Far Flung Lives

365 ? I might give up!

2012-02-07T15:24:00.001-08:00

I'm exhausted. I think I've been sick for a full three weeks and have just refused to acknowledge it. Right now I'm sneaking a few seconds to myself, but I feel bad because the kids are hauling in the groceries alone. The groceries Jay offered to get because I wasn't feeling well....but I'm not going to let him do the shopping after a full day of work!! I was mostly fine, until the debt card wouldn't work. I knew I had money, so I tried again. Then I tried the credit card, and IT wouldn't work!!! WTF? I freaked out and then tried the other card, and it was fine. You know that feeling? When everyone at walmart stares at you like you are some kind of poor bum? I wanted to scream at the whole line of morons..."I HAVE money, it's her MACHINE!" but I didn't. I started sweating and ran like hell to the car. I hate today, and the hard part isn't even over yet. Shit.

Groundhog Day- Why?

2012-02-02T06:26:00.000-08:00

Groundhog Day is a holiday celebrated on February 2 in the United States and Canada. According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter-like weather will soon end. If it is sunny, the groundhog will supposedly see its shadow and retreat back into its burrow, and the winter weather will continue for six more weeks.

The celebration, which began as a Pennsylvania German custom in southeastern and central Pennsylvania in the 18th and 19th centuries, has its origins in ancient European weather lore, wherein a badger or sacred bear is the prognosticator as opposed to a groundhog. It also bears similarities to the Pagan festival of Imbolc, the seasonal turning point of the Celtic calendar, which is celebrated on February 1 and also involves weather prognostication. and to St. Swithun's Day in July.

An early American reference to Groundhog Day can be found in a diary entry, dated March 5, 1841, of Berks County, Pennsylvania, storekeeper James Morris:

Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to the Germans, the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate.

In Scotland the tradition may also derive from an English poem:

As the light grows longer
The cold grows stronger
If Candlemas be fair and bright
Winter will have another flight
If Candlemas be cloud and rain
Winter will be gone and not come again
A farmer should on Candlemas day
Have half his corn and half his hay
On Candlemas day if thorns hang a drop
You can be sure of a good pea crop

mbolc (also Imbolg or Oimelc), or St Brigid’s Day (Scots Gaelic Là Fhèill Brìghde, Irish Lá Fhéile Bríde, the feast day of St. Brigid), is an Irish festival marking the beginning of spring. Most commonly it is celebrated on February 1 or 2 (or February 12, according to the Old Calendar), which falls halfway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox in the northern hemisphere.
The festival was observed in Gaelic Ireland during the Middle Ages. Reference to Imbolc is made in Irish mythology, in the Tochmarc Emire of the Ulster Cycle. Imbolc was one of the four cross-quarter days referred to in Irish mythology, the others being Beltane, Lughnasadh and Samhain. It has been suggested that it was originally a pagan festival associated with the goddess Brigid, who was later Christianised as St. Brigid.
In the 20th century, Imbolc was resurrected as a religious festival in Neopaganism, specifically in Wicca, Neo-druidry and Celtic reconstructionism.

Irish imbolc derives from the Old Irish i mbolg "in the belly". This refers to the pregnancy of ewes. A medieval glossary etymologizes the term as oimelc "ewe's milk".
Since Imbolc is immediately followed (on 2 February) by Candlemas (Irish Lá Fhéile Muire na gCoinneal "feast day of Mary of the Candles", Welsh Gŵyl Fair y Canhwyllau), Irish imbolc is sometimes rendered as "Candlemas" in English translation; e.g. iar n-imbulc, ba garb a ngeilt translated as "after Candlemas, rough was their herding". -Wikipedia.com

Brent Nunnally

2012-01-18T09:55:00.000-08:00

Justin Brent Nunnally

Tuesday, 17 January 2012 21:07

Justin Brent Nunnally age 31 of Huntsville, Alabama formerly of Edmonton died Monday, January 16, 2012 in Edmonton. He was the son of Tommy and Becky Bartley Nunnally of Edmonton. He was Vice President of Regions Bank in Huntsville and a member of the Church of Christ.
Besides his parents he is survived by a brother Jonathan (Charity) Nunnally of Edmonton. His maternal grandmother Jean Johnston of Edmonton. Four nephews. Holden White, Hunter Nunnally, Ethan Bates and Trigg Nunnally. One niece Kennedy Bates. His aunts and uncles. Eddie (Carolyn) Nunnally, Bill (Beverly) Bartley, Julie (Jeff) Ennis, Nancy (Billy Joe) Shaw, James Morris and Sue Nunnally. Funeral services will be held 2:00 PM Friday at Butler Funeral Home in Edmonton with burial in the Summer Shade Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4:30 PM until 8:00 PM Thursday and after 9:00 AM Friday at the funeral home.

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I feel just a little too young to be loosing classmates. All of my sympathy goes out to his family and friends. He was entirely too young.

I can't HELP it!! I have to share the fun!

2012-01-18T09:28:00.000-08:00

365

2012-01-18T08:03:00.000-08:00

I am striking today, which you will see if you log on to check my blog. Write your congressmen, and let them know that censoring the internet is not the way to go. If they want to prevent piracy, there are better ways to do so.

365

2012-01-17T07:46:00.000-08:00

I found this yesterday, while going through some of the clutter in my trunk. That's my brother, Jason with the first animal I ever rescued, Smokey.
I was in the creek on our farm (literally IN the creek) when I heard a crashing, splashy, scary sound coming from behind me. I turned to see what was coming at me fearing a bear, runaway deer, or my brother. I was fully prepared to get out of the way, but waited to see where it was going first. Around the bend came this dog, running for dear life, howling and whimpering at the same time. He was running with absolute abandon, with water sloshing out of his way while he bore down on me like brain starved zombie. Without thinking about it, I crouched down with my arms spread wide, catching him at the chest as he ran straight into me. The poor animal was wide eyed, and terrified. I wasn't for a second worried that he would hurt me, and I don't know why. I really should have known better and my dad would have been really mad if he'd seen that my first instinct was not to flee, but to capture. My actions were vindicated when I realized that the pup's neck was tightly wrapped in a brown electrical cord that someone had torn from am appliance. I can only assume that the dog had been a nuisance to the last person this dog came in contact with and they had tried to choke it to death in order to get rid of it. Either that, or the idiot was too lazy to buy a chain, and tied him up with the cord. I realized the unearthly sound I had heard was the pup trying to breath while running at full speed to escape. Whatever had happened to him had just occurred, and now was the time to get the hell out of the creek and get back home. Anyone who would be so cruel to a dog, is not someone who I would benefit from meeting.
I had to use my teeth to loosen the cord from Smokey's neck. The dog needed a moniker, and his color suggested the black and grey smoke that wafted from the trash fires we lit once or twice a month. In my head he was already my dog. I was saving his life, and he was going to owe me! Once I got the cord loose, the dog seemed anxious to leave anyway, so I told him "Let's go!" and I started booking it for the house. He followed me without hesitation.
I don't really remember what happened next. The memory of catching Smokey is so crisp in my memory it could have happened yesterday, but what my father said to me is lost in my memory forever. I did get to keep him, however. My very own dog. He followed me everywhere I went, protected me from not a few snakes, and was a great exploring companion. The pictures above tell a great story. Jason and I are just getting off the bus from school, ready to make the 2.7 mile walk to the house from the bus stop, and there is my dog, waiting for me. He knew somehow when we were going to be there, and started walking to meet me. He did it every day that I went to school until one day he wasn't there anymore...

