I wanna be a rink rat...

Abundance Is....

(First I'd like to thank everyone who commented on my deliberate living post. What you all wrote was inspirational and has given me more to think about. I'm absolutely at peace with dancing to my own music, using my microwave, and sleeping in dyed sheets.*G*)

Now,

Abundance is...

Having enough to give away and never miss it.

We filled the whole Suburban today with stuff for charity and gave a nice dresser to a needy family. We aren't finished, not by a long shot, but we were cleaning first, sorting out second. There are more weekends coming up.

Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again. Give portions to seven, yes to eight, for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land. Ecclesiastes 11:1-2.

Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair.~G.K. Chesterton

Abundance is...

Perfect weather, rain or shine.

The past two weekends were spent raking, moving, hauling, lifting, digging, bagging, and so forth. We got our entire front and back yards done! This Saturday we awoke to chilly, windy drizzle and it was just perfect because we had nothing to do outside(no yardwork). Ryan had to be at his job just before noon so we all got ready and dropped him off. We headed to Lowe's for some shelf holders and Jake's for guinea pig and dog bedding. The girls were hungry and decided on Taco Bell. Just as we were waiting for the light to change for us to turn onto that road, Mark had the brilliant idea that we needed something a bit more substantial so we headed for our favorite Tex-Mex dive. It was exactly what we needed on a gray day, very comforting and relaxing.

Today we had no plans to work in the garage but it happened. The weather, once again, was just perfect. Not too cold, not windy, sunny and mild. We didn't get hot on the west side of the house nor did we get cold fingers(except the girls when they washed some box lids). Now after hours of hard work, our garage is clean and organized with (almost)everything in its place.

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather. ~John Ruskin

There's nothing like biting off more than you can chew, and then chewing anyway. ~Mark Burnett

Abundance is...

Experiencing one of the Earth's most powerful and awesome events and not being hurt or scared.

We had an earthquake early this morning! Actually, what we think is that it was an aftershock from one that happened north of Oklahoma City at 3:43am(Did You Feel It?"). Mark and I were awakened at 4:45 by a series of vibrations like idling in a diesel truck but there was no noise(our bedroom doors did shake a bit). The dogs had actually got me alert a few seconds before so I felt them before Mark. The shakes woke him up. It was unnerving but we really didn't think "earthquake" until we'd got up and around later in the day.

Which would you rather have, a bursting planet or an earthquake here and there? ~John Joseph Lynch

It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. ~Frederick Douglass

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

Well, just when I thought the bad stuff was over, it wasn't. But, it is now. The perpetrator of the lies, rumors, and innuendo has been found out and whatever she says will no longer be believed. Of course this has come to an end that wasn't what I had envisioned, so if you are a praying person, say one for all involved. I woke up this morning and my first thought was nothing to do with this, that hasn't happened in weeks! I've got such a peace finally, its overwhelming and soooo freeing!!

So, on that HAPPY note, I will post some "lovely" songs for a "lovely" day. We don't celebrate Valentine's Day really. Mark and I are not sentimental beings unless there is a deep personal meaning behind something. V-day doesn't have that for us, although we did get "officially" engaged on February 12th(he bought me a ring the previous November and I made him take it back because it was too big-what was I THINKIN'!!!). However, we love love and don't mind celebrating that at all!!!

Ryan had his first "official" date last night, we drove them to dinner and a movie. He's had casual "friends who are girls" and even "girls of interest" but not a true "girlfriend" before. This is the first one he's let us meet. She's really cute and has a sweet, outgoing personality(and she's smart!!). She's coming over this afternoon with a friend and we're going to grill steaks and shrimp. Now I'd better extract my booty from this chair and go help with the yard work!!















And, OMG!!!

I really should post...

But it feels so good to be lazy!!! I haven't been lazy all the time though, mostly I've been busy! We got in late Monday night, mom and dad left Wednesday morning and we hit the ground running, picking up where we left off but with more laundry. The kids had church Wednesday night, I had a doctor's appt Thursday, kids had to be carted to various and sundry places Friday and Saturday... In between the driving we got some things done. I spent my birthday money, we got a paper shredder for Mark's business, bbq for my birthday, kids went to church and spent the night with friends, etc, etc. Anyway, I am TIRED now and Ryan has apparently contracted the flu, yuck, so we may all be sick next week. He was fine Saturday afternoon when we took him to a friends' house but came down with high fever and chills late that night and has been that way all day today. He tried to watch football but ended up going to bed early.

My camera decided to die while we were on vacation but my brother just happened to be giving me his old one(again). My computer won't upload from it so I have to use the girls' which means no pics for a few days. I'll try to get to that in the next day or so.*G*

It is 8:15 and I'm headed to bed. Whew.

