what are sisters for

To share suckers with their brother of course!!

And boy oh boy does he like it.


Right down to the last little taste.

Sure was nice of Shaylee to share!

On a bit of a sidenote, I will be testifying in court tomorrow at 9am. Will you say a prayer? It's job related, so I can't say anything, except, the State's Attorney never contacted me to go over questions, so I feel like I'm walking into a blind situation.

yellow and black

Yellow and black are my two least favorite colors when you put them in the context of a bug. More specifically bugs that fly that are yellow and black. And I will freak out or go postal literally get really really scared and strange sounds will come out of my mouth.

It's a phobia. And a very real one. I've had so many people tell me to "calm down" or to "quit acting like that and they will leave you alone". Well it doesn't register in my head that way. My response is to do the complete opposite.

However....I was able to use my zoom lens and take a picture of this nasty bug on my shutters right before,

my husband came to the rescue with a can of spray!

Again, thanks to the zoom lens, I was able to take a picture of the dead product. But in my head, even being as close as I was, and assuming it was dead, I still pictured some awful horror movie and this dumb bug would jump up, or fly, or even move a leg.

Because a simple leg movement, would have caused me to faint. Surely.

We tend to have a few more of these dumb bugs around my deck than I care to enjoy. We have searched and searched and cannot find a nest. Who knows, they probably know how much I love their company.

Wordless Wednesday

today's sightings, geese and all

On my way to work this morning, I purposefully took the long way to work because I really, really wanted to get a picture of the geese standing along and beside the road. When I reached the point where the geese hang out, I had my camera in hand and my adrenaline was rushing, but as I approached, the geese were not there.

I was shocked. The geese have been there for at least a month. Many mornings I actually honk my horn at them in hopes of scaring the goose feathers right off of them making them move, instead of stare at me like I'm a weird tourist. But nope, they would stay right there. Sitting along side a highway where cars drive at least 65 miles per hour.

So as I ventured back towards my home after work, I took a shorter way home because I needed to pick up my two children from daycare. Low and behold, not prepared at all, there were geese on the road! Not the geese I was looking for, or at least I don't think they were the the geese, but I don't think they were. It's not like they have name tags on. Oh how much easier that would be.

But here these silly geese are. Standing beside the road. I figured as soon as I squealed slowed to a stop they would leave. Nope. They let me take their picture. Amazing. Almost as if they were posing.

I watched them for a few minutes and then they went into the nearby water for a break.
Quite possibly was two families because they stayed near each other like this, but in two separate clusters.

Still watching to see what I was doing.
Then tonight after a mild thunderstorm, as I was sitting upstairs twiddling my thumbs messing around on the laptop, the sky became very bright. I looked out my window and witnessed the most beautiful rainbow. It was actually a double rainbow. I ran downstairs and told the girls and the hubby to come with me. We grabbed my camera and snapped a few pictures, standing there in our pajamas and all. Well, me anyhow. We could see the whole rainbow, but I could not get the whole thing in one picture. I really need to figure out how to do a panoramic picture.

Not Me! Monday

Come hither, I say, and confess the things you did last week, or ahem I mean, did not do. Please visit MckMama at her blog to see what hundreds of other people have been up to.

I did not stay in my pajamas all day yesterday and sleep half the day away. I would never let a summer cold wipe me out so much as to get nothing done. The few hours I was awake, I most certainly did not watch hours of the TLC channel.

Bound and determined to get a picture of a flock of geese, I did not drop the kids off at daycare 15 minutes early, so I could take a longer route to work, in order to find those geese again. When I did not locate them, I was not the least bit bummed. Nope, not me!

I would never ever get so cotten picken upset with my husband because he spends every waking second on the Nintendo DS that I deleted his game in pure frustration of proving my point. Definitely not something I would do.

I never went to the Arts Festival. Nope. Never. Therefore, I have absolutely no idea where those tasty homemade donuts came from that litter my counter top.

You're turn. Leave a comment and tell me something you did not do this week. Or better yet, create a post on your own blog. Trust me, it's fun.

new breed

New breed of fish has been found in local pool.

It exhibits many characteristics of children. And is able to live outside of water.

Then a shorter breed of the same fish started exhibiting many of the same characteristics. Maybe this is how they breathe, under water. Could it be?
This fish is quite the new breed. Likes to show off with the dripping water.

Ready? Set. Go!

These fish must live by sticking their heads in the water. Or could it be some sort of consequence?

Maybe when these fish talk (if they do), the result is to fill back up under water.