365

2012-01-16T07:24:00.000-08:00

I admit it...I am really not good at blogging every single day for a year. It gets incredibly hard. I'm going to have to start from today, and fill in as I go what I've missed. I have photos for every day, and I am keeping track of what is going on, but who knew having the computer in the bedroom would make it harder to get anything done? lol
I'm really busy these days, so I'm going to try my hardest, but as in the past, my family and outside obligations have to come first, so hang in there with me. I'm just a couple of months from being done, and I know I can get there!

The moon last week was amazing. With the mountains (hills?) it's hard to find a spot to stop and capture a good photo, but Laurel and I were sure trying. We finally got a couple in town, while parked in front of one of the smaller hills. You can see, though, that we were just barely in time to see it. I was devastated the first time I saw the moon this past week, that I didn't have my camera. It was an amazing shade of red, and would have been an awesome photo. The problem is that it takes me so long to get home from dropping Laurel off at school that it was behind the horizon when I got back. I won't be leaving the house without my camera (s) again!

365

2012-01-15T09:12:00.000-08:00

Oh, it's so cold! Three inches of snow, and they didn't cancel school. With the roads looking like they did, and the buses skidding off the road and getting stuck as we witnessed, I'm shocked. Edmonton saw snow here and canceled in anticipation! (Just kidding) Driving Laurel to school was downright scary.

365

2012-01-14T09:08:00.000-08:00

The stage

Blocking already!

Move in with me!

Listening in at the bathroom door

This picture by: Miah

We are plunging in immediately! Practice is scheduled every single night and Saturdays are reserved for clean up and stage building! Whew! Six weeks until opening night!

365

2012-01-13T10:16:00.000-08:00

UMM.....

That's better!

You might be wondering what the hell that is...
Its a doughnut from a locally owned shop. They call it the butterfly...but that's not what my first thought was!
Jay and I had a date today. We traditionally drop whatever we are doing and go out on Friday the 13th. Just 'cause. We went to the one Japanese restaurant in town, and thank goodness it was great! Then we went to the doughnut shop and raced home to watched "Never Let Me Go". It's an interesting movie, but the ending was a little disappointing for me. We had just enough time to get this all in before we had to go pick Laurel up from school. Great day!

365

2012-01-11T09:00:00.000-08:00

I'm on my way back to the playhouse! They called last night, about ten minutes after I got home to offer me the part of Sylvie. I'm ecstatic that they didn't make me wait! I talked Laurel into auditioning yesterday, but she didn't get a part. She will be a part of the crew though. She was too quiet and shy to really do her best, but I hope being a part of the crew will help her the next time.
The picture is the skyline through the hills. It's just barely a sliver in the pic, but in reality it was a brilliant pinkish red. I love it here!

365

2012-01-10T08:58:00.000-08:00

The Theater is having a second day of auditions....I get to go back for more! This is a reprisal of the play that they did nine years ago...so they offered the parts to the original cast. I thought I was possibly trying for any part, including the two male parts, but it turns out that the only parts available are Renee' and Sylvie. Yikes! Between yesterday and tonight at least ten people auditioned. Barbra, the Director, said they'd call tomorrow to let us know. Gulp!

365

2012-01-09T10:25:00.000-08:00

Today I am going to go audition for a play I did at BarnLot about 13 years ago..."The Odd Couple". I was Vera...so I am going to try out for that part again. I loved that character!

365

2011-12-21T08:03:00.000-08:00

I got all of my pictures up in the front room. I painted the frames black, and matted them. The three by themselves are the mandalas that Sara Goff made for the girls and me for our birthdays. I've been waiting to get them up for a long time. I don't know how well you can see them, but I made one picture with three mandalas to put above the shelf. I am completely done with the house now. The only reason it took me this long is the fact that I had to paint seven coats of black paint on the frames before they looked good enough to hang. Talk about time consuming!

365

2011-12-20T20:19:00.000-08:00

I got all of my frames painted..and hung everything up before Sheila came to visit! I'm still not happy with the wall behind the tv. Something about it is bothering me.

The Truth about Christmas Revisited

2011-12-20T10:25:00.001-08:00

This morning in formation I was told to tell my children the real story behind Christmas. "And it's not Santa." I was then told it was about our lord Jesus, his personal savior. Well first off, fuck you dude. OK now we can have a rational talk. I have actually talked to my children about the truth behind this holiday season. I have also shared these tales with anyone who cared to read. Below is a list of links for those of you that weren't reading along a few years ago. And for the record, I am not trying to dissuade anyone from their faith (if the truth can do that you've got problems you shouldn't blame on me anyway). If your church leaders tell you to celebrate jesus' birthday (the Bible wouldn't -as he was Jewish, he would have seen it as a sin to celebrate it himself) or family tradition forces you to participate, all I really ask is for you to stop using your positions of authority to push it on people who may not agree. Cause if they did they wouldn't need your two cents anyway. Asshole, sorry had to get one more in.Gingerbread men - http://laforestgump.blogspot.com/search?q=christmas Christmas lights- http://laforestgump.blogspot.com/2009/12/12-days-of-truth-real-meaning-of_15.html Stockings - http://laforestgump.blogspot.com/2009/12/12-days-of-truth-real-meaning-of_16.html The wreath - http://laforestgump.blogspot.com/2009/12/12-days-of-truth-real-meaning-of_17.html Mistletoe - http://laforestgump.blogspot.com/2009/12/12-days-of-truth-real-meaning-of_18.html Caroling - http://laforestgump.blogspot.com/2009/12/12-days-of-truth-real-meaning-of_19.html Candy Canes - http://laforestgump.blogspot.com/2009/12/12-days-of-truth-real-meaning-of_20.html The Yule log - http://laforestgump.blogspot.com/2009/12/12-days-of-truth-real-meaning-of_188.html The tree - http://laforestgump.blogspot.com/2009/12/12-days-of-truth-real-meaning-of_21.html Santa - http://laforestgump.blogspot.com/2009/12/12-days-of-truth-real-meaning-of_23.html Christmas eve - http://laforestgump.blogspot.com/2009/12/12-days-of-truth-real-meaning-of_24.html The "story behind Christmas" - http://laforestgump.blogspot.com/2009/12/12-days-of-truth-real-meaning-of_25.html

365

2011-12-19T10:06:00.000-08:00

Isn't that the best color? This is from our back yard, and the building you see is Miah's school. It's so close that I can see her during recess (when they have it).

