many lessons learned

Lesson learned: Don't wait until a few days before Christmas to buy your decorating sugars and such for cookies because they will be sold out.

Lesson learned: Look in cupboard before going to the store to make sure you don't already have above mentioned sugars.

Lesson learned: Baking soda becomes bad before it actually expires, causing extremely flat cookies.

Lesson learned: Check your pockets before washing and drying your clothes.

Lesson learned: If the cats come upstairs to drink the dogs water, it means the cats water downstairs is empty.

tantrum in a tutu

There's just something about a 2 (almost 3) year old throwing a tantrum in a tutu that makes it not quite so bad.

But if he throws a tantrum when he's 20 in a tutu then that well...

we'll just leave it at that.

my grandma

Tonight I was informed of some bad news that will be coming. It's just a matter of time. My grandma who has been in the nursing home for quite a few years has taken a turn for the worse, if that is even possible.

She doesn't eat anything, she only drinks and not much. I was told there were questions asked of the nurses about the liquids she drinks. The heat was put on the nurses with these questions, but it was relayed to me that when she stops drinking, she will pass away 7-10 days later. Of course this isn't a guarantee, but it's a very real possibility. Today, she drank fluids.

It's time for my grandma to go to heaven. Her life on Earth has been long and wonderful, but it's time for God to take her home and it's time for her to be reunited with grandpa.

I can't help but be sad knowing that her passing is coming...even though I know it's better for her. It's the selfish side of me that seems to take this hard. Everyone knows it's time for grandma to go. But that doesn't make it any less sad for me now.

My grandma doesn't know anybody and hasn't for a while now. The last time I seen her, I cried for hours as I sat by her bed. She had no clue who I was.

This time of year makes it especially hard. Knowing that the phone call could come at any point. Knowing that it could happen on Christmas. Even though I know she'll be so much better in heaven, I feel like it could make or break the holiday. It will be sad and she will be missed.

I have many great memories of my grandma. Those I will share at a different time. Right now, I can't, the time doesn't feel right.

Every time I see my dad calling, I get a gut feeling inside, like is this the phone call. I have expected to hear the news for several months now. Dad Cell Calling. I always answer and so far it hasn't been that call. But tonight, I learned I shouldn't be shocked or surprised when the call comes. Because it will.

tasty, but sad cookies

I've had some butter sitting out on the counter for about a week now waiting to be used for cookies. Well, today I finally decided to make some simple chocolate chip cookies. Next weekend I will start making holiday goodies for Christmas. So if anyone has a good roll out sugar cookie recipe, I would love for you to share it with me!

The cookies are good, but could someone please tell me why they are so cotton-picking thin? I used the correct ingrediants, nothing is expired, but they still are flat! The only thing I can think of is the butter was too soft?
In all seriousness, how do you make cookies that are fluffy or have more depth to them? Because my cookies today sure look sad.

memories

Have you ever noticed some memories are so easy to remember and other memories just fade off in the distance? Do you remember any very vivid memories from when you were a small child or perhaps a memory from later years that you can't seem to shake from your memory?

I can recall being a young child, maybe 3 or 4 years old, and heading down the steep stairs of our orange house. My mom always took her shower downstairs and she would carry my bowl of cereal down for me to eat while she was showering. Except that day, my mom fell down the stairs and landed at the bottom in a curled up fetal position. I still remember her whimpering and remember the look on her face.

Did you know that it is impossible to actually remember anything before the age of 3? Chances are if you swear you remember something from those early years it is really the stories or pictures you have been exposed to.

I also remember being around 3 years old and having my appendix rupture. I don't remember the pain, but I do remember running around the house. I ran from my room, to the front door, to my mom and dad's bed, and what seems like circles. Everything else I remember from that horrific experience is what my parents or grandparents told me and the few pictures I have seen. I can also remember because of the 5 inch scar on my abdomen.

But why is it the memories we don't want to remember are the ones that are the clearest? That may sound strange, but for me it's true. There are many days when I can be eerily reminded of something scary or something that spooked me many years ago. I find myself looking around corners or in places where I imagine someone could be hiding or watching me just to find nobody is there.

Memories can be created anywhere at anytime. They can create different emotions. Some memories are even brought to the surface when you are back in that same place again. I just find memories something I think often about, whether it's something I come across and go back in time, or it's a new memory.