New breed of fish has arms and legs very similar to children.

And don't be drawn in by the child like laughter that comes from it. This fish is a rare find!

Have you seen any of these fish? I hear if you do, they are priceless!

on the road update

The darn birds were in the road again. Can you believe that?! Of course they were more on the side than they were this morning. And darn it, I didn't get a picture. There was too much traffic. Seriously! But they have been there all summer, so I'll get one on the way to work on Monday. How's that? Make sure you watch for that picture!

Oh, and here's a picture of one of our many cats....this one happens to be Macie.

on the road

I was on my way to work this morning and I noticed a pile of what appeared to be carcass in the road. I just kept my eye on it as I approached it closer. Upon seeing that it was still fluffy, fresh, and in the driving lane, I steered to the left. As I got to it, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was the strangest thing ever. A flock (is that what you call it?) of geese, were laying along side the road. All over beside the road. And two of them, which looked like love birds all snuggled up close, were sleeping ON THE ROAD! Me driving by them did not scare them. As I passed them, I was really wishing I had my camera to take a picture. I mean I'm used to these birds. They are always right next to the road, but never ON THE ROAD. Well, 5 miles down the road, I realized I did have my camera with me, but wasn't about to turn back.

Now, I wonder what the chances are of these birds still being there when I go home today. Probably slim. And I also wonder if the two that were sleeping in the road will be gone, as in, still alive, or if they will appear different. I guess time will tell, huh? I'll let you know when I get home.

reality check

My mind is in shambles. My body feels weak. I am exhausted.

I cannot decipher at what point I realized I am so exhausted. Always. Always exhausted.

My body feels weak. The appointments to fix it are accumulating and the prescriptions are piling up.

Today is a reality check. I seen the pictures. I seen what the inside of my body looks like. I can see that it is not right. I can feel the medicine is not working.

A new medicine. Another attempt. Except the pharmacy doesn't even carry the medicine I am supposed to try now. They tell me the cost. My mouth hits the floor. I thought the previous medicine was expensive. It wasn't. Not compared to this one.

The pharmacist asks if I still want it. What choice do I have? It's prescribed. The doctor said so. Even after the required possible negative side effects have been listed. I have the doctors personal cell phone number. Do I call?

No, I tell the pharmacist I have to try this medicine. It will be here tomorrow. She asks if I had to sign a risk statement. No, I did not. She tells me of the possible side effects. We talk. I am in disbelief. Is this really happening? Is this my life?

My mind is in shambles. It's racing. I'm exhausted. I'm overwhelmed. I'm scared.

I come home after a day that was supposed to be fun, which was fun, until I hide it from everyone. It's not a big deal. I can do this. I'm strong. I have a wall. And it's built to the top. I break down. Hard.

My mind is in shambles. It's racing, but calmer now. A grip on reality is setting back in.

Tomorrow is a new day, a new face, a new medicine. One day at a time. One hour. One minute. One moment. This is mine.

Wordless Wednesday

hail

Inside a visit today, we swore (not really) that we heard rain coming in, but knew it was impossible because the house has their windows painted shut. So we went to the door and looked out and the sound we heard was hail!

Hopefully you can get past the blurry pictures, as these were taken with my work camera. The hail bounced all over the road and off our vehicles. Thankfully, I don't see any dents, but it was hard to tell with all the rain drops on it.

Not Me! Monday

Wow, is it really that day of the week again, the day that most everyone dreads, the day that this wonderful blog carnival takes place on? It is and I have prepared another fun, Not Me Monday post for your enjoyment.

But first, make sure you check out MckMama at her blog, especially if you want to see what so many other people have posted!

I did not take my computer into the bathroom again so I wouldn't miss a turn on a game I was playing. And my husband never chuckled at me when he seen me come out of the bathroom with laptop in tow.

I would never be so tired on my drive to work that I don't recall 20 of the 30 minute drive. Nope, not me!

I did not secretly peek through the blinds outside to see my husband mowing the lawn, just to see if he could possibly do as good of a job as me. Gosh, I would never do that! How silly!

While at the lake celebrating the 4th of July, I did not under any circumstances freak out, scream, and yell when the fireworks were coming straight at us the first time. Then, the second time, I did not jump out of my chair as I was almost mad. But on the third time, considering this did not happen, I did not run into the porch and scream, "That's it, we're going home.". I mean, really, who would go to such extremes. Certainly, not me!!

