Visitors

'Tis the season. This year has found more visitors in our house than years past. For Thanksgiving, we had my mom, nephew Ladd, sister-in-law, her family, and father-in-law stay during the weekend. Whew. Felt like all I did was cook, eat, and wash dishes. I am so tired of cooking. rofl

My father-in-law is staying with us until Christmas. Kathy and family will be back to get him. Maybe. I hope he has been enjoying his stay. I try to give him time to himself. I really cut back on my activities. Driving me crazy. But I don't want to have a lot of people relying on me and then I can't follow through because something happened with Bob. So far he has been behaving himself.

The only trouble we have been having is salt. He knows he can not have it. We changed the salt out with a salt-substitute. The bad part is that the sub. isn't good either in large doses. And that is what he does. Large doses. Whew! I am not certain how he can eat the food when it is crystallized like that. Here is an adult man that knows he is not to eat salt but he puts it on everything! I am surprised he doesn't add it to his glass of milk.

The other thing that drives me insane. He has spent the last 3 years in a nursing home. They will allow you to have several different glasses of fluid to drink. Now that he is out, he has at least 2-3 glasses of something at a meal. Do you know how many glasses I wash in a day? Too many. We need to break his habit of this.

Husband is not liking having his dad here. Stresses him out. The whole family is stressed from having him here. A visitor in your home will do that to you.

This morning was fun. F-i-l is an amputee. The boys had questions about how he puts his prostetic on. So he shared with them. The good news is that it didn't freak Morghan out like grandma's false teeth. tofl

Survived!

I survived it all! I can't believe I actually got thru everything on my to do list! My house wasn't the cleanest...there was lots of dusting needing to be done...but it looked good. Now I have to ready my home for Christmas. Ugh! I hate hauling out the decorations and putting them up. When the boys are gone, we aren't having a Christmas tree. Maybe a small one that you can put in a bag and pull out every year and you are done. I know I am a Scrooge!

The month so far is going well. I really need to start working on some things I need to accomplish. Not nearly as much as Nov. but I am being lazy so they are piling up. Terry's dad is visiting this month. So I have the added stress of having someone else to care for. He really isn't a bother. Just have to cook every meal for him. Ugh. I don't mind the cooking, it is the cleanup I abhore!

He is going to the Senior Center today for lunch. I like when he does that so I don't have to eat much. I feel like I have gained 50 pounds in the week he has been here. Feel like singing...fatty fatty 2x4 can't fit thru the kitchen door. rofl

Today I am going to go to my bff's house and we are going to make Christmas candy. Woohoo. I am ready to get out of the house. Unfortunately, the weather has decided to turn a little like Christmas. Had some sleet this morning when the boys got on the bus.

Last night, I went to a PTA meeting. The superintendent was there speaking. The school district would like to see the 9th graders move into the high school and the 6th grader move into a middle school environment. I think this would be a good idea. I don't know if Wyatt is ready for it but he might surprise us and rise to the challenge. I agree that it would be a good move for the school district to make. But we'll see how Wyatt manages.

Hold onto your hat...we're going for a ride!

The garage sale is done. When we were setting up, it was 24 degrees outside. Brr! We sold a lot! I am taking most of the rest to Salvation Army or something like that. I am really happy. Made some cash. I am able to afford some Christmas presents. Yay. My house is still a fright. On the list of things to do tomorrow. One room at a time. I can not believe how much I still have to do. It was really hard to sell some of the things we did. Cappie was sold. I wanted to cry. I told the lady to take really good care of him. Terry fixed his handle bars. He had to scrape out the wood from inside the handles. Wyatt put the shavings in a plastic bag. I will put it in his baby book. Cappie was bought for his 2nd birthday. Wyatt loved that toy. Rode it all the time. Chipped his teeth with him. Glad we have pics. and hope the child that gets him will love him too.

Why do I do this?

Again, keeping really busy. Is there any other way. I am about to fall down though. I have so much to accomplish in the next 2 weeks. Thanksgiving is fast approaching and I am thinking of taking a nap. We are getting ready for another garage sale. Keep you fingers crossed that the weather is nice and lots of people come and haul away all of my garbage. I finally got Terry talked into getting a rid of a lot of his items. Whew! My house is a total nightmare right now but after this weekend, it will be a dream. There won't be much for anyone to make a mess. Yeehaw!

