Look down there

I dunno, I dunno. I worked on my post for a few days and it has the date I started on it. So refer down a post for "A little mud on the tires". Oh, and get a cup of coffee, I had a lot to say.

Sprucing up the place

Yes, I've changed the look of the place. I'm a woman. I can't leave things alone. If there is a scab then I pick it. If there is a zit I pop it...several times. If there are pieces of loose tile I pull it up. If there is an ugly blog I pick another and another until I make it bleed and then I feel it will look much better. Invision a gentle rain misting the forest wild flowers and a little boy standing in a field with his overalls on. That's what I want my blog to look like, but these apple things will do for now.

A little mud on the tires

I drive twenty minutes every Thursday to a small town off I-44 so that my children can take piano lessons for a discounted rate from a really fabulous teacher. I drop one child off at lessons and then drive the other three to the downtown library. The library is off the main street and resides in an old storefront building that has been rehabbed. The sad thing is instead of leaving the facade the natural red brick they stuckoed the facade gray and white. It looks nice but screams, we have no taste. I paid a fifteen dollar fee to use the little library and it is quite sweet and so are the librarians, whom have taken late fees off my card and not said a word to me about loosing a book. There are usually no patrons or maybe a couple of elderly men reading the paper, so I feel like I must be the highlight of the libraries afternoon. Levi usually pushes a few rows of books all the way back on the shelves and throws a couple movies around before I decide we have given the librarian enough reshelving work to do.

A few times I have visited the little coffehouse downtown and have purchased food and beverages for myself and the children to help while away the time between lessons. The owner of the establishment, I'll call him George for his uncanny likeness to Star Wars creator George Lucas, always comes over and welcomes me and asks about the weather. On one such eating occasion the children and I sat eating our chili and drinking our smoothies when a very shabby, time worn fellow sauntered in and seated himself at the bar. Apparently it was not his first visit to the coffehouse and he was looking for something, most likely something with alcohol in its content. George dealt with the man and escorted him out quickly and not so quietly. Then George announced an apology to the entire cafe and spoke to me directly asking if I was going to come back. So that was pretty uncomfortable and weird. I realized that this is the sort of out right behavior and communication that I grew up with. People aren't afraid to just say it like it is, they're proud of there business and bend over backwards to make their patrons happy. Yes, I've gone back and George is always happy to see me. I love small town folk, they are so real.

Sometimes I drive around the town and look at property that is for sale. I've been looking at lots in the downtown area and dreaming of establishing an adorable neighborhood of bungalows. That dream was a bit flattened when I found out the area is in a 500 year flood plain and all the property needs to be elevated 48 or more inches. Some people have done this and the result is five feet of exposed concrete on top of the property that has been built up to resemble a mole hill. I would still like to get involved in some sort of revitalization of that downtown area, it is so worthy. But...

On the opposite end of town urban sprawl is at its best. Large subdivisions are springing up with McMansions looming on the once green pastures. What must the farmer be doing with all the money he was paid by the developers? Is he retired and resting his weary back? Is he vacationing in the Ozarks, fishing, golfing (no, farmers don't golf), hunting perhaps? Did he buy his wife that new sectional for the family room she's been looking at for the past 25 years? Maybe he was finally able to pay back the agricultural loans from that drought back in '64. I don't know, I just hope he doesn't mind stepping out on his back porch in the early morning to view the sun rise over the barn and notice he doesn't have a barn anymore because Fred and Wanda moved into their 6500 square foot home and built a ten foot privacy fence where that red barn used to stand. Not to mention the shock Mr. Farmer would get to see Fred in his boxers staring out the third story wall of windows frowning at the unsightly little white farm house that just needs to be bulldozed so the country club can put in the next nine holes.

I caved one Thursday and decided to tour the developers showcase homes. I had Ellen, Isaac and Levi with me. Ellen was wearing her cowboy boots, jeans and t-shirt and any other day I would have thought she was as cute as a bug, this day as we walked into the showcase home I scanned my children and took inventory of the flock; Ellen-hick farm girl, Isaac-torn jeans-dirty shirt, Levi-just spit up red smoothie on his light blue shirt. They all looked a bit rough, and me, well, I was wearing blue jeans an old t-shirt and no make up with my hair in a ponytail. Clay gave me a little diamond necklace for my birthday and I was stupidly thinking if I was wearing my necklace I would look presentable and people would think I have a right to be here. I'll pause while you all make fun of me....I know I know (sigh), I'm pathetic.

The McMansions were nice with there tiny yards and the proximity of the neighbors a booger flick away. I don't belong there. I won't visit that side of town again. I like the old stuff. I like the farmer's house. Maybe Mr. Farmer and Mable will sell it to me and I'll rebuild the barn in front of that wall. I'll take a basket of wildflowers and garden produce over to Fred and Wanda as a peace offering.