Whew, that was quite a week. Now it's your turn to join in. Just click the link above!

getting even

All I can say is what goes around comes around, right? I'm not sure if Mike fully realized this when he threw this pail of water at Shawndra yesterday.

"Daaaaaaadd!"

She definitely had the right idea.

Getting even is fun! Especially when dad isn't looking.

She took off running for her life after that and it ended up

being a game for quite awhile after that.

4th of July

After taking a sleeping baby from the car and to bed without him waking up, I can honestly say we had an enjoyable holiday at the lake today.

Jayden was amazed at the fireworks. He sat outside and watched them on the beach. Even the ones that flew straight at us did not scare him, but had me screaming and running for cover. That's another story though right?

Devin slept through it. She was wiped out from an entire day of swimming and playing in the sand. She fell asleep in grandpa's recliner, then asked to go to sleep in a bed. So sweet.

The boys made Smores and played with their cousins. We even convinced grandpa to put the boat in the water and take us for a boat ride. Then he put it away because it was going to rain. Again.

All in all, it was a great day. I'll get some pictures up tomorrow. I think it's bedtime now!

10 year olds behind the lens

We went to town this morning to run some errands and left the girls in charge. Once we got home they said they took the camera outside to take some pictures. Here are the products.

Shaylee

Shawndra
Dalton and Joseph. I love those faces!

Jayden

Joseph

Dalton

Devin. This one just cracks me up. The first picture we looked at was just an upper body shot and I thought, oh how cute, except she's still in her pajamas. Then this was the next picture. It got even better when I seen the shoes. It was too cute not to share!

So, not bad considering Shaylee and Shawndra took the pictures. Then I told them how expensive the camera is and I would appreciate it if they didn't use it again! I guess I need to get them a camera for their own use, huh?!

blogged out

I'm blogged out. I sit here with writer's block. I'm looking at a blank screen, well other than what I've typed so far, not knowing what exactly to type?

The posts I put together this past week from Washington D.C. took me all night a fair amount of time to put together. Blogging is great and I love it, but the time it takes sometimes to actually get the photos to download, the words to spill out of my brain and onto a keyboard, to the time I finish can seriously take me all night. Not that I sit here all night and do it. Ha! I come and go.

We watched Marley and Me tonight. I was told ahead of time I'd cry like a baby I might shed a tear or two. It happened. I made it to the end, barely, and the tear (or two) rolled down my face, slid off my nose and onto Mike's shirt. Definitely a good movie though.

We're hoping for good weather on Saturday for the 4th. We would like to go to the lake, enjoy some food, swim, and watch some fireworks. There is a chance of rain, let's just pray it doesn't come.

We sold our lawn mower tonight, so that means we have to go lawn mower shopping tomorrow. Hopefully we can find something in Brookings because I refuse to go to Sioux Falls.

Considering I couldn't figure out what to type, I think I did well. Did I mention I love to blog? Time to get ready for bed, as I'm sure tomorrow will be a busy day with everyone home!

National Zoo

Overall, I was not impressed with the National Zoo. They had a lot of empty space and "missing" animals. Seemed like every time I went to look at the animal they featured it wasn't there. The few animals they did have weren't all that interesting. I really went to see the pandas.

National Zoo, home of the giant pandas!

No, I have no clue who the kids are in the picture!

After much searching, I found the baby panda laying in the air conditioning, not moving, and sound asleep. Doesn't make for a very exciting visit to watch the pandas. I couldn't even find the big ones. I suppose it was hot and they had them somewhere else, but they weren't inside or outside in the panda area, so I was quite bummed.

"And what do you do for a living?"

"Oh I watch panda surveillance!"

Must be a rough job.

Yes, this is full of screens only watching the pandas.

An exam room fit for an elephant. Literally.

Getting ready to break his bamboo.
Crunch!

Mmmmm, nothing like fresh snapped bamboo to eat!

Yay! I think I have finally come to the end of my important Washington DC photos. I still have over 400 I haven't shown you, so maybe they'll pop up soon. Either way, they're very random, but still good pictures.

I wasn't really in the mood to blog tonight. I'm glad I did. It's my goal to blog every day. Maybe I'm just irked at the hot weather, or the child who continuously is wetting their pants, or the fact that some random lady just threw Jayden into a flip at the softball game, but dropped him face first onto his belly, except she caught the back of his shirt in time to lesson the impact. After all of this, just this evening, I'm wrapping this up, in hopes of "sleeping it off" and sharing a wonderfully happy post with you tomorrow. Whew!