Do you have any memories from a long time ago that are clear to you?

Happy Birthday Mike

Tonight was a milestone in our house. My husband celebrated another anniversary of his birth. We had some Papa Murphy's pizza and ended with some ice cream cake from Dairy Queen and last, birthday presents.

We made lots of silly faces and took pictures of silly moments. After a busy week of birthday's, we finally get a break within our household until February. I did mention the break is only in our house because my sister is turning 29 for the second time...ahem...if you know what I mean, on Saturday.

wordless wednesday

a bit annoyed

I find myself feeling a bit annoyed tonight. I haven't been able to put a finger on it exactly. I feel it could be the challenges of raising children, or maybe it's the weather, or maybe it's the fact that I'm overweight and I hate it, or maybe it's the changes coming with my job.

Either way, I feel a bit annoyed.

Maybe I should use the word bothered instead. If I say I feel a bit bothered, does that sound better? Maybe, maybe not.

Either way, I feel a bit annoyed.

I have been officed in the same house now since I started my job a year ago this past August. In fact, other Family Advocates have been officed in this same house for the past 11 years. But now the time has come where my job is vacating that office. I knew it was coming because I had heard little pieces of this task in previous months, maybe warmer months. However, now it's not so warm, and I find myself a bit annoyed.

I am employed with a great job, a job that I love. But something I don't like is the upcoming move out of my office into a different place. Right now, my office is housed in a 3-bedroom house and is packed full from top to bottom with toys and resources. In simpler terms, it looks like a preschool in every room and it is safe for children who are under 3 years old to come there. It's a great house, a warm house, it's "Val's House". Well at least that's what my little ones call it when they come to my house.

But either way, I feel a bit annoyed. I have had to ask my family and friends to move me out of my office. I was told end of November I would need to be out by December 31st. I don't have a problem with that. What I seem to be bothered by is the fact that I had to ask my husband and my dad to help me move.

Isn't it odd that my family and friends have to help move a business that I don't own? I am merely an employee who reported to work for the past year in this home, but now find myself largely responsible to get it packed and get it moved.

My boss has been wonderful, making phone calls, cleaning out storage sheds, and just having open ears for me to vent to. She is going to play a big part in this move too and will be there to help us move. I am grateful for that.

I am anxious for this move to be complete and for the stress of this move to vanish. For now, I still feel a bit bothered. Yes, bothered sounds better.

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I am not completely obsessed with "center" alignment. I do not use it on almost every single post because I think it looks the best.

While my husband was rewiring the ceiling fan, I certainly did not jump out of my skin when wires touched, made a loud poof, and everything went dark.

I have not peed in my pants so many times this week that I lost count all from coughing so hard that it just came out. I never showed my pants to my husband to prove I had peed when he asked. That would be absurd!

I do not have a problem with moisture in my kitchen window that causes major ice build up. And I never ever take a hair dryer to it to melt it, especially when it blows melted water everywhere. Nope, not me!

I certainly never become frustrated with my children, and if I do (which I don't), I would never start counting down the daysyears until they move out.

I do not rely on cough syrup with codeine to help me sleep at night, or to make my cough sleep at night.

I did not forget what it was like to cook a small meal after grandma took 3 kids to the farm and another child was at her dad's. I never cooked just 1 single box of mac-n-cheese and 3 hot dogs, instead of 7 boxes and a whole package of hot dogs. It really was not simple! Oh, and I would certainly never feed our children mac-n-cheese and hot dogs. Nope, not me!

Happy Birthday Shawndra and Devin

We celebrated Shawndra's 11th and Devin's 5th birthday. Today is actually Shawndra's birthday and tomorrow is Devin's, but since it fell on a Sunday, we celebrated today with grandparents and our own family.

Shawndra's side of the cake is really bright. We told her she was "old" today, but she did a good job finding people that were older, like, ahem, myself.
Shawndra didn't think she was getting a camera for her birthday because we had told her previously she probably wouldn't. But thanks to a super early Black Friday deal, we were able to find a decent camera for her. And she was tickled pink to say the least!

Devin got lots of dress up stuff. She sported a purple boa initially, but that was before she opened a present with a tutu, a tiara, and a set of beautiful butterfly wings.