2011 Happiness Ranking of the States.

2011-12-18T18:08:00.000-08:00

Hawaii: 71.1
North Dakota: 70.5
Alaska: 69.4
Nebraska: 68.4
Minnesota: 68.3
Colorado: 68.3
Utah: 68.1
New Hampshire: 67.9
Iowa: 67.9
Kansas: 67.8
Vermont: 67.8
Maryland: 67.8
Massachusetts: 67.7
South Dakota: 67.6
Virginia: 67.6
California: 67.5
Washington: 67.2
Oregon: 67.2
Montana: 67.1
Connecticut: 66.9
Arizona: 66.9
New Mexico: 66.8
Idaho: 66.7
Wisconsin: 66.6
Maine: 66.6
Texas: 66.6
New Jersey: 66.5
Wyoming: 66.5
North Carolina: 66.5
Rhode Island: 66.2
Illinois: 66.2
Georgia: 66.2
Delaware: 66.0
Nevada: 65.9
Pennsylvania: 65.8
Michigan: 65.8
South Carolina: 65.7
Florida: 65.4
New York: 65.2
Missouri: 65.1
Alabama: 65.1
Indiana: 64.9
Arkansas: 64.9
Oklahoma: 64.8
Tennessee: 64.7
Louisiana: 64.6
Ohio: 64.4
Mississippi: 63.6
Kentucky: 63.0
West Virginia: 62.4

Red Alert!! We've gone DOWN FROM GA! Is that possible? Every state I've ever lived in is at the bottom of the list. Explains a lot.

365

2011-12-18T18:01:00.000-08:00

I'm listening to "A Prairie Home Companion" and cleaning my room (or I was, anyway). We've had a busy day today, but for now I'm relaxing.
Jay changed up the pancakes this morning, adding blueberries to his repertoire. I am not a big fan, so he was nice enough to make some plain for me.
While I sit on the bed and lean against the new pile of ridiculous pillows - Jay is grading the rolls of wheat pennies he got at the antique mall yesterday.   Speaking of, we went to Lebanon yesterday to check out the antique stores. The very first one we stopped at had the cheese place (and a gas station, ew) attached to it. I was apparently the only one who thought it was funny, but at least Miah was willing to get out of the car and have her picture taken with the big wedge of cheese. Laurel put her foot down - no fun, that one.
I found a double edged boot knife for when Laurel starts dating. I caught her later in the kitchen looking at it and smiling while she did her little " I'm excited" sway. I knew she had some of me in her! She's under orders to keep it hidden until she's older.
Jay got a day off on Friday for donating blood that morning. He still worked a couple of hours, but came home in time for lunch, so we took our free couple of hours to go look for some shelves for Laurel's room and an air mattress and sheets for Sheila's visit.   We found a really cool shelf/cabinet/dresser thing for her. It has a brass plate that says it was made especially by the furniture company for the lady who bought it. I thought that was a great detail. We had to go get Laurel from school too soon to be able to take it home before hand, so we left it there and went to Sonic for some tea. Did you know they sold apple slices and fat free caramel there? We had some, rather than the french fries and burgers we would have been happy to eat. Yay us! We sat in the car and ate our apples and talked for a while, and pulled out the cards from a game Jay picked out for Sheila's visit, and we were laughing our butts off while we were waiting for Boo in the parking lot.
After we got the kids we came back for the furniture - we had to make two trips in the Jeep. Jay and I carried the top part out to the car, but when we walked in to get the bottom half, as I was picking my side up this guy offered to take my side because it was to heavy (He thought) half joking I said "I'm insulted!" and then had the gall to call Jay by his rank, and say "No, really, let me help!" So after the third time, and while we are already carrying this thing and very carefully navigating through a crowded shop I said, "Listen dude, I'm an Army wife, and my balls are bigger than yours, buddy." He shut up. I only wish I could have seen his face, but my back was to him as he was trying to take the dresser from me. For a minute I was a little ashamed that I was so crass, but then I changed my mind. This is 2011, and when a woman says she doesn't need your help, you listen, because she means it. Respect that.   Besides, I'm a hell of a lot tougher than that skinny little dude. I'm pretty strong! The last time I let a man carry something for me, the moron ripped a huge hole in my couch because he wasn't careful enough. I prefer to do my own grunt work!
Anyway, it was a pretty good weekend. We're all ready for our guests, so if you decide to come early, we'd only be happier!! I can't wait!!

365

2011-12-17T07:47:00.000-08:00

I hate the commissary. I have successfully avoided going as of now, but I accidentally sent Jay on Payday. It's been a long time since we've had to deal with Payday traffic, so we both forgot. It was insane, and my poor husband came back looking shell shocked. This cartoon is no joke, it's for realz (as Laurel would say). I clipped it from the Fort Campbell newspaper forever ago, and laminated it so that it would last forever to remind me to never go back. I forgot to put it on the fridge when we moved back to a post. But it's front and center now!!!

Duh, Diane

2011-12-16T07:38:00.000-08:00

I think this is a no brainer. Women that have goals that are unrelated to the husband, house, and kids are happier. Huh.

365

2011-12-15T08:14:00.000-08:00

Laurel is sitting with us until the concert starts, telling us about her new band.

Isn't she cute?

Miah, as always, is dying of boredom.

Miah is so proud of her sister, she took all of the close up shots of Laurel playing.

The whole band on stage.

Now Miah looks happy!

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The pictures Miah took.

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I have to get Jay up here to fix the Video, but I'll post it as soon as he does.

365

2011-12-15T07:37:00.000-08:00

I'll believe it when I see it. I have a really bad feeling about the whole thing. It doesn't really feel real. Where's the parade?

365

2011-12-14T09:29:00.000-08:00

I am currently painting some cheap picture frames black, and making a shelf to serve as a mantle in the front room. These are the paintings I bought in Alaska (Anchorage). I've been waiting to get here before I framed them and hung them. They're going to look great (I hope!) in the front room. I don't really have a wall space that makes sense, so I'm just going to wing it. I'll post done pictures later.
Sheila is coming to visit in a week or so, and we can't freaking wait! Not that there is too much to explore here, but Jay bought a new game, and I got "Shout about TV" to play. We are all really excited about it. Jay is going to be working half days, but the kids will be off, so we can be free to drive around or just hang out. Yay!

365

2011-12-13T09:27:00.000-08:00

December sky. The clouds were moving a million miles a minute. I wish I could capture the movement and the feeling of rushing with a still picture. It was wild. The wind here is powerful.

365

2011-12-12T09:25:00.000-08:00

Waiting. (For Laurel)
It's been really rainy.
It gets a bit depressing.
There is nothing to do but invent projects. I'm not really complaining.

365

2011-12-11T09:24:00.000-08:00

365

2011-12-10T09:23:00.000-08:00

The side view from Laurel's school. Not much to look at...

365

2011-12-09T09:22:00.000-08:00

Self Portrait

365

2011-12-08T09:20:00.000-08:00

Somehow Harley knew we were coming home. I spied her at the window when we were still on the road, so I pulled out the camera and stopped in the driveway. How do they always know?

365

2011-12-07T09:18:00.000-08:00

I had a dream last night that it snowed. Then I woke up to this. It's no blizzard, but it's definitely white stuff, and I got just a little wierded out. I hope I'm not sleepwalking!