Bare foot circa 2001 borrowed from God Almighty

Remember that blog I wrote about using up all the groceries before going to the store again? Well, I stretched the pantry and freezer as far as they could go the past two weeks. We ate some sort of "pork soup surprise" for dinner last night. I used a peppercorn pork tenderloin that was waaaaay over peppered. I washed as much of the pepper off and stuck it in the pot to boil and what came out was a waaaaaay too peppery, waaaaay too watery soup thingamajig. The children begged me to go to the store today. I really think we could have held out a couple more days.

In the rush of madness to get to the store, get school done, do some church work, make some phone calls and get out the door, Isaac was overlooked. No, I didn't leave him at home. I barked the orders to get shoes and get in the van and Isaac heard "Pick up a shoe in one hand and don't let go of the death grip on the Gameboy with the other!". When we got to Pizza Hut (yes, we ate out because no one wanted to eat left over peppered water) Seth asked why Isaac only had one shoe. Isaac said, while pushing the buttons of his Gameboy, that he had just forgot it, like that is absolutely no inconvenience whatsoever to his mother or him for that matter. My threat to make him stay in the van while we went to eat was welcomed by him and he plopped back in the seat so he could play his GAMEBOY!!

He wasn't so happy to stay in the van after the swat and scolding I gave him. He wore one shoe into Pizza Hut and all over Wal-Mart, little skunk.

My plans to make a wonderful low-fat skillet lasagna with Italian turkey sausage was jilted when I completely burned the bottom of the meat. Meat that has no fat has very little forgiveness in timing. Learn from me, do not get distracted and think you can quickly blog a little while cooking a meal. Despite the black under crust of the lasagna, everyone ate it with great gusto while I gagged and complained that it tasted like one of those Chef Boyardee things. I think they were all so happy to have food in the house they would have eaten tofu with a side of mashed turnips or one of those Chef Boyardee things.

American Idol
Yes, we watch and I am finally going to say a lil' somsin somsin about it.
Chis Daughtry...yow. Me wish me could see his performance a few more times and put that song on me ipod.

Chick Chick
The ladies are doing well. Five of them hopped out of the baby pool today and cuh-rapud all over the porch thankyafershat. Oh, and as I was capturing the little gals one decided to leave me a finger full of herself...nice. I better get used to that, it's actually the gold I'm looking for to bury in the garden.

Cuteness
Isacc- Mom, you borrowed me.
Me- I did? Who did I borrow you from?
Isaac- God.
Me- When do I have to give you back?
Isaac- He said you could keep me.
followed by lots of huggas and kissas

Silence is golden.

I was working on a new post three days ago when I heard the sickening sound of my children screaming across the house. I immediately started to prickle and sweat. What has happened? Who is hurt?

"They're here! Mom! They're here!" my children were now running into me carrying a little box that was chirping. "Oh! Great Scott! The chickens arrived a day early!"

We quickly dragged the blue baby pool onto the screened porch and filled the waterer with sugar and water. We unloaded 26 little peeping chicks. You get one extra just in case, you know, the trip was a bit too much for one. We dipped each beak in the water and they drank and drank and drank until when we picked them up they spewed water out they're beaks.

Some are very distinct. Like Edna, she quickly became our favorite. She looks more like an owl than a chicken. She likes to be held, especially by Ellen. So far they are doing great and they all love me.

The really cute thing is how fascinated my husband is with them. Right at this moment he's sitting out on the porch, just watching the chicks. We went out last night and instead of getting ready for bed when we got home, he had to go stare at the chicks for a while.

I put in most of my garden today. What a thrill to figure out what to plant next to what. New to the garden this year are potatoes, pumpkins, ornamental gourds, beets, radishes and onions. I hope it does well. I'll try to post a few pictures of the garden in progess and of Edna.

Tomorrow I'm going to put in a new walk in the front of the house. I have a feeling I'll be dog tired at the end of the day.

My dad is coming to visit on his way through to somewhere. He's a bicyclist and his season has just started. He's also on a mission to ride his bike in every county in the lower 48 states. He's probably 1/3 or more done. Impressive and strange this goal of his is. I'm just happy he's doing something healthy in his retirement.

The "new lifestyle" is going okay. I've had a few weak moments like the box of eclairs that I stuck back in the freezer to avoid eating. I ate several of them anyway even though it hurt my jaw to break through the frozen cream. I've lost five pounds which is nice. Now I need to start a regular workout program so if I loose any more weight my skin won't be flapping in the breeze.

That's it from here, have a loverly weekend.

Mr. Cow meet Levi's patty.

Chicken count down- 2 days

Ellen has been informing me how many more days until the chickens come for at least 19 days. But, this is it! We are nearly there! I hope they all come healthy and that they make the trip okay, bless their little beaks.

What the hello am I going to do with 25 baby chickens? I'm afraid I might spread a sleeping bag out on the back porch by the baby pool that they will temporarily reside in to monitor their every move and, you know to bond with them.

Easter News

Sunday was lovely. We were all well and had a house full of people. It was a relaxing day and the kids wore themselves out. What a wonderful day to celebrate Christ resurrection and fellowship with Believers.

My parents caught wind of us being sick and decided to stay at my sister's house, which I certainly don't blame them.