A post in which I ramble on about our weekend...

We hosted the first Teen Thing(a tailgate party) for the homeschool group we're in. There were 4 girls and 4 boys, including 2 sets of siblings. The kids had a blast but the movie ended up being too slow for them to stay with so the boys went out front to play football in the road with Mark. Of course the girls had to follow and turned into complete giggleboxes running in and out of the house. It was good times for sure! Next month's Teen Thing to be a trip to the Yamboree, a local festival, where they can run around riding rides and acting cool. I've never been even though I have lived just down the road from this town most of my life. Can't wait to see what I've been missing! There is even a STREET DANCE!! Woot!





Saturday morning Mark and I got up and moved old fencing and deck boards over to his parents land. His dad will use some of the decking to make a bridge over a creek bed. All that heavy lifting tired me out so to I had to find neat things to photograph while Mark huffed the remaining 90% of the pile to the back of the Suburban.







Ryan and his (homeschooled) buddies pulled some stupid teenage tricks Saturday morning that resulted in a squad car bringing them home from down the street where they'd egged a house. It darn near landed one of them in jail(not Ryan) because of an illegal knife. This has resulted in his loss of communication with the offender probably permanently. We've had issues with this particular boy off and on for a few years so this isn't a rash decision.

Then, just hours later, we learned that the brother of one of Ryan's other(public schooled) friends had been in possession of illegal drugs while Ryan was there. So, he's basically lost ALL of his friends in one fell swoop. It was well past time to nip that one in the bud for a number of reasons. We had actually already decided last week to keep Ryan away from that household due to ongoing(and worsening) "domestic problems" with the mom and her babydaddy. Lovely huh? Now we've had to ban him from his church youth group because these kids are a part of it. I'd like to talk to the youth pastor sometime about this. For now its better to cut it off cold turkey than to have to plan some intricate dance for every single interaction. Sigh.

We took Ryan's spend-the-night friends home later in the afternoon, then Sarah and I took Amy to stay with a new friend.

This morning we(minus Amy) went to my favorite walking trail for some exercise, then to BAM for coffee and free magazines. I found many cool decorating and cooking mags and will be going back later in the week for more ideas! Amy came home after church with her friend. We ate turkey and swiss cheese on foccacia sandwiches for lunch, very yummy. Mark took Ryan and Sarah to the mall for shoelaces(for his dress shoes or something). I messed around with glitter while Amy took a bath.


(I'm not finished my Autumn decorating by any means. None of these folks are relations)


(If you look closely at the ghost you can see that he's made from a Club cracker box. The only white paint I had was a metallic and it didn't cover well. Luckily it doesn't show unless hit with the right light)

We had a great dinner, Sausage, Kale and White Bean Pasta, and everyone is now resting their tummies. This is another of my "what's in the pantry" dinners.

1 pound lean turkey breakfast sausage(or Italian if you want)
2 cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes with juice
1 (8oz) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 bunch kale, coursely chopped, large stems removed
garlic and onions to taste(powder or actual veggies)
dash of cayenne pepper(this makes it, in my opinion)
1 teaspoon savory spice
1 can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 box rotini pasta
handfuls of cheddar cheese, grated

Brown sausage well. Add tomato stuff, spices, and kale. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring now and then. Add beans to sausage and kale, continue simmering for another 15-20 minutes or so. Start pasta cooking. When the pasta is almost done, drain it well and add to sausage mixture. Stir well, cover and cook about 10 more minutes til pasta is tender. Serve in bowls with cheese. Yum!

A Chupacabra of my very own!!

We are "fostering" her until a forever home can be found.

Her name is Tallulah, meaning "leaping water". She is a Manx cat, around 5-6 weeks old. Her hair is the weirdest color I've ever seen on a cat. Part of what makes it look so strange is that there are dark grey guard hairs over blondish under hairs. It makes her look bald but she isn't at all. Her belly is distended because she had worms but the rescuer had her treated for all worms so that should be gone by the end of the weekend, I hope. We are watching for Manx Syndrome and I hope, hope, hope, she doesn't have this and is just having worm or kitten issues.

Anyway, that's that. Ryan managed to find the loose snake tonight, thank God! I didn't post about his escape but did write some of my commenters about it. We will be releasing it at the park tomorrow or Saturday.

Snakes alive!

(bitty baby rat snake -link)

We won't be keeping this beauty for long, they grow to nearly 7 feet long and have nasty tempers. I've already been bitten. Besides, I don't let the kids keep wild animals for more than a week or so. They live better in the wild. We let the frog go today and the baby mouse went Sunday afternoon.