Wyatt has started archery club. I hope he does well. I think I am going to let this become a father/son thing if I can con Terry into it. He doesn't know it yet so don't tell him. Just our little secret. lol

I really need to get a job. Father-in-law will be staying with us for about a month. That should be interesting. No naps for me. Bummer. I should lose weight as he has to follow a healthier diet and I am going to feed it to us all. We'll see. I am sure I can hide cookies somewhere in this house. rofl

Another Day, Another Dollar

Garage sales. Yuck! I promise myself I am never going to have them again. I find myself doing it over and over again. Why? It is the setting up and pricing things that blows chunks! This last weekend, my friend needed to sell some things. Her husband and her blended 2 families together and she needed space in her house. So to help her get motivated to do it, I added my junk to the mix and helped set it up. Luckily, I had most of my things priced from last year when we were going to have a garage sale.

The funny part is, we set up on Halloween. We did not have the sale that day as both of us were busy with children's parties at school. Then taking kiddos trick-or-treating. Most of it was set up during the day. It is November, but we had two of the warmest days to do this. When people stopped by to trick-or-treat, they looked through to mess and bought things. How great is that? Her daughter made cookies and my son sold soda. Both made good money off of the sale. Of course I bought all of the soda so I am out lots of money while he pockets it all. Bugger.

People amaze me at these things. The stuff you think won't sell at all is what flies out the door first. I sold so many toys it was crazy. Not good quality toys. We are talking most of them were McDonalds toys. McDonalds here I come for more toys.

So Busy

I am a SAHM right now. My second anniversary of being a SAHM is fast approaching. I have enjoyed it so much. I don't want to go back to work but with the economy the way it is, I just can't see how I won't have to go back. Being a SAHM, you would think that I would have boring days. At the beginning, there were plenty of them. Then I started having lunch with my friends and filling in lots of things to do during the day. I love to volunteer.

Boy, volunteer, what an understatement. I work at volunteering for many hours during the week. Most of it anymore is scouting. I am trying to get everything ready for myself to step down as cubmaster. There is just so much to do. I got a lot accomplished today. Santa is booked for the Dec. pack meeting. Just have to find a craft. Going to send off care packages to troops for our Nov. meeting. Booked 3 judges for our jack-o-lantern contest. Oy, so much to do...so little time.

Can't sleep

What is it that makes a person a morning person or a night owl? My mother has always been a morning person and my father a night owl. I am a self-proclaimed night owl. I have always loved working later in the afternoon and going to bed late. I don't do well in the morning. I can get up early. My body just doesn't like it.

It is almost 4:oo in the morning. Terry's alarm will be going off in about 20 mins. Here I am awake and not wanting to sleep. Now I did go to bed around 11:00 pm and woke around 3:30 am. I love the absolute quiet of the night. Except of course for the snoring coming from children and Terry. rofl

The funniest part about being a night person is that I am scared of the dark. As long as I have someone with me I am ok. Being by myself is not ok. I remember travelling to Nebraska by myself with boys and dog. Kathy took the boys to stay at her house on the first night there. Now normally I love this. Trapp, the dog, probably thought I was crazy. He was a puppy at the time.

All of the lights were on in the house and outside. I had Trapp sleeping in my bed with me. Even though I was scared he was going to poop on the carpet. I hardly slept at all thinking the whole night that the boogy man was going to get me. I am an adult for crying out loud!! Why would someone my age be scared of the dark??? I will never know and there is no cure for it.

Hump Day

Middle of week. Not a lot going on today. Not feeling the best this week. A.F. is visiting and it's kicking my butt! Allergies don't help.

Not a whole lot going on this week. I cleaned my carpets on Monday in the back living room. Been doing a mountain of laundry. Could pay attention to it and it would go faster.