And this is something she really wanted. I'm not even sure what it does and I bought it for her! It's some Gumball My Little Pony thing. Come to find out later, the boys had told her she was getting it because they had found it in the truck.

Here is her favorite (for now) dress up outfit.

stuck

Mike and I made our way to town today to do a few errands and of course make the weekendly stop at Wal-Mart. Once we finished our shopping there, we decided we needed an ice cream cone from Dairy Queen. Ok, I decided we needed a cone because he didn't care. Although, he didn't have to take me there because I was a passenger.

But, alas, he did.

We stopped in the turning lane and looked over at the entrance. Mike said, "Looks kind of rough.". Dairy Queen is known to get a nasty rutty bumpy slushy entrance if there is ever an snow. Our shining moment came and Mike says "Ready? Let's go!" We hit the first bump kind of slow and slid into the next and then it happened. Stopped cold. Half in the driveway, half on 22nd Ave. (22nd Ave is a very busy road in our town.)

Mike threw it in reverse and all we could here is the high pitched sound of spinning tires on ice. After moving briefly back, he threw it back forward and we were officially stuck. All I could do is watch the cars coming at me, hoping they would stop or move to the next lane, or else they were going to take off my rear end. My car's rear end that is.

The smell of burning tires was nauseating. I started to get a little ticked about the smell of my tires. I didn't want them wrecked. Can you wreck a tire from spinning them, heck, I don't know??

Mike finally got out and I got in the driver's seat. I did what I was told. I went forward and backwards and left and right and turned my tires and turned my tires the other way, but nothing worked. I watched a pick-up slide to a stop near my back end. Then miraculously, a cop showed up to block traffic. Then a few guys showed up. And a gal.

At this time, there are 3 guys, 1 gal, my husband, and a police officer trying to get us out of there. Pushing forwards, pushing backwards, pushing forwards, finally led us to a sideways position where we were gaining ground and before long, we popped out onto dry land, said our thank yous to the people who helped and then laughed. I did anyhow. It was a laugh from feeling like a complete idiot to a laugh from thinking did that really just happen?

All that for an ice cream cone. An ice cream cone that wasn't even that great. Sigh.

Christmas program

Shawndra, Joseph, and Dalton had their school Christmas program last night. Dad and Shaylee went to watch them sing and play in band, while I stayed home (sick and coughing) and watched the little two. Joseph is in the front in the orange. I see his teacher is sitting behind him. I wonder if that was strategic planning?

I was told by Grandma Rhonda that Dalton knew all of his hand motions to the songs he sang. She was very impressed.

Shawndra getting ready to play her (my) clarinet. Yes, that is the clarinet I got when I was in 7th grade and we bought it used, so it's quite old!

I'm not sure what else is coming up for Christmas programs, of if the middle school will be doing anything. I'll let ya'll know when/if I hear something. I got a small bite wound from not telling everyone. My bad. It kind of snuck up on me.

playsets aren't just for kids

(((Here's an old post I found in draft form that was never published. Still sicker than a dog, still bummed about the camera, but waiting to see if my mom's lens will work. Enjoy the pretty green grass in the pictures because we all know the grass isn't green any more!!)))

Who ever said playsets are just for kids has not been to my house lately because at my house, they are used by sliding kittens....

and climbing cats

mia

No fun posts, no pictures, no giddy news. Just a weekend of being terribly sick and having a break down last night over my camera.

My camera you ask? Well, after pulling my hood up outside because it was cold and not realizing I also pulled my very expensive camera up over my head also, caused it to fall to the pavement lens first. It's not pretty.

Coughing til my head hurts, coughing til I pee my pants, coughing til I gag, blowing my nose til it nearly bleeds, blowing a raw sensitive nose, trying to hear through plugged ears, not smelling food, not tasting food, and just plain feeling like crap, has caused me to feel extra bad over my camera.

It's my smaller lens, the one that's easier to use all the time. It's not the big lens, the zoom lens, the one I use less of the time. Nope, it was the common lens. Bouncing onto pavement is not good for cameras.

So until I get my head out of the clouds and feel a bit better about my camera, don't expect much for pictures.

early morning shopping

The alarm ringing at 2:30am was quite a shock. I jumped out of bed, not quite sure what that noise was, fumbled with the alarm clock, then realized it was the alarm clock on my phone. I was up and it was time to get going.