365

2011-12-06T09:08:00.000-08:00

JAY let Miah buy Harley a shirt. ?!? Harley wore the bandana to the vet to "protect her" as Miah put it. Harley didn't really care that Miah was "hugging her from school with the bandana" she freaked out. When we got her, it was from a foster family who took her in after she was rescued from a puppy mill. No one had wanted her, so they stuck her in a tiny cage, where she had no room to move and was covered in ants, fleas and ticks. she was still pretty banged up when we got her, so I can't imagine how bad she was then. Long story short, Harley isn't really into strangers. Especially when they are stabbing her with needles. I warned the guy (Who was a SPC in the Army) that she might freak out, so he had to muzzle her. She promptly peed all over the place, and let of this stench of fear that made me gag. My poor baby. Dobby got the guy back though, when she bit him on the finger through the make shift muzzle. She wasn't playing. Harley got really upset when Dobby started crying, and lunged at the guy, but thankfully I had her leash wrapped up my arm. I almost cried when Harley reacted that way. It's good to know she loves her doggy sister as much as she loves us. I don't have to worry about anyone's safety while she's around! You may remember my last trip to the vet was when we had to put Chet to sleep, so I was already a little out of sorts. Thankfully, though, no one was too injured at the end of the trip, and they are all up to date on their shots and are chipped in case they get lost. Glad that's over!

365

2011-12-05T09:05:00.000-08:00

My drawer organizers finally came from Linens and Things! My old organizers were half the size of the drawers, so I've been getting irritated about the mass of tools and silverware every day. I can't stand it when I can't find something while I'm cooking. Now I feel better. It still looks a bit cluttered, but I know where my stuff is. At least until Laurel puts the dishes away. The kid is having the worst time remembering where things go. Ugh.

365

2011-12-04T09:02:00.000-08:00

I love that the sun rises in my back yard. Every morning after I drop Laurel off at school, the sun is just peeking over the trees, and I can watch it climb the sky from my kitchen window.

365

2011-12-03T08:41:00.000-08:00

I have been searching online for a medicine cabinet for a while now. All of them have been too expensive, not what I'm looking for, or way too expensive to ship. It's funny what happens sometimes, when you are looking for something, and right when you give up it falls in your lap. I went to the on post thrift shop to look for a cheapo lamp I could take apart and fix Jay's bedside lamp, and there it was. The first thing I saw when I walked in the door. I took it as a sign and didn't even bother looking around for the thing I was there for originally. I grabbed it up and paid for it.
It is exactly what I was looking for. Beveled mirror, two decent sized shelves, and it has character. Love it!
.

365

2011-12-02T09:07:00.001-08:00

Laurel picked some flowers for me the first week we were here. I forgot to post them!

365

2011-12-01T11:52:00.001-08:00

The rack is from At Home America. As soon as I saw it I knew I could turn it into something that would solve a problem for me. The cool thing is that I make my own jewelry...the uncool thing is that I don't sell it, so I have piles of the stuff. I can't ever find anything, and it's a big pain.
I used two curtain rod hangers and attached the rack to the wall, then hung all of my fish hook earrings on it. There are clips soldered to the bars, so if I wanted to I could cut squares of screen (Like from a screen door) and use those to store my post earrings, and clip them onto the rack too. I didn't do that in the end, because I now have enough space in the armoire Jay bought me to store the rest of my stuff.
I was really excited when I got the huge box in the mail the other day, but couldn't figure out why it was so big...all I bought was the rack, and a wire TP holder....I about died laughing when I opened the box, and it was almost all air pouches.

365

2011-11-30T13:48:00.000-08:00

Jay bought flowers for me again...I was hiding around the door in the laundry room so that I could "ninja" him when he came in the door.He was startled and at the same time he jumped, he also stuck these in my face. It was hilarious. Isn't he awesome?

How Much Longer Do I Have To Keep This Up? (365)

2011-11-29T16:49:00.001-08:00

Date difference from Nov 30, 2011 to Apr 1, 2012

The total number of days between Wednesday, November 30th, 2011 and Sunday, April 1st, 2012 is123 days.
This is equal to exactly 4 months and 2 days.
This does not include the end date, so it's accurate if you'remeasuring your age in days, or the total days between the start andend date. But if you want the duration of an event that includesboth the starting date and the ending date, then it would actually be124 days.
The total time span from 2011-11-30 to 2012-04-01 is2,952 hours.
This is equivalent to177,120 minutes.
You can also convert123 days to10,627,200 seconds.

Yikes! But I'm almost done! Pretty cool!

Data from http://www.convertunits.com/dates

365

2011-11-29T15:44:00.001-08:00

The dining room, all done. For now. It's a little dark, so I hung my lamps in the corner, and those are my new canvas curtains from Target.com. It seems to be missing something though. The clutter?

365 & Jay's First Day Back to Work

2011-11-28T14:47:00.000-08:00

When Jay first left.

A few hours later, she was still waiting for him to get home.

Jay's first day back to work was a royal stinking bitch. I'm not going to apologize for my language either...because it really was. He woke up at the same time I did, and not knowing when first formation was, he just waited and showed up at regular work hours. As is the norm for the army, there were last minute "plans" being made, and since Jay was standing around waiting for orders, they tapped him on the soldier and sent him out into the world in a milvan, to drive a General around for several days. Mind you, we just got here, so he has no damn clue where anything is...so a CPT drove side saddle. Why that CPT didn't just do the driving, I don't know. I guess just because that's how it works. Jay didn't get lunch until after 3, and spent his entire day running around post like a fool. I won't bore you with further details, but lets just say that there was no actual plan...and I had no clue what was going on until he was able to come home for a brief twenty minutes to tell me he wasn't going to be home until after midnight. He was supposed to be done today by noon, and be home for lunch but he never showed. Even better, his kindle battery must have died, because he's not responding to my yahoo messages. Yay! I have no idea if he's had lunch, or when/ if he's going to be home for dinner. I can't STAND this kind of bull. You'd think that they would have already had a plan of action, back when the General was first told he had to be here....but NOOOO they just grab someone at random and stick them in the driver seat, whether they are qualified or not. I hope to hell Jay drove those guys around as well as he drives his own car, because then NO ONE will ever ask him to do it again. Jay learned how to drive in Korea, enough said.

Meanwhile, I had about a week's worth of cleaning to catch up on. Rue thanksgiving vacation. Ugh. So, anyway...I mopped, swept, vacuumed, dusted, washed, rearrnged, and laundered. I barely had time to take a shower after getting sweaty,and forgot to eat lunch, so I was trying to scarf down some soup before having to drive through the hills to pick Laurel up when I realized I forgot to comb my still damp hair. I had to finger comb my hair in the car while I waiting outside the school.
Then of course, there was a ridiculous miscommunication with Miah's teacher....or should I say NO communication. This chick doesn't bother sending info home, she just expects Miah to be able to listen and relay the information to me in a timely manner. That, however, as you know, is NOT how things happen in the real world. This woman clearly is a single, childless person who has no clue what it's like to be married to the army, and deal with the thirty minutes of after school chaos every day that renders my children deaf and mute. Everything comes out sounding like an order...and after 13 years I've had enough of idiotic orders. Miah came home and ordered me..."I have to stay after school on this day, for this long." No, she didn't know why, with whom, or where. I ended up calling the school after twenty minutes of trying to interrogate the kid. I yelled at the teacher...and I don't regret it. She said that she was going to "get around to writing a note" for something that is supposed to happen in two days. I don't know what planet she's from, but that is NOT how we DO things! It turns out that she wants some of the students to stay after school to use the internet to play math games. Seriously? WTF? It's like she assumes that we are all PVTs and don't have enough money to own computers or pay for internet. Either that or we care so little for our children's educations that we won't make sure they do was is requested of them? I let her have it. Like I'm going to let Miah say after school with only a Miah-written note on a planner. Whatever.
Done with the rant....on to the pictures. When Jay left after the formentioned twenty minutes, Harley stared at the door for a long while. When I asked her what was wrong she jumped onto the couch and stared out the window. Poor dog. After two plus months with Jay home, she was used to him being around, and he left twice today. Will she ever get over it? Will I?