There are remains of plastic eggs all over my house. Levi stored a few fists fulls of jelly beans in his crib and greeted me with a black smile and sticky hands after his nap.

The kids got one very, very, very small, like eat in one sitting, chocolate bunny (because any leftovers would have hopped right into my bunny hole of a mouth). The older two received Keith Urban CD's and the younger two were given a soft stuffed bear and cow. Levi who is the owner of the little cow has already marked it as his territory by smearing a bit of the contents of his morning diaper on it. Mr. Cow meet my laundry pile, that's where you're going to be for a while.

...with a puke puke here and a puke puke there...

As of this morning the last person succumbed to the stomach virus. Two nights ago Ellen and Isaac played dueling toilets. Clay slept on the couch and I slept in my bed with Ellen. She got up nearly every hour to wretch, she did it so hard she gave herself a bloody nose, then puked the blood she had swallowed about an hour later. TMI???

I woke up yesterday as Clay came in the room to check on Ellen and said, "No, No you can't leave, it's got me!". So Clay nursed three of us all day long. Late in the day Seth went down and this morning as I was cleaning up diarrhea in the baby's crib Clay started looking a bit pale. I told him to hurry up and make his phone calls because he wasn't going to be able to stand up much longer.

Now I have this panic reaction to anything that sounds like coughing or liquid hitting a surface. The baby was playing with a cup and gurgling into it and I immediately spun around to rush him into the bathroom. It's going to take a few days to relax the reactions to vomit.

My parents are on their way here right now, God in heaven have mercy. I need to go put Ellen's room back together from when I painted it (just two weeks ago) or Mom and Dad might want to go get a hotel room.....for their own safety.

Pukin' Smoochin'

Puking Prodigy


I've read so many posts by mammas with kiddos puking their little guts out and I kept thinking, "My kids are so healthy, I don't know the last time one of them had a stomach bug!". I bet you can all guess what I've been cleaning up the last two days.

Poor little Levi has become a human fire hose gushing the contents of his stomach only in the carpeted and upholstered areas of the house. He was so hungry after his last evacuation that he crawled up in his highchair and whimpered to eat something. He got a sip of water. Poor baby.

Yesterday, I cuddled with him on the couch and I dozed off only to be awakened to little smoochy kisses on my nose. It seems that Levi turns into a little snuggle, lovey dovey when he doesn't have the energy to run amuck. He has been the cutest little puking thing I've ever seen.

We have around thirty people coming over for Easter dinner. I sure hope we get this bug out of the house before then.

And we jump on it...

Have you heard this song? Some friends lent me the cd by John Anderson it goes a little somthin like this....

Granny's on the front porch
spittin' in a cup
tryin' tuh fix a nightgown
that the dog tore up.

Mamma's ole' clothesline
finally bit the dust.
Brother got a broomstick
and propped it back up.

We coulda had a dryer or a sewin' machine,
but Daddy went and bought us a trampoline!<>em>

And we jump on it
every chance we git
Mamma and Daddy and all us kids.
We ain't got much, but we got this
and we jump up on it.

Brother does back flips
with his eyes bugged out.
An Daddy says uh back flip
is what it's all about.

The whole town's talkin'
and they say it looks like
some white trash circus
has hit the neighborhood

We don't know what in the world they mean?
Mamma says their jealous of our trampoline!




And we jump on it
every chance we git
Mamma and Daddy and all us kids.
We ain't got much, but we got this
and we jump up on it.

Daddy says life is such a crazy mess
you gotta jump on your chances
for some happiness.
We all see what Daddy means
uh way up here on this trampoline!

Yep, that's us! Maybe this summer we can get a stock tank, I hear they make a nifty swimmin' pool!

Blinking Moments

Finer points of the week:
*Seth turned a decade...he says double digits.
*We bought a trampoline and it was a very good investment in time spent playing outside and a new storage area for socks.
*I did great on my new lifestyle with the exception of eating the animal cookie left in the car seat and then snatching a handful out of the box before yelling, "Please get these away from me!".

Fine points of the week:
*In an effort to save money I have decreased the cleaning people to every other week. I cleaned three times as much...I don't think I saved anything in time or irritation. Wondering if it is worth the savings.
*I've caved to the birthday party celebration for my son, so tonight hundreds of boys are coming over to spend the night or maybe just four...what's the difference?


And other stuff:

I'm nervous about making the cake for Seth, I fear I will accidentally pour the bowl of batter down my throat. Oh, I forgot I also cleaned the pudding off one of my children's plates by licking it. Yep, just held the plate with both hand and slurped it up. These are dangerous times.

Monday

Isaac- Mom, this house isn't very cah yout, we should clean it up, then it would be cah yout.

Seth- Mom, can you go somewhere special when your in your 30's? Like Arkansas? You need a break from taking care of us, doing laundry and yelling.

Levi- guldy, guldy, guldy, guldy, guldy, gudly, guldy (pause to take breath) guldy, guldy...and so it goes until he is eating or sleeping.

Ellen spent most of the morning dressing her baby brother up like a girl.