We were out the door by 3am, headed to Sioux Falls, in search of great deals. And I must say, we found some most excellent deals!

Our first stop was JCPenny's. Even though there were tons of people, it was still easy to maneuver through the store. We found some great deals. So many people were carrying big boxes of kitchen items and rushing to the checkouts, then out the door to the next stop. It was amusing to see people scurry about.

Next up was Shopko. Driving by, I laughed at the people standing outside of Best Buy and I was so thankful we didn't have to go there, or want to go there. I was a bit surprised to see the huge lines of people outside of Shopko when we arrived. I believe their line was as big as Best Buys. The kicker was they had 2 sets of doors and people were only lined up at 1, so we went to the other door where a sign read these doors would open 2nd to the other doors. A few minutes later, a manager came and said they would not open those doors. That made a few customers mad because the signs said they would open. Anyhow, a short time later, the doors opened and people from the parking lot and the other doors mingled in with the long line and entered. That made people standing in line upset! So we just wandered right in. It's not like the line was cramped going through the doors, I mean, there were big open spots. Worked out pretty slick.

I stopped to look at some picture frames and a lady kept nudging my hip with her cart, but I pretended I didn't feel it. There were so many people and they were literally running through the store! We gathered a few items and then found the end of the check-out line. That was interesting. They had blue tape on the floor with arrows and the line went in and out of their aisles. I believe it took about 30-40 minutes to get to the check-out.

We then played a little tag in Sioux Falls with my cousin. We thought we needed to meet them at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, so we went there and found ourselves in the midst of a traffic jam. Just when we get there and explain where we parked, she said we were supposed to be at Best Buy. So we headed back that direction and met up with them.

Finally, we headed to Wal-Mart and got everything we wanted out of the ad, which was nice considering we weren't there at 5am, but more like 6:30. One manager even told me something I was looking for was sold out. As we wandered to the check-out, I found an entire display of that item. Guess she didn't know what she was talking about.

IHOP was next on our agenda as our stomachs were growling. We ate and headed back to the mall to Old Navy. That line wrapped around the store as well. But I did get some really cute sleeper pajamas for Jayden.

After Old Navy, we were wiped out, and ready to head home, so that's exactly what we did. I even got an 1 1/2 nap in. Mike said I was out cold. After my nap, we took Jayden to the doctor where he was placed on antibiotics again. My throat has been killing me all day and I'm already on antibiotics, so this could be interesting to see what comes of it. With Mike having pneumonia, I hope I don't get it.

All in all, today was a blast and worth the trip. I can't tell you about some of the deals as they are gifts, but I'm sure you'll hear soon enough.

black friday ads

Jayden says we need this and this and this and this...

Or more like, "what's that" repeated to infinity.

Found him sitting at the table looking at the ads for tomorrow. Silly boy. Guess he'll be my shopping buddy someday, huh.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Enjoy time with your families and be thankful for everything God has provided you with. Travel safe if you are traveling. It's a beautiful crisp morning! I've already been to the gas station at 5:30am to get my Argus Leader for the ads. I'm not sure what destination I have in mind, so I guess the ads will help decide that. Last year I stayed in Brookings, but this year I'm thinking about venturing to Sioux Falls. Yikes!

silly stuff

Yesterday after we had finished with a PALS (Play And Learn Session), my assistant and I were cleaning up. I found myself wondering where exactly the stinky diaper had gone during PALS. I was aware a mother changed the diaper, but never seen her bring the diaper out and she didn't have a diaper bag. It was then that I noticed I have a diaper genie. How brilliant! A diaper genie sitting right there by the changing table for those nasty, stinky diapers to be placed.

Sounds simple, right? Ahem....

I could not figure out how to open the darn thing. I tried staring down into the dark abyss to see if for fact the diaper was actually in the diaper genie, but the smell confirmed my intuitions. I tugged and pulled at the top of the genie trying to get the blasted lid off, but it was stuck. And I mean really stuck. Or maybe it was supposed to be that way. I decided the bag had to come out one way or another, so I started to pull the sack out because I knew this was a sure fire way to get it out.

