taller and taller--it stands over all the other flowers by a good six inches!
Friday, August 03, 2007
Tagged
WesleyJeanne over at Mountain Mama tagged me for this Fours Meme. I vaguely recall possibly doing it once before, but if I can't really remember, surely you can't. So, I've done it again. Enjoy!
Four jobs I've held:
1. Behind the counter at Burger King
2. Worker in a steel fabricating plant, making parts for the Ford plant
3. Intern for a veterinarian
4. Veterinary Histologist (past 11 years, likely for the rest of my working life)
Four movies I can (and do) watch over and over again:
1. Top Gun
2. Overboard
3. Pretty in Pink/Sixteen Candles/The Breakfast Club
4. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Four places I have lived:
1. Louisville, Ky
2. Lebanon Junction, Ky
3. Murray, Ky
4. Hopkinsville, Ky
Four TV shows I watch:
1. Gray's Anatomy
2. Big Love
3. Men in Trees
4. Dirty Jobs
Four place I've been on vacation:
1. Panama City Beach, FL
2. Niagra Falls, NY
3. Mammoth Cave, KY
4. Smoky Mtns., TN
Four favorite foods:
1. Cheeseburgers
2. Bacon
3. Pizza
4. Steak and Potatoes
(Gee, I'm a healthy thing, aren't I?)
Four websites I visit:
(I'm changing this to 4 TYPES of websites I visit)1. Blogs. I visit all those on my Blogroll whenever they update.
2. Flickr and other photo sharing sites
3. Message boards, mostly parenting and photography and some local politics.
4. News sites. CNN, FoxNews, and my local newspaper.
Four people I'm tagging:
I'm not tagging anyone. I'm a rebel like that.
Thursday, August 02, 2007
First Grade is Cool
We just returned from open house at Drew's school. We found out that his teacher will be Mrs. Shemwell, which is an excellent thing. I know her and like her, and she knows Drew and likes him. And, to make things interesting, she used to own our house! Yep, she used to live exactly where we live. It's a small world, huh?
Anyway, with the exception of his buddy Miranda not being in his class again this year, Drew seems pleased. He likes Mrs. Shemwell, and was hoping she'd be his teacher. His friend Elisha from the babysitter is not only in his class, his assigned seat is right next to Drew. His buddy Joe is in his class, too, as well as a few other kids from last year. Unfortunately, Kayla is not in his class. Fortunately, Nathan and Lucas are not in his class--they're the ones that he got up to so much mischief with last year.
What made me very happy is that they sent home all the first day of school paperwork with us tonight. So, instead of having to do it all on the first evening after the first day, I have until Tuesday to get it done. That's nice.
What also made me happy was that Mrs. Shemwell said "I am so glad Drew is in my class. He's a great kid. And his mom is the 'photographer mom', we all wanted him for that reason." That's kind of flattering, isn't it?
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Stumped
I can't really think of anything I particularly want to talk about today. Not anything that would make up an entire blog post, anyway. I guess a bulleted list is in order.
- Nick has not been sleeping well. He's been up several times a night for water, or because he had a bad dream, and sometimes he doesn't even know why he's up. But at least 2 or three times each night either I'll have to go in to calm him down or he'll appear by the side of the bed to wake me up and tell me he got a drink of water, or just to wake me up so he won't be alone. He's wearing me out. Thankfully, once Drew goes to sleep he's dead to the world for 8 or 9 hours, so at least I'm not dealing with both of them.
- I found a real deal, so we're getting 2 portable dvd players for the boys to use in the truck. Not for use around town, of course, but for when we travel to visit my parents, or go on other long trips. We're going to Gatlinburg in September for my brother's wedding, and that's about a 6 hour drive, so I know they'll be used then.
- Monday evening I had the worst headache I've ever had in my life. It came on suddenly and was totally on the right side of my head, in a straight line between my eye and right behind my ear. It was horrible. It still ached when I woke up yesterday morning, and was still an annoying dull ache last night. I had already made up my mind that if it hurt at all today I was taking myself directly to the dr., but when I woke up this morning it was finally gone. Now I'm back to my normal headache level (because I'm hungry, and it's a little grumpy here at work today) but nothing to concerning. If that happens again, though, I'm at the doctor. It was bad.
- Drew is so ready for school to begin. We've purchased all his supplies, including a camo backpack and a metal Spiderman lunchbox. He's got brand-new clothes and shoes for his first day, and the backpack is filled with notebooks, pencils, crayons, and other miscellaneous 1st grade paraphernalia. Tomorrow night is the open house, where we get to meet his teacher and see if any of his friends are in his class. We'll see his room and his desk. And then school starts next Tuesday. 1st grade. Where has the time gone?
- Andy's schedule switches back to days this weekend--8AM to 6PM. Sounds nice, except his days are Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. So really, it's less family time than we have now, because 8-6 really means 8-whenever, sometimes 7 or 8 or 10. And then he'll still have Wal-Mart Sunday night, Monday night, and Tuesday night. He just can't win. It sure would be nice if they'd work 8 hour shifts, or 12 hour shifts, instead of this dumb 10 hour stuff.