The only good thing about Jay not coming home is that the girls and I get to treat ourselves. We used to sit at home and mope, waiting for Jay to come home, not eating dinner, not watching tv, not going anywhere because we didn't want to do anything without Daddy. But, after 13 years, we've learned. Laurel, Miah and I went to Wal-Mart and got frozen food of our choosing. I got PF Changs Stir fry and egg rolls, and the girls got pot pie and panini. On the way to the checkout we spotted the $5 movie bin, and I found "All Dogs Go to Heaven" 1&2 on the same DVD. Miah doesn't remember seeing it when she was little, and Laurel said I was raising her badly because she missed out. Laurel also freaked out when we realized that Miah had never had Ovaltine so we had to get some of that too. Laurel is upset that Miah seems to have missed out on a lot of things that were her "favorites ever" so she's making it her mission to "educate Miah". We had a really good end to a crappy day, thankfully. I might have exploded otherwise.

365

2011-11-27T20:22:00.000-08:00

That's just PART of my drive to the high school! I can't wait to see it in the spring...and summer...and fall! It's going to be gorgeous!

365

2011-11-26T20:17:00.000-08:00

Jay decided that THIS store is the "landmark" by which he will give me all directions. It is absolutely immature and ridiculous how funny he thinks the name of this gas station is. It's even worse that there are two of them, so no matter which way I drive into town I have to see this sign, and he giggles a little bit as we pass. Ugh...men.

365

2011-11-25T20:52:00.000-08:00

Our housewarming gift from Tom and Frances!

It was so good....you guys are so sweet...
Thank you!

365 Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T20:36:00.001-08:00

Jay and I woke up to this. The girls set their alarms to 5am, made the sign, put it up, and started watching sesame street.

Dinner! It's very small compared to last year...but we were alone this time.

Jay wanted to post the potatoes. Miah made them with a touch of butter, and CHICKEN BROTH!! lol

I made cornbread stuffing for the first time this year. It was good, but a little too sweet. I also made my old standby, french bread stuffing. Yum!

I hope your day was as pleasant as ours was!

365

2011-11-23T22:48:00.000-08:00

Sunset, our back yard.

Good night all....Tomorrow is going to be a long one!
Jay and I went to Rolla the other day, which would be something to mention, only because not much else is going on for a brief moment. I found my bead store, and some samples of stone indigenous to the area. Sara is getting one in her first box of beads in a looong while. I'll be so glad to get back into my routine! I need yoga, bead boxes, Idle Wednesday, a cleaning routine, and something to occupy my brain!

365

2011-11-22T22:47:00.000-08:00

Our house. Not too much to look at if you ask me...but who am I to complain? It's warm, and all of my stuff fits!

365

2011-11-21T22:44:00.000-08:00

Peace and quiet while the kids are at school and Jay is doing Army stuff. Harley is feeling better now that there is no more chaos and our furniture is here.

365

2011-11-20T22:41:00.000-08:00

Dobby keeps trying to get into the window. This is not helping me defend her when Jay calls her a cat. Thank goodness she was too scared to jump!

365

2011-11-19T10:20:00.000-08:00

When Jay and I "went into town" we stopped at an outlet mall...and there was a Fossil. I talked Jay into buying himself a wallet, and I got this awesome camera bag, which I will be using as a purse. The lady thought I was odd for picking it out for myself, but I think it's awesome. I love vintage army inspired stuff. It has a bonus pouch for my camera with padding so it won't get damaged. Awwwwesome!

365

2011-11-18T12:16:00.000-08:00

What's left of my China. My coffee pot, half my bowls, and several plates got crushed under fifty pounds of cookware. Jay and I decided to stop using the China for everyday meals, and we got melamine dishes from Target that won't break. They are beautiful dishes, so I'm not complaining. Too much.

365

2011-11-17T12:13:00.000-08:00

Our bathroom is now a mini library. I had absolutely nowhere to put these books, but luckily I found these two shelves at a little junk shop inside the PX. There is just enough space for them. I think I like it!

365

2011-11-16T12:09:00.000-08:00

My poor, cramped front room. I have no clue what pictures I'm going to put up yet, but at least we have a home for the furniture. We moved everything around several times trying to figure out what to do. It's half the size of our last front room, and I feel a bit claustrophobic.

365

2011-11-15T10:00:00.001-08:00

All of my antique thingys look pretty good on the top of the cabinets.

My Hoosier cabinet holds all of my gadgets, and Jay got the pot rack up!

I didn't have a place to put my bills...so I used this wooden cheese box, because who wants to run the bills upstairs to the computer area?

I've always wanted canisters for all of my ingredients, and I finally have enough counter space to do it!

365

2011-11-14T04:20:00.000-08:00

Jay and I drove the hour to get to Target today. The road: it was like driving 496 to Bowling Green the entire way! Holy cow! OR should I say horse? It's just like being at home. Tractors on the road in town, horses running loose, hills, mountains, crazy curves in the road, and though it's a paved road, it's bumpy and rough. If I'd closed my eyes I would have sworn in a court of law that we were on a dirt road. More later! I need to get a move on...

365

2011-11-13T18:56:00.001-08:00

The picture I mentioned in the last post. Can you tell what it is?

A couple of stars. I need a darker night to try this again!

Well, today was interesting. Jay and I went outside in the 74 degree weather to re-pot my bush, and put the porch together. Jay was standing on the side walk while I was moving rocks around when I heard him let out a startled "Oh!" There was a snake in the wood chips by the front walk! My first reaction was to throw the rock I had in my hands on top of the damn thing. I then went ahead and tossed the rest of them on top as hard as I could and stomped on them. I figured that if the kids moved the rocks and saw a dead snake they'd freak out, so I started moving the rocks out of the way...and of course using one of the tools in the yard to move the last one just in case. Since the snake was on top of the soft wood chips, not even my stomping on it killed it. Jay grabbed the shovel and our compost bucket and I caught the snake and slammed the lid down. My first thought was to call animal control. I'm not in the habit of killing things once immediate danger is over, and I'm not going to open the lid to mess with the thing either...I'm not an idiot! When Jay got off the phone with animal control I knew he was going to tell me something I wasn't going to like. He gets this funny look on his face, and I can just tell. The guy says to let it go in the woods. Um...the woods are a hundred feet from my house, and it's no garter snake. This stupid thing is a baby rattler, and they bite. It won't kill you, but the venom will eat away the muscle, and it hurts like hell. I know from experience.
I decided to wait and think over my options. I really didn't like the idea of opening the bucket and having my face right there. Poisonous snakes know that they are bad asses, and they don't run away when they are mad...they chase you. I finally decided how we were going to handle the situation, so we headed off towards the wooded area with an edger (which just looks like a straightened out hoe) and the idea that we'd put the bucket on it's side, use the edger to pop the lid off, and run like hell, and just in case the damn thing decided to come at me, I would cut it in half with my garden tool. It wouldn't be the first time I'd killed an animal that was after me with nasty intentions. Sure enough, when the snake came out of the bucket, it stood up a few inches and after starting in the opposite direction, it started to meander in our direction. Jay and I beat it out of there, warning a neighbor about it's presence on the way back home. It was a small snake, but I've seen some nasty and aggressive baby snakes. The whole thing had me a little agitated. Otherwise I'd be posting a picture of it right now. I didn't even think about the camera until after it was all over.