The sack started coming out the top, but so did the top of the genie. Now I really had a dilemma. The genie was coming apart, the sack was falling out, but the diaper was still no where to be seen. Right there on the bottom, I noticed a foot pedal. I stepped on it and the genie opened from the bottom.

Alrighty then. So I start pulling the bag from the bottom because surely I would find the end by starting at the bottom. I pulled and pulled....and pulled. By this time, I realize I am not dealing with a bag, but an endless piece of plastic with a lost diaper some where in the middle of this endless tube of plastic.

I walk out into the hallway, pulling the plastic, dragging the genie behind me, holding the diaper which was stuck in the plastic, and asked my assistant (who is a retired grandma) if she knew how to work on of these...except, neither of us could get through out laughter and tears due to the mess I was standing in. Of course she knew nothing about the diaper genie. But she had a brilliant idea!

"Can you just cut it out of there?" Now why didn't I think of that? I grabbed my scissors and started cutting the top, then the bottom. The nasty diaper was stuck inside, but so was the top of the genie. I cut a hole in the middle and pulled the top out and left the diaper in. By the end of this fiasco, I had at least 30 feet of endless plastic and 1 stinky dirty diaper and a tear streaked face.

Apparently I am getting old because diaper genies never used to be that hard to work. Again, my assistant came with great words of wisdom, "when you move, Val, that, stays here".

Whew...what a day!!

--------------------------------------------

My husband and I enjoy Farmville on Facebook. You can also play it on the web. It's lots of fun and very addicting. In fact, our oldest girls also farm. The other night, as Mike was going through his feed to see what was new, he exclaimed, "HEY! When did I lay an egg?!" Let's just say he still hasn't heard the end of that one.

dear Jayden

Dear Jayden,

I love you. You are my pride and joy and you make me smile. I think about you throughout the day and wonder what you are doing or what you are playing with. But Jayden, I wish you would stop pooping in the tub when daddy isn't home to clean it out. As cute as you are with your blue eyes, your contagious giggle, and you telling me it's "poop", it is still inappropriate to poop in the tub, especially when you sister is in the tub with you.

And Jayden, while I sit here and think of how much I love you, I have to admit that I do not love your temper tantrums that you have been throwing for almost two years now. I understand you, honey, that you want to show me how strong you are when you throw potty chairs, computer chairs, toys, and Tow Mater down the stairs, but some day, you might get hurt doing this.

Jayden, I love you. I love every precious toe and finger on your body and I love how you have started to name some of your body parts. But Jayden, not all girls will like you touching their boobs and saying "moob" with a giggle. This might make them upset with you. Even though I see your innocence, they may not.

Jayden, I have been teaching you manners now for a long time and you have finally caught on to what please and thank you mean and when to say them. I love it when you say, "ank oo". But Jayden, I try notdo not laugh every time you fart at the table or burp your loud burps. However honey, you sure make that hard when you start with that contagious laugh.

Oh Jayden, I love you.

apple trees

The goal is to get all of the apples out of the tree onto the ground, so they can be picked up and thrown away before winter. Last year we were a bit more prepared and actually got all of these apples sliced, cored, peeled, and into the freezer. This year, I think we were still burnt out from last year, so they got left on the tree. But they look silly with no leaves or anything, so it was time to get rid of them.

It was a group effort. Joseph was shaking the tree, Dalton was trying to catch the falling apples into the trash.

Jayden was filling his shovel while he pushed it on the ground.

Then he decided it was easier to put apples onto the shovel while Joseph pushed it instead.

Mike climbed as high as he could to shake the branches while apples fell to the ground. Kids were dodging and running from the apples!

More and more apples plummeted to the ground. Can you see them falling by the dozens?

Devin carefully filled her coat with apples and took them to the trash can.

As she carefully placed them one by one down to the bottom.

"Hi honey, what's the view like up there?"

Devin and Dalton worked hard picking up tons of apples.

Dalton especially liked using the shovel.

Stewie watched very intently.

Joseph took huge shovel fulls of apples to the garbage.

Then Mike had to climb the tree again to try to get the last few remaining apples out.

But this time he used the apple picker to shake the last few out of the tree.

And here we are, after both trees are bare, with many many apples on the ground and lots of work ahead.

Good thing for some hard-working kids who got the job done rather quickly, with some help from daddy. You ask what I did? Well, took pictures of course!!