A new, um, pet!

His name is Joe and he lives in our living room. Ryan found him on a downed limb at Mark's parents place yesterday. We looked up care for him and have everything he needs except crickets. It might be sow bugs if Ryan can't find any soon. This is his habitat.

A Working Weekend....

Actually, I started on this project earlier in the week with the sanding and painting but Mark and I hung it up this morning. We spent all day yesterday deciding on the perfect glass shades for it, we are both very pleased with our selection. This was the easiest hanging job we've ever done, it went fast with no hitches!


(light fixture from Goodwill: $10)


(spray paint from Lowes:$5, this is a satin finish and isn't nearly as reflective in person)







(glass shades from Lowes: $30~ lol, we are not using those kinds of bulbs, that was our tester bulb to make sure of the wiring)

Last night(saturday), Mark took Ryan and his friend Kyle to Lone Star Lake to fish. They'd just backed down the boat ramp when they noticed about a dozen boats suddenly headed for them from across the lake. Mark pulled up to let some get out and they figured out a storm was on the way. He called me to look on weather.com and I confirmed that a very big, very nasty storm was literally upon them!! They drove all the way home in it at about 35-40mph! Our lights flickered several times and the wind was just crazy. I am SO glad they didn't get out there earlier and risk getting caught on the water. It rained steady til after 1am and then again much of the late morning. They were disappointed so I agreed to "let" them try again tonight in exchange for some major honey-dos.

First, I cleaned off and sorted(repackaged) my fabric boxes on the 4x6ft metal shelf. Mark carried the boxes to the kitchen and the boys brought the shelf to the utility room. I'm not sure this will be its permanent location or what, but it frees up a whole lot of space in our bedroom! We had to move the smaller plastic shelf from behind the door(next to the washer) in order to have a place for the litterboxes. If the shelves stay in this room, we'll put a kitty door on so we can keep it closed. We may also move the freezer to the garage or a corner of the dining room. Or the plastic shelf might go to the garage, we haven't decided what yet.



Next, I started some pinto beans simmering, that will be a late supper for the guys. I'm debating making cornbread for them.

Then Mark and Ryan cleaned the coils on the back of the fridge and the floor underneath(no picture, it was GROSS!).

While they were doing that, I was able to do a little, long overdue, mantle decorating.



My mom did the dutch dolls. The candleholders were on 80% clearance at Hobby Lobby, aren't they cute? I'm not sure how well the pattern shows but they are kind of a paisley bandana pattern frosted kinda on the inside of the glass.



I'm on my way to the garage to spray paint my desk. It is a trial thing, a "free" fake wood desk from Mark's office, left by an ex-employee. If the paint works fine, if it doesn't that's fine too. I'm kinda hoping it does, at least mostly, because I'm typing this from the floor of my dining room and it is uncomfortable to say the least(a mosquito has bitten my forehead at least 4 times now)..***updated, that was a flop. Now I'm without a desk***

After painting I'm going to sort through the cabinets above the washer and dryer, there is a TON of junk up there destined for Goodwill(or the trash). The more I can get done this weekend, the more we can "not do" next weekend. Mark will be off Friday so it gives us an extra day to fart around. Hmmmm, maybe we'll finally paint the bedroom!! Wouldn't that be amazing! I'm betting we will!!

Change of Plans....and another meme...

Mark realized late yesterday afternoon that he was out of equipment to put out on patients. Things like over-bed tables, shower chairs, wheel chairs, bedside commodes, etc. Things they get several orders for every day. His company is in the process of gaining another hospice account so he's been having to do that instead of his regular duties. Not to mention they are just slammed as it is with what they've got already. He ended up making many deliveries himself for the past few days, even with both drivers going full steam and was out of town from about 2pm til 8 last night. Since it is supposed to rain today(and it is very dark this morning at 8:14ish) he went into work to order equipment so it will be here for next week's business. Monday he has to go up to Ennis, about 3.5 hours away, to get equipment that a family had been storing for several months after their loved one had died, and Tuesday he has to go to Commerce, about 2.5 hours drive, to meet with someone there about something(????) and Wednesday he and the owner are meeting with the representative of the asset aquisition deal. So, he can't put this off. Its going to rain anyway so we wouldn't be able to do much fence work.***updated*** 8:43, it is raining now, pretty hard!

The kids and I will be probably do housework today. From Wednesday on we had a busy week with going to get the milk, then park day, then hair cuts yesterday. Our dishwasher(less than a year old) was acting funny, not getting the dishes clean, so we're behind in the kitchen bigtime. I figured out that it was set to "light rinse" instead of "normal wash". Doncha love it when that happens?