365

2011-11-12T18:35:00.001-08:00

Wal-Mart parking lot! lol It's nice to be in a place where you can see the sky...

We basically did nothing today. We ran to Wal-Mart and put the new curtains up in the dining room. Then we watched the last Harry Potter movie. I really needed this weekend to relax. Not that I've been sitting still the whole time. I keep seeing things that need to get done, so I pop up and take care of them. Jay keeps fussing at me to sit still. I caught up on the blog for four hours yesterday, and I think that should be enough.
Jay has had the last month and a half off of work, and we've been together almost every single second of it, so you'd think he'd be tired of me by now. Apparently not though, because he came upstairs to kiss me three times while I was loading photos, and then sent Laurel up here with lunch because he knew I was too engrossed in what I was doing to remember to eat. He's such a sweetheart.
Miah and I took the pups for a walk tonight, and I was amazed at how windy it is out there. The woods behind us were loud with crackling tree limbs and whistling wind. I can't wait to get out there and explore. Like I said, the sky is huge and open here, so we were able to actually see some stars. I pulled out my new camera and tried out the starry sky mode. I think I need to wait for a darker sky, but I did get an absolutely amazing shot of something I didn't even see with my eyes. I'm not sure what the heck it is, but I was aiming at a star so....I'll load it tomorrow, and you guys can tell me what you think. I'm going to get out there tomorrow with my tripod and see what I can come up with a little later in the night.
It's probably a good time to take some good pictures of the girls too. It's too bad there aren't any leaves out there that we can pile up. Have I mentioned that at this post we don't have to mow? There is a landscaping company that comes every other Monday in the fall and does all the yard work for us. During warmer months they come once a week. Jay now has no chores. I'll have to make something up so he isn't getting off scott free. lol Have I also mentioned that we have a two car garage so we don't ever have to scrape ice off a window, or preheat a car again? (Well, at least until the next place.) There are a few things that bug me about this house, but those two little details are enough to make up for it for a while! I also like being able to unload my car without neighbors eyeballing your purchases. One thing I just can't tolerate is nosy neighbors!
Yesterday we finished decorating the kitchen. Jay hung my pot rack, and I got all of my China (What's left of it) organized on the shelves. I need to wash them before I can really call them good, but that can wait until I get bored one day. I won't be using them any time soon, because we are going back to using the cheap dishes again. All the breakage from the move made me rethink the daily use of the good stuff. I'm not going to have anything left to pass on if this keeps up!
Tomorrow I'm going to start weeding through the stuff in my closet. The guy that packed my bedroom took all of the clothes that I separated from the closet and folded into a storage tub, and packed them in wads with the rest of my stuff. So, now I have to re-sort it all and put it away. Men...How much dumber can you get? It's going to be a long and irritating process, so I should probably get to sleep so that I can get an early start. The closet and the Art Room are the only two rooms I have to sort out and organize, and I want to be done!
Until tomorrow...

Getting out of the house is a GOOD thing.

2011-11-11T19:41:00.001-08:00

Too many sad things have happened this week. I don't think Miah can take any more. Her fish got really sick, after of course, we spent serious money making his fish tank all pretty...and he survived the two day trip over here. He died today, and Miah really lost her mind. She's also incredibly upset that my mom's husband's mom Deenie died yesterday. We've been a little short with each other the past couple of days because of all the moving stress, and emotional blows...so we got out of the house for a while.
We started out looking for a place called "Bo Peeps Ceramics" which turned out to be a store full of figurines, and not cool dish ware as we hoped. We didn't even bother going in. Just down the road a bit was a place called the "Talbot House" which was built in the 1800's and was full of cool antiques...and one friendly and funny old man. He had been a soldier, and a school teacher..retired from both. He actually got Laurel to talk to him, which is a BIG deal. She laughed, and blushed as he teased her, and of course he raved over how cute Miah was. He was so excited about Jay's being a soldier, and kept telling us how wonderful our family was. I love it when people praise you for your well behaved children. It's so much nicer than those jerks who want to judge you for the occasional times when they aren't having the best day.
I found a salt and pepper set there that match the orange pitcher my dad used to drink OJ out of as a kid at his grandma's house. Little fruit shaped things made in Japan. Nothing special, except for the story my dad told me about that pitcher and glass set. I also came away with a coin that Keith (The antique store owner) gave us. An appreciation coin from the American legion, he said for my service as well as Jay's. I forgot today was Veteran's day, but I got the impression that he's like this any day of the week. We talked to him for quite a while, and as he was tallying up our purchases, he ended up giving me the salt and pepper shakers for free. We will definitely be going back. We all loved it there! He had a great old player piano that plays ten different songs...and he cranked that thing up like six times because we were so fascinated (as is he...you could tell he really got a kick out of it) he told us all about it, and took it apart so Miah could see the innards. It looks like a giant music box. Miah can't wait to go back...and is going to be saving her money to buy a carousel that spins and plays music. I won't be holding my breath. She forgets easily.
I know I sort of skipped over Ron's mom's passing...and his cousin Stacy died yesterday also. I didn't know either of them very well, but my kids loved Deenie. Miah is taking it especially hard, and we are all really upset for Ron. I hate it when someone passes away and you have nothing to say. I hate "I'm sorry" and saying anything else is really just not good enough. Ron is incredibly lucky that he had his parents as long as he did. He got to love them, and get to know them...and spent a lot of time with them. I hope that he is able to realize how wonderful and lucky that really is.
Ron...even though you aren't genetically linked to me or my kids, I believe we all choose who our family is. You are our family. We love you just like you were our dad, father-in-law, and Poppy. We are thinking about you, and sending you happy, healing thoughts. The kids wrote you notes, and drew you a couple of pictures, and just as soon as I find that pesky post office, I'll send them to you.

365

2011-11-11T13:48:00.000-08:00

My room, View from the bathroom.

My bathroom, view from the bedroom. Also my walk in closet, and Jays.

My bathroom.

The rest of the bathroom.

My room.

Miah's room. A mess already!

Laurel's room.

Linen closet, which is MUCH bigger than the last one! Awesome!

The kids bathroom.

The shower/toilet area.

The stairway (Same carpet we just left, but a different color than the rest of the carpet in the house. Ugh!)

The stairway, and the light I can't reach...and the windows I can't clean! What?! Why?!?

365

2011-11-10T13:12:00.000-08:00

Jay had flowers sent to me yesterday while he was at work. (He signed in yesterday, but only had to work the one day, b/c of the holiday today.) For no particular reason. I love that guy!
We had our first sit down family dinner in a long while. I made a Rachael Ray recipe for Turkey and Stuffing Meatloaf, and sour cream mashed potatoes. It was great food, and the kids got a chance to talk to us without the tv getting in the way. That's the one great thing about having a dinning room again!
I've been catching up on the blog for four hours now. I'm going to go hang out with the family! I have pictures of the completed house, but you'll have to wait for tomorrow! Have a great Veterans day!