I have to really watch my depression. I need to get a job. Don't want that though. Working at my last job and how stressfull it was really scares me that I will do it again. I had no time to myself. I was either an employee or mom. Never me. These past 2 years of not having a job has been wonderful. I get to go to my kids' programs without asking off. Go to the dr.'s without any worry about how long it is going to take so I can get back to work. I don't miss a job at all.

What I do miss is having a dog in the house. Who would have thought?

A Great Weekend

Today is Monday. We had a wonderful family weekend. Due to scouts, our family gets a lot of quality time and I do believe what Terry and I do, makes for our boys to be very proud of us. This weekend was the Council's Fishing Derby. My friend, Sonya and I added a Webelos clinic to the derby. It made for a very long day but was well worth it.

Wyatt won again. This was the 2nd time in his scouting career that he has won a prize. Both times it has been a fishing pole and tackle. He swears it was for the largest turtle. I was told it was for the largest catfish/bullhead. Either way he won. Way to go Wyatt!

I am so proud of Wyatt! He has really become a great fisherman. I usually catch a lot of fish but this child can out fish me. I don't know how many fish he caught but he says he caught 6 turtles that day. There are too many turtles in that pond.

All weekend, I had sad moments. It is hard to believe that just a week ago, we had been down to Sundance and Trapp was with us having a great time. Sometimes I could see his little ghost running through the weeds. He loved that place. I still feel like he is with us at times. Not in a ghost way but I hear noises that he would make and look to see him. Then remember he isn't there. I know he misses us and the boys. As we him.

The clinic went well thanks mostly to my and Sonya's husbands. They are fabulous and without their support, we couldn't do it nearly as well as we do. Had a lot of compliments from the parents about what a great clinic and idea it was. I think it may become a traditional thing.

I am a little worried about Morghan. Treva gave me a stuffed dog to pull a trick on Terry. He carries it everywhere. Won't let it out of his sight. Not an unatural won't let out of sight thing. But I think he is grieving Trapp. I am sure it will pass but I need to keep an eye on him. I try to get him to talk about losing Trapp. He really doesn't say much. Time will tell.

Gotta go get a phone charger. I have misplaced mine. I don't know where I have put it.

General George Washington

Today was Wyatt's school play. He woke up this morning excited and said, "I can't wait to do this play mom. This is the best day of my life." He had the honor to do the lead in the play. I was very proud of him since he had the lines memorized in less than a day. Now if I could just get him to do that with school work. Ugh!

I went to the dress rehearsal at 10:00 am. Morghan's teacher said he was excited to see brother dressed as George Washington. Wyatt did look kind of silly with the white wig on. I thought he looked great! The dress rehearsal went well but later, when the parents were there, it went great!

The 2:00 pm showing had a lot of parents there. Terry came and sat with me as did Sonya. I was happy to see her. I think she really enjoyed it. Wyatt did a wonderful job. I think he was a little nervous cuz he wouldn't smile and he had his hands in his pockets. All of the kids did a wonderful job.

I was happy for the distraction. The boys weren't too upset about Trapp. They seem to have accepted it. Each day will make it easier but they still miss him so very much. He was so wonderful with the boys.

This weekend, we have a fishing derby for scouts to attend. I have a lot to accomplish before we head out. We will be camping out and doing a clinic too. Should be fun.

God is There For You

I am amazed when people can say there is no God. WTH? I have witnessed that there is a God. Yesterday, when my poor little doggy made his way to Heaven, God did not abandon me. I don't know what I would have done, had the city employee not been there. For my children not to have to witness their beloved pet lying in a street dead is definately a human angel sent to help. Not an angel as we believe they look like. This man did not have wings. He was as human as you and me. He was sent to be in that place at that time, because God knew it was Trapp's time. He sent someone to help me. The brutality of a death like that is tramatizing.

Then today, God sent my friend Sonya over. Yeah it was as innocent as asking her if she wanted to see a movie. Today was so very hard. The Schwan's man rang the doorbell. I went to tell Trapp to stay and he wasn't there. Rip my heart out. I never knew how safe that little dog made me feel. How many times I talked to him during the day? I still hear his pitter patter everywhere. God had Sonya here so that when I went to get the boys from school, she let me cry. Let me get my guilt out. Again, let me transition into overcoming this horrible time.