My quilt needs the last two sides bound, that won't take long though, maybe two hours or less. I really am anxious to get my light fixture painted. Mark could wire it for me tomorrow if I had it ready.

Oh yeah, Ryan's haircut was a HUGE hit with his youth group last night! They all loved it!!! I meant to say, with his pictures yesterday, that he was eating cheese-its in both of the shots I got of him. He really wasn't making a sour, "I hate my haircut" face at all. Amy finally got over her funk. I remember being the same way when I got a haircut, it would be very overwhelming for a day or so then I'd be over it.

Here's the Meme, stolen(borrowed) from Groovy's Ruminations.

You’re feeling: Tired. The coyotes howled last night and kept the dogs stirred up. They were very close this time, we could hear them over the dogs!

To your left: A wall and entrance to our living room from the dining area.

On your mind: Do I have enough cash to visit Goodwill today? I think $3 or $4 is what I've got.

Last meal included: Coffee and cheetos.

You sometimes find it hard to: Get ahead in the decluttering/housework game.

The weather: Darker than when I started this post, MUCH darker with gusty wind! The power is blinking too. Might ought to check the weather.com site.

Something you have a collection of: Cat cream pitchers.

A smell that cheers you up: Fresh cut grass.

A smell that can ruin your mood: Litterboxes!

How long since you last shaved: Oh gosh, May of last year? I only shave for weddings and funerals(yes I am serious).

The current state of your hair: Straightened and in need of a wash.

The largest item on your desk/workspace (not computer): Rubbermaid container of trail mix.

Your skill with chopsticks: Rarely use chopsticks but I can.

Which section you head for first in a bookstore: Craft section.

Something you’re craving: Something with mint and dark chocolate in it.

Your general thoughts on the presidential race: Cannot wait to get it over with, I really do not care who wins this time, I have "issues" with both sides.

How many times have you been hospitalized this year: ER last month with chest pains, turned out to be Costochondritis(inflammation of the cartilage between the ribs and sterum).

Favorite place to go for a quiet moment: My bedroom because it is ten degrees cooler than the rest of the house.

You’ve always secretly thought you’d be a good: I think I'd make a darling Billionaire.

Something that freaks you out a little: Not having enough money.

Something you’ve eaten too much of lately: Junk food(see last meal).

You have never: Had the desire to sky dive.

Shorn!

The wooly Ryan has finally been shorn! Here are two befores(both from April) and two afters from this afternoon. He isn't happy but I think he secretly likes that it isn't so hot and it won't take six hours to dry(his words). Amy and Sarah got trims(no pix) but I had to do some extra work on Amy's. For some reason they insist on leaving her with these tails hanging down on the sides. I've asked repeatedly for them to not do this but I guess they are programmed to do a certain hairstyle because it is "in". GRRRR. Anyway, I trimmed about an inch off the sides of hers, maybe, and now she's in a snit saying it is too short. TDB.

Anyway, here is Ryan:









In Other News....

We did finally raise the pool guy. He claims the liner is on back order. I don't know if we should believe him or not. It would seem that when he found that out from the maker, he would have called to let us know. Hmmmm. He told Mark that he would call the liner people and see when it will be ready to ship. Mark is going to call him again on Monday to follow up. This is getting stupid, he cashed the check on May 1st. At best he is extremely busy and so successful that he forgets to call people but I think he is just a bad businessman with very poor communication skills, very frustrating to deal with.

We also found out that we'll have to load up all the scraps from our fence replacement(posts, lattice and assorted boards) and haul them to the landfill ourselves(to the tune of $100 or so). Our city has stopped doing bulk trash if it includes any sort of boards or fencing. What is up with that you ask? Well, it seems all the lovely home builders had started putting their scrap lumber in piles and calling the city to come pick it up. Isn't that just lovely of them? They aren't residents of the homes they are building but expect the city to come get residential trash from homes that don't even have occupants yet. Its *so nice* that a bunch of jackasses ruin something nice for the majority of us who do things by the rules. And, we'll have at least one or two more loads from this weekend's fence project.

I can't remember if I posted this yet or not but if it rains and we can't do the fence, we're going to PAINT!! How many times have I said this? At least halfadozen. This time Mark is the one who mentioned getting it done. YEAAAH!!! The best thing is that I finally decided(haha-again) what I might do for our bed. I saw a picture in a magazine of a head and foot board similar to ours but they were painted a flat black. It looked soooo nice, very modern but very colonial at the same time. I haven't shown it to Mark yet but I think he'll love it since he likes our headboard.

I promise to have pictures of whatever we end up doing. We'll buy the fencing no matter what and put it in the garage if we can't work outside. I'm hoping we might get to do both.