365

2011-11-09T13:24:00.000-08:00

Unpacked in three days! It's a new record! When I told the guy that moved our stuff in that I'd see him in a couple of days for the box pick up, he looked at me like I was bonkers. Guess not, huh buddy? lol
I would have been done sooner, but Jay insisted we get him hair cut, and we did some exploring this morning and yesterday morning. I'm not complaining though...three days is good enough.

365

2011-11-08T13:45:00.000-08:00

The back yard. The woods go back pretty far. Next warm day is going to be a day to explore!

The view from my dining room. Welcome to life on post! Though this isn't a big deal for you city folk, I feel claustrophobic already!

The front porch

Duh..the garage!

365

2011-11-07T13:41:00.000-08:00

The front room is half the size of our other one...so we only needed one of the rugs...

Downstairs bathroom.

The flooring. It's not real hardwood, it's the stuff that peels up when it gets wet. YAY!

The Harry Potter closet, The Bathroom, and the entrance to the kitchen and dining room. We keep walking into the HP closet instead of the bathroom. Too funny.

The only place the TV can go. Annoying. Why the hell is that wall even there? I'd like to smack the guy that designed this place!

365

2011-11-06T13:40:00.000-08:00

The dining room

The mud sink in the laundry room.

365

2011-11-05T12:55:00.000-07:00

The woods in the back yard, Harley is on love, and wants to go out every five minutes!

Brand new digital stove and Dish washer! YAY!

Brand new fridge, thank god!

The pantry.

The view from the dining room.

Why are there two lights? Why are they two different sizes? Why the heck aren't they lined up correctly? HATE that!

The kitchen from the laundry room

The new kitchen...Not enough cabinets, they are deceptive. It looks like there is plenty of room, but they are all tiny inside. I'm figuring it out though.

365

2011-11-04T10:44:00.000-07:00

Full on Jeremiah Johnson

Not too bad, but I like this look with a bald head better

Comic book villain look

Evil cowboy look! lol

Miah wanted the mustache, looks like a child molester!

There's my baby!

We thought we'd have a little fun with the shave. I like his face better naked. Now, how do I get him to stop making those weird faces?

365

2011-11-03T10:40:00.000-07:00

Umm...What? We got a real kick out of this. Laurel joked that they were probably going to follow us after we took pictures, and we were making fun of them over the walkie talkies.
By the way, walkies are the best idea for a two car trip! The batteries made it all the way, but died about an hour or so after we got here. Pretty lucky, I say.

365

2011-11-02T12:19:00.000-07:00

Miah rode with Jay, so the dogs got the whole back seat. They don't look happy though!

Jay

Worst pic ever! But you can still sort of read it!

Not my favorite state at all.

Holy cow, we're here! Also on our second audio book now. Dean Koontz kept Laurel and me from dying of boredom.

The road to post. Middle of nowhere? Looks like home to me! Check out the mail box! Haha!

I wish we hadn't missed the leaves turning. We missed fall altogether!

Just a few miles left, thank god!

Forest fire!! Hope this doesn't happen often! My allergies killed me. It was crazy.

Two days...16 hours of driving....we are here....and are already signed for a new house. Just like that! I never thought it would actually go so smoothly! I was seriously disappointed to the point of tears...the new house is much smaller than the one we just left...and it has a lot of oddities. I'm sure I'll get used to it, especially since I have no choice! We have to unload the truck, then call the moving office so they can bring our stuff home. I can't wait to get my stuff back!!!

365

2011-11-01T10:14:00.000-07:00

BYE house! Off to our new adventure!
We spent about an hour reloading the new truck, and getting ready to leave this morning. I tossed out a bunch of stuff last night thinking that I could reduce the weight of the trailer so the Jeep could pull it, but we were about 600lbs over, so the truck was a necessity. It's going to be interesting!

365

2011-10-31T12:00:00.000-07:00

The house is completely done. Jay will go to the inspection tomorrow am. Everybody is so happy to be in the hotel! We're so tired!

Even the pups are pooped!

Look at that hairy face!

lol!

Harley putting a stop to the kids play fighting.

Seriously, she meant it! lol

One last snag...Driving over to the hotel with the trailer on the back of the jeep, I realized that we were given bad information. The Jeep can only haul 1000lbs...so after I practically faint with irritation, frustration, and exhaustion...we made some seriously last minute decisions in the nick of time. We switched the uhaul for a penske truck that can haul Jay's car. It only cost 700$. Gulp! Jay will pick it up in the morning after we sign the house back over.
I finished the last bit of cleaning tonight. I left the side door on my hands and knees wiping the last bit of dirt off of the threshold. I have never been more tired in my life. Because of the truck issue we didn't get to go hang out with Xavier and Donna before we leave, but after all this I really just needed to take a shower and sleep for about twelve hours. Too bad we have to get up seriously early.

2011-10-30T11:57:00.000-07:00

Almost left this behind! It was stuck in the back of my cabinet! Yikes! It's a good thing to remember...I'm going to put ti in my new art room.
The carpet installers came and installed new carpet on the stairwell. I am amazed both at how good it looks, and how much money it cost! Another note to future home owner me: No carpet!

We still miss you.

2011-10-29T18:37:00.000-07:00

Scott Metcalf (Center)

Ninja hug! We still think about our friend Scott, we still miss him, we still talk about him. He was the funny, goofy, chivalrous one. I think I can speak for the entire family when I say that we all wish like hell he'd come home safe that third trip. This day marks the third year since he died in Iraq. I wish for him that everyone would try a little harder to remember the sacrifices that our military families are making every day. These men and women are rarely talked about in the news any more, but I hope that doesn't mean that the American people are taking their deaths lightly. I know it weighs on my mind quite heavily.

365

2011-10-28T11:46:00.000-07:00

I hope we get lucky and have a nice backyard again....This was the back yard at Campbell. We've been spoiled!

365

2011-10-27T11:43:00.000-07:00

No one will admit fault...and though I scrubbed and scrubbed...

This is as clean as it got. After the shampooer left it still didn't look much better. Do you think they'll notice?

365

2011-10-26T11:39:00.000-07:00

Finding myself feeling like this a lot lately! AHHH!

365

2011-10-25T11:34:00.000-07:00

Goff Flashback! All this moving is making me wish we were moving to AK! We miss you guys!

365

2011-10-24T11:30:00.000-07:00


Laurel teaching Miah how to ride her bike. Jay later helped out when he was home, and Miah took her first ride alone.

365

2011-10-23T11:28:00.000-07:00

Something I apparently won't have to see again for a while longer. The latest news is that the new unit won't be deploying. Whew.

365

2011-10-22T11:19:00.000-07:00

Cuteness flashback! 1-28-2005

365

2011-10-21T11:13:00.000-07:00

Harley misses her chair. lol She's going to be mad at me when she finds out this chair isn't going to be in the front room anymore! Even thought the air mattress hardly has air in it, she is laying on it. She keeps trying to move to the part where the air is, but of course when she sits on that spot, the air moves. SO funny!!

365

2011-10-20T11:08:00.000-07:00

These chairs are the only furniture we have left in the house. I'm never going to sit in them again. Jay's looking a little scruffy...he has a whole month off while we are in the process of moving, and he's vowed to not shave until the last minute. Yay.

365

2011-10-19T11:05:00.000-07:00

Before the movers came, obviously...