I get to school and the boys come walking down the sidewalk towards the car. Their faces are droopy and look like they are about to cry. I want to cry for them. Morghan won't get into the car. He doesn't want to come home with out Trapp being here. I finally coax him into the car. He tells me, "Mom, my heart hurts." I tell him, "Mine does too baby."

God sent my boys a human angel too. Treva stopped by and brought chocolate chip cookies for my boys. She hugged and kissed them and wrestled with them. Made them laugh.

I talked with Terry about getting another dog to make the transition of not having one easier for the boys. It won't replace the loss we have but will refocus on a positive. He said absolutely not. I will have to move out if I do allow another dog. He is right. We have to have a fenced in yard so this doesn't happen again. Besides, with our busy life and my job hunting, a puppy just doesn't fit into our lives. Even if we got an adult dog, it wouldn't work. I like the freedom of a cat. They do not have to be watched like a dog does. I would give anything to go back in time and have my little dog to look after anyhow.

Thank you God! Thank you for holding me through your human angels. I know Trapp is with you and happy. This makes my broken heart mend.

Trapp Dumb Dumb Little Pig

Oh how I love this dog. He is gone now. Ran in front of a car and was killed instantly. So I hope. I picked him up to move him out of the street. Luckily, only I saw the horrible sight. My boys were in school. We were heading out the door to go get them. A city employee was down the street and heard my crying. He called into dispatch and asked to send a truck out to take my poor liitle baby. So my boys never had to see his broken body. When I picked him up, I swear I felt his heart beating. Then it was gone. At least he died in my arms and knew that I loved him.

How do you tell 2 little boys that have never had death at their door before? They were so in love with that dog. How could you not be? They have been really sad and I let them work it out themselves. Give lots of hugs and kisses. Tell them how he is now in a field chasing after rabbits and squirrels in heaven. Trapp Dumb Dumb Little Pig, I love you!

A Day in the Life

Today was spent getting ready for the big webelos campout next weekend. Compasses....oh boy. Didn't really know how to work one. Borrowed a GPS from a friend hoping to cheat. Ok, so we don't know how to work a compass or GPS. Thankfully we only have to teach the compass. Read the book and now I am an expert. Kind of surprised, my hill-billy husband didn't know how.

We set up the coarse. Walked through it to make certain it is correct. Had a scoutmaster walk through it. Was only a few feet off. Not moving it. Whew! See I told you I am an expert.

Went fishing while there. Next weekend we probably won't have a chance. Caught a lot of fish. I am really proud of Wyatt. He is becoming really good at fishing. Even Morghan caught a fish. His was the first one of the day. I think the largest also. I am tired but it was a good day.

First blog

Hello all. Thought I would try out this blogging thing so many people before me have done. Sounded like fun when I am bored. I should be cleaning my house. With 2 boys, a cat, and a dog, things tend to never be clean.

Today was an adventure. Supposed to be in a parade for scouts. Why I chose to do it was stupid enough. It rained buckets this a.m. and finally stopped. We had the float in my bff dh's work in a garage. Worked on it while it rained. Made certain things were waterproofed. It stopped raining and they needed the garage so we were kicked out. Went across the street and parked under a gas station cover. Finished the float. About ready to run home, shower and head back with the boys, and found out the parade is cancelled. It wasn't raining. Hasn't rained since this morning. I had a few phone numbers in my phone to call scouts. Unfortunately, there were many that I didn't have access to. Hope they aren't too mad.

Tore off all the stuff on the trailer. Took over 3 hours to make it. Took less than 5 mins. to tear it apart. Had to take the board to the storage shed. Didn't have keys so left car and trailer by the shed and ran home. Take dh and kiddos so they can have to vehicle to go to a wood clinic. Bff was taking me home. Terry and kids take off and I realize my phone is in car. Something important I need to tell Terry. Use bff's phone. Bff reminds me to borrow GPS for a scouting thing (yes we are cheating). I tell her I will call her now. Pull phone out of pocket. WTF??? How did that get in there? Ok, so I am getting old and I am blond. What a dumbass!