My youngest is getting big. When did that happen?

365

2011-10-18T10:59:00.000-07:00

She thinks I'm wierd, but I wanted to remember the moment when Laurel climbed the ladder and "cleaned" the fan. Reminder for the future home owning me: do NOT put a ceiling fan in the kitchen. Grease, dust, and fan blades do not mix. The fan never really got clean. Nasty!
You have to check out those guns...I guess Band was good for something...she lost like ten pounds, and gained as much in muscle. She's ripped!

365

2011-10-17T10:53:00.000-07:00

With no TV, and nothing to do but clean...I seem to be easily amused.

365

2011-10-16T10:45:00.000-07:00

I will really miss this backyard, the sound of the creek when it rains, and the wildlife we've enjoyed so much these three years. But that's about it. I am tired of Georgia. Are we leaving yet? Ugh.

365

2011-10-15T10:37:00.000-07:00

My Harley dog, doing what she does funniest. I love it!

365

2011-10-14T08:31:00.000-07:00

Harley, defending the house from the "magic window".

Harley likes to watch tv. She also likes to bark at anyone fighting, animals, or scary looking people who are looking directly at the camera. It's funny as hell.

365

2011-10-13T08:09:00.000-07:00

Go ahead, ask me how many times the family has raked the yard this week! THREE! The leaves haven't even changed color yet, but they are falling like crazy. This pic was taken just a couple of hours after I swept it. We give up. Also, the new bike we kept, but the others we gave to kids in the neighborhood. One less thing to worry about! We seem to keep finding things he packers missed. They seriously stink.

365

2011-10-12T08:03:00.000-07:00

Even the dogs are tired of this!

The dogs are so spoiled that they can't stand to lay on the floor. Even if the only thing to sit on is a washrag, they will both try to curl up on it and go to sleep. Luckily, there are two queen sized mattresses for them to cuddle on. By the way, we are on our third air mattress, through no fault of the puppies..and mom, I owe you a new one. I can't stand it anymore, and I can't wait to get my bed back!

365

2011-10-11T09:49:00.000-07:00

Laurel's last competition.

It was bitter sweet. I'm glad it's over, because frankly, I was exhausted. Between cleaning the house, being stuck in one tiny room with the entire family, and spending so much time on the weekend doing marching band stuff, I'm ready to tear my hair out. The four of us are all sleeping on air mattresses in what was once my art room. The front room carpet has been professionally cleaned, so it's blocked off to keep it that way. I'm immune to cabin fever, having had it frequently during my childhood, but everyone else's moods are wearing off on me. Just a couple of weeks until this is over!

The Preformance! So cool! (365)

2011-10-10T18:54:00.000-07:00

Laurel's Marching Band Competition Photos (365)

2011-10-09T11:49:00.000-07:00

A collection of photos taken last night...

365

2011-10-08T13:52:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken with Miah's camera...it doesn't seem to have a focus function! This is the saxophone section of the band, warming up in the dark in full uniform. The light behind them is someone's headlights as they were driving away...I grabbed the only camera that had batteries left, so it's not the best quality. I love how it is reminiscent of the picture taken of Jay on the mountain in Iraq.
Laurel's band had their second competition tonight. They earned superiors in all categories, and won grand champion!!! Poor Laurel got sick again, so she didn't march the first time around, but was better by the time they marched the second.
Jay and I stuck around after the rest of the band parents went back to the stands, just in case Laurel got sick again. She was fine, but because we were there we got to listen to them warm up. The entire band formed up into a horseshoe shape, and we were standing in the middle of it. The sound of them playing was intense. I don't think I can describe it well enough to do it justice.
When the judge announced that our band won, we exploded in the stands. Jay and I actually "woo'ed" and screamed our heads off. Miah nearly lost her voice. Xavier's mom Donna was dancing and screaming to the point that she was contagious. We couldn't contain our excitement! I don't think I have ever gotten that excited about anything I've ever done in my life. Not even at my own band competitions. I dearly wish that April and BJ, Laurel's brothers, and Mom and Ron could have been there. It was incredible.

365

2011-10-07T14:29:00.000-07:00

Jay got the computer set up today! He also finished clearing, so he no longer belongs to this post. He went to the rental company and put in our notice. I have a list of 26 things I need to clean before we can leave. I'm working from the top down and closing off the bedrooms after I clean them out. Today I vacuumed the rooms, used the magic squares to wipe marks off the walls, (Those things are my favorite cleaning tool ever.) and Jay did some spot cleaning on the rugs. It seems you cannot have two dogs and two children without having the occasional accident. Tonight Jay took Laurel to the game two hours away, and tomorrow we are all going to the second competition, so I guess Sunday is the next day that we are going to get anything done.
Good news came by phone two days ago. We have a house! They aren't moving out until next month, so we are leaving the day they get out, and we will be able to set up house immediately. Fingers crossed that it actually works out that way!

365

2011-10-06T17:18:00.000-07:00

I guess that Laurel decided that this was her bed too! After band practice the poor kid just passed out. The dog is more than happy to be her pillow!
Jay put the cages in the front room, so I at least got a good night's sleep. We spent the day organizing our stuff so that I would know exactly where everything is. It's no longer chaos, so I feel better. I am pretty tired of moving things around though. The situation is a lot better today, but it's still going to be a long month.

Idle Wednesday

2011-10-05T15:08:00.000-07:00

These are double hole earrings. I saw some in a shop once, and have meant to copy the design forever. It's extremely simple, four ear nuts, four small sterling ball beads, and a bit of wire. These are really cool because you can wire wrap any number of things to dangle from the loop.
This Idle Wednesday marks the 52 week! One full year of projects! I can't believe I did it! For now, I'm going to have to take a break from the weekly post, as we are in the looong drawn out process of moving to a new post. If I have time, I will probably make a couple of things, and I will post them AFTER we are fully settled. I have a project due for a friend, which I will be working on, have no fear. I set back a set of knitting needles to get it done! The chick packing my stuff thought I was really goofy for grabbing them so she wouldn't stick them in a box!

365

2011-10-05T14:12:00.000-07:00

The house is empty. We set air mattresses up in the front room and the dogs decided that these were for them. My dogs are seriously spoiled.
Last night we slept in the front room in an empty house. The echos are driving me crazy. Jay decided to leave the dog's cages outside and let them sleep with us on the airbed. Harley spent the night with her giant head on my chest. I'm still sore from laying perfectly still, and I have a spot on my chest that feels bruised. The dog's head must weigh twenty pounds. I tried to wake her up to make her move, but she didn't' budge. I thought for a few minutes that she might be dead...but finally she grunted and got off of me begrudgingly. This is going to be a long month...

365

2011-10-04T14:11:00.000-07:00

Goofing off while the packers are packing. Harley is not a fan of moving.

365

2011-10-03T17:06:00.000-07:00

We got bored waiting for moving day, so yesterday we went shopping for some new outfits. Jay wanted to close his eyes at the register so he wouldn't know how much money we spent, but the lady called the number out. I thought he was going to freak. He HATES spending money on himself, but how much does he think three brand new pairs of jeans, and four new shirts should cost? I've tried to get him new shoes, but he won't do it. I'll talk him into it eventually...

365

2011-10-02T17:05:00.000-07:00

Poor puppy is going to miss her chair!